• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.157-174
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• 2024

This study investigates the influence of varying concentrations of boric acid (BA) preservative on the physical and mechanical properties of light red meranti (LRM) found in Sarawak. LRM or Shorea leprosula samples were treated with various concentrations of BA via the dip diffusion method using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The physical property, particularly the retention rate and mechanical properties, bending strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE), tensile and compression strength parallel to grain of impregnated and control samples were tested to determine the effects of BA preservative. The retention rate was found to increase with increasing BA concentration and higher surface area to volume ratio. The mechanical properties in terms of the MOE and tensile strength parallel to grain were found to be greater than those of the control samples, whereas the bending strength and tensile strength parallel to grain were lower. Amongst the results, only the retention rate and MOE showed significant interaction effects at 5% level of significance between all factors tested (samples size and BA concentration for retention rate and BA concentration for MOE).

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.68-77
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• 2006

The heartwood of cengal (Neobalanocarpus heimii) is known to have a high degree of decay resistance by virtue of its high extractive content. After 30 years in ground contact an utility pole of this tropical hardwood was found to be degraded only in the surface layers by cavity-forming soft rot fungi. The present work was undertaken 1) to characterize the degradation of cengal heartwood from the aspect of ultrastructure and chemistry and 2) to investigate the correlation between soft rot decay and its extractive microdistribution in wood tissues. The chemical analysis of cengal heartwood revealed the presence of a high amount of extractives as well as lignin. The wood contained a relatively high amount of condensed lignin and the guaiacyl units. Microscopic observations revealed that vessels, fibers and parenchyma cells (both ray and axial parenchyma) all contained extractives in their lumina, but in variable amounts. The lumina of fibers and most axial parenchyma were completely or almost completely filled with the extractives. TEM micrographs showed that cell walls were also impregnated with extractives and that pit membranes connecting parenchyma cells were well coated and impregnated with extractives. However, fungal hyphae were present in the extractive masses localized in cell lumina, and indications were that the extractives did not completely inhibit fungal growth. The extent of cell wall degradation varied with tissue types. The fibers appeared to be more susceptible to decay than vessels and parenchyma. Middle lamella was the only cell wall region which remained intact in all cell types which were severely degraded. The microscopic observations suggested a close correlation between extractive microdistribution and the pattern and extent of cell wall degradation. In addition to the toxicity to fungi, the physical constraint of the extractive material present in cengal heartwood cells is likely to have a profound effect on the growth and path of invasion of colonizing fungi, thus conferring protection to wood by restricting fungal entry into cell walls. The presence of relatively high amount of condensed lignin is also likely to be a factor in the resistance of cengal heartwood to soft rot decay.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.17-32
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• 1998

The Bakun hydroelectric project includes the construction of a hydroelectric power plant with an installed capacity of 2,520MW and a power transmission system connecting to the existing transmission networks in Sarawak and Western Malaysia, The power station will consist of a 210m height concrete faced rockfill dam. During the construction of the dam and the power facilities the Balui river has to be diverted by three diversion tunnels with a length of some 1,400m each. The inner diameter of the tunnels is 12m and the tunnel width is 16m at the portal area. This paper describes the stability analysis and design methods for the open cut rock slopes in the inlet and outlet area of the diversion tunnels. The geotechnical parameters employed in stability calculations were given as a function of four. defined Rock Mass Types (RMT) which were based on RMR system from Bieniawski. The stability calculations procedure of the rock slopes are divided into two stages. In the first stage, it is calculated for the stability of each 'global' slope without any rock support and shotcrete system. In the second stage, it is calculated for each 'local'slope stability with berms and supported with rock bolts and shotcrete. The monitoring instrumentation was performed continuously and some of the design modification was carried out in order to increase the safety of failed area based on the unforeseen geological risks during the open cut excavation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7863-7867
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• 2014

Background: Retinoblastoma is a rare type of cancer that usually develops in early childhood. If left untreated it can cause blindness and even death. The aim of this study is to determine sociodemographic and clinical features of retinoblastoma patients and also to determine the treatment pattern and outcome in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: Data for this study were retrieved from the Retinoblastoma Registry of the National Eye Database (NED) in Malaysia. Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Umum Kuching, Sarawak and Hospital Queen Elizabeth, Kota Kinabalu were the major source data providers for this study. Data collected in the registry cover demography, clinical presentation, modes of treatment, outcomes and complications. Results: The study group consisted of 119 patients (162 eyes) diagnosed with retinoblastoma between 2004 and 2012. There were 68 male (57.1%) and 51 (42.9%) female. The median age at presentation was 22 months. A majority of patients were Malays (54.6%), followed by Chinese (18, 5%), Indians (8.4%), and indigenous races (15.9%). Seventy six (63.8%) patients had unilateral involvement whereas 43 patients had bilateral disease (36.1%). It was found that most children presented with leukocoria (110 patients), followed by strabismus (19), and protopsis (12). Among the 76 with unilateral involvement (76 eyes), enucleation was performed for a majority (79%). More than half of these patients had extraocular extension. Of the 40 who received chemotherapy, 95% were given drugs systemically. Furthermore, in 43 patients with bilateral involvement (86 eyes), 35 (41%) eyes were enucleated and 17 (49%) showed extraocular extension. Seventy-two percent of these patients received systemic chemotherapy. The patients were followed up 1 year after diagnosis, whereby 66 were found to be alive and 4 dead. Sixteen patients defaulted treatment and were lost to follow-up, whereas follow-up data were not available in 33 patients. Conclusions: Patients with retinoblastoma in this middle-income Asian setting are presenting at late stages. As a result, a high proportion of patients warrant aggressive management such as enucleation. We also showed that a high number of patients default follow-up. Therefore, reduction in refusal or delay to initial treatment, and follow-up should be emphasized in order to improve the survival rates of retinoblastoma in this part of the world.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.487-492
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• 2020

Toxoplasmosis is caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite; Toxoplasma gondii, which is one of the most important zoonotic parasite worldwide. In dogs, the sexual reproductive cycle of T. gondii is lacking, and the animals are not widely consumed as food, but they are vital in the mechanical transmission of the parasite. However, there is no present data on the exposure of stray dogs to T. gondii in Malaysia. The objective of this serological survey was to determine the prevalence of T. gondii antibodies (IgG) and associated factors in stray dogs in East and West Malaysia. Antibodies to T. gondii were determined in serum samples from 222 stray dogs from 6 different states in East and West Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia) using an Indirect ELISA. The seroprevalence for T. gondii was 23.4% (Confidence interval: CI 17.8-29.2%). Stray dogs from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur had the highest seroprevalence (32.4%; CI 13.2-45.5%) and lowest in those from Penang and Kedah (12.5%; CI 1.3-23.5%). Gender and breed were not associated with T. gondii seropositivity. However, adult dogs were more likely to be seropositive for T. gondii (OR=2.89; CI 1.1-7.7) compared with younger dogs. These results revealed that T. gondii is prevalent in stray dogs in the studied areas in Malaysia, and indicative of the level of environmental contamination of this parasite especially in urban areas.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.473-488
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• 2022

To have a better understanding of the impact of the PETRONAS oil and gas platform on commercial fisheries activities, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) examined two approaches which are data collection from satellite and data collection from fishermen and anglers. By profiling the anglers who utilize reefed oil and gas structures for fishing, it can determine if the design and location of the reef platforms will benefit or negatively impacts those anglers and fisherman. Furthermore, this assessment will be contributing to the knowledge regarding the value of offshore oil and gas platforms as fisheries resources. Collectively, the apparent fishing activity data included, combined with the findings in the reefing viability index will help to inform PETRONAS's future decommissioning decisions and may help determine if the design and proposed locations for future rigs-to-reefs candidates would benefit commercial fishing groups, further qualifying them as appropriate artificial reef candidates. The method applied in this study is approaching by using a data satellite known as Google's Global Fishing Watch technology, which is one of the applications to measure commercial fishing efforts around the globe. The apparent commercial fishing effort around the selected twelve PETRONAS platforms was analyzed from January 2012 to December 2018. Using the data collection from fishermen which is the total estimation of commercial fish value cost (in Malaysia ringgit, MYR [RM]) in Peninsular Malaysia Asset, Sabah Asset, and Sarawak Operation region. The data were extracted every month from 2016 to 2018 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration database. Most of the selected platforms that show a high frequency of vessels around the year are platform KP-A, platform BG-A and platform PL-B. The estimated values of commercial fishes varied between platforms, with ranged from RM 10,209.92 to RM 89,023.78. Thus, platforms with high commercial fish value are selected for reefing in-situ and will serve multi-purposes and benefit the locals as well as the country. The current study has successfully assessed the potential reefing area of the Malaysian offshore environment with greater representativeness and this paper focused on its potential as a new fishing ground.