Here, we report of the annotated genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MTB221/11. The organism was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient in Malaysia.
Three static techniques (i.e. Power flow, Continuation Power Flow (CPF) and the Q-V curve) are used to assess the voltage stability of the power grid with a Solar Photovoltaic Generator (SPVG) and FACTS devices under nominal and heavy loading conditions. A static model is proposed for the power system that includes conventional power generation units and SPVGs with FACTS devices. Two models of SPVG were used (i.e., PV-model and PQ-model) to elucidate the effect of the SPVGs on the stability of the voltage under various operating conditions. The best location for FACTS devices was obtained under nominal and heavy load conditions using static techniques. A comparison between series and shunt FACTS devices under nominal and heavy loading conditions was carried out using the three static techniques. The interaction between SPVGs and FACTS devices was detailed in this paper. The proposed approach was tested on the New England 39-bus standard test system, and the results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed approach under various operating conditions.
Aural tick usually menisfests as intolerable otalgia. The severity of pain makes the patient to seek early treatment. Other uncommon symptoms include inner ear dyfunctions such as vertigo and tinnitus. The diagnosis is established by clinical examinaion either by otoscopic evidence of the tick itself, or its fecal remnant. We report a case of patient with acute labyrinthitis features with concurent otoscopic findings of tick fecal material.
This is a report of an annotated genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MTBR1/09. The organism was isolated from a sputum sample from a male patient in Malaysia.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis MTBR2/09 was isolated from a sputum sample from a male patient in Malaysia. This is a report of an annotated genome sequence of M. tuberculosis MTBR2/09.
Globally, countries are developing policies and encouraging the implementation of sustainable energy resources to reduce the harmful effects of fossil fuels on the environment and energy-related CO2 emissions. In 2019, global energy-related CO2 emissions increased by 1.8% to a new high of 33.3 Gt CO2, owing to the increasing energy consumption. The CO₂ emissions are significantly increasing due to continuing increase of Southeast Asian countries. Energy utilization contributes to CO2 emissions on earth because the energy sector produces 32,553.48 MtCO2 of CO2, or about 73% of total CO₂ emissions (WRI, 2019). The power sector alone accounted for approximately two-thirds of the emissions rise, indirectly warming the climate system, earth's temperature, and sea level. As a result, several governments have enacted policies to increase solar energy's share of the energy mix to minimize dependence on fossil fuels and environmental devastation. Therefore, this review paper presents a survey of solar energy policies implemented in Southeast Asian countries, specifically Malaysia, and assesses effective existing solar energy strategies in developed countries. Moreover, the implementation of Net Energy Metering needed for the advancing and widespread use of renewable energy technologies is also reviewed. Malaysia's existing solar energy policies have also been assessed and compared to the selected high-income nations. Lastly, limitations and key challenges of implementing large-scale applications of net energy metering policies are also presented.
The rapid advances in technology and improved living standard of the society necessitate abundant use of fossil fuels which poses two major challenges to any nation. One is fast depletion of fossil fuel resources; the other is environmental pollution. The porous medium combustion (PMC) has proved to be one of the technically and economically feasible options to tackle the aforesaid problems to a remarkable extent. PMC has interesting advantages compared with free flame combustion due to the higher burning rates, the increased power dynamic range, the extension of the lean flammability limits, and the low emissions of pollutants. This article provides a comprehensive picture of the global scenario of research and developments in PMC and its applications that enable a researcher to decide the direction of further investigation. The works published so far in this area are reviewed, classified according to their objectives and presented in an organized manner with general conclusions. A separate section is devoted for the numerical modeling of PMC.
An optical decoding technique is proposed for a spectral-amplitude-coding-optical code division multiple access, namely, the AND subtraction technique. The theory is being elaborated and experimental results have been done by comparing a double-weight code against the existing code, Hadamard. We have proved that the and subtraction technique gives better bit error rate performance than the conventional complementary subtraction technique against the received power level.
We experimentally demonstrate a simple method for generating a multiwavelength Brillouin comb by utilizing a linear cavity of hybrid Brillouin-erbium fiber lasers (BEFLs). The optimization of Brillouin pump wavelength, power, and erbium gain played a significant role in determining the maximum number of Brillouin Stokes signals generated. Simultaneous and stable multiple-wavelength laser output of 22 lines with 10.88-GHz channel spacing has been obtained with good flatness. Various parameters such as 980-nm pump power, Brillouin pump wavelength, and Brillouin pump power that affect the performance of a multiwavelength BEFL system have been investigated. An analysis of the tuning range of the system is presented.
Torrefaction process of biomass material is essential in converting them into biofuel with improved calorific value and physical strength. However, the production of torrefied biomass is loose, powdery, and nonuniform. One method of upgrading this material to improve their handling and combustion properties is by densification into briquettes of higher density than the original bulk density of the material. The effects of critical parameters of briquetting process that includes the type of biomass material used for torrefaction and briquetting, densification temperature, and composition of binder for torrefied biomass are studied and characterized. Starch is used as a binder in the study. The results showed that the briquette of torrefied rubber seed kernel (RSK) is better than torrefied palm oil shell (POS) in both calorific value and compressive strength. The best quality of briquettes is yielded from torrefied RSK at the ambient temperature of briquetting process with the composition of 60% water and 5% binder. The maximum compressive load for the briquettes of torrefied RSK is 141 N and the calorific value is 16 MJ/kg. Based on the economic evaluation analysis, the return of investment (ROI) for the mass production of both RSK and POS briquettes is estimated in 2-year period and the annual profit after payback was approximately 107,428.6 USD.
Preauricular sinus is a common congenital external ear anomaly. It occurs due to the incomplete fusion of hillocks of His of the first and second branchial arches. Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Malaysia, which imposes a major public health problem. It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes chronic, recurrent diseases and poor healing of a wound. Pulmonary TB is the most common form of infection, some manifesting as extrapulmonary TB. We share our experience in managing a series of three patients with recurrent tuberculous preauricular sinus abscesses in different age groups. Testing for acid-fast bacilli is highly advocated in recurrent cases and in extensive infection of preauricular sinuses despite the absence of systemic or pulmonary symptoms. Treatment with anti-tuberculous drugs is commenced, followed by an elective sinus excision once the patient is free from infection to prevent recurrence.
Lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) of salivary glands is a rare malignant salivary gland tumour and demonstrates genetic and regional distribution. It commonly occurs in major salivary gland especially parotid gland. We report a case of LEC of submandibular gland occurring in a 70 year-old lady.