Article
Plant Sciences
Louise Neo, Hugh T. W. Tan, K. M. Wong
Summary: The study reveals that endemic species of plant genera in Borneo are concentrated in lowland forests in the northwest, while endemic species from non-endemic genera are mainly found in upland areas. The richness of endemic genera is negatively correlated with historical climate instability and present-day precipitation seasonality, but positively correlated with present-day annual precipitation, temperature seasonality, number of rivers, and number of geological types.
Article
Biology
Ting-Ting Zhao, Yi-Jing Feng, Pham Ngoc Doanh, Somphou Sayasone, Virak Khieu, Choosak Nithikathkul, Men-Bao Qian, Yuan-Tao Hao, Ying-Si Lai
Summary: Opisthorchiasis is an overlooked danger in Southeast Asia, with 12.39 million people estimated to be infected with O. viverrini in 2018 in four major endemic countries. High-resolution risk maps provide valuable information for spatial targeting of control interventions for this disease.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Alison K. S. Wee, Severino G. Salmo, Kannan Sivakumar, Amy Y-H Then, Mohammad Basyuni, Jean Fall, Kazi Ahsan Habib, Yukinobu Isowa, Venus Leopardas, Nasreen Peer, Maria D. Artigas-Ramirez, Kithsiri Ranawana, Itchika Sivaipram, Monica Suleiman, Tadashi Kajita
Summary: Species detection using environmental DNA (eDNA) is a biomonitoring tool that can be widely applied to mangrove restoration and management. eDNA metabarcoding offers a rapid, non-invasive and cost-efficient method for monitoring mangrove biodiversity and characterising the spatio-temporal distribution of multiple taxa simultaneously. However, habitat-specific guidelines for eDNA metabarcoding in mangrove habitats are still lacking.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yang Bai, Zhou Fang, Alice C. Hughes
Summary: Developing effective conservation targets is a global debate, with some proposing ambitious targets for a significant portion of the Earth's land surface. A framework based on China's ecological conservation redline has been put forward to determine ecological priorities in Mainland Southeast Asia, incorporating ecosystem services, ecological sensitivity, and biodiversity indicators. The study found that a certain percentage of the land in the region covers overlaps between biodiversity, service provision, and sensitivity hotspots, in alignment with post-2020 global biodiversity framework targets.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Danial Hariz Zainal Abidin, Siti Azizah Mohd Nor, Sebastien Lavoue, Masazurah A. Rahim, Noorul Azliana Jamaludin, Noor Adelyna Mohammed Akib
Summary: The Merbok Estuary is one of the largest remaining mangrove forests in Peninsular Malaysia, providing important services to local and global communities. A recent study used DNA barcoding to reassess the fish diversity, revealing 139 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) and calling for further taxonomic investigations. This research highlights the benefits of combining morphological and molecular evidence to study poorly understood tropical fish communities.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Urban Studies
Arief Aiman, Nor Akmar Abdul Aziz, Norzanalia Saadun, Evelyn Lim Ai Lin, Alex M. Lechner, Badrul Azhar
Summary: This study investigates the attitudes and willingness of local communities living near natural urban forests in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The majority of respondents have a positive attitude and high willingness to conserve these forests. Factors such as the presence of forest patches, education level, and length of stay influence attitudes and willingness.
Article
Plant Sciences
Atefeh Ghorbanalizadeh, Hossein Akhani
Summary: This paper presents a critical annotated checklist of endemic and near endemic species in the Hyrcanian relict forests in Iran. The checklist includes information on distribution, elevational range, number of records, chorotypes, life forms, IUCN threat categories, and habitat types. The study highlights the high floristic diversity and conservation priority of the Hyrcanian forests.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kais Siala, Afm Kamal Chowdhury, Thanh Duc Dang, Stefano Galelli
Summary: Strategic dam planning and deployment of decentralized renewable technologies can significantly affect Southeast Asia's hydropower plans. Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia have opportunities to meet electricity demand and CO2 emission targets with solar PV and regional coordination. Alternative expansion plans with solar energy and power trading can reduce costs and limit harm to the Mekong's ecosystems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Ching Ching Ong, Lynette L. S. Teo
Summary: The burden of pneumonia remains high in Southeast Asia, especially with the impact of global warming and climate change. The discussion focuses on the common endemic pathogens in Southeast Asia and their characteristic radiological features. Global migration and international tourism have blurred the geographical boundaries of these tropical infectious agents, emphasizing the importance for physicians to promptly recognize and diagnose them, as many can be easily treated with the appropriate therapy.
RADIOLOGIC CLINICS OF NORTH AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Natalie Yoh, Dave J. I. Seaman, Nicolas J. Deere, Henry Bernard, Jake E. Bicknell, Matthew J. Struebig
Summary: Logging has wide-ranging effects on tropical forests and their wildlife. This study used remote sensing data and automated classifiers to examine the impact of logging on bat activity in Southeast Asia. The results showed that logging had negligible effects on bat activity, but high-biomass forests and rugged topography were preferred by bats. Logged forests were found to support higher bat activity compared to tree plantations. The study highlights the importance of logged forests as refuges for bats in the region. Rating: 9/10
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jing Hui Ong, Benjamin J. Wainwright, Sudhanshi S. Jain, Lutfi Afiq-Rosli, Jen Nie Lee, Danwei Huang
Summary: This study investigated the diversity and influencing factors of endosymbiont communities in Southeast Asian coral reefs and discovered previously unknown diversity. Different host species and environmental parameters have significant effects on the structure and diversity of endosymbiont communities.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yuejun Wang, Zi Liu, Sayed Murtadha, Peter A. Cawood, Xin Qian, Azman Ghani, Chengshi Gan, Yuzhi Zhang, Yang Wang, Shan Li, Peizhen Zhang
Summary: The relationship between West Borneo and the East Asia continental margin and the formation of Jurassic igneous rocks were studied using various isotopic and elemental data. The results provide important insights into the tectonics of Southeast Asia.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Tianqi Lan, Peter Jaeger, Wenhui Zhu, Shuqiang Li
Summary: Five new species of the pholcid family belonging to Holocneminus Berland, Khorata Huber, and Pholcus Walckenaer were described from Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and China. This report marks the first record of species from the genera Khorata and Pholcus in Cambodia.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vendula Slechtova, Zuzana Musilova, Heok Hui Tan, Maurice Kottelat, Jorg Bohlen
Summary: The study found that the current classification of Nemacheilus species is actually a polyphyletic assemblage with some undescribed new species. Three major clades were identified within the genus Nemacheilus, classified based on their pigmentation pattern, with origins mainly in mainland Southeast Asia. In contrast, the genus Pangio originated in Sundaland and extended northwards into Indochina and northern India.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Social Work
Aireen Grace Andal
Summary: This article investigates the narratives about nomadic boat-dwelling children of the Sama-Bajau group in Southeast Asia found in academic literature from 1989 to 2021. The study identifies two threads of discursive narratives-one adopting a developmentalist lens, and the other offering alternative narratives that reveal the complex identities of Sama-Bajau children. The findings underscore the importance of nuanced discussions on child sea nomadism for the advancement of critical childhood studies on child migration in Southeast Asia and beyond.
CHILDREN & SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Liling Chaw, Lung-Chang Chien, Justin Wong, Ken Takahashi, David Koh, Ro-Ting Lin
Letter
Infectious Diseases
Justin Wong, Sirajul Adli Jamaludin, Mohammad Fathi Alikhan, Liling Chaw
INFLUENZA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES
(2020)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wee Chian Koh, Lin Naing, Liling Chaw, Muhammad Ali Rosledzana, Mohammad Fathi Alikhan, Sirajul Adli Jamaludin, Faezah Amin, Asiah Omar, Alia Shazli, Matthew Griffith, Roberta Pastore, Justin Wong
Review
Immunology
Hayley A. Thompson, Andria Mousa, Amy Dighe, Han Fu, Alberto Arnedo-Pena, Peter Barrett, Juan Bellido-Blasco, Qifang Bi, Antonio Caputi, Liling Chaw, Luigi De Maria, Matthias Hoffmann, Kiran Mahapure, Kangqi Ng, Jagadesan Raghuram, Gurpreet Singh, Biju Soman, Vicente Soriano, Francesca Valent, Luigi Vimercati, Liang En Wee, Justin Wong, Azra C. Ghani, Neil M. Ferguson
Summary: Households have the highest transmission rates for SARS-CoV-2, especially when exposure exceeds 5 days. Asymptomatic cases have approximately one-seventh the transmission potential of symptomatic cases, while presymptomatic cases have approximately two-thirds.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Nurfakhrina Omar, Justin Wong, Kyaw Thu, Md Fathi Alikhan, Liling Chaw
Summary: The study in Brunei revealed that around one-third of TB patients also had diabetes mellitus, with the majority being diagnosed with diabetes at least six months before TB diagnosis. Factors such as age, smear-positive pulmonary TB, hypertension/heart disease, renal disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma were significantly associated with the comorbidity of TB and diabetes. Early detection and treatment of both diseases through bi-directional screening could be an effective strategy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biology
F. Merlin Franco
Summary: Biocultural diversity and biocultural studies have different contexts in the usage of the term 'biocultural', with the former emphasizing the linkages between biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity, while the latter focuses more on the deterministic influence of physical and social environment on human biology and wellbeing. Both apply 'biocultural' as a descriptor to generate overlapping terminologies such as 'biocultural approach'.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nurzahidah Bakar, F. Merlin Franco
Summary: This article explores how the ecological calendar of the Kedayan people of Brunei Darussalam connects skyscape and biodiversity with sociocultural aspirations to foster adaptive landscape management, and investigates the transmission of calendric knowledge in the community.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ishpa Shapiah Abdullah, Li Ling Chaw, David Koh, Zahid Hussain, Khang Wen Goh, Asma A'tiyah Abdul Hamid, Long Chiau Ming
Summary: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of students at institutions of higher learning in Brunei regarding the safe use of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. The findings showed that most students had good knowledge and positive attitudes towards OTC medicines, with few practicing improper habits.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Long Chiau Ming, Nur Hafizah Raudhah Azmi, Hui Poh Goh, Li Ling Chaw, Khang Wen Goh, Nahlah Elkudssiah Ismail, Ganesh Sritheran Paneerselvam, Andi Hermansyah
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the attitudes and practices of Bruneian female adults regarding the usage of cosmetics. The results revealed that most participants believed that using cosmetics improves physical appearance and boosts self-confidence. There were differences in cosmetic expenses and attitudes towards safe cosmetic use, but no significant impact based on age or educational level. Overall, the participants demonstrated a good level of practice in using cosmetics safely. Social media was the primary source of information for cosmetics, followed by friends and family.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Forestry
E. Petter Axelsson, F. Merlin Franco
Summary: Along with landscape degradation and loss of biodiversity, there is also a co-occurring loss of cultural and linguistic diversity. Cultural assessments of tree species can help identify Cultural Keystone Species (CKS) and enhance the cultural relevance of conservation actions. Historic written accounts can be used to assess the cultural status of endangered species and their importance to specific cultures. In this study, the critically endangered camphor tree was found to be culturally significant for many cultures, highlighting the need to preserve and restore its habitat.
TREES FORESTS AND PEOPLE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
E. P. Axelsson, F. M. Franco, D. Lussetti, K. C. Grady, U. Ilstedt
Summary: The study demonstrates that the impact of extreme climatic events on culturally important tree species is species-specific, requiring tailored management measures to maintain viable populations. Cultural keystone species may exhibit drought tolerance, making investment in these species beneficial for local cultures and the conservation of native ecosystems.
TREES FORESTS AND PEOPLE
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Shirley H. F. Lee, Syahiirah Abd Aziz, Mawarni Hamid, Ya Chee Lim, David Koh, Li Ling Chaw
Summary: The study found a significant association between a lowered median 2D:4D ratio of the left hand (in males only) and ASD diagnosis, with no association found in females. The reduced asymmetry between the average 2D:4D ratio of left and right hands observed in ASD males suggests the importance of considering gender-specific biomarkers for ASD diagnosis.
JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Liling Chaw, Wee Chian Koh, Sirajul Adli Jamaludin, Lin Naing, Mohammad Fathi Alikhan, Justin Wong
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2020)