Statistical modelling of extreme temperature in Peninsular Malaysia

Extreme temperature events bring significant effects on the environment and society. Consequently, investigating the best fit for extreme temperature data is important for hydrological study and event forecasting. The main aim of this study is to determine the best fit probability distribution for monthly and annual extreme temperatures. The maximum temperature data at monthly and annual time scales were obtained from MMD (Malaysia Meteorological department). The temperature data for 40 years were fitted to the 10 probability distributions for each station. The parameters of the distributions were estimated by the maximum likelihood method and L-moment method. Besides, three goodness of fit tests, namely Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S), Anderson-Darling (A2) and Chi-Squared Error (CSE) test were applied to evaluate the performances of the distributions. The best fit distribution was selected based on the lowest test scores from the summation of the three goodness of fit tests. The results of this study showed that Generalized Extreme Value distribution was selected as the best-fit distribution, followed by Log-Pearson 3, 3 Parameter Lognormal, Generalized Log Logistic and Gamma distributions. The results of this study can be used as a reference for development planners, agricultural sector, water management agencies in hydrological planning and disaster management

Challenges of quantity surveyors in Klang Valley to work from home

With the uprising trend of modern management systems adoption, the enthusiasm for corporates to exercise the working culture of work from home are seemingly proliferated to fit in the recent corporate world. However, the published research papers and statistics regarding the information and comprehension of quantity surveyor to work from home are unexpectedly sporadic. Therefore, this research reviews the insights of quantity surveyor to work from home while drawing discussion and conclusion on the uprising challenges of work from home for quantity surveyors to execute their roles. The paper compiles the responses obtained from the methodology of surveying 145 related professions in construction industry around Klang Valley area. The questionnaire was designed with five-point Likert scale, and the data was analyzed by using SPSS software. The study displayed reduced supervision and direction as the greatest challenge, followed by significant challenges which include communication and coordination challenges, organization performance and productivity, job performance and productivity, and unclear performance metrics. Hence, personnel in the industry should be aware of the potential challenges of a quantity surveyor to work from home due to their roles, in order to indicate the potential effects that may incur to the individual and organization

Challenges of quantity surveyors in Klang Valley to work from home

With the uprising trend of modern management systems adoption, the enthusiasm for corporates to exercise the working culture of work from home are seemingly proliferated to fit in the recent corporate world. However, the published research papers and statistics regarding the information and comprehension of quantity surveyor to work from home are unexpectedly sporadic. Therefore, this research reviews the insights of quantity surveyor to work from home while drawing discussion and conclusion on the uprising challenges of work from home for quantity surveyors to execute their roles. The paper compiles the responses obtained from the methodology of surveying 145 related professions in construction industry around Klang Valley area. The questionnaire was designed with five-point Likert scale, and the data was analyzed by using SPSS software. The study displayed reduced supervision and direction as the greatest challenge, followed by significant challenges which include communication and coordination challenges, organization performance and productivity, job performance and productivity, and unclear performance metrics. Hence, personnel in the industry should be aware of the potential challenges of a quantity surveyor to work from home due to their roles, in order to indicate the potential effects that may incur to the individual and organization

Effects of poor communication in the construction industry in Klang Valley, Malaysia

The construction industry is a risky and complex industry involving various parties characterized with different objectives, skills, cultures, and values. This requires effective communication management to facilitate interaction between them and ensure delivery of successful projects. The poor performance of the Malaysian construction sector has its root in poor communication. Poor communication may result in project failure. Therefore, this paper is essential to investigate the effects of communication issues in the construction industry. This research study was conducted and analysed using SPSS Software. The five-point Likert type scale has been adopted for the questions which is distributed to over 121 respondents who are working in the construction industry around Petaling Jaya, Klang Valley, Malaysia. A total of 8 effects of poor communication in the construction industry were identified. The most dominant effect is time overrun while other effects include project failure, cost overrun, fatal and non-fatal accidents, waste generation, increase carbon footprint and contribute to greenhouse effect. However, questionnaire surveys may result in dishonest answers. Hence, the study recommends conducting physical interviews to better understand respondents view on the negative impacts of poor communication and at the same time, raise awareness as a strategic approach to achieve successful construction projects

Effects of unethical behavior among professionals in Klang Valley construction industry

Professionals are integral to the project. However, conflicts of interest among professional such as clients and contractors, project managers, architects play an important role in unethical practices that have an adverse effect in the construction industry. Therefore, this study aims to identify the effects of unethical issues that occur among the professionals in Klang Valley construction industry. The data collection has been conducted via questionnaire survey and has been analyzed using SPSS. Most respondents agree that “Delay of construction project” is the main effect of unethical behavior with a mean of 4.36 and SD= 0.848. When a project is delayed, it would cause major problems such as project abandonment, cost overrun, conflicts against parties and poor-quality works. This is because a project depends on the cost and time in order to be completed. Furthermore, a delayed project leads to a rushed project that will cause defective works. Frequent maintenance will be needed for repairing works, thus increasing the cost to bear in the project itself. Lastly, it is recommended that the timeframe for future studies should be increased to allow researchers to have sufficient time to collect more data in order to improve the accuracy and reliability of data collected

Concrete Performance Attenuation of Mix Nano-SiO₂ and Nano-CaCO₃ under High Temperature: A Comprehensive Review

Fire and extreme heat environmental changes can have an impact on concrete performance, and as climate change increases, new concrete structures are being developed. Nano-silica and nano-calcium carbonate have shown excellent performances in modifying concrete due to their large specific surface areas. This review describes the changes in concrete modified with nano-silica (NS) and nano-calcium carbonate (NC), which accelerate the hydration reaction with the cementitious materials to produce more C-S-H, resulting in a denser microstructure and improved mechanical properties and durability of the concrete. The mechanical property decay and visualization of deformation of mixed NS and NC concrete were tested by exposure to high temperatures to investigate the practical application of mixed composite nanomaterials (NC+NS) to concrete. The nano-modified concrete had better overall properties and was heated at 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C to relatively improve the mechanical properties of the nano concrete structures. The review concluded that high temperatures of 800 °C to 1000 °C severely damaged the structure of the concrete, reducing the mechanical properties by around 60%, and the dense nano concrete structures were more susceptible to cracking and damage. The high temperature resistance of NS and NC-modified nano concrete was relatively higher than that of normal concrete, with NC concrete being more resistant to damage at high temperatures than the NS samples

Effects of carbon-nanotube and lime on the weak soil stability

Weak soil causing problem in pavement, landslide and fallen of building due to the low mechanical strength and the high shrinkage properties characteristic. But mixing weak soil with filler could improve the soil properties. The mixing of lime with weak soil and lime mix with nanotube and soil could improve the weak soil mechanical properties. The aim of this study is to show the improvement of unconfined compressive strength of weak soil after adding lime and nanotube and curing for 0, 7, 14 and 28 days of curing period. For the modification of soil in this study was using the lime and nanotube to mix with weak soil. The modified soil has been gone through the curing process for 0, 7, 14 and 28 days. The unconfined compressive strength of treated soil was increases when stabilizer content increases. Especially, that containing 0.1% of carbon-nanotube content and 5% of lime with 28 days of curing period could achieve 1.5 times higher than untreated sample. The improvement in the mixing content process including the pozzolanic process and the flocculation process which reduce the void between the soil particle. Hence increase the mechanical strength and unconfined compressive strength of treated soil. This economical treatment can contribute to construction by reducing the differential settlement and increase the strength of subgrade in pavements

Effects of poor communication in the construction industry in Klang valley, Malaysia

The construction industry is a risky and complex industry involving various parties characterized with different objectives, skills, cultures, and values. This requires effective communication management to facilitate interaction between them and ensure delivery of successful projects. The poor performance of the Malaysian construction sector has its root in poor communication. Poor communication may result in project failure. Therefore, this paper is essential to investigate the effects of communication issues in the construction industry. This research study was conducted and analysed using SPSS Software. The five-point Likert type scale has been adopted for the questions which is distributed to over 121 respondents who are working in the construction industry around Petaling Jaya, Klang Valley, Malaysia. A total of 8 effects of poor communication in the construction industry were identified. The most dominant effect is time overrun while other effects include project failure, cost overrun, fatal and non-fatal accidents, waste generation, increase carbon footprint and contribute to greenhouse effect. However, questionnaire surveys may result in dishonest answers. Hence, the study recommends conducting physical interviews to better understand respondents view on the negative impacts of poor communication and at the same time, raise awareness as a strategic approach to achieve successful construction project

Effects of unethical behavior among professionals in Klang valley construction industry

Professionals are integral to the project. However, conflicts of interest among professional such as clients and contractors, project managers, architects play an important role in unethical practices that have an adverse effect in the construction industry. Therefore, this study aims to identify the effects of unethical issues that occur among the professionals in Klang Valley construction industry. The data collection has been conducted via questionnaire survey and has been analyzed using SPSS. Most respondents agree that “Delay of construction project” is the main effect of unethical behavior with a mean of 4.36 and SD= 0.848. When a project is delayed, it would cause major problems such as project abandonment, cost overrun, conflicts against parties and poor-quality works. This is because a project depends on the cost and time in order to be completed. Furthermore, a delayed project leads to a rushed project that will cause defective works. Frequent maintenance will be needed for repairing works, thus increasing the cost to bear in the project itself. Lastly, it is recommended that the timeframe for future studies should be increased to allow researchers to have sufficient time to collect more data in order to improve the accuracy and reliability of data collected

Effect of Carbon Nanofibers on Physical, Adhesion and Rheological Properties of Liquid Epoxidized Natural Rubber Modified Asphalt

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on the performance of liquid epoxidized natural rubber (LENR)-modified asphalt. The physical, adhesion and rheological properties were determined by several tests such as penetration, elastic recovery, ring and ball softening point, Brookfield rotational viscometer, AFM and dynamic shear rheometer. LENR was used at concentrations of 3, 6, and 9%, while CNFs were used at contents of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5% by weight of asphalt. Conventional test results showed that the increases in LENR and LENR/CNFs composite contents in binder leads to an increase in the hardness and consistency and a reduction in the temperature susceptibility of base asphalt. Adhesion results revealed that the addition of CNFs significantly increases the adhesion and bonding properties of base and rubberized binders. Rheological properties analysis exhibited that LENR improved the viscoelastic properties and permanent deformation resistance of asphalt at different temperatures and frequencies. On the other hand, it was found that the addition of CNFs significantly improves the stiffness, elasticity, and hardness of LENR-modified binders. The 6% LENR and 0.4% CNFs were found to be the optimum to enhance the physical, adhesion, and rheological properties of asphalt in this study. Thus, it can be stated that the addition of CNFs is promising to improve the performance of rubberized binders for high temperature applications