Fire risk assessment of heritage building - perspectives of building stakeholders

Heritage building is very important in preserving the culture and to the tourism potential. Hence, the proper budget allocation to the prevention of fire loss is critical. Budget allocation is normally based on fire risk assessment. The assessment is interpreted based on the perception of stakeholders. Using structured interview and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) this study identifies and explains the diversity of fire risk perception of stakeholder

Reliving the traditional masjid architecture in contemporary world : the case of Masjid Al Falah - KAED Community Project

Architecture academics, historians and traditionists relished in the nostalgic past of old traditional raised timber masjid architecture making a comeback to our rural landscape currently sprinkled with colonial, mughal- Indianised, Seljuk, hybrid and contemporary masjid architecture in Malay-sia. Through community work, opportunity that allows KAED team to design and construct this dream through means eagerly spread in front of us, a journey was made with Allah's grace to a village of Belukar Luas, Ketereh. The objective was to extend an existing little masjid of Indian reminisce from a 200-300 jemaah capacity to additional 500 jemaah with Imam's office, Sultan's room, new entrances, new toilets, ablutions separate for different gender, disable friendly, elderly friendly, child friendly, women friendly and others. The vital mission was to accomplish the practical function of capacity then the intangible function of shaping the masjid to be in harmony with its natural surroundings of green rice fields, bluish hills and farming activities - a sustainable scene. Whilst listening to the Masjid committee's demands and expectations, the team embarked on literature review of traditional masjid of the region with case studies and visits to nearby oldest raised timber masjid of the country-the Masjid Kampung Laut. Contemporary traditional masjid was added on the visit list knowing very well that "modern" means "contemporary and comfortable" with selected spaces identified as needing a new feel. Several designs were drawn based on the "old" masjid using scale and proportion as well as experimenting on the building material and construction method. Cost and skills on the part of the contractor were the biggest hurdle and challenge in realising the dream. Cost cutting exercise participated by the Masjid committee, the contractor and the consulting team reduces the original design to an affordable schemes with much apprehension. Outside philanthropist and local qariahs donated to the construction in kinds and cash. The findings of the whole exercise, apart from costs, minor changes to design concepts, availability of material and local craftsmen, was the local acceptance as the paramount factor to the shaping of the masjid as it complete its phase. A job is done but not without its constraints and unexpected outcomes. The objective of the project is realised in the physical entity space for the additional 500. Findings made on the journey from theory to practicality met through contemporary changes that may have occurred during the establishment of the "old" grand masjid as well. No literature mentioned explicitly on its mode of construction or cost per se, but perhaps knowing the kindred spirit of the scholars then, accepting the phenomena of the unforetold ,as destiny, could be a contributing factor to the "how" and "why" we inherit the serene architecture of traditional masjid today, wallahuala

Fire risk assessment of heritage building – perspectives of regulatory authority, restorer and building stakeholder

This paper examines the perspectives of different parties involved in fire management/risks/protection system of heritage building. A survey questionnaire was developed based on the identified criteria of fire risks for heritage buildings in Malaysia. The survey questionnaire was administered to Fire Rescue Department Malaysia (FRDM) personnel, consultant and contractor, maintenance personnel (representing stakeholder). The data were analysed based on pair-wise comparison. It was found the perceptions of different parties differed from one another

Implementation of project based learning for civil engineering students at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Implementation of Project Based Learning (PtBL) in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) as part of Outcome Based Education (OBE) framework have faced various challenges (i.e revamp on the undergraduate co-curricullum, required high commitments from academicians & faculty and facilities to cater PtBL activities). This paper discusses the effectiveness of PtBL teaching method in an effort to develop the students’ soft skills in tandem with the technical or professional competencies; and problems, challenges and potential improvement in the course. The Survey Camp course which is offered at year one of a four years civil engineering degree programme in the Faculty of Civil Engineering (FKA), UTM was chosen for this study. It is a ten days fieldwork in which the students will carry out an engineering survey project from field to finish in groups of five to six students supervised by the academic staff. Assessment of the technical aspects was based on the students ability to meet the minimum engineering surveying’s standard whereas the assesment of soft skills was conducted during various sessions of the survey projects. Survey questionaires were given at the beginning and the end of the course as part of evaluation of the course effectiveness. The research has found that the technical aspects were achievable though with lesser degree for the engineering design. However, on the soft skills, students demonstrated an overall improvement of competency but it was difficult to determine the levels for the average students while the best and poor performers were easily observed

Navigating the COVID-19 Storm: Assessing Well-being in University Students from Lower-Income Backgrounds

The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe repercussions on individuals' lives, with particularly detrimental effects on those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The quality of life and overall well-being of this vulnerable demographic have been profoundly shaken. In the context of increasing research segmentation based on specific population profiles, this study is designed to investigate the well-being of university students hailing from lower-income groups during the pandemic, particularly when stringent movement control orders were in effect. Furthermore, this research scrutinizes variations in well-being with respect to gender and locality. A quantitative comparative approach was employed, and data were collected through a convenient online survey sampling method. The assessment of the subjects' quality of life was carried out using a standardized WHO-QOL BREF questionnaire, consisting of 26 items that measure various domains encompassing environment, physical health, psychological well-being, and social relationships. Furthermore, the WHO well-being measure was also used to assess the respondents' general well-being. Multigroup analysis (MGA) and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to analyze the data. 305 students made up the study cohort, of whom 112 lived in urban regions and 193 in rural ones. The results show significant differences between male and female students in the areas of physical and psychological health. The study also found that among rural students, environmental characteristics and well-being were significantly correlated, although this was not the case for their urban counterpart

Some studies on shape memory alloy friction spun yarn

This paper reports on the utilization of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire as a conductive element in core-sheath friction yarn. The yarns were spun using DREF 3000 spinning machine. The yarn consisted of three layers with the SMA wire at the core and 100% cotton fibers at the second layer and as the sheath producing a yarn called SMA Friction Spun Yarn (SMA FSY). Three different core-sheath ratios and spinning drum speeds were used in the spinning process. The objectives were to compare the SMA FSY yarn tensile properties and to understand the influence of the machine process parameters towards the actuating performance under stress-free condition. Results showed that the SMA FSY with 60% core and highest spinning drum speed gave better tensile strength. Additionally, this yarn also gave the fastest initiating deformation below 100 seconds. It can be concluded that the changes in the machine process parameters influenced the tensile and actuating performance of SMA FSY

Production of shape memory alloy core-sheath friction yarns

This paper describes some studies on the development of shape memory alloy (SMA) core-sheath friction yarns. SMA wires for actuating purposes were utilised as a conductive element in the core-sheath friction yarn. A DREF 3000 friction spinning machine was used to produce the yarns. The conductive yarn was spun with the SMA actuator wire at the core and 100% cotton fibers in the second layer as the sheath producing a yarn called SMA core-sheath friction yarn (SMA CSFY). During spinning, the core-sheath ratio and spinning drum speeds were varied. The main purposes of the study were to evaluate the SMA CSFY single yarn tensile strength and its actuating performance against changes in the spinning process parameters. The results showed that SMA CSFY with the highest spinning drum speed and 60% core gave the highest tensile strength and fastest actuation performance

User requirement analysis: online thalassemia management system for Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Malaysia

The care process of patients suffering from thalassemia involves continuous and complex care procedures, which produce a large volume of diverse data. This makes the management of the patient records using paper-based system cumbersome. Information technology (IT) is an essential factor in the administration of healthcare where it can improves health care quality and service. Besides that, it provides more accurate and timely information regarding patient care. Consequently, the adoption of IT tools such as Electronic Medical Records (EMR) in hospitals is a solution to reduce some barriers in the healthcare services. This solution may improve the effectiveness of chronic disease management such as thalassemia, since a lot of the patient’s data will be stored and retrieved due to the frequent monitoring and treatment. In order to facilitate successful adoption of an EMR, involvement of end-users would be essentially required during the designing, implementation and usage phase. In this study, an EMR specifically design for thalassemia patient management is proposed to be implemented in Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor, Malaysia. The user requirement analysis (URA) of the proposed system, Online Thalassemia Management System (OTMS), is investigated and discussed in this article

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Aspen Plus Simulation of Bio-Char Production from a Biomass-Based Slow Pyrolysis Process

Biomass-based pyrolysis is a thermo-chemical conversion of biomass feedstock with low oxygen supplied level to produce bio-char, bio-oil and bio-syngas products via slow, intermediate and fast pyrolysis, respectively. The specific yields from pyrolysis process depend on operating conditions to maximize outputs. Bio-char can be used as soil improvement, animal feed supplements, filter material, carbon storage, and energy source. This study has focused on the development a simulation model for slow pyrolysis process utilizing biomass from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) in Aspen Plus software. The facts that EFBs are abundant in Malaysia and have huge feedstock potentials could be realized, among them, through process design dan analysis in the Aspen Plus. Simulation model was developed based on EFB proximate and ultimate analyses and aimed for optimal product fraction yields and for the elemental composition of the pyrolysis products, considering several factors or effects such as pyrolysis temparature, pressure and inert gas flowrate. Simulation results showed the optimal value of bio-char yield was 68.6 wt. % at 9 bars, 300 °C, and 0.1 kg/min of inert gas flow rate. Eventhough the developed simulation model was an equilibrium-based one, it is useful especially in determining the optimal values of the key effects for the slow pyrolysis process