Properties of kenaf filled unplasticized polyvinyl chloride composites

Combination of lignocellulosic fiber with thermoplastic is leading to the new areas of research in plastic composite field. Due to the problem of petroleum shortages and encouragement for reducing the dependence on fossil fuel products, thus increased the people interest in maximizing the utilize of renewable materials like kenaf fiber. By adding optimum natural fiber to thermoplastics could provide some cost reduction to the world of plastic industry as well as to dominance the agro-based industry. With a view to identifying the effect of fiber content and effect of coupling agent in kenaf fiber reinforced unplasticized poly (vinyl chloride) (UPVC) composite on the mechanical properties, the fiber and matrix mixture were mixed with poly [methylene poly (phenyl isocyanate)] (PMPPIC) using thermal mixing process followed by compression molding technique for the composite preparation that required for tensile characteristic (ASTM D638). The fiber loading were 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% in weight. Since the kenaf fiber and UPVC are chemically different, the compatibility and dispersability of kenaf fiber in UPVC can be improved by lowering the surface energy of the fiber to make it less polar, consequently more similar to the plastic matrix. Generally, PMPPIC act as a bonding agent that facilitates the optimum stress transfer at the interface between fiber and matrix which gives an optimal mechanical performance of kenaf fiber reinforced UPVC composites. Meanwhile, the addition of 30% fiber contents with PMPPIC was successful to enhance the tensile properties and the efficiency of PMPPIC was verified using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy

Case report of a posttraumatic ankylosed right elbow treated with open capsule released, reconstruction of medial ulna colateral ligament (novel technique) and thermal arthroplasty of ulnahumeral articular surface

INTRODUCTION: Elbow ankylosis is a well-recognized but potentially difficult problem. Heterotopic ossification (HO) commonly occurs after elbow trauma leading to severe deformity. Thus, surgical release is imperative to restore elbow function. CASE REPORT: We report a 13 years old Malay girl was diagnosed with right neglected elbow dislocation. She was underwent open reduction with LCL reconstruction using Anconeus fascia 1 year ago and now complicated with stiffness due to ankylosis of the right elbow. There was terminal restriction of movement at elbow joint with fixed at 60’ flexion. Radiograph revealed fusion of the distal humerus with the adjacent radius ulna and heterotopic bone formations. A decision to perform open capsular release, reconstruction and direct diathermisation of ulnahumeral articular surface was made. Intraoperative, it was abundant heterotopic bone and no articular cartilage at the ulnahumeral joint. Anterior and posterior capsule released through medial approach with HO removal with reconstruction of medial ulna collateral ligament with palmaris longus was done. Articular surface of ulnahumeral was directly diathermised. RESULTS: Post-operatively, she when for regular physiotherapy. On the last follow up, there is no pain. ROM of the right elbow 5’-110’ with full supination and pronation. Radiograph shows no heterotopic bone and preserve of joint space. DISCUSSION:In elbow ankylosis, articular involvement has been associated with inferior clinical outcomes. Joint surface damage was associated with poorer elbow function. Clinically, patients complained of greater pain during mobilisation, which decreased their compliance with rehabilitation and thus affected the final ROM. Direct diathemisation to the bone surface desensitization of nerves surrounding the elbow joint and will help to reduce the pain. CONCLUSION:We concluded that direct diathermisation can be apply to reduce the pain post operatively and prevention from recurrence of HO formation

Developing and Validating an Assessment Instrument for Organizational Performances of Construction Organization

Evaluating the performance of construction organizations is important for ensuring the success of construction projects-based nature. However, there are no standardized instruments and a single way to measure how well construction organizations perform, making it difficult for researchers and practitioners to get an accurate picture of their performance. This study aims to develop and validate an instrument for assessing organizational performances of construction organizations. The instrument was reviewed by an eight (8) panel of experts, who rated the items on their relevance (essential) to the construct of organizational performance. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) results showed that 21 of 59 items were considered the most critical by the content experts, and the results for Item Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) showed that 46 items were considered appropriate. These results showed that the instrument has adequate content validity. The outcomes of this study have important implications for the use of this instrument in organizational performance assessment for the construction industry. The instrument can be used to measure construction organizational performance in a comprehensive and systematic way. This will help researchers and practitioners to better understand the factors that contribute to construction organizational performance and to develop interventions to improve this construct

Building information modeling (BIM) in green buildings: a state-of the- art bibliometric review

Purpose: This study evaluates the knowledge structure of building information modeling (BIM) in green buildings. Buildings are one of the main contributors to carbon emissions, and implementing BIM in green buildings is seen as an indispensable approach to mitigate environmental and climate change issues.Design/methodology/approach: Through a bibliometric analysis, 297 publications retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) were analyzed to explore their intellectual structure. Findings: Bibliographic coupling analysis produced four clusters on current and emerging trends, while co-word analysis produced four clusters on future BIM and green building trends. Current and emerging trends revolve around BIM adoption in green and existing buildings, life cycle analysis (LCA) and sustainable rating tools. Future trends related to BIM and performance analysis and optimization, the BIM framework for green building design and construction, overcoming barriers and maximizing benefits in BIM adoption. Research limitations/implications: The implications of this study are relevant to all BIM and green building stakeholders, including developers, engineers, architects, occupants, tenants and the whole community. Originality/value: This study examines the crucial integration of BIM and green building within the more extensive construction and building field scope

Optimizing the mercerisation effect on the mode I fracture toughness of Bambusa Vulgaris bamboo using surface response method.

Alkaline treatment is widely being promoted to treat natural fibres and improves the fibre bundle surface for better interlocking with the polymer matrix. The aim of this study is to optimize the merceration parameter including natrium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration, soaking and drying time for Bambusa Vulgaris bamboo using response surface methodology (RSM). Here, the treatment conditions were employed by the Box-Behnken design (BBD). The comparative study of the treated and untreated fibre on crack propagation behaviour, Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (GIC) of the bamboo along the longitudinal direction test was carried out. Through the statistical analysis approach (ANOVA), it is suggested that bamboo treated with 1.5 wt.% concentration of NaOH is capable to reach the fracture toughness value up to 367.25 J/m2. It is also shown that all proposed variables for treatment in this study (i.e., the concentration of the NaOH is highly significant with the 2.85 hours of soaking and drying for 72.5 hours)

Monitoring climate change effects on coral reefs using edge-based image segmentation

Coral reefs are valuable ecosystems that face vulnerability to climate change impacts. Underwater images often encounter noise from various factors, such as water turbidity, lighting conditions, attenuation, and scattering, which can complicate edge detection and segmentation processes, leading to inaccuracies. However, image processing techniques offer a viable solution to this issue. In this study, an edge-based segmentation approach is proposed that uses multiple contrast techniques to detect and quantify changes in coral reef imagery. The proposed approach effectively identifies changes in coral reef imagery, making it a valuable tool for monitoring climate change's effects on these ecosystems. Furthermore, high-resolution images at different time points and locations were collected, and then an edge-based segmentation approach was utilized to enhance the accuracy of edge detection and segmentation. Comparing the proposed method with traditional segmentation techniques showed a significant improvement in terms of segmentation precision. Subsequently, alterations in the structure and composition of coral reefs are observed, indicating the influence of climate change on these ecosystems. This research highlights the capabilities of image processing techniques using edge-based segmentation in monitoring coral reefs. It offers an effective and precise approach to detecting changes in coral reef images, thereby contributing to conservation endeavors

Dynamic modelling of hand grasping and wrist exoskeleton: an EMG-based approach

Human motion intention plays an important role in designing an exoskeleton hand wrist control for post-stroke survivors especially for hand grasping movement. The challenges occurred as sEMG signal frequently being affected by noises from its surroundings. To overcome these issues, this paper aims to establish the relationship between sEMG signal with wrist angle and handgrip force. ANN and ANFIS were two approaches that have been used to design dynamic modelling for hand grasping of wrist movement at different MVC levels. Input sEMG signals value from FDS and EDC muscles were used to predict the hand grip force as a representation of output signal. From the experimental results, sEMG MVC signal level was directly proportional to the hand grip force production while hand grip force signal values will depend on the position of wrist angle. Its also concluded that the hand grip force signal production is higher while the wrist at flexion position compared to extension. A strong relationship between sEMG signal and wrist angle improved the estimation of hand grip force result thus improved the myoelectronic control device for exoskeleton hand. Moreover, ANN managed to improve the estimation accuracy result provided by ANFIS by 0.22 summation of integral absolute error value with similar testing dataset from the experiment

A University-Wide Preparedness Effort in the Alert Phase of COVID-19 Incorporating Community Mental Health and Task-Shifting Strategies: Experience from a Bornean Institute of Higher Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise, causing millions of confirmed cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Hence, the Malaysian government announced a Movement Control Order at the start of the containment phase to flatten the epidemiological curve. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), a public university in Borneo, was accelerated into alert phase because of high risk of case importation from more than 400 China incoming undergraduates. Measures to mitigate the potential COVID-19 outbreaks in its population were taken by using conventional public health measures with special attention to task-shifting and widespread community mental health interventions. A Preparedness and Response Centre was established to overseer the mitigating measures happening inside the university. Measures taken included empowerment of frontline staff, strengthening of restrictions, strengthening university health center, vigorous contact tracing, widespread health education, maintaining cultural sensitivity, and establishment of early standard operating procedures and university continuity plans. Hence, UMS was able to ensure no importation of cases into its campus during both acute and containment phases at the nationwide level

An oncological curiosity of a male patient with a huge leiomyoma of the terminal ileum

Leiomyoma is a smooth muscle tumour that can arise in any part of the body especially the uterus. Even though it is traditionally linked with hormonal inf luence, it can also develop in extrauterine organs with a slight female predominance. It is indistinguishable with gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) histologically. We report a case of a 30-year-old gentleman who presented with a huge painful mass in the right iliac fossa. Computed tomography revealed a 10 × 10 cm homogeneous mass arising from the terminal ileum; he subsequently underwent an open right hemicolectomy. Histology showed a well-circumscribed lesion composed of interlacing bundles of smooth muscle fibres of the submucosa with positive smooth muscle actin and H-Caldesmon stains but negative for DOG-1 and CD117 (c-kit) stains which were consistent with leiomyoma. Despite its rarity, this hormone-related tumour needs to be considered regardless of gender. Immunohistochemistry is paramount as it is histologically identical to GIST

Recurrent Empyema Thoracic Secondary to Pulmonary Nocardiosis in Immunocompetent Patients

Pulmonary nocardiosis is a rare disorder that mainly affects immune-compromised patients. We report a 37-year-old male who presented with persistent fever associated with productive cough. During this course of therapy, he had recurrent admissions for empyema thoracic. Clinically, his vital signs were normal. Blood investigations show leukocytosis with a significantly raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) was scanty 1+ and sputum mycobacterium culture was negative. Chest X-ray (CXR) showed consolidative changes with mild to moderate pleural effusion on the right side. Skin biopsy was taken and showed Paecilomyces species. A computed tomography scan (CT thorax) was performed and revealed a multiloculated collection within the right hemithorax with a split pleura sign. Decortications were performed and tissue culture and sensitivity (C+S) growth of Nocardia species. And it is sensitive to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and completed treatment for 4 months. This case highlights that pulmonary nocardiosis should be kept in mind in also immune-competent patients, especially in suspected cases of tuberculosis not responding to antitubercular therapy