USM Journal Management System (Univ. Sains Malaysia)
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A Study of Language Usage in the Old Town of Lijiang
Get PDFThe utilization of languages spoken by minority groups is a frequently observed topic in the field of linguistic landscape research. Based on empirical data, this paper examines the linguistic landscapes of two historic towns, Dayan and Shuhe, in Lijiang\u27s Old Town to delve into the language use situation, especially the status of ethnic minority languages in a multi-ethnic area in China. The two old towns constitute the major administrative area in the Old Town of Lijiang, a renowned World Heritage Cultural site and a 5A-level tourism spot in China. The research concentrates on the languages displayed in the public signs in the selected areas to unveil the languages used and their relative weights in top-down and bottom-up flows. A quantitative method was applied by collecting digital photos to calculate the proportions and percentages of the languages used, and observations were done to recognize the preferred language in bilingual and multilingual signs. It is found that Dayan Old Town exhibits a greater degree of multilingualism than that of Shuhe Old Town with a more extensive use of multiple languages. The analysis of the linguistic landscape shows that Chinese enjoy absolute visibility among all the languages used, and Dongba scripts function as a cultural icon for eye-catching by featuring it at the top of the order of appearance among other languages in bottom-up signs, albeit not as prominently as Chinese. Besides, the appearance of English as a global language is prevalent in regional linguistic environments as it is encouraged to be seen in the top-down multilinguist signs. The language use situation in the selected streets will shed light on future research on the linguistic landscape in multi-ethnic areas in rural China, especially the cities suspended by tourism avenues
Cultural maintenance and Chetti identity in the Melaka Chetti (Chetti) community, Kampung Chetti, Gajah Berang, Melaka
Get PDFThis paper reports on cultural maintenance and Chetti identity in the Melaka Chetti (or Chetti) community at Kampung Chetti, Gajah Berang, Melaka. The study examines two very important Chetti cultural practices at Kampung Chetti and how community members identify themselves as Chetti, particularly in the prospect of impending assimilation into the larger Indian community due to exogamy. Participant observation and video documentation of the Bhogi Parchu and Mengammay at Kampung Chetti reveal that these annual cultural practices serve as vital platforms for the manifestation and maintenance of Chetti culture. Interviews conducted with senior and younger members of the community provided views and insights on Chetti culture, identity, and assimilation. The older generations view identity as a ‘brought along’ predetermined variable, while for the younger Chettis, their multiple, fluid identities are co-constructed, negotiated and ‘brought about’ in different social contexts. The older generations are more concerned and wary of assimilation and extinction. Three factors (religion, cultural maintenance, Kampong Chetti) may determine the community’s survival; however, in the event of assimilation into the larger Indian community, a less distinct Chetti community may emerge. It would be a significant loss to our multicultural mosaic if this distinct Peranakan Indian community ceases to exist; nevertheless, given recognition as a ‘heritage community’ by the Melaka government and as a ‘symbol of national unity’ in the recent Peranakan Festival 2023, the Chetti community may ultimately strive to survive. In conclusion, the Bhogi Parchu and Mengammay practices at Kampung Chetti not only play a pivotal part in carefully preserving the complex tapestry of Chetti cultural tradition but also contribute significantly to the dynamic and ongoing construction of a resilient identity among its members
Lexico-Semantic Analysis of Khayyam\u27s Quatrains: A Comparative Study of Machine Translation and Human Translation
Get PDFThis paper presents a comparative and descriptive analysis aimed at evaluating lexico-semantic translatability errors in Khayyam\u27s Quatrains (1048-1131) when translated using the Persian online translation tool Targoman. Fitzgerald’s (1859) human translation of the Rubaiyat serves as a reference point for assessing the quality of translation. The corpus for this study includes 30 quatrains from two translations (outputs from the Targoman Machine Translation & Edward Fitzgerald\u27s translation, which is a human translation) of selected Persian classical poetry in the quatrain genre, authored by Omar Khayyam (1053-1123). These quatrains were chosen through a random sampling method from Khayyam\u27s Rubaiyat. The study employs both comparative and descriptive analytical approaches to identify and evaluate the occurrence of lexico-semantic errors across different translation types. Using Liao\u27s (2010) model, the most frequent errors in Targoman translations were Rendition Errors, especially issues with collocations, occurring 48 times. Errors followed this in translating phrasal verbs, which appeared 35 times. The least frequent errors, according to this model, involved the translation of proverbs (8 occurrences) and linguistic errors (1 occurrence). The purpose of this study is to assess the accuracy and effectiveness of Targoman\u27s machine-generated translations of Omar Khayyam’s quatrains by comparing them with Fitzgerald’s human translations. The research aims to examine how well machine translation preserves the linguistic, semantic, and poetic nuances of the original text and to identify common errors that could affect the accuracy of meaning in translation. Additionally, the study concludes by emphasizing the need for further research into machine translation quality, highlighting its current limitations, and advocating for the use of more effective methods and strategies to address these issues
Marx\u27s Philosophy of Capitalist System: Labor Responsibility and Social Responsibility in Industrial Company
No full textThis study analyzes the existence of a capitalist system in industrial companies in Malang, Indonesia. This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study type. The study consisted of primary and secondary data. Observations and interviews are primary data, while journal and book research results are secondary data. The subject determination technique uses purposive sampling, and the data analysis technique uses the Miles and Huberman model (data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawn). A data validity technique with source triangulation resources. The theoretical analysis implements Karl Marx\u27s theory of class, human beings, and surplus values, concluding with an inductive or generalizing pattern. The results of the study stated that capitalism in industrial companies in Malang, Indonesia, was caused by the implementation of labor and corporate social responsibilities similar to the slavery system. Such as wages that are not by the minimum wage, BPJS charged to workers, BPJS workers must work for at least 2 years, and health insurance that only applies to "slave" submissive workers
Pemikiran Moderasi Yusuf al-Qaradawi dan hubungannya dengan Pemikiran Anwar Ibrahim dalam Konsep Malaysia Madani
Get PDFSudah dimaklumi bahawa Yusuf al-Qaradawi dan Anwar Ibrahim merupakan sahabat yang rapat walaupun mereka duduk berjauhan. Kedua-duanya terlibat dalam aktiviti memajukan Islam, tetapi Anwar Ibrahim lebih cenderung kepada politik, manakala al-Qaradawi cenderung dalam bidang ilmu pengajian Islam. Sikap moderasi antara mereka berdua agak terserlah ketika berada di lapangan masing-masing. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji hubung kait pemikiran moderasi Yusuf al-Qaradawi dan konsep Malaysia Madani yang dibawa oleh Anwar Ibrahim. Hasil kajian kepustakaan menerusi analisis tematik mendapati bahawa terdapat banyak kesamaan antara dua pemikiran tokoh ini. Hal ini tidaklah pelik kerana Anwar Ibrahim sendiri mengakui bahawa beliau banyak dipengaruhi oleh karya-karya al-Qaradawi
Pendekatan Syarikat Ar Rasyidin Consultancy (ARC) dalam menangani Isu Aset Beku di Malaysia
Get PDFAset beku di Malaysia sering terjadi apabila berlakunya kematian kepada pemilik aset dan ia tidak dapat dicairkan kepada pemilik baharu. Hal ini kerana pemilik aset tidak melakukan perancangan baik melibatkan dokumen khas bagi melancarkan proses pindah milik selepas ketiadaannya. Pelbagai mekanisme telah diambil oleh pelbagai syarikat pengurusan harta di Malaysia ini termasuklah syarikat Ar Rasyidin Consultancy (ARC) bagi memastikan pengurusan ekonomi orang Islam terjamin. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kaedah pengurusan harta yang dilakukan oleh syarikat ARC dalam menangani isu aset beku di Malaysia. Reka bentuk kualitatif diadaptasikan dalam kajian ini dengan gabungan kaedah analisis dokumen dan temu bual separa berstruktur melibatkan pengarah dan pegawai syarikat ARC. Setelah data dokumen dan data temu bual diperoleh, kaedah analisis kandungan dokumen digunakan dalam proses menganalisis data-data ini mengikut kaedah tematik. Dapatan menunjukkan terdapat empat kaedah utama yang digunakan oleh syarikat ARC dalam menangani isu aset beku di Malaysia iaitu saranan melakukan perancangan asas, galakan mengambil geran takaful, sasaran kepada golongan berpendapatan tinggi dan proaktif dalam merekrut ejen. Pelan tindakan yang drastik dicadangkan kepada kerajaan Malaysia dalam memastikan aset beku dapat dicairkan demi kelangsungan ekonomi orang Islam di negara ini.
Effect of Drought Stress and Osmopriming on the Growth and Yield of Tadong Upland Rice in Sabah, Malaysia (Early view)
Get PDFDrought stress remains one of the most significant challenges facing the development and production of upland rice. Seed osmopriming represents a method to enhance plant growth and offers potential against drought stress. This study aimed to investigate the effects of polyethene glycol (PEG) 6000 seed osmopriming and drought stress on the growth, yield, physiological, and biochemical parameters of Tadong upland rice. The growth and yield of the Tadong upland rice variety were evaluated at five osmotic potentials using PEG 6000 for drought-induced osmopriming and at varying levels of drought stress with three soil moisture contents (SMC). Significant interaction effects between PEG 6000 osmotic potential levels and drought stress levels were observed across all measured parameters of Tadong upland rice. The combination of 20% SMC with -4 bar PEG proved optimal for growth and yield, showing a 55.68% increase compared to 10% SMC with -2 bar PEG, which produced the lowest yield per plant. Additional research should examine the effects of different PEG 6000 osmotic potential and drought stress levels on other upland rice varieties
Reperfusion Therapies and Post-Stroke Seizures: Evidence, Mechanisms and Clinical Implications—A Narrative Review
Get PDFSeizures are a frequent complication of stroke and are often linked to worse functional outcomes. With advancements in acute stroke care, particularly the use of reperfusion therapies (RTs) such as intravenous thrombolysis, intra-arterial therapies and mechanical thrombectomy, the relationship between these treatments and post-stroke seizures (PSS) requires re-evaluation. This review explores the mechanisms connecting RTs to acute symptomatic seizures (ASS) and post-stroke epilepsy (PSE), summarises current evidence on their association and identifies gaps in knowledge to guide future research. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Google Scholar, focusing on terms such as “seizures,” “epilepsy,” “stroke,” “thrombolysis,” “rtPA,” “reperfusion therapies,” and “thrombectomy.” The reported frequency of seizures following thrombolysis was 4%–15%, with RTs potentially influencing PSS through complex, sometimes opposing, mechanisms. While some studies suggested that RTs could increase seizure risk due to factors like reperfusion injury or haemorrhagic transformation, others proposed a protective effect by reducing infarct size and stroke severity. Current evidence does not confirm a strong link between RTs and PSS, and most research has focused on ASS rather than PSE. The pathophysiology of seizures in this context remains unclear, with multiple contributing factors. The effect of RTs on PSS is poorly understood, highlighting the need for better definitions of seizures, standardised monitoring and high-quality, multicentre prospective studies. Leveraging stroke registries and addressing clinical challenges, such as stroke characteristics and reperfusion success, are critical to clarifying this relationship and improving stroke care
Association of Sociodemographic Characteristics with the Time Spent in Occupational Activities of Older Persons in Malaysia
Get PDFBackground: The rate of population ageing is increasing far more quickly than in the past, making active ageing a critical focus. Occupational activities are the daily tasks performed by individuals and are closely related to well-being. Research on sociodemographic factors associated with the time spent in occupational activities by older persons in Malaysia is limited. Understanding these patterns can help policymakers and healthcare providers tailor interventions to support different demographic groups among older persons. The occupational activities examined in this study were personal care, employment-related, education, domestic, childcare, purchasing, voluntary, social, and leisure activities. The objective of this study was to identify the differences in the time spent by older persons in occupational activities based on sociodemographic factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 270 older persons from activity centres for older persons in Klang Valley was conducted using the Modified Occupational Questionnaire-Malay version and analysed using Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis test.
Results: Findings show significant differences in time spent on domestic activities based on employment status (P = 0.046), employment-related activities based on type of housing and household size (P = 0.034; P = 0.047), and leisure activities based on household size (P = 0.006), while social activities differed based on gender (P = 0.038) were observed. Working older persons engaged more in domestic activities than non-working older persons; women engaged more frequently in social activities than men. A significant difference was also found in the time spent on employment-related activities between living in high-end and affordable housing.
Conclusion: Tailoring interventions based on these factors is crucial for promoting active ageing and enhancing the well-being of older persons
Bioprospecting of Plant-Beneficial Bacillus Species for Growth Promotion and Disease Suppression
Get PDFPlant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have been reported to promote plant growth and protect against plant diseases effectively. PGPB can control plant diseases through direct and indirect mechanisms. The direct mechanism involves the ability to provide nutrients and phytohormones. In contrast, the indirect mechanism refers to the ability to suppress the activity of pathogens through the production of various compounds and metabolites. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the plant health-promoting potential of Bacillus species. Several genetic determinants in 18 isolates of PGPB were investigated via polymerase chain reaction based on the genes fenD, sfp, bamC, ituA, aiiA, ipdC, and nifH. Plant-beneficial traits were confirmed through seedling growth tests and in vitro antagonistic assays in the laboratory, followed by a field experiment that used selected Bacillus isolates to improve plant growth and control twisted disease in shallot. Results revealed that two Bacillus isolates, B-27 and RC76, have potential as PGPB. Isolates B-27 and RC76 were identified as Bacillus velezensis and Bacillus tropicus, respectively, on the basis of gyrB sequence analysis. The application of B. velezensis B-27 by spraying resulted in the lowest intensity of twisted disease in shallot. In addition, combined treatment with B. velezensis B-27 and B. tropicus RC76 increased plant height and leaf number