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Fulltext Photoprotection as a Trait for Rice Yield Improvement: Status and Prospects

Murchie EH, Ali A, Herman T

Rice (N Y), 2015 Dec;8(1):31.
PMID: 26424004 DOI: 10.1186/s12284-015-0065-2

Solar radiation is essential for photosynthesis and global crop productivity but it is also variable in space and time, frequently being limiting or in excess of plant requirements depending on season, environment and microclimate. Photoprotective mechanisms at the chloroplast level help to avoid oxidative stress and photoinhibition, which is a light-induced reduction in photosynthetic quantum efficiency often caused by damage to photosystem II. There is convincing evidence that photoinhibition has a large impact on biomass production in crops and this may be especially high in rice, which is typically exposed to high tropical light levels. Thus far there has been little attention to photoinhibition as a target for improvement of crop yield. However, we now have sufficient evidence to examine avenues for alleviation of this particular stress and the physiological and genetic basis for improvement in rice and other crops. Here we examine this evidence and identify new areas for attention. In particular we discuss how photoprotective mechanisms must be optimised at both the molecular and the canopy level in order to coordinate with efficient photosynthetic regulation and realise an increased biomass and yield in rice.
Roselle: a new crop in Malaysia

Mohamad, O., Mohd. Nazir, B., Abdul Rahman, M., Herman, S.

Buletin Persatuan Genetik Malaysia, 2002;8(1):0-0.
MyJurnal

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) from Malvaceae family is an annual crop with potential for use by many industries including food, animal feed, neutraceutical, cosmeticeutical and pharmaceutical industries. Its origin is not fully known but it is believed to be from West Africa, although the plant is found native from India to Southeast Asia. The calyxes, stems and leaves are acid in flavour. The juice is produced from the calyces, and it is claimed to be a prohealth drink due to its high contents of ascorbic acid, anthocyanins and other antioxidants.
Fulltext Nonlinear Boolean permutations

Abdurashid Mamadolimov, Herman Isa, Miza Mumtaz Ahmad, Moesfa Soeheila Mohamad

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2011;19(3):1-9.
MyJurnal

A Boolean permutation is called nonlinear if it has at least one nonlinear component function. All nonlinear Boolean permutations and their complements are called non-affine Boolean permutations. Any non-affine Boolean permutation is a potential candidate for bijective S-Box of block ciphers. In this paper, we find the number of n-variable non-affine Boolean permutations up to multiplicative n and show a simple method of construction of non-affine Boolean permutations. However, non-affinity property is not sufficient for S-Boxes. Nonlinearity is one of the basic properties of an S-Box. The nonlinearity of Boolean permutation is a distance between set of all non-constant linear combinations of component functions and set of all non-affine Boolean functions. The cryptographically strong S-Boxes have high nonlinearity. In this paper, we show a method of construction of 8-variable highly nonlinear Boolean permutations. Our construction is based on analytically design (8, 1), (8, 2), and (8, 3) highly nonlinear vectorial balanced functions and random permutation for other component functions.
Fulltext Oral cancer awareness and practice of risk habits and mouth self-examination in high risk indigenous community in Sarawak, Malaysia

Thaddius Herman Maling, Jennifer Geraldine Doss, Low, Wah Yun

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2017;16(21):19-19.
MyJurnal

This study was to obtain baseline information and its associated factors on oral
cancer awareness, practice of risk habits and mouth self-examination (MSE) among selected highrisk
indigenous community in Sarawak. (Copied from article).
Fulltext Effect of the deposited layer, withdrawal speed and coated length on immobilised bromothymol blue in polyaniline sol gel towards ph sensing sensitivity

Norliza Othman, Uzer Mohd Noor, Sukreen Hana Herman

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2017;25(104):205-214.
MyJurnal

In this work, sensors were prepared by depositing the pH sensitive indicator (bromothymol blue)
entrapped in polyaniline sol-gel onto the un-cladded middle potion of optical fiber. Polyaniline is sensitive
to pH. However, it is important to study ways to increase sensitivity of the indicator by improving a
combination of the materials used and pH sensor fabrication method. The fabrication and characterisation
of optical fiber pH sensor on absorption intensity in arbitrary unit (a.u) were evaluated and optimised.
The better sensitivity of the optical pH sensor was used to identify the optimum setting for number of
layers deposited, coated length, and withdrawal rate. Thickness of the membrane film depends on the
number of deposited layers and withdrawal speed which mainly affects sensitivity. The sensitivity of
the optical pH sensor represents the slope (a.u/pH) of the absorbance intensities in pH 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10.
Results obtained herein suggest that the optimised setting for bromothymol blue sol-gel coated optical
fiber with thickness of 285.4 nm is 4 deposited layers, 20mm/s withdrawal rate and 0.5 cm coated length.
Fulltext Exploring Relationships between Canopy Architecture, Light Distribution, and Photosynthesis in Contrasting Rice Genotypes Using 3D Canopy Reconstruction

Burgess AJ, Retkute R, Herman T, Murchie EH

Front Plant Sci, 2017;8:734.
PMID: 28567045 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00734

The arrangement of leaf material is critical in determining the light environment, and subsequently the photosynthetic productivity of complex crop canopies. However, links between specific canopy architectural traits and photosynthetic productivity across a wide genetic background are poorly understood for field grown crops. The architecture of five genetically diverse rice varieties-four parental founders of a multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) population plus a high yielding Philippine variety (IR64)-was captured at two different growth stages using a method for digital plant reconstruction based on stereocameras. Ray tracing was employed to explore the effects of canopy architecture on the resulting light environment in high-resolution, whilst gas exchange measurements were combined with an empirical model of photosynthesis to calculate an estimated carbon gain and total light interception. To further test the impact of different dynamic light patterns on photosynthetic properties, an empirical model of photosynthetic acclimation was employed to predict the optimal light-saturated photosynthesis rate (Pmax ) throughout canopy depth, hypothesizing that light is the sole determinant of productivity in these conditions. First, we show that a plant type with steeper leaf angles allows more efficient penetration of light into lower canopy layers and this, in turn, leads to a greater photosynthetic potential. Second the predicted optimal Pmax responds in a manner that is consistent with fractional interception and leaf area index across this germplasm. However, measured Pmax , especially in lower layers, was consistently higher than the optimal Pmax indicating factors other than light determine photosynthesis profiles. Lastly, varieties with more upright architecture exhibit higher maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis indicating a canopy-level impact on photosynthetic efficiency.
Fulltext Analysis of the Psychometric Properties of the Malay Version of Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) Among Postpartum Women in Kedah, North West of Peninsular Malaysia

Wan Mahmud WM, Awang A, Herman I, Mohamed MN

Malays J Med Sci, 2004 Jul;11(2):19-25.
PMID: 22973123

Increased international collaboration in clinical trials has created a need for cross culturally valid instruments to assess the quality of life and behavioural disorders. Cross cultural studies of depressive symptomatology, in particular, must be preceded by an exhaustive study of the psychometric properties of the instruments to ensure the validity of the comparison. In this article, we examined the validity, reliability and factor structure of the Malay version of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) among Malay postpartum women attending selected health centres in Kedah, North West of Peninsular Malaysia. Our findings indicated that the current version of the BDI-II is psychometrically strong and appropriate for use in assessing depressive symptomatology among this group of women.
Fulltext Gamma irradiation and red cell haemolysis: a study at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre

Yousuf R, Mobin MH, Leong CF

Malays J Pathol, 2015 Aug;37(2):91-4.
PMID: 26277664 MyJurnal

Gamma-irradiation of blood components is regarded a safe procedure used for prevention of transfusion associated graft-versus-host disease. However, reports showed that irradiation can cause erythrocyte haemolysis and damage to the RBC membrane. In University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), a number of suspected transfusion reactions (TR) featured unusual isolated episodes of red-coloured-urine or haemoglobinuria among paediatric patients without clinical features of acute haemolytic TR. Haemolysis of irradiated red cells was suspected as a cause. This study was conducted to evaluate haemolytic changes of RBC components following irradiation. A prospective, pre- and post- irradiation comparative study was conducted on 36 paired RBC-components in the blood-bank, UKMMC in the year 2013. Samples were tested for plasma-Hb, percent-haemolysis, plasma-potassium (K⁺) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. Post-irradiation mean plasma-Hb and percent-haemolysis were significantly higher than pre-irradiation values at 0.09 ±0.06g/dl VS 0.10 ± 0.06g/dl and 0.19 ± 0.13% VS 0.22 ± .13% respectively, while plasma-K⁺ and LDH values did not show significant difference. However, the mean percent-haemolysis level was still within recommended acceptable levels for clinical use, supporting that irradiated RBC units were safe and of acceptable quality for transfusion. There was no conclusive reason for isolated haemoglobinuria following transfusion of irradiated red-cell products. Further research is suggested to investigate the other possible causes.
Processing and properties optimisation of carbon nanofibre-reinforced magnesium composites for biomedical applications

Tuminoh H, Hermawan H, Ramlee MH

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2022 Nov;135:105457.
PMID: 36116340 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2022.105457

In the last decade, magnesium alloys have been considered as absorbable metals for biomedical applications, while some have reached their clinical use as temporary bone implants. However, their widespread use is still limited by its strength and degradability. One way of improvement can be done by reinforcing magnesium alloys with carbon nanofibres to form composites. This work aims at developing carbon nanofibre-reinforced magnesium-zinc (Mg-Zn/CNF) composites with optimum strength and degradability while ensuring their biocompatibility. A response surface method was used to determine their optimum process parameters (composition, compaction pressure, and sintering temperature), and analyse the resulting properties (elastic modulus, hardness, weight loss, and cytocompatibility). Results showed that the optimal parameters were reached at 1.8% of CNF, 425 MPa of compaction pressure, and 500 °C of sintering temperature, whereby it gave an elastic modulus of 5 GPa, hardness of 60 Hv, and a weight loss of 51% after three days immersion in PBS. The composites exhibited a hydrophobic surface that controlled the liberation of Mg2+ and Zn2+ ions, leading to more than 70% osteoblast cells viability up to seven days of incubation. This study can also serve as a starting point for future researchers interested in finding methods to fabricate Mg-Zn/CNF composites with high mechanical characteristics, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility.
Fulltext Fabrication and characterization of Mg-Zn alloys reinforced with carbon nanofiber for orthopaedics implant application: a study on the different compositions

Muhammad Al Kahfi Edrus, Muhammad Sallehuddin Mohd Azman, Herman Tuminoh, Ahmad Kafrawi Nasution, Muhammad Hanif Ramlee

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(4):252-258.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Biodegradable materials, such as Mg-based, Fe-based, and Zn-based, bring as much attention as bone-implant materials due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability characteristics. Among them, the Mg is the most abundant elements in human body and primarily found in the bones. However, the Mg has a lower mechanical properties and resistances to fracture compared to the other biodegradable and non-biodegradable metals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a possible biodegradable material made of Mg-Zn alloys reinforced with carbon nano fiber (CNF) and later tested with several testing procedures. Methods: The powder metallurgy method (PM) was utilized to fabricate a total of 24 samples of Mg-Zn alloys reinforced with 1.0%wt, 1.2%wt, 1.4%wt, 1.6%wt, 1.8%wt and 2.0%wt of CNF. The PM method was involved with the process of grinding using ball milling, compaction under 400MPa pressure and sintered under 400 °C. Compression testing was done to measure the mechanical strength meanwhile scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to identify the microstructural of samples. Results: From this study, it was found that Mg-Zn alloys with 1.6 wt% of CNF produce the highest Young's modulus (2687.91MPa) with acceptable yield strength (84.91MPa). For microstructural analysis, the results showed a compact surface for 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 wt% of CNF and non-homogeneous structure of all the samples. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study has successfully shown the promising use of Mg-Zn-CNF composite as new materials for implant in terms of suitable strength and structure.
Bahan sensor untuk pengesanan pH menggunakan ekstrak rosel

Nurul Huda Abd. Karim, Musa Ahmad, Mohammad Osman, Herman, Ahmad Mahir Mokhtar

Sains Malaysiana, 2008;37.

Kajian ini menilai potensi ekstrak pewarna kaliks Hibiscus Sabdariffa L. (rosel) sebagai bahan sensor. Dalam kajian ini, sensor pH dibangunkan menggunakan ekstrak warna kemerahan semulajadi dalam kelopak rosel, delfinidin-3-sambubiosida yang dipegunkan dalam kertas turas gentian kaca. Dalam larutan bebas, ekstrak rosel dicirikan menggunakan spektrofotometer UL-nampak untuk mengkaji kesan pH, kepekatan ekstrak, masa ransangan keadaan mantap, analisis kebolehulangan dan analisis kestabilan foto. Ekstrak rosel terpegun dicirikan dengan menggunakan spektrofotometer pantulan untuk mengkaji kesan pH, masa ransangan keadaan mantap, analisis kebolehulangan, analisis kestabilan foto dan kajian histerisis. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa ekstrak bahan semulajadi boleh digunakan sebagai bahan sensor dalam pembinaan sensor optik pH.
Inhibition and Substrate Specificity Properties of FKBP22 from a Psychrotrophic Bacterium, Shewanella sp. SIB1

Budiman C, Lindang HU, Cheong BE, Rodrigues KF

Protein J, 2018 06;37(3):270-279.
PMID: 29761378 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-018-9772-z

SIB1 FKBP22 is a peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) member from a psychrotrophic bacterium, Shewanella sp. SIB1, consisting of N- and C-domains responsible for dimerization and catalytic PPIase activity, respectively. This protein was assumed to be involved in cold adaptation of SIB1 cells through its dual activity of PPIase activity and chaperone like-function. Nevertheless, the catalytic inhibition by FK506 and its substrate specificity remain unknown. Besides, ability of SIB1 FKBP22 to inhibit phosphatase activity of calcinuerin is also interesting to be studied since it may reflect wider cellular functions of SIB1 FKBP22. In this study, we found that wild type (WT) SIB1 FKBP22 bound to FK506 with IC50 of 77.55 nM. This value is comparable to that of monomeric mutants (NNC-FKBP22, C-domain+ and V37R/L41R mutants), yet significantly higher than that of active site mutant (R142A). In addition, WT SIB1 FKBP22 and monomeric variants were found to prefer hydrophobic residues preceding proline. Meanwhile, R142A mutant has wider preferences on bulkier hydrophobic residues due to increasing hydrophobicity and binding pocket space. Surprisingly, in the absence of FK506, SIB1 FKBP22 and its variants inhibited, with the exception of N-domain, calcineurin phosphatase activity, albeit low. The inhibition of SIB1 FKBP22 by FK506 is dramatically increased in the presence of FK506. Altogether, we proposed that local structure at substrate binding pocket of C-domain plays crucial role for the binding of FK506 and peptide substrate preferences. In addition, C-domain is essential for inhibition, while dimerization state is important for optimum inhibition through efficient binding to calcineurin.
Fulltext Prevalence of anaemia and low intake of dietary nutrients in pregnant women living in rural and urban areas in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Ayensu J, Annan R, Lutterodt H, Edusei A, Peng LS

PLoS One, 2020;15(1):e0226026.
PMID: 31978048 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226026

BACKGROUND: Anaemia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women and children worldwide. Because deficiencies in essential micronutrients such as iron, folate and vitamin B12 prior to and during gestation increase a woman's risk of being anaemic, adequate dietary intake of such nutrients is vital during this important phase in life. However, information on the dietary micronutrient intakes of pregnant women in Ghana, particularly of those resident in rural areas is scanty. Thus, this study aimed to assess anaemia prevalence and dietary micronutrient intakes in pregnant women in urban and rural areas in Ghana.
METHODS: A comparative cross sectional study design involving 379 pregnant women was used to assess the prevalence of anaemia and low intake of dietary nutrients in pregnant women living in rural and urban areas in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Anaemia status and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) were used as proxy for maternal nutritional status. Haemoglobin measurements were used to determine anaemia prevalence and the dietary diversity of the women were determined with a 24-hour dietary recall and a food frequency questionnaire.
RESULTS: Overall, anaemia was present in 56.5% of the study population. Anaemia prevalence was higher among rural residents than urban dwellers. Majority of the respondents had inadequate intakes of iron, zinc, folate, calcium and vitamin A. The mean dietary diversity score (DDS) of the study population from the first 24-hour recall was 3.81 ± 0.7. Of the 379 women, 28.8% met the minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W). The independent predictors of haemoglobin concentration were, gestational age, maternal age and dietary diversity score. Such that respondents with low DDS were more likely to be anaemic than those with high DDS (OR = 1.795, p = 0.022, 95% CI: 1.086 to 2.967).
CONCLUSIONS: A large percentage of pregnant women still have insufficient dietary intakes of essential nutrients required to support the nutritional demands during pregnancy. Particularly, pregnant women resident in rural areas require interventions such as nutrition education on the selection and preparation of diversified meals to mitigate the effects of undernutrition.
Are Malaysian airline passengers willing to pay to offset carbon emissions?

Shaari NF, Abdul-Rahim AS, Afandi SHM

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020 Jul;27(19):24242-24252.
PMID: 32306253 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08662-y

Recently, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions become the hottest issue in the transportation sector. The air transport sector contributes approximately 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft is one of the issues taken seriously by the transportation sector. However, air transportation has implemented several ways to reduce carbon emissions, and one of them is by launching a carbon offset program. This study estimates the willingness among Malaysian airline passengers to pay for a carbon offset program to have a better environmental performance. Using a double-bounded dichotomous choice of contingent valuation method (CVM) estimates how much air passengers would be willing to pay to offset carbon emissions generated by their travel. The results obtained from this study suggest that the additional fee for airline tickets will be RM86.00 can be charged to have a better environmental performance.
Fulltext Nutritional composition and acceptability of biscuits fortified with palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis Fabricius) and orange-fleshed sweet potato among pregnant women

Ayensu J, Lutterodt H, Annan RA, Edusei A, Loh SP

Food Sci Nutr, 2019 May;7(5):1807-1815.
PMID: 31139394 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.1024

Edible insects are currently being promoted as an inexpensive alternative source of protein in underdeveloped countries due to the rising cost of conventional animal protein and the foreseen future deficit in its supply. A supplemental palm weevil larvae and orange-fleshed sweet potato biscuit was developed as part of efforts to understand the nutritional benefits of edible insects and to predict whether these benefits will contribute to better nutrition among pregnant women in Ghana. The palm weevil larvae flour and the orange-fleshed sweet potato flour were mixed with wheat flour in three formulations that had 0, 35, and 70% of palm weevil larvae flour, before being made into biscuits. The biscuits were subjected to proximate and mineral content analysis and sensory evaluation. Proximate and mineral composition of the biscuits increased with increasing levels of palm weevil larvae flour substitution. Among the blends, biscuits containing 70% palm weevil larvae had the highest energy and fat content, and protein content also increased by 45% compared with biscuits made from 100% wheat flour. Calcium, iron, and zinc levels also increased with increasing levels of palm weevil larvae flour substitution. However, carbohydrate and crude fiber concentrations of the biscuits decreased with increasing substitution. The overall acceptability of the biscuits as determined by sensory evaluation using pregnant women was high. Biscuits fortified with palm weevil larvae can be a nutritious snack for pregnant women.
Carbon stock and sequestration valuation in a mixed dipterocarp forest of Malaysia

Nitanan Koshy Matthew, Ahmad Shuib, Sridar Ramachandran, Syamsul Herman Mohammad Afandi, Zaiton Samdin, Ismail Muhammad, et al.

Sains Malaysiana, 2018;47:447-455.

Forest degradation and deforestation are some of the major global concerns as they can reduce the forest carbon stock
and sequestration capacity. However, the carbon stock and sequestration potential in a mixed dipterocarp tropical forest
remains unclear due to a lack of information. This study was carried out on the carbon stock and estimated its economic
value to justify its conservation. Six plots were established in the Endau Rompin National Park, Johor and subplots
measuring 50 × 20 m were established in each plot. All trees greater than 15 cm DBH (diameter at breast height) were
identified and the parameters measured included tree height and diameter. The aboveground carbon (AGC) content was
about 222 Mg(C) ha-1, belowground carbon (BGC) was 53 Mg (C) ha-1 and it was 6 Mg (C) ha-1 for other components.
In total, the carbon stock amounted to 281 Mg (C) ha-1. On the other hand, the total CO2 sequestrated in the mixed
dipterocarp forest amounted to 1,040 t CO2
ha-1. The carbon value was estimated at RM32,240 t CO2
ha-1 or $7,280 t CO2
ha-1. Therefore, the study found that the dipterocarp forest should be preserved to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
Combination of transcranial direct current stimulation and methylphenidate in subacute stroke

Wang QM, Cui H, Han SJ, Black-Schaffer R, Volz MS, Lee YT, et al.

Neurosci Lett, 2014 May 21;569:6-11.
PMID: 24631567 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.03.011

Noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and methylphenidate (MP) are associated with motor recovery after stroke. Based on the potentially complementary mechanisms of these interventions, we examined whether there is an interactive effect between MP and tDCS. In this preliminary study, we randomized subacute stroke subjects to receive tDCS alone, MP alone or combination of tDCS and MP. A blinded rater measured safety, hand function, and cortical excitability before and after treatment. None of the treatments caused any major or severe adverse effects or induced significant differences in cortical excitability. Analysis of variance of gain score, as measured by Purdue pegboard test, showed a significant between-group difference (F(2,6)=12.167, p=0.008). Post hoc analysis showed that the combination treatment effected greater Purdue pegboard gain scores than tDCS alone (p=0.017) or MP alone (p=0.01). Our preliminary data with nine subjects shows an interesting dissociation between motor function improvement and lack of motor corticospinal plasticity changes as indexed by transcranial magnetic stimulation in subacute stroke subjects.
Fulltext Highly Sensitive and Selective Sol-Gel Spin-Coated Composite TiO2-PANI Thin Films for EGFET-pH Sensor

Kamarozaman NS, Zainal N, Rosli AB, Zulkefle MA, Nik Him NR, Abdullah WFH, et al.

Gels, 2022 Oct 26;8(11).
PMID: 36354598 DOI: 10.3390/gels8110690

A highly selective and sensitive EGFET-pH sensor based on composite TiO2-PANI had been developed in this work. A sol-gel titanium dioxide (TiO2) and the composite of TiO2 with semiconducting polyaniline (PANI) were deposited using a simple spin-coating method on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. The films have been explored as a sensing electrode (SE) of extended gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) for pH applications in the range of pH 2 to 12. The pH sensitivities between TiO2, TiO2-PANI bilayer composite, and TiO2-PANI composite thin films were discussed. Among these, the TiO2-PANI composite thin film showed a super-Nernstian behavior with high sensitivity of 66.1 mV/pH and linearity of 0.9931; good repeatability with a standard deviation of 0.49%; a low hysteresis value of 3 mV; and drift rates of 4.96, 5.54, and 3.32 mV/h in pH 4, 7, and 10, respectively, for 6 h. Upon applying the TiO2-PANI composite as the SE for nitrate measurement, low sensitivity of 12.9 mV/dec was obtained, indicating that this film is a highly selective sensing electrode as a pH sensor. The surface morphology and crystallinity of the thin films were also discussed.
Fulltext Two New Nepenthes Species from the Philippines and an Emended Description of Nepenthes ramos

Gronemeyer T, Suarez W, Nuytemans H, Calaramo M, Wistuba A, Mey FS, et al.

Plants (Basel), 2016;5(2).
PMID: 27164153 DOI: 10.3390/plants5020023

With 50 species of the genus Nepenthes L. currently described from the Philippines, it is without doubt that the country, along with the islands of Sumatra (Indonesia) and Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei), should be considered the center of diversity of the genus. In this work, we describe two new species. One species, N. aenigma sp. nov., is from Ilocos Norte province on Luzon Island and has the-for Nepenthes-unusual ecological preference to grow in dense vegetation in deep shade. The other new species is from Mount Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental province on Mindanao Island. With this new entry, Mount Hamiguitan is now home to four endemic species (N. peltata, N. micramphora, N. hamiguitanensis, N. justinae sp. nov.). Furthermore, we provide an emended description of N. ramos based on field data. Nepenthes kurata is synonymized here with N. ramos.
Genetic variability of genome segments 3 and 9 of Fiji disease virus field isolates

Jiang J, Ridley AW, Tang H, Croft BJ, Johnson KN

Arch Virol, 2008;153(5):839-48.
PMID: 18299794 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-008-0058-1

Fiji leaf gall is an important disease of sugarcane in Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries. The causative agent is the reovirus Fiji disease virus (FDV). Previous reports indicate that there is variation in pathology between virus isolates. To investigate the amount of genetic variation found in FDV, 25 field isolates from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia were analysed by partial sequencing of genome segments S3 and S9. There was up to 15% divergence in the nucleotide sequence among the 25 isolates. A similar amount of divergence and pattern of relationships was found for each of the two genomic segments for most of the field isolates, although reassortment of genome segments seems likely for at least one of the Papua New Guinean isolates. The finding of a high level of variation in FDV isolated in different regions has implications for quarantine and disease management.

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