Urbanization requires the conversion of natural land cover to cover with human-constructed elements and is considered a major threat to biodiversity. Bee populations, globally, are under threat; however, the effect of rapid urban expansion in Southeast Asia on bee diversity has not been investigated. Given the pressing issues of bee conservation and urbanization in Southeast Asia, coupled with complex factors surrounding human-bee coexistence, we investigated bee diversity and human perceptions of bees in four megacities. We sampled bees and conducted questionnaires at three different site types in each megacity: a botanical garden, central business district, and peripheral suburban areas. Overall, the mean species richness and abundance of bees were significantly higher in peripheral suburban areas than central business districts; however, there were no significant differences in the mean species richness and abundance between botanical gardens and peripheral suburban areas or botanical gardens and central business districts. Urban residents were unlikely to have seen bees but agreed that bees have a right to exist in their natural environment. Residents who did notice and interact with bees, even though being stung, were more likely to have positive opinions towards the presence of bees in cities.
The pollinators of 29 ginger species representing 11 genera in relation to certain floral morphological characteristics in a mixed-dipterocarp forest in Borneo were investigated. Among the 29 species studied, eight were pollinated by spiderhunters (Nectariniidae), 11 by medium-sized Amegilla bees (Anthophoridae), and ten by small halictid bees. These pollination guilds found in gingers in Sarawak are comparable to the pollination guilds of neotropical Zingiberales, i.e., hummingbird-, and euglossine-bee-pollinated guilds. Canonical discriminant analysis revealed that there were significant correlations between floral morphology and pollination guilds and suggests the importance of plant-pollinator interactions in the evolution of floral morphology. Most species in the three guilds were separated on the plot by the first and second canonical variables. Spiderhunter-pollinated flowers had longer floral tubes, while Amegilla-pollinated flowers had wider lips than the others, which function as a platform for the pollinators. Pistils and stamens of halictid-pollinated flowers were smaller than the others. The fact that gingers with diverse morphologies in a forest with high species diversity were grouped into only three pollination guilds and that the pollinators themselves showed low species diversity suggests that many species of rare understory plants have evolved without segregating pollinators in each pollination guild.
Pollination ecology of three Durio species, D. grandiflorus, D. oblongus, and D. kutejensis (Bombacaceae), was studied in a lowland dipterocarp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia, during a peak flowering period when at least 305 species of plants bloomed in 1996. Durio has been reported to be pollinated by bats in Peninsular Malaysia. However, my observations of flower visitors and pollination experiments indicated that two species, D. grandiflorus and D. oblongus, were pollinated by spiderhunters (Nectariniidae) and that the other species, D. kutejensis, was pollinated by giant honey bees and bats as well as birds. Hand-pollination experiments showed that all three species were obligate outbreeders. A resource limitation in fruit production was suggested. The former two species were visited only by spiderhunters, and the bagged flowers that were opened for animal visitors only at night bore no fruit, while those that were opened only during the day bore fruits, at comparable fruiting ratios to open pollination. Durio kutejensis was observed to be visited by giant honey bees, birds, and bats at different times of day, and three series of bagged experiments that exposed the flowers to animal visitors at different times of day bore fruits at a comparable ratio to open-pollination.
Flowerings and flower visitors were observed continuously in alowland dipterocarp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia, for 53 mo in1992-1996. Flower visitors of 270 plant species were observed orcollected, and pollinators were assessed by observing body contact tostigmas and anthers. We recognized 12 categories of pollination systems.Among them, plants pollinated by social bees included the largest numberof species (32%) and were followed by beetle-pollinated species(20%). Pollination systems were significantly related with somefloral characters (flowering time of day, reward, and floral shape), butnot with floral color. Based on the relationships between pollinatorsand floral characters, we described pollination syndromes found in alowland dipterocarp forest. The dominance of social bees and beetlesamong pollinators is discussed in relation to the general floweringobserved in dipterocarp forests of West Malesia. In spite of high plantspecies diversity and consequent low population densities of lowlanddipterocarp forests, long-distance-specific pollinators were uncommoncompared with theNeotropics.
Heterotrigona itama is a Malaysian stingless bee species that actively reared for meliponiculture. This stingless bee is cultivated in a commercial scale for its honey production, propolis and among the greatest commercial potential as crop pollinators. However, this species has been potentially exposed to agronomic practices, among which the use of synthetic insecticides against pests.The indirect toxicity effect of the post-insecticide had affected the mortalities of H. itama especially, to the foragers. Due to that, a study has been conducted to determine the lethal concentration of 50% (LC50) and 95% (LC95) of the selected insecticides against stingless bee forager workers through residual exposure. The bioassay test was conducted to the local stingless bee H. itama at Agricultural Research Station, Tenom. Four commonly used insecticides in crop protection; Deltamethrin, Chlorpyrifos, Cypermethrin and Malathion were tested at five concentrations that diluted with 500 ml of distilled water in three replications for each insecticide. Lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC95) were obtained from probit analysis after 1-hour dry residues exposure and 24-hour mortality observation. The result shows that; all four tested insecticides were harmful to H. itama through dry residue. Deltamethrin shows the higher value of LC50 (1.256 ml) and LC95 (3.582ml) that make it less toxic to the H. itama than cypermethrin, malathion, and chlorpyrifos, however, as the concentration gets higher it becomes more toxic.
Present study compared the rheological properties of glutinous rice flour (GRF) gel (33.3%, w/v) added with raw bee honey (RBH) or stingless bee honey (SBH) with/without heating treatment. RBH (diatase activity: 12.14 Schade) and SBH (1.53 Schade) significantly reduced the network of GRF gel by lowering the gel viscosity, with RBH having the highest rate of viscosity decrease (- 2.74 × 10-5 Pa). As the addition of heated-SBH or heated-RBH did not reduce gel viscosity, it was hypothesised that active diastase played a major role to weaken gel network. This was further supported by the significant and the lowest storage modulus (G') value of RBH-GRF gel (5.99 ± 0.02 Pa), as compared to SBH-GRF (6.27 ± 0.04 Pa) and control (6.33 ± 0.04 Pa). A detail of rheological behaviour of the gels was further explained using power law. Overall, this GRF gel model has successfully demonstrated the potential of honey diastase in weakening network of starch-based food.
Introduction: The study is introducing a laboratory technique to sustain the longevity of Heterotrigona itama sting- less bees collected from the farm in order to facilitate future health research on Kelulut honey. Methods: The worker bees were held in laboratory at 26 ± 2 oC, 57 ± 8 % relative humidity (RH) and 12:12 hours (light:dark period) in a cup covered with meshed cloth and installed with an inverted-wick system consists of a drinking straw with the bottom end loosely plugged with cotton wool. The artificial diet was pipetted into the straw to wet the cotton wool. The bees were divided into five diet groups, namely a) unfed - control, b) distilled water, c) purified tap water, d) non-carbonated isotonic drink or e) 5% honey solution. Feeding activity and survival of worker bees were observed daily. Results: The worker bees are seen to frequent and lick the cotton wool wetted with artificial diets. Comparison between the artificial diets, Kaplan-Meier statistical analysis showed that the 5% honey solution and non-carbonated isotonic drink have significantly (P < 0.05) extended the longevity of the worker bees with 50% survival probability at least 8 days. When the similar holding and feeding technique used for the bees from commercial farms, the 50% survival probability was extended to 14 days. Conclusion: The inverted-wick system with the use of 5% honey solu- tion or isotonic drink as the artificial diet is capable to hold the H. itama worker bees at least for a week with survival above 50% for laboratory experiments.
The complete mitochondrial genome of the cavity-nesting honeybee Apis cerana from Sabah on Borneo Island was analyzed using next-generation sequencing. The mitochondrial genome of A. cerana was a circular molecule of 15,884 bp and was similar to that of the other cavity-nesting honeybee species. The average AT content in the A. cerana mitochondrial genome was 84.4%. It was predicted to contain 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and two rRNA genes, along with one A + T-rich control region.
The diurnal time-activity patterns of the Small Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) were studied between 2005 and 2006 in the Nagapattinam District of Southern India. Bee-eaters were observed to spend an average of 52.5% of their day time scanning, 21.3% feeding, 13.3% flying, 8.8% resting and 4.1% engaging in preening activities. The time spent on scanning varied among seasons in 2005 (p<0.05) and among time blocks (p<0.05), but it did not vary among years or habitats (p>0.05). The feeding patterns differed among years, seasons within years, time blocks and habitats (p<0.05). The flying habits varied among years, time blocks and habitats (p<0.05) but did not change between seasons within years (p>0.05). The resting habits differed among years and habitats (p<0.05) but did not differ among seasons within years or time blocks (p>0.05). Preening differed among years and time blocks (p<0.05) but did not vary among seasons within years or habitats (p>0.05). We conclude that several factors, such as food availability, environmental factors and predation threats, may affect the diurnal activity patterns of Bee-eaters between habitats and seasons; a further study could clarify this conclusion.
We report three patients with corneal bee sting at our tertiary care center in a three-year period starting from 2014 to 2016. All patients sustained a bee sting injury to the cornea. All patients received early preoperative topical antibiotics, topical cycloplegic and intensive topical steroids. However, the timing of the initial presentation, the duration, and the location of the retained stinger differed in each case leading to different postsurgical outcomes.
An amphotericin B-containing (AmB) solid lipid nanoparticulate drug delivery system intended for oral administration, comprised of bee's wax and theobroma oil as lipid components was formulated with the aim to ascertain the location of AmB within the lipid matrix: (a) a homogenous matrix; (b) a drug-enriched shell; or (c) a drug enriched core. Both the drug-loaded and drug-free nanoparticles were spherical with AmB contributing to an increase in both the z-average diameter (169 ± 1 to 222 ± 2 nm) and zeta potential (40.8 ± 0.9 to 50.3 ± 1.0 mV) of the nanoparticles. A maximum encapsulation efficiency of 21.4% ± 3.0%, corresponding to 10.7 ± 0.4 mg encapsulated AmB within the lipid matrix was observed. Surface analysis and electron microscopic imaging indicated that AmB was dispersed uniformly within the lipid matrix (option (a) above) and, therefore, this is the most suitable of the three models with regard to modeling the propensity for uptake by epithelia and release of AmB in lymph.
Modern science has found that most traditional practice of using stingless bee honey has
great potential as an added value in modern medicine and considered to have a higher
medicinal value than other bee species. However, due to the relatively low output of honey
compared to other honey so, focus on this honey is limited. Hence, this systematic review
provides the updated result on the potential value of stingless bee honey as an antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial. The search strategy was developed in
four databases (Scopus, Medline and Ovid, EMBASE and PubMed) with the search terms
"("honey" and "Kelulut", "honey" and "stingless bee", "honey" and "Trigona", "honey"
and "pot honey", and "honey" and "Melipon")". The merged data was assessed using
PRISMA guidelines and after the duplicates were removed, 1271 articles were segregated.
Afterwards, 1232 articles were eliminated because they do not meet the inclusion criteria
and 39 articles were reevaluated again for eligibility. Finally, after the evaluation process,
only 26 of the articles were chosen for this review. The data of 26 articles of stingless bee
honey were deliberated based on antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity
and analysis of antimicrobial activity. Three articles reported on antioxidant properties,
one article on anti-inflammatory analysis, two articles on cytotoxicity analysis, and twenty
articles on analysis of antimicrobial activity. Based on the feasible affirmation from the
literature, stingless bee honey has an antioxidant capacity that able to decrease the ROS.
ROS able to lead a variety of health problems thus stingless bee honey can be a dietary
supplement to overcome this problem.
This data article presents the diversity of flora and selected fauna in Tasik Kenyir, Malaysia. This man-made lake once suffered huge loss of biodiversity for allowing an earth-dam construction during 1980s. Series of publications on different types of target taxa have been published separately after the post-dam construction. A biodiversity assessment was conducted in Tasik Kenyir from March 2015 until February 2016. The one year assessment were compiled with the previous published data to document and updated the biodiversity checklist in the lake. The data show that Tasik Kenyir is occupied by 113 tree species, 217 butterfly species, 35 bee species, 26 reptile species, 267 aves species and 153 mammal species. The micro-climate data was downloaded from the Malaysian Meteorological Department and analysed in R Studio to highlight the relationship between climate data and biodiversity data.
This study aimed to isolate, identify, and evaluate the probiotic properties of Bacillus species from honey of the stingless bee Heterotrigona itama. Bacillus spp. were isolated from five different H. itama meliponicultures, and the isolates were characterized through Gram-staining and a catalase test. Tolerance to acidic conditions and bile salt (0.3%), hydrophobicity, and autoaggregation tests were performed to assess the probiotic properties of the selected isolates, B. amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 and B. subtilis HTI-23. Both Bacillus isolates exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and possessed significantly high survival rates in 0.3% bile solution for 3 h. Their survival rates in acidic conditions were also comparable to a commercial probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Interestingly, the hydrophobicity and autoaggregation percentage showed no significant difference from L. rhamnosus GG, a commercial probiotic strain. The results from this study suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens HTI-19 and B. subtilis HTI-23 isolated from stingless bee honey have considerably good probiotic properties. Therefore, more studies should be done to investigate the effects of these bacteria cultures on gastrointestinal health.
The available information about the cleptoparasitic bees of the genus Sphecodes in Southeast Asia is summarized. Thirty-one species are currently known from this area. Four new species are described: Sphecodes discoverlifei Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. (Laos), S. engeli Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. (Laos, Vietnam), S. ilyadadaria Astafurova, sp. nov. (Indonesia), and S. pseudoredivivus Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. (Laos). Nine species are newly recorded from South East Asia: S. chaprensis Blüthgen, 1927 (Laos), S. howardi Cockerell, 1922 (Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand), S. kershawi Perkins, 1921 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand), S. laticeps Meyer, 1920 (Thailand, Vietnam), S. montanus Smith, 1879 (Laos), S. sauteri Meyer, 1925 (Laos), S. sikkimensis Blüthgen, 1927 (Laos, Myanmar), S. simlaensis Blüthgen, 1924 (Laos), and S. turneri Cockerell, 1916 (Laos). Based on type specimens, new synonymies have been proposed for Sphecodes kershawi Perkins, 1921 = S. javanensis Blüthgen, 1927, syn. nov.; S. simlaensis Blüthgen, 1924 = S. simlaellus Blüthgen, 1927, syn. nov.; S. laticeps Meyer, 1920 = S. biroi mariae Cockerell, 1930, syn. nov. Lectotypes are designated for Sphecodes biroi Friese, 1909, S. simlaellus Blüthgen, 1927, and S. laticeps Meyer, 1920. The female of Sphecodes sauteri Meyer, 1925, and the male of S. turneri Cockerell, 1916 are described for the first time.
Swarm intelligence is a research area that models the population of swarm that is able to self-organise effectively. Honey bees that gather around their hive with a distinctive behaviour is another example of swarm intelligence. In fact, the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is a swarm-based meta-heuristic algorithm introduced by Karaboga in order to optimise numerical problems. 2SAT can be treated as a constrained optimisation problem which represents any problem by using clauses containing 2 literals each. Most of the current researchers represent their problem by using 2SAT. Meanwhile, the Hopfield neural network incorporated with the ABC has been utilised to perform randomised 2SAT. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the performance of the solutions produced by HNN2SAT-ABC and compared it with the traditional HNN2SAT-ES. The comparison of both algorithms has been examined by using Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 C++ Express Software. The detailed comparison on the performance of the ABC and ES in performing 2SAT is discussed based on global minima ratio, hamming distance, CPU time and fitness landscape. The results obtained from the computer simulation depict the beneficial features of ABC compared to ES. Moreover, the findings have led to a significant implication on the choice of determining an alternative method to perform 2SAT.
Limited honey production worldwide leads to higher market prices, thus making it prone to adulteration. Therefore, regular physicochemical analysis is imperative for ensuring authenticity and safety. This study describes the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Apis cerana honey sourced from the islands of Lombok and Bali, showing their unique regional traits. A comparative analysis was conducted on honey samples from Lombok and Bali as well as honey variety from Malaysia. Moisture content was found slightly above 20% in raw honey samples from Lombok and Bali, adhering to the national standard (SNI 8664:2018) of not exceeding 22%. Both honey types displayed pH values within the acceptable range (3.40-6.10), ensuring favorable conditions for long-term storage. However, Lombok honey exhibited higher free acidity (78.5±2.14 meq/kg) than Bali honey (76.0±1.14 meq/kg), surpassing Codex Alimentarius recommendations (≤50 meq/kg). The ash content, reflective of inorganic mineral composition, was notably lower in Lombok (0.21±0.02 g/100) and Bali honey (0.14±0.01 g/100) compared to Tualang honey (1.3±0.02 g/100). Electric conductivity, indicative of mineral content, revealed Lombok and Bali honey with lower but comparable values than Tualang honey. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) concentrations in Lombok (14.4±0.11 mg/kg) and Bali (17.6±0.25 mg/kg) were slightly elevated compared to Tualang honey (6.4±0.11 mg/kg), suggesting potential processing-related changes. Sugar analysis revealed Lombok honey with the highest sucrose content (2.39±0.01g/100g) and Bali honey with the highest total sugar content (75.21±0.11 g/100g). Both honeys exhibited lower glucose than fructose content, aligning with Codex Alimentarius guidelines. The phenolic content, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were significantly higher in Lombok and Bali honey compared to Tualang honey, suggesting potential health benefits. Further analysis by LC-MS/MS-QTOF targeted analysis identified various flavonoids/flavanols and polyphenolic/phenolic acid compounds in Lombok and Bali honey. The study marks the importance of characterizing the unique composition of honey from different regions, ensuring quality and authenticity in the honey industry.
Cancer is a deadly disease that has claimed millions of lives worldwide. Traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, have been used for many years but have become less favored due to drug resistance, lack of tumor selectivity, high costs, and various side effects, such as fatigue and hair loss. Many studies have reported that animal venoms, such as those from snakes, scorpions, and bees, contain bioactive peptides that can be synthesized into anti-- cancer peptides (ACPs), which offer a potential alternative to traditional cancer therapies. Apitherapy is an area of growing interest for the development of new cancer treatments using bee venom, which is a complex mixture of biologically active peptides, enzymes, bioactive amines, and nonpeptide components that have been found to have anti-cancer properties. By leveraging these bioactive peptides, researchers could develop ACPs that are more targeted towards cancer cells, reducing the risk of adverse side effects and improving patient outcomes. The use of bee venom components in targeting cancer could provide a more selective, effective, and affordable approach to cancer therapy. While further research is needed, the potential benefits of using bee venom components in cancer therapy are significant and could help improve the lives of cancer patients worldwide. This study aims to review the components of bee venom as potential cancer treatments.
Sekolah Menengah Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra (SMSTMFP) and Sekolah Kebangsaan Kubang Kerian (3) (SKKK3) were selected by the Department of Neurosciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), in 2011 to be a 'school-based Neuroscience Club' via the 'Knowledge Transfer Programme (KTP) - Community' project. This community project was known as "The Brain Apprentice Project". The objectives of this project were to promote science and the neurosciences beyond conventional classroom teachings whilst guiding creativity and innovation as well as to assist in the delivery of neuroscience knowledge through graduate interns as part of the cultivation of neuroscience as a fruitful future career option. All of the planned club activities moulded the students to be knowledgeable individuals with admirable leadership skills, which will help the schools produce more scientists, technocrats and professionals who can fulfil the requirements of our religion, race and nation in the future. Some of the activities carried out over the years include the "My Brain Invention Competition", "Mini Brain Bee Contest", "Recycled Melody" and "Brain Dissection". These activities educated the students well and improved their confidence levels in their communication and soft skills. The participation of the students in international-level competition, such as the "International Brain Bee", was one of the ways future professionals were created for the nation. The implementation of Neuroscience Club as one of the organisations in the school's cocurriculum was an appropriate step in transferring science and neuroscience knowledge and skills from a higher education institution, namely USM, to both of the schools, SMSTMFP and SKKK3. The club members showed great interest in all of the club's activities and their performance on the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) or Primary School Achievement Test and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or Malaysian Certificate of Education examinations improved tremendously.
Active appearance model (AAM) is one of the most popular model-based approaches that have been extensively used to extract features by highly accurate modeling of human faces under various physical and environmental circumstances. However, in such active appearance model, fitting the model with original image is a challenging task. State of the art shows that optimization method is applicable to resolve this problem. However, another common problem is applying optimization. Hence, in this paper we propose an AAM based face recognition technique, which is capable of resolving the fitting problem of AAM by introducing a new adaptive ABC algorithm. The adaptation increases the efficiency of fitting as against the conventional ABC algorithm. We have used three datasets: CASIA dataset, property 2.5D face dataset, and UBIRIS v1 images dataset in our experiments. The results have revealed that the proposed face recognition technique has performed effectively, in terms of accuracy of face recognition.