Molecular differentiation of two morphological variants of gracilaria salicornia

Xia in 1986 combined Gracilaria salicornia, G. canaliculata (G. crassa), G. cacalia and G. minor into one species: G. salicornia. Two morphological variants of G. salicornia were collected from different localities in Malaysia. Variant A collected from Morib, Selangor grew on the roots of Avicennia. The samples showed absence of main axis; segmented constrictions throughout; cylindrical or slightly compressed thalli. Variant B was collected from the mudflats of Tanjung Tuan, growing on rocks, coral or forming mats on the mud. Plants showed absence of main axis; segments were not constricted throughout the plant (if present only slightly articulated at the upper part), branching was dichotomous or irregular; cylindrical or slightly compressed thalli. The technique of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) was used to investigate molecular characteristics of the two variants. Out of sixty Operon primers that were screened, four primers, OPA 1, OPA 10, OPA 11 and OPK 7 were able to give polymorphism. The fingerprints generated were stable and reproducible on repeated analysis. The DNA fingerprints generated were visually analysed and clustering analysis was carried out using GelCompar 4.0. The matrix of similarities was based on the Dice coefficients (SD) and the cluster analysis was carried out using the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA). DNA analysis showed that two primers (OPA 01, CAGGCCCTTC and OPK 07, AGCGAGCAAG) were able to differentiate the two variants

Facework strategies and intercultural conflict management procedures between international undergraduates and Malaysian instructors at a private university

Framed by the face negotiation theory and intercultural conflict management concepts, this study aims to identify the facework strategies used by international undergraduates in intercultural conflicts with Malaysian instructors at a private university, and investigate the preferred effective conflict management procedures for Malaysian instructors in managing intercultural conflicts with international undergraduates. This study uses a descriptive cross-sectional design using questionnaires for data collection.  A total of 317 participants were involved: 105 Indonesian undergraduates, 106 Chinese undergraduates, and 106 Malaysian instructors. The results showed that both Indonesian and Chinese undergraduate groups have similar tendencies for integrating strategies, although they differ in avoiding and dominating strategies. For intercultural conflict management procedures, the most favourable procedure is mediation and the least favourable is ombudsman service. These findings provide instructors with first-hand data for subsequent teacher development on face-saving application. By applying the appropriate facework strategy and ways to enact it, instructors can further develop their teaching skills by creating a healthy student-teacher relationship with international students

Genetic and morphological analyses of Gracilaria firma and G. changii (Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta), the commercially important agarophytes in western Pacific

Many studies classifying Gracilaria species for the exploitation of agarophytes and the development of the agar industry were conducted before the prevalence of molecular tools, resulting in the description of many species based solely on their morphology. Gracilaria firma and G. changii are among the commercially important agarophytes from the western Pacific; both feature branches with basal constrictions that taper toward acute apices. In this study, we contrasted the morpho-anatomical circumscriptions of the two traditionally described species with molecular data from samples that included representatives of G. changii collected from its type locality. Concerted molecular analyses using the rbcL and cox1 gene sequences, coupled with morphological observations of the collections from the western Pacific, revealed no inherent differences to support the treatment of the two entities as distinct taxa. We propose merging G. changii (a later synonym) into G. firma and recognize G. firma based on thallus branches with abrupt basal constrictions that gradually taper toward acute (or sometimes broken) apices, cystocarps consisting of small gonimoblast cells and inconspicuous multinucleate tubular nutritive cells issuing from gonimoblasts extending into the inner pericarp at the cystocarp floor, as well as deep spermatangial conceptacles of the verrucosatype. The validation of specimens under different names as a single genetic species is useful to allow communication and knowledge transfer among groups from different fields. This study also revealed considerably low number of haplotypes and nucleotide diversity with apparent phylogeographic patterns for G. firma in the region. Populations from the Philippines and Taiwan were divergent from each other as well as from the populations from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Establishment of baseline data on the genetic diversity of this commercially important agarophyte is relevant in the context of cultivation, as limited genetic diversity may jeopardize the potential for its genetic improvement over time

Transcultural Diabetes Nutrition Algorithm: A Malaysian Application

Glycemic control among patients with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in Malaysia is suboptimal, especially after the continuous worsening over the past decade. Improved glycemic control may be achieved through a comprehensive management strategy that includes medical nutrition therapy (MNT). Evidence-based recommendations for diabetes-specific therapeutic diets are available internationally. However, Asian patients with T2D, including Malaysians, have unique disease characteristics and risk factors, as well as cultural and lifestyle dissimilarities, which may render international guidelines and recommendations less applicable and/or difficult to implement. With these thoughts in mind, a transcultural Diabetes Nutrition Algorithm (tDNA) was developed by an international task force of diabetes and nutrition experts through the restructuring of international guidelines for the nutritional management of prediabetes and T2D to account for cultural differences in lifestyle, diet, and genetic factors. The initial evidence-based global tDNA template was designed for simplicity, flexibility, and cultural modification. This paper reports the Malaysian adaptation of the tDNA, which takes into account the epidemiologic, physiologic, cultural, and lifestyle factors unique to Malaysia, as well as the local guidelines recommendations

Microbiome analysis of gut bacterial communities of healthy and diseased Malaysian mahseer (Tor tambroides) using 16S rRNA metagenomics approach

Aims: The gut microbiota is referred to as an ‘extra organ’ and is critical in assisting the host in terms of nutrition and immunity. Environmental stressors could alter the gut microbial community and cause gut inflammation. This study aimed to investigate and compare the gut microbiota community between healthy and diseased Tor tambroides. Methodology and results: In this study, such gut microbial alterations were explored using NGS-based 16S rDNA targeted sequencing on the Malaysian mahseer (T. tambroides). Three healthy adult and three diseased adult Malaysian mahseers (showing signs of exophthalmia, coelomic distension and petechial haemorrhage) were obtained from LTT Aquaculture Sdn Bhd. Our results revealed significant differences in microbial diversity, composition and function between both populations of T. tambroides. Alpha diversity analysis depicts lower diversity of gut microbiota composition in diseased T. tambroides as compared to the healthy group. In particular, Enterobacteriaceae, Aeromonas, Bacteroides, Vibrio and Pseudomonas were found within gut microbiota of the diseased fishes. In addition, cellulose degrading bacteria and protease-producing bacteria were identified from the gut of T. tambroides. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Thus, our findings emphasized on the association between the alteration in gut microbiota composition and infectious abdominal dropsy (IAD) in T. tambroides. This finding is important to provide basic information for further diagnosis, prevention and treatment of intestinal diseases in fish

Antibody response of heterologous vs homologous mRNA vaccine boosters against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: interim results from the PRIBIVAC study, A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract Background Waning antibody levels post-vaccination and the emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) capable of evading protective immunity has raised the need for booster vaccinations. However, which combination of COVID-19 vaccines offers the strongest immune response against Omicron variant is unknown. Methods This randomized, subject-blinded, controlled trial assessed the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of different COVID-19 vaccine booster combinations. 100 BNT162b2-vaccinated individuals were enrolled and randomized 1: 1 to either homologous (BNT162b2 + BNT162b2 + BNT162b2; ‘BBB’) or heterologous mRNA booster vaccine (BNT162b2 + BNT162b2 + mRNA-1273; ‘BBM’). Primary endpoint was the level of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and VOCs at Day 28. Results 51 participants were allocated to BBB and 49 to BBM; 50 and 48 respectively were analyzed for safety and immunogenicity outcomes. At Day 28 post-boost, mean SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody titers were lower with BBB (22,382  IU/mL 95% CI, 18,210 to 27,517) vs BBM (29,751  IU/mL 95% CI, 25,281 to 35,011, p = 0.034) as was the median level of neutralizing antibodies: BBB 99.0% (IQR 97.9 to 99.3%) vs BBM 99.3% (IQR 98.8 to 99.5%, p = 0.021). On sub-group analysis, significant differences in mean spike antibody titer and live Omicron neutralization titer was only observed in older adults. Median surrogate neutralizing antibody level against all VOCs was also significantly higher with BBM in older adults, and against Omicron was BBB 72.8% (IQR 54.0 to 84.7%) vs BBM 84.3% (IQR 78.1 to 88.7%, p = 0.0073). Both vaccines were well tolerated. Conclusions Heterologous mRNA-1273 booster vaccination induced a stronger neutralizing response against the Omicron variant in older individuals compared with homologous BNT123b2. </jats:sec

Mass Transfer Coefficients and Correlation of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Sarawak Black Pepper

Bioactive compound, namely piperine, was extracted from Sarawak black pepper using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction. Experiments were carried out in the range of 3,000–5,000 psi (20.7–34.4 MPa) pressures, 318–328 K temperatures, 0.4–1 mm mean particle sizes and 5–10 ml/min carbon dioxide flow rates. Experimental data analysis shows that extraction yield is mainly influenced by pressure, particle size and coupled-interactions between these two variables. Extraction process was modeled accounting for intraparticle diffusion and external mass transfer. The kinetics parameters for the internal and external mass transfers were evaluated and estimated. Mass transfer correlation was also developed. From simulation results, good agreement between experimental and simulated data has been found

Multi-ethnic genome-wide association study for atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects more than 33 million individuals worldwide and has a complex heritability. We conducted the largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for AF to date, consisting of more than half a million individuals, including 65,446 with AF. In total, we identified 97 loci significantly associated with AF, including 67 that were novel in a combined-ancestry analysis, and 3 that were novel in a European-specific analysis. We sought to identify AF-associated genes at the GWAS loci by performing RNA-sequencing and expression quantitative trait locus analyses in 101 left atrial samples, the most relevant tissue for AF. We also performed transcriptome-wide analyses that identified 57 AF-associated genes, 42 of which overlap with GWAS loci. The identified loci implicate genes enriched within cardiac developmental, electrophysiological, contractile and structural pathways. These results extend our understanding of the biological pathways underlying AF and may facilitate the development of therapeutics for AF

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe

Combined searches for the production of supersymmetric top quark partners in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A combination of searches for top squark pair production using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1) collected by the CMS experiment, is presented. Signatures with at least 2 jets and large missing transverse momentum are categorized into events with 0, 1, or 2 leptons. New results for regions of parameter space where the kinematical properties of top squark pair production and top quark pair production are very similar are presented. Depending on themodel, the combined result excludes a top squarkmass up to 1325 GeV for amassless neutralino, and a neutralinomass up to 700 GeV for a top squarkmass of 1150 GeV. Top squarks with masses from 145 to 295 GeV, for neutralino masses from 0 to 100 GeV, with a mass difference between the top squark and the neutralino in a window of 30 GeV around the mass of the top quark, are excluded for the first time with CMS data. The results of theses searches are also interpreted in an alternative signal model of dark matter production via a spin-0 mediator in association with a top quark pair. Upper limits are set on the cross section for mediator particle masses of up to 420 GeV