Improving soil phosphorus availability following application of Egypt rock phosphate and chicken litter biochar

Biochar has high concentrations of organic carbon, high porosity and surface area, improvement in soil physical properties including soil structure and water holding capacity. Chicken litter biochar had been used to improve soil phosphorus (P) availability for maize production but limited information on optimum rates of biochar and Egypt Rock Phosphate (ERP) to increase P availability. This research determined the rate of biochar and Egypt Rock Phosphate (ERP) that could increase soil P retention and availability. A laboratory study on P retention by different rates of biochar was evaluated in a leaching study for 30 days where the leachates were collected at three-day interval. Selected soil chemical properties before and after incubation were determined using standard procedures. The total P, pH, K, Mg, total C and P, exchangeable P, and water-soluble P, of the soils with biochar significantly higher than recommended fertilization practice. Around 75% biochar of 10 t ha-1 with 50% and 25% ERP of the existing recommendation showed significant retention and nutrients availability

MOTHER TONGUE-BASED BILINGUAL EDUCATION PRACTICE FOR TEACHING PRIMARY MATHEMATICS IN RURAL SCHOOL

In an ethnically diverse country like Malaysia, educators often argue about the best medium of instruction to be used in teaching mathematics especially in primary school. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching mathematics employing the pupils’ mother tongue as the medium of instruction in a rural primary school. Specifically, this quasi-experimental study was conducted to compare the effect of two treatments: using Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction and using the pupils’ mother tongue as the medium of instruction in teaching a mathematics lesson on the topic of ‘Money up to RM1000’. The samples of this study consisted of two classes of Year 3 pupils from two rural schools in Kapit, Sarawak. Each class consisted of 16 pupils whose mother tongue was Bahasa Iban . Iban is one of the major ethnic groups in Sarawak. The class from the first school employed Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction while the class from the second school employed Bahasa Iban as the medium of instruction. A pre-test and a post-test were administered to both classes before and after the study. The main finding from this study suggested a higher positive impact in learning mathematics for pupils using their own mother tongue as the medium of instruction. Thus, the incorporation of mother tongue in the primary mathematics classroom provides a better solution to aid rural pupils’ understanding and development of basic mathematical concepts. Moreover, this could be considered as a crucial platform in knowledge acquisition in a country with diverse ethnic groups

Assessment of micrometeorology at selected age stands in a rehabilitated forest of Sarawak, Malaysia

The micrometeorology varies vertically and horizontally from the forest canopy to forest floor. An assessment of the forest micrometeorological is necessary to understand the interaction between the environmental and biological activities, but such information is lacking in rehabilitated forests. The objective of this study was assess the forest floor micrometeorology of selected age stands at a forest rehabilitation project.The study was conducted at a rehabilitated forest in Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus, Sarawak, Malaysia. Three study plots at(1,10,19-year-old) at the rehabilitated forest sites and a study plot at a natural regenerating secondary forest (± 23-year-old) were established. Davis Vantage Pro2 Weather Station was used to monitor and record micrometeorological variables (i) air temperature (◦C), (ii) relative humidity (%), (iii) heat index (◦C) and (iv) solar radiation (W/m2). Data analyses showed that the micrometeorology inside forests is less extreme and more humid as compared to outside the forests. The micrometeorology among different age stands of rehabilitated forests varies and different which is unique in each study plots as compared to the outside forest. Older rehabilitated forest and natural regenerating secondary forest has less extreme micrometeorological condition as compared to outside forest. The study suggested that the development of the canopy and its layers influence the micrometeorological condition of the forest. The rehabilitated forest has yet to recover in the aspect of the micrometeorology

Assessment of floristic composition in a rehabilitated forest, Sarawak, Malaysia

Assessment of the floristic composition provides information on forest succession stage which is important but only relatively few information are available on the rehabilitated tropical forest. The information can provide an indication of the recovery status of the forest. The objective of this study was to assess the floristic composition of selected age stands at a rehabilitated forest situated in Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus, Sarawak, Malaysia. A 20 x 20 m plot (0.04 ha) was established each in stands planted in 1991, 1999, 2008 and an adjacent natural regenerating secondary forest (± 23-year-old). All stands were tagged, identified and analyzed for species composition, Importance Value (IV), species diversity and similarity. Floristic analysis showed that in the rehabilitated forest, over 50% of the total family was dominated by the Dipterocarpaceae family but only 14% in natural regenerating secondary forest. Based on the IV Index, stand year 1991 was dominated by Shorea dasyphylla (IV=155.8) while stand year 1999, 2008 and natural regenerating secondary forest were Dryobalanops beccarii (IV=156.2), Sandoricum borneense (IV=144.4) Teijsmanniodendron holophyllum (IV=115.3), respectively. The Simpson’s diversity index at the rehabilitated forest ranged from 0.82 to 0.87 compared to 0.98 at the natural regenerating secondary forest whereas the Shannon-Wiener diversity index ranged from 2.04 to 2.29 compared to 4.23, respectively. Jaccard’s Coefficient of Similarity (Cj) between all combinations of the study plots was generally low (2.2-19.4%). Rehabilitated forest exhibited climax species community despite having lower species diversity. This can promote the conservation of these climax species

A Pair of Dopamine Neurons Target the D1-Like Dopamine Receptor DopR in the Central Complex to Promote Ethanol-Stimulated Locomotion in Drosophila

Dopamine is a mediator of the stimulant properties of drugs of abuse, including ethanol, in mammals and in the fruit fly Drosophila. The neural substrates for the stimulant actions of ethanol in flies are not known. We show that a subset of dopamine neurons and their targets, through the action of the D1-like dopamine receptor DopR, promote locomotor activation in response to acute ethanol exposure. A bilateral pair of dopaminergic neurons in the fly brain mediates the enhanced locomotor activity induced by ethanol exposure, and promotes locomotion when directly activated. These neurons project to the central complex ellipsoid body, a structure implicated in regulating motor behaviors. Ellipsoid body neurons are required for ethanol-induced locomotor activity and they express DopR. Elimination of DopR blunts the locomotor activating effects of ethanol, and this behavior can be restored by selective expression of DopR in the ellipsoid body. These data tie the activity of defined dopamine neurons to D1-like DopR-expressing neurons to form a neural circuit that governs acute responding to ethanol

Prevalence of bullying and aggressive behavior and their relationship to mental health problems among 12- to 15-year-old Norwegian adolescents

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between being bullied and aggressive behavior and self-reported mental health problems among young adolescents. A representative population sample of 2,464 young Norwegian adolescents (50.8% girls) aged 12–15 years was assessed. Being bullied was measured using three items concerning teasing, exclusion, and physical assault. Self-esteem was assessed by Harter’s self-perception profile for adolescents. Emotional and behavioral problems were measured by the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) and the youth self-report (YSR). Aggressive behavior was measured by four items from the YSR. One-tenth of the adolescents reported being bullied, and 5% reported having been aggressive toward others during the past 6 months. More of the students being bullied and students being aggressive toward others reported parental divorce, and they showed higher scores on all YSR subscales and on the MFQ questions, and lower scores on the global self-worth subscale (Harter) than students not being bullied or aggressive. A few differences emerged between the two groups being bullied or being aggressive toward others: those who were aggressive showed higher total YSR scores, higher aggression and delinquency scores, and lower social problems scores, and reported higher scores on the social acceptance subscale (Harter) than bullied students. However, because social problems were demonstrated in both the involved groups, interventions designed to improve social competence and interaction skills should be integrated in antibullying programs

Caveolin-1 protects B6129 mice against Helicobacter pylori gastritis.

Caveolin-1 (Cav1) is a scaffold protein and pathogen receptor in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic infection of gastric epithelial cells by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major risk factor for human gastric cancer (GC) where Cav1 is frequently down-regulated. However, the function of Cav1 in H. pylori infection and pathogenesis of GC remained unknown. We show here that Cav1-deficient mice, infected for 11 months with the CagA-delivery deficient H. pylori strain SS1, developed more severe gastritis and tissue damage, including loss of parietal cells and foveolar hyperplasia, and displayed lower colonisation of the gastric mucosa than wild-type B6129 littermates. Cav1-null mice showed enhanced infiltration of macrophages and B-cells and secretion of chemokines (RANTES) but had reduced levels of CD25+ regulatory T-cells. Cav1-deficient human GC cells (AGS), infected with the CagA-delivery proficient H. pylori strain G27, were more sensitive to CagA-related cytoskeletal stress morphologies ("humming bird") compared to AGS cells stably transfected with Cav1 (AGS/Cav1). Infection of AGS/Cav1 cells triggered the recruitment of p120 RhoGTPase-activating protein/deleted in liver cancer-1 (p120RhoGAP/DLC1) to Cav1 and counteracted CagA-induced cytoskeletal rearrangements. In human GC cell lines (MKN45, N87) and mouse stomach tissue, H. pylori down-regulated endogenous expression of Cav1 independently of CagA. Mechanistically, H. pylori activated sterol-responsive element-binding protein-1 (SREBP1) to repress transcription of the human Cav1 gene from sterol-responsive elements (SREs) in the proximal Cav1 promoter. These data suggested a protective role of Cav1 against H. pylori-induced inflammation and tissue damage. We propose that H. pylori exploits down-regulation of Cav1 to subvert the host's immune response and to promote signalling of its virulence factors in host cells

Proteomic analysis of the Plasmodium male gamete reveals the key role for glycolysis in flagellar motility.

BACKGROUND: Gametogenesis and fertilization play crucial roles in malaria transmission. While male gametes are thought to be amongst the simplest eukaryotic cells and are proven targets of transmission blocking immunity, little is known about their molecular organization. For example, the pathway of energy metabolism that power motility, a feature that facilitates gamete encounter and fertilization, is unknown. METHODS: Plasmodium berghei microgametes were purified and analysed by whole-cell proteomic analysis for the first time. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001163. RESULTS: 615 proteins were recovered, they included all male gamete proteins described thus far. Amongst them were the 11 enzymes of the glycolytic pathway. The hexose transporter was localized to the gamete plasma membrane and it was shown that microgamete motility can be suppressed effectively by inhibitors of this transporter and of the glycolytic pathway. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the first whole-cell proteomic analysis of the malaria male gamete. It identifies glycolysis as the likely exclusive source of energy for flagellar beat, and provides new insights in original features of Plasmodium flagellar organization