Hasanuddin University

About: Hasanuddin University is a education organization based out in Makassar, Indonesia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 5839 authors who have published 5267 publications receiving 25893 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitas Hasanuddin.

An epidemiological study of leprosy infection by serology and polymerase chain reaction.

Abstract: A population-based study has been carried out in two adjacent villages in a highly leprosy-endemic area of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The prevalence of clinical leprosy was 10.0 per 1000 inhabitants. A total of 1015 serum samples and 1228 nasal swab specimens were collected. IgM antibodies in blood to phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) of Mycobacterium leprae were demonstrated by the gelatin particle agglutination test (MLPA) and by indirect ELISA (IgM-PGL). IgG antibodies to PGL-I (IgG-PGL) and lipoarabinomannan-B (IgG-LAM) were measured by indirect ELISA. The presence of M. leprae in nasal swab specimens was established by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The seropositivity rates in the population were 32% for MLPA, 30.8% for IgM-PGL, 6.7% for IgG-PGL, and 11.6% for IgG-LAM. Seropositivity rates for MLPA and IgM-PGL were highest in the younger age groups. There was no difference in seropositivity in any of the tests between household contacts of leprosy patients and noncontacts. The seropositivity rates in the MLPA and IgM-PGL were not randomly distributed among all households. The presence of M. leprae by PCR was demonstrated in 7.8% of the nasal swab specimens. No correlation was found between the results of the PCR and serology. This study indicates that M. leprae is widespread in the population, and that in endemic areas many individuals carry M. leprae in their nasal cavities without having obvious symptoms of leprosy.

Detection of pelagic habitat hotspots for skipjack tuna in the Gulf of Bone-Flores Sea, southwestern Coral Triangle tuna, Indonesia.

Abstract: Using remote sensing of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) together with catch data, we investigated the detection and persistence of important pelagic habitat hotspots for skipjack tuna in the Gulf of Bone-Flores Sea, Indonesia. We analyzed the data for the period between the northwest and southeast monsoon 2007-2011. A pelagic hotspot index was constructed from a model of multi-spectrum satellite-based oceanographic data in relation to skipjack fishing performance. Results showed that skipjack catch per unit efforts (CPUEs) increased significantly in areas of highest pelagic hotspot indices. The distribution and dynamics of habitat hotspots were detected by the synoptic measurements of SST, SSHA and Chl-a ranging from 29.5° to 31.5°C, from 2.5 to 12.5 cm and from 0.15 to 0.35 mg m-3, respectively. Total area of hotspots consistently peaked in May. Validation of skipjack CPUE predicted by our model against observed data from 2012 was highly significant. The key pelagic habitat corresponded with the Chl-a front, which could be related to the areas of relatively high prey abundance (enhanced feeding opportunity) for skipjack. We found that the area and persistence of the potential skipjack habitat hotspots for the 5 years were clearly identified by the 0.2 mg m-3 Chl-a isopleth, suggesting that the Chl-a front provides a key oceanographic indicator for global understanding on skipjack tuna habitat hotspots in the western tropical Pacific Ocean, especially within Coral Triangle tuna.

X-ray diffraction analysis of nanocomposite Fe3O4/activated carbon by Williamson–Hall and size-strain plot methods

Abstract: Analysis X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra of nanocomposite Fe3O4/activated carbon (AC) to determine the crystallite size have been carried out by using various calculations methods; Scherrer, Williamson–Hall (W–H), and Size-Strain plot (SSP). Williamson–Hall (W–H) methods were used three type models; uniform deformation model (UDM), uniform stress deformation model (USDM), and uniform deformation energy density model (UDEDM) which were resulting new important parameters including stress ( σ ), lattice strain ( e ), and energy density (u). Crystallite size is decreases with increasing the amount of AC in the nanocomposites due to the lattice strain and dislocations from the rearrangement bonding connection between the atoms of Fe3O4 and the AC which were confirmed by using TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) image. SSP method in this study shows good agreement with the TEM analysis compared with other methods. In the present paper, we provided for the first time, the crystallite size of nanocomposite Fe3O4/activated carbon (AC) materials by using various methods in the analysis of XRD spectra.