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Environmental control of Vibrio spp. abundance and community structure in tropical waters
No full textWe measured Vibrio spp. distribution and community profile in the tropical estuary of Port Klang and coastal water of Port Dickson, Malaysia. Vibrio spp. abundance ranged from 15 to 2395 colony forming units mL-1, and was driven by salinity and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration. However, the effect of salinity was pronounced only when salinity was 4.338, P < 0.05). Co-culture experiments between fast- and slow-growing Vibrio spp. revealed that fast-growing Vibrio spp. (r-strategists) were overwhelmed by slower-growing Vibrio spp. (K-strategists) when nutrient conditions were set towards oligotrophy. In response to resource availability, the intrinsic growth strategy of each Vibrio spp. determined its occurrence and the development of Vibrio spp. community composition. © FEMS 2019
Integrated multichannel Young’s interferometer sensor based on long-range surface plasmon waveguides
No full textTwo integrated Young's interferometer (YI) sensors based on long-range surface plasmon polariton (LRSPP) waveguides are presented. The first sensor is single-channel and based on a Y-junction splitter, and the other is multi-channel and based on a corporate feed structure. The multichannel YI enables simultaneous and independent phase-based monitoring of refractive index changes in multiple channels. The diverging output beams from the waveguides are overlapped in the far field to form interference patterns which are then post-processed using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm to extract phase values. The sensing capability of these YIs was demonstrated through sequential injection of solutions with increasing refractive index into the sensing channels. A detection limit of ∼ 1 × 10−6 RIU was obtained for both LRSPP based YIs, a significant improvement over measurements from similar structures using attenuation-based sensing. © 2019 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreemen
RNA-seq data of Ganoderma boninense at axenic culture condition and under in planta pathogen-oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) interaction
No full textObjective: Basal stem rot disease causes severe economic losses to oil palm production in South-east Asia and little is known on the pathogenicity of the pathogen, the basidiomyceteous Ganoderma boninense. Our data presented here aims to identify both the house-keeping and pathogenicity genes of G. boninense using Illumina sequencing reads. Description: The hemibiotroph G. boninense establishes via root contact during early stage of colonization and subsequently kills the host tissue as the disease progresses. Information on the pathogenicity factors/genes that causes BSR remain poorly understood. In addition, the molecular expressions corresponding to G. boninense growth and pathogenicity are not reported. Here, six transcriptome datasets of G. boninense from two contrasting conditions (three biological replicates per condition) are presented. The first datasets, collected from a 7-day-old axenic condition provide an insight onto genes responsible for sustenance, growth and development of G. boninense while datasets of the infecting G. boninense collected from oil palm-G. boninense pathosystem (in planta condition) at 1 month post-inoculation offer a comprehensive avenue to understand G. boninense pathogenesis and infection especially in regard to molecular mechanisms and pathways. Raw sequences deposited in Sequence Read Archive (SRA) are available at NCBI SRA portal with PRJNA514399, bioproject ID. © 2019 The Author(s)
Medical physicists in Malaysia: A national workforce survey 2019
No full textObjective: Medical physics in Malaysia is still considered a young profession. This workforce survey aims to understand the status, aspirations, motivation and experiences of medical physicists (MPs) in the country. A subsection of this survey also aims to understand the role of women. Method: A survey was carried out between April 20 and May 30, 2018 by a working group under the Medical Physics Division of the Malaysian Institute of Physics (IFM). The survey form was designed using Google Form and sent to various public and private institutions nationwide that employed MPs registered with IFM. Results: A total of 106 responses (28% men and 72% women) were analysed. This represented 30% of the medical physics workforce. Majority of them had postgraduate degrees, but their clinical training is mostly obtained on the job with no certification. The number of low-ranking female MPs was disproportionately high. MPs worked long hours and achieving work-life balance (WLB) was a challenge. Factors that improved their WLB included working close to home, having a supportive manager and flexible working hours. Most MPs aspired to become professional and mentor younger compatriots, besides contributing to patient care and research. Gender discrimination was reportedly low. Conclusion: Medical physics in Malaysia is growing and has a strong representation of women. In future, they would probably take over the top management from their male counterparts, whose number had stagnated. A united effort was essential to set up a proper clinical training system to train clinically qualified MPs. © 2019 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medic
SHEPWM based new hybrid multilevel inverter topology with reduced switch count
Get PDFIn this paper, a new single-phase hybrid multilevel inverter topology is proposed with reduced switch count. The basic unit of the proposed topology is capable of generating 13 levels at the output. A higher number of levels can be generated by extending the basic unit. Two different extensions of the basic unit have been proposed in the paper. The topology consists of a level generation unit (LGU) and the polarity changing unit (PCU). The level generation unit of the proposed topology is based on the series connection of multiple switched dc voltage sources with half and full bridge configurations. Selective Harmonic Elimination PWM (SHEPWM) based switching control technique has been employed for an improved harmonic spectrum. Performance and effectiveness of the proposed topology with the employed SHEPWM control have been substantiated by simulation results and verified by experimental results obtained from a laboratory prototype
Chinese, Nyonya or local?: perceived food culture in Penang, Malaysia
Get PDFPenang is an excitingly diverse city. Despite prominent gentrification projects and the sign of boutique hotels, posh shops and trendy restaurants/bars/café that adorn its streets, Georgetown remains authentic, unique and lively. The present study intends to explore Georgetown, the capital city of Penang, not only for its historically and culturally rich and intact cityscape, but also for its fabulous food culture, especially street food and the nyonya cuisine. By employing a linguistic landscape approach (Landry and Bournis 1997; Shohamy, Ben-Rafael and Barni 2010), I would like to highlight how the perceived food culture (for example, people’s understanding about food – whether they are Chinese, Nyonya or local food), with reference to the signage displayed, will allow one to get a real taste of Penang’s culture and sense of place. Williams and Stewart (1998) described sense of place as the “collection of meanings, beliefs, symbols, values and feelings that individuals or groups associated with a particular locality” (p. 19) which is individually and socially constructed over the years. In this regard, I argue that food (e.g., name and ingredients) not only creates common bonds and reflects individual’s or collective ‘attachment’ to a place (Stedman 2002: 561)./
Using an integrated teaching approach to facilitate student achievement of the learning outcomes in a preclinical medical curriculum in India
No full textToday most education institutions around the world have adopted the philosophy of outcome-based education. The emphasis in outcome-based education is achievement of outcomes; hence the curriculum should be designed in a way that it includes the components targeted specifically at achieving these outcomes. A discipline-based approach results in fragmentation of learning and lack of clinical applicability. Integrated teaching could be a solution to achieve required outcomes in a holistic way. Hence, the aim of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate an integrated teaching module. Temporal coordination of the basic sciences, along with correlation of learned topics to clinical settings, was done in the first year of the undergraduate medical program. The module was evaluated by obtaining qualitative and quantitative feedback from students. Student assessment was conducted with a test that had case vignettes and multiple-choice questions. In addition, students' change in learning approaches and self-directed learning readiness were collected. Students' perception regarding the educational environment was also obtained. Analysis of the data showed positive feedback from the students regarding the integrated teaching. Students' average score in the test was 86%. There was a significant increase in the scores for the deep approach and self-directed learning readiness in the posttest compared with the pretest. Moreover, students were found to be satisfied with the educational environment. Evaluation of integrated teaching revealed that it was well accepted by the students. Moreover, it facilitated the achievement of the students' outcomes
Influence of fibers on bond strength of concrete exposed to elevated temperature
No full textConcrete is a building material having good fire resistance and the resistance depend on many factors including the properties of its constituent materials. Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) apart from improving mechanical properties has better fire resistance than conventional concrete. Bond strength of concrete is one of the important properties to be considered by structural engineers while designing reinforced concrete cements. In this research, an experimental investigation has been carried out to determine the effect of fibers on the bond strength of different grades (M20, M30, M40 and M50) of concrete subjected to elevated temperature. Different types of fibers such as Aramid, Basalt, Carbon, Glass and Polypropylene were used in the concrete with a volume proportion of 0.25% to determine the bond strength by pull-out test. Prior to the pull-out test, the specimens were kept in a furnace and subjected to elevated temperatures following standard fire curve as per ISO 834. Based on the test results of the investigations, type of fiber, grade of concrete and duration of heating were found to be the key parameters that affect the bond strength of concrete. The contribution of carbon fiber in enhancing the bond strength was found to be more significant compared to other fibers. An empirical relationship has been developed to predict the bond strength of FRC at a slip of 0.25 mm. This empirical relationship is validated with experimental results. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Moral Autonomy and Habituation Method: A Study Based on Islamic Teachings
No full textThe current paper seeks to illustrate the conflict between habituation and moral autonomy and explain the Islamic view in this regard. The methodology of this research is qualitative and Islamic classical sources have been used to further elucidate Islam’s stance, as we have referred to some articles and resources to understand the concept of habituation method and its contradictions with moral autonomy. The achievement of the paper is realising the contradiction between the habituation method and moral autonomy and habituation’s incompatibility with the rational growth and development of the youth which is the goal of Islamic education. Therefore, this method cannot be accepted in Islamic moral education. On the other hand, there are some narratives in the Islamic sources that apparently have recommended this method, so another important achievement of the article is the proper interpretation of these narratives, presented for the first time. According to this interpretation, these narratives do not recommend the habituation method, but rather the continuity and maintenance of the action. Therefore, there is no disapproval in Islamic sources in this regard, and these sources reject the use of this method in moral education. The paper concludes by saying that the habituation method is not an Islamic method of education, and Islamic narrations have not recommended it. This paper comes with a suggestion that education scholars and policy makers need to extract other methods from the Islamic sources and devise them according to scientific findings instead of using this method. © Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2019. This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Contention Window and Residual Battery Aware Multipath Routing Schemes in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks
No full textIn mobile ad hoc networks, limited energy resources and traffic congestion at the nodes are crucial issues due to the nodes being battery operated and flooding the network with packets, respectively. These issues degrade network routing performance in terms of quality of service. In this study, we proposed a contention window and residual battery-aware multipath routing scheme to enhance network performance. Our proposed routing scheme has successfully diverted the traffic load from a low energy node to a high energy node while also controlling congestion among intermediate nodes. A multi-criteria decision-making technique was also used for the selection criteria of an intermediate node in the optimal path, based on the mobility and window size contention of nodes. Eventually, the contention window and residual battery-aware multipath routing scheme has enhanced throughput, attenuated the packet loss ratio, and reduced the energy consumption in comparison to a conventional multipath optimized link state routing protocol routing scheme. © IJTech 2019