Design and development of eggplant harvester for gantry system

This paper describes the design and development of harvesting system for the gantry system to harvest eggplants. For this purpose, the harvesting robot was successfully designed and fabricated for the gantry system to harvest eggplants. The operation of the harvester was controlled by Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Basically, the limit switches, DC motor, and relay are connected to the PLC. Meanwhile, a PLC ladder diagram was designed and developed to control the operation of the eggplant harvester. A visual basic programme was developed to interface the harvester with a greenhouse gantry control system. A videogrammetry method was employed to calculate the distance between the stems of eggplants and the cutter of robot end effector. The end effector used electric as its power source and it was controlled via Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Visual Basic Programme was developed to interface the harvester with the gantry control system. The accuracy of the videogrammetry was tested to be 67.2% for X-axis, 88.2% for Y-axis and 84.7% for Z-axis. Meanwhile, the speed of the end effector for harvester is 2.4 km/h and it could lift up to 55 cm. In order to determine detachment force of eggplant, 16 samples of mature eggplants were tested in a greenhouse, and as a result, more than 22.76 N force was needed to detach a mature eggplant inside the gantry system

Urban connectivity in Johor Bahru City Center: a review study

This paper will discuss the urban connectivity that relates to pedestrian movements within Johor Bahru City Centre. The study is about Johor Bahru that lose its liveliness as its urban connectivity has changed over time. There are places in the city center that have a significant value that are still disclose from the public. The traditional old shop houses existed at Johor Bahru has a lot to offer to the visitors if they are well maintain and fully utilized. Therefore, the study is conducted to identify the pedestrian movements and how it relates of creating a lively place. Besides that, the need of urban connectivity in Johor Bahru also will further discuss in this paper to discover the preferable type of pedestrian way by the user. The primary data collection is through literature review of related topics of urban connectivity and the significance of the site study and observation of pedestrian movements affecting the city center vibrancy as the secondary data collection. The findings show the positive and the negative relationship of pedestrian movement connections with the existing pedestrian infrastructure and how they can improve the urban connectivity to build a vibrant identity of Johor Bahru

Nanocomposite ultrafiltration membranes incorporated with zeolite and carbon nanotubes for enhanced water separation

The objective of this work is to develop a new class of nanocomposite ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with excellent solute rejection rate and superior water flux using zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The effect of ZIF-8 and MWCNTs loadings on the properties of polyvinyldifluoride (PVDF)-based membrane were investigated by introducing respective nanomaterial into the polymer dope solution. Prior to filtration tests, all the membranes were characterized using several important analytical instruments, i.e., SEM-EDX and contact angle analyzer. The addition of the nanoparticles into the membrane matrix has found to increase the membrane pore size and improve its hydrophilicity compared to the pristine membrane. The separation performance of membranes was determined with respect to pure water flux and rejections against bovine serum albumin (BSA) and humic acid (HA).The experimental findings indicated that the nanocomposite membranes in general demonstrated higher permeation flux and solute rejection compared to the pristine membrane and the use of ZIF-8 was reported to be better than that of MWCNTs in preparing nanocomposite UF membranes owing to its better flux and high percentage of solute rejection

Academic Performance of University Students: A Case in a Higher Learning Institution

This research is to identify the relationships and main factors of academic performance degree students in a Higher Learning Institution. The researcher can see the increasing number of students did not graduate on time based on the data provided and it means the students did not perform well in their studies. This research was done by conducting a survey using the questionnaires were distributed to the students in the campus based on list name given by head of faculty. The degree students involved were from semester 4 and 5. The total of sample size is according to Krejcie & Morgan, (1970). The data from questionnaires were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 23. The result analyzed using reliability analysis, frequency analysis, descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regressions. The results from the analysis show that this variable will lead to the academic performance towards degree students. The highest beta value is teaching and learning process. In a conclusion, this research gives some valuable information to the researcher, organization and the reader which is useful for basic knowledge. Moreover, the researcher also has recommended few strategies or ideas such as teachers need to create more on the ideas of teaching process, the institution need to take care of the students needs related to their learning process, and more concern on poor students in order to help them in academic performance among degree students semester 4 and 5 in the university.     Keywords: Academic Performance, Teaching and Learning Process, Family and Peers influence, Students’ Financial

Scanning Electron Microscopic Investigation of the Eviscerated Strands of Perhentian Island Bohadschia spp

As a defense reaction, the species Bohadschia grafeii and probably also another species, which we temporarily named as Bohadschia spp., eviscerate plenty of noodle-like threads which stick to the intruder’s body. These species belonging to the order holothuridae, are also known as ‘timun laut kuning’ and ‘timun laut batik’ amongst the local populace at the resort islands of Perhentian, Terangganu, Malaysia. The eviscerated materials are probably collagen-based materials exhibiting unique features when observed under the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The threads, measuring 0.3 to 2.5 mm in diameter with variable length are white in colour, shiny and are sticky in nature. Under the SEM, the features which confer the ability for the threads to stick to many different types of surfaces are clearly displayed. The presence of cup-like structures distributed along the threads do provide possible explanation of the possible vacuum suctional ability that makes the threads stick fast to almost any surface. The role of this defense system, at least in the two species mentioned here, has not been described earlier

Hygiene logistics practices in osman goat farm at kangkar tebrau

Hygiene in food preparation for Muslim consumer is the same as Halal requirements. The contradicting term of halal is haram or non-halal. Halal is associated with the concept of hygiene because of what is permitted in Islam is related with human health (www.hdcglobal.com). As an example, a dead but non-slaughtered animal is normally associated with a disease. Most diseases originated or carried in the animal's blood. Therefore, slaughtering is mandatory to ensure the blood is completely out from the animal's body, thus minimizing the chance of microbial infection. Lack of awareness the hygiene logistics practices in animal farms results in unhealthy and dangerous consumption of meat and animals to be eaten. Thus, this research is trying to study the hygiene logistics practice in Osman Goat Farm at Kangkar Tebrau as one of the largest farm managed by Muslim in Johor. This study uses qualitative method by interviewing the authorized person to ensure that hygiene logistics practiced has been done. Semi structured interview and participation observation has been used as the study instrument to gain data. Case study has been used as the method of analysis by triangulation data between the interview and observations. Interview was conducted with the authorized person such as Mr. Osman who is the director and Mr. Supri who is his supervisor. The study found that Osman Goat Farm has implemented most of the requirement of halal logistics. Hygiene logistics aspects in this study consists of storage, processing, packaging, handling, and transportation. Osman Goat Farm had implied all the hygiene logistics practices measured. Surrounding factors such as the farm location, which is near to schools and residents area allows Osman Goat farm to implements hygiene logistics practices very well. This study recommends an innovation in storage system especially the food container and drink for the goat. The innovation also includes new waste management design system as issued in chapter 4. These solutions can be the benchmark or design of hygiene logistics practices of goat farming industries in Malaysia

Safety of dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV) in Asia: a systematic review

The use of the vaccine in Asia is still very much limited and remained controversial due to its safety, which has yet been properly assessed and evaluated. Hence, the objective of this review is to assess the safety of the CYD-TDV dengue vaccine of the efficacy trials conducted in Asia. A total of 309 related articles were generated from the electronic database search using relevant keywords and only four of the articles were selected for the final review process. The seroprevalence at baseline of the participants involved in the studies was between 50 percent and 80 percent. In terms of the safety of the CYD-TDV vaccine, injection site reaction (pain, swelling, erythema) recorded a relative risk (RR) at 95% CI of (0.46—1.76) and systemic reactions (fever, headache, myalgia) also with RR at 95% CI of (0.89—1.81) were detected among the participants. Among the four studies reviewed, three studies reported some severe adverse effect experienced by the participants with RR at 95% CI of (0.92—2.11). In terms of the immunogenicity, high GMT values were reported for DENV-2 at 67.8 (95%CI of 64.8-70.8), DENV-3 at 73.1 (95% CI of 69.9-76.3) and DENV-4 at 65 (95%CI of 62-67.9) where even though lower values were reported it is consistent with other published studies on the immunogenicity of the CYD-TDV against the DENV serotypes. This review showed that the CYD-TDV can be considered for use in Asia, but with several conditions and following current safety recommendations

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

Background: The EMPA KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population. Methods: EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110. Findings: Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5–2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62–0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16–1·59), representing a 50% (42–58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all >0·1). Interpretation: In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease. Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council