bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-speed atomic force microscope with a combined tip-sample scanning architecture
Authors: Liu Lu , Wu Sen , Pang Hai , Hu Xiaodong , Hu Xiaotang
Published: June 2019

A high-speed atomic force microscope (HS-AFM) based on a tip-sample combined scanning architecture is presented. In this system, the X-scanner, which is separated from the AFM head, carries the sample and scans along the fast-axis. The Y and Z scanners integrated in the AFM head oscillate an ultrashort cantilever probe and scan in the other two dimensions. The optical beam deflection method is improved to enable the laser to track the probe over a wide scan range. A novel probe holder realizes easy exchange and alignment of the probe. Due to the separation of the X and Y scanners, both appear with better dynamic performance and carrying capacity. Experiments show that the HS-AFM established in this work can achieve a line rate of up to 100 Hz with the basic proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm and linear driving. The permissible sample size and mass can be as large as several centimeters and above 40 g.
Cl-doping effect in ZnTe1-xOx highly mismatched alloys for intermediate band solar cells
Authors: Tanaka Tooru , Matsuo Kento , Saito Katsuhiko , Guo Qixin , Tayagaki Takeshi , Yu Kin Man , Walukiewicz Wladek
Published: June 2019

Cl doping in highly mismatched ZnTe1-xOx (ZnTeO) alloys was achieved by molecular beam epitaxy using ZnCl2 as a dopant source. The temperature dependence of the bandgap energies for both upper and lower subbands, E+ and E−, of ZnTeO was determined by photoreflectance, and it was found to vary in accordance with those expected by the band anticrossing model. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy indicates that the Cl concentration increases with increasing ZnCl2 cell temperature. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra show the broad PL peak near the E− band. Intermediate band solar cells (IBSCs) fabricated using ZnTeO:Cl exhibit improved short circuit current and open circuit voltage. The results suggest that the Cl doping can effectively improve the PV properties of ZnTeO-based IBSCs and, therefore, is potentially useful for the realization of high efficiency IBSCs.
Roughness dependent wettability of sputtered copper thin films: The effect of the local surface slope
Authors: Foadi Farnaz , ten Brink Gert H. , Mohammadizadeh Mohammad Reza , Palasantzas George
Published: June 2019

Here, we investigated the static and the dynamic wetting behaviors of copper (Cu) thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering. The deposited films have random rough surfaces for which the rms roughness amplitude σ, the lateral correlation length ξ, and the roughness exponent α were obtained from the analysis of height topography images acquired by atomic force microscopy. The time-dependent height-height correlation functions indicated anomalous kinetic roughening with roughness exponents α ≈ 0.9 and evolving roughness parameters σ and ξ with deposition time. The latter yields a nonstationary local surface slope σ/ξ that has a crucial impact on the surface wettability. Indeed, static and dynamic contact angles’ (CAs) measurements revealed two wetting regimes associated with different growth stages leading to a transition from a metastable Cassie-Baxter to a Wenzel-like state for the roughest films. Moreover, the increasing roughness with well distributed peaks and valleys leads to increasing CAs due to trapped air in surface cavities, while after some point the larger surface features lead to a decrement of the CAs that vary only slightly with further roughening. Although the apparent wetting transition with increasing surface roughness is not favored by the local Laplace pressure estimation, the energy of the system decreases with surface roughening, or equivalently increasing local surface slope, favoring energetically a Wenzel state. Under these conditions, the water droplet can spontaneously fill the surface cavities once the impregnation is initiated by the hydrophilic nature of the surface, in agreement with our experiments for significantly large local surface slopes ρ (>0.1) and large roughness exponents α ∼ 1.
Large-area high-speed scanning probe microscopy using legacy scanners
Authors: Dey S. , Kartik V.
Published: June 2019

In scanning probe microscopy, the scanner dynamically positions the sample relative to the probe, and the upper limit of the imaging speed is governed primarily by the first eigenfrequency of the scanner. The mechanical oscillations of the scanner—even when it operates far from resonance—give rise to image artifacts and negatively affect the image resolution. This paper analytically and experimentally investigates the scanner’s dynamics at high scan rates upon scanning over a large area. At slow scan speeds, the frequency spectra of the microcantilever’s deflection signal exhibit only the excitation frequency and its harmonics; in contrast, at high scan speeds, the spectra exhibit sidebands centered around the excitation harmonics and separated from them by the scanner’s eigenfrequency. Exploiting this phenomenon, a scanner dynamics-based method is proposed to reconstruct the surface topography, and, thereby, to reduce the oscillation-induced image artifacts. The method is proven for a variety of sample surfaces at very high scan rates up to 59.2 Hz (corresponding to a linear speed of 4.74 mm/s) upon scanning over a 40 μm × 40 μm area and is successfully demonstrated to be able to virtually eliminate any image artifacts. A nearly ten-fold increase in the scan rate is demonstrated using even a legacy scanner, with no changes required to the hardware.
Dynamic susceptibility of skyrmionic bubbles stabilized in the absence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in cylindrical nanostructures
Authors: Saavedra Eduardo , Tejo Felipe , Escrig Juan
Published: June 2019

The magnetic dynamic susceptibility of cobalt dots hosting a skyrmionic bubble has been obtained by means of micromagnetic simulations by exciting the system with a magnetic field pulse. When the pulse is applied parallel to the dot axis, a single resonance peak is obtained, whereas when the pulse is applied perpendicular to the dot axis, multiple peaks are obtained. The origin of each of these peaks and their evolution as a function of uniaxial anisotropy are studied in detail. The results presented in this work are important in view of the possible realization of tunable frequency devices, since we showed that it is possible to adjust a set of frequencies of skyrmionic bubbles by controlling the uniaxial anisotropy constant of the dot and the direction in which the magnetic pulse is applied.
Quantum Lyapunov exponents beyond continuous measurements
Authors: Yusipov I. I. , Vershinina O. S. , Denisov S. , Kuznetsov S. P. , Ivanchenko M. V.
Published: June 2019

Quantum systems, when interacting with their environments, may exhibit nonequilibrium states that are tempting to be interpreted as quantum analogs of chaotic attractors. However, different from the Hamiltonian case, the toolbox for quantifying dissipative quantum chaos remains limited. In particular, quantum generalizations of Lyapunov exponents, the main quantifiers of classical chaos, are established only within the framework of continuous measurements. We propose an alternative generalization based on the unraveling of quantum master equation into an ensemble of “quantum trajectories,” by using the so-called Monte Carlo wave-function method. We illustrate the idea with a periodically modulated open quantum dimer and demonstrate that the transition to quantum chaos matches the period-doubling route to chaos in the corresponding mean-field system.
Optimizing reactive ion etching to remove sub-surface polishing damage on diamond
Authors: Hicks Marie-Laure , Pakpour-Tabrizi Alexander C. , Zuerbig Verena , Kirste Lutz , Nebel Christoph , Jackman Richard B.
Published: June 2019

Low defect smooth substrates are essential to achieve high quality diamond epitaxial growth and high performance devices. The optimization of the Ar/O2/CF4 reactive ion etching (RIE) plasma treatment for diamond substrate smoothing and its effectiveness to remove subsurface polishing damage are characterized. An O2/CF4 RIE process and the effect of different process parameters (inductively coupled plasma, platen power, and pressure) were initially examined. This process, however, still produced a detrimental effect to surface roughness, with etch pits across the surface of the sample. The addition of argon to the process achieved near-zero surface pit density and reduced roughness by 20%–44% after 6 and 10 μm etching. Iterative high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements provided a nondestructive tool to examine the effectiveness of polishing damage removal and in this case reduced after removal of 6 μm of material from the surface of the diamond substrate with the smoothing treatment.
Adaptive low-temperature covalent bonding of III-nitride thin films by extremely thin water interlayers
Authors: Gerrer Thomas , Graff Andreas , Simon-Najasek Michél , Czap Heiko , Maier Thomas , Benkhelifa Fouad , Müller Stefan , Nebel Christoph , Waltereit Patrick , Quay Rüdiger , Cimalla Volker
Published: June 2019

Direct low-temperature bond technologies for III-nitride thin film devices are of great interest to both improve device performance and enable on-wafer integration with other semiconductor technologies. However, thin films released from their growth substrate are rather rough and difficult to prepare for direct bonding. Here, we present a bond technique, which transforms a thin AlN surface layer into a 30 nm solid aluminum hydroxide bond layer. This chemical process is based on the dissolution of AlN and recrystallization of aluminum hydroxides within several nanometers of interfacial water, thereby restructuring and adapting the interfaces to form a homogeneous bond contact without any interfacial voids. AlGaN/GaN microwave transistors bonded on diamond demonstrate an excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance of this bond technology for high-frequency devices as well as many other III-nitride applications.
A versatile simulation method for studying phase behavior and dynamics in colloidal rod and rod-polymer suspensions
Authors: Liu Yawei , Widmer-Cooper Asaph
Published: June 2019

Here, we present an implicit-solvent model for dynamic simulations of hard-rod and rod-polymer suspensions. Individual rods are represented by a rigid linear chain consisting of overlapping spheres which interact through a pseudohard-core potential based on the cut-and-shifted Mie (generalized Lennard-Jones) potential with exponents (50, 49). In the rod-polymer suspensions, the polymers are modeled as freely interpenetrable spheres with respect to each other, while there is the pseudohard-core repulsion between the polymer and rod spheres. Dynamic simulations with this model are carried out with a dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) thermostat—each sphere is put in a larger DPD sphere and thus interacts with others via additional pairwise frictional and random forces—which captures the effects of Brownian forces due to the solvent while conserving local momentum. The phase behavior of these models, obtained from continuous compression and expansion simulations, reproduces previous predictions based on theoretical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations. Our method is suited to study dynamic processes in these suspensions, including nucleation and self-assembly, and can be readily extended to colloidal particles of different shapes and chemistry.
Tunable wave localization for Tamm modes in graphene-based photonic crystals
Authors: Fuentecilla-Carcamo I. , Gaspar-Armenta J. A. , Palomino-Ovando M. A. , Ramos-Mendieta F.
Published: June 2019

In this work, we demonstrate the existence of TE polarized surface Bloch modes localized at the boundary of semi-infinite graphene-based photonic crystal and homogeneous dielectric. Imposing an alternate low-high doping level on graphene layers along the multilayer, it is possible to open bandgaps where mode localization can be achieved for TE polarization. The surface modes reported here exist in the low terahertz regime with a corresponding long decaying length and close to allowed band. Due to the tunable gap characteristics of the periodic structure proposed, an on-off switch for TE polarized surface Bloch modes can be achieved. We proved that TE polarized surface mode excitation can be achieved by attenuated total reflection technique in the Otto configuration, making them suitable for experimental probing. Fermi levels considered in this work lie in the range 0.2eV<μ<0.8eV, which is experimentally achievable in electrical gated configurations.
Integrated rate laws for processive and distributive enzymatic turnover
Authors: Barel Itay , Reich Norbert O. , Brown Frank L. H.
Published: June 2019

Recently derived steady-state differential rate laws for the catalytic turnover of molecules containing two substrate sites are reformulated as integrated rate laws. The analysis applies to a broad class of Markovian dynamic models, motivated by the varied and often complex mechanisms associated with DNA modifying enzymes. Analysis of experimental data for the methylation kinetics of DNA by Dam (DNA adenine methyltransferase) is drastically improved through the use of integrated rate laws. Data that are too noisy for fitting to differential predictions are reliably interpreted through the integrated rate laws.
High thermal conductivity of chain-aligned bulk linear ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene
Authors: Shi Ai , Li Yue , Liu Wei , Lei Jun , Li Zhong-Ming
Published: June 2019

It is difficult for bulk polymers to be used in the thermal management field because of their low thermal conductivity (TC). Considering that there have been few studies on the enhancement of TC for bulk polymers, we, in this work, used linear ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (LUHMWPE), which has a reduced number of branching, rather than conventional UHMWPE to successfully produce a high TC bulk polymer via utilizing solid state extrusion (SSE) to obtain a highly oriented structure. The high orientation of polymer backbone chains parallel to the extrusion direction and the increased crystallinity were responsible for the greatly improved TC. The oriented bulk LUHMWPE's thermal conductivity reached 4.7 W/mK, approximately 13 times that of its compression-molded sample, is also higher than the conventional UHMWPE prepared by SSE (3.0 W/mK). Moreover, it is found that the final thermal conduction performance of bulk LUHMWPE had a positive correlation with the extrusion draw ratio. The result of scanning electron microscopy shows that a number of nanofiberlike structures were formed during SSE, accounting for the super high tensile strength (120.4 MPa) of the bulks. The enhanced thermal conduction performance and high tensile strength make neat LUHMWPE a highly potential candidate to be used in electronic packaging areas.
New insights into the physics of inertial microfluidics in curved microchannels. I. Relaxing the fixed inflection point assumption
Authors: Rafeie Mehdi , Hosseinzadeh Shahin , Taylor Robert A. , Warkiani Majid Ebrahimi
Published: June 2019

Inertial microfluidics represents a powerful new tool for accurately positioning cells and microparticles within fluids for a variety of biomedical, clinical, and industrial applications. In spite of enormous advancements in the science and design of these devices, particularly in curved microfluidic channels, contradictory experimental results have confounded researchers and limited progress. Thus, at present, a complete theory which describes the underlying physics is lacking. We propose that this bottleneck is due to one simple mistaken assumption—the locations of inflection points of the Dean velocity profile in curved microchannels are not fixed, but can actually shift with the flow rate. Herein, we propose that the dynamic distance (δ) between the real equilibrium positions and their nearest inflection points can clearly explain several (previously) unexplained phenomena in inertial microfluidic systems. More interestingly, we found that this parameter, δ, is a function of several geometric and operational parameters, all of which are investigated (in detail) here with a series of experiments and simulations of different spiral microchannels. This key piece of understanding is expected to open the door for researchers to develop new and more effective inertial microfluidic designs.
Semiclassical vibrational spectroscopy with Hessian databases
Authors: Conte Riccardo , Gabas Fabio , Botti Giacomo , Zhuang Yu , Ceotto Michele
Published: June 2019

We report on a new approach to ease the computational overhead of ab initio “on-the-fly” semiclassical dynamics simulations for vibrational spectroscopy. The well known bottleneck of such computations lies in the necessity to estimate the Hessian matrix for propagating the semiclassical pre-exponential factor at each step along the dynamics. The procedure proposed here is based on the creation of a dynamical database of Hessians and associated molecular geometries able to speed up calculations while preserving the accuracy of results at a satisfactory level. This new approach can be interfaced to both analytical potential energy surfaces and on-the-fly dynamics, allowing one to study even large systems previously not achievable. We present results obtained for semiclassical vibrational power spectra of methane, glycine, and N-acetyl-L-phenylalaninyl-L-methionine-amide, a molecule of biological interest made of 46 atoms.
MOCVD homoepitaxy of Si-doped (010) β-Ga2O3 thin films with superior transport properties
Authors: Feng Zixuan , Anhar Uddin Bhuiyan A F M , Karim Md Rezaul , Zhao Hongping
Published: June 2019

Record-high electron mobilities were achieved for silicon-doped (010) β-Ga2O3 homoepitaxial films grown via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Key growth parameters were investigated to reduce the background doping and compensation concentration. Controllable n-type Si doping was achieved as low as low-1016 cm−3. Record carrier mobilities of 184 cm2/V s at room temperature and 4984 cm2/V s at low temperature (45 K) were measured for β-Ga2O3 thin films with room-temperature doping concentrations of 2.5 × 1016 and 2.75 × 1016 cm−3, respectively. Analysis of temperature-dependent Hall mobility and carrier concentration data revealed a low compensation concentration of 9.4 × 1014 cm−3. Using the two-donor model, Si on the tetrahedrally coordinated Ga(I) site represented the primary shallow donor state, and the secondary donor state was found to possess an activation energy of 120 meV. The demonstration of high-purity and high-quality β-Ga2O3 thin films with uniform and smooth surface morphology via MOCVD will harness its advantages as an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor for power electronic and short-wavelength optoelectronic device applications.
Sensitive and label-free detection of protein secondary structure by amide III spectral signals using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Tian Kang-zhen , Cao Chang-chun , Nie Xin-ming , Wang Wen , Han Cai-qin
Published: June 2019

Proteins and peptides perform a vital role in living systems, however it remains a challenge for accurate description of proteins at the molecular level. Despite that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can provide the intrinsic fingerprint information of samples with ultrahigh sensitivity, it suffers from the poor reproducibility and reliability. Herein, we demonstrate that the silver nanorod array fabricated by an oblique angle deposition method is a powerful substrate for SERS to probe the protein secondary structures without exogenous labels. With this method, the SERS signals of two typical proteins (lysozyme and cytochrome c) are successfully obtained. Additionally, by analyzing the spectral signals of the amide III of protein backbone, the influence of concentration on the folding status of proteins has been elucidated. With the concentration increasing, the components of α-helix and β-sheet structures of lysozyme increase while the secondary structures of cytochrome c almost keep constant. The SERS method in this work offers an effective optical marker to characterize the structures of proteins.
Redox controllable switch of crystalline phase and physical property in SrVOx epitaxial films
Authors: Gu Xue-jiao , Luo Zhen-lin , Dong Yong-qi , Zhou Jing-tian , Xu Han , Hong Bin , Gao Chen
Published: June 2019

Transition-metal oxides have attracted much attention due to its abundant crystalline phases and intriguing physical properties. However, some of these compounds are difficult to be fabricated directly in film form due to the ease of valence variation of transition-metal elements. In this work, we reveal the reversible structural transition between SrVO3 and Sr2V2O7 films via thermal treatment in oxygen atmosphere or in vacuum. Based on this, Sr2V2O7 epitaxial films are successfully synthesized and studied. Property characterizations show that the semitransparent and metallic SrVO3 could reversibly switch into transparent and insulating Sr2V2O7, implying potential applications in controllable electronic and optical devices.
Exploring information technology (IT) sophistication in New South Wales residential aged care facilities
Authors: Alexander Gregory L. , Georgiou Andrew , Siette Joyce , Madsen Richard , Livingstone Anne , Westbrook Johanna , Deroche Chelsea
Published: June 2019

Objective
The aim of this study was to determine baseline information technology (IT) sophistication in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, residential aged care facilities.

Method
IT sophistication measures IT capabilities, extent of IT use and IT integration in two domains, resident care and clinical support. A survey was administered to all NSW residential aged care facilities (n = 876) between February and May 2017. A 15% response rate was achieved (130/876). Facilities were organised by organisational type, total residential places and remoteness. Using post-stratification weights, estimates of IT sophistication scores for NSW were determined. Regression was used to examine whether there was a linear relationship between IT sophistication and the ratio of residents receiving high care.

Results
Participating facilities were similar to other NSW facilities in residential places and remoteness, but different in organisational type. IT sophistication was highest in IT capabilities and integration in resident care. IT sophistication was lowest in clinical support. Respondents had a mean of 1.2 years of IT experience. IT sophistication varied among aged care facilities. There was a linear relationship (P < 0.05) with the proportion of high-care residents and total IT sophistication

Conclusion
Routine reports of IT sophistication in aged care are not available. If data were available, determining the influence of IT sophistication on the quality care for residential aged care would be possible.

What is known about the topic?
Aged care settings that deliver care to the older population need to be contemporary in their approach to delivering high-quality and safe care. Health IT holds great potential for improving the quality and safety of care of older residents in aged care facilities.

What does this paper add?
This report provides a baseline assessment of IT capabilities, extent of IT use and IT integration, called IT sophistication, among aged care facilities with variable characteristics.

What are implications for practitioners?
Increasing IT sophistication has the potential to improve the quality of care delivered by aged care staff.
Impacts of residual feed intake and pre-natal diet on reproductive potential of bulls
Authors: Johnson Chinju , Fitzsimmons Carolyn , Colazo Marcos , Li Changxi , Kastelic John , Thundathil Jacob
Published: June 2019

Our objective was to determine effects of genetic potential for residual feed intake (RFI) and pre-natal diet on post-natal growth and reproductive development of bulls. Twenty-five bull calves with a divergent potential for RFI were produced by mating purebred Angus heifers (60) categorised as high or low RFI and inseminated with semen from high or low RFI bulls. From 30 to 150 days of gestation, half the heifers (balanced for RFI across treatments) in each RFI category were fed to gain 0.7 or 0.5 kg/day (~100% and 75% of recommended feed intake; designated normal- and low-diet, respectively). Birthweights of bull calves (n = 25) did not differ significantly among treatment groups (P ≥ 0.1). However, there was a tendency (P < 0.1) for a maternal diet*time interaction for bull weights, with bulls from low pre-natal diet fed heifers growing faster between 10 and 16 months of age than bulls from normal pre-natal diet fed heifers. Furthermore, high-RFI bulls had a larger scrotal circumference (P < 0.01) and attained puberty (P < 0.05) earlier than low-RFI bulls. Other testes measures, including paired testes volume, epididymal sperm reserves, daily sperm production and total sperm production, were not significantly different among treatment groups (P ≥ 0.1). High RFI bulls tended (P < 0.1) to have better average sperm motility than low RFI bulls. However, sperm morphology, viability and chromatin damage were not different (P ≥ 0.1). In summary, young beef bulls with low RFI had smaller testis, delayed onset of puberty (~1.7 months) and tended to exhibit lower progressive motility compared with high RFI bulls. Pre-natal diet had no direct influence on male reproductive development, nor did it interact with RFI of bulls.
From Ireland to the States
Authors: Filardo-Llamas Laura
Published: June 2019

In this article I start from an understanding of songs as socio-cultural discourses which may also perform a political function. This political function can be reflected in the promotion of particular world-views about given socio-political events and/or in the attempt by the singer to make the audience perform given political actions. To prove this, I will look at the re-contextualisation process undergone by a well-known song by U2: “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” (1983). This song was originally written to respond to the violence of the Northern Irish conflict, but it has been later used to react to other socio-political events. By relying on a cognitive approach to the study of songs, this paper tries to answer two questions: (i) how can we explain the re-contextualisation process undergone by the song and why is it possible? and (ii) how is politics embedded in musical performances?
Translating from/for the margins of empire
Authors: Navarro Aura E. , Poupeney Hart Catherine
Published: June 2019

The third series of the Gaceta de Guatemala (1797–1807) represents a high point of early journalistic production in colonial Spanish America. It benefitted from the presence of a particularly dynamic and cohesive group of young men involved in the development of the paper as a means of improving the social and economic situation of a territory extending from Chiapas to Costa Rica. Against a backdrop of censorship, and undeterred by their marginal position vis-à-vis the European centers of knowledge, they managed to include a surprising number of translations and references to foreign works. In conjunction with Colonial Studies, the Translation Studies perspective adopted in this article highlights how the editors of the Gaceta and their close collaborators, far from being passive consumers, managed to use translation as a tool to engage in, and prepare their readership for, dialogue with the Enlightened elites of the Western world.
A primer on resolving the nanoscale structure of the plasma membrane with light and electron microscopy
Authors: Taraska Justin W.
Published: June 2019

The plasma membrane separates a cell from its external environment. All materials and signals that enter or leave the cell must cross this hydrophobic barrier. Understanding the architecture and dynamics of the plasma membrane has been a central focus of general cellular physiology. Both light and electron microscopy have been fundamental in this endeavor and have been used to reveal the dense, complex, and dynamic nanoscale landscape of the plasma membrane. Here, I review classic and recent developments in the methods used to image and study the structure of the plasma membrane, particularly light, electron, and correlative microscopies. I will discuss their history and use for mapping the plasma membrane and focus on how these tools have provided a structural framework for understanding the membrane at the scale of molecules. Finally, I will describe how these studies provide a roadmap for determining the nanoscale architecture of other organelles and entire cells in order to bridge the gap between cellular form and function.
A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system
Authors: Peer Rebecca A M , Grubert Emily , Sanders Kelly T
Published: June 2019

Water consumption from electricity systems can be large, and it varies greatly by region. As electricity systems change, understanding the implications for water demand is important, given differential water availability. This letter presents regional water consumption and consumptive intensities for the United States electric grid by region using a 2014 base year, based on the 26 regions in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database. Estimates encompass operational (i.e. not embodied in fixed assets) water consumption from fuel extraction through conversion, calculated as the sum of induced water consumption for processes upstream of the point of generation (PoG) and water consumed at the PoG. Absolute water consumption and consumptive intensity is driven by thermal power plant cooling requirements. Regional consumption intensities vary by roughly a factor of 20. This variability is largely attributed to water consumption upstream of the PoG, particularly evaporation from reservoirs associated with hydroelectricity. Solar and wind generation, which are expected to continue to grow rapidly, consume very little water and could drive lower water consumption over time. As the electricity grid continues to change in response to policy, economic, and climatic drivers, understanding potential impacts on local water resources can inform changes.
The contrasting effects of farm size on farm incomes and food production
Authors: Noack Frederik , Larsen Ashley
Published: June 2019

Small-scale farming provides both food and livelihoods for the vast majority of the global poor. Thus, increasing and stabilizing farm incomes and food production in developing countries is fundamental to reducing global poverty. Policies for rural development such as improved access to non-agricultural incomes or land titling may benefit farmers, but they may also lead to farm consolidation with unintended consequences for aggregate food supply. Using a large panel dataset of rural households in Uganda, we parse apart how farm size affects the level and riskiness of agricultural incomes as well as of local food supply. Our findings indicate that while output per unit of land does decline with increasing farm size as suggested by previous literature, agricultural incomes increase with farm size. We show further that while the variance of agricultural incomes declines with increasing farm size, the variance of local food production increases with farm size. These results suggest that farmers benefit from larger farms, earning higher and more stable incomes while consumers suffer from lower and more volatile food supply.
Loss of profit in the hotel industry of the United States due to climate change
Authors: He Pan , Qiu Yueming , Wang Yi David , Cobanoglu Cihan , Ciftci Olena , Liu Zhu
Published: June 2019

Tourism has been identified as a key economic sector vulnerable to climate change, yet direct empirical evidence is still lacking on the economic gain and loss of the tourism industry due to climate change. Here we find that temperature significantly affects the profits of the hotel industry with both spatial and seasonal heterogeneity. By using a rich dataset of the monthly financial records of more than 1700 hotels in 50 US states during 2016–2018 (approximately 3.2% of hotels nationally), we show that a deviation from 18 °C ∼ 20 °C in monthly averaged temperature leads to a decrease in the profit rate. The effect is triggered by fewer customers, less revenue, and higher cost per occupied room partially due to the increased usage of electricity and water. Such an effect can be lasting and is less impactful for higher chain scale hotels. In future GHG emission scenarios, climate change will lead to a loss of profit in most climate zones particularly the southern regions, with higher GHG emissions leading to a more serious effect. This study contributes to the literature on how climate change affects human activities and helps refine the relevant damage function of climate change on tourism in existing climate models.
Detection of fossil fuel emission trends in the presence of natural carbon cycle variability
Authors: Yin Yi , Bowman Kevin , Bloom A Anthony , Worden John
Published: June 2019

Atmospheric CO2 observations have the potential to monitor regional fossil fuel emission (FFCO2) changes to support carbon mitigation efforts such as the Paris Accord, but they must contend with the confounding impacts of the natural carbon cycle. Here, we quantify trend detection time and magnitude in gridded total CO2 fluxes—the sum of FFCO2 and natural carbon fluxes—under an idealized assumption that monthly total CO2 fluxes can be perfectly resolved at a 2°×2° resolution. Using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) ‘business-as-usual’ emission scenarios to represent FFCO2 and simulated net biome exchange (NBE) to represent natural carbon fluxes, we find that trend detection time for the total CO2 fluxes at such a resolution has a median of 10 years across the globe, with significant spatial variability depending on FFCO2 magnitude and NBE variability. Differences between trends in the total CO2 fluxes and the underlying FFCO2 component highlight the role of natural carbon cycle variability in modulating regional detection of FFCO2 emission trends using CO2 observations alone, particularly in the tropics and subtropics where mega-cities with large populations are developing rapidly. Using CO2 estimates alone at such a spatiotemporal resolution can only quantify fossil fuel trends in a few places—mostly limited to arid regions. For instance, in the Middle East, FFCO2 can explain more than 75% of the total CO2 trends in ∼70% of the grids, but only ∼20% of grids in China can meet such criteria. Only a third of the 25 megacities we analyze here show total CO2 trends that are primarily explained (>75%) by FFCO2. Our analysis provides a theoretical baseline at a global scale for the design of regional FFCO2 monitoring networks and underscores the importance of estimating biospheric interannual variability to improve the accuracy of FFCO2 trend monitoring. We envision that this can be achieved with a fully integrated carbon cycle assimilation system with explicit constraints on FFCO2 and NBE, respectively.
EXO OLO TASK: The Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills through Learning Activities Management in Geography Learning
Authors: Nofrion  , Suasti Y , Khairani  , Rahmanelli  , Wijayanto B , Novio R , Surtani
Published: June 2019

This article was written to explain the suitability between the scores of advance learning activities achieved by students with the "gain score" from the results of the pre-test and post-test of HOTS questions. Advance learning activities include, 1)analyzing, 2)communicating/dialogue, 3)discussing/collaborating. Whereas HOTS question is a question that testing students’ creativity and strategy in solving problems and is at the level of C4 (analyzing), C5 (evaluating) and C6 (Creating). EXO OLO TASK Learning Model was applied in this quasi-experimental research for four meetings in class X IS 1. The model was practiced by a model teacher and learning activity data was collected by six observers. The suitability was obtained by percentage analysis and strengthened by correlation test with the help of SPSS version 20. The results showed that, 1) during learning, all students showed consistent basic learning activities; 2) most students had a "gain score" in the medium category. While 24.13% of students were able to reach high categories and only 6.89% of students with low gain scores, 3) 65.51% of students had scores of learning activities that match the "gain score" and 34, 48% did not. The implementation of this model has only been applied in one class and one school so that it is necessary to implement it in broader classes and schools.
Learning Materials to Increase Spatial Ability of Senior High School Students
Authors: Mulyadi A , Yani A
Published: June 2019

There are five terms which are currently being discussed a lot to formulate their definitions, they are spatial intelligence, spatial ability, geography skill, geoliteration and ecoliteration. These terms are spoken by many people, but rarely explained the differences consistently. This research tries to identify or to be more exact suggests element or component of each terms and measuring one of spatial ability in everyday life. Research method that used was descriptive. Collecting data technique was by literature study, test, readibility test of learning materials. Sample technique that used is stratified random with the amount of sample 120 people. Based on research results, spatial ablity and geography skill can be increased normatively. Although this research only use learning materials to be read, but it was already proven to be helpful, especially if it is delivered through face-to-face meeting in the class, being practiced, and trained to students, the results will be more significant. Finally the researchers recommend that spatial ability and geography skill to be develop in case of preparing a generation that more positive in assesing the excellence of geography.
Test the Effectiveness of Biopore in the Framework of Eco-Campus Development at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Authors: Setiawan I , Rohmat D
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of biopore and to determine the number of biopore in the development of eco-campus UPI. The method used was experiments using biopore and infiltration engineering tools. The tool is placed on three test plots with different treatments, that is test plots placed in biopore holes but without grass, test plots only planted by grasses and biopore test plots and also planted with grass. Rainfall measurements were carried out for 19 days at the site of the test plot to determine the duration and volume of rain. The rainfall measurement results are then compared with the run off volume of each test plot. The results showed that biopore test plots with the highest effectiveness were biopore accompanied by grass plants. The calculation of the number of biopores around the piloting site at Faculty of Social Science Education of Indonesia University of Education is 28 biopore point. Therefore, in the development of eco-campus at Indonesia University of Education need to be considered biopore design that can increase the capacity of infiltration and reduce the run off. The number and distribution of biopore plots need to be considered, so their function can be more effective.
Development Methods for the Formulation of Community Empowerment-Based Oxbow Stream Utilization Models in Citarum River
Authors: Juliandar M , Rohmat D
Published: June 2019

Citarum River stretches wide and long through village and city lands with straight, winding paths, and meanders. In the meander section, sediment deposits occur which result in the stunted flow causing floods or overflowing water out of the river. To overcome this problem, river shortcuts were constructed to straighten the stream, which results in disconnected reaches called oxbow rivers. This study presents a method development of a community empowerment-based oxbow rivers utilization which taking a case study on one of the ten oxbow rivers located along the Citarum River. The selected oxbow river is the one that located in Cibarangbang, Baleendah Village of West Java province with a length of 860.36 m, 10 m width, river bank height of 4.97 m and area of 100 ha. The utilization of oxbows is aimed to address technical and socio-economic problems through either of these three main approaches: 1. oxbow river as a means of conservation/revitalization of rivers by maintaining the function of oxbow lakes as a water reservoir, e.g., by making an impoundment, an inlet and outlet structures, a maintenance road, etc; 2. utilizing the area for public infrastructure and facilities through land reclamation; 3. using the area as a tourism site.
The Implementation of Modern Irrigation to Improve the Farmer Welfare
Authors: Siahaan Y , Rohmat D
Published: June 2019

This study aims to formulate an action plan of modern irrigation at Cibinuangeun. Cibinuangeun is an irrigation area located in Banten Province, Indonesia. The area is situated in a sediment area, so the land is very fertile. Cibinuangeun priory irrigated 2.809 hectares area which was distributed in 10 villages. Unfortunately, due to the lack of water, the area is dropping off. It reduces into 1.786 hectare and is only distributed in 4 villages. As a result, it influences the rice field productivity. Basically, the rice field productivity reached 5.17 ton/ha. Nowadays, it decreases to less than 5 ton/ha. This is lower than Indonesia national irrigation productivity which should reach 7 ton/ha. This condition indirectly indicates that there are relationship between rice field productivity and land area. Ninety five percent of rice productivity is influenced by the land area, and only 5% influenced by other factors, such agriculture intensifications. This means that the heightening of 1 hectares area can increase 4.91 tons of DMR. If irrigation area is expanded into 2.809, it can gain 5.024 tons of DMR. The farming income also will increase from 56.6 billion rupiah to 68.65 billion rupiah. Therefore, the intensification needs to be done. One of them is through the improvement of irrigation infrastructure and EM organization.
Chaotic Analysis for Malaysian West Coast Sea Level: a Case Study of Kukup, Johor
Authors: Ali N M , Hamid N Z A
Published: June 2019

Sea level prediction is an important task for navigation, coastal engineering, geodetic application and recreational activities. Predicting the behavior of future sea level is necessary for protection of coastal as well as for monitoring and forecasting of changes in fishery and marine ecosystems. This study is focused on the analysis and prediction of hourly sea level time series data at the benchmark station located in Kukup, Johor by using chaotic approach. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of chaotic behavior by the phase space reconstruction and Cao methods, and also a local linear approximation method is employed for prediction purposes. The results revealed that the value of correlation coefficient between the observed and predicted time series is 0.879 which is near to one. This indicates that the local linear approximation method can be used to predict the sea level time series in Malaysia. Indeed, the result of this study is expected to help stakeholder such as Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM) in having a better sea level management.
Resident’s Perception on Foreign Workers Housing in High Rise Residential Building
Authors: Suratman R , Samsudin S , Aminuddin S Z , Saim Z
Published: June 2019

High rise residential building has become a norm in the urban areas. In Malaysia, more than 30% of the urban population is currently living in stratified buildings, especially where urban land is scarce and expensive. Moreover, despite of landscape change and urbanisation process, there are several high rise properties in urban area that have been converted into foreign workers housing. It may affect the local communities and have a positive and negative impact to the social neighbourhood sustainability. Therefore, this study focuses on the residents’ perceptions of foreign workers housing on social aspects, and qualitatively finds the action taken by building management body in addressing the issues. The study was located at the one of high rise properties in Klang Valley, namely Mandy Villa Apartment. The questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were the techniques employed to collect data, and the findings revealed the problems affecting the comfort and quality of living among strata residents. In this sense, the management has taken several actions to solve the problems, therefore, the stakeholders have to oversee the misuse of strata unit for future sustainable living in the urban area.
GNSS Processing Data Result with Sequential Adjustment Method to Estimate the Monitoring Control Point Coordinate at Sermo Dam
Authors: Affriani A R , Widjajanti N , Yulaikhah
Published: June 2019

Monitoring a structure building like a dam needs to detect any movement. The movement can be measured by adding control point to measure it. Geodynamic movement, expansion of area monitoring, and detection of ground cracks require by adding the new of control points. The addition of control points in a measurement requires specific data processing strategy. Therefore, it used the sequential adjustment method. This research aims to identify 3D coordinate values and the difference precision of the control points from the sequential adjustment method. The first step of sequential adjustment used five control points with one point considered fixed. The second step was added with five control points. The difference of coordinate precision analysis using sequential adjustment method indicates that there are increased precision in five control points which are processed in the first step. The addition of the coordinate precision ranges from 0,193 to 5,450 cm. Based on the comparative of two variants sample test shows that the precision of coordinates resulted for the first step is significant different from the second step. The results of the comparison between two variants test indicate that the precision of the result in first step does significantly different to the second step.
Linear Spectral Mixture Analysis Land Cover for Assessment Level Subpixel: A Case Study of Tasikmalaya City Area Based on Landsat Imagery
Authors: Ridwana R , Danoedoro P , Herumurti S , Himayah S , Ihsan M , Arrasyid R , Urfan F
Published: June 2019

Land cover in urban areas can be detected through surveys or using high-resolution imagery with a better accuracy. Especially if the need related to land cover information regionally in the period of the nineties that require the availability of data and unavailability of high resolution images. Therefore, images with intermediate spatial resolution are still required. However, the use of medium-resolution images such as Landsat is constrained by the presence of mixed pixels that cause land cover in urban areas to vary. The mixed pixel will be the source of error in the multispectral classification process, so it takes analysis up to the subpixel level. The need for information up to the subpixel level for ground cover detection can be obtained through the Linear Spectral Mixture Analysis method, where one pixel in the Landsat image in this study will be separated into four endmember, ie vegetation, impervious surface, bare soil, and water. These four endmembers are assumed to represent linear combinations of land coverings contained in urban areas in the form of proportions in each pixel. The results show that the endmember can be well separated, whereas the RMS error of 1994th is 0.013 with an accuracy of 94.44%.