Bermuda grass latent virus in Australia: genome sequence, sequence variation, and new hosts

Bermuda grass latent virus (BGLV; genus Panicovirus) is identified for the first time in Australia and in only the second country after the USA. A full-length genome sequence was obtained, which has 97% nucleotide sequence identity to that of the species exemplar isolate. Surveys for BGLV, utilising a newly designed universal panicovirus RT-PCR assay for diagnosis, demonstrated widespread infection by this virus in a broad variety of Bermuda grass cultivars (Cynodon dactylon and C. dactylon × C. transvaalensis) grown in both New South Wales and Queensland. The virus was also detected in Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) and Kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus), which are both important pasture grasses in subtropical Australia, and the latter is also grown as turf. Furthermore, the Rhodes grass plant, which had strong mosaic symptoms, was also infected with sugarcane mosaic virus, warranting further investigations as to whether synergistic interactions occur between these two viruses

Profiling the differentially expressed genes in two rice varieties during rapid grain-filling stages

Grain filling is an important agronomic trait, which directly affects the final yield of rice. Partially filled and empty rice grains are among the factors that limit the yield of MR219, one of the highest yielding rice varieties in Malaysia. In this study, the NSF 20 K rice oligonucleotide array, which contains 20,000 70-mer oligonucleotide probes, was used for direct comparison of the transcriptomes of MR219 and MR84 (a rice variety that has higher percentage of filled grains compared to MR219), during rapid grain-filling period at 5 and 10 days after fertilization (DAF). A total of 155 and 233 genes were differentially expressed in MR219 compared to MR84 at 5 and 10 DAF, respectively; and 9 of these expression ratios were tested using quantitative real-time RT PCR. Among the differentially expressed genes identified were those encoding hexokinase, various sugar transporters, GSDL-like lipase/acylhydrolase, brassinosteroid-insensitive 1-associated receptor kinase 1 precursor and homeobox protein GLABRA2, which were analyzed by real-time RT PCR in this study. The differences demonstrated by these genes in their transcript levels and profiles, between the two rice varieties understudied at different stages of grain filling may contribute to the formulation of hypotheses toward the understanding of poor percentage of filled grains in MR219

What Do Men Want from a Health Screening Mobile App? A Qualitative Study.

There is a lack of mobile app which aims to improve health screening uptake developed for men. As part of the study to develop an effective mobile app to increase health screening uptake in men, we conducted a needs assessment to find out what do men want from a health screening mobile app. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 31 men from a banking institution in Kuala Lumpur. The participants were purposely sampled according to their job position, age, ethnicity and screening status. The recruitment was stopped once data saturation was achieved. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic approach. Three themes emerged from the analysis and they were: content, feature and dissemination. In terms of the content, men wanted the app to provide information regarding health screening and functions that can assess their health; which must be personalized to them and are trustable. The app must have user-friendly features in terms of information delivery, ease of use, attention allocation and social connectivity. For dissemination, men proposed that advertisements, recommendations by health professionals, providing incentive and integrating the app as into existing systems may help to increase the dissemination of the app. This study identified important factors that need to be considered when developing a mobile app to improve health screening uptake. Future studies on mobile app development should elicit users' preference and need in terms of its content, features and dissemination strategies to improve the acceptability and the chance of successful implementation

Negotiating global tourism: localism and difference in Southeast Asian theme parks

10.1016/B978-0-08-043695-1.50013-3Interconnected Worlds: Tourism in Southeast Asia137-15

Theme Parks in Singapore

Tourism Management and Policy: Perspectives from Singapore233-25

From Tiger Balm Gardens to Dragon World: philanthropy and profit in the making of Singapore's first cultural theme park

10.2307/490966Geografiska Annaler. Series B. Human Geography78127-4

Strategies to meet the challenges of theme parks in Singapore

Pacific Tourism Review53-497-11

Intimations of Postmodernity in Dark Tourism: The Fate of History at Fort Siloso, Singapore

10.2167/jtcc082.0Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change5128-4