Dumbbells and ankle-wrist weight training leads to changes in body composition and anthropometric parameters with potential cardiovascular disease risk reduction

AbstractObjectivesPromoting physical activity is a global strategy to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to determine and compare the effect of light resistance training using either dumbbells or ankle-wrist weights on the anthropometric parameters and body composition of adults in Kelantan, Malaysia.MethodsThis randomized community trial was conducted in Kelantan, Malaysia, from March through August 2012. Adults with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 23 kg/m2 were randomized into dumbbell (N = 69) and ankle-wrist (N = 69) weight groups. Participants in the dumbbell group performed structured group exercises three times per week using a pair of one-kilogram dumbbells. Participants in the ankle-wrist weight group were given one pair of 500 gm ankle weights and one pair of 500 gm wrist weights to be worn during the activities of daily living three days per week for at least 20 min. BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body fat percentage (BF%) and skeletal muscle percentage (SM%) were measured at baseline, week 6, month 3 and month 6.ResultsEighty-nine participants completed this study. There were significant reductions in BMI only at week six for the dumbbell group. No significant BMI changes were observed for the ankle-wrist weight group. Significant improvements of WC, WHR, BF%, and SM% were observed in both intervention groups from baseline at week 6, month 3, and month 6.ConclusionResistance exercise using either dumbbells or ankle-wrist weights produced significant improvements in certain components of body composition and anthropometric parameters

Forensic Analysis of Gel Pen Inks using Hyperspectral Imaging coupled with Chemometric Procedures

Abstract Forensic examination of inks on questioned documents has become an important practice and the law enforcement agencies rely heavily on these techniques during criminal investigations. Although nowadays there are a variety of methodologies focused on the analysis of inks, the combination of non-destructive nature of Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) coupled with the multivariate chemometric technique has received little attention. In this study, forty-five (n = 45) gel pen inks of three different colours i.e. blue, red and black of five different brands were analysed using HSI with the idea of classifying them according to the brand. In terms of discriminating similar coloured components between samples, this was achievable only on the basis of the % reflectance spectra. However, arguably, there was sufficient evidence to suggest that it may be possible to discriminate the samples using chemometric of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A 2-D score plot from PCA analysis was enough to characterise the samples into five clusters. The synergy of complementary information provided by PCA narrows matching possibilities (in terms of classification) for forensic investigations involving ink analysis

Physical fatigue assessment for intrastate bus driver

Fatigue is considered a psychological or mental fatigue type characterized by subjective feelings of a disinclination to continue driving, drowsiness, fatigue, and deduction motivation. Bus drivers in Malaysia have been facing physical fatigue from driving for many years. Therefore, investigating the psychophysiological factor that related to fatigue could improve understanding and management for fatigue in the transport industry. Physical factors are divided by two parts that is upper and lower body. The objective of this study is to identify the cause, determine the level and analyze the physical fatigue on bus driver. There were two methods applied in this study, which were Modified Nordic Questionnaires that represent subjective measurement and surface Electromyography (sEMG) the objective measurement. Results from sEMG showed neck and upper back muscle groups leads to fatigue as the muscle is running out of energy based from the graph. Through the sEMG data, it can determine the level of physical fatigue on bus driver and analyzed the physical fatigue. Findings of this study from the questionnaire data analysis using the Statistical Package Social Science software, it is proved that physical fatigue really occurred to the intrastate bus driver. Results also showed significant correlation relationship between physical and mental

Main structural targets for engineering lipase substrate specificity

Microbial lipases represent one of the most important groups of biotechnological biocatalysts. However, the high-level production of lipases requires an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of gene expression, folding, and secretion processes. Stable, selective, and productive lipase is essential for modern chemical industries, as most lipases cannot work in different process conditions. However, the screening and isolation of a new lipase with desired and specific properties would be time consuming, and costly, so researchers typically modify an available lipase with a certain potential for minimizing cost. Improving enzyme properties is associated with altering the enzymatic structure by changing one or several amino acids in the protein sequence. This review detailed the main sources, classification, structural properties, and mutagenic approaches, such as rational design (site direct mutagenesis, iterative saturation mutagenesis) and direct evolution (error prone PCR, DNA shuffling), for achieving modification goals. Here, both techniques were reviewed, with different results for lipase engineering, with a particular focus on improving or changing lipase specificity. Changing the amino acid sequences of the binding pocket or lid region of the lipase led to remarkable enzyme substrate specificity and enantioselectivity improvement. Site-directed mutagenesis is one of the appropriate methods to alter the enzyme sequence, as compared to random mutagenesis, such as error-prone PCR. This contribution has summarized and evaluated several experimental studies on modifying the substrate specificity of lipase

Distribution, biomass and dynamics of Burseraceae trees in the 50-HA plot at Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Data on Burseraceae in a 50-ha permanent plot at Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia were obtained from the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) and used to assess the primary productivity and distribution of the family. Four censuses were conducted in 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000 and data analyses were done on the later census, however comparisons were made between censuses of 1985, 1990 and 1995 to determine variabilities. From census in 2000, four genera and 22 species and varieties of Burseraceae were recorded in the plot. A total of 16,535 trees were enumerated of which the most abundant species was Dacryodes rugosa (4,972 trees). Total above ground biomass of the family was estimated at 207.14 tan ha-1, and the highest above ground biomass was represented by Triomma malaccensis, estimated at 34.31 tan ha-1. The biomass estimation for 20 years increased significantly (ANOVA, p<0.05) between the three censuses. The total population of the family had reduced by 5.92% within 20 years. A total of 3,408 (19.56%) trees were found dead, 3,165 (18.23%) trees were new recruits and 726 (4.17%) trees were damaged naturally and by animals. Distribution-wise, soil type is shown as an influential factor as well as the topography

A study on the EBG and AMC on radial line slot array structure at 28 GHz

This paper is a study on the electromagnetic band gap (EBG) and artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) on the radial line slot array (RLSA) antenna structure at a frequency of 28 GHz. The RLSA antenna is known based on its characteristic which has high gain, durable, simple structures, high efficiency and low cost of fabricating. This project is focusing on the study of the RLSA antenna with the Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) and Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) with analyzes the effect of number EBG and AMC structures applied to the antenna. It enhances the performances of the RLSA antenna before the EBG structure is added. This may be due to eliminating the several numbers of slots on the radiating plate is the reason for the present number of EBG structures applied to it. The lowest value of S11 for eight (8) units EBG is -41.4686 dB at a frequency of 29.86 GHz, the directivity value is 25.60 dBi and realizes a gain of 25.26 dB at a frequency of 28 GHz. While the AMC structure can reduce the side lobes from -2.7 dB for non-element of AMC to -1.7 dB for eight (8) and nine (9) elements. This RLSA antenna with AMC and EBG produces high directivity which is 26.10 dBi compared to conventional RLSA antenna which is 21.70 dBi. This antenna can also be used as widely applications such as RADAR and satellite communication

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030