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Euphemism Enigma : Unravelling Euphemism Functions in Understanding the Bidayuh Biatah Cultures in Sarawak
Get PDFEuphemism, as a linguistic and cultural phenomenon, serves
as a reflection of the values and norms within a specific
language community. Understanding the functions of
euphemisms provides valuable insights into a culture's belief systems, social structures and historical contexts, shedding light on the intricacies of language, culture and beliefs. This paper explores euphemism functions among the Bidayuh Biatah speakers, utilizing Burridge's (2012) framework of six euphemism functions. Through an in-depth examination of euphemisms, this study aims to elucidate aspects of the Biatah culture. The data was gathered through interviews with eight Biatah informants aged 55 to 79 who are residing Kampung Quop, Padawan, Sarawak in Malaysia. The
findings unveiled five euphemism functions within the
Biatah dialect: Protective euphemism, Underhand euphemism,
Uplifting euphemism, Cohesive euphemism and Ludic
euphemism, providing a better understanding of the
Bidayuh Biatah language and culture
Paddy farmers’ awareness and knowledge of agroforestry practices in Siburan, Sarawak
Get PDFRice is an important staple food and the main source of income and livelihood, especially for rural communities in Malaysia. However, the area under rice cultivation
in Malaysia has decreased due to poor quality of rice fields due to low productivity and climate change. Agroforestry is a system that combines trees with crops or livestock. It not only counteracts the effects of climate change by increasing the resilience of agriculture, but also combats poverty, food security, and land degradation. The aim of this study was to determine the awareness and perception of
rice farmers in Siburan, Sarawak, toward agroforestry. The data for the study were obtained through questionnaire-based interviews in Kampung Skuduk and Kampung Chupak. Statistical tests were used to analyze and compare the data. Farmers’
knowledge of agroforestry practices was limited, especially among non-agroforestry practitioners. There is no significant income difference between agroforestry practitioners and non-agroforestry practitioners as agroforestry is practiced on a small scale and for household consumption as there are no commercial market opportunities
for the products. Governmental or non-governmental organizations should organize educational activities on agroforestry to disseminate information on these practices
appropriate to the education level and age group of the target farmers. Awareness raising and information dissemination activities are important as lack of awareness
hinders the implementation of agroforestry, for example, through awareness campaigns and training programs on agroforestry. The results of this study will serve as
a guide for the authority to plan measures to increase the knowledge and importance of the agroforestry sector and the implementation of agroforestry
Paddy farmers' awareness and knowledge of agroforestry practices in Siburan, Sarawak
Get PDFRice is an important staple food and the main source of income and livelihood, especially for rural communities in Malaysia. However, the area under rice cultivation in Malaysia has decreased due to poor quality of rice fields due to low productivity and climate change. Agroforestry is a system that combines trees with crops or livestock. It not only counteracts the effects of climate change by increasing the resilience of agriculture, but also combats poverty, food security, and land degradation. The aim of this study was to determine the awareness and perception of rice farmers in Siburan, Sarawak, toward agroforestry. The data for the study were obtained through questionnaire-based interviews in Kampung Skuduk and Kampung Chupak. Statistical tests were used to analyze and compare the data. Farmers’ knowledge of agroforestry practices was limited, especially among non-agroforestry practitioners. There is no significant income difference between agroforestry practitioners and non-agroforestry practitioners as agroforestry is practiced on a small scale and for household consumption as there are no commercial market opportunities for the products. Governmental or non-governmental organizations should organize educational activities on agroforestry to disseminate information on these practices appropriate to the education level and age group of the target farmers. Awareness raising and information dissemination activities are important as lack of awareness hinders the implementation of agroforestry, for example, through awareness campaigns and training programs on agroforestry. The results of this study will serve as a guide for the authority to plan measures to increase the knowledge and importance of the agroforestry sector and the implementation of agroforestry
Audit committee characteristics and environmental disclosure practices: Insights from Malaysian listed firms
Get PDFAudit committee has crucial roles in enhancing organizational practices including disclosure.
This study's objective is to examine the relationship between audit committee characteristics and
environmental disclosure, using agency and legitimacy theories. A sample of 380 Malaysian firms from
2020 to 2021 was analysed, with data from annual reports and market capitalization from the Orbis
database. The panel regression was used to achieve the objective of this study. Results show that audit
committee expertise has a significant positive relationship with environmental disclosure. Skilled
members with sustainability knowledge enhance transparency, build stakeholder confidence, strengthen
corporate reputation, and align practices with global sustainability goals. Expanding research in this
area can further enhance understanding of how audit committees contribute to environmental practices
and long-term value creation
Acoustic Characteristics of Bamboo-based Guitar – A Case Study
No full textBamboo is a fast-growing plant easily obtained in Malaysia. It is commonly used for constructing various solid structures including the guitar. Its unique sound quality makes it different from the traditional wooden guitar. The Yamaha guitar sound was used as reference for the generally preferred guitar characteristics. This work focused on the acoustic characteristics easily obtained using the frequency spectrum analysis via a PicoScope oscilloscope and spectrogram using Adobe Audition. A microphone was used for recording the string sound and yielding the frequency response function. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectra showed that the Yamaha guitar had less partials compared to the bamboo guitar, except string 4. Strings 1, 2, and 3 showed a regular signal from the Yamaha guitar whereas the bamboo guitar showed an irregular pattern with significant overtone. The intensity of the partials in the bamboo guitar displayed a recognizable pattern, i.e., a reduction of partial intensity amplitude proportional to increasing frequency in strings 4, 5, and 6. Some random partials appeared between the harmonics in string 1, 2, and 3 from bamboo guitar whereas the absence of partials in the Yamaha guitar could be due to the higher radiation coefficient of wood, which displays a different timbre
Microwave-assisted synthesis and dual in silico–in vitro profiling of vanillin azo-Schiff base hybrids for antimicrobial potential
No full textResearchers have demonstrated substantial interest in bioactive compounds derived from natural resources, such as vanillin, owing to their significant potential in drug development. Here, we report the efficient synthesis of hybrid azo-Schiff bases derived from vanillin 2(a–h) using vanillin azo 1(a–h) as natural product-based precursors, achieved via microwave irradiation to yield significant amounts (67–83%, 6 min) compared to conventional heating (38–53%, 36 h). Compounds 2(a–h) exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity against S. aureus (inhibition zones of 9–11 mm) compared to 1(a–h) (7–9 mm) and the parent vanillin, which showed no inhibition. Similarly, 2(a–h) demonstrated superior activity against E. coli (8–11 mm) relative to 1(a–h) (7–9 mm) and vanillin (no inhibition). Compound 2b exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity among the synthesised compounds, with inhibition zones of 11.03 ± 0.12 mm against E. coli and 11.20 ± 0.10 mm against S. aureus, comparable to the standard antibiotic ampicillin (11–12 mm). Compound 2b also revealed a strong binding affinity of − 7.3 kcal/mol in molecular docking analysis, alongside an energy gap of 3.45 eV as determined by DFT calculations using Gaussian 09, indicating favourable electronic properties for antimicrobial activity. The ADMET studies supported natural product-based hybrids derived from vanillin as suitable drug candidates. This research significantly advances drug design by presenting potent in vitro antibacterial agents derived from natural products, characterised by promising pharmacological and physicochemical properties
Developing an ESP Guideline for Flight Attendant Students in a Chinese Vocational Undergraduate University
No full textEnglish for Specific Purposes (ESP) is vital in training flight attendants, particularly within China’s vocational undergraduate system. Yet a clear mismatch remains between airline English requirements and the ESP content taught in universities. This study adopted a convergent parallel mixed methods design to examine the English needs of flight attendant students by analyzing both present and target situations of language use. Data were collected from 186 students and six teachers through documentation analysis of the current ESP syllabus, questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations. Results show that while students regard English as essential for career development and self-rate their proficiency as “moderate”, significant weaknesses persist across sub-skills. Speaking emerged as the most critical competence, followed by listening with grammar and vocabulary also requiring improvement. English certification was identified as a decisive factor in airline recruitment. Students further highlighted the value of interactive, learner-centered activities and AI-enhanced ESP. The study concludes that existing ESP provision does not fully align with industry demands and proposes a practical course design guideline to bridge this gap
Quality And Shelf-Life Analysis Of Canned Hilsa (Tenualosa Ilisha) Under Eco-Friendly Thermal Processing: A Sustainable Approach To Bangladesh’s Blue Economy
No full textHilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), a commercially important fish known as the "King of Fish" in Asian countries, was processed using
a small-scale canning procedure that included high-pressure sterilization to increase shelf life. This study compared the
physiological, nutritional, biochemical, and microbiological aspects of the canned Hilsa (CH) products to ram fish. Sensory
qualities were evaluated on a 9-point hedonic scale, with CH maintaining satisfactory scores over the 365-day storage period.
Proximate composition was determined using AOAC methods, and fatty acid (FA) profiles, particularly omega-3 and omega
6, were assessed using GC-MS. Significant changes (P < 0.05) were found in FA categories between raw fish and CH after
storage, with a decreasing trend of MUFA > PUFA > SFA in CH canned with sunflower oil. Acid hydrolysis-derived amino
acid profiles demonstrated the presence of critical amino acids, with the essential/non-essential amino acid ratio (0.60) shifting
significantly during storage. Clostridium botulinum was not detected in any CH samples, indicating that the sterilization
process was effective. This study shows that small-scale canning with high-pressure sterilization can preserve the quality and
safety of Hilsa while extending its shelf life.
Keywords: Thermal processing, canned hilsa, fatty acids, amino acids, sterilizatio
A preliminary study on diagnosing learning difficulties in cell division topic for mGBL design and development
No full textSTEM education is crucial for equipping students with 21st-century skills to tackle modern challenges. Within STEM, Biology is often regarded as one of the most challenging subjects, with Cell Division being particularly difficult to learn. This preliminary study aimed to explore the challenges faced by secondary school students in Malaysia while learning the Cell Division topic and to identify potential solutions for enhancing learning of the topic from both students' and teachers' views. The ultimate goal is to develop a mobile game-based learning (mGBL) application that can effectively address these challenges. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving online interviews with three experienced Biology teachers and self-administered questionnaires completed by thirty-one Form 4 students. The results revealed that students struggle to learn the Cell Division topic due to cognitive, motivational, affective, and social perspectives. The cognitive perspective was the most dominant, with students struggling to memorize content, grasp abstract concepts, and differentiate between similar terms. Both students and teachers suggested strategies to enhance learning, including using games, visual learning materials, memory aids, and collaborative learning, which could serve as references for mGBL design. Based on the findings, an mGBL design proposal was formulated to address the identified learning challenges in Cell Division topic, which will guide the development of an mGBL solution in future study
Artificial Neural Network Algorithms to Predict the Compressive Strength of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymers
No full textThis study explores the application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), specifically Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) and Hierarchical Self-Organizing Maps (HSOM), to predict the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete (GPC), activated using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3). GPC samples were cast and cured at 80°C. A total of eighteen distinct mix proportions were prepared, and the resulting dataset was used to train the ANN models based on the SOM and HSOM architectures. The study aimed to correlate the effects of the water-to-binder ratio and the molarity of the alkaline solution with the compressive strength of GPC. SOM modeling offers a cost-effective, time-efficient alternative to conventional experimental methods, which are often limited by high material usage, time-consuming procedures, and challenges in capturing complex variable interactions. Model performance was assessed using five-fold cross-validation, yielding consistent results with low Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE), along with a coefficient of determination (R²) value of 0.7. A Hierarchical SOM (HSOM) approach was also evaluated to enhance clustering and interpretability. Comparative analysis confirmed the effectiveness of both SOM and HSOM in accurately predicting GPC strength. Despite promising outcomes, challenges remain due to limited data diversity and the need to improve the practical interpretability of machine learning outputs. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of SOM, HSOM, and other AI-based techniques as powerful tools for optimizing GPC mix designs and advancing sustainable construction materials.
Keywords: Geopolymer concrete (GPC); compressive strength; Artificial Neural Network (ANN); Self Organizing Map (SOM); Hierarchical SOM (HSOM