bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The fraud portrait in budget planning by the regional government apparatus
Authors: Indriani Nova , Alim Moh Nizarul , Haryadi Bambang
Published: July 2019

This study aims to identify the existence of fraud that appears in the practice of budget preparation. It is a case study conducted in Blue Zone Regional Device by using participant observation method. The informants were the financial managers. The results showed that fraud on budgeting involves all parties ranging from planners, PPTKs, executive staff, and exchequer. Besides that, fraud on budgeting occurs in the form of commitments (fees), separation of funds for non-budgetary activities (pressure), the use of legal gaps that are less effective supervision system (opportunity) and assume reasonable what is done and all the Regional Tools do their jobs (rationalization)
Audit committee characteristics and earnings management practices
Authors: Nelwan Melinda Lydia , Tansuria Billy Ivan
Published: July 2019

This study revisits the effectiveness of the audit committee independence and expertise in preventing earnings management practices.Â  Studies in other studies with relatively stricter regulations showed the audit committee independence was effective to prevent earnings management.Â  On the contrary, studies in Indonesia were arguably outdated and shorter in period.Â  This study was conducted on Indonesian listed-manufacturing companies from 2009 to 2015. It used two earnings management model such as Modified Jones Model and Performance-Adjusted Modified Jones Model. The results showed that audit committee independence is effective to prevent earnings management practices.Â  However, it was found that audit committee expertise did not affect earnings management practices.Â  The results are consistent for both earnings management models. Although majority of the audit members in Indonesian listed manufacturing companies are experts in accounting and finance, the existence of those expert members did not affect the companies to engage or not engage in earnings management practices.Â  However, the accounting and/or financial expertise does not determine the effectiveness of the audit committeeâ€™s monitoring role.
The effects of religiosity on earnings management under obedience pressure
Authors: Mahmudi Mahmudi , Supriyadi Supriyadi
Published: July 2019

This paper examined the effect of obedience pressure on real earnings management. It also also investigated whether the relationship between obedience pressure and real earnings management is moderated by individualâ€™s religiosity level. Religiosity is an individual believed as sources of ethical value that would normatively affect the management ethical decision. Prior studies have documented that management decision could be influenced by obedience pressure, however, there is limited study that specifically tested the effects of obedience pressure and religiosity on real earnings management. This study utilized a laboratory experiment with a 2 x 2 (obedience pressure x level of religiosity) factorial design involving 89 participants. This study found that individuals under obedience pressure were more likely to perform real earnings management than control group. However, religiosity did not significantly mitigate the association between obedience pressure and real earnings management. There is no significant effect of individualâ€™s religiosity level on real earnings management decision.
Non cash payment and demand for real money in Indonesia
Authors: Wasiaturrahma Wasiaturrahma , Wahyuningtyas Yuliana Tri , Ajija Shochrul Rohmatul
Published: July 2019

Non-cash payments in Indonesia are currently developing rapidly. The development of the form of money from just paper money and coins into an electronic money is predicted to have an effect on real money demand, not only in Indonesia. The use of electronic money in Indonesia itself continues to increase especially supported by technological developments. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of non-cash payments on real money demand in Indonesia. The method used is Error Correction Model (ECM) using secondary data from 2010 to 2015. The independent variable is the amount of money circulated by Bank Indonesia, and the independent variables used are the value of debit / ATM card transactions, credit cards, and e -money. The results indicate that in the long run credit cards have a significant negative effect on cash circulation in the community, while debit cards have a significant positive effect and affect cash. While in the short term, credit cards and e-money are not significant for cash, and only debit cards only have a significant effect on cash.
Knowledge and awareness of a medical faculty students in Turkey about global warming, climate change and their consequences
 Türkiye’de bir tıp fakültesi öğrencilerinin küresel ısınma, iklim değişikliği ve sonuçları ile ilgili bilgi durumları ve farkındalıkları
Authors: Deveci Süleyman Erhan , Kurt Osman , Pirinçci Edibe , Oğuzöncül Ayşe Ferdane
Published: July 2019

This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and awareness of the students of the Faculty of Medicine on global warming, climate change and their consequences. In this Cross-sectional study a questionnaire was applied by reaching 404 persons from the Faculty of Medicine. The mean of knowledge points for global warming is 26.15 ± 2.88. The higher the grade, the lower the mean score (p=0.002), the higher the knowledge score of women (p=0.001). 4.5% of the students stated that they were a member of any environmental organization, 14.4% said they participated in environmental activities and 79.5% defended the necessity of environment related courses. As a result, it is found that the students of the Faculty of Medicine have a high level of knowledge of global warming. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the link between global warming and climate change and health problems and a lack of sensitivity to environmental activities. Education programs on global warming and climate change will be useful in the study group and other young groups.ÖzetBu çalışma Tıp Fakültesi Öğrencilerinin Küresel Isınma, İklim Değişikliği (KIİD) ve sonuçları konusundaki bilgi durumlarının ve farkındalıklarının değerlendirilmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Bu kesitsel çalışmada, Tıp Fakültesinden 404 kişiye ulaşılarak bir anket uygulanmıştır. Küresel ısınma bilgi puan ortalaması 26.15±2.88’dir. Sınıf yükseldikçe puan ortalamasının düştüğü (p=0.002), kadınların bilgi puanının daha fazla olduğu bulunmuştur (p=0.001). Öğrencilerin %4.5’i herhangi bir çevre kuruluşuna üyeliği olduğunu, %14.4’ü çevre ile ilgili aktivitelere katıldığını belirtmiş, %79.5’i ise çevre ile ilgili derslerin gerekliliğini savunmuştur. Sonuç olarak Tıp Fakültesi öğrencilerinin küresel ısınma ile ilgi bilgi düzeyleri yüksek bulunmuştur. Ancak KIİD ile sağlık sorunlarının ilişkilendirilmesi konusunda bilgi, yine çevre ile ilgili aktivitelere duyarlılık eksiklikleri mevcuttur. Bu araştırmanın yapıldığı çalışma grubu ve diğer genç gruplarda KIİD ile ilgili eğitim programları faydalı olacaktır.
Uncovering the clinical impact of kallikrein-related peptidase 5 (KLK5) mRNA expression in the colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence
Authors: Papachristopoulou Georgia , Malachias Apostolos , Devetzi Marina , Kamouza Evdoxia , Scorilas Andreas , Xynopoulos Dimitris , Talieri Maroulio
Published: July 2019

Background

Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) are a subgroup of serine proteases located on chromosome 19q13.3. Most KLKs have been extensively studied as potential biomarkers for several carcinomas and other diseases. KLK5 was originally identified from a keratinocyte library, and its enzyme was purified from the stratum corneum of human skin. KLK5 was shown to be differentially expressed in a variety of endocrine tumors, although it is not as yet examined widely in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods

In this study, we quantitatively assessed the mRNA expression status of KLK5 in 197 colorectal tissues from 133 patients (70 cancerous and their paired normal colonic mucosa for 64 of them, as well as 63 colorectal adenomas) by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) using TaqMan probes. Statistical analysis evaluated the results.

Results

It was shown that KLK5 expression is reduced following the histologically non-cancerous-adenoma sequence (p<0.001), whereas it is increased during the sequence adenoma-carcinoma (p<0.001). Furthermore, KLK5 positive expression is associated with positive nodal status (p=0.022), advanced tumor stage (p=0.038) and high histological grade (p=0.033). Cox univariate analysis revealed that KLK5 positive expression is associated with disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.028) and overall survival (OS) of patients (p=0.048). Kaplan-Meyer survival models showed that patients with positive KLK5 expression have lower DFS (p=0.009) and OS (p=0.019). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated for first time that KLK5 expression had significant discriminatory values between cancer and adenoma tissues (area under the curve [AUC] 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.69–0.85, p=0.03).

Conclusions

KLK5 mRNA expression may be useful for the differentiation of CRC from colorectal adenoma and represents a potential unfavorable prognostic biomarker for CRC.
Human chorionic gonadotropin suspected heterophile interference investigations in immunoassays: a recommended approach
Authors: Jara-Aguirre Jose C. , Baumann Nikola A. , Block Darci R. , Algeciras-Schimnich Alicia
Published: July 2019

Background

Heterophile antibody (HAb) interferences in immunoassays can cause falsely elevated hCG concentrations leading to incorrect diagnosis and treatments options. When results are not consistent with the clinical findings, hCG HAb interference investigation may be requested by the physician. A retrospective evaluation of the frequency of HAb interference was performed among cases of physician-requested investigations and the effectiveness of commercially available blocking reagents to detect HAb interference in two immunoassay systems was evaluated.

Methods

One hundred and thirteen physician requests for hCG HAb investigation from 2008 to 2017 were reviewed. The primary method used to measure hCG was the Beckman Coulter Access Total βhCG (2008–2010) and the Roche Elecsys HCG+β (2014–2017). HAb investigation included measurement by two immunoassays before and after treatment of samples with heterophile blocking reagents and serial dilution studies.

Results

Five cases of HAb and HAb-like interference were identified. The interference frequency was 6.7% for the Beckman assay and 2.9% for the Roche assay. The presence of HAb was detected using heterophile blocking reagents and an alternative method in three cases. The other two cases were detected due to discrepant results with an alternative method and non-linear serial dilutions (HAb-like).

Conclusions

HAb interference was observed in the Beckman and the Roche assays. The heterophile blocking reagents failed to detect 40% of interference cases. Blocking reagents should not solely be used for these investigations. Multiple strategies including the use of serial dilutions and using an alternative platform are critical when troubleshooting interferences in hCG immunoassays.
Estimated urinary osmolality based on combined urinalysis parameters: a critical evaluation
Authors: Oyaert Matthijs , Speeckaert Marijn M. , Delanghe Joris R.
Published: July 2019

Background

Urinary conductivity allows a coarse prediction of urinary osmolality in most cases but is insensitive to the osmolal contribution of uncharged particles and the presence of roentgen contrast media. Urinary osmolality can be estimated on the recently introduced Sysmex UF-5000 urine analyzer using conductivity. In this study, we evaluated the analytical performance of this research parameter. Secondly, we aimed to improve the manufacturer’s algorithm for estimating urinary osmolality, based on standard urinalysis parameters (creatinine, glucose, relative density).

Methods

The analytical performance was determined and a prediction model to estimate urinary osmolality based on urinalysis parameters was developed. We further developed and validated a prediction model using another set of routine urine samples. In addition, the influence of roentgen contrast media on urinary osmolality was studied.

Results

The within-run and between imprecision for osmolality and conductivity measured on the Sysmex UF-5000 ranged from 1.1% to 4.9% and 0.7% to 4.8%, respectively. Multiple regression analysis revealed urinary creatinine, conductivity and relative density to be the strongest predictors to estimate urinary osmolality. A mean difference of 1.3 mOsm/kg between measured and predicted osmolality demonstrated that the predictive performance of our model was favorable. An excellent correlation between the relative density and % contrast media was demonstrated.

Conclusions

Urinary osmolality is an important parameter for assessing specimen dilution in urinalysis. Urinary conductivity, along with relative density and urinary creatinine allows a coarse prediction of urinary osmolality and is insensitive to the osmolal contribution of uncharged particles and the presence of roentgen contrast media.
Human Immunoglobulin G Adsorption in Epoxy Chitosan/Alginate Adsorbents: Evaluation of Isotherms by Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Pássaro Ana Carolina Moreno , Mozetic Tainá Maia , Schmitz Jones Erni , da Silva Ivanildo José , Martins Tiago Dias , Bresolin Igor Tadeu Lazzarotto
Published: July 2019

This work aimed to evaluate the interaction of human IgG in non-conventional adsorbents based on chitosan and alginate in the absence and presence of Reactive Green, Reactive Blue and Cibacron Blue immobilized as ligands. The adsorption was evaluated at 277, 288, 298 and 310 K using sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.6, at 25 mmol L−1. The highest adsorption capacity was observed in the experiments performed with no immobilized dye, although all showed adsorption capacity higher than 120 mg g−1. Data modeling was done using Langmuir, Langmuir-Freundlich and Temkin classical nonlinear models, and artificial neural networks (ANN) for comparison. According to the parameters obtained, a possible adsorption in multilayers was observed due to protein-adsorbent and protein-protein interactions, concluding that IgG adsorption process is favorable and spontaneous. Using an ANN structure with 3 hidden neurons (single hidden layer), the MSE (RMSE) for training, test and validation were 13.698 (3.701), 11.206 (3.347) and 7.632 (2.763), respectively, achieving correlation coefficients of 0.999 in all steps. ANN modeling proved to be effective in predicting the adsorption isotherms in addition to overcoming the difficulties caused by experimental errors and/or arising from adsorption phenomenology.
How can we effectively improve the mathematical capabilities of students of chemistry?
Authors: Castellón Erick , Ogilvie John F.
Published: July 2019

We describe our extensive collective experience in the conduct of courses based on the use of advanced mathematical software to enhance the capabilities of students of chemistry to solve problems with a mathematical component. These courses have been based on an interactive electronic textbook Mathematics for Chemistry with Symbolic Computation that has been concurrently developed and expanded. The admirable performance of the students who have benefited from our courses leaves no doubt that mathematical software is an invaluable tool for the teaching, learning and practice of mathematics in a chemical context.
Children with type 1 diabetes of early age at onset – immune and metabolic phenotypes
Authors: Sales Luis Madalena , Alcafache Margarida , Ferreira Sara , Fitas Ana Laura , Simões Pereira Joana , Caramalho Íris , Lopes Lurdes , Limbert Catarina
Published: July 2019

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) with early age at onset (EAO) for clinical, immune and metabolic features in order to identify age-related disease phenotypes.

Methods

Comparative study of two groups of T1D children: EAO (≤5 years) and later age at onset (LAO; >5 years), regarding the presence of other autoimmune (AI) diseases, diabetes ketoacidosis and immunologic profile at onset and metabolic data 1 year after diagnosis. Statistical analysis was performed with significance set for p < 0.05.

Results

The study included 137 children (EAO = 52, mean age 3.6 ± 1.5 [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] and LAO = 85, mean age 10.4 ± 2.9). EAO was more associated with concomitant AI diseases (p = 0.032). Despite no differences in disease onset, EAO presented with lower C-peptide levels (p = 0.01) and higher absolute lymphocyte number (p < 0.0001), with an inverse correlation between these two variables (p = 0.028). Additionally, the EAO group had a higher frequency of serum detection of three antibodies (Abs) (p = 0.0008), specifically insulin Abs (p = 0.0001). One year after diagnosis, EAO had higher total daily insulin (TDI) dose (p = 0.008), despite similar hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

Conclusions

Our data show an association of EAO T1D with more AI diseases, higher number of Abs, lower initial insulin reservoir and higher insulin requirements 1 year after diagnosis. In this group, immune imbalance seems more evident and disease progression faster, probably reflecting distinct “immune environment” with different ages at disease onset. Further studies in the field of immunogenetics and immune tolerance are required, to improve patient stratification and find novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
Current and Future Challenges in Trial Design for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in HIV Prevention
Authors: Donnell Deborah
Published: July 2019

Success in establishing efficacy of antiretroviral drugs to prevent acquisition of HIV infection has fundamentally changed the trial design considerations for future experimental drugs. Current trials of potential new antiretroviral agents for pre-exposure prophylaxis are using active control designs – where all trial participants receive an active antiretroviral drug. Current trials of other experimental approaches, such as vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, permit use of the proven prevention agent FTC/TDF for all trial participants. In the future, if even more effective prevention methods are approved, active control designs would anticipate very few infection events and not provide statistically robust evidence. A potential alternative is to conduct placebo randomized trials limited to participants for whom current prevention tools are not acceptable.
Numerical Investigation on Metrological Fidelity of a Shielded Thermocouple Probe and the Effects of Geometrical Parameters
Authors: Ummer Zahir , Zhang Weihao , Yang Weiping , Zou Zhengping , Zhao Jian
Published: July 2019

Proper design optimization and precise error characterization of temperature sensing-elements are rudimentary in the field of high accuracy gas temperature measurements. The intricate flow structures and heat transfer mechanisms related to a shielded thermocouple probe are studied in this paper using computational fluid dynamics and conjugate heat transfer (CFD/CHT) simulation tools. Owing to the probe’s novel geometry, it was a pre-requisite to characterize the metrological fidelity of the probe and the steady-state errors were determined from the simulations. The influence of certain geometrical parameters on the error characteristics of the probe was also investigated. The characteristic variation of the metrological fidelity of the probe with respect to those geometrical parameters should facilitate the optimization of the probe design.
How do you smile along a path?
Authors: Irwin Patricia
Published: July 2019

This paper argues that a core component of root meaning is the distinction between body parts versus the body conceived as a whole. This distinction is shown to be relevant in the acceptability of motion sentences in English with whole-body roots likedance$\sqrt {\textsc{dance}} $and body-part roots likesmile$\sqrt {\textsc{smile}} $. In keeping with the assumption that roots lack syntactic category, I argue that verbal roots occur freely in syntactic structures but that some root-structure combinations are degraded (or unacceptable), and that this is due to an incompatibility between conceptual root content and interpreted syntactic structure.
Roots, their structure and consequences for derivational timing
Authors: Kučerová Ivona , Szczegielniak Adam
Published: July 2019

Recent work in Distributed Morphology, most prominently Harley (2014), argues for roots being able to take syntactic complements, which opens the door for the possibility of having syntactic features within a root’s representation – something most DM literature rejects (Embick 2015). Upon a closer inspection of the arguments presented in the literature, it is not clear whether the disagreement has an empirical underpinning, or whether it stems from the lack of methodological clarity as far as the identification of the precise nature of what constitutes a syntactic feature. This paper takes this methodological question seriously and investigates a type of derivational behavior that, in our view, provides a decisive argument for the presence of syntactic features on roots. We argue that the presence of a syntactic feature on the root can be conclusively established based on a feature’s impact on specific properties within a larger syntactic structure. Based on empirical evidence form gender agreement phenomena, we introduce a model of grammar that distinguishes roots with syntactic features from those which do not have them. We propose that such a distinction between roots will manifest itself in the timing of root insertion – roots without syntactic features are late inserted, while roots with syntactic features must be early inserted.
Selecting roots: the view from compounding
Authors: Michelioudakis Dimitris , Angelopoulos Nikos
Published: July 2019

We investigate how saturation of different theta-roles by the non-head constituent correlates with derivational suffixes and, in turn, with the event structures compatible with those suffixes. We also investigate XP realisations of themes, causers and instruments in deverbal nominal and participial constructions and which ±agentive and/or ±process/episodic sub-readings allow which type of argument. It turns out that for each theta-role, the contexts that allow an XP realisation are exactly the complement of the contexts that would allow compounding of that same theta-role. We take this complementarity to be an indirect argument in favour of (i) divorcing argument licensing from argument selection and (ii) dissociating argument introduction from event-structure-related heads, which then potentially reaffirms the role of roots in (first phase) syntax.
Compounds, composability, and morphological idiosyncrasy
Authors: Steddy Sam
Published: July 2019

Working within the framework of Distributed Morphology (Halle and Marantz 1993, 1994), this paper offers a derivational analysis of the range of structures and the types of idiosyncrasy associated with compounding. Building on prior analysis by Harley (2009), compound structures are argued to vary according to the ways in which the head and the non-head of a compound are categorised. Specifically, if the non-head of a compound is acategorial, then the relationship between the compound head and non-head is non-decomposable. Based on data from Hebrew (Borer 2009), it is shown that this also makes the non-head inaccessible to independent syntactic-semantic operations, including coordination, and coreference with a pronoun. It is additionally shown that morphologically-conditioned allomorphy (Bobaljik 2012) may be conditioned between the compound head and a suffix, as constitutes part of a bracketing paradox (Williams 1981). Where categorisation of the head of the compound gives rise to effects of headedness, however, this allomorphy may be ‘blocked’ by the structure associated with exocentricity. The final sections of the paper consider exocentricity, and other interactions between idiosyncratic meanings and phonology, in further detail.
(Non-)Intersective adjectives and root suppletion
Authors: Despić Miloje
Published: July 2019

In this paper I examine certain gradable adjectives in Serbian, whose suppletive comparative forms display unexpected semantic properties. In particular, while these adjectives are ambiguous between intersective and non-intersective readings in the positive form, their suppletive comparative and superlative forms are limited to the non-intersective interpretation. These facts show, I argue, that in a theory like Distributed Morphology either adjectival roots or category-assigning heads they combine with come in semantic subtypes (i.e. are specified for certain semantic properties; Harley 2005, Anagnostopoulou and Samioti 2014). I show how the analysis I propose explains semantic properties of change-of-state verbs derived from these adjectives and why these adjectives are restricted to the intersective interpretation when their positive form takes the long-form (definite) inflection. I also provide an illustration of how Arregi and Nevins’s (2014) analysis of the so-called “disuppletive” roots, suchworse/badder, can deal with the facts presented in this paper. Finally, I discuss implications of these facts in the context of Bobaljik’s (2012) approach to suppletive comparative morphology.
Derivational argument ellipsis
Authors: Takahashi Daiko
Published: July 2019

The present article is concerned with two important observations about argument ellipsis. One is that it may apply to arguments that do not enter into agreement relationship with functional categories but not to those that do; the other is that extraction out of elided arguments is possible in Japanese. In order to account for these properties, I adopt the theory of derivational ellipsis, according to which elliptic constituents are marked as such as early as in the syntactic component, and the hypothesis thatv, V, and an internal argument can be combined in different ways in different languages. The proposed analysis does not only account for the relevant facts about argument ellipsis in Japanese, but also extends to other languages that exhibit slightly different behaviors with regard to null arguments.
Feasibility of Ion Exchange Membranes to Control pH during Electro-Osmotic Consolidation
Authors: Martin Lucas , Meegoda Jay N.
Published: July 2019

Electro-osmosis is an established method of consolidating soft fine-grained soils. Its efficiency is controlled by the electrical resistance of the soil-electrode system. Because of an increase in soil electrical resistance during treatment, its cost efficiency is reduced, limiting the widespread use of this technique, especially in developed nations. One of the main causes of electrical resistance is hydrolysis of water molecules around the electrodes. The acidification of the anode, in particular, reduces the negative surface charge of clay particles and, thus, the zeta potential. According to the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski model, the zeta potential is directly proportional to the electro-osmotic permeability. This article studies the use of ion exchange membranes to assess their ability to prevent flow of hydrogen ions into the soil. The test with an anion exchange membrane showed minimal change of the pH in the soil around the anode compared to a control, which is better for electro-osmotic consolidation.
Undrained Shear Strength and Monotonic Behavior of Different Nonplastic Silts: Sand-Like or Clay-Like?
Authors: Monkul M. Murat , Aydın Nagihan G. , Demirhan Bengü , Şahin Mehmet
Published: July 2019

The common assumption in geotechnical engineering research and practice has been that nonplastic silts behave sand-like, whereas, as silts become more plastic, they start to behave clay-like. To date, there are practically no studies focusing solely on various nonplastic silts and their monotonic response, perhaps because of the solid belief that nonplastic silts behave sand-like in all aspects. A series of constant volume direct simple shear tests were conducted on three different nonplastic silts. Because the specimens were reconstituted to have loose grain structures, volumetrically contractive tendency was observed for all the silts with relatively small effective stress friction angles. It was observed that Ko compression lines and critical state lines are parallel to each other for all three silts, which is considered to be a clay-like behavior in literature. It was shown that undrained shear strengths can be normalized with the effective vertical consolidation stress, which is also considered to be a clay-like behavior in literature. Normalized values are compared with the ones obtained for plastic silts compiled from previous studies. Normalized undrained shear strength values for plastic silts in literature were seen to be typically greater. Possible reasons such as density effect and strength anisotropy were discussed.
Apparatus for Measuring Pipe-Soil Interaction Behavior Using Shallow ‘Pipe-like’ Penetrometers
Authors: Schneider M. A. , Stanier S. A. , White D. J. , Randolph M. F.
Published: July 2019

Reliable characterization of surficial marine sediments is essential to ensure the safe and economical design of subsea infrastructure for offshore energy facilities (e.g., seabed cables, pipelines, and shallow foundations). Conventional in situ testing methods (e.g., cone penetrometer test or T-bar) require careful interpretation to account for the effects of shallow embedment, whereas laboratory tests are affected by sampling-induced disturbances, the impact of which can be significant at the low stress levels relevant to the design of subsea infrastructure. This article describes two novel box-core–sized shallow penetrometers—the hemiball and toroid—which mimic the shape of subsea pipelines and have been designed to reliably measure the strength, consolidation, and frictional properties of surficial offshore sediments. The development and specification of the actuator used to operate these probes is also described. Another major benefit of these penetrometers, which are intended to be used offshore for on-deck testing aboard a survey vessel, is their capability to generate effective stress interpretations of the soil behavior, and this is made possible because pore pressure transducers are installed and monitored throughout testing. The results of a first laboratory proof test are presented to illustrate the potential of this novel sensor concept.
A Fourier Spectral Method to Measure the Thermal Diffusivity of Soil
Authors: Beardsmore Graeme , Egan Shannon , Sandiford Mike
Published: July 2019

It is well established that amplitude decays and phase shifts as a function of depth, frequency, and thermal diffusivity when a periodic surface temperature signal conducts into the ground. In historical practice, this principle has often been employed to estimate soil thermal diffusivity using observations of the dominant diurnal and annual temperature signals. We describe and demonstrate a method to infer thermal diffusivity over a broad bandwidth in the frequency domain using high fidelity time-series ground temperature records. We draw information from thermal signals generated by meteorological events over weeks and months, as well as the dominant diurnal signal. Both the decay in amplitude and shift in phase of each frequency band contribute points to plots that define linear functions relative to a parameter that incorporates frequency and depth. Linear regression through the points gives the magnitude and uncertainty of the slope of the function, where the slope is equal to the inverse square root of the average thermal diffusivity over the sampled time-period and depth interval. This allows statistical quantification of the uncertainty in the thermal diffusivity estimate. Furthermore, our method delineates depth intervals where nonconductive processes significantly affect heat transfer. Examples are presented for a dry desert soil in South Australia and the floor of a tropical alpine forest in Mexico.
An Experimental Study on the Rheological Properties of Laponite RD as a Transparent Soil
Authors: Zhang Yiping , Hu Mengxian , Ye Tian , Chen Yongjin , Zhou Yongchao
Published: July 2019

The shear rheological properties of Laponite RD as a transparent soil have been investigated by a thixotropic test, dynamic strain sweep, dynamic frequency sweep, and a creep test. The thixotropic test revealed the thixotropic curve of Laponite RD that consisted of deformation, flow, and destruction regions. The apparent viscosity in the flow region matched well with the result calculated from the Herschel-Buckley model. Dynamic tests showed that the elastic properties of Laponite RD were promoted with the increase in concentration. When the strain was less than 10 %, it exhibited linear viscoelasticity with slight frequency dependence. Under constant external force, the Burgers model was used to characterize Laponite RD; thereby, the parameters of the creep model were obtained. Our results shed light on the understanding of the rheological properties of Laponite RD to extend its application as transparent soil in geotechnical engineering.
Haar Wavelet Transform for Arrival Time Identification in Bender Element Tests
Authors: Fernández Lavín Alfonso , Ovando Shelley Efraín
Published: July 2019

The determination of shear wave velocity (Vs) using bender elements can be affected by the near-field effect. This phenomenon hinders the identification of the S-wave arrival time of an output signal. Multiple alternatives have been presented to counteract these effects, including the use of wavelet transforms during the last decade. In this article, the Haar wavelet is used because of the simplicity and speed of calculation. The determination of S-wave arrival time in signals influenced by the near-field effect is performed by setting an explicit event with a high value of energy at a specific time, in relation to the scale average energy in different levels of multiresolution analysis. The results show that regardless of the input frequency, the S-wave arrival time values are very similar, and the near-field effect is not observed when wavelet approach is used to determine the S-wave arrival times, unlike when applying other traditional interpretation approaches.
Assessment of Pavement Response during Spring Thaw Using Heavy Vehicle Simulator Testing
Authors: Bilodeau J.-P. , Doré G.
Published: July 2019

Two indoor laboratory studies were performed at Laval University using a heavy vehicle simulator on two very different pavement structures. The flexible pavement structural response was tested in thawing conditions for different loading conditions. These tests were performed to document how the flexible pavement response changes with thaw depth and to validate the main findings and information available in the literature regarding pavement response during spring thaw and spring load restrictions policies. The results collected during the experiment are in accordance with some general findings identified in the literature. More specifically, signs of weakening appear as soon as the thaw front reaches the granular layer beneath the asphalt concrete, at a depth of about 250–300 mm, and peak response values of up to 200 % are observed either while the structure thaws or once thawing is almost completed in the subgrade soil.
Influence of Biot’s Compressibility Parameters on Transient Response of Saturated Poroelastic Media
Authors: Hu Dan , Zhang Kaiyin , Li Fen
Published: July 2019

In many branches of engineering, the effect of the compressibility parameters of solid and fluid are significant in describing the realistic behavior of porous media. The principle goal of the present work is to clarify the influence of the compressibility of each constituent on consolidation and dynamic behavior of porous media. In this research, an analytical solution in Laplace domain is obtained for dynamic 1-D problem, and further, the response in time domain is evaluated using the convolution quadrature method. By considering a wide range of compressibility parameters, the consolidation and wave propagation behavior are discussed in terms of pore pressure and solid displacement. These results offer some guidance in choosing appropriate compressibility parameters in practical problems.
Study of the Effect of Aggregate Geometry Characteristics on the Rheology of Asphalt Mortar Using Newly Developed Material Rheological Property Test Analyzer and Aggregate Image Measurement System
Authors: Li Hechuan , Wu Yaqi , Yu Jianying , Wu Shaopeng , Li Yuanyuan
Published: July 2019

A new rheometer developed in the laboratory and the Aggregate Image Measurement System (AIMS) were used to study the effect of aggregate geometry characteristics on the rheological properties of asphalt mortar. AIMS was used to investigate the geometry characteristics (angularity index and Form 2-D) of two aggregates including steel slag and basalt. The results showed that steel slag had a better Form 2-D and angularity index, representing a better particle distribution and shape property. A material rheological property test analyzer was applied to evaluate the rheological properties of pure and styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt and their asphalt mortars at 20°C and 40°C, and then the data were modeled through the simulation software. As a kind of rigid body, the addition of aggregate had a great influence on the rheological properties of asphalt. The experiment results indicated that, after the addition of aggregate or SBS, the rheological model of asphalt samples was still Burges model accompanied by the change of rheological parameters. As a kind of temperature-sensitive material, temperature was the most important factor for determining the rheological properties of asphalt. The addition of SBS promoted the elastic deformation of asphalt and restrained the viscous deformation of asphalt. The effect of aggregates with high Form 2-D and angularity index on the rheological properties of asphalt was weaker.
Use of Repeated Group Measurements with Drop Out Animals for Variance Component Estimation and Genetic Evaluation: A Simulation Study
Authors: Gao Hongding , Nielsen Bjarne , Su Guosheng , Madsen Per , Jensen Just , Christensen Ole F , Ostersen Tage , Shirali Mahmoud
Published: July 2019

The efficiency of feed utilization plays an important role in animal breeding. However, measuring feed intake (FI) is costly on an individual basis under practical conditions. Using group measurements to model FI could be practically feasible and cost-effective. The objectives of this study were to develop a random regression model based on repeated group measurements with consideration of missing phenotypes caused by drop out animals. Focus is on variance components (VC) estimation and genetic evaluation, and to investigate the effect of group composition on VC estimation and genetic evaluation using simulated datasets. Data were simulated based on individual FI in a pig population. Each individual had measurement on FI at 6 different time points, reflecting 6 different weeks during the test period. The simulated phenotypes consisted of additive genetic, permanent environment, and random residual effects. Additive genetic and permanent environmental effects were both simulated and modeled by first order Legendre polynomials. Three grouping scenarios based on genetic relationships among the group members were investigated: (1) medium within and across pen genetic relationship; (2) high within group relationship; (3) low within group relationship. To investigate the effect of the drop out animals during test period, a proportion (15%) of animals with individual phenotypes was set as the drop out animals, and two drop out scenarios within each grouping scenario were assessed: (1) animals were randomly dropped out; (2) animals with lower phenotypes were dropped out based on the ranking at each time point. The results show that using group measurements yielded similar VCs estimates but with larger SDs compared with the corresponding scenario of using individual measurements. Compared to scenarios without drop out, similar VC estimates were observed when animals were dropped out randomly, whereas reduced VC estimates were observed when animals were dropped out by the ranking of phenotypes. Different grouping scenarios produced similar VC estimates. Compared to scenarios without drop out, there were no loss of accuracies of genetic evaluation for drop out scenarios. However, dropping out animals by the ranking of phenotypes produced larger bias of estimated breeding values compared to the scenario without dropped out animals and scenario of dropping out animals by random. In conclusion, with an optimized group structure, the developed model can properly handle group measurements with drop out animals, and can achieve comparable accuracy of genetic evaluation for traits measured at the group level.
Cohesin Impedes Heterochromatin Assembly in Fission Yeast Cells Lacking Pds5
Authors: Folco H Diego , McCue Andrea , Balachandran Vanivilasini , Grewal Shiv I S
Published: July 2019

Heterochromatin enriched in histone H3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me) and HP1 proteins coats chromosomal domains throughout the eukaryotic genome to regulate gene expression and maintain genome stability. How heterochromatin assembly mechanisms are...

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is a powerful genetic model system for uncovering fundamental principles of heterochromatin assembly and epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states. Heterochromatin defined by histone H3 lysine 9 methylation and HP1 proteins coats large chromosomal domains at centromeres, telomeres, and the mating-type (mat) locus. Although genetic and biochemical studies have provided valuable insights into heterochromatin assembly, many key mechanistic details remain unclear. Here, we use a sensitized reporter system at the mat locus to screen for factors affecting heterochromatic silencing. In addition to known components of heterochromatin assembly pathways, our screen identified eight new factors including the cohesin-associated protein Pds5. We find that Pds5 enriched throughout heterochromatin domains is required for proper maintenance of heterochromatin. This function of Pds5 requires its associated Eso1 acetyltransferase, which is implicated in the acetylation of cohesin. Indeed, introducing an acetylation-mimicking mutation in a cohesin subunit suppresses defects in heterochromatin assembly in pds5∆ and eso1∆ cells. Our results show that in cells lacking Pds5, cohesin interferes with heterochromatin assembly. Supporting this, eliminating cohesin from the mat locus in the pds5∆ mutant restores both heterochromatin assembly and gene silencing. These analyses highlight an unexpected requirement for Pds5 in ensuring proper coordination between cohesin and heterochromatin factors to effectively maintain gene silencing.
What If Quantum Computer Combined with Artificial Intelligence?
Authors: Hopper Hansen
Published: July 2019

With the rapid progress in computation, our ability to deal with mega data is enhanced dramatically. Quantum computer is the latest development that promises us with great contribution to the upcoming generation of artificial intelligence. The positive feedback cycle formed between quantum computer and artificial intelligence is the most eye-catching point that possesses the potential to reach the goal of self-learning and self-improvement. The new era of technology has approached, the only thing we need to do is to enhance and upgrade our knowledge to prevent being knocked out.
Prevention and treatment of brain damage in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats with Metformin, Nigella sativa, Zingiber officinale, and Punica granatum
Authors: Sangi Sibghatullah Muhammad Ali , Jalaud Nora Abdulaziz Al
Published: July 2019

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is well-known metabolic disorder, which causes serious effects on human health with its complications. Many mechanisms has been postulated to cause DM related complications. One of the main complications is neuronal damage, for which no proper preventive and curative therapies are available.

Methods: In this study the effects of Ginger, Nigella sativa, Punica granatum and Metformin were seen on the prevention and treatment of brain damage caused by diabetes mellitus in streptozotocin (STZ)- induced diabetes in rats. 50 adult Wistar albino male rats were used in the study, the rats were divided in 10 study groups. The body weight, serum glucose levels were measured, and histopathological examination was performed.

Results: In comparison to the diabetic control rats, significant increase in weight was found in animals of all the studied groups. Serum glucose levels reduced significantly in comparison to the STZ induced diabetic rats in all the animals. Histopathological examination showed prevention from brain damage and repair of the neuronal tissues by Ginger, Nigella sativa, Punica granatum and Metformin.

Conclusion: The studied substances were observed to possess preventive and curative effects on the brain damage caused by diabetes mellitus.
Analisis Kadar Timbal pada Sediaan Maskara dari Pasar Lokal di Bandung
Authors: Fatmawati Fenti , Asnawi Aiyi , Erawan Sigit
Published: July 2019

Maskara adalah salah satu sediaan kosmetik yang banyak digunakan oleh wanita untuk memperindah riasan mata. Maskara dapat dibeli secara bebas di pasar dan beberapa produk kosmetik ini tidak terdaftar sehingga berisiko terkontaminasi oleh logam berat yang dapat membahayakan tubuh manusia. Kandungan logam berat dalam kosmetik biasanya sangat kecil. Salah satu logam berat yang berbahaya bagi tubuh manusia adalah timbal, yang dapat dianalisis menggunakan spektrofotometer serapan atom pada panjang gelombang 283 nm. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kadar Pb pada maskara merk terkenal dan merk yang tidak terkenal yang beredar di pasar lokal Kiaracondong Bandung. Penentuan kadar timbal dalam sampel dilakukan setelah persiapan sampel dan validasi metode. Hasil analisis yang dilakukan pada validasi metode seperti linearitas, batas deteksi, batas kuantitasi, akurasi dan presisi semuanya memenuhi persyaratan validasi. Kadar timbal yang ditemukan dalam sampel maskara merek terkenal adalah 7,1729 mg/L dan 149,7781 mg/L sedangkan pada sampel maskara merek tidak terkenal adalah 15,6118 mg/L dan 9,2827 mg/L. Satu dari dua sampel kosmetik merek terkenal positif mengandung kadar timbal yang melebihi batas maksimum kontaminasi yang ditetapkan BPOM RI tahun 2011, yaitu melebihi 20 mg/L, sedangkan 2 sampel kosmetik dari merek tidak terkenal mengandung kadar timbal yang masih dalam batas aman.
Sifat Antibakteri dari Daun Tephrosia vogelii Terhadap Vibriosis
Authors: Bachtiar Eri , Syah Yana Maolana , Juliawaty Lia Dewi
Published: July 2019

Sektor kelautan dan perikanan merupakan salah satu sumber andalan dalam produksi pembangunan perikanan di Indonesia. Udang merupakan salah satu komoditas unggulan utama dalam menunjang produksi pendapatan devisa non migas. Untuk mencapai target produksi sesuai dengan yang diharapkan, berbagai permasalahan menghambat upaya peningkatan produksi tersebut, antara lain kegagalan produksi akibat penyakit oleh bakteri Vibrio, sehingga penyakit ini dikenal sebagai ‘vibriosis’. Salah satu pencarian senyawa yang bersifat antibakteri adalah dengan cara melakukan penapisan terhadap senyawa-senyawa alam. Salah satu sumber senyawa alam adalah dari tumbuhan Tephrosia vogelii. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi dan mengisolasi senyawa dari tumbuhan T. vogelii sebagai sumber senyawa antibakteri terhadap dua bakteri Vibrio yaitu Vibrio alginolitycus dan Vibrio harveyi. Bahan ekstrak dibuat dengan metode maserasi menggunakan pelarut aseton, sementara uji antibakteri dilakukan dengan metode difusi agar secara in vitro. Deguelin dan tefrosin kemudian diisolasi dari ekstrak aseton daun T. vogelii. dengan metode difusi agar senyawa deguelin memberikan nilai inhibisi 6,3 mm terhadap V. harveyi dan 6,2 mm terhadap V alginolitycus. Sedangkan  tefrosin memberikan nilai inhibisi 6,3 mm terhadap V. harveyi dan 6,6 mm terhadap V alginolitycus. Ini adalah evaluasi antibakteri pertama dari deguelin dan tefrosin terhadap dua bakteri yang diuji.