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ObjectivesThe WHO Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) classification has been developed to support countries and hospitals in promoting rational use of antibiotics while improving access to these essential medicines. We aimed to describe patterns of worldwide antibiotic use according to the AWaRe classification in the adult inpatient population.MethodsThe Global Point Prevalence Survey on Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (Global-PPS) collects hospital antibiotic use data using a standardized PPS methodology. Global-PPS 2015, 2017 and 2018 data, collected by 664 hospitals in 69 countries, were categorized into AWaRe groups to calculate proportional AWaRe use, Access-to-Watch ratios and the most common indications for treatment with selected Watch antibiotics. Only prescriptions for systemic antibiotics on adult inpatient wards were analysed.ResultsRegional Access use ranged from 28.4% in West and Central Asia to 57.7% in Oceania, whereas Watch use was lowest in Oceania (41.3%) and highest in West and Central Asia (66.1%). Reserve use ranged from 0.03% in sub-Saharan Africa to 4.7% in Latin America. There were large differences in AWaRe prescribing at country level. Watch antibiotics were prescribed for a range of very different indications worldwide, both for therapeutic and prophylactic use.ConclusionsWe observed considerable variations in AWaRe prescribing and high use of Watch antibiotics, particularly in lower- and upper-middle-income countries, followed by high-income countries. The WHO AWaRe classification has an instrumental role to play in local and national stewardship activities to assess prescribing patterns and to inform and evaluate stewardship activities.

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is a well-established procedure for the treatment of many blood related malignancies and disorders. Before transplantation, HSC are collected and cryopreserved until use. The method of cryopreservation should preserve both the number and function of HSC and downstream progenitors responsible for long- and short-term engraftment, respectively. This is especially critical for cord blood grafts, since the cell number associated with this stem cell source is often limiting. Loss of function in cryopreserved cells occurs following cryoinjuries due to osmotic shock, dehydration, solution effects and mechanical damage from ice recrystallization during freezing and thawing. However, cryoinjuries can be reduced by 2 mitigation strategies; the use of cryoprotectants (CPAs) and use of control rate cooling. Currently, slow cooling is the most common method used for the cryopreservation of HSC graft. Moreover, dimethyl-sulfoxide (DMSO) and dextran are popular intracellular and extracellular CPAs used for HSC grafts, respectively. Yet, DMSO is toxic to cells and can cause significant side effects in stem cells' recipients. However, new CPAs and strategies are emerging that may soon replace DMSO. The aim of this review is to summarise key concepts in cryobiology and recent advances in the field of HSC cryobiology. Other important issues that need to be considered are also discussed such as transient warming events and thawing of HSC grafts.

Introduction: In nurseries, irrigation inside plastic bags contributes to soil compaction, affecting plant growth. Objective: To evaluate the effect of the earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus Muller on the survival and growth of Abies religiosa (Kunth) Schltdl. & Cham. plants and on soil compaction in a nursery. Materials and methods: The plants were subjected to three treatments (adult earthworm, two juvenile earthworms and no earthworms) in plastic bags (250 cc, 400 gauge) with 25 replicates. One year later, the height, cover, number of primary and secondary branches and biomass production (root, stems and branches) of the plants were recorded and soil compaction evaluated. Results and discussion: The earthworm promoted an increase of 28 % in height and 44 % in root dry matter production (P 0.05) in all three treatments. Compaction was significantly lower (48 %, P Conclusion: P. corethrurus has the potential to improve the quality of plants grown in plastic bags in forest nurseries.

Background: Due to habitat fragmentation many Magnolia species are at risk of extinction in Mexico. Question: What type of population structure is exhibited by Magnolia perezfarrerae and M. sharpii, endemic species of Chiapas, Mexico? Does the extreme reduction in the population of both Magnolia affect their reproductive capacity? What is the propagation potential in both species of Magnolia ? Is it necessary to use pregerminative treatments for Magnolia species propagation? Studied species: Magnolia perezfarrerae A. Vazquez & Gomez-Dominguez and Magnolia sharpii Miranda. Study sites and years of study: Highlands and Central Depression of Chiapas, Mexico, from 2015 to 2017. Methods: In this study, the density and distribution of diametric sizes of M. perezfarrerae and M. sharpii were assessed in natural populations. Their reproductive capacity and the ex-situ germination of both species was analyzed. Results: The population density in M. perezfarrerae was 40-53 ind. ha -1 , and 24-83 ind. ha -1 in M. sharpii . Size structure varied between populations of each species: one apparently without problems of regeneration, and another with discontinuous distribution in several size categories. The seeds presented physical, chemical and mechanical dormancy. The pre-germination treatments applied proved mostly effective for M. sharpii by 73 % and by 64 % for M. perezfarrerae . Conclusions: The current condition of Magnolia species is critical and their persistence is compromised. Any viable conservation option would need to identify potential sites for the reintroduction of new populations.

Mitochondria play important roles in regulating cell bioenergetics status and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. ROS-induced mitochondrial damage is among the main intracellular signal inducers of autophagy. Autophagy is a cellular catabolic process that regulates protein and organelle turnover, while a selective form of autophagy, mitophagy, specifically targets dysfunctional mitochondrial degradation. This study aims to measure the levels of autophagy, mitophagy, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in invasive breast carcinoma tissues using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Tissue microarrays of 76 patients with breast cancer were stained with six IHC markers (MnSOD, Beclin-1, LC3, BNIP3, Parkin, and cleaved caspase 3). The expression intensity was determined for each tumor tissue and the adjacent tumor-matched control tissues. Intermediate and strong staining scores of MnSOD, Beclin-1, LC-3, BNIP-3, and Parkin were significantly higher in tumor tissues compared to the adjacent matched control. The scoring intensity was further classified into tissues with negative staining and positive staining, which showed that positive scores of Beclin-1 and Parkin were significantly high in tumor tissues compared to other markers. Positive association was also noted between BNIP-3 and Beclin-1 as well as LC-3 and cleaved caspase-3 immunostaining. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies that measure both mitophagy and autophagy in the same breast cancer tissues and the adjacent matched control. The findings from this study will be of great potential in identifying new cancer biomarkers and inspire significant interest in applying anti-autophagy therapies as a possible treatment for breast cancer.

Rainforest conversion to woody croplands impacts the carbon cycle via ecophysiological processes such as photosynthesis and autotrophic respiration. Changes in the carbon cycle associated with land-use change can be estimated through Land Surface Models (LSMs). The accuracy of carbon flux estimation in carbon fluxes associated with land-use change has been attributed to uncertainties in the model parameters affecting photosynthetic activity, which is a function of both carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) and electron transport capacity (Jmax). In order to reduce such uncertainties for common tropical woody crops and trees, in this study we measured Vcmax25 (Vcmax standardized to 25 °C), Jmax25 (Jmax standardized to 25 °C) and light-saturated photosynthetic capacity (Amax) of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. (oil palm), Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree), and two native tree species, Eusideroxylon zwageri and Alstonia scholaris, in a converted landscape in Jambi province (Sumatra, Indonesia) at smallholder plantations. We considered three plantations, a monoculture rubber, a monoculture oil palm, and an agroforestry system (jungle rubber plantation), where rubber trees coexist with some native trees. We performed measurements on leaves at the lower part of the canopy, and used a scaling method based on exponential function to scale up photosynthetic capacity related traits to the top of the canopy. At the lower part of the canopy, we found (i) high Vcmax25 values for H. brasiliensis from monoculture rubber plantation and jungle rubber plantation that was linked to a high area-based leaf nitrogen content, and (ii) low value of Amax for E. guineensis from oil palm plantation that was due to a low value of Vcmax25 and a high value of dark respiration. At the top of the canopy, Amax varied much more than Vcmax25 among different land-use types. We found that photosynthetic capacity declined fastest from the top to the lower part of the canopy in oil palm plantations. We demonstrate that photosynthetic capacity related traits measured at the lower part of the canopy can be successfully scaled up to the top of the canopy. We thus provide helpful new data that can be used to constrain LSMs that simulate land-use change related to rubber and oil palm expansion.

Rheological properties are useful in evaluating materials performance during processing operations. Rheology is a sensitive tool in identifying and/or detecting any microstructural changes that is directly related to mechanical properties of the final products. In order for polymer wastes to be reprocessed in standard plastics equipment and produce high yields of molded and film products, the rheological properties must first be understood. Recent development in the green polymer composite has attracted a significant interest to sustain the ecological friendliness of the Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate):rPET (rPET) and recycled poly(propylene) (rPP) blend. The common problem during polymer recycling is the degradation of the polymer that leads to the reduction of its molecular weight (Mw). Reprocessing at high temperatures with thermal exposure, shear as well as the presence of moisture and physical contaminants (poly(ethylene) (PE), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC, adhesives) lead to a remarkable Mw” loss. This chapter presents an overview of rheological properties of plastic waste blends and composites. It mainly focuses on rPET and rPP and natural fibers composites of recycled polymer.

Objective To evaluate the use of a Cannabis sativa oil in the management of patients diagnosed with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Design Prospective, open-label, single-arm pilot study. Setting University hospital. Subjects Seventeen patients with diagnosed BMS were included. Methods Subjects were treated for 4 weeks with a full cannabis plant extract, which was prepared from standardized plant material (cannabis flos) in specialized pharmacies by means of Romano-Hazekamp extraction and was diluted in oil (1 g of cannabis in 10 g of olive oil). The primary outcome was the change in pain intensity (assessed by the visual analog scale, Present Pain Intensity scale, McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Oral Health Impact Profiles) at the end of the protocol and during the succeeding 24 weeks; the neuropathic pain was also investigated with a specific interview questionnaire (DN4-interview [Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions]). Levels of anxiety and depression were considered as secondary outcomes, together with reported adverse events due to the specified treatment. Results Subjects showed a statistically significant improvement over time in terms of a clinical remission of the oral symptoms. Levels of anxiety and depression also changed statistically, displaying a favorable improvement. No serious reactions were detailed. None of the patients had to stop the treatment due to adverse events. Conclusions In this pilot evaluation, the C. sativa oil provided was effective and well tolerated in patients with primary BMS. Further bigger and properly defined randomized controlled trials, with different therapeutic approaches or placebo control, are needed, however.

Janse van Rensburg PD, Siebert SJ, Masehela T, Ellis S, Van den Berg J. 2020. Diversity patterns of plants and arthropods in soybean agroecosystems in the grassland biome of South Africa. Biodiversitas 21: 5559-5570. Soybean is widely cultivated in the grassland biome of South Africa (ca. 800 000 ha per annum). Yet the possible effects that large-scale cultivation of soybean has on biodiversity in adjacent habitat are not fully understood. This study aimed to describe the plant and arthropod species assemblages and diversity patterns within these soybean agroecosystems. Surveys were conducted inside soybean fields, field boundaries (transition zones between soybean fields and adjacent habitat), and adjacent pasture. An adapted D-vac was used to sample arthropods in the different zones, while plant surveys were conducted by means of fixed width (2 m) line transect. A total of 320 plant species (4910 specimens) and 373 arthropod morpho-species (9216 specimens) were recorded. Soybean fields had significantly lower plant and arthropod diversity than the adjacent habitats. Plant species diversity was similar in the field boundary and adjacent pasture. Significantly higher species richness and abundance of arthropods were found in the boundary than the pasture. These results show that the cultivation of soybean and the associated agricultural practices had no adverse effects on biodiversity patterns in the adjacent habitats. However, the boundary dominated by alien plant species did contain a significantly different plant species composition from the pasture. This difference was also mirrored by unique assemblages of arthropods. This suggests that disturbance resulting from soybean cultivation contributed to species losses and gains that maintained diversity in the field boundary but changed its plant and arthropod species composition. No effect was found in the pasture beyond the boundary (> 50 m). High diversity, but unique species assemblages of plants and arthropods in the boundary and pasture suggest that these habitats may have important conservation value in soybean agroecosystems by supporting ecosystem functions and services.

Water-deficit stress is one of the critical problems in the sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) production that affect plant growth and productivity. Water stress alters a variety of physiological processes in sugarcane that interfere with sugarcane spectral response. In this paper, we employ remote sensing technology to estimate the level of water stress of sugarcane plantation at PTPN X by using a crop water stress index (CWSI). We observe drought stress response from land surface temperature (LST) to calculate CWSI using a split-window algorithm. Landsat 8 satellite imagery and water vapor data from the MODIS-Aqua satellite were used for detecting the sugarcane water stress index by integrating CWSI and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The results indicated that CWSI and NDVI can be effectively used to estimate the level of water stress of sugarcane. The results would be useful in irrigation management to schedule irrigation of sugarcane fields.

Animals that deposit eggs must protect their embryos from fouling and disease by microorganisms to ensure successful development. Although beneficial bacteria are hypothesized to contribute to egg defense in many organisms, the mechanisms of this protection are only recently being elucidated. Our previous studies of the Hawaiian bobtail squid focused on fungal inhibition by beneficial bacterial symbionts of a female reproductive gland and eggs. Herein, using genomic and chemical analyses, we demonstrate that symbiotic bacteria from this gland can also inhibit other marine bacteria in vitro. One bacterial strain in particular, Pseudoalteromonas sp. JC28, had broad-spectrum abilities to inhibit potential fouling bacteria, in part via production of novel bromoalterochromide metabolites, confirmed via genomic annotation of the associated biosynthetic gene cluster. Our results suggest that these bacterial metabolites may contribute to antimicrobial activity in this association and that such defensive symbioses are underutilized sources for discovering novel antimicrobial compounds., The Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, has a symbiotic bacterial consortium in the accessory nidamental gland (ANG), a female reproductive organ that protects eggs against fouling microorganisms. To test the antibacterial activity of ANG community members, 19 bacterial isolates were screened for their ability to inhibit Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, of which two strains were inhibitory. These two antibacterial isolates, Leisingera sp. ANG59 and Pseudoalteromonas sp. JC28, were subjected to further genomic characterization. Genomic analysis of Leisingera sp. ANG59 revealed a biosynthetic gene cluster encoding the antimicrobial compound indigoidine. The genome of Pseudoalteromonas sp. JC28 had a 14-gene cluster with >95% amino acid identity to a known bromoalterochromide (BAC) cluster. Chemical analysis confirmed production of known BACs, BAC-A/A′ (compounds 1a/1b), as well as two new derivatives, BAC-D/D′ (compounds 2a/2b). Extensive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses allowed complete structural elucidation of compounds 2a/2b, and the absolute stereochemistry was unambiguously determined using an optimized Marfey’s method. The BACs were then investigated for in vitro antibacterial, antifungal, and nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity. Compounds 1a/1b were active against the marine bacteria Bacillus algicola and Vibrio fischeri, while compounds 2a/2b were active only against B. algicola. Compounds 1a/1b inhibited NO production via lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophage cells and also inhibited the pathogenic fungus Fusarium keratoplasticum, which, coupled with their antibacterial activity, suggests that these polyketide-nonribosomal peptides may be used for squid egg defense against potential pathogens and/or fouling microorganisms. These results indicate that BACs may provide Pseudoalteromonas sp. JC28 an ecological niche, facilitating competition against nonsymbiotic microorganisms in the host’s environment. IMPORTANCE Animals that deposit eggs must protect their embryos from fouling and disease by microorganisms to ensure successful development. Although beneficial bacteria are hypothesized to contribute to egg defense in many organisms, the mechanisms of this protection are only recently being elucidated. Our previous studies of the Hawaiian bobtail squid focused on fungal inhibition by beneficial bacterial symbionts of a female reproductive gland and eggs. Herein, using genomic and chemical analyses, we demonstrate that symbiotic bacteria from this gland can also inhibit other marine bacteria in vitro. One bacterial strain in particular, Pseudoalteromonas sp. JC28, had broad-spectrum abilities to inhibit potential fouling bacteria, in part via production of novel bromoalterochromide metabolites, confirmed via genomic annotation of the associated biosynthetic gene cluster. Our results suggest that these bacterial metabolites may contribute to antimicrobial activity in this association and that such defensive symbioses are underutilized sources for discovering novel antimicrobial compounds.

Prolonged consumption of heated palm oil causes detrimental effects on cardiovascular system, liver and kidneys. The detrimental effects of heated oils are associated with oxidative stress; hence the role of antioxidants in attenuating heated oil-induced effects has been widely studied. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of polyphenol-rich Citrus leaf extract (CLE) on renal oxidative stress parameters, renal function and kidney histological changes in rats fed with heated palm oil. Fifty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=56) were divided into seven groups. The control group was given normal rat chow, while other groups were fed with 15% weight/weight (w/w) palm oil-enriched diet of either fresh palm oil (FPO), five-time-heated palm oil (5HPO) or ten-time-heated palm oil (10HPO); with or without the addition of CLE (0.15%, w/w) supplementation. After 16 weeks, the rats were sacrificed and the kidneys were harvested for analysis. CLE supplementation improved heated palm oil-induced oxidative stress parameters in the kidneys, shown by reduced levels of renal thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) and renal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase in 5HPO and 10HPO groups. Renal haem oxygenase levels were restored with CLE supplementation in the heated oil groups. Decreased serum creatinine was observed in 5HPO group with CLE supplementation, but not in 10HPO group. Heated oil caused mild interstitial inflammation with vascular congestion in 5HPO and 5HPO+CLE groups, while 10HPO group had moderate inflammation and vascular congestion. CLE supplementation in 10HPO group was able to reduce these changes as only mild interstitial inflammation and congestion was observed. CLE has the potential to reduce renal oxidative stress parameters, improve renal function and reduce renal inflammation possibly mediated via its antioxidant properties.

Microbes have been critical drivers of evolutionary innovation in animals. To understand the processes that influence the origin of specialized symbiotic organs, we report the sequencing and analysis of the genome of Euprymna scolopes , a model cephalopod with richly characterized host–microbe interactions. We identified large-scale genomic reorganization shared between E. scolopes and Octopus bimaculoides and posit that this reorganization has contributed to the evolution of cephalopod complexity. To reveal genomic signatures of host–symbiont interactions, we focused on two specialized organs of E. scolopes : the light organ, which harbors a monoculture of Vibrio fischeri , and the accessory nidamental gland (ANG), a reproductive organ containing a bacterial consortium. Our findings suggest that the two symbiotic organs within E. scolopes originated by different evolutionary mechanisms. Transcripts expressed in these microbe-associated tissues displayed their own unique signatures in both coding sequences and the surrounding regulatory regions. Compared with other tissues, the light organ showed an abundance of genes associated with immunity and mediating light, whereas the ANG was enriched in orphan genes known only from E. scolopes . Together, these analyses provide evidence for different patterns of genomic evolution of symbiotic organs within a single host.

Herbivory and fire are known to shape plant community structure and function in savanna ecosystems worldwide, yet these drivers are increasingly being altered in their behaviour, or completely excluded. Furthermore, herbaceous responses to rainfall in semi-arid and arid savannas may outweigh the effects of herbivory and fire, especially in nutrient-rich ecosystems. Despite considerable recognition of herbaceous responses to drivers in savanna systems, few studies consider grasses and forbs as distinct herbaceous functional entities. To address this shortcoming, we used long-term herbaceous vegetation data collected from herbivore and fire exclusion treatments in the Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa. We investigated response patterns in herbaceous abundances per functional group for three sampling years, which represented different rainfall conditions (i.e., average for 2010, above average for 2001, and below average for 2015. Dynamic shifts in forb versus grass dominance were revealed across treatments. Surprisingly, palatable annual forb communities seemed more resilient to herbivores, or their removal, dominating over palatable annual grass communities. Furthermore, unpalatable perennial forbs were revealed to be more resilient to herbivore presence than their absence. Palatable perennial grass abundances were consistently enhanced by above-average rainfall conditions, whereas equal dominance of palatable grasses and forbs was evident during the drought year. This highlights that palatable perennial functional groups (not grasses alone) provide important ecosystem functions, such as forage stability, and hence functional redundancy to absorb disturbances such as droughts. Moreover, rainfall variability and herbivory are considered the main drivers of palatable perennial functional groups in this nutrient-rich ecosystem. Palatable perennial grass abundances differed significantly from other alleged unfavourable herbaceous functional groups (e.g., unpalatable perennial grasses, annual grasses, and annual and perennial forbs) and, although they presented contrasting patterns for each sampling year, fire and herbivory treatments, palatable perennial grasses remained the dominant functional group in this ecosystem type. Therefore, this study did not support previous findings that conditions such as drought, fire and herbivory favour unfavourable functional groups at the expense of palatable perennial grasses. Observed patterns provide evidence of a dynamic and less predictable coexistence between grasses and forbs.

Kerusakan hutan dapat mempengaruhi fungsi hidrologi hutan sebagai pengatur tata air, menjaga waktu dan penyebaran aliran air sungai, menjaga iklim mikro, dan melindungi daerah di bawahnya dari berbagai bencana seperti banjir. Penanaman pohon kembali dinilai merupakan salah satu upaya untuk memperbaiki kondisi hutan dan lingkungan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengkaji karakteristik hidrologi tanah di bawah tegakan tanaman Pinus (Pinus merkusii), Mahoni Uganda (Khaya anthoteca), dan Merawan (Hopea odorata Roxb). Metoda yang digunakan adalah pengukuran sifat-sifat fisik tanah secara periodik. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan perbedaan karakterisitik kadar air, infiltrasi dan permeabilitas pada berbagai tegakan pohon. Perubahan kadar air tertinggi terjadi pada tanah di bawah Pinus sebesar 3.05%, Merawan sebesar 2.40%, dan terendah pada Mahoni Uganda sebesar 1.89% pada kedalaman tanah yang sama. Infiltrasi tertinggi sebesar 116.25 cm jam-1 di bawah tegakan Pinus, terendah 24 cm jam-1 di bawah tegakan Merawan. Permeabilitas tertinggi sebesar 13.27 cm jam-1 di bawah tegakan Pinus, terendah di bawah tegakan merawan sebesar 2.72 cm jam-1. Tekstur tanah relatif sama pada masing-masing tegakan yakni didominasi oleh liat. Tanah di bawah tegakan tanaman Pinus, Merawan dan Mahoni Uganda termasuk kelompok hidrologi tanah B.

Coculture of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) with primary stromal cells from HSC niches supports the maintenance and expansion of HSC and progenitors ex vivo. However, a major drawback is the availability of primary human samples for research and clinical applications. We investigated the use of in vitro derived osteoblasts as a new source of feeder cells and characterized the molecular pathways that mediate their growth-promoting activities. First, we compared the growth and differentiation modulating activities of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC)-derived osteoblasts (M-OST) with those of their undifferentiated precursor on umbilical cord blood (UCB) progenitors. Feeder-free cultures were also included as baseline control. Cell growth and expansion of hematopoietic progenitors were significantly enhanced by both feeder cell types. However, progenitor cell growth was considerably greater with M-OST. Coculture also promoted the maintenance of immature CD34+ progenitor subsets and modulated in a positive fashion the expression of several homing-related cell surface receptors, in a feeder-specific fashion. Serial transplantation experiments revealed that M-OST coculture supported the maintenance of long-term lympho-myeloid reconstituting HSC that provided engraftment levels that were generally superior to those from MSC cocultures. Mechanistically, we found that coculture with M-OST was associated with enhanced beta-catenin (β-Cat) activity in UCB cells and that abrogation of β-Cat/T-cell factor activity blunted the growth-promoting activity of the M-OST coculture. Conversely, Notch inhibition reduced UCB cell expansion, but to a much lesser extent. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that M-OST are excellent feeder cells for HSC and progenitors, and it identifies key molecular pathways that are responsible for the growth-enhancing activities of osteoblasts on UCB progenitors.

Intensive, large-scale cultivation of food crops has led to major biodiversity loss worldwide due to fragmentation and degradation of remnant semi-natural habitat within agro-ecosystems. The response of vegetation to these disturbances is often measured in terms of taxonomic diversity loss. However, some plant groups may have more pronounced negative reactions to agricultural disturbance than others, which may not necessarily be expressed in the overall species diversity of the community. It is now widely accepted that the responses of plant taxa to environmental disturbances may be more directly linked to characteristics or traits that enable or hinder their persistence in disturbed environments. This highlights the need to assess the impacts of agricultural disturbance on the abundance patterns and diversity of specific plant traits and functional types. Maize agriculture is a common land-use feature in the grassy biomes of South Africa, but the effect that crop production has on surrounding semi-natural vegetation is still relatively unknown. In this study, we describe the specific functional trait patterns of plant communities associated with maize agro-ecosystems in six localities situated within the Grassland and Savanna biomes of South Africa. Although functional diversity was severely decreased in maize fields, marginal vegetation (30–100 m from crop field edges) displayed no indication of functional diversity loss or major changes in trait composition. Chamaephytic and hemicryptophytic (perennial) life forms, nitrogen-fixing ability and spinescence were trait attributes that were most frequently found in semi-natural vegetation but were lost in the crop field environment. Inside the maize fields, these trait attributes were replaced by annual, low-growing individuals with clonal parts and long-range dispersal mechanisms that can establish in the ephemeral crop field environment. Observed patterns were different for grassland and savanna maize fields, indicating that maize fields situated in the Grassland and Savanna biomes favoured different plant trait assemblages.

Among the many Magnolia species that are endangered by anthropogenic disturbance, some are known to have the capacity to produce new shoots. Demographic studies are an important tool to evaluate the impact of disturbances as well as the resilience and resistance of endangered species. Our study looked at the demographic dynamics of two Magnolia schiedeana populations, with an aim to determine the role played by disturbances. The questions were: 1) what demographic trends characterize this species? 2) What differences are there between disturbed and undisturbed populations? 3) Is M. schiedeana a disturbance-resilient species in general? 4) How important is the contribution of the resprouting trait to λ in a population under anthropogenic disturbance? The demographic attributes evaluated were: elasticity, population growth rate (λ), and sensitivity to concrete disturbances (LTRE, Life Table Response Experiment). The results indicated that the λ of the two populations did not differ significantly. The transitions that contributed the most to λ and presented the largest variation were similar in both populations under study. More than 90% of the contribution came from those individuals measuring ≤ 5 cm in diameter. Surprisingly, M. schiedeana is not sensitive to moderate anthropogenic disturbance. Resprouting contributed to λ with less than 0.2%.

Sunaryo W, Wahida, Idris SD, Pratama AN, Ratanasut K, Nurhasanah. 2020. Genetic relationships among cultivated and wild bananas from East Kalimantan, Indonesia based on ISSR markers. Biodiversitas 21: 824-832. East Kalimantan is one of biodiversity centers for banana in Indonesia including wild or cultivated bananas. This biodiversity is long-historical genetically contributed by the existence of wild cultivars, local/indigenous varieties or introduced accessions from other regions in Indonesia. The existence of cultivated bananas has played an important role in the socio-economic significance of the local people. The genetic contribution of wild and local banana from East Kalimantan to the cultivated bananas or vice versa is very interesting to study. This research reported the genetic relationships among wild and cultivated bananas using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. Thirteen wild and cultivated banana samples collected from different districts of East Kalimantan Province were analyzed using 15 primers of ISSR marker. ISSR primers generated 133 loci, of which 132 were polymorphic (98.98 %) with an average of 9.43 loci per primer. The ISSR marker is very effective and powerful to detect and discriminate the polymorphisms among cultivated and wild bananas. This is supported by PIC value which ranged from 0.60 to 0.91 per primer with an average of 0.80 per primer. The marker index (MI) values were ranged from 1.62 to 11.48 per primer. Primer UBC 855 produced the highest MI value which was 11.48 per primer and UBC 848 resulted in the lowest (1.62 per primer). The similarity coefficients ranged from 0.43 to 0.81. The dendrogram constructed based on UPGMA divided the banana cultivars into 4 clusters, in which the first cluster comprised of the AA/AAA/AB genome bananas (Ambon, Kapas, Tembaga, Liar, and Tanduk). The second cluster composed of only Mauli Banana. The third cluster was comprised of six cultivated banana with AAB or ABB genome i.e., Raja, Rutai, Susu, Kepok, Awak, and Talas banana. The last cluster was only Klutuk Banana (BB genome). Wild bananas (Liar and Klutuk) was the ancestor of cultivated bananas since they contributed for A genome (Musa acuminate) and B genome (Musa balbisiana) to generate many triploid and cultivated bananas. Indigenous banana cultivars from Kalimantan, Rutai is closely related to Susu banana, while Talas banana is related to the AAB genome such as Raja, Rutai, Susu or ABB genome such as Awak and Kepok.

Organisms must have strategies to ensure successful reproduction. Some animals that deposit eggs protect their embryos from fouling/disease with the help of microorganisms. Although beneficial bacteria are hypothesized to contribute to egg defense in some organisms, the mechanisms of this protection remain largely unknown, with the exception of a few recently described systems. Using both experimental and analytical approaches, we demonstrate that symbiotic bacteria associated with a cephalopod reproductive gland and eggs inhibit fungi. Chemical analyses suggest that these bacteria produce antimicrobial compounds that may prevent overgrowth from fungi and other microorganisms. Given the distribution of these symbiotic glands among many cephalopods, similar defensive relationships may be more common in aquatic environments than previously realized. Such defensive symbioses may also be a rich source for the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds., The importance of defensive symbioses, whereby microbes protect hosts through the production of specific compounds, is becoming increasingly evident. Although defining the partners in these associations has become easier, assigning function to these relationships often presents a significant challenge. Here, we describe a functional role for a bacterial consortium in a female reproductive organ in the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes. Bacteria from the accessory nidamental gland (ANG) are deposited into the egg jelly coat (JC), where they are hypothesized to play a defensive role during embryogenesis. Eggs treated with an antibiotic cocktail developed a microbial biomass primarily composed of the pathogenic fungus Fusarium keratoplasticum that infiltrated the JC, resulting in severely reduced hatch rates. Experimental manipulation of the eggs demonstrated that the JC was protective against this fungal fouling. A large proportion of the bacterial strains isolated from the ANG or JC inhibited F. keratoplasticum in culture (87.5%), while a similar proportion of extracts from these strains also exhibited antifungal activity against F. keratoplasticum and/or the human-pathogenic yeast Candida albicans (72.7%). Mass spectral network analyses of active extracts from bacterial isolates and egg clutches revealed compounds that may be involved in preventing microbial overgrowth. Several secondary metabolites were identified from ANG/JC bacteria and egg clutches, including the known antimicrobial lincomycin as well as a suite of glycerophosphocholines and mycinamicin-like compounds. These results shed light on a widely distributed but poorly understood symbiosis in cephalopods and offer a new source for exploring bacterial secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity.

The purpose of this study was to determine the type, dimensions and composition of nematocytes in Scleractinia , Acropora florida and Acropora divaricata . This research was conducted in South Motandoi Beach, East Pinolosian District, South Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi for five (5) months; from February to June 2019. The method of this research was observation using student-t statistical data analysis. Microbasic p-Mastigophore type-II (MpM-II) and Holotricous isorhiza (HI), while A. divaricata only has type-II Microbasic p-Mastigophore (MpM-II) nematocytes. The nematocytes dimension showed an average capsule length of MpM II in A. florida of was 262.32 µm and A. divaricata was 125.15 µm, mean capsule width of MPM II in A. florida was 67.01 µm and A. divaricata was 31.95 µm, and the average length of mpM II on A. florida was 154.44 µm, and A. divaricata was 70.97 µm. Nematocytes composition showed that MPM II in A. florida was 95.56% and HI was 4.44%, while the composition of MPM II nematocytes in A. divaricata was 100% and HI was 0%. Student t-test showed that the ratio of 2 average values of capsule length, capsule width, and MPM II stem length from two populations of A. florida and A. divaricata were not significantly different (P> 0.05) . It can be concluded that both types of A . florida and A. divaricata corals have different types and composition of nematocytes however their size dimensions are not significantly different. Further studies are important to examine genetic and environmental factors to find out how much the kinship relationship between the two types of those coral. Keywords : Acropora florida , Acropora divaricata , HI, Scleractinia coral, MpM II, nematocytes

Hepatitis B is a major co-infection among people with HIV (PWHIV) worldwide. There is a paucity of data on HBV genetic diversity in India, which would be useful for targeted preventive and management interventions. To characterize the distribution of HBV genotypes and sub-genotypes, samples of 180 HIV-HBV co-infected individuals from a study previously conducted to estimate the prevalence of HBV co-infection were analyzed. Nested PCR using type-specific primers was used to identify the various HBV genotypes. Partial HBV S sequences were generated for a subset of samples using Sanger sequencing. Mutation analysis was done using the online HBVseq program. PCR based genotyping documented D (69.4 %) and A (5.6 %) to be the major genotypes in the study population. Infection with multiple genotypes was observed in 25 % co-infected individuals. D2, D5, A2, and A1 were the sub-genotypes detected. Mutations 184K and 173L were identified. HBV genotypes/ sub-genotypes play a pivotal role in the clinical outcome of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Therefore, monitoring of CHB cases is needed to track disease progression, including early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Plasma cell myeloma is known to cause expansion of a single clone of immunoglobulin (Ig) which results in the secretion of a unique homogeneous monoclonal protein (M component). However, there are cases which reported that it can also cause production of two different clones of these monoclonal M proteins. Although it is relatively very rare as the prevalence is only 2% of all plasma cell myeloma cases, the clinical features are said to be similar to monoclonal gammopathy. It is suggested that these biclonal gammopathy results from either one monoclonal cell clone in monoclonal gammopathy or two different monoclonal cell clones. Whichever the mechanism of the disease be, the response to treatment seems to be similar as compared to the monoclonal cases although some reports shows chemoresistant. Here, we report a rare case of plasma cell myeloma with IgG (lambda) and IgA (lambda) type of biclonal gammopathy, the clinical presentation, the haematological and biochemical markers as well as the response to the treatment.

The success of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation depends in part on the number and the quality of cells transplanted. Cryoinjuries during freezing and thawing reduce the ability of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to proliferate and differentiate after thawing. Up to 20% of the patients undergoing umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplant experience delayed or failed engraftment, likely because of the inadequate hematopoietic potency of the unit. Therefore, the optimization of cryopreservation protocols, with an emphasis on the preservation of HSPCs, is an important issue. Current protocols typically utilize a 10% dimethyl sulfoxide cryoprotectant solution. This solution ensures 70–80% post-thaw cell viability by diluting intracellular solutes and maintaining the cell volume during cryopreservation. However, this solution fails to fully protect HSPCs, resulting in the loss of potency. Therefore, a new class of cryoprotectants (N-aryl-d-aldonamides) was designed and assessed for the ability to inhibit ice recrystallization and to protect HSPCs against cryoinjury. Several highly active ice recrystallization inhibitors were discovered. When used as additives to the conventional cryoprotectant solution, these nontoxic small molecules improved the preservation of functionally divergent hematopoietic progenitors in the colony-forming unit and long-term culture-initiating cell assays. By contrast, structurally similar compounds that did not inhibit ice recrystallization failed to improve the post-thaw recovery of myeloid progenitors. Together, these results demonstrate that the supplementation of cryopreservation solution with compounds capable of controlling ice recrystallization increases the post-thaw function and potency of HSPCs in UCB. This increase may translate into reduced risk of engraftment failure and allow for greater use of cryopreserved cord blood units.

The formation of dihydroactinidiolide by thermal degradation of β-carotene was studied. A comparison of yields of dihydroactinidiolide in commercial β-carotene and β-carotene derived from crude palm oil was investigated. Thermal degradation of commercial β-carotene promoted the formation of dihydroactinidiolide with the highest yield, 61.21%. Thermal degradation of recovered β-carotene yielded 29.23% of dihydroactinidiolide. The lower recovery of β-carotene was due to the mixture of compounds in the extract. Further investigation indicated some other useful aroma compounds formed from this thermal degradation were β-ionone, 3-oxo-β-ionone, and β-cyclocitral.The outcome provided wide opportunities in utilizing crude palm oil as natural source of β-carotene to produce aroma compound.

Oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly in recent decades. This large-scale land-use change has had great ecological, economic, and social impacts on both the areas converted to oil palm and their surroundings. However, research on the impacts of oil palm cultivation is scattered and patchy, and no clear overview exists. We address this gap through a systematic and comprehensive literature review of all ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, including several (genetic, medicinal and ornamental resources, information functions) not included in previous systematic reviews. We compare ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations to those in forests, as the conversion of forest to oil palm is prevalent in the tropics. We find that oil palm plantations generally have reduced ecosystem functioning compared to forests: 11 out of 14 ecosystem functions show a net decrease in level of function. Some functions show decreases with potentially irreversible global impacts (e.g. reductions in gas and climate regulation, habitat and nursery functions, genetic resources, medicinal resources, and information functions). The most serious impacts occur when forest is cleared to establish new plantations, and immediately afterwards, especially on peat soils. To variable degrees, specific plantation management measures can prevent or reduce losses of some ecosystem functions (e.g. avoid illegal land clearing via fire, avoid draining of peat, use of integrated pest management, use of cover crops, mulch, and compost) and we highlight synergistic mitigation measures that can improve multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously. The only ecosystem function which increases in oil palm plantations is, unsurprisingly, the production of marketable goods. Our review highlights numerous research gaps. In particular, there are significant gaps with respect to socio-cultural information functions. Further, there is a need for more empirical data on the importance of spatial and temporal scales, such as differences among plantations in different environments, of different sizes, and of different ages, as our review has identified examples where ecosystem functions vary spatially and temporally. Finally, more research is needed on developing management practices that can offset the losses of ecosystem functions. Our findings should stimulate research to address the identified gaps, and provide a foundation for more systematic research and discussion on ways to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts of oil palm cultivation.

Aloe vera is a plant with a long history of traditional medicinal use and is consumed in different products, sometimes in conjunction with prescribed medicines. A. vera gel has shown the ability to modulate drug absorption in vitro. The aim of this study was to fractionate the precipitated polysaccharide component of A. vera gel based on molecular weight and to compare their interactions with indinavir pharmacokinetics. Crude polysaccharides were precipitated from a solution of A. vera gel and was fractionated by means of centrifugal filtration through membranes with different molecular weight cut-off values (i.e. 300 KDa, 100 KDa and 30 KDa). Marker molecules were quantified in the aloe leaf materials by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the average molecular weight was determined by means of gel filtration chromatography linked to multi-angle-laser-light scattering and refractive index detection. The effect of the aloe leaf materials on the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) of Caco-2 cell monolayers as well as indinavir metabolism in LS180 cells was measured. The bioavailability of indinavir in the presence and absence of the aloe leaf materials was determined in Sprague-Dawley rats. All the aloe leaf materials investigated in this study reduced the TEER of Caco-2 cell monolayers, inhibited indinavir metabolism in LS 180 cells to different extents and changed the bioavailability parameters of indinavir in rats compared to that of indinavir alone. These indinavir pharmacokinetic modulation effects were not dependent on the presence of aloverose and also not on the average molecular weight of the isolated fractions.

Intensive, large-scale cultivation has led to a postulated decrease in biodiversity worldwide, which has been ascribed to fragmentation and degradation of natural habitat bordering crop fields. Maize is the most widely planted grain crop in Grassland and Savanna Biomes of South Africa, but the effect that crop production has on surrounding species diversity and composition is unknown. This study intends to address this knowledge gap by comparing diversity patterns and species assemblages between maize fields and margins of six localities in South Africa across two biomes for plants and associated arthropods. A total of 15,019 individuals and 824 native and exotic plant species were recorded and 39 497 individuals and 1 629 morpho-species for arthropods. Although biodiversity loss was apparent in maize fields, plant and arthropod diversity remained the same for rangeland at shorter (30–100 m) and longer (100–400 m) distances from maize fields, suggesting that distance from maize fields had no effect on biodiversity patterns beyond 30 m. Plant species assemblages were best correlated with agricultural disturbance while arthropod communities were mainly correlated with biome. Our results suggest that the crop field margins (30–100 m from field edge) were not species poor ecosystems, but were surprisingly rich in plant and arthropod diversity. Field margins may therefore be of conservation value in the agricultural landscape with a diversity of species supporting important ecosystem services.

The effects of climate change on biodiversity are imminent, and these turn out to be particularly alarming for the tropical montane cloud forest. The disappearance of fragments of this forest is expected, along with some of their most characteristic species, such as Magnolia schiedeana . Mexico, through the National System of Protected Natural Areas, must consider protection strategies for those species distributed within the Protected Natural Areas that will be affected by the climate change. This study delimits the distribution of M. schiedeana in Mexico, through ecological niche and future distribution modeling under two periods: years 2040 and 2080. These distribution models tend to move towards northeastern Mexico. The potential distribution of this species declines by 0.36% and 1.94% in the first and second periods, respectively. From this result, the future role of National System of Protected Natural Areas in the long-term conservation of M. schiedeana was analyzed, prompting a proposal to focus conservation efforts on the following Protected Natural Areas: (1) At the federal level: Biosphere Reserve Sierra Gorda and Cañón de Metztitlán, Cuenca del Río Necaxa and El Potosí, National Park El Chico, Cofre de Perote, Pico de Orizaba and Los Mármoles, and Nevado de Toluca. (2) At the state level: Cerro de las Culebras, Cerro de la Galaxia, Cerro de Macuiltepetl, El Tejar Garnica, Francisco Javier Clavijero, La Martinica, Molino de San Roque, Pacho Nuevo and Predio Barragán.

This study aims to examine the development strategy of Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) culture in Galela Lake, North Halmahera Regency, North Mollucas Province. It is a descriptive study. Data collection used direct observations, interviews, and literature studies, and data analysis applied SWOT analysis, and continued with Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM)). Results revealed that there were 6 priority strategies taken to develop the culture of the nile tilapia ( O. niloticus ) as follows: 1. Human resources development; 2. Take advantage of the investment-providing institutions for culture development; 3. Optimize the use of nile tilapia culture in the floating net cage; 4. Broaden the marketing access; 5. Increase the fish seed quality and the product quality; 6. Agreement among the fish farmers to maintain security in the floating net cage localities. Keywords: strategy, Galela Lake, nile tilapia, SWOT, QSPM. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji strategi pengembangan budi daya ikan nila ( Oreochromis niloticus ) di Danau Galela Kabupaten Halmahera Utara Provinsi Maluku Utara. Penelitan ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif. Teknik pengembilan data melalui observasi langsung dan wawancara, dan studi literature. Analisis data menggunakan analisis SWOT. Dan dilanjutkan dengan uji OSPM ( Quantitative Strategis Planning Matrix ). Hasil dari analisis data menghasilkan enam strategi prioritas untuk pengembangan budi daya ikan nila ( oreochromis niloticus ) yaitu 1. Peningkatan pembinaan SDM 2. Memanfaatkan lembaga penyedia modal untuk pengembangan budi daya 3. Optimalisasi lahan budi daya ikan nila di karamba Jaring apung (KJA) 4. Memperluas akses pemasaran 5. Peningkatan kualitas benih ikan nila dan kualitas produk 6. Kesepakatan antar pembudidaya dalam menjaga keamanan di lokasi karamba jaring apung (KJA). Kata Kunci : Strategi, Danau Galela, Ikan Nila, Analisis SWOT, Analisis QSPM

Objective: To investigate different biological activities of the methanolic extract and solventsolvent partitioning of Vitex negundo (V. negundo) bark. Methods: In-vitro anti-oxidant study was determined using total phenolic compound analysis and DPPH radical scavenging assay. In vitro antimicrobial study was measured by observing zone of inhibition. The cytotoxic activity was studied using brine shrimp lethality bioassay and thrombolytic activity by clot disruption method. Results: In the evaluation of anti-oxidant activity, the amount of total phenolic content differed in different extractives as from 12.94 mg of GAE/g of extractives to 54.19 mg of GAE/g of extractives of V. negundo. Among all extractives, the highest phenolic content was found in n-hexane fraction (N-HXN) (54.19 mg of GAE/g of extractives). Significant amount of phenolic compounds were present in methanol extract (ME) (35.19 mg of GAE/g of extractives) and aqueous soluble fraction (AQSF) (12.94 mg of GAE/g of extractives). The free radical scavenging activity of ME and its different partitions were assessed using DPPH free radicals assay. The highest free radical scavenging activity was found in AQSF (IC50=7.78 µg/mL). The antimicrobial screening of the bark of V. negundo exhibited mild to moderate activity in test microorganisms. The chloroform soluble fraction demonstrated the highest inhibition against microbial growth having zone of inhibition as 8-12 mm. In the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, The LC50 values of n-hexane and chloroform soluble fractions were found 3.713 6 µg/mL, and 0.910 µg/mL respectively while the LC50 values of standard Vincristine sulphate was 0.408 µg/mL. The methanol extract and their different organic soluble of V. negundo bark inhibited hypotonic solution-induced haemolysis of erythrocytes in in-vitro membrane stabilizing activity test. The AQSF and N-HXN showed inhibition of haemolysis as 55.05% and 29.89% that were lower than 71.9% of aspirin (0.10 mg/mL). Methanol extract of V. negundo and all of its different partitions exhibited moderate thrombolytic activity of 36.95%- 22.98%. Conclusions: These experiments were able to show the several biological activity of methanolic extract and its soluble fractions of V. negundo at a time.

Ethanolic extracts from Magnolia dealbata (Zucc.) (Magnoliaceae); leaves, bark, seeds, sarcotesta and flowers were evaluated for insecticidal activity against adults of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Using feeding bioassays composed from sugar-extract mixtures, only the extract from sarcotesta indicated insecticidal activity against the flies. The extracts from the other four plant tissues (leaves, bark, seeds and flowers) did not manifest any biological activity. The most effective extract was obtained from oven-dried sarcotesta, whereas extracts from fresh sarcotesta were inactive. Our results suggest that M. dealbata sarcotesta contains secondary metabolites with insecticidal activity against A. ludens adults. These metabolites are as potent as natural pyrethins and represent a potential substance for controlling this type of pest.

Numerous grass species are used as pasture and cover crops in crop rotation systems in South Africa. A wide range of weed species are also present in local cropping systems and adversely affect crop production. The identification of the economically important nematode pests that are associated with both grasses and weeds is presented. The presence of the seed- and leaf-gall nematode Subanguina wevelli in seeds of Eragrostis curvula is, for example, a matter of great economic concern to the local grass seed industry. Methods to eliminate seed- and leaf-gall nematodes from consignments of grass seed for export, including the use of sieving and flotation, have been investigated, but were ineffective. Ryegrass toxicity, resulting from the association of Anguina funesta with a coryneform bacterium (Clavibacter sp.) and A. agrostis with the bacterium Clavibacter toxicus is also described. Every year, cattle and sheep die from ryegrass toxicity. Concerning weeds, an extensive nematode survey was done in the fields of local smallholding farmers and showed the association of a wide range of plant-parasitic nematodes with 38 weed species. The predominant plant-parasitic nematode species identified were Meloidogyne hapla, Meloidogyne incognita, Meloidogyne javanica, Pratylenchus zeae, Helicotylenchus dihystera, and Rotylenchus unisexus. Both survey and host suitability assays showed that Tagetes minuta, reported and perceived to be a poor host of Meloidogyne spp., have the potential to serve as a good host for the economically important root-knot nematode species M. incognita and M. javanica.

The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), cystathione-β-synthase (CBS) and methionine synthase (MTR) genes interact with each other and the environment. These interactions could influence homocysteine (Hcy) and diseases contingent thereon. We determined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within these genes, their relationships and interactions with total Hcy concentrations within black South Africans to address the increased prevalence of diseases associated with Hcy. The MTHFR 677 TT and MTR 2756 AA genotypes were associated with higher Hcy concentrations (16.6 and 10.1 μmol/L; p b 0.05) compared to subjects harboring the MTHFR 677 CT/CC and the MTR 2756 AG genotypes (10.5, 9.7 and 9.5 μmol/L, respectively). The investigated CBS genotypes did not influence Hcy.We demonstrated interactions between the area of residence and the CBS T833C/844ins68 genotypes (p = 0.005) so that when harboring the wildtype allele, rural subjects had significantly higher Hcy than their urban counterparts, but when hosting the variant allele the environment made no difference to Hcy. Between the CBS T833C/844ins68 or G9276A and MTHFR C677T genotypes, there were two-way interactions (p = 0.003 and = 0.004, respectively), with regard to Hcy. Subjects harboring the MTHFR 677 TT genotype in combination with the CBS 833 TT/homozygous 844 non-insert or the MTHFR 677 TT genotype in combination with the CBS 9276 GA/GG displayed higher Hcy concentrations. Therefore, some of the investigated genotypes affected Hcy; residential area changed the way in which the CBS T833C/844ins68 SNPs influenced Hcy concentrations highlighting the importance of environmental factors; and gene–gene interactions allude to epistatic effects SANPAD (South Africa- Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development), South African National Research Foundation (NRF),North-West University (NWU), Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), Medical Research Council (MRC) and the NorthWest Province Health Department

Female members of many cephalopod species house a bacterial consortium that is part of their reproductive system, the accessory nidamental gland (ANG). These bacteria are deposited into eggs that are then laid in the environment where they must develop unprotected from predation, pathogens and fouling. In this study, we characterized the genome and secondary metabolite production of Leisingera sp. JC1, a member of the roseobacter clade (Rhodobacteraceae) of Alphaproteobacteria isolated from the jelly coat of eggs from the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes. Whole genome sequencing and MLSA analysis revealed that Leisingera sp. JC1 falls within a group of roseobacters associated with squid ANGs. Genome and biochemical analyses revealed the potential for and production of a number of secondary metabolites, including siderophores and acyl-homoserine lactones involved with quorum sensing. The complete biosynthetic gene cluster for the pigment indigoidine was detected in the genome and mass spectrometry confirmed the production of this compound. Furthermore, we investigated the production of indigoidine under co-culture conditions with Vibrio fischeri, the light organ symbiont of E. scolopes, and with other vibrios. Finally, both Leisingera sp. JC1 and secondary metabolite extracts of this strain had differential antimicrobial activity against a number of marine vibrios, suggesting that Leisingera sp. JC1 may play a role in host defense against other marine bacteria either in the eggs and/or ANG. These data also suggest that indigoidine may be partially, but not wholly, responsible for the antimicrobial activity of this squid-associated bacterium. □

Red blood cell alloimmunization is a common complication among the transfusion recipients. In Malaysia, multiple ethnicity causes genetic heterogeneity among the population which in turn can cause a wide variation of antibody. The objective of this study was to analyse the red cell alloantibody detected during the pre-transfusion testing. This was a cross-sectional study done in the blood bank of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre during the period of January-December 2010. The data was retrieved from the hospital laboratory information system. A total of 24,263 patients' blood samples were subjected for pre-transfusion testing. Antibody screening was done using an indirect antiglobulin test method. The positive samples were further identified for antibody specificity. Antibody screening tests were positive in 184 patients out of 24,263 samples with the incidence of 0.76 %. Autoantibodies and alloantibodies were detected in 39/184 (21.2 %) and 140/184 (76.1 %) of the patients respectively. In five patients (2.7 %) the antibody specificity remained undetermined. Total 161 alloantibodies were identified. The suspected Anti-Mia alloantibody was observed most frequently (49/161, 30.4 %) followed by anti-E (30/161, 18.6 %) and anti-D (22/161, 13.7 %). Anti-E and anti-c were the most common combination of multiple alloantibodies. In view of the high incidence of suspected Anti-Mia antibodies, more efforts are needed to look into the techniques for confirmation of the Anti-Mia antibodies. Besides that, we suggested that all multiply transfused patients should be phenotyped for the Rh system and to supply Rh phenotype specific blood in order to limit alloimmunization.

Aerobic rice system, the most promising irrigation water saving rice production technology, is highly impeded by severe weed pressure. Weed control through the use of same herbicide causes development of herbicide resistant weed biotypes and serious problem in weed management. This study was aimed at finding out herbicides with different mode of actions to suggest effective weed control herbicide technology in aerobic rice system. This study was conducted at Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Seberang Perai Station, Penang, Malaysia during off season 2008 (April – July 2008) and main season 2008-2009 (November 2008 – February 2009) to evaluate fourteen and eight combinations of different locally available herbicides, in the off season and main seasons, respectively. A weed free control and a weedy check treatment were also included in the both trials. The trial used a RCB design with three replications in the off season and four replications in the main season, respectively. Twenty one (21) weed species were found in the aerobic rice field but two species ( Eleusine indica and Digitaria ascendens ) appeared as dominant. Based on the weed control efficiency, weed index values and net benefit from economic analysis, it appeared that the herbicide combinations such as Propanil/Benthiocarb fb Bentazone/MCPA or Cyhalofopbutyl+ Bensulfuron fb Bentazone/MCPA or Pendimethalin fb Cyhalofop-butyl+ Bensulfuron fb Bentazone/MCPA or Pretilachlor+Pendimethalin fb Bentazone/MCPA could be the possible alternative options for effective and economic weed control in rice under aerobic system towards avoiding development of herbicide resistance in weed. Manual weeding is not at all cost-effective. The selected herbicide combinations could be used in rotation for sustainable weed management and to run the aerobic rice system as a profitable business venture. Key words: Herbicide combination, summed dominance ratio, weed control efficiency, weed index, rice yield

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach was applied in developing software sensor for production of lactic acid using pineapple waste from Lactobacillus delbreuckii. Lactic acid production currently is one of the significant materials in industry and production with renewable source such as pineapple waste made the production of lactic acid faced a lot of disturbances in measuring the quality of lactic acid produced. An artificial neural network (ANN) was developed to predict the concentration of lactic acid, using collected data from an offline analysis. Multi layer perceptron (MLP) was used for mapping between the input and output parameters. Two variables were used as input parameters. MSE was used to evaluate the predictive performance of MLP. Logsig and purelin was used as the activation function and Levenberg-Marquadt was utilized as the training algorithm. The result showed that having 2 inputs is better in predicting the concentration of lactic acid; instead of 1 input. The optimum structure found was 2-5-1.

Optimization conditions of Lipozyme RM IM lipase esterification of capric and stearic acids with glycerol for the production of medium- and long-chain triacyglycerols (MLCT) fat suitable for food applications such as margarine and shortening were investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to model and optimize the reaction conditions, namely, the reaction time (8–24 h), enzyme load (5–15 wt.%), and fatty acids/glycerol ratio (3:1–4:1) and represented by Ti, En, and Sb, respectively. Best-fitting models were successfully established for both MLCT yield (R 2 = 0.9507) and residual FFA (R 2 = 0.9315) established by multiple regressions with backward elimination. Optimal reaction conditions were 13.6–14.0 h for reaction time, 7.9–8.0 wt.% for enzyme load, and 3:1 for fatty acids/glycerol molar ratio. Chi-square test showed that there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences between the observed and predicted values of both models. Refined MLCT fat blend had sufficient solid fat at room temperature and made it suitable to use as a hard stock in shortening and margarine production.

The monoclonal antibody market continues to witness an impressive rate of growth and has become the leading source of expansion in the biologic segment within the pharmaceutical industry. Currently marketed monoclonal antibodies target a diverse array of antigens. These antigens are distributed in a variety of tissues such as tumors, lungs, synovial fluid, psoriatic plaques, and lymph nodes. As the concentration of drug at the proximity of the biological receptor determines the magnitude of the observed pharmacological responses, a significant consideration in effective therapeutic application of monoclonal antibodies is a thorough understanding of the processes that regulate antibody biodistribution. Monoclonal antibody distribution is affected by factors such as molecular weight, blood flow, tissue and tumor heterogeneity, structure and porosity, target antigen density, turnover rate, and the target antigen expression profile.

BACKGROUND: Medium- and long-chain triacylglyerols (MLCT) enzymatically esterified using Lipozyme RM IM lipase has very low oxidative stability as it does not contain any antioxidants. The aim of this work was to study the ability of various antioxidants to increase the oxidative stability of palm- and soybean-based MLCT blends which assist to bring up the oxidative stability of both MLCT blends. In this study, the effectiveness of rosemary extracts, sage extracts, tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and mixtures of tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA) and tert-butyl-p-hydroxytoluene (BHT) in protecting against oxidation of various MLCT blends was investigated. RESULTS: Blending of MLCT oil with either palm olein or soybean oil improved its smoke point values and oxidative stability. TBHQ addition to both palm- and soybean-based MLCT blends increased oxidative stability. Combination of BHA and BHT showed no significant improvement (P > 0.05) in ability to protect blends from oxidation compared to natural antioxidants such as sage or rosemary extracts. CONCLUSION: Blended oils with 500 g kg−1 MLCT and 500 g kg−1 palm olein (MP5) were the most suitable for use at high temperature based on the fatty acid composition of the MLCT blends, which subsequently had an effect on thermal oxidative stability. In general, addition of either natural or synthetic antioxidant assisted in improving the antioxidative strength of both MLCT blends. MLCT blends with added TBHQ showed the highest thermal oxidative stability among the antioxidants used. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry

Forest conversion to some land use happened in all watershed, includes Batang Pelepat watershed. The objectives of this research are to know effect of forest conversion to land of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and palm oil (Elaeis guinensis Jack) farming on run off and soil erosion and different of erosion rate on agro technology of rubber and palm oil farming in Batang Pelepat watershed. The research was carried out during 3 months, begin October to December 2006. Run off and soil erosion measured plot with gutter in the lower of plot. Experimental design for this research is randomized complete block design, with land use type as treatment and slope class as replication or block. Data analyzed statistically by variance analysis (F-test) and Duncan New Multiple Range Test on confidence 95% (α = 0.05). The results of this research show that area of forest coverage in Batang Pelepat watershed was decreasing. In 1986 this area still 94,50% of watershed area, but in 1994 area of forest only 78,17% and in 2006 forest area 64,20% of watershed area. Forest conversion was carried out to land of rubber and palm oil farming with some actual agro technologies. Land of monoculture rubber I resulted the highest run off and soil erosion more than the other land use type and showed different of run off and soil erosion on land of secondary forest.

Diacylglycerol (DAG) oil has beneficial effects on obesity and weight-related disorders. A survey of literature has shown the effects of DAG on the reduction in the accumulation of body fat in both animals and humans. The physiological effect of DAG is believed to be attributed to its metabolic pathway, which is different from triacylglycerol (TAG) metabolism. Physicochemical properties, such as melting and smoke points and polymorphic forms, of DAG are also distinct from TAG. Various patented processes for DAG oil production from several reaction routes are discussed. A review of patent literature of commercial products based on DAG oils and fats is also provided.

Partial hydrolysis using Lipozyme RMIM lipase in a solvent-free system was used to produce a diacylglycerol (DAG)-enriched palm olein. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to model and optimize the reaction conditions namely water content (30–70 wt% of enzyme mass), enzyme load (5–15 wt% of oil mass), reaction temperature (45–85 °C) and reaction time (6–16 h). Well fitting models were successfully established for both DAG yield ( R 2 = 0.8788) and unhydrolysed triacylglycerol (TAG) ( R 2 = 0.8653) through multiple linear regressions with backward elimination. Chi-square test indicated that there were no significant ( P > 0.05) differences between the observed and predicted values for both models. All reaction conditions had positive effects on DAG yield and negative effects on unhydrolysed TAG. Optimal reaction conditions were: 50 wt% water content, 10 wt% enzyme load, 65°C of reaction temperature and 12 h of reaction time. The process was further up-scaled to a 9 kg production in a continuous packed bed bioreactor. Results indicated that upscaling was possible with a similar DAG yield (32 wt%) as in lab scale. Purification of the DAG oil using short path distillation yielded a DAG-enriched palm olein with 60 wt% DAG and 40 wt% TAG which is suitable for margarine, spread or shortening applications.

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) are important tick-borne viruses. Despite their wide geographical distribution and ease of acquisition, the prevalence of both viruses in Malaysia is still unknown. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence for TBEV and CCHFV among Malaysian farm workers as a high-risk group within the population. Methods: We gave questionnaires to 209 farm workers and invited them to participate in the study. Eighty-five agreed to do so. We then collected and tested sera for the presence of anti-TBEV IgG (immunoglobulin G) and anti-CCHFV IgG using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. We also tested seroreactive samples against three other related flaviviruses: dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) using the ELISA method. Results: The preliminary results showed the presence of anti-TBEV IgG in 31 (36.5 %) of 85 sera. However, when testing all the anti-TBEV IgG positive sera against the other three antigenically related flaviviruses to exclude possible cross reactivity, only five (4.2 %) sera did not show any cross reactivity. Interestingly, most (70.97 %) seropositives subjects mentioned tick-bite experience. However, there was no seroreactive sample for CCHFV. Conclusions: These viruses migrate to neighbouring countries so they should be considered threats for the future, despite the low seroprevalence for TBEV and no serological evidence for CCHFV in this study. Therefore, further investigation involving a large number of human, animal and tick samples that might reveal the viruses’ true prevalence is highly recommended.