The prevalence of pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) entrapment in open-heart surgery is scarce with a prevalence rate of 0.065%. Challenges in managing such cases lie particularly in choosing the modalities (chest roentgenogram, fluoroscopy, and transesophageal echocardiography) to accurately identify the anatomic location and cause of entrapment. In this case, we report a 42-year-old man who underwent mitral valve replacement with PAC entrapment discovered on postoperative day 2 and subsequently underwent retrieval after re-sternotomy. This case also highlights the usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography by the cardiac anesthetist in aiding the surgeons to locate the anatomic location where the catheter was entrapped.
Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that makes use of computer graphics,
algorithms and special hardware to simulate the real world in real time. There
are four main elements required to make a VR system a success, namely
virtual world, immersion, sensory feedback and interactivity. The virtual
world created must be as real as possible. Users should have a sense of
immersion in the virtual world. Position tracking is usually incorporated into
a VR system for visual, sound and force feedback on the users and the virtual
objects in the VR world must be interact-able with the users. VR has proven
to be effective in training and widely used in many areas, for example medical
surgery, dental treatment, psychology treatment for phobia, engineering
design, maintenance and repair, sports and many more. By implementing VR
technology in training, users are able to reduce the training cost and time. VR
training is also safer for users, as harsh environments can be simulated despite
the environment and/or human factors. On the other hand, the physical
facilities and infrastructures of the track cycling are very costly. In track
cycling, the game field, known as a velodrome, requires a large space of area.
It requires a huge budget and professional manpower to maintain these
facilities. Therefore, the proposed spatial immersive track cycling simulator
is invented to overcome these issues. The aim of this study is to simulate the
velodrome track cycling in VR environment and synchronize with a 6 degreeof-freedom
motion platform. The simulator is aimed to be low cost and
minimal space requirement compared to actual velodrome. A trainee who
undergoes VR track cycling simulator training wears a head-mounted-display (HMD) to visualize the VR environment. An actual bike will be mounted on
the 6-DOF motion platform, which the platform will synchronize with the VR
environment to simulate the track condition for the training purposes. An
encoder is placed at the bicycle wheel to feedback the moving speed and
synchronize the visualize feedback to the HMD.
The primary objectives of this study were to process corncob into corncob powder (CCP)
and to apply CCP in the formulation of instant cereal beverage (ICB) in order to produce
high fibre ICB, and to investigate the physicochemical and sensory properties of the
corncob-based instant cereal beverage. Corncobs were sourced and washed thoroughly
before drying and grinding into CCP. CCP was then imparted into ICB formulation in
three different ratios (10, 20 and 30% w/w) to partially substitute corn flour in the
formulation. All four ICB samples including the commercial counterpart were analysed
for their physicochemical and sensory properties. The incorporation of CCP has affected
the viscosity, colour and sensory attributes significantly of the produced ICB. Higher
contents of CCP in the formulation was found to be responsible for less viscous and
browner effect compared to the commercial ICB samples. Formulation of ICB
incorporated with 30% w/w CCP had the highest mean scores (6.00, p
Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause for foodborne diseases. Extensive use of antibiotics has led to emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus. Hence, interest on natural plant-based alternative which limits the use of synthetic chemicals is growing. The present work evaluated the antibacterial capacity of garlic, aloe vera, galangal, pineapple peel, neem, papaya leaf, lemongrass, peppermint, nutmeg and clove separately extracted with hexane, ethanol and water to a final concentration of 10% w/v against ampicillin+penicillin-resistant isolates of S. aureus in vitro. Streptomycin was used as a drug control against the resistant isolates; BRS023, BRS068 and DRS072. According to the interpretive standards for inhibition zone diameter provided by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, isolates BRS068 and DRS072 were considered resistant (≤ 12 mm), and isolate BRS023 was considered intermediate (13-14 mm). Against these isolates, all crude plant extracts exhibited varying degrees of inhibition. However, a coherent trend was observed in the inhibition between resistant and intermediate isolates regardless of plants and solvents used. It was also found that extraction solvent types impacted the resulting antibacterial activity. In terms of positive inhibition, the solvents were ranked in the order of hexane (77%) > water (73%) > ethanol (57%). 10% hexane extract of galangal gave the overall highest inhibition zones (17.8 ± 1.4 mm) closely followed by 10% ethanol extract of nutmeg (16.3 ± 1.1 mm). Further phytochemical analyses of the antibacterial compounds from galangal and nutmeg, and their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) are needed. Potential applications of plant-based antibacterial compounds as natural, costeffective and less-toxic food preservatives against drug-resistant foodborne pathogens should be explored.
Many studies on postural photogrammetry had reported various intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) across postural variable measurements, however no conclusive solution was given. This reliability and cross-sectional study was done in June 2016 at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. A total of 24 male adult subjects with mean age 28.5 years (± 4.8 years), body mass 24.97 kg (± 3.85 kg) and height 166.6 cm (± 6 cm) were evaluated for standing postural photogrammetry. Four sets of manually digitized posture image files (by 4 raters) were measured and statistically analyzed for interrater agreement as well as the influence of image resolution and camera height from the floor on various postural variable measurements. The ICC between 4 raters for all postural variables was excellent (the lowest ICC was 0.940 for Q Angle of the Right Knee measurements). Two-Way ANOVA showed that postural variable measurements were not affected by either image resolution or camera height from the floor. Scrupulous attempts done on standing postural photogrammetry amplified the potential for standing postural evaluation in clinical settings.
This study was conducted to determine and compare the muscle activity during step forward lunge (SFL) and jump forward lunge (JFL) in badminton. Fifteen university badminton players (mean age = 22.07 ± 1.39 years old) were recruited and were assigned to perform SFL and JFL while holding a badminton racquet using their preferred hand. Muscle activation of vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), gluteus maximus (GM), medial gastrocnemius (MG), and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) were analysed and compared between SFL and JFL and also between dominant and non-dominant lower limb in each lunge protocol. Results showed for both the dominant and non-dominant lower limb, all the muscle activation was greater during JFL compared to SFL except for the MG muscle. All the muscle activation was also found to be greater in the dominant compared to non-dominant lower limb for both lunge protocols. Overall, findings demonstrated the existence of differences in muscle activation across difference protocols of movement and different site of limbs. This should be taken into consideration for developing training program in order to enhance performance and reduce the risk of injuries.
Sugarcane juice deteriorates rapidly as enzymatic browning and microbial spoilage take place soon after juice extraction. Therefore, the effects of pasteurization treatment (70ºC for 10 minutes) and addition of calamansi juice at different concentrations (0, 1.0, 1.5, and 3.0%, v/v) on the physicochemical (color, pH, total soluble solid, titratable acidity, and peroxidase enzymatic activity), microbiological (total plate count, yeast and mold), and sensory characteristics of black stem sugarcane juice were investigated. Quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA®) was conducted by eight trained panelists to determine the intensity of the sensory attributes of sugarcane juice, such as brownish color, grassy aroma, citrus aroma, sweetness, sourness, sweet aftertaste, and overall acceptability using a 15 cm unstructured line scale. The results showed that the pasteurization treatment significantly (p ˂ 0.05) increased the L* value (lightness) of sugarcane juice at 0% (v/v) of calamansi juice. Increasing the concentration of calamansi juice decreased the pH value and increased the titratable acidity of the sugarcane juice at 5% significance level. The relative effectiveness in reducing the peroxidase (POD) enzymatic activity and microbial load of sugarcane juice was shown after the addition of calamansi juice and pasteurization treatment, respectively. Significant (p ˂ 0.05) changes in the intensity of brownish color, grassy aroma, and sweet aftertaste of sugarcane juice were observed after the pasteurization treatment at 0% (v/v) calamansi juice; whereas, the addition of calamansi juice at different concentrations increased the intensity of citrus aroma and sourness, but decreased the intensity of grassy aroma and sweet aftertaste of sugarcane juice at 5% significance level. Hence, pasteurization treatment coupled with the addition of 1.5% (v/v) calamansi juice was effective in achieving microbial stability and consumer’s acceptability on sugarcane juice.
Background: The rise in substance-use-related problems among Malaysian adolescents called for a study to
assess the efficacy of an anti-drug educational program to improve the knowledge, attitude and perception
(KAP) of Malaysian students regarding substance use.
Methods: This study involved 573 students from four Malaysian Chinese schools in Malacca. Each student
filled out a Likert-scale mandarin translated questionnaire (KAP-C) on substance use ( Pre-test). Following an
educational program on substance use, the KAP-C questionnaire was given again to the students, immediately
following the program (PT 1), and after a month (PT 2) and two months (PT3) of the programme.
Results: The students showed improvement in knowledge of the types of substance use in PT 1 (p
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a controversial plastics ingredient used mainly in the production of polycarbonate plastics (PC) and epoxy resins that widely used nowadays in food and drink packaging. Even though BPA is not involved in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) manufacturing, recent study had reported the present of BPA in PET water bottle. This study was conducted to investigate effects storage conditions on release of BPA from PC and PET bottled water as well as to assess health risks associated with consumption. Methods: Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used to extract the samples, followed by analysis using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector (UHPLC-FLD). The possibility of developing chronic non-carcinogenic health risk among consumers of bottled water was evaluated using hazard quotient (HQ). Results: Results showed that BPA migrated from PC and PET water bottles at concentrations ranging from 9.13 to 257.67 ng/L and 11.53 ng/L to 269.87 ng/L respectively. Concentrations of BPA were higher in PET bottled water compared to PC bottled water across all storage conditions. Higher storage temperature and longer storage duration increased BPA concentrations in PC and PET bottled water. Concentrations of BPA in bottled water which were kept in a car and were exposed to sunlight were higher than control samples which were stored indoor at room temperature. Conclusion: No significant chronic non-carcinogenic health risks were calculated for daily ingestion of BPA-contaminated bottled water; calculated HQ was less than one.
Eleven marine sediment samples from Sg. Tengi Estuary, Tanjung Karang were analysed for their major elements in the oxides form (SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, Na2O3, MgO, CaO, K2O, TiO2, P2O5 and MnO) and trace elements (Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, Zn, and Zr) contents. The muddy marine sediment was collected at the left and right side of the river mouth as far as one kilometre away and about 25-30 meters from the edge of existing growth. Some of the mud sample appears to have cockleshell flakes in them. The mean of major elemental content (oxides form) in the sediment in decreasing order were dominated by SiO2 (56.3%), followed by Al2O3, (15.5%), Fe2O3 (4.1%), Na2O (2.7%), CaO (2.6%), MgO (2.3%), K2O (1.8%), TiO2 (0.5%), P2O5 (0.14%) and MnO (0.06%). Volatile substances represented by loss on ignition (LOI) (13.9%) occupied substantial amounts of the sediment volume. The most abundant trace elements displayed as mean was Zr (222 mgkg-1), followed by Ba (200 mgkg-1), Sr (172 mgkg-1), Rb (131 mgkg-1), Zn (103 mgkg-1), V (l02mgkg-1), Cr (84 mgkg-1), Pb (40 mgkg-1), Ni (34 mgkg-1), Cu (31 mgkg-1) and Co (22 mgkg-1). Correlation analysis showed that Cr, Pb and Zn were positively related to the Fe203 and Al2O3 content whereas increase in pH immobilised Cr and Zn in the sediment. The mean of Cr (84 mgkg-1) and Zn (103 mgkg-1) content in sediment were higher than the lower limit of their respective threshold concentration.
Sebanyak 11 sampel sedimen marin daripada muara Sg. Tengi, Tanjung Karang telah dianalisis untuk menentukan kandungan unsur major dalam bentuk oksida (SiO2, Al2O3 Fe2O3, Na2O3, MgO, CaO, K2O, TiO2, P2O5 and MnO) dan unsur surih (Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, Zn, and Zr). Sedimen marin berlumpur dikutip daripada bahagian kiri dan kanan muara sungai dalam jarak sejauh kira-kira 1 km dan 25-30 meter ke arah laut daripada kawasan pertumbuhan yang sedia ada. Sebahagian daripada sampel lumpur tersebut mempunyai kandungan serpihan kulit kerang. Purata kandungan unsur major di dalam sedimen mengikut urutan menurun adalah didominasi oleh SiO2 (56.27%) diikuti oleh Al2O3 (15.5%), Fe2O3 (4.1 %), Na2O (2.7%), CaO. (2.6%), MgO (2.3%), K2O (1.8%), TiO2 (0.5%), P2O5 (0.14%)dan MnO. (0.06%). Sebatian mudah meruap diwakili oleh kehilangan menerusi pembakaran (LOI) (13.9%) mengisi isipadu yang agak besar di dalam komposisi sedimen. Purata kandungan unsur surih yang terbanyak ditunjukkan. oleh Zr (222 mgkg-1), diikuti oleh Ba (200 mgkg-1), Sr (172 mgkgÂ-1), Rb (131 mgkg-1), Zn (103 mgkg-1), V (l02 mgkg-1), Cr (84 mgkg-1), Pb (40 mgkg-1), Ni (34 mgkg-1), Cu (31 mgkg-1) dan Co (22 mgkg-1). Analisis korelasi menunjukkan Cr, Pb dan Zn mempunyai hubungan positij yang signijikan dengan Fe2O3 dan Al2O3, manakala peningkatan pH memegunkan Cr dan Zn dalam sedimen. Purata kandungan Cr (84 mgkg-1) dan Zn (103 mgkg-1) di dalam sedimen lebih tinggi daripada paras yang dikira berpotensi toksik di dalam sedimen.
Water quality analysis of the seven feeder rivers in Tasik Chini was carried out from October 2004 to December 2005. A total of nine sampling sites were selected in this study, namely: Sungai Datang (St.1), Sungai Cenahan (St. 2), downstream of Sungai Gumum (St. 3), mid of Sungai Gumum (St. 4), Sungai Kura-kura (St. 5), Sungai Melai (St. 6), Sungai Jemberau (St. 7), upstream of Sungai Paya Merupuk (St. 8), and downstream of Sungai Paya Merupuk (St. 9). Eleven water quality parameters were selected and analyzed in-situ and ex-situ during two sampling seasons. Laboratory analyses were carried out according to the HACH and APHA. Results of the study indicated that the pH content ranged from 3.2 to 6.32, dissolved oxygen 0.27 to 6.4 mg/L, conductivity from 14.33 to 85.7 µS/cm and temperature from 24.1 to 32.1˚C. Total dissolved solids ranged from 22.67 to 184 mg/L, total suspended solids from 1.17 to 79.11 mg/L and turbidity from 4.67 to 28.67 NTU. Nutrients such as ammonical nitrogen (0.01 to 0.57 mg/L), nitrate (0.7 to 2.9 mg/L), phosphate (from not detectable to 0.50 mg/L) and sulphate (from not detectable to 2.0 mg/L) were also studied. This showed that most of the feeder rivers have contributed to high nutrients values in Tasik Chini. Statistically, the relationship between water quality parameters were correlated as very weak and moderately correlated (R2= 0.40). Phosphate and sulphate were significantly correlated as positive slope; turbidity and nitrate showed negative slope with discharge during both the seasons (R2=0.651; R2=0.624). Recent activities such as deforestation, mining, agriculture and tourism have taken place in the surrounding areas of the lake. These activities were expected to influence the stability of the water quality of the feeder river of Tasik Chini.
Sixteen topsoil samples from Bukit Jernih, Gua Kelam and Bukit Merah were analysed for their major elements and heavy metal composition, together with several physico-chemical parameters. Major elements determined were SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, P2O5, whereas heavy metals determined were As, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn. Physico-chemical parameters determined were percentage of organic matter, clay, silt and sand composition, pH and electrical conductivity. The results showed that the average soil pH in limestone soil was between 6.38 to 6.93, whereas average soil pH in quartzite soil was 6.23. The average soil electrical conductivity for all sampling stations was below 1.7 mScm-1. High organic matter content average was shown in soil samples from Bukit Jernih (7.45%), followed by Gua Kelam (5.21%) and Bukit Merah (3.31%). Soil samples from Bukit Jernih and Gua Kelam showed a clayey texture with more than 35% clay content, whereas soil from Bukit Merah was sandy in texture with more than 67% sand content. In general, soil samples from limestone area of Bukit Jernih and Gua Kelam recorded higher content of heavy metals compared to quartzite soil from Bukit Merah. The average concentration of Cr and Co at Bukit Jernih at 413 µg/g and 88 µg/g, respectively, whereas the concentration at Gua Kelam was 152 µg/g dan 76 µg/g. These concentrations exceeded the potential toxic concentration in soil. The main major elements were SiO2 followed by Al2O3 and Fe2O3. SiO2 content in quartzite soil from Bukit Merah(89.45%) was higher compared to limestone soil from Bukit Jernih (59.74%) and Gua Kelam (53.16%). Nevertheless, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 content in limestone soil was higher compared to quartzite soil. The percentage of easily ignited content in limestone soil was two fold higher than quartzite soil. Other major elements were less than 2.5%. The study showed that enrichment of Cr, Zn, Pb, Ni and Cu in soil was influenced by the presence of SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3.
Keywords: Enrichment; heavy metals; limestones hill; major elements; toxicity
The effect of solvent type in antioxidant compounds extraction from banana tissues was studied. The solvent system used was pure methanol, ethanol, acetone and their aqueous solution at 50% and 70% concentrations. Comparison among three common cultivars of banana in Malaysia (Berangan, Mas and Raja) had been done and their antioxidant activities were determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging system, ferric reducing ability in plasma (FRAP)
assays and total phenolic content (TPC) assays. Acetone 70% had the strongest antioxidant compounds extraction power as compared to other solvent. All banana samples were found to be low in primary antioxidant but powerful secondary antioxidant source of fruit. The ascending order of banana cultivars in term of their antioxidant activities in all antioxidant assays carried out were Berangan < Mas < Raja. FRAP-TPC assays were highly correlated (R2>0.70) than FRAP-DPPH
and TPC-DPPH assays due to the same mechanism that occurred in the reaction of FRAP and TPC assays.
Combination of magnetic and biocompatible materials to form core-shell nanomaterials has been widely used in medical fields. These core-shell magnetic biomaterials have a great potential for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) treatment to remedy cancer. The aims of this study were to investigate the production of core-shell cobalt ferrite/polycaprolactone (CoFe2O4/PCL) nanomaterials with different ratios of cobalt ferrite to caprolactone, to study the effects of using polymer in reducing the agglomerations between particles and to determine the structure, morphology, thermal and magnetic properties of these core-shell nanomaterials. The core-shell nanomaterials were produced by in situ polymerization method. The formation of the CoFe2O4/PCL was investigated by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Its thermal properties were determined by using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to reveal the magnetic properties. The results for the XRD and FTIR spectra demonstrated the formation of cobalt ferrite and polycaprolactone in core-shell nanomaterials. From the TEM results, it was seen that the core-shell CoFe2O4/PCL nanomaterials were best formed at a ratio of CoFe2O4 to monomer caprolactone mixtures of 1:4.
The objective of this study was to develop a method for the determination of diuron (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea) residue in crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) matrices. The method involves the extraction of the herbicide from the oil matrix using low temperature precipitation and solid phase extraction techniques, detected by high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet (HPLC-UV). The HPLC separation was carried out on an Ascentis
TMRP-Amide column and elution with acetonitrile (solvent A) and water-methanol (2:1, v/v) (solvent B) as a suitable solvent system, at ratio of 4:6 (v/v). The optimum volume of acetonitrile for the extraction of diuron was 30 mL and 4 mL was obtained as the optimum volume of the solvent for elution analyte through the SPE cartridge. A linear correlation was obtained for the concentration of diuron from 0.05–1.0 µg mL-1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. The recovery of diuron from CPO was 83.2–101.4% with a relative standard deviation of 1.4–9.9% and 79.4–87.9% with relative standard deviation of 0.9–5.6% for CPKO. The method detection limit and limit of quantification obtained were 0.018 µg g-1 and 0.058 µg g-1, respectively. The method was used to determine diuron residues in palm oil from different refineries situated at different locations throughout Malaysia.
Bi3Zn2Ta3O14, ‘P’, was crystallised in a cubic unit cell with lattice parameter of a=10.5437 (9) Å. The material had permittivity, ε’, of around 58 and dielectric loss, tan δ, of 2.3 × 10-3 at 30oC, 1 MHz; temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) of -156 ppm/oC in the range of 30oC to 300oC at 1 MHz. Chemical doping was carried out at either A (Bi1.5Zn0.5-xMx)(Zn0.5Ta1.5)O7, or B site (Bi1.5Zn0.5)(Zn0.5-xMxTa1.5)O7 in search of better performance materials. Various divalent cations such as Cd2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, and Cu2+ were used as dopants. Solid solutions formed were: Bi3Zn2-xCdxTa3O14 (0≤x≤0.5), Bi3Zn2-xMgxTa3O14(0≤x≤0.2), Bi3Zn2-xNixTa3O14 (0≤x≤0.4), Bi3Zn2-xPbxTa3O14 (0≤x≤0.3), Bi3Zn2-xCaxTa3O14 (0≤x≤0.3) and Bi3Zn2-xCuxTa3O14 (0≤x≤0.1). Electrical properties of the materials were investigated using impedance spectroscopy. Conductivities of the solid solutions were higher than that of the parent material Bi3Zn2Ta3O14. These doped materials exhibited similar behaviour as Bi3Zn2Ta3O14, showing a high degree of dispersion of permittivity at low frequencies (<1 kHz) and at temperatures above 500oC. Between 100 kHz and 1000 kHz, non-frequency dependence was observed in the range of 100 – 300oC. An increase in dielectric loss below 10 kHz was observed. Dielectric loss decreased with frequencies when temperature was above 500oC. Dielectric loss of all divalent cation doped materials was higher than that of the parent material; maximum permittivity value of 68 was recorded at x = 0.3 in Bi3Zn2-xCaxTa3O14. TCC obtained in this study had negative values; no obvious correlation between TCC and composition of the doped materials can be deduced.
Coastal water samples were collected from 20 sampling sites in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Seven physico-chemical parameters were measured directly in-situ while water samples were collected and analysed for 6 dissolved trace metal concentrations. The surface water (0-20 cm) physico-chemical parameters including temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), specific conductance (SpC) and turbidity while the dissolved trace metals were Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn. The ranges for the physico-chemical parameters were 28.07-35.6ºC for temperature, 0.18-32.42 ppt for salinity, 2.20-12.03 mg/L for DO, 5.50-8.53 for pH, 0.24-31.65 mg/L for TDS, 368-49452 μS/cm for SpC and 0-262 NTU for turbidity while the dissolved metals (mg/L) were 0.013-0.147 for Cd, 0.024-0.143 for Cu, 0.266- 2.873 for Fe, 0.027-0.651 for Ni, 0.018-0.377 for Pb and 0.032-0.099 for Zn. Based on multivariate analysis (including correlation, cluster and principal component analyses), the polluted sites were found at Kg. Pasir Puteh and Tg. Kupang while Ni and Pb were identified as two major dissolved metals of high variation in the coastal waters. Therefore, water quality monitoring and control of release of untreated anthropogenic wastes into rivers and coastal waters are strongly needed.
Single phase LiTa1-xNbxO3 solid solution with 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 1.00 was successfully synthesised via conventional solid-state method at 950°C for 24 h. These materials were refined and fully indexed with hexagonal crystal system, space group of R3c; lattice parameters, a ranging from 5.1410(6) Ǻ to 5.1471(3) Ǻ and c ranging from 13.7467(1) Ǻ to 13.8341(1) Ǻ; with α = β = 90° and γ = 120°. Variation of the lattice parameters in these materials was found to be negligibly small throughout the subsolidus solution. No thermal event was detected within the studied temperature range of 50 to 1000°C. The electrical properties of samples were characterised by AC impedance analyser, HP4192A at temperature ranging from room temperature to 850°C over a frequency range of 5 Hz to 13 MHz. LiTa1-xNbxO3 materials exhibited bulk response with associated capacitances in the order of 10-12 F cm-1 and the temperature-dependent conductivities were found to increase with increasing temperatures. The results showed that LiTa1-xNbxO3 samples were of typical ferroelectrics.
A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of fungal infection in cancer patients warded at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur. There were 138 patients included in the study: 74 with haematological malignancies and 64 with solid tumours. Serological results showed that for candidiasis 16/138 (11.5%) and 10/134 (7.5%) were greater than 1:8 reactive for antigen and antibodies respectively. For aspergillosis, 29/122 (23.8%) sera were antigen reactive. Only 1/133 each (O.SO/o) was reactive for cryptococcal antigen and antibody. The types of malignancies, the age of the patient, a history of neutropenia, the duration of the cancer, the number of courses of chemotherapy or radiotherapy were not predictive of fungal infections. In view of the high serological evidence of fungal infection and the lack of a reliable diagnostic test, empirical antifungal treatment must be considered in all febrile neutropenic cancer patients.