13474 research outputs found
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Chitosan/chitin composite membrane reinforced with nanocellulose for the removal of cadmium ions from wastewater / Thaneissha Marimuthu
No full textVarious green initiatives are being taken perpetually to upgrade the quality of environment and inculcate the society with the mind set of sustainability. In conjunction with this, a porous chitosan/chitin whiskers membrane reinforced with cellulose nanomaterial is fabricated for the removal of cadmium (II) ions in wastewater. This composite membrane consists of matrix and filler which are collectively made up of natural polymers such as chitosan, chitin and cellulose. In this study, chitosan was chosen as the main material for matrix due to the presence of prolific functional groups in its polymer chain. In respective to the first objective, porous structure was successfully induced in chitosan (CS) membrane by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as pore forming agent where the result was proved through FESEM. Besides enhancing the porosity, PEG aids to improve the water uptake of membrane. Notably, the membrane with mass ratio of CS:PEG = 75:25 performs well, giving adequate mechanical strength and desirable pore size. Thus, this composition was maintained for the rest of this study. In line with second objective, the addition of chitin whiskers (CH) successfully enhanced mechanical performances. Particularly at 0.9% of chitin content, the tensile strength increased by 58.2% compared to CS membrane without chitin whiskers addition. This is attributed to the strong electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonds between chitosan and chitin whiskers. Nonetheless, the water contact angle increases gradually upon increasing the loading of chitin. Therefore, CS/0.6CH membrane which offers mutual benefits between the mechanical performance and pure water flux was selected for further study. Then, the effect of incorporation of unmodified and modified cellulose nanomaterial on mechanical and physicochemical properties of composite membranes was determined respectively. In this case, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were synthesized from microcrystalline cellulose and further chemical modification (esterification) was performed using succinic anhydride to produce SCNC. Interestingly, the membranes incorporated with 1% CNC and 1% SCNC exhibited enhancement in mechanical properties, wettability, porosity and water flux respectively owing to nano size range that offers high surface area and versatile functional groups. Despite exhibiting lower mechanical properties, carboxyl enriched CS/0.6CH/SCNC-1 bestowed better physicochemical properties and water flux compared to CS/0.6CH/CNC-1. Thus, the final objective aimed to get a deeper understanding on the adsorption behaviour of heavy metal ions towards CS/0.6CH/SCNC-1 using Response Surface Methodology (Central Composite Design) approach. The optimum parameters suggested attaining maximum removal efficiency of cadmium (90.09%) at pH 6, 95 ppm and 110 minutes. This experimental data is best described using Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic model for the removal of cadmium ions from wastewater. The functional groups of membrane predominantly contributed to excellent removal efficiency of cadmium via two main interactions which are electrostatic attraction and chelation. Finally, adsorption-desorption was performed up to 3 cycles using Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) without compromising the efficiency. Overall, these bio-polymer nanocomposite membranes have a great potential as advanced technology for scavenging heavy metal ions in wastewater and aids to achieve the standard of effluent discharge in accordance with Environmental Quality Act 1974 in Malaysia
Prosodic marking of new and given information in English and Mandarin by Chinese speakers / Jiang Man
No full textSecond language speakers have been found to face difficulties marking prosodic features of new and given information in English. English is a stress-based language, where lexical and sentence stress can reflect different meanings. On the other hand, Mandarin is a tone language in which differences in pitch (auditory perception of relative frequency) that refers to the highness or lowness of voice can give different meanings to words made up of the same vowels and consonants. Chinese learners who are learning English as a foreign language are likely to speak English with different intonation patterns from first language speakers, which can lead to misinterpretations of the message conveyed. However, there is a dearth of research on the prosodic marking of new and given information by Chinese English speakers and on the extent to which Mandarin might influence the marking of new and given information. To begin to fill this research gap, an empirical study of the prosodic features of English and Mandarin was conducted using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate the prosodic marking of new and given information in English and Mandarin by Chinese speakers. The speakers comprised five postgraduate students who were majoring in English. They were recorded reading two texts, one in English and the other in Chinese. Each text contained eight pairs of target words representing new and given information respectively. The recordings were then acoustically analysed using Praat. The results indicate that the patterns of marking of new and given information in English and Mandarin were similar. new information tended to have longer duration, higher F0, and a larger pitch range. However, the difference in pitch range between new and given information was found to be greater in English than in Mandarin
Big data analytics capabilities and sustainability reporting on social media: The moderating role of tone at the top / Fareyha Said
No full textCorporate reporting including sustainability reporting is changing due to the emergence of big data analytics capabilities (BDAC). The BDAC implementation offers a wide range of benefits. It assists firms in managing their operations in areas including sustainability issues and social media platforms. The current study aimed to examine the impact of BDAC on sustainability reporting through social media (SRSM). Evidence from the literature suggests that top management’s attributes affect firms’ sustainability reporting practices. Therefore, tone at the top was analysed as a moderator between BDAC and SRSM in the current study. Literature also suggests that better sustainability reporting strengthens firms’ relationship with stakeholders, potentially leading to competitive advantage. Hence, the current study also aimed to analyse the impact of SRSM on competitive advantage. The theoretical model was formulated based on dynamic capability view (DCV) to explain the variables of the current study. The study’s sample included 320 firms listed on Bursa Malaysia that used social media platforms. Among 320 firms, 114 firms responded to the questionnaire, after unavailability of data of some firms, final sample was comprised of 100 firms. The multimethod research design was used in the current study. Web-based questionnaire and content analysis were used to measure SRSM. Sustainability reporting perception on social media (SRPSM) was measured using the web-based questionnaire, and sustainability reporting disclosure on Facebook (SRDF) was measured via content analysis of the Facebook pages of the sample firms. The web-based questionnaire was also used to measure BDAC and competitive advantage. The tone at the top was measured using an automated content analysis of CEOs’ letters to stakeholders. The results obtained from SmartPLS showed that BDAC had a significant positive impact on SRSM. However, the results on SRSM’s impact on competitive advantage were mixed. SRPSM had a significant positive impact on competitive advantage, but SRDF had no impact on competitive advantage. The moderation effect of tone at the top between BDAC and SRSM was also insignificant, indicating that tone at the top neither strengthens nor weakens the relationship between BDAC and SRSM. However, additional analysis with the inclusion of certainty as a tone at the top variable produced a significant positive moderation between BDAC and SRDF. The current study’s findings may assist the authorities, regulators, and policy makers in improving the BDAC implementation in Malaysia and similar countries. Moreover, the results of SRSM can help firms improve their sustainability reporting outside the bounds of traditional modes and gain a competitive advantage
Hazard identification and risk assessment on gas pipeline installation works / Dashan Sengeny
No full textGas supply contributes to major fuel requirements for petrochemical plants, power
generation, large and small industries to upkeep the operation and production to meet the
consumer’s demand. To achieve that, gas pipeline construction plays an important role to
provide the infrastructure for gas transportation through the pipelines to ensure
uninterruptible supply. Constructing a gas pipeline involves high-risk activities such as
excavation works, Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), lifting, confined space
activities, and welding works which are required to be performed along the construction
process. This activity requires serious attention for hazard identification associated with
the task, performing risk assessment, and implementation of control measures to
minimize the occurrence of occupational accidents. Hazard identification, Risk
Assessment, and Risk Control (HIRARC) is a fundamental tool that helps to minimize
and prevent accidents to take place in the workplace by cultivation a safe work system
through matrix analysis which reveals the likelihood and severity of accidental
occurrences. This study aims to perform hazard identification, conduct a risk assessment,
and propose control measures based on the hazard and risk associated with the gas
pipeline construction activities. Performing hazard identification based on the
construction activities leads to several findings which can be evaluated and improved to
prevent accidents. The evaluation and analysis are conducted based on the site
practicability, experienced personnel opinions, and previous lesson learned. Upon risk
assessment completion, a control measure is proposed according to worksite suitability.
This is achieved through adaptation of several methods such as survey analysis conducted
which consists of 127 respondent who is working in the gas pipeline-related construction
field, site observation on actual construction practice, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and
HIRARC form is used to identify the hazard and analyses the risk associated with the gas
pipeline construction activities. Findings show that the attitude of the workers and
responsibilities of the employee and management plays an important role in cultivating a
safe work system. Besides that, negligence in small flaws leads to critical accidents or
contributes to the main event which leads to a more severe impact. Moreover, this study
also demonstrated that the involvement of management focusing on safety aspects
improves the site safety practices. Safety competence personnel also ensures the worksite
safety through site inspection and induction briefing is carried out on daily basis.
Implementation of more comprehensive HIRARC through this study improves the site
safety practices through awareness to the construction personnel which emphasizes on
safety is everyone’s responsibility and working safely is the top priority
Community safety for public transportation during Covid-19 pandemic / Huipeng Hu
No full textIn the face of a pandemic, urban public transport has the dual responsibility of ensuring travel and blocking the epidemic. The normal operation of public transportation is often linked to the economic development of the society. Therefore, it is very important to ensure the safe travel of people during the pandemic period. This is also a major livelihood problem that the government and public transportation management departments urgently need to solve. challenge.
This study aims to investigate the community safety of public transportation during Covid-19 pandemic.
This study collects public transportation data during the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzes the importance of public transportation community safety to social development, and how many people affect as a result. Develop new guidance on public transport safety during a pandemic or future outbreak based on an analysis of China's public transport epidemic prevention and control measures against Covid-19 and public transport response to the pandemic.
The outbreak of Covid-19 in China coincided with the Chinese Spring Festival, and the passenger volume of public transport in the whole society dropped by 75.2% compared with the same period. About 850 million people affected during this period. Established a public transport epidemic prevention and control system, and established
a three-level epidemic prevention and control strategy guide for public transport.
In order to restore and enhance social development, it is critical to keep the public transportation community safe in the context of COVID-19, and to this end develop new guidance on public transportation safety during a new pandemic or future outbreak. A three-level epidemic prevention and control strategy guide and a diversified group prevention and control mechanism have been constructed
Water quality monitoring of two main rivers during construction phase of highway Ketereh to Kok Lanas, Kelantan / Muhammad Faiz Roslan
No full textRiver as source of freshwater to human and other living creatures. Construction activities are intensifying in Malaysia that revolve around river. River water quality are important during the construction phase to prevent pollution. This study was conducted to determine the water quality based on Water Quality Index (WQI) by Department of Environmental Malaysia of two main rivers during construction phase of highway Ketereh to Kok Lanas, Kelantan. The factors affected the water quality was identified during this construction phase especially the activity near to the river bank and river crossing, also any other external factor that affected river water quality. Control measures implemented by the contractor was determine to prevent the river pollution. Parameters in WQI taken into condition which are pH Value @ 25°C, Biochemical Oxygen Demand BOD-5 test @ 20° C (mg/I), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) (mg/I), Total Suspended Solids (mg/I), Ammoniacal Nitrogen : (mg/I), and Dissolved Oxygen : (mg/I), included E.coli. Lubok Sendong River located along the alignment of this highway project are considered as slightly polluted from year 2018 until 2020 within Class III and clean in the year of 2021 with the Class II. Meanwhile for Mahang River average condition within the Class III and considered as slightly polluted from year 2018 until 2021. The contractor of this highway project take extensive erosion and sedimentation control measures to prevent the both of river pollution by conducted Erosion and Sedimentation Control Measures approved by the local authority and designed by professional engineer. The maintenance of the control measures play important roles during this construction phase to ensure the effectiveness of sediment and soil loss into the rivers
Project management case study - development of iron ore processing plant / Yap Park Wah
No full textProject management is an adaptive and practical approach to be implemented for any project conducted by any organization despite the industry, size and sector. It’s the project manager’s responsibility to identify the project problem statement at hand and adapt the appropriate project management approach to guide the project to success. In this dissertation, as a part of the project team, the author aimed to develop the iron ore processing plant using project management approaches within the allocated budget and time. Apart from setting the project planning framework, the project team were tasked to monitor the project changes that occurred throughout the project execution time frame. In this case study, the author investigated the project management framework and methodology applied in the identified project integration management. The project team analyzed and constructed the project charter, management plan, project scope and cost to outline the project schedule required for project initiation. Project controlling were conducted with the aid of project management software to ensure the project was executed efficiently. Engineering design process were implemented during the project change proposed by the engineering team to increase the efficiency of the iron ore processing plant. As a result, it can be concluded that the ongoing project conducted by the project team is on track for success due to the effective project management approaches implemented
Production of sustainable bio-jet fuel via single-step deoxygenation of palm-based feedstock / Elaine Why Siew Kuan
No full textThe development of bio-jet fuel helps to sustain the demand of air transportation, and reduces the dependency on fossil fuel. According to literature, parameters such as type of catalyst, fatty acid profile of feedstock and blending ratio with Jet A-1 fuel, will affect the final hydrocarbon composition and characteristics of the overall fuel. This work aims to produce bio-jet fuel from palm-based oils via deoxygenation process. The product yield and selectivity of the bio-jet fuel were investigated based on different types of commercial catalysts (e.g., CaO, Zeolite, V2O5, Pd/C and TiO2), as well as catalyst loading and different types of palm oil-based feedstock (e.g., waste cooking oil, palm olein, palm kernel oil). Besides, fuel characteristics of different palm-based bio-jet fuel and its blending ratio of bio-jet fuel in Jet A-1 fuel were further tested. The catalyst reusability and soot particle emission characteristics of the fuel were studied as well, by investigating their morphologies and particle size distribution respectively. The deoxygenation of palm kernel oil by catalytic cracking with Pd/C catalyst at 8 wt% were found to be the most favorable pair of feedstock and catalyst (i.e., ~96% yield of liquid product, ~73% jet paraffin selectivity). Besides, the blending study indicated that 20 vol% of palm kernel oil-derived bio-jet fuel blended in Jet A-1 fuel was concluded as the most promising ratio. This is because it exhibited the most favorable low temperature fluidity, by having good amount of isoparaffin to lower the tendency of crystallization process during low temperature. Besides, it also showed good chemical properties, due to fair amount of oxygenates and aromatics. Thus, oxidation and soot emission were hindered during fuel combustion. Although Pd/C-derived bio-jet fuel blend exhibited better fuel properties, V2O5 catalyst is concluded to have better reusability than Pd/C catalyst
Contextualizing a conceptual geriatric dentistry module for Malaysian dental undergraduate scenario /Jacob John Chiremel Chandy
No full textThe world is progressing into a vulnerable longevity revolution with the falling fertility
rate and increased life expectancy. The elderly cohort suffer from multiple morbidities,
increasing the burden on the curative, preventive, and promotive healthcare system. They
are at risk of chronic diseases of the oral cavity, including root caries, periodontitis, tooth
loss, benign mucosal lesions, and oral cancer. Oral health has close link with diet and
nutrition and it may also affect the course and pathogenesis of systemic diseases. A
competent general dental practitioner with appropriate geriatric dental education is a key
healthcare provider in this complex system.
Being adult learners, dental students should be able to apply their experiential learning
knowledge and skills for their clinical judgement about their geriatric patient’s needs,
concerns, or health problems, and/or the decision to act, use or modify standard
approaches, or improvise new ones as deemed appropriate by the patient’s response. This
study intends to contextualize a conceptual geriatric dentistry module appropriate for a
competent graduate from all dental institutions in Malaysia.
Twenty-four dental academics engaged in the teaching of subjects related to geriatric
dentistry throughout the dental institutions in Malaysia were invited to participate in this
online focus group discussion, with each group comprising of 6 to 8 participants. Ethical
approval was obtained before commencement of the study. The researcher, cum
moderator, prepared the interview protocol based on the research objective and a semi-structured questioning route to generate responses. All verbal interactions were captured
via video and audio recording and note taking. The interview content was transcribed
verbatim with care taken not to record names and locations, for further coding and
systematic analysis of the discussion. Thematic analysis, using a deductive approach to
identify codes and themes, was employed for data analysis.
Sixteen (66% response rate) respondents from various dental disciplines and institutions
participated in 2 separate FGD, each lasting nearly 120 minutes, upon achieving data
saturation. The variation in the teaching of the subject was very evident. Four themes
emerged for the teaching content namely public health issues, aging process, geriatric
dental care, and patient centred care. The teaching delivery strategies also had 4 themes
namely small group classroom sessions, clinical sessions, service learning and
asynchronous learning strategies. The most appropriate learning environment for geriatric
dentistry would include hospital and community settings in addition to the traditional
dental clinic environment. Workplace based assessment would complement well the
existing clinical competency and written examinations that are employed for assessment.
Having identified these basic themes as the conceptual framework for an integrated
geriatric dentistry module we can now contextualize it as part of andragogy whereby the
students apply their accumulated experiential learning skills and clinical judgement in
providing dental care for their geriatric patients from various categories of functionalities.
The scope of this research needs to be explored further to include other stakeholders in
the future.
The inclusion of an integrated geriatric dentistry module in our dental curriculum should
help improve the dental services for our aged population in the future
Development of alkyl polyglucosides (APG) nanoemulsions containing ibuprofen as a delivery system for pharmaceutics / Nurul Shahidah Mohamad Shahripoddin
No full textGreen, nonionic and biomimicking properties of alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) have contributed to the re-emergence of sugar-based surfactants recently. This research aims to investigate the influence of alkyl polyglucoside (APG) as a co-surfactant in nanoemulsion formulation containing ibuprofen, as a model drug, which is intended to be used for topical application. The phase behaviour of oil/surfactant/water system containing ibuprofen, stability properties and comparison of preliminary particle size were investigated. The results showed that the ternary phase diagram of the CrEL:APG12 system with a ratio of 9:1 has the largest transparent isotropic region. When comparing nanoemulsion formulations with and without APG, it showed that the system with APG exhibited higher emulsifying ability than CrEL surfactant alone which due to the APG co-surfactant could decrease the water affinity and increased the oil affinity of the systems. Several formulations with different surfactant mixtures (CrEL only, CrEL:APG08, CrEL:APG10, and CrEL:APG12) were prepared. The particle sizes ranged between 20-200 nm and polydispersity index of less than 0.25 were obtained. The cytotoxicity results of nanoemulsion with APG12 and nanoemulsion without APG12 showed no toxic effect against 3T3 cell line. Thus, APG co-surfactants prolonged the storage stability, improved the structural morphology, and enhanced ibuprofen permeation. This suggests that APG could be used as an alternative stabilizing agent and the formulated nanoemulsion system could be used as a drug carrier system for pharmaceutical applications