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Mechanical Properties of Recycled High-Density Polyethylene, Rice Husk Ash, and Fly Ash Composite Mixture
No full textIn today’s world, plastic has become a global environmental issue that needs to be addressed properly. Most of the plastic waste stems from two sources: low-density and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE has higher mechanical properties in terms of strength, rigidity, and melting point compared to LDPE. As for rice husk ash, it become abundant as a waste material in all rice producing countries. Rice husks ash (RHA) when burnt, releases particulates which are nanometers in size and can decrease air quality but more importantly can cause breathing and eye problems for humans and animals alike. Thus, the increasing interest from researchers using fillers in polymer composites has explored the potential usage of such materials. The objective of the research is to determine the mechanical properties of composite material made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), rice husk ash (RHA) and fly ash (FA) at different composition ratio. The HDPE, RHA and FA granule is mixed according to different ratio using 3D rotary mixer and then place onto hot press machine to obtain desired shape for the mechanical testing. Four (4) types of composite were tested in this study which were: (i) 100% HDPE, 0% RHA, 0% FA (ii) 90% HDPE, 5% RHA, 5% FA, (iii) 80% HDPE, 10% RHA, 10% FA, and (iv) 70% HDPE, 15% RHA, 15% FA. The results showed that for sample 1, 2, 3 and 4; the maximum stress of 10.506 kN, 8.569 kN, 7.578 kN and 7.485 kN were observed
Total Distance Vertex Irregularity Strength of Hairy Cycle C_m^n Graph
No full textA total graph labeling is an assignment of integers to the union of vertices and edges to certain conditions. The labeling becomes D -distance vertex irregular total k-labeling when each vertex of G has a different weight (which is determined by D-distance neighborhood). The total distance vertex irregularity strength of G denoted by tdis(G) and define as the minimum of the biggest label k over all D-distance vertex irregular total k-labelings of G. In this paper, we investigate about D-distance vertex irregular total k-labelings on hairy cycle C_m^n graphs which can be applied to cryptography and computational networks. The unique hairy cycle graph construction makes the weights of each vertex of this graph different and random. Therefore, this weight formula can be applied in stream cipher cryptography as a key generator. To obtained the formula labeling, we carried out labeling experiments repeatedly to find labeling patterns and then formulate it into a labeling function. We also provide the lower bound and determine the value of total distance vertex irregularity strength of hairy cycle C_m^n graphs. we prove that for m=2,3,4, n≥5 an odd positive integer , hairy cycle C_m^n graphs admits an D-distance vertex irregular total k-labelings with total distance vertex irregularity strength, tdis(C_m^n )=⌈(mn+1)/2⌉
Impact of Digital Media Usage on Preventive Behavior among Young Adults
No full textMost countries have endorsed preventive behavioral guidelines or SOPs to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus like using facemasks and maintaining physical distancing. Nevertheless, there are studies indicating that young adults least adhere to such guidelines which pose a public health concern. This study sought to establish the top digital media used by young adults in Malaysia, the reasons for those choices, and to assess the relationship between digital media usage and preventive behaviors. Results from an online survey (N=389) revealed that WhatsApp is most consumed by young adults and the main reason for accessing digital media is to get immediate/fast, up-to-date news and information. In addition, results revealed that TikTok has the highest mean of preventive behavior among young adults. Findings from this study establish that users consume specific digital media for discrete reasons. Results also reveal that the top most preventive behavior recorded by TikTok users is wearing face masks. These have implications for relevant policy makers to prepare for future contagious outbreaks
Students’ Perception on the Application of Gamification in Education during Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textCovid – 19 Pandemic that hit the world had given a huge impact on all sectors of the
economy including the education sector. As coronavirus continues to spread, many countries
have a total lockdown. The same goes for Malaysia which the education sector needs to be
closed due to Movement Control Order (MCO) 1.0, March 2020. Challenges are faced by
educators as they have to conduct classes online. To gain student willingness and interest in the
lesson becomes a major problem that needs attention to enhance students’ learning experience.
Many educators especially in higher learning institutions using gamification apps as a method
of teaching to approach and increase students’ motivation and engagement in the online
classroom. Gamification refers to the application of game elements to non-gaming activities and
has been applied to a variety of environments, including education. It brings a positive impact
in terms of students’ behavior and academic performance. This paper aims to investigate the
students’ perception of the application of gamification during the current pandemic situation.
The advantages of gamification and tools to conduct gamification i.e. Kahoot, Gamified
teamwork learning, and Scoreboard System have also been identified in this paper. To achieve
the aim of this study, an online survey was conducted by distributing the questionnaire to the
students from five selected local private universities. The data has been analyzed using
descriptive statistical analysis data. The majority of the respondents agreed that gamification
provides a better learning environment, increased motivation, increased understanding and
memory, promotes well-being, and increased their academic performance in their learning
process. The results from the survey conducted proved that these students hold a positive
perception i.e. it is important to be applied in the learning process as it is being easy to use, fun,
motivated, and more effective. They also feel that the lecturers shall apply gamification in the
lesson
RELATIONSHIP OF AUGMENTED REALITY MARKETING AND PERCEIVED PRICE ON CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION WITH MEDIATING ROLE OF BRAND IMAGE OF SHOPEE MALAYSIA
No full textThere were contradictory findings where augmented reality brings enjoyable and playful elements to marketing but not necessary an effective tool for brand interaction and further investigation was required to minimize the gap. In contrast price was considered significant when judging the overall benefits when buying products in consumer's decision-making process. The research attempt to review the effectiveness of Augmented reality technology as an innovative approach to market products and services and the impact of price in online shopping. To investigate the effects of augmented reality marketing on consumer purchase intention; to investigate the effects of perceived price on consumer purchase intention and to investigate the interaction effects of brand image on augmented reality marketing and perceived price towards consumer purchase intention. The study was conducted in Malaysia using online survey with a convenient sample of 250 Shopee respondents for a period of 4 weeks in Mid 2021– a pilot study was conducted prior the actual survey to test the validity and reliability of the research instrument. The data collection was obtained through survey monkey online, Facebook and Whatsapp. Data analysis was conducted with the help of SPSS AMOS and Structural Equation Modeling with the aid of Path Diagrams. The study confirmed that both augmented reality marketing and price have a significant impact on brand image and purchase intention. In addition, it was also proven that there are positive interaction effects between brand image on both augmented reality marketing and perceived price towards customer purchase intention. The study found that augmented reality marketing does have a significant impact on brand image and consumer purchasing intention. The correlations analysis indicates that embedding augmented reality technology in Shopee's mobile application would improve customer's enjoyment, feeling and motivation towards Shopee, which subsequently form a greater level of cognitive thinking, affection and activation on the brand. The outcome of the study was similar to previous studies - however what was new from the study was the study took on a case study approach using a popular online store like Shopee to study the impact of augmented reality marketing and the confirmation of augmented reality does have a significant impact on purchase intention
Assessment of FSAE Car’s Rear Suspension Arms for Bump Force
No full textThe aim of this study was to design a new upper and lower suspension arm for INTI International University’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) car with the purpose of off-road usage. The new suspension arm was designed in accordance to regulations of an intercollegiate design competition, BAJA Society of Automotive Engineers (Baja SAE). The material selected for the suspension arms were the 4130-alloy steel. The specifications of the new suspension arms were determined by the size of the bush, inner diameter of 20mm and the position of the mounting on the existing INTI International University’s FSAE car. The study had focused solely on the overall structural strength of the upper and lower suspension arms for off-road usage. The 3D models of the arms were developed using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) via SpaceClaim software. Finite element analysis (FEA) via ANSYS Workbench software was used to determine the structural performance of both suspension arms. The FEA carried out on the designs was bump-force assessment where the vehicle would have jumped and landed on one wheel. For the upper suspension arm, the Maximum Equivalent (von-Mises) Stress (MPa), Maximum Total Deformation (mm) and Minimum Safety Factor were 340.39MPa, 0.42155mm and 1.3514 respectively. Whereas, the lower suspension arm recorded the value of 55.124MPa, 0.12918mm and 8.3448 respectively. These results indicated that the with respect to the design and in using the 4130-alloy steel, both suspension arms will not yield as the Equivalent (von-Mises) Stress value is under the yield limit of 460MPa. The safety factor of the respective designs was also above 1, thus, the safety aspect is indeed ensured for bump force. Nonetheless, the lower suspension arm could be rated as over-designed in accordance to the Safety Factor. Thus, further optimization could be made with respect to the lower arm in future studies
Application of Magnetic Carbon Nanocomposite from Agro-waste for the Removal of Pollutants from Water and Wastewater
No full textWater pollution has significant impact on water usage, and various contaminants, such as organic and inorganic compounds, heavy metals, dyes, pharmaceuticals compounds, pathogens and radioactive compounds, are implicated. The quest for globalisation, structural developments and other related anthropogenic activities promote the release of contaminants that induce water pollution. Hence, treatment and remediation options that can remove pollutants from watercourses and wastewater have been developed. Applied nanotechnology using carbon nanocomposites has recently drawn attention because it has the advantages of low preparation cost, high surface area, pore volume and environmental stability. Magnetic carbon nanocomposites usually exhibit excellent performance in adsorbing contaminants from aqueous solutions, and thus expanding the use of nanotechnology in water treatment is of great importance. Therefore, this review explores the geographical outlook of water pollution, sources of water pollution and types of contaminants found in water and discusses the use of carbon nanocomposites as an emerging sustainable technology for water pollutant removal. The various properties of carbon-based composites influence the extent of pollutant adsorption during water treatment processes. Most carbon-based nanocomposites are generated from biomass produced by agro-waste materials. Magnetic activated carbon nanocomposites produced from walnut shells and rice husk waste can remove 78% of Cd(II) from contaminated aqueous systems. Magnetic nanocomposites from peanut shell, tea waste, curcumin nanoparticles, sunflower head waste, rice husk, hydrophyte biomass, palm waste and sugarcane bagasse facilitate hydrothermal carbonisation, chemical precipitation, co-precipitation, chemical activation, calcination and fast pyrolysis. These nanocomposites have benefitted wastewater treatment by increasing efficiency in removing pharmaceutical, dye and organic contaminants, such as promazine, ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, rhodamine 6G, methyl blue, phenol and phenanthrene. Hence, this review discusses the relatively low costs, good biocompatibility, large surface-to-volume ratio, magnetic separation capability and reusability carbon materials and highlights the advantages of using magnetic carbon nanocomposites in the removal of contaminants from water or wastewater through adsorption mechanisms
Screening of high-risk deleterious missense variations in the CYP1B1 gene implicated in the pathogenesis of primary congenital glaucoma: A comprehensive in silico approach
No full textBackground
Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) is the most common subtype of glaucoma caused by defects in the cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) gene. It is developing among infants in more than 80% of cases who exhibit impairments in the anterior chamber angle and the trabecular meshwork. Thus, a comprehensive in silico approach was performed to evaluate the effect of high-risk deleterious missense variations in the CYP1B1 gene.
Material and methods
All the information for CYP1B1 missense variants was retrieved from the dbSNP database. Seven different tools, namely: SIFT, PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, SNAP2, PANTHER, PhD-SNP, and Predict-SNP, were used for functional annotation, and two packages, which were I-Mutant 2.0 and MUpro, were used to predict the effect of the variants on protein stability. A phylogenetic conservation analysis using deleterious variants was performed by the ConSurf server. The 3D structures of the wild-type and mutants were generated using the I-TASSER tool, and a 50 ns molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) was executed using the GROMACS webserver to determine the stability of mutants compared to the native protein. Co-expression, protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO), and pathway analyses were additionally performed for the CYP1B1 in-depth study.
Results
All the retrieved data from the dbSNP database was subjected to functional, structural, and phylogenetic analysis. From the conducted analyses, a total of 19 high-risk variants (P52L, G61E, G90R, P118L, E173K, D291G, Y349D, G365W, G365R, R368H, R368C, D374N, N423Y, D430E, P442A, R444Q, F445L, R469W, and C470Y) were screened out that were considered to be deleterious to the CYP1B1 gene. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the majority of the variants occurred in highly conserved regions. The MD simulation analysis exhibited that all mutants’ average root mean square deviation (RMSD) values were higher compared to the wild-type protein, which could potentially cause CYP1B1 protein dysfunction, leading to the severity of the disease. Moreover, it has been discovered that CYP1A1, VCAN, HSD17B1, HSD17B2, and AKR1C3 are highly co-expressed and interact with CYP1B1. Besides, the CYP1B1 protein is primarily involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics, chemical carcinogenesis, the retinal metabolic process, and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways, demonstrating its multifaceted and important roles.
Discussion
This is the first comprehensive study that adds essential information to the ongoing efforts to understand the crucial role of genetic signatures in the development of PCG and will be useful for more targeted gene-disease association studies
Removal of Heavy Metals Ions from Aqueous Solution using Different Pretreatment Techniques of Corn Cob
No full textWater pollution has been a global issue and Malaysian waters are of no exception.
Traces of heavy metals have been found in rivers and water sources from industrial and
agricultural run-off, apart from improper waste disposal. Hence, this study proposes the
application of corn cob to remove Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), and Lead (Pb) metal
ions from aqueous solution by different pre-treatment techniques using vinegar and
hydrochloric acid (HCl). The experiment was conducted in a water filtration apparatus
where each heavy metal of interest were treated separately using the pre-treated corn cob.
The samples of metal ions were tested by using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic
Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), which was later analysed and compared by evaluating
the percentage removal of each metal ions, adsorption capacity, and adsorption isotherms.
For Cr, Mn, and Pb removal using HCl-treated corn cob, the maximum percentage removal
is 58.75%, 98.68%, and 77.18% respectively whilst the maximum percentage removal for
Cr, Mn, and Pb using vinegar-treated corn cob is 71.50%, 98.00%, and 74.25%. Further
analysis on the equilibrium data shows that this experiment favoured the Freundlich
isotherm, as seen from the R2 values greater than 0.9 for each adsorption experiment. Hence,
both corn cob pre-treated using HCl and vinegar was proven to be effective in the removal
of Cr, Mn, and Pb ions
Performance Analysis of Blended Tyre Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) Against Diesel in A YANMAR TF-120 Single Cylinder Diesel Engine
No full textThis paper experimentally investigates the
performance of blended tyre pyrolysis oil (50% diesel / 50%
TPO) against pure diesel in a YANMAR TF-120 single cylinder
diesel engine. The brake power and torque were measured to
calculate the brake thermal efficiency and brake specific fuel
consumption for the purpose of making a comparison. It was
observed that the 50% diesel / 50% TPO fuel produced a lower
torque of 20 Nm in contrast to diesel of 32 Nm. On the positive
note, the TPO fuel shows a fewer fuel consumption compared
to the diesel to produce the required energy to drive the engine
speed. The calorific value of the TPO oil differs by 3%
compared to the diesel fuel which does not much impact the
performance of the engine. The TPO managed to produce the
similar amount of brake power output in comparison to diesel
while simultaneously being more fuel efficient. Conclusively,
the use of the TPO as an alternative fuel for diesel is indeed
promising. For the future, it is recommended that a different
blend of TPO is tested against pure diesel