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Islamic feminism in response to the western misogyny, and women’s rights in the Islamic context
Get PDFObjectives: This study explores the complex interaction between Islamic feminism and Western feminism, focusing on how Islamic feminism addresses claims of gender oppression in Muslim societies and challenges Western feminist critiques. It also investigates the rights Islam grants to women and the misconceptions surrounding these rights in Western discourse. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, the research examines feminist texts, Islamic scriptures, and historical accounts to analyze how Islamic feminism has developed as a response to Western narratives. It also evaluates feminist critiques and the socio-cultural impact of colonialism and neo-colonialism on gender discourse in Islamic societies. Results: The findings reveal that Islamic feminism emphasizes gender equality rooted in the Qur’an and challenges the patriarchal interpretations of Islamic teachings. It also highlights the misrepresentation of Muslim women in Western feminism, revealing instances of Islamophobia and cultural imperialism. Islamic feminism emerges as a framework that reclaims religious identity while advocating for gender justice. Conclusions: This study concludes that Islamic feminism provides a powerful counter-narrative to Western feminism by asserting the compatibility of gender equality with Islamic values. It underscores the need to recognize the agency of Muslim women and dismantle stereotypes perpetuated by Western frameworks, fostering a more inclusive and culturally sensitive understanding of feminism
Investigating EFL students’ engagement in project-based speaking activities: from a multi-dimensional perspective
Get PDFIntroduction: Student engagement is essential for improving academic performance and achievement. Project-Based Learning (PBL) has emerged as a promising instructional approach to enhance student engagement. However, its effectiveness across various engagement dimensions remains under-explored. Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach to examine the impact of PBL on student engagement, with a specific focus on its behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and agentic dimensions. It involved 96 first-year students from a Chinese polytechnic, who were assigned to either an experimental group (n = 49) or a control group (n = 47). While the control group received instruction through conventional teaching methods, the experimental group engaged in PBL. Data were collected through a combination of questionnaires and interviews. Results: Findings indicate that PBL significantly enhances emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. However, the results also reveal that PBL had no significant effect on agentic engagement. Students perceived PBL as a highly effective method for enhancing engagement, as evidenced by increased strong interest and enjoyment, focused concentration and effort, active use of cognitive strategies, and proactive contribution to learning. Discussion: This study demonstrates the potential of PBL to foster deeper engagement in EFL settings, particularly in behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. Nonetheless, its limited effect on agentic engagement suggests a need for instructional adjustments that encourage student autonomy and voice. These findings provide practical insights for educators aiming to implement PBL effectively in EFL classrooms
Optimizing tower footing resistance and arcing horn length for improving lightning performance on 275 kv transmission lines
No full textHigh-voltage transmission lines at 275 kV are susceptible to lightning backflashover, with critical influencing factors including tower footing resistance (TFR), arcing horn configuration and lightning waveform characteristics. This paper present details analysis of the combined effects of TFR and arcing horn length under various of lightning waveshapes, examining how these variables interact to impact backflashover rate (BFR). Results indicate that optimizing TFR to lower values, particularly around 5Ω, mitigates BFR, especially in high GFD regions, by improving grounding efficacy. Furthermore, the relationship between arcing horn length and BFR is observed to be a non-linear, showing diminishing returns in BFR reduction beyond certain arcing horn lengths depending on the waveform type. A comparative waveform analysis reveals that shorter front times, as in the 0.25 / 100 μ s waveform, result in higher backflashover susceptibility than waveforms with longer rise and decay times, such as the 10 / 350 μ s waveform. These results suggest the critical role of waveform-specific mitigation strategies, as backflashover risk is heightened under certain lightning waveforms. This study supports adopting lower TFR values and optimized arcing horn configurations tailored to specific waveform characteristics and environmental exposure. Such adaptive approaches could lead to significant improvements in the resilience of transmission lines, reducing the frequency and severity of lightning-induced disruptions in high-voltage power systems, especially in regions with elevated lightning incidence
Analysis and simulation of evacuation routes during disaster situations: a case study in Kuala Lumpur City (KLC)
Get PDFKuala Lumpur City (KLC) is susceptible to disasters because of its large population, crucial infrastructure, and vital economy. In this study, we used the disaster risk maps generated for fl ash floods and landslide hazards in KLC to identify key areas for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) activities. We employed analysis and simulations to determine the most effective evacuation routes from key areas to crucial HADR centres, including medical facilities, police stations, fi re stations, and temporary evacuation centres, during a disaster. We conducted the investigation by considering factors like evacuation time, route accessibility, and overall efficiency. We proposed multiple routes during the disaster scenario, including the use of alternative roads with reduced capacity if the major roads became inaccessible. This case study highlights the significance of ongoing evaluation and improvement of evacuation preparations. The measures, including the use of cutting-edge traffic management systems, frequent practice sessions and instruction for emergency responders, and heightened public awareness and preparedness initiatives, could potentially improve evacuation time. By implementing these strategies, KLC may enhance its ability to withstand and respond to disaster scenarios, thereby safeguarding lives and mitigating the potential consequences of disasters. The results of this study could provide useful insights for Kuala Lumpur City Hall to plan evacuation routes during a disaster
Interpretable deep learning for efficient code smell prioritization in software development
Get PDFCode smells indicate potential design flaws in software systems that can impair maintainability and increase technical debt. While existing approaches have advanced code smell priortization, they often lack effective prioritization mechanisms and interpretability, hindering developers’ ability to make informed refactoring decisions. This paper presents a novel approach combining CodeBERT embeddings with Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) networks for code smell prioritization, enhanced by Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME) for model interpretability. The approach introduces specialized preprocessing for large-scale projects and implements a selectivity metric for validating explanation quality. Our comprehensive evaluation demonstrates that the Bi-LSTM approach consistently outperforms traditional architectures across various code smell types, achieving 0.90 across precision, recall, and F1-score metrics for complex class priortization, and precision of 0.88 with recall of 0.87 for feature envy priortization. The model also showed strong performance in identifying God classes, namely, 0.84 for precision, 0.77 for recall, and 0.89 for long methods. The integration of LIME provides developers with clear insights into the model’s decision-making process, enhancing trust and facilitating more effective refactoring decisions. This work contributes a framework that not only accurately detects and prioritizes code smells but also offers transparent, interpretable results applicable in real-world software development
Enrichment of Artemia with synbiotic and its effects on growth nutrient utilization survival and gut microbial communities of larval hybrid catfish (Clarias microstomus × Clarias gariepinus)
Get PDFArtemia (brine shrimp) is a vital live feed in aquaculture, providing essential nutrients during the early developmental stages of aquatic species. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of synbiotic-enriched Artemia franciscana as a live feed for hybrid catfish larvae (Clarias microstomus × Clarias gariepinus), using locally isolated probiotics (Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis) and the commercial prebiotic inulin. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, Artemia were enriched for 6 h with four treatments: T1 (E. faecium W01 + inulin), T2 (E. faecalis + inulin), T3 (E. faecium W02 + inulin), and T4 (control and no synbiotics). Bacterial colonization was assessed microscopically and through colony counts at 2, 4, and 6 h post-enrichment. Synbiotic-treated groups (T1–T3) showed significantly higher bacterial retention than the control (T4), with T1 achieving the highest colonization levels (2 h: 6.98 log CFU/g; 4 h: 7.02 log CFU/g; 6 h: 7.10 log CFU/g; p < 0.05). Control values ranged from 5.12 to 5.45 log CFU/g. Microscopy revealed a distinctive red-brown gut coloration in treated Artemia, indicating successful colonization. In Phase 2, hybrid catfish larvae were fed enriched Artemia for 7 days, followed by a subsequent 7-day period transitioned to enriched Artemia and commercial pellet feed. T3 resulted in the highest weight gain (263.14 ± 34.70 mg), length gain (14.38 ± 5.10 mm), specific growth rate (SGR; 19.59 ± 1.17% day−1), and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR; 0.10 ± 0.01), all significantly better than other treatments (p < 0.05). Although survival rates did not differ significantly, T3 recorded the highest survival (57.5 ± 3.81%). Forty presumptive lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from the fish gut, grouped into four main clusters. These results highlight the potential of synbiotic-enriched Artemia to enhance larval growth and gut health, offering an eco-friendly strategy to improve feed efficiency and reduce antibiotic dependance in aquaculture
Optimized Eleutherine bulbosa Urb. bulb extract on the inhibition of 3D retinoblastoma spheroids cultured in type I murine collagen
Get PDF• AIM: To investigate the efficacy of Eleutherine bulbosa (Mill.) Urb. bulb extract (EBE) on the 3D human retinoblastoma cancer cells (WERI-Rb-1) spheroids and explore its apoptotic mechanism. • METHODS: The 3D WERI-Rb-1 and human retinal pigmented epithelium cells (ARPE-19) spheroids were developed using type 1 murine collagen that was excised from the rat tail tendon and cultured via hanging drop and embedded techniques. The cytotoxic activity was examined by Alamar blue assay meanwhile, the morphological characteristics were assessed by 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mRNA and protein expressions of apoptotic and antioxidant signal transduction pathways were explored to ascertain its molecular mechanisms. The statistical analysis was carried out using GraphPad Prism. • RESULTS: The Alamar blue assay portrayed higher half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of EBE and cisplatin on 3D WERI-Rb-1 model as compared to the previous study on 2D model. The results of DAPI and SEM illustrated apoptotic features upon treatment with EBE and cisplatin in a dose-dependent manner on 3D WERIRb-1 model. The mRNA and protein levels of apoptotic and antioxidant-related pathways were significantly affected by EBE and cisplatin, respectively (P<0.05). The regulation of gene and protein expressions of 3D WERI-Rb-1 spheroids differed from the 2D study, suggesting that the tumor microenvironment of extracellular matrix (ECM) collagen matrix hindered the EBE treatment efficacy, leading to apoptotic evasion. • CONCLUSION: A significant inhibition effect of EBE is observed on the 3D WERI-Rb-1 spheroids. The presence of ECM causes an increase in cytotoxic resistance upon treatment with EBE and cisplatin
Minat bidang pertanian faktor Fatin Syamimi pilih UPM
Get PDFSERDANG, 5 Oktober – Minat mendalam terhadap pertanian menjadi dorongan utama Fatin Syamimi binti Ahmad Termizi,20, memilih Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) untuk melanjutkan pengajian di peringkat pendidikan tinggi
DNA barcoding of bats from two selected forest reserves in Peninsular Malaysia
No full textBats (order Chiroptera) are notable for their species diversity and a variety of distinct characteristics. However, as several molecular studies have shown, morphological similarities in some taxa of this group can result in neglected diversity. DNA barcodes can help by providing an accurate, rapid, and effective method of species recognition. In this study, we used DNA barcoding to identify bats captured from two selected regions in Peninsular Malaysia: Kenyir, Terengganu and Taman Alam Liar Negeri Kenaboi (TALNK), Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. DNA barcoding analysis was performed on 38 bat specimens to further verify the species identification of the captured bats from morphological characteristics. The COI gene (603-604 bp) was successfully sequenced from the 38 bat species, representing 3 families, 5 genera, and 15 species. The phylogenies of NJ, ML, and Bayesian methods resulted in most of the specimens of the same species being clustered together. According to the IUCN Red List, Rhinolophus trifoliatus is listed as Near Threatened (NT), whereas 14 species were listed as Least Concern (LC). The findings reported in this study confirm the usefulness of DNA barcoding to identify bat species and to measure bat diversity in Kenyir and TALNK forest reserves. Improving habitat conservation in forest reserves is necessary to guard against the disruption and extinction of bat species