Separate Cases Research Articles

Analysis of hypothetical channel flow blockage of a tubular fuel assembly in a 10 MWth nuclear research reactor

Abstract Heat removal from the core of nuclear reactors is a crucial safety requirement that needs much analysis and attention. Coolant channel flow blockage is one of the unintentional cases that may influence the required heat removal rate. As a result, unsustainable over heating of the fuel cladding could occur resulting eventually in affecting the fuel integrity. This paper deals with simulating the effect of total channel flow blockage in a single fuel assembly on its steady state thermal hydraulic parameters. Thermal hydraulic calculations are carried out for the much less studied IRT-4M ducted fuel assembly type in a 10 MWth WWR-S tank in pool research reactor. The simulated IRT-4M fuel assembly comprises six rounded rectangular fuel elements in which seven channels are used for cooling. A mathematical model is developed in which all steady state thermal hydraulic parameters and their distributions could be predicted for the blocked and unblocked flow channel cases. Calculations were performed for two separate hypothetical flow channel blockage cases in the innermost channel and the middle channel of the IRT-4M fuel assembly. The results showed that the maximum clad temperatures for the two-flow blockage cases are nearly 127.4 °C, and 132.2 °C, respectively. The temperature increases resulting from a single channel blockage are not high enough to cause fuel damage, although some local coolant boiling might occur. Model validation and results support the model outcomes and its applications in the safety of the research reactor during abnormal operation.

The Challenges of the Presumption of Innocence in Lithuanian Criminal Proceedings

Abstract Although one of the key principles of the criminal procedure law - the presumption of innocence is officially declared as an aspiration in Lithuanian legal regulation and case law, there are still some areas of possible threat to this key principle. Therefore, the purpose of this research paper is to identify and analyse specific problems of ensuring the presumption of innocence in Lithuanian criminal law and criminal procedure law. So, the analysis was based on three main questions: the difficulties of ensuring the presumption of innocence in the Lithuanian criminal procedural law and Lithuanian criminal law and in the context of media. The research was carried out by employing the logical, the systematic, the linguistic, the historical, the comparative and the synthesizing research methods as well as the analysis of legal documents. The results of research analysis revealed specific areas that pose the greatest threat to violation of the presumption of innocence, as grounds for the termination of a criminal case; the general basis for issuing a preventive measure (arrest); complicity where the accomplices are tried in separate cases and media statements that have a direct impact on the impartiality of judges.

Study on the unique separation effect of emulsion in the stirring-induced turbulent flow field

Much attention has been gained to treat organic pollution dominated by oil pollutants in water with the frequent discharge of wastewater in industries. Liquid–liquid emulsion is a typical existence form of water and oil pollutants. The relative stable flow field is a necessary condition to separate the emulsion, while turbulence of the flow field is required for homogeneous mixing. For centuries, stirring-induced turbulent flow has been used for mixing, with a limited number of separation cases achieved by the stable part of the container at low Reynolds numbers (Re). In this study, the separation of liquid–liquid emulsions in a fully turbulent system for Reynolds number values above 10,000 was observed for the first time. Besides the turbulent flow influenced by the stirring speed, the additional dispersed phase, which was the same as the emulsified dispersed phase, played a critical role in the separation performance. The turbidity of oil-in-water emulsion could be decreased to less than 5 NTU (nephelometric turbidity unit) from 500 NTU under the optimal conditions in this study, with a separation efficiency of over 99%. This peculiar and wonderful characteristic of the turbulent flow and the study of the parameters and constraint conditions for separation may extend the application field of the turbulent flow field from conventional mixing to oil pollutants separation from water in environmental engineering.

PVC induced QT prolongation for unmasking the LQTS

Abstract Background Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a congenital or acquired disorder of cardiac ion channels resulting in disturbances of myocardial repolarization, usually manifested by QT prolongation. Diagnostic criteria include the presence of the corrected QT interval (QTc) of at least 480ms (milliseconds) in repeated 12-lead ECGs or confirmed LQTS gene mutations. Patients with LQTS have an increased likelihood of developing life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Hence, establishing an accurate diagnosis is crucial. Purpose About 50% of patients with LQTS presents with normal or borderline QTc interval. Such cases warrant additional work-up to confirm the diagnosis and can often get overlooked. Based on two separate patient cases we hypothesized that significant QTc interval prolongation occurring after premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) may be a valuable diagnostic clue for suspected LQTS or potentially life-threatening arrhythmia in cases with unclear diagnosis. Above mentioned patients displayed normal baseline QTc interval values that prolonged only after PVC. Later, one of them was diagnosed with congenital and another with drug-induced LQTS (see ECG 1). Methods We observed QT interval behavior after PVC in three prespecified groups:(I) Electrocardiographically affected LQTS subjects (QTc ≥480ms) – 10 patients, (II) Control group of unaffected, asymptomatic, otherwise healthy subjects (QTc<460ms) – 72 patients, (III) Index Group of 2 patients with baseline QTc interval of 360-460ms, prolonged only after PVC. 24-hour-ECG records were analyzed. We calculated means of QTc interval before and after PVC in abovementioned three groups and compared them to each other using ANCOVA analysis. Results The QT interval after PVC increased 488+23ms in the first and 390+10ms in the second group. In contrast to the index group, the QT interval was prolonged by 380+160ms after PVC. Post-PVC QTc interval mean difference adjusted to covariate, baseline QTc interval values, were statistically insignificant between I and II groups (P=0.o66), but significant between both I -III(P=0.000055) and II-III groups (P<.0001). Conclusion There are several studies indicating that PVCs affect QT interval, but the phenomena need more investigation. From the perspective of our study, we have also observed that QTc interval indeed increased after PVCs in both ECG-phenotype positive LQTS individuals and healthy subjects, but not in the extent of the index patients. Our study is limited by the small number of concealed LQTS cases. However, it gives us some basis to think, that this finding could be particularly useful to suspect and unmask concealed LQTS in the patients with non-diagnostic baseline ECG.ECG1

Costs of Adjustment, Portfolio Separation, and the Dynamic Behavior of Bank Loans and Deposits – Revised

AbstractWe revise the solutions of the dynamic optimization model of Elyasiani, Kopecky, and Van Hoose (1995), and show that the optimal policy function for the case of adjustment costs and no portfolio separation is a vector autoregressive model of order 1, and not of order 2. In addition, the empirical approach of Elyasiani, Kopecky, and Van Hoose (1995) is incorrect. The optimal policy functions for the no portfolio separation case have to be estimated with a panel vector autoregression model and not with a simultaneous equation approach. We also describe how the portfolio separation hypothesis can be tested empirically based on the correct policy functions.

Inverse problems of the wave equation for media with mixed but separated heterogeneous parts

In this article, the inverse problems for the wave equation in a medium in which multiple types of cavities and inclusion exist in a mixture are considered. From the point of view of the indicator function of the enclosure method, there are two types of heterogeneous parts: “minus group” and “plus group.” For example, cavities with the Dirichlet boundary condition belong to the minus group, while inclusions with smaller propagation velocity belong to the plus group. The heterogeneous part of the minus group gives a negative sign to the indicator function, and the heterogeneous part of the plus group gives a positive sign. In general, the presence of many types of heterogeneous parts causes cancelation of the sign of the indicator function. Such cases are referred to as “mixed cases.” Here, we consider the case that the shortest length obtained from the indicator function is attained only by heterogeneous parts of the same group. This case is called the “mixed but separated case,” and it is shown that the method of elliptic estimates developed by Ikehata works well. We also show that the case of a two‐layered background medium with a flat layer can be considered in the same way as the case of a homogeneous background medium.

The Chemistry of Metal–Organic Frameworks for Multicomponent Gas Separation

AbstractAdsorbents‐based gas separation technologies are regarded as the potential energy‐efficient alternatives towards current thermal‐driven methods, and the study on multi‐component gas separation is essential to deepen our understanding of the adsorbents for practical use. Relative to the ideal two‐component mixtures, both the adsorption behavior and separation mechanisms are obviously more complex in multiple gas mixtures due to their close or even overlapped sizes and properties. The emergence of metal–organic frameworks with controllable pore size and pore chemistry provides the platform for the tailor‐made pore structure to satisfy the harsh requirements of multi‐component gas separation. This minireview highlights the recent advance of multi‐component gas separation using metal–organic frameworks, including multiple impurities removal and selective molecular capture. Combining with the typical cases of hydrocarbon separations (C2, C4, and C8), the detailed discussion about the developed strategies (e.g. self‐adaptive binding sites, multiple binding spaces, synergistic binding sites, synergistic sorbent separation technology, gate‐opening effect, size and thermodynamic combine effect) that are adaptive to different scenarios would be provided. The review will conclude with our perspective on the existing barriers and the future direction of this topic.

RAdiotherapy Dose Accumulation Routine (RADAR)-A Novel Dose Accumulation Script With Built-In Uncertainty

PurposeTo incorporate uncertainty into dose accumulation for reirradiation. MethodsThe RADAR script for the Eclipse treatment planning system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) is described and the voxel-wise ellipsoid search algorithm is introduced as a means of incorporating uncertainty. RADAR is first demonstrated on a test patient reirradiated to the spine illustrating the effect of the uncertainty algorithm. A summary of initial evaluation testing by 11 users, each of whom ran a separate spine reirradiation case, follows. Finally, RADAR run times are reported for different conditions. ResultsIn the demonstration case in which a 3mm ellipsoid search was used, maximum RADAR 2 Gy equivalent (EQD2) accumulated spinal cord dose increased from 7244 cGy to 12689 cGy because the ellipsoid search pulled dose from closer to the adjacent target structure. When the ellipsoid search was restricted to voxels within the spinal cord, the maximum accumulated cord dose was reduced to 6523 cGy and did not exceed the sum of the maximum EQD2 spinal cord doses of the individual plans (6730 cGy). In the evaluation cases, the RADAR EQD2 maximum dose for the spinal cord increased an average of 31.6% with uncertainty applied compared to a conventional dose accumulation and decreased an average of 16.7% compared to a conventional dose accumulation when the uncertainty calculation was restricted to voxels within the spinal cord. RADAR run times depend on the number of plans being added and the type of uncertainty being used. ConclusionRADAR offers a novel way to directly account for uncertainty in dose accumulation by means of a voxel-wise ellipsoid search algorithm. EQD2 dose accumulation with and without dose discounts is also available.

Sinonasal Plasmablastic Lymphoma: A Systematic Review

Abstract Objective Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a type of non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma associated with human immunodeficiency virus and Epstein–Barr virus, commonly located in the oral cavity or gastrointestinal tract. Sinonasal involvement is rare, and there is no consensus on treatment. Data Sources Peer-reviewed published articles served as data sources. Review Methods A systematic review was conducted of the PubMed database for all cases of sinonasal PBL between 1978 and 2023 with the phrase “plasmablastic lymphoma.” Studies not written in English and that did not separate individual cases of sinonasal PBL from aggregated data were excluded. Age, sex, immune status, treatment, and outcomes were collected. Conclusion PBL is a rare malignancy in the sinonasal region usually treated with chemotherapy. It most commonly occurs in immunocompromised adults but has also been diagnosed in immunocompromised children and in immunocompetent adults. It is aggressive and has a poor prognosis. Implications for Practice PBL is a recently described entity with few cases of the sinonasal anatomic variant in the literature. Sinonasal PBL was most frequently treated with chemotherapy alone, closely followed by chemoradiation. The most common chemotherapy regimen utilized in the literature is cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, oncovin/vincristine, and prednisone, which is also the most common chemotherapy regimen in nonsinonasal PBL. A second commonly used regimen is cyclophosphamide, vincristine/oncovin, doxorubicin/adriamycin, and dexamethasone. However, no treatment has emerged as superior to others with regard to survival. Further data are needed to better understand this rare disease.

The Doughnut Biotool: A tool to assess life-cycle biodiversity impacts from building projects

Abstract Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used in certifications, regulations, and voluntary declarations covering the climate impact of buildings over their entire value chain. However, biodiversity impacts and other environmental impact categories are often disregarded. Conversely, there is a trend towards more systematic assessments of the biodiversity impacts that occur on-site as part of development projects (e.g. land transformation on the project site). However, off-site biodiversity impacts occurring throughout the rest of the value chain (e.g. from forestry activities, mining, manufacturing, heat and electricity production) are rarely considered. To bridge this gap, this article introduces the Doughnut Biotool, an open-source calculation tool to assess biodiversity impacts throughout the entire life cycle of development projects. The tool was initially developed to help implement Doughnut Economics and absolute sustainability principles in development projects. It constitutes a first step towards a better consideration of biodiversity impacts related to material- and energy use in building and construction projects. This paper presents the design of the tool and the method and data it relies on. The tool is applied to two separate case study projects, and used as a basis to discuss hotspots of biodiversity impacts within the building’s life cycle. Finally, the paper includes a discussion of the main challenges and opportunities for the future development and use of the tool, as well as for biodiversity impact assessments in the building sector as a whole.

형사소송법상 ‘피고인이 구속된 때’에 있어서 구속 개념의 해석 및 입법론 - 대법원 2024. 5. 23. 선고 2021도6357 전원합의체 판결

Korean Criminal Procedure Act establishes “when the defendant is in custody” as one of the grounds for appointing a public defender. (Article 33, Paragraph 1(1)) The Supreme Court has traditionally viewed this as a case in which the defendant is detained and on trial in the criminal case in question. It may be reasonably concluded, therefore, that being detained in a separate case or being convicted and sentenced in another criminal case does not qualify as a reason for the appointment. However, in May 2024, the Supreme Court reconsidered its position to include cases where a warrant of arrest has been issued and executed in a separate case or where the defendant has been convicted in another criminal case and is in custody as a result of the execution of the judgment. This artice reviews the decision to reconstruct the contents of its majority opinion, separate opinion, and supplementary opinion by interpreting the legal textual meaning of the concept of restraint, interpreting the purposive meaning, and policy interpretation issues. It will then evaluate them together with related laws and theories, with a view to seeking a legislative solution to the interpretation controversy. While the existing precedents did not present the interpretation arguments in detail, the individual opinions of the judgments indicate that the arguments were based on the stable utilization of the current system and practice on public defenders and the right to counsel, as well as the efficient allocation of judicial resources. There is a difference of opinion as to whether the expansion of the right to counsel and the necessary expansion of the public defender system should be achieved by changing case law or by amending the law. Thus, the author propose the amendment of paragraph 1(1) of the Article 33, “When the criminal defendant is placed under detention”to “When the criminal defendant is placed under custody”.

Modeling sector route segment capacity under convective weather based on machine learning

Abstract Estimating airspace capacity under convective weather conditions is crucial for ensuring the efficiency and safety of air traffic operations. Sector route segments, which are essential components of flight routes, require timely capacity predictions during operationally critical periods. In this paper, initially, an enhanced Recursive Feature Elimination algorithm is used to select meteorological data and develop predictive features. Subsequently, the CWSRC model is established using the RF supervised learning algorithm. Finally, the paper takes ENH-YIH segment as an example to predict the capacity. Compared with other machine learning algorithms, the residual percentages for KNN, MLP and RF are 86.03%, 77.37% and 93.40%, respectively, within the range of [−0.2, 0.2]. In three separate day cases, results show that the CWSRC model’s MAE, MSE, RMSE and R2 significantly outperform traditional methods like Maxflow/Mincut and scanning line. The results confirm the CWSRC model’s superior predictive capabilities.

Some Results on Pursuit Games for an Infinite System of Ternary Differential Equations

This paper aims to study a one-pursuer, one evader pursuit differential game for a higher level of infinite system that is an infinite system of first order ternary differential equations, and prove completion of pursuit in the game. Both integral constraints and geometric constraints are subjected on the players' control functions, thus two separate cases of pursuit games are examined. In the game, the pursuer wants to take the state of the system into the origin of l2 space at some finite time interval, whereas evader avoids this from happening. For every case, we solve the control problem by establishing the admissible control function. In order to achieve the pursuer's objective, we then construct an admissible strategy for the pursuer and develop an equation for the guaranteed pursuit time of the game.

On tame ramification and centers of F$F$‐purity

AbstractWe introduce a notion of tame ramification for general finite covers. When specialized to the separable case, it extends to higher dimensions the classical notion of tame ramification for Dedekind domains and curves and sits nicely in between other notions of tame ramification in arithmetic geometry. However, when applied to the Frobenius map, it naturally yields the notion of center of ‐purity (aka compatibly ‐split subvariety). As an application, we describe the behavior of centers of ‐purity under finite covers — it all comes down to a transitivity property for tame ramification in towers.

Perfusion-weighted imaging with dynamic contrast enhancement (PWI/DCE) morphologic, qualitative, semiquantitative, and radiomics features predicting undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) treatment response

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is the largest subgroup of soft tissue sarcomas. This study determined the value of perfusion-weighted imaging with dynamic-contrast-enhancement (PWI/DCE) morphologic, qualitative, and semiquantitative features for predicting UPS pathology-assessed treatment effect (PATE). This retrospective study included 33 surgically excised extremity UPS patients with pre-surgical MRI. Volumetric tumor segmentation from PWI/DCE was obtained at Baseline (BL), Post-Chemotherapy (PC), and Post-Radiation Therapy (PRT). The surgical specimens’ PATE separated cases into Responders (R) (≥ 90%, 16 patients), Partial-Responders (PR) (89 − 31%, 10 patients), and Non-Responders (NR) (≤ 30%, seven patients). Seven semiquantitative kinetic parameters and maps were extracted from time-intensity curves (TICs), and 107 radiomic features were derived. Statistical analyses compared R vs. PR/NR. At PRT, 79% of R displayed a “Capsular” morphology (P = 1.49 × 10-7), and 100% demonstrated a TIC-type II (P = 8.32 × 10-7). 80% of PR showed “Unipolar” morphology (P = 1.03 × 10-5), and 60% expressed a TIC-type V (P = 0.06). Semiquantitative wash-in rate (WiR) was able to separate R vs. PR/NR (P = 0.0078). The WiR radiomics displayed significant differences in the first_order_10 percentile (P = 0.0178) comparing R vs. PR/NR at PRT. The PWI/DCE TIC-type II curve, low WiR, and “Capsular” enhancement represent PRT patterns typically observed in successfully treated UPS and demonstrate potential for UPS treatment response assessment.

Application of modified grafted tubularized incised plate urethroplasty in hypospadias

To investigate the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of the modified grafted tubularized incised plate urethroplasty (G-TIP), namely "glans G-TIP (GG-TIP) ", in treatment of hypospadias. A clinical data of 137 children with hypospadias qualified by the selection criteria between January 2021 and June 2023 was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 75 children were treated with GG-TIP (GG-TIP group) and 62 with G-TIP (G-TIP group). There was no significant difference ( P>0.05) between the two groups in terms of age, hypospadias type, penile length, penile head width, penile head height, penile curvature, meatus-apex distance, urethral plate width, and distance from the distal endpoint of navicular groove to the dorsal or ventral midline point of the glans corona, and the difference between the two. The operation time, reconstructed urethral length, distance from meatus to ventral glans corona, postoperative complications, maximum urinary flow rate at 2 weeks after operation, and the hypospadias objective scoring evaluation (HOSE) score at 6 months after operation in the two groups were recorded and analyzed. The operation time was significantly shorter in GG-TIP group than in G-TIP group ( P<0.05); but there was no significant difference ( P>0.05) between the two groups in terms of reconstructed urethral length and distance from meatus to ventral glans corona. All urinary meatus located at the tip of glans with vertical fissure shape. All children in the two groups were followed up 6-35 months (median, 26 months). During follow-up, there were 3 cases of urethral fistula, 2 cases of urethral stricture, and 1 case of glans separation in GG-TIP group, and 3, 3, and 1 cases in the G-TIP group, respectively. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups ( P>0.05). The maximum urinary flow rate at 2 weeks and the HOSE score at 6 months after operation were significantly higher in GG-TIP group than in G-TIP group ( P<0.05). GG-TIP is safe and effective for repairing hypospadias in children. Compared with G-TIP, it has the advantages of relatively simple operation, shortened operation time, significant improvement in urinary flow rate, and better cosmetic results.

Globe Subluxation in the Specialty Contact Lens Practice

Purpose. This report documented the occurrence of globe subluxation (GSL) during the insertion of a scleral contact lens (SL) and described the management of two keratoconus patients, in need of a gas permeable contact lens prescription and experiencing GSL. Furthermore, an anatomical explanation for the occurrence of spontaneous GSL is attempted. Material and Methods. Two separate case reports of GSL were evaluated and described. In case 1, the patient experienced GSL secondary to insertion of a trial SL and in case 2 the patient had experienced multiple GSLs secondary to Grave’s disease. Different management strategies were taken to help to provide functional vision for these patients. In case 1, the patient was fitted with a smaller corneal gas permeable lens to minimize lid manipulation needed to insert a lens and provide effective correction. In case 2, the patient’s existing Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem (PROSE) SL was designed to increase vertical lens steepness to tighten the lens fit and minimize the chance of losing the lens during wear. Results. With the help of the individually fitted contact lenses, it was possible to achieve visual rehabilitation in accordance with the patient’s specific needs. Conclusion. SL are fitted with increasing frequency and tend to require excessive lid manipulation, which may lead to GSL. This small case series demonstrated different lens design and selection maybe utilized to minimize the occurrence of GSL. The superior septum orbitale is perforated several times across the width of the upper lid by the aponeurosis of the levator. This structural arrangement weakens the superior septum orbitale and, postulated here, predisposes the eye to GSL by a herniation primarily of the superior septum orbitale.

The Chemistry of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Multicomponent Gas Separation.

Adsorbents-based gas separation technologies are regarded as the potential energy-efficient alternatives towards current thermal-driven methods, and the study on multi-component gas separation is essential to deepen our understanding of the adsorbents for practical use. Relative to the ideal two-component mixtures, both the adsorption behavior and separation mechanisms are obviously more complex in multiple gas mixtures due to their close or even overlapped sizes and properties. The emergence of metal-organic frameworks with controllable pore size and pore chemistry provides the platform for the tailor-made pore structure to satisfy the harsh requirements of multi-component gas separation. This minireview highlights the recent advance of multi-component gas separation using metal-organic frameworks, including multiple impurities removal and selective molecular capture. Combining with the typical cases of hydrocarbon separations (C2, C4, and C8), the detailed discussion about the developed strategies (e.g. self-adaptive binding sites, multiple binding spaces, synergistic binding sites, synergistic sorbent separation technology, gate-opening effect, size and thermodynamic combine effect) that are adaptive to different scenarios would be provided. The review will conclude with our perspective on the existing barriers and the future direction of this topic.

Semiseparable Functors and Conditions up to Retracts

In a previous paper we introduced the concept of semiseparable functor. Here we continue our study of these functors in connection with idempotent (Cauchy) completion. To this aim, we introduce and investigate the notions of (co)reflection and bireflection up to retracts. We show that the (co)comparison functor attached to an adjunction whose associated (co)monad is separable is a coreflection (reflection) up to retracts. This fact allows us to prove that a right (left) adjoint functor is semiseparable if and only if the associated (co)monad is separable and the (co)comparison functor is a bireflection up to retracts, extending a characterization pursued by X.-W. Chen in the separable case. Finally, we provide a semi-analogue of a result obtained by P. Balmer in the framework of pre-triangulated categories.

Distance: A 2024 re-examination

Distance, a concept that continues to be relevant and rather complex, is far from being obsolete despite its diminishing role in the age of virtual space. It represents spatial separation, a notion that was first quantified in Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The evolution of distance can be traced through five distinct phases: natural (absolute and relative distances), relational (time and cost distances, distance decay, friction of distance, and distanciation), technological (extensibility, accessibility, and speed), virtual (proximity, digital, cognitive, and metaphorical distances), and optional (optional and estimated distances). These historical phases have built upon each other, leading to our contemporary experience of all distance classes depending on specific separation cases. Modern humans may overcome any distance on earth, one way or another, unless prevented from doing so by political national sovereignties.