19672 research outputs found
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Poverty among the small-scale plantation holders
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the socio-economic condition of indigenous households involved in the production of palm oil and natural rubber in Peninsular Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – Discriminant analysis is used in this study. Findings – This study finds that 49.70 percent of natural rubber plantation owners and 37.3 percent of the palm oil plantation owners live under the national poverty line. Discriminant analysis shows that natural rubber plantation size has a significant difference between income below the poverty line and above the poverty line. But palm oil plantation size is not significantly different between income below and above the poverty line, mainly because small-scale palm oil farms receive help from the government and other agencies. This study also finds that the majority of indigenous people do not have ownership rights to their land. Practical implications – This study suggests that small-scale plantation holders should be provided with training to upgrade their skills to increase productivity. Furthermore, finding an appropriate land ownership model helps to understand the fundamental issue of poverty among the small-scale plantation holder of indigenous people in Peninsular Malaysia. Originality/value – Primary data are used in this study. The results show different scenarios than the existing studies
Distributions, composition patterns, sources and potential toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in surface sediments from the kim kim river and segget river, Peninsula Malaysia
No full textThis study investigated distributions, composition patterns, sources and potential toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) pollution in surface sediments from the Kim Kim River and Segget River, Peninsular Malaysia. The samples were extracted using Soxhlet extraction, purified using two-step silica gel column chromatography and then analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total PAH concentrations ranged from 95.17 to 361.24 ng g-1 dry weight (dw) and 330.09 to 552.76 ng g-1 dw in surface sediments from the Kim Kim and Segget Rivers, respectively. Source type identification using PAH molecular indices and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) indicated that PAHs were mostly of pyrogenic origin, while in some stations petrogenic sources had a significant portion. A PAH toxicity assessment using sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), mean effect range-median quotient (M-ERM-Q), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) equivalent concentration and BaP toxicity equivalent quotient (TEQcarc) indicated low probability of toxicity for both the Kim Kim and Segget Rivers. Moreover, the human health risk assessment applying Cancer Riskingestion and Cancer Riskdermal indicated that probabilistic health risk to humans via ingestion and dermal pathways from sediments of the Kim Kim and Segget Rivers can be categorised as low-to-moderate risk
MicroRNA profiling in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell exposed to the Phaleria macrocarpa (Boerl.) fruit ethyl acetate fraction (PMEAF) through IIlumina Hi-Seq technologies and various in silico bioinformatics tools
No full textEthnopharmacological relevance Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff) Boerl, is a famous traditional medicinal plant which exhibited cytotoxicity against various cancerous cells. Traditionally, P. macrocarpa has been used to control cancer, impotency, hemorrhoids, diabetes mellitus, allergies, liver and heart disease, kidney disorders, blood diseases, acne, stroke, migraine, and various skin diseases. Aim of the study Recent studies have demonstrated a potent anticancer potential of P. macrocarpa, especially against HeLa cell. The objective of this study was to investigate the regulation of miRNAs on MDA-MB-231 treated with P. macrocarpa ethyl acetate fraction (PMEAF). Materials and methods The regulation of miRNAs on MDA-MB-231 cells treated with PMEAF was studied through IIlumina, Hi-Seq. 2000 platform of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and various in silico bioinformatics tools. Results The PMEAF treatment against MDA-MB-231 cells identified 10 upregulated and 10 downregulated miRNAs. A set of 606 target genes of 10 upregulated miRNAs and 517 target genes of 10 downregulated miRNAs were predicted based on computational and validated databases by using miRGate DB Query. Meanwhile, results from DAVID Bioinformatics Resources 6.8 specified the functional annotation of the upregulated miRNAs involvement in cancer pathway by suppressing the oncogenes and downregulating miRNAs by expressing the tumour suppressor genes in the regulation of apoptosis pathway. Conclusion In conclusion, the results of this study proved that PMEAF is a promising anticancer agent with high cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and it induced apoptotic cell death mechanism through the regulation of miRNAs. PMEAF might be the best candidate for developing more potent anticancer drugs or chemo preventive supplements
Nuclear Energy Development in Bangladesh: A Study of Opportunities and Challenges
No full textIt is a challenging task for Bangladesh to meet its increasing demand of energy while its economy is rapidly growing. Though prices of oil, coal, and fossil fuels around the world have been volatile, the price trend in Bangladesh demonstrates a persistent rise in the immediate past. This is further exacerbated by depleting reserves of natural gas. Cumulatively, these two effects heighten Bangladesh's energy needs. Bangladesh presently mitigates her energy requirements predominantly through natural gas, supplemented by a handful of coal and furnace oil plants. Consequently, due to scarcity of natural gas, oil and coal resources, nuclear power surfaces as a palatable strategic option for Bangladesh's future development agenda. However, a successful nuclear power program entails an extensive infrastructure. Just like the other nuclear energy-producing countries, Bangladesh also face challenges to safeguard the health and security of nuclear reactors, the proper management for nuclear waste treatment and the security concerns over the safe usage of nuclear materials. Additionally, the development of nuclear energy is also bewildered because of the complex nature of fission technology, lack of efficient human resources, and non-existence of proper legal instruments to guide safe nuclear power production. Moreover, the further challenges include the questions, for example: whether the nuclear power plant project is supported by the mass people or not? What are the strategies for nuclear waste disposal? Whether the recent initiatives for nuclear energy production is necessary or the country should more concern with renewable sources? This paper evaluates the nuclear energy development in Bangladesh. It operates under qualitative methodological framework and utilises secondary sources for analysis. We advance several recommendations in this paper to remedy the highlighted issues: (1) creating a comprehensive legal and regulatory system; (2) fortifying home-based technology of nuclear development and simultaneously localising of foreign-based technology; (3) reducing the cost of nuclear energy production; (4) fast-tracking the procedure of efficient development of nuclear technology; (5) accelerating the procedure of switching to more efficient reactor and nuclear fuel cycle, and (6) conducting effective profile-raising activities to generate greater awareness and spur common acceptance
Design and modeling of dispersion-engineered all-chalcogenide triangular-core fiber for mid-infrared-region supercontinuum generation
No full textAn ultrabroadband mid-infrared supercontinuum (SC) source has been designed and modeled using a 10-mm-long all-chalcogenide triangular-core fiber (TCF). The TCF structure can be fabricated from Ge 11.5 As 24 Se 64.5 chalcogenide glass as a core and Ge 11.5 As 24 S 64.5 chalcogenide glass for its cladding running along the length of the fiber instead of air holes. Assuming the pump operates at 4 μm, the TCF is optimized by varying its side length using both anomalous-dispersion and all-normal-dispersion SC generation. Mid-infrared-region SC spectral broadening spanning beyond 15 μm could be generated with a low peak power of 3 kW by the proposed TCF structure optimized with varying its side length between 7 and 8 μm in anomalous-dispersion pumping. On the other hand, the TCF side length has to be decreased to 5.5 μm and below to optimize it for pumping in all-normal-dispersion-region SC generation. A coherent flat-top SC evolution in the mid-infrared region of up to 7 μm could be observed by this design with the same pump peak power and pulse duration applied before. The ultrawide optical bandwidth obtained by the proposed TCF design can be an effective tool for mid-infrared-region applications such as optical coherence tomography, molecular fingerprint spectroscopy, and biomedical imaging
Adaptive NKG2C+CD57+ Natural Killer Cell and Tim-3 Expression During Viral Infections
No full textRepetitive stimulation by persistent pathogens such as human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) induces the differentiation of natural killer (NK) cells. This maturation pathway is characterized by the acquisition of phenotypic markers, CD2, CD57, and NKG2C, and effector functions-a process regulated by Tim-3 and orchestrated by a complex network of transcriptional factors, involving T-bet, Eomes, Zeb2, promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein, and Foxo3. Here, we show that persistent immune activation during chronic viral co-infections (HCMV, hepatitis C virus, and HIV) interferes with the functional phenotype of NK cells by modulating the Tim-3 pathway; a decrease in Tim-3 expression combined with the acquisition of inhibitory receptors skewed NK cells toward an exhausted and cytotoxic phenotype in an inflammatory environment during chronic HIV infection. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying NK cell differentiation could aid the identification of new immunological targets for checkpoint blockade therapies in a manner that is relevant to chronic infection and cancer
Seasonal influenza activity based on laboratory surveillance in Malaysia, 2011-2016
No full textInfluenza seasonality in equatorial countries is little understood. Seasonal and alert influenza thresholds were determined for Malaysia, using laboratory-based data obtained from the Malaysia Influenza Surveillance System and a major teaching hospital, from 2011 to 2016. Influenza was present year-round, with no clear annual seasons. Variable periods of higher transmission occurred inconsistently, in November to December, January to March, July to September, or a combination of these. These coincide with seasons in the nearby southeast Asian countries or winter seasons of the northern and southern hemispheres. Changes in the predominant circulating influenza type were only sometimes associated with increased transmission. The data can provide public health interventions such as vaccines. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Determination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir in solid pharmaceutical dosage form by hplc-pda and its application to in vitro dissolution studies
No full textIn the present study, a newly developed method based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was optimized for the simultaneous determination of sofosbuvir (SOFOS) and velpatasvir (VELPA) in commercial tablet formulations. Isocratic separation of SOFOS and VELPA was performed at 40 ºC with Purospher Star C18 column (5 μm, 4.6 × 250 mm) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min whereas the mobile phase consisted of aceto nitrile, phosphate buffer and methanol (60:30:10 v/v, pH 3.0). Both analytes were detected at a wavelength of 262 nm and the injection volume was 5.0 μL. The overall run time per sample was 7.0 min with retention time of 3.251 and 4.512 min for SOFOS and VELPA, respectively. The calibration curve was linear from 10.0-70 μg/mL for SOFOS and 5.0-35.0 μg/mL for VEL-PA with a coefficient of determination equal to 0.9999 while repeatability and reproducibility (expressed as relative standard deviation) were ≤ 1.32 and 1.61 %, respectively. The proposed HPLC method was rapid and simple for the determination of SOFOS and VELPA in commercially available tablet formulations providing recoveries ≥ 99.4 % and also for dissolution studies
Universal mini COI barcode for the identification of fish species in processed products
No full textSpecies substitution, the use of a low value fish in place of a high value fish, is the biggest problem in international trade and the leading cause of fraud in the fisheries arena sector. Current DNA barcoding systems have partly solved this problem but also failed in many instances to amplify PCR targets from highly processed products because of the degradation of a longer barcode marker (~ 650 bp). In the present study, a novel mini barcode marker (295 bp) was developed to discriminate fish species in raw and processed states forms. The barcode primers were cross-tested against 33 fish species and 15 other animal species and found to be universal for all the tested fish varieties. When 20 commercial fish products of five different categories were screened, all commercial fish sample yielded positive bands for the novel fish barcode. PCR product was sequenced to retrieve the species IDs that reflected 55% (11/20) of Malaysian fish products were mislabeled
Applicability of A rotary eddy current damper in passenger vehicle suspension with parallel inerter
No full textNumerous studies have proven that the performance of vehicle suspension can be benefited by an inerter in parallel to conventional spring-damper setup, yet its usability in passenger vehicle suspension is still limited by practical consideration in physical implementation. One way of achieving better physical implementation of the parallel inerter suspension layout is to exploit the inerter's flywheel as a metallic conductor to integrate passive damping in the form of a rotary eddy current damper. However, the feasibility of eddy current damping in this specific application remains unknown. This study investigates the applicability of eddy current damping incorporated in an inerter in terms of the achievable damping rates as required in typical passenger vehicle suspensions. In the study, passive eddy current damping due to constant magnetic field around the flywheel of a mathematically designed inerter was computed through simulation, and the range of achievable damping rates due to parametric variations, for instance air gap and magnetic coverage, was evaluated. Results of the parametric analysis showed that the induced eddy current damping from a rack-and-pinion inerter's flywheel, considering the designed inertance as prerequisite, was at least capable of achieving 1500 Nsm-1. As the achievable damping was within the range of suitable damping rates for typical passenger vehicles, rotary eddy current damper was deemed applicable in passenger vehicle suspension employing parallel inerter