A study of crime potentials in Taman Melati terrace housing in Kuala Lumpur : issues and challenges

Recently, Malaysia has adopted “Safe city programme”, which is focused towards creating violence and crime free cities. To achieve this, it is important to address crimes and disorder in residential areas. So far studies identified thatchanges in built environment and modifications in space design can impact residents and offenders perceptions of criminality. Various CPTED measures are employed to create defensible space. This paper examines the effects of physical design on the occurrences of crime in Taman Melati residential area of Kuala Lumpur City and tests the effects of the built environment on the possibility of crime reduction through physical planning measures

Left lateral flank approach for spaying in cats

Background: Spaying is considered a reliable surgical method for birth control and preventing potential feline reproductive diseases.Aim: This experiment was carried out to evaluate the suitability of the left lateral flank approach for routine spaying in cats.Methods: Twenty-seven queens of 7–24 months old and 1.5–3.5 kg body weight (BW) were spayed through flank laparotomy on the left lateral side of the abdomen. The cats were categorized into two groups: Group A (n = 12; cats did not yet give birth) and Group B (n = 15; cats gave birth before). The studied variables included age, BW, vaccination history, skin incision length, total surgical duration, the time needed for ligating ovarian pedicles and uterine body, suture materials, postoperative complications, and healing duration.Results: There were no significant differences (p < 0.05) in age, BW, and vaccination history of the cats between the two groups. The mean incision length and total duration of surgery were greater in the case of Group B than in Group A. The ease of entering into the peritoneal cavity, duration of ligating the ovarian pedicles, and transfixing the uterine body did not vary significantly (p < 0.05) between the groups although a longer time was taken for Group B than Group A. 62.96% spayed cats were found with no postoperative complication. The observed complications included wound site infection (7.41%), dehiscence of suture lines (11.11%), bleeding (3.70%), and oozing (14.82%) from wounds which were further treated successfully for complete recovery.Conclusion: Left lateral flank approach can be an effective method of spaying in queens without any life-threatening complications

Social Safety Nets Programs in Bangladesh: Preparing for Adaption to Demographic Change, Disaster, and Poverty Reduction

From the last two decades, Bangladesh has experienced a rapid decline in birth rate and childhood mortality rate simultaneously. Due to increase in literacy rate, per capita income, more awareness about life, and better nutrition, life expectancy has also increased rapidly in Bangladesh. As a result, the increase in population and life expectancy undeniably has an impact on the demographic profile of the population. As a disaster prone and large populated country with limited resources, a big share of population is still poor and vulnerable. To tackle the situation a large scale social safety net (SSN) programs with grants cash, in-kind or both for targeted people have been implementing by the government and non-government organization. This paper is an attempt to provide an overview of the current SSN program implemented by the government. Considering existing literature and document, this paper identifies three models of SSN transfers: natural shocked-based, extreme poverty-based and age-based transfers model. It concludes that coverage and amount of age-based transfer need to increase at priority basis as the number of elderly increases over the year. It also concludes that for extreme poverty reduction the coverage and amount of benefit as last resort of other two transfer models can be revised. Keywords: social safety nets, demographic change, vulnerability, elderly, and povert

Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block with conscious sedation for thyroid surgery

Total thyroidectomy can safely be performed by bilateral superficial cervical plexus blockade which is a regional anesthetic technique to anaesthetize superficial branches of the anterior primary rami of cervical 3-5 spinal nerves. Conscious sedation with this anesthetic technique enhance safe and faster recovery compared to general anesthesia (GA) with endotracheal intubation which is traditionally employed technique for thyroidectomy. This randomized active control trial was conducted in the department of Anaesthesia, Analgesia and Intensive care medicine, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University from January to December 2018 to compare perioperative outcome between bilateral superficial cervical plexus blockade and GA technique during total thyroidectomy. Total 60 patients of American Society of Anesthesiol- ogists Classification grade I and II who were selected for thyroidectomy were randomly divided into Group-A(n=30) and Group-B (n=30). Group A received with 0.5% bupivacaine and 1% lignocaine; and group B received general anesthesia during total thyroidectomy. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure mean arterial blood pressure , oxygen satura- tion (SPO2) were recorded and compared between the groups. Operative site bleeding, surgeon’s satisfaction & post operative pain were measured with Boezaart Scoring system, Likert scale & visual analogue scale repectively; and compared between two groups. During induction, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were high in group B and reduced in group A which were statistically significant. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly reduced in Group-A in comparison to Group-B after 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes and at the end of operation. Bilateral superficial cervical plexus blockade reduced pain more effective- ly than GA group & it was statistically significant. Mean value of bleeding score were also statis- tically significant in Group-A. Regarding surgeons’ satisfaction, there was no statistically signif- icant difference between the groups. Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block with conscious sedation provided better outcome in terms of perioperative hemodynamics, pain and surgical site bleeding compared to general anaesthesia. BSMMU J 2021; 14(4): 104-10

Spline-Shaped Microstrip Edge-Fed Antenna for 77 GHz Automotive Radar Systems

An innovative millimeter-wave (mm-wave) microstrip edge-fed antenna (EFA) for 77 GHz automotive radars is proposed. The radiator contour is modeled with a sinusoidal spline-shaped (SS) profile characterized by a reduced number of geometrical descriptors, but still able to guarantee a high flexibility in the modeling for fulfilling challenging user-defined requirements. The SS-EFA descriptors are effectively and efficiently optimized with a customized implementation of the System-by-Design (SbD) paradigm. The synthesized EFA layout, integrated within a linear arrangement of identical replicas to account for the integration into the real radar system, exhibits suitable impedance matching, isolation, polarization purity, and stability of the beam shaping/pointing within the target band [76:78][GHz]. The experimental assessment, carried out with a Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR) system on a printed circuit board (PCB)-manufactured prototype, assess the reliability of the outcomes from the full-wave (FW) simulations as well as the suitability of the synthesized SS-EFA for automotive radars

Comparison between one-step self-etch adhesive and along with additional hydrophobic layer in the retention of giomer at non-carious cervical lesion

The purpose of the present study was to assess the giomer retention following application of one step self etch adhesive and one-step self-etch adhesive plus an extra hydrophobic adhesive layer in non-carious cervical lesion. Twenty four participants having bilateral cervical lesion at the maxillary premolars teeth were selected. Following cleaning of the cervical lesions, 24 left premolar teeth were restored with giomer by using the one-step self-etch system (Group A) and 24 right premolar teeth were restored with giomer by using one-step self-etching plus extra hydrophobic adhesive layer (Group B). Participants were recalled at 6 and 15 months for evaluating the clinical outcome. The results showed that at 15 months, 18 giomer restorations in Group A and 21 in Group B were intact inside the cavity and no significant difference was found between the two groups. It can be concluded that giomer restoration used with one-step self- etching plus additional adhesive layer slightly improved the retention of the material

A comparative clinical study of bioceramic and calcium hydroxide based root canal sealer in the treatment of non-vital permanent tooth with periapical lesion

Introduction: The use of Bioceramic sealer in the obduration of the root canal system has been expected by many of the previous studies. However, the clinical outcome has not yet been established. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of bioceramic and calcium hydroxide based root canal sealer in treatment of non-vital permanent teeth with periapical lesion (Periapical periodontitis). Materials and Methods: A total 100 mature permanent anterior teeth were selected after clinical and radiological examination which had non-vital pulp with periapical lesion. Clinically pulp vitality test, palpation and percussion test was performed maintaining standard procedure. Following cavity preparation and biomechanical preparation, each canal was obturated either with bioceramic (Endosequence BC) or calcium hydroxide based sealer (Sealapex, Kerr). All participants were evaluated immediately after obturation, at 3 and 6 months for the assessment of change in size of periapical lesion, condition of periodontal ligament space, lamina dura and incidence of post-operative pain, swelling. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi- square(X2) test and t-test. A value of p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Bioceramic was more effective in reducing the lesion size than that of calcium hydroxide. At 6 months, the mean lesion size was reduced from 3.52±0.7 to 1.30±0.462 mm in Bioceramics and from 3.48±1.07 to 1.58± 0.498 mm in sealapex treated teeth.. Furthermore, 98% of bioceramic treated teeth and 94% of sealapex treated teeth showed absence of swelling. The differences between two groups were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this short period of study, Bioceramics based sealer seems to be more effective than calcium hydroxide based sealer in repair of periapical lesions of the nonvital teeth

Review of baseline studies on energy policies and indicators in Malaysia for future sustainable energy development

Malaysia's framework for energy development was established in the early 1970s. Henceforth, many successive policies were introduced as potential resources for electricity generation and utilization. Currently, as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Malaysia is sparing no effort to comply with the policy to meet the challenges of mitigating over-dependence on fossil fuels, reducing carbon levels, and achieving sustainable national development. This paper reviewsthe baseline studies on electrical energy policies and the measurement indicators used in Malaysia's electric power system. This research involves a comprehensive survey of electrical energy policies in Malaysia that focus on issues pertaining to energy supply, utilization, its environmental impact and considerations, renewable energy (RE) policies, production and consumption, energy efficiency, and feed-in tariffs. Fourteen energy indicators for sustainable development in Malaysia were investigated through the identification of energy policies in significant areas, such as reliability, safety, adequacy and cost-effectiveness of energy supply; increasing energy efficiency; minimizing environmental impact; and enhancing quality of life in terms of social well-being. The policies and the indicators are classified into different sustainable dimensions and summarized in tables along with the corresponding key references. In this study, future energy planning and options, especially in nuclear and RE programs, as well as the conflictbetweenthem,areillustratedthroughtheoverallperformancerelativetotargetsandbenchmarksfor past and future projections up to the year 2030. This review seeks to examine the past, present, and future policies and indicators to provide a sufficient overview of Malaysian energy policies for optimizing sustainable development. The goal is for this review to lead to increased efforts to accommodate the increasing demand for the management and utilization of RE, promote energy efficiency, and improve performance in achieving sustainable national developmen

Post-Harvest Processing, Packaging and Inspection of Frozen Shrimp: A Practical Guide

The book is a practical guide for the various steps in the post-harvest technology of frozen shrimps. Shrimps are one of the most common and popular types of seafood consumed globally. The book discusses some of the most sought-after shrimps such as Penaeus monodon, P. vannamei, and Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Good-quality shrimp is a prerequisite for the seafood business as it is used for human consumption. Lack of proper knowledge in raw materials handling and post-harvest processing is the main obstacle in quality shrimp production. Complex business policy, commitment break in both parties (buyers and sellers), competition with other seafood-producing countries, and fluctuation of currency in international seafood market are the factors affecting international seafood business. This book closes this gap in literature and facilitates the production of excellent-quality exportable frozen shrimp through informed practices from experts. The book includes information about packaging of frozen shrimp, inspection, and shipment. It also compiles different mathematical calculations which are in practiced in the processing industries. The book is essential reading for professionals in the shrimp producing and processing industries. It is also useful for researchers in fisheries science, aquaculture, food technology, and food microbiology

Dietary lacto-sacc improved growth performance, food acceptability, body indices, and basic hematological parameters in empurau (Tor tambroides) fries reared in the aquaponics system

Slow growth rate of empurau (Tor tambroides) fish is reported impeding its’ aquaculture practice extensively in Malaysia. It mainly occurs at the fry to fingerling phase. Hence, the present research evaluated the dietary lacto-sacc feed supplement on the growth performance and health status of T. tambroides fries. The fish growth was outperformed significantly (P<0.05) after 12 weeks in fish fed with the lacto-sacc supplemented fish feed compared to the non supplemented control diet. Alike the growth performance, the basic hematological parameters were significantly (P<0.05) improved. This study was the first attempt to indicate the suitability of dietary lacto-sacc for empurau fries nursery in the aquaponics system. Although this study was performed in four types of aquaponics systems, the factorial analysis confirmed that diet had a strong effect for this occurrence