The Design of a Smart Refrigerator Prototype

The technological development nowadays has enabled the use of smart appliances and machines almost everywhere. The refrigerator is considered one of the most important appliances that is being used in almost every place for the purpose of storing foods, drinks, and medicines at cold temperatures, and in a sealed place to avoid exposure. However, there are several  challenges encountered with refrigerators; like the expiration of some of the items inside the fridge, the need to know the exact count  and availability of the items, potential liquid leaks, and open fridge door. A smart refrigerator is proposed as a solution to the aforementioned problems. The proposed smart refrigerator uses a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, the Arduino Uno microcontroller, RFID tags for all items in the fridge, a user friendly application developed using Microsoft Visual Studio, MySQL main database developed by the suppliers to store the information related to each purchased item and Phidget Interface Kit board

Profiling of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant and anticancer activity in pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.) extracts from different locations of Malaysia.

Background Phytochemicals and antioxidants from plant sources are of increasing interest to consumers because of their roles in the maintenance of human health. Most of the secondary metabolites of herbs are used in a number of pharmaceutical products. Methods Secondary metabolites composition and content of five flavonoids and three phenolic acids were evaluated and determined in Pandanus amaryllifolius extracts from three different locations of Malaysia by RP-HPLC; Total phenolic and total flavonoid content were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau and aluminum chloride colorimetric assay; The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined by the ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) Assay was employed to screen anticancer activity of extracts against MCF-7 cancer cell line. Results Highest value of total flavonoids (TF) and total phenolics (TP) was observed in pandan extract from Bachok locattion (1.87 mg/g DW and 6.72 mg/g DW) followed by Klang (1.32 mg/g DW; 5.07 mg/g DW) and Pontian (1.12 mg/g DW; 4.88 mg/g DW). Rutin just detected from Bachok location with value of 0.082 mg/g DW. High content of epicatechin (0.035 mg/g DW) and naringin (0.325 mg/g DW) were observed from Bachok location while, highest content of catechin (0.613 mg/g DW) and kaempferol (0.278 mg/g DW) was observed in pandan extract from Klang location. The extract of pandan from Bachok exhibited highest value of gallic acid (0.423 mg/g DW) and cinnamic acid (0.084 mg/g DW). Ferrulic acid just detected from pandan extract of Bachok location with concentration of 0.281mg/g DW. Between studied locations Bachok exhibited highest value of DPPH (64.27%) and FRAP (517.2 μm of Fe (II)/g) activity followed by Klang (52.16%; 448.6 μm of Fe (II)/g) and Pontian (50.10%; 314.8 μm of Fe (II)/g). The preliminary screening showed pandan extracts from 3 locations possessed anticancer promoting activity against MCF-7 cell line, with 78.3%, 70.5% and 67.4% inhibition rate, respectively. Maximum MCF-7cell line inhibition was observed in pandan extract from Bachok location. Conclusions The samples collected from the North (Bachok) exhibited the highest TP, TF antioxidant and anticancer activity while those from the Southern portion (Pontian) appeared to have the lowest content of TP, TF and antioxidant activity

Temperature Dependence of Step Density on Vicinal Pb(111)

The temperature dependence of step density on the vicinal Pb(111) surface is investigated using reflection high-energy electron diffraction. When the temperature is increased from 323 to 590 K. the average terrace width and the average string length at the step edge decrease from 85±25 to 37±16 Å and from 220±33 to 25±8 Å, respectively. Thermal step collapse on the Pb(111) surface near its bulk melting temperature is not observed. Above 530±7 K, the change in the string length at the step edge with temperature becomes small, and the intensity of the (00) beam is significantly decreased. We conclude that partial step melting at the step edge occurs at the surface above 530±7 K

Overlimiting Current and Shock Electrodialysis in Porous Media

Most electrochemical processes, such as electrodialysis, are limited by diffusion, but in porous media, surface conduction and electro-osmotic flow also contribute to ionic fluxes. In this paper, we report experimental evidence for surface-driven over-limiting current (faster than diffusion) and deionization shocks (propagating salt removal) in a porous medium. The apparatus consists of a silica glass frit (1 mm thick with 500 nm mean pore size) in an aqueous electrolyte (CuSO$_4$ or AgNO$_3$) passing ionic current from a reservoir to a cation-selective membrane (Nafion). The current-voltage relation of the whole system is consistent with a proposed theory based on the electro-osmotic flow mechanism over a broad range of reservoir salt concentrations (0.1 mM - 1.0 M), after accounting for (Cu) electrode polarization and pH-regulated silica charge. Above the limiting current, deionized water ($\approx 10 \mu$ $M$) can be continuously extracted from the frit, which implies the existence of a stable shock propagating against the flow, bordering a depleted region that extends more than 0.5mm across the outlet. The results suggest the feasibility of "shock electrodialysis" as a new approach to water desalination and other electrochemical separations.Comment: 39 pages, 9 fig

Antioxidant activities, total phenolics and flavonoids content in two varieties of Malaysia young ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a well known and widely used herb, especially in Asia, which contains several interesting bioactive constituents and possesses health promoting properties. In this study, the antioxidant activities of methanol extracts from the leaves, stems and rhizomes of two Zingiber officinale varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara) were assessed in an effort to compare and validate the medicinal potential of the subterranean part of the young ginger. The antioxidant activity and phenolic contents of the leaves as determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the total amounts of phenolics and flavonoids were higher than those of the rhizomes and stems. On the other hand, the ferric reducing/antioxidant potential (FRAP) activity of the rhizomes was higher than that of the leaves. At low concentration the values of the leaves' inhibition activity in both varieties were significantly higher than or comparable to those of the young rhizomes. Halia Bara had higher antioxidant activities as well as total contents of phenolic and flavonoid in comparison with Halia Bentong. This study validated the medicinal potential of the leaves and young rhizome of Zingiber officinale (Halia Bara) and the positive relationship between total phenolics content and antioxidant activities in Zingiber officinale

Elevated carbon dioxide increases contents of flavonoids and phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activities in Malaysian young ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe.) varieties.

Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (Family Zingiberaceae) is well known in Asia. The plant is widely cultivated in village gardens in the tropics for its medicinal properties and as a marketable spice in Malaysia. Ginger varieties are rich in physiologically active phenolics and flavonoids with a range of pharmacological activities. Experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of increasing levels of flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, catechin, epicatechin, kaempferol, naringenin, fisetin and morin) and phenolic acid (gallic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, tannic acid, cinnamic acid and salicylic acid), and antioxidant activities in different parts of Malaysian young ginger varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara) with CO2 enrichment in a controlled environment system. Both varieties showed an increase in phenolic compounds and flavonoids in response to CO2 enrichment from 400 to 800 μmol mol-1 CO2. These increases were greater in rhizomes compared to leaves. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results showed that quercetin and gallic acid were the most abundant flavonoid and phenolic acid in Malaysian young ginger varieties. Under elevated CO2 conditions, kaempferol and fisetin were among the flavonoid compounds, and gallic acid and vanillic acid were among the phenolic compounds whose levels increased in both varieties. As CO2 concentration was increased from 400 to 800 μmol mol-1, free radical scavenging power (DPPH) increased about 30% in Halia Bentong and 21.4% in Halia Bara; and the rhizomes exhibited more enhanced free radical scavenging power, with 44.9% in Halia Bentong and 46.2% in Halia Bara. Leaves of both varieties also displayed good levels of flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activities. These results indicate that the yield and pharmaceutical quality of Malaysian young ginger varieties can be enhanced by controlled environment production and CO2 enrichmen

Effects of solvent type on phenolics and flavonoids content and antioxidant activities in two varieties of young ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) extracts

The extractive capability of phenolic components from herb material is considerably depended on the type of solvent. In our research three kinds of solvents (methanol, acetone and chloroform) extracts from different parts (leaves, stems and rhizomes) of two Malaysian young ginger varieties (Halia Bara and Halia Bentong) were used to examine the effects of extraction solvent on total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF), quercetin, catechin and rutin content and antioxidant activity [1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay]. Results showed that extraction solvent had significant effects on TP, TF, quercetin, catechin and rutin content and antioxidant activity. The highest content of TP, TF and DPPH scavenging activities were found in methanol extracts. Additionally, High performance liqouid chromatography results shown that methanol had the highest extraction capacity for quercetin, rutin and catechin. Between varieties Halia Bara had high content of TP, TF and antioxidant activities to compare with Halia Bentong. Accumulation and partitioning of TP and TF in both varieties were: leaves > rhizomes > stems in all the three solvent extracts. However, according to the results extraction yield of phenolic compounds is greatly depending on the solvent polarity. With increased in solvent polarity from chloroform to methanol, amount of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities increased in both varieties. Thus, for routine screening of young ginger varieties with higher antioxidant activity, methanol was recommended to extract phenolic compounds from young ginger

Supply chain forecasting when information is not shared

The operations management literature is abundant in discussions on the benefits of information sharing in supply chains. However, there are many supply chains where information may not be shared due to constraints such as compatibility of information systems, information quality, trust and confidentiality. Furthermore, a steady stream of papers has explored a phenomenon known as Downstream Demand Inference (DDI) where the upstream member in a supply chain can infer the downstream demand without the need for a formal information sharing mechanism. Recent research has shown that, under more realistic circumstances, DDI is not possible with optimal forecasting methods or Single Exponential Smoothing but is possible when supply chains use a Simple Moving Average (SMA) method. In this paper, we evaluate a simple DDI strategy based on SMA for supply chains where information cannot be shared. This strategy allows the upstream member in the supply chain to infer the consumer demand mathematically rather than it being shared. We compare the DDI strategy with the No Information Sharing (NIS) strategy and an optimal Forecast Information Sharing (FIS) strategy in the supply chain. The comparison is made analytically and by experimentation on real sales data from a major European supermarket located in Germany. We show that using the DDI strategy improves on NIS by reducing the Mean Square Error (MSE) of the forecasts, and cutting inventory costs in the supply chain

Antibiotic Stewardship in Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Introduction: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are characterized by microbial invasion of the skin layers and are common in various healthcare settings. A study conducted between 2005-2010 in the United States, found a combined total of 2.3 million cases of SSTIs in ambulatory and inpatient settings. This was higher than the rates of pneumonia and urinary tract infections during the same time period. Another study found that between 2000 and 2012, there was a 40% increase (2.4 million to 3.3 million) in cases of SSTIs. Our aim is to study the primary uses of vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam and their average days of therapy in the treatment of SSTIs. Objective: Our aim is to study the primary uses of vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam and their average days of therapy in the treatment of SSTIs. Methods: Data was collected for during January of 2019 of all administrations of antimicrobial use in a local hospital, which included the emergency department, inpatient admissions, and intensive care unit. These data points were sorted by antimicrobial, dates administered, and then by their indicated use. Indicated uses were then tallied on a histogram and an average days on therapy was calculated per patient. Discussion: Our analysis illustrates that the top three indicated uses of vancomycin was other, sepsis, and SSTIs, in descending order. The average days of therapy per patient for use of vancomycin in the treatment of SSTIs was 2.97 days. Piperacillin/tazobactam similarly was used primarily for sepsis, gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal infections, and SSTIs, in descending order. Conclusion: Our analysis shows that the average days of therapy for use of vancomycin in the treatment of SSTIs was 2.97. Study limitations include the limited, one-month duration of the data set. Our plan is to expand this work using data from a 12-month period on use of antimicrobials in the same hospital. We intend to compare the average days of therapy for different indications (i.e sepsis) and compare to national averages. We hope to interpret these data in the context of guideline recommendations on duration of intravenous therapy for SSTIs, so as to surmise what differences may exist between guidelines and clinical practice