In the present study, an assessment of land suitability potential for agriculture in the study area of IBB governorate, Republic of Yemen has been conducted through close examination of the indicators of land characteristics and qualities. The objective of this study is to evaluate the available land resource and produce the potential map of the study area. Remote sensing data help in mapping land resources, especially in mountainous areas where accessibility is limited. Satellite imagery data used for this study includes data from multi-temporal Landsat TM which dated June 2001. The parameters taken into consideration were 16 thematic maps i.e., slope, DEM, rainfall, soil, land use, land degradation as well as land characteristics maps. Satellite image of the study area has been classified for land use, land degradation and soil maps preparation, while topo sheet and ancillary data have been used for slope and DEM maps and soil properties determination. The land potential of the study area was categorized as very high, high, moderate, low and very low by adopting the logical criteria. These categories were arrived at by integrating the various layers with corresponding weights in a Geographical Information System (GIS). The study demonstrates that the study area can be categorized into spatially distributed agriculture potential zones based on the soil properties, terrain characteristics and analyzing present land use. This approach has the potential as a useful tool for guiding policy decision on sustainable land resource management.
Abstract: A total number of 157 samples were examined by 4 different tests-In-house rapid urease (iRUT), Culture, Histopathology and Immunochromatography (Immuno CardSTAT) for the detection of Helicobacter pylori from the patients reported to Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during 2007 to 2008. Out of the samples examined 47 (29.9%) were positive for H. pylori by the tests used in the laboratory. Efficacy of detection of the bacteria by the tests- In-house rapid urease, Culture, Histopathology and Immuno CardSTAT were 31.8, 13.9, 30.3 and 32.8%, respectively. However, sensitivity and specificity of the iRUT were 91.5 and 93.6%, respectively and the Positive Predictive Value (PPV) was 86% and the Negative Predictive Value (NPV) was 96.3%. The sensitivity for Immuno CardSTAT rapid test was 100% and the specificity was 79.3%. The PPV was 50% and the NPV was 100%. Convenient methods to the authors were 'In house rapid urease test and Immunochromatography though variability of specificities were observed.
Bioethanol production using yeast has become a popular topic due to worrying depleting worldwide fuel reserve. The aim of the study was to investigate the capability of Malaysia yeast strains isolated from starter culture used in traditional fermented food and alcoholic beverages in producing Bioethanol using alginate beads entrapment method. The starter yeast consists of groups of microbes, thus the yeasts were grown in Sabouraud agar to obtain single colony called ST1 (tuak) and ST3 (tapai). The growth in Yeast Potatoes Dextrose (YPD) resulted in specific growth of ST1 at micro = 0.396 h-1 and ST3 at micro = 0.38 h-1, with maximum ethanol production of 7.36 g L-1 observed using ST1 strain. The two strains were then immobilized using calcium alginate entrapment method producing average alginate beads size of 0.51 cm and were grown in different substrates; YPD medium and Local Brown Sugar (LBS) for 8 h in flask. The maximum ethanol concentration measured after 7 h were at 6.63 and 6.59 g L-1 in YPD media and 1.54 and 1.39 g L-1in LBS media for ST1 and ST3, respectively. The use of LBS as carbon source showed higher yield of product (Yp/s), 0.59 g g-1 compared to YPD, 0.25 g g-1 in ST1 and (Yp/s), 0.54 g g-1 compared to YPD, 0.24 g g-1 in ST3 . This study indicated the possibility of using local strains (STI and ST3) to produce bioethanol via immobilization technique with local materials as substrate.
In management of the Japanese scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis culture, it is important to understand the phytoplankton bloom development in the coastal region of the Okhotsk Sea. Variations in food available to this benthic bivalve are a primary environmental factor affecting growth in nature. This paper determined the seasonal variability of Chlorophyll a (Chl a) at the scallop farming region in the Okhotsk Sea from 1998 to 2004 using satellite imageries. Satellite images were processed using default NASA coefficients and community-standard algorithms as implemented by Sea DAS. Spatial and temporal variation of Chl a was determined by EOF analysis. The Chl a concentration showed high seasonal and interannual variability. Peak of Chl a concentration occurred in spring followed by autumn and summer. This was evident in the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis. The spatial pattern of the first mode of EOF analysis of Chl a revealed intensified Chl a at the shelf and offshore areas in spring and autumn (51.8% of variance). The second mode explained 14.2% of the variance indicating enhancement of spring (April-May) Chl a pattern in the frontal area along the coast. Meanwhile, the third mode captured 9.0% of the variability demonstrating high Chl a extending seaward from the shelf area during late autumn. These seasonal variability of Chl a resulted from the variability in occurrences of physical processes associated with retreat of sea ice in spring, advection of Soya Warm Current in summer and intrusion of East Sakhalin Current in autumn.
The present study was aimed to identify the gene of drug resistance betalactamase producing bacteria and clinical features of the infected patients at Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia. Blood samples from the patients were collected, processed and betalactamase producing drug resistance bacteria were identified by antibiotic sensitivity testing. Genes of the drug resistance bacteria were detected and characterized by polymerase chain reaction. A total of 34 isolates of drug resistance Betalactamase producing E. coli and Klebsiella spp. were isolated from 2,502 patients. Most common drug resistance gene TEM was found in 50% of the isolates. 11% was found positive for both TEM and SHV. Next 11% of the isolates expressed only SHV genes. Clinical features of the patients were recorded from where the bacteria isolated. Regarding community affiliations 70.5% of the infected patients were Malay 17.6% were Indian and 11.7% were Chinese. Majority of the patients has an underlying pre-morbid condition as reflected by their diagnosis. Better infection control and hygiene in hospitals, plus controlled and prudent use of antibiotics, is required to minimize the impact of drug resistance betalactamase producing bacteria and the spread of infections.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of four different vegetable oils [red palm olein (RPO), palm olein (PO), corn oil (CO), coconut oil (COC)] on antioxidant enzymes activity of rat liver. Sixty six Sprague Dawley male rats which were randomly divided into eleven groups of 6 rats per group and were treated with 15% of RPO, PO, CO and COC for 4 and 8 weeks. Rats in the control group were given normal rat pellet only while in treated groups, 15% of additional different vegetable oils were given. After 4 weeks of treatment the catalase (CAT) activity results showed that there was no significance difference (p > or = 0.05) between the control group and treated groups while after 8 weeks of treatment showed that there was no significant different (p > or = 0.05) between control group and RPO group but the treated rat liver with PO, CO and COC groups were the lowest and it were significantly lower (> or = 0.05) than control group. For superoxide dismutase (SOD) there was no significance difference (p > or = 0.05) between the control group and treated groups of vegetable oils after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Thus the study indicated that there was no significant (p > or = 0.05) effect on antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase) but there was significant effect (p > or = 0.05) on catalase in rat liver.
The optimum dietary protein requirement of the Malaysian mahseer (Tor tambroides) fingerlings was determined in this study. In this completely randomized designed experiment, formulated diets of five levels of dietary protein (30, 35, 40, 45 and 50%) were tested on the T. tambroides fingerlings (initial body weight of 5.85 +/- 0.40 g), reared in aquarium fitted with a biofiltering system. The fingerlings were fed twice daily at 5% of biomass. The fingerling body weight and total length was taken at every two weeks. Mortality was recorded daily. The dietary protein had significant effects on the body weight gain and Specific Growth Rate (SGR) of the fingerlings. The body weight gain and SGR of fingerlings fed with the diet with the dietary protein level of 40% was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of 30, 35 and 50%. The feed conversion ratio of the 40% dietary protein was the significantly lowest at 2.19 +/- 0.163. The dietary protein level of 40% was the most optimum for T. tambroides fingerlings.
This study was aimed to investigate the production of methane gas from three different types of food waste (vegetables waste, fruit waste and grain waste) using batch type anaerobic digestion method. The digestion process was conducted by using temperature range of 27 to 36 degrees C and pH 6.5 to 7.5 to yield an optimum condition for the digestion process. The digestion was continued for a period of two weeks with the aid of cow dung as the inoculums. It was found that the grain waste yielded the highest methane 2546 mL due to the high content of carbohydrate. At the mean time, the fruit waste produced the second highest methane gas with 2000 mL as well as the vegetable waste generated the lowest methane gas with volume of 1468 mL. The vegetable waste produced the lowest methane gas because the vegetables waste contains high fibres and cellulose walls but low in glucose amount. For the fertilization test, fruit waste demonstrated the best observation for the growth of plant due to high content of potassium and followed by vegetable waste. The least effective fertilizer was grain waste due to less content of nutrients essential for plants growth.
The mango (Mangifer indica L.) is an important species of the family Anacardiaceae and is one of the most important crops cultivated commercially in many parts of the world. Hence, a better understanding of the phylogeny in this species is crucial as it is the basis knowledge of improving its genetic resources which is beneficial for breeding programs. Phylogenetic relationships among 13 mango cultivars from Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan were carried out by comparing DNA sequence data sets derived from the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region pfnuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA). Analysis using parsimony method showed that the cultivars were classified into three major groups. The first group composed almost Malaysian cultivars although with low bootstrap value, the second group consisted of mainly Taiwan cultivars and the last group included mostly Indonesia one. The results indicated that some cultivars have a close relationships with each other even it is originated from different countries. With regards to the relationship among these cultivars, this gives better insight for generating new cultivar.
Production cost of enzyme is largely determined by the type of the strain and raw material used to propagate the strain. Hence, selection of the strain and raw materials is crucial in enzyme production. For Glucose oxidase (GOx), previous studies showed Aspergillus terreus UniMAP AA-1 offers a better alternative to the existing sources. Thus, a lower production cost could be logically anticipated by growing the strain in a cheaper complex media such as molasses. In this work, sugar cane molasses, supplemented with urea and carbonate salt and a locally isolated strain Aspergillus terreus UniMAP AA-1 were used to produce a crude GOx enzyme in a small scale. A statistical optimization approach namely Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the media components for highest GOx activity. It was found that the highest GOx activity was achieved using a combination of molasses, carbonate salt and urea at concentration 32.51, 4.58 and 0.93% (w/v), respectively. This study provides an alternative optimized media conditions for GOx production using locally available raw materials.
Microbial mannanases have become biotechnologically important in industry but their application is limited due to high production cost. In presents study, the extraction of mannanase from fermented Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) in the Solid State Fermentation (SSF) was optimized. Local isolate of Aspergillus terreus SUK-1 was grown on PKC in (SSF) using column bioreactor. The optimum condition were achieved after two washes of fermented PKC by adding of 10% glycerol (v/v) soaked for 10 h at the room temperature with solvent to ratio, 1:5 (w/v).
The aim of this study was to develop an economical bioprocess to produce the fermentable sugars at laboratory scales Using Oil Palm Frond (OPF) as substrate in Solid State Fermentation (SSF). OPF waste generated by oil palm plantations is a major problem in terms of waste management. However, this lignocellulosic waste material is a cheap source of cellulose. We used OPF as substrate to produce fermentable sugars. The high content of cellulose in OPF promises the high fermentable sugars production in SSF. Saccharification of OPF waste by A. niger USMAI1 generates fermentable sugars and was evaluated through a solid state fermentation. Physical parameters, e.g., inoculum size, initial substrate moisture, initial pH, incubation temperature and the size of substrate were optimized to obtain the maximum fermentable sugars from oil palm fronds. Up to 77 mg of fermentable sugars per gram substrate was produced under the optimal physical parameter conditions. Lower productivity of fermentable sugars, 32 mg fermentable sugars per gram substrate was obtained under non optimized conditions. The results indicated that about 140.6% increase in fermentable sugar production after optimization of the physical parameters. Glucose was the major end component amongst the fermentable sugars obtained. This study indicated that under optimum physical parameter conditions, the OPF waste can be utilized to produce fermentable sugars which then convert into other products such as alcohol.
The effect of treatment with Radix on ethanol-induced gastric lesions was investigated. The main ingredient of Radix is Eurycoma longifolia. Twenty-four rats of the Sprague-Dawley species were randomly divided into four groups. Three groups were given 0.5 mL 100% ethanol orally. Another group was used as a control and was given only distilled water orally (control). After 6 h all the rats were fed with normal diet. One group that was administered with ethanol was only given distilled water orally (no treatment). Another two groups that were administered with ethanol were treated with oral Radix 0.128 mg g(-1) b.wt. (Radix) and oral ranitidine 21.4 mg kg(-1) b.wt. (Ranitidine), respectively. After one week, all the rats were fasted overnight and sacrificed. The stomach was isolated and examined for the presence and severity of gastric lesions. Measurements for malondialdehyde content and gastric acid concentration were also done. It is found that the ulcer index was lower in the Radix and ranitidine group compared to the no treatment group whereas in the control group there was no lesion. There was no difference in ulcer index between the Radix and ranitidine group. The gastric MDA content was significantly higher in all the groups that were induced with ethanol compared to the control group but no difference between all the ethanol-induced groups. There was no difference in the gastric acid concentration in all groups. Hence it is concluded that Eurycoma longifolia in Radix is as effective as ranitidine in the treatment of ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats.
One species of lace bug Cochlochila bullita Stål (Heteroptera: Tingidae) was found heavily infested Orthosiphon aristatus Blume Miq., an important medicinal plant in Malaysia. A morphological re-description of C. bullita was done in order to facilitate the identification of this oligophagous insect pest. Five variables, body length and width, antenna length, tibia length and head width were measured from 15 samples from each stage. Among these variables, body length and width were used to construct the ratio for species identification; while body lengths with the other three variables were used to distinguish the nymphs from each developmental stage. The measurements of four traits except the antenna length showed significant differences between the development stages. And thus suggest the body width, tibia length and head width were suitable parameters used to distinguish the nymphal stages. However, the result on the growth factor showed only the sizes of the head followed a more constant growth rate with growth ratios (1.21-1.39) lie between the Dyar's ratio. Body length and width ratio for the adult female and male was 1.51 +/- 0.00 and 1.59 +/- 0.01, respectively. These data are pertinent for identifying developmental stages and to distinguish the species of the lace bug.
Sanchezia speciosa, is a bushy shrub from Acanthaceae family which commonly grows in tropical areas of South and Central America. In this study, we employed MTT assay to test the cytotoxicity of that methanolic fraction of S. speciosa leaves on MCF-7 human breast cancer, SK-MEL-5 human malignant melanoma and human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVEC cells. The extract showed highest activity on MCF-7 and moderate cytotoxicity towards SK-MEL-5. In contrast, the extract demonstrated lowest cell growth inhibition activity on HUVEC cells, indicating better selectivity compare to standard drug, doxorubicin. In addition, we also performed ORAC assay to determine the radical scavenging capacity of methanolic extract of S. speciosa leaves. The extract exhibited nearly similar anti-oxidant activity as quercetin, suggesting S. speciosa leaves as a potential source of natural anti-oxidant. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on anti-oxidant and cytotoxic activity of S. speciosa.
Date fruit juice contains high concentration of simple sugars ranging from 65 to 75% (w/w) in dry form. In this study, the potential of date fruit juice as biobutanol fermentation medium by C. acetobutylicum was investigated. The fermentation process was carried out at initial pH of 5, 6 and 7, incubation temperature of 30, 35 and 40 degrees C for 72 hours. The date fruit concentrations tested were 10, 20, 30 and 40 g L(-1). Medium containing 30 g L(-1) of date fruit at 35 degrees C incubation temperature with initial medium pH 7.0 gave the highest concentration of solvents of 3.1, 0.1 and 1.1 g L(-1) butanol, ethanol and acetone respectively. The yield and productivity of biobutanol were 0.32 g g(-1) and 0.044 g L(-1)/h respectively, while for total ABE were 0.45 g g(-1) and 0.06 g L(-1) h, respectively.
Optimization of three parameters, temperature (25-35 degrees C), moisture content (40% (w/v)-60% (w/v) and inoculum sizes (5% (w/v)-15% (w/v) were investigated and optimized by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for optimal mannanase production by Aspergillus terreus SUK-1. A second order polynomial equation was fitted and the optimum condition was established. The result showed that the moisture content was a critical factor in terms of its effect on mannanase. The optimum condition for mannanase production was predicted at 42.86% (w/v) initial moisture (31 C) temperature and 5.5% (w/v) inoculum size. The predicted optimal parameter were tested in the laboratory and the mannanase activity 45.12 IU mL-1 were recorded to be closed to the predicted value (44.80 IU mL-1). Under the optimized SSF condition (31 degrees C, 42.86% moisture content (w/v) and 5.5% inoculum size (w/v)), the maximum mannanase production was to prevail about 45.12 IU mL-1 compare to before optimized (30 degrees C, 50% moisture content (w/v) and 10% inoculum size (w/v)) was only 34.42 IU mL-1.
<b>Background and Objective:</b> The <i>Helarctos malayanus</i> is the sole bear species-living in Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo). The available biological data for sun bears (<i>H. malayanus</i>) in Sumatra is limited, especially for morphological and genetic data. A morphological approach is difficult to do. Therefore, a molecular approach is the most likely choice. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out on <i>H. malayanus</i> in Central Sumatra (Dharmasraya, South Solok and Riau) using the Cytochrome B gene. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Blood samples from three individuals of <i>H. malayanus</i> were obtained at the Sumatran Tiger Rehabilitation Center, Dharmasraya. Three <i>H. malayanus</i> Central Sumatra sequences and 62 GenBank sequences were used in the analysis. The DNA sequences were analyzed using the DNA Star, AliView, Bioedit, DNA SP, haplotype network, IQ Tree and MEGA software. <b>Results:</b> Forty-one haplotypes were identified in 65 sequences, with 17 haplotypes belonging to <i>H. malayanus</i>. Haplotype network analysis divides <i>H. malayanus</i> into Haplogroup I (Sundaland) and Haplogroup II (Mainland). All individuals of <i>H. malayanus</i> in Central Sumatra have the same haplotype as Peninsular Malaysia sequence. The sun bear (<i>H. malayanus</i>) has a monophyletic relationship with other bear species. The <i>H. malayanus</i> has a higher genetic distance between the two lineages (1.0-2.3%) than the genetic distance within the subpopulations of each lineage. <b>Conclusion:</b> The study results supported sun bear (<i>H. malayanus</i>) divided into two different lineages: Mainland (subcluster 1) and Sundaland (subcluster 2 and 3). The geographic isolation causes the absence of gene flow, which results in high genetic distance between sun bears (<i>H. malayanus</i>) in Sundaland and Mainland lineages.