Effectiveness of Osmoprotectants in Improving Aroma Quality and Yield of Pare Wangi Upland Rice Variety Grown on Two Different Soil Types in East Nusa Tenggara

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of exogenous osmoprotectant application in increasing the stability of aroma quality and grain yield of Pare Wangi on different soil types. A two factors greenhouse experiment was designed according to Split Plot design with three replications. The first factor was soil types of specific and target location. The second factor was application of exogenous osmoprotectants, i.e. without osmoprotectant, 10 mM proline, 20 mM proline, 10 mM sorbitol, 20 mM sorbitol, 10 mM sucrose and 20 mM sucrose. Observed data included soil physical and chemical properties, rice vegetative and reproductive growth and physiological characters, and rice aroma quality. Collected data were subjected to analysis of variance, followed by an Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post hoc and a simple correlation tests. Results indicated that grain yield per pot was higher on soil from target location than on soil from specific location, but concentration of proline and 2AP, and the aroma scores were in the opposite direction. Besides more effective in increasing grain yield, the osmoprotectants proline and sucrose, each at 10 mM, were also better in maintaining rice aroma quality compared tosorbitol osmoprotectants, and aroma score showed a significantly positive correlation with 2AP concentration

National guidelines on AI governance and ethics

On September 20, 2024, Malaysia's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) released the National Artificial Intelligence Governance and Ethics Guidelines (AIGE) to ensure responsible AI use. The guidelines target end users, policymakers, and AI sector players, emphasizing rights, consumer protection, and best practices for AI adoption. Policymakers are advised to create a human-centric AI governance framework, while developers should uphold ethical standards, ensure fairness, and share data. The guidelines aim to balance innovation with accountability and minimize AI risks

Polymeric Branched Flocculant Effect on the Flocculation Process of Pulp Suspensions in the Papermaking Industry

This paper presents the effect of the structure of cationic polyacrylamides (CPAMs) on flocculation of pulp suspensions and floc properties. A focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) probe was used to monitor flocculation, deflocculation, and reflocculation processes in real time. To carry out the study, 1% elemental chlorine free (ECF) eucalyptus kraft pulp containing 20% ground calcium carbonate (GCC) was used. Results show that the effect of the CPAM structure depends on charge density and polymer dose. Floc size does not always decrease with branching degree, whereas floc stability and reflocculation ability increased when highly charged and branched CPAM was used. These findings indicate that the use of highly branched CPAMs with very high molecular weight is very promising as a retention aid method to improve the papermaking process

Effect of location in a cylinder wake on dynamics of a flexible energy harvesting plate

© 2019 Penerbit Akademia Baru. Flexible plate in the wake of a bluff body may be exploited to harvest energy, for example by attaching piezoelectric sheets on both surfaces of the plate. A computational investigation on flow-induced vibration of a flexible plate in the wake of a cylinder is undertaken to understand the effects of plate location on their vibrations and hence, energy harvesting potential. Based on cylinder diameter D (0.1m), flow at a sub-critical Reynolds number of 10000 was considered in the present study. The fluid-structure interaction was implemented via a closely-coupled partitioned scheme that employs a Scale-Adaptive Simulation (SAS) of the Shear Stress Transport (SST) method to model flow turbulence. A flexible plate was placed at several locations (streamwise: x/D = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0; crossflow: y/D = 0, 0.25, 0.5) downstream of the cylinder and their flow-induced response were compiled and analysed. Benchmarking of present model showed good agreement with previous experimental investigations. Results suggest that maximum deflection may be found if flexible plate is placed in the region between cylinder surface and x/D < 1.0. Oscillation of flexible plate placed at y/D = 0.25 shows similar amplitude, if not slightly higher, than if plate is placed at wake centerline. Present findings suggest that energy output may be optimised by positioning flexible energy harvesting plates at favourable locations in the wake region

A review on the applicability of remanufacturing in extending the life cycle of marine or offshore components and structures

One of the most significant and value-added End of Life (EoL) recovery strategies in the Circular Economy is remanufacturing in which the functionality and performance of products are retained. In the marine industry, the intensity of remanufacturing is low compared to other transportation industries such as aerospace, automotive and rail. This paper discusses current issues on Design for Remanufacturing (DfRem) in the marine industry and provides insights into how remanufacturing plays a significant role in enhancing reliability and safety during the extended life of marine products and structures. Today, with the large number of ships approaching EoL, remanufacturing should be the way forward due to its positive impact on the environment and socio-economy. While marine components such as engines, propeller shafts, compressors and pumps have been successfully remanufactured in many parts of the world, remanufacturing of large structures such as hull and vessels have not been reported thus far. As in all other industries, remanufacturing has to be initiated with a paradigm shift in the business models, designing parts and structures for efficient remanufacturing, and the establishment of relevant policies and standards in order to pave the way towards a more sustainable marine industry in the future

Socio-demographic determinants of Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in migrant workers of Peninsular Malaysia

Background The number of migrants working in Malaysia has increased sharply since the 1970’s and there is concern that infectious diseases endemic in other (e.g. neighbouring) countries may be inadvertently imported. Compulsory medical screening prior to entering the workforce does not include parasitic infections such as toxoplasmosis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection among migrant workers in Peninsular Malaysia by means of serosurveys conducted on a voluntary basis among low-skilled and semi-skilled workers from five working sectors, namely, manufacturing, food service, agriculture and plantation, construction and domestic work. Methods A total of 484 migrant workers originating from rural locations in neighbouring countries, namely, Indonesia (n = 247, 51.0%), Nepal (n = 99, 20.5%), Bangladesh (n = 72, 14.9%), India (n = 52, 10.7%) and Myanmar (n = 14, 2.9%) were included in this study. Results The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii was 57.4% (n = 278; 95% CI: 52.7–61.8%) with 52.9% (n = 256; 95% CI: 48.4–57.2%) seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG only, 0.8% (n = 4; 95% CI: 0.2–1.7%) seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgM only and 3.7% (n = 18; 95% CI: 2.1–5.4%) seropositive with both IgG and IgM antibodies. All positive samples with both IgG and IgM antibodies showed high avidity (> 40%), suggesting latent infection. Age (being older than 45 years), Nepalese nationality, manufacturing occupation, and being a newcomer in Malaysia (excepting domestic work) were positively and statistically significantly associated with seroprevalence (P < 0.05). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that better promotion of knowledge about parasite transmission is required for both migrant workers and permanent residents in Malaysia. Efforts should be made to encourage improved personal hygiene before consumption of food and fluids, thorough cooking of meat and better disposal of feline excreta from domestic pets

Bifurcation Simulation Modeling Review

This paper reviews the advances made on studies related to bifurcation. Bifurcation has been an area of interest by researchers in hydraulics, hydrology and river engineering disciplines. This paper reviews the findings of nearly 10 years of researches into modeling bifurcation system with numerous simulation techniques. Efforts have been made to simulate behavior of bifurcation through the uses of numerical and physical models. The numerical approach under the pretext of computational fluid dynamic is an approach that uses the fundamental theory of fluid mechanics and hydraulics that simulates flow behavior

Root canal instrumentation efficacy of non-fused and fused primary molar roots:a micro-computed tomography study

Purpose Pulpectomy may be indicated in restorable primary teeth exhibiting irreversible pulpitis or pulpal necrosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the cleaning and shaping efficacy of NiTi systems (Reciproc(R) Blue and MTwo(R)) with manual stainless-steel instrumentation in primary molars using micro-CT analysis. Methods Fifty-seven maxillary second primary molars were scanned using micro-CT. Teeth with three divergent roots were divided randomly (n = 15) according to instrument type (K file, MTwo (R), and Reciproc (R) Blue). Teeth with root fusion were instrumented manually as a separate group (n = 12). Pre- and post-instrumentation micro-CT images were superimposed, and the instrumentation area (IA) and procedural complications were recorded. Results No statistically significant differences in IA between file systems was observed in the non-fused teeth. The mean IA of fused roots was significantly lower than in the non-fused distobuccal (p = 0.003) and palatal (p 60%) occurred in both non-fused and fused primary teeth with fewer procedural complications observed after manual instrumentation

Ancestry of the Brazilian TP53 c.1010G>A (p.Arg337His, R337H) founder mutation : clues from haplotyping of short tandem repeats on Chromosome 17p

Rare germline mutations in TP53 (17p13.1) cause a highly penetrant predisposition to a specific spectrum of early cancers, defining the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS). A germline mutation at codon 337 (p.Arg337His, c1010G>A) is found in about 0.3% of the population of Southern Brazil. This mutation is associated with partially penetrant LFS traits and is found in the germline of patients with early cancers of the LFS spectrum unselected for familial his- tory. To characterize the extended haplotypes carrying the mutation, we have genotyped 9 short tandem repeats on chromosome 17p in 12 trios of Brazilian p.Arg337His carriers. Results confirm that all share a common ancestor haplotype of Caucasian/Portuguese-Ibe- ric origin, distant in about 72–84 generations (2000 years assuming a 25 years intergenera- tional distance) and thus pre-dating European migration to Brazil. So far, the founder p. Arg337His haplotype has not been detected outside Brazil, with the exception of two resi- dents of Portugal, one of them of Brazilian origin. On the other hand, increased meiotic recombination in p.Arg337His carriers may account for higher than expected haplotype diversity. Further studies comparing haplotypes in populations of Brazil and of other areas of Portuguese migration are needed to understand the historical context of this mutation in Brazil.This study was funded by grant # 478430/2012-4 from CNPq (RFA MCT/CNPq - No 14/2012; Universal), Brazil.We would like to thank UFRGS, UFPA, AC Camargo, HC Barretos and University of Minho for their support during this work

High temperature oxygen NEXAFS valence band spectra and conductivity of LaFe3/4Ni1/4O3 from 300 K to 773 K

LaFe3/4Ni1/4O3 was subjected to oxygen near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy for 300 K < T < 773 K. The spectra show in the pre-edge a small hole doped peak originating from Ni substitution. The relative spectral weight of this transition to the weight of the hybridized O(2p) - Fe(3d) transitions scales with T and has a maximum at around 600 K. The characteristic energies of the thermal activated spectral intensity and conductivity suggest that the concentration of charge transferred electrons from O(2p) to Ni(3d) increases and that the pre-edges account in part for the polaron activated transport