A patient was referred to the Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging Division and the attending dental specialist suspected a foreign object at the anterior region of the maxilla. The region was scanned using Kodak 9000 3D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) extraoral imaging system (Carestream Health, Inc.) to determine the type and morphometric characteristic of foreign object. The CBCT images failed to determine the identity and nature of the foreign object. CBCT images were then exported to the Materialise Interactive Medical Image Control System (Mimics) software to evaluate whether this software can help in enhancing the visualization of the foreign object in the maxillofacial region. The findings showed that there was an improved visualization of the foreign body and the type of the object could be determined with certainty. The object was identified as an endodontic file and was clearly visible when visualized as a reconstructed 3D model in Mimics software. Although the identification of abnormalities has been dramatically improved using 3D scans, the visualization can be further enhanced using image processing software like Mimics.
Proses penyahikatan pelarut telah diterima dengan meluas dalam proses pengacuanan suntikan logam (MIM) berdasarkan kemampuannya meningkatkan proses penyahikatan. Bahan pengikat boleh larut yang dikeluarkan dari jasad anum akan menghasilkan liang-liang yang akan membantu meningkatkan kadar penyahikatan terma. Kertas ini membentangkan pengoptimuman proses penyahikatan pelarut dengan menggunakan kaedah Taguchi. Pengaruh pembolehubah penyahikatan pelarut seperti suhu pelarut, taburan saiz partikel, beban serbuk dan tekanan penyuntikan juga dibincangkan. Dua jenis serbuk SS316L digunakan dalam kajian ini iaitu serbuk pengatoman gas dan pengatoman air. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa suhu pelarut memainkan peranan yang sangat penting dalam proses penyahikatan
pelarut dan menyumbang sebanyak 91.602% (bagi serbuk pengatoman gas) dan 84.978% (bagi serbuk pengatoman air) terhadap kadar pengeluaran bahan pengikat. Bagaimanapun, taburan saiz partikel serbuk hanya menyumbangkan sebanyak 6.638% dan 12.228% bagi serbuk pengatoman gas dan pengatoman air masing-masing terhadap kadar pengeluaran bahan pengikat. Suhu pelarut menunjukkan tahap signifikan yang sangat tinggi iaitu α = 0.005 bagi kedua-dua jenis serbuk tersebut. Walau bagaimanapun, taburan saiz partikel serbuk SS316L menunjukkan tahap signifikan yang sederhana iaitu α = 0.025 dan α = 0.01 bagi kedua-dua padatan serbuk tersebut.
Setiap kejadian semula jadi merupakan rahmat dan memberi kemaslahatan kepada manusia termasuklah pendarahan haid dalam kalangan wanita. Haid merupakan suatu proses yang unik dan terancang yang melibatkan tiga fasa utama iaitu fasa haid, fasa folikel dan fasa luteal. Objektif penyelidikan ini ialah untuk mengkaji dan menghubungkaitkan kebaikan haid daripada perspektif sains dan maqasid syariah. Kajian ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan ulasan literatur secara deskriptif. Kajian mendapati bahawa perubahan hormon, warna darah dan faktor fiziokimia lain memberi kesan terhadap kenormalan kitaran haid. Darah haid juga dikenal pasti mempunyai agen antimikrob terutamanya terhadap bakteria E. coli dan bakteria Gram-negatif lain. Hal ini bertepatan dengan maqasid syariah memelihara jiwa kerana haid mampu juga memelihara kesihatan wanita. Selain itu, kajian lepas menemukan bahawa darah haid terdiri daripada sel stem yang boleh digunakan dalam aktiviti klinikal pada masa akan datang. Maqasid syariah melindungi keturunan juga dapat dilihat dengan kehadiran haid yang sering digunakan bagi menjangkakan waktu subur bagi merancang kehamilan. Hikmah Islam melarang mendekatkan diri (bersetubuh) dengan wanita yang sedang haid adalah satu rahmat yang besar, kerana wanita yang sedang haid biasanya mempunyai kelaziman gejala prahaid (PMS) yang melibatkan isu kesihatan. Oleh itu, haid daripada perspektif sains adalah bertepatan dengan maqasid syariah.
In this study, the pyrG gene which encodes for orotidine 5-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMP decarboxylase) of Aspergillus oryzae strain S1 was cloned and analysed. This 1.8kb A. oryzae pyrG encompasses the 5’-regulatory flanking region (465 bp), open reading frame (899 bp) and 3’-regulatory region (475 bp). The pyrG contained one intron at position 623-687 bp based on the AUGUSTUS and FGENESH (SoftBerry) analysis corresponding to the intron present in the pyrG of A. oryzae (Accession Number: Y13811). In silico analysis showed that the enzyme encoded by the A. oryzae S1 pyrG gene has a theoretical molecular weight of 30.28 kDa and theoretical pI value of 5.92. This enzyme is hydrophilic, located in a region outside of the transmembrane and it functions in the cytoplasm. Five motives such as N-glycosylation site, protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation site, casein kinase II (CK-2) phosphorylation site, N-myristolation site and orotidine 5-monophoshate decarboxylase active site have been identified in the pyrG amino acid sequence. The three dimensional structure of this enzyme generated via protein homology modeling using the bioinformatic software, Swiss Model, shows that OMP decarboxylase is a protein with an α/ß barrel structure possessing 8 ß-strands surrounded by 9 α-helices. The amino acid residues involved in the active site have been identified and it is located on one of the ß-strands. The pyrG DNA sequence will be used for the complementation of a pyrG auxotroph mutant of A. oryzae.
The aim of this project was to investigate the effect of ZnO addition on the structural properties of ZnO-PANi/carbon black thin films. The sol gel method was employed for the preparation of ZnO sol. The sol was dried for 24 h at 100°C and then annealed at 600°C for 5 h. XRD characterization of the ZnO powder showed the formation of wurtzite type ZnO
crystals. The ZnO powder were mixed into PANi/carbon black solution which was dissolved into M-Pyrol, N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidinone (NMP) to produce a composite solution of ZnO-PANi/carbon black. The weight ratio of ZnO were 4 wt%, 6 wt% and 8 wt%. The composite solutions were deposited onto glass substrates using a spin-coating technique to fabricate
ZnO-PANi/carbon black thin films. AFM characterization showed the decreasing of average roughness from 7.98 nm to 2.23 nm with the increment of ZnO addition in PANi/carbon black films. The thickness of the films also decreased from 59.5 nm to 28.3 nm. FESEM image revealed that ZnO-PANi/carbon black thin films have changed into agglomerated
surface morphology resulting in the increment of porosity of the films.
This work is aimed to determine the characteristics of activated carbons derived from palm kernel shell (PKS) by microwave-induced zinc chloride activation for dye removal. Activation was performed in a microwave oven at power intensity of 70% for 10 min. The same procedures were repeated for activation using recycled ZnCl2 solution from the first activation. The activated carbons were characterized according to surface area, morphology, functional groups and batch adsorption. The yield for the first activation was 70.7% with surface area of 858m2/g. It was found that the activated carbon prepared using the recycled ZnCl2 still possesses good surface area for methylene blue removal. The adsorption behaviour of the continuous system was well fitted to and could be satisfactorily described by the Yoon and Nelson model.
Stem cells, also known as mother cells are capable of undergoing both cell division and differentiation. The most primitive stem cells are totipotent cells which are capable of producing a complete organism from one cell. There are two types of haemopoietic stem cells depending on their developmental stages known as embryo and adult haemopoietic stem cells. Studies showed that only 0.01-0.05% of total bone marrow cell population consists of haemopoietic stem cells. This small population of stem cells exists in three different sizes with different characteristics. In addition, the microenvironment which contains various regulatory molecules plays an important role in the differentiation of stem cells into specific adult cells.
[Sel stem juga dikenali sebagai sel induk berupaya untuk menjalani kedua-dua proses pembahagian dan pembezaan sel. Sel stem yang paling primitif iaitu sel totipoten berupaya untuk membentuk satu organisma lengkap daripada satu sel. Sel stem hemopoietik terdiri daripada dua jenis bergantung kepada peringkat perkembangan individu iaitu sel stem hemopoietik embrio dan dewasa. Kajian mendapati hanya 0.01-0.05% daripada keseluruhan populasi sel sumsum tulang berupaya bertindak sebagai sel stem hemopoietik. Daripada julat yang kecil ini sel stem hemopoietik wujud dalam tiga saiz yang mempunyai ciri yang berbeza. Selain daripada itu mikrosekitaran yang mempunyai molekul-molekul regulatori yang berbeza-beza juga memainkan peranan yang penting dalam pembezaan sel stem kepada sel-sel matang yang spesifik].
Planning guidelines are important tools in controlling the development of housing projects in urban and rural areas to ensure sustainable development (a development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations in meet their own needs). Planning guidelines are used by local planning authorities (PBPT) to ensure uniformity, comfort and safety in land use activities to achieve effective housing development projects which meet the needs of the communities and create a comfortable living environment. The local planning authorities have developed a set of planning guidelines to be adhered to in all development projects in Malaysia. The main problem of the existing planning guidelines is that they are prepared in the form of reports which are not user friendly. In order to address this problem, a digital version of planning guidelines called the Public Facilities Guidelines Calculator for Sustainable Housing Development is invented. The main objective of this invention is to develop a digital version of planning guidelines which are more user friendly to help the users in accessing the ‘exact’ information ‘easily’ and in an ‘express’ manner (3E’s). The calculator is hoped to be able to provide assistance to town planners, consultants, land developers, and students in preparing the development layout which fulfils the development requirements for planning permission applications. Additionally, the calculator is expected to ease the job of local authorities in determining whether the proposed development layout is aligned with the planning guidelines so that timely planning permission can be issued.
This study compares the distribution of dissolved nutrients (NO3 − and PO4 3−) between two seasons (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon) in Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu. The concentration of dissolved PO4 3− was found to be 16 to 83 times higher during the postmonsoon period (April 2015) compared to the pre-monsoon period (October 2014). On the other hand, the concentration of dissolved NO3 − was two (2) to three (3) times higher during the post-monsoon period (April 2015) compared to the pre-monsoon period (October 2014). These nutrients’ inputs were converted from P limitation condition during the premonsoon period to N limitation condition during the post-monsoon period at our study area. The results of this study suggest that the Northeast monsoon plays an important role in influencing the distribution of dissolved nutrients between seasons in Pulau Perhentian. It is thought that during the post-monsoon period, a considerable input of nutrients from bottom water is responsible for increasing dissolved nutrients in surface water, in particular PO4 3−.
In this study, the antimicrobial, antioxidant, phytotoxic and phytochemical properties of defatted seeds of Jatropha curcas were evaluated. A crude methanolic extract of defatted seeds was tested against three fungal strains - Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus - and five bacteria: Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Gram negative) and Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive). The methanolic extract was diluted in dimethylsulfoxide to final concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg/10 mL. The largest zones of inhibition against K. pneumoniae, M. luteus and B. subtilis were achieved using the concentration of 5 mg/10 mL. The concentration of 1 mg/10 mL was most effective against S. aureus and E. coli. In a 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylahydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, the 5 mg/10 mL concentration of the Jatropha seed extract showed the strongest activity. Higher concentrations of the Jatropha seed extract (10 mg/50 mL and 5 mg/50 mL) significantly inhibited the germination of radish seeds and had negative effects on radish seedling relative water content, shoot length, root length, seedling fresh weight and seedling dry weight (p<0.05). Phytochemical analyses of the defatted seeds detected alkaloids (7.3%), flavonoids (0.39%) and soluble phenolics (mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract). Based on these results, it was inferred that J. curcas seeds contain active ingredients that are effective against pathogenic microbes and therefore could be used to formulate drugs to treat various diseases.
This paper delves into the problem of mixed convection boundary layer flow from a horizontal circular cylinder filled in
a Jeffrey fluid with viscous dissipation effect. Both cases of cooled and heated cylinders are discussed. The governing
equations which have been converted into a dimensionless form using the appropriate non-dimensional variables are solved
numerically through the Keller-box method. A comparative study is performed and authentication of the present results
with documented outcomes from formerly published works is excellently achieved. Tabular and graphical representations
of the numerical results are executed for the specified distributions, considering the mixed convection parameter, Jeffrey
fluid parameters and the Prandtl and Eckert numbers. Interestingly, boundary layer separation for mixed convection
parameter happens for some positive (assisting flow) and negative (opposing flow) values. Strong assisting flow means
the cylinder is heated, which causes the delay in boundary layer separation, whereas strong opposing flow means the
cylinder is cooled, which conveys the separation point close to the lower stagnation point. Contradictory behaviours
of both Jeffrey fluid parameters are observed over the velocity and temperature profiles together with the skin friction
coefficient and Nusselt number. The increase of the Prandtl number leads to the decrement of the temperature profile,
while the increase of the Eckert number results in the slight increment of the skin friction coefficient and decrement of
the Nusselt number. Both velocity and temperature profiles of Eckert number show no effects at the lower stagnation
point of the cylinder.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2
) with various morphologies has been successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method
at 150o
C for 10 h using titanium butoxide (TBOT) as a precursor, deionized (DI) water and hydrochloric acid (HCl) on
a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The influences of HCl volume on structural and morphological properties
of TiO2
have been studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM),
respectively. The result showed that several morphologies such as microsphere, microrods, nanorods and nanoflowers
were obtained by varying the volume of hydrochloric acid. The crystallinity of titanium dioxide enhanced with the
increasing of hydrochloric acid volume.
Makanan dan minuman yang halal dan baik merupakan tuntutan dalam Islam. Pada zaman serba moden ini, timbul
kebimbangan terhadap status halal plasma darah yang digunakan secara meluas terutamanya dalam industri makanan.
Objektif penyelidikan ini ialah untuk mengkaji kegunaan, kebaikan dan keburukan plasma darah serta pandangan ulama
mengenai isu ini. Kajian ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan ulasan kepustakaan secara deskriptif. Kajian mendapati
bahawa plasma darah mempunyai kemampuan melarut dan pengemulsi yang tinggi, kelikatan yang rendah serta
kemampuan untuk membentuk gel yang kuat. Selain itu, plasma darah boleh menambah baik tekstur dan menjadi pengikat
dalam penghasilan produk makanan moden. Ia juga merupakan alternatif protein yang murah bagi pengganti lemak dalam
penghasilan produk daging rendah lemak. Walau bagaimanapun, kajian mendapati plasma darah mengandungi pelbagai
mikroorganisma dan hasilan metabolisme yang berkemungkinan merbahaya akibat daripada toksin dan protein darah.
Kini, terdapat pelbagai kaedah pengesanan yang boleh dijalankan untuk mengesan plasma darah dalam makanan bagi
menentukan status halal. Terdapat dua pandangan berkenaan hukum penggunaan plasma darah, pandangan pertama
bersependapat, penggunaan plasma darah dalam produk makanan adalah harus jika telah berlaku proses istihalah
yang sempurna. Manakala pandangan kedua, mengharamkan plasma darah kerana ia adalah proses tidak sempurna
(istihalah fasidah). Oleh itu, penentuan hukum terhadap istihalah dalam penghasilan plasma darah mestilah menepati
kehendak syariat Islam di samping memastikan hukum berkaitan isu ini tidak ketinggalan zaman.
Phalaenopsis bellina is an important indigenous fragrant orchid threatened with extinction. In this study, we evaluated
the effect of medium strength, sucrose, nitrogen (NH4
NO3
) and potato extract on proliferation of P. bellina protocormlike
bodies (PLBs) to improve micropropagation in this species. Optimal treatment for PLBs proliferation rate with an
average fresh weight (FW) of 0.97±0.16 g was obtained through culturing on half strength (½) MS medium containing
20 g/L sucrose, 15 mM NH4
NO3
and 20% w/v potato extract supplemented with 0.8 µM 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
(2,4-D). The optimal treatment produced large, healthy and greenish PLBs with reduction in the occurrence of culture
browning. In contrast, treatments with high potato extract (>20% w/v) or NH4
NO3
(>30 mM) concentrations tend to
have inhibitory effect and resulted in low PLBs proliferation rate, with an average FW of 0.77±0.15 g and 0.69±0.15 g,
respectively. Plant regeneration of PLBs was achieved on plant growth regulator (PGR)-free ½ MS medium. In total, 60
healthy PLBs from the optimal treatment were successfully regenerated, acclimatized with 100% survival percentage and
grew well in a mixture of soil, sand and vermicompost (8:4:2 (w/w/w)). With the optimal treatment, PLBs proliferation
rate was enhanced by 27.63%. Our findings offer an improved micropropagation protocol of the endangered P. bellina
for conservation and commercial production.
Glycerol, the main by-product in biodiesel manufacturing, is a useful and environment-friendly solvent for many organic
and inorganic substrates. This study investigates the effects of soaking using glycerol, silicone oil, dimethyl sulfoxide
(DMSO) and Organosolv (1:1 water: ethanol) on energy consumption in the process of grinding kempas wood and on
the particle size of ground kempas. Kempas wood chips were soaked in various solvents at 90°C for 1 h. The structural
characterisation of untreated and treated kempas was analysed using CHNS, ATR-FTIR and XRD. Meanwhile, the grinding
energy was calculated based on power per unit time while particle size was analysed using nested column sieves. Glycerol
has high stability, good compatibility with other chemicals and is environmentally friendly. Glycerol-soaked kempas
consumed less energy which led to energy saving of up to 0.015 W h and exhibited the smallest average particle size
(263 µm) close to that of untreated kempas due to glycerol lubricating properties. Therefore, glycerol can be used as
an alternative to conventional solvents in reducing the grinding energy consumption and particle size of lignocellulosic
biomass.
The limitation of self-repair and proliferation capacity of chondrocytes in cartilage reconstruction lead to alternative
search of cell source that can improve the auricular regeneration. Human adipose-derived stem cells (HADSC) are an
alternative cell source that have unique characteristics to self-renew and differentiate into various tissues making it
suitable for cell therapy and tissue engineering. This study aimed to examine the chondrogenic differentiation potential of
(HADSC) in monolayer culture by the presence of different transforming growth factor beta’s, TFG-β1, -β2 and -β3. HADSC
at passage 3 (1.5 × 105 cell/mL) were cultured in chondrogenic medium containing 5 ng/mL of different transforming
growth factor beta’s, TFG-β1, -β2 and -β3 for 7, 14 and 21 days. Data analysis was evaluated based on the growth
rate of cells, cells morphological changed, production of collagen type II and glycosaminoglycan sulphate (sGAG). The
quantitative RT-PCR was carried out to determine the chondrogenic, fibrogenic and hypertrophic gene expression levels.
Differentiation of HADSC into chondrocytes using TFG-β indicates the occurrence of the chondrogenesis process. The best
chondrogenic differentiation was observed in HADSC induced by TFG-β3 through the chondrocytes-like cells morphology
with cells aggregation and high production of proteoglycan matrices compared to other TGF-βs groups. Additionally,
the expression of chondrocytes-specific genes such as Type II collagen, Aggrecan core protein, Elastin and Sox 9 was
high. In conclusion, this study has showed that TGF-β3 is the potential growth factor in producing chondrogenic cells
for auricular cartilage tissue engineering.
Interleukin 31 (IL-31)is one of the cytokines which appears to be an important regulator of Th2 responses. Previous study has been done to determine IL-31 serums levels in atopic dermatitis (AD). However, the serum levels of IL-31 in allergic rhinitis (AR) and atopic asthma (AA) is not many reported and still unclear. The objective of this cross sectional study is to determine an association between IL-31 and other predisposing factors with allergic diseases in HRPZ II (Hospital Raja PerempuanZainab II) and HUSM (Hospital UniversitiSains), Kelantan, Malaysia. This study involved 70 patients of AD, 70 patients of AR, 70 patients of AA and 70 healthy controls from staffs and people in HUSM.Five milliliters of blood were withdrawn and centrifuged for 5 minutes at 2000 rpm to obtain the serum and analyzed for IL-31 levels by using enzymelinked immunosorbent (ELISA) kits (Human IL 31 Duoset, R&D System). Simple and multiple logistic regressions were used to analyze the association between IL-31 levels and predisposing factors among allergic diseases. The levels of IL-31 and other predisposing factors showed significant associations in smoking status, occupational exposure and area of living for AD and AR, however in AA, the significant association only found in smoking status and occupational exposure. In conclusion, we found that there were associations between IL-31 serum levels and other predisposing factors with AD, AR and AA. The findings can be the pilot study to determine IL-31 levels in allergic diseases in Malaysia.
Jujukan batuan sedimen Kapur Awal Kumpulan Gagau di kawasan sekitar hulu Sungai Chichir dibentuk oleh batu pasir
berpebel masif, batu lumpur masif dan lapisan tebal batu pasir dengan pelbagai struktur sedimen serta fosil. Jujukan ini
boleh dibahagikan kepada tujuh fasies dengan mekanisme pengenapan berbeza. Berdasarkan asosiasi antara pelbagai
fasies sedimen dapat ditafsirkan bahawa jujukan ini telah terenap dalam pelbagai sekitaran dataran aluvium termasuk
alur sungai utama, sungai berliku, sungai berburai dan dataran banjir. Fosil yang ditemui memberikan usia Kapur
Awal kepada jujukan ini. Bukti kehadiran tanah atas di kawasan ini mencerahkan harapan untuk penemuan pelbagai
fosil hidupan daratan, khususnya fauna vertebrat serta dinosaur yang lebih baik dan lengkap.
Bioactive composites consist of pseudowollastonite and mullite synthesized from natural resources was developed for
bone implant applications. To realize such applications, a mechanical test of these composites and in vitro bioactivity in
SBF solution were studied. The present paper reports pseudowollastonite synthesized from the rice husk ash and limestone
reinforced with 10, 20 and 30 wt. % of mullite. Influence of sintering temperature, phase composition, morphology towards
mechanical properties of various pseudowollastonite-mullite (PSW-M) composites was examined prior to the bioactivity
test. It was found that pseudowollastonite with the addition of 20 wt. % of mullite sintered at 1150°C gave the best result
for diametral tensile strength (DTS) and hardness with the value of 8.8 ± 0.15 MPa and 3.79 ± 0.13 GPa, respectively.
The obvious increment in the mechanical strength was due to the formation of liquid phase CaAl2
O3
during sintering at
1150°C. In addition, the formation of fibrous apatite (HA) layer of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) with Ca/P ratio
1.8 on PSW20M sample confirmed the good bioactivity of the composite.
Bi2Se3 is one of the promising materials in thermoelectric devices and is environmentally friendly due to its efficiency to perform in room temperature. Structural and electronic properties of Bi2Se3 were investigated based on the first-principles calculation of density functional theory (DFT) using CASTEP computer code. The calculation is conducted within the exchange-correlation of local density approximation (LDA) and generalised gradient approximation within the revision of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE) functional. A comparative study is carried out between the electronic properties of LDA and GGA-PBE. Lattice parameter and band gap are consistent with the other reports. Calculation from LDA is more accurate and has a better agreement than GGA-PBE in describing the lattice parameter of Bi2Se3. Band gap and density of states of LDA show higher electrical conductivity than GGA-PBE. Both LDA and GGA-PBE have same degree of thermal conductivity due to the occurrence of indirect band gap at same range of wave vector.