Morphological, Histological, and Protein Profiling of Tea Embryo Axis at Early Stage of Culture

Tissue culture is an alternative choice of plant propagation either through somatic embryogenesis or in vitro organogenesis techniques. TRI2025 tea clone has been cultured successfully, however, the scientific information related to morphology, histology, and protein profile at an early event of culturing time has not been reported yet. This study aimed to determine the differences between those pathways, in the context of morphology, histology, and protein profile. The explants were the embryo axis of TRI2025 tea clone cultured on two different induction mediums; somatic embryogenesis and in vitro organogenesis induction medium. The results showed that most of the explants cultured on A medium developed to be a globular-like structure at 11-day after culture (DAC), while all explants cultured on B medium showed the initiation stage of in vitro organogenesis. Histological analysis showed meristem reconstruction at shoot apical meristem (SAM) and root apical meristem (RAM) at 11-DAC at explants cultured on B medium, while explants cultured on A medium showed callusing at 21-DAC. Protein profile analysis using SDS-PAGE showed protein bands of 54 and 81 KDa that only appeared at explants cultured on A medium start from 14-DAC, and those two protein bands thought to be a differentiator at the early stages of the two tissue culture techniques. Thus, these parameters can be used as early detection for plant tissue culture, especially in tea.

A Sago Positive Character: A Literature Review

Sago is a carbohydrate-rich food that contains resistant starch. In some parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea, sago is a common staple food. Studies have been performed to elucidate the physicochemical and structural properties of sago starches. The paper's objective is to review potential positive physiological responses to sago-based product consumption from previous records. This study is a literature review of preceding published articles related to sago intake in human subjects’ research. The literature search was performed through databases with assigned keywords combination and then selection of the articles based on the criteria. The outcomes of this review concluded that sago had a lower glycemic index with immediate intestinal absorption. Sago-based products could provide a suitable energy source for sustaining physical performance and promoting faster recovery after exercise. It can be an appropriate alternative as an energy source for active healthy individuals

Decolorization and detoxification of batik dye effluent containing Indigosol Blue-04B using fungi isolated from contaminated dye effluent

Fungi are capable of treating various synthetic dye effluents. Previously, we isolated seven strains of fungi from contaminated batik dye effluent at Banyumas, Central Java. The aims of this study were to screen the ability of these fungi to decolorize batik dye effluents containing Indigosol Blue-04B and to investigate the phytotoxicity effects of biodegraded effluent on the germination of corn seeds Zea mays L. and green bean seeds Vigna radiate (L.) Wilczek. In addition, the decolorized effluents were tested for toxic effect on the agriculturally important gram-positive and gram-negative soil bacteria Bacillus cereus and Azotobacter sp., Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, respectively. Study of decolorization showed that fungi were able to decolorize Indigosol Blue-04B batik dye effluents by 21.04% to 99.89% at room temperature after three days of incubation. The assay of phytotoxicity showed that both plumule and radicle length of Z. mays and V. radiata grown on the decolorized effluent was longer than on untreated effluent. The percentage of Z. mays and V. radiata seed germination in decolorized effluent was higher than in untreated effluent. There was no inhibition zone found around the decolorized effluent samples after incubating the bacteria for 48 hours. Aspergillus sp. 3 was the most effective for degradation and could be used for batik effluent mycoremediation processes

Bioremediation of Indigosol Blue 04B Batik Effluent by Indigenous Fungal Isolates, Aspergillus spp.

Effluent from the local batik home industry is a serious problem, because the effluent discharge generated is spread in different places. Untreated effluent can cause environmental pollution, such as in groundwater reservoirs,because most is discharged into rivers. The aim of this research was to evaluate the bioremediation potential of indigenous fungi in liquid culture media with Indigosol Blue 04B (IB) batik effluent. The fungi isolates tested were Aspergillus sp. 1, Aspergillus sp. 2 and Aspergillus sp. 3, isolated from dye effluent soil and batik effluent, and compared to white rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium) as a positive control.   The physiochemical properties of IB batik effluent before and after fungal treatment were investigated. All of these parameters before the fungal treatment were above the recommended standard values based on the Governor regulation of Yogyakarta Special Region No. 7/2010. The level of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), and electrical conductance (EC) was reduce by Aspergillus spp. The highest percentage reduction was achieved by Aspergillus sp. 3, namely 88.34% BOD, 89.11% COD, 75.77% TSS, 85.85% TDS and 71.21% EC, after 3 days of incubation. These results show that the positive control isolate had the lowest value. The study confirms the ability of indigenous fungi isolates in the remediation of IB batik effluent and their potential for future analysis in the treatment of all types of batik effluent

From recreational to income-generating opportunities: assessment of public preferences for non-wood forest products in the Czech Republic

With the alarming increase in dying trees and massive logging in the Czech forests due to bark beetle infestation, the collection of non-wood forest products, a beneficial recreational activity in the Czech Republic, is now being promoted as an alternative to wood provisioning services. This paper aims to present findings on the non-wood forest product preferences in the country as part of a baseline assessment for promoting the usage. This study relied on the 2019 national survey data of public preferences in collecting forest berries, mushrooms, honey, and medicinal herbs. K-means cluster analysis was employed to classify the respondents. A binary logistic regression with a conditional forward approach was employed to identify the potential predictors of the high preference for each non-wood forest product. Data from 1,050 online respondents were included, and two groups of respondents were clustered based on their preferences for the entire non-wood forest, i.e., higher and lower utilization. The regression analysis revealed that frequent forest visitors were the primary predictor of high utilization of all non-wood forest products (between 1.437 to 4.579 odd ratios), in addition to age, gender, and location of the forest property. By clustering the respondents based on the high and low preferences in utilizing non-wood forest products, the promotion of this service, from recreational to potential livelihood activities and economic benefits, can be better targeted, e.g., target customer, infrastructure development in the location with high preferences, scenarios based on the type of owners (municipal or private forest owners), which in accordance to the national forest policy and laws, and, at the same time, maintain the ecological stability

Supplementary feeding with locally-produced Ready-to- Use Food (RUF) for mildly wasted children on Nias Island, Indonesia: comparison of daily and weekly program outcomes

Ready-to-Use Foods (RUFs) in the form of fortified cereal/nut/legume-based biscuits (±500 kcal and 8-10% protein per 100 g) were tested among mildly wasted children from October 2007 to June 2008, and were labelled as RUF-Nias biscuits. This study reports on a comparison of supplementary feeding program outcomes of mildly wasted children with weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) ≥-2 to <-1.5 SD aged ≥6 to <60 months old given locally produced RUF-Nias biscuits within daily (in semi-urban areas) and weekly (in rural remote regions) distribution and supervision program settings. In the Church World Service project area, all eligible children were recruited continuously from monthly community-based screening programs and admitted into existing nutrition centers managed by the community on Nias Island, Indonesia. Individual discharge criterion of the programs was WHZ ≥-1.5 SD. Of the index children admitted in daily programs (n=51), 80.4% reached target WHZ, which was higher than in weekly programs (72.9%; n=48) by a similar length of stay of about 6 weeks. Weight gain of the children in daily programs was higher (3.1±3.6 g/kg body weight/day) than in weekly programs (2.0±2.1 g/kg body weight/day), and they achieved significantly higher WHZ at discharge. However, the majority of caretakers preferred weekly programs due to lower time constraints. Locally produced RUF in the form of biscuits for treatment of mild wasting among children demonstrated promising results both in daily and weekly communitybased intervention programs

Trends and consequences of consumption of food and non-food items (pica) by pregnant women in Western Kenya

Pregnancy is a memorable experience for every woman and it comes with many changes which include cravings for food and non-food items. The aim of this study was to explore the change in diet in terms of pica, food craving and aversions which occur during pregnancy. Two hundred and two pregnant women were interviewed. Food craving was reported by 73.8% of the study participants and nearly half (48.7%) had food aversions. Foods craved most were maize meal (12.5%), mangoes (9.5%), ripe banana (8.3%), beef (7.6%) and fish (5.7%). Foods avoided most were small fish (omena) (15.2%), beef (12.6%), kale (11.9%) and fish in general (10.6%). Eggs, tea and milk were also avoided. Reasons given for avoiding certain foods were: to prevent nausea (45.8%), vomiting (21.9%) and heartburn (10.4%). Other reasons given were unpleasant smell/taste and stomach ache. Pica prevalence was at 27.4%, with consumption of soil and soft stones being frequently reported. There was a highly significant association between level of education (p = 0.02) and history of child death/still birth (p = 0.01) with pica. Food cravings, aversions and pica practices should be assessed in antenatal care of pregnant women. Attention should be paid to pregnant women who have had a history of child death and women with low education level

Subsidy as An Economic Instrument for Environmental Protection: A Case of Global Fertilizer Use

Fertilizer subsidies may constitute a key economic tool with which to provide food for the growing population. Therefore, this work aimed to (i) assess the effectiveness of subsidized chemical (NPK) fertilizer use in food production by comparing the crop output between developed and developing regions and (ii) examine the benefits of organic fertilizer and the need for its use in developing regions such as Africa. Secondary data from 2000 to 2019 on global subsidized fertilizer use, crop production, income, and other agro-environmental parameters, such as climate and soil, were collected from the international databases of the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and World Income Inequalities Database (WID), as well as countries’ national statistics. Data were analyzed using qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial software and techniques, such as SPSS, averages, multivariate analysis, and spatial analytical Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The results reveal that the total global fertilizer use continuously increased from 79 million tonnes in 2000 to 125 million tonnes in 2019. Subsidized fertilizer use and crop production increased with countries’ economic status. For example, countries or regions with more economic resources tended to have higher fertilizer subsidies. More than 95% of North American and European countries recorded the highest total chemical fertilizer use, ranging from 855,160 to 18,224,035 kg ha−1. In terms of organic fertilizer production, the percentage contribution in Africa relative to global production was only 2%, which was about 932,538 million tonnes below the production yield in North America. More organic fertilizer and less inorganic fertilizer should be encouraged instead of the total eradication of chemical fertilizers. This is especially applicable to developing countries, where food production is low due to poor soil and high food demand owing to a harsh environment and rapid population growth