Junior Science Communication

Preparation and Characterization of Flaxseed Oil-Based Emulsion Containing Kojic Acid

2023-08-01T08:11:55+08:00

Flaxseed oil and kojic acid are widely used in cosmetics industry due to their various benefits. However, kojic acid is a hydrophilic skin whitening agent, making it difficult to penetrate into and transport to a certain location of the skin. Thus, a carrier for kojic acid such as an emulsion system needs to be developed. Unfortunately, emulsion also has its own problem due to its thermodynamic instability. Therefore, this study was proposed to prepare and characterize a stable flaxseed oil-based emulsion as carrier for kojic acid.

Synthesis and Characterization of Chicken Manure Catalyst for Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil to Fatty Acid Methyl Ester

2023-08-01T07:25:31+08:00

Due to industrialization and a constantly growing population, fossil fuel usage is expanding globally. It is well known that fossil fuels are a significant source of greenhouse gases and other airborne contaminants like NO₂, SO₂, CO, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds that contribute to ozone depletion, acid rain, and global warming. Biodiesel (FAME) is one of the renewable energy sources that could be used in place of conventional fossil fuels. Cost is the main obstacle to commercial FAME production because it is more expensive than fossil fuels.

Determination of Anti-acetylcholinesterase Activity of Calyx Hibiscus mutabilis Ethanolic Extract

2023-08-01T06:48:38+08:00

Several uses of synthetic medicines such as donepezil and tacrine to treat neurodegenerative diseases have shown some side effects. The use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from plant-based products as a better option for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease is expanding. However, no study has been conducted on the anti-acetylcholinesterase activity of Hibiscus mutabilis ethanolic extract.

Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO/CdS-Activated Carbon for Degradation of Tetracycline

2023-08-01T04:01:03+08:00

ZnO suffer from wide band gap, and poor surface reactions. Therefore, CdS is introduced to the ZnO as composite to enhance visible light harvesting and charge separation by using wet impregnation. Next, the as-prepared ZnO/CdS is coated on activated carbon to increase the surface area and has a potential to improve the performance of ZnO/CdS photocatalyst.

Photocatalytic Activities of ZnO/CdS Coated on Fabric via Degradation of Tetracycline

2023-08-01T03:19:08+08:00

TC antibiotics compounds are frequently found in surface water, groundwater, and sediment as a result of the exploitation of antibiotics in the medical industry. TC antibiotics are difficult to break down, and several metabolites and breakdown of products frequently exhibit greater toxicity and harm the parent substance. The ZnO/CdS will be coated on fabric to exhibit outstanding photocatalytic efficiency in the degradation of TC.

Impedance Study of Polyaniline Coated Mild Steel in 0.5m Nacl Solution

2023-07-31T21:22:05+08:00

Conductive polymers, such as polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy), and polythiophene (PTH), are corrosion-resistant and environmentally safe.

Banana Leaves as Biosorbent for Oil Spill Sorption: Sorption Efficiency and Characterization

2023-07-31T10:51:24+08:00

Oil spill is widely happened around the world as it is discharge into the sea and wastewater can cause environmental pollution. The use of biomass as an adsorbent for the removal of oil is a promising solution to this problem.

Graphene Oxide/Polyaniline Composite Coating for Corrosion Protection of Mild Steel in 0.5M Sodium Chloride (NaCl) Solution

2023-07-31T09:45:43+08:00

Polyaniline (PANI) is a well-known conductive polymer that is light in weight, non-toxic, inexpensive and has strong electrochemical and reversible redox properties. According to Chang et al. (2012), adding well-dispersed graphene oxide to PANI enhances the pathways for reactive gas diffusion in polymer coatings. In comparison to pristine PANI polymer coatings, this results in a notable improvement in the corrosion protection of metallic substrates. Additionally, the steel surface is successfully preserved by GO's impermeability to oxygen and water.

Corrosion Protection of Mild Steel by Polyaniline Modified with Kaolinite in 0.5M Sodium Chloride (NaCl) Solution.

2023-07-30T22:23:01+08:00

Among the conductive polymers used as an anti-corrosive coating, polyaniline (PANI) is the most studied conducting polymer. The addition of kaolinite into polyaniline-based coatings creates a protective barrier on the surface of mild steel, preventing moisture, oxygen, and other corrosive elements from permeating. This barrier inhibits the electrochemical processes that cause corrosion, extending the lifespan and durability of the coated mild steel substrate greatly.

Utilisation of Cationic Surfactant Modified Kaffir Lime Leaves Residue for the Removal of Reactive Orange 16 Dye from Aqueous Solution: A Fixed-Bed Column Study

2023-07-30T07:12:55+08:00

The removal of reactive orange 16 (RO16) dye using residue as a non-conventional low-cost adsorbent will be studied. Column adsorption will be used to demonstrate how parameters such as adsorbent bed height and intake dye flow rate affect the results. The adsorption data were fitted to the Yoon-Nelson model for predicting breakthrough curves and timings. The time necessary for a breakthrough in Yoon-Nelson model will be set at 50% of the effluent RO16 to feed concentration. The correlation coefficients, R², for all two parameters will be used to determine the efficacy of the adsorbent in extracting RO16 from aqueous solution.

Magnetite Nanoparticle on Modified Fenton Degradation in Treating Emerging Pollutant of Paracetamol

2023-07-30T06:02:51+08:00

Paracetamol from pharmaceutical industries creates an environmental and health issues due to increase discharge into waterbodies. Therefore, the treatment using magnetite nanoparticle (MNP) as an adsorbent in removing the paracetamol could be a promising solution.

Pandan Leaves for Oil Sorption: Characterization and Sorption Studies

2023-07-28T09:33:05+08:00

Sorption materials, like synthetic polymers, are commonly used to remove oil from water, but they are costly and non-renewable. Using biomass as a low-cost, eco-friendly solution for oil removal is a promising solution.

Effect Of Methanol-Oil-Molar Ratio & Catalyst Loading on Conversion of Waste Cooking Oil into Biodiesel Using Chicken Manure as Solid Base Catalyst

2023-07-28T06:52:28+08:00

In this study, the objective was to explore an alternative to conventional diesel that causes less harm to the environment. Biodiesel, derived from waste cooking oil (WCO), serves as a renewable source and addresses the issue of improper WCO disposal, contributing to environmental damage. Utilizing WCO as a feedstock offers economic benefits and helps minimize biodiesel production costs.

Melissopalynology Analysis of Malaysian Tualang Honey

2023-07-28T04:51:11+08:00

Commercially available Tualang honey has the risk of being adulterated with water and sugar solution in efforts to meet growing demands. This can negatively affect the honey. The data obtained from this study can serve as guidelines about Tualang honey, especially in relation to melissopalynology analysis that aligns with a national agenda that focuses on medical and health policies of Malaysian Tualang honey.

Melissopalynology Analysis of Malaysian Gelam Honey

2023-07-28T04:41:58+08:00

Gelam honey of Melaleuca sp. is one of the wild types of honey produced by Apis dorsata bees. Nowadays, honey adulteration is rampant as most markets offer adulterated brown sugar-based honey with detrimental effects on blood sugar levels. The difficulty in identifying the floral category causes the floral origin of the honey to be unknown. Melissopalynology is a way to curb adulteration and inaccurate labelling of honey that is happening in the honey production industry. In this study, the pH, moisture content and colour intensity of Malaysian Gelam honey were determined, together with morphology, pollen types and count present in Gelam honey.

Histopathological Analysis of Vaginal Structure in Rats Following Honey Supplementation

2023-07-28T04:30:54+08:00

The vagina, a crucial organ linked to reproductive systems, puberty, period cycle, and menopause, undergoes changes due to aging and hypoestrogenism. This can result from factors such as aging, cancer treatment, ovarian failure, or surgical menopause. Honey, a popular global health food, contains numerous nutrients and antioxidants. It has been shown to prevent uterine and vaginal shrinkage and dryness in menopausal animals, possibly due to its high levels of phytoestrogens. Gelam Honey, a Malaysian monofloral wild honey produced by Apis dorsata bees, has therapeutic properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and accelerated wound healing. This study aims to observe the tissue of normal rats given varying doses of honey.

Molecular Dynamic Simulation of Wrightiaionoside B from Wrightia Genus Against Wild-Type And Quadruple Mutant Plasmodium falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase (pfDHFR)

2023-07-28T03:59:20+08:00

Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium, with Plasmodium falciparum being the deadliest species. Drug-resistant strains of P. falciparum have become a global challenge in malaria control. Antimalarial drugs target essential enzymes like dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) in the parasite's metabolic pathways.

Forensic Analysis of Nail Polish Using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy with Chemometric Method

2023-07-27T17:13:43+08:00

Nail polishes are cosmetic paints that can be found at a crime scene and provide information to reconstruct the crime when analyzed using a non-destructive technique like ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The objective of this research is to characterize different brands of nail polish based on their chemical constituent, to discriminate respective nail polishes using the chemometric method as well as to study the impact of glass and cotton substrates on nail polish spectra.

Noise Exposure Among Workers in Small-Medium Enterprise at Rembau, Negeri Sembilan

2023-07-27T16:18:17+08:00

Noise is derived from the Latin word ‘nausea,’ defined as ‘unwanted sound’ or ‘sound that is loud, unpleasant or unexpected’. Noise is an undesirable sound and a waste of energy that is released by a vibrating body and induces hearing through nerves when it reaches the human ear. High noise levels are recognized as a potential hazard to workers. There is serious noise pollution in the workplace that handles cement and steel. The complexity of noise sources, particularly in the cement sector, is well known. One of the aspects of noise pollution in cement plants is the high noise pressure level. In this study, we will focus on the service and other sectors on the small enterprise. A small business is widely known as vulnerable to severe occupational noise but have minimal means to detect such risk. Moreover, workers of SMEs are exposed to great risk of occupational hazard with a lower ability to mitigate the hazard has become a problem faced by SMEs.

Forensic Analysis of Lipstick Stains using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy

2023-07-27T16:02:09+08:00

Lipstick smears are frequently found as trace evidence in crime scenes due to their easily transferable nature. It can be examined to prove physical contact between the suspect and the victim and can be used as collaborative evidence. Thus, it is necessary to characterize and discriminate between lipsticks from various brands on different substrates.

Influence of Roasting and Brewing on Physicochemical Properties of Coffea arabica: A Review

2023-07-21T10:47:04+08:00

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world, and its consumption is rising. Based on an annual analysis of world coffee consumption, International Coffee Organization (ICO) estimates that 9.98 million kg of coffee were consumed worldwide in 2020–2021. Coffea is the scientific name for coffee, and under this genus there is Coffea arabica which is commonly known as Arabica coffee and Coffea canephora that widely known as Robusta coffee.

Noise Exposure Monitoring at Aircraft Maintenance Services

2023-07-28T05:37:37+08:00

Noise is a physical hazard that can threaten human health and that will lead to diseases in the population. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Malaysia statistics from 2018-2022, reported that industrial sectors with the most confirmed cases is manufacturing on occupational noise-related hearing disorders (ONRHD).