Entrepreneurial Intentions of Tourism Vocational High School Students in Indonesia and Malaysia

This study aimed to compare the entrepreneurial intention's Tourism Vocational high-school students in Indonesia and Malaysia. The survey design method was used and the Bird's Contexts of Entrepreneurial intentionality model was adopted in the application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A total of 228 students from Malaysia (n= 114) and Indonesia (n=114) were recruited as the respondents. Statistical test analysis results using the independent sample t-test showed that there is a statistically significant difference in the average scores of students who come from Indonesia and Malaysia (p< .05) with Malaysian students having higher scores. Also, belief and self-efficacy are found to be the most dominant components associated with the entrepreneurial intentions among students coming from both countries. In conclusion, tourism vocational high school students from Malaysia have stronger entrepreneurial intentions while self-efficacy and belief ply a big role in influencing intention

Effect of Nepeta Menthoides on Cognitive Disorders in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Clinical Trial

Nowadays, given the outbreak of Alzheimer disease (AD) as a global phenomenon, it is absolutely essential to take efficacious measures against it. Heating up the brain is a recommended approach to decrease the symptoms of AD. Furthermore, using hot herb is an effective method to enhance the temperature of the brain. One of the hot herbs is Nepeta menthoides which is known as Ostokhodus and has neuroprotective effects. In the present paper, the effect of Nepeta on the treatment of Alzheimer was studied. A trial was carried out on two groups of AD patients. While the first group was prescribed the capsules of Nepeta extraction, the second group was given the placebo capsules. The results of the taken MMSE inventories from both of the tested groups as the comparison criteria revealed that Nepeta had positive influence on the treatment of AD

Effect of Nepeta Menthoides on Cognitive Disorders in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Clinical Trial

Nowadays, given the outbreak of Alzheimer disease (AD) as a global phenomenon, it is absolutely essential to take efficacious measures against it. Heating up the brain is a recommended approach to decrease the symptoms of AD. Furthermore, using hot herb is an effective method to enhance the temperature of the brain. One of the hot herbs is Nepeta menthoides which is known as Ostokhodus and has neuroprotective effects. In the present paper, the effect of Nepeta on the treatment of Alzheimer was studied. A trial was carried out on two groups of AD patients. While the first group was prescribed the capsules of Nepeta extraction, the second group was given the placebo capsules. The results of the taken MMSE inventories from both of the tested groups as the comparison criteria revealed that Nepeta had positive influence on the treatment of AD

Iranian version of speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing scale: A psychometric study

Evaluation of communication abilities in the elderly is crucial for activities which will be performed to improve their quality of life. A valid and reliable questionnaire is needed for assessing communication abilities. We aimed to translate and validate the speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing scale (SSQ) in Iran. The forward-backward procedure was applied to translate the questionnaire from English into Persian. After linguistic validation and pilot study, a cross-sectional study was carried out, and psychometric properties of the Iranian version of the SSQ were tested. Number of 333 elderly individuals with impaired hearing completed the questionnaire. Number 48.3 were hearing aid users and 51.7 was not. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest analysis. Exploratory factor analysis was performed for extracting factor structure of the Persian version of SSQ. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to compare different models of factor loadings. The Mean age of participants was 62.00 years (SD=9.58 years), and the mean SSQ score was 5.1 (SD=1.2, ranged: 3.17-6.27). Reliability evaluation revealed high internal consistency and good test- retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.96 and the Pierson Correlation at test-retest analysis was 0.73 for Quality of hearing factor, 0.88 for Spatial and o.73 for Speech understanding factor. The results of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) indicated a four-factor solution for P-SSQ that jointly accounted for 52.40 of the variance observed. Confirmatory factor analysis approved the three factor solution but proposed a possible fourth factor. The Iranian version of the SSQ has acceptable psychometric properties, and it will be helpful for assessing different kinds of communication abilities in the Iranian elderly population. © 2016 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Measurement Model Value Aspects of Teacher Leadership in Vocational Education

Teaching profession at present is very challenging and the teachers themselves must be prepared to deal with it. The issue of teachers and the teaching profession continue to gain attention and often widely debated whether in the media, among the general public and even discussed until the national level. Negative sentiment against teachers often receives media attention although not authentic, and it creates a feeling of prejudice and less happy society on the individual teacher. These issues need to be addressed wisely by all teachers and the parties involved so that the dignity of the profession remain respected. Teachers need to show good values of the students, school and community. This is important because there is value in teachers will influence others to stay in school or otherwise. People often look at the behavior of teachers and assess externally only. Teachers must have admirable traits that can guide and educate students to become excellent once formed their personal character. This study aimed to verify the instrument model aspects of the leadership of teachers in technical and vocational education. Specifically, the objectives of this study were to confirm the scale of the measurement model teacher leadership and to identify the reliability of the instrument model. This study used a questionnaire to collect data from respondents. The questionnaire used is divided into two parts, Part A and Part B Section A consisted of demographic data, while Part B contains 53 item questionnaire measuring aspects of the leadership of the teachers in improving teaching and student learning, teacher leadership skills in improve relations and cooperation with the community and other parties, leadership skills and attributes of teachers in skill lead. And practice leadership skills teacher professional learning for continuous improvement. The study population consisted of all students of semester 8, IPG Zone east coast of peninsular Malaysia. This study used a sample of all the population to study. However, only 153 questionnaires that can be used for analysis and the respondents for this survey. This questionnaire has been validated by a panel of experts consisting of a lecturer who specializes in the study in IPGK Zone east coast of Malaysia, to get the validity of the content. The questionnaire was constructed and tested for suitability in the context of teacher education in IPGK Zone east coast of Malaysia

Focused ultrasound-enabled brain tumor liquid biopsy

Abstract Although blood-based liquid biopsies have emerged as a promising non-invasive method to detect biomarkers in various cancers, limited progress has been made for brain tumors. One major obstacle is the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which hinders efficient passage of tumor biomarkers into the peripheral circulation. The objective of this study was to determine whether FUS in combination with microbubbles can enhance the release of biomarkers from the brain tumor to the blood circulation. Two glioblastoma tumor models (U87 and GL261), developed by intracranial injection of respective enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-transduced glioblastoma cells, were treated by FUS in the presence of systemically injected microbubbles. Effect of FUS on plasma eGFP mRNA levels was determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. eGFP mRNA were only detectable in the FUS-treated U87 mice and undetectable in the untreated U87 mice (maximum cycle number set to 40). This finding was replicated in GL261 mice across three different acoustic pressures. The circulating levels of eGFP mRNA were 1,500–4,800 fold higher in the FUS-treated GL261 mice than that of the untreated mice for the three acoustic pressures. This study demonstrated the feasibility of FUS-enabled brain tumor liquid biopsies in two different murine glioma models across different acoustic pressures

Soil Moisture Data for the Validation of Permafrost Models Using Direct and Indirect Measurement Approaches at Three Alpine Sites

To date, there has been no comprehensive review of the epidemiology, risk factors, species distribution, and outcomes of candidemia in Iran. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of all reported candidemia cases in Iran until December 2015. The review process occurred in three steps, namely a literature search, data extraction and statistical analyses. After a comprehensive literature search, we identified 55 cases. The mean age of patients was 46.80±24.30 years (range 1–81 years). The main risk factors for candidemia were surgery and burns (23.6%), followed by malignancies (20%), use of broad-spectrum antibiotics (18.2%), and diabetes (7.3%). Candida parapsilosis (n=17, 30.8%) was the leading agent, followed by Candida albicans (n=15, 27.3%), Candida glabrata (n=10, 18.2%), and Candida tropicalis (n=8, 14.5%). The frequencies of candidemia cases due to C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, and C. albicans were significantly higher among patients aged>60, 21–40, and 41–60 years, respectively. Comparison of risk factors for candidemia by multiple logistic regression showed that one of the most important risk factors was surgery (OR: 4.245; 95% CI: 1.141–15.789; P=0.031). The outcome was recorded in only 19 cases and 13 of those patients (68.4%) expired. This study confirms that knowledge of the local epidemiology is important when conducting surveillance studies to prevent and control candidemia and will be of interest for antifungal stewardship

The need for national diagnostic reference levels: Entrance surface dose measurement in intraoral radiography

Background: Intraoral radiographies are the most frequent X-ray examinations in humans. According to International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) recommendations, the selection of a diagnostic reference level (DRL) should be specific to a country or region. Critical organs such as thyroid gland are exposed to X-rays in intraoral radiography and these exposures should be kept as low as reasonably achievable. To assist the development of DRLs for intraoral radiography, a National Radiation Protection Department-sponsored pilot study was carried out. Materials and Methods: Thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) is widely acknowledged to be the recommended method for measuring entrance surface doses (ESD). In this study, ESD was measured using LiF thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD-100) on the skin (either mandibular or maxillary arcs) of 40 patients. Three TLD chips were placed on the skin of each patient. The doses were averaged for each radiography and mean ESD of all patients calculated. Results: The mean ± SD entrance surface dose at the center of the beam on the patients' skin in intraoral radiography was 1.173 ± 0.606 mGy (ranged from 0.01 to 0.40 mGy). The mean ESD for male and female patients were 1.380 ± 0.823, and 1.004 ± 0.258 respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between these means. Despite its necessity, in national level, there is no published data on the diagnostic reference levels for intraoral radiography. However, the results obtained in this study are lower than those reported by investigators in other countries. Conclusion: In IR Iran, due to lack of large scale studies, no diagnostic reference levels have been set for X-ray diagnostic procedures. Due to lack of national diagnostic reference levels, it is not possible to clarify whether in intraoral radiographies any dose reduction techniques are needed. We intend to perform similar nationwide studies to set the diagnostic reference level for intraoal radio graphy

Time Domain Source Parameter Estimation of Natural and Man-Induced Microearthquakes at the Geysers Geothermal Field

Water injection in geothermal areas is the preferential strategy to sustain the natural production of geothermal resources. In this context, monitoring microearthquakes is a fundamental tool to track changes in the reservoirs in terms of soil composition, response to injections, and resource exploitation with space and time. Therefore, refined source characterization is crucial to better estimate the size, source mechanism, and rupture process of microearthquakes, as they are possibly related to industrial activities, and to identify any potential variation in the background seismicity. Standard approaches for source parameter estimation are ordinarily based on the modelling of Fourier displacement spectra and its characteristic parameters: the low-frequency spectral level and corner frequency. Here, we apply an innovative time domain technique that uses the curves of P-wave amplitude vs. time along the seismogram. This methodology allows estimation of seismic moment, source radius, and stress release from the plateau level and the corner time of the average logarithm of P-wave displacement versus time with the assumption of a triangular moment rate function, uniform rupture speed, and a constant/frequency-independent Q-factor. In the current paper, this time domain methodology is implemented on a selected catalog of microearthquakes consisting of 83 events with a moment magnitude ranging between 1.0 and 1.5 that occurred during a 7-year period (2007–2014) of fluid extraction/injection around Prati-9 and Prati-29 wells at The Geysers geothermal field. The results show that the time domain technique provides accurate seismic moment (moment magnitude) and rupture duration/radius estimates of microearthquakes down to the explored limit (M 1) while accounting for the anelastic attenuation effect in the radiated high-frequency wavefield. The retrieved source radius vs. moment scaling is consistent with a self-similar, constant stress drop scaling model, which proves an appropriate attenuation correction and the validity of the assumed, triangular moment rate function for microearthquake ruptures. Two alternative mechanical models are proposed to explain the observed difference (about two orders of magnitude) in the retrieved average stress release estimates between the time and frequency domain methods. We argue that the two quantities may not refer to the same physical quantity representing the stress release of earthquake ruptures. Either the smaller stress release values from the time domain method may indicate a larger fracture area (by a factor of 20) radiating the observed P-waveforms than the one estimated from the corner frequencies, or the frequency domain estimate is a proxy for dynamic stress release while the time domain is more representative of the static release. The latter is associated with a much lower dynamic friction value than static friction value at the fault during the rupture process

Data visualization of temporal ozone pollution between urban and sub-urban locations in Selangor Malaysia

In Malaysian environment, ground level zone has been reported as one of the most important pollutants that contribute to air quality degradation. The odourless and invisible nature of the pollutant has caused problems for individuals to realize and notice the existence of Ozone pollution in the environment. Thus, this study was conducted with the aim to assess and visualize the occurrence of potential Ozone pollution severity of two chosen locations in Selangor, Malaysia: Shah Alam (urban) and Banting (sub-urban). Data visualization analytics were employed using Ozone exceedances and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The study results have shown an increasing pattern of Ozone pollution occurrence with several modes of distinct diurnal variations at the locations. The study also provides strong insights that Banting might experience a higher potential for Ozone pollution severity compared to Shah Alam.Keywords: ozone pollution; air quality; data visualization; data analytics; principalcomponent analysis