19672 research outputs found
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New approach to management of traumatic phacocele with iris loss
No full textWe present a case of a 77-year-old woman who sustained blunt ocular trauma leading to a scleral rupture, superonasal subconjunctival crystalline lens dislocation, iris loss, and hyphema. Computed tomography aided in the diagnosis of traumatic phacocele. Surgical exploration revealed an 11.0 mm anterior scleral rupture that was then repaired. Secondary implantation of the uniquely designed tripodal anterior chamber intraocular lens (AC IOL) was the choice because of the presence of extensive iris loss, scleral rupture, cornea edema, and hyphema at the primary setting. This case demonstrates successful restoration of globe integrity and a good visual outcome from an appropriate AC IOL selection and timing of IOL implantation
Combined effects of glufosinate ammonium and temperature on the growth, photosynthetic pigment content and oxidative stress response of Chlorella sp. and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata
No full textThere has been concern over the potential adverse effects of glufosinate ammonium, a widely used herbicide, on microalgae. This study aimed to assess the combined effects of glufosinate and temperature on Chlorella sp. CHSS262, which was isolated from a farmland in Malaysia, in comparison with the model microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. The following parameters were assessed: growth, pigment content and oxidative stress response. Results showed that Chlorella sp. (EC25 = 120 μg mL−1) was more tolerant to glufosinate than P. subcapitata (EC25 = 43 μg mL−1) when grown at 28 °C. Both microalgae were then exposed to glufosinate at EC25 at different temperatures (10, 18, 28, 33 and 38 °C) for 8 days. While P. subcapitata could grow from 10 to 38 °C, with optimal temperature between 18 and 28 °C, the lower temperature limit of Chlorella sp. was 18 °C. There was only minimal growth inhibitory effect of glufosinate on Chlorella sp. over the range of temperatures tested. In comparison, the inhibitory effect of glufosinate on P. subcapitata was less pronounced at extreme temperatures (10 and 38 °C) compared to that at 18 to 33 °C. High ROS levels and increased lipid peroxidation were detected in P. subcapitata at 10 and 38 °C in both the control and glufosinate-treated cultures. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that there was significant correlation between ROS and lipid peroxidation in P. subcapitata but not in Chlorella sp. Overall, the results showed that Chlorella sp. and P. subcapitata responded differently to temperature and glufosinate, especially in regard to oxidative stress response although both species were highly resistant to the herbicide
Supervisory Communication and Employees’ Job Satisfaction in the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
No full textSupervisory communication has been determined as a strong factor in predicting organizational environment. Even though it is not clearly outlined, supervisory function serves as a big determining factor in job satisfaction. Despite the fundamental idea that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute to the development of the nation, there is still a huge gap on how organizational communication works particularly in relation to how well the small numbers of employees in SMEs could interact with their supervisors. This study examines the relationship between supervisory communication and job satisfaction among SMEs’ employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia. It was hypothesized that supervision is a determining factor to job satisfaction due to the fact that the relationship between supervisors and subordinates in the workplace is essential. Secondly, supervisory communication is imperative as it is important to influence subordinates’ job satisfaction. 184 respondents were selected randomly from SMEs’ directory for this research. The study found that there is a moderately strong relationship between supervisory communication and job satisfaction among employees in the industry. Specifically, supervisory communication explained 39.5% of the communication satisfaction variance. Therefore, supervisory communication significantly predicted job satisfaction in the industry. This study underlines the importance of supervisory communication towards job satisfaction and predicted that it will finally contribute to the future development of the industry
Investigating design changes in Malaysian building projects
No full textThe complexity and uncertainties associated with construction projects mean that contracts invariably provide sufficient flexibility for changes in design as the work proceeds. However, the concomitant effects of this arrangement often cause time and cost control to be adversely affected–resulting in schedule delays and cost overruns. In seeking an improved understanding, this study aimed to identify the specific causes of design changes and their implications –cost performance of Malaysia-based building projects. A total of 39 causes were first identified through a comprehensive literature review and, in conjunction with 12 semi-structured interviews with experienced construction industry practitioners, then categorised into those originating from clients, consultants, contractors, site and external sources. A questionnaire survey of 338 clients, consultants and contractors was then analysed to infer and rank the identified causes and their overall effect. The research reveals that building projects in Malaysia encounter time–cost overruns of 5–20% due to design changes. Lack of coordination among various professional consultants, change of requirements/specification, addition/omission of scope, erroneous/discrepancies in design documents and unforeseen ground conditions are the five most significant causes. The analysis also reveals considerable heterogeneity of perceptions between the respondent groups of the most significant causes of design changes, attributed to the adversarial culture within the industry
Exploring the underlying factors inducing design changes during building production
No full textAlthough design changes is a significant inhibiting factor to schedule management and cost control in building projects globally, however, the reasons remain largely unknown, and the construction industry is unable to manage the problem effectively. A triangulated approach was employed where 39 reasons were first explored through semi-structured interviews with experienced practitioners. Subsequently, a national survey was used to rank the reasons. ‘Value engineering’, ‘lack of coordination among various professional consultants’ and ‘change of requirement’ ranked the highest. Next, exploratory factor analysis revealed eight underlying factors. Finally, the influence of these manifested factors was validated statistically using partial least squares based structural equation modelling. The three most critical factors found are ‘competency of project team', ‘quality and workmanship’, and ‘site constraints and safety consideration’. This paper contributes to the development of new underlying factors inducing design changes, which largely explain design changes as well as enable practitioners and researchers to devise effective preventive measures in controlling design changes in building project
Kita’s usage in spoken discourse: Collectivity to singularity
No full textThis short communication explains that kita ‘we’ has an alternative usage as a singular personal pronoun, presented as kita ‘I’. The usage of kita is classified into six classes, based on its substitutability with saya and the context in which kita occurs. The purpose of this paper is to prove that there are three contexts that render kita a singular pronoun: (i) the speaker refers to people in general to share her point of view; (ii) the speaker wants to share information with a group of people whom she knows; (iii) the speaker exercises negative politeness
Queen polymorphism in Acanthomyrmex careoscrobis Moffett, 1986 in Peninsular Malaysia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), with descriptions of hitherto unknown female castes and males
No full textThe present study presents biological observations on colony characteristics of Acanthomyrmex careoscrobis Moffett, 1986 in Ulu Gombak (Selangor, Malaysia), with redescription of the minor worker and descriptions of the hitherto unknown female castes and males. The colony of A. careoscrobis can produce both alate and ergatoid queens. Ergatoid queens may function as cheap secondary reproductive females, whereas it is at present unclear whether they engage in dependent colony foundation or not. Ergatoid queens have the same number of ovarioles as alate queens, and show variable intermediate external morphology between major workers and alate queens. The colony redistributes nutrients via trophic eggs among colony members. Reviewing current available data for other Acanthomyrmex species, this study highlights the great prevalence and diversity of ergatoid queens in this poorly-studied genus
Production of coloured callus in Orthosiphon stamineus Benth and antioxidant properties of the extracted pigments
No full textPurpose - The purpose of the present study is to understand the role of auxin and cytokinin in stimulating the production of pigmented callus in Orthosiphon stamineus and to gain correlation between the callus colours with their antioxidant capacity and bioactive constituents. Design/methodology/approach - In this study, plant tissue culture was used to induce production of callus of various colours from leaf explants of O. stamineus, via manipulation of plant hormones (0-2.0 mg L1 indole-3-acetic acid [IAA] and Kinetin [Kin]). The coloured callus was subjected to solvent extraction and used for quantification of its carotenoid, chlorophyll, anthocyanin and phenolic contents. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity of the extracts was also evaluated, before and after four weeks of storage at 20°C. Findings - The highest mean (per cent) explants that produced roots (93.33 6 0.05 per cent) were observed when the cultures were supplemented with 2.0 mg L1 IAA. The colour of the callus changed with time, from green to cream to brown after two and four months of culture, respectively. Optimum production of green callus was achieved with addition of 2.0 mg L1 Kin plus 1.0-2.0 mg L1 IAA to the media, while cream callus in 0.5 mg L1 Kin plus 2.0 mg L1 IAA and brown callus in 0.5 mg L1 Kin plus 1.5 mg L1 IAA. Green callus was found to contain the highest amount of chlorophylls, carotenoid and anthocyanin, while cream callus contained the highest amount of phenolic compounds. The amount of pigments and secondary metabolites in the callus extracts decreased after four weeks of storage, except anthocyanin. The antioxidant potential of the extracts also increased after storage. Research limitations/implications - The major compounds identified in the methanolic extracts of O. stamineus-coloured callus are chlorophylls, carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Future research work should include improvements in the extraction and identification methods which may lead to detection of other compounds that could attribute to the antioxidant capacity, to complement the findings of the current study. Practical implications - This analysis provides valuable information on the application of IAA and Kinetin (Kin) to manipulate the content of major pigments with medicinal benefits in O. stamineus by using the plant tissue culture system. Originality/value - A comparative study on antioxidant capacity and bioactive constituents of pigmented callus from O. stamineus leaves is original. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt of comparative evaluation on antioxidant potential of O. stamineus-coloured callus produced using IAA and Kin
Evaluating new bio-hydrogen producers: Clostridium perfringens strain JJC, Clostridium bifermentans strain WYM and Clostridium sp. strain Ade.TY
No full textThree newly discovered H2 producing bacteria namely Clostridium perfringens strain JJC, Clostridium bifermentans strain WYM and Clostridium sp. strain Ade.TY originated from landfill leachate sludge have demonstrated highly efficient H2 production. The maximum H2 production attained from these isolates are in the descending order of strain C. perfringens strain JJC > C. bifermentans strain WYM > Clostridium sp. strain Ade.TY with yield of 4.68 ± 0.12, 3.29 ± 0.11, and 2.87 ± 0.10 mol H2/mol glucose, respectively. The result has broken the conventional theoretical yield of 4 mol H2/mol glucose. These isolates were thermodynamically favourable with Gibbs free energy between −33 and −35 kJ/mol (under process conditions: pH 6, 37 °C and 5 g/L glucose). All three isolates favour butyrate pathway for H2 production with the ratio of acetate and butyrate of 0.77, 0.65 and 0.80 for strain JJC, WYM and Ade.TY, respectively. This study reported provides a new insight on the potential of unique bacteria in H2 production
Awareness, perception and barriers to seeking information from online academic databases and medical journals as sources of information
No full textMedical students’ use of online medical journals as a source of information is crucial in the learning pathway to become medical doctors. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among University medical students between December 2012 and March 2013 to assess their awareness, perceived usefulness, practices, and barriers to seeking information from online academic databases and medical journals. The response rate was 67.53%. The majority of the students knew of the availability of online academic databases and medical journals. The mean score for awareness (4.25 of possible 11.0), perceived usefulness (13.95 of possible 33.0), and practice (10.67 of possible 33.0) were low. The mean barrier score toward using online academic databases and medical journals was 25.41 (of possible 45.0). Multivariate findings showed that significant barriers associated with overall usage of online databases and medical journals were 1) not knowing where or how to locate databases and 2) unsureness of using the Boolean operators. Availability of full text subscriptions was found to be an important factor in using online databases. Study findings highlighted the need to increase awareness of academic databases’ availability and increase training on ways to search online academic databases and medical journals