Kontaminasi Logam Berat pada Air Sumur Warga Akibat Air Lindi dari Tempat Pemrosesan Akhir (TPA)

Sistem pengelolaan sampah di sejumlah TPA di Indonesia masih menerapkan metode open dumping yang dapat mencemari lingkungan melalui rembesan air lindi. Logam berat yang terkandung dalam air lindi dapat mempengaruhi kualitas air sumur warga yang berdekatan dengan lokasi TPA. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode studi/penelusuran pustaka dengan mengumpulkan artikel mengenai air lindi dari Tempat Pemrosesan Akhir (TPA) yang dilaporkan sudah mencemari air sumur warga. Referensi yang dikumpulkan dalam rentang tahun 2013-2023. Beberapa penelitian di Indonesia menunjukkan bahwa sumur-sumur warga yang berdekatan dengan Tempat Pemrosesan Akhir (TPA) telah tercemar oleh logam berat dengan kandungan yang melebihi standar baku mutu yang ditetapkan dalam peraturan pemerintah. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa pengelolaan TPA di Indonesia masih memerlukan perhatian dan perbaikan yang lebih serius untuk mencegah pencemaran lingkungan dan kesehatan masyarakat. Berbagai penelitian ini memberikan informasi penting mengenai kondisi polusi air dan kerentanan air tanah di sekitar TPA. Hasil penelitian ini dapat menjadi dasar untuk mengembangkan strategi pengelolaan lingkungan yang lebih efektif di wilayah tersebut

Physical activity and its impact on academic achievement among health sciences students Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Self-determination influences physical activity which improves student’s health status leading to an increase in their academic achievements. However, these relationships among health sciences students remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influences of self-determination towards physical activity and the relationship between physical activity level and academic achievement among third-year students of Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 third-year students from all programs in Faculty of Health Sciences, UKM from March to May 2020 using a self-administered short-form version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) and the third version of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3). The Kruskal Wallis test was done to evaluate the relative autonomy index (RAI) and Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) among groups, while a simple linear regression was performed to identify the relationship between self-determination and physical activity levels and between physical activity levels and academic achievements. A significant difference of self-determination level was found between light and a moderate level of physical activity (p<0.05) and between light and vigorous level of physical activity (p<0.001). Our findings also revealed that a positive moderate relationship was found between the level of physical activity and self-determination level (R= 0.248, R2 =0.062) where self-determination level significantly predicts the physical activity performed (p<0.01). However, a low negative relationship was found between the level of physical activity and academic achievement (R= 0.123, R2 =0.015). In conclusion, self-determination plays a key role in contributing the physical activity levels, while the physical activity did not influence the academic achievement among the third-year students of Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. Findings: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). Interpretation: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial

The effect of fuel feed rate on temperature profiles of a cascading hearth with secondary swirl combustor

The abundant availability of biomass solid wastes in Malaysia such as palm shells from the oil palm industry promotes diversified research fields for its utilization. This paper investigates the application of a cascading hearth staged combustor to palm shells combustion in terms of fuel feed rate effect on temperature profiles. The application of a two-step hearth setup at primary stage combustion offers wider alternatives for solid phase combustion processes. Initial combustion studies of palm shells by controlled air combustion conditions using these set-ups show promising results for further development. Controlled air conditions promote gasification of the solid fuel and significantly lower combustor temperatures below 500oC. Varying the fuel feed at 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2 kg/min with constant air supply of 227 liters/min (8 CFM) and good fuel distribution on the hearth leads to fuel core temperatures exceeding 1000oC. As a result of high core temperatures, release rates of volatiles and combustible gases increases which influences attainable secondary combustion temperatures. The maximum secondary stage combustion exhaust temperature recorded was 490oC at 0.2 kg/min fuel feed, a secondary air supply of 42.5 liters/min (1.5 CFM) and a corresponding fuel core temperature of 1225oC

FAKTOR DAN KESAN PENGLIBATAN REMAJA DALAM KEGIATAN ‘MAT REMPIT’ DI SEREMBAN, NEGERI SEMBILAN

This study was conducted to identify the factors that motivate youths, especially teenagers who are involved in 'Mat Rempit' activities in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. This is because the problem of squeezing activities can be said to be one of the causes of social problems. Among the objectives of this study are to identify the factors of adolescents stuck with Mat Rempit activities, identify the impact on adolescents involved with Mat Rempit activities, and identify measures to reduce Mat Rempit activities among adolescents. Qualitative methods were used in this study and a total of 5 respondents were selected to conduct an interview session during this study. The method of analysis used in this study is thematic analysis. The findings of the study show that there are several factors that cause adolescents to get stuck with Mat Rempit activities and among them are the influence of peers, the influence of social media, the influence of money, and self -interest in the world of motoring. This study also found several measures that can help reduce the involvement of adolescents in Mat Rempit activities and among them is the establishment of public circuits. The existing circuit is not enough moreover have certain procedures for racing in the circuit. In conclusion, this study found that adolescents are easily influenced by environmental conditions and what is seen. Mat Rempit's activities are also the cause of the increase in road accidents in Malaysia

Extraction of Tannic Acid from Kenaf Bast Fibre using Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction

Tannic acid or tannin, type of phenolic compound contains in kenaf bast fibre. Conventional extraction has certain limitations in terms of time, energy, and solvent consumption. Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) can extract bioactive components in shorter time, low temperature, with lesser energy and solvent requirement. UAE as alternative extraction technique is better equipped to retain the functionality of the bioactive compounds. In this study, the conditions for ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) of tannic acid from kenaf bast fibre by assessing the effect of sonication time and different duty cycles were optimized. The use of ultrasound to extract tannic acid from kenaf bast fiber was evaluated. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was carried out using ethanol as solvent to intensify the extraction efficacy. Phytochemical screening was conducted to identify the presence of tannic acid in extracts. The extracts then were analyzed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It was found that 0.2429 mg/mL of tannic acid was obtained under the extraction conditions of extraction temperature of 40℃, sonication time of 20 minutes and duty cycle of 50%. From SEM analysis, it was found that the raw sample demonstrated rough surface and no porous but kenaf bast fibre display smoother surface with less impurities and few pores appeared after the extraction process using UAE. These results indicate that ultrasound-assisted extraction is an efficient method for extracting tannic acid from kenaf bast fibre with the advantages of lower extraction time and higher extraction yield

Improved Photocatalytic and Antioxidant Activity of Olive Fruit Extract-Mediated ZnO Nanoparticles

Photodegradation is an efficient strategy for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater. Due to their distinct properties and extensive applications, semiconductor nanoparticles have emerged as promising photocatalysts. In this work, olive (Olea Europeae) fruit extract-based zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO@OFE NPs) were successfully biosynthesized using a one-pot sustainable method. The prepared ZnO NPs were systematically characterized using UV-Vis, FTIR, SEM, EDX and XRD and their photocatalytic and antioxidant activity was evaluated. SEM demonstrated the formation of spheroidal nanostructures (57 nm) of ZnO@OFE and the EDX analysis confirmed its composition. FTIR suggested the modification/capping of the NPs with functional groups of phytochemicals from the extract. The sharp XRD reflections revealed the crystalline nature of the pure ZnO NPs with the most stable hexagonal wurtzite phase. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized catalysts was evaluated by measuring the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under sunlight irradiation. Improved degradation efficiencies of 75% and 87% were achieved within only 180 min with photodegradation rate constant k of 0.008 and 0.013 min−1 for MB and MO, respectively. The mechanism of degradation was proposed. Additionally, ZnO@OFE NPs exhibited potent antioxidant activity against DPPH, hydroxyl, peroxide and superoxide radicals. Hence, ZnO@OFE NPs may have potential as a cost-effective and green photocatalyst for wastewater treatment

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BackgroundTranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding.MethodsWe did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124.FindingsBetween July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98).InterpretationWe found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial.</div