Bioefficacy of controlled release formulations of diuron on Brassica rapa

Controlled-release formulations (CRF) of diuron were prepared in laboratory using the concept of physical matrix utilizing sodium alginate and kaolin. The release rates of diuron from the formulations were determined by chemical assay its efficacy on plant was tested on Brassica rapa. In the chemical assay using high performance chromatography with UV detector, significant differences in the release rate between formulations were observed from 3 to 7 days after the granules had been placed in distilled water. The formulation having a 1:1 ratio of alginate to kaolin with 1mm granule size showed the fastest release of diuron, while release from the 2mm granules was slower. Increasing the proportion of kaolin to sodium alginate in the CRF reduced the release rate of active agent. The bioefficacy using Brassica rapa as a bioindicator showed that CRF released slower than the conventional formulation at the beginning of the treatments. In the 3rd week after the treatment (WAT), there was no significant difference in the mortality as compared to the conventional formulation at 16 WAT. The same results were also observed up to 24 WAT, the CRF caused between 40-70% mortality, while the conventional formulation treatment caused only 6% mortality. Among the CRF, the AK-2 with 1:1 ration of alginate:kaolin was found to have given the best result with the highest percentage mortality of the seedlings

The Concept of Single Use Piston Break Safety Syringe

syringe is a simple piston pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube (the barrel), allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube. The open end of the syringe may be fitted with a hypodermic needle, a nozzle, or tubing to help direct the flow into and out of the barrel. Syringes are often used to administer injections, apply compounds such as glue or lubricant, and measure liquids. The reuse and abuse of syringe has led to cross-infection of diseases; thus, the need of single use safety syringe arises. Single use safety syringe is able to prevent the abuse of syringe. Many inventions have been produced; the most common are through-push retract breakable safety syringe, rotary plunger retractable safety syringe and release-ring breakable safety syringe. A new type of single use safety syringe Piston Break Safety Syringe is discussed in this paper. Common safety syringes available in market consist of three major components as described earlier. Beside its simplicity, the low cost to produce also the main factor why this type is very popular. The new Piston Break Safety Syringe has similar design with this widely used safety syringe; hence, it makes it easier to be adapted by the users due to its similarity, since no extra training to use it is required. The cost should be equivalently low due to the similarity in size, design and number of components

Antimicrobial activity of fingerroot [Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. A.] extract against streptococcus mutans and streptococcus sobrinus

The extract of medicinal plants fingerroot [Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. A.] obtained using 100% methanol was tested for antibacterial activity against two major pathogen of dental carries namely Streptococcus mutans KCCM 3309 and Streptococcus sobrinus KCCM 3207. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill curve on S. mutans and S. sobrinus were analyzed using Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institutes (CLSI) methods. Preliminary antimicrobial screening showed the mean zones of inhibition for S. mutans (9.0 mm) and S. sobrinus (8.0 mm). MIC value obtained for S. sobrinus and S. mutans was 313 μg/ml while the MBC values were 313 μg/ml (S.mutans) and 625 μg/ml (S. sobrinus). Time-kill curve were obtained at concentrations of 0xMIC, 1/2xMIC, 1xMIC, 2xMIC, 4xMIC and 8xMIC. S. mutans was found to be more susceptible to the fingerroot extract than S. sobrinus. Time - kill curve showed that the concentration of 8xMIC was able to kill 99.9% of S. mutans after 4 hours treatment. These results may be useful for developing fingerroot B. rotunda as natural anticariogenic agent in toothpaste or any oral care products such as mouthwash in treatment of dental carries, sore throat and flaming gums

The influence of knowledge management and leveraging of intellectual capital on the organization performance: A case study of Telekom Malaysia

This paper investigates the influence of Knowledge Management and Leveraging of Intellectual Capital on the performance of Telekom Malaysia. The study was conducted through questionnaire survey of 400 Telekom Malaysia (TM)’s executives from the TM’s headquarters and all the state business areas.The dependent variable is the performance of TM which includes the operating efficiency, business performance, organisational leadership and business leadership.The independent variables are knowledge management, intellectual capital and leveraging of the intellectual capital.Relevant statistical techniques such as regression and correlation test, factor analysis and ANOVA are used in t his study.It was found that knowledge management has an indirect influence to the performance whereas leveraging the intellectual capital has the greatest positive influence to the performance.The results of this study have significant contribution to TM’s strategy in managing, leveraging and develop the intangible asset for a sustainable overall performance of TM

Influences of the operating variables of acetosolv pulping on pulp properties of oil palm frond fibres

The effect of acetosolv pulping variables viz. pulping time, temperature, catalyst (HCl) and acetic acid on oil palm frond fibres was investigated. The following conditions were found to be optimum to pulp frond fibres: 140 ºC, 0.5% HCl, 75% acetic acid, and 1/10 solid/liquor ratio. Under these conditions we could obtain these properties: Kappa number 13-16, zero-span tensile breaking length – 83 km, sheet density – 0.57 g cm-3, tensile index – 48 N m g-1, tear index – 5.4 mN m2 g-1, brightness – 16% ISO and opacity – 98%. Higher values of these operating parameters would degrade the fibre characteristics such as zero-span tensile breaking length, tensile index, and sheet density

Construction procurement in industrialised building system

The government, through CIDB Malaysia have continuously promoting Industrialised Building System (IBS) to increase the immense efficiency of the building performance structure. However, the level of IBS adoption among the construction players in Malaysia is still low and far from the government expectation. It is evident that most of the IBS projects developments in Malaysia are still conducted by using the conventional procurement method. This creates a number of issues such as reworks, time delay, rising cost, lack of communication and integration problem. Thus, this paper will identify existing procurement process used for IBS projects in Malaysia construction industry. Identifying existing procurement process helps in providing significant elements before creation of a more effective new procurement for IBS projects in Malaysia. Expert interviews was used, whereby 5 (five) interviews sessions were conducted with IBS experts in Malaysia construction industry. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the interview result by identifying the existing procurement process adopted in current IBS projects. Findings from expert interviews showed that there are three different procurement process commonly applied in current IBS projects. Result also shown that one of the significant barriers to IBS adoption is the current practice of procurement and team integration. Therefore, a more effective new procurement for IBS projects should be considered and pursued urgently in order to improve IBS implementation in the Malaysian construction industry

Syntheses of azomethine-thiophene monomers for potential application in energy storage devices

Newly design thiophene monomers containing azomethine base moieties for the preparation of side chain liquid crystalline polymers were successfully synthesized. The proposed monomers are conducting in nature, making it as potential material for energy storage devices. The compounds were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The presence of azomethine groups found at 1617 cm -1 in FTIR, NMR confirms singlet peaks at δ~9.5 ppm and TGA data shows thermal cleavage occurred at 166.6 - 269.93°C. The n-type properties combined with the inherently weak emission and high thermal stability thus make the polythiophenoazomethine suitable candidates for hole and electron transporting materials

Current practice in rehabilitating old pipes for water distribution network in Malaysia

The water distribution network (WDN) is critical in daily life because it provides treated water to consumers. However, WDN in Malaysia is facing a significant amount of water loss during the water distribution process (i.e., non-revenue water (NRW) with an average percentage of 35.6%. While one of the leading causes of NRW is old pipes, water operators are still facing barriers to rehabilitate old pipes to new pipes. Therefore, this study aims to identify the strategies to improve current practice in rehabilitating old pipes. To achieve that objective, open-ended individual interviews will be performed with sixteen individuals that have experience in managing WDN and NRW in Malaysia. This research contributes to identify the current practice/method, which has three main categories i.e. people, technology, and process in rehabilitating old pipes from industry practitioners' perspectives, which could assist researchers and industry practitioners in developing strategies to reduce NRW among water operators. The findings of this research can help to improve WDN in reducing NRW