A bibliometric review on the inter-connection between climate change and rice farming.

Rice is an important cereal and a staple food in many countries in the world. Climate change is a significant challenge that affects paddy production and threatens food security. However, research and development in this area continue to work to ensure the supply of rice fulfils the demands of the population. The study aims to analyse the transformation of international research power in trends in climate change that threaten food security (rice) worldwide. This study evaluates existing publications, especially research works from the period 1970 to 2020. The Web of Science database and the VOSviewer software were used together to generate a systematic analysis. A total of 1181 publications on climate change and paddy production were identified, written by 2249 authors from 56 countries. The highest number of publications was from China with 240 publications with 4609 citations, followed by India, with 225 publications and 2070 citations. Yield and adaptation are the most frequently used keywords that reflect this field's current significant research direction. Besides that, developing countries have received greater attention from researchers to focus on science, agriculture, climatology, and agriculture engineering as their domains. Therefore, socio-economic aspects should also be highlighted to raise awareness of the dangers of climate change and improve the farmers' economy by increasing paddy production. Attention was given by all countries globally, especially by researchers and stakeholders who need to plan holistic policies and strategies to encourage sustainable rice production and at the same time reduce the impact of climate change worldwide.

Calibration Model of a Low-Cost Air Quality Sensor Using an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System.

Conventional air quality monitoring systems, such as gas analysers, are commonly used in many developed and developing countries to monitor air quality. However, these techniques have high costs associated with both installation and maintenance. One possible solution to complement these techniques is the application of low-cost air quality sensors (LAQSs), which have the potential to give higher spatial and temporal data of gas pollutants with high precision and accuracy. In this paper, we present DiracSense, a custom-made LAQS that monitors the gas pollutants ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). The aim of this study is to investigate its performance based on laboratory calibration and field experiments. Several model calibrations were developed to improve the accuracy and performance of the LAQS. Laboratory calibrations were carried out to determine the zero offset and sensitivities of each sensor. The results showed that the sensor performed with a highly linear correlation with the reference instrument with a response-time range from 0.5 to 1.7 min. The performance of several calibration models including a calibrated simple equation and supervised learning algorithms (adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system or ANFIS and the multilayer feed-forward perceptron or MLP) were compared. The field calibration focused on O3 measurements due to the lack of a reference instrument for CO and NO2. Combinations of inputs were evaluated during the development of the supervised learning algorithm. The validation results demonstrated that the ANFIS model with four inputs (WE OX, AE OX, T, and NO2) had the lowest error in terms of statistical performance and the highest correlation coefficients with respect to the reference instrument (0.8 < r < 0.95). These results suggest that the ANFIS model is promising as a calibration tool since it has the capability to improve the accuracy and performance of the low-cost electrochemical sensor.

Occupational safety and health management in the construction industry: a review.

The construction industry plays a significant role in contributing to the economy and development globally. During the process of construction, various hazards coupled with the unique nature of the industry contribute to high fatality rates. This review refers to previous published studies and related Malaysian legislation documents. Four main elements consisting of human, worksite, management and external elements which cause occupational accidents and illnesses were identified. External and management elements are the underlying causes contributing to occupational safety and health (OSH), while human and worksite elements are more apparent causes of occupational accidents and illnesses. An effective OSH management approach is required to contain all hazards at construction sites. An approach to OSH management constructed by elements of policy, process, personnel and incentive developed in previous work is explored. Changes to the sub-elements according to previous studies and the related Malaysian legislation are also covered in this review.