Antimicrobial activities of marine fungi from Malaysia

Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Disease occurrence and fruit quality of pre-harvest calcium treated red flesh dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus)

A study aiming at increasing Ca content in red flesh dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) via pre-harvest fruit CaCl2 spray in relations to postharvest disease occurrence and fruit quality parameters was conducted. From day 7 after anthesis, red flesh dragon fruits (H.  polyrhizus) were sprayed at weekly interval for four times with different concentration of CaCl2 (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 gl-1). Fruit Ca content in fruitpeel (DW basis) were markedly increased with the increasing Ca  concentration in the applied solution but the Ca application did not affect Ca content in flesh. The compositions of N, P, K and Mg were not affected by the treatment. The severity of anthracnose and brown rot, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Monilinia fructicola, respectively, of artificially wounded fruits was reduced in preharvest CaCl2-treated fruits. The concentrations of soluble solids and titratable acidity in fruit were notaffected by the treatment. The firmness of fresh cut fruit was markedly enhanced at higher concentration of CaCl2. Beneficial effects of increasing Ca in fruit can be seen in the increase of fruit firmness although this did not contribute in enhancement of fruit quality-related parameters. Increased Ca content in treated fruits, together with no effects of treatment on other mineral nutrients, increased the ratio of Ca to other elements and this may contribute directly to the reduction of anthracnose and brown rot severity in CaCl2-treated fruits.Key words: Pitaya, anthracnose, brown rot, calcium chloride, fruit quality

Derivative estimation of triangular patch by using cubic least square method

Smooth surface reconstruction of scattered data built from Delaunay triangulation need the partial derivatives to be defined at the vertices of the triangles for all the data points. Partial derivatives at the vertices of triangular elements and at the midpoint of each side usually are unavailable therefore it is a needed to approximate the derivatives information at the vertices and at the midpoint of each side. The common method use to estimate partial derivatives was the quadratic approximation of least square method. This research focused to estimate partial derivatives by using cubic approximation of least square method and compare the surface obtained between quadratic and cubic approximation. The research also implement the use of interpolating surface of cubic Bezier triangular patch. The result of the study shows comparison of interpolating surface produced by different type of functions for quadratic and cubic least square. The maximum and minimum error was also calculated and maximum error between quadratic and cubic least square was generated when using saddle function while the minimum error is on the exponential function

Strategi Akomodasi Kepentingan Masyarakat dalam Pengelolaan Taman Nasional Bantimurung Bulusaraung di Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan

Alih fungsi sebagian kawasan hutan di Kabupaten Maros sejak tahun 2004 menjadi kawasan Taman Nasional Bantimurung Bulusaraung (TN Babul) membawa konsekwensi terhadap aktivitas masyarakat dalam kawasan TN Babul yang telah berlangsung secara turun temurun. Keberadaaan masyarakat dengan segala aktivitasnya untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidup dalam kawasan TN Babul perlu mendapatkan perhatian dan dipertimbangkan untuk diakomodasi oleh pengelola kawasan TN Babul dengan tetap mempertimbangkan kondisi ekologi kawasan tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan merumuskan strategi akomodasi kepentingan masyarakat yang sesuai untuk kondisi kawasan TN Babul. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui kegiatan wawancara dan pengisian kuesioner kepada sejumlah informan pakar, serta studi literatur. Data dianalisis menggunakan analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Hasil penelitian menujukkan bahwa faktor utama yang perlu dipertimbangkan dalam mengakomodasi kepentingan masyarakat adalah tingkat ketergantungan masyarakat terhadap kawasan TN Babul. Berdasarkan faktor utama tersebut maka strategi akomodasi kepentingan masyarakat yang sesuai untuk kondisi TN Babul adalah dengan melakukan pengelolaan kolaborasi. Balai TN Babul sebagai motor penggerak pelaksanaan strategi tersebut harus mulai menjalin komunikasi dan koordinasi dengan berbagai stakeholder sebagai salah satu syarat terlaksananya strategi tersebut

Ujian Teori Penerimaan Siswa Baru di Smk Bhakti Loa Janan Berbasis Intranet

Maksud dan tujuan dari penelitian ini yakni untuk mengetahui kendala dalam pelaksanaan ujian teori Penerimaan Siswa Baru, dengan memanfaatkan media interaktif berbasis web, sehingga pemanfaatan teknologi berbasis web dapat menjadi solusi sebagai media interaktif sekarang ini. Untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut, alat bantu yang digunakan antara lain Flowchart dan SiteMap (Peta Situs), serta Spesifikasi Kebutuhan Sistem perangkat lunak yang digunakan antara lain menggunakan Database MySQL, Web Developer menggunakan PHP, Editor dan Web Design, dan Image Processing menggunakan Adobe Photoshop. Adapun metode pengumpulan data menggunakan studi lapangan yang terdiri dari pengamatan langsung (observasi) dan wawancara serta studi pustaka. Dari hasil implementasi sistem, bahwa dengan penggunaan website ini dapat membantu dalam pelaksanaan ujian teori penerimaan siswa baru dari ujian konvensional menjadi ujian online oleh calon siswa baru. Sehingga input data peserta, koreksi soal, rekap nilai semua sudah terkomputerisasi yang ditampilkan berbasis Intranet yang cukup dinamis

Tools and concepts of journey towards a natural capitalism with special reference to environmental impact assessment, life cycle assessment and industrial ecology.

The evolution of tool applications and approaches for industrial-environmentally related management systems in minimizing their impact on natural environment has facilitated the concept of journey to natural capitalism, notably, on physical flows and the accumulation of substances and materials due to industrial activities. These environmental management tools include risk assessment, resource accounting, costbenefit analysis, environmental impact statement, and environmental impact assessment. In addition, environmental management system (EMS) series of standards derived fromSociety of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and International Standard of Organization (ISO) Technical Committee 207 initiatives emphasizing on EMS, environmental auditing, life cycle assessment, ecolabeling, environmental performance evaluation, design for environment and climate change. Recent concept on industrial ecology (IE) was introduced and applied respectively into EMS for industrial sustainability. It is based on the integration of human dimension, industrial processes, and environmental concerns that perpetually mimics natural ecosystem processes. This paper describes how these theoretical frameworks of Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools being developed and applied and subsequently used as central tenet in IE concept in meeting their objectives that indirectly could be further enhanced the journey towards natural capitalism

Sistem Informasi Geografi (SIG) Pencarian ATM Bank Kaltim Terdekat Dengan Geolocation Dan Haversine Formula Berbasis Web

Memberikan layanan yang terbaik bagi para nasabah merupakan prioritas utama setiap bank, termasuk di antaranya adalah Bank Kaltim di Kalimantan Timur, khususnya yang berada di Kota Samarinda. Salah satu layanannya adalah dengan menempatkan mesin ATM di setiap sisi kota yang nantinya dapat memudahkan nasabah dalam melakukan transaksi keuangan. Mesin ATM Bank Kaltim tersebar di banyak tempat, akan tetapi informasi mengenai lokasi ATM di Kota Samarinda masih terbatas dan terkadang membuat nasabah mengalami kesulitan dalam menemukan mesin ATM Bank Kaltim. Penentuan lokasi dengan Sistem Informasi Geografi (SIG) dapat menggambarkan informasi jarak dan tujuan sesuai dengan keinginan pengguna. SIG akan sangat tepat digunakan sebagai sarana untuk mengolah informasi lokasi ATM Bank Kaltim di Kota Samarinda. Salah satu metodenya yaitu Haversine Formula, yang merupakan metode yang diterapkan di dalam aplikasi SIG dalam menentukan lokasi ATM yang terdekat dengan user. Haversine Formula adalah persamaan yang digunakan dalam navigasi, yang memberikan jarak lingkaran besar antara dua titik pada permukaan bola (Bumi) berdasarkan garis bujur dan lintang. SIG yang dibuat dapat memberikan informasi mengenai lokasi ATM terdekat dan petunjuk arahnya. Hasil dari penelitian ini, Haversine Formula untuk proses perhitungan menentukan lokasi ATM terdekat dapat diterapkan dan memberikan informasi ATM untuk pengguna atau nasabah Bank Kalti

From dereplication and anti-inflammatory screening of Clusiaceae and Calophyllaceae species to novel immunomodulatory coumarins from Mesua lepidota

Vascular endothelium plays a central role in the development of inflammatory and immune processes, which are involved in graft rejection1. Many Clusiaceae/Calophyllaceae species (pantropical plants) biosynthesize original polyphenolic compounds exhibiting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties2-3. Bark, leaves and occasionally fruits from thirteen Malaysian plants belonging to the genus Calophyllum, Mesua (Calophyllaceae), Garcinia (Clusiaceae) were extracted using DCM and MeOH as the solvents. Each extract was then submitted to a HPLC-PDA-MSn dereplication analysis and its anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs). This allowed to select the bioactive fruits DCM extract of Mesua lepidota T. Anderson for an advanced phytochemical study, which led to the identification of several new coumarin derivatives. A flow cytometry study revealed that the major component of this extract, namely lepidotol A (1), significantly inhibited the VCAM-1, HLA-II and HLA-E expression of HUVECs previously activated by TNF-α or IFN-γ cytokines.   References   1.     P. T. Clesca, Int. Congr. Ser., 2002, 1237, 181-191. 2.     F. V. Cechinel, C. Meyre-Silva, and R. Niero, Chem. Biodivers., 2009, 6, 313-327. 3.     J. González-Gallego, M. V. García-Mediavilla, S. Sánchez-Campos and M. J. Tuñón, Br. J. Nutr., 2010, 104, S15-S2

Performance analysis of the Level control with inverse response by using particle swarm optimization

Boiler is an important utility system to support operations in the industry. The control of water level in the steam drum is a complicated task due to the non-minimum phase (NMP), which possibly will cause instability to the controlled water level in the steam drum. Process identification and controller design are difficult tasks for the steam drum because of non-minimum phase. Following the previous literature, this paper proposed process identification to 3rd order transfer function and optimization of Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) tunings of the water level by using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). A Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been developed to provide a direct platform to deal with these tasks. The result of PSO is compared with other tuning methods in terms of performance indicator and index. An analysis of the performance curve in 3-dimension graphs is also presented to visualize the output performance of various proportional and integral gain settings. The study has concluded that PSO provided better PI tunings for the best control of the Heat Exchanger function in the LOOP-PRO software

Coping styles in patients with haematological cancer in a Malaysian hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To assess coping styles of haematological cancer patients and investigate factors (major depressive disorders, socio-demographic profiles and clinical factors) that influence them. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Ampang Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is a tertiary referral centre for haematological diseases. In all, 105 patients with haematological cancer were assessed using the Brief COPE questionnaire to examine the coping styles of patients, and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview to assess major depressive disorder. RESULTS:The response rate was 83%. The coping strategies used by haematological cancer patients in descending order of frequency were: behavioural disengagement, active coping, denial, venting, self-distraction, substance use, acceptance, humour, use of emotional support, use of instrumental support, religion, positive reframing, planning, and self-blame. The coping styles were found to be associated with major depressive disorder, socio-demographic profiles, and clinical factors. Self-distraction and positive reframing coping styles were significant predictors and related to major depressive disorder. CONCLUSION:The early identification of poor coping styles in cancer patients is important, in order to enhance their survival and prevent relapses