Effect of palm olein addition on the quality characteristics of sunflower oil during deep fat frying

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of palm olein (PO) addition on the quality characteristics of sunflower oil (SFO) during frying of potato pieces. The blends were prepared in the volume ratios of 20:80 (PO:SFO, PSF1) and 40:60 (PO:SFO, PSF2). Refractive index, free fatty acid content, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, TOTOX, viscosity, specific extinction, polar compounds, food oil sensor value, colour, and polymer content of the oils all increased, whereas iodine value and C18:2/C16:0 ratio decreased as frying progressed. The percentage of linoleic and linolenic acids tended to decrease, whereas the percentages of palmitic and oleic acids increased. Based on the most oxidative stability criteria investigated, PO addition led to a slower deterioration of SFO at frying temperature. Blend PSF2 showed better frying performance compared to PSF1. However, higher amounts of free fatty acids and higher colour units were both detected in the blends compared to pure SFO at the end of frying. It appears that proper blending of highly unsaturated SFO with PO can result in oil blends that could meet nutritional needs with improved stability for domestic cooking and deep-frying

ANTIOXIDANTS, BIOCHEMICAL, AND HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS CHANGE IN WORKERS OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED TO RADON INHALATION AT CERTAIN CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL INDUSTRIES IN ERBIL, IRAQ

This study examined the effects of radon on the endogenous antioxidants, biochemical, and hematological parameters of workers in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. This was carried out to ascertain how radon affects the health of those who work in certain factories producing building materials. The case study group consisted of 70 workers, who were then divided into seven subgroups (gypsum, cement plant, lightweight block, marble, red brick 1, crushed stone, and concrete block 2), while the control group consisted of 20 healthy volunteers. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC), levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), the complete blood count (CBC), and liver function tests were evaluated. The statistical analysis revealed that the antioxidant activities and CEA levels between the case study group and the control group differed significantly. Also, antioxidant enzyme activities and indoor radon concentration, the annual effective dosage, were found to be highly significantly correlated by Pearson and Spearman analyses in the case study group. Additionally, the results demonstrated a substantial correlation in the data between the levels of CEA biomarkers and radon (r=0.478, p˂0.000). The present results showed that radon concentration increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in a radon concentration-dependent manner (r=0.263 and p ˂0.05). The aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin activities, on the other hand, were not significantly affected by radon. The most significantly influenced CBC parameter was the low white blood cells (WBC) in the case study group compared to the controls. Low platelet count (PLT) was the second-highest problematic metric. The other CBC values, however, did not significantly differ between the research group and the control group. This study offers a preliminary image of the endogenous antioxidant systems in employees, especially to show a connection between radon and the occurrence of cancer among workers in Iraq Kurdistan Region

A Multisectoral Approach in Dengue Management in Seremban Malaysia: an Ecobiosocial Perspective

Background: Dengue has been established as a major public health issue in many parts of the world particularly those in the tropical regions. In Malaysia, the rising rate of dengue cases had remained uncurbed, alarming to both the public and the local authorities. Despite the existence of legislations and control activities, why does the number of dengue cases keep on increasing every year? The objective of this study was to assess the existing environmental and health policies/strategies towards sustainable prevention and control of dengue/DHF in Malaysia. In addition, it also aimed to review the eco-bio-social approach and its advantages in prevention and control of dengue. Subjects and Method: Series of in-depth interviews were conducted on 12 key- informants aged between 36-58 years old. They were selected based on their roles that were divided into three categories, i.e. (1) policy makers, (2) middle managers, and (3) implementers at the ground level. Each interview explored in detail, on the important domains which were the ecology, biology, and social factors. Each session took an average of 45 minutes to 1 hour. There were a total of 10 males and 2 females selected for the in-depth interview. Open-ended questions were asked and the interviews were voice recorded, after obtaining consent from the respondents. The interviews were terminated once data saturation was achieved. The qualitative data was analyzed using Atlas.ti software. Results: The three main themes that emerged and were identified to contribute to sustainable dengue control and prevention were (1) adequate implementation of existing health policy, (2) good integration and coordination between agencies, (3) commitment from political and community leaders. Local data showed that areas which did not have these important components became hot spots for dengue with high number of dengue cases. Conclusion: It is vital that the community and relevant authorities focus on these themes/domains that will significantly improve the chances of having sustainable denguecontrol and management program in their localities. Keywords: multisectoral approach, ecobiosocial, engue control, sustainable managemen

The effect of microwave roasting over the thermooxidative degradation of Perah seed oil during heating

The impact of microwave roasting on the thermooxidative degradation of perah seed oil (PSO) was evaluated during heating at a frying temperature (170℃). The roasting resulted significantly lower increment of the values of oxidative indices such as free acidity, peroxide value, p-anisidine, total oxidation (TOTOX), specific extinctions and thiobarbituric acid in oils during heating. The colour L* (lightness. Value dropped gradually as the heating time increased up to 12 h, whereas a*(redness. and b* (yellowness). Tended to increase. The viscosity and total polar compound in roasted PSO was lower as compared to that in unroasted one at each heating times. The tocol retention was also high in roasted samples throughout the heating period. The relative contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs. were decreased to 94.42% and saturated fatty acids (SFAs. were increased to 110.20% in unroasted sample, after 12 h of heating. On the other hand, in 3 min roasted samples, the relative contents of PUFAs were decreased to 98.08% and of SFAs were increased to 103.41% after 12 h of heating. Outcome from analyses showed that microwave roasting reduced the oxidative deteriorations of PSO during heating

Utilization of Waste Plastic and Waste Glass Together as Fine and Coarse Aggregate in Concrete

Concrete is one of the common materials for producing different construction-related structures around the world, mainly due to its low cost, availability, long period of durability, and ability to withstand very bad weather conditions. Glass and plastics have become an inseparable and integral part of our lives. The amount of glass and plastics consumed annually has been growing steadily. Its low density, strength, user-friendly designs, fabrication capabilities, long life, lightweight, and low cost are the factors behind such phenomenal growth. Glass and plastic are found in municipal solid waste (MSW), and they are of the most used daily materials; they can be used as a construction material in buildings or primarily in the form of containers, etc. This paper focuses on replacing some fine and coarse aggregates in concrete with waste plastic and waste glass. To evaluate the effects of including these wastes, mechanical tests like compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural tests conducted on samples prepared with four different percentages of fine and coarse aggregate replaced with fine and coarse plastic and glass waste together. From the results obtained, it was seen that waste plastic and waste glass together reduces compressive strength, flexural strength, and density, while in some proportions of replacement increased splitting tensile strength and water absorption percentage; however, the results are in a manner that even though the concrete produced with such aggregates can be used for structural applications

Diagnostic accuracy and correlation between Double Inversion Recovery (DIR), FLAIR and T2W imaging sequences with EDSS in detection of lesions at different anatomical regions in MS patients

The aim of our study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of double inversion recovery (DIR) in detection of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions as well as the correlation between the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and lesion load measurement detected by DIR, fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T2 weighted imaging (T2WI) in order to reveal the essential role of DIR sequence in assessing clinical inability as a practicable experiment. A total of 97 patients were assessed on a 3T Siemens Skyra MRI scanner using DIR, FLAIR, and T2W_TSE sequences. EDSS was used to assess the physical disability in patients with MS. The diagnostic accuracy of DIR, FLAIR and T2WI sequences was also determined in different anatomical regions. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed by relative operating characteristics/ receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve at different cut off points. Spearman correlation was applied to identify the significant relationships between the number of lesions displayed by DIR, FLAIR and T2WI at different regions and EDSS score. Our results pointed out the highest sensitivity (92.9%) and specificity (73.5%) for the number of lesions in infratentorial region at the cut-off point of 4.5 and the highest correlation between the number of lesions and EDSS was observed in infratentorial region (r= 0.584, p<0.001) for DIR sequence. According to the findings of ROC analysis, the number of lesions detected by DIR technique in the infratentorial region is the best predictor of EDSS as a gold standard. DIR can be used as a complementary technique comparing to conventional T2 and FLAIR sequences and describe physical and cognitive dysfunction as well. Due to the higher potential of the DIR sequence to reveal a greater number of MS lesions and to overcome the technical defect of conventional MRI sequences in the diagnosis of cortical lesions, it is recommended that DIR sequences be routinely added to MRI imaging protocols for patients with MS

Fabrication and characterization of printed zinc batteries

Zinc batteries are a more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to its components being highly recyclable. With the improvements in the screen printing technology, high quality devices can be printed with at high throughput and precision at a lower cost compared to those manufactured using lithographic techniques. In this paper we describe the fabrication and characterization of printed zinc batteries. Different binder materials such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl butyral (PVB), were used to fabricate the electrodes. The electrodes were first evaluated using three-electrode cyclic voltammetry, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy before being fully assembled and tested using charge-discharge test and two-electrode cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the printed ZnO electrode with PVB as binder performed better than PVP-based ZnO. The XRD data prove that the electro-active materials were successfully transferred to the sample. However, based on the evaluation, the results show that the cathode electrode was dominated by the silver instead of Ni(OH)2, which leads the sample to behave like a silver-zinc battery instead of a nickel-zinc battery. Nevertheless, the printed zinc battery electrodes were successfully evaluated, and more current collector materials for cathode should be explored for printed nickel-zinc batteries

Higher ethical objective (Maqasid al-Shari'ah) augmented framework for Islamic banks : assessing the ethical performance and exploring its determinants.

This study utilises higher objectives postulated in Islamic moral economy or the maqasid al-Shari’ah theoretical framework’s novel approach in evaluating the ethical, social, environmental and financial performance of Islamic banks. Maqasid al-Shari’ah is interpreted as achieving social good as a consequence in addition to well-being and, hence, it goes beyond traditional (voluntary) social responsibility. This study also explores the major determinants that affect maqasid performance as expressed through disclosure analysis. By expanding the traditional maqasid al-Shari’ah,, we develop a comprehensive evaluation framework in the form of a maqasid index, which is subjected to a rigorous disclosure analysis. Furthermore, in identifying the main determinants of the maqasid disclosure performance, panel data analysis is used by including several key variables alongside political and socio-economic environment, ownership structures, and corporate and Shari’ah governance-related factors. The sample includes 33 full-fledged Islamic banks from 12 countries for the period of 2008–2016. The findings show that although during the nine-year period the disclosure of maqasid performance of the sampled Islamic banks has improved, this is still short of ‘best practices’. Through panel data analysis, this study finds that the Muslim population indicator, CEO duality, Shari’ah governance, and leverage variables positively impact the disclosure of maqasid performance. However, the effect of GDP, financial development and human development index of the country, its political and civil rights, institutional ownership, and a higher share of independent directors have an overall negative impact on the maqasid performance. The findings reported in this study identify complex and multi-faceted relations between external market realities, corporate and Shari’ah governance mechanisms, and maqasid performance

The Role of Ethnic Directors in Corporate Social Responsibility: Does Culture matter? The Cultural Trait Theory Perspectives

This paper investigates the effect of cultural differences between ethnic directors on corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Public Liability Companies (PLCs) in Nigeria. Using the cultural trait theory, the study focuses on how the ethnic directors are influenced when making decisions concerning CSR. Adopting multiple regression analysis of data, the study investigates the three major ethnic groups (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) and finds cultural differences between the ethnic directors affect the adoption of CSR. Empirical results indicate that ethnic directors (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) were positively and significantly related to CSR. The paper contributes to the corporate governance and CSR debate concerning how ethnic directors’ decisions impact on CSR activities, particularly on the directors who are individualistic and collectivists towards CSR

The PROVENT-C19 registry: A study protocol for international multicenter SIAARTI registry on the use of prone positioning in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 ARDS

Background The worldwide use of prone position (PP) for invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 is progressively increasing from the first pandemic wave in everyday clinical practice. Among the suggested treatments for the management of ARDS patients, PP was recommended in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 guidelines as an adjuvant therapy for improving ventilation. In patients with severe classical ARDS, some authors reported that early application of prolonged PP sessions significantly decreases 28-day and 90-day mortality. Methods and analysis Since January 2021, the COVID19 Veneto ICU Network research group has developed and implemented nationally and internationally the "PROVENT-C19 Registry", endorsed by the Italian Society of Anesthesia Analgesia Resuscitation and Intensive Care. . .'(SIAARTI). The PROVENT-C19 Registry wishes to describe 1. The real clinical practice on the use of PP in COVID-19 patients during the pandemic at a National and International level; and 2. Potential baseline and clinical characteristics that identify subpopulations of invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 that may improve daily from PP therapy. This web-based registry will provide relevant information on how the database research tools may improve our daily clinical practice. Conclusions This multicenter, prospective registry is the first to identify and characterize the role of PP on clinical outcome in COVID-19 patients. In recent years, data emerging from large registries have been increasingly used to provide real-world evidence on the effectiveness, quality, and safety of a clinical intervention. Indeed observation-based registries could be effective tools aimed at identifying specific clusters of patients within a large study population with widely heterogeneous clinical characteristics. Copyright