bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Penggunaan Alat Pengatur Konsentrasi Kaporit (Ca(ClO)2) dalam Meningkatkan Efektifitas Desinfeksi Peralatan Makan
Authors: A’fifah Puteri Siti Noor A’in , Rahmawati Rahmawati , Darmiah Darmiah
Published: September 2019

Abstract: The Use Of Chlorine Concentration Controller (Ca(ClO)2) In Improving The Effectiveness Of Cutlery Disinfection. About 80% of food-cause disease and food poisoning are caused by microbial contamination, one of which comes from the equipment used. Equipment potential as food contamination is not clean enough and not appropriate washing process, because it skips over disinfection stage. One of cutlery disinfection process is by giving active chlor (chlorine) at concentration 50 ppm. This study aimed to determine the ability of the use of chlorine concentration controller (Ca(ClO)2) in improving the effectiveness of cutlery disinfection. This study used experimental method, the data was obtained by trial the accurate chlorine concentration (Ca(ClO)2), plate samples immersed using chlorine solution and laboratory test of number bacteria and E.coli parameters. The results of chlorine (Ca(ClO)2) concentration controller were confirmed that in one press the apparatus could removable solution of 2 mL equivalent to 50 ppm if it used for 1 L of water. Based on the result of laboratory examination was known that the number of germs post-treatment was smaller than pre-treatment and negative E.coli on pre and post-treatment. The contact time determined the percentage decrease of germs after disinfection. The contact time at 2 minutes could reduce the number of germs of 99,08%.

Keywords : Chlorine (Ca(ClO)2); Disinfection
Proses Netralisasi pH pada Air Gambut di Desa Sawahan Kecamatan Cerbon Kabupaten Barito Kuala
Authors: Hamzani Sulaiman , Raharja Munawar , As Zulfikar Ali
Published: September 2019

Abstract: The Neutralization Process of pH on Peat Water in Desa Sawahan Kecamatan Cerbon Kabupaten Barito Kuala. Desa Sawahan, Kecamatan Cerbon, Kabupaten Barito Kuala, located in the area of peatlands with a pH of water, based on laboratory results, is 3.0. This condition is classified as extreme acid, because pH less than 3.5. Neutralization of the peat water aimed to change the pH or acidity of the water to be normal (pH 7-8) and could help the next process. To raise the pH of acidic water, quicklime (CaO) or limestone (CaCO3) was very appropriate, because they were cheap and easy to be applied. This study is experimental, the laboratory-scale trials with variations: the concentration of solubility of lime and jartest, to obtain the optimum dose of coagulant for improving the quality of pH. Results of the experiments on the variation of the solubility of limestone with varying concentrations showed relatively similar results, ie at a concentration of 1.0%, the pH of the water became 12.49; at a concentration of 0.5%, the pH of the water became 12.47, and at a concentration of 0.1%, the pH of the water became 12.18. In the next test, the addition of lime solution with a concentration of 0.5% as much as 9 mL in 500 mL peat water sample were able to raise the pH from 4.06 to 7.77. Jar test results showed that the injection of 5 mL solution of lime and alum 2 mL were able to raise the pH of peat water from 4.02 to be 7.24 so as to meet the requirements of drinking water with pH 6.5-8.5. To neutralize the peat water with a pH of 4 is required optimum dose of lime solution with a concentration of 0.5% as much as 5 mL (50 mg/L) and alum solution with a concentration of 0.5% as much as 2 mL (20 mg/L).

Keywords: Neutralization of pH; peat water; jartest.
Strategi Perubahan Perilaku Pemilihan Septic Tank di Permukiman Daerah Rendah (Studi Kasus Kota di Banjarmasin)
Authors: Zuraini Juanda A.
Published: September 2019

Abstract: Strategy of Septic Tank Choice Behavioral Change in Low Area Settlement (Case Study in Banjarmasin City). The coverage of liquid waste management service in Banjarmasin City by using septic tank through off site handling as well as in site handling according to the National Standard of Indonesia to date can serve approximately 6-7% of all residents of Banjarmasin. This means that individual use of septic tank is around 93-94% of all residents. This study was done in Banjarmasin City, South Kalimantan, including 5 districts of Central Banjarmasin, East Banjarmasin, West Banjarmasin, North Banjarmasin, and South Banjarmasin. The study was done in April 2014 until February 2016. The population for behavioral change development strategy sub system was originated from Public Health Office, Public Works Service, Drainage and Water Resource Office, Living Environment Department, Local Company of Wastewater Management, and public figures. The results showed that according to SWOT analysis, strategy of septic tank choice behavior development in Banjarmasin City settlement was in G room of quadrant IV, so the strategy used was conglomerate diversification strategy through the change of guided behavior predisposing factors to adoption phase, enabling factor of change in understanding of the availability of standardized disposal facilities, and amplifier factor needed an optimization of local regulation socialization in Banjarmasin City related to fecal disposal.

Keywords: Behavioral Change; Septic Tank Choice; SWOT Analysis.
Pengaruh Jarak Sumber Pencemar Terhadap Kada Sulfat (SO4) pada Debu Terendap di Sepanjang Jalan Angkut Batubara
Authors: Pratiwi Tiara , Junaidi Junaidi , As Zulfikar Ali
Published: September 2019

Abstract: The Influence Of The Distance Of Pollutant Source On Sulfate (So4) Concentrations In The Dust Along The Coal Haul Road. One of the quality parameters of coal is Sulfur. Sulfur content in coal be able to reach 4%. Sulfur content in coal at South Kalimantan mine ranges from 0.08 – 1.58%. Sulfur can be in the form of pyrite as S2 and sulfate as SO4. Sulfur content in coal dust that floats in the air will fall along with rain. This study aims to determine the effect of distance to SO4 levels on dust along coal haul roads. The sampling point was taken from variation of distance that is 1 m, 50 m, 100 m, 150 m, and 200 m from the side of coal haul road. The results showed that the highest sulfate concentration was at 1 m distance from the side of the road, that was 37.865 mg/L, and the lowest was at 200 m distance from the side of the road, that was 3.405 mg/L. These sulfate concentrations were proportional to dust fall. The farther the sampling point, the sulfate content decreases.

Keywords: Dust Fall; sulfate concentration; distance.
'Thirsty Sugar Lands': Environmental Impacts of Dams and Empire in Puerto Rico Since 1898
Authors: Johnson Matthew P.
Published: September 2019

The story of North American dam building is incomplete without the United States' Caribbean territories because the motivations and consequences of building dams there were different from on the mainland. Between 1910 and 1914, the Puerto Rican Irrigation Service built three large dams in the island's south-east to irrigate canefields owned by North American sugar companies. The water harnessed by the South Coast Irrigation Project (SCIP) doubled sugar yields in its district in the decades following the project's completion, generating huge profits for North American sugar interests. However, the sugar boom did not lead to sustained economic growth on the island and did little to increase the standard of living for many Puerto Rican fieldworkers and their families.
The project also brought a bumper crop of unforeseen environmental consequences. North American engineers underestimated the vagaries of Puerto Rico's climate. Droughts and extended dry periods led to water shortages that continually menaced irrigation. Stormy weather created another unanticipated problem for the dams. Hurricanes and heavy rains in the mountains north of the sugar lands contributed to high erosion rates that accelerated sediment accumulation in the reservoirs and reduced their storage capacity. Together, drought and siltation threatened to render the dams obsolete. Hydroelectric turbines, installed as an incidental part of the project, provided affordable electricity that powered groundwater pumps to make up for surface water shortages. Groundwater saved the sugar boom, but sediments continued to build in reservoirs, an enduring legacy of US imperialism that is expensive to mitigate. The SCIP preserved socioeconomic and racial inequalities, but re-engineered the island's hydrosphere, turning the parched south-east into a giant canefield and its rivers into repositories for sediments.
Fractional p-Kirchhoff problems involving critical exponents and sign-changing weight functions
Authors: Liang Sihua , Zhang Binlin
Published: September 2019

In this paper, we study the following Kirchhoff type problems involving fractional p-Laplacian and critical exponents: [Formula: see text] where Ω is a bounded domain in [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) with Lipshcitz boundary, [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is the fractional critical Sobolev exponent, λ is a positive parameter, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are continuous functions, [Formula: see text] is a sign-changing function. By using the fractional version of concentration compactness principle together with mountain pass theorem, we obtained the multiplicity of solutions for the above problem.
Ground state solutions for nonlinear Choquard equations with inverse-square potentials
Authors: Guo Ting , Tang Xianhua
Published: September 2019

This paper is concerned with the following Choquard equation [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], V is 1-periodic in each of [Formula: see text] and F is the primitive function of f. Under some mild assumptions on V and f, we establish the existence and asymptotical behavior of ground state solutions by variational methods.
Agency Perspectives on Online Public Records Request Portals
Authors: Capeloto Alexa
Published: September 2019

Spurred by converging trends facilitated by the interactive web, government agencies are moving to digitize and make more transparent the public record request (PRR) process via dual-facing online portals. Such portals, often provided by third-party vendors as SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions, are built on the premise and promise of helping agencies streamline their internal workflows while aiding requesters through the sometimes labyrinthine process of accessing public records. This research aims to study the effects and efficacy of such portals from the agency perspective, both at the process level and in a broader sense of reshaping the relationship between citizen and government. Set within a contextual framework of the trends from which these portals have emerged, a survey of 54 U.S. public jurisdictions suggests that online portals are significantly improving agencies’ internal and external processes of receiving, tracking, and responding to requests for public records, but do not necessarily bring correlative improvement in their overall relationship with citizens for a number of possible reasons.
Russian view on mesoeconomics (On the book “Mesoeconomics: State and perspectives” edited by V. I. Maevsky, S. G. Kirdina-Chandler, M. A. Deryabina)
Authors: Maltsev Alexander  A.
Published: September 2019

The aim of this article is to give an overview of the basic ideas of the book “Mesoeconomics: State and perspectives” and to exemplify some distinctive features of the Russian style of economic thinking. Special attention is given to identification of the key elements of Russian mesoeconomics. The author believes that despite not sound enough conceptual framework mesoeconomics is a rather promising field of economic research. It is shown that one of the most important features of doing research in economics in Russia is creative reception of foreign concepts and desire to adapt them to solving practical problems.
The junctions of pension reforms: Russian and international experience
Authors: Gurvich Evsey T.
Published: September 2019

Recent decision to raise retirement age in Russia is compared with alternative ways of pension system adjustment to population ageing. We conclude that postponing retirement was superior in terms of public welfare as compared to increasing public spending on pensions or lowering pension size relative to wages. Unlike advanced countries, which apply mainly a combination of higher effective retirement age, less generous pension benefits, and higher pension spending, Russia used various adjustment tools in sequence: sharp decline in pensions to wage ratio in 2002—2007 was followed by a marked increase in pension spending (which hiked almost 3 p.p. of GDP over 2007—2017). Some 2/3 of this growth was attributable to the cut in other spending (mainly “productive”, i.e. growth-enhancing), and 1/3 was financed by a redistribution of income from employees to pensioners. The general decision to raise retirement age thus was fully justified, but its parameters look reasonable only on average. Estimates based on cross-country analysis evidence that retirement age matching healthy life indicators anticipated for Russia would be 63/62 for men/women. Actual decision to increase retirement age to 65/60 maintains sharp gender distortions: the retirement age will remain too low for women and will get too high for men. Fiscal effect of higher retirement age are calculated by comparing pension spending ensuring constant pension to wage ratio under the old and new retirement ages. We find that this effect will stabilize around 3% of GDP in some 10 years after the start of reform. A bulk of this effect is in a sense “virtual”, as it mainly makes possible to evade further increase in pension spending. “Genuine” effect can be estimated as some 1% of GDP — these are public funds saved and available for different purposes, say for supporting programs increasing healthy life expectancy.
Analisis Penerapan PSAK No. 45 Pada Yayasan Masjid Al Falah Bogor
Authors: Hurriyaturrohman Hurriyaturrohman
Published: September 2019

Adanya tuntutan atas akuntabilitas dan transparansi pada sektor publik serta pentingnya laporan keuangan yang disusun oleh organisasi nirlaba, maka pembahasan secara mendalam mengenai laporan keuangan yang mengacu pada PSAK No. 45 perlu untuk dianalisis secaralebih mendalam lagi. Obyek penelitian ini adalah Yayasan Masjid Al Falah Bogor. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui penyusunan, bentuk, dan isi laporan keuangan pada yayasan dengan mengacu pada ketentuan-ketentuan PSAK No. 45. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Yayasan belum mempunyai pedoman struktur organisasi yang memisahkan pembagian wewenang, dan tanggung jawab. (2) Laporan keuangan telah disajikan sesuai dengan PSAK No. 45, namun terdapat sebagian akun yang belum disajikansesuai dengan PSAK No. 45 yaitu klasifikasi aset bersih. (3) Pengakuan kerugian piutang diakui secara langsung
Kompetensi Agen Asuransi Syariah dan Pencapaian Target Penjualan Produk Unit Link di PT Prudential Life Indonesia
Authors: Ningsih Prilla Kurnia , Prasetyowati Riris Aishah
Published: September 2019

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis hubungan kompetensi yang  dimiliki oleh agen asuransi syariah pada target penjualan produk unit link di PT Prudential Life Indonesia, faktor-faktor kompetensi agen yang diteliti antara lain: kepemimpinan, kemampuan komunikasi, pengetahuan produk, strategi marketing dan pengetahuan akad syariah. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dan kuantitatif, meneliti kompetensi agenterhadap target penjualan untuk melihat hubungan antar variabel kompetensi agen dan pencapaian taerget penjualan. Pada penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi secara signifikan terhadap kompetensi agen dalam pencapaian target penjualan produk unit link di PT Prudential Life Indonesia adalah kepemimpinan, kemampuan komunikasi dan akad syariah sedangkan tiga faktor lainnya tidak mempengaruhisecara signifikan. Sedangkan faktor yang paling dominan mempengaruhi agen dalam pencapaian target penjualan produk unit link di PT Prudential Life Indonesia, yang pertamadari kepemimpinan (45,9%) diikuti oleh akad syariah (21,2%) dan terakhir dari kemampuan komunikasi (18,3%). Berdasarkan temuan penelitian tiga variabel faktor lainnya tidakmempengaruhi secara signifikan.
ANALISIS PERHITUNGAN HARGA POKOK PRODUKSI DENGAN METODE FULL COSTING DALAM MENENTUKAN HARGA JUAL 1 | P a g e PADA PT. KRESNA EKA PRATAMA
Authors: Amalia Tantri , Rumiasih N. A. , Hanifan Muhamad Zakie
Published: September 2019

This study aims to determine: The purpose of this study was to find out how to calculate the cost of goods in determining prices. The author conducted research at PT. Kresna Eka Pratama, a company engaged in heavy equipment construction. The research method used is descriptive qualitative and quantitative descriptive analysis. Methods for studying and analyzing the relationships and variable variablesexamined by the author. In this study the author uses the Full Costing method as the basis for pricing at PT. Kresna Eka Pratama.The results showed that the calculation of the cost of goods produced byFull Costing was Rp. 8.873.507.700/unit, in accordance with the accounting school  can also provide profits desired by the company. This shows that the measurement of Full Costing production prices has a very important role in determining prices thatwill affect the level of income and expected profits. With precise and accurate calculations, determining the selling price will be very effective and reliable. Indetermining this price is a profit of 10% of the total production costs after addingnon-production costs.
ANALISA AKAD RAHN DAN PENERAPANNYA PADA PRODUK GADAI EMAS DI BANK SYARIAH MANDIRI
Authors: Riani Desmy
Published: September 2019

Penerapan produk di Lembaga Keuangan Syariah (LKS) sejauh ini mengundang banyak perhatian khusus, perhatian tersebut lebih condong pada penerapan akad. Karena perbedaan mendasar antara LKS dengan lembaga keuangan konvensional adalah pada akad/perjanjian sebelum melakukan transaksi keuangan. Lembaga Keuangan Syariah di Indonesia menerapkan berbagai macam produk dan akad dalam menjalankan kegiatan usahanya, salah satu produknya adalah akad rahn yang ada di Gadai Emas BankSyariah Mandiri, adanya kebebasan untuk mendesain bentuk akad akan memberikan keberagaman produk. Namun demikian analisis fiqh dilakukan untuk menghindari halhal yang dilarang, mengingat salah satu kaidah dalam ushul fiqh adalah pada dasarnya semua transaksi diperbolehkan kecuali ada dalil yang jelas melarangnya. Hasil studi ini menunjukkan bahwa secara garis besar gadai emas (rahn) di Bank Syariah Mandiri telah sesuai Berdasarkan rukun akad rahn secara praktik mulai dari marhun, marhun bih, shighah, dan ‘aqidaini sudah sesuai dengan dengan teori syariah. Namun di sisi lain, terdapat hal-hal yang kurang sesuai dengan konsep syariah yang ada yaitu mengenai adanya penggabungan akad (double akad) yaitu akad rahn, akad qardh dan akad ijarah, penentuan biaya ijarah, dan biaya administrasi yang kurang sesuai dengan besarnya nilai pinjaman
Internal Fixation, A Reconstructive Spine Surgery: A Remedy of Long-Term Spinal Problems
Authors: Islam Md Aminul , Manik Md Abdul Hye , Chowdhury Rukun Uddin , Salek Md Al Amin , Ali Amir , Faisal Hasnayen , Karim AKM Bazlul
Published: September 2019

Background: Spinal instrumentation provides a stable, rigid column that encourages bones to fuse after spinal fusion surgery.
Methods: The study was carried out in the Neurosurgery Center, CMH, Dhaka, from 01 January 2013 to July 31 2018. A total of 95 patients were included with unrestricted age and gender, underwent spinal surgery with fixation.
Result: Better outcome was observed in spinal surgery with stabilization.
Conclusion: Whereas early (within hours) or immediate (within 48 h) stabilization and indirect or direct decompression has excellent outcome, even delayed stabilization of the unstable spine has benefits.
Bang. J Neurosurgery 2019; 9(1): 11-15
Chronic Subdural Hematoma - A Dilemma to Put Drain
Authors: Ali Md Amir , Islam Md Aminul , Chowdhury RU , Mursalin Ahmed , Salek Md Al Amin , Manik Abdul Hye , Faisal Hasnain , Islam KM Tarikul , Mitra Pijush kanti
Published: September 2019

Background: A chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a collection of blood and blood breakdown products between the surface of the brain and its outermost covering the dura for more than 21 days. The elderly patients are more likely to develop a subdural hematoma, particularly from trivial trauma. CSDHs have been evacuated by burr holes, twist-drill craniotomies and craniotomies. The treatment of chronic subdural haematoma by burr hole drainage has been performed usually without using a closed drainage system, the problem of intracranial air entrapment still persists and can cause a deterioration in the level of consciousness or seizures in the postoperative period. We wanted to compare the effects of patient with drain and those without drain.
Objectives: our study is to compare the clinical outcome of CSDH with or without drain.
Methods: This prospective study was carried out at CMH Dhaka from January 2017 to July 2018; total 70 cases were investigated for the effectiveness of subdural drain. Cases were randomly allocated in two groups. Data were collected by specially designed questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS.
Results and Observation: 70 patients of CSDH were included in this study out of which 25 underwent burr hole with closed system drainage and 45 underwent burr hole without closed system drainage. They were divided into Group A and B, respectively. Among the total number of patients 14 (20%) had shown recurrence. Out of 14 patients, 12 belong to Group B (86 %) and 2 belong to Group a (14 %).
Conclusion: It is concluded that, those with a closed system drainage recurrence rate is significantly lower than with burr-hole evacuation alone.
Bang. J Neurosurgery 2019; 9(1): 26-32
Psychiatric Disorder in a Patient with Pituitary Tumor
Authors: Rahman Md Moshiur , Khan SIM Khairun Nabi , Khan Robert Ahmed , Islam Md Rokibul , Sarker Mainul Haque , Huque Mahmudul , Ahsan Md Nazmul
Published: September 2019

We report a case of a patient with pituitary tumor with psychiatric disorder, which posed a significant diagnostic dilemma and management challenge for the treating teams of neurosurgery, endocrinology and psychiatry. A more comprehensive endocrine work-up of atypical presentations can be considered in some cases. The criteria for determining when endocrine work should be considered should be investigated further.
Bang. J Neurosurgery 2019; 9(1): 75-77
Isolated Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction following Single Level Lumbar Discectomy : A Rare Observation
Authors: Haque Moududul , Sharif Mohammad Sujan , Jahan Nowshin , Mahbub Abdullah Al , Bhattacherjee Rajib
Published: September 2019

Cauda equina syndrome is reported as a complication in 0.2% - 1% following lumbar disc herniation . The pathophysiologic mechanism of this complication and its management is yet poorly understood. Though some factors has postulated in different studies. In this case, patient’s back pain and leg pain is satisfactorily improved with newly onset retention of urine followed by overflow incontinence and constipation after a single level lumbar discectomy. No abnormalities were seen on the postoperative imaging studies. This is a retrospective analysis of records and radiographs in a patient who developed acute bowel and bladder dysfunction after surgery for lumbar disc herniation.
Bang. J Neurosurgery 2019; 9(1): 54-56
El marketing turístico desde una perspectiva estratégica comunitaria
Authors: Castro Analuiza Juan Carlos , Lozada Riera Maritza Anabel , Monge Santamaría Pedro Luis
Published: September 2019

El turismo comunitario propuesto como actividad y enfoque de desarrollo en las comunidades, se convierte en un elemento que mejora el estilo de vida de los habitantes. En base a esta propuesta, el objetivo fue evaluar los aspectos socio-culturales, económicos, ambientales y de potencial turístico en el sector Quilotoa Zumbahua-Ecuador. Las unidades de análisis involucradas para este propósito fueron las personas que realizan actividades de turismo como fuente de ingresos. La investigación no experimental con carácter transversal y alcance relacional, donde se muestra que el desarrollo de actividades turísticas es el principal ingreso para la comunidad. Además, la conservación cultural aumenta las relaciones interpersonales en la comunidad, esto permite que el turismo se convierta no solo en un componente económico, sino que es permisible en la revalorización de la cultura, la protección de los recursos naturales y el desarrollo social.
Performance of Winter-Seeded Spring Wheat in Inner Mongolia
Authors: Dong Yuxin , Wei Bingqi , Wang Lixue , Zhang Yuhan , Zhang Huaying , Zhang Yongping
Published: September 2019

Growing spring wheat in Inner Mongolia is challenging because of the short growing period, dry-hot winds, and heat-forced maturity. There are also problems with growing winter wheat varieties, such as frost damage, spring droughts, and “late spring cold”. These factors have restricted efforts to increase yields. In order to address these challenges, this study adopted a “spring wheat winter-sowing” planting model for growing wheat in the Hetao Plain Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia and studied wheat varieties with different vernalization requirements through three consecutive field trials. The effects of different sowing dates were analyzed on seed germination and seedling emergence, growth, material accumulation, and yield formation, and the differences were characterized from traditional spring wheat. The results indicated that delaying the sowing date increased the spring emergence rate of the wheat varieties. The winter-seeded spring wheat germinated and ripened after three and seven days, respectively, earlier than the spring-seeded. The grain yield for the winter-seeded wheat was parallel to the spring-seeded wheat. Compared with the spring-seeded wheat, the winter-seeded wheat displayed less panicles, but greater grains per spike, and a 1000-grain weight. When seeded in winter, Yongliang 4 performed better than Ningdong 11 and Henong 7106 in terms of the emergence rate, material accumulation, and grain yield. The best seeding time for the winter-seeded spring wheat in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia is early November.
Evaluating Animal-Assisted Interventions: An Empirical Illustration of Differences between Outcome Measures
Authors: van der Steen Steffie , Heineman Merel , Ernst Marloes
Published: September 2019

Multiple authors have called for strong empirical evaluations to strengthen the foundation of Animal-Assisted Interventions. Carefully choosing the outcome measures of these studies is important, as choosing the wrong outcomes may lead to a failure to detect effects. The current study therefore compares and contrasts the use of several outcome measures, to assess the effect of an equine-assisted intervention for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: (1) a semi-structured interview with both parents, specifically designed for children with cognitive disabilities, (2) a general screening instrument filled out by both parents separately, which can be used to assess children’s psycho-social problems, and (3) systematic observations of social and communication skills during the equine-assisted sessions. All instruments indicated an improvement in the participant’s social and communication skills. We found differences between the interview and questionnaires with regard to parents’ perception of aggression regulation and interacting with peers. Differences with regard to parental reports and observations were found for play development and anxiety. The observations provided a detailed view of the child’s development during the intervention, which yielded an interesting hypothesis in terms of the current dose–response discussion in AAI for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Does Juvenile Play Programme the Equine Musculoskeletal System?
Authors: Rogers Chris W. , Dittmer Keren E.
Published: September 2019

In mammals, play behaviour appears innate and, because of this, may provide insight into the frequency and intensity of load that is required to stimulate positive musculoskeletal development. The objective of this review was to explore the interaction between play and tissue (bone) development at a molecular through to whole-animal level, with specific focus on the horse as a model. The basis of our understanding of the response of bone to loading is the mechanostat theorem. This assumes that at a tissue level, bone attempts to keep localised strain within the physiological range of 1500–2500 microstrain. Loads above this range result in a modelling response to reduce strain, and strain below this threshold results in remodelling to maintain the localised physiological range. In foals, locomotor play is dramatic and vigorous, with cumulative increases in both intensity and complexity. Based on published literature describing locomotor play in foals and the microstrain at different gaits in the horse, it was proposed that locomotor play in foal aligns with the mechanostat theorem in both the magnitude and frequency of load cycles applied. The cumulative increases in the complexity and intensity of locomotor play as the foal develops, in turn, ensure the strain rates associated with play remain above the local physiological range and promote material and architectural changes in the distal limb bones. Thus, spontaneous locomotor play may be vital to ensure optimal bone development in the horse. Modern management systems need to provide appropriate opportunities for foals to perform spontaneous locomotor play to optimise bone development and reduce the risk of future musculoskeletal injury later in life.
Investigating Different Grounds Effects on Shock Wave Propagation Resulting from Near-Ground Explosion
Authors: Wang Yan , Wang Hua , Cui Cunyan , Zhao Beilei
Published: September 2019

A massive explosion of a liquid-propellant rocket in the course of an accident can lead to a truly catastrophic event, which would threaten the safety of personnel and facilities around the launch site. In order to study the propagation of near-ground shock wave and quantify the enhancement effect on the overpressure, models with different grounds have been established based on an explicit nonlinear dynamic ANSYS/LS-DYNA 970 program. Results show that the existence of the ground will change the propagation law and conform to the reflection law of the shock wave. Rigid ground absorbs no energy and reflects all of it, while concrete ground absorbs and reflects some of the energy, respectively. Ground may influence the pressure-time curve of the shock wave. When the gauge is close to the explosive, the pressure-time curve presents a bimodal feature, while when the gauge reaches a certain distance to the explosive, it presents a single-peak feature. For gauges at different heights, different grounds may have different effects on the peak overpressure. For gauges of height not greater than 4 m, the impact on the shock wave is obvious when the radial to the explosive is small. On the contrary, as for the gauges of height greater than 4 m, the impact on the shock wave is obvious when the radial to the explosive is big. Ground has the enhancement effect on peak overpressure, but different grounds have different ways. For rigid ground, the peak overpressure factor is about 2. However, for the concrete and soil ground, peak overpressure factor is from 1.43 to 2.1.
Feature Extraction of Impulse Faults for Vibration Signals Based on Sparse Non-Negative Tensor Factorization
Authors: Liang Lin , Wen Haobin , Liu Fei , Li Guang , Li Maolin
Published: September 2019

The incipient damages of mechanical equipment excite weak impulse vibration, which is hidden, almost unobservable, in the collected signal, making fault detection and failure prevention at the inchoate stage rather challenging. Traditional feature extraction techniques, such as bandpass filtering and time-frequency analysis, are suitable for matrix processing but challenged by the higher-order data. To tackle these problems, a novel method of impulse feature extraction for vibration signals, based on sparse non-negative tensor factorization is presented in this paper. Primarily, the phase space reconstruction and the short time Fourier transform are successively employed to convert the original signal into time-frequency distributions, which are further arranged into a three-way tensor to obtain a time-frequency multi-aspect array. The tensor is decomposed by sparse non-negative tensor factorization via hierarchical alternating least squares algorithm, after which the latent components are reconstructed from the factors by the inverse short time Fourier transform and eventually help extract the impulse feature through envelope analysis. For performance verification, the experimental analysis on the bearing datasets and the swashplate piston pump has confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method. Comparisons to the traditional methods, including maximum correlated kurtosis deconvolution, singular value decomposition, and maximum spectrum kurtosis, also suggest its better performance of feature extraction.
D-Aspartic Acid in Vertebrate Reproduction: Animal Models and Experimental Designs ‡
Authors: Di Fiore Maria Maddalena , Boni Raffaele , Santillo Alessandra , Falvo Sara , Gallo Alessandra , Esposito Sabrina , Chieffi Baccari Gabriella
Published: September 2019

This article reviews the animal models and experimental designs that have been used during the past twenty years to demonstrate the prominent role played by D-aspartate (D-Asp) in the reproduction of vertebrates, from amphibians to humans. We have tabulated the findings of in vivo and in vitro experiments that demonstrate the effects of D-Asp uptake on hormone production and gametogenesis in vertebrate animal models. The contribution of each animal model to the existing knowledge on the role of D-Asp in reproductive processes has been discussed. A critical analysis of experimental designs has also been carried out. Experiments performed on wild animal species suggest a role of D-Asp in the mechanisms that regulate the reproductive cycle. Several in vivo and in vitro studies carried out on mouse and rat models have facilitated an understanding of the molecular pathways activated by D-Asp in both steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis, with particular emphasis on testosterone biosynthesis. Some attempts using D-Asp for the improvement of reproductive activity in animals of commercial interest have yielded mixed results. The increased transcriptome activity of enzymes and receptors involved in the reproductive activity in D-Asp-treated broiler roosters revealed further details on the mechanism of action of D-Asp on the reproductive processes. The close relationship between D-Asp and reproductive activity has emerged, particularly in relation to its effects exerted on semen quality, proposing therapeutic applications of this amino acid in andrology and in medically-assisted procreation techniques.
Assessing Cachexia Acutely after Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
Authors: Anderson Lindsey J. , Yin Chelsea , Burciaga Raul , Lee Jonathan , Crabtree Stephanie , Migula Dorota , Geiss-Wessel Kelsey , Liu Haiming M. , Graf Solomon A. , Chauncey Thomas R. , Garcia Jose M.
Published: September 2019

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT) is an accepted strategy for various hematologic malignancies that can lead to functional impairment, fatigue, muscle wasting, and reduced quality of life (QOL). In cancer cachexia, these symptoms are associated with inflammation, hypermetabolism, and decreased anabolic hormones. The relative significance of these factors soon after AHCT setting is unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize the acute effects of AHCT on physical function, body composition, QOL, energy expenditure, cytokines, and testosterone. Outcomes were assessed before (PRE) and 30 ± 10 days after (FU) AHCT in patients with multiple myeloma (n = 15) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 6). Six-minute walk test (6MWT; p = 0.014), lean mass (p = 0.002), and fat mass (p = 0.02) decreased; nausea and fatigue increased at FU (both p = 0.039). Recent weight change and steroid exposure were predictors of reduced aerobic capacity (p < 0.001). There were no significant changes in interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), energy expenditure, or bioavailable testosterone. Alterations in cytokines, energy expenditure, and testosterone were not associated with functional impairment acutely following AHCT. Recent history of weight loss and steroid exposure were predictors of worse physical function after AHCT, suggesting that targeting nutritional status and myopathy may be viable strategies to mitigate these effects.
Synergistic and Pharmacotherapeutic Effects of Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Combined Administration on Biliary Tract Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Sakamoto Yasunari , Yamagishi Seri , Okusaka Takuji , Ojima Hidenori
Published: September 2019

Gemcitabine (GEM) and cisplatin (CDDP) combination therapy (GC) is the standard chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC); however, its pharmacotherapeutic efficacy remains unclear. To investigate the effects of GC, we selected 11 from 17 BTC cell lines, according to their GEM sensitivity, to be assessed using the MTS assay. The presence of synergistic effects of GC was determined using the Bliss additivism model (BM) and the combination index (CI) at a GEM:CDDP molar ratio of 7:1; this ratio was based on the respective human renal clearances of the two drugs. The pharmacotherapeutic effects were evaluated by comparing the IC50 values for administrations of GEM alone and GC in combination. All cell lines showed synergistic effects when analyzed using the BM. Based on the CI values, strong synergism, synergism, and additive effects were seen in four, five, and two cell lines, respectively. For all four GEM-resistant cell lines, on which GC had strong synergistic effects, the pharmacotherapeutic effects of GC were disappointing, with all IC50 values > 1 µM. For the GEM-effective cell lines, on which GC had synergistic or additive effects, the IC50 values were all <1 µM, and the differences were small between the IC50s for administration of GEM alone and GC in combination. Our results suggest that GC has synergistic effects on BTC cell lines but that its pharmacotherapeutic effects are inadequate.
Achieving Food Security in a Climate Change Environment: Considerations for Environmental Kuznets Curve Use in the South African Agricultural Sector
Authors: Ngarava Saul , Zhou Leocadia , Ayuk James , Tatsvarei Simbarashe
Published: September 2019

This study relates agricultural income and agricultural carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the context of environmental Kuznets curves for South Africa. We posit likely relationships between UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1, 2 and 13, relating food production to climate change action. CO2 emissions, income, coal energy consumption and electricity energy consumption time series data from 1990 to 2012 within the South African agricultural sector were used. The autoregressive distributive lag bounds-test and the error correction model were used to analyse the data. The results show long-run relationships. However, agricultural income was only significant in the linear and squared models. Changes in agricultural CO2 emissions from the short run towards the long run are estimated at 71.9%, 124.7% and 125.3% every year by the linear, squared and cubic models, respectively. Exponentially increasing agricultural income did not result in a decrease in agricultural CO2 emissions, which is at odds with the Kuznets hypothesis. The study concludes that it will be difficult for South Africa to simultaneously achieve SDGs 1, 2 and 13, especially given that agriculture is reliant upon livestock production, the largest CO2 emitter in the sector. The sector needs to shift to renewable energy consumption with fewer CO2 emissions.
Protection of Aluminum Alloy 3003 in Sodium Chloride and Simulated Acid Rain Solutions by Commercial Conversion Coatings Containing Zr and Cr
Authors: Mujdrica Kim Maja , Kapun Barbara , Tiringer Urša , Šekularac Gavrilo , Milošev Ingrid
Published: September 2019

The morphology, composition and corrosion properties of commercial hexafluoro-zirconate trivalent chromium coatings (SurTec® 650) deposited on chemically cleaned aluminum alloy 3003 were studied. The coatings were deposited at room temperature using different concentrations of SurTec® 650 (10, 25 and 50 vol.%) and different conversion times (90 s, 11 min and 18 min). Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion spectrometry were employed to investigate the surface morphology, composition and thickness of uncoated and coated AA3003 samples. The morphology of the coating varied from uniform nodular to non-uniform and cracked; coatings were deposited at intermetallic particles and at the alloy matrix. The main constituents of conversion coatings were Zr(IV) and Cr(III) oxides; in addition to oxides, fluorides were also formed. The corrosion properties were investigated in two solutions: more aggressive sodium NaCl and less aggressive simulated acid rain. These commercial conversion coatings exhibited a good corrosion resistance but only after longer immersion in solution, i.e., 24 h. The results reveal an interesting behavior of zirconate-based coatings on aluminum-manganese alloy.
First-Principles Study of the Impact of Grain Boundary Formation in the Cathode Material LiFePO4
Authors: Kuriplach Jan , Pulkkinen Aki , Barbiellini Bernardo
Published: September 2019

Motivated by the need to understand the role of internal interfaces in Li migration occurring in lithium-ion batteries, a first-principles study of a coincident site lattice grain boundary in LiFePO4 cathode material and in its delithiated counterpart FPO4 is performed. The structure of the investigated grain boundary is obtained, and the corresponding interface energy is calculated. Other properties, such as ionic charges, magnetic moments, excess free volume, and the lifetime of positrons trapped at the interfaces are determined and discussed. The results show that while the grain boundary in LiFePO4 has desired structural and bonding characteristics, the analogous boundary in FePO4 needs to be yet optimized to allow for an efficient Li diffusion study.
How Network Topologies Impact Project Alliance Performance: Evidence from the Movie Industry
Authors: Zhang Xin-Jie , Tang Yong , Xiong Jason , Wang Wei-Jia , Zhang Yi-Cheng
Published: September 2019

In many industries, partners are interconnected in project alliances that have limited lifespans and clearly-defined boundaries. The transparency of the movie industry provides a unique opportunity to study how alliance network topologies impact the performance of project alliances from the perspectives of social networks and organization theories. In this work, we compiled a massive movie dataset and constructed alliance networks for both movie production and distribution companies. Using the box office as the proxy for the financial performance of a movie project alliance, this research investigates how the two alliance networks impact the box office. We introduce the social network properties of degrees, centralities, and structural holes as alliance network variables into empirical regression models. The results show that alliance networks have a significant influence on the box office. The degrees of production companies and the structural holes of distribution companies are especially important to achieve success in the box office. The results add new evidence for the study of the movie economy and alliance networks. Meanwhile, this work also provides implications for the movie industry by revealing that it is essential to wisely choose partners that are appropriately embedded in alliance networks for the success of a movie project.
Energy-Efficient Joint Design of Fronthaul and Edge Links for Cache-Aided C-RAN Systems with Wireless Fronthaul
Authors: Kim Junbeom , Yu Daesung , Hong Seung-Eun , Park Seok-Hwan
Published: September 2019

This work addresses the joint design of fronthaul and edge links for a cache-aided cloud radio access network (C-RAN) system with a wireless fronthaul link. Motivated by the fact that existing techniques, such as C-RAN and edge caching, come at the cost of increased energy consumption, an energy efficiency (EE) metric is defined and adopted as the performance metric for optimization. As the fronthaul links can be used to transfer quantized and precoded baseband signals or hard information of uncached files, both soft- and hard-transfer fronthauling strategies are considered. Extensive numerical results validate the impact of edge caching, as well as the advantages of the energy-efficient design over the spectrally-efficient scheme. Additionally, the two fronthauling strategies—the soft- and hard-transfer schemes—are compared in terms of EE.
Remaining Useful Life Prediction with Similarity Fusion of Multi-Parameter and Multi-Sample Based on the Vibration Signals of Diesel Generator Gearbox
Authors: Zhou Shenghan , Xu Xingxing , Xiao Yiyong , Chang Wenbing , Qian Silin , Pan Xing
Published: September 2019

The prediction of electrical machines’ Remaining Useful Life (RUL) can facilitate making electrical machine maintenance policies, which is important for improving their security and extending their life span. This paper proposes an RUL prediction model with similarity fusion of multi-parameter and multi-sample. Firstly, based on the time domain and frequency domain extraction of vibration signals, the performance damage indicator system of a gearbox is established to select the optimal damage indicators for RUL prediction. Low-pass filtering based on approximate entropy variance (Aev) is introduced in this process because of its stability. Secondly, this paper constructs Dynamic Time Warping Distance (DTWD) as a similarity measurement function, which belongs to the nonlinear dynamic programming algorithm. It performed better than the traditional Euclidean distance. Thirdly, based on DTWD, similarity fusion of multi-parameter and multi-sample methods is proposed here to achieve RUL prediction. Next, the performance evaluation indicator Q is adopted to evaluate the RUL prediction accuracy of different methods. Finally, the proposed method is verified by experiments, and the Multivariable Support Vector Machine (MSVM) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are introduced for comparative studies. The results show that the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of the similarity fusion of multi-parameter and multi-sample methods proposed here is below 14%, which is lower than MSVM’s and PCA’s. Additionally, the RUL prediction based on the DTWD function in multi-sample similarity fusion exhibits the best accuracy.
MAXENT3D_PID: An Estimator for the Maximum-Entropy Trivariate Partial Information Decomposition
Authors: Makkeh Abdullah , Chicharro Daniel , Theis Dirk Oliver , Vicente Raul
Published: September 2019

Partial information decomposition (PID) separates the contributions of sources about a target into unique, redundant, and synergistic components of information. In essence, PID answers the question of “who knows what” of a system of random variables and hence has applications to a wide spectrum of fields ranging from social to biological sciences. The paper presents MaxEnt3D_Pid, an algorithm that computes the PID of three sources, based on a recently-proposed maximum entropy measure, using convex optimization (cone programming). We describe the algorithm and its associated software utilization and report the results of various experiments assessing its accuracy. Moreover, the paper shows that a hierarchy of bivariate and trivariate PID allows obtaining the finer quantities of the trivariate partial information measure.