Parametric and phenomenological studies about ultrasound-enhanced biosorption of phenolics from fruit pomace extract by waste yeast.

In this work, sonication (20-kHz) was conducted to assist the biosorption of phenolics from blueberry pomace extracts by brewery waste yeast biomass. The adsorption capacity of yeast increased markedly under ultrasonic fields. After sonication at 394.

Ice-templated graphene oxide/chitosan aerogel as an effective adsorbent for sequestration of metanil yellow dye.

Graphene oxide/chitosan aerogel (GOCA) was prepared by a facile ice-templating technique without using any cross-linking reagent for metanil yellow dye sequestration. The adsorption performance of GOCA was investigated by varying the adsorbent mass, shaking speed, initial pH, contact time, concentration and temperature. The combined effects of adsorption parameters and the optimum conditions for dye removal were determined by response surface methodology.

Parametric optimization of polycaprolactone synthesis catalysed by Candida antarctica lipase B using response surface methodology.

A statistical approach with D-optimal design was used to optimize the process parameters for polycaprolactone (PCL) synthesis. The variables selected were temperature (50°C-110°C), time (1-7 h), mixing speed (50-500 rpm) and monomer/solvent ratio (1:1-1:6). Molecular weight was chosen as response and was determined using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI TOF).

Are secondary forests second-rate? Comparing peatland greenhouse gas emissions, chemical and microbial community properties between primary and secondary forests in Peninsular Malaysia.

Tropical peatlands are globally important ecosystems with high C storage and are endangered by anthropogenic disturbances. Microbes in peatlands play an important role in sustaining the functions of peatlands as a C sink, yet their characteristics in these habitats are poorly understood. This research aimed to elucidate the responses of these complex ecosystems to disturbance by exploring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, nutrient contents, soil microbial communities and the functional interactions between these components in a primary and secondary peat swamp forest in Peninsular Malaysia.

Auto-flocculation through cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris in seafood wastewater discharge: Influence of culture conditions on microalgae growth and nutrient removal.

Nowadays, the pretreatment of wastewater prior to discharge is very important in various industries as the wastewater without any treatment contains high organic pollution loads that would pollute the receiving waterbody and potentially cause eutrophication and oxygen depletion to aquatic life. The reuse of seafood wastewater discharge in microalgae cultivation offers beneficial purposes such as reduced processing cost for wastewater treatment, replenishing ground water basin as well as financial savings for microalgae cultivation. In this paper, the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris with an initial concentration of 0.

An in-depth review of the methods, findings, and theories associated with odor-evoked autobiographical memory.

Over the past nearly 35 years, there has been sporadic interest in what has commonly come to be known as the Proust phenomenon, whereby autobiographical memories are retrieved and experienced differently when evoked by odors as compared with other types of cues, such as words, images or sounds. The purpose of this review is threefold. First, we provide a detailed analysis of the methods used to investigate Proust effects.

Pharmacokinetic and anti-colon cancer properties of curcumin-containing chitosan-pectinate composite nanoparticles.

Curcumin, the active ingredient of the rhizome curcuma longa has been extensively studied as an anticancer agent for various types of tumours. However, its efficacy as an anticancer agent is restricted due to poor absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, rapid metabolism and degradation in acidic medium. In the present study, we encapsulated curcumin in chitosan-pectinate nanoparticulate system (CUR-CS-PEC-NPs) for deployment of curcumin to the colon, whereby curcumin is protected against degradative effects in the upper digestive tract, and hence, maintaining its anticancer properties until colon arrival.

Extractive Bioconversion of Gamma-Cyclodextrin and Recycling of Cyclodextrin Glycosyltransferase in Liquid Biphasic System Using Thermo-Separating Polymer.

An extractive bioconversion conducted on soluble starch with cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) enzyme in ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EOPO)/potassium phosphates liquid biphasic system (LBS) to extract gamma-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) was examined. A range of EOPO (with potassium phosphates) molecular weights was screen to investigate the effect of the latter on the partioning efficency of CGTase and γ-CD. The results show that the optimal top phase γ-CD yield (74.

Adsorptive decontamination of diclofenac by three-dimensional graphene-based adsorbent: Response surface methodology, adsorption equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies.

Pharmaceutical residues are emerging pollutants in the aquatic environment and their removal by conventional wastewater treatment methods has proven to be ineffective. This research aimed to develop a three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide aerogel (rGOA) for the removal of diclofenac in aqueous solution. The preparation of rGOA involved facile self-assembly of graphene oxide under a reductive environment of L-ascorbic acid.

Effect of 95% Ethanol Khat Extract and Cathinone on in vitro Human Recombinant Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 Activity.

Background And Objective: A significant number of people worldwide consume khat on daily basis. Long term of khat chewing has shown negative impact on several organ systems. It is likely that these people are co-administered khat preparations and conventional medication, which may lead to khat-drug interactions.

High variability phonetic training in adaptive adverse conditions is rapid, effective, and sustained.

This paper evaluates a novel high variability phonetic training paradigm that involves presenting spoken words in adverse conditions. The effectiveness, generalizability, and longevity of this high variability phonetic training in adverse conditions was evaluated using English phoneme contrasts in three experiments with Malaysian multilinguals. Adverse conditions were created by presenting spoken words against background multi-talker babble.

Direct recovery of malate dehydrogenase from highly turbid yeast cell homogenate using dye-ligand affinity chromatography in stirred fluidized bed.

Dye-ligand affinity chromatography in a stirred fluidized bed has been developed for the rapid recovery of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) from highly turbid baker's yeast cell homogenate in a single step. The most suitable dye, namely Reactive Orange 4, in its optimal immobilized concentration of 8.78 mg/mL was immobilized onto high-density STREAMLINE matrix.

2D:4D digit ratio and religiosity in university student and general population samples.

The ratio of index to ring finger length (2D:4D) is used as a proxy for prenatal sex hormone exposure. It has been hypothesised to correlate with religiosity, though no published research has explored this possibility. Here, we initially examined 2D:4D in relation to self-reported religious affiliation and questionnaire measures of general religiosity, spirituality, religious fundamentalism, and religious commitment in male ( = 106) and female ( = 105) university students (Study 1).

Current High-Throughput Approaches of Screening Modulatory Effects of Xenobiotics on Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Enzymes.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a critical drug-metabolizing enzyme superfamily. Modulation of CYP enzyme activities has the potential to cause drug⁻drug/herb interactions. Drug⁻drug/herb interactions can lead to serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or drug failures.

Anti-infective activities of 11 plants species used in traditional medicine in Malaysia.

Treatment of drug resistant protozoa, bacteria, and viruses requires new drugs with alternative chemotypes. Such compounds could be found from Southeast Asian medicinal plants. The present study examines the cytotoxic, antileishmanial, and antiplasmodial effects of 11 ethnopharmacologically important plant species in Malaysia.

Development of Aurantiochytrium limacinum SR21 cultivation using salt-rich waste feedstock for docosahexaenoic acid production and application of natural colourant in food product.

Microalgae biorefinery is presently receiving a lot of attention as driven by its production of high value-added products. In this study, an oleaginous microalga Aurantiochytrium limacinum SR21 was cultured for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) production using 20% (w/v) of KHPO-waste feedstock to replace 0.005% (w/v) of KHPO in the flask culture.

Isolation of C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis microalga using Ionic liquid based aqueous two-phase system.

An aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) with ionic liquids (ILs) was used for the isolate of C-phycocyanin (CPC) from Spirulina platensis microalga. Various imidazolium ILs and potassium salts were studied. The effect of ILs-ATPS on the extraction efficiency of CPC was also studied.

Sono-nano chemistry: A new era of synthesising polyhydroxylated carbon nanomaterials with hydroxyl groups and their industrial aspects.

The main objective of this review is to derive the salient features of previously developed ultrasound-assisted methods for hydroxylating graphene and Buckminsterfullerene (C). The pros and cons associated to ultrasound-assisted synthesis of hydroxy-carbon nanomaterials in designing the strategical methods for the industrial bulk production are also discussed. A guideline on the statistical methods has also been considered to further provide the scopes towards the application of the previously reported methods.

Hydrodynamic cavitation assisted degradation of persistent endocrine-disrupting organochlorine pesticide Dicofol: Optimization of operating parameters and investigations on the mechanism of intensification.

Dicofol, a recommended Stockholm convention persistent organic pollutants (POPs) candidate is well known for its endocrine disruptive properties and has been extensively used as an organochlorine pesticide worldwide. The hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) treatment of Dicofol in aqueous media induced by a liquid whistle hydrodynamic cavitaion reactor (LWHCR) has been investigated while considering important parameters such as inlet pressure, initial concentration of Dicofol, solution temperature, pH, addition of HO and radical scavenger for the extent of degradation. The pseudo-first-order degradation rate constant (k) was determined to be 0.

Production of bio-hydrogen from dairy wastewater using pretreated landfill leachate sludge as an inoculum.

Bio-hydrogen production from wastewater using sludge as inoculum is a sustainable approach for energy production. This study investigated the influence of initial pH and temperature on bio-hydrogen production from dairy wastewater using pretreated landfill leachate sludge (LLS) as an inoculum. The maximum yield of 113.

A case-control study of breast cancer risk factors in 7,663 women in Malaysia.

Background: Breast cancer risk factors have been examined extensively in Western setting and more developed Asian cities/countries. However, there are limited data on developing Asian countries. The purpose of this study was to examine breast cancer risk factors and the change of selected risk factors across birth cohorts in Malaysian women.

Improved nucleic acid extraction protocols for Ganoderma boninense, G. miniatocinctum and G. tornatum.

The first and most crucial step of all molecular techniques is to isolate high quality and intact nucleic acids. However, DNA and RNA isolation from fungal samples are usually difficult due to the cell walls that are relatively unsusceptible to lysis and often resistant to traditional extraction procedures. Although there are many extraction protocols for Ganoderma species, different extraction protocols have been applied to different species to obtain high yields of good quality nucleic acids, especially for genome and transcriptome sequencing.