bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FINANCIAL CONTROL SYSTEM IN THE CONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATION STROYINDUSTRIYA-NK LLC
Authors:   Kuzbass Humanitarian Pedagogical Institute of Kemerovo State University, Tsvirkun O. A.
Published: April 2022

Under market relations, financial results control is the necessary condition for making tactical and strategic management decisions. Financial control aims to provide investors, shareholders, contractors, and other accounting reports users with reliable and qualitative information on the performance indicators and results of economic entities to make economic decisions and mitigate risks of losses from investments. The author considers the mistakes made when keeping records and preparing reports on the financial results in the construction organization; studies the correspondence of accounts used to form financial results and the reporting on the retired units; concludes about the compliance of accounting with legal requirements; specifies the consequences of mistakes for the analyzed construction company Stroyindustriya-NK LLC. The quantitative materiality level for the company’s accountancy data is calculated, it is identified that the volume of revealed deviations exceeds the reported value. It is possible to eliminate the reported issues by carrying out the intercompany financial control over financial result formation. The paper contains a completed form of financial result report taking into account the correction of all detected mistakes. The author gives recommendations on the membership of the intercompany audit committee. As a result of the study, the author concludes on improper disclosure of business transactions for the consumed costs. The study identified the absence of accounting entries for retired fixed assets and their accounting treatment. The paper presents the material by taking into account the updated information about the activity of a particular economic entity.
ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION OF MAGNESIUM COATINGS
Authors:   Togliatti State University, Gnusina A. M. , Gryzunova N. N. ,   Togliatti State University
Published: April 2022

Magnesium, its compounds, and alloys arise recently the heightened interest among scientists all over the world. The interest in magnesium research is caused by its combination of many promising properties that find practical application in various sectors of the national economy. On an industrial scale, the bulk of magnesium is produced by the electrolysis from the melt. However, there is a problem with the environmental security of this process. This method is environmentally unfriendly since it is accompanied by the release of hazardous chlorine and organochlorine compounds into the environment. In some cases, the electrodeposition from solutions may serve as an alternative. The task to produce magnesium and magnesium-containing coatings using electrodeposition from solutions was already raised, but it is not yet possible to obtain a stable electrolyte that allows obtaining high-quality coatings. The authors propose an electrolyte in which isopropyl alcohol is used as a solvent. Magnesium-containing coatings were produced by electrodeposition on a conductive base. The authors prepared an electrolyte based on anhydrous magnesium sulfate. To increase the conductivity of the electrolyte, sodium, potassium, and calcium chlorides in different concentrations were added to the solution. The authors carried out the experimental studies of the effect of the electrolyte composition and electrodeposition modes on the morphology and elemental composition of magnesium-containing coatings. Electron microscopic studies and the studies of the elemental composition of samples by the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer show that the non-stationary (two-step) electrodeposition mode is the optimal one for producing magnesium coatings with a fine crystalline structure, low porosity, and high magnesium content.
THE INTERRELATION BETWEEN THE ELECTRODEPOSITION PARAMETERS AND SURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF NICKEL COATINGS IN THE PRESENCE OF A GROWTH INHIBITOR
Authors:   Togliatti State University, Matveeva N. S. , Gryzunova N. N. ,   Togliatti State University
Published: April 2022

On the one hand, nickel and nickel coatings are well-studied objects in terms of their wide practical application; on the other hand, the application of various approaches to their production and structuring gives new possibilities for changing their properties. At present, the research activities related to the change in nickel physicochemical properties through nanostructuring are being carried out. Methods and techniques for producing nanostructured materials are very diverse. However, many of them are considered energy-intensive and economically unviable. The work solves the problem of obtaining nickel coatings and changing their properties through electrodeposition from aqueous solutions of electrolytes. The paper studies the effect of additives to a nickel electrolyte on the habit of crystals formed in the coating and, consequently, the nickel coating morphology. The authors used sodium, potassium, and calcium chlorides in the same molar concentration to be additives. During the electrodeposition of coating samples, the substrate nature and the electrolysis regimes changed. The deposition was carried out in the stationary mode of electrodeposition within one or two stages of electrolysis. The authors studied the obtained samples by scanning electron microscopy methods using X-ray diffraction analysis. The study identified that chlorides can significantly change the coating surface morphology. Depending on chloride concentration and deposition regimes, the surface morphology of nickel coatings changes from the three-dimensional cone-shaped structures to the lamellar habit. Chlorides allow forming crystals with pentagonal symmetry as well. The addition of chlorides affects the growth of crystals in certain crystallographic directions (111), which may be the result of their inhibitory effect. The obtained nickel coatings have a regular microrelief.
THE COMPARISON OF THE MAIN TIME-FREQUENCY TRANSFORMATIONS OF SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF ACOUSTIC EMISSION SIGNALS
Authors:   Togliatti State University, Rastegaeva I. I. , Rastegaev I. A. ,   Togliatti State University, Agletdinov E. A. ,   Togliatti State University, Merson D. L. ,   Togliatti State University
Published: April 2022

Due to the intensive development of spectroscopic techniques for detecting acoustic emission signals, the problem of providing the best time-frequency resolution through the application of specific time-frequency transformation algorithms comes to the fore. The Short-Time Fourier Transform, the Wavelet Transform, the Smoothed Pseudo Wigner Distribution, the Choi-Williams Distribution, and the Hilbert-Huang Transform are currently the main time-frequency transformations used or integrated into the acoustic emission method. However, today in the literature, there is not enough information that allows evaluating time-frequency transformations regarding the effectiveness of their application to specify the features of discrete and continuous acoustic emission signals. On this basis, the authors carried out an experimental comparison of synthetic and actual model signals to determine the efficiency of specified time-frequency transformations. The synthetic model signals were a chirp signal, ideal sinusoids, and a Dirac delta function. The actual signals were a discrete acoustic emission signal from the Hsu Nelson source decomposed into dispersion modes in the acoustic channel and a continuous acoustic emission signal from the air outflow through a calibrated hole. The analysis shows that only the Fourier transform and the Wavelet transform can define all control features of model signals at the frequency components’ energy gap of about 25 dB. Wigner Distribution, Choi-Williams Distribution, and Hilbert-Huang Transform demonstrated higher time-frequency resolution did not identify frequency components of low energy. Therefore, the authors recommend using them to identify spectral changes in the resonance and discrete signals but in the narrow energy range. The Fourier transform and the Wavelet transform demonstrated the best result to analyze continuous acoustic emission. However, to use the latter, the procedure of selection of the optimal basis function is necessary. The study determined that the Hilbert-Huang transform allows identifying the frequency fluctuations, but it is necessary to develop ways to increase sensitivity and extract basic information from the spectrograms to enhance the validity of its results.
FORMING AN EDGED CUBIC TEXTURE IN BAND SUBSTRATES MADE OF (Cu+Ni)–Me (Me=Mo, Mn, Nb) ALLOYS FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE SECOND-GENERATION SUPERCONDUCTORS
Authors:   M.N. Mikheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Suaridze T. R. , Khlebnikova Yu. V. ,   M.N. Mikheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Egorova L. Yu. ,   M.N. Mikheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: April 2022

After cold-rolling reduction with the shrinkage of more than 97 % and recrystallization annealing, the edged cubic texture develops in some fcc lattice metals with the high and medium values of stacking fault energy such as Ni, Cu, Al, Pt, and some alloys on their base. The extended bands of metals and fcc lattice alloys can be used to apply multilayer functional compositions. The authors studied the structure and crystallographic texture in bands of three-component copper-nickel-based alloys. The study showed the crucial possibility of creating multi-component alloys based on the Cu+40% Ni binary alloy doped with such elements as Mo or Nb. The paper considers the formation of an edged cubic texture in bands of Cu–Ni–Mn, Cu–Ni–Nb, and Cu–Ni–Мо alloys produced through cold deformation with rolling and recrystallization annealing performed at different temperatures. The study identified that annealing during one hour at 1050 °С was an optimal recrystallization annealing mode when on the surface of bands made of (Cu+40 % Ni)–Me alloys (where Me=Mn, Mo, Nb) deformed at ~99 %, the most perfect cubic texture was realized. According to the data obtained, after such annealing mode, from 94% to 98% of grains with orientation {001}<100> developed in the Cu–40% Ni–1.3% Mn, Cu–40% Ni–0.8% Mo, and Cu–40% Ni–0.5% Nb alloys. It opens the prospect of using these alloys as epitaxial substrates in the technology of high-temperature second-generation superconductors. The evaluation of mechanical characteristics showed that alloying contributed to an increase in the yield strength of Cu–40% Ni–1.3% Mn, Cu–40% Ni–0.8% Mo, and Cu–40% Ni–0.5% Nb alloys by 3–4 times compared with the yield strength value of a textured copper band.
Uranium and radium accumulation by wild plants and their phytoremediation potential
Authors:   Institute of Biology FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Shaposhnikova L.M. , Rachkova N.G. , Raskosha O.V.
Published: April 2022

The paper presents the results of studying the accumulation of uranium and radium-226 in ca¬nary grass (Phalaris arun-dinacea L.) and sedge (Carex acuta L.) in order to identify their role in the biogeochemical cycles of radionuclides, as well as their phytoremediation potential for use in remediation of radioactive contaminated ter¬ritories. The content of radionuclides in soils has increased as a result of the activity of radium production enterprise in 1930-1950. Uranium content in the studied soil samples varied within 0.83–1.65 μg / g dry weight. Activity concentrations of radium-226 were in the range 1.82–37.6 Bq / g dry weight. The investigated plants were dug up by the roots. The root part was washed from the soil and separated from the aboveground biomass. In both parts of the plants, concentrations of ura-nium and radium-226 were determined. Based on the obtained data, bioconcentration factors (BCF) of radionuclides in both parts of the plants relative to the soil were calculated. Transfer factor TF (root / aboveground part) was also calculated as the ratio of the radionuclide concentrations in the aboveground part of plants and their roots. It was revealed that the accumulation of uranium and radium-226 in the aboveground part of the plants is low, which does not allow us to classify these species as concentrators of the studied radionuclides. BCFs (aboveground parts / soil) for uranium were ranged in 0.02–0.04. In the case of radium-226, BCFs varied from 0.007 to 0.12. The main part of uranium and radium-226 was accumulated in the root system of plants, which served as a barrier for the transfer of radionuclides to their aboveground parts. TFs (aboveground part / root) was 0.17–0.37 for uranium and 0.08–0.29 for radium. The obtained results indicate that canary grass and sedge contribute to the stabilization of uranium and radium in the studied soil and have the potential to be used as phyto-stabilizators for these contaminants.
Policy Brief zum fünften Zwischenbericht zur wissenschaftlichen Evaluation des Bundesprogramms „Sprach-Kitas: Weil Sprache der Schlüssel zur Welt ist : Ergebnisse der Beobachtungsstudie zur pädagogischen Qualität in ausgewählten Sprach-Kitas
Authors: Anders Yvonne , Kluczniok Katharina , Ballaschk Itala , Bartels Kai Caroline , Blaurock Sabine , Grimmer Julia , Große Christiane , Hummel Theresia , Kurucz Csaba , Resa Elisabeth , Then Sebastian , Wieduwilt Nadine , Roßbach Hans-Günther
Published: April 2022

Kurzzusammenfassung des Policy-Briefs zum fünften Zwischenbericht des Bundesprogramms "Sprach-Kitas: weil Sprache der Schlüssel zur Welt ist" mit den Ergebnissen der Beobachtungsstudie zur pädagogischen Qualität in ausgewählten Sprach-Kitas.
The addition of vitamin C in tris–egg yolk extender maintained Sapera goat semen quality in 5° C storage
Authors: Pahlevy Jolly Rifqi , Ratnani Hermin , Restiadi Tjuk Imam , Fikri Faisal , Saputro Amung Logam , Agustono Bodhi
Published: April 2022

Goats are small ruminants that are reared by the rural community for financial income and nutrition. This study was aimed to determine the effect of vitamin C addition in tris–egg yolk extender on the lifespan of Sapera goat spermatozoa stored in 5o C. Semen was collected from 1.5 years old Sapera male goat. The ejaculates were diluted in Tris-egg yolk (T-EY) extender added with 0, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 g vitamin C/mL extender for T0, T1, T2, and T3 groups, respectively. The spermatozoa motility, viability, and morphological abnormality were assessed along with storage at 5° C. The result showed that spermatozoa motility was the highest (p <0.05) in T1 compared to other groups and qualified for AI use for up to 72 hours. In 24 hours storage, the spermatozoa viability was not significantly different (p >0.05) among the groups. The spermatozoa viability in the T1 group was the highest (p <0.05) among the groups along 48-96 hours of storage. The spermatozoa morphological abnormalities of the T1 group was the lowest (p <0.05) compared to other treatment groups in the range of 24-72 hour storage. In the control group (T0), the less than 5% spermatozoa morphological abnormalities (qualified for artificial insemination) were only in the 24 hours storage, while those of the T1 group were up to 72 hours. It could be concluded that the addition of 0.2 g vitamin C/100 mL T-EY extender maintained the quality of Sapera goat semen for 72 hours at 5°C.
pH and ferning score of cervical mucus related to gestation and calf gender of Holstein Friesian crossbreed cows
Authors: Ferdiansyah Muhammad Billy , Hamid Iwan Sahrial , Hermadi Herry Agus , Samik Abdul , Hernawati Tatik
Published: April 2022

This study aimed to compare the ferning score based on the pH of the cervical mucus and its relation with gestation and the calf gender of cows. Ten Holstein Friesian crossbreed cows which were detected in estrus and about to be artificially inseminated, were used for this study. Sample of cervical mucus was collected using Metricheck for pH and ferning observations. Pregnancy diagnosis was conducted two months after insemination, and the gender of the calves was recorded at parturition. This study indicated that cervical mucus pH did not affect the ferning characteristics, ferning score, and pregnancy of cows. However, higher ferning scores tended to result in the pregnancy of cows. Also, alkaline pH tended to result in male calves and vice versa. Further study is needed with a more significant number of samples related to the application of ferning display as an indicator of estrus to obtain a higher pregnancy rate.
Pre-freezing at 10 cm above liquid nitrogen surface for eight minutes resulted the best Sapera goat semen quality
Authors: Pasha Zehansyah Algifari , Agustono Bodhi , Saputro Amung Logam
Published: April 2022

Sapera goat is a dairy goat resulting from a cross between a Saanen buck and an Ettawah cross doe. These small ruminants are reared by rural households for poverty reduction and undernutrition prevention. Breeding of Sapera goat through artificial insemination (AI) technique was expected to accelerate the increase in population. Unfortunately, the frozen semen of Sapera buck is not available yet. This study aims to determine the effect of the distance between semen straw and liquid nitrogen surface during pre-freezing process on the quality of frozen semen of Sapera goats. Semen was obtained from 1.5 years old Sapera buck. The ejaculates were diluted in tris-egg yolk extender to obtain a concentration of 120 x 106 spermatozoa/mL, then equilibrated at 5°C for one hour. The extended semen was packaged in 0.5 mL French straws (60 x 106 spermatozoa/straw). The filled straws were pre-frozen in the cold handling cabinet (Minitube, Germany) held at 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 cm above liquid nitrogen respectively for T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 groups, each with four replicates. After pre-freezing for eight minutes the straws were immediately plunged, and stored in liquid nitrogen (-196°C) for two days, followed by quality assessment. The best post-thawed motility (41.75 ± 2.06 %), viability (49.00 ± 0.82 %) and morphological abnormalities (4.75 ± 0.96 %) were obtained from pre-freezing stage with a distance of 10 cm. It could be concluded that in tris-egg yolk extender, post-thawed spermatozoa viability and motility of Sapera buck were qualified for AI when fresh semen was pre-frozen at 10 cm distance of straws from the surface of liquid nitrogen for eight minutes.
Correlation of parity and age to services per conception, conception rate, and gestation length in Holstein Friesian cross cows
Authors: Ulfah Norma Amalia , Samik Abdul , Hariadi Mas’ud , Suprayogi Tri Wahyu , Hidanah Sri
Published: April 2022

Small farmers dominate dairy farming in Indonesia, and the average productivity is low. The contribution of domestic production only reaches about 23% of the total national milk consumption needs as a source of human nutrition. This study was aimed to identify the relationship between cow's parity and  age to services per conception (S/C), conception rate (CR), and gestation length (GL) of Holstein Friesian (HF) cross dairy cows. Data of this study consisted of primary data obtained from farmers interview, and secondary data from the Cooperative Unit of Argopuro village, Krucil, Probolinggo. Sample size was 200 cows, which was 10% of the total population. Data were analyzed for correlation and linear regression using the Statistic Package and Service Solution (SPSS) software version 20 (IBM Corp., USA) at a 95% confidence level. The average S/C, CR, and GL were 2.55 ± 1.57, 21%, and 278.19 ± 11.92 days, respectively. There was no significant correlation (p >0.05) between the parity with S/C, CR, and GL and the age with CR and GL. The only significant correlation (p <0.05) was between the age and S/C. Regression of S/C based on age followed the equation S/C = 0.104 + 0.407*age, with a correlation coefficient and determination coefficient of 0.733 and 0.538, respectively. It could be concluded that S/C could be predicted based on the age of the cows.
Interactions of Non-Nutritive Artificial Sweeteners with the Microbiome in Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Harrington + Valerie , Lau + Lilian , Crits-Christoph + Alexander , Suez Jotham
Published: April 2022

Replacing sugar with non-nutritive artificial sweeteners (NAS) is a popular dietary choice for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome and its comorbidities. However, evidence in human trials is conflicted regarding the efficacy of this strategy and whether NAS may counterintuitively promote, rather than prevent, metabolic derangements. The heterogeneity in outcomes may stem in part from microbiome variation between human participants and across research animal vivaria, leading to differential interactions of NAS with gut bacteria. An increasing body of evidence indicates that NAS can alter the mammalian gut microbiome composition, function, and metabolome, which can, in turn, influence host metabolic health. While there is evidence for microbiome-mediated metabolic shifts in response to NAS, the mechanisms by which NAS affect the gut microbiome, and how the microbiome subsequently affects host metabolic processes, remain unclear. In this viewpoint, we discuss data from human and animal trials and provide an overview of the current evidence for NAS-mediated microbial and metabolomic changes. We also review potential mechanisms through which NAS may influence the microbiome and delineate the next steps required to inform public health policies.
Institutional Factors and Technology Adoption amongst Smallholder Coffee Farmers in Kanungu District South-Western Uganda
Authors: Nabaasa Edgar , Kalibwani Rebecca M. , Ssemakula Edward , Mujuni Boaz
Published: April 2022

The use of improved agricultural technologies has been reported as the major strategy to increase agricultural production, increased household incomes and addressing poverty. However, adoption of such improved technologies by smallholder coffee farmers has been slow and this has contributed to the low coffee productivity in the country and the poor performance of the coffee sub sector. The study was meant to examine the effect of institutional factors including extension services, access to market and access to credit on technology adoption among smallholder coffee farmers in Kanungu District, Uganda. The study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 289 smallholder coffee farmers and 8 key informants respectively in major coffee growing sub counties in Kanungu district. The study revealed that access to extension services and access to market have a positive significant influence on agricultural technology adoption while access to market has no significant influence on agricultural technology adoption. The study concluded that there is a positive significant relationship between institutional factors and technology adoption among smallholder coffee farmers in Kanungu district.
The Discovery of Novel Antimicrobial Agents by The Application of Isocyanide Based Multicomponent Reactions
Authors: Quazi Sameer , Gavas ShreeLaxmi , Farasati Far Bahareh , Malik Javid , Rashid Maliha
Published: April 2022

Multicomponent reactions (MCR) have been used to synthesis a wide range of analogs from several classes of heterocyclic compounds, with multifaceted medicinal uses. The synthesis of highly functionalized molecules in a single pot is a unique property of MCR, allowing researchers to quickly assemble libraries of compounds of biological interest and uncover novel leads as possible therapeutic agents. Isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions have proven to be extremely effective at swiftly specifying members of compound libraries, particularly in discovery of drug . The understanding of structure-activity correlations that drive the development of new goods and technology, requires structural variety in these libraries. In current world, antibiotic resistance is a major ongoing problem which is developing a problematic scenario in public health. The implementation of isocyanide based multicomponent reactions uphold a significant potential in this regard. By utilizing such reactions, new antimicrobial compounds can be discovered and fight against such concerns. This study discusses recent developments in antimicrobial medication discovery using isocyanide-based multicomponent reactions (IMCRs). Furthermore, the article emphasizes the potential of IMCRs in the near future.
Jointly Optimized Deep Neural Networks to Synthesize Monoenergetic Images from Single-Energy CT Angiography for Improving Classification of Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Fink Matthias A , Seibold Constantin , Kauczor Hans-Ulrich , Stiefelhagen Rainer , Kleesiek Jens
Published: April 2022

Detector-based spectral CT offers the possibility of obtaining spectral information from which discrete acquisitions at different energy levels can be derived, yielding so-called virtual monoenergetic images (VMI). In this study, we aimed to develop a jointly optimized deep learning framework based on dual-energy CT pulmonary angiography (DE-CTPA) data to generate synthetic monoenergetic images (SMI) for improving automatic pulmonary embolism (PE) detection in single-energy CTPA scans. For this purpose, we used two data sets: our institutional DE-CTPA data set D1 comprising polyenergetic arterial series and the corresponding VMI at low-energy levels (40 keV) with 7,892 image pairs, and a 10% subset of the 2020 RSNA Pulmonary Embolism Detection Challenge data set D2, which consisted of 161,253 polyenergetic images with dichotomous slice-wise annotations (PE/no PE). We trained a fully convolutional encoder-decoder on D1 to generate SMI from single-energy CTPA scans of D2, which were then fed into a ResNet50 network for training of the downstream PE classification task. The quantitative results on the reconstruction ability of our framework revealed high-quality visual SMI predictions with reconstruction results of 0.984 ± 0.002 (structural similarity) and 41.706 ± 0.547 dB (peak-signal-to-noise ratio). PE classification resulted in an AUC of 0.84 for our model, which achieved improved performance compared to other naive approaches with AUCs up to 0.81. Our study stresses the role of using joint optimization strategies for deep learning algorithms to improve automatic PE detection. The proposed pipeline may prove to be beneficial for computer-aided detection systems and could help rescue CTPA studies with suboptimal opacification of the pulmonary arteries from single-energy CT scanners.
Analysis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibiotic resistance based on data obtained in the Tula region
Authors:   Tula State University, Tula, Russian Federation, Chestnova T.V. , Ignatkova A.S. ,   Tula State University, Tula, Russian Federation,   Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Tula Region, Tula, Russian Federation, Kuznetsova O.A. ,   Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Tula Region, Tula, Russian Federation, Mariyko A.V. ,   Tula State University, Tula, Russian Federation
Published: April 2022

Objective. To study the prevalence of mutations causing resistance to macrolides in Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the Tula region and compare the data with similar studies from European and Asian countries. Material and methods. A retrospective study of 76 samples of biological materials (nasal and pharynx swabs) was conducted. The materials were collected from the patients with an established diagnosis: the lower respiratory tract infection (pneumonia, bronchitis). All the patients included in the study were treated in specialized infections units and clinics of the Tula region for the period 2017–2018. Antibiotic therapy was not conducted before the initial survey. All the samples contained M. pneumoniae DNA. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) technology was used to detect the DNA of M. pneumoniae in the materials. The analysis of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene was performed at the Scientific Research Institute of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in Smolensk. During the study, a modified real-time PCR technique with the effect of the fluorescence quenching of the probe with a primer (patent No. 2646123) was used. The statistical analysis was carried out with the MS Excel software package. Results. It was identified that 9 samples (11.84%) had mutations associated with resistance to macrolides. Two samples had the A2059G mutation, while seven samples had the A2058G mutation (numbering of nucleotide sequences in the M. pneumoniae rRNA gene was compiled following E. coli numbering). The data obtained by us are slightly higher than the mean values of European countries and are significantly lower according to the studies of Asian countries. Conclusions. Provided unique data on the prevalence and identification of mutations of macrolide-resistant strains of M. pneumoniae in one of the regions of the Central Federal District is a contribution to the study of antibiotic-resistant strains of M. pneumoniae in Russia and all over the world. There is a necessity to monitor antibiotic resistance in other regions and increase diligence on atypical forms of community-acquired pneumonia since the co-infection of M. pneumoniae patients with COVID-19 leads to a deterioration in the condition and an increase in the duration of treatment. Keywords: community-acquired pneumonia, macrolides mycoplasmas, mutations of antibiotic resistance
Current aspects of studying respiratory microbiota and its role in the development of lower respiratory tract infections
Authors:   Children's Research and Clinical Center of Infectious Diseases, Federal Biomedical Agency, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kozyrev E.A. , Babachenko I.V. ,   Children's Research and Clinical Center of Infectious Diseases, Federal Biomedical Agency, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Sidorenko S.V. ,   Children's Research and Clinical Center of Infectious Diseases, Federal Biomedical Agency, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Published: April 2022

Novel molecular methods allowed us to reassess microbial diversity of the respiratory microbiota and its role for the host. A new look at the respiratory microbiota as a potential pathogenic agent opens up new perspectives for understanding the etiopathogenesis of infectious diseases. The microbiota of the lower respiratory tract, which includes various bacteria, viruses, bacteriophages, and fungi, is particularly interesting. A number of studies analyzed upper and lower respiratory tract microbiota in patients with pneumonia and found that it was often challenging to identify a single causative agent of pneumonia from the standpoint of the concept that ‘microbiota is a pathogen’. The different etiology of pneumonia is likely to be associated with specific patterns of respiratory dysbiosis. Patients with pneumonia tend to have lower species diversity and greater bacterial microbiota density. Furthermore, there is a positive correlation between bacterial density of the rhinopharyngeal microbiota and severity of pneumonia. A number of microbial profiles were found to be associated with pneumonia, including those with a high relative abundance of lactobacilli and predominance of Rothia and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pseudopneumoniae). However, no protective commensal microbiota profile has been yet found. Treatment of respiratory dysbiosis with inhaled and nasal probiotics appears promising, but it requires further studies. Key words: lungs, microbiota, pneumonia, sequencing, 16S ribosomal RNA
Special Issue on Science of Soft Robots
Authors: Suzumori Koichi , Niiyama Ryuma , Fukuda Kenjiro , Nakajima Kohei
Published: April 2022

The science of soft robots, or soft robotics, is currently one of the most active fields in robotics. While traditional robots consist of rigid bodies, powerful servomotors, and carefully coded programs to realize power, precision, and reliability, soft robots consist of soft and flexible bodies, actuators, and intelligence for adaptability. They are not rigid, but instead flexible toward their surroundings. These differences have the potential to make soft robotics a great new field in robotics.

A JSPS KAKENHI project “Science of Soft Robots” has been in progress in Japan since 2018. Part of this special issue is made in collaboration with this project. This special issue consists of 46 works in total: 2 review papers, 29 letters, and 15 papers. One review paper, 29 letters, and 3 research papers report research activities from the JSPS KAKENHI project, and the other review paper and 12 research papers have been contributed from outside the project. As this issue will make clear, the science of soft robots is a very interdisciplinary academic field, a collaboration of many researchers from various fields, such as mechanical/electrical engineering, computer science, material sciences, biology, zoology, medicine, and nursing, among others. We believe interdisciplinary work to be a key point for the exploration of soft robotics.

The editors thank all of the authors and reviewers of the contributions, and are confident that this special issue will greatly contribute to further progress in robotics.
Systematic organization of thin-bedded turbidites in ancient deep-marine levees: Possible evidence of rhythmic pulsing in turbidity currents
Authors: Cunningham Celeste M. , Arnott R. William C.
Published: April 2022

Deep-marine levees are areally extensive features that border submarine channel systems and act to confine throughgoing sediment gravity flows. Compared to the adjacent channel, where episodes of erosion and bypass are commonplace, levees are mostly depositional features that experience little erosion, and therefore high preservation potential of individual beds, and as a consequence are generally assumed to provide a nearly continuous depositional record of sediment transport events down deep-marine slopes. Nevertheless, despite their size, volumetric prominence, and interpretive significance in the deep-marine sedimentary record, levees have received much less research attention compared to the adjacent channels.

Exceptionally well exposed levee deposits in the Neoproterozoic Windermere Supergroup are dominated by thin-bedded, upper-division turbidites that form sharply bounded bedsets typically comprising 2–10 beds with similar grain size, bed thickness, Tc and Td/e division thickness, number of sets of ripple cross-lamination per bed, and ripple height, width, and spacing; additionally, the lithological and dimensional characteristics of the component beds in a bedset change at similar rates and spatial position along depositional strike. Such similarity suggests that deposition of each bed in a bedset is not associated with separate flow events (i.e., turbidity current), but instead represent systematic and recurring pulses or surges during a single flow event with similar hydraulic and textural conditions as they overspilled the channel margin and spread over the levee. Additionally, pulses were of sufficiently low frequency to allow the accumulation of a Td/e layer at the top of each bed and at least partial consolidation of the underlying bed. Finally, studies that have monitored and evaluated the frequency of turbidity currents in modern deep-marine systems suggest that there are a smaller number of beds, and even fewer bedsets preserved in ancient levee deposits than flow events. This suggests that many flows do not travel far enough downslope, or are of insufficient height, to result in any significant deposition on the levee. The bulk of levee strata, therefore, is likely deposited by anomalously large, pulsing flows that deposit multiple beds, but occur only once every several hundred to even several thousand years.
Aerological risk management in preparation mining of coal mines
Authors:   National University of Science and  Technology ", BALOVTSEV Sergey ,   MISIS", SKOPINTSEVA Olga ,   National University of Science and  Technology "MISIS", KOLIKOV Konstantin ,   National University of Science and  Technology "MISIS"
Published: April 2022

Objective. The purpose of the research is to assess the indicators of aerological risk in the development workings of highly gas-rich coal mines. Introduction. The results of a retrospective analysis are presented, substantiating that the vast majority of explosions of dust-methane-air mixtures occur in development workings, and 63.8% of their gassing with methane to explosive concentrations is associated with ventilation disorders. Methodology. The assessment of aerological risk consists in the calculation of some indicators that reflect the measure of danger, in which an accident may occur, caused by the excess of the values of the mine atmosphere parameters in comparison with the normative ones. Indicators of the main hazards and vulnerability of ventilation schemes and methods make up the general structure of risk in development workings. Results. The methodological bases for assessing and forecasting the aerological risk of accidents in development workings are presented. A formula for calculating the predictive indicator of aerological risk is given. In accordance with the methodology, it is possible to quantify the reduction in the level of aerological risk when managing outgassing with the help of degassing. Discussion. Calculations have shown that the schemes and methods of ventilation of dead-end workings, in which there is a large degree of influence of the activity of mixing gases in the bottomhole zone and a small degree of influence of the exhaust gas zone on ventilation, are the most effective, with a normal level of safety. The values of the predicted upper-air risk indicator reach unity for the schemes and methods of ventilation of dead-end workings with a low degree of gas mixing activity in the bottomhole zone and a high degree of influence of the exhaust gas zone on ventilation, which indicates an extremely high level of explosiveness. Conclusions. Application of the developed methodology allows not only forecasting aerological risks during design, but also justification of aerological safety.
Structure and properties of mechanoactivated Samarium titanate powder
Authors:   Moscow Polytechnic University, SHARIPZYANOVA Gyuzel , EREMEEVA Zhanna ,   National University of Science and Technology "MISIS", SAYENKO Anna ,   National University of Science and Technology "MISIS"
Published: April 2022

The relevance of the work is explained by the need to improve the quality of metal raw materials for the production of products with special properties, for example, in mining when leaching metals from ores, allowing to increase the extraction of components with a higher content in concentrates while minimizing the content of impurities. The purpose of the work. Substantiation of the possibility of changing the structure and properties of samarium titanate powder by processing in a spherical planetary mill "Activator 2S" due to the need to increase the purity of powders. Research methods: systematization, generalization and analysis of theoretical and experimental studies. To study the properties of samarium titanate, the following methods were used: scanning electron microscopy, X-ray phase, chemical, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, X-ray phase analysis, spectral and atomic absorption with the processing of the results by methods of mathematical statistics. Results. The results of the study of the structure and properties of samarium titanate powders obtained by mechanochemical synthesis using a spherical planetary mill are presented. It is shown that the elemental composition of the mechanochemically synthesized charge corresponds to the stoichiometric content of titanium oxide and samarium. Quantitative values of activation parameters are given. The time of transformation of the initial oxides into nanocrystalline samarium titanate has been determined. The phases of the transformation of samarium titanate from an amorphous state to a crystalline state under the influence of temperature are differentiated. The properties of the samarium titanate powder obtained by mechanosynthesis are given. The possibility of obtaining nanoamorphic powder of samarium titanate by mechanochemical treatment of samarium and titanium oxides of the desired condition is proved.
An Analysis of Grid Orientation Effect on Steamflood Simulations
Authors: Li Xin , Jensen Clair , Mallison Brad , Milliken William
Published: April 2022

Grid orientation effect (GOE) is the appearance of preferential flow along grid coordinate directions in numerical reservoir simulation. GOE is most evident in simulations with strong adverse mobility ratios, such as immiscible gas injection and steamfloods. Motivated by previous work, an eleven-point finite difference formulation for multiphase flow is investigated and found to reduce errors for steamfloods using structured grids. The eleven-point formulation is implemented in a parallel, fully-implicit reservoir simulator with thermal, black-oil and compositional formulations, and the implementation supports both local grid refinement (LGR) and dual-porosity, dual-permeability (DPDK) modeling. Systematic tests are performed for compositional steamflood cases with different grid resolutions and grid coordinate angles between wells. A comparison of seven and eleven-point formulation results, using different grid scales and hybrid unstructured grids, demonstrate that the eleven-point scheme is effective in mitigating GOE and can leverage the benefits of structured LGR and DPDK options. Using grid-refinement as a means of reducing GOE is case dependent and is not always successful. Additional results suggest that using grid refinement with local application of the eleven-point scheme around only the injector does help mitigate GOE with increased computational efficiency, but GOE is not reduced as well as when the eleven-point scheme is used in the entire grid-system.
Optimal Design of Deviation-Correction Trajectory Considering Inter-Well Interference
Authors: Dou Zijun , Qin Xing , Liu Yongsheng , Zhang Jiansong , Meng Qingsheng
Published: April 2022

In the process of shale gas mining, if the actual well deviates from the planned trajectory, significant inter-well interference will occur. Therefore, in order to reduce production loss, operators want to get back on the planned trajectory economically. To obtain the best deviation-correction trajectory, an optimization model considering inter-well interference was established. Firstly, the function relation between production envelope and deviation distance is constructed to calculate the production loss. Then, based on the deviation-correction trajectory design, the deviation distance under different curvature trajectory is obtained. Finally, the production loss of different trajectory is obtained, and a new multi-objective optimization model for deviation-correction trajectory is established. Based on the field data of Fuling shale gas area in China, the established model is verified. The results show that the smaller the curvature value is, the greater the production loss occurs. When the curvature value exceeds 10.8°/30m, the production loss value remains minimal. With the same production loss, the longer the production time leads to the greater well profile energy. When the optimization objectives are considered comprehensively, a trajectory with lower well profile energy and higher production can be obtained. It is concluded that the established model can not only reduce the probability of drilling accidents but also achieve better shale gas production. This study fully considers various factors affecting horizontal well in shale gas area, which can provide theoretical guidance for the design of deviation-correction trajectory.
Geomechanic Interferometry: Theory and Application to Time-Lapse InSAR Data for Separating Displacement Signal Between Overburden and Reservoir Sources
Authors: Shabelansky Andrey Hanan , Nihei Kurt , Zhang Zhishuai , Bevc Dimitri , Milliken William , Mali Gwyn
Published: April 2022

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data provides a measurement of the Earth's surface displacements to monitor reservoir stresses, fluid pressure and volume changes. However, the InSAR measurements may suffer from poor sensitivity and resolution. To improve the sensitivity of the InSAR data and localize the effects of the near-surface overburden, we employ a Green's function retrieval (GFR) approach that uses time-lapse InSAR data. In this work, we derive the equations and compute the sensitivity between InSAR displacements caused by the reservoir changes with respect to observation points (i.e., virtual sources) at the surface. We present this method with time-lapse InSAR data from an oil field in the San-Joaquin Valley to demonstrate improved resolution of the GFR-InSAR measurements for subsurface imaging and continuous reservoir monitoring with applications to development, production, and subsurface integrity.
Water Production from Unconventional Reservoirs: Example from NE Elm Coulee Field - Bakken Formation
Authors: Branning Jan , Hoffman B. Todd
Published: April 2022

Production wells within the northeast (NE) Elm Coulee experience significantly higher water cuts than wells within Elm Coulee Proper. The increased water production has a negative economic impact on Bakken operators seeking to maximize profitability within the area. A reservoir engineering-based research project has been conducted to determine the source of the increased water production within the NE Elm Coulee, and to identify recommendations for operators to mitigate the water production related expenses in the area.

One option for the increased water production is from the water saturation within the matrix of the Middle Bakken Shale, and another possibility is from the Three Forks formation by vertical migration through natural fracture networks. Previous work has identified the presence of natural fracture systems within the Bakken that may be creating flow networks between stratigraphic layers. Numerous flow simulation models of the NE Elm Coulee were constructed to determine the source of the produced water. The reservoir models consist of three hydraulically fractured horizontal wells within the Middle Bakken Shale, and it incorporates the naturally fractured state of the Bakken through a discrete fracture network (DFN).

Various reservoir parameters were altered within the envelope of uncertainty to obtain a history match for the reservoir model to both scenarios, and the resulting parameters from the Middle Bakken saturation case are more realistic and produce better history matching results than the Three Forks water migration case. The Three Forks fracture model produces an unrealistically high volume of water, and the breakthrough pattern is not consistent with field measurements. Thus, the source of the increased water production appears to come from matrix water saturation within the Middle Bakken Shale.

Many relevant aspects of unconventional reservoir simulation are incorporated into the project; therefore, the methodology used in the research can help assist reservoir engineers that are modeling unconventional petroleum reservoir with stacked stratigraphic intervals. Modeling natural fractures and complex completion fracture networks using a DFN, pressure dependent permeability, and history matching in unconventional reservoirs are important topics that are discussed in the paper. Operators within the Bakken can use this information to better understand the geologic implications of producing in the area.