Sludge is an unavoidable product of wastewater treatment that creates problems of disposal. Increasingly, strict environmental control regulations have resulted in limitations on sludge disposal options.Disposal by incineration has been found to be a good option. In this research, application of domestic waste sludge powder (DWSP) was used as cement replacement in concrete mix. This study utilised replacement of 3 %, 5 %, 7 %, 10 % and 15 % by weight of OPC with water binder (w/b) ratio of 0.60, 0.55 and 0.40 for Grade 30, Grade 40 and Grade 50 respectively. The performance of DWSP concrete in terms of its compressive strength, water absorption, water permeability and Rapid Chloride Ion penetration were investigated. All values of compressive strength for DWSP concrete were lower compared to the OPC control, and the strength decreased as the percentage of replacement with DWSP increased for Grade 30 and Grade 50, except for Grade 40 at replacement of 7 %. Meanwhile, water absorption and water permeability for the DWSP concrete increased as the replacement increased. Overall, with further research in producing quality DWSP, the potential of using this waste as a cement replacement material is very promising.
A study to determine average knee laxity in the Malaysian population and how it affects daily living was conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre between January and April 2004. Fifty two male and 76 female subjects were recruited for this study, all of whom were healthy volunteers with no ambulatory problems. Side to side knee laxity testing was performed using a KT-1000 arthrometer. Significant differences in knee laxity were noted among different races and between sexes. For instance, overall, Chinese and female study participants had higher knee laxity: (left knee, 2.17 mm (SD=1.30) and right knee was 2.88 mm (SD= 1.51)). On average, the difference between knees was 0.70 ± 1.26 mm (less than 1 mm) which is a smaller variation than reported in previous studies which suggested 3 mm. Despite finding knee laxity ranging from 0 to 8mm, no correlations were found between Lysholm, IKDC and Tegner knee outcome scores and the degree of knee laxity. No other predictors such as height, weight and age correlated with levels of knee laxity. We therefore conclude that knee laxity is a common occurrence in the normal population and is therefore not suitable as a sole predictor of knee function and should not be used as the only criteria for surgical intervention.
Study site: Orthopedic clinic, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Cadaver body bags are the conventional method to contain a human body or human remains, which includes the use for storage and transportation of the deceased at any crime scene or disaster scene. During disasters, most often than not, the first responders including the police will be equipped with cadaver body bags to do scene processing of human remains and collection of personal belongings at the disaster site. However, in an unanticipated large scale disasters involving hundreds and thousands of fatalities, cadaver body bags supplies may be scarce. The authors have therefore innovated the cling film plastic wrap as an alternative for the cadaver body bag used at the disaster site. The plastic wrap was tested on six different experimental subjects, i.e. both adult and child mannequins; body parts of the mannequin figure (arm and hand); a human adult subject and an unknown dead body. The strengths of the cling film plastic wrap are discussed in comparison with the cadaver body bag in the aspects of costing, weight, duration of the wrap, water and body fluid resistant properties, visibility and other advantages. An average savings of more than 5000% are noted for both adult body wrap and child body wrap compared to the cadaver body wrap. This simply means that the authors can either wrap 25 adult dead bodies or 80 children dead bodies with the cost of 1 cadaver body bag. The cling film plastic wrap has proven to have significant innovation impact for dead body management particularly by the first responders in large scale disasters. With proper handling of dead bodies, first responders can manage the dead with dignity and respect in an overwhelmed situation to facilitate the humanitarian victim identification process later.
A series of ester compounds derived from ricinoleic acid to be used as biolubricants base stock have been synthesized. The resulting products were confirmed by FTIR and NMR analyses. The synthesis was carried out in three stages: epoxidation of ricinoleic acid; synthesis of 10,12-dihydroxy-9-acyloxystearic acid from epoxidized ricinoleic acid with various fatty acids and esterification of the acyloxystearic acid products with octanol to yield octyl-10,12-dihydroxy-9-acyloxystearate. The viscosities, flash points and pour points (PP) behavior of the products were measured. The resulting esters had an increased in molar weight and viscosity and decreased in pour points as compared to ricinoleic acid.
Samples of Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductor with nominal compositions of YBa2Cu3O7-d + x (weight %) Y2O3 (x = 0 - 15) were prepared by solid state reaction method using the Y2Cu2O5 and BaCuO2 precursors as the starting reagents. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) diffractograms for the doped samples (x> 0) show an additional non-superconducting Y2BaCuO5 (211) phase. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs show that the smaller Y2BaCuO5 grains are precipitated on the surface of the larger YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO) crystals. The grain size of the YBCO decreases with increasing yttria. The superconducting zero resistivity critical temperature (Tco) of the doped samples is very close to the Tco of the YBCO for x < 5, but it seems to be significantly decreasing for larger x. The transport critical current density (J) for x < 5 is enhanced due to magnetic flux pinning process by the 211 phase. However, Jc decreased for larger x due to the increase of weak links at the grain boundaries of the YBCO phase.
Sampel superkonduktor Y-Ba-Cu-O dengan komposisi nominal YBa2Cu3O7-d + x (% berat) Y2O3 (x = 0 -15) disediakan dengan kaedah tindakbalas keadaan pepejal menggunakan bahan pelopor Y2Cu2O5 dan BaCuO2 Difraktogram pembelauan sinar-X (XRD) bagi sampel yang didop (x > 0) menunjukkan wujudnya fasa tak mensuperkonduksi Y2BaCuO5 (211). Mikrograf mikroskop imbasan elektron (SEM) menunjukkan bahawa butiran Y2BaCuO5 yang lebih kecil itu termendap di atas permukaan hablur YBa2Cu3O7-d yang lebih besar. Saiz hablur YBCO mengecil dengan peningkatan yittria. Suhu genting kerintangan sifar (Tc) bagi sampel yang didop adalah hampir dengan Tco bagi YBCO untuk x<5, tetapi menurun dengan agak cepat untuk x yang lebih besar. Ketumpatan arus genting angkutan (J) untuk x < 5 meningkat jika dibandingkan dengan YBCO disebabkan oleh proses kepinan fluks magnet oleh fasa 211. Walau bagaimanapun, Jc menurun untuk x yang lebih tinggi kerana meningkatnya hubungan lemah pada sempadan butiran fasa YBCO.
Composite archery bows have been well known and used by Asiatic societies for thousands of years. The Turkish composite bow, made of wood, horn, sinew and glue is one of the most famous and powerful bows in the world. Because of its high draw weight and mechanical efficiency, the Turkish composite bow became a powerful weapon in the Seljuk and the Ottoman empire. In addition to being a powerful weapon of war, at the same time the bow and arrow (archery) continued
to be a sport of Ottoman (sultans, state officials, janissaries) until the late Ottoman period. In this study of the Ottoman composite archery bows in the collections of Izmir Ethnography Museum, a small wood sample was investigated on the basis of its wood anatomy. The results showed that it was made of maple wood (Acer sp.) and some of its qualitative and quantitative anatomical properties are presented here. One of the key properties for the identification of maple wood is
the helical thickening throughout the body of the vessel element. Helical thickenings in vessel elements in cutting surfaces of maple-wooden core increase the bonding surface between the wood and sinew-horn. In most of the woods preferred traditionally for bow-making, helical thickenings in tracheids, vessel elements or ground tissue fibres should be taken into account at a hierarchy of cellular structures for elucidating the efficiency of Ottoman composite-wooden bow.
BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic fracture is a major health burden. Early diagnosis and management would improve the quality of life and reduce costs to the society.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify risk factors associated with osteoporosis followed by development and validation of a screening tool in the hope of providing an appropriate regime to detect low bone density (BMD) in Malaysia.
METHODOLOGY: Between November 1999 and November 2002, 514 healthy women aged ≥ 45 with intact uterus, non-HRT users were recruited. Following BMD testing, a screening tool was developed. For validation, 72 women were recruited from June 2003 to December 2003.
RESULTS: Age and a longer duration postmenopause were negatively linked to BMD. Higher family income, BMI, waist and hip circumference were positively correlated. A score of ≥ 4, the screening tool had a sensitivity of 73.2%, a specificity of 61.6% for identifying women with low BMD (T score ≤ -2) plus a sensitivity of 80.2% in selecting women with osteoporosis. The tool enabled a 45.9% reduction in unnecessary DEXA testing. Validation of the screening tool showed a negative predictive value of 97.8%, sensitivity and specificity of 87.5% and 70.3%, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The Malaysian Osteoporosis Screening Tool (MOST) is relatively simple. Its usage may reduce unnecessary DEXA test.
A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the current prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) among Orang Asli schoolchildren and to investigate the potential predictors of malnutrition. A total of 241 (120 males and 121 females) Orang Asli schoolchildren age 7-12 years living in remote areas of Pos Betau, Pahang participated voluntarily in this study. Anthropometric and socioeconomic data were collected and the children were screened for intestinal parasitic infections. The overall prevalences of mild and significant underweight conditions were 52.3% and 37.3%, respectively, and the prevalences of mild stunting and wasting were 43.6% and 43.1%, respectively, while the prevalences of significant stunting and wasting were 43.6% and 5.6%, respectively. There was a significant association between gender (male) and malnutrition (p = 0.029). The results also showed a higher prevalence of stunting among children age < or = 10 years than in older children (p = 0.001). Other independent variables, including socioeconomic status and intestinal parasitic infections, had no significant associations with malnutrition indices. PEM is prevalent among schoolchildren in rural Malaysia and therefore of public health concern since PEM diminishes immune function and impairs cognitive function and educational performance. School-based programs of prevention through health education and interventions should be considered as an essential part of measures to improve the quality of life of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia.
Matched MeSH terms: Body Weights and Measures/statistics & numerical data
BACKGROUND: This study was to investigate the prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in leptin gene LEP (A19G and G2548A) and leptin receptor gene LEPR (K109R and Q223R) and their association with fasting plasma leptin level (PLL) and obesity in a Malaysian suburban population in Kampar, Perak.
METHODS: Convenience sampling was performed with informed consents, and the study sample was drawn from patients who were patrons of the Kampar Health Clinic. A total of 408 subjects (mean age, 52.4 +/- 13.7 years; 169 men, 239 women; 190 obese, 218 non-obese; 148 Malays, 177 ethnic Chinese, 83 ethnic Indians) participated. Socio-demographic data and anthropometric measurements were taken, and genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).
RESULTS: The LEP A19G, G2548A and LEPR K109R, Q223R variant allele frequencies were 0.74, 0.67 and 0.61, 0.79, respectively. The genotype and allele distributions of these gene variants were significantly different among ethnic groups, but not among body mass index (BMI) classes. Subjects with LEPR K109 and Q223 allele had significantly higher systolic blood pressure and adiposity indices after adjustment for ethnicity (higher BMI, total body and subcutaneous fat; lower skeletal muscle percentage). Subjects with LEPR 109R allele had lower PLL than their wild-type allele counterparts. The influence of LEP A19G and G2548A SNPs on blood pressures, anthropometrics, and PLL was not evident. Interestingly, synergistic effect of the LEP and LEPR SNPs was observed as subjects homozygous for all four SNPs studied exhibited significantly higher subcutaneous fat and PLL than those with other genotype combinations.
CONCLUSIONS: The LEP and LEPR SNPs in this study may not be an obesity marker among Malaysians in this population, but were associated with ethnicity. Our findings suggest that each of these SNPs contributes to minor but significant variation in obesity-related traits and in combination they display synergistic effects on subcutaneous fat and PLL.
Handgrip strength is useful for screening the nutritional status of adult population as it is strongly associated with physical disabilities and mortality. Therefore, we aimed to determine the predictors of handgrip strength among adults of a rural community in Malaysia using a cross-sectional study design with multistage sampling. All adults aged 30 years and older from 1250 households were invited to our study. Structured questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, occupation history, lifestyle practices, and measurements, including anthropometry and handgrip strength were taken. There were 2199 respondents with 55.2% females and majority were of Malay ethnicity. Their mean (standard deviation) age was 53.4 (13.2) years. The response rate for handgrip strength was 94.2%. Females had significantly lower handgrip strength than males (P < .05). In the multiple linear regression models, significant predictors of handgrip strength for males were age, height, job groups, and diabetes, while for females, the significant predictors were age, weight, height, and diabetes.
A twelve-week controlled intervention trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of combined physical activity and dietary intervention on obesity and metabolic risk factors among employees of Universiti Putra Malaysia. Participants consisted of adults aged 25-55 years with no reported chronic diseases but with abdominal obesity. They were assigned to either a combined physical activity and dietary intervention group or a control group. The final sample consisted of 56 participants, with an equal number of 28 for each study group. No significant group effect was observed for any variable except for hip circumference (HC) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). There was a significant increase in HC (p=0.007) and reduction in FPG (p=0.02) in the intervention group compared to the control group. In the intervention group, HC (p=0.002), triglycerides (TG) (p=0.0001), total cholesterol (TC) (p=0.0001), LDL cholesterol (LDLC) (p=0.0001) and FPG (p=0.005) were significantly reduced, while waist circumference (WC) (p=0.025) and the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (p=0.027) were significantly reduced in the control group. No significant change in steps/day or calorie intake'was observed in either group. Taken together, these data indicate that the combined physical activity and dietary intervention was not effective at improving diet or physical activity level. However, the intervention was effective in improving FPG among participants with abdominal obesity. The significant increase in HC in the interventions group warrants further study. These findings will be useful to further improve group-based intervention for the prevention and management of obesity.
Two forms of Staurois that are differentiated by body size occur parapatrically in the Crocker Range, Sabah, Borneo. Analyses of a total of 1,499 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA genes revealed that the two forms could be completely split genetically. The two forms could be also clearly differentiated morphologically, not only by snout-vent length but also by the relative sizes of snout, eye, and finger disk. Comparisons of the two forms with all known species of the genus revealed the large and small forms to be S. tuberilinguis and S. parvus, respectively. The latter species has long been synonymized with the former, but we here consider them to represent different species.
Previous reports of patients undergoing parathyroidectomy and of patients receiving teriparatide as antiosteoporotic treatment have suggested a plausible relationship between parathyroid hormone (PTH) and uric acid. However, similar data at population level were lacking. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between PTH and uric acid in a group of apparently healthy Malaysian men.
Skulls of the red-cheeked squirrel (Dremomys rufigenis) from various geographical locations: Malaysia (peninsular area), Vietnam (south district)-Laos, and Thailand (north district) were osteometrically examined. The skull size of the squirrels in the southern (Malaysia) population was fundamentally larger than that in the northern (Vietnam, Laos and Thailand) populations. The proportion indices indicated that the splanchnocranium was relatively longer in the Malaysia population, and that the interorbital space was narrower in Vietnam-Laos, and Thailand populations. We suggest that the long nose and laterally-oriented orbits in the skull may be better adapted for terrestrial-insectivorous life in the Malaysia population and the binocular sense facilitated by rostrally-oriented eyes contributes to the arboreal-fruit eating behavior in the two northern populations. The Malaysia population was clearly distinguished from the other populations by the principal component analysis. We suggest that the geographical barrier of the Isthmus of Kra influences the morphological variation of the skull among the squirrel populations.
Logistic regression was applied to develop a morphometric sexing method of two closely related stork species that were previously sexed through amplification of the CHD gene. Tarsus length (TL) and bill length (BL) measurements were recorded from captive populations of adult Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea) (n = 60) and Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) (n = 58) at Zoo Negara Malaysia. Despite having monomorphic plumages, both stork species exhibited normal sexual size dimorphism in which males were significantly larger than females in the tested variables. Based on logistic regression analysis, BL correctly classified the sex of sampled individuals from Painted and Milky stork with an overall predicted accuracy of 94.8 and 90.0%, respectively. However, TL measurements generated a lower predicted accuracy level of 86.2% and a same accuracy level of 90% on the sex classification of individuals from Painted and Milky stork, respectively. By comparing the measurements of both species, only the average BL measurements of the Milky storks were significantly lower than that of Painted storks (t-test, P80.001). The logistic regression equation in this study may serve as a simple and more practical option for sexing Milky and Painted storks for their breeding and conservation programmes.
Traditionally it was thought that fitness-related traits such as male mating frequency, with a history of strong directional selection, should have little additive genetic variance and thus respond asymmetrically to bidirectional artificial selection. However, recent findings and theory suggest that a balance between selection for increased male mating frequency and opposing selection pressures on physiologically linked traits will cause male mating frequency to have high additive genetic variation and hence respond symmetrically to selection. We tested these hypotheses in the stalk-eyed fly, Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni, in which males hold harems comprising many females and so have the opportunity to mate at extremely high frequencies. We subjected male stalk-eyed flies to artificial selection for increased ('high') and decreased ('low') mating frequency in the presence of ecologically realistic, high numbers of females. High line males mated significantly more often than control or low line males. The direct response to selection was approximately symmetric in the high and low lines, revealing high additive genetic variation for, and no significant genetic constraints on, increased male mating frequency in C. dalmanni. In order to investigate trade-offs that might constrain male mating frequency under natural conditions we examined correlated responses to artificial selection. We measured accessory gland length, testis length and eyespan after 7 and 14 generations of selection. High line males had significantly larger accessory glands than low line males. No consistent correlated responses to selection were found in testis length or eyespan. Our results suggest that costs associated with the production and maintenance of large accessory glands, although yet to be identified, are likely to be a major constraint on mating frequency in natural populations of C. dalmanni.
Enhanced muscle strength is seen when resistance exercise is combined with the consumption of nutritional supplements. Although there is a limited number of studies available about the efficacy of gamma oryzanol supplementation with resistance exercise in humans, but its usage as a nutritional supplement for strength is common in athletes. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of gamma oryzanol supplementation during 9-week resistance training on muscular strength and anthropometric measurements of young healthy males.
A total of 341 fertilized and 37 unfertilized oocytes from 63 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment cycles were included for retrospective assessment using the Embryoscope time-lapse video system. The second polar body (pb2) extrusion occurred at 2.9±0.1 h (range 0.70-10.15 h) relative to sperm injection. All oocytes reduced in size following sperm injection (p<0.05) with shrinkage ceasing after 2h in the unfertilized and at pb2 extrusion in the fertilized oocytes. Pb2 extrusion was significantly delayed for women aged >38 years compared to those <35 years (3.4±0.2 vs. 2.8±0.1, p<0.01) or 35-38 years (3.4±0.2 vs. 2.8±0.1, p<0.01), but timing was not related to the Day 3 morphological grades (1-4) of subsequent embryos (2.9±0.1, 2.9±0.1, 2.8±0.2 and 3.0±0.1; p>0.05 respectively). A shorter time of first cleavage division relative to either sperm injection or pb2 extrusion is associated with both top grade (AUC=0.596 or 0.601, p=0.006 or 0.004) and usable embryos (AUC=0.638 or 0.632, p=0.000 respectively) on Day 3. In summary, (i) pb2 of human oocytes extrudes at various times following sperm injection, (ii) the timing of pb2 extrusion is significantly delayed when female age >38 years, but not related to subsequent embryo development, (iii) all human oocytes reduce in size following sperm injection, (iv) completion of pb2 extrusion in the fertilized oocytes is a pivotal event in terminating shrinkage of the vitellus, and (v) time to first cleavage division either from sperm injection or pb2 extrusion is a significant predictive marker for embryo quality on Day 3.
General obesity, as reflected by BMI, is an established risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), a suspected risk factor for gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCC) and appears unrelated to gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma (GNCC). How abdominal obesity, as commonly measured by waist circumference (WC), relates to these cancers remains largely unexplored. Using measured anthropometric data from 391,456 individuals from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study and 11 years of follow-up, we comprehensively assessed the association of anthropometric measures with risk of EAC, GCC and GNCC using multivariable proportional hazards regression. One hundred twenty-four incident EAC, 193 GCC and 224 GNCC were accrued. After mutual adjustment, BMI was unrelated to EAC, while WC showed a strong positive association (highest vs. lowest quintile HR = 1.19; 95% CI, 0.63-2.22 and HR = 3.76; 1.72-8.22, respectively). Hip circumference (HC) was inversely related to EAC after controlling for WC, while WC remained positively associated (HR = 0.35; 0.18-0.68, and HR=4.10; 1.94-8.63, respectively). BMI was not associated with GCC or GNCC. WC was related to higher risks of GCC after adjustment for BMI and more strongly after adjustment for HC (highest vs. lowest quintile HR = 1.91; 1.09-3.37, and HR = 2.23; 1.28-3.90, respectively). Our study demonstrates that abdominal, rather than general, obesity is an indisputable risk factor for EAC and also provides evidence for a protective effect of gluteofemoral (subcutaneous) adipose tissue in EAC. Our study further shows that general obesity is not a risk factor for GCC and GNCC, while the role of abdominal obesity in GCC needs further investigation.