Prevalence of complementary alternative medicine use among patients with type II diabetes in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

The uses of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among patients with chronic diseases are becoming increasingly popular. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 45 government health clinics across Negeri Sembilan. Respondents at diabetes clinics were selected via systematic random sampling and interviewed using structured questionnaire. CAM usage was divided into three groups; CAM use for diabetes (CAM-DM), CAM use for general health (CAM-G) and Non CAM user. The prevalent use of CAM among type II diabetes mellitus patients in Negeri Sembilan was 58.5% (CAM-DM: 40.6% and CAM-G: 17.9%). For CAM-DM group, bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) was the most popular CAM consumed to help control diabetes, while supplement milk was the most popular choice for the CAM-G group. In conclusion, the use of CAM among type II diabetes mellitus patients in Negeri Sembilan was common. Natural products are the main choice of CAM modality used to help with the management of diabetes. Majority of CAM users never informed their healthcare providers about their CAM use

Pengaruh gender terhadap gaya kesantunan dalam komunikasi Rasulullah SAW

Gaya kesantunan ialah strategi berbahasa yang melibatkan aspek kebahasaan supaya ciri-ciri akhlak, adab, kesopanan dan adat yang dijunjung dalam masyarakat dapat dipatuhi bersama oleh setiap anggota masyarakat. Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti faktor gender yang mempengaruhi penggunaan unsur kesantunan bahasa oleh junjungan besar Nabi Muhammad SAW melalui analisis teks wacana nabawi terpilih. Data kajian ini ialah teks perbualan yang melibatkan baginda SAW dengan anggota masyarakat ketika itu. Analisis teks dilakukan dengan menggunakan pendekatan Model Grid SPEAKING yang diperkenalkan oleh Dell Hymes (1986) yang memberi fokus kepada analisis konteks sosial dan budaya yang luas. Hasil analisis merungkai unsur tabu yang terdapat dalam peristiwa percakapan tersebut dan faktor gender yang mempengaruhi gaya kesantunan berbahasa Rasulullah SAW. Dapatan kajian menjadi panduan yang signifikan kepada masyarakat Islam masa kini dalam membudayakan nilai-nilai kesantunan dan kesopanan dalam berbahasa

The application of microwave drying process for rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) seed

This study aims to investigate the drying characteristics of rambutan seed in a microwave oven. The experiments were conducted at three power levels of 250, 600 and 1000 W and three drying times of 8, 9 and 10 h with three replications. Changes in these operational variables were conducted to highlight their effects on the drying characteristics observed through their drying profiles and final moisture contents. To estimate the drying behaviour, three thin layer equations were used to fit experimental data. Results showed that the drying time and final moisture content were decreased with an increase in the microwave power. Page model was selected as the best mathematical model to describe the drying process. Moisture diffusivity obtained varied from 4.10 × 10⁻⁹ to 9.64 × 10⁻⁹ m² s⁻¹ and the activation energy varied between 22.10 to 110.59 g.W⁻¹ at different powers and drying times

Flavanones from the flower of Macaranga triloba

Macaranga triloba belongs to the family of Euphorbiaceae. Investigation on the dichloromethane extract of flower of Macaranga triloba collected at Hulu Terengganu, Malaysia has yielded four flavanone compounds known as 6-prenyl-3’-methoxy-eriodictyol (1), nymphaeol-B (2), nymphaeol-C (3) and 6-farnesyl3’,4’,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone (4). The structures of these compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic methods including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR-1D and 2D), UV, IR as well as mass spectrometry. This is the first report of 6-prenyl-3’-methoxy-eriodictyol(1) and 6-farnesyl-3’,4’,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavanone (4) from the genus of Macaranga

A conceptual design of fouling deposit adhesiveness gauge

Fouling deposit is an unwanted layer that forms in most of the processing equipment. It affects the product quality, economics and plant efficiency. Information on interfacial forces between fouling deposit and equipment surface is essential for finding optimum cleaning. The objective of this work is to provide a conceptual design of a prototype for a gauge that can measure the adhesiveness of fouling deposit to the stainless steel surface. In this work drag force concept is applied and it is assumed proportional to the magnitude of the adhesion strength of the fouling deposit to the stainless surface. This design will allow non-invasive measurement

Liquid slosh control by implementing model-free PID controller with derivative filter based on PSO

Conventionally, the control of liquid slosh system is done based on model-based techniques that challenging to implement practically because of the chaotic motion of fluid in the container. The aim of this article is to develop the tuning technique for model-free PID with derivative filter (PIDF) parameters for liquid slosh suppression system based on particle swarm optimization (PSO). PSO algorithm is responsible to find the optimal values for PIDF parameters based on fitness functions which are Sum Squared Error (SSE) and Sum Absolute Error (SAE) of the cart position and liquid slosh angle response. The modelling of liquid slosh in lateral movement is considered to justify the design of control scheme. The PSO tuning method is compared by heuristic tuning method in order to show the effectiveness of the proposed tuning approach. The performance evaluations of the proposed tuning method are based on the ability of the tank to follow the input in horizontal motion and liquid slosh level reduction in time domain. Based on the simulation results, the suggested tuning method is capable to reduce the liquid slosh level in the same time produces fast input tracking of the tank without precisely model the chaotic motion of the fluid

Lightning impulse strength of 275 kV and 132 kV tower with composite crossarm

Severe lightning overvoltage is regarded to the multiple flashovers on the overhead lines. Therefore, it signifies the needs of having a robust insulation system, especially to those which highly susceptible to lightning strikes. In order to minimize the impact of lightning, it is necessary to evaluate lightning performance of the tower and its components before implementing any proposed design. Therefore, in this work, a feasibility study was done on proposed 275 kV and 132 kV transmission tower with composite crossarm installed. In order to assess the insulation strength of the tower against the lightning activities, lightning caused events i.e. backflashover and shielding failure were applied onto the tower models by using FEM based software. The CFO of the tower insulation were calculated based on the design provided, whereby it was complementary verified by the voltage and electric field profiles of the simulation. For each case, none had shown a voltage magnitude higher than the voltage supposed to possibly cause 50% chance of flashover

A study on the AC breakdown voltages of as-received palm oil and coconut oil under presence of TiO2

This paper presents a study on the AC breakdown voltages of Palm Oil (PO) and Coconut Oil (CO) with presence of TiO2. The type of PO used in this study is Refined, Bleached and Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO). TiO2 was added into RBDPO and CO at volume concentration of nanoparticles ranging from 0.001% to 0.05% In total, 50 measurements of AC breakdown voltages were recorded and analyzed by Weibull and normal distributions. Based on the test results and statistical analyses, it was found that the TiO2 could improve the AC breakdown voltages of RDBPO and CO

The effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2015 (OSH-MP 15) in enhancing government leadership and preventive workplace

Background: Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan for Malaysia 2015 was intended to increase awareness, knowledge and commitment to Occupational Safety and Health in all undertaking to reduce the number of injuries, diseases and fatalities. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of Occupational Safety Health Master Plan for Malaysia 2015 (OSH-MP 15) in enhancing government leadership and preventive workplace culture. Methods: This cross sectional study covered all the states in Malaysia, constituting of 309 employers, 350 Occupational Safety Health practitioners and 360 employees as respondents. There were three questionnaires for three different groups which were employers, Occupational Safety Health practitioners and general employees. The respondents were selected through random sampling. Results: For strategy 1, there was a significant difference in mean of effectiveness of OSH-MP15 between sectors for general workers [F (11, 348) =12.06, p=<0.001], OSH practitioners [F (11, 338) =1.19, p=0.033] and employers [F (11, 297) =5.62, p=<0.001]. For strategy 2, a significant difference in mean of effectiveness of OSH-MP15 between sectors was found for general workers [F (11, 348) =4.52, p=<0.001], OSH practitioners [F (11, 338) =2.28, p=0.011], employers [F (11, 297) =5.74, p=<0.001]. Conclusion: There was a significant difference between the effectiveness of fostering, and enhancing government leadership and inculcating preventive workplace culture among respondents. This study acts as the baseline data for the effectiveness of Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2015 in enhancing government leadership and preventive workplace culture

Safety at work law and negligent behaviour in relation to public vehicle accidents in Cameroon

It is not unlikely in Cameroon to be involved in road accidents.The debate as to who is responsible has been a bone of contention among travellers for years. Some have put the blame on the government for inadequate laws and road unworthiness. Others blamed the drivers for being ‘cash crazy’ and reckless while others have blamed the companies for hiring drivers that are not qualified and not putting safety policies in place. In all these cases, the degree of accidents that had taken place on these roads is alarming and someone therefore has to shoulder the responsibility for there to be a change. This article reviews the concept of the law of negligence citing cases of negligent behaviours from all partiesinvolved. The aim of this article is to create awareness on the ongoing cases of accidents, both reported and unreported for government intervention and to raise public awareness