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Enterobacteriaceae, cronobacter(enterobacter) sakazakii and microbial population in infant formula products in the Malaysian market
No full textThis study was carried out to detect and identify the presence of Enterobacteriaceae, and Cronobacter sakazakii, and determine the microbial population of infant formula products obtained from hypermarkets and a private hospital in Malaysia. Sixteen infant formulas and 14 special infant formulas from eight manufacturers were tested. Enterobacter cloacae, E. asburiae, Klebsiella pneumoniae spp. pneumoniae, K. planticola and Pantoea sp., 3 were confirmed present in five samples using ID 32E biochemical test (Biomerieux). C. sakazakii was not detected in any of the infant formulas tested. Five samples failed to comply with the microbiological criterion for aerobic plate count. The infant formula and special infant formula samples with different ingredients and nutrient composition did not show any significant difference in terms of aerobic plate count. Although one of the samples contained probiotic, the high microbial count for the other samples could have been contributed by the above identified Enterobacteriaceae since the infant formula samples non-sterile and contamination could have occurred during milk production and/ or milk preparation. It is imperative to prepare the infant formula milk samples according to the manufacturer’s instruction and in an aseptic condition
Effect of iron concentration on growth, protein content and total phenolic content of chlorella sp. cultured in basal medium
No full textThe aim of this study was to determine the effect of Fe3+ concentration (0.35, 4.89, 9.44 and 13.99 mg/L) on the growth, protein content and total phenolic content of Chlorella sp. The Chlorella sp. cells were grown at 51% relative humidity, 25°C ± 2 under continuous illumination at 36 W irradiance supplied by day-light fluorescent lamp, and agitated by bubbling at a flow rate 2.7 m/s2. Samples were collected every 2 days over 21 days of the cultivation period to estimate the growth of Chlorella sp. Protein and total phenolic content of samples were determined on phase 7th, 14th, and 21st day of cultivation. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) on growth, protein content and total phenolic content of Chlorella sp. at different iron concentrations. These differences could be related to specific differences in the cell metabolism. Protein content (8.34 mg/g dry weight), total phenolic content (8.70 mgGAE/g dry weight), cell number (1.03 × 107 cell/mL) and the specific growth rate (μ) of Chlorella sp. (1.85/day) were highest at the lowest Fe3+ concentration (0.35 mg/L)
Kajian Audit Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan terhadap aspek fizikal di Kolej Kediaman Dato’ Onn, UKM : study on occupational safety and Health Audit Of Physical Aspect at Dato’ Onn Residential College, UKM
No full textBackground: Safety and health audit study is a part of occupational safety and health risk assesment. Thus, student’s residential audit is important in order tu ensure the safety rules which implemented by the management is appropriate and follow the standard set forth. Furthermore, it also important to determine places, area or situation that might lead to hazard risk so that prevention step could be plan and implement.
Objective: This study was to determine the safety level of students residential in physical aspects.
Methods: Safety inspection or audit conducted is in accordance with criteria and indicators
listed in the checklists that have been formed based on the audit forms from the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH), National Institute of Safety and health
(NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Committee of UKMs (JKKP).Several indicators are also included in the audit form as to ensure it covers all the
technical aspect and suited with the college conditions. The safety level for each of the blocks in KDO is categorized using points and percentage score obtained.
Results: Based on the overall score, the average safety score in percentage for areas in KDO are preceded by general office with score 85.5% followed by residential blocks with 71.5%, facilities with score 71.2% and administration block with 70.9%. The results of the study show that most of the areas are at least in a safe level.
Conclusion: Roles of employer and college administration, significant OSH programme and safety audit are important factors as to ensure the safety of student's residential
college
Clients Satisfactions In ISO Certified Health Clinic In Klinik Kesihatan Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor And Its Associated Factors
No full textBackground : All healthcare services are moving towards quality management system including ISO 9000 due to pressure from various stakeholders involves and also to improve healthcare quality. The objective of this study was to measure the satisfaction level among the outpatients in ISO Certified Klinik Kesihatan Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. Also to identify the relations of patient’s satisfaction with the sociodemographic factors and service dimensions such as general satisfactions, technical quality of clinic staffs, interpersonal aspect of clinic staffs, time with doctors, communications with clinic staffs and availability/accessibility of clinic.
Methodology : A cross sectional study was carried out from February 2008 to Jun 2008 and a total of 240 respondents in the clinic were selected using universal sampling. Only those who are Malaysians aged 18 and above and complied with the inclusions criteria’s were selected as the respondents to fill up the Patient’s Satisfaction Questionnaire III.
Result : The study found that the satisfaction level of the respondents in Klinik Kesihatan Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor were remarkable with 78.8%.It has been shown that the predictor factors of total patient’s satisfaction were general satisfaction (AOR=5.06, CI= 1.51-16.96), technical quality of clinic staff (AOR = 3.09, CI= 1.13-8.43), interpersonal aspect of clinic staff (AOR = 2.96,CI= 1.04-8.42), availability/accessibility of clinic (AOR = 9.38, CI= 9.37-87.95) and communication of clinic staff ( AOR=17.90, CI=3.74-85.73) with the R2 = 67.7%.
Conclusion : The satisfaction level among the respondents in Klinik Kesihatan Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor were remarkable with percentages of 78.8%. The study has shown that service dimensions factor influenced the patient’s satisfaction such as general satisfaction, interpersonal aspect of staff, communication of staff, technical quality of clinic staff and availability/accessibility of clinic. It could have also been contributed by the implementation of ISO and it can only be confirmed by carrying out a comparison study of patient’s satisfaction in clinics with and without ISO certification
Developing the cost for uncomplicated scute st elevated myocardial infarction (Stemi primary percutaneous coronary intervention) using step down and activity based costing at UKMMC
No full textBackground : Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally and is projected to remain the leading cause of death. If the trend is allowed to continue, by 2015 an estimated 20 million people will die from cardiovascular disease (mainly because of myocardial infarction and strokes). The number of cardiovascular disease cases in Malaysia has increased to 14% in five years from 96,000 cases in 1995 to 110,000 cases in 2000.
Methods : The cost to treat patients admitted to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center (UKMMC) Malaysia, diagnosed with Acute Uncomplicated ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) was calculated by using two different methodologies, namely step down costing methodology and activity based costing using clinical pathway.
Result : Cost for each stay per day at the cardiology ward using the step down methodology is RM596.42. The treatment cost is estimated from RM1, 789.26 to RM 4,771.36. The average cost per episode for STEMI care with the average length of stay for 5.6 days is RM3, 340(SD ±596.42. The cost of coronary PCI procedure in step costing is RM 13,950.00. Hence, the total cost incurs for STEMI with PCI is RM 17,290.00(SD ±596.42) by using step down method. (an average cost per episode is RM3,340, plus the cost of coronary procedure of RM 13,950.00 . However by using the ABC the cost of STEMI (PCI) with an average length of stay for 5.6 days is RM 20,431.39. The study showed the ABC method was higher by 15.3% than the step down costing.
Conclusion : The cost in managing STEMI (PCI) with the average length of stay of 5.6 days was calculated by using two different methodologies, namely step down costing methodology and activity based costing. Cost of treatment calculated by using activity based costing are higher because all resources used are incorporated in detail. The ABC method was higher by 15.3% than the step down costing. The difference is within 80-20 rules and the biggest percentage of cost in both methods is procedure or PCI cost
Effectiveness of cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation: a comparative study between extracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification
No full textIntroduction : A randomised single blinded clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of two methods of cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation: extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and phacoemulsification (PEA) was carried out at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) between March 2000 and August 2001.
Methodology : The effectiveness of cataract surgery was assessed from the quality of life specifically for vision via Visual Function 14 (VF-14) preoperatively, one week, two months and six months after surgery.
Result : The result showed that there was a significant increased in VF-14 scores after a week, two months and six months post-operation compared to the score before surgery for both techniques. However there was no significant difference in VF-14 scores when compared between ECCE and PEA.
Conclusion : This study indicated that both techniques give equal benefit to cataract patients. Since effectiveness of cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation is unrelated to operative procedures, less costly technique should be promoted
Tuning the optical band gap of DH6T by Alq3 dopant
No full textDihexyl-sexithiophene (DH6T) was doped with tris (8-hydroxyquinolinate) aluminum (Alq3) to prepare blends of DH6T/Alq3 by dissolving the mixture in the chloroform/hexane co-solvent. Solid films with different thickness deposited on quartz substrates were obtained from the blends via casting process. Optical absorption spectroscopy has been performed to measure the optical band gap of pure and doped DH6T as well as variations in the band gap with dopant concentration (weight %). This variation in optical band gap with dopant concentration was determined quantitatively with fitted and extrapolated techniques and observed qualitatively from the red shift appeared along the optical absorption spectra.The results showed that within a specific dopant content, the optical energy gap, Eg of DH6T decreases from 2.69 eV to 1.8 eV with increasing dopant concentration to 23.1%
Effect of BaAl2O4 addition on power consumption and oxygen sensing response of Er123 ceramic rods utilizing hot-spot phenomenon
No full textIn this paper, we report the effect of BaAl2O4 addition (0-30 wt. %) on power consumption and oxygen sensing response of hot-spots developed on short Er123 ceramic rods of around 12 mm length synthesized using standard solid-state reaction. All the sensor rods showed increase in output current with increasing voltage followed by sudden reduction in output current and appearance of hot spot. After appearance of hot spot, for each rod, output current was observed to decrease gradually with increasing voltage with the slope of the I-V curve gradually approaching zero. Output current after the hot spot formation showed sensitivity to oxygen partial pressure, pO2 between 1 to 100 kPa. Addition of 30 wt. % BaAl2O4 reduced the fluctuation of current and increased the sensitivity for pO2 below 10 kPa. In addition, overshoot current was also reduced and resulted in improvement of response time from around 10 s to 5 s. Our result also showed that minimum power consumption was significantly reduced in the Er123 rods with 30 wt. % BaAl2O4
Optical constants and electronic transition in hydrogenated silicon (Si:H) thin films deposited by layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition technique
No full textOptical constants derived from optical transmission (T) and reflectance (R) spectra in the wavelength range of 220 to 2200 nm are presented in this paper for hydrogenated silicon (Si:H) thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using the layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition technique. The films were deposited on quartz substrate by decomposition of SiH4 and H2 gases at flow-rate of 5 sccm and 20 sccm, respectively. The substrate temperature, deposition pressure and deposition rate are 100°C, 0.8 mbar and 2.8 nm/s, respectively. The as-prepared films were annealed in nitrogen for one hour at annealing temperatures of 400°C, 600°C, 800°C and 1000°C. The as-prepared film thickness of 301 nm decreased to 260 nm when samples were annealed at 1000°C. The refractive indices (~ 3.0 to 3.4) of annealed films were determined from the interference fringes of transmission spectrum following Manifacier and Davies methods. The electronic transition from valence band to conduction band in these films are characterized from the optical energy gap; EG (~1.64 to 2.41 eV), the dispersion energy; Ed (~26.4 to 34.0 eV) and the oscillator strength; Eo (~2.8 to 3.2 eV). It is interesting to note that EG is lowest for the films annealed at temperature of 600°C which has the lowest hydrogen content, CH in the film. Evidence of the presence of nanocrystallites formed in amorphous matrix is also observed for the films annealed at temperatures above 600°C
Fabrication effects on polysilicon-based microcantilever piezoresistivity for biological sensing application
No full textIn principle, adsorption of biological molecules on a functionalized surface of a microfabricated cantilever will cause a
surface stress and consequently the cantilever bending. In this work, four different type of polysilicon-based piezoresistive
microcantilever sensors were designed to increase the sensitivity of the microcantilevers sensor because the forces
involved is very small. The design and optimization was performed by using finite element analysis to maximize the
relative resistance changes of the piezoresistors as a function of the cantilever vertical displacements. The resistivity of
the piezoresistivity microcantilevers was analyzed before and after dicing process. The maximum resistance changes
were systematically investigated by varying the piezoresistor length. The results show that although the thickness of
piezoresistor was the same at 0.5 μm the resistance value was varied