bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Rice Bran on Triglyceride Levels and Histopatologic Aorta in Rat (Rattus norvegicus) of High Cholesterol Dietary Model
Authors: Mahdi Chanif , Citrawati Putri , Hendrawan Viski Fitri
Published: July 2020

Cholesterol is a steroid compound found in animals and humans. Total cholesterol normal levels in rat is 10-54 mg/dL and triglyceride 26-145 mg/dL. Rice bran has a crude fiber content and antioxidants that can be used to resolve these conditions. This study aims to determine the effect of rice bran as therapy in the rats (Rattus norvegicus) high-cholesterol dietary model towards triglyceride levels and histopathologic of the aorta. In this research, rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into 5 groups with 4 repetitions. Group A as a negative control, group B was rat which fed with high cholesterol, group C was high-cholesterol diet model of rat with the 16% rice bran therapy/rat/day, group D was high-cholesterol diet model of rat with the 38% rice bran therapy/rat/day, and group E was high cholesterol diet model of rat with the 57% rice bran therapy/rat/day. Rice bran therapy performed for 21 days. Triglyceride levels were calculated by the GPO-PAP method and aortic histopathologic features were observed with HE staining (Hematoxylin-Eosin). The effect of rice bran on blood triglyceride levels was analyzed by one way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) with α=5% and aortic histopathologic analysis was qualitatively descriptive. The results showed that rice bran therapy could significantly reduce triglyceride levels (p < 0.01) with a dose of 57%/rat/day to decrease triglyceride levels. Rice bran therapy also repaired aortic tissue histopathology of rat with high cholesterol diet model.
Removal of Cr(VI) Using Biochitin from White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Shell Modified by Dithizone
Authors: Mukhlisah Lutfiyatul , Rumhayati Barlah , Prasetyawan Sasangka
Published: July 2020

Biochitin is a chitin produced from the sequential fermentation of white shrimp shells using Lactobacillus plantarum followed by Bacillus thuringiensis. Biochitin was then modified by adding 0.015 g dithizone/g adsorbent in toluene followed by reflux for 4 hours at 70°C. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum conditions for removal of Cr(VI) using the dithizone modified biochitin (DiBch). This research was carried out using 25 mL Cr(VI) 50 mg/L mixed with DiBch adsorbents in various masses (0.1; 0.2; 0.3; 0.4 and 0.5 gram). The mixture was stirred for various time (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours). Furthermore, the adsorption of electroplating waste with known concentrations was also carried out (0.92; 9.38; 92.39; 986.42 and 13215.94 mg/L). The results of this study indicate that Cr(VI) can be removed optimally using 0.4 g DiBch with stirring time of 2 hours. The removal efficiency of Cr(VI) from electroplating waste reached 83.45% ± 0.78.
Edible Coating Development of Durian Seeds Starch and Glucomannan with The Addition of Essential Oil As An Antimicrobial to Increase Shelf Life of Tomato and Cauliflower
Authors: Prabowo Andhika Suryo , Mawarani Lizda Johar
Published: July 2020

Edible coating can increase shelf life of fruit and vegetable that coated by minimizing water loss. This study aims to determine the effect of the addition of essential oil to edible coating has been made from durian seed starch and glucomannan. The essential oil that is eucalyptus oil and virgin coconut oil (VCO) added with variations up to 2 wt% as antimicrobial to bacteria and fungi on tomatoes and cauliflowers. The results showed that the smallest degree of swelling is obtained on the sample with 2 wt% VCO amount 457.52%. All samples not found fungal growth and bacterial contamination in oil less samples amounted to 3.1 x 103 CFU/mL, therefore safe to consume according to BPOM no.16 of 2016. Organoleptic results showed that all samples could be accepted by all panellists except samples of VCO 2%, EO 1% and EO 2% were somewhat disliked. Edible coating application on tomatoes and cauliflower can increase their shelf life until 10 days.
The Preventive Effect of Ethanolic Extract of Rome Beauty Apple Peel (Malus sylvestrys Mill) towards Protease Activity and Jejunal Histopathology of Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Exposed to Lead Acetate
Authors: Roosdiana Anna , Wardhana Analis Wisnu , Cahyo Putro Tarsisius Handaru
Published: July 2020

The exposure of lead to body can be through inhalation, digestion and adsorption. Lead intoxication can lead to jejuna damages and increase protease activity due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Apple peel extract contains flavonoids that can scavenge ROS. This research aims to investigate the effect of ethanolic extract of Rome Beauty apple peel to protease activity and jejuna histological feature of rat exposed to lead acetate. This research used 20 rats, that divided into 5 treatment groups, which were negative control group (healthy rat), positive control group (exposed to lead acetate 10 mg/rat/day for 14 days), and preventive therapy group (administrated the apple peels extract with doses of 28 mg/200 g BW, 56 mg/200g BW, 112mg/200g BW for 21 days and also lead acetate with 10mg/rat/day for 14 days on day 15th until 28th). Jejunal histological features was stained using HE stain which then observed using a microscope. Protease activity was measured by using spectrophotometric method. The data of protease activity was statistically analyzed using ANOVA, followed by Tukey test (α = 5%). The results showed that the administration of ethanolic extract of Rome Beauty apple peels at best dose of 112 mg/200 g BW can reduce protease activity and improve jejuna histopathology. The conclusion of this study was that apple peels extract of Rome Beauty can be used to prevent the increase of protease activity and the damage of rat jejuna exposed to lead acetate.
Particle Size Effect on the Water Vapour – Activated Tamarind Seeds (Tamarindus indica
L.) Toward the Adsorbent Physical Properties
Authors: Salmawati Mimi , Gati Prabasti Kusumoning , Ningsih Zubaidah , Mardiana Diah
Published: July 2020

The increasing problem of dyestuff liquid waste in the textile industry occurs due to the low adsorption of textiles toward dyes. Therefore, various efforts have been made to enhance the fabric’s absorption. One method that has been done is by adding biomass-derived dye-binding additives which act as an adsorbent. One of potential biomasses is tamarind seeds. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of particle size of tamarind seeds, which is physically activated, on the adsorbent character. The variation of adsorbent particle size applied were -80 + 100 mesh (177-149 μm), -100 + 120 mesh (149- 125 µm), -120 + 150 mesh (125-99.3 µm) and less than 150 mesh (<99.3 µm). Tamarind seed was activated using water vapour at high pressure prior to the application. The adsorbent characters were studied based on particle size distribution, powder porosity, average relative molecular mass, and hydrophilicity. In addition, tamarind seed chemical structure was analysed using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectrophotometry, while adsorbent potency was studied in the form of an adsorbent thin film. The results showed that based on the analysis of particle size distribution, adsorbents with the best activation results was obtained by particle size of 125-149 μm. The highest porosity was achieved by particle that smaller than 99.3 µm and the highest average relative molecular mass, based on the Mark–Houwink approach, was obtained by particle size of 125-149 µm. The highest hydrophilicity, which was determined based on the contact angle, was obtained by particle sizes of 99.3-125 µm.
The Effect of K2O Concentration in K2O/Al2O3 Catalyst on Methyl Ester (Biodiesel) Synthesis from CPO Off Grade with Ultrasonic Wave
Authors: Santoso Aman , Wijaya Anugrah Ricky , Purwaningtyas Chandra Fetty , Sukarianingsih Dedek , Retnosari Rini , Sumari Sumari
Published: July 2020

Fatty acid methyl esters can be made through transesterification of vegetable oils with homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts. Ultrasonic waves and the type of catalyst affect the transesterification reaction. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of ultrasonic waves on the transesterification of CPO with the K2O/Al2O3 catalyst. Research stages: CPO off grade characterization, activation and characterization of natural zeolite, preparation and characterization of K2O/Al2O3 catalysts, and oil esterification. Transesterification of CPO with K2O/Al2O3 catalyst (3% w/w) at various levels of K2O assisted by ultrasonic waves. The characterization of transesterification results includes density, viscosity, refractive index, and acid number. The use of ultrasonic waves reduces the transesterification reaction time from 120 to 35 minutes. The optimum conditions of methyl ester synthesis were achieved in the K2O/Al2O3 catalyst with K2O levels of 35% w/w, with a yield of 88.06%. Characteristics of the synthesized methyl ester include density, viscosity, refractive index, and acid number respectively are 0.891 g/mol, 7.86 cSt, 1.454 and 0.465 which are in accordance with SNI biodiesel.
Synthesis and Molecular Docking Study of Pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid Derivatives
Authors: Zulqurnain Muhammad , Ghulam Fahmi M. Riza , Fadlan Arif , Santoso Mardi
Published: July 2020

The pyrazine-2-carboxylic acid derivatives 1a-c with aromatic, cyclic, and aliphatic side chain were successfully synthesized. The structures of derivatives were confirmed by spectroscopic methods (FTIR, NMR, HRMS). The molecular docking was performed to determine the possible binding interaction between 1a-c with Mycobacterium tuberculosis InhA protein. The derivative 1c showed the lowest rerank score (-86.4047 kcal mol−1) and it might correspond to the lowest experimental MIC value.
Photocatalytic Performance of Bismuth Oxide Prepared by Citric Acid-Fueled Solution Combustion on Decolorisation of Organic Dye Molecules
Authors: Astuti Yayuk , Anggraeni Dhina , Darmawan Adi
Published: July 2020

Bismuth oxide can be applied as photocatalyst. The purpose of this study was to synthesize bismuth oxide using the solution combustion method, identify the characteristics of bismuth oxide using FTIR and XRD, and determine the photocatalytic activity of the obtained bismuth oxide to decolour Remazol Black B and Rhodamine B dye molecules. The results showed that bismuth oxide was formed with yellow colour after calcination convinced with the presence of Bi-O and Bi-O-Bi functional groups and having 95.38% similarity using Match software. The photocatalytic activity test shows that the obtained bismuth oxide enabled to decolour RBB, RhB dyes well.
Coordination Polymers Containing a Glycine-Derived Trimellitic Acid Imide
Authors: Beards Michael J. , Turner David R.
Published: July 2020

A trimellitic imide ligand (GlyTMI2-), derived from glycine, has been used in the formation of three coordination polymers as a means towards understanding the role of the aromatic core of the ligand in determining structure. The polymeric structures poly-{(N(CH3)2H2)[Zn2(GlyTMI)2(OAc)(DMF)0.5(CH3OH)0.5]·CH3OH} (1), poly-[Cd2(GlyTMI)2(DMF)3] (2), and poly-{[Cd2(GlyTMI)2(4,4’-bipy)2]·2H2O·DMF} (3) have different dimensionalities, attributed to the change in size of the metal ion (Zn vs. Cd).
Synthesis of Copolymer of Chitosan with Acrylamide as an Adsorbent for Heavy Metal Waste Treatment
Authors: Desnelli D , Eliza E , Mara A , Rachmat A
Published: July 2020

The aim of this research is to chemically modify chitosan to improve and enhance the ability as an adsorbent. Chitosan is a natural polymer produced from chitin deacetylation. The best performance of chitosan is as an adsorbent is in acidic solutions. Chemical modification was carried out by chitosan copolymerization with acrylamide. Copolymer synthesis was done by using microwave oven with the weight ratio of chitosan and acrylamide of 1: 4. The characterization of chitosan copolymer with acrylamide (chitosan-g-acrylamide copolymer) was conducted by FTIR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The analysis of the functional group by FTIR spectroscopy shows that the copolymer has been successfully synthesized. The surface analysis with SEM shows that the morphology of the copolymer surface is more homogeneous compared to that of chitosan.
A Green Method to Prepare Composite of Graphene Oxide-Manganese Oxide using a Modified Hummer’s Method
Authors: Gros Marselus Jeques , Masruri Masruri , Tjahjanto Rachmat Triandi
Published: July 2020

A composite graphene oxide-manganese oxide (GO-MnO) was facilely fabricated in one-step preparation by modified Hummer’s method. The Hummer’s method for graphene oxide preparation produced manganese residue as by product, therefore, we modified the Hummers method to convert the manganese residue into value-added materials with aqueous sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The number of Mn on composite and surface chemistry was investigated. GO-MnO was characterized by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), UV-Visible spectrometer, fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Quantitative measurements showed that GO-MnO 1 and 2 have the number of Mn of 1.4231 and 2.0958 μg/g, respectively. FTIR showed the presence of functional groups such as hydroxyl, epoxy, carboxyl, carbonyl and manganese oxide. XRD confirmed the interlayer spacing of GO-MnO synthesized by our techniques is lower than GO-MnO produced by other processes. TEM showed that GO-MnO is single layer yet and Mn species was not homogeneously distributed on composite.
Synthesis and Characterization of Pectin Membrane as a Matrix for Curcumin Sustained-Release
Authors: Hastuti Budi , Kurniawati Maulida
Published: July 2020

This study aims to synthesize pectin membranes, characterization of pectin membranes use FTIR, XRD, SEM, and to see the loading of curcumin in pectin membranes as a drug delivery system by contact time variations. Pectin membrane synthesize by dissolved 0.5 gram of pectin powder in 25 ml of 2% acetic acid solution then stirred for 1 hour. The solution is molded in membrane mold then oven for 24 hours at 50°C. Pectin membranes were characterized by FTIR to determine functional groups, XRD test to determine crystallinity, and SEM test to determine the surface morphology. The loading of curcumin in pectin membrane are carried out by contacting the pectin membrane into 100 ppm curcumin at various times of 5 to 120 minutes. Determination of curcumin concentration contained in pectin membrane use UV-Vis spectrophotometer at λ 426 nm. The results showed that the produced of pectin membrane was thin, pellucid, and homogeneous sheets. The results of FTIR characterization showed OH group at wave number 3448.72 cm−1and carbonyl group at wave number 1604.77 cm−1. XRD characterization result showed that the pectin membrane was amorf. SEM characterization results showed smooth and flat surface morphology. The optimum contact time in loading curcumin proses in pectin membrane was 60 minutes with a loading percentage of 10%.
Synthesis of ZnO-Ag Nanocomposites trough Ultrasonication-Microwave Combination Method with Clove Leaf Oil
Authors: Hisbiyah A , Nisyak K , Prasetya Y A , Iftitah E D , Srihardyastutie A
Published: July 2020

ZnO and Ag nanoparticle have known their antibacterial activity especially their use in medical materials. In this study, ZnO-Ag Nanocomposite was synthesized by ultrasonication-microwave combination method with variation of reaction time using clove oil as their bioreductor. ZnO-Ag was prepared from ZnO Acetate as a source of ZnO and AgNO3 as a source of Ag. The crystallinity structure, average particle size, morphology, and composition of ZnO-Ag was characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscope, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that reaction time of 30 minutes have optimal synthesis results. The nanocomposite obtained consists of 43.2 % Ag nanoparticle, 17.5 % hexagonal Zincite, 14.6% Zinc Oxide, 14.5% wulfingite (deuterated), and 10.2% Zn(OH)2 with average particle size of 28.29 nm according to Scherer’s equation. The result of scanning electron microscope showed that ZnO has an fiber shape and Ag has a round shape.
Characterization of alginate-chitosan membrane as potential edible film
Authors: Ismillayli Nurul , Hadi Surya , Tri Dharmayani Ni Komang , Sanjaya Rochmad Kris , Hermanto Dhony
Published: July 2020

Alginate-chitosan based biopolymer for possible application as edible film coating has been studied. Alginate hydrosol and chitosan hydrosol with mass ratio of 1:1 were mixed to form a thin membrane and then dried. The obtained alginate-chitosan membrane was confirmed using FTIR spectrophotometers. Characterization of the membrane, which includes thickness, tensile strength, water vapor sorption, resistance to pH change and antimicrobials properties, were conducted. It was showed that the interaction of alginate and chitosan in the membrane occurred through the electrostatic interaction of the carboxylic group of alginate and ammonium groups of chitosan. At the same thickness, the alginate-chitosan membrane tensile strength was higher and more resistant to pH changes than both native alginate and chitosan membranes. Furthermore, the alginate-chitosan membrane has good antibacterial potential against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). It is expected that the alginate-chitosan membrane has the potential application for safe and efficient fruit coating.
Hydrothermal synthesis of titanium dioxide nanotube with methylamine for photodegradation of Congo red
Authors: Leong C Y , Koh P W , Lo Y S , Lee S L
Published: July 2020

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube photocatalyst is highly desired for the photodegradation of dye in wastewater treatment. A series of titanium dioxide nanotube photocatalysts were successfully synthesized using methylamine as N-ligand via hydrothermal treatment at different hydrothermal temperatures and durations. The effect of these two parameters on the photocatalytic activity of synthesized materials were investigated. TEM micrographs and XRD analysis depicted methylamine assisted the transformation of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles to nanotube via the exfoliation of TiO2 crystallite into layered sheet and promoted the curling of layered sheet. Hydrothermal temperature up to 180°C was able to fully transform the morphology of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles into nanotube. The reaction duration was further modified. Fluorescence analysis showed that 24 h hydrothermal duration gave the slowest electron-hole recombination rate. DR-UV-Vis analysis indicated that the synthesized samples were active under UV region. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized materials was tested in the photodegradation of Congo red under UV irradiation. The results suggested that among the materials synthesized, TiO2 nanotube synthesized at 180°C, under 24 h hydrothermal duration appeared to be the most superior photocatalyst which gave the highest photocatalytic activity of 77%. Possible mechanism of the TiO2 nanotube formation with methylamine as N-ligand is presented.
Preparation of Nanocellulose Bioplastic with a Gradation Color of Red and Yellow
Authors: Nasihin Zulfa Durrotun , Masruri Masruri , Warsito Warsito , Srihardyastutie Arie
Published: July 2020

A bioplastic derived from nanocellulose isolated from the pine flower (Pinus Merkusii) waste has been made. The red and yellow colors of bioplastic were afforded from the extract of dragon fruit and turmeric. Meanwhile, nanocellulose was hydrolyzed by citric acid using concentrations of 10%, 30%, and 60%, and obtained crystallinity index of 61.00%, 57.24%, and 52.82% respectively. Each nanocellulose applied has a crystallite size of 15.09 nm (calculated using XRD data with Scherrer’s equation). The result indicated that the increase in both dragon fruit and turmeric extracts concentration increase the red and yellow color intensity of the bioplastic. This study paves the way for further application of nanocellulose in bioplastic.
Zinc Oxide with Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity Originated from Oxygen Vacancy Defects
Authors: Nimpoeno Wynona A. , Lintang Hendrik O. , Yuliati Leny
Published: July 2020

In this study, ZnO material with oxygen defect was successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method and interestingly, it was found to possess a remarkable photocatalytic activity under the visible light irradiation. The synthesized ZnO material was then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible (DR UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and spectrofluorometer. Both diffraction pattern and absorption spectrum showed the characteristic of ZnO. However, the maximum emission wavelength of the synthesized ZnO was observed at 558 nm, showing that the ZnO was formed with a high concentration of oxygen vacancy. The excitation spectra also indicated that the prepared ZnO could be excited at the visible light region, which was more than 400 nm. The ZnO was evaluated for photocatalytic phenol degradation under UV and visible light. After 15 hours-reaction, the synthesized ZnO showed the ability to degrade 59.8% phenol under UV light and 39.6% phenol under visible light. This result showed a remarkable performance of ZnO under visible light, which was comparable to that performed under UV light. This study proposed that the existence of oxygen vacancy defects successfully induced the photocatalytic activity of ZnO under visible light irradiation through the electron trapping mechanism in the oxygen vacancy state.
The Effect of Zirconium Addition on Corrosion Behavior of Zn-Zr Alloys as Biodegradable Orthopedic Implant Application
Authors: Pratiwi Rizki Yuni , Trinanda Achmad Fauzi , Ghani Fahmi Moh Waqyan , Astutiningsih Sotya , Zakiyuddin Ahmad
Published: July 2020

In this work, corrosion behaviour of zinc-based alloys with addition of 0.5%, 1%, and 2% of zirconium for biodegradable material as orthopaedic implant were investigated. The potentiodynamic polarization method is carried out to determine the corrosion resistance and corrosion rate of each composition in order to observe the effect of zirconium addition in a Kokubo simulated body fluid solution. The result showed that the addition of 0.5% and 1% of zirconium would decrease the corrosion rate of Zn-xZr alloys corresponding to 0.079 mm/year and 0.116 mm/year whereas the 2% addition would increase the rate to 0.188 mm/year due to the formation of Zr-rich precipitates inside the alloys. The passivation zone on the polarization curve showed the formation of the protected thin layer on the surface of the alloys which caused the corrosion rate to decrease, therefore confirmed the degradable ability of the Zn-xZr alloys. In general, the corrosion rates of Zn-xZr alloys were higher than Fe-based alloys and lower than Mg-based alloys. Moreover, the corrosion rates were much lower than the maximum rate of 0.4 mm/year for biodegradable implants so Zn-xZr alloys were suitable as biodegradable material implant for orthopaedic application.
Natural Dyes Extraction Intended for Coloring Process in Fashion Indutries
Authors: Sutrisna P D , Hadi R P , Valentina J J , Priyantini H R , Waluyo P W , Ronyastra I M
Published: July 2020

Recently, small scale fashion industries are growing quite rapidly in Indonesia. This is due to the continuous encouragement and facilitation by the Government of Indonesia to improve workforce in creative industry. As fashion industries depend on the availability of dyes as one of their resource, it is very important to develop a new and sustainable supply of dyes for dyeing process in fashion industries. Hence, research on the extraction of dyes from sustainable and natural resources for fashion industries are considered very important and urgent. Dyes for fashion and textile are naturally occurred in plants or parts of plants. The extraction of dyes from these sources can be conducted by using simple mixing between solvent and the plants inside a soxhlet extractor or reflux apparatus. In this study, the extraction processes of natural dyes from two materials, i.e. sappanwood, and mango leaf employing combination of maceration, soxhlet and reflux techniques were reported. The experiments were conducted to analyse the effects of extraction time and solvent to materials ratios on the yield of dyes. The experimental results showed that for all materials the optimum ratio of material and solvent was 1 : 6. In addition, the reflux followed by maceration could produce dyes that can be utilised for fabric coloring that suits the industrial needs.
Influence of Activation Time on Ibuprofen Adsorption Using Zinc Oxide from Gelatin Templating Method
Authors: Ulfa Maria , Latifah Umi Wahidatul
Published: July 2020

The present work aimed to investigate the performance of activated zinc oxide for ibuprofen adsorption. The zinc oxide was synthesized by the templating method using F127 and gelatine as a soft template and sulfuric acid as a catalyst. The zinc oxide was activated by an HCl solution 1M for 1, 8, and 24 hours. The raw and activated zinc oxides were characterized by XRD and by infrared spectroscopy. The HCl treatment increases both of the numbers of Zn-O-Zn groups and peak of Zn-O from diffractogram but decreases hydroxyl group content. Ibuprofen adsorption studies of kinetics and isotherms were carried out at room temperature with solid-liquid ratio 3:5(v/v) and water-hexane solution. The adsorption properties were correlated to the activated conditions. The isotherms of adsorption were better reproduced by Langmuir–Freundlich models using activated zinc oxide by HCl at 8 hours. The best performance of ibuprofen adsorption resulted from activated zinc oxide at 8h using water-hexane 1:9 as ibuprofen solvent. The activation time and a high ratio of water-hexane both influence the adsorption of ibuprofen performance.
The Influence of Hollow Cathode Geometry and N2-H2 Gas Mixture on the 2 MHz RF-DC Plasma Species and Density
Authors: Windajanti J M , Abdurrouf  , H Santjojo D J Djoko , Pamungkas M A
Published: July 2020

RF-DC plasma combined with the hollow cathode effect is used to generate plasma inside a hollow cavity. A high-density plasma was formed inside a vacuum chamber using a 2 MHz RF generator. A hollow cathode was utilized to focus the power at the voltage of 150 V with DC bias of -500 V. The plasma system was specially designed for titanium nitriding process at low temperature using N2-H2 gas mixture. The N2-H2 gas with a flow rate of 90-10 mL/minute was conducted at pressure 20 to 150 Pa. The cylindrical and rectangular hollow cathodes are used to make the discharge containing attractive atoms or molecules inside the hollow cavity. The trapped electrons could trigger the secondary electron emission that induced high-density plasma. The geometry components such as gap size, diameter, and cavity depth combined with variations of chamber pressure have been studied to produce high-density plasma. The species inside of N2-H2 plasma were detected by OES based on light emission. The high-intensity peaks of N2
* molecules from the second positive system and N2
+ ions from the first negative system at the wavelength range of 300 to 500 nm were detected to obtain effective plasma species for the nitriding process.
Shell structure of the porous TiNi-framework obtained by the SHS method
Authors: Gunther S , Marchenko E , Baigonakova G , Yasenchuk Y
Published: July 2020

Porous SHS-TiNi alloys, presented as a porous framework with a complex structure of the Core-Shell type, were studied by microscopic and structural methods. The core is the porous framework of an intermetallic TiNi phase. The shell was found to be a complex three-layer complex. An oxygen-hardened peritectic TiNi–Ti2Ni layer 1-6 μm thick forms an inner shell layer. Thermo and corrosion-resistant amorphous-nanocrystalline intermetallic oxycarbonitrides, saturated with O, N, C interstitial impurities, form middle and outer layers. The middle dense double layer 60-80 nm thick protects the TiNi matrix. The outer layer 1-15 μm thick has a loose layered structure, it is enriched in the MAX-phases Ti3SiC2, Ti3AlC2. The dense nano double layer provides a chemical passivity to the porous nickelide titanium alloy with shape memory, does not limit mobility and improves the ability to integrate into biological tissues.
Finite Element Modelling of Big Turbo-Generator Rotor Vibrations using Newmark-beta Integration Method
Authors: Kumar Tarun , Kumar Rajeev , Jain S C
Published: July 2020

In this paper big turbo-generator rotor vibrations are simulated for various electrical faults. Newmark-beta method is used to simulate the vibrations at various critical sections of the rotor. Rotor is modelled using finite element method with solid, hollow and tapered elements. Torque in the generator during the course of electrical faults is modelled using dq0 formulation and solved in MATLAB using 4th order predictor-corrector method. Line to ground (L-G), line to line (L-L), three phase (L-L-L) and asynchronization faults are simulated for 300msec. The torsional vibrations in rotor at critical section is found to be most severe during three phase fault followed by mal-synchronization fault followed by the line to line fault followed by line to ground fault.
Biomechanics of fish swimming in a hydrokinetic turbine wake
Authors: Macias M M , Lafuente L , Brasil A C P
Published: July 2020

In the present paper, the assessment of the hydrodynamics of the fish swimming in undisturbed and altered wake-flow is carried out identifying hydrodynamical forces and flow patterns of the fish swimming wake. URANS approach with k-ω/SST turbulence model are employed combining fish and turbine in the same simulation. Fish motion is realized using dynamically adaptive mesh. The actuator line method is employed to induce the wake of a hydrokinetic turbine, which is a simplified method that requires lower computational cost than full geometry simulations. This work brings a new numerical approach involving fish and turbine wake highlighting that fish swimming in the wake presents higher thrust forces than in the undisturbed flow, due to the x-component to velocity in the wake is lower than free flow velocity.
Comparison of experimental and model liquid distribution in large packed bed of Raflux rings 50-5
Authors: Petrova Tatyana S , Dzhonova-Atanasova Daniela B , Semkov Krum A
Published: July 2020

This work presents a continuation of our investigations on the radial liquid distribution in packed beds with open-structure random packings, by means of a dispersion model, in a scale, close to industrial one. Using experimental data for uniform initial irrigation, the optimal parameters’ values of the three parameters of the dispersion model are obtained by two-parameter identification. One of the parameters (the radial spreading coefficient) is calculated independently by using experimental data for a point source initial irrigation. The dispersion model solution at optimal parameters’ values is compared with both experimental and TUM WelChemCell model literature data for the liquid radial distribution in a packed column with a diameter of 1.2 m and random packing Raflux rings 50-5. The maldistribution factor of the liquid distribution is also calculated and compared. The comparison shows very good agreement between our results and the literature data and confirms the dispersion model capability to predict the liquid distribution in large columns with open-structure packings.
Rate-dependent viscoelasticity of an impact-hardening polymer under oscillatory shear
Authors: Xu Yangguang , Lubineau Gilles , Liao Guojiang , He Qianyun , Xing Tao
Published: July 2020

The rate-dependent effect of viscoelasticity plays a critical role in the hardening mechanisms of impact-hardening polymers (IHP) when forcefully impacted. In this study, we used dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to characterize the rate-dependent viscoelasticity of an IHP under oscillatory shear. We found that the storage modulus increased by three orders of magnitude within the experimental range when the oscillatory frequency varied from 0.1 to 100 rad/s. To further understand the real strain rate effect of IHP, we introduced the Havriliak-Negami (H–N) model to predict the dynamic viscoelastic behaviors of the IHP for a wider frequency range (from zero to infinity) than that applied in the DMA experiments. Based on the H–N model results, we defined a parameter to describe the rate-dependent effect of the IHP, which was not dependent on the frequency range and reflected the intrinsic material properties of IHP. We used the time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP), which extended the experimental range from 0.1 rad s−1 down to 0.005 rad s−1, to verify the accuracy of the rate-dependent viscoelasticity predicted by the H–N model. Finally, we outlined the influence of temperature on the dynamic viscoelastic behaviors of IHP and discussed the phase transition mechanism induced by temperature and the oscillatory frequency. The results presented here not only provide a method (i.e., by combining experimental results with the H–N model results) to characterize the real rate-dependent viscoelasticity of IHP but are also valuable to further our understanding of the impact-hardening mechanisms of IHP.
Interior photon counting computed tomography for quantification of coronary artery calcium: pre-clinical phantom study
Authors: Juntunen Mikael A K , Sepponen Pasi , Korhonen Kristiina , Pohjanen Vesa-Matti , Ketola Juuso , Kotiaho Antti , Nieminen Miika T , Inkinen Satu I
Published: July 2020

Computed tomography (CT) is the reference method for cardiac imaging, but concerns have been raised regarding the radiation dose of CT examinations. Recently, photon counting detectors (PCDs) and interior tomography, in which the radiation beam is limited to the organ-of-interest, have been suggested for patient dose reduction. In this study, we investigated interior PCD-CT (iPCD-CT) for non-enhanced quantification of coronary artery calcium (CAC) using an anthropomorphic torso phantom and ex vivo coronary artery samples. We reconstructed the iPCD-CT measurements with filtered back projection (FBP), iterative total variation (TV) regularization, padded FBP, and adaptively detruncated FBP and adaptively detruncated TV. We compared the organ doses between conventional CT and iPCD-CT geometries, assessed the truncation and cupping artifacts with iPCD-CT, and evaluated the CAC quantification performance of iPCD-CT. With approximately the same effective dose between conventional CT geometry (0.30 mSv) and interior PCD-CT with 10.2 cm field-of-view (0.27 mSv), the organ dose of the heart was increased by 52.3% with interior PCD-CT when compared to CT. Conversely, the organ doses to peripheral and radiosensitive organs, such as the stomach (55.0% reduction), were often reduced with interior PCD-CT. FBP and TV did not sufficiently reduce the truncation artifact, whereas padded FBP and adaptively detruncated FBP and TV yielded satisfactory truncation artifact reduction. Notably, the adaptive detruncation algorithm reduced truncation artifacts effectively when it was combined with reconstruction detrending. With this approach, the CAC quantification accuracy was good, and the coronary artery disease grade reclassification rate was particularly low (5.6%). Thus, our results confirm that CAC quantification can be performed with the interior CT geometry, that the artifacts are effectively reduced with suitable interior reconstruction methods, and that interior tomography provides efficient patient dose reduction.
Solving quantum statistical mechanics with variational autoregressive networks and quantum circuits
Authors: Liu Jin-Guo , Mao Liang , Zhang Pan , Wang Lei
Published: July 2020

We extend the ability of an unitary quantum circuit by interfacing it with a classical autoregressive neural network. The combined model parametrizes a variational density matrix as a classical mixture of quantum pure states, where the autoregressive network generates bitstring samples as input states to the quantum circuit. We devise an efficient variational algorithm to jointly optimize the classical neural network and the quantum circuit to solve quantum statistical mechanics problems. One can obtain thermal observables such as the variational free energy, entropy, and specific heat. As a byproduct, the algorithm also gives access to low energy excitation states. We demonstrate applications of the approach to thermal properties and excitation spectra of the quantum Ising model with resources that are feasible on near-term quantum computers.
Fear of Cancer Recurrence and Inhibited Disclosure: Testing the Social-Cognitive Processing Model in Couples Coping With Breast Cancer
Authors: Soriano Emily C , Otto Amy K , LoSavio Stefanie T , Perndorfer Christine , Siegel Scott D , Laurenceau Jean-Philippe
Published: July 2020

Background

Withholding cancer-related concerns from one’s partner (protective buffering) and feeling that one’s partner is inaccessible or unresponsive to such disclosure (social constraints) are two interpersonal interaction patterns that separately have been linked to poorer adjustment to cancer.

Purpose

Guided by the Social-Cognitive Processing Model, we examined the joint effects of social constraints and protective buffering on fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in survivors and spouses. Social constraints and protective buffering were hypothesized to emerge as independent predictors of higher FCR.

Methods

Early-stage breast cancer survivors and spouses (N = 79 couples; 158 paired individuals) completed up to five repeated measures of FCR, social constraints, protective buffering, and relationship quality during the year postdiagnosis. A second-order growth curve model was estimated and extended to test the time-varying, within-person effects of social constraints and protective buffering on a latent FCR variable, controlling for relationship quality.

Results

As hypothesized, greater social constraints and protective buffering significantly (p < .05) predicted higher concurrent FCR at the within-person level, controlling for global relationship quality and change in FCR over time. The fixed effects were found to be similar for both survivors and spouses.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that interaction patterns resulting in inhibited disclosure are associated with greater FCR for both survivors and spouses, consistent with the Social-Cognitive Processing Model. This work adds to the growing body of research highlighting the social context of FCR.
Hacking Adaptation: Updating, Porting, and Forking the Shakespearean Source Code
Authors: Winckler Reto
Published: July 2020

This essay proposes that computer hacking can provide us with an appropriate framework through which to rethink the basic workings of adaptation in general and Shakespeare adaptation in particular in the twenty-first century. Building on the work of Thomas Leitch and Sarah Cardwell in adaptation studies and Christopher Kelty in the anthropology of the hacker movement, the essay positions itself as an alternative to Douglas Lanier’s model of the Shakespeare rhizome. The central argument is that understanding Shakespeare’s works as source code, and adaptations of them as hacks of that source code, as well as sources of future hacks, makes it possible to account for and work with the difficult but crucial notions of the source and of fidelity, while resolving many of the theoretical, practical, and political problems which motivated scholars to avoid or try to overcome those notions in the past.
Association of Interactions Between Mammographic Density Phenotypes and Established Risk Factors With Breast Cancer Risk, by Tumor Subtype and Menopausal Status
Authors: Chen Hongjie , Yaghjyan Lusine , Li Christopher , Peters Ulrike , Rosner Bernard , Lindström Sara , Tamimi Rulla M
Published: July 2020

Previous studies suggest that the association between mammographic density (MD) and breast cancer risk might be modified by other breast cancer risk factors. In this study, we assessed multiplicative interactions between MD measures and established risk factors on the risk of invasive breast cancer overall and according to menopausal and estrogen receptor status. We used data on 2,137 cases and 4,346 controls from a nested case-control study within the Nurses’ Health Study (1976–2004) and Nurses’ Health Study II (1989–2007), whose data on percent mammographic density (PMD) and absolute area of dense tissue and nondense tissue (NDA) were available. No interaction remained statistically significant after adjusting for number of comparisons. For breast cancer overall, we observed nominally significant interactions (P < 0.05) between nulliparity and PMD/NDA, age at menarche and area of dense tissue, and body mass index and NDA. Individual nominally significant interactions across MD measures and risk factors were also observed in analyses stratified by either menopausal or estrogen receptor status. Our findings help provide further insights into potential mechanisms underlying the association between MD and breast cancer.
Attitudinal social norms
Authors: van Wietmarschen Han
Published: July 2020

On Bicchieri's view, social norms most centrally involve a pattern of preferences among the members of a relevant population; according to Brennan, Eriksson, Goodin, and Southwood, social norms most centrally involve patterns of normative attitudes among the members of a given group. This paper argues, first, that social norms can require attitudes as well as behaviour, and, second, that the existence of such attitudinal social norms speaks in favour of the preference-based view and against the normative attitudes-based view.
XI—Rights Externalism and Racial Injustice
Authors: Darby Derrick
Published: July 2020

Rights externalism, a view I defend in Rights, Race, and Recognition, takes social recognition to be a condition for being a rights bearer. I vindicate this view by answering two recent critics. I concede some ground, particularly with respect to their reservations about what we gain, but argue that claims about what we stand to lose are overblown. I conclude that rights externalism is not detrimental to the critique of racial injustice, and that embracing it has noteworthy virtues. The most significant is that it affords us a conception of rights that takes the realities of lived experiences seriously.
X—Why Trust Science? Reliability, Particularity and the Tangle of Science
Authors: Cartwright Nancy
Published: July 2020

In evaluating science, philosophers tends to focus on general laws and on their truth. I urge a shift in focus to the reliability of the panoply of outputs science produces (‘the tangle of science’) and in tandem, from the general to the particular. Here I give five arguments to support this, including (a) many, many scientific outputs (measures, devices, empirical studies, model organisms, and so on), which must be supposed reliable if we are to warrant our general principles, aren’t truth-apt; and (b) reliability invites the crucial question, ‘Reliable for what?’ Getting clear the particular purpose is essential for effective action and just evaluation.
IDRMutPred: predicting disease-associated germline nonsynonymous single nucleotide variants (nsSNVs) in intrinsically disordered regions
Authors: Zhou Jing-Bo , Xiong Yao , An Ke , Ye Zhi-Qiang , Wu Yun-Dong
Published: July 2020

Motivation

Despite of the lack of folded structure, intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of proteins play versatile roles in various biological processes, and many nonsynonymous single nucleotide variants (nsSNVs) in IDRs are associated with human diseases. The continuous accumulation of nsSNVs resulted from the wide application of NGS has driven the development of disease-association prediction methods for decades. However, their performance on nsSNVs in IDRs remains inferior, possibly due to the domination of nsSNVs from structured regions in training data. Therefore, it is highly demanding to build a disease-association predictor specifically for nsSNVs in IDRs with better performance.

Results

We present IDRMutPred, a machine learning-based tool specifically for predicting disease-associated germline nsSNVs in IDRs. Based on 17 selected optimal features that are extracted from sequence alignments, protein annotations, hydrophobicity indices and disorder scores, IDRMutPred was trained using three ensemble learning algorithms on the training dataset containing only IDR nsSNVs. The evaluation on the two testing datasets shows that all the three prediction models outperform 17 other popular general predictors significantly, achieving the ACC between 0.856 and 0.868 and MCC between 0.713 and 0.737. IDRMutPred will prioritize disease-associated IDR germline nsSNVs more reliably than general predictors.

Availability and implementation

The software is freely available at http://www.wdspdb.com/IDRMutPred.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The asymptotic distribution of modularity in weighted signed networks
Authors: Ma Rong , Barnett Ian
Published: July 2020

Modularity is a popular metric for quantifying the degree of community structure within a network. The distribution of the largest eigenvalue of a network’s edge weight or adjacency matrix is well studied and is frequently used as a substitute for modularity when performing statistical inference. However, we show that the largest eigenvalue and modularity are asymptotically uncorrelated, which suggests the need for inference directly on modularity itself when the network is large. To this end, we derive the asymptotic distribution of modularity in the case where the network’s edge weight matrix belongs to the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble, and study the statistical power of the corresponding test for community structure under some alternative models. We empirically explore universality extensions of the limiting distribution and demonstrate the accuracy of these asymptotic distributions through Type I error simulations. We also compare the empirical powers of the modularity-based tests and some existing methods. Our method is then used to test for the presence of community structure in two real data applications.
Conflict Management in High-Stakes Illegal Drug Transactions
Authors: Bouchard Martin , Soudijn Melvin , Reuter Peter
Published: July 2020

We draw from aspects of Black’s theory of conflict management to (1) provide a description of the types of disputes occurring at the highest levels of the drug trade and (2) examine whether conflicts that end in violence differed from those that found a peaceful resolution. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyse 33 incidents of smuggling transaction failures at the highest levels of the cocaine trade in the Netherlands. The results show that outcomes were determined by the way in which conflicts arose; lost product due to negligence and fraud increased the likelihood of violence. The fragile equilibrium between peaceful or violent resolution depended on whether the guilty party accepted blame or provided evidence that could account for losses.