Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Fiber via Simultaneous Ultrasonic and Alkali Treatment

In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) cellulose which was earlier isolated from oil palm EFB fibre. In order to isolate the cellulose, the chlorination method was carried out. Then, the MCC was prepared by simultaneous ultrasonic and alkali treatment from the isolated α-cellulose. Based on mass balance calculation, the yields for MCC obtained from EFB was 44%. For fiber characterization, it is observed that the chemical composition of the hemicellulose and lignin for all samples decreased while composition for cellulose increased. The structural property of the MCC was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and the result shows that the MCC produced is a cellulose-I polymorph, with 73% crystallinity

Revising and devising a classification scheme for Islam : the IIUM Library's experience

The current locally expanded LCC scheme of subclass BP (Islam) used by the IIUM Library, can no longer accomodate the emerging new and sophisticated topics on Islam and Islamic perpectives. IIUM Library decided to revise and devise a new classification scheme for Islam that can blend the would-be classified collection using the new scheme, naturally into the existing collection arrangement. This paper relates the library’s experience, highlighting the important issues that arises from the exercise. It can be a note sharing exercise with other libraries having similar intention or plans, either to expand the existing classification or devise a new classification scheme on Islam altogether

Aspect of religious coping, element of neuroscience, al-Quran recital approaches and resilience among university students in the post-Covid-19 pandemic

Aspect of religiosity, religious coping, element of neuroscience, al-Quran recital, and resilience approaches contain various elements needed by humankind, such as religious, social, economic, health, medical, scientific, political, and other aspects, as a guide for achieving prosperity in this life and the afterlife, reciting the al-Quran daily showers a person with continuous serenity, which is a very effective therapy for a person facing pressures in life. Recital Quran has a unique power to change an individual’s inappropriate behavior to appropriate behavior among post-COVID-19 university students during the post-COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia. The al-Quran also provides all the internal and external needs required by a person to face the various challenges of post-COVID-19 university students during the post-COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia. Reciting the al-Quran is not only advantageous to a person but listening to recitals can also provide serenity and blessings from Allah the Almighty

Pembinaan Sistem Pintar Untuk Penentuan Kualiti Air Berdasarkan Rangkaian Neural.

Alga merupakan organisma mikro yang digunakan dalam pemerhatian secara biologi bagi penentuan kualiti air sungai. Algae are microorganisms which are being used in biological monitoring to determine the quality of river's water

Perspektif kitab Quran terhadap bidang pengurusan rekod / Ahmad Azman Mohamad Ramli … [et al.]

Tujuan kertas ini disediakan ialah untuk membincangkan persoalan perspektif atau ulasan kitab Quran terhadap bidang pengurusan rekod. Bagi membincangkan persoalan tersebut, penulis telah menganalisa kandungan dalam bahan-bahan bertulis seperti tafsiran kitab Quran dan lain-lain bahan rujukan. Penganalisaan ialah dengan mengguna kaedah pencarian kata kunci. Berdasarkan penganalisaan, didapati perspektif kitab Quran terhadap bidang pengurusan rekod boleh dibahagikan kepada empat aspek iaitu aspek kegunaan rekod kepada kehidupan manusia, aspek larangan semasa menggunakan rekod, aspek peralatan untuk menulis rekod, aspek media rekod dan aspek bentuk atau format rekod. Bagaimanapun, maklumat yang terkandung di dalam kitab ini sangat luas. Sehubungan dengan itu, kertas ini diharap dapat dijadikan satu dorongan kepada para pengkaji lain menjalankan kajian tentang topik ini dengan lebih mendalam lagi pada masa hadapan

Characterization of microcrystalline cellulose isolated through mechanochemical method

Mechanochemical process, which involves simultaneous ultrasound and alkali treatment, has been used to isolatemicrocrystalline cellulose (MCC) from raw oil palm empty fruit bunch (REFB) fibre. Three steps have been used to preparethe MCC, namely removal of lignin, removal of hemicellulose and finally production of MCC. The crystallinity index inMCC is found to be 81% which is 54% higher than that of REFB and 45% higher than that of cellulose. Besidescrystallinity, the crystal size (28.03Å) of MCC is also enhanced noticeably by 53% as compared to the REFB and 28% ascompared to cellulose. The degradation temperature, and the residue content reveal the excellent thermal stability of MCCextracted through this mechanochemical technique

Field evaluation of palm oil adjuvanted feed-based streptococcosis vaccine efficacy in red hybrid tilapia

Vaccination plays an important role in the aquaculture industry to prevent disease outbreaks, thereby ensuring an economically viable industry. A field trial was conducted in Pedu Lake, Kedah, to determine immunoglobulin M (IgM) progression in red hybrid tilapia following oral vaccination with palm oil adjuvanted streptococcosis vaccine. A total of 6,000 tilapias of 60 ± 20 g were selected and divided into three groups of single booster, double booster, and control group in duplicate. The single booster group was vaccinated orally at weeks 0 and 2, while fish of the double booster group were vaccinated at weeks 0, 2, and 6. Fishes from the control group were not given any vaccine throughout the experimental period. Samples of eye, brain, and kidney were collected at two weeks intervals for sixteen weeks cumulative to isolate the bacteria, while serum samples were collected to determine the antibody level. Throughout the study period, no outbreaks of streptococcosis were recorded, and none of the groups studied showed the presence of Streptococcus agalactiae. Very low mortality of single booster, double booster, and control group was noted at 2.1 ± 8.5 %, 1.3 ± 2.8 %, and 1.5 ± 7.1 %, respectively. Both vaccinated groups showed significant (p<0.05) increases in IgM antibody levels following immunization of first and booster doses before going down below the cut-off value six weeks post-vaccination in the single booster group. However, IgM antibody levels in the fish from the double booster group remained high until the end of the trial. In conclusion, oral vaccination with palm oil adjuvanted feed-based streptococcosis vaccine stimulates an adequate systemic immune response, which can confer possible protection against streptococcosis

Facile Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles in Glycerol at Room Temperature: Formation Mechanism

A copper sol is usually synthesized by the reduction of a copper precursor with a suitable reducing agent in the presence of a stabilizer. There are few reports regarding the preparation of copper nanoparticles in glycerol without using a stabilizing agent, but at elevated temperatures. The formation of reduced copper (Cu0) is usually verified by a UV-vis spectrophotometer where a ‘red copper sol’ was formed. In the present paper we synthesized the copper sol at room temperature in a glycerol medium using hydrazine as a reducing agent. The chemical states of copper in the sol and their composition were analyzed by X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) with the linear composition fitting method. A series-parallel mechanism of the reaction was proposed. An average particle size of 5 ± 1 nm was visualized via transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

Influence of ultrasound on alkaline treatment of empty fruit bunch fibre: preliminary study

This research underlines the effect of ultrasound in NaOH surface modification of empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibre. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterized the fibres. It can be seen that surface morphology treated by ultrasound assisted alkali treatment shows smooth surface with minor impurities. Additionally, the elimination of hemicellulose on EFB fibre surface can be proven by the disappearance of peak between 2900-1700 cm−1 (C-H). Furthermore, Ultrasound assisted alkali method demonstrate the admirable value (300 N/mm2) in enhancing the tensile stress of EFB fibre and comparable with alkali soaking technique (292 N/mm2). The findings indicate that ultrasound-assisted alkali treatment has the potential to be used as surface modification method in the industry

Current status and advances of fish vaccines in Malaysia

Fish diseases have a significant negative influence on the Malaysian aquaculture industry. Since the 1980s, the sector has grown in size, which has resulted in a rise in the prevalence of infectious outbreaks affecting both freshwater and marine cultured fish species. Demand for commercially available fish vaccinations is predicted to increase as infectious disease outbreaks continue to occur. In Malaysia, aquaculture vaccine research and development (R&D) are still in its infancy, with most efforts concentrating on producing vaccines against bacterial infections, most notably streptococcosis, vibriosis, andmotile Aeromonas septicemia. Despite several attempts, no homegrown vaccine has been effectively introduced into the manufacturing pipeline to date. At the moment, only three imported aquatic vaccines have received full permission, a far cry from the 314 and 60 vaccines licensed in the poultry and porcine industries, respectively. This review will describe recent findings regarding the development of aquaculture vaccines for certain fish species and diseases in Malaysia. In our opinion, R&D on fish vaccines is critical to the aquaculture industry’s viability