Development of bambangan (Mangifera pajang) carbonated drink

Mangifera pajang Kostermans or bambangan is a popular fruit among Sabahan due to its health and economic values. However, the fruit is not fully commercialized since it is usually been used as traditional cuisine by local people. Thus, development of bambangan fruit into carbonated drink was conducted to produce new product concept. The objectives of this study were to conceptualize, formulate, evaluate consumer acceptance, and determine physicochemical properties and nutritional composition of the accepted product. Method used in conceptualising the product was based on questionnaire. The consumer acceptance was evaluated based on descriptive and affective tests with four product formulations tested. The physicochemical properties on carbon dioxide volume, colour, pH, total acidity, total soluble solid (TSS) and viscosity were highlighted, meanwhile nutritional composition on fat, protein, carbohydrates and energy content were determined. About 77% respondents gave positive feedback, and 69% respondents decided this product is within their budget. The formulation of 5% bambangan pulp, 70% water, 25% sugar and 0.2% citric acid was highly accepted in descriptive and affective tests with 4.4 and 6.39 mean scores, respectively. The physicochemical properties and nutritional composition of the acceptance product were in optimum value except for colour, total acidity and TSS. Overall, this study showed that the product has high potential to be commercialized as new product concept, and heritage of indigenous people can be preserved when this fruit is known regionally

The role of obesity, sleep apnea, and elevated intracranial pressure in spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks

Purpose of review Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (sCSF) leaks often occurs in middle age, obese females. Here we investigate the role of obesity, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the pathophysiology of sCSF leaks. Recent findings The association of obesity and sCSF leaks has been well established in many studies. It has now been revealed that sCSF leak patients have thinner calvariums along with the skull base. An intracranial process likely leads to calvarium and skull base thinning in sCSF leaks patients since this occurs independent of extracranial bone thinning and independent of obesity. OSA, which is known to cause spikes in intracranial pressure (ICP), has been found to be significantly prevalent in the sCSF population and has been shown to lead to both calvarial and skull base thinning. Chronically elevated ICP (IIH) has also been shown to impact calvarial and skull base thicknesses. Summary The incidence of sCSF leaks has increased in recent decades along with an increasing rate of obesity. OSA and IIH, which are obesity-related factors and cause transient and chronic elevations in ICP, have now been implicated as critical factors leading to calvarial and skull base thinning and resultant sCSF leaks

Studi Sistem Pencegahan Dan Penanggulangan Kebakaran Pada Pabrik Pembuatan Pesawat Terbang

Pembangunan suatu gedung, penting untuk memperhatikan keselamatan jiwa para penghuninya. Pada pabrik pesawat terbang, perencanaan sistem pencegahan dan penanggulangan kebakaran sangatlah penting. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengevaluasi sistem pencegahan dan penanggulangan kebakaran di pabrik pesawat terbang dengan studi kasus PT. Dirgantara In-donesia (PTDI) Bandung. Sistem pencegahan kebakaran yang dievaluasi adalah hidran, springkler, Pemadam Api Ringan (PAR), detektor kebakaran, alarm kebakaran, dan alat bantu evakuasi. Peraturan yang dipakai adalah SKBI (Standar Konstruksi Bangunan Indonesia), SNI (Standar Nasional Indonesia), dan NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). Bangunan yang dijadikan studi kasus adalah hanggar cat, kantor Sub-Assy, gedung poliklinik, gedung Dharma Wanita, dan gudang Flammable Storage. Sistem penanggulangan kebakaran yang dievaluasi adalah organisasi pemadam kebakaran. Berdasarkan hasil evaluasi sistem pencegahan kebakaran, didapatkan pada beberapa bangunan atau area, ada yang sudah memenuhi persyaratan SKBI, SNI, dan NFPA; ada yang belum memenuhi persyaratan SKBI, SNI, dan NFPA; dan ada pula yang memenuhi salah satu/ dua dari persyaratan dalam SKBI, SNI, dan NFPA. Maka PTDI disarankan untuk memenuhi jumlah alat pencegah kebakaran sesuai peraturan dan menambah jumlah anggota regu pemadam kebakaran

Diagnosing students' difficulties in learning mathematics

This study considers the results of a diagnostic test of student difficulty and contrasts the difference in performance between the lower attaining quartile and the higher quartile. It illustrates a difference in qualitative thinking between those who succeed and those who fail in mathematics, illustrating a theory that those who fail are performing a more difficult type of mathematics (coordinating procedures) than those who succeed (manipulating concepts). Students who have to coordinate or reverse processes in time will encounter far greater difficulty than those who can manipulate symbols in a flexible way. The consequences of such a dichotomy and implications for remediation are then considered

Thermal stability and compression strength of rigid polyurethane/kenaf fibre biocomposite foam

Rigid palm oil-based polyurethane/kenaf fibre biocomposite foams were prepared at various amounts of kenaf fibre (i.e. 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 pphp). Effects of kenaf fibre (KF) loadings on thermal stabilities and compressive strength were investigated. The peaks detected by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) at 3,310 cm-1 (OH stretching), 1,533 cm-1 (NH bending) and 1,510 cm-1 (CN stretching) had proved the formation of urethane linkages in the system. Results from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the thermal stabilities of biocomposite foams were higher than that of control PU foam. Higher KF contents resulted in agglomeration of which reduced the rate of heat transfer throughout the system. The presence of intrahydrogen bonds in agglomerated KF caused more heat needs to break the bonds, thus increasing the thermal stabilities. Consequently, the agglomeration of KF created stress concentration, which reduced the compression strength of the foams with respect to the control PU foam. The presence of intra-hydrogen bonding in PU chains had surpassed the agglomeration effect, thus causing just a small reduction percentage. The foams have potentials to be used in non-load bearing applications such as insulators and wall panels

Discharge and flow coefficient analysis in internal combustion engine using computational fluid dynamics simulation

Intake system is one of the crucial sub-systems in engine which can inflict significant effect on the air-fuel mixing, combustion, fuel consumption, as well as exhaust gases formation. There are many parameters that will influence engine performances. Good engine breathing is required to get better air flow rate to the engine. One of the methods includes the improvement of intake system by modifying the intake port design. This paper presents the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis on two engines with different intake port shapes. Dimensionless parameters like discharge coefficient and flow coefficient are used to quantify the changes in intake flow at different valve lifts variation. Results show that when valve lift increases, this inflicted the increase in discharge coefficient because of greater mass flow rate of induction air. Both flow and discharge coefficient is dependent on valve lift. Flow analysis proved the relationship by computing the increase of flow coefficient as valve opening increase. The computed analysis shows that different intake port shapes does bring significant effect on discharge coefficient and flow coefficient

Substantial consequences and factors leading towards construction project success and failure

The phenomenon on the incompletion of construction projects in Malaysia is something very common at the moment. But to a more positive note, there are also successful projects which has been established in a large scale over the years. When there is an existence of such success, yet the project failures are yet to be apprehended as well. Whether the most appropriate measures have been taken in curbing this problem is yet to be sure off, looking at the existence of project failures. Therefore, this paper gives an outlook on the current situation of abandoned projects in Malaysia, and also takes a look on the factors on both success and failures of projects, where the essential information on this was obtained from statistics provided by Ministry of Housing and Local Government, and also based on the comparison matrix that was established from the causes identified by researches from other countries, including Malaysia itself. Some of the information that was able to gather from this was the types of causes with its ranking from the most to the least, and other underlying factors and driving keys on the successful completion of projects. The outlook on the failures and success of a project could be an absolute strategy that could be implemented in the effort towards restoration of abandoned projects in Malaysia, and in other countries as well which are also experiencing the same adverse situation

Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Calvarial and Skull Base Thinning

Importance: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks (sCSF-L) of the temporal bone are associated with obesity, calvarial thinning, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and the incidence has doubled in the past decade. It is currently unknown if OSA is independently associated with skull thinning. Objective: To determine if patients with OSA have thinner skulls than patients without OSA. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent a level 1 polysomnogram (PSG) and also had high-resolution computed tomographic (CT) imaging of the head from January 2010 to March 2017 at Indiana University was carried out. Patients with moderate to severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]≥25/h) and without OSA (AHI<5/h) were matched for age and body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared). Interventions: Measurement of calvarial thickness, extracranial zygoma thickness, skull base height and tegmen dehiscence (>4 mm) when blinded to OSA status. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were calvarial, skull base, and zygoma thickness differences between patients with OSA vs those without OSA. Results: A total of 22 933 patients had a PSG and 1012 also had head CT imaging. Of the 1012 patients with both PSG and CT, the mean (SD) age was 50.8 (16.2) years and 624 (61.7%) were women. Those patients with moderate to severe OSA (56) and without OSA (58) were matched for mean (SD) age (50.3 [6.5] vs 49.8 [6.1] years]) and BMI (37.4 [8.1] vs 38.6 [6.8]). Patients with OSA had thinner mean (SD) calvaria (2.73 [0.67] vs 2.47 [0.52] mm; difference, -0.26 mm; 95% CI, -0.49 to -0.04; Cohen d, 0.44) and thinner skull bases (5.03 [1.40] vs 4.32 [1.28] mm; difference, -0.71; 95% CI, -1.23 to -0.19; Cohen d, 0.53). The mean (SD) extracranial zygoma thickness was the same (4.92 [0.87] vs 4.84 [0.84] mm; difference, -0.07 mm; 95% CI, -0.39 to 0.24). The tegmen mastoideum was dehiscent in nearly twice as many patients with OSA as those without (37% vs 20%; difference, 17%; 95% CI, 0.4-32). Conclusions and Relevance: Obstructive sleep apnea was independently associated with intracranial bone (calvaria and skull base) thinning and not with extracranial (zygoma) thinning. These findings support a possible role of OSA in the pathophysiologic development of sCSF-L

A self-consistent perturbative evaluation of ground state energies: application to cohesive energies of spin lattices

The work presents a simple formalism which proposes an estimate of the ground state energy from a single reference function. It is based on a perturbative expansion but leads to non linear coupled equations. It can be viewed as well as a modified coupled cluster formulation. Applied to a series of spin lattices governed by model Hamiltonians the method leads to simple analytic solutions. The so-calculated cohesive energies are surprisingly accurate. Two examples illustrate its applicability to locate phase transition.Comment: Accepted by Phys. Rev.