Pertanika Journal of Scholarly Research Reviews (PJSRR - Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM)
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Deep Mixing Columns
Get PDFThe deep mixing columns (DMCs) is a stabilisation technique that uses cement and lime as stabilisation agents to improve the ultimate bearing capacity of soils. This method has numerous applications, such as foundation engineering, providing supporting wall for excavation, liquefaction mitigation, hydraulic cut-off wall, and environmental remediation. This current paper presents a brief history and a review of this promising technique for the purpose of ground improvement. Moreover, several previous works related to the ultimate bearing capacity of DMCs ground are reviewed which includes analytical analyses, laboratory works (small scale), and full scaled field tests. Finally the paper suggests further study and development topics and proposes steps forward to enhance the potential of alternatives for cement and lime replacement in this promising technique
Code-Switching in Online Communication Among Arabic-English Speakers
Get PDFLanguage is essential for communication. People who are involved in cross cultural communication have to be bilingual in order to interact with people from a different language background (Blackwell. Woolard, K. (2005). Bilingualism opens up various new pathways of thoughts, expressions, and it helps to reduce misunderstanding in interactions (Hidayat, T. 2012). The purpose of this review is to find out how code-switching plays a vital role in language communication especially in the social media such as Facebook, Twitter, SMS and Chat. This study reviewed fifteen journal articles to examine the ways code-switching was used. The review was to discover social phenomena and authentic identities of social actors. The study discovered that code-switching has been used widely to unmask bilinguals’ cultural background and group identity during online communication via Facebook. Finally, code-switching can be used to obtain positive feelings to the interlocutor, which here was combined with introducing humour as an in-group marker, quoting, and to some extent topic specificity as well as possible vocabulary limitation in one language or the other, in the online conversation by bilinguals such as to express group solidarity
Bamboo Properties and Suitability as a Replacement for Wood
Get PDFThe utilization of bamboo as a manufacturing material is becoming globally attractive in the wood and wood product industries today. This is due to the numerous industrial applications and uses of the bamboo plant from its fast growth, availability, unique appearance and strength. Bamboo has been popularly known for its traditional uses such as poultry cages, vegetable baskets, incense sticks, skewers and chopsticks, woven blinds and handicrafts. Very little has been done on the industrial processing of bamboo into boards. Several authors have studied and reported on the utilization, processing and the properties of this emerging material as an alternative to the increasing decline of wood in the forest. This review aims to compare and contrast some of the works done on the advancement in producing laminated bamboo timber. The properties of bamboo and its laminated products attest to its potency in substituting wood. Bamboo utilisation has increased significantly in the wood and wood product industries, with adequate retooling in most processing firms in the sector. In line with the development and use of bamboo-laminated timber for the purpose of wood in furniture production, the creation of bamboo plantations on degraded lands will meaningfully support production and mitigate the degradation of forest
Male Reproductive System
Get PDFThe overall reproductive process consists of both the human sex organs which include the male and female reproductive system. The ability to produce offsprings that have similar characteristic as their parents is the goal of reproduction. The sexual type of reproduction takes place in human and both male and female reproductive system is required. Male reproductive system is mainly concerned with production of semen (whitish viscous fluid emitted from the male reproductive tract that contains sperm and fluids) and transferring it into the female reproductive tract. In this review, we will discuss the latest findings in the research pertaining the male reproductive system and its contribution towards the research in advancement of reproductive physiology
Urban Transit Network Design Problems: A Review of Population-based Metaheuristics
Get PDFThe urban transit network design problem (UTNDP) involves the development of a transit route set and associated schedules for an urban public transit system. The design of efficient public transit systems is widely considered as a viable option for the economic, social, and physical structure of an urban setting. This paper reviews four well-known population-based metaheuristics that have been employed and deemed potentially viable for tackling the UTNDP. The aim is to give a thorough review of the algorithms and identify the gaps for future research directions
Antioxidant Vitamins, Oxidant Injuries and Diseases
Get PDFOver the past few decades antioxidant vitamins have been shown to aid in disease prophylaxis as well as treatment. Deficiencies of these vitamins in diets have resulted in associated deficiency syndromes in both humans and animals. Since a handful of disease conditions is associated with imbalances of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione as well as increases in reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitrogen oxide species (NOS) and lipid per-oxidation markers such as malondialdehyde, supplementation with antioxidant vitamins has resulted in amelioration of oxidative damage and ultimately disease recession. Vitamins A, C and E together with compounds such as carotenoids have been extensively studied for their roles in disease modulation or exacerbation. However, while Vitamins C and E have been shown to have immense potentials in the alleviation of several conditions, Vitamin A and especially carotenoids had shown little or no use in conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention. This review highlights the documented roles of these vitamins in disease prevention over the past few decades and the potentials that need to be explored further
Nutritional, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Mikania micrantha Kunth
Get PDFMikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae) is a perennial creeping vine that can be found in South and North America, Africa, Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, including Southern China and Malaysia. Previous studies have reported that this plant possesses several pharmacological properties which can be used to prevent and cure several diseases. Phytochemicals found from various parts of M. micrantha have been linked to beneficial medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, and also anti-diabetic activities. The primary aim of this paper is to review available scientific information on the nutritional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of M. micrantha to provide baseline information for future studies
Molecular Epidemiology: A Valuable Tool for Determination of Emerging and clonality of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Get PDFMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the leading nosocomial pathogen that is also emerging as a zoonotic pathogen. In this review, it was observed that rapid emergence of new MRSA clones at a higher frequency has ushered in a new knowledge on the clonality and epidemic potentials of MRSA. Secondly, the success of treatment and management of MRSA infection is threatened by the diversity in the clonal types. This is because different clones harbours different antibiotics resistance characteristics and as such respond differently to treatment. Furthermore, clonal replacement of hospital-acquired MRSA with community -acquired MRSA has also been observed. Thirdly, the transmission of MRSA even though previously thought to be exclusively within the hospital setting through hand contact and nasal colonization has now spread to the community and in addition human to animal and animal to human transmission has also been observed. Similarly, pet owners, veterinarians and farmers have been described as high-risked group with potentials of becoming reservoirs of MRSA. Furthermore, the adoption of hand hygiene in healthcare setting have to a great extent reduced the incidence of MRSA in the hospital. And lastly, the advent of molecular typing such as Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST), Staphylococcal protein A typing (Spa typing) and Double Locus Sequence Typing (DLST) have proven to be a useful tool in providing valuable information on the evolution and clonal diversity of MRSA. These in turn help researchers to answer some pertinent questions on the epidemiology of MRSA
Integrating Motivation in Instructional Design
Get PDFThis paper explores the construct of motivation from the perspective of the instructional designer or teacher. It describes the motivation to learn in the context of intrinsic motivation, Expectancy-value Theory, Self-efficacy Theory, and Attribution Theory. The ARCS motivational model is examined in detail before discussing how motivation can be integrated in instructional design to enhance learning. This paper also explicates Cheng and Yeh’s (2009) framework in the context of classroom learning
Olivine for Soil Stabilization
Get PDFThe aim of this paper is to review the potential capability of olivine as a new binder for soil stabilization. The recent research shows that using environmental friendly materials for soil stabilization is expanding. The increasing amount of greenhouse gasses (GHG) such as CO2 has also instigated research into finding environmentally friendly materials for soil stabilization. For quite some time, cement is one of the well-known binders in soil stabilization, but it releases high amount of CO2, and energy consumption of cement have caused civil engineers to use some other materials or by-products to fully or partially replace cement for soil stabilization. Recently, alkaline activation process in soil stabilization is an interesting option at medium-term to fully eliminate traditional cementitious binders such as cement and lime. Olivine is a well-known material for CO2 sequestration. Furthermore, the high amount of SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 in olivine could classify this mineral as a pozzolanic material in soil stabilization