University of Cyberjaya (UoC) is a private university with a focus on healthcare programmes. The university has been operating since its establishment in 2005 and offers over 20 diploma, degree and postgraduate programmes in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, psychology, occupational safety & health, homeopathy, physiotherapy, biomedical engineering technology, paramedical sciences and postgraduate courses such as the Masters in Clinical Pharmacy, Doctory of Pharmacy, MSc and PhD in Medical Sciences and Allied Health sciences. UoC was awarded a Tier 5 - Excellent rating by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency. It is in Cyberjaya, in Sepang District, Selangor, Malaysia.The university has an enrollment of 6,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across five faculties, two academic centres, and six hospital teaching resource centres.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping corporate production and governance, raising the question of how policy can steer corporations toward sustainable development. This study treats the staggered implementation of China's National Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Development Pilot Zone policy (AI Pilot Zone policy) as a quasi-natural experiment. Using data from Chinese listed companies from 2014 to 2024, we employ a multi-period difference-in-differences approach to identify the impact of the policy on corporate sustainable development performance (SDP) and to explore the underlying mechanisms. The results show that the AI Pilot Zone policy significantly improves corporate SDP, and this finding remains robust to a series of checks, including parallel trend tests, placebo tests, PSM-DID estimations, and tests addressing potential biases under staggered policy adoption. Heterogeneity analysis based on the TOE framework indicates that the policy effect is more pronounced among firms with higher R&D intensity, stronger internal control, and those located in regions with higher levels of digital inclusive finance. Mechanism analysis further suggests that dynamic capabilities, including innovation capability, adaptation capability, and absorptive capability, play important mediating roles in the relationship between the policy and corporate SDP. Overall, this study provides micro-level evidence on the sustainability effects of AI-oriented public policies and offers insights for improving policy design and corporate capability development.
BACKGROUND:Despite of having broad spectrum anti-bacterial activity, benzimidazole has limited clinical applications out of low solubility and bioavailability. Benzimidazole and cubosomal delivery systems are individually well studied, their combined application remains limited, particularly for newly designed derivatives with unexplored biological activity. OBJECTIVE:This study reports the synthesis and characterization of N-cyclopentyl benzimidazole-loaded cubosomes for antibacterial application through improved solubility and controlled release. METHODS:The N-cyclopentyl benzimidazole was synthesized by the reaction of benzimidazole with Bromo cyclopentane and confirmed by FT-IR, 1H, and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Cubosome nanoparticles were formed by the homogenization method, using glyceryl monooleate (GMO) as a lipid and poloxamer 407 (P407) as a surfactant. Different co-surfactants like Brij 35 (B 35), Myrj 52 (M 52), Tween 20 (T 20), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as stabilizer were used to optimize the formulations and characterized for size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, entrapment efficiency, in-vitro drug release, and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS:Among the tested formulations, the cubosome containing 3% PVA demonstrated optimal characteristics, including a nanosize (~128 nm), high drug entrapment efficiency (94.08%), and colloidal stability. The antibacterial activity was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. While the free drug exhibited larger zones of inhibition, the cubosome-encapsulated formulation showed sustained antibacterial effects, attributed to improved aqueous dispersion and prolonged release. CONCLUSION:These findings highlight the potential of cubosome-based delivery to enhance the solubility and therapeutic efficacy.
Hypoxia is a critical physiological risk in high-altitude aviation and aerospace environments, where early detection is essential to prevent cognitive impairment and loss of consciousness among aircrew. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) is a molecular biomarker that is rapidly upregulated under low-oxygen conditions. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a rapid, non-invasive lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for colorimetric detection of salivary HIF-1 alpha. A total of 24 saliva samples were collected from participants at the Institute of Aviation Medicine and divided into two groups: sea level (control) and simulated altitude exposure at 10,000 feet. Salivary HIF-1 alpha was detected using the developed LFIA sensor, while peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) was concurrently measured using fingertip pulse oximetry to confirm hypoxic status. All participants tested negative for HIF-1 alpha at sea level, whereas positive LFIA results were observed in all participants after altitude exposure, indicating 100% sensitivity under the study conditions. Mean SpO2 decreased significantly from 98.1% at sea level to 90.8% at 10,000 feet. The LFIA produced rapid, visually interpretable results within minutes. The LFIA demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for detecting hypoxiainduced HIF-1 alpha in saliva, potentially as a rapid point-of-care tool for hypoxia monitoring in aviation and extreme environments.
This study evaluated ethanolic extracts of Strobilanthes hamiltoniana leaves, stems, and roots for phytochemical composition and biological activities. Qualitative and quantitative analyses confirmed the presence of major phytoconstituents, including phenolics and flavonoids. Antioxidant activity (DPPH assay) was highest in the root extract (84.61%), followed by leaf and stem. Anti-inflammatory activity showed moderate inhibition, with roots exhibiting the greatest effect. Antimicrobial activity was observed mainly in leaf and root extracts against selected pathogens. GC-MS profiling identified 36 compounds, with lupeol predominant in roots and stems. Overall, the root extract demonstrated superior bioactivity, highlighting its therapeutic potential.
Biodegradable and low-irritant amino acid-based surfactants have attracted considerable attention as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional petroleum-derived surfactants. In this study, a series of acyl amino acid surfactants with identical amino acid head groups but different alkyl chain lengths were synthesized via a modified Schotten-Baumann condensation between fatty acyl chlorides and glycine as amino acids under alkaline conditions. The synthesis was conducted using lauroyl chloride and myristoyl chloride mixtures with molar ratios of 10:0, 9:1, 8:2, and 7:3 to investigate the effect of alkyl chain composition on interfacial properties. The obtained products, easily purified by phase separation, were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Surface tension, foaming ability, and foam stability were systematically evaluated. Surface tension measurements revealed comparable surface excess values for all compositions, while the critical micelle concentration showed a non-monotonic dependence on chain ratio, with a minimum at the 9:1 composition. Foaming tests demonstrated enhanced foamability and good foam stability for the mixed systems, particularly at the 9:1 ratio. These results highlight the importance of mixed alkyl chain composition in designing efficient and sustainable amino acid-based surfactants.
