Housing Supply Model for Affordable Homes in Malaysia

p>The provision of affordable housing for the low and middle-income class may enhance the quality of life of this social group. In addition, cooperation from stakeholders must be greater in promoting affordable houses in the market. However, the low-profit margin and other constraints reduced the supply of affordable homes by housing developers. Therefore, this research examines the factors and attributes that may affect housing developers in supplying affordable houses. Total 120 responses from housing developers were gathered via questionnaires and analysed by using Partial Least Square Modelling (PLS-SEM) for the development of an affordable housing supply model. The result displays three factors with 11 attributes that affect housing suppliers.  Keywords: housing supply; affordable houses; housing mismatch; eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.415

Transforming noun phrase structure form into heuristics and rules for detecting compound noun in Malay sentence

This paper addresses the process of transforming noun phrase structure form into a list of suitable heuristic used for detecting compound noun word in Malay sentence.The heuristic is used to obtain the syntax sentence structure for finding a compound noun pair of words in Malay sentence. To obtain the list of these rules, the noun phrase structure form must be created first, so that we know the possibility of the words' combination as a compound noun.The noun phrase structure form is grouped based on three different noun categories, such as i) noun and noun ii) noun and noun modifier, and iii) noun and non-noun modifier.However, in our research work, we focus on the category of noun and noun modifier.The heuristic rules and noun phrase structure form are important to understand because they help to clarify the concept of finding compound noun pair of words in Malay sentence.This compound noun output will use an input in our next research named head modifier detector

Heuristics-based method for head and modifier detection in Malay sentences from the cultural heritage domain

The process of detection for the head and modifier in Malay sentences from the cultural heritage domain is difficult to identify. This is due to the position of head and modifier which varies in sentences depending on the sentence structures. Hence, there are different point of views about the theory and concept of detection for the head and modifier in a compound noun that have been discussed by language experts. Additionally, the existing research is also limited especially in the areas of computational linguistics. Therefore, research should be conducted to identify appropriate methods especially used in the detection of head and modifier which appear in Malay setences from the cultural heritage domain. The aim of this study is to construct a list of heuristic rules to be used for detecting the position of compound nouns in Malay sentences from cultural heritage domain. By using 15 rules, the position of head and modifier that exist in a compound noun can also be detected. These rules are called heuristic rules. The purpose of formulating these 15 rules is to detect the head and modifier that exist in the Malay sentences from the cultural heritage domain. To measure the accuracy of the results, precision, recall and F1-score values are used. Based on the results of the experiments, Sentence Structure of Malay Cultural Heritage Domain (SADWBM) have an F1-score of 80.4% compared to Noun Phrase Structure (SFN) which is 56%. Consequently, SADWBM shows better scores compared to SFN. Therefore it is clear that the approach used in this study is effective in resolving the identified problems

Challenges for Professional Development of Malaysian ESL Teachers

The paper aims to provide insights into the current understanding of the challenges faced by in-serviced primary school ESL teachers in completing their degree on a part-time basis. In relation to the government’s effort to improve the quality of primary education, many English language teachers have enrolled in the ‘Teacher’s First-degree program’ offered by the Ministry of Education. The participants of the program, somehow, face a number of challenges. As adult learners, the ESL teachers need to follow in doing the degree part time as all of them are full time teachers and teaching in different schools. Sociocultural theory of Lev Vygotsky provided the theoretical framework for this case study. This qualitative study explored the experiences of five in-service primary school English language teachers who were involved in the program. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to identify the challenges faced by the teachers in completing a primary school teacher’s first-degree program organized by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The main data generated from semi-structured interviews was analysed using thematic analysis approach. The findings revealed that job commitments, family commitments, health mental issue and time management are the main challenges faced by them. Exploring in-service primary school English teachers challenges in furthering their studies part-timely might give the Ministry of Education (MOE) consideration in understanding of language teachers’ selves and needs while pursuing their first degree. This research might also be helpful to investigate the current practices of the professional development of primary school English teachers in Malaysia.     Keywords: ESL teacher, teacher professional development, part-time degree, inservice teacher, challenge

Statistical Malay Dependency Parser for Knowledge Acquisition Based on Word Dependency Relation

AbstractOne of the common problems faced when processing information gathered from any natural language is the “semantic gap” where the “meaning” of the sentences is not exactly extracted. In Malay Natural Language Processing (NLP), as our knowledge, there is no existing Malay Parser that can be used to develop a knowledge acquisition feature to extract “meaning” from Malay articles based-on syntactic relations. This relation is basically the relation between a word and its dependents. This paper will examine the Dependency Grammar (DG) for developing Malay Grammar Parser and discuss the possibilities of developing probabilistic dependency Malay parser using the projected syntactic relation from annotated English corpus. The English side of a parallel corpus, project the analysis to the second language (Malay). Thus, the rules for adaptation from English DG to Malay DG will be defined. The projected tree structure in Malay will be used in training a stochastic analyzer. The training will produce a set of tree lattices which contains chunks of dependency trees for Malay attached with their probability value. A decoder will be developed to test the lattices. A DG for a new Malay sentence is built by combining the pre-determined lattices according to their plausible highest probability of combination

A Synonym Contextual-based Process for Handling Word Similarity in Malay Sentence

In this paper, we attempt to describe a method of finding word similarity within a Malay sentence. The list of similarity word produced is based on searching the appropriate context within a Malay  sentence. The context is determined by seeking rules from a rule-based phrase database. In implementing this approach, a working prototype application is described which can be used as a tool for improving writing text in Malay language, especially well adapted toward the requirements of teaching and learning this language in primary and secondary schools. The overall concept presented in this paper will assist us to identify clearly what are the basic components and their specifications that should exist in the process. On the other hand, it is also important to point out the possible drawbacks and constraints of the practical approach suggested

Gabungan Peta Pemikiran I-Think dan Aplokasi Quizizz Dalam PDPR [Combination of I-Think Thinking Map and Quizizz Application in PDPR]

Ez i-Think merupakan satu teknik pengajaran yang menggabungkan peta pemikiran i-Think dengan aplikasi Quizizz dan Google Classroom. Pembelajaran Abad ke-21 amat menekankan teknik pengajaran dan pembelajaran (PdP) yang menggunakan teknologi digital. Selaras dengan hasrat Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia dalam Gelombang ketiga iaitu meningkatkan inovasi dalam kalangan guru, maka ez i-Think menjadi idea kepada penggunaan peta pemikiran i-Think dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran secara online mahupun offline. Reka bentuk kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif jenis tinjauan. Data dianalisis daripada sampel soal selidik yang diadaptasi daripada Davis F.D (1989). Sampel kajian terdiri daripada 41 orang murid Tingkatan Dua di SM Sains Sultan Mahmud yang dipilih secara rawak daripada jumlah populasi seramai 112 orang. Analisis deskriptif yang digunakan ialah peratus, min dan sisihan piawai. Manakala analisis inferensi menggunakan ujian-T. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap kebolehgunaan dan kemudahgunaan terhadap pelaksanaan ez i-Think adalah berada pada tahap yang tinggi. Kajian ini juga mendapati tidak wujud perbezaan yang signifikan dalam kebolehgunaan dan kemudahgunaan dari aspek jantina. Hasil kajian ini dapat menjadi panduan kepada pihak sekolah dan KPM untuk meningkatkan penggunaan peta pemikiran i-Think agar seiring dengan hasrat Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia 2013-2025. Ez i-Think is a teaching technique that combines i-Think mind maps with Quizizz and Google Classroom applications. 21st Century Learning places great emphasis on teaching and learning techniques that use digital technology. In line with the intention of the Malaysian Education Development Plan in the third wave, which is to increase innovation among teachers, ez i-Think is an idea for the use of i-Think mind maps in online and offline teaching and learning. The design of this study uses a survey method type quantitative approach. Data were analyzed from a sample of questionnaires adapted from Davis. The study sample consisted of 41 Form Two students at SM Sains Sultan Mahmud who were randomly selected from a total population of 112 people. The descriptive analyzes used were percentage, mean and standard deviation. Whereas inferential analysis using T-test. The findings show that the level of usability and usability of the implementation of ez i-Think is at a high level. The study also found that there were no significant differences in usability and usability from the aspect of gender. The results of this study can be a guide to schools and MOE to increase the use of i-Think mind maps in line with the aspirations of the Malaysian Education Development Plan 2013-2025.Ez i-Think merupakan satu teknik pengajaran yang menggabungkan peta pemikiran i-Think dengan aplikasi Quizizz dan Google Classroom. Pembelajaran Abad ke 21 amat menekankan teknik pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang menggunakan teknologi digital. Selaras dengan hasrat Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia dalam Gelombang ketiga iaitu meningkatkan inovasi dalam kalangan guru, maka ez i-Think menjadi idea kepada penggunaan peta pemikiran i-Think dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran secara online mahupun offline. Reka bentuk kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif jenis kaedah tinjauan. Data dianalisis daripada sampel soal selidik yang diadaptasi daripada Davis. Sampel kajian terdiri daripada 41 orang murid Tingkatan Dua di SM Sains Sultan Mahmud yang dipilih secara rawak daripada jumlah populasi seramai 112 orang. Analisis deskriptif yang digunakan ialah peratus, min dan sisihan piawai. Manakala analisis inferensi menggunakan ujian-T. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap kebolehgunaan dan kemudahgunaan terhadap pelaksanaan ez i-Think adalah berada di tahap yang tinggi. Kajian ini juga mendapati tidak wujud perbezaan yang signifikan dalam kebolehgunaan dan kemudahgunaan dari aspek jantina. Hasil kajian ini dapat menjadi panduan kepada pihak sekolah dan KPM untuk meningkatkan penggunaan peta pemikiran i-Think agar seiring dengan hasrat Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia 2013-2025

Chemical composition of Piper sarmentosum extracts and antibacterial activity against the plant pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas fuscovaginae and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

Piper sarmentosum is a cultivated plant that also growswildly in the South East Asian region. It is well known for its medicinal properties and a variety of active chemical constituents. The control potential of the plant extract against bacterial leaf blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae andsheath brown rot of rice caused by Pseudomonas fuscovaginae wasevaluated. The aqueous methanol extracts of fruits and leaves of P. sarmentosum were chemically analyzed using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS).The results gave the highest best matches of 28 compounds (80.2% of total extracts) in the leaf extract and 24 compounds (89.1% of total extracts) in the fruit extract. The flavonoidfraction 4H-pyran-4-one,2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl- (DDMP) was found to be the major component which constitutes a complex natural product that has been of recent medicinal interest. The extract of the fruit had IC50of 28.08 and 8.41 mg ml-1 against P. fuscovaginae and X. oryzae, respectively, while the leaf extract had IC50of 10.42 and 24.69 mg ml-1 against P. fuscovaginae and X. oryzae, respectively

Genotoxicity study of sea coral used as bone replacement material

Most of the methods available today to detect carcinogens and mutagens are based upon the principle that genotoxicity/mutagenicity may serve as an indicator of carcinogenic potential.This in vitro study was made to evaluate the genotoxicity characteristic of coral of Porites sp. produced by the National Tissue Bank, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), by using the Bacterial Reverse Mutation Assay test or Ames test.The Bacterial Reverse Mutation Assay of the coral material was performed on Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TAIOO, TA1535, TA1537 and Escherichia coli strain WP2 uvr A using the preincubation method in the presence and absence of an exogenous metabolic activation system. The results showed the numbers of revertant colonies of all strains which -were treated with the test substance were less than twice that of each negative control with and without S9 Mix.In conclusion the results of the tests showed that the coral material was considered to have no reverse mutagenic potential under the present test condition