bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of key factors affecting the non-limiting state reactance of superconducting fault current limiter
Authors: Jia Yuelong , Yuan Jiansheng
Published: September 2020

With the rapid development of the power grid, the voltage level is getting higher, and the degree of interconnection is becoming stronger. As a result, the level of the short-circuit fault current of the power grid keeps increasing, which seriously threatens the security of the power grid. The saturated-core superconducting fault current limiter (SCSFCL) is a new type of current limiting device, which can effectively limit the short-circuit current without influencing the flexibility of the power grid. The non-limiting state reactance is very important to the normal operation of the power line protected by the SCSFCL, but there is little detailed analysis of the key factors affecting its non-limiting state reactance so far. In this paper, the effects of the height of AC coil, the turns of AC coil, the cross-section area of the iron core and the excitation of the DC coil on the non-limiting state reactance are analysed and verified by simulation with ANSYS Maxwell. Finally, the design suggestions are put forward, including the method of designing the DC excitation value of the superconducting coil and how the key factors affect the non-limiting state reactance.
Distribution network topology identification method based on matching loop power
Authors: Chen Yaojun , Deng Jun , Zhang Xiaochun , Zhao Jianjiang , Feng Shenshen , Chen Wujun
Published: September 2020

The topology of the distribution network often changes during routine maintenance and expansion. In addition, the real-time measurement data and the number of configured sensors is limited, and the switch state lacks of real-time telemetry, which causes the topology generator to often fail to obtain actual structure of distribution network. At present, the common topology identification methods are not well adapted to the above characteristics of the distribution network. Therefore, in order to avoid the state estimation distortion of the distribution network caused by serious errors in the distribution network topology, a new topology identification method is proposed. The method determines the possible topologies based on the matching loop power and performs state estimation on the possible topologies based on the common measured values. According to the state evaluation result and the measured value, thereby based on the highest matching degree, it is determined that the topology is a trusted topology, that is, an actual topology. The proposed method realizes the quantitative evaluation of the topology, simplifies the topology identification process, and reduces the computational complexity of the topology identification process. Finally, the effectiveness and practicality of the method are verified through related cases.
Research on switching overvoltage suppression of 35 kV shunt reactor
Authors: Yu Bing , Yu Gang , Zheng Yiming , Zhou Luyao , Li Chen
Published: September 2020

In recent years, a number of equipment abnormal events caused by operating overvoltage have occurred during the interruption of 35 kV shunt reactors, which jeopardizes the safe and stable operation of the grid. In order to explore the mechanism of operating overvoltage when 35 kV shunt reactor is cut off and the effect of various suppression measures, this paper carries out simulation analysis and research, mainly considers several factors to the effect of overvoltage, such as bus outlet, circuit breaker switching position and overvoltage protector.
110 kV substation relay protection
Authors: Feng Xianjie , Fei Zejie
Published: September 2020

In this paper, the main electric wiring mode of 110kV substation is selected, the structure of substation is determined, and then the main wiring diagram is drawn. According to the design and load of the primary electrical connection, select the maximum and minimum operating modes to calculate the short circuit separately. Then, according to the short-circuit current parameters, the relay protection of transmission lines, transformers, busbars, etc. is set, and the configured protections include current quick-break protection, gas protection, and longitudinal differential protection. Finally, a comprehensive evaluation of the selected protection devices is carried out. Adding relay protection device in substation can send out fault signal and cut off fault line in time to reduce the occurrence of substation fault, so as to ensure the reliable power supply of users and enterprises.
Distributed cooperative control strategy for islanded microgrids
Authors: Lin Jinghuai , Wang Yongming , Deng Hongjie , Shao Zhenguo
Published: September 2020

In this paper, a distributed cooperative control strategy for islanded microgrids (MGs) is proposed, to minimize the total generation cost of distributed generators (DGs), and maintain the state of charge (SoC) balancing of battery energy storage systems (BESSs). First, a consensus-based economic dispatch (ED) strategy is proposed, to achieve the minimum total generation cost of DGs, while the aggregated power output of DGs meets the power dispatch command from the supervisory control system. Further, an SoC-based droop control strategy is developed for BESSs, to maintain the SoC balancing and power balance in the islanded MG simultaneously. Compared with the centralized control schemes, the proposed cooperative control strategy is fully distributed such that it simply requires local information exchange without the necessity of a central controller. More importantly, the proposed cooperative control strategy is able to achieve multiple control objectives in a unified framework. Finally, the simulation results in an islanded MG with renewable energy and time-varying load demands are presented, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed distributed cooperative control strategy.
Modeling and electromagnetic transient simulation of photovoltaic generators in large-scale photovoltaic power generation systems
Authors: Wei Gang , Yao Tianliang , Wu Xingquan , Liu Qiao , Zhao Guopeng
Published: September 2020

On account of the large amount of electromagnetic transient simulation of single photovoltaic power generation units, it is difficult to simulate a large-scale photovoltaic power generation system with multiple photovoltaic power generation units by power system simulation software. A method of single photovoltaic power generation unit model simplification is proposed in this paper, which can be applied in a large-scale photovoltaic power generation system. In order to improve simulation efficiency to study the output characteristics of photovoltaic power generation units more efficiently, the converter model and the control loop in the electromagnetic transient model are simplified and reduced respectively. There is no need to change the algorithm of simulation software, and the requirement to the computer performance is lower because of the reduction in the amount of computational data. The simplified simulation models are built by PSCAD simulation software, which are applied in the electromagnetic transient simulation of the large-scale photovoltaic power generation system. The simulations are carried out under constant light intensity and temperature condition, variable light intensity and temperature condition and single-phase ground fault condition. The output characteristics of the simplified model under different working conditions are compared in detail. The simulation results show that the dynamic response curves of simplified model and the electromagnetic transient model for a single device are consistent. Within the allowable precision range, the simulation speed can be improved and the time consumption can be shortened by using simplified model. The larger the number of photovoltaic power generation unit modules is, the more obvious the simulation speed improvement is. So the simplified model can be applied to the simulation research of the large-scale photovoltaic power generation systems where the output characteristics of photovoltaic power generators needs to be observed.
Equalization circuit topologies of lithium battery strings: a brief review
Authors: Liu Feng , Dai Jun
Published: September 2020

Lithium batteries are widely applied in new energy vehicles and related energy storage industries due to their superior performance. The application of an equalization circuit can effectively reduce the inconsistency of the energy of the battery pack, thereby extending the service life of the battery pack. By reviewing the mainstream balanced circuit topology, this paper proposed the comments on the ideal balanced circuit structure in the future, which is expected to serve the construction of large-scale energy storage system in the energy Internet.
A novel SPMSM sensorless strategy based on parameter identification
Authors: Teng Jihui , Zhang Chengning , Zhang Shuo
Published: September 2020

In recent years, with the application of Permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) has been wildly appeared in many industrial areas, sensorless control method of PMSM is being a research hotpot in last two decades. This paper propose a novel speed sensorless control method for SPMSM, which consists of model adaptive reference speed (MARS) sensorless method and Recursive Least Square (RLS) parameter identification method, we use RLS method to identify the inductance and take the estimated inductance value to MARS control and the fundamental control method, finally we use the estimated speed and position value as feedback to make a close loop control frame. This novel method can successfully make the whole control system operate using the estimated speed and position value as feedback meanwhile overcome the flaw that control frame is sensitive with the parameters. We use Matlab/Simulink to implement simulation and the results could prove this method’s feasibility.
Finite element study on chip morphology evolution of Ti6Al4V in micro-milling
Authors: Liang Ming , Wang Yanshen
Published: September 2020

Chip is an important index to reflect the quality of machining, and its geometric characteristics such as chip sawtooth degree, sawtooth frequency and radius of curvature are greatly affected by cutting parameters. In order to study and predict the evolution of serrated chip in micro-milling of titanium alloy, finite element analysis software ABAQUS was used to establish the finite element model. Based on elasto-plastic constitutive model, fracture criterion and friction model, the influences of linear velocity and feed per tooth on chip morphology and cutting force were simulated. The relationship between serrated chip formation and cutting force fluctuation is revealed, so as to further explore the chip formation mechanism.
Design of an ergonomic App for entire rapid body assessment based on Mask RCNN
Authors: Wu Shuai , Chen Ziwen , Zhao Xinqiao , Yao Maoyun , Wang Zihao , Kuang Shaolong
Published: September 2020

The rapid entire body assessment (REBA) is a rapid and semi-quantitative ergonomic assessment method for those who engaged in manual handling and/or standing work for a long time. In order to provide a self-assessment tool for operators, an App software based on Mask RCNN is proposed in this paper. The software is developed by adopting the architecture of a mobile terminal App combined with an imaging processing server. The main functions of the App are video capturing of work process, the operation of the process of REBA, human-machine interaction, etc., while the server is work for processing the video imaging transmitted from the App, key-points extraction of worker’s body from the images for work posture identification. One thousand working scene photos marked by VIA are used for training and testing based on the Microsoft COCO dataset to obtain a reliable target detection model. Experiment of container handling scene shows that the App evaluation software has achieved higher evaluation efficiency and accuracy. The validation of this method has been proved compared with manual evaluation based on REBA. And other work posture evaluation methods will be developed in the future to form an ergonomic evaluation software system.
Study on interoperation and its’ implementation of MES to support virtual factory
Authors: Wei Shuangyu , Bai Yuewei , Xu Lai
Published: September 2020

The data interoperation between VF (virtual factory) platform and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) plays an important role in intelligent factory construction. The study focuses on the integration strategy between the VF and the MES by incorporating VF manufacturing assets in two ways, i.e., vertical integration (used for production line performance evaluation) and the horizontal integration (cloud manufacturing based on manufacturing assets services discovery and their composition). The VF platform which integrates the manufacturing assets in two manners is designed as the bottom layer in the entire integration framework. It has been applied to build a four tiers integration model in an intelligent production system construction of a domestic ship manufacturer and verified its feasibility and availability.
Bearing faults and broken bars simulation in an induction motor using an engineering tool
Authors: Caiza Gustavo , Garcia Carlos Andres , Blanque-Molina Baldui , Garcia Marcelo Vladimir
Published: September 2020

Industrial processes require reliable, safe, and continuous operation of electric motors. However, unexpected failures result in production losses, high emergency maintenance costs, damage to other related machines and prolonged shutdowns. Therefore, the development of failure analysis, detection and prevention systems is of high importance for the industrial sector. The following paper proposes the generation of a model of a squirrel cage induction motor in the software tool Simulink capable of simulating: i) broken bars and broken rotor rings, and ii) failures in the bearings of the motor, based on the Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) technique which is a non-invasive method. Moreover, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis is used to perform spectral investigation on the current to detect specific components that characterize faults in these conditions.
Numerical simulation of the gas-assisted forming of double-lumen plastic catheter
Authors: Ren Zhong , Xiong Zhihua
Published: September 2020

The numerical simulations of the gas-assisted extrusion (GAE) of double-lumen plastic catheter (DLPC) were performed by using the software Polyflow. The extruded profiles, swell ratios, flow velocities, pressures, stresses of melt based on gas-assisted method were gotten and compared with those of traditional method. Results show that the gas-assisted method can well eliminate the extrusion swell and deformation phenomena of DLPC. The reasons are that, by means of gas-assisted method, the radial velocity of melt is zero, axial velocity distributions are uniform, pressure and stresses are greatly less than the traditional extrusion. Therefore, the gas-assisted method has great value used in the extrusion forming of DLPC.
A biomimetic soft robotic pinna for emulating dynamic reception behavior of horseshoe bats
Authors: Sutlive Joseph , Singh Agoshpreet , Zhang Shuxin , Müller Rolf
Published: September 2020

Encoding of sensory information is fundamental to closing the performance gap between man-made and biological sensing. It has been hypothesized that the coupling of sensing and actuation, a phenomenon observed in bats among other species, is critical to accomplishing this. Using horseshoe bats as a model, we have developed a biomimetic pinna model with a soft actuation system along with a prototype strain sensor for enabling motor feedback. The actuation system used three individually controlled pneumatic actuators per pinna which actuated different portions of the baffle. This prototype produced eight different possible motions that were shown to have significant effects on incoming sound and could hence function as a substrate for adaptive sensing. The range of possible motions could be expanded by adjusting the fill and release parameters of the actuation system. Additionally, the strain sensor was able to represent the deformation of the pinna as measurements from this sensor were highly correlated with deformation estimates based on stereo vision. However, the relationship between displacements of points on the pinna and the sensor output was nonlinear. The improvements embodied in the system discussed here could lead to enhancements in the ability of autonomous systems to encode relevant information about the real world.
Socio-economic disparities in exposure to urban restaurant emissions are larger than for traffic
Authors: Shah R U , Robinson E S , Gu P , Apte J S , Marshall J D , Robinson A L , Presto A A
Published: September 2020

Restaurants and vehicles are important urban sources of particulate matter (PM). Due to the ubiquitous presence of these sources within cities, large variabilities in PM concentrations occur in source-rich environments (e.g. downtown), especially during times of peak activity such as meal times and rush hour. Due to intracity variations in factors such as racial-ethnic composition and economic status, we hypothesized that certain socio-economic groups living closer to sources are exposed to higher PM concentrations. To test this hypothesis, we coupled mobile PM measurements with census data in two midsize US cities: Oakland, CA, and Pittsburgh, PA. A novel aspect of our study is that our measurements are performed at a high (block-level) spatial resolution, which enables us to assess the direct relationship between PM concentrations and socio-economic metrics across different neighborhoods of these two cities. We find that restaurants cause long-term average PM enhancements of 0.1 to 0.3 µg m−3 over length scales between 50 and 450 m. We also find that this PM pollution from restaurants is unevenly distributed amongst different socio-economic groups. On average, areas near restaurant emissions have about 1.5× people of color (African American, Hispanic, Asian, etc), 2.5× poverty, and 0.8× household income, compared to areas far from restaurant emissions. Our findings imply that there are socio-economic disparities in long-term exposure to PM emissions from restaurants. Further, these socio-economic groups also frequently experience acutely high levels of cooking PM (tens to hundreds of µg m−3 in mass concentrations) and co-emitted pollutants. While there are large variations in socio-economic metrics with respect to restaurant proximity, we find that these metrics are spatially invariant with respect to highway proximity. Thus, any socio-economic disparities in exposure to highway emissions are, at most, mild, and certainly small compared to disparities in exposure to restaurant emissions.
A prey–predator system with disease in prey and cooperative hunting strategy in predator
Authors: Saha Sangeeta , Samanta G P
Published: September 2020

A predator–prey model is proposed in this work where the prey population is infected by a disease. Here, healthy prey species show defence mechanism while they are attacked by the predator. Moreover as the infected prey are already physically weak, so, predator apply cooperative hunting strategy while consume infected prey to get more food. It helps the predator population to grow with a higher rate. But calculation gives that if they start to hunt the infected prey with a larger cooperative hunting rate, then ultimately predator population decrease with time. Boundedness and positivity of the system variables show that the proposed model system is well-posed. Routh–Hurwitz criterion provides the local stability conditions of the equilibrium points. Also, the system becomes permanent under certain parametric restrictions. The numerical results, verified using MATLAB, support the analytical findings. Numerical simulations give that the parameter denoting cooperative hunting rate can change the system dynamics and we can get oscillating behaviour by regulating this parameter. Moreover transcritical and saddle-node bifurcations occur by regulating the death rate of predator around the critical points. Occurrence of Bogdanov–Takens, generalized Hopf and Cusp bifurcations have also been observed here.
Analysis of unsignalized intersection upgrading at constrained area in the city of Banda Aceh
Authors: Taufiqy R , Isya M , Darma Y , Thamalkhani
Published: September 2020

The city of Banda Aceh is the capital city of Aceh province. The city’s population is 259,913, and the city’s annual population growth rate is 1.97% (BPS, 2018). Punge intersection is one of the intersections in Banda Aceh; this intersection is passed by the numerous and dense traffic. Based on the observation in certain hours at Punge intersection, it reveals several problems, namely: the intersection capacity and the performance level of the intersection. As a result, this study is aimed to evaluate the performance of Punge intersection. The intersection calculation was based on the Indonesia Highway Capacity Manual (MKJI, 1997). The benefit that can be obtained from this research is to eliminate traffic conflict. According to the survey, it was discovered that the dominant traffic (3,053 pcu/hours) was at the Sultan Iskandar Muda Street, D, from the central city to Ulee Lheu; on the contrary, only a few traffic (559 pcu/hours) passed on Cempaka Punge Jurong Street, A. By way of conclusion, the intersection capacity is inadequate because the degree of saturation has exceeded 0.85, viz 1.851. Therefore, Simpang Punge needs some improvements, such as repairing traffic lights and its geometric.
The study of the operation of Trans Koetaradja public bus transportation of the corridor II A and II B in Banda Aceh city
Authors: Fachrurrozy F , Wulandari E , Darma Y
Published: September 2020

Aceh Government is trying to plan the integrated transportation system. Aceh Government has planned the construction of 6 Corridors of Trans Koetaradja Bus, some of them are Corridors II A and II B. The previous public transport cannot accommodate the transportation service needs of the route of Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport - city center - Ulee Lheue Crossing Port. However, currently, the Banda Aceh Trans Koetaradja Public Bus Transportation is projected to be able to improve the services optimally. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of performance and to improve the quality of the service up to the customers’ satisfaction expectations. The method of this research comprises the survey, which is sampling Kouto and distributing questionnaires and data analysis. The questionnaire distribution uses statistic test method and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) through the SERVQUAL approach, namely: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and physical evidence. The result of the study is that the current performance of the services of Trans Koetaradja public bus transportation is rated as good; the importance of the service regarding the customers’ expectation is rated good; the quality of service provided to customers is rated 94.52%. The conclusion of this study is that there are several shortages of transportation performance, such as the timeliness of arrival, waiting time at bus stops, passenger assistance, and available seats.
Analysis on the willingness to pay and ability to pay in determining the fares of Sigli - Banda Aceh toll road
Authors: Wathan QH , Isya M , Sugiarto
Published: September 2020

The Sigli - Banda Aceh toll road, which has a length of 75 km, is part of the construction project of the Banda Aceh - Binjai toll road section. This toll road will become the first toll road in Aceh, so it is needed to do the research in order to plan the toll rates. The purpose of this study is to find out the value of ability to pay (ATP) and willingness to pay (WTP) of the community on toll fares. Observation surveys were carried out for two days, which is on Saturday and Sunday. The types of vehicles reviewed are group i vehicles which is light vehicles namely sedans, passenger car, and small buses, group II which is the truck with two axles, group III which is a truck with three axles, group IV which is the truck with four axles, and group V which is the truck with five axles or more. The results of the ability to pay (ATP) fares analysis for each group are as follows: group I (LV) is Rp. 60,193 which is rounded to Rp. 61,000; group IIA (MHV) is Rp. 174,089 which is rounded to Rp. 174,000; and Group IIB (LT & LB) is Rp. 120,579 which rounded to Rp. 121,000. On the other hand, the results of the willingness to pay (WTP) analysis for each group are as follows: group I (LV) is Rp. 52,305 which is rounded to Rp. 53,000; group IIA (MHV) is Rp. 124,655 which is rounded to Rp. 125,000; and group IIB (LT & LB) is Rp. 110,052 which is rounded to Rp. 110,000.
Small-sized contractors’ strategies of construction material purchasing in road rehabilitation projects
Authors: Maisarah SCS , Irfanto R , Abduh M
Published: September 2020

Material management in construction project consists of material requirements planning, selecting suppliers, purchasing process, managing inventories, utilizing material, and managing waste materials. Suppliers selection and purchasing materials are very important stage related to suppliers and contractor relationship that needs to be considered. This paper discusses strategic issues in managing the purchasing of construction materials for road projects accomplished by small-sized contractors in The Greater Bandung areas. Kraljic’s portfolio matrix approach is used to identify strategic construction materials. Initial data were obtained from three projects of road rehabilitation to identify seven strategic materials which further validated by gathering more data from the other 10 small-sized contractors. Based on the result of the identifying stage, it was found six strategic materials subsequently its strategic purchasing method was identified based on the characteristics of each material; building a strategic partnership was proposed for all materials.
Rainfall interception loss by corn crop
Authors: Erlangga T , Yulianur A , Sugianto  , Aditya L
Published: September 2020

One factor that influences the water balance on earth is the presence of the rain factors. The Hydrological cycle is a process of water that is evaporated and if the atmosphere allows, water will fall as rain. Interception is an important factor in the hydrological cycle. With the process of interception, rain water that reaches the ground surface becomes reduced. The amount of interception is influenced by land use in a sub-watershed. This research was conducted in the Krueng Jreu sub-watershed, located in Aceh Besar District with an area of 23,189.53 Ha. Land use at this location is generally intended for plantations, wetland agriculture, protected forests, and rural settlements. Most of the citizen around the research location, work as farmers, such as farmers of rice, corn, peanuts, oil palm, and others. In comparison to all types of plants, corn is one of the dominant plants developed in this area. The purpose of this research is to find out the value of interception in maize plants. The value of interception in maize plants aged 1-3 months was analyzed by making a Mini Hydrological Watershed model to obtain a regression equation, where this equation is used to see the interception of maize intercepts on rainwater rainfall observations of 19 variants of observational data from 3 months of research. The amount of interception in maize plants obtained based on the Mini Hydrology Watershed model with logarithmatic regression is 17.62 mm from 205.950 mm of total rainfall.
A simple and safe brick masonry infill construction for high seismic-prone area
Authors: Tanjung J , Ismail FA , Maidiawati M , Hayati Y
Published: September 2020

West Sumatera Province has been known as one of the high seismic-prone areas in Indonesia. In this area, peoples commonly use the brick masonry as infill in the Reinforced Concrete (RC) frame structures. Field investigation after the earthquake informed that there were many bricks masonry infill collapsed caused by the earthquake motion. In this study, a simple and safe brick masonry infill construction in the RC frame structure is proposed for applying in the high seismic-prone area such as West Sumatera. The proposed construction method was defined based on the experimental works of the three 1/4 reduced-scale singe-bay and single-story RC frame specimens. The specimens include one specimen of RC frame infilled with brick masonry, one specimen of RC frame infilled with strengthened brick masonry by using chicken wire mesh, and one specimen of RC frame infilled with brick masonry infill and anchored to the columns with plain steel rebars. The wire mesh was sewn on both sides of the diagonal area of the brick masonry infill. All the specimens have subjected to lateral static reversed loading. The structural test results have shown that the strengthening using the chicken wire mesh increase the lateral strength of the RC frame about 22.%, while the use of the plain rebars anchor decreases the lateral strength about 1.8% and both methods can delay the failure of the brick masonry infill.
Builder perception on the implementation of earthquake resistant non-engineered house construction practice in Padang City
Authors: Hesna Y , Sunaryati J , Marlin P A
Published: September 2020

Disaster preparedness from the builder is crucial due to the increase of earthquake vulnerability in Padang City. To ensure that the house is built following the concept of an earthquake-resistant non-engineered house must be followed in building the house to secure and minimizes the risk of casualties and losses caused by the earthquake. Previous experience shows that technical factors are not enough to increase the awareness of the builders. It requires non-technical factors that may play a significant role in disaster reduction in the community. That is why this study intends to identify builder perception about indicators of earthquake-resistant non-engineered house development and its implementation in the field. Questionnaires are used to gather the data to 30 housing projects in Padang City. In general, all statements about the concept of earthquake-resistant houses are strongly considered by the builders. However, it does not implement in the field run smoothly. Many construction practices found did not meet the principles. Government and stakeholder participation are needed to enhance the competency and knowledge of the homeowners and builders.
The effect of fishbone fiber and rice husk ash additive on the mechanical properties of normal concrete
Authors: Damayanti S , Aulia T B , Hayati Y
Published: September 2020

Concrete is a material that strong in holding compression force but weak in holding tension force so reinforcement is needed to prevent cracks in the pull region. Tuna bone fibers work as reinforcement, which is expected to overcome the problem of brittle concrete and produce ductile concrete. To improve concrete performance, fibers and additives are used. Tuna bone fibers and rice husk ash additives were selected to be able to utilize local natural materials. The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanical properties of normal concrete, which include compressive strength and tensile strength, by adding fiber and ash additives. The percentage of fibers added is 0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% of volume of concrete, and the percentage of additives is 0%, 10%, and 15% of weight of cement. Compression tests were performed to a total of 90 pieces of objects at 7, 28, and 56 days of age. Split tensile tests were performed to a total of 60 pieces of objects at the 28 and 56 days of age. The maximum compressive strength at 7, 28, and 56 days of age are 31.45 MPa, 36.81 MPa, and 41.16 MPa, respectively which were produced by variation BNS1 (BN+fiber 0.5%). The maximum tensile strength at 28 and 56 days of age are 4.08 MPa and 4.12 MPa; respectively which were produced by variation of BNS2 (BN+fiber 1%). All specimens at 7, 28, and 56 days of age produce concrete compressive strength on average 20 MPa of concrete above so that it is categorized into structural concrete.
Spatial analysis of land subsidence potential due to lowland conversion (case study at Tanjung Api-Api)
Authors: Andriani  , Ibrahim E , Putranto D D A , Affandy A K , Putra H G
Published: September 2020

The conversion of lowland area into special economic zones at Tanjung Api-Api will trigger environmental degradations, one of which is land subsidence. Land subsidence potential is caused by several natural environmental factors, which are soil type, soft soil thickness, topography, geological conditions, and rainfall, and non-natural factors, which are caused by land use or land cover, groundwater extraction, building density and others. Multicriteria analysis was conducted to obtain the weight of each factor, then the factor was overlayed to determine the level of land subsidence based on land use or land cover. Spatial analysis has been done to many factors causing land subsidence. The results showed that industrial estates and housing areas have a high potential for land subsidence. Mitigation efforts must be carried out to reduce severe land subsidence at the built-up area.
MOSAIC: a joint modeling methodology for combined circadian and non-circadian analysis of multi-omics data
Authors: De los Santos Hannah , Bennett Kristin P , Hurley Jennifer M
Published: September 2020

Motivation

Circadian rhythms are approximately 24-h endogenous cycles that control many biological functions. To identify these rhythms, biological samples are taken over circadian time and analyzed using a single omics type, such as transcriptomics or proteomics. By comparing data from these single omics approaches, it has been shown that transcriptional rhythms are not necessarily conserved at the protein level, implying extensive circadian post-transcriptional regulation. However, as proteomics methods are known to be noisier than transcriptomic methods, this suggests that previously identified arrhythmic proteins with rhythmic transcripts could have been missed due to noise and may not be due to post-transcriptional regulation.

Results

To determine if one can use information from less-noisy transcriptomic data to inform rhythms in more-noisy proteomic data, and thus more accurately identify rhythms in the proteome, we have created the Multi-Omics Selection with Amplitude Independent Criteria (MOSAIC) application. MOSAIC combines model selection and joint modeling of multiple omics types to recover significant circadian and non-circadian trends. Using both synthetic data and proteomic data from Neurospora crassa, we showed that MOSAIC accurately recovers circadian rhythms at higher rates in not only the proteome but the transcriptome as well, outperforming existing methods for rhythm identification. In addition, by quantifying non-circadian trends in addition to circadian trends in data, our methodology allowed for the recognition of the diversity of circadian regulation as compared to non-circadian regulation.

Availability and implementation

MOSAIC’s full interface is available at https://github.com/delosh653/MOSAIC. An R package for this functionality, mosaic.find, can be downloaded at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=mosaic.find.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The effects of terrorist incidents on public worry of future attacks, views of the police and social cohesion
Authors: Fenn Liam , Brunton-Smith Ian
Published: September 2020

Despite a growing body of research examining the psychological effects of terrorist incidents, there remains comparatively little empirical assessment of their impacts on citizens’ worry about further attacks, perceptions of the police or social cohesion. Drawing on interviews with nearly 100,000 London residents, we find higher levels of worry following most domestic attacks. Improvements in overall ratings of the police are tempered by more negative assessments of their ability to handle future threats. We also find that far-right incidents are less closely linked to changes in public ratings of the police and concerns about future attacks compared to Islamic terror attacks. Effects on social cohesion are less predictable. We find reductions in cohesion following some attacks but increases following others.
The Micro–Macro Nexus: Rethinking the Relationship between Social Work, Social Policy and Wider Policy in a Changing World
Authors: Lombard Antoinette , Viviers André
Published: September 2020

To remain relevant in a rapidly changing society, social work must ensure that policies respond timeously and justly to mitigate the impact of continuous change on individuals, families, communities and the wider society. This requires rethinking social work’s role in shaping policy in a broader context to address a new order, going beyond social welfare and social policy. In this conceptual article, the authors argue that to be relevant in the twenty-first century, social work has to adopt a transformative social policy approach, including policy advocacy. Furthermore, social work should contribute to policy transformation at the micro–macro nexus, where social justice can be promoted at the local and global, the personal and political levels. Policy transformation for just societies promotes economic prosperity and environmental sustainability; hence, social work must embrace a developmental approach embedded in a human rights-based framework that contributes to sustainable development. Social work education plays a critical role in preparing graduates to transform policy through advocacy practice and critical pedagogy. The article concludes that social work needs to expand its role from predominantly focusing on social policy to a wider policy scope that embraces social, economic and environmental justice which contributes to sustainable development.
Preoperative transcranial magnetic stimulation for picture naming is reliable in mapping segments of the arcuate fasciculus
Authors: Giampiccolo Davide , Howells Henrietta , Bährend Ina , Schneider Heike , Raffa Giovanni , Rosenstock Tizian , Vergani Francesco , Vajkoczy Peter , Picht Thomas
Published: September 2020

In preoperative planning for neurosurgery, both anatomical (diffusion imaging tractography) and functional tools (MR-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation) are increasingly used to identify and preserve eloquent language structures specific to individuals. Using these tools in healthy adults shows that speech production errors occur mainly in perisylvian cortical sites that correspond to subject-specific terminations of the major language pathway, the arcuate fasciculus. It is not clear whether this correspondence remains in oncological patients with altered tissue. We studied a heterogeneous cohort of 30 patients (fourteen male, mean age 44), undergoing a first or second surgery for a left hemisphere brain tumour in a language-eloquent region, to test whether speech production errors induced by preoperative transcranial magnetic stimulation had consistent anatomical correspondence to the arcuate fasciculus. We used navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation during picture naming and recorded different perisylvian sites where transient interference to speech production occurred. Spherical deconvolution diffusion imaging tractography was performed to map the direct fronto-temporal and indirect (fronto-parietal and parieto-temporal) segments of the arcuate fasciculus in each patient. Speech production errors were reported in all patients when stimulating the frontal lobe, and in over 90% of patients in the parietal lobe. Errors were less frequent in the temporal lobe (54%). In all patients, at least one error site corresponded to a termination of the arcuate fasciculus, particularly in the frontal and parietal lobes, despite distorted anatomy due to a lesion and/or previous resection. Our results indicate that there is strong correspondence between terminations of the arcuate fasciculus and speech errors. This indicates that white matter anatomy may be a robust marker for identifying functionally eloquent cortex, particularly in the frontal and parietal lobe. This knowledge may improve targets for preoperative mapping of language in the neurosurgical setting.
Long-Term Longitudinal Stability of Kidney Filtration Marker Measurements: Implications for Epidemiological Studies and Clinical Care
Authors: Karger Amy B , Eckfeldt John H , Rynders Gregory P , Chaudhari Juhi , Miao Shiyuan , Van Lente Frederick , Coresh Josef , Levey Andrew S , Inker Lesley A
Published: September 2020

Background

Establishment and improvement of glomerular filtration rate estimating equations requires accurate and precise laboratory measurement procedures (MPs) for filtration markers. The Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL) at the University of Minnesota, which has served as the central laboratory for the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration since 2009, has implemented several quality assurance measures to monitor the accuracy and stability of filtration marker assays over time.

Methods

To assess longitudinal stability for filtration marker assays, a 40-sample calibration panel was created using pooled serum, divided into multiple frozen aliquots stored at −80 °C. ARDL monitored 4 markers—creatinine, cystatin C, beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) and beta-trace protein—measuring 15 calibration panel aliquots from 2009 to 2019. Initial target values were established using the mean of the first 3 measurements performed in 2009–10, and differences from target were monitored over time. New MPs for cystatin C and B2M were added in 2012, with target values established using the first measurement.

Results

The mean percentage difference from mean target values across time was <2% for all original MPs (−0.59% for creatinine; −0.94% for cystatin C; −0.82% for B2M; 1.24% for beta-trace protein).

Conclusions

Close monitoring of filtration marker trends with a calibration panel at ARDL demonstrates remarkable long-term stability of the MPs. Routine use of a calibration panel for both research studies and clinical care is recommended for filtration markers where longitudinal monitoring is important to detect analytical biases, which can mask or confound true clinical trends in patients.
Disease Activity Patterns in the First 5 Years After Diagnosis in Children With Ulcerative Colitis: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Aloi M , Bramuzzo M , Norsa L , Arrigo S , Distante M , Miele E , Romano C , Giobbi C , Panceri R , Cucchiara S , Alvisi P ,   SIGENP IBD Working Group. IBD Working group, Lombardi G , Salvatore S , Gatti S , De Giacomo C , Knafelz D , Barera G , Provera S , Pastore M
Published: September 2020

Background

The aim of this study was to define clusters of activity in a population-based cohort during the first 5 years after diagnosis in children with ulcerative colitis [UC] and to identify early prognostic risk factors.

Methods

All UC patients from the SIGENP IBD registry with a complete follow-up of at least 5 years were included. Active disease was defined every 6 months in the presence of at least one of the following: clinical activity [Paediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index ≥ 35]; endoscopic activity [Mayo score ≥ 1]; faecal calprotectin > 250 µg/g; hospitalization; surgery; or treatment escalation. Formula-based clusters were generated based on four published questionnaire-based activity patterns in adults, plus one additional cluster.

Results

In total, 226 patients were identified. Forty-two [19%] had moderate–severe chronically active disease, 31 [14%] chronic–intermittent, 75 [33%] quiescent, 54 [24%] active disease in the first 2 years after the diagnosis, then sustained remission, and 24 [11%] a remission in the first 2 years then an active disease. Mild disease onset along with a lower clinical severity not requiring the use of corticosteroids at 6 months were related to a quiescent disease course at the next follow-up (logistic model area under the curve 0.86 [95% confidence interval 0.78–0.94]; positive predictive value 67%; negative predictive value 70%). Eight per cent of patients needed surgery, none in the quiescent group [p = 0.04].

Conclusions

More than one-third of children with UC present with a chronically active or intermittent course during the first 5 years of follow-up. A significant group of patients has active disease in the first 2 years and then sustained remission. Interestingly, after initial treatment, one-third of patients have well-controlled disease throughout.
Comparative Genomics and Pan-Genomics of the Myxococcaceae, including a Description of Five Novel Species: Myxococcus eversor sp. nov., Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis sp. nov., Myxococcus vastator sp. nov., Pyxidicoccus caerfyrddinensis sp. nov., and Pyxidicoccus trucidator sp. nov.
Authors: Chambers James , Sparks Natalie , Sydney Natashia , Livingstone Paul G , Cookson Alan R , Whitworth David E
Published: September 2020

Members of the predatory Myxococcales (myxobacteria) possess large genomes, undergo multicellular development, and produce diverse secondary metabolites, which are being actively prospected for novel drug discovery. To direct such efforts, it is important to understand the relationships between myxobacterial ecology, evolution, taxonomy, and genomic variation.

This study investigated the genomes and pan-genomes of organisms within the Myxococcaceae, including the genera Myxococcus and Corallococcus, the most abundant myxobacteria isolated from soils. Previously, ten species of Corallococcus were known, whereas six species of Myxococcus phylogenetically surrounded a third genus (Pyxidicoccus) composed of a single species. Here, we describe draft genome sequences of five novel species within the Myxococcaceae (Myxococcus eversor, Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis, Myxococcus vastator, Pyxidicoccus caerfyrddinensis, and Pyxidicoccus trucidator) and for the Pyxidicoccus type species strain, Pyxidicoccus fallax DSM 14698T. Genomic and physiological comparisons demonstrated clear differences between the five novel species and every other Myxococcus or Pyxidicoccus spp. type strain.

Subsequent analyses of type strain genomes showed that both the Corallococcus pan-genome and the combined Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus (Myxococcus/Pyxidicoccus) pan-genome are large and open, but with clear differences. Genomes of Corallococcus spp. are generally smaller than those of Myxococcus/Pyxidicoccus spp. but have core genomes three times larger. Myxococcus/Pyxidicoccus spp. genomes are more variable in size, with larger and more unique sets of accessory genes than those of Corallococcus species. In both genera, biosynthetic gene clusters are relatively enriched in the shell pan-genomes, implying they grant a greater evolutionary benefit than other shell genes, presumably by conferring selective advantages during predation.