Factors influencing Malaysian public attitudes to agro-biotechnology

Despite considerable research in advanced countries on public perceptions of and attitudes to modern biotechnology, limited effort has been geared towards developing a structural model of public attitudes to modern biotechnology. The purpose of this paper is to identify the relevant factors influencing public attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) soybean, and to analyze the relationship between all the attitudinal factors. A survey was carried out on 1,017 respondents from various stakeholder groups in the Klang Valley region. Results of the survey have confirmed that attitudes towards complex issues such as biotechnology should be seen as a multifaceted process. The most important factors predicting support for GM soybean are the specific application-linked perceptions about the benefits, acceptance of risk and moral concern while risk and familiarity are significant predictors of benefit and risk acceptance. Attitudes towards GM soybean are also predicted by several general classes of attitude.     

Dynamic voltage regulation and power export in a distribution system using distributed generation

The major aim of power quality （PQ） enhancing techniques is to maintain a specified voltage magnitude at a desired frequency for sensitive loads irrespective of faults on the power distribution network. The dynamic voltage restorer （DVR） is a device used to mitigate voltage sags to regulate load voltage. This paper presents a mathematical model for leading series voltage injection to mitigate sags thereby achieving the improvement of the utility power factor as well as power sharing between the DVR and utility. The power sharing will be as per requirement to compensate the sags considering the available distributed generation （DG）. The approach of mitigating voltage sags using the concept of leading series voltage injection is suitable for those locations where phase shift in the voltage will not cause any problem. The MATLAB/SIMULINK SimPowerSystem toolbox has been used to obtain simulation results to verify the proposed mathematical model.     

An analysis of the social impact of the stipend program for secondary school girls of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The present study carries out an impact analysis of a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program for secondary-school girls in seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan, including Battagram, Bonair, Hangu, Kohistan, Shangla, Tank, and Upper Dir. In 2012 we collected household-level primary data and used a probit model for quantitative analysis. Further, we conducted various focus group discussions and key informant interviews in the target areas. Results show that the chances of female schooling decrease with a rise in family size. The chances of female education increase by 1.8 and by 3.3 % if household heads and their spouses have one additional year of schooling, respectively. Better educational services and rises in family income increase the chances of female ecucation by 11 and 0.3 %, respectively. Finally, socioeconomic awareness, improved economic conditions, and CCTs increase the chances of female education by 5.2, 4.7, and 0.03 %, respectively. Overall, the stipend program (CCTs) shows a pareto improvement. Our results indicate that 35 % of girls will drop out in the absence of a stipend program. The present study recommends that to increase program effectiveness, local-level monitoring and program evaluation may be improved, delays in stipend payments to female students should be reduced, a grievance redressal mechanism for parents and guardians should be introduced, and clear synergies should be developed with other transfer programs.     

Extraction of DNA suitable for PCR applications from mature leaves of Mangifera indica L.

Good quality deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the pre-requisite for its downstream applications. The presence of high concentrations of polysaccharides, polyphenols, proteins, and other secondary me- tabolites in mango leaves poses problem in getting good quality DNA fit for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) applications. The problem is exacerbated when DNA is extracted from mature mango leaves. A reliable and modified protocol based on the cetyl- trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method for DNA extraction from mature mango leaves is described here. High concentrations of inert salt were used to remove polysaccharides; Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and β-mercaptoethanol were employed to manage phenolic compounds. Extended chloroform-isoamyl alcohol treatment followed by RNase treatment yielded 950?1050 μg of good quality DNA, free of protein and RNA. The problems of DNA degradation,contamination, and low yield due to irreversible binding of phenolic compounds and coprecipitation of polysaccharides with DNA were avoided by this method. The DNA isolated by the modified method showed good PCR amplification using simple se- quence repeat (SSR) primers. This modified protocol can also be used to extract DNA from other woody plants having similar problems.     

Hydraulic jump basins with wedge-shaped baffles

This laboratory study deals with the hydraulic jump properties for an artificially roughened bed with wedge-shaped baffle blocks. The experiments were conducted for both smooth and rough beds with a Froude number in the range of 3.06??F ₁??10.95 and a relative bed roughness ranging 0.22??K _R??1.4. The data from this study were compared with those of rectangular baffle blocks. New experimental formulae were developed for determining the sequent depth ratio and the hydraulic jump length in terms of the inflow Froude number and relative bed roughness. Bélanger??s jump equation of a rectangular channel was extended to account for the implications of the bed shear stress coefficient attributable to channel bed roughness. It was found that, in comparison with the smooth bed, the wedge-shaped bed roughness reduced the sequent depth of the hydraulic jump by approximately 16.5% to 30% and the hydraulic jump length by approximately 30% to 53%.     

Additive effects due to biochar and endophyte application enable soybean to enhance nutrient uptake and modulate nutritional parameters

We studied the effects of hardwood-derived biochar (BC) and the phytohormone-producing endophyte Galactomyces geotrichum WLL1 in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) with respect to basic, macro- and micronutrient uptakes and assimilations, and their subsequent effects on the regulation of functional amino acids, isoflavones, fatty acid composition, total sugar contents, total phenolic contents, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-scavenging activity. The assimilation of basic nutrients such as nitrogen was up-regulated, leaving carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen unaffected in BC+G. geotrichum-treated soybean plants. In comparison, the uptakes of macro- and micronutrients fluctuated in the individual or co-application of BC and G. geotrichum in soybean plant organs and rhizospheric substrate. Moreover, the same attribute was recorded for the regulation of functional amino acids, isoflavones, fatty acid composition, total sugar contents, total phenolic contents, and DPPH-scavenging activity. Collectively, these results showed that BC+G. geotrichum-treated soybean yielded better results than did the plants treated with individual applications. It was concluded that BC is an additional nutriment source and that the G. geotrichum acts as a plant biostimulating source and the effects of both are additive towards plant growth promotion. Strategies involving the incorporation of BC and endophytic symbiosis may help achieve eco-friendly agricultural production, thus reducing the excessive use of chemical agents.     

Perceived service quality-loyalty path: A PAKSERV based investigation of international students enrolled in business schools in Thailand

We aim to examine the international student perceived service quality of Business Schools located in Thailand to link it with their intentions to remain loyal. The survey based approach is adopted to collect data from 300 international students enrolled in various business schools in Thailand. All the dimensions of PAKSERV except Personalization are found to positively contribute to student satisfaction, which strongly leads to their loyalty to business schools. This is the first study which validates the PAKSERV scale in a business school context while collecting data from international students – investigating their perceptions of service quality to link it to their loyalty to business schools. The findings call for investment in faculty and process development to improve the international student perceptions of business schools located in Thailand. The findings will help Thai higher education policymakers specifically to improve student perceived service quality in order to attract and retain international students.     

The social background of Makerere University students and the potential for cost sharing

The social background of Makerere students was analysed in order to gain some insight in the distribution of scarce higher education opportunities in Uganda and assess the ability of the students to finance part of their education cost in the process of massifying higher education without diluting the quality of instruction. The findings were that students from well to-do learned families in the more prosperous districts were enjoying the existing performance based subsidies (PBS) and the privately sponsored places and programs (PSPP) which Makerere University had introduced. The interaction of the social and school system acted to reinforce the inequalities at all stages starting from family background, the primary and secondary schools as well as the universities under the present PBS system of admission.The study recommends that while government must remain with the primary responsibility to fund higher education, the public subsidy should become more sensitive to equity and if need be introduced to cost sharing with capacity for positive discrimination. In order to implement this, the existing PBS should gradually be replaced by an equity based subsidy (EBS) starting with 50% of the funds. The funds for EBS should be allocated to the districts which should develop capacity for identification of the most needy students to get the EBS awards. Students from low income families should compete for both PBS at national level and EBS at their district levels. A loan scheme is also recommended for students who may not be sponsored under PBS and EBS as well as for living expenses which should be assumed by the beneficiaries.     

Utilising multimedia ESP programme in enhancing flight attendants' safety knowledge and problem solving skills

A multimedia English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programme was developed to train flight attendants. The programme comprised of two units. Unit one is listening comprehension, which provides the flight attendants' with specific information of Airbus A340. Unit two is reading comprehension, which provides the flight attendants with the emergency procedures. The effect of this programme on the flight attendants' safety knowledge and problem solving was measured using an achievement test which comprises two parts; the first part includes 10 multiple‐choice questions based on listening comprehension and measuring safety knowledge; the second part includes 15 multiple‐choice questions based on reading comprehension and measuring problem solving situations. The sample of the study consists of 36 flight attendants divided into two groups. The test was administered as a pretest and a posttest for the equivalence of the groups and their achievement. The results revealed that the computerised ESP programme has a measurable effect on the flight attendants' recall of safety knowledge and problem solving skills. The researchers recommended that similar computerised ESP programmes should be designed in order for the flight attendants to be well equipped with skills and knowledge in dealing with emergency problems that they may occur during flight.