Integration of Remote Sensing-GIS Techniques for Mapping and Monitoring Seagrass and Ocean Colour off Malaysian Coasts

This paper describes seagrass and ocean colour mapping off Peninsular Malaysia. The seagrass were extracted from visible bands of Landsat TM using the depth invariant index of the scabottom type. The ocean colour which much referred to plankton concentration is derived by regressing samples from known site collected at time of satellite overpass. Out these information were then input into GIS database which were also being established to assist the Marine Fisheries Management and Development Centre in managing and monitoring coastal areas This paper also addresses the experience gained in building spatial database for coastal areas various dala collected from various mapping environments were carried out

Perceived Leadership Styles and Commitment to Service Quality Among Academic Staff: The Mediating Influence of Job Satisfaction

Past researches have suggested that some universities in Malaysia were losing student because their standard of service quality was not up to the expectation. This gives emphasis that there is some concern in the way the students' were being treated or handled. With the global and national competition, growth of public and private universities there is a need for academic leaders to not only transform the national academic outlook from the national perspective but also to motivate the academic staffs' commitment towards service quality excellence. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to explore the relationships of perceived leadership styles and commitment to service quality, mediated by job satisfaction among the academic staff in selected Malaysian Universities. Specifically the objectives were : 1) to determine the status of commitment to service quality among the academic staff in selected Malaysian Universities; 2) to determine the status of job satisfaction among the academic staff in selected Malaysian Universities; 3) to determine the relationships of perceived leadership styles on the commitment of the academic staff towards service quality in selected Malaysian Universities; and 4) to determine the mediating effects of job satisfaction on the relationships of perceived leadership styles and the commitment of academic staff to service quality in selected Malaysian Universities. Based on the objectives and research questions, four (4) hypothesis were proposed to determine the relationship between perceived leadership styles and commitment to service quality and the mediating effects of job satisfaction on the relationship between perceived leadership styles and commitment to service quality of the academic staff. The sample for this study consisted of academic staff from six universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Majority of the respondents were from the business faculty, between the ages of 30 and less than 40 years old, with masters and other qualifications and with between 1 and less than 5 years of teaching experience. The total useable questionnaires were 387 with a response rate of 36 percent from both private and public universities. This study reveals that perceived leadership styles have a significant positive relationships on the academic staffs commitment to service quality. Job satisfaction was found to have only a partial mediating effect on transformational and transactional leadership styles and commitment to service quality. There were also significant differences in academic staff commitment to service quality and job satisfaction among the public and private universities in Malaysia. The findings of this study contribute in the specific area of literature, theory and also in research design. Among the recommendations made to the policy makers and academic leaders at the universities were in enhancing the commitment of the academic staff to service quality by achieving job satisfaction, ranking service quality as the number one priority and opening avenues for collaboration with the government in training of academicians in leadership. Several suggestions were also made for future studies such as the inclusion of new variables, dyadic methods of sampling, longitudinal methods of data collection and the adaption of measurements to suit the local culture

CORRELATION BETWEEN NEURAL RESPONSE TELEMETRY (NRT) MESUREMENT LEVEL AND BEHAVIORL (T-LEVEL AND C-LEVEL) IN PRELINGUAL COCHLEAR IMPLANT PATIENTS

 Objectives: To study the correlation between Neural Response Telemetry (NRT) measurement level and behavioral (Threshold level and Comfort level) in pre lingual cochlear implant patients age between 2 -10 years old at one and three months post implant. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted at University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center from September 2010 to January 2012. Total numbers of hundred patients were involved in this study.All recipients implanted with Nucleus 24 cochlear implant and had full insertion and normal activation of the electrode array. Comparison between intra-operative NRT measurement level and behavioral (T-level and C-level) in cochlear implant patients at one month and three months post implantation were obtained respectively. Results: This study showed the intra-operative NRT levels were seen to fall between the T and C levels in one and three months respectively. There was also a positive correlation between NRT value measurements and both T and C value measurements in both one and three months (p value 0.01). There is a fair strength of the linear relationship between NRT and behavioral level in both one and three month post implant as shown by the r value (0.4 at one month, 0.2 at three months) Conclusion: It is useful to use the NRT values to predict the behavioral T and C values in prelingual children and an additional tool for the mapping. Key words: Neural Response Telemetry (NRT); Threshold level; Comfort level; Nucleus 24 cochlear implant.

Drugs abuse in the United Arab Emirates

PhD ThesisMany aspects of life have changed rapidly since the independence of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) in 1971. The economic and social changes have catapulated people from a nomadic and isolated life into a relatively luxurious lifestyle. Many of the traditional values of the indigenous people have changed and came to be influenced by the values and attitudes of those who came to work in the U.A.E. The rapid social change has been an important factor behind the appearance of many types of anti-social behaviour, of which drug use is one. As in most countries throughout the world, illicit drug use behaviour in the U.A.E. is thriving, in terms of a rapid increase in the number of users, in the amount used and in the choice by users of more dangrous substances. Drug use behaviour has moved from a small number of isolated people in some ethnic groups to many people in many different ethnic and age groups in the U.A.E.. Consequently this study examines the nature of drug abuse problems in the U.A.E.. It covers many aspects of drug abuse problem and the social climate in which it flourishes. These include: the prevalence rate of drug abuse; socio-economic changes in the U.A.E. and their effects on the increase of drug abuse; the effects of society's efforts and policies in attempting to reduce drug-related problems; and the effects of drug abuse on individuals, family and society. It is found that the illegal drugs trade has become a means by which some people amass their fortune, exploiting the situation of social and security gaps in the U.A.E. The open market trade policy, a fundamental cornerstone of economic in the U.A.E., offers a fertile environment for abuses such as illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and other laws violation. The findings show that rapid social change in the U.A.E. has reduced the influence of some of the social control measures such as the effect of the family, customs and tradition. The support role of the family in the new society has changed, and has been replaced by an expatriate work force. The research findings show that the large number of expatriate workers has influenced the spread of drug abuse among people in the U.A.E. Most of the expatriate workers come from drug producing countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and India. In addition to the drug producing countries, there is public acceptance for some drug use in these countries. The cheapness of drugs in the above mentioned countries in contrast to the high prices and demand for illicit drugs in the U.A.E. encouraged some of the expatriate workers and some illegal immigrants to become involved in illicit drug activities. The findings and results of the study show that the rate of drug abuse among young men is high, especially the use of heroin which is incrasing. Drug abusers who are U.A.E. citizens are more likely to be involved in drug abuse problems. Most of them are multi-drug abusers and they spend a lot of money on their drug use. Substances such as hashish, heroin, opium and barbiturates are most common types of drugs which are on the increase in U.A.E. society. The lack of a comperhensive and unambiguous policy to combact drugs in U.A.E. society is a significant factor behind the increase in problems of drug abuse in the U.A.E.. Drug policy in the U.A.E. depends mainly on individual efforts and the commitment of some government organizations. These efforts are mainly concentrated in the law enforcement agencies in the Emirates and federal legislation is not always effective or welcomed in the Emirates

GUMBOS as Matrices for Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

This work involves the investigation of a group of uniform materials based on organic salts (GUMBOS) as matrices for matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) for analysis of hydrophobic biomolecules. GUMBOS are new class of materials that show great promise as MALDI matrices because they are able to form a thin-layer on the MS target, thereby enhancing the sample homogeneity, signal intensity, and shot-to-shot reproducibility. The detection of hydrophobic peptides using MALDI-TOF MS remains a challenge because the majority of matrices utilized are hydrophilic thereby exhibiting low affinity for hydrophobic molecules. To address this, I have developed novel matrices of varying hydrophobicity based on aminopyrine (AP) to enhance the detection of such molecules. In the first part of this work, I outline the synthesis of a series of AP-based GUMBOS in which various counter-ions such as chloride, ascorbate, and bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonamide were used to tune the hydrophobicity of a matrix. The hydrophobicities of these compounds relative to á-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA), a common MALDI matrix, indicated that the AP-based GUMBOS can be tuned to greater hydrophobicity than CHCA. In addition, a clear trend was observed between the signal intensity of the hydrophobic peptides and the hydrophobicity of the matrix. In the second part of this work, I present a unique approach for predicting matrix-analyte interactions in MALDI using fluorescence spectroscopy. Interactions of analytes with matrices that are composed of AP and AP-based GUMBOS were investigated using a hydrophobic (gramicidin) and a hydrophilic peptide (angiotensin II). Fluorescence anisotropy and Scatchard analysis were used to investigate the interaction between matrices and peptides. Hydrophobic AP and AP-based GUMBOS revealed stronger interactions with hydrophobic peptides and enhanced detection of these peptides, which correlate well with the MALDI MS results. Finally, I have synthesized a hydrophobic GUMBOS-based matrix using CHCA and oleylamine (OA). The [OA][CHCA] GUMBOS was used as a matrix for MALDI MS for the detection of lipids in tissues and compared with 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) had better signal reproducibility and improved homogeneity. These enhancements were used to examine the distribution and localization of different classes of lipids in tissue

Cabaran dalam komunikasi sukarelawanan

Encik Khoo Yeoh Gan Hong, Pengerusi Settlement Youth Council bagi penggal 1956-1957, dalam ucapan sulung beliau selepas dipilih selaku Pengerusi pada 5 Mei 1957 menyatakan bahawa, “Within a few months we shall welcome a new era in the history of this country. We must be prepared to face and accept greater challenges and responsibilities. To this end let us pray for a strong back rather than for a light burden. As youth leaders and workers of all races, classes and creeds, may we be given the strength to spread the spirit of the brotherhood, goodwill and tolerance and may our personal examples be worthy of emulation” (Misni Surif, Mohamed Maliki Mohamed Rapiee & Ishak Saat (2008) 60 Tahun Perjalanan Majlis Belia Negeri Pulau Pinang, 1948-2008.

Arduino based 74-series integrated circuits testing system at gate level

The goal of this research article is to build and implement a low-cost, user-friendly 74-series logic integrated circuits (ICs) tester that is independent of a computer. Depending on the truth table of the gates and the IC configuration, the logic IC tester will be able to test the operation of the 74 series logic gates (AND, OR, NOR, NAND, XOR) of those ICs. It is feasible to test a range of logic ICs with higher pin widths thanks to the proposed system’s usage of an Arduino Mega platform module as a microcontroller, which provides the ability to connect 54 programmed logic inputs or outputs. The versatility offered by this design and the use of a personal computer allow for the reprograming and updating of the logic IC functional tester. Any 74-series ICs testing outcome will be shown on liquid crystal display (LCD) at the gate level. The logic IC functional tester was successfully constructed and operates flawlessly