Sorption comparison of trivalent chromium on various Ficus carica charcoal from tannery wastewater

Content: In this study, equipped charcoal of Ficus carica without impregnation, impregnated with potassium hydroxide (KOH), zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4) was used for sorption comparison of trivalent chromium from tannery wastewater. The equipped charcoal is characterized before and after used by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The quantitative elemental analysis is performed of the charcoal using PGT Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). The trivalent chromium sorption efficacy of charcoal was examined investigating charcoal dose, contact time, and relative pH parameters. Batch sorption test revealed that Ficus carica charcoal without impregnation had the maximum sorption capacity of trivalent chromium as depicted Fig. 1a. At the same conditions, trivalent chromium sorption on the Ficus carica charcoal without impregnation, impregnated with potassium hydroxide, zinc chloride and phosphoric acid was 98.9%, 98.8%, 8.9 and 2.5%, respectively. It is noticeable that without impregnation charcoal has a higher sorption capacity. Conversely, impregnation with chemical required cost involvement, time-consuming, long process time, and safe. Fig.1b depicts a shift in the peak intensity which indicated the change of frequency in the functional groups of the charcoal due to chromium adsorption. It indicates various responsible functional groups for the removal of trivalent chromium through Ficus carica charcoal. The trivalent chromium removal efficiency with the Ficus carica charcoal without impregnation was achieved 98.9%. The study could be helpful to design the sorption of trivalent chromium from the tannery wastewater in-house prior to discharge. Take-Away: 1. Without impregnation, Ficus carica charcoal has a better trivalent chromium sorption capacity 2. Trivalent chromium sorption capacity was 98.9

Impact of perception and attitude of the staff of the radiology department towards undergraduate medical imaging students on clinical training: students’ perspective

Behaviour of the clinical staff is one of the factors that can influence the students’ learning quality. The students’ contact with the radiology staff during the clinical practice can influence their process in learning new knowledge and skills. Hence, this research aims to determine the perception and attitude of radiology staff towards Medical Imaging students during clinical training from the students’ perspective. This study also ascertain the impact of the attitude of radiology staff towards practical performance and learning motivation of these students. A total of 43 students participated in this study using non-probability purposive sampling technique to calculate the sample size. The findings from this study revealed that radiology staff generally have positive attitude towards Medical Imaging students undergoing practicum. The majority of participants (55.8%) claimed that negative attitude of radiology staff can affect their learning ability and practical performance during clinical training. Also, 48.8% participants acknowledged that the attitude of radiology staff can affect their motivation and self-esteem. The major factors or element that the participants claimed to have a strong relation with an improvement in the quality of clinical training were willingness to teach student radiographers (95.3%), followed by portrayal of good patient care (76.7%) and effective communication among radiology staff and student radiographers (67.4%). The study revealed that there is a significant association between attitude of radiology staff and practical performance (p< 0.05). The findings of this study indicated that it is vital for radiology staff to portray a positive and professional attitude towards student radiographers as it can affect their practical performance, learning motivation and eventually the quality of clinical practice

Garrett Park Arboretum Workflow Management

Final project for INST490: Integrated Capstone for Information Science (Fall 2021). University of Maryland, College Park.In Fall of 2021, our team of five University of Maryland students enrolled in the Capstone Project course (INST490) led by Prof. TJ Rainsford, embarked on the consultancy assignment for the Town of Garrett Park. The focus of the project was the Town’s arboretum workflow management. The project proposal and requirements were determined under the patronage of the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), the UMD’s campus-wide initiative to engage faculty and students in projects that help partnering jurisdictions address their real-world challenges (UMD NCSG, n.d.). After a comprehensive analysis of services and information needs related to arboretum management, we have researched and identified actionable insights and technology solutions that, as we believe, could bring significant improvements to the current workflow. The following report is a summation of our findings.Garrett Park, M

Ke arah pembangunan industri peranti perubatan halal: Isu-isu dalam rantaian bekalan halal

Kebelakangan ini, kebimbangan terutamanya di kalangan pengguna Islam semakin meningkat mengenai isu status halal pelbagai produk, khususnya berkaitan dengan penggunaan unsur-unsur yang dilarang seperti derivatif babi dan kaedah penyernbelihan yang tidak halal. Perbincangan halal tidak lagi terhad kepada aspek makanan, kewangan dan kosmetik, malahan berkembang dalam industri penjagaan kesihatan. Selain farmaseutikal, satu lagi sektor yang memainkan peranan penting dalam aspek penjagaan kesihatan adalah peranti perubatan, yang meliputi peralatan yang ringkas seperti benang sutur sehinggalah peralatan yang kompleks seperti mesin hemodialisis. Kaedah yang digunakan dalam kajian ini adalah berdasarkan kepada tinjauan literatur daripada artikel jurnal, prosiding tesis dan 'persidanqan, buku dan berita dalam talian yang berkaitan dengan bidang kajian. Walaupun terdapat kajian banyak dilakukan ke atas keselamatan dan prestasi, wujud keperluan untuk mengenal pasti isu-isu halal dalam rantaian bekalan peranti perubatan. Oleh itu, cadangan menghasilkan rantaian bekalan halal dalam peranti perubatan adalah penting untuk memastikan bahawa konsep halal adalah bukan sahaja terpakai terhadap produk akhir peranti itutetapi juga meJiputi keseluruhan rantaian bekalan bermula daripada pengilang sehinggalah kepada pesakit. Tambahan pula, berdasarkan konsep halalan Toyyiban, selain daripada menghasilkan peranti perubatan yang halal, ia perlu juga selamat, bersih dan berkualiti. Oleh itu, kertas kerja ini bertujuan untuk membincangkan isu-isu berkaitan dengan halal, berasaskan kepada tiga peringkat utama di sepanjang rantaian bekalan peranti perubatan iaitu: institusi pengeluar, pengedar dan penjagaan kesihatan

Spherical and Rod-shaped Gold Nanoparticles for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Raman Spectroscopy offers an in-situ, rapid, and non-destructive characterization tool for chemical analysis of diverse samples with no or minimal preparation. However, due to the inherent weak signal of conventional Raman spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance features of noble metal nanoparticles have been utilized to conduct Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) in detecting trace label contaminants in foods and foodstuffs. In this effort, we synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) with sodium citrate dehydrate. We prepared different sizes of AuNPs at a fixed temperature (100 oC) but with varying pHs of 4 and 8. The as-synthesized AuNPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). FE-SEM micrographs revealed spherical AuNPs with an average diameter of approx. 55 nm and rod-shaped AuNPs with an average length of approx. 170 nm for sample synthesis at pH 8 and 4, respectively. The effectiveness of the as-prepared AuNPs for SERS is tested by detecting Rhodamine 6G diluted at a trace level. This study suggests that plasmonic nanoparticles coupled with SERS have great potential for broad applications in detecting other trace amounts of hazardous chemicals in foods and foodstuffs.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Perancangan Strategik Islam: Pengamalan Usaha Perancangan Pembangunan Dalam Pendidikan Tinggi Di Malaysia

Perbincangan mengenai perancangan strategik telah lama diperkatakan dalam sistem pentadbiran moden sejak tahun 1960 lagi. Namun masih belum terdapat perbincangan secara terperinci berkenaan perancangan strategik Islam. Oleh itu, kertas kerja ini akan mengemukakan beberapa elemen perancangan strategik Islam yang dianggap penting berdasarkan Al-Quran, sunah dan lipatan sejarah Islam. Hal ini berdasarkan keupayaan Islam dalam menyelesaikan segala permasalahan semasa merentasi benua Islam dan Eropah. Selain itu, kertas kerja ini juga akan menyentuh aspek pengamalan usaha perancangan pembangunan dalam pendidikan tinggi di Malaysia. Dalam bidang pengajian tinggi, pihak Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi telah memperkenalkan Pelan Strategik Pengajian Tinggi Nasional (PSPTN) yang bertujuan untuk mentransformasikan pengajian tinggi dalam konteks menjadikan Malaysia sebagai hub kecemerlangan pengajian tinggi antarabangsa. Penekanan utama dari aspek amalan tersebut ditumpukan kepada elemen perancangan strategik Islam yang kurang diberi penekanan dalam proses pelaksanaannya. Elemen-elemen ini dilihat sebagai mekanisme ke arah perancangan pembangunan selari dengan tuntutan Islam

Neuroprotective effect of phospholipase A2 from Malaysian Naja Sumatrana venom against H2O2-induced cell damage and apoptosis

Oxidative stress is one of the factors involved in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. It has been reported that a secretory phospholipase A2 known as A2-EPTX-NSm1a has lower cytotoxicity in neuronal cells compared to its crude Naja sumatrana venom. In this study, A2-EPTX-NSm1a was tested for its neuroprotective activity on human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) differentiated into cholinergic neurons against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). H2O2 treatment alone increased the caspase-3 and caspase-8 activities, whereas pre-treatment with A2-EPTX-NSm1a reduced the activity of these apoptosis-associated proteins. Moreover, A2-EPTX-NSm1a protects the morphology and ultrastructure of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells in the presence of H2O2. Oxidative stress increased the number of small mitochondria. Further evaluation showed the size of mitochondria with a length below 0.25 µm in oxidative stress conditions is higher than the control group, suggesting mitochondria fragmentation. Pre-treatment with A2-EPTX-NSm1a attenuated the number of mitochondria in cells with H2O2 Furthermore, A2-EPTX-NSm1a altered the expression of several neuroprotein biomarkers of GDNF, IL-8, MCP-1, TIMP-1, and TNF-R1 in cells under oxidative stress induced by H2O2. These findings indicate that anti-apoptosis with mitochondria-related protection, anti-inflammatory effect, and promote expression of important markers for cell survival may underlie the neuroprotective effect of A2-EPTX-NSm1a in cholinergic rich human cells under oxidative stress, a vital role in the neuronal disorder

Embelin, a Potent Molecule for Alzheimer's Disease: A Proof of Concept From Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability, Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition and Molecular Docking Studies

Embelin is well-known in ethnomedicine and reported to have central nervous system activities. However, there is no report on blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability of embelin. Here the BBB permeability of embelin was evaluated using in vitro primary porcine brain endothelial cell (PBEC) model of the BBB. Embelin was also evaluated for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity and docking prediction for interaction with AChE and amyloid beta (Aβ) binding sites. Embelin was found to be non-toxic to the PBECs and did not disturb the PBEC barrier function. The PBECs showed restrictive tight junctions with average transendothelial electrical resistance of 365.37 ± 113.00 Ω.cm2, for monolayers used for permeability assays. Permeability assays were conducted from apical-to-basolateral direction (blood-to-brain side). Embelin showed apparent permeability (Papp) value of 35.46 ± 20.33 × 10−6 cm/s with 85.53% recovery. In vitro AChE inhibitory assay demonstrated that embelin could inhibit the enzyme. Molecular docking study showed that embelin binds well to active site of AChE with CDOCKER interaction energy of −65.75 kcal/mol which correlates with the in vitro results. Docking of embelin with Aβ peptides also revealed the promising binding with low CDOCKER interaction energy. Thus, findings from this study indicate that embelin could be a suitable molecule to be further developed as therapeutic molecule to treat neurological disorders particularly Alzheimer's disease

Antimicrobial activities of gynura procumbens leaves extract against selected bacteria / Liliwirianis Nawi ...[et al.]

Gynura procumbens or Sambung Nyawa is a tropical plants species from the Asteraceae family. The objectives of this study were to determine antimicrobial activity and Minimal Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of G. procumbens leaf extracts against selective Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria. Methanol and hexane were the two extraction solvents that had been used. Four concentrations of extracts; 50 mg/mL, 100 mg/mL, 200 mg/mL, and 400 mg/mL were prepared for antimicrobial activity. Meanwhile for MIC determination, 6.25 mg/mL, 12.5 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL concentrations were prepared. By using disc diffusion method, the methanol extract of G. procumbens leaves showed antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to hexane extract. Highest antimicrobial activities were recorded against S. aureus at 400 mg/mL concentrations with 10.5 mm of inhibition zone. Broth dilution assay resulted MIC for methanol crude extract against S. aureus, B. subtilis, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa were at 12.5 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, and 50 mg/mL, respectivel

Research on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in Malaysia: a bibliometric analysis

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common analgesics used for pain relief. Adverse effects of NSAIDs range from gastrointestinal tract disturbances to increased risk of bleeding, renal injury,and myocardial infarction. In Malaysia, the research productivity of NSAIDs is not well explored. Objective: This study examined research productivity ofNSAIDs in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: This bibliometric study included all published research articles on NSAIDs from 1979 to 2018, which were conducted in Malaysia. The search databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed,ScienceDirect, and Scopus were used. Search terms included NSAIDs and specific drug names such as ibuprofen, celecoxib, and naproxen. Growth of publication, authorship pattern, citation analysis, journal index, type of studies, and geographical distribution of institutions publishing articles on NSAIDs were measured. Results: Overall, 111 articles were retrieved from 1979 to 2018. The annual productivity of articles throughout the study fluctuated in which the highest productivity was in 2018, 12.61% (n = 14). Majority of articles were multiple authored, 99.10% (n = 109), and University of Science Malaysia (USM) produced the highest number of articles (30 articles). Most of the articles were International Scientific Indexing-indexed, 52.25% (n = 58), and the main issue studied in most of the articles was the drug formulation of NSAIDs. Conclusion:The growth of NSAID research in Malaysia was slow, and the majority of research involved laboratory studies. Clinical studies evaluating the clinical outcomes of NSAIDs in patients, particularly using large healthcare databases are still lacking