Isolation of Pasteurella haemolytica from the Spleen of Chickens

Pasteurella haemolytica was isolated from eight spleens of chickens with white focal lesions. A pathogenicity study in chickens did not reveal any significant findings

Isolation and characterization of genotype VII Newcastle disease virus from NDV vaccinated farms in Malaysia

Molecular analysis, particularly sub-genotype classification, and study on the relationship of recent Malaysian NDVs with other isolates from around the world are lacking. Therefore, in the present study, a molecular epidemiological investigation was conducted to characterise six Newcastle disease viruses (NDV) isolated between 2014 and 2015 from vaccinated commercial poultry flocks. Partial Fusion (F) and Hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) genes were amplified from IBS046/2014, IBS060/2014, IBS061/2014, IBS074/2014, IBS160/2015, and IBS162A/2015 isolates using one-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), sequenced and phylogenetically analysed. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the recently isolated strains of NDV belonged to sub-genotype VIIa and lineage 5a. Moreover, deduced amino acid sequence at the F protein cleavage site of the isolates revealed either 112RRQKRF117 or 112KRRKRF117 consistent with the motif found in velogenic pathotypes. The study concluded that the genotype VIIa was the causative agent of recent ND outbreaks in vaccinated broiler flocks from Malaysia. Interestingly, five out of the six isolates characterised in this study had a unique F0 protein cleavage site (112KRRKRF117). Further studies are required to determine the role of these motifs on the virulent potential of the isolates

Undrained shear strength of soft clay mixed with different percentages of lime and silica fume

Soil stabilisation, as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method, is used in the building of systems like roads, dams, canals and river levels. Chemical stabilisation of soil is carried out by adding binder or by-products like lime and silica fume to the soil thereby modifying the geotechnical performance of the soil. Various researchers have carried out research on the properties of soil, such as its compaction, compressibility, hydraulic conductivity, and strength characteristics. The focus of the study was the determination of the physical properties of the soft clay used and the strength of soft clay (kaolin) mixed with 6 % of silica fume and various percentages (3 %, 5 %, 7 % and 9 %) of lime. Unconfined compression test was carried out on the soft clay and the mixtures of soft clay-lime-silica fume to investigate the effect of lime stabilisation with silica fume additives on the unconfined compressive strength of the mixtures. Based on the results obtained, all soil samples were indicated as soils with medium plasticity. From 0 % to 9 % of lime with 6 % of silica fume, the decreased in the maximum dry density was by 5.92 % and the increased in the optimum moisture content was by 23.5 %. Decreased in the coefficient of permeability of the mixtures occurred when compared to the coefficient of permeability of the soft clay itself. The improvement in shear strength of soft clay mixed with 6 % silica fume and 5 % lime was 29.83 % compared to the shear strength of the soft clay sample. The optimal percentage of lime-silica fume combination was attained at 5.0 % of lime and 6.0 % of silica fume in order to improve the shear strength of soft clay. It can be concluded that lime-silica fume additives improved the unconfined compressive strength of the soft clay

Analysis of Drought Index in Sub-Urban Area Using Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)

The climate change interference and increase of surface temperature have contributed to the changes at the atmosphere that give a significant effect to the availability of water. Malaysia is one of the countries which effected with this event and had been suffered series of drought events in 1997, 1998, and 2014. These problems contribute to the disruption of country’s economic development and quality of life. The using of drought indices for analytical is important and it can estimate the drought affect hat are being experienced accurately. The Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) is one of the methods in determination of drought indices. Thus, the objective of this paper is to determine the drought index using the Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for sub-urban river basin which is Pahang River basin. The rainfall and potential evapotranspiration (PET) data were obtained from Malaysian Meteorological Department (Met Malaysia) starting from 1988 until 2018 in determining the SPEI value for sub-urban river basin. RStudio software are being used to determine the value of SPEI for different timescale, which is 3, and 12-month. The significant value of SPEI for the river basin are influence by the population, topography, rainfall, and land use. Findings from this study are believed to the mitigation can be proposed to the related organization to take an action in designing, planning, and managing the water supply and to prevent the serious impact on the agricultural and country economic development as well

Analysis of Drought Index in Sub-Urban Area Using Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI)

The climate change interference and increase of surface temperature have contributed to the changes at the atmosphere that give a significant effect to the availability of water. Malaysia is one of the countries which effected with this event and had been suffered series of drought events in 1997, 1998, and 2014. These problems contribute to the disruption of country’s economic development and quality of life. The using of drought indices for analytical is important and it can estimate the drought affect hat are being experienced accurately. The Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) is one of the methods in determination of drought indices. Thus, the objective of this paper is to determine the drought index using the Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for sub-urban river basin which is Pahang River basin. The rainfall and potential evapotranspiration (PET) data were obtained from Malaysian Meteorological Department (Met Malaysia) starting from 1988 until 2018 in determining the SPEI value for sub-urban river basin. RStudio software are being used to determine the value of SPEI for different timescale, which is 3, and 12-month. The significant value of SPEI for the river basin are influence by the population, topography, rainfall, and land use. Findings from this study are believed to the mitigation can be proposed to the related organization to take an action in designing, planning, and managing the water supply and to prevent the serious impact on the agricultural and country economic development as well

Molecular characterization of fowl adenoviruses isolated from inclusion body hepatitis outbreaks in commercial broiler chickens in Malaysia

Fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs), belonging to the Aviadenovirus genus of the family Adenoviridae, have been classified into five species (A to E) and further divided into 12 serotypes. The objective of this study was to identify the serotype classification of five Malaysian FAdV isolates obtained from field outbreaks of IBH in commercial broiler chickens. Hexon-based polymerase chain reactions (PCR), combined with restriction enzyme analysis (REA), were applied. Viral DNA reacted positively with H1/H2 and H3/ H4 primer pairs which hybridised to highly conserved regions of the hexon genes. The restriction enzyme profiles of the H1/H2 fragment digested with HaeII and the H3/H4 fragment digested with HpaII revealed that all five isolates shared identical patterns and are characterised as being FAdV-8b, species E. Meanwhile, sequence analysis of the L1 loop region of the hexon gene revealed 98.1% identity with FAdV-8b strain 764. High bootstrap values in phylogenetic analysis supported the clustering of the Malaysian FAdV isolates into FAdV species E. The present study has provided a very useful reference for further studies of FAdVs in Malaysia. Vaccination strategies should be developed against FAdVs infection in commercial broiler chickens to prevent IBH outbreaks in the country

Impact of membrane pore structure on protein detection sensitivity of affi nity-based immunoassay

Understanding a membrane’s morphology is important for controlling its fi nal performance during protein immobilization. Porous, symmetric membranes were prepared from a polyvinylidene fl uoride/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone solution by phase inversion process, to obtain membrane with various microsized pores. The concentration and surface area of aprotein dotted on the membrane surface were measured by staining with Ponceau S dye. The dotted protein was further scanned and analysed to perform quantitative measurements for relative comparison. The intensity of the red protein spot and its surface area varied depending on the membrane pore size, demonstrating the dependence of protein immobilization on this factor. The membrane with the smallest pore size (M3) showed the highest protein spot intensity and surface area when examined at different protein concentrations. An increase in the applied protein volume showed a linearity proportional trend to the total surface area, and an uneven round dot shape was observed at a large applied volume of protein solution

Facile synthesis of fibrous Faujasite Y supported Ni (Ni/FFY) catalyst for hydrogen production via glycerol dry reforming

In this study, the dendritic structure of Ni-supported Fibrous Faujasite Y (Ni/FFY) catalyst was successfully synthesized by employing a hydrothermal-assisted microemulsion system and subsequently tested in glycerol dry reforming to produce syngas. FFY possesses high porosity due to the formation of radial wrinkle fibre observed from TEM analysis. This provides a huge amount of interparticle pores that facilitate the absorption of the molecules within the material under a minimum hindrance, hence boosting the interior surface accessibility of Ni/FFY. This exclusive morphology contributed to the enhancement in the amount of accessible Ni active sites, resulting in the good activity of Ni/FFY (C3H8O3 conversion = 56.28 %, CO yield = 70.14 %, and H2 yield = 49.80 %). The extraordinary physicochemical properties of Ni/FFY and outstanding catalytic performance in glycerol dry reforming proved its capability as a sustainable catalyst in transforming waste byproduct (glycerol) and greenhouse gas (CO2) to clean energy (H2). This finding presents a pioneering fibrous zeolite catalyst for hydrogen generation in glycerol reforming

Performance of Phytogreen Zone for BOD5 and SS Removal for Refurbishment Conventional Oxidation Pond in an Integrated Phytogreen System

In this study, the effectiveness of integrated aquatic plants in phytogreen zone was studied and statistical analysis for the promotional integrated phytogreen system approached was discussed. It was found that the effectiveness of using aquatic plant such as Typha angustifolia sp., Lepironia articulata sp., Limnocharis flava sp., Monochoria vaginalis sp., Pistia stratiotes sp., and Eichhornia crassipes sp. in the conventional oxidation pond process in order to comply the standard A according to Malaysia Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127); Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulation 2009 for effluent discharge into inland water near the residential area was successfully shown. It was concluded that the integrated phytogreen system developed in this study has great potential for refurbishment wastewater in conventional oxidation pond