bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shock Propagation Across the Futures Term Structure: Evidence from Crude Oil Prices
Authors: Lautier Delphine H. , Raynaud Franck , Robe Michel A.
Published: March 2019

To what extent are futures prices interconnected across the maturity curve? Where in the term structure do price shocks originate, and which maturities do they reach? We propose a new approach, based on information theory, to study these cross-maturity linkages and the extent to which connectedness is impacted by market events. We introduce the concepts of backward and forward information flows, and propose a novel type of directed graph, to investigate the propagation of price shocks across the WTI term structure. Using daily data, we show that the mutual information shared by contracts with different maturities increases substantially starting in 2004, falls back sharply in 2011-2014, and recovers thereafter. Our findings point to a puzzling re-segmentation by maturity of the WTI market in 2012-2014. We document that, on average, short-dated futures emit more information than do backdated contracts. Importantly, however, we also show that significant amounts of information flow backwards along the maturity curve—almost always from intermediate maturities, but at times even from far-dated contracts. These backward flows are especially strong and far-reaching amid the 2007-2008 oil price boom/bust.
Volatility Spillovers in Energy Markets
Authors: Chuliá Helena , Furió Dolores , Uribe Jorge M.
Published: March 2019

We investigate the extent and evolution of the links between energy markets using a broad data set consisting of a total of 17 series of prices for commodities such as electricity, natural gas, coal, oil and carbon. The results shed light on a number of relevant issues such as the volatility spillover effect in energy markets (within and across sectors) and the identification of those markets that are exporters (importers) of volatility to (from) other markets, as well as evidence of the time-varying nature of these effects. The main conclusions are: (i) the most integrated European electricity markets appear to be those of Germany, France and the Netherlands; (ii) the Dutch Title Transfer Facility might be on the way to becoming the benchmark price for natural gas in Europe, and (iii) natural gas may be replacing crude oil as the global benchmark price for energy commodities.
Restructuring Revisited Part 2: Coordination in Electricity Distribution Systems
Authors: Burger Scott P. , Jenkins Jesse D. , Batlle Carlos , Pérez-Arriaga Ignacio J.
Published: March 2019

This paper addresses the mechanisms needed to coordinate vertically and horizontally disaggregated actors in electricity distribution systems. The mechanisms designed to coordinate planning, investments, and operations in the electric power sector were designed with minimal participation from either the demand side of the market or distributed energy resources (DERs) connected at distribution voltages. The emergence of DERs is now animating consumers and massively expanding the number of potential investors and participants in the provision of electricity services. We highlight how price signals—the primary mechanism for coordinating investments and operations at the transmission level—do not adequately coordinate investments in and operations of DERs with network infrastructure. We discuss the role of the distribution system operator in creating cost-reflective prices, and argue that the price signals governing transactions at the distribution level must increasingly internalize the cost of network externalities, revealing the marginal cost or benefit of an actor’s decisions. Price signals considered include contractual relationships, organized procurement processes, market signals, and regulated retail tariffs. This paper is the second part of a two-part series on competition and coordination in rapidly evolving electricity distribution systems.
Decomposing Crude Price Differentials: Domestic Shipping Constraints or the Crude Oil Export Ban?
Authors: Agerton Mark , Upton Gregory B.
Published: March 2019

Over the past decade the primary U.S. crude benchmark, WTI, diverged considerably from its foreign counterpart, Brent, sometimes selling at a steep discount. Some studies pointed to the ban on exporting U.S. crude oil production as the main culprit for this divergence. We find that scarce domestic pipeline capacity explains half to three quarters of the deviation of mid-continent crude oil prices from their long-run relationship with Brent crude. We are unable to find evidence that mismatch between domestic refining configurations and domestic crude characteristics contributed significantly to this deviation. This implies that the short-run deleterious effects of the export ban may have been exaggerated.
The Unconventional Oil Supply Boom: Aggregate Price Response from Microdata
Authors: Newell Richard G. , Prest Brian C.
Published: March 2019

We analyze the price responsiveness of U.S. conventional and unconventional oil supply across three key stages of oil production: drilling, completion, and production. Drilling is the most important margin, with price elasticities of 1.3 and 1.6 for conventional and unconventional drilling respectively. Well productivity declines as prices rise, implying smaller net supply elasticities of about 1.1 and 1.2. Despite similar supply elasticities, the price response of unconventional supply is larger in terms of barrels because of much higher production per well (∼10x initially). Oil supply simulations show a 13-fold larger supply response due to the shale revolution. The simulations suggest that a price rise from $50 to $80 per barrel induces incremental U.S. production of 0.6MM barrels per day in 6 months, 1.4MM in 1 year, 2.4MM in 2 years, and 4.2MM in 5 years. Nonetheless, the response takes much longer than the 30 to 90 days than typically associated with the role of “swing producer.”
Restructuring Revisited Part 1: Competition in Electricity Distribution Systems
Authors: Burger Scott P. , Jenkins Jesse D. , Batlle Carlos , Pérez-Arriaga Ignacio J.
Published: March 2019

This paper addresses the implications of the emergence of distributed energy resources (DERs) for competition in the electricity distribution systems. The regulations on industry structures in place today were designed in an era characterized by centralized resources and relatively price inelastic demand. In light of the decentralization of the power sector, regulators and policy makers must carefully reconsider how industry structure at the distribution level affects competition, market development, and cost efficiency. We analyze the economic characteristics of distribution network owners and operators, DER owners, and aggregators and retailers. We translate the foundational theories in industrial organization and the lessons learned during the previous wave of power system restructuring to the modern context to provide insight into three questions. First, should distribution system operations be separated from distribution network ownership in order to ensure the neutrality of the DSO role? Second, should DNOs be allowed to own and operate DERs, or should DER ownership be left exclusively to competitive actors? Third, does the emergence of DERs necessitate a reconsideration of the role of competition in the provision of aggregation services such as retailing? This paper is the first part of a two-part series on competition and coordination in rapidly evolving electricity distribution systems.
Zur Datierung und Deutung der Chlamysfiguren aus rotem Porphyr
Authors: Bergmann Marianne
Published: March 2019

The article deals with four porphyry statues wearing late antique tunica-chlamys attire in Vienna, Berlin, Ravenna and in the Louvre. By the provenance of two of them and by deals of workmanship they are all clearly linked to the porphyry workshop that the tetrarchs had installed in Egypt. Yet they differ from the main products of this workshop not only by their new costume but also in their overall shape. Whereas the tetrarchs employed local sculptors, who specialized in working hard stone for their new porphyry workshop and the result was a fascinating mixture of imperially commissioned and strong local elements, these chlamydate follow other models of more classical taste. They attest to new imperial instructions given to the workshop. This makes it important to know when this new form of imperial representation was introduced. Suggested dates differ widely this article proposes to date the statues in Ravenna and the Louvre by means of their close typological and stylistic similarities to the statue of Oikoumenios form Aphrodisias, which itself is dated by its portrait, which is the closest known parallel to early Theodosian emperor’s portraits at Aphrodisias and Constantinople. The common link between the locally-produced honorific statues from Aphrodisias, the imperial porphyry workshop in Egypt, and the statue finds in Italy would then be Constantinople, whose sculpture workshops were heavily influenced by those of Aphrodisias. There are reasons to see the statues at Vienna and Berlin as earlier and representing a development o the new iconography. All this seems to correspond with the ideas of U. Gehn and R.R. R. Smith, who posit, that the use of late antique chlamydate and togati for honorific statues developed mainly in the later 4th century and in the east. It may have evolved during and after the reign of Valens, parallel to the intensified lawgiving concerning status marking. There should e parallels to this in the emperor’s ‘Chlamys/Dienstkostüm’. - In the end, there are some remarks on the ‘hand-on-sword’ gesture of the statues.
“The Horrible Lady” in Istanbul: is a public non-Imperial female Portrait possible in the sixth Century AD?
Authors: Sande Siri
Published: March 2019

In 1963 the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul purchased a female portrait of unknown provenance. It is clearly recut from an older head. In its final version, the head is late antique, but the recutting and the scarcity of comparable non-Imperial female portraits from this period have made a more secure dating difficult. Here the first half of the sixth-century ad is proposed. This article poses two main questions: 1) Is a non-Imperial female portrait in the round possible as late as the sixth century? 2) Could a woman in a period Shen covered dead were the norm, have herself portrayed with uncovered hair?
The Lost shield portraits of Aphrodisias. Reflections on Style and Patronage.
Authors: Lenaghan Julia
Published: March 2019

The paper re-examines a series of lost shield portraits discovered by Paul Gaudin in Aphrodisias in 1904-1905. It focuses on three aspects of these objects: the technical details of the carving and choice of model (style), the structural specifications (manufacture), and the subject matter (iconography and theme). It endeavors to place these objects in the context of other shield portraits found more recently at Aphrodisias and to evaluate them in light of recent scholarship on late antique sculpture. It stresses the similarities between these shield portraits and others from the site and reflects on possible contexts for the Aphrodisian shield portraits, considering for the first time the possibility that all of these Aphrodisian shield portraits might have come from the same context.
Una singolare bottega di lapicidi bizantini attiva a Hierapolis Efeso e Sardi
Authors: Pedone Silvia
Published: March 2019

Upon the background of the study of Byzantine sculpture of the Justinian age (6th century), the present survey focuses on a group of sculptures, partly unpublished, which came to light in recent archaeological campaigns carried out on the basilica complex dedicated to Apostle Philip in Hierapolis Such materials reveal stylistic features similar to those of some fragments coming from the neighboring areas and from the city of Sardis. An exceptional element of comparison is represented here by the large crosses carved on the columns of the Basilica of San Giovanni in Ephesus. This homogeneous group of marble artifacts and their iconographic and executive characteristics are an indicator of the stylistic originality of a workshop mainly active in Hierapolis, but also testify to the mobility of masons and materials in some of the main Christian places of worship of the 6th century.
La scultura della seconda metà del IV secolo d.C.
Authors: Russo Eugenio
Published: March 2019

Si parte dalla scultura di Costantinopoli, che assume una propria identità non con Teodosio I come si pensa comunemente, ma con il nipote Teodosio II: la scultura di carattere mitologico, grazie alla statuetta di Cristo del Museo Nazionale Romano e alla statua di Valentiniano II, da Afrodisia, può essere attribuita, unitamente alla produzione “cristiana”, a maestranze afrodisiensi attive nella capitale. Maestranze di Afrodisia che contemporaneamente hanno lavorato a Roma: non solo per soggetti pagani, ma pure per a statuetta diCristo e per sarcofagi cristiani (come quello di Giunio Basso), tra cui spicca - come l’esemplare di più alta qualità - il sarcofago del beato Egidio in S. Bernardino a Perugia. Maestranze afrodisiensi sicuramente attive anche a Mantova per il sarcofago della cattedrale: dove tuttavia, come per i varii esemplari di Roma , vi è la compresenza di maestranze romane, italicheforse. Pure in Renania notiamo l’attività degli artefici di Afrodisia; mentre a Ravenna siamo davanti a sarcofagi importati direttamente da Costantinopoli, nella cui esecuzione si vede evidente la mano di maestranze afrodisiensi di vario livello. Per Efeso, ho rinvenuto nella città alta un capitello di pilastro di età antonina, ch’è stato in parte rilavorato in modo mimetico forse all’inizio del V secolo: è l’unico elemento nuovo tra le opere di artefici effemini finora apparso per questo periodo nella città , accanto ai capitelli della prima basilica di S. Giovanni, della”Stigengasse” e dell’edificio a ovest del Prytaneion.
Polygenic adaptation on height is overestimated due to uncorrected stratification in genome-wide association studies
Authors: Sohail Mashaal , Maier Robert M , Ganna Andrea , Bloemendal Alex , Martin Alicia R , Turchin Michael C , Chiang Charleston WK , Hirschhorn Joel , Daly Mark J , Patterson Nick , Neale Benjamin , Mathieson Iain , Reich David , Sunyaev Shamil R
Published: March 2019

Genetic predictions of height differ among human populations and these differences have been interpreted as evidence of polygenic adaptation. These differences were first detected using SNPs genome-wide significantly associated with height, and shown to grow stronger when large numbers of sub-significant SNPs were included, leading to excitement about the prospect of analyzing large fractions of the genome to detect polygenic adaptation for multiple traits. Previous studies of height have been based on SNP effect size measurements in the GIANT Consortium meta-analysis. Here we repeat the analyses in the UK Biobank, a much more homogeneously designed study. We show that polygenic adaptation signals based on large numbers of SNPs below genome-wide significance are extremely sensitive to biases due to uncorrected population stratification. More generally, our results imply that typical constructions of polygenic scores are sensitive to population stratification and that population-level differences should be interpreted with caution.

Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter).
NOISE AS AN INDICATOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY - PRE-MEASUREMENTS IN SELECTED AREAS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF VELENJE
Authors: HOLEČEK NIKOLA , ŠPEH NATALIJA
Published: March 2019

The noise in the living and working environment significantly reduces the quality of the environment. With the expansion of cities and consequently increase of traffic, the problem of noise increases significantly. The study was performed in Velenje, a large employment centre in Šaleška valley. In terms of population it is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. In recent years, Velenje is faced with the deterioration of environmental quality and increased noise, particularly around the city's main roads. In the last decade, this area is very active in investments (thermal power plant, Gorenje), and thus the living and working environment situation worsens. The longitudinal axis of the city is the concentration of traffic and industrial activity. The aim of the project was to create a professional basis and assess the degree of exposure of certain areas and its population to different sources of noise. The study is intended to prepare a quick and effective corrective measures for protection against the influence of noise.
Key words: noise, environmental quality
AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR DETERMINATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS BY GC-MS USING NEW SORBENTS IN QUECHERS TECHNIQUE
Authors: STANKOV JOVANOVIĆ VESNA , MITIĆ VIOLETA , CVETKOVIĆ JELENA , ILIĆ MARIJA , ĆIRIĆ SLOBODAN , NIKOLIĆ-MANDIĆ SNEŽANA , STOJANOVIĆ GORDANA
Published: March 2019

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been considered as environmental pollutants of a great concern. Regardless of the method of quantitative analysis to be applyied, sample preparation is essential for the accurate determination of PAHs. Due to the extreme complexity of the soil samples, caused primarily by the presence of hundreds of compounds, many of them have similar physical and / or chemical properties as well as the analyzed compounds, and preparation of environmental samples for analysis is crucial for validity of the PAHs analysis. No matter which method will be applied for later analysis, sample preparation has to fulfill a number of conditions such as, adequate selectivity, efficiency, availability, easy to perform, short duration of the procedure. QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method of sample preparation is a relatively new method that uses different sorbents and solvent systems. In this paper, the possibility of application of sorbents (diatomaceous earth, clinoptilolite and carbon black), which are not usually used in QuEChERS clean-up step of sample preparation, using 3 different solvent mixtures hexane / acetone (1:1, v / v) cyclohexane / acetone (1: 1, v / v) and acetonitrile / methanol (2:1, v / v) was investigated. Standard solutions of PAHs were treated with selected sorbents and solvent systems in all combinations, and then analyzed by GC-MS method. The overall accuracy of the method varied depending of compound and used sorbent/solvent system, while precision of the method was constantly good. Highest mean recovery for all PAHs (49.22%) was recorded for clinoptilolite, hexane / acetone combination. Diatomaceous earth showed lower recoveries in comparison with clinoptilolite, with all solvent systems, while recoveries for carbon black were almost zero. Among tested sorbents, clinoptilolite was identified as good starting sorbent which characteristics could be modified with aim to achieve higher accuracy, precision and selectivity of the method, and enable its new application in analytical chemistry.
Key words: PAHs, QuEChERS, sorbents, GC-MC.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Authors: Bijelic Bojan , Misic Nikola , Bozilov Aca
Published: March 2019

Management systems are powerful tool for helping an organization fulfill its goals. This paper deals with occupational health and safety management systems, which are among the most common systems. Choosing the right management system can often be very difficult. The reason for this is the fact that there is a variety of occupational health and safety management systems. ISO standard for OHS management systems should make this decision easier. Comparing the elements of OHS management systems’ structures indicate that there is a great similarity between these systems.
Key words: occupational health and safety, management systems, standard
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF CONTINUOUS BIODIESEL PRODUCTION AT PILOT LEVEL BY HETEROGENEOUSLY CATALYZED OIL METHANOLYSIS
Authors: POPOVIĆ-NIKOLIĆ NINOSLAVA , MILADINOVIĆ MARIJA , BANKOVIĆ-ILIĆ IVANA , STAMENKOVIĆ OLIVERA , VELJKOVIĆ VLADA
Published: March 2019

The environmental aspects of a continuous biodiesel production pilot process based on the sunflower oil methanolysis employing the quicklime as a solid catalyst were analyzed. The environmental impacts of important factors present in all phases of the proposed pilot process were evaluated. The aim of the work was to identify the potential harmful effects of the proposed process for biodiesel production on the environment and to propose the preventive and protective measures.
Key words: biodiesel, ecological and environmental aspects, heterogeneous catalysis, methanolysis, safety
A NEW APPROACH FOR DETERMINING THE SYSTEM TIME WITHOUT FAILURES USING PETRI NETS
Authors: Zlatkovic Bojana , Samardzic Biljana
Published: March 2019

A new method for determining the time without failures using Petri nets will be presented in this paper. Petri nets are very appropriate for modelling and analysis of different systems. Due to its simplicity, this method can be applicable in practice, for example, for reliability analysis and for the time without failures calculation. The results are illustrated using the example of electric power system.
Key words: Petri nets,time without failures, fault tree
GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF FORMATION AND OUTBREAK OF SANITARY LANDFILL FIRES
Authors: MILOŠEVIĆ LIDIJA , MIHAJLOVIĆ EMINA , ĐORĐEVIĆ AMELIJA , RADOSAVLJEVIĆ JASMINA
Published: March 2019

This paper discusses fires that occur in sanitary landfills as a result of oxidation processes in the landfill body. The paper provides an overview of the causes and incidence of landfill fires, as well as their classification. Finally, it analyzes fire occurrence indicators.
Key words: landfill, fire, waste, landfill gas, indicators of fires.
ENGINEERING ETHICS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Ilic-Krstic Ivana , Ilic-Petkovic Aleksandra
Published: March 2019

The adoption of the code of ethics of engineering in the 21st century should involve putting public interest above all others. However, in market economy collective interest is not in the foreground. In the foreground are placed particular interests of employers, i.e. multinational companies. The degradation of the environment and endangering life on Earth, brought about a new philosophy in form of sustainable development, which should include the adoption of the Code of Ethics that puts the public interest above individual, especially when it comes to economic activities. The economy and the environment are equally important for sustainable development in terms of ethics. Engineers have an ethical dilemma that arises from the conflict of ecological and economic conditions of their work. In this article, scientific approach of professor Sharon Beder on this issue is presented.
Key words: engineers, ethics, engineering ethics, sustainable development
Modeling a Planar Coupled Microstrip Lines using various Wavelets and Method of Moments
Authors: Bayjja M. , Moubadir M. , Alsharahi G. , Aghoutane M. , Amar  Touhami N.
Published: March 2019

In this paper, we apply a several wavelets basis functions to the method of moments to modeling the parallel-coupled microstrip lines. The ﬁrst set of equations is for the shielded microstrip line solved with moment’s method and wavelets. The Green’s function is obtained from the theory of images. The second set are for the parallel-coupled microstrip lines operating in the TEM mode or when the analysis can be based on quasi-static approximation, the properties of coupled lines can be determined from the self- and mutual inductances and capacitances for the lines. To demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed technique, numerical results of even- and odd-mode characteristic impedances, coupling coefficient, percentage sparsity achieved in the impedance matrix, the CPU Time to reverse impedance matrix, and error relative for Daubechies, Coiflets,   Biorthogonal and Symlets wavelets are presented. Numerical results are in good agreement with those in previous publications.
Relative abundance and molecular evolution of Lake Sinai Virus (Sinaivirus) clades
Authors: Cornman Robert S.
Published: March 2019

Lake Sinai Viruses (Sinaivirus) are commonly detected in honey bees (Apis mellifera) but no disease phenotypes or fitness consequences have yet been demonstrated. This viral group is genetically diverse, lacks obvious geographic structure, and multiple lineages can co-infect individual bees. While phylogenetic analyses have been performed, the molecular evolution of LSV has not been studied extensively. Here, I use LSV isolates from GenBank as well as contigs assembled from honey bee Sequence Read Archive (SRA) accessions to better understand the evolutionary history of these viruses. For each ORF, substitution rate variation, codon usage, and tests of positive selection were evaluated. Outlier regions of high or low diversity were sought with sliding window analysis and the role of recombination in creating LSV diversity was explored. Phylogenetic analysis consistently identified two large clusters of sequences that correspond to the current LSV1 and LSV2 nomenclature, however lineages sister to LSV1 were the most frequently detected in honey bee SRA accessions. Different expression levels among ORFs suggested the occurrence of subgenomic transcripts. ORF1 and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase had higher evolutionary rates than the capsid and ORF4. A hypervariable region of the ORF1 protein-coding sequence was identified that had reduced selective constraint, but a site-based model of positive selection was not significantly more likely than a neutral model for any ORF. The only significant recombination signals detected between LSV1 and LSV2 initiated within this hypervariable region, but assumptions of the test (single-frame coding and independence of substitution rate by site) were violated. LSV codon usage differed strikingly from that of honey bees and other common honey-bee viruses, suggesting LSV is not strongly co-evolved with that host. LSV codon usage was significantly correlated with that of Varroa destructor, however, despite the relatively weak codon bias exhibited by the latter. While codon usage between the LSV1 and LSV2 clusters was similar for three ORFs, ORF4 codon usage was uncorrelated between these clades, implying rapid divergence of codon use for this ORF only. Phylogenetic placement and relative abundance of LSV isolates reconstructed from SRA accessions suggest that detection biases may be over-representing LSV1 and LSV2 in public databases relative to their sister lineages.
Human gut resistome can be country-specific
Authors: Xia Yao , Zhu Yanshan , Li Qier , Lu Jiahai
Published: March 2019

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance have become emerging threats to human health. The human gut is a large reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes. The gut resistome may be influenced by many factors, but the consumption of antibiotics at both individual and country level should be one of the most significant factors. Previous studies have suggested that the gut resistome of different populations may vary, but lack quantitative characterization supported with relatively large datasets. In this study, we filled the gap by analyzing a large gut resistome dataset of 1,267 human gut samples of America, China, Denmark, and Spain. We built a stacking machine-learning model to determine whether the gut resistome can act as the sole feature to identify the nationality of an individual reliably. It turned out that the machine learning method could successfully identify American, Chinese, Danish, and Spanish populations with F1 score of 0.964, 0.987, 0.971, and 0.986, respectively. Our finding does highlight the significant differences in the composition of the gut resistome among different nationalities. Our study should be valuable for policy-makers to look into the influences of country-specific factors of the human gut resistome.
Comparative analysis of the liver transcriptome in the red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans under chronic salinity stress
Authors: Hong Meiling , Jiang Aiping , Li Na , Li Weihao , Shi Haitao , Storey Kenneth B. , Ding Li
Published: March 2019

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), identified as one of the 100 most invasive species in the world, is a freshwater turtle originally from the eastern United States and northeastern Mexico. Field investigations have shown that T. s. elegans can survive and lay eggs in saline habitats. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation, high-throughput RNA-Seq was utilized to identify the changes in gene expression profiles in the liver of T. s. elegans in response to elevated salinity. We exposed individuals to 0, 5, or 15 psu (practical salinity units) for 30 days. A total of 157.21 million reads were obtained and assembled into 205138 unigenes with an average length of 620 bp and N50 of 964 bp. Of these, 1019 DEGs (differentially expressed genes) were found in the comparison of 0 vs. 5 psu, 1194 DEGs in 0 vs. 15 psu and 1180 DEGs in 5 vs. 15 psu, which are mainly related to macromolecule metabolic process, ion transport, oxidoreductase activity and generation of precursor metabolites and energy by GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analyses. T. s. elegans can adapt itself into salinity by balancing the entry of sodium and chloride ions via the up-regulation expression genes of ion transport (potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily H member 5, KCNH5; erine/threonine-protein kinase 32, STK32; salt-inducible kinase 1, SIK1; adiponectin, ACDC), and by accumulating plasma urea and free amino acid via the up-regulation expression genes of amino acid metabolism (ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 3, OAZ3; glutamine synthetase, GLUL; asparaginase-like protein 1b, ASRGL; L-amino-acid oxidase-like, LAAO; sodium-dependent neutral amino acid transporter B, SLC6A15s; amino acid permease, SLC7A9) in response to osmotic regulation. An investment of energy to maintain their homeostatic balance is required to salinity adaptation, therefore, the genes related to energy production and conversion (F-ATPase protein 6, ATP6; cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, COX1; cytochrome c oxidase subunit III, COX3; cytochrome b, CYTb; cytochrome P450 17A1, CYP17A1) were up-regulated with the increase of gene expression associated with lipid metabolism (apolipoprotein E precursor, APoE; coenzyme Q-binding protein, CoQ10; high-density lipoprotein particle, SAA) and carbohydrate metabolism (HK, MIP). These findings improve our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in salinity adaptation and provide general guidance to illuminate the invasion potential of T. s. elegans into saline environments.
The chemical composition of a new “mica sandwich” foraminiferal species from the East Coast of Korea:Capsammina crassasp. nov.
Authors: Lee Somin , Armynot du Châtelet Eric , Gooday Andrew J. , Guillot François , Recourt Philippe , Frontalini Fabrizio , Lee Wonchoel
Published: March 2019

We describe a new agglutinated monothalamous foraminiferal species,Capsammina crassasp. nov., based on integrated observations of the test morphology and the chemical characteristics of materials composing the test. The new species was found at a depth of <60 m on the East coast of Korea. The test morphology is typical of the genusCapsammina, comprising two or more mica plates with a ring of finely agglutinated mineral grains sandwiched between them and surrounding the cell body. There is no distinct test aperture. Elemental analyses of the agglutinated grains revealed 15 different types of mineral grains of which quartz is the most abundant. The surface areas of grains exposed on fractured surfaces ranged from 1.6 to 7,700 μm2and the large plate-like grains forming the upper and lower surfaces measured about 420–2,350 μm in maximum width. The new species is morphologically similar toC. patelliformis, however, the differences in size, distribution area and depth support that these two species are distinct. This discovery is the first record of the genusCapsamminafrom the North Pacific. Therefore, it extends the biodiversity and geographical distribution of the genusCapsammina, which has been reported only from the bathyal NE Atlantic. Our finding also suggests the possibility of additional discovery of monothalamous foraminifera from around Korea.
Dose-dependent and strain-dependent anti-obesity effects ofLactobacillus sakeiin a diet induced obese murine model
Authors: Ji Yosep , Chung Young Mee , Park Soyoung , Jeong Dahye , Kim Bongjoon , Holzapfel Wilhelm Heinrich
Published: March 2019

Background

Overweight and abdominal obesity, in addition to medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar and triglyceride levels, are typical risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Yet, considering the complexity of factors and underlying mechanisms leading to these inflammatory conditions, a deeper understanding of this area is still lacking. Some probiotics have a reputation of a relatively-long history of safe use, and an increasing number of studies are confirming benefits including anti-obesity effects when administered in adequate amounts. Recent reports demonstrate that probiotic functions may widely differ with reference to either intra-species or inter-species related data. Such differences do not necessarily reflect or explain strain-specific functions of a probiotic, and thus require further assessment at the intra-species level. Various anti-obesity clinical trials with probiotics have shown discrepant results and require additional consolidated studies in order to clarify the correct dose of application for reliable and constant efficacy over a long period.

Methods

Three different strains ofLactobacillus sakeiwere administered in a high-fat diet induced obese murine model using three different doses, 1 × 1010, 1 × 109and 1 × 108CFUs, respectively, per day. Changes in body and organ weight were monitored, and serum chemistry analysis was performed for monitoring obesity associated biomarkers.

Results

Only one strain ofL. sakei(CJLS03) induced a dose-dependent anti-obesity effect, while no correlation with either dose or body or adipose tissue weight loss could be detected for the other twoL. sakeistrains (L338 and L446). The body weight reduction primarily correlated with adipose tissue and obesity-associated serum biomarkers such as triglycerides and aspartate transaminase.

Discussion

This study shows intraspecies diversity ofL. sakeiand suggests that anti-obesity effects of probiotics may vary in a strain- and dose-specific manner.
PENGUKURAN EFEKTIFITAS DAN FREKUENSI FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PRODUKTIVITAS PEKERJA PADA PEKERJAAN FINISHING PROYEK RUMAH TINGGAL DI SURABAYA
Authors: Prayogo Anton
Published: March 2019

Dalam dunia konstruksi, produktivitas adalah salah satu faktor penentu keberhasilan proyek. Pengukuran tingkat efektifitas tenaga kerja dapat dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode field rating yang mengklasifikasikan aktivitas pekerja dalam kategori bekerja dan tidak bekerja.Besarnya tingkat produktivitas kerja juga dipengaruhi oleh banyak faktor yang terjadi di lapangan, yaitu metode & teknologi, manajemen lapangan, lingkungan kerja, dan manusia.Penelitian dilakukan dengan pengamatan dan menyebar kuesioner. Pekerjaan finishing yang diamati yaitu pekerjaan plesteran, keramik dan pengecatan. Hasilnya didapatkan bahwa tingkat keefektifan tukang pada pekerjaan plesteran sebesar 83,86% dan tingkat keefektifan pembantu tukang sebesar 80,22 %, tingkat keefektifan tukang pada pekerjaan keramik sebesar 86,22% dan tingkat keefektifan pembantu tukang sebesar 78,34%, tingkat keefektifan tukang pada pekerjaan pengecatan sebesar 82,88% dan tingkat keefektifan pembantu tukang sebesar 79,51%. Sedangkan frekuensi faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi produktivitas pekerja pada pekerjaan finishing dengan nilai mean paling besar hingga terkecil terdapat dalam faktor (1) manusia, (2) manajemen lapangan, (3) lingkungan kerja, dan (4) metode & teknologi
PRODUKTIVITAS TENAGA KERJA SEBELUM DAN SESUDAH PERUBAHAN VOLUME PADA KONTRAK UNTUK PROYEK PEMBANGUNAN APARTEMEN X DAN HOTEL Y DI SURABAYA
Authors: Christy Albert Valentinus
Published: March 2019

Perubahan kontrak biasanya terjadi pada setiap tahap proyek karena berbagai sebab dari sumber yang berbeda, dan memiliki dampak yang cukup besar dalam banyak hal, yang paling penting adalah mengganggu dan mengurangi produktivitas tenaga kerja proyek. Produktivitas merupakan faktor mendasar yang mempengaruhi performansi kemampuan bersaing dalam industri konstruksi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui produktivitas tenaga kerja sebelum dan sesudah ada perubahan volume pada kontrak untuk pelaksanaan pembangunan Apartemen X dan Hotel Y di Surabaya. Data didapatkan dari data lapangan pada proyek yang telah selesai berupa laporan yang selalu dibuat oleh pelaksana proyek kemudian diolah untuk mendapatkan gambaran tentang ukuran dan pola produktivitas tenaga kerja sebelum dan sesudah perubahan volume pada kontrak. Perubahan volume pada kontrak yang terjadi menunjukan perubahan yang signifikan terhadap  produktivitas tenaga kerja untuk pekerjaan struktur dan pekerjan arsitektur, yaitu menurunnya produktivitas tenaga kerja. Produktivitas tenaga kerja pada Apartemen X dan Hotel Y terlihat memiliki pola perubahan produktivitas tenaga kerja yang serupa, dimana  produktivitas tenaga kerja untuk pekerjaan struktur mengalami penurunan, lalu  produktivitas tenaga kerja untuk pekerjaan arsitektur mengalami peningkatan, tetapi tidak signifikan.
MODEL PENGARUH IKLIM KESELAMATAN TERHADAP PERILAKU KESELAMATAN DENGAN DETERMINAN PENGETAHUAN DAN MOTIVASI PADA PROYEK KONSTRUKSI
Authors: Syaranamual Priscillia
Published: March 2019

Pada proyek konstruksi, angka kecelakaan kerja yang terjadi masih tinggi. Salah satu penyebabnya adalah kurang patutnya para tenaga kerja terhadap aturan. Oleh karena itu, perlu mengetahui faktor iklim keselamatan apa saja yang berpengaruh terhadap perilaku keselamatan dengan determinan pengetahuan dan motivasi. Model yang digunakan diadopsi dari model Neal & Griffin (2000), setelah itu dimodifikasi dengan menambahkan indikator untuk setiap variabel. Penelitian menggunakan sampel sebanyak 147 orang. Penelitian dilakukan pada proyek konstruksi di Surabaya. Selanjutnya semua kuesioner dianalisis menggunakan Structural Equation Model. Dalam penelitian ini mempunyai 6 hipotesa. Dari hasil pengujian, dapat di ketahui bahwa iklim keselamatan mempunyai pengaruh positif terhadap perilaku keselamatan. Iklim keselamatan mempunyai pengaruh terhadap pengetahuan dan motivasi dengan nilai direct-effect sebesar 0,844 dan 0,725. Sedangkan pengetahuan mempunyai pengaruh terhadap kepatuhan dan partsipasi keselamatan dengan nilai direct-effect sebesar 0,147 dan 0,244 dan motivasi mempunyai pengaruh terhadap kepatuhan dan partsipasi keselamatan dengan nilai direct-effect sebesar 0,787 dan 0,737.
Pelaksanaan Metode Spc dan Penilaian Tingkat Risiko Kecelakaan Kerja Pekerjaan Struktur pada Proyek X
Authors: Budisetiawan Eric , Andi Andi
Published: March 2019

Keselamatan kerja yang baik dilakukan dengan melakukan perencanaan dan penerapan keselamatan kerja. Pada penelitian ini, dicoba untuk merencanakan dan menilai penerapan keselamatan kerja dengan metode SPC serta melakukan penilaian terhadap tingkat risiko kecelakaan kerja berdasarkan Peraturan Menteri PU No : 05/PRT/M/2014.pada pekerjaan struktur proyek X.Perencanaan keselamatan kerja pada proyek tersebut dibagi menjadi tiga tahap yaitu long-term planning, look-ahead planning, dan short-term planning. Kemudian untuk penilaiannya, digunakan indikator PSW. Selama 2 bulan pengamatan, didapatkan nilai nol untuk seluruh pekerjaan struktur yang disebabkan oleh para pekerja. Kemudian hasil penilaian tingkat risiko menunjukkan bahwa semua pekerjaan struktur pada proyek tersebut berisiko tinggi. Hal ini dikarenakan nilai keparahan dari sebagian besar potensi bahaya tiap pekerjaan memiliki tingkat keparahan tinggi (bernilai 3) sehingga mengakibatkan tingginya tingkat risiko. Oleh sebab itu, saat mengerjakan pekerjaan struktur tersebut pengendalian risiko seperti pelatihan, safe guard, APD, serta pengawasan dari mandor harus dilakukan dengan baik dan benar.
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI MINAT CALON PEMBELI APARTEMEN MENENGAH – BAWAH DI SURABAYA
Authors: Prayogo Tommy , Kwanda Timoticin , Rahardjo Jani
Published: March 2019

Saat ini masyarakat Surabaya sudah tidak asing dengan adanya pembangunan apartemen. Dikala melimpahnya jumlah suplai unit apartemen, terjadi kelesuan dalam segi penjualan yang disebabkan oleh tekanan ekonomi Indonesia. Maka dari itu pengembang membutuhkan strategi pemasaran yang tepat disaat perlambatan laju perekonomian Indonesia. Kunci dari keberhasilan penjualan adalah dengan memenuhi apa yang diharapkan dan diinginkan oleh calon pembeli. Penelitian ini mengeksplorasi 6 faktor yang dirasa berpengaruh terhadap minat calon pembeli apartemen menengah – bawah di Surabaya yaitu faktor harga, lokasi, fisik bangunan, fasilitas, lingkungan dan promosi. Hasil penelitian ini menyatakan bahwa hanya faktor harga dan faktor lokasi yang berpengaruh signifikan terhadap minat calon pembeli apartemen menengah – bawah di Surabaya. Faktor harga merupakan faktor yang paling mempengaruhi minat calon pembeli apartemen menengah – bawah di Surabaya
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN RUMAH DAN APARTEMEN KELAS MENENGAH BAWAH DI SURABAYA, GRESIK, DAN SIDOARJO
Authors: Wijaya Adi Sucipto Chandra , Kwanda Timoticin , Rahardjo Jani
Published: March 2019

Konsumen properti kelas menengah bawah di wilayah Surabaya dan sekitarnya dapat dihadapkan dengan dua pilihan properti yang berbeda. Dengan harga yang relatif sama konsumen bisa membeli apartemen menengah bawah di Surabaya atau rumah menengah bawah di Gresik atau Sidoarjo (pinggiran kota Surabaya). Ada 3 faktor utama yang mempengaruhi keputusan pembelian properti yaitu faktor konsumen, produk, dan pengembang. Keputusan pembelian untuk salah satu jenis properti diatas akan dijelaskan dari ketiga faktor tersebut.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mencari faktor-faktor yang paling membedakan pertimbangan keputusan pembelian konsumen rumah menengah bawah di Gresik atau Sidoarjo dengan konsumen apartemen menengah bawah di Surabaya. Dengan analisa regresi logistik dan deskriptif mean, faktor-faktor tersebut dapat dianalisa sehingga dapat diketahui faktor/indikator mana yang paling mempengaruhi keputusan pembelian masing-masing jenis properti. Hasil dari penelitian ini melalui regresi logistik menunjukkan bahwa ada dua faktor yang membedakan keputusan pembelian kedua jenis properti tersebut secara signifikan, yaitu faktor pendidikan konsumen dan faktor pengembang. Dengan analisa mean juga didapatkan beberapa perbedaan karakter konsumen dan persepsi terhadap tingkat kepentingan faktor produk maupun pengembang
ANALISA FAKTOR KEPUASAN PENGHUNI APARTEMEN MENENGAH BAWAH DI SURABAYA
Authors: Harsono Kevin , Kwanda Timoticin , Rahardjo Jani
Published: March 2019

Maraknya apartemen di Surabaya tidak dapat dipisahkan dari keterbatasan lahan, serta harga landed house yang semakin meningkat. Akibatnya, pengembang harus menyusun strategi untuk mendapatkan minat beli konsumen. Untuk memenangkan persaingan, pengembang harus memberikan kepuasan kepada konsumen, baik dengan pelayanan, maupun dari konsep hunian. Proyek dapat dikatakan berhasil apabila produk yang dihasilkan memberikan tingkat kepuasan yang tinggi dari konsumen. Kepuasan penghuni didapat apabila harapan penghuni sama dengan kenyataan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisa faktor yang mempengaruhi kepuasan. Terdapat 4 faktor yang diuji dalam penelitian ini, yaitu aksesibilitas, desain bangunan, pemeliharaan dan operasional, serta kualitas pelayanan. Hasil penelitian menunjukan terdapat kesenjangan antara tingkat kepentingan dan kepuasan penghuni, sehingga kepuasan penghuni belum tercapai. Selain itu tidak terjadi perbedaan yang signifikan antara kepuasan penghuni terhadap lama menghuni. Faktor yang memerlukan perhatian khusus adalah pemeliharaan dan operasional, dimana terdapat gap antara tingkat kepuasan dan kepentingan. Strategi kombinasi ekspansi dan stabilitas diperlukan untuk meningkatkan kepuasan penghuni.
A General In Situ Growth Strategy of Designing Theranostic NaLnF4@Cu2−xS Nanoplatform for In Vivo NIR‐II Optical Imaging Beyond 1500 nm and Photothermal Therapy
Authors: Jiang Mingyang , Liu Hongrong , Zeng Songjun , Hao Jianhua
Published: March 2019

Theranostic nanoprobes with a combination of highly sensitive optical bioimaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) are considered advanced tools for improving the detection precision and the imaging‐guided hyperthermal therapy efficacy against tumor in the biomedical area. Compared with the traditional visible/first near‐infrared (NIR‐I, 650–900 nm) light‐emitting optical probe, a nanoprobe capable of generating the second near‐infrared (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) emission is emerging as the next‐generation optical imaging technique with high‐sensitivity, and high spatial/time resolution owing to its remarkably reduced photon scattering losses. However, a multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform incorporated with the new advanced NIR‐II optical imaging and PTT has not yet been explored. Herein, a general strategy for designing theranostic nanoplatforms by integrating NIR‐II optical bioimaging with photothermal functions via in situ growth of Cu2−xS quantum dots on the lanthanide nanorods is demonstrated. The as‐prepared NaLnF4:Yb/Er@Cu2−xS hybrid nanoprobes with a core‐satellite structure present excellent NIR‐II emission centered at 1525 nm, highly stable photothermal effects and good biocompatibility. These designed theranostic nanoprobes are utilized for NIR‐II optical imaging, small tumor detection (5 mm in diameter), and PTT. More importantly, non‐invasive brain vessel visualization with high spatial resolution (44.2 µm) through scalp and skull without craniotomy is demonstrated. Therefore, these results pave the way to designing new multifunction theranostic nanoplatforms for highly sensitive NIR‐II optical‐guided tumor detection, non‐invasive blood vessel imaging, and PTT.
A dried blood spot‐based method to measure levels of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP‐5b), a marker of bone resorption
Authors: Eick Geeta N. , Devlin Maureen J. , Cepon‐Robins Tara J. , Kowal Paul , Sugiyama Lawrence S. , Snodgrass J. Josh
Published: March 2019

Objectives

A number of basic questions about bone biology have not been answered, including population differences in bone turnover. In part, this stems from the lack of validated minimally invasive biomarker techniques to measure bone formation and resorption in field‐based population‐level research. The present study addresses this gap by validating a fingerprick dried blood spot (fDBS) assay for tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP‐5b), a well‐defined biomarker of bone resorption and osteoclast number.

Methods

We adapted a commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit from MyBiosource for the quantitative determination of TRACP‐5b levels in serum and plasma for use with DBS. We used a rigorous process of assay modification and validation, including the use of a matched set of 189 adult plasma, fDBS, and venous DBS (vDBS) samples; parameters evaluated included precision, reliability, and analyte stability.

Results

Plasma and DBS TRACP‐5b concentrations showed a linear relationship. There were no systematic differences in TRACP‐5b levels in fDBS and vDBS, indicating no significant differences in TRACP‐5b distribution between capillary and venous blood. Parallelism and spike‐and‐recovery results indicated that matrix factors in DBS do not interfere with measurement of TRACP‐5b levels from DBS using the validated kit. Intra‐ and interassay CVs were 5.0% and 12.1%, respectively. DBS samples should preferably be stored frozen but controlled room temperature storage for up to a month may be acceptable.

Conclusions

This DBS‐based ELISA assay adds to the methodological toolkit available to human biologists and will facilitate research on bone turnover in population studies.