Carotenoid and Chlorophyll Profiles in Five Species of Malaysian Seaweed as Potential Halal Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)

Seaweed, also known as macroalgae, consist of various species that have been gaining the interest of researchers due to the presence of functional bioactive compounds that can be extracted from their biomass. This research aimed to study the chlorophyll and carotenoid content from five species of Malaysian seaweed as potential Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API). Three species of red macroalgae, (Eucheuma denticulatum, Gracilaria tikvahiae, and Kappaphycus striatum), green macroalgae (Caulerpa lentillifera ) and one brown macroalga (Padina pavonica) were selected and their chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were determined by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer and HPLC. Their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were investigated using DPPH Radical Scavenging activity and Disc Diffusion methods, respectively.  In terms of carotenoid content, P. pavonica contained the highest amount of carotenoid (100.9 ± 14.7 ug/g DW) and chlorophyll content (7.5 ±1.5 ug/g DW). Meanwhile, based on individual carotenoid content, K. striatum had the highest lutein content (38.6 ug/g DW). Zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, and violaxanthin were significantly higher in C. lentillifera at 21.3 ug/g DW, 10.7 ug/g DW, and 8.9 ug/g DW respectively. Besides that, the antioxidant test showed that P. pavonica presented the strongest DPPH activity with the percentage of inhibition (I %) of (61.0 % ± 0.9). Finally, for the antimicrobial test, strong antimicrobial activities were shown by all the seaweed samples toward E. coli and P. aerugenosa. Overall results of the antifungal test demonstrated moderate antifungal action by all seaweed samples towards M. gypseum and Fusarium sp

A Prospective Study on Building Quality: Relationship between Workmanship Quality and Common Building Defects of Low-cost Construction Projects

This study focuses on the quality of workmanship in the construction of lowcost housing in Kedah and Penang State, Malaysia and its relation to defects occurring in the building. The objectives of this study are to investigate common building defects that mostly occur at low-cost housing due to poor workmanship, the factors that contribute to poor workmanship and to established possible measures to minimize these problems. From the combination of literary reviews and questionnaire surveys, this research explores all the stated objectives. For this particular study, quantitative research was conducted through questionnaire surveys involving respondents who are involved in and are experienced in working on construction projects. After analysing the data, this study found that most common defects occurring on low-cost housing are cracks on walls, settlement and peeling paint. Additionally, construction of low-cost housing commonly suffers from low quality workmanship due to poor project management and a lack of experience and competency among labourers. These significant impediments can be remedied by providing training and education to the labourers as well as implementing strict supervision during construction work

Comparative Studies of Burning Rates and Water Boiling Time of Wood Charcoal and Briquettes Produced from Carbonized Martynia annua woody Shells

This study was conducted to compare the combustion properties of briquettes produced from carbonized Martynia annua woody shells and wood charcoal. Two different briquette samples were produced: Sample (A), is made up of carbonized shells powder plus starch as binding agent while Sample (B), consists of carbonized shells plus waste paper as binding agent. The parameters investigated include calorific value, ignition time, burning rate, and specific fuel consumption. Water boiling time and time taking by the Samples to burn to ashes were also determined. Water boiling time of the briquettes Sample A competed favorably with wood charcoal. Sample B has the lowest calorific value (5479.31 ± 4.14cal/g), wood charcoal (6815.12±0.53cal/g) was the highest, followed closely by fuel briquettes Sample A (6811.18 ± 4.33cal/g). The calorific values of Sample A and wood charcoal were not significantly different (P>0.05). The burning rate of the fuel briquettes and wood charcoal ranged from 3.16 ± 0.06 g/min in Sample A to 3.03 ± 0.05 g/min. The time taken by Sample A and wood charcoal to burn to ashes were 95.0 ± 2.5 min. and 99.2 ± 4.2 minutes respectively. Briquettes sample B took 73.5 ± 3.2 min to completely burn to ashes. The values for the water boiling time and specific fuel consumption for Sample A and wood charcoal were also not significantly different (P>0.05). Sample B has the shortest ignition time and highest burning rate compare to Sample A and wood charcoal. The results confirmed that, the fuel briquettes from carbonized Martynia annua woody shells can serve as supplement or alternative energy sources to wood charcoal for domestic cooking and heating.Key words: Biomass, Martynia annua, Woody shells, Carbonization, Briquette

African grapes (Lannea microcarpa) fruits: the nutritional compositions

Studies on nutritional composition of African grapes (Lannea microcarpa) fruits pulp was carried out using standard analytical methods. The result of proximate composition in mg/100g revealed the following: moisture (70.55 ± 2.56), ash (3.48 ± 0.81mg), crude fiber (5.21 ± 1.67), crude protein (8.71 ± 1.98), crude lipid (1.87 ± 0.34) and carbohydrate (80.73 ± 6.81) as well as calorific value (374.59 ± 4.32KJ/100g). The fruits pulp also contain reasonable amount of both macro and micro minerals element needed in diet with potassium concentration of (450 ± 3.87mg/100g), phosphorus (6.14 ± 0.89mg/100g), sodium (15.10 ± 1.70mg/100g), calcium (35.00 ± 1.90mg/100g), magnesium (58.00 ± 3.23mg/100g), iron (38.21 ± 2.67 mg/100g),manganese (3.10 ± 0.45mg/100g) as well as zinc (14.14 ± 2.98mg/100g). The anti-nutrients factors (in mg/100g) indicate the presence of tannins (4.17 ± 0.61), oxalates (12.14 ± 2.32), phytates (40.50 ± 1.54), and saponins (2.16 ± 0.87). However, the calculated anti-nutrients to nutrients molar ratios are generally below the critical level known to inhibit the availability of some important minerals elements which suggest the potential safety of using the fruits pulp as nutrients supplement.Keywords: Lannea microcarpa, fruits, pulp, proximate, minerals, anti-nutrient

Analysis of Micro-Morphology, Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity and Specific Heat Capacity of Coconut Fibre Reinforced Foamed Concrete

With the quest for green construction and affordable housing systems for both rural and urban populations in Malaysia, various proposals focusing on cutting down on conventional building material costs have been put forward. One vanguard suggestion has been the sourcing, development and use of alternative, non-conventional local construction materials including the prospect of using some agricultural wastes as construction materials. This research describes experimental studies on the use of coconut coir fibre as an enhancer of foamed concrete with a focus on 2 parameters which are morphology properties and thermal properties of different percentages of coconut fibre (0%, 0.2% and 0.4%). In this study the addition of coconut fibre significantly improved all the properties investigated. The results of the tests showed that the thermal properties of foamed concrete improved with an increase in the proportion of coconut fibre. Findings from this research will also be used to address the knowledge gap on the subject of foamed concrete and will provide an improved understanding and raised awareness of the potential for using waste materials for domestic construction

Assessment of Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Shop Houses for Sleep Lodging in Malaysia: Fulfilment of Conservation Guidelines

This study focuses on the compliance of adaptive reuse of historic shop houses for sleep lodging with reference to the Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings by Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP). Through this research, awareness towards the compliance of building conservation guidelines for heritage shop houses will be clarified accordingly. The goal of this study is to determine and extract vital clauses and components of Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings (GCAHB) towards adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses so that revitalization of these buildings can be ensured when changing the original function of the property. The aim is also to evaluate the compliance of the adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses with the GCAHB, and, lastly, to provide recommendations for adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses, also in compliance with the GCAHB. Additionally, heritage building owners can use this dissertation as a reference whenever they intend to adaptively reuse their buildings. Furthermore, recommendations in this research could be used for future reference

Evaluation of Imminent Fire Hazards of Inheritance Ancestral Temple and Mansion in Georgetown, Penang

Fire hazards of the inheritance buildings are often been neglected, causing fire to take place. Most of the heritage buildings are of large scale, flammable priceless contents and large numbers of visitors, however, the existing structures are weak in fire resistance. There are a few factors that contribute to the fire in these unique yet vulnerable structures Therefore, fire risk assessment plays an important role as many historic buildings in Penang are significant in their architectural value and historically importantt and their destructions by fire are great irreplaceable losses. Thus, this study is intended to identify the current fire emergency plan of heritage temples and mansions in Penang which includes 4 buildings such as Khoo Kongsi, Cheah Kongsi, Hock Teik Chen Shin Temple and Teochew Temple. The possible fire risks of these heritage buildings will be identified and evaluated comprehensively. The previous fire cases will be considered as well in order to discover the common factors contributing to the fire cases at heritage buildings. Time and again, people do not record their findings upon completing the fire risk assessment. Hence this particular research will prepare a complete record of the fire risk assessment. Having a fire risk assessment in the heritage building in Penang can be an interesting study to find out the current situation of heritage building fire protection awareness

Assessment of Influential Causes of Construction Project Delay in Malaysian Private Housing from Developer’s Viewpoint

Project delay in the construction industry is a universal or large-scale observable fact affecting not only the construction industry but the overall economy of countries too. The objective of this study is to evaluate and identify the causes and consequences of project delays in the private housing development projects in Malaysia and the remedies that can minimize these delays. An online questionnaire survey has been carried out to collect the data and this included 76 respondents from multiple developers’ companies around Malaysia. From the survey, a total of 28 causes and 6 consequences of project delays had been identified from four different factors of delays; such as client factors, consultant factors, contractor factors and external factors, by which the contractor factor being the major contributor to this problem.The top ten causes of the delays are due to weather conditions, poor site conditions, poor site management, incomplete documents, lack of experience, financial problems, contract modifications, delay in approving of major variations, contractor coordination problem with other parties and construction mistakes and defective works. The consequences of the delays would contribute to time overrun, cost overrun, different in opinions, negotiations, legal actions and total abandonment

Knowledge, attitude and practice of blood donation among undergraduate students in a public university, Malaysia

Blood donation save millions of lives. An increasing demand for blood in almost all medical centers throughout Malaysia indicated the requirement for more blood donors. The current strategy of blood donor programs in all blood centers in order to overcome the shortage of donations of safe blood in Malaysia is to make a maximum effort to recruit safe blood donors from special, low-risk groups, such as university students. The study was to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices among undergraduate health sciences students regarding blood donations in a public university. A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate health sciences students. The data were collected from February until April 2016 and SPSS, version 20.0 was used to analyze the data. The result revealed, a total of 210 undergraduate health sciences student participated in this study. Approximately, 46.2% had adequate knowledge, 57.1% had a positive attitude towards blood donation and less than 50% of the respondents had ever donated blood. Although there is positive attitude of blood donation among student but there is low level of knowledge of blood donation. Therefore, there is need to intensify public awareness and knowledge on blood donation. The campaign on blood donation should be continued with various methods to create more opportunities for the students, which can greatly enhance their knowledge, promote positive attitude and good blood donation practice

Clinicopathological Effects of Oral Administration of Ethanol Leaf Extract of Charcoal–Tree (Trema Orientalis Linn Blume) in Jamnapari Crossbred Goats

The present study was aimed at evaluating the clinicopathological changes due to oral administration of ethanol leaf extract of Trema orientalis (ELETO) in Jamnapari crossbred goats. The clinical manifestations, gross and histopathological changes in the major vital organs were used as indices of the toxicity. The severity of gross and microscopic changes were evaluated by scoring technique. Twenty goats weighing between 15-20kg were divided into four groups with five goats in each group in a completely randomized design. The test groups I, II, III were administered ELETO at the dosages of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0g/kg b.wt per os/day respectively, for 14 days while, group IV served as a control. Groups II and III showed decreased appetite whereas, group III showed bilateral congestion of ocular mucous membrane, lacrimation, rectal tenesmus and a significant decrease in body weight compared to control. The main gross and microscopic changes were mild to moderate and included; engorgement of the gall bladder, congestion and icteric liver, hepatocellular degeneration, vacuolation, necrosis and renal congestion observed mainly in group III goats. The results indicate that the ELETO was hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic at continued oral doses equal to or more than 2.0g/kg b.wt in goats but no significant toxicity when used at lowers doses. Therefore, special caution should be taken when keeping goats in areas with T. orientalis. Keywords: Ethanol extract, Trema orientalis, Clinicopathological changes, Goats