Development of raised access floor panel by optimisation techniques

Raised access floor panels currently have a chipboard core and are encapsulated within thin layer of galvanised steel. Two key problems with these raised access floor panels are that they are heavy because of the chipboard and expensive, as the cost of steel has increased significantly over the past few years. The consequence of the raised access floor panel’s mass is that they are difficult to handle, they are expensive to transport and they add considerably to the load on a structures foundation. Glass fibre filled epoxy of floor panels were designed and optimised to achieve lighter weights without compromising their strength using Altair Hypermesh software. A material weight reduction of the glass fibre filled epoxy floor panel was achieved by optimised design of the panes using an evolutionary structural optimisation (ESO) method and the introduction of panel ribs. The lighter weight of new raised floors panel would have a significant impact on the loadings of buildings foundation and allow architects to reduce the carbon footprint of a building resulting in reduced construction costs. In addition, a reduction in the weight of the new raised access floor panels would reduce the transportation costs of the panels

First year students' perceptions of excellent teachers

The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristic of a excellent lecturer as perceived by the first year students of Malay Woman Training Institute the similarities and differences in the responses based on education level. Knowing what characteristics are correlated with excellence in teaching is important because it provides both pre-service and in-service teachers with an opportunity to evaluate their own teaching, receive feedback from students, and improve teaching. Also, this knowledge aids teacher preparation programs in designing their courses and in recruiting the best candidates for teaching. This will help the Teacher Education Division in modifying the curriculum to enhancing specific skills that a teacher must possess. Two distinct samples were involved in this study: For the (5-point) Likert scale, data will be collected from a group of 56 post graduate students from local university and 205 O' level school leavers from Malay Women Teachers' Institute in Malacca. Data analysis using SPSS version 14 through comparing means frequency, percentage, t-test and One-Way ANOVA. The findings of this study indicate that good leader is an important characteristic that contributes to excellent teachers. More than 90% of the students agree that the teaching skills such as motivation, learning environment, facilitating learning, instructional approach and enhancement of student learning with technology should be present in an excellent teacher. .The comparison of the two means shows that students agreed that personal traits are more important than teaching skills in making an excellent teacher. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of excellent teachers between postgraduates and undergraduates students. The findings indicate that what matters most is employing a variety of teaching styles, positive attitude, establish a closer rapport with student can provide a better and conducive environment for learning. Lecturers must be more open to criticism, suggestions and constructive comments in other to change and adjust their personal traits to be a better person

Odonata of Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve, Johor, Peninsular Malaysia

Odonata records from Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve and the surrounding area in Johor, Peninsular Malaysia are presented. A total of 44 Odonata species from eight families were collected in the area in October 2012. All of these records are new to Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve. Indothemis carnitica is a new record for Malaysia

The role of socio-demographic factors on self-rated happiness: The case of Malaysia

This study examines the role of socio-demographic determinants on individual’s level of happiness. Primary survey data on Penang, Malaysia is used for analysis. Based on the findings, being married and Malay are associated with higher probability of feeling very happy or happy. Nevertheless, individuals who suffer from chronic diseases are more likely to have unhappy or very unhappy feelings. The rest of the factors such as income, education, age, gender, and employment status are found to have insignificant effects on happiness. Several policy implications can be recommended based on the outcomes.Education; Health; Happiness; Income; Malaysia; Well-being

Influence of crystal structure on charge carrier effective masses in BiFeO3_3

Ferroelectric-based photovoltaics have shown great promise as a source of renewable energy, thanks to their in-built charge separation capability, yet their efficiency is often limited by low charge carrier mobilities. In this work, we compare the photovoltaic prospects of various phases of the multiferroic material BiFeO$_3$ by evaluating their charge carrier effective masses using first-principles simulations. We identify a tetragonal phase with the promising combination of a large spontaneous polarisation and relatively light charge carriers. From a systematic study of the octahedral distortions present in BiFeO$_3$, we explain the relationship between structure and effective masses in terms of the changes to the orbital character and overlap at the band edges that result from changes in the geometry. The findings in this study provide some design principles to engineer desired effective masses in BiFeO$_3$ and similar materials through manipulation of their crystal structures in experimentally accessible ways.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

WinEcon Fiscal Pathways: A Computer Based Learning Module for the Subject Macroeconomic Theory and Policy

trade reforms, manufacturing performance, Australia