GIS and Remote Sensing for Mangroves Mapping and Monitoring

Malaysia is one of the few South East Asian counties with large tracts of mangroves. They provide ecosystem goods and services to the environment and the surroundings regarding shoreline stabilization, storm protection, water quality maintenance, micro-climate stabilization, recreation, tourism, fishing and supply of various forest products. Despite extensive distribution of the mangroves, threats posed by different land use activities are inevitable. Therefore, knowledge on mangroves distribution and change is importance for effective management and making protection policies. Although remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) has been widely used to characterize and monitor mangroves change over a range of spatial and temporal scales, studies on mangroves change in Malaysia is lacking. Effective mangrove management is vital via acquiring knowledge on forest distribution and changes to establish protection policies. This chapter will elaborate technically how GIS and RS were utilized to identify, map, and monitor changes of mangroves ecosystem in Malaysia. It also highlights how GIS can enhance the current governance and regulations related to forestry in Malaysia

Adopting industrialisation in the construction environment: meeting the requirements of sustainability / Muhamad Faiz Musa …[et al.]

The construction industry should move from conventional construction method and adopt the industrialisation concept, to increase productivity and deliver quality construction end products. Industrialisation is the combination of a large market to divide into fractions the investment in strategies and innovation, in return, of simplifying the production and, therefore, reducing the costs. The introduction of Degree of Industrialisation by Roger-Bruno Richard is critical to the construction industry. The five degrees of industrialisation are prefabrication, mechanisation, automation, robotics and reproduction. Richard’s Degree of Industrialisation is in line with the Malaysian government’s vision to be a developed nation by 2020, to push forward the use of innovative technologies in most industries including the construction industry. The adoption of industrialisation and innovations in the Malaysian construction industry has the potential to solve the current problems in the construction industry. The problems are the inferior quality of products and processes, a poor site working conditions, low construction productivity, high construction cost, relying on foreign workers and lack of skill labours. The adoption of industrialisation and innovations promote sustainability in the construction environment. The objectives of the study are to investigate whether the adoption of industrialisation in the construction environment promotes sustainability and to identify the current level of industrialisation of the Malaysian construction industry. The methodologies of the study are semi-structure interview and observation. The Malaysian construction industry is ready to embrace industrialisation in construction environment in limited areas and industrialisation promotes sustainability in the construction environment

The Industrialised Building System Modular System (IBSMS) Framework

The enhancement of quality and to promote sustainability in the construction or built environment can be achieved through the adoption of offsite manufacturing (OSM). The adoption OSM through modular construction is already being adopted all over the world but to be considered as new technology and innovation in Malaysia. This paper will discuss the development of a framework for modular construction that embraced the Malaysian IBS approach. The framework is developed from the existing framework, literature review and the findings of the case studies. The established framework hopes to increase the understanding and awareness of modular construction in Malaysia.Keywords: Industrialised Building System (IBS); modular construction; Industrialised Building System Modular System (IBSMS); offsite manufacturing (OSM)ISSN: 2398-4287© 2017. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Lowering of palm oil cloud point by enzymatic acidolysis

This study was carried out to lower the cloud point value of palm oil by enzymatic acidolysis at different mole ratio of palm oil to capric acid of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:5. Lipase 1, 3-specific from Rhizomucor miehei; lipozyme RM IM was used in this study. Cloud point value was determined using PORIM p4.3 method (1995). Results showed that by increasing the mole ratio of palm oil to capric acid resulted in the increase of cloud point value before and after acidolysis significantly (p<0.05). The cloud point value was decreased after acidolysis for each mole ratio

Development of local volume table for second growth forests using standing tree measurements

The need to have an accurate measure of tree volume is fundamental in forest management and administration as tree volume is widely used for estimating the productivity of a forest stand, as well as for the assessment of taxes and fines. In moist tropical forest, volume table has been recognized as the best approach to estimate volume especially due to some difficulties in tree measurements. Various researches on tree volume estimation have been conducted in Peninsular Malaysia with the purpose of improving planning in the management of forests. In order to construct reliable volume tables, enumeration of a relatively large number of sample trees of various size classes and species or species groups are required. The enumeration of each sample tree requires accurate diameter measurements of several sections of the stem. To obtain such measurements, traditionally the sample trees have been measured either using felled or standing trees and therefore costly and time consuming. Currently, the same level of accurate measurements can be obtained without the need to undertake destructive sampling or direct measurements, such as by climbing trees. This paper highlights the use of digital measurement tool for the measurement of standing trees for the development of volume tables. The benefits and limitations of this digital approach over traditional data collection technique are discussed

Customer's perception towards McDonald's icon-based nutritional labels

Nowadays, nutritional labels are very important instruments in the restaurant industry as it helps customers in making informed food choices. Therefore, McDonald’s should take action to become the first in the world to make extensive nutritional information and comprehensive ingredient listings and other food facts available to the customers. Additionally, McDonald’s provided in-store nutrition information pamphlets, on food wrappers, on tray placemats as well as official restaurant website in order to let the customers be aware of it. However, McDonald’s are always perceived as unhealthy restaurants and portray a bad image to the public. In relation to that, in order to change public perception towards fast foods, nutrition label acts as a safety guide in choosing healthy foods. Thus, this study aims to determine customers’ perception on the icon-based nutrition labels of McDonald’s food products. The study was conducted at McDonald’s outlets within Shah Alam area and the data was gathered through self-administered questionnaires. From the analyses, the results showed that customers positively perceived McDonald’s icon-based nutrition labels as a good effort and step towards healthier lifestyle as people nowadays are more conscious and aware of their health and nutritious food intake. Furthermore, the findings revealed some important points which could be useful for the fast food operators, food manufacturers as well as other restaurant operators to come out with the idea of producing nutrition labels as a new marketing strategy or tool. Additionally, it will increase customer turn over, as well as create a new environment geared towards a healthy lifestyle. As a final point, for future researchers they should explore on the effectiveness of nutritional labels on the customer in terms of making healthy food choices. In addition, the study can be broadened to investigate whether nutritional labels help build more trust in providing nutrition information to the customers in making decisions to buy a meal

Online grocery shopping: the affect of time availability on Malaysian consumer preferences

Online grocery shopping is a new way of buying desired grocery products for household consumption. It has been started in Malaysia few years back with early local online grocer such as PasarBorong.com, SubangGrocer.com, CGdeMart.com and Citrasspicemart.com. Due to the advancement of today technology, online grocery shopping is gaining their market share in the food retail industry in Malaysia. Therefore, this study examined the perceptions and preferences of Malaysian consumers towards online grocery shopping. It is also examines three (3) important factors in online grocery shopping; cost and charges, time availability and convenience of online grocery shopping, which will contribute to the impact of online grocery shopping. Sample of population for this study were consumers who had some experience in online food retailing, particularly online grocery shopping and also those who have not yet to use internet to purchase grocery products. The researcher used self administered questionnaire and applied quota sampling in this study to represent three main ethnic in Malaysia (Malay, Chinese and Indian). Result of the study showed that Malaysian consumers were disagreeing on the extra cost and charges of online grocery shopping charged by the online grocers. The same feeling they expressed on the time availability that they have and also the time used to navigate the online pages. Most of the respondents were strongly disagree to have a repeat purchase for buying grocery product online. Therefore, the overall findings highlighted some important points which should be useful to the online grocers in order for them to capture the market and also to have repeat business in the future. It also helps the online grocers to understand consumers’ needs and preferences in online grocery shopping. By acknowledging this study, online grocers are able to position themselves in the market at par to be accepted by Malaysian consumers

The Forest Observation System, building a global reference dataset for remote sensing of forest biomass

International audienceForest biomass is an essential indicator for monitoring the Earth's ecosystems and climate. It is a critical input to greenhouse gas accounting, estimation of carbon losses and forest degradation, assessment of renewable energy potential, and for developing climate change mitigation policies such as REDD+, among others. Wall-to-wall mapping of aboveground biomass (aGB) is now possible with satellite remote sensing (RS). However, RS methods require extant, up-to-date, reliable, representative and comparable in situ data for calibration and validation. Here, we present the Forest Observation System (FOS) initiative, an international cooperation to establish and maintain a global in situ forest biomass database. aGB and canopy height estimates with their associated uncertainties are derived at a 0.25 ha scale from field measurements made in permanent research plots across the world's forests. all plot estimates are geolocated and have a size that allows for direct comparison with many RS measurements. The FOS offers the potential to improve the accuracy of RS-based biomass products while developing new synergies between the RS and ground-based ecosystem research communities

Implementasi Kemahiran Berfikir Aras Tinggi (KBAT) Matematik : adakah suatu realiti?

Kajian ini dijalankan bagi mengkaji tahap implementasi Kemahiran Berfikir Aras Tinggi (KBAT) semasa pengajaran dan pemudahcaraan (PdPc) Matematik oleh guru Matematik sekolah menengah. Kajian ini juga meninjau hubungan antara tempoh pengalaman mengajar, kehadiran ke kursus KBAT, pengetahuan dan kemahiran dengan amalan KBAT guru dan faktor yang mempengaruhi amalan penerapan KBAT guru Matematik. Kajian berbentuk kuantitatif dan tinjauan terhadap 110 orang guru Matematik dengan pemilihan rawak di 21 buah sekolah menengah di daerah Kerian, Perak dijalankan. Deskriptif, korelasi Pearson, korelasi Spearman dan regresi berganda diguna untuk menganalisis data. Secara keseluruhannya, implementasi KBAT guru Matematik dalam PdPc Matematik adalah pada tahap sangat memuaskan. Hubungan positif diperhatikan antara kehadiran ke kursus KBAT, pengetahuan dan kemahiran dengan amalan PdPc guru. Berdasarkan model regresi, faktor pengetahuan dan kemahiran telah mempengaruhi amalan KBAT guru Matematik semasa PdPc. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa implementasi KBAT guru-guru sekolah menengah di Kerian boleh dijadikan panduan oleh Bahagian Perancangan Kurikulum dalam merangka penyediaan kursus sokongan dan profesional berkaitan pedagogi KBAT. Pendedahan serta dorongan yang berterusan kepada guru Matematik untuk terus mengimplimentasi KBAT semasa PdPc Matematik selari dengan Kurikulum Matematik dan Falsafah Pendidikan Negara adalah perlu agar anggapan bebanan terhadap pelaksanaan KBAT bertukar kepada suatu PdPc yang kreatif dan menarik sekaligus menjurus kepada keperluan Pendidikan 4.0

Performance of small reservoirs in Tulang Bawang Watershed for microhydro power plant

Recurring floods in the Tulang Bawang River have led to significant losses. In response, the government and local engineers have taken steps to manage flood events and harness excess water for electrical energy generation through the construction of five small reservoirs in the Tulang Bawang watershed. This study evaluates the performance of these reservoirs as micro-hydro power plants, with the aim of mitigating energy challenges in Lampung Province. To achieve this goal, we collected and analyzed hydrological data and calculated the potential electrical power output for each reservoir. By utilizing a 50- meter waterfall height, the sub-watersheds of Way Giham, Way Umpu, and Way Tahmi, with a combined water holding capacity of approximately 2 million cubic meters, are capable of generating around 3 MW of electrical power per reservoir. Similarly, Way Tuba and Way Basei sub-watersheds offer a potential of approximately 4 MW of electrical power per reservoir. Based on these calculations, it is evident that the small reservoirs in the Tulang Bawang watershed hold substantial potential for contributing to the electrical power supply, thereby addressing Lampung Province's energy challenges. These findings underscore the significance of utilizing available water resources to meet energy demands and promote sustainable development in flood-prone areas