Concrete mix design and the determination of concrete performance are not merely engineering studies, but also mathematical and statistical endeavors. The study of concrete mechanical properties involves a myriad of factors, including, but not limited to, the amount of each constituent material and its proportion, the type and dosage of chemical additives, and the inclusion of different waste materials. The number of factors and combinations make it difficult, or outright impossible, to formulate an expression of concrete performance through sheer experimentation. Hence, design of experiment has become a part of studies, involving concrete with material addition or replacement. This paper reviewed common design of experimental methods, implemented by past studies, which looked into the analysis of concrete performance. Several analysis methods were employed to optimize data collection and data analysis, such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression, Taguchi method, Response Surface Methodology, and Artificial Neural Network. It can be concluded that the use of statistical analysis is helpful for concrete material research, and all the reviewed designs of experimental methods are helpful in simplifying the work and saving time, while providing accurate prediction of concrete mechanical performance.
Life table is a table that shows mortality experience of a nation. However, in Malaysia, the information in this table is provided in the five-years age groups (abridged) instead of every one-year age. Hence, this study aims to estimate the one-year age mor- tality rates from the abridged mortality rates using several interpolation methods. We applied Kostaki method and the Akima spline method to five sets of Malaysian group mortality rates ranging from period of 2012 to 2016. The result were then compared with the one-year mortality rates. We found that the method by Akima is the best method for Malaysian mortality experience as it gives the least minimum of sum of square errors. The method does not only provide a good fit but also, shows a smooth mortality curve.
Oil palm is one of the key industries highly observed in Malaysia, due to its high demand both whether locally or internationally. The oil extraction rate (OER) in palm oil production is used as an element to identify the performance of the mills, estates and producers. In view of this, there are specific instrument or sensor needs to be implemented at the mills especially during the reception of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) transported from the field for oil content processing. This paper aims to study and propose the use of a fruit battery-based oil palm maturity sensor to analyse the effect of the sensor to various parameters. The study utilizes a charging method with different parameters, including a moisture content test on the palm oil samples. Three types of parameters are tested along with the different grades of oil palm fruit from different bunches, such as the load resistance, charging voltage and charging time. The repeatability data of the samples are obtained with the used list of values in each parameter. The results show that the parameters tested for the unripe, under ripe and ripe samples can affect the sensor sensitivity.
The dynamic of covid-19 epidemic model with a convex incidence rate is studied in this article. First, we formulate the model without control and study all the basic properties and results including local and global stability. We show the global stability of disease free equilibrium using the method of Lyapunov function theory while for disease endemic, we use the method of geometrical approach. Furthermore, we develop a model with suitable optimal control strategies. Our aim is to minimize the infection in the host population. In order to do this, we use two control variables. Moreover, sensitivity analysis complemented by simulations are performed to determine how changes in parameters affect the dynamical behavior of the system. Taking into account the central manifold theory the bifurcation analysis is also incorporated. The numerical simulations are performed in order to show the feasibility of the control strategy and effectiveness of the theoretical results.
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.
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.
In general, the nature of gold that acts as a hedge against inflation and its stable price over the course of the financial crisis has made it a unique commodity. Priceforecasts are a must for gold producers, investors and central bank to know the current trends in gold prices. Forecasting the future value of a variableis often done with time series analysis method. This study was conducted to determine the best model for forecasting gold commodity prices as well as forecasting world gold commodity prices in 2018 using Box-Jenkins approach. The data used in this study wasobtained from Investing.Com from 2015 until 2017. Thisstudy shows that ARIMA (1,1,1) is the best model to predict gold commodity prices based on Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). MAPE value for ARIMA (1,1,1) is 0.02%, where this value proves that forecasting using ARIMA (1,1,1) is the best forecasting becauseMAPE value is less than 10%.
Guidance to authors is needed to prevent their waste of talent, time and resources in writing manuscripts that will never be published in the highest-quality journals. Laboratory studies are probably the most common type of endodontic research projects because they make up the majority of manuscripts submitted for publication. Unfortunately, most of these manuscripts fail the peer-review process, primarily due to critical flaws in the reporting of the methods and results. Here, in order to guide authors, the Preferred Reporting Items for study Designs in Endodontology (PRIDE) team developed new reporting guidelines for laboratory-based studies: the Preferred Reporting Items for Laboratory studies in Endodontology (PRILE) 2021 guidelines. The PRILE 2021 guidelines were developed exclusively for the area of Endodontology by integrating and adapting the modified CONSORT checklist of items for reporting in vitro studies of dental materials and the Clinical and Laboratory Images in Publications (CLIP) principles. The process of developing the PRILE 2021 guidelines followed the recommendations of the Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting Guidelines. The aim of the current document is to provide authors with an explanation for each of the items in the PRILE 2021 checklist and flowchart with examples from the literature, and to provide advice from peer-reviewers and editors about how to solve each problem in manuscripts prior to their peer-review. The Preferred Reporting Items for study Designs in Endodontology (PRIDE) website (http://pride-endodonticguidelines.org/prile/) provides a link to the PRILE 2021 explanation and elaboration document as well as to the checklist and flowchart.
Euler method is a numerical order process for solving problems with the Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE). It is a fast and easy way. While Euler offers a simple procedure for solving ODEs, problems such as complexity, processing time and accuracy have driven others to use more sophisticated methods. Improvements to the Euler method have attracted much attention resulting in numerous modified Euler methods. This paper proposes Cube Polygon, a modified Euler method with improved accuracy and complexity. In order to demonstrate the accuracy and easy implementation of the proposed method, several examples are presented. Cube Polygon’s performance was compared to Polygon’s scheme and evaluated against exact solutions using SCILAB. Results indicate that not only Cube Polygon has produced solutions that are close to identical solutions for small step sizes, but also for higher step sizes, thus generating more accurate results and decrease complexity. Also known in this paper is the general of the RL circuit due to the ODE problem.
Mobile robots often have to discover a path of collision-free towards a specific goal point in their environment. We are trying to resolve the mobile robot problem iteratively by means of numerical technique. It is built on a method of potential field that count on the use of Laplace’s equation in the mobile robot’s configuration space to constrain/which reduces the generation of a potential function over regions. This paper proposed an iterative approach in solving robot path finding problem known as Accelerated Over-Relaxation (AOR). The experiment shows that these suggested approach can establish a smooth path between the starting and goal points by engaging with a finite-difference technique. The simulation results also show that a more rapidly solution with smoother path than the previous work is achieved via this numerical approach.
This study proposes the concept of duration (D) and severity (S) measures, which were derived from unhealthy air pollution events. In parallel with that, the application of a copula model is proposed to evaluate unhealthy air pollution events with respect to their duration and severity characteristics. The bivariate criteria represented by duration and severity indicate their structural dependency, long-tail, and non-identically marginal distributions. A copula approach can provide a good statistical tool to deal with these issues and enable the extraction of valuable information from air pollution data. Based on the copula model, several statistical measurements are proposed for describing the characteristics of unhealthy air pollution events, including the Kendall's τ correlation of the copula, the conditional probability of air pollution severity based on a given duration, the joint OR/AND return period, and the conditional D|S and conditional S|D return periods. A case study based on air pollution data indices was conducted in Klang, Malaysia. The results indicate that a copula approach is beneficial for deriving valuable information for planning and mitigating the risks of unhealthy air pollution events.
The main objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of portable devices (Mp4) in delivering imagery based on video modelling (expert model) among 30 female netball players, examining their personal experience. In the pre-test-intervention-post-test study design, 15 participants were randomly assigned into each of the Mp4 (initial and repeated instructions). Participants practised the imagery for seven days and were interviewed at post-test. In interviews most of the participants in the Mp4 conditions reported that their confidence for shooting increased. They considered the Mp4 to be a useful device to practice imagery at any time and place, but imagery training routines varied among participants and were influenced by their personal life and free time activities. The results of this study signified that the Mp4 has the potential to be a reliable tool to deliver imagery training based on video modelling among netballers.
One of the most common reasons why researchers seek help from statistician is sample size calculation. However despite the common believe that it only involves formula and calculation, researchers often ignore other aspects of research design that leads to proper sample size calculation. In this article, the author outlines basic steps toward sample size calculation. The author also introduces the logic behind sample size calculation for single mean and single proportion in simplified and less intimidating forms to those not statistically inclined.
Almost a half century after it was introduced, Wilks’ statistic has come into application in industrial manufacturing process variability monitoring. This is an important breakthrough in the way experts monitor the variability of manufacturing processes which is vital in modern industry. It leaves behind the traditional practice characterized by the use of sample size n which equals 1, if the process variability monitoring is based on individual observations and is greater than the number of variables p if one works with subgroup observations. The use of Wilks’ statistic allows us to work with n < p. This paper contains a review on process variability monitoring based on individual observations. First, some historical backgrounds of process variability monitoring in the general scheme was reviewed before it was revealed where the philosophy of Wilks’ statistic could be further interpreted. Subsequently it was indicated that the way to monitor the process variability depended on how the variability itself was measured. Finally, a new statistic for detecting the shift in variability based on individual observations was introduced and then a new control chart was proposed. The performance of the proposed chart as compared with Wilks chart, was quite promising. Therefore, some recommendations were given to better understand the history of manufacturing process variability.
Sustainability is an important factor in designing vernacular architecture, including vernacular palace architecture; the latter refers to low-rise buildings similar to Traditional Malay Houses (TMH). However, the Istana Lama Seri Menanti is a 4-storey mid-rise vernacular palace which was designed with sustainability in mind. This mid-rise element of the palace communicates the vernacular architecture of TMH in Negeri Sembilan whereas sustainable designs are factored in environmentally friendly materials, construction methods, and the environmental impact of the building culturally and economically. This research was aimed at examining the sustainability approach of Istana Lama Seri Menanti as a mid-rise vernacular palace in the early 20th Century, and its impact on the current generation after 109 years. The research methodologies include case and precedent studies of vernacular palaces in Malaysia as well as interviews with experts in the field. In conclusion, the architectural sustainability of Istana Lama Seri Menanti had taken into account timber availability, consumption of naturally available resources, designs with minimal environmental impact and high cultural importance in the building design with the ultimate aim of conserving it for future generations.
There has been only limited research focused on the assumption of leader stress and affective well-being. Hence, this study aims to determine the relationship between leadership style and employee stress level at workplace. This study primarily took a quantitative approach for data collection and analysis. Questionnaires were distributed at three branches of banks located in Kuching, Sarawak and to their employees. The findings show that there is a relationship between autocratic leadership style and employee stress level at workplace. The strength of the relationship is weak due to r = .461, p = .002. The findings also show that democratic leadership and transformational leadership have no relationship with the employee stress level at workplace.
Research study is an academic methods applied in real world in solving problems associated with the
society. The research process in achieving objectives of study will have a complete framework
including methodology. Methodology can be defined as method used to collec and compile data
through effective procedures in resulting the study problems. Methodology is divided into three stages,
namely the planning process, application process, and analysis process. This literature review of
methodology framework prioritizes on the planning process that involve with research study design,
which can be divided into an experimental and non-experimental. Experimental methods can be
categorized into real-experimental studies and quasi-experimental studies. Meanwhile, nonexperimental
can be divided into experimental survey, field studies, case studies, action studies and
historical studies. Mostly experimental methods are used in pure science and non-experimental methods used in social sciences. However, both methods are still relevant to be applied into certain
areas of study in order to achieve the objectives and hypothesis. Therefore, the methodology are
compulsory to be designed and applied properly, precisely and accurately so that the process of
collecting data in the period of before, during and after collection will not involve with ant errors,
mistakes and carelessness that may affect the research study.
Methodology is compulsory in research study that involve with the process of design,
application, and analysis. The literature review was conducted to describe the relationship of
sampling area, sample size, and determination of the measurement scale. The sample size can
be determined through formula (or equation). When sample size are applied in sampling area,
probability and non-probability sampling will be involve in determining the quantity and
quality of data collection for research. Random probability sampling is divided into simple
random, systematic, stages random, various stages random, and grouping; while nonprobability
sampling can be divided into chance, aimed, quota, snowball, dimensional, critical cases, and maximum variation. Next, the measurement scale can be determined through
normal, ordinal interval and ratio in questionnaire or interview, which all four scales will be
determine measurements such as Likert scale, Thurstone scale, Guttman scale, and the
difference procedures of Sematics scale in carrying out an analysis research. Therefore, the
sample size and sampling area, and also the choice of measurement scale is important in the
methodology for smoothing and accelerating the process of collecting and gathering data.
Family functioning and achievement motivation are two aspects that have been frequently discussed by psychologists. Findings from previous research found that both aspects are related to each other. The objective of this research was to identify the levels of family functioning and motivation achievements among civil servants from the Ministry of Human Resources. Besides that, this research intended to observe the influence of family functioning towards motivation achievement of the same sample. This research involved 945 respondents comprised of employees with different grades and position within the Ministry of Human Resource in which they were chosen via simple random sampling. The Family Functioning Style Scale (FFSS) was used to measure family functioning while the Cassidy and Lynn Achievement Scale (CLAM) was used to measure achievement motivation. Analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 on the data collected. Results showed that majority of the respondents were found to have high levels of family functioning, however, majority of the respondents reported average level of achievement motivation. Results also found that family functioning was influential to motivation achievement.