Effect of partial sugar replacement with ultrasonically treated citrus pectin on aeration and rheological properties of batter

Ultrasound treatment was applied on citrus pectin solution prior mixing into batter as partial replacement of sugar content. The pectin solutions were treated with ultrasound at 20%, 40%, and 60% amplitude for 5, 15, and 25 min. It was then replaced with 20% and 30% of sugar content in batter formulation. Aeration properties were tested by measuring batter density and rheological properties of batter, also volume and hardness of cake. The results shown that 20% of sugar replacement with non‐treated pectin in batter system gave lower batter density at lower viscosity, and higher consistency index with less viscoelasticity produced lower cake volume and cake hardness compared with 30% of sugar replacement. Ultrasound treatment on pectin solution at shorter duration was able to further reduce the batter density which increases the cake aeration by producing higher cake volume with lower hardness compared with non‐treated pectin in lower level of sugar replacement

Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) on Patients

With Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a cancer affecting the cells lining the oral cavity, posing significant emotional and social challenges for patients. This research aimed to explore the psychosocial impact of OSCC on patients' emotional, social, and psychological well-being. The study findings revealed several key aspects of the psychosocial impact of OSCC.Emotional distress emerged as a prominent consequence of an OSCC diagnosis, leading patients to experience fear, anxiety, sadness, and anger. The uncertainty surrounding the disease, treatment outcomes, and future prospects further intensified emotional burden and negatively influenced the overall quality of life.The study also highlighted the significant impact on body image and self-esteem due to physical changes resulting from OSCC treatments, such as facial disfigurement and difficulty in speech, eating, or swallowing. These changes created a sense of loss of identity and self-worth, affecting patients' self-esteem.Patients with OSCC encountered social isolation as they felt reluctant to interact with others or engage in activities due to the visible effects of the disease or treatment side effects. The fear of judgment or rejection led to a withdrawal from social gatherings, adding to their emotional distress.Cancer also strained relationships with family members, friends, and partners, leading to emotional distress for both patients and caregivers, altering the dynamics of the patient's support system. The financial burden of cancer treatment further exacerbated stress levels, impacting the patient's overall psychosocial well-being.Coping mechanisms varied among patients, with some seeking support from social networks or support groups, while others opted for professional counseling or therapy to manage emotional challenges effectively. Fear of cancer recurrence was a recurring concern even after successful treatment, affecting patients' mental health and daily life.The psychosocial impact of OSCC also had implications for treatment adherence, with emotional distress, depression, or anxiety leading to missed appointments or inadequate adherence to treatment plans

Understanding Customer Satisfaction of Internet Banking: A Case Study In Malacca

AbstractThe banking industry has been rapidly developing the use of Internet banking as an efficient and viable tool to create customer value. It is one of the popular services offered by the traditional banks to provide speedier and reliable services to online users. With the rapid development of computer technology as a commercial too Internet banking can be used to attract more customers to perform banking transactions in related banks. However, the main problem of Internet banking faced by the providers is that a large number of the banks’ customers are not willing to use the Internet banking services offered. This happened due to the services offered through Internet banking have yet to satisfy their customers. Customer satisfaction is an important factor to help banks to sustain competitive advantages. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to search and examine the factors which influence customer satisfaction towards Internet banking. The five factors which can influence customer satisfaction toward Internet banking include service quality, web design and content, security and privacy, convenience and speed. With the use of a questionnaire survey, 200 working adults participated in this study have provided valuable feedback and responses pertaining to the above factors that influence customers’ decision to do Internet Banking. The results of this research showed that web design and content, convenience and speed are closely linked to customer satisfaction toward Internet banking. Or … The results of this research showed that web design and content, convenience and speed are the top three factors that influence customer satisfaction toward Internet Banking

Purchase intention of Consumers from Melaka towards Mobile Advertising

Acceleration growth in the telecommunication technology especially in mobile devices has resulted to greater new opportunities to the marketing strategies. It thus has led to the current study on the purchase intention of consumers from Melaka towards mobile advertising. A survey was conducted with a set of self-administered questionnaire. A total of 250 respondents was recruited using convenience sampling. The results show that three out of five independent variables examined, namely credibility, irritation and incentive are significant. Informativeness and entertainment were found to have no impact on purchase intention. The regression model is able to explain 73.6% of the variation in consumers purchase intention. This study is able to provide information in relation to factors influencing purchase intention of consumer which has laid a basis in helping the mobile advertisers to develop better strategy of their advertisement

Portfolio-Based Approach for Disaster Recovery Planning for IT

With the integration of IT with business operations and management, organizations are vulnerable to a myriad of threats ranging from computer viruses to natural disasters and deliberate acts of sabotage. Consequently, IT disaster recovery has emerged as a critical organizational issue. This paper proposes an application portfolio-based framework for IT disaster recovery planning based on the role of IT and the consequence of IT disaster. The findings and recommendations of the paper are based on interviews with disaster recovery experts and senior IT professionals and a case study

Primary headache in the elderly in South-East Asia

Headache aetiology and presentation are considerably different in elderly individuals. However, literature on headache characteristics among Asians is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the headache characteristics among elderly in an outpatient clinic setting in Malaysia, a South-East Asian country with diverse ethnicity. In this prospective cross-sectional study, patients presenting with headache to Neurology and Primary Care Clinics of University Malaya Medical Centre between February 2010 and July 2010 were included. Data for consecutive eligible adult patients were entered in a prospective headache registry. International Headache Criteria II (ICHD-II) were used to classify various headache subtypes. Patients with headache due to intracranial space occupying lesions were excluded. Patient were divided into two age groups—elderly (55 years and above) and younger (less than 55 years of age). Of the 175 screened patients, 165 were included in the study—70 in elderly age group and 95 in younger group. Tension-type headache was the commonest subtype (45.7 %) among the elderly while Migraine without aura (54.7 %) was more common in young adults. More elderly patients suffered from chronic daily headache as compared to younger patients (47.1 vs. 28.4 %; p = 0.015). Headache subtypes and frequency differ considerably among elderly South East Asian patients

Power ultrasound aided batter mixing for sponge cake batter.

A high power ultrasound bath system has been used as a processing aid during sponge cake batter mixing in enhancing the mixing process to produce better quality of cake texture. The formulation for loading of 3 sponge cakes was mixed for 9 min at 90 rpm under different combinations of ultrasound power exposure ranging from 1 to 2.5 kW, and for duration ranging from 3 to 9 min. The ultrasound was able to enhance the mixing process by resulting in lower batter density and flow behavior index, higher overrun and viscosity compared to the non-aided mixing. With the 2.5 kW ultrasound assisted mixing for entire batter mixing of 9 min, a better cake quality was produced in terms of lower cake hardness, and higher cake springiness, cohesiveness and resilience. The aided ultrasound power and duration during cake batter mixing showed more significant effects on cake properties than its batter properties

Novel 2D and 3D imaging of internal aerated structure of ultrasonically treated foams and cakes using X-ray tomography and X-ray microtomography

The aerated structure of ultrasound treated foams and its resulted cake structures were examined using X-ray tomography and X-ray microtomography, leading to highly contrasted two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) images. Through these imaging techniques and software approaches, the effect of ultrasound treatment on the bubble size distribution was distinguished clearly. Microbubbles in foam which were in the size range of 0–0.00125 mm3 and in cakes which were in the range of 0–1 mm2 increased by 48% and 29% respectively after ultrasonic treatment at a frequency of 20 kHz

Neuroprotective Effect of Gui Zhi ( Ramulus Cinnamomi

Herb Ephedra (Ma Huang in Chinese) and Ramulus Cinnamomi (Gui Zhi in Chinese) are traditional Chinese herbs, often used together to treat asthma, nose and lung congestion, and fever with anhidrosis. Due to the adverse effects of ephedrine, clinical use of Ma Huang is restricted. However, Gui Zhi extract has been reported to decrease spontaneous activity in rats and exert anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. The present study explored the possible inhibitory effect of Gui Zhi on Ma Huang-induced neurotoxicity in rats when the two herbs were used in combination. All Ma Huang and Ma Huang-Gui Zhi herb pair extracts were prepared using methods of traditional Chinese medicine and were normalized based on the ephedrine content. Two-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=6 rats/group) were administered Ma Huang or the Ma Huang-Gui Zhi herb pair extracts for 7 days (ephedrine = 48 mg/kg), and locomotor activity was measured. After 7 days, oxidative damage in the prefrontal cortex was measured. Gui Zhi decreased hyperactivity and sensitization produced by repeated Ma Huang administration and attenuated oxidative stress induced by Ma Huang. The results of this study demonstrate the neuroprotective potential of Gui Zhi in Ma Huang-induced hyperactivity and oxidative damage in the prefrontal cortex of rats when used in combination