Aqueous Sucrose Concentration Measurement Based On Michelson Interferometer

Penyukatan kepekatan bagi larutan berair adalah secara terus bergantung kepada indeks biasan (RI) medium berair yang berfungsi sebagai faktor dominan. Pemahaman sifat perubahan dalam nilai RI adalah penting untuk mengukur kepekatan sampel berair dengan tepat. Measurement of concentration for aqueous solution is fundamentally relied on the refractive index (RI) of the aqueous medium as a dominant factor. Understanding the nature of variation for RI is crucial for precise measurement of solution concentration

Antivenom Cross-Neutralization of the Venoms of Hydrophis schistosus and Hydrophis curtus, Two Common Sea Snakes in Malaysian Waters

Sea snake envenomation is a serious occupational hazard in tropical waters. In Malaysia, the beaked sea snake (Hydrophis schistosus, formerly known as Enhydrina schistosa) and the spine-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis curtus, formerly known as Lapemis curtus or Lapemis hardwickii) are two commonly encountered species. Australian CSL sea snake antivenom is the definitive treatment for sea snake envenomation; it is unfortunately extremely costly locally and is not widely available or adequately stocked in local hospitals. This study investigated the cross-neutralizing potential of three regionally produced anti-cobra antivenoms against the venoms of Malaysian H. schistosus and H. curtus. All three antivenoms conferred paraspecific protection from sea snake venom lethality in mice, with potency increasing in the following order: Taiwan bivalent antivenom < Thai monocled cobra monovalent antivenom < Thai neuro polyvalent antivenom (NPAV). NPAV demonstrated cross-neutralizing potencies of 0.4 mg/vial for H. schistosus venom and 0.8 mg/vial for H. curtus, which translates to a dose of less than 20 vials of NPAV to neutralize an average amount of sea snake venom per bite (inferred from venom milking). The cross-neutralization activity was supported by ELISA cross-reactivity between NPAV and the venoms of H. schistosus (58.4%) and H. curtus (70.4%). These findings revealed the potential of NPAV as a second-line treatment for sea snake envenomation in the region. Further profiling of the cross-neutralization activity should address the antivenomic basis using purified toxin-based assays

Case study of lean manufacturing application in a die casting manufacturing company

The case study of lean manufacturing aims to study the application of lean manufacturing in a die casting manufacturing company located in Pulau Penang, Malaysia. This case study describes mainly about the important concepts and applications of lean manufacturing which could gradually help the company in increasing the profit by studying and analyzing their current manufacturing process and company culture. Many approaches of lean manufacturing are studied in this project which includes: 5S housekeeping, Kaizen, and Takt Time. Besides, the lean tools mentioned, quality tool such as the House of Quality is being used as an analysis tool to continuously improve the product quality. In short, the existing lean culture in the company is studied and analyzed, with recommendations written at the end of this paper

Decreased Innate Migration of Pro-Inflammatory M1 Macrophages through the Mesothelial Membrane Is Affected by Ceramide Kinase and Ceramide 1-P

The retrograde flow of endometrial tissues deposited into the peritoneal cavity occurs in women during menstruation. Classically (M1) or alternatively (M2) activated macrophages partake in the removal of regurgitated menstrual tissue. The failure of macrophage egress from the peritoneal cavity through the mesothelium leads to chronic inflammation in endometriosis. To study the migration differences of macrophage phenotypes across mesothelial cells, an in vitro model of macrophage egress across a peritoneal mesothelial cell monolayer membrane was developed. M1 macrophages were more sessile, emigrating 2.9-fold less than M2 macrophages. The M1 macrophages displayed a pro-inflammatory cytokine signature, including IL-1&alpha;, IL-1&beta;, TNF-&alpha;, TNF-&beta;, and IL-12p70. Mass spectrometry sphingolipidomics revealed decreased levels of ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), an inducer of migration in M1 macrophages, which correlated with its poor migration behavior. C1P is generated by ceramide kinase (CERK) from ceramide, and blocking C1P synthesis via the action of NVP231, a specific CERK chemical inhibitor, prohibited the emigration of M1 and M2 macrophages up to 6.7-fold. Incubation with exogenously added C1P rescued this effect. These results suggest that M1 macrophages are less mobile and have higher retention in the peritoneum due to lower C1P levels, which contributes to an altered peritoneal environment in endometriosis by generating a predominant pro-inflammatory cytokine environment

Thermochemical conversion of Napier Grass for production of renewable syngas

Fuel resource diversification is a global effort to deviate from non-renewable fossil fuels. Biomass has been identified as an alternative solid biofuel source due to its desirable properties and carbon neutrality. As reported in the literature, biomass can positively contribute towards combating climate change while providing alleviation for energy security issue. As part of efforts to diversify biomass resources, this work intends to explore the potential of Napier grass, one type of energy crop, for the production of renewable syngas via gasification. This energy crop is originally from Africa, which is highly productive with low cost (40 tonnes per year per hectare). Limited studies were conducted to analyze the potential of such an energy crop as a fuel source, which is the subject of this work. In order to analyze the full potential of such energy crop, the physical and chemical characteristics of this biomass was first analyzed. To determine the productivity of syngas from this biomass, fluidized bed gasifier was used in this work. The effects of gasification process parameters (i.e., equivalence ratio and temperature) on product yield and producer gas compositions were examined. Besides, the effects of equivalence ratio towards higher heating value of syngas and carbon conversion efficiency were analyzed. Based on the ultimate analysis results, the molecular formula of Napier gas was CH1.56O0.81N0.0043. Meanwhile, the higher heating value of such biomass was determined as 16.73 MJ/kg, which was comparable to other biomasses. It is noted that in this work, the volatile matter was determined as 85.52% and this promoted gasification process remarkably. The dynamics of the reactions involved were observed as a significant variation in product yield and biogas components were recorded at varying equivalence ratio and gasifier operating temperature

Factors influencing student choice : A study of a Malaysian Public University

This paper discusses a study of the information sources employed by students to get information regarding University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and also the factors influencing students' choice of UNIMAS. In addition, differences in sources of information and factors of influence based on types of faculty and selected student demographics were also examined. This crosssectional survey research was carried out with a sample consisting of 1,396 first-year students in UNIMAS. The findings of the study showed that "Word of mouth through friends and relatives" and "UNIMAS website" were the two main sources of information. Furthermore, "Academic Program Choice ", "Quality of Teaching and Academics", "Employment Prospect" and "University Choice" were factors contributing towards students selecting UNIMAS to pursue their studies. Inferential statistical analyses consisting of independent t-tests and One-way ANOVA yielded mixed results that could have implications for UNIMAS and other public higher education institutions in employing appropriate strategies to target different segments of prospective students

Factors Influencing Student Choice:A Study of a Malaysian Public University

This paper discusses a study of the information sources employed by students to get information regarding University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and also the factors influencing students’choice of UNIMAS. In addition, differences in sources of information and factors of influence based on types of faculty and selected student demographics were also examined. This cross-sectional survey research was carried out with a sample consisting of 1,396 first-year students in UNIMAS. The findings of the study showed that “Word of mouth through friends and relatives” and“UNIMAS website” were the two main sources of information.Furthermore, “Academic Program Choice”, “Quality of Teaching and Academics”, “Employment Prospect” and “University Choice” were factors contributing towards students selecting UNIMAS to pursue their studies. Inferential statistical analyses consisting of independent t-tests and One-way ANOVA yield edmixed results that could have implications for UNIMAS and other public higher education institutions in employing appropriate strategies to target different segments of prospective students

Synergy study on charge transport dynamics in hybrid organic solar cell: photocurrent mapping and performance analysis under local spectrum

Charge transport dynamics in ZnO based inverted organic solar cell (IOSC) has been characterized with transient photocurrent spectroscopy and localised photocurrent mapping-atomic force microscopy. The value of maximum exciton generation rate was found to vary from 2.6 × 1027 m−3s−1 (Jsat = 79.7 A m−2) to 2.9 × 1027 m−3s−1 (Jsat = 90.8 A m−2) for devices with power conversion efficiency ranging from 2.03 to 2.51%. These results suggest that nanorods served as an excellent electron transporting layer that provides efficient charge transport and enhances IOSC device performance. The photovoltaic performance of OSCs with various growth times of ZnO nanorods have been analysed for a comparison between AM1.5G spectrum and local solar spectrum. The simulated PCE of all devices operating under local spectrum exhibited extensive improvement with the gain of 13.3–13.7% in which the ZnO nanorods grown at 15 min possess the highest PCE under local solar with the value of 2.82%

Crystallization and X-ray crystallographic analysis of recombinant TylP, a putative γ-butyrolactone receptor protein from Streptomyces fradiae

TylP is one of five regulatory proteins involved in the regulation of antibiotic (tylosin) production, morphological and physiological differentiation in Streptomyces fradiae. Its function is similar to those of various γ-butyrolactone receptor proteins. In this report, N-terminally His-tagged recombinant TylP protein (rTylP) was overproduced in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The rTylP protein was crystallized from a reservoir solution comprising 34%(v/v) ethylene glycol and 5%(v/v) glycerol. The protein crystals diffracted X-rays to 3.05 Å resolution and belonged to the trigonal space group P3121, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 126.62, c = 95.63 Å

Oligomerization state of the multimerization domain of Nipah virus phosphoprotein

Oligomerization of the phospho (P) proteins of paramyxoviruses plays important roles in the viral genome replication and transcription. The multimerization domain of the P proteins (PMD) was found to be responsible and sufficient for the oligomerization process. However, the oligomeric status of Nipah virus (NiV) P protein is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to produce the PMD region of NiV in bacteria in order to determine the oligomeric status of the P protein. The NiV PMD region was cloned into pTrcHis2-TOPO vector and expressed in Escherichia coli. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis confirmed the protein expression upon IPTG induction at 37 °C for 5 h. Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) purification was developed to purify the recombinant histidine-tagged NiV PMD which yielded a purity of 97%. Chemical cross-linking revealed that the PMD of NiV formed tetramer. The stability of the oligomer was studied with dynamic light scattering while mass spectrometry confirmed the exact molecular masses of the cross-linked products. Circular dichroism analysis revealed that the NiV PMD contained high α-helical content (55%) suggesting the presence of a coiled coil structure