Penentuan kepekatan keradioaktifan radionuklid semula jadi dan indeks bahaya sinaran pada musim hujan dari tanah di kawasan sekitar kemudahan simpanan jangka panjang (LTSF) Bukit Kledang, Perak

Kajian dan pemantauan yang dilakukan terhadap taburan dan penentuan aktiviti keradioaktifan radionuklid semula jadi boleh dijadikan panduan dan rujukan serta amat berguna terutamanya ketika berlakunya dedahan sinaran yang tinggi dan tidak terancang daripada sumber antropogenik dan kemalangan nuklear global. Sampel tanah permukaan dari 12 lokasi yang telah dikenal pasti di sekitar kawasan kemudahan repositori telah diambil untuk dijalankan kajian analisis penentuan kepekatan keradioaktifan dan indeks bahaya sinaran. Pengukuran kepekatan radioaktif dalam sampel tanah dilakukan dengan menggunakan sistem pembilangan spektrometer gama yang dilengkapi dengan pengesan High Purity Germanium (HPGe). Keputusan yang diperoleh menunjukkan kepekatan radioaktiviti 238U adalah berjulat antara 17.83 - 31.80 Bq kg-1, 234Th adalah berjulat antara 23.18 - 40.64 Bq kg-1, 226Ra adalah berjulat antara 20.09 -32.80 Bq kg-1, 228Ra adalah berjulat antara 21.20 - 38.88 Bq kg-1 dan 40K adalah berjulat antara 9.11 - 51.39 Bq kg-1 dengan nilai purata masing-masing adalah 21.45 Bq kg-1, 28.17 Bq kg-1, 24.00 Bq kg-1, 27.43 Bq kg-1 dan 24.01 Bq kg-1. Nilai kepekatan radioaktiviti radionuklid tersebut didapati setara dengan nilai yang pernah dilaporkan dalam kajian terdahulu di Semenanjung Malaysia. Nilai purata yang diperoleh bagi keempat-empat parameter Indeks Bahaya Radiasi iaitu aktiviti bersamaan radium (Raeq), kadar dos luaran (D), dos berkesan tahunan dan indeks bahaya luaran (Hex) masing-masing adalah 66.37 Bq kg-1, 29.13 nGy j-1, 20.16 μSv dan 0.18. Nilai yang diperoleh ini adalah rendah berbanding nilai purata dunia dan nilai piawaian yang diguna pakai secara global iaitu masing-masing adalah 370 Bq kg-1, 57nGy j-1, 480.00 μSv dan 1.0. Perbandingan dengan kajian sebelum ini juga mendapati nilai bagi keempat-empat parameter adalah rendah dan setara. Ini menunjukkan tahap bahaya radiasi di kawasan sekitar kajian adalah selamat untuk orang ramai

The Influences Of Empathy, Depression, Anxiety And Stress On Supernatural Belief In Watching Horror Movies

This decade, a horror movie in the world is very encouraging. Apparently horror film has received much attention of the audience in Malaysia. Based on the collection of films box-office, it turns horror movie has got the attention of the audience in Malaysia. This genre does not only give pleasure even he touched the feelings and emotions of the audience and reflect real life, entertaining and inspirational. Therefore, this paper is to investigate the influence of psychological factors such as empathy, stress, depression and anxiety (DASS 21) against the supernatural beliefs. This study uses the Disposition Theory and Theory of Suspense of Enjoyment by Zillmann. This study evaluated the effectiveness and processes viewing pleasure as well as the belief in the supernatural. This paper presents the results of a pilot study of the items of Empathy, Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Supernatural Belief. This study was conducted in Jitra Mall Cineplex Cinema after they was watching the Film of Villa Nabila in January 2015

Determination of uranium internal dose exposure through soil digestion using RDRC and URODC software

This study was conducted to determine the dose of internal exposure through ingestion of soil in the vicinity of the repository facility in Bukit Kledang, Ipoh, Perak. Data from this study can assess the risk of radiation exposure to the health of local population, specifically blood, liver and bone cancers. Activities of radionuclide 238U in MG and M10 in the gastric phase are 1.118 ± 0.062 and 1.232 ± 0.073 Bq/kg, while the respective activities in the gastrointestinal phase are 0.553 ± 0.051 and 0.905 ± 0.082 Bq/kg. Samples of M10 recorded the highest reading of internal exposure in both phases. Digestion of 2 g soil from M10 samples on gastric phase generated the annual effective dose of 3.168 μSv/year with an assessment of cancer risk by 0.001% within 70 years to public. Organ dose for blood, liver and bone were 0.59, 11.60 and 65.95 μSv, respectively. Analysis of organ doses based on the concentration of 238U found that M10 has higher dose compared to MG. Risk assessment predicted for 70 years after the ingestion of the soil for blood cancer was 0.003% and liver cancer was 0.004% while the highest cancer risk was for bone cancer with 0.023%. Although the concentration of specific activity of 238U identified is low, it is shown that the internal dose exposure as a result of digestion of radionuclides are below the standard and can be considered as safe for public

PENDEX Rubber Product / Anna Ahmad…[et al.]

PENDEX Rubber Product merupakan sebuah syarikat yang dicadang akan mengeluarkan dan mengedarkan radiator hose atau saluran radiator. Adalah dicadangkan agar syarikat ini dimiliki sepenuhnya oleh bumiputra dan syarikat ini hanya mengeluarkan saluran radiator secara komersil untuk keperluan kereta-kereta keluaran negara. Sepertimana yang diketahui, Malaysia mengeluarkan lebih kurang 240 000 buah kereta setahun. Namun 98% daripada komponen-komponen yang digunakan dalam pembuatan kereta-kereta tersebut adalah diimport dari luar negara khususnya Jepun. Menyedari hakikat ini, sebagai usaha untuk mengurangkan pengaliran wang keluar negara, kerajaan telah menggalakan usahawan-usahawan untuk menceburi bidang pembuatan barangan kereta terutama yang berasas getah. Ini memberikan peluang kepada kami untuk mencadangkan satu bidang pengeluaran berasaskan getah iaitu saluran radiator yang dikelasifikasikan sebagai General Rubber Goods (GRG) atau Barang Getah Umum yang mana ia mempunyai prospek yang begitu meluas lagi menguntungkan

Corak penggunaan platform pengajaran dan pembelajaran di institusi pondok di Kedah

Sekolah Zakat Kedah (SZK) mengadaptasi sistem pendidikan institusi pondok yang mengamal dan menekankan kaedah pembelajaran talaqqi iaitu interaksi bersemuka antara murid dengan guru. Namun, apabila wabak COVID-19 menular dalam negara dan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan dikuatkuasakan, kaedah pengajaran dan pembelajaran di rumah (PdPR) melalui penggunaan platform digital mula dilaksanakan. Kaedah ini amat bertentangan dengan amalan pembelajaran secara bertalaqqi yang telah diamalkan oleh SZK sejak awal penubuhannya. Oleh yang demikian, isu-isu seperti tahap penerimaan dan keberkesanan pengajaran dan pembelajaran melalui platform digital menjadi kerisauan banyak pihak terutamanya para guru dan murid yang sudah sebati dengan amalan bertalaqqi sejak azali seperti komuniti di SZK. Oleh yang demikian, kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengenal pasti corak pendigitalan di SZK berkaitan dengan penggunaan platform digital bagi tujuan pengajaran dan pembelajaran berdasarkan Teori Kognitif Sosial. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan penggunaan telefon pintar dan komputer riba memperoleh peratusan tertinggi berbanding tablet, komputer meja, televisyen, internet mudah alih (mobile internet), internet rumah (Streamyx, Unifi), internet jalur lebar mudah alih (broadband), fon telinga/kepala (ear/headphone), dan kamera web (web cam) dalam kalangan guru dan murid semasa PdPR. Dapatan kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa penggunaan platform digital adalah lebih intensif dalam kalangan guru berbanding murid di SZK. Hasil daripada kajian terhadap corak penggunaan platform digital dan pembelajaran dalam kalangan komuniti Institusi Pondok Kedah, didapati terdapat implikasi daripada perspektif Teori Kognitif Sosial, iaitu keperluan peribadi, perlakuan, dan persekitaran saling berkait antara satu sama lain dalam penggunaan platform digital oleh guru dan murid

Monetary Policy and Sectoral Bank Lending in Malaysia

Unlike most studies on the effect of monetary policy on bank lending, this article intends to answer the question whether the tightening of monetary policy in Malaysia before and after the financial crisis in 1997 affected differently the commercial bank lending to various sectors of the economy. To achieve the objective, Vector Autoregressive Regression (VAR) method was used to generate impulse response function and variance decomposition to trace the impact of a shock in monetary policy on bank lending in Malaysia. The results show that a monetary policy tightening in Malaysia gives a negative impact on all the sectors. Analyzing sectoral responses to monetary shocks, evidence is found that some sectors are more affected than the others. The manufacturing, agricultural, and mining sector seems to decline more than the aggregate bank lending in response to interest rate shock.Monetary policy, bank lending, Vector autoregression, financial crisis,

Linking the feeding regime of Chaetodon octofasciatus to the coral health in Redang Island, Malaysia

Relationship between the feeding regime of the coral feeding butterflyfish, Chaetodon octofasciatus and the coral reef health were investigated across five reefs around Redang Island, Malaysia. Feeding and territorial behavior for a total of 15 pairs butterflyfishes were studied by using visual census observation approach. Ranging behavior, territories size, activity patterns, individual bite rates and types of food consumed were recorded. C. octofasciatus, the most common butterflyfish of Redang Island, feeds on different coral polyps, particularly on genus Acropora. The pairs of this species occupy feeding territory, of which they exclusively defended against conspecifics and congeneric intruders. A total number of 27 coral genera were identified within all study sites, of which coral community was typically dominated by genera Acropora and Porites. Percentages of live coral coverage among 5 sites were ranged from 48.87% to 63.21%, indicated that Redang Island's coral conditions were ordinarily "good". Our finding has shown the positive correlation between the abundance of C. octofasciatus with percentage live coral cover and Acropora cover. The feeding territories size, which ranged from 16.4 to 50.1m^2, showed no correlation with live coral cover. The feeding rates in all study sites varied from 6.0 to 9.9 bites min^<-1>, with an average of 7.9 bites min^<-1>, were not significantly related to either coral cover or the size of feeding territory. C. octofasciatus is diurnal and spends about 47% of the time budget in feeding activity. The remaining time is spent in other activities such as swimming, hanging, sheltering and territory defending

Analysis of c4 explosive residues on post blast hair samples

The occurrence of crimes involving high explosives in Malaysia in recent years has warrant the need for the analysis of high explosives in post blast samples, particularly residues that could be found on hairs of victims. This study reports on the detection of post blast residues of C4 explosives on human head hairs. Prior to a simulated explosion, a bundle of hair (200 strands) was tightly bound to a metal hook at each point of several pre–determined distances from the bomb seat. Hair samples containing post blast residues were extracted by ultrasonication using acetonitrile. Two analytes of interest, cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were successfully separated using gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC–ECD) on an HP5–MS capillary column. It was found that the amount of explosive residues decreased with increasing distance from the point of blast. At the nearest specified distance of 2.5m, the amount of PETN residues deposited on hair was much less compared to that of RDX residues