Alternative sweetener from curculigo fruits

This study gives an overview on the advantages of Curculigo Latifolia as an alternative sweetener and a health product. The purpose of this research is to provide another option to the people who suffer from diabetes. In this research, Curculigo Latifolia was chosen, due to its unique properties and widely known species in Malaysia. In order to obtain the sweet protein from the fruit, it must go through a couple of procedures. First we harvested the fruits from the Curculigo trees that grow wildly in the garden. Next, the Curculigo fruits were dried in the oven at 50 0C for 3 days. Finally, the dried fruits were blended in order to get a fine powder. Curculin is a sweet protein with a taste-modifying activity of converting sourness to sweetness. The curculin content from the sample shown are directly proportional to the mass of the Curculigo fine powder. While the FTIR result shows that the sample spectrum at peak 1634 cm–1 contains secondary amines. At peak 3307 cm–1 contains alkynes

Kesediaan Pentadbir Awam Malaysia Menangani Globalisasi Dan Era E-Government

Malaysia liveliness wake Corridor region Raya Multimedia (Multimedia Super Corridor - MSC) has opened a new chapter to the development of the city. Get along or not Malaysia is no exception terheret together in globalization. Malaysia needs to be comparable to the developed countries so as not to lag behind in economic and technological development. Indeed, in order to achieve competitiveness in the global ranking high rate capability, along with the development of Putrajaya and Cyberjaya Bestari Bandaraya, electronics empire system has been implemented. The main Matlamat kingdom perlaksanaan electronic system is to deliver a system that cekap Pentadbiran kingdom, so that the impression can be competitive in the global rankings. However, the main cases that need to be woken up instead of our other systems, even cover human resource development lay administrators (e-governance) itself. Indeed, the issue essentially lay the extent of the willingness of administrators to handle the presence of systems electronics empire? Are there they are capable of in the aspect of human resource development such as a change in attitude and scientific (Humanware)? In connection with the issue-perseoalan dikemukan this paper will Membincang three major cases. The first is a theoretical discussion about the process of globalization, global society and the concept bandaraya bermaklumat bestari. Secondly, the discussion of the kingdom of electronic systems and the concept of ‘good governance' and the factors of human development. Third, during the discussion of keupayaan lay administrators in handling the system electronics empire

Oral manifestations of illicit drug use

Oral health problems, among the most prevalent comorbidities related to addiction, require more attention by both clinicians and policy-makers. Our aims were to review oral complications associated with drugs, oral health care in addiction rehabilitation, health services available, and barriers against oral health promotion among addicts. Drug abuse is associated with serious oral health problems including generalized dental caries, periodontal diseases, mucosal dysplasia, xerostomia, bruxism, tooth wear, and tooth loss. Oral health care has positive effects in recovery from drug abuse: patients’ need for pain control, destigmatization, and human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) transmission. Health care systems worldwide deliver services for addicts, but most lack oral health care programs. Barriers against oral health promotion among addicts include difficulty in accessing addicts as a target population, lack of appropriate settings and of valid assessment protocols for conducting oral health studies, and poor collaboration between dental and general health care sectors serving addicts. These interfere with an accurate picture of the situation. Moreover, lack of appropriate policies to improve access to dental services, lack of comprehensive knowledge of and interest among dental professionals in treating addicts, and low demand for non-emergency dental care affect provision of effective interventions. Management of drug addiction as a multi-organ disease requires a multidisciplinary approach. Health care programs usually lack oral health care elements. Published evidence on oral complications related to addiction emphasizes that regardless of these barriers, oral health care at various levels including education, prevention, and treatment should be integrated into general care services for addicts

Effects of photo biomodulation on peri-implantitis

Periodontitis is a prevalent infectious disease in which the accumulation of bacterial plaque leads to an inflammatory reaction and destruction of supporting tissues around the teeth. The optimal goal in periodontal treatment is to eliminate the infection and to recreate the lost structures of cementum, periodontal ligament (PDL), and the alveolar bone with the reestablishment of their functions. Achieving this regenerative aim, however, remains a major challenge for periodontists. In order to increase the predictability and the efficacy of regenerative periodontal therapies, treatment modalities have moved from the conventional guided tissue treatments to novel tissue engineering and stem cell–based treatments. This is achieved either by transplantation of cells from outside sources to the periodontal defects or by enhancing the recruitment of endogenous host cells present in the area, known as cell homing methods. Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy is a term used for exposure of cells/ tissues to low-level laser light or light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which is absorbed by specific photoreceptors in cells and may cause alteration at a molecular level inside cells without any heat generation leading to biological changes in cell metabolism and function.

Water absorbency and mechanical properties of kenaf paper blended via a disintegration technique.

In this study, blended paper was prepared by blending synthetic polyethylene (PE) via a disintegration technique. The produced paper was targeted to resist water or moisture. Unbleached kenaf whole stem pulp was used as the main source of fibre in making the paper. The pulp was blended with two types of PE: low-branched (LB) and high-branched (HB) polymers. To study the effect of PE addition to the paper, the water absorbency and mechanical properties were characterized. The pulp to PE mixtures were prepared at ratios of 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, and 5:5. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the PE was melted between the fibre linkages. The Cobb test determined that the blended paper absorbed less than 20 g/m2 of water within 60 s. The best water contact angle successfully achieved was at 84°, which is almost hydrophobic. The mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and tear strength, were in the range of accepted standard requirements. The obtained results indicated that blending via a disintegration technique can be applied in the process of making water-resistant paper. The produced paper is suitable for the manufacturing of water-resistant corrugated packaging materials

Effects of temperature and time on the morphology, pH, and buffering capacity of bast and core kenaf fibres.

This study investigated the effects of heating on the morphology, pH, and buffering capacity of bast and core kenaf fibre. The bast material yielded longer and thinner fibres (with a higher aspect ratio) compared to the core. Changes in fibre morphology were clearly visible when the temperature of pulping was increased. The morphology of the bast fibre displayed significant variations following treatment at different pulping temperature (150, 160, 170, and 180 °C), time (1, 2, and 3 hours), and with the interaction between both parameters. Core fibre also exhibited significant variation in length, width, and wall thickness in all parameters, but lumen diameter and aspect ratio were not significantly affected by the same processing conditions. The pH value of both fibres was reduced as the temperature increased; core fibre was more acidic compared to bast fibre. Bast fibre exhibited greater acid buffering capacity and core fibre greater alkaline buffering capacity

Courier delivery services visualisor (CDSV) with an integration of genetic algorithm and A* engine

Online shopping has become one of the popular mediums for people to use online transactions due to its economical and easiness.It is more convenient to those who simply do not have time to shop physically and prefer delivery service. However, the courier services nowadays are unable to keep up with the increasing consumer demand. The problem is caused by the delivery process that is not synchronized due to the problem of finding the best route of distribution. Distributors are unable to plan their distribution path with the minimal distance.Furthermore distributors are only able to reach each district distribution centre once a day and revisit the distribution centre will increase the time spent and operation cost. This study developed Courier Delivery Services Visualisor (CDSV) that is able to visualize the best route to be taken by distributor, so that the courier service can arrive on time.CDSV employed Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Astar Algorithm (A*) that integrates with Geographical Information System (GIS) data.A graphical user interface in the form of simulation map that suggests the best route and the optimal distance are displayed for easier courier service distribution references

Feasibility analysis of standalone PV powered battery using SEN for Smart Grid

In Smart Grid (SG) communication network, sensors integrated communication radios namely ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are becoming urgent and crucial part of SG wireless communication. Sensor nodes are generally battery powered. With the enhancement and huge utilization of sensor technologies, batteries have not been improved significantly at the same pace. However, batteries are essential to power the sensor nodes and there is no alternative of this energy bank. Therefore, to provide seamless power to the nodes is a challenge when the nodes are meant for integrating distributed renewable generations for years. Necessitate of the battery replacement is not often cost effective when the batteries are drained out. This paper presents a feasibility study of standalone Photovoltaic (PV) powered battery using Sensors-radios integrated Embedded Node (SEN) for SG application. In this study, we have analyzed charging characteristics of a lead-acid battery that can be recharged during day time by a PV module. The aim of this research is to testify the two simultaneous jobs- (i) the battery is sufficient to power Sensors-ZigBee integrated Arduino (SZA) for at least one day operation, (ii) scrutiny the optimal size of PV for recharging the battery considering three different day variations- average, cloudy, and full rainy day. The result from real data analysis reveals that the module is sufficient to recharge the battery on an average day; however, it is not sufficient for full cloudy or full rainy day. Finally, a mathematical model is obtained from regression analysis that shows battery internal resistance is exponential to voltage on both full cloudy and rainy day, but it is linear on average day

Evaluation of Rapid stool antigen test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia

Background and objectives: Several diagnostic assays are used for the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in suspected peptic ulcer cases. H. pylori stool antigen test is a non-invasive method for the detection of active infection. The present study has evaluated the efficacy of rapid stool antigen test to diagnose H. pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia.Materials and methods: Adult patients with complains of dyspepsia attending the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases (GHPD) of BIRDEM hospital for endoscopy were included. Gastric biopsy, blood and stool samples were obtained from each participant after informed written consent. Rapid urease test (RUT), serum H. pylori immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG and rapid H. pylori stool antigen (HpSAg) tests were performed. Only stool samples were obtained from 31 neonates aged 1 to 30 days as negative control for HpSAg test.Results: A total of 91 adult patients with complain of dyspepsia were included in the study. Out of 91 cases, 17 (18.7%) and 74 (81.3%) had peptic ulcer and erosion respectively. HpSAg was positive in 63.7% cases compared to 42.9% and 62.6% respectively by RUT and IgA. The rate of HpSAg positivity was significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) in ulcer compared to erosion cases. HpSAg test was positive in all (100%) RUT positive cases. Combination of HpSAg test and IgA yielded highest positive result in both ulcer (82.4%) and erosion (84%) cases. H. pylori IgG was positive in all cases.Conclusion: The study has demonstrated that HpSAg test is an effective and non-invasive diagnostic tool to detect active H. pylori infection in suspected dyspeptic patients.IMC J Med Sci 2016; 10(2): 39-44</jats:p