Search

Many studies reported that the way in which lecturers behave with the college-going students affects those students' overall development. Unfortunately, most of the studies related to the influence of lecturers' behaviour on students' development were conducted either in developed or developing countries. There were very limited studies focusing on the influence of lecturers' behaviour on students' development, conducted in developing countries, particularly a country which experienced prolonged war and instability. This quantitative study fulfilled this gap by examining the perceptions of lecturers on the relationship between the lecturer's behaviour and student's motivation. A 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was delivered to all lecturers in Takhar University, a very small university in Afghanistan. From a total of 180 questionnaires delivered, only 151 completed and usable questionnaires were returned for further analysis. The data were analysed using the SPSS. The analysis of data indicated that regardless of education levels and the country's rate of development and stability, lecturers' perceptions have a significant influence on lecturers' behaviour and students' motivation. The findings also revealed that the different age categories of the lecturers and their behaviours influenced tertiary education students' motivation differently. It can be concluded that higher education administrators must focus their attention on ensuring that the institutions hire lecturers from different age categories and outstanding behaviour to better influence students' motivation.

The naturally derived flavonoids are well known to have anticarcinogenic effects. Flavonoids could be an alternative strategy for ovarian cancer treatment, due to existing platinum-based drugs are reported to develop resistance with low survival rates. Inhibition of antiapoptotic proteins, namely B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) and B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xl), is the key target to stimulate apoptosis process in cancer cells. This study aimed to determine the binding interaction of five naturally derived flavonoids (biochanin A, myricetin, apigenin, galangin, and fisetin) with potential antiapoptotic target proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl). The molecular docking study was conducted using AutoDock Vina program. The binding affinity and the presence of hydrogen bonds between the flavonoids and target proteins were predicted. Our findings showed that all the flavonoids showed better binding affinity with Bcl-xl than that of Bcl-2 proteins. The highest binding affinity was recorded in fisetin–Bcl-xl protein complex (−8.8 kcal/mol). Meanwhile, the other flavonoids docked with Bcl-xl protein showed binding affinities, ranging from –8.0 to –8.6 kcal/mol. A total of four hydrogen bonds, four hydrophobic contacts, and one electrostatic interaction were detected in the docked fisetin–Bcl-xl complex, explaining its high binding affinity with Bcl-xl. The present results indicate that all flavonoids could potentially serve as Bcl-xl protein inhibitors, which would consequently lead to apoptotic process in ovarian cancers.

Silicon wafers are a key component in integrated circuits which comprised of various electronic components that are arranged to perform a specific function. Wafer dicing is a mechanical process of removing material from a wafer by synthetic diamonds as abrasive particles. Chipping along the cut line crucial to the wafer dicing operation has been identified by semiconductor manufacturers as a relevant area for improvement. The purposed of this study is to characterize the effect of dicing operation on the optical silicon wafer coating material. The effect of the blade wear and silicon wafer kerf width will be analyzed in this work

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the root and canal morphology of permanent maxillaryfirst and second molars using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. Materials and Methods: This study evaluated the CBCT images of 480 maxillaryfirst molars and 536 maxillary second molars from 268 patients who received CBCT scanning for various procedures. The number of roots, prevalence of the second mesiobuccal (MB2) canal in the mesiobuccal root, its association with gender, and the prevalence of bilateral MB2 canals were evaluated. Descriptive statistics was used to evaluate the prevalence, while Chi-square test was used to assess the association between the prevalence of MB2 canal and gender with a significance level set at P < 0.05 and P < 0.001. Results:Majority of maxillaryfirst (97.7%) and second molars (80.0%) were presented with three roots. MB2 canals were found in 59.9% and 35.2% of maxillaryfirst and second molars, respectively. The prevalence of MB2 canals among male patients was significantly higher in both maxillaryfirst (P < 0.05) and second molars (P < 0.001). Bilateral MB2 canals were seen in 76.2% and 58.3% of maxillaryfirst and second molars, respectively. Conclusions: MB2 canal was common among Malay ethnic with the prevalence of approximately 60% and 35% in maxillaryfirst and second molars, respectively. Our findings will increase the knowledge and awareness of dental clinicians to be more vigilant in identifying the MB2 canal to ensure complete cleaning and obturation of all root canals during root canal treatment.

This study is performed to characterize composite material of hybrid carbon glass reinforced polymer (C/GFRP) of two (2) types; namely balanced cross ply and quasi isotropic subjected to tensile and flexural loading. The mechanical testing performed on the hybrid composite as per ASTM standard and aimed to extract the mechanical properties related to tensile and flexural. The failure modes associated with the rupture of the composites/hybrid composites samples under tensile and three-point bending were assessed via JEOL 6010 Plus Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) instrument. The combination of GFRP lay-up at 0° at tensile side, GFRP lay-up 90° at compression side and ±45° lay-up of CFRP at shear/compression region enable the hybrid composite cross ply 8 to record the highest flexural strength. The substitution of 0° GFRP with 0° layup CFRP together with layup of 90° GFRP in hybrid composite cross ply 4, matrix/resin dominated layup acts as stress reliever in compression region during flexural loading taking place. This has induced to the increase of flexural strength, which observed to improve its original constituent of cross ply 2 (balanced cross ply GFRP). The factor of layup GFRP at transverse direction has enabled hybrid composite to possess a higher tensile modulus and to record considerably high tensile strength. The role of GFRP layup in enhancing the strain to failure in tensile and its role as a reliever in improving flexural strength during flexural loading has been tested and justified in this experiment.

Microwave is a good candidate towards lipid extraction from microalgae in a bid to reduce the overall energetic consumption and extraction time. 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ILs belonging to 1st generation and 2nd generations, have been used. At 2.5% of [Omim][OAc] in the medium, 19.2% of lipid were obtained, while the conventional IL-less system only yielded 10.9%. More interestingly, the extraction efficiency increases with increasing amount of IL. A broader range of fatty acid profiles was also found to be extracted in the presence of ILs. The lipid extraction ability of the ILs was further confirmed and even dramatically enhanced under high pressure microwave irradiation. At 1.5% IL, the lipid yield reached 37% with FAME profile mirroring the results obtained by hydrophobic IL based extraction. The energy balance calculation have shown a reduction in the energy loss with the different type of IL used resulting in a 12% net energy gain with the [Omim][NTf2] IL based extraction. A key finding in this study suggests that both the polarity of the ILs and the electronegativity of the anions play an important role in the type of lipids extracted.

The aim of this study is to examine the intervening effect of investor emotional attachment between corporate reputation and investors’ behavioral decision-making in the context of Pakistan stock exchange (PSX). Specifically, an attempt is made to investigate the indirect effect between corporate identity and investors’ behavioral decision making via corporate image, emotional attachment, and corporate reputation. The data collected from 220 individual small equity investors, who maintained their stock accounts through stockbrokers in PSX. Structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses with help of SPSS. Results confirmed the partial mediation effect of emotional attachment between corporate reputation and investors’ behavioral decisionmaking. In addition, Results supported the indirect effect between corporate identity and investors’ behavioral decision making via corporate image, emotional attachment, and investors’ behavior. The findings provide fundamental facts to the executives of the firms in Pakistan who want to assess the investor’s behavioral decision-making in the equity markets. Further, this study will help to understand the emotional aspects of the individual investors and will enable the policymakers and corporations to understand the decision making behavior of the individual small equity investors and draw their future policies to regulate the equity markets.

Introduction Lin-11, Isl-1 and Mec-3 domains (LIM) homeobox genes are among the most important sub-families of homeobox genes. These genes are thought to play an important role in cancer. In this study, the protein expression of these genes was examined in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. The expression pattern of Islet-1 (ISL1) and LIM homeobox 5 (LHX5) across different cancer stages and grades, as well as the association between the protein expression of these genes and patient demographics and clinicopathological features, were examined. Methods A total of 100 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded urothelial carcinoma tissues were selected from the Department of Pathology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and the protein expression of ISL1 and LHX5 was determined using immunohistochemistry. Results Positive expression of ISL1 and LHX5 was detected in 94% and 98% of the samples, respectively. There were no distinct LHX5 expression patterns associated with different cancer stages, but the proportion of high-expressing tumours was higher in high-grade tumours. In addition, there was a significant association between the expression of LHX5 and tumour grade. The proportion of tumours expressing high levels of ISL1 was found to be highest in later stage tumours. Conclusion The high percentage of tumours expressing both these genes suggests that ISL1 and LHX5 play an important role in bladder tumourigenesis across multiple stages.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) flat sheet film was modified with acrylic acid (AAC) by radiation induced grafting polymerization (RIGP) method using electron beam. The adsorbed doses were varied from 10 to 50 kGy, time of grafting from 1 to 3 h and monomer concentration and temperature were kept constant at 30 wt. % and 40°C. The degree of grafting (Dg) and equilibrium degree of swelling (EDS) of the grafted films were then determined. The films were further characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and optical water contact angle. Dg within the range of 17% to 210% were obtained for doses from 10 to 50 kGy within time of grafting from 1 to 3 h. The grafted film (PTFE-g-AAC) showed increased hydrophilicity leading to an increase in EDS. The successful grafting process was confirmed by FTIR results that showed characteristics peaks for carbonyl and hydroxyl group and a decrease in crystallinity for the PTFE-g-AACfilm. SEM images showed that PTFE-g-AAC films had less fibrillar compared to PTFE film and was consistent with the decrease in roughness for the PTFE-g-AAC film. This study indicated that modifying PTFE film by grafting AAC could significantly improve the hydrophilicity of PTFE film. The PTFE-g-AAC films has potential as a heavy metal adsorbent as it can remove at least 75% of Fe ion and 50 % of Pb ion from competitive media.

A benign separation of sulfur-containing compounds (SCC) from fuel oil is crucial to produce ultra-low sulfur fuels for a cleaner environment. To achieve this, extractive desulfurization could be implemented with deep-eutectic solvent (DES) as extractor. 2 DES were synthesized from choline chloride and dihydric alcohols, which were 1, 2-ethanediol and 1, 4-butanediol. It was found that shorther alkyl chain DES has higher density and low viscosity compared to longer alkyl chain DES. Freezing point depression to form melt compound at room temperature was observed for both DES. In optimized conditions, ethanediol produce higher desulfurization efficiency (60.27%), suggesting a new opportunity for DES to be used in alternative desulfurization technology.

The effect of nanofillers on the electrical tree behavior of polymeric materials, such as epoxy resin and polyethylene, has been investigated. Thus, research on electrical tree behaviour is extended but limited only to pure crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) cable. Electrical tree properties are yet to be explored under various types of nanofillers in XLPE. In this paper, the electrical tree characteristics of XLPE containing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofiller was reported. The nanofiller concentrations in XLPE were varied to 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%. Needle-plane electrodes were employed with 2 mm gap between the electrodes. A digital camera and microscope system were used to observe the structure and growth of electrical tree in XLPE. The tree inception voltage (TIV) of XLPE increased with the addition of ZnO nanofiller. The propagation length of tree growth improved compared with the unfilled XLPE. The TIV for the samples with 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% ZnO nanofiller improved by 7.69%, 14.65%, and 7.16%, respectively, relative to the unfilled XLPE.

Background: The insecticides used widely has led to resistance in the vector and impose a challenge to vector control op- eration. Objectives: This review aims to analyse the distribution of insecticide resistance of dengue vectors in South East Asia and to describe the mechanism of insecticide resistance. Methods: Literature search for articles published on 2015 to 2019 from PubMed, Scopus and ProQuest was performed. Total of 37 studies included in the final review from the initial 420 studies. Results: Pyrethroid resistance was concentrated on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and Northern Thailand and scat- tered at Java Island, Indonesia while organophosphate resistance was seen across the Java Island (Indonesia), West Sumatera and North Peninsular Malaysia. Organochlorine resistance was seen in Sabah, Malaysia and scattered distribution in Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. V1016G, S989P, F1269C gene mutation in Aedes Aegypti were associated with Pyrethroid resistance in Singapore and Indonesia. In Malaysia, over-expressed with monooxygenase P450 genes (CYP9J27, CYP6CB1, CYP9J26 and CYP9M4) Glutathione S-transferases, carboxylesterases commonly associated with pyrethroids resistance in Aedes Aegypti and CYP612 overexpressed in Aedes Albopictus. The genetic mutation in A302S in Aedes Albopictus was associated with organochlorine resistance in Malaysia. Conclusions: Rotation of insecticide, integration with synergist and routine assessment of resistance profile are recom- mended strategies in insecticide resistance management. Keywords: Insecticide resistance; vector management; Aedes; pyrethroid; mortality.

Background: Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in non-diabetic adults, accounting for up to one-third of biopsy diagnostics in some regions. A watchful waiting strategy has been adopted to accurately assess the success of MGN. In this study, we predict prognostic risk factors for primary MGN patients for effective intervention and prognosis. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study design involving 125 biopsy-proven MGN subjects on follow-up from January 2012 to October 2019 in Hospital Serdang and Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Result and Conclusion: After the median follow-up of 36 (15.0-57.0) months, 26 (20.8%) consisting of 17 (13.6%) primary MGN and 9 (7.2%) secondary MGN subjects achieved complete remission while 17 (13.6%) and 10 (8.0%) of primary and secondary MGN subjects respectively achieved spontaneous remission. Subjects with nephrotic range proteinuria have 2.917 odds more at risk of primary MGN while subjects with hypertension have 2.417 odds risk of primary MGN compared to those with no hypertension at presentation. Multiple logistic regression models retained only factors directly associated with MGN with only nephrotic range proteinuria associated with primary MGN. Those with nephrotic range proteinuria were 3.04 times the odds of primary MGN when compared with those without nephrotic syndrome (95% C. I = 1.089, 8.472). The nephrotic syndrome could be used to determine the prognosis in patients with primary MGN especially those at risk of end-stage kidney disease.

In the fifth-generation (5G) cellular network, the Mobile Network Operator (MNO), and the Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) platform will play an important role in providing services to an increasing number of vehicles. Due to vehicle mobility and the rise of computation-intensive and delay-sensitive vehicular applications, it is challenging to achieve the rigorous latency and reliability requirements of vehicular communication. The MNO, with the MEC server mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), should make a profit by providing its computing services and capabilities to moving vehicles. This paper proposes the use of dynamic pricing for computation offloading in UAV-MEC for vehicles. The novelty of this paper is in how the price influences offloading demand and decides how to reduce network costs (delay and energy) while maximizing UAV operator revenue, but not the offloading benefits with the mobility of vehicles and UAV. The optimization problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). The MDP can be solved by the Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithm, especially the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG). Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the proposed pricing model outperforms greedy by 26%and random by 51% in terms of delay. In terms of system utility, the proposed pricing model outperforms greedy only by 17%. In terms of server congestion, the proposed pricing model outperforms random by 19% and is almost the same as greedy.

Recently the emergence of sensitive issues related to spiritual or believe among nation occurred. All these kinds of issues must be tackled from the grass root especially among youth. In relation to the above issues, government as well as private sectors manages to setup various activities in order to develop and improve spirituality among youth. Even though many activities have been implemented for a long time and a lot of cost, including time and money spend, the effect of spirituality activities among youth are not certain. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to explain a training module for nurture spiritual foundation among youth in building and fostering a self-identity. It is enabling them to confront trials and challenges and subsequently persevere in developing an excellent and visionary personality based on the First National Principle, ‘Belief in God.’ In this paper, we explain the process of the development of the MY Spirituality module; the delivering method as well as the intervention session to test runs the module. Finally, this paper also shares the feedback from the implementation of a spirituality program using the module.