Achieving sustainable construction in the developing countries Of Southeast Asia

Sustainable construction is a way for the building industry to move towards achieving sustainable development, taking into account environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues. Differing approaches and differing economic markets lead to different priorities. This paper presents the construction scenario of Southeast Asia and the developments in sustainable construction taking place in the region. Barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction are discussed. A list of recommendations was proposed to drive sustainable construction in the region. In conclusion, the status of sustainable construction in Southeast Asia is still in its infancy. The lack of awareness, training and education and ineffective procurement systems are among the major barriers for sustainable construction in the region. In some countries public policies and regulatory frameworks do not encourage the development of the construction sector. Besides the needs for capacities, technologies and tools, total and ardent commitment by all players in the construction sectors including the governments and the public at large are required in order to achieve sustainable construction in South-East Asia

Environmental constraints in selecting urban trees: landscape architect’ views / Ramly Hasan, Noriah Othman and Faridah Ismail.

This research explored the environmental constraints based on landscape architect’s views in selecting urban trees. Two objectives have been formulated (i) to examine the practice in selecting tree species among landscape architects and (ii) to determine the relationship between practice and environmental constraints in selecting urban tree species. The findings showed that specific criteria of the environmental constraints are positively correlated and have a strong relationship with tree selection practice. The views of the landscape architect are pertinent in tree selection practice. The findings of this research will contribute to practise improvement in selecting urban tree species by landscape architects in the future

Tree Species Selection in Street Planting: It’s relationship with issues in urban area

Trees in urban areas are an invaluable resource. Careful consideration and attention should be given to tree species selection. “Right tree at the right place” is the key to get the benefits offered by the tree. Objectives have been formulated as follows (i) to investigate the selection of tree species at selected local councils (ii) to analyse the issues related to the selection of the tree species looking at the public perspectives. A mixed method approach was undertaken in the data collection. Future considerations of the tree species as street planting based on the findings can reduce problems thus increase the quality of urban life

Generation of Flood Map Using Infoworks for Sungai Johor

Flood has become regular disaster in Malaysia which it is happens every year in different states especially during northeast monsoon. Johor State, the most southern part of Peninsular Malaysia experienced numerous flooding from 1926 to 2013. However, Sungai Johor catchment had the most devastating impact during December 2006 and January 2007 flood events. The objectives of this study are to perform river modeling and generate a flood map fpr Sungai Johor.  The river modeling of  Sungai Johor has been done using InfoWorks RS software. Necessary data were collected and transferred into the required modelling procedures.  The results indicated that the model was able to simulate the flood depth to a reasonable agreement and generate the flood map. The generated flood map can serve as a beneficial planning and design tools for the local authority and community in minimizing the flood effects and damage as well as in  preparing the  evaluation plan

Effects of spice dust on lung functions and respiratory symptoms in spice factory workers in Selangor

Exposure to spice dust has long been associated with increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function in man. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of such exposure on the workersi lung function and respiratory symptoms in three spice-processing factories in Selangor. Spirometry measurements (VC, vital capacity; FVC, forced vital capacity; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second) were performed on 56 workers (39 males, 17 females) who were occupationally exposed to 249611g/m3 respirable fine dust, PM10 ' The subjects also completed a set of standard respiratory questionnaires (modified ATS questionnaires). 61 persons from Universiti Putra Malaysia (36 males, 25 females) served as controls. The PMlO measurement in UPM was only 10111g/m3. Significant differences in VC, FVC and FE~ were observed between the two groups for both the male and the female. In addition to the decrease in spirometric values, the workers also reported higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms compared to controls. Therefore, the study suggests that exposure to spice dust in the spice factories leads to an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and impaired lung function

Penglibatan Ibu bapa dan Efikasi Kendiri Murid Sekolah Menengah dalam Membuat Keputusan Kerjaya

Pemilihan kerjaya yang bertepatan dengan bakat, minat, personaliti serta pencapaian akademik adalah aspek penting dalam kehidupan seseorang murid. Dalam hal ini, penglibatan ibu bapa dan efikasi kendiri memainkan peranan penting dalam membantu murid membuat keputusan kerjaya. Melihat daripada perspektif murid di sekolah menengah swasta, kajian ini bertujuan untuk melihat tahap penglibatan ibu bapa dan tahap efikasi kendiri murid dalam membuat keputusan kerjaya. Seterusnya, kajian ini menentukan hubungan antara penglibatan ibu bapa dan efikasi kendiri pelajar ke atas keputusan kerjaya. Reka bentuk kajian kuantitatif berbentuk tinjauan dan kaedah persampelan rawak mudah digunakan untuk memilih 306 murid sekolah menengah swasta tingkatan empat/gred 10 dan tingkatan lima/gred 11. Soal selidik dalam bentuk google form yang ditadbir secara atas talian digunakan sebagai kaedah pengumpulan data. Data dianalisis secara deskriptif dan inferensi dengan menggunakan SPSS versi 25.0. Hasil analisis deskriptif menunjukkan nilai min bagi tahap penglibatan ibu bapa mengikut subskala bantuan instrumental dan sokongan emosi adalah tinggi (M=3.712, SP=0.648). Di samping itu, analisis deskriptif terhadap nilai min keseluruhan bagi tahap efikasi kendiri murid dalam membuat keputusan kerjaya juga adalah tinggi (M=3.711, SP=0.514). Dapatan kedua-dua analisis menunjukkan kebanyakan murid sekolah menengah swasta memperoleh skor tahap penglibatan ibu bapa dan efikasi kendiri yang tinggi. Hasil analisis Kolerasi Pearson menggambarkan hubungan yang kuat dan positif (r = 0.682) di antara penglibatan ibu bapa dan efikasi kendiri murid dalam membuat keputusan kerjaya. Secara kesimpulannya, kajian ini jelas menunjukkan bahawa penglibatan ibu bapa dari segi bantuan instrumental dan sokongan emosi merupakan peramal efikasi kendiri seseorang murid dalam membuat keputusan kerjaya. Implikasi dapatan kajian ini dapat menjadi rujukan kepada ibu bapa supaya mempunyai pengetahuan yang lebih meluas tentang peluang kerjaya serta haluan kerjaya anak-anak mereka

Islamic English in Maher Zain’s songs: Is there a need?

A significant rise in the number of English-speaking Muslims around the world calls for more attention on the proper usage of Islamic terms in the English language. Popularized by al-Faruqi, Islamic English refers to the English language modified to enable Muslims to carry Islamic proper names, nouns, meanings and concepts without distortion. This article aims to highlight the need for Islamic English to be used particularly for Muslims. The study employed content analysis method in examining Islamic terms and concepts utilized by Maher Zain in his English Islamic songs. The findings indicate the presence of Arabic words and concepts in his songs mainly due to the absence of equivalent English words, lack of accurate translation and a form of worship, hence the need for Islamic English

The faculty’s perceptions on the importance of English oral proficiency and communication problems faced by ESL medical students.

As part of a professional healthcare team, doctors value communication as a means to unite the team around the common goal of treating patients. As the lingua franca of 21st century Medicine, the mastery of English is an essential component of communication. English is required for communication between peers and colleagues, to present symptoms and come up with differential diagnoses, to plan a course of medical intervention, to refer cases and patients to specialist centres and myriad other uses all requiring extensive use and mastery of English especially in terms of oral skills. Therefore, it is essential that we identify any weaknesses in our medical graduates at an early stage and rectify those weaknesses so as to produce competent and communicative medical graduates in the future. This paper reports on the findings of a survey on the medical lecturers’ perceptions on the importance of English oral skills for success in medical study and future career of their ESL medical students as well as the problems that their students might face pertaining to their English oral ability. The findings of the study can provide insights into developing English language programmes that better meet the needs of these students