Microalgae are known as an alternative source of biomass energy to replace fossil fuels. The aim of the present study is to optimise the growth conditions and increase the lipid, carbohydrate and biomass productivity of Tetradesmus obliquus UPSI-JRM02 using response surface methodology with Design Expert software. Four variables (nitrogen concentration, temperature, pH, and light intensity) were optimised to enhance T. obliquus productivity. The highest lipid (33 � 1.2mg/L/day), carbohydrate (51 � 1.5 mg/L/day) and biomass (115 � 1.4 mg/L/day) productivity were produced at a nitrogen concentration of 400 mg/L NO3? at 36 �C with pH of 9.8, and light intensity of 23500 lux. The fatty acid methyl ester contains polyunsaturated fatty acid (C18:2, C18:3) and saturated fatty acid (C16:0). These results demonstrate the potential of T. obliquus to produce promising feedstock for biofuel production. ? 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group...

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This study aims to investigate the level of disclosure of Islamic banking in Bahrain by the web-based disclosure. The web-based disclosure method was implemented to determine the quantity of ?the level of web-based disclosure of Islamic banks in Bahrain? by using an index that consists of 90 items. The findings of the 'descriptive analysis' indicated that the overall level of web-based disclosure was 73.3%. The regression results showed a ?positive relationship between the independent variables (firm size, age, and profitability) and the level of web-based disclosure?. The results of this paper help the ?Islamic banking in Bahrain? to increase the level of web-based disclosure to reach full online financial reporting disclosure (OFRD) to satisfy the stakeholders. The outcomes of this study will be useful elsewhere. ? 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd...

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This study presents a robot movement in tracking 2D objects. This input image is transformed into another image by certain techniques. In this study, by utilizing image processing, the robot can work to detect objects in the form of hexagons. Apart from detecting the detected shape, this image processing is also for detecting color. So that a hexagon-shaped 2D object will be detected with the magenta color that has been set in advance. The movement of this robot is to follow the motion of objects horizontally. While the object is shifted to the right, the robot will move to the right, and if the object is shifted to the left, the robot will move to the left. Robot movement is controlled by fuzzy logic. There are 5 membership functions to divide the object's position area and 5 membership functions output to adjust the speed and direction of the robot's motion. ? 2021 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd...

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Intensive investigation of phytochemicals from edible Melicope glabra leaves provided a series of O-alkylated quercetins (1?13). The quercetin 1 bearing prenyl and methyl motif showed potent inhibition to human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE) with mixed type I mode, while quercetin was inactive. The position of methyl group was also a critical factor to hAChE inhibition: 1 (4?-O-methyl, IC50 = 12.7 ?M) vs 2 (3?-O-methyl, IC50 = 119 ?M). Inhibitory potency was doubly confirmed with the binding affinity (KSV) based on fluorescence quenching. O-Methyl groups on quercetin were observed to influence ?-secretase (BACE1) inhibition. Thus, O-methylated quercetins (4?6) displayed potential inhibitions against BACE1 with IC50 values of 1.3, 4.1, and 14.1 ?M, respectively. All compounds (3?6) have noncompetitive mode to BACE1. Additionally, all quercetin derivatives (1?13) had antioxidant potentials against different radical sources (ABTS, ORAC and FRAP). The UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS indicated that the lea.....

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Ranking the strengths and weaknesses of software engineering students in software development life cycle (SDLC) process level is a challenging task owing to (1) data variation, (2) multievaluation criteria, (3) criterion importance and (4) alternative member importance. According to the existing literature, no specified procedure can rank the ability of software engineering students based on SDLC process levels to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of each student. This study aims to present a novel triplex procedure for ranking the ability of software engineering students to address the literature gap. The methodology of the proposed work is presented on the basis of three phases. In the identification phase, four steps are implemented, namely, processing dataset, identifying the criteria, distributing the courses to the software engineering body of knowledge and proposing the pre-decision matrix (DM). The data comprise the GPA and soft skills from 60 software engineering student.....

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Increasing demand for open-source software (OSS) has raised the value of efficient selection in terms of quality; usability is an essential quality factor that significantly affects system acceptability and sustainability. Most large and complex software packages partitioned across multiple portals and involve many users - each with their role in the software package; those users have different perspectives on the software package, defined by their knowledge, responsibilities, and commitments. Thus, a multi-perspective approach has been used in usability evaluation to overcome the challenge of inconsistency between users' perspectives; the inconsistency challenge would lead to an ill-advised decision on the selection of a suitable OSS. This study aimed to assist the public and private organizations in evaluating and selecting the most suitable OSS. The evaluation of the OSS software packages to choose the best one is a challenging task owing to (a) multiple evaluation criteria, (b) cri.....

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The adverse effects of ammonia found in wastewater streams lead to the development of advanced water treatment technology, i.e. membrane contactor (MC). In this study, single layer hollow fibre membrane (SLZK) and dual layer hollow fibre membrane (DLZK) were prepared from zirconia and kaolin and modified into hydrophobic membrane through simple grafting process via fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) agent. The properties of membranes such as morphology, surface roughness, mechanical strength, wettability and liquid entry pressure were analysed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), 3-point bending strength, contact angle and LEPw setup. Finally, the performance of the membranes was also investigated towards ammonia removal via membrane contactor system. Our findings showed that hydrophobicity properties significantly improved for both SLZK and DLZK membranes after grafting modification process as indicated by the increase of contact angle value from 5� and 1ï.....

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In this study, the synthesis of ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites using bamboo leaf ash (BLA) and tested their photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B decolorization have been conducted. The nanocomposites were prepared by the sol?gel reaction of zinc acetate dihydrate, which was used as a zinc oxide precursor, with silica gel obtained from the caustic extraction of BLA. The effect of the Zn content (5, 10, and 20 wt%) on the physicochemical characteristics and photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites was investigated. The results of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, gas sorption, and transmission electron microscopy characterization confirmed the mesoporous structure of the composites containing nanoflower-like ZnO (wurtzite) nanoparticles of 10?30 nm in size dispersed on the silica support. Further, the nanocomposites were confirmed to be composed of ZnO/SiO2 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Meanwhile, diffuse-reflectance UV?visible spectrophotometry analysis o.....

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Fungi, especially edible mushrooms, are considered as high-quality food with nutritive and functional values. They are of considerable interest and have been used in the synthesis of nutraceutical supplements due to their medicinal properties and economic significance. Specific fungal groups, including predominantly filamentous endophytic fungi from Ascomycete phylum and several Basidiomycetes, produce secondary metabolites (SMs) with bioactive properties that are involved in the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. These beneficial fungi, while high in protein and important fat contents, are also a great source of several minerals and vitamins, in particular B vitamins that play important roles in carbohydrate and fat metabolism and the maintenance of the nervous system. This review article will summarize and discuss the abilities of fungi to produce antioxidant, anticancer, antiobesity, and antidiabetic molecules while also reviewing the evidence from the last decade on the impo.....

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The literature analysing Muslim perspective towards other religions is now quite extensive. However, when it comes to Muslim?s perspective towards Buddhism, the scholarship lags far behind. This article aimed to identify the Muslim views on Buddhism from a theological and philosophical framework. The Muslim views have a different category, on categorising Buddhism, the status of Buddha as a Prophet, and Buddhist as the People of the Book. Each view provides a different framework of Muslim perspective towards Buddhism. From the theological view, one of the outlook is tolerance. Due to the rejection of Buddhist doctrine by most Muslim theologians, Muslims apply tolerance, which is subject to religious freedom stand on, ?firm in principle, tolerant in attitude?. Tolerance encourages Muslims to adhere to the principles of truth, but does not erode the respect for other religion. While from a philosophical view, it considered Buddhism as a religion from God, as well as other religions. Thus.....

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