Penang In Malaysia Research Articles

Screening and optimization of starch from marine microalgae isolated from Penang sea water Malaysia

Starch is a major carbohydrate source in human staple foods and a component of raw materials for non-food applications. Microalgae are the subject of extensive investigation due to their high carbohydrate content, ease of growth, and capacity to absorb more carbon dioxide while still producing greenhouse gases during photosynthesis. Two marine microalgae strains from Malaysia's Penang Sea Water have been successfully isolated and are designated as Klebsormidium flaccidum GN-2, and Nannochloropsis oculata YG-2. K. flaccidum GN-2 produced 16.84% of starch, biomass 0.81 g/L whereas N. oculata YG-2 contained 3.06% and 0.40 g/L of starch and biomass, respectively. K. flaccidum GN-2 was selected to proceed for optimization using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The starch produced was 19.06% and 0.98 g/L of biomass under the optimized conditions of 35.53 ppt salinity, 23 h of light exposure, and a flow rate of 1 v/v of carbon dioxide. Subsequent nutrient deprivation experiments showed a decrease in biomass and starch. In conclusion, marine microalgae isolated from the Penang Sea successfully produced starch. Further study should be carried out to improve the condition and factors to produce higher starch content in K. flaccidum GN-2 and make it a new promising starch source.

More Than Colonial Vestige? Afternoon Tea as Heritage Practice in Penang (Malaysia)

This article builds on insights from both critical heritage studies and Indian Ocean studies to argue that there is a need to delve deeply into how, by whom, and why heritage is practiced. Empirically, the practice of afternoon tea in Penang (Malaysia) provides insights into habits, manners, and customs in order to explore heritage as a social practice. Drawing on ethnographic field research on the island of Penang in Malaysia, this article demonstrates how the multiple forms, as well as the changing production, practice, and preservation, of local cultural heritage are used to strategically and situationally create identities in dependence of the “other” and in response to a national heritage narrative. In contrast to what is nowadays often considered a colonial vestige, I maintain that these cultural heritage elements are not foreign but part of specific local cultural heritages.

An Integrated Framework for the Quantification of Road Network Seismic Vulnerability and Accessibility to Critical Services

Road networks are regarded as the backbone of transportation systems, which play an important role in the social and economic prosperity of societies. Due to this reason, it is crucial to develop road networks with higher resiliency rates to operate normally during earthquake incidents. In the last decades, the research that tackled the management of disasters for road networks gained great attention, in particular by developing various seismic vulnerability assessment models. Most of those models study a single criterion, e.g., physical damage of road assets, traffic disruption, and/or functionality loss of the network without taking into consideration the combination of different vulnerability criteria. The proposed framework is part of the global seismic vulnerability assessment models that combine fragility functions and vulnerability indices, which is demonstrated by an application in a road network in the city of Penang in Malaysia. In the first step, the fragility functions are developed where their results are used to calculate the Seismic Vulnerability Index (SVI) for roadways by weighting the main investigated parameters. This is followed by investigating the Accessibility Index (AI) model that is employed to assess the accessibility of targeted districts within the investigated area. Subsequently, an integrated approach is employed to generate the emergency evacuation maps to critical service centres by referring to the correlations between vulnerability and the accessibility rates. In conclusion, the results of this study integrate engineering judgment and numerical models to create a comparative study for assessing the performance of road networks and to validate the significance of an integrated seismic assessment on various critical societal sectors, such as improving emergency accessibility and implementing better mitigation strategies for communities living in disaster-prone areas.

Applying Social Capital Theory on Conservation Policies of Protected Areas: A Case Study of Penang, Malaysia

Environmental conservation efforts internationally and in Malaysia are focused on the establishment, maintenance and conservation of Protected Areas. The phenomenon of Protected Areas is justified by both biological considerations and social considerations. Biological considerations are commonly articulated. This research attempts to balance the narrative by focusing on social considerations, specific on the component of social capital, as derived from Social Capital Theory. Social capital is not commonly employed in the discourse on conservation policies of Protected Areas. However, social capital is postulated to have a tangible influence, as witnessed by its successful application in other contexts such as housing policy and social development. To explore the applicability of social capital towards Protected Areas, a case study of Penang in Malaysia is utilized. Document analysis and field observations are adopted as the research methodology and the data is analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that social capital has a tangible effect on the conservation policies of Protected Areas. Subsequently, public policy recommendations are proposed in light of the findings.

Framing Film-Induced Tourism into a Sustainable Perspective from Romania, Indonesia and Malaysia

This paper is particularly focused on film-induced tourism investigation as well as its cultural promotion and cultural change effect that impact on both the tourist destinations and the tourist demands. The case studies include the famous Transylvania, Romania as well as the two comparative destinations in Southeast Asia namely Bali in Indonesia, and Penang in Malaysia. Although tourism planners have limited control over the content of the films produced in the respective destinations and how the destinations are being portrayed in films, it is reflected in our studies that, the imaginary, visual representations of the destinations, albeit negative or distorted from their original identities, are still useful and viable to promote the tourist destinations. The three discussion cases form up the stratification of multiple stages in terms of implementing film-induced tourism strategies to promote their destinations, spanning from one of the oldest film-induced tourist destinations Transylvania, to an over decade-long film-induced destination Ubud in Bali, to a sprouting film-induced destination George Town in Penang. Such a stratification of three comparable destinations leads to both the vertical and horizontal evaluation of the effectiveness of film-induced tourism strategies. Hence, a methodology of multiple-case study with mixed-methods characterised by a set of differing qualitative research approaches will be adopted to the three distinctive destinations, respectively. Emerging markets require new techniques and strategies of marketing, especially in the unsettled post-COVID-19 era. Findings may be useful to destination managers in planning an effective destination image strategy in order to achieve the most sustainable positive impacts and aligning the films’ image of the destination with the desired image and the potential audience reach.

An assessment of the viability of the smart parking system: The case of a smart city initiative in Malaysia

Society in general, and emerging economies in particular, face several challenges related to the rapid rate of technological change, increasing urbanization, and the degradation of the quality of life that results from air and noise pollution caused by road traffic. The apparently simple task of finding a parking space is one of the prime causes of pollution and congestion in inner‐city areas. The so‐called intelligent traffic systems and smart parking systems are believed to be one answer to alleviating this problem. This article evaluates the effectiveness of a smart parking system introduced by the state of Penang in Malaysia. It offers a review of smart parking systems and provides data from a survey of 646 Penang residents concerning the recently launched Penang Smart Parking system. The findings provide new insights and knowledge for the Malaysian government and could be used to identify critical success factors for smart parking systems in other cities.

How work values and organizational outcomes differ by generational cohort in Malaysia's manufacturing sector

An empirical study of 164 employees at seven large‐scale manufacturers in Malaysia's Penang Free Trade Zone suggests that work values, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention of various generational cohorts differ. Baby Boomers have a higher level of organizational commitment and job satisfaction than their coworkers in Generation X and Generation Y, while Generation Xers have the lowest level of intention to quit. In addition, Baby Boomers have a high level of intrinsic, altruistic, and prestige work values, while Generation Xers have higher intrinsic, extrinsic, social, and prestige work values. In illuminating how organizational outcomes vary by generational cohort, this study suggests ways that human resource professionals can tailor their policies and practices to achieve organizational goals.

Are we reaping what we sow? Gender diversity in surgery: a survey of medical students

BackgroundA survey of medical students from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) at Dublin, Perdana and Penang in Malaysia was undertaken in an attempt to explore attitudes towards...

The “Pearl of the Orient” as a dark tourism destination in Malaysia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of Penang in being a dark tourism destination in Malaysia with the influence of urban tourism development.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review was conducted to serve as a foundation by highlighting the number of dark tourism studies conducted in Southeast Asia (SEA).FindingsThe results projected a total of 23 dark tourism studies conducted within the SEA region. These papers revolve around the following key themes that were conducted in these countries: tourists’ behaviour (motivation, satisfaction and experience), nation building and narratives, dark tourism development (management, marketing and implications), theoretical underpinnings and the role of dark tourism. Amongst these, it was found that tourists’ behaviour is the most studied with eight papers while the least is on nation building and theoretical underpinnings of dark tourism with three papers each.Research limitations/implicationsThe lack of dark tourism studies in SEA results in insufficient existing literature which justifies the need of exploring Penang as a potential dark tourism destination.Originality/valueThis paper builds on prior dark tourism studies that are significantly related to urban tourism but takes a step further by exploring the Asian settings. Specifically, into Malaysia which is more than just an SEA country, but a multicultural one which is rich and diverse with its culture and heritage that leads to many unique tourists’ destinations. This paper extends the geographical scope of the dark tourism literature as it focuses on Penang in Malaysia.

Regional circuits of international medical travel: Prescriptions of trust, cultural affinity and history

AbstractIntra‐regional medical travel by patients from Indonesia to Penang in Malaysia is embedded in and facilitated by regional circuits. Although such movement is fuelled by dissatisfaction with the health‐care services offered in Indonesia, we argue that these contemporary movements for health care are also a continuation of existing exchanges for trade, education and cultural ties that have long existed. In the first part of the paper, we consider the historical interconnections between the locations of Medan and Aceh in Indonesia and Penang in Malaysia. Based upon fieldwork and interviews with 70 intra‐regional patients travelling to Penang for treatment, we describe how these interconnections are now manifested in travel for medical care. We argue that the temporary exit from the Indonesian health system to pursue care in hospitals in Penang by some Chinese Indonesians and Acehnese follows patterns and logics based on social histories of discrimination and conflict as well as geographical convenience. This highlights the need to contextualise such travel not just as geographic movements across space but also through the depth of time and local histories.

Global Productions Sharing and Local Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: Evidence from Penang Export Hub, Malaysia

This article examines opportunities and policy options for developing countries to promote engagement of local firms in global production networks. The article begins with a stage-setting overview of the ongoing process of global production sharing and the emerging opportunities local firm's engagement. It then undertakes an illustrative case study of the export hub in the state of Penang in Malaysia. Forging operational links between multinational enterprises, which set up assembly plants in Penang, and local firms was an integral part of the export-led development strategy of the state. This policy emphasis was instrumental in fostering a domestic supplier network around the operations of the multinational enterprise subsidiaries. A number of local firms, which emerged de novo through production sharing, have become global players in their own right, with production bases in a number of other countries.

An empirical study on the influence of Islamic values in poverty alleviation

Purpose – This study aims to shed some light on the roles of Islamic values and principles in encouraging households to enhance their livelihood and, therefore, alleviate their poverty. Design/methodology/approach – A structured and tested socio-economic questionnaire instrument was randomly distributed to 102 randomly selected households from the state of Penang in Malaysia. Data collected were analysed using one-way ANOVA tests. Findings – The results indicated that poverty can be fought with commitment, faith and guided principles based on faith. While the self-reliance degree remains indispensable in the development progress of individuals, communities and societies, dependence on others leads to disappointment and failure. Research limitations/implications – This study has its own limitations. First, the study did not consider the gender factor in the analysis. Second, only cash transfer (role of the government) was considered in the study, although other roles such as taxation and social services are probably equally important. Third, the discussion did not pay attention to how the proposed three constructs (Micro, Meso and Macro) are related. Lastly, as proposed by an anonymous reviewer, the present study did not take in consideration how Islamic philosophy perceives the share of responsibility to the three proposed constructs. Does Islam give similar weight to each of them? Practical implications – Sadakah and Waqf should be integrated with the financial systems to halt any misuse of the financial assistance offered to the poor. Social implications – Government assistance remains indispensable through providing the necessities of comfort and well-being to the hardcore poor such as housing, health-care facilities and cash transfer. Originality/value – This study enhances the understanding of how religious adherence and Islamic values influence households’ well-being and paves the way for further research on this crucial issue.

The Impact of the Solar Irradiation, Collector and the Receiver to the Receiver Losses in Parabolic Dish System

Parabolic Dish (PD) is one of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies that convert sunlight to electricity. PD has shown the highest efficiency by converting nearly 31.25% of solar radiation into electricity and PD has emerged as one of reliable and efficient Renewable Energy (RE) technology. However, the evaluation for the PD system performance by using experimental approach is costly and time consuming. Therefore, a model has become necessary to predict the system performance under several of operating conditions. Nevertheless, current literature on PD modelling is scattered, focusing on individual components and rarely organised in one cohesive report. This paper is to study on the impact of the Direct Solar Irradiance (DNI), collector and receiver to the value of heat transfer to the receiver; solar power intercept by a receiver as well as the receiver loses in 25kW PD system. This study is using a simulation approach and Matlab Simulink was used as the simulation tool. The irradiation data were downloaded from the Meteonorm 7 Software and George Town, Penang in Malaysia has been selected as the location for simulation. Meanwhile, the aluminium and silver was used as the reflective material and the intercepted factor used for the simulation is in the range of 0.9 to 1.0. As a conclussion, the simulation result has shown that variations of the solar irradiation on the site, reflective material and the intercept factors influence the value of the value of the rate of heat transfer to the receiver; solar power intercept by a receiver as well as the receiver loses.

Three Dimensional Physical Model Study on Penang Fishing Port Project

A three-dimensional physical model was used to study the wave distribution around breakwater in Malaysia Penang. Model tests were carried out by using the L-type action absorption directional wave generator in a 45m×40m wave basin at TIWTE in Tianjin China. The incident wave conditions were checked first in the laboratory and a series steps were introduced to construct the bathymetry and breakwater structure. By comparing the test results, the improved top elevation of breakwater is +4.5m, and the recommendation length of northern part of breakwater is 65m.

Resistance, Engagement, and Heritage Conservation by Voluntary Sector: The Case of Penang in Malaysia

AbstractAn enduring question with regard to the voluntary sector is how it can nurture civic engagement and provide public goods. A World Heritage listing for Penang highlights this question by revealing a vibrant civil society network that has made heritage conservation an issue for public discourse and policy agenda. This paper discusses how the marginalized trajectory of Penang is related to the development of its civic realm, social cohesion and local identity, which are sources of Penang's voluntarism. It then examines the engagement pattern of the Penang Heritage Trust, a leading association, which has mounted resistance against the state's failure in heritage provision. This bottom-up approach has preserved Penang's cultural heritage and associated identity, and reveals the distinct nature and capacity of Penang's voluntary sector that goes against the general pattern in Malaysia.

Determination of arsenic and mercury level in scalp hair from a selected population in Penang, Malaysia using XRF technique

As with many cities all over the world with active industrial developments, the city of Penang in Malaysia has also the potential of being exposed to industrial pollution. Such exposure would certainly have a detrimental impact on the environment and the people. The determination of trace elemental levels in hair which is well known as a method for environmental exposure monitoring, evaluation of heavy metal poisoning, assessment of nutrient levels and disease diagnoses. In this study, it is selected as the method to determine the possible exposure to pollutants in the form of unwanted trace elements. The natural levels of trace elements in hair are hence monitored first as reference values for the assessment of the possible human contamination levels. In this work the concentrations of As and Hg in the human scalp hair of 100 residents of Penang were determined using XRF. The results of this study are compared with the results obtained in other cities where such measurements have also been carried out.

NON-DATABASE CUSTOMER AS SPATIAL ISSUES OF ESTIMATING HYPERMARKET’S LIFETIME VALUE: AN APPROACH OF SURVEY-GIS METHOD

Prospecting hypermarket lifetime value is vital important to predict how long the business will be survive in the marketplace as important as measured the profitability of the business. Mostly, the hypermarket has been used database customer as main resources of predicting their customer without consider any data from non-database customer, which also called “free customer”. In fact, non-customer is spatial-based information where never tied with hypermarket database of customer. This is actually the gaps that exist in prospecting customer lifetime value where most of study was aimed on database customer and also lacks in tied spatial-based information to the hypermarket’s customer database. The objective of this paper is to discuss non-database customer as spatial issues during estimating the profitability of hypermarket business. Secondly, this study is aimed to demonstrate the location of non-database customer as base platform for further works on prospecting customer lifetime value. The method use in this study is combination survey-GIS as solution for handle non-database customer in spatial environment. Specifically, Arcview software (GIS) is used as main method for modelling the physical location of marketplace. Meanwhile, a postal address of non-database customer which is collected from survey is used for testing under the physical model of marketplace location. The Seberang Perai Tengah of Penang in Malaysia is setting as location of the study. One of the result shows that non-database customer can visualized individually by specific location that based on street and road. This study will suggest on how to used spatial data as a part of predicting lifetime value of customer where it can produced results in more precise and concurrently.

Mobile Virtual Heritage Exploration with Heritage Hunt with a Case Study of George Town, Penang, Malaysia

Computer games with fully intensive graphics are very common in desktop computers or game console, but the development of mobile games with intensive graphics are fairly new. With the advancement in mobile phone technology, it is possible to create a mobile game incorporates integrate the virtual reality techniques. In this paper, the authors present a virtual heritage application called M-Heritage Hunt that integrates virtual reality and game for mobile platforms. M-Heritage Hunt provides panoramic views of the heritage sites and a game background that is customized for the core of heritage zone of George Town, Penang in Malaysia. M-Heritage Hunt was evaluated and examined by letting the respondents to play the game in its proposed setting.

Penang Tropical City, Penang, Malaysia OMA

AbstractA mixed‐use programme for Penang in Malaysia with the potential to accommodate a resident population of 27,000 required OMA to operate at a planning level, while providing architectural definition. João Bravo da Costa describes how this led to a strategy that focused on types rather than objects, and specifically a typological distribution of programme across the site.

The informal use of ketum ( Mitragyna speciosa) for opioid withdrawal in the northern states of peninsular Malaysia and implications for drug substitution therapy

Background Ketum (krathom) has been mentioned in the literature as a traditional alternative to manage drug withdrawal symptoms though there are no studies indicating its widespread use for this purpose. This study examines the reasons for ketum consumption in the northern areas of peninsular Malaysia where it is widely used. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 136 active users was conducted in the northern states of Kedah and Penang in Malaysia. On-site urine screening was done for other substance use. Findings Ketum users were relatively older (mean 38.7 years) than the larger substance using group. Nearly 77% (104 subjects) had previous drug use history, whilst urine screening confirmed 62 subjects were also using other substances. Longer-term users (use >2 years) had higher odds of being married, of consuming more than the average three glasses of ketum a day and reporting better appetite. Short-term users had higher odds of having ever used heroin, testing positive for heroin and of using ketum to reduce addiction to other drugs. Both groups used ketum to reduce their intake of more expensive opiates, to manage withdrawal symptoms and because it was cheaper than heroin. These findings differ from those in neighbouring Thailand where ketum was used primarily to increase physical endurance. Conclusions No previous study has shown the use of ketum to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms except for a single case reported in the US. Ketum was described as affordable, easily available and having no serious side effects despite prolonged use. It also permitted self-treatment that avoids stigmatisation as a drug dependent. The claims of so many subjects on the benefits of ketum merits serious scientific investigation. If prolonged use is safe, the potential for widening the scope and reach of substitution therapy and lowering its cost are tremendous, particularly in developing countries.