bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A PUBLIC ART GALLERY AS AN EDUCATION CENTRE IN KUCHING, SARAWAK
Authors: Wong Neng Lee
Published: March 2019

Building a Public Art Gallery is a dream of many individuals in Kuching, Sarawak. Kuching possesses colourful multicultural identities and has been producing different types of art that reflect the uniqueness of these identities. However, until now no public art gallery serves as a platform for Sarawakian artists, particularly in Kuching, to display their artworks and crafts and at the same time educate the community. This paper compiles the literature review on the importance of a public art gallery as an education centre for the society. The data was collected using the qualitative method, focusing on in-depth interviews to identify and analyse why a public art gallery is vital in Kuching, Sarawak, like a lot of other states in Malaysia. The informants were selected by purposive sampling and then analysed using Data Analysis Lamnek. This paper analyses the informants’ perceptions. It concludes with a suggestion of a temporary public art gallery in Kuching, Sarawak and some future studies.
ELABORATING THE ROLE OF NETWORK SYNERGY CAPACITY AS A SUPPLIER’S ALTERNATIVE TERMINAL FOR ACHIEVING MARKETING PERFORMANCE
Authors: Setiawan Ahmad Ikhwan , Hanfan Ahmad
Published: March 2019

This research aims to construct a model of network synergy capacity in order to fill the research gap between trust-developing capability and marketing performance. This research model involves a number of other important supporting variables such as competitive position strengthening and excellent service commitment to improve marketing performance. At the beginning, 320 companies which distribute industrial products in Indonesia were contacted for the study using a purposive sampling technique. To achieve normality of data distribution, it was 263 respondent selected to be processed using AMOS. Our research indicated that the level of goodness of fit for the model meets all the necessary conditions and all the hypotheses proposed are supported. Even though network synergy capacity, in some pathways, has terminal role for increasing marketing performance but it is not as important as function of other variables, competitive position strengthening and excellent service commitment. Network synergy capacity as the novelty of this study contributed towards enhancing the body of knowledge of the network theory.Keywords: Network Synergy Capacity; Trust-developing Capability; Competitive Position Strengthening; ExcellentService Commitment; Marketing Performance.
ON THE NEXUS BETWEEN RISK TAKING AND PROFITABILITY: EVIDENCES FROM INDONESIA
Authors: Mongid Abdul , Muazaroh Muazaroh
Published: March 2019

This paper test interrelationship between risk taking and profitability (ROAA) using two stage regression. We study 150 bank sample for 2008-2014 from Indonesia. Instrumented variable is total risk taking (RT) and the instruments are asset size, equity to total asset, loan asset ratio, loan loss reserve, efficiency, liquidity. For macroeconomic variables, we use economic growth, Central bank -rate (CBDR) and inflation rate (CPI). We find a positive relationship between risk taking (RT) and bank profitability (ROAA). Further, the relationship between risk taking (RT) and profitability (ROAA) is endogenous. The result confirms that bank's motivation to take more risk is to earn higher profit. In addition, capital ratio is negative to risk taking (RT) and profitability (ROAA). Interestingly, credit risk taking is negative due to the high correlation with a problem loan (LLRGL). The cost inefficiency is negative to bank’s profitability. Finally, for improving profitability, bank’s manager should manage the operation better such as reducing problem loan and improving cost efficiency as these actions are more effective than taking more risk taking (RT).Keywords: Risk Taking; Profitability; Two-Stage Regression; Macroeconomic; Indonesia.
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN CAPITAL INEQUALITY AND GLOBALIZATION
Authors: Bani Yasmin
Published: March 2019

This study attempts to tackle the inequality and globalization issue by departing from the usual convention and studying the effect of globalization on another distribution, which is the distribution of human capital. We would like to investigate whether globalization helps to alleviate or worsen inequality in education and benefit everyone in the observed population in the same way in terms of education. Moreover, we would also like to analyze whether the benefit or loss experienced by countries differ across the level of development. Our focus is on the impact of the composite index of globalization as well as its three different dimensions on education inequality. The study shows that the developing countries (low and middle-income countries) do not necessarily benefit from globalization, which clearly contradicts the standard trade theory. This is because we observe the existence of variation of effects within the developing countries itself. Globalization narrows the education gap in low-income countries but it widens the gap in middle-income countries. Additionally, the study also show the importance of social and political globalization, which is often ignored in existing literature. The results are robust to different measures of globalization, exclusion of countries from different regions and inclusion of several control variables.Keywords: Globalization; Human Capital Inequality; System GMM.
THE IMPACTS OF POLICY REFORM ON INFORMATION DIFFUSION IN CHINESE REAL ESTATE STOCKS
Authors: Chi Dong , Ahmad Zamri , Yang Yang
Published: March 2019

The study focuses on the process of information diffusion in Chinese real estate stocks. By investigating whether and how policy reforms that occurred during 2002 to 2013 affected the process of information diffusion, this study finds there is a significant lead-lag relationship between big and small Chinese real estate stocks, generated by the gradual information diffusion. This study further discovers that this lead-lag effect is enhanced along with main policy reforms of Chinese real estate market during the full sample period, which implies the delay degree of information diffusion becomes greater over time. Therefore, policy reforms in Chinese real estate market increase friction of information diffusion. However, continuously decreasing information volatility of information diffusion suggests information environment and transparency of market have improved over time. Therefore, the results support the notion that, along with the market development, policy reforms of Chinese real estate market have brought about transparency to the market to some degree.Keywords: Policy Reform; Information Diffusion; Real Estate Stocks; China.
THE FORMATION OF CUSTOMER CSR PERCEPTIONS IN THE BANKING SECTOR: THE ROLE OF COHERENCE, ALTRUISM, EXPERTISE AND TRUSTWORTHINESS
Authors: Pérez Andrea , Del Bosque Ignacio Rodríguez
Published: March 2019

The purpose of the authors in this paper is twofold. First, we aim to broaden the scope of analysis in the CSR-customer domain by testing the multidimensionality of CSR perceptions. We also define the role of CSR coherence, corporate altruism, expertise and trustworthiness in the formation of customer CSR perceptions. Results demonstrate that both altruism and CSR coherence directly influence CSR perceptions because of the scepticism of customers towards CSR. Corporate credibility dimensions -expertise and trustworthiness- have significant different effects on the formation of customer CSR perceptions so our results corroborate the necessity of analyzing these two dimensions as different concepts which affect corporate image in diverse ways.Keywords: CSR Perceptions; CSR Coherence; Altruism; Expertise; Trustworthiness.
A Study of Solid Waste Generation in Residential College UNIMAS West Campus as Potential Renewable Energy
Authors: Mohd Said Mohd Azrin , Ritchie Bush Engat
Published: March 2019

Solid waste management has become a critical issue faced by Malaysia due to the country’s rapid development, both in population and economic. The same goes to the tertiary education institutions, which also faced by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS). UNIMAS is a hostel provided campus, where the human traffic is considerably high. Everyday large amount of solid waste are produced by the residents of UNIMAS. Statistic data and percentage of solid waste produced by UNIMAS residents according to type have never been investigated. Therefore this study provides an insight of this kind of data for the purpose of future development in UNIMAS solid waste management. The type of solid waste produced by Residential College UNIMAS West Campus and its percentages and volume produced are discussed focusing on the solid waste that have potential energy value and recyclable materials. The data in terms of percentage and approximate amount of volume was applied in the calculation of the potential energy of the solid waste recovery according to the types. The result shows that the total potential amount of energy from solid waste produced by Residential College UNIMAS West campus could reach up to 14027.19 kJ/kg where the highest value that is 22.64% of energy content was contributed by Tun Ahmad Zaidi College.
The Impact of Soft Error on C-Elements Due to Process Corner Variation and Temperature
Authors: Julai Norhuzaimin
Published: March 2019

This paper presents current injection resemble single event upset (SEU) current at the vulnerable nodes on different configurations of C-elements under two different scenarios: process corner and temperature. The objectives are to identify the vulnerable nodes due to SEU and to find the critical charges needed to flip the output from low to high (0-1) and high to low (1-0) on different configurations of C-elements. The comparisons of C-elements in term of the resistivity toward soft error are presented.
Effects of Solvent/Solid Ratio and Temperature on the Kinetics of Vitamin C Extraction from Musa Acuminata
Authors: Mohamad Said Khairul Anwar , Yakub Ibrahim , Mohamed Alipah Nurul Ain
Published: March 2019

This work studied on the kinetics of Vitamin C extraction from banana peel at different solvent/solid concentration and temperature. Musa Acuminata was ground into smaller sizes before contacted with methanol as a solvent in an ultrasonic bath. To study the effect of solvent/solid ratio, 4.5, 5.0 and 10.0 ml/g ratio were used for the extraction at fixed temperature. Then, the temperature was varied with the heating element available in the ultrasonic bath at 30, 45 and 60 oC, to study the effect of temperature on the extraction kinetics. It was found that high solvent/solid ratio (10 ml/g) provides more solute-solvent contact and prevents the extracted Vitamin C from coming into contact with the air. Besides, higher temperature (60 oC) contributes sufficient kinetic energy for Vitamin C distribution in the solvent which is important to prevent degradation with air. The best fitted kinetic model for Vitamin C extraction from Musa Acuminata is Ana et al. (2007) with equilibrium concentration of 0.05 g/L and 0.40 g/L.hr extraction rate
Production of Biogas Using Dairy Manure as Feedstock and Rumen Fluid as Inoculum
Authors: Salleh Shanti Faridah , Zulkifli Muhammad Hifzhan Amsyar , Jalani Mohd Rahmat
Published: March 2019

Methane gas is a valuable gas that can be used as a source of energy, either used for cooking fuel or small-scale electricity production. The most suitable application of the methane gas is in rural areas which rarely have the source of energy. It can reduce the dependency of using diesel or gasoline in order to obtain electricity. This study focused on the use of dairy manure as the feedstock and the rumen fluid as the innoculant to improve the production of biogas in rural areas application. The amount of rumen fluid and water added were varied to prepare 0 %, 12.5 %, 25 %, 37.5 % and 50 % rumen fluid. Besides that, the pH level was monitored and its effects towards biogas production was discussed. From the experiment, sample with 37.5 % rumen fluid gave the highest biogas production, followed by 50 %, 25 %, 12.5 % and 0 % rumen fluid. The presence Rumen fluids have improved the biogas production for the anaerobic digestion.
Roles of Impregnation Ratio of K2CO3 and NaOH in Chemical Activation of Palm Kernel Shell
Authors: Aliasa Norulaina , Ahmad Zaini Muhammad Abbas , Kamaruddin Mohd. Johari
Published: March 2019

The present work was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two activating agents, namely potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the chemical activation of palm kernel shell (PKS). The adsorbents were prepared by dried impregnation at different solid mass ratios of activating agent to precursor, followed by thermal treatment at 500°C for 2 h. The adsorbents were characterized for specific surface area, carbon content, ash content and surface functional groups. Results show that the specific surface of K2CO3-activated samples are in the range of 5.3 to 53 m2/g, while that of NaOH-activated samples are between 145 and 458 m2/g. The removal of methylene blue is in accordance with the development of surface area of adsorbents, with the maximum capacity between 7.8 and 69 mg/g, and fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm. The findings conclude that, under the thermal conditions studied, NaOH is better than K2CO3 in the chemical activation of PKS.
A Model for Determining Appropriate Speed Breaker Mechanism for Power Generation
Authors: Emovon Ikuobase
Published: March 2019

The key to sustainable economic development is having adequate electricity to power homes and industrial machines. However, electric power supply in majority of developing countries is grossly inadequate. To improve on the power generation different renewable energy sources have been explored. One of the sources of renewable energy is the application of speed breaker system to convert kinetic energy of moving vehicles into electricity using various mechanisms. The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology for determining the most appropriate mechanism of speed breaker system for effective power generation. The proposed approach aggregated the AHP and the WASPAS methods. The efficacy of the methodology is illustrated with a numerical example. From the analysis, the optimum speed breaker mechanism for power generation is the roller mechanism. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out to determine the effect of one of the parameters of the proposed method on the performance of the different mechanisms. The result of the sensitivity analysis showed that the optimum solution remained unchanged.
Statistical Analysis and Determination of Representative Size for Sediment in Malaysian Urban Drains
Authors: Bong Charles Hin Joo
Published: March 2019

This paper highlights the statistical analysis done on sediment samples collected from concrete drains in Malaysian major urban areas in order to understand the characteristics of the sediment and also to determine the suitable representative grain size. Samples were collected from 12 urban areas in Peninsular Malaysia and 3 urban areas in East Malaysia and subjected to sieve analysis. Sieve analysis results had shown that the major component of the collected sediment samples was sand with a mean value of 72.2%, followed by gravel with a mean of 24.7% and silt and clay with a mean of 3.1%. Samples from 10 locations have shown a non normal distribution with the tenderness to skew to the right. Due to this, the conventional use of median grain size, d50 as the effective size for sediment samples might not be a good representation for the sediment distribution. Further statistical analysis in this paper have suggested that the mode grain size is a much better representative grain size due to its stability when compared to median and mean size. Thus, a much better representative for the sediment samples from Malaysian urban areas would be the mode size (in this case is d20).
Preserving Performing Arts through Homestay Programme: Lesson learnt from Bidayuh Annah Rais Longhouse Tourism’s experience
Authors: Peter Samat, Tracy , Chairil Samani Mus , Huda Marwan Nurul , Jamilah Maliki
Published: March 2019

The Bidayuh people are one of the indigenous communities who often get the highlight from tourists during their stay in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak. Their performing arts notably, the dance and music are often commercialized and staged to tourists, who would visit the prominent Bidayuh longhouse in Annah Rais village, located at the Padawan District. This paper is based on empirical studies that explores and identifies the significance of homestay programme as one of the rural community-based tourism developments and the role of homestay proprietors to perpetuate and preserve the Bidayuh performing arts. The research findings are based on in-depth interview with the homestay proprietors as well local and foreign visitors and tourists during their visit or stay in the village. The twofold findings reveal that the interplay between homestay programme and proprietors are crucial in shaping tourist’s meaningful experiences which ultimately imperative in the planning and management of rural community-based tourism for sustainable development.Keywords: performing arts, community-based tourism, homestay, cultural heritage, Bidayuh
SELF-ORGANISATION INITIATIVES IN COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION: A CASE STUDY OF BUNG JAGOI HERTIAGE BAU, SARAWAK MALAYSIA
Authors: SAROK AHI , BRITIN FREDICIA BEATRICE
Published: March 2019

This article examines the small-scaled, village-based, self-organised initiatives community-based conservation (CBC) of Bung Jagoi Heritage, Bau, Sarawak. The community self-organisation criteria are adopted in this study. The initiatives are developed through the CBC Projects under the Equator Initiative (EI) of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) which are considered successful by the EI. This article also investigates the impact of Bidayuh customary law or adat on the access and forest resources management in the communal forest of Bung Jagoi Heritage which utilised the Adat Bidayuh Order, 1994 and native customs as their guidelines for managing the access and forest resources. The level of participation among the villagers and the committee members is also assessed in this study based on the widely used participation typology developed by Jules N. Pretty. The data for this study is gathered through semi-structured interviews (SSIs) and observation. The findings of this study shows that the self-organisation in CBC of Bung Jagoi Heritage is initiated by a small number of Jagoi-Duyoh villagers due to some outsiders’ mysterious visits and concerns to conserve the forested land that also situate an ancestral village and its biodiversity as well as to develop the Bung Jagoi Heritage through the conservation activities. The success of this CBC self-organisation relies heavily on the involvement and commitment of the committee members, funding from the local and international donors, and leadership of the committee’s advisor in order for it to sustain and develop. The local community practices collectively known as the adat gives some impact on the access and forest resources through its communal tenure and traditional beliefs. The level of participation among the villagers can be categorised as ‘participation for material incentive’ while the level of participation among the committee member can be categorised as ‘self-mobilisation’.Key words: self-organisation, community-based conservation (CBC), customary law, adat, forest resources, participation, Bidayuh, Jagoi.
INTERNET USAGE AMONG SABAH CIVIL SERVANTS AND IT’S IMPACT ON THEIR CONSUMERS BEHAVIOR
Authors: Adnan Mohd Hamdan
Published: March 2019

The Malaysian government from the end of the twentieth century till now in the early twenty first century is consistent in trying to make the usage of the information communication technology (ICT) as a way of life. It hopes that with the usage of Internet and the many social media programs relationship between civil servants and with the general or target public can be greatly enhanced. As one of the twelve National Key Economic Areas of the Economic Transformation Program (ETP) the Malaysian government has outlined the expansion and development of communication infrastructure. The Wireless Broadband Network (WBN) is recommended as the technology to enable wireless broadband access to the rural folks. Promoting ICT usage as a way of life has been aggressively campaigned by the Federal Government since the start of the Internet era. It is expected that the civil servants should be among the first consumers to embrace ICT as compared to other citizens. This article researched the usage of the Internet by civil servants and to discover whether it have impacted their behaviour as consumers. The research used random sampling method with prepared questionnaires. It utilised the uses and gratifications theory (UGT), the respondents’ centred approach to understand why and how the civil servants utilised the Internet to meet their needs. Altogether 12 government agencies in Sabah comprising 316 respondents from the top to the lowest grades participated. The findings revealed that Sabah civil servants nearly fully embrace the Internet and its impact on their consumer behaviour is significant. They are increasingly spending more time on the Internet via the social media to socialise, enhancing their knowledge, buying online and even trying to earn extra income.
A COMMUNITY OF SECRETS: STIGMATIZATION OF FORMER HANSEN’S DISEASE PATIENTS AND THEIR GENERATIONS IN KAMPUNG SINAR BARU, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA
Authors: Kaur Parveen , Abd-Rahim Atiqah , Jahoring Anis , Edut Joanna , Jawaid Arif
Published: March 2019

In the early 19th century in Sarawak, Hansen’s disease or leprosy became a reportable disease where the unfortunate victims were forcibly segregated to a leprosarium, leaving behind family, relatives and future. The image of claw hands or toes and rot noses were associated with the unclean and the sinful. This chronic transmissible affliction made a great panic to the state government to ostracize sufferers in an isolated settlement back in the 1920s. Fortunately, the infection can be cured but negative attitudes towards the former leprosy patients persist until now. This paper is based on ethnographic work that explores the stigma experienced and challenges faced by former leprosy patients and their generation. The research findings are based on three months of fieldwork with seven former sufferers and three children of former sufferers who live in Kampung Sinar Baru, Kota Padawan, Sarawak, a resettlement village for the former leprosy patients. The findings reveal their dreadful past experiences on compulsory segregation in Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital (RCBMH) where they were forced to be separated from family and hometown which still haunt them till today. In addition, former patients suffer mental health consequences and humiliation from the effects of treatment and also from visible deformities. Nevertheless, they believe that the stigmatization is less severe now than in the past and empathy from society makes them become more independent.
TRANFORMASI SOSIAL DALAM ETNIK KENYAH SANG DI LONG SAN, BARAM, SARAWAK
Authors: Lenjau Jeffrey Ngau
Published: March 2019

Objektif utama kajian ini bertujuan untuk menjelajahi transformasi sosial dalam masyarakat Kenyah Sang di Long San, Baram iaitu sebelum dan selepas memeluk agama Kristian pada tahun 1947. Pada konteks sejarah, kajian ini memberi fokus kepada salasilah keluarga Kenyah Sang keluarga Tama Lawai Anau sahaja. Sebelum berasimilasi dengan Kenyah Lebo Vo di Long San, Kenyah Sang menetap di kawasan yang berasingan tetapi berdekatan diantara satu sama lain. Hal ini bertujuan membentuk pakatan ketenteraan daripada serangan mengayau. Yang menariknya, kajian terhadap Kenyah Sang ini tidak pernah dilakukan oleh mana mana pengkaji terdahulu. Dengan erti kata lain, kajian ini merupakan kajian pertama yang menyelidiki dan merintis kepada kajian Kenyah Sang secara mendalam. Lantaran itu, kajian ini turut bertujuan untuk memelihara dan memulihara kebudayaan Kenyah Sang agar tidak lupus ditelan zaman. Oleh yang demikian, untuk mengkaji transformasi sosial Kenyah Sang ini, kajian ini mempunyai tiga objektif yang utama; (1) untuk menjejaki sejarah dan latar belakang Kenyah Lebo Sang sebelum dan selepas memeluk agama Kristian pada tahun 1947; (2), untuk menentukan apakah faktor utama menyumbang kepada tranformasi sosial Kenyah Sang di Long San; dan; (3), untuk mengakses implikasi transformasi sosial ini kepada kebudayaan Kenyah Sang di Long San. Bagi pengumpulan data pula, pengkaji menggunakan penyelidikan secara kualitatif. Antara alat pengumpulan data yag digunakan seperti temubual secara mendalam, sistem salasilah kekeluargaan dan buku akademik yang bersesuaian sahaja
Birundeng: Penyelesaian Konflik Etnik Bidayuh
Authors: Robert Clayton
Published: March 2019

Birundeng merupakan satu pendekatan pengadilan berasaskan kepada adat masyarakat Bidayuh di Sarawak yang bertujuan untuk menyelesaikan konflik. Pendekatan ini mementingkan kebersamaan dan kesepakatan dalam kalangan masyarakat untuk menangani sesuatu kes. Artikel ini akan membincangkan tentang proses dan fungsi birundeng. Kajian ini menggunakan sumber primer, sumber lisan dan kerja lapangan. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mendedahkan dan menjelaskan tentang fungsi birundeng dalam menangani konflik yang berlaku dalam masyarakat Bidayuh.
A Case Study On Gerugu Dam Overtopping Under Different PMP Scenarios
Authors: Hock Hwee Heng , Ching Poon Hii
Published: March 2019

A hydrological dam safety inspection was carried out for existing Gerugu dam (CA= 14 km2) by evaluating the hydrological performance of the bellmouth spillway in light of two different sets of Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP).  For safety reason, it is utmost important that the flood rise does not exceed the embankment dam crest level (ECL).  Gerugu dam (CA= 14 km2) is a small catchment earthfill zoned embankment dam that supplies raw waters to the water treatment plant downstream.  This study selects both “coastal” type of PMP [13], [14] which is mostly representative of the extreme precipitation parameters adopted in the design of the dam and a recent set of PMP under NAHRIM [11] study.  A catchment routing procedure is then used to translate the PMPs to PMFs for 1- to 120-hour duration and a conventional reservoir routing in tandem to estimate the outflows and corresponding flood rise over the full supply level (FSL) of the reservoir. The dam is considered safe under both coastal and NAHRIM [11] PMP scenarios as the flood rises for all cases are confined below the embankment crest level (ECL), i.e. +33.0 m msl.
Characterization of Early Pozzolanic Reaction of Calcium Hydroxide and Calcium Silicate Hydrate for Nanosilica Modified Cement Paste
Authors: Chong J.Z. , Sutan N.M. , Yakub I.
Published: March 2019

This  study  intends  to  investigate  the  early   pozzolanic  reaction  of  Nanosilica (nS)         modified cement paste (NMCP)  by  the characterization technique  of Calcium Hydroxide (CH) and Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H ) using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). NMCP samples were prepared with water-binder ratio of 0.50. nS of 5-15nm particle size were used as 1%, 3% ,5% ,7% and 10% replacement of cement by weight. All samples were cured in the concrete laboratory at daily room temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) in the range of 18-28oC and 65-90%, respectively. Powdered samples were prepared and tested at day 1,7,21 and 28. It was found that characterization technique used were able to give satisfactory qualitative indication of pozzolanic reactivity of NMCP by the presence and absence of C-S-H and C-H that can indicate which replacement has higher pozzolanicity. NMCP exhibited a higher pozzolanic reactivity compare to conventional cement paste by which cement performance was enhanced.
Modelling of Dam-Weir Operations for Environmental Quality
Authors: Y.S. Mah Darrien , J. Putuhena Frederik
Published: March 2019

It is the desire of many societies to have clean and safe potable water sources. As manmade structures are built in water supply catchments for the purposes to increase safe yield, then facilities management of these structures should be steered towards environmental quality. Hydraulics over a weir is well studied. However, this paper probes into benchmarking of flows over a Batu Kitang Weir to guide operations of an upstream Bengoh Dam in Sarawak, Malaysia. Flow releases from the dam are tried and routed through Sarawak Kiri River to achieve supercritical states at weir by means of computer modelling. For daily dam-weir operations, the modelling results suggest a condition of 20 m3/s < dam releases < 200 m3/s to meet raw water demand as well as adequate river flow regulation.
Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solutions using Chemical Activated CarbonPrepared from Jackfruit (Artocarpusheterophyllus) Peel Waste
Authors: Tengku Hasbullah T.N.A. , Selaman O.S. , Rosli N.A.
Published: March 2019

Dye wastewater generated is rated as the most polluting wastewater among all the industrial sectors. Adsorption using activated carbon (AC) has been proven to be effective to treat dye wastewater. In this study, jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) peel waste has been utilized for activated carbon (AC) preparation using chemical activation. This research attempts to study the factors affecting its adsorption performance. Series of experiments conducted consisted of the experiments studying the effect of initial dye concentration and also effect of adsorbent dosage. In the study, CAC showed adsorption capacity of 10.43 mg/g.
Potential Modeling Of Pavement Deterioration Rate Due To Cracking
Authors: S.Y. Wee , Chan R.A @ R.B , H.W. Teo
Published: March 2019

Bitumen pavements tend to crack at some point of their life under the combined action of traffic and the environment. These cracks are defects in the pavement surfacing which weakens the pavement and allows water to penetrate and cause further weakening. Once initiated, cracking usually increases in extent, severity and intensity, leading eventually to pavement failure. Cracking has therefore been an important indicator for road pavement maintenance. In view of the extensive road network in Malaysia covering more than 80,000 kilometers in total, the government has to spend huge sums of money on the repair of cracks under its annual road maintenance program. However, the resurfacing works have not always been successful and cracks tend to reappear after some time. The accurate prediction of crack occurrence and the effectiveness of resurfacing works to control cracks are key factors in predicting the timing and costs of road maintenance. In view of this, it is imperative that a suitable model for the prediction of crack development be derived. This model will then be able to predict the deterioration rate of pavement cracking in the future. It in turn will enable effective road rehabilitation programs be implemented in time before cracking deteriorates and leads to eventual pavement failure.
A Review of Soil Nailing Design Approaches
Authors: Taib S.N.L.
Published: March 2019

A number of design manuals and recommendations; namely by the HA 68 [4] (U.K.), BS8006 [1] (U.K.), RDGC [7] (France) and FHWA [5] (USA) are available for soil nailing. This paper will focus on the different approaches, specifically on the assumptions made for the design of soil nailing structures.
Evaluation of Acacia Mangium in Structural Size at Green Condition
Authors: Ismaili Gaddafi , Abu Bakar Badorul Hisham , Abdul Rahim Khairul Khuzaimah
Published: March 2019

Acacia mangium is one of the most popular choices in the reforestation and rehabilitation of abandoned shifting cultivation areas dated back to the 70’s. This paper looks into the evaluation of mechanical strength and physical properties in structural size at green condition for Acacia mangium. The mechanical strength properties tests were referred to the modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and tensile strength. Meanwhile, physical properties determination referred to basic density and moisture content. At green condition, Acacia mangium had been identified under the strength group SG6. It was found that strength value of modulus of rupture was higher than the tensile strength value with 44% stronger in bending compared to in tension. At the structural size, the mean value for moisture content and basic density at green condition were reported with 73.03% and 0.54g/cm3 respectively.
Soil Erosian and Sediment Yield of a Sanitary Landfill Site - A Case Study
Authors: Y.W. Oon , N.J. Chin , P.L. Law
Published: March 2019

This research presents the results of a study on soil erosion rates and sediment yields of a proposed Level 4 Sanitary Landfill construction site located in Sibu, Sarawak. Assessments on potential soil erosion rates and sediment yields during pre-construction, construction and operation stages were carried out using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE), respectively. It was found that soil erosion rates during construction and operation stages fell under "Moderately High" category, whereby highest sediment yield occurred during construction and operation stages. Comparative analysis on with and without Best Management Practices (BMPs) during construction stage demonstrated that BMPs could significantly reduce the rate of soil erosion, and thus sediment yields.
Road Pavement Stiffness Determination using SASW Method
Authors: Ismail M. A. , Samsudin A. R. , Rafek A. G. , Nayan K. A. M.
Published: March 2019

The Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) method is an in-situ seismic technique for the evaluation and assessment of road pavement. The method is based on the theory of stress waves propagating in elastic media with the key elements being the generation and detection of Rayleigh wave motion. A set of transient impact source with a range of frequencies is used to generate the Rayleigh wave energy that is able to propagate along the surface layer of the pavement. Through two vertical accelerometers, the motion of the wave for each range of frequency is recorded and calculated using a dynamic signal analyzer. A dispersion curve is then constructed from the cross-power spectrum of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) that results in the phase velocity versus wavelength plot. An iterative inversion is then carried out to obtain the shear wave velocity profile with depth and the corresponding dynamic modulus of each pavement units. This paper presents a case study carried out on a new road pavement construction site. It was found that the profile of the dynamic shear and Young’s modulus versus depth obtained from SASW method
The Relationship between Management Practices and Safety
Authors: Cheng Siew Lee , Michael Florianna Lendai , Hamidi Hana , Abdullah Siti Mariam
Published: March 2019

Work-related accidents is a controversial topic in Malaysia as evidenced by the increased number of occupational accidents throughout the years. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between management practices and safety performance in an or-ganization. The four management practices investigated are (a) training, (b) management commitment, (c) communication and feedback, and (d) employee involvement. The most effective safety practice is also identified. The data was collected at a manufacturing com-pany located in Shah Alam, Malaysia using closed-ended questionnaire. 95 respondents from the production line were involved in this study. The result found that training had a very weak relationship to the safety performance while the management commitment, as well as the communication and feedback, revealed to have a weak impact on safety perfor-mance. On the other hand, the analysis showed that employee involvement is the most ef-fective safety practice to the safety performance, as it had a moderate impact on safety per-formance.

Keywords: Workplace health and safety; accidents; injuries; safety performance
The Relationship Between Workers’ Health and Night Shift Work in Food Franchise Industry in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Authors: Long Siew Wui , Michael Florianna Lendai , Hamidi Hana
Published: March 2019

Shift work alters workers exposure to natural and artificial light, sleep patterns, and feeding patterns. Among other working population, shift workers are at a greater risk of developing metabolic impairments over time. Hence, this study aimed to study the relationship between workers’ health and night shift work in food franchise industry in Kuching, Sarawak. The independent variables are sleep pattern, mental health, psychological well-being, circadian rhythm, and insomnia, while the dependent variable is night shift work. Questionnaires were distributed using convenience sampling techniques and a total of 59 questionnaires were collected.  Pearson Correlations test. showed that there is a significant relationship between workers’ health and night shift work. The implications on this research shows that there are more researches on the mitigation of health risk on shift workers.

 Keywords: Night shift work; sleep pattern; mental health; psychological; circadian rhythm; insomnia
Perceived Fairness in Performance Appraisal System and Its Relationship with Work Performance
Authors: Xervaser Arene Ursolo , Ahmad Rusli , Abdullah Bandar Nur Fatihah , Abdullah Siti Mariam
Published: March 2019

This study aims to identify employee perceptions of perceived fairness in performance appraisal system and work performance as the performance appraisal system is crucial to evaluate employees’ performance in every organization; public or private. A private Oil & Gas company in Miri, Sarawak was chosen for this study. Quantitative research method was employed in this study, and closed-ended questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents. Statistical analysis using One Way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and Independent sample t-test were used to test the hypotheses. The findings showed that there were no significance differences between the selected demographic factors (age, gender, duration of service, highest educational level, and rank) in performance appraisal system and the work performance. Also, there was a significant relationship between the rating accuracy in the performance appraisal system and work performance. Besides that, there was a significant relationship between employee perceptions of leadership styles in decision making in the performance appraisal system and work performance. The findings also showed that employees are concerned with the evaluation and rating given by their supervisor because the outcomes of the performance appraisal will influence their career development in the organization. Thus, performance appraisal system is crucial in increasing the work performance of employees and organization. Organizations should emphasize the role of the performance appraisal system practiced in their organizations and recognize that it is important in improving employees’ performance. Future researchers are encouraged to explore further on the performance appraisal elements that have not been investigated in this study, and conduct the research with a bigger population and sample size.Keywords: Performance Appraisal System; rating accuracy; leadership styles; work performance
Smoking and Its Impacts on Absenteeism and Stress: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Leong Jong Jee , Sumilan Helmi , Siong Heng Chin , Michael Florianna Lendai
Published: March 2019

The article highlights a preliminary study on smoking and its impact on absenteeism and stress in the work place. The article also includes an application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in explaining the behavior of smoking. The Theory of Planned Behavior which was proposed by Icek Ajzen is used to predict an individual’s behavioural control and intention which are influenced by attitude and social norms to perform a behaviour. This article also discusses previous researches done on smoking and its relationship with absenteeism and stress among employees in organizations.
The Relationship Between Non-Financial Compensation Factors with Employees Retention in a Selected Hotel Industry
Authors: Haimi Nur Fadzillah , Ahmad Rusli , Bandar Nur Fatihah Abdullah , Abdullah Siti Mariam , Sumilan Helmi , Shminan Ahmad Sofian
Published: March 2019

This study aims to determine the relationship between non-financial compensation factors and employees retention in a selected hotel industry.  A survey methodology was used in this study. A total of 120 questionnaires were administered to employees who are currently working in the hotel industry. Using the Pearson’s Correlation analysis test, this study analysed the relationship between employees retention and financial compensation factors which include opportunities for training and promotion, job challenges, recognition and the working environment. Multiple Linear Regression was used to determine the dominant factor that contributes to retention of employees.  The results revealed that there was a significant relationship between the factors and employees retention. The results indicated that the working environment is the most dominant factor that contributes to employees retention.
Developing Effective Customer Service Employees through Action Re-search: A Malaysian Local Authority Experience
Authors: Songan Peter , Loh Elizabeth , Abang Othman Abang Ehsan
Published: March 2019

Launching a hotline service is just one stage in the process of dealing with customers.  Crucial to meeting its objectives is the development of human resources to implement the hotline.  This is to ensure that quality and standard are demonstrated in order to justify its existence.  This paper presents the findings and reflection of an action research intervention to improve the Hotline Complaint Service of a local authority, the Kuching City South Council in Sarawak, Malaysia.  The action research process in this study involved five mini cycles of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. Visits, participant observations, interviews and questionnaires were used in the data collection process.  The data were analyzed using content analysis, and the findings validated through triangulation methods.  The findings suggest that there was still room for improvement in the Council’s Complaint Service.  An on-the-job experience for the hotline staff was implemented during which a guideline called the “13 Basic Principles in Effective Telephone Handling”; a “Handbook” on services provided by the Public Cleansing Division; and “Form A” were created and implemented.  This study shows that action research is an important component of human resource development interventions that provides employees the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills through on-the-job experience to improve their performance and enhance the efficiency and productivity of their organization.
Media Portrayals of People with Disabilities: An Analysis of Malaysia’s Television Series,“Kerana Cintaku Saerah” (Because of My Love, Saerah)
Authors: Mohammad Roose Aina Razlin , Zahit Ross Azura , Omar Lim Sheilla Lim
Published: March 2019

The media has a powerful ability to influence and shape society’s perceptions towards people with disabilities. The portrayal of individuals with disabilities within the media can often have an enormous impact on the way that are perceived by viewers. In Malaysia, people with disabilities are frequently viewed as pitiful, thus medias are more likely to use the element of sympathy in order to garner support from its targeted audience. The focus of this article is on the portrayal of people with disabilities in a popular television series in Malaysia, Kerana Cintaku Saerah (Because of My Love, Saerah) through the analysis of; self-acceptance by the characters with disabilities, family and society’s acceptance, and disability stereotypes in the Malay society. The findings revealed the ideation of how people with disabilities are treated, as well as exhibits disability stereotypes that exist in the Malay society.
Attachment Styles and Relationship Quality among Young Couples
Authors: Yahya Fatahyah , Xiao Huix Jocelyn Ng , Ghazali Nor Mazlina , Anuar Azzahrah , Mohammad Roose Aina Razlin , Abu Bakar Mohamad Azhari
Published: March 2019

This research was aimed to study the relationship between attachment style and relationship quality among young couples. A correlational research design was adopted to answer the objectives of this study. A total of 257 students of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Sarawak participated in this study. Two types of questionnaire were used in this study; the Experience in Close Relationship (ECR) to measure the attachment styles, and Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) to measure the relationship satisfaction of the couples. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between attachment style and relationship quality among the young couples in UNIMAS. Attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety had a significant effect on the relationship quality of the young couples. It is suggested for future studies to consider selecting the samples by using simple random sampling as the targeted population would be able to represent the whole population and the result would be more accurate. Keywords: Attachment avoidance; attachment anxiety
UNFORESEEN EFFECTS OF THE WWW
Authors: Maurer H.
Published: March 2019

The Web has caused a revolution of how we can access information today, how we easily get answers to many problems, and how we learn. However, there are three issues that are often overlooked. First, it is not easy to extrapolate current developments into the future: we will be in for many more surprises than we think. Second, as fast as the Web has developed, other technologies have developed still faster and their impact on society may be just as significant. Third, one must not overlook that the Web also has some inherent dangers that are more and more emerging. With all enthusiasm we have for the Web, we should also be aware of some of the subtle and some of the not so subtle dangers.In this paper, I will address the first two issues in the introduction, and devote the rest of the paper to some of the perceived dangers of the Web. One example is the loss of privacy (due to many organisations collecting detailed profiles on all of us, but also on organisations, economic developments and other issues), some of the loss of privacy also due to an unheard of exhibitionism in social networks. Also, information on the Web is often trusted much too easily, leading to a distorted view of reality. Many of the communication tools lead to a loss of concentration and understanding, the latter enhanced by the dangerous copy-paste syndrome. As Tara Brabazon has stated, "Researching is replaced by searching". Also, it is often overlooked that the convergence of mobile phones with powerful PCs will give us excellent personal assistants, but will also obviate the need to learn many things humans have had to learn for generations. Thus it seems that we have to completely re-think education and e-Learning: While myriads of attempts are made on HOW to improve teaching with technology, the main issues may rather be WHAT and WHEN we teach, since so much (will be or) is available everywhere at our fingertips. Finally, can we really trust technology, or could it fail us at some stage on a gigantic scale?
Realization of Generalized RBF Network
Authors: Lee N.K. , Wang D.
Published: March 2019

This paper aims at developing techniqus for design and implementation of neural classifiers. Based on our previous study on generalized RBF neural network architecture and learning criterion function for parameter optimization, this work addresses two realization issues, i.e. supervised input features selection and genetic computation techniques for tuning classifiers. A comparative study on classifiation performance is carried on by a set of protein sequence data.