Analisi Efisiensi Teknis, Alokatif dan Ekonomi Produksi Kubis di Kabupaten Karo

The needs of cabbages tends to increase. Meanwhile, cabbage production is not optimal and just seasonal. However, demands of cabbages in export field are high so, it makes the cabbage farming is a strategic area to be developed. To increase production through increasing the use of inputs and using new technologies is relatively difficult because it requires high costs. Therefore, increasing production by improving farming efficiency is a relevant option. Farmers’ managerial skills and their combining various production inputs ability will affect the production. Efficient use of input amount (allocative efficiency) and a good technical efficiency are important for increasing the production. Production of cabbage farming efficiency was analyzed by using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). The results of the analysis showed that the technical, allocative and economic efficiency of cabbage farming in Karo District had not achieved. The average of the technical, allocative and economic efficiency values of the respondent were 0.697, 0.374 and 0.215. These results indicate that low efficiency is a contributing factor to the low productivity of the cabbage farmer respondents' in Karo District. Several factors that have a significant effect on the efficiency are farming experience, labor ratio, land ownership status and cabbage lifespan.

EphrinB1 modulates glutamatergic inputs into POMC-expressing progenitors and controls glucose homeostasis

Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons are major regulators of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. In addition to being regulated by hormones and nutrients, POMC neurons are controlled by glutamatergic input originating from multiple brain regions. However, the factors involved in the formation of glutamatergic inputs and how they contribute to bodily functions remain largely unknown. Here, we show that during the development of glutamatergic inputs, POMC neurons exhibit enriched expression of the Efnb1 (EphrinB1) and Efnb2 (EphrinB2) genes, which are known to control excitatory synapse formation. In vivo loss of Efnb1 in POMC-expressing progenitors decreases the amount of glutamatergic inputs, associated with a reduced number of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunits and excitability of these cells. We found that mice lacking Efnb1 in POMC-expressing progenitors display impaired glucose tolerance due to blunted vagus nerve activity and decreased insulin secretion. However, despite reduced excitatory inputs, mice lacking Efnb2 in POMC-expressing progenitors showed no deregulation of insulin secretion and only mild alterations in feeding behavior and gluconeogenesis. Collectively, our data demonstrate the role of ephrins in controlling excitatory input amount into POMC-expressing progenitors and show an isotype-specific role of ephrins on the regulation of glucose homeostasis and feeding.

A benchmarking study of SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequencing protocols using COVID-19 patient samples

The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-lifetime event, exceeding mortality rates of the flu pandemics from the 1950’s and 1960’s. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a critical role in understanding the disease. Performance variation exists across SARS-CoV-2 viral WGS technologies, but there is currently no benchmarking study comparing different WGS sequencing protocols. We compared seven different SARS-CoV-2 WGS library protocols using RNA from patient nasopharyngeal swab samples under two storage conditions. We constructed multiple WGS libraries encompassing three different viral inputs: 1,000,000, 250,000 and 1,000 copies. Libraries were sequenced using two distinct platforms with varying sequencing depths and read lengths. We found large differences in mappability and genome coverage, and variations in sensitivity, reproducibility and precision of single-nucleotide variant calling across different protocols. We ranked the performance of protocols based on six different metrics. Our results indicated that the most appropriate protocol depended on viral input amount and sequencing depth. Our findings offer guidance in choosing appropriate WGS protocols to characterize SARS-CoV-2 and its evolution.

Upscaling Statistical Patterns from Reduced Storage in Social and Life Science Big Datasets

Recent technological and computational advances have enabled the collection of data at an unprecedented rate. On the one hand, the large amount of data suddenly available has opened up new opportunities for new data-driven research but, on the other hand, it has brought into light new obstacles and challenges related to storage and analysis limits. Here, we strengthen an upscaling approach borrowed from theoretical ecology that allows us to infer with small errors relevant patterns of a dataset in its entirety, although only a limited fraction of it has been analysed. In particular we show that, after reducing the input amount of information on the system under study, by applying our framework it is still possible to recover two statistical patterns of interest of the entire dataset. Tested against big ecological, human activity and genomics data, our framework was successful in the reconstruction of global statistics related to both the number of types and their abundances while starting from limited presence/absence information on small random samples of the datasets. These results pave the way for future applications of our procedure in different life science contexts, from social activities to natural ecosystems.

Soil nitrogen sequestration in a long-term fertilizer experiment in central China

Aim of study: To evaluate the effects of a long-term manuring and fertilization experiment on the soil total N concentration and its storage and sequestration rates in the rice-wheat cropping system.Area of study: A rice-wheat rotation area in central China.Material and methods: A 35-yr long-term fertilizer experiment was conducted with 9 treatments: unfertilized (Control), N, P, and K fertilizers, manure (M) and M combined with N, P, and K fertilizers treatments. Soil total N input amount, total N concentration, total N storage amount and N sequestration rate in soil were calculated.Main results: The soil total N input amount, N concentration, N storage amount and N sequestration rate were significantly influenced by M and chemical fertilizers. In total, 0.017-0.021 g N/kg soil accumulated in the organic M plots, whereas only 0.005-0.007 g in chemical fertilizer alone plots. The highest soil total N storage amount was 6.09 t/hain the M alone plot, and the lowest value was 4.46 tN/ha in the N fertilizer alone plot. The highest N sequestration rate in soil was 0.061 t N/ha/yr in the high amount M plus NPK fertilizers plot, and the lowest value was 0.002 tN/ha/yr in the N fertilizer alone plot. A significant nonlinear regression relationship existed between the total N sequestration rate in soil and annual total N input amount. Moreover, the average soil total N concentration was significantly positively correlated with the average grain yield of crop and soil organic C concentration. The soil total N sequestration rate in M alone or M combined with inorganic fertilizer treatments were increased compared with inorganic fertilizer alone treatments.Research highlights: Considering crop yields and total N sequestration rate in soil, the use of manure combined with inorganic fertilizer should be recommended in the rice-wheat cropping system.

EphrinB1 modulates glutamatergic inputs into POMC neurons and controls glucose homeostasis

Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons are major regulators of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. In addition to being regulated by hormones and nutrients, POMC neurons are controlled by glutamatergic input originating from multiple brain regions. However, the factors involved in the formation of glutamatergic inputs and how they contribute to bodily functions remain largely unknown. Here, we show that during the development of glutamatergic inputs, POMC neurons exhibit enriched expression of the Efnb1 (EphrinB1) and Efnb2 (EphrinB2) genes, which are known to control excitatory synapse formation. In vitro silencing and in vivo loss of Efnb1 or Efnb2 in POMC neurons decreases the amount of glutamatergic inputs into these neurons. We found that mice lacking Efnb1 in POMC neurons display impaired glucose tolerance due to blunted vagus nerve activity and decreased insulin secretion. However, mice lacking Efnb2 in POMC neurons showed no deregulation of insulin secretion and only mild alterations in feeding behavior and gluconeogenesis. Collectively, our data demonstrate the role of ephrins in controlling excitatory input amount into POMC neurons and show an isotype-specific role of ephrins on the regulation of glucose homeostasis and feeding.

Formulating Oil Palm Investment Decision in Tidal Wetlands of South Sumatra, Indonesia

<p>The research aimed to formulate an investment decision for oil palm plantation in tidal wetlands of PulauRimau, Banyuasin South Sumatra Indonesia. The research summarized that Land productivity and input amount will determine some differences of each soil suitability (S₁, S₂ and S₃). The more land suitability level is, the more Fresh Fruit Bunches of Oil Palm (FFB) productivity per ha is produced and the less input is given. Net B/C Ratio, NPV and IRR for all land suitability classes are financially feasible for oil palm plantation development, however the most feasible and the most Expected Rate of Return (IRR) is in tidal wetlands with S₁ land suitability (very suitable), followed by S₂ (suitable) and S₃ (marginally suitable). Sensitivity analysis to feasibility for three land suitability is still economically feasible to build and to develop oil palm plantation, especially in large scale, thus its decision for capital investment is suitable.</p>