Dr. LADA: diagnosing black pepper pest and diseases with decision tree

Malaysia has the distinction of being the world’s fifth largest pepper producer country whereby 98% of the country's annual production comes from the State of Sarawak. However, crop loss due to pest and disease incidence has been identified as one of the major pepper production constraints. Inefficient advisory mechanism and assistance from extension staff due to technical and logistic limitations have hindered the pest and disease diagnosis effort for pepper. Currently, extension staff from MPB will have to travel to the rural farms when contacted, or during their visits to advice or treat the plants. Therefore, “DR. LADA”, was jointly developed by Malaysian Pepper Board and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia to diagnose six pests and ten diseases of pepper which commonly found in Malaysia and recommends appropriate management measures to solve the problems. This an interactive android-based mobile app used an inference engine utilises the forward-backward chaining methods to trigger the correct output from decision tree that inter-relates the expert rules which extracted and validated by Malaysian Pepper Board experts. Dr. LADA is a native mobile app develop on a java-based platform which provides fast performance, high degree of reliability and can be used without any internet connection. The app has been tested with 10 case studies carried out by Malaysian Pepper Board and scored 97% of accuracy. Having Dr. LADA, user can identify problems by answering a series of questions from symptoms shown by several plant parts. Therefore, the dependency of farmers on extension staff are reduced, and indirectly minimizing the extension activity costs

Genetic diversity of acacia mangium plus tree (superbulk) using est-ssr molecular marker

The application of biotechnology in forest plantation industry is getting more popular over the last decades and many researches have been conducted to develop marker-assisted selection for tree improvement programme in Malaysia. However, to date, marker assisted selection has not yet widely implemented in Sarawak and conventional breeding would take years to select the best characteristics in trees. Thus, this study was conducted to look into the effectiveness in using Expressed Sequenced Tag derived Simple Sequence Repeats (EST-SSRs) marker to estimate the distribution of genotypes and allele polymorphism of Acacia mangium superbulk populations in Sarawak; to determine the relationship or correlation between genetic variation of these populations to environmental and physiological factors and to determine the genetic differentiation of the Acacia mangium superbulk populations in comparison with other Acacia species. In this study, 93 fresh young leaf samples were collected from three different areas, namely Similajau (Borneo Tree Seeds Seedlings Supply Sdn Bhd. (BTSSSB), Bintulu (DAIKEN) and Kota Samarahan (UNIMAS arboretum) and total genomic DNA of the samples were extracted using modified CTAB method. Thirteen EST-SSR markers were chosen to determine the genetic diversity of A. mangium superbulk and fragment analysis was conducted by using ABI PRISM® 3100 Genetic Analyzer and Genemapper™ Version 4.0 software (Applied Biosystems, USA). Statistical analysis performed using PowerMarker software over 13 polymorphic loci revealed that the mean expected heterozygosity or He for the three populations was 0.432 and polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 0.398, respectively. Borneo Tree Seeds Seedlings Supply Sdn. Bhd. population showed the highest level of genetic diversity (N = 40; He = 0.474; PIC = 0.432) compared to Daiken (N = 40; He = 0.458; PIC = 0.429) and UNIMAS Arboretum N = 13; He = 0.364; PIC = 0.333). Mean FST xii ranged from 0.411 to 0.533 which indicates that the surplus of homozygotes generally occur within these populations. This might be due to inbreeding factor or partial selfing in A. mangium superbulk populations and Mean GST value of 0.038 further revealed that a low gene differentiation between all populations (at 3.8%), which signifies that these populations are genetically similar to each other. UPGMA dendogram was also constructed on the A. mangium superbulk populations and it revealed that the three populations belong to the same cluster, with BTSSSB and Daiken populations have the highest similarity coefficient (0.890). Future studies should look into thebreeding patterns in Acacia plus tree populations; the effect of silvicultural regimes in forest plantations to the genetic structure of Acacia species; and the effect of interaction between temporal variations in outcrossing rates with temporal and spatial variations in seedling selection towards genetic structure of Acacia specie

Applications Of Genomics To Acacia Mangium Plus Trees (Superbulk) And Acacia Hybrid Tree Improvement For Wood Quality

Acacia mangium superbulk and Acacia hybrid genetics and genomics studies are getting much attention because of its economical and ecological importance as well as scientific interest. Genomic information including genome sequence and expressed sequence tags (ESTs) is essential to understand the genes that control traits that are relevant to breeding and tree improvement programmes. The objectives of this study were to (a) determine the genetic diversity of Acacia mangium superbulk using expressed sequence tag derived short sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers, and (b) analyse polymorphism of gene (i.e. cellulose synthase) related to wood density of Acacia spp using Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic sequence (CAPS). EST-SSRs are embedded in functional gene sequences and the markers may lead to the identification of genes controlling these traits [4]. Although EST-SSR markers are less polymorphic than genomic SSR markers, they are more useful in the assessment of functional diversity and comparative mapping while genomic SSRs are superior for fingerprinting and variety identification studies (Varshney et al., 2005). In the present study, 93 fresh young leaf samples were collected from 3 different areas, namely Similajau (Borneo Tree Seeds Seedlings Supply Sdn Bhd.-BTSSSB), Bintulu (DAIKEN) and Kota Samarahan (UNIMAS arboretum) and 13 EST-SSR markers were chosen for determining the genetic diversity of A. mangium superbulk. Total genomic DNA was isolated from fresh leaves of A. mangium superbulk using a modified CTAB method. Fragment analysis was conducted by using ABI PRISM® 3100 Genetic Analyzer and Genemapper™ Version 4.0 software (Applied Biosystems, USA). The genotype data was then analysed using PowerMarker software to determine the genetic diversity of A. mangium superbulk. A. mangium superbulk collected from BTSSSB showed the highest level of genetic diversity (N = 40; He = 0.474; PIC = 0.432) compared to Daiken (N = 40; He = 0.458; PIC = 0.429) and UNIMAS Arboretum N = 13; He = 0.364; PIC = 0.333) with an average of 0.432 and 0.398 for He and PIC, respectively detected in the present study. This result was comparable to the genetic diversity estimated for 11 populations of A. mangium in Pacific regions with the mean expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.081 as revealed by using isozyme markers [6]. A. mangium superbulk is the improved material or second generation of A. mangium whose properties and characters have been improved through many years of selected planting by BTSSSB in Similajau, Sarawak. The original seed sources were obtained from the CSIRO first generation seedlings and seed orchards of A. mangium in North Queensland

The potential for applying 'Nonviolent Communication' in conservation science

The role of a conservation scientist has never been more challenging. Amidst the rapid degradation occurring across Earth's natural ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, conservation scientists must learn new and effective ways to build trust and engage with the wider community. Here, we discuss the potential utility of a particular communication technique, Nonviolent Communication (also known as Compassionate Communication or Collaborative Communication), in conservation science. Nonviolent Communication is a structured form of communication, developed in the 1960s by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, that seeks to foster interpersonal understanding and connection through communication of judgment-free observations, recognition of people's feelings, needs and values, and requests for specific actions to meet those needs. It has delivered positive outcomes in diverse fields such as prisoner reform, health science, and social work, and holds great promise for conservation applications. While there is no single communication strategy that resonates with all people, we argue that Nonviolent Communication could be used by conservation scientists and practitioners when communicating with colleagues, politicians, and the general public about important and sometimes contentious environmental issues.</p

Efficacy of interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir compared with remdesivir alone in hospitalised adults with COVID-19: a double-bind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

Functional impairment of interferon, a natural antiviral component of the immune system, is associated with the pathogenesis and severity of COVID-19. We aimed to compare the efficacy of interferon beta-1a in combination with remdesivir compared with remdesivir alone in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 63 hospitals across five countries (Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, and the USA). Eligible patients were hospitalised adults (aged ≥18 years) with SARS-CoV-2 infection, as confirmed by a positive RT-PCR test, and who met one of the following criteria suggestive of lower respiratory tract infection: the presence of radiographic infiltrates on imaging, a peripheral oxygen saturation on room air of 94% or less, or requiring supplemental oxygen. Patients were excluded if they had either an alanine aminotransferase or an aspartate aminotransferase concentration more than five times the upper limit of normal; had impaired renal function; were allergic to the study product; were pregnant or breast feeding; were already on mechanical ventilation; or were anticipating discharge from the hospital or transfer to another hospital within 72 h of enrolment. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intravenous remdesivir as a 200 mg loading dose on day 1 followed by a 100 mg maintenance dose administered daily for up to 9 days and up to four doses of either 44 μg interferon beta-1a (interferon beta-1a group plus remdesivir group) or placebo (placebo plus remdesivir group) administered subcutaneously every other day. Randomisation was stratified by study site and disease severity at enrolment. Patients, investigators, and site staff were masked to interferon beta-1a and placebo treatment; remdesivir treatment was given to all patients without masking. The primary outcome was time to recovery, defined as the first day that a patient attained a category 1, 2, or 3 score on the eight-category ordinal scale within 28 days, assessed in the modified intention-to-treat population, defined as all randomised patients who were classified according to actual clinical severity. Safety was assessed in the as-treated population, defined as all patients who received at least one dose of the assigned treatment. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04492475. Between Aug 5, 2020, and Nov 11, 2020, 969 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group (n=487) or to the placebo plus remdesivir group (n=482). The mean duration of symptoms before enrolment was 8·7 days (SD 4·4) in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group and 8·5 days (SD 4·3) days in the placebo plus remdesivir group. Patients in both groups had a time to recovery of 5 days (95% CI not estimable) (rate ratio of interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group vs placebo plus remdesivir 0·99 [95% CI 0·87–1·13]; p=0·88). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of mortality at 28 days was 5% (95% CI 3–7%) in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group and 3% (2–6%) in the placebo plus remdesivir group (hazard ratio 1·33 [95% CI 0·69–2·55]; p=0·39). Patients who did not require high-flow oxygen at baseline were more likely to have at least one related adverse event in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group (33 [7%] of 442 patients) than in the placebo plus remdesivir group (15 [3%] of 435). In patients who required high-flow oxygen at baseline, 24 (69%) of 35 had an adverse event and 21 (60%) had a serious adverse event in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group compared with 13 (39%) of 33 who had an adverse event and eight (24%) who had a serious adverse event in the placebo plus remdesivir group. Interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir was not superior to remdesivir alone in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients who required high-flow oxygen at baseline had worse outcomes after treatment with interferon beta-1a compared with those given placebo. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (USA)