bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INTEGRATED CHARACTER EDUCATION MODEL SEBAGAI ALTERNATIF SOLUSI MENGATASI DEGRADASI MORAL PELAJAR INDONESIA
Authors: Prasetiawati Prasetiawati
Published: November 2019

Abstract: In the middle of globalization era and today’s modernization, the nation character and moral is one of the main many problems are facing by developing countries included Indonesia. Base on this, today’s social fact showed thadt the moral degradation has happened among Indonesian students. It became irony or our country continuation in the future and made writer interested in constructing all the integrated character education models and their relevance toward the effort that overcome moral degradation of Indonesian students. At the end of this writing is concluded that Integrated Character Education Models become important and relevant to be determined to overcome student moral degradation, it also the effort in creating strong student character to face life cgallenge in the future.Keywords: Integrated Character Education Model, Moral Degradation, Students
Upaya Meningkatkan Perhatian Anak Melalui Metode Bercerita dengan Media Boneka Tangan pada Anak Kelompok B TK Nurul Ibadah Kota Jambi
Authors: Wati Rosma
Published: November 2019

This study aims to increase the attention of children during the learning of storytelling activities through the method of telling stories with hand puppet media. The reason for the selection of hand puppet media is because it has a unique shape, patterns and motifs that attract children's attention. This study is a collaborative classroom action research using the Kemmis and Taggart Model in 1990. The subjects in this study were the Group B children of Nurul Ibadah Kindergarten 2015/2016 Academic Year, totaling 15 children consisting of 9 men and 6 women. The method of data collection is done by observation and documentation. The instrument used was an observation sheet. The data analysis technique used is quantitative descriptive. Children's attention when learning storytelling activities can be increased through the method of telling stories with hand puppet media with steps (1) the teacher conditions the child, (2) the teacher tells the story title to be read, (3) the teacher introduces the puppet according to the characters in the story ( 4) the teacher tells the contents of the story, (5) at the end of the teacher gives a question to the child to know the child's memory and understanding of the story being read. Children's attention increases every cycle. In pre-action the attention of children with the criteria of good attention was only 13.33% (2 children). After the action in Cycle I increased to 60% (9 children), and in Cycle II the attention of children increased again to 93.33% (14 children).
Penerapan Modifiksi Alat Bantu Pembelajaran Bokortasko terhadap Hasil Belajar Permainan Bulutangkis Siswa Kelas VIII A di SMPN 18 Kota Jambi Tahun 2017/2018
Authors: Bambang Bambang
Published: November 2019

Lack of student involvement in participating in physical education learning which results in learning outcomes becoming less, it is necessary to do an action that can increase student participation so that the goals of learning can be achieved. The purpose of this study was to determine the improvement in learning outcomes of badminton games in class VIII A students through the application of modifications to the bokortasko learning aids in Jambi City Middle School 18 of the academic year 2017/2018. In this study, the research design used was classroom action research (CAR) by taking action through cycle I and cycle II. Cognitive learning outcomes have increased. In the first cycle the average value of the written test was 7.8 and in the second cycle the average score of the written test was 9, so the cognitive learning results from cycle I to cycle II increased by 15.4%. Affective learning outcomes also increase. The affective average value in cycle I is 7.9, and the affective average value in cycle II is 8.2. So affective learning outcomes from cycle I to cycle II have increased by 3.8%. Psychomotor learning outcomes also increased, in the first cycle the psychomotor score was 7.6 and in the second cycle was 8.1. So psychomotor learning outcomes from cycle I to cycle II increased by 6.6%.
The Quadro Helix Perspective: Micro Small Medium Enterprises Development (MSMEs) in Boyolali Regency
Authors: Trilestari Endang Wirjatmi , Handayani Heny
Published: November 2019

The Quadro helix concept is used in the innovations for economic development. The Quadro helix elements include the government as an innovator and facilitator to facilitate the growth of business opportunities, the business as entrepreneurs, and the civil society as a source of labor, service users, innovation developers and academics as laboratories that have not run well. Meanwhile, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is a business unit of creativity and innovation that created to mobilize the economy. Boyolali's potential develops with its MSMEs in the village. In terms of Village Development Index (IPD) are 215 developing villages, namely 45 independent villages and one underdeveloped village. This has become a problem because empowering the village economy did not optimal. Referring to the regional superior potential and IPD, Boyolali Regency requires strengthening capacity especially those related to MSMEs. Total of 26,210 MSMEs and 1,103 MSMEs spread across 19 districts in all districts that are under various conditions at Boyolali Regency. This research was conducted a descriptive method by looking at the roles and conditions of various MSMEs. The results indicate the lack of the role of educational institutions or academics in participating of developing MSMEs.
Finnish Rock Art, Animal-Ceremonialism and Shamanism
Authors: SIIKALA ANNA-LEENA
Published: November 2019

No abstract available
The Indefinability of Religion
Authors: WAHLSTÖM BERTEL
Published: November 2019

No abstract available
Indogermanische Religion und Kultur? Eine Analyse des Begriffes indogermanisch
Authors: DROBIN ULF
Published: November 2019

No abstract available
Formation mechanisms of the Caspian transgressive seas in the Pleistocene
Authors: Esin Nikolay V. , Esin Nikolay I. , Podymov Igor S. , Lifanchuk Anna V. , Melnikova Irina V.
Published: November 2019

The basis of the theory of evolution of transgressive the Akchagyl Sea is based on the hypothesis that the transgression was created by water coming from an as yet unidentified ocean. This causes some doubt due to the fact that in the Akchagyl time the ocean level was about 100 m below sea level. The article calculates changes in salinity in the sea. A comparison of the results of calculations with geological data shows that in reality the salinity of the water entering the sea was 2–3 orders of magnitude lower than the salinity of ocean water. Theoretically, only in 1000 years, the salinity of seawater was supposed to increase to 120‰, and geological studies showed that during the whole time of transgression the salinity of the water was not higher than 25‰. This indicates that during the transgression the water came not from the ocean, but from melting glaciers, i.e. water theoretically could not flow upwards, and it never really flowed upwards.
The influence of submesoscale eddies on hydrochemical parameters and structural and functional characteristics of phytoplankton in the north-eastern part of the Black Sea
Authors: Kuklev Sergey B. , Silkin Vladimir A. , Chasovnikov Valeriy K. , Zatsepin Andrey G. , Pautova Larisa A. , Podymov Oleg I. , Baranov Vladimir I. , Kukleva Olga N. , Fedorov Alexey V. , Lifanchuk Anna V.
Published: November 2019

On June 7, 2018, a sub-mesoscale anticyclonic eddy induced by the wind (north-east) was registered on the shelf in the area of the city of Gelendzhik. With the help of field multidisciplinary expedition ship surveys, it was shown that this eddy exists in the layer above the seasonal thermocline. At the periphery of the eddy weak variability of hydrochemical parameters and quantitative indicators of phytoplankton were recorded. The result of the formation of such eddy structure was a shift in the structure of phytoplankton – the annual observed coccolithophores bloom was not registered.
Hydrophysical factors of coccolithophores Emiliania huxleyi intensive bloom formation in the Abkhazian sector of the Black Sea at the end of May 2013
Authors: Yakubenko Valeriy G. , Vostokov Sergey V. , Silkin Vladimir A. , Pautova Larisa A. , Vostokova Anastasia S.
Published: November 2019

At the end of May 2013, in the Abkhazian sector of the north-eastern part of the Black Sea, intensive blooms of Emiliania huxleyi coccolithophores of up to 4,4×106 cells/L were observed. In order to identify the necessary and sufficient hydrophysical conditions for the blooming of this alga at 15 stations of the water area, the spatial distribution of hydrophysical parameters was investigated. It is shown that the vertical distribution of temperature, salinity and density is typical for this time of year and is characterized by the presence of a sharp-gradient seasonal thermocline. The horizontal distribution of the main hydrophysical parameters on the surface water was as follows: at an average temperature of 20,209±1,027°C, the areas of elevated temperatures were located in the coastal zone, for salinity (17,585±0,556 psu) the reverse distribution was observed. Variations of conditional density were 11,477±0,516. A characteristic feature of 2013 was the renewal of the Cold Intermediate Layer (CIL) in the winter period. During the bloom period, the coccolithophores tended to be deepened along the coordinate from the center of the sea to the coast. Variations in the speed of geostrophic currents from 3,58 to 22,43 cm/s did not lead to the destruction of the bloom.
Depathologising the Traumatised Self in Susanna Kaysen'sGirl, Interrupted
Authors: Yoo Hyun-Joo
Published: November 2019

In Girl, Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen recounts her traumatic experiences in the women's ward of a psychiatric institution in the USA in the 1960s. The institution was more prison than refuge for Kaysen, who felt the experience denied her her subjectivity. Significantly, as she reworks the memories from her traumatic adolescence, Kaysen does not depict her young self as a psychopath, whose identity is defined, diagnosed, and interpreted as fractured and unstable by medical professionals. The novel provides a way of exercising the agency denied to her as a young adult and in it she rebuilds an image of her traumatised self as an active agent. She endows her persona with the rebellious and subversive power to resist patriarchal medical authorities and, in a broader sense, to disrupt the dominant sexist cultural pedagogies imposed on young women in the late 1960s.
ASSESSMENT OF CONSEQUENCES OF IMPLEMENTATION OF LARGE-SCALE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS BASED ON THE AGENT APPROACH: TOPOLOGY OF THE MULTIAGENT SYSTEM
Authors: Yesikova Tatyana , Vakhrusheva Svetlana
Published: November 2019

The article poses the problem of modeling processes associated with the construction of large-scale infrastructural projects in the context of the Bering Strait tunnel (road construction in the Far North). The purpose of the simulation is to identify potential problems and estimate losses for various participants in similar projects. The study is based on such a simulation method as multi-agent modeling. The article describes the basics of building the topology of a multi-agent system in relation to this task: decomposing a process into subprocesses, identifying the main active agents, describing of the characteristics (attributes) of these agents, determining the type of their interaction. The article also presents a graph that is the prototype of a multi-agent system for a specific subject area and a description of the interactions of the identified agents.
LAND USE IN THE FARMING SECTOR
Authors: Kalugina Zemfira
Published: November 2019

On the basis of statistical information, the article discusses the actual problems of the development of the agricultural sector of the Russian agricultural economy. It is noted that in the process of economic reforms of the 1990s, the institutional framework and legal framework for all types of entrepreneurship in rural areas and the formation of a multicultural agricultural economy were created. One of the most important sectors was the farm sector. The article deals with the problems of land use in the farming sector of Russia. The main objective of this study is to identify the main trends and problems of land use in the agricultural sector of the agricultural economy. It is noted that for the formation and development of farms it is necessary: the presence of an appropriate social base, adequate to this form of management material and technical services; regulatory and legal provision, social guarantees and legal protection of farmers.
EALTH ECONOMICS IN HEALTH CARE
Authors: Kramer Mikhail
Published: November 2019

Health, Economics and health organization have the largest number of publications at all levels of government. However, direct measurement and dosed funding for each remains out of reach for the majority of the population. For them also remains unclear: what are the fundamental laws you need to follow to fulfill the doctor's orders. The movement towards monopoly narrows the health care market. Collective economic, social and urban projects do not reduce the pharmacy chain. The budget remains in surplus if mortality is not reduced. Medical statistics do not have the properties of a microscope. Therefore, for the population health is a social self-movement. Each industry has its own technology and economic costs, forming departmental lists of services and works at the expense of the state budget. The article on the Federal laws and regulations shows the relevance of updating health care to build a list of services and improve the methodology of budget planning on the basis of four health sectors R, N, Q and Z. It is established that the ratio of financing of the proposed industries (in multiplicities) is not : 10 : 100 : 1000 does not lead to the planned effects and possible efficiency evaluation. Conclusions and proposals of the article are necessary for the Concept of improving the efficiency of budget expenditures (adopted in January 2019).
TIMBER SECTOR: FORECASTS AND STRATEGIES
Authors: Blam Yuriy , Mashkina Ludmila
Published: November 2019

The authors analyze the information base of the elaborated forecasts and strategies for the timber complex development from the viewpoint of the territorial differentiation in resources and infrastructure availability. The structure of the harvested timber is aligned with the volume and quality characteristics of the wood assortments needed for production of the forecasted types of the final forest product. It is confirmed that the volume of the small-scale wood substance and waste products formed under clean cutting and also under production of board lumber and plywood, cannot be completely utilized within the production of slab materials and pellets. And in the eastern regions when the benefits for transportation to the European countries are cancelled it is unprofitable to process them.
The article also gives estimation of the inner market forecast for the main types of forest products which has been attained with the calculations on the base of the inter-regional model , in comparison with the hypothesis built-in the Strategies of the timber complex development. The analysis is given for the main reasons of not fulfilling the tasks which have been put forward under developing the Strategies connected with the changes of the institutional and economic conditions of the timber complex functioning. Also, inflated expectations for the wooden house constructions are noted in the article.
MODELING CHANGES IN THE MARKET VALUE OF THE PROPERTY DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF MAJOR ROAD TRANSPORT FACILITIES
Authors: Vyatkina Maria , Dubrovsky Alexey , Ershov Anatoly
Published: November 2019

Transport infrastructure of the city affects the cadastral value of real estate. Transport accessibility of real estate affects the investment attractiveness of land. Transport accessibility increases the market value of the property. Modeling changes in the market value of real estate is an urgent task. Increasing the cadastral value of real estate and tax payments forms a model of investment in transport infrastructure. The article describes an example of modeling the increase in the price of land near the Central bridge of the city of Novosibirsk. The construction of the Central bridge is planned in 2019–2022. The new bridge increases the value of real estate. The cost of land increases by 50–100 %. The scheme of location of price zones is made. The increasing coefficients in the range from 1 to 2 are determined. Investors are given information about the increase in the value of land after the construction of the bridge. The payback period of construction projects is calculated.
TINJAUAN ATAS KINERJA REVIU APIP DALAM PENYUSUNAN RENCANA KERJA ANGGARAN K/L (Studi Kasus Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian)
Authors: Satriyo Zaenuri Imam
Published: November 2019

ABSTRAK

 

TINJAUAN ATAS KINERJA REVIU APIP DALAM PENYUSUNAN

RENCANA KERJA ANGGARAN K/L

(Studi Kasus Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian)

Kualitas Kinerja Anggaran yang buruk masih menjadi pekerjaan rumah hampir di semua kementerian/lembaga, hal ini tercermin dari Laporan Hasil Pemeriksaan BPK atas Laporan Keuangan Kementerian/Lembaga yang terjadi dalam dekade terakhir. Dengan ditetapkannya Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 60 Tahun 2008 tentang Sistem Pengendalian Intern Pemerintah, menteri/pimpinan lembaga, gubernur, dan bupati/walikota wajib melakukan pengendalian atas penyelenggaraan kegiatan pemerintahan dengan harapan memberikan keyakinan yang memadai bagi tercapainya efektivitas dan efisiensi pencapaian tujuan penyelenggaraan pemerintah negara, keandalan laporan keuangan, pengamanan aset negara dan ketaatan terhadap peraturan perundang-undangan.

Penelitian ini menggunakan Metode Kualitatif Deskriptif untuk mengetahui pengaruh reviu APIP K/L atas Kinerja Anggaran K/L dengan mengukur beberapa variabel dalam aspek Implementasi pada Evaluasi Kinerja Anggaran, diantaranya yaitu: variabel Capaian Keluaran (Output) Program, variabel Penyerapan Anggaran, variabel efisiensi, dan  variabel Konsistensi. Variabel-variabel yang dihitung tersebut diharapkan dapat menjelaskan apakah terdapat pengaruh Reviu APIP K/L pada peningkatan Kinerja Anggaran K/L.

Hasil analisis menunjukkan adanya dampak positif yang ditimbulkan karena peran Reviu APIP K/L terhadap perencanaan anggaran dan penyusunan dokumen anggaran K/L. Hasil analisis yang mendukung kesimpulan penelitian ini ditunjukkan pada variabel Pencapaian Keluaran (Output), variabel Efisiensi, dan variabel Konsistensi era sesudah reviu APIP K/L lebih baik dibanding era sebelum APIP K/L melakukan reviu. Selanjutnya,  agar diperoleh hasil penelitian yang lebih akurat, perlu dilakukan kajian yang lebih mendalam terutama dengan pendekatan teknis yang lebih baik, penggunaan data sampel lebih banyak, serta penggunaan metode inferensial yang diharapkan dapat lebih banyak memberikan alternatif analisis statistik.

Kata Kunci: kinerja anggaran, pengendalian intern, capaian keluaran (output), reviu, konsistensi.
STANDAR BIAYA DAN KINERJA: PENGARUH SBKK TERHADAP EFISIENSI ANGGARAN K/L
Authors: Kusuma Said Iwan , Pambudi Septian Bagus , Suprayitno Aziz Wahyu
Published: November 2019

Abstract

This study aims to measure the budget efficiency at the BPK (Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan) in 2014 - 2017 using DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis). The variable used as the output variable is output produced by the work unit, and as an input variable is the budget realization, specified in the account level of employee expenditure, goods expense expenditure, service expenditure, maintenance expenditure, travel expenditure, output activities honorarium expenditure, other non-operational goods and capital expenditure. This study was conducted in two stages, the first stage is calculating the budget efficiency of the BPK Representative work unit in 33 Provinces. The second stage is to determine the effect of independent variables on budget efficiency. The results shows that the average efficiency score of 33 BPK Representative work unit has always increased from 2014 - 2017, from 0.57 in 2014, 0.79 in 2015, 0.92 in 2016 and 0,95 in 2017. While the results of panel data regression showed that the SBKK (Standar Biaya Keluaran Khusus) and Revision variables had a positive and significant effect on budget efficiency, while the Number of Employees variable did not affect budget efficiency.

 

Keywords: DEA, budget efficiency, SBKK

 

Abstrak

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengukur tingkat efisiensi anggaran pada BPK (Badan Pemeriksa Anggaran) pada tahun 2014 - 2017 dengan menggunakan DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis). Variabel yang digunakan sebagai variabel output adalah capaian output/keluaran yang dihasilkan satuan kerja, dan sebagai variabel input adalah realisasi anggaran yang dirinci pada level akun belanja pegawai, belanja beban barang, belanja jasa, belanja pemeliharaan, belanja perjalanan, belanja honor output kegiatan, belanja barang non operasional lainnya dan belanja modal. Penelitian ini dilakukan dalam dua tahap, yaitu pada tahap pertama menghitung nilai efisiensi anggaran satuan kerja BPK Perwakilan pada 33 Provinsi. Tahap kedua dalam penelitian ini adalah melihat pengaruh variabel independen terhadap efisiensi anggaran. Dari hasil pengolahan data menggunakan DEA menunjukkan bahwa rata-rata nilai efisiensi 33 satker BPK Perwakilan selalu mengalami peningkatan dari tahun 2014 – 2017, dari sebesar 0,57 di tahun 2014, 0,79 di tahun 2015, 0,92 di tahun 2016 dan 0,95 di tahun 2017. Sedangkan hasil analisis regresi panel data, menunjukkan bahwa variabel SBKK (Standar Biaya Keluaran Khusus) dan Revisi berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap efisiensi anggaran, sedangkan untuk variabel Jumlah Pegawai tidak berpengaruh terhadap efisiensi anggaran.

 

Kata Kunci: DEA, efisiensi anggaran, SBKK
EFEKTIVITAS PELATIHAN PENGEMBANGAN KEPROFESIAN BERKELANJUTAN DALAM PENINGKATAN KOMPETENSI GURU DI INDONESIA TAHUN 2016
Authors: Makrifat Ahmad Tamzil , Febriantono Ahmad Rivai , Tsani Tiara
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Continuous Professional Development Program has been designed to improve teacher competencies in Indonesia. In the 2016, 427.189 teachers from all grade levels had received specific training based on their competency test result in 2015. The purpose of this study is to analysis the effectiveness of training and identify any factors that might influence the effectiveness of training in improving teacher’s competencies. Paired Sample T-test (one-tail) was used to analyze the effectiveness of training. The result show that there is a significant improvement of teacher’s competencies post training (p<0,01). The regression analysis result show that variables like individual characteristics, status of the teaching profession, employment status, education levels, modes of training, and domicile influence on effectiveness of training.

Keywords: Improving The Competence of Teachers, Effectiveness of Training

JEL Classification: I28 Education: Government Policy

 

Abstrak  

Program Pengembangan Keprofesian Berkelanjutan (PKB) didesain untuk meningkatkan kompetensi guru di Indonesia. Tahun 2016, sebanyak 427.189 guru dari berbagai jenjang pendidikan memperoleh pelatihan sesuai dengan hasil Uji Kompetensi Guru (UKG) yang didapat ditahun 2015. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui apakah pelatihan dari program PKB ini efektif meningkatkan kompetensi guru dan faktor-faktor apa yang berpengaruh terhadap peningkatan kompetensi guru tersebut. Analisis efektivitas pelatihan menggunakan alat uji Paired Sample T-test (one-tail). Hasilnya, nilai kompetensi guru mengalami peningkatan yang signifikan setelah mereka mengikuti pelatihan pada program PKB (p<0,01). Berdasarkan hasil regresi, efektivitas pelatihan tersebut turut dipengaruhi oleh karakteristik individu, status keprofesian, status kepegawaian, pendidikan terakhir, moda pelatihan, dan domisili.

Kata Kunci: peningkatan kompetensi guru, efektivitas pelatihan
SVM-Based Multiple Instance Classification via DC Optimization
Authors: Astorino Annabella , Fuduli Antonio , Giallombardo Giovanni , Miglionico Giovanna
Published: November 2019

A multiple instance learning problem consists of categorizing objects, each represented as a set (bag) of points. Unlike the supervised classification paradigm, where each point of the training set is labeled, the labels are only associated with bags, while the labels of the points inside the bags are unknown. We focus on the binary classification case, where the objective is to discriminate between positive and negative bags using a separating surface. Adopting a support vector machine setting at the training level, the problem of minimizing the classification-error function can be formulated as a nonconvex nonsmooth unconstrained program. We propose a difference-of-convex (DC) decomposition of the nonconvex function, which we face using an appropriate nonsmooth DC algorithm. Some of the numerical results on benchmark data sets are reported.
Heat Treatment at an Early Age Has Effects on the Resistance to Chronic Heat Stress on Broilers
Authors: Kang Darae , Park JinRyong , Shim KwanSeob
Published: November 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of early heat conditioning on growth performance, liver-specific enzymes (GOT and GPT), neuro-hormones (dopamine and serotonin), stress hormones (corticosterone), and the expression of HSPs (heat shock proteins), HSFs (heat shock factors), and pro-inflammatory cytokines under chronic high temperature. Broilers were raised with commercial feed and supplied with water ad libitum under conventional temperature. We separated the broilers into three groups: the control without any heat exposure (C), chronic heat-stressed group (CH), and early and chronic heat-stressed group (HH). At 5 days of age, the HH group was exposed to high temperatures (40 °C for 24 h), while the remaining groups were raised at a standard temperature. Between days 6 and 20, all three groups were kept under optimal temperature. From 21 to 35 days, the two heat-stressed groups (CH and HH) were exposed to 35 °C. Groups exposed to high temperature (CH and HH) showed significantly lower body weight and feed intake compared to the control. GOT and GPT were lower expressed in the CH and HH groups than the control group. In addition, the protein expressions of HSPs were down-regulated by chronic heat stress (CH and HH groups). The gene expressions of HSP60 and HSF3 were significantly down-regulated in the CH and HH groups, while HSP70 and HSP27 genes were up-regulated only in the HH group compared with the control group. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes was significantly up-regulated in the HH group compared with the control and CH groups. Thus, exposure of early Heat stress (HS) to broilers may affect the inflammatory response; however, early heat exposure did not have a positive effect on chronic HS of liver enzymes and heat shock protein expression.
Concentrations of Aerosol Numbers and Airborne Bacteria, and Temperature and Relative Humidity, and Their Interrelationships in a Tie-Stall Dairy Barn
Authors: Islam Md. Aminul , Ikeguchi Atsuo , Naide Takanori
Published: November 2019

Aerosol particles and airborne microorganisms are crucial factors of indoor air quality. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the interrelationships among aerosol numbers, various types of airborne bacteria, temperature, and relative humidity (RH) to decide which parameters have more significant relationships among them. The concentrations of aerosol numbers, airborne total aerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the indoor air, as well as indoor and outdoor temperatures and RH, were assessed each week for a total of 20 days in a tie-stall dairy barn during the summer season in Tochigi, Japan. The mean concentrations of the fine aerosol numbers (0.3–2.0 µm) were greater than the mean concentrations of coarse aerosol numbers (5.0–10.0 µm). Among the airborne total aerobic bacteria, the mean concentration of airborne S. aureus was higher compared with airborne E. coli. More significant positive associations were found between outdoor environmental temperatures and aerosol numbers rather than indoor temperatures and aerosol numbers. All three types of airborne bacteria were associated with both outdoor and indoor environmental temperatures. These findings are crucial in the mitigation of aerosol numbers and airborne bacteria in the indoor air of dairy barns.
Biodiesel Production by Acid Methanolysis of Slaughterhouse Sludge Cake
Authors: Su Jung-Jeng , Chou Yu-Chun
Published: November 2019

Biosludge is a normal form of accumulating microbial populations inside the sewage or wastewater treatment facilities. Excessive sludge in the wastewater treatment basins has to be removed periodically to ensure good water quality of the effluent. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of biodiesel production by transesterification of slaughterhouse sludge cake. The sludge cake was collected from a selected commercial slaughterhouse and transesterified with methanol, n-hexane, and acids (e.g., sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid) at 55 °C. Three acid concentrations (2%, 4%, and 8%, v/v) in methanol under four reaction time periods (4, 8, 16, and 24 h) were applied. Results showed that the highest accumulated fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yields of 2.51 ± 0.08% and 2.27 ± 0.09% were achieved when 8% (v/v) of H2SO4 or HCl were added in a 4 h reaction time, respectively. Methyl esters of palmitic acid (C16:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1), stearic acid (C18:0), and oleic acid (C18:1n9c) were the major components of biodiesel from acid methanolysis of slaughterhouse sludge cake. Experimental and analytical results of acid methanolysis of slaughterhouse sludge cake showed that acid methanolysis of sludge cake was one of the feasible and practical options to recycle sludge waste and produce renewable energy.
Report on a Plus-Energy District with Low-Temperature DHC Network, Novel Agrothermal Heat Source, and Applied Demand Response
Authors: Brennenstuhl Marcus , Zeh Robin , Otto Robert , Pesch Ruben , Stockinger Volker , Pietruschka Dirk
Published: November 2019

District heating and cooling networks can pose the possibility of including a variety of renewable energy sources as well as waste heat into a district’s heat supply concept. Unfortunately, low demand densities as they increasingly occur through higher building energy standards and in rural areas render conventional heating and cooling networks inefficient. At the same time, power-to-heat is becoming more and more important to make use of a larger amount of renewable energy sources on the electrical side by providing more flexibility by means of demand response and demand-side management. Within this work, a rural Plus-Energy settlement is presented addressing those topics by a low-temperature district heating and cooling network connected to a novel agrothermal collector supplying 23 residential buildings with decentralized heat pumps and PV systems. The collector, the network, and six of the buildings are equipped with comprehensive monitoring equipment. Within those buildings, forecast and optimization algorithms are implemented to adapt their heat pump operation to enable an increase of self-consumption, to include flexible electricity tariffs, and also to participate in power markets. Thereby, for the low-temperature district heating and cooling network, it has been shown that the concept can operate in the future at competitive heat costs. On the building level, up to 50% of cost savings could be achieved under ideal conditions with the optimization of the self-consumption of PV electricity. However, to ensure optimal results, the individual system components have to be dimensioned for this task.
Scene Description for Visually Impaired People with Multi-Label Convolutional SVM Networks
Authors: Bazi Yakoub , Alhichri Haikel , Alajlan Naif , Melgani Farid
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we present a portable camera-based method for helping visually impaired (VI) people to recognize multiple objects in images. This method relies on a novel multi-label convolutional support vector machine (CSVM) network for coarse description of images. The core idea of CSVM is to use a set of linear SVMs as filter banks for feature map generation. During the training phase, the weights of the SVM filters are obtained using a forward-supervised learning strategy unlike the backpropagation algorithm used in standard convolutional neural networks (CNNs). To handle multi-label detection, we introduce a multi-branch CSVM architecture, where each branch will be used for detecting one object in the image. This architecture exploits the correlation between the objects present in the image by means of an opportune fusion mechanism of the intermediate outputs provided by the convolution layers of each branch. The high-level reasoning of the network is done through binary classification SVMs for predicting the presence/absence of objects in the image. The experiments obtained on two indoor datasets and one outdoor dataset acquired from a portable camera mounted on a lightweight shield worn by the user, and connected via a USB wire to a laptop processing unit are reported and discussed.
Hypermethylation of Circulating Free DNA in Cutaneous Melanoma
Authors: Diefenbach Russell , Lee Jenny , Chandler David , Wang Yinan , Pflueger Christian , Long Georgina , Scolyer Richard , Carlino Matteo , Menzies Alexander , Kefford Richard , Rizos Helen
Published: November 2019

Changes in DNA methylation are well documented in cancer development and progression and are typically identified through analyses of genomic DNA. The capability of monitoring tumor-specific methylation changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has the potential to improve the sensitivity of ctDNA for the diagnosis and prognosis of solid tumors. In this study we profiled the methylation of seven gene targets (all known to be hypermethylated in metastatic melanoma) within the plasma of patients with advanced melanoma using amplicon-based next generation sequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA. Hypermethylation of 6/7 gene targets, including paraoxonase 3 (PON3) was significantly elevated in patients with metastatic melanoma (n = 4) compared to healthy control samples (n = 5). In addition, the degree of hypermethylation of PON3 and MEOX2 were significantly correlated with ctDNA copy number in melanoma patients, confirming the utility of methylated ctDNA in the absence of tumor mutation data for genes such as BRAF, RAS or EGFR.
Numerical Analysis of a Spiral Tube Damping Busbar to Suppress VFTO in 1000 kV GIS
Authors: A. Almenweer Reem , Su Yi-Xin , Xixiu Wu
Published: November 2019

Gas insulated substations (GISs) are broadly used for transmission and distribution in electric power networks. Very fast transient overvoltage (VFTO) caused by SF6 discharge during switching operations in a GIS may threaten the insulation of electrical equipment. In this paper, a novel VFTO suppression method with great prospects in engineering, called the spiral tube damping busbar, is proposed. The suppressing mechanism of the new method is analyzed. The structure and the design characteristics of the damping busbar are introduced as well. Moreover, a calculation method for the self-inductance of the damping busbar at high frequency is presented. According to the structural characteristics of the damping busbar, the inductance effect on suppressing VFTO is analyzed. A further improvement in damping VFTO is investigated by designing a spiral litz coil connected in series with the busbar, which increases the damping effect. The simulation results show that the improved damping busbar has a significant suppressing effect on the amplitude and the frequency of VFTO.
New Local Drug Delivery with Antibiotic in the Nonsurgical Treatment of Periodontitis—Pilot Study
Authors: Sender-Janeczek Aleksandra , Zborowski Jacek , Szulc Małgorzata , Konopka Tomasz
Published: November 2019

Combination of the classical subgingival instrumentation (scaling and root planing procedure, SRP) with an antibiotic administered to periodontal pockets in a suitable medium is a promising alternative protocol of nonsurgical periodontal treatment. It enables obtaining the long-term minimum drug concentration inhibiting the development of periopathogens. Objectives: Clinical and microbiological evaluation of periodontal pockets two months after single application of a gel containing piperacillin and tazobactam (Gelcide)® in relation to the nonsurgical treatment procedure (SRP). Materials and methods: Ten patients aged 24–56 years (mean 39.5) with chronic periodontitis, nonsmokers with acceptable oral hygiene and no classical exclusion criteria were qualified for treatment. In the maxilla area, SRP was performed and the assessed gel was inserted to two randomly selected adjacent periodontal pockets. Clinical evaluation included the assessment of bleeding on probing (BoP), pocket depth (PD), and clinical attachment loss (CAL) at six measurement points. A microbiological examination with the use of PET deluxe diagnostic kit in the drug-administered pockets and symmetrically in two pockets on the other side of the dental arch was performed. The examination was conducted before the treatment and two months later. Results: Two months after the treatment, a significant improvement in all analyzed clinical parameters was observed. However, the extent of this improvement did not differ significantly between the compared treatment methods. No statistically significant differences were found in the number of bacteria before and after the treatment, except for a significant decrease in the number of Micromonas micros (2957 vs. 589, p = 0.028) and a higher number of the green complex bacteria Capnocytophaga gingivalis (5439 vs. 2050, p = 0.041) after antibiotic had been used. Conclusion: No significant clinical and microbiological differences were found after additional administration of gel with piperacillin and tazobactam in relation to SRP in the preliminary study.
A Head Control Strategy of the Snake Robot Based on Segmented Kinematics
Authors: Zhou Yunhu , Zhang Yuanfei , Ni Fenglei , Liu Hong
Published: November 2019

Head control is important for snake robots to work in an unknown environment. However, the existing methods of head control have certain application limitations for snake robots with different configurations. Thus, a strategy for head control based on segmented kinematics is proposed. Compared with the existing head control strategies, our strategy can adapt to different structures of snake robots, whether wheeled or non-wheeled. In addition, our strategy can realize the accurate manipulation of the snake robot head. The robot body is divided into the base part, neck part and head part. First, parameters of backbone curve are optimized for enlarging the area of the support polygon. Then the desired pose for the head link and the dexterous workspace of the head part can in turn derive the desired position and direction of the end frame for the neck part. An optimization algorithm is proposed to help the end frame of the neck part approach a desired one and obtains the joint angles of the neck part. When the actual frames of the neck part are determined, the dexterous workspace of the head part will cover the desired pose of the head link. Then the TRAC-IK inverse kinematics algorithm is adopted to solve the joint angles of the head part. To avoid the collision between the body and the ground, a trajectory planning method of the overall body in Cartesian space is proposed. Finally, simulations validate the effectiveness of the control strategy.
Investigation of Transport and Transformation of Tropospheric Ozone in Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Coastal Zone of Lake Baikal
Authors: Zayakhanov Alexander S. , Zhamsueva Galina S. , Tcydypov Vadim V. , Balzhanov Tumen S. , Dementeva Ayuna L. , Khodzher Tamara V.
Published: November 2019

Forest ecosystems play an important role in the process of removing trace gases from the atmosphere. The purpose of this work is the experimental study of the flux and rate of the dry deposition of ozone on different types of vegetation in the Baikal region. Based on the eddy covariance method and the flux gradient methods (including the aerodynamic gradient method (AGM), the modified Bowen method (MBR) and modified gradient method (MGM)) and with experimental data, the quantitative estimates of the fluxes and dry deposition velocity of ozone on the underlying surface were obtained for different environments (grasslands, forest). The average values of the dry deposition velocity of ozone (Vd) were equal to 0.37 cm/s at night (0–3 h) and 0.91 cm/s during daytime hours (12–18 h). The ozone flux (F) was 0.24 μg m–2 s–1 at night and 0.72 μg m–2 s–1 in the afternoon. The quantitative estimates of Vd and F on vegetation and in the forest show a higher absorptive capacity of forests compared to soil vegetation.
Retinoic Acid and Germ Cell Development in the Ovary and Testis
Authors: Endo Tsutomu , Mikedis Maria M. , Nicholls Peter K. , Page David C. , de Rooij Dirk G.
Published: November 2019

Retinoic acid (RA), a derivative of vitamin A, is critical for the production of oocytes and sperm in mammals. These gametes derive from primordial germ cells, which colonize the nascent gonad, and later undertake sexual differentiation to produce oocytes or sperm. During fetal development, germ cells in the ovary initiate meiosis in response to RA, whereas those in the testis do not yet initiate meiosis, as they are insulated from RA, and undergo cell cycle arrest. After birth, male germ cells resume proliferation and undergo a transition to spermatogonia, which are destined to develop into haploid spermatozoa via spermatogenesis. Recent findings indicate that RA levels change periodically in adult testes to direct not only meiotic initiation, but also other key developmental transitions to ensure that spermatogenesis is precisely organized for the prodigious output of sperm. This review focuses on how female and male germ cells develop in the ovary and testis, respectively, and the role of RA in this process.
Molecular Imaging in Pediatric Brain Tumors
Authors: Chiaravalloti Agostino , Filippi Luca , Ricci Maria , Cimini Andrea , Schillaci Orazio
Published: November 2019

In the last decade, several radiopharmaceuticals have been developed and investigated for imaging in vivo of pediatric brain tumors with the aim of exploring peculiar metabolic processes as glucose consumption, amino-acid metabolism, and protein synthesis with nuclear medicine techniques. Although the clinical shreds of evidence are limited, preliminary results are encouraging. In this review, we performed web-based and desktop research summarizing the most relevant findings of the literature published to date on this topic. Particular attention was given to the wide spectrum of nuclear medicine advances and trends in pediatric neurooncology and neurosurgery. Furthermore, the role of somatostatin receptor imaging through single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) probes, with reference to their potential therapeutic implications, was examined in the peculiar context. Preliminary results show that functional imaging in pediatric brain tumors might lead to significant improvements in terms of diagnostic accuracy and it could be of help in the management of the disease.
Racial Differences in Immunological Landscape Modifiers Contributing to Disparity in Prostate Cancer
Authors: King Thomas Jeronay , Mir Hina , Kapur Neeraj , Singh Shailesh
Published: November 2019

Prostate cancer affects African Americans disproportionately by exhibiting greater incidence, rapid disease progression, and higher mortality when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Additionally, standard treatment interventions do not achieve similar outcome in African Americans compared to Caucasian Americans, indicating differences in host factors contributing to racial disparity. African Americans have allelic variants and hyper-expression of genes that often lead to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, possibly contributing to more aggressive tumors and poorer disease and therapeutic outcomes than Caucasians. In this review, we have discussed race-specific differences in external factors impacting internal milieu, which modify immunological topography as well as contribute to disparity in prostate cancer.
Identifying Biomarkers to Pair with Targeting Treatments within Triple Negative Breast Cancer for Improved Patient Stratification
Authors: Tovey Holly , Cheang Maggie Chon U.
Published: November 2019

The concept of precision medicine has been around for many years and recent advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques are enabling this to become reality. Within the field of breast cancer, a number of signatures have been developed to molecularly sub-classify tumours. Notable examples recently approved by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK to guide treatment decisions for oestrogen receptors (ER)+ human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)- patients include Prosigna® test, EndoPredict®, and Oncotype DX®. However, a population of still unmet need are those with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Accounting for 15–20% of patients, this population has comparatively poor prognosis and as yet no targeted treatment options. Studies have shown that some patients with TNBC respond favourably to DNA damaging drugs (carboplatin) or agents which inhibit DNA damage response (poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors). Known to be a heterogeneous population, there is a need to identify further TNBC patients who may benefit from these treatments. A number of signatures have been identified based on association with treatment response or specific genetic features/pathways however many of these were not restricted to TNBC patients and as of yet are not common practice in the clinic.
Gene Therapy for Liver Cancers: Current Status from Basic to Clinics
Authors: Kamimura Kenya , Yokoo Takeshi , Abe Hiroyuki , Terai Shuji
Published: November 2019

The liver is a key organ for metabolism, protein synthesis, detoxification, and endocrine function, and among liver diseases, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, malignant tumors, and congenital disease, liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Conventional therapeutic options such as embolization and chemotherapy are not effective against advanced-stage liver cancer; therefore, continuous efforts focus on the development of novel therapeutic options, including molecular targeted agents and gene therapy. In this review, we will summarize the progress toward the development of gene therapies for liver cancer, with an emphasis on recent clinical trials and preclinical studies.
Elevated Autotaxin and LPA Levels during Chronic Viral Hepatitis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Associate with Systemic Immune Activation
Authors: Kostadinova Lenche , Shive Carey L , Anthony Donald D
Published: November 2019

Circulating autotaxin (ATX) is elevated in persons with liver disease, particularly in the setting of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HCV/HIV infection. It is thought that plasma ATX levels are, in part, attributable to impaired liver clearance that is secondary to fibrotic liver disease. In a discovery data set, we identified plasma ATX to be associated with parameters of systemic immune activation during chronic HCV and HCV/HIV infection. We and others have observed a partial normalization of ATX levels within months of starting interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) HCV therapy, consistent with a non-fibrotic liver disease contribution to elevated ATX levels, or HCV-mediated hepatocyte activation. Relationships between ATX, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and parameters of systemic immune activation will be discussed in the context of HCV infection, age, immune health, liver health, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).