This paper investigates the effect of high pressure liquid food compressibility onS. cerevisaeinactivation. Honey with various adjusted sugar with different values of compressibility was selected as a model food.S. cerevisiaecells in different honey concentrations (0-80°Brix), 600 MPa (at ambient temperature) showed an increasing resistance to inactivation with increasing °Brix.D-values ofS. cerevisiaeat 200, 400 and 600 MPa, for 20 min/80°Brix were 136.99 ± 7.97, 29.24 ± 6.44 and 23.47 ± 0.86 min, respectively. TheseD-values resulted the Z p -value of 526 ± 39 MPa. A significant correlation (p
Geographic routing is one of the most investigated themes by researchers for reliable and efficient dissemination of information in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). Recently, different Geographic Distance Routing (GEDIR) protocols have been suggested in the literature. These protocols focus on reducing the forwarding region towards destination to select the Next Hop Vehicles (NHV). Most of these protocols suffer from the problem of elevated one-hop link disconnection, high end-to-end delay and low throughput even at normal vehicle speed in high vehicle density environment. This paper proposes a Geographic Distance Routing protocol based on Segment vehicle, Link quality and Degree of connectivity (SLD-GEDIR). The protocol selects a reliable NHV using the criteria segment vehicles, one-hop link quality and degree of connectivity. The proposed protocol has been simulated in NS-2 and its performance has been compared with the state-of-the-art protocols: P-GEDIR, J-GEDIR and V-GEDIR. The empirical results clearly reveal that SLD-GEDIR has lower link disconnection and end-to-end delay, and higher throughput as compared to the state-of-the-art protocols. It should be noted that the performance of the proposed protocol is preserved irrespective of vehicle density and speed.
The ultimate goal of treatment of glottic malignancy is eradication of the cancer and preservation of maximum function. Ideally this would mean return of normal speech, respiration and deglutition. The foundation of vertical partial laryngectomy (VPL) is based on the knowledge of laryngeal anatomy and an understanding of how cancers invade the larynx. The VPL surgery of the glottic cancer is based on oncological sound principles, which will be further disscussed in this article. For the purpose of description we briefly presented 3 of our cases that underwent vertical partial laryngectomy for glottic cancer.
This study explores the effect of physical aging and/or crystallization on the supersaturation potential and crystallization kinetics of amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Spray-dried, fully amorphous indapamide, metolazone, glibenclamide, hydrocortisone, hydrochlorothiazide, ketoconazole, and sulfathiazole were used as model APIs. The parameters used to assess the supersaturation potential and crystallization kinetics were the maximum supersaturation concentration (Cmax,app), the area under the curve (AUC), and the crystallization rate constant (k). These were compared for freshly spray-dried and aged/crystallized samples. Aged samples were stored at 75% relative humidity for 168 days (6 months) or until they were completely crystallized, whichever came first. The solid-state changes were monitored with differential scanning calorimetry, Raman spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. Supersaturation potential and crystallization kinetics were investigated using a tenfold supersaturation ratio compared to the thermodynamic solubility using the µDISS Profiler. The physically aged indapamide and metolazone and the minimally crystallized glibenclamide and hydrocortisone did not show significant differences in their Cmax,app and AUC when compared to the freshly spray-dried samples. Ketoconazole, with a crystalline content of 23%, reduced its Cmax,app and AUC by 50%, with Cmax,app being the same as the crystalline solubility. The AUC of aged metolazone, one of the two compounds that remained completely amorphous after storage, significantly improved as the crystallization kinetics significantly decreased. Glibenclamide improved the most in its supersaturation potential from amorphization. The study also revealed that, besides solid-state crystallization during storage, crystallization during dissolution and its corresponding pathway may significantly compromise the supersaturation potential of fully amorphous APIs.
This study was done to determine the effects of different thermal drying methods (sun drying, microwave drying and hot air oven drying) on the total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content and the antioxidant properties of Vitex negundo (VN) tea. Significant decline (P < 0.05) in antioxidant properties of hot air oven drying shows that this method is not the best method to preserve antioxidant compounds in VN tea. As a conclusion, microwave drying has been found to be a good method for maintain the TPC, anthocyanin content and AEAC in dried sample of VN tea.
Jatropha curcas is a multipurpose plant that has been suggested as a possible cure to
inflammation. It can be used as a source of animal feed, live fence, biodiesel and in traditional
medicine. Practitioners have used various extraction techniques to extract the active components
of the plant. This article compares the efficiency of three methods of drying technique for the
extraction of the total phenolic content from the plant. The freeze-drying method was the best
method compared to oven dry and air dry. The freeze-drying method dries J. curcas root sample
faster and preserve the total phenolic content better than the other methods.
The environment sustenance and preservation of global climate are known as the crucial issues of the world today. Currently, the crisis of global warming due to CO2 emission has turned into a paramount concern. To address such a concern, diverse CO2 capture and sequestration techniques (CCS) have been introduced so far. In line with this, Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have been considered as the newest and most promising material for CO2 adsorption and separation. Due to their outstanding properties, this new class of porous materials a have exhibited a conspicuous potential for gas separation technologies especially for CO2 storage and separation. Thus, the present review paper is aimed to discuss the adsorption properties of CO2 on the MOFs based on the adsorption mechanisms and the design of the MOF structures. In addition, the main challenge associated with using this prominent porous material has been mentioned.
This case report describes the management of an impacted and dilacerated upper permanent incisor in an 11 year old girl who also presented with a congenitally missing lateral incisor in the same quadrant. The two treatment options commonly chosen for the management of an impacted incisor are surgical exposure followed by orthodontic traction and extraction of the tooth itself. This case posed an extra challenge as the adjacent lateral incisor was congenitally missing. Instead of resorting to the use of dentures, an alternative treatment involving the surgical repositioning of the impacted tooth was done. This method not only satisfied the patient’s aesthetic requirement but ensured preservation of alveolar bone height and thickness in the upper anterior segment. Surgical repositioning of an impacted and/or dilacerated tooth can be considered as an alternative treatment option when surgical exposure and traction of the tooth is not possible.
A survey was conducted to determine the diversity of fish in Pergau Lake, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia from 2 September to 18 October of 2016. Fish samples were collected at seven random sampling stations around the lake by using setting trap method. The collected samples were preserved in 10% formalin solution and delivered to the laboratory for further identification process. Fourteen species, namely as Hemibagrus nemurus, Hampala macrolepidota, Clarias batrachus, Channa striata, Cyprinus carpio, Poropuntius smedleyi, Pangasius sp., Oreochromis niloticus, Oreochromis mossambicus, Leptobarbus hoevenii, Neolissochilus hexagonolepis, Tor tambroides, Osteochilus hasselti and Neolissochilus soroides, comprising of six families were collected during this study. From this study, family of Cyprinidae was the dominant species in Pergau Lake with exactly 50% of catch percentage, followed by family of Bagridae (29%), Cichlidae (10%), Clariidae (5%), Channidae (3%) and Pangasiidae (3%). This study shows that there is still a diversity of fish species in Pergau Lake, showing that the water and its environmental condition is very good.
The issue of water quality is a never ended issue and becoming more critical when considering the presence of natural radionuclides. Physical parameters and the levels of radionuclides may have some correlation and need further attention. In this study, the former tin mine lake in Kampong Gajah was chosen as a study area for its past historical background which might contribute to attenuation of the levels of natural radionuclides in water. The water samples were collected from different lakes using water sampler and some in-situ measurement were conducted to measure physical parameters as well as surface dose level. The water samples were analyzed for its gross alpha and gross beta activity concentrations using liquid scintillation counting and in-house cocktail method. Gross alpha and beta analyzed using in-house cocktail are in the range of 3.17 to 8.20 Bq/L and 9.89 to 22.20 Bq/L; 1.64 to 8.78 Bq/L and 0.22 to 28.22 Bq/L, respectively for preserved and un-preserved sample. The surface dose rate measured using survey meter is in the range of 0.07 to 0.21 μSv/h and 0.07 to 0.2 μSv/h for surface and 1 meter above the surface of the water, respectively.
Many kinds of substrates have been used to investigate bioelectricity production with Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). Dry algae biomass has the highest maximum power density compared to other substrates due to high carbon sources from its lipid. However, the bacterial digestion of algae biomass is not simple because of the complexity and strength of the algal cell wall structure. An algae biomass extraction is needed to break the cell wall structure and facilitate digestion. Spray drying method is commonly used in highvalue products but may degrade some algal components which are crucial for microbial degradation in MFC, while the freeze-drying method is able to preserve algal cell constituents. The MFC was fed with freeze dried and spray dried algae biomass to produce energy and determine the degradation efficiency. Results showed the average voltage generated was 739 mV and 740 mV from freeze dried and spray dried algae biomass, respectively. The maximum power density of freeze dried algae biomass is 159.9 mW/m2 and spray dried algae biomass is 152.3 mW/m2. Freeze dried algae biomass has 54.2% of COD removal and 28.4% of Coulombic Efficiency while spray dried algae biomass has 50.1% of COD removal and 24.9% of Coulombic Efficiency.
Safe level of daylighting for artefact conservation in historic buildings is a difficult task to achieve. Previous studies indicated that lighting problems in historic museum galleries were mainly due to unshaded walls that allowed direct sun penetration over the display areas. Ceiling geometry can also affect the daylighting performance significantly, particularly on the interior distribution of light. Malaysia, with hot and humid climate, and tropical sky conditions receives plenty of natural light all year around. The fluxes in natural lighting exposures confirm the need for strategic daylight control programme in the exhibition gallery. The study aims to assess the ceiling geometry contribution for four orientations; North, East, South and West through computer simulations. The research approach was based on comparisons between pitched and flat ceiling simulation output data. Further comparisons were performed with the recommended lighting limits for conservation of artefacts. The comparisons allowed better understanding of light damage issues and highlight the control of daylighting distributions through realistic predictive images and ceiling geometry designs. The results showed that the types of exhibits materials and its placement are affected by the ceiling geometry and constant changes in natural lighting exposure. The study confirms that ceiling geometry can act as a control mechanism with the environment physical features as part of preventive conservation criteria in the exhibition gallery. Thus, a systematic light-monitoring programme in the exhibition gallery is necessary to control illuminance level and cumulative exposure limits, for artefact preservation.
This study explores the practicability and usability of the cling film plastic wrap on the dead body with decomposition changes, whereby the feasibility of wrapping the remains to ensure the containment of the decomposition fluid within the cling film plastic wrap. Unknown and unclaimed dead bodies were used. Wrapping and preservation of human remains using the cling film plastic wrap could be the best operational practices for first responders rather than leaving bodies exposed on the disaster site, when the supplies of the cadaver body bags are inadequate. Thinking out of the box, the conventional way of using cadaver body bags to the cling film plastic wrap forms a new perspective in managing the dead and facilitating the human identification needs. New inventive idea of adopting the cling film plastic wrap as means of protecting the dignity of the dead person, could be the way forward in humanitarian forensic action.
Different drying methods and blanching were investigated as to their effects on antioxidant and oxidase activities of Thunbergia laurifolia leaves. Results showed that oven-drying had the highest degradation of total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity at >85%, while freeze-drying had the lowest at <20%. However, inactivation of oxidase enzymes by blanching at 100°C resulted in a lesser decrease in TPC for oven-drying at 50 and 100°C (51% and 65%, respectively), indicating the importance of inactivating the oxidase enzymes for lower degradation of phenolics on drying. The high-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that its major antioxidant, rosmarinic acid, degraded tremendously in the presence of oxidase enzymes, but only degraded slightly upon inactivation of oxidase enzymes. Hence, this work showed that by controlling the enzymatic activity, the preservation of phenolics with specific bioactivity in herbal tea leaves can be achieved. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Thunbergia laurifolia leaves have been frequently consumed in the form of a tea or pill due to its medicinal properties. Processing of fresh herbal plant leaves by drying is required to preserve antioxidant phenolic compounds and quality of the plant leaves. Although the drying effects on the antioxidant properties have been studied, the factors that cause the change in properties have not been investigated in-depth. Controlling the factors that affect the phenolic content can help to preserve the beneficial antioxidants when processing the leaves by drying. The result of this study will be of relevance and beneficial to the herbal tea industry.
Preservation of larvae retrieved from cadavers is important in ensuring the quality and integrity of entomological specimens used for the estimation of post-mortem interval (PMI). The process of killing and preserving larvae could distort the larvae leading to inaccurate estimation of PMI. In this study, the effects of killing Chrysomya megacephala larvae with hot water at different temperatures and subsequent maintenance in various preservatives were determined. Larvae not killed by hot water but preserved directly were used as control. The types of preservative used were 10% formalin, 70% ethanol and Kahle's solution. The morphological features examined were length, turgidity, curvature and coloration of larvae. Larvae killed in 80ºC hot water have shorter mean length (12.47 ± 2.86 mm) compared to those in 60ºC hot water (12.95 ± 2.69 mm). Increasing the duration of preservation in all types of preservative caused elongations of larvae treated or untreated with hot water. There were no significant changes in larval turgidity preserved in Kahle's solution compared to other two preservatives and were unaffected by the duration of storage. Larvae preserved in Kahle's solution experienced the least changes in coloration and shape compared to other preserved larvae in 70% ethanol or 10% formalin. Larvae directly immersed alive in 70% ethanol experienced the most changes in curvature, coloration and turgidity. This study suggested that killing larvae with hot water at 80ºC and preservation in Kahle's solution is the optimum method resulting in least changes in morphological features of Ch. megacephala larvae.
Fresh-cut fruits are popular due to the convenience provided. However, fresh-cut processes damage fruit tissues and reduce the shelf life of products. Pulsed light (PL) treatment is a decontamination method of foods. PL treatment given repetitively at a certain interval during storage could further extend the shelf life of fresh-cut fruits. Edible coating preserves fresh-cut fruits by providing mechanical strength and reducing respiration and water loss. This study was to evaluate the effects of alginate coating combined with repetitive pulsed light (RPL) on sensory quality and flavour of fresh-cut cantaloupes during storage. Cantaloupes were treated with alginate (1.86%, w/v) and RPL (0.9 J/cm2 at every 48 h up to 26 days) alone or in combination. Flavour analysis of fresh-cut cantaloupes was carried out every 12 days during storage at 4 ± 1 °C while sensory analysis was performed on day 32. Alginate coating and/or RPL retained sugar contents (17.92-20.01 g/kg FW for fructose, 18.77-19.98 g/kg FW for glucose and 23.02-29.41 g/kg FW for sucrose) in fresh-cut cantaloupes during storage. Combination of alginate with RPL reduced accumulation of lactic acid although alginate coating was more effective to minimise changes of other organic acids in fresh-cut cantaloupes. The combined treatment was also more effective than individual treatment in retaining total aroma compound concentration of fresh-cut cantaloupes during storage with the highest relative concentration, i.e. 3.174 on day 36. Overall, the combined alginate coating and RPL was effective to maintain the fresh-like sensory quality of fresh-cut cantaloupes with insignificant overall acceptability compared to the control.
The prevalence of dental erosion among children and adolescents is trending higher in recent decades and is becoming a major concern. Dental erosion can be caused by either extrinsic or intrinsic acids or both. One of the established aetiological factors for dental erosion by intrinsic acid is the gastrooesophageal reflux disease. The degree of dental erosions may be influenced by any medical conditions that cause a reduction in salivary flow such as the salivary gland excision, autoimmune disease, radiation to the head and neck regions, and medications. If left untreated, the dental erosion can cause dentine hypersensitivity, loss of occlusal vertical height, and aesthetic problems. For effective management of dental erosion, the aetiology of each case must be determined, and its detection at an early stage is of prime importance. This case report illustrates the conservative management of dental erosion in two adolescent patients presented with their medical conditions and behaviour issues. The aim of the treatments was to preserve the vitality of the affected teeth. The treatments were successfully completed using a conservative approach, with the patients' medical conditions taken into consideration.
Production Sharing Contract (PSC) is one of the petroleum agreements mode that
are being utilized in many parts of the world in enabling exploration, development
and production of the petroleum resources at the respective locations. It was first
introduced in Indonesia in 1966, and followed by Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and
Brunei. One of interesting aspects of PSC management is the operatorship
transferhandling when a PSC is nearing its expiry. When the time come, the
current PSC contractor as operator has the option to relinquish it to the host
authority to be handed over to other operator, farm it out to the other PSC
contractor to reduce the risk exposure or continue operating under a new PSC
terms. The most challenging will be to relinquish the operatorship to another
operator whereby several complexities will need to be adequately addressed to
ensure benefit preservation to the host authority, incoming operator and
outgoing operator. Therefore there is a need to adhere to key factors or enablers
to administer the operatorship transfer exercise if it occurs in the near future. The
key enablers would be able to address the operatorship transfer exercise
effectively with the objective to alleviate complications to the host authority,
outgoing operator and incoming operator. With the emphasized in the PETRONAS
Procedure & Guideline for Upstream Activities together with three case studies,
this paper proposed several key enablers to be considered for a PSC successful
operatorship transfer which is human resources, data management, asset
reliability and integrity management, supply chain management and good
relationship between parties. With identified key factors, it is hoped that any PSC
operatorship transfer will be able to be managed smoothly and will ensure
benefits to all parties concerned.
Moringa oleifera is a plant whose seeds have coagulation properties for treating water and wastewater. In this study the coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera kept in different storage conditions were studied. The Moringa oleifera seeds were stored at different conditions and durations; open container and closed container at room temperature (28 degrees C) and refrigerator (3 degrees C) for durations of 1, 3 and 5 months. Comparison between turbidity removal efficiency of Moringa oleifera kept in refrigerator and room temperature revealed that there was no significant difference between them. The Moringa oleifera kept in refrigerator and room temperature for one month showed higher turbidity removal efficiency, compared to those kept for 3 and 5 months, at both containers. The coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera was found to be dependent on initial turbidity of water samples. Highest turbidity removals were obtained for water with very high initial turbidity. In summary coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera was found independent of storage temperature and container, however coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera decreased as storage duration increased. In addition, Moringa oleifera can be used as a potential coagulant especially for very high turbidity water.