Multiple studies reported a negative relationship between the Honesty-Humility factor of the HEXACO model and psychopathy. The Durand Adaptive Psychopathic Traits Questionnaire (DAPTQ), which was developed to assess adaptive traits known to be related to psychopathic traits, has previously demonstrate positive relationships with all factors of the Big Five Model, at the exception of a negative relationship with neuroticism. The current study aims to validate the previously reported association between the DAPTQ and the five major components of the personality, while also examining its relationship with the Honesty-Humility factor as defined by the HEXACO model. The results (N = 171) support the good internal consistency, two weeks test-retest validity and inter-correlation of the DAPTQ. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis further supports the nine-factor model of the DAPTQ. When compared to the HEXACO, the DAPTQ did not display any relationship with the Honesty-Humility factor, nor the Agreeableness and Openness factors, but kept its similar association to Emotionality, Extroversion, and Conscientiousness as initially reported in its development phase. Overall, the results support the discriminant validity of the DAPTQ to assess adaptive traits related to the psychopathic personality without overlapping with psychopathic personality traits. Results are discussed in terms of implications and further improvements to validate the DAPTQ.

An on-site, ultra-sensitive, and quantitative sensing method was developed based on quantum dot nanobeads (QDNBs) and test strip for the determination of total aflatoxins (AFTs) in rice and peanut. The monoclonal antibody against AFT (mAbAFT) was home-made and labeled with QDNB. After the pre-coating of the AFT antigen on the test line (T line), the competitive immunoreactions were conducted between AFT and AFT antigen on the T line with QDNBs-mAbAFT. Under optimal conditions, this approach allowed a rapid response towards AFT with a considerable sensitivity of 1.4 pg/mL and 2.9 pg/mL in rice and peanut matrices, respectively. The put-in and put-out duration were within 10 min. The recoveries for AFT in rice and peanut samples matrices were recorded from 86.25–118.0% with the relative deviations (RSD) below 12%. The assay was further validated via the comparison between this QDNB strip and the conventional HPLC method using spiked samples. Thus, the design provided a potential alternative for on-site, ultra-sensitive, and quantitative sensing of AFT that could also be expanded to other chemical contaminants for food safety.

In this work, an analog front-end (AFE) circuit for Electrocardiogram (ECG) detection system has been designed, implemented, and investigated in an industry-standard Cadence simulation framework using advanced technology node of 45 nm. The AFE consists of an instrumentation amplifier, a Butterworth band-pass filter (with fifth-order low-pass and second-order high-pass sections), and a second-order notch filter- all are based on two-stage, Miller-compensated operational transconductance amplifiers (OTA). The OTAs have been designed employing the $g_m/I_D$ methodology. Both the pre-layout and post-layout simulation were carried out. The layout consumes an area of 0.0058 mm$^2$ without the resistors and capacitors. Analysis of various simulation results were carried out for the proposed AFE. The circuit demonstrates a post-layout bandwidth of 239 Hz with a variable gain between 44 to 58 dB, a notch depth of -56.4 dB at 50.1 Hz, a total harmonic distortion (THD) of -59.65 dB (less than 1\%), an input referred noise spectral density of $

Bio-absorbable stents are a novel tool which relieve stenosis and then resorb as the patient grows, avoiding obligatory re-intervention. This case describes the novel use of an iron bio-absorbable stent in a child with surgically repaired Tetralogy of Fallot who post-operatively developed a severely stenotic right ventricular outflow tract.

Alveolar bone atrophy after tooth extraction presents significant difficulties when planning delayed-immediate implant treatment to replace a lost tooth. Socket augmentation is an effective therapy that limits the post extraction volumetric changes and facilitates implant placement whilst reducing the need for staged grafting. However, socket augmentation and osteoconductive graft conversion is a slow process that could take 4-6 months. PRF and its variants have significant bio-enhancement effect on wound healing and regeneration through release of platelet drived growth factors, bioactive substances, cytokines. Leukocytes in PRF also play a significant role in enhancing tissue regeneration as part of osteo-immune response. Use of PRF during socket augmentation is highly effective in enhancing extraction site healing and graft integration by angiogenesis, cell proliferation, recruitment, and differentiation through release of growth factors and bioactive substances mediated by platelets and leukocytes. PRF with SA is recommended as an adjunct to SA as a sole biomaterial or in combination with xenograft or allograft bone substitutes to enhance tissue regeneration and to reduce risk of infection, osteitis and postoperative pain in extraction sockets

This study provides a contribution to the research field of 3D printed earthen buildings, focusing, for the first time, on the load-bearing capacity of these structures. The study involves the entire production and testing process of the earthen elements, from design, to the preparation of the mixture and the 3D printing, up to the uniaxial compression test on a wall segment. The results indicate that 3D printed earthen elements have a compressive strength of 2.32 MPa, comparable to that of rammed earth structures. The experimental data also made it possible to draw conclusions on the action of the infill, which seems to have the function of stopping the propagation of cracks. This has a positive effect on the overall behavior of 3D printed earthen elements, since it avoids the onset of dilative behavior in the final stages of the load test and maintains ultimate load values higher than 50% of the maximum load.

In recent years, Parkinson's Disease (PD) as a progressive syndrome of the nervous system has become highly prevalent worldwide. In this study, a novel hybrid technique established by integrating a Multi-layer Perceptron Neural Network (MLP) with the Biogeography-based Optimization (BBO) to classify PD based on a series of biomedical voice measurements. BBO is employed to determine the optimal MLP parameters and boost prediction accuracy. The inputs comprised of 22 biomedical voice measurements. The proposed approach detects two PD statuses: 0– disease status and 1– reasonable control status. The performance of proposed methods compared with PSO, GA, ACO and ES method. The outcomes affirm that the MLP-BBO model exhibits higher precision and suitability for PD detection. The proposed diagnosis system as a type of speech algorithm detects early Parkinson’s symptoms, and consequently, it served as a promising new robust tool with excellent PD diagnosis performance.

Background: The skin prick test (SPT) is used to diagnose sensitization to antigens. This study proposes a deep learning approach to infer wheal dimensions, aiming to reduce dependence on human interpretation. Methods: A dataset of SPT images (n=5844) was used to infer a convolutional neural network for wheal segmentation (ML model). Three methods for inferring wheal dimensions were evaluated: the ML model; the standard protocol (MA1); and approximation of the area as an ellipse using diameters measured by an allergist (MA2). The results were compared with assisted image segmentation (AIS), the most accurate method. Bland-Altman, distribution analyses, and correlation tests were applied to compare the methods. The study also compared the percentage deviation among these methods in determining the area of wheals with regular geometric shapes (n = 150) and with irregular shapes (n=150). Results: The Bland-Altman analysis showed that the difference between methods was not correlated with the absolute area. The ML model achieved a segmentation accuracy of 85.88% and a strong correlation with the AIS method (ρ=0.88), outperforming all other methods. Additionally, MA1 showed significant error (13.44±13.95%) for pseudopods. Conclusions: The ML protocol can potentially automate the reading of SPT, offering greater accuracy than the standard protocol.

For quantitative determination of honokiol (HNK) and metformin hydrochloride (M-HCl) by HPLC from formulations and from dissolution studies, a QbD approach using three factors - three levels design was implemented to optimize the chromatographic conditions. To study the impact of each variable on the peak area of both compounds and retention time of last compound eluted, the 3D response surface plots were developed. HNK and M-HCl were separated on a Thermoscientific ODS Hypersyl TM (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column mantained at 30 C, using 0.02 M acetate buffer (pH = 3) / methanol (15 / 85, v / v) as mobile phase with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The injected volume was 20 L, and the detection wavelengths were 256 nm for HNK and 236 nm for M-HCl. The validation of proposed method showed a linearity range of 4 – 1200 μg/mL for M-HCl (r2 = 0.9992) and 1 – 300 μg/mL for HNK (r2 = 0.9998), good precision (RSD < 2% for both HNK and M-HCl, in intra- and inter-day studies) and accuracy (mean recovery = 100.09% in the range 99.80 – 100.43% for M-HCl and mean recovery = 100.12% in the range 99.70 – 100.38% for HNK). The environmentally friendly nature of the method was confirmed by the evaluation of the method’s greenness. The proposed method was applied for the determination of HNK and M-HCl from oral dosage forms and in dissolution studies.

Recently, research on ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) with the characteristics of ultra-high strength, high toughness, and high durability has been actively conducted from materials to actual structural applications. However, research on experimental methods that reflect the unique characteristics of UHPC, which are different from those of normal concrete, is insufficient. To solve the difficulties in applying the compressive creep test method for normal concrete to UHPC and to verify the validity of the recently proposed ASTM C 1856 standard test method, this study performed compressive creep tests on UHPC with variables of specimen size, sustained load intensity, fiber length, and strain measuring method. Two types of cylindrical specimens of ϕ100 × 200 mm and ϕ75 × 150 mm were used for a specimen size variable. The sustained load intensities of 10% to 40% based on the specified compressive strength of 150 MPa were applied. Two types of steel fiber lengths of 13 mm and 19.5 mm in the UHPC mix were used as a variable, and three strain measuring methods of the embedded strain gauge method, the attached strain gauge method, and the strain meter with stud measured the change in length of the UHPC specimens. The experimental results showed that the strain meter method using the standard rod had limitations due to the error in the verification process using the standard rod and the observation error of the measurer, and the sustained load intensity is preferable to 15% to 40% of the actual compressive strength. It was found that it is possible to perform a compressive creep test for UHPC using a specimen with a size of ϕ75 mm or more, and the fiber length did not affect the creep behavior of UHPC up to 19.5 mm. As a result of comparing the UHPC creep test results with the creep prediction model, the B3 model was found to most accurately predict the UHPC creep behavior. The creep coefficient pattern of the B3 model was very similar to the measured results, and well reflected the effects of the mixing ratio and compressive strength of UHPC.

In this paper, low circumferential reciprocating load foot-scale tests were performed on two truncated PHC B 600 130 tubular piles with bearing nodes to characterize the damage process and morphology of the specimens and to investigate the load-carrying performance of the members. The test results reveal that under the action of tensile-bending-shear loading, the bearing concrete in the node area buckles and is damaged, the anchored reinforcement in the node area yields, the constraint is weakened, an articulation point is formed, and the node rotational capacity increases. When the embedment depth increases from 200 mm to 300 mm, the ultimate bearing capacities of the positive and negative nodes increase by 57.60% and 54.60%, respectively. A numerical simulation is used to verify the test results. Considering the three types of piles with truncated nodes, the numerical simulation is used to analyze the node-bearing capacity at different embedment depths. Finally, two preferred node types are proposed as follows: pipe pile core-filled longitudinal reinforcement anchored into the bearing node and pipe pile body longitudinal reinforcement anchored into the bearing node + pipe pile core-filled longitudinal reinforcement anchored into the bearing node, with preferred embedment depths of 350 mm and 200 mm, respectively.

Brown leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria spp. is among the most common diseases in potato crops. Typical brown spot symptoms were observed in commercial potato-cultivated areas of northern Korea during June 2021–2022. In total, 77 isolates were collected, and based on sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the collected isolates were identified as Alternaria spp. (83.1%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that a majority of these isolates clustered within a clade that included A. alternata. Additionally, the ITS region and rpb2 yielded the most informative sequences for the identification of A. alternata. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that the collected pathogens elicited identical symptoms in the field. In the pathogenicity test performed on seven commercial cultivars, the pathogens exhibited strong virulence in both wound and non-wound inoculations. Among the cultivars tested, Arirang-1ho, Arirang-2ho, and Golden Ball were resistant to the pathogens. Furthermore, when testing effective fungicides in vitro, mancozeb and difenoconazole were found to be effective agents for inhibiting mycelial growth. In summary, our findings suggest that A. alternata plays a critical role in leaf disease in potato crop regions and emphasise the necessity for continuous monitoring and management to protect against this disease in South Korea.

The study’s objective is to analyse the mechanical properties of steel pipe piles as a part of a trestle bridge subjected to five years of natural marine corrosion degradation. Sixteen tensile specimens were extracted from the steel pipe piles in the splash, tidal, and immersion zones. The experimental tensile test results are used to establish regression equations defining elastic modulus, yield strength, strain hardening index, and strength coefficient for the true stress-strain curves of the three regions. A non-linear time-dependent mathematical model is exploited to identify the corrosion degradation using the data from one single corrosion degradation measurement campaign. The analysis indicated that the splash zone experiences the most severe corrosion degradation, and there are progressive losses in the mechanical properties of each zone as the corrosion degradation progresses. The established relationships of the mechanical properties, as a function of the ratio of corroded plate thickness to the as-built one, can be used as a fast-engineering approach to identify the mechanical properties of severely corroded piles. The corrosion degradation allowance is also defined using the First Order Reliability Method, accounting for existing uncertainties covered by the partial safety factors. By examining the impact of marine corrosion on the mechanical properties of marine structures and developing predictive models to assess the corrosion’s effect on material strength and corrosion allowance, the study aims to improve offshore structures’ safety, design, and maintenance.

Background: Number of joint infections caused by Vancomycin-resistant pathogens is emerging. Currently no PMMA cement is commercially available to cover VRE. Daptomycin shows promising results in infection treatment, offers a good safety profile and reduced risk for resistance development. Purpose of this in vitro study is to investigate the mechanical stability, handling properties, elution behavior and antimicrobial effectiveness of PMMA cement loaded with three different Daptomycin concentrations in comparison to commercially available ALBC; Methods: Mechanical properties and handling characteristics (ISO 5833, DIN 53435), HPLC elution, antimicrobial effectiveness with proliferation assay (DIN 17025) and inhibition zone testing were investigated; Results: All tested Daptomycin concentrations fulfilled ISO and DIN mechanical strength. Dosage of 0.5. g added Daptomycin did not show any antimicrobial effectiveness in contrast to 1.0 g and1.5 g. Cement with 1.5 g Daptomycin was best in elution and effectiveness, showed good mechanical ISO strength, ISO doughing was a little longer sticky and setting was faster as Vancomycin containing reference cement; Conclusion: PMMA cement containing 0.5 g Gentamicin and 1.5 g Daptomycin could be a good alternative to the already established COPAL® G+V for PJI treatment of VRE.

Background: The Stability Index estimation algorithm was derived and applied to develop and implement a balance ability diagnosis system that can be used at daily life. Methods: The system integrated an approach based on sensory function interaction, called the clinical test of sensory interaction with balance (CTSIB). The piezo-resistive force mat was fabricated, and a Stability Index prediction algorithm was developed and applied using the center of pressure (CoP) variables. The Stability Index prediction algorithm derived a CoP variable for 103 elderly people by Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) to predict the Stability Index of the Balance System (Biodex SD). And, the accuracy was confirmed through the correlation between the real and predicted value. Results: As a result of testing with the test-set, the linear regression model confirmed that the r value ranged between 0.943 to 0.983. To confirm the similarity between the WBB and flexible force mat, each measured CoP value was input and calculated into the developed regression model, and the result of the correlation coefficient validation ​​confirmed an r value of 0.96. Conclusion: The system developed in this study will be applicable to the daily life of the home in the form of a floor mat.

It is unclear how maternal glycemic status and maternal iodine status influence birth weight in mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency (ID). We studied the association between birth weight and both maternal glucose levels and iodine intake in pregnant women with mild-to-moderate ID. Glucose values were assessed using a glucose challenge test (GCT), non-fasting glucose before delivery; iodine status was assessed using an iodine food frequency questionnaire, serum thyroglobulin (Tg) and urinary iodine concentrations (UIC). Thyroid antibodies and free thyroxine (FT4) were measured. Obstetric and an-thropometric data were also collected. Large for gestational age (LGA) was predicted using a Cox proportional hazards model with multiple confounders. Tg>13g/L was in-dependently associated with LGA (adjusted hazard ratio = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.4–10.2, p=0.001). Estimated iodine intake correlated with FT4 among participants reporting io-dine-containing supplements (ICS) after adjusting for confounders (β = 0.4 95 %CI: 0.0002-0.0008, p=0.001). Newborn weight percentiles were inversely correlated with maternal FT4 values (β=-0.2 95 %CI:-0.08 - -56.49, p=0.049). We conclude that in mild-to-moderate ID regions, maternal insufficient iodine status may increase LGA risk. Iodine status and ICS intake may modify the effect maternal dysglycemia has on offspring weight.

To study the strengthening effect on recycled concrete columns by carbon fiber composite materials (CFRP) under different levels of seismic damage, four column specimens were designed for pseudo-static tests. The four specimens were respectively non-destructive without strengthening (prototype), non-destructive strengthening, medium seismic damage strengthening and severe seismic damage strengthening, according to the replacement rate of recycled aggregates and the level of seismic damage. The characteristics of the deformation damage and seismic performance indicators of each specimen were compared and analyzed. A decrease was observed in the initial stiffness of the seismically damaged recycled concrete column specimens strengthened with CFRP, while the ductility, peak bearing capacity and energy dissipation capacity of the specimens were improved. On the other hand, with the reduction of seismic damage and the increase of recycled aggregate replacement rate, the ductility and energy dissipation capacity of the reinforced seismic damaged recycled concrete column specimens were enhanced to different levels. In particular, the cumulative energy consumption of the strengthened specimens under medium seismic damage increased most significantly by 32.5%. In general, the hysteretic curves of the strengthened specimens were full, and the average ductility coefficients were 4.1–6.8. CFRP strengthening was more effective in restoring and enhancing the performance of the recycled concrete column specimens with medium and lower seismic damage levels (displacement ratio ≤ 3%).

Obesity in the United States continues to worsen. Anthocyanin-rich fruits and vegetables provide a pragmatic dietary approach to slow its metabolic complications. Given American diet patterns, foods with high anthocyanin content could address dose-response challenges. In a placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover pilot study, determine the effect of 100% elderberry juice on measures of indirect calorimetry (IC), and insulin sensitivity/glucose tolerance. Overweight and obese adults were randomized to a 5-week study which included two 1-week periods of twice-daily elderberry juice (EBJ), or sugar-matched placebo consumption separated by a 3-week washout period. Following each 1-week test period, IC and insulin sensitivity/glucose tolerance was measured with a 3-hour meal tolerance test (MTT). Treatment differences were tested with linear mixed modeling. 22 prospective study volunteers (18F/4M) attended recruitment meetings, 10 volunteers completed the protocol, and 9 were analyzed for treatment differences. EBJ was well tolerated and compliance was 99.6%. Six IC measures (intervals) were created which coincided with 10-20 minute gaseous samplings in-between MTT blood samplings. Average CHO oxidation was significantly higher during the MTT after 1-week EBJ consumption (3.38 vs. 2.88 grams per interval, EBJ vs. placebo, p = 0.0113). Conversely, average fat oxidation was significantly higher during the MTT after 1-week placebo consumption (1.17 vs 1.47 grams per interval, EBJ vs. placebo, p = 0.0189). This was in-line with a significantly lower average respiratory quotient after placebo treatment (0.87 vs. 0.84, EBJ vs. placebo, p = 0.0114). Energy expenditure was not different. There was no difference in serum glucose or insulin response between treatments. This pilot study of free-living volunteers describes significant change in IC but not insulin sensitivity with an EBJ intervention. Controlled feeding and increased sample size will help determine the utility of EBJ on these outcomes.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most prevalent respiratory diseases in the world. In 2020 there were at least 9.9 million new infections, with 1.5 million deaths. Approximately 10% of people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (LTBI) develop the disease during the first 2 to 5 years after infection. Currently in South America, the diagnosis of LTBI continues to be per-formed through the Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST). Objective: The objective of our study was to compare the sensitivity of a new immunofluorescence IGRA test against a widely available IGRA kit on the market. Material and method: Close contact to infectious patients with TB, or HIV patients or immunocompromised for another cause were recruited. Two interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) diagnostic kits were used and compared with TST. Results: 76 patients were recruited. 93.42% were Chilean nationality, 98.68% of the patients did not have immunosuppres-sion. The sensitivity of the new technique was 88.89% and specificity 92.50% in the study popula-tion compared to the IGRA previously used. In the subgroup older than 36 years, the sensitivity was 95.65% and the specificity 89.47%. Conclusion: IGRA techniques are a new resource in clini-cal laboratories to be able to make an accurate diagnosis in LTBI in the region of the Americas. In our population, the greatest benefit of this new IGRA would be observed in people over 36 years of age, where the sensitivity of the technique was like that of the currently available test.

Cervical cancer is mostly diagnosed cancer of women worldwide and the second most common cancer among middle-aged women in Bangladesh. Knowledge and perception of women are considered one of the major components of prevention strategy. We carried out this survey to assess the existing knowledge level of students and their perception to the role of vaccination in preventing cervical cancer. The participants were female undergraduate students studying Public Health in a university in Chattogram city of Bangladesh. A total of 275 female students were interviewed through prescribed questionnaire possessing questions on basic information of cervical cancer, its causal agent, risk factors, prevention methods, and vaccination. We marked the responses of participants with zero for wrong answer and one for every correct answer and ranked the knowledge level of students. The mean age of study participants was 20.68 years. In total, 69.1% students possessed poor knowledge whereas, 30.9% had good knowledge. The country of students has significant association with their level of knowledge. Most of the students got information on cervical cancer from traditional media (49.8%) and doctor (30.9%) and the effect of these two sources was statistically significant on the knowledge level of students. Students mostly identified vaccination (21.1%) and Gynecological examination (14.39%) as preventing methods. However, 65.5% of them acknowledge that vaccines cannot prevent this cancer and 33.4% believe in different risks of vaccine. Although students have heard of cervical cancer the overall knowledge was insufficient and perceived negative concepts about cancer vaccine. Therefore, we recommend the initiation of educational programs on basic reproductive health and health seeking behaviour targeting young women to successfully control and prevention of this life-threatening health problem.

Residual dizziness after a liberating maneuver is often referred to by patients as a more disabling set of symptoms than the positional vertigo itself. This situation seems to involve more than half of subjects with labyrintholithiasis. The authors examine the hypothesis according to which residual dizziness involves subjects with labyrintholithiasis on the basis of otoconia.

The standard edge crush test (ECT) allows to determine the crushing strength of the corrugated cardboard. Unfortunately, this test cannot be used to estimate the compressive stiffness, which is an equally important parameter. It is because, any attempt to determine this parameter using current lab equipment quickly ends in a fiasco. The biggest obstacle is obtaining a reliable measurement of displacements and strains in the corrugated cardboard sample. In this paper, we present a method that not only allows to reliably identify the stiffness in the loaded direction of orthotropy in the corrugated board sample, but also the full orthotropic material stiffness matrix. The proposed method uses two samples: (a) traditional, cut crosswise to the wave direction of the corrugated core, and (b) cut at an angle of 45 degrees. Additionally, in both cases, an optical system with digital image correlation (DIC) is used to measure the displacements and strains on the outer surface of samples. The use of a non-contact measuring system allows to avoid using the measurement of displacements from the crosshead, which is burdened with a large error. Apart from the new experimental configuration, the article also proposes a simple algorithm to quickly characterize all sought stiffness parameters. The obtained results are finally compared with the results obtained in the homogenization procedure of the cross-section of the corrugated board. The results were consistent in both cases.

This work is concerned with the existence and uniqueness of boundary value problems defined on semi-infinite intervals. These kinds of problems seldom admit exactly known solutions and, therefore, the theoretical information on their well-posedness is essential before attempting to derive an approximate solution by analytical or numerical means. Our utmost contribution in this context is the definition of a numerical test for investigating the existence and uniqueness of solutions of boundary problems defined on semi-infinite intervals. The main result is given by a theorem relating the existence and uniqueness question to the number of real zeros of a function implicitly defined within the formulation of the iterative transformation method. As a consequence, we can investigate the existence and uniqueness of solutions by studying the behaviour of that function. Within such a context the numerical test is illustrated by two examples where we find meaningful numerical results.

This paper presents results on tribological characteristics for polymer blends made of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This blend is relatively new in research as PBT has restricted processability because of its processing temperature near the degradation one. Tests were done block-on-ring tribotester, in dry regime, the variables being the PTFE concentration (0%, 5%, 10% and 15%wt) and the sliding regime parameters (load: 1 N, 2.5 N and 5 N, the sliding speed: 0.25 m/s, 0.5 m/s and 0.75 m/s, and the sliding distance: 2500 m, 5000 m and 7500 m). Results are encouraging as PBT as neat polymer has very good tribological characteristics in terms of friction coefficient and wear rate. SEM investigation reveals a quite uniform dispersion of PTFE drops in the PBT matrix.

The use of smartphones, coupled with different sensors, makes it an attractive solution for measuring different physical and physiological features, allowing for the monitoring of various parameters and even identifying some diseases. The BITalino device allows the use of different sensors, including Electroencephalography (EEG) and Electrocardiography (ECG) sensors, to study different health parameters. With these devices, the acquisition of signals is straightforward, and it is possible to connect them using a Bluetooth connection. With the acquired data, it is possible to measure parameters such as calculating the QRS complex and its variation with ECG data to control the individual's heartbeat. Similarly, by using the EEG sensor one could analyze the individual's brain activity and frequency. The purpose of this paper is to present a method for recognition of the diseases related to ECG and EEG data, with sensors available in off-the-shelf mobile devices and sensors connected to a BITalino device. The data were collected during the elderly's experiences, performing the Timed-Up and Go test, and the different diseases found in the sample in the study. The data were analyzed, and the following features were extracted from the ECG, including heart rate, heart rate variability, the average QRS interval, the average R-R interval, and the average R-S interval, and the EEG, including frequency and variability. Finally, the diseases are correlated with different parameters, proving that there are relations between the individuals and the different health conditions.

Reliable methods to confirm the diagnosis of COVID-19 are essential to the successful management and containment of the virus. Current diagnostic options are limited in type, supply, and reliability. This article explores the controversial unreliability of existing diagnostic methods and maintains that more reliable diagnostic methods, combinations, and sequencing are necessary to effectively assist in reducing the occurrence of discharge of the patient on false negative test results. This reduction would in effect reduce transmission of the disease.

Natural calamities observation, study and simulation has always been a prime concern for disaster management agencies. Billions of dollars are spent annually to explore geo-seismic movements especially earthquakes but it has always been a unique accident. The real-time study of seismic waves, ground motions, and earthquakes always needed a programmable mechanical structure capable of physically producing the identical geo-seismic motions with seismology domain definitions. A programmable multi-parametric five degrees of freedom electromechanical seismic wave events simulation platform to study and experiment seismic waves and earthquakes realization in the form of geo-mechanic ground motions is exhibited in this work. The proposed platform was programmed and interfaced through an IoT cloud-based Web application. The geo-mechanics was tested in the range of i) frequencies of extreme seismic waves from 0.1Hz to 178Hz; ii) terrestrial inclinations from -10.000° to 10.000°; iii) velocities of 1km/s to 25km/s iv) variable arrival times 1us to 3000ms; v) magnitudes M1.0 to M10.0 earthquake; vi) epi-central and hypo-central distances of 290+ and 350+ kilometers. Wadati and triangulation methods have been used for entire platform dynamics design and implementation as one of key contributions in this work. This platform is as an enabler for a variety of applications such as training self-balancing and calibrating seismic-resistant designs and structures in addition to studying and testing seismic detection devices as well as motion detection sensors. Nevertheless, it serves as an adequate training colossus for machine learning algorithms and event management expert systems.

In this study, the corrosion performances of ammonium copper quat (ACQ) and boric acid (BA) wood preservatives were investigated, with micronized copper quat (MCQ) and nano boron (NB) used as reference materials. In the study, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood samples were impregnated according to the full-cell process method with ACQ at 2.4% concentration, BA at 4% and MCQ and NB at 1%. The ACQ- and BA-impregnated samples were then impregnated for a second time using five different water-repellent materials: tall oil, linseed oil, sodium silicate, methyl hydrogen silicone and N'-N- (1, 8-Naphthalyl) hydroxylamine. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 600 and aluminum sulfate were introduced as single impregnations in the form of homogeneous mixtures with the ACQ and BA. The corrosion properties of the impregnated and control samples, including metal weight loss (MWL) and corrosion depth, were examined. As a result, the MWL values of the ACQ-impregnated samples showed an increase compared to the control group. The MWL values of the MCQ-impregnated samples were lower than those of the samples impregnated with ACQ, whilst the MWL values of the BA-impregnated samples were higher than those of the samples impregnated with NB.

The performance of ground heat exchangers systems depends on the knowledge of the thermal parameters of the ground like thermal conductivity, thermal capacity and diffusivity. The knowledge of these parameters often requires quite accurate experimental analysis, known under the name of Thermal Response Test (TRT). In this paper, after a general analysis of the various available types of TRT and the study of the theoretical basics of the method, the perspective of the definition of a simplified routine method of analysis based on the combination of a particular version of TRT and the routine geotechnical tests for the characterization of soil stratigraphy and of the ground characteristics, mandatory before the construction of a new buildings, even if limited to quite short drilling depth (lower than 30 m). The idea of developing TRT in connection with geotechnical test activity has the objective of promoting a widespread use of in-situ experimental analysis and of reducing TRT costs and time duration of the experimental analysis. The considerations exposed in the present paper lead to reconsider a particular variety of the TRT in particular the version known as Thermal Response Test while Drilling (TRTWD).

The role of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of non-skeletal health issues has received significant media and research attention in recent years. Costs associated with clinical management of low vitamin D (LVD) have increased exponentially. However, no clear evidence supports vitamin D screening to improve health outcomes. Authoritative bodies and professional societies recommend against population-wide vitamin D screening in community-dwelling adults who are asymptomatic or at low risk of LVD. In order to assess patterns of physician management of LVD in this conflicting environment, we conducted a scoping review of three electronic databases and gray literature. Thirty-eight records met inclusion criteria and were summarized in an evidence table. Results from seven countries showed a consistent increase in vitamin D lab tests and related costs. Many vitamin D testing patterns reflected screening rather than targeted testing for individuals at high risk of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. Interventions aimed at managing inappropriate clinical practices related to LVD were effective in the short term. Variability and controversy were pervasive in many aspects of vitamin D management, shining light on physician practices in the face of uncertainty. Future research is needed is needed to inform better clinical guidelines and to assess implementation practices that encourage evidence-based management of LVD in adult populations.

Shear connectors are used in steel beam–concrete slabs of composite frame and bridge structures to transfer shear force according to design loads. The existing Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors are designed for girder slabs of composite bridges. Therefore, the rib and transverse rebars of the conventional Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors are extremely large for the composite frames of building structures. We performed push-out tests of stubby Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors for composite frames. These shear connectors have relatively small ribs than conventional Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors. To confirm the shear resistance of these stubby shear connectors, we performed an experiment by using transverse rebars D13 and D16. The results indicate that these shear connectors have suitable shear strength and ductility for application in composite frame structures. The shear strengths obtained using D13 and D16 were not significantly different. However, the ductility of the shear connectors with D16 was 45.1% higher than that of the shear connectors with D13.

In this paper, we introduce a control method for the linear quadratic tracking (LQT) problem with zero steady-state error. It is achieved by augmenting the original system with an additional state representing the integrated error between the reference and actual outputs. In its essence, it is a linear quadratic integral (LQI) control embedded in a general LQT control framework, with the reference trajectory generated by a linear exogenous system. During the simulative implementation for the specific real-world system Car-in-the-Loop (CiL) test bench, we assume that the 'real' system is completely known. Therefore, for the model-based control, we can have a perfect model identical to the 'real' system. It becomes clear that stable solutions can scarcely be achieved with controller designed with the perfect model of the 'real' system. Contrary, we show that a model learnt via Bayesian Optimization (BO) can facilitate a much bigger set of stable controllers. It exhibits an improved control performance. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this discovery is the first in the LQT related literature.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive irreversible neurodegenerative disorder that represents a major global public health concern. Traditionally, AD is diagnosed using cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analysis or brain imaging modalities. Recently, less burdensome, more widely available blood biomarker (BBM) assays for amyloid-beta (Aβ42/40) and phosphorylated-tau concentrations have been found to accurately identify the presence/absence of brain amyloid plaques and tau tangles and have helped to streamline AD diagnosis. However, few BBMs have been rigorously analytically validated. Herein, we report the analytical validation of a novel liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for quantifying plasma phosphorylated-tau217 (p-tau217) and non-phosphorylated-tau217 (np-tau217) peptide concentrations. We combined the p-tau217/np-tau217 concentrations ratio (%p-tau217) and the previously validated LC-MS/MS assay for plasma Ab42/40 into a new multiple analyte blood test and algorithm (PrecivityAD2™) that identifies brain amyloid status based on brain amyloid positron emission tomography. We found: (a) the %p-tau217 assay is precise, accurate, sensitive, linear over a wide analytical measurement range, and free from carryover and interference; (b) the pre-analytical specimen collection, processing, storage and shipping conditions that maintain plasma tau peptide stability; and (c) using the measured analytical imprecision for plasma Aβ42/40 and p-tau217/np-tau217 levels in a worst-case scenario model, the PrecivityAD2 test algorithm for amyloid pathology classification changed for only 3.5% of participants from brain amyloid positive to negative, or negative to positive. The plasma sample preparation and LC-MS/MS methods underlying the PrecivityAD2 test are suitable for use in the clinical laboratory and valid for the test’s intended purpose: to aid in the diagnostic evaluation of individuals aged 55 and older with signs or symptoms of mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

This longitudinal study examined the development of executive function and calibration accuracy in pre-adolescents. Two hundred sixty two students(127 females) from grades 4 (n = 91), 5 (n = 89) and 6 (n = 82) took measures of executive function and performance calibration in a sport task, three times within a period of 20 months. A latent growth curve modeling analysis showed a significant relation between the rates of change of executive function and calibration. Further, the results showed a dynamic interplay in the development of executive function and calibration. There were significant inter-individual differences in the estimated population means both in executive function and calibration and in the rate of change of executive function, but not in the rate of change for calibration. The age of the participants had a positive effect only on the estimated population mean of executive function.

Background. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is accompanied by executive deficits. Objectives. To obtain evidence of the usefulness of the BRIEF-P and to analyse the possible ceiling and floor effect of its scores in the assessment of executive function in preschoolers with signs compatible with a possible diagnosis of ADHD. Methods. Seven articles were selected from 2538 potentially eligible articles from different databases. We included studies assessing samples of individuals with symptoms compatible with ADHD, with age range 2-6 years, published in English or Spanish, during the period 2012-2022. References published in: Science Direct, NCBI (PubMed), ProQuest Education Journals in the last decade. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUADAS-2 questionnaire. The main variables were: age and executive functioning. Conclusions. Executive deficits in early-life individuals with ADHD-compatible symptoms are more extensive than deficits in working memory. BRIEF-P is an instrument that facilitates obtaining a sensitive and discriminative executive profile. It should be used in combination with other neuropsychological performance tests, finding a floor effect in tests associated with warm executive functions and a ceiling effect in cold executive functions. This requires using a variety of tests to assess executive performance in preschoolers with symptoms compatible with ADHD and designing intervention proposals in line with them...

Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana hort. ex Mast. = Dracaena braunii) is a domestic species widely cultivated for ornamental purposes in China. In March 2022, a severe occurrence of anthracnose disease was observed on the stems of lucky bamboo plants in a greenery retail store located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. The morphological characteristics of isolates obtained from diseased stem tissues were identical with those described for Colletotrichum species. Based on multilocus phylogenetic analysis with the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), actin (ACT) gene, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene, the pathogen was identified as Colleto-trichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz. & Sacc. Pathogenicity was verified by mycelial plug-inoculating stem cuttings of one-year-old lucky bamboo plants and spray-inoculating whole one-year-old lucky bamboo plants, respectively. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled by the re-isolation of C. gloeosporioides from symptomatic tissues. To the best of our knowledge, this report describes the first time that C. gloeosporioides was observed to cause anthracnose on lucky bamboo in China.

Against the backdrop of global climate change, the frequency of drought events is increasing, leading to significant impacts on human society and development. Therefore, it is crucial to study the propagation patterns and trends of drought characteristics over a long-time scale. The main objective of this study is to delineate the dynamics of drought characteristics by examining their propagation patterns in China from 1951 to 2020. In this study, precipitation data from meteorological stations across mainland China were used. A comprehensive dataset consisting of 700 stations over the past 70 years was collected and analyzed. To ensure data accuracy, the GPCC database was employed for data correction and gap filling. Long-term drought evolution was assessed using both the SPI-12 and SPEI-12 indices to detect drought characteristics. Two Moran indices were applied to identify propagation patterns, and the MK analysis method along with the Theil-Sen slope estimator were utilized to track historical trends of these indices. The findings of this study reveal the following key results: (i) Based on the SPI-12, the main areas of China that are prone to drought are mostly concentrated around the Hu Huanyong Line. Indicating a tendency towards drying based on the decadal change analysis. (ii) The distribution of drought-prone areas in China, as indicated by the SPEI-12, is extensive and broadly distributed, with a correlation to urbanization and population density. These drought-prone areas are gradually expanding. (iii) Between 2010 and 2011, China experienced the most severe drought event in nearly 70 years, affecting nearly 50% of the country's area with a high degree of severity. This event may be attributed to atmospheric circulation variability, exacerbated by the impact of urbanization on precipitation and drought. (iv) The frequency of drought occurrence in China gradually decreases from south to north, with the northeast and northern regions being less affected. However, areas with less frequent droughts experience longer and more severe drought durations. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the characteristics and propagation patterns of drought in China, offering essential information for the development of effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of drought events.

The cell concentration measurement on a culture assay using bioimpedance is a very useful tool, but it is complex to translate impedance to cell concentration values. The purpose of this work is to find a method to obtain in real time the cell concentration values for a given cell-culture assay using an oscillator as the measurement circuit. From a basic cell-electrode model, enhanced models of the cell culture immersed in a saline solution (culture medium) can be derived. These models can be used in a fitting routine to real time estimation of the cell concentration in a cell culture, using the oscillation frequency and amplitude delivered by measurement circuits proposed by the authors. Based on real experimental data (frequency and amplitude of oscillations) obtained by connecting the cell culture to an oscillator as a load, the fitting routine is simulated, and real time data of cell concentration is achieved. These results are compared with concentration data found by traditional optical methods for counting. In addition, the error obtained is divided and analyzed in two parts: in the first part of the experiment (when the few cells are adapting to the culture medium) and the second part of the experiment (when the cells grow exponentially until they completely cover the well).Low error values are obtained in the growth phase of the cell culture (the relevant phase), therefore the results obtained are considered to be promising, proving that the fitting routine is valid, and that the cell concentration can be measured in real time using an oscillator.

This study presents a dynamic model of a passenger vehicle and analyzes its dynamic characteristics and responses. A dynamic vehicle model with seven degrees of freedom was established to analyze the behavior of a driving vehicle. The vehicle model had three degrees of freedom for the motion of the sprung mass and four degrees of freedom for the unsprung masses. For this model, the equations of motion were derived using Lagrange’s equation. To verify the model, the suspension deformations computed using the model were compared with the deformations measured through three actual vehicle driving tests which are the slalom, double lane change, and step steer tests. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of suspension stiffness, suspension damping, and anti-roll bar torsional stiffness on the dynamic characteristics and responses of the vehicle model. The developed dynamic vehicle model may help vehicle designers predict the dynamic responses of a vehicle through simulation without performing a driving test.

Combining Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) spectra data and artificial intelligence (AI) has been introduced for rapid prediction on antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) of S. aureus. Based on the AI predictive probability, the cases with probabilities between low and high cut-offs are defined as “grey zone”. We aimed to investigate the underlying reasons of unconfident (grey zone) or wrong predictive AST. A total 479 S. aureus isolates were collected, analyzed by MALDI-TOF, and AST prediction, standard AST were obtained in a tertiary medical center. The predictions were categorized into the correct prediction group, wrong prediction group, and grey zone group. We analyzed the association between the predictive results and the demographic data, spectral data, and strain types. For MRSA, larger cefoxitin zone size was found in the wrong prediction group. MLST of the MRSA isolates in the grey zone group revealed that uncommon strain types composed 80%. Amid MSSA isolates in the grey zone group, the majority (60%) was composed of over 10 different strain types. In predicting AST based on MALDI-TOF AI, uncommon strains and high diversity would contribute to suboptimal predictive performance.

This paper develops a Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (GLOSA) system for buses (B-GLOSA). The proposed B-GLOSA system is implemented on diesel buses, and field tested to validate and quantify the potential real-world benefits. The developed system includes a simple and easy to calibrate fuel consumption model that computes instantaneous diesel bus fuel consumption rates. The bus fuel consumption model, a vehicle dynamics model, the traffic signal timings, and the re-lationship between vehicle speed and distance to the intersection are used to construct an optimi-zation problem. A moving-horizon dynamic programming problem solved using the A-star algo-rithm is used to compute the energy-optimized vehicle trajectory through signalized intersections. The Virginia Smart Road test facility was used to conduct the field test on 30 participants. Each participant drove three scenarios including a base case uninformed drive, an informed drive with signal timing information communicated to the driver, and an informed drive with the recom-mended speed computed by the B-GLOSA system. The field test investigated the performance of using the developed B-GLOSA system considering different impact factors, including road grades and red indication offsets, using a split-split-plot experimental design. The test results demonstrated that the proposed B-GLOSA system can produce smoother bus trajectories through signalized in-tersections producing fuel consumption and travel time savings. Specifically, compared to the uninformed drive, the B-GLOSA system produces fuel and travel time savings of 22.1% and 6.1% on average, respectively.

A face serum composed of a combination of biologically active compounds was evaluated for safety and efficacy in vitro, in a repeat insult patch test and in a human clinical efficacy trial. The serum inhibited tyrosinase activity modestly, decreased collagenase activity and exhibited notable free radical scavenging activity in vitro. It is gentle to the skin, as the serum did not irritate the skin or produce symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis in the 55 healthy adults that participated in the repeat insult patch test. In the efficacy trial, daily application of the face serum for 30 days significantly increased skin hydration, with all 35 volunteers experiencing improvement. Substantial improvements in skin elasticity, roughness (fine lines and wrinkles), and brightness also occurred during the trial. Dermatological examination also revealed a trend for reduced comedone count with use of the serum. Self-assessment responses revealed that all volunteers experienced improvements in multiple skin quality parameters and that participant perceptions are consistent with the results of the instrumental analyses. These findings indicated that the measured improvements in skin quality are not only statistically significant but are also clinically relevant as they were great enough for users of the face serum to feel and recognize.

The epidemiological situation generated by COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of applying non-pharmacological measures. Among these, mass screening of the asymptomatic general population has been established as a priority strategy by carrying out diagnostic tests to limit the spread of the virus. In this article, we aim to evaluate the economic impact of mass COVID-19 screenings of an asymptomatic population through a Cost-Benefit Analysis based on the estimated total costs of mass screening versus health gains and associated health costs avoided. Excluding the value of monetized health, the Benefit-Cost ratio was estimated at approximately 0.45. However, if monetized health is included in the calculation, the ratio is close to 1.20. The monetization of health is the critical element that tips the scales in favour of the desirability of screening. Screenings with the highest return are those that maximize the percentage of positives detected.

High-penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) in low voltage distribution grids, mainly photovoltaics (PV), might lead to overvoltage in the point of common coupling. Volt-VAr is one of the common control functions for DER power converters used to enhance the stability and the reliability of the voltage in the distribution system and, thus, fulfilling the network operator requirements. In this study, a centralized algorithm will provide local Volt-VAr control parameters to each PV inverter, based on the electrical grid characteristics where each equipment is installed. Since accurate information of grid characteristics is typically not available, the parametrization of the electrical grid is done using power meter data in DER location and a voltage sensitivity matrix. The algorithm has different optimization modes to both minimize voltage deviation and line current. In order to validate the effectiveness of the algorithm and its deployment in real infrastructure, it has been tested in an experimental setup with PV emulators in a set of 5-day tests. Volt-VAr control algorithm successfully adapted its parameters based on grid topology and PV inverter characteristics, achieving a voltage reduction up to 25% of the allowed voltage deviation.

Lamellar eutectic structure of Al_0.7CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) is emerging as a promising candidate for structural applications because of its high strength-ductility combination. The alloy consists of a fine-scale lamellar fcc+B2 microstructure with high flow stresses >1500 MPa under quasi-static conditions. The response to shear loading was not investigated so far. This is the first report on the shear deformation of an eutectic structured HEA and effect of precipitation on shear deformation. The dynamic shear response (DSR) of the eutectic HEA was examined in two microstructural conditions, with and without the presence of L1₂ precipitates. A split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was used to compress the hat-shaped specimens to study the local DSR of the alloy. The adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) in two different microstructural conditions were characterized after deformation at dynamic strain rates. The adiabatic shear localization occurs at low strains for the high strength material, and the eutectic microstructure does not delay cracking. The width of ASBs and the extent of plastic deformation around them has been correlated with the rate of straining. Dynamic recrystallization within ASBs and profuse twinning around it was observed. Local mechanical response of individual lamellae before and after shear deformation was examined using nano-indentation.

The study focused on two climatic variables i.e. precipitation and stream flow for analysing change in trend of rainfall for the River Ssezibwa Catchment area and stream flow of River Ssezibwa. This Catchment is found in the districts of Mukono and Buikwe in Uganda. In this area agriculture is majorly dependent on rainfall and irrigation on a small scale. However, rainfall occurrence has become unpredictable over the past few years as result of the changes in patterns of weather. This has caused severe effects on the agricultural cropping system as well as caused negative effects on the natural water resources. Stream flow data of 57 years (1960 – 2017) and rainfall data for 35 years (1982 – 2017) on a daily basis was analysed to find out the trend and detect change point. Trend analysis was done by using the non-parametric analysis while the change point detection was carried out by using the Pettit test (1979).Magnitude of trend for the time series data was carried out using Sen’s Slope estimator and Mann – Kendall test was done to determine the trend. Results from the statistical analysis highlighted that; for stream flow the trend was generally positive and change point detected to be in the year 2000 while for rainfall data analysis indicated that the trend was predominantly negative and change point was in the year 1998.

In this paper, by extending some results of informational genomics, we present a new randomness test based on the empirical entropy of strings and some properties of repeatability and unrepeatability of substrings of certain lengths. We give the theoretical motivations of our method and some experimental results of its application to a wide class of strings: decimal representations of real numbers, roulette outcomes, logistic maps, linear congruential generators, quantum measurements, natural language texts, and genomes. It will be evident that the evaluation of randomness resulting from our tests does not distinguish among the different sources of randomness (natural, or pseudo-casual).

This study investigated whether biogas reactor performance, including microbial community development, in response to a change in substrate composition is influenced by initial inoculum source. Test reactors were first started with two different inocula and operated with the same grass-manure mixture for more than 120 days. These reactors initially showed great differences depending on inoculum source, but eventually showed similar performance and overall microbial community structure. At the start of the present experiment, the substrate was complemented with milled feed wheat, added all at once or divided into two portions. The starting hypothesis was that process performance depends on initial inoculum source and microbial diversity, and thus that reactor performance is influenced by the feeding regime. In response to the substrate change, all reactors showed increases and decreases in volumetric and specific methane production, respectively. However, specific methane yield and development of the microbial community showed differences related to initial inoculum source, confirming the hypothesis. The different feeding strategies had however only minor effects on process performance and overall community structure, but still induced differences in the cellulose-degrading community and in cellulose degradation.

Full-scale/model test comparison studies to validate the traditional ABL wind tunnel simulation technique are reviewed. According to the literature review, notable discrepancies between full-scale measurement results and model test results were observed by most performed comparison studies, but the causes of the observed discrepancies were not revealed in a scientific way by those studies. In this regard, a new research scheme for future full-scale/model test comparison studies is proposed in this article, which utilizes the multiple-fan actively controlled wind tunnel simulation technique. With the new research scheme, future full-scale/model test comparison studies are expected to reasonably disclose the main problems with the traditional ABL wind tunnel simulation technique, and the technique can be improved correspondingly.

Aluminium alloys are used for fabrication of fuel clad of research grade nuclear reactors as well as of several types of core components of high flux research reactors. In order to carry out design and safety analysis of these components, their mechanical and fracture properties are required by the designer. In this work, experiments have been conducted on tensile specimens machined from an aluminium alloy block to evaluate the material stress-strain curve. For evaluation of fracture properties, experiments have been conducted on disc shaped compact tension specimens in order to determine the fracture toughness of aluminium alloy. From crystal plasticity based finite element analysis and experimental data, a material damage parameter for prediction of crack initiation has been evaluated. The variation of the parameter for various values of initial a/W ratios of the disc-shaped CT specimens have been studied. It was observed that the damage parameter is independent of crack geometry and hence, it qualifies as transferable material property which can be used to predict crack initiation in a component of this material subjected to different kinds of loading conditions. In addition, the JR curves of the disc-shaped CT specimens have also been evaluated from experiments. The material damage parameter has also been used to study the crack initiation in single crystal fracture specimens with two different orientations. It was observed that the [111] orientation is more susceptible to crack initiation and propagation compared to the [100] orientation as the damage parameter is high in the ligament of the specimen ahead of the crack-tip for the same level of load. The results of the experiments and the material damage parameter shall be helpful for integrity analysis of fuel clad of research reactors as well as components of high flux research reactors.

Estimating the infection risks in indoor environments comprises the assessment of the behavior of virus-laden aerosols, i.e. spreading, mixing, removal by air purifiers etc. A promising experimental approach is based on using non-hazardous surrogate aerosols of similar size, e.g. salt particles, to mimic the virus aerosol behavior. This manuscript addresses the issue how a successful transfer of such experiments can be accomplished. Corresponding experiments in two very different environments, a large community hall and a seminar room, with optional use of air purifiers in various constellations were conducted. While high particle concentrations are advantageous in terms of avoiding influence of background aerosol concentrations, it is shown that appropriate consideration of aggregation and settling are vital to theoretically describe the experimentally determined course of particle concentrations. A corresponding model equation for a well-mixed situation is derived and the required parameters are thoroughly determined in separate experiments independently. It is demonstrated that clean air delivery rates (CADR) of air purifiers determined with this approach may differ substantially from common approaches not explicitly taking into account aggregation.

The effects of simulated acid rain (SAR) on the photosynthetic performance of subtropical coniferous species have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we treated two coniferous species, Pinus massoniana (PM) and Cunninghamia lanceolata (CL), with SAR and then analyzed photosynthetic activities via the simultaneous measurement of prompt fluorescence(PF), delayed fluorescence(DF), and modulated reflection at 820 nm(MR820). Following the low-pH SAR treatment, the I–P phase of the OJIP curves of PM and CL decreased significantly and then the K-band and L-band were detectable. The delayed fluorescence for both PM and CL decreased as the pH of the SAR solution decreased, with a more significant decrease in the I1 peak than in the I2 peak. According to the MR820 curve, the exposure to SAR stress inhibited the rapid decrease and slow increase in the MR820 transients of PM and CL. The gradients of the decreasing and increasing phases were lower for CL than for PM at pH 2.5. In addition, SAR decreased the light energy captured per unit area (ABS/CSm) and the quantum yield of electron transfer per unit area (ETO/CSm), but it increased the accumulation of QA−, thereby decreasing primary photochemical efficiency (TRO/CSm, φPO). These changes in photosystem II (PSII) resulted in a decrease in the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) and the performance index (PIABS). Moreover, PSII was protected from thylakoid membrane photodamages through the increase in heat dissipation per unit area (DIO/CSm) in response to SAR. The increase in δRO as the pH of the SAR solution decreased was observed for PM, but not for CL. Considered together, the study findings suggest that SAR treatments can decrease chlorophyll contents and damage the OEC in PM and CL, which obstructs the transfer of electrons on the donor and acceptor sides of PSII. However, PM is better able to withstand SAR stress than CL, likely because of the activation of a protective mechanism (reflected by the change in δRO). Therefore, in coniferous forest areas severely affected by acid rain, CL may need to be protected more than PM.

Control of canine infections with Leishmania infantum (L. infantum), a major zoonotic disease in Brazil and southern Europe is becoming increasingly important due to their close proximity to humans, the increasing import of dogs from endemic regions and impact of climate change on vector spreading. Simple, rapid and reliable diagnostic tests are therefore needed to detect infected dogs. Here, we re-evaluated different serological methods for the diagnosis of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) in Croatia and Brazil. The diagnostic performance of the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and the VetLine® Leishmania ELISA was compared with three rKLi8.3 based diagnostic test systems, the rKLi8.3 ELISA, the INgezim® Leishma CROM lateral flow test (LFT) and the VetBlot® Leishmania LineBlot. CanL symptomatic dogs were efficiently diagnosed by all tests, except the VetLine® Leishmania ELISA, which is based on whole Leishmania antigens. The advantage of rKLi8.3 was also observed in oligo-and asymptomatic dogs from Brazil and Croatia, although with reduced diagnostic efficiency compared to symptomatic dogs. Similar to IFAT and rKLi8.3 ELISA, the LFT did not cross-react with other common canine pathogens, showed a very high specificity for healthy dogs from endemic regions of both countries and did not react with healthy, vaccinated dogs in Brazil. In conclusion, sero-diagnostic tests based on the rKLi8.3 antigens are superior to whole parasite antigens and the LFT has the advantage of providing a laboratory independent, rapid and specific diagnosis of CanL.

The work consisted in identifying possible effects from heavy metals (HMs) pollution due to waste disposal activities in three potentially polluted sites located in Basilicata (Italy), where a release of pollutants with values over the thresholds allowed by the Italian legislation was detected. The potential variations in the physiological efficiency of vegetation have been analyzed through the multitemporal processing of satellite images. In detail, Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images were used to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) trend over the years. Then, the multitemporal trends were analyzed using the median of Theil-Sen, a non-parametric estimator particularly suitable for the treatment of remote sensing data, being able to minimize the outlier effects due to exogenous factors. Finally, the subsequent application of the Mann-Kendall test on the trends identified by Theil-Sen slope allowed the evaluation of trends significance and, therefore, the areas characterized by the effects of contamination on vegetation. The application of the procedure to the three survey sites led to the exclusion of the presence of significant effects of HMs contamination on the vegetation surrounding the sites during the years of waste disposal activities.

A wide variety of bacteria, fungi and plants can produce bioactive secondary metabolites, which are often referred to as natural products. With the rapid development of DNA sequencing technology and bioinformatics, a large number of putative biosynthetic gene clusters have been reported. However, only a few natural products can be detected when isolated species are grown under conventional laboratory conditions, as most biosynthetic gene clusters are not expressed or are expressed at extremely low levels at these conditions. With the rapid development of synthetic biology, advanced genome mining and modification strategies have been reported, and they provide new opportunities for discovery of natural products. This review discusses advances in recent years that can accelerate the design, build, test, and learn (DBTL) cycle of natural product discovery, and prospects trends and key challenges for future research directions.

Optical characterization and thermal aging tests are performed on a sputter-deposited coating, consisting of SiO₂/Cr₂O₃/Cr/Cr₂O₃ layers, designed and developed as a selective solar absorber to be used for unconcentrated solar thermal applications. Both measurements are performed by using a home-made apparatus, which mimics a flat plate collector under high vacuum. A Performance Criterion (PC_η(T)), based on absorber efficiency is proposed, and a forecast of service lifetime is obtained. As a result of the thermal aging tests, the selective solar absorber under study appears to be highly efficient at mid temperatures (up to 573 K) and thermally stable at temperatures (up to 690 K).

Chronic diseases are still known as incurable diseases, and we suspect that the medical research model is unfit for characterizing chronic diseases. In this study, we examined accuracy and reliability required for characterizing chronic diseases, reviewed implied presumptions in clinical trials and assumptions used in statistical analysis, examined sources of variances normally encountered in clinical trials, and conducted numeric simulations by using hypothetical data for several theoretical and hypothetical models. We found that the sources of variances attributable to personal differences in clinical trials can distort hypothesis test outcomes, that clinical trials introduce too many errors and too much inaccuracies that tend to hide weak and slow effects of treatments, and that the means of treatments used in statistical analysis have little or no relevance to specific patients. We further found that a large number of uncontrolled co-causal or interfering factors normally seen in human subjects can greatly enlarge the means and the variances of the experimental errors, and the use of high rejection criteria (e.g., low p values) further raises the chances of failing to find treatment effects. As a whole, we concluded that the research model using clinical trials is wrong on multiple grounds, under any of our realistic theoretical and hypothetical models, and that misuse of statistical analysis is most probably responsible for failure to identify treatment effects for chronic diseases and to detect harmful effects of toxic substances in the environment. We proposed alternative experimental models involving the use of single-person or mini optimization trials for studying low-risk weak treatments.

Green infrastructure systems are often overdesigned. This may be a byproduct of static sizing (e.g., accounting for a design storm’s runoff volume but not exfiltration rates) or may be deliberate (e.g., buffering against performance loss through time). Regardless, overdesign may compromise plants’ access to water in systems where soil pits are embedded in infiltration beds. It could raise the storm size required for water to reach soil pits, reducing water availability between storms, which could ultimately induce plant physiological stress. This study investigated the hydrological dynamics and water relations of a tree trench system suspected to have been overbuilt and identified factors contributing to, compounding, and mitigating the risk of plant stress. Results provided strong evidence that the abovementioned processes played out. Water in the infiltration bed reached soil pits only once in three years, with that event occurring during a hydrant release. Moreover, minimal water was retained in the soil pit during the event due to the hydraulic properties of the soil media. Through a growing season, one of the two tree types frequently experienced water stress, while the other did so only rarely. These contrasting responses can likely be attributed to roots either being largely confined to the soil pits or reaching a deeper water source. Implications of these results for green infrastructure design are considered.

This paper introduces an approach that chooses the fault detection by calculating probabilities using probability mass function (pmf) and cumulative distribution function (CDF). This work used a method for multiple stuck-at faults by producing a new test pattern in combinational circuits. We assumed that existence of all multiple faults is only because of one single component that is faulty. A complete test set can be created by all possible single stuck-at faults in a combinational circuit using some combination of gates. The test set generation fault detection method is applied on two different 3-bit input variable and 4-bit input variable circuits. The probability of error occurrence is calculated at both 3-bit and 4-bit input variable circuits. The resulting feature is used to obtain maximum error occurrence probability to detect faults by the logic used that the complexity of the circuit is inversely proportional to the fault occurrence probability. Then again, undetectability is directly proportional to the complexity of the circuit. Therefore, finest feasible circuit should have large input variable components with less complexity to reduce the fault occurrence probability.

In order to meet the military requirements of the fuze, such as precision strike, efficient mutilates ability and low collateral damages, the microminiaturization is an inevitable trend of secure system. Based on the silicon-based MEMS S&A device designed by our term, the design principles of each module and fabrication process are introduced. The average fracture strength and Young's modulus of the silicon are 726 MPa and 175 GPa from the tensile test, respectively. From Hopkinson impact experiment, we can get the threshold-value judging mechanism being safety under the impact overload of 20526 g, and this value is much more than the standard of the drop overload 12000g; the arming value under the centrifugal overload obtained from theory, simulation and experiment is at the range of 28200 g and 32000 g, it shows that the threshold-value judging mechanism can be arming compared with the value 35951g of design principle. Therefore, the threshold-value judging mechanism can meet the design requirements of overload. Furthermore, the relationship of fracture threshold-values obtained by different theories is found out through parametric design method, as shown in Figure 14, it provides the theory evidence to the follow parametric design.

Ultrafast laser 3D lithography based on non-linear light-matter interactions, widely known as multi-photon lithography (MPL), offers unrivaled precision rapid prototyping and flexible additive manufacturing options. 3D printing equipment based on MPL are already commercially available, yet there is still no comprehensive understanding of factors determining spatial resolution, accuracy, fabrication throughput, repeatability, and standardized metrology methods for the accurate characterization of the produced 3D objects and their functionalities. The photoexcitation mechanisms, spatial-control or photo-modified volumes, and the variety of processable materials are topics actively investigated. The complexity of the research field is underlined by limited understanding and fragmented knowledge of light-excitation and material response. Research to date has only provided case-specific findings on photoexcitation, chemical modification, and material characterization of the experimental data. In this review, we aim to provide a consistent and comprehensive summary of the existing literature on photopolymerization mechanisms under highly confined spatial and temporal conditions, where, besides the excitation and cross-linking, parameters such as diffusion, temperature accumulation, and the finite amount of monomer molecules start to become of critical importance. Key parameters such as, photoexcitation, polymerization kinetics, and the properties of the additively manufactured materials at the nanoscale in 3D are examined, whereas, the perspectives for future research and as well as emerging applications are outlined.

The zinc oxide (ZnO) arrester is positioned on locomotive roof preventing other onboard electrical equipment from the harm caused by external and internal overvoltages. A number of locomotive arrester burnout and explosion accidents occur during traction supply network harmonic resonance causing train stoppages and power outages in the network. This study firstly carries out high-frequency tests to investigate the wide frequency band electrical characteristics of the locomotive arrester, explaining that the arrester is prone to fault during resonance. Consequently, a prognostics and health management (PHM) for locomotive arrester is proposed providing on online monitoring, fault warning and health assessment solutions, which is beneficial to the operation and maintenance of arresters in the future. The testing method and PHM scheme presented in this paper can be not only applied to the arrester, also readily expanded to other high-voltage electrical equipment on the electric locomotive.

Background/Objectives: Endometriosis represents substantial direct and indirect healthcare costs impacted by absent accurate, non-invasive uniformly diagnostic tools. We endeavored to demonstrate gastrointestinal myoelectrical activity (GIMA) biomarkers unique to endometriosis allow noninvasive, uniformly accurate diagnosis or exclusion of endometriosis. Methods: Prospective open-label comparative study of 154 patients, age >18, with or without diagnosed endometriosis. Population included 62 non-endometriosis controls (Cohort 1), 43 subjects with surgically histologically-confirmed endometriosis (Cohort 2), and 49 subjects with abdominal pain and negative imaging (Cohort 3). Electroviscerography (EVG) recorded GIMA biomarkers from three abdominal electrodes before and 30-minutes post water-load protocol. Cohort 2 had postoperative EVG and Cohort 3 had preoperative EVG. Calculated specificity, sensitivity, NPV, PPV and predictive probability or C-Statistic used univariate, multivariate, linear and logistical regression analyses of the area under the curve (AUC) at all frequency and time points, including age and pain covariants. Results: Non-endometriosis cohort differed significantly from endometriosis cohorts (p<0.001) for median (IQR), and AUC percent frequency distribution of power at baseline, 10-minute, 20-minute, and 30-minute post water-load at all frequency ranges 15-20cpm, 30-40cpm and 40-50cpm. Endometriosis cohorts were statistically similar (p>0.05). GIMA biomarker threshold scoring demonstrated 95%/91% sensitivity and PPV, 96%/95% specificity and NPV and C-statistic of >99%/98% respectively for age subsets. GIMA biomarkers in Cohort 3 predicted 47/49 subjects positive and 2/49 negative for endometriosis, confirmed surgically. Hormonal therapy, surgical stage, nor pain score affected diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions: Non-invasive electroviscerography with GIMA biomarker detection distinguished participants with and without endometriosis based upon endometriosis specific GIMA biomarkers threshold scoring.

Cervical cancer, primarily caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) types 16 and 18, is a major global health concern. Persistent HR-HPV infection can progress from reversible pre-cancerous lesions to invasive cervical cancer, which is driven by the oncogenic activity of human papillomavirus (HPV) genes, particularly E6 and E7. Traditional screening methods, including cytology and HPV testing, have limited sensitivity and specificity. This review explores the ap-plication of p16/Ki-67 dual-staining cytology for cervical cancer screening. This advanced im-munocytochemical method allows for simultaneously detecting p16 and Ki-67 proteins within cervical epithelial cells, offering a more specific approach for triaging HPV-positive women. Dual staining and traditional methods are compared, demonstrating their high sensitivity and negative predictive value but low specificity. The increased sensitivity of dual staining results in higher detection rates of CIN2+ lesions, which is crucial for preventing cervical cancer progression. However, its low specificity may lead to increased false-positive results and unnecessary biopsies. The implications of integrating dual staining into contemporary screening strategies, particularly considering the evolving landscape of HPV vaccination and changes in HPV genotype prevalence are also discussed. New guidelines and further research are necessary to elucidate the long-term effects of integrating dual staining into screening protocols.

Among all the active confinement techniques, the use of pre-tensioned stainless steel straps has recently gained much attention. The flexibility of the stainless steel straps allows us to bend and pass them through the thickness of the masonry, thus creating a three-dimensional strengthening system between the two opposite facings. The use of the same perforation for the passage of several straps closed in a loop generates a continuous strengthening system that prevents parts of the structure from falling and injuring the occupants during seismic events. However, the perforations can nullify the in-plane strengthening, as they act as cylindrical hinges and make the reinforcement system labile for certain strap arrangements. Diagonal compression tests on square masonry panels performed in the present study show that the straps improve neither strength nor ductility when running along the mortar head and bed joints, arranged in square meshes. Conversely, they improve both strength and ductility when the straps make angles of 45° with the mortar joints. Furthermore, the experimental results show that the straps exert an anisotropic effect that decreases the apparent in-plane Poisson ratio. They also provide new insights into the diagonal compression test and allow formulating a new proposal for the pseudo-ductility factor.

Understanding the dynamic interaction between piles and surrounding soil under vehicular impacts is essential for effectively designing and optimizing soil-embedded vehicle barrier systems. The complex behavior of pile-soil systems under impact loading, attributed to the soil’s nonlinear behavior and large deformation experienced by both components, presents significant simulation challenges. Popular computation techniques, such as the Updated Lagrangian Finite Element Method (UL-FEM), encounter difficulties in scenarios marked by large soil deformation, e.g., impacts involving rigid piles. While mesh-free particle and discrete element methods offer another option, their computational demands for field-scale pile-soil impact simulations are considerable. We introduce the erosion method to bridge this gap by integrating UL-FEM with an erosion algorithm designed for simulating large soil deformations during vehicular impacts. Validation against established physical impact tests confirmed the method’s effectiveness for flexible and rigid pile failure mechanisms. Additionally, this method was used to investigate the effects of soil mesh density, soil domain sizes, and boundary conditions on the dynamic impact response of pile-soil systems. Our findings provide guidelines for optimal soil domain size, mesh density, and boundary conditions. This investigation sets the stage for improved, computationally efficient techniques for the pile-soil impact problem, leading to better pile designs for vehicular impacts.

To improve the understanding of soil–pile interaction of laterally loaded piles, the quasi-static test of pile group foundation in silty clay with 5 foundation piles arranged in cross shape is carried out. The direct measurement-based p–y curves at different depths showed nonlinear behavior, in which the initial stiffness and ultimate soil reaction increased as the depth increased. The loading displacement amplitude corresponding to the failure of each foundation pile in the high axial compression reinforced concrete pile group foundation is given as follows: the front-end nappe foundation pile (#3 pile) is 6mm, the middle pile is 16mm, the front-end nappe foundation pile is 20mm, and the loading displacement amplitude of side pile is 24mm. In silty clay, due to the existence of pile group effect, the edge effect has little effect on the horizontal foundation bed coefficient of foundation pile in pile group, while the influence of masking effect on the horizontal foundation bed coefficient of each foundation pile in pile group is not related to the position of pile, but only to the existence of masking effect, and the influence of different columns of masking effect on the horizontal foundation bed coefficient is the same.

Ti-Al alloy phase layer/Ti-Al carburizing composite coating was prepared on the surface of titanium alloy by the stepwise coating method of hot dip aluminization and then carburizing. The weight gain results of the composite coating showed that the titanium alloy coated with the composite coating had long-term stability (≥16 days) at 800oC. The microstructure, phase structure and composition of the composite coating were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).The composite coating is composed of an alloy phase layer and a carburized layer. The natural transition of four phases (Ti3Al/TiAl/TiAl2/TiAl3) in the alloy phase layer, significantly improves the interfacial bonding between the coating and the substrate, and slows down the propagation of microcracks through the coating.Al2O3, TiC and C in the carburizing layer improve the surface hardness of the coating, and TiAl2 and Al2O3 also have excellent oxidation resistance at high temperature.

The composite post insulator composed of a large diameter mandrel and flange pressed by one-time integral pultrusion has high strength and good toughness, widely used in the existing flexible converter valve. For constructing the finite element model of the crimped post insulator, most of the flange surface and the mandrel surface are directly connected, making the simulation model's stiffness deviate from the actual model and the model distortion. Based on this, this study proposes a new finite element simplified model of crimped composite post insulator based on Multi-Point Constraints (MPC), which accurately simulates the crimping area of man-drel and flange in engineering practice. It verifies the model's reliability through static tests and characteristic vibration tests. The results show that the difference between the finite element simulation and test results is within 5 %. The finite element modeling method based on MPC local constraints is very reliable in applying crimped composite post insulators. Based on the proposed model, the influence of flange height and thickness on the mechanical properties of composite post-insulators is further explored. The results show that the influence of flange height on mechanical properties can be ignored when the height of the insulator stiff-ener ( non-press common area ) is constant. Within the allowable thickness range of the flange crimping process, the increase in flange thickness will significantly reduce the maximum bend-ing stress of the insulator and increase its safety margin. It provides a good design idea for the design of crimping composite insulators.

Research Highlights: Data of advanced-age provenance tests were reanalyzed applying a new approach, to directly estimate the growth of populations at their original sites under individually generated future climates. The results reveal surprisingly high resilience potential of fir species. Background and Objectives: The growth and survival of silver fir under future climatic scenarios is insufficiently investigated at the xeric limits. The selective signature of past climate determining the current and projected growth was investigated to analyze the prospects of adaptive silviculture and assisted transfer of silver fir populations, and of the introduction of non-autochthonous species. Materials and Methods: Hargreaves’ climatic moisture deficit was selected to model height responses of adult populations. Climatic transfer distance was used to assess the relative drought stress of populations at the test site, relating these to the past conditions to which the populations had adapted. ClimateEU and ClimateWNA pathway RCP8.5 data served to determine individually past, current, and future moisture deficit conditions. Beside silver fir, other fir species from South Europe and the American Northwest were also tested. Results: Drought tolerance profiles explained the responses of transferred provenances and predicted their future performance and survival. Silver fir displayed significant within-species differentiation regarding drought stress response. Applying the assumed drought tolerance limit of 100mm relative moisture deficit, most of the tested silver fir populations seem to survive their projected climate at their origin until the end of the century. Survival is likely also for transferred Balkan fir species and for grand fir populations, but not for the Mediterranean species. Conclusions: The projections are less dramatic than provided by usual field assessments. Some results contradict generally accepted concepts. The method fills the existing gap between experimentally determined adaptive response and the predictions needed for management decisions. It also underscores the unique potential of provenance tests.

Abstract Introduction: Visual perceptual skills are essential for independent participation in self-care tasks, educational, work and leisure time activities. The effect of HIV on the visual perceptual skills is not well understood among children in low resource settings like Zimbabwe. Methods: A cross sectional comparative study was done with 30 children living with HIV and 30 children living without HIV residing in Harare urban area. The TVPS-3 was used to assess their visual perceptual skills. SPSS version 22, STATISTICA 13 and Microsoft 2016 were used for data analysis. Results: Both groups of children had mean percentile ranks below 50 on their TVPS-3 scores. Children without HIV generally performed better than those with HIV but the difference was not statistically significant in most cases. Through univariate analysis, only performance on Spatial Relations significantly differed between the two groups. Both groups had lowest scores in Basic visual perceptual skills. Age and school grade were the independent predictors of the children’s performances in the study. Conclusion: There is need for Occupational therapy services in public primary schools and in the pediatric Opportunistic Infections clinics in hospitals to be part of the health team which caters for children with visual perceptual challenges.

The arrival of new developments in the field of power electronics circuit’s applications in power systems builds new control strategy to improve voltage quality for power grid by overcome interruptions. Wind energy resources are unconventional resources and get advanced problems to power grid when it is connected. Uncertainty of load sharing, peak energy management, climatic conditions, wind velocity and wind energy injected into power grid leads many of power quality problems on power grid based on the existing guidelines specified in IEC-61400 standard. This system plans efficient operation of DFIG to eliminate the voltage collapse and mismatch frequency to power grid. The DFIG connected diode rectifier and rotor side converter wind generator works as an Efficient Static Synchronous Compensator (E-SATCOM) for supplying the demand of reactive power for power grid to mitigate PQ problems. The benefit of using a combined controller was verified by simulink/Matlab and its simulated results used Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG), wind Turbine. This simulation results gives good quality transient and stable state response to manage and support reactive power for both symmetrical and unsymmetrical faults in connection of grid codes to provide continuous quality of power supply, multiple wind generators are required for 140 bus power grid.

Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly used in neuropsychological assessments due to its ability to simulate real-world environments. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the Trail Making Test in VR (TMT-VR) and investigate the effects of different interaction modes and gaming skills on cognitive performance. A total of 71 young female and male adults (aged 18-35) with high and low gaming skills participated in this study. Participants completed the TMT-VR using three interaction modes: eye-tracking, head movement, and controller. Performance metrics included task completion time and accuracy. User experience, usability, and acceptability of TMT-VR were also examined. Results showed that both eye-tracking and head movement modes significantly outperformed the controller in terms of task completion time and accuracy. No significant differences were found between eye-tracking and head movement modes. Gaming skills did not significantly influence task performance using any interaction mode. Participants reported high usability, acceptability, and user experience for the TMT-VR. Eye-tracking facilitated higher accuracy, while head movement higher speed. The TMT-VR offers high usability and user experience and is well accepted by the participants. The findings suggest that VR-based assessments can effectively measure cognitive performance without being influenced by prior gaming skills, indicating potential applicability for diverse populations.

(1) Background The SKT is a short cognitive performance test designed to assess impairments in memory and cognitive abilities such as attention and speed of information processing. In 2019, new regression-based norms for the English version of the SKT were calculated applying data from older cognitively healthy adults living in the US, Ireland and Australia (the norming sample) The study has two aims: to establish valid cut-offs for distinguishing between no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (1), and to cross-validate the new norms for detecting MCI and dementia (2) in a community sample of older adults with clinical diagnoses; (2)Methods: The validation sample included 142 older adults (mean age=87.7, SD=3.55) from the Sydney Memory and Aging Study (MAS Study). Participants were classified as having normal cognition, MCI, or dementia through a consensus diagnosis as well as by the SKT; (3)Results: The sensitivity of the SKT for the differentiation of cognitive impairment (MCI or dementia) from normal cognition was 80.6%. The convergence between the SKT and the consensus diagnoses was 60.1% for all three diagnostic groups. The correlation between the SKT and the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III), a well validated measure of cognitive ability in older adults, was r = 0.3;. (4) Conclusions: In sum, it can be stated that the SKT is a valid tool for detecting early stages of cognitive impairment, performing very well in discriminating between no cognitive impairment and cognitive impairment (MCI or dementia).

Undoubtedly, there is a potential impact of large language models like ChatGPT in revolutionizing information retrieval and knowledge discovery, particularly in the context of the vast amount of electronic material available. On another strong note, the current work offers a first time ever mathematical approach to accurately fine tune perplexity AI, which sets a giant step ahead towards accurate next generations AI. Having started this world leading discovery, the upper and lower bounds of perplexity AI, namely , , respectively, are obtained for the first-time ever. Concluding remarks combined with emerging open problems and next research phase are provided.

This paper aims to contribute to refining the e-values for testing precise hypotheses, especially when dealing with nuisance parameters, leveraging the effectiveness of asymptotic expansions of the posterior. The proposed approach offers the advantage of bypassing the need for elicitation of priors and reference functions for the nuisance parameters and the multidimensional integration step. For this purpose, starting from a Laplace approximation, a posterior distribution for the parameter of interest only is considered and then a suitable objective matching prior is introduced, ensuring that the posterior mode aligns with an equivariant frequentist estimator. Consequently, both Highest Probability Density credible sets and the e-value remain invariant. Some targeted and challenging examples are discussed.

This study develops into the application of a combined MFC unit with chemical coagulation for total treatment of inert contaminants in complex substrates. Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology converts chemical energy in the form of organic matter, into bioelectricity in an environmentally friendly and effi-cient manner, reducing carbon emissions and increasing bioenergy production. An evaluation of a la-boratory scale chemical coagulation using an aluminum and poly-based coagulant on how effective it can remove bulk impurities such as particulate COD and turbidity to obtain the purest and most cost-effectively treated wastewater using a jar test is being conducted in this current study. This study aims to find the most effective treatment technologies for wastewater recovery in breweries in order to achieve zero liquid effluent discharge (ZLED). The preliminary results showed that adding a modest amount of poly and a 50 % alum alone treatment improved COD, color, and turbidity reduction. The turbidity removal efficiency achieved after chemical coagulation treatment was 90.50 % and 59.36 % COD removal, demonstrating the benefits of adopting an alum/poly based technique. To determine ZLED, this study clearly advised a combined treatment technique, specifically the MFC-flocculator unit for efficient organics and inorganics removal.

The present work aims to characterize the mechanical behavior of a new composite material for the conservation and development of the vast historical and architectural heritage that is particularly vulnerable to environmental and seismic actions. The new composite consists of natural hydraulic lime (NHL) -based mortar, reinforced by sisal short fibers randomly oriented in the mortar matrix. The NHL-based mortar ensures the chemical-physical compatibility with the original feature of the historical masonry structures (mostly in stone and clay) aiming to pursue both the effectiveness and durability of the intervention. The use of vegetable fibers (i.e. the sisal one) is an exciting challenge for the construction industry since they require a lower degree of industrialization for their processing, and therefore, their costs are also low, as compared to the most common synthetic/metal fibers. Beams of sisal-composite sizing 160x40x40 mm3 with a central notch are tested in three-point bending, aiming to evaluate both their bending strength and fracture energy. Also, tensile tests and compressive tests were performed on the composite samples, while water retention test and slump test were performed on the fresh mix. Finally, the tensile tests on the Sisal strand were carried out to evaluate the tensile strength of both strand and wire. A final comparison with unreinforced mortar specimens shows that the proposed composite ensures great workability and good performances in term of ductility and strength and it can be considered a promising alternative to the classic fiber-reinforcing systems.

In this work, a hybrid component Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) approach for industrial sensor systems is established and analyzed, to provide a hybrid schema that combines the advantages and eliminates the drawbacks of both model-based and data-driven methods of diagnosis. Moreover, it shines the light on a new utilization of Random Forest (RF) together with model-based diagnosis, beyond its ordinary data-driven application. RF is trained and hyperparameter tuned using three-fold cross validation over a random grid of parameters using random search, to finally generate diagnostic graphs as the dynamic, data-driven part of this system. This is followed by translating those graphs into model-based rules in the form of if-else statements, SQL queries or semantic queries such as SPARQL, in order to feed the dynamic rules into a structured model essential for further diagnosis. The RF hyperparameters are consistently updated online using the newly generated sensor data to maintain the dynamicity and accuracy of the generated graphs and rules thereafter. The architecture of the proposed method is demonstrated in a comprehensive manner, and the dynamic rules extraction phase is applied using a case study on condition monitoring of a hydraulic test rig using time-series multivariate sensor readings.

In this work, A hybrid component Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) approach for industrial sensor systems is established and analyzed, to provide a hybrid schema that combines the advantages and eliminates the drawbacks of both model-based and data-driven methods of diagnosis. Moreover, spotting the light on a new utilization of Random Forest (RF) together with model-based diagnosis, beyond its ordinary data-driven application. RF is trained and hyperparameter tuned using 3-fold cross-validation over a random grid of parameters using random search, to finally generate diagnostic graphs as the dynamic, data-driven part of this system. Followed by translating those graphs into model-based rules in the form of if-else statements, SQL queries or semantic queries such as SPARQL, in order to feed the dynamic rules into a structured model essential for further diagnosis. The RF hyperparameters are consistently updated online using the newly generated sensor data, in order to maintain the dynamicity and accuracy of the generated graphs and rules thereafter. The architecture of the proposed method is demonstrated in a comprehensive manner, as well as the dynamic rules extraction phase is applied using a case study on condition monitoring of a hydraulic test rig using time series multivariate sensor readings.

Steel reinforcement in concrete has the tendency to corrode and this process can lead to structural damage. FRP reinforcement represents a viable alternative for structures exposed to aggressive environments and has many possible applications where superior corrosion resistance properties are required. The use of FRP rebars as internal reinforcements for concrete, however, is limited to specific structural elements and does not yet extend to the whole structure. The reasons for this relate to the limited availability of curved or shaped reinforcing elements on the market and their reduced structural performance. Various studies, in fact, have shown that the mechanical performance of bent portions of composite bars is reduced significantly under a multiaxial combination of stresses and that the tensile strength can be as low as 25% of the maximum tensile strength that can be developed in the straight part. In a significant number of cases, the current design recommendations for concrete structures reinforced with FRP, however, were found to overestimate the bend capacity of FRP rebar. This paper presents the state-of-the art review of the research works on the strength degradation in curved FRP composites and highlighted the performance of exiting predictive models for the bend capacity of FRP reinforcement. Recent practical predictive model based on the Tsai-Hill failure criteria by considering the material at marcromechanical level is also discussed and highlighted. The review also identifies the challenges and highlights the future directions of research to explore the use of shaped FRP composites in civil engineering applications and the trends for future research in this area.

Epoxy asphalt (EA) concrete is widely used in constructing long-span steel bridge pavements (SBDPs). This study aims to derive a fatigue damage evolution law, conducting an experimental investigation of SBDP. First, a general theoretical form of the fatigue damage evolution law of materials is established based on the thermal motion of atoms. Then, fatigue experiments demonstrate that this evolution law well represents the known damage–life relationships of SBDP. Taking into account the experimental relationships between damage and fatigue life under symmetrical cyclic loadings with different overload amplitudes and temperature variations, a detailed damage evolution law is deduced. Finally, the role of damage accumulation is discussed on the basis of the proposed damage evolution law for the extreme situation of heavy overload and severe environments. The results show that both heavy loading and falling temperatures increase the fatigue damage of SBDP considerably; therefore, SBDP should avoid heavy loading combined with winter temperatures. EA shows a fatigue life two to three times longer than that of modified matrix asphalt (SMA) or guss asphalt (GA). For the same thickness, EA pavement is demonstrated to be more suitable for an anti-fatigue design of large-span SBDP under high traffic flows and low temperatures.

In this paper we describe many important aspects connected with lubricants, namely: the most cheapest organic lubricant in the word, how effectively save lubricant between pairs of friction, what kind of rational shapes for the lubricant must be, what it will be connected with wear and tear using the new organic lubricant (for this purpose formulas and curves are shown in computer program MathCad with calculation). Moreover, there is one physical model which helps to catch car exhausted gases. In conclusion, some recommendations will be given to realize them into the practice during the operation for the different mechanisms including ecology.

Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) as a behavioral progress monitoring tool can be designed as longitudinal assessment with only short intervals between measurement points. The reliability of these instruments has been evaluated mostly in observational studies with small samples based on generalizability theory. However, for standardized use in the pedagogical field, a larger and broader sample is required in order to assess measurement invariance between different participant groups and over time. Therefore, we constructed a DBR with multiple items to measure the occurrence of specific externalizing and internalizing student classroom behaviors on a Likert scale (1 = never to 7 = always). In a pilot study, two trained raters observed 16 primary school students and rated the student behavior over all items with a satisfactory reliability. In the main study, 108 regular primary school students, 97 regular secondary school students and 14 students in a clinical setting were rated daily over one week (five measurement points). IRT analyses confirmed the instrument’s technical adequacy, and latent growth models demonstrated the instrument’s stability over time. Further development of the instrument and study designs to implement DBRs are discussed.

Background: Chronic exposure to severe hypoxia causes an increase in hematocrit (Hct) and hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), which can lead to Excessive Erythrocytosis (EE), which could impact physical performance. This work aims to determine the differences in the six-minute walking test (6MWT) outputs between EE and healthy subjects residing at more than 5000 meters. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was performed on 71 men (36 healthy and 25 suffering EE) living in La Rinconada, Peru (5100 m). Basal levels of [Hb] and Hct were obtained. All the subjects per-formed the 6MWT, and distance reached, vital signs, dyspnea, and fatigue (Borg scale) at the end of the test were recorded. Results: The average [Hb] and Hct levels in the control group were 18.7 ± 1.2 g/dL and 60.4 ± 7.1%, respectively, contrasting with EE subjects who showed 23.4 ± 1.6 g/dL and 73.6 ± 5.9% (p < 0.001). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in BMI or other anthropometric parameters. At the end of the 6MWT, the distance traveled, and vital constants were similar between both groups, except for arterial oxygen saturation which was consistently lower in subjects with EE along the test. Conclusion: EE does not significantly affect 6MWT performance at high altitudes nor the hemodynamic control during moderate aerobic exercise of subjects who live permanently in a severe hypoxic environment.

Emerging data processing techniques brought back into attention the HF range communication as an interesting alternative to third-party solutions for IoT applications, such as data transmission in distributed energy production facilities. The physical size of HF antennas, often comparable to the surrounding objects, require in-situ radiation measurements. Drone-borne measuring systems are already known as a flexible solution, but mostly restricted to higher frequency ranges. In this work, we propose to use an electrically small, folded dipole as a probe for drone-borne measurements on HF antennas. We also propose a calibration approach for the effects related to the near-field zone, and to the drone body proximity. The impact of ground reflection is also investigated. We show that despite its low, realized gain figure such a probe can provide stable results for near-field measurements, even at low input power levels.

Pin-on-plate and pin-on-disk wear tests are typically used for assessing the wear behavior of a given material coupling. Such a behavior is frequently described by a wear coefficient k, which is estimated, according to the Archard’s law, as the ratio between the measured wear volume V and the product of the applied normal force F and the sliding distance s, i.e. k=V/(F s). This study demonstrates that such a relationship is correct for pin-on-plate but not for pin-on-disk, particularly for flat-ended pins. Both analytical and finite element models of the two tests were developed, considering three different distances pin-disk axis. As results, wear volumes, pressure and wear depth maps were examined and compared for the same sliding distance. Though this study is focused only on the initial transient part of the wear tests, some interesting aspects arose: i) rotational effect in pin-on-disk tests affects k estimation, especially when the pin is near to the disk axis; ii) a simple analytical function is defined to correct the wear volume estimation for pin-on-disk tests; iii) due to the different sliding distances of contact points in pin-on-disk tests, pressure redistribution occurs with higher values on the inner side (closer to disk axis); the opposite trend is observed in wear depth maps. From a computational point of view, the pin-on-disk problem, only apparently simple, required very small time increments to correctly describe the circular trajectories of points, with high computational costs. Numerical strategies are currently under investigation to extend the study to the steady state phase of both tests.

The progress in markerless technologies is bringing clinicians tools to rapidly evaluate tests such as Timed Up and Go (TUG) without compromising the time of the assessment, yet it raises questions about the potential trade-off in accuracy compared to traditional marker-based systems, suggesting that the precision of these evaluations is not yet conclusively established. The OpenCap system is an easy tool to process 3D kinematics with two iPhone cameras placed in front of the subject. Previous research has primarily focused on walking and movement towards the cameras with the subject facing the cameras (WF) and thus has been unable to disentangle the differences in the movement directions. We have compared the OpenCap system with a standard marker-based system for both walking directions. In OpenCap, we found significantly worse results capturing walking facing away from the cameras (RW). Compared to the marker-based system, our findings indicate troubles measuring kinematic parameters but provide good accuracy in measuring spatial-temporal parameters. These insights pave the way for refining markerless assessment technologies, potentially enhancing their utility in clinical settings.

Dance is physically demanding, requiring physical fitness(PF) that includes upper body, lower body, core fitness, and balance for successful performance. Whether PF changes as dancers advance from when they enter(freshmen) to when they graduate from their collegiate program(seniors) is unclear. We prospectively compared collegiate dancers’ freshman-to-senior PF. We recorded PF of the upper body strength-endurance(push-ups, n=number), core strength-endurance(front, left-side, right-side, and extensor plank hold times, s=seconds), lower body power(Single-leg-hop-SLH distances % Height; Leg Symmetry Index: LSI=higher/lower*100, %), and balance(Anterior Reach Balance,%Leg-Length, LL; LSI balance=higher/lower*100, %) in 25 collegiate dancers(23 females, 2 males; freshmen age=18.2±0.6yrs). Paired t-tests(p&lt;.05) compared measures from freshmen-senior years. Across their collegiate programs, dancers’ PF remained unchanged: upper body strength-endurance push-ups numbers(p=.93), core strength-endurance plank times(left:p=.44, right:p = .67, front:p=.60, p=.22), SLH distances(left: p =.44, right:p =.85) and SLH symmetry(p=0.16). Dancers’ right leg balance(p =.08) remained similar, while the left balance(p =.02) improved with better symmetry(p&lt;.001) in senior balance scores. Overall, dancers’ PF did not change across their collegiate programs, except for greater left leg balance scores. Findings suggest that practitioners can use collegiate dancers’ freshmen baseline PF when devising rehabilitation programs and making return to activity decisions post injury throughout their dance programs.

Peptides of hydrolysates of food proteins are an easily digestible source of amino acids necessary for the body to adapt to physical stress. Commercially significant hydrolysates include whey protein, casein, and other animal proteins. Hydrolysates of plant proteins are gaining popularity, but they are less common, then animal ones. Soy protein isolate is promising for obtaining the hydrolysates due to its affordable price and balanced amino acid profile. However, there are no direct studies showing an improvement in the result of physical activity when eating soy protein isolate hydrolysate (SPIH). In this work, for the first time, the study was conducted on the safety and efficacy of SPIH during physical load on model animals (rats). It was shown that the hydrolysate did not lead to pathological changes in the viscera, food intake, and weight of animals did not differ from the control group (animals consumed whey protein). Under physical load rats enteral fed SPIH showed a tendency to adapt more quickly to physical stress than the control group and the group of animals that was fed by free amino acids. The metabolites of animal blood serum were studied by NMR spectroscopy. It was shown that by the 95th minute after feeding in the group of rats receiving SPIH, the difference of proteinogenic amino acids concentrations in blood between individuals was significantly less than in the groups receiving whey protein or a mixture of amino acids. In other words, individual biochemical and physiological characteristics of individuals did not affect the assimilation of amino acids of hydrolysate.

Rubble stone masonry walls are widely diffused in most of the cultural and architectural heritage of historical cities. The mechanical response of such material is rather complicated to predict due to their composite nature. Vertical compression tests, diagonal compression tests, and shear-compression tests are usually adopted to experimentally investigate the mechanical properties of stone masonries. However, further tests are needed for the safety assessment of these ancient structures. Since the relation between normal and shear stresses plays a major role in the shear behavior of masonry joints, governing the failure mode, triplet test configuration was here investigated. First, the experimental tests carried out at the laboratory (LPMS) of the University of L'Aquila on stone masonry specimens were presented. Then, the triplet test was simulated by using the Total Strain Crack Model, which reflects all the ultimate states of quasi-brittle material such as cracking, crushing and shear failure. The goal of the numerical investigation was to evaluate the shear mechanical parameters of the masonry sample, including strength, dilatancy, normal and shear deformations. Furthermore, the effect of (i) confinement pressure and (ii) bond behavior at the sample-plates interfaces were investigated, showing that they can strongly influence the mechanical response of the walls.

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is an important index to evaluate radiation performance and image quality of optical imaging systems under low illumination background. Under the nighttime lighting condition, the illumination of remote sensing objects is low and varies greatly, usually ranging from several lux to tens of thousands of lux. Nighttime light remote sensing imaging requires high sensitivity and large dynamic range of detectors. Luojia 1-01 is the first professional nighttime light remote sensing satellite in the world. In this paper, we took the nighttime light remote sensing camera carried on the satellite as research object, proposed an in-orbit SNR test method based on time series images to overcome the problem of low spatial resolution. We first analyzed the process of luminous flux transmission between objects and satellite and established a radiative transfer model. By combining the parameters of large relative aperture optical system and high sensitivity CMOS device, we established SNR model and specially analyzed the effect of exposure time and quantization bits on SNR. Finally we used the proposed in-orbit test method to calculate SNR of lighting images acquired by satellite. And the measured result is in good agreement with the model predicted data. Under the condition of 10lx illumination, the SNR of typical objects can reach 27.02dB, which is much better than the requirement of 20dB for engineering application.

The optical complexity of coastal waters is mostly caused by the water discharged from land carrying optical components (such as dissolved and particulate matter) into coastal bays and estuaries, and increasing the attenuation of light. This paper aims to investigate the links between in-water optical properties in four Swedish bays (from the northern Baltic proper up to the Bothnian bay) and the land use and land cover (LULC) and the hydrology in the respective catchment of each bay. The optical properties were measured in situ over the last two decades by various research and monitoring groups while the LULC in each bay was classified using the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service based on Landsat 8 and Sentinel-3 data. The absorption coefficient of coloured dissolve organic matter at 440 nm, aCDOM (440), and its spectral slope factor, SCDOM, were mostly correlated to natural land cover classes (Wetland, Meadow) acting as sources of CDOM, while Agricultural and Urban classes seem to act as sinks. The Agricultural class was also found to be a sink for suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) whilst Coniferous and Mixed Forests as well as Meadows acted as a sources. SPOM seems to mostly originate from Natural classes, possibly due to the release of pollen and other organic matter. Overall, the methods applied here allow for a better understanding of effects of land used and land cover on the bio-optical properties, and thus coastal water quality, on a macroscopic scale.

In 2021, Japan's medical expenses will exceed 45 trillion yen, and the shortage of doctors, especially in remote and mountainous areas, is becoming serious, making it difficult to maintain the medical system. We have conducted a study of 800 health consultation text data. We developed an on-premise health counseling LLM system by constructing a dialogue flow based on 800 health counseling text data. We conducted a Turing test of this system using 200 test data and verified its effectiveness with three medical professionals. The Turing test was a comparison experiment between this system and a conventional LLM system. The health counseling LLM infrastructure focuses on exercise guidance and analyzes gender, height, weight, body fat percentage, and muscle mass. While the accuracy of the conventional LLM system was 87.5%, this system showed a higher accuracy of 93.1%. Although telemedicine has been slow to spread in Japan, the introduction of a health consultation system using Personal Health Record and Large Language Models has the potential to reduce the burden on physicians. In the future, we aim to improve the accuracy of the system by using Japanese language and medical-specific evaluation scales.

(1) Background: Double-strand breaks (DSBs) in a single nucleus are usually measured using the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, and comet assay (CA). We developed mono-dimensional single-cell pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (1D-SCPFGE) and angle-modulated two-dimensional single-cell pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (2D-SCPFGE) to observe DNA fragmentation in separated motile sperm. (2) Methods: We set up comparative standards, calibration curves, the required sensitivity, and eligibility criteria for test sperm to validate their measurement principles. (3) Results: We revealed that the conventional methods overlooked the interference of nucleoproteins in their measurements. In-gel proteolysis improves the measurement accuracies of 1D- and 2D-SCPFGE. We recommend using naked DNA for comparative standards and test specimens. Moreover, we have observed several dysfunctions that may induce DNA damage in the separated motile sperm. Overall, our discussion highlights the need to revisit the conventional univariable analyses based on the SCSA, SCD test, and CA. (4) Conclusions: Human infertility is a complex syndrome, and the aim of quality control in intracytoplasmic sperm injection is to identify the underlying dysfunctions remaining in the separated motile sperm that render them ineligible for injection. Well-designed, multivariable analyses with special consideration to confounding factors are necessary in future cohort studies.

Improper sitting positions are known as the primary reason for back pain and the emergence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among individuals who spend prolonged time working with computer screens, keyboards, and mice. At the same time, it is well understood that automated technological tools can play an important role in the process of unhealthy habit alteration, so plenty of research efforts are focused on research and technology development (RTD) activities that aim to provide support to the prevention of back pain or the development of MSD. Here, we report on creating a new resource in support of RTD activities aiming at the automated detection of improper sitting positions. It consists of multimodal multisensory recordings of 100 persons made with a video recorder, camera, and wrist-attached sensors that capture physiological signals (PPG, EDA, Skin temperature), as well as motion sensors (three-axis accelerometer). Our multimodal multisensory dataset (MMD-MSD) opens new opportunities for modeling the body stance (sitting posture and movements), physiological state (stress level, attention, emotional arousal, valence), and performance (success rate on the Stroop test) of people working with a computer. Finally, we demonstrate two use cases: improper neck posture detection from pictures and cognitive load detection from physiological signals.

In the last two decades, the development of high-throughput diagnostic methods and availabil-ity of effective treatments has increased interest in newborn screening for lysosomal storage disorders. However, long-term follow-up experience is needed to clearly identify risks, benefits and challenges. We report our 8-year experience of screening and follow up on about 250,000 neonates screened for four lysosomal storage diseases (Pompe disease, mucopolysaccharidosis type I, Fabry dis-ease, Gaucher disease), using enzyme activity assay by tandem mass spectrometry, and bi-omarker quantification as second tier test. Among the 126 positive newborns (0.051%), 51 infants were confirmed as affected (positive pre-dictive value 40%), with an overall incidence of 1:4,874. Of these, 3 infantile-onset Pompe dis-ease, 2 neonatal-onset Gaucher disease and 4 mucopolysaccharidosis type I patients were imme-diately treated. Furthermore, another four Gaucher disease patients needed treatment in the first years of life. Our study demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of newborn screening for lysosomal storage diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment allow the achievement of better patient out-comes. Challenges such as false positive rates, the diagnosis of variants of uncertain significance or late-onset forms, and the lack of treatment for neuronopathic forms, should be addressed.

This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using airborne acoustic emission in laser beam butt welding for the development of an automated classification system based on neural networks. The focus was on monitoring the formation of joint gaps during the welding process. To simulate various sizes of butt joint gaps, controlled welding experiments were conducted, and the emitted acoustic signals were captured using audible to ultrasonic microphones. To implement an automated monitoring system, a method based on short-time Fourier transformation was developed to extract audio features, and a convolutional neural network architecture with data augmentation was utilized. The results demonstrated that this non-destructive and non-invasive approach was highly effective in detecting joint gap formations, achieving an accuracy of 98%. Furthermore, the system exhibited promising potential for low latency monitoring of the welding process. The classification accuracy for various gap sizes reached up to 90%, providing valuable insights for characterizing and categorizing joint gaps accurately. Additionally, increasing the quantity of training data with quality annotations could potentially improve the classifier model's performance further. This suggests that there is room for future enhancements in the study.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes dementia and memory loss in the elderly. Deposits of beta-amyloid peptide and hyperphosphorylated tau protein are present in AD’s brain. A filtrate of Helicobacter pylori’s culture was previously found to induce hyperphosphorylation of tau in vivo, suggesting that bacterial exotoxins could permeate the blood brain barrier and directly induce tau’s phosphorylation. H. pylori, which infects ~60% of the world population and causes gastritis and gastric cancer, produces a pro-inflammatory urease (HPU). Here the neurotoxic potential of HPU was investigated in cultured cells and in rats. SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells exposed HPU (50-300 nM) produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and had an increased [Ca2+]i. HPU-treated BV-2 microglial cells produced ROS, cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α, expressed Iba1 and showed reduced viability, consistent with a neurotoxic effect of HPU. Rats received daily i.p. HPU (5 µg) for 7 days. Hyperphosphorylation of tau at Thr205, Ser199 and Ser396 sites was seen in hippocampal homogenates of treated rats, with no alterations in total tau or GSK-3b levels. HPU was not detected in the brain homogenates. Behavioral tests were performed to assess cognitive impairments. Our findings support previous data suggesting an association between infection by H. pylori and tauopathies such as AD, possibly mediated by its urease.

Rainfall variability has resulted in extreme events like devastating floods and droughts which is the main cause of human vulnerability to precipitation in West Africa. Attempts have been made by previous studies to understand rainfall variability over Ghana but these have mostly focused on the major rainy season of April-July, leaving a gap in our understanding of the variability in the September-November season which is a very important aspect of the Ghanaian climate system. The current study seeks to close this knowledge gap by employing statistical tools to quantify variabilities in rainfall amounts, rain days, and extreme precipitation indices in the minor rainfall season over Ghana. We find extremely high variability in rainfall with a Coefficient of variation (CV) between 25.3% and 70.8%, and moderate to high variability in rain days (CV=14.0% - 48.8%). Rainfall amount was found to be higher over the middle sector (262.7 mm – 400.2 mm) but lowest over the east coast (125.2 mm – 181.8 mm). Analysis of the second rainfall season using the Mankandell Test presents a non-significant trend of rainfall amount and extreme indices (R10, R20, R99p, and R99p) for many places in southern Ghana. Rainfall Anomaly Indices show that the middle sector recorded above normal precipitation which is the opposite for areas in the transition zone. The result of this work provides a good understanding of rainfall in the minor rainfall season and may be used for planning purposes.