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Kata Kerja dalam Bahasa Iban: Suatu Analisis Morfologi Berdasarkan Teks-teks Berita Suara Sarawak
No full textBahasa Iban telah lama bertapak sebagai bahasa tulisan dan diajarkan sebagai subjek elektif di peringkat sekolah-sekolah mahupun di peringkat IPTA. Walau bagaimanapun, penyelidikan bahasa Iban yang menyentuh laras formal masih kurang dijalankan secara komprehensif. Penyelidikan ini melaporkan dapatan kajian yang memeri pembentukan kata kerja terbitan bahasa Iban dalam laras berita. Deskripsi pembentukan kata kerja bahasa Iban dalam kajian ini menerapkan kerangka Sistem Nahu (Omar, 2015) yang berasaskan teori sistemik-fungsional. Kajian ini memanfaatkan data korpus dari teks berita dalam akhbar Suara Sarawak. Analisis kata kerja dalam kajian ini melibatkan ayat formal. Teks berita yang dipilih berkaitan dengan isu politik, ekonomi, pendidikan, pertanian, sosial serta bencana. Keseluruhan teks berita yang dianalisis ialah sebanyak 120 teks. Teks-teks dari korpus berita ialah sebanyak 24,000 patah perkataan. Jumlah keseluruhan data yang diperolehi ialah sebanyak 135 kata kerja. Dari segi pengkategorian kata, dapat dirumuskan bahawa kata kerja jenis perbuatan lebih kerap ditemui berbanding kata kerja keadaan. Dalam pembentukan kata, proses pengimbuhan dan asimilasi homorganik nasal merupakan proses yang paling produktif. Selain itu, proses peminjaman dan pemajmukan turut produktif dalam memperkayakan perbendaharaan kata bahasa Iban. Bahasa Iban banyak meminjam kata daripada bahasa Melayu dan bahasa Inggeris. Kajian ini mendapati sejumlah 11 imbuhan kata kerja. Berbanding dengan bahasa lisan, kata kerja dalam penulisan formal seperti teks berita kerap menggunakan pengimbuhan awalan dan apitan seperti be-, di-, te-, N-, N-...-ka, di-...-ka, be-...-ka, te-...-ka. Selain itu, proses pengimbuhan dan asimilasi homorganik nasal turut menyebabkan perubahan morfofonemik dalam proses penerbitan kata bahasa Iban. Proses asimilasi homorganik nasal di posisi awal kata dasar merupakan ciri khusus bahasa Iban yang membezakannya daripada sistem pengimbuhan bahasa Melayu standard. Secara tidak langsung, dapatan kajian ini telah menunjukkan perkembangan kata kerja bahasa Iban dalam laras formal khususnya dalam penulisan teks berita
Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Extraction of p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid
No full textp-Hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HBA) is widely found in the environment due of its exceptional properties and has been used in the synthesis of variety of products such as preservatives, dyes, bactericides, etc. This causes a huge disposal of p-HBA in the environment which is
considered to be harmful to both aquatic and terrestrial life. The molecular imprinting technique was employed to fabricate a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) that possesses selective binding sites for the p-HBA. In this study, p-HBA was used as the template molecule for
the MIP synthesis, which was carried out using the precipitation polymerization method with a non-covalent approach. Acrylic acid was employed as the functional monomer, while ethylene glycol dimethylacrylate (EGDMA) was utilized as the cross-linker. The characterization
of the MIP of p-HBA was conducted with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The SEM results showed that both MIP and the non-imprinted polymer (NIP) of p-HBA were spherical in shape. The MIP attained its highest efficiency at optimum conditions of 1 ppm initial concentration, 0.4 g of polymer dosage and 210 min contact time. Moreover, the competitive binding
assay indicated that the MIP displayed a greater affinity towards p-HBA than benzoic acid. The synthesized MIP was successfully used for the extraction p-HBA from blood serum and the extraction efficiency was about 80.56%
Automated cervical vertebral maturation staging using deep learning: Enhancing accuracy through random oversampling and memory optimization
No full textObjectives This study introduces a customized deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) framework for automated classification of cervical vertebral maturation stages (CVMS) from lateral cephalometric radiographs, with targeted strategies to address class imbalance and training inefficiencies. Material and Methods A total of 922 radiographs from subjects aged 7–20 years were independently assessed for CVMS by two orthodontists. Images meeting quality criteria were preprocessed to isolate C2–C4 cervical vertebrae. To address the class imbalance, random oversampling (ROS) was applied. The dataset was split into 70% training, 30% validation, and an additional 10% unseen test set to evaluate model generalization. A custom DCNN model was developed with hyperparameters tuning through random search and trained using Adam optimizer and categorical cross-entropy loss. Early stopping was implemented to prevent overfitting and ensure optimal model convergence. In addition, a memory reset function was applied before each training session to release memory and reset the model’s weights, optimizing memory usage and preventing any unwanted bias accumulation during the training process. Results Initially, the model showed high training accuracy (98%) but but poor generalization (57% validation accuracy) due to dataset imbalance. After applying ROS, dataset restructuring, and early stopping, the model’s validation accuracy improved to 88%. On unseen data, the model achieved 76% accuracy, demonstrating better generalization. The recall analysis revealed significant underestimation for CVMS 4 and CVMS 5 (21% and 15% misclassifications), while CVMS 1 and CVMS 6 exhibited minimal misclassifications (8%), mainly within adjacent stages, indicating reasonable stage progression accuracy. Conclusion This study highlights the potential of a fully automated DCNN for CVMS classification with promising results. Future work will focus on enhancing stage differentiation, improving classification accuracy, and leveraging advanced AI techniques to enhance model robustness and generalization
Effectiveness of digital platform in reducing unintentional medication discrepancies at transition of care from hospital discharge to primary healthcare settings: a randomised controlled trial
No full textBackground Modifications to medication regimens during transitions of care between different healthcare
settings often lead to unintentional medication discrepancies (UMDs). The MedBook Portal, a simple digital platform that enables the sharing of patient medication records among healthcare facilities under Ministry of Health, was developed to facilitate medication reconciliation at primary health clinic (PHC) after hospital discharge. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of MedBook Portal in reducing UMDs in the first prescription during the first PHC visit after hospital discharge.
Methods This two-arm, parallel, non-blinded, randomised controlled trial was conducted at four public hospitals and
ten public PHCs in Sarawak, Malaysia, from May 2023 to July 2024. Adult patients aged ≥ 18 years in general medical
wards, discharged from hospitals, and referred to selected PHCs were recruited. In the Standard Care group, PHC
doctors performed standard medication reconciliation by reviewing patients’ medical records on their home-based
medical cards and discharge notes, if available. In the MedBook Portal group, in addition to this process, PHC doctors logged into MedBook Portal to access the discharge prescription before issuing a new prescription.
Results Among the 339 eligible subjects randomised into MedBook Portal group and Standard Care group, 307
participants (147 MedBook Portal, 160 Standard Care) were analysed after excluding those for whom the intervention
was not performed (n = 11) and those with no prescription (n = 21). The incidence rate of prescription with UMDs was
significantly lower in the MedBook Portal group (5/147, 3.4%) compared to the Standard Care group (30/160, 18.8%)
(p < 0.001). The most common UMD was drug omission (54.4%). Multivariable logistic regression showed that the
presence of MedBook Portal reduced the odds of UMDs by 87% (adjusted OR 0.134, 95% CI 0.049–0.336, p < 0.001),
whereas each additional comorbidity increased the odds by 52% (adjusted OR 1.520, 95% CI 1.158–2.020, p = 0.003)
Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking analysis of p-tolyldiazenyl azo derivatives
No full textImpacts of multiresistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli have initiated active research
of new effective drugs. Herein, new p-tolyldiazenyl azo derivatives 1-13 were successfully synthesized through a
well-established diazo coupling reaction of p-toluidine with substituted phenol at ortho, meta and para positions.
The series was obtained in a moderate yield of 58% – 79% and structural elucidation was done using FTIR and
NMR spectroscopies. The antioxidant ability of the compounds 1-13 evaluated by 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay outlined a potential activity with IC50 of 26 – 188 ppm
and 12.29 – 182.73 mg/mL Trolox equivalent, respectively. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the compounds
assessed via the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method against S.aureus and E.coli show moderate to good inhibition
zone of 7.04±0.50 mm to 17.46±0.50 mm as compared to standard ampicillin (19.29±0.33 mm). Determination of
minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) through a turbidimetric method towards similar bacteria strains, gave a
MIC values of 84 – 178 ppm (S.aureus) and 112 – 194 ppm (E.coli) with compound 3 (m-F) (84.37 ppm) and 9 (mBr) (112.40 ppm) are better than ampicillin which the MIC were 97.70 ppm and 112.92 ppm for S.aureus and E.coli
respectively. The molecular docking analysis towards MurE and DHFR enzymes reveals that the hydrogen bonding,
hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions with amino acid in the vicinity are the major contributions to the
activities. This study is important in discovering a potentially new candidate for combating emerging infections
The Initial Findings on the Socioeconomic Impacts and Migration Patterns of the Marudi-Miri Tar-Sealed Road = PENEMUAN AWAL MENGENAI KESAN SOSIOEKONOMI DAN CORAK MIGRASI JALAN BERTURAP MARUDI-MIRI.
No full textThe study investigates the socioeconomic impacts of the tar-sealed road connecting Marudi to Miri City in Sarawak, Malaysia. Before 2005, Marudi was disconnected from Miri City by road, depending solely on express boats and flights for its transportation needs. The construction of a logging road in 2005 and its subsequent upgrade to a tar-sealed road in 2019 significantly improved accessibility. This qualitative research utilises purposive sampling and employs semi-structured interviews with 20 interviewees to explore the impacts of the road. The findings reveal four primary social and economic impacts. The newly tar-sealed road has greatly enhanced patient transportation to hospitals and made travel more convenient. However, its narrow and hilly characteristics have raised safety concerns. In terms of migration, the primary factor influencing migration decisions continues to be economic opportunities. Economically, the road has altered consumer behaviour, leading to increased shopping in Miri and posing challenges for local businesses. However, it has also spurred new business developments, including national chain stores and local enterprises. The study finds that although the tar-sealed road has improved accessibility, it does not significantly influence the migration decisions of local residents. Instead, job opportunities continue to be the primary factor for migration
The Role of Internet Usage in Shaping Psychological Well-Being : A Comparative Study of Internet-Addicted and Non-Addicted Undergraduates
No full textThis study explores the psychological impact of Internet addiction, comparing the functioning of Internet-addicted individuals to their non-addicted counterparts. A survey of 175 undergraduates from a Malaysian public university assessed their perceptions of 18 statements reflecting key facets of psychological well-being, including autonomy, environmental mastery, positive relationships, personal growth, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Significant differences were observed in 14 out of 18 statements, with small to medium effect sizes, indicating meaningful disparities between the two groups. The findings suggest that Internet-addicted individuals are more likely to experience challenges in psychological well-being, often turning to the Internet as a coping mechanism for dissatisfaction or unhappiness. This study underscores the need for targeted interventions in the realm of information technology to promote healthier Internet use and address its psychological effects
Adsorption of Pb (II) from Aqueous Solution using Nypa Fruticans Activated Carbon (NFAC)
No full textThis study explored the removal of Pb from aqueous solutions with Nypa Fruticans activated carbon (NFAC), derived from abundant and underutilized biomass, as a novel and sustainable adsorbent. The shell of Nypa Fruticans was carbonized and chemically activated using the zinc chloride method. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM-EDX) was utilised to study the physical properties of NFAC. The chemical properties of the activated carbon were studied with Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of absorbent materials in various applications. Moreover, the study investigated the influence of Pb (II) intensity, pH levels, Nypa Fruticans activated carbon dosage, and contact duration on Pb (II) removal. Based on the findings of the experiment, it was found that the most effective conditions for removing Pb (II) were as follows: Pb (II) concentration was ten ppm, which resulted in a 70.22% removal efficiency. A dose of 0.5 grams of NFAC was used, resulting in a 77.25% removal efficiency for Pb (II). When the pH was adjusted to 5, adsorption of 96.83% was achieved for Pb (II). The contact time between NFAC and Pb (II) was 120 minutes, resulting in a 93.49% adsorption of Pb (II). To calculate adsorption capacity, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were applied, and modelling adsorption kinetics was represented with pseudo first order and pseudo second order theorem. While traditional Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models did not adequately fit the data, pseudo second order kinetics provided a strong fit (R² = 0.99), indicating chemisorption as the dominant mechanism