Effective PRCs positioning for PAPR reduction using PRCs in OFDM systems

In this paper, the effective use of peak reduction carrier (PRC) for PAPR reduction is evaluated. By taking into account the number of PRCs, its position and PRC-to-Data ratio, the recommendation on how to effectively adopt PRC for PAPR reduction is carried out for OFDM systems with sub-carriers from 64 sub-carriers to 8192 sub-carriers. From our simulations, it has been shown that there are effective positions for PRC allocation as well as a balance needs to be strike for transmission efficiency versus PAPR reduction effectiveness evaluated via the PRC-to-Data ratio

Green Power architecture considerations for rural computing

The introduction of computer technology has brought revolutionary impacts to the living in rural areas. This technology has narrowed the digital divide between the urban and the rural. However, limitation in electricity supply is the major constraint in powering up the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) equipment in the rural. Consistent electricity supply has become an obstacle in deploying computing systems in the rural environment. Therefore, green and energy efficient power architecture has been proposed in this paper to reduce power wastage and make efficient use of the power for consumption by ICT equipment in order to prolong the operating time of the equipment. Green power architecture can generally be organized into several areas of application such as power sustainability, energy efficiency and reduction in power loss. The effective use of power provision in rural areas has also been taken into consideration. This paper shows that systems that are direct DC powered, wired networked and use solid state Hard Disk Drive (HDD) are more energy efficient and those are the important parameters for rural computing implementation

The Changing Intention to Practice Healthy Eating Behaviour Among Late Adolescents During Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has generated intention among late adolescents to practice healthy eating behaviour. Although it is not new, there is limited research on this topic. To date, the pandemic has changed the behaviour of late adolescents to practice healthy eating behaviour. As such, it has tremendously grabbed the attention of scholars amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the development process from adolescence to late adolescence stage has become a serious healthrelated issue worldwide. However, most research are focused on adolescents instead of late adolescents. Late adolescence is a special group of the population who has specific health concerns. To discover more about healthy eating behaviours among late adolescence aged between 18-24 years in Malaysia, this study aims to examine the 62 Journal of Business Management and Accounting, Vol. 11, Number 2 (July) 2021, pp: 61–72 determinants that contribute to the eating behaviour in this population. Based on past and current literature reviews, a proposed research framework was developed, along with some untested assumptions which were formulated for the research purpose

Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenic Capacity Is Regulated by Elovl6.

Although many transcriptional pathways regulating BAT have been identified, the role of lipid biosynthetic enzymes in thermogenesis has been less investigated. Whereas cold exposure causes changes in the fatty acid composition of BAT, the functional consequences of this remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that the enzyme Elongation of Very Long Chain fatty acids 6 (Elovl6) is necessary for the thermogenic action of BAT. Elovl6 is responsible for converting C16 non-essential fatty acids into C18 species. Loss of Elovl6 does not modulate traditional BAT markers; instead, it causes reduced expression of mitochondrial electron transport chain components and lower BAT thermogenic capacity. The reduction in BAT activity appears to be counteracted by increased beiging of scWAT. When beige fat is disabled by thermoneutrality or aging, Elovl6 KO mice gain weight and have increased scWAT mass and impaired carbohydrate metabolism. Overall, our study suggests fatty acid chain length is important for BAT function.We thank the BBSRC, MRC, EU FP7 5 BetaBAT and Wellcome Trust for funding this work.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.11.00

Preliminary assessment of Polytrichum commune extract as an antimicrobial soap ingredient

Mosses have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine due to the presence of secondary metabolites which have shown high biological activities. In particular, these secondary metabolites have demonstrated effective antibacterial activity against pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the influence of different extraction solvents on the antibacterial activities of the Polytrichum commune was carried out using the disc diffusion method. Results showed that both 12.5 mg/mL of methanol moss extract and 6.25 mg/mL of ethanol moss extract were the most effective concentrations against Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, the P. commune extracts were included as an added ingredient in soap bases to produce antibacterial soap prototypes where the effectiveness of the soaps containing the extracts in removing microorganisms from actual test individuals was carried out. Results of the thumb impression test of test individuals showed that the growth of microbial reduced after washing hands with the usage of both liquid and solid soap with the addition of P. commune extracts. Moreover, the antibacterial soaps performed better in eliminating microorganisms in comparison to control soaps without P. commune extracts. Taken together, P. commune extract could be a good candidate as a value-added ingredient utilized to produce antibacterial soaps due to its antibacterial properties

No metabolic effects of mustard allyl-isothiocyanate compared with placebo in men.

Background: Induction of nonshivering thermogenesis can be used to influence energy balance to prevent or even treat obesity. The pungent component of mustard, allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC), activates the extreme cold receptor transient receptor potential channel, subfamily A, member 1 and may thus induce energy expenditure and metabolic changes.Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the potential of mustard AITC to induce thermogenesis (primary outcome) and alter body temperature, cold and hunger sensations, plasma metabolic parameters, and energy intake (secondary outcomes).Design: Energy expenditure in mice was measured after subcutaneous injection with vehicle, 1 mg norepinephrine/kg, or 5 mg AITC/kg. In our human crossover study, 11 healthy subjects were studied under temperature-controlled conditions after an overnight fast. After ingestion of 10 g of capsulated mustard or uncapsulated mustard or a capsulated placebo mixture, measurements of energy expenditure, substrate oxidation, core temperature, cold and hunger scores, and plasma parameters were repeated every 30 min during a 150-min period. Subjects were randomly selected for the placebo and capsulated mustard intervention; 9 of 11 subjects received the uncapsulated mustard as the final intervention because this could not be blinded. After the experiments, energy intake was measured with the universal eating monitor in a test meal.Results: In mice, AITC administration induced a 32% increase in energy expenditure compared with vehicle (17.5 ± 4.9 J · min-1 · mouse-1 compared with 12.5 ± 1.2 J · min-1 · mouse-1, P = 0.03). Of the 11 randomly selected participants, 1 was excluded because of intercurrent illness after the first visit and 1 withdrew after the second visit. Energy expenditure did not increase after ingestion of capsulated or uncapsulated mustard compared with placebo. No differences in substrate oxidation, core temperature, cold and hunger scores, or plasma parameters were found, nor was the energy intake at the end of the experiment different between the 3 conditions.Conclusion: The highest tolerable dose of mustard we were able to use did not elicit a relevant thermogenic response in humans. This trial was registered at www.controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN19147515

Analysis of the Polypropylene-Based Aluminium-Air Battery

Global energy demand is rising due to the rapid development and adoption of new technologies in every sector. Hence, there is a need to introduce a clean energy source that does not cause damage to the environment. Aluminium-air battery with its high theoretical specific volumetric capacity is an exciting alternative for post-lithium energy storage and has been at the forefront of energy research for years. However, the conventional aqueous electrolyte-based aluminium-air battery with bulky liquid storage, parasitic corrosion of aluminium in contact with the electrolyte, and formation of a passive oxide or hydroxide layer has precluded its widespread application. In order to achieve successful simplification and cost-effectiveness, a novel idea of a polypropylene-based aluminium-air battery is proposed. In this work, a polypropylene-based aluminium-air battery was constructed using aluminium foil as an anode, carbon fiber cloth as an air-cathode, and Polypropylene and Kimwipes as the separator. The effects of the electrolyte concentration on the aluminium-air battery were investigated and analyzed using various discharge currents. The study showed that the performance of the polypropylene separator is better than that of the Kimwipes separator. The battery capacity is negatively correlated with the concentrations of the electrolyte. At a discharge current of 30 mA, the aluminium-air battery has a specific capacity of 375 mAh g−1 when 1 M of potassium hydroxide was used as electrolyte