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Most of the developed and developing countries around the world are delving into the implementation of demand response (DR) strategies in demand side management (DSM) to meet the needs of their own power industry and customers. Some major segments of demand response strategies are, customer segmentation, demand/price forecasting to design customer-oriented dynamic tariff that influences the customer engagement in those strategies. One of the crucial factors that influence customer engagement in those strategies is the input variables or attributes selected to conduct precise customer segmentation, which leads to precise and more accurate demand/price forecasting to design customer-centric dynamic tariff. Most of the existing literature focused on either one of those segments but a collective review on all these segments, particularly focusing on the methods and market attributes, is yet to be conducted. This study reviews the recent existing literature on customer segmentation, demand/price forecasting, customer engagement strategies for dynamic tariff design in power industry to map out the appropriate methods for respective input attributes from the electricity market. For this purpose, the input attributes in the electricity market have been divided into six broad categories and for each attribute category, appropriate methods have been illustrated through a proposed framework based on existing literature.

Most of the developed and developing countries around the world are delving into the implementation of demand response (DR) strategies in demand side management (DSM) to meet the needs of their own power industry and customers. Some major segments of demand response strategies are, customer segmentation, demand/price forecasting to design customer-oriented dynamic tariff that influences the customer engagement in those strategies. One of the crucial factors that influence customer engagement in those strategies is the input variables or attributes selected to conduct precise customer segmentation, which leads to precise and more accurate demand/price forecasting to design customer-centric dynamic tariff. Most of the existing literature focused on either one of those segments but a collective review on all these segments, particularly focusing on the methods and market attributes, is yet to be conducted. This study reviews the recent existing literature on customer segmentation, demand/price forecasting, customer engagement strategies for dynamic tariff design in power industry to map out the appropriate methods for respective input attributes from the electricity market. For this purpose, the input attributes in the electricity market have been divided into six broad categories and for each attribute category, appropriate methods have been illustrated through a proposed framework based on existing literature.

This study is a descriptive study that uses Modern Rhetoric Theory by Enos and Brown (1993) as the basis of the study. Content analysis methods are used to examine texts textually and contextually. The main focus or objective of the study is to identify the rhetoric of persuasion found in religious discourses that are usually used in the field of advertising. This study as a whole was made to examine the effectiveness of language aspects and various techniques of persuasion found in religious talks. Analyzing the rhetoric of persuasion to see the important role of rhetoric in the speeches chosen by the researcher as research data to see the art of language in informing, persuading, and influencing the listener's thinking. The rhetoric of persuasion that is processed as best as possible in influencing the audience is divided into two, namely rational persuasion and irrational persuasion. In other words, the rhetoric of persuasion in religious talks is an important element used by experts in enlivening the atmosphere and influencing the listener's thinking.

This study is a descriptive study that uses Modern Rhetoric Theory by Enos and Brown (1993) as the basis of the study. Content analysis methods are used to examine texts textually and contextually. The main focus or objective of the study is to identify the rhetoric of persuasion found in religious discourses that are usually used in the field of advertising. This study as a whole was made to examine the effectiveness of language aspects and various techniques of persuasion found in religious talks. Analyzing the rhetoric of persuasion to see the important role of rhetoric in the speeches chosen by the researcher as research data to see the art of language in informing, persuading, and influencing the listener's thinking. The rhetoric of persuasion that is processed as best as possible in influencing the audience is divided into two, namely rational persuasion and irrational persuasion. In other words, the rhetoric of persuasion in religious talks is an important element used by experts in enlivening the atmosphere and influencing the listener's thinking.

Public transportation is an important facility that developing countries must incorporate. At the same time, public transport is often related to gas emissions and pollution. All parties, including Malaysia, play an active role in reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission. One of the national efforts is to equip the urban transit system with sustainable development vehicles such as electric buses. In increasing public transportation usage, electric bus services should be designed to accommodate the service required by customers. This research aims to identify the service quality based on a few elements needed to develop customer satisfaction among electrical bus users in Bandar Pengerang by adopting the Customer Satisfaction Index analysis. The main elements to measure are affordability, safety, comfort, and accessibility of the customers to the electric buses. In addition, this research also provides a descriptive analysis of the service quality elements to improve customer satisfaction in public transportation operations

Earthing is essential for electrical installations to safeguard safety of humans and electrical equipment. Vertically driven solid copper electrode is a widely practiced earthing method due to its simplicity and cost effectiveness. With the rising price of copper, the need for cost optimisation is imperative. In this project, hollow copper electrode is being experimented as an earthing electrode. Solid copper electrode is used as reference and vertically driven side by side with hollow copper electrode at two sites with uniform yet contrasting soil resistivity. Earth resistance of both setups was measured regularly using Fall of Potential method. It was found that the earth resistance of hollow copper electrode is tend to be lower than solid copper electrode. This preliminary finding suggests that a more effective earthing system can be achieved with less material and further studies with prolonged period of measurement is required to ascertain the initial conclusion drawn and presented in this paper

Earthing is essential for electrical installations to safeguard safety of humans and electrical equipment. Vertically driven solid copper electrode is a widely practiced earthing method due to its simplicity and cost effectiveness. With the rising price of copper, the need for cost optimisation is imperative. In this project, hollow copper electrode is being experimented as an earthing electrode. Solid copper electrode is used as reference and vertically driven side by side with hollow copper electrode at two sites with uniform yet contrasting soil resistivity. Earth resistance of both setups was measured regularly using Fall of Potential method. It was found that the earth resistance of hollow copper electrode is tend to be lower than solid copper electrode. This preliminary finding suggests that a more effective earthing system can be achieved with less material and further studies with prolonged period of measurement is required to ascertain the initial conclusion drawn and presented in this paper

Earthing is essential for electrical installations to safeguard safety of humans and electrical equipment. Vertically driven solid copper electrode is a widely practiced earthing method due to its simplicity and cost effectiveness. With the rising price of copper, the need for cost optimisation is imperative. In this project, hollow copper electrode is being experimented as an earthing electrode. Solid copper electrode is used as reference and vertically driven side by side with hollow copper electrode at two sites with uniform yet contrasting soil resistivity. Earth resistance of both setups was measured regularly using Fall of Potential method. It was found that the earth resistance of hollow copper electrode is tend to be lower than solid copper electrode. This preliminary finding suggests that a more effective earthing system can be achieved with less material and further studies with prolonged period of measurement is required to ascertain the initial conclusion drawn and presented in this paper

Fake news has become a global issue due to its rapid expansion, especially on digital platforms. Through social media and digital platforms, people discuss a range of topics, from those that are common to those that are important for society and the state. Furthermore, people are much more likely to believe the news they find online and on social media than the news they find in more conventional mass media like radio and television. Modern countries were compelled to look for legal tools to combat this phenomenon because digital news platforms were frequently used to mislead large populations, which frequently resulted in grave repercussions. The Malaysian government has come up with the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) and ordered the creation of an industry Content Code in 2004 to serve as the conduct standard for players in the communications and multimedia sector. Since the code is still only a non-binding industry standard, ensured compliance with the code is through regulatory and licencing restrictions. Between 2000 and 2018, the problem of fake news intensified to an extent that it caused chaos in society. Malaysian government established the Anti-fake News Act of 2018, which offers a comprehensive legal framework that makes it illegal to spread false information, whether it be online or in print. The study aimed to discover the meaning of fake news policy among digital news readers and to understand the influence of fake news policy on news readers’ awareness of fake news. This qualitative study uses Thematic Analysis methods to interpret the pattern of meaning in qualitative data. It involves an interview with 15 digital news readers in Malaysia. The result expected can tell us whether the netizen understands what fake news policy is and how it influences the readers’ awareness of fake news proliferation.

Earthing is essential for electrical installations to safeguard safety of humans and electrical equipment. Vertically driven solid copper electrode is a widely practiced earthing method due to its simplicity and cost effectiveness. With the rising price of copper, the need for cost optimisation is imperative. In this project, hollow copper electrode is being experimented as an earthing electrode. Solid copper electrode is used as reference and vertically driven side by side with hollow copper electrode at two sites with uniform yet contrasting soil resistivity. Earth resistance of both setups was measured regularly using Fall of Potential method. It was found that the earth resistance of hollow copper electrode is tend to be lower than solid copper electrode. This preliminary finding suggests that a more effective earthing system can be achieved with less material and further studies with prolonged period of measurement is required to ascertain the initial conclusion drawn and presented in this paper

Model perniagaan secara dropshipping telah menjadi satu model pemiagaan terkini yang telah mendapat sambutan yang sangat menggalakkan oleh para peniaga. Walau bagaimana pun, tiada peruntukan regulasi secara khusus terutamanya melibatkan peruntukan perundangan yang mengawalselia transaksi perniagaan secara dropshipping. Perkembangan model regulasi dewasa ini menyaksikan konsep self-regulation telah digunapakai bagi mengawalselia aktiviti sesuatu industri, termasuk aktiviti komersil. Oleh itu, kertas kerja ini bertujuan untuk membincangkan tentang konsep self-regulation sebagai konsep regulasi dalam industri. la juga bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti aspek self-regulation sebagai mekanisme untuk mengawalselia transaksi dropshipping yang berpotensi mengurangkan pertelingkahan undang-undang. Kaedah penyelidikan kepustakaan dan temubual digunakan bagi menganalisa konsep tersebut serta melihat potensinya dalam transaksi perniagaan secara dropshipping di Malaysia. Hasil perbincangan dan analisa mendapati bahawa mekanisme self-regulation boleh diaplikasikan bagi mengurangkan pertelingkahan undang-undang yang berpunca daripada transaksi dropshipping. Dapatan ini diharap dapat memberikan penerangan yang lebih jelas dan membantu penyelidikan seterusnya berkaitan regulasi dan perundangan yang me/ibatkan dropshipping.

Menjual produk orang lain sebagai dropship ada/ah pemiagaan berisiko rendah dengan menggunakan modal yang kecil dan mungkin tanpa modal tetapi memberi keuntungan merupakan kenyataan yang diberikan oleh seorang dropshipper. Dropshipper tidak perlu menyimpan stok, tidak perlu mempunyai pekerja dan tidak per/u menghantar barang kepada pe/anggan kerana urusan tersebut dilakukan o/eh pengasas produk yang menghasilkan produk tersebut. O/eh itu, persoalan yang timbul ialah hubungan yang wujud di antara kedua-dua pihak ini. Maka, kertas kerja ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti hubungan yang wujud di antara drops hipper dan pengasas produk serta aspek perundangan yang ada dalam konteks hubungan kedua-duanya. Kaedah penyelidikan kepustakaan dan temubual digunakan untuk mencapai objektif yang melibatkan hubungan kedua-dua pihak. Hasil dapatan mendapati bahawa kedua-duanya sating berhubung dan memerlukan di antara satu sama lain dalam transaksi perniagaan secara dropshipping. Pengasas produk tidak dapat menjual produk yang dihasilkan kepada pelanggan tanpa dropshipper memandangkan urusan jual beli berlaku melalui dropshipper kepada pelanggan.

This paper is based on an ongoing study titled "Social Based - Crowd Funding in Battling Covid - 19 and Maqasid Shariah: Some Legal and Shariah Observations in Malaysia and Indonesia." The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most serious health crises since the turn of the century. The corona pandemic has presented Islamic banks with significant challenges in dealing with this pandemic, taking into account, on the one hand, its impact on various economic sectors and regulatory authorities' decisions. However, it appears that Islamic financial institutions are at odds over how to handle Islamic banking transactions, particularly a moratorium between the bank and their clients during the pandemic, as well as the use of social-based crowdfunding activities. This investigation begins with a historical pandemic that afflicted the entire world. The purpose of this paper is to examine the position of Islamic banking transactions and social-based crowdfunding during the pandemic from a Shariah standpoint. This paper also highlights Malaysia's Islamic banking approach to social based financing and social based crowd funding by financial and non-financial institutions during the pandemic. The qualitative research method was used in this paper, which included a library-based research method. A descriptive content analysis method will be used to analyse the data. This paper is significant in that it will add to the body of knowledge and literature on the subject while also providing Shariah's perspective on the status of Shariah's commercial and socially based crowdfunding contracts. The principles of adl and Ihsan appear to have been applied, affecting Islamic banking commercial transactions and social-based crowdfunding contracts. During a pandemic, however, there is a need to strike a balance between the financial stability of the financial institution and the needs of society as a whole. As a result, Shariah parameters must be developed in such a way that financial instit

Managing energy in the residential areas has becoming essential with the aim of cost saving, to realize a practical approach of home energy management system (HEMS) in the area of heterogeneous Internet-of-Thing (IoT) devices. The devices are currently developed in different standards and protocols. Integration of these devices in the same HEMS is an issue, and many systems were proposed to integrate them efficiently. However, implementing new systems will incur high capital cost. This work aims to conduct a review on recent HEMS studies towards achieving the same objectives: energy efficiency, energy saving, reduce energy cost, reduce peak to average ratio, and maximizing user's comfort. Potential research directions and discussion on current issues and challenges in HEMS implementation are also provided.

Nowadays, the application of Waqf in community has become more widespread as a source of community development. The objective of this article is to analyse and examine the related literatures on Waqf towards community development from 2010 to 2020. Descriptive research is employed as the methodology of this article based on a number of literatures on Waqf and community development within a ten-year duration. Exactly 100 articles were gathered from on World of Science (WoS), Scopus, Google Scholar, and Mendeley software using specific keywords, namely “Waqf and Community Development,” “Waqf and Economic Development,” and “Waqf + Community Development.” The selected articles were subsequently analysed using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software. This study discovered several variables such as the number of publications by year, the number of authors, the subject area of articles, the methodology used, publications based on country, and classification of publications used by the respective researchers. The results showed that most of the previous studies which have discussed Waqf towards community development are more on managerial aspects, suggesting that wider areas need to be explored and discussed.

Lignosus rhinocerotis Cooke. (L. rhinocerotis) is a medicinal mushroom traditionally used in the treatment of asthma and several other diseases by the indigenous communities in Malaysia. In this study, the effects of L. rhinocerotis on allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness were investigated. L. rhinocerotis extract (LRE) was prepared by hot water extraction using soxhlet. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) study was performed in house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma in Balb/c mice while airway inflammation study was performed in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in Sprague-Dawley rats. Treatment with different doses of LRE (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly inhibited AHR in HDM-induced mice. Treatment with LRE also significantly decreased the elevated IgE in serum, Th2 cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and ameliorated OVA-induced histological changes in rats by attenuating leukocyte infiltration, mucus hypersecretion and goblet cell hyperplasia in the lungs. LRE also significantly reduced the number of eosinophils and neutrophils in BALF. Interestingly, a significant reduction of the FOXP3+ regulatory T lymphocytes was observed following OVA induction, but the cells were significantly elevated with LRE treatment. Subsequent analyses on gene expression revealed regulation of several important genes i.e. IL17A, ADAM33, CCL5, IL4, CCR3, CCR8, PMCH, CCL22, IFNG, CCL17, CCR4, PRG2, FCER1A, CLCA1, CHIA and Cma1 which were up-regulated following OVA induction but down-regulated following treatment with LRE. In conclusion, LRE alleviates allergy airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, thus suggesting its therapeutic potential as a new armamentarium against allergic asthma.

Lignosus rhinocerotis Cooke. (L. rhinocerotis) is a medicinal mushroom traditionally used in the treatment of asthma and several other diseases by the indigenous communities in Malaysia. In this study, the effects of L. rhinocerotis on allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness were investigated. L. rhinocerotis extract (LRE) was prepared by hot water extraction using soxhlet. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) study was performed in house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma in Balb/c mice while airway inflammation study was performed in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in Sprague-Dawley rats. Treatment with different doses of LRE (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly inhibited AHR in HDM-induced mice. Treatment with LRE also significantly decreased the elevated IgE in serum, Th2 cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and ameliorated OVA-induced histological changes in rats by attenuating leukocyte infiltration, mucus hypersecretion and goblet cell hyperplasia in the lungs. LRE also significantly reduced the number of eosinophils and neutrophils in BALF. Interestingly, a significant reduction of the FOXP3+ regulatory T lymphocytes was observed following OVA induction, but the cells were significantly elevated with LRE treatment. Subsequent analyses on gene expression revealed regulation of several important genes i.e. IL17A, ADAM33, CCL5, IL4, CCR3, CCR8, PMCH, CCL22, IFNG, CCL17, CCR4, PRG2, FCER1A, CLCA1, CHIA and Cma1 which were up-regulated following OVA induction but down-regulated following treatment with LRE. In conclusion, LRE alleviates allergy airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, thus suggesting its therapeutic potential as a new armamentarium against allergic asthma.

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) single fibers and reinforced composites were comprehensively characterized through tensile tests to assess their performance as potential reinforcing materials in polymer composites. The performances of OPEFB single fibers and reinforced composites with untreated and treated fibers conditions were compared. The fibers were variously treated with 3% sodium hydroxide, 2% silane, 3% sodium hydroxide mixed with 2% silane, and 3% sodium hydroxide prior to 2% silane for 2 hours soaking time. The highest toughness of the single fibers test was then selected to proceed with composites fabrication. The OPEFB composites were fabricated in 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40 epoxy-fibre fractions. The result shows that the selected treated fiber composite exhibits better performance. The selected treated fiber composite increased the highest ultimate tensile strength by 145.3% for the 90:10 fraction. The highest Young’s Modulus was increased by about 166.7% for 70:30 fraction. Next, the highest toughness was increased by 389.5% for the 30:70 fraction. The treated fibers provided a better interlocking mechanism between the matrix and fibers in reinforced composites, thus improving their interfacial bonding.

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) single fibers and reinforced composites were comprehensively characterized through tensile tests to assess their performance as potential reinforcing materials in polymer composites. The performances of OPEFB single fibers and reinforced composites with untreated and treated fibers conditions were compared. The fibers were variously treated with 3% sodium hydroxide, 2% silane, 3% sodium hydroxide mixed with 2% silane, and 3% sodium hydroxide prior to 2% silane for 2 hours soaking time. The highest toughness of the single fibers test was then selected to proceed with composites fabrication. The OPEFB composites were fabricated in 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40 epoxy-fibre fractions. The result shows that the selected treated fiber composite exhibits better performance. The selected treated fiber composite increased the highest ultimate tensile strength by 145.3% for the 90:10 fraction. The highest Young’s Modulus was increased by about 166.7% for 70:30 fraction. Next, the highest toughness was increased by 389.5% for the 30:70 fraction. The treated fibers provided a better interlocking mechanism between the matrix and fibers in reinforced composites, thus improving their interfacial bonding.

Problem-based learning (PBL) was known as the student-centered pedagogy where it involves the student to experience solving complex real-world problems and the teacher acts as a facilitator in crafting trigger materials to promote the learning concepts. This study aims to investigate and identify the level of usefulness and challenges as well as the level of student achievement through the perception of academic staff’ on the implementation of PBL in classrooms in Malaysia. A quantitative study was conducted, and the data was collected through a survey questionnaire on 98 lecturers all over Malaysia. The findings from the analysis indicate that lectures in Malaysia have a high perception of PBL implementation in the classroom. Overall, the findings enhance the understanding of higher institution lecturers’ perception of PBL in terms of the usefulness of PBL as one dynamic and active approach that transforms dramatically the routine lecture-based learning. Findings also suggest that sufficient training to learners is required in implementing PBL effectively, thus indirectly facilitate the focus of students that lead to the achievement of course learning outcomes.

Managing energy in the residential areas has becoming essential with the aim of cost saving, to realize a practical approach of home energy management system (HEMS) in the area of heterogeneous Internet-of-Thing (IoT) devices. The devices are currently developed in different standards and protocols. Integration of these devices in the same HEMS is an issue, and many systems were proposed to integrate them efficiently. However, implementing new systems will incur high capital cost. This work aims to conduct a review on recent HEMS studies towards achieving the same objectives: energy efficiency, energy saving, reduce energy cost, reduce peak to average ratio, and maximizing user's comfort. Potential research directions and discussion on current issues and challenges in HEMS implementation are also provided.

In the current era of globalization, synthetic dyes are one of the key factors of water pollution. Photocatalysis constitutes a promising technology for the treatment of wastewater, especially to those containing hard-to-remove organic compounds. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) play a vital role as a photocatalyst material. This research highlights the synthesized ZnONPs with roselle flower and oil palm leaf extract. The extracts and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) act as reducing agents during the synthesis process. Synthesis without the addition of plant extract is used as blank control for the experiment. Structural and optical studies of the three variants of ZnONPs were performed. High purity of ZnONPs with element Zn and O was obtained. The size of the three variants of ZnONPs was from 10–15 nm and found in agglomerated spherical shape. Large band gap, 3.2 eV was obtained by UV-Vis and high thermal stability was proven by TGA. Oxygen vacancies that assist in the degradation phenomenon were found in ZnONPs. Five percent of ZnONPs with the presence of 10 W UV light could effectively degrade 10 ppm MO in 5 h and MB in 3 h. Besides, high antioxidant properties and low toxicity demonstrated the ability of ZnONPs to be used as photocatalysts. In conclusion, ZnONPs can be further developed for pharmaceutical and industrial use.

In the current era of globalization, synthetic dyes are one of the key factors of water pollution. Photocatalysis constitutes a promising technology for the treatment of wastewater, especially to those containing hard-to-remove organic compounds. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) play a vital role as a photocatalyst material. This research highlights the synthesized ZnONPs with roselle flower and oil palm leaf extract. The extracts and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) act as reducing agents during the synthesis process. Synthesis without the addition of plant extract is used as blank control for the experiment. Structural and optical studies of the three variants of ZnONPs were performed. High purity of ZnONPs with element Zn and O was obtained. The size of the three variants of ZnONPs was from 10–15 nm and found in agglomerated spherical shape. Large band gap, 3.2 eV was obtained by UV-Vis and high thermal stability was proven by TGA. Oxygen vacancies that assist in the degradation phenomenon were found in ZnONPs. Five percent of ZnONPs with the presence of 10 W UV light could effectively degrade 10 ppm MO in 5 h and MB in 3 h. Besides, high antioxidant properties and low toxicity demonstrated the ability of ZnONPs to be used as photocatalysts. In conclusion, ZnONPs can be further developed for pharmaceutical and industrial use.

Kewujudan teknologi pengawasan kian berkembang dengan pesat saban hari. Pembinaan bandar pintar adalah antara faktor yang mendorong peningkatan penggunaan teknologi pengawasan pintar ini. Dalam konteks pengawasan, bandar pintar memantau keadaan di bandar melalui sensor dan kamera atau video yang ditempatkan di sekitar bandar untuk mengumpul data mengenai kehidupan masyarakat (Xu & Liu, 2015).

The concept of green supply chain management (GSCM) is now gaining more attention among practitioners due to its ability to help companies address environmental issues. Nevertheless, studies on GSCM practices and outcomes extensively come from multinational companies compared to fully owned Malaysian companies, especially the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This conceptual paper discusses GSCM in global context and explores further directions of GSCM research in Malaysia. The discussions led to conclusions that the main drivers of GSCM implementation are mainly the pressure of regulators, customers and public awareness. Moreover, the implementation can have positive impacts on organizations economic performance and preservation of the environment. Consequently, more research is needed on the implementation of GSCM among Malaysian SMEs, especially in terms of the key practices from the perspectives of the practitioners.

Corona effect plays an important role in determining the distortion and attenuation of the surges travelling along overhead transmission lines and thus could possibly cause the backflashover. This this paper presents a comparative analysis between the two conductors used for 275 kV transmission line in term of corona effect when subjected to the lightning surge propagation studies. The two conductors are the Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) and the new High-Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) conductor, known as Aluminium Conductor Composite Core (ACCC). Simulation using section by section method for a single conductor were simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software. The analyses were done by comparing the results with three parameters that known to be affected the corona, namely the different conductor radius, the heights of the conductor above ground level, and the segment length used for a single conductor. The finding that can be drawn from the study is that the presence of ACCC conductor are found to be more efficient in reducing the corona effect than the ACSR conductors apart from other advantages such as higher current capacity and lesser losses as compared to ACSR.

Since the beginning of twenty-first century, Malaysian civil and defense systems became increasingly dependent on sophisticated electronic and wireless systems. This led to the use of many intelligent applications and emerging the smart cities which highly rely on modern technologies such as smart telecommunication, smart grid, smart transportation, artificial intelligence, smart health, enterprise Internet of Things, smart building management systems and smart governance. These introduced new services and practices which highly impacting the planning, policy, development, and operation of infrastructure of society, while co-exist with urban facilities, and must be electromagnetic compatible with the existing systems. Hence, it initiated Intentional Electromagnetic Interference which could be a significant threat towards civil, defense, industrial, and commercial sectors, with possible targets of radio and television, telecommunication networks, grid power networks, railway networks, air traffic control, government and banking administrative networks, or even defense system as well. The susceptibility and vulnerability of these sensitive systems due to the electromagnetic interference in the current decades will keep of increasing due to the expansion and spread of radiation sources.. Threats from high power microwave sources and high power electromagnetic pulses and high-altitude electromagnetic pulse on civil and defense infrastructure that include an electronic equipment and wireless systems could be harmful and may cause disturbances and damages on electronic devices and wireless systems. This paper presents an overview of the important events in history related to the high power electromagnetic sources that is paving the way for enhancing the understanding of electromagnetic interference capabilities in disturbing modern infrastructure systems. Several major incidents reported in the literature, which are suspected to have been caused by electromagnetic interfe

An entrepreneur needs to be physically and mentally prepared, with creative thinking skills, risk taker attitudes, as well as being a wise decision maker. Individuals aiming to be successful entrepreneurs need to have adequate entrepreneurial readiness with respect to knowledge, interests, motivation and abilities. The purpose of the research is to measure the level of readiness towards becoming entrepreneurs among participants of the lifelong learning programme in Malaysian community colleges. This research focuses on four elements of readiness comprising knowledge, interest, motivation and ability which were measured using a self-perception questionnaire. The sample for this research consisted of 236 participants from 305 students in the Lifelong Learning (LL) programme for Pastry making at Malaysian community colleges under the Ministry of Education. Data were analysed using mean and Kruskal Wallis test. The data analyses results show that the level of readiness from the aspect of knowledge (M = 3.67, SD = 0.58) is moderate, interest (M = 4.13, SD = 0.55) is high, motivation (M = 4.13, SD = 0.55) is high and ability (M = 3.8852, SD = 0.64) is moderate. No difference was found on entrepreneurial readiness between participants of different age groups indicating that age may not be a contributing factor towards entrepreneurship among pastry making LL programme participants.

Teachers are the key to the educational system where professional standards of teaching are used as a set of criteria in determining professionalism of technical teachers. Teachers’ professionalism and skills affect their students’ progress and are an important component of the TVET institution. A competent teacher is form of quality assurance for students’ learning. This study was conducted to generate an empirical evidence on the elements of professional knowledge that involves technical teachers in Malaysia Vocational College (VC). This study uses of quantitative method that involved data collection through the newly developed instrument of professional knowledge. A survey technique was used as the major method with the instrument on 300 technical teachers from Malaysia Vocational College (VC) around Malaysia. The results have shown that there were similarities and differences of the elements used by the teachers. There are several elements that shows highest score. Meanwhile, there is one element shows the lowest score in using the professional knowledge elements. In conclusion, this study shows the need of professional knowledge because it is an important aspect of strengthening the teacher's professionalism in the development of technical and vocational teacher

Teachers are the key to the educational system where professional standards of teaching are used as a set of criteria in determining professionalism of technical teachers. Teachers’ professionalism and skills affect their students’ progress and are an important component of the TVET institution. A competent teacher is form of quality assurance for students’ learning. This study was conducted to generate an empirical evidence on the elements of professional knowledge that involves technical teachers in Malaysia Vocational College (VC). This study uses of quantitative method that involved data collection through the newly developed instrument of professional knowledge. A survey technique was used as the major method with the instrument on 300 technical teachers from Malaysia Vocational College (VC) around Malaysia. The results have shown that there were similarities and differences of the elements used by the teachers. There are several elements that shows highest score. Meanwhile, there is one element shows the lowest score in using the professional knowledge elements. In conclusion, this study shows the need of professional knowledge because it is an important aspect of strengthening the teacher’s professionalism in the development of technical and vocational teacher.

Since the beginning of twenty-first century, Malaysian civil and defense systems became increasingly dependent on sophisticated electronic and wireless systems. This led to the use of many intelligent applications and emerging the smart cities which highly rely on modern technologies such as smart telecommunication, smart grid, smart transportation, artificial intelligence, smart health, enterprise Internet of Things, smart building management systems and smart governance. These introduced new services and practices which highly impacting the planning, policy, development, and operation of infrastructure of society, while co-exist with urban facilities, and must be electromagnetic compatible with the existing systems. Hence, it initiated Intentional Electromagnetic Interference which could be a significant threat towards civil, defense, industrial, and commercial sectors, with possible targets of radio and television, telecommunication networks, grid power networks, railway networks, air traffic control, government and banking administrative networks, or even defense system as well. The susceptibility and vulnerability of these sensitive systems due to the electromagnetic interference in the current decades will keep of increasing due to the expansion and spread of radiation sources.. Threats from high power microwave sources and high power electromagnetic pulses and high-altitude electromagnetic pulse on civil and defense infrastructure that include an electronic equipment and wireless systems could be harmful and may cause disturbances and damages on electronic devices and wireless systems. This paper presents an overview of the important events in history related to the high power electromagnetic sources that is paving the way for enhancing the understanding of electromagnetic interference capabilities in disturbing modern infrastructure systems. Several major incidents reported in the literature, which are suspected to have been caused by electromagnetic interfe

Corona effect plays an important role in determining the distortion and attenuation of the surges travelling along overhead transmission lines and thus could possibly cause the backflashover. This this paper presents a comparative analysis between the two conductors used for 275 kV transmission line in term of corona effect when subjected to the lightning surge propagation studies. The two conductors are the Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) and the new High-Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) conductor, known as Aluminium Conductor Composite Core (ACCC). Simulation using section by section method for a single conductor were simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software. The analyses were done by comparing the results with three parameters that known to be affected the corona, namely the different conductor radius, the heights of the conductor above ground level, and the segment length used for a single conductor. The finding that can be drawn from the study is that the presence of ACCC conductor are found to be more efficient in reducing the corona effect than the ACSR conductors apart from other advantages such as higher current capacity and lesser losses as compared to ACSR.

We consider another non-classical of optimal control problem that is spurred by some current research on the nonlinear income issue in the field of financial matters. This class of issue can be set up as a maximizing issue in the area of Optimal Control. In any case, the state value at the final fixed time, y(T), is priori unknown and the integrand is an element of the unknown y(T). This is a non-classical optimal control problem. In this paper we apply the new costate value conditions p(T) in the definition of the optimal control problem. We solve some examples in this issue using the numerical shooting method to illuminate the subsequent Two Point Boundary Value Problem (TPBVP) and join the free y(T) as an additionally unknown. Basically similar outcomes are obtained through the nonlinear programming (NP) discrete-time results.

Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) system is crucial in producing skilled workers who can command high incomes, which in turn will help Malaysia achieve the developed nation status by the year 2020. There is a mismatch between the graduates produced by the Public Skills Training Institutes in Malaysia and the competent workforce required by the industry. Therefore, this study aims to explore the domains and elements that can help automotive industry trainees acquire behavioural competence and employability skills. The Delphi technique is used to explore the domains and elements that contribute towards the integration programme for the Public Skills Training Institutes (PTSIs) and Private Training Centres (PTCs)  involved in churning out automotive industry trainees. Analysis of interview data from the two rounds of the Delphi study indicates that 12 domains  contribute to shaping behavioural competence and employability skills, namely governance; framework of qualifications; standard of competence; supplier of skill standards; delivery; industrial relations; experience of industrial work;  twinning programmes;  community service programmes; curriculum-based industrial visits; and educational entrepreneurship.

Heterotrigona itama is a common stingless bee species found in Southeast Asia. Studies on the health benefts of its honey are limited in comparison with other stingless bee species. Tis study examines the antiobesity benefts found in stingless bee honey (SBH) from H. itama. Te parameters used to measure the benefts were weight change, morphological structures, and biochemical characteristics. Te research was conducted by using rats that were given a high-fat diet (HFD). In total 48 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were given a formulated HFD to increase the levels of obesity, the HFD was administered with a value of 0.68 g/cm2. The duration of the treatment was six weeks, and the results show that the induction obesity using the HFD was successful. Following this, the rats were then treated with SBH (at dosages of 1000 mg/kg, 750 mg/kg or 500 mg/kg), with orlistat or with a placebo. Compared with typical obesity treatment methods, the one that used the three dosages of SBH showed a higher reduction in body mass index (BMI), percentage of body weight gain, adiposity index, and relative organ weight (ROW). Te levels of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP) were also signifcantly lower in SBH-treated groups. Te levels of triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol were signifcantly lower, while the level of HDL-cholesterol was signifcantly higher in comparison with the control obese group. In terms of morphological structures, the number of adipocyte cells was reduced, and the hepatocytes found in the liver were less prone to rupturing when treated with SBH. In conclusion, the administration of SBH led to an improvement in indicators associated with obesity reduction. SBH also possesses a hepatoprotective potential which can reduce the health risks related to obesity.

Heterotrigona itama is a common stingless bee species found in Southeast Asia. Studies on the health benefts of its honey are limited in comparison with other stingless bee species. Tis study examines the antiobesity benefts found in stingless bee honey (SBH) from H. itama. Te parameters used to measure the benefts were weight change, morphological structures, and biochemical characteristics. Te research was conducted by using rats that were given a high-fat diet (HFD). In total 48 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were given a formulated HFD to increase the levels of obesity, the HFD was administered with a value of 0.68 g/cm2. The duration of the treatment was six weeks, and the results show that the induction obesity using the HFD was successful. Following this, the rats were then treated with SBH (at dosages of 1000 mg/kg, 750 mg/kg or 500 mg/kg), with orlistat or with a placebo. Compared with typical obesity treatment methods, the one that used the three dosages of SBH showed a higher reduction in body mass index (BMI), percentage of body weight gain, adiposity index, and relative organ weight (ROW). Te levels of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP) were also signifcantly lower in SBH-treated groups. Te levels of triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol were signifcantly lower, while the level of HDL-cholesterol was signifcantly higher in comparison with the control obese group. In terms of morphological structures, the number of adipocyte cells was reduced, and the hepatocytes found in the liver were less prone to rupturing when treated with SBH. In conclusion, the administration of SBH led to an improvement in indicators associated with obesity reduction. SBH also possesses a hepatoprotective potential which can reduce the health risks related to obesity.

Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) system is crucial in producing skilled workers who can command high incomes, which in turn will help Malaysia achieve the developed nation status by the year 2020. There is a mismatch between the graduates produced by the Public Skills Training Institutes in Malaysia and the competent workforce required by the industry. Therefore, this study aims to explore the domains and elements that can help automotive industry trainees acquire behavioural competence and employability skills. The Delphi technique is used to explore the domains and elements that contribute towards the integration programme for the Public Skills Training Institutes (PTSIs) and Private Training Centres (PTCs)  involved in churning out automotive industry trainees. Analysis of interview data from the two rounds of the Delphi study indicates that 12 domains  contribute to shaping behavioural competence and employability skills, namely governance; framework of qualifications; standard of competence; supplier of skill standards; delivery; industrial relations; experience of industrial work;  twinning programmes;  community service programmes; curriculum-based industrial visits; and educational entrepreneurship.

Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) is a type of wireless network that is made up of mobile nodes which coordinate themselves without the help of a central coordinator. The network topology changes as nodes are mobile. One of the major challenges of MANET is limited bandwidth which tends to mitigate the Quality of Service (QoS) of the network as users are not satisfied. A variety of routing protocols has been employed aiming at improving the throughput of the network in order to meet user demands. This paper proposes the development of a throughput efficient Ad-hoc On demand Distance Vector (TE-AODV) routing protocol targeted towards improving the QoS of MANET by mitigating network overhead. In this work, all nodes are assumed to be transmitting while calculating their Instant Processing State (IPS) using the concept of knapsack problem. A threshold value for node IPS is set and any node below the set threshold value is not considered during data transmission. An improved Location Aided Routing (iLAR) is used for route search process which helped in reducing network overhead. Results from simulation showed that TE-AODV has improved the throughput of energy aware Ad-hoc On demand Distance Vector (E-AODV) routing protocol. TE-AODV improved the network throughput by 2.9% as a function of simulation time and 3.7% as a function of mobility of node over the E-AODV routing protocol.

Soil resistivity is a crucial parameter to be taken into consideration in designing any electrical grounding system, as the understanding towards its changes over time and soil properties is crucial to ensure transients and fault currents to be able to be dispersed to the earth in shortest time and shortest path possible. National and international standards stated that there is necessity to measure soil resistivity of a site before any grounding system installation could be carried out at that site. Steps and tests needed to be done in finding a suitable site for grounding system installations with Natural Enhancement Material Mixtures were discussed in this work. Three sites were taken into consideration, which only one to be selected, based on soil resistivity assessments that were carried out. The effectiveness of the Natural Enhancement Material Mixtures grounding systems installed at the selected site were also monitored for the duration of one year, by measuring the soil resistivity of the site once in three months. Note that all the sites are located in Universiti of Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is shown that there is general relationship between the soil resistivity values and climate change in Malaysia throughout a year of measurement duration. Also, by installing grounding systems with Natural Enhancement Material Mixtures, the soil resistivity values were slightly reduced over a period of one year.

Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) is a type of wireless network that is made up of mobile nodes which coordinate themselves without the help of a central coordinator. The network topology changes as nodes are mobile. One of the major challenges of MANET is limited bandwidth which tends to mitigate the Quality of Service (QoS) of the network as users are not satisfied. A variety of routing protocols has been employed aiming at improving the throughput of the network in order to meet user demands. This paper proposes the development of a throughput efficient Ad-hoc On demand Distance Vector (TE-AODV) routing protocol targeted towards improving the QoS of MANET by mitigating network overhead. In this work, all nodes are assumed to be transmitting while calculating their Instant Processing State (IPS) using the concept of knapsack problem. A threshold value for node IPS is set and any node below the set threshold value is not considered during data transmission. An improved Location Aided Routing (iLAR) is used for route search process which helped in reducing network overhead. Results from simulation showed that TE-AODV has improved the throughput of energy aware Ad-hoc On demand Distance Vector (E-AODV) routing protocol. TE-AODV improved the network throughput by 2.9% as a function of simulation time and 3.7% as a function of mobility of node over the E-AODV routing protocol.

Grounding system is used to divert the lightning surge current, fault current or electromagnetic interference to earth, mainly for safety purposes. An effective grounding system requires low resistance path which could be achieved by treating the surrounding soil with grounding enhancement materials to effectively reduce its earth resistance. Such grounding enhancement materials could be chemical or natural based, where only natural enhancement materials are considered in this study. Six grounding system installations with various ratio of Bentonite, Fly Ash and Wood Ash mixtures were installed at School of Graduate Studies, UPM, and were compared to a Reference grounding system which is without any natural enhancement material added to the vicinity of the ground conductor. The main aim of this work is to evaluate the performance of the natural enhancement material mixtures as grounding enhancement materials. Fall-of-potential method with 62% rule and 0° separation angle were employed to measure the grounding system installations’ daily earth resistances for comparison purposes, for 130 days, i.e. from 12 th Jan 2018 to 22 nd May 2018. The performance of seven grounding system installations considered in this study in the descending order were Bentonite and Wood Ash mixture, 100% Bentonite, 100% Wood Ash, Bentonite and Fly Ash mixture, Fly Ash and Wood Ash mixture, 100% Fly Ash, and Reference grounding systems, with the earth resistance values for the natural enhancement material mixture grounding systems were 20.17%, 20.61%, 24.17%, 25.48%, 28.96%, and 34.78%, respectively from the earth resistance value of the Reference grounding system on day-0. This clearly shown that Fly Ash may not be suitable to be used as natural enhancement material for grounding system installation. While, Wood Ash would be a new natural enhancement material as its performance is comparable to Bentonite, the widely used material.

There are many methods that can be used in order to increase the performance of a grounding system meant for power system protection, i.e. by lowering its earth resistance values, which one of them is where soil could be treated using chemical or natural enhancement materials. This technique is one of the effective ways to improve the performance of a grounding system in which this work employed 15 kg Bentonite, and 3 kg Kenaf in powder and fibre forms as the natural enhancement materials for grounding systems at which they were either mixed or layered. The main purpose of conduction this work is to compare the performance of natural enhancement material mixture grounding systems to a Reference grounding system, which is without any enhancement material in the vicinity of the ground conductor. Fall-of-potential method was employed to measure earth resistance for the performances of the four grounding systems to be compared. After 60 days, their performances in descending order were Bentonite and Kenaf powder layered, Bentonite and Kenaf powder mixed, Bentonite and Kenaf fibre layered and Reference grounding systems. Hence, the grounding system with Bentonite and Kenaf powder layered is proposed to be the best to be used in order to reduce the earth resistance as it has the lowest earth resistance and able to stabilize faster compared to the other three grounding systems.

A new prototype of a portable natural enhancement material resistivity meter was successfully designed and constructed based on an existing soil resistivity meter. This portable natural enhancement material resistivity meter consists of four circuits, i.e. current generator, voltmeter, ammeter and display circuits, which these circuits needed to be compatible with each other to ensure the meter would be able to measure a correct resistivity of any material under test. Tremendous simulations were performed on each part of the four circuits to find the best suitable circuits that were compatible to each other to be constructed physically where a portable natural enhancement material resistivity meter could be made into its first prototype. Note that there are three types of material under tests involved in this work, i.e. soil, Bentonite and Zeolite, under three conditions, i.e. dry, mid-wet and highly-wet. The prototype of a portable natural enhancement material resistivity meter is demonstrated to be perfectly working as the meter could be used to measure not only the soil resistivity but also resistivities of Bentonite and Zeolite too, which displayed higher resistivity values of dry specimens compared to the wet specimens.

Using e-Learning among Teacher Graduate Programme (TGP) to students who are newly exposed in Teaching and Learning (T&L) proses. The major problem among student’s TGP is the readiness level in knowledge, attitude and skills using e-Learning during Teaching and Learning (T&L) . This study is to identify any significant differences of the knowledge level between male and female TGP students. The design of this study is to survey research using instruments of questionnaire which are distributed to respondents among TGP students at the Faculty of Technical and Vocational, UTHM. The sample is given to 248 respondents and analysis using version SPSS 21.0. Data presented using descriptive method such as, Mean, Standard Deviation(SD), inferens statistic using Mann-Whitney U to identify the knowledge difference between male and female TGP students. The result showed that the level of application of e-Learning among TGP students in terms of knowledge, attitude and skill at moderate level. The study also showed that there are no significant knowledge difference among male and female TGP students because the result of p= 0.044 value is less <0.05 can be stated that Ha failed rejected. The results of this study is important to provide awareness especially to the TGP students, lecturers and also UTHM in providing new T&L using eLearning.

We consider another non-classical of optimal control problem that is spurred by some current research on the nonlinear income issue in the field of financial matters. This class of issue can be set up as a maximizing issue in the area of Optimal Control. In any case, the state value at the final fixed time, y(T), is priori unknown and the integrand is an element of the unknown y(T). This is a non-classical optimal control problem. In this paper we apply the new costate value conditions p(T) in the definition of the optimal control problem. We solve some examples in this issue using the numerical shooting method to illuminate the subsequent Two Point Boundary Value Problem (TPBVP) and join the free y(T) as an additionally unknown. Basically similar outcomes are obtained through the nonlinear programming (NP) discrete-time results.

The use of teaching aids (BBM) in Teaching and Learning (P&P) processes is very important for teachers to ensure that the delivery of information related to the subjects taught is more clear, systematic and better for students to follow. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of teachers’ use of BBM in P&P in four secondary schools of the Pontian district in terms of practice, skills and attitudes and differences based on teachers' gender in these three aspects. The study involved 198 respondents consist teachers, of SMK Sri Tanjung, SMK Benut, SMK Ayer Baloi and SMK Parit Betak in the Pontian district. The design of this study is a survey. This study was carried out using a questionnaire as a research instrument and the data were analyzed descriptively and inferred. Data analysis is processed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences for Windows Version 17.0 (SPSS) software and the findings are reported in the form of mean, standard deviation, percentage and T-Test Independent tests. The findings show that the use of teachers to BBM in P&P from all three aspects is at high level in the practice aspect (mean score 3.89), skill aspect (mean score 3.86) and attitude aspect (mean score 3.86). While T-Test Independent tests results showed that there was no significant difference base on teachers gender towards the use of BBM in the P&P process; in the practice aspect (P> 0.05 = 0. 803), skill aspect (p>0.05=0.518 ) and attitude aspect (p>0.05=0.447). Overall, teachers need to realize that the use of BBM in P&P is important to attract and improve student performance as well as achieve the teaching objectives of a subject.

Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) system is crucial in producing skilled workers who can command high incomes, which in turn will help Malaysia achieve the developed nation status by the year 2020. There is a mismatch between the graduates produced by the Public Skills Training Institutes in Malaysia and the competent workforce required by the industry. Therefore, this study aims to explore the domains and elements that can help automotive industry trainees acquire behavioural competence and employability skills. The Delphi technique is used to explore the domains and elements that contribute towards the integration programme for the Public Skills Training Institutes (PTSIs) and Private Training Centres (PTCs)  involved in churning out automotive industry trainees. Analysis of interview data from the two rounds of the Delphi study indicates that 12 domains  contribute to shaping behavioural competence and employability skills, namely governance; framework of qualifications; standard of competence; supplier of skill standards; delivery; industrial relations; experience of industrial work;  twinning programmes;  community service programmes; curriculum-based industrial visits; and educational entrepreneurship.

This research is aimed at studying the levels of use of instructional Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in core subjects in eleven secondary day schools in the districtof Muar. This research are identify from three main objective, as skills level, practice level and attitude level in instructional use in core subjects. Its involves 162 respondents varius teachers teaching core subject as Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematic, History and Science. Instrument used in this research is questionnaire and data is processed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0. The results reported in the forms of mean, standard deviation, percentage and one-way ANNOVA test. The result showed the levels of use instructional ICT in core subjects in the aspects of skills level, practice level and attitude level are at the average level, with an overall mean score of 3.31, 2.87 and 3.35 respectively. However, the findings shows no significant difference between the skills level, practice level and attitude level in instructional ICT in core subjects, with ANNOVA test values of 0.224, 0.911 and 0.681 respectively. In conclusioan the skills level, practice level and attitude level in the use of instructional ICT in core subjects are at the average level and that there is no significant difference between the skills level, practice level and attitude level of the teachers in the use of instructional ICT in core subjects in secondary day schools in the district of Muar.