The biochemical changes in two Selaginella species namely, S. tamariscina (Beauv.) Spring and S. plana (Desv. ex Poir.) Heiron., as induced by desiccation and subsequent rehydration were explored. Plants were allowed to dehydrate naturally by withholding irrigation until shoot's relative water content (RWC) reached <10%. After which, dehydrated plants were watered until fully rehydrated states were obtained which was about 90% RWC or more. Desiccation-tolerance characteristics were observed in S. tamariscina while desiccation-sensitivity features were seen in S. plana. Membrane integrity was maintained in S. tamariscina but not in S. plana as evidenced in the relative electrolyte leakage measurements during desiccation phase and the subsequent rehydration stage. Pigment analyses revealed conservation of some chlorophylls and carotenoids during desiccation and reaching control levels following rehydration in S. tamariscina. Very low pigment contents were found in S. plana during desiccation phase and the pigments were not recovered during rehydration attempt. Meanwhile, compatible solute determination showed rise in total sugar and proline contents of desiccated S. tamariscina only, indicating presence of biochemical protection machineries in this species and absence of such in S. plana during dehydrating conditions. These data indicate that one key element for desiccation-tolerance in lower vascular plants is the ability to protect tissues from severe damages caused by intense desiccation.
Pachychilidae is one of the freshwater gastropod family which was previously known under the Potamididae and Thiaridae families. Studies on freshwater gastropods especially on conchcology examinantions are still inadequate compared to marine gastropods. Morphological and morphometric studies of gastropods are practically used to identify and differentiate between species and necessary to complement molecular studies due to its low cost and tolerable resolving power of discrimination. The aim of the current study is to provide information on morphological and morphometric characteristics of Pachychilidae in Bintulu, Sarawak stream. A total of 20 individuals from each species of Sulcospira testudinaria, Sulcospira schmidti, Brotia siamensis, and Tylomelania sp. from Pachychilidae familiy were collected at three different sites from a small stream within the Bintulu area. Fourteen measurement of shell morphometrics were converted into proportioned ratios and analysed for univariate and multivariate analysis. Three shell morphometric (Aperture width, AW; Whorl width, WW2; and, Interior anterior length, AINL) of Pachychilidae indicated significant differences (P < 0.05) between species. However, multivariate analysis revealed that these shell morphometrics are pre-eminent factors to discriminate genus Sulcospira, Brotia and Tylomelania, as well as between Sulcospira species. This current study also suggests that these three characteristics are unique to Sulcospira species due to strong distinction among species. Findings on these three characteristics are significant for Sulcospira spp. as this study is the first shell morphometric report on the Pachychilidae species in Sarawak.
We studied the water quality of the riparian firefly sanctuary of Sungai Rembau, or Rembau River, in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, from January 2018 to November 2018 to determine the possible influence of the physico-chemical characteristics of the water on the firefly populations living within the sanctuary. We set up a total of five water quality sampling stations and 10 firefly sampling stations along the river. Dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured in situ, while chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) were analysed in the laboratory. Firefly samples were collected using a sweep net at both day and night for 1 min. Sungai Rembau was categorized as Class II on the Malaysian water quality index (WQI), which indicates slight pollution. Except for EC and DO, the water quality parameter values were not significantly different (p > 0.05) between the sampling stations. A total of 529 firefly individuals consisting of Pteroptyx tener (n = 525, 99.24%), P. malaccae (n = 3, 0.57%) and P. asymmetria (n = 1, 0.19%) were collected. There was significant correlation between firefly abundance and BOD (r = - 0.198, p
The occurrence of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic ecosystem is an emerging concern of environmentalists. This study primarily investigated the seasonal variation of high-priority pharmaceutical residues in the Yamuna River, accompanied by 22 drains discharge from different parts of Delhi. Five sampling sites were selected for analyzing high-priority pharmaceuticals along with physico-chemical and biological parameters for 3 season's viz. pre-monsoon (PrM), monsoon (DuM), and post-monsoon (PoM), respectively. The maximum occurrences were detected during the PoM, compared to the PrM and DuM seasons. The maximum concentration of BOD, COD, and Phosphate was detected at the last sampling station (SP-5). Similarly, all targeted pharmaceuticals concentration were maximum at the last sampling point i.e. Okhla barrage (SP-5, max: DIC = 556.1 ng/l, IBU = 223.4 ng/l, CAR = 183.1 ng/l, DIA = 457.8 ng/l, OFL = 1726.5 ng/l, FRU = 312.2 ng/l and SIM = 414.9 ng/l) except at Barapulla downstream (SP-4, max: ERY = 178.1 ng/l). The mean concentrations of Fecal coliform (FC) ranged from 1700 to 6500 CFU/100 ml. The maximum colonies were detected in PrM season (6500 CFU/100 ml) followed by PoM (5800 CFU/100 ml) and least in DuM (1700 CFU/100 ml). Risk quotient (RQ) analysis of high-priority pharmaceuticals indicated high ecotoxicological risks exposure (>1) from DIC, DIA, OFL, and SIM in all seasons at all the sampling sites. However, lower risk was predicted for IBU, CAR, ERY, and FRU, respectively. This risk assessment indicated an aquatic ecosystem potentially exposed to high risks from these pharmaceutical residues. Moreover, seasonal agricultural application, rainfall, and temperature could influence the levels and compositions of pharmaceutical residue in the aquatic ecosystem. Hence, attention is required particularly to this stream since it is only a local lifeline source for urban consumers for domestic water supply and farmers for cultivation.
Biological methods are promising treatment methods to remove pollutants from wastewater. Recently, microalgae have been proved to be of strong application potential in wastewater treatment. In this study, a microalga - antibiotic treatment system was built to evaluate the treatment capacity of microalgae in antibiotic wastewater. In the group with Chlorella pyrenoidosa, the removal rate of cefradine was 41.47 ± 0.62% after 24 h of treatment, which was 3.4 times higher than that without microalgae (12.37 ± 2.30%). Algal decomposition was the main removal mechanism. Meanwhile, the effect of multiple microalgae species on antibiotic treatment was studied. The removal rates of cefradine by C. pyrenoidosa cultivated in the filtered fluid of Microcystis aeruginosa were 75.48 ± 0.29%, which was significantly higher than those by C. pyrenoidosa only. Those indicated that multiple microalgae species strategy was a potential enhancement strategy for algae-based antibiotic treatment. Finally, amoxicillin and norfloxacin were used to study the treatment potential of this technology for more different kinds antibiotics and the integration of microalgae with activated sludge was also investigated. Amoxicillin can be quickly removed by microalgae, but the removal effect of norfloxacin by microalgae is poor. The refractory antibiotic norfloxacin can be treated by co-culturing microalgae and activated sludge. Those showed the good expansibility of microalgae-based technology. The findings indicated that with microalgae-based antibiotic removal method has good application potential, and combined with other technologies, it can effectively remove the refractory antibiotics.
The emerging studies suggest antioxidant may represent an important role in defence against certain diseases outlined the necessity of determining their contents in tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea), cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme), and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). This study aims to determine the antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and total flavonoid content in tamarillo, yellow cherry tomato, red cherry tomato, and tomato in 70% ethanol and water extracts. The ethanol extract showed the highest scavenging activity, ferric reducing activity, phenolic and flavonoid contents, whereas, the water extract showed higher value for antioxidant activity in β-Carotene bleaching assay. Tamarillo showed the highest antioxidant activity (22.92 ± 3.60%, 28.89 ± 3.85%), scavenging activity (44.25 ± 0.82 μg/ml, 47.38 ± 1.11 μg/ml), ferric reducing activity (12.17 ± 0.53 μM Fe (II)/g, 3.72 ± 0.20 μM Fe (II)/g), phenolic content (7.63 ± 0.37 mg GAE/g edible portion, 1.83 ± 0.50 mg GAE/g edible portion) and flavonoid content (6.44 ± 0.16 mg CE/g edible portion, 2.22 ± 0.31 mg CE/g edible portion) in ethanol and water extracts respectively. For ethanol extracts a positive correlations existed (0.66 ≤ r ≥ 0.97) between ferric reducing activity, antioxidant activity, phenolic content and flavonoid content. While, in water extract correlation test revealed a positive correlations between antioxidant activity, ferric reducing activity and phenolic content (0.645 ≤ r ≥ 0.706) and between antioxidant activity and flavonoid content (r = 0.820). In conclusion, tamarillo exhibits the highest antioxidant capacity, phenolic content and also flavonoid content.
In this work, oven-dried, freeze-dried and spray-dried agaro-oligosaccharide powders were characterized to investigate their physicochemical and antioxidant properties. Agaro-oligosaccharide powders were shown to exhibit high water solubility index (88.73 – 95.88%), water absorption capacity (0.96 – 2.57 g/g) and oil absorption capacity (0.40 – 0.45 g/g). Agaro-oligosaccharide powders were shown to possess moderate DPPH radical scavenging activity (10.65 – 14.59%), ABTS radical scavenging activity (44 .47 – 65.61%) and ferric reducing antioxidant activity (0.165 – 0.353). Agaro-oligosaccharide powders were further characterized with respect to thermal and pH stability. Agaro-oligosaccharide powders were shown to exhibit high temperature resistance (≤ 100oC) and acid/alkaline resistance.
An outbreak of pneumonia occurred among 1,491 recruits undergoing training at the Army Recruit Training Center, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembihxn, between july to August 2000. They had reported for training 2 weeks before and were placed in new modern concrete 4 floors buiMing with well ventilated dorm. A total of 70 recruits were ajjfected and one died. The attack rate was 4.7% and the case fatality rate was 1.4%. The outbreak ajfected recruits from all the jive companies; J (21/299,
30.0%) , G (19/298, 27.1 %), I (14/298, 20.0%), H (13/298, 18.6%) and F (3/298, 4.3%) . The main presenting symptoms were fever (68/70, 97.1%), cough (62/70, 88.6%), and chest pain (35/70, 50 .0%) . This was a common site outbreak with the mode of spread from person to person through infected droplet. The outbreak has three peaks, which was at lst, 4th and 6th week respectively and lasted for eight weeks. The organisms isobted through blood culture were Streptococcal pneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae. All the cases were managed and treated as in-patients at four dijjferent hospitals depending on the severity of the illness. The main control activities carried out were separation of ill recruits from the healthy, reducing the number of recruits in the dormitories and encourage recruits to drink a lot of water while in training.
The aim of this project is to produce electricity from citronella biomass using isolated microbes from wastewater as biocatalyst in a dual chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC). MFC is one such system that not only reduced biomass, which contains mostly waste products but can also liberate electricity from them. MFC system is well-established and using lignocellulosic biomass as fuel is one step to future energy generation. Trials of MFC experiments have been conducted but using citronella bagasse (CB) as fuel source. Furthermore, pre-treatment of the biomass was done using NaOH pre-treament and effluent treatment wastewater from a palm edible oil company as a source for microorganism. The end results indicate that bioelectricity production from CB is possible though very low yield in the present MFC.
Pectin is a heterogeneous branched polysaccharide with complex structure. Microwave-assisted
extraction (MAE) is more efficient in extracting pectin compared to conventional method. The objective of this study was to compare the efficiency of microwave-assisted pectin extraction against conventional extraction method. This study was also to investigate the effect of power level on yield and quality of extracted pectin from jackfruit rinds. Water-based extraction method was performed with the extraction duration for conventional extraction and MAE were 1 h and 10 min, respectively. The temperature of conventional extraction was set at 90°C and the power levels of MAE were 450 W, 600 W and 800 W. High yield of pectin was obtained from conventional extraction (14.59%) and MAE (16.72-17.63%). All quality characteristics determined were found to be insignificant different for pectin extracted from both conventional extraction and MAE except moisture and ash content. Increase in microwave power did not affect yield and quality characteristics of pectin from jackfruit rinds significantly. In conclusion, MAE requires shorter time than conventional extraction in extracting comparable amount and quality of pectin from jackfruit rinds. Microwave-assisted extraction at 450 W was the most effective and economic extraction condition among the different power levels tested.
Jiangxi red soil was used as the tested soil and water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic) and Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) were used as the tested vegetables in this study to investigate the effects of different amounts of sewage-sludge application on the growth of vegetables and the migration and enrichment patterns of Cu and Zn in vegetables using the potted method. The results indicated that the application of sewage sludge could improve the properties of red soil and promote vegetable growth. The dry weight of water spinach and Chinese chive reached the maximal levels when treated with the amount of sewage sludge at 4% and 10%, which was 4.38 ± 0.82 g and 1.56 ± 0.31 g, respectively. The dry weights after the application of sewage sludge were all larger than control treatment (CK) without sludge application. With increases in the applied amount of sewage sludge, the concentrations of Cu and Zu in red soil continued to increase, and the peak value was not reached. After the two vegetables were planted, the concentrations of Cu and Zn in red soil decreased by different degrees. The degrees of decrease of Zn were generally higher than those of Cu. The enrichment coefficient of water spinach on Cu showed a trend of increase followed by a decrease and reached the peak value of 1.04 ± 0.38 when the applied amount was 4%. The enrichment coefficient of Chinese chive on Cu overall showed a decreasing trend and did not reach the peak value under the treatment levels used in this experiment. The enrichment pattern of Chinese chive on Zn was not obvious, and the differences among all treatment levels were not significant (p
In July 1997 at 7 pm , 49 members 0f the public complained of dizziness, sore throat, eyes irritation and tightness of chest after exposed to sulphur dioxide while traveling on the road about 100 meter 90m the sulphuric acid factory in Teluk Kalong Kemaman. The incident was caused by leaking sulfur dioxide from return pipe of scrubber circulation. tank in the factory. The problem had occurred due to carelessness of the operator to inspect the level of water in the scrubber circulation tank during the operation.
Fibre reinforced composites have gained use in a variety of applications. The performances of these composites may suffer when the material is exposed to adverse environments for a long period of time. Kenaf fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites were subjected to water immersion tests in order to study the effects of water absorption on the mechanical properties. Composites specimens containing (10%, 20%, and 30%) weight percentages of fibre were prepared. Water absorption tests were conducted by immersing these specimens in a distilled water bath at 25oC for four months. The tensile properties of the specimens immersed in water were evaluated and compared with the dry composite specimens. A decrease in the tensile properties of the composites was demonstrated, indicating a great loss in the mechanical properties of the water-saturated samples compared to the dry samples. The percentage of moisture uptake was also increased as the percentage of the fibre weight increased due to the high cellulose content. The water absorption pattern of these composites was found to follow the Fickian behaviour.
Dielectric properties of natural rubber Hevea brasiliensis latex were measured at frequencies 0.2 to 20 GHz, at temperatures of 2, 15, 25, 35, and 50oC and around 30-98% moisture content. Measurements were done using open-ended coaxial line sensor and automated network analyzer. As expected, results showed that dielectric constant increased with increasing moisture. From 0.2 to 2.6 GHz, the losses were governed by conductive losses but for frequencies greater than 2.6 GHz, these were mainly due to dipolar losses. The former is due to conducting phases in hevea latex, while the latter is mainly governed by the orientation of water molecules. The results were analyzed at 2.6, 10, and 18 GHz, respectively. These were then compared with the values predicted by the dielectric mixture equations recommended by Weiner, Bruggeman and Kraszewski. All the measured values were found to be within the Weiner’s boundaries and close to the upper limit of Weiner’s model. It is also close to the predicted values of Bruggeman’s model with a/b = 0.1. All the models including Kraszewski are suitable for predicting the dielectric properties of hevea latex for frequencies 2.6 to 18 GHz, moisture content 30 to 98% and temperatures 2 to 50oC.
In the present study, six different rice varieties marketed in Penang, Malaysia (locally grown and imported) were evaluated for proximate composition, physiochemical properties and cooking qualities. Overall, 'Black rice' variety had the highest protein content (8.16%) with lowest fat content (0.07%). Between the various rice varieties investigated, thousand kernel weight varied between 16.97-19.43 g, length/breadth (l/b) ratio was between 2.09-3.75, while bulk density varied between 0.81-0.86 g/ml. Amylose content was highest (27.71%) in white rice (local, medium grain type) with lowest recorded for brown rice variety (3.36%). Results on minimum cooking time showed it to range between 10 to 31.67 minutes with the brown rice cooking the slowest. The water uptake ratio ranged between 2.33 to 3.95 and was low in glutinous rice (2.33), while gruel solid loss (range from 3.17 to 6.43) was lowest in Basmati rice variety (3.17%). The minimum cooking time was found to be negatively correlated with amylose content (r = -0.97). A positive correlation was recorded for both amylose content and l/b ratio in relation to elongation of cooked rice. These results highlight cooking and physiochemical properties of rice to be strongly dependent on their amylose content. Results generated in this study might be able to provide vital information's on identifying 'superior quality of rice' marketed in Penang, based on their proximate composition as well as on their physiochemical and cooking properties.
Barringtonia racemosa is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lecythidaceae family. The water extract of B. racemosa leaf (BLE) has been shown to be rich in polyphenols. Despite the diverse medicinal properties of B. racemosa, information on its major biological effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms are still lacking.
In recent years, environmental concerns over ultra-trace levels of steroid estrogens concentrations in water samples have increased because of their adverse effects on human and animal life. Special attention to the analytical techniques used to quantify steroid estrogens in water samples is therefore increasingly important. The objective of this review was to present an overview of both instrumental and non-instrumental analytical techniques available for the determination of steroid estrogens in water samples, evidencing their respective potential advantages and limitations using the Need, Approach, Benefit, and Competition (NABC) approach. The analytical techniques highlighted in this review were instrumental and non-instrumental analytical techniques namely gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS), enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA), radio immuno assay (RIA), yeast estrogen screen (YES) assay, and human breast cancer cell line proliferation (E-screen) assay. The complexity of water samples and their low estrogenic concentrations necessitates the use of highly sensitive instrumental analytical techniques (GC-MS and LC-MS) and non-instrumental analytical techniques (ELISA, RIA, YES assay and E-screen assay) to quantify steroid estrogens. Both instrumental and non-instrumental analytical techniques have their own advantages and limitations. However, the non-instrumental ELISA analytical techniques, thanks to its lower detection limit and simplicity, its rapidity and cost-effectiveness, currently appears to be the most reliable for determining steroid estrogens in water samples.
Matched MeSH terms: Water Pollutants/analysis*; Water Pollution/analysis
Assessment of source and sediment quality was carried out on marine sediments collected from the Tuanku Abdul Rahman National Park. Enrichment factors (EF), pollution load index (PLI) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) were used to identify the sources of pollution, degree of contamination and sediment quality, respectively. Elemental analyses of marine sediment samples were performed by using the Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). Results from the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park of Sabah indicated that most of the elements are considered to be from lithological or natural origin with EF values of less than 2 except for As (10 stations), Cr (3 stations), Lu (5 stations), Mg (2 stations), Sb (6 stations) and U (3 stations). For the sediment quality, most of the study area can be categorised as unpolluted for most of the elements (Igeo value < 2) except for As, Cr, Lu, Mg, Sb and U. A few study areas were slightly low contaminated with As, Cr, Lu, Mg, Sb and U. The contamination of As, Cr, Lu, Mg, Sb and U in the study area can be categorised as moderate with Igeo values ranged from 1 to 2. Meanwhile, the results of PLI value for sediment were ranged from 0.93 to 1.47 (PLI < 50) indicating there are not required to perform drastic rectification measures for the screening of the elements in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. Overall, assessment of the sediment quality at the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park showed a few elements such as As, Cr, Lu, Mg, Sb and U were slightly enriched while most of the elements were similar to background values.
Physical properties of ripe banana flour were studied in Cavendish and Dream banana, in order to distinguish the two varieties. Flour was analyzed for pH, total soluble solids (TSS), water holding capacity
(WHC) and oil holding capacity (OHC) at 40, 60 and 80 °C, color values L*, a* and b*, back extrusion force
and viscosity. Physical properties data were analyzed by cluster analysis (CA) and discriminant analysis (DA). CA showed that the two types of flour were different in terms of selected physical properties. DA indicated that WHC at 60 °C was the main contributor in discriminating the two types of flour.
This study investigated the antioxidant activity and functional properties of fractionated cobia skin gelatin hydrolysate (CSGH) at different molecular weights (10, 5 and 3 kDa). Antioxidant activities studied included reducing power, ferrous ion chelation, DPPH (1, 1- diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, and superoxide anion scavenging. Functional properties studied included emulsifying and foaming properties as well as fat and water binding capacity. Results showed significant differences (p