The study was conducted at Merambong Shoal (01°19.979’N, 103°35.965’E) in the Sungai Pulai estuary, Johor Straits, Malaysia from January to December 2005. Standing biomass of male and female Strombus canarium sub populations was calculated monthly based on the abundance value of each cohort and on the length-weight relationship. Secondary production was estimated using increment summation method, upon recognition of cohorts following the size-frequency distribution analysis using Bhattacharya and Hasselblad’s NORMSEP methods. Monthly variations in standing biomass
(B) and production (P) showed higher values during the wet season compared to dry season, which indicate seasonal variations. Total production (P) was estimated at 0.14 gAFDWm-2yr-1 and 0.45 gAFDWm-2yr-1, while the annual mean population biomass was estimated at 0.13 gAFDWm-2 and 0.26 gAFDWm-2, for males and females, respectively. The P/ ratio was therefore calculated at 1.08 yr-1 for male and 1.73 yr-1 for female, which was within the values reported for other gastropod species. Estimates using empirical methods commonly used in secondary production studies found
that none could be applied to the species. Considering the large amount of time, effort and resources involved in the conventional production estimation method, more studies are needed to establish a reliable production estimates for S. canarium, and possibly other gastropod species within the tropical region.
A total of 230 individuals of Strombus were sampled at various locations along the Johor Straits, Malaysia. There were four species of Strombus present in the study areas i.e. Strombus canarium Linnaeus, 1758; Strombus urceus Linnaeus, 1758; Strombus marginatus subspecies succinctus Linnaeus, 1767; Strombus marginatus subspecies robustus Sowerby, 1874; and Strombus vittatus subspecies vittatus Linnaeus, 1758. Strombus canarium was the most common, widely distributed and most abundant, followed by S. urceus, while the others were only rarely found. Among the species Strombus marginatus and Strombus vittatus were two new distribution records for the Johor Straits. Since all Strombus were traditionally harvested and consumed by the locals since long ago, further studies are needed particularly regarding the population dynamics and fishery of the harvested species.
Tocopherols and tocotrienols have been shown in previous studies to protect neurons from oxidative injuries, especially from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) induced oxidative stress. In this study, we compared two vitamin E isomers, γ-tocotrienol (GTT) and α-tocopherol (ATF) in their neuroprotective effects against H2O2-induced apoptosis in primary rat cortical neurons and human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Cytotoxicity screening of H2O2, GTT and ATF was done to determine the IC50 levels. To screen for neuroprotective effects, cortical neurons and SH-SY5Y cell cultures were pre-incubated with GTT or ATF, respectively at different concentrations for 1 hour before concurrent treatment of H2O2 at IC50. Results of these treatments were compared to cells treated with H2O2 only and control cells. Cytotoxicology screening showed that IC50 of H2O2 for cortical neuron is at 50 μM while SH-SY5Y have higher IC50 of 100 μM. GTT is cytotoxic to cortical neurons at ≥50 μM and SH-SY5Y at ≥100 μM while ATF did not show any toxicity within the range of concentration tested (1-750 μM). Results from neuroprotection screening showed that GTT and ATF were able to protect both cortical neurons and SH-SY5Y from H2O2-induced oxidative stress at concetration of ≤10 μM. Cellular uptake of GTT is higher in both cortical neurons and SH-SY5Y as compared to ATF when both cortical neuron and SH-SY5Y were incubated with 10 μM GTT or ATF, respectively for 24 hour. Although primary rat cortical neurons and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y were different culture system, the effects of GTT and ATF are similar in both H2O2 –induced culture which strongly suggest that both GTT and ATF act as free radical scavenger to exert their neuroprotective effects.
In this paper, the uncontrolled environmental factors are perturbed into the growth rate deceleration factor of the Gompertzian deterministic model. The growth process under Gompertz’s law is considered, thus lead to stochastic differential equations of Gompertzian with time delay. The Gompertzian deterministic model has proven to fit well with the clinical data of cancerous growth, however the performance of stochastic model towards clinical data is yet to be confirmed. The prediction quality of stochastic model is evaluated by comparing the simulated results with the clinical data of cervical cancer growth. The parameter estimation of stochastic models is computed by using simulated maximum likelihood method. 4-stage stochastic Runge-Kutta is applied to simulate the solution of stochastic model. Low values of root mean-square error (RMSE) of Gompertzian model with random effect indicate good fits.
Samples of Pinna bicolor Gmelin and Pinna deltodes Menke were collected from the seagrass bed of Sungai Pulai, covering Merambong shoal, Tanjung Adang shoal and Merambong Island off south western coast of Johor, Malaysia for morphological study from August 2005 to June 2006. It was observed that P. deltodes is associated with hard substratum and P. bicolor is associated with soft substratum in the study area. Physically there was no difference between P. bicolor and P. deltodes. The species were identified on the basis of nine internal and external characteristics of the valves. The two species were found to be morphologically different on the basis of width of sulcus, distance between posterior adductor muscle to posterior dorsal nacreous layer, dorsal posterior margin length and shell width.
Kandungan hidrokarbon polisiklik aromatik (PAH) dalam tiga spesies ikan yang berbeza tabiat pemakanan dan habitat, iaitu Lolong (Selar boops), Kerisi (Nemipterus peronii) dan Mengkarong (Trachinocephalus myops) dari luar pantai Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia ditentukan. Tiga individu daripada setiap spesies dipilih secara rawak dan kandungan 10 sebatian PAH diukur, iaitu fenantrena, antrasena, fluorantena, pirena, benzo(a)anthracene benzo(a)antrasena, krisena, benzo(a)fluorantena, benzo(k)fluorantena, benzo(e)pirena dan dibenzo(a,h)antrasena dalam otot ikan ditentukan. Pengekstrakan PAH menggunakan kaedah Soxhlet dan kandungannya diukur dengan kromatografi gas - spektrometri jisim (GC-MS). Jumlah PAH dalam tisu ikan yang dikaji adalah pada julat 17.89 – 42.18 ng/g berat basah dan 393.98 – 511.07 ng/g mengikut berat lipid. Kandungan PAH dalam tisu jenis ikan menurut berat basah adalah Mengkarong (42.18 ng/g)> Lolong (25.61 ng/g)> Kerisi (17.89 ng/g), sementara menurut berat lipid ialah Kerisi (511.07 ng/g)> Mengkarong (409.50 ng/g)> Lolong (393.98 ng/g). Otot Kerisi mengandungi kandungan lipid paling sedikit, iaitu 3.5 % berbanding dengan Lolong (6.5 %) dan Mengkarong (10.3 %). Tidak ada penumpukan PAH yang jelas dalam lipid tisu ikan (kolerasi Pearson, p>0.05) dan ketiga-tiga spesies ikan tidak menunjukkan kandungan PAH yang berbeza (ANOVA, p>0.05). Berdasarkan kadar pengambilan ikan pada 142.2 g/hari, pengiraan kepekatan potensi setara (PEC), iaitu nilai potensi karsinogenisiti sebatian PAH, ketiga-tiga spesies ikan adalah pada julat 0.41 – 0.63 ng/g berat basah. Nilai ini lebih rendah daripada nilai garis panduan yang ditetapkan oleh USEPA, iaitu 0.67 ng/g berat basah.
The abundance of marine benthic organisms often exhibits distinct distributional patterns, which is generally governed by many physical and biological factors specific to the habitat. In this study, the spatial and temporal variations in abundance of the dog conch, Strombus canarium Linnaeus 1758, a commercially important marine gastropod, was investigated. Assessment of conch abundance at Merambong seagrass bed, Malaysia, was conducted using a transect belt method. Sampling stations were randomly selected and environmental parameters associated with the habitat were recorded. The species showed distinct spatial distributional pattern. Conch densities were significantly higher in sheltered areas, mainly in mixed seagrass bed dominated by Halophila spp. and with high sediment organic content. The densities were relatively very low in areas dominated by the tape seagrass, Enhalus acoroides. The species studied also showed distinct temporal variation in abundance. The abundance value was seasonally varied with highest density recorded during the wet monsoon season (p<0.05). The densities were otherwise very low during the dry season, except for a slight peak in July. Since the conch is a very important fishery species within the Johor Straits and regulations on their harvesting is still lacking, this information would be very important for their sustainable management.
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti dan membandingkan tahap kesedaran dan tingkah laku risiko yang "altruistik".antara jantina selain meninjau hubungan antara keduanya dalam kegiatan rekreasi dalam Program Pembangunan Masyarakat Guru (BIG). Satu set soalan yang ditanyakan telah digunakan berbanding 81 pelajar tahun akhir Fakulti Pendidikan, KUIS di Raub, Pahang. Persoalan penyelidikan terdiri daripada dua perubahan, iaitu kesadaran terhadap risiko dan tingkah laku keselamatan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan kesedaran yang tinggi tentang risiko semasa aktiviti rekreasi. Analisis ujian T menunjukkan bahawa tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan dalam kesedaran terhadap risiko dan kelakuan keselamatan antara wanita. Analisis korelasi Pearson menunjukkan bahawa terdapat hubungan positif yang signifikan antara kesedaran risiko (peraturan keselamatan) dan tingkah laku keselamatan "altruistic". Implikasi kajian ini ialah rekreasi dan pentadbir universiti perlu mengambil kira pelbagai jenis risiko dalam merekabentuk aktiviti rekreasi luar. Tahap kesadaran risiko yang tinggi dapat membantu pelajar dengan tingkah laku yang baik dalam aktiviti rekreasi luar yang mereka berminat.
Due to the recent increase in obesity, effective nutritional strategies for weight management is needed. Because vegetables and fruits are high in water, vitamins and minerals, it is possible to reduce the density of energy, promoting satiety and reducing energy consumption by incorporating them into the diet. While few interventions have specifically mentioned the consumption of fruit and vegetables, evidence indicates advice to increase coupling the consumption of such foods with recommendations for reducing energy intake are particularly important in efficient weight management strategies. The aims of this study are therefore to assess the level of awareness and factors influencing vegetable consumption behaviour among students. This study examined the advantages of eating more vegetables and whether it can contribute to weight loss among university students, about the nutrition knowledge of the benefits of eating vegetables and the demographic factors of gender, race, age, marital status, education level, occupation and monthly income. Using the quantitative research methodology, this study explores vegetable consumption and weight loss among university students to ensure a healthy lifestyle, there is a need to educate the youth about the importance of fruit and vegetables in their diet. Findings suggest that fruits and vegetables can play an important role in weight management. Studies show that certain fruits and vegetables increase the feeling of fullness and decrease hunger. There is however limited knowledge on factors affecting the consumption of vegetables in Malaysia. It is therefore important to identify factors that increase the consumption of more vegetables that will help to lose weight.
The application of phase change materials (PCMs) in green buildings has been increasing rapidly. PCM applications in green buildings include several development models. This paper briefly surveys the recent research and development activities of PCM technology in building applications. Firstly, a basic description of phase change and their principles is provided; the classification and applications of PCMs are also included. Secondly, PCM models in buildings are reviewed and discussed according to the wall, roof, floor, and cooling systems. Finally, conclusions are presented based on the collected data.
Monocytes are widely used for immunological research, especially in the study of innate immune system. Although methods for isolation of human monocytes have been established, the procedure for non-human monocyte has not been well developed. This paper describes an improved method for isolation of monocyte and the subsequent macrophage cultivation from caprine blood. Monocytes were isolated from 16 ml of heparinized caprine blood using double density methods; the Ficoll and Percoll. The number of monocytes obtained was 5.12 ± 0.89 × 10(7) cells/ml at 70 % purity. The isolated monocytes were maintained in 10 % fetal bovine serum-enriched Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium for maturation to form macrophage cell culture. At the end of the experiment, the harvested macrophage was 2.48 ± 0.33 × 10(6) cells/ml.
In tropical regions, different species of fiddler crabs coexist on the mangrove floor, which sometimes makes it difficult to define species-specific habitat by visual inspection. The aim of this study is to find key environmental parameters which affect the distribution of fiddler crabs and to determine the habitats in which each species was most abundant. Crabs were collected from 19 sites within the mudflats of Sepang-Lukut mangrove forest. Temperature, porewater salinity, organic matter, water content, carbon and nitrogen content, porosity, chlorophyll content, pH, redox potential, sediment texture and heavy metals were determined in each 1 m2 quadrate. Pearson correlation indicated that all sediment properties except pH and redox potential were correlated with sediment grain size. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that Uca paradussumieri was negatively correlated with salinity and redox potential. Sand dwelling species, Uca perplexa and Uca annulipes, were highly dependent on the abundance of 250 μm and 150 μm grain size particles in the sediment. Canonical Discriminative Analysis (CDA) indicated that variation in sediment grain size best explained where each crab species was most abundant. Moreover, U. paradussumieri commonly occupies muddy substrates of low shore, while U. forcipata lives under the shade of mangrove trees. U. annulipes and U. perplexa with the high number of spoon tipped setae on their second maxiliped are specialized to feed on the sandy sediments. U. rosea and U. triangularis are more common on muddy sediment with high sediment density. In conclusion, sediment grain size that influences most sediment properties acts as a main factor responsible for sediment heterogeneity. In this paper, the correlation between fiddler crab species and environmental parameters, as well as the interaction between sediment characteristics, was explained in order to define the important environmental factors in fiddler crab distributions.
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays an important role in wound healing. Delayed wound healing is a consequence of diabetes, leading to high morbidity and poor quality of life. Momordica charantia (MC) fruit possesses anti-diabetic and wound healing properties. This study aimed to explore the changes in TGF-β expression in diabetic wounds treated with topical MC fruit extract.
Strombus canarium Linnaeus, 1758 is an important gastropod species within the study area and was traditionally collected for food by the locals. The objective of the present study is to assess the incidence of imposex and its severity in this species. Adult conchs were sampled during their main reproductive period, from October 2005 to January 2006, at Sungai Pulai estuary, Johor Straits, Malaysia. A total of 32.81% of adult females showed imposex characteristics, with varying degrees of severity though. The relative penis size (RPS) index ranged from 1.74 to 33.29 (mean = 13.40 ± 2.27, n = 21), while the relative penis length (RPL) index ranged from 6.28 to 55.19 (mean = 25.83 ± 3.33, n = 21). The use of vas deferens sequence (VDS) index was however cannot be applied as the presence of egg groove obscured any vas deferens development in affected females. Sequence of imposex (male penis) development in female conch, from merely a small stump to an advance male penis homologous was therefore carefully analyzed and described, and an alternative imposex classification scheme was proposed. S. canarium can be a good indicator for monitoring of organotin pollution within the study area. However, more studies are needed in order to further develop and test its validity and application, such as its correlation with levels of pollutant within the tissues and the environment, as well as its application on other Strombus species.
In mangrove ecosystems, litter fall accumulates as refractory organic carbon on the sediment surface and creates anoxic sediment layers. Fiddler crabs, through their burrowing activity, translocate oxygen into the anoxic layers and promote aerobic respiration, iron reduction and nitrification. In this study, the effects of four species of fiddler crabs (Uca triangularis, Uca rosea, Uca forcipata and Uca paradussumieri) on organic content, water content, porosity, redox potential and solid phase iron pools of mangrove sediments were investigated. In each crab's habitat, six cores down to 30 cm depth were taken from burrowed and non-burrowed sampling plots. Redox potential and oxidized iron pools were highest in surface sediment, while porosity, water and organic content were higher in deeper sediment. Reduced iron (Fe (II)) and redox potential were significantly different between burrowed and non-burrowed plots. Crab burrows extend the oxidized surface layer down to 4 cm depth and through the oxidation effect, reduce the organic content of sediments. The effects of burrows varied between the four species based on their shore location. The oxidation effect of burrows enhance the decomposition rate and stimulate iron reduction, which are processes that are expected to play an important role in biogeochemical properties of mangrove sediments.
This study tested the oxygen consumption rates (OCR), energy, and thermal coefficient of juvenile Lutjanus malabaricus (60 fish, size: 4.53 ± 1.14 g) at four temperatures of 22, 26, 30 and 34 °C. During 30 days of experimental period 5 fish tank-1 were reared at four temperatures with three replicates in intermittent flow respirometers in a recirculatory system under laboratory conditions. As expected, oxygen consumption rates increased significantly (P
This study reports the discovery of the exclusive predation of sea turtle hatchlings by several juvenile blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) in Chagar Hutang bay on Redang Island, Malaysia, in the South China Sea. Three dead specimens of C. melanopterus were retrieved from ghost nets, and the entire digestive tracts of these sharks solely contained the partially digested bodies of sea turtle hatchlings, with no evidence of the remains of any other prey. Thus, juvenile C. melanopterus may opportunistically feed primarily on turtle hatchlings during times when hatchling abundance is high.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) blast disease is one of the most destructive rice diseases in the world. The fungal pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae, is the causal agent of rice blast disease. Development of resistant cultivars is the most preferred method to achieve sustainable rice production. However, the effectiveness of resistant cultivars is hindered by the genetic plasticity of the pathogen genome. Therefore, information on genetic resistance and virulence stability are vital to increase our understanding of the molecular basis of blast disease resistance. The present study set out to elucidate the resistance pattern and identify potential simple sequence repeat markers linked with rice blast disease. A backcross population (BC2F1), derived from crossing MR264 and Pongsu Seribu 2 (PS2), was developed using marker-assisted backcross breeding. Twelve microsatellite markers carrying the blast resistance gene clearly demonstrated a polymorphic pattern between both parental lines. Among these, two markers, RM206 and RM5961, located on chromosome 11 exhibited the expected 1:1 testcross ratio in the BC2F1 population. The 195 BC2F1 plants inoculated against M. oryzae pathotype P7.2 showed a significantly different distribution in the backcrossed generation and followed Mendelian segregation based on a single-gene model. This indicates that blast resistance in PS2 is governed by a single dominant gene, which is linked to RM206 and RM5961 on chromosome 11. The findings presented in this study could be useful for future blast resistance studies in rice breeding programs.
We investigated if vitamin D is independently associated with hyperglycaemia in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD), fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, fructosamine, insulin sensitivity (QUICKI equation), body mass index, clothing style and outdoor activity were measured in 58 pregnant women with GDM during the third trimester. 25OHD was also measured in 20 women with normal pregnancies. There was no significant difference in mean 25OHD concentrations between GDM (14.43 ± 5.27 ng/ml) and normal (15.45 ± 5.29 ng/ml) pregnancies, p = .354. However, a higher percentage of GDM subjects had 25OHD concentration <19.8 ng/ml (86 versus 65%, p = .003). 25OHD did not correlate with FBG, HbA1c, fructosamine, insulin sensitivity or insulin dosage (p > .05). On multivariate analysis, only ethnicity (p = .006) and outdoor activity (p = .004) were associated with 25OHD. We conclude that the lower 25OHD levels in our GDM patients were related to ethnicity and outdoor activity (Study FF-2017-111, National University of Malaysia, 16 March 2017).IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy is widespread and particularly in certain ethnic groups. Low vitamin D levels may be an aetiological factor for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) but previous studies provide conflicting results perhaps due to confounding factors.What do the results of this study add? In this study of pregnant women with GDM from different ethnic backgrounds, we analysed serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) levels together with other confounding factors, that is, body mass index, ethnicity and sunlight exposure. Furthermore, instead of using consensus values, we determined cut-offs for different vitamin D status from normal pregnancies matched for gestational age and ethnicity. We found that a higher percentage of GDM subjects had lower vitamin D status but there was no correlation with hyperglycaemia or insulin sensitivity. The study showed that lower vitamin D levels in GDM was associated with ethnicity and less outdoor activity.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? In GDM patients, low vitamin D levels may be modifiable by supplementation or lifestyle change. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether this would impact on the occurrence of GDM.