An overview of rattan industry status and its economic aspect in setting up rattan-based industry in Malaysia

Rattan constitutes the most abundant non-timber forest products that could be used as a substitute for wood in the form of furniture and other products in many communities, especially in Malaysia. This study makes an explorative overview of two main research topics in forest resources management which are determined the status of the rattan industry and their economics aspect in Malaysia. Malaysia is among the top most crucial rattan producers in the world. The country is experiencing a robust development in the rattan industry. This commodity plays a significant role in the Malaysia economic growth. There are a few processes or techniques which are vital in this industry. Malaysia is the second in the rank after Indonesia for the rattan industry. In addition, the viability of rattan furniture manufacturing as a business is determined through cost and profit analyses and the results discussed in this review

Distribution and ecology of Rafflesia in Royal Belum State Park, Perak, Malaysia

Rafflesia, the biggest flowers in the world are considered as majestic and are made as ecotourism icons for several places in the South East Asia. Currently, a total of 34 species of Rafflesia were recorded in this region. 7 species of Rafflesia are found in Peninsular Malay-sia alone. This study was executed in Royal Belum State Park in the state of Perak. An updated on distribution of Rafflesia and its ecolo-gy are provided. The Rafflesia population was mapped using Global Positioning System [GPS]. While the size of Rafflesia host-plant was measured with the measuring tape and the amount of rainfall was obtained from the Meteorological Department of Malaysia. During this study, there were 2 species of Rafflesia encountered in Royal Belum State Park, namely Rafflesia cantleyi Solms-Laubach and Raf-flesia kerri Meijer. The species were recorded at X-Ray trail, Sg. Gadong, and Sg. Kooi. A total of 8 populations were set up from these locations. It was found that the population and the distribution decreased in accordance with the habitat interruption by human interven-tion and natural factors such as wildlife trampling on the immature buds. Besides, it was found that the number of Rafflesia buds increas-es with the class size for host-plant of Rafflesia with coefficients of determination of R2=0.9866. However, various physiological and environmental factors were taken into consideration in efforts of conserving this unique flower. This study is important in order to pre-serve the population of Rafflesia at Royal Belum State Park

The ameliorative effects of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on diabetic rat model: a narrative review

The emergence of nanotechnology has become more popular, and the progress had sparked much development in nanoparticle synthesis, including selenium. Studies associated with the therapeutic abilities and physicochemical properties of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are rapidly growing and gaining interest from many researchers. This review discusses on the fundamental components of selenium, different approaches in synthesizing selenium nanoparticles, its remedial properties and potential in biomedical application. Herein, primary focus will be given to the action of selenium nanoparticles mechanism in improving diabetes mellitus symptoms and complications in animal studies. It is known that selenium is an important micronutrient found in humans, plants and animals that can be incorporated as selenoprotein in the human body. Analysis and comparison on the findings enlighten that SeNPs demonstrated ameliorative effect on diabetes complications due to their antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering characteristics

Pendedahan ilmu Biologi kepada generasi muda menerusi Future Biologist Caliphs 4.0

SERDANG, 29 Mei – Seramai 20 orang pelajar tahun 4 hingga 6 daripada Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bukit Maluri dan 32 orang pelajar Tingkatan 1 daripada Sri Ayesha Islamic School telah menyertai program Future Biologist Caliphs 4.0 baru-baru ini

Processing and Properties of Oil Palm Fronds Composite Boards from <em>Elaeis guineensis</em>

Oil palm fronds are one of the biomass residues originating from oil palm plantations. It has great potential to be used as an alternative material for the composite boards industry to reduce dependency on wood-based raw materials. The fronds are obtainable all the year round and in big quantity. The oil palm fronds had been processed as compressed oil palm fronds to form such a potential composite board in this topic. A composite board from compressed oil palm fronds was produced by removing the fronds’ leaflets and epidermis. The sample was sliced longitudinally into thin layers and compressed into an identical thickness at about 2 to 3 mm. Pieces of the sample were dry using the air-dried method. They were then mixed with phenol and urea-formaldehyde of resins in the range of 12-15% and compressed again with another layer forming a composite board. Standard outlined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) tested for their physical and strength properties of composite board. Found that the physical and strength aspects’ properties show that the composite board possessed characteristics at par or equivalent. The composite board from compressed oil palm fronds has good prospects to be used as an alternative to wood. Thus, this characteristics can overcome the shortage in materials supply in the wood-based industry