Despite the increasing numbers of hydrodam worldwide, only a handful of studies evaluated their impacts on biodiversity.
Compared to terrestrial animals, birds were thought to be less affected by inundation process, following impoundment. At
the Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Dam in Peninsular Malaysia, our study compared species assemblages and diversity
of birds within the dam area (i.e. the dam reservoir and catchment area) after recent logging and inundation in relation
to a nearby forest logged 30 years ago. Using point count and mist-netting techniques, we recorded a total of 64 species
(Shannon Index (H’) = 3.827) in the dam area and 91 species (H’=3.99) in historically-logged forests. Insectivore species
richness was significantly higher in the historically-logged forests (Mann-Whitney: Z=4.339, N=205, p<0.005). These
results indicated that richness and diversity of bird species assemblages appear to decline following recent inundation
phase. Nevertheless, the forests in the dam area still harbour charismatic species such as eagles (Family: Accipitridae)
and hornbills (Family: Bucerotidae) which suggests that this habitat is relatively important for birds.
We report a one-step emulsification and rapid freeze-drying process to develop a curcumin-ionic liquid (CCM-IL) complex that could be readily dispersed in water with a significantly enhanced solubility of ∼8 mg mL-1 and half-life (t1/2) of ∼260 min compared with free CCM (solubility ∼30 nM and t1/2 ∼ 20 min). This process using an IL consisting of a long chain carbon backbone as a surfactant, may provide an alternative way of enhancing the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs.
Natural fibres potentially offer better reinforcement to improve the mechanical and physical properties of polymer composites. However, these natural materials at this stage are not fully explored yet due to the fibres themselves have limited heat resistance and are quite sensitive to moisture. This limitation will weaken the adhesion when interacting with thermoplastic matrices during the processing of composites. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate inherent strength characteristics among kenaf (core and bast) fillers as a reinforcement in polypropylene composites at various geometries and loadings via the injection moulding process. The composite materials consisted of kenaf with the geometric core filler of the 20 mesh (992 µm), 40 mesh (460 µm) and bast filler (166.9 µm) were mixed with polypropylene based on the filler loadings of 10 up to 40 wt. %. The results showed that bast filled composites had the highest tensile strength of 19.52 MPa at 30 wt. %, compared to core filled composites. Instead, 20 mesh core filled composites were obtained had the highest flexural strength which values were 25 MPa and 29 MPa at 20 wt. % and 30 wt. %, respectively. While 40 mesh core filled composites had the highest values of 25.35 MPa at 40 wt. % of filler loading compared to bast filled composites. SEM micrograph images showed the good interfacial bonding of core filler which surrounded by PP leading to diffusion and permeation of bonding. In conclusion, the use of kenaf (core and bast) fillers as a reinforcement in composite materials is reasonable to maximise the use of fibre from natural sources.
The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella sp. isolated from
African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). A total of 30 catfish were harvested from four different farms and four different
wet markets. A total of 60 samples (30 catfish skins and 30 catfish intestines) were used for Salmonella sp. isolation
(pellet-method), its biochemical and serological test. Confirmation of Salmonella sp. were determined by polyvalent
O antisera and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using genus specific primers for invA genes (DNA amplification
showed one distinct band with molecular weight of 389 bp) and the species of isolated Salmonella sp. were identified
by serotyping. The result showed 6/30 (20%) of fish or 6/60 (10%) of organ samples were positive for Salmonella sp.
Among those positive for Salmonella sp., 4/6 were from intestine samples and 2/6 were from skin samples. No significant
difference was found in the prevalence of Salmonella sp. isolates between fish harvested from farms and wet markets
(p-value= 0.406). The Salmonella serovars identified were Salmonella corvallis (n=3), Salmonella mbandaka (n=2)
and Salmonella typhmurium (n=1). Salmonella sp. isolates were resistance to Penicillin (P 10, 100%), Clindamycin
(DA 2, 100%), Tetracycline (TE 30, 100%) and Rifampicin (RD 5, 100%) and all of the isolates were susceptible or
intermediate resistance to Ceftazidime (CAZ 30) and Trimethopin (W 5). Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of
all Salmonella sp. isolates in current study was 0.67 indicating that fish sampled in the present study was under high
risk of been exposed to the tested antibiotics.
Understanding the formation of aerobic granules sludge (AGS) under the variations of organic loading rate (OLR) could give a different insight on AGS stability, which had become the bottleneck for practical application in sewage treatment. This study demonstrates the formation of AGS that had previously been stored for eight months at 5ºC in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with sewage as substrate. Despite being redeveloped under variable OLR of 0.26 to 0.81 kg CODs/m3 d and low superficial air velocity (SAV) of 1.33 cm/s, the loose structure of AGS during storage can be recovered within 46 days of formation process. Variations in OLR intrude the formation process particularly during low OLR, resulting in longer period to achieve mature AGS or full granulation of biomass in reactor. The next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis indicated that the shift in microbial community from Rhodocyclaceae to Comamonadaceae class for denitrification process was accommodated with the changes in the AGS size from 326 μm to more than 600 μm.
Gen Proteolisis 6 (PRT6) merupakan gen yang memainkan peranan penting dalam tapak jalan N-end rule dan berfungsi
sebagai enzim E3 ligase. PRT6 berperanan dalam pengenalan protein sasaran bagi proses degradasi. Objektif utama kajian
ini adalah untuk mentransformasi konstruk RNAi PRT6 ke dalam tomato berperantarakan Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
Ini bertujuan untuk memahami peranan tapak jalan N-end rule semasa proses pemasakan buah. Beberapa faktor yang
memberi kesan kepada transformasi seperti masa ko-penanaman dan juga kepekatan antibiotik yang digunakan telah
dioptimumkan. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan pengeraman kotiledon selama 48 jam pada medium ko-penanaman dapat
meningkatkan penghasilan kalus sebanyak 61% manakala penggunaan 500 mg/L antibiotik karbenisilin dalam medium
regenerasi pucuk dapat mengurangkan kontaminasi A. tumefaciens sehingga 5.2%. Selain itu, strain A. tumefaciens
C58 merupakan strain A. tumefaciens yang paling sesuai digunakan sebagai perantara dalam kajian ini. Tindak balas
berantai polimerase (PCR) telah dijalankan pada pucuk yang terhasil untuk mengesahkan integrasi fragmen PRT6 ke dalam
genom tomato. Berdasarkan analisis PCR, kesemua tujuh pucuk putatif transgenik adalah merupakan transforman positif.
The Green Zone of Emergency Department Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (EDHUSM) which provides treatment for
non-critical cases contributes partly to the hustle and bustle in the emergency department. The imbalance of doctors
and nurses with the patient ratio which forms the resources’ bottleneck further results to the long patients’ waiting time
especially after the office hours and during weekends and public holidays. Collectively, this disproportion and bottlenecks
roots up the current problem faced by Green Zone EDHUSM which constantly fails to achieve the KPIs set by the hospital.
Henceforth, this study focuses on the best resource allocation of doctors and nurses for shifts during the weekdays and
for shifts during weekends and public holidays. The hybrid method of Discrete Event Simulation, and Data Envelopment
Analysis models such as BCC-input oriented and Super-Efficiency, were deployed to obtain the best resource allocation
for the two groups of shift. The method produced a series of resources allocation alternatives for doctors and nurses
with a total of 64 alternatives for weekdays and 729 alternatives for weekends and public holidays. The results show that
the best allocation for doctors and nurses during weekdays are three doctors and three nurses serving for every shift,
while during weekends and public holidays, a combination of four doctors and four nurses for every shift are the best.
The proposed combinations have reduced the average waiting time, optimized the utilization of doctors and nurses, and
managed to increase the number of patients served during weekdays, weekends and public holidays.
An optical fiber chemical sensor for the determination of free glutamate in food samples was fabricated based on the
immobilization of 0.1 M copper(II) nitrate trihydrate onto sol-gel glass powder which was then mixed with methyl cellulose
to form a pellet. A distinctive colour change from light blue to dark blue was observed in the presence of glutamate in
less than 1 min. The colour change was measured by reflectance spectrophotometer at 691 nm. A linear relationship
between the reflectance intensity and glutamate concentration was observed in the range of 12.5 to 500 mM with a limit
of detection of 10.6 mM. This method is also reproducible with a relative standard deviation of less than 5%, no effect on
pH of the glutamate solution and a good recovery of above 80%. The sensor was used for the determination of glutamate
in common food items such as soups and flavor enhancers. The results obtained from the fabricated sensor were found
to be comparable with HPLC method.
A simple method of growing carbon nanostructures (CNS), a mixture of carbon nanotube (CNT) and carbon nanofiber (CNF),
directly on a nickel catalyst layer electroplated on the copper substrate at low reaction temperature and atmospheric
pressure via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was investigated in this study. The nickel catalyst was prepared using
electroplating methods and the current density was varied to give the nickel catalyst layer with different thicknesses
and grain sizes prior to the growth of CNS which was carried out at 600°C and under a mixture of 25 sccm: 100 sccm of
acetylene to nitrogen for 40 min. A nickel catalyst layer electroplated at 1 mA/cm2, which possess a smaller grain size and
thinner layer of nickel catalyst, enables the synthesis of high quality and dense CNS as well as high ratio of CNT over CNF.
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.
Microscopy-based technique has been widely used in the detection of Blastocystis sp. This study was conducted to compare
the techniques used for screening of Blastocystis sp., namely in vitro cultivation of stool specimens in Jones’ medium (IVC)
followed by Wheatley Trichrome staining and direct examination of stool samples preserved with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
followed by Wheatley Trichrome staining with single-round polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as the reference technique.
The study was performed on 466 stool samples obtained from the aboriginal community in Pahang, Malaysia. IVC showed
higher detection rate of Blastocystis sp. (35.6%) than PVA (20.0%). Single-round PCR detected Blastocystis sp. in 41.0%
of the stool specimens. The sensitivity and specificity of PVA and IVC in comparison to the reference technique were 75.3%
(95% CI: 65.2-83.6) and 68.5% (CI: 63.7-73.3) and 88.6% (CI: 82.7-93.0) and 86.3% (CI: 81.9-90.0), respectively. The
agreement between the reference technique and PVA showed statistically significant fair agreement by Cohen Kappa
statistics of (K=0.318, p<0.001), meanwhile statistically significant substantial agreement was observed between PCR
and IVC by Cohen Kappa (K=0.727, p<0.001). Therefore, in vitro cultivation in Jones’ medium followed by Wheatley
Trichrome staining of stool specimens should be used as a screening technique in the detection of Blastocystis sp. infections.
A benzoylthiourea molecule namely 1,1-dibenzyl-3-(2-bromobenzoyl)thiourea (2BrBT) was synthesized and characterized
by C, H, N and S elemental, mass spectrometry and spectroscopic analyses (infrared, ultraviolet-visible and nuclear
magnetic resonance). The 2BrBT compound crystallized in a tetragonal system with the space group P43 and exhibits
an acentric crystalline packing due to the presence of intermolecular H-bonding network that forms a self-assembly
of 1D helical motif. The asymmetric delocalisation of electrons in the molecule retains its transparency throughout the
visible and near-infrared region and hence, essentially propagates the macroscopic helical motif in the solid state. The
highest-occupied and lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO/LUMO) are mainly found on the thiourea moiety and
the benzoylthiourea fragment, respectively and shows an optical bandgap of 3.50 eV. The influence of its geometrical
characteristics to the optical properties of 2BrBT is established and discussed in view of nonlinear optical (NLO)
application.
The present study was aimed at determining the compounds available in Eleusine indica methanol extract and the effects on
herpes simplex virus type 1 (HHV1) replication cycle and progeny infectivity. Twelve compounds mostly from the flavonoid
and phenolic groups were identified by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The
effect on replication phases of HHV1 was determined by time-of-addition, time-removal and virus yield reduction assays
with expression of selected genes analysed by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The extract
inhibited plaque formation the most during the first 2 h and at 24 h of infection. Plaque formation inhibition was also
noted at all other time points but at lesser percentage. Treatment with E. indica reduced progeny infectivity when treated
for 10 h and was dose-dependent. E. indica methanol extract inhibited immediate early, early and late phases of HHV1
replication cycle by modifying the expression of UL
54, UL
27 and UL
30 genes during the infection. Immunostaining of
infected cells confirmed that E. indica inhibited mainly Glycoproteins B but not Glycoprotein C and D. Thus, the methanol
extract of E. indica has the ability to alter HHV1 replication cycle at almost all stages and reduce progeny infectivity.
Maternal self-efficacy in breastfeeding is one of the potential modifiable factors which is consistently linked with positive breastfeeding outcomes. This study aimed to develop a Malay translation of the original English BSES-SF and to conduct a validity and reliability assessment on both antenatal and postnatal questionnaires among 101 pregnant women in their third trimester and 104 women on their first week postpartum. The Malay translation of the English BSES-SF was conducted by using back-to-back translation processes, followed by validity and reliability evaluation. The validated Malay version of the questionnaire BSES-SF was then administered on the respondents. The questionnaire comprised of socio-demographic, antenatal, and breastfeeding information. Furthermore, data on infant feeding method were collected via telephone call made to the respondents at four weeks postpartum. The Cronbach’s Alpha value for antenatal BSES-SF questionnaire was0.94, while the value for postnatal BSES-SF questionnaire was 0.95. The factor analysis identified a one-dimensional structure which able to explain 59.02% of the variance for antenatal questionnaire and 60.43% of the variance for postnatal questionnaire. In addition, high antenatal and postnatal breastfeeding self-efficacy scores were significantly associated with the practice of exclusive breastfeeding at four weeks postpartum. As a conclusion, Both Malay versions of the antenatal and postnatal BSES-SF questionnaires are valid and reliable tools to assess breastfeeding self-efficacy among Malaysian mothers.
A non-coastal cockle farming area such as an estuaries zone might become an alternative for continuous and sustainable cockle supply in the future. The main objective of this research is to determine the growth and mortality rate of Tegillarca granosa (T. granosa) within an estuary area. Three cockle plots were allocated along the estuary area of Kongkong Laut (P1, P2, P3) based on the geographical area, from upper to lower part of estuaries. Cockle monitoring activity was conducted from August to December 2015 for both in-situ water parameters and the cockles’ growth increments. This study shows that within a brackish estuarine environment, the highest cockle growth increment was recorded within the highest water salinity trend area (26.92 ± 4.79 ppt; P2), with a shell increment of 2.70 ± 0.52 mm per month, while the lowest cockle growth increment was recorded within the lowest water salinity trend area (17.65 ± 5.73 ppt; P1) with the shell increment of 2.05 ± 0.86 mm per month. One-way ANOVA shows that there was significant difference (p
Introduction: This study was conducted to determine the association between knowledge, attitude and practice among Kuantan community towards anti-smoking campaign. An anti-smoking campaign can be referred to as a series of ads programs that are introduced through various objective approaches to give awareness to people on the negative impacts of smoking behavior. The objectives of this study are (i) to investigate the association between so- cio-demographic data (gender, income, education level) and level of knowledge towards anti-smoking campaign; (ii) to find out the association between socio-demographic data (gender, income, education level) and level of attitude against anti-smoking campaigns; (iii) to study the association between socio-demographic data (gender, income, education level) and level of practice towards anti-smoking campaigns; and (iv) to find out the correlation between level of knowledge with level of attitude, level of knowledge with level of practice, and level of attitude with level of practice towards anti-smoking campaigns. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adult Kuantan community and convenience sampling was used to collect the data. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using SPSS and association of variables was an- alysed using Chi-square test. Results: This study found that level of knowledge did not affect the attitude level of the community. However, level of knowledge did affect the level of practice towards the anti-smoking campaign. Conclusion: It revealed that respondents with high level of knowledge also had good level of practice towards an- ti-smoking campaign.
The transdermal delivery of sparingly soluble drugs is challenging due to of the need for a drug carrier. In the past few decades, ionic liquid (IL)-in-oil microemulsions (IL/O MEs) have been developed as potential carriers. By focusing on biocompatibility, we report on an IL/O ME that is designed to enhance the solubility and transdermal delivery of the sparingly soluble drug, acyclovir. The prepared MEs were composed of a hydrophilic IL (choline formate, choline lactate, or choline propionate) as the non-aqueous polar phase and a surface-active IL (choline oleate) as the surfactant in combination with sorbitan laurate in a continuous oil phase. The selected ILs were all biologically active ions. Optimized pseudo ternary phase diagrams indicated the MEs formed thermodynamically stable, spherically shaped, and nano-sized (<100 nm) droplets. An in vitro drug permeation study, using pig skin, showed the significantly enhanced permeation of acyclovir using the ME. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study showed a reduction of the skin barrier function with the ME. Finally, a skin irritation study showed a high cell survival rate (>90%) with the ME compared with Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline, indicates the biocompatibility of the ME. Therefore, we conclude that IL/O ME may be a promising nano-carrier for the transdermal delivery of sparingly soluble drugs.
Introduction: The National Blood Center, Kuala Lumpur interprets laboratory results for the von Willebrand factor (VWF) profile based on guidelines which were established based on the Caucasian population. The VWF profiles among the Malay population has not yet been established. The current study aims to determine the VWF profiles of the different ABO blood types among Malays and to evaluate their association with demographic characteristics and smoking habits. Methods: One hundred and forty Malay donors were involved. Factor VIII (FVIII:C), VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), and ristocetin cofactor (VWF:RiCof) levels and collagen binding activity (VWF:CBA) were measured by coagulometric clot detection, latex agglutination, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The majority of donors (59.3%) were 30–49 years old, male (81.43%), non-smokers (74.3%), and overweight (71.4%). The Malay VWF:Ag were slightly higher than those of Caucasians, Indians, Thais, and Chinese, but the average ratios of VWF activity (i.e., VWF:RiCof level and VWF:CBA) to VWF:Ag were slightly lower than those of the other populations. The highest level of VWF:Ag was found among those with the B blood group, followed by types A and O. Conclusion: Malays with type O blood had lower values of the components of the VWF profile compared to subjects with non-O blood. The higher levels of these elements and lower VWF activity to VWF:Ag ratio in Malays compared to other populations suggest that ethnicity impacts the plasma VWF levels and their interaction with collagen and platelets.
This study is focused on the determination of trace metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Cd) concentrations of nine different indigenous fish species of Meghna River in Bangladesh to know the possible risk in human consumption. Fishes' wet muscles samples were analyzed to evaluate the level of trace metal concentrations. The concentrations (mg kg-1 w/w) of the six selected trace metals were in the order Zn (1.42 ± 0.12) > Cr (1.31 ± 0.08) > Cu (0.92 ± 0.09) > Pb (0.54 ± 0.07) > Cd (0.51 ± 0.07) > As (0.47 ± 0.02). The results revealed that all the selected trace metals were below the maximum permissible limits recommended by the reference standards. The fish species may pose no risk with respect to the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI). Target hazard quotient (THQ) values for Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd in all the fish species were <1.0, except for As which is dominantly organic in fishes. Both adults and children are vulnerable to carcinogenic health threat due to Cd exposure.
Muntingia calabura (M. calabura), locally known as "kerukup siam" or "buah ceri" belongs to the family Muntingiaceae and has been scientifically demonstrated to exert various pharmacological activities. The objectives of the current study are to evaluate the antioxidant activities and to determine the subchronic toxicity of 90 days orally-administered methanol extract of M. calabura (MEMC) in male Sprague Dawley rats. The rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6). Vehicle control received 8% tween 80 and treatment group received 50, 250 and 500 mg/kg of MEMC orally administered daily for 90 days. Blood collection was carried out to obtain the hematological and biochemical profile of the rats. The organs harvested were subjected to histopathological analysis. For the antioxidant test, the extract was subjected to antioxidant study using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)- and superoxide anion-radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content (TPC) and phytochemical screening. Results obtained show that no adverse effects were observed during the experimental period. Hematological and biochemical analysis also showed no significant changes in this toxicity study. Besides, antioxidant analyses revealed that MEMC has higher DPPH- and SOD-radical scavenges activity as well as higher TPC value. In conclusion, M. calabura is safe for consumption and possesses beneficial antioxidant effect.