National University of Malaysia

About: National University of Malaysia is a education organization based out in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Heat transfer. The organization has 26593 authors who have published 41270 publications receiving 552683 citations. The organization is also known as: NUM & Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Knowledge Hubs Along the Straits of Malacca

Abstract: World history has known areas of relative isolation and areas of high intensity of cultural interaction. The Mediterranean Sea, the Silk Road or the Straits of Malacca can be cited as such crucial contact zones. Within these areas, centers sprung up that served as interfaces between cultures and societies. These “hubs” as we would like to call them, emerged at various points throughout the contact zones, rose to prominence and submerged into oblivion due to a variety of natural calamities or political fortunes. This paper assesses the rise and fall of trade and knowledge hubs along the Straits of Malacca from before colonialisation until today. Historical hubs of maritime trade and religiosity today increasingly establish themselves as educational and knowledge hubs. This leads us to speak of the Straits of Malacca as a chain of – not pearls – but knowledge hubs with Singapore as the knowledge hub in the region shining the brightest of all, as the data suggest. We aim to conceptually grasp this development by suggesting a model or at least a hypothesis about the rise and movement of knowledge hubs in general.

A review on the selection of anode materials for solid-oxide fuel cells

Abstract: Solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are the most widely used fuel cells because they exhibit flexibility, power generation efficiency, and low pollution formation. Research on SOFC anodes is a major and challenging task in the field of SOFCs. This review highlights the anode materials that may be used for SOFC applications. The use of cermet-based oxide materials as anodes for SOFCs is also discussed in detail. A literature survey conducted over the last 10 years shows that increased power generation efficiency may be attributed to anode materials used in such cells. Oxide-based anode materials with perovskite and several oxides with cubic fluorite structures are further described. Based on the review conducted, we find that cubic fluorite-structured compounds are the most promising anode materials reported thus far. Analyses of the structure and electrical performance of anode materials show as well that copper–gadolinium-doped cerium oxide (Cu–GDC) cubic fluorite-structured anodes exhibit higher electronic conductivity potential than yttria-stabilized zirconia-based anode materials.

Earnings management of distressed firms during debt renegotiation

Abstract: Empirical evidence on earnings management by financially distressed firms is very limited. This study examines discretionary accruals in distressed firms that have undertaken debt contract renegotiation subsequent to debt covenant violation with a view to determining whether managers adopt income-decreasing accruals during debt renegotiation. Using four established models for detecting discretionary accruals during the recent financial crisis in Malaysia, we find evidence that distressed firms manipulate earnings downward. The results show that the magnitude of discretionary accruals is statistically significantly negative during the year surrounding renegotiations with lenders, and that these accruals are significantly more negative than those of a control sample of firms which have not undertaken debt renegotiation during the same period but experienced similar financial performance. The results are robust after controlling for changes in top management, audit qualifications, audit firm size, a...

Influence of nano-material on the expansive and shrinkage soil behavior

Abstract: This paper presents an experimental study performed on four types of soils mixed with three types of nano-material of different percentages. The expansion and shrinkage tests were conducted to investigate the effect of three type of nano-materials (nano-clay, nano-alumina, and nano-copper) additive on repressing strains in compacted residual soil mixed with different ratios of bentonite (S1 = 0 % bentonite, S2 = 5 % bentonite, S3 = 10 % bentonite, and S4 = 20 % bentonite). The soil specimens were compacted under the condition of maximum dry unit weight and optimum water content (w opt) using standard compaction test. The physical and mechanical results of the treated samples were determined. The untreated soil values were used as control points for comparison purposes. It was found that with the addition of optimum percentage of nano-material, both the swell strain and shrinkage strain reduced. The results show that nano-material decreases the development of desiccation cracks on the surface of compacted samples without decrease in the hydraulic conductivity.

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Abstract: Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations.