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The high priced cave edible bird's nest (EBN) has attracted unscrupulous EBN producers to adulterate EBN with lower priced house-farmed EBN due to the fact that both are almost indistinguishable by visual inspection. In the present study, major mineral contents such as calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium of both EBN types were analysed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Three pattern recognition techniques namely hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were employed to determine the influence of harvesting origins on mineral profiles. With the use of HCA and PCA, EBN samples have successfully been grouped into two distinct clusters. From the PCA score plot, principal component 1 (49.53 %) and principal component 2 (41.11%) accounted for 90.64% of the total variability. In addition, LDA presented excellent performance in discriminating and predicting membership of the two EBN sample types with classification rate of 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different pathogens may be found in the sewage treated effluents generated by sewage treatment plants (STPs). The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) regulations have established pathogen reduction requirements for faecal coliforms (FC). Therefore, the effectiveness of mesophilic treatments at 45°C and thermophilic treatment at 55°C, as well as heat pasteurisation at 65°C, to reduce FC and eliminate the pathogens were investigated (Shigella sp, E. coli, Salmonella spp., K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus), after 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 24, 48, 96 and 192 h. Isolation of bacteria was carried out by membrane filtration on appropriate selective media. The results show that the sewage treated effluents met the U.S. EPA Guidelines for water reuse (FC<14 cells/100 ml) after 192 h at 45°C. Shigella sp., E. coli and Salmonella spp. were eliminated after 4, 48 and 96 h at 55°C, respectively, and 2 h at 65°C. No regrowth of these pathogens was observed in treated effluents. Mesophilic treatment has the potential to be one of the tertiary treatments used to reduce FC to meet the U. S. EPA standards limits, and thermophilic treatment and heat pasteurisation are sufficient to eliminate pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores an innovative integrated system for removing the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) from aquatic environments, utilizing a combination by modified biochar derived from waste biomass of palm kernel shells (PKS-BM) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). The characterization of the biochar revealed significant surface functional groups, a substantial surface area, and a mesoporous structure conducive to adsorption application. Biochar-assisted phytoremediation demonstrated markedly higher removal efficiencies of 2,4-D as compared to phytoremediation alone, achieving up to 98.7%, 96.9%, and 90.3% removal efficiency for 2,4-D concentrations of 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L, and 150 mg/L, respectively. Additionally, the presence of biochar significantly enhanced the morphological growth of Eichhornia crassipes, particularly under higher concentrations of 2,4-D, by mitigating toxic effects and supporting healthier plant development. These findings suggest that integrating biochar into phytoremediation system offers a promising, sustainable approach for effectively removing herbicides from contaminated water bodies while also promoting plant health and growth., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Herbicide contamination in aquatic systems has become a global concern due to their long- term persistence, accumulation and health risks to humans. Paraquat, a widely used and cost-effective nonselective herbicide, is frequently applied in agricultural fields for pest control. Consequently, the removal of paraquat from contaminated water is crucial. This research presents a sustainable and environmentally benign method for paraquat removal from aqueous system by integrating wetland plants ( Eichhornia crassipes ) with biochar derived from melamine-modified palm kernel shells. The prepared biochar was characterized by using various analytical techniques. The effectiveness of biochar in enhancing phytoremediation was evaluated through a series of experiments, showing significant paraquat removal efficiencies of 99.7, 98.3, and 82.8% at different paraquat concentrations 50, 100, and 150 mg L -1 , respectively. Additionally, present study examined the impact of biochar on the growth of E. crassipes , highlighting its potential to reduce the toxic effects of paraquat even present at higher concentrations. The paraquat removal mechanism was elucidated, focusing on the synergistic role of biochar adsorption and phytoremediation capability of E. crassipes . This innovative approach is an effective, feasible, sustainable and eco-friendly technique that can contribute to the development of advanced and affordable water remediation processes for widespread application.

Review articles present comprehensive overview of relevant literature on specific themes and synthesise the studies related to these themes, with the aim of strengthening the foundation of knowledge and facilitating theory development. The significance of review articles in science is immeasurable as both students and researchers rely on these articles as the starting point for their research. Interestingly, many postgraduate students are expected to write review articles for journal publications as a way of demonstrating their ability to contribute to new knowledge in their respective fields. However, there is no comprehensive instructional framework to guide them on how to analyse and synthesise the literature in their niches into publishable review articles. The dearth of ample guidance or explicit training results in students having to learn all by themselves, usually by trial and error, which often leads to high rejection rates from publishing houses. Therefore, this article seeks to identify these challenges from a beginner's perspective and strives to plug the identified gaps and discrepancies. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to serve as a systematic guide for emerging scientists and to summarise the most important information on how to write and structure a publishable review article., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ayodeji Amobonye et al.)

The ability of fungal species to produce a wide range of enzymes and metabolites, which act synergistically, makes them valuable tools in bioremediation, especially in the removal of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) from contaminated environments. PhACs are compounds that have been specifically designed to treat or alter animal physiological conditions and they include antibiotics, analgesics, hormones, and steroids. Their detrimental effects on all life forms have become a source of public outcry due their persistent nature and their uncontrolled discharge into various wastewater effluents, hospital effluents, and surface waters. Studies have however shown that fungi have the necessary metabolic machinery to degrade PhACs in complex environments, such as soil and water, in addition they can be utilized in bioreactor systems to remove PhACs. In this regard, this review highlights fungal species with immense potential in the biodegradation of PhACs, their enzymatic arsenal as well as the probable mechanism of biodegradation. The challenges encumbering the real-time application of this promising bioremediative approach are also highlighted, as well as the areas of improvement and future perspective. In all, this paper points researchers to the fact that fungal bioremediation is a promising strategy for addressing the growing issue of pharmaceutical contamination in the environment and can help to mitigate the negative impacts on ecosystems and human health., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Amobonye, Aruwa, Aransiola, Omame, Alabi and Lalung.)

Recently, the contribution of earthworms to plastic degradation and their capability to swallow smaller plastic fragments, known as microplastics, has been emphasized. The worm physically changes the size of microplastics and enhances microbial activities to increase the possibility of degradation. However, no research has shown that earthworms can chemically degrade microplastics to an element form, CO 2 or H 2 O. In this review, previous research has been thoroughly explored to analyse the role that earthworms could play in plastic degradation in the soil. Earthworms can significantly affect the physical characteristics of plastics. However, earthworms' abilities to chemically degrade or change the chemical structure of plastics and microplastics have not been observed. Additionally, earthworms exhibit selective feeding behaviour, avoiding areas containing a high plastics concentration and rejecting plastics. Consequently, earthworms' abilities to adapt to the microplastics in soil in the environment can cause a problem. Based on this review, the challenges faced in earthworm application for plastic degradation are mostly expected to be associated with the toxicity and complexity of the plastic material and environmental factors, such as the moisture content of the soil and its temperature, microbial population, and feeding method.

DNA profiling of X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (X-STR) has exceptional value in criminal investigations, especially for complex kinship and incest cases. In this study, Investigator® Argus X-12 Quality Sensor (QS) kits were successfully used to characterize 12 X-STR loci in 199 unrelated healthy Kedayan individuals living in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia. The LG1 haplogroup (DXS8378 - DXS10135 - DXS10148) has the largest HD (0.9799) as compared with all other closely linked haplotype groups examined (LG2; DXS7132-DXS10074-DXS10079, LG3; DXS10103-DXS10101-HPRTB and LG4; DXS10134-DXS7423-DXS10146). Data from statistical analysis showed that high combined of PD M , PD F , MEC&#95; Krüger , MEC&#95; Kishida , MEC&#95; Desmarais , and MEC&#95; Desmarais&#95;duo values (0.999999994405922, 0.99999999999999, 0.999990463834938, 0.999999975914808, 0.999999975985006, and 0.999996491927194, respectively) in the Kedayan. In a two-dimensional scaling (MDS) plot and dendrogram constructed using allele frequencies at the 12 X-STR loci, Kedayan appear to be most closely related to their other Austronesian populations including the Malays and Filipinos as compared with other reference population groups. Findings from the present study thus demonstrate high genetic variability across the 12 tested X-STR loci and can be used for population studies and forensic applications.

This study aimed at purification of phycocyanin (PC) from Phormidium tergestinum using an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) comprised of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and salts. The partitioning efficiency of PC in ATPS and the effect of phase composition, pH, crude loading, and neutral salts on purification factor and yield were investigated. Results showed that PC was selectively partitioned toward bottom phase of the system containing potassium phosphate. Under optimum conditions of 20% ( w/w ) PEG 4000, 10% ( w/w ) potassium phosphate, 20% ( v/v ) crude load at pH 7, with addition of 0.5% ( w/w ) NaCl, PC from P. tergestinum was partially purified up to 5.34-fold with a yield of 87.8%. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the molecular weight of PC was ∼19 kDa. Results from this study demonstrated ATPS could be used as a potential approach for the purification of PC from P. tergestinum.

Science and technology are extensively used in criminal investigation. From the mid- to late-1980s, one of the scientific discoveries that has had a particularly remarkable impact on this field has been the use of highly variable DNA sequence regions (minisatellites) in the human genome for individual identification. The technique was initially referred to as DNA fingerprinting, but is now more widely referred to as DNA profiling. Since then, many new developments have occurred within this area of science. These include the introduction of new genetic markers (microsatellites also known as short tandem repeats/STRs), the use of the polymerase chain reaction for target amplification, the development of DNA databases (databanking), and the advancement and/or improvement of genotyping protocols and technologies. In 2019, we described the progress of DNA profiling and DNA databanking in Malaysia for the first time. This report included information on DNA analysis regulations and legislation, STR genotyping protocols, database management, and accreditation status. Here, we provide an update on the performance of our DNA databank (numbers of DNA profiles and hits) plus the technical issues associated with correctly assigning the weight of evidence for DNA profiles in an ethnically diverse population, and the potential application of rapid DNA testing in the country. A total of 116,534 DNA profiles were obtained and stored in the Forensic DNA Databank of Malaysia (FDDM) by 2019, having increased from 70,570 in 2017. The number of hits increased by more than three-fold in just two years, where 17 and 69 hits between the DNA profiles stored in the FDDM and those from crime scenes, suspects, detainees, drug users, convicts, missing persons, or volunteers were recorded in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Forensic DNA analysis and databanking are thus progressing well in Malaysia and have already contributed to many criminal investigations. However, several other issues are discussed here, including the need for STR population data for uncharacterized population groups, and pilot trials for adopting rapid DNA profiling technology. These aspects should be considered by policy makers and law enforcement agencies in order to increase the reliability and efficiency of DNA profiling in criminal cases and in kinship analysis in Malaysia.

Genetic polymorphisms at 23 Y chromosome short tandem repeat (STRs) loci included in the Powerplex® Y23 PCR kit were successfully scored in 128 unrelated Kedayan individuals living in Sabah, East Malaysia. Complete haplotypes were recorded for all individuals and included 92 different types with 72 being unique to single male subjects. Three important forensic statistics were calculated from these data; haplotype diversity = 0.993, discriminating capacity = 0.719, and match probability = 0.015. The Kedayan appear to be most closely related to Malays and Filipinos in a multidimensional scaling plot and are separated from other mainland Asia populations including Thais and Hakka Han. These new data for Kedayan have been deposited in the YHRD database (accession number: YA004621). Our statistical analyses showed the reliability of Y-STR loci for geographically extended use in forensic casework and for studying human population history.

This data article provides population frequencies for 21 autosomal and two sex determining short tandem repeat (STR) loci in unrelated Kedayan individuals. This article is related to the research paper entitled "Forensic parameters and ancestral fraction in the Kedayan population inferred using 21 autosomal STR loci" [1] where these same data were subjected to ancestry and forensic analyses. We have collected 200 blood samples consisting of 128 male and 72 female volunteer representatives from Kedayan people residing in various parts of Borneo. All 23 STR loci were simultaneously amplified using Globalfiler™ Express PCR and amplicons were separated using an ABI 3500xl Genetic Analyzer. The STR allele calls at each locus were called using GeneMapper Ⓡ ID-X Software v1.4, while several algorithms in Arlequin software version 3.5 were used to estimate Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) between pairs of STR loci., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships which have, or could be perceived to have, influenced the work reported in this article., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Short repetitive regions in autosomal and Y chromosomes known as short tandem repeats (STRs) are currently used for DNA profiling in crime investigations. However, DNA profiling requires a sufficient quality and quantity of DNA template, which is often not obtained from trace evidence or degraded biological samples collected at the scene of a crime. Here, we assessed autosomal and male DNA components extracted from crime scene and mock casework samples using the Casework Direct Kit, Custom and compared the results against those obtained by extraction of matching samples using well-established Maxwell 16 System DNA IQ Casework Pro Kit. The quantity and quality of extracted DNA obtained using both Casework Direct Kit, Custom and Maxwell 16 System DNA IQ Casework Pro Kit were analyzed using PowerQuant Systems followed by autosomal and Y-chromosome STR profiling using GlobalFiler Express PCR Amplification Kit and PowerPlex Y23 System, respectively. Our results showed that the Casework Direct Kit and Maxwell 16 DNA IQ Casework Pro Kit have more or less equal capacity to extract inhibitor free DNA, but that the latter produces slightly better quality and more DNA template and subsequently higher numbers of STR allele calls for autosomal and Y-STR analyses. Nonetheless, the Casework Direct Kit, Custom is the quicker and cheaper option for extraction of good, clean DNA from high content material and might best be used for extraction of reference samples. Such reference DNA samples typically come from buccal swabs or freshly drawn blood. So, in general, they can confidently be expected to have a high nucleic acid content and to be inhibitor-free.

This study was aimed at identifying indigenous microorganisms from palm oil mill effluent (POME) and to ascertain the microbial load. Isolation and identification of indigenous microorganisms was subjected to standard microbiological methods and sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes for the microbial strains signifies that they were known as Micrococcus luteus 101PB, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 102PB, Bacillus cereus 103PB, Providencia vermicola 104PB, Klebsiella pneumoniae 105PB, Bacillus subtilis 106PB, Aspergillus fumigatus 107PF, Aspergillus nomius 108PF, Aspergillus niger 109PF and Meyerozyma guilliermondii 110PF. Results revealed that the population of total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) ranged from 9.5 × 10 5 - 7.9 × 10 6 cfu/mL. The total heterotrophic fungi (THF) ranged from 2.1 × 10 4 - 6.4 × 10 4 cfu/mL. Total viable heterotrophic indigenous microbial population on CMC agar ranged from 8.2 × 10 5 - 9.1 × 10 6 cfu/mL and 1.4 × 10 3 - 3.4 × 10 3 cfu/mL for bacteria and fungi respectively. The microbial population of oil degrading bacteria (ODB) ranged from 6.4 × 10 5 - 4.8 × 10 6 cfu/mL and the oil degrading fungi (ODF) ranged from 2.8 × 10 3 - 4.7 × 10 4 cfu/mL. The findings revealed that microorganisms flourish well in POME. Therefore, this denotes that isolating native microorganisms from POME is imperative for effectual bioremediation, biotreatment and biodegradation of industrial wastewaters.

A total of 33 crude palm oil samples were randomly collected from different regions in Malaysia. Stable carbon isotopic composition (δ 13 C) was determined using Flash 2000 elemental analyzer while hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions (δ 2 H and δ 18 O) were analyzed by Thermo Finnigan TC/EA, wherein both instruments were coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The bulk δ 2 H, δ 18 O and δ 13 C of the samples were analyzed by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA). Unsupervised HCA and PCA methods have demonstrated that crude palm oil samples were grouped into clusters according to respective state. A predictive model was constructed by supervised OPLS-DA with good predictive power of 52.60%. Robustness of the predictive model was validated with overall accuracy of 71.43%. Blind test samples were correctly assigned to their respective cluster except for samples from southern region. δ 18 O was proposed as the promising discriminatory marker for discerning crude palm oil samples obtained from different regions. Stable isotopes profile was proven to be useful for origin traceability of crude palm oil samples at a narrower geographical area, i.e. based on regions in Malaysia. Predictive power and accuracy of the predictive model was expected to improve with the increase in sample size. Conclusively, the results in this study has fulfilled the main objective of this work where the simple approach of combining stable isotope analysis with chemometrics can be used to discriminate crude palm oil samples obtained from different regions in Malaysia. Overall, this study shows the feasibility of this approach to be used as a traceability assessment of crude palm oils., (Copyright © 2017 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study focused on the isolation and characterization of high cadmium-resistant bacterial strains, possible exploitation of its cadmium-accumulation and cadmium-induced proteins. Cadmium-resistant bacterial strains designated as RZ1 and RZ2 were isolated from industrial wastewater of Penang, Malaysia. These isolates were identified as Enterobacter mori and Enterobacter sp. WS12 on the basis of phenotypic, biochemical and 16S rDNA sequence based molecular phylogenetic characteristics. Both isolates were Gram negative, cocci, and growing well in Lauria-Bertani broth medium at 35 °C temperature and pH 7.0. Results also indicated that Enterobacter mori and Enterobacter sp. WS12are capable to remove 87.75 and 85.11% of the cadmium from 100 µg ml(-1) concentration, respectively. This study indicates that these strains can be useful as an inexpensive and efficient bioremediation technology to remove and recover the cadmium from wastewater., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)