bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PENGELOMPOKAN PLASMA NUTFAH RAMBUTAN BERDASARKAN KARAKTER MORFOLOGI
Authors: Kuswandi NFn , Nofiarli NFn , Sparta Andre , Andini Mega , Hadiati Sri , Marta Nini , Yanda Resta Patma
Published: September 2017

Rambutan is a fruit native to Indonesia, which has a high diversity. Indonesian Tropical Fruit Research Institute has a rambutan germplasm collection. The objectives of the research were to identify and classify rambutan germplasm accessions based on morphological characteristics, in order to identify the specific characteristics important for the development of future varieties of rambutan. Collecting data on the 32 accession was conducted in Aripan Experimental Field, Indonesian Tropical Fruit Research Institute from September 2014 to February 2015. Characterization of morphology characters referred to as the Descriptor for Rambutan was published by IPGRI. Cluster analysis based on morphological characteristics successfully separated the accession of rambutan R7 and R11 with 30 other rambutan accessions with the dissimilarity coefficient of 45%. Accession R4 was similar to Sitangkue, R14 was similar to Korong Gadang, and R15 was similar to Sinyonya. Characteristics that can be used to distinguish each of the accession of rambutan were the width of seed, seed thickness, total soluble solids (TSS), fruit diameter, spintern texture and the spintern color. Accession R15 can be developed as a commercial variety, because it has a high yield, and shelf life associated with high fruit weight characteristics and thick rind.
PELAPISAN UREA DENGAN ARANG AKTIF YANG DIPERKAYA MIKROBA DAPAT MEMPERCEPAT PENURUNAN KONSENTRASI RESIDU INSEKTISIDA HEPTAKLOR DI LAHAN SAWAH
Authors: Wahyuni Sri , Sulaeman E , Ardiwinata A. N.
Published: September 2017

Heptachlor insecticide is a toxic organochlorine insecticide, persistent and bio-cummulative in the environment. Remediation using actived carbon and microbial is a solution to pollution due to pesticide in the environment.The objective of this study was to obtain fertilizer technology using urea with activated carbon and enriched with microbes degrading heptachlor insecticide in order to reduce the insecticide residue in paddy fields. The research was conducted at the Jakenan Experimental Station between February to September 2012. The soil used as the planting medium was brought from the village Sukamenak, District Rawagempol Wetan, Karawang. The experiment was conducted in the field at micro-plot scale with lysimeter, and using a randomized block design (RBD) with 3 replications and 6 fertilizer treatments ( control , prill urea , urea with activated carbon maize cobs ( UAATJ ) , urea with activated carbon coconut shell ( UAATK ) , urea with activated carbon cob corn + microbes ( UAATJM ) , urea with activated carbon coconut shell + microbes ( UAATKM ). The plants used were from Inpari 13 variety. The insecticide residue analysis was performed in the Residu Bahan Agrikimia (RBA) laboratory of Balingtan. The results showed significant orthogonal countrast tests of different treatments. The highest reduction of residual insecticide was observed in urea coated with activated carbon cob corn and enriched with microbial consortia degrading POPs, which was 36.30 %. It is suspected that activated carbon coated cob corn with microbial enrichment was favored as its home and the microbes utilized carbon sources of heptachlor as the food.
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG BERPENGARUH TERHADAP ADOPSI VARIETAS UNGGUL JAGUNG PUTIH DI KABUPATEN GROBOGAN-JAWA TENGAH
Authors: Kadar Laila , Siregar Hermanto , Kumala Putri Eka Intan
Published: September 2017

Maize is the second basic food need after rice that is potential and has high economic value in increasing income of farmers and food diversification program. White maize, in particular, is an alternative staple food in Grobogan Regency. The superior variety is a component of technology that plays a prominent role to increase productivity, disease resistant, and environmentally suitable (specific location). The aim of the study was to determine the influential factors in the adoption of superior variety of white maize in order to achieve transfer of technology. The study was carried out in three villages of Grobogan Regency, Central Java: namely Sumber Jatipohon, Godan, and Karangasem. The locations were determined with purposive sampling and the number of respondents interviewed was 120 farmers (40 farmers in each village) between September-December 2015. Analyses of the data were descriptively and quantitatively using percentages, charts and tables with logistic regression. The results of this study showed that the interest of farmers to adopt new superior variety of white maize was quite good around 66.7 percent. Farmers’ interest toward superior variety may be considered high. While factors significantly influencing the adoption included income, knowledge or information on technology, agriculture extension support, pest, and availability of seeds. On the other hand, factors which were not significantly affecting the adoption included age, formal education, farmers’ experience, and land size.
STRATEGI PENINGKATAN PRODUKSI BERAS MELALUI PENEKANAN SUSUT PANEN DAN PASCAPANEN DENGAN PENDEKATAN SISTEM MODELING: STUDI KASUS KABUPATEN INDRAMAYU, JAWA BARAT
Authors: Somantri Agus S. , Luna Prima , Kamal Irpan Badrul
Published: September 2017

Paddy loss during harvest and postharvest handling is a complicated system involving many elements, and they are inter-connected. Therefore, to overcome these issues, appropriate and sustainable strategies should be implemented. The purpose of this study was to analyze the leverage factors that can overcome the problems of post-harvest losses of rice by a dynamic system approach as a basis in formulating policy strategy. This research was conducted in Indramayu, West Java, from January to December 2012. The methodology used in this research was modelling system approach. Primary data collection was conducted by a questionnaire survey and interviews with stakeholders and farmers as respondents. Secondary data collection was obtained from the Central Bureau of Statistics Centre (Jakarta) and regional (West Java), Regional Agriculture Services, Regional Industrial and Trade Services, Regional Population and Civil Registration Agency, Center for Agricultural and Food Security Agency. The results showed that the reduction of rice losses could be approached in two ways: technical approach and cultural approach. The technical approach could be developed by implementing a quality management system such as GHP and GMP, while the cultural approach could be implemented by creating new jobs. Application of the quality system would also encourage the revitalization in rice milling so that it would increase the yield, and so the application of the quality management system would contribute greatly to the production of dry unhulled rice as well as rice in Indramayu. The implementation of this strategy must consider the ability and readiness of the district, so that the strategies could be more realistic and easier to be implemented. The simulation results showed that the implementation of the strategy by using harvest and postharvest equipments to be accompanied by the implementation of GHP and GMP, may decrease shrinkage ranging from 5.58% to 10.14%, or the equivalent of rescuing MPD from 61,240 to 115,859 tons in 2020.
TAKSASI PRODUKSI MATA TUNAS SEBAGAI BENIH TEBU (SACHARRUM OFFICINARUM L.) DENGAN PENDEKATAN ANALISA REGRESI
Authors: Khuluq Ahmad Dhiaul , Hamida Ruly
Published: September 2017

One of the problems encountered in the development of sugarcane (Sacharrum officinarum L.) includes the availability of sugarcane seed both in quality and quantity. Evaluation of bud sett planting method in seed production was required in order to achieve the expected results. The study was conducted at the experiment station Muktiharjo, Central Java in 2012 using PSJT 941 varieties. Treatments applied were the different number of buds on bud sett which were at 3 levels, 1 bud, 2 buds or 3 buds. Research was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 5 replications. Observations were conducted on germination, tillering, plant height, number of stems, number of suckers and number of buds. The data obtained were analyzed with ANOVA and further tested using the Duncan test. Production assessment modeling approach was performed by a regression analysis. Calculation of stem number on 2 buds showed the highest with 9.6 stems/m, 9.2 buds/stem and with the sucker numbers lowest at 0.38 suckers/m. The highest production buds was obtained at planting 2 buds with 847,848.06 buds/ha which can be used as 8.83 ha for the milled sugarcane plantation. Assessment of bud production per hectare could use equation Y = 159655,48.e0,171.X with the independent variable of stem numbers per meter with a correlation coefficient of 0,9007 and a standard error of 1,0699.
ANALISIS CURAHAN KERJA RUMAH TANGGA PETANI PADA USAHATANI PADI DAN DAMPAKNYA TERHADAP PENDAPATAN KELUARGA
Authors: Norfahmi Femmi
Published: September 2017

Farmers’ household in the village involve in many activities both farming and non-farming activities. This involvement affect the time allocation for farming, which in turn will have impacts to the household income. Therefore, there is a need to study the time allocation pattern of farmers, non-farming job opportunities and other factors that affect the working time allocation, income and farmers’ household expenditures. The research question are: (1) how the work flow patterns in the allocation of household farmers in rice production area and why rice productivity is low? (2) whether job opportunities in non farm business influence the flow of work in farming and what factors affect the flow of work, household income and farmers expenditure?. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that affect the working time allocation, income, and expenditure of farmers in the rice production area. The research was conducted in Sigi, Central Sulawesi Province on December 2015 – Pebruary 2016, using cross sectional data in the household based economic approach applying a model of simultaneous equations. The results showed that non-farm activities have played important roles in the rural economy, especially domestic rice farmer household. They are not only contribute to household income but also in to working time allocation. In terms of the working time allocation, farmesr do more non-farm activities than paddy farming activities. Male household members’working time allocation is the highest activities compared to the female household members in the farm or non farm. Meanwhile, in terms of income, the contribution to farmers' income from non-farm is greater than from farm. Food consumption is the highest expenditure in the farmer household.
Technology Focus: New-Frontier Reservoirs II (October 2017)
Authors: Kalfayan Leonard
Published: September 2017

Technology Focus

A year ago, this feature noted the continued languishing of crude-oil prices and the low margins in tight and very tight reservoir asset developments and the resulting substantial reduction in new-well drilling and completion. Little has changed since then. In the meantime, technology advancements have enabled a greater number of hydraulic fractures in long horizontal completions in such reservoirs, for example, resulting in more-cost-effective completions and greater initial oil-production rates. But low primary oil recovery and steep initial-production-rate declines still present overriding limitations. These tight and very tight oil-bearing reservoirs are typically characterized by oil-recovery factors of approximately 10%. However, on a positive note, in addition to improvements in completion efficiencies, recent advancements also have been made in the understanding and application of enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) methods in such reservoirs. 

While enhancing oil production from multizone, hydraulically fractured completions in tight reservoirs is not straight forward, recent studies, including field trial programs, have shown that applications such as gas injection and waterflooding, including smart water injection, have the potential to create significant improvement in oil recovery.

The three papers featured this month are from Canada. All address the importance of wettability and wettability alteration in improving sweep efficiency and oil extraction by use of gas injection or water injection. Both laboratory studies and field application, in the case of waterflooding, are discussed. Each, with their unique perspectives and approaches, provides understanding of EOR fluids; formation interactions; and the benefits and present limitations of gas injection, conventional waterflooding, and smart water injection.

Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

SPE 185037 EOR in Tight Reservoirs—Technical and Economic Feasibility by K. Joslin, Computer Modelling Group, et al.

SPE 185680 Compositional-Simulation Evaluation of Miscible-Gas-Injection Performance in Tight Oil Formation by Ahmed Mansour, Texas Tech University, et al.

SPE 180284 The Use of Propellants To Stimulate and Enhance Productivity From Tight, Damaged, and Low-Quality Reservoirs by J. Gilliat, Baker Hughes, et al.
Imbibition Oil Recovery From Tight Rocks With Dual-Wettability Networks in the Montney
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: September 2017

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 185076, “Imbibition Oil Recovery From Tight Rocks With Dual-Wettability Pore Networks: A Montney Case Study,” by Ali Javaheri and Hassan Dehghanpour, SPE, University of Alberta, and James Wood, SPE, Encana, prepared for the 2017 SPE Canada Unconventional Resources Conference, Calgary, 15–16 February. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Previous studies demonstrate that Montney rock samples present a dual-wettability pore network. Recovery of the oil retained in the small hydrophobic pores is uniquely challenging. In this study, the authors applied dual-core-imbibition (DCI) methods on several Montney core plugs and introduced the imbibition-recovery (IR) trio to investigate the recovery mechanisms in rocks with dual-wettability pore networks.

Introduction

Spontaneous imbibition of aqueous phases (water, brine, or surfactant solutions) in fractured sandstone has been studied as a possible mechanism for enhanced oil recovery. Extensive experimental and mathematical investigations have been conducted for relating the imbibition rate and total oil recovery to the capillary and gravity forces and geometrical parameters. However, rock/fluid interactions in tight and shale reservoirs are more complicated than those seen in conventional reservoirs. In addition to capillary forces, organic materials and reactive clay minerals can inﬂuence the fluid ﬂow and storage in the small pores of low-permeability rocks. The affinity of reservoir rock to a particular fluid in such formations depends especially on rock mineralogy and properties of the organic matter that coats and fills the pores.

Previous comparative imbibition tests show that the affinity of the Montney samples to oil is significantly higher than their affinity to water. This behavior was explained by the presence of water-repellent pores within or coated by solid bitumen or pyrobitumen. In the complete paper, the authors focus on imbibition oil recovery of samples cored from the Montney Formation and investigate the role of rock-fabric complexities, such as dual-wettability characteristics, in oil recovery by water imbibition. A detailed discussion of materials used in the spontaneous-imbibition and oil-recovery tests, including rock and fluid properties, is included in the complete paper.

Methodology

The authors conducted three sets of comparative tests on five twin core plugs, which were dry cut from Montney cores. The samples are characterized by measuring mineral concentration, total-organic-carbon (TOC) content, porosity, and permeability. The methodology is fully described in the complete paper.
Downhole Sand-Ingress Detection With Fiber-Optic Distributed Acoustic Sensors
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: September 2017

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 183329, “Downhole Sand-Ingress Detection With Fiber-Optic Distributed Acoustic Sensors,” by Pradyumna Thiruvenkatanathan, Tommy Langnes, Paul Beaumont, Daniel White, and Michael Webster, BP, prepared for the 2016 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 7–10 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

There is currently no proven technology available in the market that accurately identifies downhole sand-ingress locations in real time. In this paper, the authors present results from use of a new technology that uses in-well-conveyed fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for the detection of sand-ingress zones across the reservoir section throughout the production period in real time.

Introduction

Mechanical sand-control systems are not always fully effective. The end result may be high sand production, which results in choking back the well and reducing hydrocarbon production significantly. In most cases, the precise sanding interval is unknown, making sand-remediation operations (such as remedial plug placements) often ineffective. A successful remediation requires identification of locations of sand entry to inform targeted sand-shutoff operations. However, no proven technology accurately identifies sand-ingress locations during well production in real time.

The technology described in this paper has now been used successfully

To monitor sand ingress during production (in real time) to inform and optimize oil production

To inform and implement a targeted sand-shutoff operation to increase hydrocarbon-production rates

To assess the reliability of the sand-control equipment during production to improve future designs

Sand Detection

While conventional surface acoustic sand detectors provide a delayed indication of onset of downhole sanding events, they do not provide information about the zones in the reservoir that are producing sand. A successful sand-shutoff operation, however, requires knowledge and definitive identification of the zones (or depth sections) in the reservoir contributing to sanding and their relative concentrations.

DAS has been viewed as a potential candidate technology for downhole sand detection in recent years. DAS systems are intrinsic optical-fiber-based acoustic-sensing systems that use the backscatter component of the light injected into an optical fiber to detect acoustic perturbations along the length of the fiber. The fiber itself acts as the sensing element, with no additional transducers in the optical path, and measurements are taken along the length of the entire fiber, allowing for a true distributed measurement using a single fiber. The technology provides sensitivity to strain variations by monitoring changes in the length and index of refraction of the fiber induced by impinging acoustic pressure waves.
One-Trip Multizone Sand-Control-Completion System in the Gulf of Mexico Lower Tertiary
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: September 2017

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 27183, “Current State of the One-Trip Multizone Sand-Control-Completion System and the Conundrum Faced in the Gulf of Mexico Lower Tertiary,” by Bruce Techentien, Tommy Grigsby, and Thomas Frosell, Halliburton, prepared for the 2016 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 2–5 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2016 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.

This paper provides perspective on the current state of multizone completion technology and issues encountered in the industry with developing a system that offers increased capabilities to meet the increasing challenges presented by the Lower Tertiary in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The multizone technology has proved to be an enabler for cost-efficient completions in the shallow-well environment and in the high-cost ultradeepwater environment requiring high-rate fracture-stimulation treatments.

Lower Tertiary GOM

The Lower Tertiary play is south and west of the Miocene area in the GOM and is, consequently, in deeper water. The Lower Tertiary is located approximately 175 miles offshore and is estimated at 80 miles wide and up to 300 miles long. Water depths are from 5,000 to 10,000 ft. Production targets are at depths of 10,000 to 30,000 ft subsea.

The Tertiary trend is from 66 million to 38 million years old. Within the Lower Tertiary, the Lower Wilcox portion presents sheet to amalgamated-sheet sands considered to be part of a regional basin floor fan system.

The Late Paleocene to Early Eocene (Wilcox equivalent) reservoirs are considered to be laterally extensive sheet sands that were deposited in deep water. These reservoirs are distributed across an area largely covered by the allochthonous Sigsbee salt canopy. It is this canopy that causes additional problems beyond merely the water depth and the well depth required to reach the reservoirs.

These exploration plays depend on understanding the updip fluvial/deltaic stratigraphic architecture and the potential for partitioning of reservoir-quality sandstones across the depositional shelf into the slope and basin floor environments. The Lower Tertiary is estimated to contain up to 15 billion bbl of oil.

Current State of Multizone Technology

The Generation IV multizone system has been deployed successfully in the Lower Tertiary by multiple operators. To the authors’ knowledge, the multistage completion system and enhanced single-trip multizone fracturing systems had been installed in 10 wells as of the summer of 2015, with additional well installations planned. These systems are rated to 10,000 psi, and the enhanced single-trip multizone tool system offering an open-hole variant was installed in one five-zone completion.
A Case Study on Simulation of In–Situ CO2 Huff–‘n’–Puff Process
Authors: Wang Yong , Hou Jirui , Song Zhaojie , Yuan Dengyu , Zhang Jingwei , Zhao Teng
Published: September 2017

In-situ carbon dioxide (CO2) huff-‘n’-puff (ISCHP) is a promising enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) technique that could overcome some major drawbacks associated with continuous CO2 flooding such as early CO2 breakthrough, high operation costs, and demand for CO2 source. The application in Jiangsu Oil Field triggered the augmentation of well productivity and indicated the preliminary potential of this technique.

Our work is to establish a prediction model for gas generation and to examine the mechanisms of ISCHP/EOR through sandpack tests and reservoir simulation. A salt solution with surfactant additives was selected to be the gas-forming agent, the gas-generating performance was tested in a high-temperature/high-pressure reactor first, and a kinetics-derived equation for gas-volume prediction was then verified by use of the experimental results. The displacement performance and efficiency were determined with sandpack tests with three different concentrations of a gas-forming agent. A reservoir model of ISCHP was established and calibrated on the basis of the sandpack-test results and past-production observations of the candidate well. The sensitivity analysis on the main-operation parameters was conducted to determine the optimal scheme, including injected volume, concentration, and soaking time.

The results indicate that gas volume predicted by the theoretical model is well-matched to experimental data of the gas-forming reaction, the sandpack test makes clear the synergy of CO2 and chemical flooding in ISCHP, and a higher concentration of reagent tends to produce more oil than a lower one. Reservoir simulation shows a large amount of CO2 generated near the wellbore, an average growth of 61% in oil production, an regent usage of 0.91 ton/ton of oil, and a temperature decline of 2.5°C in the region of 20 m from the wellbore as a result of the endothermic reaction of reagent. On the basis of the reservoir model, the optimal scheme is achieved with a reagent concentration 16.4 wt%, an injected volume of 250 tons, and a soaking time of 7 days. This study can provide an improved understanding of ISCHP for EOR in Jiangsu Oil Field, including the gas-volume prediction, EOR potential in laboratory, and main operating parameters of ISCHP.
Probing non-thermal density fluctuations in the one-dimensional Bose gas
Authors: De Nardis Jacopo , Panfil Milosz , Gambassi Andrea , Cugliandolo Leticia , Konik Robert , Foini Laura
Published: September 2017

Quantum integrable models display a rich variety of non-thermal
excited states with unusual properties. The most common way to probe
them is by performing a quantum quench, i.e., by letting a many-body
initial state unitarily evolve with an integrable Hamiltonian. At late
times these systems are locally described by a generalized Gibbs
ensemble with as many effective temperatures as their local conserved
quantities. The experimental measurement of this macroscopic number of
temperatures remains elusive. Here we show that they can be obtained for
the Bose gas in one spatial dimension by probing the dynamical structure
factor of the system after the quench and by employing a generalized
fluctuation-dissipation theorem that we provide. Our procedure allows us
to completely reconstruct the stationary state of a quantum integrable
system from state-of-the-art experimental observations.
Uma perspetiva ibérica sobre a Nouvelle Géographie Universelle de Élisée Reclus
Authors: Coscurão Ricardo
Published: September 2017

Através da presente recensão, procura-se uma abordagem da Nouvelle Géographie Universelle, da autoria do geógrafo francês Élisée Reclus, a partir da análise de uma tradução dos capítulos referentes a Portugal e à Galiza, recém-publicada por Iago Bragado e Joseph Ghanime López. Trata-se de uma oportunidade para conhecer a visão deste conhecido geógrafo francês do século XIX relativamente a estes dois territórios da Península Ibérica, assim como uma ocasião renovada para analisar estes capítulos à luz de algumas das mais importantes características comuns a toda a obra de Reclus.
Estimating the impact of climate change on residential water use using panel data analysis: a case study of Lilongwe, Malawi
Authors: Makwiza Chikondi , Fuamba Musandji , Houssa Fadoua , Jacobs Heinz Erasmus
Published: September 2017

In this study, panel linear models were used to develop an empirical relationship between metered household water use and the independent variables plot size and theoretical irrigation requirement. The estimated statistical model provides a means of estimating the climate-sensitive component of residential water use. Ensemble averages of temperature and rainfall projections were used to quantify potential changes in water use due to climate change by 2050. Annual water use per household was estimated to increase by approximately 1.5% under the low emissions scenario or 2.3% under the high emissions scenario. The model results provide information that can enhance water conservation initiatives relating particularly to outdoor water use. The model approach presented utilizes data that are readily available to water supply utilities and can therefore be easily replicated elsewhere.
Intelligent system for control of water distribution networks
Authors: Barros Filho Emânuel Guerra , Salvino Laís Régis , Bezerra Saulo de Tarso Marques , Salvino Moisés Menezes , Gomes Heber Pimentel
Published: September 2017

The objective of this research study was the development of an intelligent system based on artificial neural networks for water distribution networks that operate with parallel pumps. The purpose of the system is to automate the process and to define the operating state of the electric motors (on, off or with partial rotation speed). The intelligent system developed is generic, which allows the application of its control structure in similar processes, and it was applied in an experimental setup that simulates a real water supply system. The performance of the network was tested experimentally under different operating conditions, including in the presence of disturbances. The settling time was, in all experiments, less than 30 seconds, the tests did not show overshoot and the maximum error was 2.9%. Results showed excellent performance in terms of pressure regulation, and it is hoped that the controller can be successfully implemented in real water distribution systems, in order to reduce water and electricity consumption, decrease maintenance costs and increase the reliability of operating procedures.
Comparison of invertebrate removal by traditional-BAC and pre-BAC treatment processes: verification in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant
Authors: Wu Zhiling , Chen Hongbin
Published: September 2017

Invertebrate removal by traditional biological activated carbon (tra-BAC) and pre-BAC treatment processes was investigated in a full-scale water treatment plant. The results showed that invertebrate reproduction occurred in both BAC filters, but the invertebrate abundance in the finished water processed by tra-BAC was about 15 times greater than that processed using the pre-BAC process. In the pre-BAC process, the sand filter was placed after the BAC filter, and sand filtration removed most of the invertebrates, with an average removal efficiency of 91.1%. However, the pre-BAC filter, which was positioned behind the sedimentation tank, needed to be backwashed more frequently than the tra-BAC filter because of the high turbidity of the inlet water. The frequent backwashing reduced the biomass on the activated carbon and decreased the invertebrate reproductive rate. The results of this study are helpful for evaluating the pre-BAC treatment process in drinking water treatment plants.
Degradation of amyl xanthate by manganese dioxide
Authors: Chen Shaohua , Sun Yan , Li Jia , Xiong Ling
Published: September 2017

Amyl xanthate (AX), a widely used reagent in sulfide mineral flotation, has caused serious environmental problems. Manganese dioxides (MnO2), ubiquitous in natural soils and sediments, are one kind of important oxidant or catalyst in facilitating organic pollutant decomposition. In this study, the oxidative degradation of AX by MnO2 was investigated in batch experiments. It was found that up to 90% AX was decomposed by MnO2 in 30 min and the removal efficiency of AX depended strongly on the loading of MnO2 and pH value in the solution where the reactions closely followed a pseudo-first-order model. The reaction orders with respect to the initial AX concentration, MnO2 concentration and pH value were 0.4573, 0.2034, and −0.1701, respectively. Coexisting metal ions, such as Mn2+, Fe3+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, displayed suppressive effects and the inhibitive capacity of the metal ions followed the order Mn2+ > Fe3+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+. However, the effect of humic acid (HA) on reaction rates was significant only at higher concentrations. This study provided meaningful information to elucidate the oxidative degradation of AX by MnO2.
Perivascular Adipose Tissue as an Endocrine Organ: The Role of Statins
Authors: Sanna Fabio , Margaritis Marios , Antoniades Charalambos
Published: September 2017

Adipose tissue (AT), aside from being an energy storage site, functions as a source of cytokines, adipokines
and other vasoactive molecules. Dysfunctional AT contributes to the development of cardiovascular
disease by shifting to a pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory phenotype. Perivascular AT (PVAT) is of particular importance
to the development of vascular disease, due to its close proximity to the vascular wall. Molecules released
from PVAT can exert both pro- and anti-contractile effects, the balance of which plays a role in controlling vascular
tone. Recent evidence supports the existence of reciprocal, two-way interactions between PVAT and the
vascular wall. Statins, with their pivotal role in cardiovascular disease prevention, have been shown to exert lipidlowering
independent, pleiotropic effects on the vascular wall, some of which may be mediated by modulatory
effects on PVAT inflammation and secretome. These effects of statins provide a paradigm for the development of
new therapeutic agents aimed at modulating PVAT function, as a novel treatment strategy against cardiovascular
disease.
Theoretically-Based Emotion Regulation Strategies Using a Mobile App and Wearable Sensor Among Homeless Adolescent Mothers: Acceptability and Feasibility Study (Preprint)
Authors: Leonard Noelle R , Casarjian Bethany , Fletcher Richard R , Prata Cathleen , Sherpa Dawa , Kelemen Anna , Rajan Sonali , Salaam Rasheeda , Cleland Charles M , Gwadz Marya Viorst
Published: September 2017

BACKGROUND

Many adolescent mothers are parenting young children under highly stressful conditions as they are managing first-time parenthood, poverty, lack of housing, school and work, and challenging peer and familial relationships. Mobile health (mHealth) technology has the potential to intervene at various points in the emotion regulation process of adolescent mothers to provide them support for more adaptive emotional and behavioral regulation in the course of their daily life.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to examine the acceptability, feasibility, use patterns, and mechanisms by which a mobile technology used as an adjunct to in-person, provider-delivered sessions fostered adolescent mothers’ adaptive emotion regulation strategies under real-life conditions.

METHODS

Participants (N=49) were enrolled in the intervention condition of a larger pilot study of homeless adolescent mothers living in group-based shelters. The mHealth technology, Calm Mom, consisted of a mobile app and a wrist-worn sensorband for the ambulatory measurement and alerting of increased electrodermal activity (EDA), a physiological measurement of stress. We examined logs of mobile app activity and conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with a subsample (N=10) of participants. Qualitative data analysis was guided by the theoretical frames of the intervention and a technology acceptance model and included an analysis of emerging themes and concepts.

RESULTS

Overall, participants indicated that one or more of the elements of Calm Mom supported their ability to effectively regulate their emotions in the course of their daily life in ways that were consonant with the intervention’s theoretical model. For many adolescent mothers, the app became an integral tool for managing stress. Due to technical challenges, fewer participants received sensorband alerts; however, those who received alerts reported high levels of acceptability as the technology helped them to identify their emotions and supported them in engaging in more adaptive behaviors during real-life stressful situations with their children, peers, and family members.

CONCLUSIONS

Calm Mom is a promising technology for providing theoretically driven behavioral intervention strategies during real-life stressful moments among a highly vulnerable population. Future research efforts will involve addressing technology challenges and refining tailoring algorithms for implementation in larger-scale studies.
Estimation of Symptom Severity During Chemotherapy From Passively Sensed Data: Exploratory Study (Preprint)
Authors: Low Carissa A , Dey Anind K , Ferreira Denzil , Kamarck Thomas , Sun Weijing , Bae Sangwon , Doryab Afsaneh
Published: September 2017

BACKGROUND

Physical and psychological symptoms are common during chemotherapy in cancer patients, and real-time monitoring of these symptoms can improve patient outcomes. Sensors embedded in mobile phones and wearable activity trackers could be potentially useful in monitoring symptoms passively, with minimal patient burden.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore whether passively sensed mobile phone and Fitbit data could be used to estimate daily symptom burden during chemotherapy.

METHODS

A total of 14 patients undergoing chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer participated in the 4-week study. Participants carried an Android phone and wore a Fitbit device for the duration of the study and also completed daily severity ratings of 12 common symptoms. Symptom severity ratings were summed to create a total symptom burden score for each day, and ratings were centered on individual patient means and categorized into low, average, and high symptom burden days. Day-level features were extracted from raw mobile phone sensor and Fitbit data and included features reflecting mobility and activity, sleep, phone usage (eg, duration of interaction with phone and apps), and communication (eg, number of incoming and outgoing calls and messages). We used a rotation random forests classifier with cross-validation and resampling with replacement to evaluate population and individual model performance and correlation-based feature subset selection to select nonredundant features with the best predictive ability.

RESULTS

Across 295 days of data with both symptom and sensor data, a number of mobile phone and Fitbit features were correlated with patient-reported symptom burden scores. We achieved an accuracy of 88.1% for our population model. The subset of features with the best accuracy included sedentary behavior as the most frequent activity, fewer minutes in light physical activity, less variable and average acceleration of the phone, and longer screen-on time and interactions with apps on the phone. Mobile phone features had better predictive ability than Fitbit features. Accuracy of individual models ranged from 78.1% to 100% (mean 88.4%), and subsets of relevant features varied across participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Passive sensor data, including mobile phone accelerometer and usage and Fitbit-assessed activity and sleep, were related to daily symptom burden during chemotherapy. These findings highlight opportunities for long-term monitoring of cancer patients during chemotherapy with minimal patient burden as well as real-time adaptive interventions aimed at early management of worsening or severe symptoms.
Assessing Unmet Information Needs of Breast Cancer Survivors: Exploratory Study of Online Health Forums Using Text Classification and Retrieval (Preprint)
Authors: McRoy Susan , Rastegar-Mojarad Majid , Wang Yanshan , Ruddy Kathryn J. , Haddad Tufia C. , Liu Hongfang
Published: September 2017

BACKGROUND

Patient education materials given to breast cancer survivors may not be a good fit for their information needs. Needs may change over time, be forgotten, or be misreported, for a variety of reasons. An automated content analysis of survivors' postings to online health forums can identify expressed information needs over a span of time and be repeated regularly at low cost. Identifying these unmet needs can guide improvements to existing education materials and the creation of new resources.

OBJECTIVE

The primary goals of this project are to assess the unmet information needs of breast cancer survivors from their own perspectives and to identify gaps between information needs and current education materials.

METHODS

This approach employs computational methods for content modeling and supervised text classification to data from online health forums to identify explicit and implicit requests for health-related information. Potential gaps between needs and education materials are identified using techniques from information retrieval.

RESULTS

We provide a new taxonomy for the classification of sentences in online health forum data. 260 postings from two online health forums were selected, yielding 4179 sentences for coding. After annotation of data and training alternative one-versus-others classifiers, a random forest-based approach achieved F1 scores from 66% (Other, dataset2) to 90% (Medical, dataset1) on the primary information types. 136 expressions of need were used to generate queries to indexed education materials. Upon examination of the best two pages retrieved for each query, 12% (17/136) of queries were found to have relevant content by all coders, and 33% (45/136) were judged to have relevant content by at least one.

CONCLUSIONS

Text from online health forums can be analyzed effectively using automated methods. Our analysis confirms that breast cancer survivors have many information needs that are not covered by the written documents they typically receive, as our results suggest that at most a third of breast cancer survivors’ questions would be addressed by the materials currently provided to them.
Representation of Tinnitus in the US Newspaper Media and in Facebook Pages: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Secondary Data (Preprint)
Authors: Manchaiah Vinaya , Ratinaud Pierre , Andersson Gerhard
Published: September 2017

BACKGROUND

When people with health conditions begin to manage their health issues, one important issue that emerges is the question as to what exactly do they do with the information that they have obtained through various sources (eg, news media, social media, health professionals, friends, and family). The information they gather helps form their opinions and, to some degree, influences their attitudes toward managing their condition.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to understand how tinnitus is represented in the US newspaper media and in Facebook pages (ie, social media) using text pattern analysis.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study based upon secondary analyses of publicly available data. The 2 datasets (ie, text corpuses) analyzed in this study were generated from US newspaper media during 1980-2017 (downloaded from the database US Major Dailies by ProQuest) and Facebook pages during 2010-2016. The text corpuses were analyzed using the Iramuteq software using cluster analysis and chi-square tests.

RESULTS

The newspaper dataset had 432 articles. The cluster analysis resulted in 5 clusters, which were named as follows: (1) brain stimulation (26.2%), (2) symptoms (13.5%), (3) coping (19.8%), (4) social support (24.2%), and (5) treatment innovation (16.4%). A time series analysis of clusters indicated a change in the pattern of information presented in newspaper media during 1980-2017 (eg, more emphasis on cluster 5, focusing on treatment inventions). The Facebook dataset had 1569 texts. The cluster analysis resulted in 7 clusters, which were named as: (1) diagnosis (21.9%), (2) cause (4.1%), (3) research and development (13.6%), (4) social support (18.8%), (5) challenges (11.1%), (6) symptoms (21.4%), and (7) coping (9.2%). A time series analysis of clusters indicated no change in information presented in Facebook pages on tinnitus during 2011-2016.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the specific aspects about tinnitus that the US newspaper media and Facebook pages focus on, as well as how these aspects change over time. These findings can help health care providers better understand the presuppositions that tinnitus patients may have. More importantly, the findings can help public health experts and health communication experts in tailoring health information about tinnitus to promote self-management, as well as assisting in appropriate choices of treatment for those living with tinnitus.
Staged combustion concept for gas turbines
Authors: Winkler Dieter , Geng Weiqun , Engelbrecht Geoffrey , Stuber Peter , Knapp Klaus , Griffin Timothy
Published: September 2017

Gas turbine power plants with high load flexibility are particularly suitable to compensate power fluctuations of wind and solar plants. Conventional gas turbines suffer from higher emissions at low load operation. With the objective of improving this situation a staged combustion system has been investigated. At low gas turbine load an upstream stage (first stage) provides stable combustion at low emissions while at higher loads the downstream stage (second stage) is started to supplement the power. Three injection geometries have been studied by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and atmospheric tests. The investigated geometries were a simple annular gap, a jet-in-cross-flow configuration and a lobe mixer. With CFD simulations the quality of mixing of second stage fresh gas with first stage exhaust gas was assessed. The lobe mixer showed the best mixing quality and hence was expected to also be the best variant in terms of combustion. However atmospheric combustion tests showed lower emissions for the jet-in-cross-flow configuration. Comparing flame photos in the visible and ultraviolet (UV) range suggest that the flame might be lifted off for the lobe mixer, leading to insufficient time for carbon monoxide (CO) burnout. CFD analysis of turbulent flame speed, turbulence and strain rates support the hypotheses of lifted off flame. Overall the staged concept was found to show very promising results not only with natural gas but also with natural gas enriched with propane or hydrogen. The investigations showed that apart from having an efficient and compact mixing of the two stages it is also very important to design the flow field such that the second flame can be anchored properly in order to achieve compact flames with sufficient time for CO burnout.
Bose polaron as an instance of quantum Brownian motion
Authors: Lampo Aniello , Lim Soon Hoe , García-March Miguel Ángel , Lewenstein Maciej
Published: September 2017

We study the dynamics of a quantum impurity immersed in a Bose-Einstein condensate as an open quantum system in the framework of the quantum Brownian motion model. We derive a generalized Langevin equation for the position of the impurity. The Langevin equation is an integrodifferential equation that contains a memory kernel and is driven by a colored noise. These result from considering the environment as given by the degrees of freedom of the quantum gas, and thus depend on its parameters, e.g. interaction strength between the bosons, temperature, etc. We study the role of the memory on the dynamics of the impurity. When the impurity is untrapped, we find that it exhibits a super-diffusive behavior at long times. We find that back-flow in energy between the environment and the impurity occurs during evolution. When the particle is trapped, we calculate the variance of the position and momentum to determine how they compare with the Heisenberg limit. One important result of this paper is that we find position squeezing for the trapped impurity at long times. We determine the regime of validity of our model and the parameters in which these effects can be observed in realistic experiments.
U.S. milled rice markets and integration across regions and types
Authors: Kim Man-Keun , Tejeda Hernan , Yu T. Edward
Published: September 2017

Rice is among the top seven U.S. major crops in terms of harvested acres – covering over 2.6 million acres – and sixth in terms of sales, with annual cash receipts around 3.1 billion dollars. This paper investigates whether U.S. milled rice markets are integrated across regions and whether these markets are integrated by rice types. Understanding dynamic relationships across regions and types provides important insights for risk management and policy making. Of the four major producing regions, three are in the South – Arkansas-Missouri, Louisiana-Mississippi, and Texas – and the other is California. There are different rice types associated with a production region. California mainly produces short and medium grain; while Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana primarily produce long and also medium grains. We determine the potential market integration of these rice markets by applying a Vector Error Correction Model and Directed Acyclic Graphs to monthly free on board milled rice price data from August 1986 to December 2015. Results suggest that Arkansas-Missouri region is the leading price reference in the long grain markets. Arkansas-Missouri medium grain also plays an important role in the medium grain markets. California medium grain markets are weakly exogenous in the short run, but affected by Arkansas-Missouri medium grain in the longer term. As anticipated, Arkansas-Missouri long grain milled rice markets are driven by rough rice futures price in the longer term. Interestingly, Arkansas-Missouri medium grain market has a sizable impact on long grain markets even though long and medium grains are not substitutes. This may be due to land competition to long grain rice production in Arkansas, a major area of long grain rice production.