Browse publications by year: 2016

  1. Mohd Norzaidi Mat Nawi, Asrulnizam Abd Manaf, Mohd Rizal Arshad, Othman Sidek
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1655-1661.
    This paper demonstrates the performance experiment and numerical prediction of the copper based hair cell for
    underwater sensing. Generally, the hair cell consists of the single cantilever that attached perpendicular to the substrate
    and integrated with strain gage (Kyowa type: KFG-1N-120-C1-11). The hair cell sensor was simulated using different
    flow rates to study the pressure and the strain distribution acting on the sensor by using computational fluid dynamic
    and finite element analysis approach. High performance sensor can be achieved by increasing the length of the hair cell
    and also using low Young Modulus material. The hair cell has been fabricated for dimension of 8000 μm length, 2000
    μm width and 100 μm thickness, where the copper was chosen due to its mechanical properties. The response time for
    a sensor to respond completely to a change in input is about 50 m/s and the sensitivity in terms of output voltage and
    input flow rate is 0.2 mV/ms-1. Also, the result obtained in the simulation is aligned with the experimental result. The
    experiment for moving object detection proved that this sensor is able to detect the moving object and it is necessary for
    underwater applications, especially for monitoring and surveillance.
  2. Sharifah Nurul Ain Syed Hashim, Sarani Zakaria, Chia CH, Pua FL, Sharifah Nabihah Syed Jaafar
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1649-1653.
    Chemical and thermal properties of pure lignin are depending on the plant origin, extraction method and type of
    lignocellulosic. In this study, lignin from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and kenaf core were recovered from soda black
    liquor by two steps of acid precipitation with hydrochloric acid and followed by soxhlet with n-hexane. The XRD analysis
    of purified EFB lignin (EAL) and purified kenaf core lignin (KAL) exhibited amorphous properties, similar to the standard
    alkali lignin (SAL). The FTIR and Raman spectra showed that all samples consist of HGS unit. In FTIR, the syringyl unit is
    assigned at (1125 cm-1), (1327 and 1121 cm-1) and (1326and 1117 cm-1) meanwhile the guaicyl unit is assigned at (1263,
    1212 and 1028 cm-1), (1271, 1217 and 1028 cm-1) and (1270, 1211 and 1030 cm-1) for SAL, EAL and KAL, respectively.
    The peak around 1160 cm-1 represents C-O stretching of conjugated ester group present in HGS lignin. As for Raman, the
    HGS unit exists in the range of 1100-1400 cm-1. Among the purified samples, the TGA result showed that KAL has a better
    thermal stability with the residue of 36.49% and higher Tg value which is 152.69°C.
  3. Wu W, Jafri M Abdullah, Faizul H Ghazali
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1641-1648.
    Motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of injuries involving avulsion of the brachial plexus in humans,
    resulting in debilitating motor dysfunction. Lack of an established animal model to test drug treatments hinders
    the introduction of new pharmacological agents. Avulsion injury of cervical ventral roots can be replicated in rats,
    resulting in a progressive loss of the motoneurons and increase in neurotoxic expression of microglia. This is a report
    on the effect of prompt nerve implantation and minocycline treatment on the suppression of microglia activation and
    survival of motoneurons. 20 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study, which was approved by the
    Animal Ethical Committee, USM (approval number /2011/(73)(346)). The animals underwent surgical avulsion of the
    C6 nerve root, followed by reimplantation with peripheral nerve graft and treatment with intraperitoneal minocycline.
    At 6 weeks postoperatively, immunohistochemistry using primary antibody Iba1 (microglia) and nicotinamide adenine
    dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPh) with neutral-red staining (motoneuron) under flourescence microscopy
    was performed at the C6 spinal cord segment and then quantified. This study showed significant reduction of microglia
    expression in the study group; mean ranks of control and study group were 15.2 and 11.6, respectively; U=9.5, Z=3.02,
    p<0.05. However, this did not translate into a significant increase of motoneuron survival in the combined group;
    the mean ranks of control and study group were 40.6 and 41.6, respectively; U=44.5, Z=-.0378, p>0.05. This may
    be due to the effect of the surgery; the surgery has the potential to cause additional trauma to the cord parenchyma,
    leading to further motoneuron loss and an increase in scarring around the avulsed region, thus impeding regeneration
    of the motoneuron.
    MeSH terms: Accidents; Adenine; Animals; Brachial Plexus; Cicatrix; Female; Immunohistochemistry; Microscopy; Minocycline; Motor Neurons; Niacinamide; Phosphates; Replantation; Spinal Cord; Spinal Nerve Roots; Staining and Labeling; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Microglia; Motor Vehicles; Models, Animal; Rats
  4. Onuoha MDU, Ismail AS, Mansor MF, Ismail I
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1635-1642.
    Fluids with different properties would exhibit different flow behaviour in any multiphase flow system at a given operating
    condition. Therefore, an in-depth knowledge of the operational and flow behaviour of any known fluid properties in a
    multiphase flow system of either liquid-liquid two-phase flow (oil and water) or gas-liquid-liquid three-phase flow (gas,
    oil and water) would be helpful in designing of pipelines and optimization of the production, separation, transportation
    and distribution systems, as may be found in oil and gas and allied petro-chemical industries. This paper presents the
    experimental observation of the flow patterns and water holdup for a two-phase low viscosity oil-water flow in horizontal
    pipes. The test fluids comprised of tap water and 2D-diesel which has a density of 832 kg/m3
    , viscosity of 3.24 mPa.s,
    surface tension of 0.030 N/m and flash point of 79°C. A total of 30 runs has been accomplished and the experimental
    results showed three different flow patterns identified as stratified flow (ST), stratified flow with mixing interface (ST&MI)
    and water-in-oil dispersed flow (), with superficial velocities of oil and water in the ranges of 0.32 - 0.87 m/s (Vos) and
    0.20 - 0.90 m/s (Vws), respectively. However, analysis of water holdup in the commingled flows of the test fluids showed
    its dependency on the fluid flow patterns and superficial velocity of water.
  5. Nur Haizum Abd Rahman, Muhammad Hisyam Lee, Suhartono, Mohd Talib Latif
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1625-1633.
    The air pollution index (API) has been recognized as one of the important air quality indicators used to record the
    correlation between air pollution and human health. The API information can help government agencies, policy makers
    and individuals to prepare precautionary measures in order to eliminate the impact of air pollution episodes. This study
    aimed to verify the monthly API trends at three different stations in Malaysia; industrial, residential and sub-urban areas.
    The data collected between the year 2000 and 2009 was analyzed based on time series forecasting. Both classical and
    modern methods namely seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) and fuzzy time series (FTS) were
    employed. The model developed was scrutinized by means of statistical performance of root mean square error (RMSE).
    The results showed a good performance of SARIMA in two urban stations with 16% and 19.6% which was more satisfactory
    compared to FTS; however, FTS performed better in suburban station with 25.9% which was more pleasing compared
    to SARIMA methods. This result proved that classical method is compatible with the advanced forecasting techniques in
    providing better forecasting accuracy. Both classical and modern methods have the ability to investigate and forecast
    the API trends in which can be considered as an effective decision-making process in air quality policy.
    MeSH terms: Administrative Personnel; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Government Agencies; Humans; Industry; Malaysia; Seasons
  6. Mostak Ahmed, Noorlidah Abdullah, Nuruddin MM
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1609-1615.
    In recent decades, minimizing the frequency of nutrient deficiency and malnutrition in rural areas of developing
    countries becomes an alarming issue. Oyster mushrooms are rich source of both macro and micro nutrients. The
    objective of this paper was to evaluate the yield of newly introduced oyster mushroom strains viz. Pleurotus sajorcaju
    (PSC), Pleurotus flabellatus (FLB), Pleurotus florida (FLO), Pleurotus ostreatus (PO2
    and PO3
    ), Pleurotus ostreatus
    (HK-51) and Pleurotus geesteranus (PG1
    and PG3
    ) and to justify their nutritional values when grown in the climatic
    condition of Bangladesh. Strain HK-51 produced the highest amount of fresh sporophore (197.80 g). In contrast, the
    highest number of fruiting body was obtained from the strain FLO (82 g) followed by strain PSC (69 g). Strain PG1 has
    recorded the highest biological yield (278 g), productivity (55%) and biological efficiency (96%). Nutrient and mineral
    analysis of sporophore of strain PG1 showed protein (31.80%), lipid (3.6%), potassium (1.3 mg/100 g), phosphorus
    (0.8 mg/100 g), calcium (32 mg/100 g), iron (43 mg/100 g), magnesium (12 mg/100 g), copper (3.5 mcg/100 g), zinc
    (12.5 mcg/100 g) and manganese (2.3 mcg/100 g). This study showed that the strain PG1
    performed well with regard to
    quality and productivity as compared to other strains. Hence, oyster mushroom strain PG1
    is a potential cheap source
    of nutrients and minerals to combat socioeconomic problems including malnutrition, diseases linked to malnutrition,
    poverty reduction and agricultural diversity.
    MeSH terms: Bangladesh; Calcium, Dietary; Copper; Florida; Iron; Lipids; Magnesium; Manganese; Minerals; Nutritive Value; Phosphorus; Potassium; Poverty; Zinc; Phosphorus, Dietary; Pleurotus
  7. Lai OT, Md. Selim Reza, Abdul Ghani Rafek, Ailie Sofyiana Serasa, Azimah Hussin, Ern LK
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1603-1607.
    The ultimate bearing capacity is an essential requirement in design quantification for shallow foundations especially
    for structures built on large rock masses. In many engineering projects, structures built on foundation of heavily jointed
    rock masses may face issues such as instability and sudden catastrophic rock slope failure. Determination of the ultimate
    bearing capacity (Qult) of foundations resting on rock mass has traditionally been determined by employing several
    strength criterions. One of the accepted and widely implemented methods is to use the Hoek-Brown failure criterion 2002,
    where the required parameters are determined from a rock mass classification system, Geological Strength Index (GSI).
    This paper defines an assessment for ultimate bearing capacity (Qult) based on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion 2002
    for a granitic rock slope beneath a 20 m diameter concrete water tank at Bandar Mahkota Cheras, Kajang, Selangor.
    Based on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion 2002, the ultimate bearing capacity (Qult) of rock mass was 7.91 MPa. The
    actual stress acting on the rock mass was 0.32 MPa. The assessment showed that the rock mass is safe since the ultimate
    bearing capacity (Qult) is 24.7 times higher than the actual stress acting on the rock mass.
    MeSH terms: Engineering; Foundations; Geology; Silicon Dioxide; Water
  8. Sing CK, Md. Zahirul Islam Khan, Hassan Hj. Mohd Daud, Abd. Rahman Aziz
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1597-1602.
    The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella sp. isolated from
    African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). A total of 30 catfish were harvested from four different farms and four different
    wet markets. A total of 60 samples (30 catfish skins and 30 catfish intestines) were used for Salmonella sp. isolation
    (pellet-method), its biochemical and serological test. Confirmation of Salmonella sp. were determined by polyvalent
    O antisera and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using genus specific primers for invA genes (DNA amplification
    showed one distinct band with molecular weight of 389 bp) and the species of isolated Salmonella sp. were identified
    by serotyping. The result showed 6/30 (20%) of fish or 6/60 (10%) of organ samples were positive for Salmonella sp.
    Among those positive for Salmonella sp., 4/6 were from intestine samples and 2/6 were from skin samples. No significant
    difference was found in the prevalence of Salmonella sp. isolates between fish harvested from farms and wet markets
    (p-value= 0.406). The Salmonella serovars identified were Salmonella corvallis (n=3), Salmonella mbandaka (n=2)
    and Salmonella typhmurium (n=1). Salmonella sp. isolates were resistance to Penicillin (P 10, 100%), Clindamycin
    (DA 2, 100%), Tetracycline (TE 30, 100%) and Rifampicin (RD 5, 100%) and all of the isolates were susceptible or
    intermediate resistance to Ceftazidime (CAZ 30) and Trimethopin (W 5). Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of
    all Salmonella sp. isolates in current study was 0.67 indicating that fish sampled in the present study was under high
    risk of been exposed to the tested antibiotics.
    MeSH terms: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Catfishes; Ceftazidime; Clindamycin; DNA; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Immune Sera; Intestines; Molecular Weight; Penicillin G; Penicillins; Rifampin; Salmonella; Serotyping; Tetracycline; Prevalence; Polymerase Chain Reaction; DNA Primers; Serogroup; Farms
  9. Jumaat Haji Adam, Mohd Afiq Aizat Juhari, Rahmah Mohamed, Nor Azilah Abdul Wahab, Syamsurina Arshad, Mohd Paiz Kamaruzaman, et al.
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1589-1595.
    Rafflesia tuanku-halimii, a new species from Peninsular Malaysia, is herewith described and illustrated. It is related to
    R. azlanii and R. sharifah-hapsahiae by coalesced warts on it lobes. Rafflesia tuanku-halimii is different from them in
    having window covered by almost united rings and these rings almost wholly covering the window.
    MeSH terms: Malaysia; Phylogeny; Warts
  10. Zeng F, Cheng X, Guo J, Long C, Yubiao K
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1579-1587.
    Based on the hydraulic fracture width gradually narrows along the fracture length, with consideration of the mutual influences of fracture, non-uniform inflow of fractures segments and variable mass flow in the fracture comprehensively, a spatial separation method and time separation method were used to establish fracture horizontal well’s dynamic coupling model of reservoir seepage and fracture flow. The results showed that the calculation productivity of variable width model is higher than that of the fixed width model, while the difference becomes smaller as time increase. Due to mutual interference of the fractures, the production of outer fracture is higher than that of the inner fracture. When the dimensionless fracture conductivity is 0.1, the middle segment of the fracture dominates the productivity and local peak emerges near the horizontal well. The flow in the fracture is with the ‘double U’ type distribution. As the dimensionless fracture conductivity increase, the fractures productivity mainly through the tips and the flow in the fractures with the ‘U’ type distribution. Using the established fracture width variable productivity prediction model, one can achieve the quantitative optimization of fracture shape.
  11. Akta? S
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1565-1572.
    In incomplete contingency tables, some cells may contain structural zeros. The quasi-independence model, which is a generalization of the independence model, is most commonly model used to analyze incomplete contingency tables. Goodness of fit tests of the quasi-independence model are usually based on Pearson chi square test statistic and likelihood ratio test statistic. In power divergence statistics family, the selection of power divergence parameter is of interest in multivariate discrete data. In this study, a simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of the power divergence statistics under quasi independence model for particular power divergence parameters in terms of power values.
    MeSH terms: Cell Count; Interior Design and Furnishings; Models, Statistical; Chi-Square Distribution
  12. Noppakun T, Wuttichai S, Angkana B
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1565-1572.
    This study involves testing the equality of several normal means under unequal variances, which is the setup of one-way analysis of variances (one-way ANOVA). Several tests are available in the literature, however, most of them perform poorly in terms of type I error rate under unequal variances. In fact, Type I errors can be highly inflated for some of the commonly used tests, a serious issue that seems to have been overlooked. Even though several tests have been proposed to overcome the problem, most of them show difficulty in calculation. Accordingly, the test for ANOVA with estimation of parameters using Bayesian approach is proposed as an alternative to such tests. The proposed test is compared with four existing tests such as the original test, James’s test, Welch’s test and the parametric bootstrap (PB) test. Type I error rates and powers of the tests are evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation. Our results indicated that the performance of the proposed test is superior to the original test and is comparable to James’s test, Welch’s test and the PB test, controlling Type I error rate quite well and showing high power of the test. Our study suggested that the proposed test has high performance and should be used as an alternative to the four existing tests due to its simple formula.
  13. Bashir U, Jamaludin Md. Ali
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1557-1563.
    This study was concerned with shape preserving interpolation of 2D data. A piecewise C1 univariate rational quadratic trigonometric spline including three positive parameters was devised to produce a shaped interpolant for given shaped data. Positive and monotone curve interpolation schemes were presented to sustain the respective shape features of data. Each scheme was tested for plentiful shaped data sets to substantiate the assertion made in their construction. Moreover, these schemes were compared with conventional shape preserving rational quadratic splines to demonstrate the usefulness of their construction.
    MeSH terms: Algorithms
  14. Liu QJ, Liu ZT
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1551-1556.
    The first-principles calculations were performed to investigate the structural, elastic, mechanical and electronic properties of α-Al2O3 at applied pressure up to 50 GPa. The obtained ground state properties were in agreement with previous experimental and theoretical data. The elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus and anisotropy have been calculated as pressure increased. It was found that there was a brittle-ductile transition at about 23.2 GPa. The increasing ratio Ba /Bc with pressure indicates the weakening chemical bonding and the increasing anisotropy in this compound. The electronic structures were also calculated, which shows that band gaps increase monotonically. The population analysis showed the charge transfer was mainly between Al-3s and O-2p as pressure increased.
  15. Tang X, Yang Y, Xie Y
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1543-1550.
    The main objective of this work was to investigate the influence of waterborne epoxy resin emulsion (WER) on the physical properties of oil well cement slurries. Cement slurries containing 5%, 10% and 15% of WER bwoc were compared with WER-free slurries. The rheological behavior was carried out according to API standard. Uniaxial compressive strength and shear bond strength of cement stone were evaluated at the ages of 24, 48 and 72 h. The experimental results illustrate that the addition of WER does not alter the rheological behavior. The addition of WER has increased the shear bond strength almost 52% at 24 h of aging for 10% WER bwoc when compared with unmodified slurry. The enhancement on shear bond strength was attributed to the mechanical anchoring and resin film forming at the interface
    MeSH terms: Dental Cements; Dental Cementum; Epoxy Resins; Glass Ionomer Cements; Compressive Strength; Oil and Gas Fields
  16. Herny Erdawati Mohd Rashed, S Maria Awaluddin, Noor Ani Ahmad, Nurul Huda Md Supar, Zubidah Md Lani, Fauziah Aziz, et al.
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1537-1542.
    Various factors may contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes; either maternal or foetal outcomes. This study aimed was
    to determine the association between advanced maternal age and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This is a cross sectional
    study. Data were collected from the birth records from January 1st 2012 until December 31st 2012 in Muar District.
    Descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses were done and the results were presented as adjusted odds ratio
    (aOR) with p-value <0.05. The proportion of birth in Muar district, Johor was 14.8% among mothers aged 35 years
    and older and 85.2% among mothers aged 20 to 34 years. Advanced maternal age was associated with pregnancyinduced
    hypertension (aOR: 5.00; 95%CI: 1.95-12.65), gestational diabetes mellitus (aOR: 2.32; 95%CI: 1.35-4.00)
    and Caesarean section (aOR: 2.21; 95%CI: 1.53-3.19). Anaemia was negatively associated with advanced maternal
    age (aOR: 0.50; 95%CI: 0.32-0.78). No significant association was found between advanced maternal age and adverse
    foetal outcomes. In view of the findings, special attention should be paid to the antenatal mothers aged 35 years and
    older, even to those without any pre-existing medical problems.
    MeSH terms: Anemia; Attention; Birth Certificates; Cesarean Section; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Hypertension; Maternal Age; Mothers; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prenatal Care; Logistic Models; Odds Ratio; Diabetes, Gestational; Parturition
  17. Mohamad Shariff A Hamid, Arshad Puji, Zakiy Jamalullail, Zaidi Salleh, Kamarul Hashimy Hussein
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1531-1536.
    Although more Malaysians are taking part in International Multisport Games, these athletes well-being at such events have not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of injury and illness among Malaysian athletes during the XVII Asian Games 2014. Clinical and socio-demographic information of athletes diagnosed with injury or illness during the centralised training camp and at the Games were recorded in a standardised report form. Throughout the study period, 83 injuries and 64 illnesses were recorded from 276 athletes. Muscle strains and tears were the most common injury followed by ligamentous injury and soft tissues contusion. The number of injuries was highest among badminton players followed by hockey and rugby. Significantly higher incidence of injuries was observed among men than women hockey players. Athletes in individual events had higher proportion of more severe injury than those in team events. Respiratory tract infection was the most frequent illness diagnosed among athletes. Most injuries and illnesses diagnosed among athletes were minor and did not result in time away from participation. The incidence of injuries and illnesses among Malaysian athletes at the XVII Asian Games were comparable with those reported by previous authors. Injury and illness rate were influenced by gender and sports. Fortunately, majority of injuries and illnesses were minor and did not prevent athletes from participation.
    MeSH terms: Contusions; Female; Football; Hockey; Humans; Male; Respiratory Tract Infections; Sprains and Strains; Racquet Sports; Incidence; Athletes
  18. Ahmad Nazlim Yusoff, Khairiah Abdul Hamid, Hamdi Hamzah, Mazlyfarina Mohamad, Siti Zamratol-mai Sarah Mukari, Wan Ahmad Kamil Wan Abdullah
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1525-1530.
    High sensitivity signal detection for a sparse temporal sampling (STS) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is compensated by the increase in the number of scans (Ns) and consequently the scan time. A long scan time would result in fatigue and restlessness in participants, while a short scan time is undesirable for an STS-fMRI due to insufficient Ns for averaging. The purpose of this study was to determine the Ns practically sufficient for a sparse fMRI study. Eighteen participants were presented with white noise during a sparse fMRI scan. The height extent of activation was determined via t statistics and region of interest (ROI) based percentage of signal change (PSC). The t statistics and PSC for Heschl’s gyrus (HG) and superior temporal gyrus (STG) during which the participants listened to the white noise were calculated for different number of scans which were 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36. The t statistics and PSC values calculated for the bilateral HG and STG qualitatively indicated a minimal change over Ns = 12 to 36. Both ROIs showed a consistent common right lateralization of activation for all Ns, indicating the right-hemispheric dominance of auditory cortex in processing white noise stimulus. It was proposed that for a sparse fMRI study, Ns may practically fall between 12 and 36
  19. Khan SH, Ali F, Shah A, Kamran F, Jahan S
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1517-1523.
    The present study was aimed at evaluating antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activity of nuciferin and
    norcoclaurine constituents of N. nucifera seeds, a well-known medicinal plant. The alloxan (100 mg/kg b.w) induced
    diabetic rats (200-250 g) were divided into seven groups (n = 6). Group I; normal control, Group II; diabetic control,
    Group III; standard, Group lV-VII were fed with methanolic crude extracts (100, 200 mg/kg), nuciferin and norcoclaurine
    (10 mg/kg b.w.), received for 15 days in dose dependent manner. The study included different parameters; examination of
    oral glucose, fasting blood glucose, serum lipid profile and checking for body weight changes. In oral glucose examination,
    within 60 and 80 min of treatment, extracts, nuciferin and norcoclaurine significantly reduced blood glucose (p<0.05)
    and restored body weight in diabetic rats. Alloxan- induced diabetic rats showed 30-50% reduction of blood glucose
    level (p<0.05) and recovered 5-20% body weight at day 15 after ingestion of crude extracts (100-200 mg/kg b.w.); and
    nuciferin and norcoclaurine (each at 10 mg/kg b.w.). It also recovered significantly elevated biochemical parameters such
    as triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol (TC), serum urea and
    creatinine. Our findings indicated that N. nucifera seeds possess significant antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic
    activity in diabetic rats.
    MeSH terms: Methanol; Alkaloids; Alloxan; Animals; Hypolipidemic Agents; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Creatinine; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Fasting; Glucose; Hypoglycemic Agents; Lipoproteins, HDL; Lipoproteins, LDL; Plants, Medicinal; Seeds; Triglycerides; Urea; Tetrahydroisoquinolines; Complex Mixtures; Rats
  20. Shehzad MA, Maqsood M, Abbas T, Ahmad N
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1497-1507.
    Boron (B) is a mineral considered essential for improving sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) resistance to drought. B supplements (0, 15-, 30- and 45 mg L-1) under well-watered and variable water deficit levels (64 and 53 mm irrigation depths) were evaluated for their effects on growth, oil quality and water use efficiency (WUE) in a field study for two consecutive years (i.e. 2011 and 2012). The duration of 50% inflorescence emergence, 50% flowering and 50% maturity stages were reduced with increasing moisture stress. All B application rates improved sunflower growth compared to no B control treatment. The moisture deficit treatments of 64 and 53 mm irrigation depths significantly (p<0.05) reduced the yield-related components. Achenes/head, achenes weight and achene yield under water stress conditions were considerably improved by foliar application of B at 30 mg L-1. An increase in protein contents and a decrease in oil contents were observed with B foliar application under moisture deficit treatments. Foliar application of B (30 mg L-1) on water stressed plants also resulted in increased WUE. The highest net benefits were achieved with B concentration of 30 mg L-1 under well-watered and mild deficit water level of 64 mm irrigation depth. The highest application rate of B (45 mg L-1) gave the best results at the most severe water deficit level. In conclusion, the B rates of 30 and 41 mg L-1 performed best for improving drought tolerance in terms of higher sunflower productivity under mild and higher water deficit conditions
    MeSH terms: Body Weight; Boron; Dehydration; Helianthus; Minerals; Water; Dietary Supplements; Droughts; Inflorescence; Water Wells
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