Spatial Distributions and Model Selections of Commercial Estuarine Fish (Sciaenidae) Populations Related to Water Quality, Chl-a, and AML in Musi River mouth, South Sumatra

Estuary and river mouth are essential habitats for many commercial estuarine fishes, including the Sciaenidae family. While recently, estuaries have been threatened by anthropogenic marine litter (AML) transported from nearby land and river. An important type of AML is plastic litter since it takes a long degradation time. In the South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, one of the vital estuaries is the Musi estuary. This paper aims to map the spatial distributions of two Sciaenids, including Panna microdon and Otolithoides pama, and Sciaenid’s environmental covariates, including water quality, chlorophyll a, and plastic litters in Musi estuary and model the correlations of Sciaenids with their covariates. The maps were developed using GIS, and the model was validated using AIC methods. The data were collected from 3 river mouths in the west, central, and east of the Musi estuary. The data showed that the populations of both Sciaenids were higher in the east river mouth rather than in the west. Sciaenid populations were positively correlated with high salinity, DO, chlorophyll a, moderate transparency, and low temperature. A high load of AML’s frequency (7.54 items/m2) and weights (36.8 gram/m2) has reduced both Sciaenid populations in the central river mouth of the estuary. In contrast, low AML loads in the east have correlated with high Sciaenid populations. Model selection based on AIC values shows the best model for P.microdon retained an effect of AML weight with AIC values of 22.591 and 28.321 for O. pama. This concludes that the weight of plastic litter in estuary water was the main limiting factor for Sciaenid populations in Musi.

Suitability Analysis of Kampung Pasundan Cisamaya in Mount Ciremai National Park Area as Healing Forest Site

Forests are ecosystems that are comfortable for human health. Spots from the forest ecosystem site suitable for healing forest must be identified. The research aims to analyze the suitability of Kampung Pasundan Cisamaya (KPC) for healing forest activities. The research method refers to the Draft Indonesian National Standard Number 9006:2021 concerning Forest tourism for health therapy (healing forest). The results showed that the KPC site is suitable for healing forest activities. Five reconnection activities with nature, namely invitation by air, invitation by vegetation, invitation by land, invitation by water, and release emotion, can be carried out well in several spots on KPC's healing forest track. Healing forest activities regularly and adequately has a positive impact on health.

Review on The Production of Fermented Beverage as a Post-Harvest Processing Alternative For Mango, Banana and Purple Sweet Potato

West Java is one of the regions in Indonesia that produces large numbers of mango, banana, and purple sweet potato. After harvesting, these commodities will undergo physical, chemical, and physiological changes so that further post-harvest processing is needed. One of the post-harvest processing that can be done is fermentation. Fermenting mango, banana, and purple sweet potato into wine is a simple and efficient method that can increase the economic value of the product. Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from grapes; however, any fruit and tuber could be used for wine-making. The article reviews the potential of mango, banana, and purple sweet potato for wine production, the microbes involved, and pretreatments of mango, banana, and purple sweet potato.

Biological, Technical, and Financial Feasibilities Study of Spirulina sp. Biomass Production with Modified Commercial Medium in Indonesia

Spirulina sp. is the most common cyanobacteria commodity used in the bioindustry for functional food, source of protein, bioactive compounds, and biopigment. Production of Spirulina sp. still facing several problems such as high cost of culture medium with the less effective result, especially in developing countries. The medium was modified with commercial chemicals and fertilizers locally available in Indonesia to reduce the production cost. This study aimed to assess the biological, technical, and financial feasibility of Spirulina sp. biomass production using a modified commercial medium. Based on the biological feasibility study, the modified commercial medium (ZK1 and ZK2) gives a similar result to the standard medium, equal for growth rate and protein content. However, the result contains lower fat, carbohydrates, and biopigment. The financial feasibility analysis suggested that the system is feasible starting from 1.2-1.5 kg biomass production in a month. The best result gained on the production capacity of 5 kg biomass using ZK2 medium, with NPV of IDR 183,208,962 (US$12,769), IRR of 73%, B/C ratio of 7.8, and payback period in 7 months. It can be concluded that modified commercial medium was biologically, technically, and financially feasible to be applied in industrial biomass production of Spirulina sp.

Analyzing the Changes in Land Cover and Land Surface Temperature (LST) in the North Bandung Area (NBA)

North Bandung Area (NBA) was designated as a protected area to regulate the water system around Bandung City. Land conversion from vegetated land into built-up areas can decrease groundwater, increase the risk of floods, landslides, and Land Surface Temperature (LST). This study was conducted to describe LST distribution based on land cover types in specific years of 2010, 2014, and 2018. Landsat 5 and 8 Surface Reflectance (SR) Tier 1 imagery data, West Java land cover maps established by BAPPEDA West Java, and RBI administration maps at a scale of 1: 25,000 were used to generate a map of land cover and LST in this research. There are four land cover classes in NBA, i.e., vegetation, water bodies, open areas, and constructed areas. Within eight years observation (2010 to 2018), bare land decreased from 67.6% (2010) to 57.5% (2018). However, coverage of constructed areas increased within eight years of observation from 22.8% to 27.7 %. In addition, due to the reforestation program, vegetation coverage has slightly increased from 9.6% to 14.7%. LST can be classified into three classes, i.e., low, medium, and high temperature. The area with low and medium-class temperatures decreased from 19% to 16% and 61.3% to 51.7%, respectively. However, high LST increased in NBA 18.7% to 30.3%. The enhancement of 5% vegetation area did not significantly reduce land surface temperature in NBA due to forest conversion to constructed area. Therefore, vegetation coverage must be escalated by reforestation program around NBA to reduce land surface temperature.

High-Fat Diets-Induced Metabolic Disorders to Study Molecular Mechanism of Hyperlipidemia in Rats

Hyperlipidemia is a lipid metabolism disorder occurring due to consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD), which contributes to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease development. HFD causes metabolic problems in Rodentia animals like human metabolic abnormalities, making it a popular model for studying the signaling systems involved. Hyperlipidemia is a condition in which the body's cholesterol levels elevate. In recent years, several studies have investigated the relationship between HFD feeding and hyperlipidemia and signaling pathways involved in cholesterol homeostasis. However, this signaling mechanism in lipid metabolism has not been fully explained, so additional analysis is needed. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism that occurs from hyperlipidemia due to HFD feeding. The method used is a literature review approach following the PRISMA scheme for selecting the primary literature, including identification, screening, eligibility test, and inclusion. Eleven articles included primary literature with credibility (H-index) of 20, 33, 71, 92, 93, 162, 180, 192, and 332 (six articles from Q1 journals and five from Q2 journals). Long-term administration of HFD directly affects lipid metabolism, including an increase in the concentration of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and a decrease in HDL concentration, followed by an increase in body weight. In addition, HFD also disrupts adipose tissue and insulin resistance. The conclusion of this study is that HFD can cause hyperlipidemia either directly or indirectly by inducing insulin resistance, which contributes to lipid metabolism disorders.

Analysis of MeEf1A6 Gene Promoter Activity with In-vitro and In-vivo using Transient and Stable Expression Techniques in Tobacco Plant (Nicotiana tabacum)

The promoter is a part of the gene that functions in carrying out the gene expression, and its work activity becomes a matter of concern to ensure that expression works effectively. MeEF1A6 (Manihot esculenta Elongation Factor 1 Alfa - 6) is a promoter derived from cassava plants (Manihot esculenta). In previous studies, the MeEF1A6 promoter was successfully isolated, introduced, and characterized into the pBI121 plasmid, replacing the CaMV35S promoter. This study aims to analyze the activity of MeEF1A6 promoters in-vivo and in-vitro by using transient and transgenic techniques in tobacco plants. The pBI121 plasmid containing the MeEF1A6 promoter was introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AGL1 and LBA4404. The promoter's work was then analyzed by the result of introducing it into the tobacco plant using the transient and stable transformation. The whole part of explants was used for transient study and tested in a minimum of two biological replicates. Sixty sheets of explant leaves that have been cut were used for stable transformation. The promoter work analysis was carried out with the GUS gene expression that integrated with the promoter with histochemical GUS assay. The transient produced a blue color in the roots, stems, and leaves on the whole repetition. The transverse incision in the stem shows the blue color on the epidermis and procambium tissue. Stable transformation using AGL1 as vector produced 43 shoots from 40 calli. A total of 43 shoots were selected with antibiotics and produced 27 plantlets that were successfully grown. Some plantlets are then reacted with x-gluc as histochemical GUS assay substrat and produced a blue color in the explants, indicating that the MeEF1A6 promoter has been successfully introduced. The results indicate that the MeEF1A6 promoter could work on plant tissue in roots, stems, leaves, and tissues that connect meristems such as procambium in tobacco plants. This reinforces the suspicion that the MeEF1A6 promoter performs work constitutionally as a constitutive promoter.

Analysis of Bacterial Community level Physiological Profiling on the Fermentation of Traditional Pliek u using BIOLOG EcoPlates

Pliek u is an Acehnese traditional condiment made from fermented coconut (Cocos nucifera) endosperm. The traditional pliek u fermentation process typically involves a diverse bacterial community. This research aimed to discover the physiological profile of the bacterial community diversity in pliek u fermentation. BIOLOGTM EcoPlates was used to obtain the physiological functions of the bacterial community during the pliek u fermentation process. The bacteria were then isolated from EcoPlate substrate to determine the predominant microorganism. Results from the analysis showed that the value of the Average Well Colour Development (AWCD) increased during the EcoPlates incubation period. The AWCD values in sample IV were higher than the AWCD values in samples I, II, and III. PCA analysis showed that the use of EcoPlate substrate by the bacterial community at the beginning of the fermentation was correlated with the substrate groups of carbohydrate and polymer, and with the substrate groups of carbohydrate and the amino acid at the end of the fermentation. The phylogenetic analysis showed that EC1 had a close relation with Pseudomonas azotoformans strain NBRC, while EC3 had a close relation with Psedomonas lundensis strain ATCC 49968. In conclusion, there were changes in the use of EcoPlate substrate and the activities of the bacterial community during the pliek u fermentation process.

Selection of Indonesian Medicinal Plant Active Compounds as Inhibitor Candidates of Oncoproteins E6 and E7 Human Papillomavirus Type 16 by Molecular Docking

Cervical cancer cases caused by infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV), especially HPV 16 (60.5% of cases) continue to increase every year with a high mortality rate. The current anti-cancer drugs were not only specifically targeting cancer cells, but healthy cells and can cause serious side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to find safer alternative therapies, e.g., using active compounds from natural products. The purpose of this study was to find the active compounds of Indonesian medicinal plants potentially as an inhibitor of oncoprotein E6 and E7 HPV 16, the main protein causing cervical cancer by in silico method. In this study, 711 active compounds from 187 medicinal plant species were selected based on molecular weight, solubility, gastrointestinal absorption index, and drug-likeness. Compounds that meet the criteria were tested for their affinity and interaction profile with E6 and E7 proteins through the molecular docking method. The results of this study showed 164 compounds that met the criteria. The molecular docking analysis showed nine of the most potent compounds as E6 inhibitors on the E6AP binding site and six compounds on the p53 binding site. Besides that, there were eleven most potent compounds as E7 inhibitors. The results of this study indicate that there are natural compounds that can inhibit E6 and E7 proteins and have further potential to be used as anti-HPV drugs. However, further research is needed to test these compounds in vitro and in vivo.

CO2 Emission and Absorption Estimation in Bandung City by Implementing CO2 Emission Rate Reduction Simulation Using the Stella Program

Bandung CO2 emissions continue to increase in line with its population. The emissions source comes from the industrial, transportation, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), household, and livestock sectors, whereas CO2 absorption only comes from vegetation through photosynthesis. High CO2 emissions could decrease air quality and reduce environmental health. This study aims to estimate the amount of CO2 emissions and their absorption in Bandung by implementing CO2 Emission Rate Reduction Simulation (CERRS). The simulation comprises four scenarios, namely substitution of vehicle fuel and the application of smart driving techniques, optimization of waste processing in IWPS, processing 90% of livestock waste into biogas, and green space development of 30% of Bandung City area. Estimated CO2 emission and absorption rates were calculated for the next 10 years (2021-2030) using the Stella program version 9.0.2. The results showed that without implementing the CERRS, the amount of CO2 emissions in Bandung in 2030 was estimated to reach 10,983,666.82 tons while implementing the CERRS was 2,361,721.30 tons. Without implementing the CERRS, the estimated amount of CO2 absorptions in 2030 was 214,235.11 tons, while implementing the CERRS was 2,785,703.11 tons. It is expected that the application of the CERRS could reduce the level of CO2 emissions in Bandung by 78.5% and increase CO2 absorptions by 1,200.3%.