Evidence accumulated over many decades has clearly shown that Streptococcus mutans is a major agent in dental caries. S. mutans SpaP gene (Cell Surface Antigen) mediates the binding of these cariogenic bacteria to tooth surfaces. This study aimed to detect the presence of SpaP and vicR genes in non-biofilm-forming S. mutans isolated from dental plaques. In this study, 120 clinical samples were obtained from different dental clinics and hospitals in Baghdad. 26 bacterial isolates were identified as S. mutans by using selective media (Mitis-salivarius agar) and microscopic examination after gram staining then confirmed S. mutans by molecular detection using SpaP genes. Interestingly, all 26 isolates were non-biofilm forming after microtiter plate assay based on the crystal violet staining method, and negatively resulted in the detection of vicR gene which is responsible for biofilm formation. Ten antibiotics (doxycycline, ofloxacin, tetracycline, erythromycin, vancomycin, clindamycin, ri.....

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Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk membangunkan dan menilai keberkesanan kit pengaturcaraan berkonsepkan Internet of Things (IoT) melalui pendekatan pembelajaran Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) terhadap kemahiran mengaplikasikan, menganalisis masalah, pencapaian dan sikap terhadap STEM dalam Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran (PdP) topik penyelesaian masalah pengaturcaraan. Kit pengaturcaraan dibangunkan bagi menyelesaikan salah konsep pelajar dalam menganalisis masalah aras tinggi, mereka bentuk penyelesaian dan membangunkan algoritma. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan Kajian Reka bentuk dan Pembangunan (DDR) dengan berpaksikan teori konstruktivisme, Model Reka bentuk dan Pengajaran Isman dan model pembelajaran 5E. Eksperimen kuasi dilaksanakan bagi menilai keberkesanan kit pengaturcaraan terhadap kemahiran mengaplikasikan dan menganalisis masalah dalam kalangan pelajar. Seramai 192 pelajar, 32 pensyarah dan empat pakar dari kolej matrikulasi zon utara te.....

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Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai Pelaksanaan Kurikulum Keusahawanan di Kolej Komuniti berasaskan Model Konteks-Input-Proses-Produk (KIPP) dengan memberi fokus kepada aspek kepentingan kurikulum, objektif, struktur penyampaian, pentaksiran, isi kandungan, bahan PdP, kemudahan prasarana, proses PdP, kefahaman, motivasi dan kesediaan pelajar menjadi usahawan. Kaedah penyelidikan yang digunakan dalam kajian ini ialah pendekatan kuantitatif berbentuk tinjauan. Soal selidik telah digunakan untuk mendapatkan data persepsi pelajar daripada lapan buah Kolej Komuniti Kluster 1 mengenai pelaksanaan Kurikulum Keusahawanan. Seramai 416 orang pelajar telah terpilih sebagai responden kajian melalui persampelan rawak mudah. Data yang diperoleh kemudiannya dianalisis dengan menggunakan Analisis Faktor Pengesahan (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, CFA) dan Pemodelan Persamaan Berstruktur (Structural Equation Modeling, SEM) dengan menggunakan perisian IBM SPSS-AMOS versi 24.0. Dapatan kajian de.....

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The comparative study was conducted to investigate the systematics of six genera of Lamiaceae and two genera of Verbenaceae. Three aspects of the study, which were morphological, anatomical and phytochemical, were carried out to determine significant taxonomic characters. The data obtained were then used to construct taxonomic keys for genera and species involved. A total of 22 species were collected from several forest reserves in Malaysia. Samples were prepared for herbarium vouchers, anatomical study, and phytochemical procedures. Morphological characters were observed and recorded. Anatomical slides of leaf were prepared using standard microtechnique method, while phytochemical screening was conducted using Qualitative Phytochemical Screening and Thin Layer Chromatograph (TLC). All characters obtained were numerically analyzed using the Multivariate Statistical Package (MVSP) and Phylogeny Analysis Using Parsimony (PAUP). The findings showed that some characters have hi.....

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The study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using film versus book on the comprehension of literary texts among Kurdish university students. The study also investigated the factors influence the level of comprehension of Kurdish university students. The participants of the current study consisted of 15 third-year Kurdish students enrolled in the English department of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Zakho in Kurdistan, Iraq. The participants were divided into three equivalent groups and subjected to three treatments wherein each group was put to three different types of teaching approaches. The data collection procedure included two retelling tests that were carried out at different periods of time in which the participants retold a story through writing. The data procedure also included a questionnaire that was designed to determine the factors that influence the participants’ reading comprehension. The results obtained from both tests showed.....

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The study was conducted to identify the common errors in the use of past tense forms made by Kurdish learners of the English language when writing essays and to investigate the factors that influenced these errors and how the Kurdish first language affect the process of learning the English language. The participants in this study were from the English Department, Faculty of Humanities, University of Duhok. A total of 29 students participated in this study. All the errors were identified and classified into various categories. The results of the study showed seven most common errors in the use of past tense form committed by the participants. These errors were simple past, past progressive, past perfect, past passive, future in the past, irregular verbs and regular verbs. The findings also showed that the errors committed were influenced by the use of the participants‟ first language and intralingual factors. On the basis of these findings, the researcher discussed some pedagogical i.....

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This study seeks to find out whether the use of peer editing through Wikispaces could help to correct errors in students’ writing. Five types of common errors are focused in students’ writing: grammar, spelling, word choice, punctuation and sentence structure. The participants were 25 Form Four students of a Smart School in the district of Kinta, Perak. Students wrote two descriptive essays and a two-week peer editing sessions were carried out. Students’ participation and progress were both monitored via Wikispaces. This study adopts a case study research design. Online-writing records (students’ essays), observation form, questionnaire, semi-structured interview, feedback form and a reflective research diary are used for data collection. Data obtained from field notes, students’ essays, interview transcripts and reflection research diary reveal that there are several features on Wikispaces that supports the students to perform better in the peer editing and error .....

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The genus Kopsia, which belongs to the family Apocynaceae, has been used extensively in traditional treatment. This mini-review provides a comprehensive analysis of the chemical diversity of indole alkaloids from Malaysian Kopsia species and their biological activities. Fourteen species with 164 indole alkaloids have already been studied and successfully isolated and characterised. Most of them are categorised as aspidofractinine, aspidospermane and eburnane types. The literature and references for this manuscript were obtained from various sources including SciFinder®, Reaxys®, ScienceDirect®, PubMed Central®, NIH National Library of Medicine, Google Scholar and The Plant List®. Keywords: Apocynacae, Kopsia, indole alkaloids, aspidofractinine, aspidospermane, eburnane..

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This article review is designed to bring some updates on the phytochemistry of the Loranthaceae family in order to throw more light on future research priorities. Loranthaceae family is the leading pantropical semi parasitic shrubs generally termed mistletoe. They consist of about 75 genera and 1000 species growing in many countries of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and New Zealand with diverse widespread uses in adornment, food and medication. The literatures for this review was collected from various online databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, Research gate, Science Direct, Scopus and web of Science for nine genera namely, Globimetula, Scurrula, Dendrophtoe, Loranthus, Phragmanthera, Tapinanthus, Taxillus, Tripodanthus and Viscum based on the type of phytochemicals, popularity and environmental setting. Chemical studies of the Loranthaceae species have produced a number of important phytochemicals belonging to different classes. The recent investigations led to the disc.....

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Natural products have been found to have antidiabetic effects in a growing number of studies, making them a popular topic in antidiabetic research. This paper sought to examine the present state of plant extract research and provide emerging trends in the field through bibliometric analysis based on publication outputs, co-authorships between authors and affiliated nations, and co-occurrences of author keywords. Research papers on natural remedies for diabetes were taken from the Scopus core collection database. The studies were analyzed and plotted using VOSviewer. According to the results, there has been a consistent rise in the total number of publications since 2008, with an increase of 50 articles every two years. This pattern has continued to this day. The findings of this investigation indicate that 2190 records of plant extract in antidiabetic research were published between 1989 and 2022. Researchers in India accounted for over 30% of all publications published worldwide. Addi.....

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