From flakes to ribbons: The barrier factor of composites containing flakes of rectangular shape

We present a comprehensive computational and theoretical analysis of diffusion through flake composites in which the flakes are of rectangular shape, spanning the entire spectrum from squares to ribbons. Following a large number of detailed 3D simulations in realistic Representative Volume Elements (RVEs), each containing 1000s of individual flakes, we propose a scaling which, for the first time in the technical literature, introduces the planar aspect ratio r of the flakes as a parameter affecting the barrier properties of the resulting composite. Subsequently, we examine the effect of r in several cases of practical significance, such as under the assumptions of (i) constant number-density N/Δ V and flake volume fraction ϕ, (ii) constant N/Δ V and flake diagonal and (iii) constant ϕ and varying N/Δ V—describing the problem of the fragmentation of ribbons into flakes. Both deterministic and stochastic systems in terms of r, are considered. One key result is that square flakes offer the best barrier performance compared to flakes of general rectangular shape—as long as N/Δ V and ϕ or the diagonal of the flakes remain constant. Randomness in flake aspect ratio only moderately impacts the barrier improvement factor as long as ϕ and N/Δ V remain constant but has a strong effect under the assumption of constant N/Δ V and flake diagonal. Finally, we show that, for r < 10 and M < 1, the scaling proposed in this work is valid not only for unidirectional flakes but also for flakes showing random in-plane orientations.

Ethnic and Religious Tolerance: Barrier Factors and Improvement Measures Based on Malay Youth Perspectives in Malaysia

Ethnic and religious unity is a thing that every country wishes for not exempting Malaysia. Tolerance among the population is very much expected to achieve this. Nevertheless, ethnic and religious diversity in Malaysia is often seen as a challenge for realizing tolerance and thus creating unity. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the barrier factors for ethnic and religious tolerance while at the same time identifying proposals for improvement measures to tolerance among the community. Hence, the Focus Group Discussion or FGD study design was used by involving 20 Malay youth informants as information providers. As a result of the analysis it can be concluded that there are six themes that exist as a barrier factor to ethnic and religious tolerance, namely (i) social gap; 38.06 percent, (ii) political debate; 16.42 percent, (iii) religious differences; 16.42 percent, (iv) economic inequality; 11.94 percent, (v) rights and constitution; 11.94 percent, and (vi) primordial sentiment; 5.22 percent. Meanwhile, in addressing the problem of ethnic and religious tolerance, the informants also proposed four perspectives on improvement measures i.e. (i) social empowerment; 71.19 percent, (ii) political role; 15.25 percent, (iii) the rule of law; 10.17 percent, and (iv) maintaining the image of Islam; 3.39 percent. The issues are important to be scrutinized because the practice of good ethnic and religious tolerance can unite the community, thereby driving the stability and progress of the country.

R-loops coordinate with SOX2 in regulating reprogramming to pluripotency

R-loops modulate genome stability and regulate gene expression, but the functions and the regulatory mechanisms of R-loops in stem cell biology are still unclear. Here, we profiled R-loops during somatic cell reprogramming and found that dynamic changes in R-loops are essential for reprogramming and occurred before changes in gene expression. Disrupting the homeostasis of R-loops by depleting RNaseH1 or catalytic inactivation of RNaseH1 at D209 (RNaseH1D209N) blocks reprogramming. Sox2, but not any other factor in the Yamanaka cocktail, overcomes the inhibitory effects of RNaseH1 activity loss on reprogramming. Sox2 interacts with the reprogramming barrier factor Ddx5 and inhibits the resolvase activity of Ddx5 on R-loops and thus facilitates reprogramming. Furthermore, reprogramming efficiency can be modulated by dCas9-mediated RNaseH1/RNaseH1D209N targeting the specific R-loop regions. Together, these results show that R-loops play important roles in reprogramming and shed light on the regulatory module of Sox2/Ddx5 on R-loops during reprogramming.

Barrier Analysis for the Deployment of Renewable-Based Mini-Grids in Myanmar Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Energy access remains a challenge for many countries, as recognized by sustainable development goal 7 of the United Nations Development Programme. Although the Myanmar government has set a target of 100% electrification by 2030, less than half of the households are currently connected to the national grid. To expedite electrification, decentralized approaches should be considered. Mini-grids are an effective alternative that can fill the gap between a solar home system and the national grid; however, many of the existing mini-grids in Myanmar are powered by diesel generators. Diesel fuel is significantly more expensive in rural areas than in urban areas due to high transportation costs. Although mini-grids powered by solar photovoltaics and batteries are cost-competitive with diesel generators, the deployment of renewable energy-based mini-grids is slow. In this study, we analyzed the barriers to mini-grid deployment and prioritized the barriers. We conducted a questionnaire survey with stakeholders using the analytic hierarchy process to identify the prioritization of each barrier factor. The K-means clustering method was used to determine tendencies and showed that there was no single, dominant solution. Our results confirm the difficulty of mini-grid deployment and suggest multi-pronged approaches that go beyond economic considerations.

DESIGN OF AUTOPILOT TRACKING CONTROL AT A PROTOTYPE TANK BASED ON ARDUINO

The Indonesian Navy is one elements of the Indonesian nation which has the duty to maintain the unity andunity of the Republic Indonesia. The Indonesian Navy requires a lot of equipment, defense equipment andsupporting equipment. Unmanned Tank Alutsita is one vehicle that can be used as a combat vehicle withoutinvolving troop personnel in the tank that can be controlled remotely through wireless data communication. Thedesign of the location-based prototype tank autopilot control system is a research in answering for thedevelopment of unmanned warfare technology. Prototype unmanned tank using GPS sensor bases, imu andcompass determining the location, orientation and direction of the prototype. The application of the compass asan evaluation of the tank bow course error towards the direction of the destination, while GPS is used as aparameter for determining the location of the destination location. The combination of the two sensors is usedas a base information on the control system on autopilot. From the results of tests that have been carried outobtained manual control systems and autopilot in accordance with the itinerary that has been made. The vehicletank can respond in real time to any location and direction errors, so that corrections can be made to reach thedestination correctly. Weather problems become a barrier factor in getting location data from GPS. During thetest in sunny conditions obtained control results with a location error factor of less than 5 meters.Keyword : Prototype, control, autopilot

Peningkatan Pengetahuan Lansia tentang Penyakit Degeneratif di Wilayah Kampung Tengah Kramat Jati

The elderly are residents who have a high risk for various degenerative diseases, including stroke, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Lack of information and knowledge of the elderly regarding degenerative diseases, healthy lifestyles, and patterns of early prevention, are the main causes of the high incidence of complications of disease in the elderly. The inaccessibility of the elderly to access health services is also a barrier factor for the elderly and families to obtain information related to the disease. The purpose of this activity in general is to improve the degree of public health through increasing the knowledge of the elderly about degenerative diseases in the Kampung Tengah region, and specifically (1) providing knowledge to the elderly about stroke, (2) providing knowledge to the elderly about hypertension, (3) providing knowledge to the elderly about diabetes mellitus, and (4) providing knowledge to the elderly about how to prevent and manage stroke, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. The method of this activities are lecturing, discussions, practicing and educational approaches. From the results of counseling activities, it can be concluded that the knowledge of the elderly about stroke, hypertension and diabetes mellitus in the Kampung Tengah region is still very minimal, and increasing knowledge about these degenerative diseases is very much needed so that the elderly can better maintain their health.

Analysis of Student Difficulties in Statistics Courses

The educational implementation is a learning process at all levels, students are required to follow certain lectures, including mathematics courses. Learning difficulties are a barrier to learning where children are not well educated, due to disturbances, both from student factors and external factors. learning, thus students are expected to catch up because of these obstacles. This research is classified into qualitative descriptive research that seeks to describe the analysis of student learning difficulties in statistical subjects. The subjects in this study were the fourth-semester students of 2018/2019 Mulawarman University. Research reveals things that are considered as a barrier factor for students in Statistics. In this study, the researcher collected information through documentation, tests, and interviews with students. The results of the analysis show that the difficulties of students in studying Statistics basically lie in the weakness of the concept. The results of the research conducted by the researcher were the existence of errors in process skills, errors in understanding questions, and errors in using notation. The solution to overcoming these problems is: for the eye teacher of Statistics to be able to develop learning strategies so that students can be more honed in their thinking skills and provide continuous problem training to students.