This paper presents an evaluation of the alternative use of natural cellulose coir fibres for
soil reinforcement. Soil reinforcement is defined as a technique to improve the engineering properties
of soil. Inserting natural fibres into the soil has been proposed as a reinforcement method. Randomly
distributed coir fibre reinforced soils have recently attracted increasing attention in geotechnical
engineering due to their strength. Furthermore, there is a need to develop an innovative and
sustainable pre-treatment method to improve the effectiveness and performance of coir fibre as soil
reinforcement. The primary purpose of this paper is, therefore, to review the characteristics, benefits,
applications and weaknesses of coir fibre as soil reinforcement.
Improving rice production is of current global concern so that food security is maintained especially in developing nations where rice remains as the staple food. With the aid of molecular biology, various isolated genes conferring to abiotic, biotic and herbicide stress tolerance has been successfully transferred into rice. Attempts have also been made to enhance grain yield, nutritional characteristics, fragrance and photosynthetic capacity of rice. The success of a commercialized transgenic rice largely depends on the biosafety and environmental risks assessments as these information translates into consumers’ acceptance towards genetically modified (GM) rice. As the renowned Golden Rice has received the green light for field trial in the Philippines and Bangladesh, this would serve as a catalyst for better acceptance of GM food crops. A brief case study on the commercialization of transgenic BT rice in China will also be discussed. The review aims to bring useful insights for future endeavors in improving traits for rice through genetic engineering.
Essential oil production in plants is known to play crucial roles in attractive and defensive
mechanism responses to environmental conditions. Various factors are known to determine the
chemical variability and yields for specific essential oil bearing plants including genetic, physiology
and environment. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent publications on the variation of
essential oil and its composition with regards to physiological aspects of the plants.
Cervical cancer is one of the leading causal cancer-related fatalities in the world. Cervical cancer patients can be treated by conventional treatment such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, medications and combination treatments. Currently, more targeted treatments are being developed to cure cervical cancer. The treatments include immunotherapy, virotherapy and gene therapy which will be discussed in this paper. In immunotherapy, the synergy of CTLA-4 suppression and PD-1/PDL-1 immune checkpoint inhibition targeting their corresponding pathways enhanced the human immune system resulting a promising treatment effects. Oncolytic viruses such as Newcastle disease virus selectively infect and kill cancerous cells/tissues without harming normal cells/tissues. This character has made them a potential modality in combating cancer which popularly known as oncolytic virotherapy. Gene therapy delivers modified genetic materials to the target cancer cells via viral and non-viral vectors. It is used to target the abnormal gene, to increase cells’ susceptibility towards drugs or conventional therapy, to induce tumour cells apoptosis, to enhance tumour cell immunogenicity recognition and to inhibit the oncogene expression. The objective of this minireview is to add to the general knowledge on aforementioned therapeutic strategies against cervical cancer.
Quantum dots-sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) is one of the third generation solar cell that is
the most promising low cost, easy to manufacture and highly efficient solar cell. Compared to Dyesensitized
solar cell (DSSC), quantum dots (QDs) of QDSSC has a narrow bandgap and possess
excellent properties such as tunable band gaps, strong light absorption and high multiple electron
generation. Titanium dioxide or titania (TiO2) is an oxides semiconductor material that is frequently
used as a photoanode in this photovoltaic system due to high stability under visible light illumination.
TiO2 is also known as a good photocatalyst and an excellent choice in environmental purification. The
efficiencies of electron injection and light harvesting in QDSSC are affected by the nature, size
morphology, and quantity of this nanomaterial. In this review, the concept and principles of the
QDSSCs are reviewed. The preparation and fabrication method ofTiO2 electrode in QDSSC are also
discussed. It is worthwhile to know the architecture of TiO2 in order to enhance the efficiency of
QDSSC.
Porous ceramic components with decently controlled porosity offers remarkable advantages in industrial and structural applications such as fluid filtration, thermal insulation and scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. In this review study of porous ceramic components, requisite processing techniques necessary for the development of porous ceramics with imbued microstructural model intended for a specific application. An appraisal of the fabrication was made with respect to their economic viability wherein cost effective methods having great potentials in decently controlling the pore network imbued within the host ceramic matrix was preferred over the capital intensive counterparts.
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is one of the most planted trees in Malaysia for the palm oil production. Thus, solid biomass had been generated from this industry such as empty fruit bunch, shell, mesocarp fibre, frond and trunk produced that causes problematic to the nation and expected to escalate up to 85-110 million tonnes by 2020. Besides that, palm oil mill effluent and excessive steam also generated from the production of palm oil. In situ hydrothermal pretreatment means the utilisation of excessive steam produced by the oil palm mill and at the same time, generating value added product as well as reducing the biomass. Oil palm biomass is rich in lignocellulosic materials which comprised of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Refinement of lignocellulosic from oil palm biomass can be utilised to form fermentable sugar, bioethanol and other potential chemicals. Recalcitrant property of lignocellulosic reduces the ability of enzymes to penetrate, thus pretreatment is required prior to hydrolysis process. Pretreatment can be either physical, chemical, biological or combined. In this review paper, three types of hydrothermal pretreatment were discussed as suitable in situ pretreatment process for oil palm biomass; in palm oil mill. The suitability was measured based on the availability of excess steam and energy in the mill. Furthermore, physicochemical pretreatment also facilitate the saccharification process, whereby it loosened the lignocellulose structure and increase the surface area. The effects and factors in choosing right pretreatment are highlighted in this paper.
Fruit rot is a common disease that affects the quality and quantity of the produced fruits. It may happened during pre-harvest stage and usually the condition of the fruits will become worse at postharvest stage if there are no any precautions taken during the picking, storing, packaging and transporting processes. The disease is mainly caused by the infection of fungi supported by a conducive condition like susceptible hosts, relative humidity and unsuitable temperature, besides other microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and nematodes. The infection may arise from soilborne, waterborne, windborne and insects bite transmission. Fruit rot diseases have been reported to cause by many fungal species such as Fusarium species, Alternaria species, Lasiodiplodia species, Aspergillus species, Penicillium species, Colletotrichum species and Botrytis species. This review will provide sufficient information about rot diseases on fruit, fungal species that cause the diseases, effective control methods and managements as well as economic losses and health issues related to the diseases.
Coandă effect can be found in virtually all aerodynamic applications, and has drawn renewed interest for various applications, among others for generating lift and maneuvering impulses to be applied for unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and micro air vehicles (MAV). These air vehicles have the potential to revolutionize our sensing and information gathering capabilities, in homeland security and environmental areas. Sophisticated unmanned air vehicles for general applications have been developed rapidly across many different industries and interested researchers. In order to carry out a task, these air vehicles have to face many different challenges, due to the MAVs small size, flight regime, and modes of operation. This has led to the development of novel platforms that move away from traditional aircraft design in order to make them more capable. A good example is the Coandă MAV which uses the Active flow control–Coandă Effect. Improved aerodynamic performance of these air vehicles can lead to fast take off and slower landing speeds that can be related to reduce noise and crash survivability issues. The investigation and research in this field is rapidly rising and there are many concepts currently being considered around the world. This report provides an overview on the state of unmanned air vehicle and introduces the techniques of Active Flow Control ACF that could be potentially used for control of UAV. Furthermore, this paper may also focuses on the review research involved with the design modification and the generated flow phenomena of Micro air vehicle MAV.
In the recent decades, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in aquatic organism have been one of the major interesting research subjects due to their various existence strains in fish microbiota. Moreover, LABs are sometimes abundant in the intestine of several fish species. Many recent papers indicated that several LAB strains are harmless and have been reported for beneficial effects on fish health. There was also converging evidence that led us for more research and findings regarding LAB as a promising probiotics in aquaculture. This article provides an overview of the variability of LAB in gastrointestinal (GI) tract of fish and the development of this species as probiotics. LAB was known able to colonise the gut, and has antagonistic activity against some fish pathogens. This harmless bactreriocin-producing strain may confer benefits in increasing disease resistance, improving nutrient digestibility and growth of the host animals. In addition, these strains may reduce the need of antibiotics usage in future aquaculture industry.
Zakah is an Islamic financial instrument anchored within the Islamic economic system. Its establishment is to reduce inequalities within the Muslim community so that fair and social justice would be attained. In Malaysia, the administration of all religious matters including zakah is under the auspice of State Islamic Religious Council (SIRC). There are 14 states in Malaysia, and every state has its SIRC. As a religious and zakah agent, the institution is entrusted to govern zakah funds so that the beneficiary’s living standard could be transformed to a higher level. This paper conceptually reviews the role of zakah institution in governing and transforming the beneficiary’s living standard from daruriyyat (dire necessities) to higher level that is hajiyyat (comfort living) in relation to Maqasid al Syariah. As to ensure the success of the transformation, zakah institution should play proactive roles and be optimistic in formulating and initiating potential programmes that would generate income and make the beneficiary wealthy. Hence, the objective of Maqasid al Syariah under zakah jurisprudence will be achieved, if zakah funds are channelled to productive programs that would transform the beneficiary’s living standard and eventually free him/her from the shackles of poverty.
Rainfall-runoff information is critical for water resource and river basin management. Runoff can be estimated by using two methods; gauged method (direct measurement) and ungauged method (indirect formula and equation). The in-situ measurement provides real-time and accurate yet required time-consuming operation and inaccessibility topography. Therefore, the runoff estimation modelling and equation was developed to overcome the limitation of in-situ measurement. SCS-CN is a simple model of ungauged method, where runoff volume (Q) resulting from rainfall (P) is formulated using equation of (Q= (P-Ia) 2 / (P-Ia + S). It was known as the best technique to be adopted for large basin study where time and manpower also accessibility are limited. SCS-CN method also is widely use in prediction software as it taken into consideration of the effects of soil, properties, land cover and antecedent moisture. Curve Number is well developed in USA for the agriculture purpose with many investigations to validate and calibrate the values of curve number. It was applied in numerous river basins in temperate and other regions e.g. US, Argentina, India, China, South Korea, Palestine and Malaysia. However, the reliability of the CN in the tropics is doubtable due to different land use characteristics, soil type, climate, geological features and rainfall pattern and variability. Based on the reviewed conceptual and applications of SCS-CN in temperate and tropics, numerous studies found the SCS-CN method is reliable and practical for runoff estimation in tropics region.
The objectives of this review are to determine the types of indices to use, to assess the current sediment quality index (SQI) of a mangrove forest and to select the appropriate index to describe the mangrove sediment quality index. Amongst the many indices considered in this review are the enrichment factors (EFs), the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the pollution load index (PLI), the marine sediment pollution index (MSPI) and sediment quality index (SQI). The different indices give diverse perspectives of the status of mangrove sediment quality. This review also highlights the appropriate parameters that need to be used in assessing sediment quality, such as the physical, chemical and biological properties. As the comparison review, the sediment quality can be utilized for Mangrove quality index (MQI) development like to assess the heavy metal, complete laboratory parameters and a classification following the Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines ISQG, PCA and HACA. For the heavy metal content of sediment, the suggested parameters are Pb, Zn, Cu, Co and Mn. Lastly, for the indices, the enrichment factor (EFs), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI) and marine sediment pollution index (MPSI) are used in develop SQI on mangrove forest.
Malaysia has taken initiative in enforcing the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007 (Act 672) since 2011 to ensure the uniformity of law relating to the solid waste management and public cleansing. Despite the alarming issues on the increasing of solid waste generation, Malaysian government has made solid waste separation at source as mandatory starting 1st September 2015 at eight states. Solid waste separation at source has been seen as the best practice of solid waste minimization where it eliminates and reduces the amount of solid waste produced by the society. The government has taken seriously in solid waste separation at source as the lifespan of disposal site has been decreased and limited space for the new disposal site due to the increasing cost of solid waste management. Hence, to overcome the increasing of solid waste generation, an integrated solid waste minimization through recycling should be implemented as it is involved in minimizing resource and offers the best outcome for the environment. Thus, this paper discussed the overview of solid waste minimization in Malaysia and the stakeholder’s role and their obstacles in solid waste minimization to attract the public participate in reducing the solid waste generation as an efficient solid waste management. A proper solid waste management ensures a sustainable development of Malaysia in terms of health, socio-economy and environment respectively towards Malaysian Vision of 2020.
Stingless bee is a diverse group of highly eusocial bees (meliponines) comprising the Meliponini subfamily of the Apidae family. Throughout the tropics, various kinds of stingless bee have been reared by beekeepers for their products (honey, propolis and bee bread) and pollination services for fruits and vegetables. This meliponiculture in logs or hives is considered safe due to the bee’s inability to sting, with the latter being more preferable for monitoring and managing the colonies and harvesting the products. The source of stingless bee colonies is depending on efficient hunting of feral colonies, which might affect the ecosystem. Following to the growing trend of bee rearing in Malaysia, mainly due to the smart branding strategy of the government through research institutes and universities, e.g. Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and Universiti Sains Malaysia, it is crucial to increase the number of honey-producing hives by colony splitting. The basis of colony splitting includes provision oviposition (POP), swarming and antennation. Colony splitting is necessary due to deforestation, to expand income generation and for entomological study purposes. A more advanced approach in colony splitting is to prepare and rear the virgin queen bee in vitro, resulting in more queens per one single colony. With the advancement in stingless bee rearing techniques, people may apply the colony splitting strategy to maximise stingless bee products and enhance crop production.
Red seaweeds (Rhodophyta) produce a variety of sulfated galactans in their cell wall matrix and intercellular space, contributing up to 50-60 % of their total dry weight. These sulfated polysaccharides are made up of galactose disaccharides substituted with sulfate, methoxyl, pyruvic acid, or non-galactose monosaccharides (e.g. xylose, glucose and mannose). They are required by the Rhodophytes for protection against pathogen, desiccation, tidal waves and extreme changes in pH, temperature and salinity. Since ancient times, sulfated galactans from red seaweeds, such as agar and carrageenan, have been consumed as human foods and later being used in traditional medicine. Nowadays, some red seaweeds are cultivated and exploited for commercial uses in various fields. In this review, different types of sulfated galactans found in red seaweeds and their current and potential uses in food, biotechnology, medical and pharmaceutical industries are discussed.
A resistant variety with high yielding potential is key for increasing crop production to
fulfill the food requirement of the ever increasing world populations. Consequently, the aim of plant
breeders is to develop high yielding varieties or cultivars that are resistant or tolerant to specific
diseases or insects. For developing a resistant variety, it is enormously indispensable to incorporate or
introgress the specific resistant genes of that particular disease into the recipient. Suppression
subtractive hybridization (SSH) is a powerful technique for the identification of disease specific
differentially expressed genes that are expressed in a resistant or susceptible variety. This paper
presents a brief review on the SSH technique with examples focusing on the identification of the
wheat disease specific differentially expressed genes and their defense mechanisms against fungal
pathogens in global wheat cultivars. This review is helpful for wheat researchers for the updated
information on the SSH technique for the identification of differentially expressed genes in the global
wheat cultivars and varieties. Eventually, the identified genes could be used to develop the disease
resistance variety through marker-assisted backcrossing programme or conventional breeding.
Swiftlet
s
are small insectivorous birds which breed throughout Southeast Asia and
the South Pacific.
Among many swiftle
t species, only a few are notable to produce edible bird’s
nest
s
(EBN) from the secreted saliva during breeding seasons.
The taxonomy of swiftlet
s
remains one of the most controversial in the avian species due to the high similarity in
morphological charac
teristics among the species. Over the last few decades, researchers have
studied the taxonomy of swiftlet
s
based on the morphological
trade
, behavior, and genetic
traits
.
However, despite all the efforts,
the
swiftlet taxonomy remains unsolved.
The
EBN is one of
the
most expensive animal products
and frequently being referred
to
as the “
Caviar of the East
”.
The
EBN market value varies from
US
$1000.00 to
US
$10,000.00 per kilogram depend
ing
on
its grade, shape, type and origin.
Hence, bird’s nest harve
sting is considered a lucrative industry
in many countries in Southeast Asia.
However,
the
industry faced several challenges over the
decades such as the authenticity of the EBN, the quality assurance and the depletion of swiftlet
population. Furthermore,
there is limited scientific evidence regarding EBN’s medical benefits
as
claimed by manufacturers. This paper reviews the taxonomy of swiftlet
s
, its morphological
characteristics, the challenges currently encountered by the industry, and finally the
compos
ition and medical benefits of EBN.
This study assessed the feasibility of a syntactic analysis of newspaper editorials and to test out Morenberg’s (2010) syntactic theory. The purposes of this study hence, were to develop appropriate research questions and to determine whether Morenberg’s (2010) theory could be employed for the syntactic analysis of editorials. By adopting this theory, one editorial from The Star (2018), Malaysia and two editorials from The Sun (2018a, 2018b), UK were analysed, with the intention of investigating the concept of syntax to highlight the styles and constructions in professional writing. Sentences obtained from these three editorials were broken down via tree diagramming to answer the first research question - what are the syntactic patterns used in editorials in newspapers? The tree diagrams of all sentences were then examined to answer the second research question - are there syntactic differences in editorials? The study found the basic patterns of the sentences of all editorials used mostly transitive verbs, with the inclusion of many VBE verbs and very few intransitive and two-place transitive Vc verbs. Optional elements in the syntactic patterns, however, varied according to their different orders in sentence builds. Tree diagramming of the sentences revealed few noticeable differences in terms of sentence mood, structural parallelism, employment of wh-clause as well as subject ellipsis.
Recently research in creative leadership has ballooned to encompass the essential qualities in organizational leaders (Petrie, 2014). In this study, Generativity Theory was utilized to explore the concept of creativity in leaders. Epstein (1999) presented four main core skills and abilities that assist people in expressing creativity individually which are capturing, challenging, broadening and surrounding. Model of high performing school by Shannon and Bylsma (2007) was utilized to measure school effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to determine teacher’s perceptions related to principals’ creative leadership practices towards school effectiveness in secondary schools in Klang District. Simple random sampling was used to select ten secondary schools from three different clusters of schools in the Klang District. A total of 250 teachers from these ten schools participated in this study. The study used self-administered questionnaires. The data are collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation and Multiple Regressions). This research endeavoured to answer the research questions through employing quantitative research method. This study discovered that the level of school effectiveness as practiced by secondary school teachers was overall high level. On the other hand, it was concluded that the level of creative leadership practiced by school leaders is at moderate level. This study also found out a moderate correlation between school principals’ creative leadership practice and school effectiveness (r = .617, p < .01). Additionally, multiple regression analysis indicated creative leadership practices domain; Encourage Capturing received the strongest weight in the prediction (β = 0.383, p