An integral approach to the protection of the Malaysian marine environment against oil pollution : its impact on Akademy Laut Malaysia

This dissertation is a study of the various aspects of oil pollution in the Malaysian marine environment. The rich Malaysian maritime heritage provides the background and highlights the significance of the notable topic in question. The sensitive and high pollution potential areas are identified. This corresponds to the problems of piracy, vessel traffic management and the management of the marine biodiversity. The associated issues are examined to provide deeper understanding of the problems faced by the policy makers and their efforts to find appropriate solutions. The global marine environment protection framework is discussed and comparison made to the Malaysian scene. The major pollution incidents and the international regulatory responses are expounded. Development of legislation in recent years and its effect on training and education is reviewed, taking into consideration the varying views of the different parties involved in the maritime field. The configuration of a strategic oil spill contingency plan is deliberated with reference to the global perspective. The national and regional oil spill response capabilities are explored and analyzed, while the various approaches adopted by successful organizations in the protection of the marine environment against oil pollution are examined. Proposals and recommendations are made to improve the safety of navigation and protection of the Malaysian marine environment. A significant area addressed is the importance of training and education. This has coerced a direct impact on the pivotal role of Akademi Laut Malaysia in the integrated and professional approach required for the interest of sustainable development and the conservation of the seas and the coastal fringes of Malaysia

Cyber security training strategy: dealing with maritime SCADA risks

Control systems on board ships collect sensor measurements and data from various operational activities and display all the relevant information; they also facilitate relaying of control commands to local or remote equipment. Distributed control systems (DCS) are typically used within a single process or generating plant; supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are used for larger-scale environments. The SCADA system communications infrastructure tends to be slower and less reliable, and so the remote terminal unit in a SCADA system has local control schemes to handle that eventuality. Security in general and cyber security specifically were not the major concerns of early standalone maritime SCADA systems. Security was primarily achieved by controlling physical access to system components, which were unique and used proprietary communication protocols. For years, security in SCADA systems was viewed as just an implication of safety. Over the last decade, however, the situation has changed, and numerous standards/directives dealing with the cyber security of SCADA systems have emerged. Characteristics of maritime SCADA cyber security are discussed; related training needs are identified next. The pedagogical approaches are also presented in order to train seafarers in risk assessment, prevention and mitigation strategies related with maritime SCADA cyber security risks

Cyber-physical security for ports infrastructure

Taking advantage of the benefits associated with digital means has become a main priority for ports globally. The effective and smooth integration of Information Technology (IT) applications and those systems that support the conduct of operations (Operational Technology (OT) systems), along with the accurate “adjustment” of the human factor elements should be viewed as a very critical pillar for optimized safe and efficient operations in ports. The afore mentioned assimilation characterizes cyber-physical systems and entails an extended number of IT and OT modules, systems and tasks involving various data transmission routes that are advancing in a technological and operational level alongside plausible cybersecurity threats. These cybersecurity risks, threats and vulnerabilities are depicted in this article to emphasize the progression of cyber- physical systems in the wider maritime industry and port domains, along with their rising cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Existing and applicable industry and government standards and mandates associated with cybersecurity attempt to impose regulatory compliance and increase asset cybersecurity integrity with reduced emphasis however, in the existing OT (Operational Technology) components and systems. The use of security risk assessment tools and processes that are used in other industrial sectors, such as the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) and the Bow Tie Analysis methods, can support the evaluation of IT/OT infrastructure for cyber-physical security susceptibilities and then assign suitable reactive measures. The implementation of cybersecurity safeguards that arise through the implementation of the MITRE ATT&CK Threat Model can enhance the cybersecurity posture of those assets that support the logistics chain, assuming that they are intermittently adapted following evaluations for their effectiveness and suitability. Finally, the improvement of stakeholder communication and cyber-awareness along with the increase in cyber- physical security resiliency can further be aided by the effective convergence of the segregated cyber and physical security elements of waterside or landside-based IT/OT infrastructure

Vision-based alignment control for mini forklift system in confine area operation

This paper presents the proposed vision-based alignment control system for a Mini Heavy Loaded Forklift Autonomous Guided Vehicle (MHeLFAGV) in heavy copper spool picking process. This task has been divided into two parts; image processing for spool inspection and switching control input for MHeLFAGV alignment. In image processing part, a vision camera is used and programmed to do marking processing using Haarcascade method for spool center capturing. Vision will capture images in real-time then automatically analyzing for marking the targeted spool in 1000milisecond and continuously sending the coordination of between camera and the targeted spool. On the other hand, proposed alignment control system module is developed to translate the information from the camera to the mecanum wheel driven sequences in order move both Cartesian motions of MHeLFAGV, x, and y-axis to align this vehicle and its forklifter to be at the center of the copper spool. The indoor experiment was done on the MHeLFAGV system on detecting the targeted copper spool in front. The test validated the proposed vision-based control when vehicle able to appearing the target spool as input from the vision camera

Temperature sensitivity comparison between bare FBG and buffered FBG

The work presented in this paper compares the temperature sensitivity between bare fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and acrylate buffered FBG. Both FBGs were subjected to temperature variation and their wavelength shifts were recorded. It has been found that buffered FBG is more sensitive than bare FBG due to the higher thermal expansion of the acrylate buffer. The wavelength shift of the FBG increased linearly with the increment of temperature producing sensitivity of 0.0127nm/°C for buffered FBG while the sensitivity of bare FBG is measured at 0.01nm/°C. The findings emphasize the impact of the acrylate buffer coating in enhancing the FBG temperature sensitivity

Korelasi antara Projek Genom Melayu dengan akidah Islam

Projek Genom Melayu (PGM) merupakan penyelidikan berkaitan genom bangsa Melayu yang dipelopori oleh dua buah Universiti Awam (UA) di Malaysia iaitu Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) dan Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) yang menfokuskan penghasilan produk farmaseutikal dan mengenal pasti asal-usul bangsa Melayu itu sendiri. Walaupun ia sangat bermanfaat kepada masyarakat Melayu, penyelidikan ini masih terikat dengan etika sains dan nilai-nilai kemanusiaan berkaitan perundangan dan keagamaan. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan menghuraikan kerangka teori kajian dan mengenal pasti hubungan antara PGM dengan akidah Islam seterusnya mencadangkan Indeks Pematuhan Akidah Islam (IPAI) terhadap PGM sebagai tapisan kedua selapas etika sains. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dan kuantitatif yang dikenali sebagai Kaedah Campuran Penerokaan Berturutan (Exploratory Sequencial Mixed Method) terhadap literatur utama dalam bidang berkaitan menggunakan analisis kandungan dan soal selidik terhadap ahli akademik UA di Malaysia menggunakan perisian IBM SPSS 21.0. Kajian ini mendedahkan bahawa terdapat hubungan yang positif antara pembolehubah-pembolehubah kajian (p-value < 0.05) iaitu PGM dengan akidah Islam (0.403), akidah Islam dengan IPAI (0.639) dan PGM dengan IPAI (0.304). Oleh yang demikian, integrasi antara PGM dengan akidah Islam mampu menghasilkan penyelidikan saintifik yang selari dengan ajaran Islam di samping memberi nilai tambah terhadap korpus ilmu pengetahuan semasa

Etched fiber Bragg grating sensor for nitrate sensing application

We demonstrate a reliable method to detect the concentration of Nitrate in water using an etched Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor. The sensor was etched using 48% Hydrofluoric (HF) acid solution to function as a chemical sensor and interact with Nitrates. The Bragg wavelength (λb) shifted due to the changes of Nitrate concentration. The sensitivity achieved by this sensor is 2.4 × 10-3 nm/ppm. The overall shift of the Bragg wavelength is 0.12 nm from 0 - 50 ppm

Case Study Of Jati Fishing Industries Sdn. Bhd.

The objective of this case study are to answer the questions above and to provide recommendations for JFI to move forward. It will examine and analyze the global and Malaysian fishing industry. It will also examine and analyze the approach taken by JFI in venturing into the fishing industry and positioning itself in the industry

The Vanishing Veins: Difficult Venous Access in a Patient Requiring Translumbar, Transhepatic, and Transcollateral Central Catheter Insertion

Central venous catheter placement is indicated in patients requiring long-term therapy. With repeated venous catheterisations, conventional venous access sites can be exhausted. This case illustrates the expanding role of radiology in managing difficult venous access. We present a case of translumbar, transhepatic, and transcollateral placement of central catheter in a woman with a difficult venous access problem who required lifelong parenteral nutrition secondary to short bowel syndrome. This case highlights the technical aspects of interventional radiology in vascular access management

The Vanishing Veins: Difficult Venous Access in a Patient Requiring Translumbar, Transhepatic, and Transcollateral Central Catheter Insertion

Central venous catheter placement is indicated in patients requiring long-term therapy. With repeated venous catheterisations, conventional venous access sites can be exhausted. This case illustrates the expanding role of radiology in managing difficult venous access. We present a case of translumbar, transhepatic, and transcollateral placement of central catheter in a woman with a difficult venous access problem who required lifelong parenteral nutrition secondary to short bowel syndrome. This case highlights the technical aspects of interventional radiology in vascular access management