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I have interest in urban and forest ecosystem services particularly related to micrometeorology and human health implication.
Nanotechnology is a promising tool that has opened the doors of improvement to the quality of human’s lives through its potential in numerous technological aspects. Green chemistry of nanoscale materials (1–100 nm) is as an effective and sustainable strategy to manufacture homogeneous nanoparticles (NPs) with unique properties, thus making the synthesis of green NPs, especially metal nanoparticles (MNPs), the scientist’s core theme. Researchers have tested different organisms to manufacture MNPs and the results of experiments confirmed that plants tend to be the ideal candidate amongst all entities and are suitable to synthesize a wide variety of MNPs. Natural and cultivated Eucalyptus forests are among woody plants used for landscape beautification and as forest products. The present review has been written to reflect the efficacious role of Eucalyptus in the synthesis of MNPs. To better understand this, the route of extracting MNPs from plants, in general, and Eucalyptus, in particular, are discussed. Furthermore, the crucial factors influencing the process of MNP synthesis from Eucalyptus as well as their characterization and recent applications are highlighted. Information gathered in this review is useful to build a basis for new prospective research ideas on how to exploit this woody species in the production of MNPs. Nevertheless, there is a necessity to feed the scientific field with further investigations on wider applications of Eucalyptus-derived MNPs.
Hanadi Sawalha; Rambod Abiri; Ruzana Sanusi; Noor Shaharuddin; Aida Noor; Nor Ab Shukor; Hazandy Abdul-Hamid; Siti Ahmad. Toward a Better Understanding of Metal Nanoparticles, a Novel Strategy from Eucalyptus Plants. Plants 2021, 10, 929 .
AMA StyleHanadi Sawalha, Rambod Abiri, Ruzana Sanusi, Noor Shaharuddin, Aida Noor, Nor Ab Shukor, Hazandy Abdul-Hamid, Siti Ahmad. Toward a Better Understanding of Metal Nanoparticles, a Novel Strategy from Eucalyptus Plants. Plants. 2021; 10 (5):929.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHanadi Sawalha; Rambod Abiri; Ruzana Sanusi; Noor Shaharuddin; Aida Noor; Nor Ab Shukor; Hazandy Abdul-Hamid; Siti Ahmad. 2021. "Toward a Better Understanding of Metal Nanoparticles, a Novel Strategy from Eucalyptus Plants." Plants 10, no. 5: 929.
Urban blue-green spaces hold immense potential for supporting the sustainability and liveability of cities through the provision of urban ecosystem services (UES). However, research on UES in the Global South has not been reviewed as systematically as in the Global North. In Southeast Asia, the nature and extent of the biases, imbalances and gaps in UES research are unclear. We address this issue by conducting a systematic review of UES research in Southeast Asia over the last twenty years. Our findings draw attention to the unequal distribution of UES research within the region, and highlight common services, scales and features studied, as well as methods undertaken in UES research. We found that while studies tend to assess regulating and cultural UES at a landscape scale, few studies examined interactions between services by assessing synergies and tradeoffs. Moreover, the bias in research towards megacities in the region may overlook less-developed nations, rural areas, and peri-urban regions and their unique perspectives and preferences towards UES management. We discuss the challenges and considerations for integrating and conducting research on UES in Southeast Asia based on its unique and diverse socio-cultural characteristics. We conclude our review by highlighting aspects of UES research that need more attention in order to support land use planning and decision-making in Southeast Asia.
Karen Lourdes; Chris Gibbins; Perrine Hamel; Ruzana Sanusi; Badrul Azhar; Alex Lechner. A Review of Urban Ecosystem Services Research in Southeast Asia. Land 2021, 10, 40 .
AMA StyleKaren Lourdes, Chris Gibbins, Perrine Hamel, Ruzana Sanusi, Badrul Azhar, Alex Lechner. A Review of Urban Ecosystem Services Research in Southeast Asia. Land. 2021; 10 (1):40.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKaren Lourdes; Chris Gibbins; Perrine Hamel; Ruzana Sanusi; Badrul Azhar; Alex Lechner. 2021. "A Review of Urban Ecosystem Services Research in Southeast Asia." Land 10, no. 1: 40.
Micropropagation is a reliable technique in biotechnology and genetic engineering domain, which has been widely applied for rapid mass propagation of plants in vitro condition. Through micropropagation techniques, reproduction of plants can be attained from different explants using organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. Over the decades, micropropagation techniques have offered tremendous potential for forest tree improvement. Eucalyptus is a woody plant species recalcitrant to in vitro culture. In general, the micropropagation of Eucalyptus culture processes and the genotype, environment surroundings, and age of explants in culture media is frequently linked with the occurrence of micropropagation variation. In the current review paper, an update of the most important physiological and molecular phenomena aspects of Eucalyptus micropropagation was linked to the most profound information. To achieve the mentioned target, the effect of plant growth regulators (PGRs), nutrients, other adjuvant and environmental features, as well as genetic interaction with morpho- and physiological mechanisms was studied from the induction to plant acclimatisation. On the other hand, important mechanisms behind the organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis of Eucalyptus are discussed. The information of current review paper will help researchers in choosing the optimum condition based on the scenario behind the tissue culture technique of Eucalyptus. However, more studies are required to identify and overcome some of the crucial bottlenecks in this economically important forest species to establish efficient micropropagation protocol at the industrial level.
Rambod Abiri; Narges Atabaki; Hazandy Abdul-Hamid; Ruzana Sanusi; Nor Aini Ab Shukor; Noor Azmi Shaharuddin; Siti Aqlima Ahmad; Sonia Malik. The Prospect of Physiological Events Associated with the Micropropagation of Eucalyptus sp. Forests 2020, 11, 1211 .
AMA StyleRambod Abiri, Narges Atabaki, Hazandy Abdul-Hamid, Ruzana Sanusi, Nor Aini Ab Shukor, Noor Azmi Shaharuddin, Siti Aqlima Ahmad, Sonia Malik. The Prospect of Physiological Events Associated with the Micropropagation of Eucalyptus sp. Forests. 2020; 11 (11):1211.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRambod Abiri; Narges Atabaki; Hazandy Abdul-Hamid; Ruzana Sanusi; Nor Aini Ab Shukor; Noor Azmi Shaharuddin; Siti Aqlima Ahmad; Sonia Malik. 2020. "The Prospect of Physiological Events Associated with the Micropropagation of Eucalyptus sp." Forests 11, no. 11: 1211.
Platanus x acerifolia (London Plane) is a widely planted street tree throughout cities in temperate and Mediterranean climates. Heatwave intensity and frequency is likely to increase in these cities as a combined result of the urban heat island and climate change. High air temperature during heatwaves can lead to canopy leaf loss in vulnerable tree species, such as P. acerifolia. This rapid change in canopy cover may lead to subsequent reductions in ecosystem service benefits, such as shade cooling, human well-being, pollution interception and stormwater interception. This study investigates canopy leaf loss in two streets planted with P. acerifolia trees following a summer heatwave and the impacts upon street micrometeorological conditions and human thermal comfort. The plant area index of P. acerifolia, trees, and the micrometeorological conditions under and away from these trees was measured before and after a >43 °C heatwave in Melbourne, Australia. Physiological equivalent temperature was calculated from micrometeorological parameters to estimate human thermal comfort. Canopy loss was significant (30–50 %) and rapid and reduced thermal comfort benefits provided by canopy shade on two of the three warm summer days measured after the heatwave. However, the under-canopy areas of the street maintained a cooler micrometeorological conditions than areas in the open. This study suggests that as summer air temperature extremes and heatwave frequency increase in urban areas, more vulnerable urban tree species may experience sparse canopy cover throughout summer months reducing some ecosystem service benefits when they are needed most.
Ruzana Sanusi; Stephen J. Livesley. London Plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia) before, during and after a heatwave: Losing leaves means less cooling benefit. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2020, 54, 126746 .
AMA StyleRuzana Sanusi, Stephen J. Livesley. London Plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia) before, during and after a heatwave: Losing leaves means less cooling benefit. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 2020; 54 ():126746.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRuzana Sanusi; Stephen J. Livesley. 2020. "London Plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia) before, during and after a heatwave: Losing leaves means less cooling benefit." Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 54, no. : 126746.
With rapid urbanisation, changes to the urban environment and climate are inevitable. This exacerbates the risks for meteorological hazard such as heatwaves where this is one of the common issues faced by major cities worldwide. Heat related issues pose an impact not only to the environment but also lead to heat related human health problems, economic loss to businesses, damages to infrastructures and in extreme cases, cause deaths. Poor urban designs that are characterised by the abundance of grey infrastructures increase the impact on urban climate with the potential of intensifying heat waves and urban heat island (UHI) effects. Additionally, these grey designs also limit recreational participation. Re-naturing cities using green infrastructure can provide nature-based solutions that can be useful in mitigating the abovementioned meteorological hazards. Therefore, understanding the impact of re-naturing cities using green infrastructures (GI) on microclimate mitigations, human thermal comfort improvement and recreational participation is beneficial in improving the urban environment and ensuring the wellbeing of urban citizens. This paper provides justifications on implementing nature based solutions using green infrastructures in cities, thus improving future urban planning that potentially increases cities' resilience to environmental hazards.
Ruzana Sanusi; Sheena Bidin. Re-naturing Cities: Impact of Microclimate, Human Thermal Comfort and Recreational Participation. Climate Change Management 2020, 545 -562.
AMA StyleRuzana Sanusi, Sheena Bidin. Re-naturing Cities: Impact of Microclimate, Human Thermal Comfort and Recreational Participation. Climate Change Management. 2020; ():545-562.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRuzana Sanusi; Sheena Bidin. 2020. "Re-naturing Cities: Impact of Microclimate, Human Thermal Comfort and Recreational Participation." Climate Change Management , no. : 545-562.
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) agriculture is rapidly expanding and requires large areas of land in the tropics to meet the global demand for palm oil products. Land cover conversion of peat swamp forest to oil palm (large- and small-scale oil palm production) is likely to have negative impacts on microhabitat conditions. This study assessed the impact of peat swamp forest conversion to oil palm plantation on microclimate conditions and soil characteristics. The measurement of microclimate (air temperature, wind speed, light intensity and relative humidity) and soil characteristics (soil surface temperature, soil pH, soil moisture, and ground cover vegetation temperature) were compared at a peat swamp forest, smallholdings and a large-scale plantation. Results showed that the peat swamp forest was 1.5-2.3 °C cooler with significantly greater relative humidity, lower light intensities and wind speed compared to the smallholdings and large-scale plantations. Soil characteristics were also significantly different between the peat swamp forest and both types of oil palm plantations with lower soil pH, soil and ground cover vegetation surface temperatures and greater soil moisture in the peat swamp forest. These results suggest that peat swamp forests have greater ecosystem benefits compared to oil palm plantations with smallholdings agricultural approach as a promising management practice to improve microhabitat conditions. Our findings also justify the conservation of remaining peat swamp forest as it provides a refuge from harsh microclimatic conditions that characterize large plantations and smallholdings.
Subasini Anamulai; Ruzana Sanusi; Akbar Zubaid; Alex Lechner; Adham Ashton-Butt; Badrul Azhar. Land use conversion from peat swamp forest to oil palm agriculture greatly modifies microclimate and soil conditions. PeerJ 2019, 7, e7656 .
AMA StyleSubasini Anamulai, Ruzana Sanusi, Akbar Zubaid, Alex Lechner, Adham Ashton-Butt, Badrul Azhar. Land use conversion from peat swamp forest to oil palm agriculture greatly modifies microclimate and soil conditions. PeerJ. 2019; 7 ():e7656.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSubasini Anamulai; Ruzana Sanusi; Akbar Zubaid; Alex Lechner; Adham Ashton-Butt; Badrul Azhar. 2019. "Land use conversion from peat swamp forest to oil palm agriculture greatly modifies microclimate and soil conditions." PeerJ 7, no. : e7656.
Forest conversion to oil palm plantation is causing a major loss of biodiversity in Southeast Asia and other tropical regions. Oil palm plantations have less biodiversity because of their simplified vegetation, human disturbances, and extreme microclimate conditions. Alley-cropping system incorporates a secondary crop in the alleys between the main crops. In some cases alley-cropping can result in a greater vegetation structural complexity, thus potentially providing agricultural and ecological benefits, including: buffering against weather extremes, reduction in soil erosion, increased biodiversity, and increased nutrient and water-use efficiency. In this study, we compared vegetation structure (height and cover of vegetation), microclimate (air temperature, relative humidity, light intensity and wind speed), and soil conditions (soil surface temperature, soil pH and soil moisture) across a range of alley-cropping systems and two ages of monoculture oil palm. We found that alley- cropping system had varied structural complexity across different crops when compared to oil palm monoculture system. Careful selection of crops was essential, with black pepper and cacao having the largest impact on improving vegetation heterogeneity and microclimate regulation when incorporated into an alley-cropping system. In particular, we found that systems intercropped with black pepper had air and soil surface temperatures up to 1.3 °C and 2.1 °C cooler than those in oil palm monoculture. In contrast, systems intercropped with bactris and bamboo had increased air temperatures. Our findings show that some alley-cropping systems have great potential as a climate-smart practice in sustainable oil palm agriculture. This study also shows that careful selection of crops is important in the planning and management of future alley-cropping system to optimise the ecosystem benefits that can be gained from this management system.
Mohamad Ashraf; Ruzana Sanusi; Raja Zulkifli; Kamil A. Tohiran; Ramle Moslim; Adham Ashton-Butt; Badrul Azhar. Alley-cropping system increases vegetation heterogeneity and moderates extreme microclimates in oil palm plantations. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 2019, 276-277, 107632 .
AMA StyleMohamad Ashraf, Ruzana Sanusi, Raja Zulkifli, Kamil A. Tohiran, Ramle Moslim, Adham Ashton-Butt, Badrul Azhar. Alley-cropping system increases vegetation heterogeneity and moderates extreme microclimates in oil palm plantations. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 2019; 276-277 ():107632.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMohamad Ashraf; Ruzana Sanusi; Raja Zulkifli; Kamil A. Tohiran; Ramle Moslim; Adham Ashton-Butt; Badrul Azhar. 2019. "Alley-cropping system increases vegetation heterogeneity and moderates extreme microclimates in oil palm plantations." Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 276-277, no. : 107632.