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A comparison between ice and salt storages on bacteriological quality of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer)

Rahman MM, Nasrun M, Hossain MY, Aa'zamuddin M

Pak J Biol Sci, 2012 Jun 15;15(12):583-8.
PMID: 24191620

The study compares the bacteriological quality on Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) between ice and salt storage methods. The main objectives of the study were to identify different bacteria constituents and quantitative bacterial load in Asian seabass when preserved with ice and sea salt. For the purpose of this study, Asian seabass was stored in two different conditions of ice-chilled and salted for 2 days. All fish samples were analyzed by performing bacteriological analysis and the isolated bacteria were identified by using API identification system. In case of the quantity of bacteria in the flesh, Chilling and salting had no significant difference to the quantity of bacteria on fish flesh. As for the skin, salt-preserved fish showed higher quantity of bacteria than ice-preserved fish. Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas fluorescens had been identified from skin sample of ice-chilled fish. Besides P. fluorescens and A. baumannii other isolates identified include Vibrio and Myxobacteria. All bacteria were cocci-shaped except a few bacilli. In term of bacteria number and morphological characteristics, ice-chilled preserved fish was better than salt preserved fish. Overall, less number of bacteria was observed in both ice-chilled and sea salt preserved fish. The result of this study indicated that the quick preservation is a very important factor to control bacterial load in the preserved fish.
Fulltext Antimicrobial compounds from leaf extracts of Jatropha curcas, Psidium guajava, and Andrographis paniculata

Rahman MM, Ahmad SH, Mohamed MT, Ab Rahman MZ

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:635240.
PMID: 25250382 DOI: 10.1155/2014/635240

The present research was conducted to discover antimicrobial compounds in methanolic leaf extracts of Jatropha curcas and Andrographis paniculata and ethanolic leaf extract of Psidium guajava and the effectiveness against microbes on flower preservative solution of cut Mokara Red orchid flowers was evaluated. The leaves were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of nine, 66, and 29 compounds were identified in J. curcas, P. guajava, and A. paniculata leaf extracts, with five (88.18%), four (34.66%), and three (50.47%) having unique antimicrobial compounds, respectively. The experimental design on vase life was conducted using a completely randomized design with 10 replications. The flower vase life was about 6 days in the solution containing the P. guajava and A. paniculata leaf extracts at 15 mg/L. Moreover, solution with leaf extracts of A. paniculata had the lowest bacterial count compared to P. guajava and J. curcas. Thus, these leaf extracts revealed the presence of relevant antimicrobial compounds. The leaf extracts have the potential as a cut flower solution to minimize microbial populations and extend flower vase life. However, the activities of specific antimicrobial compounds and double or triple combination leaf extracts to enhance the effectiveness to extend the vase life need to be tested.
Fulltext Heavy metals phyto-assessment in commonly grown vegetables: water spinach (I. aquatica) and okra (A. esculentus)

Ng CC, Rahman MM, Boyce AN, Abas MR

Springerplus, 2016;5:469.
PMID: 27119073 DOI: 10.1186/s40064-016-2125-5

The growth response, metal tolerance and phytoaccumulation properties of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) were assessed under different contaminated spiked metals: control, 50 mg Pb/kg soil, 50 mg Zn/kg soil and 50 mg Cu/kg soil. The availability of Pb, Zn and Cu metals in both soil and plants were detected using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentration and accumulation of heavy metals from soil to roots and shoots (edible parts) were evaluated in terms of translocation factor, accumulation factor and tolerance index. Okra recorded the highest accumulation of Pb (80.20 mg/kg) in its root followed by Zn in roots (35.70 mg/kg) and shoots (34.80 mg/kg) of water spinach, respectively. Different accumulation trends were observed with, Pb > Zn > Cu in okra and Zn > Pb > Cu in water spinach. Significant differences (p
Effects of Different Soil Amendments on Mixed Heavy Metals Contamination in Vetiver Grass

Ng CC, Boyce AN, Rahman MM, Abas MR

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 2016 Nov;97(5):695-701.
PMID: 27655078

Three different types of low cost soil amendments, namely, EDTA, elemental S and N-fertilizer, were investigated with Vetiver grass, Vetiveria zizanioides (Linn.) Nash growing under highly mixed Cd-Pb contamination conditions. A significant increase (p
Fulltext Mesoporous Carbon: A Versatile Material for Scientific Applications

Rahman MM, Ara MG, Alim MA, Uddin MS, Najda A, Albadrani GM, et al.

Int J Mol Sci, 2021 Apr 26;22(9).
PMID: 33925852 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094498

Mesoporous carbon is a promising material having multiple applications. It can act as a catalytic support and can be used in energy storage devices. Moreover, mesoporous carbon controls body's oral drug delivery system and adsorb poisonous metal from water and various other molecules from an aqueous solution. The accuracy and improved activity of the carbon materials depend on some parameters. The recent breakthrough in the synthesis of mesoporous carbon, with high surface area, large pore-volume, and good thermostability, improves its activity manifold in performing functions. Considering the promising application of mesoporous carbon, it should be broadly illustrated in the literature. This review summarizes the potential application of mesoporous carbon in many scientific disciplines. Moreover, the outlook for further improvement of mesoporous carbon has been demonstrated in detail. Hopefully, it would act as a reference guidebook for researchers about the putative application of mesoporous carbon in multidimensional fields.
Fulltext The relevant intervention strategies for improving medication adherence of diabetic patients

Akoi C, Rahman MM, Abdullah MS

Int J Public Health Res, 2013;3(1):236-240.
MyJurnal

Medication adherence is very important for the effective treatment or control of various health problems, including chronic disease like diabetes mellitus (DM). However, medication non-adherence among diabetic patients on follow-up treatment is still a global health problem. This study aimed to identify factors associated with medication adherence and to determine methods on how it could be improved. A cross-sectional study was conducted on medication adherence among Malays, Iban and Melanau ethnic groups in Kota Samarahan and Sarikei, Sarawak using the Health Belief Model framework. Interviews with questionnaires, which were tested for its validity and reliability using the Cronbach’s Alpha, were conducted to collect data on the respondent’s socio-demographic and economic characteristics, and health beliefs of 442 respondents. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0 for frequency distribution, measures of central tendencies, significance testing and logistic regression. The medication adherence rates were low in terms of all the treatment indicators such as amount of medication (31.7%), frequency (38.9%), duration (26%), and follow-up treatment (24.2%). The respondent’s socio-economic and economic characteristics have statistically significant association with medication adherence. The respondents adhered towards medication because they believed in its benefits. They also took their medication because they believed in the severity of DM and their susceptibility to its serious complications. The cues to action (medication taking) such as worrying about their socio-economic well-being, effectiveness of medication, and health campaign on diabetic control have influenced medication adherence. However, forgetfulness, distance of clinic, and costs of transport have caused medication non-adherence. The respondent's health beliefs in the benefits of taking medication, perceived severity and susceptibility to DM and its serious complications have contributed towards medication adherence. Their concerns about the socio-economic well-being, effectiveness of medication, and health campaign on diabetic control were positive cues to medication taking behavior. Therefore, modifying the respondent's related health beliefs and reinforcing the positive cues to actions are the relevant intervention strategies that could be used in improving medication adherence among diabetic patients.
Fulltext Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Dosage Based on Body Weight Enhances Ovulatory Responses and Subsequent Embryo Production in Goats

Rahman MR, Rahman MM, Wan Khadijah WE, Abdullah RB

Asian-Australas J Anim Sci, 2014 Sep;27(9):1270-4.
PMID: 25178370 DOI: 10.5713/ajas.2013.13786

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of porcine follicle stimulating hormone (pFSH) dosage based on body weight (BW) on ovarian responses of crossbred does. Thirty donor does were divided into 3 groups getting pFSH dosages of 3, 5, and 8 mg pFSH per kg BW, respectively, and were named as pFSH-3, pFSH-5 and pFSH-8, respectively. Estrus was synchronized by inserting a controlled internal drug release (CIDR) device and a single injection of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α). The pFSH treatments were administered twice a day through 6 decreasing dosages (25, 25, 15, 15, 10, and 10% of total pFSH amount; decreasing daily). Ovarian responses were evaluated on Day 7 after CIDR removal. After CIDR removal, estrus was observed 3 times in a day and pFSH treatments were initiated at 2 days before the CIDR removal. All does in pFSH-5 and pFSH-8 showed estrus signs while half of the does in pFSH-3 showed estrus signs. No differences (p>0.05) were observed on the corpus luteum and total ovarian stimulation among the treatment groups, while total and transferable embryos were higher (p<0.05) in pFSH-5 (7.00 and 6.71) than pFSH-3 (3.00 and 2.80) and pFSH-8 (2.00 and 1.50), respectively. In conclusion, 5 mg pFSH per kg BW dosage gave a higher number of embryos than 3 and 8 mg pFSH per kg BW dosages. The results indicated that the dosage of pFSH based on BW is an important consideration for superovulation in goats.
Feeding soywaste or pellet on performance and carcass characteristics of post-weaning kids

Rahman MM, Khadijah WE, Abdullah RB

Trop Anim Health Prod, 2016 Aug;48(6):1287-90.
PMID: 27116608 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-016-1065-y

Twelve Jermasia kids were individually housed in pens to study the effects of soywaste on growth performance and carcass characteristics and to compare such effects with commercial pellet. Kids were divided into a pellet group and a soywaste group, including six kids (3 males and 3 females) in each group. Pellet or soywaste was offered to kids at a rate of 2.0 % dry matter (DM) of body weight/day in addition to Napier grass ad libitum. In last 10 days of experiment, kids were housed in metabolism crates for faeces collection. At the end of the experiment, three males from each group were slaughtered. Kids fed soywaste diet consumed more grass and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) than those fed pellet. The same trend was found for the digestibilities of DM, organic matter (OM) and NDF. Conversely, kids fed soywaste diet consumed less soywaste supplement than kids fed pellet. No treatment effects were observed on total intakes of DM, OM and crude protein (CP) including CP digestibility. Similarly, no effects were found on carcass and non-carcass components, except for lean, lean to fat ratio and kidney weight which were higher for kids fed soywaste diet. Results indicate that soywaste is effective as a feed for growing kids.
Moving from long case to scenario-based clinical examination: Proposals for making it feasible

Puthiaparampil T, Rahman MM, Shazrina AR, Nariman S, Lukas S, Chai CS, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2022 Nov;77(6):724-729.
PMID: 36448391

INTRODUCTION: Our faculty used one long case (LC) and three short cases for the clinical component of the final professional examinations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the LC had to be replaced with scenario-based clinical examination (SBCE) due to the impracticability of using recently hospitalised patients. While keeping the short case component as usual, the LC had to be replaced with SBCE in 2020 for the first time at a short notice. To evaluate the positive and negative aspects of SBCE and LC to determine the feasibility of replacing LC with SBCE in future examinations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the LC scores of three previous years with those of the SBCE and studied the feedback of the three stakeholders: students, examiners, and simulated patients (SPs), regarding their experience with SBCE and the suitability of SBCE as an alternative for LC in future examinations.
RESULTS: The SBCE scores were higher than those of the LC. Most of the examiners and students were not in favour of SBCE replacing LC, as such. The SPs were more positive about the proposition. The comments of the three stakeholders brought out the plus and minus points of LC and SBCE, which prompted our proposals to make SBCE more practical for future examinations.
CONCLUSION: Having analysed the feedback of the stakeholders, and the positive and negative aspects of LC and SBCE, it was evident that SBCE needed improvements. We have proposed eight modifications to SBCE to make it a viable alternative for LC.
Fulltext Application of Rapid Biological Indicators Coupled With Auto-Reader for the Quality Assurance of Surgical Instruments After Sterilization at a Cardiac Hospital in Bangladesh

Zaman SU, Sadia I, Yasmin N, Islam KN, Rahman MM, Haq A, et al.

Cureus, 2021 Nov;13(11):e19428.
PMID: 34926019 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.19428

Background Sterilization failure is one of the main reasons for surgical site infections (SSIs). The biological indicator (BI) test is the most reliable test to check sterilization efficiencies. But 48 hours BI test result makes the monitoring process time-consuming. Rapid BI testing can be time demanding in this regard. Therefore, the objective is to determine the importance of rapid BI monitoring for the quality assurance of sterile surgical instruments. Methods This study was conducted in the Labaid Cardiac Hospital, Bangladesh from April 1, 2021, to July 8, 2021. A total of 100 steam and 100 ethylene oxide (EO) rapid BIs and an auto reader incubator were used to conduct this research. Quick BI of steam and EO were used once per day and tested by the auto reader. Later, all the tested BIs were incubated for 48 hours by a conventional incubator to confirm the auto reader's rapid BI test results. Result All the EO BI results were found negative, but the BI was found positive twice in steam sterilization. Surgical items of those two loads were re-sterilized. Again, after checking the BI result, the items were released. All BIs except positive steam rapid BIs were found with no growth after 48 hours of incubation for cross-checking of auto reader results. In positive rapid BI of steam, growth was found after 48 hours of incubation. Conclusion When sterilization failure occurred, process recall could not be possible at that time if rapid BI tests were not performed. So, integration of a rapid BI test with an auto reader can save the patient from critical SSI.
Effect of palm kernel cake as protein source in a concentrate diet on intake, digestibility and live weight gain of goats fed Napier grass

Rahman MM, Abdullah RB, Wan Embong WK, Nakagawa T, Akashi R

Trop Anim Health Prod, 2013 Mar;45(3):873-8.
PMID: 23096766 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-012-0300-4

The effects of palm kernel cake (PKC) as a protein source in a concentrate diet (comprising 35 % crushed maize, 30 % rice bran, 32 % PKC, 2 % vitamin mineral premix and 1 % salt) were examined on intake, live weight (LW) gain and digestibility in female goats (average LW of 12.4 ± 2.6 kg). Four goats were randomly allocated to each of the four treatment diets: (a) Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) offered ad libitum (T1), (b) T1 + concentrate at 0.5 % of LW (T2), (c) T1 + concentrate at 1.0 % of LW (T3) and (d) T1 + concentrate at 2.0 % of LW (T4). A 7-day digestibility trial and an 82-day growth experiment were conducted. No differences were observed among diets for intakes of roughage dry matter (DM), total DM, organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF). The crude protein (CP) intake increased (P 0.05) among treatments. The digestibility of dietary NDF decreased (P 0.05) difference between T2 and T3 diets. Supplementing a basal diet of Napier grass with PKC-based concentrate improved CP intake and LW gain. The PKC-based concentrate diet can therefore be exploited for the use of local feed resources for goat production; however, further research is required to achieve the best growth response.
Fulltext Short-term grazing behavior of cattle under indoor housing for a new-bred tetraploid ruzigrass (Brachiaria ruziziensis Germain et Everard)

Ishigaki G, Nitthaisong P, Prasojo YS, Kobayashi I, Fukuyama K, Rahman MM, et al.

Asian-Australas J Anim Sci, 2018 May;31(5):748-754.
PMID: 29059721 DOI: 10.5713/ajas.17.0543

OBJECTIVE: The preference evaluation of cattle is an important factor for estimation and improvement of the grazing amounts of newly introduced or bred grasses or cultivars in barn. This study was performed to assess the grazing behavior (the amount of grazing and/or the grazing speed) of cattle as indirect method using newly bred Brachiaria ruziziensis tetraploid strain 'OKI-1'(BR) hay as treatment group and Cloris gayana 'Callide' (CG) hay as control group. It also compared the feasibility of using behavioral differences between two groups as one criteria for evaluating preference by Japanese black cattle in barn.
METHODS: Three experiments were carried out using 12 growing Japanese Black cattle including 6 males and 6 females. In each experiment, the four Japanese Black cattle (2 males and 2 females) were placed in separated stall and allowed to graze BR and CG in manger that was separated into two portions for about 30 min. The position and behavior of the cattle were recorded, and weighed the residual of each gay at 15 and 30 minutes after experiment start.
RESULTS: The BR was superior to CG in chemical composition such as protein, fibers and non-fibrous carbohydrate. The cattle, over all, tended to prefer BR over CG in the first half 15 minutes in terms of the time spent and amount of grazing. Additionally, growing cattle exhibited neophilia for BR bred newly.
CONCLUSION: These findings indicated the current approach could be applied for one of criteria to evaluate the preference of hay by Japanese black cattle under indoor housing environment.
Replacement of soybean meal with levels of inclusion of soya waste in the diet of growing goats

Rahman MM, Abdullah RB, Mat KB, Ishigaki G, Nor MM, Akashi R

Trop Anim Health Prod, 2020 Nov;52(6):3085-3090.
PMID: 32564217 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-020-02330-6

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of replacing soybean meal with soya waste at different levels on intake, digestibility and growth in goats. Eighteen male goat kids with initial body weight (BW) of 13.0 kg were distributed equally to three dietary groups. They were fed Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and concentrate mixture, and each goat was assigned to an individual pen. Soybean meal in the concentrate mixture was replaced with soya waste at 0% (T1), 50% (T2) and 100% (T3) levels in respective dietary groups. These diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Results showed that animals fed T3 diet exhibited higher Napier grass intake than those fed T1 or T2 diet. There was no influence on total intakes of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), metabolic BW, per cent BW and metabolisable energy by the dietary groups. However, there was an increasing trend on intake and digestibility of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) with increasing levels of soya waste in the diets. Animals fed T3 diet showed higher intake and digestibility of NDF than those fed T1 diet. There was no influence of the dietary groups on digestibilities of DM, OM and CP. Similarly, there was no effect of them on the final BW, total BW gain, daily BW gain, feed conversion ratio and feed cost. Soya waste can replace 100% soybean meal in diets for growing goats, because no change was observed in nutrient intake, digestibility and growth performance; inclusion of soya waste enhanced the intake and digestibility of NDF.
A review of okara (soybean curd residue) utilization as animal feed: Nutritive value and animal performance aspects

Rahman MM, Mat K, Ishigaki G, Akashi R

Anim Sci J, 2021 Dec;92(1):e13594.
PMID: 34289204 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13594

Year by year, huge quantities of by-products are generated during the manufacturing process of soybean-based products. Okara is one of the by-products, and it is an insoluble portion of the soybean. It consists of high moisture (8.4-22.9%); on dry matter basis, it contains high metabolizable energy (9.0-14.2 MJ/kg) and other components that include crude protein (20.9-39.1%), crude fiber (12.2-61.3%), crude fat (4.9-21.5%), and ash (3.4-5.3%). Fermentation of okara improves its nutritional quality and reduces its anti-nutrient contents. Due to animals' palatability, okara can be used to replace the soybean meal/concentrate feed partially or completely in ruminant's diet and partially in nonruminant's diet. Okara feeding does not depress the intake, digestibility, growth, milk production, blood metabolic profiles, and meat quality of animals. However, this by-product decays quickly due to its high moisture content, and its heavy weight and sticky nature make it difficult to process and expensive to dry using conventional methods. This paper thoroughly summarizes the utilization of okara as animal feed in the cause of developing a general guideline with favorable levels of inclusion in the diets of animals for its exploitation and valorization. This review will encourage further research to develop eco-friendly and value added feed for animals.
Fulltext Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Polymer Adsorption Reduction on Marcellus Shale

Al-Hajri S, Negash BM, Rahman MM, Haroun M, Al-Shami TM

ACS Omega, 2021 Nov 09;6(44):29537-29546.
PMID: 34778625 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c03653

Polymers play a major role in developing rheology of fracturing fluids for multistage hydraulic fracturing horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs. Reducing the amount of polymer adsorbed in the shale formation is essential to maintain the polymer efficiency. In this study, the ability of silica nanoparticles to minimize polymer adsorption in Marcellus shale formation at reservoir temperature was investigated. Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide polymers of varying molecular weights (1-12 MD), salinities (2500-50,000 ppm), polymer concentrations (100-2000 ppm), and silica nanoparticle concentrations (0.01-0.1 w/w) were used in the static adsorption experiments. Adsorption of the polymer in the Marcellus shale samples was contrasted with and without the silica nanoparticles at a Marcellus formation reservoir temperature of 65 °C, showing a significant polymer adsorption reduction of up to 50%. The adsorption and adsorption reduction were more sensitive to the variation of the polymer concentration than to the variation of the salinity within the tested conditions. The highest adsorptions were reported at the higher molecular weight of 10-12 MD. In addition, silica nanoparticles significantly improved polymer rheology at elevated temperatures. The results indicate that nanoparticles can play a significant role in reducing polymer adsorption in the fracturing fluid and improve its rheological properties and its efficiency, which will reduce the number of issues caused by the polymers in the fracturing fluid and making it more cost effective.
Fulltext Electrodeposition of Polypyrrole and Reduced Graphene Oxide onto Carbon Bundle Fibre as Electrode for Supercapacitor

Abdul Bashid HA, Lim HN, Kamaruzaman S, Abdul Rashid S, Yunus R, Huang NM, et al.

Nanoscale Res Lett, 2017 Dec;12(1):246.
PMID: 28381070 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-017-2010-3

A nanocomposite comprising of polypyrrole and reduced graphene oxide was electrodeposited onto a carbon bundle fibre (CBF) through a two-step approach (CBF/PPy-rGO-2). The CBF/PPy-rGO-2 had a highly porous structure compared to a nanocomposite of polypyrrole and reduced graphene oxide that was electrodeposited onto a CBF in a one-step approach (CBF/PPy-rGO), as observed through a field emission scanning electron microscope. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis revealed the presence of hydrogen bond between the oxide functional groups of rGO and the amine groups of PPy in PPy-rGO-2 nanocomposite. The fabricated CBF/PPy-rGO-2 nanocomposite material was used as an electrode material in a symmetrical solid-state supercapacitor, and the device yielded a specific capacitance, energy density and power density of 96.16 F g(- 1), 13.35 Wh kg(- 1) and of 322.85 W kg(- 1), respectively. Moreover, the CBF/PPy-rGO-2 showed the capacitance retention of 71% after 500 consecutive charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 1 A g(- 1). The existence of a high degree of porosity in CBF/PPy-rGO-2 significantly improved the conductivity and facilitated the ionic penetration. The CBF/PPy-rGO-2-based symmetrical solid-state supercapacitor device demonstrated outstanding pliability because the cyclic voltammetric curves remained the same upon bending at various angles. Carbon bundle fibre modified with porous polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for flexible miniature solid-state supercapacitor.
Fulltext Electric-Field-Coupled Resonator Antenna for 5G Applications

Rahman MM, Islam MS, Islam MT, Alam T

Materials (Basel), 2022 Jul 29;15(15).
PMID: 35955182 DOI: 10.3390/ma15155247

In this paper, a compact wideband patch antenna comprising a modified electric-field-coupled resonator with parasitic elements is presented. The resonance at low frequency is achieved due to the electric field polarization along the split of the conventional LC (inductive-capacitive) structure. However, this antenna gives low bandwidth as well as low gain. Some evolutionary techniques are adopted to get a compact wideband antenna at 3GPP bands of 5G. The split width and the ground plane are modified to achieve enhanced bandwidth with good impedance matching, whereas the addition of the parasitic elements on both sides of the microstrip feed line enhances the gain with a slight reduction of bandwidth. The compact dimension of the proposed antenna is 0.26 λL × 0.26 λL × 0.017 λL, where λL is the free space wavelength at the lowest frequency. A prototype of the presented design is fabricated and measured. Measurement shows that the antenna has an operating bandwidth of 19.74% for |S11| < −10 dB where the gain of 1.15 dBi is realized. In addition, the radiation pattern is omnidirectional in the horizontal plane and dumbbell shaped in the elevation plane. The cross-polarization levels in both planes are less than −12 dB.
TaqMan probe real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the quantification of canine DNA in chicken nugget

Rahman MM, Hamid SB, Basirun WJ, Bhassu S, Rashid NR, Mustafa S, et al.

Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess, 2016;33(1):10-8.
PMID: 26458055 DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2015.1104558

This paper describes a short-amplicon-based TaqMan probe quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for the quantitative detection of canine meat in chicken nuggets, which are very popular across the world, including Malaysia. The assay targeted a 100-bp fragment of canine cytb gene using a canine-specific primer and TaqMan probe. Specificity against 10 different animals and plants species demonstrated threshold cycles (Ct) of 16.13 ± 0.12 to 16.25 ± 0.23 for canine DNA and negative results for the others in a 40-cycle reaction. The assay was tested for the quantification of up to 0.01% canine meat in deliberately spiked chicken nuggets with 99.7% PCR efficiency and 0.995 correlation coefficient. The analysis of the actual and qPCR predicted values showed a high recovery rate (from 87% ± 28% to 112% ± 19%) with a linear regression close to unity (R(2) = 0.999). Finally, samples of three halal-branded commercial chicken nuggets collected from different Malaysian outlets were screened for canine meat, but no contamination was demonstrated.
Does work-family balance mediate the relationship between work-family conflicts and job satisfaction of academicians?

Rahman MM, Ali NA

J Community Psychol, 2021 03;49(2):361-374.
PMID: 33131092 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22464

Extreme workloads and strict work schedules make an individual cut their time and energy from their family domain, which may create a conflict, and this situation is called Work-Family Conflict (W-FC). Besides this, Work Family Balance (WFB) and Job Satisfaction (JS) issues are significant for academics because they have to play two roles (Job and Family) at the same time. This paper's fundamental objective was to investigate the indirect effect (mediation) of WFB through both forms of W-FC and JS. Following the convenience sampling technique, 250 married academicians from different private universities were considered for the sample size. Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to complete the data analyses. The outcomes of this study showed that out of the two forms, only W to F has significant adverse effects on JS. Also, it was found that to some extent, WFB showed a partial mediating effect only between W to FC and JS, whereas there was no mediating effect through F to WC and JS. These findings will help both academicians and higher authorities of private universities in Bangladesh. The higher authorities and decision-makers of the private universities in Bangladesh can identify the sources of W-FCs and take the necessary steps to mitigate the level of W-FCs.
Fulltext Radionuclides Transfer from Soil to Tea Leaves and Estimation of Committed Effective Dose to the Bangladesh Populace

Absar N, Abedin J, Rahman MM, Miah MH, Siddique N, Kamal M, et al.

Life (Basel), 2021 Mar 27;11(4).
PMID: 33801699 DOI: 10.3390/life11040282

Considering the probable health risks due to radioactivity input via drinking tea, the concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th,40K and 137Cs radionuclides in the soil and the corresponding tea leaves of a large tea plantation were measured using high purity germanium (HPGe) γ-ray spectrometry. Different layers of soil and fresh tea leaf samples were collected from the Udalia Tea Estate (UTE) in the Fatickchari area of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The mean concentrations (in Bq/kg) of radionuclides in the studied soil samples were found to be 34 ± 9 to 45 ± 3 for 226Ra, 50 ± 13 to 63 ± 5 for 232Th, 245 ± 30 to 635 ± 35 for 40K and 3 ± 1 to 10 ± 1 for 137Cs, while the respective values in the corresponding tea leaf samples were 3.6 ± 0.7 to 5.7 ± 1.0, 2.4 ± 0.5 to 5.8 ± 0.9, 132 ± 25 to 258 ± 29 and <0.4. The mean transfer factors for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K from soil to tea leaves were calculated to be 0.12, 0.08 and 0.46, respectively, the complete range being 1.1 × 10-2 to 1.0, in accordance with IAEA values. Additionally, the most popularly consumed tea brands available in the Bangladeshi market were also analyzed and, with the exception of 40K, were found to have similar concentrations to the fresh tea leaves collected from the UTE. The committed effective dose via the consumption of tea was estimated to be low in comparison with the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reference ingestion dose limit of 290 μSv/y. Current indicative tea consumption of 4 g/day/person shows an insignificant radiological risk to public health, while cumulative dietary exposures may not be entirely negligible, because the UNSCEAR reference dose limit is derived from total dietary exposures. This study suggests a periodic monitoring of radiation levels in tea leaves in seeking to ensure the safety of human health.

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