The economic impacts of climate change on the rice production in Malaysia.

This study attempts to estimate the potential impacts of climate change on the rice production in Malaysia. The crop model ORYZA2000 was used to simulate rice yield of MR 219 variety in eight granary areas of Malaysia from 1999-2007. The model predicted a reduction in rice yield of 0.36 t ha -1 under the scenario of an increase in temperature by 2°C and at the current CO 2 level of 383 ppm. With the reduction in rice yield, the economic loss to the Malaysian rice industry was estimated at RM162.531 million per year. Under the scenario of increase of CO 2 concentration from 383 to 574 ppm and with 2°C rise in temperature, it can be predicted that there will also be a decline in rice yield by 0.69 t ha -1 and consequently the economic loss will be at RM299.145 million per year for the rice industry. With the above potential impacts, some adaptation and mitigation strategies to overcome the adverse effects of climate change on rice production were recommended

The Phenomena of Spreading of Hydrotalcite Sol on A Porous Silica Surface Governed by Marangoni Effect

Wetting phenomena plays a crucial role in a wide range of technological applications. Spreading of liquids on solids involving phase change is encountered in many areas ranging from biological systems to industrial applications such as coatings, printing, painting and spraying. The fundamental study on wetting of membrane precursors namely hydrotalcite sols on a porous silica surface with different types of precursor material was successfully carried out. Relationship between the contact angle of a hydrotalcite droplet on silica surface and the Marangoni effect was also investigated. The presence of PVA in hydrotalcite sols was found to influence the rheological properties of the sols significantly, resulting in higher viscosity and ultimately leading to lower contact angle on solid surfaces. The degree of hydrotalcite's philicity on a substrate was improved by the addition of PVA solution. In this study, the spreading of a liquid droplet on a solid surface controlled by a surface tension gradient, due to Marangoni effect was found to drive better spreading of the liquid droplet. Marangoni Number, Ma was found to be proportionally related with the surface tension of the sols but inversely proportional to contact angles of the sols. Marangoni forces that decreased the contact angle, promoted spreading of hydrotalcite droplets on the selected glass substrates.Keywords: contact angle, hydrotalcite, marangoni effect, spreading, wetting evolutio

Effect of mixing period, water and sugar on the sesame cracker dough stickiness

Sesame Cracker or Kuih Bijan is a popular traditional Malays snack in Malaysia. The simplest formulation of Sesame Cracker dough includes glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. In order to reduce the negative effect caused by dough stickiness, the effect of mixing period (3 to 7 minutes), water (41.6 to 45.6%) and sugar (1 to 9%) on dough stickiness of sesame cracker dough were studied using Texture Analyzer and Chen-Hoseney methodologies (i.e. Chen-Hoseney Dough Stickiness Cell). The result obtained showing that the increment of mixing time, water and sugar addition, increased the dough stickiness, work of adhesion/adhesiveness and dough strength/cohesiveness. However, overmixing of dough had led to the decrease of these parameters

AFTA and Its Implication to the Export Demand of Indonesian Palm Oil

IndonesianMakalah ini mengkaji dampak Perubahan kebijakan liberalisasi perdagangan (penurunan pajak ekspor dan tarif impor) terhadap permintaan ekspor minyak sawit Indonesia. Kajian ini menggunakan Error Correction Model. Pertama dilakukan simulasi model secara parsial dengan menurunkan pajak ekspor dan tarif impor berturut-turut 10, 30, 50 dan 100 persen. Simulasi berikutnya adalah menurunkan pajak ekspor dan tarif impor secara simultan berturut-turut 10, 30, 50 dan 100 persen. Hasil kajian menunjukkan liberalisasi perdagangan mengakibatkan harga minyak sawit dalam negeri meningkat dan harga pasar dunia menurun. Akibat penurunan pajak ekspor menyebabkan volume ekspor ke India, China, Eropa dan sisa negara dunia meningkat masing-masing 0,38; 3,77; 0,67; dan 4,63 persen. Pengurangan tarif impor menyebabkan volume ekspor ke negara tujuan yang sama meningkat masing-masing 0,25; 2,67; 0,49;, dan 2,96 persen. Sementara penurunan pajak ekspor dan tarif impor secara bersamaan mengakibatkan volume ekspor meningkat masing-masing 0,64; 6,23; 1,11; dan 7,35 persen.EnglishThis paper examines the impacts of trade liberalization policy changes (reduction in export duty and import tariff) on the export demand of the Indonesian palm oil. The study utilised an error correction model. The model is simulated by decreasing the export duty and import tariff individually by 10, 30, 50 and 100 percent. To see the combine effect both in export duty and import tariff were simultaneously reduced by 10, 30, 50, and 100 percent. The findings indicate that trade liberalization due to increase domestic price and reduce in world price. Due to the reduction in export duty, the quantity exported to India, China, Europe, and ROW increased by 0.38, 3.77, 0.67 and 4.63 percent respectively. Reduction on import tariff on the exported-quantity to India, China, Europe, and rest of the world increased by 0.25, 2.67, 0.49, and 2.96 percent respectively. And export duty and import tariff reduction by 10 percent increased export to India, China, Europe, and ROW by 0.64,6.23, 1.12, and 7.35 percent, respectively

The impact of Sharia compliance on the adjustment to target debt maturity of Malaysian firms

This paper investigates the speed of adjustment to target debt maturity for a sample of Malaysian firms based on the sample period of 2007 to 2016. We examine the impact of Sharia compliance on the speed of adjustment to target debt maturity structure by grouping companies based on nature of compliance to Sharia requirements which is categorised by the Securities Commission of Malaysia. In line with our expectations, the analysis shows that firms classified as Sharia compliant tend to adjust at more rapid rates to target debt maturity when below target levels suggesting that compliant firms are able to issue long-term debt at cheaper levels relative to non-compliant counterparts. In addition, the reverse is observed when evaluating firms above target levels where non-compliant firms adjust at more rapid rates. Our findings indicate that compliant firms are able to raise long-term debt at cheaper rates relative to non-compliant firms given the captive market situation observed in the Islamic capital markets in Malaysia. This does however indicate the potential for higher agency costs as well as greater levels of information asymmetry for compliant firms relative to non-compliant firms given that non-compliant firms are more willing to reduce maturity structures to reach target levels when above target levels.peer-reviewe

Escherichia coli growth modeling using neural network

The assessment of water microbial quality is normally performed by verification ofEscherichia coli where the growth is in nonlinearity. NARX is computational tools that haveextensive utilization in solving nonlinear time series problems. It is well known as one of thetechnique that has the ability to predict with efficient and good performance. Using NARX, ahighly accurate model was developed to predict the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) basedon pH water parameter. The multiparameter portable sensor and spectrophotometer data wereused to build and train the neural network. The selection of neural network structure for pHand optical density modelling was optimized and also the training and validation wereanalyzed. The result exhibited that NARX modelling was able to predict the growth of E. colibased on pH water parameter with overall regression is 0.99956.Keywords: neural network; NARX; prediction; Escherichia coli; pH; optical density

A systematic review on bio-sequestration of carbon dioxide in bio-concrete systems: a future direction

The paper reviewed the current perspectives on the development of carbon diox�ide (CO2) sequestration through its process conversion into calcite. The process occurs in either geological or biological systems. However, geological sequestration is an expensive process, which is slow in comparison to bio-sequestration. Recently, the bio-sequestration of atmospheric CO2 into the soil using microorgan�isms such as algae has been investigated. However, the algae cannot be used in the bio-concrete due to their nature as phototrophic organisms. In contrast, bac�teria are the most potent organisms in bio-concrete technology. The use of bacter�ial species in the bio-aerated concrete bricks (B-ACB) and its potential to bio�sequestrate CO2 represents a future strategy to reduce high CO2 pollution. Bacterial cells can capture CO2 by accelerating the carbonation processes, which convert CO2 into calcium carbonate (CaCO3) via carbon anhydrase and urease enzymes. The present paper aimed to highlight and discuss the applicability of bacteria in the B-ACB for capturing and storing CO2. It is evident from the literature that the new trends to use bio-concrete might contribute to the reduction of CO2 by accelerating the carbonation process and strengthening the B-ACB

Faktor penggunaan e-pembelajaran di kalangan pelajar sarjana teknologi pendidikan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

The purpose of this study is to study the frequency of e-Learning usage as well to study its usage factors. The research instrument being uses is a set of questionnaire containing three sections which are sample demographic, e-Learning usage frequency, and e-Learning usage factors. About 70 samples undergoing Educational Technology Educational Master Degree in Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru had involved in this research. E-Learning usage factors are divided into four which are technology factor, exposure factor, content factor and social influence factor. The Alpha Cronbach’s value retrieved from the reliability test for the questionnaire instrument is 0.8806. Research finding shows the frequency of application usage in e-Learning at a moderate level which having the mean value of 2.49. Lastly, a number of recommendations has been put forward to the relating party for further action

INTEGRATING NETWORK CONCEPT INTO MULTI CRITERIA ANALYSIS FOR SUGGESTING BUS RAPID TRANSIT ROUTES

Abstract. Population explosion in the city of Johor Bahru has led to traffic congestions, which hitherto to that there were better movements and flow of vehicles in and around the city. Road transportation in particular has played a gargantuan role in creating and maintaining easy and quick access to various destinations. Increases in the number of vehicle indicate a higher economic prosperity that contributes to traffic congestion within the city. This can be seen in a number of developments such as increased population density and creation of alternative routes over several years, which has still not totally eradicated the traffic congestion problems of the city. Ideally, a good public transport service would carry the passenger directly from their origin to their destination without having to face traffic congestion. The buses may not be available and accessible from certain origins or destinations of residents or they may need to walk some distances from their residents to the bus stops resulting into discouragement for most of the people using public transport services. This paper aims to utilise geospatial analysis approach to suggest effective bus routing that would be able to increase connectivity to rural areas and boost commercial activities through better transportation. Route selection is the process of finding locations that meet the selection criteria for each parameter using Geographic Information System (GIS). The process employs applied multi-criteria decision analysis and network analysis to generate thpsye highest score areas for bus rapid transit (BRT) route by maximising network and mobility and ensuring the newly suggested routes are connected to the existing networks of BRT to serve the community. Document type: Articl