The evaluation of shear deformation for contact analysis with large displacement

A common problem encountered in the study of contact problem is the failure to obtain stable and accurate convergence result when the contact node is close to the element edge, which is referred as "critical area". In previous studies, the modification of the element force equation to apply it to a node-element contact problem using the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory [1]. A simple single-element consists two edges and a contact point was used to simulate contact phenomenon of a plane frame. The modification was proven to be effective by the convergeability of the unbalanced force at the tip of element edge, which enabled the contact node to "pass-through", resulting in precise results. However, in another recent study, we discover that, if shear deformation based on Timoshenko beam theory is taken into consideration, a basic simply supported beam coordinate afforded a much simpler and more efficient technique for avoiding the divergence of the unbalanced force in the "critical area". Using our unique and robust Tangent Stiffness Method, the improved equation can be used to overcome any geometrically nonlinear analyses, including those involving extremely large displacements

Influence of pectinase–assisted extraction time on the antioxidant capacity of Spent Coffee Ground (SCG)

Spent Coffee Ground (SCG) comprises a range of functional components with high antioxidant potential and health benefits. Although SCG has many advantages, antioxidant values obtained using enzymes is still scarce. Several studies reported that the use of enzyme-assisted extraction techniques could improve the detection of antioxidant compounds in samples of by-products. In this study, SCG was extracted using enzymeassisted techniques for different periods (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mins). The total antioxidant capacity was measured using Peroxidase, Catalase, Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), Superoxide radical scavenging assay (SRSA) and 2,2-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) analysis. 60 mins extraction was found to exhibit antioxidant activity in DPPH, SRSA, Catalase and Peroxidase of 84.18±7.01%, 32.83±6.75%, 76.65±5.52% and 75.01±7.67%, respectively. Besides that, the extraction also gave a high amount of content with 267.17±26.69 mg TAE/mL and 58.30±2.36 mg QE/g in total phenolic content and total flavonoid content respectively. Flavonoids such as quercetin, kaempferol, rutin, gallic acid, catechin, epigallocatechin, p-Coumaric acid and myricetin were found to be present in SCG extract. A high amount of catechin was found in all periods of extraction, whereby 60 mins had the highest concentration of 1741.65 mg/L, while 40 mins had the lowest concentration which was 389.85 mg/L. In conclusion, 60 mins extraction using a pectinase-assisted method was the best extraction period. Additionally, the individual flavonoid catechin in SCG showed that it has potential as an antioxidant. Finally, there is a strong correlation between antioxidative activity and both phenolic and flavonoid content

Integral application of electrical resistivity tomography, geochemistry and borehole data in groundwater seepage assessment

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has increasingly adopted as an alternative approach in engineering, environmental and archeological studies. In the past, several limitation of conventional method in groundwater mapping was always relative to the high cost, time consuming and limited data coverage. Hence, this study adopted an ERT in order to identify the unknown problematic zone due to the excessive groundwater seepage occurrences. During data acquisition, five (five) ERT spread lines was conducted using ABEM SAS4000 equipment set. Then, field raw data was processed using RES2DINV and ROCKWORKS software to generate 2-D and 3- D of the inverse model resistivity section respectively. Engineering properties and information related to the borehole and geochemistry results was also used for interpretation and verification purposes. Geochemistry test was performed to identify groundwater sources using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) and Ion Chromatography (IC) in order to determine the elements of cation (sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium) and anions (chloride, bicarbonate, nitrate and sulfate) respectively. Based on ERT results, it was found that low electrical resistivity value (10 ~ 100 Ωm) which commonly associated to groundwater was detected at ground surface (0 m) until greater depth (> 10 m). Furthermore, it was found that the groundwater was classified as Ca-HCO that indicates the water was originally come from a typical shallow of the fresh groundwater. Finally, this study has successfully demonstrate that the integral application of ERT, geochemistry and borehole data was applicable to produced comprehensive outcome with particular reference to the problematic groundwater seepage assessment

The molecular phylogenetic signature of Bali cattle revealed by maternal and paternal markers

Bali cattle is a domestic cattle breed that can be found in Malaysia. It is a domestic cattle that was purely derived from a domestication event in Banteng (Bos javanicus) around 3,500 BC in Indonesia. This research was conducted to portray the phylogenetic relationships of the Bali cattle with other cattle species in Malaysia based on maternal and paternal lineage. We analyzed the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene and SRY of Y chromosome obtained from five species of the Bos genus (B. javanicus, Bos gaurus, Bos indicus, Bos taurus, and Bos grunniens). The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) was used as an outgroup. The phylogenetic relationships were observed by employing several algorithms: Neighbor-Joining (PAUP version 4.0), Maximum parsimony (PAUP version 4.0) and Bayesian inference (MrBayes 3.1). Results from the maternal data showed that the Bali cattle formed a monophyletic clade, and together with the B. gaurus clade formed a wild cattle clade. Results were supported by high bootstrap and posterior probability values together with genetic distance data. For the paternal lineage, the sequence variation is low (with parsimony informative characters: 2/660) resulting an unresolved Neighbor-Joining tree. However, Bali cattle and other domestic cattle appear in two monophyletic clades distinct from yak, gaur and selembu. This study expresses the potential of the COI gene in portraying the phylogenetic relationships between several Bos species which is important for conservation efforts especially in decision making since cattle is highly bred and hybrid breeds are often formed. Genetic conservation for this high quality beef cattle breed is important by maintaining its genetic characters to prevent extinction or even decreased the genetic quality

Subchronic toxicity, immunoregulation and anti-breast tumor effect of Nordamnacantal, an anthraquinone extracted from the stems of Morinda citrifolia L.

Background: Morinda citrifolia L. that was reported with immunomodulating and cytotoxic effects has been traditionally used to treat multiple illnesses including cancer. An anthraquinone derived from fruits of Morinda citrifolia L., nordamnacanthal, is a promising agent possessing several in vitro biological activities. However, the in vivo anti-tumor effects and the safety profile of nordamnacanthal are yet to be evaluated. Methods: In vitro cytotoxicity of nordamnacanthal was tested using MTT, cell cycle and Annexin V/PI assays on human MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells. Mice were orally fed with nordamnacanthal daily for 28 days for oral subchronic toxicity study. Then, the in vivo anti-tumor effect was evaluated on 4T1 murine cancer cells-challenged mice. Changes of tumor size and immune parameters were evaluated on the untreated and nordamnacanthal treated mice. Results: Nordamnacanthal was found to possess cytotoxic effects on MDA-MB231, MCF-7 and 4T1 cells in vitro. Moreover, based on the cell cycle and Annexin V results, nordamnacanthal managed to induce cell death in both MDA-MB231 and MCF-7 cells. Additionally, no mortality, signs of toxicity and changes of serum liver profile were observed in nordamnacanthal treated mice in the subchronic toxicity study. Furthermore, 50 mg/kg body weight of nordamncanthal successfully delayed the progression of 4T1 tumors in Balb/C mice after 28 days of treatment. Treatment with nordamnacanthal was also able to increase tumor immunity as evidenced by the immunophenotyping of the spleen and YAC-1 cytotoxicity assays. Conclusion: Nordamnacanthal managed to inhibit the growth and induce cell death in MDA-MB231 and MCF-7 cell lines in vitro and cease the tumor progression of 4T1 cells in vivo. Overall, nordamnacanthal holds interesting anti-cancer properties that can be further explored

ORIGINAL ARTICLES Comparative Analysis on Emergence of Islamic Education in Malaysia

ABSTRACT This paper explores the evolution of Islamic educational arrangement between Malaysia and Bangladesh. It is mainly focused on background, silhouette and prospect prediction of Islamic education in both countries. The point on background explains the way of introduction to Islamic education system before gaining independence from Britain.. Post-independence consequence has also discussed as the second portion of this study. Final discussion focused on the present status of Islamic education in Malaysia and Bangladesh with a comparative analysis on the subject matter

Assessing the impact of spent coffee ground (SCG) concentrations on shortbread: A study of physicochemical attributes and sensory acceptance

Currently, every 1 kg of instant coffee produced results in 2 kg of wet SCG, accounting for 45% of total annual production. Instead of being wasted and causing environmental issues, SCG can be utilized for its potential to create valuable products with added value. This study explores the underutilized potential of spent coffee grounds (SCG) as a functional ingredient in shortbread biscuits, with the aim of improving their nutritional value and reducing waste in the coffee industry. In this study, six different shortbread formulations were developed using various concentrations of SCG powder (ranging from 0 to 10%). The samples were subjected to physical, sensory, proximate, and chemical analyses to assess their storage quality, physicochemical properties, and sensory acceptability. The results showed that the SCG-containing shortbread had higher moisture, protein, ash, fibre, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity than the control sample, with the 10% SCG shortbread proving to be the most desirable in terms of aroma and hardness. Overall, this study highlights the potential of SCG as a valuable source of bioactive compounds in innovative cookies, offering opportunities for the utilization of industrial by-products, reducing waste, and improving nutritional properties

Numerical Solutions for Convective Boundary Layer Flow of Micropolar Jeffrey Fluid with Prescribe Wall Temperature

The steady two dimensional convective boundary layer flow of micropolar Jeffrey fluid past a permeable stretching sheet is studied in this paper. The governing boundary layer equation in the form of partial differential equations are transformed into nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations and solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme known as Keller-box method. The effects of Prandtl number, Deborah number, and material parameter with the boundary condition for microrotation, n = 0 (strong concentration of microelements) on the velocity, microrotation, temperature profiles as well as the skin friction and heat transfer coefficients are presented and discussed. An excellent agreement is observed between the present and earlier published results for some special cases. The results revealed that, the effect of Deborah number and stretching parameter are increased the heat transfer coefficient while the opposite trend is observed for the effects of material and velocity slip parameters. It was also observed that, the values of skin friction increased with the increment on the values of all studied parameters