Digital Commons Network^™

Antifungal Activity Of (+)-2,2’-Epicytoskyrin A And Its Membrane-Disruptive Action, Dewi Wulansari, Praptiwi, Heddy Julistiono, Arif Nurkanto, Andria Agusta

Makara Journal of Science

(+)-2,2’-Epicytoskyrin A, a bis-anthraquinone isolated from fungal endophyte Diaporthe sp. GNBP-10 associated with Uncaria gambir Roxb., was investigated for its antifungal activity. The broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against 22 yeast strains and three filamentous fungi. The MICs of (+)-2,2’-epicytoskyrin A ranged from 16 to 128 µg/mL, which exhibited lower activity than the antifungal nystatin. A study of the mechanism of action revealed similar effects of (+)-2,2’-epicytoskyrin A and nystatin on Candida tropicalis at their MICs (16 and 8 µg/mL, respectively) and 2 times of the MIC. Both compounds caused cytoplasmic material and …

Diversity And Antifungal Activity Of Actinomycetes Symbiont Hard Coral Mucus Of Genera Goniopora And Porites, Riyanti, Wulan Nurkhasanah, Ocky Karna Radjasa

Makara Journal of Science

Screening new bioactive compounds from marine actinomycete organisms associated with corals (Goniopora and Porites) can be an alternative method to discover the natural antifungal compounds. This study aims to determine the density and diversity of actinomycete symbionts based on repetitive sequence-based-polymerase chain reactions (rep-PCR) and to discern the ability of antifungal activity of isolates symbiotic with hard coral mucus by using a pour plate method. A total of 143 isolates were obtained from the hard coral mucus of genera Goniopora and Porites. High genetic diversity was observed among the isolates. Ten isolates with different morphological characteristics were selected to extract …

The Artificial Leaf: Recent Progress And Remaining Challenges, Mark D. Symes

Makara Journal of Science

The prospect of a device that uses solar energy to split water into H2 and O2 is highly attractive in terms of producing hydrogen as a carbon-neutral fuel. In this mini review, key research milestones that have been reached in this field over the last two decades will be discussed, with special focus on devices that use earth-abundant materials. Finally, the remaining challenges in the development of such “artificial leaves” will be highlighted.

Statistical Properties Of Cloud Propagation Over Sumatra During Cpea-I, Aulya Rahayu, Marzuki, Mutya Vonnisa

Makara Journal of Science

Cloud propagation over Sumatra and the surrounding area (10°S-10°N, 70°-120°E) during the Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Atmosphere-I (CPEA-I) campaign (10 April to 9 May 2004) was tracked using brightness temperature (Tb) data from the GOES-9 satellite. The cloud tracking was based on three-dimensional data with a threshold of Tb < 210 K. During the campaign, westward-moving clouds were more dominant than eastward-moving systems, with a ratio of approximately 4:1. This characteristic coincided with the dominant easterly wind aloft. Most clouds propagated with a speed varying between 4 and 35 m/s, with a mean value of 13.7 m/s. If the westward and eastward propagations were separated, the average duration, speed, and span of the westward (eastward) moving clouds are 7.7 (5.8 h), -14.5 (9.8 m/s), and 435.5 (187.1 km), respectively. The characteristics of cloud propagation during the CPEA-I were influenced by environmental factors such as relative humidity, temperature, the vertical movement of air, and wind shear. Such factors interacted with the inactive and active phases of the Madden-Julian Oscillation.

The Use Of Eco-Friendly Catalyst In The Production Of Ester, Obi Chidi, Okoye Ifedi Peter

Makara Journal of Science

This study utilized an eco-friendly heterogeneous catalyst in the synthesis of ester via esterification of ethanol and acetic acid under refluxing conditions. The amount of acetic acid converted was determined by titrimetric method. Aluminum pillared material was produced from natural clay by ion exchange and calcined at 473 K. Powdered X-Ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) and BET gas sorption analysis were employed to characterize the pillared material. The result revealed that significant improvement on physicochemical characteristics of the natural clay occurred as a result of pillaring. The results also revealed that the conversion of acetic acid was dependent …

Determination Of Carbofuran On Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography Using Tskgel®Amide-80 As A Stationary Phase, Asep Kurnia, Lee Wah Lim, Toyohide Takeuchi

Makara Journal of Science

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) equipped with an environmentally friendly capillary column was employed to investigate the retention behavior of carbofuran; a polar stationary phase was used as well. Several conditions were conducted to investigate the retention behavior of carbofuran, such as a comparison study TSKgel®Amide-80 with another polar column, a comparison study retention behavior of carbofuran on various wavelengths, the water content effect on HILIC mode, the effect of buffer concentration on HILIC mode, and the analytical performance of carbofuran. The results showed that TSKgel®Amide-80 exhibited a better performance than other polar stationary phases in carbofuran determination, and observations …

A Single Dose Of Epidermicin Ni01 Is Sufficient To Eradicate Mrsa From The Nares Of Cotton Rats, Samantha Halliwell, Peter Warn, Abdul Sattar, Jeremy P. Derrick, Mathew Upton

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Wound Healing Post-Mesh Repair ― An Observational Study, Lebbe M.N, Kularajasingham J, Dioso P

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This study identified the best surgical mesh repair techniques for inguinal hernia and prevalence of wound healing post-mesh repair. The cross-sectional study design used cluster sampling for data collection. Of the 120 respondents, 48.3% preferred anterior tension-free mesh repair and 49.2% Lichtenstein mesh repair, both identified as the common surgical techniques in eastern Sri Lanka. About 82.5% of the respondents (n = 99) healed while 17% (n = 21) had recurrence of hernia after one month. Nevertheless, 2.5% of the total respondents said that the hernia repaired after one month but less than two months; and 97.5% of the interviewees …

Timing Of Five Palfa-Discovered Millisecond Pulsars, K. Stovall, B. Allen, S. Bogdanov, A. Brazier, F. Camilo, F. Cardoso, S. Chatterjee, J. Cordes, F. Crawford, Fredrick Jenet

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We report the discovery and timing results for five millisecond pulsars (MSPs) from the Arecibo PALFA survey: PSRs J1906+0055, J1914+0659, J1933+1726, J1938+2516, and J1957+2516. Timing observations of the five pulsars were conducted with the Arecibo and Lovell telescopes for time spans ranging from 1.5 to 3.3 years. All of the MSPs except one (PSR J1914+0659) are in binary systems with low eccentricities. PSR J1957+2516 is likely a redback pulsar, with a ∼0.1 M⊙ companion and possible eclipses that last ∼10% of the orbit. The position of PSR J1957+2516 is also coincident with a near-infrared source. All five MSPs are distant …

Et Tu, Android?: Regulating Dangerous And Dishonest Robots, Woodrow Hartzog

Faculty Scholarship

Consumer robots like personal digital assistants, automated cars, robot companions, chore-bots, and personal drones raise common consumer protection issues, such as fraud, privacy, data security, and risks to health, physical safety, and finances. They also raise new consumer protection issues, or at least call into question how existing consumer protection regimes might be applied to such emerging technologies. Yet it is unclear which legal regimes should govern these robots and what consumer protection rules for robots should look like.

This paper argues that the FTC's grant of authority and existing jurisprudence are well-suited for protecting consumers who buy and interact …

Mass Reduction Patterning Of Silicon-On-Oxide-Based Micromirrors, Harris J. Hall, Andrew Green, Sarah Dooley, Jason D. Schmidt, Laverne A. Starman, Derrick Langley, Ronald A. Coutu Jr.

Faculty Publications

It has long been recognized in the design of micromirror-based optical systems that balancing static flatness of the mirror surface through structural design with the system’s mechanical dynamic response is challenging. Although a variety of mass reduction approaches have been presented in the literature to address this performance trade, there has been little quantifiable comparison reported. In this work, different mass reduction approaches, some unique to the work, are quantifiably compared with solid plate thinning in both curvature and mass using commercial finite element simulation of a specific square silicon-on-insulator–based micromirror geometry. Other important considerations for micromirror surfaces, including surface …

A Bounded Affinity Theory Of Religion And The Paranormal, Joseph O. Baker, Christoper Bader, F. Carson Mencken

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

We outline a theory of bounded affinity between religious experiences and beliefs and paranormalism, which emphasizes that religious and paranormal experiences and beliefs share inherent physiological, psychological, and ontological similarities. Despite these parallels, organized religious groups typically delineate a narrow subset of experiences and explanatory frames as acceptable and True, banishing others as either false or demonic. Accordingly, the theory provides a revised definition of the “paranormal” as beliefs and experiences explicitly rejected by science and organized religions. To demonstrate the utility of the theory, we show that, after controlling for levels of conventional religious practice, there is a strong, …

Parallel Session: Identifying Factors Leading To The Success Of Social Justice Campaigns Driven By Social Networking Engines In Engaging The Online Youth Audience, Sara Khan, Rida Sarwar, Mehar Naeem

International Conference on Marketing

Background. In the recent years there has been a significant exposure to relatively new media for communication. The online social media networking engines has not only facilitated the business organization but has opened the gateways of expression for the consumers. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are now considered one of the key media to initiate a campaign which becomes viral in no time. A high percentage of such campaigns are based on social justice related to the violence, criminal, and injustice incidents taking place in Pakistan. The objective of this study was to identify factors that are leading to potential engagement …

Parallel Session: Ethics Of Serving The Bottom Of Pyramid Market- A Study In Context Of Indian Food Market, Yukti Sharma, Dr. Reshma Nasreen

International Conference on Marketing

Purpose of study: BOP 1.0 proposition considers BOP market as consumer and a market based approach for alleviating poverty. Free market mechanism fails to inculcate the role of state for protecting the interest of vulnerable consumer. This paper reviews the vulnerabilities of BOP consumers and reality of marketing strategies for engaging this segment. This paper presents, the current legislative framework and suggestive guidelines to be considered while forming a marketing mix for subsistence market. It suggests a theoretical framework for ethical interaction and provides recommendation for marketers and policy makers for formulating and implementing policy at BOP.

Findings – Key …

Parallel Session: Founder Characteristics And Small Firm Performance In Pakistan, Ejaz Mian, Osman Mohamad

International Conference on Marketing

Although there is a large body of research on small firms, there is dearth of studies on small firms in developing countries. Developing countries present new sets of challenges which need new approach. Small firm founders in developing countries often lack marketing and general management knowledge, have low levels of literacy, lack training facilities for various types of skills, and have weak government support and infra-structure. Literature suggests founder characteristics have profound effect on the performance of small firms. This study seeks to investigate role of founder characteristics in performance of small firms in Pakistan. Small firms are defined as …

Parallel Session: Viral Marketing Via The New Media: The Case Of Communication Behavior In Whatsapp, Wan Yu Chong, Yusniza Kamarulzaman

International Conference on Marketing

WhatsApp is the number one smartphone application in Malaysia. With its enormous user base, WhatsApp is a platform with considerable potential for viral marketing, which is a form of electronic word-of-mouth. Past literature indicates that the success of viral marketing greatly depends on a user’s decision to forward viral content, with the user’s intention being the key factor leading up to it. Although different models have been proposed in electronic word-of-mouth viral marketing behaviour, these platforms do not work entirely the same way as WhatsApp, which is a mobile instant messaging application. In addition, the factors affecting the user’s participation …

Parallel Session: Rent Discrimination In Sarajevo, Recai Aydin, Sejma Aydin

International Conference on Marketing

Following the relative stabilization of the country after Dayton Peace agreement, B&H has been attracting growing number of foreigners who come to Bosnia for work or education. In recent years, Ilidza area of Sarajevo city has faced with an influx of such foreigners due to recently established university campuses in the area. This development caused large number of foreign students and professors, mostly from Turkey, to reside in and around Ilidza. This study investigates if these foreign students and professors face with discrimination in the rental market, using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method as a statistical tool. Ordinary least square (OLS) regressions …

Parallel Session: The Impact Of Industry Type, Business Age And Size On Proactive And Responsive Customer Orientation (Market Strategy), Corrinne Lee, Norbani Che Ha

International Conference on Marketing

This study investigates on proactive customer orientation and responsive customer orientation among business units operating in the technology, information, communication and entertainment (TICE) industry of Malaysia. The impact of the demographic factors of these business units on proactive and responsive customer orientation is examined. The results revealed that the business unit size has statistically significant impact on the variables of interest. The difference in t he business unit size based number of employees has an influence on both the proactive and responsive constructs. In contrast, the difference in the business unit size based on the amount of annual sales turnover …

Parallel Session: A Study Of Buyers' And Sellers' Perception Of Organic Foods In Pakistan: Towards A More Effective Marketing Mix (Green Field Marketing), Sara Khan

International Conference on Marketing

Issues of food safety, nutritional value as well as environmental and ecological damage as a result of agricultural abuse have acquired global significance. Many people are looking for equitable, less cruel and sustainable answers to these problems. Organic foods / products are one such solution to people's food and agricultural needs. Looking at the viewpoints of both consumers (including prospective consumers) and producers, this research undertakes to study the marketing mix of the organic foods / products market in Pakistan and explores marketing solutions to enhance its development (research objective). Using qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, respondents' answers are coded …

Parallel Session: Trends On Green Consumer Behaviors (Gcb): A Viewpoint From Developed And Developing Countries, Siti Aisyah Asrul

International Conference on Marketing

Green consumers are those who purchase and consume green products and the one who persevere the environment with being green. The effort of these green consumers is with regards to their awareness of how the environment has been savagely polluted and they are working hard to reduce the pollution by saving the environment. They play their role as one of the living mechanism with purchasing and consuming eco-friendly products and even influence their family and peers to be part of it. Green behaviour has been well-developed by the consumers all around the continents, be it from developing country or developed …

Parallel Session: Traces Of Company Strategy For Bottom Of Income Pyramid In Pakistan - A Probing Analysis, Mohammad Ekhlaque Ahmed, Marium Mateen Khan, Mohammad Taha Kalam

International Conference on Marketing

This is an exploratory research making an attempt to probe the awareness of the “Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP)” concept among selected renowned companies in Pakistan. The research focused on what contributions have been made by the selected companies so far and how the marketing strategies for BoP are structurally shaping up in the Pakistani context. A qualitative research methodology has been employed. The data was collected through interviews from senior professionals from different industries, engaged actively in marketing assignments. Industries include Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Banking, Beverage and Telecommunication which contribute sizeable business and their market scope covers both …

Parallel Session: Customer’S Attitude Towards Ramadan Advertising, Farheen Khalid, Muhammad Sufyan Ramish, Junaid Ansari, Dr. Tariq Jalees

International Conference on Marketing

Ramadan is the only religious festival in which marketing & advertising activities are carried for whole month. This provides opportunities & challenges to the marketers along with controversies. This paper will not address the controversies but will measure the effect of Ramadan advertisements on consumer attitude. Three hundred and ninety one (391) students of different universities in Karachi participated in this study. The questionnaire adopted for this study had established reliabilities and validates which were re-ascertained for the present set of data. All the five constructs used in this study had five items all based on seven point Likert scale. …

Parallel Session: What Constitutes The Bottom Of Pyramid Market For Innovation?, Fasiha Subhan, Amira Khattak

International Conference on Marketing

The BOP is a concept of dividing the world into an economic pyramid by keeping the privileged on the top and unprivileged poor at the bottom. Businesses need to adopt innovative ways of doing businesses in a market consisting of billions of underprivileged poor consumers. However, the main question is, does this huge segment have the capability of becoming profitable for companies? This research analyzes the viewpoints of various theorists and organizations about the agreed income level of a typical BOP and in doing so attempts to arrive at an ideal definition of the BOP market for businesses. Further, the …

Parallel Session: Moving Towards Sustainable Consumption: A Study Of Reduce, Reuse And Recycle (3rs) Adoption Among Malaysians, Regina Yan Ginny, Yusniza Kamarulzaman

International Conference on Marketing

Over the last decade, rapid globalization, industrial development, economic growth and technological advancement has resulted in population growth and unprecedented changes to the social and cultural lifestyle in Malaysia. One of the dramatic increase was witnessed in the consumption of goods and services due to the rising household income and progressive consumption-oriented lifestyles. On one hand, it helps to stimulate economic activities, but on the other hand, it poses threat to the diversity and stability of the natural environment in various ways. Hence, the key purpose of this study is to identify the factors that affects Reduce, Reuse and Recycle …

Art-Integration Through Making Dioramas Of Women Mathematicians’ Lives Enhances Creativity And Motivation, Audrey C. Rule, Dana L. Atwood-Blaine, Clayton M. Edwards, Mindy M. Gordon

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

Creativity is essential for solving problems in the workplace, natural environment, and everyday life, necessitating that creativity be nurtured in schools. Identification of factors that intrinsically motivate students to learn difficult or initially unappealing content is also important. This project, in which 24 racially diverse fifth grade girls created dioramas of the lives of diverse successful women mathematicians, explored the girls’ reactions to art integration into mathematics through a phenomenological qualitative analysis of their products, essays, and responses to questionnaires. The project supported the Next Generation Science Standard for engineering design, Standard 3-5-ETS1-1 and two National Core Arts Standards for …

Three- And Four-Year Olds Learn About Gears Through Arts Incorporation, Dessy Stoycheva, Leann M. Perkins

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This research paper explores art integration into a science lesson unit that follows the Next Generation Science Standards (K-PS2-1) and focuses on the effects on memory retention of key concepts along with levels of enjoyment. An experiment was conducted with children ages 3 and 4 teaching scientific concepts about gears while incorporating student-made art products. The children were assigned to alternating experimental (art-integrated) or control (no art) conditions during the four stages of the lesson. The results did not show statistically significant differences at the alpha = 0.05 level between conditions in the amount of information retained based on the …

Fourth Graders Make Inventions Using Scamper And Animal Adaptation Ideas, Mahjabeen Hussain, Anastasia Carignan

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This study explores to what extent the SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Rearrange) technique combined with animal adaptation ideas learned through form and function analogy activities can help fourth graders generate creative ideas while augmenting their inventiveness. The sample consisted of 24 fourth grade students (14 female, 10 male) ages 9-10 at a suburban Midwestern elementary school. A repeated-measures design involving all participants alternately in the two conditions measured students under each treatment condition. In the experimental condition, students used SCAMPER charts with animal adaptation ideas to generate ideas to improve a product using …

Second-Graders Beautify For Butterflies, Andrea E. Anderson, Jessica A. Meier

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This practical article presents activities that support previous research suggesting the integration of art with science is beneficial to the learning and cooperative processes of children. The project showcased here highlights the ability of elementary school children to collaborate with their peers for problem solving and critical thinking through the artistic use of observation and sketching. This article discusses effective lesson activities in which students combined art and science by creating and cultivating a butterfly garden on the school’s property.

Who Moved Those Rain Clouds To Town? Making Windbirds To Learn About The Power Of Wind, Deepanee Samarakoon, Latisha L. Smith

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

In this practical article, a kindergarten teacher shares a lesson designed to teach students about the power of wind. To address the Next Generation Science Standards engineering standards, students discussed the negative and positive aspects of wind and made daily weather observations (K-ESS2-1). Students constructed bird-shaped windsocks, called windbirds, to explore how the shape of the object allowed it to move in the wind (K-2-ETS1-2). To address the National Core Arts Standards, creative arts were integrated as students designed cylindrical windbirds of colorful materials. The windbirds were used to observe the effects of wind in the students’ outdoor environment at …

Water Play, Jane E. Cline, Brandy A. Smith

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

The inclusion of activities to develop sensory awareness, spatial thinking, and physical dexterity, operationalized through hands-on science lessons such as water play, have long been part of early childhood education. This practical article addresses Next Generation Science Standards K-2 ETS1-3 and K-2 ETS1-2 by having four-year-old prekindergarten students direct the path of water on a vertical pegboard water table with strategically-placed, attached plastic cups with holes drilled into them that leak streams of water into each other. Students enhanced their retelling of the story of the Billy Goats Gruff by placing student-made watercolor artwork along the path of the water, …