Heterotopic grafting sites can be useful in producing oocytes for in vitro Fertilization, therefore, maximising the oocyte yield from the graft by gonadotrophin stimulation would be advantageous. The aim of this study was to investigate the number and quality of oocytes collected from heterotopic autografted ovary after Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadothropin (PMSG) induction. Graft recipients were treated either with or without PMSG stimulation 48 hours prior to graft collection. Ovarian tissue from four weeks old mice (DDY strain) were autotransplanted under the kidney capsule of the same ovariectomized mice and the oocytes were collected 21 days after autotransplantation. The results showed that the average number of oocytes collected from autografted ovaries without PMSG induction were 9.0. + 2.8 not significantly different with those received PMSG induction, 10.9 + 5.1. The percentage of matured and fertilized oocytes and the developed embryos from the autografted ovaries without PMSG induction were 52.4, 33.4, and 26.0%, respectively not significantly different with those received PMSG induction, 53.2, 35.1, and 29.9%, respectively. The number of oocytes and the capacity to matured, fertilized and developed were significantly lower (P < 0.05) compared to the superovulated nongrafted (control) ovaries. In conclusion, PMSG induction on the graft recipients did not significantly increase oocytes yield from grafted heterotopic ovaries. The number and quality of oocytes produced from the autografted ovaries were lower than the superovulated nongrafted ovaries, but still can be used for in vitro embryo production after sequential in vitro maturation and fertilization.

Human brain posseses the ability to create a concept to assist the process of grouping individual object or events into different classes or categories. We call this grouping process as categorization. In addition to humans, the ability to categorize has also been proposed for animals. Being able to identify, visually or otherwise, a new object as a member of a category is an advantage for animals. Present experiment aims to test the categorization ability in discriminating species by Macaca fascicularis. Using match-to-sample task with photographs of monkeys and human as stimuli, we tested whether monkeys able to categorize monkey individuals as a class against human individuals as another class. We found that monkeys categorized humans differently from monkeys. The monkeys used physical characteristic such as shape and colors from the photographs to create different concepts of human and monkeys.

Growth of body size (body height and body weight) and somatotype in 363 girls and 299 boys aged 4 to 20 years of ethnic Javanese lived in Magelang Regency Indonesia were studied cross-sectionally. Over half of them were categorized in the well-off family, therefore underweight or underfat prevalence in our subjects was low (14.3%) but overweight and obesity prevalence was also low (14%). They were shorter and lighter than reference children from U.S., Japan and Yogyakarta but they improved when compared with those of the same ethnic of Bantul and with the different ethnic of rural India. There was a clear age-related change of their somatotype. At age 4 years, the physique of children subjects in both sexes is found to be mesomorph-endomorph. Thereafter it is transformed into ectomorphic-endomorph in girls and to mesomorph-ectomorph in boys at the age of 20 years. In girl subjects, the onset of puberty was characterized by an acceleration of endomorphy component at age 8 years. While in our boys it was characterized by an acceleration of ectomorphy since age 9 years. The different growth pattern of somatotype components showed that the use of BMI as an indicator of fatness in children should be reassessed.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a two-chain polypeptide with molecular weight of 25 kDa which takes significant role in the steroidogenesis process. In the ovarian oocyte in particular, TGF-β has an important role in regulating reproductive function. TGF-β represents a key intrafollicular protein that regulates follicle development and aromatization process. The purpose of this research was to characterize and identify a protein fraction of TGF-β from the bovine isolated oocytes, which is synthesized during in vitro oocyte maturation process. Oocytes were collected from follicles with diameter of 3-8 mm. Oocytes were then matured in TCM 199 media supplemented with 5 μg/mg LH, 3% BSA, and 50 μg/ml gentamicin sulfate, and cultured in CO2 incubator (5%, 38.5 oC) for 20 hours. TGF-β receptors were identified immunohistochemically. Characteristics of the TGF-β protein were determined using SDS PAGE and TGF-β specification was tested using Western Blotting. The results showed that TGF-β receptors were identified and found in cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs). TGF-β protein was isolated from bovine oocytes with molecular weight 25 kDa and it was identified by Western blotting methods in the same molecular weight.

Nepenthes spp. (Nepenthaceae) is one of the most popular ornamental plants in Southeast Asia. There are 97 species of Nepenthes to which 64 are found in Indonesia with the center of its diversity located in Borneo. N. x hookeriana was hypothesised to be a natural hybrid between N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana on the basis of morphological characters. Several variants of each species were also known. This present study aimed to detect the occurrence of hybrid within N. x hookeriana ‘spotted’ and ‘green’ variant using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). Five RAPD primers and three ISSR primers were used to amplify total DNA genome and produced 83 polymorphic bands ranging in size from 300-1700 bp. Clustering analysis was performed based on RAPD and ISSR profiles using the UPGMA method. The genetic similarity of the combined markers range between 0.30-0.75 indicating a narrow range of genetic similarity among the accessions. Results from cluster analyses suggested that N. x hookeriana was indeed a hybrid between N. ampullaria and N. Rafflesiana, however it was genetically more similar to N. raflessiana.

Armyworm Mythimna Guenée is one of the most important pests on graminaceous crops and pastures in South East Asia (i.e. M. separata Walker is well known to cause serious damages on rice in Indonesia). Like of most other genera of moths, the systematic of this genus is still in dispute, especially on the taxonomy and classification within this genus due to their morphological characters that are very difficult to distinguish from one to others. Molecular approaches such as using CO I gene sequence to differentiate among species has been recommended since this gene has ability to reveal the character identity at the specific level.  In order to populate the genetic characters of Indonesian Mythimna, to clarify the clasification within the genus Mythimna and to reveal the phylogenetic relationship among them, we analyzed 14 species of Mythimna and two species outgroups (Spodoptera litura dan S. exigua) based on nucleotide sequence variation across a 649 bp region in the CO I gene.  Over entire 649 bp region 72% of the nucleotide positions were constant, 10.6% were uninformtive (i.e. any variants were found in a single sequence) and 16.9% were parsimony informative. The informative site constituted in the 3rd codon position was the highest, whereas in 2nd codon position was the lowest. The results also showed that the base composition of this region was low A + T biased. The results showed that the monophyly of Mytimna was supported by 95% bootstrap test at any tree building methods. The three subgenera based on morphology were recovered but M. (Mythimna) shown to be a paraphyletic group in term of M. (Hyphilare), and M. (Pseudalteia); M. (Mythimna) was branched off first then followed by M. (Pseudaletia) and M. (Hyphilare).  However, all internal nodes were least support except for the monophyly of subgenus M. (Hyphilare). It indicates that the relationships among internal nodes proposed here were least valid due to the number of species included in the analysis which may not be enough to represent the real number of species in the nature. More investigation was needed by including more species and other genes.

This study evaluated the effect of biofloc technology (BFT) application on water quality and production performance of red tilapia Oreochromis sp. at different stocking densities. Three different fish densities were applied, i.e. 25, 50, and 100 fish/m3, and for each density there were Control (without external carbon input) and BFT treatments. Mixed sex red tilapia with an initial average body weight 77.89 + 3.71 g was cultured in 3 m3 concrete tanks for 14 weeks. Molasses was added on BFT treatments as the organic carbon source at a C/N ratio of 15. Control treatments of each density tested showed more fluctuated water quality parameters throughout the experimental period. The highest TAN and nitrite-nitrogen were observed in control treatment at a stocking density of 100 fish/m3 (3.97 mg TAN/L and 9.29 mg NO2-N/L, respectively). The highest total yield was observed in control treatment at the highest density treatment (43.50 kg), whereas the highest survival was obtained by BFT treatment at a density of 25 fish/m3 (97.78 + 0.77%). Total feed used in BFT was lower than that of control treatments in particular at 50 fish/m3 density (P < 0.05) suggesting that biofloc could be continuously harvested by the fish as other source of food.

Noradrenergic stimulation increases progesterone, oxytocin and prostaglandins in the bovine luteal tissue. Better understanding of noradrenaline (NA) role in bovine the corpus luteum (CL) can advance our current knowledge on the regulatory mechanism of CL function. The present study was conducted to explore the source of noradrenaline and further to investigate whether nerve growth factor (NGF), insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and transforming growth factor b1 (TGFb1) influence the expression of dopamine-b-hydroxylase (DBH), biosynthetic enzyme of NA in cultured bovine luteal cells. Corpora lutea were collected and classified into stages of early, developing, mid, late, and regressed. Messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of DBH were studied throughout the estrous cycle. Additionally, DBH protein expression was examined in cultured mid luteal cells after tumour necrosis factor alpha/interferon gamma (TNFa/IFNg)-induced apoptosis or after treatment with NGF, IGF1, and TGFb1. DBH mRNA and protein expressions were detected throughout the cycle without significant changes in the protein level while mRNA showed a decrease at the developing stage (P < 0.05). Interestingly, NGF, IGF1, and TGFb1 increased DBH expression in cultured luteal cells (P < 0.05). The overall findings suggest non-neural source of noradrenaline in the bovine CL which appears to be regulated by NGF, IGF1, and TGFb1 indicating intraluteal molecules play an important and unrecognized role in the CL function.

Sago palm (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.), grown mostly in the tropics, is one of the most productive carbohydrate-producing crops. However, it is still underutilized. Tissue culture of sago through somatic embryogenesis has been developed. The plantlets derived from somatic embryos, however, are usually weak with few leaves and roots and have low survival rates during acclimatization. Carbohydrate is commonly added into culture medium as an energy source and an osmotic agent. Research was conducted to determine a suitable carbohydrate for plantlets growth in order to produce vigorous plantlets of sago. The basal medium used was a modified MS medium with a half-strength of salts. Different types of carbohydrate (sucrose, maltose, glucose, and fructose) at various concentrations (30, 45, and 60 g/l) were added into the medium. A single 2 cm plantlet derived from somatic embryo was cultured on a culture tube. Each treatment consisted of 15 plantlets. The cultures were incubated in a culture room with light intensity at 20 mmol/m2/s and temperature at 26 oC. The results show that different types and concentrations of carbohydrate influenced the growth of sago plantlets significantly, but there was no interaction between the two factors. Sucrose was better than other types of carbohydrate, and the concentration of 30 g/l was better than concentrations of 45 or 60 g/l for the growth and vigor of sago plantlets. Medium with a sucrose level at 30 g/l gave the best performance of sago plantlets based on plantlet height, leaf number, biomass fresh weight, stem diameter, and rooting percentage.

Tempe fermentation involved complex microbial communities which are only revealed partially through culture dependent methods. Culture-independent methods would be potential to unravel this complex microbial fermentation. Appropriate DNA extraction is an essential tool to obtain reliable data from culture independent method. In this study, we employed two commercial DNA extraction methods to find the best one for microbial community characterization employing amplified ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA). Our result showed that PowerFood Microbial DNA Isolation Kit-MOBIO (PFMDIK) is an excellent method for microbial DNA extraction from tempe. It gave high quantity and quality of DNA suitable for PCR amplification of 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer to yield a diverse and reproducible ARISA profile.