Prediction of hexaconazole concentration in top most layer of oil palm plantation soil using Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)

Ganoderma boninense is a fungus that can affect oil palm trees and cause a serious disease called the basal stem root (BSR). This disease causes the death of more than 80% of oil palm trees midway through their economic life and hexaconazole is one of the particular fungicides that can control this fungus. Hexaconazole can be applied by the soil drenching method and it will be of interest to know the concentration of the residue in the soil after treatment with respect to time. Hence, a field study was conducted in order to determine the actual concentration of hexaconazole in soil. In the present paper, a new approach that can be used to predict the concentration of pesticides in the soil is proposed. The statistical analysis revealed that the Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) techniques would be appropriate in this study. The EDA techniques were used to fit a robust resistant model and predict the concentration of the residue in the topmost layer of the soil

Sikap pihak berkepentingan terhadap kecukupan peraturan dalam undang-undang biokeselamatan di Malaysia

Malaysia telah mengenal pasti bioteknologi sebagai salah satu daripada lima teknologi utama yang mampu menjadi pemacu transformasi Malaysia ke arah negara perindustrian menjelang 2020. Namun begitu, pembangunan yang pesat dalam bidang ini telah mendatangkan kebimbangan masyarakat, lebih-lebih lagi yang melibatkan isu biokeselamatan. Di Malaysia, Akta Biokeselamatan 2007 telah diluluskan pada 11 Julai 2007 dan dikuatkuasakan pada 1 Disember 2009 untuk mengawal selia bioteknologi moden dan hasilannya. Namun terdapat kritikan yang mengusulkan beberapa kekurangan peraturan dalam akta ini berkaitan aspek bioetika dan sosioekonomi. Justeru penilaian kecukupan peraturan yang sedia ada untuk memastikan keselamatan penggunaan bioteknologi dan hasilannya, perlu dilakukan. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai tahap kepercayaan terhadap pihak kerkeutamaan, keterlibatan pihak berkepentingan dalam aktiviti kawal selia, dan sikap terhadap kecukupan peraturan biokeselamatan di Malaysia. Sehubungan dengan itu, satu set soal selidik telah diedarkan kepada 451 orang responden yang terdiri daripada pelbagai pihak berkepentingan di Lembah Klang. Penganalisisan data dilakukan dengan menggunakan program SPSS versi 18.0. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap keterlibatan pihak berkepentingan dalam aktiviti kawal selia adalah rendah dan tahap kepercayaan terhadap pihak berkeutamaan sebagai sederhana. Pihak berkepentingan menilai kecukupan struktur kawal selia, kecukupan penilaian dan pengurusan risiko, pengambilkiraan prinsip penting dalam Akta Biokeselamatan 2007, kecukupan denda, kecukupan hebahan umum dan sikap keseluruhan terhadap biokeselamatan sebagai sederhana

Residue and Dissipation Kinetics of Metsulfuron-Methyl Herbicide in Soil: A Field Assessment at an Oil Palm Plantation

A field trial experiment was conducted to investigate the degradation of metsulfuron-methyl at two application dosages, 15 g a.i/ha and 30 g a.i/ha, at an oil palm plantation. Soil samples were collected at ‒1, 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after treatment (DAT) at the following depths: 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm. The results showed rapid degradation of metsulfuron-methyl in the soil, with calculated half-life (t½) values ranging from 6.3 and 7.9 days. The rates of degradation of metsulfuron-methyl followed first-order reaction kinetics (R2 = 0.91–0.92). At the spray dosage of 15 g a.i/ha, metsulfuron-methyl residue was detected at up to 20–30 cm soil depth, at 3.56% to 1.78% at 3 and 7 DAT, respectively. Doubling the dosage to 30 g a.i/ha increased the metsulfuron-methyl residue in up to 30–40 cm soil depth at 3, 7, and 14 DAT, with concentrations ranging from 1.90% to 1.74%. These findings suggest that metsulfuron-methyl has a low impact on the accumulation of the residues in the soil at application dosages of 15 g a.i/ha and 30 g a.i/ha, due to rapid degradation, and the half-life was found to be 6.3 to 7.9 days

Research design of decision support system for team sport

This paper proposes a suitable research procedure that can be referred to while conducting a Decision Support System (DSS) study, especially when the development activity of system artifacts becomes one of the research objectives.The design of the research procedure was based on the completion of a football DSS development that can help in determining the position of a player and the best team formation to be used during a game.After studying the relevant literature, we found that it is necessary to combine the conventional rainfall System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) approach with Case Study approach to help in structuring the research task and phases, which can contribute to the fulfillment of the research aim and objectives

Identifying Players’ Selection Criteria for the Development of Decision Support System for Football and Hockey

There’s a lot of opportunity for improvement from the past research for better DSS development to be used by the coach for the selection of players, assignation of player’s position and selection of the team formation. But, it is vital to understand first the criteria for the selection of a player from a coach’s point of view. This paper discusses the characteristics of football and hockey, which make both sports different yet similar to each other. The discussion is then extended to the elements of main criteria being considered by the coaches for the players to be said to have enough quality to be listed in the main team. Furthermore, the team organization or strategies for both sports are also reviewed in studying the similarities between them. The purpose is to create a systematic foundation for the Decision Support System (DSS) to be built are relevant to be used by the coaches or the managers of both sports

Prediction of Hexaconazole Concentration in the Top Most Layer of Oil Palm Plantation Soil Using Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA).

Ganoderma boninense is a fungus that can affect oil palm trees and cause a serious disease called the basal stem root (BSR). This disease causes the death of more than 80% of oil palm trees midway through their economic life and hexaconazole is one of the particular fungicides that can control this fungus. Hexaconazole can be applied by the soil drenching method and it will be of interest to know the concentration of the residue in the soil after treatment with respect to time. Hence, a field study was conducted in order to determine the actual concentration of hexaconazole in soil. In the present paper, a new approach that can be used to predict the concentration of pesticides in the soil is proposed. The statistical analysis revealed that the Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) techniques would be appropriate in this study. The EDA techniques were used to fit a robust resistant model and predict the concentration of the residue in the topmost layer of the soil

Predicted values and intervals for the recommended dosage

<p>Predicted values and intervals for the recommended dosage</p

Fitted values and residuals

<p>Fitted values and residuals</p

Data obtained from the field study

<p>Data obtained from the field study</p

Fitted line with observed value of concentration

<p>Fitted line with observed value of concentration</p