Effectivity of Agroedutourism to Strengthen Healthy Agro-Ecosystem Awareness of Students in Some Elementary Schools in Malang Raya, East Java

This research aimed to study the effectivity of agroedutourism to strengthen students environmental awareness, especially concerning on importance of rice organic farming system. Eighty three students were invited joining the program. They were the 5th grade of three elementary schools (SDN Ketawanggede 2, SDI Surya Buana and SDN Sumberngepoh 02). It was provided three agroedutourism programs, i.e. two outdoors programs (Farmers friends and enemies, Plants for biopesticide and natural attractant), as well as the indoor session called Healthy agroecosystem. Including the programs were joining ecoeco-games and tasting some food (steamed rice-bran brownies, organic red rice milk and zalacca fruits). Effectivity of the programs was evaluated using questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS program using Wilcoxon test (α=0,05). Results showed overall that the agroedutourism increased significantly students cognitive, affective and even their appreciation to agricultural environment. Students of SDN Sumberngepoh 02 showed a highest agro-environmental awareness. While, the highest cognitive improvement was gained by students of SDI Surya Buana (76%), followed by SDN Ketawanggede 2 (62%) and SDN Sumberngepoh 02 (47%). The most interesting program was an outdoor namely Farmers friends and enemies, while they preferred a steamed rice-bran brownies than the other one. They were exciting joining some eco-games especially predator and prey as well as guest animal name and its role. It seemed that the outdoor programs were more appreciated rather than the indoor one. Keywords: Agroedutourism, awareness, effectivity, healthy agro-ecosystem Keywords: Agroedutourism, awareness, effectivity, healthy agro-ecosyste

Isolasi dan Karakterisasi Senyawa Aktif terhadap Mortalitas Kutu Beras dari Ekstrak Etil Asetat Rimpang Jeringau (Acorus Calammus L.)

Telah dilakukan isolasi dan karakterisasi senyawa aktif terhadap mortalitas pada rimpang jeringau (Acorus calammus. L). Penelitian diawali dengan mengekstrak 450 gram serbuk rimpang jeringau (Acorus calammus. L) dengan pelarut metanol menggunakan teknik maserasi. Ekstrak kental metanol difraksinasi dengan pelarut n-Heksan dan etil asetat. Identifikasi senyawa yang terkandung pada rimpang jeringau dilakukan dengan uji fitokimia pada ekstrak kental dan masing-masing fraksi. Melalui kromatografi kolom, ekstrak kental fraksi etil asetat menghasilkan 308 fraksi kemudian diuji menggunakan KLT. Isolat murni yang positif pada uji terpenoid dianalisis keberadaan gugus fungsinya dengan spektrofotometer IR dan UV-Vis. Pada Spektrofotometer IR menunjukkan gugus fungsi adanya ulur C-H, ulur C=O, ulur C=C aromatik, tekuk O-H, tekuk C-H dan ulur C-O alkohol. Sedangkan untuk UV-Vis menunjukkan pita dengan serapan gelombang maksimum pada 248,60 nm. Maka senyawa yang diduga adalah senyawa terpenoid yang merupakan senyawa aktif mortalitas

Penentuan Tissue Aroma Terapi "Upik Abu" (untuk Penyelamat Bumi Kita Terbuat dari Ampas Tebu)

Entrepreneurship Student Creativity Program (the PKM-K) of Tissue"Upik Abu" (Made From Sugar Cane Dregs To Save Earth) isdue tothe desireto targetopportunities ofincreased need fortissue. It alsomotivated the desire to produce tissue without cutting downthe treeas an effort tosave the environment, as well as utilization of bagasse which is usually only used as fuel for locomotives. This program is aimed to: (1) produce Tissue Aroma Therapy, (2) developa marketing strategy, and (3) getthe sales profit. Overview of effort in the PKM-K is producing tissue through cooperation with partners, introducing, and selling products of tissue "Upik Abu". Stage of implementation of its activities, namely market surveys, production, and marketing survey was conducted to get an overview of market potency. The production process consists of three stages, namely preparation, execution, and finishing. Tissue which is produced in the form of facial tissue, toilet tissue, and the tissue at the dinner table. The process of marketing is done through printed media (business cards, leaflets, mass-media), electronic media (facebook, twitter, blogs, SMS), community, exhibition, and consignment with some grocery stores. Aroma therapy is added to the tissue to be more marketable as well as comfortable to use. Tissue production has reached 650 units, with sales profit for three months of Rp. 3,862,500. Based on the results obtain edit can be concluded that the business is profitable, so the continuity of business will continue to be maintained, along with efforts to increase profits

Penurunan Tingkat Stres Kerja Pada Penerbang Militer Melalui Penerapan Terapi Yoga Tawa

The laughter yoga therapy is a physical exercise technique that combines yoga breathing techniques, fitness exercise, laughter, applause rhythmic movements, and meditation. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of laughter yoga therapy to reduce work stress levels on military pilots of Indonesian army in Semarang, Central Java. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was applied. Subjects comprised 10 military pilots of Indonesian army in Semarang which were compared to 10 military pilots that served ascontrols. Data were collected using the Work Stress Scale (26 items; α= .902). The t-test results showed a significant reduced work-stress level after the laughter yoga therapy was applied (t(16.025)=-8.471; p=.00; p<.001)

IMPROVING FERTILITY OF ACID SULFATE SOIL USING VARIOUS LIME SOURCES FOR RICE GROWN IN MALAYSIA

The main problems of acid sulfate soils are high acidity and Al and/or Fe toxicity to the soil. This problem causes rice root inhibition, hence retard plant nutrient uptake for its growth. Improving these conditions is important; hence, liming seems to be a common practice to ameliorate this soil, especially for rice cultivation. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of applying ground magnesium limestone (GML), hydrated lime and liquid lime on the growth of rice under glasshouse conditions. MR 219 rice variety was used in this experiment. It was found that the application of 4 t ha-1 of GML had produced the highest rice yield of 8.2 t ha-1 under glasshouse condition. The result showed that as panicle length increase, spikelet per panicle also increases. Relative rice yield is negatively correlated with the soil pH, and this indicates that as soil acidity increase (observed with pH between 2 to 3), the rice yield decreases and vice versa. At harvest, due to liming practices, the soil pH exceeded 6 for all the treatment. It was also observed that as soil exchangeable Ca increase, soil pH also increases. Among the treatment, soil treated with 2 t ha-1 of hydrated lime gave the highest exchangeable Ca in the soil of 11.86 cmolc kg-1 soil with Ca concentration of 0.12% in the root. It was observed that liming increases soil pH and exchangeable cations in the soil. Therefore, liming is essential to ameliorate the acid sulfate soils for rice cultivation

Understanding the context of balanced scorecard implementation: a hospital-based case study in pakistan

Background: As a response to a changing operating environment, healthcare administrators are implementing modern management tools in their organizations. The balanced scorecard (BSC) is considered a viable tool in high-income countries to improve hospital performance. The BSC has not been applied to hospital settings in low-income countries nor has the context for implementation been examined. This study explored contextual perspectives in relation to BSC implementation in a Pakistani hospital. Methods: Four clinical units of this hospital were involved in the BSC implementation based on their willingness to participate. Implementation included sensitization of units towards the BSC, developing specialty specific BSCs and reporting of performance based on the BSC during administrative meetings. Pettigrew and Whipp\u27s context (why), process (how) and content (what) framework of strategic change was used to guide data collection and analysis. Data collection methods included quantitative tools (a validated culture assessment questionnaire) and qualitative approaches including key informant interviews and participant observation.Results: Method triangulation provided common and contrasting results between the four units. A participatory culture, supportive leadership, financial and non-financial incentives, the presentation of clear direction by integrating support for the BSC in policies, resources, and routine activities emerged as desirable attributes for BSC implementation. The two units that lagged behind were more involved in direct inpatient care and carried a considerable clinical workload. Role clarification and consensus about the purpose and benefits of the BSC were noted as key strategies for overcoming implementation challenges in two clinical units that were relatively ahead in BSC implementation. It was noted that, rather than seeking to replace existing information systems, initiatives such as the BSC could be readily adopted if they are built on existing infrastructures and data networks. Conclusion: Variable levels of the BSC implementation were observed in this study. Those intending to apply the BSC in other hospital settings need to ensure a participatory culture, clear institutional mandate, appropriate leadership support, proper reward and recognition system, and sensitization to BSC benefits

Detection of a Fourth Orbivirus Non-Structural Protein

The genus Orbivirus includes both insect and tick-borne viruses. The orbivirus genome, composed of 10 segments of dsRNA, encodes 7 structural proteins (VP1–VP7) and 3 non-structural proteins (NS1–NS3). An open reading frame (ORF) that spans almost the entire length of genome segment-9 (Seg-9) encodes VP6 (the viral helicase). However, bioinformatic analysis recently identified an overlapping ORF (ORFX) in Seg-9. We show that ORFX encodes a new non-structural protein, identified here as NS4. Western blotting and confocal fluorescence microscopy, using antibodies raised against recombinant NS4 from Bluetongue virus (BTV, which is insect-borne), or Great Island virus (GIV, which is tick-borne), demonstrate that these proteins are synthesised in BTV or GIV infected mammalian cells, respectively. BTV NS4 is also expressed in Culicoides insect cells. NS4 forms aggregates throughout the cytoplasm as well as in the nucleus, consistent with identification of nuclear localisation signals within the NS4 sequence. Bioinformatic analyses indicate that NS4 contains coiled-coils, is related to proteins that bind nucleic acids, or are associated with membranes and shows similarities to nucleolar protein UTP20 (a processome subunit). Recombinant NS4 of GIV protects dsRNA from degradation by endoribonucleases of the RNAse III family, indicating that it interacts with dsRNA. However, BTV NS4, which is only half the putative size of the GIV NS4, did not protect dsRNA from RNAse III cleavage. NS4 of both GIV and BTV protect DNA from degradation by DNAse. NS4 was found to associate with lipid droplets in cells infected with BTV or GIV or transfected with a plasmid expressing NS4

Experiential learning and the acquisition of managerial tacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge is believed to be one factor that distinguishes successful managers from others. We sought to determine whether levels of accumulated managerial tacit knowledge (LAMTK) were associated with managers' dominant learning styles. Instruments used in the study, involving 356 Malaysian public sector employees, included Sternberg et al.'s (2000) Tacit Knowledge Inventory for Managers and a normative version of Kolb's (1999a) Learning Styles Inventory (LSI-Ill). Findings suggest that LAMTK is independent of the length of subjects' general work experience, but positively related to the amount of time spent working in a management context. Learning styles also had a significant relationship. Subjects who spent most of their time performing management functions and whose dominant learning styles were accommodating had significantly higher LAMTK than those with different learning styles. We also found support for the belief that learners with a strong preference for all four different abilities defined in Kolb's learning theory may be critical for effective experiential learning