Encystment of Acanthamoeba and Evaluating the Biobus Program

Acanthamoeba are ubiquitous protists that play an environmental role in regulating microbial diversity; they also occasionally cause infections of the eye (Acanthamoeba keratitis) and brain (granulomatous amoebic encephalitis). These organisms exhibit two distinct phenotypes. The trophozoite form dominates in favorable conditions, in which the Acanthamoeba move through the extension of pseudopodia, engulfing microbes and other particles. During stressful conditions, the Acanthamoeba undergo a process of encystment, in which they build a double cell wall and become relatively inactive. The cyst form can survive years until more favorable conditions arise, at which point they may excyst. For this study, multiple laboratory encystment methods were compared to determine the percent encystment and the different viabilities of laboratory-produced cysts. Furthermore, four different encystment genes were targeted for development of a primer library for reverse-transcription, polymerase chain reaction expression studies. The library was developed using sequences accessed from various databases, including NCBI and EMBL; primers were screened through polymerase chain reaction, and those primers producing positive results were used to further screen cellular RNA that was extracted from encysting cells over various time points during the encystment process, and using various encystment media. Using these methods, target gene involvement in the encystment process was compared between species and encystment methods. These studies lay the foundation for quantitative gene expression analysis, and provide the basis for comparison of various encystment methods

SOLASTALGIA DAN PARADOKSAL UPAYA PENYELAMATAN LINGKUNGAN PADA TIGA CERPEN MERAYU LANGIT (2017)

Pemikiran antroposentris mengakibatkan munculnya kerusakan lingkungan. Seringkali, teknologi menjadi instrumen ketamakan sekaligus pemusnahan manusia. Kerusakan sebuah tempat (place pathology) menghilangkan rasa nyaman (solace) seseorang dalam berumah (A. G. Albrecht, 2019). Solastalgia kemudian muncul untuk memperlihatkan hubungan antara lingkungan biofisik dan jiwa seseorang (psychoterratic). Ketiga cerpen dalam kumpulan cerpen (Mahendra, 2017) secara implisit mengandung kritik terhadap antroposentrisme dan modernisasi yang ditandai dengan kemajuan teknologi. Penelitian dengan metode kualitatif-dekstriptif ini bertujuan untuk memperlihatkan relasi antara manusia dan tempat (psychoterratic) dalam ketiga cerpen memunculkan solastalgia sebagai pendorong upaya penyelamatan lingkungan pada tokoh dalam cerpen. Dengan memakai teori solastalgia dari (G. Albrecht, 2019), penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tokoh dalam cerpen merasakan solastalgia yang muncul dari tempat tinggal yang mengalami kerusakan akibat radiasi nuklir, disebabkan karena mereka harus tetap tinggal di tanah tersebut. Lebih lanjut, tokoh Ibu memperlihatkan sikap paradoksalnya sebagai upaya penyelamatan lingkungan. Pada satu sisi, Ibu memberikan tanggung jawab berupa novel peringatan ke pada anaknya untuk menyelamatkan lingkungan, namun, di sisi lain, sang Ibu selalu mengelak jika sang anak bertanya mengenai apa yang Ibu dan Ayah bicarakan. Maka, dari penelitian ini, dapat disimpulkan bahwa solastalgia dapat hadir sebagai pendorong adanya upaya penyelamatan lingkunga

PEMBENTUKAN RASA BERUMAH DAN CULTURAL BELONGING TOKOH IMIGRAN PADA NOVEL TANAH SEBERANG (2018)

In literary works, how immigrants build a sense of home and culture can be seen in the novel titled Tanah Seberang (2018) by Kurnia Gusti Sawiji. This research using qualitative-descriptive method aims to show how the process of feeling at home and cultural belonging is built by immigrant characters in the novel Tanah Seberang (2018). This study will use the concept of narratology proposed by Gérard Genette (1983) and the theory of Home and Belonging and “in-between” Identity proposed by John McLeod (2000). The results showed (1) one novel contains variable focalization that represents the children's point of view, (2) in the process of the characters in building a sense of home and cultural belonging, there is contestation between Malaysia, other countries, and Indonesia, other countries. origin of the immigrants. The contestation of the country of origin, namely Indonesia, and the migrant country, namely Malaysia, shows that Malaysia can provide a good life from a financial perspective, however, the cultural belonging and sense of home of the migrant population in the novel are still embedded in their country of origin, Indonesia

Decarbonising universities: Case study of the University of Exeter’s green strategy plans based on analysing its energy demand in 2012–2020

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this record. This study investigates the carbon footprint of the University of Exeter by analysing its energy consumption between 2012 and 2020 to assess its current standing in the process of achieving carbon neutrality. The study then explores the possible methods of reaching this target in line with the University of Exeter’s Environment & Climate Emergency Policy Statement. The leading part of the statement is as follows: “All Campus activities/operations shall have a carbon net zero impact and or result in environmental gain by 2030 and aims to be carbon net zero by 2050 (accounting for all associated activities and Scope 3 footprint)”. Using methods of energy consumption reduction, a new carbon footprint for Scope 1 and 2 emissions was calculated for the year 2030, which included phasing out oil and gas and swapping out inefficient systems, such as old heating or lighting. This reduced the emissions from 17.24 ktCO2e to 3.34 ktCO2e also greatly helped by the reduction in electricity grid conversion factors. The remaining emissions would be reduced further to net zero by on site solar and offsite wind investment

Comparison of Gene Expression of Different Isoforms of Osteopontin in Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis of Human Dental Pulp

Introduction: Osteopontin (OPN), plays an important role in immune system modulation. OPN can activate osteoclasts, thus causing resorption of bone. In addition, it might have a protective function against polymicrobial endodontic infections. Since different isoforms of OPN might have diverse roles, the aim of the present study was to compare gene expression of different isoforms of osteopontin in symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and normal pulps of the human dental pulp. Materials and Methods: Pulps were taken from 20 teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis as the case group and from 20 intact premolars scheduled for extraction as the control group. After RNA extraction and synthesis of complementary DNA (cDNA), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the evaluation of gene expression of OPN, OPN2 and OPN3. The Mann-Whitney U, t and Chi-square tests were used to analyze differences between the groups. Results: Mean values of OPN, OPN2 and OPN3 in normal pulps were 0.695±0.295, 0.656±0.298 and 0.816±0.422, respectively. Mean values of OPN, OPN2 and OPN3 in symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were 2.52±1.82, 1.99±0.899 and 1.816±0.954, respectively. Unlike OPN and OPN2, OPN3 exhibited significantly higher expression in normal pulps (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present case- control study showed that some variants of OPN are upregulated during pulpitis and it might be due to their prominent modulatory roles in dental pulps

August Pullman’s Self-Identity As Disabled Person In Stephen Chbosky’s Wonder Movie

Penyandang disabilitas seringkali harus lebih berjuang untuk menghadapi sikap negatif dari orang-orang sekitar. Sikap tersebut pun menjadi faktor penting dalam membentuk identitas diri seseorang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis identitas diri dari August Pullman sebagai penyandang disabilitas dalam film Wonder karya Stephen Chbosky. Pendekatan psikologis dengan sosio-psikologi diterapkan pada penelitian ini dengan identitas diri sebagai kerangka teoritis utama untuk analisa penelitian. Identitas diri memiliki tiga komponen, yaitu; citra diri, harga diri, dan ideal diri untuk membantu analisis tentang bagaimana August membangun identitas dirinya. Studi film juga digunakan untuk membantu analisa objek. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa August Pullman melihat dirinya sebagai ‘bukan orang biasa’ yang cerdas, lucu, dan teman baik untuk sesama. Pada awalnya, Auggie melihat bahwa ia tidak dapat bergaul dengan sebayanya pada saat pertama kali masuk sekolah, kemudian, Auggie tetap membangun citra yang baik tentang dirinya bahwa dia memang sebenarnya tidak biasa karena setiap orang akan memiliki hal-hal "tidak biasa" di dalam diri mereka. Lebih jauh, Auggie memiliki harga diri yang sangat rendah tentang dirinya sendiri. Auggie adalah seseourang yang pesimis dengan penampilannya dan mengkhawatirkan apa yang dipikirkan orang lain, selanjutnya, Auggie berhasil membangun harga diri yang positif dengan menerima diri dan mengatakan bahwa dia terlihat baik. Cita-citanya sebagai astronot dibuktikan dengan bagaimana ia menyukai helm astronotnya dan kemampuannya di bidang sains. Proses Auggie membangun identitas diri sebagai penyandang disabilitas berjalan fluktuasi dengan adanya tantangan sebagai interaksi dari citra diri, harga diri, dan ideal diri. Untuk penelitian selanjutnya, penulis menyarankan untuk menggunakan teori humiliation yang berfokus pada penghinaan dan korban bullying yang mempengaruhi kondisi psikologis Auggie

Smart energy solution for an optimised sustainable hospital in the green city of NEOM

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordHybrid optimisation of multiple energy resources has been performed on a micro grid model of a hospital to investigate the capability of a standalone energy system and simultaneous mitigation of hospital waste. The main objectives of this study were to collect renewable energy resource data of a hybrid hospital, use the average amount of hospital waste from the literature and NASA surface meteorology in addition to the solar energy database from HOMER Pro software to construct a hybrid model for a conceptual hospital in the new green city in Saudi Arabia, NEOM. The hybrid model consisted of biogas cofire and diesel generators, PV solar array and batteries. Simulations were performed to analyse the load requirements of a standalone hospital. The mechanism of energy storage was designed based on Tesla batteries. Then, the hybrid hospital model was tested with NEOM’s natural resources, load demand of 250 kWh/day and the average amount of daily hospital waste of 0.6 tons based on the literature data. This condition allows the smart hospital to be tested with real features. The outcome of the COE, NPC and the amount of reduction of carbon dioxide in the hybrid hospital were analysed. Many of the hybrid properties and constraints that define the hospital were adopted from previous literature concentrating on similar domains. The optimal solution of a hybrid micro grid consisted of biogas cofire, PV array, and batteries. Of the total load demand, 32.3% and 67.6% were produced by PV array and biogas cofire generators, respectively, together with eight Tesla PowerWall2.0 batteries. The cost of energy was 0.21 USD/kWh and the net present cost was 243,699.17 USD. In this study, we compared renewable energy with conventional energy and found that the optimal solution would be able to reduce carbon emission and diesel consumption by almost 84% and 81%, respectively. The results were verified through a sensitivity study and compared with other studies

PERANCANGAN SISTEM PENGENDALI LAJU ALIRAN MATERIAL PADA WEIGHFEEDER CONVEYOR MENGGUNAKAN ANFIS

Sistem pengendalian pada weighfeeder conveyor menentukan factor kualitas produk dalam suatu industri. Dinamika proses laju aliran material yang melalui weighfeeder conveyor menuntut tingkat kinerja pengendali yang baik. Basis pengendali terkini seperti FLC (Fuzzy Logic Controller) memerlukan sejumlah pengetahuan dan kepakaran dalam perancangannya yang akan menyulitkan untuk mencapai unjuk kerja sistem yang baik. Kesulitan tersebut dapat diatasi dengan menggunakan sistemberbasis ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System). Dengan melakukan pembelajaran secara off-line menggunakan ANFIS diperoleh system inferensi fuzzy untuk membuat pengendali FLC. Mikrokontroler ATMega 16 yang tertanam program pengendali FLC terintegrasi dengan notebook dapat memonitor dan mengkontrol system weighfeeder conveyor. Perancangan sistem yang telah dibuat memperoleh hasil yang cukup baik dengan nilai error rata – rata 3,86 % pada set-point 1000 gram/menit, dan error rata – rata 5,03 % pada set-point 2000 gram/menit dalam sepuluh kali pengujian