A review of nonlocal theories utilized in the fatigue and fracture modeling of solid structures is addressed in this paper. Numerous papers have been studied for this purpose, and various nonlocal theories such as the nonlocal continuum damage model, stress field intensity model, peridynamics model, elastic-plastic models, energy-based model, nonlocal multiscale model, microstructural sensitive model, nonlocal lattice particle model, nonlocal high cycle fatigue model, low cycle fatigue model, nonlocal and gradient fracture criteria, nonlocal coupled damage plasticity model and nonlocal fracture criterion have been reviewed and summarized in the case of fatigue and fracture of solid structures and materials.
Six hundred and one intravenous Urograms (IVU) done at the General Hospital, Kuala Trengganu from 1981 to 1985 were reviewed retrospectively for Renal Papillary Necrosis (RPN). It was found that 1.3% of IVUs had RPN. There was a higher incidence of RPN amongst males as compared to females. RPN occurred more commonly in the younger age groups.
The present study reports the composition and variation of fatty acids, sterols, tocopherols and γ-oryzanol among selected varieties namely Basmati Super, Basmati 515, Basmati 198, Basmati 385, Basmati 2000, Basmati 370, Basmati Pak, KSK-139, KS-282 and Irri-6 of Pakistani rice (Oryza sativa L). Oil content extracted with n-hexane from different varieties of brown rice seed (unpolished rice) ranged from 1.92% to 2.72%. Total fatty acid contents among rice varieties tested varied between 18240 and 25840 mg/kg brown rice seed. The rice tested mainly contained oleic (6841-10952 mg/kg) linoleic (5453-7874 mg/kg) and palmitic acid (3613-5489 mg/kg). The amounts of total phytosterols (GC and GC-MS analysis), with main contribution from β-sitosterol (445-656 mg/kg), campesterol (116-242 mg/kg), Δ(5)-avenasterol (89-178 mg/kg) and stigmasterol (75-180 mg/kg) were established to be 739.4 to 1330.4 mg/kg rice seed. The content of α-, γ- and δ-tocopherols as analyzed by HPLC varied from 39.0-76.1, 21.6-28.1 and 6.5-16.5 mg/kg rice seed, respectively. The amounts of different γ-oryzanol components (HPLC data), identified as cycloartenyl ferulate, 24-methylene cycloartanyl ferulate, campesteryl ferulate and β-sitosteryl ferulate, were in the range of 65.5-103.6, 140.2-183.1, 29.8-45.5 and 8.6-10.4 mg/kg rice seed, respectively. Overall, the concentration of these bioactives was higher in the Basmati rice cultivars showing their functional food superiority. In conclusion, the tested varieties of Pakistani rice, especially the Basmati cultivars, can provide best ingredients for functional foods.
Septic arthritis of the shoulder in pediatric patients should be diagnosed and treated urgently to prevent complications of the disease. However, early detection can be a challenge due to mild symptoms with ambiguous laboratory and radiological findings. We report a case of an eight-month-old girl who presented to us initially with pseudo paresis of her right shoulder without any signs suggestive of infection. After a negative ultrasound, she was discharged with analgesia upon improvement of range of motion. Three weeks later, she presented with recurrent shoulder pain associated with fever, swelling, elevated CRP, and osteomyelitis changes of the humeral head on a plain radiograph. We proceeded with a minimally invasive arthrotomy washout and commenced on IV antibiotics. At one month follow-up, she regained her full range of motion and recovered fully. No recurrence of septic arthritis until six-month follow-up. This write-up discusses the diagnostic challenge of pediatric shoulder septic arthritis and the surgical technique of minimally invasive arthrotomy washout in a pediatric patient.
As the global aging trend increases, dementia pressures families and society. Mobile apps that provide interventions and independence for people with dementia (PwD) may relieve this pressure. This study reviews mobile app-based interventions designed for use with PwD, focusing on the type, design, and evaluation of mobile apps. This study searched PubMed, Web of Science, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis, and IEEE Xplore databases for mobile applications designed for people with disabilities and reported the evaluation results. This study aimed to find out what types of mobile apps developed for people with dementia were marketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, to find out what relevant studies have been done to evaluate mobile apps, and whether users have benefited. Twenty papers were eligible, covering four different intervention types and assessment methods. This review found that Serious games can improve the cognitive abilities of PwD and contribute to the mental recovery of patients. Recall therapy and musical mobile apps help PwD slow down memory loss. Personal life mobile apps are effective in assisting PwD to improve independent living.
This paper addresses the treatment of waste engine oils (WEO) by acid/clay refining method using glacial acetic acid. An optimization of the process parameters in terms of settling time, stirring speed and mixing temperature for treating the WEO was performed using Response Surface Methodology to improve the quality of treated lubricating oil. The quality of the treated WEO (Castrol brand) was evaluated in terms of viscosity index and flash point value. The treated fuel quality is found to have about 95% similarity to the fresh oil used as a standard at the settling time of 24 hours, temperature of 50 °C and mixing speed of 150 rpm. Analysis of variances (ANOVA) showed that settling time plays the most significant parameters of the process followed by the mixing temperature. Solid contaminants which were collected after the treatment were analyzed using SEM-EDS. They contained rough heteregenous shaped particles with elements such as carbon (97%), calcium (1.12%), zinc (0.74%), sulphur (0.73%) and phosphorus (0.29%). Then, four different brands of WEO (Liqui Moly, Castrol, Shell and Pennzoil) were treated at the optimized conditions to determine the feasibility of the method to treat any brands of WEO. It can be concluded that the optimized treatement method is suitable to treat most of WEO. The findings of this study provide the information on the best process condition for treating WEO as well as the solid contaminants present in it.
Condition Index (CI) was used to estimate the reproductive biology cycle of the hard clam Meretrix lyrata based on dry
body weight and shell weight. High CI value was observed due to the increase in the body weight of the hard clam that
corresponding to the maturity stage and early spawning. The CI value of M. lyrata from Buntal Village, Kuching, Sarawak
showed three highest peaks during the 12-month study on May and October 2013 and March 2014. The lowest CI values
were obtained in September and November 2013 and April 2014. Ammonia nitrogen was the only water parameter that
significantly correlated to the CI values. The CI application is important to estimate the maturity of hard clam gonad
to facilitate conservation activity through the hard clam harvesting out of the gonad maturation and spawning period.
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causing
surgical site infections is one of the most common nosocomial infections
affecting post-surgery patients. Vancomycin is the recommended treatment
with MRSA-resistance breakpoint for minimum inhibition concentration (MIC)
of 2 ug/mL where the pathogen can be considered as susceptible. Here, we
describe the MIC of vancomycin against our MRSA isolates. Retrospective
data of MRSA positive cultures from post-surgical patients who were admitted
to the Clinical Training Centre Sungai Buloh public section from 2016-2017
with documented MIC to vancomycin were analyzed. The specimens consist
of pus swabs, mediastinal fluid, sternal bone, and tissue. A total of 29 MRSA
were isolated from 11 patients. There were 19, 3, 3 and 4 MRSA with
vancomycin’s MIC (ug/mL) of 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 respectively. The MRSA with
MIC of 2 ug/mL were observed from two different patients with one of them
showing MIC of 0.5 ug/mL which grew from wound swabs to 2.0 ug/mL which
grew from sternal bone and mediastinal fluid isolates. Vancomycin reduced
susceptibility MRSA has been observed in our clinical training centre with a
1.1% incidence. Identification of possible risk factors and follow up of
outcomes is required to fully elucidate the importance of this occurrence.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mild cognitive impairment on pattern electroretinogram (pERG)
among urban elderly Malays. A total of 36 subjects aged 60 years and above comprising of 18 MCI subjects and 18
normal controls were recruited for this study. The inclusion criteria for both the MCI and normal subjects included best
corrected distance visual acuity ≥ 6/9 (Snellen) with refractive error less than ±4.00 DS and/or ±2.00 DC (astigmatism),
near visual acuity ≥ N8, absence or no previous history of any significant media opacities, retinal disorders and ocular
pathologies. pERG was recorded with the RetiPort/Scan21 system in accordance with the International Society for the
Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision standards. The target presented to subjects through a 19” CRT monitor was a black
and white reversing checkerboard with luminance equal to 80 cd/m2
, contrast 97% and stimulus frequency 2.00 Hz (4
rev/s). Amplitudes and implicit times of P50 and N95 waves generated by the system were noted and compared between
the two groups. The results showed no significant difference in the amplitude and implicit times between the right and left
eyes so only the right eye was used for comparison between the MCI and control groups. The mean amplitude and implicit
times of the right eye of the MCI and control groups were 1.86±0.65 μV, 56.27±6.20 ms and 1.54±0.74 μV, 56.15±4.98 ms,
respectively. T-test showed no significant differences in pERG amplitudes and implicit times between MCI and the control
groups. In conclusion, our results may imply that the inner retina is intact in early MCI elderly subjects.
Ruta angustifolia (L.) Pers. is a Rutaceous species which contains various anthranilic acid derived alkaloids including
the bioactive quinolones. This study is aimed at identifying the antimicrobial active alkaloids of R. angustifolia and
evaluating their potential as synergistic enhancers in alkaloid-antibiotic combinations. Antimicrobial bioautographyguided isolation of alkaloidal fractions of R. angustifolia leaves has led to the identification of 2,3-dimethoxy-1-hydroxy10-methylacridone [arborinine]; and 4,7,8-trimethoxyfuro[2,3-b]quinoline [skimmianine]; together with the major
active alkaloid, 1-methyl-2-[3’,4’-methylenedioxyphenyl]-4-quinolone [graveoline]. Graveoline showed Minimum
Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values ranging from 500 to 1000 µg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923,
Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Checkerboard assay for antimicrobial combination
effects between graveoline with either erythromycin or vancomycin showed enhancement of the antimicrobial activity
of both antibiotics with Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Indices (FICI) ranged from 0.37 to 1.50. Synergistic effect
with FICI of 0.37 was observed for graveoline-erythromycin combination against S. aureus compared to FICI of 1.00 for
ciprofloxacin-erythromycin additive effect. Graveoline was a potential candidate for antimicrobial combination agent
especially against S. aureus. The result supports the idea of using plant metabolites as antimicrobial synergistic agents.
Knowledge of normal anatomy and physiology of swallowing is fundamental in the identification of individuals with or
at risk for swallowing disorders. Learning anatomy and physiology however, is not an easy task thus, computer-assisted
learning (CAL) approaches have been incorporated into the learning of the topics to enhance understanding. Although
evidence exists on the benefits of using CAL in education, more studies are necessary in the field of swallowing. While
courseware for the learning of anatomy and physiology of swallowing exist, they are not comprehensive. Therefore, this
study aimed to develop a comprehensive CAL courseware for anatomy and physiology of swallowing. The current study
used a designed-based research following the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation)
model to create a multimedia courseware, incorporating the use of text, still images, animations, audio narrations,
and presented on a simple graphical user interface. The courseware was evaluated by 27 undergraduate students in
terms of its usefulness, ease of use, and users’ satisfaction. Results indicate that the participants were satisfied with the
courseware and that they perceived the courseware as useful, easy to learn and easy to use. The study represents an
initiative to investigate the use of CAL in the subject and to establish the basis for further work which includes assessment
on the learning outcomes from the usage of the CAL courseware. It is hoped that the use of this courseware in teaching
and learning of anatomy and physiology of swallowing can enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of the area
efficiently and effectively.
Introduction: This study examined the association of losartan induced changes in urinary
metabolomic profile with the changes in blood pressure (BP) and renin-angiotensinaldosterone system (RAAS) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods: Male SHR
were administered with either 0.5 mL of distilled water (control group, n=6) or 10 mg.kg-1 of
losartan (group 2, n=6) daily by oral gavage for 4 weeks. Body weight, BP, food and water
intake were measured weekly. At week 4, urine was collected for urinary electrolyte analysis
and metabolite profiling, after which the animals were euthanised by decapitation and blood
was collected for analysis of components of RAAS and electrolyte concentrations. Urine
metabolite profile of SHR was determined using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (
1H-NMR)
spectrometry combined with multivariate data analysis. Results: At week 4, losartan-treated
SHR had significantly lower BP than non-treated SHR. There were no differences in water
and food intake, body weight, serum and urinary electrolyte concentrations or in their urinary
excretions between the two groups. No differences were evident in the components of RAAS
except that the angiotensinogen level was significantly higher in losartan-treated SHR
compared to non-treated SHR. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLSDA) showed clear separation of urinary metabolites between control and losartan-treated
SHR. Losartan-treated SHR group was separated from the control group by changes in the
intermediates involved in glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. Conclusion:
Antihypertensive effect of losartan in SHR seems to be associated with changes in urinary
metabolite profile, particularly involving the metabolism of glycine, serine and threonine.
The whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose F18 (18F-FDG) and gallium-68 (Ga-68 DOTATATE) are the most common radiopharmaceutical use in PET/CT imaging for cancer staging. Although radiopharmaceutical for PET/CT examination has been acknowledged for its safety and efficacy, the internal dosimetry and effective dose (ED) from the examinations are rarely discussed. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate radiation ED for whole-body radiopharmaceuticals PET/CT concerning patients’ gender and their weight. A total of 82 oncology patients (44 males and 38 females) were collected retrospectively from Institut Kanser Negara, Putrajaya. Data, such as 18F-FDG and Ga-68 DOTATATE activity and patient demography (weight, height, age), were recorded and analyzed. Effective doses from both internal and external exposure were calculated using the coefficient
provided by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) report. The total ED of 18F-FDG for male patients was 20.2 ± 8.6 mSv and for female patients were 19.0 ± 8.2 mSv while total whole-body ED for Ga-68 DOTATATE for male patients was 18.5 ± 7.0 mSv and 17.0 ± 5.6 mSv for female patients. The ratio for ED between male and female were 1:1 for both examinations ranged from 12.0 – 23 mSv. From this study, it indicated that the ED of Ga-68 DOTATATE was far lower when compared to the ED of 18F-FDG by a factor of 0.7. Therefore, it is crucial to optimize the PET/CT protocol dose in order to uphold the dose as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
The emergence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has revolutionized the prognosis of HIV-infected patients. However, the extended use of HAART is associated with a disfiguring complication termed lipodystrophy, a disorder of body fat maldistribution causing peripheral fat loss (lipoatrophy) and central fat accumulation (lipohypertrophy). Lipoatrophy commonly affects the face, legs, buttocks and arm, whilst lipohypertrophy frequently favours the abdomen, breast and dorsocervical region. To our knowledge, we present only the second documented case in the literature of a labia majora lipohypertrophy in a HIV-positive patient receiving long-term HAART. The severity of labial abnormality caused significant physical and functional morbidities. Labiaplasty with dermolipectomy of the labia majora and excisional lipectomy of the mons pubis was successfully performed. At a 6-month follow-up, patient had no recurrence with resolution of symptoms and resumption of normal activities of daily living (ADL).
Physical Education is one of the compulsory subjects in primary and secondary schools in Malaysia. The primary goal of Physical Education is to develop students in the aspects of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. Teaching and learning of Physical Education should provide more opportunities for students to improve the efficiency of motor skills, movement, and maintaining physical fitness. The teaching and learning process must focus on students' learning to generate understanding, learning, and ' satisfaction. The failure to attract students toward Physical Education may affect the goals of the subject. Enjoyment is a crucial factor underlying exercise motivation and positive participation in both physical activity and Physical Education. 'Students' attitudes toward Physical Education are likely to be linked with their enjoyment in classes. Therefore, to achieve the goals of the subject, it is imperative to create enjoyment in the teaching and learning process. Hence this study to determine the effectiveness of teaching games for understanding to promote enjoyment in teaching games of Physical Education lesson. Eighty students from form Vocational College in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, and one Physical Education teacher agreed to participate in this study. They were divided into two groups in order to compare two instructional approaches. The experimental group (A), 42 students, experienced Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), while the control group (B), 38 students, and experienced a technical-traditional approach. The study design was a quasi-non-equivalent group pre-test and post-test design. A pre- and post-test were performed on each group to assess the influence of the methodology used on students' enjoyment in Physical Education. ANCOVA analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of teaching methods toward student enjoyment in Physical Education. Results revealed that group A showed greater enjoyment in the class than group B. Significant differences were found in enjoyment.
The aimed of this study is to estimate the entrance surface dose (ESD) of routine chest X-ray (CXR) examination and to compare the direct and indirect measurement. This study also extended to relate with the patients body thickness and established lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of the examinations. A total of 101 CXR examinations in posteroanterior (PA) projections were selected
as subjects and data, such as patient habitus and scanning acquisition parameters were recorded. The mean ESD value obtained from the TLD-100 and the software calculation was 0.31 mGy and 0.17 mGy, respectively. The percentage deviation obtained ranged from 25.5% to 61.3%. In comparison with the national diagnostic reference level (DRL), the mean values of ESD obtained from this study were lower by a factor of 3. Furthermore, it was observed that the mean absorbed dose of the adrenals, kidneys, lungs, oesophagus, and heart walls were lower as compared to the ESD value. The examinations were only associated with very low risk of cancer incidence and mortality. Hence, the results of this study suggested a need for standardisations of the personnel training to perform X-ray examinations according to ALARA principles.
This study aimed to evaluate the short-term efficacy of artificial tears (AT) instillation on tear film quality and quantity utilising two dual polymer artificial tears; Systane Hydration preservative (SH) and non-preservative (SHUD) in 60 minutes observation period compared to normal saline. Materials and methods: One hundred eyes of 50 participants involved in this prospective, double-masked randomised study. Viscosity and pH of both AT were evaluated using Rheometer and digital pH-meter respectively prior to tear film characteristics assessment. Tear break-up time (TBUT) and tear meniscus height (TMH) were measured at baseline, 5, 15 and 60 minutes after instillation. Tear ferning pattern (TFP) were compared between baseline and 60 minutes after instillation. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the effects of both AT instillation. Independent T-test was employed to compare between the two groups (SH vs SHUD) for each specific time-interval. P-value of 0.05 was set as the level of significance. Results: The viscosity of SH and SHUD was 0.0267Pa.s and 0.03273Pa.s respectively with pH of 7.85 for SH and 7.74 for SHUD. Both AT showed significant increment in TBUT between baseline and 15 minutes (SH: 5.82 ± 1.063, p = 0.01; SHUD: 6.02 ± 0.979, p
Accurate corneal wavefront aberration measurements are essential in determining patient’s suitability, vision outcomes and patient satisfaction in laser refractive surgeries. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability measurement of higher-order aberration (HOA) using corneal videokeratograph Atlas 9000. Materials and method: 38 eyes of 19 participants were recruited in this study. Comprehensive eye examination was done to ensure all participants eligibility, and any conditions in which obstruct the central cornea were excluded. Corneal wavefront aberrations were measured based on Zernike polynomials. In assessing repeatability, three repetitive measurements in five minutes in a single session were taken by 2 experience examiners. For reproducibility measurement, similar approach was done with the time-interval between measurements was set at one week. Bland-Altman, limits of agreement (LoA) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to evaluate the reliability measurement. Results: Bland-Altman and LoA findings revealed no significant differences for both repeatability and reproducibility measurement. For repeatability testing, the mean differences for vertical trefoil, oblique trefoil and spherical aberration were -0.096 ± 0.493, 0.001 ± 0.048, 0.008 ± 0.035, 0.004 ± 0.029, 0.010 ± 0.053 with LoA of 1.930, 0.188, 0.138, 0.114, and 0.208 respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) excellent reliability of 0.841 for all parameters. Likewise, reproducibility testing showed similar findings with the mean difference were -0.018 ± 0.091, 0.016 ± 0.061, -0.0004 ± 0.036, -0.002 ± 0.042, 0.003 ± 0.026, with LoA of 0.356, 0.24, 0.141,0.164, and 0.102 respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) shows excellent reliability of more than 0.9 for all parameters. LoA of less than 1.0 were observed in all measurements (except for repeatability of vertical trefoil) indicates high consistency of the measurements. Conclusions: Corneal videokeratograph Atlas 9000 provides excellent HOA measurement reliability.
Hydrological models are reliable tools that have been extensively used for hydrological studies. However, the complexity of some of these models has been a major setback, which affects their performance. This study compared Hydrologic Engineering Corps Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) with most widely applied Soil Water Assessment Tool (ArcSWAT) model and used to assess impacts of climate change on streamflow at Bernam Basin, Malaysia for 2010-2039, 2040-2069 and 2070-2099 to the baseline period (1976- 2005) using an ensemble of ten GCMs under three RCP scenarios (RCPs 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5). The models performed satisfactorily. However, HEC-HMS performed better compared to ArcSWAT with 0.74, 0.71, 4.21 and 0.37; and 0.71, 0.69, 5.32 and 0.31 for R2 , NSE, PBIAS and RSR, respectively, during the calibration and validation periods. Future periods suggest a decreasing pattern in streamflow, with a higher percentage (−5.94%) expected for the RCP 8.5 scenario in the late century (2080s) during dry season period. In the wet season, streamflow decreases in all future periods except for RCP4.5 where it is expected to increase (0.36%). Therefore, the Basin may likely experience tremendous pressure in the late century due to low streamflow, particularly in dry season months.