A Proposed Modeling Framework on Innovative Work Behavior among Employees in the Malaysian Islamic Banking Industry

Responsible innovation has gained public interest in the Islamic banking industry in Malaysia. The study makes an effort to propose a modeling framework on factors affecting innovative work behavior among employees in the Malaysian Islamic banking industry. The proposed modelling framework will be based on previous literatures and the underpinning theories related to innovative work behavior. Based on the existing gaps, we propose two independent variables (i.e. Transformational leadership & personality) and a mediating variable (job satisfaction). In this study, five hypotheses are developed to determine the relationship between innovative work behavior and the determinant factors. Based on this framework, a pilot study will be conducted to test the validity and reliability of the model proposed. We expect the results to be consistent with previous research. Keywords: Islamic Banking, Innovative Work Behavior, Transformational Leadership, Personality, Job Satisfactio

Current Continuing Professional Education Practice among Malaysian Nurses

Nurses need to participate in CPE to update their knowledge and increase their competencies. This research was carried out to explore their current practice and the future general needs for CPE. This cross-sectional descriptive study involved registered nurses from government hospitals and health clinics from Peninsular Malaysia. Multistage cluster sampling was used to recruit 1000 nurses from four states of Malaysia. Self-explanatory questionnaires were used to collect the data, which were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Seven hundred and ninety-two nurses participated in this survey. Only 80% (562) of the nurses had engaged in CPE activities during the past 12 months. All attendance for the various activities was below 50%. Workshops were the most popular CPE activity (345, 43.6%) and tertiary education was the most unpopular activity (10, 1.3%). The respondents did perceive the importance of future CPE activities for career development. Mandatory continuing professional education (MCPE) is a key measure to ensure that nurses upgrade their knowledge and skills; however, it is recommended that policy makers and nurse leaders in the continuing professional development unit of health service facilities plan CPE activities to meet registered nurses' (RNs) needs and not simply organizational requirements

People living with HIV experience in dealing with HIV/AIDS symptoms

Aims : This study aimed to explore the PLWH live experience in dealing with HIV / AIDS symptoms. Design : This study applied qualitative method. Methdos : This study used descriptive explorative to explore the HIV symptoms experiences of PLWH in Padang West Sumatera, Indonesia. We conducted an unstructured interview among purposively sample PLWH. Inclusion criteria for participation were being male or female PLWH, residing in Padang, and age over 18 years. Data saturation was reached after the completion of 9 interviews. Content analysis was used to analyze and interpret qualitative data. Results : The following themes emerged from the data: (a) face troublesome symptoms, (b) health literacy in HIV care, and (c) make efforts to heal. Conclusions : PLWH experience HIV symptoms, continue to adapt and learn. The information about HIV symptoms experiences can facilitate caregiver to plan nursing care, identify education needs to help PLWH dealing with symptoms of HIV. This research can be the basis for conducting further research on how to manage the symptoms of HIV

Cell rupture of recombinant escherichia coli using high pressure homogenizer

Cell rupture is one of the earlier steps in downstream processing which are required for the recovery of biological products that are located inside cells. Cells could be disrupted either by using chemicals or mechanical method. In this study, cell rupture was carried out by mechanical force using high pressure homogenizer (HPH). The aim of this study is to identify optimal conditions of HPH to disrupt the cell wall of recombinant Escherichia coli harboring nucleocapsid (NP) gene of Newcastle disease virus (NDV). The optimized conditions were achieved by manipulating the independent variables of HPH such as pressure, pump speed and number of cycles through an optimization process. The efficiency of the cell disruption was determined by estimating the percentage of cell rupture as well as the amount of NP protein released from the cell lysis. Through the means plot analysis of Minitab Software (Version 14.12), pressure was recognized as the main factor for achieving the highest cell rupture and the release of NP protein. The optimized conditions for obtaining the highest NP protein yield were by operating three cycles of cell rupture, homogenizer pressure of 800 bars and pump speed of 7 psi

Expression of a thermostable xylanase gene from Bacillus coagulans ST-6 in Lactococcus lactis

Aims: The aim of the study is to evaluate whether xylanase can be used as a potential reporter gene for cloning and expression studies in Lactococcus. Methods and Results: The 750 bp xylanase gene was amplified and subcloned into the unique NheI restriction enzyme site of pMG36e and subsequently transformed into competent Escherichia coli XLI-blue MRF cells and Lactococcus lactis cells. Bacterial culture containing pMG36e-Xy has an enzyme activity of 390 μg xylose ml−1 culture 30 min−1, respectively, when compared with 40 μg xylose ml−1 culture 30 min−1 for the negative control (plasmidless strain). Conclusions: The thermostable xylanase gene was successfully expressed in both E. coli and L. lactis. The activity of xylanase can be easily detected by the formation of visible clearing zones around the transformed colonies on Remazol Brilliant Blue-Xylan (RBB-Xylan) agar media. However, there were some significant differences in the optimum growth temperature and plasmid stability in the new clones. Significance and Impact of the Study: The constructed reporter vector has the potential to be used as a reporter system for Lactococcus as well as E. coli, and it is an addition to the pool of lactococcal vector systems

The matrix (M) protein of newcastle disease virus binds to human bax through its BH3 domain

The underlying mechanisms by which Newcastle disease virus (NDV) kills cancer cells are still unclear. Recent discoveries have shown that many viruses contain Bcl-2 homology-like domains which enabled their interaction with Bcl-2 family members, and thereby accounting for their virulence and pathogenicity. Alignment of the protein sequences of Malaysian strain of NDV, known as AF2240, with those from members of the human Bcl-2 family showed many similar regions; most notably we found that its matrix (AF2240-M) protein, large (AF2240-L) protein and fusion (AF2240-F) protein all contain BH3-like regions. In addition, there are BH1-like domains in these proteins, where AF2240-F and Mcl-1 share 55% identity within this region. To further investigate our hypothesis that the presence of the BH3-like domains in these proteins may convey cytotoxicity, AF2240-M and AF2240-F genes were cloned into pFLAG and pEGFP.N2 vectors and transfected into HeLa cells. The expression of these constructs promoted cell death. As shown by flow cytometry, AF2240-M protein with deleted BH3-like region showed five-fold decrease in apoptosis. Moreover, the construct containing the N-terminal of AF2240-M showed nearly the same cell death rate as to that of the full-length protein, strongly suggesting that the BH3-like domain within this protein participates in promoting cell death. Moreover, AF2240-M transfection promoted Bax redistribution to mitochondria. Therefore, to determine whether there is any direct interaction between NDV viral proteins with some members of the Bcl-2 family, various constructs were co-transfected into HeLa cells. Co-immunoprecipitation trials showed that the AF2240-M indeed directly interacted with Bax protein via its BH3-domain, as the mutant proteins failed to interact with Bax. AF2240-F failed to interact with any of the tested proteins, although Bcl-XL slowed down the rate of cell death caused by this construct by nearly five-fold. In a parallel experiment, the level of expression of endogenous Bax and Bcl-2 after infection of HeLa cells with NDV was assessed by qRT-PCR, but no statistically significant change was observed. Consequently, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio at the mRNA level did not alter. Overall, our study has shed additional light into the mechanisms by which NDV induces apoptosis

Stress and Religious Coping among Flood Victims

AbstractThis study examined the relationship between stress and coping in a sample of 150 survivals of flood victims. Questionnaire used in this study were Disaster Stress and Coping Skill Inventory. The study also adopted an exploratory qualitative approach where a number of five respondents were interviewed. The result showed that there was a significant relationship between stress and coping, and no significant gender differences in stress and coping among the respondents. The result also showed that the respondents suffered stress and needed strong coping skills. Religion was found to be the most apparent coping skill among the victims. The implication of this study suggests strong religious and social support from people who are knowledgeable and skills in the stress management and religious coping to the flood victim

Prácticas pedagógicas de aprendizaje mixto para mejorar la autonomía de aprendizaje de los alumnos y los resultados académicos en el aprendizaje

This study investigated whether blended learning was more effective in inculcating learner autonomy and improving academic results among students when compared to conventional learning practices.  The study used a quasi-experimental design. The participants of the study consisted of 78 lower secondary students. The study carried out two different teaching methods; a blended learning classroom for the treatment group, meanwhile a conventional learning classroom for the control group. There were 40 pupils in the treatment group and 38 pupils in the control group.  Post-test analysis was carried out to understand the effectiveness of blended learning towards students’ academic achievement.  A set of questionnaire was developed to identify learner autonomy after the treatment.  The results indicated that there was a significant increase in academic achievement based on the pre and post-test analyses. The study also found that blended learning pedagogical practices could improve students’ learning autonomy in learning.Este estudio investigó si el aprendizaje combinado era más efectivo para inculcar la autonomía del alumno y mejorar los resultados académicos entre los estudiantes en comparación con las prácticas de aprendizaje convencionales. El estudio utilizó un diseño cuasi-experimental. Los participantes del estudio fueron 78 estudiantes de secundaria inferior. El estudio llevó a cabo dos métodos de enseñanza diferentes; un aula de aprendizaje mixto para el grupo de tratamiento, mientras que un aula de aprendizaje convencional para el grupo de control. Había 40 alumnos en el grupo de tratamiento y 38 alumnos en el grupo de control. Se llevó a cabo un análisis posterior a la prueba para comprender la efectividad del aprendizaje combinado hacia el logro académico de los estudiantes. Se desarrolló un conjunto de cuestionarios para identificar la autonomía del alumno después del tratamiento. Los resultados indicaron que hubo un aumento significativo en el rendimiento académico basado en los análisis pre y post-test. El estudio también encontró que las prácticas pedagógicas de aprendizaje mixto podrían mejorar la autonomía de aprendizaje de los estudiantes en el aprendizaj

Tumour suppressive effects of WEE1 gene silencing in breast cancer cells.

Background: WEE1 is a G2/M checkpoint regulator protein. Various studies have indicated that WEE1 could be a good target for cancer therapy. The main aim of this study was to asssess the tumor suppressive potential of WEE1 silencing in two different breast cancer cell lines, MCF7 which carries the wild-type p53 and MDA-MB468 which contains a mutant type. Materials and Methods: After WEE1 knockdown with specific shRNAs downstream effects on cell viability and cell cycle progression were determined using MTT and flow cytometry analyses, respectively. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were conducted to assess the effect of WEE1 inhibition on the expression of apoptotic (p53) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl2) factors and also a growth marker (VEGF). Results: The results showed that WEE1 inhibition could cause a significant decrease in the viability of both MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell lines by more than 50%. Interestingly, DNA content assays showed a significant increase in apoptotic cells following WEE1 silencing. WEE1 inhibition also induced upregulation of the apoptotic marker, p53, in breast cancer cells. A significant decrease in the expression of VEGF and Bcl-2 was observed following WEE1 inhibition in both cell lines. Conclusions: In concordance with previous studies, our data showed that WEE1 inhibition could induce G2 arrest abrogation and consequent cell death in breast cancer cells. Moreover, in this study, the observed interactions between the pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins and decrease in the angiogenesis marker expression confirm the susceptibility to apoptosis and validate the tumor suppressive effect of WEE1 inhibition in breast cancer cells. Interestingly, the levels of the sensitivity to WEE1 silencing in breast cancer cells, MCF7 and MDA-MB468, seem to be in concordance with the level of p53 expression

Care demands on mothers caring for a child with Down syndrome: Malaysian (Sarawak) mothers' perspectives

This paper examines the experiences of mothers caring for a child with Down syndrome in the Malaysian (Sarawak) context. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 biological mothers of children with Down syndrome aged 18 years and below. They were accessed through selected child health clinics, community-based rehabilitation centres and schools using purposive sampling within two regions in Sarawak, one of the two Borneo States of Malaysia. Major themes emerging within the context of care demands were children’s health, developmental delays, daily needs and behaviour issues. The insights obtained into the care demands experienced by mothers of children with Down syndrome have several implications for practice by care professionals