Germination and seedling survival in kemenyan, styrax benzoin

Styrax benzoin Dryand var. benzoin is atypical of Malaysian forest trees as its, seeds are dormant for more than 7 months after fruit fall. Under natural conditions the woody endocarp cracks after 7 - 9 months and the radicle and hypocotyl then emerge. Dormancy is not imposed by the presence of inhibitors, immaturity of the embryo nor special requirements of light or temperature, as after removal of the endocarp germination begins. The endocarp therefore imposes dormancy either mechanically or by preventing the entry of water. The seedling becomes dependent on its photosynthesis at the 3-leaf stage about 4 - 6 months after germination, when the reserves from the seed in the form of starch in the hypocotyl are exhausted. Seedling mortality is high with 22.5% survival after 1 year, 7.1% after 2 years and none after 3 years. The largest single cause of mortality is mechanical damage (34%) which includes death caused by falling trunks and branches, by being covered by leaf litter or from trampling; followed by mortality during the germination phase (27%) such as the hypocotyl being gnawed, failure of the endosperm to be cast off or failure to root; fungal wilt (24%) and failure to sustain growth (15%). No seedling died as a direct result of insect damage. Difficulties in assessing insect damage are discussed. 19% of seedlings had spiders' nests under their leaves which resulted in a 2 - 43% reduction of photosynthetic surface. A combination of annual fruiting and a proportion of seedlings that persist for more than a year ensures that at any time there is a supply of seedlings ready to grow into a gap should one occur in the vicinity

Floristic Components of the Ground Flora of a Tropical Lowland Rain Forest at Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak

The floristic components of the ground layer at the Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, are described. These components are associated with microhabitats. The microhabitats of the riverine system include the shallow stream, rocky banks and banks of larger rivers, and those of the shaded forest include permanently wet areas, rocky litter-free slopes, steep litter covered slopes, surfaces of logs, roots or rocks and the flat well-drained alluvial forest. Possible causes of the uneven distribution of the ground layer species of the flat well-drained alluvial forest are discussed. The species composition of this alluvial forest is compared with other published reports from the Danum Valley, Sabah and Pasoh Forest Reserve Malaya, and with some other lowland forest types such as kerangas and peat swamp forest in Sarawak. The phenomenon of iridescence and variegation of leaves is briefly noted

Notes on the natural history of the Johore banana Musa gracilis holttum

Musa gracilis is the only wild banana species in Johore, Malaysia. In Kelantan and Trengganu it grows together with M. acuminata Colla. M. gracilis and M. violascens Ridley (in section Callimusa) are compared. Both are endemic to Peninsular Malaysia but their geographic distribution does not overlap. The anatomy of the seed of M. gracilis is described and the function of the chalazal mass is discussed. Growth (increase in stem height and rate of leaf production), its ecology and conservation status are also mentione

Relationship quality, service quality on Internet advertising effectiveness : knowledge management as a moderator

The importance of effective internet advertising is substantial. According to the various scholars, relationship quality, service quality and knowledge management are among important constructs to ensure internet advertising effectiveness. However, ineffective internet advertising creates superfluous spending and meaningless effort. Thus, the effort to investigate the circumstance is deemed appropriate. Consequently, this study examined the influence of two constructs namely relationship quality and service quality on internet advertising effectiveness in Malaysia. Besides, the study also examined the moderating role of knowledge management construct on the relationship between relationship quality, service quality, and internet advertising effectiveness. The cross-sectional survey approach was used. Data were collected from 322 CEOs/Managers from the advertising agency firms. The data was analysed via SPSS software. Various statistical analyses were used to analyze the data such as descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis. Based on the results, it was revealed that four of the hypothesized relationships were supported. The findings showed significant relation of two service quality dimensions, namely, tangibility and responsiveness with internet advertising effectiveness. Meanwhile knowledge management significantly moderated the relationship between the relationship quality dimensions namely tangibility and responsiveness on internet advertising effectiveness. In general, findings of this study showed the importance of the advertising firms in Malaysia to ensure impeccable service quality which will in turn lead to the effectiveness of their internet advertising. This will guarantee their client-agency relationship quality and the subsequent survival-cum competitive advantage. Improving service quality through an effective and efficient knowledge management system will enhance the effectiveness of internet advertising in Malaysi

Internationalization of Tertiary Education in Malaysia

Internationalization plays an important role in the tertiary education sector. Internationalization of tertiary education will urge the society of a nation to form a "knowledge-based society" Internationalization process in tertiary education has allowed researchers and students to obtain information and knowledge even without have to travel abroad. Besides, it also bring opportunities for students to go overseas’ tertiary education institutions. Consequently, a nation tertiary education which internationalizes their operation will change it characteristics, products and services in order to meet the demand. The main purpose for this study is to explore the possible existence relationship between the independent variables (facility, quality, cost and image and prestige) and the dependent variables (international undergraduate students’ satisfaction) in University Utara Malaysia (UUM). The data used for this study is derived from the questionnaire survey conducted among the international undergraduate students in UUM randomly from who come from various countries. A total of 50 useable respondents were successfully obtained. The descriptive analysis, reliability analysis and correlation analysis were undertaken in this study. This research develops and evaluates a model of international undergraduate students’ satisfaction which related to the facility, quality, cost and image and prestige. Result shows that all of the factors have impact on international undergraduate student satisfaction. This study provide insight to the four important factors which are facility, quality, cost and image and prestige as perceived by international undergraduate student as important in affecting their satisfaction toward a tertiary education institution. Therefore, university should develop diversify marketing plan which meet the needs of international undergraduate student satisfaction as discovered in this study

Copper removal using ion exchanger flat sheet mixed matrix membrane : effect of polyethersulfone composition on membrane properties

Ion exchanger has been widely used and applied in removal of heavy metal in wastewater treatment. In the current study, mixed matrix membrane (MMM) ion exchanger was developed by incorporating Amberlite IR120H into polyethersulfone (PES) dope polymer solution for copper removal. The effect of PES composition in dope polymer solution was varied from 23wt%, 25wt%, 28wt% and 30wt% at constant amount of 20g Amberlite IR120. The performance of membrane was evaluated using batch binding and cross flow filtration. In batch binding, the highest static binding capacity of the copper removal was achieved by membrane prepared from 30wt% PES with the binding efficiency at a value of 64% from 500ppm standard solution of copper (II) sulphate pentahydrate. In cross flow filtration, 30wt% PES membrane has the maximum binding efficiency at 95%. Regeneration study was studied with 30w%t PES membrane using 10%HCL elution solution in three consecutives running cycle. The membrane can be regenerated with 97% binding efficiency in each 3 cycles meaning all the membrane produced can be regenerated. As a conclusion, the higher the composition of PES membrane, the higher the adsorptive performance, thus 30wt% PES membrane was the optimum PES composition

Strategy to Conserve Maximum Biodiversity of Limestone Flora in Peninsular Malaysia

The need to exploit limestone products for national development impacts on the conservation of rare and endangered limestone species. To minimise this impact it is necessary to identify which of the 570 limestone outcrops have high conservation importance and whether they have narrowly endemic and/or endangered limestone species. In the absence of detailed checklists for each outcrop, the Gesneriaceae is selected as being biodiverse on limestone, being well collected and outstanding in the number of endemic species and/or species restricted to limestone for mapping. Of the 210 species in the 25 genera of Gesneriaceae in Peninsular Malaysia, 42 species belonging to the genera Damrongia Kerr ex Craib, Emarhendia Kiew, A.Weber & B.L.Burtt, Epithema Blume, Microchirita (C.B.Clarke) Yin Z.Wang, Monophyllaea R.Br., Ornithoboea Parish ex C.B.Clarke, Paraboea (C.B.Clarke) Ridl., Senyumia Kiew, A.Weber & B.L.Burtt and Spelaeanthus Kiew, A.Weber & B.L.Burtt grow on limestone hills. Of these 42 species, 28 are endemic and 16 are restricted to a single or adjacent hills. Mapping their distribution shows that in common with other families there are three distinct phytogeographical provinces (the Northern Province, Perak Province and the Asian Intrusion) but that the narrowly endemic species do not cluster on particular hills, nor does their distribution coincide with those of other narrowly endemic species in other families. This illustrates that a network comprising a large number of hills, not only those within the three provinces but also all those harbouring narrowly endemic species that are at risk of extinction if not conserved, is necessary to maximise conservation of the biodiversity of the limestone flora

Asystasia (Acanthaceae) in Malaysia

Three taxa of Asystasia, the naming of which has been confused, occur in Peninsular Malaysia. None is native. A. nemorum Nees (syn. A. intrusa Blume, non (Forssk,) Nees) from Java has only been collected from Penang and Singapore. A. gangetica (L.) T. Anderson is widespread and is represented by two subspecies: a large-flowered taxon, subsp. gangetica (syn. A. coromandeliana Nees) which is a long-established introduction from India and a small-flowered taxon, subsp. micrantha (Nees) Ensermu (syn. A. intrusa (Forssk.) Nees) which is a recent introduction, probably from Africa. A key to the three taxa in Malaysia is provided

Profile of Fatty Acid contents in Malaysian freshwater fish

Nine species of Malaysian freshwater fish were analysed for their lipid and fatty acid contents. The results show that 4 species offish commonly consumed by local people contained significantly high levels offat (range 11-17% of wet weight). Malaysian freshwater fish analysed also contained high levels of unsaturated acids compared to saturated acids. The ratio of unsaturates/saturates ranged from 1.2 to 2.3. The omega-3 acids were generally low in most species analysed except for the belut sawah which contained significantly high levels in C22:6w3 (9.4/100g oil). This quantity is comparable to that of salmon, cod and herring and thus warrants consideration for commercial exploitation. Phospholipid fractions of all fish analysed (except jelawat) had polyunsaturates/saturates ratios greater than 1. O