Effect of imazapyr-based herbicide on vasculogenesis in developing Java medaka (Oryzias javanicus) embryo

Vasculogenesis, the process of blood vessel formation by a de novo production of endothelial cells during embryogenesis is an important measure to evaluate developmental toxicity. This study evaluated the effect of Imazapyr, a widely used herbicide in agriculture on vasculogenesis in Java medaka embryo. The fish embryos were exposed to five concentrations of Imazapyr-based herbicide (3.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm) and a control under static renewal condition. Prior to the exposure test, normal pattern of vasculogenesis of the fish embryo was recorded using Motic stereomicroscope with Motic 3.0 attached camera. During the exposure period, we observed and recorded the effect of Imazapyr-based herbicide on the primary vascular development (vasculogenesis) of Java medaka embryo throughout the incubation period. The abnormalities found were formation of abnormal patterns of sinus venosus, common cardinal vein and marginal vein, absence of erythrocytes and blood clotting in the veins. Abnormalities in vasculogenesis started to commence in 6.0 ppm Imazapyr-base herbicide and became more pronounced at higher exposure concentrations. The higher the exposure concentrations the earlier the abnormalities in vasculogenesis appeared. Based on the results, Java medaka embryos are suitable as a model organism for testing vasculogenesis impairments due to environmental pollutants. Furthermore, as other medaka fish, Java medaka has the common pattern for the development of the primary vascular system that can represent other vertebrates

PELAKSANAAN SUPERVISI AKADEMIK KEPALA MADRASAH DALAM MENINGKATKAN KINERJA GURU DI MAN 5 BARITO KUALA DAN MAS DARUL MUKARRAM KABUPATEN BARITO KUALA

Academic supervision is essentially an action that is attempted to assist teachers in developing their potential to manage learning so that it is better. The Madrasah head as a supervisor in carrying out his duties in carrying out academic supervision should have been carried out in a programmed and measurable manner. This study aims to describe (1) describe the academic supervision arranged by the head of the madrasa in improving teacher performance at MAN 5 Barito Kuala, (2) describe the academic supervision arranged by the head of the madrasa in improving teacher performance at MAS Darul Mukarram Barito Kuala Regency. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach, which is a research procedure that produces descriptive data in the form of written or spoken data and people and behavior that can be observed as research objects. Implementation of academic supervision by the head of the madrasa at MAN 5 Barito Kuala and MAS Darul Mukarram Barito Kuala District. took samples and data sources from the Head of Madrasah Teachers and the Academic Supervision Team. Data collection techniques through interviews, observation and documentation. Based on the results of the study, it shows that: (1) The implementation of supervision at MAN 5 Barito Kuala is in accordance with the existing theory. By carrying out the observation phase which starts with planning, implementation, analysis and evaluation, as well as follow-up supervision, it has been able to improve teacher performance and teacher competency in the learning process. (2) The implementation of supervision at MAS Darul Mukarram, Barito Kuala Regency, is also in accordance with the existing theory. The supervision stage also begins with planning, implementation, analysis and evaluation, as well as follow-up supervision which has shown an increase in teacher performance in planning lessons, teacher competence, and teacher performance in the learning process

Diversity and abundance of storage pest in rice warehouses in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

Insect’s pest infestation on rice product cause a serious damage either in quantitative or qualitative aspect. This paper assesses the abundance and diversity of insects pest of stored products in rice warehouses, through a study in three rice warehouse (Jasa, Tenggara, Target Lane) in Klang Selangor, Malaysia. Investigations recorded four main insect species in all the warehouses are Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Tribolium castaneum, Sitophilus oryzae and Cadra cautella. Oryzaephilus surinamensis showed the highest abundance in all warehouse with total 47403 individuals (97%), T. castaneum with 431 individuals (0.88%), C. cautella with 760 individuals (1.56%) and S. oryzae with the lowest abundance (11 individuals; 0.02%). The Shannon-Weiner index shows that highest insects diversity was in Tenggara warehouse (Shannon’s, H’ = 0.28), while Target Lane were the lowest (Shannon’s, H’=0.11). The information on insect’s pest diversity in rice warehouses is very useful to implementation of management and controlling insect’s pest infestation in stored rice grains

Reaksi masyarakat Islam di Malaysia terhadap ekstremisme

Ekstremisme bukan watak yang baru dalam sistem sosial umat Islam. Kefahaman ini sudah berakar umbi dan sering datang melalui perlambangan yang mengelirukan sehingga sukar untuk masyarakat awam menentukan prinsipnya yang sebenar. Penebaran sebahagian daripadanya meluas, terancang dan tersusun. Perubahan pesat teknologi dan kepelbagaian media penyebaran juga menjadi faktor kenapa fahaman ini terus menyelusup masuk ke seluruh dunia dan mempengaruhi semua peringkat sosial termasuk profesional. Usaha berterusan perlu dilaksanakan bagi membendung fahaman ini daripada mengganggu kerukunan beragama manusia. Untuk itu, artikel ini akan mengupas hasil dapatan kajian mengenai tahap pengetahuan dan kefahaman ekstremisme dalam kalangan masyarakat Islam di Malaysia dan sejauh mana reaksi mereka terhadap aktiviti ini. Kajian tinjauan (cross sectional survey design) telah digunakan sebagai kaedah kajian. Data-data diperoleh melalui satu set soal selidik daripada 1459 sampel penjawat awam beragama Islam yang dipilih secara rawak mudah dari seluruh Malaysia. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis menggunakan statistik deskriptif melalui perisian Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) versi 22.0. Hasil kajian menunjukkan tahap pengetahuan konsep ekstremisme masyarakat Islam adalah tinggi iaitu min=4.06, sp=0.51, tahap kefahaman masyarakat Islam mengenai ekstremisme juga adalah tinggi iaitu, min=4.30, sp=0.45 dan reaksi pencegahan mereka terhadap aktiviti ekstremisme juga adalah tinggi iaitu, min=4.19, sp=0.42. Jelasnya, keseluruhan dapatan kajian menunjukkan masyarakat Islam di Malaysia telah matang dalam hal ekstremisme dan telah mengambil pendekatan sewajarnya dalam menghadapi isu-isu berkaitan ekstremisme ini. Dapatan ini juga menunjukkan gerakan aliran ini masih lagi terkawal namun perlu sentiasa dipantau bagi mengekalkan keharmonian beragama dalam kalangan masyarakat Islam di Malaysia

The effect of temperature on the dispersion of α-Mangostin in PNIPAM microgel system / Madihah Ahmad, Bohari M. Yamin and Azwan Mat Lazim

α-Mangostin was extracted from the pericarp of the Malaysian local Garcinia mangostana linn., The structure was characterised by Infrared red, UV-Visible and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopic data. The fluorescence peak at 500nm in ethanol was not observed in PNIPAM microgel solution. The increase of colloidal size of the gel in the presence of α-mangostin was studied by Dynamic Light Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscope. The size of the particle also increases with increasing temperature up to 45⁰C after which it began to shrink. The TEM micrograph at 45°C showed a uniformly structured pattern of the gel occurs in the range of the lowest solution critical temperatur

Design of a wireless surface EMG acquisition system

Wireless Technology plays a significant role in current world. Many applications use wireless sensor network for health monitoring. One of the examples is the application to measure muscle response or electrical activity in response to a nerve's stimulation of the muscle. The development of wireless Electromyography (EMG) for remote monitoring of muscle activities is one of many vital parts in the biomedical technology. This wireless EMG is able to transmit signals through wireless transmission to computer for monitoring. By employing this technology, doctors treating patients with muscle complication can monitor their patients from the comfort of their office while the patients roam freely in their own room or therapy room. This technology is essential for patients with needs of home-based monitoring and economical medical services. The design of wireless EMG system comprises of a preamplifier and an electrode for the measurement of EMG signal, main amplifier for signal processing, DSP processor for A/D conversion and X-Bee module for wireless transmission. During power spectral density, EMG signal is distributed between 10 to 500Hz. Thus, EMG signals become consistent with the application of wireless transmission

State of the Art Intrusion Detection System for Cloud Computing

The term Cloud computing is not new anymore in computing technology. This form of computing technology previously considered only as marketing term, but today Cloud computing not only provides innovative improvements in resource utilisation but it also creates a new opportunities in data protection mechanisms where the advancement of intrusion detection technologies  are blooming rapidly. From the perspective of security, Cloud computing also introduces concerns about data protection and intrusion detection mechanism. This paper surveys, explores and informs researchers about the latest developed Cloud Intrusion Detection Systems by providing a comprehensive taxonomy and investigating possible solutions to detect intrusions in cloud computing systems. As a result, we provide a comprehensive review of Cloud Intrusion Detection System research, while highlighting the specific properties of Cloud Intrusion Detection System. We also present taxonomy on the key issues in Cloud Intrusion Detection System area and discuss the different approaches taken to solve the issues. We conclude the paper with a critical analysis of challenges that have not fully solved

Identification of oil palm’s consistently upregulated genes during early infections of Ganoderma boninense via RNA-Seq technology and real-time quantitative PCR

Basal stem rot (BSR) disease caused by pathogenic fungus Ganoderma boninense is a significant concern in the oil palm industry. G. boninense infection in oil palm induces defense-related genes. To understand oil palm defense mechanisms in response to fungal invasion, we analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) derived from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) transcriptomic libraries of oil palm roots infected with G. boninense. A total of 126 DEGs were detected from the transcriptomic libraries of G. boninense-infected root tissues at different infection stages. Functional annotation via pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the DEGs were involved in the defense response against the pathogen. The expression of the selected DEGs was further confirmed using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) on independent oil palm seedlings and mature palm samples. Seven putative defense-related DEGs consistently showed upregulation in seedlings and mature plants during G. boninense infection. These seven genes might potentially be developed as biomarkers for the early detection of BSR in oil palm

Determination of reference genes for normalisation of gene expression study of Ganoderma-infected oil palms

Basal stem rot (BSR) disease is a major threat to oil palm industry in Malaysia, caused by pathogenic fungus, Ganoderma boninense. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has become a favourable method in quantification the levels of gene expression involved in disease development. In this study, 14 oil palm reference genes were tested for their suitability as reference genes for qPCR analyses using oil palm root taken from six-month old seedlings (nursery sample) and 15-year old mature palms (field sample). Only six reference genes were subjected to stability test via RefFinder. The GRAS and ACTIN genes were ranked as the best reference genes for nursery sample, whereas, GAPDH and GvHK genes for field samples. These reference genes were used in the qPCR analysis for accurate normalisation. Thus, results obtained in this study emphasise the importance of validating the stability of the reference gene and proving the credibility and reliability of RefFinder in determining the most stable reference genes in each specific experiment or biological setting used

Molecular pcr assays for detection of Ganoderma pathogenic to oil palm in Malaysia

Ganoderma boninense is a fungal pathogen that causes basal stem rot (BSR) disease in oil palm. Being a serious disease problem to the oil palm industry, monitoring and detecting the pathogen is of the utmost importance to reduce disease spread and facilitate effective management strategies. Because the traditional culture-based assay is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and required special skills in mycology, plant pathologists are turning to more accurate, sensitive, and fast methods such as molecular techniques. In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed to detect pathogenic Ganoderma species causing BSR disease in oil palm using a primer designed based on the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The effectiveness of conventional and real-time PCR assays was analyzed compared to the traditional isolation-based assay. For artificially inoculated oil palm plantlets, consistent detection of G. boninense was observed. Real-time PCR assay has shown to be more sensitive and rapid in detecting G. boninense in field samples and could potentially serve as a validation tool to other detection techniques for the implementation of effective disease control measures