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KAJIAN PENANAMAN PADI TRADISIONAL SARAWAK
Get PDFBeberapa siri eksperimen telah dijalankan di dalam inkubator dan kebuk persekitaran terkawal untuk mengukur kadar percambahan biji benih dan mengkaji respon tanaman terhadap jangka masa siang (fotoperiod) bagi varieti padi tradisional. Hasil kajian mendapati varieti padi Bario Sederhana dan Biris mempunyai suhu asas 10 °C, suhu optimum 32–33 °C, dan suhu maksimum 43 °C untuk percambahan biji benih. Pada julat suhu sub-optimum (10 - 33 °C), masa terma untuk percambahan ialah 62 °Cd bagi varieti Bario Sederhana dan 53 °Cd bagi Biris. Padi tradisional Sarawak menunjukkan sensitiviti yang tinggi terhadap fotoperiod, dengan fasa fenologi tanaman yang lebih panjang apabila fotoperiod dilanjutkan dari 10 ke 12 jam. Walau bagaimanapun, kelewatan dalam perkembangan fenologi ini meningkatkan hasil padi walaupun memerlukan tempoh matang tanaman yang lebih lama. Fotoperiod asas, optimum dan maksimum untuk pembungaan masing-masing dianggarkan pada 7.4 jam, 10 jam, dan 14.8 jam. Sensitiviti terhadap fotoperiod bermula apabila anak pokok mula menghasilkan 3 - 4 helai daun. Dalam beberapa siri eksperimen yang dijalankan di dalam bekas tanaman dan lapangan, masa untuk berbunga menjadi lebih singkat apabila penanaman dilakukan pada bulan yang lebih lewat, sekali gus mengesahkan rangsangan fotoperiod tanaman tersebut. Dalam satu kajian lapangan berasingan, kecekapan penggunaan cahaya telah diukur bagi varieti Bario Sederhana (3.59 g DM/MJ PAR), Biris (2.86 g DM/MJ PAR), Bajong (3.44 g DM/MJ PAR), Mamut (2.35 g DM/MJ PAR) dan Bubuk (2.17 g DM/MJ PAR). Hasil kajian ini mencadangkan agar padi tradisional ditanam pada penjarakkan yang lebih rapat bagi meningkatkan kepadatan pokok dan memaksimumkan pemintasan cahaya bagi varieti padi yang mempunyai bilangan anak daun yang rendah.
Kata kunci: Fenologi, jangka masa siang, model tanaman, sinaran aktif fotosintetik, suhu terkumpu
Bridging the Literacy Gap in Sarawak: Advancing Functional Literacy through Community-Academic Collaboration
No full textPandangan Pelajar Universiti Berkaitan Masalah Pengangguran Siswazah
Get PDFFenomena pengangguran telah menjadi suatu isu yang sering dibangkitkan di Malaysia. Malah sehingga kini isu ini masih belum menemukan langkah yang berkesan dalam menanganinya. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengenal pasti faktor-faktor pengangguran siswazah, kesan-kesan dan langkah-langkah yang diambil dalam mengatasi permasalahan ini. Dalam kajian kualitatif ini, seramai 10 orang informan kajian telah ditemu bual telah dipilih secara rawak dari pelbagai
universiti. Data yang diperolehi dianalisis dengan menggunakan kaedah tematik dan dapatan dijelaskan mengikut tema yang telah diklasifikasikan. Dapatan kajian mendapati empat faktor yang menyumbang kepada isu pengangguran siswazah iaitu kemahiran yang tidak memenuhi keperluan
industri, pekerjaan terhad, lambakan graduan, dan kurang kesedaran dan persediaan oleh graduan.
Hal ini memberi kesan kepada peningkatan masalah kesihatan mental dan masalah sosial, serta mengurangkan jumlah belia ke institut pengajian tinggi. Oleh itu, siswazah mencadangkan supaya memperbanyakkan program latihan yang mendedahkan mereka dengan alam pekerjaan, menggalakkan pelajar dalam bidang keusahawanan dan mengehadkan kemasukan pelajar untuk program pengajian tertentu. Kesimpulannya, isu ini adalah satu cabaran yang paling signifikan kerana mencerminkan hubungan yang kompleks antara sistem pendidikan, pasaran pekerjaan, dan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang memerlukan perhatian berterusan dari semua pihak bagi memastikan golongan graduan dapat menyumbang secara efektif kepada pembangunan negar
Metagenomic characterisation of bacterial communities associated with rice yellow stemborer, Scirpophaga incertulas
Get PDFInsects host diverse bacteria that play essential survival roles. The bacterial community composition is influenced by
biotic and abiotic factors, including host plant genotypes. This study profiled the bacterial communities of yellow stemborer larvae using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Larvae were fed three local rice landraces from Sarawak, and their
bacterial diversity and abundance were compared. Altogether, nine samples were prepared, comprising three samples for
each landrace: Bajong larvae (BJLV), Bario larvae (BRLV), and Bubok larvae (BBLV). A total of 21 phyla, 55 classes,
93 orders, 168 families, and 287 genera were detected. Proteobacteria dominated the microbiome, comprising 78.2% of
the total community, with g_norank_f_Enterobacteriaceae (29.3%) as the most abundant genus. Diversity tests indicated
bacterial community homogeneity among larvae feeding on different landraces, suggesting vertical bacterial transmission
from adult female yellow stemborers to their offspring
IN SITU WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND COLIFORM CLASSIFICATION IN BATANG LAYAR, SARAWAK
Get PDFThe Batang Layar river in Sarawak, Malaysia, is a vital water resource for local communities, supporting
aquaculture, agriculture, transportation, recreation, and drinking water supply. Despite its significance, the
river’s water quality remains understudied, raising public health concerns due to potential contamination
from anthropogenic activities. This research evaluates water quality of the river at four (4) sites (Nanga Tiga,
Spak, Lubau, and New Layar Bridge) through in-situ physicochemical analysis and microbial profiling,
focusing on coliform bacteria as pollution indicators. Results show that faecal coliform counts (FCC) and total
coliform count (TCC) at these sites are classified under Class III of Malaysia’s National Water Quality Standard
(NWQS), indicating significant contamination and requiring substantial treatment. Notably, The New Layar
Bridge site showed highest contamination levels (FCC: 817 CFU/100 mL; TCC: 12,517 CFU/100 mL),
suggesting anthropogenic impacts from domestic waste or urban runoff. Molecular techniques via (GTG)5 PCR
fingerprinting and 16S rRNA sequencing identified ten bacterial genera, with Acinetobacter (28.57%),
Chromobacterium (14.29%), and Escherichia (9.52%) being the most prevalent genera, commonly associated
with faecal contamination. This study highlights the urgent need for effective sustainable management
strategies, including proper waste disposal practices and regular monitoring, to preserve the rivers in the
study area
Piper nigrum as a Source of Antimicrobial Agents: Bioactive Constituents,Mechanistic Insights, and SyntheticDerivatives for Antibacterial Applications
No full textPiper nigrum, commonly known as black pepper, is a widely cultivated spice with a long history of medicinal use. P. nigrum exhibits a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity because of the presence of bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, phenol, and terpenoids, which have been identified as major contributors to its antimicrobial efficacy. These compounds act through various mechanisms, including disrupting bacterial cell membranes, inhibiting enzymes vital for bacterial growth and survival, generating reactive oxygen species, and interfering with biofilm formation. To date, there has been growing interest in
exploring the bacteriostatic potential of P. nigrum, focusing on the active metabolites. This results in structural modifications of the parent compound through the introduction of additional functional groups via various synthetic pathways, thereby enhancing its biological potential. This review aims to provide an overview of the antimicrobial properties and biological mechanisms of action of the isolated compounds from P. nigrum.
Furthermore, some derivatization of isolated compounds has
also been discussed together with their antibacterial activities. On the basis of the collected chemical constituents from P.nigrum and its analogues, this review represents a very interesting bioactive compound with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, highlighting its potential as a future crop to combat bacterial infections
A Review of Sea Turtle Awareness Programmes in Malaysia
Get PDFMalaysia is blessed with important sea turtle nesting rookeries along its coasts. As the sea turtle population declines
in the country, conservation efforts in the form of outreach are important to obtain support and civic engagement
in this sector. To understand the sea turtle outreach efforts in Malaysia, the outreach programmes, programme
types and strategies by Malaysian non-governmental organisations and government agencies are reviewed in this
paper, by tracking their social media and websites between January 2023 and December 2024. The findings help
conservation entities to identify respective outreach blind spots and take initiatives to improve wherever possible.
Out of the 18 agencies analysed, 38.89% (7) conducted all four types of outreach programmes. Ecotourism and
community outreach are the most commonly conducted programme types at 77.78% (14). Knowledge
dissemination is employed by all organisations, while hands-on activities are used by 94.44% (17) organisations,
and only 22.22% (4) of the organisations were found to employ knowledge application on top of the former two.
This paper suggests that school and youth outreach programmes should be prioritised by more organisations, as
pro-environmental attitudes are more easily shaped in younger participants. On top of that, all tracked
organisations should continue in their efforts of employing multiple outreach strategies, ensuring the effectiveness
of their programmes
Trends and innovations in cucumber root-knot nematode disease control
Get PDFRoot-knot nematode is one of the main diseases of cucumbers, and it seriously affects the quality, quantity, and yield of cucumbers. With the continuous development of science and technology, under the influence of agricultural sustainable development, the control strategies of the cucumber root-knot nematode are also changing. In this review, a visual bibliometric analysis is used to understand the research history, current situation and development trend of
cucumber root-knot nematode disease. The CiteSpace software analysed 420 research articles on cucumber root-knot nematode in the Web of Science (WoS) database from 1973 to 2024 and conducted inductive statistics from the author,
country, institution and keywords. The analysis showed that the number of articles has consistently increased since 2011, peaking in 2023. China and the United States
are the leading contributors, with the largest number of publications and relatively concentrated research institutions. International collaborative research efforts have commenced but require further enhancement. The Crop Protection and the Journal of Nematology have published the highest number of articles, but fewer articles were published in high-impact journals. In terms of content, research on cucumber root-knot nematodes has evolved from traditional field prevention and control to investigations into resistance mechanisms, leveraging molecular biology techniques and grafting methods to enhance cucumber’s self-resistance to root-knot nematodes.
Biological control is currently a prominent research topic, with existing measures primarily focusing on antagonistic microorganisms and plants for safer and more effective multidisciplinary integration, representing the future direction of cucumber root-knot nematode research
Uncertainty Quantification in Numerical Modelling of Polymeric Foam Composites Assisted by Machine Learning
Get PDFThe use of natural fibres to reinforce composites is becoming increasingly widespread, driven by the growing demand for renewable and sustainable material solutions. However, as composite structures become more complex, the need for accurate and reliable numerical modelling techniques becomes increasingly critical to predict their behaviour effectively. In this study, a combination of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Machine Learning (ML) is employed to numerically model and predict the material properties of a composite based on a polyester resin matrix reinforced with various fillers, including bagasse fibres and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibres. The polymeric foam composite contains chaotically distributed fibres and randomly varying pore sizes and shapes. To address this uncertainty, an Interval Field (IF) approach is employed. A Representative Volume Element (RVE) of the composite structure is generated using the integrated FEA and IF approach to facilitate the homogenization procedure. The FEA results are compared and validated against previously obtained experimental data. Once satisfactory R-squared values are achieved, the validated data are used as training input for the Machine Learning model. The integration of Machine Learning into numerical modelling reduces the need for extensive experimental testing and helps minimise computational costs. This study highlights the potential of Machine Learning in the analysis and optimisation of polymeric foam composites
Optimization of Mechanical and Durability Properties of Manganese Slag Hybrid Fiber Concrete Using an L9 Orthogonal Design and Grey Relational Analysis
Get PDFStudies have highlighted manganese slag (MnS) mixed-fiber concrete as a construction material, in view of the effects of varying proportions of MnS, steel fibers (SF), and
polypropylene fibers (PPF) on the mechanical properties and durability of C30 MnS hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (MHFC). Using an L9 orthogonal design, ten mix ratios
were tested for compressive strength, flexural strength, and chloride ion resistance at 7, 28, 56, and 91 days. A grey relational analysis (GRA) method was employed to
comprehensively evaluate nine mix proportioning schemes across four curing ages. By analyzing the grey relational degrees, the optimal mix proportioning scheme was
identified. Results indicated that SF had the greatest positive impact on both compressive and flexural strength, followed by MnS, while PPF had a limited effect. The optimal
mix—20% MnS, 1.0% SF, and 0.5% PPF—achieved a 23% increase in compressive strength and 33% in flexural strength at 28 days. In terms of the durability of concrete in
corrosive environments, the optimal performance was achieved with a mix proportion of 10% MnS, 1.0% SF, and 1.0% PPF. These findings provide guidance for optimizing
MHFC and highlight the potential of industrial by-products in enhancing concrete durability. Further research is recommended to refine mix designs and assess long-term
field performance