Growth Tests Research Articles

Efficiency improvement of fatigue crack healing by multiple high-density pulsed electric currents: Application to austenitic stainless steel

This study aims to demonstrate the use of a novel treatment approach for fatigue crack healing. High-density pulsed electric currents, which have been widely used for fatigue crack healing of metals, can exert synergistic effects on fatigue crack healing by both compressive stress (owing to the Joule heating) and dislocation motion (owing to the electron wind force). However, these synergistic effects are sometimes weakened by temperature elevations owing to high current densities, failing to efficiently heal fatigue cracks owing to the thermal degradation of metals. In this study, type 316 austenitic stainless steel, which is the most common metallic material, was considered for investigating fatigue crack healing improvement under controlled crack tip temperature elevation owing to the Joule heating induced by multiple high-density pulsed electric currents. Appropriate current parameters such as current density and pulse number under fixed pulse duration were optimized. The results revealed microstructural modifications, such as crack closure with crack bridging, annihilation of slip bands, and material filling near the crack tips, which is promising for fatigue crack healing improvement. The results of fatigue crack growth tests validated these microstructure improvements.

The Coating of Mahogany Leaves Composite Using Clove Leaf Essential Oil as An Anti-Fungal Ganoderma lucidum

This work has been carried out to use clove leaf oil as a composite coating component having anti-fungal properties. The mushroom growth testing was carried out with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing with variations in concentrations of 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, up to 1% and obtained MIC values of clove oil found at a concentration of 0.4% in inhibiting the growth of white-rot fungi. Ganoderma lucidum mushroom is used as a weathering fungus applied in composites. The results of SSD testing showed that the growth of Ganoderma lucidum fungus began to be inhibited in composites coated with clove oil with a concentration of 0.6%.FTIR testing showed the presence of hydroxyl group (O-H), methylene group (C-H), alkenyl (C=C), and aromatic ring (C=C-C), GC-MS test results showed clove oil containing 67.40% eugenol, 17.42% beta-caryophyllene, 2.91% isopropenyl acetate, 1.56% caryophyllene oxide and 0.91% alpha-copaene. Based on research data, it shows that clove leaf oil can be used as an anti-fungal coating component in composites.

Analisis Kausalitas Pertumbuhan Ekonomi terhadap Penyerapan Tenaga Kerja Provinsi Sumatera Barat Tahun 2001-2020

Economic growth is defined as an effort to increase production with the aim of increasing output, which is usually measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or using Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP). Absorption of labor is the number of jobs seen from the number of people working. This study aims to examine the causal relationship between economic growth and employment in West Sumatra Province in 2001-2020. The analytical tool used is the Granger causality test. The results of the Granger causality test for the variable Economic growth have a one-way causality relationship with employment. Whereas in West Sumatra Province, economic growth affects employment, but labor does not affect economic growth.

Effects of viscosity modifying admixture and nanoclay on fresh and rheo-viscoelastic properties and printability characteristics of cementitious composites

This study explores the effects of a viscosity modifying admixture (VMA) and attapulgite nanoclay (ANC) on rheological and viscoelastic properties as well as printability characteristics of mortar mixtures used for 3D printing. A total of sixteen mortar mixtures with varying dosages of VMA and ANC are prepared using a factorial design of experiments. Rheological properties of each mixture including static yield stress, plastic viscosity, and dynamic yield stress are evaluated through rotational rheometry tests such as ramp test and stress growth test. Then, the viscoelastic properties such as storage modulus, loss modulus and linear viscoelastic range are determined using oscillatory rheology tests. A thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is conducted to assess the effects of VMA and ANC on hydration characteristics of mortar mixtures. A statistical analysis is performed to further evaluate the individual and joint effects of VMA and ANC on key performance parameters. An unsupervised clustering algorithm is used to group the mixtures into three clusters based on the obtained rheological and viscoelastic properties. A direct printing test using a screw type 3D concrete printing is conducted to assess the printability and buildability of the mortar mixtures selected from each cluster. Results indicate that the ANC can more effectively alter both rheological and viscoelastic properties of mortar composites for 3D printing compared with VMA. However, the combined use of VMA and ANC in printable mortar mixtures leads to a high static yield stress and storage modulus and the resulted mixture exhibits good buildability without any plastic collapse.

Calcium enhances phosphorus reclamation during biochar formation: Mechanisms and potential application as a phosphorus fertilizer in a paddy soil

Transformation of phosphorus (P) species during pyrolytic production of biochar from P-rich biowastes with a subsequent soil amendment is important to P reclamation. Aiming at increasing the content of plant-available P and restraining the formation of easily mobile P in pyrolysis product, this study used exogenous calcium ions (20 wt% CaCl2) addition prior to pyrolysis to regulate the pyrolytic transformation of P chemical fractions from sewage sludge and bone dreg. Results showed that active Ca catalyzed the decomposition of organic P to transform into inorganic orthophosphate. Based on Hedley’s sequential extraction method, this study found that addition of Ca ions remarkably reduced the content of soluble P, exchange P, Fe/Al bound P, and occluded P in biochar, while increased Ca bound P from 78 to 85% to 85–96%. Liquid 31P NMR indicated that exogenous Ca induced the crack of the P-O-P bond in pyrophosphate to become orthophosphates. It also explained why new orthophosphates including chlorapatite (Ca5(PO4)3Cl) and calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) appeared in the Ca-composite biochar compared to pristine biochar. Combined with rapid P-release test in paddy soil (pH 6.27) and 30-days rice seedling growth test under flooded condition (10 wt% biochar addition ratio), it was confirmed that compared to pristine biochar, Ca-composite biochar released more P in paddy soil, but also promoted more P to be taken in by rice root and stalk. These results suggested that pretreating biowaste with Ca ion was a friendly approach to enhance P reclamation during biochar formation, making it a promising P fertilizer.

A robust probabilistic fatigue crack growth model based on walker’s crack growth rate equation for metallic materials

The fatigue crack growth data inherits statistical variation despite carefully controlled test procedures. The available probabilistic models rely extensively on fatigue crack growth test data of the coupon material under replicate loading conditions. In view of the often unavailability of such a database, this work proposes a new probabilistic model based on Walker’s crack growth rate equation and considers the variability in both the stress intensity factor range, ΔK and stress ratio, R. The optimum estimates of the model parameters are established using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method. The model is examined using selected sets of measured fatigue crack growth curves of 7075-T6 and 2024-351 aluminum alloys. It demonstrates acceptable predictions for fatigue crack growth data on replicate and variable R-ratio loadings with failure probabilities in the range of 0.10 ≤pF≤ 0.90. The error on the observed fatigue crack growth rate data is normally distributed. The criterion of the minimum number of replicate tests for a valid probabilistic assessment of the fatigue crack growth data is established. Based on the mean squared error (MSE) parameter, the model provides a better representation of the mean fatigue crack growth rate behavior of the material for fatigue loading with variable R-ratios.

Study on the improvement of clay properties by xanthan gum and its application on ecological slope protection engineering

ABSTRACT Traditional substrate binder releases greenhouse gases during the production and application processes, and is detrimental to the vegetation restoration on slopes. To develop a new environmentally friendly soil substrate, this paper conducted a serial of experimental studies on the ecological function and mechanical properties of the xanthan gum (XG)-amended clay by plant growth tests and direct shear tests. The improvement mechanism of the xanthan gum (XG)-amended clay has also explored through microscopic examinations. Experimental results of plant growth tests show that the germination of ryegrass seeds and growth of seedlings can be effectively promoted by adding a proper content (≤2%) of XG into clay. Plants in substrates with 2% of XG grew best, while a high content (3-4%) of XG has an inhibitory effect on the plant growth. The results of direct shear tests illustrate that the shear strength and cohesion both increase with the increase of XG contents, while the internal friction has an opposite trend. The improve mechanism of the xanthan gum (XG)-amended clay were also explored by XRD tests and micro-scopic examinations. It is found that shows that XG does not react chemically to form new mineral components after mixing with clay. The mechanism of XG improving clay is mainly because the XG gel can fill the pores between clay particles, and enhance the cementation between clay particles. XG can enhance the mechanical properties of clay and offset the deficiencies of traditional binder. It can play an active role in the ecological slope protection project.

The Growth of Bacillus cereus (IHB B 379) Isolates at Different Temperature and Concentration of Mercury Chloride (HgCl2)


 
 
 Bacillus cereus (IHB B 379) has been isolated from the sediments of the illegal gold mining area located in Danau Biru Singkawang, these bacteria have resistant properties by being able to grow on media containing HgCl2 with a concentration of 500 ppm. This study aimed to determine the effect of temperature and concentration of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) on the growth of Bacillus cereus (IHB B 379) and to determine the temperature and concentration of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) on the optimum growth of Bacillus cereus (IHB B 379). The study used a Completely Randomized Factorial Design (CRD) consisting of two treatment factors. The first factor was a different temperature treatment with three levels, namely 320C, 370C, and 420C. The second factor was the treatment of the mercuric chloride (HgCl2) concentration with three levels, namely 0 ppm, 250 ppm, and 500 ppm. The Bacillus cereus (IHB B 379) growth test used the delusional method and the number of colonies was calculated using the Total Plate Count (TPC) method. The results showed that the growth of Bacillus cereus (IHB B 379) was seriously affected by the temperature and concentration of HgCl2 . The best growth pattern of Bacillus cereus (IHB B 379) was occurred at 320C and concentration HgCl2 250 ppm. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ONION (ALLIUM CEPA L.) AS A TEST PLANT

Phytotesting has long been used to determine the quality of seeds, agricultural soil fertility, in biomedical research, and recently in the field of environmental protection to assess the ecological quality of natural environment (water, soil) in phytotesting of toxicants. Various plant representatives are used as model test organisms, in particular, onion (Allium cepa L.) is considered as a standard test plant for the determination of toxicants. The purpose of the work is to generalize methodological approaches of using onion (Allium cepa L.) in phytotesting of toxicants. Methodology. During the research, the following methods were used: 1) general scientific methods (methods of theoretical research of available information); 2) analytical and generalized methods (for the analysis of scientific and literature sources on the given problem); 3) empirical (for accumulating facts); 4) methods of argumentation (to prove one’s own judgments). Scientific novelty - methodical approaches of using onion in phytotesting of toxicants are summarized, formulas for calculating phytotoxic indices (root length index, phytotoxic effect of solutions, toxicity index of solutions for each test function, average toxicity index of the tested solutions) are presented. Conclusions - phytotesting is a commonly used method of assessing the quality of natural environment (water, soil) which is based on the sensitivity of plants to external chemical influences and is reflected in growth and morphological characteristics. The standard test plant for the determination of toxicant influence is the onion (Allium cepa), which can be used both in the growth test and in the Allium-test. The most sensitive characteristics of onion are the mitotic activity of the apical meristem cells and the frequency of cells with chromosomal aberrations.

Removal of mixed contaminants from landfill leachate-contaminated soil by flushing with bio-surfactant: laboratory column tests.

Landfill leachate-contaminated soil is widespread all over the world. In order to study the removal of mixed contaminants from landfill leachate-contaminated soil by flushing with bio-surfactant, soil column test was conducted to select an optimum concentration of bio-surfactant saponin (SAP) at first. Then, the removal efficiencies of organic contaminants, ammonia nitrogen, and heavy metals from landfill leachate-contaminated soil by flushing with SAP were studied. At last, the toxicity of contaminated soil before and after flushing was estimated by sequential extraction of heavy metals and plant growth test. The test results showed that the SAP solution with the concentration of 2.5 CMC could effectively remove the mixed contaminants from soil and would not introduce excessive pollutants of SAP in soil. Specifically, the removal efficiencies of organic contaminant and ammonia nitrogen were 47.01% and 90.42%, respectively. And the removal efficiencies of Cu, Zn, and Cd were 29.42%, 22.55%, and 17.68%, respectively. During flushing, hydrophobic organic compounds as well as physisorption and ion-exchange ammonia nitrogen in soil were removed by the solubilization effect of SAP, and heavy metals were removed by the chelation of SAP. After flushing with SAP, the reduced partition index (IR) value of Cu and Cd increased, and the mobility index (MF) value of Cu decreased. In addition, flushing with SAP reduced the plant toxicity of contaminated soil, and the residual SAP in soil promoted the plant growth. Therefore, flushing with SAP offered great potentials in remediating the landfill leachate-contaminated soil.

Ecotoxicity of TiO2, cerium and zirconium doped TiO2 photocatalysts prepared by different preparation methods and using different titanium precursors

Ecotoxicological effects of manufactured TiO2, cerium doped TiO2 and zirconium doped TiO2 prepared by different chemical methods and using different chemical precursors were evaluated, since these nanomaterials are keenly investigated semiconductor photocatalysts for waste and drinking water and waste gas purification in last three decades. Acute biological toxicity of manufactured photocatalysts was evaluated based on Sinapis alba seeds germination and Lemna minor fronds growth tests, and was compared to commercial photocatalyst TiO2 Degussa P25. Toxicity tests exhibited good sensitivity for monitoring of the toxicity of investigated nanomaterials. TiO2 toxicity results demonstrate that TiO2 prepared using titanyl sulphate as a Ti precursor are toxic to both plant species contrary to TiO2 prepared using titanium (IV) isopropoxide. Cerium doped TiO2 with Ce amount <5.5 wt.% proved to be non-toxic to both plant species and zirconium doped TiO2 even stimulates both plant species growth. Small crystallite-size and high surface area are not the toxicity-determining factors. In case of TiO2 prepared by using titanyl sulphate (TiO2-TH-C, TiO2-TH-PW), the chemical issues, i.e. the huge release of Ti4+ ions to nutrient aqueous solutions from TiO2 photocatalysts and the presence of SO42− onto TiO2 photocatalyst surfaces were identified. The presence of SO42− was identified as the chemical cause of TiO2 toxicity to both Lemna minor fronds and Sinapis alba seeds. High toxicity of Ce0.05Ti0.95On photocatalyst to Sinapis alba seeds was attributed to high content of cerium (∼9 wt.%) in TiO2 which led to formation of CeO2 of nuclei-size.

Identification and Characterization of Neofusicoccum stellenboschiana in Branch and Twig Dieback-Affected Olive Trees in Italy and Comparative Pathogenicity with N. mediterraneum.

For about a decade, olive groves in Apulia (Southern Italy) have been progressively destroyed by Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), a disease caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp). Recently, we described an additional wilting syndrome affecting olive trees in that area. The botryosphaeriaceous fungus Neofusicoccum mediterraneum was found associated with the diseased trees, and its high virulence toward olive trees was demonstrated. Given the common features with Branch and Twig Dieback (BTD) of olive tree, occurring in Spain and California, we suggested that the observed syndrome was BTD. During our first survey, we also found a botryosphaeriaceous species other than N. mediterraneum. In the present article, we report the morphological and molecular characterization of this fungal species which we identified as Neofusicoccum stellenboschiana. In the study, we also included for comparison additional N. stellenboschiana isolates obtained from olive trees in Latium and Tuscany region (Central Italy). The occurrence of N. stellenboschiana in olive trees is reported here for the first time in the northern hemisphere. The pathogenicity and virulence were tested in nine inoculation trials, where the Apulian N. stellenboschiana isolate was compared with the isolate from Latium and with the Apulian isolate of N. mediterraneum. Both isolates of N. stellenboschiana proved pathogenic to olive trees. They caused evident bark canker and wood discolouration when inoculated at the base of the stem of two/three-year-old trees and on one-year-old twigs. However, virulence of N. stellenboschiana was significantly lower, though still remarkable, compared with N. mediterraneum in term of necrosis progression in the bark and the wood and capacity of wilting the twigs. Virulence of N. stellenboschiana and N. mediterraneum did not substantially change when inoculations were performed in spring/summer and in autumn, suggesting that these fungal species have the potential to infect and damage olive trees in all seasons. The high thermotolerance of N. stellenboschiana was also revealed with in vitro growth and survival tests. The high virulence of these Botryosphaeriaceae species highlights their contribution in BTD aetiology and the necessity to investigate right away their diffusion and, possibly, the role of additional factors other than Xfp in the general decline of olive groves in Apulia. Hence the importance of assessing the degree of overlap of BTD/Botryosphariaceae with OQDS/Xfp is discussed.

IMPACT OF THE OPERATION CIGLITAZONE ON PPAR ACTIVATION AND APOPTOSIS PROCESS IN MODELS OF GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER IN VITRO

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR-γ) are nuclear transcription factors which affect the stimulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, modulation of inflammation, tissue sensitivity to insulin, immune response, cell proliferation and differentiation. Current research on PPAR-γ receptors is contradictory. &#x0D; A significant part of the research suggests that these receptors may be targeted for anti-cancer therapy and have anti-inflammatory properties. Other analyzes speculate on the role of PPAR-γ in promoting cancer. It is therefore important that further studies help to better understand the role of PPAR-γ receptors, which may be relevant in the context of public health and cancer therapy &#x0D; Methods: The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of ciglitazone (10 μM) on expression of PPAR-γ receptors. In addition, it was investigated whether action on PPAR-γ nuclear receptors with a specific ligand concentration (10 μM of ciglitazone) could lead to increased expression of apoptotic protein (Bcl-2, PKB/Akt) in gastric cancer cells (PANC-1, HT-29) in models In vitro. The effects of ciglitazone were tested in HT-29 and PANC-1 cell lines by MTT growth test (tetrazolium growth assay) for 48 hours post-treatment. Investigation of the relationship between ciglitazone and PPARγ in the context of apoptosis was investigated at the protein level by Western Blot analysis. &#x0D; Results: The results obtained reflect the trend in the publication. In the conducted studies, it was observed that at 10 and 20 μM concentration of ciglitazone affects the growth of the investigated cell lines (PANC-1, HT-29). In addition, studies have shown that this drug increases the activity of PPAR-γ receptors and may affect the kinase gene Akt and Bcl-2 through the receptors themselves. &#x0D; Conclusion: The studies show that treatment of cancer cells 10 μM ciglitazone for a certain time affects the upregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins. What may suggest that certain types of ligand does not result in inhibition of the process of carcinogenesis? Therefore, studies on the effect of PPAR-γ receptors and their ligands on intestinal tumors should be conducted.

Effect of compression precracking on the near threshold fatigue crack propagation in an AISI 316L stainless steel

This work addresses an alternative test procedure based on fatigue precracking under compression to mitigate the potential effects of crack closure on near-threshold fatigue data and, thus, to obtain more consistent and reliable ΔKth-values. The method relies on performing a compression precracking, in which both maximum and minimum loads are compressive, thereby resulting in a tensile residual stress field at the crack tip. Fatigue crack growth (FCG) tests conducted on an AISI 316L stainless steel provide the experimental data upon which the near-threshold fatigue crack growth rate data for different test techniques can be determined. The experimental program includes FCG tests conducted on conventional C(T) specimens with crack size to specimen width ratio a/W=0.2, single edge notched SE(B) specimens under three-point bending with a/W=0.2 and two different span sizes, S, characterized by S/W=4 and 8. Overall, the present investigation shows that combining the compression precracking technique with the utilization of non-standard bend specimens having increased span improves evaluation of the near-threshold fatigue crack growth rate data for the tested AISI 316L steel, thereby providing more accurate ΔKth-values.

Fatigue Strength of AH36 Thermal Cut Steel Edges at Sub-Zero Temperatures

Cruise ships or yachts that operate in areas with seasonal freezing temperatures have large openings in the outer shell. Those are thermal cut edges, and they are exposed to very low temperatures. From fatigue crack growth testing of base materials, it is known that low temperatures can accelerate the crack growth, which may reduce the fatigue life of a structure. However, the current guidelines and rules of classification societies do not provide design curves for the fatigue assessment of thermal cut steel edges at sub-zero temperatures. Therefore, fatigue tests of thermal cut edges are conducted at −20 ∘C and −50 ∘C as well as at room temperatures for reference. The specimens are plasma-cut and tested in a temperature chamber under uniaxial loading with a resonant testing machine. The test results are statistically evaluated using linear regression and the maximum likelihood method. The results show that the fatigue strength at sub-zero temperatures is significantly higher compared to room temperature. The test results of this study indicate that sub-zero temperatures down to −50 ∘C do not seem to cause a reduced fatigue life of thermal cut steel edges.

Quantitative Calculation of the Most Efficient LED Light Combinations at Specific Growth Stages for Basil Indoor Horticulture: Modeling through Design of Experiments

Indoor farms are a promising way to obtain vegetables in standard quantity and quality. As opposed to previous studies, this study attempts to calculate optimized LED light conditions for different growth stages (five-days time step) of basil (Ocimum basilicum) to enhance its indoor growth through a statistical approach. Design of Experiments (DoE) was used to plan a limited number of experiments (20) and to calculate quantitatively the effect of different light recipes on four responses: the number of plants, their height, the Leaf Area Index, and the amount of water used. Different proportions (from 25% to 77%) of Hyper Red (660 nm) and Deep Blue (451 nm), intensities in terms of LEDs–plant distance (60, 70 and 80 cm), and the addition of Warm White (3000 K) LEDs were considered as independent variables. The obtained models suggest that a light recipe tailored for every growth step in the plant’s life is beneficial. Appropriate LEDs must be carefully chosen at the beginning of growth, whereas distance becomes relevant at the end. This is confirmed by the results analysis carried out at the end of an additional growth test where the optimal light recipe extracted from the DoE’s results were used.

Together or Alone: Evaluating the Pathogen Inhibition Potential of Bacterial Cocktails against an Amphibian Pathogen.

The amphibian fungal skin disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has caused major biodiversity losses globally. Several experimental trials have tested the use of Janthinobacterium lividum to reduce mortality due to Bd infections, usually in single-strain amendments. It is well-characterized in terms of its anti-Bd activity mechanisms. However, there are many other microbes that inhibit Bd in vitro, and not all experiments have demonstrated consistent results with J. lividum. We used a series of in vitro assays involving bacterial coculture with Bd lawns, bacterial growth tests in liquid broth, and Bd grown in bacterial cell-free supernatant (CFS) to determine: (i) which skin bacteria isolated from a locally endangered amphibian, namely, the Colorado boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas), are able to inhibit Bd growth; (ii) whether multistrain combinations are more effective than single-strains; and (iii) the mechanism behind microbe-microbe interactions. Our results indicate that there are some single strain and multistrain probiotics (especially including strains from Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium, and Microbacterium) that are potentially more Bd-inhibitive than is J. lividum alone and that some combinations may lead to a loss of inhibition, potentially through antagonistic metabolite effects. Additionally, if J. lividum continues being developed as a wild boreal toad probiotic, we should investigate it in combination with Curvibacter CW54D, as they inhibited Bd additively and grew at a higher rate when combined than did either alone. This highlights the fact that combinations of probiotics function in variable and unpredictable ways as well as the importance of considering the potential for interactions among naturally resident host microbiota and probiotic additions. IMPORTANCE Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a pathogen that infects amphibians globally and is causing a biodiversity crisis. Our research group studies one of the species affected by Bd, namely, the Colorado boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas). Many researchers focus their studies on one probiotic bacterial isolate called Janthinobacterium lividum, which slows Bd growth in lab cultures and is currently being field tested in Colorado boreal toads. Although promising, J. lividum is not consistently effective across all amphibian individuals or species. For Colorado boreal toads, we addressed whether there are other bacterial strains that also inhibit Bd (potentially better than does J. lividum) and whether we can create two-strain probiotics that function better than do single-strain probiotics. In addition, we evaluate which types of interactions occur between two-strain combinations and what these results mean in the context of adding a probiotic to an existing amphibian skin microbiome.

SANCACO COFFEE SYINBIOTIC (PROBIOTIC AND PREBIOTIC) AND ANTIBACTERIAL ASSAY AGAINST Escherichia coli

Robusta coffee is one of the plants used as a drink and has an efficacious content that can be modified to be used as a cure for diarrhea. This research was conducted To determine the effect of synbiotic coffee with a combination of coffee, prebiotic inulin chicory, probiotic B. bifidum, and glucose on the growth and antibacterial activity of the probiotic Bifidobacterium bifidum BRL-130. Organoleptic testing of synbiotic coffee was performed on 30 panelists, then the growth test used the total plate count method, and the antibacterial test used the paper diffusion method. The organoleptic test showed that the selected formula 1 had the highest average taste of 3.76. In the symbiotic coffee growth test, the best results were obtained in week 1 of plain water with a temperature of 40°C with the number of colonies 5.95 x108 CFU/mL. Antibacterial activity test using paper disc diffusion method with a variation of the selected formula 1 treatment control, 2 treatment control pure robusta coffee powder, positive control of ciprofloxacin antibiotic, and negative control of aquadest solvent. The antibacterial activity of synbiotic coffee against E. coli showed that there was an inhibitory response in formula 1 against Escherichia coli bacteria in the first week of storage, 12.3±1.1 mm with strong criteria.&#x0D;

Genomic plasticity and adaptive capacity of the quaternary alkyl-ammonium compound and copper tolerant Acinetobacter bohemicus strain QAC-21b isolated from pig manure

Here, we present the genomic characterization of an Acinetobacter bohemicus strain QAC-21b which was isolated in the presence of a quaternary alky-ammonium compound (QAAC) from manure of a conventional German pig farm. The genetic determinants for QAAC, heavy metal and antibiotic resistances are reported based of the whole genome shotgun sequence and physiological growth tests. A. bohemicus QAC-21b grew in a species typical manner well at environmental temperatures but not at 37 °C. The strain showed tolerance to QAACs and copper but was susceptible to antibiotics relevant for Acinetobacter treatments. The genome of QAC-21b contained several Acinetobacter typical QAAC and heavy metal transporting efflux pumps coding genes, but no key genes for acquired antimicrobial resistances. The high genomic content of transferable genetic elements indicates that this bacterium can be involved in the transmission of antimicrobial resistances, if it is released with manure as organic fertilizer on agricultural fields. The genetic content of the strain was compared to that of two other A. bohemicus strains, the type strain ANC 3994T, isolated from forest soil, and KCTC 42081, originally described as A. pakistanensis, a metal resistant strain isolated from a wastewater treatment pond. In contrast to the forest soil strain, both strains from anthropogenically impacted sources showed genetic features indicating their evolutionary adaptation to the anthropogenically impacted environments. Strain QAC-21b will be used as model strain to study the transmission of antimicrobial resistance to environmentally adapted Acinetobacter in agricultural environments receiving high content of pollutants with organic fertilizers from livestock husbandry.

Dynamic of Change in Soil Physical Properties and SoyBean Growth through The Application of Biochar on Lombok Vertisols

Vertisol is a type of soil whose mineral fraction is dominated by 2:1 type clay minerals (smectite) which have the property of swelling-shrinking periodically as the soil water content changes. However, these physical properties can be improved by the application of biochar so that it can support plant growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of biochar on changes in the physical characteristics of vertisols soils and growth performance of soybean plants. This research was conducted in Kawo Village, Pujut District, Central Lombok. This study was designed to test the application of two types of biochar, namely rice husk biochar (BS) and corn cob biochar (BJ) at several doses, namely 0, 15, 30 and 60 g/kg of vertisols soil and design using a randomized block design with 6 replications. The parameters measured were unit weight, soil density, porosity, soil tensile strength, available water capacity, aggregate stability, cole value, crack pattern and soybean growth test. The results showed that the application of biochar could improve the physical properties of vertisol soil and also has implications for improving the growth of soybean plants. Observational data showed that a dose of 60 g/kg of biochar, both rice husk and corn cob biochar, showed better changes in soil physical properties compared to biochar doses of 15 g/kg, 30 g/kg and without the addition of biochar. Besides that, the treatment of rice husk and corn cob biochar at a dose of 60 g/kg gave better vegetative growth of soybean plants.