Improvement on rooting quality of Jatropha curcas using indole butyric acid (IBA).

The effects of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) concentrations and three types of cutting (softwood,semi hardwood and hardwood) on root performance of Jatropha curcas L. cuttings were investigated. Two experiments were conducted where in experiment 1, conducted on July 2007, the hardwood cutting gave the highest mean value for root dry weight (0.2g), number of roots (22) with percentage of rooted cuttings (56%) compared to the one using softwood cutting. 10, 000 mg/L IBA gave the highest mean value for root length (13.6cm), number of roots (28), percentage of rooted cuttings (74%) with root dry weight (0.5g). In experiment 2, conducted on January 2008, the hardwood cutting once again gave the highest mean value for root length (12.1cm) and root dry weight (0.4g). The greatest root number (59) was obtained at 20, 000 mg/L. There was no significant effect on percentage of rooted cuttings, root dry weight, root length and rootball diameter. The histological studies showed that adventitious roots were originated directly from the endodermis. The root primordial started to develop on day 8 and emerged through the epidermis after day 11

Penerapan Faktor Budaya dan Adat-istiadat dalam Pola Membangun pada Kampung Adat Kuta, Kab. Ciamis, Jawa Barat

Traditional housing and settlements in Indonesia have different and specific pattern influenced by local culture factor of each society. One of the traditional settlements with unique pattern is Kuta village, located in Ciamis, West Java. The settlement pattern in Kuta village in general has neither orientation nor specific patterns. Although there is no pattern, the Kuta Village was built based on rules of the culture and tradition held by the leader of the village called Kuncen. This research is aimed to analyze to which extent the culture and local tradition influenced the settlement pattern in Kuta Village by firstly understanding the factors of culture in building tradition and afterward comparing with general factors

Multigene Analyses of Monocot Relationships

We present an analysis of supra-familial relationships of monocots based on a combined matrix of nuclear I8S and partial 26S rDNA, plastid atpB, matK, ndhF, and rbcL, and mitochondrial atp1 DNA sequences. Results are highly congruent with previous analyses and provide higher bootstrap support for nearly all relationships than in previously published analyses. Important changes to the results of previous work are a well-supported position of Petrosaviaceae as sister to all monocots above Acorales and Alismatales and much higher support for the commelinid clade. For the first time, the spine of the monocot tree has some bootstrap support, although support for paraphyly of liliids is still only low to moderate (79-82%). Dioscoreales and Pandanales are sister taxa (moderately supported, 87- 92%), and Asparagales are weakly supported (79%) as sister to the commelinids. Analysis of just the four plastid genes reveals that addition of data from the other two genomes contributes to generally better support for most clades, particularly along the spine. A new collection reveals that previous material of Petermannia was misidentified, and now Petermanniaceae should no longer be considered a synonym of Colchicaceae. Arachnitis (Corsiaceae) falls into Liliales, but its exact position is not well supported. Sciaphila (Triuridaceae) falls with Pandanales. Trithuria (Hydatellaceae) falls in Poales near Eriocaulaceae, Mayacaceae, and Xyridaceae, but until a complete set of genes are produced for this taxon, its placement will remain problematic. Within the commelinid clade, Dasypogonaceae are sister to Poales and Arecales sister to the rest of the commelinids, but these relationships are only weakly supported

Developing a Safer Conception Intervention for Men Living with HIV in South Africa

Within sexual partnerships, men make many decisions about sexual behavior, reproductive goals, and HIV prevention. There are increasing calls to involve men in reproductive health and HIV prevention. This paper describes the process of creating and evaluating the acceptability of a safer conception intervention for men living with HIV who want to have children with partners at risk for acquiring HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Based on formative work conducted with men and women living with HIV, their partners, and providers, we developed an intervention based on principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy to support men in the adoption of HIV risk-reduction behaviors such as HIV-serostatus disclosure and uptake of and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Structured group discussions were used to explore intervention acceptability and feasibility. Our work demonstrates that men are eager for reproductive health services, but face unique barriers to accessing them

Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity—GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries. Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys. Comprehensive searches were performed for each country to determine the level of development of their PA surveillance, policy, and research, and the findings were verified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Trends were analyzed based on the data available for both survey years. Results: The global 5-year progress in all 3 indicators was modest, with most countries either improving or staying at the same level. PA surveillance, policy, and research improved or remained at a high level in 48.1%, 40.6%, and 42.1% of the countries, respectively. PA surveillance, policy, and research scores decreased or remained at a low level in 8.3%, 15.8%, and 28.6% of the countries, respectively. The highest capacity for PA promotion was found in Europe, the lowest in Africa and low- and lower-middle-income countries. Although a large percentage of the world’s population benefit from at least some PA policy, surveillance, and research efforts in their countries, 49.6 million people are without PA surveillance, 629.4 million people are without PA policy, and 108.7 million live in countries without any PA research output. A total of 6.3 billion people or 88.2% of the world’s population live in countries where PA promotion capacity should be significantly improved. Conclusion: Despite PA is essential for health, there are large inequalities between countries and world regions in their capacity to promote PA. Coordinated efforts are needed to reduce the inequalities and improve the global capacity for PA promotion

FUNCTIONAL MITRAL REGURGITATION AND CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY: EVOLUTION AND IMPACT ON OUTCOME

Cardiolog

FUNCTIONAL MITRAL REGURGITATION AND CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY: EVOLUTION AND IMPACT ON OUTCOME

Cardiolog

Data from: Alternative translation initiation codons for the plastid maturase MatK: unraveling the pseudogene misconception in the Orchidaceae

Background: The plastid maturase MatK has been implicated as a possible model for the evolutionary “missing link” between prokaryotic and eukaryotic splicing machinery. This evolutionary implication has sparked investigations concerning the function of this unusual maturase. Intron targets of MatK activity suggest that this is an essential enzyme for plastid function. The matK gene, however, is described as a pseudogene in many photosynthetic orchid species due to presence of premature stop codons in translations, and its high rate of nucleotide and amino acid substitution. Results: Sequence analysis of the matK gene from orchids identified an out-of-frame alternative AUG initiation codon upstream from the consensus initiation codon used for translation in other angiosperms. We demonstrate translation from the alternative initiation codon generates a conserved MatK reading frame. We confirm that MatK protein is expressed and functions in sample orchids currently described as having a matK pseudogene using immunodetection and reverse-transcription methods. We demonstrate using phylogenetic analysis that this alternative initiation codon emerged de novo within the Orchidaceae, with several reversal events at the basal lineage and deep in orchid history. Conclusion: These findings suggest a novel evolutionary shift for expression of matK in the Orchidaceae and support the function of MatK as a group II intron maturase in the plastid genome of land plants including the orchids