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Characterization and absorbing properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch filled poly (Acrylic acid–co–acrylamide) superabsorbent polymer composites
No full textOil palm empty fruit bunch graft poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) superabsorbent composite (OPEFB-g-(PAA-co-PAM) SAPC) was synthesized by graft copolymerization of the acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AM) comonomer onto OPEFB fibre using ammonium persulfate (APS) and N,N-methylene bisacarylamide (MBA) as an initiator and crosslinker, respectively. The absorbency in various chloride salt solutions indicated that the absorbency decreased with increasing ionic strength of the salt solutions. Moreover, the absorbency under load (AUL) of SAPC was investigated at various applied loading and results show that, AUL decreased with increasing applied loading. Infrared Spectroscopy (IR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) were carried out to confirm the chemical structure and thermal properties of the synthesized superabsorbent, respectively
Effects of thermal stratification on the concentration of iron and manganese in a Tropical Water Supply Reservoir
No full textThermal stratification in lakes is an important natural process that can have a significant effect on the water resource quality. The potential changes in chemical contents in water resulting from stratification are the production of ammonia, sulphides and algal nutrients and the increasing concentrations of iron and manganese. One of the water supply reservoirs located in Johor, Malaysia facing with high iron and manganese concentrations associated with the period of stratifications. This study showed that the level of thermal stratification in the reservoir varied at different time of the year. During the strongest period of stratification, the dissolved oxygen content was found to diminish significantly with depth and iron and manganese were recorded at the highest concentrations. Although significant period of rainfalls contributed to the natural destratification of reservoir, lower concentrations of iron and manganese only remained for a shorter period before the concentrations continued to increase with the onset of the thermal stratification. A good understanding on the behaviour of the reservoir may help to identify several measures for the improvement of water qualit
Kesan penyahhutanan ke atas pola suhu dan kelembapan bandingan di Cameron Highlands, Malaysia: Satu analisis awal (Impact of deforestation on the patterns of temperature and relative humadity in Cameron Highlands, Pahang: a preliminary analysis)
No full textSumbangan perubahan guna tanah akibat penyahhutanan kepada peningkatan gas karbon dioksida atmosfera adalah salah satu ketidakpastian besar dalam kajian perubahan iklim dan merupakan punca gas karbon dioksida antropogenik kedua terbesar selepas pembakaran api fosil. Terdapat kekurangan kajian tentang penyahhutanan di kawasan hutan tropika rantau Asia Tenggara dan kesannya kepada perubahan iklim. Justeru, kajian ini cuba menganalisis kesan perubahan guna tanah akibat penyahhutanan di kawasan Cameron Highlands, Pahang ke atas sistem iklim tempatan. Data parameter cuaca untuk tempoh 36 tahun (1970-2006) diperolehi daripada Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia manakala data guna tanah dibekalkan oleh Jabatan Pertanian Cameron Highlands (1970-2006). Data diproses menggunakan Microsoft excel dan
dianalisis menggunakan kaedah statistik mudah seperti regresi linear, koefisien korelasi dan peratusan.
Umumnya, hasil kajian mendapati berlaku peningkatan suhu sekitar 0.9C di stesen MARDI manakala distesen Tanah Rata hanya sekitar 0.1C. Peningkatan suhu ini selari dengan perubahan pola guna tanah diCameron Highlands iaitu dari kawasan hutan menjadi kawasan bandar dan agrikultur. Kadar kelembapan bandingan juga menurun terutamanya di stesen MARDI di pekan Tanah Rata. Penyahhutanan yang berlaku
ini memberi kesan kepada fenomena perubahan iklim di Cameron Highlands dan seterusnya menjejaskan sedikit industri pelancongan kawasan tanah tinggi. Oleh itu, satu usaha melestarikan pembangunan diCameron Highlands amat diperlukan bagi menjamin industri pelancongan terus maju di kawasan peranginan tanah tinggi ini pada masa hadapan
Inhibitive behaviour of corrosion of aluminium alloy in NaCl by mangrove tannin
No full textAnticorrosion potential of mangrove tannins on aluminium alloys AA6061 in NaCl solution has been studied using potentiodynamic polarisation method and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study was carried out in different pH of corrosive medium in the absence and presence of various concentrations of tannin. The corrosion inhibition behaviour of the mangrove tannin on AA6061 aluminium alloy corrosion was found to be dependant on the pH of NaCl solution. Our results showed that the inhibition efficiency increased with increasing tannins concentration in chloride solution at pH 6. Treatment of aluminium alloy 6061 with all concentrations of mangrove tannins reduced the current density, thus decreased the corrosion rate. Tannins behaved as mixed inhibitors at pH 6 and reduction in current density predominantly affected in cathodic reaction. Meanwhile, at pH 12, addition of tannins shifted the corrosion potential to more cathodic potentials and a passivating effect was observed in anodic potentials. SEM studies have shown that the addition of tannins in chloride solution at pH 12 reduced the surface degradation and the formation of pits
Optimization of a functional cookie formulation by using response surface methodology
No full textA functional cookie formulation containing oligofructose, dietary fibre and lower calorie, fat and sugar contents than conventional cookies was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Instant N-Oil II was used as a fat replacer, while Raftilose ®P95 was used as a sugar substitute with the addition of fructose to enhance sweetness. Selection of the optimal formulation was based on caloric content. An optimized formulation, V1, was obtained from the model Y = 4927.70 – 152.34X1 – 155.42X3 + 104.20X32 + 151.71X33 – 95.08X34, where Instant N-Oil II replaced 30% of butter and 24.4%, w/w (30.5g) fructose replaced 40.0%, w/w (50.0g) sucrose. Two additional optimized formulations, S1 and S2, were proposed which contained the same ingredients as V1, but both contained 19.0%, w/w (23.8g) Raftilose ®P95. Also, S2 had a higher fat replacement level (42%). A reference cookie prepared from a conventional recipe received significantly higher scores (P < 0.05) than the functional cookies V1, S1 and S2 in the sensory evaluation. However, when health benefits of the functional cookies were explained to the panel after the sensory evaluation had concluded, majority of the panelists stated that they would prefer S1, had they known of its health benefits. S1 contained 19.04% fat, 8.62% fructose and 0.74% sucrose, namely, significantly lower fat and sucrose levels and higher fructose content than the conventional cookie
A study on the adherence to the national guideline antimicrobial use, in the empirical treatment of CAPD peritonitis and dialysis line related infections in female haemodialysis patients at Ripas Hospital
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Transisi penting sistem berkerajaan di Alam Melayu: kes Malaysia
No full textTerdapat tiga zaman penting atau garis waktu dalam perjalanan sejarah Alam Melayu, iaitu zaman prakolononial, kolonial dan pascakolonial. Ketiga-tiga zaman tersebut mempunyai pelbagai keistimewaan masing-masing yang telah mencorakkan kehidupan sosiopolitik Alam Melayu. Untuk memahami corak kehidupan sosio-politik pada setiap zaman tersebut suatu alat analisis yang bersifat konseptual diperlukan. Makalah ini menggunakan alat analisis konseptual yang dikenali sebagai knowledge baseline untuk memahami apakah asas terjadinya pembentukan corak kehidupan sosiopolitik yang berbeza untuk setiap zaman yang telah dilalui oleh Alam Melayu. Knowledge baseline bermaksud jenis-jenis ilmu yang utama yang melatarbelakangi kehidupan sosiopolitik masyarakat pada suatu zaman tertentu. Sebagai contoh, kehidupan sosiopolitik Alam Melayu prakolonial dicorak oleh ilmu agama sebagai ilmu utama. Sistem berkerajaan pada zaman itu merupakan sistem berkerajaan yang bersepadu antara agama dan negara. Manakala pada zaman
kolonial pula telah berlaku pemisahan antara agama dan negara. Pada waktu itu agama dipisahkan daripada negara yang sistem pentadbiran kerajaan dilaksanakan berdasarkan ilmu sains moden sekular. Latar belakang ilmu untuk pentadbiran kerajaan itu kemudiannya bertukar lagi pada zaman pascakolonial apabila bauran yang tidak sama rata berlaku antara sains moden sekular dan agama. Makalah ini menghuraikan perbezaan latar belakang ilmu-ilmu yang terdapat dalam garis waktu Alam Melayu pada zaman prakolonial, kolonial dan pascakolonial yang telah mewujudkan corak yang berbeza-beza dalam sistem berkerajaan tersebut dan yang memperlihatkan berlakunya transisi sistem yang penting dalam sistem berkerajaan di rantau Alam Melayu. Makalah ini memberikan tumpuan khusus kepada perjalanan sejarah sosiopolitik negara bangsa Malaysia sebagai kes perbincangan
Effects of aqueous extract of prismatomeris glabra root on non-spatial memory in rats using object discrimination test
No full textThe aqueous extract of Prismatomeris glabra root has been used traditionally in Malaysia by the aborigines and certain rural Malays for its ergogenic effects, to maintain wellness and to enhance physical stamina. It has also been used as an aphrodisiac for generations in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Previous studies have shown that plants with ergogenic effects may also act as a stimulant and impair cognitive function. Therefore, we seek to investigate the effects of P. glabra on non-spatial memory in male Sprague Dawley rats using object recognition test. Trial rats were injected intraperitoneally with an aqueous extract of P. glabra roots at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for the acute (30 min) and subacute (7 days) studies. Scopolamine (0.3 mg/kg) was used as a positive control only in the acute study meanwhile control rats were injected with saline. The locomotor activity of rats was also determined in the same test. We demonstrated that groups treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg of the extract lost their ability to discriminate the novel from familiar object in choice phase and did not alter the locomotor activity in both studies. Our results also indicated that the deficits in non-spatial working memory occured at these doses were not due to impaired locomotor activity
