Investigating factors for disaster preparedness among residents of Kuala Lumpur

The review of past researches discussed that factors such as climate change and movement toward urbanization will result in more frequent and severe disasters in the near future (Yasuhara et al., 2011). Flash flood is the most common type of disaster that residents of Kuala Lumpur (KL) come across, thus in this study, it was desired to discover the factors affecting preparedness among residents of KL as well as assessing the variation of individual preparedness among residents. With the aid of SPSS analysis, the reliability of data, correlation and regression analysis between the investigated factors and disaster preparedness were obtained. According to this research it was found that level of preparedness of residents of KL is still below average; majority of social demographic indicators such as income, education, age, and property ownership showed significant contribution to the variation of disaster preparedness among the residents. For instance men were much more prepared in comparison to women; residents with high level of income and education had also significantly higher preparedness compared to those with low level of income and education. Race was the only factor that differs from the findings of previous studies; since race does not affect the preparedness

CONCENTRIC TUBE-FOULING RIG FOR INVESTIGATION OF FOULING DEPOSIT FORMATION FROM PASTEURISER OF VISCOUS FOOD LIQUID

This paper reports the work on developing concentric tube-fouling rig, a new fouling deposit monitoring device. This device can detect and quantify the level of fouling deposit formation. It can also functioning as sampler for fouling deposit study, which can be attached at any food processing equipment. The design is initiated with conceptual design. The rig is designed with inner diameter of 7 cm and with tube length of 37 cm. A spiral insert with 34.5 cm length and with 5.4 cm diameter is fitted inside the tube to ensure the fluid flows around the tube. In this work, the rig is attached to the lab-scale concentric tube-pasteurizer to test its effectiveness and to collect a fouling sample after pasteurization of pink guava puree. Temperature changes are recorded during the pasteurization and the data is used to plot the heat transfer profile. Thickness of the fouling deposit is also measured. The trends for thickness, heat resistance profile and heat transfer profile for concentric tube-fouling rig matched the trends obtained from lab-scale concentric tube-pasteurizer very well. The findings from this work have shown a good potential of this rig however there is a limitation with spiral insert, which is discussed in this paper

Evaluation on physico-chemical properties of pink guava puree residue as bioresource

Pink Guava Puree (PGP) factory produces tons of residues from its unit operation [refiner (R), siever (S), and decanter (D)]. These residues represent a waste of nutrients and can contribute to environmental problem. However, it can benefit related industries if the properties of the residues are known. Thus, this research aims to determine the compositions of the residues from PGP processing factory in order to evaluate possible value-added by-product and energy sources. The residues from each unit operation were being tested for proximate composition, dietary fibre components, pH value, emulsifying activity (EA) and emulsifying stability (ES), carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, and sugar analysis. The sugar content was analysed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-RI detector). Results showed that the residues have good composition of carbohydrate (11.82–12.18%), and thus potential as carbon source and can be a good substrate for fermentation. These residues may also benefit the food industry as a good source of dietary fibre (18.63–29.86%). The pH value for these PGP residues is 4; thus they were considered as acidic food by-product. The low pH value also contributed to the low EA and ES value other than the low content of protein in the sample. C/N ratio for PGP residue from R (46:1) is the lowest compared to the C/N ratio from S (84:1) and D (115:1). The amount of sugars detected in the PGP residues in descending order were fructose > glucose > sucrose

Inflammation in embryology: A review of neuroinflammation in spina bifida

The occurrence of neuroinflammation after the failure of neural tube closure, resulting in spina bifida aperta, is well established but whether or not neuroinflammation contributes to damage to the neuroepithelium prior to and during closure is not known. Neuroinflammation may occur at different time periods after perturbation to the developing spinal cord. Evidence suggests that early neuroinflammation is detrimental, whereas the later chronic phase of neuroinflammation may have useful roles. The role of neuroinflammation in neural tube defects is complex. It is important to make the distinction of whether neuroinflammation is important for neuroprotection or detrimental to the neural tissue. This may directly be influenced by the location, magnitude and duration of the insult, as well as the expression of neurotrophic or neurotoxic molecules. The current understanding remains that the chronic damage to the developing spinal cord is likely due to the chemical and mechanical damage of the exposed neural tissue owing to the aggressive intrauterine environment, described as the “two-hit mechanism”. Astrogliosis in the exposed spinal cord has been described in animal models of spina bifida after the failure of closure during embryonic life. Still, its association with neuroinflammatory processes is poorly understood. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding of neuroinflammation in neural tube defects, specifically spina bifida, and highlight inflammation-targeted strategies that may potentially be used to treat this pathophysiological condition

Effect of silver nanoparticle addition on the structure and characteristics of radio-photoluminescence glass dosimeter

A series of silver-activated phosphate glass was prepared by melt quenching method. The effect of silver nanoparticle addition on the phosphate glass microstructure, composition and chemical characteristics was investigated using x-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Other physical property such as density was also evaluated. The density increased when the amount of silver ions were increased, due to the enhanced formation of non-bridging oxygen. In this study, we discuss the emission mechanism of two radio-photoluminescence peaks at 460 nm and 620 nm, where the electrons and holes produced by γ-irradiation a re-trapped by Ag+ ions to produce Ag0 and Ag2+ ions respectively, when the Ag+-doped phosphate glass is exposed to γ-ray. We proposed that an emission mechanism of 460 and 620 nm radio-photoluminescence peaks with these Ag2+ and Ag0 ions. Furthermore, a correlation between the investigated properties and glass composition is discussed

Self‐perceived preparedness of undergraduate dental students in dental public universities in Malaysia: A national study

Aims: To evaluate the self-perceived preparedness of final-year dental undergraduate students in dental public universities in Malaysia. Methods: Final-year dental undergraduate students from six dental public universities in Malaysia were invited to participate in an online study using a validated Dental Undergraduates Preparedness Assessment Scale DU-PAS. Results: In total, about 245 students responded to the online questionnaire yielding a response rate of 83.05%. The age range of the respondents was 23-29 years with a mean age of 24.36 (SD 0.797). The total score obtained by the respondents was ranged from 48 to 100 with a mean score of 79.56 (SD 13.495). Weaknesses were reported in several clinical skills, cognitive and behavioural attributes. Conclusions: The preparedness of undergraduate students at six dental institutions in Malaysia was comparable to students from developed countries. The dental undergraduate preparedness assessment scale is a useful tool, and dental institutions may be used for self-assessment as well as to obtain feedback from the supervisors

Genetic Affinities within a Large Global Collection of Pathogenic Leptospira: Implications for Strain Identification and Molecular Epidemiology

Leptospirosis is an important zoonosis with widespread human health implications. The non-availability of accurate identification methods for the individualization of different Leptospira for outbreak investigations poses bountiful problems in the disease control arena. We harnessed fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis (FAFLP) for Leptospira and investigated its utility in establishing genetic relationships among 271 isolates in the context of species level assignments of our global collection of isolates and strains obtained from a diverse array of hosts. In addition, this method was compared to an in-house multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method based on polymorphisms in three housekeeping genes, the rrs locus and two envelope proteins. Phylogenetic relationships were deduced based on bifurcating Neighbor-joining trees as well as median joining network analyses integrating both the FAFLP data and MLST based haplotypes. The phylogenetic relationships were also reproduced through Bayesian analysis of the multilocus sequence polymorphisms. We found FAFLP to be an important method for outbreak investigation and for clustering of isolates based on their geographical descent rather than by genome species types. The FAFLP method was, however, not able to convey much taxonomical utility sufficient to replace the highly tedious serotyping procedures in vogue. MLST, on the other hand, was found to be highly robust and efficient in identifying ancestral relationships and segregating the outbreak associated strains or otherwise according to their genome species status and, therefore, could unambiguously be applied for investigating phylogenetics of Leptospira in the context of taxonomy as well as gene flow. For instance, MLST was more efficient, as compared to FAFLP method, in clustering strains from the Andaman island of India, with their counterparts from mainland India and Sri Lanka, implying that such strains share genetic relationships and that leptospiral strains might be frequently circulating between the islands and the mainland

Prohibitins Are Required for Cancer Cell Proliferation and Adhesion

Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) is a highly conserved protein that together with its homologue prohibitin 2 (PHB2) mainly localizes to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Although it was originally identified by its ability to inhibit G1/S progression in human fibroblasts, its role as tumor suppressor is debated. To determine the function of prohibitins in maintaining cell homeostasis, we generated cancer cell lines expressing prohibitin-directed shRNAs. We show that prohibitin proteins are necessary for the proliferation of cancer cells. Down-regulation of prohibitin expression drastically reduced the rate of cell division. Furthermore, mitochondrial morphology was not affected, but loss of prohibitins did lead to the degradation of the fusion protein OPA1 and, in certain cancer cell lines, to a reduced capability to exhibit anchorage-independent growth. These cancer cells also exhibited reduced adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Taken together, these observations suggest prohibitins play a crucial role in adhesion processes in the cell and thereby sustaining cancer cell propagation and survival

Horizontal DNA transfer mechanisms of bacteria as weapons of intragenomic conflict

Horizontal DNA transfer (HDT) is a pervasive mechanism of diversification in many microbial species, but its primary evolutionary role remains controversial. Much recent research has emphasised the adaptive benefit of acquiring novel DNA, but here we argue instead that intragenomic conflict provides a coherent framework for understanding the evolutionary origins of HDT. To test this hypothesis, we developed a mathematical model of a clonally descended bacterial population undergoing HDT through transmission of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and genetic transformation. Including the known bias of transformation toward the acquisition of shorter alleles into the model suggested it could be an effective means of counteracting the spread of MGEs. Both constitutive and transient competence for transformation were found to provide an effective defence against parasitic MGEs; transient competence could also be effective at permitting the selective spread of MGEs conferring a benefit on their host bacterium. The coordination of transient competence with cell-cell killing, observed in multiple species, was found to result in synergistic blocking of MGE transmission through releasing genomic DNA for homologous recombination while simultaneously reducing horizontal MGE spread by lowering the local cell density. To evaluate the feasibility of the functions suggested by the modelling analysis, we analysed genomic data from longitudinal sampling of individuals carrying Streptococcus pneumoniae. This revealed the frequent within-host coexistence of clonally descended cells that differed in their MGE infection status, a necessary condition for the proposed mechanism to operate. Additionally, we found multiple examples of MGEs inhibiting transformation through integrative disruption of genes encoding the competence machinery across many species, providing evidence of an ongoing "arms race." Reduced rates of transformation have also been observed in cells infected by MGEs that reduce the concentration of extracellular DNA through secretion of DNases. Simulations predicted that either mechanism of limiting transformation would benefit individual MGEs, but also that this tactic's effectiveness was limited by competition with other MGEs coinfecting the same cell. A further observed behaviour we hypothesised to reduce elimination by transformation was MGE activation when cells become competent. Our model predicted that this response was effective at counteracting transformation independently of competing MGEs. Therefore, this framework is able to explain both common properties of MGEs, and the seemingly paradoxical bacterial behaviours of transformation and cell-cell killing within clonally related populations, as the consequences of intragenomic conflict between self-replicating chromosomes and parasitic MGEs. The antagonistic nature of the different mechanisms of HDT over short timescales means their contribution to bacterial evolution is likely to be substantially greater than previously appreciated

Microarray analysis revealed different gene expression patterns in HepG2 cells treated with low and high concentrations of the extracts of Anacardium occidentale shoots

In this study, the effects of low and high concentrations of the Anacardium occidentale shoot extracts on gene expression in liver HepG2 cells were investigated. From MTT assays, the concentration of the shoot extracts that maintained 50% cell viability (IC50) was 1.7 mg/ml. Cell viability was kept above 90% at both 0.4 mg/ml and 0.6 mg/ml of the extracts. The three concentrations were subsequently used for the gene expression analysis using Affymetrix Human Genome 1.0 S.T arrays. The microarray data were validated using real-time qRT–PCR. A total of 246, 696 and 4503 genes were significantly regulated (P < 0.01) by at least 1.5-fold in response to 0.4, 0.6 and 1.7 mg/ml of the extracts, respectively. Mutually regulated genes in response to the three concentrations included CDKN3, LOC100289612, DHFR, VRK1, CDC6, AURKB and GABRE. Genes like CYP24A1, BRCA1, AURKA, CDC2, CDK2, CDK4 and INSR were significantly regulated at 0.6 mg/ml and 1.7 mg but not at 0.4 mg/ml. However, the expression of genes including LGR5, IGFBP3, RB1, IDE, LDLR, MTTP, APOB, MTIX, SOD2 and SOD3 were exclusively regulated at the IC50 concentration. In conclusion, low concentrations of the extracts were able to significantly regulate a sizable number of genes. The type of genes that were expressed was highly dependent on the concentration of the extracts used