Yellow latex is the main problem in mangosteen agribusiness, because it is one factor lowering the fruit quality. The structure of yellow latex secretory ducts in the flower and fruit as well as in the root, stem and leaf of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) seedling and the qualitative phytochemistry of yellow latex were studied. The ducts were branched, canal-like type. They were found in the exocarp, mesocarp, endocarp, aril of the fruit, flower, stem, and leaf. In the fruit, the biggest diameter of the secretory ducts was found in the endocarp. There were continuous secretory ducts from fruit stalk to the fruit. Ultrastructural observation showed that the ducts surrounded by specific epithelial cells, which were living cells containing dense cytoplasm with plastid, mitochondria and golgi apparatus organelles. The qualitative test indicated that the yellow latex collected from stem bark, outer part of fruit, young fruit pericarp, mature aril and young aril contained terpenoid, flavonoid and tannin, but not alkaloid, saponin and steroid, except in the young aril containing the steroid. Key words: secretory ducts, yellow latex, endocarp, aril, epithelial cells

Intracellular antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) was reported decreased in the liver and kidney of hypercholesterolemic rats. This study was conducted to observe the effect of seaweed Eucheuma cottonii powder on the profile of blood cholesterol and the level of SOD in liver tissues of hypercholesterolemic rats by using immunohistochemical technique. Twenty male Wistar rats were used for this study. Those rats were divided into four groups; (i) negative control group (A), (ii) hypercholesterolemia group treated by 5% seaweed powder (B), (iii) hypercholesterolemia group treated by 10% seaweed powder (C), and (iv) Positive control group or hypercholesterolemia group (D). The experiment was carried out for 35 days. Hypercholesterolemia condition (> 130 mg/dl), except group A, was achieved by feeding the rats with commercial diet containing 1% cholesterol. Drinking water was given ad libitum for 40 days. The results showed that seaweed powder decreased the total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride, and increased the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) and SOD status in the liver tissues of hypercholesterolemic rats. The treatment of 10% seaweed powder gave better results than that of 5%. These results suggested that dietary fiber such in the seaweed powder has antioxidant activity. Key words: superoxide dismutase (SOD), seaweed-Eucheuma cottonii, hypercholesterolemia, liver, immunohistochemistry

Study on cuscus hunting as a form of wildlife utilization by Biak ethnic group surrounding the North Biak Strict Nature Reserce (CABU) was carried out through direct observation and interview with hunter respondents and other key respondents among four villages that purposively chosen i.e. Inswambesi, Kayomi, Wasani, dan Sansundi at the Warsa District of Biak Numfor, Papua. Two species of cuscus occurs in the study site were common cuscus (Phalanger orientalis) and spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus) and they were observed as hunting target in CABU. Hunting was performed partly as routine activity used various traditional tools (slash blade, trap, spear, and calling cuscus) and modern weapon (firearm). Cuscus hunting was done to supply animal protein for households, inspite some hunting results raised for consumption and market purposes. For one period of hunting 3-4 cuscus were caught and it was lower than five years ago. It was indicated that the population condition was vulnerable on overharvest and at the present time cuscus population tend to decreased. Traditional wisdom of Biak ethnic group should be explored and practiced again as the form of local law in order to manage cuscus hunting for the future cuscus conservation program. Key words: cuscus, hunting, biak ethnic group

The Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) displacement (D)-loop sequences were used to study the genetic diversity and relationship of Indonesian indigenous chickens. A total of 483 individuals belonging to 15 population breeds and 43 individuals belonging to 6 populations of jungle fowl (2 populations of Gallus gallus and 4 populations of Gallus varius) were sampled. The hypervariable I (HVI) segment of the D-loop was PCR amplified and subsequently sequenced. The sequences of the first 397 nucleotides were used for analysis. Sixty nine haplotypes were identified from 54 polymorphic sites with polymorphism between nucleotides 167 and 397 contributing to 94.5% of the sequence variation. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Indonesian indigenous chickens can be grouped into five distinct clades (clade I, II, IIIc, IIId, and IV) of the previously identified seven clades (clade I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IIId, and IV) in Asian indigenous chickens. Fifty haplotypes belong to clade II, seven haplotypes are in clade IV, six are in clade IIId, three are in clade I and one haploype is in clade IIIc. There was no breed-specific clade. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) based on partial D-loop sequences of Indonesian chicken indicates that 67.85% of the total sequence variation between haplotypes was present within the population and 32.15% between populations. One of the haplotypes (represented by PLC4) was shared by all populations, suggesting that these populations may share the same maternal ancestor. These results show a high mitochondrial D-loop diversity and indicate multiple maternal origins for Indonesian indigenous chickens. Key words: Indonesian indigenous chicken, mitochondrial DNA, D-loop, haplotype, phylogenetic analysis and clade

Propolis is believed to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulating activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of ethanol extract propolis (EEP) of Trigona spp. from Bukittinggi West Sumatera against Campylobacter spp. Antibacterial activity of the EEP was measured by disc diffusion method. The compound groups of the propolis were also analyzed on the existence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saphonins, tannins, steroids, and terpenoids. This study revealed that the EEP of Trigona spp. shows an antibacterial activity on Campylobacter spp. The compound groups detected in the EEP were flavonoids and tannins, suggesting that the antibacterial activity of propolis of Trigona spp. may be due to these compounds. Key words: Trigona spp., antibacterial activity, Campylobacter spp

One of the problems in cultivation of carambola fruit is the high of flower and fruit drop during fruit development. To understand these problems and to improve fruit retention, the content of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and total sugar in carambola fruit and leaves were analysed in response to application of gibberellic acid (GA3) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). The experiments used 1,5 year old of carambola plants (Averrhoa carambola L. var Dewi) grown in polybag of 40 x 50 cm. GA3 with the concentration of 0, 20, 40, and 60 ppm and 2,4-D of 0, 5, 10, and 15 ppm were applied to the flower and the supporting leaves of carambola plant. The parameters analysed were number of flower drop, fruit formation, fruit retention, number of harvestable fruit per cluster, fruit weight per cluster, the content of sugar in the leaves and IAA in the fruit. The result showed that IAA content of the fruit increased in response to single as well as combination of GA3 and 2,4-D application. Sugar content of the leaves also increased in response to GA3 and 2,4-D application; however, the pattern was different with that of IAA. The best treatment to improve fruit retention was a single application of 10 ppm 2,4-D or 60 ppm GA3, and combined application of 5 ppm 2,4-D and 60 ppm GA3. Key words: fruit drop, fruit retention, carambola fruit, auxin, gibberellin

Leucadendron (Proteaceae) is a South African genus, the flowers of which have become a popular item in the Australian cut-flower industry. All species are dioecious. In general the female flowers are the more desirable as cut flowers. The availability of a molecular marker linked to sex determination is therefore needed both to maximize the efficiency of breeding programs and to supply markets with flowers from the preferred sex. The polymerase chain reaction-based method of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) combined with mirror orientation selection (MOS) were applied in an attempt to identify genome differences between male and female plants of Leucadendron discolor. Screening of 416 clones from a male-subtracted genomic DNA library and 282 clones from a female-subtracted library identified 13 candidates for male-specific genomic fragments. Sequence analyses of the 13 candidate DNA fragments showed that they were fragments of the chloroplast DNA, raising the possibility that chloroplast DNA copy number is linked to sex determination in Leucadendron. Key words: Leucadendron, sex determination, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH)

Pliek u obtained by traditionally fermentation of coconut meat is a potential source of antimicrobial compounds. This research was aimed to detect of their active compounds by bioautographic method and to analyze their chemical composition by GC-MS. For this purposes, pliek u was extracted with ethanol 96% to get crude ethanol extract of pliek u (EEP) and to get ethanol extract of residual pliek u (EERP) which was previously extracted by hexane. Crude EEP was separated into four bioautographic spots with different Rfs (0.93, 0.71, 0.19, and 0.10) which were all shown to be active against Staphyloccoccus aureus. Similar result was shown by EERP, but only resulted three bioautographic spots (Rfs 0.77, 0.63, and 0.4). Crude EEP consisted of 22 components representing 99.98% with fatty acids, ester, alcohol as major constituents and aliphatic hydrocarbon. EERP consisted of 9 components representing 99.80% with alcohol as major constituents and fatty acids, ester, 4-Dibenzofuramine and amine as minor constituents. The present of many active compounds in pliek u supports the use of pliek u as spice to improve the quality of food and encourages further studies to determine those active compounds. Key words: antimicrobe detection, chemical composition, pliek u

A reduction in population size due to land clearing and habitat fragmentation may have negative effects on plant fitness. A relationship between population size and progeny performance for four small (n < 20 plants) and four large (n > 100 plants) populations of Banksia ilicifolia, a widespread but naturally fragmented species in south-western Australia, was assessed. Seeds collected from the field were germinated and a comparative growth study conducted in a greenhouse. After six months, the survival rate of seedlings from larger populations was double (36%) that of smaller populations, while germination rates and other measures of growth performance were independent of population size. The conservation and management implications of reduced fitness associated with small population size in B. ilicifolia are discussed. Key words: population size effect, fragmentation, Banksia ilicifolia, growth study

In human, coronary heart disease causes by severe pathological atherosclerosis. In this study, we established animal model to study atherosclerosis caused by hyperlipidemia. This study therefore was undertaken to define the effect of increasing atherosclerosis risk factor, include body weight as well as age, cholesterol concentration and dietary fat in rabbit chow, and time of treatment. Male New Zealand White rabbits were divided into 4 groups; Group I and III were consisted of 2 months rabbit were fed with standard rabbit chow. To introduce atherosclerosis, the chow for Group II was contained 0.25% cholesterol and 5% palm oil; whereas the chow for group IV was contained 0.5% cholesterol and 5% coconut oil to induce higher atherosclerotic lesion. Results showed that group II and IV developed hyperlipidemia. However, aortic cholesterol concentration in those groups did not different significantly (P > 0.05). We suggest that low carbohydrate composition in diet, 50% lower compared to the previous researches, was able to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentration. This study demonstrated the complex interactions between low carbohydrate diet and cholesterol metabolism and the dramatic effects of reducing atherosclerosis risk factor; however, even though hyperlipidemic condition was achieved, total plasma cholesterol HDL ratio was maintained low. Key words: atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, rabbit, low carbohydrate diet