Background and Purpose: Coronavirus has posed an unfamiliar threat to the world. Despite such circumstances, Malaysians continue to stay optimistic by keeping abreast with updates and mostly by seeking refuge in hopeful and consoling messages shared by fellow citizens. This study identified Facebook postings with positive messages, posted by Malaysians during the Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented by the Malaysian government as a form of prosocial behaviour. Methodology: Through an analytic framework consisting of Positive Discourse Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, 15 Facebook postings related to COVID-19 were selected and identified as positive discourse, which were coded and categorised using a thematic analysis. Further analysis was also conducted on the linguistic features identified in the narratives of the postings showing the construction of positive discourse in the Facebook postings. Findings: The findings demonstrate an extensive utilisation of expressions of solidarity primarily through collective pronouns like “we” and “us”, which suggest solidarity and empowerment among Malaysians in dealing with COVID-19. Further analysis reveals the forms and contextual functions of the linguistic strategies as carrying pragmatic devices (e.g. speech acts and figurative language), which contributes to the power enactment in the Facebook postings in creating an overall positive reaction. Contributions: This critical discourse study does not only promote positive discourse for its own sake, but also serves as a pragmatic approach to materialise utilitarian goals. It is therefore hoped to contribute not only to linguistics, but also social, psychological as well as arts and humanities studies through further examinations of the pivotal roles that communication and language play, especially in rising against dire situations. Keywords: COVID-19, Critical Discourse Analysis, media discourse, Positive Discourse Analysis, power and solidarity. Cite as: Azizan, M., Ismail, H. H., & Qaiwer, S. N. (2020). Power and solidarity in positive Facebook postings amidst COVID-19 in Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 5(2), 329-364. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol5iss2pp329-364
4-Amino-N-(5-methyl-isaxazol-3-yl)-benzenesulfonamide was synthesized by reacting the diazonium salt of sulfamethoxazole with 3-amino phenol. Complexes of Ni(II), Pd(II), Au(III), and Pt(IV) were produced and characterized by atomic absorption, elemental microanalysis, infrared spectroscopy, liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, different scanning calorimetry, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. Furthermore, the conductivity and magnetic properties were quantified. According to the analytical studies, all complexes were found to possess a 1:2 metal–ligand ratio and were non-electrolytes, except the Au(III) complex electrolyte, which had a 1:1 metal:ligand ratio. The biological activities of some of the
... Show MoreAcrylic polymer/cement nanocomposites in dark and light colors have been developed for coating floors and swimming pools. This work aims to emphasize the effect of cement filling on the mechanical parameters, thermal stability, and wettability of acrylic polymer. The preparation was carried out using the casting method from acrylic polymer coating solution, which was added to cement nanoparticles (65 nm) with weight concentrations of (0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 wt%) to achieve high-quality specifications and good adhesion. Maximum impact strength and Hardness shore A were observed at cement ratios of 2 wt% and 4 wt%, respectively. Changing the filling ratio has a significant effect on the strain of the nanocomposites. The contact angle was i
... Show Moreيعد تحليل العلاقات الكمية بين البنية والممتلكات/النشاط (QSPR/QSAR) أمرًا بالغ الأهمية لفهم خصائص المركبات المرتبطة بالمخدرات، خاصة في علاج مرض الزهايمر. في هذه الدراسة، هدفنا هو استخدام أساليب مبتكرة بما في ذلك استخدام المؤشرات الطوبولوجية -درجة و- درجة ، المستمدة من نظرية الرسم البياني، لتقييم الخصائص والخصائص الفيزيائية والكيميائية لخمسة أدوية لمرض الزهايمر: تاكرين، دونيبيزيل، ريفيستيجمين، جالانتامي
... Show MoreSARS-CoV-2 stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 which is the causative agent of spreading coronavirus disease 2019 that is known as COVID-19 pandemic, the disease leads to severe acute respiratory illness. Matrix metalloproteinases- 9 (MMP-9) plays several important physiological functions. This enzyme could also be implicated in the "cytokine storm" in some way, which may represent one of the possible scianrios during coronavirus infection, in addition to its role in the mechanism of lung fibrosis on molecular basis.. The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) are well characterized for controlling the activity of MMPs in extracellular matrix remodeling. They also considered as signaling molecules anal
... Show MoreThis paper presents an experimental and numerical study which was carried out to examine the influence of the size and the layout of the web openings on the load carrying capacity and the serviceability of reinforced concrete deep beams. Five full-scale simply supported reinforced concrete deep beams with two large web openings created in shear regions were tested up to failure. The shear span to overall depth ratio was (1.1). Square openings were located symmetrically relative to the midspan section either at the midpoint or at the interior boundaries of the shear span. Two different side dimensions for the square openings were considered, mainly, (200) mm and (230) mm. The strength results proved that the shear capacity of the dee
... Show MoreIn this research, the nonparametric technique has been presented to estimate the time-varying coefficients functions for the longitudinal balanced data that characterized by observations obtained through (n) from the independent subjects, each one of them is measured repeatedly by group of specific time points (m). Although the measurements are independent among the different subjects; they are mostly connected within each subject and the applied techniques is the Local Linear kernel LLPK technique. To avoid the problems of dimensionality, and thick computation, the two-steps method has been used to estimate the coefficients functions by using the two former technique. Since, the two-
... Show MoreThe unexpected death of humans due to a lack of medical care is a serious problem. Additionally, the number of elderly people requiring continuous care is increasing. A global aging population poses a challenge to the sustainability of conventional healthcare systems for the future. Simultaneously, recent years have seen remarkable progress in the Internet of Things (IoT) and communication technologies, alongside the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) explainability and information fusion. Therefore, developing smart healthcare systems based on IoT and advanced technologies is crucial. This would open up new possibilities for efficient and intelligent medical system