Integrated Pest Management Practices for Rice Crops: Review of Indonesia and Taiwan

One of the new strategies to control rice pests that are at the same time more environmentally friendly is integrated pest management (IPM). IPM employs such methods as biological and mechanical controls, and botanicalpesticides. National and International resources have been used to developed IPM programs in some countries. Indonesia and Taiwan have used such programs to control rice pests. Biological control, botanical pesticides andsome mechanical control have been conducted in IPM program in both countries. However, assessing and comparing the effects of IPM programs are difficult because of the heterogeneity of the data due to differences in regions (e.g., climate, rainfall, soil structure), time periods, pest classes (e.g., insects, plant pathogens, weeds), and types of crops researched. In Indonesia using the recommended pesticides still be the last option for controlling the pests that reach an economic threshold. In 2011, recommended pesticides are applied about 981,628 ha of all rice crops. Other controls are the second pests control choosen in Indonesia. Other controls are consists of biological control (usingparasitoids and predators), microbial control (fungi, virus and bacteria) and natural plant extraction. Other controls reach about 464,854 ha of total rice crops in Indonesia. Mechanical controls are less applied than recommendedpesticides and other controls. Mechanical controls are including all controls before rice planting, such as harrowing land, killing rats, applying organic fertilizer, planting good varieties and cropping pattern. Mechanical controls reach about 84,920 ha of total rice crops in Indonesia. Taiwan also have similar development of rice IPM like Indonesia. In different counties, the farmers applied different IPM techniques. More farmers are independent to set up their rice pest control. Now, Taiwan have a significant progress in organic ric

A Nationwide Study Comparing Knowledge and Beliefs about HPV among Female Students before and after HPV Vaccination

Study Objective To assess the knowledge and beliefs regarding HPV and the HPV vaccine among girls before and after vaccination in the Malaysian HPV Immunisation Programme. Design A nationwide longitudinal survey. Setting Thirty-two randomly selected schools from 13 states and 3 federal territories in Malaysia from February to March 2013, and October to November 2013. Participants Form One female students (13-year-old). Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Mean knowledge score of HPV infection. Results A total of 2,644 students responded to the pre-vaccination survey, of whom 2,005 (70%) completed the post-vaccination survey. The mean knowledge score was 2.72 (SD ± 2.20) out of a maximum score of 10 in the pre-vaccination survey, which increased significantly to 3.33 (SD ± 1.73) after the 3 doses of HPV vaccine (p = 0.001). Many answered incorrectly that, ‘Only females can get HPV infection’ (91.5% pre-vaccination versus 96.1% post-vaccination), and only a few were aware that, ‘Vaccinating boys helps to protect girls against HPV infection’ (11.7% for pre-vaccination versus 10.2% for post-vaccination). The mean knowledge score was significantly higher post-vaccination among higher-income families and those with parents of a higher occupational status. Regarding beliefs about the HPV vaccine, 89.4% in the pre-vaccination survey held the view that they would not get a HPV infection, and the percentage remained similar in the post-vaccination survey. Perceived severity of HPV infection also remained low in both pre- and post-intervention groups. Only 21.5% reported receiving health information about HPV along with the provision of the HPV vaccine; those who received health information showed higher levels of knowledge. Conclusion Findings revealed a general lack of knowledge and erroneous beliefs about HPV and the HPV vaccine even after receiving vaccination. This suggests that imparting accurate knowledge about HPV along with vaccine administration is essential. Specifically, girls from lower socioeconomic groups should be a target of educational intervention

Graphene-Based Heterogeneous Electrodes for Energy Storage

As an intriguing two dimensional material, graphene has attracted intense interest due to its high stability, large carrier mobility as well as the excellent conductivity. The addition of graphene into the heterogeneous electrodes has been proved to be an effective method to improve the energy storage performance. In this chapter, the latest graphene based heterogeneous electrodes will be fully reviewed and discussed for energy storage. In detail, the assembly methods, including the ball-milling, hydrothermal, electrospinning, and microwave-assisted approaches will be illustrated. The characterization techniques, including the x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy will also be presented. The mechanisms behind the improved performance will also be fully reviewed and demonstrated. A conclusion and an outlook will be given in the end of this chapter to summarize the recent advances and the future opportunities, respectively

Effect of a telecare-based intervention on stress levels in informal caregivers of older adults: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

SignificanceDue to caregiving commitments, caregivers of older adults may not have the time to make use of the onsite community services available to them during the day. With the support of advanced technology, telecare could be a convenient and easily accessible channel for providing individualized caregiving advice to caregivers.ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to describe a research protocol that highlights the development of a telecare-based intervention program for reducing stress levels in informal caregivers of community-dwelling older adults.MethodsIt is a randomized controlled trial. The study is supported by two community centers. The study participants will be randomly assigned to either the telecare-based intervention group or the control group. The former will receive a 3-month program comprised of three components: online nurse case management supported by a health and social care team, an online resource center, and a discussion forum. The latter will receive the usual services that provided by the community centers. Data will be collected at two time points – pre-intervention (T1) and post-intervention (T2). The primary outcome is stress levels, while secondary outcomes include self-efficacy, depression levels, quality of life, and caregiving burden.DiscussionBesides taking care of one or more older adults, informal caregivers have to deal with work, chores, and take care of their children. This study will add valuable information to the knowledge gap on whether telecare-based interventions with the support of an integrated health-social team can alleviate the stress levels of informal caregivers of community-dwelling older adults. If successful, policymakers and healthcare professionals should consider incorporating telecare modalities in a primary health setting for informal caregivers to correspond with them, to relieve their caregiving stress and promote a healthy life.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov/, NCT05636982

Prevalence of ultrasound diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among rural indigenous community of Sarawak and its association with biochemical and anthropometric measures

Although the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome has been previously firmly established, the prevalence of NAFLD and its risk factors in rural communities remains incompletely defined. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD amongst a rural community in Sarawak. An indigenous village was randomly selected where all adults aged 21 years and above underwent an abdominal ultrasound, biochemical tests and an anthropometric assessment. Respondents with a score ≥ 8 on an alcohol-use disorders-identification test (AUDIT) indicating harmful or hazardous drinking were excluded. Seventy-seven respondents (46.8% male, mean age 48.4 SD 16.64), met inclusion criteria. The prevalence of ultrasound diagnosed NAFLD was 44.2% (n=34), among them 52.9% had moderate NAFLD. There were no significant age or gender differences between respondents with and without NAFLD, although those with NAFLD were older. Respondents with NAFLD had a significantly higher BMI than those without NAFLD (p<0.001). Both male and female respondents with NAFLD had a significantly higher waist circumference than those without NAFLD (p<0.001). Prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia were significantly higher among those with NAFLD. However, there were no significant differences in terms of percentage of unhealthy body fat and muscle, and serum HDL levels. Risk factors independently associated with NAFLD included male gender (odd ratio 0.06; 95% CI 0.008-0.523) and waist circumference (odd ratio 1.2; 95% CI 1.036-1.421). There was a high prevalence of NAFLD and the presence of more severe stages of disease in this indigenous population. Life-style related diseases, such as fatty liver disease, can occur in rural as well as urban populations

Visible Light-Responsive Photocatalytic Activity of Boron Nitride Incorporated Composites

Photocatalysts are essential to promote the highly efficient applications of solar energy in water splitting and/or the degradation of organic contaminations. Especially, the visible light-responsive photocatalysts could benefit with the cost-effective splitting or degradation due to the unlimited sunlight and the absence of expensive light emitter. In the photocatalysts, the charge transfer rates as well as the hole-electron recombination rate are two critical factors that determine the photocatalytic activity, which could also be affected by the dimension, defects, doping and morphologies controlled by the synthesis methods. Boron nitride (BN) is an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor, and the combination of BN with the visible light-responsive photocatalysts has been found to be effective in enhancing the photocatalytic activities. Therefore, it should be meaningful to understand the BN incorporated photocatalytic composites in depth, including the synthetic approaches, the activity improving mechanisms and the versatile applications. In this review, we mainly focused on the assembly method of BN incorporated photocatalysts; the activity enhancing mechanism by introducing the BN in the photocatalytic composites as well as the properties and the applications. In the end, we gave a conclusion and an outlook for the BN incorporated photocatalytic composites

Effects of calcination temperatures of CaO/Nb2O5 mixed oxides catalysts on biodiesel production

Calcination temperature greatly influences the total basicity and surface area of catalysts. Investigations were conducted on calcium and niobium (CaO-Nb2O5) mixed oxides catalysts prepared via conventional solid state method (oxides were mixed and ground in agate mortar) and calcined at different temperatures ranging from 300-800oC for 5 h. The catalysts were then characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (TPD-CO2), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The formation of Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3 at lower calcination temperatures ( 600oC), due to sintering of the fine crystals, which promotes cluster agglomeration. Thus, the optimum calcination temperature for CaO/Nb2O5 mixed oxides was 600oC, which produced the largest surface area (7 m2/g) and total basicity (1301 μmol/g). The biodiesel was produced via transesterification of palm oil, methanol and the catalysts calcined at various temperatures. CaO/Nb2O5 mixed oxide calcined at 600oC showed the highest biodiesel conversion (98%) with methanol/oil molar ratio of 12, 3 wt.% of catalyst, a reaction temperature of 65oC and reaction time of 2 h

An optimization study for transesterification of palm oil using response surface methodology (RSM)

Biodiesel was produced via transesterification of palm oil with methanol in the presence of CaO-Nb2 O5 mixed oxide catalyst. Response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) was performed to determine the optimum operating conditions and to optimize the biodiesel yield. In this study, the reaction variables being optimized were reaction time, catalyst loading and methanol to oil molar ratio. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the most influential parameter on biodiesel production was reaction time. The predicted yield was found in good agreement with the experimental value, with R2 = 0.9902. The optimum biodiesel yield of 97.67% was achieved at 2.67 h reaction time, with 3.60 wt. % of catalyst and with methanol to oil molar ratio of 13.04. The high biodiesel yield can be correlated to the synergic effect of basicity between the metallic ions of CaO-Nb2 O5 shown in the physicochemical analysis