Molasses growth medium for production of Rhizobium sp. based biofertilizer

378-383Rhizobium forms symbiotic relationship with leguminous crops and is recommended for use in various legumes. Rhizobium sp. fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to legumes through formation of root nodules. Rhizobium biofertilizer production is carried out mostly by using semi-synthetic microbiological medium which forms major expense of this activity. Successful commercial production of biofertilizer can be enhanced by use of natural substrates, as molasses, cheese whey, corn steep liquor, for bacterial biomass production. The present work centers around the use of sugarcane molasses as a source of fermentable sugars. It was supplemented with various organic/inorganic nitrogen sources, chemical compounds to increase biomass yield and to increase the shelf life of the product thus prepared. Compliance to Fertilizer Control Order specifications was demonstrated in wet lab analysis

Molasses growth medium for production of Rhizobium sp. based biofertilizer

Rhizobium forms symbiotic relationship with leguminous crops and is recommended for use in various legumes. Rhizobium sp. fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to legumes through formation of root nodules. Rhizobium biofertilizer production is carried out mostly by using semi-synthetic microbiological medium which forms major expense of this activity. Successful commercial production of biofertilizer can be enhanced by use of natural substrates, as molasses, cheese whey, corn steep liquor, for bacterial biomass production. The present work centers around the use of sugarcane molasses as a source of fermentable sugars. It was supplemented with various organic/inorganic nitrogen sources, chemical compounds to increase biomass yield and to increase the shelf life of the product thus prepared. Compliance to Fertilizer Control Order specifications was demonstrated in wet lab analysis

Redesign Pusat Penelitian Dan Konservasi Ilmu Kelautan Fpik Unsrat Di Minahasa Utara (Eco-tech Architecture)

Penelitian dan konservasi di bidang kelautan merupakan cara yang tepat untuk pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan alam laut unutk pembangunan sumber daya manusia serta disamping itu juga menambah daya tarik keanekaragaman biota laut apalagi selama ini wilayah perairan Indonesia adalah salah satu yang terbesar di indoneia. Banyak daerah yang belum memiliki fasilitas pusat penelitian dan konservasi yang memadai. Contohnya pusat penelitian dan konservasi di minahasa utara tepatnya di desa likupang dua, banyak yang dikeluhkan para peneliti karena tidak adanya peningkatan fasilitas, tidak berkembangnya fasilitas yang ada karena banyak fasilitas yang salah dirancang. Padahal merupakan pusat penelitian yang dimiliki oleh salah satu instansi ternama, yaitu Universitas Sam Ratulangi. Makadariitudiperlukan ide untuk mere-design dan meningkatkan fasilitas Pusat Penelitian dan konservasi tersebut sehingga dapat memenuhi kebutuhan akan pengembangan hasil sumberdaya ilmu kelautan di waktu yang akan datang nanti. Padaintinya, SecarakeseluruhanObjek ini merupakanrepresentasiSuatu Sistem Ekologi dan Teknologi yang digunakan untuk menunjang kelangsungan kegiatan yang kondusif sebagai tema perancangan yang mengangkat keterpaduan antara objekbangunan,unsurdansumberdayaalamsekitar, yang dipadukan dengan teknologi yang tepatdemi kelangsungan objek ini

Gedung Vertikultur di Manado. Bangunan Hemat Energi

Visi pemerintah dalam pembangunan jangka menengah Kota Manado periode 2016-2021 yaitu “Manado Kota Cerdas 2021” atau “The Smart City of Manado in 2021”. Menurut laman smartcityindonesia.org, Smart City adalah konsep kota cerdas yang dirancang guna membantu berbagai hal kegiatan masyarakat, terutama dalam upaya mengelola sumber daya yang ada dengan efisien, memberikan kemudahan akses kepada masyarakat, untuk mengantisipasi kejadian yang tak terduga sebelumnya, dan mendukung pembangunan yang berkelanjutan. Ada beberapa masalah dalam mewujudkan Manado sebagai kota cerdas, salah satunya pertumbuhan penduduk setiap tahunnya jika dilihat dari data statistik penduduk kota Manado beberapa tahun kebelakang. Kebutuhan konsumsi pangan masyarakat juga berbanding lurus dengan pertumbuhan penduduk, perlu adanya solusi yang tepat untuk mengatasi masalah tersebut. Budidaya tanaman vertikal (Vertical Farming) atau Vertikultur di dalam gedung sebagai salah satu poin untuk mewujudkan kota Manado sebagai Smart City, konsep ini sudah populer dan di beberapa negara lainnya. Dengan menerapkan hemat energi pada desain maka bangunan dapat beroperasi tanpa memakan energi yang berlebihan. Lokasi perancangan objek berada di kawasan Megamas Manado dengan luas lahan 70.041,25 m2 untuk mewadahi fungsi: budidaya tanaman, hunian apartemen, dan mall organik. Dalam penerapan konsep hemat energi pada bangunan penulis menggunakan sistem operasional bangunan menurut Yeang dalam jurnal Priaman, yaitu: Sistem Pasif, Sistem Hybrid, Sistem Aktif, dan Sistem Produktif

KAJIAN SPASIAL KEBUTUHAN AIR BERSIH DI KECAMATAN PINELENG, KABUPATEN MINAHASA

Salah satu faktor penting dalam keberlangsungan pembangunan di suatu wilayah perkotaan adalah ketersediaan sumber daya alam yang mencukupi guna memenuhi segala kebutuhan masyarakatnya.Salah satu sumber daya alam yang memiliki peran vital di wilayah perkotaan adalah sumber daya air bersih. Yang menjadi fokus dari penelitian ini yakni mengkaji fungsi spasial wilayah Kecamatan Pineleng, memproyeksi kebutuhan air bersih dalam jangka waktu 10 tahun kedepan (2013-2023), serta mengetahui rasio ketersediaan sumber air (kapasitas produksi) terhadap proyeksi kebutuhan air selama 10 tahun kedepan. Lingkup dari penelitian ini adalah Kecamatan Pineleng, Kabupaten Minahasa.Metode penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kuantitatif-kualitatif dengan menggunakan analisis spasial GIS dan analisis proyeksi geometrik.Analisis spasial GIS mencakup kajian tentang kelerengan, topografi, perkembangan kawasan terbangun dan tidak terbangun, pola pemanfaatan lahan, dan kajian sumber air.Sedangkan analisis proyeksi geometrik mencakup proyeksi tentang kependudukan 10 tahun kedepan, proyeksi kebutuhan sektor domestik, dan proyeksi kebutuhan sektor non domestik.Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa secara spasial Kecamatan Pineleng terletak pada kelerengan 15-25 % dan terletak pada ketinggian 77-429 mdpl.kemudian untuk proyeksi kebutuhan air domestik dan non domestik selama 10 tahun mendatang mencapai 38,963 liter/detik atau meningkat sebesar 34,10 %. Kemudian total ketersediaan air bersih dari seluruh sumber air di Kecamatan Pineleng sebesar 154,45 l/dtk. Sedangkan untuk rasio ketersediaan sumber air dengan proyeksi kebutuhan air diperoleh hasil bahwa sumber air di Kecamatan Pineleng masih dapat memenuhi kebutuhan masyarakatnya dalam kurun waktu lebih dari 10 tahun kedepan.   Kata kunci : Kajian spasial, kebutuhan air bersih, Kecamatan Pinelen

Amyloid fibril length distribution quantified by atomic force microscopy single-particle image analysis

Amyloid fibrils are proteinaceous nano-scale linear aggregates. They are of key interest not only because of their association with numerous disorders, such as type II diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, but also because of their potential to become engineered high-performance nano-materials. Methods to characterise the length distribution of nano-scale linear aggregates such as amyloid fibrils are of paramount importance both in understanding the biological impact of these aggregates and in controlling their mechanical properties as potential nano-materials. Here, we present a new quantitative approach to the determination of the length distribution of amyloid fibrils using tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. The method described employs single-particle image analysis corrected for the length-dependent bias that is a common problem associated with surface-based imaging techniques. Applying this method, we provide a detailed characterisation of the length distribution of samples containing long-straight fibrils formed in vitro from β2-microglobulin. The results suggest that the Weibull distribution is a suitable model in describing fibril length distributions, and reveal that fibril fragmentation is an important process even under unagitated conditions. These results demonstrate the significance of quantitative length distribution measurements in providing important new information regarding amyloid assembly

Nitrous oxide-induced myeloneuropathy: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the second most common recreational drug used by 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK. Neurological symptoms can occur in some people that use N2O recreationally, but most information comes from small case series. METHODS: We describe 119 patients with N2O-myeloneuropathy seen at NHS teaching hospitals in three of the UK's largest cities: London, Birmingham and Manchester. This work summarises the clinical and investigative findings in the largest case series to date. RESULTS: Paraesthesia was the presenting complaint in 85% of cases, with the lower limbs more commonly affected than the upper limbs. Gait ataxia was common, and bladder and bowel disturbance were frequent additional symptoms. The mid-cervical region of the spinal cord (C3-C5) was most often affected on MRI T2-weighted imaging. The number of N2O canisters consumed per week correlated with methylmalonic acid levels in the blood as a measure of functional B12 deficiency (rho (ρ)=0.44, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Preventable neurological harm from N2O abuse is increasingly seen worldwide. Ease of access to canisters and larger cylinders of N2O has led to an apparent rise in cases of N2O-myeloneuropathy in several areas of the UK. Our results highlight the range of clinical manifestations in a large group of patients to improve awareness of risk, aid early recognition, and promote timely treatment

Does agricultural intensification cause tipping points in ecosystem services?

Context: Agricultural intensification is being widely pursued as a policy option to improve food security and human development. Yet, there is a need to understand the impact of agricultural intensification on the provision of multiple ecosystem services, and to evaluate the possible occurrence of tipping points. Objectives: I.To quantify and assess the long-term spatial dynamics of ecosystem service (ES) provision in a landscape undergoing agricultural intensification at four time points 1930, 1950, 1980 and 2015.II.Determine if thresholds or tipping points in ES provision may have occurred and if there are any detectable impacts on economic development and employment. Methods: We used the InVEST suite of software models together with a time series of historical land cover maps and an Input–Output model to evaluate these dynamics over an 85-year period in the county of Dorset, southern England. Results: Results indicated that trends in ES were often non-linear, highlighting the potential for abrupt changes in ES provision to occur in response to slight changes in underlying drivers. Despite the fluctuations in provision of different ES, overall economic activity increased almost linearly during the study interval, in line with the increase in agricultural productivity. Conclusions: Such non-linear thresholds in ES will need to be avoided in the future by approaches aiming to deliver sustainable agricultural intensification. A number of positive feedback mechanisms are identified that suggest these thresholds could be considered as tipping points. However, further research into these feedbacks is required to fully determine the occurrence of tipping points in agricultural systems

Ecological restoration of agricultural land can improve its contribution to economic development.

Given the negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture, there is an urgent need to reduce the impact of food production on biodiversity. Ecological restoration of farmland could potentially contribute to this goal. While the positive impacts of ecological restoration on biodiversity are well established, less evidence is available regarding impacts on economic development and employment. Potentially, prospects for economic development could be enhanced by ecological restoration though increased provision of ecosystem services, on which some economic activity depends. Here we examined this issue through the development of contrasting land use scenarios for the county of Dorset, southern England. Two scenarios of future agricultural expansion were compared with two scenarios of landscape-scale ecological restoration and the current situation. Impacts on provision of multiple ecosystem services (ES) were explored using InVEST models and proxy values for different land cover types. Impacts on economic employment were examined using an economic input-output model, which was adjusted for variation in ES flows using empirically determined ES dependency values for different economic sectors. Using the unadjusted input-output model, the scenarios had only a slight economic impact (≤ 0.3% Gross Value Added, GVA). Conversely, when the input-output model was adjusted to take account of ES flows, GVA increased by up to 5.4% in the restoration scenarios, whereas under the scenario with greatest agricultural expansion, GVA was reduced by -4.5%. Similarly, employment increased by up to 6.7% following restoration, compared to declines of up to -5.6% following maximum agricultural expansion. These results show that the economic contribution of rural land is far greater than that attributable to agricultural production alone. Landscape-scale restoration of agricultural land can potentially increase the contribution of farmland to economic development and employment, by increasing flows of multiple ES to the many economic sectors that depend on them