bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feasibility Analysis on the Development of Steel Sheet Zinc Plated and Galvalum Production Factory PT. S Steel
Authors: Rahardja A Z , Chumaidiyah E , Tripiawan W
Published: June 2019

PT. S Steel is a company producing zinc coated steel sheet (BJLS). The company runs from 1969 and is a joint venture company with Japan. The current production plant is located in an urban area, and the government of Makassar issued a government regulation in which the factory should not exist in the city area. So that PT. S Steel will build its new production plant in the industrial estate. In this feasibility study will be discussed about the construction of production plant PT. S Steel is reviewed in terms of market, technical aspects, legal and environmental aspects, as well as financial aspects. Market aspect analysis is done by using interview and historical data as reference. In the market aspect it is known that the amount of demand from zinc continues to decline while the galvalume rises as a new trend. Technical aspects analysis resulted in the output of facility layout and financial aspect analysis calculated based on calculation of NPV, BCR, and PBP with projection for 5 years period. financial analysis was assessed from several eligibility criteria, namely NPV with value Rp 487,404,605,133 and said to be feasible because NPV> 0, IRR 48.703% and said to be feasible because IRR> MARR 11%, and PBP worth 2.34. This feasibility study shows that the implementation of the construction of PT. S Steel is feasible to operate.
A Comparison of Forecasting Building Material Inventory between Backpropagation Neural Network And Arima
Authors: Soenandi I A , Hayat C
Published: June 2019

The demand for forecasting task is very important to determine the number of stocks efficiently. This process should accommodate the demand for a company’s product or service and control the inventory level. Especially for products such as building materials that needed capitals to buy and wide space to keep it safe. This research has objective to minimize the excessive amount of product in inventory and minimize loss in sales. This study was compared between a method named Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) that known as one of the most accurate and widely used forecasting model and ARIMA as a time series model to find the most accurate in forecasting of inventory. In this case, the model of BPNN used 6 input neurons as a monthly period of sale, the price of the product, amount of historical selling, an approximation of project renovation, an approximation of new project building and number of a competitor. And for Arima method we have three trials of tentative models. To compare the accuracy between them, we used the performance criteria such as MAD, MAE, RMSE, RRSE and RAE. In this research, we obtained that forecasting with BPNN is more accurate than ARIMA with error prediction of 19.6, 19.6, 30.4, 0.6, 0.5 for those performance criteria consecutively.
Advanced ERP Application for Marine Transportation Industry in the South Asia Pacific Country; a Case Study
Authors: Nata Kusuma Lalu Tri Wijaya , Leu Jun-Der , Tseng Fu-Shiang
Published: June 2019

Marine transportation industry is one of the most vital activities in the world. Demand to provide effective and efficient inter-regional connectivity within the marine transportation framework will be a common agenda in some areas. South Asia Pacific region has a member country of more than 14 countries. With the region’s economic growth of about 5.3 percent, compared to the world average of 3.2 percent, because it is the most safe area compared to other regions (Antara, 2016). Almost 70% of total world trade takes place among countries in Asia Pacific. In this study, we try to focus on comparative analysis of IT support system to support the operation of marine transportation services in 3 countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia and USA. Some port systems in the archipelagic country particularly the South Asia Pacific region have adopted approaches such as the ERP system, but are still partial. Each part of the port management creates its own information system, and links it to every organization’s website. Utilizing existing ERP systems, will be key in designing new frameworks with IOT concepts. With the development of IOT techniques and major investments in marine transportation systems in the Asia Pacific region, intelligent transportation will be able to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of marine and port transportation services processes. The technology of the Internet of Things will enable the development of transportation systems to be more intelligent, safe, harmonious, and energy efficient.
Evaluating Storage Tank Cap 10000L Manufacturer by Using Lean Project Management
Authors: Amran T G , Saraswati D , Harahap E F
Published: June 2019

Business competitions between manufacturing fabrication industries increase fiercely. Companies were demanded to produce high quality products with competitive price that can be delivered to the consumer on time. Storage tank (10000 liter capacity) is one of the most ordered item but most of the time the delivery is unpunctual. During the initial planning, buffer time was unavailable, which caused 32% cost increase by waste. In this study, the concept between lean manufacture and lean project management was bridged to obtain minimal delay. The first research methodology was to identify and analyze waste, second method was risk analysis by FMEA, and final method was cost and time estimation by critical chain project management. S Curve depicted the decrease of delay, and value stream mapping was used to map optimum result from lean project management. Potential waste was “waiting”, and the highest FMEA risk value was material delay caused by weather conditions. Project buffer result shows 39% decrease in engineering task and the actual cost was still within the budget. The company need to integrate HR cost in the project and measure the time buffer to predict delay gap.
Competency Measurement Instrument Design for Maintenance Staff of Electronic Expertise with SECI Method
Authors: Agisni  , Soesanto R P , Kurniawati A , Ambarsari N , Andrawina L
Published: June 2019

To gain competitive advantages, companies must combine and collaborate with the tangible and intangible assets. The most important intangible assets in companies are people because people have the knowledge to run the companies. Competencies of each individual in a company is a basic characteristic that must be taken into account. The purpose of this research is to improve the quality of human resources of maintenance staff in the manufacturing company by designing competency measurement instrument that aims to assess the competency of employees. The focus of this research is the mechanical expertise of maintenance staff. SECI method is used in this research for managing knowledge that is held by senior employees regarding employee competence in electronic expertise. The SECI method converts the knowledge of a person’s tacit knowledge into an explicit knowledge so that the knowledge can be used by others. The knowledge that is gathered from SECI method is converted into a list of competence and break down into the detailed competency. The result of this paper is the competency measurement instrument that aims to assess the competency of employees. Future research can be done to test the instrument and add more specific criteria.
Application of Taguchi Method for Optimization of Parameter in Improving Soybean Cracking Process on Dry Process of tempeh Production
Authors: Anugraha R A , Wiraditya M Y , Iqbal M , Darmawan N M
Published: June 2019

Taguchi method is a Design of Experiment approach for parameter optimization of a process. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimum parameters and the most influential parameters in the process of soybean cracking in the dry process of tempeh production. In the process of cracking the dry soybeans found a defect of 14.5%. after applying the Taguchi method and obtaining the optimum parameters, the defect on the dry process of cracking the dry soybeans is reduced to 6.6%. Determination of parameters and levels, objective functions, orthogonal array, signal-to-noise ratio, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be done in this study to improve the performance of the soy-cracking process. In this study there are three parameters used in conducting experiments with Taguchi method, three parameters namely distance between stones, hopper outlet diameter, and sun-drying duration. The results of this study are: distance between stones with setting optimum 1mm and percentage contribution 13%; hopper outlet diameter with setting optimum 25mm and percentage contribution 85%; and sun-drying duration with drying optimum 1 day and percentage contribution 2%. the most influential parameter is the hopper outlet diameter in the soybean cracking process, as it determines the soybean discharge that goes into the cracking phase.
Analyze of mitigation waste in reconditioning process of Iron Drum with Lean Six Sigma (Case study at PT Mulya Adhi Paramita)
Authors: Ahmad  , Lilyana  , Widodo L , Gozali L , Maryadi A
Published: June 2019

PT. Mulya Adhi Paramita is a chemical company that focuses on the distribution of chemicals, but also performs the process of reconditioning used iron drums. In the process of reconditioning drum is still found some waste, for that this research using lean six sigma concept which aims to reduce waste on drum recondition process. This research uses DMAIC stage and using Waste Assessment Model method with the result of 2 biggest waste identification is waste motion and defect which will become priority improvement, using Defect Per Million Opportunity to know sigma level that is equal to 3,77 sigma, Value Stream Mapping with percentage result PCE on CVSM of 16.31%; Process Activity Mapping result is value added time of 60.22 minutes, non value added time of 9.74 minutes, and necessary non value added time of 21.88 minutes. After performing the improvement implementation can be seen the result is the increase in PCE on FVSM of 21.5%, decreased percentage defect by 0.72% and DPMO with sigma level of 3.81 sigma
Risk Mitigation for Agricultural Products Distribution in Agro-business Terminal Mantung, Kabupaten Malang
Authors: Oktiarso T , Nadira A H K
Published: June 2019

Distribution process of the horticultural products in Kabupaten Malang is affected by many factors. The distribution factors need to be identified to find the potential risks arise from every problem, in order to anticipate the barriers and losses. This research is conducted using the Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR) method in identifying risks and their risk agents, and using the House of Risks (HOR) method in analysing every risk to determine the mitigation strategies. The results for STA Mantung discovered 15 risks with 23 risk agents. From these 23 risk agents, 12 major risk agents were selected and analysed to determine risk mitigation strategies. There are 14 horticultural mitigation strategies. With these risk management and mitigation strategy the STA Mantung shall be better prepared to face them.
Energy Transfer between Ce3+-Dy3+ In Ca2Al2SiO7: Ce3+, Dy3+ Phosphor
Authors: Tien Do Thanh , Manh Son Nguyen , Tuat Le Van , Liem Le Ngoc
Published: June 2019

Ce3+ and Dy3+ ions doped Ca2Al2SiO7 (CAS) phosphors were prepared by the solid-state reaction at 12800C for 1h. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed a tetragonal crystalline structure. The luminescent spectra of CAS: Ce3+, Dy3+ phosphors consist a board band with peaking at 420 nm corresponding to the luminescence of Ce3+ ions and narrow lines of Dy3+ ions. The energy transfer from Ce3+ ion to Dy3+ ion is presented and discussed.
Synthesis and Characterization of a g-C3N4 Coupled Hybrid Nanocomposite for the Photocatalytic Effects
Authors: Ojha D P , Song J H , Kim H J
Published: June 2019

Photodegradation of organic pollutants using nanoparticles with suitable band gap is one of the most studied technologies in last few decades. About 8 nm antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles, as the photocatalyst for organic degradation, is prepared by the calcination of the stoichiometric mixture of precursor hydroxides of Sn4+ and Sn3+. ATO was combined with thermally synthesized graphitic carbon nitride(g-C3N4 or g-CN) and the resulting Z-scheme g-CN/ATO nanocomposite was utilized for the decomposition of salicylic acid (SA) in aqueous solution. All the samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the progress of the photocatalytic degradation reaction was measured by using UV-Visible spectroscopy. The rate constant measurements showed that the rate of degradation of SA is enhanced with hybrid nanocomposite.
Adsorption of Cu(II) onto Fe(III)-Modified Montmorillonite - Kinetic, Isotherm, and Thermodynamic Studies
Authors: Kenneth Cruz John , Joy Diaz Leslie
Published: June 2019

Trace metal ions, such as Cu(II), in wastewater could pose serious health threats when not treated. This study employed adsorption using an Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite (Fe-MMT), an abundant mineral in the Philippines, to remove Cu(II) ions in synthetic wastewater. Scanning electron micrographs of the synthesized clay show showed its layered structure while elemental analysis confirmed the successful modification to Fe-MMT with high amounts of retained Fe in the clay. Batch adsorption was performed at varying adsorption time, initial Cu(II) concentration, and temperature, for which applicable models were then employed to understand the adsorption mechanism. Cu(II) adsorption showed a slow rate until the process reached equilibrium at 12 hrs corresponding to 85.86% removal. Adsorption of Cu(II) on Fe-MMT was found to agree with both the pseudo-first order and the liquid-film diffusion kinetic models. Isotherm modelling revealed that the process fitted well with the Langmuir model with theoretical adsorption capacity of Fe-MMT as 48.077 mg/g. On the other hand, Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm suggests that the mechanism was via physisorption. From the thermodynamic modelling, it was obtained that the Cu(II) adsorption was an endothermic process which further translated to a ΔG°298 of 5,696.89 J/mol.
Kinetics and Isotherms Studies of the Adsorption of Hg(II) onto Iron Modified Montmorillonite/Polycaprolactone Nanofiber Membrane
Authors: Raj Somera Lester , Cuazon Ralph , Kenneth Cruz John , Joy Diaz Leslie
Published: June 2019

Hg(II) ions from mining and urban runoffs can easily contaminate various water sources due to their high solubility in water. Due to its simplicity and viability, adsorption was utilized to treat Hg(II)-contaminated water. An adsorbent was fabricated by immobilizing Fe-modified montmorillonite particles in polycaprolactone through electrospinning. The SEM images of the fabricated membrane showed a nanofiber network with fiber diameter ranging from 96 nm to 569 nm and an average of 198 nm. The adsorption behavior of the fabricated membrane was investigated using kinetics and isotherm models. It was found that the adsorption of Hg(II) ions onto the membrane follows a pseudo-second order model and was best described by the Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption capacity was found to increase with increasing contact time and with increasing initial Hg(II) concentration, with the highest adsorption capacity of 14.25 mg/g. The sorption energy was calculated using the DubininKaganer-Radushkevich isotherm, which obtained a value of -2.68 kJmol−1 suggesting that the type of adsorption was physisorption.
Magnetic Carbon Nanofibers from Horse Manure via Hydrothermal Carbonization for Methylene Blue Adsorption
Authors: Kaewtrakulchai Napat , Putta Ampol , Pasee Warit , Fuangnawakij Kajornsak , Panomsuwan Gasidit , Eiad-ua Apiluck
Published: June 2019

Disposal and recycle of waste biomass is of great concern. Thermochemically converting the waste biomass to carbon nanomaterials is an interesting because of environmental friendly, low cost and local availability. In this work, magnetic carbon nanofibers have been synthesized by hydrothermal and carbonization of the magnetite preloaded on horse manure which is controllable temperature and additive of catalyst. It was found that Fe is able to form magnetic carbon nanofibers (M-CNFs). Furthermore, magnetic carbon nanofibers were used as an adsorbent for methylene blue adsorption. Synthesized magnetic sorbents exhibited high performance on methylene blue adsorption and it is successfully separated from the water by magnetic separation.
Effect of Recycled Rubber-derived Carbon (CRR) on the Thermal Stability, Cure Behaviour, and Dynamic Mechanical Property of NR/SBR Compound
Authors: Danila E C , Lanwang M , Diaz L L
Published: June 2019

From an economic viewpoint, locally-sourced carbon from recycled rubber was identified to be a potential filler substitute to commercial carbon black in rubber tire. In this research, methodical measures were used to compare several properties of rubber compounds reinforced with carbon from recycled rubber (CRR) and commercial carbon black fillers to systematically qualify such substitution. Thermogravimetric analysis elucidated the overall thermal stability of the compounds, the degradation behaviour of their components and the purity of the fillers used. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Rubber Process Analyzer test results revealed the difference in polymer network contribution and filler-filler interaction observed in the compounds, which collectively described the reinforcing effect of the fillers in the material. Conclusively, the difference in composition of fillers used resulted in the alteration of reinforcing effects in the rubber compounds.
Synthesis of Montmorillonite Nanoclay Reinforced Chitin-cellulose Nanocomposite Film
Authors: Louise Lao Tiffany , Tristan Pengson Lance , Placido Jordan , Joy Diaz Leslie
Published: June 2019

Montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay reinforced chitin-cellulose nanocomposite is a biodegradable polymer that has potential as a food packaging material. In this study, it was synthesized using 1 and 5 wt% MMT (1NC and 5NC) via solution casting. Good miscibility of chitin and cellulose was interpreted by the presence of cylindrical particles revealed in the SEM image, and the XRD peak at ∼19° and shoulder at ∼23°. Peaks were also observed at 2.62 and 2.27° for 1NC and 5NC, respectively, that corresponded to 16.87 and 19.47 Å interlayer spacings, both of which were higher than that of pristine MMT which is 12.57 Å. This suggested that chitin-cellulose penetrated MMT and that 5NC had a lower degree of intercalates, which was confirmed by EDX mapping. This better MMT dispersion was speculated to be due to the nematic state of 5NC gel. With molecules sliding off easily in the gel, polymer penetration in the interlayer spacing was easier. This was verified by its lower apparent viscosity. Finally, this better MMT dispersion resulted to a good stress transfer and, maybe, introduced a more torturous crack path for 5NC. These improved its toughness (2.22 J/mm3) and Young’s modulus (6. 25 GPa).
A reversible autophagy inhibitor blocks autophagosome–lysosome fusion by preventing Stx17 loading onto autophagosomes
Authors: Vats Somya , Manjithaya Ravi
Published: June 2019

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved intracellular lysosomal degradation pathway. It is a multistep process involving de novo formation of double membrane autophagosomes that capture cytosolic constituents (cargo) and eventually fuse with lysosomes wherein the cargo gets degraded and resulting simpler biomolecules get recycled. In addition to their autophagy function, several of the autophagy-related proteins work at the interface of other vesicular trafficking pathways. Hence, development of specific autophagy modulators that do not perturb general endo-lysosomal traffic possesses unique challenges. In this article, we report a novel small molecule EACC that inhibits autophagic flux by blocking autophagosome–lysosome fusion. Strikingly, unlike other late stage inhibitors, EACC does not have any effect on lysosomal properties or on endocytosis-mediated degradation of EGF receptor. EACC affects the translocation of SNAREs Stx17 and SNAP29 on autophagosomes without impeding the completion of autophagosomes. EACC treatment also reduces the interaction of Stx17 with the HOPS subunit VPS33A and the cognate lysosomal R-SNARE VAMP8. Interestingly, this effect of EACC although quite robust is reversible and hence EACC can be used as a tool to study autophagosomal SNARE trafficking. Our results put forward a novel method to block autophagic flux by impeding the action of the autophagosomal SNAREs.
The adhesion modulation domain ofCaenorhabditis elegansα-catenin regulates actin binding during morphogenesis
Authors: Shao Xiangqiang , Lucas Bethany , Strauch Jared , Hardin Jeff
Published: June 2019

Maintaining tissue integrity during epidermal morphogenesis depends on α-catenin, which connects the cadherin complex to F-actin. We show that the adhesion modulation domain (AMD) of Caenorhabditis elegans HMP-1/α-catenin regulates its F-actin–binding activity and organization of junctional–proximal actin in vivo. Deleting the AMD increases F-actin binding in vitro and leads to excess actin recruitment to adherens junctions in vivo. Reducing actin binding through a compensatory mutation in the C-terminus leads to improved function. Based on the effects of phosphomimetic and nonphosphorylatable mutations, phosphorylation of S509, within the AMD, may regulate F-actin binding. Taken together, these data establish a novel role for the AMD in regulating the actin-binding ability of an α-catenin and its proper function during epithelial morphogenesis.
The Aesthetic Significance of the Lying-Misleading Distinction
Authors: Pepp Jessica
Published: June 2019

There is a clear intuitive difference between lying and attempting to mislead. Recent efforts to analyse this difference, and to define lying in ways that respect it, are motivated by the conviction that the difference is important or significant in some way. Traditionally, the importance of the lying-misleading distinction has been cashed out in moral terms, but this approach faces a number of challenges. The purpose of this paper is to suggest and develop a different way in which the lying-misleading distinction might be important: it might matter aesthetically. I propose that the aesthetic significance of the distinction inheres in a more prominent experienced disharmony in lying as compared with attempting to mislead.
Novels Never Lie
Authors: Mahon James Edwin
Published: June 2019

In this article, I shall argue that being a lie disqualifies something from being a literary work. If something is a lie then it is not a literary work of any kind, and if something is a literary work of any kind then it is not a lie. Being a literary work, and being a lie, are mutually exclusive categories.
One‐Off Subsidies and Long‐Run Adoption—Experimental Evidence on Improved Cooking Stoves in Senegal
Authors: Bensch Gunther , Peters Jörg
Published: June 2019

Free technology distribution can be an effective development policy instrument if market‐driven adoption is socially inefficient and hampered by affordability constraints. Yet, policy makers often oppose free distribution, arguing that reference dependence lowers the willingness to pay (WTP) and thus hinders market potentials in the long run. For improved cookstoves, this paper studies the WTP six years after a randomized one‐time free distribution in 2009. We demonstrate that the cookstoves were intensely used by the treatment group households in the years after randomization until they reached their designated lifetime. Using a real‐purchase offer, we find that both treatment and control households reveal a remarkably high WTP in 2015. The estimated confidence interval suggests that we can exclude a substantial negative effect on the treatment group. The policy implication is that one‐time free distribution does not necessarily undermine future market establishment, and thus can be an effective policy instrument if rapid dissemination is the objective.
Understanding the Spatial Distribution of Welfare Impacts of Global Warming on Agriculture and its Drivers
Authors: Baldos Uris L. C. , Hertel Thomas W. , Moore Frances C.
Published: June 2019

This paper explores the interplay between the biophysical and economic geographies of climate change impacts on agriculture. It does so by bridging the extensive literature on climate impacts on yields and physical productivity in global crop production, with the literature on the role of adaptation through international trade in determining the consequences of climate change impacts. Unlike previous work in this area, instead of using a specific crop model or a set of models, we employ a statistical meta‐analysis that encompasses all studies available to the IPCC‐AR5 report. This permits us to isolate specific elements of the spatially heterogeneous biophysical geography of climate impacts, including the role of initial temperature, differential patterns of warming, and varying crop responses to warming across the globe. We combine these climate impact estimates with the Global Trade Analysis Project model of global trade in order to estimate the national welfare changes that are decomposed into three components: the direct (biophysical impact) contribution to welfare, the terms of trade effect, and the allocative efficiency effect. We find that when we remove the spatial variation in climate impacts, the terms of trade impacts are cut in half. Given the inherent heterogeneity of climate impacts in agriculture, this points to the important role of trade in distributing the associated welfare impacts. When we allow the biophysical impacts to vary across the empirically estimated uncertainty range taken from the meta‐analysis, we find that the welfare consequences are highly asymmetric, with much larger losses at the low end of the yield distribution. This interaction between the magnitude and heterogeneity of biophysical climate shocks and their welfare effects highlight the need for detailed representation of both in projecting climate change impacts.
The Dynamics and Volatility of Prices in a Vertical Sector
Authors: Chavas Jean‐Paul , Pan Fanghui
Published: June 2019

This paper studies the evolving distribution of prices in a vertical sector in the presence of market cycles. It investigates the dynamic linkages between farm and retail prices with an application to the Chinese pork sector. The econometric approach relies on a quantile autoregressive (QAR) model that provides a flexible representation of the dynamics of price volatility. It investigates the presence and nature of price cycles and their implications for price transmission. We document that the marketing margin is more sensitive to changes in consumer income than in feed cost. In addition, rising feed cost increases the amplitude of the cycle while higher consumer income increases the period of the cycle.
Invited Commentary: Beyond Overdiagnosis—Diagnosis Without Benefit
Authors: Harris Russell P
Published: June 2019

In an accompanying article, Hofmann (Am J Epidemiol. 2019;188(10):1812–1817) seeks to clarify the concept of overdiagnosis by screening. He makes a helpful suggestion to reconnect diagnosis with patient suffering, pointing out the underlying issue in overdiagnosis of prognostic uncertainty. He then divides prognostic uncertainty into developmental and progression uncertainty, using a categorical model of disease progression through indicators to manifest disease. This model could be improved by considering the heterogeneity of patient-condition combinations. This leads to an understanding of the probabilistic nature of the connection between any indicator in a specific individual and patient suffering. The model also needs to consider the time span over which the patient-condition combination leads to patient suffering. I propose a simpler approach that goes further to focus not only on overdiagnosis but also on the broader problem of diagnosis without benefit and diagnosis without net benefit. This makes measurement easier and focuses attention where it belongs: on the harm caused by overly aggressive screening programs.
Male relatedness, lekking behavior patterns, and the potential for kin selection in a Neotropical hummingbird
Authors: González Clementina , Ornelas Juan Francisco
Published: June 2019

Several models have been proposed to explain the evolution of leks, both in terms of direct or indirect fitness benefits, and in survival. According to kin selection theory, male skewed reproductive success leads unsuccessful males to join successful relatives to increase their inclusive fitness, because their genes would be transmitted indirectly to the next generation. Wedge-tailed Sabrewing (Campylopterus curvipennis) is a hummingbird species whose males congregate at leks, in which spatially clustered males sing a particular song with marked differences among neighboring males (song neighborhoods). The maintenance of song neighborhoods presumably depends on juvenile newcomers copying the song type of their neighbors when they establish within a lek, and their acceptance could be more likely if a relative has already settled down in a territory, which in turn could offer fitness benefits explained by kin selection theory. To investigate the potential for kin selection in this species, we genotyped 126 hummingbirds at 10 microsatellite loci and estimated pairwise relatedness among males at 6 leks and in 4 song neighborhoods within 1 focal lek. Within leks, most males were unrelated and only a few were relatives. Moreover, even though relatedness within leks was higher than between leks, it was not higher than 0, which is likely due to isolation by distance. Our results do not support the idea of kin selection as an important force acting on the formation of leks in this species. Additionally, we found no evidence for kin clustering within song neighborhoods, suggesting that juveniles attempting to settle in a lek have to learn the song of the neighborhood (regardless of their kinship) to gain access to territories.
An extensive molecular phylogeny of weaverbirds (Aves: Ploceidae) unveils broad nonmonophyly of traditional genera and new relationships
Authors: De Silva Thilina N , Peterson A Townsend , Perktas Utku
Published: June 2019

The diverse Old World avian family Ploceidae (weaverbirds) presently comprises 117 species in 17 genera. Despite being a well-known bird group, the family has received incomplete attention in terms of molecular systematics; systematists have often focused on subclades, with the most extensive study to date covering <66% of recognized species. As a consequence, weaverbird taxonomy remains outdated, and phylogenetic relationships, particularly of the African Malimbus (previously Ploceus and Malimbus) clade, remains largely unresolved. Here, we sampled 109 weaver species (and numerous nominal subspecies), including 99 of the 103 recognized “typical weaverbird” taxa for an 8-gene dataset. Antique DNA techniques were used to extract DNA from study skins of 27 rare taxa not available in global tissue collections. The study included 32 species and 4 genera of ploceids previously unstudied phylogenetically. Our analyses supported monophyly of the family and identified 8 distinct clades. Our results conflict extensively with current taxonomy. We suggest that plumage traits and morphology exhibit high plasticity, such that phenotype does not always reflect phylogenetic relationships in weaverbirds. We recommend (1) uniting African-Ploceus, Malimbus, Anaplectes, and Notiospiza in Malimbus; (2) retaining the monotypic genus Pachyphantes; and (3) placing Brachycope with Euplectes. This study, the first near-species-level phylogeny for the family, lays a firm foundation for downstream studies of biogeography and character evolution.
A sequential algorithm to detect diffusion switching along intracellular particle trajectories
Authors: Briane Vincent , Vimond Myriam , Valades-Cruz Cesar Augusto , Salomon Antoine , Wunder Christian , Kervrann Charles
Published: June 2019

Motivation

Recent advances in molecular biology and fluorescence microscopy imaging have made possible the inference of the dynamics of single molecules in living cells. Changes of dynamics can occur along a trajectory. Then, an issue is to estimate the temporal change-points that is the times at which a change of dynamics occurs. The number of points in the trajectory required to detect such changes will depend on both the magnitude and type of the motion changes. Here, the number of points per trajectory is of the order of 102, even if in practice dramatic motion changes can be detected with less points.

Results

We propose a non-parametric procedure based on test statistics computed on local windows along the trajectory to detect the change-points. This algorithm controls the number of false change-point detections in the case where the trajectory is fully Brownian. We also develop a strategy for aggregating the detections obtained with different window sizes so that the window size is no longer a parameter to optimize. A Monte Carlo study is proposed to demonstrate the performances of the method and also to compare the procedure to two competitive algorithms. At the end, we illustrate the efficacy of the method on real data in 2D and 3D, depicting the motion of mRNA complexes—called mRNA-binding proteins—in neuronal dendrites, Galectin-3 endocytosis and trafficking within the cell.

Availability and implementation

A user-friendly Matlab package containing examples and the code of the simulations used in the paper is available at http://serpico.rennes.inria.fr/doku.php? id=software:cpanalysis:index.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Conjugate Bayes for probit regression via unified skew-normal distributions
Authors: Durante Daniele
Published: June 2019

Regression models for dichotomous data are ubiquitous in statistics. Besides being useful for inference on binary responses, these methods serve as building blocks in more complex formulations, such as density regression, nonparametric classification and graphical models. Within the Bayesian framework, inference proceeds by updating the priors for the coefficients, typically taken to be Gaussians, with the likelihood induced by probit or logit regressions for the responses. In this updating, the apparent absence of a tractable posterior has motivated a variety of computational methods, including Markov chain Monte Carlo routines and algorithms that approximate the posterior. Despite being implemented routinely, Markov chain Monte Carlo strategies have mixing or time-inefficiency issues in large-$p$ and small-$n$ studies, whereas approximate routines fail to capture the skewness typically observed in the posterior. In this article it is proved that the posterior distribution for the probit coefficients has a unified skew-normal kernel under Gaussian priors. This result allows efficient Bayesian inference for a wide class of applications, especially in large-$p$ and small-to-moderate-$n$ settings where state-of-the-art computational methods face notable challenges. These advances are illustrated in a genetic study, and further motivate the development of a wider class of conjugate priors for probit models, along with methods for obtaining independent and identically distributed samples from the unified skew-normal posterior.
Working through Barriers: Shaping Social Workers’ Engagement in Policy Practice
Authors: Nouman Hani , Levin Lia , Lavee Einat
Published: June 2019

Although social workers’ engagement in policy-shaping processes to advance social justice reflects this obligation of the social work profession, many social workers avoid implementing policy practice (PP). Previous studies have identified several barriers limiting social workers’ use of this practice. However, how such barriers can be overcome remains under-studied. In this study, we address this lacuna by examining the role of social workers vis-à-vis their engagement in PP, through the theoretical framework of social psychology of organizations, and therein, through ideas concerning open systems and the formation of roles and praxes in organizations. Drawing on twenty-eight in-depth interviews and three focus groups, we demonstrate how social workers underwent a coping and transformation process that increased their engagement in PP. In certain situations, it was the expectations of colleagues and the challenges posed by them that impelled social workers to re-examine their approach to such engagement and enhance it. We show how social workers can overcome barriers and facilitate their involvement in the policy arena, as well as highlight policy-makers’ role in shaping social workers’ modes of operation.
An effective biomedical data migration tool from resource description framework to JSON
Authors: Liu Jian , Yang Mo , Zhang Lei , Zhou Weijun
Published: June 2019

Resource Description Framework (RDF) is widely used for representing biomedical data in practical applications. With the increases of RDF-based applications, there is an emerging requirement of novel architectures to provide effective supports for the future RDF data explosion. Inspired by the success of the new designs in National Center for Biotechnology Information dbSNP (The Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Database) for managing the increasing data volumes using JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), in this paper we present an effective mapping tool that allows data migrations from RDF to JSON for supporting future massive data explosions and releases. We firstly introduce a set of mapping rules, which transform an RDF format into the JSON format, and then present the corresponding transformation algorithm. On this basis, we develop an effective and user-friendly tool called RDF2JSON, which enables automating the process of RDF data extractions and the corresponding JSON data generations.
Diversity and antimicrobial potential of Actinobacteria isolated from diverse marine sponges along the Beibu Gulf of the South China Sea
Authors: Liu Tan , Wu Shufei , Zhang Ruizhen , Wang Dexiang , Chen Jun , Zhao Jing
Published: June 2019

Marine sponge-associated microorganisms have proven to be a very promising source of biologically active and pharmaceutically important natural products. In this study, we investigated the diversity and antibacterial potential of bacteria from 49 sponge species isolated from the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea, belonging to 16 genera and several unidentified taxa. Using a variety of selective media, 363 strains with different morphologies were identified to six bacterial taxa, including Proteobacteria (α-subgroup 85 and γ-subgroup 59), Actinobacteria (123), Firmicutes (90), Bacteroidetes (5) and Brevundimonas (1). Media ISP2 and R2A were the most effective for isolating Actinobacteria. One hundred and twenty-three actinobacterial strains clustered into 21 genera identified by 16S rDNA gene sequencing, most of which were from the genus Microbacterium, followed by Pseudonocardia, Streptomyces, Kocuria, Aeromicrobium, Brachybacterium and Nocardiopsis, constituted 82% of total actinobacterial isolates. By using the minimal medium, 92 actinobacterial isolates showed antimicrobial activities, and 51 strains displayed moderate to strong antimicrobial activity that inhibited the growth of more than half of the bacteria tested in this study. Functional genes related to secondary metabolites were screened, revealing that 10% (12/123) of actinobacterial isolates contained PKS-KS genes, 18% (22/123) harbored NRPS-A genes and 6% (7/123) had hybrid PKS-NRPS gene clusters. The sponges Haliclona sp., Callyspongia sp. and Desmacella sp., belonging to class Demonspongiae, and Leucaltis sp. from the class Calcarea, were dominant hosts, harboring the most diverse actinobacterial genera with stronger antimicrobial activities and more diverse PKS/NRPS genes.
U.S. Providers’ Perceptions of the Psychosocial Needs of Seriously Ill Patients of South Asian Origin: Implications for Health Social Work
Authors: Washington Karla T , Khosla Nidhi , Lero Christi
Published: June 2019

The number of individuals of South Asian origin receiving health care in the United States is rapidly growing, yet little is known about their psychosocial needs. To better inform the provision of culturally competent social work services for this patient population, researchers sought to describe U.S. health care providers’ perceptions of the psychosocial needs of seriously ill patients of South Asian origin. To do so, they conducted a multimethod qualitative descriptive study, collecting data during focus groups and individual interviews of health care providers (N = 57) and analyzing them via directed content analysis. Identified patient needs included addressing financial and legal problems, challenges completing activities of daily living, spiritual or existential concerns, psychosocial experiences of unresolved physical symptoms, and psychological distress. Providers also emphasized the importance of supporting patients’ family members to aid in their caregiving abilities and to enhance their quality of life. As social workers in U.S. health care settings encounter a growing number of patients of South Asian origin, a more comprehensive understanding of their psychosocial needs is imperative. Study findings suggest that health social workers should provide psychosocial care that encompasses culture-specific needs and psychosocial care that can be provided in a culturally responsive manner.
Traveling wave solutions for the Richards equation with hysteresis
Authors: Behi-Gornostaeva E El , Mitra K , Schweizer B
Published: June 2019

We investigate the one-dimensional non-equilibrium Richards equation with play-type hysteresis. It is known that regularized versions of this equation permit traveling wave solutions that show oscillations and, in particular, the physically relevant effect of a saturation overshoot. We investigate here the non-regularized hysteresis operator and combine it with a positive $\tau $-term. Our result is that the model has monotone traveling wave solutions. These traveling waves describe the behavior of fronts in a bounded domain. In a two-dimensional interpretation, the result characterizes the speed of fingers in non-homogeneous solutions.
High Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium falciparum in the Low-Transmission Setting of the Kingdom of Eswatini
Authors: Roh Michelle E , Tessema Sofonias K , Murphy Maxwell , Nhlabathi Nomcebo , Mkhonta Nomcebo , Vilakati Sibonakaliso , Ntshalintshali Nyasatu , Saini Manik , Maphalala Gugu , Chen Anna , Wilheim Jordan , Prach Lisa , Gosling Roly , Kunene Simon , S. Hsiang Michelle , Greenhouse Bryan
Published: June 2019

Background

To better understand transmission dynamics, we characterized Plasmodium falciparum genetic diversity in Eswatini, where transmission is low and sustained by importation.

Methods

Twenty-six P. falciparum microsatellites were genotyped in 66% of confirmed cases (2014–2016; N = 582). Population and within-host diversity were used to characterize differences between imported and locally acquired infections. Logistic regression was used to assess the added value of diversity metrics to classify imported and local infections beyond epidemiology data alone.

Results

Parasite population in Eswatini was highly diverse (expected heterozygosity [HE] = 0.75) and complex: 67% polyclonal infections, mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) 2.2, and mean within-host infection fixation index (FWS) 0.84. Imported cases had comparable diversity to local cases but exhibited higher MOI (2.4 vs 2.0; P = .004) and lower mean FWS (0.82 vs 0.85; P = .03). Addition of MOI and FWS to multivariate analyses did not increase discrimination between imported and local infections.

Conclusions

In contrast to the common perception that P. falciparum diversity declines with decreasing transmission intensity, Eswatini isolates exhibited high parasite diversity consistent with high rates of malaria importation and limited local transmission. Estimates of malaria transmission intensity from genetic data need to consider the effect of importation, especially as countries near elimination.
Controlling the Long-Term Problem of Short-Term Funding
Authors: Johnson Brian A , Scott Hal S
Published: June 2019

While financial crises can be triggered by several causes, runs on short-term liabilities are at the heart of all financial crises, with the recent 2007–09 financial crisis being no exception. Given the unpredictability of crisis triggers and the overwhelming predictability of short-term funding’s role in financial crises, legislative and regulatory responses to the recent financial crisis should focus on the consequences of relying on short-term funding in the financial system. However, in addressing the problem of such funding, it is important to recognize the social benefits afforded by short-term liabilities and not simply the costs. To this end, this paper provides a brief overview of short-term funding in the U.S. financial system, while also highlighting the trade-off between the costs and benefits of short-term liabilities. The paper proceeds with an analysis of various proposals aimed at addressing the short-term funding issue.
Lethal heat stress-dependent volatile emissions from tobacco leaves: what happens beyond the thermal edge?
Authors: Turan Satpal , Kask Kaia , Kanagendran Arooran , Li Shuai , Anni Rinaldo , Talts Eero , Rasulov Bahtijor , Kännaste Astrid , Niinemets Ülo
Published: June 2019

Heat shock impairs photosynthesis in tobacco and results in massive increases in the emission of key stress volatiles including methanol and green leaf volatiles.
Epigenetic regulation of miR396 expression by SWR1-C and the effect of miR396 on leaf growth and developmental phase transition in Arabidopsis
Authors: Hou Ning , Cao Yanli , Li Fengyun , Yuan Weiyi , Bian Hongwu , Wang Junhui , Zhu Muyuan , Han Ning
Published: June 2019

The miR396/target module affects juvenile to adult transition and flowering in Arabidopsis. The spatio-temporal distribution of miR396 during leaf development, which helps to control leaf shape and modify phase change, is regulated by SWR1-C.