Distribution of the Beta-Casein Gene Variants in Three Cattle Breeds Reared in Benin

The beta-casein gene is one of the most functional genetic candidate that affect milk quality and composition traits. Among its variants, the A1/A2 are the most common. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the distribution of the Beta-casein gene variants (A1/A2) in three different cattle breeds in order to determine which of the breed produce a better milk for consumers’ health. 152 blood samples which comprises 72 (Muturu), 40 (Azawak) and 40 Girolando were used to carry out this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood samples and each variant was subsequently amplified from the extracted DNA samples using an Allele-Specific PCR technique and then confirmed by running the PCR products on 1% agarose gel. The result showed that there were three genotypes (A1A1, A2A1 and A2A2) in the three breeds. The average percentage genotypic frequencies obtained from this study were 42.76%, 31.58% and 25.66% respectively for A1A1, A1A2 and A2A2 genotypes while the percentage allelic frequencies were 58% and 42% respectively for A1 and A2 allele. The genetic parameters of Azawak breed were higher than that of the other breeds, what implies that there was a higher polymorphism and genetic diversity in the Azawak breed in the beta-casein gene compare to the other breeds. The A2 beta-casein variant in milk has been found to be desirable for milk consumer’s health and nutrition. This study therefore showed that the Azawak breed provides a good potential for increasing this favorable allele through appropriate breeding techniques of cattle.

Investigating the Use of Head Mounted Devices for Remote Cooperation and Guidance during the Treatment of Wounds

Professional caregivers often face complex situations in which they need the support of a colleague or a specialist. This is especially necessary for caregivers during their training or with less practice in certain tasks. Due to time and space restrictions, colleagues or specialists are not always available for local support. Remote support by streaming videos to a remote helper has been discussed in healthcare domains as a so-called teleconsultation. However, little is known about how to apply teleconsultation in care. We conducted a study with caregivers and remote helpers to compare head mounted devices (HMDs) for teleconsultation in care to two alternative solutions using smartphones. We found that despite lacking familiarity, HMDs have good potential for remote support in care, and that creating video streams with smartphones is not preferable for teleconsultations. We suggest that ideal support needs to balance freedom and guidance and suggest how such support needs to be further explored.

Neuromarketing: The Philosophy and Culture of Consumerism in Indonesia

Neuromarketing is a revolutionary idea, which combines several disciplines such as psychology, economics, and neuroscience. Indonesia as a developing country that has experienced a fairly rapid economic escalation in the past decade, with the potential for a consumer culture as well as a large purchasing capacity, is a viable market for the application of neuromarketing which is also developing in the world. This review aims to learn more about the idea of neuromarketing, its relation to consumerism culture, and its opportunities in the Indonesian market. For the relevance of the study, this review has also involved the field of neuroscience to discuss philosophical approaches from the use of the subconscious mind, consumerism culture, and the application of neuromarketing in Indonesia today which are known to have successfully utilized neuromarketing principles to boost their sales. However, this technique is not without challenges. In this study, we identified at least some problems, both related to ethics, effectiveness for primary products, to expensive research tools. However, despite these problems, we consider that the use of neuromarketing still has good potential to be applied more widely in Indonesia.

Growth of 6Li-enriched LiCl/BaCl2 eutectic as a novel neutron scintillator

In this study, Eu:6LiCl/BaCl2 with a high Li concentration was developed as a novel thermal neutron scintillator. Eu ions were doped as activators for the BaCl2 phase, and Eu:6LiCl/BaCl2 eutectics were grown via the vertical Bridgman–Stockbarger method in quartz ampoules (inner diameter = 4 mm). The Eu:6LiCl/BaCl2 eutectic exhibited a lamellar eutectic structure and optical transparency. The 400-nm emission due to the Eu2+ 4f–5d transition was observed in the BaCl2 phase by a cathode luminescence measurement. The light yield under neutrons was estimated to be over 20,200 photons/MeV. A pulse shape discrimination study was also performed using gamma and alpha-rays. The Eu:6LiCl/BaCl2 eutectic scintillator showed good potential of pulse shape discrimination.

Piezoelectrically Mediated Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization

A well-controlled piezoelectrically mediated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (piezo-RAFT) was carried out under ultrasound agitation with piezoelectric ZnO nanoparticles as the mechano-chemical trans-ducer. The resulting polymer had predictable molecular weight, high end-group fidelity, low dispersity, and capacity for chain extension. This chemistry was further adopted in curing composite resins to circumvent the light penetration limit of UV curing. This work opened a new avenue of piezoelectrically mediated chemistry and showed its good potential in curing applications.

Improving Energy Efficiency by Utilizing Wetted Cellulose Pads in Passive Cooling Systems

The effectiveness of using wetted cellulose pads on improving the performance of two conventional passive cooling systems has been evaluated. First, an experimental design was developed to determine the impact of using a wetted cellulose pad on the temperature and velocity of the airflow. A cellulose pad (7090 model) with a cross-sectional area of 0.5 × 0.5 m2 and three different thicknesses of 10, 15, and 30 cm were selected and tested. The results indicated that using wetted cellulose pads with thicknesses ranging from 10–30 cm decreased the outlet airflow temperature from 11.3 to 13.7 °C on average. For free airflow at velocity 3.5 m/s, the outlet airflow velocity from the wetted cellulose pad decreased to 0.9, 0.7 and 0.6 m/s, respectively, for cellulose pads with thicknesses of 10, 15, and 30 cm. By applying experimental results on a psychrometric chart, the humidity ratio of outlet airflow was obtained between 40–70%. The study established airflow velocity as the critical parameter in passive cooling systems. With the novel concept of combining wetted cellulose pads for passive cooling systems (i.e., wind catchers and induced ventilation), there is good potential to reduce the energy requirements for thermal comfort in buildings in regions with a hot and arid climate.

Electrocatalytic Properties of a BaTiO3/MWCNT Composite for Citric Acid Detection

Although barium titanate (BaTiO3) shows prominent dielectric properties for fabricating electronic devices, its utilization in electrochemical applications is limited. Thus, this study examined the potential of a BaTiO3-based composite in the detection of a food additive, i.e., citric acid. First, a submicron-scale BaTiO3 powder was synthesized using the solution combustion method. Then, a BaTiO3/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite was hydrothermally synthesized at BaTiO3:MWCNT mass ratios of 1:1 and 2:1. This composite was used as a working electrode in a nonenzymatic sensor to evaluate its electrocatalytic activity. Cyclic voltammetric measurements revealed that the BaTiO3/MWCNT composite (2:1) exhibited the highest electrocatalytic activity. Reduction reactions were observed at applied voltages of approximately 0.02 and −0.67 V, whereas oxidation reactions were detected at −0.65 and 0.47 V. With acceptable sensitivity, decent selectivity, and fair stability, the BaTiO3/MWCNT composite (2:1) showed good potential for citric acid detection.

Pengembangan Novel Grafik Elektronik pada Materi Reaksi Radikal Bebas sebagai Media Suplemen Pembelajaran

This research was aimed to produce a valid electronic graphic novel on free radical reaction subject and to find out the student’s response to the developed product. This research employed Research & Development (R&D) method by using Thiagarajan’s 4D model with modification, in which applied only three of four steps in 4D model. The developed product was validated by experts. The responses toward developed product were collected from the students of Chemistry Education FKIP Untan who have taken organic chemistry course. Data collection tools used were validation sheets and student’s response questionnaires on the developed product. The validation’s result from the experts showed that the developed product was very proper in terms of content, presentation, linguistic, and graphic aspects with consecutive total scores of 94.0%, 95.0%, 89.0%, and 100,00% respectively. The results of the student’s responses in small group trials and in large group trials were of 82.5% with high category and of 83.2% with very high category, respectively. Thus, this electronic graphic novel on radical reaction has very good potential as a learning media to attract students to learn free radical reaction and its application in daily life.

Design and Immunological Properties of the Novel Subunit Virus-like Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, and the need for safe and effective vaccines to prevent infection and to control spread of the virus remains urgent. Here, we report the development of a SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine candidate (Betuvax-CoV-2) based on RBD and SD1 domains of the spike (S) protein fused to a human IgG1 Fc fragment. The antigen is adsorbed on betulin adjuvant, forming spherical particles with a size of 100–180 nm, mimicking the size of viral particles. Here we confirm the potent immunostimulatory activity of betulin adjuvant, and demonstrate that two immunizations of mice with Betuvax-CoV-2 elicited high titers of RBD-specific antibodies. The candidate vaccine was also effective in stimulating a neutralizing antibody response and T cell immunity. The results indicate that Betuvax-CoV-2 has good potential for further development as an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.

Crystal structure and molecular docking study of diethyl 2,2′-({[(1E,1′E)-(hydrazine-1,2-diylidene)bis(methanylylidene)]bis(4,1-phenylene)}bis(oxy))diacetate

The title Schiff base, C22H24N2O6, adopts an E configuration. The molecule is planar, the mean planes of the phenyl ring system (r.m.s deviation = 0.0059 Å) forms a dihedral angle of 0.96 (4)° with the mean plane of the phenyl ring moiety (r.m.s deviation = 0.0076 Å). In the crystal, molecules are linked by weak intermolecular C—H...O and C—H...N hydrogen bonds into chains extending along the c-axis and b-axis directions, respectively. A molecular docking study between the title molecule and 5-HT2C, which is a G protein receptor and ligand-gated ion channels found in nervous systems (PDB ID: 6BQH) was executed. The experiment shows that it is a good potential agent because of its affinity and ability to stick to the active sites of the receptor.