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The effects of exogenously supplied osmoprotectants in crops have not yet been extensively studied. In this study, an osmoprotectant containing a high concentration of proline (2.5 g mol −1 FW) was obtained from a Casuarina equisetifolia leaf extract. The effect of the extract was evaluated in local Indonesian rice cultivars Boawae Seratus Malam (BSM), Gogo Jak (GJ), Situ Bagendit (SB) (drought-tolerant), Kisol Manggarai (KM) and Ciherang (drought-susceptible) cultivars under drought at the morphological, physiological, and genetic levels. Under drought, the KM showed an increased level of OsWRKY , OsNAC , OsDREB1A , and OsDREB2A expression after application of the osmoprotectant, leading to the activation of proline synthesis genes including OsP5CS1 , OsP5CR , and OsProDH , while the tolerant cultivars (BSM, GJ, and SB) showed no difference. The content of chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities also increased in GJ and KM, during drought stress and applied osmoprotectants, but remained low in the BSM. We conclude that the foliar application of osmoprotectants derived from C.equisetifolia caused an accumulation of proline in susceptible plants. The existence of these extracts stabilizes leaf cells and supports photosynthetic compartments and carbon assimilation in plants, leading to growth.

The 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) effort is focused on reducing plastic waste generated from household activities. Community participation is very necessary in realizing efforts to reduce plastic waste. This research aims to analyse community participation regarding efforts to reduce 3R plastic waste (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) based on the amount of generation and composition of household plastic waste in Balikpapan City. The data used in this research are primary and secondary data. Measurement of waste generation and composition data refers to SNI 19-3964-1994. Participation data collection was carried out by distributing and filling out questionnaires offline to the public with a total of 100 families of respondents obtained from the Slovin method calculation in determining the sample size. The results of this research showed that the average generation of household plastic waste from 100 families in Balikpapan City was 9.55 Kg/day with the highest composition of plastic waste dominated by PET at 3.14 Kg/day. Community participation in Reduce efforts was 68% in the “good” category, Reuse was 58% in the “good enough” category and Recycle was 29% in “not good” category.

Aim/Purpose: This research investigated the determinant factors influencing the adoption intentions of Chatsicum, a Knowledge-Based Chatbot (KBC) aimed at enhancing the species literacy of biodiversity students. Background: This research was conducted to bridge the gap between technology, education, and biodiversity conservation. Innovative solutions are needed to empower individuals with knowledge, particularly species knowledge, in preserving the natural world. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative approach using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and sampled 145 university students as respondents. The research model combined the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) framework with elements from the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), including relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and observability. Also, the model introduced perceived trust as an independent variable. The primary dependent variable under examination was the intention to use the KBC. Contribution: The findings of this research contribute to a deeper understanding of the critical factors affecting the adoption of the KBC in biodiversity education and outreach, as studies in this context are limited. This study provides valuable insights for developers, educators, and policymakers interested in promoting species literacy and leveraging innovative technologies by analyzing the interplay of TTF and DOI constructs alongside perceived trust. Ultimately, this research aims to foster more effective and accessible biodiversity education strategies. Findings: TTF influenced all DOI variables, such as relative advantage, compatibility, observability, and trust positively and complexity negatively. In conclusion, TTF strongly affected usage intention indirectly. However, relative advantage, complexity, and observability insignificantly influenced the intention to use. Meanwhile, compatibility and trust strongly affected the use intention. Recommendations for Practitioners: Developers should prioritize building and maintaining chatbots that are aligned with the tasks, needs, and goals of the target users, as well as establishing trust through the assurance of information accuracy. Educators could develop tailored educational interventions that resonate with the values and preferences of diverse learners and are aligned closely with students’ learning needs, preferences, and curriculum while ensuring seamless integration with the existing educational context. Conservation organizations and policymakers could also utilize the findings of this study to enhance their outreach strategies, as the KBC is intended for students and biodiversity laypeople. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should explore the nuances of relationships between TTF and DOI, as well as trust, and consider the potential influence of mediating and moderating variables to advance the field of technology adoption in educational contexts. Researchers could also explore why relative advantage, complexity, and observability did not significantly impact the usage intention and whether specific user segments or contextual factors influence these relationships. Impact on Society: This research has significant societal impacts by improving species literacy, advancing technology in education, and promoting conservation efforts. Species knowledge could raise awareness regarding biodiversity and the importance of conservation, thereby leading to more informed and responsible citizens. Future Research: Future works should address the challenges and opportunities presented by KBCs in the context of species literacy enhancement, for example, interventions or experiments to influence the non-significant factors. Furthermore, longitudinal studies should investigate whether user behavior evolves. Ultimately, examining the correlation between species literacy, specifically when augmented by chatbots, and tangible conservation practices is an imperative domain in the future. It may entail evaluating the extent to which enhanced knowledge leads to concrete measures promoting biodiversity preservation.

Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the Solanaceae family in which the members are well known to have a high economic value. The Capsicum fruits, which are popularly known as peppers or chili, have been widely used by people worldwide. It serves as a spice and raw material for many products such as sauce, food coloring, and medicine. For many years, scientists have studied this plant to optimize its production. A tremendous amount of knowledge has been obtained and shared, as reflected in multiple knowledge-based systems, databases, or information systems. An approach to knowledge-sharing is through the adoption of a common ontology to eliminate knowledge understanding discrepancy. Unfortunately, most of the knowledge-sharing solutions are intended for scientists who are familiar with the subject. On the other hand, there are groups of potential users that could benefit from such systems but have minimal knowledge of the subject. For these non-expert users, finding relevant information from a less familiar knowledge base would be daunting. More than that, users have various degrees of understanding of the available content in the knowledge base. This understanding discrepancy raises a personalization problem. In this paper, we introduce a solution to overcome this challenge. First, we developed an ontology to facilitate knowledge-sharing about Capsicum to non-expert users. Second, we developed a personalized faceted search algorithm that provides multiple structured ways to explore the knowledge base. The algorithm addresses the personalization problem by identifying the degree of understanding about the subject from each user. In this way, non-expert users could explore a knowledge base of Capsicum efficiently. Our solution characterized users into four groups. As a result, our faceted search algorithm defines four types of matching mechanisms, including three ranking mechanisms as the core of our solution. In order to evaluate the proposed method, we measured the predictability degree of produced list of facets. Our findings indicated that the proposed matching mechanisms could tolerate various query types, and a high degree of predictability can be achieved by combining multiple ranking mechanisms. Furthermore, it demonstrates that our approach has a high potential contribution to biodiversity science in general, where many knowledge-based systems have been developed with limited access to users outside of the domain.

This study evaluated the genetic variability of 34 local rice genotypes from Simeulue Island and Sumba Island, Indonesia, using ISSR and SRAP markers. The amplification of ISSR and SRAP primers produced high percentages of polymorphism, with values of 98.17% and 99.75%, respectively. The result of the UPGMA dendrogram analysis classified the rice genotypes into three groups by ISSR and two groups by SRAP. The ISSR had a higher Resolving Power (RP = 14.66) and Marker Index (MI = 4.61) than the SRAP (RP = 9.13, MI = 3.8). However, the results of the UPGMA dendrogram corresponded to the STRUCTURAL data analysis. The ΔK of STRUCTURAL analysis performed its maximum value when K = 3 by ISSR and K = 2 by SRAP. This study pointed out that ISSR markers were more effective than SRAP markers in evaluating the degree of genetic variability of rice genotypes.

The rapid urban expansion will drive land-use conversion and cause substantial environmental and ecological impacts. The ability of remote sensing to record spatial and temporal data on the land surface with complete coverage has been proven effective for recognizing spatiotemporal changes in the regional eco-environment quickly. This study utilized Landsat TM / ETM + and Landsat-8 OLI remote sensing data to assess the effect of urban expansion intensity on the urban ecological status with the study area in Semarang, Indonesia. The method to measure urban expansion uses the urban expansion intensity index and to assess the urban ecological status using an integrated ecological index (IEI). The IEI generated from four parameters which include the degree of greenness (i.e. the soil adjusted vegetation index, SAVI), the moisture degree (i.e. the normalized difference moisture index, NDMI), dryness degree (i.e. the normalized difference soil index, NDSI) and built-up aggregation degree (i.e. the normalized difference built-up index, NDBI). Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to compress the four indicators to construct the index of ecological status and Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the effect of urban expansion intensity on urban ecological status. The result showed that the urban land area increased by 38.98 km2 with an average expansion area of 3.9 km2 y-1 from 2005 to 2015. The index of urban expansion intensity during 2011-2015 increased about 2.1 times from 2005-2011. The pattern of deteriorating urban ecological status of the city of Semarang spreading towards the west, south, southeast, and east. The lowest integrated ecological index is in the central and northern parts of the city of Semarang. The extent of good and excellent urban ecological status continues to decline in a decade, on the contrary, the urban ecological status of poor and extremely poor increased. The negative linear relationship of the index of urban expansion intensity and urban ecological status shows that the intensity of urban expansion influences the urban ecological status in Semarang city.