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Contents Vol 2 | June/July 2014 Contents Vol 2 | June/July 2014 2 From the Dean Events Editorial 3 From the Editor-in-Chief 30 Remembering the past... Editor-in-Chief the Bio School reunion dinner Professor Ng Wing Keong, FASc Mashhor Mansor Articles Editors 32 Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef Associate Professor 4 Human health hazards caused by Ng Wing Keong Shaida Fariza Sulaiman rove beetles Dr Foong Swee Yeok Wan Fatma Zuharah and Maryam Sufian 34 A community service program at Dr Nik Fadzly Nik Rosely Kampung Batu Ring Dr Wan Fatma Zuharah 6 The mysterious life of the London Zarul Hazrin Hashim Wan Musthapa underground mosquito Dr Nethia Mohana Kumaran Nur Faeza Abu Kassim 36 Ocean Awareness Week at Dr Faradina Merican Universiti Sains Malaysia Mohd. Sidik Merican 8 Mycorrhizas: the amazing fungi Quek Yew Aun Rosnida Tajuddin Graphics & Layout Vanda Dynamic Enterprise 10 Umami : the infamous fifth sense Chew Bee Lynn © Copyright School of Biological Sciences, Bugging the bugs, the life of a pest exterminator Universiti Sains Malaysia 2014. Published 12 under a Creative Commons Attribution Regine Lim license. You may copy and distribute this publication as long as credit is given to the original author/s and Bio-Bulletin, School of 16 Coastal morning glory: a potential mosquito bio-larvicide Biological Sciences as the original source. Wan Fatma Zuharah and Ahbi Rami Rattanam Printed by Vanda Dynamic Enterprise. Address all correspondence to: 18 New discovery of Malaysian plants with anti-tuberculosis properties Professor Ng Wing Keong Suriyati Mohamad Editor-in-Chief Bio-Bulletin of the School of Biological Sciences, 20 Karas trees + fungi = agarwood + money Universiti Sains Malaysia Baharuddin Salleh 11800 USM, Penang. Fax: 604-656 5125 Tel: 604-653 3888 ext 4052 22 Seven life lessons we can learn from sea turtles Email: [email protected] Aini Hasanah 26 The rattan resources of Penang Wan Nur Fasihah Zarifah Wan Rozali and Asyraf Mansor 28 Bio-monitoring using aquatic insects Suhaila Ab. Hamid Bio-Bulletin June/July 2014 From the From the Dean Editor-in-Chief The second semester for academic session 2013/2014 has nearly A few months ago, I started noticing numerous red spots on my lower legs. reached the end. I am truly indebted to all the academic, administrative Initially the symptoms were mild, infrequent and the spots faded off within and technical staff of the School of Biological Sciences for their untiring a week. So I ignored it and thought it was just a skin rash. However, the efforts in sustaining and increasing our school Key Performance Index (KPI) for 2014. I am pleased to symptoms got worse and more frequent until I had to go see a dermatologist at the hospital one day announce that during the 49th convocation on April 26th 2014, a total of 19 PhD and 31 MSc candidates when I noticed the rash on my arms as well. I was told by the skin specialist that the red spots were graduated from our school. Congratulations to all of them. caused by insect bites. Thus begin a very stressful time of cleaning, vacuuming, spraying, washing and bagging all my stuff but the symptoms persisted. Eventually I gave up and called in the professional pest This year also witnessed the appointment of Professor Siti Azizah Mohd. Nor as the new Director of control people. To cut a long story short, they eventually managed to trace the problem to an infestation Centre for Research Initiative (CRI) in Life Sciences and Associate Professor Amirul Al-Ashraf Abdullah as our new Deputy Dean of Research. I would also take this opportunity to congratulate Professor Siti Azizah Mohd. Nor for successfully chairing the Asian Fish Biodiversity Conference in February this year. of cat fleas in my office at the School of Biological Sciences. The indiscriminate discard of food wastes by This Conference was co-organized by our School. students and staff into the wastebaskets placed along the office corridors has attracted numerous stray thecats Bio-Bulletin, that carry fleas. “Bugged My office by Bugs”! room has now been sprayed and fogged with chemicals to kill off the cat My two deputy deans have made the School proud when their inventions were awarded recognition in fleas but the stray cats continue to roam the corridors… Thus, the inspiration for this second issue of two different competitions: Associate Professor Amir Hamzah Ahmad Ghazali who won a Gold Medal in the 25th International Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) in May 2014, and Associate experienced being greatly inconvenienced by these bugs and some of them are vectors of deadly human Professor Amirul Al-Ashraf Abdullah had secured a Bronze Medal in Invention and Innovation Awards, diseases.Whether Itit isis thereforecat fleas ornot mosquitoes, surprising that cockroaches, bugs are aants, subject termites, matter bed of great bugs, research etc., many interests. of us have The Malaysia Technology Expo in February 2014. Entomology and Parasitology group at the School of Biological Sciences has the highest number of faculty members and the School also houses the internationally accredited Vector Control Unit. Some In this second issue of Bio-Bulletin 2014, I wish to highlight that we are going to miss two of our of the insect research being conducted by our staff are highlighted in this issue of the Bio-bulletin and prominent professors who are retiring this semester. Throughout their careers, both emerged as includes the human health hazards of rove beetles and the amazing ability of mosquitoes to adapt to new man-made surroundings. Innovative research in exploring the use of local plant extracts as bio- Salleh in Fusarium research and Chan Lai Keng in Plant tissue culture. Their valuable contributions are larvicides for the Aedes mosquitoes are also highlighted. The increasing prevalence of bugs infesting our highlyinternationally appreciated recognized and we wishresearchers them the and best lecturers in their futurein their undertakings. specific fields: Professors Baharuddin graduating from the School of Biological Sciences with specialization in entomology and vector control th arehomes, in high offices demand and public by pest spaces control has companies. made pest Incontrol this magazine a very dynamic issue, we and highlighted lucrative industry. the success Students story of February with the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) and the second of one of our former student who started her own pest control company. She shares how her training oneTwo wasMemorandum with the Indonesian of Understanding Institute (MoU) of Limnology, had been Jakarta, signed on this March year, 14. the Ifirst would one like was to on highlight the 6 that the School will be hosting the 9th IMTGT Uninet Conference 2014 which will be held at Bayview Hotel Georgetown, Penang, from 3-5 November 2014. On behalf of the Organizing committee, it is my in USM had benefitted her in her career and the various issues of controlling pests in the homes and pleasure to extend the invitation to all readers of Bio-Bulletin to participate in the Conference. Thisoffices issue in Malaysia. of Bio-Bulletin also highlights the research on various plant-related topics such as the new discovery of local plant extracts with anti-tuberculosis properties, the rattan resources of Penang, the Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the staff of the School of Biological Sciences lucrative potential of agarwood as well as the world of mycorrhizas; the latter two topics highlighting for their continuous co-operation and support to ensure that the standard of our academic education, the interesting relationship between plants and fungi. Articles with an environmental and aquatic research, teaching, facilities, and student care are of the highest order. biology theme include sea turtle conservation, an Ocean Awareness Week organized by USM students and my recent trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Associate Professor Ahmad Sofiman Othman Congratulations to Nethia, one of our editors, for the birth of her new baby girl! Dean, School of Biological Sciences Happy reading and thank you for your support of the Bio-Bulletin magazine. Professor Ng Wing Keong, FASc 2 Bio-Bulletin June/July 2014 Bio-Bulletin June/July 2014 3 activities of an endo-symbiont bacteria (Pseudomonas ssp.) Prevention of Paedarus dermatitis within the Paederus’s body. The tail of this insect is known The principal way of preventing pederin-based skin trauma Human health hazards to contain the highest pederin concentration compared is to prevent human-beetle contact. However, if a P. fuscipes to other body parts. Even in the immature stages of P. beetle lands on the skin, there is no cause for alarm. Avoid fuscipes, pederin do exist in the egg and pupa stages. The handling the beetle directly and do not crush the beetle manufacture of pederin is largely restricted to adult female against exposed areas of the skin; just remove it gently by caused by beetles. However, the larvae as well as the males can store blowing it away. They will only release pederin when they pederin obtained maternally such as through eggs or by feel threatened. To be safe, immediately wash contact area Rove Beetles ingestion. of the skin with water. If contact with pederin did occur, it Wan Fatma Zuharah and Maryam Sufian will slowly penetrate the skin and by washing shortly after exposure with soap and water, this will remove most of the toxin before it has time to penetrate into the skin. Since Bugs! They are fascinating little creatures that move by these beetles are attracted to lights at night, switching habitat of Paederus fuscipes beetles. off the lights will reduce entry of beetles into buildings. Paddy fields are the natural your home. Some of these bugs or certain species of insects Similarly, by closing the doors and windows as well as arecreeping, potentially crawling, dangerous slithering, to humansliding andbeings.
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