Analisis Suhu Tanah di Kawasan Wisata Alam Danau Linow Kota Tomohon Sulawesi-Utara

Sulawesi Utara mempunyai potensi untuk dikembangkan menjadi kawasan wisata, salah satu potensi adalah Danau Linow di Tomohon Selatan. Kawasan Danau Linow memiliki lahan yang cukup luas serta keragaman flora dan fauna dengan topografi berbukit-bukit. Untuk menunjang wisata alam di kawasan Danau Linow maka tujuan penelitian ini adalah melakukan kajian mendalam potensi lahan agar dapat dioptimalkan penggunaannya kearah pemanfaatan yang konservatif tentang suhu termal dikawasan tersebut. Metode pengukuran suhu tanah pada penelitian ini dilakukan pada tiga tempat yang berbeda, yaitu pada lahan persawahan, hutan, dan lahan terbuka yang merupakan tempat sumber termal. Jarak pengukuran dari tepi danau dengan kisaran 0 m, 2 m, 8 m, 16 m, 32 m. kedalaman pengukuran pada tanah 60oC. Pada kedalaman sekitar 1 m, suhu tanah bervariasi antara 45 >70oC. Lahan di lokasi ini tidak ditumbuhi rumput atau pepohonan. Kesimpulan hasil pengukuran dan analisis suhu tanah pada beberapa lokasi di sekitar danau Linow menunjukkan bahwa suhu tanah sangat bervariasi yang dipengaruhi oleh penyinaran matahari dan karena adanya sumber termal. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa pengaruh energi termal dari lapisan bawah permukaan bumi hanya mencapai jarak mendatar kurang dari 8 m, sehingga sebagian besar lahan sekitar danau Linow dapat dimanfaatkan untuk penanaman vegetasi atau budidaya tanaman serta pengembangan kearah agrowisata. Kata kunci: Danau Linau, energi termal, Tomohon, suhu tana

The improvement of antioxidant contents and fruit quality of Sukkary date cultivar using various Potassium levels and Irrigation interval

Sukkary date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) were treated with three levels of potassium fertilizer combined with three irrigation intervals regime, five replicates were allocated per treatment, to enhance better date peel color; decrease loose crust, and subsequently, improve high market ability. Potassium sulfate (49% K2O) was applied annually at a rate of 490 g (as common fertilization applied in the farm in which this experiment was carried out, therefore, it was considered as a control treatment), 735 g, or 980 g K2O per palm tree, each level was divided into three equal doses. The first dose was added one month after pollination; the other two doses were added at two month interval, whereas the irrigation treatments were as follows: 24 hrs (as common irrigation application in the farm used for this study, and it was considered as a control treatment), 48 hrs, or 72 hrs. The results showed a great decrease in the loose crust dates at harvesting time. An inverse proportional relationship between irrigation intervals and loose crust of dates was observed. The High potassium fertilizer treatment accompanied with 72 hrs irrigation interval treatment produced a significantly higher date quality regarding with bright yellow color, less darkening, and loose crust. High potassium fertilizer treatments (735, or 980 g K2O per palm) increased total yield, improved date weight, size, and color. Moreover, increasing potassium level affected significantly the date total antioxidant. This study showed that, a potential means to control peel darkening and loose date crust and improve quality of cv. Sukkary dates, which ultimately improves its market ability, through implementing appropriate potassium and irrigation regimes

Neutrophils in cancer: neutral no more

Neutrophils are indispensable antagonists of microbial infection and facilitators of wound healing. In the cancer setting, a newfound appreciation for neutrophils has come into view. The traditionally held belief that neutrophils are inert bystanders is being challenged by the recent literature. Emerging evidence indicates that tumours manipulate neutrophils, sometimes early in their differentiation process, to create diverse phenotypic and functional polarization states able to alter tumour behaviour. In this Review, we discuss the involvement of neutrophils in cancer initiation and progression, and their potential as clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Designing a broad-spectrum integrative approach for cancer prevention and treatment

Targeted therapies and the consequent adoption of "personalized" oncology have achieved notablesuccesses in some cancers; however, significant problems remain with this approach. Many targetedtherapies are highly toxic, costs are extremely high, and most patients experience relapse after a fewdisease-free months. Relapses arise from genetic heterogeneity in tumors, which harbor therapy-resistantimmortalized cells that have adopted alternate and compensatory pathways (i.e., pathways that are notreliant upon the same mechanisms as those which have been targeted). To address these limitations, aninternational task force of 180 scientists was assembled to explore the concept of a low-toxicity "broad-spectrum" therapeutic approach that could simultaneously target many key pathways and mechanisms. Using cancer hallmark phenotypes and the tumor microenvironment to account for the various aspectsof relevant cancer biology, interdisciplinary teams reviewed each hallmark area and nominated a widerange of high-priority targets (74 in total) that could be modified to improve patient outcomes. For thesetargets, corresponding low-toxicity therapeutic approaches were then suggested, many of which werephytochemicals. Proposed actions on each target and all of the approaches were further reviewed forknown effects on other hallmark areas and the tumor microenvironment. Potential contrary or procar-cinogenic effects were found for 3.9% of the relationships between targets and hallmarks, and mixedevidence of complementary and contrary relationships was found for 7.1%. Approximately 67% of therelationships revealed potentially complementary effects, and the remainder had no known relationship. Among the approaches, 1.1% had contrary, 2.8% had mixed and 62.1% had complementary relationships. These results suggest that a broad-spectrum approach should be feasible from a safety standpoint. Thisnovel approach has potential to be relatively inexpensive, it should help us address stages and types ofcancer that lack conventional treatment, and it may reduce relapse risks. A proposed agenda for futureresearch is offered

Modelling of Turbocharger heat transfer under stationary and transient conditions

A lumped capacity heat transfer model has been developed and compared tomeasurements from a turbocharger operating on a 2.2L Diesel engine under steadyand transient conditions ranging from 1000-3000rpm and 2-17bar BMEP. Themodel parameters have been estimated based on similar devices and this studyquantifies the errors associated with this approach. Turbine outlet gas temperatureprediction was improved with RMSE reduced from 29.5oC to 13oC. A sensitivitystudy showed the parameters of the heat transfer model influence gastemperatures by only ±4oC but housing temperatures by up to 80oC. Transientsimulations showed how errors in the thermal capacitance also lead to errors. Thisstudy shows the importance of undertaking a full thermal characterisation and theneed for accurate adiabatic maps in turbocharger simulations

Nicotinic Receptor M3 Transmembrane Domain: Position 8Ј Contributes to Channel Gating

ABSTRACT The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a pentamer of homologous subunits with composition ␣ 2 ␤⑀␦ in adult muscle. Each subunit contains four transmembrane domains (M1-M4). Position 8Ј of the M3 domain is phenylalanine in all heteromeric ␣ subunits, whereas it is a hydrophobic nonaromatic residue in non-␣ subunits. Given this peculiar conservation pattern, we studied its contribution to muscle nAChR activation by combining mutagenesis with single-channel kinetic analysis. Construction of nAChRs carrying different numbers of phenylalanine residues at 8Ј reveals that the mean open time decreases as a function of the number of phenylalanine residues. Thus, all subunits contribute through this position independently and additively to the channel closing rate. The impairment of channel opening increases when the number of phenylalanine residues at 8Ј increases from two (wild-type nAChR) to five. The gating equilibrium constant of the latter mutant nAChR is 13-fold lower than that of the wild-type nAChR. The replacement of ␣F8Ј, ␤L8Ј, ␦L8Ј, and ⑀V8Ј by a series of hydrophobic amino acids reveals that the structural bases of the observed kinetic effects are nonequivalent among subunits. In the ␣ subunit, hydrophobic amino acids at 8Ј lead to prolonged channel lifetimes, whereas they lead either to normal kinetics (␦ and ⑀ subunits) or impaired channel gating (␤ subunit) in the non-␣ subunits. The overall results indicate that 8Ј positions of the M3 domains of all subunits contribute to channel gating