Advancement in the Analysis of Seepage through Cracked Soils

Seepage is an important problem analyzed in geotechnical engineering. Conventionally, the analysis is performed in conditions where the soil is intact. The presence of desiccated cracks requires a seepage analysis that considers not only the soil matrix part of the cracked soil but also the crack network. Currently, there are three approaches in the analysis of seepage through cracked soils: (i) analysis by modeling the cracked soil as an intact material with cracks being represented as macropores; (ii) analysis by modeling the cracked soil as a material with a bimodal pore-size distribution; and (iii) analysis by modeling two components of the cracked soil separately: the soil matrix and the crack network. Each approach is reviewed and discussed in this paper. It was found that each approach is suitable for specific cases: (i) the first method is suitable for seepage analysis of cracked soil deep below the ground surface; (ii) the second method is suitable for seepage analysis of cracked soil at the ground surface under a drying process; (iii) the third method is suitable for seepage analysis of cracked soil at the ground surface experiencing rainwater infiltration. Choosing the appropriate method is essential in modeling the appropriate seepage mechanism

Characteristics of Rainfall-Induced Slope Instability in Cisokan Region, Indonesia

A 25.5 km long access road has been constructed in a hilly area in Cisokan region. Several slope instabilities occurred during the rainy season, particularly at the end of heavy rainfall. A comprehensive study was performed to understand the characteristics of rainfall-induced slope instability. The study consisted of field observation, analyses of field and laboratory test data, and numerical analyses. The study revealed that in general there were two categories of slopes with instability characteristics: (i) slopes with a significant groundwater level increase during rainfall; (ii) slopes with an insignificant groundwater level increase during rainfall. In the first category, the slope instability was caused by a loss of matric suction and eventually the pore-water pressure, uw became positive as indicated by an increase of the groundwater level. In the second category, the slope instability was caused by a loss of matric suction without a rise in pore-water pressure, uw, to a positive magnitude. Two empirical curves of slope stability were developed as a preliminary guidance to assess slope stability during rainfall in the region

Advancement in the Analysis of Seepage Through Cracked Soils

Seepage is an important problem analyzed in geotechnical engineering. Conventionally, the analysis is performed in conditions where the soil is intact. The presence of desiccated cracks requires a seepage analysis that considers not only the soil matrix part of the cracked soil but also the crack network. Currently, there are three approaches in the analysis of seepage through cracked soils: (i) analysis by modeling the cracked soil as an intact material with cracks being represented as macropores; (ii) analysis by modeling the cracked soil as a material with a bimodal pore-size distribution; and (iii) analysis by modeling two components of the cracked soil separately: the soil matrix and the crack network. Each approach is reviewed and discussed in this paper. It was found that each approach is suitable for specific cases: (i) the first method is suitable for seepage analysis of cracked soil deep below the ground surface; (ii) the second method is suitable for seepage analysis of cracked soil at the ground surface under a drying process; (iii) the third method is suitable for seepage analysis of cracked soil at the ground surface experiencing rainwater infiltration. Choosing the appropriate method is essential in modeling the appropriate seepage mechanism

Village Democracy Strengthening in Realizing Good Governance

Community service performance has become an increasingly strategic policy issue because the improvement of bureaucratic performance has implications in the administration of government functions. The number of public complaints about the performance of public services, such as services that are convoluted, procedural, and slow in its completion, thus causing public distrust to the village government. The orientation of community service still seems centralized to the village head as the head of government, consequently being hampered in managing public services. To that end, it is necessary to improve the performance of community services through strengthening the democratization of the village by developing community capacity in political knowledge so as to encourage awareness to be actively involved in the process of village governance. Community involvement can be given space and opportunity to be involved in the process of planning, implementing and controlling the administration of government functions. With the involvement of the community, it will encourage increased social control as a balancing force, and can encourage the realization of good governance Keywords: Village governance, good governance, public services, democratization. DOI: 10.7176/DCS/9-6-09 Publication date:June 30th 201

Strengthening the Capacity of Village Government, and Its Influence on Village Fund Management

Problems in the management of village funds are related to the low capability and capacity of village officials, as a result the village fund program is still far from the expected target, namely the welfare of the community. The management of village funds must comply with the principles of transparency, accountability and participation. Then the planning process becomes a crucial stage in the management of village finances because the village budget is set for the next year and the composition and size of the budget directly reflects the direction and objectives of the utilization of village funds. Strengthening the institutional capacity of village government is the key word for achieving good village fund management, because village funds must be able to be spent according to needs and must be accountable to the public. Strengthening the capacity of village government regarding the ability of village officials as individuals who have the function and task of managing village funds. Therefore, the ability in the field of budgeting and accountability in the use of village funds must be carried out in a transparent and accountable manner. Transparency and accountability of village fund management must be developed so that the community can know the use of village funds in financing village development programs, and at the same time become social control to avoid corruption. With transparency and accountability, it can foster public trust in the implementation of village governance.Keywords: Capacity, Village Government, Management, Village Fund.DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-18-03Publication date:September 30th 202

Money Politic, And The Effect Of Democracy In The Selection Of The Head Of Village, In District Magetan, East Java, Indonesia

Money politics can not be avoided in the village head elections, because money politics has been going on for generations and has become a tradition in every village head election. This condition becomes an opportunity for every candidate for village head to engage in money politics in fighting for influence on the political choice of villagers, and even money becomes the dominant factor in winning village head elections. As a result, the low quality of democracy is expected to produce an aspirational and trustworthy village head for village development and progress. This research was conducted in 5 (five) sub districts of Magetan Regency, with each subdistrict represented 2 (two) villages, and each village represented 10 people taken by purposive sampling. While data analysis used correlation calculation through SPSS. Keyword: Money politics, Democracy, Village Head Election

The Effect of Marketing Mix on Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty for Indonesian Brand Salad Dressing “XYZ”

XYZ’, as a salad dressing product, can help consumers to prepare meals in a short time. In Indonesia, growth in salad dressing products every year is relatively high, increasing by 120% per year. The market share of salad dressings is also getting bigger with the addition of new players and variants. The purpose of this research was identifying the attributes affecting consumers’ satisfactions and their satisfaction levels. The attributes used in this research were related to the marketing mix. Consumer loyalty is also important so that ‘XYZ’ can compete to fulfil consumer needs. This research used a quantitative descriptive method by conducting an online survey of ‘XYZ’ salad dressing consumers and direct interviews in shopping centers. The respondent criteria were females who were more than 18 years old and lived in Jabodetabek area. The technique of data processing and analysis used in this research was a quantitative descriptive analysis by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and LISREL software version 8.7. Based on the results of research and evaluation on respondents, it can be concluded the marketing mix that has a significant effect on consumer satisfaction is product, price, and place. Promotion has no significant effect on consumer satisfaction. Consumer satisfaction has a significant effect on consumer loyalty. Suggestions to increase consumer satisfaction and loyalty to ‘XYZ’ brand are to sell products that meet consumer tastes and to maintain the product quality. The placement of ‘XYZ’ product in the shopping center must be taken into account to make it easy to find and maintain its product availability in the market. This can increase consumer satisfaction and lead to an increase in consumer loyalty.Keywords: consumer loyalty, consumer satisfaction, marketing mix, salad dressing, SEMAbstrak: “XYZ” sebagai salah satu produk salad dressing, dapat membantu konsumen menyiapkan makanan dalam waktu singkat. Pertumbuhan produk salad dressing setiap tahun cukup tinggi yaitu meningkat 120% tiap tahun. Pangsa pasar salad dressing juga semakin besar dengan bertambahnya pemain baru dan varian baru. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui atribut yang mempengaruhi kepuasan dan bagaimana tingkat kepuasan konsumennya. Atribut yang diambil dalam penelitian ini terkait dengan bauran pemasaran. Penelitian menggunakan metode deskriptif kuantitatif dengan Teknik pengolahan dan analisis data pada penelitian ini adalah analisis deskriptif kuantitatif. Alat bantu analisis menggunakan Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) dan software LISREL versi 8.7. Hasil penelitian diperoleh kesimpulan bauran pemasaran yang berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kepuasan konsumen adalah variabel produk, harga, dan tempat. Sebaliknya variabel promosi memberikan pengaruh yang tidak signifikan terhadap kepuasan konsumen. Kepuasan konsumen berpengaruh signifikan terhadap loyalitas konsumen. Saran yang dapat diberikan untuk meningkatkan kepuasan dan loyalitas konsumen produk “XYZ” adalah dengan menjaga rasa produk agar sesuai dengan selera konsumen dan menjaga kualitas produk. Penempatan produk “XYZ” di pusat perbelanjaan juga harus diperhatikan agar selalu mudah ditemukan serta menjaga ketersediaan produk di pasaran. Hal tersebut dapat meningkatkan kepuasan konsumen dan berujung pada kenaikan loyalitas konsumen.Kata kunci: bauran pemasaran, kepuasan konsumen, loyalitas konsumen, salad dressing, SE

Utilization of Social Capital in Strengthening Village Government Institutions

Social capital is a social resource potential of the villagers, who have great power to support organization of the village governmental functions.  There is no trust/belief the villagers against the conduct of the Government of the village development program, various villages have not yet correspond to the aspirations and needs of the citizens of the village, and there was even a tendency more accommodating the interests of elite-elite village. Trust is very important to foster the role of Government in organizing the villagers and is unlikely to succeed without the support of villagers. Therefore it needs to be grown trust through regulation-oriented policies in the interests of the citizens of the village, as well as the commitment of the Government apparatus is a village in real action gives public service functions properly. Keyword: Social Capital Villagers, Resource Agencies, the Village Governmental Function

USE OF OSMOTIC TENSIOMETERS IN THE DETERMINATION OF SOIL-WATER CHARACTERISTIC CURVES

Soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) correlates the water content of a soil to its soil suction, which is a very important property of unsaturated soils. Osmotic tensiometers (OTs) have shown their capability in high soil suction measurement. This study tried to use OT combined with a pressure plate and WP4C dewpoint potentiometer to determine the SWCC of a residual soil. Three OTs with different measuring ranges (900 kPa, 1200 kPa, 2300 kPa) were prepared for soil suction measurement. The temperature effect on the pressure variations of OTs was illustrated based on Flory-Huggins polymer theories and an appropriate calibration equation was proposed to eliminate the temperature effect on the accuracy of soil suction measurement using OT. The OT showed a fast response in soil suction measurement and the equilibrium can be established in 10–15 min during SWCC measurement. Comparison of the SWCC data obtained from the pressure plate, OT, and WP4C dewpoint potentiometer proves that the OT had good performance in the determination of SWCC, especially for the transition zone (i.e., 10–1500 kPa suction range), by providing more data points to define the SWCC in a shorter period. The results show that the usage of OT will shorten the time required for the determination of SWCC and could be considered as a new and reliable technique in SWCC measurement

Unsaturated elasto-plastic constitutive equations for compacted kaolin under consolidated drained and shearing-infiltration conditions

Transient process of water flow changes the equilibrium conditions of an unsaturated soil, resulting in volume change of a soil. The volume change alters the hydraulic properties of the soil and thus influences the transient process of water flow through the soil. Therefore, the interactive processes between stress-strain behavior and pore-water pressure are the primary processes affecting the mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils. This paper presents coupled elasto-plastic constitutive equations for unsaturated compacted kaolin under consolidated drained and shearing-infiltration conditions. The study focused on the development of the suction increase (SI) yield curve that incorporates changes in matric suction during transient processes. In addition, the relationship of change in specific water volume with respect to net mean stress and matric suction was also proposed by incorporating the hysteresis of soil-water characteristic curve. The simulated results by the proposed constitutive model were compared with those obtained from isotropically consolidated drained tests and shearing infiltration tests of compacted kaolin to verify the proposed model. The simulated results are in close agreement with the experimental results