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A very good day and greetings to all

On behalf of the organising committee and the Faculty of Engineering, UNIMAS, I would like to extend our very warm welcome to everyone to the 13th International UNIMAS Engineering Conference 2020 (EnCON2020) on 27 - 28 October 2020 at Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. The year 2020 is a very interesting year where we are required to social distance, but I am delighted to say that distance had not restricted engineering academics, the industry and society to come together to share our knowledge, ideas and concepts through EnCon2020. For the first time ever in the history of UNIMAS and the Faculty of Engineering, we are hosting our flagship International UNIMAS Conference (EnCon) fully ONLINE. EnCon 2020 is the 13th Engineering Conference for UNIMAS but the very first conference to be held through an online platform. Indeed, it is through advancement in technology, engineering and science that we manage to breakthrough of all traditional constraints, unknowns and hardships of holding conferences in this tough time to gather everyone here today. EnCon2020 ONLINE with the theme "Empowering Industry and Transforming Society through Engineering, Technology and Management" has indeed taken up a whole new meaning and perspective for everyone who is joining us these two days. Together, we overcome!

This year's theme was set on a conception that efforts of academicians in universities should be shine upon and meaningfully contribute to the industry and society. Our research and works in the areas of engineering, technology and management must be shared with the industry and the society. We believe that academicians can contribute to the advancement of the engineering industry through creative problem solving and our determined nature to advance and continuously breaking through. Most importantly, we believe that our works in engineering and science will always uphold the spirit of building the nation and advancing the lives of the people. Therefore, this year we have ten tracks of research papers and five special industry tracks put together to discuss and find solutions to real-time engineering and society issues. We sincerely hope that EnCon2020 will be the new bridge between universities and the engineering industry and society. Faculty of Engineering, UNIMAS is also committed to support the education of engineering and science to young minds. Hence, our program Science, Technology, Engineering Expo (i-STEEX 2020) had also proceeded creatively in this challenging time. We received over 50 participations from young children and teachers in science to showcase their ideas/products via an online competition mode. School children from all over the state have sent us their works online to be vetted by our expert judges. It is a huge achievement indeed!

List of Disclaimer for EnCon 2020, EnCon 2020 Committee Members, Acknowledgement of Co-organizers and Sponsors are available in this pdf.

All papers published in this volume of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering have been peer reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.

• Type of peer review: Double-blind Review. Reviewers do not get to see the author identities by removing author names from the paper.

• The papers are manage using Conference submission management system:

The full-length papers were submitted through online conference management system. The assignment of at least two reviewers with the expertise in the area of each paper submitted, and no more than 3 papers should be reviewed by the same reviewer. The assigned reviewers do not come from the same university affiliated from each paper submitted. Based on the comments received from the reviewers, the papers were either (a) accepted as original submission, (b) accepted with minor corrections, (c) accepted with major corrections or (d) rejected.

• Conference submission management system: Conference management System, Conf Bay

• Number of submissions received: 59

• Number of submissions sent for review: 59

• Number of submissions accepted:47

• Acceptance Rate (Number of Submissions Accepted / Number of Submissions Received X 100): 80%

• Average number of reviews per paper: 2 reviewers

• Total number of reviewers involved: 100

• Any additional info on review process (ie plagiarism check system): The review process was carried out in accordance with the instructions given to the reviewer. All the papers are check with their plagiarism using Turnitin.

• Contact person for queries: Dr Lee Yee Yong, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, yylee@unimas.my

Facade of building are mainly made up from red clay brick and concrete block. However, both materials are having high thermal mass and promote high indoor thermal discomfort level. Therefore, it is necessary to invent new building material that have low thermal mass and able achieve strength required. Silica aerogel possesses properties of lightweight and low thermal conductivity as compared to other construction materials. In this study, sandwich panel with silica aerogel mat was studied where the properties of sandwich panel silica aerogel mat are rarely found in previous investigations. Before checking its reliability as thermal insulation panel, the mechanical properties of this panel was investigate. The panel was made-up by concrete wythes with type N mortar and the silica aerogel mats with different thickness. Both concrete wythes were casted and then attached together with silica aerogel mat as the cover. 3 types of panel with different insulation thickness were then tested for flatwise and edgewise compression test. From the results, it was found that core thickness of silica aerogel mat has less influence in flatwise and edgewise compression strengths of the sandwich panel. All specimens achieved minimum strength of type N mortar. Therefore, it is recommended to be used in construction that has equivalent application of type N mortar.

In offshore engineering, the design of effective marine platforms compatible with the offshore environmental condition is a challenging task, especially accurate estimation of hydrodynamic coefficients that affect the viscous forces. Practically, the well-known Morison's equation is often adopted by designers to calculate wave loads on slender structures, where the values of drag and inertia coefficients are selected as constant values based on the design code of practice's recommendations. However, the mass and drag coefficients must be determined empirically based on specific met-ocean data for the operation location. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the Hydrodynamic Forces on Circular Cylinders fitted with sacrificial anodes using empirical methods, and validate the results using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD). It is found that the major parameters that affect the drag and inertia coefficients are the water depth, wave heights, wave frequencies, the pipe diameters, and the presence of anode fittings.

Free Standing Risers are vertical steel pipes tensioned by a near surface buoyancy can. These risers are subjected to different types of loads that lead to fatigue damages. Therefore, this study aims to predict the stresses of freestanding risers subjected to hydrodynamic loads. The methods applied consists of numerical analysis and computer simulation. In this paper, the wave and current loads acting on the risers have been determined using Morison equation, then the stress analysis was conducted using ANSYS software. The important parameters investigated are the pipe diameter D, the wall thickness, t, the wave height, H_max, the wave period, T_ass, the tensile strength, fy and the water current, v. The outcome of the study shows that wave height, wave period, pipe diameter and the wall thickness are affecting the maximum stress on the risers.

Pipe displacement (bending) is one of the most prominent risks caused by the soil movements in the landslide areas. The lateral soil movement causes damages to the buried pipelines, which might explode due to leakage of flammable materials. Employing fibre optic sensors to monitor the buried pipes can maintain the integrity of piping systems and the surrounding environment. The fibre optic sensor has already demonstrated its capabilities to provide a continuous monitoring system for the structures. This paper aims to evaluate the buried pipeline displacement caused by the lateral soil movement. Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA) is used to measure the strain values from the fibre optic cable. A small physical model is used to demonstrate the bending of High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe under the ground movement. This paper concludes that the fibre optic sensor could be employed to evaluate the horizontal and vertical displacements of the buried pipeline.

This current study was conducted to establish a bolted connection experimental database on Malaysia woods. The effort of improving the retrofit guideline in designing the wall-diaphragm connections of masonry buildings can be continuously done. Brittle failure verifications on the Meraka hardwood to verify the occurrence of row shear failure are presented in this paper. The hardwood species was selected due to its common use as structural rafters and joists in the construction of roof and floor diaphragms of masonry buildings, respectively. Ten groups of a single row of steel-wood-steel (SWS) connections loaded parallel to the timber grain were tested. Each group was prepared with a total of ten replicates of specimens. Comparisons of bolted connection strength between the experimental results and the predictions of the existing design equations are discussed. It was found that the timber standard of Malaysia (MS544) too conservative in estimating the strength, whilst the Row Shear Model (RSM) is more comparative.

This paper presents the findings from the field observation and site exploration for construction on peat in Sri Aman, Sarawak, Malaysia. A visit to Balai Bomba and Pejabat Metrologi in Sri Aman has been done in August 2019. From the observation and measurement conducted on the two locations of the constructed area on peat shows the settlement, δ recorded ranges from 100 mm to 150 mm. A field sampling for the determination of geotechnical properties of peat has been done in Balai Bomba Sri Aman. The depth of the peat in the area is about 2.88 m and the results show that the peat has high natural moisture content ranges from 900 % to 1400 %. The organic content (OC) for the site is in the range of 70 %-90 % for a depth of 0.5 m to 2.88 m, and categorized as H3, fibrous peat except for the first 0.5 m is 63 % which fall under H5, hemic peat group according to Von Post classification.

The levee stretch near Dataran Bandar Baharu was a part of the Kerian River Flood Mitigation Project (Phase 3) in Kedah to address frequent flooding problems at the area. It has been facing recurring levee failure despite several repair attempts in the past. As the research area was subjected to water level fluctuations, a numerical model using SEEP/W was analysed to study the effect of drawdown and seepage on the failed levee. Variables considered in this study include soil permeability, groundwater table and time dependent river water levels on the upstream side of the levee. The transient analysis carried out indicated that the levee was susceptible to failure due to the relatively high phreatic line within the levee during drawdown and a seepage face occurrence on the upstream side of the levee.

Potential evapotranspiration (PET) plays a prominent part in hydrologic water cycle which is responsible for the water from the Earth's surface travel back to the atmosphere. Climate change brought contradictory changes in PET which led to the inconsistency of PET trend globally. Hence, the present study carried out the trend of potential evapotranspiration using meteorological data from 7 different meteorological stations located in Peninsular Malaysia. Mann-Kendall and Sen's slope estimator tests were employed in this article for PET trend analysis. Bayan Lepas experienced significant increasing trend for both FAO 56-Penman Monteith and Mahringer models during Southwest monsoon. For Mahringer model, significant increasing trends were observed at Ipoh and Pulau Langkawi stations during Northeast and inter monsoon 2, respectively. There were only a few meteorological stations experienced decreasing trend throughout the period. Although the combinations of increasing and decreasing PET trends were observed, it can be highlighted that majority of the PET time series exhibited increasing trend in Peninsular Malaysia.

This paper aims to study the natural raindrop size distribution characteristics based on the experimental works for three (3) different rainfall intensities, which are 32.41 mm/h, 56.84 mm/h and 85.73 mm/h. A tipping bucket rain gauge was used to record rainfall data during the field study and a professional DSLR camera (Sony α6000) was used to the capture raindrop distribution during rainfall events. A sufficient number of photographs were taken with necessary adjustments on camera setting to produce the required sharpness of the images and to significantly reduce noise disturbances. Sharp images were selected for image segmentation using a customized coding script to further process the images on MATLAB. The segmented or processed images presented in the form of numerical data would provide the details on the number of drop counts in addition to the diameters of the individual drops captured. The raindrop sizes or diameters ranging from 0.5 mm to 4.5 mm were divided into group of 0.5 mm intervals. It is found that lower rainfall intensity at 32.41 mm/h has the highest volumetric drop distribution of 1.0–1.5 mm interval drop group 78.64%. The relatively higher rainfall intensity at 85.73 mm/h tends to produce higher counts in larger droplet sizes with increments of 6.90% for 2.5–3.0 mm and increment of for 3.45% 4.0–4.5 mm. The study also recorded a significant increment of median droplet sizes (D50) ranging from 1.18 mm to 1.33 mm as the rainfall intensity increased from 32.41 mm/h to 85.73 mm/h, respectively.

This paper focuses on the experimental study to determine the relationship of slope length on runoff depth and runoff coefficient. Based on the thorough review of different plot sizes (lengths) for soil loss estimation, the slope of the current experimental plots was designed with an angle of 22.78° from horizontal. The plots were grouped into Plot A (1 m wide x 1 m slope long), Plot B (1 m wide x 2 m slope long) and Plot C (1 m wide x 3 m slope long). Homogenous soil samples were used for all the 3 experimental plots and a tipping bucket rain gauge with automatic data logger was installed at the experimental plot for rainfall intensities collection for the individual rainfall events. Runoff volumes were recorded for the individual rainfall events for determination of runoff coefficients. The rainfall intensities are grouped into ⩽30 mm/h, 30-60 mm/h and ⩾60 mm/h. It was found that the shorter plot (Plot A) has the highest runoff coefficients of 96.34%, 69.89% and 96.26% for 3 different precipitation groups ⩽30 mm/h, 30-60 mm/h and ⩾60 mm/h, respectively. Based on results, the longest plot (Plot C) shows that an increase in mean values of 33.59%, 38.30% and 49.45% as the intensity increased from ⩽30 mm/h to ⩾60 mm/h. From this study, it can be concluded that comparatively longer slope length tends to result in lower runoff depth.

Carbon footprint is a global concern discussed throughout the globe. The daily activities on university campuses cause emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to the increasing amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere. This research seeks to determine the CO₂ emissions by members of the campus community of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi Campus. This study will also analyse the factors influencing CO₂ emission from the vehicles used on the campus. The findings of this study will serve as a basis to propose methods for reducing carbon footprint, especially from the transportation used on the campus. The study is carried out on the UKM campus to gather the data on the travel activity on the campus, where the members of the campus community serve as the study population. The DEFRA Model is used to calculate the CO₂ emission and the multivariable linear regression model is used to identify the factors influencing CO₂ emission. In the car category, petrol cars with 2.0L engine have the highest mean CO₂ emission of 1181.0932 kg CO₂/year/capita. In the motorcycle category, petrol motorcycles with engine capacity larger than 500cc recorded the highest emission of 999.1072 kg CO₂/year/capita. The CO₂ emissions by both categories are below the national mean carbon dioxide emission value of 7900 kg CO₂/year/capita recorded by the 2019 National Transport Policy and the mean carbon dioxide emissions of 5400 kg CO₂/year/capita in high-income countries. In this study, the critical factors influencing the daily and annual CO₂ emissions are the mode of transportation, type of fuel, and travel distance

Coal Combustion Waste (CCW) fly ash, main component of coal ash waste generated at the Coal-Fired Power Plant throughout the year that causes the presents of toxic metals in the ash. Hence, pose significant health threats towards humans and environment. Cenosphere is a coal combustion by-product obtained from fly ash in boilers of coal fired power plants. The properties of cenosphere including spherical, lightweight, good thermal stability, chemical proof, heat resistance making it to have improved insulation. The aim of this research was to investigate the potential of cenospheres production from three different coal fired power plants in Malaysia namely Jimah, Kapar and Manjung. The wet method was used for cenospheres separation from the fly ash. The percentages of cenospheres ranged from 1 to 1.2% of every 1000 gram of fly ash. The mean sizes were 95.86μm 88.64μm, 49.04μm for Jimah, Kapar and Manjung respectively. Cenosphere evacuated by utilizing water as a medium, it will expend a lot of water and lead to water contamination cause of leaching of toxic material while extracting the cenosphere from fly ash. Nevertheless, any health and environmental impacts from the value-added physical application of cenospheres in civil engineering materials must be screened via strict monitoring and legislated guidelines.

There are many demands of concrete in construction leading to the use of industrial waste as mineral additive or supplementary filler to improve the concrete performance and lower production cost. Silica fume is a distinct industrial waste. The making of silica fume concrete is made by case basis based on specific needs especially for the production of prescribed High Performance Concretes. In this study, the use of silica fume for low/medium grade concrete for general production is investigated [1]. It is an attempt to find a mix proportion with recommended silica fume replacement to produce a medium grade concrete for general purpose construction. Silica fume as cement replacement greatly increase the mechanical and durability properties of concrete. The concrete mix with 10% silica fume replacement gives the most practical replacement percentage resulting to a 32% strength increase compared to concrete with no silica fume. It is also possible to produce a normal grade concrete using a standard M40 mix proportion. Concrete samples with less than 10% cement replacement did not show significant differences in mechanical and durability properties compared to the reference sample.

This paper reviews innovation of green pavement technology for storm water management in an urban environment. This can be related with hydrological performance and assessments of the permeable pavement. Features of the typical permeable pavement are presented and discussed. Topics covered include recognizing important of permeable pavement, stormwater management benefit and detailed hydrological properties and design. The information in this paper provides stakeholders with an overview of research and development of green pavement. In particular, it discussed the benefit and advantages of the green pavement in current use. On the other hand, the permeable pavement with subsurface detention namely StormPav is presented. The hydrological design modification and innovation, as well as hydrological design and stormwater management benefits have been summarised. Therefore provided another option for green pavement infrastructure series to be used in roadworks.

Stone columns are the most common and effective technique used for enhancing the overall strength and performance of soft soils. They are more effective for moderately lightweight structures. This investigation presents a parametric study of stone columns embedded in ground to strengthen the soft clayey soil under stiff raft foundation. This research is based on a computational analysis by creating a foundation finite element model consisting of a group of stone columns that are mounted under rafting using PLAXIS 3D. A certain range of parameters (for example spacing, diameter and angle of friction of stone columns) is considered and it is concluded that the increase in diameter and angle of friction of stone columns can improve the ultimate load bearing capacity of the foundation system. Furthermore, the failure mechanism of this foundation scheme is analysed and a semi-empirical model for the determination of the bearing capacity ratio (BCR) is developed from the results of the parametric analysis.

Road traffic crashes is one of the major causes of death that needs to be addressed globally. Many studies have been conducted to identify the contributing factors to traffic crashes and to determine the required preventive measures. This study evaluates the causes of 164 traffic crashes along a 10 kilometres section of Pan Borneo Highway Sarawak. The study investigated the main causes of traffic crashes within this section of road through multiple sources: based on expert on site evaluation, analysis of site incident report and police accident record. The finding reveals that most of the accidents (93%) occurs during the daytime, weather contributes a combined 69% and private car owners (80%) cause most of the traffic crashes. The study also indicates that the road condition is a significant factor to the occurrence of traffic crashes in that area contributing 64% of the total crashes.

Long records of rainfall data with good quality is a significant component that triggers the entire chain of responses in a hydrological cycle by providing useful information to hydrologist and related parties. In this study, the temporal trend analysis of seasonal rainfall data was carried out in Peninsular Malaysia using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. Then, the magnitude of the seasonal rainfall trend line was determined using Sen's Slope Estimator. Historical rainfall data with a minimum duration of 25 years were checked using four homogeneity tests and the missing values in the data were infilled using multiple imputation method. According to the output of the homogeneity tests, 64.3%, 7.1% and 28.6% of the rainfall time series can be categorised as useful, doubtful and suspect, respectively. From the trend test results, almost all the rainfall data were detected to have an increasing trend except Bayan Lepas for Inter-Monsoon 1, Southwest Monsoon and Inter-Monsoon 2. In addition to that, Bayan Lepas, Hospital Seremban, Ipoh and KLIA Sepang were detected to have a significant increasing trend for Northeast Monsoon as well as Batu Pahat and KLIA Sepang for Inter-Monsoon 2. In conclusion, Peninsular Malaysia exhibited increasing rainfall trend from year 1984 to 2019.

Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is composed of fine powders (cement, sand, quartz powder and silica fume), steel fibres (optional) and superplasticizer. This gives good compaction and an impenetrable matrix is achieved, and this strong concentration gives RPC, an ultra-high strength and durability properties. In this research work, focus was aimed to produce reactive powder concrete (RPC) composite material with compression strength up to 100 N/mm². Components for RPC mixture are carefully selected to achieve optimal mixture. Detailed concrete mix proportions are given in this research paper. Preparation and testing of material were produced in laboratory belonging to the Department of Civil Engineering in SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Casting of concrete cubes and beams was done for both M60 and M100 grades of concrete. This paper investigates mechanical and fresh concrete properties of reactive powder concrete for both the design mix. Laboratory investigations like; Compressive test, split tensile test and flexural strength were conducted to evaluate strength characteristics of RPC, under different curing conditions like oven, steam, and hot water with respect to time factor of T1 (60 min), T2 (61-90 min) and T3 (91-120 min). In every aspect of testing, the steam curing at 100°C shows improved results of 15.71-17.40% in compressive strength, 24.66-25.93% in tensile strength and 20% in flexural strength for both grades of concrete

This study investigates the effects of topography on the amount of sediment yield under simulated rainfall. The slope gradient and length would affect the runoff depth (V) and peak flow volume (Qp) and thus the amount of surface runoffs. In this study, the simulated 150mm/hour rainfall intensity was applied on triangular prism-shaped, cone-shaped and pyramid-shaped models for determination of the amount of respective sediment yields (tons/storm event). It was observed that the sediment yields of the triangular prism-, cone- and pyramid-shaped amounted to 0.144, 0.143 and 0.125 tons/storm event, respectively. The triangular prism-shaped topography has the highest sediment yield amount as it experiences highest runoff depth and highest surface runoff velocity at downslope. Based on the experimental outcomes, it was shown that MUSLE could over-estimate sediment yield as much as 3.6 times for areas characterized by hilly landscape.

The aim of this paper is to estimate the response spectra for moderate seismic area in Sarawak, Malaysia. In the present study, the response spectra for Miri district, in Sarawak, has been obtained by using 1-D equivalent linear site response analysis at 114 borehole locations. All the borehole sites are classified based on average shear wave velocity (Vs30) as per Malaysia National Annex to Eurocode 8 (MNA-EC8) site classifications using the geotechnical relationship. In this study, the input motion was selected from Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER-NGA) online database compatible with target response spectra of Sarawak at engineering bedrock by considering the seismic hazard map for 2475 years as return period and by following the 475 years return period as shown in (MNA-EC8). From the results of this study, it was found that the maximum response spectral acceleration (response spectra with 5% damping) is 2.25 g, 3.25 g and 1.7 g at the ground surface for MNA-EC8 site classes C, D and E respectively. It was also found that the results are under the provisions of seismic design code of Malaysia. The suggested results in this study can be used as a reference in Malaysia to support the MNA-EC8.

The generation of liquid forms of waste has rapidly shown its hike in the presently expanding world. This quantification hugely includes the day today's secretion of the human excreta into the septic tanks that are commonly found in every household. Proper treatment and disposal of faecal waste, once the septic tank is full, becomes challenging for every resident and local bodies. The primary contaminants found in the Septic Tank Effluents (STE) include many disease-causing pathogens, faecal coliform bacteria, detergents and toxic gases. The Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) takes its position when treating any waste, which contains a high amount of organic content. In this study, the characteristics, namely COD and BOD of STE samples collected from different locations of the semi-urban area at the outskirt of a town were analyzed. The STE samples treated using SBR mainly to reduce COD and BOD concentration found to be in higher concentration beyond the permissible limit. The same samples subjected to contact with adsorbents such as rice husk and powdered form of dried Bael (Aegle marmelos) outer shell. Results showed a good reaction with the adsorbents and found a significant reduction in COD and BOD concentration.

This paper This paper investigated the effects of binder-aggregates proportion on the performance of one-part geopolymer mortars. High calcium fly ash together with sodium metasilicate have been utilized as the binder, the powdered sodium metasilicate activator was kept at 12% by weight of the fly ash. Three types of mortars were produced with a different binder to fine aggregates proportions (B: A) of 1: 0.5, 1:1, 1:2. The strength properties of the one-part geopolymer mortars (OPGM) which comprises compressive, flexural, splitting tensile strength and water absorption have been investigated. At 28 days of outdoor curing, the OPGM exhibited compressive strength of 50 MPa and 43 MPa at ambient curing. The flexural strength of the OPGM represents 16 – 17 % of its compressive strength. Regardless of the curing techniques, the strength properties of the OPGM is almost the same. The optimum OPGM was found to be at 1: 0.5 binder-aggregates proportions at outdoor curing.

Landslide Susceptibility Mapping using GIS software and remote sensing data have been conducted in several location involving geological and geomorphological sensitive at Canada Hill, Miri. The previous researcher has conducted quantitative analyses using different statistical methods with different parameters in the same study area. The mapping of landslides using high-resolution Airborne LiDAR data is a valuable effort. All of this play important role, in the analysis and development of landslide susceptibility map. High-resolution Airborne LiDAR data has the ability to penetrate thick forest cover and produce Digital Terrain Model. Using Digital Terrain Model, the landslide parameter can be generated and extracted. The main objective of this study was to produce landslide susceptibility map using the Probability Frequency Ratio Model method. This study involved the delineating of causative factors from Digital Terrain Model generated by Airborne LiDAR data as well as the data collected from the field. Apart from parameters derived from LiDAR, parameters from filed and site investigation were included into the mapping process. This study was different from the previous studies in the same area in terms of various analytical approaches and samples used. The results of the landslide susceptibility map were verified via randomly selected landslides samples using two different methods. The landslide susceptibility map produced is more refined and is able to predict more effectively compared to the existing map. The landslide susceptibility map produced in this study could be used for land use planning and management by decision makers and land use planners.

The purpose of this assessment is to assess the subsurface condition of peat soil due to brackish groundwater seepage along drainages using a numerical method. Visual MODFLOW is applied to conceptualize a condition in the study area and to produce outcomes related to the objectives of the study. The results of the simulation show there is only a small portion of high salt concentration along the drainage. The migration of salt concentration is mostly affected by the groundwater head and velocity vectors of the aquifer materials. Meanwhile, most of the other places in the study area receive a low salt concentration. Therefore, the impact of brackish groundwater on the environment is not significant since the salt concentration is low in most of the study area.

Lately, it has been observed that buildings are becoming daring in their design, with forms and structures that appears to defy the law of gravity. The architecture discipline has been deployed to create eye-catching, even startling forms isolated in space that serves multiple purposes from authoritarian state-building to symbols of development, to "must-see" objects driving tourist to a particular place. These dramatic, monumental assemblies are not always well-received, however, with public outrage frequently directed toward their undesirable impacts on or lack of consideration toward the built context of a place. The building is not only a functional structure in any urban area but rather an intervention in the public space that remain there for many years or became an iconic landmark for someone to remember. The design of these buildings is not entirely based on the skill of the architect. Possibly influenced by the desires and tastes of the clients somewhat influenced by the practical constraints of the budget. Likewise, within those parameters, the creativity and even personality of the architect often shines through. The paper employed an exploratory techniques coupled with a descriptive analysis from printed materials as the framework to gather the written criticism of the projects that has been built. Through the pictorial and repertory grid applied in the investigation, this examines the essence of architecture design from the modern era until the present day. The findings from pictorial analysis showed that resemblance of the façade of the building symbolize the common objects and simple form found in daily life.

Wood carving has a long history in Malaysia. It is greatly influenced by the rich landscape of tropical forest in the living environment of the locals. The motifs of the carving are primarily derived from the images of flora and fauna. It mimics the intricate nature of leaves and flowers of the plants. The craftsmen initially use the bas-relief design consisting also of animal imageries on the boat's sides or sometimes on the house components and even the dagger handle. However, with Islam's arrival in the early 15th century, due to its teachings, contributed to the ban of animal images on art form. While most of the carvings are done on wood, there is no ample evidence of records available due to time and tides of the decaying process of the artwork. Likewise, there is no extensive research and documentation produced by academics to record the traditional wood carving of the Malays. Although few collections had documented the contemporary Malay houses produced by local scholars, sadly, there was no recount on the importance of housing elements and the technique of construction neither on wood carving. Hence, this paper attempts to examine the influence and pattern of wood carving on traditional mosques in Kelantan and Terengganu. The research conducted case studies, to seek the signs of the features and elements of wood carving on the traditional mosque in Kelantan and Terengganu, disclosing the influence of patterns and motifs on the selected images of its architecture. A measured drawing technique commonly used in conservation works guided the research operation which comprised of hand-drawn sketches to capture the details, measurement of building components, as well as transferring the images using tracing paper, while the other methods in gathering the information extended to direct interviews and photography. Then, the data collected were analyzed to determine the differences of each carving patterns and motifs in the two mosques in Kelantan and Terengganu. The result of the research established the future records on the variety of motifs and patterns of the Malay wood carving. Subsequently, it further elaborates the extensive techniques of wood carvings system and records the patterns found at Kelantan and Terengganu's mosques for future inventory and recorded history.

The eclecticism approach is unconsciously applied in the design process by selecting elements considered as the best elements from different architectural styles or eras to produce a new distinctive building model commonly applied by architects in design. Nowadays, the combination of various architectural elements from different styles into one building is often created, especially in Malaysia. In this research, the author focuses on the design of mosques in Kuching. Throughout history, the Masjid Bandaraya Kuching (known as Masjid Bahagian Kuching by the locals) has undergone four (4) stages of transformation process since it was first built in 1840 A.D until the latest changes that took place in 1968 A.D. This study aims to reveal the eclecticism approach applied in every stage. Qualitative method is applied in this research by examining the photographs from the archives and analysing the longitudinal timeline and cases through the history of Kuching, literature and observations concerning the Masjid Bandaraya Kuching to understand the initial forms and changes that have occurred from the past to the present. The analysis takes into account both comparative and contextual analytical techniques to represent a close interpretation. Findings indicate that the building of Masjid Bandaraya Kuching has been transformed through the traditional eclecticism as well as radical eclecticism approach.

Many cities in Malaysia established their first development on the banks of the river. Urbanization phenomenon and technological advances then cause these riverfront areas developed and changed gradually. Progressively, inappropriate physical changes at the riverfront environment can reduce the usage and meaning of place together with the level of place attachment. The role of physical appearances related to the activities become famous issues in urban design discourses as an effort to establish the identity to the place; nevertheless, the research to measure the attachment level in public space is rarely done. This research is to identify the place attachment and its contributed components focus on pedestrian space in the riverfront area, public spaces which are favoured in Malaysia. Mixed-method approaches are implemented in this study by developing a framework to indicate the elements that affect the place attachment by the user. Surveys and interviews carried out in two riverfront promenade in Kuching and Malacca, there are Sarawak and Malacca riverfront promenade. 330 respondents involved in the questionnaire while 26 people were interviewed. Triangulation method is used to analyse the data and the results are achieved based on the objective of the research. The results found that some factors affected the level user's attachment, namely: their familiarity to place, length of engagement, personal background and user's role.

The high amount of greenhouse gases emissions in construction industry has alerted the experts in construction industry to look into the opportunity of green building. Green building claimed to have positive impact on the environment by reducing the carbon emissions, enhance workers productivity and provide long-term economic benefits. However, the adoption rate of green building in Malaysian construction industry is not that high compared to other developed countries. This paper aims to identify the key challenges that faced by the construction industry supply chain professions, such as engineers, developers, architects and contractors. Questionnaire survey was used to collect data in this paper. Thirty-six valid responses were received and used for analysis. The results shown that the most important barrier was the lack of market demand on green building. This seems to imply that the supply chain agents are rely on the demand of clients to decide on their level of involvement in green building. The results of this paper could contribute in raising the awareness among the supply chain agents in taking proactive steps in investing in green building by stressing its benefits to their clients.

Construction duration is defined as the time frame given by the Client of a project use to complete the project under normal working conditions, practice of construction. However, often times, projects faced time overruns and hence, needing to activate contractual remedies like Extension of Time (EoT). This paper aims to investigate the factors related to award the Extension of Time (EoT) for construction projects in especially in the public sector in Sarawak. A structured checklist was created as an instrument and employed to accomplish the objective of this research. A total of 111 previous public projects which were granted EoT were studied. The findings revealed several detailed factors that had typically led to project delays in the State. These findings are expected to offer the construction industry stakeholders in Sarawak a focal point on those delay that could be included in construction project duration estimates and management of construction performances, followed by the appropriate corrective and improvement measures for time management for construction projects.

In the present study, unmodified Melia azedarach (UMA) and magnetically modified Melia azedarach (MMA) were used as a low cost biosorbent for the adsorptive removal of oxyanion (chromate ion Cr²O^42-) from aqueous solution. The UMA and MMA were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Batch biosorption process was used to check the effect of well-known process parameters including biosorbent dose, contact time and pH of solution. Experimental results revealed that MMA has more adsorption capacity as compared to UMA. Maximum % age removal (60.49%) was observed under acidic condition (pH=2) using MMA. The obtained experimental data was evaluated using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms as well as pseudo 1^st and ^2nd order reaction kinetic models. Results showed that equilibrium mechanism can satisfactorily be explained by Langmuir model as depicted by the correlation factor (close to unity) and follows 2^nd order reaction kinetic models.

A control chart is typically examined based on the overall performance. This is crucial, as it will influence the final decision on the selection of a control chart. For this reason, the application of average run length (ARL) has been identified as the standard performance metric. In order to calculate ARL, practitioners must determine the size of the process shift in advance. Nevertheless, in practice, the process shift size cannot be predetermined, as practitioners may not have the requisite information associated with the process. Hence, in this work, the expected average run length (EARL) is employed as a performance metric for the unknown shift size in a process. This work evaluates the performance of a memory-type control chart, i.e. exponentially weighted moving average median (EWMA median) chart, with respect to ARL and EARL. The results indicate that, as long as the deterministic shift size is within the range of the process shift size, the chart's performance is nearly the same, regardless of the use of the optimal pair based on minimizing ARL or EARL.

Pet feeding can be done manually by pet owners, or automatically with the help of the pet feeders. The main concerns here are to solve the issue of unavailability of pet owners and the hygiene aspect in pet feeding. The developed automated system enables pet owners to feed their pets while they are away. The main objective of operating this research is to develop an automated pet feeding device focusing on in house pets by utilizing Arduino Uno as its Central Processing Unit (CPU) or microcontroller which function to control a weight sensor (load cells) and a servo motor. Smart Pet Feeding Machine is an automated pet feeding device designed to run based on weight mechanism. It will automatically dispense pet foods when minimum amount of pet food weight is triggered and will automatically stop dispensing when it reaches maximum amount of weight. Its architectural design includes a vertical storage compartment to store pet foods, a square opening at the bottom of storage compartment as opening for dispensing, a motorized dispenser and an aluminium bowl to place dispensed pet foods. The motion of dispenser is operated by a servo motor attached to the dispenser.

Malaysia is aiming to reduce the dependency on oil and gas by increasing the utilization of renewable energy. One of the promising renewable energy available is wind energy. Malaysia is located near the equator which is situated in a low wind speed region with an annual mean wind speed of 1.2-4.1 m/s. However, Malaysia also experiences two different monsoon seasons which is the southwest monsoon and the northeast monsoon. Wind speed during the southwest monsoon season can reach 7 m/s while the wind speed during the northeast monsoon can exceed 15 m/s. Limited researches and studies had been done to investigate the potentiality of wind energy in Sarawak, Malaysia. In this paper, modelling and simulation of different wind energy conversion system (WESC) using different generators operating under the same parameters will be carried out using MATLAB/SIMULINK to investigate the efficiency of the generators. PMSG has shown to be more efficient over SCIG and DFIG for lower wind speed although all of them eventually reaches the similar efficiency. Efficiency of SCIG, DFIG and PMSG for rated wind speed are 66.25%, 69.38% and 71.88% respectively.

Assistive and rehabilitative robotics technologies have seen increasing adoptions in the industry and medical applications alike. This paper presents the dynamic modelling and control scheme of a single arm robotic exoskeleton that is aimed for rehabilitation and physiotherapy of upper limbs. The dynamic model was developed using Euler-Lagrange formulation and the obtained equations allow close analysis on different sources of dynamic torques, which exhibit highly non-linear behaviour. A hybrid hierarchical control scheme employing sliding mode (SMC) and PID controllers are proposed. Simulation were setup using Simulink to evaluate the ability of the proposed control scheme. The simulation results are presented and they show that the proposed control scheme was able to control and track the desired trajectory for multiple degrees-of-freedom.

Titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V properties advantage gives it a well-known reputation for decades as a reliably material used in a wide range and specific application of resistance spot welded joint such as automotive & aviation products. High strength joint is created depends on the welding parameters used in resistance spot welding. Particular problems occurred about the effect of welding parameters on pure titanium and titanium alloy mechanical and physical properties from previous researches. Some pores and acicular α' phase appeared in the microstructure, which caused partial interfacial failure mode in the tensile testing. This study is conducted to study the influence of welding parameters for Ti-6Al-4V weld nugget mechanical and physical properties and discover its optimum level of parameters. Tensile-shear testing is used to observed the optimum level. In the optimum level microstructure result reveals that in the weld nugget zone as a fusion zone the lamellar α+β is dominantly observed, this contrasts sharply with the base metal and the heat-affected zone where the primary α and β phase appear to be more dominant. The highest hardness value is discovered in the weld nugget area near the center proving the contribution of the lamellar α+β on this area.

Futsal research on the ball characteristic has received little scientific attention. Recently modern football has been developed that afford excellent ball control and delivering. Difference constructions and sizes of ball deliver different characteristics of the ball. The purpose of this study is to examine Futsal ball size four deformations and coefficient of restitution (COR) during the impact. In this study, the Futsal ball was dropped vertically under three conditions. A subject performed five repetitive drops off the ball to impact a steel plate. The ball velocity was measured by SparkVue motion sensor attached on the top of the apparatus while the deformation was recorded using a high-speed video camera, that can up to 1,000 frames per second. From the experiment, the ball deformation and COR were measured. The results obtained showed the deformation and COR value vary with different heights for the same type of Futsal ball size four. It shows that the different heights of ball drops give different ball impact characteristics. It was found that the COR depended on the amount of the deformation of the ball.

River pollution, which is mainly due to excessive drainage of untreated domestic greywater, has becoming a serious concern in both poor and developing areas like Sarawak in the current years. Realizing the vital role of Sarawak rivers, the need to improve the level of pollution, demand for clean freshwater resources, as well as to save cost on household water supply, the greywater generated daily from every household needs to be pretreated for reuse, otherwise, discharged. This further demands for cost-effective pretreatment technology for domestic and residential use. This research, therefore, analyzes the efficiency of a low-cost bio-filtration system which utilizes agricultural wastes, namely rice husk and coconut coir, as bio-filter media to improve the quality of greywater effluent samples in terms of total suspended solids (TSS) and turbidity removals. This paper presents the extended results obtained from the previous research work using the same fabricated pre-treatment system, which consists of six main units i.e. wastewater storage tank, water feed tank, pre-sedimentation tank, bio-filter, post-sedimentation tank and treated water storage tank. The system is operated for six hours to complete several cycles of treatment. At every one-hour interval, both TSS and turbidity levels of the wastewater samples are recorded and the removal performances are evaluated and analyzed. Positive outcomes are attained from this research study such that the rice husk system is able to reduce the TSS and turbidity levels by 49.06% i.e. from 53.00 mg/L to 27.00 mg/L with an average rate of 4.33 mg/L.hr, as well as 57.79% i.e. from 41.70 FNU to about 17.60 FNU, at a rate of 4.02 FNU/hr respectively. Besides, the coconut coir bio-filtration system achieves TSS removal efficiency of 49.70% i.e. from 65.60 mg/L to 33.00 mg/L at mean rate of 5.43 mg/L.hr, and 63.10% turbidity removal i.e. from 48.40 FNU to 17.86 FNU, at 5.09 FNU/hr respectively.

Sarawak state government has established Sarawak Alternative Rural Water Supply (SAWAS) programme in order to serve as a purpose of providing safe and clean water to the rural communities not connected to municipal clean water supply. In the rural areas of Sarawak, particularly on the coastal region where municipal water supply is not available, the villagers are normally resorted to utilize rainwater and peat water for daily usage. Some of these rural areas are even not connected to electricity grid. Subsequently, one of the proposed methods to eradicate these problems in supplying clean water without electricity supply grid is to implement stand-alone water treatment system with solar power system. As such, the main aim of the study is to design a solar power system to support Sarawak peat water electrocoagulation treatment process. The study is divided into two stages. In the first stage, the study designs a solar power system to support the treatment process of peat water for both batch and continuous electrocoagulation systems. This includes designing and fabrication of a small-scale solar power system. The second stage of the study involved experimental studies on both batch and continuous electrocoagulation systems in order to study the effectiveness of solar power system to supply electricity for the electrocoagulation systems. Overall, the study has developed a solar power system for both batch and continuous electrocoagulation of peat water system. From the experiments conducted, the developed systems are capable to reduce 18.8% and 46.15% of peat water turbidity for batch and continuous electrocoagulation systems respectively. However, in order to meet a more stringent drinking water standards, some improvements on the designed systems are indispensable.

Hydrogen has a great potential as an alternative energy and produces zero emissions, but most of hydrogen is produced from non-renewable fossil fuels via reforming. Thus, biomass is a promising replacement to fossil fuels where hydrogen can be sourced from. In this project, sago waste is chosen as raw material in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) to produce hydrogen fuel. A mathematical model with the integration of MEC with photo-fermentation has been developed and modified by using sago effluent as a substrate in a batch process. The main parameter such as concentration of microbial community has been observed in this project as it gives a huge influence on the gas product of MEC. In conclusion, the develop model was to observe the behavior of the microbial electrolysis cell where a maximum of 3.8 L/day (t = 4 days) of hydrogen production and 0.38A of MEC current were obtained.

Sago starch has multiple applications in industries such as textile, cosmetics and pharmaceutical, paper and wood. This study focuses on the utilization of sago starch to promote formaldehyde-free adhesives. Formaldehyde-based adhesive commonly used in wood industry emits formaldehyde, which is classified as carcinogen, into the air that has raised concerns over the potential hazards to human health. Sago starch-based adhesive was produced by blending the sago starch with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and glycerine. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to characterize the chemical changes in the sago starch-based adhesive. The quality of sago starch adhesive was tested according to their viscosity. The mechanical property is analyze based on lap shear (bond) strength of the sago starch adhesives according to ASTM D907 and D143 by using Model D350 Testomeric. Parameters affecting the viscosity of the sago starch-adhesive such as time, temperature, concentration of sodium hydroxide, and the amount of glycerine were studied. The viscosity of the sago starch-based adhesive decreased as the mixing time, temperature, concentration of NaOH and the amount of glycerine increased.