13474 research outputs found
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Development of automated methadone dispenser for drug addiction therapy / Muhamad Farhan Mohd Mazlan
No full textDrug abuse and drug addiction are becoming growing issues in most countries worldwide and are considered major public health problems. An initiative has been introduced in Malaysia via the methadone maintenance treatment program since the year 2005. Although the program has shown gradual success over the years by reducing the relapse rate of the patients, it has encountered several challenges in maintaining the effectiveness of the manual dispensing method done by using syringe. Therefore, an automated methadone dispenser was developed to improve its effectiveness with the usage of peristaltic pumps and load cell sensors as the main dispensing mechanism. In this research, the reliability and feasibility of the dispenser were determined through percentage error, accuracy and repeatability, and efficiency tests, respectively. The experiment started with sugar solution preparation by dissolving 66.6mg of sugar in 50ml of distilled water. The dynamic viscosity of the sugar solution prepared is 36.680 mPa.s compared to 37.286 mPa.s for methadone syrup resulting in percentage error of 1.625%. Sugar solution was dispensed from 2ml to 50ml in increments of 2ml by using methadone dispenser and manual technique. It was found that the Pearson coefficient for methadone dispenser and manual technique is 0.998 and 0.994 respectively. Performance evaluation was carried out by comparing the volume dispensed and time taken to dispense 16 ml of sugar solution using manual technique which is syringe and beaker, and methadone dispenser for 100 runs. Based on the performance evaluation, the findings suggested that the automated methadone dispenser has contributed to the decrease in percentage error from 8.58% to 1.50% and improved dispensing time by 81.69%. The methadone dispenser also increases the dispensing accuracy by 4.0% compared to current manual methadone dispensing practices
Performance appraisal of palm oil clinker as cement and sand replacement materials in foamed concrete / Farhang Salari
No full textThe construction industry's ecological impact and resource depletion are intensified by unregulated mining activities, particularly in concrete production. The prevalent use of concrete in infrastructure projects exacerbates sand extraction from riverbeds, jeopardizing ecosystems and resource availability. The responsible disposal of industrial and construction waste remains a pressing challenge. Efforts in engineering are directed towards sustainability by integrating "green and recycled materials" into concrete production. Notably, Malaysia and Indonesia stand out as primary cultivators of oil palm trees on a significant scale. The expansion of oil palm plantations correlates with a surge in solid waste arising from palm oil production in mills. Palm oil clinker (POC) emerges as a by-product resulting from the incineration of palm oil fiber and shells in hightemperature boilers. This study delves into the feasibility of substituting natural mining sand with POC, a potentially sustainable material, in lightweight foamed concrete (LWFC) at varying replacement ratios: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Leveraging POC's porous nature, a volume-based approach employs specific gravities to produce LWFC with target densities of 1100 kg/m3, 1300 kg/m3, and 1500 kg/m3. Additionally, the study examines the potential of POC powder (POCP) at replacement levels of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% for cement. Furthermore, it explores the effects of thermally activated POCP in creating TPOCP on the mechanical and durability attributes of LWFC. The central aim is to evaluate POC's viability as a partial or complete substitute for mining sand, and the feasibility of POCP (or TPOCP) as a non-traditional cement replacement. While a minor enhancement in strength was observed when replacing 20% of OPC mass with POCP, a significant decrease in strength was evident across all time intervals when 30% of OPC was replaced with POCP. The reductions reached approximately 10%, 25%, 19.5%, and 20% at 7, 28, 75, and 90 days, respectively. The experimental results indicated that the optimal replacement ratio for TPOCP was determined to be 20%. Various sieve sizes (less than 4.75 mm, 2.36 mm, and 0.6 mm) are considered. The study encompasses concrete properties analysis, including water absorption, porosity, and mechanical features such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity (MOE), benchmarked against conventional concrete. The most substantial MOE increase, reaching 45.54%, occurred when mining sand was entirely replaced with POC. Furthermore, the study investigates the impacts of aggressive chemicals and elevated temperatures on the durability of foamed concrete incorporating POC as mining sand replacement and POCP (or TPOCP) as non-conventional supplementary cementitious material. The analysis is complemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests. The outcomes suggest that complete mining sand replacement with POC and 20% OPC replacement with POCP (or TPOCP) can enhance the mechanical and durability properties of the produced LWFC. Moreover, thermal activation of POCP yields favorable effects. The study's insights equip engineers with a deeper comprehension of LWFC behavior, fostering the practical creation of environmentally friendly LWFC. Additionally, it contributes novel insights into LWFC's durability under aggressive chemical conditions with a ternary binder. These findings furnish valuable guidance for the production of innovative and ecologically responsible LWFC with robust acid resistance
Studies on the protective effects of ergothioneine - rich mushroom extract against stress - induced premature senescence (SIPS) in neuronal cells / Yasaaswini Apparoo
No full textHealthy ageing is a crucial process that needs to be highlighted as it affects the quality of lifespan. An increase in mitochondrial oxidative stress along with ageing is the major factor related to the production of senescent cells which contributes to age-related diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders. The beneficial effect of mushroom ergothioneine as an antioxidant is believed to counteract oxidative stress. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of ergothioneine (EGT)-rich mushroom extract against t-BHP-assaulted senescent HT22 cells. Among the 14 evaluated mushroom species, Lentinula edodes (LE), shiitake mushroom contains the highest EGT content and hence was used for the in-vitro studies. The cells were preincubated with ethanolic extract of EGT-rich mushroom (LE-ETH) in a dose-time dependent manner against t-BHP-induced HT22 cells. The equimolar concentration of EGT was also used to determine the efficacy of extract containing this compound directly on neuronal senescent cells. The extract was analysed for its free radical scavenging properties using DPPH and ABTS methods. The neuroprotective, anti-senescence, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of LE-ETH and equimolar EGT concentration were also evaluated. Next, mitochondrial function was evaluated by measuring mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), ATP levels and mitochondrial toxicity. The mechanisms of neuroprotection were also elucidated via the exploration of antioxidant and mitochondrial biogenesis signalling pathways. Our results revealed that a low dose of t-BHP successfully induces senescence and reduces cell viability in HT22 cells which was confirmed through β-galactosidase staining, expressions of P16INK4a, P21CIPL and mitochondrial functions which are the markers of cellular senescence. However, the pretreatment with ethanolic extract of LE and equimolar EGT concentration for 8 h significantly improved the cell viability, reversed the t-BHP-induced cellular senescence in the neuronal cells, which was evident by the significant reduction in positively blue-stained senescent cells and a healthy neuronal morphology. In addition, a significant reduction of the reactive oxygen species was visualized through DCFH-DA staining, confirming its role as an antioxidant. The pretreatment also significantly improves the MMP and ATP levels followed by the drastic reduction in mitochondrial toxicity and inflammation. Through gene expression studies, we demonstrated that pretreatment of LE-ETH significantly improves the antioxidant and mitochondrial biogenesis pathway via the Nrf2 signalling axis. However, the downstream genes of the mitochondrial biogenesis pathway were unaffected by equimolar EGT concentration. Correspondingly, GC-MS analysis has been carried out to identify the bioactive compounds that are present in LE-ETH extract which contributed to its better efficacy in improving the mitochondrial functions in t-BHP-induced senescent HT22 neuronal cells. A total of 23 compounds were identified in the ethanolic extract consisting of fatty acids, sterols and phenol. Some identified lead compounds include pentanoic acid, 4-methyl, 2- decenoic acid and ergosterol. These findings demonstrated that ergothioneine-rich mushrooms are a potential neuroprotective agent and a compelling therapeutic strategy for healthy ageing explorations through the elimination of senescent cells via the improvement of mitochondrial functions
Development of computerized wood veneer colour sorting system for wood industry / Liew Shaer Jin
No full textWood colour sorting is essential in woodworking to maintain uniformity and consistency in the appearance of the final products, thus, improving consumer satisfaction. Majority of the wood manufacturing companies in Malaysia are depending heavily on manual colour sorting that solely relies on human visual inspection, which can be subjective, inconsistent, laborious, and subject to errors. Automation is a goal, however, the cost for implementation of established technologies is always extortionate especially for small and medium industries (SMI). Therefore, the aim of this research is to develop a computerized vision system to perform colour sorting for multi-scale woodworking facilities. To achieve the research goal, our objectives are set to determine a suitable algorithm for colour features classification, to select the best features which contribute the most in the classification and to compare the effect of different cameras in the performance of the colour sorting. We have compared camera of different genres, namely an industrial camera, a prosumer action camera, and a webcam. Three cameras used were: i) Hikrobot® MV-CE200-10UC (CE200), ii) Logitech® C920 HD Pro (C920), and iii) Sony® RX0 II (RX0 II). After setting up a veneer imaging prototype, a total of 1,289 distinct images of American red oak (Quercus rubra), yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and maple (Acer spp.) were acquired from each camera, summing up to 3,867 images from all cameras. After performing image preparations and calibrations, 26 features were extracted from each image. The features were based on the average and standard deviation of the wood basal colour and wood grain colour. Salient features were obtained using Sequential Forward Selection (SFS), which were then used to train a Self-Organizing Map (SOM). The results affirmed that the colour of the basal colour is highly correlated with human sorted colour groups. As expected, CE200 performed the best being of industrial grade. Interestingly, C920 exhibited comparable performance to CE200. RX0 II performed the worst due to its interface software limitations. This proposed system achieved accuracies of 89.0% for red oak, 94.3% for yellow poplar and 96.4% for maple. This research will assist the SMI to develop affordable vision systems for colour sorting
Data driven particulate matters prediction in Klang Valley using machine learning techniques / Neo En Xin
No full textThe environment has been significantly impacted by rapid urbanization, leading to a need for changes in climate change and pollution indicators. An air quality intelligence platform operates as a complete measurement site for monitoring and governing air quality, shown promising results in providing actionable insights. This approach offers a holistic strategy to tackle air quality issues and their impact on climate change and human health. This research aims to highlight the potential of machine learning models in forecasting air quality and providing data-driven strategic and sustainable solutions for smart management. An end-to-end air quality predictive model is proposed utilizing four machine learning techniques and three deep learning techniques namely: 1) Support Vector Regressor (SVR), 2) random forest (RF), 3) Gradient Boosting (GB), 4) k-nearest neighbour (KNN), 5) long short-term memory (LSTM), 6) Bi-directional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) and 7) stacked LSTM. In the proposed work, four different urban cities (cities of Petaling Jaya, Banting, Klang and Shah Alam) in Selangor are considered and the air quality data from the year 2010 to 2016 and 2018 to 2019 in the regions are collected from the Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia. In addition, medical data such as lung diseases due to external agent (ICD-10 J60-J70) are collected from Ministry of Health (MOH) for the prediction of hospital admission count. The model considered the air quality data of various pollutant markers such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and meteorological data such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and humidity. The results of the forecasting of the concentration of the PM2.5 and PM10 are presented in R2, RMSE and MAE. The results also showed that the involvement meteorological parameters in the environmental data improves the forecasting performance. From the forecasting of PM10 and PM2.5 concentration, Bi- LSTM performed overall the best results with R2 and RMSE values of 0.9998,0.0031; 0.9978, 0.0053; 0.9989, 0.0042 and 0.9968, 0.0082 in Dataset A and 0.8896, 0.0387; 0.8882, 0.04; 0.9109, 0.0400, and 0.7063, 0.0163 in Dataset B for PM10. While the results for PM2.5 are 0.8880, 0.0400; 0.9057, 0.0470, 0.9147, 0.0387 and 0.6794, 0.0155 in Banting, Petaling, Shah Alam and Klang stations, respectively. Besides, feature optimization is proposed to reduce dimensionality and remove irrelevant features to enhance the estimation of the concentration of the pollutants in this study. It indicated PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, SO2, wind direction, humidity and temperature are the most important elements to monitor PM10 and PM2.5. By reducing the number of features used in the model (i.e. only 6 important features), the proposed feature optimization process enables the model to be more interpretable and provides insights into the most critical factor affecting air quality. Furthermore, the optimized model is further implemented to predict the hospital admission counts due to air pollution. Findings from this study can aid policymakers to understand the underlying causes of air pollution and develop more effective smart strategies for reducing pollution levels
A transitivity analysis of US-China relations in diplomatic initiatives / Liu Xi Lin
No full textThis research aims to identify and compare the representation of China and the US through a transitivity system in selected data and analyse the power relations surrounding the US-China relationship. In this study, Halliday’s (1994) transitivity system is applied within the context of discourse analysis, while also incorporating the concept of identity. The study reveals that both countries portray themselves positively while depicting each other as aggressive and active. Although both countries value international cooperation, the US’s concern about China’s internal issues can be seen as an attempt to exert influence or control over China’s domestic affairs. The power relations between the US and China involve a delicate balance of competition and cooperation, with each country employing different strategies to assert its influence on the global stage. The limitation of this study could be that it may not fully capture the complexity and multifaceted nature of US-China relations, which different administrations and a wide range of factors influence. This could affect the validity and generalizability of the findings
Exploration study on respiratory muscle function using mechanomyography during singing in persons with spinal cord injury / Muhammad Imran Ramli
No full textRespiratory muscle training (RMT) has been proved to improve pulmonary function and respiratory muscle function in populations with different pathological conditions, including spinal cord injury (SCI). Singing therapy has also been identified as part of RMT that can improve lung functions. Despite the various research on RMT, very few have implemented singing training as part of their methodology. Tamplin et al (2013) was the only study that used singing therapy as an intervention in improving the pulmonary muscle function among people with SCI. Therefore, to fill this gap, this thesis implemented singing in achieving several objectives. First, to compare the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and rectus abdominis (RA) muscles function during singing. Second, to determine the effect of singing songs with different characteristics on the accessory respiratory muscle performance among people with SCI. Third, to compare the accessory respiratory muscles performance between people with SCI and healthy participants while singing songs with different characteristics. In achieving the first objective, eight people with SCI were recruited and each participant sang a local folk song. Mechanomyography (MMG) detected SCM to be more active during inhalation compared to exhalation throughout the singing session, reflecting the nature of the SCM muscle, which is more prominent during deep and vigorous breathing efforts (P 0.05). However, this suggests that the RA muscle in the SCI participants may not be entirely paralyzed and could potentially be trained to improve. Both SCM and RA exhibited a decreasing trend of muscle activity throughout the singing session, which may be linked to the experience of shortness of breath among individuals with SCI. Meanwhile, in achieving the second objective, thirteen people with SCI were recruited. Eight music experts helped in categorizing songs into four categories. Each participant sang one song from each category. The performance of the SCM and RA muscles during singing was compared across different song categories using one-way ANOVA, revealing a statistically significant difference among all categories (P < 0.01). Subsequent post-hoc least significant difference (LSD) tests for the SCM and RA muscles unveiled that SCM muscle exhibits increased activity when singing at higher pitches. Meanwhile, the RA muscle demonstrates increased activity when singing songs with a slow tempo and easy rhythmic complexity. In achieving the third objective, twenty-six healthy and thirteen SCI participants were recruited. Each participant sang one song from each category developed in previous methodology. Results indicates that SCI may have higher accessory respiratory muscles activity during singing compared to healthy individuals, especially in slow tempo and high pitch categories. Overall, people with SCI demonstrated varying accessory respiratory muscles performance, especially in songs with different parameters. These outcomes would help in the development of clinical guideline in the future to help clinicians in introducing proper methodology in singing therapy among people with SCI to improve their respiratory conditions
The maritime cooperation between Guangxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, China and East Coast Economic Region (ECER) under the maritime Silk Road / Tian Linlin
No full textThe China-Malaysia maritime economic and trade relationship has a long history. Since then, Malaysia had joined the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative and has developed close ties with China in terms of trade, regional development, and civil relations. "The Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) initiated by China in 2013 has created different patterns of mutual trust in Malaysia's development landscape and has fostered closer regional cooperation in terms of maritime development. The Guanxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, China, and the East Coast Economic Zone, Malaysia as an important economic development zone of the two countries of the maritime trade, has very large location advantages and geographic advantages but lacking in terms of research. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the ongoing cooperation between the two economic zones and China since the signing of the BRI. This study is examined in the context of the background of BRI and ongoing Malaysia-China cooperation projects. This study employs a combination of qualitative approach, as well as library research including interview. The finding shows that the background of the Silk Road, the location advantages of the two economic zones, and the current status of cooperation between the Guanxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and the East Coast Economic Zone in several ways, pointing out the positive effects of the cooperation projects between the two zones especially Kuantan port that has a potential to become a major hub port in the ECER area with major ports in southern China. It had also contributed to the development of the local economy, employment, and further improvement of the port infrastructure. At the same time, the two economic zones are also facing uneven regional economic development, serious brain drain, as well as inconsistent policies towards China by Malaysia government, and the same trade structure. This study suggests some countermeasures to the problems that exist between the two economic zones, such as scientific planning, harmonious development of the various industries, a sound management system for the economic zones, and adapting the best practices from Singapore industrial park model and the role of the Chinese diaspora as a link between the two economic zones under the Belt and Road Initiative
Analisis persepsi dan penyebutan bunyi Bahasa Arab oleh kanak-kanak Melayu / Muhammad Ridha Ali Huddin
No full textKajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji ciri fonetik bunyi bahasa Arab orang Melayu seperti yang disebut oleh penutur bahasa Melayu dalam persekitaran natif mereka. Kajian mendalam tentang persepsi dan penghasilan bunyi bahasa Arab seperti yang diperoleh oleh penutur bahasa Melayu dalam konteks B1 mereka adalah terhad. Kajian tentang pemerolehan bahasa Arab di Malaysia yang sememangnya mempunyai tumpuan sedemikian tertumpu kepada aspek selain daripada sebutan; aspek tatabahasa dan kosa kata serta perkembangan sejarah adalah diutamakan. Sebaliknya, fokus kajian ini adalah 'persepsi' dan 'penghasilan' bunyi bahasa Arab seperti yang diujarkan oleh penutur natif Melayu. Justeru, kajian ini menilai sejauh mana keupayaan kanak-kanak Melayu dalam menanggapi (perceive) atau mendiskriminasi bunyi-bunyi bahasa Arab yang diperdengarkan kepada mereka (perception). Kajian ini juga mengkaji ciri dan sifat bunyi-bunyi bahasa Arab yang dihasilkan oleh kanak-kanak Melayu (production). Selain itu, kajian ini menganalisis sejauh mana hubungan antara keupayaan mendiskriminasi dan menghasilkan bunyi-bunyi bahasa Arab dalam kalangan kanak-kanak Melayu serta membangunkan satu model pembelajaran sebutan bunyi bahasa Arab dalam bacaan al-Quran. Kajian ini adalah kajian kualitatif dan kuantitatif yang menggunakan reka bentuk kajian fonetik eksperimental dan lapangan. Seramai 30 orang kanak-kanak berusia 10 hingga 12 tahun (18 orang lelaki dan 12 orang perempuan) di sekitar Putrajaya dipilih sebagai subjek kajian bagi ujian persepsi dan ujian penghasilan bunyi. Kaedah ujian persepsi bunyi secara pasangan minimal yang mengandungi bunyi sasaran di akhir kata dan ujian penghasilan bunyi bagi 28 bunyi Arab digunakan bagi tujuan pengumpulan data. Data tersebut dianalisis dan dipersembahkan dalam bentuk deskriptif serta spektrograf. Hasil kajian mendedahkan bahawa tahap keupayaan persepsi dalam kalangan kanak-kanak Melayu terhadap bunyi-bunyi bahasa Arab adalah tinggi secara keseluruhannya di mana 15 daripada 19 bunyi berada dalam peratusan di atas peluang (above chances) iaitu lapan bunyi seperti /t ت/, /ħ ح/, /ر/, /s س/, /ص/, /ɣ غ/, /q ق/, dan /k ك/ berada di tahap sangat baik manakala tujuh bunyi lagi pada tahap sederhana. Namun, terdapat empat bunyi yang berada di bawah peluang (below chances) iaitu bunyi /ð/, /z/, /h/ dan /Ɂ/. Hasil kajian juga mendapati lima ciri dan sifat bunyi-bunyi Arab yang dihasilkan oleh kanak-kanak Melayu adalah pertukaran daerah artikulasi, berlebih-lebihan (exaggeration), ketidaksempurnaan sifat dan penyedutan dan penghembusan udara dan meringankan sebutan. Hasil analisis korelasi pearson pula menunjukkan bahawa tidak terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara pencapaian ujian persepsi dan ujian penghasilan bunyi di mana semua bunyi yang bermasalah dalam ujian persepsi turut menimbulkan masalah kepada kanak-kanak Melayu dalam ujian penghasilan bunyi. Melalui analisis model regresi linear pelbagai, satu model sebutan bunyi bagi tiga bunyi bahasa Arab yang bermasalah dalam persepsi dan penghasilan bunyi dalam kalangan kanak-kanak Melayu dapat dibangunkan
Assessment of accuracy and reproducibility of intra-oral scanners as impression taking method for post and core / Gita Deepak Buxani
No full textDigital workflows have significantly transformed restorative dental practices by enabling the creation of customized fibre-reinforced posts and zirconia cores (P+C) through CAD/CAM technology. Despite the reduced necessity for posts due to advancements in adhesive dentistry, they remain essential for restoring extensively damaged teeth. Prefabricated fibre posts often fail to conform accurately to post-space shapes, raising questions about the precision of intraoral scanners (IOS) in fabricating custom posts compared to traditional silicone impressions. This study aims to compare the accuracy and reproducibility of two intraoral scanners (IOS) namely Trios 5 and Primescan as well as the combination technique of the traditional silicone impression and digital scanner against traditional silicone impression techniques in recording post-space depths in extracted teeth. The significance of the study is to understand the precision of IOS versus traditional methods is crucial for ensuring optimal fit and function of custom posts, thereby improving clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction in restorative dentistry. A total of 42 extracted teeth were categorized into seven groups based on tooth type: mandibular lateral incisors, maxillary central incisors, maxillary canines, maxillary first premolars, mandibular second premolars, maxillary first molars, and mandibular first molars. For each tooth, five impressions were taken using different techniques: traditional polyvinyl siloxane (PVS), Trios 5 intraoral scanner (IOS), Primescan IOS, and combination techniques where PVS impressions were scanned with both Trios 5 and Primescan. Post-space depths were measured with a K-file and compared to measurements obtained from the three methods (PVS, Trios 5, and Primescan). Traditional impressions were measured with digital calipers, and Standard Tessellation iv
Language (STL) files from IOS were analysed using Exoviewer3D 2.4 software. Reproducibility was assessed by superimposing digital impressions (Trios 5 and Primescan) and the combination technique impressions (PVS-Trios 5 and PVS-Primescan). Data were analysed using pairwise comparison, Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. The study revealed significant differences in the accuracy of post-space depth recordings among the different methods. Traditional silicone impressions demonstrated higher accuracy and reproducibility than digital impressions obtained directly from IOS. The combination technique, which involved scanning traditional silicone impressions with IOS, showed improved performance over direct digital impressions, particularly in recording the full depth of the post spaces and reproducibility of the impressions. While digital impressions via intraoral scanners offer advancements in speed and convenience, traditional silicone impressions remain the gold standard for accuracy in post-space depth recording. The combination of traditional and digital techniques provides a viable alternative, enhancing the precision of custom post fabrication. These findings underscore the need for further refinement in IOS technology to match the reliability of traditional methods, ensuring better clinical outcomes in restorative dentistry