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Background/Objectives: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, plays a key role in various physiological processes, including bone health. Its age-related decline is linked to reduced bone density, though the mechanisms by which DHEA affects bone metabolism remain complex. This review summarises the diverse effects of DHEA on bone metabolism and density, highlighting its therapeutic potential; Methods: A literature search on the effects of DHEA on bone-related parameters was conducted from PubMed and Scopus using a specific search string, and after removing duplicates and irrelevant articles, 36 relevant full-text studies were included; Results: DHEA promotes osteoblast differentiation and proliferation, regulates the RANKL/OPG ratio, and inhibits osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. Its osteogenic effects are mediated through multiple signalling pathways. In ovariectomised rat models, DHEA enhances trabecular bone volume, stimulates osteoblast proliferation, and increases oestradiol production and aromatase activity. In elderly individuals with low androgen levels, DHEA supplementation increases sulphated DHEA and oestradiol levels and improves bone mineral density, particularly in the ultra-distal radius of women and the femoral neck of men. However, the clinical use of DHEA remains debated due to inconsistent study results. Its effects on bone health may vary based on factors such as age, gender, and health conditions, emphasising the need for further research to clarify its mechanisms and optimise its use; Conclusions: In conclusion, while DHEA shows potential as a modulator of bone health, comprehensive clinical trials are required to assess its efficacy and safety, particularly in at-risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes is a psychrophilic bacterium that commonly contaminates and grows in food stored at refrigeration temperature. It can cause serious illness in the elderly, pregnant women, children and immunocompromised individuals. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in eight selected salad vegetables and characterized antibiotic resistance profiles of L. monocytogenes isolates. A total of 154 salad samples were purchased from four different districts in Terengganu namely Besut, Jerteh, Kemaman and Kuala Terengganu. Samples were enriched with Listeria Enrichment Broth (LEB) at 30˚С for 24 hr before being subjected to selective medium PALCAM agar and PCR and LAMP assays. The L. monocytogenes isolates were tested against seven antibiotics using disk diffusion method. Percentage of L. monocytogenes in samples were detected at 5.19, 3.89 and 3.25% using PCR assay, LAMP assay and plating, respectively. L. monocytogenes isolates showed resistance towards tetracycline, vancomycin, penicillin G and erythromycin. Three isolates have multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index higher than 0.2 which indicate the contamination from high-risk or animal sources. It can be concluded that vegetable samples were contaminated with L. monocytogenes that exhibit antibiotic resistance. Consumption of raw vegetables will pose significant risk of foodborne infection.

An energy storage system called a battery energy storage system (BESS) collects energy from various sources, builds up that energy, and then stores it in rechargeable batteries for future use. The battery's electrochemical energy can be discharged and supplied to buildings such as residences, electric cars, and commercial and industrial buildings. The advantages of utilizing BESSs, such as minimizing energy loss, improving voltage profile, peak shaving, and increasing power quality, may be reduced if incorrect decisions about the appropriate position and capacity for BESSs are chosen. Furthermore, the optimal position and size for BESSs are critical since deploying a BESS at every bus, particularly in an extensive network, is not a cost-effective option, and installing oversized BESSs would result in higher investment expenses. Hence, this study suggests a proficient method for identifying the most suitable position and the sizes of BESS to save costs. The grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) and evolutionary programming (EP) were employed to address the optimization challenge on the IEEE 69-bus distribution test system. The goal of the optimization is to minimize the overall cost. The findings indicate that the GOA has strong resilience and possesses a superior capacity for optimizing cost reduction in comparison to EP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of nanocellulose from agro-waste have received wide attention in nanocomposite technologies. This research unravels physico-chemical characteristics of cellulose from Malaysia Indica rice straw, and the derived cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) by hydrochloric acid (HC1) hydrolysis. The CNC was subjected to field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and/or transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) studies. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were compared with TEM for the CNC lateral crystal size. Subsequently, CNC reinforced epoxy laminates for Kevlar were prepared and tested for their tensile properties. While FTIR analysis confirmed the monoclinic cellulose structure of the isolated CNC, XRD, and SAXS were compared with TEM for the CNC lateral crystal size. Hydrolysis of the cellulose sample yielded 40.87% of CNC with 4.8 nm in width and a needle-shaped nature. The extracted CNC has relatively low crystallinity (56.12%) but interestingly low crystallite size with an average crystallite size of 1.69 nm (XRD) and 4.18 nm (SAXS). Furthermore, an addition of just 1 wt% of CNC to epoxy composite increased the strength of Kevlar by over 300% and the elastic modulus by nearly three-fold. Nanocellulose obtained from rice straw have great potential as reinforcing agents for the manufacture of nanocomposites. KEYWORDS acid hydrolysis, crystallinity, Kevlar, nanofiller, nanomaterials, 1 | INTRODUCTION Agro-industrial wastes are increasingly recognized as valuable and cheaper bioresources for development of renewable high-performance materials. Residue from annual crops such as wheat, rice, cotton, sisal, jute, [...]

The pandemic has profoundly disrupted the stability of the agri-food supply chain, primarily due to the inconsistent supply reaching the market caused by movement restrictions. This economic downturn is influenced by losses along the business supply chain and has prompted a closer examination in this study. The focus is on the specifics of post-harvest losses of watermelons, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 recovery phase. The watermelon is selected for scrutiny due to its status as the second-largest high-value crop in SSL after papaya (increasing by 142.3% in 2022). This choice indicates that the local production sufficiently satisfies domestic demand and is also available for export. The study reveals that losses contribute to almost 69.4%, resulting in a reduction of 2.0 metric tonnes from the pre-pandemic situation, where losses were around 1.0 to 1.2 metric tonnes. These losses are attributed to delays in distribution, especially at the farm level, due to distribution restrictions and a shortage of labour for harvesting. Overall, these findings aim to provide insights for industry players on how to handle future crises by developing backup plans to reduce losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focusing on the performances of advanced oxidation process by using ozonation method towards Methyl Orange based on the efficiency of colour removal and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal. Factorial design with response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the interaction between operational conditions, such as pH, initial concentration, contact time and persulfate dosage to obtain the optimum range conditions using a semi-batch reactor. The range of independent variables investigated were pH (3-11), initial concentration (100-500mg/L), contact time (10-50min) and persulfate dosage (20-100mM) while the response variables were colour removal and COD removal of Methyl Orange. The experimental results and statistical analysis showed all the parameters were significant. Thus, from this findings, optimization of operational conditions that had been suggested from the ozone/persulfate RSM analysis were (pH 3, 100 mg/L, 50min, 60mM) that would be produced 99% Colour Removal and 80% COD Removal and help in promoting an efficient ozonation process. The effect list data that showed the most contributed effects to increase the percentages of colour removal were pH and persulfate dosage whereas the contact time and initial concentration had the highest positive effects on the COD removal. Other than that, the interaction between pH, contact time and persulfate dosage were found to be the most influencing interaction. Therefore the least influencing interaction was interaction between persulfate dosage and pH. In this study, the correlation coefficient value R2 for colour removal and COD removal of Methyl Orange were R2= 0.9976 and R2= 0.9924 which suggested a good fit of the first-order regression model with the experimental data.

Arm are essential in order to perform manual material handling work that normally involves lifting, handling, placing, push and pull, carrying and moving heavy loads. When these work elements are performed over prolonged periods repeatedly, it will expose workers arm to awkward posture and possible ergonomic risk factor. For example, work element that requires repetitions frequently may lead the arm to face physical stress and mental fatigue. The situation can be extremely risky if the worker task requires higher focus or time consumable. These issues are unavoidable in palm oil harvesting process since the workers are still using manual handling when harvesting the fresh fruit bunch (FFB). The worker using a chisel to harvest the young palms and a sickle mounted on a bamboo or aluminum pole to harvest taller palms. When perform this work element combining with heavy physical workload, it may lead to work-related muscle disorders (WSMDs). This study was conducted to identify the force reaction and inverse dynamic analysis during oil palm harvesting process using ergonomics software called Anybody Technology. Inverse dynamic analysis is a technique for figuring strengths and/or moments of power (torques) taking into account the kinematics (movement) of a body and the body’s inertial properties.

Oil palm frond has been utilized as a solid biomass fuel for gasification to produce synthesis gas or syngas to be used for heat and power generation. A fuel pre-treatment method by means of extensively-drying OPF blocks at 150°C and 200°C for 4 hours was implemented to investigate the effects of the fuel in terms of drying efficiency and gasification performances. Tar, pyrolysis oil and condensates were found to be squeezed out by heat during drying, signifying volatilization of fuel at temperatures between water boiling point at 100°C and fuel pyrolysis point at 280°C. Syngas produced from the updraft gasification of extensively-dried OPF blocks was analyzed and tested for sustainable gas flares. The syngas was found to be composed of 16.5% CO, 10% CO2, 4% H2 and 0.9% CH4 and was produced at gasification temperatures lower than that exhibited by normal OPF blocks.

In this study, Mango (Mangifera indica) seeds (MS) and peels (MP) seeds mixed fruit wastes were employed as a renewable precursor to synthesize high-surface-area-activated carbon (MSMPAC) by using microwave-induced ZnCl2 activation. Thus, the applicability of MSMPAC was evaluated towards the removal of cationic dye (methylene blue, MB) from an aqueous environment. The key adsorption factors, namely A: MSMPAC dose (0.02–0.1 g), B: pH (4–10), and C: time (5–15 min), were inspected using the desirability function of the Box-Behnken design (BBD). Thus, the adsorption isotherm data were found to correspond well with the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of (232.8 mg/g). Moreover, the adsorption kinetics were consistent with both pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The spontaneous and endothermic nature of MB adsorption on the MSMPAC surface could be inferred from the negative ∆G° values and positive value of ∆H°, respectively. Various mechanisms namely electrostatic forces, pore filling, π-π stacking, and H-bonding govern MB adsorption by the MSMPAC. This study demonstrates the utility of MS and MP as renewable precursors to produce high-surface area MSMPAC with a potential application towards the removal of cationic organic dyes such as MB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]