The major compounds in honey are carbohydrates such as monosaccharides and disaccharides. The same compounds are found in cane-sugar concentrates. Unfortunately when sugar concentrate is added to honey, laboratory assessments are found to be ineffective in detecting this adulteration. Unlike tracing heavy metals in honey, sugar adulterated honey is much trickier and harder to detect, and traditionally it has been very challenging to come up with a suitable method to prove the presence of adulterants in honey products. This paper proposes a combination of array sensing and multi-modality sensor fusion that can effectively discriminate the samples not only based on the compounds present in the sample but also mimic the way humans perceive flavours and aromas. Conversely, analytical instruments are based on chemical separations which may alter the properties of the volatiles or flavours of a particular honey. The present work is focused on classifying 18 samples of different honeys, sugar syrups and adulterated samples using data fusion of electronic nose (e-nose) and electronic tongue (e-tongue) measurements. Each group of samples was evaluated separately by the e-nose and e-tongue. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) were able to separately discriminate monofloral honey from sugar syrup, and polyfloral honey from sugar and adulterated samples using the e-nose and e-tongue. The e-nose was observed to give better separation compared to e-tongue assessment, particularly when LDA was applied. However, when all samples were combined in one classification analysis, neither PCA nor LDA were able to discriminate between honeys of different floral origins, sugar syrup and adulterated samples. By applying a sensor fusion technique, the classification for the 18 different samples was improved. Significant improvement was observed using PCA, while LDA not only improved the discrimination but also gave better classification. An improvement in performance was also observed using a Probabilistic Neural Network classifier when the e-nose and e-tongue data were fused.
Mutations in the PAX6 gene that cause aniridia have been identified in various ethnicities but not in the Malaysian population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the PAX6 mutation in a Malaysian family with congenital aniridia. In this study, a complete ophthalmic examination was performed on a Dusun ethnic family with aniridia. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the subjects and screened for the PAX6 gene mutation using polymerase chain reaction amplification high-resolution melting curve analysis (PCR-HRM) followed by confirmation via direct DNA sequencing. A heterozygous G deletion (c.857delG) in exon 7 causing a frame shift in PAX6 was identified in all affected family members. Genotype-phenotype correlation analysis revealed congenital cataract and all affected family members showed a similar spectrum of aniridia with no phenotypic variability but with differences in severity that were age-dependent. In summary, by using a PCR-HRM approach, this study is the first to report a PAX6 mutation in a Malaysian family. This mutation is the cause of the aniridia spectra observed in this family and of congenital cataract.
New promising techniques for depositing biocompatible hydroxyapatite-based coatings on biocompatible metal substrates for biomedical applications have continuously been exploited for more than two decades. Currently, various experimental deposition processes have been employed. In this review, the two most frequently used deposition processes will be discussed: a sol-gel dip coating and an electrochemical deposition. This study deliberates the surface morphologies and chemical composition, mechanical performance and biological responses of sol-gel dip coating as well as the electrochemical deposition for two different sample conditions, with and without coating. The review shows that sol-gel dip coatings and electrochemical deposition were able to obtain the uniform and homogeneous coating thickness and high adherent biocompatible coatings even in complex shapes. It has been accepted that both coating techniques improve bone strength and initial osseointegration rate. The main advantages and limitations of those techniques of hydroxyapatite-based coatings are presented. Furthermore, the most significant challenges and critical issues are also highlighted.