Mutational screening of exon 1 of smad7 in Malay patients with ventricular septal defect

Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects approximately 8 in every 1000 live births with ventricular septal defect (VSD) being the most common phenotype. VSD is thought to arise from genetics and environmental factors, however most of the causes remain unknown. It was hypothesized that SMAD7 gene could influence the risk of VSD. SMAD7 is a potent antagonist of TGF-signalling pathways and has been found to be involved in embryonic cardiovascular development in mouse models. However, its role in the pathogenesis of VSD in human has yet to be fully understood. Therefore, SMAD7 gene was examined in for its susceptibility to VSD in this study. A case-control study was conducted to examine whether SMAD7 is associated with VSD in Malay population. Exon 1 of SMAD7 which encodes the functional MH1 domain was re-sequenced in 30 non-syndromic VSD patients and 30 control individuals. One common upstream gene sequence, rs7236774 and one rare synonymous sequence, rs368427729 were observed in both cases and controls. Further analysis on these two variations did not show any statistically significance association with the risk of developing VSD. In conclusion, this study has indicated that the exon 1 of SMAD7 was not associated with VSD in Malay population. However, these findings could have been limited by small sample size. Therefore, further study in a larger cohort is warranted to yield a concrete evidence of this association

NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop 2006 Introductory Remarks

NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop 2006, is the fourth in a series of workshops held at four year intervals, to assess the laboratory needs of NASA's astrophysics missions - past, current and future. Investigators who need laboratory data to interpret their observations from space missions, theorists and modelers, experimentalists who produce the data, and scientists who compile databases have an opportunity to exchange ideas and understand each other's needs and limitations. The multi-wavelength character of these workshops allows cross-fertilization of ideas, raises awareness in the scientific community of the rapid advances in other fields, and the challenges it faces in prioritizing its laboratory needs in a tight budget environment. Currently, we are in the golden age of Space Astronomy, with three of NASA s Great Observatories, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), and Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), in operation and providing astronomers and opportunity to perform synergistic observations. In addition, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), XMM-Newton, HETE-2, Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), INTEGRAL and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), are operating in an extended phase, while Swift and Suzaku are in their prime phase of operations. The wealth of data from these missions is stretching the Laboratory Astrophysics program to its limits. Missions in the future, which also need such data include the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), Constellation-X (Con-X), Herschel, and Planck. The interpretation of spectroscopic data from these missions requires knowledge of atomic and molecular parameters such as transition probabilities, f-values, oscillator strengths, excitation cross sections, collision strengths, which have either to be measured in the laboratory by simulating space plasma and interactions therein, or by theoretical calculations and modeling. Once the laboratory data are obtained, a key step to making them available to the observer is the creation and maintenance of critically compiled databases. Other areas of study, that are important for understanding planet formation, and for detection of molecules that are indicators of life, are also supported by the Laboratory Astrophysics program. Some examples are: studies of ices and dust grains in a space environment; nature and evolution of interstellar carbon-rich dust; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, the program provides an opportunity for the investigation of novel ideas, such as simulating radiative shock instabilities in plasmas, in order to understand jets observed in space. A snapshot of the currently funded program, mission needs, and relevance of laboratory data to interpreting observations, will be obtained at this workshop through invited and contributed talks and poster papers. These will form the basis for discussions in splinter groups. The Science Organization Committee will integrate the results of the discussions into a coherent White Paper, which will provide guidance to NASA in structuring the Laboratory Astrophysics program in subsequent years, and also to the scientific community in submitting research proposals to NASA for funding

STATISTICAL STUDIES OF A REAL CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR (CSTR) BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL DATA

Reactor engineering is the most unique part of chemical engineering and its technology has gain tremendous applications in industry. Three ideal contacting patterns - batch, mixed flow and plug flow reactors are often studied and treated to make real reactors approach ideality as closely as possible. The three reacting patterns are easy to treat and simple to find their performance equation. Mixed flow reactor or Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) is a type of reactor that is widely used mainly in food and beverages production, chemical neutralization, and other industries. It is preferable compared to other reactors, depending on its application for the ease of cleaning and maintenance and requires less labor cost. The objective of the study is to conduct statistical studies on a real CSTR. CSTR is often treated as 'ideal reactor', in which this statement is untrue because in real life perfect mixing in CSTR is hardly to be achieved because of dead zone creation and channeling. This study consists of two main parts; the first part is conducting experiments to obtain the reaction rate constant from the concentration data and tracer analysis. The second part is to do simulation and calculation on the experimental data obtained by using Microsoft Excel and MATLAB. The experiment conducted is to determine the reaction rate constant of the saponification reaction. The experiments on determining the RTD value are also conducted. There are two methods on determining it - step and pulse input. The experiment is conducted using the CSTR dynamics equipment and experimental data are analyzed. From the study, it was proved that the conversion in an ideal reactor is higher compared to the conversion in real reactors due to dead zone creation and bypassing. The conversion for the ideal reactor is 0.496, and for the real reactor modeled which are segregation model, maximum mixedness model and real CSTR with dead-space and bypass model are 0.479, 0.470 and 0.480 respectively

Green Technology: A Must or a Need in TVET Education in Malaysia?

Green Technology is seen as the optimal solution in addressing most of the environmental issues affecting our society today. The movement towards green technology will undoubtedly change the labour market. Although, there were numerous studies been done in regards to green technology but the question remains unanswered when it comes to Vocational Colleges in Malaysia. Therefore, the main goal of this current study is to investigate and develop an in-depth exploration of the need of incorporating Green Technology in one of the most prominent TVET institutions in Malaysia which is the Vocational Colleges. The study uses exploratory sequential mixed method as the research design but only the qualitative approach is being selected to be discussed in this paper. Hence, we report the findings conducted through semi-structured interview by interviewing 7 industrial players in TVET, associated with Vocational Colleges in Malaysia. In relation to the main findings from this study, we found that all 7 participants believe that there is a need to incorporate green technology in the curriculum of Vocational Colleges as to upgrade and fulfill the industry’s needs. Taken together, this finding suggests that educational reform may be the most important tool in the future of green technology in Vocational Colleges and by all means it is defined as a need rather than a must

ESL Students’ Perspectives on Language Anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate the language anxiety experiences of students studying English as a second language (ESL) at Universiti Utara Malaysia. This study adopted a qualitative case study approach. The sampling of participants was done through purposive sampling in order to select information-rich cases. The sampling strategy employed was maximum variation sampling to find common patterns among three levels of English language courses and related samples of student participants. Data collection was done through interviewing ESL students and lecturers and also analyzing documents. Nineteen students were interviewed to get their perspectives on the language anxiety phenomenon. In order to understand language anxiety, four components were investigated: the sources of language anxiety, anxiety reactions, coping strategies and effects of language anxiety. Three major themes, three minor themes and two unexpected themes emerged from this study in relation to the sources of language anxiety. It was discovered that the language anxiety experienced by the participants stemmed from the learners themselves, lecturers’ instructional practice, social and cultural influence. In terms of language anxiety reactions, seven themes emerged from this study. This study also found eight strategies used by the participants to cope with language anxiety. Explanation on the effects of language anxiety focused more on the subtle effects based on the experiences shared by the participants in this study. The study concluded that language anxiety is a prevalent phenomenon among the participants. All the participants expressed experiencing anxiety but at various degrees such as low, moderate or high. Speaking and writing were the two language skills most associated with sources of language anxiety. Debilitating anxiety was a common experience among the participants with one exception. Some implications for the learners, lecturers, peers, and course developers are stated briefly. Some recommendations are also suggested for further study

Pelaksanaan pembelajaran melalui buku teks digital dalam memperkasakan pengajaran guru di sekolah

Kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengkaji persepsi guru dan cabaran dalam pelaksanaan pembelajaran melalui buku teks digital dalam memperkasakan pengajaran guru di sekolah. Selain itu, untuk mengetahui kecenderungan guru untuk melibatkan diri dalam pembelajaran melalui buku teks digital. Kajian ini berbentuk kuantitatif dan melibatkan guru-guru di sekolah yang melaksanakan pembelajaran melalui buku teks digital. Borang soal selidik telah disebarkan kepada 75 sampel kajian yang terlibat. Terdapat tiga buah sekolah yang terlibat dalam kajian ini iaitu Sekolah Kebangsaan Telok Kalong, Sekolah Kebangsaan Paya Bunga dan Sekolah Kebangsaan Kompleks Seberang Takir. Data kajian telah dianalisis menggunakan perisian Statistical Packages For The Social Sciences 20.0 (SPSS) dengan menjalankan analisis deskriptif iaitu nilai min dan sisihan piawai bagi persoalan kajian pertama, kedua dan ketiga. Manakala bagi persoalan kajian keempat dianalisis menggunakan analisis korelasi Spearman untuk mengetahui hubungan antara persepsi guru bagi aspek kesediaan, penggunaan dan kemahuan dengan kecenderungan guru untuk melibatkan diri dalam pembelajaran melalui buku teks digital. Hasil analisis mendapati pekali korelasi menunjukkan terdapat hubungan yang signifikan, sekaligus menunjukkan HO tidak diterima. Kesimpulannya, kajian ini telah berjaya mencapai objektif yang ditetapkan tetapi pelaksanaannya masih ditahap kurang memuaskan dan masih memerlukan penambahbaikan pada masa akan datang

Efficient Wireless Sensor Network for Radiation Detection in Nuclear Sites

Due to the severe damages of nuclear accidents, there is still an urgent need to develop efficient radiation detection wireless sensor networks (RDWSNs) that precisely monitor irregular radioactivity. It should take actions that mitigate the severe costs of accidental radiation leakage, especially around nuclear sites that are the main sources of electric power and a lot of health and industrial applications. Recently, leveraging machine learning (ML) algorithms to RDWSNs is a promising solution due to its several pros, such as online learning and self-decision making. This paper addresses a novel and efficient ML-based RDWSNs that utilizes millimeter waves (mmWaves) to cope with future networks requirements. Specifically, we leverage an online learning multi-armed bandit (MAB) algorithm called Thomson sampling (TS) to a 5G enabled RDWSN to efficiently forward the measured radiation levels of the distributed radiation sensors within the monitoring area. The utilized sensor nodes are lightweight smart radiation sensors that are mounted on mobile devices and measure radiations using software applications installed in these mobiles. Moreover, a battery aware TS (BA-TS) algorithm is proposed to forward the sensed radiation levels to fusion decision center efficiently. BA-TS reflects the remaining battery of each mobile device to prolong the network lifetime. Simulation results ensure the efficiency of the proposed BA-TS algorithm regards throughput and network lifetime over TS and exhaustive search method

A GENRE ANALYSIS OF PROMOTIONAL TEXTS IN AN INDONESIAN BATIK INDUSTRY

This study explored sales promotion letters (SPLs) and company profiles (CPs) of two prominent batik companies in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. This essay draws its data from the most important primary source of information on sales promotion letters and company profiles namely words, phrases, and clauses taken from the SPLs and CPs of batik written in Indonesian. Secondary sources were also consulted in this research, among these transcribed data obtained from in-depth interviews with the text writers and buyers. Three SPLs and two batik CPs were analyzed. In addition, two informants (marketing and promotion managers) typifying the text production perspective and two buyers typifying the text consumption perspective were interviewed. This research was guided by theories of genre analysis which focuses on patterns of rhetorical organization and genre-specific language features. This study employed the multi-dimensional and multi perspective model of analysis focusing on textual, socio-cognitive and ethnographic aspects of the texts. This study concludes that the strong Javanese cultural influence has made the underlying intention of gaining profits to be less explicitly stated. Secondly, the textual analysis and the in-depth interviews supported the view that CPs of batik had been ideally used to create a favorable image of the company. Thirdly, the most distinctive feature that differentiated establishing credentials in the Indonesian batik business context had been the utilization of a sense of moral obligation to preserve native culture. Fourthly, the chemistry between writers and readers of SPLs and CPs built a strong foundation for mutual understanding and thus paved the way for making purchases. To conclude, this study has shown how the wider culture and the culture of the discourse community has contributed to the framing and formatting of SPLs and CPs of batik in terms of lexico-grammar, cognitive structuring, intertextuality and interdiscursivity