This study aimed to investigate the effects of element diffusion on the alloying behaviour and microstructure of a Ti-10%Mo10%Cr
alloy during sintering and furnace cooling. A theoretical calculation of the average diffusion distance for each
element was performed to predict the alloying behaviour during sintering and furnace cooling. The Ti-10%Mo-10%Cr
alloy was fabricated using a blended element powder metallurgy approach. Micrograph of the samples after sintering
showed bright-circle structures and significantly decreased equiaxed structures. The number of plate-like structures
increased with prolonged sintering time. Microstructural changes occurred because of element diffusion resulting from
the prolonged sintering time. Moreover, the diffusion distance of each element also increased with prolonged sintering
time. Although elements can sufficiently diffuse during both sintering and furnace cooling, the diffusion distance during
sintering was considerably higher than that during furnace cooling for all elements. The diffusion distances of Cr and
Mo were the highest and lowest, respectively, during sintering and furnace cooling. This study showed that alloying
behaviour mostly occurred during sintering and was controlled by the diffusion of Mo atoms.
MeSH terms: Alloys; Bone Plates; Metallurgy; Powders; Titanium
Sel suria digunakan untuk menawan foton untuk menjana tenaga. Walau bagaimanapun, penambahbaikan sel diperlukan
untuk meningkatkan jumlah penangkapan foton dan juga untuk meningkatkan kecekapan sel. Ini melibatkan keseluruhan
proses pembuatan sel, dengan proses penyepuhlindapan adalah salah satu daripada langkah penting yang perlu
dioptimumkan. Percetakan perlogaman menggunakan dwi pembakaran merupakan kaedah yang paling biasa digunakan
dalam penghasilan sel suria kristal secara komersial. Aluminium (Al) digunakan pada bahagian belakang sel sebagai
medan permukaan belakang dan penyambung belakang manakala perak (Ag) dicetak pada bahagian hadapan sebagai
grid pemungut. Proses dwi pembakaran bagi komponen ini adalah penting dalam menentukan kecekapan sel. Oleh itu,
dalam kajian ini, rawatan pembakaran telah dikaji dengan menggunakan relau tiub kuarza (QTF) dengan perubahan
suhu pembakaran (700, 750, 800 and 850°C) sebagai satu percubaan untuk mendapatkan kecekapan yang tinggi serta
meningkatkan kesan pemirauan persimpangan Ag. Apabila suhu meningkat, sifat elektrik sel suria dwi-muka juga turut
meningkat. Kebergantungan suhu menunjukkan rintangan pirau yang tinggi disebabkan oleh proses penyejukan yang
pantas selepas proses pembakaran dan seterusnya membawa kepada faktor isi dan kecekapan sel yang tinggi.
Surface polishing affect the staining of nano-tooth coloured materials. Here we studied the effect of tea and coffee staining
on polished nano-composite resin and nano-ormocers. Eighty-four discs (5 × 2 mm) of Filtek Z350 and Ceram X were
fabricated using acrylic molds and polished with either: (1) Sof-lex (2) Enhance/Pogo (3) control (no polishing-Mylar).
After polishing, the tests materials were immersed in either tea or coffee (n=7), for 48, 96 and 168 h at 37°C. The colour
difference (ΔE) values were assessed with a spectrophotometer (Cecil CE 2021 UV/VIS), the data were analysed using
Kruskal-Wallis Test. The results showed that polishing significantly affected the ΔE values of both materials (p<0.05).
In all groups, Ceram X showed less staining than Filtek Z350. Both Filtek Z350 and Ceram X also reacted differently
in coffee and tea. Significant ΔE values for Filtek Z350 obtained with different polishing techniques exposed to coffee in
ascending order: Sof-lex < Enhance/Pogo < Mylar strip. For Ceram X, significant ΔE values obtained in exposure to
tea in ascending order: Pogo < Mylar < Sof-lex. Mylar caused more staining in Filtek Z350 whilst Sof-Lex caused the
least staining. However, in Ceram X, Enhance/Pogo caused the least staining. In conclusion, Ceram X is more colour
stable than Filtek Z350. It may be suggested to always use the polishing system produced by the same company that
produces the restorative material for better staining resistant.
Urografi intravena (IVU) dan tomografi berkomputer helikal tanpa kontras (UHCT) urografi adalah dua prosedur utama
yang akan dijalankan semasa kajian radiologi bagi pengesanan urolitiasis (batu karang) pada sistem genitourinari.
Dedahan terhadap sinaran radiasi merupakan faktor kebimbangan utama dalam kedua-dua prosedur. Oleh itu, satu
kajian perbandingan dos sinaran telah dijalankan antara prosedur IVU dan UHCT urografi di samping menentukan faktor
dedahan optimum bagi kedua-dua prosedur tersebut. Kajian ini telah dijalankan ke atas fantom antropomorfi seluruh
tubuh mengikut protokol sebenar bagi prosedur UHCT urografi dan penghasilan radiografi bersiri beserta dengan
pemberian media berkontras bagi prosedur IVU. Sebanyak tiga parameter dedahan voltan tiub digunakan iaitu 75, 80
dan 85 kVp bagi prosedur IVU dan 100, 120 dan 140 kVp bagi prosedur UHCT urografi. Hasil dos sinaran bagi prosedur
IVU yang diperoleh adalah 1.40, 2.10 dan 2.79 mSv bagi 75, 80 dan 85 kVp. Manakala bagi prosedur UHCT urografi,
sebanyak 0.76, 1.32 dan 1.82 mSv dos sinaran direkodkan bagi 100, 120 dan 140 kVp. Hasil kualiti imej optimum adalah
menggunakan dedahan sebanyak 85 kVp bagi prosedur IVU dan 120 kVp bagi prosedur UHCT urografi. Kesimpulannya,
walaupun tidak terdapat perbezaan signifikan, dos sinaran yang terhasil daripada prosedur IVU adalah tekal lebih tinggi
daripada prosedur UHCT urografi.
Cephradine belongs to the first generation cephalosporin having a broad range of anti-bacterial activities. In the
present work, Cephradine wasreacted with different metal salts. These metal salts were Iron, Copper, Cobalt and Nickel
salts. All the complexes of Cephradine metals were synthesized at room temperature using a mechanical vibrator.
The reactions yielded the coordinated complexes within 5-10 min with improved product yield. The synthesized
complexes were analyzed for their antibacterial power using disc diffused assay. All the Cephradine complexes showed
powerful antibacterial activity. The Co, Cu, Ni and Sn complexes showed good antibacterial activities 18.5 mm by Cu
complexes against S. typhi, 17 mm against B. subtillus 16.5 mm against S. aureus, 16 mm against S. coccus. Similarly
Sn complexes exhibited 17 mm zone of inhibition against S. coccus and 15.5 mm against B. subtillus. Cobalt and Ni
complexes also shed significant inhibition activities against bacterial pathogenic bacterial strains. The study is of
particular importance and new, using mechanical vibrator for the first time. The product yield is also comparatively
good with short reaction time.
A benzoylthiourea molecule namely 1,1-dibenzyl-3-(2-bromobenzoyl)thiourea (2BrBT) was synthesized and characterized
by C, H, N and S elemental, mass spectrometry and spectroscopic analyses (infrared, ultraviolet-visible and nuclear
magnetic resonance). The 2BrBT compound crystallized in a tetragonal system with the space group P43 and exhibits
an acentric crystalline packing due to the presence of intermolecular H-bonding network that forms a self-assembly
of 1D helical motif. The asymmetric delocalisation of electrons in the molecule retains its transparency throughout the
visible and near-infrared region and hence, essentially propagates the macroscopic helical motif in the solid state. The
highest-occupied and lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO/LUMO) are mainly found on the thiourea moiety and
the benzoylthiourea fragment, respectively and shows an optical bandgap of 3.50 eV. The influence of its geometrical
characteristics to the optical properties of 2BrBT is established and discussed in view of nonlinear optical (NLO)
application.
MeSH terms: Electrons; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Mass Spectrometry; Thiourea
Different maturity stages of Cosmos caudatus leaves have been used to prepare herbal tea were investigated for their effect on antioxidant activity and mutagenic activity. The analyses carried out were total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2-2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching assay, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and Ames Salmonella mutagenicity. The results demonstrated that, C. caudatus herbal tea prepared from young leaves showed significantly highest antioxidant activity for all assays tested, followed by mixed leaves, mature leaves, old leaves and the lowest was in C. caudatus herbal tea from a commercial brand. Pearson’s correlation coefficient also demonstrated that TPC and TFC displayed a strong correlation with all antioxidant activity assays, showing that these compounds were the major contributors to the antioxidant activity in C. caudatus herbal tea. However, all studied C. caudatus herbal tea showed no mutagenic effects against Salmonella typhimurium tester strain TA98 and TA100 with and without S9 metabolic activation. Hence, it can be concluded that, different maturity stages could affect the antioxidant activity in C. caudatus herbal tea as it reduced the antioxidant activity as maturity increased, but did not give any effect on the mutagenic activity.
The aim of this paper was to describe the effects of treated sugar palm yarn fibre loading on the mechanical properties
of reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. Composites with varying fibre loads (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt. %) were
prepared using a hand-layup process. The composites were tested for tensile, flexural and impact strength according to
ASTM D3930, ASTM D790 and ASTM D256 standards, respectively. The results showed that an increase in fibre loading
of up to 30 wt. % increased tensile strength (31.27 MPa), tensile modulus (4.83 GPa), flexural strength (58.14 MPa)
and modulus (4.48 GPa). Maximum loading can be attained at 40 wt. % of fibre loading for impact strength (38 kJ/
m2). The effectiveness of stress transfer mechanism through the fibre-matrix interaction, coupled with the optimization
of fibre loading in resisting fracture and failure, boosts the overall mechanical performance of sugar palm composite.
Selenocompounds have been widely synthesized for their potential in pharmacology. Ebselen, a selenazole oxide, is a
glutathione peroxidase mimic which is known to possess high antioxidant activity. Four derivatives of 3-(2-amino-1,3-
selenazol-4-yl)-2H-chromen-2-ones were synthesized by reacting 3-(2-bromoacetyl)-chromen-2-one derivatives with
selenourea through Hantzsch reaction using NaF as a catalyst in methanol-water (1:1) at room temperature. These
reactions were completed in 30 min and purified using column chromatography eluted with n-hexane-ethyl acetate (7:3)
to give 50-83% yields. All the compounds were successfully characterized using IR, 1H and 13C NMR as well as mass
spectrometry. The synthesized compounds were tested with DPPH assay to determine the free radical scavenging activity
and were compared to gallic and ascorbic acids as standard. Nonetheless, all compounds exhibited weak free radical
scavenging activity with IC50 value ranging from 672.13 to 984.03 µM signifying that the derivatives may possess weak
antioxidant activities.
The isolation method for dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) is still unclear to obtain a conducive environment for DPSCs to
proliferate. Enzymatic digestion and outgrowth method are two commonly used methods for DPSCs isolation but are not
well characterized in mice DPSCs. This study aimed to compare these isolation methods and differentiation potential
of mice DPSCs into bone cells. Dental pulp was extracted from mice’s incisors and subjected to isolation either by
collagenase 1A or culture of pulp tissue in complete alpha-Modified Eagle Medium (αMEM). Both cells isolated were
cultured until passage 4 and subjected to in vitro proliferation and differentiation analysis. Both cells exhibited fibroblastliked
morphology, but cells isolated by enzyme digestion proliferate faster compare to outgrowth method. After 21 days
of osteoblast differentiation, DPSCs isolated from enzyme digestion method showed alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity
slightly different as compared to outgrowth method. In conclusion, there is a significant difference between the cells
isolated from enzyme digestion compare to outgrowth method with regard to proliferation and osteoblast differentiation.
Thus, it is preferable to isolate by enzyme digestion as it is faster and consistent compared to outgrowth method.
The tensile strength of intact rock materials has been determined by indirect method more frequent than the direct method.
The most commonly used indirect method is Brazilian test. Stress and deformability undergo during the test reflected by
geometry shape of the samples with respect to the different diameter ratio. This study focuses on influence of geometry
shape in solid and ring disk with different diameter ratio on the stress distribution and deformations within sandstone
subjected to indirect tensile loading by Brazilian test. Then, the finite element method in RS2 software was utilised to
simulate and gain in depth understanding the behaviour of Brazilian test. The analysis shown that the maximum tensile
strength in a ring disk with diameter ratio of 0.1 is three times higher than in solid disk. Meanwhile, as the diameter
ratio of ring disk increases, it produces lower tensile strength. The numerical simulation also has successfully illustrated
the shear failure which observed near the loading platen of solid disk during Brazilian test. The finite element analysis
utilised in this research has successfully enables the stress distribution and deformation behaviour of the rock under
tension to be studied closely
Gelatine is used as an excipient for various pharmaceutical dosage forms, such as capsule shells (both hard and soft),
tablets, suspensions, emulsions and injections (e.g. plasma expanders). It is also broadly used in various industries
such as food and cosmetics. Gelatine is a biopolymer obtained from discarded or unused materials of bovine, porcine,
ovine, poultry and marine industrial farms. The discarded materials can be the skin, tendons, cartilages, bones and
connective tissues. Gelatine sourced from animals is relatively easy and inexpensive to produce. The potential needs of
gelatine cannot be overemphasised. Rising demands, health concerns and religious issues have heightened the need for
alternative sources of gelatine. This review presents the various industrial uses of gelatine and the latest developments
in producing gelatine from various sources.
Heavy reliance on herbicides for goosegrass (Eleusine indica Gaertn.) control has led to the development of paraquat,
glufosinate, fluazifop and/or glyphosate resistance in goosegrass. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of preemergence
herbicide, S-metolachlor-treated oil palm frond powder on inhibition of resistant biotypes of goosegrass
under glasshouse and field conditions. The oil palm frond (OPF) powder was treated with S-metolachlor at its suboptimal
rate and applied as mulch. The herbicide-resistant goosegrass plants were found to be more inhibited when treated
with S-metolachlor-treated OPF mulch at the rate of 12 g ai ha–1 S-metolachlor + 1.5 t ha–1 OPF (with the exception of
the glufosinate-resistant googegrass biotype in the sandy loam soil) compared to the growth of the resistant biotypes
in silty loam soil under glasshouse conditions. Field experiments in an ambarella (Spondias dulcis L.) farm further
showed that OPF -treated with S-metolachlor mulch at the rate of 32.0 g ai ha–1 S-metolachlor + 4.0 t ha–1 OPF provided
great suppression of glyphosate-resistant biotypes of goosegrass with more than 85% reduction of weed density and
biomass, respectively. These results suggested that the residue of OPF have the potential to reduce the application rate
of S-metolachor without compromising on the excellent control obtained in combating these herbicide-resistant biotypes
of goosegrass.
Soft corals are often the research interest organism due to their structural diverse secondary metabolites with wide
spectrum of biological activities range from antibacterial to anticancer potentials. The Borneo Island is rich in diversity
of marine organisms including soft coral. Therefore, a population of Bornean soft coral belongs to genus Nephthea
was collected from Mantanani Island (Sabah, Malaysia) which led to the isolation of a novel norditerpene, chabrolene
(1) together with three known compounds (2-4). The chemical structure of 1 was determined by NMR and HREIMS data.
Compound 1 exhibited repellent activity against the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais.
Tilapia is a popular freshwater fish and among the important cultured fish grown worldwide. In this study, fish protein
hydrolysate was produced from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) by-product (TB) and tilapia muscle (TM) through enzymatic
hydrolysis using alcalase. The TB and TM protein hydrolysates were evaluated for its characteristics in terms of angiotensin
I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity, peptide size distribution, and functional properties. Hydrolysis for 1 h for
TB and TM successfully produced low molecular weight peptides (<14.2kDa) with the highest ACE inhibitory activities.
The findings also demonstrated that both samples have high nitrogen solubility (>80% at pH2-9) and good emulsifying,
water and oil holding capacities. The study indicated that tilapia protein hydrolysates have the potential to be used as
functional food products.
The production of wheat crop is below average in many regions of the world which is ascribed to adverse environmental
conditions including drought stress. The present study was conducted to appraise the beneficial role of exogenouslyapplied
5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on growth, yield and some key physio-biochemical characteristics of two commercially
important wheat cultivars (Shafaq-06 and Uqab-2000) under well watered [100% field capacity (FC)] and water-deficit
(60 and 80% FC) conditions. Imposition of varying water regimes significantly decreased fresh and dry weights of shoots,
photosynthetic pigments (a and b), non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (NPQ), quenching coefficient
for non-photochemical (N) of chlorophyll fluorescence (qN), K+ (potassium ion), Ca2+ (calcium ion) and P (phosphorus)
accumulation in shoot and root and yield-related attributes. In contrast, water deficit regimes caused improvement in
Fv/Fm (chlorophyll fluorescence measurement), coefficient of photochemical quenching (qP), proline, glycinebetaine
(GB) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents. Foliar spray of ALA at the rate of 50, 100 and 150 mg/Lalong with control
(no spray (NS) and/or water spray (WS)) significantly enhanced chlorophyll a and b pigments, qN, NPQ, qP, K+, Ca2+
and P accumulation in both roots and shoots, proline, GB, total phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and
yield. The wheat Shafaq-06 was better in shoot dry weight, qN, NPQ and Fv/Fm, shoot and root K+, root Ca2+, proline,
GB accumulation and yield attributes, while Uqab-2000 was better in chlorophyll a contents, root P and MDA contents.
Overall, better growth and yield of Shafaq-06 than Uqab-2000 under water deficit regimes was found to be associated
with ALA improved leaf fluorescence (qN, NPQ and Fv/Fm), shoot and root K+, root Ca2+, proline and GB accumulation.
RNA-seq has become an essential tool in molecular research. Nevertheless, application of RNA-seq was limited by cost and technical difficulties. Illumina has introduced the cost effective and ease to handle Truseq Targeted RNA Sequencing. In this study, we present the requirements and the optimization procedure for this Truseq Targeted RNA sequencing on cell line. Total RNA was recommended as starting materials but it required optimization including additional purification step and adjusting the AMPure beads ratio to eliminate unwanted contaminants. This can be resolved by using PolyA-enriched mRNA as starting material. TREx is a useful assay to evaluate gene expression. Quality library of TREx can be prepared by adding multiple washing steps or changing input sample to mRNA.
A study was carried out to determine the distribution and behaviour of nitrogen (N) compounds (nitrite, nitrate, ammonia,
dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen) in Sungai Terengganu estuary (TRE). Surface water samples were collected
during ebb neap and spring tides for the longitudinal survey along the salinity gradient. The results indicated that all N
compounds behave non-conservatively with addition during both tidal cycles, except for nitrate which exhibited removal
behaviour during spring tide. In general, higher concentration of N compounds was observed during spring tide compared
to neap tide. It is suggested that during spring tide, stronger water turbulence resulted in resuspension of nutrients in
bottom sediment and lead to the increase in N compounds concentrations in the surface water. The diurnal survey for the
freshwater station showed that the concentrations of N compounds follow the ebb and flood variations, whereas for the
coastal station the reverse trend was observed. Comparisons with a previous study under similar tidal conditions show
there was an increase in nitrite and ammonia concentrations in TRE, which was probably due to increase in discharge
from the rapid development activities around this area. In addition, the presence of a breakwater at the lower part of
the estuary may also contribute to the high nutrient content in the estuary due to restricted outflow of nutrients to the
coastal area. Overall, the results from this study highlighted the importance of monitoring the N compounds for future
protection of the estuary.
Kajian anatomi rizom dan stip telah dijalankan ke atas empat spesies Pleocnemia yang terdapat di Semenanjung Malaysia
iaitu P. irregularis, P. conjugata, P. hemiteliiformis dan P. olivacea untuk mengkaji variasi ciri yang terdapat pada rizom
dan stip ini. Kajian ini melibatkan keratan rentas stip dan rizom dengan menggunakan mikrotom gelongsor. Ciri anatomi
stip seperti bentuk luaran, corak kehadiran sel sklerenkima di bawah epidermis, jenis dan bentuk stel dan ciri anatomi
rizom seperti kehadiran sel rembes tanin dan kehadiran serta jenis trikom pada sesetengah spesies boleh digunakan untuk
pengecaman spesies. Ciri sepunya bagi spesies Pleocnemia yang dikaji ialah kehadiran sel sklerenkima mengelilingi stel
dan di bawah lapisan sel epidermis, stel jenis kompleks serta stel bagi kesemua spesies kajian berbentuk protostel primitif
(bulat). Antara ciri diagnosis yang ditemui dalam kajian ini ialah bentuk luaran stip, bilangan lapisan skelerenkima
di bawah epidermis, kehadiran sel rembes tanin bagi spesies P. irregularis dan P. hemiteliiformis serta kehadiran jenis
trikom yang berbeza dalam keempat-empat spesies. Ciri diagnosis ini adalah ciri yang baik untuk pengecaman spesies
kajian. Keputusan kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa ciri anatomi stip dan rizom mempunyai nilai taksonomi dalam genus
Pleocnemia dan boleh digunakan sebagai data sokongan untuk pengecaman dan pembezaan spesies.