Corruption elimination in Malaysia: An analysis on public officials

Corruption is a complex phenomenon that is almost never explained by a single cause. This paper aims to determine the relationship between economic strain, practices of religion and corruption practices among Malaysian civil service servants. Efforts undertaken to eliminate or curb corruption have failed to achieve total eradication. The rate can be reduced by most legal authorities but it is almost impossible to eliminate them. The study found that those involved and convicted appear to be mostly male officers. Economic strain was found to be associated negatively and significantly with religious strength. This implied that the economic strain influence the increase of corruption ‘crime’ among male officers as compared to women officers is of great important as it may be suggest the suitability of the Malaysian government or the federal government framework in controlling corruption for the Malaysian community. Unfortunately, the traditional norms and values is fast forgotten and disappearing due to the lack of effort to preserve them. Thus, this paper will try to discuss the issues related to the causes, consequences, scope of corruption and the role of the Malaysian government to fight against corruption among the public officials in Malaysia

Thermal, electrochemical and mechanical properties of shape memory alloy developed by a conventional processing route

A Cu based shape memory alloy (Cu-Al-Ni) having a composition 83% Cu, 14% Al, 3% Ni, was developed and studied to determine the shape memory effect. Powder of Cu, Al and Ni was melted in a pit furnace at about 15500C, and casted alloy was heat treated at 8500C for a period of 50 minutes followed by water quenching. Microstructure characterization of alloy (Cu-Al-Ni) was carried out to determine the pre-quenched (cast structure) and quenched martensitic structure. The microstructure analysis of developed samples showed needle like structure of quenched martensite after heat treatment. It has a very good resemblance with structure of casted shape memory alloy obtained from the vacuum induction process. The Vickers hardness test was also performed. Quenched microstructure with improved hardness than pre-quenched structure was observed.Keywords: Shape Memory Alloy, Microstructure, Mechanical Propertie

Computerized value stream system (CVSS) untuk mengurangi limbah pada operasi lean manufaktur

Pembuatan lean adalah methode yang populer untuk meningkatkan efisiensi pada waktu pembuatan/manufaktur. Value Stream Mapping (VSM) merupakan salah satu metode yang dapat digunakan sebagai praktisi untuk pendukung lean. Metode VSM juga merupakan metode yang sering digunakan untuk mengidentifikasi limbah dan menentukan penyebab limbah melalui pengenalan VSM dan memperkenalkan solusi untuk meningkatkan/memperbaiki kondisi tempat kerja. Penelitian ini merupakan upaya untuk mengkomputerisasikan proses VSM yang sebelum ini dilakukan secara manual. Computerize Value Stream System (CVSS) pada dasarnya merupakan metode yang menggunakan sistem jaringan internet yang dikombinasikan dengan konsep tradisional dari metode VSM yang digunakan pada pabrik produksi untuk mengurangi limbah. Jurnal ini merangkum cara untuk pengaplikasian metode terebut di internet, online dan jaringan berbasis CVSS yang efisien untuk meningkatkan nilai operasi dari perusahaan. Jurnal ini membahas tentang desain yang akan menggantikan metode manual dari penggunaan VSM. Sistem ini diuji dalam kondisi pasar secara nyata dan diketahui bahwa sistem ini berhasil diaplikasikan

Persepsi Masyarakat terhadap Pengelolaan Wisata Mangrove Terpadu di Kawasan Taman Wisata Alam Teluk Youtefa

Makin banyaknya pembangunan di kawasan mangrove Teluk Youtefa mengakibatkan mangrove mengalami kerusakan dan degradasi. Pelestarian ekosistem pesisir diperlukan sebagai salah satu upaya untuk mempertahankan kelestarian taman wisata mangrove melalui penyelenggaraan wisata mangrove terpadu. Penelitian persepsi masyarakat terhadap pengelolaan wisata mangrove terpadu di Kawasan taman wisata alam Teluk Youtefa dilakukan pada kampung Enggros, Tobati dan Nafri, tujuannya dari penelitian ini ialah untuk mengetahui apakah masyarakat mengerti bahwa kawasan mangrove penting bagi kelangsungan hidup masyarakat dan lingkungan pesisir. Pengambilan data dilakukan di kawasan Taman Wisata Alam Teluk Youtefa, Jayapura, Papua pada bulan Agustus 2019 s.d. Februari 2021. Tujuan penelitian adalah memastikan bahwa konteks sosial, ekonomi, dan budaya di tempat ekowisata mangrove dapat berkembang serta memberikan inisiatif strategis khusus, dalam hal ini pandangan masyarakat. Metode yang digunakan adalah wawancara dan diskusi kelompok terpumpun (focus grup discussion) yang kemudian dianalisis dengan menggunakan SWOT. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, persepsi masyarakat tentang fungsi dan manfaat mangrove sebagai habitat satwa bernilai tinggi (sangat paham), sedangkan persepsi mengenai Pewisata mangrove terpadu, fasilitas, dan aksesibilitas serta keamanan bernilai sedang (cukup paham). Analisis SWOT dengan lima strategi yang menjadi prioritas untuk pengembangan wisata mangrove terpadu menunjukkan bahwa pengembangan dan pengelolaan kawasan Taman Wisata Alam Teluk Youtefa berpusat pada masyarakat, komunitas adat, dinas terkait, dan pemangku kepentingan (stakeholder); ketersediaan sumber daya manusia (SDM); perbaikan kawasan taman wisata; dan lain-lain. Pengelolaan wisata mangrove terpadu dilaksanakan dengan melibatkan semua unsur (LMA, instansi pemerintah dan swasta, LSM, serta perguruan tinggi).Title: Public Perception of Integrated Management of Mangrove Tourism in Youtefa Bay Tourism Park AreaThe increasing number of developments in the Youtefa Bay mangrove area has resulted in the mangroves experiencing damage and degradation. Preserving coastal ecosystems is needed as an effort to maintain the sustainability of mangrove tourism parks through organizing integrated mangrove tourism. Research on community perceptions regarding integrated mangrove tourism management in the Youtefa Bay natural tourism park area was carried out in the villages of Enggros, Tobati and Nafri. The aim of this research was to find out whether the community understands that mangrove areas are important for the survival of the community and the coastal environment. What are the research methods and what data is needed and how to analyze it. Data collection was carried out in the Youtefa Bay Natural Tourism Park area, Jayapura, Papua from August 2019 to 2019. February 2021. The aim of the research is to ensure that the social, economic and cultural context of mangrove ecotourism can develop and provide special strategic initiatives, in this case the community’s views. The method used was interviews and focus group discussions which were then analyzed using SWOT. Based on the research results, the public’s perception of the function and benefits of mangroves as animal habitat is of high value (very understanding), while the perception of integrated mangrove tourism, facilities, and accessibility and safety is of medium value (somewhat understanding). SWOT analysis with five strategies that are priorities for the development of integrated mangrove tourism shows that the development and management of the Youtefa Bay Nature Tourism Park area is centered on the community, traditional communities, related agencies and stakeholders; availability of human resources (HR); improvement of the tourist park area; and others. Integrated mangrove tourism management is implemented by involving all elements (LMA, government and private agencies, NGOs, and universities

Enhancing tool life of hot isostatically pressed silicon nitride inserts in machining inconel 718 with different susceptors through hybrid microwave post sintering

Hybrid Microwave sintering has become a growing interest for heating and synthesizing ceramic materials due to its capabilities in successfully enhancing densification and improving mechanical and structural properties. Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) based cutting inserts have outstanding properties for machining hard materials such as cast iron, hard steel and nickel based super alloys. This research aims to analyze the effect of different susceptors on the tool life of various Si3N4 inserts (90Si3N4 4Y2O3 2.5MgO 2Al2O3 1.5SiO) that have been synthesized in machining Inconel 718. The Si3N4 inserts have been synthesized by means of Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) at 1800°C and followed by Hybrid Microwave (HMW) post-sintering at 200°C for 10 minutes with the aid of three different susceptors; Silicon Carbide (SiC), Graphite (G) and mixture of (SiC + G) powders. Density, hardness, micro structural properties and tool wear were analyzed. HMW post sintering for only 10 minutes using SiC, G and SiC+G susceptors enhanced the density (97-98%TD) and hardness (27-58%) significantly. Finer uniform grains and less porosities were produced particularly for Si3N4 inserts produced by HMW (SiC+G) when compared with HMW (SiC) and HMW (G). Tool life for the Si3N4 inserts were improved by 10-17% HMW(SiC), 20-53 % HMW(G) and 32-88% HMW(SiC+G) for the cutting speeds of 100, 125 and 160 m/min. Hence, the mixture of SiC +G powders as susceptors produced the best outcome for Si3N4 inserts with enhanced densification, hardness, wear resistance, and longer tool life (88% increment at 100 m/min) when compared with the commercial tool (RNGN 6060) in machining Inconel 718

Early sowing reduces cotton leaf curl virus occurrence and improves cotton productivity

Cotton productivity is severely hampering by various diseases and insect pests especially cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) worldwide. Losses caused by CLCV are far more than any other factor affecting cotton productivity. Growing of early and resistant genotypes is of vital significance in alleviating the adversities of these pests in crop plants. The current field trial was conducted at Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan, Pakistan, to investigate the role of varying sowing dates in managing the CLCV infestation on different elite cotton genotypes. The crop was sown on five different dates i.e. D1= 15th April, D2 = 1st May, D3 = 15th May, D4 = 1st June and D5 = 15th June and three different elite cotton genotypes, i.e. V1= CIM-612, V2 = CIM-591 and V3 = CIM-573 to optimize a suitable sowing date and to screen out high productive and tolerant genotype against the CLCV. Seeds were drilled manually on finely crafted seedbed by using single row hand drill keeping seeding density of 20 kg ha-1 and inter row spacing of 75cm. CLCV severely hampered the crop performance by delayed planting of cotton from 15th April; while increased the chances of disease incidence. It is concluded that early sowing of all tested genotypes especially CIM-592 reduces the problem of CLCV and enhanced cotton productivity

Web Monitoring the Potential of Solar Power Plants Based on the Internet of Things

The market for renewable energy is expanding quickly to support power production, where solar energy is widely used and developed in applied technologies significantly. When assessing solar energy potential, one must consider natural energy resources based on the wind speed. As a result, the systems covered by this work feature two monitoring modes: on-site monitoring using a monitoring module and smartphone applications applied to the method, which can download data for Android smartphones or desktop computers. Technically, data monitoring is uploaded to a cloud database regularly through data updates for monitoring devices automatically that obtain and present the most recent information. Research indicates that solar radiation directly impacts electrical voltage, as it is precisely proportionate to the intensity of sunshine. In testing conducted from 07.00 to 17.00 WIB, the lowest solar panel output voltage of 20.4 V with a current of 0.2 A was obtained. The most outstanding result is at 12.00 WIB with a point of 23.59 V and 0.7 A. The study also demonstrates how the surrounding temperature influences the amount of electrical energy generated

Relative spins and excitation energies of superdeformed bands in 190Hg: Further evidence for octupole vibration

An experiment using the Eurogam Phase II gamma-ray spectrometer confirms the existence of an excited superdeformed (SD) band in 190Hg and its very unusual decay into the lowest SD band over 3-4 transitions. The energies and dipole character of the transitions linking the two SD bands have been firmly established. Comparisons with RPA calculations indicate that the excited SD band can be interpreted as an octupole-vibrational structure.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 4 figures available via WWW at http://www.phy.anl.gov/bgo/bc/hg190_nucl_ex.htm

Charged rotating dilaton black branes in AdS universe

We present the metric for the $(n+1)$-dimensional charged rotating dilaton black branes with cylindrical or toroidal horizons in the background of anti-de Sitter spacetime. We find the suitable counterterm which removes the divergences of the action in the presence of the dilaton potential in all higher dimensions. We plot the Penrose diagrams of the spacetime and reveal that the spacetime geometry crucially modifies in the presence of the dilaton field. The conserved and thermodynamic quantities of the black branes are also computed.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Gen. Relat. Gravi

Controlled release of lysozyme from double-walled poly(Lactide-Co-Glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres

Double-walled microspheres based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) are potential delivery systems for reducing a very high initial burst release of encapsulated protein and peptide drugs. In this study, double-walled microspheres made of glucose core, hydroxyl-terminated poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (Glu-PLGA), and carboxyl-terminated PLGA were fabricated using a modified water-in-oil-in-oil-in-water (w1/o/o/w2) emulsion solvent evaporation technique for the controlled release of a model protein, lysozyme. Microspheres size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, lysozyme in vitro release profiles, bioactivity, and structural integrity, were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that double-walled microspheres comprising of Glu-PLGA and PLGA with a mass ratio of 1:1 have a spherical shape and smooth surfaces. A statistically significant increase in the encapsulation efficiency (82.52 ± 3.28%) was achieved when 1% (w/v) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and 2.5% (w/v) trehalose were incorporated in the internal and external aqueous phase, respectively, during emulsification. Double-walled microspheres prepared together with excipients (PVA and trehalose) showed a better control release of lysozyme. The released lysozyme was fully bioactive, and its structural integrity was slightly affected during microspheres fabrication and in vitro release studies. Therefore, double-walled microspheres made of Glu-PLGA and PLGA together with excipients (PVA and trehalose) provide a controlled and sustained release for lysozyme