The conversion of biomass into hydrogen-rich syngas has been getting attention recently, as it has potential sustainability benefits of agricultural residues. In this study, gasification of empty ...fruit bunch (EFB) was performed using various calcined Malaysian dolomite catalysts, which were denoted as P1, P2, and P3. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were examined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of various catalyst to biomass (C/B) ratios (varied in the range of 0.05–0.3 in an increment of 0.05) of P1, P2, and P3 catalyst in EFB gasification was evaluated at a gasifier temperature of 850°C. The gas produced was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). The effect of various C/B ratios on tar conversion was also examined. The result showed that, with lower impurities in calcined dolomites and high content of active sites (CaO–MgO), improved characteristics of P1 and P2 in crystalline structure contributes to a significant reduction in tar cracking (~78 and 75%, respectively) and higher H2 yield (32.25 mg H2/g EFB).
Background: According to researches, low sleep quality may lower the well-being of the students directly. One of the known components of well-being is satisfaction with life. Hence, this study is ...done to address if there is any relationship between sleep quality and well-being by measuring the quality of sleep and satisfaction with life. Purpose: This study was done to identify the association between quality of sleep and well-being amongst Allied Health Sciences students in a public university in Malaysia. Aside from that, it was also completed to compare the sleep quality and well-being between the different study programs, years of study and genders of the students. Materials and Methods: The study design chosen for this study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 120 students from the years 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the six study programs in the Allied Health Sciences faculty were selected by convenience sampling. The students were required to answer one set of questionnaires consisting of the consent form, information sheet, sociodemographic data, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The questionnaire was analysed by incorporating Kruskal-Wallis test, ANOVA, independent t-test and Pearson correlation test. Results: This research found that there was no significant difference of PSQI and SWLS scores between different study programs (P = 0.250 and P = 0.106, respectively), years of study (P = 0.162 and P = 0.704, respectively) and genders (P = 0.070 and P = 0.201, respectively) in the faculty. The results, however, indicated that there was a significant fair negative correlation between PSQI and SWLS amongst the students (P < 0.001; r = −0.416). Conclusion: This study amongst Allied Health Sciences students can be safely concluded that there was no difference in sleep quality and satisfaction with life between audiology, dietetic, biomedical science, physiotherapy, optometry and radiography students, neither between the years 1, 2, 3 and 4 nor between male and female students. On the other hand, better sleep quality was significantly associated with better satisfaction of life, hence the well-being of the students.
Background: Clinical Trial Registry - India (CTRI) is a valuable tool to access information regarding clinical trials conducted in India. To serve this purpose, the information provided on it must be ...complete and accurate. The present study was designed to assess the reasons for premature termination of clinical trials on the CTRI database and determine the average timings related to updating information on CTRI. Methods: The data were extracted from the website of Clinical Trial Registry - India; all the terminated trials from 20 July 2007 to 18 December 2019 were included. The reasons given for termination were categorized as scientific reasons, nonscientific reasons, and unspecified reasons. Results: Of 16,579 interventional clinical trials, 243 trials were terminated. Out of these 243 trials, reasons were given in 50 (20.58%). In reasoning with scientific data, the most common reason was safety issues (14%), and among nonscientific data, a significant delay in recruitment was a principal reason (16%). The median time from date of registration to date of modification was 1034 days (0– 3912), and the median time from the date of last revision to the date of our analysis was 1329 days (2– 3138). Conclusion: The reasons for termination are not mentioned adequately for the terminated clinical trials in the Clinical Trial Registry of India. Efforts need to be done to motivate investigators to report the reasons for termination. Proper planning of trial before initiation may prevent premature termination of clinical trials and ensure fair use of resources.
Background: Viral hepatitis is a type of liver disease caused by viral infection and is the leading cause of liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Adequate information, positive attitude and good ...practice are essential factors to reduce the risk of this disease. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding viral hepatitis amongst university students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 students to represent the population of medical and non-medical science students. A questionnaire was used to collect the data regarding demographic information and KAP of students on viral hepatitis. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software was used to analyse the data. Results: The mean total scores of KAP regarding viral hepatitis were significantly higher in medical as compared to non-medical science-based participants with the P < 0.001 for each comparison. A total number of sources of information were also significantly correlated with a higher total score of KAP regarding viral hepatitis (P < 0.001 each). Conclusion: The finding of this study is crucial as it can be the benchmark for assessing the KAP of society regarding viral hepatitis.
Nypa fruticans Wurmb. (nipa palm) sap, locally known as air nira or tuak, is a sweet natural beverage in Malaysia with antioxidant potency beneficial for human health. However, nypa sap lacks ...scientific attention with no toxicity study has been established. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the acute toxicity of nypa sap in the female Sprague Dawley rats. Twenty-five female rats were randomly divided into one control group and four treated groups. Treated groups were orally administered with doses of 5, 50, 300, and 2000 mg/kg of nypa sap, while the control group had received normal saline solution. The animals’ vital signs and mortality were recorded daily at an interval of 30 min and continued up to 14 days. Their blood samples and organs were harvested for toxicity analysis to assess liver and kidney function, lipid profile, and full blood count. The acute toxicity test via measurement of the biochemical and haematological parameters had shown that there was no significant difference between the treated and control groups. However, the blood glucose level in the treated groups (at higher doses of 300 and 2000 mg/kg, respectively) was significantly decreased. A similar trend was recorded for mean corpuscular volume (MCV) albeit in the treated group of 50 mg/kg doses. Histopathological examination of the organs showed no signs of abnormality in both treated and untreated groups. Overall, the results showed that consumption of nypa sap is potentially safe with no acute toxic effect on the laboratory rat models.
Awareness of the use of natural pigments has escalated over the years due to stringent environmental standards imposed on synthetic pigments. Natural pigments can be extracted from microorganisms, ...notably bacteria. However, the high cost of the growth medium hampers their large scale production. We report the extraction of two pigments, violacein and prodigiosin from Chromobacterium violaceum and Serratia marcescens, respectively, grown in liquid pineapple and solid pineapple waste. The pigments were succesfully applied for dyeing of natural and synthetic fabrics.
Purpose: A friendly educational environment is required for optimal learning, and students should be asked to provide feedback on their experiences to improve curriculum. Moreover, students' academic ...progress, mental growth, and physical well-being are influenced by the educational and clinical environment of the institute. Essential constituents of the educational climate include atmosphere, number of proper teaching-learning sessions and available amenities. Primary health care and ambulatory settings allow students ample opportunities to interact with patients and observe health promotional activities more often practiced at the community levels. The study aims to evaluate the outpatient care educational environment of National Defense University of Malaysia by seeking feedback from medical students using Ambulatory Care Educational Environment Measure (ACLEEM) instrument. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The study participants were medical students of the earlier mentioned university. The universal sampling method was adopted. The ACLEEM validated instrument was utilized for the data collection. The instrument was developed on the basis of 5-point Likert Scale (Minimum: 0, and Maximum: 4). Results: The response rate 100%. Most respondents were male, Malay and Muslim. The total mean score was 1.0+ or -0.4. The domain mean scores for clinical teaching, clinical training, and support were 0.8+ or -0.4,1.1 + or -0.4, and 1.1 + or -0.5, respectively. Conclusions: The ACLEEM questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable for local UPNM, Malaysian context. However, the overall ACLEEM scores reported for the present study is low, and some areas that could be improved. The UPNM authority should take appropriate measures to improve the educational environment to enhance the academic experiences of the medical students. Keywords: ACLEEM, Medical Students, Outpatient setting, Primary health care, Educational environment.
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