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Characterisation of metabolic, structural and elemental properties of beta pleated amyloid fibril tissue by optical and scattering techniques / Nurul Shahira Mohd Nor Ihsan
No full textBeta-pleated amyloid fibrils characterised by distinct beta-sheet conformation are crucial in amyloid diseases by aggregating and depositing in tissues which leading to organ dysfunction. In the case of amyloid disorders, precise fibril identification is paramount for developing effective treatment strategies. This project harnesses Raman spectroscopy, Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) to achieve rapid and non-destructive diagnosis of amyloid in human tissues. Biopsy samples from 22 patients were analysed using Raman spectroscopy in a spectral range of 600–1800 cm-1 revealed reliable biomolecular fingerprints of amides, lipids, and side-chain amino acids. Statistical analyses involving Principal Component analysis (PCA) of Raman biomolecular intensities and protein-to-lipid ratios differentiated amyloid from control samples, particularly in amide biomolecules. We used SAXS to look at the differences in peak intensities and structural changes at the cellular level between control and amyloid tissues in q-region range of 0.01–2.00 nm-1. Subsequent statistical analyses highlighted the diversity of amyloid pathology across organs. XRF analysis in the energy range between 0–25 keV identified unique elemental characterisation, including elevated levels of potassium (K) and calcium (Ca), diminished iron (Fe), and the exclusive detection of arsenic (As) in amyloid tissues. These findings extend the characterisation of beta pleated amyloid fibril database and suggest a future with improved amyloid diagnostics
Development of aquafeed based on black soldier fly larvae meal for jade perch cultured in biofloc systems / Norhayati Zainorahim
No full textThere is an increasing interest in the commercialization of jade perch (Scortum barcoo) in Malaysia. Traditionally, farmers will opt for fish meal in fish feed due to their excellent protein profile and high palatability. However, the high demand for fish meal in aquaculture has caused the price to increase. Besides, the extensive fishery activity of catching wild fish for fish feed production causes a disastrous fate to the aquatic wildlife ecosystem. This study aims to assess the suitability of black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) as a partial fish meal substitute in the jade perch diet. Three experimental feeding trials were conducted to assess the effects of dietary BSFLM on nutrient digestibility in jade perch, the suitable BSFLM inclusion level in the jade perch diet, and the effect of feeding the selected dosage of inclusion of dietary BSFLM in a biofloc system. The digestibility study shows no significant differences between the fish meal and BSFLM-fed fish in growth and hematological parameters. Jade perch is found to digest the protein, lipid and dry matter higher than the control treatment. The second experiment evaluates the varying fish meal replacement percentages of 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% with BSFLM. The growth performance of the 50%BSFL is comparale to the control (FM100). ANOVA dictates no significant difference in feed conversion ratio (FCR) between all treatments. The third experiment evaluated 50% BSFLM feed in jade perch reared in the biofloc system for 12 weeks. Jade perch juveniles were subjected to three dietary treatments; the 100% fish meal (FM100), 50% BSFLM (BSF50), and commercial diet (COM) with 20 individuals per treatment in triplicate tanks. Growth, feed efficiency, and body indices were measured throughout the feeding trial. In terms of body weight gain (BWG), FCR, specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), survival rate (SR), and fillet yield (FY), no significant differences were observed between the treatments. The condition factor is similar in all treatment groups, ranging from 1.97 – 2.05. The body composition of crude protein and moisture content did not differ between treatments, but higher crude lipids were obtained in the BSF50 and COM groups. Higher hepatosomatic index (HSI) and visceral fat somatic index (VFSI) values were observed in the BSF50 group. Furthermore, sensory evaluation comparing the consumers' evaluation and acceptance of the fish fed different dietary treatments and culture systems shows that the group fed BSF50 and cultured in biofloc system received similar overall appreciation with the FM100 and COM group. Gut microbiome assessment revealed that Fusobacteria and Bacillota dominate the phyla in jade perch gut, while the Pseudomonadota phylum is reduced to 1.49% in BSF50 compared to 41.74% in FM100. The genus Cetobacterium is found in abundance in all treatment (>19%). Clostridium is enhanced in BSF50 treatment, while Helicobacter is found in abundance in FM100 treatment. The data from this study might aid in developing fish feed with reduced fish meal component and as a preliminary study on the microbial community present in jade perch fed BSFLM diet in a biofloc culture system
Mediating effect of self-regulation on the relationship between helicopter parenting style and academic achievement among first year undergraduates in Klang Valley / Toh Poh Lin
No full textHelicopter parenting is a relatively new parenting style compared to Baumrind’s established parenting styles, and its effects within the Malaysian context remain underexplored, with most studies conducted in other cultural settings. Prior research has indicated that parenting style significantly impacts both academic achievement and self-regulation, and that self-regulation itself may influence academic performance. This study aimed to investigate the relationships among helicopter parenting, academic achievement, and self-regulation, with a particular focus on whether self-regulation mediates the relationship between helicopter parenting and academic achievement. Using a convenience sampling method, 436 first-year undergraduates aged 18 to 20 (mean = 19.36) from universities in the Klang Valley participated by completing a self-reported questionnaire. The data were analysed using SPSS and the PROCESS Macro. The correlation analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between helicopter parenting and academic achievement among public undergraduates (ρ= -0.205, p<0.006) but not for those in private universities. In private universities, helicopter parenting did not significantly impact self-regulation or academic achievement, and self-regulation did not mediate this relationship as indicated by confidence intervals including zero in the regression. In public universities, self-regulation significantly improved academic achievement (B = -0.437, SE = 0.125, p < 0.050, 95% CI [-0.682, -0.191]), but while helicopter parenting negatively affected iv
academic performance, it did not do so through self-regulation as indicated by confidence intervals including zero in the regression.
These findings suggest that while helicopter parenting may not directly affect academic performance, self-regulation plays a crucial role in influencing academic success in specific educational contexts. Future studies could benefit from longitudinal designs to explore the long-term impacts of helicopter parenting
Microbial profiling of polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated soil for bioaugmentation strategy / Kimberly Ng Hui Ling
No full textPolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which contaminate the soils, in turn causing adverse effects on the biota and environment. One of the promising methods for remediation of these contaminated soils is bioaugmentation. Thus, a proper assessment of the microbial community of contaminated sites is needed before the bioaugmentation method can be applied to minimise possible antagonistic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical properties of the PCB-contaminated soil and uncontaminated soil, followed by profiling the bacterial community of the PCB-contaminated soil using 16S metagenomic sequencing and compared it with the bacterial profile of an uncontaminated soil using DNA barcoding. The PCB degrading bacteria was also isolated, identified and tested for their ability to degrade PCB by the PCB degradation assay using shake flask. Results showed that the contaminated soil was acidic (pH 4.45) and has low soil nutrient content, in particular N and P content, compared to the uncontaminated soil which was close to neutral (pH 6.34) and higher soil nutrient content. The contaminated soil contains several major phyla like Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota and Actinobacteriota and minor phyla such as Verrucomicrociota, Bacteroidota and Firmicutes. When comparing with the uncontaminated soil, there are differences in the abundance and composition of bacterial phyla and classes in contaminated soil as compared to that of uncontaminated soil. Gammaproteobacteria class was abundant in the contaminated soil while the Alphaproteobacteria class has a greater abundance in the uncontaminated soil. The presence of PCB/hydrocarbon degraders such as Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., Rhodococcus spp. and Ralstonia spp. were recorded from the contaminated soil. The PCB degrading strain isolated was Bacillus spp. In conclusion, the bacterial community in the contaminated soil differed from that of uncontaminated soil and Bacillus spp. was the only PCB-degrading strain isolated from this study
Solar radio activities using spectrometer and heliograph / Mohd Shazwan Mohd Radzi
No full textCompound Astronomical Low frequency Low cost Instrument for Spectroscopy and Transportable Observatory (CALLISTO) is one of the instruments used to detect solar radio bursts at 45 MHz to 870 MHz which mainly used in this work. The novelty of this work is that the relationship between the occurrence of solar radio bursts and solar flares was investigated by considering the time interval between them. The associated solar flare class was also considered since all solar radio bursts in this study were associated with solar flares. In addition, each type of solar radio burst has been divided into two groups depending on whether their magnetic field lines topology are open or closed. The classification mainly depending on the existence of shock wave based on wave speed calculated for each type of burst. Based on the wave speed obtained, it concluded that type I, III, and V having an open magnetic field line topology with the associated flares differed between the M, C, and X classes. While for type II and IV declared to have closed magnetic field line topology with M and C class associated flare. Moreover, the results of this study was conformed that RDF has a linear relationship with solar radio burst detection and RDF frequency fits through the plots and linear line of the CALLISTO detections. This study also shows the relationship between solar activity and earthquake activity, with a total of 141 events recorded. In this statistical analysis, the distribution of the SWD plot with earthquake magnitude obtained was fair enough to indicate relationship between solar activity and earthquakes. In this study also, the emission mechanism is determined separately for the types II and III SRB while always taking into account the specific characteristics of each type. The maximum brightness temperature and degree of polarization for the Type II solar radio burst obtained were varied between 107 K and 1010 K and 3% and 27%, respectively. While for type III burst, brightness temperature and degree of polarization were varied between 108 K and 109 K and 7% and 9%, respectively. Based on these characteristics, this study suggests this type II burst was originated from Electron Cyclotron Maser (ECM) emission while type III originated from Gyrosynchrotron emission. As the preliminary for future work, one general network transmission test was done as the requirement for E-VLBI which a technique that involved interferometry to enhance the resolution of signals received. The network test has shown reasonable results with 812 Mbps (Client) and 618 Mbps (Server) of transfer rate for Universiti Malaya (UM) station while 19.5 Mbps (Client) and 18.9 Mbps (Server) for Jelebu station (JEL). Subsequently, a data transmission test also was conducted between Universiti Malaya (UM) and Yunnan Astronomical Observatory (YNAO) to develop this interferometry technique for future solar radio observations. The results obtained were barely satisfactory with 2.1 Mbps for downloading and 1.6 Mbps for uploading processes with no packet loss detected. As conclusion, an interferometry procedure with real-time data transmission should be implemented in every solar radio observation to improve the quality of the data and the generated images
Ultrasound assisted extraction of cellulose and nanocellulose from coconut shell / Pavitra Mohan
No full textCellulose and nanocellulose are known for their widespread availability, biodegradability, and distinctive physical and chemical properties. Due to that, they have attracted significant interest in recent years, making them well-suited for a variety of applications. This research focuses on the extraction of cellulose and nanocellulose from coconut shell using ultrasound. This study involves two types of cellulose extraction; alkali and bleached cellulose (ABC) and ultrasound assisted extracted cellulose (UAEC). The ABC was subjected to further ultrasonication to obtain nanocellulose. During the nanocellulose extraction, two parameters - sonication power and duration, are varied to investigate their effect on the extracted nanocelluloses. The products were then characterized using attenuated total reflection- Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The ATR-FTIR results showed the absence of peaks attributed to lignin and hemicellulose in the ABC, UAEC and nanocellulose sample. This confirms the effective removal of these materials through the chemical treatments. FESEM analysis reveals the production of micro-sized cellulose (ABC and UAEC), whereas TEM results confirm the extraction of nanocellulose by showcasing nanometer-sized products. The size of nanocellulose sample decreases with increasing sonication power and duration. This is because as sonication power and duration increase, the collapsing cavitation bubbles generate mechanical stress on the cellulose surface, resulting in the breakdown of sample into smaller-sized components. The TGA and XRD results shows improved thermal stability and crystallinity in ABC and UAEC, attributed to the elimination of the non-cellulosic constituents. However, the thermal stability and crystallinity of nanocellulose samples are lower compared to ABC, likely due to the cavitation effect caused by sonication. Moreover, the thermal stability and crystallinity of the nanocellulose sample decrease with increasing sonication power and duration. This is attributed to the increasing collapse of cavitation bubble near the cellulose surface as sonication power and duration increase, which damages the crystalline region. These findings collectively indicate that ultrasonication stands as an efficient and promising method for the extraction of both cellulose and nanocellulose
Business model of social enterprises in healthcare service delivery in Malaysia / Chin Tzuenn Yeu
No full textSocial enterprises (SEs), a unique type of enterprise with a hybrid structure, aim to achieve both social and commercial goals. SEs implement the concept of social innovation and novelty function, generating positive impacts within communities and societies, such as complementing the national welfare system. Given the long-standing burdens faced by the Malaysian health system, SEs could potentially serve as agents of change in facilitating system reform. However, there is limited understanding of how SEs operate within Malaysia’s healthcare services. This research aims to explore the business model of SEs in this context, focusing on their potential dynamics and social capital development. Specifically, this study seeks to define and determine the main building blocks and identify the operating mechanisms of SEs delivering healthcare services in Malaysia. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study uses an exploratory and inductive method with in-depth case studies. Thematic analysis is utilised to generate a conceptual model based on insights from SEs that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings contribute a theoretical framework highlighting key components of the business model and operating mechanisms of SEs for welfare and well-being development. These components are organised into dimensions such as mission, collaboration, network, resources, and value creation. Additionally, innovative business designs, including cross-subsidisation, community employment and engagement, revenue reinvestment, price differentiation systems, strategic networks, and cooperation with players across diverse sectors, are identified. The study offers theoretical, managerial, and policy implications, providing a clearer understanding of SE dynamics. The identified SE business model has the potential for real-life application in depicting social ventures in healthcare service delivery. The in-depth insights into the structure of these hybrid organisations contribute valuable information for business entrepreneurs and the government in sustaining and enhancing system reform. The study also suggests the importance of an enabling environment for the advancement of SEs in healthcare service delivery. Discussions on national health system policies and SE development underscore the justified relationship between healthcare SEs and value-based health service delivery in Malaysia
Non observance of gricean maxims in the occurrences of evasion during THE Malaysian parliamentary question time / Nur Najah Radhiah Zainal Abidin
No full textUntil recently, research on evasion has been predominantly conducted in the context of
political interviews and lacked focus on parliamentary discourse (Rasiah, 2007; Bull &
Mayer, 2020). Further, exploring the contextualization of the Cooperative Principle (CP)
and its conversational maxims by activity types, as discussed by Mooney (2004), in the
parliamentary context should also be considered. This is because previous studies have
shown how institutional norms and constraints can influence the CP (e.g., Antaki &
Stokoe, 2017). This qualitative study utilizes Grice’s (1975) Framework of
Conversational Maxims, Harris’ (1991) Framework of Responses, and Clayman’s (2001)
Framework of Evasion to analyze 360 question and response pairs from pre- and post-
Malaysian 14 General Election hansards. While the study primarily focused on the nonobservance
of maxims in evasions, it also examined the non-observance of maxims in
direct and indirect answers to explore their differences. The study uncovered that MPs
commonly resorted to evasive responses during parliamentary question-and-answer
sessions, with medium-level evasive responses being the most prevalent, followed by full
evasive responses. Ministers and deputy ministers from both governments also frequently
utilized overt strategies by declining to answer questions and providing reasons for their
shift in focus. The study's findings demonstrate that evasive responses may be considered
cooperative if both the questioner and responder engage in an adversarial exchange.
Nevertheless, the study also recognizes that the conversation's "common purpose"
changes when questioners pursue evaded questions, emphasizing the significance of
acknowledging institutional norms and practices in shaping interpretations of cooperative
behavior and developing effective communication strategies that consider these norms and practices. The study's implications have several crucial considerations for
understanding communication dynamics in parliamentary question-and-answer sessions.
Firstly, it highlights the importance of recognizing institutional norms and practices' role
in shaping the interpretation of cooperative behavior as discussed in Grice (1975, 1989)
and developing effective communication strategies that account for them. Secondly, the
study challenges the existing evasion framework proposed by Clayman (2001),
suggesting a need to restructure the framework to incorporate differences in evasive
strategies used in various communication contexts. Finally, the study stresses the
importance of a nuanced analysis of linguistic strategies employed in each context, taking
into account their relation to broader communication goals and objectives. These
implications underscore the intricate nature of communication dynamics and the necessity
of developing effective communication strategies that consider the nuances of distinct
communication contexts and constraints
Effect of oxidation towards interfacial layer of indium tin-oxide nanostructure and p-type gallium nitride / Norhilmi Mohd Zahir
No full textA comprehensive study was performed to probe the effect of the substrate temperature and oxygen incorporation on the structure, optical and electrical properties of ITO deposited on p-GaN. A correlation between the kinetics process of ITO deposition and the structure is explained based on the competition among different surface free energies of bixbyite-In2O3 during film thickening. The irregular shape of the as-deposited ITO on p-GaN is also contributed by the larger lattice mismatch of In2O3 and GaN underlayer. A direct correlation among structural, optical and electrical properties was achieved when ITO was deposited at substrate temperatures of 250 °C, 350 °C and 450 °C. These properties fluctuated when the ITO was deposited at a temperature of 550 °C. The resistivity of the ITO starts to increase again after it has reached its lowest value at a substrate temperature of 450 °C. The 450 °C sample exhibits the best performance of all. The ITO/p-GaN and metal/ITO junctions also show that the 450 °C sample experiences the highest conduction band offset energy and the lowest CBM compared to other samples with the additional formation of an oxide layer at the interface. A transport mechanism for the current spreading role of ITO is suggested to follow the concept of interband tunneling. This work demonstrates that it is crucial to properly investigate the behavior and properties of ITO on specific substrates for specific applications to engineering the performance of the application properly
Measuring the efficiency of light-emitting diode and high-pressure sodium vapour road lighting for penang bridge highway using the data envelopment analysis / Nina Sakinah Ahmad Rofaie
No full textRoad lightings are essential to ensure the safety and comfort of its users, especially to prevent accidents and assist visual tasks. The monumental shift from conventional road lighting technology to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is happening in recent years. This shift is driven by energy efficiency, associated cost savings, and environmental concerns resulting from the road lighting system. Although Malaysia has been using LED for road lighting illumination since 2012, the earlier studies did not favor this adoption. Hence, there is a need to revisit the feasibility of LED for road illumination based on the current development like the reduction in the price of LED lights, raise in the price of energy, and the increased awareness in environmental concerns. This study aims to investigate the performance of LED in substitution for high-pressure sodium vapour (HPSV) road lighting in Penang Bridge using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach by modeling energy, cost, and environment together. The first DEA model of Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes (CCR) is used to investigate the technical efficiency of HPSV and LED road lightings by considering desirable output only. The second DEA Directional Distance Function (DDF) model examined the eco-efficiency of HPSV and LED road lightings by considering both desirable and undesirable outputs together. The third Bootstrap DEA (BDEA) model explored the bias-corrected efficiency of HPSV and LED road lightings for errors and confidence intervals assessment. Penang Bridge highway is chosen as the study area because the lantern retrofit is done on site without changing the other road lighting parameters such as the number and height of road lighting, the distance covered, spacing and arrangement of the lanterns. The decision making units (DMUs) is the metering point along the Penang Bridge, on which there are five units for each type of lighting technology. The selected input variables are the installation cost, operation cost, and energy consumption. The desirable output variables are the lifetime of lantern while the undesirable output is carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from lighting usage. Based on the CCR model, the results show there is only one 100% technically efficient DMU (LED4) and the inefficiency scores range from 14.11 % to 83.76%. The mean performance for LED technology (66.31%) is two times higher than HPSV (37.38%) road lighting, reflecting the efficiency of road lighting on the Penang Bridge highway is much improved with LED adoption. Also, the evaluation of virtual input weights indicates installation cost as the most important variable in evaluating the performance of road lighting technology for this study. Findings from the DDF analysis further reveal two eco-efficient DMUs (LED4 and HPSV4), nonetheless, the average DDF eco-efficient scores of LED road lighting technology (74.77%) exceeds the HPSV road lighting (40.06%). The analysis of BDEA model show the mean performance of LED road lighting still surpasses the mean performance of HPSV road lighting, even after excluding the error from the efficiency scores. Also, the confidence intervals derived by the bootstrapping of technical efficiency estimates indicate that significant difference between HPSV and LED road lighting. This study has proven that the performance of LED is exceptionally better than HPSV, making it a suitable candidate to substitute for HPSV as the road lighting technology