A 10-year sociodemographic study of suicide cases.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of suicide presents a significant public health challenge globally, affecting diverse populations around the world. This study is motivated by the urgency to tackle suicide as a crucial public health issue on a global level, according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the General Programme of Work and Mental Health Action by the World Health Organization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was performed at the Forensic Unit of Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, spanning a retrospective analysis covering 2012 to 2021. A descriptive analysis was conducted to analyse the patterns of suicide and the sociodemographic characteristics of the cases. RESULTS: The findings show monthly variations and a recent increase in suicide rates, especially during the pandemic of COVID-19. Analysis of suicide methods indicates that hanging is the most common suicide method, which accounts for almost half of the sample population, followed by jumping from a height and burning charcoal. Adult males are primarily implicated in suicidal acts, and the study reveals unique trends among different age groups, genders and employment statuses. CONCLUSION: This study aims to offer thorough insights and comprehension into suicide within the Malaysian sociodemographic framework. Consequently, it could furnish valuable insights for public health authorities and governmental bodies.

Quantifying Microalgae Growth by the Optical Detection of Glucose in the NIR Waveband.

Microalgae have become a popular area of research over the past few decades due to their enormous benefits to various sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and food and feed. Nevertheless, the benefits of microalgae cannot be fully exploited without the optimization of their upstream production. The growth of microalgae is commonly measured based on the optical density of the sample. However, the presence of debris in the culture and the optical absorption of the intercellular components affect the accuracy of this measurement. As a solution, this paper introduces the direct optical detection of glucose molecules at 940-960 nm to accurately measure the growth of microalgae. In addition, this paper also discusses the effects of the presence of glucose on the absorption of free water molecules in the culture. The potential of the optical detection of glucose as a complement to the commonly used optical density measurement at 680 nm is discussed in this paper. Lastly, a few recommendations for future works are presented to further verify the credibility of glucose detection for the accurate determination of microalgae's growth.

Calibrating different sounds for sound therapy: A general guide.

INTRODUCTION: Sound therapy is one of the complementary or alternative interventions for various populations. The intensity of the sounds for sound therapy needs to be properly calibrated to ensure their accuracy and effectiveness. This paper aims to provide a general guideline for calibrating sound files using free software, specifically Audacity®. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six sounds (broadband noise, rain, ocean, waterfall, Quranic chapters Al-Fatihah, and Yasin recitations) were calibrated at the intensity levels of 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80dBA. The sounds were delivered through a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones connected to the Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro sound card. The long-term average of the sound pressure level over the time of recording (LAseq) was recorded using the 3M SoundPro Class 1 1/3 Octave RTA sound level meter (SLM). The desired intensity levels were obtained by making adjustments to the sound files via the Audacity® software. RESULTS: All sound files were calibrated at the targeted levels as verified by the value of LAseq. CONCLUSIONS: Calibration of audio files can be done using a free/open-source software, as all six sound files were successfully calibrated at the targeted levels of 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80dBA. The calibration steps provided in this paper can be easily applied by other researchers for similar purposes, with precautions when calibrating at low levels.

Drone versus ambulance for blood products transportation: an economic evaluation study.

BACKGROUND: Medical transportation is an essential step in health care services, and includes ground, air and water transportation. Among the important uses of medical transportation is the delivery of blood products in the event of a clinical emergency. Drone technology is the latest technological advancement that may revolutionize medical transportation globally. Nonetheless, its economic evaluation is scant and insufficient, whilst its cost-effectiveness remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of drone transportation versus the ambulance. METHODS: The setting of the study was within a developing nation. An economic evaluation study of drone versus ambulance for emergency blood products transportation between the Sabah Women and Children Hospital (SWACH) and the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital (QEH2) on Borneo Island was conducted using the Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) technique. The total cost of each mode of transportation was calculated using the Activity Based Costing (ABC) method. Travel time was used as a denominator to estimate the Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER). RESULTS: For one clinical emergency in SWACH, a round trip of blood products transportation from SWACH to QEH2 costs RM1,266.02 (USD307.09) when using the ambulance, while the drone costs RM1,313.28 (USD319.36). The travel time for the drone was much shorter (18 min) compared to the ambulance (34 min). The Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (CER) of ambulance transportation was RM37.23 (USD9.05) per minute whilst the CER of drone transportation was RM72.96 (USD17.74) per minute. The ICER of drone versus ambulance was - 2.95, implying an increase of RM2.95 in cost for every minute saved using a drone instead of an ambulance. CONCLUSION: Although drone transportation of blood products costs more per minute compared to the ambulance, the significantly shorter transport time of the drone offset its cost. Thus, we believe there is good economic potential for drone usage for blood products transportation in developing nations particularly if the drone price decreases and its operational lifespan increases. Our limitation of a non-clinical denominator used in this study leads to the recommendation for use of clinical outcomes in future studies.

Multi-dimensional optimization of In0.53Ga0.47As thermophotovoltaic cell using real coded genetic algorithm.

The optimization of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell efficiency is essential since it leads to a significant increase in the output power. Typically, the optimization of In0.53Ga0.47As TPV cell has been limited to single variable such as the emitter thickness, while the effects of the variation in other design variables are assumed to be negligible. The reported efficiencies of In0.53Ga0.47As TPV cell mostly remain < 15%. Therefore, this work develops a multi-variable or multi-dimensional optimization of In0.53Ga0.47As TPV cell using the real coded genetic algorithm (RCGA) at various radiation temperatures. RCGA was developed using Visual Basic and it was hybridized with Silvaco TCAD for the electrical characteristics simulation. Under radiation temperatures from 800 to 2000 K, the optimized In0.53Ga0.47As TPV cell efficiency increases by an average percentage of 11.86% (from 8.5 to 20.35%) as compared to the non-optimized structure. It was found that the incorporation of a thicker base layer with the back-barrier layers enhances the separation of charge carriers and increases the collection of photo-generated carriers near the band-edge, producing an optimum output power of 0.55 W/cm2 (cell efficiency of 22.06%, without antireflection coating) at 1400 K radiation spectrum. The results of this work demonstrate the great potential to generate electricity sustainably from industrial waste heat and the multi-dimensional optimization methodology can be adopted to optimize semiconductor devices, such as solar cell, TPV cell and photodetectors.

UV-Vis Spectroscopy: A New Approach for Assessing the Color Index of Transformer Insulating Oil.

Monitoring the condition of transformer oil is considered to be one of the preventive maintenance measures and it is very critical in ensuring the safety as well as optimal performance of the equipment. Various oil properties and contents in oil can be monitored such as acidity, furanic compounds and color. The current method is used to determine the color index (CI) of transformer oil produces an error of 0.5 in measurement, has high risk of human handling error, additional expense such as sampling and transportations, and limited samples can be measured per day due to safety and health reasons. Therefore, this work proposes the determination of CI of transformer oil using ultraviolet-to-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Results show a good correlation between the CI of transformer oil and the absorbance spectral responses of oils from 300 nm to 700 nm. Modeled equations were developed to relate the CI of the oil with the cutoff wavelength and absorbance, and with the area under the curve from 360 nm to 600 nm. These equations were verified with another set of oil samples. The equation that describes the relationship between cutoff wavelength, absorbance and CI of the oil shows higher accuracy with root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.1961.

Enhancing performance of multiwavelength Brillouin-Raman fiber laser by capturing residual pump power.

We demonstrate a simple design to enhance the performance of a multiwavelength Brillouin-Raman fiber laser by capturing the residual Raman pump power (RPP) from the laser cavity using a wavelength-selective coupler. The performance parameters of the laser system are investigated and compared with the conventional design under the same input design parameters. Both laser systems at a RPP of 375 mW can generate up to 33 Stokes lines with an equal channel spacing of 0.08 nm; however, the tunability of the laser without injection of residual RPP is 25% higher than the conventional laser structure. In addition, for a laser system without residual RPP injection, increasing the RPP improves the laser performance and generates up to 42 Stokes lines with a tunability of 24.5 nm, from 1570 to 1594.5 nm, at 475 mW. In contrast, the laser system with a residual RPP has the worst performance as the pump power is increased, and generates only nine Stokes lines with a tuning range of 5 nm at the same RPP of 475 mW.

Attitudes of parents and staff towards medical students on the paediatric wards.

This study investigates attitudes of parents and staff to medical students on paediatric wards in a Dublin teaching hospital. We invited 100 parents of patients and 30 staff involved in the care of children on the paediatric wards to participate. The majority of parents agreed or strongly agreed that they would be happy for a student to interview them (n = 87; (87%)), interview their child (80%) or examine their child (74%). Of 30 staff, 12 (40%) staff agreed that the presence of medical students on the ward increased their job satisfaction, 13 (43%) agreed or strongly agreed that medical student presence encouraged them to keep up to date with recent medical developments and 6 (20%) felt that it increased the quality of patient care. Attitudes of both parents and staff to medical students on paediatric wards are positive with both emphasising the need for professional behaviour.

Dysregulation of miR-31 and miR-375 expression is associated with clinical outcomes in oral carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To identify differentially expressed miRNA between oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and non-cancer (NC) and to associate these with clinico-pathological parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: miRNA microarray profiling was utilized to obtain the expression profile of miRNAs in four OSCC and four NC samples. The expression of miR-31 and miR-375 was further validated in 26 OSCC and three NC samples using real-time-PCR. The association between miRNA expression and clinico-pathological parameters was tested by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Microarray profiling demonstrated that 15 and four miRNAs were up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively, in OSCC as compared with NC. miR-31 and miR-375 were validated as up- and down-regulated miRNAs, respectively. In univariate analyses, expression of miR-31 was significantly elevated in early stage, tumours with no metastatic nodes and those from the buccal mucosa. By contrast, low miR-375 expression was significantly associated with late stage disease, larger tumour size and the non-cohesive type of pattern of invasion in OSCC. The association between miR-31 expression with tumour staging and site and miR-375 with tumour staging remained significant in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This study has identified 19 miRNAs significantly associated with OSCC, and expressions of miR-31 and miR-375 were significantly related with clinico-pathological parameters suggesting they could be important in driving oral tumourigenesis.

Surface enhanced Raman scattering and plasmon enhanced fluorescence in zinc-tellurite glass.

We report significant enhancements in Er(3+) luminescence as well as in Raman intensity in silver nanoparticles embedded zinc-tellurite glass. Surface enhanced Raman scattering effect is highlighted for the first time in tellurite glass containing silver NPs resulting in an enhanced Raman signal (~10 times). SAED manifest the growth of Ag(0) nanoparticles along the (111) and (200) crystallographic planes having average diameter in the range 14-36 nm. Surface plasmon resonance bands are observed in the range 484-551 nm. Furthermore, four prominent photoluminescence bands undergo significant enhancements up to 3 times. The enhancement is majorly attributed to the local field effect of silver NPs.

Characteristics of multiwavelength L-band Brillouin-Raman fiber laser under forward and backward pumped environment.

We experimentally investigate the performance of L-band multiwavelength Brillouin-Raman fiber laser (MBRFL) under forward and backward pumped environments utilizing a linear cavity. A short length of 1.18 km dispersion compensating fiber is used as a nonlinear gain medium for both Brillouin and Raman gain. Experimental results indicate that the gain in the copumped laser configuration is higher than the gain in the counterpumped configuration. A stable and constant number of Brillouin Stokes lines up to 23 Stokes, with channel spacing of 0.08 nm and more than 20 dB of optical signal to noise ratio, can be generated as well as tuning over 20 nm in the L-band region from 1570 to 1590 nm. The laser generating the Brillouin Stokes lines exhibits flat amplitude bandwidth and high average output power of 0.8 and 1.6 dBm for the copropagation and counterpropagation pumps, respectively. Moreover, the tuning range bandwidth of the MBRFL can be predicted from the oscillated Brillouin pump gain profile.

Dual-function remotely-pumped Erbium-doped fiber amplifier: Loss and dispersion compensator.

An efficient Erbium-doped fiber amplifier configured in doublepass amplification scheme with chirped fiber Bragg grating as the reflector is presented in this paper. The proposed amplifier architecture is optimized and designed to work under consideration of low pump powers for remotely-pumped applications. The chirped fiber Bragg grating is used to reflect the amplified signal back to the Erbium-doped fiber and at the same time to compensate the effect of fiber dispersion. The proposed amplifier architecture is able to maintain gain of higher than 20 dB for small signals less than -23 dBm with 10 mW pump power only. The integrated function of loss and dispersion compensator in single black box is an attractive solution to be used as pre-amplifier.

Identification of major allergens of two species of local snappers: Lutjanus argentimaculatus (merah/ red snapper) and Lutjanus johnii (jenahak/ golden snapper).

Fish has been recognized as a source of potent allergens both in food and occupational allergy. Lutjanus argentimaculatus (red snapper) and Lutjanus johnii (golden snapper) locally known as merah and jenahak, respectively, are among the most commonly consumed fish in Malaysia. The objective of this study is to identify the IgE-binding proteins and major allergens of these species of fishes. Extracts of both fish species were prepared and fractionated by sodium dodecyl polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). IgE binding patterns were then demonstrated by immunoblotting using sera from patients allergic to the fishes. The raw extracts of both fish produced 26 protein bands. Both species of fishes had similar protein profiles. In cooked extracts, several protein bands in the range of about 40 to 90 kD which were present in the uncooked extracts appeared to be denatured and formed high molecular weight complexes. The immunoblotting of golden snapper and red snapper revealed 16 and 15 various IgE-binding bands, in the range of 151 to 12-11 kD, respectively. A 51 kD protein was identified as a major allergen for both fishes. A 46 kD protein was also demonstrated as a major allergen in golden snapper and a 42 kD protein was also seen as a major allergen in red snapper. A heat-resistant protein of ~12 kD which is equivalent in size with fish parvalbumin was demonstrated only as minor allergen for both fishes.

Micronutrients and its correlation with mental performance among schoolchildren in Bario, Sarawak: a preliminary study.

Children who are born in a community with insufficient micronutrients, particularly iodine in remote rural areas are associated with low intellectual functions and mental retardation. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine the mental performance of the schoolchildren in Bario, a highland settlement of the Kelabit people in the district of Baram, Sarawak and to determine its correlation with the availability of iodine in the environment, as well as other micronutrients such as selenium, copper and manganese. A total of 25 schoolchildren in Bario age ranging from 7 to 12 years old participated in the study. Mental performance of the schoolchildren were tested using TONI-2 (Test of Nonverbal Intelligence--second edition), a cognitive ability measures with a response format which eliminates language and reduces motoric and cultural factors. The iodine levels from several wells, soils and salt found in Bario were determined using HPLC (software version 3.05.01) whilst serum levels of selenium, copper and manganese were measured using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GFAAS). The results showed that the median and mode scores of intelligence quotient for Bario were 82 and 75, respectively, whilst median and mode scores of intelligence percentile were 11.0 and 5.0, respectively. The maximum score achieved were at the average level with the quotient score between 90-110. It was found that salt produced from one of the wells in Bario contained high quantity of iodine. Based on standards established by the Trace Elements Laboratory, Roben Institute, University of Surrey, United Kingdom, schoolchildren in Bario are having sufficient blood levels of copper and a high selenium and manganese levels. Despite the remoteness of the study area, the schoolchildren in Bario, Sarawak showed higher mental performance compared to other isolated areas. This is probably correlated with the high micronutrients availability, particularly iodine, found naturally in Bario.

Micronutrients and its correlation with mental performance among schoolchildren in Bario, Sarawak: a preliminary study

Children who are born in a community with insufficient micronutrients, particularly iodine in remote rural areas are associated with low intellectual functions and mental retardation. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine the mental performance of the schoolchildren in Bario, a highland settlement of the Kelabit people in the district of Baram, Sarawak and to determine its correlation with the availability of iodine in the environment, as well as other micronutrients such as selenium, copper and manganese. A total of 25 schoolchildren in Bario age ranging from 7 to 12 years old participated in the study. Mental performance of the schoolchildren were tested using TONI-2 (Test of Nonverbal Intelligence--second edition), a cognitive ability measures with a response format which eliminates language and reduces motoric and cultural factors. The iodine levels from several wells, soils and salt found in Bario were determined using HPLC (software version 3.05.01) whilst serum levels of selenium, copper and manganese were measured using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GFAAS). The results showed that the median and mode scores of intelligence quotient for Bario were 82 and 75, respectively, whilst median and mode scores of intelligence percentile were 11.0 and 5.0, respectively. The maximum score achieved were at the average level with the quotient score between 90-110. It was found that salt produced from one of the wells in Bario contained high quantity of iodine. Based on standards established by the Trace Elements Laboratory, Roben Institute, University of Surrey, United Kingdom, schoolchildren in Bario are having sufficient blood levels of copper and a high selenium and manganese levels. Despite the remoteness of the study area, the schoolchildren in Bario, Sarawak showed higher mental performance compared to other isolated areas. This is probably correlated with the high micronutrients availability, particularly iodine, found naturally in Bario.

The potential of the coelomic fluid in sea cucumber as an antioxidant.

In a biological system the product of free-radical induced-lipid peroxidation are conjugated dienes (CDs), lipid peroxides and malondialdehyde (MDA). Its control depends on antioxidant activities. Antioxidant defend the body system by controlling the damage caused by the free radicals. This paper describes lipid peroxidation process and antioxidant activities present in three species of holothuroid obtained from the coastal waters of Terengganu, Malaysia. Among the three species studied, the coelomic fluid of Bohadschia mamorata vitiensis contained the highest level of protein (7.24 + 0.04)g/L. The coelomic fluid of Stichopus badionotus Selenka contained the highest level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) (9.46 + 0.99)X 105 IU/g protein, MDA (16.46 + 1.28)nmol/g protein and total antioxidant activities (AOA) (58.81 + 5.70) %. In Stichopus variegatus Semper the coelomic fluid only demonstrated the highest level of CDs (94.19 + 11.34) RU/g protein compared with the other two species. This preliminary study indicated that some form of antioxidant activities are present in the coelomic fluid of holothuroids.

Femoral shaft fracture in children treated by early hip spica cast: early result of a prospective study.

Twenty-four children under the age of 10 years with femoral shaft fractures were treated by early immobilization of fracture and application of hip spica cast. The average hospital stay was 3.5 days. The average shortening at time of fracture union was 15 mm. The average time of follow up was 6.7 months. All fractures healed, except for one, in an acceptable position. The average shortening at last follow up was 9.5 mm and the average overgrowth up to the time was 6 mm. There was no incidence of refracture, joint stiffness or any pressure sore.

Serum lipids of castrated rats given hormonal replacement and fed diets with added soybean oil or palm oil.

The effects of castration with/ without testosterone replacement in male rats, and ovarectomy with oestrogen replacement in female rats, on serum lipids were studied. Simultaneous feeding with diets fortified with 20% weight/ weight (w/ w) soybean oil (Sb) or palm oil (P0) were done to determine the influence of these oils on serum lipids in castrated and sex hormone replaced rats. Two month old male and female Rattus norwegicus rats were given the above treatment for 4 months, and their sera assayed for lipid profile. Castration increased HDL-cholesterol (HDLchol) and total cholesterol (Tchol) concentrations. Testosterone or oestrogen replacement in male and female rats respectively increased HDLchol and decreased LDL-cholesterol (LDLchol) concentrations. Testosterone replacement also decreased Tchol concentration back to noncastrated levels, and reduced serum triglycerides (TG) to lower than non-castrated levels. Addition of Sb or P0 to the diet increased the LDLchol in the testosterone or oestrogen replaced male and female rats, but there was no difference between the two groups. P0 raised serum TG of the testosterone replaced group compared to control and Sb groups. In conclusion, testosterone and oestrogen were found to have favourable effects on serum lipids. Sb and P0 did not differ in their effects on lipoprotein cholesterol and Tchol, but P0 raised serum TG as compared to Sb.