Quality of life and physical functioning of the diabetic middle aged and older adults

Objective: To compare the physical functioning and quality of life for the diabetic middle aged and older adults.Methodology: A descriptive study design was used, the study was conducted at the outpatient clinics of two hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt. A total number of 118 diabetic patients diagnosed with diabetes at least for one year, aged 20-59 for the middle aged adults group & ≥60 for the elderly group, had no current physical disabilities or mental impairments were included. Four measures were used in this study; the socio-demographic and clinical data structured interview questionnaire, the Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short version (IPAQ), and the Short Form 36 General Health questionnaire (SF-36).Results: A statistical difference was observed between the two groups in all domains of generic health related quality of life except role limitations due to emotional problems, and social functioning. Adults' group with normal fasting blood sugar test had better quality of life and physical functioning than the elderly group.Conclusion& recommendations: The elderly patients with diabetes had poorer quality of life and functional status in comparison with the adults. These findings suggest that, health education programs that stress a balanced diet and increased activity should be a public health priority for all ages to control diabetes mellitus and its complications

Preliminary design of carbon composite facing for dry clutch disc of mini agricultural tractor

In this paper, the preliminary design of carbon composite clutch facing for the use of mini agricultural tractor dry clutch disc is presented. The main factor that needs to be considered in order to design a clutch disc facing is the torque produced by the engine. An optimum clutch facing disc should have minimum in weight, simple to manufacture and high reliability. Finite element analysis is conducted to determine the maximum stress the designed clutch disc facing before the fabrication take place. The design carbon facing is then fabricated by using Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) 5-axis milling machine. The completed design will then used for experimental analysis to determine its reliability and durability

Rainfall-induced hydraulic properties for unsaturated soil in Klang valley

Klang Valley area is one of the most landslide-prone areas in Malaysia, especially at Hulu Kelang, Kuala Lumpur. The area has been frequently hit by landslide since 1990s. Soil instability is agreed by researchers occurred due to high precipitation and long duration of rainfall which cause property damage and leading to injury and fatality. Slope failure is also triggered by the antecedent rainfall leads to infiltration of rainwater into soil. Therefore, study of rainwater infiltration is vital to relates soil – water interaction and soil behaviour for varies of rainfall intensities and duration for unsaturated soil. The objective of this paper is to determine and compare soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) which is one of the soil hydraulic parameters for Klang Valley area. Samples were collected to determine the soil hydraulic properties at Hulu Kelang area, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) campuses. SWCC was obtained by pressure plate extractor apparatus experiment and the analysis was performed using Van Genuchten equation. Result of parameters obtained shows significant differences of soil at Hulu Kelang area compared to soils at UKM and UPNM campuses. This research is relevant to supports national slope master plan 2009-2023

Ecological impacts of climate change on the snow leopard (Panthera unica) in South Asia

Snow leopard (Panthera unica) is a felid which lives in the highly rugged areas of alpine regions in different mountain ranges of South and Central Asia. This solitary animal needs large spaces for its ranges but due to climate change and relatively faster rate of global warming in South Asian mountain ranges, its habitat is going to shrink and fragment by tree-line shifts and change in hydrology of the area. Vegetative modification of montane flora and competition with domestic goats will create its prey’s population to decline along with a chance of a direct conflict and competition with the common leopard. Common leopard being more adaptable, grouped, and larger in size can be a significant stressor for a smaller and solitary snow leopard. Habitat would shrink, and snow leopard can possibly move upslope or northward to central Asian ranges and their predicted migratory patterns are unknown

A conventional multiplex PCR for the detection of four common soil-transmitted nematodes in human feces : development and validation

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, mainly caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworms, are among the most common intestinal parasites that infect humans. The infections are widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical countries, including Malaysia, particularly in underprivileged communities. Microscopic and culture techniques have been used as a gold standard for diagnostic techniques. However, these methods yield low sensitivity and specificity, laborious and time-consuming. Therefore, simple, rapid, and accurate alternative methods are needed for the simultaneous detection of STH infections. Although advanced technologies such as real-time multiplex PCR have been established, the use of this technique as a routine diagnostic is limited due to the high cost of the instrument. Therefore, a single-round multiplex conventional PCR assay for rapid detection of four STH species in the fecal sample was developed in this study. To perform the single-round multiplex PCR, each pair of species-specific primers was selected from target genes, including Ancylostoma duodenale (Internal Transcribed Spacer 2; accession No. AJ001594; 156 base pair), Necator americanus (ITS 2; accession No. AJ001599; 225 base pair), Ascaris lumbricoides (Internal Transcribed Spacer 1; accession No. AJ000895; 334 base pair) and Trichuris triciura (partial ITS 1, 5.8s rRNA and partial ITS 2; accession No. AM992981; 518 base pair). The results showed that the newly designed primers could detect the DNA of STH at low concentrations (0.001 ng/μl) with no cross-amplification with other species. This assay enables the differentiation of single infections as well as mixed infections. It could be used as an alternative and is a convenient method for the detection of STHs, especially for the differentiation of N. americanus and A. duodenale

Optimization of boron dispersion on fibrous-silica-nickel catalyst for enhanced CO2 hydrogenation to methane

There are numerous reports regarding boron-containing catalysts for hydrogen-related reactions from CO2 including dry reforming of methane and methanation. Besides enhancing the productivity, boron also improved nickel activity and stability. However, the detailed mechanistic study, particularly in explaining the starring role of boron in the enhanced reactions, is still lacking. Thus, herein we loaded boron on fibrous-silica-nickel and investigated their physicochemical properties and mechanistic route by means of in-situ FTIR for enhanced CO2 methanation. It was found that the appropriate dispersion of boron surrounds the nickel particles is an important factor to improve the adsorption of CO2 before interacting with split hydrogen atom from the nickel sides to form intermediates which are subsequently dehydrated, and then serial hydrogenation gave the final product of methane. Boron also accelerated the methanation and restricted coke formation. A hybrid approach on optimization via a face-centered central composite design and a response surface methodology showed that reaction using H2/CO2 ratio of 6, GHSV of 10,500 mL g−1 h−1, at 500 °C gave the highest percentage of CH4 of 84.3%. To indicate the error, the predicted values were compared to the experimental values, yielding an accurately minimal error ranging from 0 to 11%. As a result, the empirical models generated for CO2 hydrogenation to methane were reasonably accurate, with all actual values for the confirmation runs fitting within the 94% prediction interval

Morphometric analysis and roosting ecology of bat species Pteropus Medius in Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract Morphometric measurement and roosting ecology of Pteropus medius were aimed to find out in Mansehra district of KP, Pakistan. Total 3149 numbers of bats were found in eight biological spots visited; Baffa Doraha, Darband, Dadar, Jallu, Hazara University, Garhi Habibullah Chattar Plain and Jabori, in total 299 numbers of different species of trees including; Morus alba, Pinus raxburghi, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Morus nigra, Grevillea robusta, Brousonetia papyrifera,Platanus orientalis, Ailanthus altissima, Hevea brasiliensis and Populus nigra. Morphometric features were measured and found vary according to sex of the bats. The average wing span, wing`s length from tip of wing to neck, from thumb to tip of wing and the body`s length from head and claws were recorded to be 102.98 cm, 49.07cm, 28.7 cm and 22.78 cm respectively in males while 93.67 cm, 44.83cm, 24.78cm and 22.78 cm respectively in female bats. Mean circumference of the body including wings and without wing were measured as 22.78 cm and 17.29 cm in males and that of female were 20.07 cm and 16.9 cm. Average length of thumb 3.64 cm, ear`s length 3.1 cm, snout 5.62cm, eye length were 1.07 cm for both sexes and length between the feet in extended position were16.3 cm. Generally different measurement of males bodies were found to be greater than female such as mean body surface area, mass, volume and pressure were found to be 2691.79 cm2, 855.7gm,1236.4 ml and 295.77 dyne/ c m 3for male and 2576.46 cm2, 852.71gm,1207 ml and 290.2 dyne/ c m 3 respectively for female. While weight and density for both males and females bats were same with mean of 8.59 newton and 0.701 g/m3. Findings of current reports can add valued information in literature about bats, which can be used for species identification and conservation