Genetic diversity and differentiation of Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. using RAPD markers

Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. (family Thymelaeaceae) commonly known as agarwood or gaharu producing tree in Malaysia. The tree is being heavily exploited due to its highly valuable agar oil used in the production of high grade perfumes and traditional medicines. Consequently, their population in nature is threatened greatly. Conservation of this tree species is of the main concern, however, identification of A. malaccensis from other Aquilaria sp. based on morphology is very difficult and time consuming. This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity among three selected Aquilaria sp. namely A. malaccensis, A. sinensis (Lour.) Spreng. And A. subintegra Ding Hou using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and to differentiate A. malaccensis from A. sinensis and A. subintegra. Out of ten RAPD primers, four primers (G12, R15, U13 and OPA 05) produced the most clear and reproducible bands. A total of 24 bands were scored from the four primers. Construction of dendrogram resulted in two major clusters; cluster I consisted of only A. malaccensis accessions, and cluster II consisted of A. subintegra and A. sinensis accessions. This indicates that A. subintegra is more closely related to A. sinensis while A. malaccensis is genetically distant from both. Species-specific bands for A. malaccensis were produced at 875, 1000 and 2500 bp by G12 primer, and at 2500 bp by OPA 05 primer. This study laid the foundation for a creation of rapid and cost effective molecular identification of A. malaccensis

What information and the extent of information research participants need in informed consent forms: a multi-country survey

Background: The use of lengthy, detailed, and complex informed consent forms (ICFs) is of paramount concern in biomedical research as it may not truly promote the rights and interests of research participants. The extent of information in ICFs has been the subject of debates for decades; however, no clear guidance is given. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the perspectives of research participants about the type and extent of information they need when they are invited to participate in biomedical research. Methods: This multi-center, cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted at 54 study sites in seven Asia-Pacific countries. A modified Likert-scale questionnaire was used to determine the importance of each element in the ICF among research participants of a biomedical study, with an anchored rating scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important). Results: Of the 2484 questionnaires distributed, 2113 (85.1%) were returned. The majority of respondents considered most elements required in the ICF to be \u27moderately important\u27 to \u27very important\u27 for their decision making (mean score, ranging from 3.58 to 4.47). Major foreseeable risk, direct benefit, and common adverse effects of the intervention were considered to be of most concerned elements in the ICF (mean score = 4.47, 4.47, and 4.45, respectively). Conclusions: Research participants would like to be informed of the ICF elements required by ethical guidelines and regulations; however, the importance of each element varied, e.g., risk and benefit associated with research participants were considered to be more important than the general nature or technical details of research. Using a participant-oriented approach by providing more details of the participant-interested elements while avoiding unnecessarily lengthy details of other less important elements would enhance the quality of the ICF

Tree Species Composition, Diversity and Above Ground Biomass of Two Forest Types at Redang Island, Peninsula Malaysia

A study was conducted to determine the tree species composition, diversity and above ground biomass at Redang Island, Terengganu. Two plots of 0.1 ha were established at the inland forest and coastal forest of the island. As the result, a total of 387 trees ≥ 5 diameters at breast height (DBH) were recorded. The coastal forest recorded 167 individuals representing 48 species from 37 genera and 26 families while the inland forest had 220 individuals representing 50 species from 43 genera and 25 families. Shorea glauca (Dipterocarpaceae) was the most important species at the coastal forest with a Species Importance Value Index (SIVi) of 10.5 % while Dipterocarpus costulatus (Dipterocarpaceae) was the most important species at the inland forest with 13.8 %. Dipterocarpaceae was the most important family in both forest plots with FIVi at 20.4 % in the coastal and 21.5 % in the inland forest. The Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index (H’) was considered high in both forest plots with 3.4 (H’max = 3.9) at the coastal forest and 3.5 (H’max = 4.0) at the inland forest. Sorenson’s Community Similarity Coefficient (CCs) showed that tree species communities between the two forest plots had moderate similarity with CC = 0.5. The Shannon Evenness Index (J’) in the two forest plots was 0.89. The total above ground biomass at the coastal forest was 491 t/ha and at the inland forest it was 408 t/ha. From all the species recorded in this study, 11 species were listed as threatened species by IUCN Red Data Book, of which four were listed as endangered and critically endangered, six were listed as lower risk and one species was listed as vulnerable

Greywater treatment using GAC biofilm reactor and sand filter system

Abstract: A system involving a granular activated carbon (GAC) biofilm up-flow expanded bed (UEB) reactor and a slow down-flow packed sand filter was established for treating mosque grey water (ablution water). The faecal coliforms (F.C.), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), nitrate (NO 3 ), and ammonia as nitrogen (NH4-N) were investigated under continuous flow operation using a hydraulic retention time (HRT) ranging from 1-6 hr over the period from 5/9/2010 to 6/2/2011. The system was arranged so that the GAC reactor is the first stage of treatment, and the sand filter is the second stage. Influent and effluent samples from the system were analysed weekly. The system demonstrated satisfactory removal of faecal coliforms with removal efficiencies of 63-80 %, and the efficiencies of COD and TSS removal were 70 % and 72 %, respectively. The system showed low removal efficiencies of nitrate which was 0-13 %. No ammonia removal was recorded in that range of retention time, while the system showed approximately 50 % removal efficiency on average for 12 hr of HRT

The association of tree species diversity and abundance with the soil edaphic factor in a largest tropical recreational forest of Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

A study was conducted to investigate the association between tree species composition with soil edaphic factor in Chemerong Recreational Forest, the largest recreational forest in Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. Two types of forest were chosen which are riparian forest and inland forest. Four plots with the dimension of 50 m × 20 m each were established with two plots at each forest type with total study site of 0.4 ha. A total of 1158 trees (>1 cm diameter) from 263 species, 125 genus and 50 families were recorded. The higher species number was recorded in the inland forest with 175 species, 103 genus and 45 families compared to riparian plot with 154 species, 109 genera and 39 families. Lijndenia laurina was found to be the important species in the riparian forest with Important Value Index (IVi) of 5.22% while Mangifera caesia at the inland forest with 3.21%. The Shannon-Weiner diversity indexes (H’) was considered high in all two types of forest with 5.04 at the riparian forest and 5.14 at the inland forest. Sorenson’s community similarity coefficient (CCs) showed the tree species communities, between the two types of forest had low similarities with 0.38. A total 33 endemic species in Peninsular Malaysia were found at Chemerong Recreational Forest. Fifty-five species in this study were listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN red list of threatened species 2019. Significant differences were found in phosphorus, electric conductivity, ammonium nitrate, moisture content and organic matter between these forests. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed less association between species composition with the physico-chemical characyeristics of soil in this study indicating the soil edaphic factor is not the main factor controlling the species distribution at this site

Learners’ Collocation Use in Writing: Do Proficiency Levels Matter?

Knowledge of collocation is important in enabling learners to use a language fluently. When learners can demonstrate a good command of collocation use as they write, this results in greater fluency and proficiency. The present study is a case study that investigated the collocational knowledge of ESL learners across different proficiency levels. Specifically, the extent to which the learners produce lexical collocation in writing is examined in the study. To this end, a writing task (an essay) was administered to elicit the written output of the learners. The procedure involved a total of n=120 undergraduate ESL learners (limited, modest, and proficient learners) studying at a public university in Malaysia. The essays collected in the study were analysed and compared in terms of the lexical collocation frequencies and categories. The results first revealed that the higher proficient students wrote slightly higher lexical collocations than their counterparts. The second finding, however, indicated that there is no significant difference in the proportion of lexical collocation (.05) written by the students, regardless of their proficiency levels. Thirdly, the results demonstrated that students of higher proficiency levels were able to write their essays with slightly more lexical collocation categories in comparison to lower proficiency level learners. Nonetheless, the students did not tap into all six lexical collocation categories in their writing. The findings of the study provide insights into the lexical collocation knowledge of Malaysian ESL undergraduates across various proficiency levels

Five years melioidosis registry data from 2011 to 2015 in Pahang, Malaysia: a retrospective study

Background: Melioidosis cases were conducted throughout the state of Pahang, Malaysia, from 2000 to 2004, and found that there were high annual incidences and mortality rates among melioidosis patients. A series of programs on medical education has since been introduced throughout Pahang, and a registry has been created to track the effects. Objective: We established and investigated the melioidosis registry with the aim of improving the state's melioidosis management Methodology: This comprehensive review of the 239 confirmed melioidosis cases from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2015 was performed to trace the cultures from all microbiology laboratories in Pahang. Comparisons were made between these cases and previous records retrieved from the registry. Information was verified from the patient’s case note when necessary. Results: The patients, aged from 1 to 84 years, were predominantly males (78.2%), Malays (82.0%), and had a median age of 51 years. The most common predisposing factor present in 165 (69.0%) patients was diabetes, while the most common clinical presentation observed in 109(45.6%) patients was pneumonia. With outcomes that were known within 209 patients, 106(50.7%) of them did not survive, and while the other 103(51.6%) were fully discharged. Patients who were fully discharged received appropriate antibiotics for both intensive and eradication therapies. Twenty patients (8.4%) had culture-confirmed relapses. Conclusion: Despite improvements in patient management, especially in treatment involving antibiotics, mortality rates remained high. Collectively, these research have found important relationships and insights that contribute for further management of the illness at the state level