The halfsweeps multigrid method as a fast multigrid Poisson solver

The idea of halfsweeps iterative method (introduced by A. R. Abdullah, 1991) is used to develop the halfsweeps multigrid method to solve the 2-D elliptic partial differential equation with the Dirichlet boundary conditions. The method is shown to be very much faster compared with the fullsweeps multigrid method due to M. M. Gupta et al, 1995. Some numerical experiments are included to confirm our recommendation

An efficient multigrid Poisson solver

In this paper, we introduce an efficient technique known as a quarter sweeps multigrid method for solving two dimensional Poisson equation with the Dirichlet boundary condition. The method with the red black Gauss-Seidel smoothing scheme is shown to be the most superior than the half- and full-sweeps multigrid methods due to Othman et at. [8] and Gupta et al. [5], respectively. Some numerical experiments are included to confirm our recommendation

Fulfilling information needs of new Muslims: trends and challenges

The wave of Islamic awareness is sweeping across nations and continents even though there is much sabotage and propaganda against the Faith. Muslims are now excited with this development and have responded with a corresponding rate of information provision, bringing about a proliferation of Islamic information. These information sources produced sometimes may or may not be appropriate for consumption if not addressed according to specific needs. Wilson (2000) observed that systems designers seem to be asking how people are using information instead of seeking to determine what the individual’s or organization’s information needs are. Since the concern of information needs as a discipline is within the field of librarianship he suggested the application of consumer behaviour research, marketing psychology and other disciplines that focus on the user. In line with this focus, the adoption of Wilson’s Information Behaviour Model (1981) would be appropriate in addressing issues of information needs of new Muslims. Information providers and daees would thus need to be concerned with specific needs in the course of preparing, packaging and promoting appropriate Islamic information in the course of da’wah. The objective of this study is to investige the perceived impact of information sources about Islam consulted by new Muslims (converts). In doing so, it must be coupled with an understanding of converts information needs. This study would then be able to see how far the information provided and consulted has fulfilled the consumer’s needs. In realizing an ideal information provision in tandem with current trends librarians must work together with systems personnel as well as Islamic scholars to ensure that information provided is correct, suitable and appealing to new Muslims. This is not a straight forward effort but one that would face a number of challenges. Cooperation and networking efforts amongst relevant organisations and authorities are also important elements in the fruition of this mission

WORK ETHIC OF MALAYSIAN CIVIL SERVANTS

This paper seeks to explore work ethic of Malaysian civil servants. Positive work ethic among others emphasize on hard work, commitment and dedication, and avoidance of wealth accumulation through unethical methods. This ethic is indeed valued by organizations. Employees holding strongly to positive work ethic ensure organization of its goal. The questionnaire used to gauge the level of work ethic among Malaysian civil servants is the Islamic work ethic developed by Ali (1988). A total of 90 civil servants of the Islamic faith responded to the questionnaire. The result shows respondents hold strongly to Islamic work ethicHuman Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, Ethic

Sensitivity analysis of the refinement to the mann-whitney test

The aim of researchers when comparing two independent groups is to collect large normally distributed samples unless they lack the resources to access them. In these situations, there are a myriad of non-parametric tests to select, of which the Mann Whitney U test is the most commonly used. In spite of its great advantages of usage, the U test is capable of producing inflated Type I error when applied in situation of heterogeneity or distinct variances. This current study will present a viable alternative called the refined Mann-Whitney test (RMW). A Monte Carlo evaluation test is conducted on RMW using artificial data of various combinations of extreme test conditions. This study reviews that the RMW test justified its development by enhancing the performance of the U test. The RMW test is able to control well its Type I error rates even though it has a lower power

Outcome of pseudoaneurysm repair: a single tertiary center experience in Pahang, Malaysia

Introduction: Symptomatic arterial pseudoaneurysm is not an uncommon emergent vascular case presenting to a tertiary hospital. These are mainly associated with infection, iatrogenic puncture or trauma. The resultant morbidity, limb loss and mortality present a challenge to the surgeons managing these cases. Materials and method: We retrospectively reviewed all case notes of all pseudoaneurysm repair done at our centre from Jan 2015 to May 2017. Results: A total of 20 cases were treated surgically, with majority 16(80%) had ligation of the affected arteries. The rest were managed with reconstruction of the arteries with synthetic graft. In 7 patients (35%), the aetiology was identified as iatrogenic intravenous drug injection. Staphylococcus aureus remained the main causative organism with Treponema Pallidum and Burkholderia pseudomallei as the other organisms identified in the cultures. Our 3 patients with graft reconstruction had long term oral antibiotics upon discharge. Conclusion: Majority of pseudoaneurysms presented to our center results in ligation of the artery. Repair of mycotic aneurysm needs careful consideration as graft infection remains a lethal complication and no consensus is available regarding the duration of post-operative antibiotic cover

Probability Base Classification Technique: A Preliminary Study for Two Groups

The conventional Fisher linear classification technique to perform classification for two groups problem is strictly developed based on the within group sample mean vectors and within group sample variance covariance matrices. A comparable classification procedure that incorporate the within group probabilities is considered. The conventional procedure based on the Fisher’s technique assumed equality of the within group probabilities as such the computational procedure negate the within groups probabilities to solve classification problems. The new approach is a modification of the coefficient of the Fisher’s technique by applying the within group probability for the respective groups to solve classification problems.The classification performance of these techniques is investigated based on generated contaminated normal data set using homoscedastic and heteroscedastic variance covariance matrices for various sample sizes and dimensions. The comparative performance of these procedures are investigated by comparing the mean probabilities of correct classification based on the contaminated date set with the mean of the optimal probability computed from the uncontaminated data set. The comparative classification performance revealed that both techniques perform comparable. Though, the Monte Carlo simulation indicate that as the proportion of contamination increases, the probability base approach perform better for homoscedastic covariance matrices, on the other hand, the Fisher’s technique outperformed the probability base procedure for heteroscedastic covariance matrices. The comparative analysis indicate that the probability base approach performed comparable with the conventional procedure. The implication of this procedure indicate that classification problems can be solved by incorporating the respective within group probabilities to develop the classification model. Keywords: Classification, Homoscedastic and Heteroscedastic Covariance Matrices, Mean Probabilit

The phytotoxic effects of palm oil dry solids on plant growth

Glasshouse and laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the phytotoxicity of palm oil dry solids (PODS) on growth of vegetables and the effect of decomposition on the reduction of PODS phytotoxicity. Raw and decomposed PODS was applied to sandy tailing soil at the levels of 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, 15 and 21 % (w/w) and planted with tomato and spinach seedlings. Samples of raw PODS were incubated at 30'C for 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 weeks and the aqueous extract of each sample was bioassayed for growth inhibition of tomato radicles. Results from the glasshouse experiment showed that growth of tomato and spinach was strongly affected by the type (raw or decomposed) and amount of PODS applied. Growth of both plants was inhibited by application of >1%raw PODS. In contrast, application of 1- 21 % decomposed PODS increased plant growth, with maximum dry matter production at 6% level. At this level, shoot dry weights of tomato and spinach increased 7 and 178 times, respectively, while root dry weights increased 1.6 and 62 times, respectively, compared to plants in raw PODS. Soil N, P and K contents, pH and electrical conductivity also increased with increase in PODS levels. The incubation study showed that the phytotoxicity of raw PODS was reduced when PODS was decomposed for > 4 weeks

A parallel halfsweep multigrid algorithm on the shared memory multiprocessors

The halfsweep multigrid algorithm, introduced by Othman et al in 1998 for solving a linear system, is known as a fast multigrid poisson solver. In this paper, the implementation of the parallel halfsweep multigrid algorithm with several parallel strategies is discussed. The experiments were carried out on the shared memory multiprocessors computer system, Sequent S27, and the results of the test problem are included

Tourism impact analysis - an inter-sectoral analysis of the Malaysian economy

Using nation-wide data on tourist expenditures collected by questionnaire method in 1991, the private consumption expenditure and export columns of the 1983 input-output table were broken down into tourist and non-tourist components. The tourist expenditures (local and foreign) were then used to evaluate their impact on each of the sectoral output, employment, commodity taxes and non-competitive imports. The results highlighted a number of tourism strategic sectors and at the same time focus on other sectors which benefit from tourist expenditure through indirect and induced income and employment generations