Judul: Pemanfaatan Limbah Nanas menjadi Serat sebagai Material Penguat Komposit Plastik
Abstrak: Komposit yang berasal dari serat daun nanas sebagai filler dan pati tapioka terplastisasi gliserol sebagai matriks dapat digunakan sebagai bahan baku pembuatan plastik dan dapat mengurangi penggunaan plastik dari minyak bumi. Perlu dilakukan pengembangan bionanokomposit ini karena ketersediaan minyak bumi yang terbatas, selain itu plastik yang dihasilkan ramah lingkungan dan dapat dimakan. Telah dilakukan sintesis dan karakterisasi bionanokomposit plastik kemasan dengan variasi konsentrasi filler 0% dan 5%. Komposit dengan filler 0% menghasilkan edible film yang transparan (tidak berwarna). Komposit tersebut memiliki nilai permeabilitas uap air yang tinggi yaitu sebesar 6.13 x 10-9 g s-1m-1Pa- 1. Komposit dengan filler 5% menghasilkan edible film yang tidak transparan (cenderung berwarna). Komposit tersebut memiliki nilai permeabilitas uap air yang rendah dibandingkan komposit dengan filler 0% yaitu sebesar 3.36 x 10-9 g s-1m- 1Pa-1. Penambahan serat daun nanas menyebabkan peningkatan nilai massa jenis komposit. Dari hasil pengujian serat daun nanas layak digunakan sebagai pengisi pada plastik.
Keyword: komposit, pati tapioka, permeabilitas uap air, serat daun nanas

Judul: Karakterisasi Bionanokomposit Serat Daun Nanas sebagai Bahan Plastik Kemasan Makanan
Abstrak: Bionankomposit yang berasal dari serat daun nanas sebagai filler dan pati tapioka terplastisasi gliserol sebagai matriks dapat digunakan sebagai bahan baku pembuatan plastik dan dapat mengurangi penggunakan plastik dari minyak bumi. Perlu dilakukan pengembangan biokomposit ini karena ketersedian minyak bumi yang terbatas, selain itu plastik yang dihasilkan ramah lingkungan dan dapat dimakan. Telah dilakukan sintesis dan karakterisasi biokomposit plastik kemasan berbasis pati tapioka dengan plastisizer gliserol menggunakan metode cetak dengan variasi konsentrasi filler 3%, 4% dan 5%. Hasil pengujian mekanik optimum dihasilkan pada konsentrasi serat daun nanas sebanyak 5% sebesar 4.6320 Mpa untuk kuat tarik dan untuk elongasi 24.87 %. Permeabilitas uap air terbaik untuk kemasan terdapat pada konsentrasi serat 5% yaitu sebesar 2,5226 ×10-9 gs-1m-1Pa-1. Penambahan serat daun nanas menyebabkan penurunan massa jenis komposit, permeabilitas uap air dan penyerapan cahaya UV-Vis. Dari hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa serat daun nanas layak digunakan sebagai pengisi pada plastik.
Keyword: mechanical properties, pineapple leaf fibers, tapioca

Judul: Dog Ticks Infestation and Its Correlation to Tick-Borne Diseases.
Abstrak: Ticks infestation on dog could lead to itchiness, anemia, skin disorders, and tick-borne diseases, such as Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Besides dogs, Ehrlichiosis were known to be zoonotic. Pre-mature stage tick life cycle that occur outside its host, will enhance contacts between ticks and human. The study of ticks infestation and tick-borne diseases on the dog is necessary, because it has not a lot of information about the diversity, prevalence and degree of ticks infestation in Indonesia. Ticks survey, included ticks sampling and dogs blood test were performed at Animal Police Directorate Security Agency (Baharkam) and Atang Sendjaja Air Force (ATS). Meanwhile ticks sampling also data of cases of ticks infestation and diseases transmitted obtained from 21 veterinary clinics in Bogor, Jakarta and Bandung. All ticks samples stored in bottles containing 70% alcohol for identification. Blood tests performed for Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis diagnosis. The identification results of the 950 ticks samples that obtained from 97 dogs of Baharkam, ATS and veterinary clinics in Bogor, Jakarta and Bandung, showed only one ticks species, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. This ticks belong to three-host tick, which require three hosts to complete its life cycle. Each ticks stage need a host, either same dog (if it is in place there is only one or a few dogs), as well as different dogs. Research in Baharkam conducted on 81 dogs (53 males and 28 females). The prevalence of dogs infested by ticks was 67.90%. The percentage of male dogs that infested by ticks are larger (69.81%) than female (64.29%). Based on Chi-Square test, there was no relationship between sex and breed of dog with degree of ticks infestation. Generally dogs infested with mild infestation category (41.98%), meanwhile moderate category was 18.52%, 2.47% high and 4.94% very high. The dog’s body region that the most infested by R. sanguineus was dog's back. Probably these body regions were be preferred because they are less accessible for the dog to remove them with its paws. Collection of ticks with tick-drag on Baharkam grass field showed positive results on the field that was more often used to practice by dogs. The samples that obtained was larvae stage ticks with density 152 larvae on 215m2 area of the field. Adult stage ticks and several adult females which laying eggs on the cage wall were obtained in the dog kennels. Whole of male and female ATS dogs infested with ticks (14 dogs). In general, dogs infested with very high infestation category was 64.29%, compared by high degree category (21.43%) and moderate (14.29%). Ticks predilection were found mostly on the dog’s head – neck. On ATS grass field did not reveal any ticks, but positively inside the kennels. It happens probably because dogs are rarely released from the kennel, so that the ticks was did drop-off inside the kennel. The total cases of ticks infestation of dogs at Bogor, Jakarta and Bandung veterinary clinics in 2008 until June 2013 as many as 731 cases. In general, there was an increases of the ticks infestation prevalence at three cities in that range
Keyword: Anaplasma, Babesia, Ehrlichia canis, Rhipicephalus sanguineus