This research attempts to enhance of the ability of Fuzzy Logic Controller in controlling wastewater
treatment system, highlighting the pH parameter in factory wastewater treatment plants. The research
not only covers methods to monitor and track the pH level in wastewater tank but more importantly,
the control of total wastewater volume by neutralising the pH. Fuzzy logic control has gained more
attention in the control of continuous processes. It utilised both, in the context of deciding and tracking
set-points, and to control the total unwanted water capacity. This paper also discusses suitable level of
pH required which will not damage the water ecosystem. The self-learning fuzzy logic control with
adaptive capabilities alert operator in charge of the pH level automatically. This research includes the
design and development a graphical user interface (GUI) to show the process of pH neutralisation in
wastewater treatment. A fast response system is achieved through GUI which could be monitored and
control remotely using laptop or smartphone, from anywhere. This proposed design will inform engineers
and technicians about the status of the current reading of parameters in the wastewater treatment system
without the hassle of going to the site or control room of the wastewater treatment plant.
In this work, two types of controller were designed for the nonlinear air blower system PT326 used at
the Instrumentation Laboratory Faculty Electrical Engineering, UiTM, Shah Alam. This work began with
collection of data from the experimental work. Once the S-shape of the system response was obtained,
the procedure of getting the process dead time, τD and time constant τC was applied to the S-shape form.
By determining these two values, the optimum values of PI and PID controllers can be calculated. From
the acquired data, the simulation model was developed in MATLAB/Simulink R2013a software using
the transfer function obtained from the open-loop control system. The modelling system is based on
the transfer function of open-loop air blower system PT326 before the design state of finding a suitable
controller can be suggested. The controller design of PI and PID was obtained using the first method
Ziegler-Nichols tuning rules. The result from the simulation shows that the Ziegler-Nichols first tuning
rules can be applied in designing the PI and PID controller based on S-shape response obtained in
open-loop test.
The Chinese minority plays a dominant role in the economies of Indonesia and Malaysia, a fact that evokes indigenous resentment. However, Indonesia and Malaysia dealt differently with the issue. Malaysia legislated the Malays into the economy and protected Chinese citizenship, making them an integral part of a multicultural state. By contrast, New Order Indonesia adopted policies of economic manipulation, forced assimilation, and unequal citizenship. Only when the New Order regime fell did Chinese integration begin. The policy trajectories of Indonesia and Malaysia offer important lessons for plural states.
Over a two year period, 323 livers were examined using ultrasound. Majority of these cases were icteric and ultrasound could distinguish obstructive from non-obstructive jaundice. Primary and secondary liver tumours were also detected. Liver abscesses, and radiolucent gallstones were picked up by ultrasound, the areas under study being scanned using standard methods as outlined by various ultrasonographists.
Formasi Singa yang tersingkap di Kepulauan Langkawi terdiri daripada jujukan batuan sedimen argilit dan boleh dibahagikan kepada empat ahli iaitu Rebak, Kentut, Ular dan Selang. Formasi Singa kaya dengan fosil terutamanya daripada jenis brakiopod, bryozoa dan bivalvia yang boleh ditemui dalam Ahli Rebak dan Ahli Selang. Fosil yang ditemui semasa kajian dijalankan serta fosil yang pernah dilaporkan oleh penyelidik terdahulu telah dibuat penelitian semula untuk menentukan usia Formasi Singa dengan lebih tepat. Himpunan fosil Formasi Singa boleh dibahagikan kepada tiga julat usia, iaitu Visean, Asselian Akhir - Sakmarian Awal dan Sakmarian Akhir. Jujukan berusia Visean diwakili oleh Ahli Rebak, manakala jujukan Asselian Akhir - Sakmarian Awal dan jujukan Sakmarian Akhir diwakili oleh Ahli Selang. Dalam Ahli Ular dan Ahli Kentut tidak ditemui sebarang fosil. Keputusan daripada kertas ini memerlukan satu kajian semula dijalankan terhadap litostratigrafi Formasi Singa.
In this study, the theoretical cross sections of 209Bi(α,2n)211At, 65Cu(α,n)68Ga, 100Ru(α,n)103Pd, and 121Sb(α,n)124I are calculated using TALYS 1.96, incorporating the effects of the alpha optical model potential and nuclear level density models. The validation process involves comparing the calculated cross sections with experimental data and utilizing statistical deviation factors. This comparison allows us to determine the optimal combination of nuclear model parameters for each reaction. The result shows that theoretical calculations which utilized semi microscopic level density models and alpha OMP managed to describe the excitation functions close to the experimental data. The comparison of nuclear model calculations with experimental data plays a crucial role in ensuring the reliability of the data, making it an essential aspect of modern evaluation procedures.
It has been well established that pandemics affect mental health, yet few studies have been conducted in China regarding this issue following COVID-19's gradual decline and the recent H1N1 influenza outbreak. In response to this research gap, this investigation explores the risk factors linked to depression and anxiety symptoms among young adults in this specific setting. Data were collected via an online cross-sectional survey of 385 young adults living in Anyang city, Henan Province, China, between June 15 and July 21, 2023. Respondents were assessed for anxiety and depression symptoms using the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales. Additionally, to examine the factors that influenced the study, we utilized an ordered logit regression model. Results revealed depression and anxiety prevalence rates of 33.3% and 21.6%, respectively. Several factors were found to increase the likelihood of depression and anxiety among young adults, including gender, age, education status, marital status, and attitudes towards epidemics. Participants' concerns about pandemics and viruses had a significant negative impact relationship on depression levels. Women report moderate to severe anxiety more frequently than men. An evident correlation can be observed between the educational attainment level and the influence of depression and anxiety.
Lymphoma presenting with ulceration is not typical. We report a case of relapsed DLBCL in a 73-year-old man presenting with a chronic non-healing leg ulcer. He has underlying varicose veins with recurrent venous ulcers. This patient was diagnosed to have DLBCL six years earlier when he presented with recurrent epistaxis originating from a left nasal cavity nodule. Complete resolution was achieved after eight cycles of R-CHOP and intrathecal methotrexate. For this current problem, this patient was treated with rituximab combined with chemotherapy which resulted in healing of the ulcer.
There are competency standards available in countries with established speech-language pathology services to guide basic dysphagia training with ongoing workplace mentoring for advanced skills development. Such training processes, however, are not as well established in countries where speech-language pathology training and practice is relatively new, such as Malaysia. The current study examines the extent of dysphagia training and workplace support available to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Malaysia and Queensland, Australia, and explores clinicians' perceptions of the training and support provided, and of their knowledge, skills, and confidence. Using a matched cohort cross-sectional design, a purpose-built survey was administered to 30 SLPs working in Malaysian government hospitals and 30 SLPs working in Queensland Health settings in Australia. Malaysian clinicians were found to have received significantly less university training, less mentoring in the workplace, and were lacking key infrastructure needed to support professional development in dysphagia management. Over 90% of Queensland clinicians were confident and felt they had adequate skills in dysphagia management; in contrast, significantly lower levels of knowledge, skills, and confidence were observed in the Malaysian cohort. The findings identify a need for improved university training and increased opportunities for workplace mentoring, training, and support for Malaysian SLPs.
This study assessed the agreement between infrared tympanic membrane (TM), axillary, corrected axillary (+0.5 degrees C), oral, and corrected oral (+0.3 degrees C) to rectal thermometry as reference standard in neutropenic adults. The sensitivity and specificity of the mentioned thermometries in detecting rectal fever (> or =38 degrees C) were also analysed.
This is a prospective study to look at the outcome of unilateral proximal third femoral shaft fractures in children treated with a bilateral Thomas splint in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia between the period of January 1996 and June 1998. Eighteen children aged between 2 years and 12 years old with unilateral proximal third fractures of the femoral shaft were treated using a bilateral Thomas splint. Angular deformities were measured using a goniometer metric scale before and after Thomas splints. The percentage of varus tilt corrected ranged from 17% to 72% with an average correction of 29% from the initial deformity and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The percentage of posterior tilt corrected ranged from 19% to 60% with the average correction of 20% from the initial deformity. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). From this study, we conclude that bilateral Thomas splints can give a better correction of angular deformity for proximal third femoral shaft fractures in children below twelve years of age.
Pharyngeal involvement in tuberculosis is rare and is usually secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis. We report a very rare case of chronic granulomatous pharyngitis, which later turned out to be due to primary tuberculosis of the pharynx. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and complications of this rare clinical entity are presented.
Introduction: Prevalence of obesity in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been reported to be higher than in the general population. Determining prevalence may help increase awareness of obesity in ASD and potentially lead to initiatives to reduce obesity. In order to understand obesity in ASD children, common risk factors were assessed including physical activity, feeding problems and sleep disturbances. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study performed at the Child Development Center at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center on 151 ASD children aged 2-18 years. Anthropometric and demographic information were obtained and parents completed three questionnaires; Children Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), Physical Activity for Older Children Questionnaire (PAQ-C) and Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Questionnaire (BAMBI). Results: For ASD children in our sample, the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥85th to <95th percentiles) was 11.3% and the prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile) was 21.9%. The overweight/obese ASD children's median age was higher at 8.5 years (IQR 5.81-10.13) compared to the normal/underweight group of 6.33 years (IQR 4.75-7.7) with a p-value of 0.001. The two groups also differed significantly for maternal BMI and paternal age. The median maternal BMI in the overweight/obese group was 26.05 (IQR 23.35-32.25), statistically significantly higher (p = 0.003) than in the non-overweight/obese group, 24.7 (IQR 21-27.9). The median paternal age of 40 years (IQR 37-44) was statistically significantly higher (p = 0.039) in the overweight/obese group, compared to the median paternal age in the non-overweight/obese group of 38 (IQR 35-42). The male overweight/obese children had median PAQ-C score of 2.44 (IQR 2.00-3.00) vs. 2.89 (IQR 2.35-3.53) in the counterpart group with a p-value of 0.01. Using the multiple linear regression stepwise method, three predictors associated with BMI percentiles reached a statistical level of significance; PAQ-C score in males (p < 0.001), the BAMBI domains of Food Refusal (p = 0.001) and Limited Variety of Food (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of obesity and overweight is high among Malaysian ASD children and adolescents. Older child age, high maternal BMI, older paternal age, low physical activity, low likelihood of food refusal and high likelihood of food selectivity were found to be risk factors for high BMI in these children.
For a healthy life, the human biological system should work in order. Scheduled lifestyle and lack of nutrients usually lead to fluctuations in the biological entities levels such as neurotransmitters (NTs), proteins, and hormones, which in turns put the human health in risk. Dopamine (DA) is an extremely important catecholamine NT distributed in the central nervous system. Its level in the body controls the function of human metabolism, central nervous, renal, hormonal, and cardiovascular systems. It is closely related to the major domains of human cognition, feeling, and human desires, as well as learning. Several neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease are related to the extreme abnormalities in DA levels. Therefore, the development of an accurate, effective, and highly sensitive method for rapid determination of DA concentrations is desired. Up to now, different methods have been reported for DA detection such as electrochemical strategies, high-performance liquid chromatography, colorimetry, and capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry. However, most of them have some limitations. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy was widely used in biosensing. However, its use to detect NTs is still growing and has fascinated impressive attention of the scientific community. The focus in this concise review paper will be on the principle of SPR sensors and its operation mechanism, the factors that affect the sensor performance. The efficiency of SPR biosensors to detect several clinically related analytes will be mentioned. DA functions in the human body will be explained. Additionally, this review will cover the incorporation of nanomaterials into SPR biosensors and its potential for DA sensing with mention to its advantages and disadvantages.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most well-known degenerative disease among the geriatric and is a main cause of significant disability in daily living. It has a multifactorial etiology and is characterized by pathological changes in the knee joint structure including cartilage erosion, synovial inflammation, and subchondral sclerosis with osteophyte formation. To date, no efficient treatment is capable of altering the pathological progression of OA, and current therapy is broadly divided into pharmacological and nonpharmacological measures prior to surgical intervention. In this review, the significant risk factors and mediators, such as cytokines, proteolytic enzymes, and nitric oxide, that trigger the loss of the normal homeostasis and structural changes in the articular cartilage during the progression of OA are described. As the understanding of the mechanisms underlying OA improves, treatments are being developed that target specific mediators thought to promote the cartilage destruction that results from imbalanced catabolic and anabolic activity in the joint.
Objective: This study was conducted to determine the gross and fine motor profiles of children with autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developing children. Additionally, we also assessed if the motor delay was more pronounced with increasing age. Method: This was a retrospective study involving children aged 12-60 months of age comparing motor development in children with autism spectrum disorder with typically developing children. Their developmental profile was assessed using Schedule of Growing Skills II. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the developmental profile between the groups. Results: ASD children had significant gross motor (6.7%) and fine motor delay (38.5%) compared to typically developing children, who did not show any delay. The motor delay in ASD children was more prominent in older children. Conclusion: It is important to assess motor development in ASD children as there is significant motor delay in these children compared to typically developing children, and the delay becomes more prominent with age. Early detection of motor delay could allow provision of early intervention services to optimize developmental outcomes.
Introduction: The clinical evaluation of the three layers of tear film is still poorly described. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the value of aqueous assessment in diagnosing dry eye.
Materials and method: Schirmer test with anaesthesia (STA) and tear meniscus height (TMH) measurement were conducted on non-dry eye (NDE) and dry eye (DE) subjects in this cross-sectional study. The NDE and DE subjects were classified using two types of classification; classification 1 and classification 2.
Results: 321 subjects with 642 eyes were recruited in the study. STA was significantly correlated with TMH (r = 0.24, p < 0.001) in all 642 eyes. The comparison between nondry and dry eye subjects in STA and TMH were not significantly different (p > 0.05) if the Classification 1 was used to define dry eye. In Classification 2, there were significantly different between NDE (12.5 ± 8.2 mm) and DE (3.4 ± 0.8 mm) subjects in STA (p < 0.001). Similar trend was also depicted in TMH based on the definition of dry eye stated in Classification 2 (NDE = 0.45 ± 0.20 mm, DE = 0.39 ± 0.14 mm; p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The value of STA and TMH were lower significantly in dry eye subjects. However, the significant outcomes were only demonstrated if the clinical signs of dryness were used in the definition of dry eye.