MyMedR

Displaying publications 1161 - 1180 of 7036 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Effect of tocotrienol rich fraction (TRF) on muscles reinnervation after sciatic nerve crush injury in rats

Amalia Lailanor, Nurul Alaina Hj Yahya, Junedah Sanusi, Huzwah Khaza’ai, Muhammad Danial Che Ramli

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(101):118-124.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Muscle denervation is a process where muscles lose nerve supply due to neural damage and this may lead to paralysis in human. Muscle denervation is mainly caused by peripheral nerve injuries especially in the lower extremities that resulted in devastating effect on human daily functions and routines. Tocotrienol Rich Fraction (TRF) consist of 75% of tocotrienols have shown potential neuroprotective properties. The objective of this study is to ob- serve motor coordination and histological characteristics on muscles that underwent sciatic nerve crush injury and supplemented with TRF. Methods: A total of 104 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups; normal group (n=8) with no sciatic nerve crush injury, negative control (n=32) with sciatic nerve crush injury at hindlimb without treatment, positive control (n=32) sciatic nerve crush injury treated with 500 µg/kg/day of methylcobalamin, and experimental group (n=32) of rats that underwent sciatic nerve crush injury and treated with 200 mg/kg/day of TRF. Result: Skeletal muscles which located at hind limb; Soleus Muscle and Extenstor Digitorum Longus Muscle (EDL) muscle have shown an increasing in weight when it is supplemented with TRF 200 mg/kg/day and improved myelin layer of nerve. Conclusion: This study showed that TRF has the potency to improve reinnervation rate and neuron supply in hind muscle.
Photodentistry - an innovative approach to improving students' empathy and learning experiences in comprehensive patient care

Ahmad MS, Radhi DSM, Rusle FF, Zul MF, Jalaluddin J, Baharuddin IH

J Dent Educ, 2020 Nov;84(11):1219-1229.
PMID: 32645212 DOI: 10.1002/jdd.12295

OBJECTIVES: Preparing future dental school graduates to provide comprehensive patient care with empathy requires the completion of adequate training in such practice. This study was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of the Photodentistry learning activity, which uses visual arts, in improving dental students' empathy and learning experience in comprehensive patient care.
METHODS: All fourth-year undergraduate dental students (n = 69, response rate = 100%) participated in the Photodentistry learning activity developed by specialists from the areas of dentistry, arts, education, and psychology. A survey using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) was conducted both pretest and posttest, followed by an open-ended written survey of their reflection towards the learning activity. Quantitative data were analyzed via paired t-test (P < 0.05), while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
RESULTS: There was a significant increase in both students' total mean empathy score and the individual scores for 8 (out of 16) items of the TEQ after the learning activity. Students stated that they had an improved understanding of managing patients in a comprehensive manner (e.g., managing medically compromised patients, performing treatment planning, communication with patients who have special health care needs). Students also reported the development of skills (e.g., observation, critical thinking) and positive attitudes (e.g., empathy, responsibility) towards patients.
CONCLUSION: Photodentistry is an effective learning approach for improving dental students' empathy and learning experience in comprehensive patient care.
Fulltext Foot problem and Foot care practices among diabetic patients in a primary care clinic, Kuala Lumpur

Nurjasmine Aida Jamani, Noor Azimah Muhammad, Aida Jaffar, Saharuddin Ahmad, Noorlaili Tohit

International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, 2018;2(3):435-444.
MyJurnal

Foot problems are very common in diabetic patients but may go unnoticed by the patients and
undiagnosed by the healthcare providers leading to substantial morbidity and amputations. The aims of this study were to assess patient’s foot care practices, awareness on their foot condition as well as to determine the prevalence of diabetic foot problem and its associated factors. Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among diabetic patients in a primary care clinic in Kuala Lumpur. Patients with diabetes, aged more than 18 years were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Patients were requested to answer a set of self-administered pre-tested questionnaire that obtain information on their socio-demographic profiles, diabetic clinical data, awareness on their feet condition and foot care practice. A trained clinician examined patients’ feet using a standard foot examination protocol. Results: A total of 166 patients with diabetes participated in this study. Nearly half of the patients (70, 42.2%) had diabetic foot problem but only 31 (18.7%) of them were aware of their foot condition. The three common problem were trophic changes of the skin (92.8%), followed with hair loss (71.1%) and callosity (65.7%). The independent associated factors for foot problem were increasing age (AOR=1.05, 95% CI 1.015-1.095; p
Fulltext Factors influencing consumer behavior: intention of purchasing via mobile applications in Malaysia

Voon, Lew Qi, James, Jennifer, Selvarajah, Sherlyn, Raja Muhammad Syabil Mohar

Journal of Management & Science, 2020;18(1):43-51.
MyJurnal

There are many prior studies that focused on the adoption of mobile shopping by apply models like TAM, DOI and UTAUT, but there is still a lack of effort to determine the influential factors from user or consumer perception. The purpose of this paper is to determine the influential factors on intention of purchasing via mobile shopping application in Malaysia. The study identified five independent variables including perceived benefit, performance expectancy, security and privacy, perceived ease of use and customer services with proposed an integrated framework to understand intention mobile users. A total of 195 mobile device users were participating in this questionnaire survey in Malaysia. Collected data was utilized to analyze the hypothesized relationships. The results indicated that only two influential factors, namely perceived benefits and perceived ease of use were significant in predicting the purchase intention via mobile shopping application. The small sizes of respondents from whole population in Malaysia is the limitation of this study. The findings of this study benefit mobile shopping app developers to develop a suitable services and strategies to encourage mobile shopping app as a medium of exchange. Worth noting this study represents the purchase intention in using mobile application by using UTAUT model as a guiding theory.
Fulltext Nitrate pollution in groundwater: a cross-sectional study in three villages in Bachok district, Kelantan, Malaysia during the paddy pre-planting season

Shaharuddin Mohd Sham, Mohamad Azri M. Y., Mohd Akmal Asyiq Z., Muhammad Amirul Afif H.

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(103):160-163.
MyJurnal

Nitrate fertilizer is extensively used to produce healthy crops on a wide scale, and paddy planting is no exception. Nitrate that is not used by plants is able to penetrate the soil and end up in groundwater. This, if not checked, can give rise to health problems including infant methemoglobinaemia, a disease where hemoglobin in erythrocytes are changed into methemoglobin by nitrite which, in turn, makes it unable to transport oxygen to body cells. Nitrite is formed from ingested nitrate that is altered by bacteria present in the infant’s stomach. This cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2019 for 2 weeks’ observation during the paddy pre-planting season, and a total of 149 wells across three villages were sampled for nitrate. Readings were compared to the Drinking Water Quality Standard stated by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The maximum acceptable value for nitrate in drinking water is 45 mg/L nitrate (NO3-). The three villages, namely Keting, Kuchelong and Telaga Ara, were chosen as they are located near paddy fields and water from wells were used for drinking and cooking without filtration. It was found that only one (0.67%) of the wells had nitrate above the maximum acceptable value (56.85 mg/L NO3-). This highest value was found in Telaga Ara village and the location of the well was 50m from the nearest paddy fields. In Kuchelong village, the mean nitrate level was 5.10 +0.85 mg/L with a range of 0.73 to 27.10 mg/L. While in Telaga Ara village, the mean nitrate levels was 10.52 +1. 24 mg/L with a range of 1.67 to 56.85 mg/L. Mean nitrate level in Keting village was 5.34 + 4.94 mg/L with a range of 0.40 -23.65 mg/L. In general, nitrate levels were found to be below the maximum acceptable value in the villages concerned and therefore did not pose any health risks to users. Periodic assessment of nitrate in groundwater is still important as to ensure the levels remain below the acceptable value, and in turn, safeguard the health of its users.
Fulltext Does picky eating behavior exist in University students?

Nur Fadzlina Zulkefli, Muhammad Muzaffar Ali Khan Khattak, Wan Azdie Mohd Abu Bakar

International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, 2018;2(1):140-154.
MyJurnal

The aim of this study was to assess picky eating behavior existence among university students. This was an observational cross sectional study design. The sample size was calculated by using single proportion formula based on the adult prevalence of picky eating of 28.7 % which gives a sample of ~ 324 students. However, 407 students online registered to participate out which 403 students responded. A set of questionnaire was posted online. The questionnaire contained three sections which are demographic information, determinants of picky eating behavior and normal eating behaviors. Furthermore, the students were categorized as non-picky eating behavior, moderate picky eating behavior, and extreme picky eating behavior. The statistical analysis
carried out was mainly descriptive in order to determine the extent of picky eating behavior among the university students. Student t-test was used to find the differences between picky and non-picky eaters in terms of eating behaviors. Among the students possessing non picky eating behavior, moderate picky eating behavior and extreme picky eating behavior were 168 (41.69%), were 130(32.26%), 105(26.05%) respectively. On overall basis 235(58.31 %) of the students were having picky eating behavior. The present study revealed that picky eating behavior exists among the university students which need to be addressed.
Fulltext A crossover study comparing in-plane and out-of-plane approaches for simulated ultrasound- guided central venous cannulation on phantom models by anaesthesiology trainees

Yap, K.B., Shereen, T.S.P., Yeoh, C.N., Liu, C.Y., Nadia, M.N., Joanna, O.S.M., et al.

Medicine & Health, 2019;14(1):135-144.
MyJurnal

This prospective crossover study compared the incidence of posterior vessel wall puncture between two approaches during ultrasound-guided simulated central venous cannulation by anaesthesiology trainees. Each phantom model, simulating a central vein and artery, was cannulated by 37 anaesthesiology trainees under ultrasound-guidance using the in-plane approach (IPA) and out-of-plane approach (OPA). Total procedural time and the time taken from starting image scanning until commencing puncture, was recorded. The number of attempts required to achieve successful venous cannulation was noted. Finally, the models were examined for posterior venous wall and arterial puncture. Total procedural time was shorter with the OPA (26.5 vs 50.3 seconds, p=0.001). The time taken from starting image scanning until commencing puncture was shorter for the OPA (2.2 vs 12.3 seconds, p
Fulltext Needlestick injuries – incidence, contributing factors and costs on post exposure management at tertiary hospitals in Sabah

Tee Wen Li, Sahipuddin Saupin, Gridhari Nath, Muhammad Ubaidullah Arasy Aziz, Avinash Kumar Chand

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):12-12.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are common occupational hazards against healthcare workers (HCWs). NSIs led to serious economic burden as there were high costs forhealth system and the society, as well as the psycholog-ical impact on exposed workers post injury. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine the incidence, contributing factors of NSIs and to estimate the cost of PEM in Sabah’s tertiary hospitals. Descriptive statis-tics were used to analyse and describe the trends of NSIs. Chi-Square test was performed to determine the association between variables, relative risk was calculated. Results: 145 cases out of 7075 employees were reported from 2017 to 2018. Results in this study showed that the highest incidence of NSIs was 2.4/100 employees in Hospital Queen Elizabeth. 1.1/100 employees in 2018, which was higher compared to year 2017. Most common among younger age group between 20-29 years old, among doctors, with median working experience of 2 years. NSIs occurred com-monly at the wards, during blood taking, disposal of devices and common device used were hypodermic needles. There was a lack of awareness on NSI precaution guidelines among the doctors (χ2=19.304, df=1, p=
Fulltext The expression of microrna-744 (Mir-744) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a preliminary study

Noor Syamila Othman, Wan Ishlah Leman, Kahairi Abdullah, Siti Aesah @ Naznin Muhammad, Mohd Arifin Kaderi

International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, 2018;2(1):191-203.
MyJurnal

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of miR-744 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumour tissue and to provide initial clue on its potential as biomarkers for early detection of NPC in a preliminary analysis. Total miRNAs was extracted from NPC tissue as well as normal nasopharynx tissue taken from Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA), Kuantan and converted into cDNA. The level of miR-744 expression in the cDNA was quantified using quantitative reverse transcription polymserase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technique. The expression level of SNORD48 was measured simultaneously for each sample, which served as endogenous control. The difference in the expression of miR-744 in NPC and normal nasopharynx tissue were analysed using relative quantification, 2-ΔΔCT. In this preliminary analysis, this study found that miR-744 was upregulated in NPC as compared to normal nasopharynx tissue by 2.5 fold changes, respectively suggesting it may involve in progression of tumour. However, the finding is not significant and may not accurately reflect the overall population, due to small sample size involved in the study. Findings from the current study suggest the potential of miR-744 to serve as useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in NPC.
Fulltext Factors associated with occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among healthcare worker in a government hospital in Sabah

Che Wan Ilmiyah Ahmad, Raja Muhammad Raja Omar, Khamisah Awang Lukman

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):32-32.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to occupational blood and body fluid exposure (OBBE) that potentially cause blood-borne infection such as HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, with risk of transmission 0.3%, 6 to 30% and 0-10% respectively. They are exposed to these infections through percutaneous injury, splash exposure of blood and body fluids to mucous membrane and non-intact skin. Aim of this study was to determine prevalence and risk factors associated with occupational exposure of blood and body fluid in a tertiary government hospital in Sabah. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted involving 10 places, was chosen by stratified random sampling and involved various job categories (specialist, medical officer, house officer, nurse, hospital assistant and Sedafiat worker). Self-administered questionnaire used as study tool. The data was analysed by using SPSS version 22.0. Association of risk factors and OBBE incidence were determined by Chi-square test and simple logistic regression. Results: A total of 334 respondents involved in this study. Prevalence of OBBE was 25.2% with 95% CI of 20.6% to 30.2% and highest (41.3%) among HCWs working in medical ward. Nurses were less likely to have occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (Crude OR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.57). Needle recapping (Crude OR=3.77, 95% CI: 1.99, 7.10) and never attend training in infection prevention (Crude OR=3.19, 95% CI: 1.69, 6.05) were associ-ated with higher odds of OBBE. There was 76.3% of respondents adhere to universal precaution. HCWs who did not work in shift (Crude OR=3.04, 95% CI: 1.49, 6.21) and non-nurses (Crude OR=2.04, 95% CI: 1.06, 3.92) profession had better adherence to universal precaution. Conclusion: Prevalence of OBBE was 25.2%. Modifiable risk factors for OBBE were identified including needle recapping and training on infection prevention. Shift work is associated with adherence to universal precaution. Adequate training, increasing knowledge and awareness may help to reduce OBBE burden.
Synthesis, Structure, and Anticancer Activity of Symmetrical and Non-symmetrical Silver(I)-N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes

Atif M, Bhatti HN, Haque RA, Iqbal MA, Ahamed Khadeer MB, Majid AMSA

Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2020 Jul;191(3):1171-1189.
PMID: 32002729 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-019-03186-9

Synthesis and anticancer studies of three symmetrically and non-symmetrically substituted silver(I)-N-Heterocyclic carbene complexes of type [(NHC)2-Ag]PF6 (7-9) and their respective (ligands) benzimidazolium salts (4-6) are described herein. Compound 5 and Ag-NHC-complex 7 were characterized by the single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Structural studies for 7 showed that the silver(I) center has linear C-Ag-C coordination geometry (180.00(10)o). Other azolium and Ag-NHC analogues were confirmed by H1 and C13-NMR spectroscopy. The synthesized analogues were biologically characterized for in vitro anticancer activity against three cancer cell lines including human colorectal cancer (HCT 116), breast cancer (MCF-7), and erythromyeloblastoid leukemia (K-562) cell lines and in terms of in vivo acute oral toxicity (IAOT) in view of agility and body weight of female rats. In vitro anticancer activity showed the values of IC50 in range 0.31-17.9 μM in case of K-562 and HCT-116 cancer cell lines and 15.1-35.2 μM in case of MCF-7 while taking commercially known anticancer agents 5-fluorouracil, tamoxifen, and betulinic acid which have IC50 values 5.2, 5.5, and 17.0 μM, respectively. In vivo study revealed vigor and agility of all test animals which explores the biocompatibility and non-toxicity of the test analogues.
Fulltext Energy-Efficient Wireless Sensor Network with an Unequal Clustering Protocol Based on a Balanced Energy Method (EEUCB)

Jasim AA, Idris MYI, Razalli Bin Azzuhri S, Issa NR, Rahman MT, Khyasudeen MFB

Sensors (Basel), 2021 Jan 25;21(3).
PMID: 33503903 DOI: 10.3390/s21030784

A hot spot problem is a problem where cluster nodes near to the base station (BS) tend to drain their energy much faster than other nodes due to the need to perform more communication. Unequal clustering methods such as unequal clustering routing (UDCH) and energy-efficient fuzzy logic for unequal clustering (EEFUC) have been proposed to address this problem. However, these methods only concentrate on utilizing residual energy and the distance of sensor nodes to the base station, while limited attention is given to enhancing the data transmission process. Therefore, this paper proposes an energy-efficient unequal clustering scheme based on a balanced energy method (EEUCB) that utilizes minimum and maximum distance to reduce energy wastage. Apart from that, the proposed EEUCB also utilizes the maximum capacity of node energy and double cluster head technique with a sleep-awake mechanism. Furthermore, EEUCB has devised a clustering rotation strategy based on two sub-phases, namely intra- and inter-clustering techniques, that considers the average energy threshold, average distance threshold, and BS layering node. The performance of the proposed EEUCB protocol is then compared with various prior techniques. From the result, it can be observed that the proposed EEUCB protocol shows lifetime improvements of 57.75%, 19.63%, 14.7%, and 13.06% against low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH), factor-based LEACH FLEACH, EEFUC, and UDCH, respectively.
Smart pH-responsive co-polymeric hydrogels for controlled delivery of capecitabine: Fabrication, Optimization and in vivo toxicology screening

Rehman U, Sarfraz RM, Mahmood A, Hussain Z, Thu HE, Zafar N, et al.

Curr Drug Deliv, 2021 Feb 11.
PMID: 33583374 DOI: 10.2174/1567201818666210212085912

BACKGROUND: Despite exhibiting promising anticancer potential, the clinical significance of capecitabine (a potent prodrug of 5-fluorouracil used for treatment of colorectal cancer) is limited owing to its acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis, lower absorption following the oral administration, poor bioavailability, short plasma half-life and poor patient compliance.
OBJECTIVES: The present study was aimed to fabricate the capecitabine as smart pH-responsive hydrogel network to efficiently facilitate its oral delivery while shielding its stability in the gastric media.
METHODS: The smart pH sensitive HP-β-CD/agarose-g-poly(MAA) hydrogel network was developed using an aqueous free radical polymerization technique. The developed hydrogels were characterized for drug-loading efficiency, structural and compositional features, thermal stability, swelling behaviour, morphology, physical form, and release kinetics. The pH-responsive behaviour of developed hydrogels was established by conducting the swelling and release behaviour at different pH values (1.2 and 7.4), demonstrating significantly higher swelling and release at pH 7.4 as compared with pH 1.2. The capecitabine-loaded hydrogels were also screened for acute oral toxicity in animals by analysing the body weight, water and food intake, dermal toxicity, ocular toxicity, biochemical analysis, and histological examination.
RESULTS: The characteristic evaluations revealed that capecitabine (anticancer agent) was successfully loaded into the hydrogel network. Capecitabine loading was ranged from 71.22% to 90.12%. An interesting feature of hydrogel was its pH-responsive behaviour which triggers release at basic pH (94.25%). Optimum swelling (95%) was seen at pH 7.4. Based upon regression coefficient R2 (0.96 - 0.99) best fit model was zero order. The extensive toxicity evaluations evidenced good safety profile with no signs of oral, dermal or ocular toxicities, as well as no variations in blood parameters and histology of vital organs.
CONCLUSION: Our findings conclusively evinced that the developed hydrogel exhibited excellent pharmaceutical and therapeutic potential and thus can be employed as pH-responsive system for controlled delivery of anticancer agents.
Synthesis of some N-sulfonated derivatives of 1-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]piperazine as suitable antibacterial agents

Abbasi MA, Ijaz M, Aziz-Ur-Rehman -, Siddiqui SZ, Ali Shah SA, Shahid M, et al.

Pak J Pharm Sci, 2020 Jul;33(4):1609-1616.
PMID: 33583794

In the planned research work, the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1-[(E)-3-phenyl-2-propenyl]piperazine (1) was carried out with different sulfonyl chlorides (2a-g) at pH 9-10 to synthesize its different N-sulfonated derivatives (3a-g). The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized by their proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), carbon-nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) and Infra Red (IR) spectral data, along with CHN analysis. The inhibition potential of the synthesized molecules was ascertained against two bacterial pathogenic strains i.e. Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. It was inferred from the results that some of the compounds were very suitable inhibitors of these bacterial strains. Moreover, their cytotoxicity was also profiled and it was outcome that most of these molecules possessed moderate cytotoxicity.
Fulltext The use of simulation technique among undergraduate nursing student

Mohd Said Nurumal, Mohammad Syafiq Mohamad Azizi, Muhammad Kamil Che Hasan

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(105):10-0.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Simulation is widely practiced as learning strategies in many disciplines including nursing. It is con- sidered an updated technological approach towards providing safe and sound patients care. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge among nursing students using a simulated mannequin for cardiovascular assessment. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study design focusing Year 4 nursing students at Kulliyyah of Nurs- ing, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). A simulation mannequin was used for students performing a cardiovascular assessment. Level of knowledge was tested using an adapted questionnaire. The study was approved by the Kulliyyah of Nursing Postgraduate Research Committee (Ref: IIUM/313/DDAA/20/4/10) and IIUM Research Ethics Committee (Ref: IREC 2018-024). Results: A total of 57 nursing students involved in this study revealing good cardiovascular assessment knowledge. Majority of them reported that simulation exercise is one of the good learning strategies to enhance their capabilities and increase their confidence level. Conclusions: The results from this study could indicate that using technological simulation approach could provide a similar effect in performing cardiovas- cular assessment among nursing student IIUM. Future larger scale is needed including for any other disciplines in nursing to facilitate students’ preparation towards the real clinical setting.
Fulltext VESSEL LIFE JACKET COMPATIBILITY MOBILE APPS FOR SAFETY ASSESSMENT

MUHAMMAD SYUKRI HANAFI BASRI, MOHAMMAD AIZAT BASIR, AHMAD FAIZAL AHMAD FUAD

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2020;2(2):83-92.
MyJurnal

Life jacket is one of the safety appliances that can be found on the ship that provide buoyancy and prevention against drowning. Before the ship can sail, every element of safety of the vessel should be confirmed. Despite the establishment of standards for life jacket, both local and international, there have been cases of drowning associated with the usage of life jackets by the passengers of passenger boat/vessels for open-deck situation. Moreover, deficiency of information on safety instruction is reason the passengers are lack of personal safety information during on board. Thus, the evaluation on safety standard of life jackets and passenger vessel are vital for assessing the provision of the life jacket on board passenger vessel with respect to compatibility between life jacket and passenger vessel. In this paper, A Vessel Life Jacket Compatibility Mobile Apps (VELIT) was developed using software development methodology called Rational Unified Process (RUP) to automate the safety assessment process based on model called LCI (Life Jacket Compatibility Index). VELIT apps synchronized the safety assessment aspect and which allow user to compute the element in the model and produce the result of the safety assessment in real time. The VELIT apps are expected to be used in maritime area especially for ship safety assessment process.
Fulltext THE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF OPTICAL WAVE PROPAGATION FOR UNDERWATER WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

MUHAMMAD SAFIY SABRIL, MUHAMMAD SAFIY SABRIL, FAEZAH JASMAN, NURUL ADILAH ABDUL LATIFF, SEVIA MAHDALIZA IDRUS, WAN HAFIZA WAN HASSAN

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2020;2(3):73-82.
MyJurnal

Underwater wireless communications refer to transmitting data in an unguided water environment by wireless carriers including acoustic, radio frequency (RF), and optical waves. Relative to acoustic and RF, the optical wave is more promising to offer higher bandwidth at a lower energy consumption rate. However, an optical wave has its challenges such as attenuation due to absorption, scattering and turbulence effects. Therefore, this work attempts to investigate the performance of lightwave propagation for underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) using simulation and experimental approaches. First, the performance of optical waves was analyzed using MATLAB by simulating the light attenuation model which based on depth-dependent chlorophyll concentration. A depth profile that related to the surface chlorophyll levels for the range 0-4 mg/m3 was used to represent the open ocean. The simulation showed that the attenuation of light less affected for operating wavelength range of 450 – 550 nm. Further, an experimental set-up was developed which consists of a transmitter, receiver, and aquarium to emulate the UOWC channel. Three types of water including clear, sea and cloudy were tested to analyze their interaction with the light emitted by a light-emitting diode (LED) and a laser diode. The emitted light detected by the light sensor and the strength of an audio signal transmitted through the UOWC were measured using a light meter and sound meter respectively. The measured power was plotted against distance and the attenuation constant c was deduced through curve fitting method. The analysis showed irrespective of the light sources, UOWC in cloudy water suffered the highest attenuation relative to still clear and seawater. The received power emitted by laser was at least 41% higher than the LED. This study contributes to identify the potential and limitations of different operating schemes to optimize UOWC performance.
Fulltext THE POTENTIAL OF LOCAL EARTHWORMS IN VERMICOMPOSTING GOAT MANURE (GM) AND SPENT COCONUT FLAKES (SCF)

Muhammad Faris bin Md Yusoff, Suhaizan binti Lob, Nurul Faziha Ibrahim

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2019;1(4):19-28.
MyJurnal

Vermicomposting is a process that involves biological, chemical and physical transformations of solid organic materials such as agricultural residues of plant and animal through the use of microorganisms and earthworms. There are three main classes of earthworms, and only those from one class are usually used for vermicomposting. However, mostly foreign earthworms are used in the setup. Foreign earthworms are more expensive and harder to obtain than local earthworms. This makes the local farmers reluctant to try since they are expensive. The difference in vermicompost using two species of epigeic earthworms, a local earthworm and a foreign earthworm (Eisenia fetida), and normal compost without any earthworms was measured in this study. Both species of earthworms were placed in identical vermibeds consisting of partially composted goat manure and partially composted spent coconut flakes (SCF) with the ratio of 5:1 respectively in terms of weight. The vermibed moisture content was maintained at 60 – 70% throughout the whole process. The end products showed a difference from one another. The E. fetida showed a better result compared to the local earthworms in terms of the nutrient content presence and the adaptability of the earthworms during the whole process. However, the end product from the local earthworms was still better compared to the normal compost without any earthworms.
Fulltext Smart Bran Dispenser for Animal Husbandry Purpose

Muhammad Alif Azanuddin Alias, Nur Athirah Mohd Taib, Nurul Nadia Adnan

Malaysian Journal of Science, Health & Technology, 2021;7(1):56-61.
MyJurnal

The creation of technology in this century changes people’s life. Technology plays an important role that benefits young people and has increased agriculture production’s efficiency and profitability. Innovative technology mainly involved in animal feeding automation is currently one of Smart Bran Dispensers’ new inventions. This project approaches an innovative animal husbandry management system to improve the agricultural system’s efficiency, particularly livestock nutrition and feed resources. The benefit of this project is to facilitate animal feeding for breeders, which can be remotely controlled and detected by a tracking module that transmits a signal to the user and informs them of the status of the bran dispenser through the Blynk server. NodeMCU ESP8266 and Arduino UNO were implemented as the main controller.
Fulltext TECHNO-ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY STUDY OF AN OFF-GRID HYBRID POWER SYSTEM FOR AN AQUA-TOURISM RESORT IN TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA

MUHAMMAD FAKHRURAZI MD YUNOS, NUR FARIZAN MUNAJAT, WAN MARIAM WAN MUDA

UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2019;1(2):103-110.
MyJurnal

This study focused on feasibility analysis of hybrid electrification system for an aqua-tourism resort located remotely from the grid connection in Terengganu. There were four standalone systems used in this study: diesel/PV/biomass/battery, diesel/PV/battery, biomass/diesel/battery, and diesel only. The design and analysis of these systems were done using Hybrid Optimization of MultipleEnergy Resources (HOMER) software. The results showed that the diesel/PV/battery system was the optimum solution in terms of net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE). This system comprises 20 % of PV penetration with NPC and COE of USD 57,823 (RM 241, 729.90) and 0.428 USD/kWh (1.79 RM/kWh), respectively. Meanwhile, the diesel/PV/biomass/battery system with NPC of USD 65,388 (RM 273, 355.49) and COE of 0.484 USD/kWh (2.02 RM/kWh) was found to be the best among all systems in terms of greenhouse emissions. This system was able to reduce almost 70 % of carbon dioxide if compared with diesel only system and about 15 % lower than the diesel/PV/battery system with a renewable energy fraction of 44 %.

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links