Integrated force method versus displacement method for finite element analysis

A novel formulation termed the integrated force method (IFM) has been developed in recent years for analyzing structures. In this method all the internal forces are taken as independent variables, and the system equilibrium equations (EE's) are integrated with the global compatibility conditions (CC's) to form the governing set of equations. In IFM the CC's are obtained from the strain formulation of St. Venant, and no choices of redundant load systems have to be made, in constrast to the standard force method (SFM). This property of IFM allows the generation of the governing equation to be automated straightforwardly, as it is in the popular stiffness method (SM). In this report IFM and SM are compared relative to the structure of their respective equations, their conditioning, required solution methods, overall computational requirements, and convergence properties as these factors influence the accuracy of the results. Overall, this new version of the force method produces more accurate results than the stiffness method for comparable computational cost

Compatibility conditions of structural mechanics for finite element analysis

The equilibrium equations and the compatibility conditions are fundamental to the analyses of structures. However, anyone who undertakes even a cursory generic study of the compatibility conditions can discover, with little effort, that historically this facet of structural mechanics had not been adequately researched by the profession. Now the compatibility conditions (CC's) have been researched and are understood to a great extent. For finite element discretizations, the CC's are banded and can be divided into three distinct categories: (1) the interface CC's; (2) the cluster or field CC's; and (3) the external CC's. The generation of CC's requires the separating of a local region, then writing the deformation displacement relation (ddr) for the region, and finally, the eliminating of the displacements from the ddr. The procedure to generate all three types of CC's is presented and illustrated through examples of finite element models. The uniqueness of the CC's thus generated is shown

PERAN ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION TERHADAP KINERJA PERUSAHAAN MELALUI TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (STUDI DI PERUSAHAAN MEBEL PT KAYAN JAYA TANJUNG)

The application of the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) is expected to be able to assist companies in responding to consumer needs in the future. This research aims to see the mediating effect of Total Quality Management on Entrepreneurial Orientation with Firm Performance. To support this theory, this study takes data from the furniture company PT Kayan Jaya Tanjung, Surabaya. This study was analyzed using the partial least square method by using 78 workers at PT Kayan Jaya Tanjung with a minimum level of manager. Respondents were drawn based on two branch factories, namely PT Kayan Jaya Tanjung I and PT Kayan Jaya Tanjung II. The results of this study indicate that the company can gather its human resources (TQM) to formulate a proactive strategy to anticipate future customer demand (EO) so that companies can maintain the quality of their products (firm performance). This study shows that applying the concept of TQM with a good entrepreneurial orientation will form a sustainable strategy to achieve a competitive advantage for company performance. Keywords: competitive advantage, entrepreneurial orientation, furniture, total quality management, firm performanc

DAMPAK RIIL DAN TANGGAPAN MASYARAKAT TERHADAP KEBIJAKAN PEMERINTAH MENGENAI PEMBEBASAN NARAPIDANA DALAM RANGKA PENANGGULANGAN PENYEBARAN VIRUS COVID-19

Covid-19 merupakan sebuah virus yang menyerang saluran pernapasan manusia. Pada awalnya, Covid-19 masuk ke Indonesia pada awal Maret 2020. Upaya pemerintah Indonesia dalam menanggulangi wabah ini dinyatakan dalam kebijakan-kebijakan nya dimana hal itu bertujuan mengurangi angka penyebarannya di Indonesia. Salah satu kebijakan pemerintah yang diterapkan di Indonesia adalah diterapkannya aturan social distancing. Social Distancing ini berartikan pembatasan kegiatan masyarakat dengan cara menjaga jarak atau melakukan kegiatan sehari-hari di rumah saja. Hal ini juga dinyatakan dalam keputusan menteri kesehatan Republik Indonesia Nomor HK.01.07/MENKES/328/2020 tentang pencegahan covid-19 bahwa masyarakat perlu untuk menjaga jarak minimal satu meter dan dalam peraturan Menteri Kesehatan RI Nomor 9 Tahun 2020 menjelaskan dalam menangani virus atau wabah ini wajib dilakukan pembatasan sosial dalam rangka menahan laju peningkatan jumlah terpapar virusCovid-19 is a virus that attacks the human respiratory tract. At first, Covid-19 entered Indonesia in early March 2020. The Indonesian government's efforts in tackling this outbreak were stated in its policies which aimed to reduce the number of its spread in Indonesia. One of the government policies implemented in Indonesia is the implementation of social distancing rules. Social Distancing means limiting community activities by keeping a distance or doing daily activities at home. This is also stated in the Decree of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number HK.01.07/MENKES/328/2020 concerning the prevention of COVID-19 that the public needs to maintain a minimum distance of one meter and in the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number 9 of 2020, which explains how to deal with viruses or outbreaks. Social restrictions must be carried out in order to contain the rate of increase in the number of people exposed to the virus More about Covid-19 merupakan sebuah virus yang menyerang saluran pernapasan manusia. Pada awalnya, Covid-19 masuk ke Indonesia pada awal Maret 2020. Upaya pemerintah Indonesia dalam menanggulangi wabah ini dinyatakan dalam kebijakan-kebijakan nya dimana hal itu bertujuan mengurangi angka penyebarannya di Indonesia. Salah satu kebijakan pemerintah yang diterapkan di Indonesia adalah diterapkannya aturan social distancing. Social Distancing ini berartikan pembatasan kegiatan masyarakat dengan cara menjaga jarak atau melakukan kegiatan sehari-hari di rumah saja. Hal ini juga dinyatakan dalam keputusan menteri kesehatan Republik Indonesia Nomor HK.01.07/MENKES/328/2020 tentang pencegahan covid-19 bahwa masyarakat perlu untuk menjaga jarak minimal satu meter dan dalam peraturan Menteri Kesehatan RI Nomor 9 Tahun 2020 menjelaskan dalam menangani virus atau wabah ini wajib dilakukan pembatasan sosial dalam rangka menahan laju peningkatan jumlah terpapar virusCoronavirus disease (COVID-19)Get the latest informatio

Ciliary Extracellular Vesicles are Distinct from the Cytosolic Extracellular Vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell‐derived membrane vesicles that are released into the extracellular space. EVs encapsulate key proteins and mediate intercellular signalling pathways. Recently, primary cilia have been shown to release EVs under fluid‐shear flow, but many proteins encapsulated in these vesicles have never been identified. Primary cilia are ubiquitous mechanosensory organelles that protrude from the apical surface of almost all human cells. Primary cilia also serve as compartments for signalling pathways, and their defects have been associated with a wide range of human genetic diseases called ciliopathies. To better understand the mechanism of ciliopathies, it is imperative to know the distinctive protein profiles of the differently sourced EVs (cilia vs cytosol). Here, we isolated EVs from ciliated wild‐type (WT) and non‐ciliated IFT88 knockout (KO) mouse endothelial cells using fluid‐shear flow followed by a conventional method of EV isolation. EVs isolated from WT and KO exhibited distinctive sizes. Differences in EV protein contents were studied using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS‐MS) and proteomic comparative analysis, which allowed us to classify proteins between ciliary EVs and cytosolic EVs derived from WT and KO, respectively. A total of 79 proteins were exclusively expressed in WT EVs, 145 solely in KO EVs, and 524 in both EVs. Our bioinformatics analyses revealed 29% distinct protein classes and 75% distinct signalling pathways between WT and KO EVs. Based on our statistical analyses and in vitro studies, we identified NADPH‐cytochrome P450 reductase (POR), and CD166 antigen (CD166) as potential biomarkers for ciliary and cytosolic EVs, respectively. Our protein‐protein interaction network analysis revealed that POR, but not CD166, interacted with either established or strong ciliopathy gene candidates. This report shows the unique differences between EVs secreted from cilia and the cytosol. These results will be important in advancing our understanding of human genetic diseases

PANDANGAN MASYARAKAT TERHADAP HIDROPONIK DI DAERAH PERKOTAAN

Semakin hari jumlah penduduk di dunia semakin bertambah. Diperkirakan pada tahun 2050 jumlah penduduk di seluruh dunia mencapai 9,8 miliar jiwa. Hal ini disertai dengan meningkatnya kebutuhan akan lahan, jumlah lahan yang tersedia di dunia tidak akan bertambah sehingga lahan pertanian semakin sempit. Oleh karena itu, untuk mengatasi lahan pertanian yang mulai berkurang di daerah perkotaan ini diciptakanlah sistem pertanian baru yang tidak hanya dapat dikembangkan di lahan sempit, tetapi juga ramah lingkungan disebut hidroponik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis bagaimana pendapat masyarakat terhadap sistem pertanian hidroponik di daerah perkotaan Surabaya. Metode yang digunakan di laporan ini dalam menentukan pandangan masyarakat yaitu dimulai dengan survei kawasan sekitar di Surabaya, lalu mewawancarai masyarakat dan beberapa mahasiswa. Setelah itu, ditarik kesimpulan berdasarkan hasil wawancara. Berdasarkan opini-opini warga didapat hasil dari kuesioner sebesar rata-rata 67,5% setuju bahwa sistem hidroponik ini dapat membawa dampak positif bagi lingkungan maupun masyarakat. Kegiatan hidroponik ini dinilai sangat membantu masyarakat dalam belajar bagaimana melakukan sistem budidaya pertanian di lahan yang relatif sempit

Heme metabolism genes Downregulated in COPD Cachexia.

IntroductionCachexia contributes to increased mortality and reduced quality of life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and may be associated with underlying gene expression changes. Our goal was to identify differential gene expression signatures associated with COPD cachexia in current and former smokers.MethodsWe analyzed whole-blood gene expression data from participants with COPD in a discovery cohort (COPDGene, N = 400) and assessed replication (ECLIPSE, N = 114). To approximate the consensus definition using available criteria, cachexia was defined as weight-loss > 5% in the past 12 months or low body mass index (BMI) (< 20 kg/m2) and 1/3 criteria: decreased muscle strength (six-minute walk distance < 350 m), anemia (hemoglobin < 12 g/dl), and low fat-free mass index (FFMI) (< 15 kg/m2 among women and < 17 kg/m2 among men) in COPDGene. In ECLIPSE, cachexia was defined as weight-loss > 5% in the past 12 months or low BMI and 3/5 criteria: decreased muscle strength, anorexia, abnormal biochemistry (anemia or high c-reactive protein (> 5 mg/l)), fatigue, and low FFMI. Differential gene expression was assessed between cachectic and non-cachectic subjects, adjusting for age, sex, white blood cell counts, and technical covariates. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using MSigDB.ResultsThe prevalence of COPD cachexia was 13.7% in COPDGene and 7.9% in ECLIPSE. Fourteen genes were differentially downregulated in cachectic versus non-cachectic COPD patients in COPDGene (FDR < 0.05) and ECLIPSE (FDR < 0.05).DiscussionSeveral replicated genes regulating heme metabolism were downregulated among participants with COPD cachexia. Impaired heme biosynthesis may contribute to cachexia development through free-iron buildup and oxidative tissue damage

Clinical Significance of Bronchodilator Responsiveness Evaluated by Forced Vital Capacity in COPD: SPIROMICS Cohort Analysis.

ObjectiveBronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) is prevalent in COPD, but its clinical implications remain unclear. We explored the significance of BDR, defined by post-bronchodilator change in FEV1 (BDRFEV1) as a measure reflecting the change in flow and in FVC (BDRFVC) reflecting the change in volume.MethodsWe analyzed 2974 participants from a multicenter observational study designed to identify varying COPD phenotypes (SPIROMICS). We evaluated the association of BDR with baseline clinical characteristics, rate of prospective exacerbations and mortality using negative binomial regression and Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsA majority of COPD participants exhibited BDR (52.7%). BDRFEV1 occurred more often in earlier stages of COPD, while BDRFVC occurred more frequently in more advanced disease. When defined by increases in either FEV1 or FVC, BDR was associated with a self-reported history of asthma, but not with blood eosinophil counts. BDRFVC was more prevalent in subjects with greater emphysema and small airway disease on CT. In a univariate analysis, BDRFVC was associated with increased exacerbations and mortality, although no significance was found in a model adjusted for post-bronchodilator FEV1.ConclusionWith advanced airflow obstruction in COPD, BDRFVC is more prevalent in comparison to BDRFEV1 and correlates with the extent of emphysema and degree of small airway disease. Since these associations appear to be related to the impairment of FEV1, BDRFVC itself does not define a distinct phenotype nor can it be more predictive of outcomes, but it can offer additional insights into the pathophysiologic mechanism in advanced COPD.Clinical trials registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01969344T4

Effect of Zephyr Endobronchial Valves on Dyspnea, Activity Levels, and Quality of Life at One Year Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial

Rationale: Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction with Zephyr Valves improves lung function, exercise tolerance, and quality of life of patients with hyperinflated emphysema and little to no collateral ventilation. Objectives: Post hoc analysis of patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including multidimensional measures of dyspnea, activity, and quality of life, in the LIBERATE (Lung Function Improvement after Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction with Pulmonx Endobronchial Valves used in Treatment of Emphysema) study are reported. Methods: A total of 190 patients with severe heterogeneous emphysema and little to no collateral ventilation in the target lobe were randomized 2:1 to the Zephyr Valve or standard of care. Changes in PROs at 12 months in the two groups were compared: dyspnea with the Transitional Dyspnea Index (TDI), focal score; the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT; breathlessness on hill/stairs); Borg; the EXAcerbations of Chronic pulmonary disease Tool-PRO, dyspnea domain; activity with the TDI, magnitude of task/effort/functional impairment, CAT (limited activities), and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), activity domain; and psychosocial status with the SGRQ, impacts domain, and CAT (confidence and energy). Results: At 12 months, patients using the Zephyr Valve achieved statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in the SGRQ; CAT; and the TDI, focal score, compared with standard of care. Improvements in the SGRQ were driven by the impacts and activity domains (P, 0.05 and P, 0.001, respectively). Reduction in CAT was through improvements in breathlessness (P, 0.05), energy level (P, 0.05), activities (P, 0.001), and increased confidence when leaving home (P, 0.05). The TDI measures of effort, task, and functional impairment were uniformly improved (P, 0.001). The EXAcerbations of Chronic Pulmonary Disease Tool (EXACT)-PRO, dyspnea domain, was significantly improved in the Zephyr Valve group. Improvements correlated with changes in residual volume and residual volume/TLC ratio. Conclusions: Patients with severe hyperinflated emphysema achieving lung volume reductions with Zephyr Valves experience improvements in multidimensional scores for breathlessness, activity, and psychosocial parameters out to at least 12 months