Kandungan Gizi dan Bahan Aktif Fenol Daun Bangun-Bangun (Coleus Amboinicus L.) pada Metoda Pengeringan yang Berbeda

Tanaman bangun-bangun (Coleus amboinicus L.) mengandung kalium, karbohidrat, dan energi yang tinggi, serta minyak atsiri dengan kandungan carvakrol, isoprofil-o-kresol dan fenol. Secara farmakologi, tanaman ini mengandung beberapa bahan aktif yang bersifat menghilangkan sakit, penurun panas, dan antiseptik, penyegar, dan penambah semangat. Cara pengeringan berpengaruh terhadap tanaman, selain itu bahwa pengeringan bahan tanaman yang kurang tepat akan merusak komponen bahan aktif sehingga menurunkan mutunya. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Politeknik Pertanian Negeri Payakumbuh, bahan yang digunakan adalah daun bangun-bangun segar yang dikeringkan dengan 4 (empat) cara pengeringan yaitu:  kipas angin, oven, udara dan matahari. Daun bangun-bangun yang telah dikeringkan selanjutnya dianalisa di laboratorium kimia. Percobaan dilakukan menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) dengan 4 perlakuan dan 5 ulangan. Hasil analisa laboratorium kimia menunjukkan bahwa perlakuan metode pengeringan daun bangun-bangun berpengaruh sangat nyata pada kandungan protein kasar, serat kasar dan fenol. Pengeringan kering matahari menunjukkan kadar protein tertinggi (20,48%) dan pengeringan kipas angin menunjukkan kadar protein terendah (12,65%). Pengeringan kering oven menunjukkan kadar serat kasar tertinggi (17,21%) dan kipas angin menunjukkan kadar serat kasar terendah (13,05%). Pengeringan kipas angin menunjukkan kadar total fenol tertinggi (8.400 ppm) dan oven menunjukkan terendah (2.100 ppm)

Peningkatan Produksi Tanaman Bangun-Bangun (Coleus Amboinicus L.) Daerah Sumatera Barat dengan Penggunaan Kompos Eceng Gondok

Tujuan penelitian adalah mempelajari potensi daun bangun-bangun yang ditanam di beberapa daerah Sumatera Barat, kandungan gizinya dan untuk mengetahui formulasi pupuk yang tepat untuk meningkatkan produksi tanaman bangun-bangun. Penelitian dilaksanakan selama 6 bulan di Laboratorium Peternakan Unand Padang, Laboratorium Peternakan dan Kebun Percobaan Politani Negeri Payakumbuh. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap dengan lima perlakuan dan 4 ulangan. Adapun perlakuan pupuk kompos eceng gondoknya adalah A (Tanpa pupuk N (0%) + Kompos eceng gondok 100%), B (Pupuk N 25% + Kompos eceng gondok 75%), C (Pupuk N 50% + Kompos eceng gondok 50%), D (Pupuk N 75% + Kompos eceng gondok 25%) dan E (Pupuk N 100% + Tanpa Kompos (0%). Adapun parameter yang diukur adalah tinggi tanaman, jumlah cabang, bunga, laju tumbuh relatif, berat segar (gr/tanaman). Hasil penelitian yang didapatkan berupa data identifikasi tanaman bangun-bangun dan kandungan gizi daun bangun-bangun untuk daerah Padang, Padang Panjang dan Payakumbuh. Identifikasi tanaman daun bangun-bangun terdiri dari: keadaan lingkungan dan deskripsi tanaman. Kandungan gizi tanaman bangun-bangun protein kasar 19, 24 – 24, 98%; lemak kasar 4,21 – 5,98%, Serat kasar 9,08 -14,17%, Abu 11,34 -16,25%, Ca 1,992 – 2,133%, P 0,194 – 0,337 dan gross energi (GE) 3820 – 4070,01 kal/g. Dosis pupuk eceng gondok berpengaruh nyata (P<0.05) terhadap laju tumbuh relatif, berat segar (gr/tanaman), sedangkan terhadap tinggi tanaman, cabang primer, dan bunga tidak berpengaruh nyata (P>0.05). Dari hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa penggunaan 100% kompos eceng gondok dapat meningkatkan laju pertumbuhan relatif, bobot berangkasan segar (gr/tanaman) dan bobot berangkasan kering (gr/tanaman), sedangkan perbandingan pupuk kompos tidak berpengaruh secara nyata (P>0.05) terhadap tinggi tanaman dan jumlah cabang

Conductance through a potential barrier embedded in a Luttinger liquid: nonuniversal scaling at strong coupling

We calculate the linear response conductance of electrons in a Luttinger liquid with arbitrary interaction g_2, and subject to a potential barrier of arbitrary strength, as a function of temperature. We map the Hamiltonian in the basis of scattering states into an effective low energy Hamiltonian in current algebra form. First the renormalization group (RG) equation for weak interaction is derived in the current operator language both using the operator product expansion and the equation of motion method. To access the strong coupling regime, two methods of deducing the RG equation from perturbation theory, based on the scaling hypothesis and on the Callan-Symanzik formulation, are discussed. The important role of scale independent terms is emphasized. The latter depend on the regulaization scheme used (length versus temperature cutoff). Analyzing the perturbation theory in the fermionic representation, the diagrams contributing to the renormalization group beta-function are identified. A universal part of the beta-function is given by a ladder series and summed to all orders in g_2. First non-universal corrections beyond the ladder series are discussed and are shown to differ from the exact solutions obtained within conformal field theory which use a different regularization scheme. The RG equation for the temperature dependent conductance is solved analytically. Our result agrees with known limiting cases.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, REVTEX, final versio

Evolution of psychosocial factors at work in a French region

Background : Psychosocial factors at work (PFW) can be defined as all non-physicochemical occupational risks. Several epidemiological models have been proposed to measure PFW, but one of the most widely used is Karasek’s model. Aims : To determine whether psychosocial factors, evaluated by Karasek’s questionnaire, had increased in a cohort of workers. Methods : A random sample of workers in the Pays de la Loire region of France, who could be considered representative of the region’s population of salaried workers, filled in a self-administered questionnaire, including Karasek’s self-administered questionnaire, in 2002–05 and 2007–09. Karasek’s questionnaire can be used to study three psychosocial dimensions (psychological demand, decision latitude and social support in the workplace) in workers in order to define two high-risk situations for their health: ‘Job Strain’ and ‘Iso Strain’. Changes in job strain and iso strain among workers were studied according to the workers’ sociodemographic characteristics and their working conditions. Results : In this sample of 2049 workers, the proportion with iso strain increased between the two periods from 12 to 16%, P < 0.001, mainly among manual workers. Deterioration of Karasek indicators was mainly explained by an increase of the ‘low social support’ dimension (38 versus 49%, P < 0.001). Working conditions such as temporary employment of colleagues and high perceived physical exertion were associated with higher PFW. Conclusions : This study, based on a quantitative and collective model, showed deterioration of working team environments and increased risk for individual mental health in this cohort of French workers in recent years

Symplectic Symmetry of the Neutrino Mass and the See-Saw Mechanism

We investigate the algebraic structure of the most general neutrino mass Hamiltonian and place the see-saw mechanism in an algebraic framework. We show that this Hamiltonian can be written in terms of the generators of an Sp(4) algebra. The Pauli-Gursey transformation is an SU(2) rotation which is embedded in this Sp(4) group. This SU(2) also generates the see-saw mechanism.Comment: 11 pages, REVTE

Biomechanical constraints remain major risk factors for low back pain. Results from a prospective cohort study in French male employees

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem, with a considerable impact on workers. PURPOSE: To model the risk of LBP in the male general working population. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Repeated cross-sectional surveys in a wide occupational setting. PATIENT SAMPLE: A random sample of 2,161 men working in various occupations in a French region participated in a first survey in 2002, and 1,313 of these (60.8%) participated in a second survey in 2007. OUTCOME MEASURE: The self-reported prevalence of LBP during the previous week in the second survey. METHODS: Twenty-one biomechanical, organizational, psychosocial, and individual factors were assessed in the first survey. The association between these potential risk factors and the prevalence of later LBP (in the second survey) was studied, using multistep logistic regression models. RESULTS: Three hundred ninety-four men reported LBP in the second survey (prevalence 30.0%). The final multivariate model highlighted four risk factors: frequent bending (odds ratio [OR], 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.97 for bending forward only; and OR, 2.13, 95% CI, 1.52-3.00 for bending both forward and sideways), driving industrial vehicles (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.00-1.81), working more hours than officially planned (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.05-1.81), and reported low support from supervisors (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.02-1.79). CONCLUSIONS: These results emphasize that biomechanical factors remain worth considering, even when psychosocial factors are taken into account, and provide a significant contribution to preventive strategies

Neutrino mixing and CP violation from Dirac-Majorana bimaximal mixture and quark-lepton unification

We demonstrate that only two ansatz can produce the features of the neutrino mixing angles. The first ansatz comes from the quark-lepton grand unification; $\nu_{Di} = V_{CKM} \nu_{\alpha}$ is satisfied for left-handed neutrinos, where $\nu_{Di}$ are the Dirac mass eigenstates and $\nu_{\alpha}$ are the flavour eigenstates. The second ansatz comes from the assumption; $\nu_{Di} = U_{bimaximal} \nu_{i}$ is satisfied between the Dirac mass eigenstates $\nu_{Di}$ and the light Majorana neutrino mass eigenstates $\nu_{i}$, where $U_{bimaximal}$ is the bimaximal mixing matrix. By these two ansatz, the Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix is given by $U_{MNS} = V_{CKM}^\dagger U_{bimaximal}$. We find that in this model the novel relation $\theta_{sol} + \theta_{13} = \pi/4$ is satisfied, where $\theta_{sol}$ and $\theta_{13}$ are solar and CHOOZ angle respectively. This "Solar-CHOOZ Complementarity" relation indicates that only if the CHOOZ angle $\theta_{13}$ is sizable, the solar angle $\theta_{sol}$ can deviate from the maximal mixing. We also infer the CP violation in neutrino oscillations. The leptonic Dirac CP phase $\delta_{MNS}$ is predicted as $\sin \delta_{MNS} \simeq A \lambda^2 \eta$, where $A, \lambda, \eta$ are the CKM parameters in Wolfenstein parametrization. Furthermore, we remark that the ratio of the Jarlskog CP violation factor for quarks and leptons is important, because the large uncertainty on $\eta$ is cancelled out in the ratio, $R_J \equiv J_{CKM}/J_{MNS} \simeq 4\sqrt{2} A \lambda^3 \simeq 5 \times 10^{-2}$.Comment: 9 pages, no figures; v2 references added, v3 references adde

Origin of Pure Spinor Superstring

The pure spinor formalism for the superstring, initiated by N. Berkovits, is derived at the fully quantum level starting from a fundamental reparametrization invariant and super-Poincare invariant worldsheet action. It is a simple extension of the Green-Schwarz action with doubled spinor degrees of freedom with a compensating local supersymmetry on top of the conventional kappa-symmetry. Equivalence to the Green-Schwarz formalism is manifest from the outset. The use of free fields in the pure spinor formalism is justified from the first principle. The basic idea works also for the superparticle in 11 dimensions.Comment: 21 pages, no figure; v2: refs. adde

Mass, Angular Momentum and Thermodynamics in Four-Dimensional Kerr-AdS Black Holes

In this paper, the connection between the Lorentz-covariant counterterms that regularize the four-dimensional AdS gravity action and topological invariants is explored. It is shown that demanding the spacetime to have a negative constant curvature in the asymptotic region permits the explicit construction of such series of boundary terms. The orthonormal frame is adapted to appropriately describe the boundary geometry and, as a result, the boundary term can be expressed as a functional of the boundary metric, extrinsic curvature and intrinsic curvature. This choice also allows to write down the background-independent Noether charges associated to asymptotic symmetries in standard tensorial formalism. The absence of the Gibbons-Hawking term is a consequence of an action principle based on a boundary condition different than Dirichlet on the metric. This argument makes plausible the idea of regarding this approach as an alternative regularization scheme for AdS gravity in all even dimensions, different than the standard counterterms prescription. As an illustration of the finiteness of the charges and the Euclidean action in this framework, the conserved quantities and black hole entropy for four-dimensional Kerr-AdS are computed.Comment: 15 pages,no figures,few references added,JHEP forma

Sterile Neutrinos in E_6 and a Natural Understanding of Vacuum Oscillation Solution to the Solar Neutrino Puzzle

If Nature has chosen the vacuum oscillation solution to the Solar neutrino puzzle, a key theoretical challenge is to understand the extreme smallness of the $\Delta m^2_{\nu_e-\nu_X}$ ($\sim 10^{-10} eV^2$) required for the purpose. We find that in a class of models such as [SU(3)]^3 or its parent group E_6, which contain one sterile neutrino, $\nu_{is}$ for each family, the $\Delta m^2_{\nu_i-\nu_{is}}$ is proportional to the cube of the lepton Yukawa coupling. Therefore fitting the atmospheric neutrino data then predicts the $\nu_e-\nu_{es}$ mass difference square to be $\sim (\frac{m_e}{m_{\mu}})^3 \Delta m^2_{atmos}$, where the atmospheric neutrino data is assumed to be solved via the $\nu_{\mu}-\nu_{\mu s}$ oscillation. This provides a natural explanation of the vacuum oscillation solution to the solar neutrino problem.Comment: 7 pages, UMD-PP-99-109; new references added; no other chang