UTAR Institutional Repository (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman)
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Dynamic changes in biochemical and physicochemical properties of cassava vinegar with and without agarwood leaf infusion
Get PDFVinegar is a condiment made from raw agricultural ingredients containing starch and sugar through a double fermentation process: alcoholic and acetic. Although vinegar’s functional properties are well known, its physicochemical and biochemical changes during fermentation with the incorporation of plant-derived materials such as agarwood leaves remain underexplored. The objectives of this study are to assess the saccharification rate through reducing sugar and free amino acid analysis, and to determine ethanol production during the alcoholic fermentation stage of cassava., to study the dynamic changes in biochemical and physicochemical properties throughout the acetic acid fermentation process, and to determine the effect of agarwood leaf infusion on the biochemical and physicochemical properties of cassava-based vinegar. Cassava was first saccharified using ragi for two days, followed by 14-day alcoholic fermentation with wine yeast. Two sets were prepared: one with agarwood leaf infusion and one with water. Mother vinegar was added to initiate acetic acid fermentation. During fermentation, sugar (DNS test), free amino acids (ninhydrin test), alcohol (potassium dichromate test), pH, total titratable acidity, acetic acid (HPLC), and total phenolic content (TPC) (Folin-Ciocalteu method) were monitored and compared between both sets. The sugar content of cassava increased from 3.58% to 16.28% (db) after saccharification. The agarwood leaf-based sample had a lower pH (4.89), higher TPC (0.1402 mg GAE/mL), and lower alcohol content (5.56%) compared to the water-based sample (pH 5.15, TPC 0.1215 mg GAE/mL, alcohol 6.48%). The acetic acid concentration for both sets varied between 0.68 and 4.39 mg/mL. Phytochemical tests showed that alkaloids, flavonoids, and coumarins were present in both samples. Tannins were only detected in the agarwood leaf-based vinegar, and quinones only in the water-based vinegar. The overall physicochemical and biochemical profile of the vinegar was significantly improved by the addition of agarwood leaves infusion, as indicated by higher TPC and increased fermentation efficiency
Correlation of sustainable fly ash concrete with grade 35 mPa compressive strength for water retaining structure
Get PDFWith growing global emphasis on sustainable construction practices, this study explored the use of Class F fly ash as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in concrete, particularly for water-retaining structures. The
research investigated the compressive strength and durability performance of fly ash concrete, with and without the inclusion of a crystalline waterproofing admixture (Sika WT-220 PMY). A concrete mix design targeting 35 MPa
compressive strength was first developed using the British Method prepared by Building Research Development, with a ratio of 1:0.45:1.18:2.51 (cement : water : fine aggregate : coarse aggregate). Class F fly ash sourced from Sultan
Abdul Aziz Power Plant was substituted at 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 % by weight of cement in the design mix. Compression test results showed decreasing trend with increasing fly ash replacement, with 5 % being the optimal replacement which achieved the highest compressive strength of 35.86 MPa among all substitution levels. The Sika WT-220 PMY was incorporated into the concrete mix with 5 % fly ash replacement. A total of 4 different concrete mixes were prepared, which were control mix, control mix with Sika, 5 % FA mix and 5 % FA + Sika mix. Durability was assessed through initial surface absorption test (ISAT), sorptivity test, and water absorption test. All three tests showed similar results in which the incorporation of fly ash and Sika WT-220 PMY demonstrated better durability performance than plain OPC control mix.
Concrete mix with 5 % Fly ash and Sika WT-220 PMY outperformed the other mix. Compared to the control mix, the optimized 5 % fly ash and Sika WT-220 PMY mix demonstrated a 26.09 % reduction in Initial Surface Absorption Test (ISAT) values, a 13.86 % decrease in the sorptivity coefficient, and a 24.56 % reduction in overall water absorption. These findings confirm the beneficial effects of fly ash and crystalline waterproofing admixtures in improving the
durability performance and sustainability of concrete.
Key Words: Fly Ash Concrete, Waterproofing, Compressive Strength, Durability Performance, Sustainable Construction
Subject Area: TA401-492 (Materials of engineering and construction
Comparative study on physicochemical and antioxidant properties of fermented papaya vinegar using different ripeness of Eksotika papaya and the incorporation of ginger
Get PDFPapaya (Carica papaya) is a tropical fruit widely grown in Malaysia, particularly the Eksotika variety. Papaya vinegar, produced by the fermentation of papaya fruit, is gaining niche popularity both locally and internationally due to its health benefits. Antioxidant properties of vinegar are always a key factor influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions, since they are closely associated with human health. Meanwhile, ginger is a traditional medicine plant valued for its high nutritional and bioactive compound content. This study was conducted to investigate the total phenolic and total flavonoid content, DPPH radical scavenging assay, and reducing power assay of the fermented papaya vinegar using different papaya ripeness with the incorporation of ginger. This included the vinegars fermented from ripe papaya with and without ginger (R and RG), unripe papaya with and without ginger (U and UG), as well as a mix of ripe and unripe papaya with and without ginger (RU and RUG). Among the fermented papaya vinegars, a greater TPC was found in vinegar U (35.63 ± 1.07 mg GAE/100 g), RG (32.60 ± 0.47 mg GAE/100 g) and UG (31.91 ± 0.70 mg GAE/100 g). Meanwhile, TFC did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). In terms of DPPH radical scavenging activity, the vinegar RU (26.31 ± 4.38%) exhibited a higher %RSA while vinegar U had a lower %RSA (4.35 ± 6.64%). Lastly, the vinegar R demonstrated the highest reducing power, which was 876.11 ± 20.37 μmol FS/L. In general, the results indicate that papaya vinegar is high in phytochemicals that beneficial to human health. Vinegar produced using ripe papaya has better physicochemical and antioxidant profiles, whereas the addition of ginger during vinegar fermentation had no significant impact on these profiles. Future analysis could be conducted on the sensory profiles, enzyme content and nutritional values of the papaya vinegars
A web-based crowdfunding system for supporting social and community projects
Get PDFThis project focuses on the development of online crowdfunding platforms for academic purposes. The aim of the project is to empower the social and community projects in Malaysia by enabling them to raise funds effectively. While platforms such as GoFundme, GoGetFuding, SimplyGiving and MyFundAction provide several essential features that improve user satisfaction, they also face significant limitations. These include a lack of feedback systems, lack of a sliding scale transaction fee structure and insufficient fee transparency which hinder platform usability. Even though previous studies explored various aspects of crowdfunding such as financial structure and user engagement, however, the operational and structural constraints of the platforms remain unexamined. To address these gaps, this study examines the limitations of existing platforms and proposes solutions for enhancements by implementing the feedback system, integrating the operation model, implementing the sliding scale method for fee structure and integrating fee transparency. Furthermore, the methodology of the project employs the Agile Software Development Life Cycle which facilitates incremental and iterative development by breaking the projects into small and manageable tasks. The project utilized several software components such as HTML, Javascript, CSS, PHP and MySQL to perform online crowdfunding platform development. The findings suggest that addressing the gaps can significantly enhance user satisfaction, trust and long-term sustainability of the platform. These outcomes are significant for platform developers, organizers and users who want to enhance the efficiency of community fundraising campaigns and crowdfunding experience for a wider audience. Ultimately, this research seeks to empower the social and community projects through a dedicated online crowdfunding platform in Malaysia
Automation of plastic waste sorting through robotic technology
Get PDFThis project presents the design, development, fabrication and evaluation of an automated waste sorting system integrating computer vision, robotic actuation and electronic control. The primary objective was to automate the classification and segregation of recyclable waste to improve accuracy and efficiency compared to manual sorting. The methodology involved fabricating a conveyor belt system, designing a slider mechanism to extend the Delta X robotic arm’s reach and equipping the robot with a vacuum gripper for pick-and-place operations. A YOLOv8 deep learning model, trained on a custom dataset of waste images, was integrated with the ByteTrack algorithm to provide real-time object detection and tracking. An ESP32 microcontroller and a Python-based GUI coordinated the conveyor, slider, robot arm and vision subsystems for seamless operation. Experimental testing demonstrated high detection accuracies of 100% for aluminium, 96% for plastics and 94% for paper. Pick-and-place success rates were 92% for aluminium, 98% for paper and 48% for plastics, the latter being affected by transparency, irregular surfaces and limitations of the IR sensor. The overall throughput achieved was 8 - 15 items per minute, with reliable continuous operation over 20 minutes, though positional drift of the robot arm and slider was observed due to the lack of feedback mechanisms. These results indicate that the prototype successfully met its objectives, demonstrating the feasibility of low-cost AI-enabled robotic sorting.
Keywords: waste sorting; YOLOv8; machine vision; robotic arm; automation; object detection
Subject Area: Robotic
Comparative study of machine learning algorithms in data classification
Get PDFThis research conducts a comparative study of various machine learning algorithms for dataset classification to identify the most accurate and reliable classifier. In many different fields, data mining, the process of identifying significant patterns in historical data, is essential to decision-making. One of the medical datasets pertaining to disease diagnosis and prediction, within, diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer prediction, heart disease are used in this study to assess machine learning classifiers. Logistic regression, decision trees, k-Nearest Neighbors, Naïve Bayes, support vector machines, and random forest approaches are among the classifiers that were examined. The performance of these classifiers will be assessed using key evaluation metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, f1-score, confusion matrix, AUC-ROC, and precision-recall. The implementatn and comparative analysis will be conducted using Python, and Streamlit. Python scripts can now be transformed into interactive web apps through the integration of Streamlit, enabling dynamic viewing and real-time interaction with classification results. In order to help choose the best algorithm for medical dataset, this study attempts to shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of each classifier. The results will help with real-world data mining applications of machine learning and be a useful guide for further study and practical applications
Fundamental stock analysis with LLMs and qualitative data: development of a vector database for company reports
Get PDFThis project explores the use of natural language processing techniques,
specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), for fundamental stock analysis by
leveraging qualitative data in corporate financial reports and disclosures. It addresses
the challenge of information overload faced by retail investors by automating the
collection, processing, and interpretation of fundamental data. The system employs a
multi-agent architecture integrating web scraping of financial reports, LLM-based
report processing of lengthy documents, and embedding the resulting processed data
into a vector database to enable semantic search and efficient information retrieval.
Using vector embeddings and retrieval-augmented generation, the system acts as a
“virtual analyst” that retrieves relevant information and synthesizes coherent responses
to complex investor queries about a company’s fundamentals. The results demonstrate
that this LLM-driven approach efficiently distills key insights from enormous
unstructured texts, thereby making qualitative analysis more accessible and bridging
the gap in analytical capability for retail investors. The project provided a functional
proof of concept and highlighted opportunities for further improvements, including
expanding data sources, improving summary accuracy, and strengthening the system’s
real-time information integration capabilities
The impact of an aging workforce on the construction industry
Get PDFMalaysia’s construction industry is increasingly influenced by the aging workforce, a demographic shift with implications for productivity, innovation, and workplace safety. While extensive research has examined the implications of an aging workforce and explored mitigation strategies across various contexts, research in Malaysia is still lacking. Hence, this study aimed to (i) examine the effects of an aging workforce on the construction industry, (ii) identify the challenges faced by construction companies, and (iii) propose strategies for effective adaptation. A quantitative survey was distributed to construction professionals in the Klang Valley. 113 responses were obtained then examined using Cronbach’s Alpha, mean ranking, Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman’s correlation tests. The results revealed that aged and experienced workers consistently rated positive effects more highly, particularly in relation
to organisational learning, stronger work ethic, and safety, while also acknowledging key challenges such as the need for health promotion, workforce imbalance, lack of innovation, and mentoring pressures. Significant differences were observed across age, years of experience, position, and organisational size, with senior professionals and medium-sized firms perceiving innovation gaps and technology adoption as more critical. Strategies such as mentoring and
knowledge transfer, safety measures, wellness programs, and skill development emerged as the most effective, with Spearman’s correlation highlighting strong relationships between flexible work arrangements, refined HR practices, and
improved working environments. Overall, the findings suggest that while the aging workforce presents notable challenges for Malaysia’s construction sector, it also offers opportunities to leverage the strengths of aging professionals. This study supports policymakers, industry stakeholders, and construction firms in developing inclusive strategies for aging workers, fostering workforce
resilience and ensuring alignment with national development agendas such as the Twelfth Malaysia Plan and Malaysia Madani.
Keywords: Aging workforce; Construction industry; Effect; Challenge; Strategy
Subject Area: HQ1060–1064: Aged. Gerontology (Social aspects). Retiremen
Investigating barriers to environmental, social and governance (ESG) adoption in the Malaysia construction industry
Get PDFThe growing global emphasis on sustainability has placed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices at the forefront of responsible business operations. Despite the construction sector's significant role in economic
development, environmental impact, and community well-being, ESG adoption in Malaysia’s construction industry remains limited due to various contextual challenges. This research aims to investigate the key barriers hindering the
adoption of ESG practices and to identify the main drivers and strategies that can facilitate its implementation. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify 12 drivers, 14 barriers, and 10 strategies, which were
further explored through a quantitative questionnaire survey. The survey targeted construction professionals, including consultants, developers, and contractors within the Klang Valley area, yielding 132 valid responses. The collected data were analysed and ranked according to their mean scores. The
results revealed that external pressures, such as market force and clients’ demand, industry competitiveness, and government legislation and policy emerge as the key drivers for ESG integration. On the other hand, limited data
and lack of long-term comparability, lack of resources, and lack of established standards and guidelines for ESG activities are the major barriers impeding the adoption of ESG practices in construction firms. Meanwhile, the findings also highlighted the importance of government subsidies, standards for ESG activities, and enforcement of regulations and policies as effective strategies to encourage ESG adoption. Notably, the enforcement of regulations and policies was found to be significantly correlated with all identified barriers. Additionally, the Spearman’s correlation test uncovered that resistance to change and top
management initiatives have the strongest correlation among the variables. This research provides valuable insights into the current state of ESG adoption in Malaysia’s construction industry and highlights specific areas requiring policy
and industry attention. The results can guide construction professionals, policymakers, and regulators in formulating practical strategies to overcome existing barriers and drive sustainable transformation in the sector.
Keywords: ESG adoption; sustainable development; corporate sustainability; Malaysian construction industry; barriers.
Subject Area: TH6014-6081 Environmental engineering of buildings. Sanitary engineering of building
Building information modelling (BIM) integration with facilities management (FM) in Malaysia: the facilities and property managers' perspective
Get PDFOver the years, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the construction industry has greatly enhanced by time from supporting stakeholders throughout the planning, design, construction, and operational phases. On the other hand,
Facilities Management (FM) encompasses the administration, operation, maintenance and of buildings and facilities after construction completion. While the implementation rate of BIM in construction industry has been increasing steadily, its integration in FM industry, particularly during the operational and maintenance phases is still considered as being in its infancy. In Malaysia, the integration of BIM within FM is gradually gaining attention, however, there are
rooms for improvement. This research aims to examine the BIM integration with FM in Malaysia, specially the current practices of FM, the drivers and challenges of BIM integration with FM. A quantitative research approach was
employed using structured questionnaires distributed to facility managers and property managers in Malaysia. The data were analysed using non-parametric tests such as the Friedman test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and Mann Whitney U test
to identify current practices of FM, drivers and challenges of BIM integration with FM. The results revealed that majority of respondents have integrated BIM into their FM practices. The top three driver of BIM integration with FM were identified as “Large-scale and high-tech buildings require advanced FM solutions through BIM integration”, “Demand for smarter facility operations” and “Top management support”. Meanwhile, the top three challenges of BIM
integration with FM were “High cost associated with implementing BIM-FM technologies (i.e. software(s) and system upgrades)”, “Lack of awareness among top management regarding the benefits of integrating BIM in FM” and “High cost associated with training BIM and FM personnel”. The research
highlights the need for strategic frameworks, regulatory support, and academic research to drive BIM-FM integration forward. By addressing the drivers and challenges of BIM integration with FM, this research provides a foundation for
more advancement in BIM-FM integration and supports the development of a more sophisticated FM industry in Malaysia.
Keywords: building information modelling, facilities management, integration, FM practices, BIM drivers, BIM challenges
Subject Area: TH3301-3411 – Maintenance and Repai