• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.1460-1467
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• 2023

A robust approach was conducted to determining the absolute oral bioavailable (f_ab) fractions of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in rats exposed to contaminated soil along with their hematotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The soil sample is the International Atomic Energy Agency-312 (IAEA-312) certified reference material, whereas blood, bones, and kidneys of in vivo female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats estimate ²³⁸U- and ²³²Th-f_ab fractions post-exposure. We predict the bioavailable concentration (C_ab) and f_ab values of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th after acute soil ingestion. The blood ²³⁸U (0.750%) and ²³²Th (0.028%) reach their maximum f_ab values after 48 h. The ²³⁸U (f_ab: 0.169-0.652%) accumulates mostly in the kidney, whereas the ²³²Th (f_ab: 0.004-0.021%) accumulates primarily in the bone. Additionally, ²³⁸U is more bioavailable than ²³²Th. Post 48 h acute ingestion demonstrates noticeable histopathological and hematological alterations, implying that intake of ²³⁸U in co-contaminated soil can lead to erythrocytes and proximal tubules damage, whereas, ²³²Th intake can harm erythrocytes. Our study provides new directions for future research into the health implications of acute oral exposures to ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in co-contaminated soils. The findings offer significant insight into the utilization of in vivo SD rat testing to estimate ²³⁸U and ²³²Th bioavailability and toxicity in exposure assessment.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.169-196
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• 2024

In the House of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, which members are re-elected several times, while others are only first-term? Existing studies on the Kazakhstan political elites have mainly discussed the effect of clans on the appointment or replacement of elites. These studies have contributed to explaining the characteristics of Kazakhstan's clientelistic political structure, but the analysis of the relationship between political background and elite appointment or replacement is very poor. The purpose of this study is to analyze what characteristics of members have continuity in the 4th to 8th House of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. As a result, members with activities in Communist Party of the Soviet Union had a higher average seniority than those who did not in the 4th, 6th, and 7th House of the Parliament. And Nur Otan members had a higher average seniority than those who did not in 4th and 5th House of the Parliament. On the other hand, there was no difference in average seniority by local political experience, and the difference by elite type was only partially found in the 6th House of the Parliament. These results reflect the president's strategy for parliamentary control in that the parliament is used as a means of solidifying Kazakhstan's political regime as an authoritarian state. The significance of this study is that for the first time it empirically proved who sustains political survival in the House of the Parliament of Kazakhstan.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.109-114
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• 2020

The aim of this study is to develop basic artificial neural network models in forecasting the in-sample gross domestic product (GDP) of Malaysia. GDP is one of the main indicators in presenting the macro economic condition of a country as set by the world authority bodies such as the World Bank. Hence, this study uses an artificial neural network-based approach to make predictions concerning the economic growth of Malaysia. This method has been proposed due to its ability to overcome multicollinearity among variables, as well as the ability to cope with non-linear problems in Malaysia's growth data. The selected inputs and outputs are based on the previous literatures as well as the economic growth theory. Therefore, the selected inputs are exports, imports, private consumption, government expenditure, consumer price index (CPI), inflation rate, foreign direct investment (FDI) and money supply, which includes M1 and M2. Whilst, the output is real gross domestic product growth rate. The results of this study showed that the neural network method gives the smallest value of mean error which is 0.81 percent with a total difference of 0.70 percent. This implies that the neural network model is appropriate and is a relevant method in forecasting the economic growth of Malaysia.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.147-157
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• 2020

In the accounting information system implementation, the users should consider the benefits and advantages of the system. This paper examines the effect of the Enterprise Resources Planning based (ERP-based) accounting information system implementation on user impact and organizational impact. The population in this study is companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange, especially companies based in Riau, Indonesia. These companies currently use the ERP-based accounting information system. Research samples are employees who use the ERP-based accounting information system. For data analysis, we use structural equation modeling (SEM). Based on data analysis, high-quality information system implementation generate high-quality information that can give satisfaction to the user. Moreover, the information system is related to user skill, satisfaction, and knowledge sharing which improve personal skills; enhanced personal skill contributes to organizational performance. On the other hand, there is no effect of training on personal skills and there is no effect of information quality on perceived usefulness. This research gives implication to the organization for implementing a high-quality ERP-based accounting information system that positively impacts organizational performance. Future research is expected to examine information system implementation in different research objects and conditions.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.1175-1184
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• 2020

This research examines the personal (i.e., Machiavellianism) and situational factors (i.e., tax climate) that are believed to be psychologically salient aspects in tax compliance. To the best of our knowledge, no research has been carried out to investigate the interaction effect of the two factors. This study uses a paper-and-pencil laboratory experiment 2x2 between-subject factorial design that involved 158 participants. The results indicate that a taxpayer who has a low Machiavellianism score or who is in a high synergistic tax climate reports a higher level of income. In the high synergistic tax climate, where tax norms apply, personal ethics do not play a significant role in tax compliance decisions. Where the synergistic relationship between taxpayer and authorities is low, personal ethics play an important role, i.e., low Machiavellians report a higher reported income than high Machiavellians do. This research contributes to the literature that deviates from the traditional model of tax compliance. Taxpayers are not always rational, but they might pay tax for reasons other than financial motives (Alm, 1991, 2018), that is, personal ethics in this study. This research implies the need for policymakers to consider other approaches rather than only relying on audits and fines.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.287-296
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• 2020

The study investigates the relationship and influence between religiosity, reward, and engagement in the public administration sector, both directly and causally via moderation. This study involved one hundred and twenty-three respondents in three local government organizations in Malang City, East Java Province, Indonesia, namely, the Malang City General Hospital, the Population and Civil Registry Office, and the Investment Office. The sampling method uses stratified random sampling from the total population of civil servants in Malang in the three institutions. The data analysis model of this study uses a quantitative approach with a unit of data analysis using the path analysis method. The analytical tools used are smart-PLS and SPSS. The results reveal that the direct combined effect of reward and religiosity has a positive and significant influence on the engagement. However, moderation between reward and commitment, which is bridged by religiosity, does not show positive and significant results. The non-positive relationship shown by testing moderation concludes that there is a separation of purpose between the portion of religiosity in the world of work, where religiosity in this study is only described as part of the concept of worship, and the relationship between the person and his God.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.9-15
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• 2012

This paper presents application of a new tactile slippage sensation algorithm in robot hand control system. The optical three-axis tactile sensor is a type of tactile sensor capable of defining normal and shear forces simultaneously. The tactile sensor is mounted on fingertip of robotic hand. Shear force distribution is used to define slippage sensation in the robot hand system. Based on tactile slippage analysis, a new control algorithm was proposed. To improve performance during object handling motions, analysis of slippage direction is conducted. The control algorithm is classified into two phases: grasp-move-release and grasp-twist motions. Detailed explanations of the control algorithm based on the existing robot arm control system are presented. The experiment is conducted using a bottle cap, and the results reveal good performance of the proposed control algorithm to accomplish the proposed object handling motions.

• Mycobiology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.19-22
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• 2003

The primary objective of the current research was to detect genetic variations within the Indonesian isolates of Cochliobolus heterostrophus collected from ecologically different places of the country at molecular level using PCR-RFLP analyses. The primer pair of NS3 and NS6 produced amplification fragment in all of the isolates tested. A single fragment of estimated 907 bp was observed in the PCR product pattern. RFLP analysis of the PCR product employing three restriction enzymes, HaeIII, HhaI, and RsaI, respectively, did not reveal intraspecific variations within the fungus. Similarly, nucleotide sequences of portion of small subunit of the ribosomal DNA gene of two of the isolates collected showed no appreciable differences, indicating the absence of genetic diversities among the isolates tested. A phylogenetic tree was constructed and the Indonesian C. heterostrophus, represented by SM-1 isolate, was found to be phylogenetically located near C. sativus, a closely related species.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 2016

Plant-derived triterpenoids commonly possesses biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-viral and anti-cancer. Luvunga scandens is one of the plant that produced triterpenoids. The aims of the study was to analyze cell cycle profile and to determine the expression of p53 unregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), caspase-8 and caspase-9 genes at mRNA level in MCF-7 cell line treated with two triterpenoids, flindissol (1) and 3-oxotirucalla-7,24-dien-21-oic-acid (2) isolated from L. scandens. The compounds were tested for cell cycle analysis using flow cytometer and mRNA expression level using quantitative RT-PCR. The number of MCF-7 cells population which distributed in Sub G1 phase after treated with compound 1 and 2 were 7.7 and 9.3% respectively. The evaluation of the expression of genes showed that both compounds exhibited high level of expression of PUMA, caspase-8 and caspase-9 as normalized to ${\beta}-actin$ via activation of those genes. In summary, the isolated compounds of L. scandens plant showed promising anticancer properties in MCF-7 cell lines.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.161-168
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• 2010

In this study, the metabolic activities of five strains of Pediococcus spp., in terms of the quantities they produced of lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, exopolysaccharides, and proteolytic activity, were determined. Lactic acid levels produced by these strains were found to be in the range of 2.5-5.6 mg/ml. All strains produced hydrogen peroxide. The P. pentosaceus Z13P strain produced the maximum amount (0.25 mg/ml) of proteolytic activity. Exopolysaccharide (EPS) production by the Pediococcus strains during growth in MRS (de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe) medium was in the range 25-64 mg/l. The susceptibility of 10 different antibiotics against these strains was also tested. All strains were found to be resistant to amoxicillin, gentamicin, and vancomycin. Antimicrobial effects of the Pediococcus spp. on pathogens were also determined by an agar diffusion method. All of the strains were able to inhibit L. monocytogenes. The tolerance of the strains to low pH, their resistance to bile salts of strains, and their abilities to autoaggregate and coaggregate with L. monocytogenes were also evaluated.