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Happier and brighter: how grandparents enrich children's lives
No full textMuch is understood about parenting and its impact on children’s development and well-being, given the large amount of caregiving research in the past decades.
However, not much has been done on grandparents, despite the reality that they are actively involved in looking after children.
Why an article on grandparents? Partly because we live in a rapidly ageing society. Our lifespan has increased significantly, contributing to growing populations of elderly people. So children are more likely to grow up having grandparents around longer than before
Risks of children using duit Raya to buy vape
No full textChildren could be using money received as "duit Raya" to buy vape and ecigarette liquids, say two doctors
Assessment of patients radiation doses associated with computed tomography coronary angiography
No full textComputed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) has generated tremendous interest over the past 20 years by using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) because of its high diagnostic accuracy and efficacy in assessing patients with coronary artery disease. This technique is related to high radiation doses, which has raised serious concerns in the literature. Effective dose (E, mSv) may be a single parameter meant to reflect the relative risk from radiation exposure. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate this quantity to point to relative radiation risk. The objectives of this study are to evaluate patients’ exposure during diagnostic CCTA procedures and to estimate the risks. Seven hundred ninety patients were estimated during three successive years. The patient’s exposure was estimated based on a CT device’s delivered radiation dose (Siemens Somatom Sensation 64 (64-MDCT)). The participating physicians obtained the parameters relevant to the radiation dose from the scan protocol generated by the CT system after each CCTA study. The parameters included the volume CT dose index (CTDIvol, mGy) and dose length product (DLP, mGy × cm). The mean and range of CTDIvol (mGy) and DLP (mGy × cm) for three respective year was (2018):10.8 (1.14–77.7) and 2369.8 ± 1231.4 (290.4–6188.9), (2019): 13.82 (1.13–348.5), and 2180.5 (501.8–9534.5) and (2020) 10.9 (0.7–52.9) and 1877.3 (149.4–5011.1), respectively. Patients’ effective doses were higher compared to previous studies. Therefore, the CT acquisition parameter optimization is vital to reduce the dose to its minimal value
A study into the long-overlooked carcinogenic radon in bottled water and deep well water in Dhaka, Bangladesh
No full textRadon (222Rn), a radioactive and gaseous progeny of Uranium (238U) decay series, accounts for almost 50% of the total background radiation in our dwelling environment. Inhalation and ingestion of radon in excessive amounts pose serious health effects to humans. The first-ever measurement of radon concentration in commercial bottled water available in Dhaka city and deep well water samples from the campus of the University of Dhaka was carried out using the RAD7 Radon monitoring system. The concentration of radon in the bottled water ranged from 0.11 Bq/L to 1.30 Bq/L with a mean of 0.59 Bq/L, and the deep well water showed a mean of 4.88 Bq/L with a range of 3.02 Bq/L to 5.98 Bq/L. All twenty-five samples of water had radon concentrations within the recommended limits of USEPA and WHO. The mean annual effective doses from radon in bottled water and deep well water were evaluated to be 0.126 μSv/y and 12.481 μSv/y, respectively. Although the calculated doses indicate the least potential risk according to WHO and UNSCEAR, however, it is expected that the present results play an important role in setting up a national guideline for radon in drinking water, and the monitoring of radon for the safety of public health
The effect of acute gamma radiation onto growth media for mother culture of a Volvariella mushroom
No full textPotato Dextrose Agar (PDA) is a semicrystalline polymer made from amylopectin, agarose, and amylose, used in laboratories for Agar plate culturing for a multitude of fungal strains. The existing pretreatment method for the elimination of pathogenic bacteria, namely steam sterilization, has shown several drawbacks, including high cost, uneven heating due to temperature differentials and an inability to treat specimens volumetrically. These drawbacks are mitigated by gamma irradiation, being carried out in order to improve hygienic quality and germination control, retarding sprouting, also enhancing physical attributes of the food product. Present study investigates the growth and survival of pretreated potato dextrose agar (PDA) substrate with gamma irradiations, for doses ranging from 0 kGy (unirradiated) up to 20 kGy, particularly for Volvariella mushroom cultivation. The relative elemental composition of PDA substrate has been obtained through use of Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), identifying carbohydrate (53.35%), oxygen (45.29%) and 1.36% of mineral trace elements. Gamma irradiation doses to the PDA substrate of 0.5 kGy, 1 kGy and 1.5 kGy have been found to be associated with respective growth rates of 0.93 ± 0.03, 0.94 ± 0.02 and 0.89 ± 0.02 cm/day, the PDA becoming more amorphous and acidic with reduced viscosity at higher doses. The findings of this study could pave the way for a low-cost yet highly effective system for irradiation in mushroom, as well as offering a viable alternative to current conventional sterilizations, well suited to applications in food security
Measurement and calculation of isomeric cross section ratios for the natW (3He, x)184m,gRe reactions
No full textExcitation functions for the natW(3He, x)184m,gRe nuclear reactions were measured from respective thresholds up to 55 MeV by using a conventional stacked-foil activation technique combined with HPGe γ-ray spectroscopy. Individual cross-section values for the production of 184mRe and 184gRe were separated using a proper mathematical method based on their interference-free characteristic gamma lines and the data are reported here for the first time. The default parameters of recently developed nuclear model code TALYS-1.96 were found to be unable to reproduce the excitation functions, hence cannot provide 184mRe/184gRe isomeric cross-section ratios consistent with the experimental results. However, the adjustment of the level density model and optical model potentials together with some other parameters, such as the spin cut-off parameter, were found to be effective to reproduce the measured excitation functions. A similar parameter adjustment may be useful to reproduce the excitation functions of like unusual isomeric pairs, especially when the metastable state is longer-lived than the ground state. The reported cross-sections and the model calculation show interesting in the understanding of the nuclear reaction mechanisms as well as for the improvement of nuclear model codes for accurate prediction of nuclear reaction cross-sections where the experimental data are scarce, or an expensive experiment is required to obtain experimental data
Electrochemical nitrogen fixation in metal-N2 batteries: A paradigm for simultaneous NH3 synthesis and energy generation
No full textElectrochemical N2 reduction reaction (NRR) has emerged as the most effective alternative to the conventional Haber-Bosch process for N2 fixation. Although NRR is only used in the synthesis of NH3, researchers have recently exploited it in Metal-N2 batteries (hereafter, M-N2 batteries) to kill two birds with one stone by fixing N2 and generating electricity at the same time. There are three types of electrochemical energy storage approaches, namely rechargeable with irreversible electrochemical reaction (under aqueous or non-aqueous conditions), non-rechargeable with irreversible electrochemical reaction (under aqueous conditions), and rechargeable with reversible electrochemical reaction (under non-aqueous conditions). However, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an aqueous medium takes precedence over the NRR, resulting in a poor Faradic efficiency (FE) for the NRR selectivity. This obvious but unwanted HER causes the low conversion efficiency in aqueous M-N2 batteries. Furthermore, the instability of cathode electrocatalysts causes a significant drop in the overall performance of MN2 batteries. Despite these flaws, M-N2 batteries represent the first step toward simultaneous N2 fixation and energy storage. Herein, we comprehensively review the NRR mechanism, electrochemistry, and performances of M-N2 batteries. With an emphasis on the strategies to design highly efficient cathode catalysts and electrolytes for future M-N2 batteries, we also chronicle the strategies to suppress the undesired HER in M-N2 batteries. Furthermore, based on the photoelectrochemical NRR and solar-powered metal-gas batteries, a future outlook on photo-assisted M-N2 batteries is also provided
Let’s talk – face to face
No full textMany youngsters in Malaysia seem to be heavily leaning on the use of digital communication channels to connect with others, especially through social media and mobile instant messaging chatgroups.
This appears to be coming at a cost to their ability to engage in effective face-to-face networking.
This trend not only signals a drastic shift in our communication landscape but also stands to impact interpersonal growth and relationships among our youth
Sweet and cool dangers of vape
No full textOur study on 28 vape liquids sold in Malaysia found 16 were labelled as containing sweeteners; only one openly declared the presence of a cooling agent. The sweeteners and synthetic cooling agents found in vape liquids may pose significant health risks
Capacity building for nurses
No full textCapacity building is not merely about acquiring new skills, but it is about strengthening the capabilities of nurses to meet the evolving demands of patient care. By investing in our nurses, we are investing in the future of health care in Malaysia.
As the health care landscape becomes increasingly complex, the need for our nurses to continually enhance their abilities, expertise, and skills has never been more pressing, especially for student nurses and registered nurses