Large costs associated with employee turnover due to stress among the offshore
worker can be related to the individual and organisation factors. This article presents
the relationship between individual and organisational factors toward occupational
stress of off-shore worker. A quantitative method has been carried out to investigate
the relation of interpersonal relationship, job characteristics, and organizational role
toward stress among the operators in an offshore platform. Set of data has been
gathered from respective respondents, then analysed using Statistical Package for
Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0. For the credential, the data were initially tested for
its reliability, then were analysed using frequency analysis, Pearson's correlation
analysis, coefficient regression analysis and SWOT analysis. The findings indicate that
job characteristics, interpersonal relationship, organizational role have a significant
influence toward the occupational stress. However, this study shows that
organizational role is identified as major contribution to the occupational stress of the
offshore workers. A few recommendations to manage stress among the workers have
been identified. It is expected that this could reduce the number worker of turnover
due to stress.
The dynamics of a liquid droplet in a low gravitational field is examined using a finite
difference/front tracking projection-based numerical technique. The unsteady, incompressible,
viscous, immiscible multi-fluid, two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations for both the liquid and the
gas are solved using the single-fluid model. The droplet deformation and the gas wake generation and
oscillations phenomena is studied.
Numerical studies are conducted on turbulent incompressible flow over 2D backwardfacing
step in order to investigate the performance of three different turbulence models (standard k-e,
realizable k-e and SST k-ω) in predicting the region of separation and reattachment behind the edge
of the step. Current solutions of Reynolds number (Re= 13200) and expansion ratio (H: H2=1:3) are
compared with experimental measurements. Among the turbulence models, SST k-ω and standard k-e exhibited good agreement with the experimental results.
Heat pipes are widely used in various industries such as automotive, electronics, and many more. Heat pipes are used as cooling devices for electronic parts in machines that emit a large amount of heat, which can damage the devices. The heat pipes used in this investigation are loop heat pipes. These pipes can transport heat over a long distance and operate against gravity. The working fluid used in this investigation is nanofluid. Nanofluid is one of the types of working fluid that is considered to have better thermal performance than conventional fluids. Nanofluid is made of nanoparticles with base-fluid. This investigation studies the thermal performance of loop heat pipes using different types of nanofluids. Nanofluid fluids used in this study are diamond nanofluid, aluminium oxide nanofluid and silica oxide nanofluid. The effect of mass concentration of nanoparticles in the base-fluid is also studied. The results showed that as the mass concentration of nanofluids increased, the thermal resistance for diamond nanofluid and aluminium oxide nanofluid decreased, but the opposite occurred for silica oxide nanofluid but still better resultsthan pure water. This shows that diamond and aluminium oxide nanofluids shows better thermal conductivity as it has lower total thermal resistance and thermal enhancement rate compared to other nanofluids. Diamond nanofluid also had higher heat capacity than aluminium oxide nanofluid as it had a lower vapour line temperature reading.
This Company is one of the largest multipurpose port in Malaysia which provides facilities
and services to handle variety of cargoes ranging from containers, cars, break bulk cargoes, dry bulk
cargoes and liquid bulk cargoes. The company divided into three main core business divisions which
are Container Division, Conventional and Logistics Services and Marine Divisions. Based on Pareto
analysis, Conventional & Logistics Services has the highest number of accidents with 75% of total
number of accidents in year 2014. In this company, the trend analysis of accident keep increasing
month by month. In this study using DMAIC approach, the objectives of this study is to improve safety
performance by decreasing the number of accident focused on Conventional & Logistics Division by
using six sigma approach. Six sigma is a quality tools for process improvement. It involved five phases
which using many quality tools to identify problem and improves the process. The data being analysed
by using statistical method and graph. As conclusion, the average number of accident decrease from
7.33 to 7.25 and the trend analysis shows decline graph compared to before. Based on the hypothesis
testing, using the p-value, it was found the shift pattern, safety culture (unsafe act unsafe condition
report submission), accidents location, type of activity and contractors have significance impact to
number of accident. Meanwhile, number of tonnage handled (productivity) and number of man-hour
does not have significance impact to the number of accident. It was also found that there is no
significance between numbers of accident happen at night shift, morning shift or afternoon shift. It can
be concluded that, the six sigma approach are suitable method to analyse accident and can be a
significance approach in determining the root cause of accident in the company.
With the rapid evolution of smart devices, ease of availability and accessibility of Internet
application services, the demand of user's level of satisfaction are constantly growing. This creates
challenges when mobile users in large quantity gather at confine places creating a scenario of highdensity
wireless network environment (HDWN). Guaranteeing high quality of services (QoS) without
proper understanding of user’s expectations and their Quality of Experience (QoE) may lead to over
provisioning of resources. This poses different challenges to network service providers. Moreover,
limited studies have been found relating to QoE in dense network. The objective of this paper is to
develop mapping mechanism that maps QoS parameters onto QoE metrics in HDWN. This paper
proposes fuzzy-genetic algorithm to map QoS-QoE based on the critical comparative analysis of
different mechanisms. Preliminary analysis had been done based on mathematical model to establish
the correlation between QoS parameters (delay and jitter) and QoE metrics (satisfaction) to determine
the maximum and minimum impairment threshold. Further, the correlation between QoS-QoE had been
evaluated with varying traffic load to determine the traffic load impact on QoE. Also the load threshold
was found, that would help the network providers to take proper measure to maintain user’s satisfaction
as the maximum threshold limit is reached.
Al-20%Mg2Si composite was in situ synthesized and modified by the addition of Ba and Bi;
the microstructure of the resulting composites will be investigated. It is expected that the comodification
with Ba and Bi effectively refined the morphology of Mg2Si which is attributed to the
formation of fine Ba2Bi particles that acted as the heterogeneous nucleation sites for the primary Mg2Si
particles, resulting in a refined distribution of these precipitates. Therefore, the addition of Ba and Bi
can provide a better effect than only the addition of Bi or Ba separately.
This paper presents the work of investigating and comparing the uses of CRS and QTC Pills
as a tactile sensor material for Robotic Hand application. The materials were tested for their resistivity
characteristics to determine the data reproducibility of the materials. The experiments were conducted
based on three parameters; the supply voltage, the separation gap, and the sensor construction against
the force/ load that had been exerted onto the materials. The results showed that CRS could cover the
lower loading range when compared to QTC Pills. However, the data reproducibility of QTC Pills was
better compared to those of CRS, thus making it more suitable to be used as a material for tactile
sensing application. Therefore, this paper highlights the potential of these two materials as a tactile
sensing transducer, and later, can be used as a useful guideline when designing a tactile sensor with
these materials.
With the increasing demand for greater quality of transferred data, the optical cable
lines are reaching their limits of transfer capacities. The alternative for more effective
usage is by introducing the Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)
integrated with optical amplifier to optimize the output signal. This study was
performed theoretically with an assistance of OptiSystem 9.0 simulation software to
develop higher transfer speed of 32 channels DWDM network system by employing
hybrid optical amplifiers. Three types of optical amplifiers had been introduced such
as Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA), Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) and
Dynamic RAMAN amplifier. The optimum performance of DWDM system was obtained
by employed hybrid EDFA-Raman amplifier which resulted the best transmission signal
received with maximum Qfactor=43.0579 a.u. The hybrid EDFA-Raman produced
better stability than EDFA-SOA where the received signals were only fluctuated within
±3.73 a.u. In comparison with other types of configuration, namely EDFA-SOA and
RAMAN-SOA; the value of maximum Q-factor experienced about 50% of increment. In
conclusion, the development of high performance and excellent stability of 32-
channels DWDM optical network system can be achieved by introduced hybrid
amplifier of EDFA-RAMAN.
Climate change influences over years clearly can affect a catchment area in terms of
quantity and quality of water. High annual rainfall in Malaysia does not solve water
scarcity problems during the El Nino phenomenon and can cause severe flooding
during La Nina. A simulation from year 1980 to 2006 has been done at Sg. Ketil
streamflow station at Kuala Pegang, Kedah in the North region of Malaysia according
to availability of data. The monthly streamflow later has been calibrated and validated
using SWAT-CUP. Water level data was obtained from an inventory water level station
recorded at the station. Land-use, soil type and slope are taken account to produce a
number of hydrologic response units (HRU). This study used developed gridded daily
hydrometeorological data set for Peninsular from 1980-2006using interpolation
technique. The results shown that the calibrated model is able to simulate the flow for
the river basin successfully with the R2
= 0.65 and NSE=0.52 and validated value of
R
2=0.5 and NSE=0.43. A recommendation is purposed to simulate the catchment using
hydrometeorological data set in the stations located in the area to compare the results
for further study.
Policymakers and recreation site managers use changes in fee structure, either introducing park entrance fees or increasing existing ones, to generate revenues, improve services, and reduce damages associated with visitor’s overuse. The sudden increase in park usage fee, however, can make the park inaccessible to certain segments of visitors. Understanding park users' response to changes in fees and its implication on park use equity is, thus, important to achieving a park's full potential in a socially and environmentally responsible way. This information is crucial especially for developing countries, where the issue has received relatively less attention and underfunded. This paper contributes to the literature on park access fees by empirically assessing park use equity between and among international and local visitors visiting Putrajaya Botanical Garden, Malaysia and developing an approach for determining predictors and mean willingness to pay values for park entrance. Results of our survey-based approach show a positive willingness to pay values for park entrance and fee increases. Our results also show that it is possible to raise revenue without exacerbating existing park use differences.
– This study was performed to measure the gender equality involvement in Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Program in one of the Malaysia Technical University
Network (MTUN). The focuses of this study are general perspective in gender equality, men and
women position in society, and sources of information about TVET. 200 respondents involving
students and lecturers from various field of TVET programs involved in this study. Questionnaire was
applied to gather the data information and descriptive analysis represent the findings. Result showed
that most respondents strongly agree with men helping in the household were women, they are also
aware about the national policies on gender equality in Malaysia, and for last section of survey,
respondents agree that they choose studying in TVET program because the better job opportunities.
In summary, there is no gender issue in Malaysia’s policy, position of work and opportunities in
further education especially in TVET programs.
Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a sudden burst of wide-band, high-intensity electromagnetic radiation. EMP also called as a transient electromagnetic disturbance, a short burst of electromagnetic energy. Effect of EMP to automobile is classify as medium threats to vehicle attacks where EMP aims at damaging electronic devices such as on board sensors and processors, CPU which found in almost all models from 1990’s and forward. This paper presents a MATLAB simulation of EMP generator by means of Switch Mode Power Supply, thus the electrical shielding can be studied further. Theoretically, EMP generator is developed by implementing energy storage circuit and discharge control circuit. Sending a rapidly changing electrical current through a loop will create an electromagnetic field in the form of a pulse. The results show an increase in pulse voltage from 12 VDC to 758 VDC with a current of 1500 A. A MATLAB model on the coverage area affected by EMP pulse will be developed in the next phase of the research.
Meat tenderness is an important quality attribute that influences consumer acceptance. The application of mechanical treatment by mean to reduce toughness of meat cuts has gained much interest recently, with an intention to make use the lower grade meat cuts. This review deliberates the function, mechanism and numerous types of mechanical work in meat tenderization. The mechanical work employs to make meat softer by loosening the muscle structure and disrupting muscle cell. Previous studies have thoroughly examined the use of mechanical treatment (such as massaging, tumbling, and grinding) as an effective meat tenderization technique. Besides that, current research on newly emerging processing technology such as highpressure process (HPP) also shows potential to be explored. The application of mechanical work has shown impressive outcomes by reducing the shear force value that represents hardness of meat. The present paper also described the physical, biochemical and the structural changes of the meat. Finally, the improvements in the meat tenderness by using various type of mechanical work are presented in this paper.
The lack of understanding of Islamic principles in the design of public spaces has led to
the weakness of the function, aesthetic value and the identity of urban places. The study
seeks to identify the characteristics and elements of the Islamic urban space in
Putrajaya base on publics and expert perception and preference. A questionnaire
survey was conducted with approximately 500 civilians to analyse the public perception
of Putra Square and Astaka Moroco. A photo base interview was carried out with
approximately 100 professionals in the built environment field to evaluate the quality
of Astaka Moroco in comparison to Islamic gardens in the Middle East based on their
perception. The results indicate that the style of the Dataran Putra is the most preferred
by the public compared to the Astaka Morocco. The professionals inform that Astaka
Morocco is not comparable to the quality of Islamic gardens in the Middle East either
in terms of function or aesthetic value due to the lack of understanding of the Islamic gardens elements and principles. In addition, the public liked the Islamic garden style
that reflects the local identity and the functions as public spaces instead of just as an
exhibit or a model. The findings can be a good guide in designing the Islamic public
spaces which are favoured by the public.
In this paper, we propose an approach to model and simulate a network problem using
bio-inspired computing. Information in a network is embedded in DNA sequence strands and in-vitro
implementation is proposed via bio-molecular tools such as hybridization, ligation and polymerase
chain reaction. The output of the computation is derived from gel electrophoresis process.
This study was conducted to establish callus cultures from leaf, stem and root explants of
Physalis minima using different combinations of 2,4-D and kinetin. Callus growth and anti-cancer
compound, physalin B production were further enhanced by optimising the cell explants and media
compositions such as basal media, salts concentration, carbon sources and plant growth regulators.
The results indicated that callus cultures derived from leaf, stem and root explants were best initiated
using a combination of 9.0 µM 2,4-D and 4.5 µM kinetin. Callus growth and synthesis of physalin B
were peaked at the late exponential growth phase over 25 d of culture. Callus growth did not vary
between explants, but physalin B was observed higher in leaf (0.78 mg g-1 dry wt.), followed by root
(0.71 mg g-1 dry wt.) and stem (0.64 mg g-1 dry wt.). MS basal medium was found superior to B5, SH
and WH basal media in supporting growth and physalin B production. Further tests on the media
compositions obtained a half strength of MS salts (½MS), 2.5% (w/v) sucrose and 9.0:4.5 µM of 2,4-
D:kinetin combination, which were the preferred salts strength, carbon sources and plant growth
regulators for optimum growth (0.23 g dry wt.) and physalin B production (1.75 mg g-1 dry wt.) of
callus cultures derived from leaf.
This article describes the approach towards a sensitivity study of wind flow and pollutant
dispersion in an idealized street canyon with tree plantings under thermal atmospheric conditions
using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). First, validation studies were performed to determine the
best turbulence model for the simulation of wind flow under thermal atmospheric conditions against
the previous experimental wind tunnel data. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that
large eddy simulation (LES) can accurately predict the wind flow structure at different thermal
intensities and different locations of heated wall. Finally, detailed descriptions of future research are
presented at the end of this article.
The Climatic performance of courtyard residential buildings needs to be
investigated if the assertion that courtyard is a microclimate modifier is to be
accepted. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the microclimatic performance
of two existing courtyard residential buildings with similar characteristics in
Kafanchan-Kaduna Nigeria, -the fully enclosed courtyard residential building and
the semi-enclosed courtyard residential building. The purpose of this research is
to investigate their microclimatic performances in other to establish the best
courtyard house. This study uses measurement to achieve its aim. The tool
employed for data collection is the Hobo Weather Data Loggers (HWDL). Three
HWDL were used to collect data in the two case-study, and the third one was
placed in the outside area as a benchmark. Only air temperature and relative
humidity were measured. This study revealed a tangible difference in the
microclimatic performance of the two case-study. The fully enclosed courtyard
residential building is seen to have air temperature difference of 1 oC to 3 oC, and
the relative humidity difference of 4 % to 8 %. In conclusion, the fully enclosed
courtyard house demonstrated a more favorable microclimatic performance than
the semi-enclosed, and further simulation studies towards its optimization are
required.
Previous studies on instant noodles have been aimed mostly at secondary students, and have
been concerned with the demographics, and the development of product attributes. Very few studies
have examined the role of convenience (CO), product attributes (PA), advertising (AD) and subjective
norms (SN) in predicting the intention of students towards the consumption of instant noodles. The
present rising costs of living and education may affect the intention and behaviour of university students
towards the consumption of affordable food. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore the
relationship between these variables and the variables of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) in
association with the intention of university students to consume instant noodles. A research model
approach was used to reflect the effects of CO, PA, AD, and SN on the TRA constructs. In total, 390
cases were gathered from three universities. Structural equation modelling was employed to assess the
proposed research model in terms of the path significance, the general requirements for a model fit,
and the testing of the hypotheses. It was found that AD has a direct positive effect on the behavioural
intention of university students towards the consumption of instant noodles. Nevertheless, CO, PA, and
SN appear to exert no significant influence on the behavioural intention of university students. The
limitation of the study was that the findings were obtained from a small dataset covering only three
universities. Therefore, future researches should cover a broader range of research samples. This paper
provides additional understanding for marketing managers and researchers into the effects of CO, PA,
AD and SN on the intention of Malaysian university students towards the consumption of instant
noodles, which can be used for formulating marketing strategies for instant noodles and for considering
future research directions in other countries.