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Fulltext Urban coral reefs: Degradation and resilience of hard coral assemblages in coastal cities of East and Southeast Asia

Heery EC, Hoeksema BW, Browne NK, Reimer JD, Ang PO, Huang D, et al.

Mar Pollut Bull, 2018 Oct;135:654-681.
PMID: 30301085 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.041

Given predicted increases in urbanization in tropical and subtropical regions, understanding the processes shaping urban coral reefs may be essential for anticipating future conservation challenges. We used a case study approach to identify unifying patterns of urban coral reefs and clarify the effects of urbanization on hard coral assemblages. Data were compiled from 11 cities throughout East and Southeast Asia, with particular focus on Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and Naha (Okinawa). Our review highlights several key characteristics of urban coral reefs, including "reef compression" (a decline in bathymetric range with increasing turbidity and decreasing water clarity over time and relative to shore), dominance by domed coral growth forms and low reef complexity, variable city-specific inshore-offshore gradients, early declines in coral cover with recent fluctuating periods of acute impacts and rapid recovery, and colonization of urban infrastructure by hard corals. We present hypotheses for urban reef community dynamics and discuss potential of ecological engineering for corals in urban areas.
Decadal stability in coral cover could mask hidden changes on reefs in the East Asian Seas

Chan YKS, Affendi YA, Ang PO, Baria-Rodriguez MV, Chen CA, Chui APY, et al.

Commun Biol, 2023 Jun 10;6(1):630.
PMID: 37301948 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05000-z

Coral reefs in the Central Indo-Pacific region comprise some of the most diverse and yet threatened marine habitats. While reef monitoring has grown throughout the region in recent years, studies of coral reef benthic cover remain limited in spatial and temporal scales. Here, we analysed 24,365 reef surveys performed over 37 years at 1972 sites throughout East Asia by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network using Bayesian approaches. Our results show that overall coral cover at surveyed reefs has not declined as suggested in previous studies and compared to reef regions like the Caribbean. Concurrently, macroalgal cover has not increased, with no indications of phase shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance on reefs. Yet, models incorporating socio-economic and environmental variables reveal negative associations of coral cover with coastal urbanisation and sea surface temperature. The diversity of reef assemblages may have mitigated cover declines thus far, but climate change could threaten reef resilience. We recommend prioritisation of regionally coordinated, locally collaborative long-term studies for better contextualisation of monitoring data and analyses, which are essential for achieving reef conservation goals.
Severity of anxiety disorder and other factors associated with disease severity among COVID-19 patients in a hospital, Bali, Indonesia

Suryana K K, Widiana RIG, Suharsono H, Pujasakti MP, Putra WWS, Yaniswari NMD

Med J Malaysia, 2021 07;76(4):461-465.
PMID: 34305105

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic has a substantial impact on human life including the tourism sector (TS). Bali as a tourism destinations and the TS as major incomes of its population is greatly impacted, causing many to be jobless among those involved in TS. This situation may give psychological impact causing anxiety disorder (AD).
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between severe anxiety disorder and other factors with COVID-19 disease severity.
METHODS: This was cross-sectional study during March - November 2020. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 was done by using RT-PCR from throat swabs, based on WHO's interim guidelines. AD was measured using self-reporting Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). All participants underwent, history taking, physical examinations, blood routine examination and chest radiography. Association between severe AD and other factors with COVID-19 disease severity were analyzed. Chi-square test (bivariate) and Logistic regression (multivariate) with the precision value of 95% was done and p-value less than 5% was considered significant.
RESULTS: Positive rate of Covid-19 patients was 43% (292 / 678). Among those 292 with Covid-19, 74 (25.3%) participants had severe disease. Multivariate analysis showed severe anxiety (OR 696.11; 95%CI: 78.54 to 6169.98; p<0.001), hypertension (OR 37.02; 95%CI: 4.49 to 305.39; p=0.001) and neutrophyl lymphocyte ratio (NLR) less than 2.89 (OR 0.15; 95%CI: 0.04 to 0.62; p=0.009).
CONCLUSION: Severe anxiety, hypertension and NLR less than 2.89 are potential independent risk factors for severe infection of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
Penggunaan kaedah analisi spektrum gelombang permukaan (SASW) sebagai teknik baru pengelasan jasad batuan untuk geologi kejuruteraan

Abdul Rahim Samsuddin, Abdul Ghani Rafek, Umar Hamzah, Suharsono, Khairul Anuar Mohd Nayan

Sains Malaysiana, 2008;37.

Analisis spektrum gelombang permukaan (SASW) adalah kaedah seismos yang menggunakan ciri serakan gelombang Rayleigh yang merambat pada lapisan bahan bagi memperolehi profil halaju gelombang ricih. Kaedah SASW merupakan satu kaedah insitu tanpa musnah untuk pencirian tapak geoteknik yang lebih kos efektif berbanding kaedah konvensyenal secara penggerudian. Dalam kajian ini sebanyak 20 stesen yang terdiri daripada 13 tapak kajian telah dipilih. Perisian (WINSASW 2.0) telah digunakan dalam proses penyongsangan untuk menghasilkan profil halaju gelombang ricih melawan kedalaman. Profil-profil ini kemudian dianalisis secara berasingan bagi memperolehi beberapa parameter geologi kejuruteraan jasad batuan seperti kekukuhan, nilai Penanda Mutu Batuan (RQD), anisotropi dan sifat kebolehkorekan. Analisis data SASW dijalankan dengan menganggap bahawa jasad batuan adalah homogen dan isotrop serta mengandungi pelbagai intensiti ketakselanjaran yang mempengaruhi perambatan halaju gelombang permukaan. Pengukuran sifat kedinamikan tanah dijalankan dengan menggunakan halaju gelombang ricih dan nilai ketukan N daripada Ujian Penusukan Piawai (NSPT) dalam lubang gerudi. Satu persamaan linear baharu, Vs = 4.44 NSPT + 213.84 yang mengaitkan halaju gelombang ricih dan NSPT telah diperolehi. Satu persamaan empirik telah dikemukakan bagi mengukur nilai Penanda Mutu Batuan (RQD) berasaskan halaju gelombang ricih yang diperolehi daripada kaedah SASW dan halaju daripada ujian ultrasonik. Persamaan ini memberikan hasil yang perbezaannya kurang daripada 10% berbanding data RQD daripada lubang gerudi. Analisis keanisotropan jasad batuan dijalankan menggunakan halaju gelombang ricih yang diperolehi berdasarkan kaedah SASW yang diukur dalam empat arah. Plot nisbah halaju gelombang ricih - halaju ultrasonik melawan halaju ultrasonik telah digunakan untuk menentukan sifat kebolehkorekan jasad batuan. Sebanyak lima kelas lengkungan kebolehkorekan jasad batuan telah dapat dikemukakan iaitu lengkungan Mudah korek, Mudah koyak, Susah koyak, Pemecah hidraulik dan Peletupan.