Asian Religions as Resources for Changing Mindsets

This paper argues that Asian religious traditions provide us with resources for alternative ethics and methodologies of resisting capitalist excesses and social-cultural intolerances towards more convivial and viable human futures. It draws inspiration from two major developments. First, the works of Prasenjit Duara (2015) and Joel S. Kahn (2015) that posit Asian religious traditions as resources for generating alternative ethics as well as contemplative and embodied ways of knowing that direct self and collective capacities to overcome environmental sustainability and social-cultural incompatibilities. Second, everyday politics of resisting religious bigotries in contemporary Malaysia that turn to spiritual traditions for mindful ways of minimizing, bridging or transcending irreducible ethno-religious differences

Perkaitan di antara pengetahuan sedia ada guru pelatih dengan pencapaian dan prestasi latihan mengajar : satu kajian kes dalam

Kajian ini menyiasat perkaitan di antara pengetahuan sedia ada muzik, pencapaian muzik dan prestasi latihan mengajar muzik di kalangan guru pelatih muzik. Dua kumpulan responden mengambil bahagian dalam kajian ini; satu kumpulan yang mempunyai pengetahuan sedia ada muzik semasa mereka memasuki maktab perguruan dan satu lagi kumpulan yang tidak mempunyai pengetahuan sedia ada muzik. Prestasi dalam peperiksaan muzik semester (teori dan amali) yang dikendalikan oleh maktab digunakan untuk mengukur pencapaian muzik. Tiga hipotesis dibentuk untuk menguji hubungan ini. This study investigated the relationship between prior knowledge in music, music achievement and music teaching practice performance among music teacher trainees. Two groups of respondents participated in this research: one group with prior music knowledge whetl they enter teacher training college, and the other without any prior knowledge in music. Mnsic· achievement was measured by performance in the semester music examinatioii (theory ~nd practical) conducted by the college. Three hypotheses were developed to test the relationship

Isolation And Selective Reduction Of Mitragynine, Synthesis And Characterization Of New Indole Derivatives And Their Selected Biological Activity Studies

Mitraginina (MGT) memiliki sifat analgesik yang poten tetapi ketoksikan MGT telah juga dilaporkan. Objektif utama tesis ini adalah untuk memencilkan MGT bagi pengubahsuaian lanjutan struktur dan juga untuk mensintesis terbitan indolnya bagi menilai aktiviti antiproliferatif, antioksida dan antinosiseptif masing-masing. MGT telah dipencilkan daripada daun M. speciosa dengan menggunakan prosedur penulenan yang ringkas dan berkesan. Pelbagai silana telah digunakan untuk menurunkan kumpulan karbonil dan ikatan dubel indol bagi MGT tetapi hanya ikatan berkembar indol telah berjaya diturunkan kepada indolina [CDR80 ((E)-metil 2-((2S,3S,12bS)-3-etil-8-metoksi-1,2,3,4,6,7,7a,12,12a,12b-dekahidroindolo[2,3-a]quinolizin-2-il)-3-metoksiakrilat)]. Tindak balas Pictet-Spengler telah diubahsuai dengan menggunakan 5-metoksitriptamina dan asid trifluoroasetik dalam medium akueus untuk mensintesis terbitan indol yang baru yang telah dicirikan dan dikenalpastikan sebagai CDR81 (6- metoksi-1-fenil-2,3,4,9-tetrahidro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol) , CDR83 (6-metoksi-1-metil-2,3,4,9-tetrahidro-1H-pirido[3,4-b]indol), CDR82 (6-metoksi-1-(4-metoksifenil)-2,3,4,9-tetrahidro-1H-pirido[3,4-b]indol) dan CDR84 (2-metoksi-4-(6-metoksi-2,3,4,9-tetrahidro-1H-pirido[3,4-b]indol-1-l) fenol). Mitragynine (MTG) possesses potent analgesic properties but the toxic effects of MTG have also been reported. The main objective of this thesis is to isolate MTG for further structural modification and also to synthesize its indole derivatives and evaluate their antiproliferative, antioxidant and antinociceptive activities. MTG was isolated from M. speciosa leaves using a simple and effective purification procedure. Various silanes were used to reduce the carbonyl and indole double bonds of MTG but only the indole double bond was successfully reduced to indoline [CDR80 ((E)-methyl 2-((2S,3S,12bS)-3-ethyl-8-methoxy-1,2,3,4,6,7,7a,12,12a,12b-decahydroindolo[2,3-a]quinolizin-2-yl)-3-methoxy acryl ate)]. The Pictet-Spengler reaction was modified using 5-methoxytryptamine and trifluoroacetic acid in an aqueous medium to synthesize new indole derivatives which were identified and characterized as CDR81 (6- methoxy-1-phenyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole), CDR82 (6-methoxy-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole), CDR83 (6-methoxy-1-methyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole) and CDR84 (2-methoxy-4-(6-methoxy-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4- b]indol-1-l)phenol)