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Gait Analysis and Mathematical Index-Based Health Management Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
No full textGait analysis is recognized as a method used in quantifying gait disorders and in clinical evaluations of patients. However, the current guidelines for the evaluation of post anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) patient outcomes are primarily based on qualitative assessments. This study aims to apply gait analyses and mathematical, index-based health management, using the Mahalanobis Taguchi System (MTS) and the Kanri Distance Calculator (KDC) to diagnose the level of the gait abnormality and to identify its contributing factors following ACLR. It is hypothesized that (1) the method is able to discriminate the gait patterns between a healthy group (HG) and patients with ACLR (PG), and (2) several contributing factors may affect ACLR patients' rehabilitation performance. This study compared the gait of 10 subjects in the PG group with 15 subjects in the HG. The analysis was based on 11 spatiotemporal parameters. Gait data of all subjects were collected in a motion analysis laboratory. The data were then analyzed using MTS and KDC. In this study, two significant groups were recognized: the HG, who achieved results which were within the Mahalanobis space (MS), and (ii) the PG who achieved results above the MS. The results may be seen as being on-target and off-target, respectively. Based on the analysis, three variables (i.e., step width, single support time, and double support time) affected patient performance and resulted in an average mark of above 1.5 Mahalanobis distance (MD). The results indicated that by focusing on the contributing factors that affect the rehabilitation performance of the patients, it is possible to provide individualized and need-based treatment. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
Gait Classification Using Mahalanobis–Taguchi System for Health Monitoring Systems Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
No full textIn this paper, a gait patterns classification system is proposed, which is based on Mahalanobis-Taguchi System (MTS). The classification of gait patterns is necessary in order to ascertain the rehab outcome among anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) patients. (1) Background: One of the most critical discussion about when ACLR patients should return to work (RTW). The objective was to use Mahalanobis distance (MD) to classify between the gait patterns of the control and ACLR groups, while the Taguchi Method (TM) was employed to choose the useful features. Moreover, MD was also utilised to ascertain whether the ACLR group approaching RTW. The combination of these two methods is called as Mahalanobis-Taguchi System (MTS). (2) Methods: This study compared the gait of 15 control subjects to a group of 10 subjects with laboratory. Later, the data were analysed using MTS. The analysis was based on 11 spatiotemporal parameters. (3) Results: The results showed that gait deviations can be identified successfully, while the ACLR can be classified with higher precision by MTS. The MDs of the healthy group ranged from 0.560 to 1.180, while the MDs of the ACLR group ranged from 2.308 to 1509.811. Out of the 11 spatiotemporal parameters analysed, only eight parameters were considered as useful features. (4) Conclusions: These results indicate that MTS can effectively detect the ACLR recovery progress with reduced number of useful features. MTS enabled doctors or physiotherapists to provide a clinical assessment of their patients with more objective way. © 2019 by the authors
Adat penggantian dalam kesultanan Melayu: penerusan dan perubahan
Get PDFAdat penggantian dalam institusi raja Melayu wujud bersama institusi tersebut. Institusi raja Kedah diasaskan kira-kira 1300 tahun atau 13 abad yang lalu. Institusi raja Melaka diasaskan pada 1262. Kedua-duanya berubah sebagai kesultanan; Kedah apabila rajanya Maharaja Derbar Raja memeluk agama Islam, bergelar Sultan Muzaffar Shah pada 1136, dan Melaka pula apabila Raja Kechil Besar memeluk agama Islam, bergelar Sultan Muhammad Shah pada 1280-an. Ikatan politik dan sosial menjadi elemen penting dalam adat penggantian. Pemahaman dan penghormatan terhadap ikatan politik dan sosial penggantian mengutamakan putera sulong Sultan sebagai waris pertama atau kerabat raja berterusan sehingga adat ini terganggun kerana kelonggaran aturan penggantian, campur tangan Siam dan British. Perubahan dalam peraturan penggantian berubah lagi ketika pentadbiran tentera Jepun dan British, serta setelah negeri beraja mempunyai undang-undang tubuh yang di dalamnya terdapat perkara khusus tentang penggantian. Bermula dari Kesultanan Kedah, perbincangan mengenai penerusan dan perubahan adat penggantian diberi perhatian. Sementara itu dalam perbincangan pula naskhah Melayu, rekod rasmi British, Persekutuan dan Negeri; serta sumber sekunder dirujuk. Adat penggantian ini mengalami penerusan dan perubahan sejak kesultanan Melayu sehingga zahirnya undang-undang mengawal dan menentukan penggantian dalam kesultanan Melayu
Teknologi perkapalan Melayu tradisional: Jong dan Ghali meredah tujuh lautan
Get PDFPeradaban Melayu lama dengan lokasi petempatannya di kepulauan Melayu merupakan peradaban maritim sesuai dengan kedudukannya yang strategik di persimpangan jalan perdagangan laut antara dunia Barat dan dunia Timur. Lokasi petempatan dan pemerintahannya berpusat di bandar-bandar pelabuhan utama di wilayah ini. Sistem peniupan angin monsoon yang bertiup dengan berbeza arah pada musim panas dan musim sejuk dan ketiadaan angin pada antara dua musim itu, membawa kapal daripada arah yang berbeza-beza, dan semasa ketiadaan angin mereka terpaksa tinggal di pelabuhan yang memberi peluang bagi para pedagang untuk menjalankan urusan mereka. Kapal dan perahu tentu sekali memainkan peranan yang penting dalam suasana perdaganan maritim demikian, dan sejak awal lagi pedagang maritim Melayu telah menggunakan pelbagai jenis kapal untuk menjalankan perdagangan itu. Artikel ini akan menelusuri dua jenis warisan kapal orang Melayu yang digunakan dalam aktiviti perdagangan dan kegiatan maritim pada zaman lampau; iaitu Jong dan Ghali jenis kapal besar bagi penjelajahan di lautan luas dan antara benua
Representations of inclusiveness in social assistance programmes of the 10th Malaysia Plan, 2011–2015
No full textThis article appraises constructions of inclusiveness in social assistance programmes in the Malaysian socioeconomic agenda of the 10th Malaysia Plan, 2011–2015 (10MP). Setting as context the needs-based aspirational inclusiveness articulated in documents preceding the 10MP, this study adopts a discursive approach to probe the realisations of such inclusiveness in the 10MP. The analysis reveals essentialised ethnic constructions of different communities and their needs, as well as differing degrees of commitment in initiatives proposed, thereby indicating the slippage in discourse between the aspirations of inclusiveness and their realisations in actual initiatives in the 10MP. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Plasmodium knowlesi exhibits distinct in vitro drug susceptibility profiles from those of Plasmodium falciparum
No full textNew antimalarial agents are identified and developed after extensive testing on Plasmodium falciparum parasites that can be grown in vitro. These susceptibility studies are important to inform lead optimisation and support further drug development. Until recently, little was known about the susceptibility of non-falciparum species as these had not been adapted to in vitro culture. The recent culture adaptation of P. knowlesi has therefore offered an opportunity to routinely define the drug susceptibility of this species, which is phylogenetically closer to all other human malarias than is P. falciparum. We compared the in vitro susceptibility of P. knowlesi and P. falciparum to a range of established and novel antimalarial agents under identical assay conditions. We demonstrated that P. knowlesi is significantly less susceptible than P. falciparum to six of the compounds tested; and notably these include three ATP4 inhibitors currently under development as novel antimalarial agents, and one investigational antimalarial, AN13762, which is 67 fold less effective against P. knowlesi. For the other compounds there was a less than two-fold difference in susceptibility between species. We then compared the susceptibility of a recent P. knowlesi isolate, UM01, to that of the well-established, older A1-H.1 clone. This recent isolate showed similar in vitro drug susceptibility to the A1-H.1 clone, supporting the ongoing use of the better characterised clone to further study drug susceptibility. Lastly, we used isobologram analysis to explore the interaction of a selection of drug combinations and showed similar drug interactions across species. The species differences in drug susceptibility reported by us here and previously, support adding in vitro drug screens against P. knowlesi to those using P. falciparum strains to inform new drug discovery and lead optimisation. © 2019 The Author
Effectiveness of a brief intervention for smoking cessation using the 5A model with self-help materials and using self-help materials alone: A randomised controlled trial
No full textIntroduction: The '5A' model for smoking cessation was introduced in 2000 by the US Department of Health and Services. This brief intervention was recommended worldwide for smoking cessation. However, little is known about its effectiveness for smoking cessation in a primary care setting in Malaysia. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a brief intervention for smoking cessation using the '5A' model with self-help materials compared to using self-help materials alone. Methods: This randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Primary Care Clinic at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) between June and October 2009. Subjects were all current smokers aged 18 years and above. A total of 208 subjects were recruited and randomised into two groups. Subjects in the intervention group were given a brief intervention based on the '5A' model with self-help materials, while the control group received self-help materials alone. Subjects were later followed up at one and four months via telephone calls. The outcome measure was a self-reported attempt to quit smoking. Results: At one-month follow-up, 15/77 (19.5%) of the participants in the intervention group had attempted to quit smoking compared to 8/80 (10.0%) in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.09). At the four-month follow-up, 13/58 (22.4%) participants in the intervention group had attempted to quit smoking compared to 9/57 (15.8%) in the control group. Once more, there was no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.37). Conclusion: This study showed that there was no significant difference between a brief intervention using the '5A' model with self-help materials and using self-help materials alone for smoking cessation in a Malaysian primary care setting. However, these results do need to be treated with caution when taking into consideration the high dropout rate and bias in the study design. © 2019 Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia. All rights reserved
Impact of temperature on Bacillus cereus spore germination in ultra-high temperature chocolate milk
No full textBacillus cereus spores are capable of surviving the harsh environment and more often, they cause great concern to the dairy industry. The current research was conducted to study the effect of temperature on germination and growth of B. cereus spores in UHT chocolate milk; the study was carried out at 8°C, 25°C and 35°C over a span of seven days. The results showed that no growth was observed at 8°C. At 25°C, a rapid increase in growth was observed as early as Day 1, from an initial count of ten spores to 4.01 log10 CFU/mL. Meanwhile, at 35°C, the growth on Day 1 was more rapid in which the count promptly increased to 8.07 log10 CFU/mL. Analysis of graph trend showed that the number of vegetative cells decreased while the number of spores increased with incubation time due to nutrients exhaustion. This study fills up the data gap towards understanding the possible issues that might arise in the actual scenario and at the same time, suggests a suitable approach to minimize infection risk caused by B. cereus spores. © 2019 The Authors
Iron oxide reduction by graphite and torrefied biomass analyzed by TG-FTIR for mitigating CO2 emissions
No full textBiomass provides a sustainable source for iron oxide reduction and can replace coal for mitigating CO2 emissions. Torrefied biomass can act as a reducing agent in the iron oxide reduction to metallic iron which is important in chemical-looping combustion for lessening CO2 emissions. This study performs iron oxide reduction by graphite and torrefied biomass via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), while the evolved gases from the reduction processes are analyzed using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Iron ore reduction by graphite occurs at higher temperatures (>950 °C), whereas iron oxide reduction using the torrefied biomass is more significant for low-to medium-range temperatures with an onset temperature of 300 °C. The reduction extent is recognized from the comparison between theoretical and experimental TGA curves, and validated by the evolved gases. The reduction extent of the 2:1 ratio of hematite-to-torrefied biomass shows a lower onset reduction temperature compared to the 1:1 ratio. The TG-FTIR results confirm the direct reduction of iron oxides by carbon in graphite and torrefied biomass and the release of evolved CO2 instead of CO. A step-wise reduction procedure is observed which is triggered by the evolved gases released from torrefied biomass devolatilization at 370 °C. © 2019 Elsevier Lt
Synthesis, characterization and cytotoxicity studies of nanocrystalline cellulose from the production waste of rubber-wood and kenaf-bast fibers
No full textIn the present study, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was successfully prepared from raw rubberwood fiber (RRaw) and raw Kenaf-bast fiber (KRaw) via a series of multi-step chemical-mechanical purification techniques, namely, alkalization treatment, hydrogen peroxide bleaching and acid hydrolysis. The obtained nanocellulose yields were 27.51% and 32.53% for RRaw and KRaw, respectively. The crystallinity index of the RRaw and KRaw based nanocellulose increased from 61.21% to 74.34% and 54.12% to 73.19%, respectively, after acid hydrolysis. Morphological characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) clearly showed the formation of rod-shaped NCC with an average diameter of 5.14 ± 1.91 nm and 5.27 ± 2.38 nm for RRaw and KRaw, respectively. Their size distributions significantly reduced compared to raw cellulose biomass fiber and extracted cellulose (EC). Furthermore, changes in the Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) peaks showed that amorphous regions (e.g. hemicelluloses and lignin) were successfully removed from the fibre surface. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of as-synthesized NCC confirmed its thermostability. Cytotoxicity tests demonstrated that NCC did not exhibit cellular toxicity upon exposure to macrophages (RAW 264.7) and HaCaT cells up to 700 µg mL−1. © 2019 Elsevier Lt