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Yield potential of spring wheat influenced by crop residue, tillage system and nitrogen rate on irrigated land

Asad Shah, Mohammad Akmal, Mohammad Jamal Khan, Mohammad Arif

Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:1811-1819.

Yield performance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) was compared under crop residue, tillage system and nitrogen rate treatments in cereal based cropping system. The experiments were conducted at Agronomy Research Farm, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Chopped crop residue on dry matter basis (5 t ha1-) of legume (Vigna unguicuata, var. Ebney) and cereal (Zea mays, var. Azam) was applied in main plots with no residue treatments and plowed with Mould Board (MB) and Cultivator as deep and shallow treatments, respectively. A month after the crop residue and tillage system treatments, field was uniformly plowed with cultivator and wheat was sown with drill in rows 25 cm apart in the month of November on both years. Both P2O55 and K2O (80 and 40 kg ha , respectively) were applied uniformly to all fields before sowing. Nitrogen as subplot treatment (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha-1) was applied in two splits, half at 15 and the other half at 45 days after sowing with uniform cultural practices for crop growth and development. Compared to year 1, crop of year 2 showed better phenology with extended life cycle (LC). On two years average across tillage and N treatments, biological yield did not change (p<0.05) under the residue but did report lower at no-residue treatment. Nonetheless, grain yield showed a significant (p<0.05) change with the highest in legume followed by cereal and the lowest in no-residue treatments. A non-significant tiller number and significant variations in grain weight and spike m-2 were observed that influenced the grain and biological yield differently. Deep than shallow tillage resulted in better traits, which returned better biomass and grain yield. Nitrogen application from control to every increment showed a significant (p<0.05) improvement in all observations contributing in yield. The study confirms the significance of legume vs. cereal over no-crop residue incorporated through deep tillage system with optimum N (120 kg ha-1) in cereal-based cropping system for sustainable performance to sustain soil C:N for future production.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Identification of indigenous bacteria isolated from shrimp aquaculture wastewater with bioremediation application: total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite removal

Ving Ching Chong, Sarmila Muthukrishnan, Vikineswary Sabaratnam, Geok-Yuan Annie Tan

Sains Malaysiana, 2015;44:1103-1110.

Deterioration of water quality mainly due to high total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite will affect the productivity of shrimp culture. In this study, three indigenous strains assigned as VCM5, VCM8 and VCM12 were evaluated for their ability to degrade TAN and nitrite. These strains were inoculated into shrimp aquaculture wastewater to enhance the degradation of TAN and nitrite. All the strains reduced TAN and nitrite level from the shrimp aquaculture wastewater significantly (p<0.05). Strain VCM5 (GenBank accession number KJ700465) and VCM8 (GenBank accession number KJ700464) showed 99.71% sequence similarity with the 16S rRNA gene type species Bacillus vietnamensis 15-1T (ABO99708) and strain VCM12 (GenBank accession number KJ700463) showed 99.05% sequence similarity with 16S rRNA gene sequence type species Gordonia bronchialis DSM43247T (CP001802).

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Controlled-growth of ZnO nanowires with different processing temperature

Yap CC, Muhammad Yahaya, Muhamad Mat Salleh, Dee CF

Sains Malaysiana, 2008;37:233-237.

ZnO nanowires have been synthesized using a catalyst-free carbothermal reduction approach on SiO2-coated Si substrates in a flowing nitrogen atmosphere with a mixture of ZnO and graphite as reactants. The collected ZnO nanowires have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Controlled growth of the ZnO nanowires was achieved by manipulating the reactants heating temperature from 700 to 1000 oC. It was found that the optimum temperature to synthesize high density and long ZnO nanowires was about 800 0C. The possible growth mechanism of ZnO nanowires is also proposed.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Comparative studies on plasticized and unplasticized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer electrolytes containing lithium and sodium salts

Md. Isa K, Othman L, Osman Z

Sains Malaysiana, 2011;40:1179-1186.

Polymer electrolytes based on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) containing inorganic salts; lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) and sodium triflate (NaCF3SO3) and ethylene carbonate (EC) as plasticizer were prepared using solvent casting technique. In this study, five systems of plasticized and unplasticized polymer electrolyte films i.e. PAN-EC, PAN-LiCF3SO3, PAN-NaCF3SO3 PAN-EC-LiCF3SO3 and PAN-EC-NaCF3SO3 systems have been prepared. The structural and morphological properties of the films were studied using infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) while the conductivity study was done by using impedance spectroscopy. The infrared results revealed that interaction had taken place between the nitrogen atoms of PAN and Li+ and Na+ ions from the salts. SEM micrographs showed that the plasticized film, PAN-EC-NaCF3SO3 has bigger pores than PAN-EC-LiCF3SO3 film resulting in the film containing NaCF3SO3 salt being more conductive. On addition of salts and plasticizer, the conductivity of pure PAN increases to three orders of magnitude. The plasticized film containing NaCF3SO3 salt has a higher conductivity compared to that containing LiCF3SO3 salt. This result showed that the interaction between Li+-ion and the nitrogen atom of PAN was stronger than that of Na+-ion. The conductivity-temperature dependence of the highest conducting film from each system follows Arrhenius equation in the temperature range of 303 to 353 K. The conductivity-pressure study in the range of 0.01 - 0.09 MPa showed that the conductivity decreased when pressure was increased. This can be explained in term of free volume model.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Aquatic insect biodiversity and water quality parameters of streams in northern Thailand

Prommi T, Payakka A

Sains Malaysiana, 2015;44:707-717.

Biodiversity of aquatic insect and physicochemical water quality parameters in Mae Tao and Mae Ku watersheds were
assessed bi-monthly from February 2011 to February 2012. A total of 59 families representing 9 orders were recorded.
At order level, Trichoptera was found at the highest frequency in total abundance (45.75%) followed by Ephemeroptera
(18.06%), Hemiptera (13.45%), Odonata (9.62%), Diptera (8.17%), Coleoptera (4.6%), Megaloptera (0.17%),
Lepidoptera (0.11%) and Plecoptera (0.07%). The family Hydropsychidae was the most prominent and the most abundant
aquatic insect taxa followed by Chironomidae. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen and ammonia-nitrogen were similar
at all sampling stations. Significant variations in pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, sulfate, nitrate-nitrogen
and alkalinity were found at all sampling stations. Taxa richness and diversity index significantly correlated with dissolved
oxygen, sulfate, nitrate-nitrogen and ammonia-nitrogen (p<0.05, p<0.01). Physicochemical data and biological data
showed that mostly the surface water quality in Mae Tao and Mae Ku watersheds were within Type III of The Surface
Water Standard for Agriculture and Water Quality for Protection of Aquatic Resources in Thailand.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Effects of soil chemical properties and seasonality on mycorrhizal status of prickly pear (opuntia ficus-indica) planted in hot arid Steppe rangelands

Souad Neffar, Haroun Chenchouni, Arifa Beddiar

Sains Malaysiana, 2015;44:671-680.

Mycorrhizal fungi are an essential component to consider for better management of soil fertility, particularly in
degraded rangelands of drylands. The present article presents a field survey of colonization and intensity of arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) roots from young (5 years old) and old (more than 20
years) plantations. The results observed were explained by seasonality and edaphic factors. Prickly pear roots showed
a mycorrhizal frequency (F%) up to 100% of colonization and a mycorrhizal intensity (M%) that may exceed 70%.
According to ANOVAs, both F% and M% varied significantly between Prickly pear plantation ages, but only M% between
seasons. The Generalized linear model showed that edaphic factors have no effect on the variation of F%. However
the statistical model showed that M% were significantly influenced by active CaCO3
, organic matter, carbon, nitrogen,
phosphorus contents and C/N. Our findings highlight the importance of mycorrhization in rehabilitation programs of
degraded rangelands by prickly pear plantations in semiarid and arid lands, particularly during early plant ages and
under environmental abiotic stresses such as climate and soil type.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Fulltext Cryopreservation of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) polyembryoids via encapsulation-desiccation

Palanyandy SR, Gantait S, Subramaniam S, Sinniah UR

3 Biotech, 2020 Jan;10(1):9.
PMID: 31850156 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-019-1997-9

The current report assesses the efficiency of encapsulation-desiccation protocol to cryopreserve oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) polyembryoids. Specifically identified polyembryoids, comprising of haustorium and torpedo-shaped structures, were encapsulated [comprising 3% (w/v) sodium alginate and 100 mM CaCl2]. Calcium alginate-encapsulated and sucrose-precultured polyembryoids were subjected to different spans of desiccation in a laminar air-flow cabinet, followed by freezing in liquid nitrogen. The effect of sucrose preculture (with gradual exposure to 0.3, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 M for 7 days) and dehydration periods (0-10 h) under sterile air-flow on post-freezing survival and regrowth of encapsulated polyembryoids were studied. Cryopreserved and thawed polyembryoids (initially precultured in sucrose, followed by 9 h air-desiccated to 23.3% moisture content) displayed the highest survival percentage (73.3%) and regeneration (of shoot, root and secondary somatic embryo) on Murashige and Skoog regrowth medium containing sucrose (0.3-1 M) and 0.2 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid. In addition, ultrastructural study using scanning electron microscopy exhibited successful revival of cryopreserved polyembryoids, owing to retention of cellular membrane stability through optimized and protected (encapsulated) desiccation. The present study thus substantiates the potential of this encapsulation-desiccation procedure in cryopreservation of oil palm polyembryoids for long-term conservation programs.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Fulltext Tunable Synthesis of Mesoporous Carbons from Fe₃O(BDC)₃ for Chloramphenicol Antibiotic Remediation

Tran TV, Nguyen DTC, Le HTN, Bach LG, Vo DN, Hong SS, et al.

Nanomaterials (Basel), 2019 Feb 10;9(2).
PMID: 30744163 DOI: 10.3390/nano9020237

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is commonly employed in veterinary clinics, but illegal and uncontrollable consumption can result in its potential contamination in environmental soil, and aquatic matrix, and thereby, regenerating microbial resistance, and antibiotic-resistant genes. Adsorption by efficient, and recyclable adsorbents such as mesoporous carbons (MPCs) is commonly regarded as a "green and sustainable" approach. Herein, the MPCs were facilely synthesized via the pyrolysis of the metal⁻organic framework Fe₃O(BDC)₃ with calcination temperatures (x °C) between 600 and 900 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. The characterization results pointed out mesoporous carbon matrix (MPC700) coating zero-valent iron particles with high surface area (~225 m²/g). Also, significant investigations including fabrication condition, CAP concentration, effect of pH, dosage, and ionic strength on the absorptive removal of CAP were systematically studied. The optimal conditions consisted of pH = 6, concentration 10 mg/L and dose 0.5 g/L for the highest chloramphenicol removal efﬁciency at nearly 100% after 4 h. Furthermore, the nonlinear kinetic and isotherm adsorption studies revealed the monolayer adsorption behavior of CAP onto MPC700 and Fe₃O(BDC)₃ materials via chemisorption, while the thermodynamic studies implied that the adsorption of CAP was a spontaneous process. Finally, adsorption mechanism including H-bonding, electrostatic attraction, π⁻π interaction, and metal⁻bridging interaction was proposed to elucidate how chloramphenicol molecules were adsorbed on the surface of materials. With excellent maximum adsorption capacity (96.3 mg/g), high stability, and good recyclability (4 cycles), the MPC700 nanocomposite could be utilized as a promising alternative for decontamination of chloramphenicol antibiotic from wastewater.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Fulltext Nitrogen Pollution Impact and Remediation through Low Cost Starch Based Biodegradable polymers

Ibrahim KA, Naz MY, Shukrullah S, Sulaiman SA, Ghaffar A, AbdEl-Salam NM

Sci Rep, 2020 Apr 03;10(1):5927.
PMID: 32246028 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62793-3

The world does not have too much time to ensure that the fast-growing population has enough land, food, water and energy. The rising food demand has brought a positive surge in fertilizers' demand and agriculture-based economy. The world is using 170 million tons of fertilizer every year for food, fuel, fiber, and feed. The nitrogenous fertilizers are being used to meet 48% of the total food demand of the world. High fertilizer inputs augment the reactive nitrogen levels in soil, air, and water. The unassimilated reactive nitrogen changes into a pollutant and harms the natural resources. The use of controlled-release fertilizers for slowing down the nutrients' leaching has recently been practiced by farmers. However, to date, monitoring of the complete discharge time and discharge rate of controlled released fertilizers is not completely understood by the researchers. In this work, corn starch was thermally processed into a week gel-like coating material by reacting with urea and borate. The granular urea was coated with native and processed starch in a fluidized bed reactor having bottom-up fluid delivery system. The processed starch exhibited better thermal and mechanical stability as compared to the native starch. Unlike the pure starch, the storage modulus of the processed starch dominated the loss modulus. The release time of urea, coated with processed starch, remained remarkably larger than the uncoated urea.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Fulltext Association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Malaysian adults

Wong SF, Yap PS, Mak JW, Chan WLE, Khor GL, Ambu S, et al.

Environ Health, 2020 04 03;19(1):37.
PMID: 32245482 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-020-00579-w

BACKGROUND: Malaysia has the highest rate of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the Southeast Asian region, and has ongoing air pollution and periodic haze exposure.
METHODS: Diabetes data were derived from the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Surveys conducted in 2006, 2011 and 2015. The air pollution data (NOx, NO2, SO2, O3 and PM10) were obtained from the Department of Environment Malaysia. Using multiple logistic and linear regression models, the association between long-term exposure to these pollutants and prevalence of diabetes among Malaysian adults was evaluated.
RESULTS: The PM10 concentration decreased from 2006 to 2014, followed by an increase in 2015. Levels of NOx decreased while O3 increased annually. The air pollutant levels based on individual modelled air pollution exposure as measured by the nearest monitoring station were higher than the annual averages of the five pollutants present in the ambient air. The prevalence of overall diabetes increased from 11.4% in 2006 to 21.2% in 2015. The prevalence of known diabetes, underdiagnosed diabetes, overweight and obesity also increased over these years. There were significant positive effect estimates of known diabetes at 1.125 (95% CI, 1.042, 1.213) for PM10, 1.553 (95% CI, 1.328, 1.816) for O3, 1.271 (95% CI, 1.088, 1.486) for SO2, 1.124 (95% CI, 1.048, 1.207) for NO2, and 1.087 (95% CI, 1.024, 1.153) for NOx for NHMS 2006. The adjusted annual average levels of PM10 [1.187 (95% CI, 1.088, 1.294)], O3 [1.701 (95% CI, 1.387, 2.086)], NO2 [1.120 (95% CI, 1.026, 1.222)] and NOx [1.110 (95% CI, 1.028, 1.199)] increased significantly from NHMS 2006 to NHMS 2011 for overall diabetes. This was followed by a significant decreasing trend from NHMS 2011 to 2015 [0.911 for NO2, and 0.910 for NOx].
CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that long-term exposure to O3 is an important associated factor of underdiagnosed DM risk in Malaysia. PM10, NO2 and NOx may have mixed effect estimates towards the risk of DM, and their roles should be further investigated with other interaction models. Policy and intervention measures should be taken to reduce air pollution in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen Dioxide
Effects of Azolla spp. as feed ingredient on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of broiler chicken

Samad FAA, Idris LH, Abu Hassim H, Goh YM, Loh TC

J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl), 2020 Nov;104(6):1704-1711.
PMID: 32200580 DOI: 10.1111/jpn.13345

The feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of Azolla spp. inclusion in feed ingredient of broiler chickens. Two hundred of day-old broiler chicks were raised in Farm 15, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia. The birds were individually wing banded, weighed and allocated into four treatment groups (control: 0% of Azolla spp., T1: 5% of Azolla spp., T2: 10% of Azolla spp. and T3: 15% of Azolla spp.). Each group has five replicates and ten birds per pen. All the birds were fed ad libitum during the feeding trial, which lasted 42 days. During the end of the starter and finisher phase, two birds from each replicate were slaughtered. Ileal digesta sample was collected to determine the nutrient digestibility of the Azolla spp. on broiler chickens. Azolla spp. nutritional content was 5.14% dry matter, 24.82% crude protein, 16.64% crude fibre, 2.00% ether extract, 11.59% ash, 34.95% nitrogen-free extract, 42.52% neutral detergent fibre, 31.15% acid detergent fibre, 16.86% acid detergent lignin, 11.37% hemicellulose and 14.29% cellulose. The result from this study showed T3 (15% of Azolla spp.) has significantly highest (p .05) among treatments. For the nutrient digestibility experiment, the findings showed compared with a control group, feeding of 10% or 15% of Azolla spp. led to significant improvement (p

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Disturbance of mangrove forests causes alterations in estuarine phytoplankton community structure in Malaysian Matang mangrove forests

Hilaluddin F, Yusoff FM, Natrah FMI, Lim PT

Mar Environ Res, 2020 Jun;158:104935.
PMID: 32217292 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.104935

To assess the effects of environmental changes on phytoplankton community structure in a mangrove ecosystem, phytoplankton distribution in Matang mangrove, Malaysia was examined. Phytoplankton and water samples, and in situ environmental parameters from three estuaries with differing levels of disturbance were examined monthly for one year. Two species, Cyclotella choctawhatcheeana and Skeletonema costatum, were dominant in the least disturbed and moderately disturbed areas, respectively. Skeletonema costatum was also the most dominant in the most disturbed area. Significant differences in phytoplankton density and biodiversity between the least and most disturbed areas were also observed. Principle component 1 (salinity, conductivity, total solids/water transparency and nitrogenous compounds) and PC2 (dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature) explained 60.4% of the total variance. This study illustrated that changes in phytoplankton community structure in Matang mangrove estuaries were significantly correlated with environmental parameters which were in turn influenced by ecosystem disturbance levels as well as seasonal changes.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen Compounds
Distribution and temporal behaviour of O3 and NO2 near selected schools in Seberang Perai, Pulau Pinang and Parit Buntar, Perak, Malaysia

Nazatul Syadia Zainordin, Nor Azam Ramli, Maher Elbayoumi

Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:197-207.

ir quality has deteriorated in urban areas as a result of increased anthropogenic activities. Quantitative information on the influence of meteorological conditions on several pollutants in a tropical climate is still lacking. Real-time ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were measured nearby selected schools in Malaysia to examine the impact of meteorological factors on monitoring pollutants. The results showed the overall 10 min average concentrations of the main parameters during school holiday were 24 ppb (O3) and 33 ppb (NO2) while during school day the overall 10 min average concentrations were 26 ppb (O3) and 51 ppb (NO2). Although there are no minimum requirements for short-term exposure by MAAQG, if compared to 1 h average requirements, all concentrations were still below the suggested values. Regarding spatial distribution, a different trend in pollutant concentration among the schools was observed because of the influence of temperature (AT) and wind speed (WS). The results were verified by Pearson correlation, where significant correlations (p<0.01) were determined between air pollutants and meteorological factors, which were temperature, wind speed and relative humidity. Meanwhile, the distribution of O3 was moderately correlated with NO2. However, the results of multivariate analysis indicate that temperature and relative humidity had the most significant influence on the formation of O3. In summary, the results of this study showed that all precursors and meteorological parameters contribute to the production of O3. Hence, reducing O3 precursors, which are emitted by vehicles, is essential to lessening the exposure to O3

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen Dioxide
Effects of different doses of fertilizers on growth and yield components of biodiesel plant (jatropha curcas l.)

Inam Ali Shah, Sultan Mehmod Wazir, Rahmat Ali Khan

Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:117-122.

Effects of different doses of fertilizers on growth and yield components of biodiesel plant (Jatropha curcas L.), was
made in the prevailing environment of University of Science and Technology Bannu. The experiment was carried out in
randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were applied
in the form of urea, single super phosphate and potash in the shape of combined NPK, respectively, during sprouting
of leaves and thereafter with each irrigation in split doses. The analysis of variance for number of branches per plant
showed significant results indicated in ANOVA. Significantly the number of primary branches per plant 8.07 was recorded
in T4 with the application of dose of (N P K: 2507.5 gm: 1091.5 gm: 501.5 gm). Maximum No. of secondary branches
per plant (9.100) were recorded in T1 especially at both plots. Flower per inflorescence showed that maximum value
(122.810) was recorded in T5 of especially at both plots. Inflorescence plant-1 showed that maximum value (39.477) were
recorded in T1 and minimum value were noted as (12.733) at T3 on both the flats. The data for fruits per plant showed
that maximum value (143.300) was recorded in T1. The seed index, which was the output of the aim of this research work,
reflects highly significant differences in mean value observed for both subplots. Mean values showed that maximum seeds
weight 45.86 was recorded in T1 of especially at both plots while low seed index was noted as 22.84 at T5 (N: 3400 gm,
P: 1480 gm, K: 680 gm) at both the subplots.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Effect of radio frequency power on a-cnx film properties and its performance as humidity sensors

Rozidawati Awang, Noorain Purhanudin, Nur Sakinah Salman

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:2863-2867.

A series of amorphous carbon nitride (a-CNx) thin films were deposited on silicon (111) substrates using a home-built
radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) system. The a-CNx thin films were deposited
from a mixture of a fixed flow-rate of ethane (C2
H6
, 20 sccm) and nitrogen (N2
, 47 sccm) gases with varying RF power. A
higher ratio of C to H (C to H ratio is 1:3) atoms in C2
H6
as compared to the ratio in methane (CH4
) gas (C to H ratio is
1:4) is expected to produce an interesting effect to the film properties as humidity sensor. The characterization techniques
used to determine the morphology and chemical bonding of the thin films are field emission scanning electron microscopy
(FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The variation of morphology and the existence
of nitrile band in these samples are correlated with the electrical properties of a-CNx thin films. Using humidity sensing
system, the sensing performance of the samples was examined. It was found that the response of sensors towards the
percentage of relative humidity (% RH) change is good resistive responses and good repeatability. The sensitivity of the
prepared a-CNx thin films is significantly higher (up to 79%) as compared to previous studies using CH4
or acetylene as
precursor gas. Based on these results, the properties and the sensitivity of the a-CNx thin films towards humidity can be
tailored by using an appropriate precursor gases and deposition parameters.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Integrated palm oil mill effluent treatment and co2 sequestration by microalgae

Nur Anira Syafiqah Hazman, Hassimi Abu Hasan, Kamrul Fakir Kamarudin, Nazlina Haiza Mohd Yasin, Mohd Sobri Takriff, Noor Irma Nazashida Mohd Hakimi

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:1455-1464.

Malaysian economy relies on palm oil industries as a driver for rural development. However, palm oil mill effluent
(POME) that is generated from palm oil processing stages causes major environmental challenges. Before being
released to the environment, POME treatment is crucial to comply with standard discharge limit. Microalgae have
demonstrated excellent potential for phycoremediating POME and capturing CO2
. In this study, local microalgae isolate
such as Chlamydomonas sp. UKM 6 and Chlorella spp. UKM 8 were used for POME treatment in 21 days with different
inoculum sizes (5%, 10% and 15%). In addition, an integrated treatment process was performed by taking the treated
POME supernatant for cultivation of Chorella spp. UKM 2, Chorella sorokiniana UKM 3 and Chlorella vulgaris for CO2
sequestration study. Different CO2
concentrations (5%, 10% and 15%) were used and the experiments were carried
out in 10 days under continuous illumination. The results showed that among two species involves in POME treatment,
Chlamydomonas sp. UKM 6 showed a great potential to remove pollutant such as COD (56%), nitrogen (65%) and
phosphorus (34%). The biomass after POME treatment and CO2
biofixation content high lipid (90 mg lipid/g biomass)
which can be the potential source for biodiesel production. In CO2
sequestration study, C. sorokininana UKM3 able
to takes up to 15% CO2
with CO2
uptake rate of 273 mgL-1d-1. In this study, the integrated system of POME treatment
and CO2
sequestration were feasible using microalgae.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
A comparative study between tilapia (oreochromis niloticus) by-product and tilapia protein hydrolysate on angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ace) inhibition activities and functional properties

Siti Mazlina Mustapa Kamal, Khairul Faezah Md. Yunos, Norhafizah Abdullah

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:309-318.

Tilapia is a popular freshwater fish and among the important cultured fish grown worldwide. In this study, fish protein
hydrolysate was produced from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) by-product (TB) and tilapia muscle (TM) through enzymatic
hydrolysis using alcalase. The TB and TM protein hydrolysates were evaluated for its characteristics in terms of angiotensin
I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity, peptide size distribution, and functional properties. Hydrolysis for 1 h for
TB and TM successfully produced low molecular weight peptides (<14.2kDa) with the highest ACE inhibitory activities.
The findings also demonstrated that both samples have high nitrogen solubility (>80% at pH2-9) and good emulsifying,
water and oil holding capacities. The study indicated that tilapia protein hydrolysates have the potential to be used as
functional food products.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Production of phytase by mitsuokella jalaludinii in semi-solid state fermentation of agricultural by-products

Tang HC, Sieo CC, Abdul Rahman Omar, Ho YW, Norhani Abdullah, Rosfarizan Mohamad, et al.

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:277-286.

Phytase activity and growth of anaerobic rumen bacterium, Mitsuokella jalaludinii were investigated by semi-solid
state fermentation. Carbon source (rice bran, yam and cassava), nitrogen sources (soya bean, offal meal, fish meal and
feather meal) and growth factors (hemin, L-cysteine hydrochloride and minerals) were evaluated in a one-factor-at-atime
approach. Rice bran and fish meal produced better growth and phytase enzyme activity. The removal of L-cysteine
hydrochloride and minerals significantly decreased (p<0.05) phytase activity from 1178.72 U to 446.99 U and 902.54
U, respectively. The response surface methods (RSM) was conducted to optimize the phytase production and the results
showed the combination of 7.7% of rice bran and 3.7% of fish meal in semi-solid state fermentation gave the highest
phytase activity. Maximum phytase production and optimum growth of bacteria were detected at 12 h incubation in both
MF medium (control) and agro-medium. In this agro-medium, M. jalaludinii produced 2.5 fold higher phytase activity
compared to MF medium.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Fulltext Investigations on the Role of N₂:(N₂ + CH₄) Ratio on the Growth of Hydrophobic Nanostructured Hydrogenated Carbon Nitride Thin Films by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition at Low Temperature

Khanis NH, Ritikos R, Ahmad Kamal SA, Abdul Rahman S

Materials (Basel), 2017 Jan 24;10(2).
PMID: 28772460 DOI: 10.3390/ma10020102

Nanostructured hydrogenated carbon nitride (CNx:H) thin films were synthesized on a crystal silicon substrate at low deposition temperature by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Methane and nitrogen were the precursor gases used in this deposition process. The effects of N₂ to the total gas flow rate ratio on the formation of CNx:H nanostructures were investigated. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), Raman scattering, and Fourier transform of infrared spectroscopies (FTIR) were used to characterize the films. The atomic nitrogen to carbon ratio and sp² bonds in the film structure showed a strong influence on its growth rate, and its overall structure is strongly influenced by even small changes in the N₂:(N₂ + CH₄) ratio. The formation of fibrous CNx:H nanorod structures occurs at ratios of 0.7 and 0.75, which also shows improved surface hydrophobic characteristic. Analysis showed that significant presence of isonitrile bonds in a more ordered film structure were important criteria contributing to the formation of vertically-aligned nanorods. The hydrophobicity of the CNx:H surface improved with the enhancement in the vertical alignment and uniformity in the distribution of the fibrous nanorod structures.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen
Fulltext Optimization of thermostable organic solvent-tolerant lipase production by thermotolerant Rhizopus sp. using solid-state fermentation of palm kernel cake

Riyadi FA, Alam MZ, Salleh MN, Salleh HM

3 Biotech, 2017 Oct;7(5):300.
PMID: 28884067 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-017-0932-1

This study enhanced the production of thermostable organic solvent-tolerant (TS-OST) lipase by locally isolated thermotolerant Rhizopus sp. strain using solid-state fermentation (SSF) of palm kernel cake (PKC). The optimum conditions were achieved using a series of statistical approaches. The cultivation parameters, which include fermentation time, moisture content, temperature, pH, inoculum size, various carbon and nitrogen sources, as well as other supplements, were initially screened by the definitive screening design, and one-factor-at-a-time using PKC as the basal medium. Three significant factors (olive oil concentration, pH, and inoculum size) were further optimized using face-centred central composite design. The results indicated a successful and significant improvement of lipase activity by almost two-fold compared to the initial screening production. The findings showed that the optimal conditions were 2% (v/w) inoculum size, 2% (v/w) olive oil, 0.6% (w/w) peptone, 2% (v/w) ethanol, 70% moisture content at initial pH 10.0 and 45 °C within 72 h of fermentation. Process optimization resulted in maximum lipase activity of 58.63 U/gram dry solids (gds). The analysis of variance showed that the statistical model was significant (p value <0.0001) and reliable with a high value of R2 (0.98) and adjusted R2 (0.96). This indicates a better correlation between the actual and predicted responses of lipase production. By considering this study, the low-cost PKC through SSF appears to be promising in the utilization of agro-industrial waste for TS-OST lipase production. This is because satisfactory enzyme activity could be attained that promises industrial applications.

Matched MeSH terms: Nitrogen

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