Prevalence of West Nile virus antibody in captive bird populations in selected areas in Selangor, Malaysia.

West Nile Virus (WNV) infection is a zoonotic emerging disease caused by RNA virus genus of Flavivirus. WNV virus is maintain in the environment via cyclic transmission with mosquito particularly Culex spp. served as a vector, birds as amplifying host and human or mammals as dead-end host. Currently, no studies have been carried out to determine the prevalence of WNV antibody in captive bird populations in Malaysia. This study was conducted because there are many risk factors that can contribute to the presence of WNV in Malaysia such as high biodiversity including migratory birds, presence of vector and importation of the birds among pet owners and zoological collections. This cross-sectional study was conducted in four selected areas in Selangor which were National Zoo, Sunway’s Wildlife Park, Tanjung Karang and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UPM. Sixty-eight serum samples from 17 different species of captive birds were collected via venipuncture at the wing vein. Then, these sera were tested using ID Screen® West Nile Competition (Competitive ELISA) against anti-protein E antibody. Three samples showed seroconversion and each positive sample was from different species and different places. The overall prevalence in this study was 4.41%. The prevalence based on locations were National Zoo (5.88%), Sunway’s Wildlife Park (6.17%) and, Tanjung Karang (9.09%). Thus, this preliminary study confirmed the exposure to WNV among captive bird populations in selected areas in Selangor

Drag Reducing Agents for Water Injection using Natural Polymer(Mung Beans)

Drag is one type of the problem in the flow assurance. Drag is a resistance encountered by the flowing fluid when in contact with solid surface or pipeline. Use of Drag Reducing Agents (DRA) in a liquids pipeline can increase throughput and reduce operating costs, both of which can have a significant impact on the revenue and profit of the pipeline company. The effectiveness of DRA is measured in terms of the percentage drag reduction in the frictional losses in the pipeline. However, this effectiveness varies with the DRA concentration. Presence of DRA will help to reduce frictional pressure drop and increase water flow rate in the pipeline. The present study focused on a new, cheap, natural and environmentally friendly flow improver that was extracted from the natural polymer such as okra fruit, cocoa husk, tapioca and aloe vera. Instead of buying a new pump power which is very costly or install a new pipeline which is more complicated work, by introducing natural polymer as drag reducing agent is more reliable solution and moreover fulfil both demand economically and environmentally. Rheology test is conducted to all candidates of natural polymer in order to select the best type of natural polymer for being tested. The experimental study has been performed in 1 inch galvanized iron steel pipe with a total length of 12.25 meters. In addition, two pressure gauges with scale 0-100 psi have been placed to record pressure readings. The DRA concentrations of 600ppm – 1000ppm were used in this study. This project has specifically focused on Mung Beans as DRA. Result of the project showed that Mung Beans give highest drag reduction percentage which is 11.54% in concentration of 1000ppm. Result of this experiment also showed that water flow rate and velocity of the water has increased with the increment value of concentration

Corrosion detection using piezoelectric wafer active sensors

In everyday life, the various sectors and activities are vulnerable to the effects of corrosion such as water supply sector, the industrial sector involving pipelines and oil and gas sectors. Reaction of electrochemical oxidation of the metal in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen or sulfur is the main cause of corrosion. The various studies carried out to determine whether the condition of a material can be used or dangerous to use. Currently, there are two categories that are appropriate to solve this problem that is internal or external inspection. The first category of internal inspection, scanning is focused on one point, which is a method common to use the pipeline; it's mounted on a rotating transducer. The second category is the external inspection, this method is able to scan the parallel point, but when pipes are in use have the insulator, the insulator must be removable for the purpose of scanning and reinstall when finished scanning [1]. There are various methods that have been used in improving the reading count this corrosion. Among these are pitch-catch method that is used to detect corrosion on aluminum structures, pulse-echo method to detect corrosion in pipes and guided ultrasonic waves combined with BEM numerical simulation is used to detect hidden corrosion [2]. This paper will present multiple modes in-situ method using Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensors transducers with impedance, pitch-catch and pulse-echo damage detection method for either corrosion or cracks in metallic plate structures [3] [4]

Vibration Isolation of Floating Raft System

The objective of the research is to study the vibration isolation of the floating raft system. The mathematical equation of floating raft system is consisting of machines, upper mounts, floating raft, lower mounts and foundation is derived. The configuration and the behavior of the floating raft system are studied parametrically. The displacement or vibration of the floating machine on the floating raft is measured and studied. Models are generated by using MATLAB code and software. Through numerical simulations, based on the result comparison, the efficiency of the presented model will be discussed to obtain some valuable results and to present some general design principles and requirement for the passive vibration isolation of floating raft systems

Drag Reducing Agents for Water Injection using Natural Polymer(Mung Beans)

Drag is one type of the problem in the flow assurance. Drag is a resistance encountered by the flowing fluid when in contact with solid surface or pipeline. Use of Drag Reducing Agents (DRA) in a liquids pipeline can increase throughput and reduce operating costs, both of which can have a significant impact on the revenue and profit of the pipeline company. The effectiveness of DRA is measured in terms of the percentage drag reduction in the frictional losses in the pipeline. However, this effectiveness varies with the DRA concentration. Presence of DRA will help to reduce frictional pressure drop and increase water flow rate in the pipeline. The present study focused on a new, cheap, natural and environmentally friendly flow improver that was extracted from the natural polymer such as okra fruit, cocoa husk, tapioca and aloe vera. Instead of buying a new pump power which is very costly or install a new pipeline which is more complicated work, by introducing natural polymer as drag reducing agent is more reliable solution and moreover fulfil both demand economically and environmentally. Rheology test is conducted to all candidates of natural polymer in order to select the best type of natural polymer for being tested. The experimental study has been performed in 1 inch galvanized iron steel pipe with a total length of 12.25 meters. In addition, two pressure gauges with scale 0-100 psi have been placed to record pressure readings. The DRA concentrations of 600ppm – 1000ppm were used in this study. This project has specifically focused on Mung Beans as DRA. Result of the project showed that Mung Beans give highest drag reduction percentage which is 11.54% in concentration of 1000ppm. Result of this experiment also showed that water flow rate and velocity of the water has increased with the increment value of concentration

Factors influencing information security policy (ISP) compliance in Immigration Department of Malaysia (IMM) / Muhammad Naquib Khalib

Information security policies or ISP is a statement of roles and responsibilities of employees to safeguard the information and technology resources in their organization. The main objective of ISP is to protect information in terms of confidentiality, integrity and availability. However compliance with ISP is a difficult issue. A research conducted by COMPTIA in 2016 shows that 58% of security risk in Malaysia is contributed by human error which identified top sources of human security error including IT staff and end user failure to follow policies and procedures. This research aims to identify the factors that influence ISP compliance in Immigration Department of Malaysia (IMM). A research model based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) have been proposed for an employee's individual based belief. The data have been collected through list of questionnaires distributed to IMM Officers. The result of research shows that intention to comply, perceived cost of noncompliance and perceived cost of compliance have a significant relationship with attitude towards complying with ISP. The results of the research also suggested that a solution is needed to increase ISP compliance in IMM. The findings will be beneficial to the fellow researchers and policy makers, especially to Immigration Department of Malaysia in improving their employee's behaviour towards practising information security

RITUALS OF REVERENCE: UNRAVELING THE MYSTIQUE OF SACRED WATER IN INDONESIAN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS

This study investigates the profound significance and enduring enigma surrounding the sacred water rites practiced at two emblematic religious sites in Indonesia: the Great Mosque of Old Banten, and Avalokitesvara Vihara. Situated within the rich tapestry of Indonesian religious traditions, these sites serve as focal points for spiritual devotion and cultural expression. Drawing upon a multifaceted methodological approach encompassing participant observation, historical analysis, and ethnographic research, complemented by in-depth interviews with religious leaders, scholars, and practitioners, this research unveils the intricate layers of meaning embedded within the sacred water rituals. It traces the historical evolution of these rites, elucidating their cultural origins and contextual significance within the broader framework of Indonesian religious heritage. The findings of this study illuminate the multifunctional nature of sacred water within religious ceremonies, serving as a symbol of purification, healing, and spiritual communion across diverse religious communities. Moreover, the research reveals how these rituals facilitate interfaith dialogue and foster cultural syncretism, promoting mutual understanding and harmony among believers of different faith traditions. In light of these insights, the study underscores the imperative of comprehending the sociocultural dynamics shaping religious practices in Indonesia. It highlights the complex interplay between Islamic and Buddhist traditions, exemplified by the coexistence of sacred water rites within the precincts of Avalokitesvara Vihara and The Great Mosque of Old Banten. Furthermore, the research underscores the pivotal role of these sacred sites in nurturing religious tolerance and facilitating cross-cultural interaction in Indonesian society. By offering a nuanced analysis of the intersection between spirituality, culture, and religion, this study advances scholarly understanding of religious syncretism and diversity in Indonesia. It underscores the enduring relevance of sacred water rituals in fostering spiritual well-being, communal solidarity, and cultural resilience in contemporary society.  Keywords: Sacred Water, the Great Mosque of Old Banten, Avalokitesvara Vihara, Religious Tourism, Religious Toleranc

Optimizing OCR Performance Through Black-Box Approximation on Full-Resolution Text Images

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology continues to face challenges when applied to noisy or domain-specific images, making effective image preprocessing a critical area of research. The differentiable bypass method, which enables end-to-end optimization by replacing non-differentiable (Black-Box) functions with differentiable approximations, has shown promise in this context. Previous work has applied this method to train preprocessors that improve OCR performance by leveraging feedback from OCR engines, despite their non-differentiable nature. This approach typically relies on bounding box (BBX) annotations for patch-based processing, making it labor-intensive, costly, and query-heavy. To address these issues, we propose an end-to-end framework that processes full-resolution images without BBX annotations or patching. Leveraging a transformer-based approximator, our method enables preprocessor training with larger contexts and variable image sizes. We validated our method on two noisy receipt datasets, POS and SROIE, achieving a WER reduction of 0.6593 to 0.5042 for SROIE and 0.7404 to 0.3069 for POS. OCR query calls were reduced by 98.14% for SROIE and 95.92% for POS. Additionally, our approach improved Tesseract’s WER and CER to levels comparable to the commercial OCR engine Google Vision API

Vibration Isolation of Floating Raft System

The objective of the research is to study the vibration isolation of the floating raft system. The mathematical equation of floating raft system is consisting of machines, upper mounts, floating raft, lower mounts and foundation is derived. The configuration and the behavior of the floating raft system are studied parametrically. The displacement or vibration of the floating machine on the floating raft is measured and studied. Models are generated by using MATLAB code and software. Through numerical simulations, based on the result comparison, the efficiency of the presented model will be discussed to obtain some valuable results and to present some general design principles and requirement for the passive vibration isolation of floating raft systems