A practical approach to online-course development in Malaysia

Many universities in Malaysia started their open learning programs early this decade. The University of Malaya began its own program in 1994. Since then many has debated the wisdom of the program. However, with the recent advancement made in the computer technology the University of Malaya, have accepted that open learning is here to stay. Thus, our effort now concentrates on how the program can be made to work effectively

Thermal-induced defects and optimization of casting process

A casting process in the general industry is prone to produce varied defective parts, which happens majorly due to the factor of thermal and flow. These factors can cause major quality problems and drop in product performance during operational condition if left untreated.Thus, this paper presents these type of problems encountered in casting by applying analytical technique to forecast the behaviors of inclusions in molten material in a mold, determining the effect of parameter and process change during pouring, and analyze the pattern and provide the best decision in regards to the process of manufacturing. The use of computer-aided tool, also known as Manufacturing Analysis (in this case, an analysis of solidification and fluidity of molten material) technologies, is developed and utilized to enable a study on reduction of thermal–based defects in manufacturing on a casting product. Assessment is made based on temperature distribution, filling and solidification time, and the presence of porosity in a sample product, while optimization is performed on the same product but with different process parameters such as gate size, location, melt temperature and such. The results are varied with improvement in one area, but might worsen in another area. Thus, the final outcome is discussed and measured for its feasibility and possibility for multiple improvement process to be integrated together

REVITALISASI PERMAINAN TRADISIONAL RIAU SEBAGAI LITERASI BUDAYA BAGI ANAK SEKOLAH DASAR

Permainan tradisional menjadi salah satu muatan budaya yang perlu untuk dipertahankan agar tidak hilang. Terlebih fenomena permainan anak yang mulai beralih ke dunia digital dan atau permainan latto-latto yang sedang viral. Tentu saja, menjadi tantangan agar permainan tradisional yang mengedepankan nilai-nilai tanggung jawab, kerja tim, kejujuran, bahkan melibatkan alam sebagai ciri khasnya tetap hadir di setiap generasi. Berdasarkan permasalahan yang dihadapi mitra dari kesepakatan tim pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat solusi yang ditawarkan adalah (1) Mengingatkan kembali permainan tradisional dilingkungan masyarakat setempat, (2) Meningkatkan pemahaman peran permainan tradisional pada saat ini. Metode yang dilakukan dalam kegiatan ini yaitu Ceramah, Demonstrasi, Diskusi, dan Evaluasi. Hasil dari kegiatan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat tersebut, para peserta mendapatkan dan meningkatnya pengetahuan tentang peran permainan tradisional serta mendapatkan cara-cara yang dapat dilakukan guna mempertahankan eksistensi permainan tradisional di daerah tersebut

The role of local orography on the development of a severe rainfall event over western Peninsular Malaysia: a case study

Severe rainfall events are common in western Peninsular Malaysia. They are usually short and intense, and occasionally cause flash floods and landslides. Forecasting these local events is difficult and understanding the mechanisms of the rainfall events is vital for the advancement of tropical weather forecasting. This study investigates the mechanisms responsible for a local heavy rainfall event on 2 May 2012 that caused flash floods and landslides using both observations and simulations with the limited-area high-resolution UK Met Office Unified Model (MetUM). Results suggest that previous day rainfalls over Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra Island influenced the development of overnight rainfall over the Strait of Malacca by low-level flow convergence. Afternoon convection over the Titiwangsa mountains over Peninsular Malaysia then induced rainfall development and the combination of these two events influenced the development of severe convective storm over western Peninsular Malaysia. Additionally, anomalously strong low-level north-westerlies also contributed to this event. Sensitivity studies were carried out to investigate the influence of the local orography on this event. Flattened Peninsular Malaysia orography causes a lack of rainfall over the central part of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra Island and produces a weaker overnight rainfall over the Strait of Malacca. By removing Sumatra Island in the final experiment, the western and inland parts of Peninsular Malaysia would receive more rainfall, as this region is more influenced by the westerly wind from the Indian Ocean. These results suggest the importance of the interation between land masses, orography, low-level flow and the diurnal cycle on the development of heavy rainfall events

An academic perspective of assessment questions bank

There are several electronic assessment systems being used in institutions of higher education (HE), especially in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions. Some of these institutions built their assessment system into their institution’s Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). Most of these assessment systems are for general purposes where assessment questions are in the form of simple multiple choice question (MCQ) or short-answer questions. In practice, these types of assessment questions do not match many of the current learning requirements and learning outcomes. The concept of an assessment question bank that can be used by academics to share assessment content within or across an institution is not new, but the advancement of technology and technical developments now have made such a repository realizable than ever before. A question bank is now a specialized repository that can be accessed via a web interface for platform independence. The use of technology in developing the question bank provides much relief for the chores associated with preparing assessments, which in turn enhances the quality of the questions and improves the quality of the assessments. This paper presents the experience of Open University Malaysia (OUM) in developing its own Question Bank (QBank). This QBank system is designed to help the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who need to develop, classify and store their assessment such as MCQ and essay-type exam questions. This software is integrated with the OUM’s Virtual Learning Environments (myVLE) in order to allow easier and wider access to the SMEs and faculty. (Abstract by author

2-(4-Chloro­phen­yl)-1-phenyl-1H-benz­imidazole

In the title compound, C19H13ClN2, the dihedral angle formed by the imidazole core with the chloro­phenyl and phenyl rings are 24.07 (4) and 67.24 (4)°, respectively

Effect of incorporation POFA in cement mortar and desired benefits: a review

Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is a by-product waste material more economical and environmentally friendly, resulted from production palm oil products. Lack of enough information on the advantages of POFA in the concrete production in various proportions was the main cause to select this work. This paper presents the advantages of POFA as a partial cement replacement in concrete production. This study recommends that researchers and academics should show more experimental works in order to illustrate the desired benefits from POFA as cement replacement, thus mitigate of environmental impacts

A design framework for SMEs resilience in Malaysia

Over a years SMEs in Malaysia have had a significant impact on city growth by producing successful entrepreneurs as well as enhancing the competitiveness and efficiency of the business market. In Malaysia, the government and the private sectors are important entities in attracting potential entrepreneurs to venture into SMEs, especially among rural entrepreneurs. The contribution of the SME sector is very significant to the country's business market growth by producing successful entrepreneurs through their involvement in this sector throughout the years. However, the challenges of global market uncertainty due to the protracted health crisis that has struck the world's business market, including Malaysia, particularly the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Hence, this paper aims to identify the factors for SMEs' resilience in facing the business market challenges in Malaysia. Besides that, this paper also provides an overview of the business market challenges Malaysian SMEs entrepreneurs in terms of movement restrictions, business operation, revenue uncertainty, people's purchasing power and others. Finally, this paper recommends an appropriate framework that integrates the factors for SMEs' resilience with the identified business market challenges in Malaysia

Simulation of Event-Based Technique for Harmonic Failures

MAR