Development of method for simultaneous determination of plasticizers in plastic food packaging by gas chromatography

An analytical method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of plasticizers belonging to the classes of phthalates, adipates, sebacates, azelates, phosphates, glycolate, citrates, and trimellitates which are often present in plastic food packaging. Sample extraction consists of solvent dissolution, precipitation, centrifugation, and concentration steps before analysis by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The developed analytical procedure makes possible the simultaneous determination of 20 compounds in common plastic materials for food packaging industry, namely dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, diisopropyl phthalate, di-n-propyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, dipentyl phthalate, din- butyl sebacate, acetyl-tri-n-butyl citrate, butylphthalyl butyl glycolate, butylbenzyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl adipate, tri-2-ethylhexyl phosphate, dichlorohexyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, tri-n-butyl trimellitate, di-2- ethylhexyl azelate, di-n-octyl phthalate and tri-2-ethylhexyl trimellitate within 35 minutes of gas chromatographic separation. Performance characteristics of the method such as linearity range, detection and quantification limit, specificity, trueness and precision were studied and were found to be within the acceptable limit for each plasticizer type. With the limit of detection between 0.61 to 2.88 mg/kg, the method was successfully applied to the determination of plasticizers in plastic food packaging made of polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene and polycarbonate. The method was found to be reliable, not labor intensive, suitable for general use and offer considerable time savings over the individual methods available to date. Thus, the proposed method could be used by many agencies including industries’ own quality control laboratories and enforcement authorities in charge with ensuring plastic food packaging meet applicable regulations

Waste to wealth: production of activated carbon from agricultural waste

Adsorption is the main process for wastewater and drinking water treatment. The ability of activated carbon as an absorbent was proven by many researchers. Agriculture waste can be produced as an activated carbon based on availability, cost, and purity. Physical and chemical activations are the main process in activated carbon (AC) development. Both processes have its own advantage. Before proceeding with the activation process the precursor must be characterized for metal element and surface functional group by doing (X-Ray Fluorescence) XRF and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). TGA will determine the exact carbonization temperature. Adsorbent pore will be analyzed using BET. Activating agent and carbonization temperature gives the main effect for surface area and total pore volume of AC. This chapter will review the AC development process and the exact characterization method in preparing the AC

Evaluating Local First Page University Site Using 'U' Tool

Making a web site usable is necessary for a web-page to be successful and for users to be satisfied. Therefore, developing sites that are responsive to user needs is critical for all site designers and managers. With the increasing growth of e-learning and emphasis on higher education in our country, a good and usable university web sites are required for this demand. This project will focus at evaluating the usability characteristics of every first page of our local universities. The concentration of this project is to identify the proposed metrics and develop a prototype considering only the automated usability characteristics based on the ISO 9126 standard. Therefore, a prototype of 'U' tool is developed to serve this purpos

Women's participation in household decision making and implementation - a case of urban low income households in Kuala Lumpur

Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menentukan kesahihan instrumen untuk menilai pembuatan dan pelaksanaan keputusan dalam isi rumah oleh wanita. Secara khususnya, kajian ini membandingkan penglibatan ibubapa dalam pembuatan dan pelaksanaan keputusan, seterusnya menentukan faktor-faktor yang menyumbang kepada pembuatan dan pelaksanaan keputusan isi rumah oleh ibu. Subjek terdiri daripada wanita berbangsa Melayu daripada isi rumah berpendapatan rendah di Kuala Lumpur. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui temu bual dengan ibu dengan menggunakan borang soalselidik berstruktur yang telah diuji kesahihannya. Maklumat yang diperoleh dianalisis secara deskriptif serta menggunakan ujian-T berpasangan dan one-way ANOVA. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa bapa lebih menglibatkan diri dalam proses pembuatan dan pelaksanaan keputusan berbanding ibu terutamanya dalam aspek pendapatan dan perbelanjaan keluarga (p < 0.001), sementara ibu lebih mendominasi aspek-aspek berkaitan makanan dan penjagaan anak, kesihatan serta pemberian makanan. Terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan antara penglibatan ibu dan bapa dalam proses pelaksanaan keputusan (p < 0.01) tetapi tiada perbezaan didapati dalam proses pembuatan keputusan. Secara keseluruhannya didapati ibu lebih menglibatkan diri dalam pelaksanaan keputusan berbanding pembuatan keputusan isi rumah. Terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan untuk penglibatan ibu dalam pembuatan dan pelaksanaan keputusan mengikut status pekerjaan dan pendapatan yang diperoleh oleh ibu. Ibu yang bekerja (p < 0.01) dan mempunyai pendapatan sendiri (p < 0.001) lebih menglibatkan diri dalam pembuatan dan pelaksanaan keputusan secara keseluruhannya. Pekerjaan ibu dan pendapatan yang diperoleh mungkin merupakan antara faktor yang menyumbang kepada autonomi di kalangan wanita dan secara tidak langsung meningkatkan imej diri dan mempengaruhi status kesihatan dan pemakanan anak mereka. Kesimpulannya, hasil kajian menunjukkan kesahihan instrumen yang digunakan dan menyokong kepentingan melihat proses pembuatan dan pelaksanaan keputusan isi rumah sebagai dua mekanisme yang berbeza

Maternal child feeding knowledge and practices and growth status of young children aged 6 to 24 months in Kuala Lumpur

This study was conducted to determine the association between maternal child feeding knowledge and practices with the growth status of young children. A total of 102 young children (62 boys and 40 girls) aged between 6 and 24 months old and their mothers participated in this study. A set of structured questionnaire; was used to obtain information on socio-economic, demographic characteristics, maternal feeding knowledge and practices, and anthropometric measurements of the young children. Maternal feeding knowledge was assessed in three different constructs i.e. general nutrition, breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Maternal feeding practice was assessed by examining whether mothers met the WHO guidelines for continued breastfeeding or feeding of milk or milk products, number of feeding times and number of food groups. Anthropometric measurements of the children such as weight and recumbent length were obtained using TANITA weighing scale and wooden measuring board, respectively. The anthropometric measurements were then compared to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference. The results indicated that 18.6% (n=19) of the young children were significantly underweight, 16.7% (n=17) mildly underweight, and 3.9% (n=4) were overweight. The percentage of children with significant and mild wasting were 17.6% (n=18) and 32.4% (n=33) respectively, while 14.7% (n=15) and 34.3 (n=35) were significantly and mildly stunted respectively. Maternal feeding data showed that the mean of maternal feeding knowledge score in the three constructs were 6.73±0.18, 5.97±0.19 and 6.57±0.18, for general nutrition, breastfeeding and complementary feeding respectively. The total score for each construct was 10. The mean total knowledge score obtained was 19.26±4.12. Maternal feeding practice data indicated that 97.1% (n=99) of the mothers continued breastfeeding or feeding milk or milk products, 33.3% (n=34) of the children were fed the recommended minimum number of times, and 81.4% (n=83) of the children were fed the recommended minimum number of food groups. Statistical test on the association between maternal child feeding knowledge and practices with the growth status of young children will be further conducted. Maternal nutritional knowledge and child feeding practices should not be overlooked as factors that may influence growth status of young children

Household food insecurity and coping strategies in a poor rural community in Malaysia

This cross-sectional study assessed household food insecurity among low-income rural communities and examined its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors as well as coping strategies to minimize food insecurity. Demographic, socioeconomic, expenditure and coping strategy data were collected from 200 women of poor households in a rural community in Malaysia. Households were categorized as either food secure (n=84) or food insecure (n=116) using the Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity instrument. T-test, Chi-square and logistic regression were utilized for comparison of factors between food secure and food insecure households and determination of factors associated with household food insecurity, respectively. More of the food insecure households were living below the poverty line, had a larger household size, more children and school-going children and mothers as housewives. As food insecure households had more school-going children, reducing expenditures on the children's education is an important strategy to reduce household expenditures. Borrowing money to buy foods, receiving foods from family members, relatives and neighbors and reducing the number of meals seemed to cushion the food insecure households from experiencing food insufficiency. Most of the food insecure households adopted the strategy on cooking whatever is available at home for their meals. The logistic regression model indicates that food insecure households were likely to have more children (OR=1.71; p<0.05) and non-working mothers (OR=6.15; p<0.05), did not own any land (OR=3.18; p<0.05) and adopted the strategy of food preparation based on whatever is available at their homes (OR=4.33; p<0.05). However, mothers who reported to borrow money to purchase food (OR=0.84; p<0.05) and households with higher incomes of fathers (OR=0.99; p<0.05) were more likely to be food secure. Understanding the factors that contribute to household food insecurity is imperative so that effective strategies could be developed and implemented

Nutritional status of Rohingya children in Kuala Lumpur

The Rohingya is a group of refugees from Myanmar who have been residing in Malaysia since the 1980s. At present, there is no published information on health and nutritional status of refugee children in Malaysia. This study was conducted to assess nutritional status of the Rohingya children aged 6 months to 12 years old (N=87) and to determine the associations between nutritional status with socio-demographic, dietary diversity and health (birth weight, immunization and childhood illness) variables. Children were measured for weight and height while their guardians were interviewed for socio-demographic, dietary diversity and health information. About 27.5% of the Rohingya children were underweight, 11.5% stunted, 16.1% thin and 12.6% at risk of overweight and overweight. The percentage of children with low birth weight (< 2.5 kg) and no immunization was 17.8% and 11.5%, respectively. Fever (67.8%) and flu (62.1%) were the most common childhood illnesses reported in previous month with 44-75% of the children with these illnesses did not receive any medical treatment. The mean dietary diversity score was 8.9+3.2 out of a possible 14, with a higher score indicating a more diverse diet. There were significant correlations between frequency of immunization received by the children with weight-for-age-z score (rs=0.27, p<0.05), height-for-age-z score (rs=0.25, p<0.05) and BMI-for-age-Z score (rs=0.24, p<0.05). Height-for-age-z score was also positively correlated with childhood illness score (rp=0.24, p<0.05) and dietary diversity score (rp=0.23, p<0.05) in that children with less common childhood illnesses and variety of foods in the diets had better linear growth. As refugees have limited access to health care services, they are at greater risk of health and nutritional problems

A workplace email-linked website intervention for modifying cancer-related dietary and lifestyle risk factors: rationale, design and baseline findings

INTRODUCTION:The use of email and website as channels for workplace health information delivery is not fully explored. This study aims to describe the rationale, design, and baseline findings of an email-linked website intervention to improve modifiable cancer risk factors. METHODS:Employees of a Malaysian public university were recruited by systematic random sampling and randomised into an intervention (n = 174) or control group (n = 165). A website was developed for the intervention and educational modules were uploaded onto the website. The intervention group received ten consecutive weekly emails with hypertext links to the website for downloading the modules and two individual phone calls as motivational support whilst the control group received none. Diet, lifestyle, anthropometric measurements, psychosocial factors and stages of change related to dietary fat, fruit and vegetable intake, and physical activity were assessed. RESULTS:Participants were predominantly female and in non-academic positions. Obesity was prevalent in 15% and 37% were at risk of co-morbidities. Mean intake of fats was 31%, fruit was -1 serving/day and vegetable was < 1 serving/day. Less than 20% smoked and drank alcohol and about 40% were physically inactive. The majority of the participants fell into the Preparation stage for decreasing fat intake, eating more fruit and vegetables, and increasing physical activity. Self-efficacy and perceived benefits were lowest among participants in the Precontemplation/Contemplation stage compared to the Preparation and Action/Maintenance stages. CONCLUSION:Baseline data show that dietary and lifestyle practices among the employees did not meet the international guidelines for cancer prevention. Hence the findings warrant the intervention planned

Determination of normative data on non invasive electrocochleography test in Malaysian adults

Objective The study was conducted with the aim to obtain normative data of Electrocochleography (EcochG) among Malaysian adults. It is also done to compare EcochG outcomes amplitude of summating potential (SP), action potential (AP) and SP/AP ratio between two different placements of EcochG electrode at the upper part of tympanic membrane and lower part of tympanic membrane and the difference between male and female. Methodology This is a cross sectional study conducted at audiology clinic HUSM starting from November 2011 until June 2012. 30 adults who consist of HUSM staffs aged 18 to 50 years old were chosen using simple random sampling method. Subjects were confirmed to have no pathological ear by otoscopy and have normal hearing level on pure tone audiometry (PTA).Tympanic electrode by Biologics was used. The gel is applied at its tip prior to insertion. With the help of head light,the electrode is introduced firstly at upper part of tympanic membrane until subject feels that it touches the membrane with the placement of insert earphone below the electrode. Broadband alternating clicks 95 dBHL at 7.1/s is given to the patient and result recorded. After recording of upper placement finished, the electrode is then placed at lower part of tympanic membrane with the insert earphone above it. Same stimulus given and result recorded. Results EcochG data between males and females are combined because there was no significant difference between them ( p > 0.05 ). The mean SP/AP ratio is 0.31 for upper TM placement and 0.30 for lower TM placement. The mean for AP are 0.72uVand 0.66uV for upper TM and lower TM respectively where as mean SP is 0.23uV for upper TM and 0.20uV for lower TM. Conclusion The normative data for EcochG parameters were obtained. The mean for AP, SP and SP/AP ratios are 0.69u ,0.21uV and 0.31 respectively. There was no difference in EcochG reading of right and left ear between two different placements of tymptrode with p value of 0.49 (p > 0.05). There was also no difference in EcochG parameters between male and female with p value of 0.96 ( p > 0.05 )

Perhubungan antara Iklim Sekolah dan Pencapaian Prestasi Pelajar

This research examined the relationship between school climate and students’ achievement in Mathematics and Science. The study involved students and teachers from three government secondary school in Kota Setar District. 108 teachers from the three schools were asked to response to items in the instruments OHI-Secondary about school climate. The instrument cosists of 44 items Likert scale The hypotheses were tested using ANOVA and Simple Regression analysis as well as Pearson correlation. Finding of the research shows that there is a significant difference in climate between schools in aspects such as academic emphasis, Affiliation, Resource Support and Principal Influence. There is , also a significant difference between school climate and students’ achievement in Mathematics and Science. Based on this research, sugesstions were made to improve students academic achievement