Comparison of bridge design in Malaysia between American codes and British codes

The design of a highway bridge, like most any other civil engineering project, is dependant on certain standards and criteria. Naturally, the critical importance of highway bridges in a modern transportation system would imply a set of rigorous design specifications to ensure the safety and overall quality of the constructed project. By general specifications, we imply an overall design code covering the majority of structures in a given transportation system.In the United States bridge engineers use AASHTO’s standard Specification for Highway Bridges and, in similar fashion or trends, German bridge engineer utilize the DIN standard and British and Malaysia designers the BS 5400 code. In general, countries like German and United Kingdom which have developed and maintained major highway systems for a great many years possess their own national bridge standards. The AASHTO Standard Specification, however, have been accepted by many countries as the general code by which bridges should be designed. In this research study, investigation and comparisons using codes of practices for bridge design in Malaysia is done . American codes has been choosen as an alternative to British codes in design of bridge, followed by comparison in term of structure component performance due to seismic loading. The purpose is to investigate the performance of existing bridge in Malaysia due to seismic resistant. Thus, the bridge performance over the safety condition and structure integrity while using both codes of practices, American and British Codes is identified

Pilot Survey On The Conservation Of Historical Buildings In Malaysia

Historic buildings basically represents the single most visible aspect of our past history and culture. Like most other countries in the world, Malaysia has a rich legacy of historic buildings with outstanding craftsmanship and architecture quality. They form an impressive historic features and heritage of the past work of man. It is important to conserve and preserve historic buildings because they provide a sense of identity and continuity in a fast changing world for future generations. However some of these buildings are at risk from defects and are not being well cared for due to lack of technical knowledge and high cost of repair and maintenance. The purpose of this paper intends to highlight the existing conditions of historical buildings in Malaysia with the main focus on the conditions of building defects and conservation approach to these buildings. To do so, a pilot survey has been conducted on several heritage towns and cities based on the existing heritage trail in Malaysia. The broad objective of this pilot survey is to examine the level of building defects and the location of building defects that normally occur at various types of historical buildings in Malaysia. At the same time, it will also look into the conservation approaches that has been done to these historical buildings either the method are acceptable according to the basic principles and philosophy of building conservation. It is expected that this paper could contribute some benefits to the owners, consultants, contractors, conservators, various government agencies, heritage body and by all those who concerned with the care and conservation of historic buildings in Malaysia.Pilot Survey, Heritage Trail, Historical Buildings, Building Defects, Building Conservation

Contentious information: Accounts of knowledge production, circulation and consumption in transitional Egypt

While the 2011 Egyptian Uprising renewed attention to revolutionary news platforms such as Al-Jazeera and Facebook, citizens continued to be understudied as active consumers of information. Yet citizens’ perceptions of their informational milieu and how they responded in consuming, processing, and interpreting facts offer crucial insight into the turbulent transition that followed the initial uprising. This study analyzes Egyptian citizens’ accounts of their information environment and practices amid socio-political change. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 politically-engaged citizens from various political and professional backgrounds. Participants were asked to discuss the state of public discourse, the institutions responsible for the circulation of information, and their own practices to become informed, with on-going political controversies used as case studies. The findings are presented into two parts. The first part compiles responses regarding institutions (the state, broadcast media, and social media) which were found to be functionally interconnected and interdependent, forming Egypt’s information ecosystem. This ecosystem systematically rendered information elusive, equivocal, and unreliable, but also demonstrated the importance of official information, a tolerance for partisan news, and the complementary role of social media. The second part examines citizens’ practices (the characteristics of consumers, the types of sources they relied upon, and the tactics they employed to become informed) which constituted an information culture, the information ecosystem’s counterpart. This culture was characterized by skepticism, mistrust, ingenuity, bias, and elitism, with sources being conceived as individuals and classified according to their proximity and type of knowledge; and consumers employing tactics involving the parsing of subtexts and the juxtaposing of claims from multiple texts. The characteristics, sources, and tactics of consumers reflected an information culture influenced by and responding to socio-political conditions. Drawing on both the disciplines of media and information studies, this study offers a new approach for exploring the societal dimensions of information through the narratives of citizens on the production, circulation, and consumption of information in the context of dramatically shifting political and media landscapes. Besides advancing information practices research beyond traditional settings, the fieldwork was conducted in the weeks prior to the controversial overthrow of Egypt’s first elected president and therefore provides insights into a dramatic episode in the country’s transition

STUDI TENTANG MODEL RUMAH USAHA SERUMPUN (RUS) DALAM PENCIPTAAN WIRAUSAHA BARU DI SKB TRENGGALEK

Abstrak: RUS adalah Pendidikan Kecakapan Hidup (PKH) yang diselenggarakan secara khusus untuk memberikan kesempatan belajar bagi masyarakat agar memperoleh pengetahuan, keterampilan dan menumbuh kembangkan sikap mental kreatif, inovatif, bertanggung jawab, serta berani menanggung resiko (sikap mental profesional) dalam mengelola potensi diri dan lingkungannya yang dapat dijadikan bekal untuk bekerja dan atau berwirausaha dalam upaya peningkatan kualitas hidupnya.Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk : (1) mendiskripsikan model pelaksanaan Rumah Usaha Serumpun dalam penciptaan wirausaha baru di  SKB Trenggalek (2) dan juga mendiskripsikan dampak model pelaksanaan RUS. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah penelitian kualitatif. Pendekatan ini digunakan untuk memotret objek yang diteliti secara menyeluruh dan utuh. Data hasil penelitian diolah dengan menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif. Penelitian dilaksanakan di  SKB Trenggalek, dan di fokuskan pada Studi model pelaksanaan RUS dalam penciptaan wirausaha baru dan dampak model RUS tersebut. Pengambilan data dilaksanakan pada bulan juli. Subjek  penelitian meliputi peserta RUS, Narasumber, dan penyelenggara RUS. Kata Kunci: Studi model pelaksanaan RUS, dampak model RUS

Management of an Urban Stormwater System Using Projected Future Scenarios of Climate Models: A Watershed-Based Modeling Approach

Anticipating a proper management needs for urban stormwater due to climate change is becoming a critical concern to water resources managers. In an effort to identify best management practices and understand the probable future climate scenarios, this study used high-resolution climate model data in conjunction with advanced statistical methods and computer simulation. Climate model data from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) were used to calculate the design storm depths for the Gowan Watershed of Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was used for hydrological modeling. Two low-impact development techniques – Permeable Pavement and Green Roof – were implemented in the EPA SWMM hydrological modeling to attenuate excess surface runoff that was induced by climate change. The method adopted in this study was effective in mitigating the challenges in managing changes in urban stormwater amounts due to climate change

PENGARUH KONSENTRASI DAN INTERVAL PEMBERIAN PUPUK HAYATI BIOBOOST TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL TANAMAN JAGUNG MANIS (ZEA MAYS SACCHARATA STURT.)

RINGKASANJagung manis (Zea mays saccharata Sturt.) sudah cukup lama dikenal sertadikembangkan di Indonesia. Pada umumnya jagung manis adalah komoditas pertanianyang disukai oleh masyrakat karena memiliki rasa yang manis, enak, mengandungkarbohidrat, protein, vitamin dan rendah lemak. Faktor penting dalam peningkatanproduksi jagung manis adalah salah satunya dengan pemupukan. Pemupukan adalah suatuusaha pemberian pupuk dengan tujuan menambah unsur hara yang diperlukan tanamanuntuk meningkatan pertumbuhan, produksi dan kualitas tanaman.Penelitian ini dilakukan di Kebun Percobaan Fakultas Pertanian Universitas SyiahKuala Darussalam Banda Aceh, yang dilaksanakan pada bulan Juni sampai September2017. Rancangan percobaan yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah Rancangan AcakKelompok pola faktorial 4 x 3 dengan 3 ulangan. Adapun faktor yang diteliti yaitukonsentrasi pupuk hayati Bioboost dengan 4 taraf yaitu 0, 20, 40 dan 60 cc/L dan intervalpemberian pupuk hayati Bioboost dengan 3 taraf yaitu 15, 30, dan 45 hari sekali.Parameter yang diteliti yaitu tinggi tanaman dan diameter batang umur 15, 30, 45 HST,berat tongkol berkelobot pertanaman, berat tongkol tanpa kelobot pertanaman, diameterberkelobot pertanaman, diameter tongkol tanpa kelobot pertanaman, panjang tongkolberkelobot pertanaman, panjang tongkol tanpa kelobot pertanaman dan potensi hasil.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa konsentrasi pupuk hayati Bioboost padaparameter pertumbuhan berpengaruh sangat nyata terhadap tinggi tanaman 15 HST,diameter batang umur 30 HST, berat tongkol berkelobot, diameter tongkol berkelobot,berat tongkol tanpa kelobot, diameter tongkol tanpa berkelobot, potensi hasil per haberpengaruh nyata terhadap tinggi tanaman 45 HST, diameter batang 45 HST, panjangtongkol berkelobot, panjang tanpa kelobot dan berpengaruh tidak nyata pada tinggitanaman 30 HST, diameter batang 15 HST. Pada fase vegetatif didapati konsentrasi terbaikpada perlakuan 60cc/L air, sedangkan pada fase generatif didapati konsentrasi terbaik padaperlakuan 20cc/L air. Hasil penelitiaan juga menunjukkan interval pemberian pupuk hayatiBioboost berpengaruh tidak nyata terhadap semua parameter yang diamati. Hasil yangcenderung lebih baik dijumpai pada perlakuan interval pemberian 30 hari sekali daninterval pemberian 45 hari sekali. Terdapat interaksi yang tidak nyata antara konsentrasipupuk hayati Bioboost dengan interval pemberian pupuk hayati Bioboost pada semuaparameter yang diamati

The mediating effect of attitude on direct and indirect determinants of Internet banking usage in Malaysia

Internet banking in Malaysia has been in existence for more than two decades. However, there is still lack of studies in discovering the aspects of attitude and behavior of the retail banking customers towards the adoption of the internet banking services. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the determinants of the internet banking usage from the angle of attitude and behavior of these customers in the internet banking usage. This study employed the Technology Acceptance Model by Davis as the underpinning theory and further enhanced it to the Extended Technology Acceptance Model by taking into account factors such as trust, internet self-efficacy, and subjective norm as the additional predictors of internet banking usage via the mediating effect of attitude towards usage. The study setting was based on five top commercial banking in Malaysia and systematic random sampling of data collection was done through households via self–administered questionnaire and analysis was done by using the structural equation modelling as the statistical tool. The findings show that perceived ease of use and attitude have a positive significant effect on internet banking usage while perceived usefulness and internet self-efficacy have a positive impact on attitude. The findings further reveal that perceived usefulness and internet self-efficacy mediate through attitude on the internet banking usage while trust, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm do not mediate through attitude on the internet banking usage. These results are immeasurably valuable to practitioners for managing and executing their marketing strategy. Furthermore, it contributes and enriches knowledge pertaining to the predictors of internet banking usage