Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of Artocarpus altilis on pathogenic microorganisms

The study was aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial, MIC and MBC/MFC activities of Artocarpus altilis (twigs). In vitro antimicrobial activity was evaluated against six pathogenic microorganisms (two gram positive strains: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC-25923) and Bacillus cereus (ATCC-11778), the Gram negative strains Escherichia coli (ATCC- 35218) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC -27853), and two fungal strains: Candida albicans (ATCC -10231) and Cryptococcus neoformans (ATCC- 90112)) using the disc diffusion method at 2mg/disc by indicating the presence of the clear inhibition zones around each disc compared with the positive control (Streptomycin and Nystatin), while the MIC and MBC/MFC were ranged from (250-1000μg/ml) assayed by using the 96 well plates. The dried twigs of A. altilis were extracted by using the Soxhlet apparatus. The extracts of hexane and DCM were observed a moderate antimicrobial activity at (14.6±0.2mm) against Bacillus cereus, whereas 11.8±0.3mm and 11.5±0.2mm values for C. albicans respectively. The least MIC of 250μg/ml was obtained by DCM extract against S. aureus for bacteria and C. albicans and C. neoformans for fungus respectively. The results suggested that Artocarpus altilis extracts have promising therapeutic potential against bacteria and fungi

Fatty acid evaluation and antimicrobial activity of virgin coconut oil and activated virgin coconut oil on streptococcus mutans

For decades, coconut oil was reported to possess a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity due to its abundant fatty acid’s contents. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) has been strongly implicated as the main etiological factor in dental caries. Regardless of the ongoing medical advances, the therapeutic resources for dental caries remain ineffectual, and this has led to renewed interest in using virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a possible choice for dental caries control. In this study, the ability of VCO and activated virgin coconut oil (AVCO) combatting cariogenic S. mutans ATCC 25175 has been evaluated. Fatty acids contents were compared through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrum (GC-MS) analysis, and their antimicrobial activity was determined using disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test. From the GC-MS analysis, AVCO (59%) was found to have a slightly higher medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) as compared to VCO (54.1%), and the long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) contents in VCO (45.9%) was found to be higher than AVCO (41%). Interestingly, S. mutans ATCC 25175 was found to be susceptible towards AVCO (MIC: 6.24 mg/ml) and resistance towards VCO in vitro. The excellent antimicrobial activity of AVCO as a result from (i) the release of individuals fatty acids after activation of virgin coconut oil by lipase digestion and (ii) the present of MCFA and LCFA that are significant in antimicrobial activity. Further study can be designed to specifically examine the activity of individuals fatty acids present in oils against S.mutans virulence genes/protein using molecular dynamic assessment

Examination of Factors Affecting Youths’ Entrepreneurial Intention: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract: This study aims to examine the predictive effect of enterprise education, perceived social norms, entrepreneurial motivations, perceived structural support and innovativeness on entrepreneurial intention. A total of 150 useable responses were collected among young people living in the capital of Maldives, Male’. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was carried out by using a structured questionnaire. A relevant statistical analytical such as regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses set forth in this study. The descriptive results showed that male respondent is slightly more than female respondent which is consistent with the 2014 census of Maldives showing male population in the country is slightly higher than female. The majority of the respondents participated in this survey are from the age group of 18-22 years old. The main finding of the study showed enterprise education, perceived social norms, entrepreneurial motivations and innovativeness have a positive and significant relationship towards entrepreneurial intention. However, perceived structural support has no significant relationship towards entrepreneurial intention. In this study it was also found that enterprise education was the most significant predictor of entrepreneurial intention followed by entrepreneurial motivation, innovativeness and perceived social norms. This finding makes a considerable contribution to the existing literature on factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions among youth in Maldives. The implication and limitations of the study are also discussed

From “protection” and “preservation” to “development” and “right”: A new approach of objective of shariah via waqf muaqqat

This paper analyses the main objectives of Shariah and its application in waqf. Having acknowledged the priority of the objectives, this paper seeks to expand the scope of the objective with justification to facilitate the ijtihadi basis in ensuring sustainability of waqf. It is argued that a new dimension of protection and preservation of mal as the objective of Shariah is necessary in relevantisation of waqf locally and globally. This paper adopts a doctrinal analysis based the primary and secondary sources of Shariah and the Malaysian laws. It studies the new dimension of protection and preservation in the perspective of the importance of human development and property rights of waqf practices in Malaysia with special reference to Waqf Muaqqat. The findings show that the employment of ijtihad and fatwa would serve to make waqf stable, flexible and sustainable in developing the legal framework for Waqf Muaqqat in Malaysi

Production of instant ‘nasi lemak’ flavour ingredient from palm olein

Instant ‘nasi lemak’ flavour ingredient was prepared by microencapsulation of palm olein and pandan leaf flavour. The pandan-flavoured encapsulated powder was obtained after spray drying using maltodextrin (DE15) and sodium caseinate as wall materials. Analysis of the encapsulated powder indicated that the moisture, oil and surface oil content were 2.17%, 68.1% and 20.5% respectively. Gas chromatographic analysis revealed that 78.57% pandan flavour was encapsulated in the powder

Azo dyes decolourisation by ABTS-oxidases (Laccases) from a fungus from tropical tree

Lignin is an important constitute of the wood and thus the organism like fungi and insects growing on wood produce some extracellular lignolytic enzymes. In fungi these enzymes include different oxidases and peroxidases. Lignin peroxidases, manganese peroxidases, versatile peroxidases and laccases have been characterised from fungi and their roles in wood decay has been established. Here we report ABTS-oxidases from an unidentified fungus isolated from tree bark sample from Kuantan, Malaysia. After the liquid media cultivation, the crude extracellular protein content was extracted and analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. SDS-PAGE, native PAGE and zymography were carried out. Azo dyes, brilliant green, trypan blue, direct red 80 and eriochrome black T were used for decolourisation activity of the isolated fungus on solid medium. The results suggest that the extracellular proteins contain laccase enzyme activity. Out of the four azo dyes that were used for dye decolourisation assay, at least three were decolourised to different extents by the fungus

Students' perception towards the newly implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Malaysia

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the students’ perception towards the newly implemented Goods and Service Tax (GST) that has been implemented in Malaysia starting from April 1, 2015. The students’ perception is measured through satisfaction analysis. Sets of questionnaire has been designed and distributed to 242 students at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and later analyzed using SPSS. The result shows that majority of the students disagree with the methods taken to implement the GST

Kinetic study of phytochemical extraction and antioxidant potential of hibiscus cannabinus L.

Kenaf Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a valuable plant originating from Africa. It has multifunction among the old folk community and recently, it is employed in biochemical for functional food and structural engineering application in biocomposite materials. In Malaysia, kenaf plant is used as a material to the process of obtaining fiber for structural application. It also has excellent medicinal value for treating diseases through biochemical processing, but its profiling is still limited in the literature. This study aimed to (i) screen the secondary metabolite compound, and (ii) investigate the potential of kenaf leaf as a new functional food. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screenings of leaf extracts, as per the standard protocols were performed to identify the feasibility of kenaf leaf for use as a functional food. Bioactive compounds were found in both young and old kenaf leaves. In quantitative results, TPC, flavonoid and tannin, estimation of vitamin C, and DPPH test were carried out. This kinetic study showed that old leaf contained higher bioactive compounds than the young one. Kenaf leaf has the potential to be used as promising prototypes sources of functional food, and it is rich in antioxidants and bioactive compounds which are beneficial to human health

Understanding Innovative Work Behaviour: A Proposed Framework For University Lecturers in Malaysia

This paper aims to explore the relationship between knowledge sharing, rewards, and charismatic leadership with innovative work behavior among university lecturers in Malaysia. This paper discusses the importance of innovation and innovative work behavior in organizations, particularly in the context of higher education institutions. It highlights the role of academics in generating new knowledge and the need to examine the impact of innovative work behavior on academics. This study proposed quantitative research that involves public university lecturers as respondents and implementing purposive sampling. Later, this study also proposes to analyze the data using Smart Partial Least Squares (SmartPLS) to test the hypothesis development. According to the discussions, universities play an important role in encouraging innovative performance, and knowledge sharing among academicians promotes collective learning and stimulates innovation. Overall, the discussion emphasizes the urgency of conducting a study on the influence of innovative work behavior on academics and the importance of developing a structured framework to enhance innovative work behavior among university lecturers