205 research outputs found
Measurement of body temperature and heart rate for the development of healthcare system using IOT platform
Health can be define as a state of complete mental, physical and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [1]. Having a healthy body is the greatest blessing of life, hence healthcare is required to maintain or improve the health since the healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of health through the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of injury, disease, illness, and other mental and physical impairments in human beings. The novel paradigm of Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to transform modern healthcare and improve the well-being of entire society [2].
IoT is a concept aims to connec
ACTIVATION OF ERK/MAPK SIGNALING BY BURKHOLDERIA PSEUDOMALLEI CYCLE INHIBITING FACTOR
Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC
An analysis of intentions to reduce ICT- waste among MSC Malaysia Status Companies / Ng Tuan-Hock...[et.al]
An upsurge in consumption of information and communication technology (ICT) products has ignited conflicting debate about the impacts of ICT. On the one hand, ICT accelerates productivity, but on the other hand, environmental degradation issues associated with the rise in the amount of ICT-waste are a matter of deep concern for all. When waste issues come into focus, there is a growing need for long-term solutions. In this context, ‘reduce’ has been hailed as an effective ICT-waste prevention method by environmentalists and policymakers. Nonetheless, empirical evidence in this discussion remains sparse. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the determining factors of ‘reduce’ intention among employees in companies with MSC Malaysia status. Premised on the classic theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and survey analysis, this study reports that attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural controls are significant predictors of ‘reduce’ intention. The recommendations put forth in this study consider governmental policies and corporate actions that potentially bring ICT-waste under control
Incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Hospitalized Chinese Medical Patients and the Impact of DVT Prophylaxis
Objective. To evaluate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in hospitalized Chinese medical patients and the impact of DVT prophylaxis. Methods. All cases of confirmed proximal DVT from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2008 were reviewed retrospectively to determine the presence of risk factors and whether DVT developed: during hospitalization in medical wards or in case of readmission with a diagnosis of DVT within 14 days of discharge from a recent admission to medical wards. The impact of prophylaxis will be estimated by comparing the annual incidence of proximal DVT among medical patients hospitalized from 2005 to 2007 with that of 2008 (DVT prophylaxis commonly used). Results. From 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2008, 3938 Doppler ultrasound studies were performed for suspected DVT. Proximal DVT was diagnosed in 687 patients. The calculated incidence of proximal DVT among medical patients hospitalized for at least two days was 1.8%, 2%, and 1.7% for the year 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively. The incidence was 1.1% for 2008 (P < .001). Conclusion. Proximal DVT was substantial in Chinese medical patients, and DVT prophylaxis might reduce such risk
Structural investigations on the mitochondrial uncouplers niclosamide and FCCP
There has been renewed interest in using mitochondrial uncoupler compounds such as niclosamide and carbonyl cyanide p‐(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP) for the treatment of obesity, hepatosteatosis and diseases where oxidative stress plays a role. However, both FCCP and niclosamide have undesirable effects that are not due to mitochondrial uncoupling, such as inhibition of mitochondrial oxygen consumption by FCCP and induction of DNA damage by niclosamide. Through structure–activity analysis, we identified FCCP analogues that do not inhibit mitochondrial oxygen consumption but still provided good, although less potent, uncoupling activity. We also characterized the functional role of the niclosamide 4′‐nitro group, the phenolic hydroxy group and the anilide amino group in mediating uncoupling activity. Our structural investigations provide important information that will aid further drug development
Modeling the Impacts of Corporate Environmental Responsibility on Information and Communication Technology -waste Management
The global growth of consumption and disposal of information and communication technology (ICT) appears to be one of the main factors that fuels the increased level of ICT-waste. With ICT-waste causing environmental degradation, there is urgency in the public interest to achieve more sustainable development. This study develops a conceptual framework for reduce behavior at workplace premised on the classic theory of planned behavior (TPB). The theoretical contribution of this study is primarily upon expanding existing knowledge on factors influencing pro-environmental behaviors, by firstly conceptualizing reduce behavior and secondly emphasizing the mediating effect of corporate environmental responsibility (CER) on the relationships between attitude, subjective norms and perceived benefits, and reduce behavior. In short, a well-communicated environmental policy within organizations is urgently required, being a strong signal that encourages employees to engage in pro-environmental actions.
Keywords: reduce, corporate environmental responsibility, ICT-waste, theory of planned behavior
JEL Classification: P2
AluScan: a method for genome-wide scanning of sequence and structure variations in the human genome
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To complement next-generation sequencing technologies, there is a pressing need for efficient pre-sequencing capture methods with reduced costs and DNA requirement. The Alu family of short interspersed nucleotide elements is the most abundant type of transposable elements in the human genome and a recognized source of genome instability. With over one million Alu elements distributed throughout the genome, they are well positioned to facilitate genome-wide sequence amplification and capture of regions likely to harbor genetic variation hotspots of biological relevance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we report on the use of inter-Alu PCR with an enhanced range of amplicons in conjunction with next-generation sequencing to generate an Alu-anchored scan, or 'AluScan', of DNA sequences between Alu transposons, where Alu consensus sequence-based 'H-type' PCR primers that elongate outward from the head of an Alu element are combined with 'T-type' primers elongating from the poly-A containing tail to achieve huge amplicon range. To illustrate the method, glioma DNA was compared with white blood cell control DNA of the same patient by means of AluScan. The over 10 Mb sequences obtained, derived from more than 8,000 genes spread over all the chromosomes, revealed a highly reproducible capture of genomic sequences enriched in genic sequences and cancer candidate gene regions. Requiring only sub-micrograms of sample DNA, the power of AluScan as a discovery tool for genetic variations was demonstrated by the identification of 357 instances of loss of heterozygosity, 341 somatic indels, 274 somatic SNVs, and seven potential somatic SNV hotspots between control and glioma DNA.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AluScan, implemented with just a small number of H-type and T-type inter-Alu PCR primers, provides an effective capture of a diversity of genome-wide sequences for analysis. The method, by enabling an examination of gene-enriched regions containing exons, introns, and intergenic sequences with modest capture and sequencing costs, computation workload and DNA sample requirement is particularly well suited for accelerating the discovery of somatic mutations, as well as analysis of disease-predisposing germline polymorphisms, by making possible the comparative genome-wide scanning of DNA sequences from large human cohorts.</p
Comparative assessment on learning outcomes achievement among students participating in uniform bodies programs in a Malaysian Public University
Extracurricular activities are extra activities outside the classroom, besides curriculum. It is also known as co-curriculum.
University students are encouraged to participate in co-curriculum activities as it can help students improve their soft
skills. AIM: A cross sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the achievement of learning outcomes among students who
participated in various uniform bodies programs in a Malaysian public university. Furthermore, this research wanted to
assess the reasons students participated in the uniform bodies programs and evaluate the effects of such involvement in the
extra-curricular in terms of academic performance, time management and social life. The skills that student’s learnt from the
extra- curricular were also evaluated. METHOD: A set of validated questionnaire was used as a research tool. The uniform
bodies that participated in this survey were ROTU, SUKSIS, BSMM and SISPA. The total number of respondents was 333
students. Statistical Package (SPSS) version 20.0 was used for analysis of data. RESULTS: The study found that majority of
students participated in uniform bodies programs because of their own interest the programs (31.5%). There were positive
correlations between participation in uniform bodies programs and revision hours (r = 0.256) and also with and social hours
(r = 0.147) but there was negative correlation between time spent in uniform body programs and GPA (r=-0.140). There were
differences in the soft skills that student’s achieved from different uniform bodies programs. CONCLUSION: In conclusion,
we found that students learnt and obtained various soft skills when they participated in uniform bodies programs. This will
be useful for their later development especially when they are seeking employment upon graduation
Conjugating uncoupler compounds with hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains to achieve adipose tissue selective drug accumulation
One potential approach for treating obesity is to increase energy expenditure in brown and white adipose tissue. Here we aimed to achieve this outcome by targeting mitochondrial uncoupler compounds selectively to adipose tissue, thus avoiding side effects from uncoupling in other tissues. Selective drug accumulation in adipose tissue has been observed with many lipophilic compounds and dyes. Hence, we explored the feasibility of conjugating uncoupler compounds with a lipophilic C8-hydrocarbon chain via an ether bond. We found that substituting the trifluoromethoxy group in the uncoupler FCCP with a C8-hydrocarbon chain resulted in potent uncoupling activity. Nonetheless, the compound did not elicit therapeutic effects in mice, likely as a consequence of metabolic instability resulting from rapid ether bond cleavage. A lipophilic analog of the uncoupler compound 2,6-dinitrophenol, in which a C8-hydrocarbon chain was conjugated via an ether bond in the para-position (2,6-dinitro-4-(octyloxy)phenol), exhibited increased uncoupling activity compared to the parent compound. However, in vivo pharmacokinetics studies suggested that 2,6-dinitro-4-(octyloxy)phenol was also metabolically unstable. In conclusion, conjugation of a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain to uncoupler compounds resulted in sustained or improved uncoupling activity. However, an ether bond linkage led to metabolic instability, indicating the need to conjugate lipophilic groups via other chemical bonds
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