Optimization of dc and rf performances using multiple-gated high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) / Mohd Nizam Osman

This study carried out a detail analysis of the perform anc e of HEMT device with various numb ers of gate finger s with respect to their DC and RF performances. The dev ices were fabrica ted by a Plessey found ry which adapted a HEMT process with 0.2 um GaAs technology. A few stages were tak en durin g thi s study to obtain the des ired per form ance for eac h device layout. Th e first was to perform device simulation of different layout s in order to get a preliminary resul t. This simulation result was used as a refere nce durin g the seco nd stage which consis ted of actual dev ice measurement. The measurement was don e using on-wa fer measurem ent technique within the frequency range from 100 MHz to 40 GHz. The result s from these app roaches have show n that each device layout exhibited its own charac te ristics with spec ific adva ntages and disad vant ages toward s the DC and RF performances . The device with higher numb er of gate fingers has superior adva ntages in output current perform ance but exhibited lower cut-off frequency and higher noise compared to the other layout s used in thi s study. The analysis gave some indica tio ns on the wea knesses of a devic e with higher gate numb ers in high frequency circuit design applica tions. Neve rthe less, further research work may also be don e espec ially when invol ving various materi al struc tures, layout typ es and foundry processes in a HEMT device developm ent

Self-construal and exposure to American entertainment and news programs among Malaysian youths

This study examined self-construal (self-independence/self-interdependence) of Malaysian youths, and its relationship with the exposure to American entertainment and news programs. A total of 401 Malay, Chinese and Indian youths participated in the survey by completing the self-administered questionnaires. The results revealed that the respondents exhibited fairly balanced levels of self-interdependence and self-independence. The Malay respondents showed somewhat a higher level of self-interdependence than that of the Chinese and Indians. The respondents who described self primarily in independent, rather than interdependent term, were more likely to have a higher level of exposure to American movies and music. Nevertheless, no significant difference was observed in the exposure to American news programs. The findings supported the contention on the role of self-construal in explaining the variation in the consumption of American movies and music among the youth in a non-western country

Stepping-stone detection technique for recognizing legitimate and attack connections

A stepping-stone connection has always been assumed as an intrusion since the first research on stepping-stone connections twenty years ago. However, not all stepping-stone connections are malicious.This paper proposes an enhanced stepping-stone detection (SSD) technique which is capable to identify legitimate connections from stepping-stone connections.Stepping-stone connections are identified from raw network traffics using timing-based SSD approach.Then, they go through an anomaly detection technique to differentiate between legitimate and attack connections.This technique has a promising solution to accurately detecting intrusions from stepping-stone connections.It will prevent incorrect responses that punish legitimate users

The mediating effect of work category on the relationship between professional competencies` and decision making among public relations in government- linked companies

Organisational success can only be materialized when each stakeholder mutually agrees to benefit each other, thus making the organisation effective. And here is the main role of public relations (PR), were to be the middle person between each stakeholder, by performing their works through the competencies they mastered, to ensure that the decisions made will be valuable to organisation and stakeholders. The objective of this study is to examine the mediating effect of work category on the relationship between professional competencies and decision making among PR practitioners in government-linked companies (GLCs). A survey questionnaire was gathered from 157 PR practitioners and data were analysed through SEM PLS. Results indicated that the dimension of work category did influence the relationship between professional competency and decision making. In essence, the decision-making process of a PR practitioner working in Malaysia's GLCs can be enhanced or improved based on the level of professional competencies. The implication of these findings supported the role of the PR department as part of the important sub-system in organisation and competencies acquired by PR practitioners is the resource that able to maintain the survival of an organisation. In the nutshell, a large-scale study should be undertaken, which incorporate a large group of participants in the future to accommodate the responses from a wide population to increase the accuracy of results

Effects of Watching Violence Movies On The Attudes Concerning Aggression Among Middle Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Violence is one of the global concerns today in all segments of the world.Antisocial behaviour in human beings is accepted to be associated to a number of physiological, psychological, domestic, and cultural aspects. The learning environments which a child is exposed are also assumed to contribute to the increase of aggressive behaviour and attitudes. Media violence as one of specific learning condition is believed to be a potential contributor to the growth of antisocial behaviour in children and youth. Many studies have been conducted in the area of media violence and its effects on the young viewers. A major focus has been the relationship between media violence and aggressive behaviour but, interestingly, research regarding the relationship between media violence and attitudes about aggression is limited. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to contribute to the state of the research by predicting and comparing attitudes about aggression among adolescent boys on the basis of their exposure to violence in movies. This study used a survey research design. Two hundred and sixteen adolescent boys aged 13-17 were selected from seven international schools located in Kuala Lumpur. The data were collected using four instruments: the Demographic Questionnaire, the Media Viewing Habit Questionnaire, the Affection toward movie violence scale, and the Attitudes concerning Aggression Scale. The results indicated that adolescent boys spend a significant amount of time watching movies on TV and DVD/CD as well. In addition, they are Effects of Watching Violence Movies on the Attitudes Concerning Aggression among Middle Schoolboys (13-17 years old) at International Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 142 exposed to substantial amounts of media violence. At the same time, parental involvement with their adolescents’ movie viewing is relatively limited. Further results showed that there is significant difference between heavy and light viewers of movie violence in any dimension of their attitudes about aggression.Adolescents with “violent” movies preferred, however, were significantly more supportive of the attitude that aggression is acceptable and warranted, as compared to those who prefer movies with little or no violence. Additional results demonstrated that the "aggressionacceptable" attitude was significantly related to a set of variables. The strongest predictors of this attitude in adolescent boys were affection toward movies, movie viewing habits, and the adolescents' movies preferred. The results obtained in this research are discussed in terms of implications for both violence-prevention programs and media-awareness programs. Suggestions for future research are also presented

Parents’ influence on children's online usage

Children nowadays has unlimited access to the Internet that possibly will harm them, thus parents’ roles in mitigating their children online risks is crucial.Previous studies show a positive parent-child attachment may reduce the risks. A survey was conducted and a total of 387 participants aged 9 to 16 have been recruited to completed a 14-item questionnaire form.The instrument consists of three sub-scales, namely trust, communication and alienation.Results showed that almost 80% of children in this study trust their parents, feel their parents’ concern (75%), and depend on their parents (74%).Malaysian children are actually very in need to be safe during online due the facts that they knew regarding the Internet effects.They also show a willingness to do the right things by letting their parents involve into their online live activities

Hubungan penggunaan saluran komunikasi dengan kualiti hidup komuniti Orang Ulu di Sarawak

Peningkatan kualiti hidup bagi masyarakat luar bandar merupakan agenda utama dalam perancangan pembangunan kerajaan Malaysia. Oleh itu, penyediaan dan pembangunan infrastruktur saluran komunikasi bagi masyarakat luar bandar adalah perlu. Bagi tujuan mengenal pasti hubungan penggunaan saluran komunikasi sebagai peramal kepada peningkatan kualiti hidup dalam kalangan masyarakat luar bandar, kajian telah dilakukan ke atas kumpulan sasaran masyarakat Orang Ulu di Sarawak, Malaysia. Kajian ini telah dijalankan di Daerah Belaga, Sarawak. Teknik persampelan responden adalah secara rawak. Data kajian telah dikumpul mengguna borang soal selidik berstruktur. Hasil analisis regresi berganda menunjukkan kekerapan komunikasi antara perseorangan merupakan faktor peramal kepada peningkatan kualiti pengangkutan dan perhubungan, penyertaan sosial dan keselamatan awam masyarakat Orang Ulu di Sarawak. Sementara itu, penggunaan radio merupakan antara faktor peramal kepada peningkatan kualiti penyertaan sosial, perumahan dan alam sekitar. Penggunaan saluran televisyen merupakan faktor peramal kepada peningkatan kualiti penyertaan sosial, keselamatan awam, persekitaran pekerjaan, kehidupan keluarga, pendidikan dan pendapatan dan pengagihan. Penggunaan telefon bimbit pula dapat menjadi peramal dalam peningkatan kualiti kesihatan, alam sekitar dan pengangkutan serta perhubungan kerana telefon bimbit dapat membantu untuk mendapatkan maklumat secara tepat daripada sumber yang dipercayai. Kesimpulannya, penyediaan maklumat dalam saluran komunikasi yang pelbagai perlu menitikberatkan maklumat yang sesuai dengan keperluan semasa

Monitoring and Evaluating Open Wireless LAN using Hybrid IDS

In this ever-growing wireless technology era, the number of Open Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) are on the rise. From cafes to shopping areas, most of them offer users with a free-to-use WLAN which popularly known as Open Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Hotspots. Although it is a convenient for them to access the Internet at these places, later they know it also makes them a vulnerable target for attackers that might be lurking in the same network they are connected. Therefore, a Hybrid IDS that combines both SNORT, a network-based IDS (NIDS) and OSSEC, a host-based IDS (HIDS) was developed to curb the problem. NIDS was used to monitor network traffics while HIDS monitor user’s system for any suspicious activities. Then, a system that can control and manage both IDS in the much easier and simpler way was developed using Python programming language. The system then can generate alerts with the help of both IDS to notify users for any suspicious activities that might occur in the network or user’s system. Several attacks were launched from the attacker’s laptop to test whether Hybrid IDS can generate alerts to notify the victim. As a result, the system breeze through the testing phase by showing necessary output. All the results were taken and then compared with other scenarios to determine whether they can give the same results as Hybrid IDS. From the comparison results, it can be said that Hybrid IDS can give the extra protection layer towards Open Wi-Fi users. Therefore, the Hybrid IDS was proven to provide vast tracking detection for suspicious activity in the network environments by monitor and alert the users about malicious activities. 

An analysis of alphabet-based techniques in text steganography

Steganography and cryptography are methods in information hiding.Cryptography scrambles the secret message, whereas steganography conceals a secret message in a carrier medium.An audio, video, image, and text can be used as a cover medium for hiding messages in steganography. The final output of steganography is a stego object that is sent to a receiver using a stego key. Suspiciousness of a generated stego text will encourage eavesdroppers to reveal the hidden message from stego text. Having reviewed substitution, injection, and propagation techniques for steganography, this paper discovers that there is a suspicion in the generated stego text. It is also discovered that text steganography using Genetic Algorithm (GA) is less focused by researchers compared to image and audio.Accordingly, this paper proposes that the adoption of GA should be focused in future works to protect stego text from suspiciousness due to the effectiveness and efficiency used in other media.Suspiciousness against stego text is very important in steganography to avoid third parties detecting the existence of secret message