Penerapan Teknologi Jajar Lewogo pada Sistem Usahatani Minapadi di Desa Arjasari Kecamatan Leuwisari Tasikmalaya

Usahatani minapadi merupakan usaha intensifikasi pertanian yang berpotensi di Tasikmalaya.  Sistem usahatani minapadi ini perlu dikembangkan agar memperoleh hasil yang maksimal.  Salah satu caranya adalah dengan melakukan perbaikan teknologi yang digunakan khususnya teknologi sistem tanam jajar legowo melalui peningkatan SDM pertaniannya. Pengkajian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan petani dalam penerapan teknologi jajar legowo pada usahatani minapadi dan mengetahui faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap Perubahan pengetahuan dan keterampilan petani dalam penerapan teknologi jajar legowo pada minapadi. Pengkajian dilakukan di Desa Arjasari Kecamatan Leuwisari dengan sampel dari Kelompoktani Mulyasari, Rukun Tani Mukti dan Sinar Bahagia. Data diambil dengan cara observasi dan wawancara dengan menggunakan instrumen kuesioner pre-test dan post-test

In vitro evaluation of osteoprotegerin in chitosan for potential bone defect applications

Background The receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (RANK)/RANK ligand/osteoprotegerin (OPG) system plays a critical role in bone remodelling by regulating osteoclast formation and activity. OPG has been used systemically in the treatment of bone diseases. In searching for more effective and safer treatment for bone diseases, we investigated newly formulated OPG-chitosan complexes, which is prepared as a local application for its osteogenic potential to remediate bone defects. Methods We examined high, medium and low molecular weights of chitosan combined with OPG. The cytotoxicity of OPG in chitosan and its proliferation in vitro was evaluated using normal, human periodontal ligament (NHPL) fibroblasts in 2D and 3D cell culture. The cytotoxicity of these combinations was compared by measuring cell survival with a tetrazolium salt reduction (MTT) assay and AlamarBlue assay. The cellular morphological changes were observed under an inverted microscope. A propidium iodide and acridine orange double-staining assay was used to evaluate the morphology and quantify the viable and nonviable cells. The expression level of osteopontin and osteocalcin protein in treated normal human osteoblast cells was evaluated by using Western blot. Results The results demonstrated that OPG in combination with chitosan was non-toxic, and OPG combined with low molecular weight chitosan has the most significant effect on NHPL fibroblasts and stimulates proliferation of cells over the period of treatment

Characterization and functional properties of some natural Acacia gums

Authentic representative gum exudate samples from Acacia species namely Acacia senegal var. senegal (ASG), Acacia mellifera (AMF), Acacia seyal var. seyal (ASY), and Acacia tortilis var. raddiana (ATR), were physicochemically analyzed. The moisture, ash, nitrogen and protein content, pH, specific optical rotation, and number average molecular weight were found to be ranging from 9.76% to 8.35%, 3.40% to 2.05%, 0.243% to 1.549%, 1.610% to 10.378%, 4.45 to 4.94, −48.25 to +86.75 and 0.24 × 106 to 2.95 × 106 respectively. The 13C and 1H NMR spectra of gum samples showed similarity in individual sugar components, but characteristic patterns of each gum, were observed. FTIR spectra of the studied gums show the presence of the same functional groups in the four gums. DSC and TGA thermograms were characteristic for each gum. Evaluation of the functional properties of the four gums indicated that ATR gum bears the best emulsification characteristics in terms of emulsion’s stability and emulsification power. Keywords: Acacia gums, NMR, ATR–FTIR, Thermal analysis, DSC, TG

Validity and reliability of a questionnaire on knowledge, attitude, practice and perception (KAP2) towards food poisoning and its prevention during dining out among consumers in Terengganu

Having adequate knowledge, attitude, practice, and realistic perception (KAP2) of food poisoning prevention will minimize the risk of food poisoning while dining out. However, there is no validated KAP2 questionnaire on the prevention of food poisoning during dining out, notably among consumers. Throughout the current research, a validated KAP2 questionnaire on food poisoning and prevention during dining was developed. A cross-sectional pilot survey was conducted among 30 selected consumers in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Convenience sampling was applied to the recruitment of consumers based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The KAP2 questionnaire comprised the knowledge section (42 questions), attitude (15 questions), practice (13 questions) and the perception (15 questions). Knowledge questions were analysed using difficulty and discrimination index, while attitude, practice, and perception were analysed by construct validity and reliability analysis. The difficulty index with less than 0.3 is considered as difficult, between 0.30-0.70 as an acceptable value, and more than 0.70 as easy. The discrimination index below than 0.2 is considered poor, between 0.2-0.24 as good, more than 0.35 as excellent items. The construct validity was conducted by referring to the value of Cronbach's alpha, inter-item correlation (˃ 0.30), item-total correlation (˃ 0.30), and Cronbach's alpha if item deleted. The results were found from 42 knowledge items, 29 easy items, ten acceptable items and three difficult questions. The discrimination index revealed that 25 items were poor, 11 items were excellent, three items had a good discrimination index and three items needed to be revised. Based on construct validity, five attitude’s items, three practice’s items and ten perception’s items were removed due to inter-item correlation and item-total correlation value < 0.30. The reliability analysis of the attitude portion was 0.848 which is a good reliability, 0.780 practice, and 0.611 perceptions to be found an acceptable value of reliability. Overall, the developed KAP2 questionnaire is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can serve as an evaluation tool for measuring knowledge, attitudes, practice and perception in the prevention of food poisoning during dining out among consumers

Influence of temperature on the phase behaviors and techniques toward formation of palm oil esters nanoemulsion

Palm oil esters (POEs), which are newly synthetic liquid wax esters with HLB value of 9.34, were proposed as a lipophilic phase for formation of nanoemulsion. Phase diagrams show domination of two-phase regions at all emulsification temperatures ranging from 30 to 80°C. Spontaneous and temperature-induced emulsification, high-shear and high pressure homogenization were utilized to form nanoemulsion. However, only high pressure homogenization successfully produced droplets sizes in the nano range. Thus, it was used to optimize the stability properties of POEs nanoemulsion. The manipulation of processing temperatures during the formation of emulsions could be used in lowering the droplets size of the emulsion

Deploying a Novel Approach to Prepare Silver Nanoparticle <i>Bellamya bengalensis</i> Extract Conjugate Coating on Orthopedic Implant Biomaterial Discs to Prevent Potential Biofilm Formation

This study is based on the premise of investigating antibacterial activity through a novel conjugate of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in line with a green synthesis approach by developing antimicrobial-coated implants to prevent bacterial resistance. The AMPs were obtained from Bellamya Bengalensis (BB), a freshwater snail, to prepare the nanocomposite conjugate, e.g., AgNPs@BB extract, by making use of UV-Visible spectroscopy. The antimicrobial assessment of AgNPs@BB extract conjugate was performed using the Resazurin Microtiter Assay Method (REMA), followed by the use of three biocompatible implant materials (titanium alloys, Ti 6AL-4V stainless steel 316L, and polyethylene). Finally, the coating was analyzed under confocal microscopy. The results revealed a significant reduction of biofilm formation on the surfaces of implants coated with conjugate (AgNPs@BB extract) in comparison to uncoated implants. For the MTT assay, no significant changes were recorded for the cells grown on the AgNPs/AMP++ sample in high concentrations. Staphylococcus epidermidis, however, showed more prominent growth on all implants in comparison to Staphylococcus aureus. It is evident from the results that Staphylococcus epidermidis is more susceptible to AgNPs@BB extract, while the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of AgNPs@BB extract conjugates and biosynthesized AgNPs was also on the higher side. This study indicates that AgNPs@BB extract carries antibacterial activity, and concludes that an excessive concentration of AgNPs@BB extract may affect the improved biocompatibility. This study recommends using robust, retentive, and antimicrobial coatings of AgNPs@BB extract for implantable biocompatible materials in accordance with the novel strategy of biomaterial applications

Systematic review on biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and antibacterial activities: application and theoretical perspectives

The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and the antibacterial activities has provided enormous data on populations, geographical areas, and experiments with bio silver nanoparticles’ antibacterial operation. Several peer-reviewed publications have discussed various aspects of this subject field over the last generation. However, there is an absence of a detailed and structured framework that can represent the research domain on this topic. This paper attempts to evaluate current articles mainly on the biosynthesis of nanoparticles or antibacterial activities utilizing the scientific methodology of big data analytics. A comprehensive study was done using multiple databases—Medline, Scopus, and Web of Sciences through PRISMA (i.e., Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The keywords used included ‘biosynthesis silver nano particles’ OR ‘silver nanoparticles’ OR ‘biosynthesis’ AND ‘antibacterial behavior’ OR ‘anti-microbial opposition’ AND ‘systematic analysis,’ by using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms, Boolean operator’s parenthesis, or truncations as required. Since their effectiveness is dependent on particle size or initial concentration, it necessitates more research. Understanding the field of silver nanoparticle biosynthesis and antibacterial activity in Gulf areas and most Asian countries also necessitates its use of human-generated data. Furthermore, the need for this work has been highlighted by the lack of predictive modeling in this field and a need to combine specific domain expertise. Studies eligible for such a review were determined by certain inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study contributes to the existence of theoretical and analytical studies in this domain. After testing as per inclusion criteria, seven in vitro studies were selected out of 28 studies. Findings reveal that silver nanoparticles have different degrees of antimicrobial activity based on numerous factors. Limitations of the study include studies with low to moderate risks of bias and antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles. The study also reveals the possible use of silver nanoparticles as antibacterial irrigants using various methods, including a qualitative evaluation of knowledge and a comprehensive collection and interpretation of scientific studies