Muhammad Khalique1, Khushbakht Hina2

1Department of Business Administration, Mirpur University of Science and Technology 

2Quality Enhancement Cell, National University of Modern Languages Islamabad 

Corresponding Author: khalique@must.edu.pk

ABSTRACT

Presently the world has gone through much suffering from the Covid-19 crisis. During this uncertain and stern environment, technology has appeared as a valuable medium to protect society. Covid-19 opens fresh mantras of understanding, serenity, the value of products & services, family bonding, and the exponential progression of the human mind. The main objective of this paper is to express the vision of industry 5.0 and to create the awareness of society on it in the canvas of Pakistani society. This study highlights the potential challenges of education in higher educational institutions. It designed a framework for the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan in a wider spectrum. This is the currency of time that Pakistan must owe a new and revised national education policy with an inclusive approach to cater for indigenous and global needs. The framework offers a new horizon of the education system that will transform the citizens into human capital and economic dividend to play a massive role in undertaking national economic plight in the right direction by adopting a modern economic development path and cultivating entrepreneurial culture. This paper offers an insight into the idea of promoting the concept of industry 5.0 in Pakistan.

Keywords: Covid-19, industry 5.0, super smart society, educational institutions, future directions, Pakistan

Jocelyn Chua Chiew Kiok

Faculty of Multidisciplinary and Sustainability Studies

i-CATS University College, Kuching

jocelyn@icats.com.edu 

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to determine phonics-based instruction for developing English as a secondary language in rural primary schools. While English is a widely spoken language and can be learned in various ways, phonics has emerged as an effective approach that teaches pupils to recognise letters by their sounds and blend them into words. This technique has gained widespread recognition, and many schools have successfully incorporated it into their curriculum. This study aims to explore the usefulness of phonics on pupils' reading skills in English. The research used a pre-test and post-test to assess 45 pupils from seven primary schools, which was conducted both before and after providing pupils with phonics-based instruction. The results postulate that phonics-based instruction has a positive impact in enhancing pupils' reading skills. 

Keywords: phonics-based instruction; rural primary school; English as a secondary language; reading skills

Ahmad, M.N. 1, Matnin, N.2, Adeni, D. S. A2. and Bujang, K. B1.

1Faculty of Agriculture and Applied Sciences

i-CATS Univ. College, 93350, Kuching, Sarawak

2Faculty of Resource Science and Technology

University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak

Corresponding Author: norhelmi@icats.edu.my

ABSTRACT

Sago frond is the compound leaf of the palm Metroxylon sagu. Our earlier studies revealed that this material can be harnessed to produce Sago Frond Sugar (SFS), which contains cellobiose and glucose as the main sugars at about 10g/L and 5g/L, respectively. SFS has been proven as the comprehensive fermentation medium in production of L-lactic acid using Lactococcus lactis IO-1. The yield and productivity L-lactic acid from SFS is comparable to the Standard Medium (even when amended with yeast extract) at 0.85g/g and 85%, respectively. SFS can be purified using Powdered Activated Charcoal (PAC) to produce Purified Sago Frond Sugar (PSFS) and has been shown to have antibacterial properties against several foods related bacteria. Cellobiose from sago frond was perceived to be beneficial as an antifungal agent when tested against Candida which is a common cause of skin infection, where the growth of C. tropicalis is highly affected by SFS. However, this purification process distinctly reduces its antifungal properties. In our attempt to increase the sugar concentration (hence the enzymatic activities), SFS was heated to yield 50% and 100% sugar concentrations. However, these too reduces its antifungal effect drastically by 20% and 0%, respectively. Sago frond sap, the liquid obtained by pressing freshly de-skinned sago fronds on a roller press machine has been fermented to produce ethanol using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sap contains higher amount of sugar (25 g/L) compared to SFS (15 g/L). It was observed that sterilised SFS exhibited cell growth of up to 90% of the yeast biomass. Astonishingly, similar growth was obtained when raw (unsterilized) sap was used as the fermentation medium. This confirmed our conclusion that sago frond sap can be used directly as the medium in large-scale ethanol fermentation without the need for sterilisation. Recently, sago frond has also been utilised for the production of silage as animal fodder. A combination of leaves and frond fibres can generate 42 tons of silage from the harvesting of approximately 500 sago logs, every day. In our preliminary trials, the best practice is to mix shredded sago leaves with sago frond sap which enhanced the lactate fermentation using Lactococcus lactis IO-1 to produced nutritious silage. L. lactis IO-1 was recycled as the inoculant to increase the fermentation efficiency and quality of sago frond silage. 

Keywords: sago fronds, sago leaves, cellobiose, lactic acid, ethanol, silage, animal feed.

Mohamad Syahrimin Bin Sahadan, Nadzirah binti Maripat

Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, iCATS University College, Sarawak

syahrimin@icats.edu.my 

ABSTRACT

In its initiative to carry out anti-poverty intervention as well as to provide a platform to produce more entrepreneurs in Malaysia, the Malaysian government had since 1987 provided various microcredit schemes through its microfinancing institutions. The two major scheme are TEKUN Nasional and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) which are also available in the study area. This study revolves within the Capability Approach by Amartya Sen. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the diversification of livelihood strategies among microcredit borrowers in Kampung Semarang, Pusa, Sarawak, Malaysia. This study adopted both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Data was obtained through face-to-face interview with all the participants of the microcredit schemes selected using simple random sampling technique. Focus group discussion were also carried out with women participants of microcredit scheme. In addition, data was also collected from interview session with a TEKUN officer, the Community Leader and also from the secondary source solicited from AIM and TEKUN Nasional websites. The study ascertains that women’s involvement in microcredit schemes enables them to be capable of lifting their family out of poverty. This is due to the improvement of the participants’ livelihood assets after their involvement in microcredit schemes.

Keywords: Microcredit, Rural Livelihood, Women Empowerment, Financial Capital, Human Capital, Livelihood Strategies Diversification 

Siti Syafinah Ahmad Hassan1, Nurhidayah Kaluni2, Fabian Halley Pata3, Emilda Edwin Samaie4 

(Faculty of Engineering and Technology, i-CATS University College) 1,3

 (Faculty of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, i-CATS University College) 2,4 

Jalan Stampin Timur, 93350 Kuching 

syafinah@icats.edu.my 

ABSTRACT

Microcontrollers are widely used in everyday life including those related to education, entertainment, government services, retail, energy, law enforcement, transportation, money, agriculture, home, health and medical, robots, and human connections. Transitioning towards renewable energy with microcontrollers reduces the dependence on the power grid system. There are varieties of standalone microcontrollers that are popular on the market that can be used to suit the needs of the user in terms of cost, size, performance, and complexity. To choose the appropriate controller for a renewable energy system, this study examines the fundamentals and workings of microcontrollers. Comparisons are made between standalone and development board microcontrollers in terms of performance, effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks. This paper provides valuable insight for researchers, engineers, developers, and other relevant individuals.

Keywords: Standalone microcontroller; development board microcontroller; renewable energy

Hui Yee Chua, Qiu Xian Thong*, Samuel Ko, Anke Koenen, Silvia Zenner-Gellrich, Kristin Unger, Florian Proksch 

ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions Asia Pacific (APAC)

Carl Zeiss Sdn. Bhd. 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

sandy.thong@zeiss.com*