Develop Mathematical Model For Biomechanical Factors For Proton Saga Driver Seat

Automotive industry is the main industrial that leading in Malaysia development towards achieving Industrial Revolution 4.0. Safety will be their very first priority while manufacturing a car. During manufacturing process, external and internal components should be comply with the standard that have been set up by the authority. The most important components for the driver will be their seat. Upon driving for a long journey, drivers tend to feel weak and fatigue as time pass by. As a result, this could lead to accidents. Therefore, aim of the study is to develop mathematical modeling based on the psychophysical and biomechanical factors that contribute to the driver fatigue of Proton Saga. The discomfort area will be investigate through online survey and validate using Minitab software. Meanwhile, as for the relationship of the psychophysical and biomechanical will be analyze by simulator and real road conditions also determine the hardness of the seat foam. Based on obtain parameters, the regression analysis will develop and validate the mathematical model for Proton Saga driver seat as the benefits of mathematical modelling able to simplify complex situations and helps our understanding the real world as certain variables can readily be changed

Genome-scale compositional comparisons towards drought tolerant genes in rice, date palm, maize and thale cress

Extreme and unpredictable weather has gradually posed a threat to the global production of the world’s staple food crops such as rice, wheat, and maize. For instance, drought had caused significant losses which makes drought-tolerant planting materials increasingly important not only for food security but also for the sustainability of agricultural activities. This could be done by first exploring the genetic materials that are responsible for survival in hot and dry conditions other than solely relying on conventional methods. The availability of various comparative genomics tools has allowed the identification of several potential drought-tolerant genes in plants such as wheat, tomato, maize and others. In this study, potential drought-tolerant genes in rice are predicted by identifying orthologous proteins between four species; Oryza sativa (rice), Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), Zea mays (maize) and Pheonix dactylifera (date palm) using InParanoid, SonicParanoid and Mauve software tool. From the 9,952 orthologous proteins found among the four species, 8,573 sequences were annotated and assigned to 5,729 GO terms; classified into the biological process category (54%, 2777 sequences), molecular function category (65%, 3223 sequences) and cellular component category (58%, 2539 sequences). Sixty five genes were found to be represented under four drought tolerance GO terms; regulation of response to water deprivation (GO:2000070; 1 gene, 1.54% ); response to water deprivation (GO:0009414, 47 genes, 72.31%); behavioural response to water deprivation (GO:0042630, 11 genes, 16.92%) and; cellular response to water deprivation (GO:0042631, 6 genes, 9.23%). Narrowing down potential drought-stress response genes through this study could contribute to a better understanding and knowledge on the biological and functional analysis of drought-tolerant genes in rice

Lipid profile of regular kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) users in the community setting.

Background and aimKratom, or Mitragyna speciosa Korth., is a tropical plant that has been reported to exhibit opioid-like effects. Although opioids have been demonstrated to alter the lipid profile of regular users, data on the lipid-altering effects of kratom are scarce. This study aimed to compare the fasting lipid profile of regular kratom users to that of healthy subjects who do not use kratom. It also determined the association between various characteristics of kratom users and the serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels of regular kratom users.MethodsA total of 200 participants (n = 100 kratom users and n = 100 healthy subjects who do not use kratom) were recruited for this analytical cross-sectional study. Data on sociodemographic status, kratom use characteristics, cigarette smoking, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), fasting serum lipid profile, and liver function were collected from all participants.ResultsThe liver parameters of the study participants were within normal range. The serum total cholesterol and LDL of kratom users were significantly lower than those of healthy subjects who do not use kratom. There were no significant differences in the serum triglyceride and HDL levels. However, higher average daily frequency of kratom use and increasing age were associated with increased serum total cholesterol among kratom users. Other kratom use characteristics such as age of first kratom intake, duration of kratom use, and quantity of daily kratom intake were not associated with increased serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL levels.ConclusionsOur findings suggest regular kratom consumption was not linked to elevated serum lipids, except when there is a higher frequency of daily kratom intake. However, the study was limited by the small sample size, and hence a more comprehensive study with larger sample size is warranted to confirm the findings

Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients. Methods We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to < 10 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2), a sustained decrease in eGFR of & GE;40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes. Results A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P=0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo