Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah

Purpose This study intends to reveal the existing research stream and predict future research avenues for lean healthcare (LH). This paper analyzes the progress of LH research and identifies key trends, research gaps and future directions. By mapping the knowledge structure, the study offers insights into the effects of LH on healthcare efficiency, patient care and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach The review used the bibliometric approach, involving 319 journal articles retrieved from the Web of Science database. Two science mapping approaches (i.e. bibliographic coupling and co-word analysis) were performed to investigate the current knowledge structure and future research direction in LH. Findings The current research trend in LH focuses on developing frameworks and strategic implementation by considering critical determinants and decision-making strategies. In the future, the research on LH will emphasize the holistic frameworks and efficient strategies for healthcare excellence, along with strategies to overcome barriers to its implementation. Research limitations/implications This study will benefit researchers and practitioners by advancing their understanding and applying LH principles. Originality/value This study provides valuable practical implications for healthcare managers to navigate the complexities of lean implementation, optimize processes and drive sustainable improvements in the healthcare context.

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) bioplastic shows great promise for sustainable food packaging. This study synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from pineapple waste via green synthesis and incorporated them into CMC to develop enhanced nanocomposite films. Key steps included preparing ZnONP powder and formulating ZnONP‐CMC (ZCMC) (1.0% w/v) solutions for film fabrication. The nanocomposites were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM–EDX, TGA, and DSC to assess structural integrity and thermal stability. Physical properties showed enhancement, including a thickness of 0.17.05 mm, opacity of 17%, moisture content of 52.38%, and water solubility of 64.52%. The mechanical properties also improved significantly, with a tensile strength of 26.30 MPa and elongation at a break of ∼50%. FTIR and XRD confirmed the successful incorporation of ZnO NPs, which improved the crystallinity and structural integrity of the CMC matrix. Notably, the ZCMC nanocomposite exhibited rapid biodegradation within 9 days under soil conditions, highlighting its potential for reducing environmental impact. In conclusion, adding ZnO NPs to CMC films notably improves their physical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics, rendering them ideal for food packaging. While the mechanical and biodegradation properties are promising for food packaging applications, future research should focus on evaluating the antimicrobial properties and practical applications of the ZCMC films in food preservation.

This study aims to determine the significant factors involved in the extraction of sugarcane fiber as a potential dielectric composite material. The factors include sugarcane waste weight (0.5 and 2.5 g), ratio of sugarcane waste to distilled water (1:15 and 1:20), boiling time (30 and 50 min), and cutting length (5 and 10 cm). The factors were analyzed using the Design-Expert software through a two-level factorial analysis to determine the significant factor. The extracted fiber was analyzed for cellulose content using a Kurschner-Hanack method, and the permittivity value was determined through an Agilent vector network analyzer (VNA). The results show that the ratio of sugarcane waste to distilled water and boiling time were the two most significant factors contributing to the cellulose content and permittivity value of the extracted fiber. The best conditions for sugarcane extraction were obtained at 2.5 g sugarcane waste, 1:20 ratio of sugarcane waste to distilled water, 50 min boiling time, and cutting length of 10 cm, resulting in 47.25% cellulose and 3.12 permittivity value. The findings of this study suggest that sugarcane waste could be a potent material for dielectric composite with a suitable application as a microwave absorber.

Organic phase change materials (O-PCMs) such as alkanes, fatty acids, and polyols have recently attracted enormous attention for thermal energy storage (TES) due to availability in a wide range of temperatures and high latent heat values. However, low thermal conductivity and leakage problems during the phase transition of O-PCMs are of great concern. To overcome the long-standing drawbacks of O-PCMs, we critically discussed the preparation techniques of macro encapsulation phase change (MaPCM), microencapsulation phase change materials (MPCM), shape stabilized phase change materials (SSPCM), eutectic phase change materials (EPCM), nano-enhanced phase change materials (NePCM) along with the morphological insights, thermal property enhancements & molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the prepared composite PCMs. The article also discusses fundamental thermal property increments in phonon interaction, Van der Waals forces of attraction, aspect ratio, thermal conductive path, temperature agglomeration, surfactant effect, and thermal resistance of O-PCMs. The current ongoing review manuscript consolidates the variation in thermal properties with different concentrations of nanoparticles, considering the variety of references to provide valuable insight to the researchers. Carbon-based nanoparticles dispersed with the O-PCMs are the best way to reduce the low thermal conductivity problem. The π-π stack interaction between the O-PCMs and the nanoparticles decreased the leakage problems of O-PCMs during encapsulation and shape stabilization. The authors observed that the highest increment in the thermal conductivity and the latent heat of the OPCMs is 1008.33% and 60%, respectively. Finally, the present review provides a new vision and draws more attention to the material reliability of O-PCMs-based applications in the future, particularly regarding TES.

In the present work, the effect of SiO2 nanofiller on the electrochemical properties of GPEs prepared from PMMA/PLA has been discussed in detail. Two different systems are examined: PMMA/PLA-LiBOB (System I) and PMMA/PLA-LiBOB-SiO2 (System II). The Cole–Cole plots illustrate a notable reduction in bulk resistance consequent to the incorporation of SiO2, which results in a substantial improvement in ionic conductivity from 1.69 × 10–6 S cm⁻¹ to 1.37 × 10–3 S cm⁻¹ at ambient temperature, with the peak conductivity identified at 6 wt.% SiO2. The dielectric analysis reveals that SiO2 markedly augmented both the dielectric constant and dielectric loss, attributable to its elevated polarizability and the contributions from space charge polarization. Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) measurements indicate voltage stability of 4.1 V for System I and 4.7 V for System II. Electrochemical performance comparisons demonstrate that System II outperforms System I in terms of stability and cycling performance, with differential capacity analysis further confirming the positive impact of SiO2 nanofiller on electrochemical activity.

This study explores the use of fibrous nano-silica (KCC-1) derived from sustainable and renewable waste palm oil fuel ash (POFA) for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB), a prevalent environmental pollutant. The synthesis of this eco-friendly material utilises agricultural waste and enhances its catalytic properties by incorporating iron (Fe) particles. Commercial Fe2O3 impregnated the synthesised KCC-1, creating the Fe/KCC-1 photocatalyst. Extensive characterisation techniques confirmed the catalyst’s excellent properties, including FESEM, XRD, XRF, BET, FTIR, and UV–Vis DRS. The fibrous morphology, amorphous silica structure with Fe, and silica-rich composition of POFA were verified. The photocatalytic degradation of MB was studied, achieving 87.6% degradation under the best conditions: 240 min of UV irradiation, 3 g/L catalyst dosage, pH 6, and 10 mg/L initial MB concentration. This improvement is attributed to enhanced charge separation and increased active sites facilitated by the iron decoration. The experimental data fit well with the pseudo-first-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models, indicating monolayer adsorption on a homogeneous surface. The study found that pH solution is the most crucial factor, with degradation efficiency directly proportional to pH. A degradation mechanism involving MB adsorption on the catalyst surface, followed by the generation of reactive oxygen species like hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anions upon light irradiation, leading to MB degradation, was proposed. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of Fe/KCC-1 derived from waste POFA as a photocatalyst for efficient MB degradation, with potential applications in wastewater treatment.

Novel gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) based on guar gum and lithium bis(oxalate)borate (LiBOB) were developed via the dissolution method. Structural and ionic conductivity properties were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). FTIR analysis revealed significant interactions between guar gum and LiBOB. DSC results indicated a decrease in both the glass transition temperature (Tg) and crystallization temperature (Tc) with increasing LiBOB content, reflecting enhanced amorphous phase formation. An optimum ionic conductivity of 7.89 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature was achieved with 6 wt. % LiBOB. The temperature dependence of conductivity followed Arrhenius behavior, suggesting thermally activated ion transport. FTIR deconvolution established a correlation between the number density, mobility, and diffusion coefficient of mobile ions with ionic conductivity. These findings demonstrate the potential of guar gum–based GPEs for lithium-ion battery applications.

Stochastic nature of wind speed and turbulence generated between turbines are common factors that cause stress in wind turbine. Hence, it is important to regulate the rotor speed of wind turbine based on the desired reference speed. Consequently, employing a PID-based controller is crucial for maintaining wind turbine system performance. Recently, there has been a growing interest in utilizing better optimization tools to tune the PID control parameters, providing an advantage in enhancing wind turbine system output response while maintaining the robustness and simplicity of PID controller. However, existing optimization tools for tuning PID controllers, particularly those based on multi-agent optimization, often involve a large number of function evaluations (NFE), resulting in high computational burdens. This study introduces a novel approach using a memory-based smoothed functional algorithm (MSFA) to tune the PID controller in wind turbine systems. The MSFA, which is in the class of single-agent based optimization techniques, requires fewer number of function evaluations per iteration, addressing the computational burden issue. Simulation analyses, encompassing the fitness function convergence curve, step response time specification analysis, Bode plot stability analysis, and computational effort analysis based on NFE, are performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the suggested PID controller for wind turbine systems based on MSFA. The results indicate that the proposed MSFA-based PID controller is highly effective in producing better integral absolute error (IAE) with less values of NFE in comparison with other existing based methods. Keywords-PID tuning, computational effort, single-agent optimizer, high control accuracy.

Combined usage of computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM) in the same construction project can result in unwarranted issues. Stakeholders might combine CAD and BIM due to a lack of awareness of the benefits of implementing BIM exclusively. A lateral comparison between the impact of CAD and BIM on different project activities can provide stakeholders with the necessary awareness. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the task performance of BIM and CAD in completing different construction project activities in a controlled environment. To achieve that, this study used an experimental lab research approach. The study participants were industry professionals with experience in using CAD and/or BIM to produce different project outputs. The outputs were analyzed to identify shifts in task performance among the participants, including mean and median analysis and ANOVA. The results, encompassing duration, completeness, and accuracy, highlight BIM's superiority over CAD. Extrapolating these results to overall task performance, BIM exhibits approximately two times better performance than CAD. The study reveals that BIM's integrated and dynamic modeling approach contributes to its superior performance, enhancing accuracy, completeness, and efficiency in construction project activities. As a result, the study emphasizes the importance of using BIM exclusively. Nevertheless, this is the first study that laterally compares the performance of BIM and CAD in completing different construction project activities in a controlled environment.

2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-geranylacetophenone (tHGA) is an important molecule found in Melicope pteleifolia and has been reported to exhibit numerous pharmacological activities including LOX inhibition. As part of our continuing effort to search for new 15-sLOX inhibitor with better in vitro efficacies, a C-geranylated chalcone-based flavanone (8) was synthesized via facile Friedel–Crafts acylation followed by direct C-alkylation. The synthesized flavanone was assayed for its in-vitro inhibition against soybean 15-lipoxygenase (15-sLOX); and predicted for its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties using docking simulation, SwissADME and PreADMET server. Results indicated that direct C-alkylation on chalcone intermediate using potassium carbonate as base catalyst was possible to establish the conditions that favor the isomerization of chalcone into flavanone. The synthesized flavanone (8) showed better LOX inhibitory activity (IC50: 1.02 ± 0.15 µM) when compared to our previously reported parent compound tHGA (1, IC50: 23.6 ± 1.7 µM) and its chalcone-based analogue (2, IC50: 15.2 ± 1.2 µM). The (R) enantiomer of flavanone (8) showed a good dock score ( −9.97 kcal/mol) which interacts with the target enzyme through one hydrogen bonding, and one hydrophobic interaction with iron-binding amino acid (His 499). Molecular dynamics simulation with 100 ns refined and confirmed the docking study result, and the stability of the complex was verified based on root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root-mean-square-fluctuation (RMSF), and protein–ligand interaction analyses. The (R) enantiomer of flavanone (8) showed stable hydrophobic and hydrophilic contacts in the active site. This study provides insights into the 15-sLOX inhibitory profile of a C-geranylated chalcone-based flavanone with an electron withdrawing substituents (-F-) at ring B as potent lead.

The increasing levels of ammonium in wastewater pose serious environmental issues, highlighting the urgent need for effective adsorbents to facilitate its removal. Although conventional biological treatment methods have certain drawbacks, adsorption using carbonaceous materials, such as carbon black produced from waste tires, presents a promising alternative for ammonium removal. However, the use of these materials has not been thoroughly investigated. This study focuses on optimizing the synthesis of carbon black modified with anionic surfactants to improve its capacity for ammonium adsorption. Utilizing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and a Box‐Behnken design, the optimization process examined key variables, including reaction time, surfactant concentration, carbon black dosage, and surfactant type. Comprehensive characterization of the adsorbent was conducted to analyze its surface properties, functional groups, morphology, and elemental composition. The regression models produced highly accurate results with an R ² value of 0.9437. The optimal synthesis conditions were identified as a 12.30‐hour reaction time, a surfactant concentration of 8 mmol/L of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, and a carbon black dosage of 30 g, achieving an ammonium removal efficiency of 84.80 %. This study offers a scalable solution for ammonium removal in wastewater, promising practical applications and future sustainable waste management research.

In this work, biochar was synthesized by carbonizing spent coffee grounds by conducting oxygen-limited pyrolysis in a muffle furnace. Six varieties of biochar have been synthesized at 550 ℃ and 750 ℃ with a ramp rate of 10 ℃/min and carbonization time of 120 min. Acid- and alkali-activated biochars were produced by carbonizing the activated biomass at 550 ℃ and 750 ℃. ZnCl2 and KOH were used as activating agents for acid and alkali activation, respectively. All the synthesized biochar yield was recorded as 40–60 wt% of the biomass weight. BET surface area increased significantly after activation and the values varied between 1.01 and 720.52 m²/g. The process of chemical activation has resulted in increased BET surface area in comparison with the pristine biochar. Other characterizations include FESEM analysis, elemental analysis through EDX, FTIR, UV–visible spectroscopy, XRD analysis, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra and UV–visible spectra of activated samples revealed a higher graphitic quality and absorbance, respectively, whereas XRD analysis demonstrated the changes in structural phases. Activated carbon based on spent coffee grounds has displayed higher thermal stability and better surface chemistry than pristine biochar, enabling its application in various domains that foster circular economy.

The chapter highlights a value-driven initiative of co-creation in teaching and learning in higher education institutions to address the needs that emerged among local communities. The study presents three cases from three universities in Bangladesh. Findings demonstrate that staff-student co-creation can be applied as an inclusive tactic for facilitating teaching and learning in higher education. It can also build awareness among learners as active well-being agents. The pedagogical approaches endorsed several sustainable development goals (SDGs) and accrued cumulative social, economic and environmental values for the local community. The analysis of the cases offers significant implications for educators, researchers, and policymakers in academia and beyond.