Siam weed based hydrogel hybrid for tissue engineering

Tissue engineered skin grafts have been considered as an auxiliary for replacement of damaged skin due to burns and injury. In previous studies, gelatin hybrid with natural remedy were used in order to create 3D environment for the skin grafts. However, these gelatin hybrids were not sufficient to promote the healing process especially for infected wounds due to lack of therapeutic properties and their mechanical properties are yet to be defined. In this research, Siam Weed therapeutic properties promote healing process and its mechanical properties were enhanced by gelatin and electrospinning technique to produce Siam weed-gelatin electrospun scaffold as a successful 3D skin tissue engineering grafts. The effects of content of Siam weed extracts on the electrospun scaffolds are determined using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transfom Infrared spectroscopy and degradation study of solution properties. The results indicated that concentration affects the solution properties such as viscosity, conductivity and ultimately the fiber diameter. The fibrous meshes were then crosslinked with glutaraldehyde vapor and its mechanical properties were determined by tensile . The value of tensile strength of the crosslinked fibrous scaffold was higher than that of human skin proving that it has high potential to be a successful skin graft when immobilized at the wound site. Cell proliferation study of the Siam weed extracts indicated that the extracts had significantly stimulate cell proliferation with a strong response at the concentration of 25 µg/ml therefore giving the optimum proliferation of the cells. The results implied the possibility of using Siam weed-gelatin fibrous scaffold as a promising candidate for tissue engineered skin graft

The impact of education on economic growth: The case of Malaysia

This paper studies the relationship between education and economic growth in Malaysia. We examine the relationship between educational variables and gross domestic product (GDP). This paper focuses on human capital as a one of determinant of economic growth. The problem statement of this study was that, does the education attainment of the population can help to increase the economic growth? Our main result suggest that there exists a co-integrating relationship between education as measured by enrollments rates in primary, secondary and higher education and the GDP per capita. Malaysian annual data were collected over twenty six-year period starting from 1980 up to 2005. The Methodology employed is the standard co-integration analysis

Interpatient variability in tamoxifen respone among breast cancer patient: the use of pharmacogenetics and metabolomics in closing the gaps in clinical practice / Nor Izwani Mohamed

Tamoxifen has been widely used as the standard adjuvant therapy for breast cancer patients with oestrogen receptor-positive status, especially in the highrisk pre- and postmenopausal women. However, 30 to 50% of ER-positive breast cancer patients do not respond to tamoxifen therapy. Major challenges to effective tamoxifen therapy include drug resistance, and adverse events. Thus, this study aims to investigate the impact of pharmacogenomics and metabolomics in monitoring the efficacy of tamoxifen treatment in BRCA patients. A total of 95 tamoxifen-treated patients, and 11 untreated breast cancer patients from three major Malaysian ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese and Indian) were recruited. However, only 84 tamoxifen-treated patients with completed clinical data were included for clinical association analysis

The Volatility Of Somalia’s Unregulated Exchange Rates

Sistem kewangan dan mata wang negara (Shiling Somalia) dahulunya stabil dan kukuh.Walau bagaimanapun, Shilling Somalia mula merudum selepas 1980-an, dan akhirnya tersungur ke tahap yang teruk.Kerajaan pusat negara Somalia runtuh pada tahun 1990 selepas tiga dekad menikmati kestabilan ekonomi dan sosial. Berikutan kegagalan itu, mata wang tersebut terus didagangkan tanpa kawalan kerajaan. Pasaran tukaran mata wang asing tempatan pula beroperasi tanpa seliaan mana-mana pihak.Walaupun rakyat Somalia berurus niaga mata wang dalam pasaran tersebut, ia dikritik kerana tidak memiliki asas pasaran tukaran dagangan. Semasa tempoh kemunduran ini, nilai Shiling mengalami fenomena ketidakaturan yang tidak boleh dijangka, lebih-lebih lagi pada tahun 1997, 2001, 2008, dan 2011 Historically, the monetary system of Somalia was stable and its national currency (Somali Shilling) had very strong value but Somali shilling started to depreciate after 1980s and its value reached to a very low level. Somalia’s central government collapsed in 1990 following three decades of stability. Following the collapse of the government, the national currency continued to circulate without sovereign support and the country’s FX market has been operating without regulation. Though Somali people have been using this FX market, the market is criticized of not having the basic foundations of an FX market. During this period, the value of the Shilling experienced unpredictable volatility in particular in 1997, 2001, 2008, and 2011

An Islamic Reading of Moral Issues in Malay Novels

This thesis centers on reading modern Malay literature as a site for understanding the Malay dilemma in upholding their religious beliefs against both traditional cultural beliefs and modernization brought about by westernization. Using a sociological approach within an Islamic framework, the study investigates how the Malay authors depict Malay characters who transgress Islamic teachings. The analysis particularly follows the guidelines of the three Islamic principles: Belief, Law and Moral Conduct. At the same time, it explores the social struggles of the Malays with morality within the contexts of themes such as poverty, pervasive folk culture, religious conservatism, unscrupulous middlemen and irresponsible leadership. The works selected are English translated works originally written by A. Samad Said, Shahnon Ahmad and Khadijah Hashim. The three authors are representative writers of their time who are considered to have applied their creativity to foreground Malay as a resilient ethnic group in the face of adversity and social struggles. The research suggests that Malay characters in the selected novels represent Malays who have an increasing lack of knowledge in Islam, leading readers to understand that Malay Muslims have mostly transgressed the Islamic teachings. This may due to the fusion between culture and religion in traditional Malay society, and is mirrored by the emergence of modern hybrid values practiced by contemporary Malay society in the advent of westernization and in the face of hardship. Thus, studies on modern Malay literature which use the Islamic approach give a better picture of Malay social and religious struggles

Survey instrument for measuring level of preparedness amongst healthcare personnel in radiation emergency

Drills and exercises are globally practiced to investigate the level of preparedness towards disaster events. However, these activities are rarely conducted because they require substantial investment, specifically to budget and time. A self-reported survey may serve as an alternative approach, although it may not be as effective as drills and exercises. As part of the survey development process, this article discusses preliminary validation of a survey instrument to measure the level of preparedness towards radiation emergency amongst healthcare personnel. Prior to this validation process, extensive literature reviews pointed out that the instrument consists of three constructs of preparedness, namely readiness, willingness, and ability. A total of seven subject matter experts were invited to judge the contents for verification purposes. Randolph Kappa analysis was then conducted to analyse their judgment to allow irrelevant items to be filtered from the rest prior to any improvements. Initially, the survey instrument consisted of 69 items; however, the analysis omitted 16 of them. The following values for each preparedness construct were: Readiness (0.77), Willingness (0.70), and Ability (0.73). These findings indicate that contents of the instrument are valid. Further analysis should be fulfilled to complete validation process to ensure its practicality prior to using it as an evaluation tool

Colour properties and colourfastness of silk fabrics dyed with lichen dyes extracted using microwave, ultrasound and enzyme-assisted extraction methods / Nor Atiqah Mohamed

Although the presence of widely available and cheaper synthetic dyes almost substituted the use of natural dyes, the use of natural dyes for dyeing textile materials has now become a greater interest because they are more ecofriendly than synthetic dye. There is awareness amongst consumers and the textile industry for the need to reinvert natural dyes to impart colour to textiles. Lichens have been the source for natural dyes to colour textiles in many parts of the world. In Malaysia, studies on lichens have so far focused on their distribution, chemistry and biological activities and there is no exact reference on textile dyes. Extraction of colour component from source natural dye material is important step for dyeing any textile substrates to maximize the colour yield. In this study, to explore the colouring potential of local lichen species, silk fabric, which is a very good base for natural dyes, was dyed with lichen dyes produced using different extraction methods. In the first phase, several species of lichens were extracted using boiling water, boiling seawater, solvent and ammonia fermentation methods. The colours were further altered using six different mordants with meta-mordanting technique. In the second phase, two lichens species were selected (P. praesorediosum and H. leucomelos) for colour extraction using microwave (MAE), ultrasound (UAE), microwave-enzyme-assisted (MEAE) and ultrasound-enzyme-assisted (UEAE). The predominant dye colours were soft shade of brownish and yellowish tones but pink were also produced by the addition of vinegar to the ammonia extract. The effect of the different extraction methods were investigated for colour properties and colour fastness on the silk dyed fabrics. It was found that the colour values were influenced by the addition of mordants. The results also indicate that percent yield, dye uptake and colour strength with the MAE, UAE and enzyme-assisted extraction methods increased compared to BWM method. The dyed silk samples which were tested for colour fastness to washing, perspiration, rubbing and light, gave good to excellent ratings. It is expected that the methods used in the research could be employed for extracting colouring from other natural materials in a faster and effective manner. Lichen dyes and colours are visually pleasing and have potential to be introduced in the textile dyeing or printing industries particularly batik manufacturers and natural product lovers

Prevalence and risk factors associated with food insecurity among post-flood victims in Bera District, Pahang Malaysia / Nor Azizah Mohamed

Previous studies indicate the increment of food insecurity in Malaysia and it might be affect Malaysian nutritional and health status. This cross-sectional study determined the prevalence of food insecurity and examined the risk factors that contribute to the food insecure among the post flood victims in Bera district, Pahang Malaysia. Convenience sampling was applied and 210 households participated in this study. Household food security scales, chi-square and logistic regression were utilized to determined percentage of food insecure among flood victims and determined of factors associated with household food insecurity respectively. This study reported prevalence of food insecurity after flood at Bera district, Pahang Malaysia are 11.9% by using Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) while 34.9% by using Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) tools. Logistic regression indicates the risk factors that associated with household food insecure among post flood victims are home damage, large household composition, and unaffordable food prices which 0.446, 1.18 and 5.94 times tend to food insecure respectively. Thus, this finding provide guidance on how to build more sustainable, resilient communities that immune to food security crisis over the long term and help government to plan proper policy regarding food security during flood. Keywords: Flood, Food insecurity, household, prevalence, Malaysi