bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Film “Darah dan Do’a” Sebagai Wacana Film Nasional Indonesia
Authors: Muhlisiun Arda -
Published: October 2017

AbstrakFilm nasional merujuk pada pengertian identitas nasional. Dia bisa disebut nasional karena representasi identitas itu bisa menunjukkannya. Film Usmar Ismail (Darah dan Doa, 1950) disebut sebagai (gagasan) film nasional karena diwacanakan sebagai film yang “asli” Indonesia.Melalui analisa tekstual bisa didapatkan satu pengertian diskursif-performatif atas film nasional, yang sesungguhnya telah menjadi “mitos” terhadap film Usmar Ismail ini. Untuk memperjelas pengertian film nasional, sekaligus sebagai upaya mendeskripsikan wacana film nasional atas film Usmar Ismail ini digunakan konsep film nasional yang ditawarkan oleh Jinhee Choi tentang pengertian film nasional yang menurutnya bisa berdasarkan nilai teritori, nilai fungsional dan nilai relasional. Hasil analisa yang didapatkan dari penelitian ini menemukan bahwa gagasan film nasional atas film Usmar Ismail memang lebih berkutat pada kekuatan wacana yang mengelilinginya, terutama Usmar Ismail yang memang menjadi faktor determinan dalam lahirnya gagasan film nasional Indonesia.Kata Kunci : Film Nasional, Usmar Ismail, Darah dan DoaAbstractA national film suggestived towards the ideas of national identity. It can be labelled ‘national’ because the representation of national identity pertains to it. Usmar Ismail’s film was described as a national film because it presents genuine Indonesian. Through the textual analysis that discursive-performative understanding of national films can be achieved; an understanding that has become a myth in context to Usmar Ismail’s film.In order to clarified concepts of national film as well as to illustrate the discourse of national films in Usmar Ismail’s work, this analysis used JinHee Choi’s theory of national cinema. In which national film was theorized based on territorial, functional and relational factors.The findings of this analysis showed how the concept of national film in Usmar Ismail’s film actually struggles against the dominant discourse of its time particularly in terms of Usmar Ismail’s figure as a determining factor in establishing national films in Indonesia.Keyword : National Cinema, Usmar Ismail, Darah dan Doa
Representasi Nilai Kosmologi Pada Wujud Lokal Bangunan Hunian Bali Aga
Authors: Maharani Ida Ayu Dyah , Santosa Imam , Wardono Prabu
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACTÂ Bali Aga architecture is the second oldest architecture in Bali lasted the 8th to 13th century which there were two important events that brought acculturation impact: the arrival of Resi Markandeya came from India who brought Budha Mahayana belief and Empu Kuturan came from East Java who brought Hindu belief. Before those, Bali Aga community had a cosmological ideology as their belief and still visible in every thought, behavior and artifacts including their housing.This qualitative research is performed uses ethnography method to be able to trace the representa- tion of cosmological ideology, especially in the form of local housing. The result of this study describes some cosmological ideologies of community in each Bali Aga villages cannot regarded as the same be- cause it influenced by each local wisdom. However, the diversity has the same value, idea and purpose to put the universe as the main orientation. Bali Aga communityâ€™s submission to the universe makes their housing are able to survive with their identity until now.Â Keywords: Bali Aga, cosmology, housing, ethnographyÂ Â Â Â Â ABSTRAKÂ Arsitektur Bali Aga merupakan arsitektur tertua kedua di Bali yang masa kemunculannya meliputi kurun waktu abad ke-8 s.d 13, dimana terdapat dua peristiwa akulturasi penting yaitu kedatangan Resi Markandeya dari India yang membawa ajaran Budha Mahayana dan Empu Kuturan dari Jawa Timur yang membawa ajaran Hindu. Sebelum masuknya kedua budaya tersebut, masyarakat Bali Aga memiliki pandangan kosmologi sebagai anutan kepercayaan yang masih terlihat hingga kini dalam setiap pemikiran, perilaku dan artefak bangunan huni- annya.Penelitian kualitatif ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode etnografi untuk dapat menelusuri representasi pandangan kosmologi masyarakat, khususnya dalam wujud lokal bangunan huniannya. Hasil penelitian ini menjelaskan beberapa pandangan kosmologi di desa-desa Bali Aga ternyata tidak dapat dianggap sama karena sangat dipengaruhi masing- masing local wisdom. Namun keberagaman tersebut tetap mengandung nilai, maksud dan tu- juan yang sama dengan menjadikan alam semesta sebagai orientasi yang utama. Keberserahan diri masyarakat Bali Aga kepada alam semesta ini menjadikan bangunan huniannya mampu bertahan dengan identitasnya hingga kini.Â Kata kunci: Bali Aga, kosmologi, bangunan hunian, etnografi
Pertunjukan Sandhur Ttuban Refleksi Peralihan Masyarakat Agraris Menuju Budaya Urban
Authors: Rohmat Rohmat , Prakosa Djoko
Published: October 2017

AbstrakPertunjukan Sandhur merefleksikan perubahan masyarakat agraris menuju budaya urban. Dalam Tesk pertunjukan Sandhur Terdapat kode hermeneutik, kode proairetik/tindakan naratif dasar, kode semantik, kode kultural, dan kode simbolik. Teks pertunjukan dapat dimaknai sebagai tanda dan simbol meresapnya budaya urban dalam kehidupan masyarakat Tuban. Hubungan manusia, Tuhan, alam, dan kebudayaan melekat pada struktur pertunjukan Sandhur. Kehidupan manusia menjadi bagian dari siklus kosmis yang utuh. Untuk membaca, mendeskripsikan pertunjukan Sandhur digunakan pendekatan kualitatif, peneliti menjadi instrument utama. Untuk memotret fenomena alamiah pertunjukan mengacu pada model etnografi. Untuk memahami teks pertunjukan Sandhur peneliti mempertajam analisis interpretatif terhadap “sosially meaningfull action” digunakan pendekatan semiotik. Struktur pertunjukan, medium pertunjukan, serta ekspresi pelaku pertunjukan Sandhur dapat diamati melalui refleksi simbolis yang melekat pada pola penandaan. Gejala simbolik yang terurai secara sistematik dalam dinamika pertunjukan mengungkapkan subtansi perubahan budaya desa yang disebabkan oleh proses urbanisasi. Perubahan tatanan hidup sesuai dengan kodrat alamiah dan hukum perubahan ruang dan waktu. Kata kunci: Sandur, masyarakat agraris, pertunjukan, tradisi.ABSTRACTThe Sandhur perfomance reflected the change of the agrarian societies to the urban culture. In the text of performance it contains of hermeneutics code, proaretik code/the basic narrative action, semantic code, culture code, and simbolic code. The performance text can be intrepeted as a sign and symbol of the urban culture of the Tuban society lives. The relation of human, God, nature, and culture, attached in the Sandhur structure of perfomance intact. Human being becomes part of the structure of living in a natural cycles which still exist in the cosmic unanimity.In reading and describing the performance of Sandhur used a qualitative approach, Researchers became the main instrument. To exposure the natural phenomena performance refers to the model of ethnography. To understand the performance texts of Sandhur, researchers sharpen the interpretive analysis of the sosially meaningfull action, by using the semiotic approach.The performances structure, medium of performances, as well as expressions of the performers of Sandhur can be observed by the reflection which attached to the marking pattern. Symbolic symptoms which systematically unraveled in the dynamics of the performances reveal the substance of the change of village culture caused by the process of urbanization, there is a change of living arrangements in accordance with the true nature and the laws of space and time changes. Key word: Sandhur, The Agraris Society, Performance, Tradition
THE SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURAL VALUES OF ECLECTIC STYLE SHOPHOUSES CASE STUDY: SUN YAT SEN MUSEUM PENANG, MALAYSIA
Authors: Zwain Akram , Bahauddin Azizi
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe Sun Yat Sen shophouse in Penang is a small private Museum, which was converted from a shophouse or townhouse situated in theArmenian Street heritage area of George Town. The building is an example of embraces of the architectural heritage of George Town which is an extraordinarily beautiful example of Straits Settlements merchant's shophouse.Historically, it is associated with the global historical personality of Dr. Sun Yat Sen and hisrevolutionary. This city was added to the UNESCO's world heritage list in 2008 to acknowledge its rich cultural heritage that constitutes of unique architectural and cultural townscape along the Straits of Melaka. This paper investigates the architectural plan of a shophouse and the valuesof cultural heritage buildingswhich eventually was converted into a Museum in George Town, Penang. Classified as an eclectic style shophouse, it is rich in design and art components featured in its architecture that are still sustaining until today. This building has an interesting mixture of architectural and cultural inspirations adapted from the Chinese origin, with the local Malay ethnicity and the European influencesthat colonised the region. The introduction of new non related architectural components into the southern Chinese (eclectic style) style in shophouses in George Town has resulted in the disappearance of this unique style of architecture. This investigation employs a qualitative research approach by documenting evidence and understanding the architectural as well as cultural influences of the southern Chineseeclectic style by studying the Sun Yat Sen Museum as a case study. The findings of the research point towards an understanding of the architectural and cultural influences that govern the design of the shophouse and its architectural character.Key words: sustainable architectural values, George Town, eclectic style, shophouses
VISUALISASI PEREMPUAN PADA LUKISAN TRADISIONAL TIONGHOA DI INDONESIA (Analisis karya-karya seni lukis Lee Man Fong dan Chiang Yu Tie)
Authors: Pandanwangi Ariesa , Damayanti Nuning
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT Both Lee Man Fong - a male painter - and Chiang Yu Tie - a female painter - are Chinese who migrated to Indonesia. In the beginning of the 20th century, Lee Man Fong lived in Bali while Chiang Yu Tie lived in Java. Many of their artworks were collected by the National Palace and many government officers. The questions of this research are visualization of the women as the object of paintings of both artists and gesture of the women in the paintings of both artists. The purpose of the research is to enrich the documentary infrastructure about women as object in the social area of visual arts which has not been studied much. The research method that will be used is qualitative method with purpose sampling. The result of the research will show that both artists are very familiar with a particular social life during their stay in a certain place, so that their perceptions are focused in excavating the women object in their artworks.Keywords: Chiang Yu Tie, Chinese, Lee Man Fong, Painting, Woman.ABSTRAK Lee Man Fong adalah pelukis laki-laki dan Chiang Yu Tie adalah pelukis perempuan. Keduanya adalah orang Tionghoa yang merantau ke Indonesia. Pada tahun 1900 an Lee Man Fong tinggal di Bali sedangkan Chiang Yu Tie tinggal di Jawa Barat. Karya keduanya banyak dikoleksi oleh Istana Negara juga oleh pejabat pemerintahan. Penelitian ini untuk mengetahui visualisasi perempuan yang dijadikan objek pada lukisan tradisional tionghoa dan gestur perempuan pada objek karya seni lukis kedua seniman tersebut. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk melengkapi infrastruktur pendokumentasian tentang objek perempuan dalam medan sosial seni rupa yang belum banyak dibahas. Metode penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif dengan purpose sampling. Hasil penelitian ini memperlihatkan bahwa kedua seniman tersebut sangat akrab dengan lingkungan sosial ketika mereka tinggal disuatu daerah, sehingga pengamatannya banyak di fokuskan pada penggalian objek perempuan dalam karya seni lukisnya.Kata kunci: Chiang Yu Tie, Lee Man Fong, Perempuan, Seni lukis, Tionghoa.
Obstetric Near Miss Events in a Tertiary Research Level Teaching Hospital
Authors: Khatun Tarannum , Rahman Zarin , Parveen Nuzhat , Ansari Akhtar Alam , Mansuri Mohammed Islam , Chaurasia Anand Kumar
Published: October 2017

Background: Objective of the study was to identify the important causes of near miss cases and to evaluate the key interventions for the management and ultimate maternal outcome.Material and methods: In this case series study, critically ill pregnant, laboring or postpartum women who were admitted either directly or through referral to the National Medical College, Birgunj, Nepal, formed the study group. The women who escaped death due to medical or surgical interventions were categorized as Near Miss. These cases were defined based on WHO Criteria 2009.Results: There were 2424 births during this year and 33 were near miss cases. The bulk of these were directly admitted to our hospital (23 cases). The most common condition leading to this dreadful condition was hemorrhage, acute severe hypertensive disorder (preeclampsia/eclampsia) and sepsis. Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation was found to be the most common organ dysfunction. Emergency hysterectomy was the most frequent surgical intervention used to prevent mortality.Conclusion: Maternal Near Miss review is a viable review as it has potential to highlight the deficiency as well as positive elements of obstetric services in any health system. Hemorrhage followed by hypertensive disorders are the leading causes of near miss events.Med Phoenix Vol.2(1) July 2017, 44-47
Study of Breast Lesions in a Tertiary Care Centre : A Retrospective Study
Authors: Chaurasiya Anand Kumar , Patel Amit Kumar , Khatun Tarannum , Jana Debnarayan , Sarraf Pramod Kumar
Published: October 2017

Background: To study the prevalence of various type of breast lesions in a tertiary care centre.Methods : The period of study was one year , from 1st January 2015 to 31st December 2015. Patients with breast lesions who came to department of pathology for Fine needle aspiration cytology were included in the study. There were 55 patients who came to the department for Fine needle aspiration cytology during one year period. Information pertaining to patients were taken from the medical record section and department of pathology of National medical college.Results: Out of 55 cases 17 patients (9.35%) were diagnosed with fibroadenosis, which was the highest followed by fibroadenoma (12 cases- 6.6%). Ductal hyperplasia was the least diagnosed disorder which was seen in only one patient (0.5%). Carcinoma of breast was diagnosed in three patients (1.65%). There were three (1.65%) male patients with breast lesions who were diagnosed with gynaecomastia.Conclusion: This study revealed that fibroadenosis was the most common disorder among the patients who came for fine needle aspiration cytology of the breast.Med Phoenix Vol.2(1) July 2017, 48-51
A Panel of Slow-Channel Syndrome Mice Reveals a Unique Locomotor Behavioral Signature
Authors: Grajales-Reyes José G. , García-González Aurian , María-Ríos José C. , Grajales-Reyes Gary E. , Delgado-Vélez Manuel , Báez-Pagán Carlos A. , Quesada Orestes , Gómez Christopher M. , Lasalde-Dominicci José A.
Published: October 2017

Muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) mutations can lead to altered channel kinetics and neuromuscular junction degeneration, a neurodegenerative disorder collectively known as slow-channel syndrome (SCS). A multivariate analysis using running wheels was used to generate activity profiles for a variety of SCS models, uncovering unique locomotor patterns for the different nAChR mutants. Particularly, the αL251T and ɛL269F mutations exhibit decreased event distance, duration, and velocity over a period of 24 hours. Our approach suggests a robust relationship between the pathophysiology of SCS and locomotor activity.
Geological Katabasis : Geology and the Christian Underworld in Kingsley's The Water-Babies
Authors: Fountain Eames Rachel
Published: October 2017

Charles Kingsley's lifelong interest in geology is well documented – from the gentleman geologists of his early novels and his membership of the Geological Society, to his introduction to earth science for children, Madam How and Lady Why (1870) – but the influence of geological ideas in The Water-Babies (1863) has been largely overlooked. Instead, academics have broadly categorised the novel as an ‘evolutionary parable’, emphasising Darwinian influences to the exclusion of contemporary geology. I propose that there is a distinct geological subtext underpinning The Water-Babies. Acknowledging both its scientific and religious contexts, I argue that Kingsley integrates elements of his geological studies into clear stratigraphic forms in the novel; that these ideas recur in the novel's surface geography and are informed by his reading of contemporary geologists; and that The Water-Babies is part of a longstanding generic tradition of Christian geological katabasis that can be traced back to Dante's Divine Comedy (1555).
Phonological properties of word classes and directionality in conversion
Authors: Lohmann Arne
Published: October 2017

In the study of the word-formation process of conversion, one particularly difficult task is to determine the directionality of the process, that is, to decide which word represents the base and which the derived word. One possibility to inform this decision that has received only limited attention is to capitalize on word-class-specific phonological properties. This paper empirically investigates this option for English noun-verb conversion by building on recent findings on phonological differences between these two word classes. A large-scale study of phonological properties is carried out on CELEX data, employing the quantitative techniques of conditional inference trees and random forests. An important result of this analysis is that the accuracy of phonological cues varies widely across different subsamples in the data. Essentially this means that phonological cues can be used as a criterion to determine the directionality of words that are at least two syllables in length. When restricted to this part of the lexicon, phonological properties represent a fairly accurate indicator of source word class and are therefore a useful addition to the linguist's toolkit for determining directionality in conversion. Based on this result, the paper also discusses the relations of phonological properties to other criteria commonly employed to determine directionality.
Fabric Weave Pattern and Yarn Color Recognition and Classification Using a Deep ELM Network
Authors: Khan Babar , Wang Zhijie , Han Fang , Iqbal Ather , Masood Rana
Published: October 2017

Usually, a fabric weave pattern is recognized using methods which identify the warp floats and weft floats. Although these methods perform well for uniform or repetitive weave patterns, in the case of complex weave patterns, these methods become computationally complex and the classification error rates are comparatively higher. Furthermore, the fault-tolerance (invariance) and stability (selectivity) of the existing methods are still to be enhanced. We present a novel biologically-inspired method to invariantly recognize the fabric weave pattern (fabric texture) and yarn color from the color image input. We proposed a model in which the fabric weave pattern descriptor is based on the HMAX model for computer vision inspired by the hierarchy in the visual cortex, the color descriptor is based on the opponent color channel inspired by the classical opponent color theory of human vision, and the classification stage is composed of a multi-layer (deep) extreme learning machine. Since the weave pattern descriptor, yarn color descriptor, and the classification stage are all biologically inspired, we propose a method which is completely biologically plausible. The classification performance of the proposed algorithm indicates that the biologically-inspired computer-aided-vision models might provide accurate, fast, reliable and cost-effective solution to industrial automation.
A New Fuzzy Sliding Mode Controller with a Disturbance Estimator for Robust Vibration Control of a Semi-Active Vehicle Suspension System
Authors: Song Byung-Keun , An Jin-Hee , Choi Seung-Bok
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a new fuzzy sliding mode controller (FSMC) to improve control performances in the presence of uncertainties related to model errors and external disturbance (UAD). As a first step, an adaptive control law is designed using Lyapunov stability analysis. The control law can update control parameters of the FSMC with a disturbance estimator (DE) in which the closed-loop stability and finite-time convergence of tracking error are guaranteed. A solution for estimating the compensative quantity of the impact of UAD on a control system and a set of solutions are then presented in order to avoid the singular cases of the fuzzy-based function approximation, increase convergence ability, and reduce the calculating cost. Subsequently, the effectiveness of the proposed controller is verified through the investigation of vibration control performances of a semi-active vehicle suspension system featuring a magnetorheological damper (MRD). It is shown that the proposed controller can provide better control ability of vibration control with lower consumed power compared with two existing fuzzy sliding mode controllers.
A Congestion Control Strategy for Power Scale-Free Communication Network
Authors: Xiang Min , Qu Qinqin
Published: October 2017

The scale-free topology of power communication network leads to more data flow in less hub nodes, which can cause local congestion. Considering the differences of the nodes’ delivery capacity and cache capacity, an integrated routing based on the communication service classification is proposed to reduce network congestion. In the power communication network, packets can be classified as key operational services (I-level) and affairs management services (II-level). The shortest routing, which selects the path of the least hops, is adopted to transmit I-level packets. The load-balanced global dynamic routing, which uses the node’s queue length and delivery capacity to establish the cost function and chooses the path with minimal cost, is adopted to transmit II-level packets. The simulation results show that the integrated routing has a larger critical packet generation rate and can effectively reduce congestion.
Two Methods for Normalisation of Measured Energy Performance—Testing of a Net-Zero Energy Building in Sweden
Authors: Berggren Björn , Wall Maria
Published: October 2017

An increasing demand for energy-efficient buildings has led to an increasing focus on predicted energy performance once a building is in use. Many studies have identified a performance gap between predicted energy use and actual measured energy use once buildings are in the user phase. However, none of the identified studies normalise measured energy use for both internal and external deviating boundary conditions. This study uses a Net-zero energy building (Net ZEB) building in Sweden to test two different approaches to the normalisation of measured energy use—static and dynamic methods. The normalisation of energy use for a ground source heat pump reduces the performance gap from 12% to 1–5%, depending on the method of normalisation. The normalisation of energy from photovoltaic (PV) panels reduces the performance gap from 17% to 5%, regardless of the method used. The results show that normalisation is important in order to accurately determine the energy performance of buildings. The most important parameters are the indoor temperature and internal loads, which have the largest effect on normalisation in this case study. Furthermore, the case study shows that it is possible to build Net ZEB buildings with existing technologies in a Northern European climate.
Reactivity of Trapped and Accumulated Electrons in Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysis
Authors: Kohtani Shigeru , Kawashima Akira , Miyabe Hideto
Published: October 2017

Electrons, photogenerated in conduction bands (CB) and trapped in electron trap defects (Tids) in titanium dioxide (TiO2), play crucial roles in characteristic reductive reactions. This review summarizes the recent progress in the research on electron transfer in photo-excited TiO2. Particularly, the reactivity of electrons accumulated in CB and trapped at Tids on TiO2 is highlighted in the reduction of molecular oxygen and molecular nitrogen, and the hydrogenation and dehalogenation of organic substrates. Finally, the prospects for developing highly active TiO2 photocatalysts are discussed.
Impact of Different Driving Cycles and Operating Conditions on CO2 Emissions and Energy Management Strategies of a Euro-6 Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Authors: Cubito Claudio , Millo Federico , Boccardo Giulio , Di Pierro Giuseppe , Ciuffo Biagio , Fontaras Georgios , Serra Simone , Otura Garcia Marcos , Trentadue Germana
Published: October 2017

Although Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) represent one of the key technologies to reduce CO2 emissions, their effective potential in real world driving conditions strongly depends on the performance of their Energy Management System (EMS) and on its capability to maximize the efficiency of the powertrain in real life as well as during Type Approval (TA) tests. Attempting to close the gap between TA and real world CO2 emissions, the European Commission has decided to introduce from September 2017 the Worldwide Harmonized Light duty Test Procedure (WLTP), replacing the previous procedure based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). The aim of this work is the analysis of the impact of different driving cycles and operating conditions on CO2 emissions and on energy management strategies of a Euro-6 HEV through the limited number of information available from the chassis dyno tests. The vehicle was tested considering different initial battery State of Charge (SOC), ranging from 40% to 65%, and engine coolant temperatures, from −7 °C to 70 °C. The change of test conditions from NEDC to WLTP was shown to lead to a significant reduction of the electric drive and to about a 30% increase of CO2 emissions. However, since the specific energy demand of WLTP is about 50% higher than that of NEDC, these results demonstrate that the EMS strategies of the tested vehicle can achieve, in test conditions closer to real life, even higher efficiency levels than those that are currently evaluated on the NEDC, and prove the effectiveness of HEV technology to reduce CO2 emissions.
Probabilistic Solar Forecasting Using Quantile Regression Models
Authors: Lauret Philippe , David Mathieu , Pedro Hugo
Published: October 2017

In this work, we assess the performance of three probabilistic models for intra-day solar forecasting. More precisely, a linear quantile regression method is used to build three models for generating 1 h–6 h-ahead probabilistic forecasts. Our approach is applied to forecasting solar irradiance at a site experiencing highly variable sky conditions using the historical ground observations of solar irradiance as endogenous inputs and day-ahead forecasts as exogenous inputs. Day-ahead irradiance forecasts are obtained from the Integrated Forecast System (IFS), a Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model maintained by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). Several metrics, mainly originated from the weather forecasting community, are used to evaluate the performance of the probabilistic forecasts. The results demonstrated that the NWP exogenous inputs improve the quality of the intra-day probabilistic forecasts. The analysis considered two locations with very dissimilar solar variability. Comparison between the two locations highlighted that the statistical performance of the probabilistic models depends on the local sky conditions.
An Integrated Approach for Estimating the Energy Efficiency of Seventeen Countries
Authors: Wang Chia-Nan , Ho Hong-Xuyen , Hsueh Ming-Hsien
Published: October 2017

Increased energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to achieve climate change mitigation. This study aims to evaluate the energy efficiency of seventeen countries. The evaluation is based on an integrated method that combines the super slack-based (super SBM) model and the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) to investigate the energy efficiency of seventeen countries during the period of 2010–2015. The results in this study are that the United States, Columbia, Japan, China, and Saudi Arabia perform the best in energy efficiency, whereas Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, and India perform the worst during the entire sample period. The energy efficiency of these countries arrived mainly from technological improvement. The study provides suggestions for the seventeen countries’ government to control the energy consumption and contribute to environmental protection.
Effect of Relative Movement between the Shroud and Blade on Tip Leakage Flow Characteristics
Authors: Wang Xiaochun , Wang Jianhua , He Fei , Zhang Hong
Published: October 2017

An experimental and numerical investigation into the tip leakage flow of a turbine rotor is carried out using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system and the commercial software ANSYS CFX 14.0. The specimen used in this work is a typical GE-E3 model with a new squealer tip design. The experimental data are used to create a turbulence model and numerical strategy. Through the validated turbulence model and numerical strategy, simulations are carried out to compare the characteristics of the tip leakage flow in three cases: (1) the blade is rotating, but the shroud is stationary, which is the real status of turbine rotor operation; (2) the blade is stationary, but the shroud moves, to simulate their relative movement; (3) the blade is stationary, and the shroud is also stationary, this is a simplified case, but has been widely used in the experiments on rotor tip leakage flow. Detailed analysis of the flow phenomena shows that the second case is a reasonable alternative approach to simulate the real state. However, the flow patterns in the third case exhibit some evident differences from the real status. These differences are caused by the inaccurate viscous force arising from the stationary blade and shroud. In this work, a modification method for the experiments conducted in the third case is firstly proposed, which is realized through adding an imaginary roughness at the shroud wall to be close to the real viscous effect, and to thereby reduce the deviation of the experiment from the real case. According to the results calculated by ANSYS CFX, the flow structure in the modification case is very close to the real status. Besides, this modification case is an easy and cheap way to simulate the real tip leakage flow.
GECM-Based Voltage Stability Assessment Using Wide-Area Synchrophasors
Authors: Su Heng-Yi , Liu Tzu-Yi
Published: October 2017

Voltage instability is a crucial issue in the secure operation of power grids. Several methods for voltage stability assessment were presented. Some of them are highly computationally intensive, while others are reported not to work properly under all circumstances. This paper proposes a new methodology based on the generator equivalent circuit model (GECM) and the phasor measurement unit (PMU) technology for online voltage stability monitoring of a power grid. First, the proposed methodology utilizes synchronized phasor (synchrophasor) measurements to determine the impedance parameters of a transmission grid by means of the recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm. Furthermore, it incorporates the dynamic models of generators to handle the cases with generator reactive power limit violations. After that, an enhanced voltage stability index with GECMs incorporated is developed for reliable and accurate voltage stability assessment. The proposed methodology was first demonstrated on several standard IEEE power systems, and then applied to a practical power system, the Taiwan power (Taipower) system. The test results demonstrate the flexibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Rate Decline Analysis of Vertically Fractured Wells in Shale Gas Reservoirs
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyang , Wang Xiaodong , Hou Xiaochun , Xu Wenli
Published: October 2017

Based on the porous flow theory, an extension of the pseudo-functions approach for the solution of non-linear partial differential equations considering adsorption-desorption effects was used to investigate the transient flow behavior of fractured wells in shale gas reservoirs. The pseudo-time factor was employed to effectively linearize the partial differential equations of the unsteady flow response. The production performance of vertically fractured wells in shale gas reservoirs under either constant flow rate or constant bottom-hole pressure conditions was analyzed using the composite flow model. The calculation results indicate that the non-linearities that develop in the gas diffusivity equation have significant effects on the unsteady response, leading to a larger pressure depletion and rate decline in the late-time period. In addition, gas desorption from the shale acts as a recharge source, which relieves the gas production rate of decline. Greater values for the Langmuir volumes or Langmuir pressures provide additional pressure support, leading to a lower rate decline while the flowing well bottom-hole pressure is maintained. The reservoir size mainly affects the duration of the pressure depletion and rate decline. In the case of ignoring the non-linearity and adsorption-desorption effect in the differential equation, a greater rate decline under constant bottom-hole pressure production can be obtained during the boundary-dominated depletion. This work provides a better understanding of gas desorption in shale gas reservoirs and new insight into investigating the production performances of fractured gas well.
Designing a Sustainable University Recharge Area for Electric Vehicles: Technical and Economic Analysis
Authors: Miceli Rosario , Viola Fabio
Published: October 2017

This article addresses the technical and economic challenges regarding the design of a “green” recharge area for electric vehicles at the University of Palermo in order to reduce costs and pollution connected to the charging process. Based on the behaviour of the student population, the electrical load is identified and two possible solutions are evaluated to manage the peak load: an orientation of the panels increasing the power at defined time and the use of a storage system. The main strength and weakness points of two systems are investigated by taking into account the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), which reaches 75.3 €/MWh for the orientation of panel and 103 €/MWh for the storage system. Furthermore, the cost of the topologies of power plant and the cost of energy are discussed in depth.
Energy Efficiency and Scalability of Metallic Nanoparticle Production Using Arc/Spark Discharge
Authors: Slotte Martin , Zevenhoven Ron
Published: October 2017

The increased global demand for metallic nanoparticles for an ever growing number of applications has given rise to a need for larger scale and more efficient nanoparticle (NP) production processes. In this paper one such process is evaluated from the viewpoints of scalability and energy efficiency. Multiple setups of different scale of an arc/spark process were evaluated for energy efficiency and scalability using exergy analysis, heat loss evaluation and life cycle impact assessment, based on data collected from EU FP7 project partners. The energy efficiency of the process is quite low, with e.g., a specific electricity consumption (SEC) of producing ~80 nm copper NP of 180 kWh/kg while the thermodynamic minimum energy need is 0.03 kWh/kg. This is due to thermal energy use characteristics of the system. During scale-up of the process the SEC remained similar to that of smaller setups. Loss of NP mass in the tubing of larger setups gives a lower material yield. The variation in material yield has a significant impact on the life cycle impact for the produced NP in both the Human Health and Ecosystem Quality categories while the impact is smaller in the Global Warming and Resource Depletion categories.
Modeling the Time-Dependent Polarization of Blazars
Authors: Marscher Alan , Jorstad Svetlana , Williamson Karen
Published: October 2017

Linear polarization is an extremely valuable observational tool for probing the dynamic physical conditions of blazar jets. Some patterns are seen in the data, suggestive of order that can be explained by shock waves and helical magnetic field components. However, much disorder is apparent, which implies that turbulence plays a major role as well, especially in the fluctuations of flux and polarization, and perhaps particle acceleration. Here, we present some actual flux and polarization versus time data, plus simulations of model jets. We analyze the output of the simulations in a manner that can be compared with observational data. The results suggest that the ratio of turbulent to ordered magnetic fields varies with time.
Cusp Catastrophe Regression and Its Application in Public Health and Behavioral Research
Authors: Chen Ding-Geng , Chen Xinguang
Published: October 2017

The cusp catastrophe model is an innovative approach for investigating a phenomenon that consists of both continuous and discrete changes in one modeling framework. However, its application to empirical health and behavior data has been hindered by the complexity in data-model fit. In this study, we reported our work in the development of a new modeling method—cusp catastrophe regression (RegCusp in short) by casting the cusp catastrophe into a statistical regression. With the RegCusp approach, unbiased model parameters can be estimated with the maximum likelihood estimation method. To validate the RegCusp method, a series of simulations were conducted to demonstrate the unbiasedness of parameter estimation. Since the estimated residual variance with the Fisher information matrix method was over-dispersed, a bootstrap re-sampling procedure was developed and used as a remedy. We also demonstrate the practical applicability of the RegCusp with empirical data from an NIH-funded project to evaluate an HIV prevention intervention program to educate adolescents in the Bahamas for condom use. Study findings indicated that the model parameters estimated with RegCusp were practically more meaningful than those estimated with comparable methods, especially the estimated cusp point.
Nicotine Component of Cigarette Smoke Extract (CSE) Decreases the Cytotoxicity of CSE in BEAS-2B Cells Stably Expressing Human Cytochrome P450 2A13
Authors: Ji Minghui , Zhang Yudong , Li Na , Wang Chao , Xia Rong , Zhang Zhan , Wang Shou-Lin
Published: October 2017

Cytochrome P450 2A13 (CYP2A13), an extrahepatic enzyme mainly expressed in the human respiratory system, has been reported to mediate the metabolism and toxicity of cigarette smoke. We previously found that nicotine inhibited 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) metabolism by CYP2A13, but its influence on other components of cigarette smoke remains unclear. The nicotine component of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) was separated, purified, and identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), splitting CSE into a nicotine section (CSE-N) and nicotine-free section (CSE-O). Cell viability and apoptosis by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry assays were conducted on immortalized human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells stably expressing CYP2A13 (B-2A13) or vector (B-V), respectively. Interestingly, CSE and CSE-O were toxic to BEAS-2B cells whereas CSE-N showed less cytotoxicity. CSE-O was more toxic to B-2A13 cells than to B-V cells (IC50 of 2.49% vs. 7.06%), which was flatted by 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), a CYP inhibitor. CSE-O rather than CSE or CSE-N increased apoptosis of B-2A13 cells rather than B-V cells. Accordingly, compared to CSE-N and CSE, CSE-O significantly changed the expression of three pairs of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl-2 Associated X Protein/B cell lymphoma-2 (Bax/Bcl-2), Cleaved Poly (Adenosine Diphosphate-Ribose) Polymerase/Poly (Adenosine Diphosphate-Ribose) Polymerase (C-PARP/PARP), and C-caspase-3/caspase-3, in B-2A13 cells. In addition, recombination of CSE-N and CSE-O (CSE-O/N) showed similar cytotoxicity and apoptosis to the original CSE. These results demonstrate that the nicotine component decreases the metabolic activation of CYP2A13 to CSE and aids in understanding the critical role of CYP2A13 in human respiratory diseases caused by cigarette smoking.
Molecular Evolution of MERS Coronavirus: Dromedaries as a Recent Intermediate Host or Long-Time Animal Reservoir?
Authors: Lau Susanna , Wong Antonio , Lau Terrence , Woo Patrick
Published: October 2017

While dromedary camels are the immediate animal source of MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, the evolutionary origin of MERS-CoV remains obscure. We analyzed 219 camel and human MERS-CoV genome sequences available in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 5 and 214 strains belong to clade A and B, respectively, with clade A further divided into lineage A1 (3 human strains) and lineage A2 (2 camel strains), and clade B divided into B1 to B6 (each containing both human and camel strains). Recombination analysis showed potential recombination events in five strains from dromedaries in Saudi Arabia, with recombination between lineage B5 and B3 in four strains, and between lineage B3 and B4 in one strain. The spike protein showed the highest number of amino acid substitutions, especially between A2 and other lineages, and contained positively selected codons. Notably, codon 1020 was positively selected among B and B5 strains, and can distinguish between clade A (Q1020) and B (R1020/H1020) strains, suggesting that this residue may play a role in the evolution of S protein during divergence of different lineages. The time of the most recent common ancestor of all MERS-CoV was dated to approximately 2010. The implications on the role of camels in the evolution of MERS-CoV are discussed.
Adipose Tissue as a Strategic Source of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Bone Regeneration: A Topical Review on the Most Promising Craniomaxillofacial Applications
Authors: Paduano Francesco , Marrelli Massimo , Amantea Massimiliano , Rengo Carlo , Rengo Sandro , Goldberg Michel , Spagnuolo Gianrico , Tatullo Marco
Published: October 2017

Bone regeneration in craniomaxillofacial surgery represents an issue that involves both surgical and aesthetic aspects. The most recent studies on bone tissue engineering involving adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) have clearly demonstrated that such cells can play a crucial role in the treatment of craniomaxillofacial defects, given their strong commitment towards the osteogenic phenotype. A deeper knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying ASCs is crucial for a correct understanding of the potentialities of ASCs-based therapies in the most complex maxillofacial applications. In this topical review, we analyzed the molecular mechanisms of ASCs related to their support toward angiogenesis and osteogenesis, during bone regeneration. Moreover, we analyzed both case reports and clinical trials reporting the most promising clinical applications of ASCs in the treatment of craniomaxillofacial defects. Our study aimed to report the main molecular and clinical features shown by ASCs, used as a therapeutic support in bone engineering, as compared to the use of conventional autologous and allogeneic bone grafts.
Multiscale Modeling of Polycrystalline NiTi Shape Memory Alloy under Various Plastic Deformation Conditions by Coupling Microstructure Evolution and Macroscopic Mechanical Response
Authors: Hu Li , Jiang Shuyong , Zhou Tao , Tu Jian , Shi Laixin , Chen Qiang , Yang Mingbo
Published: October 2017

Numerical modeling of microstructure evolution in various regions during uniaxial compression and canning compression of NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) are studied through combined macroscopic and microscopic finite element simulation in order to investigate plastic deformation of NiTi SMA at 400 °C. In this approach, the macroscale material behavior is modeled with a relatively coarse finite element mesh, and then the corresponding deformation history in some selected regions in this mesh is extracted by the sub-model technique of finite element code ABAQUS and subsequently used as boundary conditions for the microscale simulation by means of crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM). Simulation results show that NiTi SMA exhibits an inhomogeneous plastic deformation at the microscale. Moreover, regions that suffered canning compression sustain more homogeneous plastic deformation by comparison with the corresponding regions subjected to uniaxial compression. The mitigation of inhomogeneous plastic deformation contributes to reducing the statistically stored dislocation (SSD) density in polycrystalline aggregation and also to reducing the difference of stress level in various regions of deformed NiTi SMA sample, and therefore sustaining large plastic deformation in the canning compression process.
Two New Sandwich-Type Polyoxomolybdates Functionalized with Diphosphonates: Efficient and Selective Oxidation of Sulfides to Sulfones
Authors: Xu Qiaofei , Sun Xiaopeng , Hu Feng , Wan Rong , Singh Vikram , Ma Pengtao , Niu Jingyang , Wang Jingping
Published: October 2017

Two sandwich-type polyoxomolybdates Na8[MO2{Mo2O5(O3PCH3C(O)PO3)}2] (M = Ni2+ (1); Co2+ (2)) were synthesized by one-pot reaction of Na2HPMo12O40·14H2O, 1-hydroxy ethidene diphosphonic acid (HEDP=HOC(CH3)(PO3H2)2), and (1) NiCl2/CoCl2 (2). Compounds 1 and 2 were characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), IR spectroscopy, 31P NMR spectra, UV-vis spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Structural analysis reveals that 1 and 2 exhibit similar centrosymmetric structure, which consists of one transition metal (TM) ion sandwiched by two same subunits {Mo2O5(O3PCH3C(O)PO3)}. The clusters 1 and 2 show efficient catalytic activities for oxidation of thioanisole. Moreover, they are catalytically selective for oxidizing thioanisole. Both resuable polyoxomolybdates 1 and 2 catalysts show good thermo- and hydrolytic stability. It is noted that compound 1 shows outstanding catalytic activity for oxidation of various sulfides to corresponding sulfones with 93–100% selectivity at 97–100% conversion in one hour under mild conditions, which is potentially valuable to the removal of organic sulfides.
Discovering the Biological Target of 5-epi-Sinuleptolide Using a Combination of Proteomic Approaches
Authors: Morretta Elva , Esposito Roberta , Festa Carmen , Riccio Raffaele , Casapullo Agostino , Monti Maria
Published: October 2017

Sinuleptolide and its congeners are diterpenes with a norcembranoid skeleton isolated from the soft coral genus Sinularia. These marine metabolites are endowed with relevant biological activities, mainly associated with cancer development. 5-epi-sinuleptolide has been selected as a candidate for target discovery studies through the application of complementary proteomic approaches. Specifically, a combination of conventional chemical proteomics based on affinity chromatography, coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry and bioinformatics, as well as drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS), led to a clear identification of actins as main targets for 5-epi-sinuleptolide. Subsequent in-cell assays, performed with cytochalasin D as reference compound, gave information on the ability of 5-epi-sinuleptolide to disrupt the actin cytoskeleton by loss of actin fibers and formation of F-actin amorphous aggregates. These results suggest the potential application of 5-epi-sinuleptolide as a useful tool in the study of the molecular processes impaired in several disorders in which actin is thought to play an essential role.