A study was carried out to compare composition, thermal behavior, and polymorphic forms of
palm stearin-pink guava seed oil blends with those of lard (LD). Four blends were prepared by
mixing pink guava seed oil (PGO) with and palm stearin (PS) in different ratios: PGO-1, 40:60;
PGO-2, 45:55; PGO-3, 50:50; PGO-4; 55:45. The blends and lard were compared in terms of
their basic physicochemical parameters, fatty acid and triacylglycerol (TAG) compositions,
melting, solidification and polymorphic properties. Results showed that PGO-2 and LD were
found to display similarities in terms of slip melting point value and the peak maximum of the
high-melting thermal transition. In the solid fat content (SFC) profile, PGO-2 and LD were
found to display the least difference. In the X-ray diffraction analysis, PGO-2 displayed both β
and β’ polymorphs that were similar to the polymorphic form of LD.
Extraction of gelatin using traditional acid-base pretreatment method has several limitations
such as time consuming and causes serious water pollution. Chemical treatment often being used
as an alternative process to overcome the weaknesses of the conventional method. However,
excessive chemical elements would damage the structure of the gelatin due to its high sensitivity
to the acid content. High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a novel and environmental friendly
method that has been suggested to assist gelatin extraction. Pressurization during pretreatment
could reduce the extraction time and amount of acid used. It also has a potential in enhancing the
properties of the gelatin extract and increasing the gelatin yield. In this research, One-Factor-
at-Time (OFAT) and optimization study were done to determine the optimum parameters for
extraction of gelatin assisted by HPP from red tilapia skin. Four parameters; applied pressure,
pressure holding time, ratio of acid to skin and extraction time have been selected for the OFAT
design and concentration of the gelatin extract and percentage of yield gelatin were evaluated.
From OFAT, optimum technical parameters for response surface optimization design were 250
MPa pressure, 7.5 ml of acid to 1 g of skin and 12 hours extraction time. Pressure holding
time was fixed for 10 min. FCCCD has been used for optimization study. Results from the
data shows that the optimum conditions for gelatin extraction from red tilapia skin were 250
MPa for pressure, 10 min of pressure holding time, 7.5 ml of acid for 1 g of skin and 12 hours
of extraction time while the maximum concentration and yield were 19.51 mg/ml and 32.04%
(320.4 mg/g), respectively. These findings proved that HPP could increase the concentration
and the yield of the gelatin while reducing the chemical waste and shortening the extraction
process.
Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregates (CLEA) is known as one of the best enzyme immobilization technique nowadays. In this study, amylase extract from Zophobas morio (super mealworm) larvae was immobilized using acetone as the precipitant, glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker and bovine serum albumin as the additive. The characteristics of the produced CLEA were compared to the free soluble amylase, in terms of pH and temperature optimum and stabilities. The results displayed that CLEAand free amylase achieved an optimum temperature at 55°C and 45°C, respectively. CLEA-amylase also had showed greater stability against high temperature as compared to a free enzyme which had lost most of its activity when the temperature was set beyond 45°C. In comparison, at 65°C, CLEA-amylase still retained 73.2% of its activity. Results also revealed that CLEA-amylase has a pH optimum at 11, while it is pH 7 for free enzyme. Similarly, CLEA-amylase was more stable than the free form, over a wider range of pH, particularly at higher pH of 9, 10 and 11. Recyclability study showed that CLEA-amylase could retain 14.9% of its residual activity after 6 times of repeated uses. Since it is reusable, future works might include the evaluations of using CLEA-amylase at the industrial level, remarkably in detergent applications.
Phoenix dactylifera L (Date palm) is one of the oldest known fruit crops in the world, and
the consumption of date fruits is no longer restricted to the Middle Eastern countries. Date
palm kernels are waste products of date fruit industry which are normally being discarded.
Based on their dietary fiber content; date palm kernels (DPK) have been proposed to be used
as fiber-based food supplement, caffeine free coffee alternative and animal feed ingredient.
Hence, utilization of such waste is highly desirable for the date industry. To accommodate these
benefits, and subsequent to some uses associated with DPK, this study sought to investigate the
biochemical and nutritional values of the Barhi date palm kernels (BDPK) grown in Iraq. The
results show that BDPK is an excellent source of dietary fiber (66.24 g/100g). Glutamic acid
was found to be the predominant amino acid, (0.674 g/100g), followed by Arginine and aspartic
acid (0.437 g/100g and 0.320 g/100g, respectively). Potassium was the most occurring mineral
in BDPK (2.39 g/kg), and the main sugars were sucrose and fructose (0.548 g/100g and 0.249
g/100g, respectively). Gas-liquid chromatography revealed that the main unsaturated fatty acid
(USFA) was oleic acid (40.927 mg/100g), while the main saturated fatty acid (SFA) were lauric
acid (20.270 mg/100g) and myristic acid (12.288 mg/100g). Furthermore, the BDPK depicted
considerable concentrations of vitamins, in which vitamin B5 (40.4 mg/100g) showed the
highest value. The results obtained indicate a strong potential for BDPK to be used in human
nutrition, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical applications and may provide an important economic
advantage through increasing the utilization of BDKP while also additive value will be added
to the residue.
Lack of parking space has become major contributing factor to traffic congestion
which may affect the environmental condition due to incalculable amounts of wasted
fuel and carbon emission. Congestion and parking are interrelated as looking for
parking space may create additional delay and impair local circulation. The proposed
automatic parking system which embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID)
and internet of things (IoTs) module will introduce a monitoring platform for the
parking space. This intelligent parking system makes it possible for the drivers to
obtain information beforehand through their mobile hand phone application or any
display available. This paper describes the mechanical design of automatic indoor
parking space with the advancement of sensor networks application known as RFID.
The design criterias were studied to develop a parking prototype which dealing with
number of degree of freedom as well as movement mechanism. The result presented
at the end of this paper was evaluated from the engineering analysis using the
developed parking prototype to meet system performance as well as design safety
factor.
MeSH terms: Carbon; Hand; Movement; Internet; Radio Frequency Identification Device; Mobile Applications
Malaysia is one of the developing countries that are facing an increase population
with an increasing and significant generation of waste. Environmental problems may
arise when the solid waste management is improper. The rate of generation is
increasing and the composition is also changing as the nation becomes more
urbanized and industrialized. The objective of this study is to present the data of
municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in Taman Universiti, Skudai, Johor Bahru,
Malaysia. The composition of MSW was studied by segregating it into different
components such as food waste, paper, glass, plastics, metal and tin aluminums. It
was observed that Taman Universiti area produced around 40% plastics waste which
was the highest component compared to other waste, followed by food waste and
papers with 38.2% and 21% respectively. Meanwhile, food waste was recorded the
highest moisture content with 38.2% while glass had the lowest moisture content
with 0.4%. The reliable estimate of MSW generated is important for proper waste
management planning. These data could enhance in implementation of waste
management system in that area.
One of the prime inspirations for this work emerge from the need to deal with our
common assets (the Land). To build up a formal approach that can be utilized to
address the issues emerges from a mind boggling circumstance in land
administration. The capacity to track the progressions as it is connected to land
everywhere throughout the year. A considerable lot of the land exchanges are as yet
in light of 2D ideal models that have frustrated fast advancement in thickly urban
condition. The consideration of 3D enhanced the functionalities of different models.
Be that as it may, the dynamic idea of the land has an imperative part in the
advancement of the land administration framework. One of the significant reason the
expansion in intricacy in land utilize required that Land Administration Domain Model
(LADM) concept in land administration has an enhanced limit is to deal with the
current 2D and 3D. The need to talk about time dimension emerges from the way
that individuals relationship to the land has an exceptionally powerful nature, all the
LADM packages has time (Temporal) components. LADM completely bolster forming
(historical information) as all classes inherit from VersionObject, and all LA_RRR
object have the quality TimeSpace. 2D/3D space and time incorporation is not
profoundly integrated into a 3D/4D spatiotemporal portrayal. The preparatory test
case in this study affirmed the conceivable outcomes of having a move or
development (with time) of characteristic limits from their underlying positions. Thus,
the dynamic idea of the land in connection to man, the benefits of this model to the
land proprietors, land merchants, and the administration can't be over stressed. This
study tries to clarify the current 2D/3D approach and broke down preparatory
requirements for 4D with a specific end goal to see the estimation of the approach.
The primary future research exertion focuses on melding on the most proficient
method to coordinate the model completely into Country profile in the study area.
The Climatic performance of courtyard residential buildings needs to be
investigated if the assertion that courtyard is a microclimate modifier is to be
accepted. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the microclimatic performance
of two existing courtyard residential buildings with similar characteristics in
Kafanchan-Kaduna Nigeria, -the fully enclosed courtyard residential building and
the semi-enclosed courtyard residential building. The purpose of this research is
to investigate their microclimatic performances in other to establish the best
courtyard house. This study uses measurement to achieve its aim. The tool
employed for data collection is the Hobo Weather Data Loggers (HWDL). Three
HWDL were used to collect data in the two case-study, and the third one was
placed in the outside area as a benchmark. Only air temperature and relative
humidity were measured. This study revealed a tangible difference in the
microclimatic performance of the two case-study. The fully enclosed courtyard
residential building is seen to have air temperature difference of 1 oC to 3 oC, and
the relative humidity difference of 4 % to 8 %. In conclusion, the fully enclosed
courtyard house demonstrated a more favorable microclimatic performance than
the semi-enclosed, and further simulation studies towards its optimization are
required.
Dengue fever is an endemic disease in many tropical and subtropical regions. In
Malaysia, it is the leading public health challenge despite the extensive intervention
programs by the related authorities. Distribution of dengue cases in Malaysia varies
according to states and districts where cases are more distinct in urban and suburban
areas. Preparedness strategies of dengue cases could be more successful with some
comprehensive and technical analysis on disease incidences. Hence, the present study
analyses dengue cases using mathematical modelling in the state of Penang, one of the
more urbanised state. In particular, two time series models are fitted to the dengue
data from the region in order to identify the mathematical model that best describe
the data. Results show that both proposed models are able to represent the cases
rather well; however numerical inspection revealed that Double Exponential
Smoothing method is the better choice. Subsequently, the identified model is used to
make forecasting on the number of expected cases. Results show that dengue cases in
Penang are expected to increase gradually.
This study aims to examine the influences of the plan to further study, career growth
and discriminatory treatment on turnover intention among technicians in electronic
industry in Malaysia. The objectives are: (i) To identify the relationship between the
plan to further study and turnover intention among factory technicians, (ii) To identify
the relationship between career growth and turnover intention among factory
technicians, and (iii)To identify the relationship between discriminatory treatment
factors and turnover intention among factory technicians. The population involved in
this study were the manufacturing technicians at an electronic factory. Survey
questionnaires were used to collect data. A total of 110 questionnaires were analyzed.
Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used to measure the
degree of relationship between variables. The findings showed that all independent
variables; plan to further study, career growth and discriminatory treatment, were
positive moderately correlated with turnover intention.
Most tropical rainforest tree species depends on forest gaps for their successful
regeneration. Evaluation on the gap or canopy openness provides an indicator on the
forest development stages. This paper reported on the canopy openness (CO) of three
study plots at (1-, 9-, 18-year old) rehabilitated forest sites and one study plot at natural
regenerating secondary forest (± 22-year old) in UPM-Mitsubishi Corporation Forest
Rehabilitation Project, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus (UPMKB).
Plot of 20 x 20 m was established where dendrometric parameters were collected
while Delta-T Device HemiView system was used to take the hemispherical photograph
and field observation information were used to assess the CO. Qualitative analysis of
the photographs suggested there were three stages of forest growth namely gap,
building and mature stand development phases. These also helped the interpretation
of the quantitative analysis in relation to forest dynamics. Hemispherical photographs
were used for quantitative analysis of the CO. CO showed statistical significant
differences among study plots which recorded a range of 3-78%. Rapid analysis of CO
on the hemispherical photographs with information from the dendrometric
measurement had assisted in assessing the forest stand development. The canopy
openness was dependent on the age of the rehabilitated forest. Overall, the study plots
were in the different stages of stand development.
The new innovative of technology by (GIS) Geographic Information System, (LIS) Land
Information System and (CIS) Cadastral Information System has been playing a leading
role in the development of cadastral and land administration in this study area. The
Customary ways and approach to the land titling and registration in the time past has
resulted in the delay in the processes of obtaining title to the land. Land administration
system in Nigeria includes the processes of land registration, cadastral mapping, land
valuation and land inventory. Most of developing nation particularly Nigeria is faced
with the problem of poor land administration and management. Technology is
paramount in acquiring a proper technological development in land administration.
This study tried to encourage land title registration by providing web technologies that
are faster and suitable with a low rate and minimum delay. The need to develop a
dynamic web for the processes in the land registration arises from the dynamic
relationship to the land of the people. The delay in time and process of land registration
couple with the exploitation in land related activities has called for the urgent
intervention of all the stakeholders in land administration. PHP programming language
was used as a server side scripting languages together with MyAdmin SQL, a website
was developed for the processes involved in the land registration having examined the
fastest way to solve the problem. A robust dynamic database that is reliable and easy
to use was also developed which is capable of accommodating several numbers of
applicants. The applicants, monitoring agency and the government have the advantage
of checking all the processes on line without any contact with the officers working on
the certificate.
MeSH terms: Industrial Development; Developing Countries; Government; Language; Nigeria; Organizations; Programming Languages; Databases, Factual; Geographic Information Systems
This study is intended to focus on the aspects of police competency in implementing
Emergency Response Plan in National Stadium Bukit Jalil consequence to the current
rising trend of spectator’s violence. This new emerging trend has also given birth to
“Ultras Malaya” which is known for their fanaticism and have often cross the boundary
of safety and security. The methodology adopted is through the distribution of a set of
questionnaire to 150 respondents in Cheras Police District. Questionnaire were divided
into four broad categories. Except for demography, knowledge, skills and attitude were
measured by using Likert Scale. Knowledge was mainly to gauge the understanding of
the personnel on emergency, emergency preparedness and emergency response plan.
Skills was to gauge the proficiency to undertake tasks related to emergency response
in football stadiums. Attitude was to highlight the perception of the personnel towards
training and drill needs, the review of the emergency response plan and the capabilities
and the interoperability amongst authorities. Data was analyzed by the descriptive
mode such as frequency, mean and percentage. Findings revealed a performance gap
whereby majority of officers deployed at national Stadium lacked the necessary
experience and exposure to handle such volatile crowd and in a closed area. Hence the
understanding that RMP should be the key player in stadium safety should be revisited.
The study concluded by recommending a changing face in football policing through
increasing the absence of uniformed police, Stadium Management to be responsible
for the safety of spectators and appointment of stewards to fill the void created by
police withdrawal.
Adolescents need more attention on eating habits as they go through a critical path
period of physical, physiological and psychological changes from children to adult.
Therefore, planning a proper healthy diet menu is important to adolescents to have
the sufficient nutrients for proper growth. However, manually plan healthy diet menu
is complicated, inefficient and time-consuming. The purpose of this study is to develop
a mathematical model of healthy diet menu plan that minimizes the daily fat intake
and meets the necessary nutrient intake for adolescents aged 13 between 17 years old
within the budget provided by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) for Malaysia adolescent
in MARA Junior Science College (MJSC) boarding schools. Optimization approach and
binary integer programming method were used to address the diet problem in this
study. The finding of the study indicates that the developed mathematical model of
healthy diet menu plan for MJSC can generate menu plan that minimizes the total fat
intake at minimum level of requirement per day. This menu plan can be used as a
guideline for the management of the boarding schools to provide healthy diet meals
for their students.
Climate change is undeniably the greatest issue facing our society. Around the globe,
increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and extreme weather events are
observed, causing considerable risks to human lives, properties and health safety and
also on the natural ecosystem. The magnitude and impacts of climate change are
growing, and particularly in Malaysia, studies show increases in temperature and
changes in rainfall regimes. Such changes have profound implications, especially for
coastal communities. Since knowledge and perceptions of the public on climate change
could affect the success of implemented adaptation and mitigation options, it is
essential to conduct assessments to gather such information. A public awareness and
perception study was conducted at Sabak and Tanjung Karang, two coastal
communities which were affected by changes in sea level and flooding incidences. The
knowledge level and perceptions of climate change among respondents were assessed
covering areas such as level of awareness of the respondents, their perceptions of
climate change issues, their sentiments on climate change and adaptation measures,
their socio-economic activity and the effect on their lives. Results show that majority
of respondents were aware of climate change issues and challenges. High levels of
concern about climate change were expressed with the majority were worried and
uncertain about the climate change impact and hoped for government measures.
Almost half of respondents cited significant damage to their properties and reduction
in income generation. Overall, the results of the present study gave insights of the
affected parties on perceptions and awareness pertaining to climate change, which
could potentially be used to promote greater awareness of climate change matters and
to gauge the public response to related policies and strategies.
There is a high incidence of 36% to 83% of respiratory dysfunction in patients with acute cervical spinal cord
injury. Complications arising from respiratory dysfunction remain one of the most common causes of morbidity
and mortality in the spinal cord injured population. Specialized pulmonary care and therapy can help individuals
with tetraplegia to maintain a stable respiratory status allowing active participation in active rehabilitation.
This would allow them to achieve rehabilitation goals of independent function and community reintegration.
Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MIE) therapy is an option for secretion management in individuals with
acute spinal cord injury. In this paper, we present our experience using MIE as an adjunct to management of
secretions in the spinal cord injured population at the University of Malaya Medical Centre.
The study was taken to assess the feasibility of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion
coefficient (ADC) mapping using different b-values for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS)
treatment of uterine fibroid and adenomyoma.
The contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image (cT1WI) as well as DWIs and ADC maps of different b-values (i.e.
200, 600 and 800 s/mm²) were obtained from nine fibroid and five adenomyoma patients, immediately after,
and 12 months after MRgFUS treatment. The image contrast score, non-perfused volume (NPV) and NPV
ratio obtained were compared to determine the feasibility of DWI and ADC mapping for MRgFUS treatment
outcome evaluation.
Our finding showed that immediately after MRgFUS treatment, the DWI acquired using 200 s/mm² b-value
gave the highest image contrast score among all other b-values. The NPV calculated from DWI of 200 s/
mm² showed the best correlation (R² = 0.938) with post-contrast NPV. At 12 months follow-up, there was no
specific b-value considered as significantly superior to others in terms of image contrast. However, the NPVs
and NPV ratios obtained from all DWIs and ADC maps of different b-values were in good agreement with the
post-contrast NPV and NPV ratio.
We observed that the DWI, particularly obtained with a low b-value (i.e. 200 s/mm²), is feasible for delineation
and quantitative volumetric evaluation of the ablated region immediately after the MRgFUS treatment. At 12
months follow-up, both DWIs and ADC maps are feasible for NPV and NPV ratio calculation.
In the current study, we report a new technique to place a tunnelled peripherally inserted central catheter
(PICC) at the upper arm of patient under real-time ultrasound-guided venipuncture using disposal equipment
provided within a standard PICC set. The tunnelling of the PICC required an extra time of 5 minutes but was
well tolerated by all patients involved in the study. The tunnelled PICC was applied on 50 patients and the
infection rate as well its catheter dwell time were compared to another 50 patients with conventional PICC.
The rate of patients who developed infection decreased from 34% for conventional PICC to 16% in tunnelled
PICC patients. The central line-associated blood stream infections rate was also decreased from 4.4 per 1000
catheter-days for conventional PICC to 1.3 per 1000 catheter-days for tunnelled PICC. The mean time to infection
development for tunnelled PICC (24 days) was longer than those observed with conventional PICC (19 days).
Tunnelled PICC has also increased the mean catheter dwell time from 27 days (for conventional PICC) to 47
days. Tunnelling a PICC has the potential to reduce the infection rate while increase the catheter dwell time.
INTRODUCTION: Diabetic patients generally have a good idea about healthy diet however their awareness regarding specific dietary recommendations is questionable. Thus, this paper aims to examine the awareness regarding specific dietary components among diabetic patients at a primary care clinic and its influence on self-reported dietary practice.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire (English-Malay version) was used. It was adapted with additional questions to assess respondents’ awareness on: (1) healthful eating plan, (2) the quantity of one serving of fruits and vegetables, (3) choices and the allowed quantity of high fat food intake, (4) meaning of carbohydrate, and (5) carbohydrate spacing per day.
RESULTS: From the 360 respondents, 85.0% knew about healthful eating plan. However, those who were unaware of the meaning of carbohydrate, carbohydrate spacing, the allowed high fat food intake, and the quantity of one serving of fruits and vegetables were 34.1%, 47.5%, 40.0%, and 30.8% respectively. Generally, the dietary practice reported by those who knew ‘one serving of fruits and vegetables’ (p<0.001), ‘allowed quantity of high fat food intake’ (p=0.001), ‘meaning of carbohydrate’ (p<0.001), or ‘carbohydrate spacing’ (p<0.001) was significantly different than those who were unaware of these terms.
CONCLUSION: Although most respondents knew about healthful eating plan, majority of them were unaware of the specific dietary components, suggesting superficial dietary knowledge. Unfortunately, poor dietary awareness significantly influenced their self-reported dietary practice which could be considered as inaccurate. Thus, strategies to improve their dietary knowledge is necessary at the primary care setting.
Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, diet, awareness, self-care, primary care
Study site: Klinik Kesihatan Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
MeSH terms: Adult; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet*; Humans; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Malaysia; Primary Health Care; Self Care
Introduction: This study is aimed to examine the predominant inflammatory cells in nasal polyps (NP) in the
local community and its correlation to the clinical presentations.
Materials and Methods: The study was
done retrospectively looking at patients who had undergone functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in
Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia with a histopathological diagnosis of nasal
polyposis (NP), between the years 2004 to 2008. Sixty two patients between the ages of 18 years to 60 years
old were selected and data relevant to the study were collected from the patient’s folders using a specially
created form prepared for the study. The NP histopathology report from each patient underwent FESS were
analysed and the patients were divided into eosinophilic and non eosinophilic dominant group. Clinical
presentations from each patient were also gathered and analysed according to the NP group.
Results: In
HUSM, there were a higher number of eosinophilic types NP as compared to the neutrophilic type NP which
is contrary to other study conducted on Asian populations. The clinical symptom correlations between either
eosinophilic or non-eosinophilic type of NP have not shown any significant associations.
Conclusion: The
study showed that the incidence of histological subtypes of nasal polyp in HUSM is almost the same as that
found in other parts of the world (Europe and North America) which will reduce the possibility of racial or
geographical influence on the pathogenesis of the nasal polyp. Clinical symptoms and presentation alone are
not enough to differentiate the type of the nasal polyp without the histological study.