3-DOF Parallel robotics System for Foot Drop therapy using Arduino

This paper discusses a robotic system used for physical therapy for foot drop case, caused by brain stroke. This device provides most exercises practiced by patient for treatment at any time or any place without going to the rehabilitation center located in hospitals. The robotics system designed according to the mechanism of parallel robot and controlled by computer or microcontroller (Arduino). This robot allows the patient to do the exercise without any need for any knowledge about computer or programing. The developed robot system show a good potential to be developed and distributed for large number of physical therapy clinics with low cost and good reliability. Keywords: 3DOF Robot, Parallel Robot, Foot Drop Physical Therapy, Arduino

Performance of Shariah vs Non-Shariah Firms: A Study of Manufacturing Sector in Malaysia

This research aims to examine the differences in the determinants of performance between Shariah-compliant and non-Shariah-compliant firms. The changes in the Shariah screening technique in Malaysia since 2013 have significantly affected how firms that comply with the Shariah principles, as opposed to non-compliant firms, leading to the motivation of this research being conducted. This research employs panel data regression analysis to test its hypotheses. Compiling data from 142 manufacturing firms (71 Shariah-compliant and 71 non-Shariah-compliant firms) from 2012 to 2021, this research found that Shariah-compliant firm performance is significantly influenced by firm size, leverage, tangibility and efficiency. In contrast, non-Shariah-compliant firm performance is significantly influenced by leverage, tangibility, working capital and efficiency. This research contributes to relevant parties, such as the manufacturing firms and policymakers, in providing insights on the most relevant indicators affecting firm performance, specifically those in the manufacturing sector

Synergistic biomedical potential and molecular docking analyses of coumarin–triazole hybrids as tyrosinase inhibitors: design, synthesis, in vitro profiling, and in silico studies

The tyrosinase enzyme has a vital role in the browning of vegetables and fruits and the biosynthesis of melanin. In this work, we synthesized a diverse library of coumarin–triazole hybrids, and these compounds were characterized by using suitable analytical techniques. Our research work extends beyond the synthetic effort to explore the therapeutic potential of these compounds. We put the synthesized compounds through meticulous in vitro screening against the tyrosinase enzyme, and these coumarin derivatives evinced good IC50 values in the range of 0.339 ± 0.25 µM to 14.06 ± 0.92 µM. In the library of synthesized compounds, six compounds were found to be more potent than standard ascorbic acid (IC50 = 11.5 ± 1.00), and among them, 17e and 17f, being the most active, exhibited remarkable anti-tyrosinase potential, with IC50 values of 0.339 ± 0.25 μM and 3.148 ± 0.23 μM, respectively. Furthermore, an in silico modeling study was carried out to determine the key interactions of these compounds with the tyrosinase protein (PDB ID: 2Y9X) and thus to authenticate our experimental findings. The quantitative SAR studies exhibited a good correlation between the synthesized derivatives of coumarin and their anti-tyrosinase activity. The docking studies verified the experimental results, and ligand 17e showed good interaction with the core residues of tyrosinase. This study not only expands the field of coumarin–triazole hybrid synthesis but also provides valuable insights for the development of novel tyrosinase inhibitors

Connecting Library with APEX Community

Hamzah Sendut Library as an APEX university library has taken a more proactive approach to rebrand promotional and outreach programs. A more creative, unique and inno-vative style have been used to ensure that the library's mis-sion in reaching out to the users is accomplished. ‘Skuad Pelanggan’ was formed to increase the effectiveness of library’s engagement with customers. The ultimate goal is to reach out to customers, increase the usage of library facilities, improving the relevance of the existence of the library in the campus community and provide additional value to the library users. Important aspects emphasized in the program include teaching and learning supports, with the focus on research and consultation. Efforts conducted through myPHS programs, exhibitions, and virtual market-ing have established positive impacts and realization of library’s relevance by the campus community

Perpustakaan Universiti Sains Malaysia dan kesejahteraan sosial: apa peranan kami?

Kerja komuniti merupakan satu proses menghasilkan dan mengekalkan penyesuaian di antara sumber-sumber kebajikan sosial dan keperluan kebajikan sosial di dalam satu kawasan geografi atau bidang perkhidmatan yang khusus. Universiti Sains Malaysia sebagai sebuah universiti perintis berusaha untuk memperkasakan dan menonjolkan bakat masa hadapan dan mengupayakan golongan terkebawah demi mentransformasi kesejahteraan sosioekonomi ke arah perkembangan minda dan perluasan ilmu bagi peningkatan taraf pendidikan seluruh lapisan masyarakat. Perpustakaan Universiti Sains Malaysia (PUSM) sebagai gedung ilmu memainkan peranan yang amat penting dalam merealisasikan kesejahteraan sosial dalam masyarakat. Pembudayaan membaca sebagai satu mekanisme utama untuk meningkatkan ilmu amat sinonim dengan perpustakaan

Discovery of novel 1,2,4-triazole tethered β-hydroxy sulfides as bacterial tyrosinase inhibitors: synthesis and biophysical evaluation through in vitro and in silico approaches

In this study, a series of 1,2,4-triazole-tethered β-hydroxy sulfide scaffolds 11a–h was synthesized in good to remarkable yields (69–90%) through the thiolysis of oxiranes by the thiols in aqueous basic catalytic conditions. The synthesized 1,2,4-triazole-tethered β-hydroxy sulfides were screened against bacterial tyrosinase enzyme, and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cultures i.e., (S. aureus) Staphylococcus aureus & (E. coli) Escherichia coli. Among the synthesized derivatives, the molecules 11a (IC50 = 7.67 ± 1.00 μM), 11c (IC50 = 4.52 ± 0.09 μM), 11d (IC50 = 6.60 ± 1.25 μM), and 11f (IC50 = 5.93 ± 0.50 μM) displayed the better tyrosinase inhibitory activity in comparison to reference drugs ascorbic acid (IC50 = 11.5 ± 1.00 μM) and kojic acid (IC50 = 30.34 ± 0.75 μM). The molecule benzofuran-triazol-propan-2-ol 11c proved to be the most potent bacterial tyrosinase inhibitory agent with a minimum IC50 of 4.52 ± 0.09 μM, as compared to other synthesized counterparts and both standards (kojic acid and ascorbic acid). The compound diphenyl-triazol-propan-2-ol 11a and benzofuran-triazole-propan-2-ol 11c showed comparable anti-bacterial chemotherapeutic efficacy with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC = 2.0 ± 2.25 mg mL−1 and 2.5 ± 0.00 mg mL−1, respectively) against S. aureus bacterial strain in comparison with standard antibiotic penicillin (MIC = 2.2 ± 1.15 mg mL−1). Furthermore, among the synthesized derivatives, only compound 11c demonstrated better anti-bacterial activity (MIC = 10 ± 0.40 mg mL−1) against E. coli, which was slightly less than the standard antibiotic i.e., penicillin (MIC = 2.4 ± 1.00 mg mL−1). The compound 11c demonstrated a better binding score (−7.08 kcal mol−1) than ascorbic acid (−5.59 kcal mol−1) and kojic acid (−5.78 kcal mol−1). Molecular docking studies also validate the in vitro anti-tyrosinase assay results; therefore, the molecule 11c can be the lead bacterial tyrosinase inhibitor as well as the antibacterial agent against both types of bacterial strains after suitable structural modifications

Open Access Publication of Universiti Sains Malaysia: a Bibliometric Analysis

Open Access (OA) is the new publishing model that allows unrestricted access and reuse of research outputs. OA accelerates discovery in the sense that researchers can freely read and build on new findings based on other research. While public seems to welcome more involvement in OA among academics, many researchers are still discussing about the challenges that they face to publish with OA journals including the issue of article processing charge (APC) and the quality of OA journals. This paper examines several aspects relate to OA publication such as publication productivity, citation impact, subject coverage, and publishing cost of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) based on SCOPUS data from 2013 to 2015. The findings show that School of Medical Sciences, Physics and Pharmacy dominated the OA publications. Thus, it also indicates that science-based researchers are highly inclined towards publishing in OA as compared to non-science researchers. Top three OA journals in the list are Plos One (Multidisciplinary), Acta Chrystallographica Section E (Chemistry) and Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering (Engineering, Geology). Most of the authors tend to publish in Quartile 3 journals (43%), followed by Q2 (28%), Q1 (16%) and Q4 (13%). However, with regard to citation impact per paper (average), every paper in Q1 journal received 6.25 citations, followed by Q2 (2.8 citations), Q3 (1.33 citations) and Q4 (0.87 citation). The APC range of OA publication found to be from RM0 to RM15, 000 per paper. The study provides useful insights about OA publication among USM researchers which can guide other researchers who wish to engage with OA in the future. Further study can be done by interviewing authors, to further explore on the OA research funding, strategy in choosing OA journals to publish in and also the motivation in publishing with OA

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701