Antioxidant activity in different parts of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) extracts and potential exploitation of the seeds.

The calyx of the roselle plant has long been recognised as a source of antioxidants. The objective of this study was to evaluate antioxidant activity, free radical-scavenging and total phenolic content in other parts of the roselle plant. Roselle seed extracts were found to have the highest antioxidant activity and strongest radical-scavenging activity of all plants tested. Methanol extracts showed a positive correlation between phenolic content and antioxidant activity, as measured by β-carotene bleaching assay and DPPH radical-scavenging activity. The antioxidant efficacy of roselle seeds in a whole food system was investigated by testing the effect on lipid oxidation in cooked beef patties stored at 4 °C for 14 days. Results showed that patties treated with roselle seeds had reduced lipid oxidation compared to patties treated with BHT. This study suggests that roselle seeds have the potential to be used as food antioxidants

Cleaner technologies adoption: Outcomes of E&F manufacturing SMEs sustainability

In recent years, the importance of the environmental agenda for the industry has been rising exponentially at the international level. Additionally, increasing consumers’ awareness on the environmental impact of their consumption choices and their willingness to reduce their ecological footprint has created new market opportunities for manufacturers. Sustainable green practices have become the conscientious imperative expected from all manufacturing industries due to rising environmental awareness among today’s society.Therefore, the objectives of this research were to determine the extent of green initiatives implementation in Electrical and Electronics (E&E) manufacturing SMEs as well as to examine the relationship between those practices and sustainable green practices.The quantitative data was obtained through a survey of 260 E&E manufacturing SMEs located throughout Malaysia. Analysis of the findings showed that there is an encouraging level of sustainable green practice implementation among the SMEs, with optimization of water conservation initiative as being the top priority and followed by energy efficiency.The result also revealed that waste management initiative not significantly affected sustainable green practices.The findings of this research provide new directions for future research and key implications concern the importance for firms and policymakers to work with sustainability issues using both internal and external perspectives

Characterizing haploinsufficiency of SHELL gene to improve fruit form prediction in introgressive hybrids of oil palm

The fundamental trait in selective breeding of oil palm (Eleais guineensis Jacq.) is the shell thickness surrounding the kernel. The monogenic shell thickness is inversely correlated to mesocarp thickness, where the crude palm oil accumulates. Commercial thin-shelled tenera derived from thick-shelled dura × shell-less pisifera generally contain 30% higher oil per bunch. Two mutations, shᴹᴾᴼᴮ (M1) and shAVROS (M2) in the SHELL gene – a type II MADS-box transcription factor mainly present in AVROS and Nigerian origins, were reported to be responsible for different fruit forms. In this study, we have tested 1,339 samples maintained in Sime Darby Plantation using both mutations. Five genotype-phenotype discrepancies and eight controls were then re-tested with all five reported mutations (shAVROS, shᴹᴾᴼᴮ, shᴹᴾᴼᴮ², shᴹᴾᴼᴮ ³ and shᴹᴾᴼᴮ⁴) within the same gene. The integration of genotypic data, pedigree records and shell formation model further explained the haploinsufficiency effect on the SHELL gene with different number of functional copies. Some rare mutations were also identified, suggesting a need to further confirm the existence of cis-compound mutations in the gene. With this, the prediction accuracy of fruit forms can be further improved, especially in introgressive hybrids of oil palm. Understanding causative variant segregation is extremely important, even for monogenic traits such as shell thickness in oil palm

Green Initiatives Adoption: Perspective of E&E Manufacturing SMEs Sustainability

In recent years, the importance of the environmental agenda for the industry has been rising exponentially at the international level. Additionally, increasing consumers' awareness on the environmental impact of their consumption choices and their willingness to reduce their ecological footprint has created new market opportunities for manufacturers. Sustainable green practices have become the conscientious imperative expected from all manufacturing industries due to rising environmental awareness among today's society. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to determine the extent of green initiatives implementation in Electrical and Electronics (E&E) manufacturing SMEs as well as to examine the relationship between those practices and sustainable green practices. The quantitative data was obtained through a survey of 260 E&E manufacturing SMEs located throughout Malaysia. Analysis of the findings showed that there is an encouraging level of sustainable green practice implementation among the SMEs, with optimization of water conservation initiative as being the top priority and followed by energy efficiency. The result also revealed that waste management initiative not significantly affected sustainable green practices. The findings of this research provide new directions for future research and key implications concern the importance for firms and policymakers to work with sustainability issues using both internal and external perspectives

Characterizing haploinsufficiency of SHELL gene to improve fruit form prediction in introgressive hybrids of oil palm

The fundamental trait in selective breeding of oil palm (Eleais guineensis Jacq.) is the shell thickness surrounding the kernel. The monogenic shell thickness is inversely correlated to mesocarp thickness, where the crude palm oil accumulates. Commercial thin-shelled tenera derived from thick-shelled dura × shell-less pisifera generally contain 30% higher oil per bunch. Two mutations, shᴹᴾᴼᴮ (M1) and shAVROS (M2) in the SHELL gene – a type II MADS-box transcription factor mainly present in AVROS and Nigerian origins, were reported to be responsible for different fruit forms. In this study, we have tested 1,339 samples maintained in Sime Darby Plantation using both mutations. Five genotype-phenotype discrepancies and eight controls were then re-tested with all five reported mutations (shAVROS, shᴹᴾᴼᴮ, shᴹᴾᴼᴮ², shᴹᴾᴼᴮ ³ and shᴹᴾᴼᴮ⁴) within the same gene. The integration of genotypic data, pedigree records and shell formation model further explained the haploinsufficiency effect on the SHELL gene with different number of functional copies. Some rare mutations were also identified, suggesting a need to further confirm the existence of cis-compound mutations in the gene. With this, the prediction accuracy of fruit forms can be further improved, especially in introgressive hybrids of oil palm. Understanding causative variant segregation is extremely important, even for monogenic traits such as shell thickness in oil palm

Prognostic Value of Leucocyte Telomere Length in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: Leucocyte telomere length (LTL) has been described as a marker of biological age, endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. The association between LTL and clinical characteristics of Asian patients, and their outcomes following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been inconclusive. Objective: To investigate the relationship between LTL and developing AMI, the association of LTL with inpatient and 30-day mortality, and the comparison to LTL with established AMI risk scores in predicting these outcomes. Methodology: 100 patients aged 30-70 years admitted with an AMI to a tertiary referral center between May-Oct 2017 were enrolled; these were matched with 100 non-AMI ('healthy') controls for gender and age (+/- 1 year). Clinical data was obtained prospectively; inpatient and 30-day outcomes documented. LTL was reflected by a well described variable called a tis ratio (TSR). The TSR was measured at enrolment using a quantitative PCR-based methods (qPCR) and results blinded to the clinician

Long run performance of initial public offerings in Singapore.

This report analyses the three-year price movements of newly issued stocks in Singapore. A comparison between the respective offer prices are made to the observed prices

Promotional programme for Healthway Medical Group

The pupose of this paper is to determine the reasons for the decline in Healthway Medical Group's (HMG) patient figures in the year 2002.Bachelor of Communication Studie

Genotype Shift of Malaysian Porcine Circovirus 2 (PCV2) from PCV2b to PCV2d within a Decade

This paper aims to update the molecular status of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) in Malaysia. Firstly, the molecular detection rate of PCV2 in farm and sampled pig population were reported to be 83.78% (31/37 farms) and 83.54% (66/79 pigs) positive for PCV2, respectively. PCV2 was detected across all age groups, from fetuses, porkers to sows. Co-detection of PCV2 and PCV3 antigens was also reported at a rate of 28.77% (21/73). Secondly, PCV2 antigen was also detected in Malaysian abattoir lung samples: 18 out of 19 (94.74%) samples originating from clinically healthy finishers were tested positive. Further, this is the first study to confirm the circulation of PCV2 in the wild boar population roaming Peninsular Malaysia, where 28 out of 28 (100%) wild boar lung samples were found positive. One decade earlier, only genotype PCV2b was reported in Malaysia. This most recent update revealed that genotypes PCV2a, PCV2b and PCV2d were present, with PCV2d being the predominant circulating genotype. PCV2 cap gene nucleotide sequences in this study were found to be under negative selection pressure, with an estimated substitution rate of 1.102 × 10−3 substitutions/site/year (ssy)

Complete chloroplast genome data of Shorea macrophylla (Engkabang): Structural features, comparative and phylogenetic analysis

Shorea macrophylla belongs to the Shorea genus under the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is a woody tree that grows in the rainforest in Southeast Asia. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of S. macrophylla is reported here. The genomic size of S. macrophylla is 150,778 bp and it possesses a circular structure with conserved constitute regions of large single copy (LSC, 83,681 bp) and small single copy (SSC, 19,813 bp) regions, as well as a pair of inverted repeats with a length of 23,642 bp. It has 112 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. The genome exhibits a similar GC content, gene order, structure, and codon usage when compared to previously reported chloroplast genomes from other plant species. The chloroplast genome of S. macrophylla contained 262 SSRs, the most prevalent of which was A/T, followed by AAT/ATT. Furthermore, the sequences contain 43 long repeat sequences, practically most of them are forward or palindrome type long repeats. The genome structure of S. macrophylla was compared to the genomic structures of closely related species from the same family, and eight mutational hotspots were discovered. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a close relationship between Shorea and Parashorea species, indicating that Shorea is not monophyletic. The complete chloroplast genome sequence analysis of S. macrophylla reported in this paper will contribute to further studies in molecular identification, genetic diversity, and phylogenetic research