Effects Of Standardized Hydroalcoholic Extracts Of Orthosiphon Stamineus On Behaviour Of Gestationally-stressed Postpartum Rats

Orthosiphon stamineus (OS) has been traditionally used for many ailments but for psychiatric disorders. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is one of the phenolic compounds contained in OS, and it has been shown to have positive antidepressant-like effect on rats in other studies. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of ethanolic OS extract on the behaviours of rat dams exposed to gestational stress, which is linked to being a factor of postpartum depressive-like behaviours in rodents. Extraction of OS was carried out using the maceration technique for 48 hours. Through HPTLC, the presence of RA, eupatorin, sinensetin, and TMF were confirmed. The highest percentage of extract yield was from 50% ethanol, while the most concentration of RA obtained was from 95% ethanol. For in vivo study, 50% ethanolic OS extract was chosen to be administered to the rats. Female Sprague Dawley rats were mated and divided into two groups – stressed and non-stressed. The stressed group was subjected to chronic mild stress procedure after mating until the day of parturition, whereas the non-stressed group was left undisturbed. After parturition, the stressed group was further divided into 4 groups – non-treated, amitriptyline-treated 20mg/kg (Ami), OS-treated 100mg/kg (OS100) and OS-treated 200mg/kg (OS200). Treatments were given to the rat dams via oral once daily until the end of the behavioural tests. After weaning of pups, all rat dams were tested for locomotor activity and anxiety-like behaviour in open field test, whereas depression-like behaviour was assessed in forced swim test (all groups n: 7-10

Determinants of theory technology of acceptance model (TAM) in measuring educators' continuance intention of Learning Management System (LMS)

The purpose of the study was to examine the individual context in terms of educators’ continuance intention of using Learning Management System (LMS).Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), as a supportive framework is used to measure the influence of the educators’ experience towards determinant of Information System (IS) continuance intention for using LMS services.This study was conducted at the University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) among educators.The stratified sampling method was used in sample selection for this study.Survey data collected from 69 respondents were examined using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 21 (SPSS 21).The cross sectional data were collected through a survey and the data analyzed by means of factor analysis, correlation and multiple regression analysis.The findings indicate that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were significantly direct determinant of users’ continuance intention

The Effectiveness of Radiation Protection in Medical Field- A Short Review

The growing of X-ray imaging around the world has implication towards radiation    protection of medical field. Higher usage in radiation commonly have been seen as a simple workload issue without future challenges. Unfortunately, due to improvement in technology and techniques, it caused the amount of X-ray procedures increase which requiring medical professionals in order to ensure patient who exposed to radiation has maintain their close physical contact. As many processes are complex, risk of severe occupational exposure become higher, thus             necessary steps should be considered. It is important to ensure the lower effects of exposure are achievable. If the dosage limit for the lens of the eye is lowered in the near future, additional attention to eye protection may be required. There are many essential elements needed in ensuring                   medical field especially for X-ray imaging to be more proper and reasonably secured for example           education and training in radiation protection

Do they Intend to save? Saving behaviour intention among urban dwellers from low-income households

This study examines the level of saving behaviour intention among the households. Motivated by Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour framework, this study also examines the main factor affecting the households’ saving behaviour intention. A total of 148 questionnaires were distributed, and the data collected was analyzed using a descriptive and inferential statistics to meet the objectives of the study. The results suggest a low level of saving behaviour intention among the low-income households. The results also indicate that financial literacy was found to be the main factor influencing saving behaviour intention among the households. Keywords: savings behaviour intention; attitude towards saving; subjective norm, perceived behavioural control; eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER and cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia DOI

Effects of the partial replacements of Oil Palm Boiler Clinker (OPBC) on the density and compressive strength of concrete

Purpose: Oil Palm Boiler Clinker (OPBC) is a promising waste material that can be deployed toward sustainable development. Researchers have been looking into the potential of industrial waste and by-products to provide an alternative to natural stone aggregates in concrete production. This study aims to determine an OPBC concrete mix eligible for lightweight reinforced precast concrete products according to BS EN 13369:2013. Design/methodology/approach: The concrete mix design is determined via the trial mix method, where percentages of OPBC are varied as partial replacements in the control mix. Raw OPBC is collected from a local palm oil mill in Johor, Malaysia and is processed to be implemented in the concrete mix. Three 100mm cube samples of nine OPBC mixes and one control mix are tested and weighed on day 1, day 7, and day 28 to determine their cube compressive strength and density to BS EN 12390-3:2009. The mix that fulfils the requirements is the mix with 90% coarse clinker and 90% fine clinker, cured by the method of air curing, which achieved a cube compressive strength of 38.66N/mm2 and density of 1920kg/m3. Findings: In conclusion, the results show that OPBC concrete is a green alternative to standard concrete that does not differ significantly in terms of strength while offering a density reduction of as much as 16%. Originality/value: This paper is original Paper type: Research pape

Effect of Pump Dithering at Each Stage of Cascaded Fiber Optical Parametric Amplifier

Cascaded fiber optical parametric amplifier (FOPA) can enhance gain and bandwidth. The gain and bandwidth can be further enhanced by dithering the FOPA pump. However, to our knowledge, the effects of a pump dithering at every stage of cascaded FOPA have not been discussed. The study of performance at every stage of cascaded FOPA is quite interesting and beneficial in designing the system. Here, we analyzed, using OptiSystem software, each stage of a cascaded FOPA, when there was a pump dithering and not. The results showed that the pump dithering enhanced the gain and broaden the bandwidth at every stage. The gain and bandwidth obtained with the pump dithering were 27 dB and 20 nm, respectively. On the other hand, when there was no pump dithering, the gain and bandwidth were 9 dB and 12 nm, respectively

Utilization of Cockle Shell (Anadara granosa) Powder as Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregates in Cement Brick

Waste from fishery sector such as seashells are widely used in construction and building materials in order to reduce waste quantity. This study investigates the utilization of cockle shell powder (CSP) as partial replacement for fine aggregates in producing cement brick (CB). Bricks specimen are designed with three different percentages of 5% (CSP5CB), 10% (CSP10CB) and 15% (CSP15CB) replacements including control cement brick (CCB). An analysis conduct in this study are included sieve and specific gravity for materials testing while compressive strength, density and water absorption are for harden specimens. A rectangular brick shape specimen with 200mm × 100mm × 100mm in volume were used then cured using tap water for 7 and 28 days. The result revealed that compressive strength for specimens containing CSP are higher compared to CCB specimens. Besides that, CSP brick given a higher density with 2381.25 kg/m3 and lower water absorption 0.31% contrast from control specimens. According to overall data collected, the optimum composition for CSP in cement brick was 5% which indicated higher compressive and lower water absorption. Thus, the incorporation of CSP as sand replacement in bricks could improve and enhance physical and mechanical developments of bricks with the increment of curing time

Uncovering Malaysian students’ motivation to learning science

This paper aims to highlight two pertinent points relating to science education in Malaysia; first identifying aspects underlying students’ motivation to learning science, and second outlining the profile of performance indicators leading towards successful science learning among upper secondary students in Malaysia. It is acknowledged that good science learning outcome does not only rely on the way teaching is carried out but also on other factors such as students’ ability and talent, language proficiency, and the right attitude toward science learning, just to name a few. Nonetheless, little do we know the extent to which these factors contribute towards students’ successful science learning. Through preliminary yet in-depth interviews with students, teachers and panel of experts, the researchers list various factors that influence science learning outcomes. Information pertaining to these factors is then used to develop a comprehensive yet psychometrically sound inventory that will help assess students’ potential to excel in science

Cellulose isolation from leucaena leucocephala seed: effect on concentration sodium hydroxide / Nur Aini Nabilah Ab Rashid... [et al.]

The isolation of cellulose fibres requires the removal of other components such as lignin, hemicellulose, and pectin from the biomass. In this study, the matured Leucaena leucocephala seeds (LLS) was applied as a raw material to extract cellulose. The influence of sodium hydroxide concentration (2% - 6%) on the structure of cellulose isolated LLS was studied. The highest yield 23.7% of cellulose was extracted using 4 wt% NaOH treatment. The chemical-physical properties of cellulose extracted were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). FTIR spectrum indicated that of all treated samples shows the peaks of cellulose structure. The highest crystallinity index of cellulose was obtained from 6% NaOH treatment which is 76.04%. Under FESEM images, the cellulose appeared in fibrils-like structure. The cellulose obtained can be further disintegrate to micro and nano cellulose to increase the chemical physical properties for various application such as in biocomposite, biomedicine and other value-added chemicals

Employees’ Turnover Intention in Malaysian Manufacturing Company

Employee turnover is a significant issue in human resource management, which refers to the employees’ willingness to leave their current organization within a predetermined time frame. Thus, it is essential to pinpoint the factors affecting this decision, which include salary, working environment, employer-employee relationship, and leadership styles.  The primary data was collected from a sample of 136 employees from a manufacturing company in Johor, Malaysia, and all questionnaires were successfully collected from the respondents. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 23, and Pearson Correlation and regression analysis were carried out to investigate the influences between the variables. The results from the correlational study revealed that all independent variables have a negative relationship with the dependent variable. Multiple regression analysis showed that the four independent variables substantially explain 54% of the variance for employee turnover intention. However, when assessing the coefficient for each independent variable, only salary, employer-employee relationships, and leadership styles were significant, and the remaining variable was insignificant. For future research, it is recommended that an explicit sample size should be adopted so that the findings can be generalized to other similar populations