bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immediate effects of diamond burr debridement in patients with spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects, light and electron microscopic evaluation
Authors: Dawson Charlotte , Naranjo Carolina , Sanchez‐Maldonado Belen , Fricker Georgina V. , Linn‐Pearl Rose N. , Escanilla Natalia , Kafarnik Christiane , Gould David J. , Sanchez Rick F. , Matas‐Riera Marian
Published: December 2015

Purpose

To evaluate immediate effects of diamond burr debridement (DBD) on the cornea of canine patients diagnosed with spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs).

Animals studied

Eight client owned dogs with SCCEDs.

Methods

Nine eyes from eight dogs with SCCEDs underwent superficial keratectomy (SK). The ulcerated area was divided into quadrants with a 300‐micron restricted depth knife. Two of four quadrants underwent DBD for 40–60 s. A SK followed immediately. One burred section and one nonburred section were fixed with formaldehyde 10% and underwent light microscopy (LM). The remaining quadrants from five eyes were fixed with glutaraldehyde 2.5% and underwent transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Masked pathologists evaluated the samples. A student's paired t‐test was used to analyze the data.

Results

With LM all nonburred samples had a superficial stromal hyaline acellular zone (HAZ), seven of the burred samples had an intermittent HAZ and in two burred samples this zone was absent. The HAZ thickness of burred samples (1.062 ± 0.664 μm) was significantly thinner than that of the nonburred samples (4.309 ± 1.348 μm) (P < 0.0001). Transmission electron microscopy showed an absence of basement membrane and the presence of an amorphous, fine fibrillar material in the superficial stroma in nonburred samples. This material was intermittent or absent in burred samples.

Conclusion

DBD significantly reduces the superficial stromal HAZ in SCCEDs. A reduction of its thickness may be responsible for the healing rates reported with DBD.
Haemovigilance of reactions associated with red blood cell transfusion: comparison across 17 Countries
Authors: Rogers M. A. M. , Rohde J. M. , Blumberg N.
Published: December 2015

Background and Objectives

The recent establishment of the National Healthcare Safety Network Hemovigilance Module in the United States affords an opportunity to compare results with those of other developed nations.

Materials and Methods

Using data from national haemovigilance systems, reactions associated with red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and residual risks of transfusion‐transmitted infectious diseases were assembled from 17 nations. Country‐specific rates of adverse events were pooled using random‐effects Poisson regression.

Results

Febrile non‐haemolytic and delayed serologic transfusion reactions were the most frequent adverse events reported after RBC transfusion, occurring in 26 patients per 100 000 RBC units and 25 patients per 100 000 RBC units administered, respectively. Rates of allergic, febrile non‐haemolytic and delayed haemolytic transfusion reactions in the United States were significantly greater than the pooled rates from other countries. Frequencies of adverse events generated from the national haemovigilance programme in the United States were considerably lower than when obtained through active surveillance.

Conclusion

Haemovigilance reports of adverse events in the United States are comparable to, or greater than, reports from other developed countries. Rates generated from haemovigilance programmes are lower than those obtained through active surveillance. The lack of universal leucoreduction of RBC units may be a contributing factor to the higher rate of some adverse events in the United States.
DESIGN OF FLEXIBLE ELECTRICAL CAPACITANCE TOMOGRAPHY SENSOR
Authors: Masturah MT , Rahiman MHF , Zakaria Zulkarnay , Rahim AR , Ayob NM
Published: December 2015

This paper discussed the design–functionality and application of Flexible Electrical Capacitance Tomography sensor (FlexiECT). The sensors consist of 12 electrodes allocated surrounding the outer layer of the pipeline. The sensor is designed in such that the flexibility features suit the applications in the pipeline of multiple size. This paper also discussed the preliminary result of FlexiECT applications in fluid imaging by identifying the percentage of two mixing fluids.
NONLINEAR OBSERVER VIA EXTENDED KALMAN FILTER ALGORITHM FOR EULER ANGLES ESTIMATION WITHOUT ATTITUDE SENSOR MEASUREMENTS
Authors: Hamzah Nor Hazadura , Yaacob Sazali , Muthusamy Hariharan , Hamzah Norhizam , Vil Cherd Teoh , Hasan Mohd Zamri
Published: December 2015

This paper designs and investigates an observer system via Extended Kalman Filter algorithm to estimate the satellite’s Euler angles attitude during the absence of the attitude sensor measurement. This work contributes as a backup or an alternative system during unavailable attitude sensor measurement due to malfunction sensor or for cost reduction by reducing the number of sensors. In this work, the observer model for satellite attitude is presented in their non-simplified nonlinear form by combining the Euler’s Moment Equation and kinematics Euler angles parameter. The performance of the designed observer via Extended Kalman Filter algorithm is analyzed and verified using real flight data of Malaysian satellite.
DEVELOPMENT OF LEADER AND FOLLOWER STRATEGY FOR SWARM ROBOT APPLICATIONS
Authors: Mansor Humairah , Adom Abdul Hamid , Abdul Rahim Norasmadi
Published: December 2015

Swarming robots basically consist of a group of several simple robots that interact and collaborate with each other to achieve shared goals. A single robot system is not suitable to be used as an agent for the navigation usually covers a wide range of area. Therefore, a group of simple robots is introduced. A group of robots can perform their tasks together in a more efficient way compared to a single robot; hence develop a more robust system. In order to interact, a wireless communication strategy is implemented to enable the group of mobile robots to perform their tasks. This project implements the swarming algorithm by supplementing the ability of mobile robot platforms with autonomy and odour detection. The work focused on the localization of chemical odour source in the testing environment and the leader and follower swarm formation through wireless communication. To enable the mobile robots to communicate with each other and able to perform leader and follower designation once the target has been found, the RSSI value of X-Bee module is used.
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS ON ELECTRICAL CAPACITANCE SENSOR GUARD
Authors: Pusppanathan Jaysuman , Abdul Rahim Ruzairi , Phang Fatin Aliah , Mohd Yunus Fazlul Rahman , Nor Ayob Nor Muzakkir , Mansor Muhammad Saiful Badri , Abas Khairul Hamimah , Sahlan Shafishuhaza , Mohamad Elmy Johana
Published: December 2015

Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) is widely used for multiphase flow measuring and monitoring purposes. In this paper, a customized sensor electrode is introduced for ECT system. This sensor has an embedded guard using flexible FR4 copper plate which makes it advantage over the conventional type of design in terms of smaller in size, easy to attach on pipe circumference and has lower noise. To investigate the behaviour of the sensor guard, a Finite Element Method (FEM) using COMSOL Multiphysics software comes necessary. An emulated experiment is carried out to solve the sophisticated numerical studies to model the customized ECT sensor and its embedded noise guards.
EXPLORING COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING FOR LOW ACHIEVING CHILDREN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS STUDY
Authors: Ahmad Siti Zulaiha , Abdul Mutalib Ariffin
Published: December 2015

Learning assistance or support is essential for a learner regardless of their cognitive ability and learning preference. Computer assisted learning (CAL) is one of the facilitation that widely explored as alternative learning assistances with different concepts, approaches, contents and target users. The main concern of this study is to explore and identify learning concepts and approaches that have been employed in previous research for normal and learning disabilities learners. In relation with the intention, 15 articles from past five years (2010 – 2014) are selected for review and analysis processes in this comparative analysis study. The finding shows some similarities and differences of CAL concept and approach for both type of learners. Some insights and suggestions are drawn based on the extracted concepts and approaches specifically for low achieving children as their learning assistance in primary school.
CONSOLIDATED MODEL OF VISUAL AESTHETICS ATTRIBUTES FOR SENSE-BASED USER EXPERIENCE
Authors: Bahrin Abdul Syafiq , A. Abubakar Juliana , Yaakub Abdul Razak
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this study is to determine visual aesthetic attributes for user experience. As interactive digital media and their associated content have diversified, there are difficulties in finding universal visual aesthetic guidelines. While previous studies look into each unique user experience, there is little focusing on meta-analysis of visual aesthetics in providing user experience. Thus, by means of content analysis, this study attempts to determine visual aesthetics attributes for sense-based user experience. As a result, a consolidated model which comprises of visual aesthetics attributes and its inter-connections with regard to human senses is developed. This model offers guidance for creative industry practitioners in designing and developing aesthetic interactive digital media and creative content.
DESIGN OF THE USABILITY MEASUREMENT TOOL FOR MULTIMODAL MOBILE APPLICATIONS
Authors: Al-Aidaroos Ahmed Sheikh Abdullah , Abdul Mutalib Ariffin
Published: December 2015

Nowadays, mobile phones provide not just voice call and messaging services, but plethora of other services. Those computational capabilities allow mobile phones to serve people in various areas including education, banking, commerce, travelling, and other daily life aspects. Meanwhile, the number of mobile phone users has increased dramatically in the last decade. On the other hand, the usability of an application can usually be verified through the user interface. Therefore, this paper aims to design a measurement tool to evaluate the usability of mobile applications based on the usability attributes and dimensions that must be considered in the interface. To obtain the appropriate attributes, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) has been conducted and the Goal Question Metric (GQM) has been used to design the tool. From 261 related works only 18 most relevant ones were selected, through four SLR. 25 dimensions were found through the SLR, but some of these dimensions are synonymous or a part of other dimensions. Consequently, three dimensions must be included in any usability evaluation instrument, which is broken down into ten sub dimensions.
CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE TOWARDS ENJOYABLE INFORMAL LEARNING ASPECT
Authors: Chandini Pendit Ulka , Zaibon Syamsul Bahrin , Abu Bakar Juliana Aida
Published: December 2015

Conceptual model of mobile augmented reality (AR) for cultural heritage site based on enjoyable informal learning aspect is proposed to help technical or content developers to develop mobile AR application specifically for cultural heritage site that include enjoyable learning aspect. The conceptual model provides appropriate content, navigation and user interface design, interactivity, features, hardware, and process for providing informal learning in enjoyable way at cultural heritage site using mobile AR. The conceptual model consists of three structures, six components, and twenty nine elements. The usage of conceptual model is flexible which can be implemented according to developer’s needs and preferences.
A STUDY OF NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) FILTER FOR SURVEILLANCE APPLICATION
Authors: Mohd Ariff Mohd Farid , Kosnan Mohammad Ehsan , Majid Zulkepli , K Chong Albert , M Idris Khairulnizam
Published: December 2015

Lately, most illegal activities occur in the dead of night when most of the surveillance cameras cannot capture movements clearly. Therefore, Near-Infrared (NIR) filter was used to increase the visualization of suspect identification when the image or footage is captured in a dark environment. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum NIR filters based on the stability of the camera calibration parameters and to evaluate the accuracy of mapping. In this study, four NIR filters with different wavelengths (715, 780, 830, and 850 nm) were tested. The investigation comprised: (1) the calibrations of the camera and NIR filters and (2) a case study involving a simulation test for surveillance application. The type of sensor used was a digital video camera (Sony HC5E HDV) and the camera was set up at multiple stations to form a single convergence configuration. The statistical Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used in this study to find (differences in) the significance of the NIR imaging in the calibration and three-dimensional (3D) measurement. The results showed that the camera parameters varied for every type of filter used and this influenced the 3D measurement of the object mapping. In summary, the 850 nm NIR filter was the most optimum for surveillance application based on the stability of the camera calibration and the standard deviation in the mapping accuracy.
ESTIMATING SINGLE TREE STEM AND BRANCH BIOMASS USING TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING
Authors: Ishak Nurliyana Izzati , Abu Bakar Md Afif , Abdul Rahman Muhammad Zulkarnain , Rasib Abd Wahid , Kanniah Kasturi Devi , Meng Shin Alvin Lau , Razak Khamarrul Azahari
Published: December 2015

This paper presents a novel non-destructive approach for individual tree stem and branch biomass estimation using terrestrial laser scanning data. The study area is located at the Royal Belum Reserved Forest area, Gerik, Perak. Each forest plot was designed with a circular shape and contains several scanning locations to ensure good visibility of each tree. Unique tree signage was located on trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) of 10cm and above.  Extractions of individual trees were done manually and the matching process with the field collected tree properties were relied on the tree signage and tree location as collected by total station. Individual tree stems were reconstructed based on cylinder models from which the total stem volume was calculated. Biomass of individual tree stems was calculated by multiplying stem volume with specific wood density. Biomass of individual was estimated using similar concept of tree stem with the volume estimated from alpha-hull shape. The root mean squared errors (RMSE) of estimated biomass are 50.22kg and 27.20kg for stem and branch respectively.
PRACTICES FOR PROJECT QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (PQMS) IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Authors: Shaari Nursyamimi , Abdullah @ Mohd Asmoni Mat Naim , Afiq Lokman Muhamad Amir , Abdul Hamid Hamdi , Mohammed Abdul Hakim
Published: December 2015

Due to the importance of the quality management system implementation in construction project, the current study was conducted to identify the set of Project Quality Management System (PQMS) practices for its successful implementation in construction field through a systematic review of literature. Critical success factor (CSF) to implement PQMS in construction project were stated as ‘Client Commitment’, Measurement and Improvement’, ‘Integration of quality Plan’, ‘Education and Training’, Teamwork and Communication’ and ‘Use of ICT’. However, these CSF need to be explored more in terms of its practices and there is an urgent need. A research approach was carried out on the selected papers published between 2004 and 2014. An appropriate database was chosen and seven research papers were identified through a screening process and reviewed for this study. There are 20 important practices in PQMS were identified and has been categorized into six CSF namely; Client’s Commitment (5 practices); Integration of Quality Plan (3 practices); Education and Training (3 practices); Measurement and Improvement (4 practices); Teamwork and Communication (3 practices) and the use of ICT (2 practices).This paper concluded with a numbers of recommendations for  future researchers to discuss, develop, and work upon in order to achieve better precision and generalization
AN IMPROVED PROGRESSIVE MORPHOLOGICAL FILTERING ALGORITHM BASED ON SPATIALLY-DISTRIBUTED SLOPE VALUE OVER TROPICAL VEGETATED REGIONS
Authors: Ismail Zamri , Abdul Rahman Muhammad Zulkarnain , Mohd Salleh Mohd Radhie , Busu Ibrahim , Amerudin Shahabuddin , Wan Kadir Wan Hazli
Published: December 2015

This paper presents a thorough investigation on integrating slope map on the existing progressive morphological filtering algorithm for ground point’s extraction. The existing filtering algorithm employs constant slope value for the entire area. The slope map is either generated from field collected elevation data or ground point obtained from initial filtering of airborne LiDAR data. The filtering process has been performed with recursive mode and it stops after the results of the filtering does not show any improvement and the DTM error larger than the previous iteration. The results show that both data used for slope map generation have decreasing pattern of DTM error with increasing in filtering iteration. The spatially-distributed slope map has significantly improved the quality of the DTM compared to the results of filtering based on a constant slope value
SPACE UTILISATION: INTERPRETING THE RESULT
Authors: Abdullah Shahabudin , Mohd Ali Hishamuddin , Sipan Ibrahim , Deakin Mark , Abdullah Mat Naim
Published: December 2015

This paper discusses real estate management and services related with space management. The discussion is then focused on space utilisation as a tool for measuring the performance of space management in higher education institutes (HEIs). The main objective of this paper is to investigate the use of space utilisation as a tool for measuring space performance. After identifying the method to be used for this research by using Participation Action Research (PAR). Data is collected through interviews and questionnaires for planned timetabling of rooms usage rather than fields survey. The data is then analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis is carried out. Results from the analysis show that UFO rates for Faculty of Geoinformation and Real Estate (FGRE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is at poor and fair score. Furthermore, this paper also suggest that in order to increase the utilisation rate, the FGRE management team should consider the occupancy rate as it is the determining factor affecting the utilisation rate. Apart from the occupancy rate, the management team should also consider the space audit and strategic space planning in order to increase the utilisation rate.
FIELD MEASUREMENT OF AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTERS CONCENTRATION IN A HOSPITAL’S OPERATING ROOM
Authors: Mohamed Kamar Haslinda , Kamsah Nazri , Keng Yinn Wong , Musa Md. Nor , Deris Muhd Suhaimi
Published: December 2015

In a hospital operating room, adequate air flow and cleanliness are crucial to protect the patient from surgical site infection (SSI) during a procedure. The probability of the patient to get the infection is related to the concentration of bacteria carrying particles inside the room. This paper presents a field measurement study to quantify the concentration of particulate matters (PM) in a hospital operating room which complies with the ISO Class 7 requirements. The operating room was equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters and a vertical laminar air flow (LAF) system. The measurements were conducted at three height levels from the floor namely 1.2 m, 1.8 m and 2.4 m. The data was logged at a rest condition, in accordance to the ISO 14644-1 requirements. A HPC300 particle counter was used to measure the concentrations of particulate matters namely PM0.5, PM1 and PM5. The results show that the concentrations of all particulate matters were higher at the height level of 1.2 m compared to other height levels. The concentration of PM0.5 was relatively higher than PM1 and PM5 in the vicinity of operating table.
NOVEL LANDSCAPE DESIGN MODEL SYSTEM APPROACH: MONITORING, PREDICTING AND CALCULATING CARBON SEQUESTRATION RATE FOR TOURISM ACCOMMODATION PREMISES GREEN SPACES
Authors: Othman Rashidi , Abu Kasim Siti Zubaidah , Hashim Khairusy Syakirin Has-Yun , Mohd Noor Nur Fadhlina
Published: December 2015

Carbon emissions is expected to continue to increase unless major changes are made in the way carbon is managed.  Managing hotel carbon emissions has emerged as a critical research matter and has become public and national interest since the last century. For instance daily appliances carbon emission from tourism accommodation premises is one of the major contributors for greenhouse effect especially in urban area and this could cause detrimental impact to the surrounding environment. One of the promising approach to reduce carbon emission to the atmosphere is by selecting an appropriate plant materials as well as optimization of spatial and space organization of green spaces. Besides character of the plant materials, criteria such as soil, plant material age, trunk diameter and trunk height are very much influenced the carbon sequestration rate. Therefore this study aimed to develop carbon sequestration model system through landscape design approach that can monitor, calculate and predict the amount of carbon that can be absorbed by proposed plant species at certain period of time. Two existing hotels were selected and the findings of this research showed that at both case studies, carbon sequestration rate by trees has the highest sequestration amount compared to other plant materials. This study also established that even with limited green space areas for tourism accommodation premises such as hotel, the carbon sequestration rate can be further increased with the right selection of plants, at the right place with the right spatial and space organization of green spaces. The significance outcomes of this study will be a novel landscape design approach to neutralize carbon emission which is cost effective and environmental friendly.
A BRIEF REVIEW OF ERGONOMIC WORKSTATION FOR DISABILITY STUDENT
Authors: Ab Ghani Ahmad Ikmal Hakim , Mat Yaakob Nur Haizal , Yusof Rozimah , Md Dawal Siti Zawiah
Published: December 2015

This paper presents the review of the ergonomic on workstation for disable student in higher education. Most of disable especially in term of physically disable student has limitation in their study area, which highlighted here as workstation.  The main objective of this paper is to discuss the significant role of ergonomic workstation for disable students, which will create an enjoyable learning environment for these students thus enhancing their self-motivation to learn. This review was conducted by referring on the published journal articles, conference papers, legislation, standards and other reports available on the internet sources. Data from the literature review shows that the number of disabled persons in Malaysia was on the rise from year 2009 till 2012 and they are facing many challenges in obtaining good education to prepare for their future work life. Many students with disabilities drop-out from high school before graduating, leaving them even more unprepared for and less likely to obtain a job. Therefore, implementation lifelong learning programs could provide them the opportunity to learn and equipped them with the appropriate skills and enhanced their survival in this challenging world.
LITERATURE RATIFIED KNOWLEDGE BASED VIEW OF POULTRY SUPPLY CHAIN INTEGRATION CONCEPT
Authors: Ariffin A.S. , Abas Z. , Baluch N.
Published: December 2015

The evolution of relationships based on collaboration between business partners has become a fundamental subject of research in the area of supply chain management; including poultry supply chain integration. Study in this field has focused on a range of integration models. This study focuses on integration of systems, processes and strategy which is important for poultry supply chain business partners to recognize the benefits of closely associating supply to demand. One need to realize that these benefits are not easily achieved without constraints. A conclusion was made by proposing that ‘Knowledge Based View’ is a resource that can contribute value, towards knowledge generation, acquisition and application among members within and between organizations.
TECHNOLOGY PARKS OF INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, AND SINGAPORE: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE
Authors: Baluch N., , Abdullah C. S., , Abidin R.,
Published: December 2015

The emergence of global scale competition is leading towards the development of new mechanisms to help countries to become more competitive and technology parks are the vehicle of choice to achieve that. Technology Parks offer modern infrastructure and integrated info-structure to promote research and technology development and commercialization for wealth creation and sustainable economic growth and Global Competitiveness. This paper discusses the position of technology parks in East Asia; elaborates on their role in today’s nation development, analytically examines three selected technology parks in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore using GCI Index 2015 and concludes that Technology parks have contributed to gross domestic product (GDP) growth, infrastructure development, knowledge community expansion, capacity building, and export production and distribution. However, optimum benefits of Technology Parks accrue when they are established and managed professionally in line with the best practices and all transactions are equitable, just, and transparent; the whole process must culminate trust nationally and internationally.
ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY RELEVANT BACTERIA FROM MARINE ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Thevarajoo Suganthi , Selvaratnam Chitra , Mau Goh Kian , Abd. Manan Fazilah , Ibrahim Zaharah , Shiong Chong Chun
Published: December 2015

Marine environment remained as largely unexplored source for researchers to discover marine microorganisms with novel properties. This study aims to isolate marine bacteria from the seashore of Desaru, Malaysia. Totally, six bacterial strains were successfully obtained and were identified by complete 16S rRNA sequencing. The characterizations of bacterial strains were performed based on morphological tests, Gram-staining, biochemical tests, and antibiotic sensitivity. The 16S rRNA sequence of D-2, D-4, D-7, D-15, D-31, and D-33 revealed a high identity of 97 to 99% with taxa belong to genera of Pseudomonas, Marinomonas, Exiquobacterium, Micrococcus, Pseudoalteromonas, and Shewanella respectively. Strain D-31 exhibited higher tolerance towards antibiotics kanamycin, ampicillin, and erythromycin while the growth of other strains were retarded by at least two of these antibiotics. We further characterized strain D-4 and D-31 that belonged to Marinomonas sp. and Pseudoalteromonas sp.. Both genera are interesting as earlier researchers have discovered new antibacterial substances, industrial enzymes and unique secondary metabolites.
IMMOBILIZATION OF HEPATITIS B ANTIBODY ONTO THE REDUCED GRAPHENE OXIDE
Authors: Chan G. S. C. , Wong W. X. F. , Chong F. C.
Published: December 2015

Hepatitis B (Hep B) is a viral infection caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) that infects the human liver. HBV is blood-borne and transfusion-transmitted human pathogen that has a large impact on blood safety and public health worldwide. Approximately 5% of the Malaysian population is infected by HBV. The treatment to this disease is possible if early detection is done before irreversible liver damage occurs. The presence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) is an evidence of the presence of HBV infections. Presently, the conventional methods used for detection show weaknesses in terms of time and efficiency. In this research, the functionality of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as an immuno biosensor for the detection of HBsAg has been studied. The graphene oxide was prepared via Modified Hummer’s Method due to its ability to produce graphene in large quantity. The fabrication of immunosensor was conducted by immobilizing antibody onto the graphene. nafion-graphene nanosheet was grown and later treated with thionine solution. Following that, a solution of primary antibodies against Hep B surface antigen (anti-HBsAg IgG) was incubated on the biosensor. After the immobilization, the antigen was dropped onto the biosensor, followed by incubation of secondary antibodies conjugated to Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP). Upon addition of Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), the colour of the solution changes to blue. Thus, proving the functionality of rGO as an immunobiosensor for the detection of HBsAg.
ANTIBIOFILM AND ANTIADHESION ACTIVITIES OF PHALERIA MACROCARPA AGAINST ORAL STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS
Authors: Yik Hean Ng , Md Othman Siti Nur Atiqah , Basar Norazah , Jemon Khairunadwa
Published: December 2015

Dental caries is a major concern in oral healthcare. Continuous research have been performed extensively in finding new compounds that are capable to solve the problems. Phaleria macrocarpa has been identified effective against hypertension, diabetic, cancer, and diuretic acid. In this study, antiadhesion and antibiofilm activities of Streptococcus mutans were investigated using crude extracts of fruit, leaf and stem of P. macrocarpa. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay was conducted to identify the lowest concentration of the extracts required to suppress the activity of S. mutans.  This assay confirmed that all tested extracts were able to inhibit the bacterial activities with concentration of less than 8 mg/mL and thus can be classified as a natural antimicrobial agents.  The extracts were found capable of reducing 50 to 80% of both adhesion and biofilm activity of  S. mutans at 1.56 mg/mL. Results from this study provide a preliminary data for the effectiveness of P. macrocarpa crude extracts as antiadhesion and antibiofilm agent against S. mutans and may have potential for antiseptic agent to treat oral dental caries.
MODERATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED BENEFIT BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANUFACTURING PRACTICES AND FIRM PERFORMANCE
Authors: Adebambo Hameed , Ashari Hasbullah , Nordin Norani
Published: December 2015

The need to maintain a balance between the developmental and environmental issues in manufacturing firms is required to ensure that the cost of environmental changes does not negate the economic benefits perceived by the firms. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of sustainable environmental manufacturing practices on firm performance via the moderating effect of perceived benefits. The study used a survey questionnaire which was posted to the operation, manufacturing manager and the environmental, health and safety manager to collect 103 data from the Malaysian manufacturing firms. The data collected was analyzed with smartPLS 2. M3. The study found that sustainable environmental manufacturing practices significantly influence environmental performance, while perceived benefits moderates between sustainable environmental manufacturing practices and operational performance. The study has revealed the understanding of the scenario of sustainable manufacturing practices in a developing country as yet to be considered as a strategic factor. Therefore, it is suggested that more awareness should be created to enlighten the manufacturing practitioners not only to perceive sustainable environmental practices as ethical, but also as a strategic factor to enhance achieving better firm performance.
CYTOTOXICITY EFFECTS OF TYPHONIUM FLAGELLIFORME AND CLINACANTHUS NUTANS ON BREAST CANCER CELLS
Authors: Khiru Nasir Nadhira Atiqah , Mohd Bohari Siti Pauliena
Published: December 2015

Cancers are diseases that can cause death and breast cancer is one of the prevalence cancers. Conventional treatments have been used to treat cancer. However, these treatments produced inefficient effects and low survival rate. Therefore, most cancer patients began to consume complementary and utilized alternative treatments to alleviate their pain. This study is to identify the cytotoxicity effect of methanolic leaves extract Typhonium flagelliforme and Clinacanthus nutans on breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). MTT assay has been used to determine the cytotoxicity effect of both plants on MDA-MB-231 cells and CHO cells (non-cancerous cell), which acted as the positive control cells. Result revealed that T. flagelliforme extract has shown higher cytotoxic effect on MDA-MB-231cells (IC50: 0.11 mg/mL) compared to C. nutans extract (IC50: 0.17 mg/mL). Then, the IC50 values of T. flagelliforme and C. nutans extract on CHO cells were 0.10 mg/mL and 0.24 mg/mL respectively. Based on these results, T. flagelliforme represented higher toxicity effect on CHO compared to the MDA-MB-231 cells. Thus, in future CHO cell (as a positive control) can be replaced with a normal breast cell line such as HCC1395 (epithelial mammary duct of normal breast cells) to understand clearly the toxicity effect of T. flagelliforme extract towards the normal breast cell. Moreover, identification of potential compounds that can inhibit MDA-MB-231 cells growth  is also important for future research.
EVALUATION ON DISCOMFORT LEVEL AMONG STUDENTS USING DESKS IN CLASSROOMS
Authors: Ali Mahmood , Salit Mohd Sapuan , Karuppiah Karmegam , Ahmed Abu Saleh
Published: December 2015

This study was conducted to evaluate the discomfort level among students using desks in classrooms of Polytechnic Kuching. The students (n=500) completed the questionnaire survey form using Borg’s CR-10 Scale showing body chart discomfort. The students was asked to identify their body areas experiencing discomfort and to rate this discomfort on a score rating groups (0 to 5). Score 0-1.99 = No discomfort (1), score 2.00-3.99 = Discomfort (2) and score 4.00-5.00 = Very uncomfortable (3). The evaluation of the seating shows discomfort level of students and any outstanding problems arising. Students were asked to rank in the order of 10 statements about comfort and choose three responses which gave the most consistent equal interval scale. The results in that the main response of discomfort indicated the students mostly agree that they are feeling from cramped, stiff, numb, sore and tender to unbearable pain, barely comfortable and feel uncomfortable. The project was identified to evaluate the comfort level of classrooms desks for polytechnic students. Overall, there was a significant discomfort level for the students whilst using the desks and a possible solution put forward is to design a new type of classroom desk made of natural fibre reinforced composite.
THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PHOSPHATE CONCENTRATION ON GROWTH, LIPID PRODUCTIVITY AND METHYL PALMITATE METHYL ESTER PRODUCTION BY NANNOCHLOROPSIS OCULATA
Authors: Mahat Katijah , Jamaluddin Haryati , Mohd. Zain Nor Azimah
Published: December 2015

This study reports the effect of different phosphate concentration ranging from 0 g/L, 0.1 g/L, 0.2 g/L, 0.5 g/L, 1.0 g/L and 2.0 g/L on the growth and lipid productivity of the microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata. Based on the result, it shows that, the microalgae growth increased as the concentration of phosphate added into the medium increased while the percentage of lipid produced was inversely proportional to increasing concentrations of phosphate. The highest amount of lipid produced was when the microalgae were cultured under 0.1 g/L phosphate which was 5.7%.  Based on the standard analyzed using gas chromatography, the percentage of methyl palmitate methyl ester produced increased along with increasing concentration of phosphate until 0.5 g/L which was 11%, however further increase in phosphate concentration caused the lipid productivity to drop.
DETERMINATION OF LACTIC ACID PRODUCTION BY RHIZOPUS ORYZAE IN SOLID STATE FERMENTATION OF PINEAPPLE WASTE
Authors: Aziman Siti Nurbalqis , Tumari Hasnaa’ Hazimah , Mohd Zain Nor Azimah
Published: December 2015

Solid pineapple waste (SPW) is one of the most abundant agricultural wastes found in tropic region. This study is looking into the potential of utilising solid pineapple waste in solid state fermentation for the production of lactic acid by Rhizopus oryzae. A 2-level factorial design was employed to screen the effect of moisture content (60% and 80%), inoculum size (1×104 spores/g and 1×108 spores/g), pH (4.5 and 6.5), temperature (27°C and 40°C) and particle size (<0.5 mm and >3.15 mm) to the production of lactic acid. The predicted maximum production is 0.0221 g lactic acid/g SPW in SSF condition of 80% moisture; pH 6.5; 1×104 spores/g of inoculum; waste particle of 3.15 mm; and temperature 27°C. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the model is significant with high value of predicted (0.9616) and adjusted (0.9726) R-squared, indicated a good agreement between the predicted and actual values at each point of the experiment. Post-statistical experiment confirmed the ability of lactic acid production by R. oryzae at the predicted conditions with 0.0236 g lactic acid/g SPW being produced.
MICROCLEAR: GREEN TECHNOLOGY FOR TREATING AND RECYCLING OF COLOURED WASTEWATER
Authors: Ibrahim Zaharah , Yahya Adibah , Aris Azmi , Hakim Ifnu , Taib Mohd Ariff , Mohamed Najib Mohamed Afif , Abdul Hamid Abu Bakar , Umor Noor Azrimi , Mohd Said Suparman , Daud Zulkefli , Md Salleh Madihah , Shahir Shafinaz , Mohamad Shaza Eva , Siow Kuang Ang , Chin Hong Neoh
Published: December 2015

The continuous growth and demand for our textiles and textile products have resulted in the generation of highly polluted and coloured wastewater emanating from the textile industries. These are detrimental to the environment and pose health threats to the human population if not properly treated. The treatment of colour is a great challenge over the last decades and until now, there is no single and economical treatment process.  As effective treatment plant is generally expensive and unaffordable; a good alternative and timely solution is the utilisation of specialised group of microbes called Microclear. These microorganisms have the abilities to decolourise and transform coloured compounds into simpler and non-hazardous compounds without the use of chemicals. Intensive fundamental studies and also the application of the Microclear at the bench and pilot scale (sequential 1000 L and 2000 L) reactors to treat real wastewater were carried out. The microbes can also be applied directly into the existing treatment plant or ponding systems without the use of a commercial reactor. . Under the UTM-MTDC symbiosis program, Microclear Sdn. Bhd. was set up and work is in progress for large scale production of microbes to treat real textile wastewater in a demo plant of 150,000 L capacity located at the textile industry.
Functional Generalized Inverse Beamforming Based on the Double-Layer Microphone Array Applied to Separate the Sound Sources
Authors: Li Shu , Xu Zhongming , He Yansong , Zhang Zhifei , Song Shaoyu
Published: December 2015

Beamforming based on microphone array measurements is a popular method for identifying sound sources. However, beamforming has many limitations that limit their precision. These limitations are addressed in research. To separate the contributions which come from two sides of the microphone array more accurately, an innovative beamforming method based on a double-layer microphone array, called functional generalized inverse beamforming (FGIB), is proposed to improve beamforming performance. This method, which involves the use of a priori beamforming regularization matrix and a matrix function to redefine the inverse problem, is combined with the advantages of both generalized inverse beamforming (GIB) and functional beamforming. Compared with GIB, with reduced iterations, the computational efficiency of FGIB is greatly improved. The dynamic range of the proposed method can be modestly improved as order v increases. Furthermore, the sidelobes gradually disappear and the mainlobes become narrower. Both simulations and experiments have shown that the sources are correctly located and separated. The proposed FGIB demonstrates the good performance when compared to other beamforming methods in terms of resolution and sidelobes level.
Atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 for single electron transistors utilizing Pt oxidation and reduction
Authors: McConnell Michael S. , Schneider Louisa C. , Karbasian Golnaz , Rouvimov Sergei , Orlov Alexei O. , Snider Gregory L.
Published: December 2015

This work describes the fabrication of single electron transistors using electron beam lithography and atomic layer deposition to form nanoscale tunnel transparent junctions of alumina (Al2O3) on platinum nanowires using either water or ozone as the oxygen precursor and trimethylaluminum as the aluminum precursor. Using room temperature, low frequency conductance measurements between the source and drain, it was found that devices fabricated using water had higher conductance than devices fabricated with ozone. Subsequent annealing caused both water- and ozone-based devices to increase in conductance by more than 2 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, comparison of devices at low temperatures (∼4 K) showed that annealed devices displayed much closer to the ideal behavior (i.e., constant differential conductance) outside of the Coulomb blockade region and that untreated devices showed nonlinear behavior outside of the Coulomb blockade region (i.e., an increase in differential conductance with source-drain voltage bias). Transmission electron microscopy cross-sectional images showed that annealing did not significantly change device geometry, but energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy showed an unusually large amount of oxygen in the bottom platinum layer. This suggests that the atomic layer deposition process results in the formation of a thin platinum surface oxide, which either decomposes or is reduced during the anneal step, resulting in a tunnel barrier without the in-series native oxide contribution. Furthermore, the difference between ozone- and water-based devices suggests that ozone promotes atomic layer deposition nucleation by oxidizing the surface but that water relies on physisorption of the precursors. To test this theory, devices were exposed to forming gas at room temperature, which also reduces platinum oxide, and a decrease in resistance was observed, as expected.
Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations Between Parental Support and Children’s Physical Activity in the Early Years
Authors: Carson Valerie
Published: December 2015

Background:

The purpose of this study was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between parental support and children’s physical activity outside of child care, and whether children’s age or sex moderated the associations.

Methods:

Results are based on 93 children aged 19 to 60 months at baseline from 8 child care centers across Alberta, Canada. Parental support (ie, transportation, coactivity, watching, encouragement, and informing) and children’s physical activity outside of child care were measured with a parental questionnaire at baseline (October/November 2013) and follow-up (May/June 2014).

Results:

Every additional unit increase in parental support was significantly associated with 48.5 minutes/week [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 29.3–67.6] and 52.2 (95% CI: 32.0–72.3) minutes/week higher parental reported children’s physical activity outside of child care at baseline and follow-up, respectively. A 1-unit increase in parental support from baseline to follow-up was significantly associated with a 24.8 (95% CI: 2.8–46.8) minutes/week increase in parental reported children’s physical activity outside of child care. Children’s age was a moderator at baseline only.

Conclusions:

Parental support was positively associated with children’s physical activity across all analyses. Parental support may be an important correlate to target in future interventions aiming to promote physical activity in the early years.
Rare cause of paraparesis: bilateral obturator neuropathy after hysterosalpingectomy
Authors: López-Blanco Roberto , Mejía-Jiménez Inmaculada , de Fuenmayor-Fernández de la Hoz Carlos Pablo , Ruiz-Morales Juan
Published: December 2015

Bilateral obturator nerve injury during pelvic surgery is an infrequent cause of lower limb paraparesis. We report the case of a 45-year-old woman with a large uterine leiomyoma who underwent simple total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy. At 24 h after the surgery, the patient noticed loss of muscle strength when adducting both legs. She had no problem with other movements and no sensory or sphincter abnormalities. Neurological examination confirmed that there was loss of strength only in the adductor muscles, with preserved sensory function and reflexes, suggesting bilateral obturator nerve involvement. Pelvic MRI showed a small postsurgical haematoma in the Douglas recess, but far from the obturator nerves. 2 weeks later, electromyography showed positive sharp waves and low motor unit recruitment in the adductor magnus muscles, confirming acute, bilateral obturator nerve neuropathy. The few cases of bilateral obturator neuropathy that have been reported were mostly related to abdominopelvic interventions.
Synchronous ipsilateral adrenocortical carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma: a rare clinical entity
Authors: Patodia Madhusudan , Singh Vishwajeet , Sinha Rahul Janak , Babu Suresh
Published: December 2015

Synchronous ipsilateral adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are rare. Radiological imaging may not in all cases differentiate between the two tumours due to their proximity to each other. We encountered a case where preoperative diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma was made based on the radiological imaging but, following radical nephrectomy, this was found to be synchronous ACC and RCC after histopathological examination. The patient is doing well at 12 months of follow-up, with no clinical or radiological recurrence.
Integration on algebraic quantum groupoids
Authors: Timmermann Thomas
Published: December 2015

In this paper, we develop a theory of integration on algebraic quantum groupoids in the form of regular multiplier Hopf algebroids, and establish the main properties of integrals obtained by Van Daele for algebraic quantum groups before — faithfulness, uniqueness up to scaling, existence of a modular element and existence of a modular automorphism — for algebraic quantum groupoids under reasonable assumptions. The approach to integration developed in this paper forms the basis for the extension of Pontrjagin duality to algebraic quantum groupoids, and for the passage from algebraic quantum groupoids to operator-algebraic completions, which both will be studied in separate papers.