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The purpose of this paper is to develop different combinations of acrylic polyol and silicone resins with various weight ratios and to test the coating properties using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

The performance properties such as coating resistance, capacitance, dielectric constant, water uptake and diffusion coefficient were evaluated using EIS with exposure to 3.5 per cent NaCl solution for 60 days.

The binders developed in this study were coated on cold rolled steel plates. The dry film thickness was found to be in the range of 50 microns. From EIS results, it was found that Acrylic polyol sample with 30 weight per cent of silicone exhibits the best properties, as it has high coating resistance in the range of 109 Ohms for the full period of exposure, whereas all other samples showed poor performance with the exposure time. For these samples, the parameters measured such as the coating resistance of the samples decreased while the coating capacitance, percentage of water uptake and diffusion coefficient of the samples increased after being exposed to corrosive solution for 60 days. The coatings developed by 0, 10 and 60 weight per cent silicone showed high coating capacitance on the first day of exposure, and these systems failed early during the exposure. The water uptake percentage and diffusion coefficient of all samples were found to be less than 50 per cent and below 10-11 cm2 s−1, respectively. An optimum cross-linking between the resins is considered as the main contribution for the best performance shown by the sample that consists of 30 weight per cent of silicone in acrylic matrix that provides maximum barrier properties of the coating.

Developing coatings using hybrid binders (silicone resin and acrylic polyol resin) is new area of research. This will explore more research in the formulation of novel coatings.

The purpose of this paper is to study the performance of coatings for corrosion protection. In this research, different compositions of polyaniline (PANI) were added in a pigmented acrylic polyol-silicone coating. The important performance property is corrosion protection. The coatings must be evaluated under corrosive environment. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is the suitable method to investigate the effect of the addition of PANI in the binder mixture.

The coating resistance, coating capacitance, water uptake and the diffusion coefficient of the coatings were tested for each of the sample. These parameters of the coatings were tested for a period of 60 days of exposure of 3.5 weight per cent solution of sodium chloride salt. EIS results will be further verified by immersion test and salt spray test.

Coating materials developed using 8 and 10 weight per cent of PANI exhibited better coating properties with higher coating resistance for a period 60 days immersion in corrosive environment compared to coatings with lower amount of PANI (2-6 weight per cent). The best coating system obtained the coating resistance value in the range of giga ohms even after the 60th day of exposure. The lowest capacitance value suggested that the coatings have not allowed the electrolyte to permeate to the interface. Water uptake values were found to be in the range of 5 per cent. Salt spray test results showed that the corrosion has initiated at the edges of the scratches only.

The study of the effect of conducting polymers in acrylic polyol/silicone resin hybrid binder will be useful for more exploration in coating science.

The development of protective hybrid coatings using conducting polymer and TiO₂ particles is new. The results show high coating resistance values.

The provision of meals has long been regarded as an essential part of treatment of hospitalized patients complementing medical procedures and nursing management. Today, despite changes in the health-care landscape, which focused on improving the quality and efficiency of hospital care, malnutrition among inpatient was still a common worldwide concern.

This was a multi-centre, randomized study conducted in 21 study sites comprising 21 state and specialist government hospitals under the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The sample size for this study was calculated with purposive sampling method, followed by proportionate sampling to determine the random sample size of each of the study sites. The total sample size required for this study was 2,759 subjects. A validated data collection form was used in the study.

Only 32.2 % and 37.6 % of subjects achieved adequate energy and protein intake, respectively, during their admission to medical ward. The study result showed that the overall mean energy and protein intake was 794.6 ± 487.8 kcal and 35.2 ± 24.3 g, respectively. The estimated energy (p = 0.001) and protein (p = 0.001) intake of all study sites was significantly lower compared to the adequacy value.

The adequacy intake in this study was only carried out in medical wards, thus reproducible result among other wards in different study sites could not be confirmed. Besides, this study assumed that the portion eaten by subjects during lunch and dinner was the same, and therefore, either one was recorded together with breakfast and either lunch or dinner to represent a subject’s daily intake.

This was the first nationwide study to report the adequacy of energy and protein intake of patients receiving therapeutic diets in the government hospital setting in Malaysia.