Role ambiguity and job performance of employees in the service sector SMEs in Malaysia

Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in the economic development of Malaysia, of which the majority are in the service sector.Employees of the service sector SMEs have often been associated with low level of job performance and past research has shown that there are many factors that can contribute to employee poor performance such as role ambiguity.Thus the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between role ambiguity and job performance of employees in the service sector SMEs in Malaysia.1500 questionnaires were distributed and 300 were returned resulting in a 20% response rate.The result revealed that there was a significant relationship between role ambiguity and job performance of employees

Stretching of polymers in a turbulent environment

The interaction of polymers with small-scale velocity gradients can trigger a coil-stretch transition in the polymers. We analyze this transition within a direct numerical simulation of shear turbulence with an Oldroyd-B model for the polymer. In the coiled state the lengths of polymers are distributed algebraically with an exponent alpha=2 gamma-1/De, where gamma is a characteristic stretching rate of the flow and De the Deborah number. In the stretched state we demonstrate that the length distribution of the polymers is limited by the feedback to the flow

Bistable defect structures in blue phase devices

Blue phases (BPs) are liquid crystals made up by networks of defects, or disclination lines. While existing phase diagrams show a striking variety of competing metastable topologies for these networks, very little is known as to how to kinetically reach a target structure, or how to switch from one to the other, which is of paramount importance for devices. We theoretically identify two confined blue phase I systems in which by applying an appropriate series of electric field it is possible to select one of two bistable defect patterns. Our results may be used to realise new generation and fast switching energy-saving bistable devices in ultrathin surface treated BPI wafers.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Elastic response of a nematic liquid crystal to an immersed nanowire

We study the immersion of a ferromagnetic nanowire within a nematic liquid crystal using a lattice Boltzmann algorithm to solve the full three-dimensional equations of hydrodynamics. We present an algorithm for including a moving boundary, to simulate a nanowire, in a lattice Boltzmann simulation. The nematic imposes a torque on a wire that increases linearly with the angle between the wire and the equilibrium direction of the director field. By rotation of these nanowires, one can determine the elastic constants of the nematic.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Exploring the association between perceived excessive daytime sleepiness in children and academic outcomes

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in children has been associated with a number of problems. In contrast to adults who experience EDS and who may fall asleep or doze when in a monotonous or boring situation, children with EDS may present as hyperactive or poorly behaved. This community-based study aims to identify the prevalence of EDS in children from three perspectives: parent report, self-report, and teacher report. The study also explores the association between EDS and academic outcomes in children. The participants were 365 students (161 males) aged 4-12 years, their parents, and their teachers at a regional school. Academic outcomes were based on each student's school grades at the conclusion of the semester in which the community-based survey was administered. Using a cutoff score of 15 or greater on the PDSS, 113 (31%) students were identified by at least one respondent as displaying or experiencing EDS. EDS as observed by teachers using the PDSS was found to be associated with the student's academic outcomes, higher sleepiness scores being associated with poorer academic outcomes. Our findings suggest that the prevalence of EDS in a community setting may be higher than previously identified

Stabilising the Blue Phases

We present an investigation of the phase diagram of cholesteric liquid crystals within the framework of Landau - de Gennes theory. The free energy is modified to incorporate all three Frank elastic constants and to allow for a temperature dependent pitch in the cholesteric phase. It is found that the region of stability of the cubic blue phases depends significantly on the value of the elastic constants, being reduced when the bend elastic constant is larger than splay and when twist is smaller than the other two. Most dramatically we find a large increase in the region of stability of blue phase I, and a qualitative change in the phase diagram, in a system where the cholesteric phase displays helix inversion.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure