Judul: Sintesis dan Pencirian Superabsorben Onggok-g-Asam Akrilat
Abstrak: Onggok is a solid waste from tapioca processing. The aim of this study is to modify onggok into superabsorbent polymer. The modification was conducted through grafting and crosslinking of acrylic acid (AA) on onggok backbone, with N,N’-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) as crosslinker, and ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator. The synthesis was conducted at 70 oC for 3 hours and the water absorption capacity of the copolymer products were then measured. A 761.01 g/g value was obtained from copolymer composed of 4.5 g onggok, 25.5 g AA, 24 mg MBA, and 24 mg APS. The occurence of grafting-crosslinking copolymer was confirmed by infrared spectra, which exhibited all characteristic bands of both polysaccharide fractions of onggok and AA units. The absorbency of superabsorbents were measured in solutions having pH ranging from 2 to 11. The maximum value was 630.65 g/g at pH 6.65. The superabsorbent’s absorbency in salt solution was decreased with increasing ionic strength up to 0.342 M concentration of NaCl. The absorbency kinetics of superabsorbents were studied as well and the rate parameter in water was found to be 2.61 minutes for onngok with 60 mesh particle size.
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Judul: Pembuatan Superabsorben melalui Kopolimerisasi Onggok Dikarboksilat dengan Asam Akrilat
Abstrak: Onggok is a by-product from tapioca industry which has solid shape and usually one-fist sized. The main objective of this study was to synthesize superabsorbent polymer (SAP) from onggok dicarboxylic by grafting-crosslinking copolymerization. Onggok oxidation was done in 2 stages, first with NaIO4 and then with 3 variation treatments of H2O2. The oxidation product was copolymerized with acrylic acid monomer by using ammonium peroxydisulfate as initiator and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide as crosslinker at 75 °C for 3 hours. Oxidation with 30% H2O2 produced high carboxyl content, but the absorption capacity of the copolymer product was lower than oxidation with 3% H2O2 producing lower carboxyl content. Neutralization of product with the highest absorption capacity increased the absorption capacity as much as 55%. The maximum absorption capacity in salt solutions was 95.91 g/g observed in 0.01 M NaCl, while in solutions with various pH, it was achieved at pH 7. The structure of SAP was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry method.
Keyword: superabsorbent, oxidation, hydrogen peroxide, onggok, acrylic acid

Judul: Prevalence of Bird Lice on Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) in 99Wonderland Park, Selangor, Malaysia
Abstrak: Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) have coexisted with humans for thousands of years and are used for various purposes such as food and in sports. Rock pigeons may have the potential to be infested with a wide range of ectoparasites, which can have a significant impact on their life cycle. This study aims to measure the prevalence of Columba livia with bird lice in 99Wonderland Park, Selangor, Malaysia in the year 2020 and to ascertain the impact of bird lice on the health of these infested birds. Data were collected from clinical records for the month of January to December in the year 2020 from 99Wonderland Park, Selangor, Malaysia. Lice were identified in 42 of the 80 Rock pigeons examined so, the overall prevalence of lice infestations was 52.5%. The prevalence of ectoparasites was found to be higher in young Rock pigeons (60.4%) as compared to adult Rock pigeons (37.4%). Columbicola columbae (wing lice) and Colpocephalum turbinatum (body lice) are two species of lice that have been detected. Body lice were more prevalent in young Columba livia birds at 47.6% whereas wing lice were more prevalent in adult Columba livia birds at 16.7%. Most of the lice were found in the thorax and abdomen area followed by the head and neck area., Merpati Batu (Columba livia) telah hidup berdampingan dengan manusia selama ribuan tahun dan digunakan untuk berbagai keperluan seperti makanan dan olahraga. Merpati batu dapat terinfestasi dengan berbagai ektoparasit, yang dapat berdampak signifikan pada siklus hidup mereka. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui prevalensi Columba livia dengan kutu burung di 99 Wonderland Park, Selangor, Malaysia pada tahun 2020 dan untuk memastikan dampaknya terhadap kesehatan burung yang terinfestasi. Data dikumpulkan dari catatan klinis dari bulan Januari hingga Desember tahun 2020 dari 99Wonderland Park, Selangor, Malaysia. Kutu diidentifikasi pada 42 dari 80 merpati batu yang diperiksa sehingga, prevalensi keseluruhan infestasi kutu adalah 52,5%. Prevalensi ektoparasit ditemukan lebih tinggi pada merpati batu muda (60,4%) dibandingkan dengan merpati batu dewasa (37,4%). Columbicola columbae (kutu sayap) dan Colpocephalum turbinatum (kutu badan) adalah dua spesies kutu yang telah ditemukan. Kutu badan lebih banyak ditemukan pada burung Columba livia muda sebesar 47,6% sedangkan kutu sayap lebih banyak ditemukan pada burung Columba livia dewasa sebesar 16,7%. Sebagian besar kutu ditemukan di daerah dada dan abdomen diikuti daerah kepala dan leher.
Keyword: Columba livia, prevalence, ectoparasite, wing lice, body lice, Columba livia, prevalensi, ektoparasit, kutu sayap, kutu badan