Modelling of faults for chemical batch reactor using artificial neural network and fuzzy logic [TP1-1185].

Setiap proses kimia cenderung untuk mengalami kegagalan. Situasi ini memaksa industri dan penyelidik mencari teknik bersesuaian bagi mengesan kegagalan secepat yang mungkin. Every chemical processes prones to failure. This situation enforces the researchers and industrial to find the appropriate techniques to detect a process failure as early as possible

Chemical composition of Piper sarmentosum extracts and antibacterial activity against the plant pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas fuscovaginae and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

Piper sarmentosum is a cultivated plant that also growswildly in the South East Asian region. It is well known for its medicinal properties and a variety of active chemical constituents. The control potential of the plant extract against bacterial leaf blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae andsheath brown rot of rice caused by Pseudomonas fuscovaginae wasevaluated. The aqueous methanol extracts of fruits and leaves of P. sarmentosum were chemically analyzed using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS).The results gave the highest best matches of 28 compounds (80.2% of total extracts) in the leaf extract and 24 compounds (89.1% of total extracts) in the fruit extract. The flavonoidfraction 4H-pyran-4-one,2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl- (DDMP) was found to be the major component which constitutes a complex natural product that has been of recent medicinal interest. The extract of the fruit had IC50of 28.08 and 8.41 mg ml-1 against P. fuscovaginae and X. oryzae, respectively, while the leaf extract had IC50of 10.42 and 24.69 mg ml-1 against P. fuscovaginae and X. oryzae, respectively

Diversity of the insects in the diet of edible nest swiftlets in oil palm plantations

The Edible Nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) is a small bird from the family Apodidae which is commonly found in the South-East Asian region which characteristically roost and nest in cave or cavern-like situation. Swiftlet farming in specially designed building has recently developed due to high consumer demand for the edible bird nest. The farms are not the natural habitat of the swiflets and there are greater chance that this will affect in one way or the other way of their dietary habit and composition. The focus of this study was to investigate the diversity of insects found in the diet of A. fuciphagus in their habitats in oil palm-growing areas in Malaysia. This was achieved by investigating the relationship between insect composition in oil palm and insect prey composition in the feeding bolus of A. fuciphagus. The most common insects order found in the sampled fields of the three states in the study was Diptera (26.53%) and followed closely by Hymenoptera (21.26%). The difference between the sample sites as far as insects order composition is not significantly different (t test = 3.759 and 2.9). We failed to accept the H0 that the diversity of insect in the fields and diet of the swiftlets in all locations was the same

Demystifying the Roles of Streets towards Improving Urban Quality of Life

This conceptual paper aims to demystify how the quality of streets could facilitate the street culture and shaping greater urban qualities. Numerous scholars believed that certain streets had contributed an utmost factor in shaping man's civilisation. The development of modern cities has contributed to a great loss of streets significance as spaces for socialising and dwelling in the local peoples' needs. The outcome of this paper is hoping to guide the practitioners, policy makers and urban designers to incorporate the inclusive street design towards providing a better quality of urban life.  Keywords: Urban street; Inclusive street design; City’s livability; Quality of lifeISSN: 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.

Mislabelling of nicotine content in electronic cigarette liquids in Malaysia: implications on public health

Electronic cigarette (e-cig) is a battery-operated device which vaporises nicotine solution into a form of inhalable aerosol. The level of nicotine in the liquid for e-cig (e-liquid) may vary and the typical nicotine concentration reported is between 6 to 24 mg of per ml. Based on the National Electronic Cigarette Survey (NECS) 2016, 83.9% of e-cig adult users in Malaysia preferred eliquid with 6 mg/ml nicotine. In Malaysia, nicotine in products other than tobacco is regulated under the Poisons Act 1952, restricting its sale by licensed health professionals only. However, the sale of e-liquid containing nicotine is widespread and vapers are not assured of the accuracy of content versus that on the label of the e-liquid bottle. OBJECTIVE: To determine the actual nicotine concentration in selected e-liquid brands marketed in Malaysia. Methods: Samples (81 brands) obtained from respondents of the NECS 2016 were analysed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in selective ion mode (SIM) at a certified laboratory. Results: 15 samples labelled as no or zero nicotine were found to contain nicotine. Nine samples contained level of nicotine higher than what their labels indicated. Interestingly, 57 samples had nicotine concentrations that were lower than that indicated on the labels. The nicotine concentration percentage difference between labelled and result from analysis was found to be as low as from -99.16% to -1.28% in 64 samples, while in 4 samples the difference was higher; 0.083% to 163.0%, and the remaining 13 samples had no mention of nicotine concentration on their labels. Conclusion: Significant discrepancy was detected in nicotine concentration between the labelled and analysed values among the collected e-liquid samples. Strict regulation and enforcement is needed for e-cig liquids to ensure safety of users and compliance to current regulations on nicotine

Effects of calcium and chitosan treatments on controlling anthracnose and postharvest quality of papaya (Carica papaya L.)

This study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro fungicidal effects of calcium and chitosan on Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and to as well determine their effects on storage life and quality of papaya. Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) incorporated with calcium at different concentrations (1.5, 2.5 or 3.5%) or in combination with chitosan at 0.75% or chitosan alone were used as treatments for in vitro tests. Uncorporated treatments with PDA and untreated fruits as control used on papaya fruits for storage life and quality evolutions. Chitosan had the greatest effect against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in both in vitro and in disease incidence (%) on papaya fruits compared to calcium treatment and as well as control. Calcium reduced spores germination significantly as calcium concentrations increased from 2.5 to 3.5%, compared to the 1.5% and control treatments. However, it did not show any fungicidal effects on mycelial growth. The combination of 2.5% calcium with chitosan 0.75% completely inhibited spore germinations and significantly inhibited mycelia growth compared to calcium individual treatments and as well as control. Anthracnose disease incidence (%) was significantly controlled (5.6%) using calcium at 2.5% combined with chitosan compared with the other treatments. This demonstrated the best effect on controlling anthracnose disease incidence for papaya fruits. Moreover, this treatment proved able to extend the storage life of papaya fruits up to 33 days of storage life while maintaining valuable attributes of quality

Kemerosotan Prestasi Akibat Daripada Tekanan dan Pencemaran Hati : Analogi Cahaya dan Kecacatan Gelap

Faktor semangat merupakan kilauan mata, langkah kaki, pegangan tangan, aliran darah dan tenaga untuk mewujudkan cita – cita pada setiap manusia. Bagi tujuan untuk melaksanakan atau mewujudkan keadaan ini diperlukan keyakinan, keberanian dan kualiti hidup untuk yang ingin memahaminya. Beberapa aspek terjadinya kemerosotan disebabkan pelanggaran prinsip–prinsip dasar kehidupan. Tuntunan cahaya (Nur) Allah S.W.T akan mampu membuka rahsia – rahsia kehidupan dan membuka mata hati. Cahaya ini membolehkan kita menjalani kehidupan yang penuh ketidakpastian dan menemukan suatu keseimbangan batin, hidup secara kreatif “meskipun” ada ketidakpastian, melainkan adanya ketidakpastian yang penuh ilham. Arah cahaya yang salah boleh memberi kesan kecacatan bagi yang memahaminya. Arah dan fokus cahaya yang lurus (light beam collimation) dan sesuai dengan fitrah manusia akan memberikan manfaat bagi yang menerimanya (Ayat Al-Quran Surah An-Nur 35: ) ٱللَّهُ نُورُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِۦ كَمِشۡكَوٰةٍ۬ فِيہَا مِصۡبَاحٌ‌ۖ ٱلۡمِصۡبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ‌ۖ ٱلزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّہَا كَوۡكَبٌ۬ دُرِّىٌّ۬ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ۬ مُّبَـٰرَڪَةٍ۬ زَيۡتُونَةٍ۬ لَّا شَرۡقِيَّةٍ۬ وَلَا غَرۡبِيَّةٍ۬ يَكَادُ زَيۡتُہَا يُضِىٓءُ وَلَوۡ لَمۡ تَمۡسَسۡهُ نَارٌ۬‌ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ۬‌ۗ يَہۡدِى ٱللَّهُ لِنُورِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ‌ۚ وَيَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡأَمۡثَـٰلَ لِلنَّاسِ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬ Ertinya: Allah (Pemberi) cahaya (kepada) langit dan bumi. perumpamaan cahaya Allah, adalah seperti sebuah lubang yang tak tembus[a], yang di dalamnya ada Pelita besar. Pelita itu di dalam kaca (dan) kaca itu seakan-akan bintang (yang bercahaya) seperti mutiara, yang dinyalakan dengan minyak dari pohon yang berkahnya, (yaitu) pohon zaitun yang tumbuh tidak di sebelah timur (sesuatu) dan tidak pula di sebelah barat(nya)[b], yang minyaknya (saja) hampir-hampir menerangi, walaupun tidak disentuh api. cahaya di atas cahaya (berlapis-lapis), Allah membimbing kepada cahaya-Nya siapa yang dia kehendaki, dan Allah memperbuat perumpamaan-perumpamaan bagi manusia, dan Allah Maha mengetahui segala sesuatu. [a] yang dimaksud lubang yang tidak tembus (misykat) ialah suatu lubang di dinding rumah yang tidak tembus sampai ke sebelahnya, Biasanya digunakan untuk tempat lampu, atau barang-barang lain. [b] Maksudnya: pohon zaitun itu tumbuh di puncak bukit ia dapat sinar matahari baik di waktu matahari terbit maupun di waktu matahari akan terbenam, sehingga pohonnya subur dan buahnya menghasilkan minyak yang bai

Antibacterial activity of the crude extract of Piper Sarmentosum against Pseudomonas Fuscovaginae

Kadok or P. Sarmentosum Roxb. is a terrestrial herb of the Piperaceae family widely distributed throughout South East Asian in the sub-tropical and tropical region of the world. All part of the plant is used as vegetables, commercially and medicinally valuable in many regions for treating many ailments. The possible benefits of P. sarmentosum are enormous which supported by a number of investigations which suggest the existence of antimicrobial compounds in the all plant parts. A study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the methanolic fruit extract of P. sarmentosum against P. fuscovaginae by agar well diffusion assay and macro broth dilution method. The results were measured by diameter of inhibition zones produced, determination of Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MBC) and the Inhibition Concentration (IC). The fruit extract which showed positive inhibition against the tested bacteria with diameter ranging from 9.33±0.58mm to 19.33±1.15 mm. At lowest concentration, 25 mg/mL of fruit extract recorded inhibition zone value of 9.33±0.58 mm for P. fuscovaginae. The highest concentrations of 200 mg/mL of fruit extract showed higher inhibition zone for 18.33±0.58 mm for P. fuscovaginae compared to positive control, Streptomycin sulphate 15.67±5.13 mm. The MIC and MBC value obtained was 12.5 mg/mL and 25 mg/mL, respectively. The IC50 and IC90 values were also determined. The fruit extract exhibited IC50 values of 28.08 mg/mL and IC90 values of 353.77 mg/mL against P. fuscovaginae. The antibacterial activity of streptomycin was clearly higher (50% growth inhibition at 0.072 mg/mL and 90% growth inhibition at 1.049 mg/mL against P. fuscovaginae. The results obtained from this study suggest that the fruit extract of P.sarmentosum has a potential to be developed as a novel bactericide