Changes in free amino acid, peptide-N, sugar and pyrazine concentration during cocoa fermentation

The free amino acids, peptide-N, reducing sugars (the flavour precursors in cocoa) and pyrazine profiles of mix hybrid cocoa beans fermented in a rotary drum reactor were monitored over a period of 6 days. As fermentation progressed, the acidic free amino acid concentration decreased significantly (P<0·05) by 15%, whereas total, hydrophobic and other free amino acids increased significantly by 148, 280 and 127%, respectively. In terms of hydrophobic/acidic/other free amino acids ratio, the unfermented cocoa beans contained 30%:18%: 52%, whereas those of fermented beans contained 46%: 6%: 48%. Concentrations of peptide-N and total reducing sugars were significantly (P<0·05) increased by 55 and 208%, respectively during fermentation; however, those of sucrose and total sugars decreased significantly (P<0·05) by 89% and 75%, respectively. The unfermented cocoa beans contained no pyrazine; however during fermentation, the 2-methyl-, 2,5-dimethyl-, 2,6-dimethyl-, 2,3-dimethyl-, trimethyl- and tetramethylpyrazine were formed. The two principle pyrazines were tetramethyl- (2099·30 μg kg−1) and trimethylpyrazine (692·00 μg kg−1)

Business intelligence readiness factors for higher education institution

Higher Education Institution (HEI) have embarked on the new style of decision-making with the aim to enhance the speed and reliability of decision-making capabilities. One of the hardest challenges in implementing Business Intelligence (BI) is the organization’s readiness towards adopting and implementing BI systems. Currently, few published studies have examined BI readiness in HEI environment. Seeing this challenge, this study aims to contribute in determining the BI readiness factors in HEI specifically in the deployment strategies. Through inductive attention to BI in HEI environment, three broad factors have been identified: a) Organizational – that concerning on business strategies, process and structure, b) Technology – involves the BI system and knowledge for managing including the sources and c) Social – the culture within organization that may influence decision-making and its processes. This paper also makes recommendations for future research

Current status of industrial accident learning in Malaysia

The accident rate in Malaysia is decreasing; however, statistically it is still high if compared with other developing nations. One of the reasons why accidents keep on happening is due to poor learning from accidents. This paper discusses the level of accident learning from accident reports submitted to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Malaysia and the Society Security Organization (SOCSO) Malaysia involving 1,291 accident cases. Based on the quality and completeness of accident reports, their levels of learning were classified into five accident causation levels which are no, limited, fair, good and excellent learning

Determinants of Green Banking Adoption: A Theoretical Framework

All around the world, Green Banking has gained a tremendous moment in the last few decades. The green movement in the banking sector was triggered due to the escalating global climate change being caused by environmental degradation. Mostly attributed to the manufacturing sector, it has now been realized that banks are one of the major causes of the global climate change both directly and indirectly. This has caused an increased focus and stakeholder pressure for Green Banking adoption at the global level. Based on the Institutional theory, this study proposes a framework for examining the relationship between organizational adoption determinants and the adoption of Green Banking. The proposed framework is based on Institutional theory and justified through the existing literature. The study proposes the hypothesis for examining the relationship between determinants and Green Banking adoption. External or institutional factors are proposed to play an essential role in influencing a bank’s adoption of Green Banking practices. The proposed framework can be adopted by a country’s regulatory authorities and the individual banks in order to identify the factors that can positively influence and facilitate the adoption of Green Banking. &nbsp; Keywords:greenbanking,greenbankingadoption,stakeholderpressures,institutional theory, green banks

Statistical analysis of metalworking accidents within small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are known to be one of the major contributors to the national economy. However, in terms of occupational safety and health (OSH) implementation and performance, these SMEs, especially in the metalworking sector have yet to meet the necessary standard. This paper discusses the statistical analysis of accidents in metalworking industry by using accident reports submitted to the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) and Social Security Organization (SOCSO) which involved 1635 accident cases. The main objective is to identify the real causes of accidents and recommend an appropriate action plan for accidents prevention at the workplace

Efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis c genotype 3 patients of South Punjab, Pakistan

Background: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir (SOF) plus ribavirin (RIB) in naive patients with chronic HCV genotype 3. The study design was open label, quasi experimental study. The study was conducted at Medical Outpatient Department of Medical Unit-1, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, affiliated with Quaid e Azam Medical College (QAMC), Bahawalpur, from April 2016 to June 2019.Methods: A total of 627 treatment-naive patients, aged above 18 years, with chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3 infection were enrolled. SOF as 400 mg once a day plus weight-based RIB (1000 mg/day 75 kg) was given to all the study participants for 24 weeks. Qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) were done at 4 weeks to note the rapid virological response (RVR) whereas end of treatment response (ETR) was recorded at 24 weeks and sustained virological response (SVR) was noted 3 months after completion of treatment.Results: By 4th week, PCR of 524 (83.6%) patients was available, out of which, 492 (93.9%) had undetectable HCV RNA. By the end of treatment (24 weeks), PCR of 401 (64.0%) patients was available, out of which, 393 (98.0%) had undetectable HCV RNA. Data of 291 (46.4%) patients was available for SVR, 274 (94.1%) had undetectable HCV RNA. Weakness and fatigue turned out to be the commonest side effects, observed in 236 (37.6%) patients.Conclusions: Sofosbuvir was found to have good efficacy and safety in the local population of South Punjab having treatment-naïve chronic HCV genotype 3 infection

The Combination of a Previous Kitchen Waste Grease Trap for Fat, Oil, and Grease for Pre-Treatment

Fat, oil, and grease (FOG) contamination of wastewater is a significant problem for municipalities and operators of solid waste facilities. Restaurants and households are the higher contributions to the FOG entering the sewage system. Its discharge into the sewage system leads to a constant build-up that eventually causes sewer pipes to get clogged. Numerous scholars have examined FOG deposition concerning sewage conditions and local lifestyles. in addition, innovative technologies have been launched to the market that removes FOG from wastewater before its discharge into drainage and sewage systems. Grease interceptors, for example, are installed under certain restaurant kitchen sinks to collect grease from kitchen effluent. This technology is expensive, requires a lot of upkeep and space, and is often disregarded, resulting in odour discomfort. This research aims to modify a grease trap as the primary treatment method for untreated kitchen wastewater based on the gravity separation principle and to investigate the efficiency of grease trap physical treatment in a water treatment system used to filter oil and grease in the sink channel. Furthermore, when the outflow from the kitchen sink enters the grease trap, solid food particles sink into the grease trap while grease and oil float to the surface. The grease-free water goes into the septic system. Food particles in the waste food trap and floating oil and grease must be frequently removed. The optimization of the separation process was determined using a grease trap based on the flow rate of kitchen wastewater. The results revealed that the optimization removal of FOG was 99.54% with a 2.41 L/min of flow rate. Hence, this study shows the effectiveness of using grease traps could treat raw kitchen wastewater based on the gravity separation principle

An epidemiological, strategic and response analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia: A population-based observational study

Introduction: South Asia has had a dynamic response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The overall burden and response have remained comparable across highly-burdened countries within the South Asian Region. Methodology: Using a population-based observational design, all eight South Asian countries were analyzed using a step-wise approach. Data were obtained from government websites and publicly-available repositories for population dynamics and key variables. Results: South Asian countries have a younger average age of their population. Inequitable distribution of resources centered in urban metropolitan cities within South Asia is present. Certain densely populated regions in these countries have better testing and healthcare facilities that correlate with lower COVID-19 incidence per million populations. Trends of urban-rural disparities are unclear given the lack of clear reporting of the gaps within these regions. COVID-19 vaccination lag has become apparent in South Asian countries, with the expected time to complete the campaign being unfeasible as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses. Conclusion: With a redesigning of governance policies on preventing the rise of COVID-19 promptly, the relief on the healthcare system and healthcare workers will allow for adequate time to roll out vaccination campaigns with equitable distribution. Capacity expansion of public health within the Region is required to ensure a robust healthcare response to the ongoing pandemic and future infectious disease outbreak