Wajah moral masyarakat Melayu pasca moden: Antara realiti, harapan dan gagasan pendidikan moral tinggi

Dewasa ini dunia telah dilakari oleh pelbagai trend dan paradigma kehidupan bentuk baru. Pascamodenisme yang ditandai arus gelombang peringkat ketiga telah memberi impak yang bukan sedikit dalam kehidupan moral masyarakat khususnya masyarakat Melayu. Nilai-nilai yang dibawah oleh ideologi pascamodenisme menerusi pelbagai medium telah memberi dampak moral-sosial yang amat menakutkan. Hal ini tidak terkecuali meresapi ke dalam jiwa dan jatidiri masyarakat Melayu samada di Bandar mahu pun di luar Bandar. Statistik kebejatan sosial membuktikan hal ini. Sebut apa jua bentuk perlakuan tidak bermoral – pembunuhan, sumbang muhrim, pelacuran, gangsterisme, alkoholisme, perjudian, vandalisme dan sebagainya – setiap satu daripada amat ramai melibatkan masyarakat Melayu. Justeru itu, generalisasi dapat dibuat bahawa wajah moral masyarakat Melayu berada pada tahap yang amat kronik dan kritikal. Justeru itu, kertas kerja konseptual ini akan dibahagikan kepada tiga bahagian. Pada bahagian pertama kami akan menghuraikan secara konsep-konsep asas kertas kerja ini selain memaparkan hujah ‘rupa bentuk wajah’ moral masyarakat Melayu dulu dan kini. Kami juga akan memberikan justifikasi sebab-sebab munculnya wajah moral masyarakat Melayu masa kini Pada bahagian kedua kertas kerja ini, kami akan mengagaskan usaha-usaha yang telah dan sedang dibuat bagi ‘mencantikkan’ wajah moral masyarakat Melayu. Dalam hal ini, kami turut melontarkan idea dan kritikan pendekatan-pendekatan yang dibuat selain mengagaskan suatu pendekatan yang lebih bersepadu. Pada bahagian akhir kertas kerja ini, kami menampilkan suatu pendekatan pendidikan moral tinggi yang mampu mengembalikan semula wajah moral yang indah dan bersih itu

Fabrication of flexible Au/ZnO/ITO/PET memristor using dilute electrodeposition method

DRAM has been approaching its maximum physical limit due to the demand of smaller size and higher capacity memory resistor. The researchers have discovered the abilities of a memristor, a Non Volatile Memory (NVM) that could overcome the size and capacity obstacles. This paper discussed about the deposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate by electrodeposition. Metallic Zn film was deposited on substrates with varying deposition time from 15 to 120 seconds in very dilute zinc chloride (ZnCl2) aqueous and subsequently oxidized at 150C to form ZnO/ITO coated PET junction. The deposited thin film was characterized via x-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results from I-V measurement show the deposited ZnO exhibits pinched hysteresis loop. The hysteresis loop becomes smaller with increasing deposition time. The 15 seconds electrodeposition gave the largest hysteresis loop and largest value of resistive switching ratio of 1.067. The result of the synthesized ZnO on the flexible substrate can be one of the alternatives to replace the current memory system as the flexible memory system

Effects of gamma irradiation on tropomyosin allergen, proximate composition and mineral elements in giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Effects of food irradiation on allergen and nutritional composition of giant freshwater prawn are not well documented. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of gamma irradiation on tropomyosin allergen, proximate composition, and mineral elements in Macrobrachium rosenbergii. In this study, prawn was peeled, cut into small pieces, vacuum packaged and gamma irradiated at 0, 5, 7, 10 and 15 kGy with a dose rate of 0.5 kGy/h using cobalt-60 as the source, subsequently determined the level of tropomyosin, proximate composition and mineral elements respectively. The results showed that band density of tropomyosin irradiated at 10 and 15 kGy is markedly decreased. Proximate analysis revealed that moisture, protein, and carbohydrate content were significantly different as compared with non-irradiated prawn. Meanwhile, gamma irradiated M. rosenbergii at 15 kGy was observed to be significantly higher in nickel and zinc than the non-irradiated prawn. The findings provide a new information that food irradiation may affect the tropomyosin allergen, proximate composition and mineral elements of the prawn

Splitting tensile and pullout behavior of synthetic wastes as fiber-reinforced concrete

Plastic bottles and waste wires are the most commonly discarded synthetic wastes that contribute to environmental pollution. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles act as one of the contributors to environmental pollution. One solution to environmental pollution includes recycling plastic bottle wastes as synthetic fibers and incorporating them into concrete. Therefore, pullout strengths of synthetic fibers in a concrete matrix should be investigated by conducting splitting tensile and pullout tests. Experiments of the present study used fibers from ring-shaped PET bottles with widths of 5 and 10 mm. Irregularly shaped PET bottles with 10–15 mm size, waste wires measuring 55 mm in length, and manufactured synthetic macro-fibers were also used in comparative analysis. Results indicate that an increase in fiber volume improves tensile strength of concrete. Incorporation of high-volume fiber with concrete results in a substantial amount of fibers bridging and crossing fractured sections, thereby activating failure resistance mechanisms. In comparison with irregularly shaped PET and waste wire fibers, ring-shaped fibers performed better as they are mainly designed to activate fiber yielding instead of fiber pullout. The load energy required to debond fibers and the concrete matrix was high when the surface contact area was large in comparison with that when a small surface contact area was considered. Fibers with small surface contact area easily slip under tensile stress. Thus, the surface contact area of fibers with concrete matrix allows good frictional resistance against pullout or tensile loa

Hydrophobic mullite ceramic hollow fibre membrane (Hy-MHFM) for seawater desalination via direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD)

A low-cost hydrophobic mullite hollow fibre membrane (Hy-MHFM) fabricated via phase inversion/sintering technique followed by fluoroalkyl silane (FAS) grafting is presented in this study. The prepared CHFMs were characterized before and after the grafting step using different characterization techniques. The pore size of the CHFM surface was also determined using ImageJ software. The desalination performance of the grafted membrane was evaluated in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) using synthetic seawater of varying salt concentrations for 2 h at various feedwater temperatures. The outcome of the evaluations showed declines in the permeate flux of the membrane at increasing feed concentration, as well as increased flux with increased feed temperature. The long-term stability of the membrane was achieved at time 20 h, feed temperature 60 °C, and permeate temperature 10 °C, the membrane achieved a salt rejection performance of about 99.99 % and a water flux value of 22.51 kg/ m2 h

ISSUES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY TEACHING - A nationwide biotechnology outreach and awareness program for Malaysian high schools

Biotechnology education in developing nations remains one of the rate limiting factors in achieving optimal human resource capacity to drive and tap the bio-resources of these nations. Many developing countries are situated within rich bio-diversity enclaves. Biotechnology offers the promise of tapping these bio resources towards due process of developing these nations. While there may be a steady stream of biology and biotechnology based graduates, from Malaysian as well as foreign universities contributing to the human resource base for these countries, the numbers and knowledge diversity produced, still lack the capacity to optimally power research and development as well as supply the industrial biotechnology sectors of these countries. Realizing the need to address these issues at the grassroots level of higher education, Malaysia has taken an active step of bringing biotechnology into the classrooms of high schools throughout the country. These future generations of Malaysians, are hoped to progress towards manning and driving Malaysia's BioValley initiatives (a biotech based R&D and industry cluster), towards the national dream of developed nation status by the year 2020, using biotechnology as an economic growth vehicle. Here, we share our experiences in developing and proliferating a biotechnology awareness program for Malaysian high schools. It is hoped that similar programs will strive towards similar objectives in other developing countries

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

Background: The EMPA KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population. Methods: EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110. Findings: Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5–2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62–0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16–1·59), representing a 50% (42–58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all >0·1). Interpretation: In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease. Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council

Role of lithium oxide as a sintering aid for a CGO electrolyte fabricated via a phase inversion technique

The incorporation of lithium oxide (Li2O) as a sintering additive has specific advantages for electrolyte membrane fabrication. However, the viability of the sintering additive to be implemented in a phase inversion technique is still ambiguous. In this first attempt, lithium was doped into a gadolinium-doped ceria (CGO) crystal structure using the metal nitrate doping method and calcined at four different temperatures, i.e. 140, 300, 500 and 700 degrees C. The prepared Li-doped CGO (Li-CGO) powders were analyzed by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N-2 adsorption/desorption, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR). Primary results demonstrate that the calcination temperature of the Li-CGO influences the condition of the electrolyte suspension. Li-CGO calcined at 700 degrees C (D-700), as compared with other Li-CGO, possessed a strong interaction between the Li and CGO. The D-700 was then incorporated into the electrolyte flat sheet membrane which was prepared by a phase inversion technique. The membrane was then sintered at different sintering temperatures from 1350 degrees C to 1450 degrees C. In comparison with the unmodified CGO, the morphological results suggest that the Li2O can remarkably promote the densification of CGO at a lower sintering temperature (1400 degrees C). These findings help to promote the use of sintering additives in a ceria-based electrolyte suspension specifically for the phase inversion technique

Transition metal oxide (TMO) thin film memristor on cu substrate using dilute electrodeposition method

Instead of titanium dioxide (TiO2), many researches have been done to explore the compatibility of zinc oxide (ZnO) to be used as the active layer of memristor. In this study, an Au/ZnO-Cu2O-CuO/Cu memristor was fabricated using dilute electrodeposition and subsequently thermal oxidation. The XRD result indicates that Zn was oxidized to ZnO and has a wurzite structure while copper (Cu) substrate was also oxidized to copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) and copper (II) oxide (CuO). The surface morphology of ZnO shows the formation of needle-like structure on the surface after the thermal oxidation process. 15 s deposited ZnO-Cu2O-CuO gave the thinnest film of 81 nm with largest value of resistance difference of 14.11 k3 and resistive switching ratio of 3.76. Empirical study on thermodynamics of metal oxides and diffusivity of Zn2+ and O21 in ZnO shows that the structure is formed due to the difference of diffusivity of each species during the thermal oxidation process. The synthesized Au/ZnO-Cu2O-CuO/Cu memristor shows a potential application in production of a non-complex and low cost memristor

Comparative study on the performance of co-extruded hollow fiber solid oxide fuel cell fuelled with hydrogen and methane

In this study, the effects of two fuel types, i.e., hydrogen and methane on the electrochemical performance of the co-extruded triple layer hollow fiber, were systemically studied. The triple layer hollow fiber consisted of electrolyte/active functional layer (AFL)/anode was fabricated by single-step phase-inversion-based co-extrusion technique prior to the sintering process at temperature range of 1400 to 1500 °C. The hollow fibers were characterized by three-point bending test, gas tightness test, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The electrochemical performance test was carried out at temperatures of 700–800 °C by flowing fuel at 20 ml/min. Based on the results attained, the gas tightness and bending test are improved by the increase of sintering temperature. SEM results show that the finger-like morphology length around 100 μm is obtained. In addition, the AFL layer located in the middle layer of the hollow fiber has its own finger like which forms sandwich-like structure with the anode layer. The open circuit voltage is recorded at 1.05 V with the highest power density obtained at 0.6 W cm−2 by using hydrogen. By changing the fuel into methane gas, the highest power density is achieved at 0.8 W cm−2. This is due to the methane that carries more hydrogen molecule. This indicates that the methane fuel can be utilized in hollow fiber SOFC systems