Enhancing the resilience of corals to rising temperatures is now a matter of urgency, leading to growing efforts to explore the use of heat tolerant symbiont species to improve their thermal resilience. The notion that adaptive traits can be retained by transferring the symbionts alone, however, challenges the holobiont concept, a fundamental paradigm in coral research. Holobiont traits are products of a specific community (holobiont) and all its co-evolutionary and local adaptations, which might limit the retention or transference of holobiont traits by exchanging only one partner. Here, we evaluate how interchanging partners affect the short- and long-term performance of holobionts under heat stress using clonal lineages of the cnidarian model system Aiptasia (host and Symbiodiniaceae strains) originating from distinct thermal environments. Our results show that holobionts from more thermally variable environments have higher plasticity to heat stress, but this resilience could not be transferred to other host genotypes through the exchange of symbionts. Importantly, our findings highlight the role of the host in determining holobiont productivity in response to thermal stress and indicate that local adaptations of holobionts will likely limit the efficacy of interchanging unfamiliar compartments to enhance thermal tolerance.
Vector surveillance in high-rise buildings is important to predict and monitor the presence of vectors regarding their abundance and distribution. In this study, the infestation profile of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species in different environmental settings were investigated. Methods: Four high-rise apartments in four different localities were selected for ovitrap surveillance. Fifty ovitraps were placed in semi indoor and outdoor settings. Results: A total of 507 (42.8%) from ovitraps showed the presence of the Aedes species larvae. Out of these, 170 (33.5%) of the positive ovitraps were those placed in semi indoor and 337 (66.5%) in outdoor. Of the total 16,613 Aedes larvae found, 4,130 (24.9%) were from semi indoor, and 12,483 (75.1%) from outdoor. In terms of distribution, Ae. albopictus was predominantly found in outdoor environments (POI=87.5%; MLT=36.45 larvae). Ae. aegypti was also found in outdoor environments (POI=14.89%; MLT=8.26 larvae). There was a significant difference in POI for both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the two different environments but no significant difference was observed in MLT, indicating that the density of the Aedes species in both environments was well distributed. Conclusion: In this study, the patterns of Aedes habitat in high-rise apartments were observed. This study has shown an invasion and adaptation of Aedes mosquitoes into the ecosystems of high-rise buildings. It can be concluded that housing designs and the condition of the surrounding environment affects the infestation profile and the distribution of Aedes mosquitoes.
The cultivation of indoor plants in indoor environment has become a topic of interest among researchers worldwide for its
potential to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). However, the adaptations of environmental factor of each plant need to be investigated
to correspond with the native environment. The study investigate the capability of plants selected to live indoor. Before experiment was
conducted, all plants selected were assimilated with indoor environment for two months. Photosynthesis proses in this experiment will
be a guidance to determine the comparative for every plant. The portable photosynthesis system equipment (LI-COR 6400) was used to
determine the level of photosynthesis rate for each of plants. Accordingly, among of all plants tested, Spider Plant showed less effective
to be grown with indoor environment by the rate of photosynthesis value up to -0.15. Moreover, light compensation point (LCP) of
Spider Plant also indicated the light intensity consumption was 2960 lux which is extremely higher than 300 lux. As a conclusion, only
six plants in this study which are Anthurium, Dumb Cane, Golden Pothos, Kadaka Fern, Prayer Plant, and Syngonium are able to
survive with indoor environment. In the next stage of study, this six plants may give good results to enhance the IAQ.
The sight of clustered holes can bring about uneasiness in people, and the disgust response towards it is called trypophobia. Reactions in humans vary from nausea to severe depression. We explore the possible causes of this unique phenomenon, such as evolutionary adaptation and spectral features. We also uncover the clinical features and its relationship to other psychological conditions for example, obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Interest in Indigenous Knowledge (IK) system has been particularly highlighted in
flood disasters, due to the likely increase of flood events resulting from
anthropogenic climate change through heavy precipitation, increased catchment
wetness, and sea level rise. Therefore, bringing IK of flood risk reduction into focus
and context to deepen the understanding of how people manage their own changing
circumstances can bring more pertinent information about flood risk reduction. This
paper reviews the significance of IK in flood risk reduction. Specifically, the paper
discusses IK flood forecasting, early warning signs, adaptation and coping strategies
in flood risk reduction around the world. The Methodological approach employed for
this paper is the review of existing literature on IK in flood Disaster Risk Reduction
(DRR), and then a summary of the outcomes of the studies reviewed was discussed.
However, it was deduced from the review undertaken, the need for an intensive
empirical study to be conducted to explore how efficient these strategies or
techniques are, in relation to flood risk reduction, which this paper strongly
recommends for further investigation. Additionally, the paper concludes by
emphasizing that although the IK of flood risk reduction is embedded in varied
regions around the globe, still there is a need for further study to be carried out in
order to unveil why the similarities and variations in flood risk reduction
practices/strategies between regions.
The climate change phenomenon has been occurring in every part of the world, including Malaysia. In particular, changes such as rising temperature, sea level rise, and unstable rain pattern are proven to affect the socio-economic routine of the community. Hence, it is necessary to learn how to adapt to it, especially those who heavily rely on nature stability. The present study examined the adaptation towards climate change among islanders in Malaysia. In addition, the current research was performed quantitatively using a developed questionnaire as the main data collection tool. In this case, a total of 400 islanders were selected as the respondents through a multi-stage sampling technique. The results revealed that the respondents recorded a moderate to high mean score for adaptation aspects namely awareness, dependency and structure. Accordingly, a number of recommendations that were highlighted can be utilized as a basis to develop community adaptation policy that is in line with the islanders' need, ability, and interests.
Wireless local area networks (WLAN)-fingerprinting has been highlighted as the preferred technology for indoor positioning due to its accurate positioning and minimal infrastructure cost. However, its accuracy is highly influenced by obstacles that cause fluctuation in the signal strength. Many researchers have modeled static obstacles such as walls and ceilings, but few studies have modeled the people's presence effect (PPE), although the human body has a great impact on signal strength. Therefore, PPE must be addressed to obtain accurate positioning results. Previous research has proposed a model to address this issue, but these studies only considered the direct path signal between the transmitter and the receiver whereas multipath effects such as reflection also have a significant influence on indoor signal propagation. This research proposes an accurate indoor-positioning model by considering people's presence and multipath using ray-tracing, we call it (AIRY). This study proposed two solutions to construct AIRY: an automatic radio map using ray tracing and a constant of people's effect for the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) adaptation. The proposed model was simulated using MATLAB software and tested at Level 3, Menara Razak, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. A K-nearest-neighbor (KNN) algorithm was used to define a position. The initial accuracy was 2.04 m, which then reduced to 0.57 m after people's presence and multipath effects were considered.
This study aims to gain more understanding on highland farmers' adaptation towards the impacts of climate change in Malaysia. Via a multi-stage cluster sampling, this quantitative study has surveyed a total of 400 highland farmers as respondents. The results indicated that the highest climate change-resilient farmers were from Kundasang, specifically among the females, Dusun ethnic group, and those who work side jobs to cover household expenses. Furthermore, recorded factors such as age and years of experience yielded significant negative relationship with adaptation whereas income yielded significant positive relationship with adaptation. The paper concludes with recommendations related to occupational diversification, consistent information disseminations, access to financial assistance, and the need to empower extension officers and local leaders in the hope that a comprehensive approach can help implement any community climate change-adaptation plan.
The existing literature have demonstrated a considerable amount of existing studies that merely interest on scientific perspectives by examining the physical environmental changes rather than conducting social-based studies that allow for the comparison of adaptation ability between mainland and island small-scale fishermen. Therefore, the current research attempts to fill this gap by investigating the adaptation level of mainland and island small-scale fishermen towards climate changes for the purpose of further identifying any significant differences regarding their adaptation aspects. The primary aim of the current research is to conduct a comparative study with the purpose of assessing the environmental change adaptation ability between the mainland and the islander small-scale fishermen. In the context of the current research, a quantitative approach was employed by selecting a total of 600 samples through several levels of cluster sampling. The instrument for the study was developed based on the 16 adaptation variables that were suggested within the adaptation framework proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The data were analysed using SPSS, whereby to achieve the study's main objective, inferential analysis which refers to the independent t test was performed to examine any possible significant difference that might exist. In regard to this matter, various significant differences between the islander and the mainland fishermen managed to be detected in 10 adaptation aspects out of the 16 adaptation variables which include the capacity to adapt to change (monetary and emotional adaptability); the level of interest in adapting to change; the ability to plan, learn, and reorganize; and attachment to occupation. Accordingly, a number of recommendations were discussed at the end of this study which is hoped to assist the involved and relevant parties in arranging better adjustment approaches for small-scale fishermen in Malaysia.
Osmotic stress is one of the most significant natural abiotic stresses that occur in the intertidal zones. Seaweeds may physiologically acclimate to changing osmolarity by altering their transcriptome. Here, we investigated the transcriptomic changes of Gracilaria changii (B. M. Xia et I. A. Abbott) I. A. Abbott, J. Zhang et B. M. Xia in response to hyper- and hypoosmotic stresses using a cDNA microarray approach. Microarray analysis revealed that 199 and 200 genes from ∼3,300 genes examined were up- and down-regulated by >2-fold in seaweed samples treated at 50 parts per thousand (ppt) artificial seawater (ASW) compared with those at 30 ppt ASW, respectively. The number of genes that were up- and down-regulated by >2-fold in seaweed samples treated at 10 ppt ASW compared with those at 30 ppt ASW were 154 and 187, respectively. A majority of these genes were only differentially expressed under hyper- or hypoosmotic conditions, whereas 67 transcripts were affected by both stresses. The findings of this study have shed light on the expression profiles of many transcripts during the acclimation of G. changii to hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic conditions. This information may assist in the prioritization of genes to be examined in future studies.
Albino Wistar rats of both sexes were given a conditioned taste aversion training (CTA). Saccharin was used as the conditional stimulus (CS) and apomorphine-induced illness as the unconditional stimulus (US) on day 4. Amnestic treatment with electroconvulsive shock (ECS) or nitrogen anoxia were given to the rats at various points within the 180-min long CS-US interval as well as after the US. They were reexposed to the CS on days 5 and 6 in order to evaluate CTA and its extinction respectively. Apomorphine injection alone produced significant CTA as long as the CS-US interval was less than 120 min but not beyond it. Saline injections, with or without amnestic treatments, produced only an adaptation to and preference for saccharin. ECS could prevent CTA when delivered within 85 min before or 110 min after the US. Anoxia was effective at a much shorter range of time than ECS. The results are discussed in the perspectives of neophobia, saccharin aversion, amnestic agents and the character as well as gradients of amnesia produced.
The frequency and intensity of extreme climate events are increasing all around the world, due to climate change. Climate adaptation strategies are therefore needed, since mitigation strategies alone are not sufficient to avoid serious impacts of climate change. However, adaptation to climate change is not straightforward, as it is highly influenced by diverse and conflicting interests as well as epistemological (or scientific) uncertainties. Therefore, a minimum requirement for its success is the active participation of stakeholders and citizens in the adaptation policy cycle. This paper presents a case study on a participatory process involving civil servants from different municipalities in Malaysia, in Southeast Asia, with a view to considering the optimal level of engagement that is required for climate adaptation planning. The exercise consisted of a Focus Group session, where participants were asked to discuss the level of stakeholder and citizen participation that should be adopted within the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy initiative. Contrary to authors' expectations, the participants tended to suggest medium to high levels of participation in the planning process. During the dialogues, a walking activity through the city, aimed at identifying hotspots of climate risks and defined as "safety walks", was one of the ideas proposed as a high-potential participatory method, spreading in the adaptation framework. Safety walks could complement climate modelling and enhance the robustness of climate risk assessments.
Sponges are major source of numerous cytotoxic compounds that are used for defence as well as adaptation to the environment. Numerous studies have discovered compounds from sponge extracts that were effective against a wide range of cancer cells. In this study, a total of 23 sponges comprising of 19 species were collected from Northeast Borneo. Sponges were treated and extracted using modified Folch extraction method, followed by cytotoxicity assay to determine their effectiveness against different colorectal cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that Monanchora clathrata, Dysidea sp., and Jaspis sp. possess different degrees of cytotoxicity against a wide range of human colorectal cancer cells. Monanchora clathrata (KDT07), Dysidea sp. (KDT09), and Jaspis sp. (KDT18) are among the demosponges which possess significant cytotoxicity against colorectal cancer cell lines, including HCT116, LoVo, SW480, and SW620. KDT08 and KDT21 which fall under the same genus Dysidea, possess insignificant cytotoxicity against colorectal cancer cells suggested environmental factors (symbiotic organisms) play a role in biosynthesizing bioactive compounds. Presented results suggested the importance of intensifying research on isolating and purifying natural products from marine sponges for useful applications.
he deficiency of oxygen in water during submergence is one of the frequently perceived environmental factors that limits
or hampers production of the rice cultivation. Rice plants comprise of elongated submerged tissues that help to bear with
the rise of water level in natural location. This characteristic helps the plant to deal with flooding stress. The mechanism
on flooding tolerance and adaptation mostly includes the physiological changes, one of which is the shortened growth
of elongation towards keeping the carbohydrates and energy for production of the antioxidant regulations in rice plants.
Furthermore, molecular studies and gene cloning might help suggest a better understanding of means and adaptations
built-up by rice plants in order to stay alive and to remain active during flooding stress, might help to focus on some
novel approaches to the up gradation as well as improvement on the natural cultivation of rice plants.
: Studies on bacterial growth pattern from the conventional approach are defective due
to their failure to explain the interactions or simply the complementary effects of the factors
influencing the bacterial growth. In this study, the individual and collaborative effects of
Pseudomonas putida growth variables were evaluated using a 2-level fractional factorial design of
experiment (FFDOE). The growth of the organism was found to respond remarkably to different
concentrations of nutrient media (carbon source) and the other independent variables. Factorial
models were developed from the experimental design to study the individual and interactive effects
of the studied parameters on the response. The studied parameters and their levels were as follows:
nutrient concentration (4-16 g/L), acclimatization time (24-72 hrs), agitation (140-200 rpm), and
temperature (30-40oC). These parameters were statistically validated using analysis of variance
(ANOVA) and the results revealed that the model terms were statistically significant with an Fvalue of 415.17 at P temperature > nutrient concentration versus temperature >
agitation > nutrient concentration versus agitation. Based on the R
2
and the adjusted R
2
values of
>95%, the estimated variables showed a high degree of relationship between the observed and the
predicted values; thus, the predictive ability of the models was suggested. It could, therefore, be
concluded that nutrient concentration, temperature, and agitation can greatly influence the growth
of P. putida within a specific range.
This study was carried out to determine the physiological changes (survival, growth, molting cycle, sex differentiation, and gill condition) of mud crab, Scylla paramamosain crablet at different water temperatures of 24, 28 and 32 °C, and ambient temperature of 27 to 30 °C. Thermoregulatory behavior, represented by preferred temperature (29.83 ± SD 2.47 °C), critical thermal minimum (17.33 ± SD 0.58 °C), critical thermal maximum (40 ± SD 0.00 °C), and thermal tolerance interval (22.67 ± SD 0.58 °C), were checked for Crablet 1 stage only (with ambient temperature as acclimation temperature).Both low (24 °C) and high (32 °C) temperatures were associated with lower growth performance, and survival rate (p < 0.05), in comparison with both 28 °C and ambient temperature treatments.Male ratio at low temperaturetreatment (24 °C) was higher (80.09 ± SD 18.86%) than for other treatments (p < 0.05), observed as 44.81 ± D 10.50%, 41.94 ± SD 19.44%, and 76.30 ± SD 5.13% for 28 °C, 32 °C and ambient temperature treatments, respectively. However, there was no significant difference observed between 24 °C, 28 °C, and ambient temperature treatments. Anatomical alterations of gill lamellae of S. paramamosain crablet for both 32 °C, and 24 °C treatments, appeared thinner and paler than at both 28 °C, and ambient temperature treatments. Based on this study, temperature of 28 to 30 °C was recommended as the optimal temperature for the long-term nursery phase of S. paramamosain.
Climate change is one of the major challenges societies round the world face at present. Apart from efforts to achieve a reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases so as to mitigate the problem, there is a perceived need for adaptation initiatives urgently. Ecosystems are known to play an important role in climate change adaptation processes, since some of the services they provide, may reduce the impacts of extreme events and disturbance, such as wildfires, floods, and droughts. This role is especially important in regions vulnerable to climate change such as the African continent, whose adaptation capacity is limited by many geographic and socio-economic constraints. In Africa, interventions aimed at enhancing ecosystem services may play a key role in supporting climate change adaptation efforts. In order to shed some light on this aspect, this paper reviews the role of ecosystems services and investigates how they are being influenced by climate change in Africa. It contains a set of case studies from a sample of African countries, which serve the purpose to demonstrate the damages incurred, and how such damages disrupt ecosystem services. Based on the data gathered, some measures which may assist in fostering the cause of ecosystems services are listed, so as to cater for a better protection of some of the endangered Africa ecosystems, and the services they provide.
Mixed microbial culture used in this study was developed from sludge that was taken from local textile wastewater treatment tank. Acclimatization process was performed before starting the biodegradation experiment to obtain a microbial culture with high degradation properties. Kinetic studies by the mixed microbial culture were determined quantitatively for the model pollutant, Reactive Black 5 (RB 5). By using Michaelis-Menten model, the constants were found to be 11.15 mg l-1 h -1 and 29.18 mg l-1 for Vm and Km respectively. The values of kinetic constants for Monod model were found to be 33.11 mg l-1 cell h-1 for the maximum specific microbial growth rate, µm and 86.62 mg l-1 for Monod constant, Ks. The effects of process parameters such as pH, inoculum size and initial dye concentration on the biodegradation of azo dye, RB 5 were systematically investigated. Maximum removal efficiencies observed in this study were 75% for pH 6, 100% for 15% inoculum concentration and 75% for 20 ppm of initial dye concentration.