MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR FOR ENHANCED ENZYMATIC HYDROLYSIS OF CELLULOSE

With the rising environmental concerns related to fossil fuels utilization and the depletion of these resources, interest in bioethanol from lignocellulosic waste as an alternative, sustainable energy source has been increasing. Date palm waste is considered a good feedstock for bioethanol production, especially in countries of large date palm plantations, such as the United Arab Emirates. In the lignocellulose to bioethanol process, the enzymatic hydrolysis of celluloses to produce simple sugars that can be converted to bioethanol by fermentation is the most challenging step, and enhancing it is essential for efficient and feasible operation. Enzyme inhibition by the products is one of the several problems that hinders the cellulose bioconversion. To resolve this problem, a novel membrane bioreactor (MBR) was designed with an inverted dead-end filtration concept for simultaneous removal of the product during the reaction. Polyethersulfone membranes (PES) were used, and their selectivity in allowing only product permeation was proven. The effects of water flowrate and initial substrate concentration were investigated, and a mathematical kinetic model that was based on the mechanistic steps was developed to predict the dynamic behavior of the system, and the kinetic parameters were estimated by fitting the experimental data. The experimental results were also used to develop a statistical non-linear interactive model. Using standard cellulose, the glucose production yield increased from 7% without product separation to 45% with product separation. Both kinetic and statistical models showed good agreement (R2: 0.96 and 0.97, respectively). The process was optimized, and the optimal conditions were determined to be at substrate concentration of 2.67 g/L and a water flowrate of 0.8 mL/min, at which a maximum yield of 86.7% was achieved.To increase the efficiency of the process by increasing solids loading and mixing quality, another novel tubular radial-flow MBR was designed. The effectiveness of the inverted dead-end MBR versus radial-flow MBR designs was assessed using real, complex lignocellulose biomass, namely date seeds (DSs). The tubular radial-flow MBR used here had more than a 10-fold higher membrane surface area than the flat-sheet MBR design. With simultaneous product separation using the flat-sheet inverted dead-end filtration MBR, a total reducing sugars yield of 10.8% from pretreated DSs was achieved within 8 h of reaction, which was three times higher than the yield without product separation, which was only 3.5% within the same time and under the same conditions. The superiority of the tubular radial-flow MBR to hydrolyze pretreated DSs was confirmed with a total reducing sugars yield of 29% within 8 h. A detailed kinetic model was developed to predict the dynamic behavior of the tubular radial-flow MBR, and the kinetic parameters were estimated from the experimental data. The novel reactor was proved to successfully operate at high solids loading, and with a developed statistical non-linear interactive model the total reducing sugars production was optimized with optimal conditions of substrate concertation of 28.9 g/L and water flowrate of 1.2 mL/min resulting in a maximum glucose production of 8.7 g. In addition, the effects of different glucose concentrations, water flowrates, and membrane cut-offs on glucose diffusion were studied. The promising results obtained by this research could pave the way for an economic lignocellulose-to-bioethanol process

ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CUSTOMER PURCHASE INTENTION TOWARDS LUXURY FASHION GOODS

Purpose: Malaysia is an important luxury market and this luxury industry wills growth in the future because of the demand from young Malaysian consumers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the influencing factors that affect Malaysian Consumers’ purchase intention towards luxury fashion goods and their relative importance. Methodology:  Questionnaires had been distributed to 200 respondents. Data had been analyzed using SPSS to identify whether factors such as materialism, social comparison, and brand consciousness have a significant relationship with the intention to purchase luxury fashion goods.  Results: Results indicated that materialism and brand consciousness has a positive relationship with the purchase intention of luxury fashion goods in Malaysia. Implications: Malaysian consumers are more conscious and more aware of the unique brands to give prominence to their self-identity

Acupuncture in the Management of Functional Dyspepsia

Dyspepsia is an uncomfortable sensation or pain in the upper abdomen which is persisting or recurring. Dyspepsia can be classified into functional and organic dyspepsia. Functional dyspepsia is more commonly found compared to the organic type, approximately 60%. Pharmacologic therapy in the management of functional dyspepsia has not shown optimal results, with the multifactorial etiology of functional dyspepsia as the main challenge. Therefore, the management of functional dyspepsia is widened and involves variety treatment modalities, acupuncture being one of them. Acupuncture is a way of treatment by puncturing needles to particular area on the skin to eliminate pain and treat particular diseases. Acupuncture affects stomach motility and gastric acid secretion in functional dyspepsia patients. Two acupuncture points commonly used in functional dyspepsia are ST 36 and PC 6. Acupuncture can restore gastric motility in patients with functional dyspepsia, who have gastric emptying disturbance. Besides, functional dyspepsia complaints, such as epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, burning sensation, and bloating were found to improve after acupuncture therapy. Side effects of acupuncture are not life threatening with low incidence rate. The effectiveness of acupuncture therapy compared to standard medication shows varies results. Further studies are needed to determine the characteristics of functional dyspepsia patients which could have optimal results through acupuncture therapy

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

A Study on the Professional Skepticism Characteristics Among Malaysian Public Sector Auditor

Professional scepticism being define as “an attitude of questioning mind, being alert and also having critical assessment towards audit evidence” (ISA, 200). In Malaysia, auditors are required to apply professional scepticism during audits (MIA, 2008). Purpose – This study examines the demographic factor also professional scepticism criteria among auditor in Malaysia public sector

A Study on the Accountability and Professional Skepticism Among Malaysian Public Sector Auditor

Background - Accountability and good governance have a significant impact to the image of the government. Lerner and Tetlock, (1999) stated that an accountability exists when there is an ‘implicit or explicit expectation to justify their beliefs, feelings and actions to others”. McMillan and White (1993) identify professional skepticism when the auditor is more sensitive to evidence to detect error. Peecher et al. (2013) stated that audit quality can be improved when auditors being held accountable for their judgment processes. In Malaysian public sector, the audit system itself is a chain of accountability (Kulasingham, 1986). An auditor needs to ensure assets are being protected, maintain all accounts and records, give opinion on the financial statement, inspect the level of efficacy of program conducted and report it to the parliament (Kulasingham 1986). Referring to the Special Report on the 12th Malaysian Plan 2021-2025, It is highlighted that the needs of high-quality investments, greater public accountability and whole nation participation. Public sector auditor are expected to be professional and accountable when performing their audit works (MIA, 2008). Purpose - This study examines the types of accountabilities that may help auditors in maintaining professional skepticism’s attitude. It will also investigate on the impact of accountability factor towards professional scepticism among auditor in the Malaysian public sector Design/methodology/approach - This research applied accountability measurement adapted from Geer (2009) and Shaoul et al. (2012). It will involve questionnaire survey to auditors in public sector at Melaka state. And to validate the suitability of the instrument, descriptive statistics and factor analysis is conducted. Findings/Expected Contributions - This research provides inputs to the public sector auditor in understanding the accountability factor which may affect their professional scepticism. Secondly, it may provide inputs to National Audit Department (NAD) on the development of the audit standards with regards to the accountability. Research limitations - This study have some limitation, limited time given to complete the study and it only involve auditors in Melaka state. Originality/value - This study is specifically involving public sector auditor in Melaka

Field measurements on earthing systems of different soil resistivity values under high impulse conditions

In a previously published work, performances of three practical earthing systems consists of 2, 3 and 4 rod-bed electrodes buried at the same site, thus the same soil resistivity were investigated. It was found that the degree of reduction of the earth resistance values is the highest in the poor earthing systems (2 rod electrodes). The non-linearity effect or the reduction of earth resistance values as the currents were increased was also observed in previous study. However, in that study, the effects of the soil resistivity on the performance of earthing systems were not observed. This paper is a continuation of previously published paper where the detailed investigations of the soil ionisation in earthing systems under high impulse conditions for different soil resistivity values are presented. Similar configurations of earthing systems of 2, 3 and 4 rod-bed as in were used in each site, and combined grid-multiple rods where the results have been presented before were used for the purpose of comparison