KESEDERHANAAN KE ARAH PERPADUAN KAUM DI MALAYSIA

There appear to be fewer discussions by previous authors on the government's efforts to unite people through relationship of moderation in national policies. This article aims to discuss the issue of the linkages between the basic framework of the importance of moderation and racial unity. This article explains the 1Malaysia concept that was able to become an important channel to form national unity should each race practice moderation. Only moderation will unite, dilute and lessen feelings of extreme nature that tend to form racial disunity. In fact, 1Malaysia concept was also found to conform to the principles of Islam which emphasizes on moderation and these principles are consistent with human nature. Thus, this article is of the opinion that the value of moderation can establish racial unity in Malaysia if they are embraced and implemented in all aspects of life. This writing also found that in order to achieve Vision 2020, 1Malaysia concept can be considered as a navigator and catalyst for racial unity in accordance with the teachings of Islam and the needs of the today’s world which has been increasingly challenged by various forms of extremism

Assessing the Performance of a Speech Recognition System Embedded in Low-Cost Devices

The main purpose of this research is to investigate how an Amazigh speech recognition system can be integrated into a low-cost minicomputer, specifically the Raspberry Pi, in order to improve the system\u27s automatic speech recognition capabilities. The study focuses on optimizing system parameters to achieve a balance between performance and limited system resources. To achieve this, the system employs a combination of Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs), and Mel Frequency Spectral Coefficients (MFCCs) with a speaker-independent approach. The system has been developed to recognize 20 Amazigh words, comprising of 10 commands and the first ten Amazigh digits. The results indicate that the recognition rate achieved on the Raspberry Pi system is 89.16% using 3 HMMs, 16 GMMs, and 39 MFCC coefficients. These findings demonstrate that it is feasible to create effective embedded Amazigh speech recognition systems using a low-cost minicomputer such as the Raspberry Pi. Furthermore, Amazigh linguistic analysis has been implemented to ensure the accuracy of the designed embedded speech system

Cell-Penetrating PEPTIDES (CPPs): A tool in modern biotechnology

     The major limitation in the application of bioactive molecule is their low permeation across plasma membrane. In 1988 it was discovered, that a natural polycationic protein, the trans-acting activator of transcription (TAT) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), passed very efficiently through cell membrane of cultured mammalian cells. TAT became known as the first cell penetrating peptide (CPP). CPPs have demonstrated themselves to be capable of delivering biologically active cargo to the cell interior and the vehicular capabilities of CPPs have already been harnessed for use as laboratory tools. Attached to a CPP, therapeutic cargo could be delivered to an intracellular target, thus overcoming the entry restrictions set by the plasma membrane. Since the discovery of TAT, the number of known peptides with cell-penetrating capabilities has grown and in 2003, the first CPP-based drug reached phase ɪɪ clinical trials. In this review we introduce and discuss the current knowledge of CPPs.

Predicting Work-Family and Familywork Conflict from Work and Family Domain: A Longitudinal Study

Although work-family conflict studies are available in Malaysia, most rely on cross-sectional design and focus on women. This study uses the longitudinal design on a heterogeneous sample which is aimed to enhance the understanding of the antecedents of work-family conflict (WFC) and familywork conflict (FWC) from work and family demands and resources. The respondents were 296 employees in diverse industries from six public and private organizations in Kuching, Sarawak. Two surveys were conducted over a three-month interval. Structural Equation Modeling via AMOS 7.0 was used to analyse the data. The study found that the respondents reported higher WFC than FWC. Demands from work predicted WFC positively while resources from work predicted WFC negatively. None of the demands and resources from work and family predicted FWC. The findings implied the importance of organizations in influencing the work-family balance of the employees.   Keywords: Work-family conflict (WFC), family-work conflict (FWC), demands, resources

Fabrication of a sensitive amperometric sensor for NADH and H2O2 using palladium nanoparticles-multiwalled carbon nanotube nanohybrid

Palladium nanoparticles decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (PdNPs-MWCNTs) were synthesized and simply cast on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to prepare an amperometric sensor. The fabricated sensor (PdNPs-MWCNTs/GCE) showed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards NADH and H2O2 oxidation and H2O2 reduction. A fast, linear and highly sensitive response was observed for NADH in the concentration range between 0.1 and 200 μM with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 32 nM. Also, the sensor exhibited fast and sensitive responses (< 2 s) towards H2O2. The sensitivity and detection limit for H2O2 at the operating potential of + 0.35 V were 167 nA μM− 1 cm− 2 and 1.2 μM, respectively and better than those obtained at the operating potential of − 0.25 V (68 nA μM− 1 cm− 2 and 14 μM). Moreover, further modification of the proposed sensor by glucose oxidase led to the fabrication of a glucose biosensor with satisfactory performance

Effects of plant growth regulators and photoperiod on in vitro microtuberization of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

In vitro microtuber production of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cvs. Sante and Savalan were studied on solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium applying different plant growth regulators 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and benzylamino purine (2,4-D and BAP) and photoperiods. Cultures were exposed to 16, 8 and 16 h+utter darkness photoperiodic regimes. The experimental design, complete randomized with three replications was applied. The results indicate that the effect of cultivar, hormone and photoperiod significantly had influence on whole traits. Sante cultivar had higher productivity than Savalan for whole measured traits. The results of mean comparison for photoperiod show that highest productivity for whole traits is gained by this treatment 16 h photoperiod+ utter darkness (P3). In this experiment by using the combination of 2,4-D (2.26 μM) and BAP (22.19 μM), microtubers number, diameter and weight was increased. In this study, the highest number for microtuber in Sante cultivar with hormone 2,4-D and photoperiod P3 is 9.47 which this high number for Savalan cultivar is gained by using the combination of two plant growth regulators and same photoperiod.Keywords: Tissue culture, potato, microtuber, photoperiod, hormon

Kinetic Study of the Anaerobic Digestion of Recycled Paper Mill Effluent (RPME) by Using a Novel Modified Anaerobic Hybrid Baffled (MAHB) Reactor

The process kinetics of an anaerobic digestion process for treating recycled paper mill effluent (RPME) was investigated. A laboratory-scale modified anaerobic hybrid baffled reactor (MAHB) was operated at hydraulic retention times of 1, 3, 5, and 7 days, and the results were analyzed for the kinetic models. A kinetic study was conducted by examining the phase kinetics of the anaerobic digestion process, which were divided into three main stages: hydrolysis kinetics, acetogenesis kinetics, and methane production kinetics. The study demonstrated that hydrolysis was the rate-limiting step. The applied Monod and Contois kinetic models showed satisfactory prediction with µmax values of 1.476 and 0.6796 L day−1 , respectivel

Formation of a robust and stable film comprising ionic liquid and polyoxometalate on glassy carbon electrode modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes: Toward sensitive and fast detection of hydrogen peroxide and iodate

A robust and stable film comprising n-octylpyridinum hexafluorophosphate ([C8Py][PF6]) and 1:12 phosphomolybdic acid (PMo12) was prepared on glassy carbon electrodes modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (GCE/MWCNTs) by dip-coating. The cyclic voltammograms of the GCE/MWCNTs/[C8Py][PF6]-PMo12 showed three well-defined pairs of redox peaks due to the PMo12 system. The surface coverage for the immobilized PMo12 and the average values of the electron transfer rate constant for three pairs of redox peaks were evaluated. The GCE/MWCNTs/[C8Py][PF6]-PMo12 showed great electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of H2O2 and iodate. The kinetic parameters of the catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide and iodate at the electrode surface and analytical features of the sensor for amperometric determination of hydrogen peroxide and iodate were evaluated

Examining the practice of tawarruq credit financing in Malaysian credit co-operatives

Abstract. Credit co-operatives are one of the co-operatives that contribute to Ma-laysia's economic development and progress. These co-operatives have provided credit facilities to their members, either individually or institutionally. Nowadays, credit co-operatives have applied an Islamic contract known as Tawarruq. How-ever, there is limited research and literature on the practices of Tawarruq in this sector. Many studies only focused on the Tawaruq practices of Islamic Banking Institutions (IBs). While Tawarruq practices in IBs face some issues, the question is whether the same issues apply to the credit co-operatives. Therefore, this study focused on the application of Tawarruq practised by the credit co-operatives. This study was conducted qualitatively by compiling data and information from inter-views with the management and observations on the process and other related documents. This study revealed that credit co-operatives contain two modes of Tawarruq arrangements or transactions. The first arrangement is credit co-operatives acting as principals, while the second arrangement is credit co-operatives acting as agents. Hopefully, the findings will provide a good under-standing of Tawarruq practices in this sector

Statistical Modeling and Optimization of Process Parameters for 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid Removal by Using AC/PDMAEMA Hydrogel Adsorbent: Comparison of Different RSM Designs and ANN Training Methods

In this study, the response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were employed to study the adsorption process of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) by using modified hydrogel, i.e., activated carbon poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (AC/PDMAEMA hydrogel). The effect of pH, the initial concentration of 2,4-D and the activated carbon content on the removal of 2,4-D and adsorption capacity were investigated through the face-centered composite design (FCCD), optimal design and two-level factorial design. The response surface plot suggested that higher removal of 2,4-D and adsorption capacity could be achieved at the higher initial concentration of 2,4-D and lower pH and activated carbon content. The modeling and optimization for the adsorption process of 2,4-D were also carried out by different design methods of RSM and different training methods of ANN. It was found that among the three design methods of RSM, the optimal design has the highest accuracy for the prediction of 2,4-D removal and adsorption capacity (R2 = 0.9958 and R2 = 0.9998, respectively). The numerical optimization of the optimal design found that the maximum removal of 2,4-D and adsorption capacity of 65.01% and 65.29 mg/g, respectively, were obtained at a pH of 3, initial concentration of 2,4-D of 94.52 mg/L and 2.5 wt% of activated carbon. Apart from the optimization of process parameters, the neural network architecture was also optimized by trial and error with different numbers of hidden neurons in the layers to obtain the best performance of the response. The optimization of the neural network was performed with different training methods. It was found that among the three training methods of the ANN model, the Bayesian Regularization method had the highest R2 and lowest mean square error (MSE) with the optimum network architecture of 3:9:2. The optimum condition obtained from RSM was also simulated with the optimized neural network architecture to validate the responses and adequacy of the RSM model