Effect of Oxidation Time on the Properties of Cellulose Nanocrystals Prepared from Balsa and Kapok Fibers Using Ammonium Persulfate.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ammonium persulfate's (APS) oxidation time on the characteristics of the cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) of balsa and kapok fibers after delignification pretreatment with sodium chlorite/acetic acid. This two-step method is important for increasing the zeta potential value and achieving higher thermal stability. The fibers were partially delignified using acidified sodium chlorite for four cycles, followed by APS oxidation at 60 °C for 8, 12, and 16 h.

Performance of an Electrothermal MEMS Cantilever Resonator with Fano-Resonance Annoyance under Cigarette Smoke Exposure.

An electrothermal piezoresistive cantilever (EPC) sensor is a low-cost MEMS resonance sensor that provides self-actuating and self-sensing capabilities. In the platform, which is of MEMS-cantilever shape, the EPC sensor offers several advantages in terms of physical, chemical, and biological sensing, e.g.

Novel antimicrobial bioplastic based on PLA-chitosan by addition of TiO and ZnO.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop antimicrobial bioplastics based on Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) with the addition of chitosan-ZnO, and chitosan-TiO to improve antimicrobial properties.

Methods: For the preparation of the bioplastics, PLA with chitosan-ZnO or chitosan-TiO were used. The antimicrobial activity, mechanical and thermal properties, and water vapor permeability of bioplastics were evaluated.

Global prevalence of prolonged gastrointestinal symptoms in COVID-19 survivors and potential pathogenesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

 This study aimed to determine the cumulative prevalence of prolonged gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, abdominal pain, and dysgeusia, in survivors of both mild and severe COVID-19 worldwide and to discuss the potential pathogenesis.    Three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched for relevant articles up to January 30, 2021. Data on study characteristics, clinical characteristics during follow-up, the number of patients with prolonged GI symptoms, and total number of COVID-19 survivors were retrieved according to PRISMA guidelines.

Health-Promoting Properties of Lactobacilli in Fermented Dairy Products.

Bacteria of the genus have been employed in food fermentation for decades. Fermented dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, are products of high value known as functional food and widely consumed due to their positive health impact. Fermentation was originally based on conversion of carbohydrate into organic acids, mostly lactic acid, intended to preserve nutrient in milk, but then it develops in other disclosure of capabilities associates with health benefit.

Effect of hydroxyapatite/alumina composite coatings using HVOF on immersion behavior of NiTi alloys.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings have been widely used to improve biocompatibility of metal alloys. This paper discusses the effect of hydroxyapatite (HA) and HA/alumina coated NiTi on their corrosion and dissolution behavior in Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS) and Ringer's lactate solutions. The HA was synthesized from biogenic method and used as initial powder in High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) spray technique for the deposition of two coating types, fully HA and HA + 15 wt.

Five Tetramic Acid Derivatives Isolated from the Iranian Fungus CCTU A372.

Submerged mycelial cultures of the ascomycete   CCTU A372 were found to produce five previously undescribed tetramic acids, for which we propose the trivial names colposetins A-C (-) and colpomenoic acids A and B ( and ), along with the known compounds penicillide () and monodictyphenone (). The planar structures of - were determined by high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS) and extensive 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Their absolute configurations were determined by the combination of electronic circular dischroism (ECD) analysis, -based configurational analysis, and a rotating-frame Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY) experiment.

Fermentation of Jamaican Cherries Juice Using Elevates Antioxidant Potential and Inhibitory Activity against Type II Diabetes-Related Enzymes.

Jamaican cherry ( Linn.) is tropical tree that is known to produce edible fruit with high nutritional and antioxidant properties. However, its use as functional food is still limited.

Morphometric Analysis of spp. Soldier Caste (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) in Indonesia and Evidence of Extreme Head-Capsule Shapes.

Linear and geometric morphometrics approaches were conducted to analyze the head capsule (HC) shape of collected soldier caste specimens of from various locations in Indonesia. The soldiers' morphology was observed and measured. The results of the principal component analysis of the group of all species showed two important groups of variables, i.

Optimization of OPEFB lignocellulose transformation process through ionic liquid [TEA][HSO] based pretreatment.

Research on the transformation of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) through pretreatment process using ionic liquid triethylammonium hydrogen sulphate (IL [TEA][HSO]) was completed. The stages of the transformation process carried out were the synthesis of IL with the one-spot method, optimization of IL composition and pretreatment temperature, and IL recovery. The success of the IL synthesis stage was analyzed by FTIR, H-NMR and TGA.

Landscape analyses using eDNA metabarcoding and Earth observation predict community biodiversity in California.

Ecosystems globally are under threat from ongoing anthropogenic environmental change. Effective conservation management requires more thorough biodiversity surveys that can reveal system-level patterns and that can be applied rapidly across space and time. Using modern ecological models and community science, we integrate environmental DNA and Earth observations to produce a time snapshot of regional biodiversity patterns and provide multi-scalar community-level characterization.

Determination of brominated flame retardants including polybrominated diphenyl ethers, pentabromoethylbenzene, hexabromobiphenyl, and decabromodiphenyl ethane in sediment samples: Validation of a rapid and efficient clean-up method and application to a sediment core from Lake Biwa, Japan.

The development of rapid and efficient analytical method for the determination of legacy and current-use brominated flame retardants (BFRs) has been performed due to environmental concern related to these pollutants. In the present study, we used an automated clean-up device equipped with pre-packed micro-column sets (containing sulfuric acid impregnated silica gel and silver-modified alumina) to develop an effective purification method for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), pentabromoethylbenzene, hexabromobiphenyl, and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) in sediment extracts. Matrix-spiked sediments (n = 6) and the Standard Reference Material® 1944 samples (n = 6) were tested.

Dataset of adulteration with water in coconut milk using FTIR spectroscopy.

This paper presents the spectroscopic dataset, pre-processing, calibration, and predicted model database of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy used to detect adulterated coconut milk with water. Absorbance spectral data were acquired and recorded in wavelength range from 2500 to 4000 nm for a total of 43 coconut milk samples. Coconut milk ware prepared in three forms of adulteration.

Submarine landslide megablocks show half of Anak Krakatau island failed on December 22nd, 2018.

As demonstrated at Anak Krakatau on December 22, 2018, tsunamis generated by volcanic flank collapse are incompletely understood and can be devastating. Here, we present the first high-resolution characterisation of both subaerial and submarine components of the collapse. Combined Synthetic Aperture Radar data and aerial photographs reveal an extensive subaerial failure that bounds pre-event deformation and volcanic products.

Age and growth of the tropical oviparous shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum in Indonesian waters.

The brown-banded bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum, is the most common shark caught in coastal commercial fisheries throughout Southeast Asia, yet there is a lack of the life-history information necessary for reliable stock assessments. The authors estimated growth rates and age at maturity using analysis of growth bands in vertebral centra. They trialled four different techniques to enhance the visibility and improve identification of the putative annual growth bands necessary for age estimation.

Traits explain invasion of alien plants into tropical rainforests.

1. The establishment of new botanic gardens in tropical regions highlights a need for weed risk assessment tools suitable for tropical ecosystems. The relevance of plant traits for invasion into tropical rainforests has not been well studied.

Biodegradation and biodetoxification of batik dye wastewater by laccase from EDN 082 immobilised on light expanded clay aggregate.

Unlabelled: The biodegradation and biodetoxification of batik industrial wastewater by laccase enzyme immobilised on light expanded clay aggregate (LECA) were investigated. Laccase from EDN 082 was covalently immobilised by modifying the LECA surface using (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane and glutaraldehyde. The enzymatic characterisation of LECA-laccase showed promising results with an enzyme loading of 6.

First Molecular Detection of Coxiella burnetii in Beef Cattle in West Java, Indonesia.

Coxiella burnetii is a bacterial pathogen that causes Q fever, which is widespread worldwide. Livestock such as cattle, goats, and sheep are the main sources of C. burnetii infection.

Exploring the vertebrate fauna of the Bird's Head Peninsula (Indonesia, West Papua) through DNA barcodes.

Biodiversity knowledge is widely heterogeneous across the Earth's biomes. Some areas, due to their remoteness and difficult access, present large taxonomic knowledge gaps. Mostly located in the tropics, these areas have frequently experienced a fast development of anthropogenic activities during the last decades and are therefore of high conservation concerns.

Genetic variation and phylogenetic analysis of Indonesian indigenous catfish (baung fish) based on mitochondrial gene.

Background And Aim: Baung fish is an essential commodity in Indonesia; however, few studies have explored the genetic diversity of Indonesian catfish. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships among Indonesian catfish based on the mitochondrial () gene.

Materials And Methods: In total, 28 catfish were collected from nine rivers in seven provinces and from the Indian Ocean.

Recent Advances in Discovery of Lead Structures from Microbial Natural Products: Genomics- and Metabolomics-Guided Acceleration.

Natural products (NPs) are evolutionarily optimized as drug-like molecules and remain the most consistently successful source of drugs and drug leads. They offer major opportunities for finding novel lead structures that are active against a broad spectrum of assay targets, particularly those from secondary metabolites of microbial origin. Due to traditional discovery approaches' limitations relying on untargeted screening methods, there is a growing trend to employ unconventional secondary metabolomics techniques.

Cembranoids of Soft Corals: Recent Updates and Their Biological Activities.

Soft corals are well-known as excellent sources of marine-derived natural products. Among them, members of the genera Sarcophyton, Sinularia, and Lobophytum are especially attractive targets for marine natural product research. In this review, we reported the marine-derived natural products called cembranoids isolated from soft corals, including the genera Sarcophyton, Sinularia, and Lobophytum.

Complex sexually dimorphic traits shape the parallel evolution of a novel reproductive strategy in Sulawesi ricefishes (Adrianichthyidae).

Background: Pelvic brooding is a form of uni-parental care, and likely evolved in parallel in two lineages of Sulawesi ricefishes. Contrary to all other ricefishes, females of pelvic brooding species do not deposit eggs at a substrate (transfer brooding), but carry them until the fry hatches. We assume that modifications reducing the costs of egg carrying are beneficial for pelvic brooding females, but likely disadvantageous in conspecific males, which might be resolved by the evolution of sexual dimorphism via sexual antagonistic selection.

Recent advances and rational design strategies of carbon dots towards highly efficient solar evaporation.

Solar evaporation using photothermal materials is an environmentally friendly and feasible solution to overcome the water scarcity issue by utilizing the abundant solar energy source. Some key points for efficient solar-to-thermal energy conversion have been extensively studied. Among them, the advancement of solar absorber materials has emerged as an attractive research topic, owing to their potential to enhance the efficiency of solar to thermal conversion significantly.