Determination of the nutritional value of Urginea indica Kunth.

The ethno botanical information is useful in the conservation of traditional cultures, biodiversity and also for community health care and drug development. In this regard, study was conducted to determine the nutritional values of the bulbs of Urginea indica. The nutritional parameters determined were proximate analysis (moisture, ash, crude fiber, lipid, protein, arbohydrate, food energy value, Acid value, pH and calorific value) and minerals (Silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and phosphorus). Urginea indica had a significant level of above nutrients and therefore was identified as promising species with good profile of nutrients. These results further reinforced the growing awareness of such wild or semi wild plants in backyard planting to achieve nutritional and medicinal uses

Book reviews

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Kinetic theory of electromagnetic ion waves in relativistic plasmas

A kinetic theory for electromagnetic ion waves in a cold relativistic plasma is derived. The kinetic equation for the broadband electromagnetic ion waves is coupled to the slow density response via an acoustic equation driven by ponderomotive force like term linear in the electromagnetic field amplitude. The modulational instability growth rate is derived for an arbitrary spectrum of waves. The monochromatic and random phase cases are studied.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physics of Plasma

Regeneration of Multiple Shoots from the Callus Cultures of Sauropus Androgynous (L.) Merr

Morphogenetic potential of shoot tip, leaf and nodal explants of Sauropus androgynous was investigated to develop a reliable plant regeneration protocol via indirect organogenesis. Explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium and Phillips & Collins (L2) medium supplemented with different concentrations of BAP either alone or in combinations with other auxins such as IAA, NAA, 2,4-D and IBA along with GA3. However, L2 medium with hormones was found to be more supportive for induction of profuse callus and subsequent regeneration of shoot buds than the same hormonal composition of MS medium. Maximum number of shoots per culture were differentiated from the organogenic callus raised on L2 + BAP (13.20 µM) + IAA (11.42 µM) + GA3 (1.44 µM). Thus regenerated shoots were rooted on ½ L2 + IAA (2.85 µM). The plantlets were acclimatized for 3-4 weeks in pearlite before transferring them into pots containing soil, sand and manure in 1:1:1 ratio. Nearly 90% of survival was recorded

Kajian Kondisi Layak Huni Kota Balikpapan Berdasarkan Persepsi Masyarakat

Kota Balikpapan memiliki misi yang salah satunya adalah mewujudkan kondisi kota yang layak huni dan berwawasan lingkungan. Permasalahan-permasalahan perkotaan akan mempengaruhi tingkat layak huni Kota Balikpapan. Menilik dari hal tersebut diatas, maka perlu dilakukannya kajian kondisi kota berdasarkan aspek-aspek kota layak huni. Kajian kota layak huni tersebut dilakukan dengan menggunakan indikator dari Ikatan Ahli Perencana Indonesia (IAP). Kajian tersebut dilakukan untuk mengetahui tingkat layak huni Kota Balikpapan dan mengetahui indikator yang paling menentukan layak huni Kota Balikpapan yang keduanya didasarkan pada persepsi masyarakat Kota Balikpapan.Teknik pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini dilakukan melalui wawancara dan data sekunder. Sampel responden ditentukan berdasarkan teknik pengambilan sampel area sampling dan quota sampling. Teknik pengolahan data menggunakan perangkat lunak Microsoft Excel dan SPSS. Analisis dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis kuantitatif-deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Kota Balikpapan menurut persepsi masyarakat cenderung sudah layak huni, namun masih ada beberapa indikator yang perlu mendapatkan perhatian lebih , yaitu indikator ketersediaan fasilitas difabel, ketersediaan air bersih, biaya hidup, perlindungan budaya lokal, dan lapangan kerja. Indikator yang paling menentukan kondisi layak huni Kota Balikpapan adalah kebersihan, pengelolaan sampah, kualitas fasilitas kesehatan, ketersediaan fasilitas pendidikan, dan keamanan

Laser acceleration of monoenergetic protons via a double layer emerging from an ultra-thin foil

We present theoretical and numerical studies of the acceleration of monoenergetic protons in a double layer formed by the laser irradiation of an ultra-thin film. The ponderomotive force of the laser light pushes the electrons forward, and the induced space charge electric field pulls the ions and makes the thin foil accelerate as a whole. The ions trapped by the combined electric field and inertial force in the accelerated frame, together with the electrons trapped in the well of the ponderomotive and ion electric field, form a stable double layer. The trapped ions are accelerated to monoenergetic energies up to 100 MeV and beyond, making them suitable for cancer treatment. We present an analytic theory for the laser-accelerated ion energy and for the amount of trapped ions as functions of the laser intensity, foil thickness and the plasma number density. We also discuss the underlying physics of the trapped and untrapped ions in a double layer. The analytical results are compared with those obtained from direct Vlasov simulations of the fully nonlinear electron and ion dynamics that is controlled by the laser light

Dust in Interstellar Clouds, Evolved Stars and Supernovae

Outflows of pre-main-sequence stars drive shocks into molecular material within 0.01 - 1 pc of the young stars. The shock-heated gas emits infrared, millimeter and submillimeter lines of many species including. Dust grains are important charge carriers and play a large role in coupling the magnetic field and flow of neutral gas. Some effects of the dust on the dynamics of oblique shocks began to emerge in the 1990s. However, detailed models of these shocks are required for the calculation of the grain sputtering contribution to gas phase abundances of species producing observed emissions. We are developing such models. Some of the molecular species introduced into the gas phase by sputtering in shocks or by thermally driven desorption in hot cores form on grain surfaces. Recently laboratory studies have begun to contribute to the understanding of surface reactions and thermally driven desorption important for the chemistry of star forming clouds. Dusty plasmas are prevalent in many evolved stars just as well as in star forming regions. Radiation pressure on dust plays a significant role in mass loss from some post-main-sequence stars. The mechanisms leading to the formation of carbonaceous dust in the stellar outflows are similar to those important for soot formation in flames. However, nucleation in oxygen-rich outflows is less well understood and remains a challenging research area. Dust is observed in supernova ejecta that have not passed through the reverse shocks that develop in the interaction of ejecta with ambient media. Dust is detected in high redshift galaxies that are sufficiently young that the only stars that could have produced the dust were so massive that they became supernovae. Consequently, the issue of the survival of dust in strong supernova shocks is of considerable interest.Comment: 4 pages, to be published in the proceedings of Fifth International Conference on Physics of Dusty Plasma