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  1. Fulltext Eliciting local knowledge of ecosystem services using participatory mapping and Photovoice: A case study of Tun Mustapha Park, Malaysia
    Lim VC, Justine EV, Yusof K, Wan Mohamad Ariffin WNS, Goh HC, Fadzil KS
    PLoS One, 2021;16(7):e0253740.
    PMID: 34242233 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253740
    Protected areas in Malaysia have always been managed using top-down approach that often exclude the local communities, who are the main users of ecosystem services, from the planning and management. However, a newly established multiple-use marine park in Malaysia, Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), aims for inclusivity in managing the park. This research explores different participatory approaches (i.e. participatory mapping and Photovoice) to understand the ecosystem services and the dynamics surrounding the services in TMP. Community-based organisations and a mariculture farm in TMP were invited to participate in this work. The participants mapped the ecosystem services and provided in-depth qualitative data that supported the maps, besides highlighting ecological, sociocultural and economic issues surrounding the ecosystem services. Furthermore, the participants provided suggestions and recommendations that carry political effects. Therefore, the participatory approaches employed here had provided rich visual and spatial data to enhance the ecosystem-based management of TMP besides empowering the participants to voice out for their communities. The results generated from this work were also further utilised to fill in the gaps of knowledge in a separate ecosystem service assessment matrix. However, the output from participatory approaches should not be considered as the ultimate outcome but rather as supplement to the planning and management of TMP due to potential human errors and biases. Although the participatory approaches came with limitations and challenges that may have affected the findings here, these nonetheless had provided support to the capability of local communities to provide information crucial for management of protected areas as well as room for improvement for further work.
  2. Fulltext Emerging cases of mucormycosis under COVID-19 pandemic in India: Misuse of antibiotics
    Gupta G, S R, Singh Y, Thangavelu L, Singh SK, Dureja H, et al.
    Drug Dev Res, 2021 11;82(7):880-882.
    PMID: 34323298 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21862
    COVID-19's second wave had a significant impact on India, on May 7, 2021, the largest daily recorded case count was a little more than 4 million, and it has since fallen. Although the number of new cases reported has dropped, during the third week of May 2021, India accounted for about 45% of new cases identified globally and around 34% of deaths. As India maintains its present level of stability, a new urgent threat has emerged in the form of coronavirus-associated mucormycosis. Mucormycosis, an acute and deadly fungal infection caused by Mucorales-related fungal species, is a fungal emergency with a particularly aggressive propensity for contiguous spread, associated with a poor prognosis if not properly and immediately identified, and treated. Mucormycosis, sometimes referred to as the "black fungus," has increased more rapidly in India during the second wave of COVID-19 than during the first wave, with at least 14,872 cases as of May 28, 2021. Uncontrolled diabetic mellitus (DM) and other immunosuppressive diseases such as neutropenia and corticosteroid treatment have traditionally been identified as risk factors for mucormycosis. Therefore, the use of glucocorticoids or high doses of glucocorticoids in mild COVID-19 cases (without hypoxemia) should be avoided. In addition, drugs that target the immune pathway, such as tocilizumab, are not recommended without clear benefits.
  3. Pharmaceutical Aspects of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Boon to Cancer Treatment
    Mishra V, Nayak P, Singh M, Tambuwala MM, Aljabali AA, Chellappan DK, et al.
    Anticancer Agents Med Chem, 2021;21(12):1490-1509.
    PMID: 32951580 DOI: 10.2174/1871520620666200918111024
    BACKGROUND: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are among the most investigated nanostructures in recent years, which exhibit more challenging and promising qualities in different biomedical applications. The AgNPs synthesized by the green approach provide potential healthcare benefits over chemical approaches, including improvement of tissue restoration, drug delivery, diagnosis, being environmentally friendly, and a boon to cancer treatment.

    OBJECTIVE: In the current scenario, the development of safe and effective drug delivery systems is the utmost concern of formulation development scientists as well as clinicians.

    METHODS: Google, Web of Science, and PubMed portals have been searched for potentially relevant literature to get the latest developments and updated information related to different aspects of green synthesized AgNPs along with their biomedical applications, especially in the treatment of different types of cancers.

    RESULTS: The present review highlights the latest published research regarding the different green approaches for the synthesis of AgNPs, their characterization techniques as well as various biomedical applications, particularly in cancer treatment. In this context, environment-friendly AgNPs are proving themselves as better candidates in terms of size, drug loading and release efficiency, targeting efficiency, minimal drug-associated side effects, pharmacokinetic profiling, and biocompatibility issues.

    CONCLUSION: With continuous efforts by multidisciplinary team approaches, nanotechnology-based AgNPs will shed new light on diagnostics and therapeutics in various disease treatments. However, the toxicity issues of AgNPs need greater attention as unanticipated toxic effects must be ruled out for their diversified applications.

  4. Floricoccus tropicus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Floricoccus penangensis sp. nov. isolated from fresh flowers of durian tree and hibiscus
    Chuah LO, Yap KP, Shamila-Syuhada AK, Thong KL, Ahmad R, Liong MT, et al.
    Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2017 Dec;67(12):4979-4985.
    PMID: 29034853 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002386
    Three strains of Gram-staining-positive, coccus-shaped, lactic acid bacteria, designated as HibF3T, HibF2 and HibF5 were isolated from fresh flowers of hibiscus, and a fourth, DF1T, was isolated from fresh flowers of durian tree, in Penang, Malaysia. Taxonomic characterisation was performed by polyphasic analysis. Sequence similarities of the 16S rRNA gene and the housekeeping rpoA and pheS genes of these strains with their closely-related lactococcal and streptococcal relatives were 92-94, 78 and 81 %, respectively. The results of phylogenetic analysis indicated that strains DF1T, HibF2, HibF5 and HibF3T were clustered together but were clearly separated from species of the genera Streptococcus and Lactococcus, indicating that they represent members of a novel genus of the family Streptococcaceae. Calculation of average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between the genomes of DF1T and HibF3T yielded values of 92.50-92.93 %. ANI values below the cut-off value and distinctive chemotaxonomic characteristics supported the hypothesis that these strains represented two novel species. Major cellular fatty acids in DF1T, HibF2 and HibF5 were C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0, while C12 : 0 and C14 : 0 were also dominant, in addition to C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0, in HibF3T. A novel genus is proposed with the name Floricoccus gen. nov. which consists of two species, Floricoccus tropicus sp. nov as the type species, and Floricoccus penangensis sp. nov. The respective type strains are DF1T (=LMG 29833T=JCM 31733T) and HibF3T (=LMG 29831T=DSM 31735T).
  5. Microsponge embedded tablet for sustained delivery of nifedipine
    Rahul M, Piyoosh S, Tekade M, Atneriya U, Dua K, Hansbroe PM, et al.
    Pharm Nanotechnol, 2017 09 21.
    PMID: 28933273 DOI: 10.2174/2211738505666170921125549
    BACKGROUND: Nifedipine is a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of cardiovascular disturbances, although it suffers from short half-life (t1/2, 2 hr).

    OBJECTIVE: To address the problem, we first prepared nifedipine loaded sustained releases microsponges and then formulated tablets for effective clinical application and patient compliance.

    METHOD: Preparations of microsponges were carried out using different composition of nifedipine and polymer (1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 % molar ratio) using emulsion solvent diffusion technique.

    RESULTS: The microsponges with molar ratio 1:3 (formulation code: MF-3) found optimized as revealed by analyzing surface morphology, better powder flow properties (angle of repose; 28.80 ± 0.9, Hausner ratio 1.15 ± 0.2, % compressibility 15.28 ± 0.5% and higher % drug content (80 ± 1.9 %). Different batches of tablets were then formulated incorporating MF-3 microsponges and different proportion (10-50 %) of microcrystalline cellulose and starch as additives. Among tablet formulations, batch composed of 48% of MF-3, 30% of MCC, 20 % of starch and 2 % of talc (TF-33), showed 92.73 ± 2.19 % drug release during 24 hr in vitro release study in comparison to other batches including commercial formulation which was found to be released completely in 20 hr. Further, stability analysis revealed good drug retention of loaded nifedipine as well as consistent in vitro release pattern over a period of 90 days at 40 ºC and 75% RH.

    CONCLUSION: The microsponge tablet delivery system was found to be superior concerning the therapeutic advantage as well as manufacturing feasibility of nifedipine.

  6. Pharmacological Evaluation of the Recuperative Effect of Morusin Against Aluminium Trichloride (AlCl3)-Induced Memory Impairment in Rats
    Gupta G, Chellappan DK, Agarwal M, Ashwathanarayana M, Nammi S, Pabreja K, et al.
    Cent Nerv Syst Agents Med Chem, 2017;17(3):196-200.
    PMID: 27834136 DOI: 10.2174/1871524917666161111095335
    BACKGROUND: Elevation in brain levels of aluminium can be neurotoxic and can cause learning and memory deficiencies. In Chinese medicine, Morus alba is used as a neuroprotective herb. The current study was intended to discover the recuperative effect of morusin against aluminium trichloride (AlCl3)-induced memory impairment in rats along with biochemical mechanism of its protective action.

    METHODS: Memory deficiency was produced by AlCl3 (100 mg/kg; p.o.) in experimental animals. Learning and memory activity was measured using Morris water maze (MWM) test model. Central cholinergic activity was evaluated through the measurement of brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. In addition to the above, oxidative stress was determined through assessment of brain thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS) and glutathione (GSH) levels.

    RESULTS: AlCl3 administration prompted significant deficiency of learning and memory in rats, as specified by a noticeable reduction in MWM presentation. AlCl3 administration also produced a significant deterioration in brain AChE action and brain oxidative stress (increase in TBARS and decrease in GSH) levels. Treatment with morusin (5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg, dose orally) significantly overturned AlCl3- induced learning and memory shortages along with diminution of AlCl3-induced rise in brain AChE activity and brain oxidative stress levels.

    CONCLUSION: It may be concluded that morusin exerts a memory-preservative outcome in mental discrepancies of rats feasibly through its various activities.

  7. Fulltext Press touch code: A finger press based screen size independent authentication scheme for smart devices
    Ranak MSAN, Azad S, Nor NNHBM, Zamli KZ
    PLoS One, 2017;12(10):e0186940.
    PMID: 29084262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186940
    Due to recent advancements and appealing applications, the purchase rate of smart devices is increasing at a higher rate. Parallely, the security related threats and attacks are also increasing at a greater ratio on these devices. As a result, a considerable number of attacks have been noted in the recent past. To resist these attacks, many password-based authentication schemes are proposed. However, most of these schemes are not screen size independent; whereas, smart devices come in different sizes. Specifically, they are not suitable for miniature smart devices due to the small screen size and/or lack of full sized keyboards. In this paper, we propose a new screen size independent password-based authentication scheme, which also offers an affordable defense against shoulder surfing, brute force, and smudge attacks. In the proposed scheme, the Press Touch (PT)-a.k.a., Force Touch in Apple's MacBook, Apple Watch, ZTE's Axon 7 phone; 3D Touch in iPhone 6 and 7; and so on-is transformed into a new type of code, named Press Touch Code (PTC). We design and implement three variants of it, namely mono-PTC, multi-PTC, and multi-PTC with Grid, on the Android Operating System. An in-lab experiment and a comprehensive survey have been conducted on 105 participants to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
  8. Fulltext Tumor suppressor role of miR-503
    Gupta G, Chellappan DK, de Jesus Andreoli Pinto T, Hansbro PM, Bebawy M, Dua K
    Panminerva Med, 2018 Mar;60(1):17-24.
    PMID: 29164842 DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.17.03386-9
    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs of around 20-25 nucleotides in length with highly conserved characteristics. They moderate post-transcriptional silencing by precisely combining with 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of target mRNAs at a complementary site. miR‑503, an associate of the "canonical" miRNA-16 family, is expressed in numerous types of tumors such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma and several others. There is convincing evidence to show that miR‑503 functions as a tumor suppressor gene through its effects on target genes that regulate cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in tumor cells. In this current assessment, we discuss the biology and tumor suppressor role of miR‑503 in different cancers and elaborate on its mechanism of action.
  9. Discrimination of stroke-related mild cognitive impairment and vascular dementia using EEG signal analysis
    Al-Qazzaz NK, Ali SHBM, Ahmad SA, Islam MS, Escudero J
    Med Biol Eng Comput, 2018 Jan;56(1):137-157.
    PMID: 29119540 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-017-1734-7
    Stroke survivors are more prone to developing cognitive impairment and dementia. Dementia detection is a challenge for supporting personalized healthcare. This study analyzes the electroencephalogram (EEG) background activity of 5 vascular dementia (VaD) patients, 15 stroke-related patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 15 control healthy subjects during a working memory (WM) task. The objective of this study is twofold. First, it aims to enhance the discrimination of VaD, stroke-related MCI patients, and control subjects using fuzzy neighborhood preserving analysis with QR-decomposition (FNPAQR); second, it aims to extract and investigate the spectral features that characterize the post-stroke dementia patients compared to the control subjects. Nineteen channels were recorded and analyzed using the independent component analysis and wavelet analysis (ICA-WT) denoising technique. Using ANOVA, linear spectral power including relative powers (RP) and power ratio were calculated to test whether the EEG dominant frequencies were slowed down in VaD and stroke-related MCI patients. Non-linear features including permutation entropy (PerEn) and fractal dimension (FD) were used to test the degree of irregularity and complexity, which was significantly lower in patients with VaD and stroke-related MCI than that in control subjects (ANOVA; p ˂ 0.05). This study is the first to use fuzzy neighborhood preserving analysis with QR-decomposition (FNPAQR) dimensionality reduction technique with EEG background activity of dementia patients. The impairment of post-stroke patients was detected using support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbors (kNN) classifiers. A comparative study has been performed to check the effectiveness of using FNPAQR dimensionality reduction technique with the SVM and kNN classifiers. FNPAQR with SVM and kNN obtained 91.48 and 89.63% accuracy, respectively, whereas without using the FNPAQR exhibited 70 and 67.78% accuracy for SVM and kNN, respectively, in classifying VaD, stroke-related MCI, and control patients, respectively. Therefore, EEG could be a reliable index for inspecting concise markers that are sensitive to VaD and stroke-related MCI patients compared to control healthy subjects.
  10. Novel drug delivery approaches in treating pulmonary fibrosis
    Dua K, Awasthi R, Madan JR, Chellappan DK, Nalluri BN, Gupta G, et al.
    Panminerva Med, 2018 Dec;60(4):238-240.
    PMID: 29480673 DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.18.03428-6
  11. Corrigendum: Floricoccus tropicus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Floricoccus penangensis sp. nov. isolated from fresh flowers of durian tree and hibiscus
    Chuah LO, Yap KP, Shamila-Syuhada AK, Thong KL, Ahmad R, Liong MT, et al.
    Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2018 03;68(3):974.
    PMID: 29493487 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002582
  12. Fulltext Knowledge of and attitudes towards of menstrual disorders adults in north-eastern state of Peninsular Malaysia
    Yaacob NA, Abdullah SK, Ahmad I, Yahya NA, Draman N, Ismail SB, et al.
    Malays Fam Physician, 2015;10(3):2-10.
    PMID: 27570602 MyJurnal
    Introduction: In Malaysia, the prevalence of menstrual disorders among adolescents and young adults is high. However, most of them are not aware of the signs and symptoms of menstrual
    disorders in terms of medical issue as well as Islamic ruling. Awareness of the menstrual disorder
    symptoms is important so that early and appropriate treatment can be given.

    Objectives: The objective of the study was to compare the knowledge and attitude of premarital
    men and women on menstrual disorders.

    Methods: This was a comparative cross sectional study conducted in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Self-administered
    questionnaires were given for data collection. The questionnaires consisted of 3 parts
    that required information on the women’s and men’s socio-demographic data, women’s menstrual
    history and information in knowledge and attitude of men and women on menstrual disorders.

    Results: A total of 460 respondents were involved in this study with a response rate of 93.5%. The
    prevalence of good knowledge was higher among women compared to men with 73.2% and 26.8%,
    respectively. There was a significant difference on knowledge and attitude on menstrual disorders
    between premarital men and women.

    Conclusion: Both premarital men and women had low knowledge on menstrual disorder with men
    knowing less than the women.
  13. Genetic relatedness, antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation of Salmonella isolated from naturally contaminated poultry and their processing environment in northern Malaysia
    Chuah LO, Shamila Syuhada AK, Mohamad Suhaimi I, Farah Hanim T, Rusul G
    Food Res Int, 2018 03;105:743-751.
    PMID: 29433269 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2017.11.066
    We investigated the genetic relatedness, antibiotic resistance and biofilm-producing ability of 114 strains of Salmonella, belonged to three serotypes (Corvallis, Brancaster and Albany), isolated from naturally contaminated poultry and their environment in wet markets and smale-scale processing plant from northern Malaysia. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed that Salmonella strains isolated from various wet markets were clonally related, suggesting the widespread dissemination of these three serotypes in northern Malaysia. All except one strain of Salmonella were resistant to more than two classes of antibiotics, hence regarded as multidrug resistant (MDR). Resistance to sulphonamide (96.5%), ampicillin (89.5%), tetracycline (85.1%), chloramphenicol (75.4%), trimethoprim (68.4%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (67.5%), streptomycin (58.8%) and nalidixic acid (44.4%) were observed. Resistance determinants, floR, cmlA, tetA, tetB, tetG, temB, blaPSE-1, sul1, sul2, qnrA, qnrS, strA and aadA were detected by PCR among MDR Salmonella strains. Seventy-six strains (66.7%) harboured class-I integrons. The gene cassettes identified were dfrA1, dfrA12, aadA2 and an open reading frame orfC with unknown function. All Salmonella strains produced biofilm and 69.3% of them were strong biofilm-producers. Our findings suggested that most likely, persistent Salmonella colonises various sites in the processing environment by producing biofilm, which leads to their widespread dissemination in wet markets located in northern Malaysia.
  14. Fulltext Advancements in nano drug delivery systems: a challenge for biofilms in respiratory diseases
    Dua K, de Jesus Andreoli Pinto T, Chellappan DK, Gupta G, Bebawy M, Hansbro PM
    Panminerva Med, 2018 03;60(1):35-36.
    PMID: 29370678 DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.18.03402-X
  15. Fulltext A clinical update on metformin and lung cancer in diabetic patients
    Gupta G, de Jesus Andreoli Pinto T, Chellappan DK, Mishra A, Malipeddi H, Dua K
    Panminerva Med, 2018 Jun;60(2):70-75.
    PMID: 29370676 DOI: 10.23736/S0031-0808.18.03394-3
    Diabetes mellitus (DM) is frequently increased in many countries and become a serious health problem worldwide. Diabetes is associated with dysfunction of different organs such as heart, eyes, blood vessels, nerves, and kidneys. There is a strong connection between diabetes and cancer. Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed oral antidiabetic medicines and it is suggested as the first-line therapy due to its comparatively safe, inexpensive, effective and well-tolerated. Some of the in vitro and in vivo investigations proved that metformin may have a direct anticancer action by preventing the proliferation of malignant cells and formations of the colony, inducing arrest of cell cycle and apoptosis and suppressing tumor growth. The antiproliferative mechanism of metformin alone or in combination with various chemotherapeutic agents is complex and involves several beneficial roles. In this regard, clinical studies are required to explain these roles. In the coming future, the use of metformin, alone or in combination with current chemotherapy, might be a conventional approach to effectually manage lung cancer. This mini-review provides a critical overview of currently available clinical trials investigating the effects of metformin in lung cancer.
  16. Formulation and evaluation of niosomal in-situ nasal gel of Buspirone Hydrochloride for brain delivery
    Mathure D, Madan JR, Gujar KN, Tupsamundre A, Ranpise HA, Dua K
    Pharm Nanotechnol, 2018 01 29.
    PMID: 29380709 DOI: 10.2174/2211738506666180130105919
    Considering various merits associated with the nasal mucosa such large surface area, porous endothelial membrane, high blood flow, avoidance of first-pass metabolism, and ready accessibility leads to faster and higher drug absorption. Keeping these facts in mind, the objective of the present study was to develop Buspirone hydrochloride loaded niosomal in-situ nasal gel. Buspirone hydrochloride niosomal in-situ nasal gel was formulated, optimized and evaluated with the aim to deliver drug to the brain via intranasal route. Niosomes were prepared by thin film evaporation method and optimizedusing32 factorial design. The niosomes were characterized for particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and in-vitro drug release. Buspirone hydrochloride loaded niosomes were further incorporated into Carbopol 934P and HPMC K4M liquid gelling system for formation of in-situ gel. The resultant solution was assessed for various parameters, viz., gelling time, gelling capacity, viscosity at pH 5 and pH 6. Ex-vivo permeation of Buspirone hydrochloride through the sheep nasal mucosa showed that 83.49 % w/w drug permeated after 8 h. The SEM and Zeta potential studies showed formation of good and stable vesicles. Thus, the application of niosomes proved the potential for intranasal drug delivery of Buspirone hydrochloride over the conventional gel formulations. Overall intranasal drug of delivery for Buspirone hydrochloride has been successfully developed.
  17. Fulltext Data on antibiogram and resistance genes harboured bySalmonellastrains and their Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis clusters
    Chuah LO, Shamila Syuhada AK, Mohamad Suhaimi I, Farah Hanim T, Rusul G
    Data Brief, 2018 Apr;17:698-702.
    PMID: 29511712 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.01.098
    This article describes the Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis clustering of the predominantSalmonellastrains (Salmonellaser. Albany,Salmonellaser. Brancaster, andSalmonellaser. Corvallis) isolated from poultry and processing environment in wet market and small-scale processing plant in Penang and Perlis, the northern states of Malaysia. Agar disk diffusion assay was performed to determine the phenotypic antibiotic resistance of theseSalmonellastrains. The most common antibiograms among the three predominantSalmonellaserovars were reported. The presence of integrase genes and antibiotic resistance genes conferring to resistance against β-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, quinolones, sulphonamides and chloramphenicol, was detected via PCR amplification.
  18. Fulltext Nucleofection optimization and in vitro anti-tumourigenic effect of TRAIL-expressing human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells
    Fakiruddin KS, Baharuddin P, Lim MN, Fakharuzi NA, Yusof NA, Zakaria Z
    Cancer Cell Int, 2014;14(1):122.
    PMID: 25469108 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-014-0122-8
    Tumour homing capacity of engineered human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADMSCs) expressing anti-tumour agents might be the key for a much safer and yet efficient targeted tumour therapy. However, ADMSCs exhibit resistant to most gene transfection techniques and the use of highly efficient viral vectors has several disadvantages primarily concerning safety risk. Here, we optimized the use of highly efficient and safe nucleofection-based transfection using plasmid encoded for TNF-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) into ADMSCs and investigated the potential anti-tumourigenic of TRAIL-expressing ADMSCs (ADMSCs-TRAIL) on selected cancer models in vitro.
  19. Fulltext Structural and Optical Properties of Graphene Quantum Dots-Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Thin Film and Its Potential in Plasmonic Sensing of Carbaryl
    Fauzi NIM, Fen YW, Eddin FBK, Daniyal WMEMM
    Nanomaterials (Basel), 2022 Nov 21;12(22).
    PMID: 36432389 DOI: 10.3390/nano12224105
    In this study, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite was prepared and then coated on the surface of gold thin film via the spin coating technique. Subsequently, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) were adopted to understand the structure, surface morphology, and optical properties of the prepared samples. The FT-IR spectral analysis revealed important bands, such as O-H stretching, C=O stretching, C-H stretching, and O=C=O stretching vibrations. The surface roughness of the GQDs-PVA composite thin film was found to be increased after exposure to carbaryl. On the other hand, the optical absorbance of the GQDs-PVA thin film was obtained and further analysis was conducted, revealing a band gap Eg value of 4.090 eV. The sensing potential of the thin film was analyzed using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy. The findings demonstrated that the developed sensor's lowest detection limit for carbaryl was 0.001 ppb, which was lower than that previously reported, i.e., 0.007 ppb. Moreover, other sensing performance parameters, such as full width at half maximum, detection accuracy, and signal-to-noise ratio, were also investigated to evaluate the sensor's efficiency.
  20. Fulltext Composition of Crude Palm Oil Extracted Using Hot Compressed Water Extraction
    Sarip MSM, Morad NA, Aziz MKTA, Saparin N, Nawi MAHM
    J Oleo Sci, 2023 Jan 07;72(1):33-38.
    PMID: 36504190 DOI: 10.5650/jos.ess22248
    Extraction process are one of the critical units in palm oil milling process which dictates its efficiency. In this study, hot compressed water extraction (HCWE) is utilized for the crude palm oil (CPO) extraction. With regards to CPO quality, the extracted CPO using HCWE was analysed based on overall composition, triacylglycerol (TAG) composition and fatty acid profile composition. This is to evaluate the possible product degradation during the process. From the results, the CPO extracted using HCWE process contain low FFA of 0.15±0.01% and low DAG of 2.145% which reflect to higher quality of CPO. This CPO also show the equal mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid composition at 50.63% and 49.93% respectively, within the CPO composition range in the literature. No significant changing of the fatty acid composition is observed between CPO extracted using HCWE and commercial CPO indicated that no possible undesired reaction during the extraction process. HCWE is a promising method for screw press system replacement, but the economic analysis is essential to evaluate its prospective.
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