bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-level number multilevel single-phase current-source inverter with reduced switching device count
Authors: RPriandana Eka , Noguchi Toshihiko
Published: November 2019

This paper proposes an advanced technique in generating a pure sinusoidal output current waveform for the high number multilevel lsingle-phase current-source inverter (CSI) with reduced switching device count. Previous multilevel CSI development proposed a new technique in generating pure sinusoidal output by compensating the staircase current with a linear current. This linear current compensation intends to reduce the output filter capacitor size without sacrificing inverter efficiency. However, this hybrid multilevel CSI would give higher efficiency and performance if applie in high number of levels. Consequently, the system needs high switching device count. Too many switching devices utilization will decrease the performance and the power density of the CSI as well. Therefore, this technique is introduced and only possible to be realized if the number of levels is higher than 5-level. By applying multilayer stagemethod while managing the DC current module activation sequences, the high number of levels CSI can be constructed with only using few DC current modules. As a result, according to the computer comparison simulation, the implementation of the proposed technique delivers relatively equal results compared to the conventional one just by utilizing fewers witching devices.
Maximum power point tracking using lagrange interpolation method to optimized photovoltaic on dc microgrid system
Authors: Murdianto Farid Dwi , Efendi M Zaenal , Kirana Safira Nanda
Published: November 2019

Electrical energy is very important for everyday life. The need of electrical energy increasing every year. However, the solar panel source has a weakness. The output power of solar panel is still fluctuating depending on ambient temperature and solar irradiantions on the solar panel. Irradiation is the radiant of energy that comes from the sun. To overcome the problem the Maximum Power Point Tracking is needed so it can make solar panel work at its optimum point. This Maximum Power Point Method is looking for the largest current and voltage read by solar panel using the Lagrange Interpolation method. By using Maximum Power Point Tracking, the output power is expected to be optimal with constant voltage and current so that the battery’s lifetime is not damaged quickly. This method can track Maximum Power Point whenever irradiation changes occur. The converter used in this Maximum Power Point Tracking is the SEPIC Converter. This converter can convert DC to DC voltage in higher or lower voltage without changing its polarity. In this paper, Lagrange Interpolation method has average error in output power of 1,96%.
Overcurrent relays coordination : comparison characteristics standar inverse, very inverse and extremly inverse
Authors: Prasetijo Hari , Nugroho Daru Tri
Published: November 2019

This study discussed the coordination of working time of Over Current Relay (OCR) incoming and OCR feeders on a substation with a 60 MVA transformer, 150/20 kV which supplies 4 feeders. OCR working time coordination was done to compare the performance of OCR using 3 time characteristics : standard inverse (SI), very inverse (VI) and extremely inverse (EI). OCR feeder 1 (OCR F1) was chosen to coordinate work time with OCR incoming because feeder 1 (F1) is the longest (6.10 km) between the 4 feeders so that it has the largest impedance. Phase to phase short-circuit current was calculated at a distance of 0% (bus 20 kV), 1%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% length of feeder 1. The short-circuit current was used to calculate the time multiplier setting (tms) also working time (tOCR) OCR incoming and OCR feeder 1 with time characteristics SI, VI and EI. From the comparison analysis of OCR incoming and OCR feeder working time coordination, it was proven that the time characteristics of SI had the best performance by considering OCR feeder working speed and OCR incoming work speed as back up.
High-voltage power supply for x-ray computed tomography and time-delay compensation of cockcroft-walton circuit
Authors: Kajiuchi Yuki , Noguchi Toshihiko
Published: November 2019

In recent years, an image diagnostic apparatus using X-ray is intensively investigated to reduce the radiation exposures amount. Above all, high-speed control of the high voltage generator to control the X-ray output is a very important issue. A Cockcroft-Walton circuit (CW circuit) is one of the method to generate the high voltage output. However, it has problem of the long time delay in the output response due to the huge capacitive component of the CW circuit. Therefore, it is required to achieve the stable output voltage with a quick transient response, which can be obtained by the time delay compensation technique of the CW circuit. This paper proposes an application of a Smith method to compensate for the time delay of the CW circuit output to reduce the undesirable excessive radiation exposure. AS a result of verification through the computer simulation, it has been confirmed that the overshoot of the output voltage can effectively be suppressed and that the optimal response can be realized without sacrificing the high-speed response. The paper indicates some possibilities of further improvement of the CW circuit output response by introducing the more precise compensation technique to the X-ray computed tomography.
Ripple reduction of DC current sources in three-level CE-CSI circuits using single core inductors
Authors: Suroso  , Siswantoro Hari , Noguchi Toshihiko
Published: November 2019

Current source inverter operates producing a predetermine ac current from dc current inputs. In practical, ac current waveform will have harmonic contents appeared in the frequency spectrum. Some factors may affect these harmonics contents such as voltage drops occurred in the power devices of controlled power switches, and voltage drops caused by the resistances of power inductor and conductor. The dc current sources usually generated by using power inductors connected to dc power source. Another factor that can escalate the harmonics is the current ripples of dc current sources. To regulate the dc current sources flowing in the inductor, controlled switches and current controller are required. This paper proposed a novel strategy to minimized current ripple of inductors by applying single core inductors. Some test results of computer simulation were presented in the paper.
Evaluation of Listen Before Talk (LBT) mechanism fairness at LTE-Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) against Wi-Fi 5 GHz
Authors: Sukma Dilaga Dilla Fajar , Usman Uke Kurniawan , Perdana Doan
Published: November 2019

LTE Release 13 allow the use of unlicensed frequency variations called Licensed Assisted Access (LAA). Combination of licensed LTE is used as primary cells to carry information and transport traffic data. Whereas the unlicensed spectrum is used as secondary cells that are proposed to increase capacity and distribute the spectrum fairly. The simulation results of scenario 1 produce a fairness index of 64 users for FTP over UDP in scenario 1 of 0.998, scenario 2 is 0.857 and scenario 3 is 0.997. Whereas for FTP over TCP in scenario 1 is 0.779, scenario 2 is 0.639 and scenario 3 is 0.74.
Identification of baby cry with Discrete Wavelet Transform, Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient and Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Luhur Prasasti Anggunmeka , Novamizanti Ledya , Razik Muhammad Ichwannul
Published: November 2019

A baby’s cry is a sign of a baby that shows the feelings and desires of a baby. However, many people misinterpret the baby’s cry so that less precise handling happens often. Based on the research from Dunstan Baby Language (DBL), there are 5 types of languages used by infants namely NEH (Hungry), HEH (Discomfort), EAIRH (Lower Wind/Gas), EH (Burp), and OWH (Tired). This research designed the baby’s voice-based speech processing sound identification system. The baby’s cry is recorded by using the audio record feature on the smartphone then get the extraction feature by using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). DC removal and pre-emphasis stages are needed as pre-process. The sound signal is performed extraction feature by Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) methods. The result of the feature extraction will be classified with Euclidean distance to measure the resemblance of the extraction value of each cry by calculating the difference in distance 2 matrices of features. From 150 training data and 50 test data, this system can identify the sound of crying babies on 5 conditions of a baby crying, namely Neh (Hungry), Heh (Discomfort), Eairh (Lower Wind/Gas), Eh (Burp), and Owh (Tired). The best parameter is obtained at a frame size of 1024 data per frame, MFCC feature coefficient of 32, DWT at level 1, and DB 2. This system can detect the baby crying sound with the best accuracy of 90% and computing time 0.5542 seconds.
Combating Stimulated Raman Scattering Nonlinear Effect on 8-channels DWDM Systems
Authors: Arafat Hefans Akhmed , Cahyadi Eko Fajar , Zulherman Dodi , Pranindito Dadiek , Hwang Min-Shiang
Published: November 2019

The performance of dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) system in optical fiber network communication is influenced by various factors, one of them is called a nonlinear effect. Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) is one of the nonlinear effects that occur due to a high-power level utilization, causes a signal scattering phenomenon that grown exponentially as the power increases. This works aimed to analyze the bit error rate (BER) and Q-factor performance of DWDM systems that suffer from SRS nonlinear effects on optical power launch, channel spacing, and bit rate variations. Observations were made on a model of 8-channels DWDM, over 100 km optical fiber cable with channel spacing variations of 50, 100, and 200 GHz. The DWDM system was designed using the erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). The system performance was observed with optical power launch variations of -6, - 4, -2, 0, 2, 4, 6 dBm, and bit rates for 10 and 40 Gbps. Based on the result, the 6 dBm optical power launch, with 200 GHz channel spacing, and 10 Gbps data rates, provides the best performance of 1.78 x 10−151 BER values, and Q-factor of 48.57. The observation of nonlinear systems performance is measured with an optical spectrum. Changes in the value of optical power launch, channel spacing, and data rate had affected the performance of the DWDM nonlinear system.
Performance analysis of sistem komunikasi kabel laut (SKKL) using edfa amplifier link java-bali using optisystem
Authors: Hendriawan Deni Anggara , Pranindito Dadiek , Zulherman Dodi
Published: November 2019

The underwater communication cable is an example of an undersea backbone link communication system that connects between islands and between countries. Backbone is the main track or channel in a network with very high speeds. Because the distance to be traveled in the link of this sea cable communication system is very far, it is necessary that devices such as optical amplifier to overcome the lost power when transmitted so that the communication can be delivered to the receiver. Optical amplifier used in the form of EDFA (Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier), EDFA is an optical amplifier used to increase signal level that works on Waves 1530 nm to 1570 nm. This research analyzes the influence of the use of optical amplifier against SKKL network on link java-Bali by using Brancing Unit configuration and without Brancing Unit, Brancing Unit is a device to divide the optical path and connect more than one landing station, and measure the performance based on the performing parameters such as BER (Bit Error Rate), Q-Factor, Power Receive, and SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio). This research successfully simulates the configuration of Brancing Unit and without Brancing Unit. Simulated results by varying the power of 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 dBm, Of the two configurations used have a good performance with the highest value of the BER parameter of 2.83×10-115, Q-Factor of 24.35139, Power Receive of-16.1937 dBm, and Signal to Noise Ratio of 31.1411947 dB power at 8 dBm.
IoT based photovoltaic monitoring system application
Authors: Priharti W , Rosmawati A F K , Wibawa I P D
Published: November 2019

Solar photovoltaic (PV) system has become the greatest attraction in the clean, renewable electricity generation. However, the performance is varying due to various parameters and environmental conditions. Hence, a remote and real-time monitoring system is needed to assess its performance. Implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the monitoring of the solar PV system was proposed and its performance was studied. The system consists of data acquisition, data gateway, and smartphone application display. The data acquisition was successfully collect the data with 98.49% accuracy and was uploaded to the data gateway. The data gateway was able to send the graphical representation of the data to the smartphone application with a mean transmission time of 52.34 seconds. The results demonstrate that the proposed monitoring system can be a promising solution for intelligent remote and real-time monitoring of a solar PV system.
IoT based automatic monitoring system for water nutrition on aquaponics system
Authors: Isabella Wibowo Raden Rara Dianne , Ramdhani Mohammad , Priramadhi Rizki Ardianto , Aprillia Bandiyah Sri
Published: November 2019

Aquaponics is an activity to cultivate plants and fish. Giving the organic liquid fertilizer as a nutrient enhancer will improve the quality of catfish and lettuce yields. However, this causes the water to become dirtier. The deteriorating water is characterized by the TDS value in aquaponic ponds exceeding 500 PPM. If the TDS value exceeds 500 PPM, water drainage will be applied. For treatment of aquaponic, experts use manual control. The system is designed to solve it. The method used in this Final Project is the study of literature to find the basic theory in aquaponics and analyze the problems. The next thing to do is designing the system, starting from the design of automatic control systems to remote monitoring systems. Afterwards, testing tools is conducted to see whether the system is able to run well. Based on the test results, the system can run well; however, a number of deviations are found, including the RTC test showing a delay time for 00.02.10 of RTC compared to the national standard time and an error of 2.4% found on a calibrated TDS sensor testing. The success rate of sending monitoring data is 100% of Antares connectivity testing.
Automatic controlling system and IoT based monitoring for pH rate on the aquaponics system
Authors: Defa R P , Ramdhani M , Priramadhi R A , Aprillia B S
Published: November 2019

Aquaponics is an opportunity for cultivating plants and fish. Plants use nutrients from fish feces and the fishes use clean water after being filtered by plant roots. The results of fish metabolism, food residue, and temperature change will affect the pH rate. An automatic control system and monitoring pH rate on aquaponics system is designed to maintain the pH rate within a certain range. The method used is a literature study to find the basic theory in designing a control system and monitoring water pH levels. Afterward, it’s necessary to find out the arising problems. The next step to do is designing the system, starting from flow diagrams to system design. The last step to do is simulating the tools that have been designed and then testing the system. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the system could maintain the water condition automatically in pH range from 6.3 to 7.7. The average error found in this sensor was 0.67%, the average decrease in water pH level was 0.023 per day, and the controlling interval was every 42 seconds, the success rate of sending monitoring data was 100% in which the data was sent every 1 minute in 1 hour.
Land cover classification using Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix and Naive Bayes
Authors: Sa’idah Sofia , Caecar Pratiwi Nor Kumalasari , Aprilia Bandiyah Sri , Magdalena Rita , Fu’adah Yunendah Nur
Published: November 2019

Land cover data is important information to describe how much of a region is covered by plantation, forest, residential, rice field and river. In many applications the required information relates to the coverage of land cover class in a region, which is generally derived from a count of the pixels allocated to the class of interest in a classification. The design of the system in this study conducted for detecting land cover using Grey Level Co Occurrence (GLCM) method is used as the extraction in process of taking main image and Naive Bayes as a classification of grouping the images based on the types of land cover. Based on the testing data which is consist of 150 images we obtained the best accuracy is 85% with 206.6715 seconds computation time.
SEPIC converter with coupled inductor using Fuzzy Logic controller to optimized battery charging process
Authors: Murdianto Farid Dwi , Nansur Ainur Rofiq , Septiarini Nur Ardha , Widarsono Kukuh , Purwanto Era
Published: November 2019

Population of human is growth up but fossil energy as main fuel for generate electricity sources become less and less, so it’s needed renewable energy such as solar energy is suitable in Indonesia’s climate. Solar energy as a source of electrical energy can be done using photovoltaic. Photovoltaic can be used directly or indirectly. Result energy from indirectly photovoltaic is stored first in the battery. On the other hand, output voltage of photovoltaic is not stable, if used for charging a battery, it will not reach the set point charging. To stabilize the output voltage of a photovoltaic can use converter such as SEPIC Converter with Coupled Inductor. Simulation the SEPIC Converter with coupled inductor as a Battery Charger using Fuzzy Logic Control can stabilize the output voltage so that the battery charging runs well. Fuzzy logic control is used to control the generation of PWM to produce a constant output voltage.
Design and development of a monitoring and controlling system for multi-intravenous infusion
Authors: Cahyanurani Antika , Hadiyoso Sugondo , Aulia Suci , Faqih Muhammad
Published: November 2019

Recently, many of conventional infusion control tools which has functions to control the drops of infusion fluid and to monitor the volume of infusion fluid. Because it work manually, it has low level of accuracy and low efficiency. So that, in this research has designed a device that could monitor and control the drops of infusion fluid for multipoint (multi intravenous) through online application. On hardware part, photodiode and LED was used to detect the drops of infusion fluid, a sliding potentiometer and simple modified spring was used to detect the volume of infusion fluid. In this research was also implemented a mechanical which use motor servo to set the speed of drops of infusion fluid. WEMOS and MCU node has been designed as main control to controlling the whole of system. The device was equipped with ESP8266 as interface to internet network. An administrator can monitoring and controlling the system through offline or real time through a website application that has been built. based on the testing result, as functionality the system was working well. The device could detect the drops of infusion fluid with 100 % of accuracy and could control the volume of infusion fluid with 99 % of accuracy. Total of maximum drops per minute that could detected by system was 135 DPMs with average of transferring delay was 1.95 second.
FPGA-based led intensity controller for power consumption efficiency in motorcycle
Authors: Hadiyoso Sugondo , Ramdani Ahmad Zaky , Wijayanto Inung , Rizal Achmad
Published: November 2019

Improper beam patterns on vehicle lights have major implications for the level of driving safety. This beam pattern control technique has been developed to improve driving safety. Most of them use additional components that increase power costs. In LED-based light sources, the design of LED arrays can increase the level of lighting and expand the transmission area. A large transmitting area is needed, but in a turn of the road, conditions are only needed based on the direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in this study, a system was designed to regulate LED beam patterns based on the direction of the vehicle. The main objective is to reduce power consumption so that it is more environmentally friendly and supports green technology programs. The control process was done by adding control components that work based on the direction of the vehicle that is read by the direction sensor. The digital control algorithm was implemented on the Altera DE-0 Nano FPGA with controls using fuzzy logic. The memory resources needed for implementing this system are 145 logic in the form of the loop up tables and 102 registers with a total power of 2 mW. This control module is able to provide a better focus of lighting and power efficiency up to 53% compared to a system without control.
An attempt to adopt DevOps on embedded system development: empirical evidence
Authors: Wijaya Purnama Eka , Rosyadi Imron , Taryana Acep
Published: November 2019

DevOps is a method that integrates and narrows two environments in software development process, developer side and operational side. DevOps becomes a solution that can be offered to improve SDLC (System Development Life Cycle) in current embedded system development process. This paper provides a concept and its implementation to prove that DevOps adoption on embedded system architecture is possible. After doing the research, we found out that it is possible to adopt DevOps on embedded system development, we also provide empirical evidence and analyze the weaknesses about the concept designed.
Low pressure supercritical carbon dioxide warm pasteurization to inactivate muscle protease and lipase of nile tilapia with emphasis on its fillet textural properties
Authors: Sugiharto Sugeng P , Bintoro Nursigit , Karyadi Joko N W , Pranoto Yudi
Published: November 2019

Supercritical carbon dioxide warm pasteurization was applied to reduce the activity of muscle protease and lipase of nile tilapia. Combination between 75 bar and 80 bar with 40°C as well as 80 bar with 50°C were applied on tilapia fillet. Exposure time was set from 10 min to 25 min with an interval of 5 min. It was found that supercritical carbon dioxide have greater effect on muscle protease with lesser effect on muscle lipase. Increasing temperature at 80 bar was slightly increase inactivation rate of muscle enzymes, with the cost of severe degradation on fillet textural quality. The product of this warm pasteurization however, was aimed to be stored under chilled storage and not for direct human consumption without further processing.
Analysis of workload and long rest periods on mobile rice grain milling operator at Sidolelono Pleret Community Bantul
Authors: Anggraini Y D , Mulyati G T , Ainuri M
Published: November 2019

Noise and vibration are the hallmarks of mobile rice grain milling. The difference in working time between operators, the number of grains milled in one day, and looking for customers activity can be a factors that affect the operator’s workload. This study aims to determine the workload experienced, identify the factors that affects the workload, and determine the long rest periods required by the mobile rice grain milling operator. The workload experienced by operators measured by the cardiovascular load (CVL), the level of caloric needs, and NASA-TLX questionnaire. Factors considered in determining operator workload are age, body mass index (BMI), body temperature, noise, ambient temperature, humidity, and vibration. The long rest periods are calculated based on the operator’s heart rate converted into energy consumption. Based on CVL, operators experience no fatigue while from the level of caloric needs and mental workload, operators experience a moderate workload. The partial t-test for one operator group indicates that there is an effect of BMI and ambient temperature on the level of caloric needs. The regression test for two operators group showed that body temperature had an effect of 63,9% on CVL. The long rest periods applied by the operator is sufficient.
Effect of Cold Formed Steel Column Arranged by Section C-81, C-75, and TH-35 on Compression Load
Authors: Setyo Hermanto Nor Intang , Maryoto Agus
Published: November 2019

To reduce the possibility of local buckling of Cold formed steel structural components under compression, especially in column structures, it is necessary to use an arranged by some sections of Cold formed steel. The arranged some sections of Cold formed steel carries a higher load than a single section. This study aims to determine the effect of cold formed steel column that composed of a combination some sections of C-81, C-75, and TH-35 against compression load. There are two variations of the test specimen for column element, which are specimen type 1 in the form of C75 and TH-35, and specimen type 2 in the form of C-81 and C-75. The testing is conducted by applying pressure force on columns with lengths of 400, 600 and 800 mm. The results of specimen type 1 showed that the average actual critical load of column with lengths 400 mm, 600 mm and 800 mm are 51.47 kN, 75 kN, 78.5 kN. Meanwhile for specimen type 2 are 101.37 kN, 66.47 kN, and 85.60 kN. The column arranged by cold formed steel specimen type 2 has better compressive strength than specimen type 1.
Seismic performance of the inpatient building of Goeteng Hospital, Purbalingga, Indonesia
Authors: Widyaningrum A , Haryanto Y , Sudibyo G H , Hermanto N I S
Published: November 2019

The inpatient building of Goeteng Hospital, Purbalingga, Indonesia, which was built in 2012, is a building with risk category IV. Due to the irregular configuration of the structure, this building has considerable earthquake vulnerability. This study aims to evaluate the symmetrical performance of the Goeteng Hospital inpatient building using pushover analysis. The results of the study show that the basic shear force received by the inpatient building of Goeteng Hospital is equal to 10064.421 and 5655.626 kN in the X and Y directions, respectively. The structure deviation ratio that occurs below 1% is 0.17% for the X direction and 0.24% for the Y direction. Thus, the seismic performance of the Goeteng Hospital inpatient building is categorized as immediate occupancy, where it is predicted that there is no damage, meaning that its structure, strength, and stiffness are about the same as the conditions before the earthquake. Non-structural components are still in place and most are still functioning if the utility is available. The building can still function without the need for repair work.
Prototype weather station uses LoRa wireless connectivity infrastructure
Authors: Murdyantoro Eko , Setiawan Ridlo , Rosyadi Imron , Nugraha Azis WW , Susilawati Hesti , Ramadhani Yogi
Published: November 2019

This study develops a prototype of a weather station with LoRa wireless infrastructure. LoRa is a wireless connectivity technology supporting the internet of things (IoT) system. This technology is an alternative to other wireless connectivity modules that have already been popular such as GSM modules, Wifi Modules and Bluetooth (BLE). The use of the LoRa network serves to increase the range of wireless cells that can reach distances of up to 5 kilometers while still having low power consumption. One LoRa network cell can connect end devices to hundreds of nodes. Weather parameters measured include temperature, humidity, air pressure, rain detection, and wind speed. The prototype consists of Arduino UNO, DHT11 sensor, raindrop sensor, anemometer sensor, BMP180 sensor, LoRa shield, LoRa Gateway, and ThingSpeak web application. While the number of end device nodes built is 3 nodes in one cell. As a result, the system can function properly. This system has the potential to be implemented in urban and rural areas with various types of sensors connected. Between cells can be managed to form a Low Power-Wide Area Network as a wider sensor network.
Technology supporting health services for rural areas based on image processing
Authors: Supriyanti Retno
Published: November 2019

Limited health facilities, both medical equipment and health workers in developing countries and other rural areas in the world, bring significant problems for public health services. In order to make a correct diagnosis, it is necessary to support accurate data from health equipment that should be available at the health care centre. On the other hand, the development of technology, especially in the field of digital image processing is quite rapid. This paper discusses the application of digital image processing in solving problems concerning the limitations of health care facilities. In this paper, we will discuss the application of digital image processing in cataract screening, image quality improvement of ultrasonography, identification of leukocyte cells, and identification of ventricular areas and the hippocampus of magnetic resonance imaging images. The results show that the implementation of digital image processing techniques can help overcome some of the problems that arise due to the limitations of these health facilities.
Announced but Not Enacted: Anti-Racist German Studies as Process
Authors: Bryant Andrea Dawn , Neuman Nichole M , Gramling David , Malakaj Ervin
Published: November 2019

In their February 2019 Forum piece in Applied Linguistics, Bhattacharya et al. (2019) present longitudinal evidence that the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) still struggles to realize core principles of diversity and advocacy despite the passing of its 2013 resolution ‘Affirming Commitment to Promoting Diversity’ (AAAL 2013). They outline several trends in the available institutional data confirming that inequitable practices continue to hinder Scholars of Color from achieving full recognition within AAAL and, more broadly, the international, interdisciplinary field of applied linguistics. Echoing the work of Bhattacharya et al. in this regard, we reflect on parallel concerns in one of the component disciplinary realms of Applied Linguistics, namely the teaching of German language and culture (sometimes referred to as German Studies).
ProAffiMuSeq: sequence-based method to predict the binding free energy change of protein–protein complexes upon mutation using functional classification
Authors: Jemimah Sherlyn , Sekijima Masakazu , Gromiha M Michael
Published: November 2019

Motivation

Protein–protein interactions are essential for the cell and mediate various functions. However, mutations can disrupt these interactions and may cause diseases. Currently available computational methods require a complex structure as input for predicting the change in binding affinity. Further, they have not included the functional class information for the protein–protein complex. To address this, we have developed a method, ProAffiMuSeq, which predicts the change in binding free energy using sequence-based features and functional class.

Results

Our method shows an average correlation between predicted and experimentally determined ΔΔG of 0.73 and mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.86 kcal/mol in 10-fold cross-validation and correlation of 0.75 with MAE of 0.94 kcal/mol in the test dataset. ProAffiMuSeq was also tested on an external validation set and showed results comparable to structure-based methods. Our method can be used for large-scale analysis of disease-causing mutations in protein–protein complexes without structural information.

Availability and implementation

Users can access the method at https://web.iitm.ac.in/bioinfo2/proaffimuseq/.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Reproductive systems and post-pollination barriers between two closely related eu-bromelioids (Bromeliaceae) in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil
Authors: Cavalcante Brayan Paiva , Souza Everton Hilo De , Williams Joseph Hill , Versieux Leonardo M
Published: November 2019

The eu-bromelioid clade provides a classic example of an exceptionally rapid radiation, in which many closely related species are found in sympatry. In this respect, species cohesion may be due to the rapid evolution of strong reproductive barriers, although interspecific and intergeneric hybridization is observed in the family. The objective of this study was to characterize the breeding systems and post-pollination reproductive barriers in Wittmackia patentissima and Hohenbergia ridleyi. Previously included in Aechmea, they show an almost complete absence of pre-pollination barriers, although their recent divergence may not have allowed time for complete ecological/reproductive isolation to have evolved. In manual pollinations, both species had > 40% fruit set in self and outcross treatments, but seed set from manual self-pollinations was < 50% that of outcrosses, and spontaneous self-pollination produced fewer than three seeds per fruit. Self-pollen and pollen tubes showed no evidence of self-incompatibility, but heterospecific pollen tubes were arrested in the lower part of the style and heterospecific seed set was zero in both species. The combination of self-compatibility and strong post-pollination, pre-fertilization reproductive barriers is consistent with the involvement of breeding system reproductive barriers in allowing closely related bromeliad species to occur in sympatry.
Selective and Sensitive Chromatographic Methods for Determination of a Co-Formulated Binary Mixture in Antibacterial Eye Drops and Aqueous Humor in the Presence of Their Degradation Products and Potential Impurities
Authors: Hegazy Maha A , Abdelwahab May H , Hendawy Hassan A M , Weshahy Soheir A , Abbas Samah S
Published: November 2019

Prednisolone acetate (PDN) is a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory liable to degradation under different conditions and used with antibiotics in eye drops. Two selective stability-indicating separation techniques were developed for simultaneous determination of PDN and moxifloxacin HCl (MXF) binary mixture in pure forms, ophthalmic formulation, in the presence of PDN impurities and in the presence of their degradation products. The first method was based on HPTLC separation using silica gel 60 F254 HPTLC plates, and a developing system of toluene: ethyl acetate: methanol: ammonia (5.0: 6: 2.0: 0.05, v/v/v/v) is used with detection at 254 nm. The second method was HPLC using a mobile phase of acetonitrile: methanol: deionized water, pH 2.8 (25.0: 35.0: 40.0, v/v/v), at 254 nm. A kinetic study utilizing the developed HPLC method for PDN degradation under different stress conditions was performed. Furthermore, the method was applied for determination in rabbit aqueous humor. Validation was conducted as per ICH guidelines, and system suitability was ascertained. The calibration curves were constructed in the range 0.10–25.00 and 0.20–50.00 μg band−1, for PDN and MXF by HPTLC, while for HPLC, it was 0.02–50.00 and 0.10–50.00 μg mL−1 for both drugs, in order.
The impact of environmental acidification on the microstructure and mechanical integrity of marine invertebrate skeletons
Authors: Byrne Maria , Fitzer Susan
Published: November 2019

Ocean acidification (OA), from seawater uptake of anthropogenic CO2, has a suite of negative effects on the ability of marine invertebrates to produce and maintain their skeletons. Increased organism pCO2 causes hypercapnia, an energetically costly physiological stress. OA alters seawater carbonate chemistry, limiting the carbonate available to form the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) minerals used to build skeletons. The reduced saturation state of CaCO3 also causes corrosion of CaCO3 structures. Global change is also accelerating coastal acidification driven by land-run off (e.g. acid soil leachates, tannic acid). Building and maintaining marine biomaterials in the face of changing climate will depend on the balance between calcification and dissolution. Overall, in response to environmental acidification, many calcifiers produce less biomineral and so have smaller body size. Studies of skeleton development in echinoderms and molluscs across life stages show the stunting effect of OA. For corals, linear extension may be maintained, but at the expense of less dense biomineral. Conventional metrics used to quantify growth and calcification need to be augmented by characterisation of the changes to biomineral structure and mechanical integrity caused by environmental acidification. Scanning electron microscopy and microcomputed tomography of corals, tube worms and sea urchins exposed to experimental (laboratory) and natural (vents, coastal run off) acidification show a less dense biomineral with greater porosity and a larger void space. For bivalves, CaCO3 crystal deposition is more chaotic in response to both ocean and coastal acidification. Biomechanics tests reveal that these changes result in weaker, more fragile skeletons, compromising their vital protective roles. Vulnerabilities differ among taxa and depend on acidification level. Climate warming has the potential to ameliorate some of the negative effects of acidification but may also make matters worse. The integrative morphology-ecomechanics approach is key to understanding how marine biominerals will perform in the face of changing climate.
Driving School Improvement Planning with Community and Youth Collaborative Institute School Experience Surveys (CAYCI-SES)
Authors: Anderson-Butcher Dawn , Amorose Anthony , Bates Samantha M , Iachini Aidyn L , Ball Annahita , Henderson Tasha
Published: November 2019

The aim of this article is to describe the Community and Youth Collaborative Institute School Experience Surveys (CAYCI-SES). The CAYCI-SES measures are free and available to use with permission. The tools include valid and reliable surveys, assessments, and scales to help school stakeholders to identify and assess school climate and other conditions for learning. The CAYCI-SES gather data about the school environment across stakeholder groups and the broader school–family–community context known to influence student learning and youth development. For example, the measures include four survey versions: elementary school student, middle/high school student, parent/caregiver, and teacher/school staff. The CAYCI-SES also are valuable evaluation tools used to inform school planning and improvement efforts. This article describes each of the CAYCI-SES surveys and provides an overview of the process used for psychometric testing and instructions for implementation. Authors also discuss examples of schools and districts that have used the measures and implications for how school social workers may use the survey findings to address or identify needs, improve outcomes, and guide school improvement efforts.
Abrasion of Pro Seal® and Opal® Seal™ by professional tooth cleaning protocols: results from an in vitro study and a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Deurer Nadine , Erber Ralf , Orhan Gül , Zingler Sebastian , Lux Christopher J , Şen Sinan
Published: November 2019

Background

The integrity of orthodontic surface sealants after professional tooth cleaning (PTC) has previously only been evaluated in vitro. Recently, we have shown that optical coherence tomography (OCT) can successfully be used for the longitudinal assessments of sealant thickness in vitro and in vivo.

Objectives

Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the sealant thickness after PTC in vitro and in vivo by OCT.

Trial design

Single-centre four-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Ninety-six extracted human teeth were randomly assigned to the surface sealants Pro Seal® (PS) and Opal® Seal™ (OS) and to PTC protocols: (1) polishing with brush and prophy paste (Cleanic®) or (2) erythritol air-polishing. Sealant thickness was assessed by OCT immediately after application (baseline), after thermocycling and after polishing for totals of 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 seconds. Additionally, a clinical trial was conducted. Therefore, using a split-mouth design, quadrants of 20 patients and PTC protocols were randomized by an external randomization centre using computer generated tables to assign the surface sealants and PTC protocols. Sealant thicknesses were analysed at baseline, before and after PTC. Due to the optical properties of sealants, a complete blinding was not feasible.

Results

In vitro both sealants revealed significant layer thickness losses after both PTC protocols. PS lost 0.77 µm/s [95% CI (confidence interval): 0.67, 0.87] from air-polishing and 0.43 µm/s (95% CI: 0.37, 0.49) from polishing with brush while OS lost 0.44 µm/s (95% CI: 0.32, 0.55) from air-polishing and 0.79 µm/s (95% CI: 0.68, 0.89) from polishing with brush of layer thickness. Sealant thickness loss of was significantly higher after erythritol air-polishing for PS and after polishing with brush for OS. The results of a concurrent randomized controlled trial (RCT) were comparable to those achieved in the in vitro part of this study.

Limitations

Long-term surface sealant abrasion should be validated by additional RCTs.

Conclusions

For PTC on surface sealant treated teeth, low abrasive protocols should be used. Air-polishing should be avoided on PS protected teeth and polishing with brush on OS treated teeth.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03753256.
MANAGING DEATH IN THE FIELD: HOW EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES TEAMS PROVIDE END-OF-LIFE CARE
Authors: Waldrop Deborah P , McGinley Jacqueline M , Clemency Brian M
Published: November 2019

Emergency medical services (EMS) providers respond more frequently to calls for older adults with serious illness than for people in other age groups. Recent legislation that makes it possible to document healthcare decisions has facilitated an era of choice in end-of-life care. EMS teams make time-sensitive decisions about care, resuscitation and hospital transport that influence how and where a seriously ill older adult will die and how his/her family will experience the death. Yet, EMS providers’ perspectives on urgent decision-making and how they work with families are unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the decision-making process that occurs how EMS teams respond when someone is dying from a serious illness (vs. an injury). In-depth in-person interviews were conducted with 50 EMS providers (24 emergency medical technicians [EMTs] and 26 Paramedics) from four ambulance services. Participants’ ages ranged from 21-57 (M=37.9) and 70% were male. Qualitative data was coded using Atlas.ti software. Three themes illuminated participants’ experiences with end-of-life calls: (1) How legally binding documents (e.g. Do Not Resuscitate [DNR] orders, Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment [MOLST]) inform care; (2) Decision-making about foregoing or halting resuscitation (e.g. no hospitalization, death at home); and (3) Family care, support and education. The results suggest that EMS providers have critically important roles in upholding the wishes of seriously ill older adults and helping caregiving families through the end-of-life transition. Implications: Discussions about the meaning of legally binding documents (e.g. DNR, MOLST) and EMS calls are important in advance care planning.
PRELIMINARY YEAR-ONE RESULTS OF A 5-YEAR PROJECT TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT PATIENT- AND FAMILY-CENTERED CARE MODEL
Authors: Chen Ya-Mei , Young Yuchi , Munkhtogoo Dulmaa , Yang Ming-Ting , Tsai Hsin-Yun , Kuo Nien-Chen , Yu Tsung-Hsien , Chung Kuo-Piao
Published: November 2019

Objective. The overarching goal of this 5-year study is to develop and evaluate an innovative patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) model to address the challenges of quality care and high cost care in Changhua County, Taiwan. The year-1 study examines the baseline differences on selected outcomes between Changhua County and the comparison group (nationally). Methods. Five-year longitudinal study. Participants: stroke patients (n=2,931) from Changhua County Hospitals. Year-1 baseline discharge registry data (2018) for stroke patients obtained from Changhua Health Bureau. Summary statistics and bivariate analysis performed. Providers: care provider [n=28] were interviewed through five focus groups for the support needed to begin implementing PFCC. Results. The year-1 results show the stroke incidence rate was 3.8%. Sixty-three percent of stroke patients were 65+ with an average age of 69, and 60% were male. Compared to the Taiwan national average, the stroke patients in Changhua County had a longer length of stay in acute and postacute care settings (41.1days vs. 29.3 days; p < 0.001), and higher hospitalization cost (US7,815 vs. US$5,905; p<0.001). The focus group data found lack of effective tools and platforms to facilitate the provider-to-provider communication necessary for PFCC. Conclusion. These findings suggest that stroke patients in Changhua County had a longer average length of stay and higher healthcare costs compared to stroke patients nationally. To address these discrepancies, our year-2 program will focus on PFCC intervention program development and pilot testing, which include a Taiwan-specific PFCC tool and platform, followed by three years of intervention implementation and evaluation.
FROM WRINKLES TO WISE: DISRUPTING AGING PERCEPTIONS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS
Authors: Bridges Katherine , Fedus Donna , Michalowski Erica
Published: November 2019

What words come to mind when students are asked about aging? Wrinkles, grumpy, gray. What words come to mind when students are asked about aging after Disrupt Aging Classroom? Wise, wisdom, opportunity. Disrupt Aging Classroom is a successful curriculum created by AARP Connecticut and Borrow My Glasses to help dispel the myths of aging among college students in multiple disciplines. In comparison to a control group, pre-and post-test results show college students’ perceptions of aging change to a more positive frame after being exposed to this intervention administered in the classroom. There is also evidence to suggest that this program has a positive effect on behavior with students reporting they talked differently about aging and acted differently toward older adults since participating in this program. Presenters will describe the curriculum as well as the evaluation design and results collected in 2018-2019 from this successful intervention program.
ADVANCED ILLNESS AMONG ELDERLY NURSING HOME RESIDENTS WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIA
Authors: Gracner Tadeja , Sorbero Mark , Stone Patricia W , Agarwal Mansi , Dick Andrew W
Published: November 2019

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (AD/ADRD) are leading causes of mortality in the United States. Identifying advanced illness (AI) in NH residents is key for developing therapeutic and palliative care plans for end of life. We refined and extended existing measures of AI in NH residents with AD/ADRD and described patterns of survival for each measure. Using the Minimum Data Set (MDS; 2011 to 2013) linked to vital status (through 2016), we defined categories of AD/ADRD residents at AI onset: (1) those with ADRD, (2) and those with both, AD and ADRD. We estimated survival functions and multivariable duration models to describe patterns of survival from AI onset until death, stratified by AD/ADRD classifications, sex and functional status at AI onset, conditional on socio-demographics and co-morbidities. We limited our sample to adults ages >64 for whom we observed the incident AI assessment in the MDS. Median survival was 229 days for all classifications of AI, but higher for those with only ADRD (300 days). Survival declined substantially for residents with eating difficulties; to 122 days for residents with AD and ADRD. A stark survival decline (40 days) occurred among residents with shortness of breath. Across all AI classifications, survival was negatively associated with male sex, age, diabetes, substantial weight-loss and events such as heart failure. Depression, hypertension, and UTI were associated with small or insignificant increases in mortality risk. AI can be defined using MDS data, allowing for examination of policies designed to improve end of life care.