Pilihanraya Kecil Kimanis: Isu Lokal, Jentera Kempen dan Aura Barisan Nasional

Penolakan Mahkamah Pilihan Raya terhadap rayuan oleh penyandang kerusi P176 bagi petisyen untuk mencabar kemenangan penyandang berkenaan telah menyebabkan Pilihanraya Kecil (PRK) diadakan di kawasan tersebut. Terdapat seramai 29, 618 pengundi berdaftar yang terdiri daripada 66.54% bumiputera Islam (19,708), 29.93% bumiputera bukan Islam (8,865), 3.19% (945) dan lain-lain 0.34% (100). Demografik pengundi ini hakikatnya dapat menjelaskan sebab mengapa kemenangan parti BN sebelum ini dalam PRU14 adalah tipis dan dalam PRK Kimanis juga, angka majoriti kemenangan BN juga tidak begitu besar berbanding peratusan keluar mengundi dalam PRU14 yang lalu. Terdapat kemungkinan pengundi-pengundi wujud situasi groupthink dan kesan bandwagon dalam kalangan pengundi yang meyakini bahawa kerajaan Warisan boleh menang dengan mudah dan dengan sebab itu ramai pengundi luar kawasan yang tidak balik mengundi pada 18hb Januari 2020 kerana isu lokal tidak begitu memberi kesan kepada pengundian kelak. Rumusan oleh informan kajian yang ditanya menerusi temuramah bersemuka selepas keputusan diumumkan pada malam penjumlahan undi menggariskan tiga sebab yang boleh dipertanggungjawabkan atas kekalahan Parti Warisan iaitu, 1). isu Pas Sementara Sabah (PSS) yang sukar ditangani dengan betul oleh pihak kerajaan, 2). jentera kempen Parti Warisan yang agak kelam kabut, dan; 3). sebilangan besar pengundi-pengundi Parti Warisan tidak keluar mengundi atas sebab tertentu

The combined effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate and rubber crumb as fine aggregate in concrete / Norhana Abdul Rahman

Currently, the need to incorporate recycled materials such as plastics and rubbers as replacements to raw materials is becoming more important than ever before. In this study, the combined effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and rubber crumb (RC) as fine aggregate replacement in concrete are investigated. This study evaluated the mechanical (compressive strength and flexural strength) and durability properties (electrical resistivity and water absorption) of the concrete. The fine aggregate was replaced at 10%, 20% and 30% by weight of binder and tested for 7, 28, 60 and 90 days of curing. The results showed that by increasing the replacement of PET in higher proportion (up to 20%) and RC (up to 10%) the compressive strength of concretes did decrease. The same trend followed for the flexural strength in which strength was reduced as the replacements level increased. The electrical resistivity increased with the increased of PET and RC replacement in concrete. Meanwhile, the water absorption of concretes increased with the increased of PET and RC replacement. Overall, the PET and rubber crumb can be utilized up to certain percentages in replacing fine aggregates in concrete

Seismic Behavior of Tunnel Form Building under Lateral Cyclic Loading

A three-story single-unit tunnel form building (TFB) was designed using a non-seismic code of practice (BS 8110). Two one-third scale test models were constructed and tested under in-plane lateral cyclic loading and out-of-plane lateral cyclic loading, respectively. The specimens were tested at ±0.01%, ±0.1%, ±0.25%, ±0.5%, ±0.75%, ±1.0%, ±1.25%, ±1.5%, ±1.75% ±1.8, ±1.9% and ±2% drifts, after which severe cracks were observed on the wall-slab joints and wall panels. Subsequently, the damaged specimens were repaired and retrofitted by wrapping carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) around the damaged walls and affixing steel plates and steel angles at the wall-slab joints using several different repair and retrofitting schemes. The repaired specimens were retested using the same drifts. The comparison of the seismic behavior between unrepaired and repaired specimens was made based on visual observation of damage, hysteresis loops, lateral strength capacity, stiffness, ductility, and equivalent viscous damping. The experimental results showed that the repaired specimens were improved in terms of damage, lateral strength capacity, stiffness, ductility, and equivalent viscous damping. It is recommended to strengthen and rehabilitate tunnel form buildings after an earthquake using CFRP, additional shear walls, steel plates and steel angles

Special based isolation system for low-rise RC building

In the past decade, there were a lot of seismic activities around the world that cause low rise reinforced concrete suffered severe damage and total collapse. A special based isolation system can be equipped to the low rise building to prevent it from damaged and collapse by improving the period, stiffness and damping of the structures. The based isolation system can increase the natural period of a rigid structure under first mode shape by applying low stiffness rubber isolators. These method can provide a better structural behaviour of low rise RC building as compared to moderate or high stiffness rubber isolators. Furthermore, the special based isolation system with maximum damping of 15% for 4 storey and 6 storey RC building. However, the value of optimum damping depends upon the characteristics of ground motions and frequencies of the earthquakes

The influence of eggshell as coarse aggregate replacement in hot mix asphalt

Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) is the most commonly used in Malaysia for highways, interstates and roads due to its flexibility, economical, strong and provide safe riding quality for road users. Over the years, the increase of damage on pavement roads in Malaysia has become a severe issue although the road did not achieve its design life. Hence, to reduce damage and defect, an improvised road pavement structures is needed. Various studies have been conducted to identify the new materials that can be used as a replacement in hot mix asphalt. In this research, the purpose is to evaluate the performance of eggshell as coarse aggregate replacement in hot mix asphalt. The gradation for aggregate used in this mixture is AC14. The weight for total mixing of the aggregates used is 1200g while the grade for bitumen is 60/70. The samples were mixed with eggshell in the various percentages of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by total weight of aggregate size 5mm. The laboratory tests carried out to determine the properties of aggregates included, aggregate impact value and aggregate crushing value. Besides, penetration and softening point were also performed to determine the properties of bitumen. Several types of test were conducted towards the samples, which are Marshall Test, Indirect Tensile Strength and Cantabro Test. The results exhibit that the conventional asphalt mixture is more effective than modified asphalt mixture. The replacement of eggshell as coarse aggregate was not enough improvement to the performance of asphalt pavement as the performance of conventional mixture is more stable than modified mixture

Evaluation of an EAP course at a tertiary institution in Malaysia

The present study evaluated English for Higher Education, an intermediate English proficiency course (EAP) offered to undergraduates at the Northern University of Malaysis.The main objective of the study was to evaluate the course in terms of both outcome and process in order to find out what was working well and what needed to be improved.Two types of instruments were used in the study: questionnaire and interviews.Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 451 out of 851 students enrolled in the course.Teachers and students were interviewed to find out their views about various aspects of the course including course materials. The results of the study indicated that a majority of students and teachers found the course relevant, useful and that it has fulfilled the course objectives in relation to the four language skills.In short, students were satisfied with the course, the teachers and the activities carried out, and acknowledged that their needs have been met to a certain degree.However, the study also revealed that certain areas need to be improved such as course administration, layout and pagination of the module, the use of the textbook, and classroom atmosphere. Recommendations were also made in addressing the weaknesses highlighted in the study

Stability and stiffness of asphaltic concrete incorporating waste cooking oil

The application of waste material is extensively used as a partial replacement to produce a new asphalt binder with the improvement of binder performance. However, limited information is available on the use of waste cooking oil (WCO) in hot mix asphalt. In this regard, the main objective of this research is to study the influences of WCO as a supplementary binder on the Marshall Stability properties of asphaltic concrete. The properties investigated are stability, stiffness and flow. Results show that the treated WCO proved better strength performance as compared to the other asphalt mixture. It also found that the modified mixtures incorporating untreated and treated WCO increased the tendency for deformation exposure as compared to the control mixture. Generally, Marshall Stability result for treated WCO mixture was improved from untreated WCO mixture and exceeded the control mixture performance

Physiochemical characterization of lateritic bauxite mining soil

Physiochemical characteristics play a significant role in evaluating the engineering behaviour of soil material and its suitability for foundation. Investigation upon the physical and chemical characteristics of lateritic bauxite soils were done on samples collected from three exmining bauxite sites (Bukit Goh, Semambu and Indera Mahkota) in Kuantan District, Pahang, Malaysia. The presence of chemical element was evaluated based on the elemental mineral composition content identified through X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The results revealed that Semambu lateritic bauxite soil has the highest content of alumina (Al2O3), 25.54%. The alumina content enrichment is one of the effects from the laterization of bauxite process. In addition, the physical testing included are moisture content, specific gravity and Atterberg Limit. Further investigation on the physical properties of the soil has found that Semambu has the highest MC, 33.27%, but at the same time PI is less than 12%. This is as a key indicator that lateritic bauxite is prone to surface erosion and unsuitable for construction purposes in its natural condition. The risk of the surface erosion and settlement of the ground causes it requires stabilizer that can rapid the curing time. Additionally, the high moisture content is likely to have higher chance to experience liquefaction and causes foundation problem to future infrastructures that may be built in the studied area

Investigation on the effect of moisture induced damage on asphaltic concrete mix incorporating waste concrete aggregates

Recycling waste materials, such as partial replacement of WCA for natural aggregates in hot-mix asphalt, could be an option for addressing problems such as environmental pollution and the increasing demand for natural resources. Due to continual development and renovation in the construction industry, the generation of concrete waste has become one of the major challenges. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to develop an asphalt mix design utilizing waste concrete aggregate (WCA) as a partial substitute for natural aggregates (NA). The ratios of WCA10:NA90 and WCA30:NA70 are utilised to design the asphalt mixtures. In this study, asphalt mixtures containing 10 and 30 percent WCA are referred as WCA10 and WCA30, respectively. The density-voids analysis enables the determination of the optimum asphalt content that satisfies the criteria of the Malaysian Public Works Department (PWD). Results indicates that the criteria and design parameters of both mix conforms to the PWD specifications. The optimum asphalt content determined for both WCA10 and WCA30 asphalt mix is 5.7 and 5.8 percent respectively. The moisture sensitivity test is then performed on both WCA10 and WCA30 asphalt mixtures to determine how susceptible these mixtures are to moisture-induced damage. The tensile strength ratio (TSR) for WCA10 and WCA30 asphalt mixtures is 83.6 and 97.4 percent, respectively, which is greater than the minimal requirement of 80%. This investigation revealed that the use of WCA in hot-mix asphalt satisfies the moisture susceptibility requirements

Soil remediation for contaminated soil from heavy metals by electrokinetic process / Sabariah Arbai ... [et al.]

Contaminated sites with heavy metals, organic compounds and hazardous materials added with inefficient waste handling techniques, leakages and untreated abandoned mines made enormous impact to groundwater quality, soils and ecosystems. Electro-chemical principle, known as electrokinetic method is a greatly potential treatment of heavy metal in contaminated soils, including soils of low permeable clays (Rutigliano et.al 2008); and groundwater (Cherifi et.al., 2009). (Colletta et.al., 1997) stated that purging liquids of certain pH is important for heavy metal migration and molar concentration, while Fabienne et.al. (1999) stated that temperature mainly influences the ionic velocities with changes in partitioning of heavy metals. The study will identify and evaluate the amount of heavy metals in the collected contaminated soil samples, investigate physical characteristics of soils and relate to the chemical concentration levels of heavy metals, thus recommending the optimum temperature for efficient removal of heavy metals with appropriate pH. In this study, there are two types of specimen, i) site specimen, and ii) prepared specimen. For the site specimen, the physical characteristics and chemical concentration will be identified. For chemical concentration of both site and prepared samples, samples are digested and analyzed using ICP-MS equipment. For the prepared specimen, fresh clay specimen are spiked, compacted of low concentration heavy metals and will be run using electrokinetic under controlled pH and temperature. The purging liquids will be prepared in the electrode reservoirs to provide an appropriately-controlled pH for heavy metals adsorption. The electrokinetic tests will be performed onto 80 prepared spiked samples with initial concentration to a final concentration, each set of 240 hrs duration, temperature set and observed with daily pH monitored and recorded. The removal efficiency for optimal heavy-metal desorption, initial and final pH of the slurry specimen at 5 positions on the test-cell will be recorded, computed and analyzed