The kinetics of wax ester synthesis from oleic acid and oleyl alcohol using immobilized lipase from Candida antartica as catalyst was studied with different types of impeller (Rushton turbine and AL-hydrofoil) to create different mixing conditions in 21 stirred tank reactor. The effects of catalyst concentration, reaction temperature, and impeller tip speed on the synthesis were also evaluated. Rushton turbine impeller exhibited highest conversion rate at lower impeller tip speed as compared to AL-hydrofoil impeller. A second-order reversible kinetic model from single progress curve for the prediction of fractional conversion at given reaction time was proposed and the corresponding kinetic parameter values were calculated by non-linear regression method. The results from the simulation using the proposed model showed satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. Activation energy shows a value of 21.77 Kcal/mol. The thermodynamic parameters of the process, enthalpy and entropy, were 21.15 Kcal/mol and 52.07 cal/mol.K, respectively.

Pulau Pisang is a small island situated off the western coast of the Malaysian state of Johor at the southern end of the Straits of Malacca. The island is about 12 kilometres from Pontian Kechil and 5 kilometres from the town of Benut and is the site of the Pulau Pisang Light, a lighthouse guiding ships into the western entrance of the busy Singapore Strait. From colonial times, the Pulau Pisang Light has always been recognised as within the territory of the independent Sultanate of Johor. The Sultanate of Johor became a British protectorate in the twentieth century and upon independence, Johor became one of the states within Malaysia. Currently, the lighthouse is managed and operated by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore and the lighthouse precinct is off limits to Malaysians. This article examines the status of Pulau Pisang as an island under Malaysian sovereignty. This article further looks at the possible future implications should Singapore continue to manage the Pulau Pisang Light that instigates the question: Will Pulau Pisang become another Pedra Branca?

Sabah or 'North Borneo', as it was formerly known, used to be part of the domain of the Sultanate of Sulu. Sabah was ceded to the British North Borneo Company in 1878 by the Sulu Sultanate and upon independence, Sabah joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 and remained as a Malaysian province until today. The Sulu Sultanate was finally annexed as part of the Philippines by the American colonial government in 1915. Nevertheless, as a successor state of the Sulu Sultanate, the Philippines had never relinquished its claim over Sabah. The territorial intrusion by the Royal Army of the Sulu Sultanate in 2013 into Sabah has sparked unease amongst both Sabahans and the Malaysian government. The Sultan of Sulu claimed that Sabah has always been part of his kingdom. Is this claim valid under international law?