The work presented in this thesis evaluates the status of Peninsular Malaysian Cyatheaceae and used molecular and morphological identification tools for the local species. 419 Cyatheaceae frond sample were collected from the widest possible range of Peninsular Malaysia to obtain material for morphology and molecular study. 15 Cyathea species were identified and the species information for Peninsular Malaysia was updated. The species was incorporated into the existing Cyatheaceae phylogeny by using four plastid regions: matK, rbcL, trnG-trnR and trnL-trnF. Bayesian MCMC analysis of the concatenated sequence data resulted in a 50% majority rule consensus tree confirm the placement of the four groups: Cyathea, Alsophila, Gymnosphaera and Sphaeropteris in the family. However, the resulting tree representing nested monophyletic groups, proposing Cyatheaceae to be monogeneric, i.e., Cyathea with two large groups: Cyathea and Sphaeropteris. The same plastid regions were then evalu.....

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The clustering climbing palm genus Korthalsia Blume (Arecaceae: Calamoideae: Calameae) is widespread in the Malesian region with 28 documented species. However, as many as 18 species are available in Malaysian rainforests. An inquiry was carried out in 2019 throughout Malaysia that included species richness and phytogeographic affinities for Korthalsia. Currently, Korthalsia is highly diverse in Sabah and Sarawak, with 15 species documented in this region, whereas 9 species are present in the Malay Peninsula. Species of Korthalsia were dominated by Korthalsia echinometra Becc., Korthalsia flagellaris Miq., Korthalsia hispida Becc., Korthalsia rigida Blume, and Korthalsia rostrata Blume, which suggests their prevalence in richness compared to being diverse; only 5 species found in all regions. The species accumulation curve indicates that this region's rattan community is moderately rich. There is an east-west separation for the distribution of rattan species in Peninsular Malaysia. Thi.....

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Background: Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia), Labisia pumila (L. pumila), and Orthosiphon stamineus (O. stamineus) are popular species known for their therapeutic properties. An increase in local demand for herbal products makes them susceptible to adulteration, which poses a risk to their safety and efficacy. Current identification methods, such as organoleptic, microscopic, and macroscopic analysis, need to be revised to identify plant species in highly processed herbal products due to their limited ability to detect morphological features and provide comprehensive plant taxonomy information. Methods: This research objective was to develop a simple, reliable, and accurate DNA molecular identification method based on polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) for E. longifolia, L. pumila, and O. stamineus, used to validate the species identification for herbal products. PCR–RFLP was developed for rapid identification using restriction enzyme.....

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The quality of indoors in university buildings is vital to ensure a conducive learning environment and health and well-being. The objectives of this study are to investigate microbial aerosols and the concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) in a university building. The data was collected from three lecturers’ rooms (Room A, B and C). The microbial aerosol was collected using a microbial air sampler, while Total Bacterial Count (TBC) and Total Fungi Count (TFC) were counted to analyze the colony-forming unit. In addition, PM2.5 was obtained using a low-volume air sampler (LVS), for five hours. The Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) was used to analyze the morphological composition of indoor PM2.5. The findings indicated that Room A shows the highest concentration of TBC (251.43 ± 32.74 cfu m-3) and TFC (28.57 ± 2.65 cfu m-3) compared to the two other rooms. In addition, the TBC showed a significantly higher amount (p..

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Exposure to saline environments significantly hampers the growth and productivity of oil crops, harmfully affecting their nutritional quality and suitability for biofuel production. This presents a critical challenge, as understanding salt tolerance mechanisms in crops is key to improving their performance in coastal and high-salinity regions. Our content might be read more properly: This review assembles current knowledge on protein-level changes related to salinity resistance in oil crops. From an extensive analysis of proteomic research, featured here are key genes and cellular pathways which react to salt stress. The literature evinces that cutting-edge proteomic approaches − such as 2D-DIGE, IF-MS/MS, and iTRAQ − have been required to reveal protein expression patterns in oil crops under salt conditions. These studies consistently uncover dramatic shifts in protein abundance associated with important physiological activities including antioxidant defence, stress-related signal.....

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Kajian anatomi dan mikromorfologi daun telah dilakukan ke atas spesies-spesies terpilih dalam genus  Anisoptera, Coty/elobium dan Vatica yang merupakan famili tumbuhan kayu balak daripada famili  Dipterocarpaceae. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk melihat persamaan dan variasi ciri anatomi daun  antara spesies yang dikaji yang boleh digunakan untuk pengecaman spesies. Kajian yang dilakukan  melibatkan kaedah keratan rentas lamina, tulang daun, petiol dan tepi daun dengan menggunakan  mikrotom gelongsor. Kaedah kikisan epidermis daun digunakan untuk mencerap ciri anatomi pada  lapisan epidermis adaksial dan abaksial daun. Cerapan di bawah mikroskop imbasan elektron digunakan  untuk melihat ciri mikromorfologi epidermis abaksial dan adaksial daun. Manakala kaedah penjernihan  dilakukan untuk melihat ciri peruratan tengah dan tepi daun. Hasil kajian menunjukkan terdapat ciri  umum dan variasi pada ketiga-tiga genus kajian. Variasi ciri anatomi dan mikromorfologi daun boleh  .....

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