Displaying publications 761 - 780 of 4601 in total

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  1. Progress in the use of computerised recording systems in dairy cow monitoring and extension in Malaysia
    Pharo HJ, Sopian MJ, Kamaruddin M, Abu Hassan MA, Cheah PF, Choo TW
    Trop Anim Health Prod, 1990 May;22(2):77-88.
    PMID: 2371756
    The emphasis on cow records in Malaysian dairy extension programmes reflects the importance of herd fertility in the economics of dairying. Manual record keeping has not been able to make an impact on management due to difficulties experienced in quality control of the data and in analysing the data to produce useful information for farm managers. Computerised recording systems have been in use in Malaysia since 1985, both on government farms and in the small-holder dairy sector. The aim of both systems is firstly to improve farm efficiency by the provision of information to managers and extension workers and secondly to provide information for departmental planning purposes. The systems used in Malaysia are outlined, and the results over the first three years of operation are summarised.
    Matched MeSH terms: Cattle/physiology*
  2. Breeding structure of a colonizing species: Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in peninsular Malaysia and Borneo
    Black WC, Hawley WA, Rai KS, Craig GB
    Heredity (Edinb), 1988 Dec;61 ( Pt 3):439-46.
    PMID: 3230033
    The mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has recently become established in a number of cities throughout the United States. An initial survey of allozyme and genotypic frequencies in U.S. populations (Black et al., 1988) revealed an extensive amount of local differentiation of populations and suggested that much genetic drift may have accompanied colonization. A study of gene flow was initiated in native habitats of Ae. albopictus in Malaysia to determine if the result observed in the U.S. was a consequence of colonization or simply followed the natural breeding structure of the species. Allelic and genotypic frequencies were monitored at ten enzymatic loci in 11 populations from peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Multiple populations were sampled within the districts of Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Trengganu. Peninsular Malaysian and Borneo populations were strongly genetically differentiated. Allele frequencies were significantly different among and within districts in both regions. Variance in allele frequencies among all collections was partitioned into the variance among regions, districts within regions and collections within districts. Almost all of the variance within regions was attributable to local differentiation suggesting that genetic drift is an important component of the natural breeding structure of this species. This indicates that the large amounts of local differentiation found in U.S. populations was not a consequence of recent colonization.
    Matched MeSH terms: Aedes/physiology*
  3. Does kinin mediate the hypotensive action of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors?
    Sharma JN
    Gen. Pharmacol., 1990;21(4):451-7.
    PMID: 2199299
    The lack of kinin formation in systemic circulation and in the renal system may lead to the pathogenesis of high blood pressure (hypertension). Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are able to protect the kinin inactivation by kininase II, therefore, causing an accumulation of kinin. Although the concentrations of kinin in plasma after oral administration of ACE inhibitors are conflicting this is mainly due to methodological difficulties. Kinin receptor antagonists are becoming most reliable pharmacological probes for defining the molecular actions of kinin in several physiopathological states, and in the mechanism of actions of drugs which are dependent on the kinin system. The blood pressure lowering effect of ACE inhibitors can be antagonized by the pretreatment with kinin receptor antagonists. I have therefore proposed that the hypotensive action of ACE inhibitors may reflect the activation of kinin receptor. It is suggested that the development of compounds having protective properties on the kallikrein-kinin system might be therapeutically applicable as anti-hypertensive drugs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Kinins/physiology*
  4. The influence of laboratory experimental work on concept acquisition in a medical physiology course with implications for curriculum deliberations and instructional design
    Tan CM
    Med Teach, 1990;12(1):83-90.
    PMID: 2233187
    Following revision of the curriculum the effectiveness of a traditional cookbook experiment, used in conjunction with an 'interpretation seminar', was evaluated. Curriculum revision had been predominantly concerned with an avoidance of overloading and provision of self-study periods. The preceding lectures were integrated with the experiment. The learning resulting from the practical experience was assessed using pre- and post-tests. The practical exercise was ineffective and did not facilitate conceptual understanding. Due to the central role of passive teaching methods the students adopted a surface approach to all learning, were teacher dependent and did not make effective use of their private study. Furthermore, owing to a broad-based entry into medical school many students lacked the basic skills essential to the achievement of meaningful learning. Clearly, for effective learning the curriculum and pedagogy must be geared to the background and educational needs of the students.
    Matched MeSH terms: Physiology/education*
  5. Effect of age at first calving and milking system on the lactation performance of F1 Bos indicus/Bos taurus crossbreds in Sabah
    Edwards MD
    Trop Anim Health Prod, 1985 Nov;17(4):201-8.
    PMID: 4089967 DOI: 10.1007/BF02356977
    This paper examines the effect of age at first calving and milking system on the overall lactation performance and incidence of lactation failure of 442 F1 Bos indicus/Bos taurus dairy crossbreds in Sabah. The two types of crossbred used in the study were imported F1 Sahiwal x Friesian and locally bred Friesian x Local Indian Dairy. Heifers which did not lactate for at least 120 days or produced less than 20 kg of milk during the fourteenth week of lactation were considered to have failed to establish a lactation. The imported and locally bred heifers recorded failure rates of 23.4 and 21.4% respectively. Three milking systems were examined namely machine milking without calf, machine milking with calf and hand milking. They produced failure rates of 30, 12 and 5.6% respectively. The cows that passed recorded 120 day milk production figures of 878, 1,134 and 1,054 kg respectively. The three age groups of less than 30 months, 30 to 34 months and greater than 34 months recorded failure rates of 37, 22 and 10% respectively. The heifers machine milked without their calf which calved at less than 30 months of age recorded a failure rate of 44% while those which calved at greater than 34 months recorded a failure rate of only 17%.
    Study site: Tawau and Sebrang Livestock Breeding Centres, Sabah, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Cattle/physiology*
  6. Nerve conduction velocities and distal latencies in normal Malaysian subjects
    Lim CL, Loh TG
    Med J Malaysia, 1978 Dec;33(2):137-42.
    PMID: 755164
    Matched MeSH terms: Peripheral Nerves/physiology*
  7. The anatomical and physiological aspects of vasectomy
    Puraviappan A, Puvan IS
    Med J Malaysia, 1974 Sep;29(1):64-5.
    PMID: 4282634
    Matched MeSH terms: Vas Deferens/physiology*
  8. Fulltext Exploring mechanisms and origins of reduced dispersal in island Komodo dragons
    Jessop TS, Ariefiandy A, Purwandana D, Ciofi C, Imansyah J, Benu YJ, et al.
    Proc Biol Sci, 2018 11 14;285(1891).
    PMID: 30429305 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1829
    Loss of dispersal typifies island biotas, but the selective processes driving this phenomenon remain contentious. This is because selection via, both indirect (e.g. relaxed selection or island syndromes) and direct (e.g. natural selection or spatial sorting) processes may be involved, and no study has yet convincingly distinguished between these alternatives. Here, we combined observational and experimental analyses of an island lizard, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis, the world's largest lizard), to provide evidence for the actions of multiple processes that could contribute to island dispersal loss. In the Komodo dragon, concordant results from telemetry, simulations, experimental translocations, mark-recapture, and gene flow studies indicated that despite impressive physical and sensory capabilities for long-distance movement, Komodo dragons exhibited near complete dispersal restriction: individuals rarely moved beyond the valleys they were born/captured in. Importantly, lizard site-fidelity was insensitive to common agents of dispersal evolution (i.e. indices of risk for inbreeding, kin and intraspecific competition, and low habitat quality) that consequently reduced survival of resident individuals. We suggest that direct selection restricts movement capacity (e.g. via benefits of spatial philopatry and increased costs of dispersal) alongside use of dispersal-compensating traits (e.g. intraspecific niche partitioning) to constrain dispersal in island species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Lizards/physiology*
  9. Similar non-random processes maintain diversity in two tropical rainforests
    Wills C, Condit R
    Proc Biol Sci, 1999 Jul 22;266(1427):1445-52.
    PMID: 10457617
    Quadrat-based analysis of two rainforest plots of area 50 ha, one in Panama (Barro Colorado Island, BCI) and the other in Malaysia (Pasoh), shows that in both plots recruitment is in general negatively correlated with both numbers and biomass of adult trees of the same species in the same quadrat. At BCI, this effect is not significantly influenced by treefall gaps. In both plots, recruitment of individual species is negatively correlated with the numbers of trees of all species in the quadrats, but not with overall biomass. These observations suggest, but do not prove, widespread frequency-dependent effects produced by pathogens and seed-predators that act most effectively in quadrats crowded with trees. Within-species correlations of mortality with numbers or biomass are not found in either plot, indicating that most frequency-dependent mortality takes place before the trees reach 1 cm in diameter. Stochastic effects caused by BCI's more rapid tree turnover may contribute to a larger variance in diversity from quadrat to quadrat at BCI, although they are not sufficient to explain why BCI has fewer than half as many tree species as Pasoh. Finally, in both plots quadrats with low diversity show a significant increase in diversity over time, and this increase is stronger at BCI. This process, like the frequency-dependence, will tend to maintain diversity over time. In general, these non-random forces that should lead to the maintenance of diversity are slightly stronger at BCI, even though the BCI plot is less diverse than the Pasoh plot.
    Matched MeSH terms: Trees/physiology*
  10. Fulltext Selective logging in tropical forests decreases the robustness of liana-tree interaction networks to the loss of host tree species
    Magrach A, Senior RA, Rogers A, Nurdin D, Benedick S, Laurance WF, et al.
    Proc Biol Sci, 2016 Mar 16;283(1826):20153008.
    PMID: 26936241 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.3008
    Selective logging is one of the major drivers of tropical forest degradation, causing important shifts in species composition. Whether such changes modify interactions between species and the networks in which they are embedded remain fundamental questions to assess the 'health' and ecosystem functionality of logged forests. We focus on interactions between lianas and their tree hosts within primary and selectively logged forests in the biodiversity hotspot of Malaysian Borneo. We found that lianas were more abundant, had higher species richness, and different species compositions in logged than in primary forests. Logged forests showed heavier liana loads disparately affecting slow-growing tree species, which could exacerbate the loss of timber value and carbon storage already associated with logging. Moreover, simulation scenarios of host tree local species loss indicated that logging might decrease the robustness of liana-tree interaction networks if heavily infested trees (i.e. the most connected ones) were more likely to disappear. This effect is partially mitigated in the short term by the colonization of host trees by a greater diversity of liana species within logged forests, yet this might not compensate for the loss of preferred tree hosts in the long term. As a consequence, species interaction networks may show a lagged response to disturbance, which may trigger sudden collapses in species richness and ecosystem function in response to additional disturbances, representing a new type of 'extinction debt'.
    Matched MeSH terms: Trees/physiology*
  11. Fulltext Comparing and assessing physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents: a systematic literature review and analysis
    Parrish AM, Tremblay MS, Carson S, Veldman SLC, Cliff D, Vella S, et al.
    Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act, 2020 02 10;17(1):16.
    PMID: 32041635 DOI: 10.1186/s12966-020-0914-2
    BACKGROUND: The impact of declining physical activity and increased sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents globally prompted the development of national and international physical activity guidelines. This research aims to systematically identify and compare national and international physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents and appraise the quality of the guidelines to promote best practice in guideline development.

    METHODS: This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Only national, or international physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour guidelines were included in the review. Included guidelines targeted children and adolescents aged between 5 and 18 years. A grey literature search was undertaken incorporating electronic databases, custom Google search engines, targeted websites and international expert consultation. Guideline quality was assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II Instrument (AGREE II).

    RESULTS: The search resulted in 50 national or international guidelines being identified. Twenty-five countries had a national guideline and there were three international guidelines (European Union, Nordic countries (used by Iceland, Norway and Sweden), World Health Organization (WHO)). Nineteen countries and the European Union adopted the WHO guidelines. Guidelines varied in relation to date of release (2008 to 2019), targeted age group, and guideline wording regarding: type, amount, duration, intensity, frequency and total amount of physical activity. Twenty-two countries included sedentary behaviour within the guidelines and three included sleep. Total scores for all domains of the AGREE II assessment for each guideline indicated considerable variability in guideline quality ranging from 25.8 to 95.3%, with similar variability in the six individual domains. Rigorous guideline development is essential to ensure appropriate guidance for population level initiatives.

    CONCLUSIONS: This review revealed considerable variability between national/international physical activity guideline quality, development and recommendations, highlighting the need for rigorous and transparent guideline development methodologies to ensure appropriate guidance for population-based approaches. Where countries do not have the resources to ensure this level of quality, the adoption or adolopment (framework to review and update guidelines) of the WHO guidelines or guidelines of similar quality is recommended.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION: Review registration: PROSPERO 2017 CRD42017072558.

    Matched MeSH terms: Exercise/physiology*
  12. Fulltext Behavioral and corticosterone responses to carbon dioxide exposure in reptiles
    Natusch DJD, Aust PW, Khadiejah S, Ithnin H, Isa A, Zamzuri CK, et al.
    PLoS One, 2020;15(10):e0240176.
    PMID: 33022690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240176
    The use of carbon dioxide (CO2) exposure as a means of animal euthanasia has received considerable attention in mammals and birds but remains virtually untested in reptiles. We measured the behavioral responses of four squamate reptile species (Homalopsis buccata, Malayopython reticulatus, Python bivitattus, and Varanus salvator) to exposure to 99.5% CO2 for durations of 15, 30, or 90 minutes. We also examined alterations in plasma corticosterone levels of M. reticulatus and V. salvator before and after 15 minutes of CO2 exposure relative to control individuals. The four reptile taxa showed consistent behavioral responses to CO2 exposure characterized by gaping and minor movements. The time taken to lose responsiveness to stimuli and cessation of movements varied between 240-4260 seconds (4-71 minutes), with considerable intra- and inter-specific variation. Duration of CO2 exposure influenced the likelihood of recovery, which also varied among species (e.g., from 0-100% recovery after 30-min exposure). Plasma corticosterone concentrations increased after CO2 exposure in both V. salvator (18%) and M. reticulatus (14%), but only significantly in the former species. Based on our results, CO2 appears to be a mild stressor for reptiles, but the relatively minor responses to CO2 suggest it may not cause considerable distress or pain. However, our results are preliminary, and further testing is required to understand optimal CO2 delivery mechanisms and interspecific responses to CO2 exposure before endorsing this method for reptile euthanasia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Reptiles/physiology*
  13. Studies on Echinostomatidae (Trematoda) in Malaya. XII. Antagonism between two species of echinostome trematodes in the same lymnaeid snail
    Lie Kian Joe, Umathevy T
    J Parasitol, 1966 Jun;52(3):454-7.
    PMID: 5942522
    Matched MeSH terms: Echinostoma/physiology
  14. Long-term preservation of Leptospira spp.: challenges and prospects
    Philip N, Garba B, Neela VK
    Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 2018 Jul;102(13):5427-5435.
    PMID: 29736823 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9047-9
    Preservation of leptospiral cultures is tantamount to success in leptospiral diagnostics, research, and development of preventive strategies. Each Leptospira isolate has imperative value not only in disease diagnosis but also in epidemiology, virulence, pathogenesis, and drug development studies. As the number of circulating leptospires is continuously increasing and congruent with the importance to retain their original characteristics and properties, an efficient long-term preservation is critically needed to be well-established. However, the preservation of Leptospira is currently characterized by difficulties and conflicting results mainly due to the biological nature of this organism. Hence, this review seeks to describe the efforts in developing efficient preservation methods, to discover the challenges in preserving this organism and to identify the factors that can contribute to an effective long-term preservation of Leptospira. Through the enlightenment of the previous studies, a potentially effective method has been suggested. The article also attempts to evaluate novel strategies used in other industrial and biotechnological preservation efforts and consider their potential application to the conservation of Leptospira spp.
    Matched MeSH terms: Leptospira/physiology*
  15. Fulltext Flex Sensor Compensator via Hammerstein-Wiener Modeling Approach for Improved Dynamic Goniometry and Constrained Control of a Bionic Hand
    Syed Mubarak Ali SAA, Ahmad NS, Goh P
    Sensors (Basel), 2019 Sep 10;19(18).
    PMID: 31509987 DOI: 10.3390/s19183896
    In this paper, a new control-centric approach is introduced to model the characteristics of flex sensors on a goniometric glove, which is designed to capture the user hand gesture that can be used to wirelessly control a bionic hand. The main technique employs the inverse dynamic model strategy along with a black-box identification for the compensator design, which is aimed to provide an approximate linear mapping between the raw sensor output and the dynamic finger goniometry. To smoothly recover the goniometry on the bionic hand's side during the wireless transmission, the compensator is restructured into a Hammerstein-Wiener model, which consists of a linear dynamic system and two static nonlinearities. A series of real-time experiments involving several hand gestures have been conducted to analyze the performance of the proposed method. The associated temporal and spatial gesture data from both the glove and the bionic hand are recorded, and the performance is evaluated in terms of the integral of absolute error between the glove's and the bionic hand's dynamic goniometry. The proposed method is also compared with the raw sensor data, which has been preliminarily calibrated with the finger goniometry, and the Wiener model, which is based on the initial inverse dynamic design strategy. Experimental results with several trials for each gesture show that a great improvement is obtained via the Hammerstein-Wiener compensator approach where the resulting average errors are significantly smaller than the other two methods. This concludes that the proposed strategy can remarkably improve the dynamic goniometry of the glove, and thus provides a smooth human-robot collaboration with the bionic hand.
    Matched MeSH terms: Hand/physiology*
  16. D-Galactose-induced accelerated aging model: an overview
    Azman KF, Zakaria R
    Biogerontology, 2019 12;20(6):763-782.
    PMID: 31538262 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-019-09837-y
    To facilitate the process of aging healthily and prevent age-related health problems, efforts to properly understand aging mechanisms and develop effective and affordable anti-aging interventions are deemed necessary. Systemic administration of D-galactose has been established to artificially induce senescence in vitro and in vivo as well as for anti-aging therapeutic interventions studies. The aim of this article is to comprehensively discuss the use of D-galactose to generate a model of accelerated aging and its possible underlying mechanisms involved in different tissues/organs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Aging/physiology
  17. Fulltext Kidney-inspired algorithm with reduced functionality treatment for classification and time series prediction
    Jaddi NS, Abdullah S
    PLoS One, 2019;14(1):e0208308.
    PMID: 30608936 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208308
    Optimization of an artificial neural network model through the use of optimization algorithms is the common method employed to search for an optimum solution for a broad variety of real-world problems. One such optimization algorithm is the kidney-inspired algorithm (KA) which has recently been proposed in the literature. The algorithm mimics the four processes performed by the kidneys: filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and excretion. However, a human with reduced kidney function needs to undergo additional treatment to improve kidney performance. In the medical field, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) test is used to check the health of kidneys. The test estimates the amount of blood that passes through the glomeruli each minute. In this paper, we mimic this kidney function test and the GFR result is used to select a suitable step to add to the basic KA process. This novel imitation is designed for both minimization and maximization problems. In the proposed method, depends on GFR test result which is less than 15 or falls between 15 and 60 or is more than 60 a particular action is performed. These additional processes are applied as required with the aim of improving exploration of the search space and increasing the likelihood of the KA finding the optimum solution. The proposed method is tested on test functions and its results are compared with those of the basic KA. Its performance on benchmark classification and time series prediction problems is also examined and compared with that of other available methods in the literature. In addition, the proposed method is applied to a real-world water quality prediction problem. The statistical analysis of all these applications showed that the proposed method had a ability to improve the optimization outcome.
    Matched MeSH terms: Kidney/physiology*
  18. Nest site selection for five common birds and their coexistence in an urban habitat
    Han Y, Bai J, Zhang Z, Wu T, Chen P, Sun G, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2019 Nov 10;690:748-759.
    PMID: 31302540 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.508
    Many species of birds gradually adapt to urbanization and colonize cities successfully. However, their nest site selection and competitive relationship in an urban community remain little known. Understanding the impact of urbanization on birds and the competitive relationship has important implications for the conservation and management of wildlife in urban ecosystems. Here, we undertook a systematic study to quantify nests in all species of birds in an urbanizing area of Nanchang, China. A total of 363 nests were detected in surveys including 340 nests of 16 bird species and 23 unidentified species nests. We mainly analyzed 5 dominant breeding birds with a sample size of >10 during the two breeding seasons (From April to July in 2016 and 2017), which included the light-vented bulbul, Chinese blackbird, scaly-breasted munia, spotted dove and grey-capped greenfinch. Most birds (93.66%) nested in the tree of artificial green belts, which seems to be the best breeding habitat for urban birds. Our results suggested that birds' breeding success relies on the trade-off between the benefit and the expense of specific stresses from habitats. The nest site selection of birds is also affected by the life habit of urban predators. Furthermore, competition among species can influence their distributions and utilization of environmental resources when birds nest in cities. We confirmed that the niche differentiation of five bird species in an urban environment makes them coexist successfully by utilizing various resources.
    Matched MeSH terms: Birds/physiology*
  19. Seed dispersal by proboscis monkeys: the case of Nauclea spp
    Thiry V, Bhasin O, Stark DJ, Beudels-Jamar RC, Vercauteren Drubbel R, Nathan SKSS, et al.
    Primates, 2019 Sep;60(5):449-457.
    PMID: 31342225 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-019-00736-x
    Frugivorous vertebrates such as primates are important dispersal agents in tropical forests, although the role of folivorous colobines is generally not considered. However, recent studies reported seed dispersal by endo- and epizoochory in colobine primates, including the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), suggesting that the role colobines play in seed dispersal might have been underestimated. In the Lower Kinabatangan Floodplain in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, we investigated whether seeds were still able to germinate after being ingested by proboscis monkeys. Faecal samples (n = 201) from proboscis monkeys were collected between 2015 and 2017. Intact seeds belonging to eight plant species were found in 77% of the faecal samples. Nauclea spp. were the most abundant plant species, accounting for 98% of all intact seeds. This study is the first to conduct germination trials on seeds defecated by proboscis monkeys. Higher germination success was recorded in ingested Nauclea spp. seeds than in control seeds, from both ripe and unripe Nauclea orientalis fruits (P 
    Matched MeSH terms: Rubiaceae/physiology*
  20. Unusual mating behavior of the Malaysian treefrogs, Polypedates leucomystax
    Feng AS, Narins PM
    Naturwissenschaften, 1992 Mar;79(3):138-9.
    PMID: 1574131
    Matched MeSH terms: Anura/physiology*
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