Flexural Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Openings Strengthened by Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) Wrap

This paper presents an experimental study of reinforced concrete beams with circular and square openings at the flexure zone. Selected beams were strengthened using Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) wraps. A total of six beam specimens measuring 250 mm (height) x 200 m (width) x 1700 mm (length) were cast using high strength concrete with a compressive strength of 64 N/mm2. The beams tested consisted of a solid control beam, unstrengthened concrete beams with openings and strengthened concrete beams with openings. The effect of circular and square openings on the flexure zone of concrete beams was investigated. All the beams were simply supported and tested up to failure under four-point loading. From the test results, it was found that the presence of openings at the flexure zone significantly reduces the strength and stiffness of the beams. The use of TRC wrap around the beam openings increases the ultimate capacity and stiffness of the beams. In addition, it also reduces excessive vertical cracks and deflection in beams considerably compared to unstrengthened concrete beams with openings

Lactic Acid Bacteria Producing Sorbic Acid and Benzoic Acid Compounds from Fermented Durian Flesh (Tempoyak) and Their Antibacterial Activities Against Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria

Background and Objective: Antibacterial compounds produced by lactic acid bacteria are believed to replace functions of chemical preservatives. The objectives of this study were to identify lactic acid bacteria, which produced antibacterial compounds, from fermented durian flesh (tempoyak) and to assess antibacterial activities of the isolates. Material and Methods: Two bacterial identification techniques were used, including API 50 CHL kit with supplementary medium and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Results and Conclusion: Four various lactic acid bacteria strains of Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis I and Lactobacillus acidophilus I were identified using API 50 CHL Kit and five various others of Lactobacillus paracasei DSM 2649, Lactobacillus buchneri DSM 20057T, Lactobacillus parabuchneri DSM 57069, Lactobacillus paracasei DSM 20020 and Lactobacillus farcimini CIP 103136T using MALDI-TOF/MS. Cell-free supernatant extracted from Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus brevis I and Lactobacillus acidophilus I included strong inhibitory effects against Vibrio cholera O1 (Inaba type), Vibrio cholera O139 (Bengal type), Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802, Escherichia coli ATCC 11795, Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 and a total of 23 serotypes of Salmonella spp. associated with outbreaks of food poisoning from raw chicken, egg shell and water samples. Only Lactobacillus buchneri DSM 20057T was identified by MALDI-TOF/MS as a strain producing sorbic and benzoic acids. This strain can potentially be used as food preservative to decrease growth of foodborne pathogenic bacteria

Sound absorption properties at high sound frequency of open cell aluminium foam / Mohd Arifhakim Azizan...[et al.]

Open-cell aluminium foam is a type of metallic foam that has been industrialised years ago. It has been found that due to its porous characteristic, it is suitable for sound absorption. The porous characteristic of open-cell aluminium foam is closely related to its sound absorption properties. In this research, the open-cell aluminium foam was produced by infiltration casting method and its sound absorption properties were studied. Infiltration casting is a casting method that uses space holder material in the casting mould and later the mould is infiltrated with molten material by vacuuming and gas purging inside the mould. NaCl was used as the space holder material in order to form the porous structure. The size of NaCl grains is in the range between 1mm to 3 mm. The surface structure of the fabricated open-cell aluminium foam was then observed under an optical microscope while its sound absorption properties were determined using impedance tube test, respected to the ASTM E1050 designation to analyse sound absorption coefficient. It was found that at high sound frequency ranging from 800 Hz to 5000 Hz, open-cell aluminium foam produced from infiltration method gave a higher sound absorption for bigger pore open-cell aluminium foam

Flexural behaviour of plain concrete prism strengthened by textile fine grained mortar

This paper presents a flexural strength study of concrete incorporated with textile fine grained mortar (TFGM) as a strengthening laminate. TFGM is a combination of fine grained mortar (FGM) with alkali resistant glass fabric (AR glass). Fine grained sand with 600 m maximum size was used in FGM and fly ash (FA) or rice husk ash (RHA) has been used as a partial substitute for ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The potential of TFGM as strengthening laminate was tested under monolithic load with three point flexure loading. The TFGM were laid in layers of two, four, six, and eight. Results shown a promising flexure enhancement of up to three times of unstrengthened concrete when eight layers of both RHA and FA were laid. Load bearing capacity and ductility of the samples increased about 200% and 61%, respectively, compared to control samples as well. The outcome shows a highly potential use of agro-waste as cement replacement to produce load bearing structural component

Green Lean TQM Islamic Process Management Practices In Malaysian Food Companies / Nur Asiah Kuzaiman...[et al.]

Halal market is expanding globally. With the world Muslim population is approaching 2.8 billion people, Muslims are expected to account for 30% of the world’s population by 2025. This large market has created interest from food producing countries worldwide including Malaysia. Being recognized internationally as a progressive Muslim country, Malaysia has the edge of becoming a major producer of Halal food products. Nevertheless, in order to realize this potential demand, the food-based Halal industries should consistently enhance their products by practising a high quality process management system. Lean TQM Islamic Process Management System is a system whereby Process Management Practices are integrated to Lean Manufacturing (LM), Total Quality Management (TQM), Environmental Management System (EMS) and Islamic Manufacturing Practices (IMP) principles. In this study, 30 food companies from Selangor have been selected to participate in this survey. From the data collected, Green Lean TQM Islamic Process framework have been proposed. The implementation practices were divided into 5 categories which are Foundation Level, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and level 4. From the data collected in this study, unfortunately there are none of the practices listed in the Foundation levelThe output from this study will provide insights on the good management benchmark that will be beneficial to the food industries, especially for Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs)

Physico-mechanical properties of polymer concrete containing micro-filler of palm oil fuel ash

Objective of this study is to present a research conducted on ground (fine) and unground (coarse) POFA in polymer concrete (PC) followed by determination on the physico-mechanical properties of PC. Physical properties of micro-fillers and mechanical properties of produced PCs were characterized. Calcium carbonate and silica sand were also used as micro-fillers for comparison purpose. The samples were subjected to compression and flexural. Morphology images of the particles were captured under morphology test to support the findings. Results showed that fine POFA micro-filler has a highly promising potential in becoming PC filler compared to coarse micro-filler. Additionally, its produced PC had comparable strength to PC with calcium carbonate. From the strength development and sustainability stand point, fine POFA has demonstrated its capability to produce quality and sustainable P

Structural conformation of Bacillus stearothermophilus F1 protease and effect of modification on its thermostability

The extracellular F1 serine protease, produced by a thermophilic Bacillus stearothermophilus F1, has been isolated and characterized as one of a serine protease. F1 protease was stable in the pH range of 8.0 to 10.0, with an optimum activity at pH 9.0. The enzyme was stable for 24h at 70°C (Rahman et al., 1994)

MENGEKANG IMPAK NEGATIF SHARENTING: SATU KAJIAN TENTANG KETERLIBATAN AGENSI KERAJAAN DAN BADAN BUKAN KERAJAAN KETIKA PANDEMIK COVID-19 (Curbing the Negative Impact of Sharenting: A Study on the Involvement of Government Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations During the Covid-19 Pandemic)

Perkataan sharenting pada asasnya ialah gabungan daripada dua perkataan bahasa Inggeris iaitu sharing dan parenting. Istilah sharenting merujuk kepada fenomena perkongsian foto dan video anak-anak serta maklumat pengenalan diri yang lain oleh ibu bapa pada akaun media sosial mereka sendiri. Penggunaan lazim media sosial sebagai platform untuk perkongsian yang kebiasaannya mempunyai perlindungan privasi yang sangat minimum, telah mewujudkan kebimbangan dalam masyarakat. Sepanjang tempoh Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) yang dikuatkuasakan kerana penularan wabak COVID-19, penggunaan media sosial sebagai medium penyebaran maklumat dan perkongsian bukanlah sesuatu yang asing. Ia menjadi sebahagian daripada norma baharu kehidupan apabila pertemuan bersemuka menjadi sukar atau mustahil disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor. Ditambah pula dengan kewujudan pelbagai aplikasi yang kebanyakannya dapat diakses secara percuma melalui capaian Internet dan telefon pintar mudah alih. Percambahan perkongsian tentang kehidupan seharian termasuk aktiviti sharenting berlaku secara berleluasa tanpa sekatan. Di sebalik kesan positif daripada perkongsian ini, wujud implikasi negatif kepada fizikal, mental dan spiritual kanak-kanak. Bertunjangkan kepada mengawal impak negatif sharenting terhadap kanak-kanak, artikel ini memfokuskan peruntukan undang-undang sedia ada yang melindungi kanak-kanak di Malaysia selain mengenal pasti peranan agensi kerajaan dan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) di Malaysia dalam menangani isu sharenting. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah penyelidikan kualitatif bagi menghuraikan peranan agensi kerajaan dan NGO dalam membendung kesan buruk daripada perbuatan sharenting. Analisis data dibuat melalui kaedah penelitian terhadap beberapa dokumen statut utama seperti Akta Kanak-Kanak 2001; Akta Kesalahan-Kesalahan Seksual terhadap Kanak-kanak 2017; dan Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998 di samping hasil temu bual yang dijalankan dengan beberapa orang responden untuk menghalusi isu ini dengan lebih mendalam dan praktikal. Artikel ini menyimpulkan bahawa mekanisme kawalan perlulah mengimbangi hak ibu bapa terhadap anak-anak tanpa meminggirkan hak anak-anak. Dalam keadaan konflik antara hak- hak tersebut, kebajikan anak-anak perlulah diberikan keutamaan. Oleh itu, kerjasama daripada pelbagai pihak termasuk agensi kerajaan dan NGO amat diperlukan kerana peranan yang dimainkan oleh setiap pihak adalah berbeza-beza demi mengurangkan impak negatif daripada perbuatan sharenting. Abstract Sharenting is a combination of sharing and parenting. The term ‘sharenting’ refers to the growing phenomenon of parents sharing photos and videos of their children, as well as other identifying information, on their own social media accounts. It is the habitual use of these platforms, which often have minimal privacy protection, causing concern in the community. Throughout the implementation of Movement Control Order (MCO) due to the spread of COVID-19, the use of social media as a medium of dissemination of information and sharing is not uncommon. It became part of the new norm of life when face-to-face encounters become difficult or impossible due to several factors, coupled with the existence of a variety of apps that are mostly accessible for free with the availability of Internet access and smartphones, the proliferation of sharing about everyday life including sharenting activities taking place without restrictions. Despite the positive effects of sharing, there are negative physical, mental and spiritual implications for children. Focusing on controlling the negative impacts of sharenting on children, this study focuses on the provisions of existing laws that protect children in Malaysia and identify the role of government agencies and NGOs in Malaysia in addressing this sharenting issue. Using qualitative research methods, this study describes the role of government and NGOs in curbing the adverse effects of these sharenting acts. Data were analysed using the content analysis method to several statutes such as the Child Act 2001, Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017 and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and findings from interviews with several respondents to further refine this issue. This article concludes that control mechanisms must be balanced between parental rights towards children without marginalizing children’s rights. In the event of a conflict between these rights, the welfare of children should be given priority. Therefore, the cooperation of various parties including government agencies and NGOs, is needed to mitigate the negative impact of the sharenting act by acknowledging the different roles played by each party. Keywords: sharenting, laws, government agencies, NGOs, children’s rights

Effect of CFRP plate length on flexural behavior of GFRP reinforced concrete beam strengthening

This research investigates the effect of CFRP plate length on flexural behaviour of GFRP strengthened reinforced concrete beam. CFRP plate was placed on the bottom of the beam to act as tension reinforcement. Ten beams were tested, largely divided into over designed and under designed reinforced beams. Each group had one steel reinforced concrete beam, one GFRP reinforced concrete beam and three GFRP reinforced concrete beam with different length of CFRP plate at the bottom of beam. Tested parameters included flexural strength, stress–strain relationship and deflection. Results indicated that all strengthened beams had improved structural performance where the maximum flexural strength increased by 102% and maximum deflection reduced by 35%. The CFRP plate can significantly improve the load-bearing capacity of strengthened GFRP concrete beams

A case study on the improvement of productivity and efficiency of a quality control line for a cutting tool manufacturer / Muhammad Farhan Mohd Suhaimi and Noor Azlina Mohd Salleh

A case study conducted at a quality control line of a cutting tool manufacturer in Malaysia aimed to improve the line balancing and maximise the productivity. Line Balancing (LB) plays an important role to enhance the productivity and efficiency of a production line. Current situation at the line is considered very critical since the operator exhibits high tendency to skip a few procedures while performing the inspection processes. It is due to the manpower shortfall in the line that overwhelmed the operator to meet an irrelevant required target output from the line. This situation resulted in some customer complaints on the company’s product. In order to overcome the problem, observations and time study using the stopwatch technique had been conducted to identify the flaw concerning the workload at the quality control line. Then, from the data obtained, LB is introduced into the quality control line. The data collected are then analysed by using the takt time calculation, Yamazumi Chart and a new layout of the quality control line are designed and proposed. Apart from that, a pre-filled check sheet acts as a Lean Manufacturing (LM) approach named Poka-Yoke is also introduced with regard to eliminate a few wastes existed in the line. As a result, the productivity and efficiency of the quality control line recorded an increment up to 9.73% and 89.94% respectively. With the aid of this study, it is greatly help the company to establish a better monitoring system to thoroughly Muhammad Farhan Mohd Suhaimi & Noor Azlina Mohd Salleh utilise the resources especially in terms of time and manpower needed for the line