Redesign an old bridge to cable stayed bridge (footbridge) / Hanafi Mohamed Norman

The construction of bridges is an idea that is as old as mankind itself; it is something as simple as laying a log across a stream. Man has developed many different types of bridges throughout history, but the most remarkable among them is the cable stayed bridge. Cable stayed bridges date back to the early 1600’s but was not produced on any significant scale until 1938. They are defined as those consisting of a continuous deck to which cables are connected diagonally from one or more towers supporting it directly. Their construction has since matured into a highly technical discipline, allowing for reliable means of transportation across seemingly impossible stretches of land or water. The development of the cable stayed bridge has allowed engineers to span distances longer than ever before been attempted, mainly because of its ability to withstand the forces of nature as well as support massive amounts of weight. Because of its cost effectiveness and relatively short time of construction, the bridge proves to be very economical. These factors contribute to sustainability in our society by maintaining consciousness of the environment in all aspects of the bridge. Through use of numerous examples, this paper will discuss the design, structure, and basic common principles of the cable stayed bridge, as well as the process of its construction. The bridge continues to constantly undergo change in development and design, paving the way for a remarkable future

Mycelial growth interactions and mannan-degrading enzyme activities from fungal mixed cultures grown on palm kernel cake

Palm kernel cake (PKC), a by-product of the palm kernel oil extraction process contains mannan as its main polysaccharide. Mixed culture microbial degradation may enhance mannan-degrading enzymes production. Therefore, the objective of the study was to examine the nature of mycelial interactions and corresponding production of mannan-degrading enzymes of PKC. Fungal interactions was carried out using Sclerotium rolfsii and Aspergillus niger co-cultured with three Trichoderma strains (Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma longiobrachiatum and Trichoderma koningii) on potato dextrose agar (PDA) in disposable petri-dishes. Measurements of growth diameters were taken on days 2 and 13. For mannan-degrading enzyme production, single and co-cultures of these fungi were carried out under submerged cultivation for 13 days with PKC as the carbon source. About 57% of observed interactions on PDA were deadlock, 29% replacement and 14% intermingling. In Trichoderma sp./A. niger mixed cultures, there was an overall significant enhancement of enzyme: 2 to 200 fold (β-D-mannanase), 8 to 25 fold (β-mannosidase) and from no change to 15 fold increase (α-galactosidase). There was no obvious relationship between enzyme production and protein yield. However, co-culturing of A. niger with the Trichoderma strains showed an enhancement of mannan-degrading enzyme activities without reducing biomass yield

Upland rice root characteristics and their relationship to nitrogen uptake

Nitrogen and phosphorus efficiencies are the main constraints to food production in the sub-humid and humid tropic soils. A laboratory and glasshouse study was initiated to examine the differences in the root architecture of Malaysian upland rice landraces and relate them to efficiency of the nitrogen fertilizer uptake. Six upland rice landraces, obtained locally, were soaked in water and allowed to germinate using the cigar role method. The seedlings were fertilized with a complete nutrient solution daily and the roots which were allowed to develop after 14 days were measured using the WINRHIZO. The same landraces were planted in the glasshouse in polybags containing 25 kg soil in four replications. N-15 labelled urea was applied at 170 kg N/ha and N use efficiency was measured at harvest. Significant differences in root length, surface area, root volume, average root diameter, and number of forks, between the 6 landraces were studied. Nitrogen in the plant (derived from fertilizer applied) was found to range from 6.22 – 27.6%. Nevertheless, a poor correlation was obtained between the length of root and the dry matter yield and the total N uptake. Five of the landraces tested showed a good potential in taking up the fertilizer N applied

The issue of standardization of interventional medical technologies in modern cardiology

Karpenko Yu. I., Hanafi Mohamed The issue of standardization of interventional medical technologies in modern cardiology. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(10):230-234. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1129475 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/5002 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2017; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 10.10.2017. Revised: 27.10.2017. Accepted: 30.10.2017. The issue of standardization of interventional medical technologies in modern cardiology Yu. I. Karpenko, Mohamed Hanafi Regional Clinical Hospital, Odessa Abstract The purpose of the study was to assess the experience of implementing local protocols for the standardization of interventional medical technologies at the regional clinical hospital. There was demonstrated that the implementation of local clinical protocols can reduce the number of misdiagnoses, the total number of clinical and instrumental and clinical-laboratory studies, duration of in-hospital stay. The resynchronization of myocardial contraction by means of biventricular cardiostimulation, regulated by the clinical protocol, allows to achieve significant clinical effect on parameters such as ultimate diastolic pressure in the LV, the area of mitral regurgitation, the functional class on HYHA Key words: local clinical protocols, clinical guidance, cardiovascular diseases, invasive intervention

The Application of Epstein’s Model in the Implementation of Career Transition Programme for Students with Learning Disabilities

The career transition programme is a programme implemented to prepare students with special needs (SSN) to face future working environment. Parents are among the factors contributing to the successful completion of SSN’s career transition programme. This survey was conducted to identify the level of involvement of SSN parents in the implementation of career transition programmes in schools. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire consists of 48 items with five points Likert scale. This questionnaire was developed based on six elements of Epstein’s Parental Involvement Model: i) parenting, ii) communication, iii) decision making, iv) learning at home, v) collaboration with the community and vi) voluntary assistance. This study involved 30 respondents comprising parents of SSN who had undergone a career transition programme at Special Education Integrated Program (PPKI) at four secondary schools in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The data were analysed descriptively using SPSS software. The findings show that parents’ involvement is high in terms of communication and voluntary assistance while their involvement in parenting, decision-making, home-based learning, and collaboration with the community is at moderate level. Parents’ education level was found to have no significant relationship with the level of parental involvement except for communication and voluntary aspects. The findings of this study can give some insights to policy makers to increase parents’ level of involvement in the context of planning and the implementation of programmes to support SSN’s readiness for the career realm. Parents are encouraged to improve their advocacy skills and awareness on the importance of their roles in the career transition

Model Comparisons for Assessment of NPK Requirement of Upland Rice for Maximum Yield

Upland rice farmers in Malaysia still depend on resultant ash from burning for K and N sources. Efficient use of chemical fertilizers in upland rice needs accurate assessment of required nutrient elements. The present study was performed to determine the N, P, and K requirements of three upland rice varieties grown on idle land (Bukit Tuku soil, AQUIC KANDIUDULT) using four response models. A glasshouse experiment was conducted using 0-200 kg N ha-1 (urea, 46%N), 0-120 kg P2O5 ha-1 (TSP, 45% P2O5), and 0-150 kg K2O ha-1 (MOP, 60% K2O), each at five levels. Three upland rice varieties used in the experiment were Ageh, Kendinga and Strao. The grain yield (14% moisture content) was measured at harvest and fitted using linear (L), linear with plateau (LP), quadratic (Q), and quadratic with plateau (QP) response models. The QP proved itself as the best fitted response model for the determination of fertilizer recommendation rates for maximum yield of upland rice cultivars used. The fertilizer rates were 112 kg N ha-1, 78 kg P2O5 ha-1 and 158 kg K2O ha-1 for Ageh (QP); 138 kg N ha-1 (LP), 87 kg P2O5 ha-1 (QR), 119 kg K2O ha-1 (QP) for Kendinga; and 125 kg N ha-1 (Q), 85 kg P2O5 ha-1 (LP) and 127 kg K2O ha-1 (L) for Strao

Generalized properties for Hanafi–Wold's procedure in partial least squares path modeling

AbstractPartial least squares path modeling is a statistical method that allows to analyze complex dependence relationships among several blocks of observed variables, each one represented by a latent variable. The computation of latent variable scores is an essential step of the method, achieved through an iterative procedure named here Hanafi–Wold's procedure. The present paper generalizes properties already known in the literature for this procedure, from which additional convergence results will be obtained

Upland rice varieties in Malaysia: Agronomic and soil physico-chemical characteristics

Rice production is a large industry and there are a lot of opportunities which can be obtained from it. Recently, the demand for specialty and high quality rice has increased remarkably, owing to the affluent and health conscious consumers in Malaysia. The research on upland rice has been neglected because of its low yield, though it has many good characteristics, including good fragrance and long grains. Furthermore, it has the advantage of being cultivated on dry land without accumulation of water. Therefore, a large track of idle lands in Malaysia can be developed for this purpose. This study involves a documentation of upland rice in natural conditions. Basic information on the varieties of upland rice which produce high grain yields and quality (fragrance, colour) was collected from selected locations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak. For this purpose, both soil and plant materials (at harvest) were collected. The soil and plant materials were analysed for their macro- and micro-nutrient contents. Standard agronomic characteristics, during growing period and at harvesting time, were also measured. The data were analysed using the SAS statistical software and the mean values were then compared using the Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 0.05 level of significance. Seventeen upland rice fields were identified in several locations during the course of this survey. Thirty-five (35) varieties of upland rice seeds were successfully collected. In particular, upland rice and forest soil (as a control) were acidic, contain low nitrogen content and CEC value at 0 – 20 and at 20 – 40 cm depth. Higher Fe content was also observed, with a major limitation for the growth of upland rice. Ageh, Kendinga, and Strao varieties were selected for further evaluation on nutrient requirements using an idle land soil, owing to its growth cycle, productivity, and seed availability

The possibility of using waqf to finance the Malaysian federal government's public expenditure

The purpose of this paper is to examine thepossibility of using waqf to finance the federal government’s public expenditures in Malaysia. The arguments werebasedon the primary data gathered from semi-structuredinterviews with waqf experts. The resultshows that waqf can financethe Malaysian federal government’s public expenditure for three reasons; Shari’ah permissibility, there is evidence of implementation in past Muslim economiesand political will from the federal government. This study is motivatedby Malaysia’s persistent primary deficit, Malaysia’s rising debt to GDP, and the versatile nature of waqf that could address these problems. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, qualitativeresearch was conductedthrough the employment of semi-structuredinterviews. The thematic analysis was then performedon the interview transcripts. Literary evidencewasalso mentioned to ensure the concurrentvalidity of the mentioned results. The findings of this paper may add to the existing literature on the solutions to the burgeoning government expenditure and debt. Even more so, this article motivates researchers to explore the arising issues stemming from this particular waqf implementation

Effect of dexamethasone on daily fetal movement, umbilical and middle cerebral arteries Doppler and cardiotocogram

Background: Preterm birth is a leading cause of perinatal death and disability and is an important public health problem globally. There is more work to be done regarding steroids effect, especially with the variations among demography and pathological conditions affecting mothers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dexamethasone on healthy fetuses, observing the effects on MCA and UA Doppler velocity waveforms and cardiotocography, correlating them with fetal movement.Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital, starting from April 2020 till December 2020. One hundred and ten women was recruited for the study. All women undergo elective cesarean section before 39 weeks of gestation. UA and MCA Doppler values were taken; nonstress test was recorded and fetal movements were counted after a single course of dexamethasone.Results: Our results included decrease in MCA PI, decrease in foetal movement count on the second day of dexamethasone injection, increase of short-term variability and direct correlation between the MCA RI and UA PI with the fetal movements decrease on the 5th day of dexamethasone injection.Conclusions: There are definitely cardiovascular changes that occur after dexamethasone administration, presented by increase in MCA blood flow and increase in FHR short term variability.