bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flow and heat transfer characteristics of conductive gases in circular tubes under applied magnetic fields with different orientations
Authors: Zhao Qijin , Bai Xianghua , Mao Baoquan , Liao Zili
Published: March 2022

Controlling the flow and heat transfer characteristics of conductive gases in circular tubes by means of applied magnetic fields is of great significance in various applications. However, the specific effects of magnetic fields with different orientations on these flow and heat transfer characteristics remain poorly understood. This paper addresses this issue by applying numerical calculations for evaluating the effect of magnetic fields (MFs) with different magnitudes defined according to the Hartmann number (Ha) ranging from 0 to 740 and orientation, including transverse (TMFs), axial (AMFs), and radial (RMFs) on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of high-temperature conductive gas flows with Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 9612 to 32 040. The results demonstrate that applied TMFs have anisotropic effects on the flow and heat transfer of conductive gases, while the effects of applied AMFs and RMFs are isotropic. Applied AMFs have little effect on the heat transfer characteristics of conductive gases, while applied TMF and RMF conditions suppress heat transfer at the tube wall, and the suppression effect of RMFs is stronger. Moreover, the heat transfer suppression effect of applied TMFs and RMFs first increases and then decreases with increasing Ha for a constant Re, and the value of Ha required to achieve the optimal heat transfer suppression effect increases with increasing Re. In addition, the transition gradient of the magnetic field directly outside of the applied magnetic field region causes the accumulation of Joule heat and therefore detracts significantly from the heat transfer suppression effect of TMFs and RMFs.
A Perspective on superconductivity in curved 3D nanoarchitectures
Authors: Fomin Vladimir M. , Dobrovolskiy Oleksandr V.
Published: March 2022

In recent years, superconductivity and vortex matter in curved 3D nanoarchitectures have turned into a vibrant research avenue because of the rich physics of the emerging geometry- and topology-induced phenomena and their prospects for applications in (electro)magnetic field sensing and information technology. While this research domain is still in its infancy, numerous theoretical predictions await their experimental examination. In this Perspective, after a brief introduction to the topical area, we outline experimental techniques capable of fabrication of curved 3D nanostructures and review selected own results on the intertwined dynamics of Meissner currents, Abrikosov vortices, and slips of the phase of the superconducting order parameter therein. We share our vision regarding prospect directions and current challenges in this research domain, arguing that curved 3D nanoarchitectures open up a direction in superconductors' research and possess great potential for magnetic field sensing, bolometry, and fluxonic devices.
Experimental protocol for testing the mass–energy–information equivalence principle
Authors: Vopson Melvin M.
Published: March 2022

The mass–energy–information equivalence principle proposed in 2019 and the information content of the observable matter in the universe estimated in 2021 represent two important conjectures, called the information conjectures. Combining information theory and physical principles of thermodynamics, these theoretical proposals made specific predictions about the mass of information as well as the most probable information content per elementary particle. Here, we propose an experimental protocol that allows for empirical verification of the information conjectures by confirming the predicted information content of elementary particles. The experiment involves a matter–antimatter annihilation process. When an electron–positron annihilates, in addition to the two 511 keV gamma photons resulting from the conversion of their rest masses into energy, we predict that two additional low energy photons should be detected, resulting from their information content erasure. At room temperature, a positron–electron annihilation should produce two ∼50 µm wavelength infrared photons due to the information erasure. This experiment could, therefore, confirm both information conjectures and the existence of information as the fifth state of matter in the universe.
Diachronic changes of least delicate appraisal in parliamentary and congressional language
Authors: Almutairi Bandar Alhumaidi A.
Published: March 2022

This study investigates least delicate patterns ofappraisalin two diachronic corpora of UK Parliament and U.S. Congress speeches over the last two centuries, focusing on diachronic changes and trends of systemic probabilities of least delicateengagementandattitude polarity. Based on computational algorithms that automatically extractappraisalinstances and intersections from the two corpora, the comparative analysis carried out in this paper incorporates several statistical methods, including homogeneity or ‘change-point’ tests, Mann-Kendall trend analysis, and time-series Correspondence Analysis. The results indicate that, in both corpora, probabilities of monoglossic as well as attitudinal patterns (as opposed to neutral ones) follow statistically significant upward trends. In addition, positive polarity is increasing steadily, especially in the U.S. Congress.appraisalintersections are also dynamically changing depending on changes in sociopolitical circumstances. More specifically, in the formative and early years during which party conflicts were intensified, heteroglossic patterns are favored. In war and post-war periods, monoglossic patterns are more associated with neutral polarity. In recent decades, during which political polarization hit a peak, monoglossic patterns begin to favor attitudinal polarity. These findings are discussed in terms of possible causal and correlational interpretations, limitations and directions for future research.
Automatic assessment of spoken-language interpreting based on machine-translation evaluation metrics
Authors: Lu Xiaolei , Han Chao
Published: March 2022

Automated metrics for machine translation (MT) such as BLEU are customarily used because they are quick to compute and sufficiently valid to be useful in MT assessment. Whereas the instantaneity and reliability of such metrics are made possible by automatic computation based on predetermined algorithms, their validity is primarily dependent on a strong correlation with human assessments. Despite the popularity of such metrics in MT, little research has been conducted to explore their usefulness in the automatic assessment of human translation or interpreting. In the present study, we therefore seek to provide an initial insight into the way MT metrics would function in assessing spoken-language interpreting by human interpreters. Specifically, we selected five representative metrics – BLEU, NIST, METEOR, TER and BERT – to evaluate 56 bidirectional consecutive English–Chinese interpretations produced by 28 student interpreters of varying abilities. We correlated the automated metric scores with the scores assigned by different types of raters using different scoring methods (i.e., multiple assessment scenarios). The major finding is that BLEU, NIST, and METEOR had moderate-to-strong correlations with the human-assigned scores across the assessment scenarios, especially for the English-to-Chinese direction. Finally, we discuss the possibility and caveats of using MT metrics in assessing human interpreting.
New behaviors of α-particle preformation factors near doubly magic 100Sn *
Authors: Deng Jun-Gang , Zhang Hong-Fei , Sun Xiao-Dong
Published: March 2022

The

-particle preformation factors of nuclei above doubly magic nuclei

Sn and

Pb are investigated within the generalized liquid drop model. The results show that the

-particle preformation factors of nuclei near self-conjugate doubly magic

Sn are significantly larger than those of analogous nuclei just above

Pb, and they will be enhanced as the nuclei move towards the

line. The proton–neutron correlation energy

and two protons–two neutrons correlation energy

of nuclei near

Sn also exhibit a similar situation, indicating that the interactions between protons and neutrons occupying similar single-particle orbitals could enhance the

-particle preformation factors and result in superallowed

decay. This also provides evidence of the significant role of the proton–neutron interaction on

-particle preformation. Also, the linear relationship between

-particle preformation factors and the product of valence protons and valence neutrons for nuclei around

Pb is broken in the

Sn region because the

-particle preformation factor is enhanced when a nucleus near

Sn moves towards the

line. Furthermore, the calculated

decay half-lives fit well with the experimental data, including the recent observed self-conjugate nuclei

Te and

Xe [Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 182501 (2018)].
Water treatment of surface water using a ferrite reagent
Authors: Ovchinnikov A S , Denisova M A , Bocharnikov V S , Bocharnikova O V , Kuznetsov Yu V , Repenko T V , Pustovalov E V
Published: March 2022

The article presents the research results for a water treatment technology that removes chemical impurities with a ferrite reagent. The process scheme is a hydrocyclone filter for preliminary water purification from large suspensions, a vertical settler, a chamber for mixing the components of the reagent and a centrifuge for sludge dewatering, which can be used as a magnet. In the course of the experiments, the required cooling time intervals were established and the absorption effect of the ferrite reagent with respect to chemical impurities was determined. The settling was carried out at various intervals for 0.3, 1, 2 and 4 hours. It was found that the maximum permissible concentration of impurities in the test water was achieved within 2 hours of settling at a dose of 50 ml.
Application of geotextile containers for removal of silt layers of the Krasnodar reservoir
Authors: Bandurin M A , Bandurina I P , Mykhailin A A
Published: March 2022

The article deals with the issues of improving the methods of removing silt layers of the Krasnodar reservoir using geotextile containers. The new technology exceeds all the characteristics of the dewatering facilities available in Russia. The necessary stage of preparation of wastes for disposal is dewatering to a humidity of 50-60%, which allows you to reduce their volume tenfold and improve the structure of raw materials. For these purposes, Russia has quite a lot of different structures and a large number of sludge dewatering methods. For the construction of sludge dewatering facilities and various types of precipitation of sewage, much less time and economic costs are required than for the construction of mechanical cleaning facilities. Also, new technologies occupy quite a little free land area compared to silt sites and they do not depend on climatic factors because atmospheric precipitation falling on the container drains from its surface. The impact of negative temperatures provides the deep moisture drainage after thawing of organogenic silts and hydroxide slimes. Also, new technologies occupy. Geotextile container technology is ideal for silt maps cleaning, sludge storage facilities and reservoirs, for temporary storage of dewatered sludge on a site, and, most importantly, for disposal of wastes directly at the dewatering site in the form of a highly loaded landfill that is resistant to wind and water erosion. When reducing the area of silt maps, the containers can be used as an emergency reserve, since their guaranteed storage period is 25 years. The main principle of the technology is to provide the sludge into the container through a pulp pipeline and then wait for the free water to drain. When dewatering granular suspensions (from sand to dense slimes), the container is filled with natural pulp. When fine silts and hydroxide slimes are dewatered, a flocculant is added to the pulp. After the initial filling of the container with pulp, its subsequent pumping is carried out from 1 to 5 times, after which the process of consolidation of the dehydrated material to the limit of free water release occurs, the duration of which depends on the properties of the solid phase. The main thing is that waiting does not consume any resources, except for the area provided for containers. After consolidation, a loose or refractory material is formed, the size of which depends on the size of the geotextile container used.
Automation of diagnostic tools for agricultural power transformers
Authors: Dorozhko S V , Shaimordanova M S , Dorozhko D S
Published: March 2022

Power transformers are the main elements of power supply systems and are used in agriculture and industry. When testing an agricultural power transformer, no-load and short-circuit modes play an important role. The system for checking the power transformer is proposed to implement using a modern digital analyzer. Part of the measurements should be performed without disconnecting the power transformer from the network. At the same time, the test time is reduced, the accuracy and the ability to automate the processing of measurement results are increased.
Improvement of design parameters of geotextile containers made of polypropylene for removal of silt layers and industrial waste
Authors: Bandurin M A , Bandurina I P , Bandurin A P
Published: March 2022

The article deals with the issues of improving the design parameters of geotextile containers made of polypropylene for the removal of silt layers and industrial waste as exemplified by the Krasnodar reservoir. The article presents statistics of waste accumulation in the Russian Federation in recent years. A new technology for transportation and disposal of liquid waste is proposed. The calculation of the parameters of geotextile containers made of high-strength fabric materials based on polypropylene has been developed. The development of chemical industry has allowed us to offer a new cost-effective innovative technology of dewatering and waste disposal based on the use of geotextile containers made of high-strength fabric material. In the Russian Federation, more than 3.5 billion tons of waste are accumulated annually, the amount of which increases with the growth of economic activity. Of the waste produced in 2020, 47% was placed at the enterprises’ own facilities, and 19% was buried. In order to improve the state of the environment, it is necessary to improve waste storage and disposal technologies. The use of geotextile containers made of high-strength fabric materials for dewatering and waste disposal is the most environmentally and cost-effective technology that has no restrictions and contraindications for technical equipment and has all the necessary indicators of strength, rigidity and reliability for effective use.
Studying wheat grain conservation in different types of granaries
Authors: Zavalishina O M , Kuznetsova T A , Kosachev I A , Zavalishin S I , Korneeva A V
Published: March 2022

The main task of grain storage is to preserve it without loss in mass or with minimal losses, without deterioration in quality, reduce labor costs and expenses per unit of production with the best preservation of indicators. This research paper provides a comparative analysis of two methods of storing wheat grain for food purposes to identify the optimal and most rational method from both process and economic points of view. Two consignments of grain, of the same quality, were placed for storage in an elevator silo and an ordinary grain warehouse. During the storage period, the temperature measurements were carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the regulatory documents. The quality of the stored products was assessed according to the main technological indicators. The economic efficiency of grain masses storage was calculated in different ways. According to the results of the research, the advantages and disadvantages of each of the storage methods have been established.
Barriers and Opportunities of Bio pellets Fuel Development in Indonesia: Market Demand and Policy
Authors: Pradnyaswari Indira , Pongrekun Jeremy N , Ridhana Pandu , Budiman Ibnu
Published: March 2022

Biopellets, part of biomass, have excellent prospects to be developed further in Indonesia. The potential for developing biomass energy is estimated at 50 GWe, while the installed capacity is still around 1600 MW by 2018. This study analyzed the barriers and opportunities of bio pellets development in Indonesia. Data were collected from a systematic literature review and interviews with related stakeholders. Lack of market demand is one of the main barriers to boosting bio pellets development in Indonesia. We found that a lack of national demand was one of the barriers. National demand accounts only for about 10% of total production, with the highest coming from Java – produced for power plants and other industries such as food, cosmetics, ceramics, and furniture industries. About 90% of the biopellets market demand originates from Japan and Korea. Recently, the Indonesian government is drafting a regulation to support cofiring for coal power plants to increase national demand for biomass (including biopellets). This may open a window of opportunity to increase the national market demand for biopellets in Indonesia.
Towards achieving Platinum standards for Green Building certification: a case study using Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) design
Authors: Hanif Hanif
Published: March 2022

Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) will be the largest FIFA-standard stadium in Indonesia equipped with 82,000 seating capacities, two training pitches, and retractable roof on its top. Parking lots will be limited in numbers; however, many modern public transportation systems will pass over the area to encourage people not to use private vehicles. As the Project Owner, PT. Jakarta Propertindo (Perseroda) has set the target to achieve Platinum-standard in Green Building. As of mid-July 2021, JIS was still under construction with the actual progress of around 64 %, however, its design has met the sustainability’s highest requirements as Green Building Council Indonesia (GBCI) has awarded Greenship platinum to JIS’ design with the score of 81.8%. The final assessment (FA), which includes on-site measurement and verification, will be performed after the construction is completed. This research is aimed to measure the efficacy of Greenship grade in Indonesia’s sustainable building design by comparing it with another international rating system. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which is famous to its stringency in energy performance assessment, was chosen to be another benchmark for this project. The result shows that if LEED criteria were applied at JIS, the design could score up to 77.4% which meet the conditions for platinum level.
COVID-19 and the Energy Sector Development in ASEAN Countries: Assessing the Role of Fiscal Measures for Green Recovery Trajectory
Authors: Abdullah I , Warviyan D , Safrina R , Rosalia S A , Tirta A , Demoral A , Bilqis A
Published: March 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide ramifications on many sectors, including energy sector. This draws the interest of numerous scholars who have sought to investigate the impact of the pandemic on the energy sector as well as the prospects for a green recovery trajectory. However, few of these authors have considered the role of fiscal stimulus that governments have provided in the context of green recoveries. This study aims to fill that gap, focusing on the case of ASEAN member states (AMS). For this purpose, we employ both statistical data from official sources and qualitative evidence collected through interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with officials from ASEAN countries. This study finds that green recovery stimulus in AMS is still limited. Although some of the fiscal supports that ASEAN countries have launched have had indirect effects on energy, policy makers in the region have not prioritized the green recovery at the center of recovery path. A major factor is fiscal limitations that force the governments of ASEAN countries to focus on strengthening the health sector and supporting vulnerable groups. Accordingly, this analysis highlights the importance of exploring other funding opportunities, including grants and concessional financing, to support green recovery in the region.
Utilization of technology and digitalization to bring equality energy access for remote areas
Authors: Rachmadhani D R , Ilham
Published: March 2022

More electricity infrastructures to serve off-grid or mini-grid solutions have been installed to become the best choice for rural areas to increase the electrification ratio. The Indonesian government uses this ratio as a primary indicator for measuring the range of energy supply. The electrification ratio of Indonesia reached 99.2% in 2020. However, this seemingly bright achievement must be followed by improving the quality of access to electricity. The solution to this challenge is digital transformation to modernize data and perform analysis in the network ecosystem to create an intelligent utility system that will improve the quality of access to electricity. The simulation of the utilization of SEMons shows a significant decrease in the LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) of the solar PV power plant of around 14.52% compared to the existing condition with the manual monitoring method. For the units built-in 2017, there is a reduction of LCOE from 0.1034 USD/kWh to 0.0866 USD/kWh. This decrease in the LCOE value indicates a reduction in fixed Operation & Maintenance costs due to the optimized predictive maintenance to improve the availability of units.
FJ.Mock Method for Hydrological model in Water Reliability Study at Jatiluhur Estate, Purwakarta
Authors: Setiadi Panji Agung , Wijayanti Yureana , Cahyono Christian , Juliastuti
Published: March 2022

Jatiluhur Estate is an area located in Purwakarta Regency and was developed for residential, industrial, and commercial areas. Therefore, it is important to determine the availability of water that will meet water needs, and to evaluate the water reliability in future. This study aimed to model the river discharge in determination of water availability of Jatiluhur Estate. The methods used in this study include observational discharge data, evapotranspiration, rainfall, and area of flow. To analyze the availability of water, F.J. Mock method was used, where the F.J. Mock method can show water balance analysis for monthly discharge. The results showed that the availability of water with mainstay discharge Q80% and Q90% met the water needs of the Jatiluhur Estate or showed a surplus condition for 30 years (2020-2050).
Design and manufacture of polylacticacid (PLA) filament storage for 3-dimensional printing with composite material.
Authors: Suharjanto G , Adi J P
Published: March 2022

3-dimensional printing is an additive manufacturing (AM) method using polylacticacid (PLA) filaments. However, PLA filaments still have limitations such as the hygroscopic properties of the material. This type of filament easily absorbs air from air humidity, so it will have an impact on the chemical damage of PLA. In this research, a composite file storage area will be designed. The method of making this file storage area will use a composite material Medium Density Board (MDF) with a simple manufacturing method. The filament storage area is expected to prevent and reduce air absorption and the lifespan of filaments in PLA filaments, thus helping users of 3-dimensional printing produce better results.
Natural ventilation in traditional market building: Optimize air intake trough windcatcher components
Authors: Wijaksono S , Suryawinata B A , Achdiat M H
Published: March 2022

This paper presents a study on one aspect of windcatcher implementation, to optimize air intake. This study aims to investigate the optimal aspect of natural ventilation in providing the required wind intake in the building to maintain the level of air intake in the room. The Indonesian Ministry of Health stated that each market must have 20% ventilation of the space and face each other. This study examines the most optimal strategy to obtain the ventilation intake, the method used is a quantitative method by comparing alternative variables. And the results of the comparison provide selected alternative elements that can be used to improve natural ventilation in traditional market.
Architecture as a tool to achieve the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Setiawan D
Published: March 2022

As a researcher and architect, the author creates several architectural works, most of them are located on the Java island, Indonesia. The author believes that building with ecological principles and green architecture is important today to adapt to climate change and prevent the worst from happening. By testing these projects with the theory of ecology and green architecture, the authors get several conclusions that every project built must be able to answer climate problems that occur at this time. In this paper the author will describe the use of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or we commonly knows as SDGs in his works on the island of Java, Indonesia. Architecture is a tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Detecting Hemileia vastatrix using Vision AI as Supporting to Food Security for Smallholder Coffee Commodities
Authors: Suparyanto Teddy , Firmansyah Erick , Wawan Cenggoro Tjeng , Sudigyo Digdo , Pardamean Bens
Published: March 2022

The loss of food crops during the COVID-19 pandemic threatens food security in Indonesia as one of the world’s top coffee producers. This affects the insecurity of coffee commodities which is influenced by several factors other than the pandemic such as pests, plant diseases, and extreme weather. Plant diseases, such as leaf rust, are a significant factor in the insecurity problem in coffee commodities. The fungus Hemileia vastatrix B et Br causes leaf rust disease, which is a pest that frequently damages coffee plants. This disease not only interferes with plant growth but also causes a decrease in coffee quality and quantity. This initial research aims to carry out early prevention of these diseases as supporting to food security in smallholder coffee commodities. An AI-based visual detection application is the result of this research. We collected 100 images of coffee leaves from various coffee plants. The image is reshaped to 256 x 256 pixels and randomly trimmed to 224 x 224 pixels to fulfill the size requirements of a standard Deep Learning technique. Each image was classified into two classes by a plant pest and disease specialist. The dataset was divided into training, validation, and testing series with a ratio of 60:20:20 for training procedures. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) research method used a variation of the ResNet CNN model with 18 layers. The best model validation was 59%.
Nutritional Contents and Processing of Plant-Based Milk: A Review
Authors: Romulo Andreas
Published: March 2022

For a long time, animal milk such as cow milk has been regarded as a complete food due to its nutritional content and beneficial health effect. However, the emergence of lactose intolerance and allergy to cow milk, new lifestyles such as vegetarianism and veganism, and sustainability challenges such as water pollution and greenhouse gases emission, have pushed researchers to innovate an alternative product to replace animal milk. Plant-based milk, the aqueous liquid obtained from different plant materials such as cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, and pseudocereals, has been developed to replace animal milk. Therefore, the knowledge of the nutritional profile and processing steps of plant-based milk production becomes essential. This review describes the information regarding the materials used, the nutritional profiles, and the processing steps of plant-based milk. There is a challenge in developing plant-based milk that has a similar nutrition content to cow milk. Processing technique in terms of formulation such as fortification is needed to produce plant-based milk with acceptable nutritional content and high consumer acceptance.
Consumer Analysis of Commercial Plant-Based Jerky
Authors: Veniranda Vega , Surya Reggie
Published: March 2022

The demand for plant-based meats is growing globally, with the global market estimated at USD 1.6 billion in 2019 and projected to reach USD 3.5 billion by 2026. Taking advantage of these opportunities, a food company based in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia develops plant-based products that can be consumed by both vegetarians and vegans. The growth of companies in the food sector is quite high. Competition between companies in the food sector is becoming increasingly tight, so the business units involved must try to determine the best strategy in providing quality and service according to demand. This study aimed to determine the consumer satisfaction of commercial plant-based jerky produced by a food company in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia using the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) method, identify its important attributes, and map the important of each attribute using Importance Performance Analysis (IPA). Variables and attributes used are: 1) quality of product (vegan jerky colour, aroma, texture, taste, shelf life, vegan jerky shape & size), 2) packaging products (appearance, material/type, practicality), 3) product price. Total respondents are 100 consumers with convenience sampling technique. This study uses probability sampling with simple random sampling technique and tested on 124 respondents. The customer satisfaction level of vegan jerky based on CSI are as follow: original onion variant 86.8%, spicy onion variant 85.3%, original non-onion variant 83.8%, and spicy non- onion variant 84.9%. Based on IPA, there were 5 attributes that needed improving: aroma, taste, texture, shelf life, and price.
Metaharmonic functions: Mean flux theorem, its converse and related properties
Authors: Kuznetsov N.
Published: March 2022

The mean flux theorems are proved for solutions of the Helmholtz equation and its modified version. Also, their converses are considered along with some other properties which generalize those that guarantee harmonicity.
Asymptotics of the spectrum of the mixed boundary value problem for the Laplace operator in a thin spindle-shaped domain
Authors: Nazarov S. , Taskinen J.
Published: March 2022

The asymptotics is examined for solutions to the spectral problem for the Laplace operator in add-dimensional thin, of diameterO(h)O(h), spindle-shaped domainΩh\Omega ^hwith the Dirichlet condition on small, of sizeh≪1h\ll 1, terminal zonesΓ±h\Gamma ^h_\pmand the Neumann condition on the remaining part of the boundary∂Ωh\partial \Omega ^h. In the limit ash→+0h\rightarrow +0, an ordinary differential equation on the axis(−1,1)∋z(-1,1)\ni zof the spindle arises with a coefficient degenerating at the pointsz=±1z=\pm 1and moreover, without any boundary condition because the requirement on the boundedness of eigenfunctions makes the limit spectral problem well-posed. Error estimates are derived for the one-dimensional model but in the case ofd=3d=3it is necessary to construct boundary layers near the setsΓ±h\Gamma ^h_\pmand in the case ofd=2d=2it is necessary to deal with selfadjoint extensions of the differential operator. The extension parameters depend linearly onln⁡h\ln hso that its eigenvalues are analytic functions in the variable1/|ln⁡h|1/|\ln h|. As a result, in all dimensions the one-dimensional model gets the power-law accuracyO(hδd)O(h^{\delta _d})with an exponentδd>0\delta _d>0. First (the smallest) eigenvalues, positive inΩh\Omega ^hand null in (−1,1)(-1,1), require individual treatment. Also, infinite asymptotic series are discussed, as well as the static problem (without the spectral parameter) and related shapes of thin domains.
Eigenvalue asymptotics for polynomially compact pseudodifferential operators
Authors: Rozenblum G.
Published: March 2022

The asymptotics is found for eigenvalues of polynomially compact pseudodifferential operators of the zeroth order.
Complex WKB method for a system of two linear difference equations
Authors: Fedotov A.
Published: March 2022

Analytic solutions of the difference equationΨ(z+h)=M(z)Ψ(z)\Psi (z+h)=M(z)\Psi (z)are explored. Herezzis a complex variable,h>0h>0is a parameter, andMMis a givenSL(2,C)SL(2,\mathbb {C})-valued function. It is assumed thatMMeither is analytic in a bounded domain or is a trigonometric polynomial. A simple method to derive the asymptotics of solutions ash→0h\to 0is described.
Successful treatment of disseminated Verruconis gallopava infection in a heart transplant recipient: A case report
Authors: Martin Marlee , Hobbs Athena L V , Baird Mallory
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To describe a case of disseminated Verruconis gallopava infection in a cardiac transplant recipient that was successfully treated with oral posaconazole and intravenous anidulafungin.

A 51-year-old male initially presented with pulmonary manifestations, but subsequently developed cutaneous lesions, fungemia, osteomyelitis of the hip requiring excision, and eventually brain abscesses over the course of 3 months. The patient was successfully treated with various antifungal agents throughout his treatment course and was eventually discharged on oral posaconazole and intravenous anidulafungin. He remained on oral posaconazole suppressive therapy and had had no recurrence of fungal infection after 31 months of follow-up.

Conclusion

On the basis of this case report, intravenous anidulafungin and chronic suppressive therapy with oral posaconazole can successfully treat disseminated V. gallopava infections.
The Utilization of Poly-l-Lactic Acid as a Safe and Reliable Method for Volume Maintenance After Facelift Surgery With Fat Grafting
Authors: O’Daniel Thomas Gerald , Kachare Milind D
Published: March 2022

Background

For age-related volume loss, fat grafting is now recognized as an integral adjunctive procedure with facelift surgery. However, when there is continued and unpredicted volume loss postoperatively, the surgeon has limited options for restoring this lost volume.

Objectives

Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) is a proven biostimulator that creates volumetric enhancement. This study is undertaken to demonstrate that PLLA is a safe and efficacious option for maintenance of post-facelift volume loss.

Methods

A retrospective review was conducted to identify all patients who underwent facelift surgery with fat grafting and postoperative PLLA injections from 2010 to 2018 by a single surgeon. Demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed.

Results

This review identified a total of 241 patients who had undergone a facelift with fat grafting and PLLA injections. Of these, 190 patients were treated with PLLA after facelift and fat grafting, while 51 patients received PLLA injections before their operation. We identified 5 common indications for use of PLLA after facelift surgery and fat grafting. These included unexplained early fat graft loss, significant weight loss in the postoperative period, normal aging process, and patients who had a high perioperative lean body mass. Additionally, PLLA was found to be an effective volumizer for site-specific areas that did not undergo fat grafting during the initial operation. There were no complications reported from the PLLA injections related to nodule formation, papules, or granulomas.

Conclusions

The high degree of variability in the survival of fat grafts with facelift surgery is an accepted reality. PLLA represents a safe and highly effective solution to restore volume loss in patients who have undergone facelifts with fat grafting.
Locally recurrent rectal cancer: oncological outcomes with different treatment strategies in two tertiary referral units
Authors: Nordkamp Stefi , Voogt Eva L. K. , van Zoggel Desley M. G. I. , Martling Anna , Holm Torbjörn , Jansson Palmer Gabriella , Suzuki Chikako , Nederend Joost , Kusters Miranda , Burger Jacobus W. A. , Rutten Harm J. T. , Iversen Henrik
Published: March 2022

Background

The optimal treatment for patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC) is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate different treatment strategies in two leading tertiary referral hospitals in Europe.

Methods

All patients who underwent curative surgery for LRRC between January 2003 and December 2017 in Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, the Netherlands (CHE), or Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden (KAR), were studied retrospectively. Available MRIs were reviewed to obtain a uniform staging for optimal comparison of both cohorts. The main outcomes studied were overall survival (OS), local re-recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS).

Results

In total, 377 patients were included, of whom 126 and 251 patients came from KAR and CHE respectively. At 5 years, the LRFS rate was 62.3 per cent in KAR versus 42.3 per cent in CHE (P = 0.017), whereas OS and MFS were similar. A clear surgical resection margin (R0) was the strongest prognostic factor for survival, with a hazard ratio of 2.23 (95 per cent c.i. 1.74 to 2.86; P < 0.001), 3.96 (2.87 to 5.47; P < 0.001), and 2.00 (1.48 to 2.69; P < 0.001) for OS, LRFS, and MFS respectively. KAR performed more extensive operations, resulting in more R0 resections than in CHE (76.2 versus 61.4 per cent; P = 0.004), whereas CHE relied more on neoadjuvant treatment and intraoperative radiotherapy, to reduce the morbidity of multivisceral resections (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

In radiotherapy-naive patients, neoadjuvant full-course chemoradiation confers the best oncological outcome. However, neoadjuvant therapy does not diminish the need for extended radical surgery to increase R0 resection rates.
Dementia is associated with medial temporal atrophy even after accounting for neuropathologies
Authors: Woodworth Davis C. , Sheikh-Bahaei Nasim , Scambray Kiana A. , Phelan Michael J. , Perez-Rosendahl Mari , Corrada María M. , Kawas Claudia H. , Sajjadi Seyed Ahmad ,   for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: March 2022

Brain atrophy is associated with degenerative neuropathologies and the clinical status of dementia. Whether dementia is associated with atrophy independent of neuropathologies is not known. In this study, we examined the pattern of atrophy associated with dementia while accounting for the most common dementia-related neuropathologies. We used data from National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (n = 129) and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (n = 47) participants with suitable in vivo 3D-T1w MRI and autopsy data. We determined dementia status at the visit closest to MRI. We examined the following dichotomized neuropathological variables: Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology, hippocampal sclerosis, Lewy bodies, cerebral amyloid angiopathy and atherosclerosis. Voxel-based morphometry identified areas associated with dementia after accounting for neuropathologies. Identified regions of interest were further analysed. We used multiple linear regression models adjusted for neuropathologies and demographic variables. We also examined models with dementia and Clinical Dementia Rating sum of the boxes as the outcome and explored the potential mediating effect of medial temporal lobe structure volumes on the relationship between pathology and cognition. We found strong associations for dementia with volumes of the hippocampus, amygdala and parahippocampus (semi-partial correlations ≥ 0.28, P < 0.0001 for all regions in National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center; semi-partial correlations ≥ 0.35, P ≤ 0.01 for hippocampus and parahippocampus in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative). Dementia status accounted for more unique variance in atrophy in these structures (∼8%) compared with neuropathological variables; the only exception was hippocampal sclerosis which accounted for more variance in hippocampal atrophy (10%). We also found that the volumes of the medial temporal lobe structures contributed towards explaining the variance in Clinical Dementia Rating sum of the boxes (ranging from 5% to 9%) independent of neuropathologies and partially mediated the association between Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology and cognition. Even after accounting for the most common neuropathologies, dementia still had among the strongest associations with atrophy of medial temporal lobe structures. This suggests that atrophy of the medial temporal lobe is most related to the clinical status of dementia rather than Alzheimer's disease or other neuropathologies, with the potential exception of hippocampal sclerosis.
Recurrent Subclinical Tuberculosis Among Antiretroviral Therapy–Accessing Participants: Incidence, Clinical Course, and Outcomes
Authors: Naidoo Kogieleum , Moodley Mikaila C , Hassan-Moosa Razia , Dookie Navisha , Yende-Zuma Nonhlanhla , Perumal Rubeshan , Dawood Halima , Mvelase Nomonde R , Mathema Barun , Karim Salim Abdool
Published: March 2022

Background

Undiagnosed asymptomatic subclinical tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant threat to global TB control, accounting for a substantial proportion of cases among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS (PLWHA). We determined incidence, progression, and outcomes of subclinical TB in antiretroviral therapy (ART)–accessing PLWHA with known previous TB in South Africa.

Methods

A total of 402 adult PLWHA previously treated for TB were enrolled in the prospective Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa TRuTH (TB Recurrence Upon TB and HIV treatment) Study. Participants were screened for TB with quarterly clinical and bacteriologic evaluation and biannual chest radiographs over 36 months. Those with suspected or confirmed TB were referred to the National TB Programme. Participants received HIV services, including ART. Incidence rate of TB was estimated using Poisson regression and descriptive statistical analyses summarized data.

Results

A total of 48 of 402 (11.9%) bacteriologically confirmed incident recurrent TB cases were identified, comprising 17 of 48 (35.4%) subclinical TB cases and 31 of 48 (64.5%) clinical TB cases. Age, sex, and body mass index were similar among subclinical, clinical, and no TB groups. Incidence rates (95% Confidence Interval [CI]) of recurrent TB overall, in clinical and subclinical TB groups were 2.3 (1.7-3.0), 1.5 (1.1-2.2), and 0.9 (0.5-1.4) per 100 person-years, respectively. In the subclinical TB group, 14 of 17 (82.4%) were diagnosed by TB culture only, 11 of 17 (64.7%) received TB treatment, and 6 of 17 (35.3%) resolved TB spontaneously.

Conclusions

High incidence rates of recurrent subclinical TB in PLWHA highlight inadequacies of symptom-based TB screening in high TB–HIV burden settings.
The flavohemoglobin geneMoFHB1is involved in the endurance against nitrosative stress inMagnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Zhang Zhen , Hao Zhongna , Chai Rongyao , Qiu Haiping , Wang Jiaoyu , Wang Yanli , Sun Guochang
Published: March 2022

Nitric oxide (NO) homeostasis plays a versatile role in pathogen-host interactions. To maintain NO homeostasis in favor of pathogens, microbes have evolved NO degradation systems besides NO synthesis pathway, in which the flavohemoglobin and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) reductase are two key enzymes. We previously proved that MoSFA1, a GSNO reductase, is required for the growth and pathogenicity in Magnaporthe oryzae. In the present work, MoFHB1, a flavohemoglobin-encoding gene in M. oryzae was functionally characterized. Although the expression of the MoFHB1 gene was developmentally regulated during conidial germination and appressorium development, disruption of MoFHB1 did not change vegetative growth, conidiation and virulence. However, compared with the Δmosfa1 mutant, the Δmofhb1 mutant was significantly more sensitive to NO stress, and the expression of MoSFA1 gene in the Δmofhb1 mutant was significantly upregulated. Double deletion of MoSFA1 and MoFHB1 led to greater sensitivity of the fungus to NO stress than either of the single gene mutant, but no further reduction in pathogenicity was found compared with that of Δmosfa1 mutant. Taken together, MoFHB1 played an important role in NO detoxification but was dispensable for virulence of M. oryzae.
The vanishing link between animalcules and disease before the 19th century
Authors: Robertson Lesley A
Published: March 2022

When Antoni van Leeuwenhoek began his work with microscopes in the late 17th century, western medicine was mostly based on the work of a Roman doctor called Galen (129–199 ad), theological interpretation, superstition, and folk remedies. During modern discussions of Van Leeuwenhoek's work, a common question from listeners is why it took so long for the link between Van Leeuwenhoek's discoveries and infectious disease to be accepted. Published literature, examples of which are discussed here, shows that many researchers, doctors, and others reported the link, even during Van Leeuwenhoek's lifetime. However, it was frequently not taken seriously by the most influential people. The scientific establishment included a faction of the Royal Society of London who called themselves the ‘Mechanical Philosophers’. They ridiculed those reporting animalcule-linked infection, dismissing them as ‘Contagionists’. The medical establishment also included many influential people with a lot to lose if they changed their established approaches, and many quack doctors. Most religious ministers were strongly orthodox, some even claiming that helping the sick angered God. A major problem, of course, was that technology and biological understanding also lagged far behind. Despite the fact that the use of vaccination was under active discussion in the Royal Society at the time of Van Leeuwenhoek's death and quarantine was in regular use, a possible microbial connection was apparently not considered. It was not until late in the 19th century, that Robert Koch (1843–1910) isolated Bacillus anthracis, proved that it caused anthrax, and was believed. This paper follows a lecture given during the online Microbe Forum in June 2021, and illustrates the difficulties of establishing the true link between Van Leeuwenhoek's animalcules and infectious disease in humans, animals, and plants.