Tocotrienol-rich fraction supplementation modulates antioxidant enzymes activity and reduces DNA damage in APPswe/PS1dE9 Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by deterioration of the brain functions that result in impairment of memory, cognition and behavioural functions. Oxidative stress is well known to be one of the causative factors for AD. Thus this disease is potentially modulated by natural antioxidants such as vitamin E. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) supplementation on antioxidant enzymes and DNA damage using APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mouse model of AD. Animals were supplemented with TRF (200 mg/kg) or alpha-tocopherol (αT) (200 mg/kg) for six months starting from nine months old. We found that superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in AD mouse was decreased by supplementation of TRF and αT as compared with AD control mouse with no significant differences in glutathione peroxidise (GPx) activity in all groups. TRF supplementation significantly increased catalase (CAT) activity. The level of DNA damage of AD mouse shows significant decrease with supplementation of TRF and αT. In conclusion, TRF was able to modulate antioxidant enzymes activity and decreased the level of DNA damage of AD transgenic mouse model

Effect of corn husk fibre loading on thermal and biodegradable properties of kenaf/cornhusk fibre reinforced corn starch-based hybrid composites

This paper documents the thermal and biodegradation behaviour of kenaf/cornhusk fiber reinforced corn starch-based hybrid composites film (CS/K–CH) produced by solution casting method. To develop both components as biodegradable hybrid composite, this research used corn starch as matrix, kenaf fiber and cornhusk fibre as a filler. Changes in physical structure and weight from the soil burial test were measured using Mettler Toledo digital balance ME. Films produced from physically blended corn starch reinforced kenaf biocomposites films (CS/K) biocomposite film had faster biodegradation and lost 96.18% of weight within 10 days compared with corn starch hybrid composites that only lost 83.82% of total weight. It was observed that the control film, CS/K biocomposite film was completely degraded after 10 days, meanwhile it took 12 days for hybrid composite films to be fully degrade. The thermal properties such as TGA and DTG were also measured. Addition of corn husk fiber significantly improve the film's thermal properties. Glass transition temperatures of corn starch hybrid films were significantly lowered when cornhusk compositions were increased from 0.2% wt to 0.8% wt. Importantly, the current work has demonstrated that hybrid films made of corn starch can be a suitable biodegradable material for substitute synthetic plastic

Investigation of simple portable telescope validity for muon detection inside metals

Muons produced in the atmosphere by cosmic rays are preferred over gamma rays, X-rays and fast protons for the detection of metals in the study of radiography. An alternative method for metals detection involving portable and relatively cheap Geiger-Muller counters are proposed. The objective of this study was to investigate the validity of using a handmade muon telescope with a small solid angle for the detection of muons inside the metals. This experiment was carried out at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi (101.78º E, 2.92º N and elevation 30 m). Measurement of muons was conducted in the vertical direction using 1 set of muon telescopes (MT) consisting of coaxial Geiger-Muller (GM) counters. Different metals - lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and aluminium (Al) - were used as absorbers with different thickness to observe its influence on the count rate of muons. The efficiency of the experimental setup was evaluated using statistical methods and by obtaining sufficient number of muon detection events to describe the physics of the muon interaction with the metals. Based on the Rossi curve obtained for each metal, the transition point was estimated as follows: 1.5 cm for Pb, 4.0 cm for Zn, and 9.0 cm for Al. The results showed that the proposed alternative setup was adequate for detecting muons and therefore have the potential to be further developed

The relationship between plant and humans in indoor environment: A pilot test during the COVID-19 pandemic

Little to no studies have examined the relationship between plants and humans during COVID-19, especially the effectiveness of plants in alleviating psychological distress when working in an office. The paper proposes a conceptual framework to investigate the existence of plants to reduce occupants' psychological distress during the pandemic. The selected site was a newly renovated office in an academic institution with all the essential furniture, and Epipremnum aureum was placed on the tabletop. Since the study was conducted during the pandemic, a 3D-rendered scene of the room was developed based on the actual settings of the office. A pilot test was employed in this stage of the study. The survey questionnaires were administered online, with 106 participants responding. Hayes Process Macro for moderation analysis was executed in SPSS v.23 to understand plant relationship with perceived emotional change, including the mediator-room's attractiveness. The pilot test results (actual and simulated models) show that putting E. aureum on a tabletop can positively influence the calmness of the indoor occupants and make them happy (direct effect). Plants that improve the room's attractiveness might not necessarily contribute to calming the indoor occupants, but they make them happy (indirect effect). Lastly, the conceptual framework provides insight to the designers, stakeholders, and policymakers on the importance of plants in reducing occupants' psychological distress and enhancing work productivity

Lives versus Livelihoods? Perceived economic risk has a stronger association with support for COVID-19 preventive measures than perceived health risk

This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N = 25,435). The main predictors were (1) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (2) perceived risk to suffer economic losses due to coronavirus, and (3) their interaction effect. Individual and country-level variables were added as covariates in multilevel regression models. We examined compliance with various preventive health behaviors and support for strict containment policies. Results show that perceived economic risk consistently predicted mitigation behavior and policy support—and its effects were positive. Perceived health risk had mixed effects. Only two significant interactions between health and economic risk were identified—both positive

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Corn Starch (<i>Zea mays</i>) Biopolymer Plastic Reaction in Combination with Sorbitol and Glycerol

The research included corn starch (CS) films using sorbitol (S), glycerol (G), and their combination (SG) as plasticizers at 30, 45, and 60 wt %, with a traditional solution casting technique. The introduction of plasticizer to CS film-forming solutions led to solving the fragility and brittleness of CS films. The increased concentration of plasticizers contributed to an improvement in film thickness, weight, and humidity. Conversely, plasticized films reduced their density and water absorption, with increasing plasticizer concentrations. The increase in the amount of the plasticizer from 30 to 60% showed a lower impact on the moisture content and water absorption of S-plasticized films. The S30-plasticized films also showed outstanding mechanical properties with 13.62 MPa and 495.97 MPa, for tensile stress and tensile modulus, respectively. Glycerol and-sorbitol/glycerol plasticizer (G and SG) films showed higher moisture content and water absorption relative to S-plasticized films. This study has shown that the amount and type of plasticizers significantly affect the appearances, physical, morphological, and mechanical properties of the corn starch biopolymer plastic

Corn Starch (Zea mays) Biopolymer Plastic Reaction in Combination with Sorbitol and Glycerol

The research included corn starch (CS) films using sorbitol (S), glycerol (G), and their combination (SG) as plasticizers at 30, 45, and 60 wt %, with a traditional solution casting technique. The introduction of plasticizer to CS film-forming solutions led to solving the fragility and brittleness of CS films. The increased concentration of plasticizers contributed to an improvement in film thickness, weight, and humidity. Conversely, plasticized films reduced their density and water absorption, with increasing plasticizer concentrations. The increase in the amount of the plasticizer from 30 to 60% showed a lower impact on the moisture content and water absorption of S-plasticized films. The S30-plasticized films also showed outstanding mechanical properties with 13.62 MPa and 495.97 MPa, for tensile stress and tensile modulus, respectively. Glycerol and-sorbitol/glycerol plasticizer (G and SG) films showed higher moisture content and water absorption relative to S-plasticized films. This study has shown that the amount and type of plasticizers significantly affect the appearances, physical, morphological, and mechanical properties of the corn starch biopolymer plastic

The Construction Solid Waste Minimization Practices among Malaysian Contractors

The function of minimization of construction solid waste is to reduce or eliminates the adverse impacts on the environment and to human health. Due to the increase of population that leads to rapid development, there are possibilities of construction solid waste to be increased shortly from the construction works, demolition or renovation works. Materials such as wood, concrete, paint, brick, roofing, tiles, plastic and any other materials would contribute problem involving construction solid waste. Therefore, the proper waste minimization is needed to control the quantity of construction solid waste produced. This paper identifies the type of construction solid waste produced and discusses the waste minimization practice by the contractors at construction sites in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Malaysia

Wudu’ workstation design for elderly and disabled people in Malaysia’s mosques

Background: Ablution area is one of the facilities used by most Muslims in all categories. There are numbers of de-sign guidelines for praying facilities but lack on ablution area specification. Therefore, this study was conducted to design an ergonomic ablution area for the Muslim’s disabled and elderly based on their preferences and anthropomet-ric dimension. Methods: Kano questionnaires and user evaluation form, was used to investigate the preferences of elderly and disa-bled in ablution area to 20 respondents at Masjid Bulat, Petaling Jaya and Masjid Kampung Kerinchi,Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur in 2015. Anthropometric dimension of elderly and disabled people was measured. Besides, dimensions of two existing ablution units at selected mosques were evaluated using ‘Ablution Unit Dimension Evaluation’ form. Results: New ablution area design was developed based on elderly and disabled people anthropometric dimension and user preferences as well as user satisfaction survey. This study can be considered as preliminary study for the de-velopment of ergonomic ablution unit design. Conclusion: It is hoped that the findings and recommendations from this research will be referred by the stakehold-ers to determine the best solution to increase the level of comfort and accessibility for elderly and disabled at mosques in Malaysia