Conserving endangered species is a critical global challenge, with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) playing a key role in preserving biodiversity. This study focuses on optimizing In Vitro Maturation (IVM) protocols using BALB/c mice (aged 8�16 weeks) oocytes as a model for endangered species conservation. The objectives include determining optimal doses of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) in IVM media, examining the effects of cumulus monolayer cells (CMC) and their secretions on oocyte maturation, and grading matured oocytes to evaluate the influence of different IVM environments. Findings indicate that specific FSH and LH concentrations significantly improve oocyte maturation rates. Co-culture with cumulus cells and supplementation with their secretions enhance oocyte quality and developmental potential. Oocyte evaluation, based on features such as the zona pellucida and polar body, provided key insights into effective IVM protocols. This study highlights the potential of refined IVM techniques as a non-invasive tool for increasing reproductive success in endangered species. The BALB/c mouse model proved valuable for developing species-specific IVM methods, which can be adapted for animals with similar reproductive traits. These advancements could improve genetic diversity and support conservation efforts for endangered wildlife, offering an ethical and efficient alternative to more invasive ART methods.

Polyamide 11 (PA 11) is a semi-crystalline engineering polymer with excellent impact strength and the ability to accept high filler loading, making it a promising alternative in a variety of applications. However, using PA 11 alone results in lower stiffness and heat resistance, as well as more expensive materials; therefore, reinforcement with halloysite nanotube (HNTs) filler, magnesium hydroxide (MH) flame retardant additives and styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene grafted maleic anhydride (SEBS-g-MA) elastomers has been considered. The goal of this research is to investigate the effects of HNTs as fillers, MH as flame retardants and SEBS-g-MA as an impact modifier contents on the thermal, mechanical and flammability properties of PA 11. This study used counter-rotating twin-screw extrusion and injection moulding to create nanocomposite samples, which were then characterized by using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), tensile, flexural, impact, UL-94 standard flammability and limiting oxygen index (LOI). The addition of 4 phr HNTs improved the PA 11 matrix’s thermal, mechanical and flammability properties of the PA 11 matrix. The addition of 30 phr MH flame-retardant additives increased the young’s and flexural modulus by up to 34% and 31%, respectively, but decreased the elongation at break for all formulations. All the nanocomposite samples passed the UL 94 V-2 rating. The addition of 15 phr of SEBS-g-MA increased the elongation at break by 40% and impact strength up to 57%. However, the addition of elastomers reduced tensile and flexural strength. The study discovered that the adding nanofillers, flame retardant additives and elastomer to PA 11 can effectively improve these properties to a desired level, potentially opening new market opportunities for PA 11 manufacturers.

Blood culture (BC) is a crucial test for diagnosing bloodstream infections (BSIs) and can be significantly influenced by pre-analytical factors. Despite its importance, concerns persist regarding the reliability of BC results, often due to contamination and variability in positivity outcomes. This study addresses the research gap concerning the impact of specific pre-analytical factors such as location, transportation time, site of collection, and sample volume on BC positivity rates at Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre @ IIUM. A cross-sectional analysis of 276 BC vials from 138 patients revealed that 58% were male, with a mean age of 61.8 years. Samples for the BC analysis were collected from emergency wards (35.5%) and peripheral veins (84.8%). The overall positivity rate was 29.0%, with 34 (24.6%) positive aerobic vials and 24 (17.4%) positive anaerobic vials. Optimal blood volume (8-10 ml) was achieved in only 17.4% of cases. The mean blood volume was 6.3 ± 3.7 ml for aerobic vials and 5.9 ± 3.0 ml for anaerobic vials, both of which are considered suboptimal based on the literature review (<8 ml). The mean time to positivity (TTP) was significantly different in anaerobic cultures when comparing varying blood volumes (p = 0.009). Although demographics and other pre-analytical factors did not significantly predict true or false positives (p > 0.05), the observed trends underscore the need for improved diagnostic practices. This study provides valuable insights into the pre-analytical factors affecting BC outcomes, emphasizing the importance of refining protocols to enhance diagnostic accuracy and patient management for suspected BSIs.

The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Land Degradation (REDD+) policy initiative under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted by the Indonesian government in 2007. Aimed at incentivizing developing countries to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and land use, the environmental and social goals of the REDD+ policy design enable a broad appeal in a policy arena prone to conflict. The Cancun Safeguards for REDD+ under UNFCCC Decision 1/CP.16 mandates that in undertaking REDD+ activities, “the full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, in particular indigenous peoples and local communities, in the [REDD+] actions” (Principle 4) should be promoted and supported by program implementers. Using a qualitative case study method and Arnstein’s (1967) ‘Ladder of Citizen Participation’ conceptual framework, this study analyzes the typology of local participation in REDD+ implementation in the Indonesian context. It seeks to answer the following research questions: how is local participation realized in REDD+ implementation, to what extent is local participation involved, and what are the challenges constraining local participation in REDD+. The findings suggest that local community participation in the case study is characterized by the tokenism classification in Arnstein’s (1967) ‘Ladder of Citizen Participation’, reflected in the perceived power dynamics within REDD+ design and its inclusion and exclusion tendencies in its implementation. An implementation gap found in the East Kalimantan Results-Based Payment program is the limited scope of local actors in the procedural right to participation, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), limited information on the role of local communities in implementation and limited timely information on benefit sharing distribution. The transformative potential of REDD+ in improving the participatory rights of local communities is possible at the local level through the facilitation of bottom-up, meaningful participation. Broadly, procedural aspects of participation force a minimum degree of openness. However, it also risks reproducing institutionally dominant business-as-usual perspectives of social justice if it does not improve local community rights by going beyond procedural indicators of participation.

Drought conditions as a result of climate change have detrimentally reduced rice production with roots playing a pivotal role in water uptake and providing valuable insights into adaptation to water scarcity through their anatomical phenotype. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate how drought stress affects the agronomic traits, root anatomical phenotype and identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) correspond to drought tolerance. Six rice varieties, Moroberekan, MR297, Apami, Merah Wangi, Biris, and Nona Manis, were grown and subjected to normal watering, alternating two cycles of drought and continuous drought. A preliminary study was conducted to evaluate agronomic traits. Anatomical study was done with the root samples harvested at panicle initiation. Following the findings from morphological and histological study, the RNA from the roots of MR297 and Merah Wangi were then selected for comprehensive transcriptomic analysis using next generation sequencing (NGS). Based on the agronomic analysis, Merah Wangi produced the highest grain yield under both drought stress, followed by Nona Manis and MR297. The results for root phenotype showed great plasticity among the varieties. Under alternating drought stress, Moroberekan had the highest values for anatomical root area, root diameter, stele area, cortex area and metaxylem traits, followed by Merah Wangi. Despite severe drought stress, Merah Wangi exhibited the highest grain yield with better root anatomical structure. Meanwhile, transcriptome analysis of Merah Wangi against MR297 unveiled 35257 and 77115 DEGs responsive to alternate drought and continuous drought stress, respectively. The study revealed an abundance of DEGs in Merah Wangi, with more genes downregulated than upregulated, especially under both drought stress. Significantly, the expression of DEEPER ROOTING 1 and enrichment of DEGs in pathways associated with 'plant hormone signal transduction' and 'metabolite synthesis' underscores their potential relevance to the mechanism underlying drought tolerance in Merah Wangi. The continuous drought stress has triggered the upregulation of hormone related genes, particularly auxin, and cytokinin. In conclusion, Merah Wangi exhibited the highest drought resilience among the varieties studied, a trait attributed to its superior agronomic characteristics, root anatomical phenotypes, and the activation of genes associated with drought response. The findings provide key insights into root acclimation, paving the way for developing more resilient rice varieties under drought stress.

ABSTRACT The cases of blasphemy continued to manifest in many states of the Nigerian federation, particularly the Northern Region, where the Muslims predominantly occupied the area. The most recent one was the one in Sokoto State, where Deborah Samuel, a Christian student at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, committed blasphemy against the personality of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). This caused serious havoc and civil unrest in the State and the entire region. This served as motivation for this research to explore the issue of blasphemy and its effects on Muslim and Christian relations in Sokoto State, Nigeria. This is to enable the understanding of the causes and effects of blasphemy on the social co-existence of the Muslims and Christians in the area, as well as to suggest ways of overcoming the problem and attaining peace for all-around development. Four research objectives with their corresponding research questions were raised to guide the study. The study was qualitative and, therefore, employed both primary (interview) and secondary data (literature review) to answer the related research questions. A purposive sampling technique was employed, and Sixteen (16) participants were sampled for the study. After the interview, content analysis was used to analyse the data. The study's findings revealed that blasphemy is worthy of condemnation by all religions (Islam and Christianity) and is punishable by law. It was also found that what Deborah Samuel did was wrong, irrational, and uncondonable. Moreover, killing her without subjecting her punishment to the constituted authorities was another wrong by the mob. This was caused by religious intolerance, lack of awareness, and the socio-economic, political, and radical influence of some religious indoctrinations. The issue has aggravated chaos, fear and disorderliness in the society, promoted political acrimonies, enhanced disunity and social disintegration, and promoted economic instability, educational backwardness, as well as insecurity and insurgencies. It is recommended, among others, that both the government and religious stakeholders should promote religious dialogues to enhance the understanding of religious matters and boundaries and enhance the rule of law without fear or favour.

Recognizing and classifying gait activities, such as stair ascending and descending, using smartphones' inertial sensors has significant potential in various applications. However, accurately identifying stairs and inclined surface activities has long been a challenge in this study, the feasibility of employing both machine learning and deep learning models to identify stair ascending and descending activities based on collected datasets is explored. The datasets were utilized to train both machine learning and deep learning models. Notably, an impressive accuracy rate of 99.39% was achieved by the convolutional neural network (CNN). By leveraging the trained model, an online streaming system capable of predicting five different activities, including stair ascending, descending, level ground walking, and ramp up and down, was successfully developed. The system utilizes accelerometer data obtained in real-time. The system's prediction accuracy and reliability were evaluated and found to be satisfactory. Though real-time prediction method does not have guaranteed immediate responses and depends on the reliability and speed of the remote connection, which could be considered a limitation when aiming for real-time applications. This research demonstrates the promising feasibility of utilizing smartphone inertial sensors, coupled with advanced machine learning deep learning techniques, to accurately identify and classify various gait activities, particularly those associated with stair ambulation. The potential applications of this technology extend to areas such as health monitoring, rehabilitation, and activity tracking. By leveraging smartphones' widespread availability, this approach offers a cost-effective and accessible solution for gait activity recognition without the need for external sensors or complex circuitry.

This research aims to reveal the strategies of learning Arabic vocabulary to improve Arabic speaking skill among students at the International Islamic University Malaysia, especially for students specialised in Arabic language at the Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development (CELPAD). This research also aims to determine strategies of practicing speaking skill from the learned vocabulary among them. The research sample was selected from non-native Arabic language students from various specialisations and different levels of their Arabic Language (LQ0001) until (LQ0004), that consist of fifty-five (55) male and female students. This research conducted a closed and opened questionnaire, which consists of three components of strategies, which are formal strategies, autonomous strategies, and incidental strategies. The results of this research revealed that there are new strategies in learning vocabulary and practicing Arabic speaking skill, and the most used strategy among students is the strategy of translating Arabic words into the Malay language to understand them. Therefore, one of the strategies that were used by the students in practicing their Arabic speaking skill is practicing speaking and writing with friends and lecturers. This study confirms that students use strategies of practicing speaking with friends by applying the vocabulary they must use to improve their Arabic speaking skill.