This paper provides preliminary evidence ofthe need foraccounting for trash management in public organizations, in particular, UniversitiMalaysia Terengganu (UMT). It has two objectives: tosolicit opinions from students regarding their behaviorsand perceptions towards recycling habits,and to provide data on the extent of accounting for trash management at UMT. A survey among155 UMT students indicatedthat theyrecycled the trashandwereaware of environmental issues caused by the waste. However, they were not informed about the benefits of environmental management accounting practice particularly regardingtrash management. Interviewswith UMT management also revealed that while UMT supported recycling activities byfunding the projects and providing facilities, the data on the opportunity cost involved in the current practice was never integrated into UMT accounting system. As a result, the management hadno idea of how much was lost (or gained) during the process. Based on the findings,this study callsfor the implementation of accounting for trash management in a public university.
Flood mitigation and assessments are crucial in current time. The seasonal and nonseasonal of flood occurrence in Malaysia provide risk towards country growth and productivity. In this study, the flood pattern will be analysed by using correspondence analysis. The data involve the occurrence of flood based on month and locality from 2013 to 2018. The test of independence (χ2 test) between month and locality indicated independency among the variables (p=0.615). The symmetric plot suggested that Perak, Melaka, Selangor, Johor, Terengganu, Sarawak inclined to have flood occurrence during December to March, while Kedah and Penang during March. This analysis will help authorities to better planning flood mitigation accordingly.
This study is a continuation of previous research work conducted by the author on the stability of man-made slope constructed in UPNM campus. This paper presents the effects of ground water level (GWL) fluctuation on slope stability by using numerical simulation program, SlopeW. Ground water rises were simulated from 5m below the ground until 10m above the ground. Soil samples were taken from the site and tested in laboratory and then were incorporated into the program. It was found that the stability of the slope decreased with an increase of GWL. The critical slip surface formed by each case study is categorised as toe failure with circular and non-circular shapes.
Many times a year natural gas transmission and distribution companies need to make new connections to pipelines to expand or modify their existing system through hot tapping procedure. This procedure involves the installation of a new pipeline connection while the pipeline remains in service, flowing natural gas under pressure. The hot tap procedure includes attaching a branch connection and valve on the outside of an operating pipeline, and then cutting out the pipe-line wall within the branch and removing the wall section, which is called object of coupon through the valve. During the hot tapping process a critical problems occurred when a coupon fell into the mother pipeline. To overcome this problem, a gamma-ray absorption technique was chosen whereby a mapping technique will be done to detect the coupon position. The technique is non-destructive as it applies Co-60 (5mCi) as a radioisotope sealed source to emit gamma radiation and a NaI(Tl) scintillation as detector. The result provided a visible representation of density profile inside pipeline where the coupon location can be located. This paper provides the detail of the technique used and presents the result obtained.
Honey is usually subjected to filtration and heating for bottling before commercialization. However, there is no standard procedure available for thermal treatment on honey. Honey is thermally heated at various temperature and duration based on individual experience to prolong the shelf life of honey in the market. The heating methods might decrease the biochemical components such as nutrients, enzymatic activities and vitamins to certain extent. In addition to water reduction, thermal treatment on sugar rich honey usually accompanied by the formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). In the present study, the biochemical components in three commonly consumed honey in Malaysia, namely tualang, gelam and acacia honey were investigated before and after thermal treatment at 90oC for 30 min. The short period of heating time was found to degrade nutrients, enzymatic activities and water soluble vitamins in honey. The degradation of protein and enzyme via proteolytic digestion had attributed to the increase of free amino acids in honey. Based on the multivariate analysis, the most thermally affected biochemical components are crude fat, panthotenic acid (Vitamin B5) and diastase activity which explain for 86.4% of the total variance. The kinetic studies on the HMF formation revealed that the honey samples followed zero order kinetic model for the first 60 min of heating at 90oC. The findings indicate that the temperature and duration of heating during honey processing is essential to be investigated according to the honey origin. The initial biochemical composition of honey would affect the kinetic profile of HMF formation.
The accurate transfer of information on the athletes’ performance in any sport is
essential in enhancing the performance and overall coaching process. The provision of such
information is favourable only if it is reliable. A cost-effective golf putting monitoring device
namely the Putt.It.In was developed for analysing a golfers’ putting performance. Objectives: This
study aims to investigate the reliability of the instrument in measuring the backswing distance, front
swing distance, clubhead speed, ideal front swing distance and swing angle. Methods: A semiprofessional
golfer (30 years of age ± 5.0 years’ experience) executed four strokes repeatedly from
a distance of 2 m and 1 m using a Ram Zebra Mallet putter on a PGM golf mat. The intra-class
correlation (ICC) coefficient is employed to test the reliability of the device whilst the
Kolmogorov/Smirnov test was utilised to further reaffirm the reliability of the application in
measuring the aforementioned parameters over test re-test between first two strokes of 2 m distance
and the last two strokes of 1 m distance. Results: The ICC reveals 0.98 and 0.96 for both test 1 and
2, as well as a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.99 and 0.96, respectively suggesting excellent consistencies
in the overall observations. Moreover, the Kolmogorov/Smirnov test re-test indicates that there is
no significant difference between the first two 2 m strokes p > 0.05, and subsequent two 1 m strokes
p > 0.05 highlighting its ability to recognise the pattern of the strokes applied in the four successive
strokes. Conclusion: The Putt.It.In monitoring device is found to be reliable in measuring the
backswing distance, front swing distance, clubhead speed, ideal front swing distance and swing
angle. Professional and semi-professional golfers as well coaches could consider Putt.It.In device in
monitoring strokes related parameters to enhance their performance due to its effectiveness in
providing information on putting performance.
The management of a chemical inventory is necessary for safety purposes as well as for fulfilling regulatory compliance. In most academic laboratories, the management of chemicals is still being done manually, which is time-consuming. As a result, data are not updated and expired chemicals are unintentionally used. This research proposes that UHF Class 1 Gen 2 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology be used in the development of a chemical inventory information system to ease chemical tracking as well as to shorten the inventory process time. An information system integrating RFID data and a web-based rule identification interface was developed. WAMP 2.2.17, PHP 5.3.5 and MySQL 5.5.8 were downloaded and a programming language was written to check the expiration date of the chemicals as well as to produce alert notification status. Wireless technology through GSM modem helped in producing alert messages using the Short Message System (SMS) of the nearly expired chemicals to the handphone of the person in charge in real time.
Thalassaemia is a hereditary blood disorder that is becoming a major health problem all over the world. This chronic illness harms the quality of life of the sufferers by interrupting their physical activities, school performance and social life. Hence, this review takes aim to assess the factors affecting the quality of life of thalassaemia among paediatrics patients. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted by using PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct. The search was limited to those articles written in English language and by using Pediatrics Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQLTM) 4.0 generic core scale questionnaire only. This review notifies emerging knowledge regarding the factors affecting the quality of life among thalassaemia patients and its implications in the essential core domains for paediatrics health-related quality of life measurements: physical, emotional, social and school functioning. It also empowers a better understanding regarding thalassaemia and assists as a foundation for the development of the effective preventive strategies for it.
Prolonged work with highly repetitious flexion and extension of the wrist and forceful grip task were shown to increase the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among dental personnel. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence, risk factors and coping strategies of probable CTS among clinical dental support staff in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). A cross-sectional study was conducted and a set of questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic status, work-related and psychosocial risk factors and coping strategies was distributed. Ninety-five clinical dental support staff completed and returned the questionnaire with a response rate of 80.5%. The prevalence of probable CTS was 38.9%, with the highest prevalence was found among dental surgery assistants (40.5%) followed by dental technologists (29.7%). There was no significant association between work-related or psychosocial risk factors with probable CTS (p>0.05). Most of the respondents with symptoms of CTS chose religion as the coping mechanism; mean 7.11 (SD 1.13). Awareness training should be emphasized among clinical dental support staff on the prevention of CTS.
Study site: Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM)
Bee pollen is considered as one of the functional foods due to its complex biochemical
properties. Bee pollen which is collected from pollen grains from various botanical sources
contains almost a complete nutrition such as carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, vitamins
and minerals. Its beneficial effect on health is thought to be due to the presence of phenolic
compounds with its antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activities of ethanolic bee pollen extract
(BPE) from three species of Malaysian stingless bee; Trigona thoracica, Trigona itama and
Trigona apicalis in this study were measured using DPPH-HPLC method and gallic acid (GA)
as a standard reference. The percentage of DPPH inhibition by T. apicalis BPE at 1 mg/mL
showed the highest inhibition (39%, GA equivalent to 0.3 mg/mL) compared with T. itama
(14.3%, GA equivalent to 0.1 mg/mL) and T. thoracica (6.7%, GA equivalent to 0.05 mg/mL).
Our result was the first in reporting antioxidant activity of BPE measured using DPPH-HPLC
method from three different species of Malaysian stingless bee.
Aim: A once-daily formulation of tacrolimus, Advagraf®, is increasingly being used in place of twice-daily
tacrolimus, Prograf®, as a standard immunosuppressive agent for transplant patients. In this study, the
clinical safety and efficacy of Advagraf® were compared with Prograf®, among multi-ethnic Malaysian renal
transplanted population.
Method: This retrospective study identified renal transplant patients who were converted from Prograf® to
Advagraf® at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) (n=69). Clinical notes and laboratory records,
including tacrolimus daily dose and trough levels, were obtained for one-year, pre-and post-conversion. Causality
assessment of suspected adverse events were based on the WHO-Uppsala Monitoring Center criteria. Renal
biopsy records were re-evaluated based on the updated Banff 2007 classification for biopsy-confirmed acute
rejection (BPAR).
Results: Following conversion to Advagraf®, the mean tacrolimus trough level and daily dose decreased
significantly (p
Leaves extracts of three different citrus species namely Citrus sinensis (Malta), Citrus paradisi (Grape fruit) and Citrus jambhiri (Khatti) were evaluated for their antioxidant, cytotoxic, antitumor, antimicrobial activities and finally the mineral contents were determined. Four types of extraction solvents (100, 80 and 50% methanol and distilled water heated at 50oC) were used for extraction of antioxidant compounds. Extracts yield increased with the elevated levels of aqueous component of organic solvent and our data showed the highest yield in aqueous extracts. All extraction regimes showed in vitro antioxidant activity. Citrus paradisi showed the highest total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic content (TPC), reducing power and 1,1-Diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazil free radical scavenging activity in all combinations of solvents followed by Citrus sinensis and Citrus jambhiri. Antioxidant activity was also increased with higher aqueous component of organic solvents in each case. While Citrus sinensis (in 100% methanolic solvent) and Citrus paradisi (in 50% methanolic extract) showed significant cytotoxicity (LD50 values <1000). Antitumor activity was observed in all extracts, however Citrus sinensis and Citrus paradisi (in 50% aqueous methanolic) extracts had the highest antitumor activity from the selected citrus species whereas no antimicrobial activity was observed at higher concentrations (4000 μgmL-1) against specified strains. We found high calcium contents in all three citrus species tested by atomic absorption method. The results showed that the leaves of selected Citrus species possess significant antioxidant, antitumor and cytotoxic activities. Citrus leaves extracts can be potentially helpful in antioxidant protection in food as well as in human body against lipid peroxidation and free radicals damage. It can further be evaluated after in vivo studies using animal models or identifications of high throughput methods for enhanced biological activities.
The Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) is one of the most economically important aquaculture fish species in South East Asia. While the biology of the Asian seabass is widely studied, relatively little information is available at the molecular level. This lack of molecular information represents one obstacle to rapid progress in the study of immune responses particularly under aquaculture conditions. In light of this situation, we have undertaken an expressed sequence tag (EST) project on the Asian seabass spleen, the secondary lymphoid organ, for the identification of immune-related genes. A
total of 2932 ESTs were generated and grouped into 1063 unique transcripts (UTs), which consisted of 104 consensi and 959 singletons. Of these, 51.3% (545/1063) matched to previously identified genes, while 48.7% (518/1063) showed no match. Of the 545 homologous UTs, 102 (9.6%) can be putatively identified as immune-related genes. The identification of the putative immune-related genes provides a meaningful framework in the effort to comprehend the Asian seabass immune system that may lead to an increase in the understanding of the defense mechanisms of and our abilities to
manage this fish species.
This study was carried out to identify the differences of emotional intelligence and religious orientation between students in government secondary schools and religious secondary schools. This study involved 224 respondents that were chosen via purposive sampling technique. The emotional intelligence questionnaire used in this study was based on Bar-On’s emotional intelligence theory while religious orientation was measured using the Religion Orientation Scale. Data collected were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 19.0. T-test was used to observe the differences of emotional intelligence and religious orientation between students in government secondary schools and religious secondary schools. The results showed that there were differences in emotional intelligence but no difference was found in religious orientation between students from government secondary schools and religious secondary schools.
Family functioning and achievement motivation are two aspects that have been frequently discussed by psychologists. Findings from previous research found that both aspects are related to each other. The objective of this research was to identify the levels of family functioning and motivation achievements among civil servants from the Ministry of Human Resources. Besides that, this research intended to observe the influence of family functioning towards motivation achievement of the same sample. This research involved 945 respondents comprised of employees with different grades and position within the Ministry of Human Resource in which they were chosen via simple random sampling. The Family Functioning Style Scale (FFSS) was used to measure family functioning while the Cassidy and Lynn Achievement Scale (CLAM) was used to measure achievement motivation. Analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 on the data collected. Results showed that majority of the respondents were found to have high levels of family functioning, however, majority of the respondents reported average level of achievement motivation. Results also found that family functioning was influential to motivation achievement.
Teknologi DNA mikroatur merupakan salah satu teknologi penting dalam penyelidikan biologi kini. Teknologi tersebut membolehkan analisis pengekspresan gen pelbagai sistem model pada skala genom dijalankan. Prestasi DNA mikroatur ditentukan oleh parameter seperti kepadatan titik, ciri-ciri titik (morfologi, kepadatan prob dan keamatan isyarat penghibridan), latar belakang, kespesifikan dan kesensitifan. Dengan menggunakan mesin pemegun GeneTac™G3, slaid mikroatur cDNA ikan siakap (Lates calcarifer) yang mengandungi 1920 klon-klon cDNA terpilih daripada perpustakaan cDNA hepar dan limpa yang dipegunkan secara duplikasi telah difabrikasikan. Klon-klon yang dipilih mempunyai fungsi putatif berkaitan dengan keimunan, aruhan tekanan, metabolisme, pengangkutan, transkripsi dan translasi. Kawalan negatif seperti oligonukleotida (A)50 dan beberapa gen daripada Saccharomyces cerevisiae dan Escherichia coli serta kawalan positif seperti beberapa siri pencairan DNA genom dan cDNA L. calcarifer juga dipegunkan ke atas slaid kaca. Diperhatikan bahawa kepekatan prob dalam julat antara 150-250 μg/mL, kesesuaian jenis kawalan positif dan negatif yang digunakan berjaya menghasilkan slaid yang berkualiti. Selain itu, perlakuan pengeringan slaid secara semalaman dan rehidrasi semula slaid menghasilkan morfologi titik DNA yang sekata dan membulat. Kawalan kualiti ke atas slaid yang terhasil membuktikan keberkesanan slaid yang difabrikasi untuk kajian respons transkriptom L. calcarifer terhadap jangkitan Cryptocaryon irritans.
Calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporine and tacrolimus are increasingly becoming part of the standard immunosuppresant therapies for renaltransplanted patients in Malaysia. In this study, the clinical safety and efficacy of cyclosporine and tacrolimus in a Malaysian renal-transplanted population is compared. A fourteen-year retrospective review on all renal-transplanted patients (from September 1991 to September 2015) or patients being followed up at University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) on cyclosporine or tacrolimus regime was conducted. We collected the clinical and laboratory parameters at 3-month, 6-month, 7-month, 8-month, 9-month, 10-month, 11-month, 12- months, 2-year and 3-year following from transplantation for each drug. The mean cyclosporine and tacrolimus trough levels were within the recommended therapeutic ranges (189.16 ± 69.10 ng/ml and 7.84 ± 2.18 mg/day respectively). The mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was significantly higher at eleven months for tacrolimus compared to cyclosporine. Similarly, the mean total bilirubin level was significantly higher with cyclosporine as compared to tacrolimus between 3 – 9 months post transplantation but did not show any significant difference (p = 0.49). The overall monthly means of serum uric acid levels in patients were also similar, 380 ± 87 mg/dL (cyclosporine) and 390.96 ± 95.97 mg/dL (tacrolimus) (p = 0.49). The Kaplan-Meier survival rate is significantly longer (p = 0.03) with cyclosporine-based treatment as compared to tacrolimus. Overall, cyclosporine and tacrolimus did not show any significant difference in terms of safety and efficacy parameters among Malaysian renal-transplanted patients indicating that they may be used interchangeably.
Large numbers of glycerol-consuming bacteria are present in nature; hence bioconversion of glycerol into biofuel which
is bioethanol is one of the interests. The effective screening procedure is needed to screen and isolate broad ranges
of bacteria from environment. The screening method was modified based on enzymatic oxidation of ethanol, which is
correlated to reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol dye that resulted in the formation of yellow zone. Approximately
300 colonies were able to grow on minimal media using glycerol as sole carbon. Only about 70 isolates showed positive
result when using the modified ethanol production assay after pre-screening stage. The formation of decolourized zone
was apparent using modified assay containing 5 mL/L of 0.05M 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol, 10 mL of reaction
mixture and 500 µl/L of enzyme, respectively. The ethanol production capability of the isolates was further proven by
anaerobic fermentation as a quantitative method. This modified method is applicable in screening for ethanol producer
from glycerol as carbon source allows rapid and more bacteria can be screened.
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mereka bentuk dan mengkaji prestasi pengumpul fotovoltan-terma (PV/T) dengan menggunakan
reka bentuk pengumpul terma aliran air secara pilin. Reka bentuk pengumpul terma aliran air secara pilin telah dibina
semula daripada reka bentuk penyelidik sebelum ini. Pengumpul terma ini menggunakan saiz tiub yang lebih besar dan
jarak antara tiub lebih dekat berbanding dengan reka bentuk penyelidik sebelum ini. Pengumpul PV/T ini telah diuji di
bawah tiga keamatan yang berbeza iaitu 300, 500 dan 700 W/m2 serta diuji pada kadar aliran jisim air yang berbeza
iaitu 0.01, 0.02 dan 0.04 kg/s. Pada keadaan yang sama, kecekapan fotovoltan, terma dan tergabung juga menunjukkan
nilai yang paling tinggi, iaitu 4.18%, 76.68% dan 80.86%. Kecekapan terma yang dihasilkan pada kajian ini lebih tinggi
dibandingkan dengan kajian sebelumnya.
Five di- and tri-substituted natural anthraquinones, i.e. nordamnacanthal (1), damnacanthal (2), rubiadin (3), 1-methoxy2-methyl-3-hydroxyanthraquinone
(4) and 1-hydroxy-3-methoxyanthraquinone (5) were subjected to photophysical
studies. The results indicated that steric hindrance and intramolecular hydrogen bonding are important factors that
affect absorption and emission spectral of these natural anthraquinones. Besides that, emission properties were
significantly enhanced with formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in 1,3-dihydroxy-2-aldehyde tri-substituted
anthraquinone 1. This gave rise to formation of two additional quasi aromatic rings extending the π-conjugation system
in the anthraquinone structure.