• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.1391-1404
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• 2016

Peninsular Malaysia lying on the stable Sunda Plate has traditionally been considered safe with low to moderate seismicity. However, far field Sumatran mega-earthquakes have been shown to be capable of triggering ground motions felt in high rise structures in the major Malaysian cities while seismic impact from local earthquakes of moment magnitude 3.8 have reportedly induced nominal structural damages to nearby buildings. This paper presents an overview of the recent seismic activities in and around Peninsular Malaysia with reference to prominent earthquakes generated by far field interplate and local intraplate sources. Records of ground motion data and seismic hazard assessment (SHA) results available in the literature have been analyzed and discussed. The peak ground acceleration (PGA) values from historical records for few local intraplate events were observed to be higher than those for the events from Sumatran Subduction Zone. This clearly points to the need for a detailed and comprehensive SHA incorporating both far field and local sources. Such an analysis would contribute the knowledge required for secure and reliable infrastructure design and safeguard the Malaysian people and economy.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.203-212
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• 2023

Directional felling is a felling method practised by the Forestry Department in Peninsular Malaysia as prescribed in Field Work Manual (1997) for Selective Management Systems (SMS) in forest harvesting. Determining the direction of tree felling in Peninsular Malaysia is conducted during the pre-felling inventory 1 to 2 years before the felling operation. This study aimed to predict and analyze the direction of tree felling using the vector-based path distance back link method in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and compare it with the felling direction observed on the ground. The study area is at Balah Forest Reserve, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. A Path Distance Back Link (spatial analyst) function in ArcGIS Pro 3.0 was used in predicting tree felling direction. Meanwhile, a binary classification was used to compare the felling direction estimated using GIS and the tree felling direction observed on the ground. Results revealed that 61.3% of 31 trees predicted using the vector-based projection method were similar to the felling direction observed on the ground. It is important to note that dynamic changes of natural constraints might occur in the middle of tree felling operation, such as weather problems, wind speed, and unpredicted tree falling direction.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제60권6호
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• pp.393-400
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• 2022

Human infection with simian malaria Plasmodium knowlesi is a cause for concern in Southeast Asian countries, especially in Malaysia. A previous study on Peninsular Malaysia P. knowlesi rhoptry associated protein-1 (PkRAP1) gene has discovered the existence of dimorphism. In this study, genetic analysis of PkRAP1 in a larger number of P. knowlesi samples from Malaysian Borneo was conducted. The PkRAP1 of these P. knowlesi isolates was PCR-amplified and sequenced. The newly obtained PkRAP1 gene sequences (n=34) were combined with those from the previous study (n=26) and analysed for polymorphism and natural selection. Sequence analysis revealed a higher genetic diversity of PkRAP1 compared to the previous study. Exon II of the gene had higher diversity (π=0.0172) than exon I (π=0.0128). The diversity of the total coding region (π=0.0167) was much higher than those of RAP1 orthologues such as PfRAP-1 (π=0.0041) and PvRAP1 (π=0.00088). Z-test results indicated that the gene was under purifying selection. Phylogenetic tree and haplotype network showed distinct clustering of Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo PkRAP1 haplotypes. This geographical-based clustering of PkRAP1 haplotypes provides further evidence of the dimorphism of the gene and possible existence of 2 distinct P. knowlesi lineages in Malaysia.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.304-311
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between household food insecurity and nutritional status of children in low-income households. A cross sectional study involved a survey of households (n = 223) receiving the financial assistance. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Eligible mothers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria such as non-pregnant, non-lactating mothers, aged 18 to 55 years with their youngest children aged 2 to 12 years, were purposively selected. The Radimer/Cornell hunger and food-insecurity instrument was administered and children's height and weight were measured. RESULTS: About 16.1% of the households were food secure, while 83.9% experienced some kind of food insecurity. Out of food insecure category, 29.6% households were food insecure, 19.3% women were individual food insecure and 35.0% fell into the child hunger category. Education of the mother (P = 0.047), household size (P = 0.024), number of children (P = 0.024), number of children going to school (P = 0.048), total monthly income (P < 0.001), income per capital (P < 0.001), number of household members contributing to the income (P = 0.018) and food expenditure (P = 0.006) were significant risk factors for household food insecurity. The prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting in children were 61.0%, 61.4% and 30.6% respectively. Based on multinomial logistic regression, children in food-insecure households were 2.15 times more likely to be underweight and three times to be stunted than children in the food-secure households. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that household food insecurity is associated with the nutritional status of the children in the rural area of Northeastern Peninsular Malaysia.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.10-16
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• 2013

Hevea brasiliensis is a natural source of rubber and an important plantation tree species in Malaysia. Leaf blight disease caused by Fusicoccum substantially reduces the growth and performance of H. brasiliensis. The aim of this study was to use a combination of both morphological characteristics and molecular data to clarify the taxonomic position of the fungus associated with leaf blight disease. Fusicoccum species were isolated from infected leaves collected from plantations at 3 widely separated locations - Selangor, Perak, and Johor states - in Peninsular Malaysia in 2010. All the isolates were identified according to their conidial patterns and DNA sequences generated from internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2), the 5.8S rRNA, and an unknown locus (BotF15) containing microsatellite repeats. Based on taxonomic and sequence data, Neofusicoccum ribis was identified as the main cause of leaf blight disease in H. brasiliensis in commercial plantations in Malaysia. A pathogenicity trial on detached leaves further confirmed that N. ribis causes leaf blight disease. N. ribis is an important leaf pathogen, and its detection in Malaysia has important implications for future planting of H. brasiliensis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권8호
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• pp.3125-3130
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is a common cancer affecting women in Malaysia and the use of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) has been associated with delays in getting treatment. The aim of the study was to explore the use of CAM and the influencing factors in the Northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study on a convenience sample of 100 Malaysian breast cancer survivors. Findings: The reported use of CAM among the breast cancer survivors was lower than in other studies but the types of CAM used had a similar pattern with nutrition supplements/vitamins being the most common. The factors that positively influenced the use of complimentary/traditional therapy were income and getting information from television or radio. Survivors with access to internet/blogs appear to have lower odds of using complimentary/traditional therapy compared to the respondents who reported no such access. Conclusions: Information transmitted via television and radio appears to have a positive influence on CAM use by breast cancer patients compared to other information sources and it is important to ensure that such information is accurate and impartial.

• 한국산림과학회지
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• 제95권5호
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• pp.516-523
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• 2006

Marginal soils such as BRlS (Beach Ridges Interspersed with Swales) soils and ex-tin mining land make up approximately 0.5 million ha or about 2% of Malaysia's land area. In the coastal areas of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia impoverished sandy BRIS dominates the landscape with most lying idle as there is no national management plan for their utilization. A field study was carried out to see whether mycorrhizal application had any effect on the growth of three exotic Acacia spp., i.e. Acacia auriculiformis, A. mangium and Acacia hybrid (A. auriculiformis ${\times}$ A. mangium) on BRIS soils. Two types of mycorrhizal inoculum, namely, a commercially available arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum marketed as $MycoGold^{TM}$ and an indigenous ectomycorrhizal Tomentella sp. inoculum were tested. In the initial six months, height growth of all three tree species inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum was significantly improved compared to the ectomycorrhizal inoculated and uninoculated control plants. The mycorrhizal effect was not evident thereafter and repeated application of the arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculum may be necessary for continued growth enhancement. Of the three species, A. mangium had the highest relative height growth rate over the 24 months on BRlS soils.

• 대한원격탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한원격탐사학회 2003년도 Proceedings of ACRS 2003 ISRS
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• pp.852-852
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• 2003

• Mycobiology
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.256-259
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• 2013

Three isolates of Penicillium pimiteouiense were recovered from sandy beach soil samples in Penang Island, Peninsular Malaysia. All the isolates were identified based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of internal transcribed spacer regions and ${\beta}$-tubulin gene. This is a first record of P. pimiteouiense in Malaysia.

• 한국산림과학회지
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• 제76권3호
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• pp.249-255
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• 1987

Forestry as with all land matters, under the Constitution, is a State matter. Thus the States, numbering 14, have considerable autonomy in decisions on forestry and related matters. However, the Federal Government, having jurisdiction over such issues as defence, education and research, endeavours to coordinate, standardise and advise the States on matters where the States have jurisdiction. However, forestry being a major revenue earner, is jealously guarded by the States. Under such circumstances and recognising the interdependencies of impacts of decisions at the State level, the institutional organisations play an important role in coordinating state activities to ensure that the benefits to the country as a whole are not sacrificed in favour of interests of individual state. Various legislative mechanisms have been established to ensure this coordinated effort. A National Forestry Council forms the apex of national political coordination. The Federal Forestry Department is responsible for coordination of developmental activities at the State level, which are implemented be the State Forestry Departments within Peninsular Malaysia. Research is carried out centrally by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia(FRIM), a statutory body formed in 1985 from a research division of the Forestry Department. The Stares of Sabah and Sarawak have their own Forestry Departments, independent of the Federal Department, and each with its own research unit independent of FRIM. Tertiary education in forestry is the sole responsibility of the Agricultural University at Serdang with a campus for Diploma level training in Sarawak. In the developmental area in the State of Sabah, institutions have been formed to focus on specific areas of activities. The Sabah Foundation is responsible for the long term development of the State forests with a concession of about one million ha. Sabah Forest Development Authority(SAFODA) was formed to carry out reforestation of denuded areas. Sabah Forest Industries Ltd.(SFI) is responsible for the country's only integrated pulp and paper industry with its own afforestation program to support its resource supply. In Peninsular Malaysia various states have established State Corporations to manage large "sustained yield" concessions. While wildlife and state parks are managed by the respective forestry departments in Sabah and Sarawak, it is the responsibility of a separate department in Peninsula Malaysia called the Department of Wildlife and National Parks(under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment). Timber trade legislation and promotion in the Peninsular is the responsibility of the Malaysian Timber Industries Board(MTIB) for Peninsular Malaysia and the Sarawak Timber Industries Development Corporation(STIDC) in Sarawak. In the area of NGOs ; the Institute of Foresters Malaysia, is the professional body of forestry in the country. A Malaysian Forestry Society caters for the public participation and interest. Other environmentally related NGOs such as the Malayan Nature Society, the Environmental Protection Society, World Wildlife Fund, Friends of the Earth and the Consumers Associations also involve themselves in specific forestry activities. A number of timber trade associations are also formed by the private sector to assist the industries.