Characterization of the mechanism of prolonged adaptation to osmotic stress of Jeotgalibacillus malaysiensis via genome and transcriptome sequencing analyses

Jeotgalibacillus malaysiensis, a moderate halophilic bacterium isolated from a pelagic area, can endure higher concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) than other Jeotgalibacillus type strains. In this study, we therefore chose to sequence and assemble the entire J. malaysiensis genome. This is the first report to provide a detailed analysis of the genomic features of J. malaysiensis, and to perform genetic comparisons between this microorganism and other halophiles. J. malaysiensis encodes a native megaplasmid (pJeoMA), which is greater than 600 kilobases in size, that is absent from other sequenced species of Jeotgalibacillus. Subsequently, RNA-Seq-based transcriptome analysis was utilised to examine adaptations of J. malaysiensis to osmotic stress. Specifically, the eggNOG (evolutionary genealogy of genes: Non-supervised Orthologous Groups) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes) databases were used to elucidate the overall effects of osmotic stress on the organism. Generally, saline stress significantly affected carbohydrate, energy, and amino acid metabolism, as well as fatty acid biosynthesis. Our findings also indicate that J. malaysiensis adopted a combination of approaches, including the uptake or synthesis of osmoprotectants, for surviving salt stress. Among these, proline synthesis appeared to be the preferred method for withstanding prolonged osmotic stress in J. malaysiensis

Modelling travelers behavioural intentions for Halal hospitality: A case of an emerging Islamic tourism hub

Islamic tourism is rapidly growing to become the largest tourism sector due to its increasing demand of Islamic tourism products especially in a country like Malaysia. However, little research has been done to explore more about travelers' perceptions on Islamic tourism in Malaysia. This study used Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis as a tool to explore the dimensions of Islamic attributes of destination, i.e., Availability of Halal food and Worship Facilities (WF), Banning of Immoral Activity (IA) and Islamic Dress Code (DC) that maybe important to the segment of Muslim travelers for Halal hospitality in Malaysia. About 396 Muslims travelers participated in this study. The findings revealed that availability of Halal food and Worship Facilities (WF) and Dress Code (DC) have positive relationships on Behavioral Intentions (BI) among Muslims travelers for Halal hospitality in Malaysia. The study indicated that banning of Immoral Activities (IA) significantly affects Muslim travelers' Behavioral Intentions (BI) in Malaysia. The findings also suggested that Tourist Satisfaction (TS) mediated the relationships between Islamic attributes of destination and Behavioral Intention (BI). This study used quantitative method; the data was collected by using a set of self-administered questionnaire. It is hoped that the study will be used as a guideline for destination marketers to develop marketing strategies to attract Muslim travelers come to Malaysia

The role of innovation in the relation between psychic distance and organizational performance

Previous research suggests that the perceptions of a high degree of differences and subsequent uncertainty when expanding into psychically distant markets triggers strategies for innovation adoption. This study examined the model on the mediating effect of innovation on psychic distance and organizational performance. The research framework was based on the strong belief that organizations tend to innovate when there was a high perceived environmental uncertainty caused by internationalization or business expansion in foreign markets. The psychic distance such as power distance and political environment varies in different markets, creating difficulty when managing them, thus, affecting organizational performance. Based on resource-based view theory, the internal resource such as innovation is suggested to associate with organizational performance. The hypotheses of the relationships between psychic distance, innovation, and organizational performance were tested using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. The data was collected from fourteen subsidiaries (n = 279) managed by an Asian regional headquarter/hub. The results show that the adoption of both organizational and technological innovation mediates the relationship between psychic distance and organizational performance. The results provide some meaningful insights to the organizations on the benefits or drawback in making the decision during internationalization process including global and regional strategy

Internet-of-Things (IoT) as engine of growth for the economy

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) is set to bring a major change in the way we conduct our lives and business in the near future. The contribution to the economy is expected to be significant as internet connections will not only be limited to humans to other people but it will also involve the real physical world as well. Machines will no longer be confined to their respective networks and the IoT trend will provide the potential for machines to self-learn as well. This study will discuss the potential economic significance of the IoT trend and the impact that an environment of connected devices have had in our businesses and daily lives. At the end of the study, the discussions on the implementation of IoT and its risks will be provided

Islamic attributes of destination and muslim travellers’ satisfaction: examining the moderating effect of religious commitment

World Islamic tourism is growing rapidly year by year. In Malaysia, the demand of Islamic tourism products has also gained significant popularity based on the increasing number of Muslim tourists to the country in recent years. Unfortunately, this demand has rarely been supported by market studies especially from the perspective of the Muslim travellers in Malaysia. The paper is written (i) to identify the relationship between the determinants of Islamic attributes of destination (IAD) and Muslim travellers’ satisfaction (TS) and (ii) to examine the moderating role of religious commitment (RC). A total of 225 responses were collected and the data was analyzed via multiple regression analysis. The finding of the study shows that IAD has a significant effect on TS. The finding also revealed that RC moderates the relationship between IAD and TS. It is hoped that the study provides clearer understanding about Halal hospitality and travellers’ religious needs from their standpoint in order to develop marketing strategies to attract Muslim travellers and to ensure the expansion of the industry particularly in the context of Malaysia tourism industry

Web 2.0 educational tools continuance intention

Higher Education 4.0 that focuses on integrating technology of Industrial Revolution 4.0 into the education ecosystem was the theme set by the Higher Education Ministry for 2018 - as a pledge to revamp the higher education landscape in Malaysia. One of the elements outlined for Higher Education 4.0 is to implement 21st century pedagogy incorporating the latest teaching and learning technologies. Parallel with this initiative, the usage of Web 2.0 interactive educational tools has gained a significant recognition in Malaysia’s higher education recently. In any common circumstance, the adoption of this current technique of teaching has to conform to users’ acceptance, attitude and their intention to continue using the technology in the classrooms. This paper introduces a new integrated model of students’ acceptance, attitude and continuance intention of using Web 2.0 educational tools as part of creating a systematic current higher education ecosystem. A new model integrating Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is presented. This study applied quantitative survey in the main data collection. Purposive sampling technique used and the data collection was conducted in a public university via online survey platform. In this study, SMART PLS is used to analyse the data. Though, the findings are partly hypothetical, it is inspiring to reveal an integrated conceptual model in exploring consumer behavioural intention related to Malaysia higher education context. It is hoped that the findings will suggest the legitimacy of the integrated framework and insights in Malaysian users’ continuance intention about adopting Web 2.0 educational tools