Double-brillouin-frequency spaced multiwavelength fiber laser using high resolution OSA

We successfully demonstrate a double-frequency spaced multiwavelength Brillouin fiber laser (MWBFL) using a dispersion shifetd fiber (DSF) as the nonlinear medium. The spectrum of the MWBFL is observed by using a standard optical specrumanalyser (OSA) with a resolution of 0.02 nm. for comparison purpose, further verifcation of the double spacing spectrum is done by observing the spectrum using a high resolution OSA with the resolution of 0.16 pm. We realized that even thespacing between two consecutive of stokes is double-frequency shifted,however there are still hidden stokes wavelength spacing of 0.08 nm.From this observation it can be deduced that even-though the above described ring configuration should by all means only allow for double-spaced Stokes outputs, in reality both even and odd Stokes lines propagate in both directions in the laser cavity

Ciri tingkah laku pembelian pengunjung untuk sektor perkhidmatan di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Artikel ini meneliti tentang ciri tingkah laku pembelian pengunjung terhadap sektor perkhidmatan di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Kajian ini melibatkan kaedah kuantitatif menggunakan borang soal selidik terhadap 105 responden. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa pengunjung memilih harga dan kos sebagai aspek utama yang mempengaruhi pembelian sesuatu perkhidmatan. Selain itu, pengunjung memilih suatu yang lebih murah tanpa mengambil kira sebarang faktor lain. Oleh hal yang demikian, pola tingkah laku dan kuasa beli pengunjung adalah relevan untuk dikaji kerana setiap individu mempunyai citarasa dan keinginan yang berbeza-beza terhadap suatu perkhidmatan yang mereka inginkan

Hubung kait kesanggupan untuk membayar (WTP) dan ruang keliaran pelancong di Kundasang - Ranau, Sabah

Artikel ini bertujuan untuk meneliti tentang hubung kait kesanggupan untuk membayar dan ruang keliaran pelancong di Kundasang-Ranau, Sabah. Pendekatan kajian yang digunakan adalah penilaian dan kajian kes. Kajian ini melibatkan penggunaan kaedah kuantitatif melalui tinjauan borang soal selidik terhadap 150 orang responden. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa majoriti status perjalanan pelancong ke destinasi pelancongan terpilih di Kundasang-Ranau adalah ditetapkan secara persendirian iaitu 131 orang responden (87.3%). Manakala status perjalanan ke destinasi pelancongan yang ditetapkan oleh pakej pelancongan seramai 11 orang responden (7.3%) dan yang ditetapkan oleh organisasi atau institusi pula adalah seramai lapan orang (5.3%). Seramai 105 responden (70%) menyatakan bahawa harga yuran masuk ke destinasi pelancongan adalah mempengaruhi keputusan mereka untuk menentukan destinasi pelancongan yang mereka kunjungi. Seterusnya, kriteria utama yang diambil kira oleh pelancong untuk memilih destinasi pelancongan adalah memilih destinasi yang belum pernah mereka kunjungi iaitu seramai 59 orang (59.3%). Hasil kajian turut mendapati ruang keliaran pelancong bukan semata-mata dipengaruhi oleh kesanggupan pengunjung membayar ke satu-satu destinasi yang dikunjungi tetapi turut dipengaruhi oleh jenis status perjalanan yang dipilih

Kesanggupan untuk membayar ke destinasi ekopelancongan hutan paya bakau Taman Negara Johor Tanjung Piai

Kajian terhadap kesanggupan untuk membayar dan ekopelancongan didapati masih terpisah dan tidak seimbang. Malahan, hanya sedikit kajian yang menjelaskan sebab seseorang pelancong berminat dengan aktiviti ekopelancongan dan sanggup untuk membayar yuran yang dikenakan. Artikel ini meneliti tentang penilaian terhadap kesanggupan untuk membayar dalam kalangan pengunjung dan pelancong ke destinasi ekopelancongan hutan paya bakau di Taman Negara Johor Tanjung Piai (TNJTP). Objektif kajian ini ialah mengenal pasti tahap dan nilai kesanggupan untuk membayar (WTP) oleh pengunjung dan pelancong. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif melalui temu bual mendalam, temu bual tidak langsung dan pemerhatian. Seramai 40 orang informan dipilih dalam kajian ini. Hasil kajian mendapati kesedaran majoriti informan terhadap tahap kesanggupan untuk membayar adalah sederhana. Rata-rata informan tidak peka dengan harga yang ditawarkan kepada mereka. Namun begitu, majoriti daripada mereka berpuas hati dengan nilai kadar bayaran yang ditetapkan. Latar belakang sosiobudaya dan mentaliti penduduk di negara ini mempengaruhi keprihatinan terhadap isu WTP. Dalam jangka panjang, pihak pengurusan taman negara ini perlu proakti

Penderitaan mangsa pemerdagangan orang di Malaysia

Jenayah pemerdagangan orang melanggar hak asasi dan mencabul kehormatan manusia. Ia adalah perhambaan zaman moden yang mencalarkan imej, etika, kredibiliti serta hubungan antarabangsa. Penderitaan yang dilalui oleh mangsa pemerdagangan orang sewajarnya dipaparkan untuk membangkitkan kesedaran masyarakat terhadap isu ini. Sehubungan itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka penderitaan yang dilalui oleh mangsa pemerdagangan orang di Malaysia. Pendekatan kualitatif kajian kes berganda digunakan untuk memahami situasi ini. Sejumlah 18 orang mangsa pemerdagangan orang di sebuah pusat perlindungan yang dipilih melalui kaedah persampelan bertujuan dan persampelan bebola salji telah ditemu ramah secara berkumpulan (kumpulan berfokus). Data dianalisis menggunakan pendekatan analisis tematik. Kajian mendapati, mangsa pemerdagangan mengalami penderitaan fizikal, mental dan spiritual terutamanya dalam tempoh pemerdagangan. Sehubungan itu, pelan tindakan khas perlu dilaksanakan untuk mencegah, meningkatkan kesedaran masyarakat dan membanteras jenayah pemerdagangan manusia. Kajian ini memberi implikasi kepada pertubuhan dan agensi kebajikan, penguatkuasaan, jenayah, pemulihan dan kerohanian untuk bersinergi bagi membantu mangsa pemerdagangan orang

Kadar bayaran dan kesanggupan untuk membayar (WTP) di destinasi pelancongan terpilih di Kota Belud, Sabah

Kota Belud adalah sebuah daerah luar bandar di Sabah yang memiliki banyak destinasi pelancongan yang menarik untuk dikunjungi. Walaupun daerah ini dikategorikan sebagai kawasan luar bandar, masih terdapat ramai pelancong yang sanggup datang kerana kebanyakan destinasi pelancongan di kawasan ini adalah berasaskan tarikan alam semula jadi. Justeru, artikel ini bertujuan untuk meneliti tentang kadar bayaran dan kaitannya dengan kesanggupan pelancong untuk membayar (WTP) di destinasi pelancongan terpilih di Kota Belud, Sabah. Kaedah kajian yang digunakan adalah kaedah kuantitatif dengan melibatkan penggunaan borang soal selidik sebagai instrumen kajian yang utama. Untuk itu, seramai 93 orang responden terlibat dalam kajian ini. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa sebanyak empat destinasi pelancongan didapati mengenakan yuran bayaran masuk manakala tiga daripadanya tidak mengenakan sebarang bayaran untuk masuk ke premis pelancongan mereka. Bagi yuran perkhidmatan, semua destinasi pelancongan yang dikaji didapati mengenakan bayaran tersebut kepada pegunjung yang ingin menggunakan perkhidmatan yang disediakan. Dua dari destinasi pelancongan yang dikaji pula mengenakan yuran aktiviti, iaitu Cabana Retreat dan Melangkap Nabalu Rafflesia. Seramai 53 orang (57%) responden berpendapat kadar bayaran yang dikenakan adalah berpatutan dengan perkhidmatan yang disediakan. Ringkasnya, kajian WTP dan pelbagai bayaran yang dikenakan kepada pelancong dapat membantu pengusaha pelancongan dalam menambah baik fasiliti dan perkhidmatan premis pelancongan mereka

Analytical study on failure of national language policy's implementation in the Malaysian legal system / Khairul Naim Rafidi … [et al.]

Basically, this research project explains and studies on the failure of the national language policy's implementation in the Malaysian Legal System. It explores into the meaning of the national language, the position of the national language in Malaysia and several other countries, the relationship between the national language with Malaysia's history, legal jurisprudence, and psychology, together with the views from various perspectives, on the implementation of the national language in Malaysia. In this research, we have also read through landmark cases that reveal the importance of the national language, which the court has regrettably overlooked. There are several issues highlighted by the respondents in this research; which are crucial and must be brought to the attention of the public, legal officers, legal practitioners and academicians. Therefore, the research findings will create much needed awareness to the society about the importance of the national language in unifying the nation. In addition, a comparison is made of the situation in Malaysia and in other countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. This will indirectly give some ideas, and help the relevant authorities to understand the reasons why the implementation of the national language in the Malaysian Legal System is vital in this country. At the same time, by conducting this research, we hope that it will be a guiding light, and grant to the injured parties, or the accused, in civil and criminal cases, the opportunity to seek justice, and ensure that justice is dispensed to all parties, regardless of their capability in conversing in either the English language or the national language. After collecting, analysing and justifying all the findings, based on the opinions and all the reliable facts and sources, we have come to a conclusion that it is possible to implement the national language in the Malaysian Legal System if the government, the Bar Council, the Attorney General's Chambers and the law firms in Malaysia, gives serious effort and attention, to overcome all the obstacles faced in the implementation, in order to implement the national language in this country

The study of platinum coated carbon nanotubes as third-order nonlinear optical materials

Platinum-multiwall carbon nanotubes (Pt-MWCNTs) was prepared through a chemical reduction and was characterized by using UV–Vis Spectrophotometer, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray (FESEM/EDX) and Raman Spectroscopy. Through this chemical reduction, Pt ions were reduced by the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Pt was in-situ deposited on the exterior walls of MWCNTs. TEM and FESEM/EDX analyses have confirmed the presence of Pt on the surface of MWCNTs. From Raman Spectroscopy, the ID/IG of MWCNT is 0.66 while ID/IG of Pt-MWCNT is 0.71, showing that not much defects were resulted by the functionalization of Pt on the surface of MWCNT, while from UV-Vis spectra, Pt-MWCNT is found to absorb at about 265 nm due to the presence of Pt nanoparticles that caused a weak surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption in the UV region which will contribute to the NLR measurement. The resulted Pt-MWCNTs was then investigated its third-order nonlinearity response as suspension in water using continuous wave laser and z-scan measurement at 532 nm. Pt-MWCNT displays good transmittance profile and selfdefocusing effect with excitation intensity is in order of 10-9 cm2/W. The presence of Pt on the surface of MWCNT has contributed to intrinsic properties and resulted in nonlinear refractive (NLR) effect. Thus, Pt-MWCNT is considered to possess significant third-order nonlinear responses considering its low Pt content and has potential in the development of photonics devices

The Cardioprotective Effect of Polysaccharide Sulphate Isolated from Brown Algae (Sargassum polycystum)

The incidence of atherosclerosis is characterized by an increase in the value of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and a decrease in the value of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) as well as an increase in the total white blood cell count which can indicate the occurrence of atherosclerosis. This study used 18 rats which were divided into 6 groups of 3 each, namely a normal control group, a negative control group (CMC 0.5%), a positive control group (Simvastatin 20 mg/kg BW), and 3 groups given a sulfate polysaccharide isolate compound test material (dosage of 250, 50, and 10 mg/kg of body weight). The results showed that sulfated polysaccharide isolates had an effect in reducing white blood cells significantly between doses of 250 mg/kg BW and 50 mg/kg BW as well as reducing SGOT levels. Unfortunately it did not reduce the SGPT level. The results of the Mann-Whitney post hoc test showed that administration of sulfated polysaccharides at an optimal dose of 250 mg/kg BW reduced the number of foam cells in the atherosclerotic white rats' (Rattus norvegicus) aortas that were given a high-fat diet and had activity in reducing CKMB levels compared to other doses

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit