Cellulase enzyme activity of the bacteria isolated from mangrove ecosystem in Aceh Besar and Banda Aceh

Cellulolytic bacteria is one of the beneficial bacteria that can found in mangrove ecosystem. The purposes of study were to analyse the cellulolytic index, and to analyse the cellulase activity of bacteria isolated from soil mangrove. Qualitatively, assessment of cellulase activity were carried out at the Microbiology laboratory of Fish Quarantine Station, Quality Control and Safety of Fishery Products (SKIPM) Aceh, while quantitatively was observed in microbiology laboratory, Biology Department, IPB. Assessment of qualitative cellulase activity is performed by growing the selected pure isolate on 1% CMC medium then spilled 1% congo red to test its cellulolytic potential. Cellulolytic potential was determined by clear zone performed around the colony after congo red flooded. The quantitative cellulase enzyme activity test carried out by DNS method tested on one selective isolate. There were 21 from 39 isolates showed a clear zone isolated from mangrove soil. The cellulolytic index (CI) obtained ranged from 0.07 to 0.80 classified as low cellulolytic index criteria. The cellulolytic index was higher in bacteria isolated from mangrove rehabilitated than mangrove unrehabilitated. The highest cellulase activity and specific cellulase activity of BTMD32 was at 48 hours with the value were 0.0012 U/ml, 0.077 U/mg, respectively. The result concluded that the bacteria cellulolytic isolated from mangrove soil had low cellulolytic index, low cellulase activity, and low specific cellulase activity.

The presence of bacterial stalk rot disease on corn in Indonesia: A review

Bacterial stalk rot disease in corn results in a significant reduction in yield due to the interruption of the flow of nutrients from the roots to other parts of the plant. Pathogenic bacteria infect the inner tissue of the stalk until it rots. This disease has been reported to attack corn crops in Asia and Europe such as India, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Nepal, Mexico, Serbia, and China. In Indonesia, this disease was first reported to attack corn in the West Sulawesi region by the Mamuju Class II Quarantine Station. The results of molecular identification indicated that this disease is caused by the bacterium Dickeya zeae, previously known as Erwinia chrysanthemi pv. zeae that previously reported attacked pineapple and aloe vera in Indonesia. The potential for economic losses due to this disease is quite high, so appropriate and efficient control measures are needed. Based on those, this research study about the symptom, the characteristic of the bacteria agent caused the stalk rot disease, the distribution and the impact to the maize production in Indonesia.

Repurposing Typical Institutional Hall as Temporary Covid-19 Quarantine Stations in Johor: A Review Study in KKTM

The current situation of the world with the pandemic of COVID 19 has brought a mass conversion of places as a temporary shelter recently. In Malaysia, the list of gazetted sites by the government for the COVID quarantine stations were being retrieved in March 2020 to facilitate Ministry of Health in coping with the sporadic diseases. To achieve lower production cost and rapid execution of disaster shelter for the pandemic, possible open plan spaces in institutional building will be identified to perform temporary medical shelter. Resuscitation area, wards, pharmacy, x-ray room, staff room and meeting rooms are among the required spaces in determining the medical layout planning of the particular quarantine station. A descriptive and qualitative design was being used based on the literature review and case studies in order to get the information and to identify clear demarcation of circulation and movement in the quarantine station. Ultimately, foreseeing holistic changes and novel solutions in construction industry in Malaysia, this result will contribute to further assist authorities to gazette other institutional hall as transitional stay which will be become the norms nowadays.

Comparison of the Virome of Quarantined Sugarcane Varieties and the Virome of Grasses Growing near the Quarantine Station

Visacane is a sugarcane quarantine station located in the South of France, far away from sugarcane growing areas. Visacane imports up to 100 sugarcane varieties per year, using safe control and confinement measures of plants and their wastes to prevent any risk of pathogen spread outside of the facilities. Viruses hosted by the imported material are either known or unknown to cause disease in cultivated sugarcane. Poaceae viruses occurring in plants surrounding the quarantine glasshouse are currently unknown. These viruses could be considered as a source of new sugarcane infections and potentially cause new sugarcane diseases in cases of confinement barrier failure. The aim of this study was to compare the plant virome inside and outside of the quarantine station to identify potential confinement failures and risks of cross infections. Leaves from quarantined sugarcane varieties and from wild Poaceae growing near the quarantine were collected and processed by a metagenomics approach based on virion-associated nucleic acids extraction and library preparation for Illumina sequencing. While viruses belonging to the same virus genus or family were identified in the sugarcane quarantine and its surroundings, no virus species was detected in both environments. Based on the data obtained in this study, no virus movement between quarantined sugarcane and nearby grassland has occurred so far, and the confinement procedures of Visacane appear to be properly implemented.

Potensi Pengusulan Jenis Baru Peronosclerospora sorghi Asal Nusa Tenggara Timur

Potential Proposal for A New Type of Peronosclerospora Sorghi from East Nusa Tenggara Downy mildew of corn caused by Peronosclerospra can cause real economic damage. In Indonesia, it is known that there are three species of Peronosclerospora, namely P. maydis, P. phillippinenis, and P. sorghi. Peronosclerospora maydis is the dominant species found in Indonesia. The three species can be identified from their morphological and molecular characters. However, the results of monitoring by the Kupang Agricultural Quarantine Station during 2016-2019 showed that the morphological characteristics of P. sorghi from NTT are different from the morphology from Java and Sulawesi in terms of the number of sterigmata formed from conidiophores. The number of P. sorghi sterigmata from NTT is less than in other locations. This will lead to a smaller number of conidia produced by P. sorghi from NTT. Based on the molecular analysis, the character of P. sorghi isolate from NTT is in a separated family tree from Java and Sulawesi isolates but is included in one group with P. sorghi isolates from USA. The results of morphological and molecular studies showed further study on host ranges, genetic diversity of the fungal isolates as well as shorgum should be considered in the future. Sorghum as the primary host of P. sorghi has been gathered for the genetic data of sorghum originating from NTT and then comparing to the data from Texas, USA. That information will be contributing to determine the identity of P. sorghi from NTT.

Sharing the waterways: Shark-proof swimming, penal detention and the early history of St Helena Island, Moreton Bay

This research examines the role that fear of sharks has played in the history of St Helena Island Moreton Bay, Queensland through analysis of historical records, newspapers, photographs and literature. The article begins with Aboriginal histories of St Helena Island, colonial settlement of the region and the building of a quarantine station. An exploration of the ways in which settlers’ fear of sharks supported the detention of prisoners in the St Helena Island Penal Establishment follows. The research finds that the warders’ shark-proof swimming enclosure on St Helena Island (1916) records a time when Queensland communities were first seeking to manage the recreational demands of swimmers in the context of a growing public fear of sharks.

Application of an Artificial Intelligence Trilogy to Accelerate Processing of Suspected Patients With SARS-CoV-2 at a Smart Quarantine Station: Observational Study

Background As the COVID-19 epidemic increases in severity, the burden of quarantine stations outside emergency departments (EDs) at hospitals is increasing daily. To address the high screening workload at quarantine stations, all staff members with medical licenses are required to work shifts in these stations. Therefore, it is necessary to simplify the workflow and decision-making process for physicians and surgeons from all subspecialties. Objective The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how the National Cheng Kung University Hospital artificial intelligence (AI) trilogy of diversion to a smart quarantine station, AI-assisted image interpretation, and a built-in clinical decision-making algorithm improves medical care and reduces quarantine processing times. Methods This observational study on the emerging COVID-19 pandemic included 643 patients. An “AI trilogy” of diversion to a smart quarantine station, AI-assisted image interpretation, and a built-in clinical decision-making algorithm on a tablet computer was applied to shorten the quarantine survey process and reduce processing time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results The use of the AI trilogy facilitated the processing of suspected cases of COVID-19 with or without symptoms; also, travel, occupation, contact, and clustering histories were obtained with the tablet computer device. A separate AI-mode function that could quickly recognize pulmonary infiltrates on chest x-rays was merged into the smart clinical assisting system (SCAS), and this model was subsequently trained with COVID-19 pneumonia cases from the GitHub open source data set. The detection rates for posteroanterior and anteroposterior chest x-rays were 55/59 (93%) and 5/11 (45%), respectively. The SCAS algorithm was continuously adjusted based on updates to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control public safety guidelines for faster clinical decision making. Our ex vivo study demonstrated the efficiency of disinfecting the tablet computer surface by wiping it twice with 75% alcohol sanitizer. To further analyze the impact of the AI application in the quarantine station, we subdivided the station group into groups with or without AI. Compared with the conventional ED (n=281), the survey time at the quarantine station (n=1520) was significantly shortened; the median survey time at the ED was 153 minutes (95% CI 108.5-205.0), vs 35 minutes at the quarantine station (95% CI 24-56; P<.001). Furthermore, the use of the AI application in the quarantine station reduced the survey time in the quarantine station; the median survey time without AI was 101 minutes (95% CI 40-153), vs 34 minutes (95% CI 24-53) with AI in the quarantine station (P<.001). Conclusions The AI trilogy improved our medical care workflow by shortening the quarantine survey process and reducing the processing time, which is especially important during an emerging infectious disease epidemic.

Behavior Of Individual Orangutan Sumatera (Pongo Abelii) Before Direintroduction At The Orangutan Quarantine Station, Sibolangit, Deli Serdang, North Sumatera

The individual behavior of orangutan (Pongoabeli) before reintroduction to the wild was studied from March to June 2012 in orangutan quarantine station Batumbelin Sibolangit, Deli Serdang. The research used focal animal sampling method, at the same time the data recording was taken using instantenous method. The result showed that solitary behavior (39.34%) which was dominated by feeding (20.60%). The second highest (35.31%) was resting which was dominating by sitting (16.87%) followed by moving behavior (13.58%) which mostly was branching (7.54%). The least activity was competitive behavior (1.88%) which was dominated by streaking down each other (0.82%). The result also indicated an abnormal behavior among 3 orangutans observed such as eating their own feces.

Application of an Artificial Intelligence Trilogy to Accelerate Processing of Suspected Patients With SARS-CoV-2 at a Smart Quarantine Station: Observational Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND As the COVID-19 epidemic increases in severity, the burden of quarantine stations outside emergency departments (EDs) at hospitals is increasing daily. To address the high screening workload at quarantine stations, all staff members with medical licenses are required to work shifts in these stations. Therefore, it is necessary to simplify the workflow and decision-making process for physicians and surgeons from all subspecialties. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how the National Cheng Kung University Hospital artificial intelligence (AI) trilogy of diversion to a smart quarantine station, AI-assisted image interpretation, and a built-in clinical decision-making algorithm improves medical care and reduces quarantine processing times. METHODS This observational study on the emerging COVID-19 pandemic included 643 patients. An “AI trilogy” of diversion to a smart quarantine station, AI-assisted image interpretation, and a built-in clinical decision-making algorithm on a tablet computer was applied to shorten the quarantine survey process and reduce processing time during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS The use of the AI trilogy facilitated the processing of suspected cases of COVID-19 with or without symptoms; also, travel, occupation, contact, and clustering histories were obtained with the tablet computer device. A separate AI-mode function that could quickly recognize pulmonary infiltrates on chest x-rays was merged into the smart clinical assisting system (SCAS), and this model was subsequently trained with COVID-19 pneumonia cases from the GitHub open source data set. The detection rates for posteroanterior and anteroposterior chest x-rays were 55/59 (93%) and 5/11 (45%), respectively. The SCAS algorithm was continuously adjusted based on updates to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control public safety guidelines for faster clinical decision making. Our ex vivo study demonstrated the efficiency of disinfecting the tablet computer surface by wiping it twice with 75% alcohol sanitizer. To further analyze the impact of the AI application in the quarantine station, we subdivided the station group into groups with or without AI. Compared with the conventional ED (n=281), the survey time at the quarantine station (n=1520) was significantly shortened; the median survey time at the ED was 153 minutes (95% CI 108.5-205.0), vs 35 minutes at the quarantine station (95% CI 24-56; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Furthermore, the use of the AI application in the quarantine station reduced the survey time in the quarantine station; the median survey time without AI was 101 minutes (95% CI 40-153), vs 34 minutes (95% CI 24-53) with AI in the quarantine station (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS The AI trilogy improved our medical care workflow by shortening the quarantine survey process and reducing the processing time, which is especially important during an emerging infectious disease epidemic.