19672 research outputs found
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Religiosity as a source of influence on work engagement: a study of the Malaysian Finance industry
No full textThe majority of work engagement studies have been conducted using a quantitative approach with limited attention to the institutional and social contexts. Meanwhile, the role of religion in shaping people’s philosophy and behaviour in life and work has been gaining attention from management researchers. Studies have revealed the positive impact of religiosity on a number of human resources and organizational outcomes. However, few studies treat religious belief as a job or personal resource from a HRM perspective. This study fills part of this research gap by focusing on the relevant factors that may affect work engagement in the Malaysian Islamic context. Drawing on data from 41 semi-structured interviews with mid-ranking professionals from the finance sector, this study responds to calls for more focus on contexts and for deeper qualitative investigations into individual dynamics that concern religiosity and work engagement. It provides evidence that religiosity plays an important role in work engagement. Our findings have implications for people management in organizations that have a diverse workforce representing multiple religions
Vaping topography and reasons of use among adults in Klang Valley, Malaysia
No full textBackground: Consistency and accuracy of results in assessing health risks due to vaping or e-cigarette use are difficult to achieve without established consumption data. The present report covers baseline data on vaping topography and reasons for use among local users in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods: An 80-item survey regarding socio-demographic characteristics, smoking topography and reasons for e-cigarette use was employed to assess e-cigarette users recruited from several public universities and private organisations. The survey questionnaire was self-administered. Data were analysed using statistical software. Results: Eighty-six current e-cigarette users participated with more than half (51.2%) of them aged ≥ 25 years old. Significant proportions of the sample were single (51.2%), had a tertiary education level (63.5%) and a household income of less than USD1000 per month (65.2%). Median duration of e-cigarette use was less than a year; users drew approximately 50 puffs per day and refilled twice a day. The majority (74%) used e-liquids containing nicotine with a concentration of 6 μg/mL. Daily users spent USD18-23 per month. Reasons for using the e-cigarette included enjoyment of the products (85.9%), perception of lower toxicity than tobacco (87%), and the fact that it was a cheaper smoking alternative (61%). Conclusion: The data on e-cigarette smoking topography obtained in this study are novel. The reasons of usage were mainly users' enjoyment of e-cigarettes, preparation for quitting smoking, perception of low toxicity and a healthier smoking substitute and cheapness in the long run. The results establish basic knowledge for the local vaping topography and reference material for future e-cigarette-related research
A new achievement in green degradation of aqueous organic pollutants under visible-light irradiation
No full textThe global attention has been focused on degradation of the environmental organic pollutants through green methods such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) under sunlight. However, AOPs have not yet been efficient in function of the photocatalyst that has been used. In this work, firstly, CaCu3Ti4O12 nanocomposite was simultaneously synthesized and decorated in different amounts of graphene oxide to enhance photodegradation of the organics. The result of the photocatalyst characterization showed that the sample with 8% graphene presented optimum photo-electrical properties such as low band gap energy and a great surface area. Secondly, the photocatalyst was applied for photodegradation of an organic model in a batch photoreactor. Thirdly, to scale up the process and optimize the efficiency, the photodegradation was modeled by multivariate semi-empirical methods. As the optimized condition showed, 45 mg/L of the methylorange has been removed at pH 5.8 by 0.96 g/L of the photocatalyst during 288 min of the light irradiation. Moreover, the photodegradation has been scaled up for industrial applications by determining the importance of the input effective variables according to the following organics order>photocatalyst>pH> irradiation time
Epstein–barr virus infection in B-cell non-hodgkin’s lymphomas of the oral and maxillofacial region: Is there any evidence?
No full textIntroduction: Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) might be an aetiological agent involved in the pathogenesis of certain Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas (NHLs). EBV infection has been diagnosed by serologic testing within the tumour biopsies of patients with NHL. However, the association between EBV and NHL is inconsistent with a preference for certain anatomic sites, histologic subtypes and immunosuppressed patients. The objective of this study was to characterise the B-cell NHLs of the oral cavity and maxillofacial region using histological and immunophenotypical techniques and to determine its association with EBV infection. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that included 14 cases of B-cell NHLs of the oral cavity and maxillofacial region. The haematopoietic and lymphoid tissue tumours classification of WHO was used to categorize the cases. In-situ hybridisation for EBV–encoded RNA was performed to confirm the EBV infection. Results: The average age of the patients included in the study was found to be 48.8 ± 23 years with a higher female to male ratio (1.3:1). Our study suggested that diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) and Burkitt’s lymphomas (BLs) constitute the predominant subtypes of lymphomas affecting the oral cavity and maxillofacial regions. Conclusion: The findings from our study support the view that at least a relatively smaller proportion of B-cell NHLs that occur in the oral cavity and maxillofacial region do not have a pathogenic association with EBV
One-step Solvothermal Synthesis of rGO/TiO2 Nanocomposite for Efficient Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye
No full textBackground: The discharge of effluents from the textile and dyeing industries has been a worldwide concern. Although reduced graphene oxide/titanium dioxide (rGO/TiO 2 ) nanocomposite is a potential candidate for wastewater treatment, the influence of graphene oxide (GO) content on its physico-chemical characteristics and its subsequent photocatalytic capabilities in degrading the organic contaminants has not been well established. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to assess the use of rGO/TiO 2 nanocomposites with various GO contents for the removal of toxic methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solution. Method: In the present study, rGO/TiO 2 nanocomposites were fabricated using various GO contents through a one-step solvothermal method. The effect of GO content on the nanocomposite formation was investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The resulting nanocomposites were evaluated against MB degradation under artificial solar light illumination. Results: Based on the photocatalytic results, the highest removal percentage of MB was achieved by 0.15rGO/TiO 2 , which was about 1.7 times higher than that of 0.01rGO/TiO 2 . Conclusion: The enhanced removal efficiency of MB by the nanocomposite with the highest GO content (0.15 g) was attributed to the increased active adsorption sites, which greatly promoted the p- p interaction between the aromatic rings of MB dye and the graphitic skeleton of rGO, as well as the electrostatic interaction between the cationic center of MB molecules and the residual oxygen functionalities of rGO. © 2019 Bentham Science Publishers
A New Species of theSimulium (Simulium) multistriatumSpecies-Group (Diptera: Simuliidae) From Thailand and Its Phylogenetic Relationships With Related Species
No full textSimulium undecimum sp. Nov. is described from Thailand. This new species is assigned to the Simulium multistriatum species-group, one of the 20 species-groups of the subgenus Simulium in the Oriental Region. It is characterized by the female cibarium with minute processes, male ventral plate with a narrow body having two vertical rows of distinct teeth on the posterior surface and without setae on the anterior and lateral surfaces, pupal gill with eight short filaments decreasing in length from dorsal to ventral, and divergent at an angle of around 90 degrees when viewed laterally, spine-combs only on abdominal segments 7 and 8, and cocoon wall-pocket shaped with anterolateral windows. Taxonomic notes to separate this new species from related species in Thailand and other countries are given. This new species is the 11th nominal member of this species-group recorded in Thailand. An analysis of the COI gene sequences shows that it is most closely related with S. malayense Takaoka & Davies (cytoform A) from Thailand but they are distantly separated by 3.01-8.87%. © 2018 The Author(s)
Dynamics of technological innovation, energy consumption, energy price and economic growth in Denmark
No full textThis study investigates the dynamic relationships between technological innovation, consumption of energy, energy price, and economic growth in Denmark during the period from 1970 until 2012, using multivariate setting to examine time-series data. The analysis employs the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to co-integration to examine both the short and long run dynamics among the variables. Furthermore, the study uses the Granger procedure within the VAR framework to identify causality among the variables. The model used in this study is found to be sound, a diagnosis of the reliability of the model reached by testing normality, functional form, serial correlation, and heteroscedasticity, with stability of the model tested using a cumulative sum and cumulative sum square test, based on recursive regression residuals. The ARDL approach to co-integration reveals that real GDP growth positively influences energy consumption as well as significantly in both the short run and long run, while energy prices and technological innovation influence energy consumption negatively and significantly. The results ascertain that energy consumption and economic growth are independent of each other, and thus they support a neutral hypothesis for Denmark. Besides, both the technological innovation and energy prices are found to be Granger cause energy consumption. Therefore, the study suggests that Denmark should adopt conservative energy policy using technological innovation and energy prices as instruments to achieve energy security and protect the environment from pollution. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: 22–29, 2019. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineer
Bisleuconothines B–D, Modified Eburnane–Aspidosperma Bisindole Alkaloids from Leuconotis griffithii
No full textThree new bisindole alkaloids, bisleuconothines B-D (1-3), were isolated from the bark of Leuconotis griffithii. Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Bisleuconothine B (1) is the first monoterpene indole alkaloid dimer featuring bridges between both C-16-C-10′ and C-2-O-C-9′. All compounds were deemed noncytotoxic (IC50 > 10 μM) when tested against A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells
The effect of laser pulse bandwidth on the measurement of the frequency fluctuation correlation functions in 2D electronic spectroscopy
No full textSeveral methods have been proposed to obtain the frequency fluctuation correlation function (FFCF) of a transition from the 2DES spectra without complicated fitting procedures. Although all were shown to give correct values in idealized conditions, this might not be applicable in real experimental circumstances. Here, we observe the effects of using different bandwidth excitation pulses in three commonly used methods: ellipticity, center line slope of slices along excitation (CLSω1) and detection (CLSω3) frequencies. The studies were performed on the Qy transition of chlorophyll a. We show that the CLSω3 method gives consistent results for all bandwidths used. For the other two methods, the recovered FFCF values decrease in magnitude with decreasing excitation pulse bandwidths. We also show that by applying the simplified expressions derived by Do et al., incorporating finite pulses in 2DES spectra simulation, we can recover accurate FFCFs using any of these methods