Budaya penyayang dalam kehidupan masyarakat Islam: Antara teori dan praktis

Islam amat menekankan usaha mewujudkan masyarakat penyayang. Dalam menjamin keharmonian masyarakat, beberapa ciri asas yang menjadi dasar pembentukan masyarakat perlu ditekankan. Islam mengaitkan pembentukan masyarakat penyayang dengan tiga hubungan dasar iaitu hubungan manusia dengan Allah, hubungan manusia sesama manusia dan hubungan manusia dengan alam. Hasrat untuk mewujudkan masyarakat penyayang dan sebuah negara yang aman tidak akan tercapai melainkan dengan membentuk individu yang berteraskan Islam terlebih dahulu. Keperibadian yang mulia dan pegangan agama yang mantap adalah faktor penting dalam mewujudkan masyarakat penyayang. Walau bagaimanapun tahap kesedaran masyarakat terhadap konsep masyarakat penyayang masih rendah. Masalah penganiayaan kanak-kanak dan penderaan isteri masih menjadi isu serius yang diperkatakan oleh mediamassa dan masyarakat. Begitu juga dengan kes pengabaian terhadap orang-orang tua. Keadaan ini memerlukan perhatian serius dari setiap anggota masyarakat. Kerta

Mental health in workplace: the role of safety and health committee

Safety and Health Committee services has been established since 1 January 1997 in Malaysia. According to Section 30 of Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994, safety and health committee need to be establish and it is compulsory to the employers who have more than 40 employees. Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) are capable to issue an improvement or prohibition notice in order to get improvement in future

Production of resistant starch type III from native sago starch as a potential prebiotic

Resistant starch (RS) is the sum of starch that escape upper gastrointestinal digestion and can be fermented by colonic microorganisms to produce beneficial metabolites such as short chain fatty acids (SCFA). Resistant starch can be a potential prebiotic, a non-digestible food ingredient that selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of gut microorganisms, thus promoting the host health. The main focus of this study is to produce resistant starch type III from native sago starch. The resistant starch was produced via retrogradation process and with the aid of pullulanase enzyme. The quantification of total resistant starch content was determined based on the method approved by AOAC 2002.02 and AACC 38-40.01. From this study, it showed that there are no significant different between the resistant starch content of native and modified sago starches (RS type III)

The Scratching Problem

This case illustrates several dilemmas faced by a founder of a new clothing start-up, Joan. The idea of starting a clothing venture specializing in comfort apparel was born due to a frequent problem encountered by her when buying clothes for her skin sensitive son. Despite having some working experience as marketing manager and research analyst, Joan found herself grappling with a number of key decision-making problems in her business venture – ranging from financing, vendor and material selection as well as human resources. This case describes challenges and problems of a business start-up at the inception or infancy stage of the business. Therefore, it is designed to provide understanding of the process of starting a business start-up and stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to entrepreneurial activities

Geraniin extracted from the rind of Nephelium lappaceum binds to dengue virus type-2 envelope protein and inhibits early stage of virus replication

Background: The rapid rise and spread in dengue cases, together with the unavailability of safe vaccines and effective antiviral drugs, warrant the need to discover and develop novel anti-dengue treatments. In this study the antiviral activity of geraniin, extracted from the rind of Nephelium lappaceum, against dengue virus type-2 (DENV-2) was investigated. Methods: Geraniin was prepared from Nephelium lappaceum rind by reverse phase C-18 column chromatography. Cytotoxicity of geraniin towards Vero cells was evaluated using MTT assay while IC50 value was determined by plaque reduction assay. The mode-of-action of geraniin was characterized using the virucidal, attachment, penetration and the time-of-addition assays’. Docking experiments with geraniin molecule and the DENV envelope (E) protein was also performed. Finally, recombinant E Domain III (rE-DIII) protein was produced to physiologically test the binding of geraniin to DENV-2 E-DIII protein, through ELISA competitive binding assay. Results: Cytotoxicity assay confirmed that geraniin was not toxic to Vero cells, even at the highest concentration tested. The compound exhibited DENV-2 plaque formation inhibition, with an IC50 of 1.75 μM. We further revealed that geraniin reduced viral infectivity and inhibited DENV-2 from attaching to the cells but had little effect on its penetration. Geraniin was observed to be most effective when added at the early stage of DENV-2 infection. Docking experiments showed that geraniin binds to DENV E protein, specifically at the DIII region, while the ELISA competitive binding assay confirmed geraniin’s interaction with rE-DIII with high affinity. Conclusions: Geraniin from the rind of Nephelium lappaceum has antiviral activity against DENV-2. It is postulated that the compound inhibits viral attachment by binding to the E-DIII protein and interferes with the initial cell-virus interaction. Our results demonstrate that geraniin has the potential to be developed into an effective antiviral treatment, particularly for early phase dengue viral infection

Optimisation of biodegradation conditions for waste canola oil by cold-adapted Rhodococcus sp. AQ5-07 from Antarctica

Background: The potential waste canola oil-degrading ability of the cold-adapted Antarctic bacterial strain Rhodococcus sp. AQ5-07 was evaluated. Globally, increasing waste from food industries generates serious anthropogenic environmental risks that can threaten terrestrial and aquatic organisms and communities. The removal of oils such as canola oil from the environment and wastewater using biological approaches is desirable as the thermal process of oil degradation is expensive and ineffective. Results: Rhodococcus sp. AQ5-07 was found to have high canola oil-degrading ability. Physico-cultural conditions influencing its activity were studied using one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and statistical optimisation approaches. Considerable degradation (78.60%) of 3% oil was achieved by this bacterium when incubated with 1.0 g/L ammonium sulphate, 0.3 g/L yeast extract, pH 7.5 and 10% inoculum at 10°C over a 72-h incubation period. Optimisation of the medium conditions using response surface methodology (RSM) resulted in a 9.01% increase in oil degradation (87.61%) when supplemented with 3.5% canola oil, 1.05 g/L ammonium sulphate, 0.28g/L yeast extract, pH 7.5 and 10% inoculum at 12.5°C over the same incubation period. The bacterium was able to tolerate an oil concentration of up to 4.0%, after which decreased bacterial growth and oil degradation were observed. Conclusions: These features make this strain worthy of examination for practical bioremediation of lipid-rich contaminated sites. This is the first report of any waste catering oil degradation by bacteria originating from Antarctica

Biosurfactant production and growth kinetics studies of the waste canola oil-degrading bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis AQ5-07 from Antarctica

With the progressive increase in human activities in the Antarctic region, the possibility of domestic oil spillage also increases. Developing means for the removal of oils, such as canola oil, from the environment and waste “grey” water using biological approaches is therefore desirable, since the thermal process of oil degradation is expensive and ineffective. Thus, in this study an indigenous cold-adapted Antarctic soil bacterium, Rhodococcus erythropolis strain AQ5-07, was screened for biosurfactant production ability using the multiple approaches of blood haemolysis, surface tension, emulsification index, oil spreading, drop collapse and “MATH” assay for cellular hydrophobicity. The growth kinetics of the bacterium containing different canola oil concentration was studied. The strain showed β-haemolysis on blood agar with a high emulsification index and low surface tension value of 91.5% and 25.14 mN/m, respectively. Of the models tested, the Haldane model provided the best description of the growth kinetics, although several models were similar in performance. Parameters obtained from the modelling were the maximum specific growth rate (qmax), concentration of substrate at the half maximum specific growth rate, Ks% (v/v) and the inhibition constant Ki% (v/v), with values of 0.142 h−1, 7.743% (v/v) and 0.399% (v/v), respectively. These biological coefficients are useful in predicting growth conditions for batch studies, and also relevant to “in field” bioremediation strategies where the concentration of oil might need to be diluted to non-toxic levels prior to remediation. Biosurfactants can also have application in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) under different environmental conditions

Comparative screening methods for the detection of biosurfactant-producing capability of Antarctic hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudomonas sp.

Four preliminary screening methods for biosurfactant synthesis - drop collapse assay, oil displacement activity, microplate assay and emulsification index (E24) were compared and evaluated for their reliability and ease of use. All screening methods showed positive indications for the synthesis of biological surface-active agents. Nevertheless, partial collapse of the supernatant and low emulsification index (E24) of Pseudomonassp. might signify a low production of biosurfactants. Based on our observation, both drop collapse and oil displacement assay is the fastest, easiest and most reliable analytical routine to be suggested to screen for biosurfactant producing strains. In the extent for a high throughput screening (HTS), drop collapse assay is the best method for an accurate screening of biosurfactant producers

Production of lipopeptide biosurfactant by a hydrocarbon-degrading antarctic Rhodococcus

Rhodococci are renowned for their great metabolic repertoire partly because of their numerous putative pathways for large number of specialized metabolites such as biosurfactant. Screening and genome-based assessment for the capacity to produce surface-active molecules was conducted on Rhodococcus sp. ADL36, a diesel-degrading Antarctic bacterium. The strain showed a positive bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbon (BATH) assay, drop collapse test, oil displacement activity, microplate assay, maximal emulsification index at 45% and ability to reduce water surface tension to < 30 mN/m. The evaluation of the cell-free supernatant demonstrated its high stability across the temperature, pH and salinity gradient although no correlation was found between the surface and emulsification activity. Based on the positive relationship between the assessment of macromolecules content and infrared analysis, the extracted biosurfactant synthesized was classified as a lipopeptide. Prediction of the secondary metabolites in the non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) clusters suggested the likelihood of the surface-active lipopeptide production in the strain’s genomic data. This is the third report of surface-active lipopeptide producers from this phylotype and the first from the polar region. The lipopeptide synthesized by ADL36 has the prospect to be an Antarctic remediation tool while furnishing a distinctive natural product for biotechnological application and research

Crystallization behavior of low-cost biphasic hydroxyapatite/β-tricalcium phosphate ceramic at high sintering temperatures derived from high potential calcium waste sources

This paper reported the formation of biphasic hydroxyapatite, (HA) and β-tricalcium phosphate, (β-TCP) sintered at various sintering temperature from waste material. The phase stability of HA ceramic was investigated by imposing the high sintering temperature in order to study the transformation of the single phase of HA to biphasic HA/β-TCP ceramic. The evolution microstructure of HA and biphasic HA/β-TCP ceramic was studied at various sintering temperature reach up to 1400 °C. The single phase of HA was observed from 200 to 1200 °C and the secondary phase β-TCP appears due to the decomposition of partial HA at 1300-1400 °C. The optimum temperature for a single phase of HA was identified after sintering at 1200 °C to produce HA with high mechanical hardness about 5.11 GPa. This is clearly related to the phase stability and morphology of HA. The particles size of HA as-synthesized were recorded in nano range scale at ∼9 to 20 nm. However, the average particle sizes become larger and compact between ∼0.21 and ∼3.3 μm from 600 to 1200 °C. Thus, the sintering temperature gives an impact on the phase stability, microstructure and microhardness of HA derived from high potential waste sources