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Identifying career tendencies: an exploratory study of university students in Oman
No full textThe ever-increasing rate of failure among undergraduate students in universities is a major issue in most Arab countries. Their inability to perform effectively after they graduate from the universities might reflect the inadequate quality of education provided by the university. Little that we know, quality education is not always the main cause of failure among students. Hence, this study examined the sex differences in career tendencies using the Holland test, and the associations between them and specialty of subjects among universities students in Oman. In total 533 students (236 men and 297 women) with the mean age of 22.7 were assessed at Dhofar University in Oman. Male students recorded a significantly higher score on Realistic career tendency, while female students have significantly higher scores on Artistic career tendency. Female students also recorded significantly higher scores on Social career tendency compared to male students. Parental educational levels were significantly and positively associated with Realistic, Investigative, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional career tendencies, but were not associated with Artistic career tendency. The results also show that the students in engineering specialization are more likely to have Investigative and Social career tendencies than students in Applied and Humanity subjects. On the contrary, the students in applied specialization are less likely to have Social career tendency, but more likely to have conventional career tendency. Besides, the result shows that students’ specialization in Humanity and Applied have negative significant correlation with family income and age factors, respectively. The result of the study is expected to contribute to the current body of knowledge regarding the association of career tendency with demographic factors and student’s specialization, specifically in the context of tertiary education in Oman
Evaluation of the effect of rock joints on the stability of underground tunnels
Get PDFTo facilitate the water supply to the main cities in Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, Pahang Selangor Raw Water Transfer Tunnel project is constructed in 2015. Facility tunnel of 44.6 km length with 5.2 m diameter are being constructed to transfer water from Karak to Hulu Langat. Granitic rock with dominant intrusive zones in various range of I until V were observed in the studied tunnel length. This tunnel has crossed sheared zone that categorized into fair, poor, and very poor rock classes with moderate to heavily jointed rock. At NATM-1, the discontinuities like joints that is close and far from the fault are one of the most important which caused to instability of the tunnel and reduced the performance of tunnel performance. In this paper, the joint orientation, overburden and distributions of discontinuities (joints and faults) into the tunnel were evaluated. These data were then simulated using discrete fracture networks with the direction of tunnelling excavation in the tunnel. Movement of blocks in the tunnel roof and wall is possible due to the creation of more intersection points in the critical zone. It also highlights how minor features, such as step-over joints in rock mass, can have a significant impact on instability
Intelligent technique for prediction of blast fragmentation due to the blasting in tropically weathered limestone
No full textIn the rock blasting scenario, the success of fragmentation plays a major role. Prediction of blasted rock mass fragmentation has a significant role in the overall economics of opencast mines. Blast fragmentation has a direct impact on efficiency and cost of operation consisting of loading, transport and crushing. Tropical weathering has a direct impact on rock mass properties and strength of rock. Thus, challenging issues are created for blastability of tropically weathered limestone. It is necessary to analyze the blast fragmentation and optimize the blasting parameters. Selected limestone mine for this study is in Thailand. Various rock mass properties such as GSI, RMR, and stemming length were studied to find out the correlation with rock fragmentation. Stiffness ratio, hole diameter to burden ratio, powder factor, maximum charge per delay, RQD, blastability index (BI), weathering index (WI) and mean block size were input parameters to analyse mean rock fragment size. Total 105 data sets were collected. In this paper, a hybrid model with Artificial neural network (ANN), Particle swarm optimization (PSO) known as PSO-ANN was implemented to analyse the blast fragmentation. Multivariate regression Analysis (MVRA) was also performed. 83 datasets were trained and balance data sets were utilised for testing data. R2 values for training with PSO-ANN and MVRA showed 0.818 and 0.657 respectively. R2 values for testing with PSO-ANN and MVRA showed 0.70 and 0.694 respectively. Thus the hybrid model PSO-ANN was found useful to predict fragmentation
Self-initiated professional development (SI-PD) elements for Malaysian vocational colleges’ TVET teachers using Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM)
Get PDFSelf-Initiated Professional Development (SI-PD) has gained much attention lately due to increasing concern on the effectiveness of teachers’ professional development practice. It is also one of Ministry of Education (MOE) agenda in Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) 2013-2025 to transform Continuous Professional Development (CPD) by increasing Self-Initiated Professional Development (SI-PD) from 16 percent to 60 percent and reducing Ministry-led professional development by the year of 2025. Specifically, the aim of this study was to explore the elements required in Self-Initiated Professional Development (SI-PD) framework for TVET teachers in vocational colleges according to experts’ consensus. Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was used as a tool in this study to explore the elements and data presented here were a part of a larger study which explored SI-PD among TVET teachers in Vocational Colleges. Nineteen experts were involved consisted of MOE officers, lecturers from universities and teacher training institutions who have at least five years of experience in teachers’ professional development and TVET. Based on the data analysis, the defuzzification values for all elements exceeded the minimum value 33.6 and therefore, the findings conclusively suggested that the experts have consensually agreed that there are ten elements required in Self-Initiated Professional Development (SI-PD). The ranking of the elements based on experts’ consensus was listed as follows, (1) Industrial attachment opportunity, (2) Attitude, (3) Understanding, (4) Collaborative environment, (5) School administrators’ role, (6) Strategy, (7) Readiness, (8) Autonomy, (9) Reward and (10) Professional development system. The findings were used to design Self-Initiated Professional Development (SI-PD) framework for TVET teachers in vocational colleges. This study also promotes the suitability of Fuzzy Delphi Method as a current research tool in the field of research on professional development. The proposed SI-PD elements can underpin TVET teachers’ professional learning and support the cultivation of Self-Directed Learning (SDL) which then enable changes in their teaching and learning practice to be more meaningful and effective
Self-perceptions and actual performance of critical reading skills among Malaysian engineering students
No full textStudents at any level need critical reading skills, especially in higher learning institutions. Students are required to extensively read, critically engage, and carefully question the content quality and factual veracity. In the era of information technology, anyone can create and publish information without peer review. Although the importance of critical reading skills is generally acknowledged, little is known about the critical reading skills of Diploma level students in the local context. Thus, this article examines Diploma students' critical reading abilities based on self-perceptions and performance when reading English texts. The study employed a quantitative research method based on a descriptive survey design. The research sample consisted of 44 engineering major Diploma students selected using a simple random cluster sampling design from a university in the southern region of Malaysia. Data was collected using a questionnaire. Besides, a critical reading comprehension test was distributed online through course teachers. Prior to collecting data, the questionnaire and the comprehension test were subjected to reliability testing. The findings indicate that Diploma students overestimated their critical reading skills compared to their actual performance, as they scored below average for some of Bloom’s Taxonomy critical thinking skills. It is believed that the findings of this study would assist teachers in developing novel techniques to help students develop critical thinking skills. The pedagogical implications for language acquisition and instruction and future potential study areas are also discussed
The influence of vegetated alternate bar on flow resistance in an alluvial straight channel
No full textAlternate bars significantly affect river characteristics, especially bed roughness and flow resistance. Additionally, the presence of vegetation on the bar surface impacts river hydrodynamics and morphology significantly. However, the details on their impacts are insufficient for us to interpret. This study analyzes the interaction of vegetation and alternate bars with the flow resistance in an alluvial river. The study aims to investigate the bed roughness parameters of Darcy’s friction factor and Manning’s roughness coefficient that impacted from vegetated alternate bars. The study was based on experimental analysis. A straight flume channel 10 m long and 1 m wide was used with bed material of uniform sediment size 0.8 mm. The measurement was made based on the seven cross-sections created along the channel. The obtained results revealed that the friction factor and Manning’s roughness coefficient were significantly increased on the vegetated alternate bar compared with the other areas in the channel. Thus, the resistance of flow increased around the vegetated alternate bar as the bed roughness increased
Systematic literature review on university website quality
Get PDFWebsite is a necessity for organizations to enable users worldwide to access their information and gain a competitive edge over others. The diversity of websites makes assessing website quality a difficult task. The aim of this paper is to identify the issues faced in the quality evaluation of university websites, the models and the factors used for evaluating university website quality. Systematic literature review was used to identify and synthesize related scholarly research papers. Findings show that there is a lack of study on university website quality compared to business websites; website designers did not have the appropriate knowledge on the interface design; and the website quality evaluation is complex since there is no specific evaluation model. Webqual 4.0 model was used to evaluate the quality of universities' websites. From 24 studies, initially 79 quality factors were extracted. After performing comparison, filtration and memoing, six quality factors were identified: information quality, specific content, usability, web appearance, service interaction quality, and functionality. This study makes a useful contribution in developing university website quality model by extending the Webqual 4.0 model
Non-linear 3D finite element analysis of precast reinforced concrete beam-column joint under monotonic static load
No full textThis paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) non-linear finite element (FE) analysis for a precast reinforced concrete (RC) beam-column joint under monotonic static load using ABAQUS software. The constitutive material laws for concrete and steel, the concrete-concrete interaction, the concrete-steel bond-slip at beam component, and the modelling of the linking parts of discontinuous main bars were considered in this study. The FE model was validated with experimental results from another published research. The validated FE model was then utilized to parametrically investigate the effect of the connection location and bar linking parts within the connection zone on the load capacity and failure patterns of the beam-column joint. Results demonstrated that the FE model is able of reproducing an identical behaviour to the experimental test. Further, locating the precast connection away from the column face can result in increased load capacity and minor damage at the connection region. Additionally, the bar link parts had a minor effect on load capacity but a significant impact on stress and crack distribution. Overall, the developed FE model can replicate the structural behaviour of the precast beam-column joint connections under the static load, and therefore, it can be used as an effective tool for examining the connection design parameters
Calibration algorithm of cam flat-faced follower mechanism
No full textIn motion control industry, the motion accuracy is one of the main concerns and as the system is more accurate, it will be more expensive and complex. In terms of micrometer, the situation is more complex because most of the manufacturing technologies right now cannot achieve this accuracy and there will be always a dimension tolerance. In this paper, a new calibration method is used to calibrate a Cam Disk with Flat-Faced Follower mechanism to convert rotary motion to linear motion with a low cost and high accuracy approach. The motion system to be calibrated is using stepper motor attached with a cam disk follower mechanism with one digital homing sensor to detect the home angle. Then another linear distance sensor is added for calibration that will be used only once the mechanism is installed for calibration then it can be removed so the mechanism can completely work with high accuracy with the homing sensor only. The system accuracy depends on the accuracy of the homing sensor and the calibration sensor. The calculations to calibrate the mechanism and calculate the mechanism accuracy is using a homing sensor with calibration sensor both with 1 um accuracy. The result is a motion control with an accuracy of less than 5 um with only homing sensor. This method is important to solve the manufacturing tolerance problem and to be able to move accurately without real-time feedbacks with complex and expensive system
Power management and sizing optimization for hybrid grid-dependent system considering photovoltaic wind battery electric vehicle
No full textEnergy Management Strategy (EMS) as a control strategy for microgrid (MG) systems is a complex task to operate the integrated power systems and utilize consumer-based. Alternative energy sources such as solar and wind can be used to generate energy that can be used to power electrical appliances when combined with energy storage units. Additionally, with other sources to complement the drawbacks of each source. But the common drawback of the aforementioned sources are naturally unpredictable and climatology changes dependent. The main aim of this study is to minimize the cost and losses of the system, contrary, maximizing the renewability. This study considers a Tripoli-Libya as a case study located in the north of Libya and coordinated between32.88o N latitude and 13.19o E longitude. The system utilizes night-Time for exchanging the power between the Electric Vehicle (EV) and the utility grid to form Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G) technology. The result of the study shows that the Cost of Energy (COE), Renewable Energy Fraction (REF), and Deficiency Power Supply Probability (DPSP), are an objective of the study along with the analysis of collected data based on the Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm (GOA) using Matlab. The acquired result for the sizing system configuration has been validated with nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithms