The use of GIS application in identifying youth recreational area in Subang Jaya, Selangor

The paper presents the use of GIS application in identifying the youth recreational area in Subang Jaya, Selangor. The main objective of this paper is to identify existing youth recreational area, its thresholds and amenities in Subang Jaya. Method used in this study is divided into two main parts. First is by using GIS application, all related recreational area, its thresholds and amenities are identified spatially. Then spatial analysis is carried out to match with the youth population in this township. In addition, the output is also matched against the government policies of providing such recreational area. Findings show that youth recreational area is not limited to outdoor area but also indoor area too. This is consistent with the high demand of land area development in urban areas. However, findings also show the difference between the government policies and plans against what is actually been implemented. It is also found that many recreational area is not easily accessible to the youth. As an example, there is a need for a safe bicycle lane/pedestraian walkway in connecting housing areas with schools and urban parks and public amenities. Furthermore, it is also found that the public amenities lack of police beat stations or neighbourhood patrols to ensure safety. In summary, the stakeholders of Subang Jaya should look into mechanism of turning the existing recreational area into more sustainable youth recreational area

Embedding web-based geographic information system (web-based gis) in teaching and learning of history

Current education system requires innovative approach in enhancing students’ understanding in any subjects. One of the innovative approaches that can be implemented in teaching and learning is web based geographic information system (web-based GIS). Not only it is easy to use, it is also freely available online. Therefore this study explores the tools available in the current web-based GIS in teaching and learning of history subject. The method used in this study is through experiments in using the web-based GIS tools namely Google Earth in the Malaysian Form Five history curriculum. For each topic that requires the use of map, Google Earth tools are evaluated. Results show almost all tools available in Google Earth can be used in all topics that need the application of high-order thinking skills (HOTs). Therefore it is timely that web-based GIS is used as one of the innovative approaches used in education policy

Effect of demographic variables on public attitudes towards genetically modified insulin

Earlier studies on public attitude and risk perception have concluded that the public’s attitudes towards biotechnology was primarily driven by several factors such as familiarity, perceived benefits, perceived risks, risk acceptance, moral concerns and encouragement. Demographic characteristics have been known to affect attitudes towards science. The purpose of this paper is to compare the attitude of the Malaysian public towards genetically modified (GM) insulin across several background variables such as religion, race, education level and age. A survey was carried out on 1017 respondents stratified according to various stakeholder groups in the Klang Valley region. Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) showed significant differences in the mean scores for familiarity of GM insulin across religions, races and ages but not across education levels and gender. Both perceived benefits and perceived risks were found to differ across races, education levels and gender but not across religions and ages. On the other hand, moral concern was found to differ in all four background variables except gender while risk acceptance differed across races and gender and encouragement only differed across education  levels. In conclusion, background variables do have a significant effect on some of the dimensions of Malaysians’ attitudes towards modern biotechnology. The research findings will be useful for understanding the effect of background variables on public attitudes towards the application of gene technology in medicine. More in-depth empirical studies should be carried out to understand the underlying causes behind the differences.Key words: Attitude, gene technology, medicine, GM (genetically modified) insulin, background variables, Malaysia

Investigation of graphene channel interaction with yeast cell for cell counting application

Graphene superior and unique properties make it a suitable material for biosensor. In this work, graphene interaction with yeast cell is investigated for development of graphenebased cell counter. The fabricated graphene channel was characterized by means of two-terminal and solution-gated three-terminal measurement setup. The correlation between graphene channel resistance and cell concentration was confirmed. The yeast cell was found to give n-type doping which modulate the conductivity of graphene channel

The significance of job description towards performance of cook in 4 and 5 stars hotel

This study explores the significance of job description practiced by Human Resources in 4 and 5 stars hotels located in Langkawi Island.This research is particularly relevant to the hotel industry, whereby the employee is the main asset to accomplish the organization expectation. Does job description influence cooks‘ performance? Job descriptions are one of the major mechanisms that organizations use to arranging work into positions in an organization.It consists of purpose, scope, duties and responsibilities of a specified job. Consequently, job descriptions play a major role in the recruitment process to find the right person for the right position to appoint.However, it is unclear whether the job description is significant in organization and employee.It is in the organizations‘ interest to understand this phenomenon to make better decisions on how to present job descriptions in order to achieve qualified employee and to increase their performance.The aim of this research is to gain an understanding of job description in the hotel industry context and to better understand the immediate effects of such practices in a cooks‘ life. Data were collected based on a mixed method via qualitative and quantitative study.Focus group interviews were used to gather information from 6 cooks in 4 and 5 stars hotels. Besides focusing on group interview, questionnaires were also been distribute to the cooks.Questionnaires were used to gather information from 168 cooks.The findings indicate a notable effect of job description toward cooks‘ performance. They need job description as their guide in enhancing their work performance.A clear description of the tasks from the employers will lead to high job performance

Risks and benefits of genetically modified foods

There are claims that fear towards new technology has been caused by the lack of information and education on the subject to the public. Modern biotechnology and its applications have been receiving the same criticism. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the trends and coverage of genetically modified food (GMF) related issues available in an online database. In order to achieve this, GMFrelated articles (n = 60) were retrieved from a database, Science Direct, from the year 2005 until 2010. These articles were then analyzed using the annotated bibliography and content analysis techniques. It was found that the highest number of articles was in the ’Technical/Progress’ theme with 22 counts followed by the ‘Attitude’ theme with 13 counts. Meanwhile, the ‘Social Risks and/or Benefits’ theme was the lowest with only 1 paper identified. This trend shows that the focus of the majority of papers published were on the progress of GMF technology followed by attitude studies (such as perceptions and willingness to buy) and only a few were discussing the risk and benefit aspects of GMF. These findings are useful in giving us an insight of what have been discussed on GMF in the existing literature.Key words: Genetically modified food (GMF), themes, risks and benefits, content analysis, biotechnology

The need for biosafety regulation in developing countries: Benefits and controversies

Nowadays, the rapid development of biotechnology has become a main concern for a larger part of the world. It has become one of the most promising fields which guarantee returns to businesses and offers benefits to the society. When dealing with biotechnology, the first issue that comes to mind is the safeness of the technology from tip to toe, that is, the safeness of the products of biotechnology, how they can be used on human beings and animal, and their effects on the environment. The objective of this paper is to assess the needs and adequacy of the regulation in developing countries compared to the developed countries. In order to address these concerns, governments have adopted appropriate regulations to ensure the safety of the biotechnology products, and to protect not just human but the environment universally. This paper will discuss those regulations, especially as adopted by developing countries along with their implications. It is hoped that the paper will recover the lack of the regulations in relation to developed country.Key words: Biotechnology, biosafety, developing countries, benefits, risks and controversies

Empirical Investigation on Agile Methods Usage: Issues Identified from Early Adopters in Malaysia

Agile Methods are a set of software practices that can help to produce products faster and at the same time deliver what customers want. Despite the benefits that Agile methods can deliver, however, we found few studies from the Southeast Asia region, particularly Malaysia. As a result, less empirical evidence can be obtained in the country making its implementation harder. To use a new method, experience from other practitioners is critical, which describes what is important, what is possible and what is not possible concerning Agile. We conducted a qualitative study to understand the issues faced by early adopters in Malaysia where Agile methods are still relatively new. The initial study involves 13 participants including project managers, CEOs, founders and software developers from seven organisations. Our study has shown that social and human aspects are important when using Agile methods. While technical aspects have always been considered to exist in software development, we found these factors to be less important when using Agile methods. The results obtained can serve as guidelines to practitioners in the country and the neighbouring regions