The potential of shear wave velocity as an erosion risk index

Soil erosion is a captious environmental problem in regions of hot tropical climates, causing loss of land and natural disasters such as river sedimentation, flooding, and slope failures. Based on soil properties and their response to erosion agents, efforts have been made to develop simplified models and indices for the estimation of erosion. ROM scale is proven to be effective in forecasting risk levels for erosion assessment. However, the method requires soil sampling and laboratory experimentation, which is time-consuming and laborious, especially when analyzing huge areas. Therefore, this study aims to develop a relation between ROM scale and shear wave velocity estimated by the spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves (SASW) method. For this purpose, 36 soil samples were extracted, and twelve SASW tests were conducted at twelve sites identified along Sungai Langat. Soil particle distribution was carried out to calculate the ROM erosion index value for all the extracted soil samples. The fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm was used to transform the time-recorded signals into the frequency domain, and the dispersion curves were generated after the masking process. The shear wave velocity erosion risk ranged from 10 m/s to 120 m/s, indicating critical risk and low risk, respectively. Low erosion risk levels were observed for high shear wave velocity values, representing a decaying pattern in exponential relation. The resulting correlation between ROM scale and shear wave velocity produced a coefficient of determination value of 0.71, indicating a strong relation. This study indicated the potential of shear wave velocity as an erosion risk index

Penyelenggaraan Bangunan dalam Pengurusan Fasiliti: Elemen Mempengaruhi Kualiti Amalan Penyelenggaraan Bangunan

Amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan adalah komponen utama yang dapat menentukan prestasi dan kualiti sebuah organisasi atau bangunan. Namun begitu, tanpa pemahaman dan kemahiran yang diperlukan, matlamat sebenar penyelenggaraan tidak dapat dicapai. Artikel ini menerangkan elemen yang mempengaruhi amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan dengan menggunakan kaedah analisis dokumen dan literatur yang berkaitan dengan amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan terbaik. Dapatan kajian ini adalah tujuh elemen iaitu elemen pengurusan am, pengurusan staff, kewangan, pengurusan kontraktor, teknikal dan teknologi, bangunan dan kesedaran. Hasil data ini menunjukkan bahawa gabungjalin diantara elemen ini akan menjadikan amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan yang efisien dan sistematik

Penyelenggaraan bangunan dalam pengurusan fasiliti: elemen mempengaruhi kualiti amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan

Amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan adalah komponen utama yang dapat menentukan prestasi dan kualiti sebuah organisasi atau bangunan. Namun begitu, tanpa pemahaman dan kemahiran yang diperlukan, matlamat sebenar penyelenggaraan tidak dapat dicapai. Artikel ini menerangkan elemen yang mempengaruhi amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan dengan menggunakan kaedah analisis dokumen dan literatur yang berkaitan dengan amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan terbaik. Dapatan kajian ini adalah tujuh elemen iaitu elemen pengurusan am, pengurusan staf, kewangan, pengurusan kontraktor, teknikal dan teknologi, bangunan dan kesedaran. Hasil data ini menunjukkan bahawa gabungjalin diantara elemen ini akan menjadikan amalan penyelenggaraan bangunan yang efisien dan sistemati

Sero-prevalence of malaria and the knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to the prevention of malaria among indigenous people living in the central forest spine in Peninsular Malaysia: a mixed-methods study

Background: Malaria is still a major public health threat in some parts of the world. Many countries are targeting to achieve malaria free status country. This study aimed to determine the sero-prevalence of malaria and the knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to the prevention of malaria among the indigenous adults living in the central forest spine in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods: A mixed method study was conducted in indigenous settlements in 2020. Blood film for malaria parasite (BFMP) was used to diagnose malaria in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. For the qualitative data, in-depth interviews were conducted and data was collected until data saturation was reached. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the predictors after adjusting for confounders. A p-value of Results: A total of 284 indigenous people participated in the study. The prevalence of malaria in this study was 0%. Those in the middle age group between 25 and 41 years and tested positive for malaria previously were significantly more likely to have better knowledge and attitude scores. Significant correlations were also observed between knowledge-attitude and knowledge-practice. For the qualitative results, most of the respondents were unsure of monkey malaria, but all were aware of human malaria. Conclusion: The present study highlighted the absence of malaria in the study population and relatively good knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to the prevention of malaria.</p

Route planning for crowd management in disaster prone areas

Managing crowd is essential in a time of emergency because a large volume of movements or flow may be restricted or obstructed by the existing capacity. This paper centres around preparedness, actions were taken during the event and mitigation measures of flooding in two case studies. Hulu Langat and Cameron Highlands have similarities and differences in planning for, managing of and reviving from flood disasters. In particular, route planning is focused to extract the movement behaviour among people impacted by the calamity. This study employed an interview method which results have been synthesised to feed into the formulation of future strategies for access or movement facilities for victims of disasters