Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 36 in total

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  1. Overcoming the Fukushima Wastewater Crisis: What the Japanese Authorities Could Do to Address Opposing Views
    Ng KH, Yoong D, Gong J
    Health Phys, 2022 Jun 01;122(6):696-704.
    PMID: 35486926 DOI: 10.1097/HP.0000000000001548
    In April 2021, the Japanese authorities' announcement of their decision to release processed wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean over 30 y, beginning in 2023, triggered strong domestic and international opposition. Failure to handle this situation tactfully can lead to public disorder, civil disobedience, loss of trust in the authorities, and even diplomatic sanctions. In this article, we explain the underlying reasons behind this resistance, and we offer some strategic methods that the Japanese authorities can deploy to address opposing views and overcome the Fukushima wastewater crisis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  2. Fulltext Comparative Phylogeography and Phylogeny of Pennah Croakers (Teleostei: Sciaenidae) in Southeast Asian Waters
    Lim HC, Habib A, Chen WJ
    Genes (Basel), 2021 11 29;12(12).
    PMID: 34946874 DOI: 10.3390/genes12121926
    A broad-scale comparative phylogeographic and phylogenetic study of pennah croakers, mainly Pennahia anea, P. macrocephalus, and P. ovata was conducted to elucidate the mechanisms that may have driven the diversification of marine organisms in Southeast Asian waters. A total of 316 individuals from the three species, and an additional eight and six individuals of P. argentata and P. pawak were employed in this study. Two genetically divergent lineages each of P. argentata and P. anea (lineages L1 and L2) were respectively detected from the analyses based on mitochondrial cytochrome b gene data. Historical biogeography analysis with a multi-gene dataset revealed that Pennahia species most likely originated in the South China Sea and expanded into the eastern Indian Ocean, East China Sea, and northwestern Pacific Ocean through three separate range expansions. The main diversifications of Pennahia species occurred during Miocene and Pliocene periods, and the occurrences of lineage divergences within P. anea and P. argentata were during the Pleistocene, likely as a consequence of cyclical glaciations. The population expansions that occurred after the sea level rise might be the reason for the population homogeneity observed in P. macrocephalus and most P. anea L2 South China Sea populations. The structure observed between the two populations of P. ovata, and the restricted distributions of P. anea lineage L1 and P. ovata in the eastern Indian Ocean, might have been hampered by the northward flowing ocean current at the Malacca Strait and by the distribution of coral reefs or rocky bottoms. While our results support S. Ekman's center-of-origin hypothesis taking place in the South China Sea, the Malacca Strait serving as the center of overlap is a supplementary postulation for explaining the present-day high diversity of pennah croakers centered in these waters.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  3. Fulltext Spatial subsidies drive sweet spots of tropical marine biomass production
    Morais RA, Siqueira AC, Smallhorn-West PF, Bellwood DR
    PLoS Biol, 2021 Nov;19(11):e3001435.
    PMID: 34727097 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001435
    Spatial subsidies increase local productivity and boost consumer abundance beyond the limits imposed by local resources. In marine ecosystems, deeper water and open ocean subsidies promote animal aggregations and enhance biomass that is critical for human harvesting. However, the scale of this phenomenon in tropical marine systems remains unknown. Here, we integrate a detailed assessment of biomass production in 3 key locations, spanning a major biodiversity and abundance gradient, with an ocean-scale dataset of fish counts to predict the extent and magnitude of plankton subsidies to fishes on coral reefs. We show that planktivorous fish-mediated spatial subsidies are widespread across the Indian and Pacific oceans and drive local spikes in biomass production that can lead to extreme productivity, up to 30 kg ha-1 day-1. Plankton subsidies form the basis of productivity "sweet spots" where planktivores provide more than 50% of the total fish production, more than all other trophic groups combined. These sweet spots operate at regional, site, and smaller local scales. By harvesting oceanic productivity, planktivores bypass spatial constraints imposed by local primary productivity, creating "oases" of tropical fish biomass that are accessible to humans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  4. Large-scale distribution and composition of floating plastic debris in the transition region of the North Pacific
    Miyazono K, Yamashita R, Miyamoto H, Ishak NHA, Tadokoro K, Shimizu Y, et al.
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2021 Sep;170:112631.
    PMID: 34175698 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112631
    Floating plastic debris was investigated in the transition region in the North Pacific between 141°E and 165°W to understand its transportation process from Asian coast to central subtropical Pacific. Distribution was influenced primarily by the current system and the generation process of the high concentration area differed between the western and eastern areas. West of 180°, debris largely accumulated around nearshore convergent area and was transported by eddies and quasi-stationary jet from south to the subarctic region. The average was 15% higher than that previously reported in 1989, suggesting an increase in plastic debris in 30 years. East of 180°, debris concentrated in the calm water downstream of the Kuroshio Extension Bifurcation with considerably high concentration (505,032 ± 991,989 pieces km-2), due to the accumulation of small transparent film caused by calm weather conditions, suggesting a further investigation on small plastic (<1 mm) in the subsurface depth in the subtropical North Pacific.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  5. Fulltext Phylogeography, colouration, and cryptic speciation across the Indo-Pacific in the sea urchin genus Echinothrix
    Coppard SE, Jessop H, Lessios HA
    Sci Rep, 2021 Aug 16;11(1):16568.
    PMID: 34400682 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95872-0
    The sea urchins Echinothrix calamaris and Echinothrix diadema have sympatric distributions throughout the Indo-Pacific. Diverse colour variation is reported in both species. To reconstruct the phylogeny of the genus and assess gene flow across the Indo-Pacific we sequenced mitochondrial 16S rDNA, ATPase-6, and ATPase-8, and nuclear 28S rDNA and the Calpain-7 intron. Our analyses revealed that E. diadema formed a single trans-Indo-Pacific clade, but E. calamaris contained three discrete clades. One clade was endemic to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman. A second clade occurred from Malaysia in the West to Moorea in the East. A third clade of E. calamaris was distributed across the entire Indo-Pacific biogeographic region. A fossil calibrated phylogeny revealed that the ancestor of E. diadema diverged from the ancestor of E. calamaris ~ 16.8 million years ago (Ma), and that the ancestor of the trans-Indo-Pacific clade and Red Sea and Gulf of Oman clade split from the western and central Pacific clade ~ 9.8 Ma. Time since divergence and genetic distances suggested species level differentiation among clades of E. calamaris. Colour variation was extensive in E. calamaris, but not clade or locality specific. There was little colour polymorphism in E. diadema.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  6. Fulltext An Indo-Pacific coral spawning database
    Baird AH, Guest JR, Edwards AJ, Bauman AG, Bouwmeester J, Mera H, et al.
    Sci Data, 2021 01 29;8(1):35.
    PMID: 33514754 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-00793-8
    The discovery of multi-species synchronous spawning of scleractinian corals on the Great Barrier Reef in the 1980s stimulated an extraordinary effort to document spawning times in other parts of the globe. Unfortunately, most of these data remain unpublished which limits our understanding of regional and global reproductive patterns. The Coral Spawning Database (CSD) collates much of these disparate data into a single place. The CSD includes 6178 observations (3085 of which were unpublished) of the time or day of spawning for over 300 scleractinian species in 61 genera from 101 sites in the Indo-Pacific. The goal of the CSD is to provide open access to coral spawning data to accelerate our understanding of coral reproductive biology and to provide a baseline against which to evaluate any future changes in reproductive phenology.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  7. Taxonomy and toxicity of a bloom-forming Ostreopsis species (Dinophyceae, Gonyaulacales) in Tahiti island (South Pacific Ocean): one step further towards resolving the identity of O. siamensis
    Chomérat N, Bilien G, Viallon J, Hervé F, Réveillon D, Henry K, et al.
    Harmful Algae, 2020 09;98:101888.
    PMID: 33129466 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2020.101888
    Among dinoflagellates responsible for benthic harmful algal blooms, the genus Ostreopsis primarily described from tropical areas has been increasingly reported from subtropical and temperate areas worldwide. Several species of this toxigenic genus produce analogs of palytoxin, thus representing a major threat to human and environmental health. The taxonomy of several species needs to be clarified as it was based mostly on morphological descriptions leading in some cases to ambiguous interpretations and misidentifications. The present study aims at reporting a benthic bloom that occurred in April 2019 in Tahiti island, French Polynesia. A complete taxonomic investigation of the blooming Ostreopsis species was realized using light, epifluorescence and field emission electron microscopy and phylogenetic analyses inferred from LSU rDNA and ITS-5.8S rDNA regions. Toxicity of a natural sample and strains isolated from the bloom was assessed using both neuroblastoma cell-based assay and LC-MS/MS analyses. Morphological observations showed that cells were round to oval, large, 58.0-82.5 µm deep (dorso-ventral length) and 45.7-61.2 µm wide. The cingulum was conspicuously undulated, forming a 'V' in ventral view. Thecal plates possessed large pores in depressions, with a collar rim. Detailed observation also revealed the presence of small thecal pores invisible in LM. Phylogenetic analyses were congruent and all sequences clustered within the genotype Ostreopsis sp. 6, in a subclade closely related to sequences from the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia. No toxicity was found on the field sample but all the strains isolated from the bloom were found to be cytotoxic and produced ostreocin D, a lower amount of ostreocins A and B and putatively other compounds. Phylogenetic data demonstrate the presence of this species in the Gulf of Thailand, at the type locality of O. siamensis, and morphological data are congruent with the original description and support this identification.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  8. Reinstatement of species belonging Marphysa sanguinea complex (Annelida: Eunicidae) and description of new species from the mid-Pacific Ocean and the Adriatic Sea
    Molina-Acevedo IC, Idris I
    Zootaxa, 2020 Jul 15;4816(1):zootaxa.4816.1.1.
    PMID: 33055711 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4816.1.1
    Marphysa sanguinea Montagu, 1813, the type species of genus Marphysa, was described with few characteristics and subsequently reported in tropical and temperate waters as a cosmopolitan species. Recent comparative studies have shown that M. sanguinea has a limited distribution to the Northeast Atlantic. As a result, species from the tropical and subtropical zones are now being redescribed as new species. However, this issue is not completely resolved because of the taxonomic status of seven nominal species, considered as junior synonymies of M. sanguinea. Herein, we examined the type and additional materials from five species in synonymy M. sanguinea and performed a compared analysis with the neotype of M. sanguinea. Additionally, we reviewed specimens from two localities in the mid-Pacific Ocean and the Adriatic Sea, where M. sanguinea was previously reported. As a result of this study, three species were reinstated (M. californica Moore, 1909, M. leidii de Quatrefages, 1866, and M. parishii Baird, 1869) and two subspecies, are now raised to species level (M. americana n. status and M. brevibranchiata n. status). In addition, two new species from Hawaii and Croatia are described: M. baileybrockae n. sp. and M. birgeri n. sp., respectively. Morphological comparisons with most species currently assigned to the M. sanguinea complex are presented. This work provides more support for rejecting the hypothesis that M. sanguinea is a cosmopolitan species and we encourage the use of novel and traditional morphological characters to differentiate species within the complex.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  9. Establishment of Asia-Pacific Network for Enterovirus Surveillance
    Chiu ML, Luo ST, Chen YY, Chung WY, Duong V, Dussart P, et al.
    Vaccine, 2020 01 03;38(1):1-9.
    PMID: 31679864 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.09.111
    Enteroviruses (EV), the major pathogens of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) and herpangina, affect millions of children each year. Most human enteroviruses cause self-limited infections except polioviruses, enterovirus A71 (EV-A71), enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), and several echoviruses (Echo) and coxsackieviruses (CV). Especially, EV-A71 has repeatedly caused large-scale outbreaks in the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. Some Asian countries have experienced cyclical outbreaks of severe EV-A71 infections and initiated development of EV-A71 vaccines. Five EV-A71 vaccine candidates have been clinically evaluated and three of them were approved for marketing in China. However, none of the China-approved products seek marketing approval in other countries. This situation supports a role for collaboration among Asian countries to facilitate clinical trials and licensure of EV-A71 vaccines. Additionally, enterovirus D68 outbreaks have been reported in the US and Taiwan currently and caused severe complications and deaths. Hence, an Asia-Pacific Network for Enterovirus Surveillance (APNES) has been established to estimate disease burden, understand virus evolution, and facilitate vaccine development through harmonizing laboratory diagnosis and data collection. Founded in 2017, the APNES is comprised of internationally recognized experts in the field of enterovirus in Asian countries working to raise awareness of this potentially fatal and debilitating disease. This article demonstrated the summaries of the first expert meeting, 2017 International Workshop on Enterovirus Surveillance and Vaccine Development, held by APNES in Taipei, Taiwan, March 2017.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean/epidemiology
  10. The Morphological and Molecular Description of Acanthogyrus (Acanthosentis) fusiformis n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Quadrigyridae) from the Catfish Arius sp. (Ariidae) in the Pacific Ocean off Vietnam, with Notes on Zoogeography
    Amin OM, Chaudhary A, Heckmann RA, Ha NV, Singh HS
    Acta Parasitol, 2019 Dec;64(4):779-796.
    PMID: 31332657 DOI: 10.2478/s11686-019-00102-3
    BACKGROUND: Most (82%) of the 46 recognized species of Acanthogyrus (Acanthosentis) Verma and Datta, 1929 are known from Asian freshwater fishes. Only three species of Acanthosentis are known from marine or brackish water fishes from India and Pakistan. We have discovered another marine species of Acanthosentis in the Pacific Ocean, off Vietnam.

    PURPOSE: The purpose is to describe the new species morphologically and molecularly and provide new information of its evolutionally relationships with other species of the subgenus.

    METHODS: Standard methods of collection and examination of marine hosts, processing and illustrating of specimens, and taxonomic identification of parasites using the extensive collection of the lead author were used. Specimens were further studied using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and ion sectioning of hooks, SEM analysis, and molecular sequencing. Type specimens were deposited at the Harold W. Manter Lab. collection, Lincoln, Nebraska.

    RESULTS: Acanthogyrus (Acanthosentis) fusiformis n. sp. is described from the catfish, Arius sp. (Ariidae: Siluriformes) off the Pacific Coast of Vietnam at Bac Lieu in the Gulf of Thailand. The three other marine Indian species include A. (A.) arii Bilqees, 1971 which is also described from a similar catfish, Arius serratus Day off the Karachi coast in the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean. Our new species from Vietnam is distinguished from the other 46 species by a combination of characters including a small fusiform trunk, complete circles of small hollow spines covering the entire trunk, prominent double apical organs often extending posteriorly past posterior hooks, middle and posterior hooks of equal size slightly smaller than anterior hooks, large neck continuous with the outline of the proboscis without distinct separation, big drop-shaped cephalic ganglion, extension of the proboscis receptacle anteriorly past the base of the proboscis up to the insertion point of the posterior hooks, presence of two para-receptacle structures (PRSs), free unattached thick lemnisci, short female reproductive system with filamentous attachment of the distal end of the uterine bell to the ventral body wall, and small narrowly ellipsoid eggs with thickened polar ends. Partial sequences of the 18S and internal transcribed spacers (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) of ribosomal RNA were generated and used for phylogenetic analyses to confirm the taxonomic identity of Acanthogyrus (Acanthosentis) fusiformis n. sp.

    CONCLUSIONS: We describe unique morphological features of A. fusiformis never before known in the subgenus Acanthosentis. The uniqueness of A. fusiformis is further demonstrated by its EDXA fingerprint characterized by high levels of calcium and phosphorous in hooks. The zoogeography of species of Acanthosentis is elucidated in the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, China, and Africa. Molecular data have been available only in few species of Acanthogyrus (Acanthosentis) to date on GenBank database. For 18S, only two sequences from unknown Acanthosentis sp. from India are available, while for the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, only sequences of A. cheni from China and of two unidentified species from Malaysia are available. Additional studies of species of Acanthosentis based on morphological and molecular genetic data will be needed to reconstruct the evolutionary history and phylogenetic affinities of this group of acanthocephalans.

    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  11. Palliative Care Research in the Asia Pacific Region: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Publications
    Cheong WL, Mohan D, Warren N, Reidpath DD
    J Palliat Med, 2019 May;22(5):545-552.
    PMID: 30570416 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0447
    Background:
    The state of palliative care research is closely linked to the development of palliative care services in a country or region.
    Objective:
    To systematically review the current state of palliative care research in the Asia Pacific region and analyze its relationship with the performance of each country in the region on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2015 Quality of Death Index.
    Design:
    Systematic review and bibliographic analysis in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol 2015 (PRISMA-P).
    Data Sources:
    The PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and PsychiNFO databases were searched on February 4, 2018.
    Results:
    One thousand six hundred sixty-seven articles were reviewed. Eighteen out of 32 countries in the region published research. Around 74.15% (1236) of the articles were produced by high-income countries. Research output (articles per 1 m population) was closely linked to country performance on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2015 Quality of Death Index (adjusted R2= 0.85). Palliative care research in the region is overwhelmingly focused on cancer (80.13% of articles reviewed). The most common themes of research were "palliative care service (24.45%)" and "clinical" (15.38%).
    Conclusions:
    Palliative care research in the region is growing but remains largely centered on the high-income countries, with many low- and middle-income countries having little published research output. Much work is required to drive research in these countries to generate the evidence required for the development of palliative care services. The emphasis on cancer in research also indicates that the needs of patients suffering from noncancer-related diseases may be neglected.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  12. Fulltext Madden-Julian Oscillation Enhances Phytoplankton Biomass in the Maritime Continent
    Chang CJ, Hsu HH, Cheah W, Tseng WL, Jiang LC
    Sci Rep, 2019 04 01;9(1):5421.
    PMID: 30931981 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41889-5
    In addition to monsoon-driven rainfall, the Maritime Continent (MC) is subject to heavy precipitation caused by the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a tropical convection-coupled circulation that propagates eastward from the Indian to the Pacific Ocean. This study shows that riverine runoff from MJO-driven rainfall in the western MC significantly enhances phytoplankton biomass not only in the coastal regions but as far as the nutrient-poor Banda Sea, located 1,000 km downstream of the riverine source. We present observational estimates of the chlorophyll-a concentration in the Banda Sea increasing by 20% over the winter average within an MJO life cycle. The enhancement of phytoplankton in the central Banda Sea is attributed to two coinciding MJO-triggered mechanisms: enhanced sediment loading and eastward advection of waters with high sediment and chlorophyll concentrations. Our results highlight an unexpected effect of MJO-driven rainfall on the downstream oceanic region. This finding has significant implications for the marine food chain and biogeochemical processes in the MC, given the increasing deforestation rate and projections that global warming will intensify both the frequency and strength of MJO-driven rainfall in the MC.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  13. De novo assembly of genome and development of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) using RAD approach
    Wu Q, Miao G, Li X, Liu W, Ikhwanuddin M, Ma H
    Mol Biol Rep, 2018 Dec;45(6):1913-1918.
    PMID: 30203240 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-018-4339-9
    The blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) is a valuable marine fishery resource in Indo-West Pacific Ocean. So far, rare genetic resource of this species is available. In this report, the restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) approach was employed to mine the genomic information and identify molecular markers in P. pelagicus. A total of 0.82 Gbp clean data were generated from the genome of individual "X2A". De novo assembly produced 85,796 contigs with an average length of 339 bp. A total of 45,464 putative SNPs and 17,983 microsatellite loci were identified from the genomes of ten individuals. Furthermore, 31 pairs of primers were successfully designed, with 16 of them exhibiting polymorphism in a wild population. For these polymorphic loci, the expected and observed alleles per locus ranged from 1.064 to 7.314 and from 2 to 11, respectively. The expected and observed heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.0615 to 0.819 and from 0.0626 to 1.000, respectively. Nine loci showed high informative with polymorphism information content (PIC) > 0.5. Five loci significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the samples analyzed. No linkage disequilibrium was found among the 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci. This study provided massive genetic resource and polymorphic molecular markers that should be helpful for studies on conservation genetics, population dynamics and genetic diversity of P. pelagicus and related crab species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  14. Clinical features and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease across the Asia Pacific region-the GO ASIA initiative
    Chan WK, Treeprasertsuk S, Imajo K, Nakajima A, Seki Y, Kasama K, et al.
    Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 2018 Mar;47(6):816-825.
    PMID: 29333610 DOI: 10.1111/apt.14506
    BACKGROUND: The Gut and Obesity Asia (GO ASIA) workgroup was formed to study the relationships between obesity and gastrointestinal diseases in the Asia Pacific region.

    AIM: To study factors associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and advanced fibrosis, and medical treatment of biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients.

    METHODS: Retrospective study of biopsy-proven NAFLD patients from centres in the GO ASIA Workgroup. Independent factors associated with NASH and with advanced fibrosis on binary logistic regression analyses in a training cohort were used for the development of their corresponding risk score, which were validated in a validation cohort.

    RESULTS: We included 1008 patients from nine centres across eight countries (NASH 62.9%, advanced fibrosis 17.2%). Independent predictors of NASH were body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 , diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, alanine aminotransferase ≥88 U/L and aspartate aminotransferase ≥38 U/L, constituting the Asia Pacific NASH risk score. A high score has a positive predictive value of 80%-83% for NASH. Independent predictors of advanced fibrosis were age ≥55 years, diabetes mellitus and platelet count <150 × 109 /L, constituting the Asia-Pacific NAFLD advanced fibrosis risk score. A low score has a negative predictive value of 95%-96% for advanced fibrosis. Only 1.7% of patients were referred for structured lifestyle program, 4.2% were on vitamin E, and 2.4% were on pioglitazone.

    CONCLUSIONS: More severe liver disease can be suspected or ruled out based on factors identified in this study. Utilisation of structured lifestyle program, vitamin E and pioglitazone was limited despite this being a cohort of biopsy-proven NAFLD patients with majority of patients having NASH.

    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean/epidemiology
  15. Fulltext Climate Based Predictability of Oil Palm Tree Yield in Malaysia
    Oettli P, Behera SK, Yamagata T
    Sci Rep, 2018 02 02;8(1):2271.
    PMID: 29396527 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20298-0
    The influence of local conditions and remote climate modes on the interannual variability of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) total yields in Malaysia and two major regions (Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah/Sarawak) is explored. On a country scale, the state of sea-surface temperatures (SST) in the tropical Pacific Ocean during the previous boreal winter is found to influence the regional climate. When El Niño occurs in the Pacific Ocean, rainfall in Malaysia reduces but air temperature increases, generating a high level of water stress for palm trees. As a result, the yearly production of FFB becomes lower than that of a normal year since the water stress during the boreal spring has an important impact on the total annual yields of FFB. Conversely, La Niña sets favorable conditions for palm trees to produce more FFB by reducing chances of water stress risk. The region of the Leeuwin current also seems to play a secondary role through the Ningaloo Niño/ Niña in the interannual variability of FFB yields. Based on these findings, a linear model is constructed and its ability to reproduce the interannual signal is assessed. This model has shown some skills in predicting the total FFB yield.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  16. Mitogenome of gymnothorax minor and phylogenetic relationship with its congeners and related genera (anguilliformes: muraenidae)
    Sze-Looi Song, Kar-Hoe Loh, Phaik-Eem Lim, Amy Yee-Hui Then, Hoi-Sen Yong, Praphathip Eamsobhana
    Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:2519-2531.
    Gymnothorax minor is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae found in the Western Pacific Ocean. We report here
    its complete mitogenome as determined by Illumina next-generation sequencing and the phylogenetic relationship
    with its congeners and other taxa of the family Muraenidae. The whole mitogenome of G. minor had a total length
    of 16,574 bp, comprising 37 genes - 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) and 22
    transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) genes - and a control region. Excepting cox1 with GTG, the other 12 PCGs had ATG
    start codon. Seven of its PCGs had incomplete stop codon - five (nad2; cox1; cox2; nad3 and nad4) with T and two
    (atp6 and cox3) with TA. Molecular phylogeny based on 13 PCGs was concordant with 15 mitochondrial genes (13 PCGs
    and 2 rRNA genes). The subfamily Muraeninae as well as the subfamily Uropterygiinae were monophyletic. However,
    the genus Gymnothorax was paraphyletic, with G. minor forming a sister group with Rhinomuraena quaesita in the
    lineage containing also G. kidako and G. formosus forming a sister group with Enchelynassa canina. The phylogenetic
    relationship of the genus Gymnothorax and related taxa of the family Muraenidae, based on the mitochondrial cob
    gene, was in general similar to that based on 15 mt-genes. The mitogenome is useful for future studies on phylogenetics
    and systematics of eels of the family Muraenidae and other taxa of the order Anguilliformes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  17. Fulltext Three members of Opisthomonorcheides Parukhin, 1966 (Digenea: Monorchiidae) from carangid fishes (Perciformes) from Indonesia, with a review of the genus
    Bray RA, Palm HW, Cutmore SC, Cribb TH
    Syst Parasitol, 2017 05;94(4):443-462.
    PMID: 28337682 DOI: 10.1007/s11230-017-9717-5
    Three species of Opisthomonorcheides Parukhin, 1966 are reported for the first time from Indonesian waters: O. pampi (Wang, 1982) Liu, Peng, Gao, Fu, Wu, Lu, Gao & Xiao, 2010 and O. ovacutus (Mamaev, 1970) Machida, 2011 from Parastromateus niger (Bloch), and O. decapteri Parukhin, 1966 from Atule mate (Cuvier). Both O. pampi and O. ovacutus can now be considered widespread in the Indo-Pacific region, with earlier records of these species being from Fujian Province, China and Penang, Malaysia, respectively. We redescribe O. decapteri from one of its original hosts, Atule mate, off New Caledonia, and report this species from Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, extending its range throughout the Indian Ocean into the south-western Pacific. All three species possess a genital atrium that is long, sometimes very long, and a genital pore that is located in the forebody. This validates the interpretation that the original description was erroneous in reporting the genital pore in the hindbody, well posterior to the ventral sucker. These observations verify the synonymy of Retractomonorchis Madhavi, 1977 with Opisthomonorcheides. A major discrepancy between the species of Opisthomonorcheides is that some are described with the uterus entering the terminal organ laterally and some with it entering terminally; this feature needs further analysis. Based on the length of the genital atrium and the posterior extent of the vitellarium, the 27 species of Opisthomonorcheides considered valid can be divided into four groups. Among the 53 host records analysed, the families Carangidae (53% of records), Stromateidae (17%) and Serranidae (5.7%) are the most common; the reports are overwhelmingly from members of the Perciformes (91%), with further records in the Clupeiformes (5.7%), Gadiformes (1.9%) and Pleuronectiformes (1.9%). Two fish genera (Parastromateus Bleeker and Pampus Bonaparte) dominate the recorded hosts, with the black pomfret Parastromateus niger harbouring six species, the silver pomfret Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen) harbouring six, and the Chinese silver pomfret P. chinensis (Euphrasen) two. A host-parasite checklist is presented. We discuss the host-specificity of members of the genus, questioning some records such as that of O. decapteri in a deep-sea macrourid. We also comment on the morphological similarity, but phylogenetic distance, between the various Pomfret species, advancing the possibility that a series of host misidentifications has occurred. Sequences of the ITS2 rDNA gene generated for O. pampi and O. ovacutus are briefly discussed and molecular data are lodged in the GenBank database.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  18. Prawn biomonitors of nutrient and trace metal pollution along Asia-Pacific coastlines
    Fry B, Carter JF, Tinggi U, Arman A, Kamal M, Metian M, et al.
    Isotopes Environ Health Stud, 2016 Dec;52(6):619-32.
    PMID: 26982881 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2016.1149481
    To assess coastal ecosystem status and pollution baselines, prawns were collected from the commercial catches of eight Asia-Pacific countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand). Samples collected from 21 sites along regional coastlines were analysed for trace metal and stable isotopic compositions of H, C, N, O and S. A combination of simple averaging and multivariate analyses was used to evaluate the data. Sites could be assigned to easily recognise polluted and unpolluted groups based on the prawn results. Some filter-feeding clams were also collected and analysed together with the benthic-feeding prawns, and the prawns generally had lower trace metal burdens. Climate change effects were not strongly evident at this time, but altered ocean circulation and watershed run-off patterns accompanying future climate change are expected to change chemical patterns recorded by prawns along these and other coastlines. Stable isotopes, especially (15)N, can help to distinguish between relatively polluted and unpolluted sites.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  19. Surveying trends in radiation oncology medical physics in the Asia Pacific Region
    Kron T, Healy B, Ng KH
    Phys Med, 2016 Jul;32(7):883-8.
    PMID: 27320695 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2016.06.001
    OBJECTIVE: Our study aims to assess and track work load, working conditions and professional recognition of radiation oncology medical physicists (ROMPs) in the Asia Pacific Region over time.

    METHODS: A structured questionnaire was mailed in 2008, 2011 and 2014 to senior medical physicists representing 23 countries. The questionnaire covers 7 themes: education and training including certification; staffing; typical tasks; professional organisations; resources; research and teaching; job satisfaction.

    RESULTS: Across all surveys the response rate was >85% with the replies representing practice affecting more than half of the world's population. The expectation of ROMP qualifications (MSc and between 1 and 3years of clinical experience) has not changed much over the years. However, compared to 2008, the number of medical physicists in many countries has doubled. Formal professional certification is only available in a small number of countries. The number of experienced ROMPs is small in particular in low and middle income countries. The increase in staff numbers from 2008 to 2014 is matched by a similar increase in the number of treatment units which is accompanied by an increase in treatment complexity. Many ROMPs are required to work overtime and not many find time for research. Resource availability has only improved marginally and ROMPs still feel generally overworked, but professional recognition, while varying widely, appears to be improving slowly.

    CONCLUSION: While number of physicists and complexity of treatment techniques and technologies have increased significantly, ROMP practice remains essentially unchanged over the last 6years in the Asia Pacific Region.

    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
  20. Comparison of condition index in the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis between Sebatu and Pasir Panjang, Peninsular Malaysia
    Al-Barwani SM, Arshad A, Amin SMN, Rahman A
    J Environ Biol, 2016 07;37(4 Spec No):705-8.
    PMID: 28779729
    The condition index (which relates to the tissue dry weight to shell volume) of the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis was investigated at Sebatu in Melaka and Pasir Panjang in Negri Sembilan from September 2003 to February 2004. Monthly samples of P. viridis were collected from culturing rafts at both sites. Variations in the average monthly condition index (CI) of P. viridis ranged from 21.06 to 26.72 g cm(-3) and 15.18 to 19.41 g cm(-3) in Sebatu and Pasir Panjang, respectively. Salinity values were lowest in November between 27.93 to 28.10 ppt in Sebatu and Pasir Panjang, respectively. Salinity then started increasing gradually until it reached 33.26 ppt in Sebatu and 31.23 ppt in Pasir Panjang in the month of February. Chlorophylla in Pasir Panjang showed higher fluctuation, ranging from 2.93 to 14.39 mg/L, while in Sebatu the fluctuations were lower and ranged between 7.70 and 9.37 mg l(-1). Rapid decline in CI values were recorded during January in Sebatu and February in Pasir Panjang. However, this rapid declining state of CI in P. viridis was an indication of its spawning period, when their gametes were released in the water column. These findings would help in the development of captive breeding techniques and mass seed production in aquaculture.
    Matched MeSH terms: Pacific Ocean
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