Recent Progress on the Implementation of Renewable Biodiesel Fuel for Automotive and Power Plants: Raw Materials Perspective

The issue of energy availability and the impact of global warming has become a specific concern for researchers in various countries in the world. This condition opens up space for potential alternative energy sources that are newer and more sustainable. Biodiesel as a sustainable alternative energy can be applied directly to industrial and automotive fields and even as a fuel source for power plants. This study provides a specific overview of the use and development of biodiesel as a fuel source for renewable power generation based on material sources. An essential part of this study discusses the development of various combinations of biodiesel mixtures and their applications in various types of industries. The physical and chemical characteristics of various types of biodiesel have been studied for their use in various parts of the world. The use of biodiesel has a positive effect on reducing emissions and pollutants, but a particular method is needed to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness, both technically and nontechnically. However, the utilization accompanied by optimizing the characteristics and parameters of biodiesel shows that this alternative energy is feasible and can be applied as a renewable fuel source for automotive industry and power generation in the future.

IMPLEMENTATION OF APPOINTMENT AND DISMISSAL OF OFFICERS IN DEPARTMENT OF POPULATION AND CIVIL REGISTRATION AT MUSI RAWAS UTARA REGENCY BASED ON THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA REGULATION NUMBER 76 OF 2015

This study was aimed to analyze the mechanism for the appointment and the dismissal of officers in the Department of Population and Civil Registration at Muratara Regency based on Permendagri Number 76 of 2015, and the legality of the appointment and the dismissal of officers in the Department of Population and Civil Registration carried out by the Regent of Muratara Regency.The type of this research was normative that supported by interviews, using a statutory approach and research material sources of primary and secondary data which were collected through literature and field studies.The results of this study indicate that the mechanism for the appointment and the dismissal of officers in the Department of Population and Civil Registration at Muratara Regency is based on Permendagri Number 76 of 2015. The appointment and the dismissal of the Head of Department of Population and Civil Registration as a Primary High Officer Position in regency are under the authority of the Minister of Home Affairs, not the Regent. The regent is only authorized to make proposals for appointment (and dismissal) through the Governor and includes proposals for three names of candidates for appointment, then one of them be elected by the Minister, stipulated by a Ministerial Decree, and inaugurated. The appointment and the dismissal of officers in Disdukcapil carried out by the Regent of Muratara Regency is illegal, considering that the dismissal of the head of Disdukcapil Department (Kadisdukcapil) and his new appointment in 2016 was carried out by the Regent, not by the Minister. Besides, there are no reasons and considerations (including the proposal for the appointment of an official candidate) for the dismissal of the previous Kadisdukcapil as stipulated in Permendagri Number 76 of 2015.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION PROTECTION COMMUNITY (GIPC) AS A LEGAL PROTECTION MSME’S PRODUCTS

A geographical indication is a part of intellectual property rights (IPR), which plays an important role in international trade as a magnet for consumers for MSMEs' products. However, the geographical indication is still underestimated by MSME players; and therefore, this issue requires further attention and analysis as the efforts to study the essence and urgency of the Geographical Indication Protection Community (GIPC) in supporting the realization of legal protection in regencies and cities throughout Indonesia. To support the investigation process, a case-based approach is required with primary and secondary research material sources through literature studies that correlate with business actors, rule of law and government. This study is doctrinal or normative research with qualitative data analysis. Efforts to establish Geographical Indication Protection Community (GIPC) are significant in assisting local MSME players to register legal protection through geographical indications and bridge local MSME players, local government, and stakeholders in sharing resources or information that can increase product competitiveness in regencies and cities in Indonesia on both national and international market scales.

Experience of transformation of the book industry of the PRC in the conditions of the pandemic

The scientific topicality. The book industry around the world has suffered significant losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It required the implementation of various anti-crisis measures and adaptation to these new circumstances. At present, a certain amount of experience has been accumulated, making it possible to summarize the effectiveness of measures taken in order to bring the book industry out of this crisis. Given that the People’s Republic of China was the first country to face the pandemic, its experience in transforming the book industry under such conditions deserves a detailed study. The purpose. Summarize the experience of transforming the book industry in PRC under the conditions of the pandemic; highlight its main directions; demonstrate that the success of overcoming the consequences of COVID-19 directly depends on the level of digitalization in the given field. The methodology. To achieve the stated goals, such methods as analysis of statistical material, sources on the topic of research, and summarization were used. The results. In the course of summarizing the experience of transforming the book industry of the PRC under the conditions of the pandemic, it was found that the success of overcoming the consequences of COVID-19 directly depends on the level of digitalization of the given field. The scientific novelty. For the first time, the experience of transforming the book industry of the PRC under the conditions of the pandemic is summarized. The practical significance. The successful experience of transforming the book industry of the PRC under the conditions of the pandemic can be used by other countries, including Ukraine. The conclusions. In the course of summarizing the experience of transforming the book industry in the PRC under the conditions of the pandemic, it was possible to highlight the following areas: transition mainly to online sales in book retail; active use of postal services as a delivery channel; opening of digital publishing resources to provide free access; expansion of media platforms for content distribution; organizing of online readings; use of multi-format content, multimedia content and cross-media for content distribution; use of the informative potential of the book industry to combat the pandemic in form of anti-epidemic publications and the development of platforms for informational resources. An analysis of this experience shows that the success of overcoming the consequences of COVID-19 directly depends on the level of digitalization of the book industry.

USE OF SEQUENCING METHODS FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION EXEMPLIFIED BY PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN GENUS HEDYSARUM L.

At the moment, a relevant objective in pharmacognosy, is the use of all kinds of the DNA analysis methods for identifying plant materials, detecting counterfeits, genetically modified crops and products.The aim of the research is to study the possibility of using molecular genetic research methods in the analysis of the genus Hedysarum L., for the identification of medicinal plant materials. This article presents the results of the application of molecular genetic research methods in the analysis of the genus Hedysarum L. in the flora of the North Caucasus.Materials and methods. The study material was the samples of the genus Hedysarum L. species collected in the North Caucasus: Hedysarum caucasicum M. Bieb. (in the fruiting phase in the territory of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic); Hedysarum grandiflorum Pall. (in the fruiting phase in the Volgograd region); Hedysarum daghestanicum Rupr. ex Boiss. (in the flowering phase in the Republic of Dagestan). Sequencing of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 marker region of gene 5.8S by the RNA ribosome was carried out according to the Sanger method on the AbiPrism 3130 genetic analyzer at the laboratory of biosystematics and cytology of Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.Results. Based on a comparative study of the marker region of the nuclear ribosomal gene 5.8S rRNA, marker nucleotide substitutions of Hedysarum caucasicum M. Bieb., Hedysarum daghestanicum Rupr. ex Boiss., Hedysarum grandiflorum Pall, have been identified. The most probable secondary structure of 5.8S rRNA has been constructed. It has been shown that based on the analysis performed, it is possible to predict additional raw material sources of mangiferin and other groups of xanthones using the molecular data exemplified by the Obscura section.Conclusion. Based on the data obtained, it can be concluded that the morphological classification of the genus Hedysarum L. can be confirmed within the Obscura section.

Application of Biochar on the runoff purification performance of porous asphalt pavement

Biochar is currently applied in many low-impact development measures, such as biofilters and filter strips. However, its application in permeable pavement is limited. Due to the wide range of raw material sources, biochar may also contain nutrients and heavy metals. Whether its leachate will cause contamination during application remains unknown. Based on the static leachate contamination test, this study first evaluated the leachate contamination risks of three types of biochar and porous asphalt mixture (PA) with three biochar fillers. Through the pavement infiltration test, the purification performance of PA with biochar fillers and filter layers was further analysed. The results show that biochar contains nitrogen and phosphorus, and the leaching contamination of coconut shell is the most obvious; when the biochar is applied as a filler in PA, the leaching contamination decreases, while the pollutant purification performance is not obvious; when 3−5 mm rice straw biochar is used as a filter layer, the removal rate of total suspended solids can be 100%, but it is accompanied by more serious nitrogen and phosphorus leaching, and the greater the thickness, the more serious the degree of leaching. Deionized water cleaning can remove the phosphates contained in biochar, but have little effect on nitrogen. Therefore, before the application of biochar, cleaning measures should be taken to minimize its leaching contamination.

Palm Oil Fuel Ash-Based Eco-Friendly Concrete Composite: A Critical Review of the Long-Term Properties

Rapid global infrastructural developments and advanced material science, amongst other factors, have escalated the demand for concrete. Cement, which is an integral part of concrete, binds the various individual solid materials to form a cohesive mass. Its production to a large extent emits many tons of greenhouse gases, with nearly 10% of global carbon (IV) oxide (CO2) emanating from cement production. This, coupled with an increase in the advocacy for environmental sustainability, has led to the development of various innovative solutions and supplementary cementitious materials. These aims to substantially reduce the overall volume of cement required in concrete and to meet the consistently increasing demand for concrete, which is projected to increase as a result of rapid construction and infrastructural development trends. Palm oil fuel ash (POFA), an industrial byproduct that is a result of the incineration of palm oil wastes due to electrical generation in power plants has unique properties, as it is a very reactive materials with robust pozzolanic tendencies, and which exhibits adequate micro-filling capabilities. In this study, a review on the material sources, affecting factors, and durability characteristics of POFA are carefully appraised. Moreover, in this study, a review of correlated literature with a broad spectrum of insights into the likely utilization of POFA-based eco-friendly concrete composites as a green material for the present construction of modern buildings is presented.

‘Purest Bones, Sweet Remains, and Most Sacred Relics.’ Re-Fashioning St. Kazimierz Jagiellończyk (1458–84) as a Medieval Saint between Counter-Reformation Italy and Poland-Lithuania

This article explores the Counter-Reformation medievalization of Polish–Lithuanian St. Kazimierz Jagiellończyk (1458–1484)—whose canonization was only finalized in the seventeenth century—as a case study, taking up questions of the reception of cults of medieval saints in post-medieval societies, or in this case, the retroactive refashioning into a venerable medieval saint. The article investigates these questions across a transcultural Italo–Baltic context through the activities of principal agents of the saint’s re-fashioning as a venerable saint during the late seventeenth century: the Pacowie from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Medici from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, during a watershed period of Tuscan–Lithuanian bidirectional interest. During this period, the two dynasties were entangled not only by means of the shared division of Jagiellończyk’s bodily remains through translatio—the ritual relocation of relics of saints and holy persons—but also self-representational strategies that furthered their religio-political agendas and retroactively constructed their houses’ venerable medieval roots back through antiquity. Drawing on distinct genres of textual, visual, and material sources, the article analyzes the Tuscan–Lithuanian refashioning of Kazimierz against a series of precious reliquaries made to translated holy remains between Vilnius to Florence to offer a contribution to the entangled histories of sanctity, art and material culture, and conceptual geography within the transtemporal and transcultural neocolonial context interconnecting the Middle Ages, Age of Reformations, and the Counter-Reformation between Italy and Baltic Europe.

Bodily Adornment and Modification in Byzantium

Focusing on Early and Middle Byzantine (fourth-to-twelfth-century) objects, images, and texts, this essay explores the tension between, on the one hand, efforts of the Byzantine church and state to discourage and control bodily adornment and modification and, on the other hand, the extensive evidence of widespread and immoderate engagement with these practices. The enhancement and manipulation of Byzantine bodies is considered as both a real and a metaphoric phenomenon. Evidence culled from secular and sacred, written and material sources demonstrates the importance of bodily adornment and modification to our understanding of Byzantine material and visual culture.

Formulation Development and Performance Characterization of Ecological Dust Suppressant for Road Surfaces in Cities

In order to solve the problem of road dust pollution, an ecological dust suppressant for road surfaces has been developed using monomer, orthogonal, and optimization experiments and based on the dust raising mechanism. A humectant, hygroscopic agent, coagulant and surfactant and their concentration ranges have been determined through monomer experiment. The preliminary formula of the dust suppressant has been obtained through orthogonal experiment, with the water loss rate, moisture content rate, viscosity value, and surface tension value serving as experimental indexes. The optimal formula for the dust suppressor has been calculated through an optimization experiment, with the toxicity, moisture absorption and retention performance of plants, and the relative damage rate of plant seeds serving as experimental indexes. Based on the performance characterization of ecological road dust suppressant, the ecologically and environmentally friendly dust suppressant demonstrates fine moisture absorption and retention performance, good wind and rain erosion resistance, and no toxicity. The ecological road dust suppressant developed herein covers extensive raw material sources. It is ecologically and environmentally friendly, fit for most urban roads, and has a fine dust suppression effect. Meanwhile, it also can bring in good economic and social benefits, demonstrating its broad application prospects.