Metabolite profiling of Clinacanthus nutans leaves extracts obtained from different drying methods by 1H NMR-based metabolomics

The metabolites of Clinacanthus nutans leaves extracts and their dependence on drying process were systematically characterized using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) multivariate data analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were able to distinguish the leaves extracts obtained from different drying methods. The identified metabolites were carbohydrates, amino acid, flavonoids and sulfur glucoside compounds. The major metabolites responsible for the separation in PLS-DA loading plots were lupeol, cycloclinacosides, betulin, cerebrosides and choline. The results showed that the combination of 1H NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analyses could act as an efficient technique to understand the C. nutans composition and its variation. © 2016 Author(s)

Towards the Effectiveness of Utilizing ICT in Enhancing Language Learning Process: A Pilot Study

In the educational arena, technology in general and the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in particular have become one of the significant tools in enhancing language learning process. Furthermore, the support to realize Vision 2020 has inspired many language practitioners to integrate ICT into their language classes. However, many questions have arisen demanding for answers: Can ICT really enhance language learning process? How effective can it be? Can ICT change students’ attitudes towards language learning? And most importantly, what are the technological resources and tools that can be effectively utilized? In language education, these questions have provided a new dynamic field of research. On this basis, this paper will move towards uncovering the effectiveness of utilizing ICT in enhancing language learning process. This move will go beyond the conventional 'board and chalk' approach; thus, it is vital that relevant theories or models of learning are provided. ICT resources will also be identified in order to demonstrate the significance of ICT in maximizing student-centered learning (SCL) approach. Findings of research are gathered from questionnaire and interviews which are conducted in University College of Engineering & Technology Malaysia (KUKTEM), Pahang, Malaysia

Chemical profile of xanthine oxidase inhibitor fraction of Persicaria hydropiper

Persicaria hydropiper, locally known as kesum, is an herb belongs to the family Polygonaceae. It has been used widely in many countries as food flavoring and possesses a wide range of medicinal values. The total phenolic content and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of the methanolic extract of P. hydropiper and fractions were determined spectrophotometrically. The butanol fraction was found to contain high phenolic content and was able to inhibit xanthine oxidase activity. Online profiling using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation spectrometry (LC-ESIMS/MS) has revealed ten constituents in this active fraction. The major components were flavonoid derivatives and flavonoid sulphates, which were confirmed by comparison with an authentic standards as well as their MS/MS fragmentation patterns and UV spectra

Antioxidant and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities of persicaria hydropiper.

Five different polarity fractions of methanolic extract from Persicaria hydropiper, which are consumed as vegetables, were evaluated for its total phenolic content, and antioxidant activities by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, ferric thiocyanate, and xanthine oxidase inhibition assays. Particularly, higher phenolic content was exhibited by butanol and ethyl acetate fractions with the values of 224.38 and 68.95 mg GAE/100 g dry extract, respectively. Both butanol and ethyl acetate fractions exhibited higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 28.61 and 25.55 μg/ml. Meanwhile, both fractions also were shown to inhibit xanthine oxidase activity compared to other fractions with IC50 values of 28.72 and 165.25 μg/ml. As for the ferric thiocyanate method, all the fractions except hexane fraction showed similar activity against lipid peroxidation and were comparable to butylated hydroxyl toluene, with percentage of inhibition from 95 to 98%

Antecedents influencing parents' decisions in selecting higher education institutions

This study examines the factors that influence parent intention in selecting Private Universities for their children. Purposive sampling was used for the study. Target respondents were parents who have the intention to enroll their children into Private Universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. This research surveyed 394 respondents during various education fairs and private university open days. Underpinned by Consumer Satisfaction Theory (Oliver, 1980) this study adopts Brand Equity, Involvement, Advertising, Satisfaction and Purchase Intention as the research constructs in the research framework; and examines the relationships between Brand Equity, Involvement and Advertising to Satisfaction; and Satisfaction to Intention. This study also investigates the mediating effect of Satisfaction. Using PLS-SEM to analyze the data, seven hypotheses are proposed and supported by the results. They offer insights into how parents select Private Universities for their children; and should be useful to Private Universities for developing enrolment strategies

Healthcare Practitioner Behaviours That Influence Unsafe Use Of Hospital Information Systems

This study aims to investigate healthcare practitioner behaviour in adopting Health Information Systems which could affect patients’ safety and quality of health. A qualitative study was conducted based on a semi-structured interview protocol on 31 medical doctors in three Malaysian government hospitals implementing the Total Hospital Information Systems. The period of study was between March and May 2015. A thematic qualitative analysis was performed on the resultant data to categorize them into relevant themes. Four themes emerged as healthcare practitioners’ behaviours that influence the unsafe use of Hospital Information Systems. The themes include (1) carelessness, (2) workarounds, (3) noncompliance to procedure, and (4) copy and paste habit. By addressing these behaviours, the hospital management could further improve patient safety and the quality of patient care

Detection of antioxidant constituents from Persicaria hydropiper using LC-UV-DAD-ESIM/MS.

The antioxidant activity of the crude methanolic extract and fractions of the aerial parts of Persicaria hydropiper or ‘kesum’ were investigated to evaluate their potential application as health supplement. Dried aerial part of the plant samples were extracted with methanol and the methanol crude extract was fractionated by liquid-liquid extraction into five different fractions. All fractions were analyzed for total phenolic content utilizing Folin Ciocalteau assay. The antioxidative potential of all fractions were also evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl radical (DPPH), ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and xanthine oxidase inhibition (XO) methods. Furthermore, the metabolite profiling of the bioactive antioxidant fractions was accomplished using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LCMS). The use of LCMS techniques is an important approach for online identification of plant constituents. The amount of the total phenolics, varied widely in the fractions and ranged from 0.00 to 224.4 mg GAE/100 g dry extract. The highest level was found in butanol fraction with 224.4 mg GAE/100 g dry extract, followed by ethyl acetate (68.9 mg GAE/100 g dry extract), dichloromethane (8.7 mg GAE/100 g dry extract), aqueous (6.4 mg GAE/100 g extract) and hexane (4.3 mg GAE/100 g dry extract) fractions. The DPPH assay revealed that the ethyl acetate and butanol fractions of P. hydropiper were the most active fractions with IC50 values of 25.5 and 28.6 μg/ml, respectively. Dichloromethane fraction showed moderate activity with IC50 value of 94.2 μg/ml. The lower radical scavenging activity was observed in aqueous and hexane fractions with IC50 values ranged from 110 to 380 μg/ml. In comparing the antioxidant activity using ferric thiocyanate assay, all fractions effectively inhibited higher lipid oxidation compared to α-tocopherol. Except for the hexane fraction, the inhibition of the other fractions were comparable to the known synthetic antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Of the fractions assayed for xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity, butanol fraction showed the most active with IC50 value of 32.3 μg/ml followed by ethyl acetate fraction with IC50 value of 166.9 μg/ml. The ethyl acetate and butanol fractions exhibited good antioxidant activity in all the assay tested. The LC-DAD-ESIMS chemical profiling method was developed for the identification of phytochemical constituents in the antioxidative fractions of P. hydropiper. The phytochemical profile of ethyl acetate fraction has identified fourteen compounds together with two unidentified compounds. The compounds were identified as quercetin (1), quercetin-3-O-glucoside (3), galloyl quercetin-3-O-glucoside (5), galloyl quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (6), quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (7), kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (13), galloyl kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (14),hydropiperoside (31), vanicoside A (34), vanicoside B (35), vanicoside D (38), rhamnetin (87), apigenin-3-O-glucoside (89) and kaempferol rutinoside (90). From the ethyl acetate fraction, six compounds; 1, 3, 5, 7, 87 and 3,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (88) have been isolated and identified using NMR spectroscopy. Phytochemical investigation of the bioactive butanol fraction of P. hydropiper using LC-DAD-ESIMS/MS led to the identification of nine compounds including rhamnazin-3-sulphate (91), quercetin-3-O-glucuronide (8), luteolin-3-O-glucoside (92), kaempferol-3-O-sulphate (93), quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (7), apigenin-3-O-glucoside (89), quercitrin 7-sulphate (94), luteolin-7-sulphate (95) and isorhamnetin-3-sulphate (persicarin) (96). All compounds were relatively identified based on the MS/MS and UV data in comparison with those of the standard compounds

Utilizing ICT to Promote Motivation towards Language Learning among Engineering Students

Rapid advancement of technology and the impact of globalization have breathed new changes into our lives. These changes bring new challenges to every aspect of life in the digital world we live in today. Being part and parcel of the digital package, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a vital role to ensure that the needs for these new tides are met, particularly within the area of language education. Consequently, many language educators are urged to integrate ICT into their language classes, above all, as a means for student motivation. On this basis, this paper attempts to unearth the potentials of language learning enhancement through the utilization of ICT as motivational tool. Thus, this move will look beyond the conventional 'board and chalk' approach at language teaching and learning. Hence, it is essential that we identify the ICT tools that can motivate learners and their significant effects on student motivation in language learning. This study is conducted in KUKTEM, Pahang, Malaysia

ICT sebagai motivasi kepada pembelajaran dan pengajaran bahasa di KUKTEM

Kemajuan Teknologi dan kesan daripada globalisasi telah memberi nafas baru kepada perubahan kehidupan kita pada hari ini. Perubahan-perubahan ini telah membawa pelbagai cabaran baru di dalam era kehidupan kita. ICT memainkan peranan yang penting untuk memastikan pembaharuan dilaksanakan dari masa ke semasa untuk membantu para pelajar menguasai bahasa khasnya bahasa Inggeris. Kepakaran menggunakan ICT merupakan antara aset terpenting bagi pendidik-pendidik bahasa di dalam kelas pembelajaran bahasa dan ICT dilihat sebagai elemen motivasi untuk membantu para pelajar menguasai bahasa Inggeris. ICT juga diharapkan dapat mendekati pelajar untuk memperbaiki kemahiran komunikasi mereka sekaligus menerapkan nilai-nilai Soft Skills lain yang ditekankan di KUKTEM seperti keupayaan belajar (learning capabilities) dan bekerja secara berkumpulan (teamworking). Kemahiran menggunakan ICT ini juga akan menggerakkan minda pelajar untuk menjadi lebih kreatif dan inovatif di dalam proses pembentangan mereka sekaligus kemahiran ini dapat membantu pelajar menjadi graduan yang mempunyai daya saing di alam pekerjaan. Oleh itu, amatlah penting bagi kita untuk mengenalpasti sumber-sumber ICT yang dapat memberikan motivasi kepada pelajar dan kesan-kesannya terhadap pembangunan pelajar di dalam menguasai bahasa Inggeris di KUKTEM. Kertas kerja ini akan melihat kepada penglibatan ICT dalam membantu proses pembelajaran dan pengajaran dan memotivasikan pelajar di dalam kelas bahasa Inggeris di KUKTEM

The influence of religion on entrepreneurial behavior: a review on the roles of emotion and religious motivation

Entrepreneurship plays an influential role in economic growth. However, in today’s digitalized world, entrepreneurial journey is perceived as increasingly challenging than before, as the world is becoming increasingly dynamic and full of uncertainties. One of the ways entrepreneurs choose in dealing with this difficulties and challenges in their entrepreneurial journey is to resort to religion. Religion was found to be significantly related to emotion regulations, motivation and behavior. In entrepreneurship field, previous studies on entrepreneurial behavior were mostly focused on personality and psychological traits. Very little attention has been paid to the role of religion in influencing entrepreneurial behavior, particularly on emotion and religious motivation. The objective of this conceptual paper is to discuss the role of emotion and religious motivation in influencing entrepreneurial behavior. The paper provides discussion and suggestions for future studies on entrepreneurial behavior, guidelines for practitioners, learning institutions and policymakers