Shopee online has become increasingly popular among consumers for purchasing purposes as compared to brick-and-mortar retail due to the benefits and enjoyment that come with it. However, Shopee has facing intense competitive challenges with other competitors in Malaysia. In addition, it is also difficult for Shopee to compete with major leader of online shopping portal although this platform offers the same function and usage as its contender. Hence, it is important to understand consumer perceptions on the benefit and intention of using Shopee. This study examines consumer perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived price, perceived convenience and perceived trust adapted from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). 208 respondents who have experience online purchasing in East Cost of Malaysia were invited to participate in this study using online survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive, correlation and multiple regression analyses. The findings show that perceived convenience and perceived trust have strong influence towards consumer intention to use Shopee as platform to do online purchase. It is suggested that this study will help practitioners to understand consumer online shopping perception and intention in order to induce visitation and usage of Shopee.
There is sufficient evidence regarding the potential risk of mobile phone use on anxiety. Therefore, the aim of research was to examine the relationship between mobile phone use and anxiety among students from two faculties in University TeknologI Mara (UiTM) Seremban. This cross-sectional study included 317 students of both genders. The sampling method was measured using proportionate stratified sampling. Level of mobile phone use was measured using Problem Use Mobile Phone (PUMP) Scale and level of an anxiety was measured using Beck Anxiety Inventory (BEI) Scale. In Malaysia, there are very small amount who made this research. The finding of this study showed that majority respondents are at normal level for mobile phone use. Pearson correlation result shows there was significant correlation between mobile phone use with an anxiety among students. This study indicates the important mobile phone use toward an anxiety among university students.
Investing in natural cosmetics contributes to the sustainability of natural resources in two ways – the emission of less harmful by-products, and the conservation of ecosystems through sustainable harvesting of resources. Therefore, studying students’ (millennials’) behaviour and attitude towards these products may help improve awareness-raising approaches on their benefits for local market acceptance. A study was conducted in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Malaysia with the aim to understand the current perception and habits of UMT students towards natural cosmetics and their readiness to convert to natural cosmetics. 521 responses were collected through an online survey that focused on three themes: Stage of Change, Decisional Balance Inventory, and Product Knowledge and Perception. The study found that most of the respondents (79%) claim to be using natural cosmetics, while only nine percent are not considering at all. Eighty-six percent of those users practice label reading habits although most respondents could not distinguish natural cosmetics from synthetic ones if solely based on personal knowledge and appearance of product. This proves that product design does influence customers’ purchasing behaviours. Moreover, results indicate that existing natural cosmetic users are quite likely to maintain the habit, while others are still indecisive. Meanwhile, label reading habits are quite likely to be maintained by many respondents. Hence, based on results, businesses should acknowledge that there is a demand in natural cosmetics among Malaysian millennials, and should increase their promotional activities, improve product design and affordability in order to grab consumers’ attention to switch from synthetic to natural cosmetics.
The advancement of technology in digital revolution such as Internet of Things has gained attention in all over the world. This myriad of technology innovations affects all aspects of the human lives today. The generation who has grown up during this era, knownastheiGens,mostlyreliesonthetechnologyineveryaspectoftheirlives,including education. Thus, technology also gives profound impact in educational transformation nowadays to convey innovative education. However, lack of innovation in education becomes a challenge to meet this demand. Therefore, this study was carried out with the aim to discover factors which may affect academic performance of the iGen students in the university. A total of 250 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the accountingstudentsatUMTwitharesponserateof93.6%(234).Usingmultipleregression analysis, the findings showed that parental involvement and student’s attitude contribute more towards academic performance of iGen students rather than the technology itself. This finding showed that human factor such as support fromtheir parents and individual factor are vital towards their academic performance regardless of from technology savvy generation or not.
Keusahawanan sering dianggap sebagai subjek yang lebih cenderung kepada pelajar dalam bidang perniagaan tetapi tidak untuk pelajar yang mempunyai pelbagai kemahiran yang terlibat dalam bidang teknikal. Namun, ini adalah satu tanggapan yang tidak seharusnya wujud kerana Malaysia seharusnya perlu mengenal pasti kesedaran keusahawanan dalam bidang teknikal. Pada masa kini, kesedaran keusahawanan dalam bidang teknikal tertentu adalah kurang lantaran program keusahawanan lazimnya lebih tertumpu kepada pelajar InstitusiPengajian Tinggi (IPT). Misalnya, Pembangunan Keusahawanan Bumiputera adalah lebih tertumpu kepada golongan siswazah IPT, belia dan wanita. Dasar Pembangunan Keusahawanan IPT juga diperkenalkan agar modal insan dengan daya pemikiran, atribut dan nilai keusahawanan dalam kalangan IPT tempatan dapat dilahirkan. Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk mengenal pasti tahap kesedaran keusahawanan dalam kalangan pelajar Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) di Terengganu berhubung dengan faktor keusahawanan dari aspek individu usahawan yang berbeza serta struktur dan persekitaran perniagaan. Seterusnya, mengkaji hubungan antara kesedaran keusahawanan dengan pembolehubah tidak bersandar lain yang berkait dengan kajian seperti ciri keusahawanan dan cabaran keusahawanan. Kaedah kuantitatif telah digunakan dan borang soal selidik diedarkan kepada 280 orang pelajar. Hasil analisis regresi berganda menunjukkan bahawa cabaran keusahawanan merangkumi sikap dan minat, kemahiran keusahawanan serta pendidikan dan pengetahuan keusahawanan merupakan elemen paling signifikan yang mempengaruhi kesedaran keusahawanan dalam kalangan pelajar berkemahiran diILP untuk menjadi seorang usahawan. Oleh itu, adalah sangat penting bagi kerajaan Malaysiauntuk memberi perhatian terhadap cabaran yang dihadapi oleh para pelajar ini dan mengambil tindakan terhadap segala kemungkinan yang boleh mempengaruhi atau memberi kesan kepada minat pelajar terhadap keusahawanan pada masa akan datang.
Peningkatan kes penderaan kanak-kanak sehingga kematian kanak-kanak amat membimbangkan keluarga dan masyarakat. Artikel ini akan membahaskan tentang cabaran pekerja sosial dalam melindungi penderaan kanak-kanak di taska. Kajian lepas amat kurang mengkaji isu penderaan kanak-kanak di taska. Kajian ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif berpandukan kajian fenomenologi. Teknik pengumpulan data kajian melalui temubual berstruktur secara bertulis. 6 orang informan terdiri daripada pekerja sosial telah dipilih bagi kajian ini dengan menggunakan teknik persampelan bertujuan (purposive sampling). Lokasi kajian yang dipilih ialah taska sekitar Bandar Baru Bangi. Data temubual berstruktur dianalisis secara tematik dan hasil kajian mendapati terdapat tiga cabaran utama iaitu pertama praktis kerja sosial, konflik profesion dan kemahiran dalam mengendalikan pengurusan kes penderaan kanak-kanak. Implikasi kajian ini mencadangkan program kaunseling individu dan kelompok kepada pekerja sosial dan penting meningkatkan latihan dalam kemahiran mengendalikan pengurusan kes penderaan kanak-kanak yang semakin kompleks dan kritikal di masa depan.
This study investigates the characteristics of an antioxidant cream made from the methanol extract of Piper sarmentosum leaves, which is locally known as the wild betel or pokok kadok in Malay. The secondary metabolites of the leaves were subjected to phytochemical tests to detect the presence of natural compounds. Antioxidant activity was described by its total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), which was assessed by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. A phase diagram was constructed to find a possible region to formulate an antioxidant cream. In phytochemical screening, the methanolic extract showed positive presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and tannins. In quantitative analysis of antioxidative components, besides having significantly higher TFC content compared with quercetin (P
A wide range of studies have been conducted on deep learning to forecast time series data. However, very few researches have discussed the optimal number of hidden layers and nodes in each hidden layer of the architecture. It is crucial to study the number of hidden layers and nodes in each hidden layer as it controls the performance of the architecture. Apart from that, in the presence of the activation function, diverse computation between the hidden layers and output layer can take place. Therefore, in this study, the multilayer perceptron (MLP) architecture is developed using the Python software to forecast time series data. Then, the developed architecture is applied on the Apple Inc. stock price due to its volatile characteristic. Using historical prices, the accuracy of the forecast is measured by the different activation functions, number of hidden layers and size of data. The Keras deep learning library, which can be found in the Python software, is used to develop the MLP architecture to forecast the Apple Inc. stock price. The developed model is then applied on different cases, namely different sizes of data, different activation functions, different numbers of hidden layers of up to nine layers, and different numbers of nodes in each hidden layer. Then, the metrics mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) are employed to test the accuracy of the forecast. It is found that the architecture with rectified linear unit (ReLU) outperformed in every hidden layer and each case with the highest accuracy. To conclude, the optimal number of hidden layers differs in every case as there are other influencing factors.
The increase in awareness and responsibilities among stakeholders in a port environment has made safety evaluation an operational priority. Operating a port is a high-risk activity with underlying potential for accidents and loss of lives, besides causing massive property and environmental damage. Kemaman Port has multiple operations and handles volatile chemicals that may lead to disaster if an accident were to occur due to negligence. Therefore, the safety tools at the port have to suit a terminal specialized in handling liquid chemicals. To determine risk level at the port, assessment may be conducted using the hazard identification method (HAZID) to determine the hazards and risk matrix. The “As low as reasonably practicable” (ALARP) principle should be adhered to in determining which risk is tolerable or intolerable. In this study, the hazard and risk data at Kemaman Port were obtained through literature review and engagements with experts. As a result, eight main hazards were identified and the risk matrix was used to find the highest frequency and consequences of the hazards, besides the risk probability during operations. The overall results may demonstrate a significant improvement to the safety of port operations.
A numerical study is conducted to determine the Vortex Induced Motion (VIM) effects on Deep-Draft Semi-Submersibles (DDSS). The VIM phenomena is a crucial problem that can cause severe impact on the fatigue life of mooring risers in DDSS. Therefore, a comprehensive numerical simulation is conducted using the Acusolve computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Five models of immersed columns with different aspect ratios (ie. 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4) are numerically investigated under two different incidence angles, which are 0° and 45°. The transverse and in-line vibration amplitude, amplitude of lift force coefficient and vortex shedding are analyzed. The numerical measurements are obtained to see the response of horizontal plane motions, which are transverse, in line and yaw motions. This study with detailed numerical results from parametric data will contribute future studies and the comparisons are made to demonstrate the capability of the present CFD approach.
This paper examines the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour among university students. It uses the theory of planned behaviour in determining the factors that lead to such behaviour. The determinants consist of environmental awareness, psychological factors (motivation, moral norms, perceived behavioural control and attitude), environmental knowledge and personality traits (agreeableness, extroversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience). Data was collected using convenience sampling through self-administered surveys and online forms distributed to 400 students in a public university in Malaysia. Data was subjected to construct validity and reliability analysis. The findings highlighted that motivation, agreeableness and perceived behavioural control were positively related to the practice of pro-environmental behaviour, whereas environmental awareness, moral norms, attitude and environmental knowledge were negatively related. Some personality traits, namely neuroticism, openness to experience, conscientiousness and extraversion, did not show any significant relationship with the practice of pro-environmental behaviour. This study provides a scope to improvise and incorporate environmental practices into the habits of students by aligning their goals with the universities’ dimensions, including curriculum, campus operation, research and outreach activities. The results could make an important contribution in establishing a sustained green culture through a new university paradigm.
Malaysia is a member of Developing-8 (D-8), which facilitated the formation of bilateral trade relations among member countries. This study focuses on Malaysia’s foreign direct investments (FDIs) within D-8. The purpose of this study is to strengthen the FDI ties with D-8 member states, where Malaysia must focus on cooperating for long-term investments and examining the existing FDI policies under Malaysia and its D-8 counterparts, as well as studying the opportunity of interdependence between Malaysia’s FDIs with D-8 member states. The main issue is the imbalance of Malaysia’s FDI preference with D-8 member states, which is followed by the weakness of Malaysia’s FDI outwards policy, specialised among the D-8 counterparts. Thus, Malaysia’s FFDI lacks penetration with D-8 member states. The qualitative research method, data collection, interviews, and content analysis method are used for this study. The respondents’ agencies for interviews are experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), The Bilateral Economic and Trade Relations Division of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI and the Foreign Investment Promotion Division of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA). Coding techniques are applied for the coding process of the content analysis. This study also uses the theories of interdependence and political economy with SWOT analysis to examine the implementation of Malaysia’s FDI with D-8 counterparts. The findings of the study show that Malaysia is looking for quality investments without choosing where the investments come from, and FDIs with D-8 counterparts in several sectors can still be implemented if the D-8 counterparts are offering quality investments for Malaysia.
Polymer had been widely used in industries nowadays. However, the properties of the polymer itself are limited to a particular application. This study describes synthetic clay, layered double hydroxide (LDH), as a filler in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composite. LDHs of magnesium/aluminium-dodecyl sulfate (Mg/Al-DS) and its grafted with triethoxymethylsilane (TEMS), (TEMS-g-Mg/Al-DS) were synthesized through co-precipitation and salinization reaction methods. The presence of alkyl group, v(C-H) in both LDH had confirmed through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The appearance of peaks in FTIR spectra within the absorbance range of 2800 – 2930 cm-1indicates a successful surface modification of LDH, supported by the changes of interlayer spacing and the presence of carbon from X-ray diffractogram and CHNS elemental analysis, respectively. The synthesized LDH was mixed with LDPE via melt intercalation method. The LDH modification resulted in higher interaction and compatibility between the LDPE matrix and LDH by the formation exfoliated type of nanocomposites, as suggested by XRD analysis.
This study focuses on the parasites in Dascyllus trimaculatus fish in Bidong Island. Though D. trimaculatus is a common reef fish, there is lack on parasites studies of this fish in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are to identify metazoan parasites and analyse the prevalence and mean intensity the parasites in D. trimaculatus. Sampling was randomly conducted on a coral colony of 100 meters within a 15m depth at Pantai Pasir Cina,BidongIsland.ThisresearchresultedintheidentificationofacopepodLernaeocera branchialis and a nematode from the family Camallanidae. The copepods collected in this study infected 20 out of 42 D. trimaculatus specimens, whereas the nematode-like parasites collected infected 18 of out of 42 D. trimaculatus. All copepods found in the gills of D. trimaculatus had a prevalence of 4.95 and mean intensity of 47.62%, while the nematode-like parasite, which were found in the brain, had 2.72 prevalence and 42.86% mean intensity. This elucidates that both parasites are categorised as having light levelbut common frequency of infection, and the current IUCN status of D. trimaculatus has not been reported to be harmedby parasites. Though the mean intensity of both parasites isnot harmful, the prevalence are concerning and might increase in the future, with further incorporation and monitoring of climate change factors that may affect the damselfish.
Concerning on navigational safety of a ship, comprehensive investigation of manoeuvrability of the ship is prominently required. The turning instability due to improper speed and magnitude of the rudder angle is vulnerable to serious accidents such as collision especially in the confined waters. This paper presents a computational fluid dynamic analyses on manoeuvrability performance of a tug in calm water. Here, the characteristics of the turning ability and zig-zag characteristics of the tug has been assessed due to effect of the various angles of twin-rudder and turning speeds. The results revealed that the increase of rudder’s angle resulted in subsequent reduction of her advance diameter from 144 m, 108 m, 96 m to 92 m. While for zig zag manoeuvre, the first overshoot angle is 0.6° and 1.08° for 10°/10° and 20°/20° rudder’s angle respectively. The first overshoot and second overshoot angle are within the IMO criteria which is below 20° and 25°. However, the increase of turning speed from 7 knots to 9 knots has been proportional with the increase of the turning diameter (advance diameter) from 70 m to 105.2 m. Basically, the turning performances of the tug manoeuvring with the turning speed of 7 to 9 knots incorporated with rudder’s angle 20°, 25°, 30° and 35° have been complied with IMO manoeuvring standards. This preliminary analysis contributes very valuable findings at early ship design stage to provide a safety of the navigational guidance for turning ability of the tug.
Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) are usually used in numerous fields especially in solving the modelling problem. Numerical methods are one of the vital mathematical tools to solve the ODEs that appear in various modelling problems by determining the approximation solution close to the in exact solution if it exists. Runge-Kutta methods (RK) are the numerical methods used to integrate the ODEs by applying multistage methods at the midpoint of an interval which can efficiently produce a more accurate result or small magnitude of error. We proposed Runge-Kutta methods (RK) to solve the 1st_ order nonlinear stiff ODEs. The RK methods used in this research are known as the RK-2, RK-4, and RK-5 methods. We proved the existence and uniqueness of the ODEs before we solved it numerically. We also proved the absolute-stability of the RK methods to determine the overall stability of these methods. We found two suitable test cases which are the standard test problem and manufactured solution. We proved that by combining the adaptive step size with RK methods can result in more efficient computation. We implemented the 2nd_, 4th_ and 5th_ order of RK methods with step size adaptively algorithm to solve the test problem and manufactured solution via Octave programming language. The resulting numerical error and the stability of each method can be studied. We compared our results using several error plots versus the Central Processing Unit (CPU) time required to compute a given nonlinear 1st_ order stiff ODE problem. In a conclusion, RK methods which combine with the adaptive step size can result in more efficient computation and accuracy compare with the fixed step size RK methods.
The prediction of rainfall on monthly and seasonal time scales is not only scientifically challenging but is also important for planning and devising agricultural strategies. In this paper, the study is conducted to examine the pattern of monthly rainfall in Alor Setar, Kedah within ten years which is from 2008 to 2018. This paper considered a model based on real data that obtained from Department of Meteorology Malaysia. This study indicates that the monthly rainfall in Alor Setar has a seasonal and trend pattern based on yt vs t plotting, autocorrelation function and Kruskal Wallis Test for seasonality. The examined rainfall time-series modelling approaches include Naïve Model, Decomposition Method, Holt-Winter’s and Box-Jenkins ARIMA. Multiplicative Decomposition Method was identified as the best model to forecast rainfall for the year of 2019 by analysing the previous ten-year’s data (2008-2018).As a result from the forecast of 2019, October is the wettest month with highest forecasted rainfall of 276.15mm while the driest month is in February with lowest forecasted rainfall of 50.55mm. The model is therefore adequate and appropriate to forecast future monthly rainfall values in the catchment which can help farmers to plan their farming activities ahead of time.
Tourism is associated with leisure and travelling, and is considered one of the fastest growing sectors that contribute significantly to the country’s economy, as well as bringing benefits directly to local communities. The Rural Tourism Master Plan was established in 2001, which defines rural tourism as an attraction that offers visitors the opportunity to experience Malaysia’s traditional culture and heritage away from urban areas. This study focuses on such tourism in the Gunung Mulu National Park, a famous natural park comprising underground caves, virgin rainforests and highlands. This research uses a quantitative approach with a random sampling technique because the procedure to select a unit for inclusion in a sample is much easier, quicker and cheaper. A questionnaire is distributed via Google Form to 500 local tourists who visited the park. The results of this research may be useful in marketing the Gunung Mulu National Park worldwide, besides fine-tuning programmes to attract tourists to the national park.
Pencemaran air di Tasik Chini, Pahang kian meruncing akibat pembangunan sekitar yang tidak terkawal menyebabkan kemusnahan rantaian makanan sekaligus mengancam kelangsungan hidup komuniti asli. Justeru, kajian telah dijalankan bagi mengenal pasti faktor, impak dan keberkesanan strategi dengan menggunapakai Teori Pengambilalihan. Selain itu, kajian ini dipilih untuk memenuhi kelompangan kajian terdahulu yang lebih menekankan kepentingan pengekalan biodiversiti flora dan fauna berbanding kajian terhadap kehidupan komuniti setempat. Maka, kajian deskritif tinjauan telah digunakan melalui kaedah pemerhatian, temu bual mendalam bersama empat orang informan, dianalisis secara transkripsi, triangulasi dan analisis kandungan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan faktor pencemaran air berpunca daripada pembinaan empangan air, projek pembangunan, aktiviti pembalakan, aktiviti perlombongan dan hakisan tanih. Sementara, pertanian komersial juga menjejaskan kegunaan domestik, hidupan akuatik terganggu, perubahan sifat air, kehilangan sumber pendapatan, dan tahap kesihatan terjejas. Oleh itu, cadangan memperluaskan program advokasi seperti pengawalan pembuangan sampah sarap, pematuhan Penilaian Impak Alam Sekitar (EIA), penglibatan pihak awam dan swasta, pemantauan kesihatan, kesedaran awam, dan melakukan penyelidikan lanjutan. Kajian mendapati dua buah syarikat China mengeksport bijih besi yang diperoleh sekitar Tasik Chini menggunakan permit AP (Eksport dan Import) dari negeri lain, bukannya Pahang. Meskipun syarikat tersebut tidak mempunyai lesen melombong tetapi mereka mempunyai segala kelengkapan alatan memproses dan menjalankan operasinya hingga kini. Diharapkan isu pencemaran air di Tasik Chini dapat dipulihkan demi menjamin kelestarian sejagat.
Penggunaan beg plastik sangat popular di seluruh dunia. Di Malaysia beg plastik menjadi keperluan masyarakat terutama dalam proses jual beli. Peningkatan itu sekaligus mewujudkan kebimbangan bagi pemain utama seperti kerajaan persekutuan yang berperanan menggerak dan memperjuangkan kelestarian alam sekitar. Kempen bebas beg plastik merupakan kempen yang kerap dilaungkan dalam menggubah budaya penggunaan plastik dalam kehidupan seharian. Menerusi pelaksanaan kempen bebas beg plastik yang dijalankan di seluruh negeri khususnya di Kuantan, Pahang, maka kajian ini dapat mengkaji rangkaian pemain utama dengan menggunakan kaedah kualitatif temubual melalui Analisis Rangkaian Sosial (ARS). Secara khususnya, rangkaian tadbir berjaya memaparkan pelbagai saliran berkaitan komunikasi dan kerjasama antara pemain utama. Struktur berpusat didapati menjadi asbab kepada kapasiti terhad dalam menyelaraskan tindakan bersama. Temubual yang mendalam menunjukkan kepentingan kedudukan pemain utama dalam rangkaian tindakan bersama memudahkan pihak terlibat. Hasil kajian menunjukkan peluang lebih berkesan dan realistik jika diselaras hukuman dan tindakan di peringkat persekutuan dengan kerjasama Majlis Perbandaran, Jabatan Alam Sekitar, institusi penyelidikan, organisasi perniagaan dan pemain lain yang berkaitan. Justeru, kajian akan datang harus memperkasakan pendidikan dalam kalangan masyarakat dari setiap lapisan umur, kaum dan agama serta budaya. Malah, penerokaan terhadap keberkesanan penyampaian dan penerangan maklumat perlu divisualkan secara jelas oleh pihak berkepentingan dalam usaha mensifarkan penggunaan beg plastik di Malaysia.