An IoT-based Production Monitoring System for Assembly Line in Manufacture

In industry, a contamination in the product requires testing, inspection, diagnosis, repair and then more testing before the plant goes back on the production line. This process can take days and even months, depending on the type and extent of the contamination. Industries also need to ensure that the product can be manufactured in great quantity without any problems. The production time is very important to produce one product to ensure that the target number of products is achieved. The key to overcome this problem is to invent a device that can take care of the time management for this production. Therefore, a monitoring system for a worker in an assembly line is developed to solve this problem by using the IoT system. It adopts Arduino Mega as a microcontroller and IR sensor as a sensory input to detect the parts or products. It is also equipped with Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) to display the timer to guide the worker on the required production working time for one part in the assembly line. Besides that, ESP 8266 is also used to send data to the cloud for data storage and further data analysis. It is found that, with the implementation of this system in an assembly line, the efficiency of the worker is increased approximately around 4.5 percent. Furthermore, with the IoT system, it allows data to be transferred to the smart phone

A random effects model analysis of the factors contributing to food production worldwide

Food is the substance eaten or drunk to provide nutrition for the body. Among problems faced in the food production industry are climate changes, lack of land for cultivation, inadequate resources, expensive high technology and also natural disaster. The objective of the study is to find the relevant factors that contribute more to the food production index. The relevant quantitative variables chosen for this study are Livestock Production Index, Agricultural Machinery, Land under Cereal Production and Food Export. On the other hand, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) membership and Tropical Climate have been used as the qualitative variables. Using Random Effects Model under Panel Data Analysis; the results indicate strong significant relationship of Livestock Production Index, Agricultural Machinery and Land under Cereal Production towards food production. It is to be concluded that most of the variables used in the study including time are significant in explaining the food production worldwide. For future studies more independent variables should be added such as employment in the agriculture sector, technology, fertilizer production, water sources, population rate and World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and regulations

An analysis of non-performing loan, interest rate and inflation rate using Stata software

Non-performing loan can be defined as defaulted loan in which banks are unable to profit from. Usually loan falls due if no interest has been paid in 90 days, however this may vary between different countries and actors. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the non-performing loan, interest rate and inflation rate by utilizing STATA software. In order to achieve this objective, the Vector Error Correction Model (VEC1.1) is employed to determine whether interest rate and inflation rate may affect the nonperforming loan based on a 48 monthly data. The long run relationship shows that interest rate has a significant relationship towards non-performing loan. On the other hand, there is an insignificant relationship between inflation rate and non-performing loans. In the short run relationship, the findings show that both independent variables cannot influence the non-performing loan. Both independent p-values are less than significant interval which means this result will not reject the null hypothesis. As a conclusion, the causal relationship between non-performing loans and inflation rate is nodirectional relationship where similar with the causality relationship between non-performing loans and base lending rate. This research is appertained with commercial banks in Malaysia, thus a restored interpretation in this study will lead to a progressing association in the future

Synthesis and molecular docking of 2,4,5-trisubstituted- 1,3-thiazole derivatives as antibacterial agents = Sintesis dan penyatuan molekul terbitan 1,3-tiazol berpenggantian-2,4,5 sebagai agen antibakteria

The emergence of antibiotic resistance against bacterial strains has attracted great interest in the discovery and development of new antibacterial agents. Thiazole derivatives have been widely used in the biological as well as pharmacological fields and their efficiency as pharmaceutical drugs are well established. In this study, a series of thiazole derivatives were synthesized in reaction between 3-chloroacetyl acetone and ammonium thiocyanate followed by incorporating selected amines in one-pot synthesis manner. The compounds were structurally characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Their antibacterial properties were screened using disc diffusion technique against selected Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus epidermidis) as well as Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) with T3 exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity. Molecular docking studies were also performed against Glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P) synthase which is known as the essential building block of most bacteria. The docking result displayed that T3 exhibited the minimum binding energy of -7.09 kcal mol-1 as compared to T1 and T2 with -6.49 and -6.76 kcal mol-1, respectively which is in agreement with antibacterial result. The output of this preliminary study will contribute in structural enhancement in drug discovery. ******************************************************************************************* Kewujudan rintangan terhadap bakteria telah menarik minat dalam penemuan dan perkembangan agen antibakteria yang terkini. Terbitan tiazol telah digunakan dengan meluas dalam bidang biologi dan farmakologi di mana keberkesanannya sebagai ubat farmaseutikal telah ditemui. Dalam kajian ini, terbitan tiazol telah disintesis dengan menindakbalaskan α-haloketon (3-kloroasetil aseton), ammonium tiosianat dan beberapa sebatian amina terpilih secara sintesis satu pot. Produk tindak balas yang terhasil telah dicirikan dengan Transformasi Fourier-Inframerah (FTIR), Proton Resonans Magnet Nukleus (1H NMR), UltralembayungSinar Nampak (UV-Vis) serta Kromatografi Gas-Spektrometer Jisim (GC-MS). Sifat antibakteria sebatian ini telah disaring menggunakan teknik serapan cakera terhadap bakteria Gram-positif (Bacillus cereus dan Staphylococcus epidermidis) dan Gram-negatif (Escherichia coli dan Pseudomonas aeruginosa) dengan T3 menunjukkan aktiviti antibakteria yang paling berkesan. Penyatuan molekul telah dilakukan terhadap enzim Glukosamina-6-fosfat sintase (GlcN-6-P) yang merupakan unsur binaan penting bagi kebanyakan bakteria. Merujuk kepada keputusan penyatuan molekul, T3 menunjukkan tenaga pengikatan yang paling minima iaitu -7.09 kcal mol-1 berbanding T1 dan T2 masing-masing pada -6.49 dan -6.76 kcal mol-1 , menunjukkan nilai-nilai ini bersetuju dengan keputusan saringan antibakteria. Keputusan kajian awal ini akan menyumbang kepada penambahbaikan struktur untuk penghasilan ubat

A model for predicting flower development in Elaeis guineensis Jacq

The proper development of oil palm fruit is important as the source of oil is the fruit mesocarp and kernel. Prior to fruit formation, the development of flowers is therefore also important. Determination of the flower development stages in oil palm generally involves tedious histological analyses of each sampled inflorescence, making it a costly and inefficient way of gauging the developmental state. In this study, a statistical model was established from the association of physical or macroscopic measurement data to flower development, which was determined via histological analyses. The final reduced ordinal logistic regression model is a partial proportional odds model that uses inflorescence length and palm age as predictors to predict the flower development stage. The likelihood-ratio χ2 test suggested the model adequately fits the data (p<0.01). The model, with a prediction accuracy of 78.5%, can be used for selecting inflorescences of specific development stages from palms aged three to 10 years of field-planting. These stages can be further verified by histological analyses. This lowers the overall costs and time by reducing the number of samples requiring histological analysis prior to downstream studies

A novel transcript of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), Eg707, is specifically upregulated in tissues related to totipotency

In this study, we report the molecular characterization of clone Eg707 isolated from cell suspension culture of the oil palm. The deduced polypeptide of clone Eg707 is highly similar to an unknown protein from Arabidopsis thaliana. The presence of an Ald-Xan-dh-C2 superfamily domain in the deduced protein sequence suggested that Eg707 protein might be involved in abscisic acid biosynthesis. Eg707 might be present as a single copy gene in the oil palm genome. This gene is highly expressed in tissue cultured materials compared to vegetative and reproductive tissues, suggesting a role of this gene during oil palm somatic embryogenesis or at the early stages of embryo development. Expression analysis of Eg707 by RNA in situ hybridization showed that Eg707 transcripts were present throughout somatic embryo development starting from proembryo formation at the embryogenic callus stages till the maturing embryo stages. Since proembryo formation within the embryogenic callus is one of the first key factors in oil palm somatic embryo development, it is suggested that Eg707 could be used as a reliable molecular marker for detecting early stage of oil palm somatic embryogenesis

Growth and development of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens (L.), Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae grown on carbohydrate, protein, and fruit-based waste substrates

There has been a surge in interest in using food waste (FW) as an insect-rearing substrate in recent years. We examine the effect of protein-based food waste (leftover boneless chicken, LBC), carbohydrate-based food waste (overnight rice, OR), and fruit-based food waste (rotten banana, RB) on the following parameters: substrate reduction (SR), waste reduction index (WRI), bioconversion rate (BCR) and relative growth rate (RGR). BSFL reared on OR feed substrate had the highest biomass (0.23±0.01) g at d9 followed by RB (0.22±0.00) g and LBC (0.16±0.00) g. Larvae from OR-fed BSFL were the longest, averaging 20.53±0.46 mm in length on d12. The SR calculated for all feed substrates were as followed: RB (95.35 ± 0.33)% > OR (85.29 ± 0.80)% > LBC (83.17 ± 0.27)%. The WRI for control (C) and BSFL-fed on all feeds were in the following manner: (RBC:8.90±0.00 g days-1, RBBSFL:9.53±0.00 g days-1) > (ORC:7.35±0.00 g days-1, ORBSFL:8.53±0.09 g days-1) > (LBCC:6.90±0.00 g days-1, LBCBSFL: 8.32±0.03 g days-1). OR-fed BSFL showed the highest BCR (76.0±1.0) % and RGR (0.32±0.01) days-1. The FW’s self-composting (as in control) influenced the BSFL’s SR and WRI in all diets. Overall, the BSFL’s growth and development are affected by the nature, quality, and type of diet of the feed substrates

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background: Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings: Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8-13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05-6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50-75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation: Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life

Determination of Phthalate Plasticisers in Palm Oil Using Online Solid Phase Extraction-Liquid Chromatography (SPE-LC)

Contamination of phthalates plasticisers to food has raised concern as some of the phthalates are suspected to be endocrine disruptors. The phthalates have high affinity with oily environment and analysing these chemicals in such matrices is difficult because of the trace amount of the analyte and interference from matrix. An online solid phase extraction (SPE) technique using a large volume (3.5 mL) injection was developed for the analysis of 6 common plasticisers in palm oil. A simple sample preparation involving alumina as a fat retainer and methanol : acetonitrile (1 : 1) as the extraction solvent was performed prior to the usage of online SPE-LC system. This system consists of two columns, C16 for the solid phase extraction (SPE) and C18 as the analytical column, and a photo diode array detector. The calibration curves were linear from 5 to 1000 μg L−1, with correlation coefficients above 0.99. The instrumental limit of detection was 3 μg L−1 and satisfactory recovery was obtained. A screening on a few samples in the retail market revealed the presence of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and butylbenzylphthalate (BBP) in the palm oil, with concentration less than 1 mg L−1

An experimental design approach for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from highly contaminated soil using accelerated solvent extraction

An experimental design approach, based on central composite design, has been used to investigate the dependence of accelerated solvent extraction operating variables (pressure, temperature, extraction time) on the recovery of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from native, contaminated soil. At the 95% confidence interval, no significance in terms of the three operating parameters was found when considering the total PAH recovery. However, when individual PAHs were considered, some compounds were found to be dependent on operating variables. The most significant operating variable was extraction temperature. Low extraction temperature (40°C) was found t be significant for naphthalene, chrysene, and benzo[b]fluoranthene. Using constant operating conditions (100°C, 14 MPa and an extraction time of 5 min plus 5 min equilibriation time), the influence of extraction solvent was evaluated. No dependence on recovery was found when polar organic solvents, i.e., a dipole moment of > 1.89, were used