UMPSA Young Scientists achieve International Recognition at Microbiome Summit 2025

HONG KONG, 11 January 2025 – Research conducted by postgraduate students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) won the Best Research Abstract Award and Best Poster Presentation Award at the Microbiome Summit 2025

Aizat Mohd Nasir alumni muda cemerlang terima Anugerah Mercu Sanjung Alumni Harapan UMPSA 2024

GAMBANG, 16 April 2025 – Komitmen dan sumbangan luar biasa seorang alumni muda Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), Aizat Mohd Nasir berbaloi apabila beliau akhirnya telah diiktiraf menerima Anugerah Mercu Sanjung Alumni Harapan UMPSA 2024 sempena Malam Anugerah Mercu Sanjung (MARS) yang berlangsung baru-baru ini di Dewan Kompleks Sukan UMPSA Kampus Gambang

Bertuahnya nasib pekerja di Malaysia

Sambutan Hari Pekerja yang diraikan pada 1 Mei setiap tahun merupakan satu penghormatan kepada golongan pekerja yang menjadi tulang belakang kepada pembangunan negara

A comparative review of CET4 essay writing assessments insights from the CEFR level descriptors and CET4 writing rubrics

The alignment of assessment frameworks such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the College English Test Band 4 (CET4) has gained significant attention in language testing and assessment research. This study explores the intersections between CET4 writing rubrics and CEFR level descriptors, focusing on their implications for essay writing evaluation. Grounded in Robinson’s (2001) Cognition Hypothesis (CH) and Skehan’s (1998) Limited Attentional Capacity Model (LACM), this research examines the role of task complexity in influencing lexical and syntactic outcomes in writing performance. Robinson’s CH posits increased task complexity enhances linguistic output, encouraging richer lexical and syntactic performance. In contrast, Skehan’s LACM highlights the trade-offs in accuracy, fluency, and complexity under cognitive constraints. Recent studies have applied these frameworks to investigate task complexity dimensions, such as “+/- planning time (PT)” and “+/- few elements (FE),” in standardized tests like CET4. Empirical findings from the past five years indicate significant correlations between task complexity, lexical diversity, and CEFR-aligned performance measures (Bui & Skehan, 2018a; Lambert et al., 2017; Xu & Zhang, 2023). Moreover, this study reviews research on aligning CET4 writing rubrics with CEFR descriptors to identify overlapping and divergent assessment criteria. Findings suggest that incorporating CEFR descriptors enhances the validity and fairness of CET4 assessments, bridging local and global standards in language evaluation. By synthesizing theoretical insights and recent empirical evidence, this study offers a nuanced understanding of writing assessment practices, informing educators and policymakers about the potential for harmonizing these frameworks

A Study Of Prevalence And Associated Factors Of Psychological Stress Among Early Childhood Teacher In Kuantan, Pahang

Background: Early childhood teachers’ psychological stress has a big impact on long-term mental and physical health. Designing successful therapies requires an understanding of their prevalence and associated factors. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of psychological stress among early childhood teachers in Kuantan, Pahang, as well as personal traits, working environment, personal factors and organizational factors are linked to it. Method: A representative sample of early childhood teachers in Kuantan, Pahang, participated in a cross-sectional study. Validated psychological stress questions were used to gather data on sociodemographic, psychological stress symptoms and possible stressors such as student misbehaviour, relationships with colleagues and school, and other variables. To find meaningful correlations, statistical analysis was done. Findings: Of the teachers, 45% have depression, 100% having anxiety and 55% having stress. Personal traits (p=0.001), working environments (p=0.003), and organizational factors (p=0.01) were important variables that were substantially linked to stress. Psychosocial programs and protective variables were found. Conclusion: The results show that psychological stress is quite common among early childhood teachers in Kuantan, Pahang and emphasise the significance of focused interventions to address risk factors that can be changed. It is advised that parents, teachers and school administrators work together to help teachers become more resilient and reduce stress

Finite element analysis of bending tests for fatigue cracking assessment

This study investigates material fatigue failure and fractures, mainly focusing on surface cracks and their implications in engineering applications. It reviews existing research to underscore the significance of understanding fatigue behaviour for maintaining structural reliability. The problem statement emphasises the challenges posed by material failure and the necessity for practical analysis to extend the product lifespan. The study aims to predict fatigue crack propagation in aluminium alloys under bending tests by using finite element analysis and fatigue crack growth (FCG) models. It utilises the S-version finite element method (S-FEM). It compares different FCG models to select the best model and to improve its accuracy towards actual experiment results. Specific study limits have been employed in this research to provide a particular investigational scope. The study examines four FCG models: Paris, Walker, Frost & Pook, and Huang & Moan. The specimens used in this analysis are aluminium alloy 7075-T6 and aluminium alloy AISi10Mg. The bending models used in this research are the three-point bending and four-point bending models. The result is examined based on the objectives of this study by using data collected from the simulation and experiment. Subsequently, a conclusion is drawn from the study’s findings which found that the Frost and Pook model demonstrated the most effective FCG prediction among the evaluated models

How e-WOM Shapes Travel Intentions: A Cross-Sectional Study of Cultural Heritage Sites on Social Media

Purpose: Cultural heritage sites face declining public engagement in the digital era, threatening their preservation and transmission. While social media offers new avenues to revitalize interest, existing studies rarely explore how information characteristics—such as source credibility, information source, and argument quality—interact with gender to shape the effectiveness of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) in heritage tourism. This study addresses this gap by examining how these factors influence tourists' intentions to visit cultural heritage destinations in China. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 242 tourists in Hebei Province. Structural equation modeling (SEM) using Smart-PLS 4.0 was employed to assess the direct and mediated effects of information characteristics on travel intention through positive e-WOM, along with gender moderation. Findings: Results reveal that information source (β = 0.227), source credibility (β = 0.301), and argument quality (β = 0.229) significantly enhance positive e-WOM, which in turn increases travel intention (β = 0.251). Gender moderates this relationship (β = 0.500), with females showing greater responsiveness to positive e-WOM. Research limitations/implications: Limitations include the geographic scope and self-reported data. Future research should expand to cross-cultural contexts and adopt longitudinal designs. These findings offer actionable strategies to enhance digital engagement in heritage preservation while extending the theoretical understanding of e-WOM in tourism. Originality/value: This study contributes a triadic model linking message credibility, source authority, and content persuasiveness to e-WOM-driven travel behavior. Gender differences further highlight the need for audience-tailored communication strategies. Practically, heritage tourism marketers should prioritize credible expert-generated content and gender-sensitive campaigns, particularly on platforms like Douyi

Improvised propagation model based on environmental parameters of arabian gulf in qatar

Different regions are prone severely to various phenomena such as multi-path fading caused by diffractions, refractions, and reflection due to the environmental parameters and water composition. International Telecommunication Union salinity standard value which is 35 ppt is not valid in different seawater regions and the space diversity as an existing solution is quite costly to accommodate the environmental parameters in terms of material manufacturing and maintenance difficulties to compromise strong wind in desert areas and environmental corrosion added to the huge weight in installation. Gaining insight into how rain, fog, water vapor, and salinity affect signal propagation is essential for creating communication systems that can withstand challenging weather conditions. This highlights the importance of exploring strong and efficient models to characterize how these atmospheric factors influence signal transmission. Such understanding will improve the reliability and performance of communication networks, particularly in outdoors and stark environments such as the Arabian Gulf. The thesis objective is to improvise model based on environmental parameters such as rain, fog, vapor, and salinity of the Arabian Gulf in Qatar. Various models including exponential, polynomial, and power models were employed for the environmental parameters modelling in relation to the signal propagation. The study used Matlab to analyze the models and simulate the signal amplitude and phase at 1 and 10MHz in vertical and horizontal polarization under the salinity range from 10 to 90 ppt. The results revealed that the polynomial 3 and 4 models have shown the best fitting for the signal propagation of the environmental parameters of the Arabian Gulf due to their highest R-square values which were all above 96% indicating highly effective in capturing the relationship between the variables. However, the polynomial 4 hit 99% in salinity, rain, fog, and water vapor parameters while the polynomial 3 achieved above 96% in such parameters. Similarly, the polynomial 4 achieved the best fit in sum of the square error (SSE) that hit 0.03 in salinity up to 0.12 in fog, and root mean square error (RMSE) values from 0.05 in water vapor up to 0.08 in salinity, rain and fog demonstrating that the overall error in the model predictions is quite low, whereas the polynomial 3 obtained 0.05 in water vapor up to 0.1 in salinity, rain, and fog in (SSE) and 0.05 in water vapor up to 0.15 and 0.17 in salinity and rain respectively in (RMSE). The model validation demonstrated remarkable accuracy, paving the way for marine wireless design tools to respect the salinity levels

Lithological distribution using band ratio technique in Southern Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

Remote sensing techniques provide valuable insights into lithological interpretation and improve the accuracy of geological surveys. Due to the complex terrain of Langkawi Island, which is in the northwestern part of the Malay Peninsula, conducting detailed field investigations is challenging. However, advancements in technology have made remote sensing an effective method for surveying areas that are hard to access. In this study, Landsat 9 data, with a spatial resolution of 30 m, served as the primary source of information. The initial preprocessing of this data was done using ENVI software. After preprocessing, carefully selected band combinations and ratios were used to extract valuable geological insights. Remote sensing-based lithological interpretation is crucial in modern geological surveys. In this study, the band ratio technique was employed to map the lithological distribution. This study focused on the southern end of the Langkawi archipelago, specifically the Dayang Bunting and Tuba Islands, where the geological characteristics are of particular interest due to their unique geological history and topography. To achieve the objectives, the band ratio technique applied to satellite imagery allows for the derivation and analysis of the lithological distribution patterns on these islands. This study compared previously used band ratio combinations with those tested here to find the most effective for distinguishing lithology types. After testing 32 permutations, by comparing with the original geological map and combining previous field observations, the four most successful combinations were visually evaluated: RGB 2/3 2/5 2/6, 4/3 4/6 4/7, 2/4 2/6 2/7, and 5/2 5/6 5/7. On Dayang Bunting and Tuba Islands, these combinations revealed distinct colors, differentiating limestone, marble, and granite. This study enhances the understanding of lithological composition in Dayang Bunting and Tuba Islands and demonstrates the effectiveness of band ratio techniques for geological surveys in similar regions. However, challenges such as varying image quality, atmospheric conditions, and the need for local calibration may arise when applying this method in other settings, which should be considered for broader adoption

UMPSA and Pekan District Education Office to implement programmes to spark students’ interest in STEM

PEKAN, 7 May 2024 – Education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains a key focus in the nation’s efforts to empower its human capital. However, major challenges still hinder this effort. The meeting between the Pekan District Education Office (PPD) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) is expected to explore opportunities for collaboration, particularly in STEM Programmes, educational visits to UMPSA, and other initiatives aimed at attracting students to pursue careers in STEM fields. Representing PPD Pekan were the Deputy District Education Officer (Student Development), Zaifol Bahrizan Mohammad Zam; Deputy District Education Officer (Learning), Norazizi Fain; Assistant District Education Officer (Student Talent Development – Sports), Kamal Hisham Dato’ Haji Ibrahim; and Assistant District Education Officer (Student Talent Development – Co-curriculum), Mohamad Hazrul Hafiz Mahmad Safian