Search

The existence of the taklim assembly has an important role in the socialization and enculturation process to enable Muslims to survive in a society that is predominantly Hindu. The role of the taklim assembly is expected to be able to present religious material that is able to form a moderate way of religion for its congregation, especially in responding to local culture in the Tengger tribe area. The focus of this service is first, local cultural study workshops and strengthening religious moderation. Second, strengthening Religious Moderation, through the development of religious material that will be presented in taklim assembly activities by the Muallim to the congregation. Based on these two focuses, service uses the service learning method through three stages; preparation, planning and implementation. From the results of the mentoring, the following are the results; 1) study of local Karo culture, entas-entas, barikan, kasodo, walagara, liliwet, santi, sodoran, and unan-unan. Local culture contains moral messages that can be used as material to strengthen religious moderation. 2) development of moral religious material that emphasizes the social dimension. Religious material contains messages about building relationships between humans and humans and humans and nature.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan data penerapan literasi digital dalam pembelajaran, untuk menganalisis aktifitas siswa dalam memanfaatkan digital literacy skill pada pembelajaran dan untuk mengungkap faktor pendukung dan penghambat penerapan literasi digital dalam pembelajaran akidah akhlak materi sifat amanah siswa kelas IV MI Al Huda Kedungumpul. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian lapangan yang bersifat deskriptif kualitatif. Subjek dari penelitian ini adalah Kepala Madrasah, guru kelas IV, peserta didik dan walimurid MI Al Huda Kedungumpul. Data diperoleh melalui pengamatan, wawancara dan penelaahan dokumen. Teknik analisis data terdiri dari reduksi data, penyajian data dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Penerapan literasi digital merupakan kemampuan memanfaatkan teknologi dan informasi dengan menggunakan perangkat digital dalam berbagai aspek yang digunakan dalam dunia pendidikan. Penggunaan literasi digital pada pembelajaran sebagai akses informasi dalam memudahkan siswa untuk memenuhi kebutuhan dan rasa ingin tahu yang lebih mendalam. Sebagai guru juga harus bisa lebih inovatif dalam pembuatan media pembelajaran yang menarik; (2) Aktifitas siswa secara mandiri belajar menggunakan literasi digital pada ranah afektif dapat dilihat dari sikap mandiri, kerjasama dan tanggung jawab. peserta didik saat ini sudah semakin memahami dan mandiri dalam belajar dan tanggung jawab mengerjakan tugas-tugasnya, hal ini dapat membangun dan terintegrasi antara kebiasaan literasi dengan perilaku peserta didik, Selain itu nilai akademik mereka semakin bagus, lebih bertanggung jawab dan disiplin mengumpulkan tugas; (3) Faktor pendukung dan penghambat penerapan literasi digital yaitu adanya dukungan fasilitas dan sarana-prasarana penunjang di satuan pendidikan, literasi digital dikembangkan sebagai mekanisme pembelajaran terintegrasi dalam kurikulum atau setidaknya terkoneksi dengan sistem belajar mengajar. Adapun hambatan yang ditemukan dalam penerapan literasi digital adalah terkait keterbatasan sarana dan prasarana sekolah, keterbatasan fasilitas dirumah terutama gadget dalam mendukung berlangsungnya pembelajaran daring, Sumber daya manusia, kemudian hambatan keterbatasan dalam durasi waktu pelajaran dan kendala secara teknis seperti masalah jaringan internet dan gadget yang tidak mensuport

This paper presents a comparison study of absorption spectra of borotellurite glasses with compostion: 20TeO2 – 15Bi2O3 – 3TiO2 – (4-x) Na2CO3 – 1Tm2O3 - xHo2O3 where x = 0; 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5 (mol%). All glasses are fabricated using melt quenching method. Absorption spectra were recorded at room temperature in the spectral range of 200 – 1100 nm. Within this range, glass with x = 0 mol % of Ho2O3 shows 2 absorption peaks which corresponds to electronics transition from 3H6 to state to 3F3 and 3H4. For x = 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5 (mol%), nine absorption peaks corresponding to electronics transition from 3H6 to state to 5G5, 5G6, 1G4, 1G4, 5F3, 5F4, 5F5, 3F3, and 3H4 are shown. It is shown that absorption at 680 nm and 790 are insensitive to the addition of Ho2O3 in contrast to that at 580 nm and 650 nm.

Brachytherapy is expected to be a solution to the side effect of other cancer therapy methods. This study aims to synthesize ferrofluids (FF)-Chitosan-Au (so-called cold synthesis) as the initial step before using 198Au that is expected to be a targeted and controllable brachytherapy agent. In this research, the preparation of FF-Chitosan was done by the co-precipitation method. Furthermore, FF-Chitosan-Au was produced via self-assembly by the adsorption method. The adsorption followed the Langmuir model with a maximum capacity of 30.24 mg Au/g FF-Chitosan. The X-Ray Diffractometion (XRD) of FF-Chitosan-Au confirms the existence of Au. Particle Size Analyzer (PSA) indicates FF-Chitosan-Au has an average size of 82.93 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.175. Morphological and distribution analysis of nanoparticles using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) shows that nanoparticles have a homogenous spherical shape. Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) measurement confirms the superparamagnetic properties of FF-Chitosan and FF-Chitosan-Au with a saturated magnetization of 80.48 and 74.52 emu/g, respectively. The overall results are associated with biomedical requirements, such as high saturation magnetization and good polydispersity. The synthesis can also be applied to produce FF-Chitosan-198Au that has great potential as a brachytherapy agent, which will reduce the nuclear waste and potential danger of radiation received by workers during synthesis.

The cationic chemosensor based on organic compound bearing an aminophenol moiety as a receptor for metal analyte and a cinnamaldehyde moiety as chromophoric fragment has been developed. In this work, we report the colorimetric sensing of nitrophenyl cinnamaldehyde derivative, namely methyl-3-(2-hidroxy-5-nitrophenyl amino)-3-phenylpropanoate, towards a variety of metal cations, such as Cu2+, Fe3+, Ni2+ and Zn2+. The cation sensing abilities of the sensor were observed for Cu2+and Fe3+ with a color change from colorless to pink and faint yellow, respectively, The characteristic UV-Vis spectra changes were observed upon addition of Cu2+and Fe3+ cations. The hypsochromic absorption spectra shifts were obtained, indicating the cations and sensor complexations had formed. A metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer (MLCT) had occurred and the charge density of the sensor changed resulting in appearance of new absorption peaks in the UV-Vis spectra and color changes of the sensor solution upon addition of the Cu2+and Fe3+.

New tellurite glasses with composition (in mol%): 60TeO _2 –(30-x)ZnO–5Bi _2 O _3 –5TiO _2 -xB _2 O _3 (where x = 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0) were fabricated using conventional melt quenching method. Compositional dependence of the glasses on their density, thermal, refractive index and optical properties were investigated. X-Ray Diffraction analysis was carried out to confirm the nature of the thus formed glasses. Density, refractive index, and absorption spectra were measured at room temperature from which other glass characteristics such as polaron radius, oxygen packing density, field strength, B ^3+ interatomic distance, band gap energy, and Urbach tail were determined. Thermal characterisation to determine the change in glass transition temperature, glass crystallisation, melting point, and glass stability was carried out using Differential Scanning Calorimetry. A discussion was made in order to understand the results in terms of the ratio of bridging oxygen to non-bridging oxygen ions (BO/NBO). It was found that the addition of B _2 O _3 results in increasing oxygen packing density, glass transition temperature, BO/NBO ratio and band gap energy, while decreasing density, refractive index, field strength, glass stability and Urbach tail energy. With increasing B _2 O _3 concentration density changed from 5.879 to 5.646 g cm ^−3 , refractive index 1.875 to 1.741, working temperature range (Δ T = 66 °C) and phonon energy within the range of 736–740 cm ^−1 .

Cervix cancer is a malignancy in women at most 3rd in the world, which occurs in the cervix uteri. Etiologic factor of cervix cancer is infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). Lymphocyte very important role in eradicating cancer cells. However, cervix cancer mortality rates remain high, especially in poor differentiated grade. This may be related to the level of mixed lymphocyte reaction and depending on the status of the tumor grade. This study aimed to determine the correlation between lymphocyte reaction with tumor grade in patients with cervix cancer in RSUD Ulin Banjarmasin period from January to December 2013. The study design was observational analytic study with cross-sectional approach. The data were taken in the form of primary data in the form of checks degrees lymphocytes with a microscope. The population is all women who underwent histopathological examination in RSUD Ulin period from January to December 2013. The sample was taken by purposive sampling as many as 56 people who had met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that the incidence of cervix cancer well-differentiated at most that 25 cases (44%) and lymphocyte reaction that many are mild lymphocyte reaction as much as 33 cases (59%). Somers'd test analysis in the study obtained value (aprox sig. = 0.761). These results indicate that there is no significant correlation between lymphocyte reaction with tumor grade cervix cancer in RSUD Ulin period from January to December 2013. Keywords: cervix cancer, tumor grade, lymphocyte reaction

Two series of tellurite glasses with molar compositions of (55TeO _2 –2Bi _2 O _3 –(41-x) ZnO–2Na _2 O–xNd _2 O _3 (x = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5) and 55TeO _2 –2Bi _2 O _3 –(41-x) ZnO- x Na _2 O-2Nd _2 O _3 (x = 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0) were fabricated using melt quenching technique. Based on the measured densities, refractive indices and absorption spectra, physical and spectroscopic properties of these two-glass series are evaluated and compared. Whereas substitution of ZnO by Nd _2 O _3 causes the values of density and refractive index increase, the substitution of ZnO by Na _2 O has been shown to impact the glass density and refractive index in the opposite manner. Molar volume of both series increases with an increase of either Nd _2 O _3 or Na _2 O concentrations. In this regard, a dynamical model explaining the density and molar volume was proposed. Additionally, Judd-Ofelt theory was applied in order to predict the physical and laser properties of the two glasses series as a function of glass compositions, i.e., Judd-Ofelt parameters Ω _t ( t = 2, 4, 6), branching ratios ( β ), calculated lifetimes ( τ ), the emission to exited state absorption intensity ratio ( A _em / A _ESA ) and spectroscopic quality χ = Ω _4 /Ω _6 . Equations to relate χ with branching ratios for laser transitions ^4 F _3/2 to ^4 I _J’ (with J ′ = 9/2, 11/2, 13/2 and 15/2) were also derived.

This study investigates teachers' perceptions on PLC implementation within religious-based secondary schools in the context of Malaysia. Using a pragmatic mixed-method approach, quantitative data were obtained from 610 teachers about principals' implementation and support for PLC implementation. Then, 16 senior teachers who have successfully participated in PLC practices were interviewed. The study reveals that teachers in the religious-based public secondary schools felt satisfied with their principals' implementation of PLC practices. This study is one of few studies explored the practical and theoretical implications of improving principals' initiatives and their strategies which benefit PLC practices across religious-based secondary schools in Malaysia.

Introduction: Due to globalization and changes in the health care delivery system, there has been a gradual change in the attitude of the medical community as well as the lay public toward greater acceptance of euthanasia as an option for terminally ill and dying patients. Physicians in developing countries come across situations where such issues are raised with increasing frequency. As euthanasia has gained world-wide prominence, the objectives of our study therefore were to explore the attitude of physicians and chronically ill patients toward euthanasia and related issues. Concomitantly, we wanted to ascertain the frequency of requests for assistance in active euthanasia. Materials and Methods: Questionnaire based survey among consenting patients and physicians. Results: The majority of our physicians and patients did not support active euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (EAS), no matter what the circumstances may be P < 0.001. Both opposed to its legalization P < 0.001. Just 15% of physicians reported that they were asked by patients for assistance in dying. Both physicians 29.2% and patients 61.5% were in favor of withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment to a patient with no chances of survival. Among patients no significant differences were observed for age, marital status, or underlying health status. Conclusions: A significant percentage of surveyed respondents were against EAS or its legalization. Patient views were primarily determined by religious beliefs rather than the disease severity. More debates on the matter are crucial in the ever-evolving world of clinical medicine.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of demographic factors on cognitive ability (memory and attention) among hearing-impaired students. Data from 163 hearing-impaired students were collected using simple random sampling at five polytechnics in Malaysia. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) software were utilised to examine cognitive ability (memory and attention). Demographic factors consist of gender, hearing aid usage and parents’ hearing status. The results revealed that attention and memory differed according to hearing aid usage and parent’s status of hearing. No significant differences were found for memory and attention according to hearing-impaired gender. The findings of this study will enable the education authority to direct these special students in a way that best suits the institution and students goals.

This paper explores the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being among hearing-impaired students. Emotional intelligence consists of five dimensions namely intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability, stress management and general mood. A total of 130 hearing-impaired students were chosen as participants via simple random sampling at four polytechnics in Malaysia. The Bar-On Emotional Quotient: Short (EQ-i: S) and Ryff‘s Psychological Well-Being instruments were utilised to measure emotional intelligence and psychological well-being. It was found that in general, hearing impaired students have moderate emotional intelligence level and psychological well-being. Results also found that intrapersonal, interpersonal and adaptability dimensions correlated significantly with psychological well-being. No correlations were found between stress management and general mood dimensions with psychological well-being. Though limited by their ability to speak and to hear, emotional intelligence among hearing-impaired students does play a role in enhancing their individual capability to learn and to experience positive psychological well-being in life.

The promotion of integrating higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in the Malaysian education system is pivotal to producing analytical thinkers to keep up with the rapid globalization of this era. Thus, the implementation of HOTS in learning and facilitation (PdPc) has been emphasized. However, little is known about the integration of HOTS in Islamic history and civilization (Sirah) lessons. Furthermore, teachers continue to use traditional methods and disregard incorporating HOTS in PdPc. Therefore, the current study conducted an in-depth investigation into the components of Sirah lessons to support the implementation of the Malaysian education development plan (PPPM) 2013-2015 by strengthening teaching techniques through the use of HOTS for a better understanding of Sirah lessons. Using an explanatory sequential mixed method design, the findings reveal that the teaching components of Sirah lessons with the integration of HOTS are at a moderate level in the conclusion stage of a lesson. Therefore, the current study proposes a model that integrates HOTS, i.e., the element of attitude, preparation and planning, teaching aids with relevant aspects of PAK21, knowledge of HOTS, mastery of the subject content, teaching techniques and approach, assessment, and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates teachers' perceptions on PLC implementation within religious-based secondary schools in the context of Malaysia. Using a pragmatic mixed-method approach, quantitative data were obtained from 610 teachers about principals' implementation and support for PLC implementation. Then, 16 senior teachers who have successfully participated in PLC practices were interviewed. The study reveals that teachers in the religious-based public secondary schools felt satisfied with their principals' implementation of PLC practices. This study is one of few studies explored the practical and theoretical implications of improving principals' initiatives and their strategies which benefit PLC practices across religious-based secondary schools in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on creativity have bloomed in the past decade. However, little is known about the effective connectivity (EC) between default-mode network (DMN) regions after creativity stimulation. This study aimed to measure the brain connectivity induced by creativity stimulation and to relate it with creativity score. A total of 50 participants were recruited and assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental participants underwent a two-day creativity stimulation session. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were performed on all participants after the session. The rs-fMRI data were analysed using statistical parametric mapping and spectral dynamic causal modelling. A fully connected model comprising angular gyrus (AG), medial pre-frontal cortex (mPFC) and pre-cuneus (PCU) as regions-of-interest (ROIs) was fitted for every participant's data. The model underwent Bayesian parameter averaging to determine the average strength of connection between ROIs. There was a significant increase in creativity score for the experimental group in the aspect of fluency (p=0.018) and flexibility (p=0.048) except in originality (p>0.05). No difference in brain activation was observed between groups. All the EC between ROIs in the left and right hemisphere for both groups were significant (P>0.9). Symmetrical EC networks for the experimental group were observed with left hemisphere PCU→PCU, PCU→mPFC and AG→PCU connections which were more significant in the experimental group. These findings suggested that creativity stimulation as short as two days was able to evoke changes in creativity score and network connectivity but insufficient to cause convincing differences in the brain activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses what constitutes community social capital and how community cohesion is achieved. The insights explicated in this paper came from a study on community social capital in Malaysia. The study utilized a combination of focus group discussions and a survey method of a total of 293 respondents covering six (6) communities from six (6) districts in the state of Kedah, Malaysia. The study had produced a community social capital measuring instrument comprising a total of 36 items covering six (6) different dimensions. The study reveals that within the conceptual corpus of social capital, there are several “social dimensions” that can be construed as the socio-psychological contexts where people within a community may converge and develop a sense of togetherness. Social cohesion is the outcome of the interaction that occur within these realms. This correspond to an age-old sociological wisdom about society being the product of social interaction.

INTRODUCTION: Different facets of divergent thinking (DT) are associated with connectivity between different cerebral areas. However, the causal interactions between the key DT nodes have yet to be explored. It is hypothesised that with creativity stimulation, changes in effective connectivity among regions will be observed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By using control (n=26) and experimental (n=24) participants, this study aimed to investigate the effective connectivity between brain areas associated with divergent thinking that accentuate fluency, flexibility, and originality. The experimental participants attended a two-day creativity stimulation, followed by three task-based fMRI sessions for all participants, which included basic use (BU) identification, alternative use (AU) generation and unusual use (UU) determination tasks. Dynamic causal modelling (DCM) was used to determine the most optimal causal model representing the most possible modulatory influence on the connections between medial prefrontal cortices (mPFC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). RESULTS: The experimental participants scored higher fluency and flexibility than the controls (p<0.05). At neuronal level, the control group showed similar intrinsic connections receiving modulatory influence for AU and UU tasks, while the experimental group preferred a different perturbation of connection between both tasks. These intergroup differences may be caused by different thinking strategies involving semantic and episodic memory retrieval, and integration of remotely associated ideas to construct new combination among the experimental participants. CONCLUSION: Different DT demands may influence the effective connectivity between mPFC, IFG and IPL especially among individuals with higher DT abilities, especially in fluency and flexibility versus originality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first aim of the present study is to validate an extended technology acceptance model (TAME) on the data derived from the faculty members of a university in an ongoing, computer mediated work setting. The study extended the original TAM model by including an intrinsic motivation component--computer self efficacy. In so doing, the study assessed the direct and indirect effects of computer self efficacy on the use of the technology, via the perceived usefulness and intention to use the technology voluntarily. The second purpose of the study is to evaluate gender and age invariants of the causal structure of TAME. This cross-validation procedure determined whether gender and age group moderated the causal structure of the model, and thus the generality of TAME. The data were collected from a self reported questionnaire administered to 731 faculty members of a public university in Malaysia. The results of structural equation modeling supported the adequacy of TAME. Although the TAME's causal structure was applicable to both male and female staff, age group appeared to moderate the structural relationships among the constructs of interest. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

Background: Longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesions are challenging diagnostic entities as they are uncommon, but various etiologies can cause them. Case report: We report a case of a 55-year-oldman with a pastmedical history of hypertension. He is an ex-smoker. He presented with chest pain, followed by right lower limb weakness, preceded by 2 weeks of constipation and voiding dysfunction. The examination revealed right lower limb mild flaccid paresis, absent reflexes, reduced anal tone, and urinary retention. His symptoms deteriorated over 24 h, and he developed severe flaccid paraparesis with impaired pinprick sensation belowthe T4 level.MRI spine showed an abnormal, non-enhancing signal in the anterior aspect of the spinal cord extending from the T4 level to the conus without associated edema. He was commenced on intravenous steroids and had significant improvement after one dose. The imaging was felt to be consistent with spinal cord infarction, and aspirin was started. The cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed elevated protein (0.8 mg/ml). Investigations for stroke and autoimmune pathologies were negative. The Lyme immunoblot confirmed intrathecal production of IgG to Borrelia antigens. The patient was started on ceftriaxone. The paraneoplastic screen identified amphiphysin antibodies. CT-TAP and PET-CT did not identify occult malignancy. The patient had a significant improvement over 2months, strength was almost fully recovered, and autonomic functions returned to normal. Conclusion: We describe an unusual steroid-responsive, longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesion with radiological features of spinal cord infarct and a simultaneous finding of intrathecal Lyme antibodies and serum amphiphysin antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previously healthy 27-year-old man was brought to hospital after been found late at night confused, agitated and talking incoherently. He represented 12 days later with focal seizures, progressing to anarthria and encephalopathy. MR scan of brain showed diffuse cerebral oedema and his plasma ammonia was >2000 µmol/L (12-55 µmol/L). He developed refractory status epilepticus and subsequently died. Genetic analysis identified an ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) gene mutation on the X chromosome. We discuss this atypical presentation of OTC deficiency as a rare but treatable cause of hyperammonaemic encephalopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractEstrogen (17β-estradiol or E2) is a crucial regulator of the synthesis and secretion of pituitary reproductive hormones luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prolactin. In this review, we summarize the role of estrogen receptors in nonfunctioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (NF-Pitnets), focusing on immunoexpression and gonadotroph cell proliferation and apoptosis. Gonadotroph tumors are the most common subtype of NF-Pitnets. Two major estrogen receptor (ER) isoforms expressed in the pituitary are estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ). Overall, estrogen actions are mostly exerted through the ERα isoform on the pituitary. The G protein–coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) located at the plasma membrane may contribute to nongenomic effects of estrogen. Nuclear immunoreactivity for ERα and ERβ was highest among gonadotroph and null cell tumors. Silent corticotroph tumors are the least immunoreactive for both receptors. A significantly elevated ERα expression was observed in macroadenomas compared with microadenomas. ERα and ERβ may act in opposite directions to regulate the Slug-E-cadherin pathway and to affect invasiveness of NF-Pitnets. In the cellular pathway, ERs regulate estrogen-induced proliferation and differentiation and impact several signaling pathways including the MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathway. Estrogen was the first-discovered inducer of pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 that was abundantly expressed in NF-Pitnets. ERα can be a potential biomarker for predicting tumor size and invasiveness as well as therapeutic target for NF-Pitnets. Selective estrogen receptor modulators or antiestrogen may represent as an alternative choice for the treatment of NF-Pitnets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first aim of the present study is to validate an extended technology acceptance model (TAME) on the data derived from the faculty members of a university in an ongoing, computer mediated work setting. The study extended the original TAM model by including an intrinsic motivation component -- computer self efficacy. In so doing, the study assessed the direct and indirect effects of computer self efficacy on the use of the technology, via the perceived usefulness and intention to use the technology voluntarily. The second purpose of the study is to evaluate gender and age invariants of the causal structure of TAME. This cross-validation procedure determined whether gender and age group moderated the causal structure of the model, and thus the generality of TAME. The data were collected from a self reported questionnaire administered to 731 faculty members of a public university in Malaysia. The results of structural equation modeling supported the adequacy of TAME. Although the TAME's causal structure was applicable to both male and female staff, age group appeared to moderate the structural relationships among the constructs of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the environmental disclosures in annual reports of companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange are associated with corporate characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – A rating system for environmental disclosures was developed, based on a review of previous studies, embracing industry membership, financial performance, share price fluctuations, political cost proxies, dependence on debt and the capital market. Findings – The findings suggested that environmental disclosure is negatively associated with company financial performance. A significant inverse relationship between disclosure score and return on assets is apparent, suggesting that environmental disclosure in Malaysia has different priorities from disclosures elsewhere. Originality/value – This study is the first of its kind to be conducted in Malaysia, and its empirical findings complement the expectations of prior studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited shelf life of carbon prepreg waste (CPW) from component manufacturing restricts its use as a composite reinforcement fibre on its own. However, CPW can be recycled with glass fibre (GF) reinforcement to develop a unique remediate material. Therefore, this study fabricated (1) a glass fibre-carbon prepreg waste reinforced polymer hybrid composite (GF-CPW-PP), (2) a polypropylene composite (PP), (3) a carbon prepreg waste reinforced composite (CPW-PP), and (4) a glass fibre reinforced composite (GF-PP) and reported their degradation and residual tension properties after immersion in water. The polymer hybrid composites were fabricated via extrusion technique with minimum reinforce glass-carbon prepreg waste content of 10 wt%. The immersion test was conducted at room temperature using distilled water. Moisture content and diffusion coefficient (DC) were determined based on water adsorption values recorded at 24-h intervals over a one-week period. The results indicated that GF-PP reinforced composites retained the most moisture post-168 h of immersion. However, hardness and tensile strength were found to decrease with increased water adsorption. Tensile strength was found to be compromised since pores produced during hydrolysis reduced interfacial bonding between glass fibre and prepreg carbon reinforcements and the PP matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Administration of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and anti-estrogens has been shown to reduce the size of pituitary tumors. However, previous studies were performed on animal pituitary tumors or tissue cultures. We administered oral tamoxifen to a postoperative patient with a nonfunctioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (NF-PitNET) to investigate its potential effect on tumor volume. This case report presents the case of a 47-year-old female patient with a null cell adenoma who had undergone surgical resection as primary treatment and was left with a residual tumor that grew significantly. She was treated with tamoxifen 20–40 mg daily for one year. She was followed up to assess tamoxifen adherence, tolerability, and adverse events. The resected pituitary tumor was stained with estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ), proliferation markers (ki-67 and p53), and H&E staining for mitotic count. MRI of the pituitary gland was performed before starting treatment, after 6 months, and after 1 year of tamoxifen therapy. Her resected tumor showed high-intensity ERβ staining in the absence of ERα expression. She was able to tolerate oral tamoxifen therapy without side effects. Tamoxifen therapy resulted in a remarkable reduction in residual tumor volume of up to 87 % in this patient. Tamoxifen has a potential therapeutic effect in treating patients with residual NF-PitNET tumors that have regrown after primary resection. This finding may provide an alternative treatment modality for recurrent NF-PitNET. ERβ expression may predict response to tamoxifen in this subset of patients.

Universities play a vital role in a country’s growth and have the potential to stay in the field of higher education by determining their performance. Thereby, management will not know whether university performance is profitable if it is not measured. Therefore, this project was carried out to determine the efficiency of public universities in Malaysia using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models such as the Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes model (CCR) and Slack-Based Measure model (SBM). . Public higher education is under tremendous pressure worldwide to improve its performance and quality. This paper examines the efficiency scores of 20 public universities in Malaysia using the CCR and SBM. These 20 public universities state as Decision Making Unit (DMU) and DMU will be efficient if and only if the optimal value of efficiency is equal to 1; otherwise, it is inefficient. Three inputs and five outputs are determined to measure the performance of the university through the graduate student’s marketability. The findings show that out of 20 public universities, 11 public universities are efficient with an efficiency score equal to 1. Meanwhile, the remaining nine public universities showed inefficient score results. Suggestions and improvements are identified to improve the efficiency of those universities in the future. To overcome inefficient universities, the use of the SBM model provides recommendations to consider in measuring efficiencies which are the number of postgraduate students enrolled, number of undergraduate students enrolled, and number of academic staff as the inputs and the number of postgraduates, number of undergraduates, number of graduates working, number of graduates who choose to further studies and number of graduates choose to develop skills as the outputs. All the criteria need to consider for the improvement for the universities to be more efficient.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between psychological weel being and communication competence among flood reliefs workers as perceived by disaster victim underlying the recent interest on communication studies and disaster management, discusses the current issues and offers a future research perspective. It offers to understand communication competence of relief workers in the areas of communication studies in Malaysian organizations and how does this concept relate to psychological well being of flood victim. The cross-sectional data for this study were collected via a survey of 270 flood victims. The study highlights the important of flood relief workers’ communication competence from different aspect as perceived by the flood victim. The result indicate that there is a relationship between both variables. In sum, this study provides theoretical contributions to communication competence research and the literature on communication studies. The paper draws attention to the current issues of the disaster management on communication studies and highlights it for future directions.