Tahap kesedaran teknologi hijau dalam kalangan guru-guru Teknologi Kejuruteraan Zon Utara

Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan hijau guru-guru Teknologi Kejuruteraan Zon Utara dengan menggunakan Teori KAP. Kajian ini juga bertujuan mengenalpasti adakah terdapat perbezaan tahap pengetahuan Teknologi Hijau berdasarkan kepada bidang pengkhususan guru-guru Teknologi Kejuruteraan Zon Utara yang berbeza. Kajian ini dijalankan ke atas 43 orang guru Teknologi Kejuruteraan Zon Utara melibatkan negeri Perak, negeri Kedah dan negeri Perlis. Satu set soal selidik digunakan sebagai instrumen kajian. Statistik deskriptif seperti kekerapan, peratusan dan min telah digunakan untuk menerangkan profil responden, tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan hijau guru-guru Teknologi Kejuruteraan Zon Utara. Statistik inferensi yang digunakan ialah ANOVA sehala untuk mengetahui perbezaan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan tahap pengetahuan guru-guru Teknologi Kejuruteraan Zon Utara adalah sederhana. Sikap guru-guru pula berada pada tahap yang positif manakala amalan hijau guru-guru berada pada tahap sederhana. Hasil kajian juga mendapati tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan dari segi tahap pengetahuan Teknologi Hijau berdasarkan kepada bidang pengkhususan guru yang berbeza.Seterusnya cadangan-cadangan kajian lanjutan melibatkan aspek infrastruktur, peralatan, dan pelajar berkaitan keperluan penerapan Teknologi Hijau ke dalam kurikulum sekolah

Increasing resistant starch content in fish crackers through various cooking-chilling conditions

Fish cracker is one of the favourite snacks in Malaysia. However, studies on resistant starch (RS) in it have been paid little attention. Resistant starch is a starch that goes through the small intestine without being digested, providing a similar effect as dietary fibre. This RS can potentially be formed during the cooking and chilling processes in the production of the fish cracker. Both processes involve starch gelatinization and retrogradation that can lead to the formation of RS, creating a healthy and valuable product. Thus, this work investigates the effect of varying cooking-chilling conditions on resistant starch (RS) content and other important quality characteristics in fish cracker products. Process conditions such as the number of repetitive cooking-chilling (RCC) cycles (1 to 4 cycles), cooking temperature (100 °C, 115 °C and 121 °C) and chilling duration (1 to 4 days) as well as the type of starch used in the formulation (tapioca, wheat and sago) were studied with the aim to enhance the fish crackers with an appreciable amount of resistant starch without compromising the quality characteristics. The quality characteristics of fish crackers in terms of hardness and moisture content of the chilled fish cracker gels, the RS of the dried fish crackers as well as the linear expansion (LE), hardness and colour of the fried fish crackers were evaluated. The results showed that up to four cycles of RCC increased the RS content in all products. Sago starch fish crackers cooked at 121 °C had the highest RS content in the dried samples. The repeated cooking-chilling cycles increased the extent of starch gelatinization with each successive cooking cycle and promoted retrogradation upon cooling, thus, promoting the formation of RS. However, initially cooking the fish crackers at 100 °C and exposing to a longer chilling duration of up to four days did not demonstrate any changes in the RS. Different combinations of cooking-chilling repetition, cooking temperatures and chilling durations produced varying RS content in the fish crackers. As for other quality characteristics, increasing the RCC cycles produced chilled fish cracker gels that were less hard and had higher moisture content. Longer chilling durations gave the opposite results. The quality characteristics of the fried fish crackers, namely hardness and colour, were mostly dependent on their expansion ability during frying. Fish crackers containing a higher RS have a lower LE with a negative correlation of R2 = -0.777, thus, fried products with a lower LE were higher in hardness values and darker in colour The findings of the present study demonstrated that the variations of cooking-chilling conditions were able to increase the RS content in fish crackers. The lab-produced fish crackers in this study were superior in RS content with an acceptable range of LE and hardness values compared to the commercial non-fried and instant fish crackers. Thus,the lab-produced fish crackers in this study offer better health benefits in term of RS with comparable LE and hardness values for the consumer

Physical and Chemical Characterization of Manalagi Apple (Malus sylvestris Mill) Leather Enriched with Either Mango, Pineapple or Dragon Fruit

Manalagi apple leather can be an innovation for new processed products made from fruit pulp and undergo a drying process. The main problem is that apple leather has a less plastic texture, non-variative color and taste, and stickiness. For this reason, in this study other fruits were added in certain proportions and food additives such as arabic gum and maltodextrin to improve the physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of manalagi apple leathers. This study used the Split-split Plot Design method with three factors. Factor I is a type of fruit (red dragon fruit, pineapple, mango), factor II is the variation in proportion ((25:75)%, (50:50)%, (75:25)%), factor III is maltodextrin concentration (5%, 10%, 15%). The best treatment was taken from each type of fruit substitution, so there were 3 the best treatment: apple leather 1) enriched with 50% dragon fruit and 10% maltodextrin; 2) enriched with 75% pineapple and 10% maltodextrin, and 3) enriched with 75% mango and 10% maltodextrin.DOI: 10.17977/um024v7i22022p11

Intention to adopt Islamic banking products and services among young adults in Selangor

Islamic banking is an abstract concept until the first half of the twentieth century. In Malaysia, it has been almost three decades when the first Islamic bank makes its debut. Islamic banks have to compete with its rival, conventional banks which have longer history than Islamic banks. For this competition, Islamic banks have to know the awareness, understanding and perceptions of Malaysians towards it. Islamic banks not only available for Muslims, but it also available for non-Muslims as well. In Malaysia, 40% of the population is non-Muslims and hence non-Muslims market is equally important to Islamic banks. The purpose of this study is to examine the level of awareness, understanding, perceptions and quality of Islamic banking products and services among young adults in Selangor and their intention to adopt the Islamic banking products and services. A total of 384 respondents from different areas in Selangor responded to the questionnaire in this study. In general, The results show that more most of the respondents are aware of the Islamic banking in Malaysia with an average level of understanding of the Islamic bank concepts. However they do not understand most of the Arabic terms. Both the descriptive and inferential analysis was carried out on the data collected. The correlation analysis showed that: (i) awareness is positively and significantly related to the intention with a weak realtionship (r = .114, p = < 0.025); (ii) perception is positively and significantly related to intention with weak relationship ( r = .206, p = < 0.01); (iii) understanding is positively and significantly related to 1). Through the multiple regression analysis, the intention factors has an effect of 22% (R2 = 0.22) on the intention to adopt the Islamic banking products and services with quality has the highest influence (β = 0.321, p = < 0.000) followed by perception (β = 0.200, p = < 0.000) on the intention to purchase the Islamic banking products and services among young adults in this study. The perceptions of young adult towards Islamic banks varied among themselves. This study also provides theoretical and managerial implications for the Islamic bankers on recommendations to attract young adult towards Islamic Banking products and services in the future

Drying, colour and sensory characteristics of ‘Berangan’ banana (Musa accuminata) flesh dried using a microwave oven

The drying characteristics of ‘Berangan’ banana flesh dried under microwave heating were studied in this work. The produced microwave banana chip was then compared with the conventional deep oil fried banana chip in terms of colour and sensory characteristics.‘Berangan’ banana slices with 3 mm thickness were dried using microwave at three power levels of 100, 440 and 1000 W. Shorter drying times were obtained when higher microwave power was applied during drying, where the drying times were found to be 30, 7, 4 min at 100, 440 and 100W. Three different drying models were used to describe the resulting drying curves. The drying rate constant increased from 0.298, 0.4211 and 0.2977 min-1 to 1.8717, 1.9956 and 1.8936 min-1 for the Newton, Page and Henderson and Pabis models when the microwave power used was increased from 100W to 1000W. The best model to represent the drying data obtained in this work was found to be the Page model. In terms of colour, fried banana had a browner, duller colour than microwave dried banana. For sensory evaluation, dried banana chips using microwave at a power level of 440W was the most preferable. It can be concluded microwave dried banana chips showed better results than fried banana chips in terms of colour and sensory characteristics in the range tested in this study

Chemical Coagulation Of Setileable Solid-Free Palm Oil Mill Effluent (Pome) For Organic Load Reduction.

Kesesuaian proses pra-rawatan melalui pengenapan dan penggumpalan kimia telah dikaji atas 2 tujuan iaitu; pengembalian pepejal POME dan penurunan bebanan organik ke atas proses-proses rawatan berikutnya. Proses pengenapan graviti dan seterusnya pengoptimuman, penggumpalan dan pengelompokan kimia telah dikaji dengan menyeluruh. The viability of pre-treatment process through sedimentation and coagulation was studied for two purposes i.e. valuable POME solids recovery and reduction of organic loading on the down stream treatment processes. The idea of gravity sedimentation was utilized to separate settleable solids from POME and subsequently, optimization of the combined coagulation and flocculation was closely studied

Application of membrane-based technology for purification of bromelain

About 60% of world’s commercial enzyme products are proteases, giving promising opportunity to derive such enzymes sustainably from waste sources. Bromelain is a crude protease occurring naturally in pineapple, and it possesses properties of benefit for pharmaceutical, medical and food products. The production of bromelain involves a purification stage, normally performed by small-scale conventional operations which lead to high operating cost and low product recovery, while being difficult to scale up and produce polluting by-products. Membrane-based technology offers an alternative to produce high quality purified bromelain in a more efficient and sustainable process. This review identified the current state and future needs for utilising membrane processes for sustainable bromelain production at larger scales. It was found that declining membrane flux due to fouling have been reported, but may be effectively overcome with more appropriate (and advanced) membrane types and/or processing conditions. For example, interactions between macromolecules present in the pineapple derived bromelain mixture (particularly polysaccharides) and the membrane may cause performance limiting fouling, but can be overcome by enzymatic pre-treatment. Membrane fouling can be further reduced by the employment of ceramic membrane filters operating at optimised trans-membrane pressure, cross-flow velocity, feed pH and temperature. Two-stage ultrafiltration together with diafiltration or gas sparging was suggested as a means to reduce fouling and improve enzyme purity. Despite these promising technical findings, the review identified the need for a valid economic assessment to properly guide further work towards purifying bromelain from pineapple waste for sustainable production of commercial proteases

Analysis Of Martensitic Transformation And Bending Deformation Of NiTi Arch Wire Against Different Deflection And Temperature Range

Nitinol (NiTi) arch wires are widely used in orthodontic treatment around the world due to their extreme flexibility and biocompatibility with human body. The arch wire strength of the 4-wing tie bracket assembly is affected by the slip resistance of the patient's teeth when the arch wire and bracket come into contact. In this study, the force applied by the rectangular NiTi arch wire was analyzed as changes in temperature and deflection in the oral cavity. Force-displacement behavior of super elastic arches was investigated using a 3D finite element model. Arch wire microstructure martensite content and phase state were calculated using finite element modelling, dependent on wire deflection range and temperature factors. The numerical model predicted 3-Point bending findings that were in excellent accord with theoretical predictions. The findings may also be compared to other recent studies that have shown a connection to these ones. Force deflection curves were modified by the bond, which changed the martensitic transformation plateau into an inclination as the contact established between the bracket and the wire. Flexing the NiTi arch wire at higher temperatures and deflection released additional loading and unloading forces. At higher temperatures and bigger deflections, an arch wire exposed to greater strain and temperature released more maximum strain during loading than a NiTi arch wire deflected to a lesser degree. As the deflection increases, the martensitic transition of super elastic NiTi arch wires develops. Finally, the martensitic transformation of NiTi sheets was unaffected by temperature fluctuations, according to finite element analysis

Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Kenaf - Pineapple Leaf Fibre (PALF) Epoxy Composite For Engineering Application

Natural fibres nowadays been famously investigated as alternative fibres due to the source depletion of petroleum. There are several natural fibres such as jute, hemp, sisal, kenaf and pineapple leaf that been actively researched in terms of their mechanical properties. This research was focusing on two of the natural fibres which are the kenaf and pineapple leaf. The kenaf and pineapple leaf fibres were proved by previous researchers to have good mechanical properties. This study aims to test the hybrid of Hybrid Kenaf and Pineapple leaf Fibre (PALF) epoxy composite for engineering application. The mechanical properties of hybrid pineapple leaves and kenaf fibre composite will be investigated. The tensile test will be performed in mechanical properties analysis. This research conducted to ensure that the fibre is being utilized rather than being left out as waste, especially by the agriculture industries and the data of the mechanical properties of pineapple leaves and kenaf fibre composite can be obtained through tests conducted. The test result found that this hybrid can perform better than the existing natural fibre hybrid. Hybridization of pineapple leaf fibre and kenaf fibre has higher maximum stress using composition of 75 pineapple leaf fibre to 25 kenaf fibre percentage which is 87.06 MPa

Gelam Honey Inhibits the Production of Proinflammatory, Mediators NO, PGE

Natural honey is well known for its therapeutic value and has been used in traditional medicine of different cultures throughout the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Malaysian Gelam honey in inflammation-induced rats. Paw edema was induced by a subplantar injection of 1% carrageenan into the rat right hind paw. Rats were treated with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Indomethacin (10 mg/kg, p.o.) or Gelam honey at different doses (1 or 2 g/kg, p.o.). The increase in footpad thickness was considered to be edema, which was measured using a dial caliper. Plasma and paw tissue were collected to analyze the production of inflammatory mediators, such as NO, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-6, as well as iNOS and COX-2. The results showed that Gelam honey could reduce edema in a dose-dependent fashion in inflamed rat paws, decrease the production of NO, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-6 in plasma, and suppress the expression of iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-6 in paw tissue. Oral pretreatment of Gelam honey at 2 g/kg of body weight at two time points (1 and 7 days) showed a significantly decreased production of proinflammatory cytokines, which was similar to the effect of the anti-inflammatory drug Indomethacin (NSAID), both in plasma and tissue. Thus, our results suggest that Gelam honey has anti-inflammatory effects by reducing the rat paw edema size and inhibiting the production of proinflammatory mediators. Gelam honey is potentially useful for treating inflammatory conditions