Gender swapping and socialising in cyberspace: an exploratory study

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are one of the most interesting innovations in the area of online computer gaming. Given the relative lack of research in the area, the main aims of the study were to examine (a) the impact of online gaming (e.g., typical playing behavior) in the lives of online gamers, (b) the effect of online socializing in the lives of gamers, and (c) why people engage in gender swapping. A self-selecting sample of 119 online gamers ranging from 18 to 69 years (M = 28.5 years) completed a questionnaire. The results showed that just over one in five gamers (21%) said they preferred socializing online to offline. Significantly more male gamers than female gamers said that they found it easier to converse online than offline. It was also found that 57% of gamers had engaged in gender swapping, and it is suggested that the online female persona has a number of positive social attributes in a male-oriented environment

A review on seawater as concrete composites and its effects on the strength and durability

The world is facing a big challenge of balancing a growing population and demand with a natural environment that is increasingly under stress. The rapidly changing environmental conditions especially intensity and frequency of extreme weather it has now become very important to explore in green technology. Effective use of natural resources is pressing concern. Particularly, water resources for drinking are predicted to be in serious shortage in 2050 due to increase in population and rapid urbanization throughout the world. The beginning of the 21st century is straddled with enormous environmental problems of which water shortage is one of the most serious. It is a well-known fact that fresh water resources are continuously declining throughout the world and according to a report by the United Nations, water will be very short in future. It is expected that 5bn people will be short of drinking water in 2050 [1]. In another report published by OECD, it is stated that a number of people living in river basins will be under severe water stress which is expected to be double in 2050 .

Keberkesanan sistem agihan zakat: Suatu pandangan awal

Isu agihan zakat sering menjadi perhatian ramai. Masyarakat sering mempersoalkan mengenai lebihan berjuta-juta ringgit wang zakat yang tidak diagihkan kepada asnaf. Lebihan wang zakat ini bertambah dengan banyaknya dari setahun ke setahun. Timbul beberapa persoalan mengenai keberkesanan agihan zakat pada masa sekarang. Berapakah jumlah kutipan dan berapa banyak kutipan ini diagihkan kepada asnaf yang layak? Golongan asnaf manakah yang merupakan penerima terbanyak wang zakat? Apakah faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi keberkesanan pengurusan agihan zakat? Justeru, kertas kerja ini bertujuan membincangkan secara terperinci mengenai persoalan di atas dan di akhir kertas kerja ini, dicadangkan beberapa pendekatan bagi merungkai persoalan-persoalan ini

Maulana Abu Bakr Siddiqi’s Participation in The Freedom Movement of India

Maulana Abu Bakr Siddiqi was a prominent religious personality, eminent intellectual and a great spiritual guide and social reformer. He had uprooted the religious blindness, unlawful customs and bida’h (heterodoxy) from the Muslim community and promoted the true creed and faith of Islam, as well as propagated the real and pure sunnah among his lakhs of devotees purifying the wrong method of tasauuf and worship, promoting awareness against the falsehood of fake spiritual guides, and pulling up the polytheism (shirk), heterodoxy (Bida’h) and apostatize (irtidad) by the roots through his demonstrated and proven speeches.             In addition to that, he always urged his lakhs of devotees and disciples to be united against the British colonial power. To materialize this aim of unity against British, and to spread the cinder and flame of revolution in the hearts of common people he established several important organizations and newspapers for the Muslims of Bengal and Assam. These organizations of Ulema and scholars as well as its mouthpiece magazines and newspapers played vital unforgettable roles in Khilafat Movement, Quit India Movement, Non-Cooperation Movement and Complete Freedom Movement as well as worked for communal harmony and peace, what should be written by golden letter in the history.             He presided over the regional branch of the historical freedom fighting organization Jamiat e Ulama e Hind in West Bengal until his death on 17th March of 1939 C.E, and organized several large public conferences against the British rule in various places of undivided Bengal and Assam, being accompanied by other Deobandi Ulema like Shaikhul Islam Hussain Ahmad Madani, Maulana Hafij Ahmad Saeed, Mufti Kifayatullah and many others, and had created an anti-British common phenomenon among the common people

A study of service quality performance made by Opensoft Technologies Sdn Bhd / Norshafini Md Hussain

This research was conducted for the purposed of “A Study of Service Quality Performance Made by Opensoft Technologies Sdn. Bhd.” The main purpose of this research was to examine overall customer satisfaction toward the service and the performance of the outsourced job taken by Opensoft Technologies Sdn. Bhd. based on the SERVQUAL dimensions. In this research, the researcher focused on the case from the outsource job taken by Opensoft Technologies Sdn. Bhd. from Jabatan Pertanian, Kementerian Pertanian dan Asas Tani,Putrajaya. The research is conducted using primary and secondary data. The data being collected through interview and observation as primary data while from secondary data is gathered information through journal, article, and textbook and also through internet. The conclusion of the research was the outcome from the gap identification that was compared between the theory and company practices. Based on the finding, some recommendations have been suggested in order to help this company improve their quality of services and at the same time, enhance customer satisfaction

Criminalization of Environmental Harms in Bangladesh and the United States

This study explores and compares the nature, features, and measures of criminalization of environmental harms in Bangladesh and United States. The exploration is based on the descriptive and analytical comparison of the legal frameworks addressing the environmental harms in these two countries. To explore how are environmental harms criminalized in Bangladesh and United States, following aspects were described and compared: the criminalizing power of the state, criminalization of environmental harms regarding air pollution, water pollution, protection of biodiversity, waste management, and use of pesticide, theoretical frameworks in explaining criminalization, role of constitution and international law