The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Vernonia cinerea, Peperomia
pellucida and combination of Vernonia cinerea and Peperomia pellucida. These two herbs are pants that
often grow at random in different environments but are not commercialized due to the fact that no
comprehensive study of the importance of their use. The extract was prepared with methanol respectively.
1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay were used to study their antioxidant activity. The extracts
were compared with commercial antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The highest scavenging
effect from peel extract was presented by Vernonia cinerea with the value of 76.3% scavenging activity
(IC50 = 2.909), followed by the combination of Vernonia cinerea and Peperomia pellucida (71.21%
scavenging activity; IC50 = 5.274) and Peperomia pellucida with value of 68.3% scavenging activity (IC50
= 5.572). BHT showed the lowest IC50 value 1.71 with the scavenging activity 90.0%. Low IC50 value will
indicates the strong ability of the extracts to act as DPPH scavenger.
The present study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activity of peel extract from three types of
melon, Cucumis melo var cantalupensis, Cucumis melo var inodorus and Citrullus lanatus in family
Curcurbitaceae. The extract was prepared with methanol respectively. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) assay were used to study their antioxidant activity. The extracts were compared with commercial
antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The highest scavenging effect from peel extract was
presented by Cucumis melo var inodorus with the value of 52.7 ± 9.1µg/ml (IC50 = 4.61). BHT showed
the lowest IC50 value 1.71 with the scavenging activity 90.0 ± 1.7µg/ml. Low IC50 value will indicates the
strong ability of the extracts to act as DPPH scavenger.
Cinnamomum species (Lauraceae) are well known for their fragrance and medicinal value. The essential oils of three Cinnamomum species (C. macrophyllum, C. crassinervium and C. griffithii) collected in Sarawak were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatograpy mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The analysis of the oils showed that most of the essential oils were mainly phenylpropanoids and monoterpenes with a small amount of sesquiterpenes present. Both C. griffithii and C. crassinervium contained similar major chemical composition such as β-linalool, methyl cinnamate and eugenol methyl ether. No presence of methyl cinnamate and β-linalool were found in the oil of C. macrophyllum. m-Eugenol was prominent in the leaf oil of C. macrophyllum, while cinnamaldehyde was found mainly in the bark oil of C. macrophyllum. High percentage of camphor was identified in the bark and root oil of C. macrophyllum, compared to small amount of camphor found in the both root oil of C. griffithii and C. crassinervium.
Wastewater from industrial plants such as textile, electroplating and petroleum refineries contains various substances that tend to increase the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the wastewater. Therefore, it is desired to develop a process suitable for treating the wastewater to meet the regulatory limits. This work was conducted to investigate the potential of adapted single culture of A. baumannii, A.calcoaceticus and C.cellulans in reducing COD in real textile wastewater. The study was carried out by adapting each single culture (10% inoculums) to increasing concentration (1%, 2.5 %, 5%, 7.5 % and 10%) of textile wastewater. Then it was introduced to the textile effluent without pH adjustment for five days and the COD values were measured. The textile wastewater was supplemented with pineapple waste for bacterial growth and metabolism. Results obtained showed that pineapple waste was a good nutrient supply for the growth of the bacteria and the best concentration of textile wastewater for adaptation was at 2.5%. The results also showed that A.calcoaceticus shows highest COD reduction with 67% removal whereas A. baumannii and C.cellulans with 60% and 58% removal respectively. The outcome supported that the single culture used in this study showed considerably high reduction of COD from real textile wastewater.
Like many other parts of the globe, in Malaysia, construction industry has a vital support to
the national economy, even though statistics indicates that, at the same time, it is an extremely
risky profession due to high accident rate. In addition, current evidences suggest that, in
general, safety in Sarawak construction industries lack attention. As, human behavior is regarded
as the principal component that contributes to accidents in this industry, this study
intends to explore existing barriers in development and maintaining safety performance behavior
as well as possible coping strategies. A qualitative analysis of in-depth interview (N=4)
among different levels of professions within industries in Kuching, Sarawak reveals that,
price sensitive subcontracting, short-term projects, irregular cash flow, dependency on larger
companies, less managerial and supervisory engagement, and priority on progress alone create
obstacles for safety behavior. On the other hand, possibly, the challenges can be managed
through integration of safety into contracts as compliance, associated disbursement, and introducing
incentives.
A well-known planting medium in soilless culture is a coconut based material famously known in Malaysia as cocopeat.
It is a viable ecologically friendly peat soil substitute for containerized crop production. The multipurpose growing media
had received much interest particularly in commercial applications. This study focused on the physical and hydraulic
characteristics of cocopeat perlite mixture as a growing media in containerized plant production. Perlite was added to
cocopeat at a ratio of 3 cocopeat: 1 perlite. Bulk density, particle density, porosity, particle size distribution, water holding
capacity, wettability and hydraulic conductivity of the media were evaluated. About 82.93% of the total particles were
in the range between 0.425 and 4 mm in diameter at a bulk density of 0.09 g/cm3
. Total porosity (79%) and wettability
improved with the incorporation of perlite to cocopeat. This study showed that water holding capacity was very high at
912.54% whereas the saturated hydraulic conductivity was low at 0.1 cm/s. The results showed that adding perlite to
cocopeat had improved the physical and hydraulic characteristics of the media.
Chicken skin gelatin hydrolysates and peptides with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activity were produced enzymatically using alcalase, pronase E, and collagenase before fractionation into
Developed economies are at the forefront of facing the brunt of non-communicable diseases (NCD). The majority of the health expenditures are routed in managing obesity and mental disorder-related patients, and there is a fall in the productivity of the distressed and NCD prone labour. Several indicators of stress are used in literature to assess its implications. However, empirically no database has maintained the longitudinal data of national stress level. This study focused on constructing the socioeconomic antecedent of non-communicable stress which is leading to several NCDs. For this Multiple Indicator and Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model is utilized for 151 countries between 2008 and 2018. The results show that macroeconomic conditions, trade, and environmental quality follow fundamentals in explaining stress. While, national stress index is a significant source of smoking and mental disorder prevalence.
Introduction: Doppler mode ultrasound is widely used in prenatal scanning and known to produce a higher acoustic
output which later leads to higher heat energy conversion compared to other ultrasound modes. It has been reported
that the use of Doppler imaging might increase the temperature of tissues, thus, when Doppler is used in combination with 2D ultrasound, the risks of bioeffects tend to increase more. It is also known that prolonged exposure to
ultrasound during pregnancy can cause irreversible biological destructions to the fetus. Despite the benefits of using
Doppler ultrasound, its potential adverse effects have received scant attention in the research literature. Therefore,
this study aimed to examine a correlation between gestational stages (GS) and newborn rabbit’s body weight at different prenatal Doppler ultrasound exposure durations. Methods: Twelve pregnant New Zealand white rabbits (NZWR)
were exposed once using three different Doppler ultrasound exposure durations (30, 60, 90 minutes exposure) at
three different GSs (1st, 2nd, and 3rd GS). After delivery, the mean weights of the 62 newborns were statistically analysed. Results: Strong negative and positive correlation between newborn’s body weight at different GSs and Doppler
ultrasound exposure durations with a significant result found in 60 minutes exposure (p =
Introduction:Simulation training in airway management among nursing students was recommended to enhance skills, knowledge and confidence during their clinical attachment in the Emergency Department but the efficacy was not being explored adequately. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of simulation training in airway management among final year nursing student Kota Kinabalu Training Institute (KKTI). Methods: This was quasi-experimental research design, which the participant was divided into test and control group without random-ization. A sample of forty final year nursing students was selected for this study. This was a comparative study in-volving twenty KKTI final year nursing students (test group) with simulation versus twenty final year nursing students (control group) without simulation on airway before and after posted to Emergency and Trauma Department (ETD). Two instruments were used, i) Pretest/posttest survey design by Porter et al (2013), and; ii) The Simulation Efficacy Tool-Modified (SET-M). SPSS version 24 Independent T test was used to analyse the mean score between the groups. Results: Levene’s test for equality of variance shown significant (t= -.005, df = 38, p
Foreign body (FB) ingestion among children is one of the most common presenting complaint to Emergency Department. Oropharyngeal foreign body are the least common, 5-10% in all FB ingestion. However, it carries significant mortality and morbidity following complications which may arise from it. Airway obstruction is one of the complications which may present after FB ingestion. Due to the significant differences in airway anatomy and physiology of children, management of an obstructed pediatric airway is challenging. It requires proper skill and experience to prevent further fatal complications. Proper assessment and airway evaluation are crucial before proceeding with endotracheal intubation. Surgical airway is only reserved in ‘Cannot Ventilate Cannot Intubate’ situation where it should be done by a skilled person, as it carries risk of injury to underlying vital structures.
Introduction: The aim of this study is to determine the satisfaction level of hearing aid users in different types and degrees of hearing loss using the satisfaction with amplification in daily life (SADL) questionnaire. Methods: 35 hearing aid users with different types of hearing loss who sought help from the International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM) Hearing and Speech Clinic at Jalan Hospital Campus, Kuantan, IIUM Medical Specialist Centre and private hearing aid centres were involved in this study. The data was collected from the participants who filled in the Malay SADL questionnaires. Results: Among the thirty-five (35) participants, there was no significant difference reported between the types of hearing loss and their satisfaction level in the SADL global score and each of the subscales. It was found that satisfaction level with the hearing aids may depend on several factors such as cosmetic preference, cost of hearing aid and audiologist competence. Meanwhile, in terms of degrees of hearing loss, 80% of the users were relatively satisfied with their hearing aids. Yet, there was no correlation between hearing aid users’ satisfaction level and their degrees of hearing loss for all subscales and SADL global score. Conclusions: This study indicates that although hearing aid users reported to be satisfied with their hearing aids; there are some who are not satisfied in terms of feedback, telephone use, cosmetic appearance and costs of hearing aid. The findings of this study can benefit the audiologists, as they would be able to use the information to help future patients understand and adapt to the use of the hearing aids better.
A 13-year old Malay girl presented with multiple parasuicide attempts. She made multiple attempts at suicide and at the last attempt she developed liver damage. This article discusses the etiology and different methods used to prevent future suicidal attempts in this patient.
86 patients suspected of primary lung cancer, referred to the National Tuberculosis Centre for fibreoptic bronchoscopy, were selected for this study to determine the relative value of the various types of respiratory cytology material in establishing a diagnosis and to identify the factors which influence the exfoliation of malignant cells. Prebronchoscopic sputa and bronchial bnishings were found to yield diagnostic cells most frequently. Hilar tumours arising from large bronchi, squamous and small cell anaplastic types were found to exfoliate cells most frequently. The study highlights the effectiveness of cytologic methods in the diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma. Cytologic evaluation may be the only method of confirming the diagnosis whcn biopsy is contraindicated. In the investigation of a patient thought to have lung carcinoma, good "deep cough-up" sputa shuld be first examined to prove a diagnosis before subjecting him or her to procedure like bronchoscopy.
Oral retinoids are among the drugs of choice for pustular psoriasis. Therapy with retinoids, including acitretin, is potent teratogens with other common side effects such as mucocutaneous involvement. Mucocutaneous side effects including dry lips (cheilitis), skin peeling, hair loss (alopecia), dry skin, or rhinitis are dose-related, with cheilitis occurring in more than 75% of patients receiving the highest doses of acitretin (75 mg/day). We report on a 37-year-old woman who developed folliculitis with acitretin which is a rare cutaneous side effect. She presented with eruptions pruritic papules with follicular pattern on anterior thigh and forearms after almost 1 year of treatment with acitretin (50mg OD) for pustular psoriasis. The skin lesion was treated successfully with skin dressing and antibiotic treatment and skin biopsy is suggestive of folliculitis. Several treatments for pustular psoriasis including topical steroids, methotrexate and oral prednisolone were ineffective or not tolerated. Treatment with acitretin which are 50mg OD provided partial resolution of skin lesions. The case is hereby reported because of its rarity and folliculitis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a popular eruption, especially in patients with high dose acitretin.
This study was conducted to determine the effects of plyometric training on power, speed and agility on under 16 athletes. Thirty-two males from various background of sports were randomly selected as subjects. Subjects were divided into two groups which are intervention (N=16) and control (N=16). Subjects performed training for five weeks. Test batteries used includes 30-m sprint, 30 feet shuttle run and vertical jump to look at the effects of plyometric training given. Data that were obtained was analysed using T-test. Analysis showed that treatment group manage to improve performance in all the three tests while no significant differences between pre and post-test among control group for all the three tests. Based on the result, plyometric training that were given could improve power, speed and agility.
A domination polynomial is a type of graph polynomial in which its coefficients represent the number of dominating sets in the graph. There are many researches being done on the domination polynomial of some common types of graphs but not yet for graphs associated to finite groups. Two types of graphs associated to finite groups are the conjugate graph and the conjugacy class graph. A graph of a group G is called a conjugate graph if the vertices are non-central elements of G and two distinct vertices are adjacent if they are conjugate to each other. Meanwhile, a conjugacy class graph of a group G is a graph in which its vertices are the non-central conjugacy classes of G and two distinct vertices are connected if and only if their class cardinalities are not coprime. The conjugate and conjugacy class graph of dihedral groups can be expressed generally as a union of complete graphs on some vertices. In this paper, the domination polynomials are computed for the conjugate and conjugacy class graphs of the dihedral groups.
The purpose of the study was to assess the size for both kidneys based on the position of
patient during ultrasonography examination. Normal renal size measurement is very important to evaluate in determining a healthy kidney. Method: Thirty volunteers, consist of 15 males and 15 females were involved in this study. The patients were scanned in supine, oblique, and prone position. The readings were repeated for three times for each position. Results: The mean length of kidney in supine, oblique and prone were 99.03 mm, 96.32 mm and 95.94 mm, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean width of kidney were 44.30 mm, 44.31 mm and 46.65 mm, respectively. The renal length measurement in prone position was statistically significant with p = 0.023 (p < 0.05), while the renal width measurement in oblique and prone position were statistically significant with p = 0.006 and p = 0.009 respectively. Conclusion: This research emphasised the importance of investigating the different types of position of patient during the ultrasound scanning. The importance mentioned were the reduction of scanning time for patient and cost- effectiveness
of the procedures. Besides, it also gave accurate result for the renal measurement.
Kaum wanita sebagai figura dunia merupakan satu pengikitirafan dan penghormatan tertinggi bagi mereka. Beberapa ‘figura’ wanita dunia dijadikan sebagai unit analisis untuk mengkategorikan gaya komunikasi yang diaplikasi dalam melaksanakan tanggungjawab sebagai ketua kerajaan dan juga sebagai idola masyarakat dunia.Salah satu ciri untuk menjadi figura dan pemimpin yang berkesan adalah dengan mengamalkan gaya komunikasi yang difikirkan sesuai berdasarkan persoalan tentang Siapa, Di mana dan Bagaimana gaya komunikasi tersebut diaplikasikan. Gaya komunikasi merupakan satu wadahyang digunakan bukan sahaja untuk memastikan kelancaran perjalanan pengurusan sesebuah organisasi namun juga penting dalam urusan hal ehwal tadbir melibatkan kerajaan sesebuah negara serta ketika berhadapan dengan khalayak. “The way you lead is thru the way you speak” merupakan falsafah budaya kepemimpinan yang menjadi asas kepada kertas kerja ini. Konsep kertas kerja ini adalah berpaksikan kepada enam gaya komunikasi oleh Tubbs dan Moss (2008) dengan menggunakan kaedah analisis dokumen. Kertas kerja ini juga akan memberikan pemahaman yang lebih jelas tentang gaya komunikasi yang diamalkan oleh ‘figura’wanita dunia dalam melaksanakan praktis pengurusan dan pentadbiran kerajaan, organisasi yang diwakili mahupun sewaktu mereke perlu berhadapan dengan publik. Kertas kerja ini diharapkan mampu untuk menjadi perintis agar satu kajian yang lebih mendalam berkaitan karisma wanita samaada sebagai ketua kerajaan mahupun “public figure”daripada aspek komunikasi dapat dilakukan pada masa akan datang
Keusahawanan sering dianggap sebagai subjek yang lebih cenderung kepada pelajar dalam bidang perniagaan tetapi tidak untuk pelajar yang mempunyai pelbagai kemahiran yang terlibat dalam bidang teknikal. Namun, ini adalah satu tanggapan yang tidak seharusnya wujud kerana Malaysia seharusnya perlu mengenal pasti kesedaran keusahawanan dalam bidang teknikal. Pada masa kini, kesedaran keusahawanan dalam bidang teknikal tertentu adalah kurang lantaran program keusahawanan lazimnya lebih tertumpu kepada pelajar InstitusiPengajian Tinggi (IPT). Misalnya, Pembangunan Keusahawanan Bumiputera adalah lebih tertumpu kepada golongan siswazah IPT, belia dan wanita. Dasar Pembangunan Keusahawanan IPT juga diperkenalkan agar modal insan dengan daya pemikiran, atribut dan nilai keusahawanan dalam kalangan IPT tempatan dapat dilahirkan. Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk mengenal pasti tahap kesedaran keusahawanan dalam kalangan pelajar Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) di Terengganu berhubung dengan faktor keusahawanan dari aspek individu usahawan yang berbeza serta struktur dan persekitaran perniagaan. Seterusnya, mengkaji hubungan antara kesedaran keusahawanan dengan pembolehubah tidak bersandar lain yang berkait dengan kajian seperti ciri keusahawanan dan cabaran keusahawanan. Kaedah kuantitatif telah digunakan dan borang soal selidik diedarkan kepada 280 orang pelajar. Hasil analisis regresi berganda menunjukkan bahawa cabaran keusahawanan merangkumi sikap dan minat, kemahiran keusahawanan serta pendidikan dan pengetahuan keusahawanan merupakan elemen paling signifikan yang mempengaruhi kesedaran keusahawanan dalam kalangan pelajar berkemahiran diILP untuk menjadi seorang usahawan. Oleh itu, adalah sangat penting bagi kerajaan Malaysiauntuk memberi perhatian terhadap cabaran yang dihadapi oleh para pelajar ini dan mengambil tindakan terhadap segala kemungkinan yang boleh mempengaruhi atau memberi kesan kepada minat pelajar terhadap keusahawanan pada masa akan datang.