bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitofusin 2: from functions to disease
Authors: Filadi Riccardo , Pendin Diana , Pizzo Paola
Published: February 2018

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles whose functions are essential for cell viability. Within the cell, the mitochondrial network is continuously remodeled through the balance between fusion and fission events. Moreover, it dynamically contacts other organelles, particularly the endoplasmic reticulum, with which it enterprises an important functional relationship able to modulate several cellular pathways. Being mitochondria key bioenergetics organelles, they have to be transported to all the specific high-energy demanding sites within the cell and, when damaged, they have to be efficiently removed. Among other proteins, Mitofusin 2 represents a key player in all these mitochondrial activities (fusion, trafficking, turnover, contacts with other organelles), the balance of which results in the appropriate mitochondrial shape, function, and distribution within the cell. Here we review the structural and functional properties of Mitofusin 2, highlighting its crucial role in several cell pathways, as well as in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, cardiomyopathies, and cancer.
The role of confined collagen geometry in decreasing nucleation energy barriers to intrafibrillar mineralization
Authors: Kim Doyoon , Lee Byeongdu , Thomopoulos Stavros , Jun Young-Shin
Published: February 2018

Mineralization of collagen is critical for the mechanical functions of bones and teeth. Calcium phosphate nucleation in collagenous structures follows distinctly different patterns in highly confined gap regions (nanoscale confinement) than in less confined extrafibrillar spaces (microscale confinement). Although the mechanism(s) driving these differences are still largely unknown, differences in the free energy for nucleation may explain these two mineralization behaviors. Here, we report on experimentally obtained nucleation energy barriers to intra- and extrafibrillar mineralization, using in situ X-ray scattering observations and classical nucleation theory. Polyaspartic acid, an extrafibrillar nucleation inhibitor, increases interfacial energies between nuclei and mineralization fluids. In contrast, the confined gap spaces inside collagen fibrils lower the energy barrier by reducing the reactive surface area of nuclei, decreasing the surface energy penalty. The confined gap geometry, therefore, guides the two-dimensional morphology and structure of bioapatite and changes the nucleation pathway by reducing the total energy barrier.
Asynchrony between Antarctic temperature and CO2 associated with obliquity over the past 720,000 years
Authors: Uemura Ryu , Motoyama Hideaki , Masson-Delmotte Valérie , Jouzel Jean , Kawamura Kenji , Goto-Azuma Kumiko , Fujita Shuji , Kuramoto Takayuki , Hirabayashi Motohiro , Miyake Takayuki , Ohno Hiroshi , Fujita Koji , Abe-Ouchi Ayako , Iizuka Yoshinori , Horikawa Shinichiro , Igarashi Makoto , Suzuki Keisuke , Suzuki Toshitaka , Fujii Yoshiyuki
Published: February 2018

The δD temperature proxy in Antarctic ice cores varies in parallel with CO2 through glacial cycles. However, these variables display a puzzling asynchrony. Well-dated records of Southern Ocean temperature will provide crucial information because the Southern Ocean is likely key in regulating CO2 variations. Here, we perform multiple isotopic analyses on an Antarctic ice core and estimate temperature variations at this site and in the oceanic moisture source over the past 720,000 years, which extend the longest records by 300,000 years. Antarctic temperature is affected by large variations in local insolation that are induced by obliquity. At the obliquity periodicity, the Antarctic and ocean temperatures lag annual mean insolation. Further, the magnitude of the phase lag is minimal during low eccentricity periods, suggesting that secular changes in the global carbon cycle and the ocean circulation modulate the phase relationship among temperatures, CO2 and insolation in the obliquity frequency band.
Herbivorous turtle ants obtain essential nutrients from a conserved nitrogen-recycling gut microbiome
Authors: Hu Yi , Sanders Jon G. , Łukasik Piotr , D’Amelio Catherine L. , Millar John S. , Vann David R. , Lan Yemin , Newton Justin A. , Schotanus Mark , Kronauer Daniel J. C. , Pierce Naomi E. , Moreau Corrie S. , Wertz John T. , Engel Philipp , Russell Jacob A.
Published: February 2018

Nitrogen acquisition is a major challenge for herbivorous animals, and the repeated origins of herbivory across the ants have raised expectations that nutritional symbionts have shaped their diversification. Direct evidence for N provisioning by internally housed symbionts is rare in animals; among the ants, it has been documented for just one lineage. In this study we dissect functional contributions by bacteria from a conserved, multi-partite gut symbiosis in herbivorous Cephalotes ants through in vivo experiments, metagenomics, and in vitro assays. Gut bacteria recycle urea, and likely uric acid, using recycled N to synthesize essential amino acids that are acquired by hosts in substantial quantities. Specialized core symbionts of 17 studied Cephalotes species encode the pathways directing these activities, and several recycle N in vitro. These findings point to a highly efficient N economy, and a nutritional mutualism preserved for millions of years through the derived behaviors and gut anatomy of Cephalotes ants.
Identification of single amino acid differences in uniformly charged homopolymeric peptides with aerolysin nanopore
Authors: Piguet Fabien , Ouldali Hadjer , Pastoriza-Gallego Manuela , Manivet Philippe , Pelta Juan , Oukhaled Abdelghani
Published: February 2018

There are still unmet needs in finding new technologies for biomedical diagnostic and industrial applications. A technology allowing the analysis of size and sequence of short peptide molecules of only few molecular copies is still challenging. The fast, low-cost and label-free single-molecule nanopore technology could be an alternative for addressing these critical issues. Here, we demonstrate that the wild-type aerolysin nanopore enables the size-discrimination of several short uniformly charged homopeptides, mixed in solution, with a single amino acid resolution. Our system is very sensitive, allowing detecting and characterizing a few dozens of peptide impurities in a high purity commercial peptide sample, while conventional analysis techniques fail to do so.
Decapping protein EDC4 regulates DNA repair and phenocopies BRCA1
Authors: Hernández Gonzalo , Ramírez María José , Minguillón Jordi , Quiles Paco , Ruiz de Garibay Gorka , Aza-Carmona Miriam , Bogliolo Massimo , Pujol Roser , Prados-Carvajal Rosario , Fernández Juana , García Nadia , López Adrià , Gutiérrez-Enríquez Sara , Diez Orland , Benítez Javier , Salinas Mónica , Teulé Alex , Brunet Joan , Radice Paolo , Peterlongo Paolo , Schindler Detlev , Huertas Pablo , Puente Xose S , Lázaro Conxi , Pujana Miquel Àngel , Surrallés Jordi
Published: February 2018

BRCA1 is a tumor suppressor that regulates DNA repair by homologous recombination. Germline mutations in BRCA1 are associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer and BRCA1 deficient tumors are exquisitely sensitive to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Therefore, uncovering additional components of this DNA repair pathway is of extreme importance for further understanding cancer development and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Here, we identify EDC4, a known component of processing-bodies and regulator of mRNA decapping, as a member of the BRCA1-BRIP1-TOPBP1 complex. EDC4 plays a key role in homologous recombination by stimulating end resection at double-strand breaks. EDC4 deficiency leads to genome instability and hypersensitivity to DNA interstrand cross-linking drugs and PARP inhibitors. Lack-of-function mutations in EDC4 were detected in BRCA1/2-mutation-negative breast cancer cases, suggesting a role in breast cancer susceptibility. Collectively, this study recognizes EDC4 with a dual role in decapping and DNA repair whose inactivation phenocopies BRCA1 deficiency.
Interplay between conformational selection and zymogen activation
Authors: Chakraborty Pradipta , Acquasaliente Laura , Pelc Leslie A. , Di Cera Enrico
Published: February 2018

Trypsin-like proteases are synthesized as zymogens and activated through a mechanism that folds the active site for efficient binding and catalysis. Ligand binding to the active site is therefore a valuable source of information on the changes that accompany zymogen activation. Using the physiologically relevant transition of the clotting zymogen prothrombin to the mature protease thrombin, we show that the mechanism of ligand recognition follows selection within a pre-existing ensemble of conformations with the active site accessible (E) or inaccessible (E*) to binding. Prothrombin exists mainly in the E* conformational ensemble and conversion to thrombin produces two dominant changes: a progressive shift toward the E conformational ensemble triggered by removal of the auxiliary domains upon cleavage at R271 and a drastic drop of the rate of ligand dissociation from the active site triggered by cleavage at R320. Together, these effects produce a significant (700-fold) increase in binding affinity. Limited proteolysis reveals how the E*-E equilibrium shifts during prothrombin activation and influences exposure of the sites of cleavage at R271 and R320. These new findings on the molecular underpinnings of prothrombin activation are relevant to other zymogens with modular assembly involved in blood coagulation, complement and fibrinolysis.
A global mismatch in the protection of multiple marine biodiversity components and ecosystem services
Authors: Lindegren Martin , Holt Ben G. , MacKenzie Brian R. , Rahbek Carsten
Published: February 2018

The global loss of biodiversity threatens unique biota and the functioning and services of ecosystems essential for human wellbeing. To safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services, designating protected areas is crucial; yet the extent to which the existing placement of protection is aligned to meet these conservation priorities is questionable, especially in the oceans. Here we investigate and compare global patterns of multiple biodiversity components (taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional), ecosystem services and human impacts, with the coverage of marine protected areas across a nested spatial scale. We demonstrate a pronounced spatial mismatch between the existing degree of protection and all the conservation priorities above, highlighting that neither the world’s most diverse, nor the most productive ecosystems are currently the most protected ecosystems. Furthermore, we show that global patterns of biodiversity, ecosystem services and human impacts are poorly correlated, hence complicating the identification of generally applicable spatial prioritization schemes. However, a hypothetical “consensus approach” would have been able to address all these conservation priorities far more effectively than the existing degree of protection, which at best is only marginally better than a random expectation. Therefore, a holistic perspective is needed when designating an appropriate degree of protection of marine conservation priorities worldwide.
Highly non-additive symmetric mixtures at a wall
Authors: Patrykiejew A.
Published: February 2018

This paper discusses the results of the grand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo simulation of the wetting behavior of non-additive symmetric mixtures at non-selective walls.
Synthesis of cocrystals/salts of flucytosine: Structure and stability
Authors: Nechipadappu Sunil Kumar , Ramachandran Jeeshma , Shivalingegowda Naveen , Lokanath Neratur Krishnappagowda , Trivedi Darshak R.
Published: February 2018

Three molecular salts and two cocrystals of FLC were synthesized with superior solid state stability.
Efficient synthesis of 5-oxatruxene and the unusual influence of oxygen heteroatom on its physico-chemical properties
Authors: Górski Krzysztof , Mech-Piskorz Justyna , Noworyta Krzysztof , Leśniewska Barbara , Pietraszkiewicz Marek
Published: February 2018

5-Oxatruxene presents new quality among the truxenes. It is a promising compound for the new class of optoelectronic materials.
Atomic-scale sliding friction on a contaminated surface
Authors: Ouyang Wengen , de Wijn Astrid S. , Urbakh Michael
Published: February 2018

The interplay between different channels of energy dissipation may lead to non-monotonic dependence of the friction force on the adsorbate surface coverage and to strongly nonlinear variation of friction with normal load.
Organocatalytic reductive coupling of aldehydes with 1,1-diarylethylenes using an in situ generated pyridine-boryl radical
Authors: Cao Jia , Wang Guoqiang , Gao Liuzhou , Cheng Xu , Li Shuhua
Published: February 2018

A pyridine-boryl radical promoted reductive coupling reaction of aldehydes with 1,1-diarylethylenes has been established.
Light triggered uncaging of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with real-time monitoring
Authors: Venkatesh Yarra , Das Joyjyoti , Chaudhuri Amrita , Karmakar Anupam , Maiti Tapas K. , Singh N. D. Pradeep
Published: February 2018

A light activated hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donor based on a p-hydroxyphenacyl (pHP) phototrigger has been developed for the controlled release of H2S with real-time monitoring ability.
Effective computational route towards vibrational optical activity spectra of chiral molecules in aqueous solution
Authors: Giovannini Tommaso , Del Frate Gianluca , Lafiosca Piero , Cappelli Chiara
Published: February 2018

A polarizable QM/MM approach to accurately compute the Vibrational Optical Activity (VOA) spectra of chiral systems is proposed and applied to aqueous solutions of (l)-methyl lactate and (S)-glycidol.
Aerobic Co or Cu/NHPI-catalyzed oxidation of hydride siloxanes: synthesis of siloxanols
Authors: Arzumanyan Ashot V. , Goncharova Irina K. , Novikov Roman A. , Milenin Sergey A. , Boldyrev Konstantin L. , Solyev Pavel N. , Tkachev Yaroslav V. , Volodin Alexander D. , Smol'yakov Alexander F. , Korlyukov Alexander A. , Muzafarov Aziz M.
Published: February 2018

An efficient preparative method for the synthesis of siloxanols based on aerobic Co(OAc)2 or Cu(OAc)2/NHPI-catalyzed oxidation of hydride siloxanes has been proposed.
Straining effects in MoS2 monolayer on nanostructured substrates: temperature-dependent photoluminescence and exciton dynamics
Authors: Hu Yaowu , Zhang Feng , Titze Michael , Deng Biwei , Li Hebin , Cheng Gary J.
Published: February 2018

Strain-engineering of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has great potential to alter their electronic and optical properties.
High-quality graphene aerogels for thermally conductive phase change composites with excellent shape stability
Authors: Yang Jing , Li Xiaofeng , Han Shuang , Yang Runzhou , Min Peng , Yu Zhong-Zhen
Published: February 2018

High-quality graphene aerogels are prepared from highly processable graphene oxide pastes, showing excellent performance in thermally conductive phase change composites.
Dynamic changes in Sox2 spatio-temporal expression promote the second cell fate decision through Fgf4/Fgfr2 signaling in preimplantation mouse embryos
Authors: Mistri Tapan Kumar , Arindrarto Wibowo , Ng Wei Ping , Wang Choayang , Lim Leng Hiong , Sun Lili , Chambers Ian , Wohland Thorsten , Robson Paul
Published: February 2018

Oct4 and Sox2 regulate the expression of target genes such as Nanog, Fgf4, and Utf1, by binding to their respective regulatory motifs. Their functional cooperation is reflected in their ability to heterodimerize on adjacent cis regulatory motifs, the composite Sox/Oct motif. Given that Oct4 and Sox2 regulate many developmental genes, a quantitative analysis of their synergistic action on different Sox/Oct motifs would yield valuable insights into the mechanisms of early embryonic development. In the present study, we measured binding affinities of Oct4 and Sox2 to different Sox/Oct motifs using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We found that the synergistic binding interaction is driven mainly by the level of Sox2 in the case of the Fgf4 Sox/Oct motif. Taking into account Sox2 expression levels fluctuate more than Oct4, our finding provides an explanation on how Sox2 controls the segregation of the epiblast and primitive endoderm populations within the inner cell mass of the developing rodent blastocyst.
Development of Velopharyngeal Closure for Vocalization During the First 2 Years of Life
Authors: Bunton Kate , Hoit Jeannette D.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

The vocalizations of young infants often sound nasalized, suggesting that the velopharynx is open during the 1st few months of life. Whereas acoustic and perceptual studies seemed to support the idea that the velopharynx closes for vocalization by about 4 months of age, an aeromechanical study contradicted this (Thom, Hoit, Hixon, & Smith, 2006). Thus, the current large-scale investigation was undertaken to determine when the velopharynx closes for speech production by following infants during their first 2 years of life.

Method

This longitudinal study used nasal ram pressure to determine the status of the velopharynx (open or closed) during spontaneous speech production in 92 participants (46 male, 46 female) studied monthly from age 4 to 24 months.

Results

The velopharynx was closed during at least 90% of the utterances by 19 months, though there was substantial variability across participants. When considered by sound category, the velopharynx was closed from most to least often during production of oral obstruents, approximants, vowels (only), and glottal obstruents. No sex effects were observed.

Conclusion

Velopharyngeal closure for spontaneous speech production can be considered complete by 19 months, but closure occurs earlier for speech sounds with higher oral pressure demands.
High‐speed mobile memory I/O interface using multi‐modulation signalling
Authors: Yu Y. , Byun G.‐S.
Published: February 2018

The proposed multi‐band multi‐modulation I/O (MMI) for mobile memory interface consists of two RF‐band and 4‐PAM (pulse‐amplitude modulation) transceivers for simultaneous bidirectional read/write operations on a shared single‐ended 5 cm off‐chip transmission line. A novel band‐selective transformer is introduced to combine and split two amplitude shift keying modulated RF‐bands with a 4‐PAM baseband for transmitting and receiving multiple data concurrently. The MMI interface consumes 2.8 pJ/b from a 1.2 V supply voltage. Testing results show that the MMI interface achieves an overall data rate of 14 Gb/s/pin. It is implemented in a 65 nm CMOS process with chip area of 0.25 mm2.
Low complexity detection based on selective message passing for SCMA systems
Authors: Wu Hanguang , Xiong Xiaoming , Gao Huaien
Published: February 2018

The sparse code multiple access (SCMA) systems rely on multiuser detection schemes to achieve high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity. The existing multiuser detection schemes employ a message passing algorithm (MPA) to achieve the goal by utilising the sparse structure of the SCMA codebook. However, it remains a challenging task to obtain a good trade‐off between the BER performance and computational complexity due to the iterative nature and the associated search space in the MPA detection. In this Letter, a novel MPA detection scheme based on selective message passing is proposed. By dynamically eliminating the branches with high reliability from the message passing process, the proposed scheme significantly reduces the computational complexity with negligible BER performance compared with the conventional MPA detection. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is able to achieve a good trade‐off between the BER performance and computational complexity, especially at moderate and high signal–to‐noise ratio conditions.
Dimensionality reduction by LPP‐L21
Authors: Wang Shujian , Xie Deyan , Chen Fang , Gao Quanxue
Published: February 2018

Locality preserving projection (LPP) is one of the most representative linear manifold learning methods and well exploits intrinsic structure of data. However, the performance of LPP remarkably degenerate in the presence of outliers. To alleviate this problem, the authors propose a robust LPP, namely LPP‐L21. LPP‐L21 employs L2‐norm as the distance metric in spatial dimension of data and L1‐norm as the distance metric over different data points. Moreover, the authors employ L1‐norm to construct similarity graph, this helps to improve robustness of algorithm. Accordingly, the authors present an efficient iterative algorithm to solve LPP‐L21. The authors’ proposed method not only well suppresses outliers but also retains LPP's some nice properties. Experimental results on several image data sets show its advantages.
Miniaturisation of an electrically small metamaterial inspired antenna using additional conducting layer
Authors: Sharma Sameer K. , Abdalla Mahmoud A. , Hu Zhirun
Published: February 2018

An electrically small antenna ensures easy integration with devices without compromising the form factor. The performance in terms of bandwidth, gain and so on for these antennas is extremely critical and is governed by fundamental limitations in size, i.e. Chu's limit. This study initially presents an analysis of these limits and corresponding performance parameters. Next, a compact dual‐band antenna has been designed using an electric field driven LC (ELC) resonator and a coplanar ground plane which operates at GSM 1800 and Wi‐MAX. This proposed antenna has a compact size of in the first band which is resonant at 1.89 GHz. Finally, a conducting layer is placed below the ELC resonator and both are connected through a via. This provides stronger capacitive coupling between the radiator and the feeding arm and thus, results in miniaturisation of 76.9% in the area. The new antenna is electrically small and covers various cellular bands such as GSM 900, Bluetooth, Wi‐Fi and Wi‐MAX. Prototypes of both designs have been fabricated and experimentally tested in order to validate the simulation results.
CO2 gasification of microalgae (N. Oculata) – A thermodynamic study
Authors: Adnan Muflih Arisa , Hossain Mohammad Mozahar
Published: February 2018

A new model of CO2 gasification has been developed in the Aspen Plus. The potential of microalgae (N. oculata) for CO2 gasification also has been investigated. The present gasification process utilizes the CO2 at atmospheric pressure as the gasifying agent. The steam is also injected to the gasification to enhance the H2 production. The composition of the producer gas and gasification system efficiency (GSE) are used for performance evaluation. It is found that the CO2 gasification of microalgae produces a producer gas with a high concentration of CO and H2. The GSE indicates that the process works at high performance.
Shrinking core model of demineralization of chitin isolation from shrimp shell
Authors: Fadli Ahmad , Maulana Subkhan , Drastinawati
Published: February 2018

Chitin is a naturally abundant polymer and most of it was used as a surfactant and cosmetic raw materials. Chitin be able to derive from natural sources like shrimp shell waste. The aim of this research was to study the kinetic model of chitin demineralization with approach to shrinking core model (SCM) with variation of hydrochloric acid concentration. There models were used: Fluid Film Layer Diffusion, Ash Layer Diffusion and Chemical Reaction. It was began with deproteination at first with NaOH 3,5 % and continued with demineralization using hydrochloric acid at concentration 0,3 N; 0,6 N; 0,9 N and 1,2 N with variation of reaction time at 15, 30 and 15 minute. The calcium content in the product was analyzed after it was dried in the air oven. The results showed calcium concentration decrease along with increasing of hydrochloric acid concentration. It get kinetic model at concentration 0,3 N of hydrochloric acid usage with form:

[see formula in PDF]

with the highest value of R2 is 0,9555 and the smallest percentage error is 5,92%. Meanwhile with usage of hydrochloric acid at concentration 0,6 N; 0,9 N and 1,2 N were get kinetic model with form:

[see formula in PDF]

with the highest value of R2 is 0,9794.
The potential of activated carbon derived from bio-char waste of bio-oil pyrolysis as adsorbent
Authors: Zulkania Ariany , Hanum Ghina F. , Sri Rezki Amelia
Published: February 2018

Activated carbon from bio-char waste of bio oil pyrolysis of mixed sugarcane bagasse and Rambutan twigs was investigated. Bio-char as by-product of bio-oil pyrolysis has potential to be good adsorbed by activating process. Bio-chars waste was activated in fixed bed reactor inside furnace without presenting oxygen. Gas N2 and CO2 were employed to drive out oxygen from the reactor and as activator, respectively. One of the best activation treatments is achieved by performing activation in different temperature and time to produce standard activated carbon. The experiment was performed at different temperatures and activation time, i.e. 800, 850, and 900° C and 80 and 120 minutes, respectively, to determine the optimal operating condition. Activated carbon was characterized by analysis of moisture content, ash content pH, and methylene blue test. The results showed that optimum activation was at 850°C and 80 minute, where activated carbon produced indicated the best adsorption capacity. The ash content and pH had significant role in resulting good activated carbon.
The effect of temperature and time of extraction on the quality of Semi Refined Carrageenan (SRC)
Authors: Heriyanto Heri , Kustiningsih Indar , Sari Denni Kartika
Published: February 2018

Euchema cottonii is a good source of kappa-carrageenan and can be found cultivated in the Indonesia coastal areas in which one of them is in Banten Province. Carrageenans have many applications and are utilized in human food and pet-food industry. Carrageenans are also utilized in non-food industry such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, printing and textile formulations. Hence, the present study features on the cooking process cooking time and cooking temperature. The effects of these parameters on carrageenan quality such as gel viscosity and gel strength were studied. The process of extraction of carrageenan was conducted with variations temperature: 60, 70, and 80 °C and the variation of time: 1, 2, and 3 hours. Alkaline substance used was KOH with 8% concentration and the ratio of solvent to dry seaweed 8:1. From the present investigation, it was observed that SRC extraction reached the best condition at temperature 70 °C for 2 hours with the value of yield 30.20%, 5.90% moisture content, 18.34% ash content, sulfate content of 6.94%, viscosity of 190 cP, and the gel strength 714.45 g / cm2. The treatment of temperature and extraction time significantly affected the quality of the SRC yield parameter, viscosity and gel strength.
Pretreated of banana pseudo-stem as raw material for enzymatic hydrolysis and bioethanol production
Authors: Kusmiyati  , Sukmaningtyas Ryzka Pratiwi
Published: February 2018

Development of alternative energy is needed to solve the energy problem, including bioethanol. Banana pseudo-stem is a lignocellulose material that can used to produce bioethanol. Banana pseudo-stem has 28.83% cellulose and 19.39% lignin. The amount of lignin will reduce by pretreatment process. Variations of pretreatment methods by autoclaving of banana-pseudo stem in a steam, 0.5N, 1N, 1.5N, 2N NaOH solutions for 90 minutes were employed. Then the preteated samples were further enzymatic hydrolysed for 24, 48, 72 hours. The fermentation method of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) was applied using cellulase enzyme and yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for 120 hours. The variation of the pretreatment process by increasing of NaOH concentration solutions led to decreased the lignin content while increased in cellulose content. The lowest lignin content was 11.44% and the highest cellulose was 51.66%. The highest sugar content was 29.8 g/L (at pretreatment 2N NaOH solution, 72 hours hydrolysis). The highest bioethanol amount (4.32 g/L) was produced from pretreated banana stem using 2N NaOH solution.
Fractality evaluation for pulmonary crackle sound using the Degree of Self-Similarity
Authors: Rizal Achmad , Hidayat Risanuri , Nugroho Hanung Adi
Published: February 2018

Lung sound is a complex signal produced by the respiratory process. The complex signal has several properties including a chaotic behavior, fractality or self-similarity property. One of lung sounds that arise from abnormalities occurred in the respiratory tract is pulmonary crackle sound. In this study, we tested the degree of self-similarity of pulmonary crackle sound and examined whether the degree of similarity can be used as a feature to differentiate the pulmonary lung crackle sound with normal lung sound. The results showed the sufficient strength of the self-similarity nature of the pulmonary crackle sound. Meanwhile, a test using K-mean clustering produced an accuracy of 87.5% to differentiate between the pulmonary crackle sound and normal lung sound. It can be stated then that it is deemed important to take another feature to obtain higher accuracy. The high self-similarity degree indicates that a pulmonary crackle sound has fractals properties.
Quantum dot solar cell studies on the influence of Cadmium Selenide(CdSe)QDs and the Zinc Sulfide(ZnS)QDs in the photoanode
Authors: Saad Mohammad Azren , Samsi Noor Syafiqah , Hassan Oskar Hasdinor , Yahya Muhd Zu Azhan , Mohamad Taib Mohamad Fariz , Ali Ab Malik Marwan , Zakaria Rosnah
Published: February 2018

The mixture between the difference semiconductor quantum dot sensitizer which is cadmium selenide(CdSe) and zinc sulfide (ZnS) into the Dye-synthesis solar cell (DSSCs) can affect the value of resistance and capacity photoanode in the system.In this experiment, each sample consists difference weight percent of Zinc sulfide and the constant weight percent of CdSe. Docter blade technique is used to stick and spread evenly the mixture CdSe/ZnS QD on the surface of the thin film. To prove the assembled of CdSe/ZnS on the thin film were observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The resistance and capacity of the photoanode were characterized by using impedance spectroscopy(EIS). The smallest resistance is 37.1kΩ produce by CdSe/ZnS(20 wt%) and the largest resistance 825KΩ produce by CdSe/ZnS(50 wt%) while the highest capacity is 12 µF in the CdSe/ZnS(40 wt%) and the lowest capacity is CdSe/ZnS(20 wt%) which is 538 nF. The most suitable composition to be used as photoanode is CdSe/ZnS(40 wt%) because it has high capacity and low resistance.
Classification of acute myeloid leukemia subtypes M1, M2 and M3 using active contour without edge segmentation and momentum backpropagation artificial neural network
Authors: Harjoko Agus , Ratnaningsih Tri , Suryani Esti , Wiharto  , Palgunadi Sarngadi , Prakisya Nurcahya Pradana Taufik
Published: February 2018

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a type of cancer which attacks white blood cells from myeloid. AML has eight subtypes, namely: M0, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, and M7. AML subtypes M1, M2 and M3 are affected by the same type of cells, myeloblast, making it needs more detailed analysis to distinguish. To overcome these obstacles, this research is applying digital image processing with Active Contour Without Edge (ACWE) and Momentum Backpropagation artificial neural network for AML subtypes M1, M2 and M3 classification based on the type of the cell. Six features required as training parameters from every cell obtained by using feature extraction. The features are: cell area, perimeter, circularity, nucleus ratio, mean and standard deviation. The results show that ACWE can be used for segmenting white blood cells with 83.789% success percentage of 876 total cell objects. The whole AML slides had been identified according to the cell types predicted number through training with momentum backpropagation. Five times testing calibration with the best parameter generated averages value of 84.754% precision, 75.887% sensitivity, 95.090% specificity and 93.569% accuracy.
Human resource allocation for humanitarian organizations: a systemic perspective
Authors: Sopha Bertha Maya , Asih Anna Maria Sri
Published: February 2018

Human resource allocation appears to be one of the important factors toward effective humanitarian relief operations. Particularly in developing countries, the role of volunteers which is mostly managed by humanitarian organizations has become prominent. Due to the limited human resources, the humanitarian organizations are challenged to allocate their resources to both provide assistance for disaster victims and build organization capacity effectively. The present research aims at identifying effective human resources allocation policy in humanitarian organizations. A formal simulation model was developed using system dynamics approach. Two scenarios, i.e., constant relief demand and empirical relief demand, were developed and tested. Experiments were conducted to examine various allocation policies for both scenarios. Results indicate there is allocation trade-off when it comes to allocate human resources to relief operations and capacity building. Results highlight that allocating resources to capacity building is necessary to sustain relief operations in the long-term.
Factor identification of higher education choice to enhance brand awareness of state university
Authors: Puan Rachmadhani Almira , Utami Handayani Naniek , Agung Wibowo Mochammad , Purwaningsih Ratna , Suliantoro Hery
Published: February 2018

The commercialization of higher education through the concept of Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Berbadan Hukum (PTN-BH) has led the higher competition among State University and Private University. It becomes a threat and challenge faced by State University in recruiting new students. A clearer understanding of why and how students choose universities is needed to develop the brand awareness enhancement strategies of State University. This paper aims to identify the factors that influence student’s decision of university choice, without regarding the individual aspects. The Deplhi technique is used at the stage of information gathering, in which four experts from higher education were being interviewed. The combination of HEdPERF dimensions and brand awareness indicators were used to develop the variables. The pilot study done through the sample of 1st-year undergraduate students enrolled in the Top 8 State Universities in Indonesia for the validation test using SPSS 16.0. This findings result that there are six factors in choosing higher education, including academics, facilities, campus life, reputation, industry linkage and access. The test and evaluations result that from 28 items proposed, there are 23 items that can be considered as the student’s decision in their choice of State University.
Development of ergonomic website for engineering education
Authors: Faradilla Arnes , Purnomo Muhammad Ridwan Andi
Published: February 2018

Engineering education contains two aspects; theory and practice. Practice activity supports the students to implement the theory obtained in the class. Therefore, it will be better if the theory has material visualization in order to support and make easier the student and lecturer in teaching activity. Analisis Perancangan Kerja dan Ergonomi (APK & E) is one of the laboratories in Industrial Engineering, Universitas Islam Indonesia. APK & E laboratory which uses website as a tool to communicate to the students. Currently, the existing website still show standard display by conventional way. Based on the questionnaire, the student difficult to understand the material especially for Micromotion Study since this material requires the video to show the student in assembly activity. Augmented Reality (AR) combines the real and virtual objects that interactive in the real time and registered in 3D space. AR also combines the real and virtual in displaying information in the real time, in a way that enhances the individual abilities to operate the system in the real world. The system which combines between AR and Micromotion Study was come up. The required software to develop the online AR system is FLARToolKit 2.5.1. In this research, marker detection accuracy measurement of the used toolkit has been conducted and it showed 85% of accuracy level.
Non-cooperative and cooperative solutions of government subsidy on public transportation
Authors: Husniah Hennie , Pasaribu Udjiana S. , Beta Yuza Z. , Supriatna Asep K.
Published: February 2018

The paper deals with two models of government subsidy given to a public transport operator: (i) the subsidy for buying bus from an appointed public transport manufacturer, and (ii) the subsidy for reimbursing reduced ticket price for passengers. The models are developed to determine the maximum profit for both the public transport operator and the manufacturer. Since we consider two parties – the public transport operator and the manufacturer of the bus, then we use game theoretical approach by considering non-cooperative and cooperative solutions. Furthermore, since the bus is repairable we consider virtual age to model the preventive maintenance and we consider minimal repair to model the corrective maintenance. We analyse both type of subsidy models and give some numerical examples which show the effects of different subsidies to the profit of operator and manufacturer. The result of the numerical examples indicates that reducing ticket price would give a higher profit both to the operator and the manufacturer.
Mixed integer linear programming model for dynamic supplier selection problem considering discounts
Authors: Adi Wicaksono Purnawan , Pujawan I Nyoman , Widodo Erwin , Sutrisno  , Izzatunnisa Laila
Published: February 2018

Supplier selection is one of the most important elements in supply chain management. This function involves evaluation of many factors such as, material costs, transportation costs, quality, delays, supplier capacity, storage capacity and others. Each of these factors varies with time, therefore, supplier identified for one period is not necessarily be same for the next period to supply the same product. So, mixed integer linear programming (MILP) was developed to overcome the dynamic supplier selection problem (DSSP). In this paper, a mixed integer linear programming model is built to solve the lot-sizing problem with multiple suppliers, multiple periods, multiple products and quantity discounts. The buyer has to make a decision for some products which will be supplied by some suppliers for some periods cosidering by discount. To validate the MILP model with randomly generated data. The model is solved by Lingo 16.
Macroergonomic approaches as a solution to local wisdom-based tourist village development planning
Authors: Padhil Ahmad , Purnomo Hari
Published: February 2018

Tourist villages are among the tourist attractions which are often visited by tourists. The development of these tourist destinations is undertaken by referring to the data of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. Currently, there are a total of 978 tourist villages in Indonesia. This number has increased sharply since 2009, in which there were only 144 tourist villages. Unfortunately, the existence of tourist villages might result in a shift in land conversion, tourism use, and clothes. Moreover, this might cause damage to cultural assets which can be reduced only by rigorous rules of the local wisdom. This research tries to improve the system adopted in the development of tourist villages using the approaches of Kansai Engineering and Macroergonomic Analysis and Design (MEAD). Based on the research findings using Kansai Engineering, there are 3 kansai words found to cause problems to the development of tourist villages, which were then repaired using the approach of the MEAD concept so that the proposed work system design is to integrate the existing components by formulating and creating visions & missions, work instructions, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
Operational risk analysis with Fuzzy FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) approach (Case study: Optimus Creative Bandung)
Authors: Immawan Taufiq , Sutrisno Wahyudhi , Rachman Annisa Kamilia
Published: February 2018

Industrial development in Indonesia, manufacturing and services, are required to be able to manage the company very well. However, in practice, the company’s activities are always faced with risks. In general, the risk can be defined as a situation faced by a person or a company in which there is a possibility that harm. The level of risk faced losses due to highly variable depending on the cause and effect influence. To be able to manage (risk management), it can use FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis). FMEA is a method of analyzing potential failure are applied in product development, system engineering and operational management and is one of a qualitative risk assessment. Using FMEA can also note the value of the RPN (Risk Priority Number) to determine improvement priorities at risk. But there are weaknesses in the use of FMEA, namely RPN calculation is only done by multiplying the severity, occurence and detection alone and irrespective of the degree of importance of each input, to the FMEA method is integrated using fuzzy logic. Fuzzy FMEA is aimed at obtaining the highest fuzzyRPN value which will be used as the focus of improvements to minimize the possibility of these risks occur back. The results were obtained 7 out of 18 types of risks that have a high priority for repairs. Risk troublesome computer (hank / die) while doing photo editing scored the highest RPN 540 (scale 1-1000) and also the highest FRPN 9 (scale 1-10). There is a difference in value between RPN and FRPN. FRPN value obtained from the fuzzification, generate value by taking into account the degree of interest of any given input.
Analysis of manual material handling activity to increase work productivity (Case study: manufacturing company)
Authors: Suryoputro Muhammad Ragil , Wildani Khaerul , Sari Amarria Dila
Published: February 2018

Manual material handling is one of work activities that have an effect on the physical aspect of workers in manufacturing industry, it is necessary to do the analysis of the risks from such activities. Analysis was performed on worker when performing manual lifting activity and when using two tools (Automatic Handlift and Manual Handlift). In addition to analyse in ergonomics aspect, time study analysis and productivity measurement were carried out to determine the effects of the equipment. Nordic Body Map (NBM) questionnaire on worker using Automatic Handlift showed declining level of musculoskeletal disorders by 22%. REBA method obtained score of 10 and was declined to 4 after using these tool. The results of MPL method showed declining of Fc value from 4756.37 N to 1346.56 N. The results of RWL method showed declining of LI value (Lifting Index) origin and destination from 1.84 and 1.18 to 1.12 and 0.89 respectively. As for worker using Manual Handlift, NBM questionnaire result shows declining level of musculoskeletal disorders by 57%. REBA method obtained scores of 8 and was reduced to 5. For MPL methode result, the Fc value is 4906.99 N and reduced to 2047.88 N. RWL method results showed declining of LI value (Lifting Index) origin and destination from 1.02 and 0.67 to 0.74 and 0.58. The results of time study analysis showed declining of Standard Time when use the two tools and make the increasing productivity of 9% by worker using Automatic Hadlift and 4% by worker using Manual Handlift.
Production quality improvement analysis of grey cambric using Six Sigma Method
Authors: Shafira Yosa Permata , Mansur Agus
Published: February 2018

Quality has an important role in business. A good quality means it is able to meet the required standards. The concept of quality must be comprehensive, whether the quality of the product or its process. PT Textile Yogyakarta is still having a high rate of defect products. The Waste Assessment Model (WAM) was used to identify the wastes that frequently occur by scoring each type of waste. The results show the waste rank are defect 26.12%, inventory 20.36%, motion 15.26%, transportation 14.51%, over production 12.91%, waiting 7.17%, and process 3.67%. While using the Six Sigma from the 4 CTQ process, the result of sigma level is 3.3. It means that the sigma level of PT Textile Yogyakarta is still under the average sigma level in Japan which is 5 Sigma. As for the improvement part, FMEA AHP was used and the results show that the first rank is the uncleaned woof residue, the second rank is the uncut thread which has an RPN value of 8.04 that was caused when the operator did not clean the machine from the woof residue, and the third rank is the malfunctioned machine which has an RPN value of 7.32 that was caused by broken kleting.
Warehousing performance improvement using Frazelle Model and per group benchmarking: A case study in retail warehouse in Yogyakarta and Central Java
Authors: Kusrini Elisa , Indah Asmarawati Citra , Masita Sari Galuh , Nurjanah Anisa , Kisanjani Alex , Ardo Wibowo Sadiq , Prakoso Indro
Published: February 2018

Warehouse performance management has an important role in improving logistic's business activities. Good warehouse management could increase profit, time delivery, quality and customer service. This study is conducted to assess performance of retail warehouses in some supermarket located in Central Java and Yogyakarta. Performance improvement is proposed base on the warehouse measurement using Frazelle model (2002), that measure on five indicators, namely Financial, Productivity, Utility, Quality and Cycle time along five business process in warehousing, i.e. Receiving, Put Away, Storage, Order picking and shipping. In order to obtain more precise performance, the indicators are weighted using Analytic Hierarchy Analysis (AHP) method. Then, warehouse performance are measured and final score is determined using SNORM method. From this study, it is found the final score of each warehouse and opportunity to improve warehouse performance using peer group benchmarking
Productivity improvement in the production line with lean manufacturing approach: case study PT. XYZ
Authors: diah Halimatussa’ , Parkhan Ali , Sugarindra Muchamad
Published: February 2018

The increaseing productivity is one of the competitive strategies that can be applied in a company in order to survive in an intense competitive presure. PT. XYZ is a textile industry manufacturing golf gloves and caddy bag. Every day, the company has a production target of 600 pieces per line. However, the desired target is not achieved that it will affect the delay in delivery of products to customers. In this research, a case study on implementing value stream mapping and Kaizen as the lean manufacturing concept is reported. The purpose of this study is to map the current production line, analyse and design the future value stream mapping by eliminating waste occured. It is obtained a lead time reduction as much as 440.4 seconds through eliminating 17 non-value added activities. Then, the output can be increased up to 21% which is equal to 502 pieces.