Freedom of religion and law of apostasy in Malaysia / Nurjeehan Abd Jabar, Eileys Ismail and Zahida Azmah Ishak.

The main aim of this study is to find some answers as regards to the right to profess and practice the religion according to Islamic perspective and the Federal Constitution as compared to law of apostasy in Malaysia. In order to do this, we shall examine the general Quranic provisions, hadith and Islamic jurist view in comparing to Federal Constitution as regards to freedom of religion. It must be noted that the law of apostasy has been legislate by some states into their state law such as Section 13 of the Criminal Law Enactment of 1992. The main question that we hope to answer in this research is; firstly, whether individual right to profess and practice religion is protected under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution. Secondly, whether the implementation of apostasy law in Malaysia will be constitutional and finally, whether Sharia' Court is the competence court in deciding the apostasy cases

Partial replacement of glass fiber by woven kenaf in hybrid composites and its effect on monotonic and fatigue properties

Natural–synthetic fiber hybrid composites offer a combination of high mechanical properties from the synthetic fibers and the advantages of renewable fibers to produce a material with highly specific and determined properties. In this study, plain-woven kenaf/glass reinforced unsaturated polyester (UP) hybrid composites were fabricated using the hand lay-up method with a cold hydraulic press in a sandwich-configuration laminate. The glass was used as a shell with kenaf as a core, with an approximate total fiber content of 40%. Three glass/kenaf weight ratios percentages of (70/30)% (H1), (55/45)% (H2), and (30/70)% (H3) were used to fabricate hybrid composites. Also pure glass/UP and kenaf/UP were fabricated for comparison purposes. Monotonic tests, namely tensile, compression, and flexural strengths of the composites, were performed. The morphological properties of tensile and compression failure of kenaf and hybrid composites were studied. In addition, uniaxial tensile fatigue life of hybrid composites were conducted and evaluated. The results revealed that the hybrid composite (H1) offered a good balance and the best static properties, but in tensile fatigue loading (H3) displayed low fatigue sensitivity when compared with the other hybrid composites

Effects of Kenaf Fiber Orientation on Mechanical Properties and fatigue Life of Glass/Kenaf Hybrid Composites

The objectives of this work were to investigate the effect of kenaf fiber alignment on the mechanical and fatigue properties of kenaf/glass hybrid sandwich composites. Three types of kenaf fibers were used, namely, non-woven random mat, unidirectional twisted yarn, and plain-woven kenaf. A symmetric sandwich configuration was constructed with glass as the shell and kenaf as the core with a constant kenaf/glass weight ratio of 30/70% and a volume fraction of 35%. Tensile, compression, flexural, and fully reversed fatigue tests were conducted, and a morphological study of the tensile failure surface of each hybrid composite was carried out. The non-woven mat kenaf hybrid had poor properties for all tests, while the unidirectional kenaf hybrid composite possessed higher tensile strength and similar compressive properties compared with the woven kenaf. Hybridization with kenaf fibers improved the fatigue degradation coefficient of the final composites to 6.2% and 6.4% for woven and unidirectional kenaf, respectively, compared with 7.9% for non-woven. Because woven kenaf hybrid composite is lightweight, environment friendly, and has a considerable balance in static and fatigue strengths with low fatigue sensitivity in bidirectional planes compared to glass, it is strongly recommended for structural applications

The establishment of institutional repository : a brief comparative study between the national university of malaysia and the university of liverpool

The implementation of an institutional repository has never been an easy task since there are challenges that need to be addressed in the pre-implementation process. There are various factors that can interfere with the smooth development of the IR. Awareness, budgeting, technology and human factors such as staffing and depositors’ behaviour all become part of the challenges. Even with thorough planning, there is no guarantee that the IR will work smoothly as there are various post-implementation issues awaiting. As a result, institutions must provide solution plans to overcome all these challenges. This article is a brief comparative study on the challenges and issues experienced by the National University of Malaysia and the University of Liverpool on the establishment of an IR. The discussions are centered on issues such as depositors’ behavior, management, access and sustainability

Effects of processing method, moisture content, and resin system on physical and mechanical properties of woven kenaf plant fiber composites

Effects of the processing method, moisture content, and polymer type were evaluated relative to the physical and mechanical properties of composites based on natural plants. When kenaf was heated above the glass transition temperature of lignin, there was a reduction in moisture content by more than 8% of the total weight of the raw material. To investigate polymer behavior, the raw material was reinforced with three types of polymers: epoxy, unsaturated polyester (UP), and vinyl ester fabricated using hand lay-up with cold press (HCP) and vacuum infusion (VI). The results of (HCP) showed a noticeable improvement in tensile and flexural strength and their moduli for all types of polymer used compared with (VI), in ascending order from UP and vinyl ester to epoxy. Using the HCP method, the tensile strength improved considerably, by 60% for epoxy, 59% for UP, and 250% for vinyl ester, while flexural strength was enhanced by 16% for epoxy, 126% for UP, and 117% for vinyl ester compared to VI. Impact results showed a slight or no improvement in absorbed energy

Penggunaan bahasa Melayu dalam pengurusan dan pentadbiran di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kebangsaan sudah termaktub dalam perkara 152, Perlembagaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu (1957) dan Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia (1963). Pelaksanaan akta ini diterjemahkan melalui Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan 1963 dan Akta Pendidikan 1996. Walaupun pelbagai usaha telah dilakukan untuk mempastikan penggunaan bahasa Melayu secara meluas dalam program rasmi agensi kerajaan mahupun swasta, tetapi masih terdapat pihak yang tidak menggunakan bahasa Melayu sepenuhnya termasuk universiti awam. Oleh itu, objektif kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji penggunaan bahasa Melayu dalam pengurusan dan pentadbiran di UKM. Kajian yang menggunakan reka bentuk tinjauan ini telah menggunakan soal selidik dan temu bual berstruktur sebagai instrumen kajian. Responden terdiri daripada 562 orang kakitangan UKM yang menjalankan tugasan pengurusan dan pentadbiran di UKM. Temu bual berstruktur melibatkan sepuluh orang informan yang terdiri daripada tiga kategori, iaitu pentadbir akademik, pengurusan dan profesional serta pelaksana. Analisis data dilakukan secara deskriptif dipaparkan dalam bentuk frekuensi dan peratus. Manakala, temu bual berstruktur dianalisis menggunakan kaedah verbatim. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa majoriti responden dan informan menyokong penggunaan bahasa Melayu dalam pengurusan dan pentadbiran. Manakala hampir sebahagian besar responden dan informan bersetuju penggunaan dwibahasa dalam progam di UKM pada peringkat antarabangsa. Daripada aspek penggunaan bahasa Melayu dalam urusan rasmi di UKM pula, kajian mendapati penggunaan bahasa Melayu yang tertinggi adalah bagi urusan boring. Manakala kategori yang paling tidak menggunakan bahasa Melayu adalah dalam komunikasi lisan dengan pelanggan luar. Hasil temu bual juga mendapati warga UKM menyokong penuh cadangan penyediaan Garis Panduan Penggunaan Bahasa Melayu dalam Pengurusan Pentadbiran di UKM. Implikasi hasil kajian mendapati garis panduan penggunaan bahasa Melayu dalam pengurusan dan pentadbiran di universiti awam adalah suatu keperluan sebagai satu mekanisme untuk memartabatkan bahasa Melayu

Impak pameran dan perkhidmatan pandu lalu terhadap pinjaman buku baharu: kajian berasaskan Return on Investment (ROI)

The Library has purchased 10,050 copies of printed books for UKM researchers from 2009 to 2013. Nevertheless, the study found only 4,864 (48.4%) of books were borrowed. This problem should be overcome due to the fact that the estimated cost of books purchasing is RM8.72 million compared to the value of the books that were borrowed (RM4.5 million). A preliminary study was conducted by the Management Quality Improvement Team (QIT) with regards to borrowing transactions using Return on Investment (ROI) and Cost Benefit Ratio (CBR) methods. Several suggestions on how to increase books circulation were presented by the Management QIT to the Library. Two suggestions were implemented by the Innovative and Creative Group (ICG) KLIK in 2014/2015 which included new books display and Drive-Thru@PTSL service. The study has proved that new books display and Drive-Thru@PTSL service have increased the borrowing transaction rate from 1.6% up to 46.8% in nine months

Media Education through Digital Games: A Review on Design and Factors Influencing Learning Performance

In the past two decades, a considerable amount of research has focused on digital games as part of media education. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is identified as a potential pedagogical approach to enhance learning in the digital era. In light of the increased number of academic articles on educational games, this study considers the development and the factors that influence learning performance among children by providing a thematic review of the literature available on DGBL. Findings show that despite following developmental standard procedures, a distinct perspective between the game designer and the educator is essential. Three major approaches have been identified, namely the learner-centered, the game-centered and the model approaches. Learning processes that use digital games show empirically positive results as well as the great influence in terms of intrinsic motivation, game features and overall learning experience

Rethinking the Ideology of Using Digital Games to Increase Individual Interest in STEM

Using games to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can enhance the quality of education. The idea of using digital games to increase individual interest towards STEM has been implemented as gaming technology has evolved in the 21st century. A correlation exists between using digital games and the learning outcomes which suggests that incorporating digital games may develop interest; however, the theoretical discussion on how interest may be developed with digital games remains inconclusive, thus, resulting in the need for further discussion. Hence, we aim to contribute with a discussion on how STEM digital games can develop individual interest in STEM. Previous studies on digital games in the STEM education context support the arguments presented in this study, therefore, there is a high probability that STEM digital games develop interest. Nevertheless, this can only be achieved with a good STEM game design and defining what is a good STEM game design is subjective. Several elements can be used as indicators to describe the quality of a design. These include the pedagogical learning content and the inclusion of fun elements within a design. Therefore, we propose the integration of theories with pedagogy, learning strategies, STEM learning content, game elements, and game principles design to ensure the presence of a three-layer process to develop interest. The creativity of game designers and developers is key to creating appealing STEM digital games providing young players with an inspiring experience

Effects of Kenaf Fiber Orientation on Mechanical Properties and Fatigue Life of Glass/Kenaf Hybrid Composites

The objectives of this work were to investigate the effect of kenaf fiber alignment on the mechanical and fatigue properties of kenaf/glass hybrid sandwich composites. Three types of kenaf fibers were used, namely, non-woven random mat, unidirectional twisted yarn, and plain-woven kenaf. A symmetric sandwich configuration was constructed with glass as the shell and kenaf as the core with a constant kenaf/glass weight ratio of 30/70% and a volume fraction of 35%. Tensile, compression, flexural, and fully reversed fatigue tests were conducted, and a morphological study of the tensile failure surface of each hybrid composite was carried out. The non-woven mat kenaf hybrid had poor properties for all tests, while the unidirectional kenaf hybrid composite possessed higher tensile strength and similar compressive properties compared with the woven kenaf. Hybridization with kenaf fibers improved the fatigue degradation coefficient of the final composites to 6.2% and 6.4% for woven and unidirectional kenaf, respectively, compared with 7.9% for non-woven. Because woven kenaf hybrid composite is lightweight, environment friendly, and has a considerable balance in static and fatigue strengths with low fatigue sensitivity in bidirectional planes compared to glass, it is strongly recommended for structural applications