WRIDY: MULTISENSORY WRITING APPROACH IN MOBILE APPLICATION FOR KIDS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES INCLUDING DYSLEXIA

Handwriting development begins as early as infancy when children are first able to grasp a writing object and leave a mark on the paper. Handwriting is linked with brain functioning; experts suggest that handwriting skill lightens a student’s cognitive load. With consistent handwriting practice, it becomes less demanding and more automatic, enabling students critical thinking and thought organization. The lack of writing skill decreases kids’ capacity to carry out higher-order skills. Most of the writing intervention approaches are not multisensory and some are using substances that may be dangerous for kids such as sand or shaving cream or pipe cleaners or play-doh etc. These issues become more challenging for kids with a learning disability such as dyslexia. This empirical gap in the multisensory writing system is the target of this research. A multisensory mobile application (Wridy) is designed and developed to support kids with learning disabilities. Wridy is an early-stage multisensory writing intervention tool. It uses a dyslexia-friendly user interface, fonts and colour. Wridy is demonstrated to the teachers of the Dyslexia Association Kuching, Malaysia. The results of the survey show that Wridy is helpful and useful in learning writing alphabets especially for kids with learning disabilities such as dyslexia

Physiochemical Characteristic of Sago (Metroxylon Sagu) Starch Production Wastewater Effluents

The physiochemical characteristics of sago starch production wastewater effluents was recently studied. Sago wastewater effluent samples were obtained from a sago factory located in Sarawak, Malaysia and sent to accredited laboratories for particle size distribution and water quality analyses. The findings of this study concluded that sago wastewater effluents from this region are whitish and greyish brown (pH 4.20) in color with majority supra-colloidal or settable suspended solids of particle size ranged from 4.477 µm to 1.18 mm (of 95% volume). The starch content of this wastewater effluents are less than 7% whilst the pollutant parameters (total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand) measured 10,900 mg/L, 5,820 mg/L and 10,220 mg/L, respectively. Pre-filtration of the wastewater effluents has resulted reduction of the pollutants content as high as 66% of total suspended solids, 20% of biochemical oxygen demand and 22% of chemical oxygen demand while improved pH in a range of 0.05-0.45%

A Parabolic-Curvilinear Reverse-Flow Air-Flotation System (PAF) for Removal of Suspended Solids in Sago Starch Production Wastewater Effluents

A Parabolic-Curvilinear Reverse-Flow Air-Flotation Treatment System (PAF) was recently developed for the removal of total suspended solids from sago starch production wastewater effluents. The primary components of the system consist of a parabolic-curved plate, a series of water pumps, an air curtain and valve-froth collection plates to repeat bubbling treatment in a gradually increasing movement flow. Performance tests were carried out by using synthesized sago wastewaters. Performance tests were carried out to determine the total suspended solids and turbidity removal efficiencies. Total suspended solids of the synthesized sago wastewaters ranged from 95 to 515 mg/L, 86.9 to 413 NTU for turbidity and 5.44 to 7.43 for pH. The total suspended solids and turbidity removal efficiencies of this system were found to be proportional to residence time, and inversely proportional to influent flowrate. The highest achievable total suspended solids and turbidity removal efficiencies for this treatment system recorded 85.63% and 77.89%, respectively. The presence of parabolic-curved plate in the system could improve the removal efficiencies as high as 34.22% for total suspended solids and 37.82% for turbidity. The system performance can further be improved by 13.65% for total suspended solids removal and 24.49% for turbidity removal with the installation of air curtain whilst 9.04% for total suspended solids removals and 6.03% for turbidity removals with the installation of water pumps in the system. Additional 17.2% of total suspended solids and 3.1% of turbidity level removals could be achieved by application of chemicals, i.e., alum and sodium aluminate

Development and performance evaluation of A 3-stage treatment system for domestic wastewater

This research project focuses on the development and performance tests of a 3-stage domestic wastewater treatment system which consists of; 1) Spiral-Framed Human Hair-Based Filter (HBF), 2) Biotower (BT), and 3) Pistia Stratiotes-Based Free Water Surface System (FWS) for removal of oil and grease (O&G), suspended solids (SS), ammoniacal-nitrogen (NH3-N), biochemical oxygen demand (BODs) and nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium(K) prior to discharge to natural waterway; The three primary components of the system operated in series. Domestic wastewaters were first induced to flow in a spiral pattern in the HBF for removal of O&G. The effluents from HBF were then trickled through the BT filled with perforated cylindrical plastic tubes to provide cross-flow alternated with vertical flow for removal ofSS, NH3-N, BODs and N. The final stage of the system was the FWS that focused on the removal of nutrients (N, P, K) by using a type of Sarawak local water lettuce called "Pistia Stratiotes". From this research, it was found that HBF achieved approximately . 73.54% removal of O&G, while the removal rates of BOD, NH3-N, N, P, K and SS by the biotower (TF) were approximately 35.0%, 57.4%, 51.8%, 13.4%, 21.8%, and 21.9%, respectively. The pollutant removal rates achieved by FWS were approximately 24.1 % BOD, 30.6% NH3-N, 38.0% N, 41.5% P, 46.7% K, and 37.1% SS. The overall combined removal efficiencies of HBF, BT and FWS were approximately 73.5%, 59.2%, 87.9%,90.6%, 54.9%, 68.5%, and 59.0% for O&G, BOD, NH3-N, N, P, K and SS, respectively

A 3-stage treatment system for domestic wastewater: Part II. Performance evaluation

A 3-stage micro-scale wastewater treatment system that consisted of 1) a spiral-framed human hair-based filter, 2) a plastic medium mixed flow biotower, and 3) a free surface water wetland system filled with Pistia Stratiotes (water lettuce) operating in series was recently developed and performance tests were conducted. Performance tests were carried out to determine the efficiencies of the system for removal of physically emulsified and free oils, organic matters such as biochemical oxygen demand, ammoniacal-nitrogen, suspended solids, and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from semi-synthetic wastewaters. From this study, it was found that the human hair-based filter could retain approximately 73.5% of physically emulsified oils, while the mixed flow biotower was capable of reducing approximately 35.0% biochemical oxygen demand, 57.4% ammoniacal-nitrogen, 51.8% nitrogen, 13.4% phosphorus, 21.8% potassium, and 21.9% reduction in turbidity. The Pistia Stratiotes-based free surface water wetland was found to remove approximately 24.1% biochemical oxygen demand, 30.6% ammoniacal-nitrogen, 38/0% nitrogen, 41.5% phosphorus, 46.7% potassium and 31.7% reduction in turbidity. When the mixed flow biotower and free surface water wetland system were to operate in series, the combined removal efficiencies were approximately 59.2% for biochemical oxygen demand, 87.9% for ammoniacal-nitrogen, 90.6% for nitrogen, 54.9% for phosphorus, 68.5% for potassium, and 59.0% reduction in turbidity. Experimental data also showed that daily uptake rates (mg/kg-day) of organics and nutrients by per kilogram of Pistia Stratiotes were approximately 1,731 mg for biochemical oxygen demand, 1,015 mg for ammoniacal-nitrogen, 1,206 mg for nitrogen, 1,468 mg for phosphorus, and 5,431 mg for potassium

A 3-stage treatment system for domestic wastewater: Part 1. Development

This study presents the development of a micro-scaled 3-staged wastewater treatment system applicable to small volume domestic effluents. The primary components of the system include 1) Spiral-Framed Human Hair-Based Filter, 2) Plastic Medium Mixed Flow Biotower, and 3) Pistia Stratiotes- Based Free Surface Water Wetland System. The first stage Spiral-Framed Human Hair-Based Filter consists of an oil and grease removal apparatus filled with human hair blocks and operated in a spiral plane aimed at removing emulsified oils from wastewater. The process is followed by a second stage Plastic Medium Mixed Flow Biotower filled with perforated cylindrical plastic tubes in horizontal and vertical arrangements to provide alternate vertical and cross flows for removal of suspended solids, ammoniacal-nitrogen, and biochemical oxygen demand. The effluent would then be channelled to the free surface water wetland system (third stage) filled with Pistia Stratiotes (water lettuce) for removal of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from wastewater. From this study, it was found that Human Hair-Based Filter could remove 73.54% emulsified oils from wastewater, while the combined removal efficiencies of Plastic Medium Mixed Flow Biotower and Free Surface Water wetland system operated in series recorded 59.2% biochemical oxygen demand, 87.9% ammoniacal-nitrogen, 90.6% nitrogen, 54.9% phosphorus, 68.5% potassium, and 59.0% turbidity