MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 451 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext "It's Valid and Reliable" Is Not Enough: Critical Appraisal of Reporting of Measures in Trials Evaluating Patient Decision Aids

Sepucha KR, Matlock DD, Wills CE, Ropka M, Joseph-Williams N, Stacey D, et al.

Med Decis Making, 2014 07;34(5):560-6.
PMID: 24713692 DOI: 10.1177/0272989X14528381

BACKGROUND: This review systematically appraises the quality of reporting of measures used in trials to evaluate the effectiveness of patient decision aids (PtDAs) and presents recommendations for minimum reporting standards.
METHODS: We reviewed measures of decision quality and decision process in 86 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the 2011 Cochrane Collaboration systematic review of PtDAs. Data on development of the measures, reliability, validity, responsiveness, precision, interpretability, feasibility, and acceptability were independently abstracted by 2 reviewers.
RESULTS: Information from 178 instances of use of measures was abstracted. Very few studies reported data on the performance of measures, with reliability (21%) and validity (16%) being the most common. Studies using new measures were less likely to include information about their psychometric performance. The review was limited to reporting of measures in studies included in the Cochrane review and did not consult prior publications.
CONCLUSIONS: Very little is reported about the development or performance of measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of PtDAs in published trials. Minimum reporting standards are proposed to enable authors to prepare study reports, editors and reviewers to evaluate submitted papers, and readers to appraise published studies.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design/standards*
Fulltext "Suiting Up" to Enhance Empathy Toward Aging: A Randomized Controlled Study

Lee SWH, Teh PL

Front Public Health, 2020;8:376.
PMID: 32984232 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00376

Background: Healthcare professionals who have a positive attitude and who are more empathetic toward older adults are in a better position to deliver quality healthcare. This study examines the impact of using an aging simulation suit on undergraduate pharmacy students' empathy levels.
Methods: One hundred and twenty first-year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy course were randomized to either a medication review polypharmacy workshop (control) or an immersive aging simulation suit and medication review polypharmacy workshop (intervention). Intervention participants donned the aging suit and performed a series of tasks, including walking up a flight of stairs and filling up a form to simulate the physical limitations experienced by an older adult. The workshop was delivered at week 10 of semester. Both groups also completed a medication review polypharmacy workshop at week 12 of semester. The primary outcome was a measurement of change on the Jefferson Empathy Scale-Healthcare Professional Questionnaire among both groups at week 12 of semester. Secondary outcomes include the longitudinal impact of intervention after 3 months of the workshop and perceptions on learning.
Results: The use of a simulation suit did not increase participants' self-rated empathy compared to control. However, the suit enhanced the ability of participants to understand the physical limitations and visual issues associated with aging. Participants also felt that it enhanced their health advocacy, as it taught them the importance of listening, patience and respect for older adults.
Conclusion: The use of an immersive aging suit can be a useful adjunctive tool to help enhance students' understanding of the physical limitations and visual limitations of aging. Further research is needed to understand how these limitations affect other healthcare students. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04133727.
Study site: Monash University Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
Fulltext A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activities of Clinacanthus nutans (Burm.f.) Lindau

Khoo LW, Audrey Kow S, Lee MT, Tan CP, Shaari K, Tham CL, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2018;2018:9276260.
PMID: 30105077 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9276260

Clinacanthus nutans (Burm.f.) Lindau (Acanthaceae), commonly known as Sabah snake grass, is a vegetable and a well-known herb that is considered an alternative medicine for insect bites, skin rashes, herpes infection, inflammation, and cancer and for health benefits. Current review aims to provide a well-tabulated repository of the phytochemical screening, identification and quantification, and the pharmacological information of C. nutans according to the experimental design and the plant preparation methods which make it outstanding compared to existing reviews. This review has documented valuable data obtained from all accessible library databases and electronic searches. For the first time we analyzed the presence of flavonoids, triterpenoids, steroids, phytosterols, and glycosides in C. nutans based on the results from phytochemical screening which are then further confirmed by conventional phytochemical isolation methods and advanced spectroscopic techniques. Phytochemical quantification further illustrated that C. nutans is a good source of phenolics and flavonoids. Pharmacological studies on C. nutans revealed that its polar extract could be a promising anti-inflammation, antiviral, anticancer, immune and neuromodulating, and plasmid DNA protective agent; that its semipolar extract could be a promising antiviral, anticancer, and wound healing agent; and that its nonpolar extract could be an excellent anticancer agent.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A Glimpse into the Extraction Methods of Active Compounds from Plants

Chuo SC, Nasir HM, Mohd-Setapar SH, Mohamed SF, Ahmad A, Wani WA, et al.

Crit Rev Anal Chem, 2020 Sep 20.
PMID: 32954795 DOI: 10.1080/10408347.2020.1820851

Naturally active compounds are usually contained inside plants and materials thereof. Thus, the extraction of the active compounds from plants needs appropriate extraction methods. The commonly employed extraction methods are mostly based on solid-liquid extraction. Frequently used conventional extraction methods such as maceration, heat-assisted extraction, Soxhlet extraction, and hydrodistillation are often criticized for large solvent consumption and long extraction times. Therefore, many advanced extraction methods incorporating various technologies such as ultrasound, microwaves, high pressure, high voltage, enzyme hydrolysis, innovative solvent systems, adsorption, and mechanical forces have been studied. These advanced extraction methods are often better than conventional methods in terms of higher yields, higher selectivity, lower solvent consumption, shorter processing time, better energy efficiency, and potential to avoid organic solvents. They are usually designed to be greener, more sustainable, and environment friendly. In this review, we have critically described recently developed extraction methods pertaining to obtaining active compounds from plants and materials thereof. Main factors that affect the extraction performances are tuned, and extraction methods are chosen in line with the properties of targeted active compounds or the objectives of extraction. The review also highlights the advancements in extraction procedures by using combinations of extraction methods to obtain high overall yields or high purity extracts.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
Fulltext A Quantum-Based Similarity Method in Virtual Screening

Al-Dabbagh MM, Salim N, Himmat M, Ahmed A, Saeed F

Molecules, 2015;20(10):18107-27.
PMID: 26445039 DOI: 10.3390/molecules201018107

One of the most widely-used techniques for ligand-based virtual screening is similarity searching. This study adopted the concepts of quantum mechanics to present as state-of-the-art similarity method of molecules inspired from quantum theory. The representation of molecular compounds in mathematical quantum space plays a vital role in the development of quantum-based similarity approach. One of the key concepts of quantum theory is the use of complex numbers. Hence, this study proposed three various techniques to embed and to re-represent the molecular compounds to correspond with complex numbers format. The quantum-based similarity method that developed in this study depending on complex pure Hilbert space of molecules called Standard Quantum-Based (SQB). The recall of retrieved active molecules were at top 1% and top 5%, and significant test is used to evaluate our proposed methods. The MDL drug data report (MDDR), maximum unbiased validation (MUV) and Directory of Useful Decoys (DUD) data sets were used for experiments and were represented by 2D fingerprints. Simulated virtual screening experiment show that the effectiveness of SQB method was significantly increased due to the role of representational power of molecular compounds in complex numbers forms compared to Tanimoto benchmark similarity measure.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A Step-by-Step Process on Sample Size Determination for Medical Research

Bujang MA

Malays J Med Sci, 2021 Apr;28(2):15-27.
PMID: 33958957 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2021.28.2.2

Determination of a minimum sample size required for a study is a major consideration which all researchers are confronted with at the early stage of developing a research protocol. This is because the researcher will need to have a sound prerequisite knowledge of inferential statistics in order to enable him/her to acquire a thorough understanding of the overall concept of a minimum sample size requirement and its estimation. Besides type I error and power of the study, some estimates for effect sizes will also need to be determined in the process to calculate or estimate the sample size. The appropriateness in calculating or estimating the sample size will enable the researchers to better plan their study especially pertaining to recruitment of subjects. To facilitate a researcher in estimating the appropriate sample size for their study, this article provides some recommendations for researchers on how to determine the appropriate sample size for their studies. In addition, several issues related to sample size determination were also discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A bibliometric analysis of the top 50 most cited articles published in the Dental Traumatology

Ahmad P, Vincent Abbott P, Khursheed Alam M, Ahmed Asif J

Dent Traumatol, 2020 Apr;36(2):89-99.
PMID: 31800153 DOI: 10.1111/edt.12534

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The impact of a scientific article in its respective field is reflected by its citation count. The purpose of this review was to conduct a citation analysis in order to identify and analyze the top 50 most cited articles published in Dental Traumatology since its inception in order to highlight the contribution of the journal to the field of Dental Traumatology.
METHODS: Elsevier's Scopus was used to search and analyze the 50 most frequently cited scientific papers. After the screening process, two reviewers arranged the articles in a descending order based on their citation counts. Each article was then cross-matched with Google Scholar. The articles were analyzed, and information including citation counts, citation density, publication year, authorship, contributing institutions and countries, article topic, study design, and keywords was extracted.
RESULTS: The literature search identified 2421 articles. The citation counts of the 50 selected articles varied from 117 to 580 (Scopus) and 206 to 1130 (Google Scholar). The year in which most top 50 articles were published was 2002 (n = 5). Among 105 authors, the greatest contribution was made by JO Andreasen (n = 12). Most of the articles originated from the United States (n = 12) with the greatest contributions from the University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark (n = 6). Original research article was the most frequent study design (n = 34). The majority of the top 50 articles were focused on traumatic dental injuries. Among 131 unique key words, root resorption (n = 6) was the most frequently used. A non-significant correlation occurred between citation count (correlation coefficient = 0.127, P = .378), citation density (correlation coefficient = 0.654, P = 2.493), and publication age.
CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the top 50 most cited articles published in this journal in the specialty of Dental Traumatology. The publication year of an article was not significantly associated with citation count nor citation density.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
Fulltext A comparison of central composite design and Taguchi method for optimizing Fenton process

Asghar A, Abdul Raman AA, Daud WM

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:869120.
PMID: 25258741 DOI: 10.1155/2014/869120

In the present study, a comparison of central composite design (CCD) and Taguchi method was established for Fenton oxidation. [Dye]ini, Dye:Fe(+2), H2O2:Fe(+2), and pH were identified control variables while COD and decolorization efficiency were selected responses. L 9 orthogonal array and face-centered CCD were used for the experimental design. Maximum 99% decolorization and 80% COD removal efficiency were obtained under optimum conditions. R squared values of 0.97 and 0.95 for CCD and Taguchi method, respectively, indicate that both models are statistically significant and are in well agreement with each other. Furthermore, Prob > F less than 0.0500 and ANOVA results indicate the good fitting of selected model with experimental results. Nevertheless, possibility of ranking of input variables in terms of percent contribution to the response value has made Taguchi method a suitable approach for scrutinizing the operating parameters. For present case, pH with percent contribution of 87.62% and 66.2% was ranked as the most contributing and significant factor. This finding of Taguchi method was also verified by 3D contour plots of CCD. Therefore, from this comparative study, it is concluded that Taguchi method with 9 experimental runs and simple interaction plots is a suitable alternative to CCD for several chemical engineering applications.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design/standards*
Fulltext A complex behavioural change intervention to reduce the risk of diabetes and prediabetes in the pre-conception period in Malaysia: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Skau JK, Nordin AB, Cheah JC, Ali R, Zainal R, Aris T, et al.

Trials, 2016;17(1):215.
PMID: 27117703 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-016-1345-x

Over the past two decades, the population of Malaysia has grown rapidly and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Malaysia has dramatically increased, along with the frequency of obesity, hyperlipidaemia and hypertension. Early-life influences play an important role in the development of non-communicable diseases. Indeed, maternal lifestyle and conditions such as gestational diabetes mellitus or obesity can affect the risk of diabetes in the next generation. Lifestyle changes can help to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This is a protocol for an unblinded, community-based, randomised controlled trial in two arms to evaluate the efficacy of a complex behavioural change intervention, combining motivational interviewing provided by a community health promoter and access to a habit formation mobile application, among young Malaysian women and their spouses prior to pregnancy.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A contrast stretching bilateral closing top-hat Otsu threshold technique for crack detection in images

Sim KS, Kho YY, Tso CP, Nia ME, Ting HY

Scanning, 2013 Mar-Apr;35(2):75-87.
PMID: 22777599 DOI: 10.1002/sca.21037

Detection of cracks from stainless steel pipe images is done using contrast stretching technique. The technique is based on an image filter technique through mathematical morphology that can expose the cracks. The cracks are highlighted and noise removal is done efficiently while still retaining the edges. An automated crack detection system with a camera platform has been successfully implemented. We compare crack extraction in terms of quality measures with those of Otsu's threshold technique and the another technique (Iyer and Sinha, 2005). The algorithm shown is able to achieve good results and perform better than these other techniques.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
Fulltext A functional pipeline framework for landmark identification on 3D surface extracted from volumetric data

Zheng P, Belaton B, Liao IY, Rajion ZA

PLoS One, 2017;12(11):e0187558.
PMID: 29121077 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187558

Landmarks, also known as feature points, are one of the important geometry primitives that describe the predominant characteristics of a surface. In this study we proposed a self-contained framework to generate landmarks on surfaces extracted from volumetric data. The framework is designed to be a three-fold pipeline structure. The pipeline comprises three phases which are surface construction, crest line extraction and landmark identification. With input as a volumetric data and output as landmarks, the pipeline takes in 3D raw data and produces a 0D geometry feature. In each phase we investigate existing methods, extend and tailor the methods to fit the pipeline design. The pipeline is designed to be functional as it is modularised to have a dedicated function in each phase. We extended the implicit surface polygonizer for surface construction in first phase, developed an alternative way to compute the gradient of maximal curvature for crest line extraction in second phase and finally we combine curvature information and K-means clustering method to identify the landmarks in the third phase. The implementations are firstly carried on a controlled environment, i.e. synthetic data, for proof of concept. Then the method is tested on a small scale data set and subsequently on huge data set. Issues and justifications are addressed accordingly for each phase.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
Fulltext A fuzzy graph approach analysis for COVID-19 outbreak

Hassan N, Ahmad T, Ashaari A, Awang SR, Mamat SS, Wan Mohamad WM, et al.

Results Phys, 2021 Jun;25:104267.
PMID: 33968605 DOI: 10.1016/j.rinp.2021.104267

Complex systems require rigorous analysis using effective method, in order to handle and interpret their information. Spectrum produced from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) instrument is an example of a complex system, due to their overlapped bands and interactions within the spectrum. Thus, chemometrics techniques are required to further analyze the data, in particular, chemometrics fuzzy autocatalytic set (c-FACS). The c-FACS is initially used to analyze the FTIR spectra of gelatins. However, in this study, the c-FACS is generalized and implemented for analysis of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), particularly, the pandemic outbreak in Malaysia. The daily Covid-19 cases in states in Malaysia are modeled and analyzed using c-FACS, to observe the trend and severity of the disease in Malaysia. As a result, the classification of severity of zones in Malaysia are identified. The obtained results offer descriptive insight for strategizing purposes in combating the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A hybrid method for evaluating enterprise architecture implementation

Nikpay F, Ahmad R, Yin Kia C

Eval Program Plann, 2017 02;60:1-16.
PMID: 27665066 DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.09.001

Enterprise Architecture (EA) implementation evaluation provides a set of methods and practices for evaluating the EA implementation artefacts within an EA implementation project. There are insufficient practices in existing EA evaluation models in terms of considering all EA functions and processes, using structured methods in developing EA implementation, employing matured practices, and using appropriate metrics to achieve proper evaluation. The aim of this research is to develop a hybrid evaluation method that supports achieving the objectives of EA implementation. To attain this aim, the first step is to identify EA implementation evaluation practices. To this end, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted. Second, the proposed hybrid method was developed based on the foundation and information extracted from the SLR, semi-structured interviews with EA practitioners, program theory evaluation and Information Systems (ISs) evaluation. Finally, the proposed method was validated by means of a case study and expert reviews. This research provides a suitable foundation for researchers who wish to extend and continue this research topic with further analysis and exploration, and for practitioners who would like to employ an effective and lightweight evaluation method for EA projects.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design*
Fulltext A novel design, analysis and 3D printing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy bio-inspired porous femoral stem

Mehboob H, Tarlochan F, Mehboob A, Chang SH, Ramesh S, Harun WSW, et al.

J Mater Sci Mater Med, 2020 Aug 20;31(9):78.
PMID: 32816091 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-020-06420-7

The current study is proposing a design envelope for porous Ti-6Al-4V alloy femoral stems to survive under fatigue loads. Numerical computational analysis of these stems with a body-centered-cube (BCC) structure is conducted in ABAQUS. Femoral stems without shell and with various outer dense shell thicknesses (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2 mm) and inner cores (porosities of 90, 77, 63, 47, 30, and 18%) are analyzed. A design space (envelope) is derived by using stem stiffnesses close to that of the femur bone, maximum fatigue stresses of 0.3σys in the porous part, and endurance limits of the dense part of the stems. The Soderberg approach is successfully employed to compute the factor of safety Nf > 1.1. Fully porous stems without dense shells are concluded to fail under fatigue load. It is thus safe to use the porous stems with a shell thickness of 1.5 and 2 mm for all porosities (18-90%), 1 mm shell with 18 and 30% porosities, and 0.5 mm shell with 18% porosity. The reduction in stress shielding was achieved by 28%. Porous stems incorporated BCC structures with dense shells and beads were successfully printed.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
Fulltext A pilot study of the relationship between parenting style and academic procrastination among final year students of faculty of human ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

Fasya Sulaiman, Mohammad Mujaheed Hassan

Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2019;4(7):152-167.
MyJurnal

Academic procrastination is a behaviour which can be defined as putting off, delay, prolong, defer, stall, or postpone in performing tasks related to the academic. Academic procrastination is not a new phenomenon but it is a common behaviour especially among students as previous research has found that approximately 75% of students consider themselves as procrastinators. This issue is very much related to the “Student Syndrome” where student only starts to make themselves work in completing the task instantly right before the due date and leaving them with a very short period of time to complete it. There were many previous researchers that had investigated the factors that causing academic procrastination and one of the most common factors are parenting style. However, the pattern of the previous results was inconsistent. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate in deep on the relationship between the motivational aspects of parenting style to academic procrastination with focusing among the undergraduate students who are in their final year from Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia. The research design of this study is a quantitative research and for that reason, a set of questionnaire was distributed to 148 respondents. Result shows that 52.7% of the final year students perceived at high level of academic procrastination. Apart from that, the result also shows that there is no significant relationship between gender and parenting styles to academic procrastination. As a conclusion, academic procrastination is a common behaviour among final year students. However, parenting styles does not affecting academic procrastination due to the students’ age which can be categorised as early adulthood which at this age, parenting style factors does not give an impact on academic procrastination.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A process for prioritising systematic reviews in tinnitus

Sereda M, McFerran D, Axon E, Baguley DM, Hall DA, Potgieter I, et al.

Int J Audiol, 2020 08;59(8):640-646.
PMID: 32134348 DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2020.1733677

Objective: To develop an innovative prioritisation process to identify topics for new or updated systematic reviews of tinnitus research.Design: A two-stage prioritisation process was devised. First, a scoping review assessed the amount of randomized controlled trial-level evidence available. This enabled development of selection criteria for future reviews, aided the design of template protocol and suggested the scale of work that would be required to conduct these reviews. Second, using the pre-defined primary and secondary criteria, interventions were prioritised for systematic review.Study sample: Searches identified 1080 records. After removal of duplicates and out of scope works, 437 records remained for full data charting.Results: The process was tested, using subjective tinnitus as the clinical condition and using Cochrane as the systematic review platform. The criteria produced by this process identified three high priority reviews: (1) Sound therapy using amplification devices and/or sound generators; (2) Betahistine and (3) Cognitive behaviour therapy. Further secondary priorities were: (4) Gingko biloba, (5) Anxiolytics, (6) Hypnotics, (7) Antiepileptics and (8) Neuromodulation.Conclusions: A process was developed which successfully identified priority areas for Cochrane systematic reviews of interventions for subjective tinnitus. This technique could easily be transferred to other conditions and other types of systematic reviews.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design*
Fulltext A prospective, multi-centre, observational study to examine kidney disease progression in adults with chronic kidney disease - CKDOD - Study design and preliminary results

Shah B, Kirpalani A, Sunder S, Gupta A, Khanna U, Chafekar D, et al.

BMC Nephrol, 2015;16:215.
PMID: 26696239 DOI: 10.1186/s12882-015-0191-5

The objective of this article is to describe the organisation of an international, clinical registry, the Chronic Kidney Disease Observational Database (CKDOD), the processes of enrolling patients and entering data and preliminary results to date.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A protocol for developing reporting guidelines for laboratory studies in Endodontology

Nagendrababu V, Murray PE, Ordinola-Zapata R, Peters OA, Rôças IN, Siqueira JF, et al.

Int Endod J, 2019 Aug;52(8):1090-1095.
PMID: 30908638 DOI: 10.1111/iej.13123

Laboratory-based research studies are the most common form of research endeavour and make up the majority of manuscripts that are submitted for publication in the field of Endodontology. The scientific information derived from laboratory studies can be used to design a wide range of subsequent studies and clinical trials and may have translational potential to benefit clinical practice. Unfortunately, the majority of laboratory-based articles submitted for publication fail the peer-review step, because unacceptable flaws or substantial limitations are identified. Even when apparently well-conducted laboratory-based articles are peer-reviewed, they can often require substantial corrections prior to the publication. It is apparent that some authors and reviewers may lack the training and experience to have developed a systematic approach to evaluate the quality of laboratory studies. Occasionally, even accepted manuscripts contain limitations that may compromise interpretation of data. To help authors avoid manuscript rejection and correction pitfalls, and to aid editors/reviewers to evaluate manuscripts systematically, the purpose of this project is to establish and publish quality guidelines for authors to report laboratory studies in the field of Endodontology so that the highest standards are achieved. The new guidelines will be named-'Preferred Reporting Items for Laboratory studies in Endodontology' (PRILE). A steering committee was assembled by the project leads to develop the guidelines through a five-phase consensus process. The committee will identify new items as well as review and adapt items from existing guidelines. The items forming the draft guidelines will be reviewed and refined by a PRILE Delphi Group (PDG). The items will be evaluated by the PDG on a nine-point Likert scale for relevance and inclusion. The agreed items will then be discussed by a PRILE face-to-face consensus meeting group (PFCMG) formed by 20 individuals to further refine the guidelines. This will be subject to final approval by the steering committee. The approved PRILE guidelines will be disseminated through publication in relevant journals, presented at congresses/meetings, and be freely available on a dedicated website. Feedback and comments will be solicited from researchers, editors and peer reviewers, who are invited to contact the steering committee with comments to help them update the guidelines periodically.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design*
Fulltext A review of roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography

Kooy N, Mohamed K, Pin LT, Guan OS

Nanoscale Res Lett, 2014;9(1):320.
PMID: 25024682 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-320

Since its introduction in 1995, nanoimprint lithography has been demonstrated in many researches as a simple, low-cost, and high-throughput process for replicating micro- and nanoscale patterns. Due to its advantages, the nanoimprint lithography method has been rapidly developed over the years as a promising alternative to conventional nanolithography processes to fulfill the demands generated from the recent developments in the semiconductor and flexible electronics industries, which results in variations of the process. Roll-to-roll (R2R) nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is the most demanded technique due to its high-throughput fulfilling industrial-scale application. In the present work, a general literature review on the various types of nanoimprint lithography processes especially R2R NIL and the methods commonly adapted to fabricate imprint molds are presented to provide a clear view and understanding on the nanoimprint lithography technique as well as its recent developments.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design
A review on global metal accumulators-mechanism, enhancement, commercial application, and research trend

Naila A, Meerdink G, Jayasena V, Sulaiman AZ, Ajit AB, Berta G

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Sep;26(26):26449-26471.
PMID: 31363977 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05992-4

The biosphere is polluted with metals due to burning of fossil fuels, pesticides, fertilizers, and mining. The metals interfere with soil conservations such as contaminating aqueous waste streams and groundwater, and the evidence of this has been recorded since 1900. Heavy metals also impact human health; therefore, the emancipation of the environment from these environmental pollutants is critical. Traditionally, techniques to remove these metals include soil washing, removal, and excavation. Metal-accumulating plants could be utilized to remove these metal pollutants which would be an alternative option that would simultaneously benefit commercially and at the same time clean the environment from these pollutants. Commercial application of pollutant metals includes biofortification, phytomining, phytoremediation, and intercropping. This review discusses about the metal-accumulating plants, mechanism of metal accumulation, enhancement of metal accumulation, potential commercial applications, research trends, and research progress to enhance the metal accumulation, benefits, and limitations of metal accumulators. The review identified that the metal accumulator plants only survive in low or medium polluted environments with heavy metals. Also, more research is required about metal accumulators in terms of genetics, breeding potential, agronomics, and the disease spectrum. Moreover, metal accumulators' ability to uptake metals need to be optimized by enhancing metal transportation, transformation, tolerance to toxicity, and volatilization in the plant. This review would benefit the industries and environment management authorities as it provides up-to-date research information about the metal accumulators, limitation of the technology, and what could be done to improve the metal enhancement in the future.

Matched MeSH terms: Research Design/trends*

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links