bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PENTINGNYA REFORMASI KEBIJAKSANAAN PEMERINTAH DALAM PENGHEMATAN BELANJA NEGARA
Authors: Setyodarmodjo Soenarko
Published: February 2017

Many people say, whether domestic or abroad, that Indonesia is one of the rich countries in the world. But, in the reality now Indonesia has a national debt to the foreign states of about US$ I 37 billions. That is amazing, it has been happening, due to the malpractice and  inadequate  policy  making  and  public  management  of  the  "new  order government "reigned by Suharto. Now, the Indonesian people inherited the obligation to pay back the national debt. Certainly, the effect to the public finance now is apprehensivible. The deficit financing will appear year by year with the hope that the Indonesian people will be able to get out of financial crises in the coming years for the development of the country.The deficit in the State budget of the year 2002 about Rp. 42 trillion is actually as like an Indonesian proverb: "Besar Pasak daripada Tiang", that litteral/y means: the pin-is too bigfor the mast".However, we must have the solution to overcome that deficit in a prudent way so that it is not hampering the development of the economic and social life in Indonesia.Therefore, it has been recommended that the selling of the asset of the state anterprises based on the natural resources must be taken into accurate consideration in relation with the future. We must remember, that "natural resources factor" is one of the natural determinant of powers of a State. We still have another way by economizing the expenditure particularly to evaluate the policies which have been arranged legally by unjust policy making. The related inappropriate policies must be revised or reformulated. The double income of pension of many ex-government and ex-political officials must be eliminated. It is an injustice.The priority of the several normative political activities must be effectively arranged, while   we  now  are  very  busy  with  the  strategic  and operational  planning of the implementation of the national policy. So, the plenary session of the People's Consultative Assembly in November 200I will not be effective and wasting a huge of money for this session. The economizing of public financing is necessary.The other way to get some more income in the revenue of the budget, is that the government has the courage to make a policy decision to take the authority in the management of the foundations which have been supervised  and managed by Suharto 's family and their comrades. All of the assets in the foundations have something as a purpose for the social welfare or public interest and economical recovery in the society. So, the use of the money or assets of the foundations to cover the deficit in the state budget is reasonable.
ANALISIS PENERAPAN INDEKS FOSTER - GREER - THORBECKE TERHADAP PENGUKURAN DAN PENGENTASAN KEMISKINAN DI JAWA TIMUR
Authors: Kusreni Sri
Published: February 2017

This research was conducted to applied the method ofpoverty measure. As analyze of effected economy crisis in East J va Province, data which were used in this research are as long as of I 997 and the end of 1999, that we obtain from another relevant institution. We analyze it with ratio index by Foster-Greer-Thorbecke which have four axiom as being requirements.The hypothesis of this study are that poverty index will be decrease while we implied crash programs to release.from poverty circle. But the result/ram this study is re1ected it. So we can conclude that government programs not reducing poor number. Data in used 1101 relevant to applied this measure , because data rare making index not realible with reul cunditiun. The meusure is proper to cross sectionul data with nominal type not scule type.
AKUNTANSI DAN PELAPORAN KEUANGAN ORGANISASI MASJID DI INDONESIA
Authors: Ngumar Sutjipto
Published: February 2017

Mosque is God house built as facilities for Moslem to remember, thank, and pray for God well. Beside for praying five times and Friday's pray and religion activities, mosque can be place to do a lot of activity such as zakat, courses for teenager and also can be institution of solidarity for human being. To support this activities, need a lot of fimd, so manager of mosque hoped can arrange financial statement for stakeholder. The Goal of this article is to know the model and report for financial statement which is used by mosque;s manager, and also try to give a form of general accepted accounting principle (SAAP), as specially syariah accounting. By concept for mosque's accounting it is hoped to accountability fund which is received from trapers properly.
PENGARUH STOCK SPLIT TERHADAP PERUBAHAN HARGA SAHAM YANG LISTED DI BURSA EFEK SURABAYA
Authors: Sugiyono Sugiyono
Published: February 2017

Stock   Split   merupakan kebijakwnaan yang ditempuh perusahaan untuk memperoleh tanggapan positip   dari  imestor,  dengan  split  diharapkan   volume  perdagangan   saham meningkat, dengan demikian return pemenang saham meningkat juga. Untuk membuktikan, maka diperlukan penxamatan pada sekitar hari pemecahan saham atau jendela pengamatan, yang meliputi data closing price, index harga saham gabungan, dan trading volume activity, serta jumlah saham yang beredar untuk setiap perusahaan anggata sampel. Kemudian dilakukan perhitungan-perhitungan terhadap Actual  return, Market return, Persamaan  regresi single index model, uji sign fikansi persamaan  regresi, Hxpected  return, Abnormal  return,  Rata-rata  abnormal  return, Likuiditas  saham.Pengujian  dilakukan  dengan  one sample  test maupun dengan gmup sample  test  terhadap Averafge  Abnormal  return,  Likuiditas saham,  maupun Average  Actual  return.Hasil pengujian menunjukan: investor tidak mempero/eh abnormal return, abnormal return soma antara sebelum dan sesudah split likuiditas saham meningkat pada hari-hari tertentu sesudah split, likuiditas perdagangan saham sesudah split lebih besar dibanding sebelum split, average actual return tidak herheda dengan nol, actual return sesudah split sama dengan sebelum split.
STUDI PRICE EARNINGS RATIO ANTAR SEKTOR INDUSTRI MANUFAKTUR
Authors: Diana Nugrahent Bemadetta , Machfoedz Mas'ud
Published: February 2017

The Economic crisis that broke in Indonesia since the mid-year of 1997 caused a lot of business losses. This condition brings effect to the investors to determine their portfolio. One of most popular financial indicator that usually used to predict the business prospect and risk is price earnings ratio (PER). This study is peiformed to find whether PER between manufacturing industrial sectors differ before and after the year 1997. By using two ways ANOVA analysis, so the result of the analysis proved that before and after the year 1997, PER between manufacturing industrial sectors were different. The different were caused by economic crisis. Beside that, this study also peiformed a test of consistency of variables that influence the different of PER for those two condition, before and after the year 1997. The variables that used consist of income smoothing index, beta, financial leverage, earnings growth, ROE, and size. Manufacturing industrial sectors were used as a dummy variable. By using the multiple linier regression analysis, so those six variables that used thrown together could explain the change of PER. The variable of income smoothing index, earnings growth, ROE, and size significantly influence PER at the condition before the year 1997. In other side, after the year 1997, the variable offinancial leverage, and size significantly influence PER. The Third manufacturing industrial sector is significant for those two conditions, before and after the year 1997.
ANALISIS VARIABEL-V ARIABEL PEMBEDA KEPUTUSAN KONSUMEN BERKUNJUNG KE TAMAN AGROWISATA BATU DAN AGROWISA TA PT PERKEBUNAN NUSANTARA XII LAWANG
Authors: Rahayu Rahayu , Budiyanto Budiyanto
Published: February 2017

Industri pariwisata merupakan salah satu produk andalan untuk memperoleh devisa negara, untuk itu pengembangannya diharapkan dapat memacu pertumbuhan perekonomian Indonesia. Sektor pariwisata merupakan sektor industri yang  komplek yang didalamnya juga terdapat industri lainnya seperti: industri rumah tangga, hotel, makanan, kerajinan dan lain-lain. Kondisi ini dapat memberikan suatu gambaran bahwa sektor pariwisata  harus dikembangkan mengingat banyaknya sumber wisata yang ada.Meningkatnya permintaan produk rekreasi alam hutan disebabkan banyak faktor, oleh karena itu setiap obyek wisata harus mempunyai ciri khusus sehingga banyak menarik pengunjung. Pengembangan setiap obyek wisata dapat melalui faktor product, place, price, promotion, physical evidence, process dan personal traits.Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui apakah faktor produk, harga, promosi, tempat, proses, personal trait dan physical evidence merupakan faktor pembeda keputusan konsumen berkunjung ke taman Agrowisata Batu dan Agrowisata PTP Nusantara XII Lawang dan untuk mengetahui jaktor pembeda dominan diantara faktor produk , harga, promosi, tempat, proses, personal trait dan physical evidence terhadap keputusan konsumen berkunjung ke taman Agrowisata Batu dan Agrowisata PTP Nusantara XII  lawang.Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa variabel produk, harga, promosi, tempat, proses, personal trait dan physical evidence signijikan membedakan keputusan konsumen berkunjung ke taman Agrowisata Batu dan Agrowisata PTP Nusantara XII Lawang terbukti benar. Hal ini dapat dilihat dari nilai probabilitas sebesar 0,000 yang mana nilai tersebut berada dibawah 5% dan nilai wilks lamda sebesar 0,355. Berdasarkan nilai  square  cannonical  correlation  sebesar  0,644  atau  64,4%  maka  nilai  tersebut
MANAJEMEN LABA PADA PERlJSAHAAN BERMASALAH
Authors: Amanah Lailatul
Published: February 2017

The objective of this study was to examine earning management practice to companies with persistencely loss. This study employs accruals model especially discretionary accruals from Jones model to measure earnings management. This study employs t-test to test of hypothesis that the troubled companies have more abnormal accruals than non­ troubled companies. Contrary to hypothesis this reseach provide evidence both the troubled companies and nontroubled companies have managed earnings to reported earnings upward. Discretionary accruals mean to troubled companies and nontroubled companies were  0.305 and 0. 190 respectively. Mean d!ffrences of abnormal accruals is not siqnificant to both troubled companies and nontroubled companies.
Contributing factors of utero-vaginal prolapse among women attending in Lumbini Medical College and Teaching Hospital
Authors: Acharya S
Published: February 2017

Uterine prolapse- is a major public health problem in Nepal. It is a medical and social problem, deeply rooted with poor health services and socio-cultural beliefs. The objective of this study was to find out the contributing factors of utero -vaginal prolapse among women attending at Lumbini Medical College and Teaching Hospital. Descriptive study design was used. A total of 40 women diagnosed with utero-vaginal prolapse were selected as the cases by using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected from 2071/07/8 to 2071/10/30. Data processing and analysis was done using SPSS version 16.The study reveals that 92% of women were involved in agriculture and 80% of them were illiterate. Ninety five percent of the women got marriage before the age of 20, 92.5% women became pregnant more than 3 times, 70% of babies were born at. Ninety two percent of the women gave birth to first child before the age of 20 and 90% respondents reported that they were involved in heavy work during pregnancy and postnatal period. Contributing factors depicted by our study were heavy work, illiteracy, early marriage/child birth, inadequate food during pregnancy and postpartum period, multi parity, home delivery and less rest period during post partum.
Self-medications practice of patients visiting dermatology outpatient department of Chitwan Medical College
Authors: Parajuli N , Jha H K , Pokhrel A
Published: February 2017

A simple pretested questionnaire was used to find out on the pattern of self-medications and prior outside consultation in patient visiting Chitwan Medical College (CMC). A total of 160 patients were included in the study. Out of the total 160 respondents, 83.1% did some form of consultation outside medical college. Majority of them sought treatment from non-doctors (77.4%) to only a few (22.6%) with a medical doctor. Majority of the patients (88.1%) had some form of self-medications over the last one year period.
Knowledge and attitude of nursing students regarding organ transplantation
Authors: Karki S , Thapa S , Poudyal S
Published: February 2017

Organ transplantation is the standard therapy of several end-stage diseases. Organ donation is the major component for transplant programs; however, the rate of organ donation is relatively low in Asia. In Nepal an estimated 2.8 million people have some sort of kidney ailments, while 3,000 kidney failures are reported every year. Therefore, the current study aims to identify the attitude and knowledge regarding organ transplantation. Descriptive research design was conducted using self administered questionnaire and five points Likert scale to collect information among the nursing students. The study was carried out among B.Sc. Nursing and BNS first year students at College of Nursing of Chitwan Medical College. Proportional stratified random sampling method was used to select the study sample i.e. 50 students (23 B.Sc. Nursing and 27 BN Nursing 1st year students).The data was edited, coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) program version 17. A total of 50 nursing students, 54% were BN 1st year students and 46% were B.Sc. Nursing 1st year students. The mean age of the students was 21.98±3.384 years. The mean score obtained by students on introduction of organ transplantation was 8.54±2.39, knowledge regarding eye transplantation was 2.72±1.17 and knowledge regarding kidney transplantation was 3.58±1.44. Majority (82%) of respondents had medium level of knowledge and 94% of them had positive attitude regarding organ transplantation. This study illustrated that students had positive attitude towards organ transplantation however, low knowledge regarding organ transplantation was noted in the current study. So educational activities should be provided for the improvement of knowledge among nursing students.
Case of primary retroperitoneal hydatid
Authors: Khwaunju P , Tamrakar K K , Sah K , Neupane H C
Published: February 2017

Hydatid disease is a common condition usually involving liver and lungs. Primary retroperitoneal hydatid is not a common occurrence and it may mimic other retroperitoneal tumors clinically and radiologically. We herein present a case of primary retroperitoneal hydatid mimicking retroperitoneal mass. It was diagnosed by CT scan and FNAC examinations and managed surgically.
A comparative evaluation between megadose intravenous dexamethasone and intravenous methyl prednisolone in the treatment outcome of optic neuritis
Authors: Panjiyar P , Sharma A K , Shrestha G B , Shah A
Published: February 2017

To compare the efficacy of intravenous methylprednisolone and intravenous dexamethasone for the treatment of optic neuritis in terms of visual recovery and side-effects and to evaluate the clinical profile of optic neuritis patients admitted in BPKLCOS. 60 patients of acute idiopathic typical optic neuritis presenting to our centre were included in this prospective, randomized comparative study. Study population was randomly divided into two groups. Group I received intravenous dexamethasone 200 mg once daily for three days and Group II received intravenous methylprednisolone 500 mg/twelve-hourly for three days followed by oral prednisolone for 11 days. Optic neuritis was found to be common in the age group of 21 to 30 years with female preponderance. The most frequent mode of presentation was abrupt loss of vision. Retrobulbar optic neuritis dominated the study group. Both groups were age and sex-matched. The mean presenting visual acuity in group I was 0.065±0.59. The mean presenting visual acuity in group II was 0.1±0.15. On day 90 of steroid therapy, visual acuity improved to 0.98±0.073 in Group I and 0.88±0.16 in Group II (p=0.23). At three months, there was statistically significant improvement in both groups in terms of colour vision, contrast sensitivity and Goldmann visual fields as well but difference between the two groups was statistically insignificant. Intravenous dexamethasone is an effective treatment for optic neuritis, which is comparable to intravenous methylprednisolone. However, larger studies are required to establish it as a safe, inexpensive and effective modality for the treatment of optic neuritis.
Evaluation of aloe vera leaves extract in streptozotocin- induced diabetic nephropathy in rat
Authors: Dangi N B , Gyanwali M , Gyanwali P , Sapkota H P , Pandey A , Shrestha A
Published: February 2017

Having an anti-diabetic activity, Aloe Vera (Aloebarbadensis) has been used for medicinal purposes in several cultures for millennia. It has also been proved that aloe vera is having protective activity in nephrotoxic rats.The objective of the pres­ent study was to evaluate the effect of Aloe vera leaves extract on diabetic nephropathy in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat. Diabetes was induced by Streptozotocin(60 mg/kg-i.p.). Four weeks later rats were randomly selected and divided into 5 groups (n=6). Group I: normal control. Group II: diabetic nephropathy (DN) control. Group III: DN+AVE (250 mg/ kg). Group IV: DN+AVE (500 mg/kg). Group V: DN+AMG (1 mg/1ml in drinking water). The treatment was given for 8 weeks. Various parameters like physiological, antidiabetic, renal function, antioxidants and histopathology were measured. Administration of aloe vera extract showed significant decrease in body weight, food and water intake, kidney weight, blood glucose level, serum creatinine, BUN, protein in urine, serum uric acid and lipid peroxidation. It also significantly increases the plasma insulin level, liver glycogen content, urine volume, GFR, SOD, catalase, Reduced glutathione. Histopathologi­cal studies confirmed that administration of AVE prevented kidney damage, which provided structural support for the renal shielding effect. The significant effect of aloe vera extract on diabetic nephropathy could be due to the inherent antihy­perglycemic, antioxidant, improvement of renal function parameters. In the near future AVE could constitute a lead to the discovery of a novel drug for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
Hypersensitivity reaction to ofloxacin: A case report
Authors: Neki N S
Published: February 2017

Adverse drug reactions(ADRs) are noxious and unintended occurring in doses routinly used for diagnosis, treatment, prophylaxis of disease or for modification of physiological functions. Skin is the most commonly involved organ followed by GIT system although ADRS may involve any system. Ofloxacin is a quinolone antibiotic. It is considered as second-generation fluoroquinolone. It is effective for treatment of a wide variety of infectious diseases acting against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We present a case of hypersensitivity reaction to oral ofloxacin. Being rarity we thought of reporting this case.
Ruptured ectopic pregnancy in a non-communicating rudimentary horn of a unicornuate uterus: A case report
Authors: Kaudel S
Published: February 2017

Uterine rupture in first and second trimester in a non-scarred uterus is usually associated with Mullerian anomalies like rudimentary horn pregnancy. Such rudimentary horn pregnancy is difficult to diagnose antenatally but it carries grave consequences for the mother and fetus. Here is a case of undiagnosed ruptured rudimentary horn pregnancy in unicornuate uterus in Gravida 2 Para 0+1 lady at 18 week gestation who was admitted in Emergency with Shock and diagnosis was confirmed at laparotomy.
Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma: Current status and strategy
Authors: Rouniyar B P , Devkota K R
Published: February 2017

Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma is very rare. Its prognosis is poor and there is no established treatment modality. It has been considered as a distinct clinicopathological entity. It is distinct from small cell carcinoma of the lung, though it shares similar clinicopathologic features to the latter. It has a similar staging and treatment modality. The aim is to review existing studies and provide new results on diagnosis and current management strategy for patients with extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma. The study involves the review of the literature using the electronic database MEDLINE and hand searching of journals. The outcome measures are addressed and analyzed. Studies have shown wide variations of treatment modalities adopted and the outcome observed. Almost all studies are of inadequate power to establish standard treatment modality. Multi-centre studies are required to institutionalize standard treatment modality.
Applying Turner’s Three-Process Theory of Power to the Study of Power Relations in a Troubled Information Systems Implementation
Authors: Ye Michelle Yaqian , De Salas Kristy , Ollington Nadia , McKay Judy
Published: February 2017

This paper explores the nature and exercise of power in an interpretive case study of a troubled information systems (IS) implementation in a university in the Asia Pacific region using Turner’s Three-Process Theory of Power based on Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorisation Theory. The findings demonstrate the value of Turner’s theoretical lens as well as its insufficiency for explaining all power related activities. This research has led to the development of an extended Three-Process Theory of Power by adding the alternative components that emerged from the data in the case study in relation to the nature and exercises of power. Based on the findings, we further recommend specific guidelines for IS theoreticians and practitioners including advice to project managers on a range of key issues. Thus, this paper contributes theorising the sources of power and tactical applications of power in given situations, particularly in IS implementation projects.
Influence of atomic processes on charge states and fractions of fast heavy ions passing through gaseous, solid, and plasma targets
Authors: Tolstikhina I Yu , Shevelko V P
Published: February 2017

An overview of experimental data and theoretical methods is given for charge-changing processes with ion beams passing through gaseous, solid, and plasma targets. The main focus is on electron capture and electron loss processes involving heavy many-electron ions (like Ar
q+
, Kr
q+
, Pb
q+
, W
q+
, U
q+
) at relatively large and relativistic ion energies E = 50 keV/u − 50 GeV/u, including multielectron processes, which increase the total cross sections to about 50% or more. A large part of the paper is devoted to consideration of the stopping power of matter—the basic quantity characterizing kinetic energy losses of ions due to interactions with particles in matter. The electron capture processes for heavy ions colliding with atoms at low energies E < 10 eV/u and the arising isotopic effect are briefly discussed. The formation dynamics of charge-state fractions and average equilibrium charges in the ion beams interacting with medium particles are considered on the basis of the balance rate equations, including the creation of equilibrium charge-state fractions and average charges, an equilibrium target thickness and ion beam average charge, etc. A short description of the computer programs ETACHA, GLOBAL, CHARGE, and BREIT for calculating the charge-state fractions as a function of the target thickness is given, and some applications directly using charge-state fractions, e.g., in the detection of superheavy elements and in solving problems in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, are considered. All physical processes and effects touched upon in the paper are explained in terms of atomic physics using the radiative and collisional characteristics of heavy many-electron ions interacting with electrons, atoms, ions, and molecules.
Advances in Eco-Efficient Agriculture: The Plant-Soil Mycobiome
Authors: Pagano Marcela , Correa Eduardo , Duarte Neimar , Yelikbayev Bakhytzhan , O’Donovan Anthonia , Gupta Vijai
Published: February 2017

In order to achieve a desirable ecological and sustainable agriculture a thorough understanding of the plant-soil mycobiome is imperative. Commercial industrial agriculture alters greenhouse gas emissions, promotes loss of plant and soil biodiversity, increases pollution by raising atmospheric CO2, and releases pesticides, thus affecting both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Diversified farming systems, including perennial cultivated pastures, are among worldwide strategies that aim to reduce terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions and deal with threats to global sustainability. Additionally, stimulation of soil microbes and appropriate soil management can influence soil interactions as well as the rates of organic matter decomposition and the release of gases. Agricultural soil microbial communities play a central role in ecosystem processes and are affected by biocontrol agents, biofertilizers, and exposure to pesticides, the extent to which is yet to be fully elucidated. Intercropping different plant species is beneficial, as this can increase carbon fixation by plants, transferring carbon to the soil, especially via mycorrhizas, thus modifying interplant interactions. This review focuses on agro-ecosystems, showing the latest advances in the plant-soil interface (the mycobiome) for an eco-efficient agricultural production.
Generation and Characterisation of a Reference Transcriptome for Phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.)
Authors: Baillie Rebecca , Drayton Michelle , Pembleton Luke , Kaur Sukhjiwan , Culvenor Richard , Smith Kevin , Spangenberg German , Forster John , Cogan Noel
Published: February 2017

Phalaris aquatica is a cool-season perennial grass species that is extensively cultivated in Australia, with additional usage in other areas of the world. Phalaris displays a number of desirable agronomic characteristics, although unfavourable traits include excessive seed shattering, sensitivity to aluminium toxicity, and several toxicosis syndromes. Varietal development has to date been based on traditional selection methods, but would benefit from the application of genomics-based approaches, which require the development of large-scale sequence resources. Due to a large nuclear DNA content, methods that target the expressed component of the genome and reduce the complexity of analysis are most amenable to current sequencing technologies. A reference unigene set has been developed by transcriptome sequencing of multiple tissues from a single plant belonging to the variety Landmaster. Comparisons have been made to gene complements from related species, as well as reference protein databases, and patterns of gene expression in different tissues have been evaluated. A number of candidate genes relevant to removal of undesirable attributes have been identified. The reference unigene set will provide the basis for detailed studies of differential gene expression and identification of candidate genes for potential transgenic deployment, as well as a critical resource for genotypic analysis to support future genomics-assisted breeding activities for phalaris improvement.
Selenium- and Tellurium-Based Antioxidants for Modulating Inflammation and Effects on Osteoblastic Activity
Authors: Lu Xi , Mestres Gemma , Singh Vijay , Effati Pedram , Poon Jia-Fei , Engman Lars , Ott Marjam
Published: February 2017

Increased oxidative stress plays a significant role in the etiology of bone diseases. Heightened levels of H2O2 disrupt bone homeostasis, leading to greater bone resorption than bone formation. Organochalcogen compounds could act as free radical trapping agents or glutathione peroxidase mimetics, reducing oxidative stress in inflammatory diseases. In this report, we synthesized and screened a library of organoselenium and organotellurium compounds for hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, using macrophagic cell lines RAW264.7 and THP-1, as well as human mono- and poly-nuclear cells. These cells were stimulated to release H2O2, using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, with and without organochalogens. Released H2O2 was then measured using a chemiluminescent assay over a period of 2 h. The screening identified an organoselenium compound which scavenged H2O2 more effectively than the vitamin E analog, Trolox. We also found that this organoselenium compound protected MC3T3 cells against H2O2-induced toxicity, whereas Trolox did not. The organoselenium compound exhibited no cytotoxicity to the cells and had no deleterious effects on cell proliferation, viability, or alkaline phosphatase activity. The rapidity of H2O2 scavenging and protection suggests that the mechanism of protection is due to the direct scavenging of extracellular H2O2. This compound is a promising modulators of inflammation and could potentially treat diseases involving high levels of oxidative stress.
Electrical Energy Forecasting and Optimal Allocation of ESS in a Hybrid Wind-Diesel Power System
Authors: Lan Hai , Yin He , Wen Shuli , Hong Ying-Yi , Yu David , Zhang Lijun
Published: February 2017

Due to the increasingly serious energy crisis and environmental pollution problem, traditional fossil energy is gradually being replaced by renewable energy in recent years. However, the introduction of renewable energy into power systems will lead to large voltage fluctuations and high capital costs. To solve these problems, an energy storage system (ESS) is employed into a power system to reduce total costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, this paper proposes a two-stage method based on a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) and hybrid multi-objective particle swarm optimization (HMOPSO) to determine the optimal placements and sizes of ESSs in a transmission system. Owing to the uncertainties of renewable energy, a BPNN is utilized to forecast the outputs of the wind power and load demand based on historic data in the city of Madison, USA. Furthermore, power-voltage (P-V) sensitivity analysis is conducted in this paper to improve the converge speed of the proposed algorithm, and continuous wind distribution is discretized by a three-point estimation method. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 30-bus system is adopted to perform case studies. The simulation results of each case clearly demonstrate the necessity for optimal storage allocation and the efficiency of the proposed method.
Low-Loss Micro-Resonator Filters Fabricated in Silicon by CMOS-Compatible Lithographic Techniques: Design and Characterization
Authors: Marchetti Riccardo , Vitali Valerio , Lacava Cosimo , Cristiani Ilaria , Giuliani Guido , Muffato Viviane , Fournier Maryse , Abrate Silvio , Gaudino Roberto , Temporiti Enrico , Carroll Lee , Minzioni Paolo
Published: February 2017

Optical resonators are fundamental building-blocks for the development of Si-photonics-integrated circuits, as tunable on-chip optical filters. In addition to the specific spectral shape, which may vary according to a particular application, extremely low losses from these devices are a crucial requirement. In the current state-of-the-art devices, most low-loss filters have only been demonstrated by exploiting ad hoc lithographic and etching techniques, which are not compatible with the standard CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) process-flow available at Si-photonic foundries. In this paper, we describe the design and optimization of optical micro-resonators, based on Si-waveguides with a height lower than the standard ones (i.e., less than 220 nm), prepared on SOI (silicon on insulator) platform, which allow the realization of high-performance optical filters with an insertion loss lower than 1 dB, using only previously validated lithographic etch-depths.
Fusion of Linear and Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefﬁcients for Automatic Classiﬁcation of Reptiles
Authors: Noda Juan , Travieso Carlos , Sánchez-Rodríguez David
Published: February 2017

Bioacoustic research of reptile calls and vocalizations has been limited due to the general consideration that they are voiceless. However, several species of geckos, turtles, and crocodiles are abletoproducesimpleandevencomplexvocalizationswhicharespecies-speciﬁc.Thisworkpresents a novel approach for the automatic taxonomic identiﬁcation of reptiles through their bioacoustics by applying pattern recognition techniques. The sound signals are automatically segmented, extracting each call from the background noise. Then, their calls are parametrized using Linear and Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefﬁcients (LFCC and MFCC) to serve as features in the classiﬁcation stage. In this study, 27 reptile species have been successfully identiﬁed using two machine learning algorithms: K-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Experimental results show an average classiﬁcation accuracy of 97.78% and 98.51%, respectively.
Improving Liquid Entry Pressure of Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Membranes by Exploiting the Role of Fabrication Parameters in Vapor-Induced Phase Separation VIPS and Non-Solvent-Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) Processes
Authors: Abdulla AlMarzooqi Faisal , Roil Bilad Muhammad , Ali Arafat Hassan
Published: February 2017

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a popular polymer material for making membranes for several applications, including membrane distillation (MD), via the phase inversion process. Non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) and vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) are applied to achieve a porous PVDF membrane with low mass-transfer resistance and high contact angle (hydrophobicity). In this work, firstly, the impacts of several preparation parameters on membrane properties using VIPS and NIPS were studied. Then, the performance of the selected membrane was assessed in a lab-scale direct-contact MD (DCMD) unit. The parametric study shows that decreasing PVDF concentration while increasing both relative humidity (RH) and exposure time increased the contact angle and bubble-point pore size (BP). Those trends were investigated further by varying the casting thickness. At higher casting thicknesses and longer exposure time (up to 7.5 min), contact angle (CA) increased but BP significantly decreased. The latter showed a dominant trend leading to liquid entry pressure (LEP) increase with thickness.
Subcritical Water Extraction of Ursolic Acid from Hedyotis diffusa
Authors: Xiao Shangzhen , Xi Xingjun , Tang Fei , Dai Juan , Liu Jing , Lei Jiandu , Wang Luying
Published: February 2017

An efficient and environmental-friendly extraction method has been developed for extraction of ursolic acid (UA) from Hedyotis diffusa by using subcritical water extraction (SWE). The experiments were carried out at different particle sizes (20–100 mesh), extraction temperature (120–200 °C), extraction time (10–50 min), solvent/solid ratio (20–40 mL/g), and extraction pressure (0.6–3.0 MPa). Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize SWE conditions, and the maximum UA yield was 6.45 mg/g material. Optimal conditions are as follows: Particle size of 80 mesh, extraction temperature at 157 °C and a solvent/solid ratio of 30 mL/g. The model of experimental response was proved to predict the experimental results very well and demonstrated that UA yield was mainly depended on solvent/solid ratio, followed by particle size and temperature. The purified extract was analyzed by electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS). The acquired precursor ion was m/z 455.3532, which is consistent with calculated value of UA. Furthermore, different extraction methods, including maceration extraction, heat reflux extraction, ultrasonic extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and SWE were comparatively analyzed, which indicated that SWE was a time-saving, cost-saving and environment-friendly extraction technology for extraction of UA from Hedyotis diffusa.
Innovative Hyperspectral Imaging-Based Techniques for Quality Evaluation of Fruits and Vegetables: A Review
Authors: Lu Yuzhen , Huang Yuping , Lu Renfu
Published: February 2017

New, non-destructive sensing techniques for fast and more effective quality assessment of fruits and vegetables are needed to meet the ever-increasing consumer demand for better, more consistent and safer food products. Over the past 15 years, hyperspectral imaging has emerged as a new generation of sensing technology for non-destructive food quality and safety evaluation, because it integrates the major features of imaging and spectroscopy, thus enabling the acquisition of both spectral and spatial information from an object simultaneously. This paper first provides a brief overview of hyperspectral imaging configurations and common sensing modes used for food quality and safety evaluation. The paper is, however, focused on the three innovative hyperspectral imaging-based techniques or sensing platforms, i.e., spectral scattering, integrated reflectance and transmittance, and spatially-resolved spectroscopy, which have been developed in our laboratory for property and quality evaluation of fruits, vegetables and other food products. The basic principle and instrumentation of each technique are described, followed by the mathematical methods for processing and extracting critical information from the acquired data. Applications of these techniques for property and quality evaluation of fruits and vegetables are then presented. Finally, concluding remarks are given on future research needs to move forward these hyperspectral imaging techniques.
Lightning and Rainfall Characteristics in Elevated vs. Surface Based Convection in the Midwest that Produce Heavy Rainfall
Authors: Kastman Joshua , Market Patrick , Fox Neil , Foscato Alzina , Lupo Anthony
Published: February 2017

There are differences in the character of surface-based and elevated convection, and one type may pose a greater threat to life or property. The lightning and rainfall characteristics of eight elevated and eight surface-based thunderstorm cases that occurred between 2007 and 2010 over the central Continental United States were tested for statistical differences. Only events that produced heavy rain (>50.8 mm·day−1) were investigated. The nonparametric Mann–Whitney test was used to determine if the characteristics of elevated thunderstorm events were significantly different than the surface based events. Observations taken from these cases include: rainfall–lightning ratios (RLR) within the heavy rain area, the extent of the heavy rainfall area, cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes, CG flashes·h−1, positive CG flashes, positive CG flashes·h−1, percentage of positive CG flashes within the heavy rainfall area, and maximum and mean rainfall amounts within the heavy rain area. Results show that elevated convection cases produced more rainfall, total CG lightning flashes, and positive CG lightning flashes than surface based thunderstorms. More available moisture and storm morphology explain these differences, suggesting elevated convection is a greater lightning and heavy rainfall threat than surface based convection.
The Niger River Basin Moisture Sources: A Lagrangian Analysis
Authors: Sorí Rogert , Nieto Raquel , Drumond Anita , Gimeno Luis
Published: February 2017

The Niger River basin (NRB) is located in the important climatic region of the African Sahel. In this study we use the Lagrangian tridimensional model FLEXPART v9.0 to identify and characterise the moisture sources for the NRB. This method allows the integration of the budget of evaporation minus precipitation over 10-day backward trajectories, thereby identifying the origins of the air masses residing over the NRB. The analysis was performed for the 35-year period from 1980 to 2014, which allowed us to identify the main semi-annual climatological moisture sources of the NRB, for November–April (NDJFMA) (dry season) and May–October (MJJASO) (wet season), and to quantify the respective moisture uptakes. Throughout the year, the NRB main moisture sources are located on the tropical eastern North Atlantic Ocean near Africa, the tropical eastern South Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea, in the regions surrounding the Sahel and in the Mediterranean Sea. The extents of these sources vary between dry and wet seasons. In NDJFMA two regions appear in the east of the basin, which then join up, forming a larger source to the northeast of the basin in MJJASO, when three other less important moisture sources can be seen in central-equatorial Africa, the tropical western Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. In NDJFMA the majority of the moisture uptake comes from the NRB itself but then, later in MJJASO, when the precipitation increases over the basin the greatest uptake of moisture occurs over the tropical eastern South Atlantic Ocean, northeast Africa and the NRB, which suggests that these are the effective sources of precipitation in the basin in overall terms. The seasonal moisture uptake quantification over the moisture sources of the NRB, reveals that largest fraction of moisture income to the basin from outside its boundaries. Despite providing moisture to the NRB the source located in the tropical eastern North Atlantic Ocean does not contribute that much to precipitation in the basin. A daily (ten-day) backward analysis shows the importance of the moisture uptake within the NRB and from near moisture sources during the first few (backward) days, while the Atlantic Ocean sources and the Mediterranean became more important during the last five (backward) days of the analysis.
Profiling Radar Observations and Numerical Simulations of a Downslope Wind Storm and Rotor on the Lee of the Medicine Bow Mountains in Wyoming
Authors: Pokharel Binod , Geerts Bart , Chu Xia , Bergmaier Philip
Published: February 2017

This study describes a downslope wind storm event observed over the Medicine Bow range (Wyoming, USA) on 11 January 2013. The University of Wyoming King Air (UWKA) made four along-wind passes over a five-hour period over the mountain of interest. These passes were recognized as among the most turbulent ones encountered in many years by crew members. The MacCready turbulence meter aboard the UWKA measured moderate to severe turbulence conditions on each pass in the lee of the mountain range, with eddy dissipation rate values over 0.5 m2/3 s−1. Three rawinsondes were released from an upstream location at different times. This event is simulated using the non-hydrostatic Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model at an inner- domain resolution of 1 km. The model produces a downslope wind storm, notwithstanding some discrepancies between model and rawinsonde data in terms of upstream atmospheric conditions. Airborne Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR) vertical-plane Doppler velocity data from two beams, one pointing to the nadir and one pointing slant forward, are synthesized to obtain a two-dimensional velocity field in the vertical plane below flight level. This synthesis reveals the fine-scale details of an orographic wave breaking event, including strong, persistent downslope acceleration, a strong leeside updraft (up to 10 m·s−1) flanked by counter-rotating vortices, and deep turbulence, extending well above flight level. The analysis of WCR-derived cross-mountain flow in 19 winter storms over the same mountain reveals that cross-mountain flow acceleration and downslope wind formation are difficult to predict from upstream wind and stability profiles.
The Genomic Impact of DNA CpG Methylation on Gene Expression; Relationships in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Long Mark , Smiraglia Dominic , Campbell Moray
Published: February 2017

The process of DNA CpG methylation has been extensively investigated for over 50 years and revealed associations between changing methylation status of CpG islands and gene expression. As a result, DNA CpG methylation is implicated in the control of gene expression in developmental and homeostasis processes, as well as being a cancer-driver mechanism. The development of genome-wide technologies and sophisticated statistical analytical approaches has ushered in an era of widespread analyses, for example in the cancer arena, of the relationships between altered DNA CpG methylation, gene expression, and tumor status. The remarkable increase in the volume of such genomic data, for example, through investigators from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), has allowed dissection of the relationships between DNA CpG methylation density and distribution, gene expression, and tumor outcome. In this manner, it is now possible to test that the genome-wide correlations are measurable between changes in DNA CpG methylation and gene expression. Perhaps surprisingly is that these associations can only be detected for hundreds, but not thousands, of genes, and the direction of the correlations are both positive and negative. This, perhaps, suggests that CpG methylation events in cancer systems can act as disease drivers but the effects are possibly more restricted than suspected. Additionally, the positive and negative correlations suggest direct and indirect events and an incomplete understanding. Within the prostate cancer TCGA cohort, we examined the relationships between expression of genes that control DNA methylation, known targets of DNA methylation and tumor status. This revealed that genes that control the synthesis of S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) associate with altered expression of DNA methylation targets in a subset of aggressive tumors.
Oncolytic Vesicular Stomatitis Virus as a Viro-Immunotherapy: Defeating Cancer with a “Hammer” and “Anvil”
Authors: Melzer Michael , Lopez-Martinez Arturo , Altomonte Jennifer
Published: February 2017

Oncolytic viruses have gained much attention in recent years, due, not only to their ability to selectively replicate in and lyse tumor cells, but to their potential to stimulate antitumor immune responses directed against the tumor. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), a negative-strand RNA virus, is under intense development as an oncolytic virus due to a variety of favorable properties, including its rapid replication kinetics, inherent tumor specificity, and its potential to elicit a broad range of immunomodulatory responses to break immune tolerance in the tumor microenvironment. Based on this powerful platform, a multitude of strategies have been applied to further improve the immune-stimulating potential of VSV and synergize these responses with the direct oncolytic effect. These strategies include: 1. modification of endogenous virus genes to stimulate interferon induction; 2. virus-mediated expression of cytokines or immune-stimulatory molecules to enhance anti-tumor immune responses; 3. vaccination approaches to stimulate adaptive immune responses against a tumor antigen; 4. combination with adoptive immune cell therapy for potentially synergistic therapeutic responses. A summary of these approaches will be presented in this review.