Toksisitas Abu Terbang Kayu terhadap Nilaparvata Lugens dan Kompleks Predatornya

The brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) is currently a very noxious pest insect and it threatened the self sufficience of rice in Indonesia. Innovation of control technology is urgently needed to be developed. Objective of the study was to determine mortality-effect of the wood fly-ash obtained from pulp factory in Riau against N. lugens and its predator complex. A bioassay of the wood fly-ash was done in the laboratory to determine its activity against the test insects. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) experiment with three treatments —fly-ash 40 kg/ha, botanical insecticide containing of root extract of Derris eliptica, and control— with five replications was conducted at a paddy field in Sleman District Yogyakarta. Results showed that the wood fly-ash was toxic against N. lugens: LD50 at 72 hours after treatment were 4.84 and 43.26 g/m2, respectively. As compared with control and botanical insecticide of D. eliptica, the wood fly-ash was significantly more effective for controlling the N. lugens but relatively safe against predator complex. Dusting of the wood fly-ash at rate of 40 kg/ha effectively reduced population of N. lugens within 2 days but did not significantly reduce population of the predator complex namely spiders (Lycosa sp., Oxyopes sp., Callitrichia sp., Argiope sp., and Tetragnatha sp.), Coccinellidae (Menochilus sexmaculatus and Verania sp.), Cicindelidae (Ophionea sp.), and Staphylinidae (Paederus fuscipes). Wereng batang padi cokelat (Nilaparvata lugens Stal.) merupakan hama utama pada tanaman padi yang paling membahayakan dan sulit dikendalikan sehingga sangat merugikan perpadian di Indonesia. Inovasi teknologi pengendalian mendesak untuk dikembangkan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah menentukan efek mortalitas dari abu terbang kayu yang berasal dari pabrik pulp di Riau terhadap hama N. lugens dan kompleks predatornya. Pengujian dari abu lterbang kayu dilakukan di laboratorium untuk menentukan toksisitas abu terbang kayu terhadap serangga uji. Percobaan menggunakan randomized complete block design (RCBD) dengan 3 perlakuan—dosis abu terbang kayu 40 kg/ha, insektisida botani berasal dari ekstrak akar Derris eliptica, dan kontrol—, dengan 5 ulangan yang dilakukan pada pertanaman padi di Kabupaten Sleman Yogyakarta. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa toksisitas abu terbang kayu terhadap N. lugens: LD50 setelah 72 jam perlakuan adalah 4,84 dan 43,26 g/m2, berturut-turut. Abu terbang kayu dibandingkan dengan kontrol dan insektisida botani, signifikan dan efektif mengendalikan N. lugens dan relatif tidak membahayakan terhadap kompleks predator. Pemaparan abu terbang kayu dosis 40 kg/ha efektif mengurangi populasi N. lugens selama 2 hari dan tidak signifikan terhadap pengurangan populasi kompleks predator laba-laba (Lycosa sp., Oxyopes sp., Callitrichia sp., Argiope sp., dan Tetragnatha sp.), Coccinellidae (Menochilus sexmaculatus and Verania sp.), Cicindelidae (Ophionea sp.), dan Staphylinidae (Paederus fuscipes

Annealing Effects on Structural and Optical Properties of Ge10Sb30Se60 Thin Film

The optical constants of as-prepared and thermally annealed Ge10Sb30Se60thin films were determined. Effect of heat treatment on the structure and optical properties of Ge10Sb30Se60 thin films in the range between the glass transition and crystallization temperature have been investigated. The glass transition and crystallization temperature of the synthesized sample was measured by non- isothermal DSC measurements. The microstructure and optical properties of these films were characterized by UV-VIS spectrum, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The optical band gap for as-prepared and annealed films have been calculated using Taucs low from the optical transmission and reflection spectra. The results indicate that the optical band gap Eopt increases when the annealing temperature (Ta) is lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg), while decreases with further increase of Ta. The XRD studies show that the as-prepared film is amorphous in nature, but the crystalline improved with increasing the annealing temperature. Furthermore the particle size and crystalline increases while the dislocation and strains decreases with increasing the annealing temperature. Thermal annealing was found to be accompanied by structural effects, which in turn, lead to change in the optical constants. The obtained results were explained in terms of the Mott and Davis model for amorphous materials and amorphous to crystalline structure transformations

High signal-to-noise ratio Q-switching erbium doped fiber laser pulse emission utilizing single layer trivial transfer graphene film saturable absorber

This paper presents the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser pulse emission using a commercial single layer graphene (SLG) film as a saturable absorber (SA). A sandwiched-type structure with transferred single layer SLG film between two fiber ferrules is formed to function as the SA. Q-switched pulse emission with repetition rate from 47.25 kHz to 67.39 kHz and round-trip time per oscillation from 7.42 µs to 10.36 µs are obtained from the laser cavity set-up. The SNR of 62.64 dB shows a good quality of pulse generation using the SLG film as SA. The effortless production of SLG is enabling factor to produce fast fabrication and low cost SA for application in Q-switched pulsed fiber lasers

The relationship between vitamin D level and severity and control of bronchial asthma among adult Sudanese patients

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between vitamin D level and severity and control of bronchial asthma among adult Sudanese patients at Alshaab Teaching Hospital.Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study, conducted at Alshaab Teaching Hospital, Khartoum Sudan in the period from June to August 2015. Eighty-six asthmatic patients participated in the study after taking their consent. Demographic data were collected using structured questionnaire, the clinical parameters of asthma severity and control were measured according to the criteria of Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention 2014 of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Airway limitation was assessed using Peak Flow Meter. Three ml of blood was taken from each patient to measure vitamin D (25(OH)D) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and data were analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20.Results: Normal serum 25(OH)D (30-50ng/ml) was found in only 2.3% of patients. The mean serum 25(OH)D level in patients with controlled asthma was 25.82±17.27ng/ml while in patients with uncontrolled asthma it was16.48±7.14ng/ml. (P value = 0.005). The mean serum 25(OH)D level in patients with severe asthma was 16.15±6.9ng/ml (P value = 0.151).Conclusions: There was a positive correlation between vitamin D level and bronchial asthma control and a negative correlation with bronchial asthma severity among the study group

Extracting the Redox Orbitals in Li Battery Materials with High-Resolution X-Ray Compton Scattering Spectroscopy

We present an incisive spectroscopic technique for directly probing redox orbitals based on bulk electron momentum density measurements via high-resolution x-ray Compton scattering. Application of our method to spinel LixMn2O4, a lithium ion battery cathode material, is discussed. The orbital involved in the lithium insertion and extraction process is shown to mainly be the oxygen 2p orbital. Moreover, the manganese 3d states are shown to experience spatial delocalization involving 0.16 electrons per Mn site during the battery operation. Our analysis provides a clear understanding of the fundamental redox process involved in the working of a lithium ion battery.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure

KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION TOWARDS PROSTATE CANCER AMONG MALE PUBLIC STAFFS IN KELANTAN

Background: In Malaysia, prostate cancer is the fourth most common cancer among men. Its incidence is rising due to the aging population. Assessing knowledge and awareness of prostate cancer are necessary to promote screening behavior for early detection of prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to determine levels of knowledge, awareness and perceptions of prostate cancer among male staffs in a tertiary teaching hospital in Kelantan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using purposive sampling technique was conducted from December 2014 to January 2015. A structured questionnaire was administered to eighty participants. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize socio-demographic and medical characteristics of the participants. Pearson Chi-Square analyses were conducted to explore the association between knowledge, awareness, and perception and socio-demographic data. Result: Fifty-two participants (65.0%) reported having heard about prostate cancer but the majority (n=55, 68.8%) have a low level of knowledge and awareness about it. Of the participants, 63 (78.8%) do not know the factors that make a person more likely to get prostate cancer. Although there is no significant association between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge, awareness, and perception but majority (n=76, 95%) has a good perception of susceptibility, seriousness and benefit to prostate cancer. Conclusion: This study revealed that knowledge and awareness of prostate cancer among these male staffs was low. The findings of the present study indicate needs for health promotion on prostate cancer and screening program to improve public understanding and acceptance for early prostate cancer screening

A comprehensive study of the energy absorption and exposure buildup factors of different bricks for gamma-rays shielding

The present investigation has been performed on different bricks for the purpose of gamma-ray shielding. The values of the mass attenuation coefficient (µ/ρ), energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) were determined and utilized to assess the shielding effectiveness of the bricks under investigation. The mass attenuation coefficients of the selected bricks were calculated theoretically using WinXcom program and compared with MCNPX code. Good agreement between WinXcom and MCNPX results was observed. Furthermore, the EABF and EBF have been discussed as functions of the incident photon energy and penetration depth. It has been found that the EABF and EBF values are very large in the intermediate energy region. The steel slag showed good shielding properties, consequently, this brick is eco-friendly and feasible compared with other types of bricks used for construction. The results in this work should be useful in the construction of effectual shielding against hazardous gamma-rays