Kajian kekonduksian terhadap karbon teraktif daripada kayu bakau (Rhizophora apiculata)

Karbon teraktif yang disediakan daripada kayu bakau (Rhizophora apiculata) menunjukkan sifat kekonduksian seperti semikonduktor. Kekonduksiannya bertambah secara eksponen dengan suhu. Terdapat dua mekanisme pengaliran cas yang dikenal pasti iaitu pada suhu rendah dan pada suhu tinggi. Pertambahan yang jelas pada nilai kekonduksian terutamanya pada suhu yang lebih tinggi berlaku apabila karbon teraktif didopkan dengan gula ringkas. Kekonduksian juga didapati bertambah dengan kepekatan gula

Detection of HER-2/neu, c-myc amplification and p53 inactivation by FISH in Egyptian patients with breast cancer

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. The clinical course of this disease is highly variable and clinicians continuously search for prognostic parameters that can accurately predict prognosis, and indicate a suitable adjuvant therapy for each patient. Amplification of the two oncogenes HER-2/neu and c-myc and inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene p53 are frequently encountered in breast carcinomas. The purpose of this study was to use the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the assessment of HER-2/neu and c-myc amplification and p53 inactivation and to relate these molecular markers with the commonly used clinical and pathological factors. The study was conducted on 34 tissue samples obtained from 33 females and 1 male with breast carcinomas and 17 samples obtained from 16 females and 1 male with benign breast lesions. Results revealed that the level of HER-2/neu, c-myc and p53 in the malignant group was significantly increased as compared to the benign group. On relating the level of the molecular markers to clinicopathological factors, p53 was significantly associated with increased patient’s age. The sensitivity of the investigated markers significantly increased with larger tumor size. Concerning tumor grade, HER-2/neu and p53 showed a significant increase in low-grade tumors whereas c-myc showed a highly significant increase in high-grade tumors. With regard to disease staging, HER-2/neu and c-myc were the only markers that showed significant increase at late stages of disease. p53 and HER-2/neu were significantly associated with positive lymph nodal status. A significant correlation was obtained between the levels of the three biomarkers to each other. Conclusively, the combination of HER-2/neu, c-myc and p53 can stratify patients into different risk groups

Optical properties of diamond like carbon films prepared by DC-PECVD

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films were deposited at different substrate temperatures using methane and hydrogen gas in DC-PECVD at 2x10-1Torr. From the light transmission using UV-VIS spectroscopy it was found that the optical transition had changed from allowed indirect transition to allowed direct transition as the substrate temperature increased. The Optical gap increased with temperature, highest of 3.034 eV was observed at 573 K, beyond which it dropped. Colour of the film changed from light brownish to a colourless transparent film in the higher temperature. The Urbach energy decreased from 1.25 eV to 0.75 eV with increasing substrate temperature till 573 K and a slight increase after it. This trend is attributed to change in sp3/sp2 ratio or change in structure. The cluster size decreases with temperature, resulting in larger band gap and the structure more ordered. Similar pattern is also witnessed in the emission spectrum of the photoluminescence

Distribution Pattern Of Aphis Gossypii And Its Coccinellid Predator Menochilus Sexmaculatus In The Chilli Ecosystem Pola Distribusi Aphis Gossypii Dan Predator Koksinelid Menochilus Sexmaculatus Pada Ekosistem Cabai

Studi tentang pola penyebaran Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) predator Menochilus sexmaculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) dilakukar ekosistem cabal di Kebun Percobaan Universiti Putra Malaysia. Hasil penelitian menunjul bahwa penyebaran M. sexmaculatus berkorelasi positif dengan penyebaran mangsa Penyebaran lateral clan vertical A. gossypii serta M. sexmaculatus dikategorikan sebagai penyebaran mengelompok. Kata kunci: Aphis gossypii, Menochilus sexmaculatus, distribus

Performance of sustainable alkali activated mortars containing solid waste ceramic powder

As the cement industry contributed to increasing the global carbon dioxide emissions, researchers looked for other sustainable alternatives. Among them, one of the alternatives is alkali activated mortar containing no cement at all. Alkali-activated mortar is manufactured using industrial and agricultural wastes like ceramics, palm-oil fuel ash (POFA), granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), fly ash (FA), metakaolin (MK), etc. Compared with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), alkali-activated is considered as a highly environmental product based mortar. The alkali activated mortar feasibility production using ceramic waste binder was evaluated in this study. The effect of replacing GBFS binder by ceramic powder (by varying percentage) upon its fresh-state properties, like workability, setting time, density and hardened properties such as compressive, tensile and flexural strengths of alkali-activated mortar was concurrently examined. The impact of curing regime on strength development of ceramic-GBFS based alkali activated was evaluated as well. Results revealed that with increased ceramic to GBFS content, the workability and setting time of mortar improved whereas the density decreased. On the other hand, when ceramic was replaced by up to 50 % of GBFS, it showed higher strengths as compared to OPC mortar. It is concluded that alkali activated mortar incorporating 100 percent wastes could be used in the construction industry with the almost negligible amount of environmental problems

Effect of binder to fine aggregate content on performance of sustainable alkali activated mortars incorporating solid waste materials

This article investigated the effects of binder to aggregate ratio on the properties of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) alkali activated mortar incorporated with fly ash (FA), waste ceramic (CP) and bottle glass wastes (GP). Five types of alkali-activated mortars were prepared with a different binder to fine aggregate ratio (B:A) 0.30, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5. Sodium hydroxide (NH) with 6 molar concentrations added to sodium silicate (NS) and used as alkali activator solution, alkaline liquid to binder ratio (S:B) was kept 0.25 for all mixtures. Alkali-activated samples cured at ambient temperature (27 °C) and relative humidity (75 %). The results indicated that 1.0 (B:A) ratio was achieved the optimum results flow and bending stress, increasing binder to fine aggregate content effect negatively on workability and strength properties of alkali-activated mortars. The results also presented the porosity of alkali-activated samples has been influenced by increase binder content to fine aggregate from 1.0 to 2.5

Evaluation of health-related quality of life and muscular strength in children with beta thalassemia major

Background: Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that requires repeated blood transfusions and chelation regimes. This may lead to restrictions in physical activities, social participation as well as decreased muscle strength.Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), muscular strength and pain in children with β-thalassemia major.Patients and method: One hundred and twenty children (60 with β-thalassemia major and 60 age-matched healthy) were participated in a cross-sectional study from both sexes (57 girls and 63 boys) with ages ranging from two to twelve years. HRQoL (physical, emotional, social and school functioning), muscular strength and pain were evaluated for all children by using the pediatric quality of life inventoryTM (PedsQLTM) 4.0 generic core scale, hand-held dynamometer and visual analogue scale (VAS) respectively.Results: Children with β-thalassemia major showed a significant decrease in all domains of health-related quality of life and handgrip strength with a significant increase in VAS score (p ≤ 0.0001).Conclusions: The study concluded that thalassemia as a chronic disease has a negative impact on HRQoL and muscle strength of children in different age group.Keywords: Beta thalassemia, Quality of life, Handgrip strength, childre

Likert's 4-management system instrument psychometric properties - University management -Malaysia

This current study revitalizes the spirit of research in the field of management, especially an education setting, by using Rasch analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to determine the reliability of Likert's management 4-system to measure organizational leadership style. Likert's instrument was tested on academic staff at five public universities in Malaysia to determine their perceptions of the management style used by administrators at their institutions. The instrument was tested from 2014 to 2016, with 1114 faculty members in various disciplines participating. Results indicated that the item and person reliability were (0.99 & 0.87) and the item and person separation indexes were (12.08 & 2.62). All items for management styles yielded infit MNSQ values that ranged from 0.66 to 1.44, and outfit MNSQ values of 0.68 to 1.47 respectively. CFA was run and checked for four indexes for item goodness of fit through AMOS software. The results show good reliabilities, and the items fit the model. Therefore, it can be said that the instrument in Likert's 4-system scale can be used to measure trust and communication and to describe the characteristics of that organization, while also measuring productivity. The research also sheds new light on Likert's management 4-system instrument for use in an educational setting in nations with evolving knowledge-age economies to examine university leadership effectiveness and characteristics and to develop methods to align the objectives of leaders and managers with those of academic

Management and outcomes of pregnant ICU patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia in Qatar: A retrospective cohort study

Introduction: Pregnant women are considered a high-risk group for COVID-19 due to their increased vulnerability to viral infections. The impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women is not well understood, and there is a need for data on managing severe COVID-19 in pregnant patients. This retrospective descriptive cohort study described the characteristics, hospital stay, interventions, and outcomes of pregnant patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) with severe COVID-19 pneumonia in Qatar. Methods: Data were collected from medical records and chart reviews of pregnant women admitted to Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) with COVID-19 pneumonia from March 01, 2020, to July 31, 2021. The inclusion criteria encompassed pregnant women with a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) antigen test or radiological changes at admission, requiring respiratory support, and hospitalized for more than 24 hours. Results: A total of 43 pregnant women were included in this study. Most patients were admitted during the first wave of the pandemic, with a median gestational age of 212 days [interquartile range 178–242 days] at presentation. The most common respiratory support methods were high-flow nasal cannula, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, and invasive positive pressure ventilation. Convalescent plasma therapy was administered to 58% of patients, and tocilizumab was used in 28%. Renal replacement therapy was required by 4.6% of patients and 7% required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant patient