Association between knowledge, attitude, and practice of nutrition and food labels among selected higher educational institution students in Klang Valley

Nutrition information on food labels guides consumers to purchase healthier food choices. Besides nutrition information, other factors influence a purchase. This study aims to determine the association between the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among tertiary students on nutrition and food labels. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 190 students from three tertiary institutions within Klang Valley completed an online survey. Self-administered questionnaires on sociodemographic profiles and KAP questions, available in Malay and English, were distributed. Association between KAP was determined using Spearman's Rho test, while multiple linear regression was used to assess predictors of KAP scores. Mean body mass index (BMI) of the respondents were 20.8 kg/m2. The total mean score for knowledge on food labels was 8.93, followed by attitude and practice with 3.86 and 3.11, respectively. There was a significant correlation between attitude and practice (p<0.005). Nutrient and total calorie information on food labels influenced purchases, with 56.3% of respondents reported looking at the total calorie content, followed by 55.7% and 49.5% checking on sugar and fats, respectively. In addition, other factors such as expiry date (60.9%) and price (59.9%) also influenced purchases. Overall, respondents have a positive attitude on food selection, but male respondents have better knowledge levels than females. However, female respondents interpret food labelling effectively compared to male respondents. Despite having good knowledge and attitude towards nutrition, respondents were still making poor choices. A more extensive range of healthier food options and targeted healthy eating campaigns may empower students to choose more nutritious foods

Potential of Core-Collapse Supernova Neutrino Detection at JUNO

JUNO is an underground neutrino observatory under construction in Jiangmen, China. It uses 20kton liquid scintillator as target, which enables it to detect supernova burst neutrinos of a large statistics for the next galactic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) and also pre-supernova neutrinos from the nearby CCSN progenitors. All flavors of supernova burst neutrinos can be detected by JUNO via several interaction channels, including inverse beta decay, elastic scattering on electron and proton, interactions on C12 nuclei, etc. This retains the possibility for JUNO to reconstruct the energy spectra of supernova burst neutrinos of all flavors. The real time monitoring systems based on FPGA and DAQ are under development in JUNO, which allow prompt alert and trigger-less data acquisition of CCSN events. The alert performances of both monitoring systems have been thoroughly studied using simulations. Moreover, once a CCSN is tagged, the system can give fast characterizations, such as directionality and light curve

Detection of the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with JUNO

As an underground multi-purpose neutrino detector with 20 kton liquid scintillator, Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is competitive with and complementary to the water-Cherenkov detectors on the search for the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB). Typical supernova models predict 2-4 events per year within the optimal observation window in the JUNO detector. The dominant background is from the neutral-current (NC) interaction of atmospheric neutrinos with 12C nuclei, which surpasses the DSNB by more than one order of magnitude. We evaluated the systematic uncertainty of NC background from the spread of a variety of data-driven models and further developed a method to determine NC background within 15\% with {\it{in}} {\it{situ}} measurements after ten years of running. Besides, the NC-like backgrounds can be effectively suppressed by the intrinsic pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) capabilities of liquid scintillators. In this talk, I will present in detail the improvements on NC background uncertainty evaluation, PSD discriminator development, and finally, the potential of DSNB sensitivity in JUNO

Real-time Monitoring for the Next Core-Collapse Supernova in JUNO

Core-collapse supernova (CCSN) is one of the most energetic astrophysical events in the Universe. The early and prompt detection of neutrinos before (pre-SN) and during the SN burst is a unique opportunity to realize the multi-messenger observation of the CCSN events. In this work, we describe the monitoring concept and present the sensitivity of the system to the pre-SN and SN neutrinos at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), which is a 20 kton liquid scintillator detector under construction in South China. The real-time monitoring system is designed with both the prompt monitors on the electronic board and online monitors at the data acquisition stage, in order to ensure both the alert speed and alert coverage of progenitor stars. By assuming a false alert rate of 1 per year, this monitoring system can be sensitive to the pre-SN neutrinos up to the distance of about 1.6 (0.9) kpc and SN neutrinos up to about 370 (360) kpc for a progenitor mass of 30$M_{\odot}$ for the case of normal (inverted) mass ordering. The pointing ability of the CCSN is evaluated by using the accumulated event anisotropy of the inverse beta decay interactions from pre-SN or SN neutrinos, which, along with the early alert, can play important roles for the followup multi-messenger observations of the next Galactic or nearby extragalactic CCSN.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

The potential of waste chicken feather protein hydrolysate as microalgae biostimulant using organic fertilizer as nutrients source

High costs associated with chemical triggers to promote microalgae productivity when waste-based sources are used as nutrients source has diverted the attention of microalgae growers to seek for sustainable substitute for synthetic triggers. On the other note, vast disposal of chicken feather waste cause severe environmental pollution due to its low decomposition characteristics. Following the call for rigid regulations on its disposal and in attempt to valorize this waste, chicken feathers were subjected to hydrolysis process using 1M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and precipitated by 1M hydrochloric acid (HCL) to produce chicken feather protein hydrolysate (CFPH). The prepared CFPH was further tested for its feasibility as biostimulant for Chlorella vulgaris grown in organic fertilizer as nutrients source. From the data obtained via elemental analysis, the protein content of CFPH was determined as 73.56%. The biomass and lipid productivities of C. vulgaris cultures were significantly improved by 30.4 and 34.3 to 44.6%, respectively compared to control cultures. This research work indicated that CFPH may serve as a potential low-cost biostimulant for simultaneous augmentation of microalgae biomass and lipid. Characterization of physicochemical properties of the produced CFPH is an essential step in identifying possible avenues for its application in microalgae cultivation

Low-dose azathioprine is effective in maintaining remission in steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis: results from a territory-wide Chinese population-based IBD registry

Background: Whether low-dose azathioprine (AZA) is effective in maintaining remission in patients with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis (UC) remains unclear. We assessed the efficacy and safety of low-dose AZA in a Chinese population with UC. Methods: We identified steroid-dependent UC patients in clinical remission on AZA maintenance therapy from a territory-wide IBD Registry. Standard- and low-dose AZA were defined as at least 2 mg/kg/day and less than 2 mg/kg/day, respectively. Relapse rates were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier analysis and compared using log-rank test. Results: Among 1226 UC patients, 128 (53% male, median duration on AZA 44 months) were included. Median maintenance AZA dose was 1.3 mg/kg/day. 97.7% of the patients were on concomitant oral 5-aminosalicylic acid. Cumulative relapse-free rates in patients on standard-dose and low-dose AZA were 71.2%, 52.8% and 45.2%, and 71.8%, 55.3% and 46.2% at 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively ( p = 0.871). Relapse rate within 12 months was higher in patients who withdrew compared with those who maintained on AZA (52.6% versus 29.4%; p = 0.045). Mean corpuscular volume increased after AZA therapy in both of the low-dose [median (interquartile range, IQR): 88.2 (81.4–92.2) versus 95.1 (90.1–100.9) fl, p < 0.001] and standard-dose subgroups [median (IQR) 86.8 (76.9–89.9) versus 94.7 (85.9–99.7) fl, p < 0.001]. Leukopenia occurred in 21.1% of the patients. Patients on standard dose had a higher risk for leukopenia than those on low-dose AZA [odds ratio (OR) 3.9, 95% CI 1.9–8.2, p < 0.001]. Conclusions: In the Chinese population, low-dose AZA is effective for maintaining remission in steroid-dependent UC patients. Standard-dose AZA was associated with more than threefold increased risk of leukopenia