Worlding cities through transportation infrastructure

This paper engages with emerging literature on worlding cities in analysing the contested ways in which mid-sized cities attempt to ‘globalize’ through the redevelopment of urban infrastructure, and in particular, transportation infrastructure. The paper focuses specifically on the World Heritage City of Penang, Malaysia and critically examines controversies over the extensive urban redevelopment and regeneration projects that have emerged since 2012. In particular, it examines the ambitious Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), which has posed considerable implications for the city’s heritage landscapes, but also several socio-environmental impacts. The paper analyses the state government’s vision for the PTMP, before turning to an alternative strategy and critique of this plan put forth by local civil society organizations. As I demonstrate, both plans make use of worlding strategies in ‘selling’ their particular vision for the city’s future, but the ways they do so are markedly different. In reviewing this case, the paper challenges the conceptualization of inter-referencing and urban modelling practices as it is currently documented in the literature on worlding cities. What is novel in Penang is the way local stakeholders identify comparable cities outside of the Global North as models to follow, rather than established mega- or ‘world’ cities, which act as more realistic reference points. In doing so, the paper highlights key technologies of governance that are being used to counter the neoliberal worlding strategies put forth by city managers

Frequency reconfigurable substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity F-shaped slot antenna

This paper shows a frequency reconfigurable SIW F-slot suitable for some applications. Configurability is accomplished by embeddings PIN diode switches in the 'F' slot. The proposed antenna is equipped for exchanging between working band of 3.172 GHz to 3.606 GHz in four different narrow bands and it underpins the cognitive system for LTE2300, WiMAX and WLAN. For each case reflection coefficient is ascertained, it keeps up less than -10 dB all through the resonating frequency in all instances of diode switching. The electromagnetic energy is kept inside the cavity because of the frame of a metallic vias. In all instances of diodes exchanging, it's uncovered a decent effectiveness of efficiency and gain

From Resilience to multi-Species Flourishing: (Re)imagining urban-environmental governance in Penang, Malaysia

This article uses the concept of multi-species flourishing to evaluate the potential of emergent urban governance initiatives in Penang, Malaysia, for achieving more socially and environmentally just forms of urban development. In doing so, the article offers an empirical examination of increasing development pressures on the forested hillsides of Penang, and the significant environmental and socio-cultural implications associated with this activity. This includes the significant flash-flooding and landslides in 2016 and 2017 that have been attributed to unscrupulous hillside developments and deforestation on the island for condominium and highway development. In tracing local responses to these developments, the article draws attention to the various more-than-human relationships that have been mobilised in preventing further degradation of the environment. It also re-visits the concept of environmental imaginaries to illustrate the close relationship between environmental and social wellbeing. The article argues that it is important to move beyond concepts of resilience, which advocate the implementation of technology and engineering measures to adapt to, rather than resist, the environmental shocks associated with intensive urban development. The research for this article has been conducted through participatory research with local civil society groups, and aims to evaluate the role of both governmental and non-state actors in these efforts and the challenges faced in doing so. The article concludes that research on urban resilience and urban governance must move beyond human-centred modes of thought and practice that regard cities as operating outside of ecological systems

Analysis of algorithms variation in multilayer perceptron neural network for agarwood oil qualities classification

This study investigates the performance of the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) classifier in discriminating the qualities of agarwood oil significant compounds by different qualities based on three training algorithms namely Scaled Conjugate Gradient (SCG), Levernbergh-Marquardt (LM) and Resilient Backpropagation (RP) Neural Network by using Matlab version 2013a. The dataset used in this study were obtained at Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) and University Malaysia Pahang (UMP). Further, the areas (abundances, %) of chemical compounds is set as an input and the quality represented (high or low) as an output. The MLP performance was examined with different number of hidden neurons which is in the ranged of 1 to 10. Their performances were observed to accurately found the best technique of optimization to apply to the model. It was found that the LM is effective in reducing the error by enhancing the number of hidden neurons during the network development. The MSE of LM is the smallest among SCG and RP. Besides that, the accuracy of training, validation and testing of LM performed the best accuracy (100%)

Pattern classifier of chemical compounds in different qualities of agarwood oil parameter using scale conjugate gradient algorithm in MLP

This paper presents the modelling of agarwood oil (AO) significant compounds by different qualities using Scaled Conjugate Gradient (SCG) algorithm. This technique involved of data collection from Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for compound extraction. The development of Multilayer perceptron (MLP) is used to discriminate the qualities of AO chemical compounds to the high and low quality. The input and output data was transferred to the MATLAB version R2013a for extended analysis. The input is the abundances of significant compounds (%) and the output is the oil quality either high or low. This involved of identification, selection and optimization of a MLP as classifiers to identify and classify the agarwood oil quality. The result showed that MLP as pattern classifier is successful classify agarwood oil quality using SCG algorithm with 100% accuracy. This finding is important in agarwood oil area especially in grading system

Understanding the (non-)Use of Societal Wellbeing Indicators in National Policy Development : What Can We Learn from Civil Servants? A UK Case Study

Gross Domestic Product is often used as a proxy for societal well-being in the context of policy development. Its shortcomings in this context are, however, well documented, and numerous alternative indicator sets have been developed. Despite this, there is limited evidence of widespread use of these alternative indicator sets by people working in policy areas relevant to societal wellbeing. Civil servants are an important group of indicator end-users. Better understanding their views concerning measuring societal wellbeing can support wider discussions about what factors determine indicator use and influence in policy decision-making. Taking the UK as a case study, we ask what views exist among civil servants in the UK about measuring societal well-being? To answer this question, we used a bootstrapped Q methodology, interviewing 20 civil servants to elicit their views about measuring societal well-being. Three distinct discourses emerged from our analysis: one that was concerned about the consequences of ignoring natural, social and human capital in decision making; one that emphasised opportunity and autonomy as key determinants of well-being; and one that focused on the technical aspects of measuring societal well-being. Each of these discourses has direct implications for the way that we integrate societal wellbeing into policy making and highlights the potential benefits of including end-users in indicator development and strategy

Development as Eradication: The Pillage of the Jakun ‘People’s Bank’ of Tasik Chini, Pahang, Malaysia

The political rhetoric of social and economic development in Malaysia is used as a dominant and largely unquestioned discourse to justify the industrialised exploitation of the traditional territories of the indigeneous people of West Malaysia. This paper explores social policy drivers in respect of findings from a condensed ethnography of the Jakun Orang Asli people of Tasik Chini in the State of Pahang. Tasik Chini provides an important example of a wider problem affecting many Orang Asli communities in Malaysia relating to industrial exploitation, but is a case of special interest in respect of its significance as a site of rich and unique biodiversity as well as being the home of one of only two freshwater lakes in West Malaysia. Notably, Tasik Chini is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, of which there are only two in Malaysia, and where the lake and surrounding forests have provided the Jakun villagers with abundant natural resources for subsistence, but now the area is badly eroded and polluted by the ravages of big business. This presents a serious dilemma for the Jakun concerning resisting the destruction of their traditional way of life or to comply with State agendas and collude with their loss of self-sufficiency and autonomy and in so doing raises important questions regarding national social policy drivers and the position and welfare of indigenous people in Malaysia