Quantifying social capital creation in post-disaster recovery aid in Indonesia: methodological innovation by an AI-based language model.

Smooth interaction with a disaster-affected community can create and strengthen its social capital, leading to greater effectiveness in the provision of successful post-disaster recovery aid. To understand the relationship between the types of interaction, the strength of social capital generated, and the provision of successful post-disaster recovery aid, intricate ethnographic qualitative research is required, but it is likely to remain illustrative because it is based, at least to some degree, on the researcher's intuition. This paper thus offers an innovative research method employing a quantitative artificial intelligence (AI)-based language model, which allows researchers to re-examine data, thereby validating the findings of the qualitative research, and to glean additional insights that might otherwise have been missed. This paper argues that well-connected personnel and religiously-based communal activities help to enhance social capital by bonding within a community and linking to outside agencies and that mixed methods, based on the AI-based language model, effectively strengthen text-based qualitative research.

Islamic faith-based organisations and their role in building social capital for post-disaster recovery in Indonesia.

This paper investigates the role of Islamic faith-based organisations (FBOs) in Indonesia and examines the way in which their disaster recovery aid can be successful or less successful depending on social capital formation in communities affected by a disaster. The paper argues that Islamic FBOs play a prominent role in disaster-affected communities by building new social capital or strengthening existing social capital. Failure to do so may affect a community's recovery and its long-term resilience. Applying a framework that considers three types of social capital-bonding, bridging, and linking-from a comparative perspective, the paper discusses two cases of disaster recovery: one following the earthquake that struck Aceh in 2013; and the other after the Mount Kelud volcanic eruptions in East Java in 2014. In both instances, the findings highlight the importance of the village facilitator, cultural sensitivity, and understanding of local indigenous and religious practices for successful disaster recovery.

Local knowledge as the basis of disaster management and humanitarian assistance.

Recent policy discourse on the localisation of disaster management and humanitarian assistance lacks attention to the culture, history, and traditions of the Global South. This special issue of Disasters argues that it is imperative to recognise the dynamic, interactive, contested, and negotiated nature of local knowledge. Such local knowledge saves lives by enabling responders to situate ad hoc, one-off events such as disasters in the broader and deeper context of community relationships, thereby providing more appropriate and more effective aid. Through the cases of China, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, this special issue examines such dynamic local knowledge using an analytical framework consisting of three manifestations of local knowledge, namely: social capital; contextual historical memories; and adaptation to new ideas. These three manifestations show the ways in which local knowledge creates local capacity, via which local, national, and international disaster respondents can centre their response coordination, and in turn, demonstrate how local capacity reformulates local knowledge.

First report of Ageratum yellow vein virus infecting papaya in Lampung, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Papaya (Carica papaya) is a tropical fruit of great economic and nutritional importance, loved for its sweet and delicious flesh. However, papaya cultivation faces serious challenges in the form of Begomovirus attacks. Begomoviruses are a group of viruses that pose a serious threat to plants worldwide. Including papaya, Begomovirus has become a significant threat to papaya production in various parts of the world and has been identified in several regions in Indonesia. METHODS: DNA was extracted from seven samples representing different papaya growing areas using a Plant Genomic DNA Mini Kit. Genomic DNA from the samples was subjected to PCR using universal primers of AC2, AC1, SPG1 and SPG2. The PCR products then sequenced using the dideoxy (Sanger) approach. The obtained sequence then compared to the gene bank using BLAST software available at NCBI. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree construction were analyzed using the MEGA11 program. RESULTS: Detection based on viral nucleic acid in papaya plants in Pesawaran, Lampung Province with seven sampling points using universal primers SPG1/SPG2 showed positive results for Begomovirus infection with visible DNA bands measuring ± 900 bp. Direct nucleotide sequencing using SPG1/SPG2 primers for the AC2 and AC1 genes of the Begomovirus and confirmed by the BLAST program showed that papaya samples were infected with Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV). The phylogenetic results show that AYVV from papaya samples has a close relationship with the AYVV group from several other countries, with 98% homology. CONCLUSION: In the papaya cultivation area in Pesawaran, Lampung province, it was identified as Begomovirus, Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV) species and is closely related to the AYVV group from several other countries. Overall, our study further suggests that Ageratum acts as an alternative host and reservoir for Begomovirus.

Highly Ecofriendly Inorganic Pesticide Based on TiO2 Incorporated with Nano-Carbon Composites for Phytophthora palmivora Fungus Disinfection.

Crop destruction organisms are an essential factor hindering cocoa plants' production yield. It is the biggest problem for cocoa farmers to resolve and reduce the impact of the P. palmivora fungus on cocoa pods. Herein, this study presents the optimization of inorganic pesticides based on nano-carbon self-doped TiO2 (C/TiO2) nanocomposites capable of disinfecting broad-spectrum P. palmivora microorganisms for the practical application of photodisinfection technology. C/TiO2 nanocomposite-based inorganic pesticide has been prepared by sol-gel method to produce nanospray and planted in media containing P. palmivora fungus. To identify the various composition of the C/TiO2 nanospray, they were evaluated by FTIR spectroscopy to observe the functional groups of the nano-carbon and TiO2, which clearly contained -OH (3446-3448 cm-1), C≡C (2366-2370 cm-1), C=O (1797-1799 cm-1), C-H (1425 cm-1), C-O (1163-1203 cm-1), C-H (875-877 cm-1), and Ti-O (875-877 cm-1) groups. Some researchers have reported that nano-carbon significantly changes the band gap energy of TiO2 under visible light and can also be active under dark conditions. This statement is relevant to our experimental results that 0.3% C/TiO2 nanocomposites can inhibit the fungus P. palmivora with a percentage inhibition value of 72.7%. However, the high-performance efficiency proved strong when subjected to visible light irradiation with an inhibition value of 98.6%. Our results indicate that C/TiO2 nanocomposites have great potential in agricultural plant pathogen disinfection. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-023-01076-7.

Air-Processable Perovskite Solar Cells by Hexamine Molecule Phase Stabilization.

Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a potential energy alternative due to their low cost of fabrication and high power conversion efficiency. Unfortunately, their poor ambient stability has critically limited their industrialization and application in real environmental conditions. Here, we show that by introducing hexamine molecules into the perovskite lattice, we can enhance the photoactive phase stability, enabling high-performance and air-processable perovskite solar cells. The unencapsulated and freshly prepared perovskite solar cells produce a power conversion efficiency of 16.83% under a 100 mW cm-2 1.5G solar light simulator and demonstrate high stability properties when being stored for more than 1500 h in humid air with relative humidity ranging from 65 to 90%. We envisage that our findings may revolutionize perovskite solar cell research, pushing the performance and stability to the limit and bringing the perovskite solar cells toward industrialization.

Antioxidant Activity of Usnic Acid Compound from Methanol Extract of Lichen Usnea sp.

Lichen Usnea sp. is one of the sources of natural bioactive compounds which are currently being developed as medicinal ingredients. The purpose of this study was the isolation and identification of secondary metabolites from methanol extract, toxicity test and antioxidant activity of Usnea sp. Lichen was isolated by maceration using methanol solvent, then separated by liquid-liquid partition and separation using vacuum chromatography. Based on the results of the study, NMR-1D spectral data and FTIR spectrum is the presence of functional groups showed the presence of F15 compound is usnic acid consisting of 18 carbons with 3 carbons from the C=O carbonyl group. The results of the toxicity test showed that all of them were active against Artemia salina L. shrimp larvae with LC50 values of 0.820 µg/mL (Usnea sp.), 1.030 µg/mL (n-hexane), 1.056 µg/mL (ethyl acetate), and 1.236 µg/mL (methanol extract). The results of the antioxidant activity test showed that the inhibitory activity of usnic acid isolate was very active with an IC50 value of 11.696 µg/mL. Meanwhile, methanol extracts and ethyl acetate showed antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 18.098 and 26.917 µg/mL, respectively.

Formation of Ultimate Thin 2D Crystal of Pt in the Presence of Hexamethylenetetramine.

Platinum naturally crystalizes into a three-dimensional crystal due to its highly symmetrical fcc lattice, with a metallic bond which is non-directional and highly isotropic. This inherently means ultimately that 2D crystals of a few atoms thick growth are hardly available in this material. Here, we discovered that a combinative effect of formic acid reductant and hexamethylenetetramine surfactant during the reduction of their metal ions precursor can realize an ultimate thin 2D crystal growth in platinum. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and filed-emission electron microscopy analysis have also discovered that the 2D crystal of Pt has 111 facets with a lateral dimension that can be up to more than 5 µm × 2 µm. The thickness of the 2D crystal of Pt is 1.55 nm. A mechanism for obtaining ultimate thin 2D crystal of Pt using the present approach is proposed.

Highly Synergistic Sensor of Graphene Electrode Functionalized with Rutile TiO2 Microstructures to Detect L-Tryptophan Compound.

Electrochemical processes are an effective method for detecting dangerous food ingredients. The synergistic between the reduction-oxidation (redox) processes inspired several papers and spurred research towards studying the new materials that can further adapt to optimize the rapid detection of chemical compounds. In this study, we report the eco-synthesis using graphene/TiO2 rutile (G/TiO2) electrode microstructures easily prepared through the physical method by mixing graphene and TiO2 powder and its application for sensing L-tryptophan (Trp) compound. The material characterization results show that the graphene surface is smoother than the G/TiO2 material. Graphene has been detected using X-ray diffraction (XRD) at a value of 2 thetas 26.39° and TiO2 forms rutile crystals (110). The FTIR spectrum exhibits the functional groups from graphene of -OH, C-H, C=C, C-O, and TiO2 identified with Ti-O bonds. The electrochemical test against G/TiO2 electrode microstructures for Trp compound shows that 0.5 g TiO2 rutile was the best composition functionalized with graphene material under 0.1M K3[Fe(CN)6] + 0.1M NaNO3 electrolyte with a scan rate of 0.1 V/s. Determination of the detection limit was obtained at 0.005 mg/L with a HorRat value of 1.05%. The stability test was carried out for 25 days, and the addition of Pb(NO3)2 as an interference compound had a significant effect on the decrease in electrode performance.

Potential of Usnic Acid Compound from Lichen Genus Usnea sp. as Antidiabetic Agents.

Lichen Usnea sp. is potential as a new natural medicine. This study report isolation of secondary metabolites from lichen Usnea sp. and α-glucosidase inhibitory, which is potential as an antidiabetic agent. Lichen powder was macerated using methanol, separated using column chromatography gravity and thin-layer chromatography. The crystalline was isolated and purified by the recrystallization process for obtaining pure compound. The isolated compound was determined using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy (1H and 13C). The results showed that the isolated compound was yellow needle crystals. Based on the spectra data interpretation, it was obtained usnic acid compound with the molecular formula of C18H16O7. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity test showed that the usnic acid had activity in inhibiting the α-glucosidase enzyme with an IC50 value of 106.78 µg/mL. The usnic acid from Usnea sp. has a very good impact on the source of natural compounds as an antidiabetic drug in the future.

DNA barcoding detects resurrected taxon Giuris laglaizei (Sauvage 1880) in Sulawesi, Indonesia: Bolano Sau Lake payangka phylogeny, phenotypic characters and implications for Giuris spp. conservation.

Background: The freshwater ichthyofauna of Wallacea is diverse and understudied. A baseline survey of Bolano Sau Lake in Parigi Moutong District, Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia in 2019 found an eleotrid goby (local name payangka) with characters conforming to the genus Giuris, long considered monophyletic as G. margaritacea/G. margaritaceus but recently found to comprise at least eight species. This study focused on the molecular (DNA barcoding) identification and phenotypic characters of the payangka. Methods: Payangka samples were collected from August to December 2019 in collaboration with local fishermen, weighed and measured, and preserved in 75% ethanol. Length, weight, sex (n=111) and seventeen morphometric characters/six meristic counts (n=42) were recorded. DNA barcoding was performed on a fin clipping preserved in 96% ethanol. Homologous nucleotide sequences were obtained from public (GenBank and BOLD) databases, analysis conducted in MEGA X, and phylogenetic trees edited in the Interactive Tree of Life (iToL). Results: Within the polyphyletic Giuris clade, the payangka sequence resolved into a sub-clade identified as Giuris laglaizei (Sauvage 1880), a recently resurrected taxon, based on a sequence provided by Philippe Keith. The length-weight relationship (L = 0.0087∙W3.162) indicated mildly allometric positive growth. Size distribution differed significantly between male and female fish with significantly larger mean size of males (13.56 cm) than females (11.62 cm). The meristic formula was: D VI-I,8 A I,8 P 13 V I,5 C15. Phylogenic analysis indicated four Giuris species in wetlands around Tomini Bay and five in Sulawesi. Conclusions: This first record of G. laglaizei in Indonesia advances knowledge of Wallacean and Indo-Pacific gobioid biogeography and highlights the need for a revision of the conservation status of the taxa currently grouped under Giuris margaritacea/G. margaritaceus in the IUCN Red List and FishBase databases. The data will inform biodiversity and fisheries management at local and regional levels.

Spatial analysis of COVID-19 outbreak to assess the effectiveness of social restriction policy in dealing with the pandemic in Jakarta.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spread globally and brought health and socioeconomic issues. Jakarta tried to accommodate health and economic interests through the Large-Scale Social Restriction (LSSR) policy that should be assessed. This study aims to (1) visualize the spatial patterns of confirmed Covid-19 cases and the locations of potential risk of transmission, and (2) determine the spatial processes underlying the spatial patterns of Covid-19 cases. The emerging hot spot analysis and space-time scan statistic were employed to analyze the dynamic of infected cases and transmission risk. A Geographical Weighted Regression (GWR) model was developed to define factors that influence the spatial transmission. The result shows that spatial transmission keeps continuing, despite a decline in the aggregate pandemic curve during LSSR implementation. This was likely affected by settlements types and population density distribution, and transportation networks. Spatial analysis supports the aggregate pandemic curve to increase the pandemic surveillance effectiveness.

Effectiveness of Green Chemical Solvent-based on Triethylammonium Methanesulfonate Ion Liquid for the OPEFB Pretreatment Process.

Many studies have explored the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass based on oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) which is categorized as potential biomass waste for bioethanol production. Before proceeding further to obtain bioethanol, several steps such as pretreatment to increase organic constituents are needed. The ionic liquids (ILs) were commonly investigated by many researchers for lignocellulosic pretreatment because it is easy solubilization property, non-toxic, and not harmful impacts on the environment. Therefore in this study, the hypothesis and main objective were to observe the effectiveness of triethylammonium methanesulfonate ion liquid (TMS IL) in the OPEFB lignocellulose pretreatment process. Three variations were studied to obtain optimization of the pretreatment process, such as times duration, IL composition, and temperature. Based on these results, we observed the effectiveness of the time duration for OPEFB pretreatment of 20 hours. Furthermore, it was applied to determine the optimization of IL composition and temperature showing that using 91% (1:1:10) at 120°C for 20 hours has provided good performance for the OPEFB lignocellulose pretreatment process. TMS IL has exhibited the ability to reduce hemicellulose and lignin contents to 7.35% and 17.80%, whereas cellulose was increased by 54.24%. This has the opportunity to be projected to a larger scale for bioethanol production based on OPEFB lignocellulose.

Optimization of OPEFB lignocellulose transformation process through ionic liquid [TEA][HSO4] based pretreatment.

Research on the transformation of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) through pretreatment process using ionic liquid triethylammonium hydrogen sulphate (IL [TEA][HSO4]) 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. Based on the results obtained, it showed that IL [TEA][HSO4] was successfully synthesized. This was indicated by the presence of IR absorption at 1/λ = 2814.97 cm-1, 1401.07 cm-1, 1233.30 cm-1 and 847.92 cm-1 which were functional groups for NH, CH3, CN and SO2, respectively. These results were supported by H-NMR data at δ (ppm) = 1.217-1.236 (N-CH2-CH3), 3.005-3.023 (-H), 3.427-3.445 (N-H+) and 3.867 (N+H3). The TGA results showed that the melting point and decomposition temperature of the IL were 49 °C and 274.3 °C, respectively. Based on pretreatment optimization, it showed that the best IL composition for cellulose production was 85 wt%. Meanwhile, temperature optimization showed that the best temperature was 120 °C. In these two optimum conditions, the cellulose content was obtained at 45.84 wt%. Testing of IL [TEA][HSO4] recovery performance for reuse has shown promising results. During the pretreatment process, IL [TEA][HSO4] recovery effectively increased the cellulose content of OPEFB to 29.13 wt% and decreased the lignin content to 32.57%. The success of the recovery process is indicated by the increasing density properties of IL [TEA][HSO4]. This increase occurs when using a temperature of 80-100 °C. The overall conditions obtained from this work suggest that IL [TEA][HSO4] was effective during the transformation process of OPEFB into cellulose. This shows the potential of IL [TEA][HSO4] in the future in the renewable energy sector.

Examination the Hydrolysis Feasibility of OPEFB Biomass Using Aspergillus niger as Cellulase Enzyme-producing Fungus.

The objective of this study was to obtain optimization results from the biological hydrolysis of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (OPEFB) using Aspergillus niger (A. niger) BIOTROP 2173 isolated from grain. Optimized hydrolysis parameters include temperature, pH and time. The hydrolysis process was carried out by growing A. niger on OPEFB powder (± 30 mesh) through two schemes, namely hydrolysis on OPEFB pretreatment with 10% NaOH and hydrolysis on OPEFB non-pretreatment. The optimization results show that the best hydrolysis process of A. niger BIOTROP 2173 occurs in OPEFB pretreatment. The optimum conditions for temperature, pH and time obtained are 40°C, 6 and 24 hours, respectively. Although the amount of reducing sugar produced was lower than the OPEFB non-pretreatment, the performance of the cellulase enzyme during the hydrolysis process of OPEFB pretreatment was very good, with a fast hydrolysis rate. These results indicate that the performance of A. niger BIOTROP 2173 in the hydrolysis process is influenced by the pretreatment stage. The optimum conditions obtained then became a reference in the production of reducing sugar based on A. niger BIOTROP 2173. The amount of reducing sugar produced from OPEFB pretreatment was 0.94 mg.mL-1, while for OPEFB non-pretreatment was 15.83 mg.mL-1.

Facilitators and Barriers to the Implementation of Preschool Oral Healthcare Programme in Malaysia from the Perspective of Dental Therapists: A Qualitative Study.

The Preschool Oral Healthcare Programme (POHP) was introduced in Malaysia by the Ministry of Health in 1984 to provide oral healthcare for 5-6-year-old children. Most of its evaluations were directed towards assessing children's oral health status. Little emphasis has been placed on assessing the programme feasibility from the perspectives of the oral health personnel. The objective of the study was to explore the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of the POHP using the perspectives of dental therapists (DT) in Selangor state, Malaysia. This study took a qualitative approach using focus group discussion (FGD) as the data collection method. The data were transcribed verbatim followed by thematic analysis using Nvivo software. A total of 13 FGDs had been conducted involving 114 DT. The main facilitators were good dental teamwork, assistance from schools and teachers, sufficient training of DT, adequate support from dental administration, and good cooperation from the children. The main barriers were lack of financial support, manpower, time, inadequate support from preschools and children, language barrier, and accessibility to sugary food and drinks at schools. The study provided important insights regarding the POHP that would be useful for programme improvement through policy changes, workforce training, and enhanced school participation.

Antibacterial activity of usnic acid from Usnea longissima Ach.

Isolation and identification of secondary metabolite from n-hexane fraction of lichen Usnea longissima Ach. and its bioactivity as antibacterial have been carried out. The isolation of chemical compounds was performed by using Gravity Column Chromatography (GCC), solvent systems as mobile phase (n-hexane, ethyl acetate), and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). The form of isolated compound was yellow needle crystals. The result of 1D-NMR (1H and 13C-NMR) data showed that the isolated compound was usnic acid. Antibacterial bioactivity testing was conducted by using the paper disk diffusion method indicated that the usnic acid compound was actively inhibited the growth of E. coli (ATCC35218) and S. aureus (ATCC25923) at the concentrations of 500mg/mL and 1000mg/mL with inhibition zone between 12mm and 17mm. In addition, S. typhi (YCTC) was only inhibited at the concentration of 1000mg/mL with inhibition zone of 14mm.

Hierarchical Bimetallic AgPt Nanoferns as High-Performance Catalysts for Selective Acetone Hydrogenation to Isopropanol.

A combinative effect of two or more individual material properties, such as lattice parameters and chemical properties, has been well-known to generate novel nanomaterials with special crystal growth behavior and physico-chemical performance. This paper reports unusually high catalytic performance of AgPt nanoferns in the hydrogenation reaction of acetone conversion to isopropanol, which is several orders higher compared to the performance shown by pristine Pt nanocatalysts or other metals and metal-metal oxide hybrid catalyst systems. It has been demonstrated that the combinative effect during the bimetallisation of Ag and Pt produced nanostructures with a highly anisotropic morphology, i.e., hierarchical nanofern structures, which provide high-density active sites on the catalyst surface for an efficient catalytic reaction. The extent of the effect of structural growth on the catalytic performance of hierarchical AgPt nanoferns is discussed.