UMT Journal Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
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PARTICULATE RESUSPENSION DURING THE USE OF VACUUM CLEANERS ON OFFICE CARPETS IN UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU
No full textThe household activities such as vacuuming may elevate the concentration ofparticulate matter in indoor environments. Cleaning workers and occupants inside closed room may be exposed to the fine particulate matter and at risk of developing numerous respiratory symptoms. This study aims to determine the concentration of the particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) that might arise during vacuuming activities and estimated the surface compartmental residence time of particulate matter in indoor environment after each vacuuming activities. The PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations throughout vacuuming were measured in forty-seven offices in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu using the TSI Dust Track DRX. Based on the concentrations measured, the surface compartmental residence time was then estimated using standardized equations taken from literature. The result shows that highest particulate matter concentration was nearly eleven times higher than the World Health Organization guidelines of 25 μg/m3 for PM2.5 concentration (PM2.5 was 270μg/m3, PM10 was 421 μg/m3), while the particulate matter were estimated to remain lingers inside the air for around 1-4 days before being deposited on the surface. In conclusion, the usage of vacuum cleaners may contribute to more particulate matter being released inside the air due to the resuspension phenomenon. Therefore, it is important for the occupants to maintain proper ventilation after each vacuuming activities took place
MARITIME SHIPMENT MOBILE APPLICATION
No full textThe growth of e-commerce has affected the world drastically and increased the number of users for e-commerce. Therefore, the seller or buyer will need an online platform to manage their shipping activities to facilitate shipping costs. Shipping costs include the payment of cargo, freight, and tax insurance to the government. In this study, a mobile application was designed and developed to book vessels and identify and pay the amount of money that needs to be paid, particularly on the rate of the cargo and tax insurance premium. For this project, the methodology chosen is the Agile methodology. Agile development makes conscious of the problem earlier than becoming interested in the issue once the plan is finished. The agile methodology includes the user constantly throughout the entire project, including revision scheduling, test sessions and new features incorporated into the code. This system is developed using the three-tiered architecture. The architecture of three levels connects the presentation layer, application layer and database layer. The reason this architecture is chosen is that it will have high performance. The importance of high-performance architecture is that this application consists of a booking element that must be applied for payment. This project has developed a secure and user-friendly mobile application for maritime shipments. This mobile maritime shipping application can book vessels, apply for insurance and cargo tax, and make the shipment payment most easily and securely. In addition, this system can create documents relating to the shipment. By using this mobile application, payments will be made online and eliminate paperwork
ISOLATION AND SCREENING OF FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASED RIVER CATFISH, Pangasius hypophthalmus
No full textThe production of river catfish Pangasius hypophthalmus trade has increased significantly over the past decade. Concerning the high demand for river catfish, P. hypophthalmus, these freshwater fish are susceptible to fungi infection that can cause mortality to individual and fish eggs. This study has been conducted to identify the morphology of isolated fungi and their extracellular- enzymes for virulent screening. Three fishes with apparent signs of infection such as ulcerative, haemorrhages and dermal lesions were collected from the fish cage culture at Kampung Serada, Kuala Terengganu. Fungi were isolated from the fish externally (fin, skin, mouth, gill) and internal organs (kidney and liver). The fungal morphology was characterised macroscopically by observing the colony features such as margin, pigmentation (colour), elevation, texture and shape of fungi on an agar plate. Meanwhile, for micromorphology observation were characterised the fungi structure includes the spore, hyphae, and conidiaphore. Based on the identification using a general key to characteristics moulds, two fungi have been classified into two genera: Rhizopus-like sp and Geomyces-like sp. These fungi proceeded with extracellular enzyme tests such as the proteolysis assay, amylases test and lipases test. The reaction enzymes of fungi from the amylases test showed the clearing zone around the radial colony growth of fungi. The test strain of fungi screened during the present investigation proved to be an efficient producer of protein and polysaccharide degrading enzymes. Rhizopus-like sp and Geomyces-like sp to produce extracellular amylase enzyme indicated the virulent characteristic of the isolate and the ability of those fungi to initiate infection or resist harsh environments and treatments
EVALUATION OF FOLIAR DISEASE INCIDENCE AND SEVERITY OF MANGROVES IN UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU
No full textMangroves are an important ecosystem because of their ecological roles and services, particularly in nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. However, habitats have declined over the year, mostly due to anthropogenic and natural threats. Mangrove plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungal invasion are poorly described. The status of diseased mangroves remained unknown, primarily in Malaysia. The current study evaluates the disease incidence and severity of mangrove trees in the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) campus. This study aimed to determine the dominant type of foliar disease in the UMT campus and identify the most affected mangrove species using Disease Incidence and Disease Severity approach. 30 leaves from each of five mangrove species; Lumnitzera racemosa, Rhizophora apiculata, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Avicennia alba and Sonneratia caseolaris were collected, observed and analysed for the Disease Incidence and Disease Severity. A total of six types of foliar diseases were observed, with leaf blight as the dominant, followed by brown leaf spot, insect graze, grey leaf spot, black leaf spot and anthracnose. Mangrove trees at Jalan Biawak have the highest percentage value of Disease Incidence and Disease Severity compared to mangroves at Pusat Islam UMT. Fungal invasion rate variation could be caused by factors such as temperature, humidity and mangrove species’ resilience toward fungal invasion. Therefore, further study needs to be done to understand this issue better
LIPASE PRODUCTION FROM SOLID STATE FERMENTATION OF COPRA WASTE ASSOCIATED FUNGUS Aspergillus niger
No full textLipases are enzyme with versatile industrial applications can be produced by the solid-state fermentation (SSF) method and is an economical alternative for enzyme production assisted by fungus. In Malaysia, 5 million of copra waste were generated annually. Large amount of copra waste produced will cause an increasing amount of the waste dumped to the landfill. Copra waste is one of the potential substrates to produce lipase enzyme through SSF. Thus, the aim of this study is to optimize the lipase production by SSF associated by Aspergillus niger using the 23 full factorial design approach. In this study the factors affecting parameters that involved in the production of lipase enzyme such as temperature (25˚ and 35˚), substrates concentration (40% and 60%) and inoculum size of Aspergillus niger (1 and 9 petri dish) were determined. The maximum production of lipase was obtained after 120-hour incubation in SSF. The optimum condition for inoculum size of Aspergillus niger was 9 plates, 30°C of incubation temperature and 60 % moisture contents. The range of the concentration of lipase enzyme produced varied from 105 U/ml to 170 U/ml. When applied to the wastewater treatment, the reducing percentage of fat, oil and grease (FOG) in food processing wastewater is reduced from 219.4925mg/l to 169.467mg/l accounted to the amount of 34 % FOG removal. Lipase produced using copra waste as a substrate using SSF has the potential value to be developed in the future for various industry including wastewater treatment industry
PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND SENSORY ACCEPTABILITY OF ICE CREAM PREPARED WITH DIFFERENT RATIOS OF DAIRY WHIPPING CREAM TO TOMATO PUREE
No full textIce cream is a popular dairy product consumed by people of all ages. However, commercial ice cream is high in fat and calories, and it frequently uses synthetic colorants. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effects of tomato puree addition on the physicochemical properties and sensory acceptability of ice cream. Five formulations of ice cream were prepared with dairy whipping cream to tomato puree ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30 and 60:40. Physicochemical analyses were carried out in triplicate, which involved colour profile, pH and moisture levels, as well as ash, fat and protein content determination. The sensory attributes of colour, odour, hardness, creaminess, flavour, aftertaste and overall acceptability of the ice cream were evaluated by 50 untrained panellists using a 7-point of hedonic scale of acceptance test. The results showed that decreasing the percentage of dairy whipping cream and increasing the percentage of tomato puree enhanced the a* value and ash content of the ice cream, while decreasing the b* value, pH, and fat contents. However, the L* value, and moisture and protein contents were not significantly (p>0.05) affected by the different ratios of dairy whipping cream to tomato puree. The sensory acceptability for all ice cream attributes increased significantly (p<0.05) with the addition of tomato puree and decrease of dairy whipping cream in the formulations. This study suggests the incorporation of tomato puree of up to 40% has a good potential in giving ice cream an attractive colour and improving its nutritional and sensory qualities
A KNAPSACK OPTIMISATION MODEL TO DETERMINE THE REQUIRED ITEMS FOR AN ANNUAL DINNER
No full textMany companies recognise the achievements and contributions of their employees throughout the year through annual dinners. Commonly, companies will allocate a certain amount of money to organise an annual dinner. However, planning such an event is not easy as the organising team needs to plan the event carefully according to the specified budget. This paper demonstrates how a binary knapsack problem approach is applied to help an insurance company select the required items for its annual dinner within the allocated budget. Two models were developed and solved using the LINGO 12.0 software. The first model was developed to determine the activities that will be selected based on the restriction of the total budget. The second model was developed to maximise staff preference on the selected items within the specified budget. The results of both models were compared and discussed. The item selection technique used in this study is for organisations with a limited budget
BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE INTENDED TO BOOST THE MARITIME TOURISM SECTOR
No full textThe initiative of One Belt One Road (OBOR) has economically benefited many countries in terms of export and import cargo. Malaysia is one of the countries that greatly export and import commodities business across international borders via different modes. However, this study shows that the OBOR initiative’s adaptation in Malaysia seaports is still beginning. The purpose of this study is to identify the issues faced by Malaysian seaports, to adapt the OBOR initiative, as well as to develop a new approach to overcome the obstacles that have been identified. A qualitative research approach was carried out to archive the objective of this study. A total of six maritime experts were interviewed and the results were analyzed by content analysis and coded using Nvivo 12 software. The results show that Malaysia suffers from financial instability, a lack of port capacity, and poor employee readiness. To overcome the issues, the experts proposed upgrading the port capacity, improving the port system with modern technology, and expanding the employee’s knowledge, as well as the safety and security of the port. This study proposes a novel framework to adapt maritime tourism as a new business market into OBOR strategy. This framework will overcome the current issues that Malaysian seaports have encountered. In the current digital world, the introduction of many advanced technologies known as “Smart” has great potential to progress the maritime tourism agenda into a smart maritime tourism industry to gain more benefits
THE PROSPECT OF PALEKBANG BRIDGE: A DRIVE FOR INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE GROWTH IN KELANTAN
No full textThe East Coast Economic Region (ECER) was established in 2007 with the announcement of the ECER Master Plan by the Malaysian Government. Meanwhile, the ECER Development Council (ECERDC) is driving development in the ECER by launching several high-impact projects and programmes to promote socioeconomic transformation by increasing private investment in the region. The ultimate goal is to close the socioeconomic gap between East and West Coasts by empowering local communities to benefit from job and entrepreneurial opportunities. One of the ECER projects is the construction of the Palekbang Bridge in Kelantan, which will connect Kota Bharu and Palekbang, Tumpat. The bridge construction is critical in light of two factors: Congestion at the Sultan Yahya Petra Bridge and limited growth in the Kota Bharu city centre. This paper discusses the role of ECERDC as the primary monitoring body for the project, as well as the potential of the Palekbang Bridge to provide physical, economic, and social benefits to citizens. It is hoped that the bridge construction will address congestion and limited growth, stimulate trade activities, improve connectivity, and accessibility. As a result, economic growth across all economic sectors will be boosted in the coming years
MARITIME LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT: A CASE STUDY
No full textMaritime Logistics plays a key role in developing a strong global supply chain system. The framework development and performance measurement among the chain of the maritime logistics could help to develop overall logistics performance of a country. Moreover, the ease of international trade and inclination of investors to invest in a country mostly depends on the efficiency of maritime logistics. The study aims to explore the maritime logistics and development strategies and performance measurement metrics contextualizing the case study of Malaysia. The paper analyzed the existing literature and proposed a conceptual framework for maritime logistics strategies. Customs, infrastructure and logistics quality have been identified as the key drivers for maritime logistics in Malaysia. The study will help the policymakers and maritime researchers to develop the maritime performance metrics of their own countries