Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 29 in total

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  1. Fulltext Detection of contaminants in water supply: A review on state-of-the-art monitoring technologies and their applications
    Zulkifli SN, Rahim HA, Lau WJ
    Sens Actuators B Chem, 2018 Feb;255:2657-2689.
    PMID: 32288249 DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2017.09.078
    Water monitoring technologies are widely used for contaminants detection in wide variety of water ecology applications such as water treatment plant and water distribution system. A tremendous amount of research has been conducted over the past decades to develop robust and efficient techniques of contaminants detection with minimum operating cost and energy. Recent developments in spectroscopic techniques and biosensor approach have improved the detection sensitivities, quantitatively and qualitatively. The availability of in-situ measurements and multiple detection analyses has expanded the water monitoring applications in various advanced techniques including successful establishment in hand-held sensing devices which improves portability in real-time basis for the detection of contaminant, such as microorganisms, pesticides, heavy metal ions, inorganic and organic components. This paper intends to review the developments in water quality monitoring technologies for the detection of biological and chemical contaminants in accordance with instrumental limitations. Particularly, this review focuses on the most recently developed techniques for water contaminant detection applications. Several recommendations and prospective views on the developments in water quality assessments will also be included.
  2. Fulltext Online Learning Approach for Predictive Real-Time Energy Trading in Cloud-RANs
    Wan Ariffin WNSF, Zhang X, Nakhai MR, Rahim HA, Ahmad RB
    Sensors (Basel), 2021 Mar 25;21(7).
    PMID: 33806215 DOI: 10.3390/s21072308
    Constantly changing electricity demand has made variability and uncertainty inherent characteristics of both electric generation and cellular communication systems. This paper develops an online learning algorithm as a prescheduling mechanism to manage the variability and uncertainty to maintain cost-aware and reliable operation in cloud radio access networks (Cloud-RANs). The proposed algorithm employs a combinatorial multi-armed bandit model and minimizes the long-term energy cost at remote radio heads. The algorithm preschedules a set of cost-efficient energy packages to be purchased from an ancillary energy market for the future time slots by learning both from cooperative energy trading at previous time slots and by exploring new energy scheduling strategies at the current time slot. The simulation results confirm a significant performance gain of the proposed scheme in controlling the available power budgets and minimizing the overall energy cost compared with recently proposed approaches for real-time energy resources and energy trading in Cloud-RANs.
  3. Fulltext Multi-stage feature selection (MSFS) algorithm for UWB-based early breast cancer size prediction
    Vijayasarveswari V, Andrew AM, Jusoh M, Sabapathy T, Raof RAA, Yasin MNM, et al.
    PLoS One, 2020;15(8):e0229367.
    PMID: 32790672 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229367
    Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and it is one of the main causes of death for women worldwide. To attain an optimum medical treatment for breast cancer, an early breast cancer detection is crucial. This paper proposes a multi- stage feature selection method that extracts statistically significant features for breast cancer size detection using proposed data normalization techniques. Ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, controlled using microcontroller are transmitted via an antenna from one end of the breast phantom and are received on the other end. These ultra-wideband analogue signals are represented in both time and frequency domain. The preprocessed digital data is passed to the proposed multi- stage feature selection algorithm. This algorithm has four selection stages. It comprises of data normalization methods, feature extraction, data dimensional reduction and feature fusion. The output data is fused together to form the proposed datasets, namely, 8-HybridFeature, 9-HybridFeature and 10-HybridFeature datasets. The classification performance of these datasets is tested using the Support Vector Machine, Probabilistic Neural Network and Naïve Bayes classifiers for breast cancer size classification. The research findings indicate that the 8-HybridFeature dataset performs better in comparison to the other two datasets. For the 8-HybridFeature dataset, the Naïve Bayes classifier (91.98%) outperformed the Support Vector Machine (90.44%) and Probabilistic Neural Network (80.05%) classifiers in terms of classification accuracy. The finalized method is tested and visualized in the MATLAB based 2D and 3D environment.
  4. Current advance methods for the identification of blast resistance genes in rice
    Tanweer FA, Rafii MY, Sijam K, Rahim HA, Ahmed F, Latif MA
    C. R. Biol., 2015 May;338(5):321-34.
    PMID: 25843222 DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2015.03.001
    Rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most devastating diseases of rice around the world and crop losses due to blast are considerably high. Many blast resistant rice varieties have been developed by classical plant breeding and adopted by farmers in various rice-growing countries. However, the variability in the pathogenicity of the blast fungus according to environment made blast disease a major concern for farmers, which remains a threat to the rice industry. With the utilization of molecular techniques, plant breeders have improved rice production systems and minimized yield losses. In this article, we have summarized the current advanced molecular techniques used for controlling blast disease. With the advent of new technologies like marker-assisted selection, molecular mapping, map-based cloning, marker-assisted backcrossing and allele mining, breeders have identified more than 100 Pi loci and 350 QTL in rice genome responsible for blast disease. These Pi genes and QTLs can be introgressed into a blast-susceptible cultivar through marker-assisted backcross breeding. These molecular techniques provide timesaving, environment friendly and labour-cost-saving ways to control blast disease. The knowledge of host-plant interactions in the frame of blast disease will lead to develop resistant varieties in the future.
  5. Fulltext Introgression of Blast Resistance Genes (Putative Pi-b and Pi-kh) into Elite Rice Cultivar MR219 through Marker-Assisted Selection
    Tanweer FA, Rafii MY, Sijam K, Rahim HA, Ahmed F, Ashkani S, et al.
    Front Plant Sci, 2015;6:1002.
    PMID: 26734013 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.01002
    Blast is the most common biotic stress leading to the reduction of rice yield in many rice-growing areas of the world, including Malaysia. Improvement of blast resistance of rice varieties cultivated in blast endemic areas is one of the most important objectives of rice breeding programs. In this study, the marker-assisted backcrossing strategy was applied to improve the blast resistance of the most popular Malaysian rice variety MR219 by introgressing blast resistance genes from the Pongsu Seribu 2 variety. Two blast resistance genes, Pi-b and Pi-kh, were pyramided into MR219. Foreground selection coupled with stringent phenotypic selection identified 15 plants homozygous for the Pi-b and Pi-kh genes, and background selection revealed more than 95% genome recovery of MR219 in advanced blast resistant lines. Phenotypic screening against blast disease indicated that advanced homozygous blast resistant lines were strongly resistant against pathotype P7.2 in the blast disease endemic areas. The morphological, yield, grain quality, and yield-contributing characteristics were significantly similar to those of MR219. The newly developed blast resistant improved lines will retain the high adoptability of MR219 by farmers. The present results will also play an important role in sustaining the rice production of Malaysia.
  6. Fulltext An enigma of Malaysia's low-income young adults: Mediation of financial behaviour on financial well-being and locus of control cohesion
    Sabri MF, Wahab R, Mahdzan NS, Magli AS, Rahim HA, Suhaimi SSA, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(7):e0288204.
    PMID: 37440508 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288204
    Young adults face many significant challenges to their financial well-being. The rising cost of living and unstable economies have impacted how they consume, manage, and save monthly income to maintain their standard of living. Hence, exploring the financial well-being of young adults in Malaysia is an intriguing and relevant research topic that deserves examination from multiple perspectives. This study aims to investigate how these three factors, namely financial knowledge and locus of control with financial behaviour as a mediator, are correlated with the financial well-being of low-income young adults in Malaysia. A total of 520 young adults from North, Central, South, East zones in Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia were randomly chosen using a multi-stage sampling technique as the sample of this study. Data in this study were obtained using a set of questionnaire-based survey through cross-sectional study and then scrutinized using IBM SPSS (Statistical Package of Social Science). This study discovered that financial knowledge, internal and external locus of control, and financial behaviour were significantly correlated with the financial well-being of low-income young adults. The findings also demonstrate that financial behaviour mediates the correlation between financial knowledge, both internal and external locus of control, and financial well-being. This study is one of the very few important studies that explore the link between financial literacy, locus of control, financial behaviour, and financial well-being among low-income young adults. This study also found an interesting and noteworthy fact regarding the impact of the minimum monthly wage policy on highly educated young adults in Malaysia, which is worth discussing and needs to be alerted to the policymakers and leaders of the country. Therefore, the findings of this study can be utilized as a starting point by policymakers, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations to create new initiatives aimed at raising financial well-being among the younger generation.
  7. Fulltext Identification of quantitative trait loci for blast resistance in BC₂F₃ and BC₂F5 advanced backcross families of rice
    Rahim HA, Bhuiyan MA, Lim LS, Sabu KK, Saad A, Azhar M, et al.
    Genet. Mol. Res., 2012;11(3):3277-89.
    PMID: 23079822 DOI: 10.4238/2012.September.12.11
    Advanced backcross families derived from Oryza sativa cv MR219/O. rufipogon IRGC105491 were utilized for identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for blast resistance using simple sequence repeat markers. Two hundred and sixty-one BC(2)F(3) families were used to construct a linkage map, using 87 markers, which covered 2375.2 cM of 12 rice chromosomes, with a mean density of 27.3 cM. The families were evaluated in a greenhouse for resistance to blast disease caused by pathotypes P7.2 and P5.0 of Magnaporthe oryzae. Five QTLs (qBL5.1, qBL5.2, qBL6.1, qBL8.1, and qBL10.1) for pathotype P5.0 and four QTLs (qBL5.3, qBL5.4, qBL7.1, and qBL8.2) for pathotype P7.2 were identified using the BC(2)F(3) families. Another linkage map was also constructed based on 31 BC(2)F(5) families, using 63 SSR markers, which covered 474.9 cM of 9 rice chromosomes, with a mean density of 8.01 cM. Five suggestive QTLs (qBL11.2, qBL11.3, qBL12.1, qBL12.2, qBL12.3) and one putative QTL (qBL2.1) were identified for pathotype P7.2. Also, seven suggestive QTLs (qBL1.1, qBL2.2, qBL4.1, qBL4.2, qBL5.3, qBL8.3, and qBL11.1) were detected for pathotype P5.0. We conclude that there is a non-race-specific resistance spectrum of O. rufipogon against M. oryzae pathotypes.
  8. Coastal meteorology on the dispersion of air particles at the Bachok GAW Station
    Rahim HA, Khan MF, Ibrahim ZF, Shoaib A, Suradi H, Mohyeddin N, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2021 Aug 15;782:146783.
    PMID: 33838363 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146783
    Meteorology over coastal region is a driving factor to the concentration of air particles and reactive gases. This study aims to conduct a research to determine the level of year-round air particles and the interaction of the meteorological driving factors with the particle number and mass in 2018, which is moderately influenced by Southeast Asian haze. We obtained the measurement data for particle number count (PNC), mass, reactive gases, and meteorological factors from a Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station located at Bachok Marine Research Center, Bachok, Kelantan, Malaysia. For various timeseries and correlation analyses, a 60-second resolution of the data has been averaged hourly and daily and visualized further. Our results showed the slight difference in particle behavior that is either measured by unit mass or number count at the study area. Diurnal variations showed that particles were generally high during morning and night periods. Spike was observed in August for PM2.5/PNC2.5 and PM10/PNC10 and in November for PMCoarse/PNCCoarse. From a polar plot, the particles came from two distinct sources (e.g., seaside and roadside) at the local scale. Regional wind vector shows two distinct wind-blown directions from northeast and southwest. The air mases were transported from northeast (e.g., Philippines, mainland China, and Taiwan) or southwest (e.g., Sumatra) region. Correlation analysis shows that relative humidity, wind direction, and pressure influence the increase in particles, whereas negative correlation with temperature is observed, and wind speed may have a potential role on the decline of particle concentration. The particles at the study area was highly influenced by the changes in regional wind direction and speed.
  9. Fulltext Subject-Specific Effect of Metallic Body Accessories on Path Loss of Dynamic on-Body Propagation Channels
    Rahim HA, Abdulmalek M, Soh PJ, Rani KA, Hisham N, Vandenbosch GA
    Sci Rep, 2016 07 20;6:29818.
    PMID: 27436496 DOI: 10.1038/srep29818
    This paper presents the investigation of path loss variation for subject-specific on-body radio propagation channels, considering the effect of metallic spectacles and loop like metallic accessories. Adding metallic items may affect the operability of Body Centric Wireless Communications (BCWC). Measurements were carried out in an RF-shielded room lined with microwave absorbing sheets for strategically placed bodyworn antennas covering the upper front torso and the lower limbs. The path loss of the on-body radio channel was characterized explicitly taking into account the body size of the subjects. For metallic loop-like accessories, the results indicate that for underweight subjects, there was a slightly higher influence, up to 2%, compared to normal and overweight subjects. Our findings indicate that a noticeable effect exists on on-body channels for dynamic movements where the metallic watch acts as a local scatterer that affects the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal path between transmitter and receiver for underweight subjects in comparison to normal and overweight subjects. The path loss decreases when the receiving terminal was positioned very close to the metallic item. If a loop-like metallic accessory is not appropriately considered when designing the radio channel on a subject, the reliability of the body-centric wireless system may degrade.
  10. Fulltext Genetic variability and selection criteria in rice mutant lines as revealed by quantitative traits
    Oladosu Y, Rafii MY, Abdullah N, Abdul Malek M, Rahim HA, Hussin G, et al.
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:190531.
    PMID: 25431777 DOI: 10.1155/2014/190531
    Genetic based knowledge of different vegetative and yield traits play a major role in varietal improvement of rice. Genetic variation gives room for recombinants which are essential for the development of a new variety in any crop. Based on this background, this work was carried out to evaluate genetic diversity of derived mutant lines and establish relationships between their yield and yield components using multivariate analysis. To achieve this objective, two field trials were carried out on 45 mutant rice genotypes to evaluate their growth and yield traits. Data were taken on vegetative traits and yield and its components, while genotypic and phenotypic coefficients, variance components, expected genetic advance, and heritability were calculated. All the genotypes showed variations for vegetative traits and yield and its components. Also, there was positive relationship between the quantitative traits and the final yield with the exception of number of tillers. Finally, the evaluated genotypes were grouped into five major clusters based on the assessed traits with the aid of UPGMA dendrogram. So hybridization of group I with group V or group VI could be used to attain higher heterosis or vigour among the genotypes. Also, this evaluation could be useful in developing reliable selection indices for important agronomic traits in rice.
  11. Recurrent parent genome recovery analysis in a marker-assisted backcrossing program of rice (Oryza sativa L.)
    Miah G, Rafii MY, Ismail MR, Puteh AB, Rahim HA, Latif MA
    C. R. Biol., 2015 Feb;338(2):83-94.
    PMID: 25553855 DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2014.11.003
    Backcross breeding is the most commonly used method for incorporating a blast resistance gene into a rice cultivar. Linkage between the resistance gene and undesirable units can persist for many generations of backcrossing. Marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) along with marker-assisted selection (MAS) contributes immensely to overcome the main limitation of the conventional breeding and accelerates recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery. The MABC approach was employed to incorporate (a) blast resistance gene(s) from the donor parent Pongsu Seribu 1, the blast-resistant local variety in Malaysia, into the genetic background of MR219, a popular high-yielding rice variety that is blast susceptible, to develop a blast-resistant MR219 improved variety. In this perspective, the recurrent parent genome recovery was analyzed in early generations of backcrossing using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Out of 375 SSR markers, 70 markers were found polymorphic between the parents, and these markers were used to evaluate the plants in subsequent generations. Background analysis revealed that the extent of RPG recovery ranged from 75.40% to 91.3% and from 80.40% to 96.70% in BC1F1 and BC2F1 generations, respectively. In this study, the recurrent parent genome content in the selected BC2F2 lines ranged from 92.7% to 97.7%. The average proportion of the recurrent parent in the selected improved line was 95.98%. MAS allowed identification of the plants that are more similar to the recurrent parent for the loci evaluated in backcross generations. The application of MAS with the MABC breeding program accelerated the recovery of the RP genome, reducing the number of generations and the time for incorporating resistance against rice blast.
  12. Fulltext A review of microsatellite markers and their applications in rice breeding programs to improve blast disease resistance
    Miah G, Rafii MY, Ismail MR, Puteh AB, Rahim HA, Islam KhN, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2013;14(11):22499-528.
    PMID: 24240810 DOI: 10.3390/ijms141122499
    Over the last few decades, the use of molecular markers has played an increasing role in rice breeding and genetics. Of the different types of molecular markers, microsatellites have been utilized most extensively, because they can be readily amplified by PCR and the large amount of allelic variation at each locus. Microsatellites are also known as simple sequence repeats (SSR), and they are typically composed of 1-6 nucleotide repeats. These markers are abundant, distributed throughout the genome and are highly polymorphic compared with other genetic markers, as well as being species-specific and co-dominant. For these reasons, they have become increasingly important genetic markers in rice breeding programs. The evolution of new biotypes of pests and diseases as well as the pressures of climate change pose serious challenges to rice breeders, who would like to increase rice production by introducing resistance to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent advances in rice genomics have now made it possible to identify and map a number of genes through linkage to existing DNA markers. Among the more noteworthy examples of genes that have been tightly linked to molecular markers in rice are those that confer resistance or tolerance to blast. Therefore, in combination with conventional breeding approaches, marker-assisted selection (MAS) can be used to monitor the presence or lack of these genes in breeding populations. For example, marker-assisted backcross breeding has been used to integrate important genes with significant biological effects into a number of commonly grown rice varieties. The use of cost-effective, finely mapped microsatellite markers and MAS strategies should provide opportunities for breeders to develop high-yield, blast resistance rice cultivars. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge concerning the linkage of microsatellite markers to rice blast resistance genes, as well as to explore the use of MAS in rice breeding programs aimed at improving blast resistance in this species. We also discuss the various advantages, disadvantages and uses of microsatellite markers relative to other molecular marker types.
  13. Blast resistance in rice: a review of conventional breeding to molecular approaches
    Miah G, Rafii MY, Ismail MR, Puteh AB, Rahim HA, Asfaliza R, et al.
    Mol Biol Rep, 2013 Mar;40(3):2369-88.
    PMID: 23184051 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-012-2318-0
    Blast disease caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae is the most severe diseases of rice. Using classical plant breeding techniques, breeders have developed a number of blast resistant cultivars adapted to different rice growing regions worldwide. However, the rice industry remains threatened by blast disease due to the instability of blast fungus. Recent advances in rice genomics provide additional tools for plant breeders to improve rice production systems that would be environmentally friendly. This article outlines the application of conventional breeding, tissue culture and DNA-based markers that are used for accelerating the development of blast resistant rice cultivars. The best way for controlling the disease is to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative genes in resistant variety. Through conventional and molecular breeding many blast-resistant varieties have been developed. Conventional breeding for disease resistance is tedious, time consuming and mostly dependent on environment as compare to molecular breeding particularly marker assisted selection, which is easier, highly efficient and precise. For effective management of blast disease, breeding work should be focused on utilizing the broad spectrum of resistance genes and pyramiding genes and quantitative trait loci. Marker assisted selection provides potential solution to some of the problems that conventional breeding cannot resolve. In recent years, blast resistant genes have introgressed into Luhui 17, G46B, Zhenshan 97B, Jin 23B, CO39, IR50, Pusa1602 and Pusa1603 lines through marker assisted selection. Introduction of exotic genes for resistance induced the occurrence of new races of blast fungus, therefore breeding work should be concentrated in local resistance genes. This review focuses on the conventional breeding to the latest molecular progress in blast disease resistance in rice. This update information will be helpful guidance for rice breeders to develop durable blast resistant rice variety through marker assisted selection.
  14. Marker-assisted introgression of broad-spectrum blast resistance genes into the cultivated MR219 rice variety
    Miah G, Rafii MY, Ismail MR, Puteh AB, Rahim HA, Latif MA
    J Sci Food Agric, 2017 Jul;97(9):2810-2818.
    PMID: 27778337 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.8109
    BACKGROUND: The rice cultivar MR219 is famous for its better yield and long and fine grain quality; however, it is susceptible to blast disease. The main objective of this study was to introgress blast resistance genes into MR219 through marker-assisted selection (MAS). The rice cultivar MR219 was used as the recurrent parent, and Pongsu Seribu 1 was used as the donor.

    RESULTS: Marker-assisted foreground selection was performed using RM6836 and RM8225 to identify plants possessing blast resistance genes. Seventy microsatellite markers were used to estimate recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery. Our analysis led to the development of 13 improved blast resistant lines with Piz, Pi2 and Pi9 broad-spectrum blast resistance genes and an MR219 genetic background. The RPG recovery of the selected improved lines was up to 97.70% with an average value of 95.98%. Selected improved lines showed a resistance response against the most virulent blast pathogen pathotype, P7.2. The selected improved lines did not express any negative effect on agronomic traits in comparison with MR219.

    CONCLUSION: The research findings of this study will be a conducive approach for the application of different molecular techniques that may result in accelerating the development of new disease-resistant rice varieties, which in turn will match rising demand and food security worldwide. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  15. Genetic variation, heritability, divergence and biomass accumulation of rice genotypes resistant to bacterial blight revealed by quantitative traits and ISSR markers
    Mazid MS, Rafii MY, Hanafi MM, Rahim HA, Latif MA
    Physiol Plant, 2013 Nov;149(3):432-47.
    PMID: 23521023 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12054
    A field experiment was carried out in order to evaluate genetic diversity of 41 rice genotypes using physiological traits and molecular markers. All the genotypes unveiled variations for crop growth rate (CGR), relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), yield per hill (Yhill(-1)), total dry matter (TDM), harvest index (HI), photosynthetic rate (PR), leaf area index (LAI), chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b at maximum tillering stage. The CGR values varied from 0.23 to 0.76 gm cm(-2) day(-1). The Yhill(-1) ranged from 15.91 to 92.26 g, while TDM value was in the range of 7.49 to 20.45 g hill(-1). PR was found to vary from 9.40 to 22.34 µmol m(-2) s(-1). PR expressed positive relation with Yhill(-1). Significant positive relation was found between CGR and TDM (r = 0.61**), NAR and CGR (r = 0.62**) and between TDM and NAR (r = 0.31**). High heritability was found in RGR and Yhill(-1). Cluster analysis based on the traits grouped 41 rice genotypes into seven clusters. A total of 310 polymorphic loci were detected across the 20 inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. The UPGMA dendrogram grouped 41 rice genotypes into 11 clusters including several sub-clusters. The Mantel test revealed positive correlation between quantitative traits and molecular markers (r = 0.41). On the basis of quantitative traits and molecular marker analyses parental genotypes, IRBB54 with MR84, IRBB60 with MR84, Purbachi with MR263, IRBB65 with BR29, IRBB65 with Pulut Siding and MRQ74 with Purbachi could be hybridized for future breeding program.
  16. Fulltext Effect of Short-Term Mobile Phone Base Station Exposure on Cognitive Performance, Body Temperature, Heart Rate and Blood Pressure of Malaysians
    Malek F, Rani KA, Rahim HA, Omar MH
    Sci Rep, 2015;5:13206.
    PMID: 26286015 DOI: 10.1038/srep13206
    Individuals who report their sensitivity to electromagnetic fields often undergo cognitive impairments that they believe are due to the exposure of mobile phone technology. The aim of this study is to clarify whether short-term exposure at 1 V/m to the typical Global System for Mobile Communication and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) affects cognitive performance and physiological parameters (body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate). This study applies counterbalanced randomizing single blind tests to determine if sensitive individuals experience more negative health effects when they are exposed to base station signals compared with sham (control) individuals. The sample size is 200 subjects with 50.0% Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) also known as sensitive and 50.0% (non-IEI-EMF). The computer-administered Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB eclipse(TM)) is used to examine cognitive performance. Four tests are chosen to evaluate Cognitive performance in CANTAB: Reaction Time (RTI), Rapid Visual Processing (RVP), Paired Associates Learning (PAL) and Spatial Span (SSP). Paired sample t-test on the other hand, is used to examine the physiological parameters. Generally, in both groups, there is no statistical significant difference between the exposure and sham exposure towards cognitive performance and physiological effects (P's > 0.05).
  17. El Niño driven haze over the Southern Malaysian Peninsula and Borneo
    Khan MF, Hamid AH, Rahim HA, Maulud KNA, Latif MT, Nadzir MSM, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2020 Aug 15;730:139091.
    PMID: 32413602 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139091
    The Southeast Asian (SEA) region is no stranger to forest fires - the region has been suffering from severe air pollution (known locally as 'haze') as a result of these fires, for decades. The fires in SEA region are caused by a combination of natural (the El Niño weather pattern) and manmade (slash-and-burn and land clearing for plantations) factors. These fires cause the emissions of toxic aerosols and pollutants that can affect millions of people in the region. Thus, this study aims to identify the impact of the SEA haze on the Southern region of the Malaysian Peninsula and Borneo region of East Malaysia using the entire air quality observation data at surface level in 2015. Overall, the concentration of PM10 was about two-fold higher during the haze period compared to non-haze period. The concentrations of CO, flux of CO and flux of BC were aligned with PM10 during the entire observation period. The wind field and cluster of trajectory indicated that the Southern Malaysian Peninsula and Borneo were influenced mainly from the wildfires and the combustion of peat soil in the Indonesian Borneo. This study finds that wildfires from Borneo impacted the Southern Malaysian Borneo more seriously than that from Sumatra region.
  18. Fulltext A Negative Index Nonagonal CSRR Metamaterial-Based Compact Flexible Planar Monopole Antenna for Ultrawideband Applications Using Viscose-Wool Felt
    Hossain K, Sabapathy T, Jusoh M, Abdelghany MA, Soh PJ, Osman MN, et al.
    Polymers (Basel), 2021 Aug 22;13(16).
    PMID: 34451357 DOI: 10.3390/polym13162819
    In this paper, a compact textile ultrawideband (UWB) planar monopole antenna loaded with a metamaterial unit cell array (MTMUCA) structure with epsilon-negative (ENG) and near-zero refractive index (NZRI) properties is proposed. The proposed MTMUCA was constructed based on a combination of a rectangular- and a nonagonal-shaped unit cell. The size of the antenna was 0.825 λ0 × 0.75 λ0 × 0.075 λ0, whereas each MTMUCA was sized at 0.312 λ0 × 0.312 λ0, with respect to a free space wavelength of 7.5 GHz. The antenna was fabricated using viscose-wool felt due to its strong metal-polymer adhesion. A naturally available polymer, wool, and a human-made polymer, viscose, that was derived from regenerated cellulose fiber were used in the manufacturing of the adopted viscose-wool felt. The MTMUCA exhibits the characteristics of ENG, with a bandwidth (BW) of 11.68 GHz and an NZRI BW of 8.5 GHz. The MTMUCA was incorporated on the planar monopole to behave as a shunt LC resonator, and its working principles were described using an equivalent circuit. The results indicate a 10 dB impedance fractional bandwidth of 142% (from 2.55 to 15 GHz) in simulations, and 138.84% (from 2.63 to 14.57 GHz) in measurements obtained by the textile UWB antenna. A peak realized gain of 4.84 dBi and 4.4 dBi was achieved in simulations and measurements, respectively. A satisfactory agreement between simulations and experiments was achieved, indicating the potential of the proposed negative index metamaterial-based antenna for microwave applications.
  19. Marker-assisted backcrossing: a useful method for rice improvement
    Hasan MM, Rafii MY, Ismail MR, Mahmood M, Rahim HA, Alam MA, et al.
    Biotechnology, biotechnological equipment, 2015 Mar 04;29(2):237-254.
    PMID: 26019637
    The world's population is increasing very rapidly, reducing the cultivable land of rice, decreasing table water, emerging new diseases and pests, and the climate changes are major issues that must be addressed to researchers to develop sustainable crop varieties with resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, recent scientific discoveries and advances particularly in genetics, genomics and crop physiology have opened up new opportunities to reduce the impact of these stresses which would have been difficult if not impossible as recently as the turn of the century. Marker assisted backcrossing (MABC) is one of the most promising approaches is the use of molecular markers to identify and select genes controlling resistance to those factors. Regarding this, MABC can contribute to develop resistant or high-yielding or quality rice varieties by incorporating a gene of interest into an elite variety which is already well adapted by the farmers. MABC is newly developed efficient tool by which using large population sizes (400 or more plants) for the backcross F1 generations, it is possible to recover the recurrent parent genotype using only two or three backcrosses. So far, many high yielding, biotic and abiotic stresses tolerance, quality and fragrance rice varieties have been developed in rice growing countries through MABC within the shortest timeframe. Nowadays, MABC is being used widely in plant breeding programmes to develop new variety/lines especially in rice. This paper reviews recent literature on some examples of variety/ line development using MABC strategy.
  20. The genetic and molecular origin of natural variation for the fragrance trait in an elite Malaysian aromatic rice through quantitative trait loci mapping using SSR and gene-based markers
    Golestan Hashemi FS, Rafii MY, Ismail MR, Mohamed MT, Rahim HA, Latif MA, et al.
    Gene, 2015 Jan 25;555(2):101-7.
    PMID: 25445269 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2014.10.048
    MRQ74, a popular aromatic Malaysian landrace, allows for charging considerably higher prices than non-aromatic landraces. Thus, breeding this profitable trait has become a priority for Malaysian rice breeding. Despite many studies on aroma genetics, ambiguities considering its genetic basis remain. It has been observed that identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) based on anchor markers, particularly candidate genes controlling a trait of interest, can increase the power of QTL detection. Hence, this study aimed to locate QTLs that influence natural variations in rice scent using microsatellites and candidate gene-based sequence polymorphisms. For this purpose, an F2 mapping population including 189 individual plants was developed by MRQ74 crosses with 'MR84', a non-scented Malaysian accession. Additionally, qualitative and quantitative approaches were applied to obtain a phenotype data framework. Consequently, we identified two QTLs on chromosomes 4 and 8. These QTLs explained from 3.2% to 39.3% of the total fragrance phenotypic variance. In addition, we could resolve linkage group 8 by adding six gene-based primers in the interval harboring the most robust QTL. Hence, we could locate a putative fgr allele in the QTL found on chromosome 8 in the interval RM223-SCU015RM (1.63cM). The identified QTLs represent an important step toward recognition of the rice flavor genetic control mechanism. In addition, this identification will likely accelerate the progress of the use of molecular markers for gene isolation, gene-based cloning, and marker-assisted selection breeding programs aimed at improving rice cultivars.
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