National University of Malaysia

About: National University of Malaysia is a education organization based out in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Heat transfer. The organization has 26593 authors who have published 41270 publications receiving 552683 citations. The organization is also known as: NUM & Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

A review of IPO research in Asia: What's next?

Abstract: This paper examines the current status of research on IPOs in general, with special focus on Asian IPOs. As in the case of U.S. IPOs, most past studies on Asian IPOs deal with the issue of under-pricing in IPOs and the factors, usually unique to Asian IPOs, that can explain the levels of the IPO under-pricing. Studies on long-term IPO performances are also carried out with results not always consistent with long-term underperformance observed in the U.S. In general, research on Asian IPOs is still quite preliminary with many IPO phenomena discovered in the U.S. are not fully investigated. This paper also suggests some possible areas of IPO research in the future.

Antibacterial activities of the extracts, fractions and isolated compounds from Canarium patentinervium Miq. against bacterial clinical isolates.

Abstract: Canarium patentinervium leaves are used by the local indigenous people of Malaysia for wound healing. The current study is undertaken to screen the comprehensive antibacterial activity of the leaves and barks extracts, fractions and isolated compounds from this plant. Bioassay guided fractionation was also undertaken to deeply evaluate the antibacterial activity of the water fraction of the leaves extract. This is to provide preliminary scientific evidence to the ethnopharmacology usage of this plant by investigating antibacterial properties of the plant and its isolated constituents. Bio-assay guided fractionation and subsequent isolation of compounds using open column chromatography. The antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram negative ATCC strain and resistant clinical strains were evaluated using microtiter broth dilution method to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill assay. The chemical structure of the isolated compounds from the water fraction of the ethanol extract of leaves was elucidated using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The ethanol extract of the leaves and barks showed antimicrobial activity against all four ATCC and eight clinical isolates. The ethanol extract of the leaves and the corresponding water fraction had good activity against MRSA S. aureus. (MIC: 250 μg/ml) and had bactericidal effect on eight of the clinical strains (MSSA,MRSA, oxacillin-resistant CONS, oxacillin-sensitive CONS, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiela species, Kleb pneumoniae ESBL and Candida parapsilosis). Further phytochemical investigation of the water fraction of the crude ethanol extract of leaves afforded compound 7 (hyperin) and compound 8 (cynaroside) that had bactericidal activity against tested bacterial species (MIC 50 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml). The two compounds were isolated from this genus for the first time. These results may provide a rational support for the traditional use of Canarium patentinervium Miq. in infections and wound healing, since the antimicrobial compounds isolated were also present in the leaves extract.

The Influence of Taste on Swallowing Apnea, Oral Preparation Time, and Duration and Amplitude of Submental Muscle Contraction

Abstract: Prior research has documented a modulating effect of taste on swallowing. We hypothesized that presentation of tastant stimuli would be a significant variable in swallowing–respiratory coordination, duration of oral bolus preparation, and submental muscle contraction. Twenty-three healthy females were presented with 1-cm 3 gelatin samples flavored with 4 tastants of increasing intensities. Visual analogue scale ratings of perceived intensity of each were used to identify relative equivalent concentrations across the 4 tastants. Data were then collected during ingestion of 5 trials of the 4 equivalent tastants using measurements of nasal airflow and submental surface electromyography (sEMG) to record biomechanical measures. Chi-square analysis failed to identify a statistically significant influence of taste on the phase location of swallowing apnea. Repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated significant taste effects for oral preparation time, submental sEMG amplitude, and duration (P < 0.02). Sweet tastants were prepared for a shorter time when compared with bitter tastants. Swallow duration for sour, salty, and bitter tastants were longer than sweet and neutral tastants. Sour tastants resulted in the greatest amplitude of submental muscle contraction during swallowing. This study supports existing research that found that sour substances were swallowed with more effort when compared with other tastes.

Circular microstrip slot antenna for dual- frequency rfid application

Abstract: A compact wideband dual-frequency microstrip antenna is proposed in this paper. By employing an ofiset microstrip-fed line and a strip close to the radiating edges in the circular slot patch, an antenna operating at dual frequency with the impedance bandwidth of 26.2% and 22.2% respectively is presented. By attaching a strip to the radiating edges opposite to the microstrip-fed line, this alters the current distribution and radiation on the antenna at the second resonant frequency. The second frequency is also tunable by varying the lengths of the microstrip-fed line. It is demonstrated that the proposed antenna covers the widebands of UHF and microwave for RFID application. A good agreement is obtained between the simulated and experimental results.