Cultivating Energy Conscious Communities: The Path to Increased Efficiency

This research addresses the critical need for increased energy efficiency in communities, emphasizing the pivotal role of community involvement and awareness. With the growing concern for sustainable energy practices, empowering communities to contribute to energy efficiency initiatives is imperative. Thus, the research aims to investigate and understand the role of community empowerment in increasing energy efficiency through community role and awareness. The theory applied to the research is the theory of planned behavior. A descriptive quantitative approach is employed, utilizing a structured questionnaire based on the Likert scale. Then, after the questionnaires were collected, statistical data processing was carried out using the T-test, F-test, and validity and reliability tests. The questionnaire gauges participants' perceptions and behaviors about energy efficiency, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the community's role and awareness in promoting sustainable energy practices. Preliminary findings indicate a positive correlation between community empowerment, heightened awareness, and increased energy efficiency. The Likert scale responses provide valuable insights into the areas where communities excel and areas that require targeted interventions. The data also reveal notable patterns in community behaviors and perceptions of energy consumption and conservation. In conclusion, the research underscores the significance of community empowerment as a catalyst for enhancing energy efficiency. The findings suggest that fostering community awareness and active involvement can lead to tangible improvements in sustainable energy practices. This study contributes valuable insights for policymakers, community leaders, and energy advocates seeking effective strategies to address the global energy challenge through localized, community-driven initiatives

Evaluating Geothermal Power Plant Sites with Additive Ratio Assessment: Case Study of Mount Seulawah Agam, Indonesia

Indonesia, a country rich in geothermal resources, has yet to fully exploit its potential, particularly in volcanic regions like Mount Seulawah Agam. This study investigates the application of the Additive Ratio Assessment (ARAS) method for the site selection of Geothermal Power Plants (GPP) in Indonesia. The ARAS method provides a systematic approach to evaluating and prioritizing geothermal development sites by integrating multiple criteria, including geological, environmental, and socio-economic factors. The study collects data from various sources and weights criteria using the Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA), incorporating expert opinions. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the ARAS method in identifying optimal locations for GPP development, ensuring sustainability and feasibility. The study also tests the ARAS method in existing GPP locations in Jaboi, Sabang, Indonesia, to investigate alignment with the results and validate the approach. Furthermore, the study presents recommendations for GPP site selection. This research emphasizes the significance of multi-criteria decision-making techniques in facilitating renewable energy projects. It promotes a more systematic and informed approach to geothermal energy development in Indonesia and other geothermal-rich regions

Constraints on Transport of Injured Victims after the Earthquake for Disaster Victims’ Evacuation Model Development: A Phenomenological Study

The big earthquake has an impact on the risk of injury to the victims. The wounded victim needed urgent medical assistance to survive. The effectiveness of this service depends heavily on the response speed of stakeholders. To increase the response rate, a detailed emergency response plan is needed. The study aims to identify restrictive factors in evacuating victims of post-earthquake injuries. This qualitative research has a phenomenological design. Participants in this study were 15 nurses who participated in the Disaster Victim Evacuation (DVE) process and who met the criteria with the purposive sampling technique. Data is collected through a deep interview (IDI) using open questions. Data analysis is done using the inductive content analysis method. Two themes contributed to the DVE process as an ERP, namely, 1) restriction of institutional support and 2) cancellation of evacuation routes. These findings have provided an overview of several factors that directly contributed to the implementation of the DVE process

Exploring Determinants of Early Marriage Among Adolescent Girls in Banama Tingang, Indonesia

The number of early marriages in Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, has increased yearly. According to data from the Indonesian Office of Religious Affairs (KUA) and Office of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil), 14,540 couples married early between 2017 and 2021. This problem is caused by several factors, including teenagers' knowledge, parents' education, parents' income, parents' perceptions, and support from parents and peers. This research analyzes factors related to early marriage in Banama Tingang District, Pulang Pisau Regency. This quantitative study used a case-control design conducted in Banama Tingang District, Pulang Pisau Regency, in November 2022. The sample was determined using convenience or accidental sampling methods with 200 teenagers. The results of the Chi-Square analysis showed significant associations between early marriage and parental education (p=0.000) and parental income (p=0.022) but not with adolescent knowledge (p=1.000), parental perception (p=0.173), or parental and peer support (p=0.252). Logistic regression analysis revealed that parental education was the most dominant variable significantly associated with early marriage (p=0.000, Exp B=3.169). There was no significant relationship between adolescent knowledge, parental perception, or support from parents and peers with early marriage among adolescent girls in Banama Tingang District, Pulang Pisau Regency. In conclusion, parental education and income were found to be associated with the incidence of early marriage among young women in Banama Tingang District, Pulang Pisau Regency, with parental education being the most dominant factor

The Emotional Journey: An Exploration of Women's Pre-Birth Anxieties

Pregnancy is an important period in a woman's life, but it is often accompanied by worries and fears that cause birth anxiety. Anxiety generally varies in intensity from mild to severe. Anxiety has a negative impact on the health of the mother and fetus, and it causes many women to refuse to give birth naturally. This study aims to explore the psychological and emotional dimensions of pregnant mothers' levels of anxiety toward childbirth, identifying the various concerns and factors that cause anxiety. The research design was non-experimental exploratory descriptive, conducted from May to June 2022. Respondents consist of multigravida women with a gestational age of 36–40 weeks (third trimester). The sample was chosen using purposive sampling. The data collection process uses a questionnaire in the form of semi-structured questions. The level of anxiety for multigravida women is moderate anxiety (36.0%), severe anxiety (32.0%), mild anxiety (24.0%), and 4.0% each with severe anxiety and not anxiety. The aspects found are generally feared to have a cesarean delivery (28.0%) and worry about the baby's condition (20.0%). Factors that cause anxiety are generally the condition of the baby (24.0%), illness suffered by the mother (12.0%), and negative experiences about childbirth (12.0%). Multigravida women generally experience various anxieties during labor, which are caused by various factors that influence them. There are aspects of anxiety that are different from previous studies. Screening for anxiety symptoms and education during the antenatal period are necessary

In Vitro Test of Antioxidant Activity of Leilem Leaf Ethanol Extract (Clerodendrum minahassae) Using DPPH and FRAP Methods

The risk of degenerative diseases is increasing due to unhealthy lifestyles. Many people consume junk food, smoke, and do not protect themselves from sun exposure and pollution, exposing their bodies to free radicals. Free radicals can cause oxidative stress, necessitating the need for antioxidants to neutralize them. The leilem plant (Clerodendrum minahassae) is an endemic plant from North Sulawesi that is often used in traditional dishes and medicine. Moreover, leilem leaves are believed to be a source of natural antioxidants. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of leilem leaf ethanol extract as a source of antioxidants. The antioxidant potential was evaluated using phytochemical screening and antioxidant assays such as 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) methods, with ascorbic acid as a comparison. The level of antioxidant activity was measured by determining the IC50 value, which corresponds to the concentration of extract required to inhibit 50% of free radicals. The results of phytochemical screening showed that the ethanol extract of leilem (Clerodendrum minahassae) leaves contains active compounds such as phenols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids/triterpenoids, and alkaloids, indicating a high potential for antioxidant activity. The IC50 value for the DPPH method was 78.799 ppm, and the IC50 value for the FRAP method was 92.127 ppm. These results demonstrate that the ethanol extract of leilem leaves has strong antioxidant activity in both the DPPH and FRAP methods

Reduction of Microbial Content (Escherichia coli) in Well Water Using Various Processes: Microfiltration Membranes, Aeration and Bentonite Adsorption

Water is a basic need for living things. This research aims to know the reduction of microbe content (Escherichia coli) in well water by using microfiltration membrane, adsorption using bentonite and aeration. The capability of those three methods in reducing E. coli was examined on the variety of time contact: 30, 60, 90, 120,180 and 300 minutes. The result of the research shows that using those methods has shown that the optimum percentage of E. coli reduction by using microfiltration membrane with 23 Most Probable Number (MPN)/100 mL of E. coli initial concentration in well water and became 0 MPN/100 mL by 100 % of E. coli reduction. Adsorption using bentonite resulted in a 78% reduction in E. coli and reduction by using aeration, the reduction of E. coli by 21%. This study shows that microfiltration has the best ability compared to other methods

The Complexity of Handling Posterior Subcapsular Cataract Case

Cataracts or “katarrhakies” in Greek means waterfall. This term is used because the vision in cataract patients is described as a closed waterfall due to the clouding of the lens. PSCs (posterior subcapsular cataracts) might cause symptoms within months. and can cause worse visual disturbances compared to other types of senile cataracts. A 63-year-old man came to the Department of Ophthalmology at RSUD Dr. Zainoel Abidin with a chief complaint of blurry vision in both eyes since two years ago and felt more severe in the left eye. The patient also complained of difficulty seeing an object and reading at close range. On physical examination, a cloudy lens was found in the central posterior part of his both eyes the iris shadow test of both eyes was positive. The patient was diagnosed with posterior subcapsular cataract oculus dexter and sinister (ODS). The patient was planned to undergo phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in his left eye. The patient came back in the next couple weeks after surgery and it shows that his left eye visual acuity was 20/20 and the ocular anatomy was in good condition. Nowadays, phacoemulsification is still the first choice in PSC therapy. This type of cataract is difficult to treat because the cataract is still thin and the lens is mostly transparent, but it often causes glare and vision impairment which can interfere with daily activities

Evaluation of Gradient Boosted Classifier in Atopic Dermatitis Severity Score Classification

This study investigates the application of the Gradient Boosting machine learning technique to enhance the classification of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) skin disease images, reducing the potential for manual classification errors. AD, also known as eczema, is a common and chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by pruritus (itching), erythema (redness), and often lichenification (thickening of the skin). AD affects individuals of all ages and significantly impacts their quality of life. Accurate and efficient diagnostic tools are crucial for the timely management of AD. To address this need, our research encompasses a multi-step approach involving data preprocessing, feature extraction using various color spaces and evaluating classification outcomes through Gradient Boosting. The results demonstrate an accuracy of 93.14%. This study contributes to the field of dermatology by providing a robust and reliable tool to support dermatologists in identifying AD skin disease, facilitating timely intervention and improved patient care

A Comparative Study of Total Tannin Contents and Antimicrobial Activities in Methanol Extracts of Rhizophoraceae Species

Rhizophoraceae is a large true mangrove family that produces mangrove tannins. Tannins have the potential to be used as antimutagenic, anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant agents in the pharmaceutical and medical fields. The aim of the research was to determine the total tannin content, antimicrobial activity, and the correlation between the two in methanol extracts of four plant parts (roots, bark, leaves, and fruit/hypocotyl) from five Rhizophoraceae species, namely Bruguiera cylindrica, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Ceriops decandra, Rhizophora apiculata, and Rhizophora mucronata originating from the Langsa mangrove forest, Aceh, Indonesia. Folin Ciocalteu colorimetric method and tannic acid as a standard were used for the total tannin content (TTC) test. The disc diffusion method was used to conduct antimicrobial tests against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans bacteria at a 50% extract concentration. TTC content in Rhizophoraceae ranged from 8.17 ± 1.36 mg TAE/g to 813.35 ± 18.72 mg TAE/g (p < 0.05). The highest levels were found in C. decandra roots (813.35 ±18.72 mg TAE/g), C. decandra bark (704.36 ± 12.11 mg TAE/g), and R. apiculata bark (651.23 ± 2.36 mg TAE/g). The extract has moderate to strong antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria S. aureus, with an inhibition zone range of 6.64 ± 0.80 mm -15.02 ± 0.32 mm. The highest antibacterial activity was observed in the inhibition zones for S. aureus bacteria, with C. decandra fruit extract (15.02 ± 0.32 mm), R. apiculata bark (14.78 ± 0.90 mm), and C. decandra leaves (14.44 ± 1.18 mm) exhibiting the highest levels. TTC and antibacterial activity of S. aureus in Rhizophoraceae extracts showed a moderate correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.566, p < 0.05). According to the results, it was concluded that Rhizophoraceae has the potential to produce optimal tannins that can be used as antibacterial agents against S. aureus