bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PERANAN ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZE DALAM MEMEDIASI PENGARUH JO DAN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGE TERHADAP SERVICE QUALITY PADA BINTANG LIMA DI JAKARTA	SHIP BEHAVIOR SATISFACTION ENT PRACTICES EBUAH HOTEL PUSAT
Authors: HAPSARI DEWAYANI
Published: August 2017

The purpose of this research is to propose a model which organizational citizenship behavior and job performance mediate the influence of job satifaction and human resources management practices toward service quality at Grand Sahid Jaya Jakarta. The conceptual framework consists of the following constructs : job satisfaction, human resources management practices, organizational citizenship behavior, job performance, and service quality. Moreover, four hypotheses were developed and tested. instrument test of validity and reliability were used to test the validity of the measures, while multiple regression from Statistical Package forSocial Science (SPSS) was used in hypotheses testing. Data were collected from Grand Sahid Jaya employee, Jakarta. The objectives of this research is to analyze the j.b satisfaction influence organizational citizenship behavior at Grand Sahid Jaya Jakarta, analyze the human resources practices toward organizational citizenship behavior, analyze the organizational citizenship behavior influence job performance and analyze job performance influence service quality at Grand Sahid Jaya JakarIta. The result indicate that all hypothesis was supported, indicated that job sati action have significant influence toward organizational citizenship behavior, human resources practices have significant influence toward organizational citizenship behavior, organizational citizenship behavior have significant influence toward job performance and job performance have significant influence toward service quality.Keywords : Job performance, service quality, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior.
PERANAN ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR DALAM MEMEDIASI PENGARUH KEPUASAN PEGAWAI DAN PRAKTIK MANAJEMEN SUMBER DAYA MANUSIA TERHADAP KUALITAS PELAYANAN HOTEL BINTANG LIMA DI JAKARTA PUSAT
Authors: Hapsari Dewani
Published: August 2017

The purpose of this research is to propose a model which organizational citizenship behavior and jobperformance mediate the influence of job satifaction and human resources management practicestoward service quality at Grand Sahid Jaya Jakarta.The conceptual framework consists of the following constructs : job satisfaction, human resourcesmanagement practices, organizational citizenship behavior, job performance, and service quality.Moreover, four hypotheses were developed and tested. Instrument test of validity and reliabilitywere used to test the validity of the measures, while multiple regression from Statistical Package forSocial Science (SPSS) was used in hypotheses testing. Data were collected from Grand Sahid Jayaemployee, Jakarta.The objectives of this research is to analyze the job satisfaction influence organizational citizenshipbehavior at Grand Sahid Jaya Jakarta, analyze the human resources practices toward organizationalcitizenship behavior, analyze the organizational citizenship behavior influence job performance andanalyze job performance influence service quality at Grand Sahid Jaya JakartaThe result indicate that all hypothesis was supported, indicated that job satisfaction have significantinfluence toward organizational citizenship behavior, human resources practices have significantinfluence toward organizational citizenship behavior, organizational citizenship behavior havesignificant influence toward job performance and job performance have significant influence towardservice qualityKeywords : Service quality, organizational citizenship behavior, job performance, job satisfaction,human resources management practices,
PENGARUH KUALITAS SERVICE TERHADAP KEPUASAN, KEPERCAYAAN, DAN KECENDERUNGAN BERPERILAKU MAHASISWA PADA PERGURUAN TINGGI DI JAKARTA
Authors: Edastama Primasatria
Published: August 2017

Development and growth of universities in Jakarta encourage each university to achieve the best quality to get more students. This action need certain steps particularly by improve quality service. In this research will analyze the effect of service quality to students’ behavior intention, so university able to see the effect of quality service. The method in this study was Structural Equation Model(SEM), as subject research is students, and the data used primer data that collected by questionnaire. The result of this study showed a good service has effect to trust of behavior intention. However, this research also found the effect of satisfaction to trust is significant although it is weak effect, this also occur to the quality of service to trust and service quality. For the effect of quality service to behavior intention in this research showed strong effect. By the result of this research, it is hope that university able to manage the quality service better and more focus to student as customer because of tendency of their behavior.Keywords: service quality, trust, behavior intention
PENGARUH PRODUCT QUALITY, SERVICE QUALITY, IMAGE TERHADAP LOYALTY MELALUI SATISFACTION PADA RESTORAN SUNDA DI JAKARTA
Authors: Pirbadi Dessy
Published: August 2017

Number of Sunda Restaurant’s consumer in the year of 2009 and 2012 are decreasing although the number of restaurant is increasing. This research test the impact of Product quality, Service quality, and Image through Satisfaction into consumer’s Loyalty by using Convenience Sampling with 200 respondents who have visited and eat in Sunda Restaurant in Jakarta at least twice in the last sixmonths. Tool used to analyze the data is Structural Equation Model (SEM) through AMOS software ver. 18.00. Result shows that Product quality, Service quality, Image, and Satisfaction have positive impact to Loyalty.Key words: Product quality, Service quality, Image, Satisfaction, Loyalty
PENGARUH EVENT SERVICE QUALITY, EVENT COST DAN EVENT CONVIENIENCE TERHADAP EVENT VENUE SATISFACTION DI JAKARTA CONVENTION CENTRE
Authors: Zulkarnain Arif
Published: August 2017

The purpose of this research was to show how value equity and its subdimentiosnof service quality, cost, and convenience drive customer satisfaction among visitors whoare attending events attending events at Jakarta Convention Centre.The design of this research applies a survey to interview the customers for testingthe hypothesis. Meanwhile the required data consist of four variables are event servicequality, event cost and event convenience as dependent variable and event venuesatisfaction as independent variable. The aggregate numbers of customer being respondentof the study are 117 customer.Data analysis used in this research was consists of Structural Equation Modellingby AMOS 6.0 as software. The result of this research concludes that perceived service fromthe visitor of Jakarta Convention Centre should be considered by the management becausein fact most of respondents show the low level of satisfaction from point service quality tounderstand the expected service to achieve event satisfaction.Keywords : event service quality, event cost, event convenience and event venue satisfaction
PENGARUH KEADILAN ORGANISASI TERHADAP KOMITMEN AFEKTIF MELALUI KEPUASAN KERJA PADA PERUSAHAAN PERBANKAN SWASTA DI DKI JAKARTA
Authors: Hidayat Darra Pradita
Published: August 2017

This research refers to a previous study conducted by Matthew S. Crow, Chang-Bae Lee Jae-Jin and Joo (2011) and completed by Andy Myhill & Ben Bradford (2012). This research is about “The Impact of Organizational Justice to Affective Commitment mediated by Job Satisfaction on Banking Companies In Jakarta”. The background of this research is to analyze the Affective Commitment as determining factors dedication and loyalty in banking industry. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of Organizational Justice to Affective Commitment mediated by Job Satisfaction. The design of this research using primary data obtained by distributing questionnaires to 130 employees of Private Bank in Jakarta. Data analysis method used in this research is Structural Equation Model (SEM). The results of this research concluded that there is a positive effect of Organizational Justice, Procedural Justice, Distributive Justice, Interactional Justice against Affective Commitment through Job Satisfaction.
PENGARUH PERCEIVED SERVICE QUALITY TERHADAP UNIBRAND PERFORMANCE MELALUI SATISFACTION PADA UNIVERSITAS SWASTA
Authors: Utami Mega Arti
Published: August 2017

This study refers to an earlier study that has been done by Sultan & Wong (2014). Thepurpose of this study was to determine the influence of Perceived Service Quality on the UniBrand Performance through Satisfaction in Private Universities. The design of this research is hypothesis testing using primary data obtained by distributing questionnaires directly to the 200 respondents who were active students of Private Universities in Jakarta. The analytical method used is Structure Equation Model (SEM). The result of this research conclude that there is a significant and positiverelation between Perceived Service Quality and Satisfaction. There is a significant and positive relation between Satisfaction and UniBrand Performance. There is a significant and positive relation between Perceived Service Quality and UniBrand Performance.
PENGARUH PERSEPSI PEGAWAI MENGENAI OUTSOURCING TERHADAP KEPUASAN KERJA DAN TURNOVER INTENTION
Authors: Murtiningsih Retno Sari
Published: August 2017

The Background of this research was the trend of companies’ outsourcing human resource  (expertise and specialists) to accomplish tasks more cheaply and efficiently to increase productivity. The objective of this research was to find out the impact of employees’ perception of outsourcing human resource on their job satisfaction and turnover intention. To achieve this objective the quantitative research has been done by using explanatory survey method. The design of thisresearch applies quantitative approach. The samples for the study consisted of 115 human resource division employees of three Banks in Jakarta. The primary data in this research was obtained by using closed ended questionnaires. Non probability sampling method with the convenience sampling technique was employed to select the sample. Data analysis used in this research was Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The result of this research concludes that employees’ positive perception of outsourcing human resource increases their job satisfactionand decreases their turnover intention whereas negative perception of outsourcing human resource decreases job satisfaction and subsequently increases turnover intention. Based on the result of the research, it is important that a company outsource human resource to increase productivity.
Screening Mentally Retarded Children for Inborn Errors of Metabolism
Authors: Shreevastava Naveen K. , Pandey Arti S.
Published: August 2017

Background: Most inborn errors of metabolism result in mental retardation and death due to accumulation of abnormal metabolites in the tissues. The presence of abnormal metabolites in the urine of mentally retarded individuals has been used worldwide for detection of inborn errors of metabolism. The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence of inborn error of metabolism in mentally retarded children.Methods: Random urine samples were collected from mentally retarded children at two institutes in Kathmandu, and also from 60 normal children from Duwakot, Nepal after obtaining consent from their parents. Urine was then tested for the presence of amino acids, keto-acids, mucopolysaccharides, fructose, glucose and protein using simple qualitative color reactions in the laboratory.Results: The tests detected eight cases of Phenylketonuria, which turned out to be false positive on paper chromatography. Three cases of presence of ketone bodies (acetoacetate), ten cases of α-ketoaciduria, two cases of mucopolysaccharidosis and twelve cases of fructosuria amongst the sixty-two urine samples were also found.Conclusions: Certain aminoacidurias, ketoacidurias and mucopolysaccharidoses might be present in the Nepalese population. Within consideration of errors, the samples tested positive should be evaluated by a higher end method to confirm the utility of these simple and cheap chemical tests.
Nasal Carriage Rate of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among Health Care Workers at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal
Authors: Khatri Sabita , Pant Narayan Dutt , Bhandari Raju , Shrestha Krishma Laxmi , Shrestha Chandrika D. , Adhikari Nabaraj , Poudel Asia
Published: August 2017

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections. Due to its multidrug resistant nature; infections due to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are often very difficult to treat. Colonized health care workers are the important sources of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The objectives of this study were to determine the nasal carriage rate of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among health care workers at Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Nepal and to assess their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 252 health care workers from July to November 2013. Mannitol salt agar was used to culture the nasal swabs. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby- Bauer disc diffusion technique following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were confirmed by using cefoxitin disc and by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of oxacillin by agar dilution method.Results: Of 252 healthcare workers, 46(18.3%) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus among which 19(41.3%) were Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriers. Overall rate of nasal carriage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was 7.5% (19/252).The higher percentages of lab personnel were nasal carriers of S. aureus (31.6%) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (10.5%).The percentages of nasal carriage of S. aureus (35.7%) and Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (14.3%) were highest in the health care workers from post operative department. Higher percentage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were susceptible toward amikacin (100%) and vancomycin (100%) followed by cotrimoxazole (84.2%).Conclusions: High rates of nasal carriage of S. aureus and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were observed among the healthcare workers, which indicate the need of strict infection control measures to be followed to control the nosocomial infections.
Molecular Epidemiology and Antigenic Characterization of Seasonal Influenza Viruses Circulating in Nepal
Authors: Upadhyay Bishu Prasad , Ghimire Prakash , Tashiro Masato , Banjara Mogha Raj
Published: August 2017

Background: Influenza is one of the public health burdens in Nepal and its epidemiology is not clearly understood. The objective of this study was to explore the molecular epidemiology and the antigenic characteristics of the circulating influenza viruses in Nepal.Methods: A total of 1495 throat swab specimens were collected from January to December, 2014. Real time PCR assay was used for identification of influenza virus types and subtypes. Ten percent of the positive specimens were randomly selected and inoculated onto Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Epithelial cells (MDCK) for influenza virus isolation. All viruses were characterized by the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay.Results: Influenza viruses were detected in 421/1495 (28.2%) specimens. Among positive cases, influenza A virus was detected in 301/421 (71.5%); of which 120 (39.9%) were influenza A/H1N1 pdm09 and 181 (60.1%) were influenza A/H3 subtype. Influenza B viruses were detected in 119/421 (28.3%) specimens. Influenza A/H1N1 pdm09, A/H3 and B viruses isolated in Nepal were antigenically similar to the vaccine strain influenza A/California/07/2009(H1N1pdm09), A/Texas/50/2012(H3N2), A/New York/39/2012(H3N2) and B/Massachusetts/2/2012, respectively.Conclusions: Influenza viruses were reported year-round in different geographical regions of Nepal which was similar to other tropical countries. The circulating influenza virus type and subtypes of Nepal were similar to vaccine candidate virus which could be prevented by currently used influenza vaccine.
Computerized Axial Tomography Findings in Children with Afebrile Seizures: A Hospital Based Study at Eastern Nepal
Authors: Poudel Prakash , Gupta Mukesh Kumar , Kafle Shyam Prasad
Published: August 2017

Background: Computerized Tomography can be performed in resource limited areas where Magnetic Resonance Imaging is less practical. This study was conducted to find out the proportion of cases with abnormal CT scan and findings of CT scan in children with afebrile seizures in a resource limited area.Methods: This prospective study was conducted from 1st July 2009 to 31st March 2014 in a university hospital of Nepal. Patients (1 month to 20 years of age) presenting with history of afebrile seizure were included. Neuroimaging was prescribed; children were treated and followed-up as per standard guideline. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0.Results: There were 447 children with afebrile seizures included in the study. Male to female ratio was 1.6:1. Median age at presentation was 84 (interquartile range 36-144) months. CT scan was done in 321 (71.8%) cases. CT was abnormal in 143 cases, accounting for 32.0% out of total cases and 44.5% out of investigated cases. Among investigated cases, common CT findings were atrophy (13.4%), neurocysticercosis (12.1%), structural abnormalities (4.4%), stroke (3.7%), post-encephalitis changes (3.1%), nonspecific calcification (1.6%), tuberculoma (1.2%), tumor (0.9%), neurocutaneous syndromes (0.9%), hydrocephalus (0.9%) and other findings (2.2%).Conclusions: In a resource limited area CT scan is a valuable alternative tool in evaluating a child with afebrile seizure. Majority of these children have remote symptomatic seizures and the underlying brain pathologies can be well detected by CT scan.
Clinical Outcome of Autologous Serum Therapy in Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria
Authors: Karn Dharmendra , KC Shekhar
Published: August 2017

Background: Quality of life in chronic idiopathic urticaria is hampered as efficacy of H1-antihistamines is limited. Autologous serum containing tolerance-generating anti-idiotype antibodies is a novel and cost-effective therapy. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of autologous serum therapy (AST) among chronic urticaria patients with autologous skin prick test positive and negative status.Methods: Untreated 102 patients of chronic urticaria were enrolled in a non-randomized interventional study. Patients were categorized into two groups based on autologous serum skin prick test as test positive (ASST +) and test negative (ASST -). Patients were then treated with intramuscular injection of 0.05ml per kg body weight of autologous serum weekly for 10 weeks. Urticaria activity scoring (UAS) tool was used for quantification of the symptoms. Weekly recording of UAS (range: 0-42) was made before the therapy (baseline) and during the therapy for 10 weeks.Results: Significant improvement with AST in the mean UAS was noted from baseline to 10 weeks in both the group of patients (14.6 ± 6.3 and 10.2 ± 5.1 for ASST+ group; 16.9 ± 7.8 and 8.6 ± 4.8 for ASST- group; at baseline and 10 weeks, respectively (p-value for both <0.05)). However no statistical significance was found while comparing the efficacy of the therapy against ASST + and ASST - Groups (p-value > 0.05).Conclusions: Irrespective of autologous skin prick test results, autologous serum therapy showed significant improvement in patients with chornic idiopathic urticaria. AST can, thus, be an effective treatment modality for it.
The Associations between Periodontitis and Respiratory Disease
Authors: Moghadam Somaye Ansari , Shirazaiy Maseemeh , Risbaf Sirus
Published: August 2017

Researches have shown positive correlation between periodontitis and respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We reviewed the literature to assess the relationship between periodontitis and respiratory diseases. This study involved a review of relevant English literature published regarding periodontitis and respiratory diseases during the period of 1994-2015. The analysis of literature related to the topic showed there is association between periodontitis and respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia. It was found that periodontitis is associated with respiratory diseases due to poor oral hygiene and low immunity state.
Admitting Deserving Medical Students from Rural and Disadvantaged: Patan Academy of Health Sciences’ Approach
Authors: Upadhyay Shambhu Kumar , Bhandary Shital , Bhandari Dil Bahadur , Dulal Ram Krishna , Baral Kedar Prasad , Gongal Rajesh Nath , Acharya Paras Kumar , Shrestha Shrijana , Shah Jay Narayan , Karki Arjun
Published: August 2017

Background: Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) aims to produce physicians who would be able and willing to serve in the rural areas. Recognizing the critical importance of student selection strategy, among others, in achieving the program goals, it has adopted an innovative scheme for selecting medical students. This paper describes PAHS medical student selection scheme that favors enrollment of deserving applicants from rural and disadvantaged groups so as to help improve distribution of physicians in rural Nepal.Methods: A student admission committee comprising a group of medical educators finalized a three-step student selection scheme linked with scholarships after reviewing relevant literatures and consultative meetings with experts within and outside Nepal. The committee did local validation of Personal Quality Assessment (PQA) that tested cognitive ability and personality traits, Admission OSPE (Objective Structured Performance Examination) that assessed non-cognitive attributes of applicants. It also provided preferential credits to applicants’ socio-economic characteristics to favor the enrollment of deserving applicants from rural and disadvantaged groups through Social Inclusion Matrix (SIM). Three different categories of scholarship schemes namely Partial, Collaborative and Full were devised with Partial providing 50% and other two categories each providing 100% coverage of tuition fee.Results: PAHS student selection scheme succeeded in enrolling more than half of its students from rural areas of Nepal, including about 10% of the students from that of the most backward region of the country. About one third of students were female and about the same were from public and community school. Sixty percent of students receive different categories of scholarships.Conclusions: Limited findings indicate the success of the selection scheme in enrolling high proportion of applicants from rural and disadvantageous groups and enable them to pursue study by providing scholarships.
Chondrodysplasia Punctata: A Case Report of Fetal Warfarin Syndrome
Authors: Songmen Swachchhanda , Panta Om Biju , Paudel Sharma , Ghimire Ram Kumar
Published: August 2017

Chondrodysplasia punctata is abnormal calcification in the cartilage of developing bones and has been seen in association with deranged vitamin K metabolism. Warfarin, an oral anticoagulant acting on vitamin K dependent clotting factors is known to cause chondrodysplasia punctata. Despite the knowledge of the condition the management of patients with prosthetic heart valves might require use of the drug for anticoagulation. Here, we present a case of a fetal warfarin syndrome in a second born child of a 27 year lady under warfarin for prosthetic heart valve. The pregnancy was complicated by polyhydramnios in third trimester and terminated at term by normal vaginal delivery. The baby was well, except for facial dysmorphism in the form of depressed nasal bridge, narrow nares and suspected left choanal atresia. Radiograph revealed stippled ephiphysis of vertebra, femora and humera supporting diagnosis of fetal warfarin syndrome. The baby did not develop any perinatal complication and was discharged home.
Severe bilateral cerebellar edema from ingestion of ketamine: case report
Authors: Villelli Nicolas , Hauser Natalie , Gianaris Thomas , Froberg Blake A. , Fulkerson Daniel H.
Published: August 2017

The use of ketamine as a drug of abuse has increased and so too has the risk of accidental overdose. Here, the authors report the case of a 10-month-old infant who inadvertently ingested ketamine. The child demonstrated severe cerebellar swelling that required emergency surgical intervention. The authors describe the clinical course of this child and present the radiographic characteristics of the brain. The imaging characteristics were not consistent with purely anoxic injury, thus suggesting a specific effect of this drug. To the authors’ knowledge, similar imaging characteristics in this context have not been described.
Free vibrations of axisymmetric shells: Parabolic and elliptic cases
Authors: Chaussade-Beaudouin Marie , Dauge Monique , Faou Erwan , Yosibash Zohar
Published: August 2017

Approximate eigenpairs (quasimodes) of axisymmetric thin elastic domains with laterally clamped boundary conditions (Lamé system) are determined by an asymptotic analysis as the thickness ([Formula: see text]) tends to zero. The departing point is the Koiter shell model that we reduce by asymptotic analysis to a scalar model that depends on two parameters: the angular frequency k and the half-thickness ε. Optimizing k for each chosen ε, we find power laws for k in function of ε that provide the smallest eigenvalues of the scalar reductions. Corresponding eigenpairs generate quasimodes for the 3D Lamé system by means of several reconstruction operators, including boundary layer terms. Numerical experiments demonstrate that in many cases the constructed eigenpair corresponds to the first eigenpair of the Lamé system.

Geometrical conditions are necessary to this approach: The Gaussian curvature has to be nonnegative and the azimuthal curvature has to dominate the meridian curvature in any point of the midsurface. In this case, the first eigenvector admits progressively larger oscillation in the angular variable as ε tends to 0. Its angular frequency exhibits a power law relation of the form [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] in the parabolic case (cylinders and trimmed cones), and the various βs [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] in the elliptic case. For these cases where the mathematical analysis is applicable, numerical examples that illustrate the theoretical results are presented.
A numerical study of forces for sandwiched maglev stage
Authors: Song Ningran , Ma Shuyuan , Zhang Zonqing
Published: August 2017

A novel sandwiched maglev positioning stage is proposed in this paper. Mathematical model and finite element models are made up to analyze levitation force and driving force on maglev stage in two different structures—ordinary and sandwiched, which can verify the better performance of sandwiched structure. Also, the analysis of the relation between current input and working forces help a lot to the control of the maglev stage.
A magnetic circuit network model for salient electrical machines with high power density
Authors: Tian Lisi , Yu Qiang , Tang Chaoquan
Published: August 2017

In this paper, a novel analytical magnetic circuit network model is proposed to simulate saliency effect with high magnetic saturation for electrical machines. Such a network is featured by dividing magnetic paths according to airgap flux distribution characteristics. Magnetic saturation on salient poles is modeled with discretized and in size adaptable reluctance elements. The method uses basic magnetic circuit principles without empirical estimation. The method can be applied without power or speed limit to various machine geometries featured by prominent saliency structure.
Longitudinal Removal of Bisphenol-A and Nonylphenols from Pretreated Domestic Wastewater by Tropical Horizontal Sub-SurfaceConstructed Wetlands
Authors: Toro-Vélez Andrés , Madera-Parra Carlos , Peña-Varón Miguel , García-Hernández Hector , Lee Wen , Walker Shane , Lens Piet
Published: August 2017

Bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenols (NPs), with a high potential to cause endocrine disruption, have been identified at levels of nanograms per liter and even micrograms per liter in effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are a cost-effective wastewater treatment alternative due to the low operational cost, reduced energy consumption, and lower sludge production, and have shown promising performance for treating these compounds. A CW pilot study was undertaken todetermine its potential to remove BPA and NP from municipal wastewater. Three CWs were used: the first CW was planted with Heliconia sp., a second CW was planted with Phragmites sp., and the third CW was an unplanted control. The removal efficiency of the Heliconia-CW was 73 ± 19% for BPA and 63 ± 20% for NP, which was more efficient than the Phragmites-CW (BPA 70 ± 28% and NP 52 ± 23%) and the unplanted-CW (BPA 62 ± 33% and NP 25 ± 37%). The higher capacity of the Heliconia-CW for BPA and NP removal suggests that a native plant from the tropics can contribute to a better performance of CW for removing these compounds.
BIM-Based Approach to Simulate Building Adaptive Performance and Life Cycle Costs for an Open Building Design
Authors: Juan Yi-Kai , Hsing Nai-Pin
Published: August 2017

In the long-term use of buildings, renovations are sometimes required as usage behaviors have changed and residents’ demands for space are adjusted. However, the public in general are deficient in renovation knowledge and information regarding building use and its maintenance phases; thus, the initial stage of planning and design often lacks flexibility, leading to waste materials in the subsequent renovation project. Theoretically, Building Information Modeling (BIM) can be used as a building unit resume and renovation benefit prediction tool; moreover, it plays an important role in the usage and maintenance phases. This study develops three design proposals that target different service lives (30 years, 50 years, 100 years), as based on the building’s expected life, and uses BIM technology to simulate the life cycle cost and design performance, as based on the renovation scenario analysis of the building’s life cycle. The findings show that under the service condition target of 100 years, when the open flexible technique is used for the design, space utilization flexibility is enhanced, pipeline maintenance is convenient, waste is reduced, and performance in life cycle cost is better. BIM can predict performance simply and rapidly according to future usage demand adjustments after the initial design.
An Alternative Estimate of Potential Predictability on the Madden–Julian Oscillation Phase Space Using S2S Models
Authors: Ichikawa Yuiko , Inatsu Masaru
Published: August 2017

This study proposes an alternative method to estimate the potential predictability without assuming the perfect model. A theoretical consideration relates a maximum possible value of the initial-value error to the covariance between analysis and bias-corrected ensemble-mean forecast. To test the method, the prediction limit of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) was evaluated, based on three pairs of reanalysis and forecast datasets provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, participating in the subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction project. The results showed that the predictability was higher when MJO amplitude exceeded unity, consistent with the conventional method in which the error is evaluated as the ensemble-forecast spread. Moreover, the multimodel analysis was also conducted because the proposed method is readily applicable to the multimodel average of ensemble-mean forecasts. The phase dependency of the MJO’s potential predictability is also discussed.
Process Parameter Settings and Their Effect on Residual Stresses in WC/W2C Reinforced Iron-Based Arc Sprayed Coatings
Authors: Tillmann Wolfgang , Hagen Leif , Luo Weifeng
Published: August 2017

Residual stresses have been a major source of concern, as they are an inevitable consequence of manufacturing and fabrication processes. The magnitude of these stresses is often as high as, or at least, comparable to the yield strength of the material. In terms of arc sprayed coatings, the utilization of bore hole drilling methods presents some practical disadvantages as mechanical parameters (Poisson’s ratio, Young’s modulus) need to be identified in order to determine the residual stress distribution. Curvature techniques using Almen strips are cost- and time-effective methods that can be used for analytical quality assurance. Within the scope of this work, a quantitative study of the amount of residual stresses induced in a twin wire arc spraying (TWAS) process for a given combination of process parameters was conducted using the incremental bore hole drilling method, as well as the curvature method including Almen strips. Therefore, the effect of the primary gas pressure, substrate preheating temperature, and handling parameters, such as the spray angle and gun velocity, which influence the coating deposition as well as the heat input into the substrate, are examined. The experiments were carried out by using an iron-based cored wire with cast tungsten carbides as filling. The results of both methods are in an acceptable accordance with each other. Different stress fields were observed depending on the parameter settings.
Promoting the Quality Level of Signaling in Railway Transportation System Taking Advantage from Wireless Sensor Networks Technology
Authors: Taherian Maryam , Maeen Mehrdad , Haghparast Majid
Published: August 2017

Given the importance of using the railway networks for the reliable and safe transportation of goods and passengers, which plays an important role in the economy of rail transport of the country, it is necessary to use wireless sensor network techniques to raise the quality and quantity and also maintain the application of these facilities for better control and optimal use of relevant technologies in this regard. Regarding the development of wireless sensor networks for collecting and processing environmental information, we intended to employ them in order to maintain railways, and also prevent defects that might occur in mobile machines and parts, as well as to avoid probable events and reduce human errors. Considering the limited capacity of batteries for sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network, energy efficiency is an important issue; thus mobile sinks are presented as a possible solution. In this study, the proposed routing uses Ring Routing and an optimization gravitational search algorithm for the primary selection of the ring causes an increase in a sensor network’s lifespan. In this study, by applying the proposed method in the railway transportation system, it is improved to reduce the existing errors by creating a system with a higher safety factor and high quality and efficiency, together with maximum efficiency and good speed.
Fault Prediction and Diagnosis of Wind Turbine Generators Using SCADA Data
Authors: Zhao Yingying , Li Dongsheng , Dong Ao , Kang Dahai , Lv Qin , Shang Li
Published: August 2017

The fast-growing wind power industry faces the challenge of reducing operation and maintenance (O&M) costs for wind power plants. Predictive maintenance is essential to improve wind turbine reliability and prolong operation time, thereby reducing the O&M cost for wind power plants. This study presents a solution for predictive maintenance of wind turbine generators. The proposed solution can: (1) predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of wind turbine generators before a fault occurs and (2) diagnose the state of the wind turbine generator when the fault occurs. Moreover, the proposed solution implies low-deployment costs because it relies solely on the information collected from the widely available supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. Extra sensing hardware is needless. The proposed solution has been deployed and evaluated in two real-world wind power plants located in China. The experimental study demonstrates that the RUL of the generators can be predicted 18 days ahead with about an 80% prediction accuracy. When faults occur, the specific type of generator fault can be diagnosed with an accuracy of 94%.
Coordinated Control of Multi-Type Energy Storage for Wind Power Fluctuation Suppression
Authors: Tang Xisheng , Sun Yushu , Zhou Guopeng , Miao Fufeng
Published: August 2017

The fluctuations of wind power impact the stable operation of a power system as its penetration grows high. Energy storage may be a potential solution to suppress these fluctuations and has drawn much attention in recent years. As the time scale of wind power fluctuations is in a range of seconds to hours, multi-type energy storage with complementary characteristics, such as the combination of energy-type storage devices (ESD) and power-type storage device (PSD), may be technically and economically feasible to suppress multi-time-scale wind power fluctuations. Therefore, system control is very important when the power allocation among each of the energy storage units is considered. In this paper, a novel coordinated control strategy based on model predictive control (MPC) was proposed for wind power fluctuation suppression, which employs MPC for the total power required for the whole energy storage system and then allocates it between ESD and PSD with the low-pass filter algorithm (LFA) method. Due to the predictive feature of MPC, the power requirement of the energy storage system can be obtained with little time delay, which means less energy is needed. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy was verified in a time-domain simulation system. The influence of wind speed conditions and LFA time constant on the wind/storage system were further discussed.
Photovoltaic Cell Parameter Estimation Using Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization and Simulated Annealing
Authors: Mughal Muhammad Ali , Ma Qishuang , Xiao Chunyan
Published: August 2017

Accurate parameter estimation of solar cells is vital to assess and predict the performance of photovoltaic energy systems. For the estimation model to accurately track the experimentally measured current-voltage (I-V) data, the parameter estimation problem is converted into an optimization problem and a metaheuristic optimization algorithm is used to solve it. Metaheuristics present a fairly acceptable solution to the parameter estimation but the problem of premature convergence still endures. The paper puts forward a new optimization approach using hybrid particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing (HPSOSA) to estimate solar cell parameters in single and double diode models using experimentally measured I-V data. The HPSOSA was capable of achieving a global minimum in all test runs and was significant in alleviating the premature convergence problem. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated by comparing it with five different optimization algorithms and performing a statistical analysis. The analysis results clearly indicated that the method was capable of estimating all the model parameters with high precision indicated by low root mean square error RMSE and mean absolute error MAE. The parameter estimation was accurately performed for a commercial (RTC France) solar cell.
Deep MOS Spectroscopy of NGC 1316 Globular Clusters
Authors: Sesto Leandro , Faifer Favio , Forte Juan , Castelli Analía
Published: August 2017

The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1316 is the brightest galaxy in the Fornax cluster, and displays a number of morphological features that might be interpreted as an intermediate age merger remanent (∼3 Gyr). Based on the idea that globular clusters systems (GCS) constitute genuine tracers of the formation and evolution of their host galaxies, we conducted a spectroscopic study of approximately 40 globular clusters (GCs) candidates associated with this interesting galaxy. We determined ages, metallicities, and α -element abundances for each GC present in the sample, through the measurement of different Lick indices and their subsequent comparison with simple stellar populations models (SSPs).
Mutation Clusters from Cancer Exome
Authors: Kakushadze Zura , Yu Willie
Published: August 2017

We apply our statistically deterministic machine learning/clustering algorithm *K-means (recently developed in https://ssrn.com/abstract=2908286) to 10,656 published exome samples for 32 cancer types. A majority of cancer types exhibit a mutation clustering structure. Our results are in-sample stable. They are also out-of-sample stable when applied to 1389 published genome samples across 14 cancer types. In contrast, we find in- and out-of-sample instabilities in cancer signatures extracted from exome samples via nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), a computationally-costly and non-deterministic method. Extracting stable mutation structures from exome data could have important implications for speed and cost, which are critical for early-stage cancer diagnostics, such as novel blood-test methods currently in development.
Template Matching and Simplification Method for Building Features Based on Shape Cognition
Authors: Yan Xiongfeng , Ai Tinghua , Zhang Xiang
Published: August 2017

This study proposes a template matching simplification method from the perspective of shape cognition based on the typical template characteristics of building distributions and representations. The method first formulates a series of templates to abstract the building shape by generalizing their polygons and analyzing their symbolic meanings, then conducts the simplification by searching and matching the most similar template that can be used later to replace the original building. On the premise of satisfying the individual geometric accuracy on a smaller scale, the proposed method can enhance the impression of well-known landmarks and reflect the pattern in mapping areas by the symbolic template. The turning function that describes shape by measuring the changes of the tangent-angle as a function of the arc-length is employed to obtain the similar distance between buildings and template polygons, and the least squares model is used to control the geometry matching of the candidate template. Experiments on real datasets are carried out to assess the usefulness of this method and compare it with two existing methods. The experiments suggest that our method can preserve the main structure of building shapes and geometric accuracy.
Ac2-26, an Annexin A1 Peptide, Attenuates Ischemia-Reperfusion-Induced Acute Lung Injury
Authors: Liao Wen-I , Wu Shu-Yu , Wu Geng-Chin , Pao Hsin-Ping , Tang Shih-En , Huang Kun-Lun , Chu Shi-Jye
Published: August 2017

Annexin A1 (AnxA1) is an endogenous protein that modulates anti-inflammatory processes, and its therapeutic potential has been reported in a range of inflammatory diseases. The effect of AnxA1 on ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced lung injury has not been examined. In this study, isolated, perfused rat lungs were subjected to IR lung injury induced by ischemia for 40 min, followed by reperfusion for 60 min. The rat lungs were randomly treated with vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline), and Ac2-26 (an active N-terminal peptide of AnxA1) with or without an N-formyl peptide receptor (FPR) antagonist N-Boc-Phe-Leu-Phe-Leu-Phe (Boc2). An in vitro study of the effects of Ac2-26 on human alveolar epithelial cells subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation was also investigated. Administration of Ac2-26 in IR lung injury produced a significant attenuation of lung edema, pro-inflammatory cytokine production recovered in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, oxidative stress, apoptosis, neutrophil infiltration, and lung tissue injury. Ac2-26 also decreased AnxA1 protein expression, inhibited the activation of nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in the injured lung tissue. Finally, treatment with Boc2 abolished the protective action of Ac2-26. The results indicated that Ac2-26 had a protective effect against acute lung injury induced by IR, which may be via the activation of the FPR.
Imaging Collagen in Scar Tissue: Developments in Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy for Biomedical Applications
Authors: Mostaço-Guidolin Leila , Rosin Nicole , Hackett Tillie-Louise
Published: August 2017

The ability to respond to injury with tissue repair is a fundamental property of all multicellular organisms. The extracellular matrix (ECM), composed of fibrillar collagens as well as a number of other components is dis-regulated during repair in many organs. In many tissues, scaring results when the balance is lost between ECM synthesis and degradation. Investigating what disrupts this balance and what effect this can have on tissue function remains an active area of research. Recent advances in the imaging of fibrillar collagen using second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging have proven useful in enhancing our understanding of the supramolecular changes that occur during scar formation and disease progression. Here, we review the physical properties of SHG, and the current nonlinear optical microscopy imaging (NLOM) systems that are used for SHG imaging. We provide an extensive review of studies that have used SHG in skin, lung, cardiovascular, tendon and ligaments, and eye tissue to understand alterations in fibrillar collagens in scar tissue. Lastly, we review the current methods of image analysis that are used to extract important information about the role of fibrillar collagens in scar formation.
Special Issue on Mobile Systems, Mobile Networks, and Mobile Cloud: Security, Privacy, and Digital Forensics
Authors: Chen Lei , Li Wenjia , Haddad Rami
Published: August 2017

The use of smartphones and mobile devices has become an indispensable part of everyone’s daily life and work [...]
Comparing Quantity, Allocation and Configuration Accuracy of Multiple Land Change Models
Authors: Pickard Brian , Gray Joshua , Meentemeyer Ross
Published: August 2017

The growing numbers of land change models makes it difficult to select a model at the beginning of an analysis, and is often arbitrary and at the researcher’s discretion. How to select a model at the beginning of an analysis, when multiple are suitable, represents a critical research gap currently understudied, where trade-offs of choosing one model over another are often unknown. Repeatable methods are needed to conduct cross-model comparisons to understand the trade-offs among models when the same calibration and validation data are used. Several methods to assess accuracy have been proposed that emphasize quantity and allocation, while overlooking the accuracy with which a model simulates the spatial configuration (e.g., size and shape) of map categories across landscapes. We compared the quantity, allocation, and configuration accuracy of four inductive pattern-based spatial allocation land change models (SLEUTH, GEOMOD, Land Change Modeler (LCM), and FUTURES). We simulated urban development with each model using identical input data from ten counties surrounding the growing region of Charlotte, North Carolina. Maintaining the same input data, such as land cover, drivers of change, and projected quantity of change, reduces differences in model inputs and allows for focus on trade-offs in different types of model accuracy. Results suggest that these four land change models produce representations of urban development with substantial variance, where some models may better simulate quantity and allocation at the trade-off of configuration accuracy, and vice versa. Trade-offs in accuracy exist with respect to the amount, spatial allocation, and landscape configuration of each model. This comparison exercise illustrates the range of accuracies for these models, and demonstrates the need to consider all three types of accuracy when assessing land change model’s projections.