Fungi found in Mediterranean and North Sea sponges : How specific are they?

Fungi and other eukaryotes represent one of the last frontiers of microbial diversity in the sponge holobiont. In this study we employed pyrosequencing of 18S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons containing the V7 and V8 hypervariable regions to explore the fungal diversity of seven sponge species from the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. For most sponges, fungi were present at a low relative abundance averaging 0.75% of the 18S rRNA gene reads. In total, 44 fungal OTUs (operational taxonomic units) were detected in sponges, and 28 of these OTUs were also found in seawater. Twentytwo of the sponge-associated OTUs were identified as yeasts (mainly Malasseziales), representing 84% of the fungal reads. Several OTUs were related to fungal sequences previously retrieved from other sponges, but all OTUs were also related to fungi from other biological sources, such as seawater, sediments, lakes and anaerobic digesters. Therefore our data, supported by currently available data, point in the direction of mostly accidental presence of fungi in sponges and do not support the existence of a sponge-specific fungal community

Composting of food waste and its product performance on ipomoea aquatica

Food wastage is a serious problem reported currently, and their disposal at landfills caused environmental problems such as leachate and odour. Apart from being disposed, FW is biodegradable, and hence it can be treated through composting. Composting involves the activity of microbes to convert the FW into compost which can be used as organic fertiliser. While most of the previous studies focused on one type of composting method, the comparison between two methods to determine the efficient one in producing good quality compost is scarce. Hence, this study aimed to compare the physicochemical parameters of FW in conventional and spinning barrel composting method. Physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, moisture content except for C/N ratio) were measured every three days interval throughout 30 composting days and analysed using SPSS. For the results, only moisture content differed significantly between both methods in which spinning barrel reach an optimum range of 54.61% in the end. The FW compost from both composting methods was then combined for application on I. aquatica. Four fertilisation treatments; control, NPK fertiliser, FW compost and combination of NPK fertiliser + FW compost were used to measure and compare the growth of I. aquatica in determining the best fertilisation treatment by looking at growth parameters (height, number of leaves and leaf width). The growth parameters were measured weekly for five weeks, and data were analysed using SASS. It was found that the best fertilisation treatment was the combination of NPK fertiliser + FW compost that recorded a better growth of I. aquatica (significant tallest height, the highest number of leaves and largest leaf width) most probably due to the synergetic effect of nutrients released from both fertilisers. To conclude, apart from reducing the FW disposed at landfills, composting also produce a valuable end product known as compost which can be used in combined with NPK fertiliser to promote the planting of I. aquatica

Diversity of cultivable bacteria by strategic enrichment isolated from farmed edible red seaweed, Gracilaria sp.

Research on bacteria associated with various red seaweed species are emerging due to the interest to understand bacteria-seaweed interaction and functional roles of bacteria in a seaweed environment. Edible red seaweed, Gracilaria sp. is farmed primarily in China, followed by Indonesia and Malaysia but little is known on its associated bacteria and potential functions. This study aimed to isolate and identify cultivable bacteria from extracts of seaweed samples collected from a seaweed cultivation farm in Kedah, Malaysia. The results are hoped to provide insights into beneficial bacteria that exist in the farmed seaweed environment. Through cultivation on strategic enrichment media, 18 isolates OTUs were identified from bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. These phyla are ubiquitous in seawater and some isolates were homologous to bacteria in marine host cluster. Further investigation on these isolates is hoped to reveal how the isolated bacteria can be beneficial in a seaweed environment or for other biodiscoverie

Isolation and identification of 3-chloropropionic acid degrading bacterium from marine sponge

Synthetic haloalkanoic acids often applied as active components in herbicides are toxic to the environment and harmful to the living organisms. These compounds are widely released to the environment due to their routine use by agricultural activities. In recent years, accumulation of haloalkanoic acids was emerged in marine environment. In this study, a 3CP-degrading bacterium which designated as strain H4 was successfully isolated from marine sponge Gelliodes sp. that capable of degrading 3CP as the sole carbon and energy source. The bacteria growth on solid minimal media containing 3CP was the evident for the presence of dehalogenase enzyme. In liquid medium, the doubling time of the cells for strain H4 was 56.82 ± 0.1 h while the maximum chloride ion release was 2.03 ± 0.01 mM. The 16S rDNA sequence of strain H4 was obtained via 16s rRNA gene analysis (1000 bp) and it was closely related to Bacillus aryabhattai B8W22 (99% similarity). To the best of knowledge, this report is the first report detailing haloalkanoic acid degrading bacteria from marine sponge in coastal area of Malaysi

De novo transcriptome dataset of Stevia rebaudiana accession MS007

Stevia rebaudiana (S. rebaudiana) is a herbaceous and perennial plant belonging to Asteraceae family. The genus stevia is well known as a natural producer of sweetener comprising non-caloric and non-carcinogenic steviol glycosides. In recent years, the capability in producing natural sweetner has increased the demand for S. rebaudiana as substitute of processed sugars. Flowering phase of S. rebaudiana has shown to affect the content of steviol glycosides in the leaves. Steviol glycosides level is the highest at the time of flower bud formation and lowest at time preceding and following flower bud formation. Therefore, sequencing and analysing the genes that are involved in flowering phase will provide platform for gene manipulation in increasing steviol glycosides content. The Stevia transcriptome data that include two stages of growth (before flowering and after flowering), were obtained using Illumina RNA-seq technology and can be accessed at NCBI Sequence Read Archive under Accession No. SRX6362785 and SRX6362784

E-Wallet Models: An Appraisal of Shariah Related Issues

This paper aims to evaluate the existing e-wallet business models and to provide a preliminary analysis of Sharia issues, specifically related to the relationship of the involved parties in the contract (operators, customers, and third parties). As e-wallet is also a critical enabler to increase financial inclusion among the different levels of society members (richer and poor), thus there is an increasing need to analyze the existing e-wallet models and their practices. The final aims are to preserve all parties’ rights and support the policymakers to structure e-wallet parameters that comply with Islamic law. This paper adopts qualitative research approaches, specifically content analysis and interviews. The data collection includes, among others, document reviews, interviews, and observations. The paper evaluates four e-wallet models in Malaysia and analyzes arising Sharia issues from those models. In the models, several Sharia issues can be found, which are related to the contracts used, the status of funds held by e-wallet providers, deposits in banks, and revenue generation. Findings from this paper serve as a basis for scholars and policymakers to provide guidelines for Sharia-compliant e-wallets. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi model bisnis dompet elektronik yang ada dan memberikan analisis awal tentang masalah syariah, khususnya terkait dengan hubungan pihak-pihak yang terlibat dalam kontrak (operator, pelanggan dan pihak ketiga). Karena dompet elektronik juga merupakan faktor penting untuk meningkatkan inklusi keuangan di antara berbagai tingkat anggota masyarakat (kaya dan miskin), maka ada peningkatan kebutuhan untuk menganalisis model dompet elektronik yang ada dan praktiknya. Tujuan akhirnya adalah untuk menjaga hak semua pihak dan mendukung pembuat kebijakan untuk menyusun parameter dompet elektronik yang sesuai dengan hukum Islam. Tulisan ini mengadopsi pendekatan penelitian kualitatif, khususnya analisis isi dan wawancara. Pengumpulan data meliputi telaah dokumen, wawancara, dan observasi. Tulisan ini mengevaluasi empat model dompet elektronik di Malaysia dan menganalisis masalah syariah yang muncul dari model tersebut. Ada beberapa masalah syariah yang dapat ditemukan dari model-model tersebut, yaitu terkait dengan akad yang digunakan, status dana yang dipegang oleh penyedia dompet elektronik, status simpanan di bank dan perolehan pendapatan. Temuan dari makalah ini dapat digunakan sebagai dasar bagi para sarjana dan pembuat kebijakan untuk memberikan pedoman dompet elektronik yang sesuai syariah

Complete whole genome sequencing of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain UMP001VA, isolated from sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota from Malaysia harbouring blaCARB-33 gene

Pathogenic strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus found in marine and coastal ecosystems can cause infections in marine animals. Increasing antibiotic resistance reported in Vibrio species may be linked to environmental contamination. Here, we present a 4.99-Mbp complete genome sequence of V. parahaemolyticus strain UMP001VA, a Gram-negative bacterium that was isolated from the gut content of a sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota collected from Pulau Rhu, Terengganu, Malaysia. The whole genome sequencing was performed using hybrid de novo assembly using Illumina and the Oxford Nanopore Technology platforms. The genome analysis reported a total length of 4,991,208 bp of V. parahaemolyticus genome sequences with 45.3 % GC content. The functional annotation of the genome showcased that 56 genes of V. parahaemolyticus were associated with virulence, disease, and defence function. Virulence factors found in H. leucospilota were related to T3SS1, together with the presence of blaCARB-33 antibiotic resistance gene conferring ampicillin, piperacillin, and amoxicillin drug resistance were reported. The presence of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes reveals the considerable pathogenic potential of V. parahaemolyticus in sea cucumbers. Therefore, the whole genome sequencing presented here provides a fundamental genome insight for future assessment of V. parahaemolyticus in marine organisms