Pengaruh Penambahan Admixture Terhadap Karakteristik Self Compacting Concrete (Scc)

Penelitian ini adalah eksperimen laboratorium yang sifatnya pengenalan terhadap materi SCC.SCC atau Self Compacting Concrete adalah sebuah inovasi dalam teknologi konstruksi betondewasa ini yang menggunakan bahan tambah (admixture) untuk menghasilkan beton berkinerjatinggi. Pada penelitian ini ingin diketahui pengaruh penambahan admixture kimiaSuperplasticizer “Mighty 150 S” dan Retarder “Conplast Dessue Possolit” terhadap karakteristikSCC. Superplasticizer diberikan dalam 3 variasi kadar (1,5%, 2,0%, 2,5%) dengan mengurangikadar air campuran. Metode pengujian SCC dengan Slump-Cone Test pada kondisi segar dantes kuat tekan pada umur 3, 7, dan 28 hari. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan keadaan selfcompactibilitySCC tercapai pada semua kadar Superplasticizer yang diberikan. Tingkatkelecakan aliran (workabilitas) SCC meningkat sesuai penambahan kadar Superplasticizer, dansebaliknya, kekuatan tekan SCC menurun sesuai penambahan kadar Superplasticizer. Kondisioptimal SCC tercapai pada kadar 1,5% Superplasticize

Pre-assessment of microbiology quality and antibiotic resistance of vibrio parahaemolyticus from cockle (Anadaragranosa) in Malaysia.

Introduction Vibrio species has shown one of the most important bacterial diseases in marine cultured organisms, affecting a large number of species of fish and shellfish. Among well known species is Vibrio parahaemolyticus which associated with cockle and reported as one of the important foodborne diseases in developing countries. Objectives The study was conducted to determine the microbiology quality of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in cockles (Anadaragranosa) in Selangor, Perak, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan. Methods A total of 12 cockle samples were purchased from wet market throughout 3 weeks in September 2009. Out of the 12 cockle samples, 120 isolates were randomly produced and tested for microbiology quality of V. parahaemolyticus by growing onto Thiosulphate Bile-Salt Sucrose (TCBS) agar. Tentative colonies of V. parahaemolyticus were then examined for biochemical test and antibiotic resistance patterns towards bacitracin, vancomycin, penicillin, chloramphenicol, amikacin, enrofloxacin and cifrofloxacin. Results The highest mean colony counting value for Vibrio grown onto TCBS agar was from Melaka with 4.19 x 105cfu per gm, followed by Perak (4.15 x 105cfu per gm), Negeri Sembilan (3.72 x 105cfu per gm) and Selangor with 1.58 x 105 cfu per gm. Biochemical tests showed 75 isolates were positive for V. parahaemolyticus with 29.3% (22/30) isolates were from Perak, 26.3% (20/30) isolates were from Selangor, 22.6% (17/30) isolates were from Melaka and 21.2% (16/30) isolates were from Negeri Sembilan. As for antibiotic resistance pattern, all V. parahaemolyticus isolates were resistant toward one or more antibiotic tested with 100% (75/75) isolates resistant toward bacitracin, 99% (74/75) toward vancomycinand 92% (69/75) toward penicillin. Inspite of this, none of the V. parahaemolyticus isolates were resistant toward chloramphenicol, amikacin, enrofloxacin and cifrofloxacin. Conclusion The presence of V. parahaemolyticus in all cockle samples with their antibiotic resistance properties was alarming. More samples should be studied in obtaining an accurate view of microbiology quality and antibiotic resistance of V. parahaemolyticusin cockle samples in Malaysia

LGR5 expression in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objective. LGR5 is pivotal to oral cavity development and is implicated in epithelial malignancy whereby stimulation of LGR5 potentiates canonical Wnt signaling. This investigation tested our hypothesis of a correlation between LGR5 expression and the severity of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)

Application of ex vivo cryo-imaging technique for three-dimensional finite element analysis of atherosclerotic plaque rupture

PublishedCryo-imaging is an ex vivo vascular imaging modality that acquires serial 2D fluorescence and bright-field images at 20μm increments without sacrifice to tissue morphology. These features make Cryo-imaging an attractive approach for rendering high-resolution 3D volumes that may serve as a basis for finite element analysis (FEA) studies of plaque rupture. This work demonstrates the first use of Cryo-imaging for the imaging of a human coronary vessel and the subsequent rendering of a 3D FE model that clearly delineates critical anatomical features of atherosclerotic plaque. FEA is then performed to assess the plaque rupture conditions that result in a thrombotic episode

Controlling of green nanocellulose fiber properties produced by chemo-mechanical treatment process via SEM, TEM, AFM and image analyzer characterization

Nanocellulose fibers were extracted from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) fibers by a chemo-mechanical treatment process. The aim of this study is to observe and investigate the morphological structure and fiber dimension characteristic of each stage in the nanocellulose production. The fiber structure characterization of the raw, purified pulps, extracted cellulose and nanocellulose fibers were controlled by observation and investigation under Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Image Analyzer. The morphological observation illustrated that the isolation of nanocellulose fibers had greatly decreased from micron to nanoscale, up to 5-10 nm in diameter, and therefore suitable to be used as quality nano-reinforcement in the polymer matrix for a potential environmental green nanobiocomposites development.Keywords: nanocellulose fibers; morphological observation; fiber dimension; SEM; TE

Endodontic Microbiology: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Top 50 Classics

Background: Citation analysis has emerged to play a significant role in recognition of the most useful areas of research. Endodontic microbiology has been a topic of interest for endodontists as well as periodontists and oral surgeons. This bibliometric analysis is aimed at identifying and reporting the characteristics of the top 50 cited articles on endodontic microbiology. Methods: The articles were identified through a search on Web of Science (WoS), property of Clarivate Analytics database published on endodontic microbiology. The citation information of the selected articles was recorded. The Journal of Endodontics, International Endodontic Journal, Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology and Endodontology, Dental Traumatology, and Australian Endodontic Journal were searched in the search title. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed using a statistical software package SPSS. Statistical analysis was performed using Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, Post hoc, Mann-Kendall trend, and Spearman-rank tests. Results: The 50 most cited articles were published from 1965 to 2012 with citation count varying from 1065 to 103 times. The total citation counts of articles recorded were 11,525 (WoS), 12,602 (Elseviers' Scopus), and 28,871 (Google Scholar). The most prolific years in terms of publications were 2001, 2002, and 2003, with five publications each, followed by 2005 with four. The year with most citations was 1998, with 1,330 citations, followed by 1965 and 2001, with 1,065 and 1,015 citations, respectively. A total of 136 authors contributed to the top 50 most cited articles with 27 corresponding institutions from 12 different countries. The most common methodological design was in vitro study, followed by clinic-laboratory study, literature review, systematic review and meta-analysis, and animal study. Conclusions: The present study provided a detailed list of the top 50 most cited and classic articles on microbiology in endodontics. This will help researchers, students, and clinicians in the field of endodontics as an impressive source of information

Islamisation of engineering education – a case at IIUM

Seeking knowledge and continuing education are very important elements in Islam. All Muslims (both male and female) are required to make sincere efforts to acquire knowledge for the benefits of themself and the society; They believe that there is only one God (Allah) and He is the ultimate source of all knowledge. Although the education system has various branches, this paper is intended to present the common issues related to the Islamic values and practices in engineering education and the ways to instil ethics & spirituality into the technical education system. The step by step initiatives taken by the faculty of engineering at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is highlighted in this paper. In order to achieve the goals of Islamisation of engineering education at IIUM, the relevant Islamic elements are added into the curriculums, textbooks are written and learning outcomes are set (at IIUM) to assess the student’s ability in appreciating the link between the revealed and acquired knowledge. Generally, such initiatives are welcomed by the students, though it requires a substantial amount of continuous efforts from the academic staffs. It is realised that Islamisation of the engineering education and continuous reminder of spirituality in engineering practices are essential to reduce the corruption and unethical practices in the engineering profession, which is one of the major socio-economic problems in many countries, rich or poor, developed or developing. Steps taken in the engineering curriculum design is part of the faculty’s initiatives to achieve its vision, which is to be a world-class centre for engineering education and research with values and ethics. Information shared in this paper could be beneficial for both secular and non-secular education system

Flood forecasting and warning for Muar River: non-structural measures for flood mitigation

The Muar River catchment has repeatedly suffered prolonged, significant flood events which have caused widespread disruption and impacts to residents, businesses and infrastructure; the impacts have been exacerbated by considerable rapid development over the past decade, which has modified the flow regimes and flooding mechanisms. To help prepare for, and mitigate, the effects of future floods, the Malaysian government is implementing a range of flood management projects, which will provide an integrated approach based on structural and non-structural measures. The integrated Flood Forecasting and River Monitoring system (iFFRM) for the river Muar is a key non-structural measure that has been recently implemented. The government’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) is responsible for providing a flood forecasting and warning service to the public; the iFFRM is a tool designed to enable effective decision support by DID. The iFFRM is a fully automated system that is driven by a combination of live, telemetered gauged data from DID’s own InfoBanjir database, spatial rainfall radar data, and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) rainfall forecasts from the Malaysian Meteorological Department. Hourly simulations are carried out automatically, to forecast water levels and flows in the river channels, and to map the flood inundation process within the flood plains. Simulation results are used to warn DID staff so that immediate action can be taken to provide an effective and proactive emergency response. Results are also passed to the project website, and dedicated smartphone application, enabling forecasts to be disseminated more widely. A parallel analytical modelling network can take over the forecasting role should the primary iFFRM system fail. Ongoing structural measures for flood mitigation are captured through a flexible modelling approach that can incorporate model updates to reflect real changes in the catchment, complementing the structural measures being implemented by DID and ensuring a sustainable solution

Evaluation of the existence of initial breakdown process for cloud-to-ground flashes

In this paper, we are motivated to evaluate the existence of Initial Breakdown (IB) process in Cloud-to-Ground (CG) flashes of a tropical storm by using both broadband E-field and B-field antenna systems. It is important to note here that all previous studies were using only broadband E-field antenna system. In this study, the evaluation of existence of IB process was done based on both broadband E-field and B-field antenna systems. The data of lightning flashes were collected on June 3 rd 2016 by our station in Malacca, Malaysia. We analyzed 50 CG flashes from a tropical storm happened in Kuala Lumpur area. The data recorded by broadband E-field antenna system shows that 94% of CG flashes were preceded by IB process. On the other hand, by using B-field antenna system, all CG flashes have been observed to be preceded by IB process. This finding is very significant because we can conclude that all CG flashes are initiated by IB process. The average pulse duration of the first, second, third, and the largest IB pulses are 33.52 μ s, 36.08 μ s, 37.76 μs, 43.02 μs, respectively. The average peak amplitude of the first, second, third, and the largest IB pulses are 179.60 mV, 261.90 mV, 272.94 mV, 609.57 mV, respectively

Casirivimab and imdevimab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Background: Casirivimab and imdevimab are non-competing monoclonal antibodies that bind to two different sites on the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, blocking viral entry into host cells. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of casirivimab and imdevimab administered in combination in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Methods: RECOVERY is a randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial comparing several possible treatments with usual care in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. 127 UK hospitals took part in the evaluation of casirivimab and imdevimab. Eligible participants were any patients aged at least 12 years admitted to hospital with clinically suspected or laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual care plus casirivimab 4 g and imdevimab 4 g administered together in a single intravenous infusion. Investigators and data assessors were masked to analyses of the outcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality assessed by intention to treat, first only in patients without detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 infection at randomisation (ie, those who were seronegative) and then in the overall population. Safety was assessed in all participants who received casirivimab and imdevimab. The trial is registered with ISRCTN (50189673) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04381936). Findings: Between Sept 18, 2020, and May 22, 2021, 9785 patients enrolled in RECOVERY were eligible for casirivimab and imdevimab, of which 4839 were randomly assigned to casirivimab and imdevimab plus usual care and 4946 to usual care alone. 3153 (32%) of 9785 patients were seronegative, 5272 (54%) were seropositive, and 1360 (14%) had unknown baseline antibody status. 812 (8%) patients were known to have received at least one dose of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In the primary efficacy population of seronegative patients, 396 (24%) of 1633 patients allocated to casirivimab and imdevimab versus 452 (30%) of 1520 patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days (rate ratio [RR] 0·79, 95% CI 0·69–0·91; p=0·0009). In an analysis of all randomly assigned patients (regardless of baseline antibody status), 943 (19%) of 4839 patients allocated to casirivimab and imdevimab versus 1029 (21%) of 4946 patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days (RR 0·94, 95% CI 0·86–1·02; p=0·14). The proportional effect of casirivimab and imdevimab on mortality differed significantly between seropositive and seronegative patients (p value for heterogeneity=0·002). There were no deaths attributed to the treatment, or meaningful between-group differences in the pre-specified safety outcomes of cause-specific mortality, cardiac arrhythmia, thrombosis, or major bleeding events. Serious adverse reactions reported in seven (<1%) participants were believed by the local investigator to be related to treatment with casirivimab and imdevimab. Interpretation: In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, the monoclonal antibody combination of casirivimab and imdevimab reduced 28-day mortality in patients who were seronegative (and therefore had not mounted their own humoral immune response) at baseline but not in those who were seropositive at baseline. Funding: UK Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council) and National Institute of Health Research