19672 research outputs found
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Cortical Modulation After Two Different Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Protocols in Similar Ischemic Stroke Patients
No full textBackground: Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Malaysia. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is one of the new non-invasive modality to enhance the motor recovery in stroke patients. Objectives: This pilot study compared the motor evoked potential (MEP) changes using different settings of rTMS in the post-ischemic stroke patient. The goal of the study is to identify effect sizes for a further trial and evaluate safety aspects. Methods: Eight post-stroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis for at least six months duration were studied in a tertiary hospital in Northeast Malaysia. Quasi experimental design was applied and the participants were randomised into two groups using software generated random numbers. One of the two settings: i) inhibitory setting, or ii) facilitatory setting have been applied randomly during the first meeting. The motor evoked potential (MEP) were recorded before and after application of the rTMS setting. A week later, a similar procedure will be repeated but using different setting than the first intervention. Each patient will serve as their own control. Repeated measures ANOVA test was applied to determine the effect sizes for both intervention through the options of partial eta-squared (η 2 p). Result: The study observed large effect sizes (η 2 p > 0.14) for both rTMS settings in the lesion and non-lesion sides. For safety aspects, no minor or major side effects associated with the rTMS was reported by the participants. Conclusions: The partial eta square of MEP value for both rTMS settings (fascilitatory and inhibitory) in both lesion and non-lesion sides represents large effect sizes. We recommend further trial to increase number of sample in order to study the effectiveness of both settings in ischemic stroke patient. Our preliminary data showed both settings may improve the MEP of the upper extremity in the ischemic stroke patient. No significant improvement noted when comparing both settings
Arrangers’ Identity and the Syndicate Structure of Sukuk (Identiti Pengatur dan Struktur Sindiket Sukuk)
No full textThe participation of multiple banks and financial institutions in a sukuk (Islamic bonds) issuance reflects a successful process of negotiation of contract terms between the issuer, lead arranger, and other financial institutions. Conventional finance literature suggests that certain banks or non-bank institutions possess unique characteristics that give them a competitive advantage in screening and monitoring debt contracts. Whether or not their uniqueness contributes to the structure of sukuk syndicate is still an empirical question. Therefore, this paper examines the relation between arranger identity and the structure of sukuk syndicate for a sample of 3,462 sukuk tranches. Results of multiple Poisson regressions indicate the certification effect of arrangers where more reputable banks are associated with a larger syndicate size (the number of participant financial institutions). Non-bank institutions are also positively related to the size of syndicate, and this relation is more pronounced for private firms. This implies that such institutions are gaining specialization in screening and monitoring risky contracts. Further, Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) play a limited role in sukuk syndication. One promising avenue for IFIs to build their capacity to assume the role of lead arranger, as the results suggest, is to actively engage reputable conventional banks and non-bank institutions in their syndicated financing activities
Assessing surface characteristics of eroded dentine with optical coherence tomography: a preliminary in vitro validation study
No full textWe conducted the first pilot study to investigate the use of the attenuation coefficient from an optical coherence tomography (OCT) backscattered signal as a measure of surface roughness changes in eroded dentine at an early stage of the erosion process. Ten human premolar root samples were subjected to citric acid treatment before scanning by OCT. The extracted relative attenuation coefficient (μR) from backscattered OCT signals was shown to increase with the duration of acid challenge. Validated against roughness measurements (rSa) from scanning electron microscopy scans, μR is significantly correlated with rSa indicative of severity of erosion (p < 0.01, r = 0.9195). We conclude that the OCT attenuation coefficient of the immediate subsurface in eroded dentine is a potential surrogate measure for its surface roughness. However, further work should be performed to study how it relates to the surface and immediate subsurface changes effected by other mechanical wear before it could unequivocally be used as a surrogate measurement for surface roughness
Genome-Wide Regulatory Network Mapping of miRNA and Transcription Factors in Banana Roots
No full textMicroRNA (miRNA) are important regulators of gene expression. Plant miRNA have been reported both to target and to be regulated by transcription factors, however, genomic distribution of miRNA, transcription factor targets for miRNA, transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) of miRNA promoters and their regulatory networks have not been systematically mapped in banana. In this study, genome-wide annotation of miRNA in the most recently published banana genome sequence was used to predict miRNA promoter regions and to map TFBS of miRNA genes. A total of 183 mature miRNAs, comprising 144 orthologous miRNA and 39 Musa-specific miRNA were predicted. Following this, banana root degradome data was used to confirm miRNA targets and the transcription factor targets were placed into a predicted network together with their targeting miRNA using cytoscape. Gene ontology of the 20 transcription factors among the predicted miRNA targets, showed predominance for auxin-activated signalling and developmental processes. Profiling of TFBS motifs across miRNA promoter regions showed that binding site motifs for TCP, AP2/ERF, GATA, NF-YB, DOF, B3, bZIP, trihelix, ZF-HD, bHLH and Dehydrin transcription factor families are abundant in the Musa acuminata genome. Finally, we propose a regulatory network for the miRNA families miR156, miR164, miR166, miR171, miR319, miR396, miR528, mac-miR-new14 and mac-miR-new20 and their respective transcription factor targets
I am Becoming a Doctor: Mine or Someone Else’s Will? Or Does it Even Matter? A Qualitative Investigation
No full textThis study explored the motivation of underperforming students at three points of time: applying the programme, studying in Year 1 and during their repeating year due to academic failure. Six underperforming Year 1 students were interviewed on their initial motivations for choosing the medical programme. Triangulation of analysts was applied in the narrative analysis. Later, these students completed the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) questionnaire twice to reflect on their learning experience in Year 1 and their repeating year. Results showed that these students initially had a mix of amotivation, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation upon applying the medical programme where the worst case scenario was that students genuinely "did not know why". It was further shown that their motivation for studying medicine was unchanged, increased or decreased over a period of time. Although this study fails to support the notion that initial motivation matters in influencing academic success, the AMS results proved that student motivation could also change over time. Hence, more effort is needed to nurture intrinsic motivation after enrolling into medical schools
Equilibrium and rhythm in Piet Mondrian’s Neo-Plastic compositions
No full textAn important modern artistic movement of the twentieth century is Piet Mondrian’s Neo-Plastic art and theory. From 1917 to 1944 and concurrent with the creation of his Neo-Plastic paintings, he explained his esthetic principles of Neo-Plasticism in writings, though posteriori to the act of painting. Although a majority of scholars acknowledges a parallel evolution between his paintings and writings, Mondrian’s art is usually analyzed based on his sources of inspiration such as Theosophy, Hegelism, Platonism, and De Stijl. Hence, this paper aims to use Mondrian’swritings,asa stand-alone lens of scrutiny, to examine his esthetic evolution between two groups of paintings in theory and practice. The first group is early Neo-Plastic paintings created between 1919 and 1921, while the second group is mature works painted between 1935 and 1937. This article demonstrates the esthetic development in Mondrian’s thought by showing the degrees of conformity of his art with the fourth and the fifth principles of Neo-Plasticism (written by Mondrian in 1926) in regard to the expression of “equilibrium” and “rhythm” as universal and dynamic. Overall, this article will further the previous discussion on the parallel evolution of Mondrian’swritingsandhispaintings.Thisarticle shows that when it comes to the expression of equilibrium and rhythm, there are more similarities between the fourth and the fifth principles with his early Neo-Plastic compositions (1919–1921). As such, Mondrian deviated, although only slightly, from the content of the fourth and fifth principles in his 1935–1937 compositions
Analysis of factors for determining suitable site for giant freshwater prawn (macrobrachium rosenbergii) farming through the local knowledge in Negeri Sembilan of Peninsular Malaysia
No full textPrawn farming is one of the most important sectors emerging in the aquaculture industries in Malaysia which requires the consideration of the factors determining its spatial distribution. However, institutions charged with the responsibility of land suitability classification often neglect the incorporation of the local knowledge in their land use planning. The aim of the study was to identify the factors that determine the suitability of a site for giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) farming in Negeri Sembilan of Peninsular Malaysia through the local knowledge. Data were collected from 64 prawn farmers and 10 fisheries officers in Negeri Sembilan using a questionnaire. Twelve factors were identified comprising water qualities (distance to sources of water, water temperature, water pH, distance to source of pollution), soil characteristics (land use type, slope, elevation, soil texture) and infrastructure facilities (distance to roads, distance to market, distance to electricity, distance to fry source). Pearson correlation and multiple regression statistics were applied to analyse the data. The correlation result revealed that giant freshwater prawn farming was greatly affected by water qualities with r(62) = 0.669, p=0.000 values, soil characteristics r(62) = 0.559, p = 0.000 values, and infrastructure factors r(62) = 0.566 with p = 0.000 values. The regression analysis indicated that the coefficient of determination R2 = 0.951, meaning that 95.1% of suitability is affected by the water quality, soil characteristics and the infrastructure facilities. Therefore, the determination of the factor for a suitable site for prawn farming can be achieved through the local knowledge
A Moderated Mediation Model for Board Diversity and Corporate Performance in ASEAN Countries
No full textDespite the major investigations in prior studies for direct links among board diversity and corporate performance, the literature has not covered many indirect associations among them. This article analyzes the association between board diversity (gender and foreigner) and corporate performance by focusing on the mediating role of corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR) and the moderated mediation role of South East Asian (ASEAN) countries through new institutional theory, which consists of legitimacy and institutional theories. According to a sample of 264 corporates from all industries by using GRI G3 guideline from 2011 to 2013, we found that foreign and gender diversity have partial and full mediation effects in ASEAN countries. The main conclusion of the current article indicates that board diversity affects directly with corporate performance and indirectly with CSRR through moderated path analysis. The implications are valuable for academics, managers, and policy makers who are interested to determine the impact of intervening variables on the board diversity and corporate performance relationship in ASEAN countries
How Effective Is the BTUN-Diagram in the Evaluation of Territorial Unification Negotiations: The Case of China-Taiwan Territorial Unification
No full textThis article evaluates the effectiveness of the Box Territorial Unification Negotiation Diagram (BTUN-Diagram) in the evaluation of any territorial unification negotiation between two or more territories anywhere and anytime. We used the BTUN-Diagram to evaluate the possible unification of China and Taiwan as it provides a much deeper analysis and interpretation of what unification of the two territories entail. The BTUN-Diagram extends the study of territorial unification beyond the common economic implication of unification as observed in many studies by widening the scope of the study through a multidisciplinary approach. Given the huge gaps that exist in the China-Taiwan unification drawn from our analysis, we observed more divergence than convergence given the huge cost likely to be borne by a unifying party. We suggest very serious and purposeful negotiations could bring about trade-offs that may institute an equilibrium point in the territorial unification negotiation
The quantitative and qualitative evolution of the social security research
No full textThis article examines the evolution of social security research from a theoretical and empirical perspective. This is done through an extensive review and analysis of publications from the Journal of International Social Security Review published by Wiley within a 50-year period (1967–2017). It was observed that at a different period in time, the social security research focused on different national and international issues that invoked different social welfare programs and pension systems approach (public or private) to facilitate the explanation of its final socio-economic impact into different social groups in the same country or region respectively