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Dielectric Property Analysis of Seafood Contaminants using Minkowski Fractal Antenna
No full textMalaysia’s extensive coastline has abundant access to marine products such as fish, prawns, and other seafood. However, contamination of these marine products poses significant risks to food safety and public health, affecting both consumers and vendors. Contaminated seafood, often harboring pathogens like Salmonella and Vibrio, can lead to severe food poisoning depends on the concentration of these microbes. Mass spectrometers are high-precision instruments commonly used for detecting food contaminants. They can accurately identify and quantify various pathogens, pesticides, and toxins by analyzing the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. Despite their precision, the process from sample collection to result interpretation can take 6 to 24 hours and the high cost of these devices limits their accessibility for smaller laboratories and food producers. To address these limitations, this study explores the use of the Minkowski Fractal Antenna as a cost-effective and non-destructive alternative for food contamination detection. Several tests have been conducted to demonstrate the validity of the Minkowski Fractal Antenna as a resonator. The results shows that the designed Minkowski Fractal Antenna serves as a resonator where it can detect differences in return loss results when dispersed in solutions with seafood contaminants, offering a cheaper alternative to commercialized methods
The Spatial & Architectural Typology of Food Production in the Fishing Villages of Kuching, Malaysia
Get PDFThis paper explores the spatial relationship between structural archetypes, the environment and people, and examines how they revolve around the collection and consumption of food in the fishing villages of Kuching, Malaysia. Fishing villages are located outside the urban periphery with access to water bodies such as rivers, estuaries and the sea. These villages are often visited by people from the city centre who want to buy local fresh fish and seafood. However, the way of life in these villages is slowly disappearing due to changes in land use, urbanization and environmental degradation. Although these villages in Kuching have existed for centuries and have been mentioned in British and Chinese historical sources, there has been no systematic research on the typology of structures and fishing traditions. Thus, through the concept of the commons, this paper aims to fill this gap and contribute a wealth of knowledge on sustainable food futures
Polymer nanocomposite membranes for reverse osmosis
No full textAs the world continues to develop, industrialization and population growth are inevitable outcomes. The rapid escalation of global development has presented a dual narrative: one of advancement and progress, and the other showcasing adverse impacts on the environment (Pandey & Asif, 2022). Amidst this complex interplay, water bodies stand out as critical arenas of concern due to the consequences of anthropogenic impacts. The human-induced
pressures, including overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and habitat degradation, have led to a multitude of challenges to biodiversity with significant implications for global climate change (Sponsel, 2024). Additionally, the continuous discharge of wastewater containing pesticides, herbicides, dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and organic residues has emerged as a major contributor to water quality degradation, a prominent concern within environmental circles (Hejna et al., 2022; Li et al., 2022; Mitra et al., 2022; Rahman et al., 2021; Saleh et al., 2020; Wen et al., 2017). This issue severely threatens human life due to
the depletion of clean water and scarcity. According to the United Nations, more than two billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress, and by 2025 nearly two thirds of the global population could suffer from water shortages (Boretti, 2022). Climate change is exacerbating this crisis, which is causing changes in weather patterns and water distribution. Vulnerable communities, especially in developing countries, are disproportionately affected
where clean and life saving water is essential for survival (Tzanakakis et al., 2020). This
crisis needs an all encompassing strategy to deal with it by elevating ventures in both water
efficient technologies and wastewater treatment systems (Abdul Rahman et al., 2023).
Besides, the value of integrated water resource management, which takes system wide
dimensions of water uses and impacts into account, cannot be overstated (Dolan et al.,
2021). It recognizes the transboundary and intersectoral nature of water systems and urges
cooperation among different organizations to address this challenge
Retirement Literacy Among Gen Z in Malaysia : A Baseline Study on Financial Knowledge, Savings Behavior, and Investment Preferences.
No full textThis baseline study examines the retirement literacy of Gen Z in Malaysia, focusing on their financial knowledge, saving behaviors, and investment preferences. A survey was conducted among 76 respondents, revealing that while many are aware of retirement planning concepts, a significant portion lacks formal financial education. The findings indicate that 42.1% of respondents save inconsistently, while 35.5% do not currently save but plan to start soon. Financial constraints and short-term priorities were cited as primary barriers, with 71.1% highlighting insufficient funds as a key reason. Most respondents believe that government retirement funds will not be sufficient, and concerns over inflation and healthcare costs were prominent. Investment preferences favored safer options like EPF contributions (92.1%) and fixed deposits (32.9%). The study suggests that mandatory financial education in schools and universities could enhance retirement literacy. As a foundational investigation, this study provides insights for policymakers and financial educators to develop targeted interventions that improve Gen Z's long-term financial security (Lusardi & Mitchell, 2011a; OECD, 2020)
NR-Connect: Development of UNIMAS Non-Resident Mobile Application
No full textThe NR-Connect application was developed to address the communication and emergency response needs in between NR students, felos, and administrator of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). This project leveraged the Waterfall methodology to systematically design, implement, and verify an integrated platform combining features for news dissemination, event management, and emergency reporting. The application utilizes Flutter for the front-end and Firebase for back-end services, ensuring a seamless user experience across various devices. Key functionalities include a login and registration system, a horizontal scrollable menu for event categories, and real-time data fetching from Firestore. The evaluation of NR-Connect highlighted significant improvements in information accessibility and response efficiency for the university community. Feedback from users indicated high satisfaction with the application's usability and relevance. Future enhancements will focus on expanding features, improving performance, and integrating advanced analytics to further support the dynamic needs of UNIMAS students, felos, and administrator
Formulating the Malaysia Counsellor Performance Indicator (M-CPI) : Insights from Needs Analysis and Semi-Structured Interviews
No full textThis paper presents the initial phase of developing the Malaysia Counsellor Performance Indicator (M-CPI), a new assessment tool designed to evaluate counsellor performance. Employing a mixed-method research design, the study commenced with a needs analysis conducted through an online survey, which garnered responses from 102 participants. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine (9) participants to identify essential components of the M-CPI. The analysis revealed eight critical domains of counsellor performance: (i) knowledge (theoretical and knowledge transfer), (ii) skills (case management,
practical skills, and academic/professional writing), (iii) interpersonal relationships and interaction, (iv) cultural and religiosity, (v) professional roles and expertise, (vi) ethics and legality, (vii) attitudes and personality, and (viii) referral practices. The findings underscore the multifaceted nature of counselling competencies, laying the groundwork for the M-CPI and enhancing the assessment
of counsellor performance in Malaysia
Polymer nanocomposite membranes for oil removal
No full textOil contamination from industrial waste discharge requires the removal of oil from the wastewater, and conventional water treatment plant processes may not be sufficient to effectively remove oil from oily wastewater. The development of polymer nanocomposite membrane for oil removal has a promising future for such processes. The combination of polymer, additives, carbon, and cellulose as an oil water separation membrane has interesting properties, that is, (hydrophilic and oleophobic) surface behavior. Most researchers have determined the improvement in pure water flux and permeate with their modifications made via chemical and physical techniques
Early Literacy Challenges : Assessing English Letter-Sound Knowledge Post-COVID-19 in Malaysia
No full textThe development of reading skills relies on understanding the connection between letters and their sounds, which is crucial for decoding and encoding words, as well as enhancing reading fluency and comprehension. In Malaysia, where students are expected to excel in both English and Malay, limited letter-sound knowledge can hinder literacy development and widen the gap between policy and practice. This issue was further magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged school closures, disrupting students’ exposure to English. This study assessed the English letter-sound knowledge of 11-year-old students in a primary school located in Sarawak, Malaysia, using the Phonics Adventure module on the READi website, an interactive assessment tool that evaluates phonics proficiency. A total of 54 students participated, completing tasks that measured their ability to identify and produce letter sounds. The findings revealed that while students demonstrated strong letter-name recognition, their letter-sound knowledge was weak, indicating challenges in phonemic awareness. This suggests that the pandemic-related school closures resulted in significant learning disruptions involving phonics acquisition, which is foundational for reading development. Addressing these gaps through targeted interventions is essential to support literacy recovery efforts
Integrative Approaches in Remote Sensing and GIS for Assessing Climate Change Impacts Across Malaysian Ecosystems and Societies
No full textClimate change presents significant problems to Malaysia, impacting its ecology and socio-economic structure through modified precipitation patterns, heightened flooding,
coastal erosion, and agricultural susceptibility. This review methodically evaluates the utilization of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GISs) in comprehending these effects, employing a systematic approach following the PRISMA protocol. Through the examination of peer-reviewed papers from 2010 to 2024, we underscore the
progress in remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies and their contribution to improving the spatial analysis of climate change impacts. Our research indicates considerable regional variations in the effects of climate change, highlighting the need for customized adaptation and mitigation efforts. The research Illustrates how advancements In remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GISs) have enhanced forecasting skills and real-time surveillance, offering essential insights into ecosystem susceptibilities and socio-economic threats. This analysis underscores the necessity for cohesive policy strategies that leverage remote sensing and geographic information system insights to tackle the complex difficulties posed by climate change in Malaysia while pushing for additional research on the amalgamation of artificial intelligence and big data analytics to bolster climate resilience
The current state of smart tourism research : a bibliometric analysis
No full textIn the digital era, smart tourism has gained significant prominence, revolutionising the tourism industry through advanced technologies that enhance efficiency, sustainability, and visitor experience. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of 531 documents on smart tourism published between 2014 and February 2025, using data from Scopus. The analysis is conducted using Microsoft Excel, BiblioMagika, OpenRefine, and VOSviewer to examine publication trends, influential studies, and emerging research themes. By leveraging bibliometric tools and leading academic databases, this research provides insights into the intellectual structure of smart tourism literature and identifies future research directions. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolution of smart tourism research, offering valuable implications for scholars and industry practitioners