Human perception on thermal comfort of studio based classroom in northen region polytechnic / Mohamad Ibrahim Mohamed Noor

Providing thermal comfort is the basic requirement of a building. In modem buildings this is usually accomplished with the help of mechanical cooling or heating. Ancient architecture, all over the world, had many characteristics which led to thermal comfort, i.e, the shape of the building and different parts of the building, (e.g. indoor spaces, doors, windows etc) were located and oriented to take maximum advantage of the climate. The role of trees, vegetation and water around the building in determining the thermal comfort was well appreciated. Therefore the objectives of this research are to know the comfort level in the studio classroom, to investigate the studio design to achieve the thermal comfort in Polytechnic and to outline and rank the most significant factors that influence thermal comfort in studio classrooms. The scope will cover the perception of thermal comfort level and the factor that affecting thermal comfort in the studio. To support this research, the structure interviews, observation and questionnaire form to collect the data. The analysis then will be decided upon suitability in the analysis process. The study indicated that human (studio users) perception on level of thermal comfort is good and the ventilation is the most significant factor to contribute the thermal comfort in the studio classrooms

The Effects of Bottom Ash from MSWI Used as Mineral Additions in Concrete

Municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) produce by products which can be classified as bottom and fly ashes. The bottom ash accounts for 85–90 % of the solid product resulting from MSW combustion. The aimed of the present work is to study the effect of replacing partial of bottom ash were manufactured. Fresh and hardened properties of the concrete were compared in order to study the suitable cement-bottom ash replacement. Bottom ash was found to have some reactivity, but without greatly affecting the hydration process of OPC at 10 % replacement. However at more than 10 % replacement, the addition of bottom ash greatly affected strength

Machinability And Surface Quality Of Hybrid Composite CFRP/Al2024

oai:myjas.www.journal.unisza.edu.my:article/1The use of hybrid composite has increased due to their special mechanical and physical properties. However, machining of composite materials is extremely difficult due to non-homogeneous, anisotropic and highly abrasive characteristics. The performance of machined surface quality of CFRP/Al2024 was described using two level full factorial methodology. Trimming test was performed under dry conditions using 6mm diameter of burr tools end mills. The factors investigated were spindle speed(N), feed rate(fr) and depth of cut(dc), furthermore Ra CFRP and Ra Al2024 were the response variables. This work aims to minimize the machined surface quality of CFRP/Al2024 between 1μm to 2μm. The finding of this empirical study has shown that, the best estimated value of fr should be 500 mm/min to 530 mm/min, N is between and 2313.870 rpm to 2336.042 rpm. For both response spindle speed is the most significant effect followed by Feed rate and Depth of Cut

Sarcopenia and its impact on health: do they have significant associations?

A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Sarcopenia and its association with health profiles and oxidative stress among multiethnic older adults in an urban area of Malaysia. Sarcopenia was assessed using Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and the associations between demography, socioeconomic status, lifestyle practices, health risk factors and blood profile were examined on 388 apparently healthy subjects aged 60 years and above. Prevalence of sarcopenia was 89.0% in men and 40.3% in women with the overall prevalence of 59.8%. It was found that prevalence of severe sarcopenia was 13.9% and sarcopenia obese was 23.5%. Binary logistic regression showed that there was no predictor found in men or women. However, a decline in muscle mass was observed in sarcopenic as compared with normal subjects. Sarcopenia is prevalent and there is a need to implement interventional strategies to prevent sarcopenia and its associated comorbidities

Sarcopenia and its impact on health: do they have significant associations?

A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Sarcopenia and its association with health profiles and oxidative stress among multiethnic older adults in an urban area of Malaysia. Sarcopenia was assessed using Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and the associations between demography, socioeconomic status, lifestyle practices, health risk factors and blood profile were examined on 388 apparently healthy subjects aged 60 years and above. Prevalence of sarcopenia was 89.0% in men and 40.3% in women with the overall prevalence of 59.8%. It was found that prevalence of severe sarcopenia was 13.9% and sarcopenia obese was 23.5%. Binary logistic regression showed that there was no predictor found in men or women. However, a decline in muscle mass was observed in sarcopenic as compared with normal subjects. Sarcopenia is prevalent and there is a need to implement interventional strategies to prevent sarcopenia and its associated comorbidities

DNA SEQUENCE DESIGN FOR DNA COMPUTATION BASED ON BINARY PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION

Abstract. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) has certain unique properties such as selfassembly and self-complementary in hybridization, whic

Energy efficiency and Use of renewable energy for residential buildings - code of practice

This Malaysian Standard was developed by the Working Group on Architecture and Passive Design Strategy under the authority of the Industry Standards Commitee on Building, Construction and Civil Engineering

A multi-stakeholder strategy to identify conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia

Malaysia, with its rapidly growing economy, exemplifies the tensions between conservation and development faced by many tropical nations. Here we present the results of a multi-stakeholder engagement exercise conducted to (1) define conservation priorities in Peninsular Malaysia and (2) explore differences in perceptions among and within stakeholder groups (i.e. government, academia, NGOs and the private sector). Our data collection involved two workshops and two online surveys where participants identified seven general conservation themes and ranked the top five priority issues within each theme. The themes were: (1) policy and management, (2) legislation and enforcement, (3) finance and resource allocation, (4) knowledge, research and development, (5) socio-economic issues, (6) public awareness and participation and (7) rights of nature. In spite of their very different backgrounds and agendas, the four stakeholder groups showed general agreement in their priority preferences except for two issues. Respondents from government and private sector differed the most from each other in their priority choices while academia and NGO showed the highest degree of similarity. This ranked list of 35 conservation priorities is expected to influence the work of policy-makers and others in Peninsular Malaysia and can be used as a model to identify conservation priorities elsewhere

Overweight and Obesity Among Rural Community in Northern Borneo: Prevalence, Body Weight Perception and Its Associated Factors

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that Malaysia has the highest rate of obesity and overweight among Asian countries. There is an increasing trend in obesity from 11.9% (2015) to 14.8% (2019), according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, bodyweight perception, and associated factors of overweight and obesity among rural communities in Northern Borneo. This cross-sectional study was conducted in one village in Northern Borneo. Adults from 18 to 69 years of age (n = 165) were included in the survey, and data were collected by interview or self-administered questionnaires. Measurements of weight and height were done for body-mass-index (BMI) calculation. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the village was 71.5%. Kappa statistic indicated only a slight agreement between perceived and actual body weight status (k = 0.163, 95% CI = −0.156 to 0.482, p < 0.000). There were higher odds of being overweight and obese among the middle-aged group (35 – 55 years old) than the younger group (<35 years old) (OR = 3.575; 95% CI: 1.667, 7.667; p < 0.05) and among the married adults than the unmarried adults (OR = 2.196; 95% CI: 1.057, 4.565; p < 0.05). Although age and marital status are non-modifiable factors of overweight and obesity, this research indicated poor consistency between perceived and actual body weight with kappa statistics. The large magnitude of body weight misperception might contribute to overweight and obesity in the rural community

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London