Morphology, flow cytometry and molecular assessment of ex-vitro grown micropropagated anthurium in comparison with seed germinated plants

Micropropagated and seed propagated plantlets of anthurium (Anthurium andreanum Lind. cv. CanCan) were transferred to similar field condition and growth stage. A comparative study was conducted using morphological parameters, ploidy level assessment as well as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The in vitro generated anthurium plants exhibited comparable vegetative growth and more sucker production when compared to plants propagated through seeds. No variation in ploidy level was established through flow cytometric study. Genetic assessment through ISSR showed no polymorphism in banding pattern. It was revealed that there was no significant variation between micropropagated and seed propagated plants at ploidy and molecular level assuring the trueness of the micropropagated anthurium clones and their commercial applicability.Key words: Anthurium andreanum Lind, Ex vitro performance, ISSR, morphological competence, ploidy level

Effect of feeding strategies on economy of milk production in small scale dairy production systems in the Thirunelvery area of the Jaffna district

The objectives of the study were to identify the local feeding strategies adopted by the small-scale dairy farms in selected areas of the Thirunelvely area of the Jaffna district and to determine its effect on economy of milk production. Using a structured questionnaire, information on milk yield, expenses incurred and income generated were gathered from S3 dairy farmers in the study area. Based on the information collected a cost benefit analysis was performed using the statistical package SAS. Samples of feeds used on the farm also were taken and chemical composition of feed samples were analysed. Eleven feedstuffs identified were grouped into: High fiber low protein (HFLP); High fiber high protein (HFHP) and Low fiber high protein (LFHP) feeds. Three feeding strategies were identified: strategy 1 used HFLP and LFHP; strategy 2 used HFLP and HFHP and strategy 3 HFLP, HFHP and LFHP feeds. Out of the 53 farms, 28.31 % followed strategy 1, 16.98 % followed strategy 2 and 54.71 % followed strategy 3. All feeding strategies produced positive economic returns but, the feeding strategy 2 was the most effective system than the other two systems

Effect of plant growth regulators and activated charcoal on in vitro growth and development of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. var. Dura) zygotic embryo

The effect of plant growth regulators and activated charcoal (AC) on in vitro regeneration and plantlet development of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. var. Dura) zygotic embryos were assessed. Zygotic embryos were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with a blend of 0.05 or 0.1 mg/L of each plant growth regulators (PGR) (gibberellic acid, 6-benzlaminopurine and α-naphthaleneacetic acid) without or with 2 g/L AC. The growth and development of the embryos were affected by the types of media formulations. Zygotic embryos cultured on MS medium supplemented with both PGR and AC enhanced shoot initiation and subsequent plantlet development, while PGR supplemented MS media without AC led to abnormal growth, suggesting that AC is indispensable for oil palm plantlet regeneration in vitro. The best medium for growth and development of plantlets was MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L PGR and 2 g/L AC which significantly increased plantlet height (9.4 cm) as well as root length (4.4 cm) than the remaining media formulations.Key words: Activated charcoal, oil palm, plant growth regulators, zygotic embryo

Detection of somaclonal variation by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis during micropropagation of Phalaenopsis bellina (Rchb.f.) Christenson

Phalaenopsis bellina (Rchb.f.) Christenson orchid species are known for their beautiful flower shape, graceful inflorescence and fragrance. Protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of P. bellina were induced from leaf segments. The PLBs were then subjected to proliferation using ½ strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) media with two subcultures at three months intervals. Twelve decamer random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used to study somaclonal variation among the mother plant, the initially induced PLBs and proliferated PLBs after 3 and 6 months in culture. Eight out of twelve primers produced 172 bands with 18 polymorphic bands in all the treatments. The amplified products varied between 125 to 8000 bp. Among the primers used, P 16 produced the highest number of bands (29), while primer OPU 10 produced the lowest number (15). The range of similarity coefficient was from 0.83 to 1.0 among the different sub-cultures and mother plant (MP). It was found that minimal or no changes occurred between the MP and the PLBs produced after 3 months of induction. The induced PLBs were then subcultured for six months for proliferation and this resulted in about 17% dissimilarity with MP. It is reported that micropropagation of P. bellina can be carried out successfully using ½ strength MS media for 6 months but further proliferation may result in somaclonal variation which might change the prolific characteristic of this orchids.Key word: Moth orchid, somaclonal variation, random amplified polymorphic DNA, protocorm-like bodies

Seed traits and germination behaviour of kemunting (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) populations as affected by different temperatures

To examine the variation in seed morphometric traits as well as germination performance at a range of temperatures (10-40°C), Rhodomyrtus tomentosa seeds were collected from four locations across Peninsular Malaysia (designated (C-02), (K-03), (M-01) and (T-01)). Seed source had a significant effect on seed morphometric traits with seeds from K-03 recording the highest values and seeds from C-02 the lowest values for seed length, seed width, seed thickness and 1000 seed weight. These differences in seed traits, which were attributed to maternal or environmental effects, influenced the rate of water uptake leading to variation in germination behaviour such as germination percentage (GP), days to first germination (GD) and time to 50% germination (T50) of the seeds from the four locations. Temperature significantly affected GP, GD and T50 but the effect of location was only significant for GD and T50. There were significant interaction effects of location × temperature for all the parameters tested. Generally, R. tomentosa seeds showed a slow increase in water uptake due to the presence of the operculum and the mesotesta which consists of sclerified cells, and had erratic germination behaviour

Preliminary analysis of cryopreservation of Dendrobium Bobby Messina orchid using an encapsulation-dehydration technique with Evans blue assay

In vitro grown protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Dendrobium Bobby Messina hybrid were cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen (LN) at -196°C by an encapsulation-dehydration technique. PLBs (1 to 2 and 3 to 4 mm) were precultured in half strength semi-solid MS media supplemented with six different concentrations of sucrose (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 M). The PLBs were then encapsulated to form the beads in halfstrength liquid MS media supplemented with different concentrations of sodium alginate (2.5, 3.0 and 3.5%). The beads were placed in 2 ml cryovials and plunged into LN for 24 h. The beads were then thawed in a 40°C water bath for 90 s and were placed in recovery media composed of half strength semisolid MS media supplemented with 2% sucrose for four days under dark condition. After 12 days, the Evans blue dye assay was carried out to determine the viability of the PLBs. The highest viability was found in 1 to 2mm PLBs precultured in half strength semi-solid MS media supplemented with 1.0 M sucrose and encapsulated in 2.5% sodium alginate. Biochemical content analyses (chlorophyll, total soluble protein and peroxidase activities) were done to investigate the physiological responses of the PLBs after cryopreservation.Key words: Orchid, protocorm-like bodies, Dendrobium Bobby Messina, encapsulation-dehydration

Positive effects of Individual Cognitive Behavior Therapy for patients with unipolar mood disorders with suicidal ideation in Malaysia: a randomised controlled trial

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Individual Cognitive Behavior Therapy (ICBT) in treating patients with mood disorders with suicidal ideation. A total of 69 patients (48 females, 21 males) with the diagnoses above were randomly allocated to either the group of Treatment As Usual (TAU)+ICBT (n=33) or the TAU group (n=36). All participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS), Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). These questionnaires were administered at pre-treatment, midway through treatment (week 4), post-treatment (week 8), and at follow-ups after three months (week 20) and six months (week 32). Factorial ANOVA results showed that the TAU+ICBT patients improved significantly and at faster rate as compared to the TAU group, which showed improvement only from pre to mid treatment on DASS-D and BHS-T measures. The effect size (Cohen's d), for the TAU+ICBT group showed large effect (1.47) for depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation (1.00). These findings suggest that ICBT used in addition to the TAU, was effective in enhancing treatment outcome of patients with unipolar mood disorders as well as, reducing risk for suicide behavior

Resilience and sustainability in tourism-forestry systems through risk management framework: review and concept

Objective: This study aims to explore and enhance the tourism-forestry risk management in research and industry practice. By integrating the concept of resilience and sustainability into risk management practices, this research addresses the multifaceted challenges faced by the forest-tourism field and promotes its long-term viability. Methods: The study comprised of three stages. Firstly, it employs the scoping review technique in the Scopus database system to seek for research gaps related to the objective of the study. Secondly, the study continues with conceptual analysis from Malaysian context particularly on the industrial avenue to assess the current state of risk management practices. Final stage is to propose a tourism-forestry risk management framework for the tourism industry in Malaysia. This study evaluates the effectiveness of existing risk management strategies and identifies gaps and opportunities for improvement by analysing publicly available data from researchers, various stakeholders such as government agencies, industry professionals, and local communities. Results: The findings contribute to the development of Risk Management Tourism-Forestry Framework (RTFF) for enhancing resilience and sustainability in tourism-forestry systems not limited to Malaysia but also for other nations. Moreover, the research outcomes provide valuable insights for the researchers on the knowledge gaps that should be filled. Furthermore, this study provides great lessons learned for all countries with similar socio-economic and environmental contexts towards the application of a risk management framework in their region. Finally, the proposed SDG-oriented risk management framework of RTFF offers a holistic and integrated approach, taking into account social, economic, and environmental dimensions, and provides a roadmap for fostering resilience and sustainability in the face of evolving challenges. Conclusion: This study aims to improve the literature reviews on resilience and sustainability in tourism-forestry that are related to risk management issues. The manuscript addresses the multifaceted challenges faced by the tourism-forestry field and promotes its long-term viability by incorporating the concept of sustainable development goals into risk management practises. Elements of tourism-forestry in the state of the art in the literature as well as in practice not to mention the development of the framework, in which no other study has adopted the same methodology, thus proving the novelty of the study

Bridging the data gaps in the epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Malaysia using multi-parameter evidence synthesis

BACKGROUND: Collecting adequate information on key epidemiological indicators is a prerequisite to informing a public health response to reduce the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Malaysia. Our goal was to overcome the acute data shortage typical of low/middle income countries using statistical modelling to estimate the national HCV prevalence and the distribution over transmission pathways as of the end of 2009. METHODS: Multi-parameter evidence synthesis methods were applied to combine all available relevant data sources - both direct and indirect - that inform the epidemiological parameters of interest. RESULTS: An estimated 454,000 (95% credible interval [CrI]: 392,000 to 535,000) HCV antibody-positive individuals were living in Malaysia in 2009; this represents 2.5% (95% CrI: 2.2-3.0%) of the population aged 15-64 years. Among males of Malay ethnicity, for 77% (95% CrI: 69-85%) the route of probable transmission was active or a previous history of injecting drugs. The corresponding proportions were smaller for male Chinese and Indian/other ethnic groups (40% and 71%, respectively). The estimated prevalence in females of all ethnicities was 1% (95% CrI: 0.6 to 1.4%); 92% (95% CrI: 88 to 95%) of infections were attributable to non-drug injecting routes of transmission. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalent number of persons living with HCV infection in Malaysia is estimated to be very high. Low/middle income countries often lack a comprehensive evidence base; however, evidence synthesis methods can assist in filling the data gaps required for the development of effective policy to address the future public health and economic burden due to HCV. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-014-0564-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users