Diversity and composition of beetles (Order: Coleoptera) in three different ages of oil palms in Lekir Oil Palm Plantation, Perak, Malaysia

The diversity and composition of beetles from oil palm plantation in Ladang Lekir, Perak, Malaysia were collected each month using Malaise trap, yellow pan and window traps from three different sites on the basis of their oil palm aged i.e. five (Plot 1), seven (Plot 2) and 12 (Plot 3) years old from November 2015 to October 2016. From 3862 individuals, 110 species and 83 morphospecies from 40 families and 59 subfamilies were successfully collected. From all samples recorded, the five years old oil palm showed the highest Shannon Diversity Index (H' = 3.42), Peilou Equality Index (E' = 0.23) and Margalef Richness Index (R’= 17.33) with species accumulation curve near to asymptote. The most abundant species recorded from the three sites was Elaeidobius kamerunicus with 940 individuals (relative abundance, RA = 24%). Plot 1 had the highest beetle species with 132 individuals (68.4%), while Plot 2 was the lowest with 85 individuals (44%). The t-test analysis showed that there was no significant difference in term of the diversity index (H’) between Plot 3 and Plot 2 (p-value=0.092), while there were significant differences between these two plots (Plot 2 and Plot 3) with Plot 1 (p-value= 0.47 and 0.046). This study would provide basic information for future research in sustainable oil palm plantations management in Malaysia

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

Cladistic analysis of Psophocarpus Neck. ex DC. (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) based on morphological characters

AbstractPsophocarpus Neck. ex DC. (Leguminosae; Papilionoideae) is a genus of eight tropical African legume species and with a single cultivated Asian species P. tetragonolobus or the winged bean. Current increasing interest in the use of wild relatives as a source of adaptive traits for breeding has lead to an attempt to clarify the phylogenetic relationships within the genus. To test the monophyly of Psophorcarpus, a cladistics analysis was undertaken based on morphological characters recorded from herbarium specimens representing the nine species of Psophocapus with species of three related genera, Vigna, Otoptera and Dysolobium, as outgroups. The results indicated that the genus Psophocarpus is monophyletic and the nine species resolved into four subclades: subgen. Psophocarpus sect. Psophocarpus (P. palustris, P. tetragonolobus and P. scandens); subgen. Psophocarpus sect. Vignopsis (P. lancifolius and P. lukafuensis); subgen. Lophostigma (P. obovalis, P. monophyllus and P. lecomtei); and a new subgen. Longipedunculares (P. grandiflorus) which is herein proposed

Characterization of polyaniline–Ag–rGO nanocomposites for saprophytic and pathogenic Leptospira bacteria detection in water

This research aims to develop polyaniline (PANI)–Ag–rGO nanocomposite thin films to detect Saprophytic and Pathogenic Leptospira bacterias in water. The sol–gel method followed by a spin-coating technique was conducted in this work to synthesize nanocomposite thin films of PANI–Ag(1−x) –rGOx (x = 0.025, 0.050, 0.075, 0.100). The results revealed that PANI–Ag0.975–rGO0.025 thin film exhibited the most robust sensitivity, with the highest Ag concentration. The x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscope analysis confirmed the structure of the nanocomposites with Ag nanospheres. The atomic force microscope study showed greater surface roughness for the nanocomposites with high Ag concentrations. Furthermore, PANI–Ag0.975–rGO0.025 nanocomposite possessed the highest electrical conductivity (2.81 Scm−1), which resulted in the excellent detection of Leptospira bacteria in water