A spatial distribution study was carried out to investigate the influence of some environmental factors to planktons using collected samples from the Sungai Pulai estuary, near to the Singapore boarder. Six stations chosen for the field sampling were Port Tanjung Pelepas (S1), Tanjung Bin Charcoal Plant (S2), seagrasses of Pulau Merambong (S4) and SecondLink Bridge (S5) and mangrove areas (S3, S6). There is no significant difference of phytoplankton abundance (p>0.05) between stations. Instead, it differs significantly at the level of p<0.05; p= 0.0001 (Two tailed, t=14.10 df=34) between sampling session. In contrast, there is a significant difference of zooplankton abundance (p<0.05) in the sampling stations (χ2 = 17.3,(5)), but there is no significant difference (p>0.05; p=0.8966) between the sampling session (Two tailed, t=0.1310, df=34). Biplot analysis shows that most species are associated with the stations except for Protoperidinium sp., Lithodesmia sp. and Alexendrium sp. Copepod species including Microcalanus sp., Calanus sp. and Temora sp. are associated with S5. Paracalanus sp., Euterpina sp., Tigriopus sp., Oithona sp. and Pseudocalanus sp. are associated with S1, S2 and S4. The planktons are correlated with the temperature (Pearson’s correlation, r2=-0.897) and salinity (Pearson’s correlation, r2=0.9416) in March but no correlation is found in November sampling session. The results indicated the important role of certain environmental factors, namely the salinity and temperature to the distribution of the planktons in Sungai Pulai estuary.
The recent expanding rat population is causing severe economic losses and diseases in human. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the antifertility effects of Andrographis paniculata (AP) methanol extract on the weight of testis, sexual behaviour, fertility, sperm quality and serum testosterone level in treated male rats compared with control rats. A total of 21 adult male rats Sprague-Dawley aged 12 weeks were divided into three groups; control group (distilled water), low dose group (800 mg/kg) and high dose group (1600 mg/kg) of AP methanol extracts given orally for 24 days. Body and testis weight, sexual behaviour test, fertility test, sperm quality and serum testosterone level were measured. Oral administration of AP methanol extract showed a significant decrease in testis weight, number of mountings, number of fetuses, sperm count, sperm motility and serum testosterone levels for all treatment group as compared with the control group, whereas mortality showed a significant increase. Observation on testis histology of treatment group exhibited features of degeneration in Sertoli cells and germinal cells in the seminiferous tubules, followed by the shrinkage of Leydig cells as compared with the control group, which showed characteristics of normal spermatogenesis. In conclusion, AP methanol extract exhibited antifertility effects in male rats, suggesting that AP is a potential herb to be applied as rodenticide.
The study was aimed to determine the variation in taxonomic diversity of Polynemus paradiseus based on morphometric and meristic analyses of samples collected from three coastal rivers of Bangladesh (Payra, Tentulia and Kirtonkhola). A total of 105 individuals ranging at 10-20 cm in total length (TL) and 7.91-60.64 g in body weight (BW) were sampled using Been nets and Kachal and Veshal nets. Significant differences were observed in 24 out of 25 morphometric measurements and 6 out of 10 meristic counts among the populations. In morphometric measurements, the first discriminant function (DF1) was accounted for 78.6% and the second discriminant function (DF2) was accounted for 21.4% of among groups variability, explaining 100% of total among group variability. A dendrogram based on morphometric data showed that the Tentulia and Kirtankhola populations showed high degree of overlapping and these two populations were highly different from Payra river population. The canonical graph also showed that the populations of Tentulia and Kirtankhola rivers were more closely related comparing with Payra river population for isometric condition. These findings may provide useful information for the conservation and sustainable management of this important fish.
MeSH terms: Animals; Bangladesh; Body Weight; Fishes; Discriminant Analysis; Rivers
Temporal changes of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) communities were investigated at the study area of Gunung Pulai Recreational Forest, Johor, Malaysia. Taxa diversity were also studied to determine the seasonality impact on certain benthic communities. Sampling of aquatic insects were carried out from November 2012 to July 2013 using rectangular dip net. As a result, more EPT were found during the dry season (1533 individuals) compared to wet season (321 individuals). Concomitantly, higher diversity was also recorded in the dry season. Among these three investigated orders, Trichoptera represented the most diverse community with three families recorded, followed by Plecoptera (2 families) and Ephemeroptera (1 family). Caddisfly family Hydropsychidae were found to be abundant in the study area. Therefore, seasonality impact on EPT assemblage at Gunung Pulai Recreational Forest is extremely evident.
Sperata aor is a freshwater catfish of Bagridae family which is distributed throughout Indian subcontinent including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar. It is a popular food fish due to its good taste and high nutritional value. Recently it has also made its entry in domestic ornamental fish markets of India and has been reported to have moderate export price too. Earlier, few works on different aspects of its morphology and biology have been carried out but no consolidated review is available on these aspects. Therefore, the current work was done to sum up all available information on these aspects to fill the information gap that will be beneficial to its future fishery. Considering all available information, knowledge on food and feeding habit of this fish species is satisfactory, except detail information on spatial variation of its breeding periodicity, proper information on other aspects are still lacking. No work has been conducted to examine its captive culture potential or for induced breeding. Further work should be done to explore its future fishery.
Padanan lengkung merupakan salah satu masalah yang sering menjadi perhatian terutamanya dalam bidang kejuruteraan balikan sejak dua dekad lepas. Dalam kajian ini, suatu kaedah dan algoritma baru telah direka untuk melakar semula garisan fon Arab. Evolusi pembezaan (EP) telah digunakan untuk mencari penyelesaian yang optimum bagi masalah padanan lengkung dengan menggunakan lengkung Bézier kuartik. Proses padanan lengkung ini merangkumi langkah berikut: Pengekstrakan sempadan dan pengesanan bucu, pemparameteran panjang rentas dan akhir sekali padanan lengkung. Bagi memastikan nilai titik kawalan yang dipilih mampu menghasilkan lengkung berparameter yang menyerupai lengkung asal fon tersebut, jumlah ralat kuasa dua (JRKD) digunakan untuk menghitung perbezaan antara lengkung asal imej dan lengkung berparameter.
Pembinaan semula lengkung banyak digunakan dalam kejuruteraan balikan untuk menghasilkan lengkung. Dalam kajian ini, evolusi pembezaan (EP) digunakan untuk mencari nilai titik kawalan yang optimum bagi lengkung Bézier kubik. Nilai titik kawalan yang diperoleh akan digunakan dalam persamaan lengkung Bézier kubik dan jumlah ralat antara imej sebenar dengan lengkung parametrik yang baru dihitung dengan menggunakan jumlah ralat kuasa dua (JRKD).
This article describes the preparation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) hollow fiber membrane using phase inversion and sintering technique. In this study, nano-sized TiO2 powders with different particle sizes were used to prepare ceramic hollow fiber membranes. In a series of preparation steps, a dispersant was dissolved in organic solvent before the addition of ceramic powders. These steps were followed by the addition of polymer binder. The membrane precursor was obtained by extruding the ceramic suspension into a coagulation bath, which enabled the precipitation of the precursor of ceramic hollow fiber membrane. The dried precursor was later sintered at temperatures ranging from 1200 to 1300oC to obtain TiO2 hollow fiber membrane. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the morphology of TiO2 hollow fiber membrane. The SEM images show the membrane can be shaped into asymmetric structure and symmetric structure based on the ceramic suspension compositions. The highest mechanical strength obtained was 223 MPa when the membrane prepared using 20 wt. % ceramic loading of single nano-sized powder and sintered at 1300oC. TiO2 hollow fiber membrane prepared using similar ceramic loading showed high permeation rate of inert gas. High pure water fluxes were obtained when permeability tests was carried out using TiO2 hollow fiber membrane, prepared using mixture of nano-sized particles, even though its cross-section have a sponge-like structure.
The aim of this study was to investigate the simultaneous influence of various dental posts and cementation materials on the fracture resistance and failure mode of the endodontically-treated teeth. Sixty endodontically treated upper central incisors were randomly divided into two main groups, each consisted of three subgroups restored with titanium, fiber and stainless steel posts. The posts in the first and second groups were luted with zinc phosphate and composite resin cements, respectively. Composite cores were built-up over the specimens and then retained with nickel-chromium crowns. Specimens were thermocycled and then loaded at 135o until failures were observed. The obtained data of fracture resistances and failure modes were analyzed using Two-way ANOVA and the Chi-Square tests, respectively. The results showed that the zinc phosphate cement resulted in relatively higher fracture resistances. However, luting of dental posts with composite resin provided more restorable failures in endodontically-treated teeth. Moreover, the teeth restored by fiber posts exhibited desirable fracture resistances with more restorable failure modes, compared with those restored by titanium or stainless steel posts.
MeSH terms: Analysis of Variance; Cementation; Chromium; Composite Resins; Incisor; Nickel; Phosphates; Post and Core Technique; Stainless Steel; Titanium; Zinc Phosphate Cement; Zinc Compounds; Resin Cements; Tooth, Nonvital
Rhodinol is a mixture of geraniol and citronellol. It is the second fraction in fractional distillation of commercially grown Cymbopogon nardus. The physical and chemical similarities of these two compounds made them inseparable. The individual use of each compound is of great importance. A selective oxidation (hydrogen peroxide activated by platinum black) of geraniol (in rhodinol) to geranial was done while remaining citronellol intact in order to separate the two compounds into different chemical functionality. A yield of 81% geranial achieved while minimizing citronellal formation from citronellol to 17%. Chemical separation using sodium hydrogen sulfite (NaHSO3) was done to separate the aldehydes from the unreacted citronellol. Purification using fractional distillation was done to obtain pure geraniol and remove minor fraction of citronellal.
Ultrafine, cemented tungsten carbide (WC) possesses exceptional hardness, wear resistance and high strength in various applications. In this study, WC was produced through micro powder injection molding (μPIM), which is also applicable for metals and ceramics in producing complex parts with high-dimensional accuracy. Different inhibitors, such as VC, Cr2C3, NbC, or TaC, were added to improve the mechanical properties of WC and control its grain growth. The effects of a grain growth inhibitor were investigated by adding VC in WC–10%Co–nVC, where n = 0 to 1.2 wt. %. The mechanical properties of the sintered part, such as hardness and flexural strength, were determined. The morphology and elemental distribution of the samples were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction was employed to study the phases of the obtained samples. The results showed that the sample with 0.4 wt. % VC (optimal amount) sintered at 1410°C exhibited the highest theoretical density, hardness and flexural strength of 95.2%, 1973±31 HV and 2586±172 MPa, respectively. The average grain size measured was 519±27 nm. VC acted as a grain growth inhibitor during sintering, thereby improving the mechanical properties.
The efficacy of pandan leaf extract (PLE) addition on the oxidative degradation of sunflower oil (SFO) during microwave heating was studied. 80% of methanol extract showed better antioxidant action than the 100% methanol or ethanol extract and the total phenolic contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity and linoleic acid system of PLE were found to be 1845.50 mg GAE/100 g, 60.62-89.87% and 82.21%, respectively. 80% of methanolic extracts at different concentrations (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 wt. %) were added to SFO. The antioxidant treated and control oil samples were subjected to microwave heating and were analyzed at regular intervals for the extent of oxidative changes following the measurements of peroxide value, p-anisidine value, TOTOX, free fatty acid, specific extinction, iodine value, viscosity, polar compounds and fatty acid composition. The PLE were found to be quite effective towards suppressing the primary and secondary oxidation products in the tested oil. The order of effectiveness (p<0.05) was BHA > 0.4% PLE > 0.2% PLE > 0.1% PLE > control. The present results suggested that antioxidant extract from pandan leaf might be used to protect vegetable oils from oxidation.
In this paper, the uncontrolled environmental factors are perturbed into the growth rate deceleration factor of the Gompertzian deterministic model. The growth process under Gompertz’s law is considered, thus lead to stochastic differential equations of Gompertzian with time delay. The Gompertzian deterministic model has proven to fit well with the clinical data of cancerous growth, however the performance of stochastic model towards clinical data is yet to be confirmed. The prediction quality of stochastic model is evaluated by comparing the simulated results with the clinical data of cervical cancer growth. The parameter estimation of stochastic models is computed by using simulated maximum likelihood method. 4-stage stochastic Runge-Kutta is applied to simulate the solution of stochastic model. Low values of root mean-square error (RMSE) of Gompertzian model with random effect indicate good fits.
Two-third of breast cancer patients expressed estrogen receptors (ER)s and received endocrine treatment with established anti-estrogens such as tamoxifen. But the action and acquired resistance during treatment are largely unknown. In contrary, phytochemicals are more selective and less cytotoxic to normal cells. Accordingly, we found aloe emodin, an anthraquinone to inhibit the proliferation of ER+-breast cancer cells, MCF-7 with IC50 of 80 µM, but not affecting control breast cells, MCF-10A. Tamoxifen was non-selective to both cells with IC50 of 27 and 38 μM, respectively. Thus, we aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative mechanism of aloe emodin on MCF-7 and its underlying signalling compared to tamoxifen. Cells were treated separately with aloe emodin and tamoxifen at respective IC50 for 72 h. Apoptosis was determined using Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), insulin like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-2 and B-raf gene was investigated using QuantiGene 2.0 Plex assay. Pairedstudent t-test and ANOVA test were used to compare between untreated and treated cells on the measured parameters. Each treatment was conducted in triplicate and repeated three times. Significance was set at p<0.05. The presences of early and late apoptosis in MCF-7 were seen in both treatments. All target genes were down regulated. The anti-proliferation effect of aloe emodin on MCF-7 is similar with tamoxifen which mediates inhibition of IGF-1R signalling pathway. This suggests aloe emodin as a potential anti-cancer agent to be used in combined anti-estrogen therapy to enhance its efficacy in ER+-breast cancer treatment.
This study was aimed to determine the effect of polysaccharide from guava fruit on paracetamol (PCM)-induced liver injury. Aqueous extract of Psidium guajava fruit was treated with 95% ethanol to collect the water soluble polysaccharide precipitates. Thirty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control (C), PPG400, PCM, PPG200+PCM and PPG400+PCM. The control and PCM groups received 0.9% normal saline orally while the rest were given 200 and 400 mg/kg of freeze-dried polysaccharide (PPG) per oral for fourteen days. At day 15, the animals were orally received PCM (2 g/kg) except the control and PPG400 groups which received 5% dimethyl sulfoxide. At day 16, the blood was collected to determine serum liver enzymes such as transaminases (AST and ALT). The liver tissue was harvested for determination of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6(IL6), microscopic changes and glycogen content. The PCM group showed significant higher level of AST, ALT, TNF-α and IL6 than those of group C. The PCM group showed glycogen depletion, vacuolisation, loss of cell membrane, inflammatory cells infiltration and distorted hepatocelluar cords and narrow sinusoidal spaces. However, those PCM-induced alterations were attenuated by the PPG supplementation. Therefore, the polysaccharide of Psidium guajava possesses hepatoprotective activity and can be used as a dietary supplementation for protection of liver.
Chromatographic purification of chloroform extract of the twigs of Ellipeia cuneifolia has led to the discovery of three compounds comprising of 2´,4´-dihydroxy-4,6´-dimethoxychalcone; tepanone; and O-methylmoschatoline. Structures of the compounds were established by interpreting their spectral data and by comparing them with those of the literature. Two of them showed antibacterial activities.
Malaysian giant prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879), is an important crustacean aquaculture candidate globally cultured chiefly in hot climates and seasonally in temperate zones. Although the first hatchery for artificial production of the species was established in Malaysia in 1984, however, its genetic improvement program has just started recently. This study was executed as a part of this improvement project to evaluate morphometric growth related traits of four populations collected from the Western Coast of Peninsular Malaysia and their progenies. The results of the study disclosed significant differences among these populations for all traits that were considered; with Kedah population showing significant (p
Deterioration of water quality mainly due to high total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite will affect the productivity of shrimp culture. In this study, three indigenous strains assigned as VCM5, VCM8 and VCM12 were evaluated for their ability to degrade TAN and nitrite. These strains were inoculated into shrimp aquaculture wastewater to enhance the degradation of TAN and nitrite. All the strains reduced TAN and nitrite level from the shrimp aquaculture wastewater significantly (p<0.05). Strain VCM5 (GenBank accession number KJ700465) and VCM8 (GenBank accession number KJ700464) showed 99.71% sequence similarity with the 16S rRNA gene type species Bacillus vietnamensis 15-1T (ABO99708) and strain VCM12 (GenBank accession number KJ700463) showed 99.05% sequence similarity with 16S rRNA gene sequence type species Gordonia bronchialis DSM43247T (CP001802).
MeSH terms: Ammonia; Animals; Bacillus; Crustacea; Nitrites; Nitrogen; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Aquaculture; Water Purification; Databases, Nucleic Acid; Gordonia Bacterium; Water Quality; Waste Water
A study to determine the effects of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation on fruit quality, antioxidant compounds and activities of Musa AAA Berangan was carried out. The mature green fruits were exposed to UV-C doses of 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.04 kJ/m2 and allowed to ripen at 25±2o C for 5 days. Peel and pulp color, water loss, firmness, soluble solids concentration (SSC), titratable acidity, pH, vitamin C, total phenolic contents (TPC) and antioxidant activity (assay using ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical-scavenging) were analyzed at day 0, 1, 3 and 5 after ripening. The peel color (L*, C* and ho) of Berangan banana decreased as UV-C irradiation dose increased. UV-C irradiated fruit has lower water loss, firmer pulp and lower SSC than control. The fruit could undergo normal ripening albeit the quality of fruit has been affected by UV-C irradiation. There was significant interaction between UV-C radiation x day after ripening on TPC of Berangan banana. Fruit irradiated with UV-C showed significant higher of TPC as compared with control at later stage of ripening. Antioxidant activities measured with the three assays showed a significant decrease as ripening progressed. The results of this study showed that UV-C radiation as low as 0.01 kJ/m2 is able to reduce water loss, slow down starch conversion and softening and enhanced TPC of Berangan banana.
The use of remote sensing imagery, to some extends geographic information system (GIS), have been identified as the most recent and effective technologies to assess forest biomass. Depending on the approaches and methods employed, estimating biomass by using these technologies sometimes can lead to uncertainties. The study was conducted to investigate appropriate methods for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) by using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. A total of 60187 ha in Dungun Timber Complex (DTC) were selected as the study area. Thirty seven sample plots, measuring 30×30 m were established in early 2012 covering both natural and logged forests. Phase Array Type L-Band SAR (Palsar) images that were acquired in 2010 were used as primary remote sensing input and shapefile polygons comprised logging records was used as supporting information. By using these data, two estimation methods, which were ‘stratify and multiply’ (SM) and ‘direct remote sensing’ (DR) have been adopted and the results were compared. The estimated total AGB were about 20.1 and 22.3 million Mg, from SM and DR methods, respectively. The study found that the images that incorporated texture measures produced more accurate estimates as compared to the images without texture measures. The study suggests that SM method still a viable and reliable technique for quick assessment of AGB in a large area. The DR method is also relevant provided that an appropriate type and processing techniques of SAR data are utilized.