Nutrient contaminant on monitoring wells in agricultural areas of Kuala Langat, Selangor

Agricultural activities have become one of the prominent contributions to the level of groundwater quality. This paper aims to draw attention to the agricultural pollutants that are associated with the groundwater deterioration. The potential parameters distributions from agricultural areas into groundwater were found to be as nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, ammonia and phosphorous. MWD5 monitoring well shows the highest nitrate concentration. The lowest nitrate concentration recorded was in BKLTW12 monitoring well where this station is located at the North of Kuala Langat Reserve Forest. The nutrients contaminants from agricultural areas were also calculated to determine the accumulation in groundwater according to the different depth of aquifers. It was found that shallow aquifer was more susceptible to pollutants from agricultural areas where the nutrients contaminant will decrease with the increasing of depth. The result shows that nitrate to be below the recommended level for raw water guidelines of Ministry of Health Malaysia except for MWD5 monitoring well. Meanwhile, only BKLTW16, and MWD5 monitoring wells shows exceeded recommended level for ammonia concentration

Co-producing a Research Agenda for Sustainable Palm Oil

The rise of palm oil as the world’s most consumed vegetable oil has coincided with exponential growth in palm oil research activity. Bibliometric analysis of research outputs reveals a distinct imbalance in the type of research being undertaken, notably a disproportionate focus on biofuel and engineering topics. Recognizing the expansion of oil palm agriculture across the tropics and the increasing awareness of environmental, social, and economic impacts, we seek to reorientate the existing research agenda toward one that addresses the most fundamental and urgent questions defined by the palm oil stakeholder community. Following consultation with 659 stakeholders from 38 countries, including palm oil growers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and researchers, the highest priority research questions were identified within 13 themes. The resulting 279 questions, including 26 ranked as top priority, reveal a diversity of environmental and social research challenges facing the industry, ranging from the ecological and ecosystem impacts of production, to the livelihoods of plantation workers and smallholder communities. Analysis of the knowledge type produced from these questions underscores a clear need for fundamental science programmes, and studies that involve the consultation of non-academic stakeholders to develop “transformative” solutions to the oil palm sector. Stakeholders were most aligned in their choice of priority questions across the themes of policy and certification related themes, and differed the most in environmental feedback, technology and smallholder related themes. Our recommendations include improved regional academic leadership and coordination, greater engagement with private and public stakeholders in Africa, and Central and South America, and enhanced collaborative efforts with researchers in the major consuming countries of India and China.The online survey and focus groups were funded by the Geran Kursi Endowmen MPOB-UKM Malaysia, and the Royal Geographical Society UK. The residential workshop was supported from by British Council and Academy Science Malaysia via the UK Newton Ungku-Omar Fund. ZD, JB, and MS are supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/K016407/1; http://lombok.nerc-hmtf.info/)

Hydrogeochemistry investigation on groundwater in Kuala Langat, Banting, Selangor

This paper emphasized the hydro geochemistry of groundwater in Banting, Kuala Langat, Selangor and the hydrogeological properties which contribute to the potential degrading of the quality of the groundwater. The groundwater characteristics in Banting, Kuala Langat, Selangor are influenced by aquifer types and the geomorphology of the area. Groundwater samples were collected at thirteen monitoring wells from February 2017 to January 2018. The thirteen selected monitoring wells for this study is scattered in agricultural areas. The investigation of groundwater measured the physical parameters which are total dissolved solid, electrical conductivity, salinity and chemical oxygen demands. Major ions such as chloride, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium bicarbonate and strontium were also calculated. Iron, manganese and zinc which are heavy metal elements together with phosphate, nitrate and sulfate were considered as inorganic parameters in this analysis. The groundwater samples have influences from the seawater intrusions as significantly high major ions concentration were detected. Non-point pollution from the agricultural practices does not deteriorate the groundwater quality even though the monitoring wells are located in agricultural areas. Groundwater sources in the current study are suitable for domestic use and agricultural irrigation

Characterization of detergent compatible protease from halophilic Virgibacillus sp CD6

A halophilic bacterium, Virgibacillus sp. strain CD6, was isolated from salted fish and its extracellular protease was characterized. Protease production was found to be highest when yeast extract was used as nitrogen source for growth. The protease exhibited stability at wide range of salt concentration (0–12.5%, w/v), temperatures (20–60 °C), and pH (4–10) with maximum activity at 10.0% (w/v) NaCl, 60 °C, pH 7 and 10, indicating its polyextremophilicity. The protease activity was enhanced in the presence of Mg2+, Mn2+, Cd2+, and Al3+ (107–122% relative activity), and with retention of activity > 80% for all of other metal ions examined (K+, Ca2+, Cu2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, and Fe3+). Both PMSF and EDTA inhibited protease activity, denoting serine protease and metalloprotease properties, respectively. High stability (> 70%) was demonstrated in the presence of organic solvents and detergent constituents, and the extracellular protease from strain CD6 was also found to be compatible in commercial detergents. Proteinaceous stain removal efficacy revealed that crude protease of strain CD6 could significantly enhance the performance of commercial detergent. The protease from Virgibacillus sp. strain CD6 could serve as a promising alternative for various applications, especially in detergent industry

Analysis of the electromagnetic field (EMF) distribution on the human body due to earth’s potential rise (EPR) of different types of soil

This paper investigates the magnetostatic properties of Earth’s Potential Rise (EPR) distribution caused by a direct lightning strike on the ground, taking into account the specific characteristics of different parts of the human body. The study includes various soil parameters and considers different distances between objects and striking points. To simulate these conditions, a designed model was used in conjunction with finite element software (ANSYS). The simulation results show that lightning striking the soil can significantly increase the current potential around the attachment point, extending to distant parts of the earth due to soil conductivity. To evaluate the potential impact on the human body, the study analyzed the values of the Electromagnetic Field (EMF) and EPR distributions, which can cause injuries or fatalities. Understanding these effects is crucial for developing effective grounding and lightning protection systems. Public safety measures should also be disseminated to reduce the risks posed to humanity. The results of the analysis demonstrate that different soil factors influence the human body in distinct ways. This information can be used to develop more effective safety measures and improve the protection of human life from lightning strikes

Vibriosis in fish: a review on disease development and prevention

Current growth in aquaculture production is parallel with the increasing number of disease outbreaks, which negatively affect the production, profitability, and sustainability of global aquaculture industry. Vibriosis is among the most common diseases that leads to massive mortality of cultured shrimp, fish, and shellfish in Asia. High incidence of vibriosis can occur in hatchery and growing‐out facilities, but juveniles are more susceptible to the disease. Various factors, particularly the source of fish, the environmental factors including water quality and farm management and the virulence factors of Vibrio influence the occurrence. Affected fish show weariness with necrosis of skin and appendages leading to body malformation, slow growth, internal organ liquefaction, blindness, muscle opacity, and mortality. Combination of control measures, particularly the disease‐free source of fish, biosecurity of the farm, improved water quality and other preventive measures such as vaccination might be able to control the infection. While some control measures are expensive and less practical, vaccination is effective, relatively cheap and easily implemented. In this review, latest knowledge on the pathogenesis and control of vibriosis, including vaccination are discussed