bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internet-communications in business digitalization strategies of services enterprises
Authors: Daynovskyy Y. A. , Hlinenko L. K. , Poliakova Y. V.
Published: May 2019

Digitalization of business in the sphere of services is proved to create new terms, forms and technologies of services rendering and to strengthen the enterprise competitive position, while undue considering the actual tendencies in strategies of Internet-communications development can bring the business of rendering the services of certain type to end in failure. The acceleration of processes of electronization of relations between suppliers and consumers of services is illustrated. Advantages of digital communications over the traditional ones are stated. These advantages are: freedom from territorial limitations for distribution of communication messages, considerably less charges per contact, possibility of feed-back, possibility of real-time monitoring of effeciency of every communication event, easy access of consumers to information regardless of time and place of the consumers residence.Dividing of facilities of Internet-communications into groups by possibility of applying them by the enterprises of service business is carried out. The actual trends of Internet-communications are analysed. It is shown that strategic prospects of chat-bot usage is predetermined by possibility to provide information and communication in 24/7 mode, by the comfort for a client as well as by the considerable economy of resources. Significance for Internet-communications of such trends as expansion of application of vocal search, complemented and virtual reality, and orientation on mobile devices with geotargetting is emphasized. The importance of business processes automation and of speeding-up the web-site loading is illustrated. The modern Internet user mainly gives preference to viewing the video data instead of re-reading the texts what makes investing in development of creative video-content to be very promising. As potential consumers give more credence to the content created by actual consumers, stimulating the users of services to express their opinions and ideas, to place the photo- and video data as well as systematic elimination of the defects indicated in reviews become important direction of Internet-communications development. The native advertising in the Internet and providing of “transparency” of enterprises-service providers for the real and potential clients gain in significance. It is reasoned that the enterprises of service business must take into account in their marketing strategies the objective trends related to the development of digital technologies as well as to the modern features of exceptionally communicative influence on clients; prerequisites for strengthening of this influence are created by possibilities of the Internet use.
Functional development of rural areas of the Carpathian region in the context of ensuring the effectiveness of decentralization of power
Authors: Sedilo G. , Kotko N.
Published: May 2019

Rural areas play a significant role in the development of the economic complex of the state. Ensuring its dynamics is especially important for the regions, which are noted by the agricultural production profile, the Carpathian region in particular.  Since a nature of functioning of rural  areas is manifested through functions they perform, efficiency of realization of some of these functions mainly depends on conceptual models of territorial development practiced in the state and on a role, played by its basic branch in economics – the agriculture. In the article problematic aspects have been systematized and  analyzed, based on existing agrocentric approach to development of rural areas of Carpathian region,  in the organizational, industrial-economic, financial-economic and social-economic dimensions, as well as defined promising directions of ensuring increase in their functionality in context of decentralization of power. Structural changes that took place in development of the agricultural segment of Carpathian region during the period of reforms had some ambiguous character and defined mostly destructive impact on functions realization intrinsic to rural areas. Although, on the one hand, during the last years capitalization of the agricultural production took place on the large scale, due to engagement of financial-production capital and was formed high-tech corporate brunch management segment, on the other hand, significant industry distortions,  deepening deformation of rural labor market, degradation of the social sphere and rural settlement network in general still remain. Increasing functionality of rural areas  anticipates, on the one hand, expanding spectrum of the functions performed by a rural settlement, and, on the other hand, ensuring diversification of  rural area development. Dynamics of the referenced processes is defined by success of institution of efficient economic mechanism, which will provide reorientation to benefit subjects of rural economy of distributive relations activity in the industrial, food and financial links of the chain of added value formation, created by those subjects. One of the most important, and at the same time, the most difficult tasks  of the government decentralization politics, is seen in a clear definition and differentiation of the spheres of influence and responsibility of all stakeholders in the development of rural areas: rural communities, agribusiness and rural entrepreneurs, the state, and the scientific sphere.
Technological Activities and Antibiofilm Effect of Staphylococcus Equorum Isolated from Fermented Sausage
Authors: Khiralla Ghada M.
Published: May 2019

The present study aimed at evaluating the technological properties and the ability of Staphylococcus equorum to inhibit biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Seventeen S. equorum strains were isolated from fermented sausage and examined for their ability to grow at 10 or 15 ºC in the presence of 10 or 15% NaCl at pH values of 4.5, 5.0 or 5.5. Technological properties including catalases, superoxide dismutase, lipolytic and proteolytic activities of S. equorum strains were determined. All strains grew under the studied conditions and showed variable activities. The strain S. equorum HMA4 showed good characters of all the studied metabolic properties and had ability to grow under all studied conditions. The antagonistic effect of S. equorum HMA4 against S. aureus or E. coli O157:H7 biofilms was studied under the above conditions. There was a significant increasing in the reduction percentage of biofilm formation at pH 5.0 and 5.5 comparing with those obtained at pH 4.5. The antibiofilm effect of S. equorum HMA4 against E. coli O157:H7 was higher than its effect on biofilm of S. aureus. In conclusion, beside its role in the developing flavor and enhancing the color of the fermented foods, S. equorum HMA4 could be used as a protective starter against some foodborne pathogens in fermented foods.
A Study of the Intermetallic Compound Growth in Flip-Chip Packages under Thermal Loading
Authors: Xu C. , Zhong Z.W. , Choi W.K.
Published: May 2019

The intermetallic compound layers in solder bumps have the brittle feature and can easily fracture under thermal or mechanical loading. Therefore, the intermetallic compound is an issue for the fracture reliability of the solder bumps. In this work, the intermetallic compound growth before and after high temperature storage tests was investigated. The experiment results revealed that the solder bumps with nickel layers could reduce the intermetallic compound growth rate. The nickel layer, which was added in between Cu and SnAg for top solder bumps, was an important factor controlling the intermetallic compound thickness. It was hard to tell the intermetallic compound thickness at time zero; at the time of 147 hours, the intermetallic compound grew to 3.25 µm; at the time of 294 hours, the intermetallic compound grew to 5.25 µm. However, the solder joints were still in good condition.
Rancang Bangun Sistem E-Learning Berbasis Web Di SMAN 1 Singingi
Authors: Yulisman Yulisman
Published: May 2019

Pendidikan merupakan hal yang sangat penting. Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA) Negeri 1 Singingi adalah institusi pendidikan yang siap menciptakan sumber daya manusia yang handal. Metode pembelajaran di SMAN 1 Singingi masih menggunakan metode tatap muka dikelas siswa berdasarkan bahan ajar dari buku dan penjelasan dari guru. Perkembangan teknologi yang begitu pesat, SMAN 1 Singingi bisa memanfaatkan perkembangan teknologi dengan menerapkan metode pembelajaran  secara online yaitu dengan aplikasi e-learning. Elearning merupakan penerapan metode pembelajaran dengan teknologi informasi yang dapat membantu proses belajar mengajar agar lebih optimal. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk merancang dan menerapkan sistem e-learning berbasis web yang memberikan metode pembelajaran yang lebih bervariasi dan efektif kepada siswa. Pembuatan sistem e-learning menggunakan metode waterfall, dimana waterfall adalah model klasik yang bersifat sistematis, berurutan dalam membangun software. Bahasa pemrograman dalam membangun sistem e-learning menggunakan bahasa pemrograman PHP dan MySQL sebagai basis data. Pembelajaran dengan metode sistem e-learning memudahkan para guru untuk dapat mendistribusikan materi pelajaran kepada siswa dan siswa dapat dengan mudah mendapat materi pembelajaran kapanpun dan dimanapun.
SISTEM PENDUKUNG KEPUTUSAN PEMILIHAN RUMAH MENGGUNAKAN METODE ELECTRE BERBASIS WEB
Authors: Rahmalisa Uci
Published: May 2019

Pemilihan rumah merupakan salah satu hal yang tidak mudah dilakukan. Masalah yang sering dihadapi ketika memilih rumah adalah banyaknya alternatif rumah yang tersedia yang membuat masyarakat bingung, faktor-faktor tertentu seperti harga, kamar tidur, kamar mandi. Untuk mengatasi masalah tersebut, dibutuhkan sebuah sistem pendukung keputusan. Dimana sistem akan membantu masyarakat mendapatkan informasi dari data yang telah diproses secara relevan sehingga memudahkan masyarakat dalam mengambil keputusan lebih cepat dan akurat. Pendukung keputusan yang digunakan adalah Elimination and Choice Translation Reality (ELECTRE). ELECTRE merupakan metode pengambilan keputusan multikriteria berdasarkan pada konsep outranking dengan menggunakan perbandingan berpasangan dari alternatif-alternatif berdasarkan setiap kriteria yang sesuai. Penyediaan sistem ini dimungkinkan masyarakat bisa memilih rumah sesuai yang diinginkan.
SISTEM E-INVENTORY MENGGUNAKAN BAHASA PEMOGRAMAN VISUAL BASIC .NET
Authors: Muhardi Muhardi
Published: May 2019

Universal Komputer adalah suatu badan usaha di Pekanbaru yang bergerak di bidang usaha perakitan dan penjualan komputer serta perlengkapannya yang belum memiliki sistem yang terintegrasi dengan baik antara penjualan, pembelian, dan persediaan barang. Proses pencatatan masih bersifat manual dengan menggunakan buku besar sehingga data yang dihasilkan kurang efektif dan efesien. Selain itu, Toko Universal Komputer memiliki kelemahan dalam melakukan laporan penjualan, pembelian, dan persediaan yang tingkat ketepatannya masih kurang. Badan uasaha seperti Toko Universal Komputer akan sangat baik sekali jika memiliki sistem informasi yang bagus sehingga manajemen penjualan, pembelian, dan persediaan barang di bidang usaha tersebut akan lebih baik. Sistem informasi ini dibuat berbasis dekstop dengan menggunakan bahasa pemrograman Visual Basic .Net dan database SQL Server 2008 serta perancangan sistem informasi yang digunakan yaitu Data Flow Diagram (DFD) dan ER diagram untuk proses bisnis yang akan dirancang. Sistem informasi disediakan bagi Toko Universal Komputer untuk memberikan kemudahan pada pengguna sistem khususnya bagian pegawai, pemasok, pelanggan, persediaan barang, pembelian barang, dan penjualan barang, pembuatan laporan pembelian, penjualan, persediaan, pegawai, pemasok, dan pelanggan. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa aplikasi ini mampu membantu pihak Toko Universal Komputer dalam menangani masalah pencatatan pembelian, penjualan, pengelolaan, persediaan barang,pegawai, pemasok, pelanggan pembuatan laporan pembelian, penjualan, persediaan, pegawai, pemasok, dan pelanggan.
PENERAPAN APLIKASI SURAT PERINTAH PERJALANAN DINAS (SPPD) PADA BAGIAN KOMUNIKASI DAN INFORMATIKA SEKRETARIAT DAERAH KABUPATEN KEPULAUAN MERANTI BERBASIS WEB
Authors: Fonda Hendry fonda
Published: May 2019

Peran sebuah  Sistem  didalam Pemerintahan sangatlah penting dalam pekerjaan yang dilakukan dalam instansi pemerintahan tersebut. Dimana masih banyak pekerjaan yang didalamnya yang masih memerlukan sistem terkomputerisasi salah satunya proses pembuatan surat perintah perjalanan dinas. Penelitian ini bertujuan membantu admin atau Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) mempermudah pembuatan surat perintah perjalanan dinas, yang mana dalam pembuatan pembuatan surat perintah perjalanan dinas saat ini masih  menggunakan Ms. Word dan Ms. Excel, sehingga memerlukan waktu yang lama. Dengan adanya Aplikasi berbasis web surat perintah perjalanan dinas (SPPD) ini maka lebih mempermudah dan mempersingkat waktu pembuatan. Selain itu aplikasi SPPD memudahkan dalam pencarian data perjalanan dinas yang telah lalu, dikarena seluruh data otomatis terekap kedalam sistem.
The Domination of the Local Party of Aceh Parliament in Responding the Aspiration of Community
Authors: Amirulkamar Sayed , Ismail Ismail
Published: May 2019

The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia as a country of island diversity, culture, ethnicity, language and others which makes Indonesia political power does not adhere to the system of any country, but adopts the existence of the order of life of the Indonesian people by combining the "Trias Politica" government system, which presents by Montesquieu who was born on 18 January 1689 and died on February 10, 1755 at the age of 66, (French political thinkers) who lived in the Age of Enlightenment (English: Enlightenment) which describes power with the term "Separation of power" into three powers there are "Legislative" (Making Laws), "Executives" (Acting Laws ) and "Judicative" (Overseeing the laws) and not division of power. With this authority politically everyone understands the Legislative Election in Aceh, it different from legislative elections in various provinces in Indonesia, the difference in Aceh is that there are a number of local political parties who have competed in democratic parties since 2009. As for the legislative elections to the period 2019-2024 who have passed the verification of 4 (four) local political in the Aceh Party (PA), the Nanggroe Aceh Party (PNA), the Aceh Regional Party (PDA), and the SIRA Party who compete competitively for parliamentary seats (DPRA / DPRK).
Colonial Structure, Chinese Minority and Racial Violence in Indonesia: A Social Reflection
Authors: Sahrasad Herdi
Published: May 2019

Under the Dutch colonial, the Dutch (white skin) become the  political, economic and social elites in the colonial society, while middle class consisted of far east people (Chinese, Arab, India, etc), and bumiputera (indigenous Muslim) people laying in lower layer functioning producer of natural resources or traditional (feo­dal) elite. Dutch elites (top local officials, such as resident), Chinese elite (officer), and traditional elite (regents) are "Top Branch" of colonial society. The structure has been continuing in the era of Soekarno’s Old Order and Soeharto’s New Order. And under the New Order, the political practices of minority have serious social-political implications related to negative image that always inherent in Tionghoa (Chinese) people of Indonesia. The Indonesian Chinese (Tionghoa) often be assumed as source of various problems, simply could be ‘scapegoat’, if there are riots, economic crisis and racialism. Under the New Order, the Indonesian Chinese remain to treated as the others, the marginalized people. In the post Soeharto’s New Order 1998, however, the Chinese have been awakening gradually to join political parties and social organizations to take part in democratization and governance, even most of the Chinese conglomerates (taipan) has been the richest in Indonesia.
The Influence of Intelligence on Lecturers Performance of Private Universities in Medan City
Authors: Aisyah Nur , Ambarita Biner , Sibuea Abdul Muin
Published: May 2019

This study discusses about how lecturer intelligence can influence their perfomance. This research is a study that uses numerical numbers and changes feed approach to quantitative methods, with descriptive research. This research is conducted in Medan city. This study examines the performance of lecturers in private universities represented by universities that have lecturers of foundations with a long category of founding universities over 10 years, namely: (1) Islamic University of North Sumatra (UISU); (2) Muhammadiyah University of North Sumatra (UMSU); (3) Muslim Nusantara University (UMN); (4) Nomensen University; (5) Indonesian Methodist University (UMI); (6) Catholic University of Santo Thomas. The result shows that   Cognitive abilities tend to be "high" (53.33%). The average value of the overall cognitive abilities of lecturers in private universities in Medan is 81.92. Cognitive ability directly influences the performance of permanent lecturers in private universities in Medan.
Rafalskia azizsancari sp. n., a new harvestman (Opiliones: Phalangiidae) from Turkey
Authors: Kurt Kemal , Yağmur Ersen Aydın , Tezcan Erman
Published: May 2019

A new harvestman species, Rafalskia azizsancari sp. n., is described and illustrated based on male specimens collected from Bozdağlar Mountains, İzmir Province, Turkey. Most important differences between the new species and the three other species of the genus are included.
‘Daddy, I'm falling for a monster’: Women, Sex, and Sacrifice in Contemporary Paranormal Romance
Authors: Chaplin Sue
Published: May 2019

This paper examines a key trope within much contemporary paranormal romance: the absence, or ineffectiveness, of the father. The first part of the essay develops an analysis of this aspect of the genre (in the Twilight Saga especially) through the work of René Girard, Luce Irigaray, and Juliet MacCannell. Of particular importance here is the extent to which Twilight and similar narratives stage female self-sacrifice as a pre-condition for the redemption of the hero and the restoration of patriarchal bonds initially compromised by some crisis in the effective functioning of paternal authority. The second section extends this analysis to consider ways in which paranormal romances featuring werewolves and vampires shift away from this conservative and reductivist romance paradigm so as to affirm and contest heteronormative, paternalistic models of masculinity and sexual desire.
THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT APPARATUS (DEVOTION) ON DEVELOPMENT OF BUREAUCRACY IN PUBLIC POLICY PERSPECTIVES IN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4.0 ERA (R & D Study In Rancasari Riung Bandung District, Bandung City, West Java)
Authors: R. Rosa Ade Tutty
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACT

Problems related to public services include uncertainty over time, costs and ways of providing services to the community making poor service quality. The role of the Camat in the region is very important in terms of public services. The research focus is the Rancasari Riung sub-district of Bandung which requires synergy, measurable steps, coordinated to follow up on programmed problems that have not been effective. It is necessary to improve the ability of the government to be competent in providing services to the community and accepted in the industry, it requires the development of public policy bureaucracy and performance technology capacity. This study aims to improve the performance of government officials, especially the role of the Camat, to influence bureaucratic policy in the perspective of public policy, improve the ability of public service apparatus performance, create quality government, be able to play a role in the disruption and industrial revolution 4.0. Qualitative descriptive research method. Research results The role of Camat in the sub-district that was used as the focus of research in several aspects studied had not all had very good categories, especially related to quality and quality public services.

Keywords: critical policy analysis, bureaucratic development, industrial revolution 4.0
Implementation of Risk Management Based on ISO 31000: 2009 in the Machine Maintenance Program at PT. X
Authors: Fitri Sari Delima , Setyowati Dina Lusiana , Duma Krispinus
Published: May 2019

Machine maintenance programs in workshop area are high risk working units in terms of work accidents. This research purpose was to explore implementation of risk management based on ISO 31000:2009 of machine maintenance program in workshop area. This research was a qualitative research according to ISO 31000:2009. The informants in this research were head workshop as main informant, maintenance department head as key informant and worker in workshop as supporting informant. The engine maintenance program in the workshop area consists of 3 work stages namely fabrication, assembly and service (finishing). The results showed that from hazard identification results found physical hazard, chemical hazard, biological hazard, ergonomic hazard and psychological hazard. Risk analysis results were not found to be hazards with extreme risk, 3 dangers on the level of high risk, 13 dangers in the level of moderate risk hazards and 11 dangers in the level of low risk. Forms of risk treatment is in the initial treatment using risk mitigation methods for each of the risks faced, then the next treatment includes risk transfer, avoiding risk and accepting risks. Based on the result of a defined risk treatment, the recommendation or treatment of possible risks is an effective control measure and appropriate treatment in dealing with various possible risks.
Determinan Personal Hygiene Pada Anak Usia 9–12 Tahun
Authors: Kusuma Andiko Nugraha
Published: May 2019

Anak usia sekolah dasar merupakan masa tumbuh kembang yang baik, sehingga diperlukan pengawasan terhadap kesehatannya khususnya personal hygiene. Personal hygiene sangat penting bagi anak karena seringkali anak terkena penyakit akibat tidak memperhatikan personal hygiene. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui faktor–faktor yang berhubungan dengan personal hygiene pada anak usia 9–12 tahun di Kelurahan Kalanganyar Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Pancur tahun 2018. Penelitian  ini menggunakan desain Cross Sectional. Populasi penelitian ini adalah semua anak usia 9–12 tahun yang berada di Kampung Kalanganyar dengan jumlah sampel 73 responden yang diambil secara total sampling. Pengumpulan data primer menggunakan kuesioner dan wawancara. Analisis data dilakukan secara univariat dan bivariat menggunakan uji chi square. Hasil penelitian   menunjukkan bahwa sebanyak 30,1% kurang baik dalam melakukan personal hygiene, 38,4% memiliki pengetahuan kurang, 42,5% memiliki sikap negatif dan 72,6% tidak terpapar akses media sosial. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada hubungan yang signifikan antara pengetahuan dengan personal hygiene (Pv=0,623), ada hubungan antara sikap (Pv=0,032) dan akses media sosial (Pv=0,044) dengan personal hygiene pada anak usia 9–12 tahun. Diharapkan anak menerapkan pola hidup bersih dan sehat yang baik dan mengulangnya terus menerus.
Electromechanical Actuation for Morphing Winglets
Authors: Dimino Ignazio , Gallorini Federico , Palmieri Massimiliano , Pispola Giulio
Published: May 2019

As a key enabler for future aviation technology, the use of servo electromechanical actuation offers new opportunities to transition innovative structural concepts, such as biomimicry morphing structures, from basic research to new commercial aircraft applications. In this paper, the authors address actuator integration aspects of a wing shape-changing flight surface capable of adaptively enhancing aircraft aerodynamic performance and reducing critical wing structural loads. The research was collocated within the Clean Sky 2 Regional Aircraft Demonstration Platform (IADP) and aimed at developing an adaptive winglet concept for green regional aircraft. Finite Element-based tools were employed for the structural design of the adaptive device characterized by two independent movable tabs completely integrated with a linear direct-drive actuation. The structural design process was addressed in compliance with the airworthiness needs posed by the implementation of regional airplanes. Such a load control system requires very demanding actuation performance and sufficient operational reliability to operate on the applicable flight load envelope. These requirements were met by a very compact direct-drive actuator design in which the ball recirculation device was integrated within the screw shaft. Focus was also given to the power-off electric brake necessary to block the structure in a certain position and dynamically brake the moveable surface to follow a certain command position during operation. Both the winglet layout static and dynamic robustness were verified by means of linear stress computations at the most critical conditions and normal mode analyses, respectively, with and without including the integrated actuator system.
Semi-Active Vibration Control of a Non-Collocated Civil Structure Using Evolutionary-Based BELBIC
Authors: Braz César Manuel , Coelho João Paulo , Gonçalves José
Published: May 2019

A buildings resilience to seismic activity can be increased by providing ways for the structure to dynamically counteract the effect of the Earth’s crust movements. This ability is fundamental in certain regions of the globe, where earthquakes are more frequent, and can be achieved using different strategies. State-of-the-art anti-seismic buildings have, embedded on their structure, mostly passive actuators such as base isolation, Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) and viscous dampers that can be used to reduce the effect of seismic or even wind induced vibrations. The main disadvantage of this type of building vibration reduction strategies concerns their inability to adapt their properties in accordance to both the excitation signal or structural behaviour. This adaption capability can be promoted by adding to the building active type actuators operating under a closed-loop. However, these systems are substantially larger than passive type solutions and require a considerable amount of energy that may not be available during a severe earthquake due to power grid failure. An intermediate solution between these two extremes is the introduction of semi-active actuators such as magneto–rheological dampers. The inclusion of magneto–rheological actuators is among one of the most promising semi-active techniques. However, the overall performance of this strategy depends on several aspects such as the actuators number and location within the structure and the vibration sensors network. It can be the case where the installation leads to a non-collocated system which presents additional challenges to control. This paper proposes to tackle the problem of controlling the vibration of a non-collocated three-storey building by means of a brain–emotional controller tuned using an evolutionary algorithm. This controller will be used to adjust the stiffness coefficient of a magneto–rheological actuator such that the building’s frame oscillation under earthquake excitation, is mitigated. The obtained results suggest that, using this control strategy, it is possible to reduce the building vibration to secure levels.
Breeding Biofortified Pearl Millet Varieties and Hybrids to Enhance Millet Markets for Human Nutrition
Authors: Govindaraj Mahalingam , Rai Kedar Nath , Cherian Binu , Pfeiffer Wolfgang Helmut , Kanatti Anand , Shivade Harshad
Published: May 2019

Pearl millet is an important food crop in the arid and semi-arid tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Iron and zinc deficiencies are widespread and serious public health problems worldwide, including in India and Africa. Biofortification is a cost-effective and sustainable agricultural strategy to address this problem. The aim of this review is to provide the current biofortification breeding status and future directions of the pearl millet for growing nutrition markets. Research on the pearl millet has shown that a large genetic variability (30–140 mg kg−1 Fe and 20–90 mg kg−1 Zn) available in this crop can be effectively utilized to develop high-yielding cultivars with high iron and zinc densities. Open-pollinated varieties (Dhanashakti) and hybrids (ICMH 1202, ICMH 1203 and ICMH 1301) of pearl millet with a high grain yield and high levels of iron (70–75 mg kg−1) and zinc (35–40 mg kg−1) densities have been developed and released first in India. Currently, India is growing > 70,000 ha of biofortified pearl millet, and furthermore more pipeline cultivars are under various stages of testing at the national (India) and international (west Africa) trials for a possible release. Until today, no special markets existed to promote biofortified varieties and hybrids as no incentive price to products existed to address food and nutritional insecurity simultaneously. The market demand is likely to increase only after an investment in crop breeding and the integration into the public distribution system, nutritional intervention schemes, private seed and food companies with strong mainstreaming nutritional policies. The following sections describe various aspects of breeding and market opportunity for addressing micronutrient malnutrition.
Antioxidant Activities of Sorghum Kafirin Alcalase Hydrolysates and Membrane/Gel Filtrated Fractions
Authors: Xu Shiwei , Shen Yanting , Li Yonghui
Published: May 2019

Sorghum has a significant amount of proteins, especially kafirin; however, limited information is available on evaluating its potential for peptide antioxidants. The objectives of this study were to: (1) investigate the effects of two key variables, enzyme-to-substrate ratio and reaction time on kafirin hydrolysis using Alcalase; (2) evaluate the antioxidant performances of the hydrolysates and fractions from membrane ultrafiltration and gel filtration; and (3) identify peptide sequences in the antioxidant fraction using MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Kafirin hydrolysates prepared at enzyme-to-substrate ratio of 0.4 Au/g and 4 h had a good balance of antioxidant activity, yield, and economic efficiency. Medium-sized fraction of hydrolysates (5–10 kDa) from membrane filtration possessed the highest antioxidant activities among various fractions. The fraction also unveiled a good inhibition effect against lipid oxidation in emulsion and ground meat systems. Smaller-sized fraction (F3) collected through gel-filtration chromatography had significantly stronger antioxidant activities than other fractions, and 26 representative peptide sequences were identified in the fraction.
A Review of Oxidative Stress and Urinary Dysfunction Caused by Bladder Outlet Obstruction and Treatments Using Antioxidants
Authors: Miyata Yasuyoshi , Matsuo Tomohiro , Mitsunari Kensuke , Asai Akihiro , Ohba Kojiro , Sakai Hideki
Published: May 2019

Urinary dysfunction is a common pathological condition that can significantly decrease the quality of life. Bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) is a major cause of urinary dysfunction, and various lower urinary tract diseases including benign prostatic hyperplasia and urethral stricture disease cause BOO. According to the results of a variety of animal experiments on partial BOO (PBOO), there is a general agreement that ischemic conditions and repeated ischemia/reperfusion of the bladder are closely associated with BOO-induced bladder damage, and that increased oxidative stress by ischemia/reperfusion plays a crucial role in the pathological mechanisms underlying urinary dysfunction. Changes in biomarkers of oxidative stress in PBOO animal models support this association between oxidative stress and urinary dysfunction. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the production of pro-oxidants, such as free radicals and reactive species, and their elimination through protective mechanisms of antioxidants. Therefore, organizing the knowledge on the state of oxidative stress, changes in biomarkers, and biological roles of antioxidants in systemic and bladder tissues is essential to understand the detailed pathological characteristics of the urinary dysfunction caused by PBOO. Furthermore, information on drugs and supplements that have antioxidant effects is important for defining treatment strategies for urinary dysfunction with PBOO. In this review, we paid special attention to the following three issues; (1) changes in oxidative stress, including its biomarkers, (2) antioxidant status, and (3) previous reports on treatment strategies involving agents with antioxidative activity for urinary dysfunction caused by BOO. In particular, we provide systematic information on the detailed mechanisms underlying the antioxidative effects of agents used to treat PBOO. In addition, we show present research issues and research limitations, as well as suggest possible future antioxidant treatment strategies for patients with PBOO.
The Protective Effect of Alpha-Mangostin against Cisplatin-Induced Cell Death in LLC-PK1 Cells is Associated to Mitochondrial Function Preservation
Authors: Reyes-Fermín Laura María , Avila-Rojas Sabino Hazael , Aparicio-Trejo Omar Emiliano , Tapia Edilia , Rivero Isabel , Pedraza-Chaverri José
Published: May 2019

Cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum II (CDDP) is a chemotherapeutic agent that induces nephrotoxicity by different mechanisms, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. This study aimed to evaluate if the protective effects of the antioxidant alpha-mangostin (αM) in CDDP-induced damage in proximal tubule Lilly laboratory culture porcine kidney (LLC-PK1) cells, are related to mitochondrial function preservation. It was found that αM co-incubation prevented CDDP-induced cell death. Furthermore, αM prevented the CDDP-induced decrease in cell respiratory states, in the maximum capacity of the electron transfer system (E) and in the respiration associated to oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). CDDP also decreased the protein levels of voltage dependence anion channel (VDAC) and mitochondrial complex subunits, which together with the reduction in E, the mitofusin 2 decrease and the mitochondrial network fragmentation observed by MitoTracker Green, suggest the mitochondrial morphology alteration and the decrease in mitochondrial mass induced by CDDP. CDDP also induced the reduction in mitochondrial biogenesis observed by transcription factor A, mitochondria (TFAM) decreased protein-level and the increase in mitophagy. All these changes were prevented by αM. Taken together, our results imply that αM’s protective effects in CDDP-induced toxicity in LLC-PK1 cells are associated to mitochondrial function preservation.
Bond Fatigue of TRC with Epoxy Impregnated Carbon Textiles
Authors: Wagner Juliane , Curbach Manfred
Published: May 2019

For the economical construction of fatigue loaded structures with textile reinforced concrete (TRC), it is necessary to investigate the fatigue behavior of the materials. Since next to the tensile load-bearing behavior, the bond behavior of a material is crucial as well, the present paper deals with the bond fatigue of TRC with epoxy-impregnated carbon textiles. First, static tests are carried out to determine the sufficient anchorage length of the investigated material combination. Afterwards, the influence of cyclic loading on the necessary anchorage length, deformation, stiffness, and residual strength is investigated. The results of the cyclic tests are summarized in stress-number of cycles to failure (S-N) diagrams. In the end, it can be said that the cyclic loading has no negative impact on the necessary anchorage length. If specimens withstand the cyclic loading, there is no difference between their residual strength and the reference strength. The failure of specimens occurs only at high load levels, provided that the anchorage length is sufficient.
Effectiveness of Automatic and Manual Calibration of an Office Building Energy Model
Authors: Cornaro Cristina , Bosco Francesco , Lauria Marco , Puggioni Valerio Adoo , De Santoli Livio
Published: May 2019

Energy reduction can benefit from the improvement of energy efficiency in buildings. For this purpose, simulation models can be used both as diagnostic and prognostic tools, reproducing the behaviour of the real building as accurately as possible. High modelling accuracy can be achieved only through calibration. Two approaches can be adopted—manual or automatic. Manual calibration consists of an iterative trial and error procedure that requires high skill and expertise of the modeler. Automatic calibration relies on mathematical and statistical methods that mostly use optimization algorithms to minimize the difference between measured and simulated data. This paper aims to compare a manual calibration procedure with an automatic calibration method developed by the authors, coupling dynamic simulation, sensitivity analysis and automatic optimization using IDA ICE, Matlab and GenOpt respectively. Differences, advantages and disadvantages are evidenced applying both methods to a dynamic simulation model of a real office building in Rome, Italy. Although both methods require high expertise from operators and showed good results in terms of accuracy, automatic calibration presents better performance and consistently helps with speeding up the procedure.
A Study of Applying Fuzzy Theory in Simulation-Based Education
Authors: Liu Shao-Yu , Wang Yu-Cheng
Published: May 2019

Among all aviation accidents in Taiwan’s general aviation industry from 1998 to 2016, human factors account for the most at 51.2%, including negligence of external obstacles, poor autopilot flight ability, poor resources management of the crew, inability to follow aviation regulations, lack of understanding of the landing area, not fully comprehending the operational functions and not alert to situations. Those factors have seriously affected flight safety. Resources management training for crew members may thus be the best measure to prevent human errors. Following the Evidence-Based Training (EBT) promoted by ICAO and International Air Transport Association (IATA), this study constructs the assessment indices of EBT for helicopter crews. After collecting the opinions of helicopter flight instructors of military and civil helicopter units, we apply the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) for the preliminary assessment guidelines, use the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to construct the hierarchy, and then calculate each criterion and each criterion weight.
Accelerating 3-D GPU-based Motion Tracking for Ultrasound Strain Elastography Using Sum-Tables: Analysis and Initial Results
Authors: Peng Bo , Luo Shasha , Xu Zhengqiu , Jiang Jingfeng
Published: May 2019

Now, with the availability of 3-D ultrasound data, a lot of research efforts are being devoted to developing 3-D ultrasound strain elastography (USE) systems. Because 3-D motion tracking, a core component in any 3-D USE system, is computationally intensive, a lot of efforts are under way to accelerate 3-D motion tracking. In the literature, the concept of Sum-Table has been used in a serial computing environment to reduce the burden of computing signal correlation, which is the single most computationally intensive component in 3-D motion tracking. In this study, parallel programming using graphics processing units (GPU) is used in conjunction with the concept of Sum-Table to improve the computational efficiency of 3-D motion tracking. To our knowledge, sum-tables have not been used in a GPU environment for 3-D motion tracking. Our main objective here is to investigate the feasibility of using sum-table-based normalized correlation coefficient (ST-NCC) method for the above-mentioned GPU-accelerated 3-D USE. More specifically, two different implementations of ST-NCC methods proposed by Lewis et al. and Luo-Konofagou are compared against each other. During the performance comparison, the conventional method for calculating the normalized correlation coefficient (NCC) was used as the baseline. All three methods were implemented using compute unified device architecture (CUDA; Version 9.0, Nvidia Inc., CA, USA) and tested on a professional GeForce GTX TITAN X card (Nvidia Inc., CA, USA). Using 3-D ultrasound data acquired during a tissue-mimicking phantom experiment, both displacement tracking accuracy and computational efficiency were evaluated for the above-mentioned three different methods. Based on data investigated, we found that under the GPU platform, Lou-Konofaguo method can still improve the computational efficiency (17–46%), as compared to the classic NCC method implemented into the same GPU platform. However, the Lewis method does not improve the computational efficiency in some configuration or improves the computational efficiency at a lower rate (7–23%) under the GPU parallel computing environment. Comparable displacement tracking accuracy was obtained by both methods.
Predictive Optimization of the Heat Demand in Buildings at the City Level
Authors: Hietaharju Petri , Ruusunen Mika , Leiviskä Kauko , Paavola Marko
Published: May 2019

Easily adaptable indoor temperature and heat demand models were applied in the predictive optimization of the heat demand at the city level to improve energy efficiency in heating. Real measured district heating data from 201 large buildings, including apartment buildings, schools and commercial, public, and office buildings, was utilized. Indoor temperature and heat demand of all 201 individual buildings were modelled and the models were applied in the optimization utilizing two different optimization strategies. Results demonstrate that the applied modelling approach enables the utilization of buildings as short-term heat storages in the optimization of the heat demand leading to significant improvements in energy efficiency both at the city level and in individual buildings.
Tele-Operated Bilateral Control of Hydraulic Manipulator Using a Robust Controller Based on the Sensorless Estimated Reaction Force
Authors: Kallu Karam Dad , Abbasi Saad Jamshed , Khan Hamza , Wang Jie , Lee Min Cheol
Published: May 2019

In nuclear power plants (NPP), dismantling is the most technically involved process during their life time. During the dismantling process, public safety must be ensured. In crisis situations, a remotely controlled robot system is needed for the dismantling of NPP. Therefore, in this research, a bilateral tele-operation system is proposed to tackle these emergency conditions. Transparency can be improved by using force and position signal in the control strategy. In some applications, force cannot be determine directly using physical sensors. In this work, a novel tele-operated bilateral control strategy is proposed to estimate the reaction force of 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) master and hydraulic slave manipulators without the use of a sensor. The control strategy is developed by using sliding mode control with sliding perturbation observer (SMCSPO). The sliding perturbation observer (SPO) estimates the reaction force at the end effector and second link without using sensors. The sliding mode control (SMC) is used as a tele-operated bilateral controller for the robust position tracking and control of the slave device. The impedance model is used to differentiate between the applied force (force exerted by operator) and the reaction force due to the remote environment. Different experiments were performed to verify the proposed strategy. The results indicate that the slave manipulator exactly follows the trajectory of the master device. A camera is used to take visual feedback of the workspace for safety purpose. This technique can also be applied for higher-order DOF manipulators in NPP.
Measurement of Contrast and Spatial Resolution for the Photothermal Imaging Method
Authors: Kim Moojoong , Yoo Jaisuk , Kim Dong-Kwon , Kim Hyunjung
Published: May 2019

Analyzing the quality of images generated from an imaging method is essential for determining the limits and applicability of that method. This study analyzed the quality of images resulting from a photothermal imaging method by applying the line spread function and the modulation transfer function to the spatial resolution and contrast, on the basis of certain parameters of the photothermal imaging method for a copper-resin double-layered structure. The parameters are the ratio of the first-layer thickness to the thermal diffusion length ( L f / L d ) and the ratio of the pump-beam radius to the thermal diffusion length ( R b / L d ). The phase delay profile (edge response function, ERF) of the subsurface structure derived from the photothermal imaging method becomes dimensionless upon division by the thermal diffusion length; as the ratio L f / L d increases, the spatial resolution and contrast increase.
Framework for Fast Experimental Testing of Autonomous Navigation Algorithms
Authors: Muñoz–Bañón Miguel Á. , del Pino Iván , Candelas Francisco A. , Torres Fernando
Published: May 2019

Research in mobile robotics requires fully operative autonomous systems to test and compare algorithms in real-world conditions. However, the implementation of such systems remains to be a highly time-consuming process. In this work, we present an robot operating system (ROS)-based navigation framework that allows the generation of new autonomous navigation applications in a fast and simple way. Our framework provides a powerful basic structure based on abstraction levels that ease the implementation of minimal solutions with all the functionalities required to implement a whole autonomous system. This approach helps to keep the focus in any sub-problem of interest (i.g. localization or control) while permitting to carry out experimental tests in the context of a complete application. To show the validity of the proposed framework we implement an autonomous navigation system for a ground robot using a localization module that fuses global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning and Monte Carlo localization by means of a Kalman filter. Experimental tests are performed in two different outdoor environments, over more than twenty kilometers. All the developed software is available in a GitHub repository.
The Diverse Functions of Non-Essential Amino Acids in Cancer
Authors: Choi Bo-Hyun , Coloff Jonathan L.
Published: May 2019

Far beyond simply being 11 of the 20 amino acids needed for protein synthesis, non-essential amino acids play numerous important roles in tumor metabolism. These diverse functions include providing precursors for the biosynthesis of macromolecules, controlling redox status and antioxidant systems, and serving as substrates for post-translational and epigenetic modifications. This functional diversity has sparked great interest in targeting non-essential amino acid metabolism for cancer therapy and has motivated the development of several therapies that are either already used in the clinic or are currently in clinical trials. In this review, we will discuss the important roles that each of the 11 non-essential amino acids play in cancer, how their metabolic pathways are linked, and how researchers are working to overcome the unique challenges of targeting non-essential amino acid metabolism for cancer therapy.