Synthesis, Characterization And Photoluminescence Properties Of Photocrosslinkable Benzylidene-Containing Polyesters And Their Potential Application As Chemosensor

Tesis ini merangkumi tujuh siri homolog poliester baru yang mengandungi kumpulan benzilidena dan bisbenzilidena. Poliester yang disintesiskan mempunyai keterlarutan dalam pelbagai jenis pelarut organik yang meningkatkan potensinya dalam kajian aplikasi This dissertation comprised of seven homologous series of new polyesters containing benzylidene and bisbenzylidene moieties. The synthesized polyesters were found to be soluble in various organic solvents which would enhance their potential in application studie

Does prior experience really matter for disaster preparedness?

Climate change and transition toward urbanization had resulted in more frequent and severe disasters in the last decade. While urbanization is potential driver of change and economic growth, climate change had exacerbated resource scarcity and exposed local communities to greater and more frequent disasters. The local communities in Malaysia are of no exception. The most common types of disasters in Malaysia are landslide, flash flood and haze. This study explores the extent to which prior experience affects the level of preparedness among Malaysian communities before occurrence of natural disasters. Although previous studies have proven prior experience aided better handling of preparedness, yet some researchers have not found significant correlation between prior experience and preparedness. Having inconclusive results and with the rise of unexpected disaster events, has lead this present study to investigate the link in the Malaysian context. Questionnaire surveys were distributed to more than 1,000 respondents and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 12 local communities from Klang Valley, Malaysia. The results indicated that prior experience does contribute towards the level of disaster preparedness among the local communities in Malaysia. Hence, the findings of this present study may reduce the impact of disasters and thus could help local communities to effectively cope with the events of disasters

WeeliciousCuisine quick response (QR)

This paper attempts to create a WeeliciousCuisine quick respond (QR) code content which including some guideline video to guide the users on how to use this product and also providing some recipe to teach them how to used and how to made a complete dishes.The target of audience ages are in seventeen to twenty five years old.Besides that, it also aim for the restaurants, shops and bars to provide them a better understanding of how the products have been use as to improve the services of the tourism industry as this application provides the useful information related to the products or ingredients that required by the foreigners, so the users can get the right ingredients in overseas for example, Malaysia.Research conducted by using the descriptive statistics and result shown more than 58% respondents are still not familiar with Quick respond code but more than a half respondents are interested to know more about Quick respond code and requested to improve their content on food and beverage.In conclusion, WeeliciousCuisine Quick Response (QR) is a system that helps user to have a quick look and learn how to cook in short time.The function of this system is to prevent users for choosing the wrong ingredients and also help them to save time and cost in the supermarket

Surveillance of Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Prescription in Singaporean Hospitals: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study

10.1371/journal.pone.0028751PLoS ONE612

Colon Carcinogenesis: The interplay between diet and gut microbiota

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence increases yearly, and is three to four times higher in developed countries compared to developing countries. The well-known risk factors have been attributed to low physical activity, overweight, obesity, dietary consumption including excessive consumption of red processed meats, alcohol, and low dietary fiber content. There is growing evidence of the interplay between diet and gut microbiota in CRC carcinogenesis. Although there appears to be a direct causal role for gut microbes in the development of CRC in some animal models, the link between diet, gut microbes, and colonic carcinogenesis has been established largely as an association rather than as a cause-and-effect relationship. This is especially true for human studies. As essential dietary factors influence CRC risk, the role of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, and their end products are considered as part of the interplay between diet and gut microbiota. The underlying molecular mechanisms of colon carcinogenesis mediated by gut microbiota are also discussed. Human biological responses such as inflammation, oxidative stress, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage can all influence dysbiosis and consequently CRC carcinogenesis. Dysbiosis could add to CRC risk by shifting the effect of dietary components toward promoting a colonic neoplasm together with interacting with gut microbiota. It follows that dietary intervention and gut microbiota modulation may play a vital role in reducing CRC risk

Kajian keratan rentas mengenai pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan terhadap pencegahan demam denggi di Kampung Belawai, Sarikei dari 20 Jun hingga 5 Ogos 2000

A cross-sectional study was carried out in Kampung Belawai, Sarikei to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of the villagers towards the prevention of Dengue Fever. The study was conducted from 20 July 2000 to 5 August 2000 by fourth year medical students from Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). A total of 232 respondents were selected based on systematic random sampling method and were interviewed by using a set of pre-tested questionnaire. A presumptive survey on Aedes larvae infestation rate was also carried out together with the interview. The majority of the respondents were female (61.3%). The results showed that the mean score for knowledge, attitude and practice of the general population was 53.5%, 69.7% and 45.7%, respectively. There was also significant association between knowledge, attitude and practice with sociodemographic factors such as age, education level and the household income. The Aedes larvae survey showed that the Breteau Index was 54.7, House Index was 33.6 and Container Index was found to be 14.4%. Pottery was the commonest container found to be infested with Aedes larvae. After the survey, an intervention program by the theme of `Hapuskan Denggi, Bekrwai Boleh! ' was carried out on 22nd and 23`d July 2000 at Kampung Belawai to raise the knowledge, attitude and practice of dengue prevention among the target population. The intervention program was also aimed to reduce the Aedes larvae infestation rate. It is recommended that continuous health education in small groups to be implemented among the target population to improve their knowledge, attitude and practice towards the prevention of Dengue Fever

A multi-stakeholder strategy to identify conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia

Malaysia, with its rapidly growing economy, exemplifies the tensions between conservation and development faced by many tropical nations. Here we present the results of a multi-stakeholder engagement exercise conducted to (1) define conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia and (2) explore differences in perceptions among and within stakeholder groups (i.e. government, academia, NGOs and the private sector). Our data collection involved two workshops and two online surveys where participants identified seven general conservation themes and ranked the top five priority issues within each theme. The themes were: (1) policy and management, (2) legislation and enforcement, (3) finance and resource allocation, (4) knowledge, research and development, (5) socio-economic issues, (6) public awareness and participation and (7) rights of nature. In spite of their very different backgrounds and agendas, the four stakeholder groups showed general agreement in their priority preferences except for two issues. Respondents from government and private sector differed the most from each other in their priority choices while academia and NGO showed the highest degree of similarity. This ranked list of 35 conservation priorities is expected to influence the work of policy-makers and others in Peninsular Malaysia and can be used as a model to identify conservation priorities elsewhere

Hydrogen Storage Materials for Mobile and Stationary Applications: Current State of the Art

One of the limitations to the widespread use of hydrogen as an energy carrier is its storage in a safe and compact form. Herein, recent developments in effective high-capacity hydrogen storage materials are reviewed, with a special emphasis on light compounds, including those based on organic porous structures, boron, nitrogen, and aluminum. These elements and their related compounds hold the promise of high, reversible, and practical hydrogen storage capacity for mobile applications, including vehicles and portable power equipment, but also for the large scale and distributed storage of energy for stationary applications. Current understanding of the fundamental principles that govern the interaction of hydrogen with these light compounds is summarized, as well as basic strategies to meet practical targets of hydrogen uptake and release. The limitation of these strategies and current understanding is also discussed and new directions proposed