Evaluation of the detection techniques of toxigenic Aspergillus isolates

Aflatoxins are difuranocoumarin derivatives produced by some Aspergillus species through a polyketide pathway. Mycotoxins are considered hazardous and there is a need for accurate detection of each toxin. Several screening methods for direct visual determination of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A (OTA) production have been reported. These methods rely on using different types of coconut culture media, methylated â-cyclodextrin and ammonium hydroxide vapour tests. However, our results showed that use of these  techniques were not sufficiently sensitive for all Aspergillus species and suggested a simple thin layer  chromatography (TLC) as a sensitive and reliable technique for detection of aflatoxins and OTA produced by Aspergillus and Eurotium species.Key words: Aspergillus, Eurotium, Mycotoxins detection, thin layer chromatography

Identification of Phytophthora spp. from perennial crops in Malaysia, its pathogenicity and cross-pathogenicity

Phytophthora is one of the most important plant pathogens of perennial crops in the tropics. This study characterised the pathogen(s) responsible for cocoa black pod rot, rubber pod rot and durian stem canker. Eighteen Phytophthora isolates were collected from several states in Malaysia, namely Pahang, Johor and Selangor. A total of 12 Phytophthora palmivora and six Phytophthora nicotianae isolates were isolated and identified based on the morphological and molecular characteristics. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences enabled Phytophthora identification to species level. Inoculation of 18 isolates on detached leaves and unripen cocoa pods successfully demonstrated the progressive development of lesions on its original host. Lesions were also observed in all wounded detached leaves of young durian (clone D24) and rubber (clone RRIM600) and unripen cocoa pods (clone BAL244) regardless of host and isolates. Phytophthora isolates from durian (DSCI) and rubber (R4A) used to inoculate cocoa pods exhibited lesion sizes of 11.6±0.75 and 9.6±0.64 mm, respectively. However, Phytophthora isolates from cocoa (CPR25) developed a longer length of lesion of 18.6±0.47 mm. On durian leaves, Phytophthora isolate from rubber (R4A) and cocoa (CPR25) recorded 11.73±1.04 and 5.22±0.57 mm length of lesion while Phytophthora isolates from durian (DSCB4) produced 13.13±1.29 mm lesion on its native host. Isolates from cocoa (CPR22) and durian (DSCE3) infected rubber leaves with 3.74±0.48 and 2.55±0.31 mm length of lesion, in comparison to rubber isolates (R1B) with 5.43±0.23 mm length of lesion. Differences in the length of lesion demonstrated higher level of virulence on the native host

A putative probiotic isolated from hatchery reared juvenile Penaeus monodon

Probiotic is considered as a remedy to solve disease problem in shrimp aquaculture. Shrimp body and environment bacterial flora are recommended as reliable source for extracting of beneficial bacteria. Therefore, 5000 pieces of post larvae of Penaeus monodon were distributed equally in 4 tanks in probiotic and antibiotic free condition up to juvenile. Then microbiological samples from digestive system, muscles, body surface, rearing water and tank sediment were inoculated onto the selective media plates. Incident of total bacteria, Vibrio, Pseudomonas and Entrobacteriaceae were evaluated in different body parts and rearing environment of shrimp. The highest bacteria count for total bacteria, Vibrio, Pseudomonas was occurred in sediment followed by digestive system. No Entrobacteriaceae was observed from all samples. Isolated bacteria were identified and placed in 7 genera consisted of Vibrio, Shewanella, Burkholderia, Clavibacter, Staphylococcus, Brevibacterium, Corynebacterium, while one genus remained unidentified. Genus Shewanella exhibited highest frequent bacteria in digestive system of P. monodon which may be indicated its ability to colonization in digestive system. Shewanella algae was selected from whole isolated bacteria as candidate probiotic via well plate diffusion technique and cross streak antagonistic test against Vibrio harveyi, V. parahaemolyticus and V. alginolyticus. It was able to digest lipid and protein in tributyrin agar and skim milk agar

The modelling and designing of E-Supervised (E-SUV) for distance learning centre

E-services is a suite of web-based products brings profound changes in business models and value chains especially for Professional and Continuing Education Centre (PACE) environment due to its responsibility to manage all courses provided by every faculty to private colleges.PACE is currently running resourcefully but it is facing a few problems such as the difficulties of each faculty officer to get information about private colleges, and a lack of information management in private colleges itself.Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a model of e-service application called E-Supervised (E-SUV) to provide the information related to twinning programmes between Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and private colleges by enabling users to interact via portal by using the UML-based Web Engineering (UWE) approach.This methodology includes four modeling activities which are requirement analysis, conceptual model, navigation model and presentation model. This research results in a web-based environment consisting of major modules such as profiles, forums, and email service for users to utilize.In a nutshell, UWE approach is a viable option to facilitate e-services in education environment and thus could serve as a guideline model of future edistance learning centre.Rigorous tests to see how this model behaves under real-life practice would be a way forward to identifying its effectiveness

Plant host selectivity for multiplication of Glomus mosseae spore

The study aimed to select plant host for multiplication of Glomus mosseae spores. Five plant species were used [(corn, (Zea mays) sorghum, (Sorghum bicolor) lentil, (Lens culinaris), barley, (Hordeum vulgare) and green bean, (Phaseolus vulgaris)]. Plants were inoculated with Glomus mosseae and grown for 75 days under glasshouse conditions. Mycorrhizal sporulation and colonization of all plant hosts were assessed at different sampling periods. At 75 days of growth the highest number of Glomus mosseae spores was found in mycorrhizosphere of corn plant (167 spore/10 g soil), while the lowest in the mycorrhizosphere of barley (35 spore/10 g soil). The highest percentage of root colonization was in corn (76%), while the lowest colonization was found in green bean (24%). Corn was the most suitable host for spore production of Glomus mosseae and to extensive root colonization. It was recorded that plants having more colonization percentage were able to produce more Glomus mosseae spores. The study indicated that different plant species significantly influenced the root spore production and root colonization percentage of Glomus mosseae

Modified EDF Goodness of Fit Tests for Logistic Distribution under SRS and RSS

Modified forms of goodness of fit tests are presented for the logistic distribution using statistics based on the empirical distribution function (EDF). A method to improve the power of the modified EDF goodness of fit tests is introduced based on Ranked Set sampling (RSS). Data are collected via the Ranked Set Sampling (RSS) technique (McIntyre, 1952). Critical values for the logistic distribution with unknown parameters are provided and the powers of the tests are given for a number of alternative distributions. A simulation study is presented to illustrate the power of the new method

A review of Websites and Mobile Applications for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Towards Shared Guidelines

Many studies show the effective positive impact of using computer technologies to support the lives of users with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), for simplifying interaction with other people, for organising daily activities, for improving relation with family and friends. Despite that, only a restricted part of the current websites is accessible for people with ASD. In this paper, we discuss a set of guidelines that should be followed by designers while developing websites or mobile applications for users with ASD. We review many of the existing websites and applications in order to check which comply with all, or parts of these guidelines. We finally highlight current common limitations and address new challenging research directions. \ua9 ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2017

Pre-treatment of laundry greywater by steel slag for safe disposal

Direct discharge of laundry greywater without any water pre-treatment in the drainage system has become a common practice in Malaysia. The study aimed to utilise steel slag as an adsorbent material for commercial laundry shop runoff (CLSR) to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (TP). Optimisation of the pollutants removal efficiency in CSLR by steel slag used Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using independent variables; different percentages of CLSR with tap water and contact time. The highest removal efficiency obtained for COD was 54.49% at 100% CLSR with tap water and 60 minutes of contact time. TP removal efficiency was 45.45% at 10% CLSR with tap water and 90 minutes of contact time. Thus, steel slag can increase the pH value, reducing the COD and TP values from CLSR in a short period. Hence, steel slag has the potential to be included in the “pre-treatment” system for CLSR based on its performance at COD and TP removal efficiency. From RSM, the model F�value and P-value for COD and TP were 5.89 and 10.62, 0.0166 and 0.0036, respectively. These values validated that the model was significant. Therefore, the study can contribute to the safe disposal of untreated laundry greywater to minimise environmental degradation

Prediction and measurement of weld dilution in robotic CO2 arc welding

Weld dilution is an important feature of weld bead geometry that determines the mechanical and chemical properties of a welded joint. For robotic CO2 arc welding, several welding process parameters are reported to be controlling the dilution. This paper investigates the relationship between four of these process parameters and dilution by depositing ‘bead on plate’ robotic CO2 arc welds over mild steel plates. Two level four factor full factorial design method was used for conducting the experimental runs and linear regression models were developed accordingly. The adequacy of the models were tested by applying students ‘t’ test and the predicted values from the models were plotted against the observed values through scatter diagram. Results showed that the proposed two level full factorial empirical models could predict the weld dilution with reasonable accuracy and ensure uniform weld quality. It can be concluded that robotic CO2 arc welding is a very simple and effective tool for quantifying the main and interactive effects of welding parameters on dilution. Future works should focus in analyzing the influence of variable pure gasses as well as the gas mixture on dilution percentage in robotic arc welding

STUDENT’S MISTAKES IN SOLVING PROBLEM BASED ON WATSON’S CRITERIA AND LEARNING STYLE

This study aims to determine the types of errors students face when solving math problems. First, review the error types based on Watson's criteria and student learning styles. This study uses an explanatory sequential design model. Data analysis techniques include Quantitative data analysis techniques, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics. At the same time, the qualitative data analysis techniques include; data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The results showed that the errors based on Watson's criteria and learning styles obtained were based on student responses, including; Inappropriate Data 40%, Omitted Conclusion 20%, Response Level Conflict 40%, and Above Other 40%. Furthermore, the types of errors obtained in classroom learning include Inappropriate Data 25%, Omitted Conclusion 50%, and Skill Hierarchy Problems 25%. In the visual learning pattern, there are five error classes: Inappropriate Data 9%, Omitted Conclusion 55%, Response Level Conflict 18%, Skill Hierarchy Problem 27%, and Above Other 18%. Several factors influence the error, including; the decline in students' motivation, interest, and thinking skills. Efforts can be made to minimize student errors, including increasing practice on story questions and eliminating students' negative mindset towards learning mathematic