The novel adiponectin-resistin (AR) and insulin resistance (IR~AR~) indexes

Serum hypoadiponectinemia and hyperrestinemia independently links insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome (MS). Thus, the aim of this study was propose a novel adiponectin-resistin (AR) index by unifying the effect of adiponectin and resistin. Then, a novel insulin resistance (IR~AR~) index was proposed by taking into account the AR index. Serum adiponectin and resistin levels as well as other insulin resistance, T2DM and MS risk factors were tested. Experimental results showed the AR index was more stronger correlated with insulin resistance risk factors and had stronger association (df=5; F=51.154; P<0.001) with T2DM and MS susceptibility rather than the serum adiponectin (df=5; F=15.680; P<0.001) and resistin (df=5; F=40.648; P<0.001) levels alone. Therefore, the AR index looks very strongly links insulin resistance to T2DM and MS. Meanwhile, the IR~AR~ index (df=5; F=78.396; P<0.001) is a potent useful index of insulin sensitivity in subjects with T2DM and MS

Delamination-fretting wear failure evaluation at HAp-Ti-6Al-4V interface of artificial hip implant

Osteoarthritis due to rapid aging population in Malaysia and developed countries leads to an extensive application of titanium artificial hip implants. However, titanium alloys (Ti-6Al-4V) cannot directly adhere with human bone due to bio-compatibility issue. Thus, Hydroxyapatite (HAp:Ca10(PO4)(OH)2) coating which consists of main composition of human bone is plasma sprayed on titanium implants to maintain fixations during bone in-growth process. HAp coatings are susceptible to fail due to brittle fractures (coating through thickness crack) to initiate delamination which promotes fretting wear behaviour. Fretting wear particles are concerned for activating inflammations at surrounding organs, which lead to loosening of implants or subsequent failures. Present research aims to develop a finite element model to examine delamination-fretting wear behaviours that can suitably mimic actual loading conditions at HAp-Ti-6Al-4V interface of hip implant femoral stem component to formulate maximum wear depth predictive equation as a novel and fast failure prediction tool. Three simple finite element contact configuration models subjected to different mechanical and tribological properties consist of contact pad (bone), HAp coating and Ti-6Al-4V substrate are developed using contact modelling, cohesive zone modelling (CZM) and adaptive wear modelling (UMESHMOTION) approaches to be examined under static simulation. The developed finite element models are validated and verified with modified Hertzian theoretical solution and reported literatures. The findings revealed that significant delamination-fretting wear is recorded at contact edge (leading edge) as a result of substantial contact pressure and contact slip driven by stress singularity effect. Tensile-compressive condition (R = -1 ) experiences most significant delamination-fretting wear behaviour (8 times higher) compared to stress ratio R = 0.1 and R = 10. Finally, maximum delamination-fretting wear depth predictive equations are successfully formulated with significant goodness of fit and reliability as a fast failure prediction tool

Antecedents and Impacts of Psychological Ownership Among Academicians in Business Faculties of Malaysian Public Universities

Research on the impact of psychological ownership and its antecedents is at an inchoate stage. Earlier studies have considered only work factors as antecedents of psychological ownership. This study introduces non-work factors as potential antecedents. Work factors comprise of autonomy, participative decision-making and job tenure, while non-work factors consists of self-efficacy and locus of control. This study also investigates the impact of psychological ownership on job performance mediated through job commitment and job satisfaction. Unlike previous studies, this study has been carried out in an eastern setting. The study was carried out amongst lecturers in business schools of public universities in Malaysia. Questionnaires were distributed through paper and online survey. Three hundred and twenty nine (329) academicians participated in this study. The data analyses reveal that, with regards to work factors, only autonomy and participative decision-making are positively related to psychological ownership. In terms of nonwork factors, self-efficacy and locus of control have a stronger influence on psychological ownership, compared to work factors. This study measured job performance as a multidimensional construct with three dimensions (teaching, publication and ESP [Editorial, Supervisory and Professional]) using actual and perceived performance ratings. Findings indicate that psychological ownership is positively related to job performance, job commitment and job satisfaction. Theoretically, this study depicts the importance of dispositional traits as predictors of psychological ownership, and psychological ownership as a determinant of employee performance. Practically, this study provides a mechanism to improve job performance of academicians in Malaysian public universities. The present study indicates ways to develop psychological ownership among lecturers as well as recommends administrators to incorporate personality tests in recruiting academic staffs in universities. On the whole, this study contributes to the present knowledge of psychological ownership by integrating several antecedents and outcomes in a single, comprehensive model of psychological ownership

Teacher’s and Students’ Perceptions Between Flipped Classroom and Traditional Classroom At Primary Tamil School

This research was carried out in order to investigate teacher’s and student’s perceptions to promote active learning through flipped classroom among Tamil school teachers and students. A quantitative research design was used to carry out this study.The dependent variables in this study were teacher’s and student’s perceptions while the independent variables were traditional and flipped classroom. The sample consisted of 20 primary school teachers, 36 students from year 4 from primary Tamil school.Teachers’ perception interview questions were based on Snowden (2012) and a structured questionnaire to determine student perceptions between two different learning environments, flipped classroom and traditional classroom, was adapted from the Student Perception of Instruction Questionnaire (SPIQ) by Johnson and Renner (2012). The researchers distributed the survey questionnaire to primary Tamil school teachers and students. An independent samples t-test was conducted to compare student perception in a traditional and flipped classroom setting. A t-test for independent samples revealed a significant difference in perception between students that learn from a different learning culture (t(57) = -3.71, p < .05). The mean students who learn in a traditional classroom reported significantly different perceptions (M = 4.45, SD = .38) than students who learn in a flipped classroom (M = 4.93, SD = .40). In other words, students in the traditional classroom appear to have a better perception on method of delivery than the flipped classroom. Existing conventional teaching methods need to be transformed to ensure that the country's education system is able to move along the latest and competitive learning. Flipped classroom is one of the methods with potential to realize this vision

Effects of Newly Developed Cellulose Oil Palm Fiber in the Fatigue Failure of Stone Mastic Asphalt

Fatigue or tensile cracking along wheel paths of vehicles are predominant on Malaysian roads as compared with other forms of distress. This is primarily due to accelerated loading from trucks, which is causing the authorities millions of ringgit on road maintenance alone. This situation is further aggravated with the traditional use of soft 80-100 penetration binders, which are poor in shear strength. At the same time, the use of additives such as Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) has proved costly. With the rising cost of asphalt in Malaysia, construction and rehabilitation of asphalt road pavements are expected to constrain the road agencies’ budget in the coming years. The objectives of this study were to research the rheological properties of newly developed cellulose oil palm fibers and their potential in resisting fatigue failure of Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA). The research was undertaken in two parts. The first part of the study was carried out at UPM on SMA with granite aggregates. The selection of aggregate and asphalt for the study were done based on typical SMA mix requirements. Utmost importance was given to the use of the newly developed cellulose oil palm fiber in SMA. Out of the six types of cellulose fibers obtained through various types of pulping procedures, the Chemical Refined(Chem-R) Cellulose Fiber gave the best performance in terms of drain-down and rheological properties such as complex shear modulus. As such Chem-R cellulose fiber was selected and used throughout the study in proportions of 0.0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%,0.8%,1.0% in 100mm cylindrical SMA14 mix design and fatigue and IDT tests. SMA specimens, prepared with the above cellulose fiber proportions were tested to simulated loading and temperature conditions in accordance with the American Standard for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Association of American State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standards. The various proportions of cellulose oil palm fiber tested in 100 mm cylindrical specimens showed remarkable improvement in terms of fatigue life, stiffness and modulus. All of the SMA14 specimen properties increased as the fatigue life increased to a maximum value that corresponds to about 0.6% fiber. Remarkably, at 0.6% optimum fiber content, the initial strain decreased while the stiffness modulus increased, as compared with SMA14 specimens without fibers. The diameteral fatigue, and beam flexure tests have become popular in the Super Pave and AASHTO Tests. Along with that, new approaches in the fatigue analysis such as Dissipated Energy Ratio(DER), and Stiffness have also become very useful in the analysis of asphalt beams. Tests carried out on SMA9.5 beam specimens with the same cellulose fiber proportions as in SMA14, displayed similar trends in the fatigue performance of cellulose fibers regardless of the aggregate and gradation types. Maximum performance curves for fatigue life, stiffness and DER for the SMA9.5 beams were established. The fatigue life of beam specimens showed a maximum value between 0.6 and 0.8% of fiber contents, and the trend was similar for other parameters such as stiffness and DER. The results indicated that use of cellulose oil palm fibers greatly reduced the stiffness of the SMA9.5 and increased the number of load cycles to failure. These special characteristics of the fibers are expected to extend the life span of SMA pavement in the field. In addition, DER value was found to be the lowest for 0.6% cellulose oil palm fibers indicating a decreased loss of energy through dissipation. The more energy is retained and stored the longer life of the SMA pavements. Another important aspect observed in this study was the resistance of cellulose oil palm fibers to fatigue failure of SMA mixes. Several 150mm IDT samples were tested to determine the maximum indirect tensile stress, crack initiation, and propagation. The specimens tested in accordance with AASHTO TP-9 standard showed an increase in indirect tensile stress at 0.6% fiber proportions before taking a down turn. This seems to be promising for more new research in the area since previous research by others showed that gap graded mixes such as SMA displayed poor tensile strength. Two new approaches were undertaken to study the resistance of cellulose fibers against fatigue life of SMA. The first crack tensile stress and the maximum tensile stress values were used to quantify the fatigue resistance of the newly developed cellulose oil palm fibers. The fiber fatigue resistance quantifying approach is termed as Sustenance Ratio (SR). SR in this newly developed approach is defined as the ability of cellulose fibers to carry the maximum applied load to the first crack load divided by the time taken or total number cycles to failure. The unit of measure can be kN/sec or kN/cycles. Using this newfound analogy, the SR of various fiber percentages in SMA9.5 cylindrical specimens were determined. It was observed that the SR decreased to the lowest point at 0.6% fiber content, indicating a higher fatigue resistance. It was observed that the lower the SR the higher the fatigue resistance of fibers. In summary, it has been shown that the addition of Cellulose Oil Palm Fiber (COPF) up to 0.6% provides the maximum fatigue resistance to SMA which can be measured in terms of SR for various temperatures and load configuration. Another concept that was developed in this study was the Crack Meander (ξ) concept analogous to that of a river meander. Theoretically the lower the resistance encountered along the path of crack propagation, the more linear the line of crack becomes. The crack initiation and propagation within the 40mm gauged stress zone, was captured using a SLR camera, and the crack pattern was digitized. It was observed that the crack started to meander as the fiber proportions in the mix increased. A maximum meander was observed at a fiber content of 0.6%. The crack propagation within the stress zone appeared to be pinned by fiber reinforcements thus causing the line of crack to meander and propagate through weaker matrix

Cloning, Expression And Characterization Of Ahlinactivating aiiA Gene Homologue In Escherichia coli

Cell-to-cell communication pathway of single-celled microbes is usually coordinated by quorum sensing (QS) system mediated by signal molecules. This cell density-dependent system plays a vital role in functional coordination of most pathogenic bacteria. Laluan komunikasi antara sel-sel mikrob bersel tunggal biasanya diselaraskan oleh penderiaan kuorum yang dikoordinasikan oleh molekul isyarat. Sistem ini bergantung kepada kepadatan sel dan memainkan peranan penting dalam penyelarasan and pengekspresan gen kebanyakan bakteria patogenik

Pendayaupayaan Usahawan India dalam Syarikat Herba di Semenanjung Malaysia

Kajian ini berkaitan dengan pendayaupayaan usahawan India Syarikat Elpar Herbs Sdn.Bhd. di Semenanjung Malaysia. Syarikat ini mula beroperasi sejak tahun 1984 dan telah memainkan peranan penting dalam menyemai semangat keusahawanan dalam kalangan orang India yang menceburi bidang perniagaan perubatan tradisional India. Sistem perubatan tradisional India mulai masuk ke Tanah Melayu sejak 1833 dan menjadi satu bidang perniagaan yang berdaya saing. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan mengupas sejarah dan perkembangan bidang perniagaan perubatan tradisional India, mengenal pasti peranan Syarikat Elpar Herbs dalam menyemai minat, mendayaupaya dan membangunkan keusahawanan India serta kesannya ke atas usahawan India di Semananjung Malaysia. Pendekatan kualitatif digunakan dalam kajian ini dengan pemilihan kaedah kajian kes mengenai peranan Syarikat Elpar Herbs yang terletak di Sungai Petani, Kedah. Dua teknik pengumpulan data digunakan, iaitu kaedah temubual mendalam dan pemerhatian tanpa ikut serta. Sepuluh orang informan telah ditemubual dalam kajian ini. Untuk proses analisis data, temubual mendalam yang dirakamkan ditranskripsi ke dalam bentuk teks. Transkripsi tersebut disusun rapi selaras dengan susunan soalan dalam panduan temubual. Dapatan kajian mendapati bahawa bidang perniagaan perubatan tradisional India di Malaysia dimulakan oleh golongan Vaidya (doktor perubatan tradisional India) yang sampai ke Tanah Melayu bersama dengan kumpulan migrasi dari Selatan India. Perniagaan tersebut mula berkembang menjadi satu bidang perniagaan yang beroperasi dalam skil besar setelah syarikat Siddha Vaidya Salai dari Palani India mula beroperasi di Malaysia dalam lingkungan tahun 1960an hingga 1970an. Bidang perniagaan ini terus berkembang maju dan mendapat satu wajah baru dalam lingkungan tahun 1980an apabila Syarikat Elpar Herbs ditubuhkan dan mengeluarkan produk perubatan tradisional bagi masyarakat India di Semenanjung Malaysia. Dapatan kajian turut mendapati Syarikat Elpar Herbs telah menjadi pendayaupaya dalam proses pembentuk usahawan India baru. Pelbagai latihan dan rancangan diberikan oleh Elpar Herbs untuk menyemai minat, mendayaupaya dan membangunkan usahawan India. Kesan pendayaupayaan Syarikat Elpar Herbs berjaya melahirkan 13 usahawan India baru di Semenanjung Malaysia. Golongan usahawan baru ini terbahagi kepada tiga kumpulan. Pertama, golongan usahawan yang mendapat produk dari pihak Elpar Herbs dan menjalankan perniagaan sendiri. Kedua, golongan usahawan yang mendapat produk dari syarikat tempatan lain dan menjalankan perniagaan sendiri. Ketiga, kumpulan usahawan yang mengimport produk dari India dan menjalankan perniagaan sendiri. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa Syarikat Elpar Herbs telah berjaya memainkan peranannya dengan berkesan

GIS dalam pendidikan geografi di Malaysia: cabaran dan potensi (GIS in the Malaysian geography education: Challenges and potentials)

Teknologi Maklumat dan Komunikasi (ICT) kini menjadi tunjang dalam merangka sistem pendidikan di Malaysia. Pengenalan KBSR dan KBSM merupakan reformasi pendidikan yang terbesar di Malaysia. Pendidikan di Malaysia sentiasa diselaraskan dengan kehendak pasaran dunia, iaitu bertujuan menghasilkan modal insan kelas pertama. Program Pengkomputeran Sekolah berjaya melengkapkan prasarana sekolah dengan makmal komputer. Integrasi ICT dalam subjek-subjek di sekolah mula dilaksanakan. Namun, sebarannya adalah tidak sekata. Subjek Geografi merupakan salah satu subjek yang masih bersifat penghafalan fakta tanpa kemahiran teknologi. Integrasi teknologi dalam subjek ini amat perlu bagi memartabatkan serta menghidupkannya. Sistem Maklumat Geografi (GIS) adalah amat sesuai diterapkan dalam subjek Geografi. GIS merupakan salah satu sistem maklumat yang digunakan untuk menyimpan, memapar, menganalisis dan memanipulasi data yang berkaitan dengan ruangan. Pelbagai negara lain seperti Australia, New Zealand dan Singapura telahpun mengintegrasi GIS dalam proses P&P di sekolah. Di Malaysia, GIS dalam bidang pendidikan masih di tahap perbincangan atas kertas kerja. Keupayaan GIS untuk menerap masuk dalam sistem pendidikan di Malaysia masih dipersoalkan. Pelbagai persoalan seperti sejauhmana GIS sesuai di peringkat sekolah, keberkesanan terhadap pelajar, kesesuaian dengan pelajar sekolah dan keupayaan guru mengendalikan GIS sering timbul. Maka artikel ini membincangkan cabaran dan potensi GIS untuk diimplimentasi dalam subjek geografi di sekolah. Kaedah analisis kandungan digunakan untuk mencari sebanyak mungkin peluang dan halangan dalam mengimplimentasi GIS. Dua puluh artikel dari dalam dan luar negara dianalisis secara terperinci menggunakan borang analisis kandungan yang diadaptasi dari Crosswell, P. L. Penyenaraian halangan dan peluang ini diikuti dengan pengagihan menggunakan analisis SWOT. Analisis SWOT ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi kekuatan, kelemahan, ancaman serta peluang secara terperinci