A nematode population distribution survey was conducted in banana plantations/farms in Peninsular Malaysia from June 2004 to January 2006. This study highlights differences obtained from the survey compared with previously published reports in terms of species prevalence in banana plantations. As opposed to the widely reported prevalence of Radopholus similis (Cobb 1893) Thorne, 1949, on banana plants worldwide, Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford and Oliveira, 1940, was found to be the most common nematode species in the isolated soil samples (Prominence Value = 824.28; n=63) while Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White 1919) Chitwood, 1949, was predominant in the isolated root samples (Prominence Value = 449.77; n=57) in Peninsular Malaysia. Besides, contradicting previous reports, M. incognita was found to dominate Cavendish plantation areas in this region instead of R. similis. Inter-species interaction resulting in species predominance and co-dominance in banana rhizosphere was also observed in this study.
In a forensic acarology study, conducted in a secondary forest of Forensic Science Simulation Site, Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM) in Bangi, Selangor, six carcasses consisted of three monkeys and three rabbits were placed individually
in steel enclosures and observed for 35 days. The carcasses, the soil beneath them and pitfall traps were checked daily
for insects and mites. A species of mesostigmatid mite, Macrocheles scutatiformis was discovered and this is a first time
reported in Malaysia. There are about 94.0% of Macrocheles present inside the cages of the monkey and rabbit carcasses.
Most mites in this study were collected from soil beneath the carcasses, on a dung beetle and a Chrysomya rufifacies
larva. Our findings showed that M. scutatiformis have a potential role in forensic investigation involving dead animals
perhaps corpses especially during the dry stage of decomposition.
The rising pressure on both cleaner production and sustainable development have been the main driving force that pushes mankind to seek for alternative greener and sustainable feedstocks for chemical and energy production. The biomass 'waste-to-wealth' concept which convert low value biomass into value-added products which contain high economic potential, have attracted the attentions from both academicians and industry players. With a tropical climate, Malaysia has a rich agricultural sector and dense tropical rainforest, giving rise to abundance of biomass which most of them are underutilized. Hence, the biomass 'waste-to-wealth' conversion through various thermochemical conversion technologies and the prospective challenges towards commercialization in Malaysia are reviewed in this paper. In this paper, a critical review about the maturity status of the four most promising thermochemical conversion routes in Malaysia (i.e. gasification, pyrolysis, liquefaction and hydroprocessing) is given. The current development of thermochemical conversion technologies for biomass conversion in Malaysia is also reviewed and benchmarked against global progress. Besides, the core technical challenges in commercializing these green technologies are highlighted as well. Lastly, the future outlook for successful commercialization of these technologies in Malaysia is included.
Joint involvement is common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, however, screening for joint specific autoantibodies in patients is not routinely performed. This may be due to the lack of known antigens and available tissue. The rat musculoskeletal tissue may be a suitable source of antigen to detect arthritic autoantibodies.
Method: We tested plasma of SLE patients, with arthritis (N=9) and without arthritis (N=7) as well as plasma from normal individuals (N=7) on fresh sectioned tissue from rat plantar hind paw using indirect immunofluorescence method.
Results: Binding of autoantibodies to striation in skeletal muscle cells in the tissue was clearly demonstrable in all samples from SLE with arthritis but not on slides incubated with plasma from normal or SLE without arthritis.
Conclusion: Thus, rat plantar tissue may be suitable for detecting autoantibodies from SLE patients that may be involved in the pathogenesis of lupus arthritis.
This study addresses lhe association between loneliness and psychological well-being among university students in Malaysia. The study used a multistage cluster sample consisting of 1,467 students who came from five Malaysian universities. Psychological well-being variables in this study were measured through the 12-item General Health Questionnaire scale (GHQ-12) by Golberg (1978). The loneliness variables were measured by using the 14- item Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale by Russell, Peplau and Cutrona (1980). The'cut-off point 5/6' for the GHQ-12 was used to determine the level of psychological well-being among the respondents. Correlation and one-way ANOVA analyses were also done. Generally, the main results showe that about 65.6% of university students in Malaysia indicated a good level of psychological well-being and about 34.4% of university students reported having some psychological problems. In addition, about 59.6% of university students reported having a moderate level of loneliness. Based on the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale scale, a moderate level of loneliness means these students had a moderate level of satisfaction in interpersonal relationships. Other results of significant tests were obtained. Implications of results are also discussed.
The purpose of this study is to identify negative coping strategies among athletes of various levels of performance (national, state, district, university and school), ethnicity (Malay, Chinese, Indian and others) and gender. Participants in this study were 908 Malaysian athletes, of which 502 were males and 406 were females. They were selected by stratified random sampling and had completed the Negative Coping Strategies questionnaire. The results show that male, district-level athletes who were of Indian ethnicity were the highest users of negative coping strategies. The results also showed that negative coping strategies enhanced performance. Contrary to previous research, the uses of negative coping strategies in this study were found to enhance performance in sport. Implications of these findings are also discussed.
The present study was conducted in three old persons' homes located in Kinarut, Sandakan and Tawau, in the state of Sabah (East Malaysia). A total of 59 participants (28 women, 31 men) took part in the study, comprising support staff (administration and nursing) and direct staff (attendants). Participants were instructed to complete a self-reported questionnaire anonymously. The questionnaire consisted of questions on socio-demographic variables, a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and scales of job clarity and workload.
This study aims to identify the relationship between personality traits and job performance among educator leaders in High Performance Schools (HPS). Two sets of questionnaires were used in this study, namely questionnaire Five-Factor Model of Personality (NEO PI-R) for measuring personality and instrument of job performance for measuring the performance of individual work. These questionnaires were distributed to 306 head teachers (89%) in 15 HPS in Malaysia. Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between personality traits such as Conscientiousness (r = .740, p Malaysia.
Tropical rainforests control the exchange of water and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere near the equator and thus play an important role in the global climate system. Measurements of latent (LE) and sensible heat exchange (H) have not been synthesized across global tropical rainforests to date, which can help place observations from individual tropical forests in a global context. We measured LE and H for four years in a tropical peat forest ecosystem in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo using eddy covariance, and hypothesize that the study ecosystem will exhibit less seasonal variability in turbulent fluxes than other tropical ecosystems as soil water is not expected to be limiting in a tropical forested wetland. LE and H show little variability across seasons in the study ecosystem, with LE values on the order of 11 MJ m-2 day and H on the order of 3 MJ m-2 day-1. Annual evapotranspiration (ET) did not differ among years and averaged 1579 ± 47 mm year-1. LE exceeded characteristic values from other tropical rainforest ecosystems in the FLUXNET2015 database with the exception of GF-Guy near coastal French Guyana, which averaged 8-11 MJ m-2 day-1. The Bowen ratio (Bo) in tropical rainforests in the FLUXNET2015 database either exhibited little seasonal trend, one seasonal peak, or two peaks. Volumetric water content (VWC) and VPD explained a trivial amount of the variability of LE and Bo in some of the tropical rainforests including the study ecosystem, but were strong controls in others, suggesting differences in stomatal regulation and/or the partitioning between evaporation and transpiration. Results demonstrate important differences in the seasonal patterns in water and energy exchange across different tropical rainforest ecosystems that need to be understood to quantify how ongoing changes in tropical rainforest extent will impact the global climate system.
An integrated geophysical study was conducted to investigate the subsurface regional structure and the presence of a Quaternary sedimentary basin in the Olak Lempit - Banting area of Selangor, Malaysia. A regional gravity survey and the high resolution reflection seismic were employed to determine the thickness and areal distribution of the alluvial sedimentary basin as well as to investigate the depth and topography of the bedrock in the study area. The sedimentary basin hosts one of the most important coastal alluvial aquifer which was used to cater the shortage of domestic water supply during the worst water crisis that hit the state of Selangor in 1998. The surface geological map shows that in general 70% of the study area is covered by Quaternary deposits of Beruas, Gula and Simpang Formations which overlie the sedimentary bedrock of Kenny Hill Formation. The Beruas Formation consists of mainly clay, sandy clay and peat of Holocene fluviatile-estuarine deposits, whereas the Gula Formation represents Holocene marine to estuarine sediments which mostly consists of clay and minor sand. The Simpang Formation (Pleistocene) is a continental deposit comprising of gravel, sand, clay and silt. The underlying Kenny Hill Formation consists of a monotonous sequence of interbedded shales, mudstones and sandstones. The rock is Carbonaceous in age and it forms an undulating surface topography in the eastern part of the study area. A total of 121 gravity stations were established using a La Coste & Romberg gravity meter and the elevations of most of the stations were determined barometrically using Tiernan-Wallace altimeters. The high resolution seismic reflection using the common mid point (CMP) or roll along technique was carried out using a 24 channel signal enhancement seismograph and high frequency geophones. A total length of about 1.7 km stacked seismic section has been acquired in this survey and a nearby borehole data was used for interpretation. A relative Bouguer anomaly map shows an elongated zone of low gravity anomaly trending approximately NW-SE which is interpreted to be the deposition center of the Quaternary basin. The interpreted gravity profiles running across the central area of the study area show that the basin has thickness varies from tenth to several hundred meters with maximum depth to bedrock of about 275m. A gravity profile which passes through the eastern edge of the basin was modeled with depth to bedrock of about 178m below ground which agrees very well with those obtained from the interpreted seicmic section and borehole data. The stacked seismic section shows several high amplitude parallel to sub-parallel reflection overlying discontinuos and low reflection pattern. Reflections on the eastern part of the section is much shallower than the one observed on the western part which clearly indicates the presence of basinal structure with a total interpreted depth to bedrock of about 200 meters.
The Malacca Straits is located between Peninsula Malaysia and Sumatra Island. This investigation used equation of motion (Navier-Stokes equation) with the following driving forces: tides, wind of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) for year of 2007, salinity and temperature. The equation of motion was solved by means of Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model (HAMSOM). The results for both southwest and northeast monsoon were explained and discussed. The simulation results both for February and August 2007 were relatively similar. Current surface simulation in the Malacca Straits agrees well with the current pattern of previous works. The magnitude of current was between 10-70 cm/s to the northwest. While at the layer 30-50 m in the Malacca Straits, the currents have the magnitude of 10-30 cm/s towards northwest. For the bottom current, the current speed was 0-20 cm/s towards northwest. For the surface and 30-50 m layer, generally the current magnitudes were greater in February compared to those in August. While for the bottom layer, the current magnitudes between February and August were relatively the same.
Thermal stratification in lakes is an important natural process that can have a significant effect on the water resource quality. The potential changes in chemical contents in water resulting from stratification are the production of ammonia, sulphides and algal nutrients and the increasing concentrations of iron and manganese. One of the water supply reservoirs located in Johor, Malaysia facing with high iron and manganese concentrations associated with the period of stratifications. This study showed that the level of thermal stratification in the reservoir varied at different time of the year. During the strongest period of stratification, the dissolved oxygen content was found to diminish significantly with depth and iron and manganese were recorded at the highest concentrations. Although significant period of rainfalls contributed to the natural destratification of reservoir, lower concentrations of iron and manganese only remained for a shorter period before the concentrations continued to increase with the onset of the thermal stratification. A good understanding on the behaviour of the reservoir may help to identify several measures for the improvement of water quality.
Staphylococcus aureus tahan Methicillin (MRSA) adalah patogen yang mudah tersebar dan cenderung untuk menjadi multi-rintangan terhadap hampir semua terapi antibiotik yang terdapat di pasaran kini. Gal daripada Quercus infectoria atau lebih dikenali sebagai manjakani di Malaysia telah diketahui mempunyai aktiviti anti-bakteria. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji kesan kombinasi ekstrak gal daripada Q. infectoria dengan vankomisin terhadap lima strain MRSA dan dua strain Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA). Proses pengekstrakan dilakukan menggunakan pelarut aseton, metanol dan akues. Teknik mikro pencairan bersiri kaldu dijalankan menggunakan plat telaga 96 bagi menentukan nilai Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). Kesan interaksi di antara gal Q. infectoria dengan vankomisin dikaji menggunakan teknik checkerboard bagi mendapatkan nilai indek Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (FIC). Hasil kombinasi ekstrak gal dan vankomisin menunjukkan terdapat aktiviti yang sinergi pada ekstrak aseton terhadap MRSA ATCC 43300 (0.3124), Sa7 (0.3750) dan VISA U9495 (0.3750), manakala ekstrak akues terhadap MRSA Sa7 (0.4167) dan VISA U9495 (0.3958) dan N316 (0.5000). Sebaliknya kombinasi metanol dan vankomisin menunjukkan kesan yang sinergi terhadap ATCC 49476 (0.3750) sahaja manakala aditif terhadap enam lagi strain MRSA yang diuji. Kesan interaksi ini menunjukkan potensi dan kepentingannya dalam pembangunan dan modifikasi agen anti-MRSA.
Macrofungi of the order Polyporales are among the most important wood decomposers and caused economic losses by decaying the wood in standing trees, logs and in sawn timber. Diversity and distribution of Polyporales in Peninsular Malaysia was investigated by collecting basidiocarps from trunks, branches, exposed roots and soil from six states (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor) in Peninsular Malaysia and Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur. This study showed that the diversity of Polyporales were less diverse than previously reported. The study identified 60 species from five families; Fomitopsidaceae, Ganodermataceae, Meruliaceae, Meripilaceae, and Polyporaceae. The common species of Polyporales collected were Fomitopsis feei, Amauroderma subrugosum, Ganoderma australe, Earliella scabrosa, Lentinus squarrosulus, Microporus xanthopus, Pycnoporus sanguineus and Trametes menziesii.
The effect of solvent type in antioxidant compounds extraction from banana tissues was studied. The solvent system used was pure methanol, ethanol, acetone and their aqueous solution at 50% and 70% concentrations. Comparison among three common cultivars of banana in Malaysia (Berangan, Mas and Raja) had been done and their antioxidant activities were determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging system, ferric reducing ability in plasma (FRAP)
assays and total phenolic content (TPC) assays. Acetone 70% had the strongest antioxidant compounds extraction power as compared to other solvent. All banana samples were found to be low in primary antioxidant but powerful secondary antioxidant source of fruit. The ascending order of banana cultivars in term of their antioxidant activities in all antioxidant assays carried out were Berangan < Mas < Raja. FRAP-TPC assays were highly correlated (R2>0.70) than FRAP-DPPH
and TPC-DPPH assays due to the same mechanism that occurred in the reaction of FRAP and TPC assays.
This paper studies the harvesting strategies for tilapia fish farming. Two logistic growth models have been used namely constant harvesting and periodic harvesting. Even though tilapia fish farming has been commercialized, the use of mathematical models in determining harvesting strategies has not been widely applied in Malaysia. Logistic growth model is appropriate for population growth of animal when overcrowding and competition resources are taken into consideration. The objectives of this study were to estimate the highest continuing yield from fish harvesting strategies implemented. Secondly, the study predicted the optimum quantity for harvesting that can ensure the tilapia fish supply is continuous. Finally, to compare the results obtained between the two strategies. The best harvesting strategy for the selected fish farm is periodic harvesting. These findings can assist fish farmers to increase the supply to meet the demand for tilapia fish.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) events have been increasingly reported in the country, not only of the frequency and severity of the events, but also involved more species than previously known. In this paper, a decadal review of HABs events in Malaysia is summarized. Bloom events caused by harmful dinoflagellate species including the shellfish poisoning events were highlighted. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is no longer restricted to Sabah coasts and Pyrodnium bahamense. Bloom of Alexandrium minutum was reported for the first time in the Peninsula with six persons hospitalized including one casualty after consuming the contaminated benthic clams. Algal blooms that are associated with incidence of massive fish kills have been reported from both east and west coasts of the Peninsula in conjunction to finfish mariculture loses. The culprits of these bloom events have been identified as the dinoflagellates, Cochlodinium polykrikoides, Neoceratium furca, Prorocentrum minimum, Noctiluca scintillans and a raphidophyte, Chatonella ovata. In this paper, some of these HABs species were characterized morphologically and genetically, including their toxicity. Therefore, with the increase of coastal utilization and eutrophication, prevention, management and mitigation strategies, such as site selection, moving pens, clay spraying should be adopted to minimize the impact of these natural events.
This study aimed to document the fish diversity and water quality at Semariang mangrove area, Kuching, Sarawak, which is located at the eastern part of Kuching Wetland National Park. Field samplings were carried out in 2009 during the construction of the flood mitigation channel at the eastern part of the park. A total of 21 families represented by 37 species of fish were caught from the area. The six dominant families in terms of the number of individuals caught were Mugilidae (16%), Leiognathidae (16%), Ambassidae (11%), Ariidae (9%), Lutjanidae (8%) and Plotosidae (6%). In terms of the percentage of six dominant genera based on the number of individuals caught, 16% was represented by Valamugil, 11% by Ambassis, 10% by Gazza, 9% by Arius, 8% by Lutjanus and 6% by Plotosus. The values of diversity and richness indices were lower at stations located close to the flood mitigation channel. Similarly, the concentrations of dissolved oxygen were lower and total suspended solids were significantly higher at stations close to the channel and sand mining area. Therefore, fish fauna and water quality at Semariang mangrove area were affected during the construction of the flood mitigation channel.
Sapium baccatum is usually used as a timber in Malaysia. Its medicinal values are not well known and very little research has been conducted concerning the plant. Consequently, this study was conducted to observe toxicity effects of hexane extract of stem bark of S. baccatum. The toxicity effects were assessed through observation of physiological changes of the rats as well as through gross and histological examinations of its livers. The doses for the treated groups were given intraperitoneally for T2, T3 and T4 group which were given 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg, respectively. Meanwhile, control group (T1) was administered with 80% PEG 200 only. The observation period was 14 days. If the rat died, it was dissected and the liver was removed and examined. Some physiological effects observed include ataxia and hind-legs paralysis. The gross observations of the livers, growth of abnormal spots and connective tissues attachment to lobes of the livers were observed. The experiment was followed byhistopathological observation, which indicated the presence of abnormal hepatocytes with a distorted shape and undefined cell linings for T2 group. Results also indicated an increase in the distortion of hepatocytes, presence of massive cytoplasm and necrosis of hepatocytes for T3 and T4 groups. The results suggest that non polar extract of the stem bark of S. baccatum may promote toxic effects to the animals.
AISYAH ABU BAKARRed palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus has been reported as a serious pest of coconut, sago palm and date palm in many parts of the world. In Malaysia, RPW is a lethal pest of coconut in Terengganu and sago palm in Sarawak. However, very limited information about the reproductive performance of RPW is available, specifically in Malaysia. In the present study, the reproductive performance of RPW reared on sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) were studied using nine pairs of virgin RPW under laboratory conditions. The number of eggs laid and eggs viability were recorded daily until females could not produce eggs. The total number of eggs laid were 3081 and the average number of eggs deposited by a female was 342.3+0.97 eggs (ranged from 270 to 396). The percentage of hatchability was 52.4% and out of the total 1614 hatched eggs, only 118 individuals (7.3%) were survived until late instar. However, no significant differences in fecundity, hatchability and total survived larvae in different RPW pairs were observed. Females longevity was found to be strongly influenced by the number of eggs laid; the higher number of eggs laid, the shorter is the life span of the female. This study is important to understand the biological aspects of RPW, as a first step to develop effective control strategy of the pest.