Interleukin-12p40 Modulates Human Metapneumovirus-Induced Pulmonary Disease in an Acute Mouse Model of Infection

The mechanisms that regulate the host immune response induced by human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a newly-recognized member of the Paramyxoviridae family, are largely unknown. Cytokines play an important role in modulating inflammatory responses during viral infections. IL-12p40, a known important mediator in limiting lung inflammation, is induced by hMPV and its production is sustained after the resolution phase of infection suggesting that this cytokine plays a role in the immune response against hMPV. In this work, we demonstrated that in mice deficient in IL-12p40, hMPV infection induced an exacerbated pulmonary inflammatory response and mucus production, altered cytokine response, and decreased lung function. However, hMPV infection in these mice does not have an effect on viral replication. These results identify an important regulatory role of IL-12p40 in hMPV infection

Priors comparison in Bayesian models of risk factor of Malaysian coronary artery disease male patients.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Of particular relevance for this issue is that major efforts should be focused on understanding the risk factor involved. In this study, three types of Bayesian models, each with different prior distribution were considered to identify associated risk factors in CAD among Malaysian male patients presenting with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and to obtain a feasible model to fit the data. The results of the three models were compared to find the best model. A total of 7180 STEMI male patients from the National Cardiovascular Disease Database-Acute Coronary Syndrome (NCVD-ACS) registry year 2006-2013 were analysed. Univariate and multivariate analyses for the three models were performed using one of the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation approach known as Gibbs sampling. Models' performances are evaluated through overall model fit. Bayesian model C which used both Beta and Dirichlet prior distributions, consisted of six significant variables namely diabetes mellitus, family history of cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, renal disease, Killip class and age group was considered as the best model. The same set of variables that were observed to be significant in the Bayesian model C was also found to be significant in models A and B which used single prior distribution, respectively. Model C has a better fit than models A and B as the deviance value produced was the smallest. This study showed that posterior estimation was mostly influenced by the existing prior knowledge. Though applying the non-informative prior which were both Beta and Dirichlet distribution priors, model C can minimise uncertainty in making effective clinical decisions and provides better parameters estimates of the posterior distribution

Risk factors of mortality among male patients with cardiovascular disease in Malaysia using Bayesian analysis.

Background: Identifying risk factors associated with mortality is important in providing better prognosis to patients. Consistent with that, Bayesian approach offers a great advantage where it rests on the assumption that all model parameters are random quantities and hence can incorporate prior knowledge. Therefore, we aimed to develop a reliable model to identify risk factors associated with mortality among ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) male patients using Bayesian approach. Methods: A total of 7180 STEMI male patients from the National Cardiovascular Disease Database-Acute Coronary Syndrome (NCVD-ACS) registry for the years 2006-2013 were enrolled. In the development of univariate and multivariate logistic regression model for the STEMI patients, Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation approach was applied. The performance of the model was assessed through convergence diagnostics, overall model fit, model calibration and discrimination. Results: A set of six risk factors for cardiovascular death among STEMI male patients were identified from the Bayesian multivariate logistic model namely age, diabetes mellitus, family history of CVD, Killip class, chronic lung disease and renal disease respectively. Overall model fit, model calibration and discrimination were considered good for the proposed model. Conclusion: Bayesian risk prediction model for CVD male patients identified six risk factors associated with mortality. Among the highest risks were Killip class (OR=18.0), renal disease (2.46) and age group (OR=2.43) respectively

The Competitiveness of Indonesian Crude Palm Oil in International Market

The purpose of this study was to know the competitiveness of Indonesia's CPO exports in the world and strategies to increase Indonesia's CPO competitiveness. The required data is secondary data from the report of CPO export in Indonesia in 1993-2017. This research-based on the background by the issue of palm oil discrimination by the European Union, where Europe is one of Indonesia's main CPO export destinations. This research uses a qualitative-quantitative approach, analysis with a quantitative approach is used to analyze the comparative advantage of Indonesia's palm oil in the International market used RCA. Analysis with a qualitative approach is used to analyze which strategies will be used to improve the competitiveness of Indonesian palm oil. The results of the study show that in 2017 export performance of Indonesia's palm oil increased. It showed by the value of RCA>1 which is 55,47 and an average of 37,22, Indonesia has the competitiveness of palm oil because of the increased export volume of palm oil to the major importer countries, such as India, Pakistan, and Europe. Indonesia's still competitive in Europe and Asia's market based on the average value of the RCA index

Risk factors of cardiovascular disease among st-elevation myocardial infarction male patients in Malaysia from 2006 to 2013

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Malaysia and globally. This study aimed to identify associated risk factors in cardiovascular disease among ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) male patients and obtain a feasible model to describe the data. A total of 16,673 STEMI male patients from 18 participating hospitals across Malaysia in the National Cardiovascular Disease Database-Acute Coronary Syndrome (NCVD-ACS) registry year 2006-2013 were analysed. Univariate analysis was conducted. Significant variables from the univariate analysis were further analysed by a multivariate logistic analysis to identify the prognostic factors. The most prevalent risk factor for male patients was smoking (79.3%), followed by hypertension (54.9%) and diabetes mellitus (40.4%). At univariate level, this study is consistent with the findings from the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) where smoking is a significant risk factor. After adjustment in multivariate logistic model, the risk factors for cardiovascular death among male patients are related to age, premorbid condition such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history of CVD, Killip class, type of treatment such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and relevant comorbidity such as renal disease. Drastic efforts in the management of all risk factors in males is needed to improve adherence outcomes

Does Philips on the Right Track?

In the dynamic environment, a global company is required to develop strategic management of their business as the foundation to establish the competitive advantages. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to analyze the strategic management implemented on Koninklijke Philips N.V or Philips, a diversified technology company which focuses on improving people's lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. The strategies are developed at corporate, business, and functional level, and should be aligned to attain the goals. Moreover, the research method used secondary data including annual reports, statistics, and other official reports. The results show that generic differentiation is the right track for Philips through improving innovation and R&D performance. Keywords: competitive advantage,differentiation strategy,global company, innovation, strategic managemen

Empirical evidence of AMT practices and sustainable environmental initiatives in malaysian automotive SMEs

This paper presents significant empirical evidence on the relationship between Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) practices and sustainable environmental initiatives with the manufacturing capabilities of automotive SMEs in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey is adopted in this study, which involves 83 Malaysian automotive SMEs. Two hypotheses are proposed in this study, i.e. Hypothesis 1: There are positive effects of AMT practices on the manufacturing capabilities of SMEs and Hypothesis 2: There are positive effects of sustainable environmental initiatives on the manufacturing capabilities of SMEs. The results obtained from the pairwise correlation analysis indicate that both AMT practices and sustainable environmental initiatives have positive effects on manufacturing capabilities, which support both hypotheses. In addition, it is found that 50 of the SMEs implement AMT for flexibility and cost reduction in the past five years. It is also found that more than 80 sustainable practices are adopted in most of the SMEs with the exception of Life Cycle Assessment. Based on the findings, there is a need to move forward into the hybrid approach, which will consider both AMT practices and environmental initiatives to ensure that SMEs remain competitive and become the world player in the automotive industry

Pemberian Materi Pernikahan di KUA Air Hangat Timur

Kehidupan pernikahan merupakan sesuatu yang penting, sehingga butuh pengetahuan sebelum menjutkannya. Dalam kegiatan Praktik Kuliah  Lapangan mahasiswa Fakultas ushuluddin adab dan dakwah Jurusan Manajemen Dakwah, dan Ilmu al-Quran dan Tafsir, diberikan kesempatan untuk memberikan materi pernikahan baik secara teori maupun di bidang pelayanan terhadap keluarga, yang berkaitan dengan konseling pernikahan dan bekal hidup berurumah tangga. Tujuan pengabdian ini adalah demi terwujudnya keluarga yang sakinah mawadah waromah. Adapun materi yang diberikan adalah pernikahan dan keluarga ideal