Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 380 in total

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  1. Fulltext Seasonal and Spatial Dynamics of the Primary Vector of Plasmodium knowlesi within a Major Transmission Focus in Sabah, Malaysia
    Wong ML, Chua TH, Leong CS, Khaw LT, Fornace K, Wan-Sulaiman WY, et al.
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2015;9(10):e0004135.
    PMID: 26448052 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004135
    BACKGROUND: The simian malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is emerging as a public health problem in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysian Borneo where it now accounts for the greatest burden of malaria cases and deaths. Control is hindered by limited understanding of the ecology of potential vector species.

    METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a one year longitudinal study of P. knowlesi vectors in three sites within an endemic area of Sabah, Malaysia. All mosquitoes were captured using human landing catch. Anopheles mosquitoes were dissected to determine, oocyst, sporozoites and parous rate. Anopheles balabacensis is confirmed as the primary vector of. P. knowlesi (using nested PCR) in Sabah for the first time. Vector densities were significantly higher and more seasonally variable in the village than forest or small scale farming site. However An. balabacensis survival and P. knowlesi infection rates were highest in forest and small scale farm sites. Anopheles balabacensis mostly bites humans outdoors in the early evening between 1800 to 2000 hrs.

    CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study indicates transmission is unlikely to be prevented by bednets. This combined with its high vectorial capacity poses a threat to malaria elimination programmes within the region.

    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  2. Seasonal abundance and diversity of aquatic insects in rivers in gunung jerai forest reserve, Malaysia
    Suhailah A, Che Salmah M
    Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:667-674.
    Seasonal changes in Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) community was studied at rivers in Gunung Jerai Forest Reserve, Kedah, Malaysia. The rivers were visited monthly from September 2007 to August 2008 to sample aquatic insects using D-pond nets. More EPT were found in the wet season (10664 individuals) compared with the dry season (6599 individuals). In all rivers, ephemeropteran populations was highest during the wet season (z=-2.465, p=0.014). Meanwhile, the plecopteran population was low and almost constant throughout seasons in all rivers (z=-2.280, p=0.023). Trichopterans exhibited the highest peak of abundance in the dry season (z=-6.096, p=0.00). Concomitantly, higher diversity was recorded in the dry season (29 taxa) compared with 25 taxa recorded in wet season from all rivers. Tupah River had the most diverse EPT assemblage during the dry season. In wet season, the abundance of ephemeropterans genera such as Baetis, Platybaetis, Campsoneuria and Thalerosphyrus increased tremendously especially in Teroi River.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  3. Seasonal Fluctuations of Astrovirus, But Not Coronavirus Shedding in Bats Inhabiting Human-Modified Tropical Forests
    Seltmann A, Corman VM, Rasche A, Drosten C, Czirják GÁ, Bernard H, et al.
    Ecohealth, 2017 06;14(2):272-284.
    PMID: 28500421 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-017-1245-x
    Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are considered a major threat to global health. Most EIDs appear to result from increased contact between wildlife and humans, especially when humans encroach into formerly pristine habitats. Habitat deterioration may also negatively affect the physiology and health of wildlife species, which may eventually lead to a higher susceptibility to infectious agents and/or increased shedding of the pathogens causing EIDs. Bats are known to host viruses closely related to important EIDs. Here, we tested in a paleotropical forest with ongoing logging and fragmentation, whether habitat disturbance influences the occurrence of astro- and coronaviruses in eight bat species. In contrast to our hypothesis, anthropogenic habitat disturbance was not associated with corona- and astrovirus detection rates in fecal samples. However, we found that bats infected with either astro- or coronaviruses were likely to be coinfected with the respective other virus. Additionally, we identified two more risk factors influencing astrovirus shedding. First, the detection rate of astroviruses was higher at the beginning of the rainy compared to the dry season. Second, there was a trend that individuals with a poor body condition had a higher probability of shedding astroviruses in their feces. The identification of risk factors for increased viral shedding that may potentially result in increased interspecies transmission is important to prevent viral spillovers from bats to other animals, including humans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  4. Fulltext Screening of anticancer activity from agarwood essential oil
    Hashim YZ, Phirdaous A, Azura A
    Pharmacognosy Res, 2014 Jul;6(3):191-4.
    PMID: 25002797 DOI: 10.4103/0974-8490.132593
    Agarwood is a priceless non-timber forest product from Aquilaria species belonging to the Thymelaeaceae family. As a result of a defence mechanism to fend off pathogens, Aquilaria species develop agarwood or resin which can be used for incense, perfumery, and traditional medicines. Evidences from ethnopharmacological practices showed that Aquilaria spp. have been traditionally used in the Ayurvedic practice and Chinese medicine to treat various diseases particularly the inflammatory-associated diseases. There have been no reports on traditional use of agarwood towards cancer treatment. However, this is most probably due to the fact that cancer nomenclature is used in modern medicine to describe the diseases associated with unregulated cell growth in which inflammation and body pain are involved.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  5. Scientific concept and practices of life community of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts in China
    Liu S, Dong Y, McConkey KR, Tran LP, Wang F, Liu H, et al.
    Ambio, 2023 Dec;52(12):1939-1951.
    PMID: 37392251 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01898-1
    China prioritizes ecological civilization construction and embraces the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Great achievements have been made in ecological protection and restoration through implementing a series of policies and projects. This paper reviews the history of ecological restoration in China and the current development of the "integrated protection and restoration project of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts (IPRP)." Furthermore, the characteristics of IPRP were systematically elaborated from the perspectives of the ecological civilization thought, the policy management, and the key scientific issues. Also, the current achievements were summarized in the fields of national ecological space management, biodiversity conservation, and ecological protection and restoration. Existing challenges in management policy, scientific issues, and engineering practices were highlighted. Future perspectives include ecological space control, nature-based Solutions, biodiversity big data platform, modern techniques, and value realization mechanisms of ecological products.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  6. Scale morphologies of freshwater fishes at Tembat Forest Reserve, Terengganu, Malaysia
    Farah Ayuni Farinordin, Wan Seribani Wan Nilam, Shahril Mod Husin, Abdullah Samat, Shukor Md. Nor
    Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:1429-1439.
    Scales are calcium carbonate and collagen-contained structures embedded within the fish epidermis and useful for
    species identification. This study aimed to describe morphological characteristics of scales and use the differences to
    prepare keys to species. Fishes were sampled from selected rivers of Tembat Forest Reserve, Hulu Terengganu. Specimens
    caught were from 3 families (Cyprinidae, Channidae, Nandidae) and 17 species. Each species was represented by ten
    individuals (size ranges 2.5 - 50 cm TL). The scales were removed, soaked in H2
    O2
    (0.5%), NH3 (0.3%), DH2
    O and
    mounted between a pair of glass slides for digital photographing. The morphological descriptions were based on types
    of scales, distinctiveness of radii arrangement at the anterior field, radii cover, radii distribution, overall shape, focus
    position and focus pattern. Keys to species were constructed based on these scale morphological characters described.
    Measurements of scale total length (L), total width (W), rostral field length (L1) and caudal field length (L2) of the scales
    were taken using Image J software. The inter-specific variation among scales was indicated by L1/L, L2/L, L1/L2 and
    W/L indices through multiple comparison tests (ANOVA). It was found that all 17 species showed significant differences
    with at least one other species in all four indices. Pristolepis grootii (Bleeker 1852) was the only one that significantly
    different (p<0.05) from other 16 species in the first three indices. Species that showed the least significant differences
    among species was Probarbus jullieni (Sauvage 1880). The differences among the scales were primarily due to the
    different types of scale that was either ctenoid or cycloid.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  7. Fulltext Satellite-based characterization of climatic conditions before large-scale general flowering events in Peninsular Malaysia
    Azmy MM, Hashim M, Numata S, Hosaka T, Noor NS, Fletcher C
    Sci Rep, 2016 08 26;6:32329.
    PMID: 27561887 DOI: 10.1038/srep32329
    General flowering (GF) is a unique phenomenon wherein, at irregular intervals, taxonomically diverse trees in Southeast Asian dipterocarp forests synchronize their reproduction at the community level. Triggers of GF, including drought and low minimum temperatures a few months previously has been limitedly observed across large regional scales due to lack of meteorological stations. Here, we aim to identify the climatic conditions that trigger large-scale GF in Peninsular Malaysia using satellite sensors, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), to evaluate the climatic conditions of focal forests. We observed antecedent drought, low temperature and high photosynthetic radiation conditions before large-scale GF events, suggesting that large-scale GF events could be triggered by these factors. In contrast, we found higher-magnitude GF in forests where lower precipitation preceded large-scale GF events. GF magnitude was also negatively influenced by land surface temperature (LST) for a large-scale GF event. Therefore, we suggest that spatial extent of drought may be related to that of GF forests, and that the spatial pattern of LST may be related to that of GF occurrence. With significant new findings and other results that were consistent with previous research we clarified complicated environmental correlates with the GF phenomenon.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  8. Sap flow study on two different diameter sizes of Tectona grandis
    Marryanna Lion, Siti-Aisah Shamsuddin, Wan Mohd Shukri Wan Ahmad
    Sains Malaysiana, 2017;46:359-363.
    Sap flow pattern of Tectona grandis planted at lowland forest assessed. This study aimed to determine the sap movement
    of two different diameter sizes T. grandis. Two sizes selected were 16 and 38 cm in diameter at breast height (dbh). Sap
    flow meter (SFM) used to assess the sap velocity rates at the interval of 30 min within 24 h for 15 days. Diurnal sap flow
    of T. grandis shows that mean velocity is high during day time compared night time. Small diameter has high sap flow
    compared to that of bigger diameter. A flow rates was high at the inner layer and less at outer layer for smaller tree. The
    variation was vice versa when the tree was getting bigger. Variations in sap flow of T. grandis characterized by several
    environmental factors. It was found that size contribute in the differed sap flow of T. grandis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  9. Fulltext Rodent Species Distribution and Hantavirus Seroprevalence in Residential and Forested areas of Sarawak, Malaysia
    Hamdan NE, Ng YL, Lee WB, Tan CS, Khan FA, Chong YL
    Trop Life Sci Res, 2017 Jan;28(1):151-159.
    PMID: 28228923 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2017.28.1.11
    Rodents belong to the order Rodentia, which consists of three families in Borneo (i.e., Muridae, Sciuridae and Hystricidae). These include rats, mice, squirrels, and porcupines. They are widespread throughout the world and considered pests that harm humans and livestock. Some rodent species are natural reservoirs of hantaviruses (Family: Bunyaviridae) that can cause zoonotic diseases in humans. Although hantavirus seropositive human sera were reported in Peninsular Malaysia in the early 1980s, information on their infection in rodent species in Malaysia is still lacking. The rodent populations in residential and forested areas in Sarawak were sampled. A total of 108 individuals from 15 species of rodents were collected in residential (n = 44) and forested ( n = 64) areas. The species diversity of rodents in forested areas was significantly higher (H = 2.2342) compared to rodents in residential areas (H = 0.64715) (p < 0.001 of Zar-t test based on the Shannon index). Rattus rattus and Sundamys muelleri were present at high frequencies in both localities. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that hantavirus-targeting antibodies were absent from 53 tested serum samples. This is the first report of hantavirus seroprevalence surveillance in rodent populations in Sarawak, East Malaysia. The results suggested that hantavirus was not circulating in the studied rodent populations in Sarawak, or it was otherwise at a low prevalence that is below the detection threshold. It is important to remain vigilant because of the zoonotic potential of this virus and its severe disease outcome. Further studies, such as molecular detection of viral genetic materials, are needed to fully assess the risk of hantavirus infection in rodents and humans in this region of Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  10. Fulltext Riverine forest as a significant habitat to harbor a wide range of bird species
    Rajpar MN, Rajpar AH, Zakaria M
    Braz J Biol, 2022;84:e256160.
    PMID: 35137773 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.256160
    Riverine forests are unique and highly significant ecosystems that are globally important for diverse and threatened avian species. Apart from being a cradle of life, it also serves as a gene pool that harbors a variety of flora and fauna species (repeated below). Despite the fact, this fragile ecosystem harbored avian assemblages; it is now disappearing daily as a result of human activity. Determining habitat productivity using bird species is critical for conservation and better management in the future. Multiple surveys were conducted over a 15-month period, from January to March 2019, using the distance sampling point count method. A total of 250 point count stations were fixed systematically at 300 m intervals. In total, 9929 bird individuals were recorded, representing 57 species and 34 families. Out of 57 bird species, two were vulnerable, one was data deficient, one was nearly threatened, and the remaining 53 species were of least concern. The Eurasian Collard Dove - Streptopelia decaocto (14.641 ± 2.532/ha), White-eared Bulbul - Pycnonotus leucotis (13.398 ± 4.342/ha) and Common Babbler - Turdoides caudata (10.244 ± 2.345/ha) were the three first plenteous species having higher densities. However, the densities of three species, i.e., Lesser Whitethroat - Sylvia curruca, Gray Heron - Ardea cinerea and Pallas Fish Eagle - Haliaeetus leucoryphus, were not analyzed due to the small sample size. The findings of diversity indices revealed that riverine forest has harbored the diverse avian species that are uniformly dispersed across the forest. Moreover, recording the ten foraging guilds indicated that riverine forest is rich in food resources. In addition, the floristic structure importance value index results indicated that riverine forest is diverse and rich in flora, i.e. trees, shrubs, weeds and grass, making it an attractive and productive habitat for bird species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests*
  11. Fulltext Risk factors of the occurrence of malaria Knowlesi in Ranau: a case control study
    Jewel Bollah, Syed Sharizman
    Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):24-24.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Malaria is a public health concern and still endemic in Malaysia particularly in Sabah. Malaria is due to plasmodium parasite which can be further divided into human malaria and zoonotic malaria. Plasmodium knowlesi, a zoonotic malaria species, is increasing in trend and alarming despite of ongoing prevention and control measures especially in Sabah. Methods: This is a case-control study involving a total of 169 respondents which comprises of 43 cases and 126 controls from Mukim Paginatan and Mukim Nalapak, Ranau. A simple random sampling were used to select subjects. Results: This study found male, forest related and doing outdoor activity has higher risk of contracting malaria. Village house is another significant risk factor. The specific risk factors with the strongest association with malaria is the presence of monkey near housing or farm area (OR5.667; 95% CI: 2.429, 13.220), live near forest (OR 5.330; 95% CI: 1.209, 23.495), presence of pond or pool or river near house (OR 4.222; 95% CI: 1.552, 11.490), doing outdoor activity after 5 PM (OR 3.434; 95% CI: 1.522, 7.748) and ever overnight in the hut (OR 2.724; 95% CI: 1.334, 5.561). Conclusion: This study shows several risk factors that associated with malaria knowlesi. Based on the identified risk factors, preventive and control measure can be improved and optimized.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  12. Riparian reserves within oil palm plantations conserve logged forest leaf litter ant communities and maintain associated scavenging rates
    Gray CL, Lewis OT, Chung AY, Fayle TM
    The Journal of applied ecology, 2015 Feb;52(1):31-40.
    PMID: 25678717
    The expansion of oil palm plantations at the expense of tropical forests is causing declines in many species and altering ecosystem functions. Maintaining forest-dependent species and processes in these landscapes may therefore limit the negative impacts of this economically important industry. Protecting riparian vegetation may be one such opportunity; forest buffer strips are commonly protected for hydrological reasons, but can also conserve functionally important taxa and the processes they support.We surveyed leaf litter ant communities within oil palm-dominated landscapes in Sabah, Malaysia, using protein baits. As the scavenging activity of ants influences important ecological characteristics such as nutrient cycling and soil structure, we quantified species-specific rates of bait removal to examine how this process may change across land uses and establish which changes in community structure underlie observed shifts in activity.Riparian reserves had similar ant species richness, community composition and scavenging rates to nearby continuous logged forest. Reserve width and vegetation structure did not affect ant species richness significantly. However, the number of foraging individuals decreased with increasing reserve width, and scavenging rate increased with vegetation complexity.Oil palm ant communities were characterized by significantly lower species richness than logged forest and riparian reserves and also by altered community composition and reduced scavenging rates.Reduced scavenging activity in oil palm was not explained by a reduction in ant species richness, nor by replacement of forest ant species by those with lower per species scavenging rates. There was also no significant effect of land use on the scavenging activity of the forest species that persisted in oil palm. Rather, changes in scavenging activity were best explained by a reduction in the mean rate of bait removal per individual ant across all species in the community.Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that riparian reserves are comparable to areas of logged forest in terms of ant community composition and ant-mediated scavenging. Hence, in addition to protecting large continuous areas of primary and logged forest, maintaining riparian reserves is a successful strategy for conserving leaf litter ants and their scavenging activities in tropical agricultural landscapes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  13. Fulltext Ridleyandra merohmerea (Gesneriaceae), a new species from Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia
    Yunoh SM, Dzulkafly Z
    PhytoKeys, 2017.
    PMID: 29362547 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.89.20344
    Ridleyandra merohmerea, a new species of Gesneriaceae, is described and illustrated. It is endemic in Peninsular Malaysia and known from a few populations along the Tuang River in the lowland dipterocarp forest of the Ulu Galas Forest Reserve in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. Its conservation status is assessed as Critically Endangered.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  14. Fulltext Ridleyandra chuana (Gesneriaceae), a new species from Peninsular Malaysia
    Kiew R
    PhytoKeys, 2013.
    PMID: 24198708 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.25.5178
    Ridleyandra chuana, a new species of Gesneriaceae, is described and illustrated. It is endemic in Peninsular Malaysia and known from two small and restricted populations in montane forest. Its conservation status is assessed as vulnerable.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  15. Revision of the genus Devadatta Kirby, 1890 in Borneo based on molecular and morphological methods, with descriptions of four new species (Odonata: Zygoptera: Devadattidae)
    Dow RA, Hämäläinen M, Stokvis FR
    Zootaxa, 2015;4033(3):301-49.
    PMID: 26624409 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4033.3.1
    Species of Devadatta from Borneo are studied using both morphological and molecular methods. As well as D. podolestoides Laidlaw, four new species are recognised from the island: D. aran spec. nov. (holotype ♂, from Pulong Tau National Park, Miri division, Sarawak, Malaysia, deposited in RMNH), D. clavicauda spec. nov. (holotype ♂, from Bukit Mina, Bukit Mina Wildlife Corridor, Sarawak Planted Forest Project, Bintulu division, Sarawak, Malaysia, deposited in RMNH), D. somoh spec. nov. (holotype ♂, from the Sungai Kahei area, Ulu Balui, Kapit division, Sarawak, Malaysia, deposited in RMNH) and D. tanduk spec. nov. (holotype ♂, from Poring Hot Springs, Kinabalu National Park, West Coast division, Sabah, Malaysia, deposited in RMNH). The Philippine taxon D. basilanensis Laidlaw is considered a good species rather than a subspecies of D. podolestoides. The Bornean species plus D. basilanensis are provisionally considered to form a species group, the podolestoides-group, within Devadatta. The species of the podolestoides-group are so similar in morphology and colouration that they are close to truly cryptic species. Two species appear to exhibit character displacement where their ranges overlap with other Devadatta species. A molecular analysis using four markers (COI, 16S, ITS and 28S) is presented. This analysis includes specimens of all species from the podolestoides-group and two Devadatta species from mainland Asia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  16. Fulltext Resurrection of Bronchocela burmana Blanford, 1878 for the Green Crested Lizard (Squamata, Agamidae) of southern Myanmar
    Zug GR, Mulcahy DG, Vindum JV
    Zookeys, 2017.
    PMID: 28331413 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.657.11600
    Recent fieldwork in southern Tanintharyi revealed the presence of a small Green Crested Lizard in the wet evergreen forest. We generated mtDNA sequence data (ND2) that demonstrates that this population's nearest relative is Bronchocela rayaensis Grismer et al., 2015 of Pulau Langkawi, northwestern Peninsular Malaysia and Phuket Island. Morphologically the Burmese Bronchocela shares many features with Bronchocela rayaensis, which potentially would make this recently described Thai-Malay species a synonym of Bronchocela burmana Blanford, 1878; however, we interpret the genetic and morphological differences to reflect evolutionary divergence and recommend the recognition of both species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  17. Responses of soil fungi to logging and oil palm agriculture in Southeast Asian tropical forests
    McGuire KL, D'Angelo H, Brearley FQ, Gedallovich SM, Babar N, Yang N, et al.
    Microb Ecol, 2015 May;69(4):733-47.
    PMID: 25149283 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-014-0468-4
    Human land use alters soil microbial composition and function in a variety of systems, although few comparable studies have been done in tropical forests and tropical agricultural production areas. Logging and the expansion of oil palm agriculture are two of the most significant drivers of tropical deforestation, and the latter is most prevalent in Southeast Asia. The aim of this study was to compare soil fungal communities from three sites in Malaysia that represent three of the most dominant land-use types in the Southeast Asia tropics: a primary forest, a regenerating forest that had been selectively logged 50 years previously, and a 25-year-old oil palm plantation. Soil cores were collected from three replicate plots at each site, and fungal communities were sequenced using the Illumina platform. Extracellular enzyme assays were assessed as a proxy for soil microbial function. We found that fungal communities were distinct across all sites, although fungal composition in the regenerating forest was more similar to the primary forest than either forest community was to the oil palm site. Ectomycorrhizal fungi, which are important associates of the dominant Dipterocarpaceae tree family in this region, were compositionally distinct across forests, but were nearly absent from oil palm soils. Extracellular enzyme assays indicated that the soil ecosystem in oil palm plantations experienced altered nutrient cycling dynamics, but there were few differences between regenerating and primary forest soils. Together, these results show that logging and the replacement of primary forest with oil palm plantations alter fungal community and function, although forests regenerating from logging had more similarities with primary forests in terms of fungal composition and nutrient cycling potential. Since oil palm agriculture is currently the mostly rapidly expanding equatorial crop and logging is pervasive across tropical ecosystems, these findings may have broad applicability.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forestry; Forests*
  18. Fulltext Responding to extremes: managing urban water scarcity in the late nineteenth-century Straits Settlements
    Williamson F
    Water Hist, 2020 Oct 29.
    PMID: 33144897 DOI: 10.1007/s12685-020-00260-6
    In 1877, the major towns of the Straits Settlements-Singapore, George Town, Penang Island and Malacca-suffered a drought of exceptional magnitude. The drought's natural instigator was the El Niño phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, a climatic phenomenon then not understood by contemporary observers. The 1877 event has been explored in some depth for countries including India, China and Australia. Its impact on Southeast Asia however is less well-known and the story of how the event unfolded in Singapore and Malaysia has not been told. This paper explores how the contemporary British government responded to the drought, arguing that its impact on hydraulic management was at best minimal yet, it did have impact on other areas, such as forest reservation with the hope of preserving future rainfall. It also highlights how, in contrast to studies on urban water plans in other British Asian colonies, the colonial authorities in the Straits Settlements had a far less coherent and meaningful relationship with water in their town planning schemes. As this paper is part of a special issue, Water History in the time of COVID-19, it has undergone modified peer review.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  19. Fulltext Repeated Evaluations of Testes and Semen Characteristics in Two Binturongs (Arctictis binturong)
    Zainuddin ZZ, Sipangkui S, Farqhan Kelana M, Chee YK, Tarmizi MRM, Comizzoli P
    Front Vet Sci, 2021;8:658573.
    PMID: 33778042 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.658573
    The binturong is a medium size carnivore belonging to the Viverrid family that lives in dense forests of South-East Asia. In addition to the protection of this vulnerable species in its natural habitat (in situ), conservation breeding efforts (ex situ) aim at maintaining a good genetic diversity while increasing the number of individuals to reinforce wild populations. Both approaches require a solid understanding of binturong's basic biology. However, there is still a lack of precise information about reproduction. The objective of this brief research report was to analyze testicular sizes and semen characteristics at different times of the year to better understand the reproductive physiology and inform future conservation efforts. A secondary objective was to describe sperm cryotolerance for the first time in that species. Examinations of testes and semen collections were conducted on two adult males. While testicular measurements were relatively constant across multiple examinations, semen characteristics (volume, viability, sperm concentrations, sperm motility) varied between samples. However, incidence of sperm morphological abnormalities was consistently high. Sperm cryotolerance appeared to be poor but further studies are warranted. The present dataset will be useful for future research on binturong reproduction and for the development of assisted reproductive techniques and biobanking of germplasms in that species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  20. Fulltext Reduction of the acidity and peroxide numbers of tengkawang butter (Shorea stenoptera) using thermal and acid activated bentonites
    Darmawan MA, Muhammad BZ, Harahap AFP, Ramadhan MYA, Sahlan M, Haryuni, et al.
    Heliyon, 2020 Dec;6(12):e05742.
    PMID: 33364505 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05742
    Tengkawang fat (Shorea stenoptera), from an indigenous plant of the Kalimantan forest, has excellent potential as an alternative source of vegetable fat because it has a high level of fatty acids composition. Activated natural bentonite can be used as a bleaching agent to improve the quality of tengkawang fat. This research aims to reduce the acidity, peroxide number values and identify the physicochemical properties (fatty acid composition, nutrients, and thermal) of tengkawang butter. Initially, tengkawang samples from Nanga Yen and Sintang were pre-treated using the degumming process with 1% phosphoric acid and the neutralization process with a 1 M NaOH 10% w/w solution. The results show that the acidity (mg NaOH/g) of the tengkawang fat samples was reduced from 11.00 to 3.36 when using bentonite activated at 200 °C. The bentonite activated with 0.5 M HCl reduced the acidity to 3.61. The peroxide number (meq O2/kg) of the tengkawang fat samples was reduced from 9.45 to 4.84 and 3.47 by bleaching with thermal-activated and acid-activated bentonites, respectively. Peroxide value correlates with β-carotene content. The smaller of the β-carotene content, the smaller the peroxide value. The acidity, peroxide number, and iodine number values from tengkawang fat after treatment adhere to the SNI 2903: 2016 standard. The main content of fatty acids in tengkawang fat is palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid. These results show that both products are suitable for the food industry in terms of the acid and peroxide numbers. The application of this research results will assist local people in increasing the economic value of the product from tengkawang plant, which is an indigenous plant from Kalimantan.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
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