Laboratory Investigation of Skid Resistance for Steel Slag Utilization as Chip Seal

Slag as waste material of steel-making process has similar characteristics with aggregate that has been widely used in pavement construction. The use of slag as chip seal aggregate to provide skid resistance needs to be analyzed. In this laboratory study, the chip seal samples are made using steel slag and natural aggregate. The bonding materials used are asphalt and epoxy resin. Skid resistance tests for all chip seal samples and also hot rolled sheet pavement without chip seal application are performed using the Portable British Pendulum Tester. The results show the variations of chip seal aggregate weight are inconsistent. The natural aggregate used as chip seal material could produce high skid resistance value of 10.3% higher than that using steel slag. Also the skid resistance of chip seal with the ALD 3 mm are not significantly different with that of ALD 6 mm. Similar results occur on the skid resistance of chip seals using epoxy resin and asphalt

The Substance of the Formal Prohibition of the Riba: Islamic Finance and the Tie with the Real Economy

Islamic Financial Institutions come up with sharia-compliant products mimicking one of their conventional counterpart. This particular development is one of the unintended consequences under the interpretation of the prohibition of interest. Islamic Finance Institutions need to find substitute for profit-generating mechanism. There is no consequential difference between ‘interestfree' and interest-bearing products on the practical level. This paper attempts to deal with the question of the interpretation of riba on a theoretical level. This paper argues that equity-financing should be preferred to debt-financing. In doing so, this paper embraces a juristic approach to arrive at the intended conclusion. However, debt-financing could be utilised where deemed appropriate and no equity-financing method is applicable to a particular project

A Normal-Mode Approach to Jovian Atmospheric Dynamics

We propose a nonlinear, quasi-geostrophic, baroclinic model of Jovian atmospheric dynamics, in which vertical variations of velocity are represented by a truncated sum over a complete set of orthogonal functions obtained by a separation of variables of the linearized quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity equation. A set of equations for the time variation of the mode amplitudes in the nonlinear case is then derived. We show that for a planet with a neutrally stable, fluid interior instead of a solid lower boundary, the baroclinic mode represents motions in the interior, and is not affected by the baroclinic modes. One consequence of this is that a normal-mode model with one baroclinic mode is dynamically equivalent to a one layer model with solid lower topography. We also show that for motions in Jupiter's cloudy lower troposphere, the stratosphere behaves nearly as a rigid lid, so that the normal-mode model is applicable to Jupiter. We test the accuracy of the normal-mode model for Jupiter using two simple problem forced, vertically propagating Rossby waves, using two and three baroclinic modes and baroclinic instability, using two baroclinic modes. We find that the normal-road model provide qualitatively correct results, even with only a very limited number of vertical degrees of freedom

A tale of one city: intra-institutional variations in migrating VLE platform

City University London committed in 2009 to make Moodle the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) at the core of a new Strategic Learning Environment (SLE) comprised of VLE, externally facing website and related systems such as video streaming and virtual classrooms. Previously, the WebCT VLE had been separate from most of the other systems at the institution with very limited connections to other tools. Each of the schools within the institution was able to pursue their own strategy and timeframe for the migration and embedding of Moodle within their subject areas, within an absolute limit of 2 years. This paper outlines the approaches taken by the various schools, highlighting similarities and differences, and draws out common aspects from the project to make recommendations for institutions seeking to undertake similar migrations

Scalable Peer-to-Peer Streaming for Live Entertainment Content

We present a system for streaming live entertainment content over the Internet originating from a single source to a scalable number of consumers without resorting to centralized or provider-provisioned resources. The system creates a peer-to-peer overlay network, which attempts to optimize use of existing capacity to ensure quality of service, delivering low startup delay and lag in playout of the live content. There are three main aspects of our solution: first, a swarming mechanism that constructs an overlay topology for minimizing propagation delays from the source to end consumers; second, a distributed overlay anycast system that uses a location-based search algorithm for peers to quickly find the closest peers in a given stream; and finally, a novel incentive mechanism that encourages peers to donate capacity even when the user is not actively consuming content

Analisis Framing Berita Kasus Korupsi Ketua Mahkamah Konstitusi Akil Mochtar di Vivanews.com dan Detik.com

Media online merupakan media generasi ketiga setelah media cetak dan media elektronik. Ada banya kelebihan yang dimiliki oleh media online dan salah satunya adalah kecepatan. Dalam konteks pemberitaan, media online tidak jauh berbeda dengan media yang lain, yaitu juga dipengaruhi oleh ideologi, ekonomi politik media serta berbagai kepentingan yang lain. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat bagaimana sebuah media online melakukan framing terhadap pemberitaannya, yaitu berita kasus korupsi Ketua Mahkamah Konstitusi Akil Mochtar di vivanews.com dan detik.com. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa framing yang dilakukan vivanews.com terhadap berita kasus korupsi Ketua Mahkamah Konstitusi Akil Mochtar ada kecenderungan memihak kepada kepentingan pemilik media yang memimpin partai Golkar. Sedang framing yang dilakukan detik.com masih menujukkan upaya media tersebut untuk obyektif dalam melakukan pemberitaan. Kata Kunci: Framing, Media Online, Kasus Korupsi Akil Mochta

Membangun Poros Maritim Melalui Pelabuhan

Tulisan ini menganalisis peran dan kinerja pelabuhan di Indonesia sebagai determinan penting dalam mendukung visi Indonesia menjadi negara maritim yang kuat. Pelabuhan memegang peranan penting untuk mendukung konektivitas dan peningkatan daya saing perekonomian Indonesia. Kinerja pelabuhan akan memengaruhi efisiensi dalam proses produksi dan distribusi. Dengan menggunakan metode analisis deskriptif, tulisan ini menunjukkan bahwa meskipun memegang peranan penting dalam perekonomian Indonesia, pelabuhan di negeri ini ternyata masih jauh tertinggal dibanding dengan negara-negara lain dalam hal kuantitas dan kualitasnya. Dari perspektif kebijakan, tantangan utamanya adalah mereformasi peranan dan posisi pemerintah dalam pembangunan dan pengelolaan pelabuhan. Dalam hal ini, pemerintah, idealnya, perlu mengambil tiga langkah berikut. Pertama, mendesain kembali peraturan dan kebijakan untuk mendorong partisipasi sektor swasta. Kedua, memperkuat implementasi UndangUndang No. 2 Tahun 2012 tentang Tata Cara Pengadaan Lahan dengan melibatkan pemerintah daerah dalam proses eksekusi pembebasan lahan. Ketiga, mempersiapkan secara lebih matang proyek-proyek pelabuhan yang akan ditawarkan kepada sektor swasta

Ion beam effect on Ge-Se chalcogenide glass films: Non-volatile memory array formation, structural changes and device performance

The conductive bridge non-volatile memory technology is an emerging way to replace traditional charge based memory devices for future neural networks and configurable logic applications. An array of the memory devices that fulfills logic operations must be developed for implementing such architectures. A scheme to fabricate these arrays, using ion bombardment through a mask, has been suggested and advanced by us. Performance of the memory devices is studied, based on the formation of vias and damage accumulation due to the interactions of Ar+ ions with GexSe1-x (x=0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) chalcogenide glasses as a function of the ion energy and dose dependence. Blanket films and devices were created to study the structural changes, surface roughness, and device performance. Raman Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and electrical measurements expound the Ar+ ions behavior on thin films of GexSe1-x system. Raman studies show that there is a decrease in area ratio between edge-shared to corner-shared structural units, revealing occurrence of structural reorganization within the system as a result of ion/film interaction. AFM results demonstrate a tendency in surface roughness improvement with increased Ge concentration, after ion bombardment. EDS results reveal a compositional change in the vias, with a clear tendency of greater interaction between ions and the Ge atoms, as evidenced by greater compositional changes in the Ge rich films