Single channel magnetic induction spectroscopy technique for fetal acidosis detection

Current fetal acidosis diagnosis needs an invasive measurement which required a doctor to puncture fetal scalp to acquire blood pH. This method introduced risk to the fetal which fetal scalp may bruise and infected. This paper discusses a noninvasive method employing a single channel magnetic induction spectroscopy technique as an alternative method to diagnose acidosis in fetal without puncturing the fetal scalp. The studies are based on numerical simulation models to investigate the most feasible sensor coil that is sensitive and effective to be implemented in hardware setup as the shape of coil influences directly the sensing performance of the magnetic induction spectroscopy system. The study has found that the circular coil is more sensitive than linear coil. The system tested with different pH samples to mimic the blood pH value. The result is very promising with good correlation approaching 1 has been achieved. Therefore, magnetic induction spectroscopy technique has good opportunity to be applied as an alternative method to detect acidosis in the fetal with circular coil is performed as the best sensing coils for MIS hardware

Management of Student Entrepreneurship Development at the West Java-Indonesia Private Islamic College

This study aims to explore the relations between the factors of the start-up environment and entrepreneurial intentions of students in universities in Vietnam and the Philippines by combining key elements of the theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behavior, theory of entrepreneurial events and model of entrepreneurial potential. Research findings were expected to test the appropriateness of this proposed model in the context of Vietnam and the Philippines. A bilateral survey was carried out among 819 students at five universities in Vietnam and the Philippines and the Structural Equation Modelling was applied to calculate the causal factors of the students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The findings suggested that subjective norms, entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial desirability, and entrepreneurial motivation were positively related to perceived feasibility. Entrepreneurial education was the key determinant of entrepreneurial intention. Barriers for startups demonstrated a negative effect on the perceived feasibility. The central part of entrepreneurial education to entrepreneurial intention was confirmed in both states. Nonetheless, there are existing challenges in entrepreneurial education which required more respective supports from governments to promote the enterprise development

A situational study on sustainable housing features in Johor

Sustainable housing brings an innovation in Malaysia housing industry scene. The trend has witnessed a surge in the demand for this offering by house buyers which in return has encouraged housing developers to incorporate it's features in their products. The features offered by the housing developers varies while customers are encouraged by the noble causes that their purchased will make. As demand for the products increase, errant and irresponsible developers are unreasonably taking the advantage by charging exorbitantly for the product that they market. In this instance, the words "Eco" and "Green" have been used as the gimmick for marketing purposes while there are no evidences that show whether the features have been truly incorporated in the housing products sold to the customers. The situation thus called for a situational study to be carried out, which aim to clarify the situation happening in the housing industry. Accordingly, the objectives of the study are: (1) To identify the sustainable housing features provided by developers to the buyers; and (2) To identify the house occupant's satisfaction with the sustainable features available to them. The research is an exploratory research which seeks to provide data in respond to the situation facing the industry. Therefore, both quantitative and qualitative research strategies will be employed by way of a checklist together with a satisfaction survey focusing on housing projects in Johor. Data for the study will be analyzed by employing descriptive analysis as well as thematic coding analysis. A comprehensive discussion will be offered as the possible outcome of the study. This includes the contentment of house buyers towards the sustainable features that are offered by housing developer and how it can be classified as sustainable housing in virtue of the three pillars of sustainable development

Preparation and Properties of Non-Crosslinked and Ionically Crosslinked Chitosan/Agar Blended Hydrogel Films

Hydrogel films of chitosan (Cs) and agar blends of various proportions were prepared using physical solution blending. Some of the obtained films were ionically cross-linked by treatment with calcium chloride solution. The obtained films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) and universal mechanical tester. The non-crosslinked Cs/agar blended films showed lower water swelling, melting temperature, stiffer and less elastic properties than that of pure Cs films and higher than pure agar films. Crosslinked blended films displayed further reduction in the swelling and melting temperature while maintained more hydrogel stability

Plasma metabolomics reveals distinct biological and diagnostic signatures for melioidosis

Rationale: The global burden of sepsis is greatest in low-resource settings. Melioidosis, infection with the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a frequent cause of fatal sepsis in endemic tropical regions such as Southeast Asia. Objectives: To investigate whether plasma metabolomics would identify biological pathways specific to melioidosis and yield clinically meaningful biomarkers. Methods: Using a comprehensive approach, differential enrichment of plasma metabolites and pathways were systematically evaluated in patients from a prospective cohort of individuals hospitalized in rural Thailand with infection. Statistical and bioinformatics methods were used to distinguish metabolomic features and processes specific to melioidosis patients, and between fatal and non-fatal cases. Measurements and Main Results: Metabolomic profiling and pathway enrichment analysis of plasma samples of melioidosis (n=175) and non-melioidosis infections (n=75) revealed a distinct immuno-metabolic state among patients with melioidosis, as suggested by excessive tryptophan catabolism in the kynurenine pathway and significantly increased lipid metabolism such as sphingomyelins and ceramide species. We derived a 12-metabolite classifier to distinguish melioidosis from other infections, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.87 in a second validation set of patients. Melioidosis non-survivors (n=94) had a significantly disturbed metabolome compared to survivors (n=81) with increased leucine, isoleucine and valine metabolism, and elevated circulating free fatty acids and acylcarnitines. A limited 8-metabolite panel shows promise as an early prognosticator of mortality in melioidosis. Conclusions: Melioidosis induces a distinct metabolomic state that can be leveraged to distinguish underlying pathophysiological mechanisms leading to increased risk of death. A twelve-metabolite signature accurately differentiates melioidosis from other infections and may have diagnostic applications. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dysregulated immunologic landscape of early host response in melioidosis

Melioidosis, a neglected tropical infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, commonly presents as pneumonia or sepsis with mortality rates up to 50% despite appropriate treatment. A better understanding of the early host immune response to melioidosis may lead to new therapeutic interventions and prognostication strategies to reduce disease burden. Whole blood transcriptomic signatures in 164 melioidosis patients and 70 patients with other infections hospitalized in northeastern Thailand enrolled within 24 hours following hospital admission were studied. Key findings were validated in an independent melioidosis cohort. Melioidosis was characterized by upregulation of interferon signaling responses compared to other infections. Mortality in melioidosis was associated with excessive inflammation, up-regulated type 2 immune responses and a dramatic decrease in T cell-mediated immunity compared to survivors. We identified and independently confirmed a five-gene predictive set classifying fatal melioidosis (validation cohort: an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.83, 95% CI: 0.67-0.99). In conclusion, this study highlights the intricate balance between innate and adaptive immunity during fatal melioidosis and can inform future precision medicine strategies for targeted therapies and prognostication in this severe infection