A simulation study of single cell inside an integrated dual nanoneedle-microfludic system

Electrical properties of living cells have been proven to play significant roles in understanding of various biological activities including disease progression both at the cellular and molecular levels. Analyzing the cell’s electrical states especially in single cell analysis (SCA) lead to differentiate between normal cell and cancer cell. This paper presents a simulation study of micro-channel and nanoneedle structure, fluid manipulation and current flow through HeLa cell inside a microfluidic channel. To perform electrical measurement, gold dual nanoneedle has been utilized. The simulation result revealed, the cell penetration occurs at microchannel dimension and solution flow rate is 22 µm x 70 µm x 25 µm (width x length x height) and 0.396 pL/min, respectively. The purposed device has capability to characterize the electrical property of single cells can be used as a novel method for cell viability detection in instantaneous manner

Preliminary Studies on the Steam Explosion Pretreatment of the Oil Palm Stem

Steam explosion was found to be an effective method of improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose in the oil palm stem. The pretreatment also caused the degradation of hemicelluloses and Tendered them water-soluble. By aqueous extraction of the exploded material 23-31 % hemicelulosa with xylose contents up to 83% after acid hydrolysis coultd be recovered. This paper also discusses some m0rphological changes which occurred in the pretreatment

Discusión sobre los cursos en línea desde el punto de vista de la comunidad de investigación

This study involved students feedback from various faculties from a Malaysian university which incorporates hybrid learning model in its education ecosystem. The aim of this study is to explore the factors that influence online student to actively engage in discussion forum via platform of Learning Management System (LMS) provided by the university. This study employed qualitative approach involving seventy-three research participants from the university. Qualitative data from open-ended survey toward online discussions were collected and analysed based on classical content analysis method. The feedback were coded based on the pre-determined themes in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model. It was found that teaching presence was a main predictor of the effectiveness of the online courses offered. In other words, the ability of online instructors in designing, organizing, instructing, and facilitating via online platforms are essential in the successful implementation of the hybrid learning model.En este estudio participaron los comentarios de los estudiantes de varias facultades de una universidad de Malasia que incorpora un modelo de aprendizaje híbrido en su ecosistema educativo. El objetivo de este estudio es explorar los factores que influyen en los estudiantes en línea para participar activamente en el foro de discusión a través de la plataforma del Sistema de Gestión de Aprendizaje (LMS) que proporciona la universidad. Este estudio empleó un enfoque cualitativo que involucró a setenta y tres participantes de investigación de la universidad. Los datos cualitativos de la encuesta abierta hacia la discusión en línea se recopilaron y analizaron en función del método clásico de análisis de contenido. Los comentarios se codificaron en función de los temas predeterminados en el modelo de Comunidad de Investigación (CoI). Se descubrió que la presencia docente era un predictor principal de la efectividad de los cursos en línea ofrecidos. En otras palabras, la capacidad de los instructores en línea para diseñar, organizar, instruir y facilitar a través de plataformas en línea es esencial para la implementación exitosa del modelo de aprendizaje híbrido

A practical approach to online-course development in Malaysia

Many universities in Malaysia started their open learning programs early this decade. The University of Malaya began its own program in 1994. Since then many has debated the wisdom of the program. However, with the recent advancement made in the computer technology the University of Malaya, have accepted that open learning is here to stay. Thus, our effort now concentrates on how the program can be made to work effectively

Primary Productivity and Mineral Nutrient Status of some Estuarine and Coastal Waters along the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia during the off Monsoon Period.

A study of the organic and inorganic mineral status, primary productivity and related environmental parameters of some estuarine and coastal waters along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia indicates that the estuarine waters act as nutrient sources for the adjacent coastal waters. The net photosynthetic values at the estuarine stations ranged from 82.0-125.4 and 104.0-257.9 fJ.g C/1/h while that of coastal stations ranged from 42.0-164.5 and 66.0-198.2 fJ.g C/1/h during the high and low tides respectivelv. During the low tides, at both the estuarine and coastal stations, the dissolved organic nitrogen, particulate orgMlic phosphorus and inorganic ammonium nitrogen were present in high concentrations while that of dissolved oxygen, inorganic nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen were low throughout the study period

Mechanical performance of roselle/sugar palm fiber hybrid reinforced polyurethane composites

The effect of sugar palm fiber (SPF) loading was studied relative to the mechanical properties of roselle (RF)/SPF/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) hybrid composites. RF/SPF/TPU hybrid composites were fabricated at different weight ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100) by melt mixing and hot compression. The mechanical (tensile, flexural, and impact test) and morphological properties of tensile fractured samples were examined using a universal testing machine, impact machine, and scanning electron microscope. It was found that the hybridization of RF/SPF increased its impact strength corresponding to the increases in the SPF content of the composites. The tensile and flexural properties of the hybrid composites decreased due to poor interfacial bonding between the fiber and matrix. Scanning electron micrographs of the tensile fractured surface of the RF/SPF hybrid composites revealed fiber pullouts and poor adhesion bonding. In conclusion, the hybridization of SPF with RF/TPU composites enhanced its impact strength while decreasing the tensile and flexural strength

Measurement of the area and diameter of human pupil using Matlab

This paper presents the simple guide of measuring the area and diameter of human pupil using the MATLAB. The pupil measurement and recognition system is very useful in biometric field because the measurement of pupil is unique and is different for each person. The image of eye use in this work is an image that has been downloaded from CASIA Iris Image Database. The image is converted into the binary image and estimated the threshold value of the dark region. After several steps, the result of diameter and area of pupil have been successful calculated in the pixel unit. The measurement is converted in millimeter (mm) unit, and the result is displayed using Graphical User Interface (GUI). It shows that from five samples, different people have different area and diameter of the pupil, and this is the reason why it could be use in biometric field like fingerprint recognition