19672 research outputs found
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The Application of Simons’ “Levers of Control” in the Quran and Sunna
No full textSimons'1 “levers of control” is a strategy-based framework that takes into consideration the belief systems of and the functions and interactions within an organization. The purpose of this article is to discuss Simons' levers of control from an Islamic viewpoint, based on the teachings of the Quran and Sunna. It demonstrates that the concept of “levers of control”, as posited by Simons, does not contradict the basic tenets of Islam. In fact, all the main components of the levers of control - belief system, boundary system, diagnostic control system, and interactive system - were actually emphasized and vigorously implemented by Prophet Muhammad SAW. However, these practices have never before been organized into well-arranged and systematic categories that can be used as guidelines by Islamic organizations. Such organizations should aspire to implement comprehensively the practices of Prophet Muhammad SAW in all aspects of organizational management functions, including those related to control. However, in the absence of clear and comprehensive guidelines, any implementation may not be appropriate or in accordance with the practices of Prophet Muhammad SAW. More importantly, incorrect implementation as a result of limited understanding or misunderstanding of the Prophet's SAW practices can affect the overall perception of Islam. By properly utilizing the levers of control, organizations that strive to emulate the practices of Prophet Muhammad SAW in their operations can be successful
ISO 9000 maintenance measures: the case of a Malaysian local authority
No full textAlthough many studies pertaining to ISO 9000 initiatives have been conducted, the topic of ISO 9000 maintenance has received little attention from researchers. This paper presents a detailed case study of the ISO 9000 maintenance measures within a Malaysian local authority. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 interviewees. The findings revealed that six measures are undertaken in ISO 9000 maintenance; namely, control of documents, internal quality audit, data analysis and feedback, management review, corrective and preventative action and training. The research findings also revealed that the ISO 9000 maintenance measures are effectively carried out at a Malaysian local authority in this study. Although adherence to work procedures and focus on customer satisfaction have been given priority, the ISO 9000 maintenance has progressed into a more advanced phase by making ISO 9000 a tool to deliver a high-quality service that results in organisational performance improvement. Continuous improvement initiatives have enabled ISO 9000 maintenance to move forward and reach its advanced stage. The findings derived from this research would facilitate managers to understand the measures needed for effective ISO 9000 maintenance. The main contribution of this study is that it is one of the first to explore ISO 9000 maintenance in a specific sector, that is, local authority. Hence, the findings are significantly important in developing the knowledge of ISO 9000 maintenance in the local authority sector
Improving mechanical and electrical properties of Cu/SAC305/Cu solder joints under electromigration by using Ni nanoparticles doped flux
No full textThe electromigration (EM) degrades the structural, mechanical and electrical properties of solder joints. An effort has been made to investigate the effects of the Ni nanoparticles (NP) doped flux on the mechanical properties and electrical resistance of SAC305 solder joints subjected to EM. SAC305 solder joints were prepared using NP-doped flux. A current density of 3 × 103 A/cm2 was applied to the joints at a constant temperature of 150 °C. Tensile tests were performed before and after the EM tests. Results reveal that after the addition of Ni NP-doped flux, the mechanical strength improved before and after EM. After EM, the fracture path for doped solder joint did not migrate to the cathode side as compared to un-doped solder. Ni NP also improved the electrical resistance and lifetime of the solder joint. The use of Ni NP-doped flux thus minimized the effects of EM and improved the mechanical and electrical performance of the solder joints
Occurrence of Acanthamoeba genotypes in Central West Malaysian environments
No full textAcanthamoeba species are ubiquitous free-living protozoa that can be found worldwide. Occasionally, it can become parasitic and the causative agent of acanthamoebic keratitis (AK) and Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis (GAE) in man. A total of 160 environmental samples and 225 naturally-infected animal corneal swabs were collected for Acanthamoeba cultivation. Acanthamoeba was found to be high in samples collected from environments (85%, 136/160) compared to infected animal corneas (24.89%, 56/225) by microscopic examination. Analysis of nucleotide sequence of 18S rRNA gene of all the 192 cultivable Acanthamoeba isolates revealed 4 genotypes (T3, T4. T5 and T15) with T4 as the most prevalent (69.27%, 133/192) followed by T5 (20.31%), T15 (9.90%) and T3 (0.52%). Genotype T4 was from the strain of A. castellanii U07401 (44.27%), A. castellanii U07409 (20.83%) and A. polyphagaAY026243 (4.17%), but interestingly, only A. castellanii U07401 was detected in naturally infected corneal samples. In environmental samples, T4 was commonly detected in all samples including dry soil, dust, wet debris, wet soil and water. Among the T4, A. castellanii (U07409) strains were detected high occurrence in dry (45%) followed by aquatic (32.50%) and moist (22.50%) samples but however A. castellanii (U07401) strains were dominant in dry samples of soil and dust (93.10%). Subsequently, genotype T5 of A. lenticulata (U94741) strains were dominant in samples collected from aquatic environments (58.97%). In summary, A. castellanii (U07401) strains were found dominant in both environmental and corneal swab samples. Therefore, these strains are possibly the most virulent and dry soil or dusts are the most possible source of Acanthamoeba infection in cats and dogs corneas
Study a class of Hilfer fractional stochastic integrodifferential equations with Poisson jumps
No full textIn this article, we derive the sufficient conditions for the existence of mild solutions of Hilfer fractional stochastic integrodifferential equations with nonlocal conditions and Poisson jumps in Hilbert spaces. Results will be obtained in the pth mean square sense by using the fractional calculus, semigroup theory and stochastic analysis techniques. The article generalizes many of the existing results in the literature in terms of (1) Riemann–Liouville and Caputo derivatives are the special cases. (2) In the sense of pth mean square norm. (3) Stochastic integrodifferential with nonlocal conditions and Poisson jumps. A numerical example is provided to validate the obtained theoretical results
A dynamic replication aware load balanced scheduling for data grids in distributed environments of internet of things
No full textGrid computing is a powerful distributed and scalable computing infrastructure that deals with massive data-intensive applications. Efficient utilization of the available computing grid resources remains a challenge. Moreover, it becomes even more challenging in the highly dynamic and distributed environment of the Internet of Things (IoT). Replication is considered a key optimization technique in data grids. However, the extent state of-the-art replication algorithms do not consider the position of the replica at the time of the scheduling rather it sends the job request to the Site and then Replica Manager of the Site checks the replica existence. We propose a novel dynamic Replication Aware Load Balanced Scheduling (DRALBS) algorithm, that considers the replica location dynamically at the time of scheduling of the job. The simulation of the proposed algorithm shows promising results and better performance compared to the current state-of-the-art Modified Dynamic Hierarchical Replication (MDHR) algorithm. The response and average access time has been significantly decreased, thus reducing the overall mean job execution time
Mechanisms of highly stabilized ex-situ oleic acid-modified iron oxide nanoparticles functionalized with 4-pentynoic acid
No full textIn this paper, the main objective is to successfully functionalize 4-pentynoic acid on iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) which arises second objective; to ex-situ modify different concentrations of oleic acid on the NPs. A new understanding has been achieved as to how the concentrations of oleic acid prior ex-situ modification, play a major role in the successful functionalization of 4-pentynoic acid on the NPs. The functionalization proposed is a potential alternative route of creating an acid anhydride from two carboxylic acids without the use of dehydrating agent. Unmodified NPs were synthesized by co-precipitation method and were altered to pH 12 using NH4OH to promote dispersity right before ex-situ modification with oleic acid (0.2–0.8 wt % oleic acid to iron oxide) and subsequent 4-pentynoic acid (1.63 × 10−3 mol) functionalization. Characterizations were conducted by X-ray-diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric and Differential Thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nucleic magnetic resonance (NMR) and Zetasizer. A monolayer oleic acid is produced for ex-situ modification of 0.2 wt % oleic acid to iron oxide. Whereas the higher concentrations of oleic acid ex-situ modifications generate bilayer oleic acid-modified iron oxide NPs to which, functionalization of 4-pentynoic acid is only successfully performed. The samples pose highly stabilized dispersions at pH 12 varying between -42 and -75 mV, whereas the mean hydrodynamic particle size distributions are achieved at approximately 35–48 nm. Mechanisms of ex-situ modifications of different oleic acid concentrations and functionalization of 4-pentynoic acid on the iron oxide NPs at pH 12 and 333.15 K are also proposed
Polyurethane membrane as an adsorbent for methyl orange and ethyl violet dyes(Membran poliuretana sebagai penjerap untuk pewarna metil oren dan etil ungu lembayung)
No full textEthyl violet (EV) and methyl orange (MO) are commercial dyes used in a large number of industries. Due to their complex chemical structures and synthetic nature, these dyes are highly stable to light and oxidation, making them non-biodegradable, highly toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature. Among all techniques, adsorption continues to attract considerable attention due to its simplistic approach and numerous benefits such as greater efficiency, capacity to remove dyes on a large scale, ease of recovery, and recyclability of adsorbents. A palm-based polyurethane (PU) membrane has been synthesised into adsorbent and its ability to adsorb the dye molecules was investigated. The PU membrane was produced via condensation polymerisation between palm-based monoester (PKOp) and 4,4-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) with acetone as the solvent. The FTIR spectrum has confirmed the formation of urethane linkage (HN-(C)O) through the presence of N-H, C-NH, C-O-C and C=O urethane peaks which were observed at 3293 cm -1 , 1602cm -1 , 1221 cm -1 dan 1716 cm -1 , respectively. Tensile testing has demonstrated that as the thickness of membrane is increased, the elasticity also increased proportionally with increasing tensile strain ranging from 6.7 MPa to 7.42 MPa. Various adsorption parameters such as initial concentration of dyes, effect of pH, effect of adsorbent dosage and contact time were studied and optimised. The adsorption study revealed that approximately 99% of EV and 25% of MO was adsorbed by the PU membrane within a short duration of 30 minutes. The parameters were determined from Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherm models. The isotherm studies specified that the adsorption of PU membrane towards EV and MO dyes is well fitted to the Langmuir model with the value of the maximum adsorption capacities for monolayer adsorption at 9.461 mg/g for EV and 4.340 mg/g for MO
Electronic profiling of algae-derived DNA using DNA-specific Schottky diode
No full textIn recent years, application of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in electronics has created much interest among researchers because of its unique properties. Important applications involve DNA-based sensors and devices. There are several ways to detect and identify various species of organisms such as polymerase chain reaction, sequencing, as well as microarray techniques. However, these techniques are susceptible to sample contamination, misleading results besides being expensive, and difficult to handle. Herein, we present a novel and low-cost identification method for algae-derived DNA using the electronic properties of DNA. For the first time, current–voltage (I–V) characteristics for selected algae species using DNA-specific diodes were obtained and its corresponding diode parameters (turn-on or threshold voltage, shunt and series resistance, knee voltage, breakdown voltage, as well as breakdown current) were then calculated. We believe this novel technique will benefit mankind in future in terms of medical technology involving pathology and healthcare
Human and information technology/information system (IT/IS) implementation success factors in construction industry
No full textMobile computing, cloud computing and social connectivity are the three big trends materializing across multiple industries that promote effective information exchange. Being in the information-intensive industry, it is crucial for the construction organisations to embrace Information Technology/ Information System (IT/IS) to remain competitive. Failure to access accurate, complete and timely information will make the organisation unable to deliver the best result in the most productive manner. Many researchers have highlighted the IT/IS implementation failure due to the human factor. To deal with this issue, this study aims to identify the human factor that influence the success or failure in IT/IS implementation. An initial list of 23 human factors was identified from the literature review and a preliminary interview with seven Malaysian companies representing a variety of construction industry participants and IT experts. This was followed by a main study comprising a questionnaire survey of 311 construction industry practitioners including contractors, developers, construction material suppliers as well as a diverse range of construction consultancy practice which include architect, engineers and quantity surveyors. Data obtained were analysed using the Relative Importance Index, mean and the Spearman Correlation Coefficient. The analytical result revealed 7 factors as having the greatest impact on the success/failure of IT/IS implementation. The implication of the findings implies that organisation should consider the identified factor as crucial in maximising the probability of success in IT/IS implementation