Sustaining Competitiveness Through Product Development Activities Within Malaysian Automotive Suppliers

The local automotive suppliers are facing a number of important challenges such asglobalisation, new requirement in market specifications and the competition brought about by theAsean Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreements. In an effort to enhance the competitiveness of themanufacturing sector, the government has implemented the Second Industrial Master Plan, IMP2(1996-2005). The focus of the IMP2 is more on innovation and applications of new technologies, sothat industries can move up the value chain of their activities. Innovative capabilities achieved fromcompanies\u27 new product development activities have been recognized to be crucial for companies tosustain their competitiveness and organisational success. The importance of product development ismost obvious in the context of the discussion on the competitiveness of the Malaysian automotivesuppliers. The study will focus on the small medium enterprises (SMEs) that make up more than 60 %of these automotive suppliers. The study is to determine the extensiveness of the suppliers\u27 productdevelopment activities by examining the involvement of the suppliers in customer\u27s productdevelopment activities. Consequently, the impact of this involvement to the competitiveness of thesuppliers is examined. The results were established based from a survey to parts and componentssuppliers of Proton, the Malaysian car national assembler. The study has shown that the SMEs wereinvolved from the early stages of the product development process that is during the design stage. Theproduct development efforts have shown to contribute towards increasing firms\u27 market share andfirms were also able to gain a better understanding of future product demand. A significant number ofthe suppliers have managed to penetrate the export market. Unfortunately, among the respondents,there is only one system supplier. This indicates that, either the technological capabilities of theSMEs still needed upgrading for the requirement as a system suppliers or it may not be the onlydeciding factor for suppliers to be chosen as system suppliers. It is intended that this paper shouldserve to inform management in particular the suppliers on the present status of the SMEs in seekingto improve their competitiveness from product development effort

Cloning and comparative protein modelling of two MADS-box genes, HsMADS1 and HsMADS2 isolated from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. var. UMKL (roselle)

Hibiscus sabdariffa' L. var. UMKL or commonly known as roselle is cultivated in Malaysia mainly for its calyx, which is high in vitamin C and anthocyanin. Unfortunately, the genetic information regarding the flowering pathway of roselle is very scarce. It is essential to understand the genetics underlying roselle's flower developmental process by studying MADS-box transcription factor genes that play crucial roles in controlling the development of calyx in flowering plants. Designated as 'HsMADS1' and 'HsMADS2', two MADS-box genes were isolated from the calyx tissues of roselle from different developmental stages using 3'- RACE PCR and primer walking approaches. The different motifs in the C domain region of 'HsMADS1' and 'HsMADS2' deduced amino acid sequences suggested that both genes probably originated from 'SEP' and 'AGL6' subfamilies of MADS-box gene respectively. The putative functions of the genes based on BLAST searches and phylogenetic analyses suggested that 'HsMADS1' possibly involves in the expression of SEP gene in stem, leaf, bud and flower organs of roselle, whereas 'HsMADS2' may probably involve in the late expression of floral tissue for stem branching. The alpha helix rich structures of SRF-TF identified in the deduced amino acid sequences of HsMADS1 and HsMADS2 supported the involvement of both proteins in DNA binding and dimerisation

Characterization of antioxidant tapioca/polyaniline composites film prepared using solution casting method

Recently, the incorporation of polyaniline (PANI) as an additive into the biofilm to produce food packaging material is of particular interest due to the need to improve in the properties of the biocomposite film. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of concentration and size of PANI loading into the film on the antioxidant properties of PANI/starch film with the analysis of mechanical and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra. Composite films with 0.02 g, 0.05 g, and 0.1 g of PANI loading into the tapioca starch film were prepared with different sizes of PANI. The antioxidant and mechanical properties of tapioca starch/PANI composite film properties were investigated. The composites exhibited an increase in free radical scavenging capacity (a measure of antioxidant activity), with increasing of PANI loading in the film irrespective to the size of PANI. However, the highest free radical scavenging activity showed in sample B with the distribution size of PANI range 100 µm≤x≤125 µm. In the mechanical test, with the favorable to have more flexibility film rather than hard film, sample B with 0.05 g of PANI loading showed more flexible with high elongation at break (EAB) compared to others. Based on the FTIR spectra, the starch/PANI film spectra were similar to the starch/glycerol without PANI. However, one notable weak pick near 1455 cm-1 can be found in sample B and C with respective to the concentration of PANI loaded. The incorporation of PANI greatly affected the antioxidant activity of the film which affected the mechanical properties as well

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

Penyimpangan Tingkah Laku di Tempat Kerja: Terminologi, Faktor, Tipologi dan Kesan

Penyimpangan tingkah laku merupakan perbuatan yang dilakukan oleh individu adalah bersifat sukarela yang melanggar norma organisasi dan seterusnya memberi kesan kepada individu atau organisasi atau kedua-duanya sekali. Oleh yang demikian, menjadi keutamaan untuk organisasi memahami dan meneliti isu penyimpangan tingkah laku di tempat kerja kerana individu dan persekitaran yang berbeza menyebabkan perbezaan seseorang bertingkah laku. Pemahaman berkaitan terminologi, faktor, tipologi dan kesan penyimpangan tingkah laku akan memudahkan organisasi merangka pelan pemulihan agar isu penyimpangan tingkah laku dapat dibendung dari peringkal awal. Mengatasi isu penyimpangan tingkah laku di tempat kerja akan memberi implikasi positif kepada pengurusan dan kewangan organisasi dan seterusnya mewujudkan persekitaran yang positif dan kondusif di temapat kerja

Comparisons Study of Phosphate Removal in Unaerated and Aerated High Calcium Steel Slag Filter System of Different pH Feed

Excess phosphorus in water body will lead to eutrophication. This study investigated the phosphate removal efficiencies of unaerated and aerated filter systems using high composition of Calcium (Ca) steel slag as the filter media at different pH values of the wastewater influents. Lab-scale filters were developed using 25 mg/L synthetic wastewater and weekly sampling was done to monitor the phosphate removal efficiencies together with the concentration of metals (Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg). The results show that both unaerated and aerated systems have excellent phosphate removal efficiency at all acidic, neutral and alkaline pH feed, though unaerated systems removed slightly better compared to aerated systems; 76-98% and 69-97% respectively. The dominant phosphate removal mechanism for aerated systems was adsorption, meanwhilefor unaerated systems; both adsorption and precipitation for acidic and neutral pH, whileprecipitation was more dominant at basic pH. The performance of unaerated systems are slightly better compared to aerated systems, however, aerated systems are recommended to be applied when simultaneous removal of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) are concerned

Comparisons Study of Phosphate Removal in Unaerated and Aerated High Calcium Steel Slag Filter System of Different pH Feed

Excess phosphorus in water body will lead to eutrophication. This study investigated the phosphate removal efficiencies of unaerated and aerated filter systems using high composition of Calcium (Ca) steel slag as the filter media at different pH values of the wastewater influents. Lab-scale filters were developed using 25 mg/L synthetic wastewater and weekly sampling was done to monitor the phosphate removal efficiencies together with the concentration of metals (Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg). The results show that both unaerated and aerated systems have excellent phosphate removal efficiency at all acidic, neutral and alkaline pH feed, though unaerated systems removed slightly better compared to aerated systems; 76-98% and 69-97% respectively. The dominant phosphate removal mechanism for aerated systems was adsorption, meanwhilefor unaerated systems; both adsorption and precipitation for acidic and neutral pH, whileprecipitation was more dominant at basic pH. The performance of unaerated systems are slightly better compared to aerated systems, however, aerated systems are recommended to be applied when simultaneous removal of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) are concerned

Sustainability of Ijtihad and Fatwa to Respond the Issue of Indirect Contributions in Matrimonial Property Claim: A Critical Assessment Fiqh of Property

The issue of sustainability of ijtihad and fatwas to elaborate on polemics of indirect contributions in matrimonial property claims has become an important issue today. The selection of the right ijtihad and fatwa will ensure that critical discussions in this matter can be photographed to a knowledgeable society. Many findings of jurisprudence writing stated the main methods in ijtihad and fatwas used by fuqahak of the past and contemporary to draw interesting discussions on this issue, but in the context of indirect contributions in matrimonial property claims, there is still much to be clarified. The main objective of this study is to find out the method of ijtihad and fatwa in the book of fiqh applied by the jurists in this issue. This study is qualitative in which a total of 20 books of turath have been researched and understood descriptively. The main collection methods used were in-depth reading and analysis and narrative evaluation was used to analyze the findings obtained. The results of the analysis prove that the indirect contribution related to housework and outdoor work, can be done Akad al-Ijarah for the wife is eligible to take a certain wage according to the jumhur view