Critical success factors in implementing knowledge management in consultant firms for Malaysian construction industry

In Malaysia, there has been an argument that the Knowledge Management (KM) practice especially in construction industry has not been commensurable with its status as a developing country. Hence, an initiative that aims to appraise the KM practice amongst consultant firms working in industry of construction in Malaysia becomes the focal point of this study. This aim is achieved by fulfilling its objectives of delving into the understanding of consultant firms on KM practices and exploring the critical success factors (CSFs) of KM implementation in Malaysia. In this paper, the data is studied on a number of statistical analysis tools, namely descriptive analysis, reliability analysis and relative important index (RII). The results obtained from the questionnaire survey clearly showed that most respondents made a claim that KM enhances the decision making in the organization and KM spurs innovations. Few respondents disagreed with the components of KM practices, indicating that these respondents may not be well aware of the importance of KM. About the top ranking of CSFs for KM practices implementation, it is found that “continuous organization support”, “leadership demonstration by senior staff/management”, “knowledge and sharing cul-ture”, “execution of plan”, and “continuous learning” make the top five factors very vital to the effective execution of KM by the consultant firms in the construction industry

Exterior noise due to interaction of tyre-thermoplastic transverse rumble strips

Transverse rumble strips (TRS) are a common choice to reduce vehicle speed and increase driver alertness on roadways. However, there is a potential trade-off using them on rural roadway due to the noise problem created when vehicles go over the strips. The present study investigated the noise level, spectral analysis, and the possible noise generation mechanism when the TRS is hit by a vehicle. Tenraised- rumbler (RR) and three-layer-overlapped (TLO) TRS were selected in this study as they have received complaints from the public. Results showed that RR generated a relatively higher noise and impulse at a low speed, and increased sound level in each octave band. Based on these results, RR may irritate human ears even when the vehicle travels at a low speed. It was found that RR increased all noise generation mechanisms of tyre-pavement interaction whilst TLO increased structural resonance, sidewall and surface texture vibration

Thymoquinone attenuates diethylnitrosamine induction of hepatic carcinogenesis through antioxidant signaling

Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for about 80–90% of all liver cancer and is the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality. Although there are many strategies for the treatment of liver cancer, chemoprevention seems to be the best strategy for lowering the incidence of this disease. Therefore, this study has been initiated to investigate whether thymoquinone (TQ), Nigella sativa derived-compound with strong antioxidant properties, supplementation could prevent initiation of hepatocarcinogenesis-induced by diethylnitrosamine (DENA), a potent initiator and hepatocarcinogen, in rats. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups. Rats of Group 1 received a single intraperitoneal (I.P.) injection of normal saline. Animals in Group 2 were given TQ (4 mg/kg/day) in drinking water for 7 consecutive days. Rats of Group 3 were injected with a single dose of DENA (200 mg/kg, I.P.). Animals in Group 4 were received TQ and DENA. DENA significantly increased alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total nitrate/nitrite (NOx) and decreased reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT) activity in liver tissues. Moreover, DENA decreased gene expression of GSHPx, GST and CAT and caused severe histopathological lesions in liver tissue. Interestingly, TQ supplementation completely reversed the biochemical and histopathological changes induced by DENA to the control values. In conclusion, data from this study suggest that: (1) decreased mRNA expression of GSHPx, CAT and GST during DENA-induced initiation of hepatic carcinogenesis, (2) TQ supplementation prevents the development of DENA-induced initiation of liver cancer by decreasing oxidative stress and preserving both the activity and mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes

Metallothionein induction reduces caspase-3 activity and TNFα levels with preservation of cognitive function and intact hippocampal neurons in carmustine-treated rats

Hippocampal integrity is essential for cognitive functions. On the other hand, induction of metallothionein (MT) by ZnSO4 and its role in neuroprotection has been documented. The present study aimed to explore the effect of MT induction on carmustine (BCNU)-induced hippocampal cognitive dysfunction in rats. A total of 60 male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups (15/group): The control group injected with single doses of normal saline (i.c.v) followed 24 h later by BCNU solvent (i.v). The second group administered ZnSO4 (0.1 µmol/10 µl normal saline, i.c.v, once) then BCNU solvent (i.v) after 24 h. Third group received BCNU (20 mg/kg, i.v, once) 24 h after injection with normal saline (i.c.v). Fourth group received a single dose of ZnSO4 (0.1 µmol/10 µl normal saline, i.c.v) then BCNU (20 mg/kg, i.v, once) after 24 h. The obtained data revealed that BCNU administration resulted in deterioration of learning and short-term memory (STM), as measured by using radial arm water maze, accompanied with decreased hippocampal glutathione reductase (GR) activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) content. Also, BCNU administration increased serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), hippocampal MT and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents as well as caspase-3 activity in addition to histological alterations. ZnSO4 pretreatment counteracted BCNU-induced inhibition of GR and depletion of GSH and resulted in significant reduction in the levels of MDA and TNFα as well as the activity of caspase-3. The histological features were improved in hippocampus of rats treated with ZnSO4 + BCNU compared to only BCNU-treated animals. In conclusion, MT induction halts BCNU-induced hippocampal toxicity as it prevented GR inhibition and GSH depletion and counteracted the increased levels of TNFα, MDA and caspase-3 activity with subsequent preservation of cognition

Acacia senegal gum exudate offers protection against cyclophosphamide-induced urinary bladder cytotoxicity

Cylophosphamide (CYCL) is a strong anticancer and immunosuppressive agent but its urotoxicity presents one of the major toxic effects that limit its wide usage particularly in high dose regimens. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate Acacia Senegal gum exudate, Gum Arabic (GA), for its possible role as a natural, nontoxic agent against CYCL-induced urotoxicity. Male Swiss albino rats were exposed to CYCL (150 mg/kg BW, once i.p) with or without GA oral supplementation (7.5 g/kg/day for 6 days) through drinking water. Glutathione (GSH), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Nitric oxide (NO) bladder contents were assessed. Responsiveness of the bladder rings to acetylcholine (ACh) in vitro, microscopic and macroscopic features are also investigated. CYCL produced pronounced harmful effects on bladder urothelial lining with significant increases in (MDA) and NO levels in the tissue homogenates. Bladder-GSH content is dropped by over 60% following CYCL injection. Bladder contractility, as measured by its responsiveness to ACh, recorded a marked reduction. The isolated bladders exhibited such macroscopic changes as severe edema, inflammation and extravasation. The bladder weight increased as well. Histological changes were evident in the form of severe congestion, petechial hemorrhage and chronic inflammatory reaction in the lamina propria accompanied with desquamated epithelia. GA, a potential protective agent, produced an almost complete reversal of NO induction, lipid peroxidation or cellular GSH bladder contents in the GA + CYCL-treated group. Likewise, bladder inflammation and edema were reduced. Bladder rings showed a remarkable recovery in their responsiveness to ACh. Bladder histological examination showed a near normal configuration and structural integrity, with a significant reduction in inflammation and disappearance of focal erosions. These remarkable effects of GA may be attributed to its ability to neutralize acrolein, the reactive metabolite of CYCL and/or the resultant reactive oxygen metabolites, through a scavenging action. GA may limit the cascading events of CYCL-induced damage, initiating a cytoprotective effect leading to structural and functional recovery of the bladder tissues

Comparison of fiber Bragg grating based on SMF and MMF over temperature sensitivity

We have successfully fabricated and demonstrated a simple, cost-effective and easy to use of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based on single mode, and multimode fiber which have been employed for temperature monitoring. The study purposely compared the performance of two types of FBGs; single mode FBG (SM-FBG) and multimode FBG (MM-FBG). The FBGs sensor is fabricated by phase mask technique which being exposed to ArF excimer laser with 20 mm uniform grating length and 99% reflectivity. The proposed FBG is studied for temperature monitoring starting at room temperature until 120 °C, and the configurations with SM-FBG and MM-FBG achieved a sensitivity of 10.9 pm/°C and 13.23 pm/°C, respectively whereas linear response correlation coefficient of 0.98229 and 0.99929. These show the MM-FBG has better sensitivity to be used in sensor applications

The effect of FBG grating lengths for temperature sensing

In this work, we have successfully fabricated the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with 1 cm and 3 cm grating length, respectively. The different grating length fabricated by adjusting the slit aperture in order to control UV light transmission while inscribing on the single mode fiber. Then the FBG was demonstrated through different grating length over temperature sensor to determine the differences for temperature sensing. The range for temperature The measured sensitivity of 1 cm and 3 cm grating length is 0.0103 nm/°C and 0.0132 nm/°C respectively at the same value of applied temperature. As a results, the shorter grating length, 1 cm has higher sensitivity response compared to 3 cm grating length over temperature sensing

Somatic copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity and copy number abnormalities in Malaysian sporadic colorectal carcinoma patients

ABSTRACT. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in many countries, including Malaysia. The accumulation of genomic alterations is an important feature of colorectal carcinogenesis. A better understanding of the molecular events underlying the stages of colorectal carcinogenesis might be helpful in the detection and management of the disease. We used a commercially available singlenucleotide polymorphism genotyping array to detect both copy number abnormalities (CNAs) and copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in sporadic colorectal carcinomas. Matched tumor and normal tissues of 13 colorectal carcinomas (Dukes' stages A-D) were analyzed using a 250K single nucleotide polymorphism array. An additional assay was performed to determine the microsatellite instability status by using the National Cancer Institute-recommended BAT-26 panel. In general, copy number gain (92.3%) was most common, followed by copy number loss (53.8%) and copy-neutral LOH (46.2%). Frequent CNAs of gains and losses were observed on chromosomes 7p, 8, 13q, 17p, 18q, and 20q, and copy-neutral LOH was observed on chromosomes 2, 6, 12, 13q, 14q, 17, 20p, 19q, and 22q. Even though genomic alterations are associated with colorectal cancer progression, our results showed that DNA CNAs and copy-neutral LOH do not reflect disease progression in at least 50% tumors. Copy-neutral LOH was observed in both early and advanced tumors, which favors the involvement of these genomic alterations in the early stages of tumor development

Effect of fiber stacking sequence and orientation on quasi- static indentation properties of sustainable hybrid carbon/ramie fiber epoxy composites

Hybrid polymer composites reinforced with synthetic and natural fibers are gaining more interest in current composite technology in an effort to promote sustainability without sacrificing the performance of synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites. The goal of this study is to see how the fiber stacking sequence of carbon and ramie fiber, as well as the orientation of ramie fiber, affects the quasi-static indentation behaviour of carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. The hybrid composite specimens were made using a hand layup approach followed by a hot pressing process. The quasi-static indentation properties of carbon/ramie fiber reinforcements in epoxy matrix were investigated using a hemispherical indenter at varying indenter displacement rates of 10, 20, and 30 ​mm/min for the stated stacking sequence and orientation. The indentation resistance qualities of carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites were evaluated in terms of indentation force, hybrid composite specimen energy absorption capability, and hybrid composite specimen damage caused by hemispherical indenter penetration. The results reveal that a carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composite with 5 ramie fiber layers has better energy absorption capabilities, absorbing 114.926 ​J at a 20 ​mm/min indentation rate. Similarly, the indentation force in hybrid composites increases as the number of carbon/ramie fiber layers increases. These results indicate that carbon/ramie fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composites have a great potential towards low velocity impact applications