FAScinate™ Talk Series

ASM is back with another installment of the FAScinate™ Series on 3 November 2020. This time around, it featured three immensely brilliant ASM Fellows to showcase their expertise in three interesting and captivating presentations.

Previously known as the ASM Fellows’ Lecture Series, this new branding evokes a more casual vibe that aims to increase public engagement and fascinate them with science. Featuring the tagline “Open Minds, Spark Ideas”the FAScinate™ Series is a platform for ASM Fellows to share their thoughts and knowledge that will open the minds of people and spark new ideas.

Featured ASM Fellows in this FAScinate™ Series are:

• Professor Dato’ Dr Tengku Aizan Tengku Abdul Hamid FASc
• Professor Dr Vikineswary Subaratnam FASc
• Professor Dr Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman FASc

Reimagining Ageing: Debunking Myths and Stereotypes

First to present was Professor Dato’ Dr Tengku Aizan Tengku Abdul Hamid FASc. Professor Dato’ Dr Tengku Aizan spearheaded the establishment of the Institute of Gerontology in Universiti Putra Malaysia, which was promoted to the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing by the Government in 2015. The Institute was the impetus for the growth and development of research and education in the field of gerontology in Malaysia. Some of her notable work include being made  the lead consultant for the age-friendly cities and communities project under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as developing an Active Ageing Index (AAI) for Malaysia. She is also involved in the WHO project to support the aged care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Tengku Aizan prefaced her presentation with a snippet of John Lennon’s “Imagine” to prompt viewers to imagine what they think their old age will be like – will it be filled with activity, vibrant and dynamic, or will it be lethargic, stricken with illness or wheelchair-bound? Growing older is not something that most of us wants to talk about but it is important that we do, because the trend shows that humans want to live longer. Therefore, it is better to not just add years to life, but also add life to years.

Dr Tengku Aizan continued her presentation on myths and stereotypes often held about ageing. The first myth is that older people are insignificant in numbers: this is untrue, and it is important to debunk this myth as it will interfere with social planning. According to the population pyramid (a visual representation of the age-sex composition of a specific population structure, in this case the Malaysian population). The dynamic graphic shows a significant change of the pyramid as it progresses from 1950 to 2050. The changes brought about by the fertility and mortality rate shifts the pyramid shape into one with a narrower base with a bulging middle, showing signs of an ageing population.

Next, Dr Tengku Aizan showed a decreasing trend in fertility of Malaysian women between 1965 to 2015, categorised according to race. It shows a declining trend across all ethnicities. In 2015, the average Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for Malaysia is 2.0. This is caused by women having children later in life as well as having fewer children throughout their reproductive years. Then, Dr Tengku Aizan also showed that Malaysians are generally living longer than in the past, with differing life expectancies according to ethnicities.

Dr Tengku Aizan linked the aged population to geographical distribution, reflecting the different development status between states. She stated that this information will affect social planning. She also demonstrated that more and more older Malaysians are living in urban areas.

The next myth that Dr Tengku Aizan wanted to debunk is that older people deteriorate mentally and physically. Citing “use it or lose it”, Dr Tengku Aizan stressed that one’s mental and physical health will remain sound as long as one maintains active use. Next, Dr Tengku Aizan debunked the myth older people cannot learn new things. She demonstrated some activities organised with senior citizens such as hairdressing, painting, first aid, as well as musical classes where while maintaining an active social life, these senior citizens are also able to earn an income while doing so.

The next myth to be debunked is that older people are a burden to society, and Dr Tengku Aizan has the numbers to back it up. less than 5 percent of older people are classified as poor with limited functions and require welfare assistance. Further elaborating this, Dr Tengku Aizan stated that currently older people are “asset rich, but cash poor”. A high percentage of older people was shown to own at least one property, be it a house or land. With that said, Dr Tengku Aizan expressed uncertainty whether the younger generations now can tread the same path, as property prices have skyrocketed. Next, Dr Tengku Aizan presented her study on how retirees are contributing to society. She stated that working, caregiving and volunteering are three activities where retirees are contributing the most.

Moving forward, Dr Tengku Aizan called for a reimagining of ageing on the individual and societal levels. Reimagining entails increasing knowledge about ageing, removing age-based discrimination within policies and legislation, as well as providing a balanced view of ageing in the media.

One way of reimagining ageing is to leverage on the majority of older people that are financially stable and possess good physical functions. This segment of the older society has great potential to contribute to the family and community. However, this is not possible if the right platform is not set up for them. Innovative technologies such as wearables devices, smart home technologies that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT) are excellent tools to assist the elderly in living their life to the fullest.

Dr Tengku Aizan proceeded to mention key policies and players in addressing ageing population. These policies and players are instrumental in easing the transition from an ageing to an aged population within the next ten years.

What a Waste!

Professor Dr Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman FASc’s research interests has always been grounded in environment and sustainability science with an affinity for the participation of engineers for a sustainable future. She joined University of Malaya as an academic staff in 1983 and served as an active member of the academic community for more than 30 years. While being a member of staff there, she was entrusted with several administrative portfolios including as the founding Dean of the Sustainability Science Research Cluster from 2009 to 2015. Presently, she is attached as an honorary professor in UM while continuously seeking and sharing knowledge especially with the young and the young at heart.

“What a waste” is an expression that is quite common in many cultures- the Japanese version “mottainai” is used to express regret when one feels something valuable is wasted. The closest Malay equivalent would be “oh sayangnya”. This term saw a resurgence when it was mentioned by Dr Wangari, the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She was smitten by the term during her visit to Japan; the term encompasses three elements of responsible waste management: reduce, reuse and recycle, with an additional fourth element: respect.

Next, Dr Nik Meriam drew parallels between two languages on the word “muda”: in Japanese, “muda” means waste, while the word means “youth” in Bahasa Malaysia. She then tied up her connection with a saying by George Bernard Shaw: “youth is wasted on the young”, a “rather melancholic feeling of regret about wasting time on the young”, as she put it.

Dr Nik Meriam commenced her presentation with a trip down memory lane. She mentioned the passage she wrote for her school magazine, on how as a nine year-old she wanted to become a teacher. She also remembered the message her late father left her – “I will not leave you great wealth except education”, showing the importance her late father put on education. The value instilled upon Dr Nik Meriam coupled with her love for education since young has led to where she is now, a chemical engineer.

Next, Dr Nik Meriam mentioned several industries that utilise chemical engineering in the process, such as wastewater management, oil refinery, and glove manufacturing. Dr Nik Meriam explained that chemical engineers typically favour diagrams over writings or talking to explain how chemical processes take place. These diagrams illustrate the raw materials, utilities, people used to create the end product, byproduct, and waste. But where do these waste go? Dr Nik Meriam will explain.

Dr Nik Meriam reminded viewers that waste is not necessarily just physical such as things that you can touch, smell and see. Waste can be in terms of motion and time, such as an inefficient usage of time and manpower that becomes waste itself.

Bringing up her previous mention of her wish to become a teacher, she went into an element of teachers that may not be the first thing thought up when talking about the profession: the quintessential batik outfit. The batik industry has been recognised as a heritage and cottage industry. Wax is used by artisans as a resist material to create the patterns on fabric. Dr Nik Meriam delved into the technology used in the batik production process.

A relatively low-tech process, producing batik only requires a piece of cloth decorated with dyes and waxes. However, what consumers often do not see is the copious amount of water used in the process where the fabric is washed several times throughout the entire process. Dr Nik Meriam strives to harness chemical engineering to create a cleaner production process for the batik industry via the “Clean Batik Initiative”.

Dr Nik Meriam showed some photos of the batik production by one company, notably during the soaking and rinsing process. The fact that this company is a small one, they would not have the capital for a proper wastewater management; the wastewater (which may contain dyes, chemical residues as well as waxes/resins) would just be washed down the drain. This would prove to be detrimental to the environment. To address this problem, Dr Nik Meriam showed a diagram on how to optimise the process by emphasising specific attributes such as green and friendly processing throughout the whole process. This emphasis would assist efficient utilisation of utilities, people and raw materials to produce functional products cost-effectively while minimising waste or its impact.

One way batik wastewater is different from other forms of wastewater is the presence of waxes/resins. Formerly, batik producers would leave the rinsing water waxes/resins overnight to allow the waxes/resins to float and them skimming it off the next day. Dr Nik Meriam has proposed a hybrid physical pre-treatment that includes a two-stage system that separates the waxes/resins for easy removal, followed by a micromembrane filtration stage to remove leftover dyes.

Generally, the waste management hierarchy is an inverted pyramid that entails reducing, reusing, and recycling/composting, followed by another two elements: recovering and finally disposing. These five steps rank in order of most desirable to least desirable, with disposing being the least desirable option at the bottom of the pyramid, meaning that we need to minimise disposal of waste by optimising the four steps above it.

The true cost of waste is not always directly apparent. Waste is not simply material that is excess to requirements; it is actually misplaced resources that represent the loss of valuable organisation assets. Dr Nik Meriam used an iceberg to illustrate the hidden cost of waste: the more visible cost of effluent, skips, landfill charges as well as air pollution charges pale in comparison to its hidden and often more intangible cost such as energy use, maintenance, time, effort and lost profit, among others. In fact, the true cost of waste is such that it makes up 4 percent of  turnover.

Better stewardship of waste requires an evolution of attitudes towards environmental issues. We need to move away from passive environmental protection including negative environmental impacts and regulatory non-compliance, which actively harm the environment. Active environmental protection that entails a mindset of “dirty now, clean up later” is costly and inefficient, still not a good practice. Dr Nik Meriam calls for an overall cleaner production process: cost-effective processes that use resources such as raw materials and energy efficiently as well as regulatory compliance.

Dr Nik Meriam explained that waste does not exist in nature; everything in nature has a purpose. Waste and the act of wasting is a human invention. However, wasting results in long-term consequences that harm humans, nature, and the economy.

Amazing Mushrooms: Nature’s Gift

Professor Vikineswary has made it her life’s work to unearth the magic behind mushrooms, which is one of the many amazing gifts that Mother Nature has given us. The University Malaya lecturer ventured into the search, discovery and utilisation of indigenous microorganisms, including actinomycetes and phototrophic bacteria for feed or fine chemicals. Her research activities diversified, and while studying the potential of mushrooms in environmental biotechnology, she had the opportunity to work with mushroom farmers. Together with the farmers, the Mushroom Research Association of Malaysia was founded in 2000. As the founding president, she has highlighted the importance of mushrooms and the industry in Malaysia.

The mushroom is a popular organism that has been prominently featured in pop culture and is also found in many decorative items. It has been found in ancient drawings and sculptures, even in an iceman’s pouch. Dr Vikineswary provided some instances of mushrooms in historical records, such as on prehistoric Tassili rock paintings in South Algeria dating back to 3,500 BC, and the Kuda-Kallu megalithic umbrella mushroom stones found in Arryannor, Kerala in South India that is from the first millennium BC. Certain mushrooms were also consumed as medicines, such as the Ganoderma spp of the Chinese as well as the Piptoporus betulinus that is known to be consumed by prehistoric people.

Piptoporus betulinus. (Image Credit: First Nature)

Ganoderma spp. (Image credit: Fungal Pathogens of Western Washington Forests)

Mushrooms can be found growing in forests, grasslands and tree stumps. Some can glow at night. Closer to home, it can also be found in your garden; given the right conditions, mushrooms can also be found growing on wooden rubbish.

Mushrooms are macro fungi, not plants or animals. Mushrooms are a member of the sixth kingdom, which includes both unicellular (yeast and moulds) and multicellular (mushrooms) organisms. Unlike plants, fungi are not capable of photosynthesis. Fungi are important for the recycling of nutrients (e.g. carbon and nitrogen) back into the environment. They decompose organic matter and acquire nutrients through absorption.

How do mushrooms decompose organic matter and acquire nutrients? Dr Vikineswary explained that mushrooms are saprophytic; it will first adhere to dead organic matter; then it digest the polymers within the dead matter. If a mushroom attaches itself to wood, the wood’s primary polymer of cellulose will be broken down into its monomers of glucose, which serves a nutrient for the mushroom. The downside of this process is the eventual biodegradation of organic matter, which may be detrimental to human development.

Being a symbiotic organism is another survival strategy of mushrooms. The mycelia of mushrooms are adaptive networks with efficient communication and bio-transport mechanisms. They are highly responsive to local environmental conditions and can transport nutrients between spatially separated source. The trees, fungi and microbes are able to work together to protect each other. For example, trees that are attacked by bugs will release chemical signals that are picked up by the fungal mycelium. Through the tight-knit mycelium network, neighbouring trees will receive these signals and increase their own resistance to the threat.

Dr Vikineswary explained that even fungi “asks permission” to live together with plants. However, the parasitic nature of fungi might be detrimental to the host (e.g. trees). Mushrooms live on or in the roots of the trees and obtain nutrients from it. Mushrooms perform enzymatic action to obtain nutrients and sometimes secrete toxins to do so. Citing an example of the ganoderma mushrooms that plague oil palms, the mushroom will penetrate the water channel (xylem) of the hot tree, causing the host to wilt and die.

Thanks to their myriad of survival strategies, mushrooms are sought after and exploited often by humans, animals, and plants. Plants may benefit from the mushrooms extensive mycelial network for its own survival. Animals such as termites and ants farm utilise fungi to help it to decompose wood matter to become food for the queen and its colony. Humans use mushrooms mainly as foodl also, humans harness the mushroom’s ability to break down organic matters in converting organic wastes into value-added food, fuel, fine chemicals, feed, nutraceuticals and medicine, as well as in bioremediation processes.

Mushrooms can be used in a variety of applications, but in the interest of time, Dr Vikineswary touched upon a few during her session. To meet the growing demand of mushrooms for human consumption, wild and temperate mushrooms are increasingly domesticated and grown commercially. Dr Vikineswary mentioned the domestication of the Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) as an example. Known in Bahasa Malaysia as cendawan bunga kobis, this unique mushroom tastes like seafood or lobster with a tinge of bitterness. Based on ethnomycological knowledge in China and Japan, this temperate mushroom is known to stimulate production of nerve growth factor (NGF) in nerve cells. NGF is important to stimulate the growth of the “branches” found on nerve cells, which establishes connectivity between cells important for optimal brain function.

Bioremediation is another area of application in which mushrooms can be used. The white rot mushrooms is one such mushroom. The white rot mushroom is named as such due to the effect it has on its host: host organisms will appear bleached where the mushrooms grow. This mushroom produces lignin-modifying enzymes that plays an important role in the degradation and recycling of renewable wastes from plants. Dr Vikineswary highlighted that these enzymes are non-specific; it means that it does not only process one type of substrate, further expanding its potential in bioremediation. Dr Vikineswary showed these non-specific enzymes were able to breakdown different types of synthetic dyes.

Sustainable and organic cultivation of edible mushrooms is attainable when done properly. Using a circular economy ecosystem also ensures that zero waste can be achieved. Organic matter such as rice straw and sawdust can be used to grow mushrooms. In turn, the resulting mushroom crop can be harvested as whole fruiting bodies or processed into mushroom products such as burger patties and chips, or even into therapeutic products. The spent mushroom substrate will not go to waste; through vermicomposting and composting this substrate can be turned into soil conditioner and fertiliser. The substrate can also be turned into animal feed or aquafeed. Enzyme can be harvested from the remaining mushroom substrates. Also, mushroom substrates can be used as raw material in bioenergy and biogas production.

Concluding her presentation, Dr Vikineswary reminds viewers to know the mushrooms that we can eat. Also, how mushrooms can impact our lives, and think out of the box to reap their bountiful gifts to us. A poem from an Egyptian temple goes:

Without leaves, without buds, without flowers; yet they form fruit. As a food, as a tonic, as a medicine; the entire creation is precious.