Introduction: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is one of the frequent causes of hospitalization in children under the age of five, particularly in a rural setting. This study was conducted to determine the epidemiology of acute gastroenteritis in indigenous children admitted to a rural district hospital in Sarawak. Methods: A retrospective review of indigenous paediatrics cases of acute gastroenteritis
admitted to the ward of Serian District Hospital, a rural district hospital in Sarawak, between the years
2006-2007. The data was collected from the patients’ case notes, obtained with permission from the
hospital management. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: During the study period, 234 indigenous children with acute gastroenteritis were admitted with the highest prevalence in 2006 (53.4%). The findings showed higher prevalence was found in children aged 3 years and below (76.5%) and male (56.4%) The minimum duration of hospital stay is 1 day, and the maximum stay is 5 days. The clinical findings showed that the majority of the cases presented with vomiting, diarrhea, dry mouth and tongue, sunken eye, with the majority (76%) reported having mild dehydration. The most common treatment used is oral rehydration solutions (85.4%), followed by intravenous bolus or drip (82.3%), paracetamol (79%) and antibiotic (36.2%). Peak incidence of admissions was between November to January. About 38.5% of the AGE cases admitted were found to be underweight (weight for- age below -2SD). Conclusion: The findings indicated children aged 3 years and below are the most vulnerable to AGE and malnutrition could be one of the predisposing factors. The peak incidence during the raining season at the end of the year indicated a possible relationship between AGE and seasonal type of virus infection. Prevention in the form of proper hygiene at the household level probably will prove to be useful.
This paper presents a performance analysis of two open-source, laser scanner-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) techniques (i.e., Gmapping and Hector SLAM) using a Microsoft Kinect to replace the laser sensor. Furthermore, the paper proposes a new system integration approach whereby a Linux virtual machine is used to run the open source SLAM algorithms. The experiments were conducted in two different environments; a small room with no features and a typical office corridor with desks and chairs. Using the data logged from real-time experiments, each SLAM technique was simulated and tested with different parameter settings. The results show that the system is able to achieve real time SLAM operation. The system implementation offers a simple and reliable way to compare the performance of Windows-based SLAM algorithm with the algorithms typically implemented in a Robot Operating System (ROS). The results also indicate that certain modifications to the default laser scanner-based parameters are able to improve the map accuracy. However, the limited field of view and range of Kinect's depth sensor often causes the map to be inaccurate, especially in featureless areas, therefore the Kinect sensor is not a direct replacement for a laser scanner, but rather offers a feasible alternative for 2D SLAM tasks.
A tin oxide (SnO2) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid composite gas sensor for high-performance carbon dioxide (CO2) gas detection at room temperature was studied. Since it can be used independently from a heater, it emerges as a promising candidate for reducing the complexity of device circuitry, packaging size, and fabrication cost; furthermore, it favors integration into portable devices with a low energy density battery. In this study, SnO2-rGO was prepared via an in-situ chemical reduction route. Dedicated material characterization techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted. The gas sensor based on the synthesized hybrid composite was successfully tested over a wide range of carbon dioxide concentrations where it exhibited excellent response magnitudes, good linearity, and low detection limit. The synergistic effect can explain the obtained hybrid gas sensor's prominent sensing properties between SnO2 and rGO that provide excellent charge transport capability and an abundance of sensing sites.
This study aims to identify the perception of third year physiotherapy students on the teaching and learning during clinical placements. A sample of 154 third year undergraduate and diploma students from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the Universiti Teknologi Mara and the Kolej Sains Kesihatan Bersekutu completed the questionnaire. High internal reliability of teaching and learning activities scale in the questionnaire was determined using Cronbach alpha (α = 0.94). Findings showed significant differences (p < 0.05) of perception among students in the clinical block between different levels of education, the ideal number of students in a group during clinical teaching session, and in the activity of ‘patient-centered activities,’ as well as 'feedback to the student.’ These findings demonstrated that the level of education does influence the students’ perceptions on their teaching and learning during clinical placements. In conclusion, the level of education is a contributory factor that influences the students’ rate of learning in clinical education.
Keywords: Clinical education, physiotherapy students, perception, undergraduate, diploma
The lack of information on ground truth gas dispersion and experiment verification information has impeded the development of mobile olfaction systems, especially for real-world conditions. In this paper, an integrated testbed for mobile gas sensing experiments is presented. The integrated 3 m × 6 m testbed was built to provide real-time ground truth information for mobile olfaction system development. The testbed consists of a 72-gas-sensor array, namely Large Gas Sensor Array (LGSA), a localization system based on cameras and a wireless communication backbone for robot communication and integration into the testbed system. Furthermore, the data collected from the testbed may be streamed into a simulation environment to expedite development. Calibration results using ethanol have shown that using a large number of gas sensor in the LGSA is feasible and can produce coherent signals when exposed to the same concentrations. The results have shown that the testbed was able to capture the time varying characteristics and the variability of gas plume in a 2 h experiment thus providing time dependent ground truth concentration maps. The authors have demonstrated the ability of the mobile olfaction testbed to monitor, verify and thus, provide insight to gas distribution mapping experiment.
This paper aims to evaluate the effect of splinting during implant impression. A master model with two fixtures at the sites of 45 and 47 was used. 20 impressions were made for all four techniques: (A) indirect; (B) direct, unsplinted; (C) direct, splinted; and (D) direct, splinted, sectioned, and re-splinted. Splinting was undertaken with autopolymerizing acrylic resin (AAR). Horizontal distance between fixtures was compared using a digital caliper. The difference in distance were analysed with one-way ANOVA. Group A showed a significantly lowest accuracy among all techniques (p < or = 0.05). There was no significant difference of accuracy among the groups using direct techniques (p > or = 0.05). Group D was more accurate compared to group B and C. We conclude that splinting of impression copings would be beneficial to obtain an accurate impression.
A health screening was done in UNIMAS in August 2008 for 237 undergraduate students. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP) were measured for all subjects. Total cholesterol and glucose levels were checked for those who fulfilled the screening criteria. The proportion of participants with cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors was high. The strategies for health promotion should not only be targeted to the older community but also to the younger community.
Nondeletional α-globin mutations are known to cause more serious clinical effects than deletional ones. A rare IVS-I-1 (G>A) (HBA2: c.95+1G>A) donor splice site mutation interferes with normal splicing of pre mRNA and results in activation of a cryptic splice site as well as a frameshift mutation. Hb Adana [HBA2: c.179G>A (or HBA1)] is a highly unstable variant hemoglobin (Hb) resulting from a mutation at codon 59 on the HBA2 or HBA1 gene, recognized to cause severe α-thalassemia (α-thal) syndromes. We report a unique case of compound heterozygosity for these two mutations in a 9-year-old boy who presented with a Hb level of 5.3 g/dL and hepatomegaly at the age of 15 months. He required regular blood transfusions in view of a Hb level of <7.0 g/dL and failure to thrive. He had thalassemic red cell indices and peripheral blood film. The Hb electrophoresis only showed a raised Hb F level (3.3%) and a pre run peak but the Hb H inclusion test was negative. His father had thalassemic red cell indices but a normal Hb level. His mother had almost normal Hb levels and red cell indices. Hb Adana involving the HBA2 gene was detected by mutiplex amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) in the proband and his father. DNA sequencing of the HBA2 gene confirmed the IVS-I-1 mutation in the proband and his mother. This case highlighted the unique interaction of the IVS-I-1 mutation with Hb Adana in a young Malay boy presenting with transfusion-dependent α-thal.