STR Data for the AmpFlSTR Identifiler loci in three ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese, Indian) of the Malaysian population

Allele frequencies for the 15 STR loci in the AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit were determined and compared for the three main ethnic groups of the Malaysian population comprising 210 Malays, 219 Chinese and 209 Indians. Blood was placed on FTA paper and DNA was purified in-situ.     

Use of thermal drone in detection and assessment of larval mass temperature in decomposed rabbit carcasses

Manual ground searches and cadaver dogs are traditional methods for locating remains, but they can be time- and resource-intensive, resulting in the decomposition of bodies and delay in victim identification. Therefore, thermal imaging has been proposed as a potentially useful tool for detecting remains based on their temperature. This study investigated the potential of a novel search technique of thermal drones to detect surface remains through the detection of maggot mass temperatures. Two trials were carried out at Selangor, Malaysia, each utilizing 12 healthy male Oryctolagus cuniculus European white rabbits and DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone China, equipped with a thermal camera; Zenmuse H20T to record the thermal imaging footage of the carcasses at various heights (15, 30, 60–100 m) for 14 days for each trial. Our results demonstrated that the larval masses and corresponding heat emissions were at their largest during the active decay stage; therefore, all the carcasses were observable in thermal images on day 5 and remained until day 7. Statistical analyses showed that (1) no statistically significant differences in thermal images between clothed and unclothed subjects (p > 0.05); (2) 15 m above ground level was proven to be the optimal height, as it showed the greatest contrast between the carcass heat signature and the background (p < 0.005). Our data suggested the potential window of detection of thermal signatures was detectable up to 7 days post-deposition. This could be an important guideline for the search and recovery teams for operational implementation in this tropical region.     

马来西亚华人家庭语言的转变

马来西亚华人的语言在当地多语社会和现代化环境下备受冲击,而作为社会基本单位的家庭所使用的语言也受其影响而发生变化.本文根据在马来西亚进行的实地调查所得到的数据和实例,从夫妻、兄弟姐妹、父子以及祖孙用语四大角度来考察华人家庭语言的现状以及变化,研究对象包括福建、广东、客家、潮州和海南五大华人方言群体.研究证实,马来西亚华人的家庭语言正处于从华人方言逐渐转向华语和英语的历史性过渡中.     

马来西亚国民型华文小学多元化现象

马来西亚国民型华文小学(华小)是以华语为媒介语的小学。现今一些华小,学生的族群背景已开始从单一种族走向多元种族,即从早期以华裔学生为主到近期非华裔学生人数不断增长,学生来源不再维持单元化。多元化的学生背景给教学和行政带来了改变,尤其是校内的交际语言。根据对一所多元种族学生的华小所进行的观察,全校学生不只是华裔,三分之一是马来人、印度人和其他种族。校内的各族学生并用华语、马来语或其他各自母语来沟通。老师中也包括不谙华语的马来教师,因此校内行政运作的语言是华语和马来语并用,但逐步转向单用马来语。华小的各种改变和现状调查对国内外关心华文教育者有重要的参考价值。华小学生和教师的族群和母语背景不再单元化,意味着华文教育本质发生变化。华小走向多元化,是华文教育的一大挑战。     

马来西亚印度人社群研究——以印度人社群语言状况为例

马来西亚的印度人社群来自印度,以淡米尔语言群占大多数。印裔族群的内部差异相当大,可以从语言、宗教、社会地位、教育、种姓分别开来;也依来源地分成两大阶层：一为来自印度东南部的穷困劳工,二为来自斯里兰卡受教育懂英语的淡米尔人。本文拟从语言的角度,实地调查马来西亚老中青3个不同年龄层的印裔,探讨印裔的语言问题。研究发现,不论在社会或家庭里,马来西亚印裔的常用语言是淡米尔语,其次为英语和马来语。但淡米尔语的使用在逐代减少,而英语有慢慢取代淡米尔语的趋势。在政经文教条件的影响下,印裔族群语言态度开始改变,要维持淡米尔语为主的语言,情况并不乐观。     

Laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of triacylglycerols and other components in fingermark samples

The chemical composition of fingermarks could potentially be important for determining investigative leads, placing individuals at the time of a crime, and has applications as biomarkers of disease. Fingermark samples containing triacylglycerols (TAGs) and other components were analyzed using laser desorption/ionization (LDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS). Only LDI appeared to be useful for this application while conventional matrix-assisted LDI-TOF MS was not. Tandem MS was used to identify/confirm selected TAGs. A limited gender comparison, based on a simple t-distribution and peaks intensities, indicated that two TAGs showed gender specificity at the 95% confidence level and two others at 97.5% confidence. Because gender-related TAGs differences were most often close to the standard deviation of the measurements, the majority of the TAGs showed no gender specificity. Thus, LDI-TOF MS is not a reliable indicator of gender based on fingermark analysis. Cosmetic ingredients present in some samples were identified.