The relationship between social networking websites usage and student’s academic performance / Farah Nadhirah Zainal, Nor Hamizah Che Wail, Siti Hapsah Ahmad and Sur Ain Naquiah Nik

Social networking website is one of the social media Internet-based services includes Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Cyworld, Bebo and other social networking sites that allow individuals to present themselves to other users using a variety of formats, including text and video. All of these sites allow the users to exchange news and discuss issues, chatting, update status, discussing, find friends as well as share the information with each other. In Malaysia, social networking becomes a phenomenon among the citizens regardless of their age, race, occupation and living area and students are the most users of social networking sites. This research is focus on the relationship between the social networking websites and students academic performance. This study was conducted in order to identify either there is a relationship or not between these two variables. The ob jective of this study is to investigate the usage of social networking among UiTMT university students A set of questionnaires have been distributed in a ways to find the result and from the data collected, we know the actual usage of social networking website among the UiTMT students. Respondents for this research are students from part six in four faculties which are Electrical Engineering, Office Management, Hotel Management and Business Management of the UiTM Terengganu. The data received has been analyzed by using the mean, standard deviation, percentage, frequency and Pearson’s correlation. From this analyzing technique, actual results have been received and based on the Pearson correlation analysis, we can conclude that there is a relationship between social networking website and students academic performance Overall, the findings of the research help the student to beware about the usage of the social networking website as well as know there is a relationship exists between the usage of social networking website and students academic performance

Applying the Taguchi Method to Optimise the Size of Silica Nanoparticles Entrapped with Rifampicin for a Drug Delivery System

The aim of this study was to optimise the experimental conditions for the synthesis of silica nanoparticles. In achieving this, the amount of butanol, the amount of surfactant, the amount of silica precursor, the synthesis temperature and the agitation speed were optimised by applying the Taguchi orthogonal arrays method. The optimal synthesis conditions for silica nanoparticle production were a temperature of 50°C, 6 ml butanol, 7 ml Tween 80, 3 ml trimethoxyvinylsilane (TMVS), and an agitation speed of 320 rpm. The nanoparticle size was characterised to optimise the synthesis conditions and determined to be smaller than 100 nm using a Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS and a transmission electron microscope (TEM)

Game-based learning using visual spatial approach for children with autism to improve social development: a pilot study / Ilinadia Jamil...[et.al]

Autism is a disorder in the growth and development of a brain or central nervous system that covers a large spectrum of impairment, symptoms and skills. The children who are suffering from autism face difficulties in communicating and adapting well in the community as they have trouble in understanding what others think and feel. However, children with learning disabilities appeared to have significant strengths in visual-spatial intelligence as they do the best when they deal with inductive learning and problem solving. This paper proposed a game-based learning application for autism children using visual spatial approach. Furthermore, this research aim is to provide a fun, interactive and engaging digital platform for learning basic knowledge such as alphabets, shapes and colors by using puzzle technique in manner it could cultivate interest in autism children as well as improvise social development. Several methods such as observation and references were used in the study. On the other hand, pilot test was conducted on 5 selected students from National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM) Melaka to identify the most suitable content in design and gameplay which can be developed to be compatible with autistic characters as well as to enhance their social skill and cognitive progress in future. Observation was conducted to understand their behavior in game engagement and obtain feedback of their needs and learning goals. Furthermore, the findings attached to the understanding that most of the respondents are impacted to the game play and fascinated with each element used in game design. Thus, the game prototype developed using visual spatial approach can slightly stimulate their social abilities and encourage children with autistic disorder to kindle a wide spectrum of skills. Moreover, future research is required to determine other factors contribute to the development of social and cognitive abilities for individuals with ASD

DIVERSITY OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH FRUITS AND LEAVES OF TAMARIND (Tamarindusindica L.) BASED O N ITS RIBOSOMAL DNA SEQUENCES

Plant-associated microbes are among the important natural resources that abundantly exist in natural environment such as endophytic fungi. The studies on endophytic fungi in medicinal plants have allowed the discovery of numerous fungi species and their hidden potentials. Therefore, this study focused on the isolation and identification of endophytic fungi from several plant parts of tamarind such as leaves and fruits. A total of 69 fungal cultures were successfully isolated and identified into 33 distinct species from 14 genera based on morphological characteristics and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis using a Maximum Likelihood method. There were six different species obtained from the genus Colletotrichum (C. aenigma, C. brevisporum, C. cobbittiense, C. fructicola, C. gloeosporioides and C. siamense), and Diaporthe (D. arecae, D. ceratozamiae, D. phaseolorum, D. pseudomangiferae, D. pseudooculi  and D. pseudophoenicicola), four species of Aspergillus (A. aculeatus, A. carbonarius, A. flavus and A. tubingensis), three species of Curvularia (C. aeria , C. geniculata and C. lunata) and Nigrospora (N. lacticolonia, N. oryzae and N. sphaerica), two species of Lasiodiplodia (L. pseudotheobromae and L. theobromae) and Penicillium (P. rolfsii and P. verruculosum). Other fungal species that were also identified are Botryosphaeria mamane, Fusarium solani, Perenniporia tephropora, Phyllosticta fallopiae, Sarcostroma bisetulatum, Trichoderma asperellum and Xylaria feejeensis. The isolates were grouped into different clades according to their class. In conclusion, endophytic fungi isolated from tamarind plant are diverse and provides an insight into species diversity of endophytic fungi in tamarind

A 6-Month Open-Label Study of Vortioxetine among Cancer Patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Objective: Vortioxetine is a monoaminergic drug with a novel multimodal mechanism of action. We investigated its efficacy on depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and quality of life among cancer patients.Methods: In this multicenter, open-label, single-arm, observational study, patients received flexible doses of Vortioxetine for a period of six months. All participants were assessed at baseline and scheduled for monitoring at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24. Depression severity was assessed using Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. The Perceived Deficiency Questionnaire (PDQ-5) assessed the perceived cognitive difficulties in concentration, executive functioning, and memory. The European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC) was used to assess the patients’ quality of life. Side effects of vortioxetine were monitored using the Antidepressant Side-Effect Checklist (ASEC). Results: Patients experienced a reduction in MADRS scores from 29.89 ± 5.997 at baseline to 11.59 ± 4.629 by Week 24. The PDQ-5 scores showed significant change from Week-4, whereas the EORTC role, emotional, and cognitive functioning scores showed a significant change from Week 2 onwards. CGI-Severity scores decreased from a baseline of 4.39 ± 0.746 to 2.41 ± 1.085 by Week 24. During the 24-Weeks of therapy, around three-quarters of the patients (73.3%) had one or more adverse events reported on the ASEC. The most frequently reported TEAEs were dry mouth, insomnia, somnolence, and headache, with more than a 30% incidence rate. Conclusion: Vortioxetine seems promising in the management of depression and enhancement of cognitive function and quality of life of cancer patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Design of a negative conductance dielectric resonator oscillator for X-band applications

An X-band tunable microwave low-phase noise planar oscillator employing a novel-fed dielectric resonator (DR) with a single transistor has been investigated and realized. A ZrSnTi oxide composite ceramic-based DR with dielectric permittivity of 95 enclosed in a metallic cavity with an unloaded Q factor of 5,000 at 10 GHz is proposed. The resonant frequency affinity with respect to geometric parameters is established by using the compensation technique based on dual negative conductance feedback, the outputs of which are combined via a Wilkinson power divider (WPD). The feedback parallel-coupled DR oscillator is incorporated into a laminate microwave board using the photolithographic technique. The oscillator includes a pseudomorphic low noise amplifier based on a high-electron-mobility transistor. Hence, the proposed oscillator with mechanic tuning is measured, and the results show that DR resonates at TE01d mode with frequency of 10 GHz. The measured phase noise of the oscillator is –81.03 dBc/Hz at a 100 kHz offset

Presentation of Breast Cancer and Impact of Patient Navigation on Timeliness of Diagnosis and Treatment and on Adherence to Treatment Recommendations in a Multicenter Network in Malaysia

PURPOSEBreast cancer deaths disproportionately affect women living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Patient navigation has emerged as a cost-effective and impactful approach to enable women with symptoms or suspicious mammogram findings to access timely diagnosis and patients with breast cancer to access timely and appropriate multimodality treatment. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the impact of patient navigation on timeliness of diagnosis and treatment in LMICs.METHODSWe established a nurse- and community-navigator-led navigation program in breast clinics of four public hospitals located in Peninsular and East Malaysia and evaluated the impact of navigation on timeliness of diagnosis and treatment.RESULTSPatients with breast cancer treated at public hospitals reported facing barriers to accessing care, including having a poor recognition of breast cancer symptoms and low awareness of screening methods, and facing financial and logistics challenges. Compared with patients diagnosed in the previous year, patients receiving navigation experienced timely ultrasound (84.0% v 65.0%; P < .001), biopsy (84.0% v 78.0%; P = .012), communication of news (63.0% v 40.0%; P < .001), surgery (46% v 36%; P = .008), and neoadjuvant therapy (59% v 42%, P = .030). Treatment adherence improved significantly (98.0% v 87.0%, P < .001), and this was consistent across the network of four breast clinics.CONCLUSIONPatient navigation improves access to timely diagnosis and treatment for women presenting at secondary and tertiary hospitals in Malaysia

Public Awareness and Practices Towards Self-Medication with Antibiotics Among Malaysian Population: Questionnaire Development and Pilot Testing

Not Availabl