Smoking Initiation and Continuation - A Qualitative Study among Bruneian Male Adolescents

Talip, Tajidah,Kifli, Nurolaini,Murang, Zaidah,Naing, Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.7

Background: Cigarette smoking is one of the leading global causes of premature and preventable death. In Brunei Darussalam, smoking-related diseases have been a primary cause of mortality for the past three decades. Despite the increasing efforts that have been made in recent years to reduce the consumption of tobacco products in Brunei, the prevalence of adolescent smoking cigarette, however has risen alarmingly, from 8.9% in 2013 to 11.4% in 2014, with a higher prevalence found in males (17.8%) than in females (4.8%). In response to the need for more effective smoking prevention programmes in Brunei, this study sought to explore factors that influence Bruneian male adolescents to start and continue smoking. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using focus group discussions (FGDs) as the data collection method was conducted from October to November 2015. A total of 43 studentss, comprising 31 smokers and 12 non-smokers, aged 13-17 years, from two government secondary schools in Bandar Seri Begawan, participated in six FGDs. Discussions were recorded and translated. Transcripts were entered into NVivo10, before thematic analysis was conducted. Results: We identified three themes under the core construct of 'factors influencing smoking initiation' ('family as teachers', 'overt pressure from peers' and 'perceived smoking has many advantages') and three themes under the core construct of 'factors influencing smoking continuation' ('craving and addiction', 'smoking as a 'social activity' and 'easy accessibility of cigarettes'). Conclusions: Based on the findings, it is recommended that future prevention activities should be embedded in a comprehensive approach, involving all stakeholders within a community, and should be focused towards bringing a change in smoking and parenting behavior of parents, social norms within the culture towards all population levels, and at strengthening the existing non-smoking policies in schools and other public places where young people congregate.

Systematic Review of Smoking Initiation among Asian Adolescents, 2005-2015: Utilizing the Frameworks of Triadic Influence and Planned Behavior

Talip, Tajidah,Murang, Zaidah,Kifli, Nurolaini,Naing, Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.7

Background: A recent WHO data report on mortality attributable to tobacco use including cigarette smoking indicated a very high burden of deaths in Asia and that people often initiate smoking as early as young adolescents. The objectives of this study were to systematically review peer-reviewed articles on cigarette smoking initiation among Asian adolescents and to develop a conceptual model of factors influencing smoking initiation by integrating all relevant factors based on existing data. Materials and Methods: Following a PRISMA guideline, a systematic review of articles published between 2005 and June 2015 was conducted using 5 databases on cigarette smoking initiation among adolescents (aged 10-19 years) living in Asia. We summarized the main findings of each study according to our research questions and data that emerged during the data extraction process. Analysis and categorization were based on the TTI and TPB models and classification of factors extracted from the study, were as follows: personal factors, social factors, broader environmental factors, mediators, and intention to initiate smoking and smoking behavior. Results: Of 1,227 identified studies, only 20 were included in this review. Our findings found that the mean age of cigarette smoking initiation ranged from 10 to 14 years and those who are more likely to initiate smoking are male, older adolescents, adolescents with low parental SES, individuals with low parental monitoring, low parental education level and having no discussion on smoking at home, those living in public housing and those exhibiting health-risk behavior. Our study also revealed that the risk of smoking initiation increased when they are exposed to smokers, influenced by peers, exposed to tobacco advertisements, receive pocket money, have lack of knowledge about smoking, have poor school performance, have a family conflict and have psychological problems. The conceptual model developed demonstrated complex networks of factors influencing initiation. Conclusions: This systematic review presents various factors influencing smoking initiation of the Asian adolescents and provides a conceptual framework to further analyze factors. Future studies should have a standard measure of smoking initiation, should analyze interactions and the intensity of relationships between different factors or variables in the conceptual model. This will in turn consolidate the understanding of the different factors affecting smoking initiation and will help to improve interventions in this area.

Optimization of removal of lead from bearing-lead anode slime

Talip Havuz,Cafer Celik,Bunyamin Donmez 한국공업화학회 2010 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.16 No.3

An optimization process is conducted by the Taguchi experimental design method for removal of lead from decopperized anode slime in aqueous Na2CO3/HNO3 media. The effects of parameters such as reaction temperature, Na2CO3 concentration, solid–liquid ratio and reaction period on the conversion are studied. It is seen that the most important parameters affecting the conversion of lead sulphate to lead carbonate are solid–liquid ratio and reaction period. The optimum conversion conditions for process are found to be solid–liquid ratio of 0.05 g/mL, reaction period of 600 s, reaction temperature of 50 8C and Na2CO3 concentration of 2 M. Under optimal conditions, the experimental results put out that the conversion of lead sulphate at the 95% confidence level can be 97%, approximately. 2010 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New Azafluorenone Derivative and Antibacterial Activities of Alphonsea cylindrica Barks

Munirah Abdul Talip,Saripah Salbiah Syed Abdul Azziz,Chee Fah Wong,Khalijah Awang,Humera Naz,Yuhanis Mhd Bakri,Mohamad Syahrizal Ahmad,Marc Litaudon 한국생약학회 2017 Natural Product Sciences Vol.23 No.3

A phytochemical study of Alphonsea cylindrica King (unreported) has led to the isolation of six alkaloids. The compounds were identified as kinabaline (1; azafluorenone alkaloid), muniranine (2), O-methylmoschatoline (3; oxoaporphine alkaloid), lysicamine (4), atherospermidine (5) and N-methylouregidione (6; 4, 5-dioxoaporphine alkaloid). The structures of the isolated compounds were determined based on the spectroscopic techniques and by comparison with data reported in the literature. Alkaloid 2 was isolated as a new derivative of azafluorenone while alkaloids 1, 3 - 6 were isolated for the first time from Alphonsea species. In addition, alkaloid 3 and 4 showed inhibition zone against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus in disc diffusion test. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values of lysicamine (4) against S. aureus, B. cereus and P. aeruginosa were found to be smaller than O-methylmoschatoline (3). Therefore, the reported antibacterial activity showed the potential of this plant as natural antibacterial agent and supported the documented traditional use of Alphonsea sp. in the treatment of diarrhea and fever.

Energy-Efficient RL-Based Aerial Network Deployment Testbed for Disaster Areas

Ariman, Mehmet,Akkoc, Mertkan,Talip Sari, Tolga,Erol, Muhammed Rasit,Seçinti, Gökhan,Canberk, Berk 한국통신학회 2023 Journal of communications and networks Vol.25 No.1

Rapid deployment of wireless devices with 5G andbeyond enabled a connected world. However, an immediatedemand increase right after a disaster paralyzes network in-frastructure temporarily. The continuous flow of information iscrucial during disaster times to coordinate rescue operations andidentify the survivors. Communication infrastructures built for users of disaster areasshould satisfy rapid deployment, increased coverage, and avail-ability. Unmanned air vehicles (UAV) provide a potential solutionfor rapid deployment as they are not affected by traffic jamsand physical road damage during a disaster. In addition, ad-hocWiFi communication allows the generation of broadcast domainswithin a clear channel which eases one-to-many communications. Moreover, using reinforcement learning (RL) helps reduce thecomputational cost and increases the accuracy of the NP-hardproblem of aerial network deployment. To this end, a novel flying WiFi ad-hoc network managementmodel is proposed in this paper. The model utilizes deep-Q-learning to maintain quality-of-service (QoS), increase userequipment (UE) coverage, and optimize power efficiency. Fur-thermore, a testbed is deployed on Istanbul Technical Univer-sity (ITU) campus to train the developed model. Training resultsof the model using testbed accumulates over 90% packet deliveryratio as QoS, over 97% coverage for the users in flow tables, and0.28 KJ/Bit average power consumption.

Explicit controller of a single truck stability and rollover mitigation

Fitri Yakub,Pauziah Muhammad,Hoong Thiam Toh,M. Sofian Abu Talip,Yasuchika Mori 대한기계학회 2018 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.32 No.9

This study’s aim was to enhance the maneuverability safety in the coordination of active rear steering and differential braking control for untripped rollover prevention, which performs a panic lane change maneuver to bypass the obstacle encountered in the path. In avoiding rollover accidents, there are several guidance preventions, such as to secure the vehicle from the intention o f the driver and to position the vehicle in the actual lane. A crosswind effect is also found to be a crucial factor since this may cause other accidents. Therefore, there is a need to monitor the driver’s actual path and maintaining the stability of the vehicle along the desired path in order to avoid rollover accidents. We extended the analysis of Yakub and Mori (2015) [1], by suggesting an explicit model of predictive control, which includes an active rear steering and braking control for each wheel. Our main focus was on the general trade-off between rollover prevention and path tracking. The effectiveness of the explicit control model invented for this study was measured and validated by the simulation results for a heavy vehicle proposed in this research.

Incorporation of sporopollenin enhances acid–base durability, hydrophobicity, and mechanical, antifungal and antioxidant properties of chitosan films

Murat Kaya,Lalehan Akyuz,Idris Sargin,Muhammad Mujtaba,Asier M. Salaberria,Jalel Labidi,Yavuz S. Cakmak,Behlul Koc,Talat Baran,Talip Ceter 한국공업화학회 2017 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.47 No.-

Sporopollenin-chitosan blendfilms were produced for thefirst time. Sporopollenin is a robust structuralcomponent of plant pollens exhibiting excellent features such as nontoxicity, biodegradability,biocompatibility, high thermal stability, durability to strong acid and base solutions and homogeneityin size. To benefit from these advantages, sporopollenin samples obtained from Betula pendula (silverbirch) were incorporated into chitosanfilm at different concentration; 10, 20 and 40 mg in 100 mLchitosan gel (1%). Stereo microscopy, FT-IR and TG/DTG analyses showed that sporopollenin wassuccessfully incorporated into the chitosan matrix. Incorporation of sporopollenin in gradually increasingamount into chitosanfilms was found advantageous in (1) enhancement in chemical durability of thefilms, (2) increment of hydrophobicity, (3) boosting the mechanical properties, (4) improvement ofantifungal and (5) antioxidant activities. This study revealed that sporopollenin can be suggested as aneffective blend material for biodegradable edible chitosanfilm production.