Quantifying an imaging modality’s ability to reproduce results is important for establishing its utility. In Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI), new acquisition protocols are regularly introduced, which improve upon their precursors with respect to signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), total acquisition duration, and nominal voxel resolution. This study has quantified the within-subject and between-subject reproducibility of one such new protocol (reduced-Field-of-View-Density-Weighted-Concentric-Ring-Trajectory (rFOV-DW-CRT) MRSI) by calculating the Coefficient of Variance of data acquired from a test-retest experiment. The Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC) and the Right Superior Corona Radiata (SCR) were selected as the Regions of Interest (ROIs) for Grey Matter (GM) and White Matter (WM), respectively. CVs for between-subject and within-subject are consistently around or below 15% for Glx, tCho, and Myo-Ins and below 5% for tNAA and tCr.

A low cost, scalable and robust process has been proposed as innovative method for coating solar mirrors with a self-cleaning, transparent in the full solar range and versatile material based on auxetic aluminium nitrides, previously obtained on the laboratory scale. This work presents the scaling-up of fabrication process from laboratory to prototypal scale and pre-liminary results of outdoor self-cleaning solar mirror prototypes testing in the demonstrative CSP plant ENEASHIP located in Casaccia (Rome) ENEA research centre. Prototypes 50x40cm have shown stability in external conditions: no degradation occurs during the test campaign. Their washing restores the initial reflectance affected by soiling and the self-cleaning performance allows the utilization of a reduced quantity of water for cleaning operations with respect to uncoated glass of back surface mirrors. A similar self-cleaning AlN coating could be utilized on other solar components affected by soiling, such as glass envelopes of heat collecting elements, PV panels and everywhere are required self-cleaning performance combined to optical ones.

One aspect of reproducibility in preclinical research that is frequently overlooked is the physical condition in which physiological, pharmacological, or behavioural recordings are conducted. In this study, the physical conditions of mice were altered through the attachments of wireless electrophysiological recording devices (Neural Activity Tracker-1, NAT-1). NAT-1 devices are miniaturised multichannel devices with on-board memory for direct high-resolution recording of brain activity for >48 hrs. Such devices may limit the mobility of animals and affect their behavioural performance due to the added weight (total weight of approximately 3.4 g). Mice were additionally treated with saline (control), N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK801 (0.85 mg/kg), or the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor blocker scopolamine (0.65 mg/kg) to allow exploration of the effect of NAT-1 attachments in pharmacologically treated mice. We found only minimal differences in behavioural outcomes with NAT-1 attachments in standard parameters of locomotor activity widely reported for the open field test between drug-treatments. Hypoactivity was globally observed as a consistent outcome in MK801-treated subjects and hyperactivity in scopolamine groups regardless of NAT-1 attachments. These data collectively confirm the reproducibility for combined behavioural, pharmacological and physiological endpoints even in the presence of lightweight wireless data loggers. The NAT-1 therefore constitutes a pertinent tool for investigating brain activity in e.g. drug discovery, models of neuropsychiatric and/or neurodegenerative diseases with minimal effects on pharmacological and behavioural outcomes.

The article focuses on derivation of simplified predictive models for identification of overall compressive stiffness and strength of corrugated cardboards. As a representative example an unsymmetrical 5-ply sample (with E and B flute) was used in this study. In order to exclude unreliable displacement measurement in the standard edge crush test, the virtual strain gauges are used. Video extensometry is employed here to collect measurements from the outer surfaces of the sample on both sides. Additional data allows for obtaining real force-displacement curves, which are used in the validation procedure. To emulate the experimental results, beside simple analytical model, also a 3D numerical model fully reflecting the geometry of the corrugated board, based on finite elements method was also built. In both cases a good agreement between the experimental results and the analytical and numerical calculations was observed. This proves that the proposed analytical model can be successfully used to determine the overall stiffness and compressive strength of the corrugated board, provided that the geometry and properties of all the layers of the board are known. The simple model presented in this work enables quick and reliable design and prototyping of new assemblies without the need to manufacture them.

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 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.

The multi-material design and the adaptability of a modern process chain require joining connections with specifically adjustable mechanical, thermal, chemical or electrical properties, whereby previous considerations have focused primarily on the mechanical properties. With clinching, the multitude of possible combinations of requirements, materials and component or joint geometry makes it impossible to determine these joint properties empirically. As a result of the established and empirically based procedure, no model exists to date that considers all questions of joinability, i.e. the materials (suitability for joining), the design (joining safety) and the production (joining possibility) and allows a calculation of the achievable properties. It is therefore necessary to describe the physical properties of the joint as a function of the three bonding mechanisms force closure, form closure and material closure in relation to the application. This approach enables the illustration of the relationships along the causal chain "joint requirement - binding mechanism - joining parameters". In this way the adaptability of the mechanical joining technology can be improved. A geometric comparison is made using metallographic cross sections, of clinched joints of the combination of aluminum and steel. The torsional testing of the rotationally symmetric clinching points for detection of the mechanical stress state are qualified as examination method and technological test. By measuring the electrical resistance in the base material, in the clinch joint and during the production cycle (after clinching, before precipitation hardening and after precipitation hardening), this change in the stress state can also be detected.

This study discusses the experimental assessment of the in-plane mechanical behavior of a multi-leaf stone masonry wall built from cut stone and reinforced with metal connectors (cramps and dowels). The wall, inspired by conventional multi-leaf stone walls, is meant for use in modern stone masonry buildings. The wall is constructed from two parallel load-bearing walls with a cavity between them, which aims to conceal the installation and insulation needed in modern buildings. The load-bearing walls are connected with cramps and dowels at certain intervals so that the wall works as a single section against horizontal and vertical loads. To characterize the in-plane behavior of the proposed wall, compressive, triplet, and diagonal compression tests were conducted to investigate the compressive strength, shear strength, modulus of elasticity, stiffness, ductility, and energy absorption of the wall. Compared with dry and mortar joint walls, the use of dowels increased the initial shear capacity of the wall by 11 and 19 times, respectively. The application of cramps without curving channels inside the individual stone elements decreased the compressive strength by 18%. The energy absorption of the designed walls with metal connectors was substantially increased to that of the specimens representing conventional stone walls. The results obtained show the applicability of the wall due to its higher shear strength and minimal drop in compressive strength, which is within acceptable limits.

The aim of the paper is to analyze the experimental results of the influence of elevated temperatures and strain rate on the mechanical and structural properties of steel 42CrMo4. The experiments were based on uniaxial tension and compression tests at high temperatures between 700 °C and 1000 °C and strain rates range 0.0018 - 0.1 s^-1. The influence of temperature and strain rate on yield stress, strain to fracture, hardness, structural changes, and fracture characteristics were analyzed. Due to the dynamic recrystallization phenomenon present during the hot tensile tests, an increase in the flow stress is observed at the beginning of the deformation, after which it decreases until the fracture. By increasing the deformation temperature from 700 °C to 1000 °C, the tensile stress decreases significantly for all strain rates. The increase in the strain rate leads to the increase in the tensile stress. In compression tests by increasing the strain rate, the true strain is slightly increasing, but this depends on the temperature. The non-uniformity of deformations obtained at different values of the strain rate and temperature were also analyzed. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed the ductile behavior of the material. The degree of damage of the material caused by the presence of cavities increases by increasing the deformation temperature. For all the presented deformation conditions, the presence of the fracture through the ductile fracture mechanism was produced by the localized of necking and the coalescence of microvoids. By increasing the deformation temperature and reducing the strain rate, the fracture behavior of 42CrMo4 steel can be improved.

Purpose: This research compared the dissociated phoria at near and distance fixation in free space using three techniques: the Howell test, alternate Cover test, and Thorington test. Methods: 220 healthy Mexican children (age 5.06-17.11) participated in this study. Phorias were quantified at both distances using each test, from the least to the most disruptive. The stereopsis degree and near point of convergence (break/recovery) were analyzed to understand their role on the visual system's sensorimotor balance. Results: For the exophoria/esophoria at near, the alternate Cover and Thorington tests showed similar values. The exophoria at distance, was similar with the alternate Cover and Howell tests, while esophoria, with the alternate Cover and Thorington tests. The break value and near exophoria relates to each other and affect the stereopsis degree, whereas age is associated with the stereopsis degree and break value. Conclusions: The analysis revealed that alternate Cover and Thorington tests can substitute one another, but not with the Howell test. The test's specific dissociation method may explain these results. Analyzing the binocular visual system provides information about its sensorimotor balance and fragility when faced to the technique’s degree of dissociation.

This paper presents results from numerical and experimental investigation on Charpy tests in order to point out failure mechanisms and to evaluate new polymeric blends PP+PA6+EPDM. Charpy tests were done for initial velocity of the impactor of 0.96 m/s and its mass of 3.219 kg and these data were also introduced in the finite element model. The proposed model take into account the system of four balls, including support and the ring of fixing the three balls and it has a finer discretization of the impact area to highlight the mechanisms of failure and their development in time. The constitutive models for four materials (polypropylene with 1% Kritilen, two blends PP+PA6+EPDM and a blend PA6+EPDM) were derived from tensile tests. Running simulations for each constitutive model of material makes possible to differentiate the destruction mechanisms according to the material introduced in the simulation, including the initiation and the development of the crack(s), based on equivalent plastic strain at break (EPS) for each material. The validation of the model and the simulation results was done qualitatively, analysing the shape of broken surfaces and comparing them to SEM images and quantitatively by comparing the impact duration, energy absorbed by the sample, the value of maximum force during impact. The duration of the destruction of the specimen is longer than the actual one, explainable by the fact that the material model does not take into account the influence of the material deformation speed in Charpy test, the model being designed with the help of tests done at 0.016 m/s (1000 mm/min) (maximum strain rate for the tensile tests). Experimental results are encouraging for recommending the blends 20% PP+42% PA6+28% EPDM and 60% PA6+ 40%EPDM as materials for impact protection at low velocity (1m/s). Simulation results are closer to the experimental ones for the more brittle tested materials (with less content of PA6 and EPDM) and more distanced for the more ductile materials (with higher content of PA6 and EPDM).

In regions with low-temperature action transverse cracks can appear in asphalt pavements as a result of thermal stresses that exceed the fracture strength of materials used in asphalt layers. To better understand thermal cracking phenomenon, strength properties of different asphalt mixtures were investigated. Four test methods were used to assess the influence of bitumen type and mixture composition on tensile strength properties of asphalt mixtures: tensile strength using the Thermal Stress Restrained Specimen Test (TSRST) and the Uniaxial Tension Stress Test (UTST), flexural strength using the Bending Beam Test (BBT) and fracture toughness using the Semi-Circular Bending Test (SCB). The strength reserve behavior of tested asphalt mixtures was assessed as well. The influence of cooling rate on strength reserve was investigated and correlations between results from different test methods were also analyzed and discussed. It was observed that the type of bitumen is a factor of crucial importance to low-temperature properties of the tested asphalt concretes. This conclusion was proved by all test methods that were used. It was also observed that the level of cooling rate influences the strength reserve and, in consequence, resistance to low-temperature cracking. It was concluded that reasonably good correlations were observed between strength results for the UTST, BBT and SCB test methods.

Extruded polystyrene (XPS) is frequently used in the construction of many different structures. It is therefore necessary to appropriately characterize its mechanical properties to ensure the safety of said structures. Among the available characterization tests, static bending tests are simple and easy to perform; owing to these characteristics, they should be performed more frequently than other tests. However, in static bending tests on XPS, there are several challenges owing to the high flexibility of XPS, and the chosen testing method and sample configuration affect the accuracy of characterization. In this study, three bending properties (Young’s modulus, proportional limit stress, and bending strength) of samples cut from an XPS panel were determined using three-point bending (TPB), four-point bending (FPB), and compression bending (CB) tests with varying sample span/depth ratios, and statistical analyses were performed to determine the relevance of the tests. The experimental results suggest that the TPB and CB tests were more feasible than the FPB test when the span/depth ratio was appropriately determined. However, clear differences were observed in the sample bending properties determined in these tests. In light of these findings, further studies should be conducted to elucidate these differences.

The stability assessment of aged tunnel linings were mainly evaluated based on the visual inspection, and the Tunnel-lining Crack Index (TCI) is one of the most widely used tunnel lining health assessment indexes in Japan. However, the intersection and distribution of cracks, which can influence the stability of tunnel lining greatly, were not considered in the TCI. A new method was proposed for the health assessment of tunnel lining, which evaluate the lining states according to the fractal dimension of cracks. Based on the machine vision-based method, the crack image can be extracted efficiently. The fractal dimension of lining cracks in one span can be obtained in a few minutes. A series of comparative tests and field tests were conducted to evaluate the validity of this new method. The comparative tests confirmed that fractal dimension can characterize the density, width, and distribution of cracks. The results also certificated that the influence of crack width is larger than the crack density. The intersection of cracks, which will increase the risk of lining collapse, can also increase the fractal dimension, whereas the TCI keep constant. The fractal dimensions of tunnel lining cracks were obtained according to the digital inspection test of Hidake Tunnel in Japan for all the 65 spans. Moreover, the TCI was obtained through statistical methods. The correlation between fractal dimension and TCI of tunnel lining was studied. The significance of the new evaluation index is that it can identify some unusual spans of tunnel lining and provide a basis for further internal testing. As a complement to the conventional visual inspection method, the fractal dimension of the cracks is a promising health assessment index.

A self-propelled electric tea seed-planter is designed to address the lack of tea seed seeding equipment, low seeding efficiency, and poor seeding uniformity. Based on the physical characteristics of the tea seeds and the agronomic requirements of tea planting, the key structure of the planter is designed, and the structural parameters are determined. The motor and battery configurations are determined by calculating the power consumption of the entire machine. In a field experiment, the driving gear (A), ditching depth (B), and planting gear position (C) are used as test factors, and the acceptance index (AI), replay index (RI) and leakage index (LI) are used as test indexes. The test results showed that the driving speed and planting gear position significantly affect the acceptance index, replay, and leakage index, whereas the ditching depth has little effect on the performance indexes. When the driving speed was medium, ditching depth was 30 mm, and planting gear position was in the third gear, the corresponding acceptance index was 87.22%, the replay index was 8.89%, and the leakage index was 3.89%. The test prototype has a good working quality and can provide theoretical guidance for production practices.

This research aims to investigate the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) when subjected to tensile, bending, and compression. Half of the specimens are also subjected to water to find out how water influences. The CFRP is created using a combination of carbon fiber layers and epoxy resin Bisphenol A Epichlorohydrin with hardener and is formed using the vacuum infusion method. From the water absorption test, it was found that the average weight gain of the specimens was 2.9% and the lowest value was at 0.6%, it was concluded that the increase in wet specimen weight was not too significant and water absorption tended to be slow. Mechanical testing ob-tained the highest average tensile stress, bending stress, compressive stress, and modulus of elasticity of 195 MPa, 295 MPa, 96 MPa, and 8914 MPa were from dry specimens while the lowest average values were 146 MPa, 286 MPa, 81 MPa, and 6160 MPa from wet specimens. The results of micro-photo observations on the tensile test fracture show that the specimen has a XGM fracture character with delamination and splitting fractures happening in multiple areas. In the bending test, the specimens experienced buckling fracture due to the fiber breaking and the inability of the matrix to withstand the additional stress. Shear fracture happened during the compressive test. In conclusion, water absorption has a bad impact towards the composite strength.

Burying and burrowing are promising rodent-typical behaviors to model neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). However, the original tests could be insufficient to conclude which NPS are modeled. Here, we propose methodological modifications such as the two-zone configuration and dual analysis in the Marble Burying Test (MB). Also, a new Brief Burrowing Test (BB), a 20 min brief version of the Deacon’s Burrowing Test (DB). We comprehensively studied these behaviors in 12-month-old male and female mice with normal and Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-pathological aging. The results: 1) confirm our precedent report of sexual dimorphism, with enhanced burying in male 3xTg-AD mice; 2) describe for the first time burrowing behavior in 3xTg-AD mice and its sex dependence; 3) regardless of the pattern, MB and BB reflected a goal-directed rather than an indiscriminate digging; 4) using the MB and BB to model anxiety-like behavior it’s not recommended; 5) burying and burrowing represent a repetitive rather than a stereotyped-like or perseverative behavior. In addition: 1) burying and burrowing behavioral patterns are alike, connected by several correlations; 2) the two-zones configuration is a useful tool to assess the intentionality of the burying and burrowing behaviors and to perform a more accurate screening of the NPS modeled by them.

In this paper a robust version of the Wald test statistic for composite likelihood is considered by using the composite minimum density power divergence estimator instead of the composite maximum likelihood estimator. This new family of test statistics will be called Wald-type test statistics. The problem of testing a simple and a composite null hypothesis is considered and the robustness is studied on the basis of a simulation study. Previously, the composite minimum density power divergence estimator is introduced and its asymptotic properties are studied.

This article presents an analysis of monthly precipitation totals based on the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre database and monthly mean temperatures based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data for 377 catchments located around the world. Data sequences covering 110 years from 1901 to 2010 were analysed. The long-term sequences of precipitation and temperature were used to assess the variability of climate extremes, referred to here as polarisation. Measures of polarisation used in the natural sciences are discussed. A simple measure of polarisation was presented and applied to long-term sequences of monthly precipitation totals and monthly mean temperatures. Due to the nature of the proposed polarisation measure, other characteristics of precipitation and temperature sequences are also presented as a background for the discussion of the polarisation index. The study showed the existence of trends related to the polarisation of temperature and precipitation phenomena. As a result of the analysis, trends of polarisation factors in the area of precipitation and temperature were identified in 11 catchments out of the 377 analysed catchments. The trend analysis used Mann-Kendall tests at a level of significance of 5%. The Pettitt test was used to determine the point of trend change for precipitation and temperature data. The whole investigation is supported by rich graphical analyses, and the results are presented in tabular form.

This article introduces a novel payload structure, which has been experimentally proven to have smaller impact force while the carried internal electronics remains intact. The study describes in details how materials and geometric structures were chosen based on information analysis. It is clarified how possible geometric structures and materials can be chosen to yield optimal efficiency. Finite element method simulations were carried out to investigate the mechanical properties of several geometric structures, which has led to the dodecahedron form. For the frame, Polylactic Acid were chosen as an optimal material. A low air pressure test for parts of the structure, and also the whole structure were carried out with successful results. Drop tests, with force measuring sensors and high speed videos, were carried out for measuring and comparing the maximal impact force of classical payloads and the novel one. Laboratory and real life tests demonstrated that the developed new structure is safer and it is applicable.

Among the different steps in software development software testing is one of the inevitable steps. Manual testing is considered to be more expensive and time-consuming, and this led to the formation of automated testing tools. Automated software testing tools offer a comprehensive system testing solution that minimizes the risk of any errors that could result in financial losses. One such tool is selenium. Selenium testing is an advantageous method employed by developers and testers to assess their code. Selenium is compatible with numerous widelyused programming languages like C#, Java, Python, and more. This paper focuses on understanding the in and outs of software testing using selenium

The article presents an analysis of monthly precipitation totals based on the GPCC database, and monthly mean temperatures (NOAA data) for 377 catchments distributed across the globe. The analysis included 110-year data sequences from 1901 to 2010 calculated from grid data with a spatial resolution of 0.5°x 0.5° longitude and latitude. Long-term sequences of precipitation and temperature were used to assess the polarization of climatic phenomena. The noticeable impact of polarization in the area of extreme changes in temperature and precipitation is related to anthropogenic factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and pollution, which affect ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, water resources and economies. The paper demonstrates the existence of trends related to the polarization of temperature and precipitation phenomena. The measures of polarization used in science are discussed. A simple measure of polarization was proposed and applied to both long-term sequences of monthly precipitation totals and monthly mean temperature. Due to the nature of the proposed polarization measure, other characteristics of the precipitation and temperature sequences are also presented as background for the discussion of the polarization index. The paper presents, for a selection of several hundred catchments from around the world, analyses of the assessment of precipitation and temperature trends using non-parametric tests. The trend analyses use Mann -Kendall tests at the 5% significance level. A Pettitt test was used to determine the trend change point for precipitation and temperature data. The whole is supported by rich graphical analyses and the results are presented tabularly.

While texturing of workpiece surfaces to promote lubrication in metal forming has been applied for several decades tool surface texturing is rather new. In the present paper tool texturing is studied as a method to prevent galling. Adopting a strip reduction test longitudinal pocket geometries oriented perpendicular to the sliding direction, with shallow pocket depth, small pocket angle to the workpiece surface and varying distance between pockets are investigated. The experiments reveal that the distance between pockets should be larger than the pocket width thereby creating a topography similar to flat table mountains to avoid mechanical interlocking in the valleys; otherwise an increase in drawing load and pick-up on the tools is observed. The textured tool surface lowers friction and improves lubrication performance provided that the distance between pockets is 2-4 times larger than the pocket width. Larger drawing speed facilitates escape of the entrapped lubricant in the pockets. Testing with low to medium viscosity oils leads to a low sheet roughness on the plateaus but also local workpiece material pick-up on the tool plateaus. Large lubricant viscosity results in higher sheet plateau roughness but also prevents pick-up and galling.

This paper is the continuation of a previous study, which highlighted some inconsistencies in the RILEM guidelines for the interpretation of the diagonal compression test. Although improved compared to the ASTM guidelines, in fact, the RILEM guidelines underestimate the state of hydrostatic stress induced by the diagonal compression test at the center of the wallette. The new interpretation of the diagonal compression test proposed in this article shows that the RILEM guidelines actually underestimate both the hydrostatic and the deviatoric stress states at the center of the wallette. The new formulation complies with the linear elastic theory and allows us to use the the diagonal compression test to identify the three elastic coefficients of masonry. In particular, it allows the identification of the Poisson ratio, which instead takes on a conventional value in the RILEM and ASTM guidelines. The difference of one order of magnitude between the conventional and proposed Poisson’s ratio is in agreement with the experimental results on another brittle material, namely concrete. Finally, the new proposal fills the gap between the results provided by the two tests usually performed to identify the shear behavior of masonry: the diagonal compression test and the shear-compression test.

In the investment casting process, the pattern made of wax is obtained in a die for further formation of shell mold. This work investigates commercial pattern waxes fluidity with a newly developed injection fluidity test. A good correlation between wax fluidity and its viscosity is observed, which is different from metallic alloys, where the solidification behavior is more critical. The difference in investigated filled waxes fluidity can be associated with the type and amount of filler.

The construction of random fillings from the excavation of medium hardness rocks, with high particle sizes, presents limitations in compaction control. This research applies new control techniques with revised test procedures in the construction of the random fillings core, which constitutes the main part of the embankment, with the bigger volume and provides the geotechnical stability to the infrastructure. The maximum layer thickness researched was 800mm. As there are many types of rocks, this research is applied to metamorphic slates. Quality control has been carried out by applying new research associated with the revision of wheel impression test, topographic settlements and plate bearing test (PBT). A statistical analysis of the core of 16 slate random fillings has been carried out, with a total of 2250 in situ determination of density and moisture content, 75 wheel impression tests, 75 topographic settlement control and 75 PBT. The strong associations found between different tests have allowed to simplify the quality control.

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a transparent thermoplastic with excellent optical properties, transparent surface, low moisture absorption, tensile and electrical resistance. In this study, the alloy was prepared through PMMA and cycloolefin copolymer (COC) due to some similar properties. The mechanical test showed that properties such as impact resistance, elongation, tensile, and flexural strength decreased by adding COC by up to 20% due to less incompatibility and miscibility, but mentioned properties improved by adding COC 40% due to sub-phase generation. The DSC and DMTA tests showed improvement in the thermal properties of alloys by adding 40% COC. SEM micrographs exhibited a softer surface and more phase elongation of the alloy. Finally, the sample was selected as the optimal sample in terms of mechanical properties irradiated by electron beam, and amplification results showed that a dose of 50 KGY increased the mechanical and thermal properties relatively.

In order to reduce the vibration of the transporter and improve the stability of the transporter, the vibration characteristics and key structure optimization research of the mountain orchard transporter are carried out. In this paper, the vibration of electric monorail transporters under different working conditions is tested, and the causes of vibration generated by monorail transporter during operation are explored. The three-dimensional model of the trailer and transmission box is established using Solidworks, and the modal vibration modes of the structure are analyzed theoretically. The modal test system is used for modal test analysis of trailers and transmission boxes. By comparing the results of finite element and experimental modal analysis, the second-order frequency of the trailer is close to the motor's rotating excitation frequency of 50 Hz at rated speed, which is easy to generate resonance. By optimizing the structure of the trailer, the second and third natural frequencies are increased to 54.79 Hz and 58.35 Hz respectively, which avoid the resonance of the trailer during operation and effectively reduce the vibration generated during the transportation of the trailer. Through vibration testing of the optimized electric monorail transporter, the results of vibration testing before and after structural optimization are compared and analyzed, and it is found that the vibration amplitudes of the transporter in X, Y and Z directions are reduced by 0.308m/s², 0.351m/s² and 0.334m/s² respectively, the running stability of the conveyer is improved.

Cerebral ischemic stroke poses a significant global cause of death, with ischemia-reperfusion injury contributing to neuronal cell death and tissue damage. However, significant therapeutic approaches with meaningful treatment effects for patients with ischemic stroke in actual clinical practice are lacking. This study investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, in a global cerebral ischemia model. We explored the impact of sildenafil on GFAP and AQP-4 expression, which are markers associated with astrocyte activation and water homeostasis, respectively. The immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the number of cells co-expressing the markers, which increased in the ischemia-induced group, was significantly reduced in sildenafil-treated groups, suggesting a potential mitigating effect on ischemia-induced astrocyte activation. Additionally, we conducted diverse behavioral tests, including the open-field test, novel object recognition, Barnes maze, Y-maze, and passive avoidance tests, to assess the effect of sildenafil on the cognitive function impaired by ischemia. Cognitive improvements were observed following sildenafil administration (20mg/kg) compared to the untreated group. Taken together, the results presented here suggest sildenafil's potential as a neuroprotective agent for alleviating delayed neuronal cell death and cognitive function impaired by ischemia.

Over the past decade, China has witnessed fast-paced technological advancements in the media industry, as well as major shifts in the health agenda portrayed in the media. Therefore, a key starting point when discussing health communication lies in whether media attention and public attention towards health issues are structurally aligned, and to what extent the news media guide public attention. Based on data mined from 73,060 sets of the Baidu Search Index and Media Index on 20 terms covering different types of cancer from 2011 to 2020, the Granger test demonstrates that, in the last decade, public attention and media attention towards cancer in China has gone through two distinct phases. During the first phase, 2011-2015, Chinese news media still held the key in transferring the salience of issues on most cancer types to the public. In the second phase, from 2016-2020, public attention towards cancer has gradually diverged from media coverage, mirroring the imbalance and mismatch between the demand of active public and the supply of cancer information from news media. This study provides an overview of the dynamic transition on cancer issues in China over a ten-year span, along with descriptive results on public and media attention towards specific cancer types.

Evaluating mutation testing behavior can help decide whether refactoring successfully maintains the expected initial test results. Moreover, manually performing this analytical work is both time-consuming and prone to errors. This paper extends an approach to assess test code behavior and proposes a tool called MeteoR. This tool comprises an IDE plugin to detect issues that may arise during test code refactoring, reducing the effort required to perform evaluations. A preliminary assessment was conducted to validate the tool and ensure the proposed test code refactoring approach is adequate. By analyzing not only the mutation score but also the generated mutants in the pre- and post-refactoring process, results show that the approach is capable of checking whether the behavior of the mutants remains unchanged throughout the refactoring process. This proposal represents one more step toward the practice of test code refactoring. It can improve overall software quality, allowing developers and testers to safely refactor the test code in a scalable and automated way.

Simultaneous measurement of different substances from a single sample is an emerging issue to achieve efficient and high-throughput detection in several fields of application. Although immunoanalytical techniques have well-established and prevailing advantages over alternative screening analytical platforms, one of the incoming challenges for immunoassay is exactly multiplexing. The Lateral Flow Immunoassay (LFIA) is a leading immunoanalytical technique for onsite analysis thanks to its simplicity, rapidity and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, LFIA architecture is adaptable to multiplexing and therefore candidates as a possible answer to the pressing demand of multiplexing point-of-need analysis. The review present an overview of diverse approaches for multiplex LFIA, with a special focus on strategies based on new types of magnetic, fluorescent and colored labels

In this paper, the Shannon entropy measure was used to assess changes in precipitation and temperature conditions. Due to the short, low-volume sequences of precipitation and temperature data analysed, a bootstrap method was used in the procedure for calculating Shannon entropy. The analysis used minimum and maximum values of monthly precipitation totals and monthly mean temperatures for 377 catchments distributed across the globe. A 110-year data series from 1901 to 2010 was analysed. Entropy values for the estimated parameters of the generalised extreme value distribution (GEV) were calculated for the adopted data. Entropy value calculations were performed for the left-hand constraint, based on minimum values, and for the right-hand constraint, based on maximum values. The applicability of Shannon's entropy measure in the analysis of climate change was demonstrated by allowing the degree of disorder and complexity of the distributions describing climate variables in the form of precipitation and temperature to be measured. This made it possible to obtain information on the directions of changes occurring with regard to minimum and maximum values in the field of monthly precipitation and mean temperatures in the analysed catchments. The study demonstrated the existence of Shannon entropy trends. The evaluation of entropy trends for precipitation and temperature sequences was performed using non-parametric tests. Mann -Kendall tests at the 5% significance level were used for trend analyses. The Pettitt test was performed to determine the point of change in trend for the rainfall and temperature data. The performed analysis was supported by graphical presentations.

The aim of this study was to clarify effects of 3-week work-matched high-intensity intermittent cycling training (HIICT) with different cadences on VO2max in university athletes. Eighteen university athletes performed HIICT with either 60 rpm (n = 9) or 120 rpm (n = 9). HIICT consisted of eight sets of 20-s exercise with a 10-s passive rest between each sets. The initial training intensity was set at 135% of VO2 max and was decreased by 5% every two sets. Athletes in both groups performed 9 sessions of HIICT during 3-week. The total work-load and achievement rate of the work load calculated before experiments in each group were used for analysis. VO2max was measured pre and post-training. After 3-week of training, no significant differences in the total work-load and achievement rate of the work load were found between the two groups. VO2max similarly increased in both groups from pre to post training (p = 0.016), with no significant differences between the groups (p = 0.680). These results suggest that cadence during HIICT is not training variable affecting effect of VO2max.

2-(Morpholin-4-yl)-4,5-bis(2’’,2’’,2’’-trinitroethoxy)-1,3,5-triazine having QSAR-predicted anti-tumor activity was tested for the cytotoxicity using MTT and LDH cell viability tests. The experiments were conducted using human fibroblasts, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and breast cancer cells and allowed to identify effective cytotoxic concentration ant therapeutic range of this compound. The data obtained suggest the feasibility of the further studies of the test compound as a potential anti-cancer agent.

Background: The maximal one-repetition test (1-RM) is widely used in scientific research; however, there are conflict results regarding its reproducibility in elderly population. The present study aimed to analyze the reproducibility the test both before and after a 12 week training period by using the bench press and leg press 45° 1-RM tests in the elderly taking into consideration the training experience and strength level of the women. Methods: Elderly women (n = 376; age, 68.5 ± 14.1 years; height, 162.7 ± 5.5 cm; body mass, 71.2 ± 16.0 kg) who underwent ≥3 months of resistance training performed an initial week of familiarization and a second week of testing and retest, with a 48–72 hour interval. Results: The results showed maximal and relative load strength of 39.3 kg and 0.59 kg/body mass for lower limbs and 20.9 kg and 0.31 kg/body mass for upper limbs. The Kappa indices were 0.93 and 0.95, and the intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.99 and 0.99 for the lower and upper limbs, respectively. Conclusion: Therefore, the present study confirms that the 1-RM test has high reliability and reproducibility in the elderly, for both upper and lower limbs.

Although various atmospheric corrosion simulation models have been developed that give good results, industrial environments are still challenging. This paper aims to investigate the effect industrial atmospheres in Bor on the mechanical properties of structural steel S235JR and to create a constitutive model and also laboratory experimental conditions that will give the best results as an accelerated corrosion test. Atmospheric corrosion tests lasted six months, using sites close to the Electrolytic Refining Plant and Sulphuric Acid Plant, as well as air quality monitoring stations at a remote location in the city of Bor. The laboratory experiments included a salt chamber test lasting 120 h and 240 h and immersing the specimen in the electrolyte from the Electrolytic Refining Plant for 30 days. The results were compared with the standard specimens stored in the laboratory. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) method was used to identify the composition of corrosion products. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was applied to analyze the fracture surfaces of the specimens. The use of the Complete Gurson Model (CGM) described the tensile characteristics of the corroded specimens. The study has shown that an enhanced acceleration model and conditions could be developed using numerical analysis of the test results.

Several articles have reported that the low number of COVID-19 cases in Japan is attributed to the small number of diagnostic RT-PCR tests performed. The criticism is based on the low number of the tests performed, and they suspected there would be more potential cases in Japan. The use of pre-test probability among tested subjects is proposed in order to evaluate of the sufficiency of test availability instead of the number of the tests. The pre-test probability means the average probability, i.e., ‘suspicion level’, of having coronavirus among the tested subject in a country. The higher pre-test probability is regarded as less sufficient opportunity of the tests, and the test availability could be evaluated by the pre-test probability. Thus, potential problems of underestimation of COVID-19 cases by insufficient amount of the test would be clear by using pre-test probability. The comparison of the pre-test probability could be replaced with that of the positive rate of the test because of the linear relationship between them under the assumption of common sensitivity and specificity. Japan shows the third lowest rate (8.6%), and is considered that the considerably sufficient number of the tests have been performed. In conclusion, the positive rate of the test as a surrogate index of the pre-test probability is useful to evaluate the sufficiency of test amount instead of the number of the tests performed. In present, the potential problem of underestimation by insufficient test availability would be less serious in Japan.

The Combined Elevation Test (CET) is a musculoskeletal screening technique (MST) replicates the streamline position in swimming and is commonly used in various sports. Although the CET is widely used, no normative data exist within an adolescent population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a normative data set for the CET within an adolescent population and to evaluate the influence various demographic and anthropometric variables. Data was collected for 416 participants aged between 8 and 18 years old. Age and arm span showed a significant correlation with CET scores (arm span r_s (105) = .478, p = .000, age r_s (416) = .238 p = .000). Regression analysis further quantified the influence of arm span and age on CET scores accounting for 23.1% and 5.3% of variability respectively. These results can be used as a reference point for clinicians and coaches who are using the CET within their assessment.

The employment of breast silicone implants, both in aesthetic and reconstructive medicine, is widespread thanks to their recognized biocompatibility and durability. Some critical situations, as for example in case of accidental impacts, may however induce concerns by potential patients about their use. Experimental data is collected by means of static compressive and tensile tests. Aging at 37, 60, 75° and 90° Celsius is performed in a physiological saline solution (0,9% NaCl). Impact dynamic tests are carried out using a Hybrid II anthropomorphic test dummy with the prostheses implanted. Mechanical tensile and compressive tests show mechanical degradation of the prostheses characteristics after aging. Impact dynamic tests show a great probability of breast implant rupture at speeds up to 90 km/h. Accidental events like car crashes or bad falls, are con-firmed as possible causes of significant damages to implanted prostheses. In addition, the possi-ble long-term aging of the silicone shell, although of limited relevance in terms of body compati-bility or reaction, can lead to some degradation of mechanical properties, rendering the outcome of accidental events even more worthy of attention.

The present paper investigates the influence of the specimen size of EN-AW6082 wrought aluminium alloy subjected to very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) tests. The hourglass specimens were tested under fully reversed loading condition, up to 10^9 cycles, by means of the ultrasonic fatigue testing machine developed by Italsigma® (Italy). Three specimens groups were considered, with a diameter in the middle cross-section ranging from 3 mm up to 12 mm. The stress field in the specimens was determined numerically and by strain gauge measurements in correspondence of the cross-section surface. The dispersion of experimental results has been accounted for, and data are reported in P-S-N diagrams. The decrease in fatigue resistance with increasing specimen size is evident. Theoretical explanation for the observed specimen-size effect is provided, based on Fractal Geometry concepts, allowing to obtain scale independent P-S*-N curves. The fatigue life expectation in the VHCF regime of the EN-AW6082 aluminium alloy full-scale components is rather overestimated if it is assessed only from standard small specimens of 3 mm in diameter. Experimental tests carried out on larger specimen, and a proper extrapolation, are required to assure safe structural design.

An analysis of the performance of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data received from the Grand Forks, North Dakota International Airport was carried out in this study. The purpose was to understand the vulnerabilities of Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) ADS-B system and recognize the effects on present and future Air Traffic Control (ATC) operation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated all the General Aviation aircraft to be equipped with ADS-B. The aircraft flying within United States and below the transition altitude (18,000 feet) are more likely to install an UAT ADS-B. At present unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and autonomous air traffic control (ATC) towers are being integrated into the aviation industry and UAT ADS-B is a basic sensor for both class 1 and class 2 Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems. As a fundamental component of future surveillance system, the anomalies and vulnerabilities of ADS-B system need to be identified to enable a fully utilized airspace with enhanced situational awareness. The data received was archived in GDL-90 format, which was parsed into readable data. The anomaly detection of ADS-B messages was based on the FAA ADS-B performance assessment report. The data investigation revealed ADS-B message suffered from different anomalies including drop out; missing payload; data jump; low confident data and altitude discrepancy. Among those studied, the most severe was drop out and 32.49% of messages suffered from this anomaly. Dropout is an incident where ADS-B failed to update within a specified rate. Considering the potential danger being imposed, an in-depth analysis was carried out to characterize message dropout. Three flight parameters were selected to investigate their effect on drop out. Statistical analysis was carried out and Friedman Statistical Test identified that altitude affected drop out more than any other flight parameters.

This paper reports the effect of as-deposited surface condition on the fatigue strength in an additive manufactured titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V (WAAM Ti64). First, local stress concentration caused by the surface waviness was quantified by a metrology technique followed by numerical modelling. Fatigue tests were conducted under bending load with the as-deposited surface being under tensile cyclic stress. The applicability of two predictive methods was studied and compared with the fatigue test results. The traditional notch stress method overestimated the fatigue strength by a factor of 1.5 at a given life; the poor agreement with the test is attributed to the crack propagation from the waviness being dominant in the bending test, i.e., the crack initiation stage was short, hence the local stress method is unsuitable. The fracture mechanics approach has delivered good predictions at every applied stress levels. The method treats a waviness trough as an initial crack. This approach is suitable for predicting the fatigue life in materials built by wire based directed energy deposition processes.

With the rapid development of China's economy, construction industrialization has become the main development trend of China's construction industry, and the convenient, efficient, environmental protection has become the new fashion, therefore the application of prefabricated building is more and more common. Stair serves as the weak link in prefab type building, the connecting node has an important influence on its failure. In this paper, pseudo-static tests are carried out on the joints in different forms of ladder holes to study the mechanical properties of flexible hinge points filled with flexible materials, and the hysteresis curve, skeleton curve and bearing capacity of each specimen are analyzed. The test results show that the flexible hinge can give full play to its flexible characteristics to ease the stress of ladder beam, pin bolt reinforcement and ladder hole, and the bearing capacity of flexible hinge points is moderate, which can not only mitigate the inclined bracing effect under the action of small and medium earthquakes, but also ensure the stair does not fall off under the action of large earthquakes. Through the experiment comparison, the ladder hole adopts node form 2, which can give full play to the advantage of flexible material.

The study of mechanical properties of rock mass can be effectively carried out through rock-like material model test. The similarity of mechanical properties between rock-like material and protolith is dependent on the appropriate selection of composition and content of rock-like materials. In this research, X-Ray diffraction test was conducted to analyze the composition of deep rock, which confirmed silica, quartz, and dolomite as the primary components of deep sandstone. An orthogonal design test was used to execute the ratio test of rock-like material. River sand was used as an aggregate, cement as a binder, gypsum powder as a regulator, and polystyrene foam (EPS) as rock damage simulation material. The influencing factors considered in the orthogonal mechanical tests were the proportion of aggregate and binder, ratio of binder and regulator, quantity of damage simulation material, and size of damage simulation material. Three levels were set for each factor, and mechanical parameters such as compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic modulus, axial strain, and Poisson's ratio were tested for each group of samples. The changes of those parameters with the levels of the above four factors were studied. The study revealed that adjusting the size of polystyrene foam (EPS) can adjust the values of elastic modulus, tensile strength, and Poisson's ratio of rock-like material. Similarly, changing the ratio of binder and regulator can adjust the values of axial strain and compressive strength of rock-like material. The rock-like material developed in the study can simulate the mechanical properties of different rock masses such as granite, sandstone, shale, and limestone.

Long-distance Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning is crucial for applications in remote areas, such as maritime environments. Achieving 2-3 cm accuracy with RTK requires successful ambiguity resolution, which involves two main two steps: identifying the best integer ambiguity candidate and confirming its validity. While previous research has largely concentrated on the first step, including the development of Cascading Ambiguity Resolution methods, and reducing tropospheric delay, studies on the validation of ambiguity for long-distance RTK are limited. This study conducts a thorough examination of ambiguity validation for long-distance RTK, focusing on two prevalent methods: the theoretical success rate and the R-ratio test. The results reveal several key insights. Firstly, the six commonly used bounds for the theoretical success rate are not accurate reflection of the actual success rate, making them unsuitable for long-distance RTK applications. Secondly, the R-ratio test proves to be dependable when the threshold is set above 1.7, assuming there is a minimum observation period of one minute and at least ten satellites are visible. However, the probability of successfully resolving ambiguities with the R-ratio test does not surpass 50%. Additionally, if ambiguity resolution is not achieved within 20 minutes, simply prolonging the observation time is generally unproductive. To improve the performance of ambiguity resolution in practical situations that require extended observation times, this research proposes a novel ambiguity validation method. This new approach is based the duration for which an integer ambiguity resolution candidate maintaining the best status. This method aims to provide a reliable means of validating ambiguities in case that the R-ratio test fails.

The metrological performance of FBG strain sensing systems is a critical premise for the precision of plastics water support pipeline structural deformation measurement, but the strain transfer loss of FBG attached on the plastics pipe subjected by dynamic force is unclear. This paper presents the first study on the effects of strain transfer between FBG, and acrylate polymer blended with poly resin (ABR)pipe sheets loaded by static and dynamic force. Theoretical methods of dynamic strain transfer theory combine with the exponentially decaying sinusoidal shock force time course is deduced and various dynamic parameters sensitivities studies are carried out, as well as that of the geometric parameters. The result of the dynamic theory is compared with the calibration test outcomes, while the ASTR of FBG attached on ABR sheet is compared with distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS) and other pipe materials such as PVC, concrete, and steel. Results show that the ASTR of FBG is more accurate than that of the DOFS, and the grows of ASTR depending on the paste length of FBG, the Young's modulus of the middle materials, the thickness of the middle materials and attenuation coefficient. Paste length produced the largest increase, yet the magnitude and loading speed of the external force has unexpectedly little effect on ASTR. FBG seem low error, insensitive with dynamic force and independent with the material of matrix, and this demonstrates benefits that are stronger across the board than DOFS. This is not currently recognized by standards or by most reported studies.

(1) Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a prognostic factor regarding long time morbidity and mortality. To assess CRF the well-known gold standard is cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), which is a time consuming and expensive test. Therefore, alternative methods for routine evaluation of CRF are needed for the general population as well as for specific patient groups such as children and young adults with congenital heart disease. The Stair Climbing Test (SCT) is a simple and resource saving test reported in the current literature. This test is used in various settings to assess different health associated risk factors including cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular resilience, therapy effectiveness or pre- and postoperative morbidity and mortality.

The papaya mealybug Paracoccus marginatus is an invasive, polyphagous pest and poses a quarantine threat to tropical and subtropical countries. Infested commodity internationally should be undergoing phytosanitary treatment, while irradiation is recommended to replace methyl bromide fumigation. Dose-response tests were conducted on the 2-, 4-, and 6-d-old eggs and gravid females of P. marginatus using the X-ray radiation doses of 15–105 Gy with an interval of 15 Gy, respectively. Radiotolerance was compared using fiducial overlapping and lethal dose ratio (LDR) test, resulting in insignificant difference except for LDR test at LD90 (leading 90% mortality at 95% confidence level (CL)); the estimated dose for 99.9968% mortality at 95% CL was 176.5–185.2 Gy, which was validated in the confirmatory tests using gamma irradiation because gammy and X-rays have equal biological effect on pests. Therefore, a total of estimating 60,386 gravid females of papaya mealybug irradiated with 146.8–185.0 Gy resulted in no F1 nymphs developing. Eggs can therefore be used as an alternative to gravid females for dose-response tests; the recommended minimum dose for phytosanitary treatment of P. marginatus on infested commodity is 185 Gy, with treatment efficacy ≥ 99.9950% at 95% CL.

Due to species barriers and poor adaptability to new host environments, few pathogens cause global pandemics. But, SARS-CoV-2 is one exception with its high transmissivity and delayed onset of symptoms. Fortunately, the world was able to tap on the technologies especially the maturing RT-qPCR designed to combat SARS to launch an initial offensive on SARS-CoV-2. These initial efforts may have bought time for scientists to develop more refined diagnostic tests that specifically target SARS-CoV-2. This article describes the effort put forth by the biotech industry and academia in Singapore to develop diagnostic tests that aid the early detection of positive cases, and thereby help contain the virus. Direct tests such as RT-qPCR and antigen rapid test profile the virus nucleic acid and surface proteins, respectively. But, of equal importance in case detection and treatment is serological tests that measure the relative abundance of IgM and IgG which is indicative of infection phase and quality of immune response in positive cases. Other tests such as isothermal amplification, CRISPR-based diagnostics and breath tests are also in development or at initial field deployment, and would undoubtedly provide valuable use experience useful for the development of molecular assays to detect and combat the next pathogen of global concern.

In the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the use of surgical masks has become the new normal. The use of these devices in exercise and medical situations has been advocated with the purpose of reducing contagions, but some concerns exist regarding its safety. We performed maximal treadmill stress tests in 12 healthy young subjects, with and without surgical mask use, and measured exercise capacity, oxygen saturation (rest, peak exercise and post-exercise) and electrocardiographic changes. Exercise capacity and Oxygen saturation levels decreased in peak exercise vs rest in a statistically significant manner when mask was used. ECG changes, although not significant, were present in 3 subjects when mask was used and disappeared when the test was made unmasked. We conclude that masked exercise has the potential to cause decreased exercise load and oxygen saturation and potentially cause diagnostic errors in medical exams.

In patients with prior Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), long lasting functional cardiac limitations were described as compared with normal subjects. Emotions-triggered Takotsubo syndrome (E-TTS) has more favorable outcomes than TTS preceded by a physical trigger or by no identifiable fac-tors. The aim of the present study was to assess long-term cardiac functional limitations in a co-hort of asymptomatic E-TTS patients. We enrolled n=39 asymptomatic patients with a diagnosis of E-TTS. Cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) were performed at 30 [12-40] months median fol-low-up from the acute event. A cohort of n=39 individuals matched for age, sex, body mass index and comorbidities served as control. Despite recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction, patients with prior E-TTS had lower peak VO2 and percentage of predicted peak VO2 (17.8 ± 3.6 vs 22.5 ± 6.5; P < 0.001 and 75.2 ± 14.1 % vs 100.6 ± 17.1%, P <0.001), VO2 at anaerobic threshold (AT) (11.1 [10.1-12.9] vs 14.4 [12.5-18.7]; P <0.001), peak O2 pulse (9.7 ± 2.5 vs 13.1 ± 3.5; P <0.001) and higher VE/VCO2 slope (30.4 ± 3.7 vs 27.2 ± 3.5; P <0.001) compared with matched controls. We found no statistically significant differences in heart rate reserve (HRR), respiratory equivalent ratio (RER), mean blood pressure and peak PetCO2 between patients and controls. Despite its favorable out-come, patients with E-TTS in our population were found to have subclinical long-term functional cardiac limitations as compared with a control cohort.

Bacterial adhesion to the surface of the adhesive material is an important step in the formation of plaque and enamel demineralization. In order to correlate the material composition to the specific surface roughness of the resin and to the probable more favourable adhesion of bacteria, scanning electron microscopy, combined with focus ion bean micromachining, together with stylus profilometry analysis have been in vitro performed to reveal the structural nature of three orthodontic adhesive resins used for bracket bonding and, above all, to understand how compositional factors can influence specific pivotal properties such as material’s surface roughness and robustness. In particular, we speculated about the morphological features that determine an increase in the bacterial adhesion and we proposed focused ion beam technique as a valuable tool to compare the internal structures of the polymers and to determine the peculiar mechanical properties of the examined adhesive resins.

We have previously reported that a single test measuring oVEMP n10 to 4000Hz stimuli (either bone-conducted vibration (BCV) or air-conducted sound (ACS)) provides a definitive diagnosis of semicircular canal dehiscence (SCD) in 22 CT-verified patients with a sensitivity of 1.0 and specificity of 1.0. Such a single short screening test has great advantages of speed, minimizing testing time and the exposure of patients to stimulation. However some studies of the 4000Hz test for SCD have reported sensitivity and sensitivity values somewhat less that what we reported.

This brief note aims to explain the scope in conducting large-scale serological surveys of SARS-CoV-2 to define the landscape of population immunity without overlooking the inherent uncertainty steaming from sampling design and diagnostic validity. The note completes with a succinct statistical appendix of simple methods for estimating prevalence from random population samples using imperfect diagnostic tests.

Red mud (RM), a bauxite residue, contains hazardous radioactive wastes and alkaline material and poses severe surface water and groundwater contamination risks, necessitating recycling. Pretreated RM can be used to make adsorbents for water treatment. However, its performance is affected by many factors, resulting in a nonlinear correlation and coupling relationship. This study aimed to identify the best formula for an RM adsorbent using a mathematical model that examines the relationship between 11 formulation types (e.g., pore-assisting agent, component modifier, and external binder) and nine properties (e.g., specific surface area, wetting angle, and Zeta potential, among others). This model was built using a back-propagation neural networks(BP) based on single-factor experimental data and orthogonal test data. The model trained and predicted the established network structure to obtain the optimal adsorbent formula. The RM particle adsorbents had a pH of 10.16, specific surface area(BET) of 48.92 m2·g−1, pore volume of 2.10 cm3·g−1, compressive strength(ST)) of 1.12 KPa, and 24-h immersion pulverization rate(η_m) of 3.72%. In the removal of total phosphorus in flotation tailings backwater, it exhibited a good adsorption capacity (Q)and total phosphorous removal rate(η) of 48.63 mg·g−1 and 95.13%, respectively.

Self-compacting concrete is essential for vertical structures due to high reinforcement and usage of pumps for transporting the concrete at the working site. SCC is mainly influenced by self-curing for arid areas. To explore the SCC (Self-Compacting Concrete) mixture and condition influencing the self-curing condition were determined using the experimental procedure. Determination of various parameters was done using T50 slump flow, V-funnel, L-box-box, J ring test, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength test. After the experimental investigation, it shows that if the dose if the dosage of superplasticizer (SNF%) increases, it will improve the concrete mixture's different properties, such as flowability and ability to pass. Higher water-to-cement ratios (w/c) generally result in enhanced flowability and stability. Mixture 9 (SNF 0.35, w/c 0.5) demonstrates favourable results across all parameters, indicating excellent flowability and stability. Mixture 9 (SNF 0.35, w/c 0.5) also shows favourable flowability and stability characteristics. Lower concentrations, such as 0.5%, may have a positive effect up to a certain point but might not provide sustained improvement over the curing period. On the other hand, concentrations of 1% and 2% demonstrated consistent and significant enhancement in strength throughout the 28 days. It is found that the higher concentrations of PEG 4000 may be more effective in improving the material strength.

Organophilic nano clay is the composition of mostly clay and organic molecules designed to improve various materials' physical and chemical properties. Permanent deformation in asphalt pavements is primarily the result of inadequate compaction, excessive loading, and high temperatures. Rutting can result in aquaplaning, leading to accidents and costly maintenance and rehabilitation works that drain the economy. Such behavior of asphalt pavements may be attributable to poor selection of aggregate, asphalt binder, or substandard asphalt binders. This study used different percentages of organophilic nano clay ranging from 3.0% - 5.0% with two penetration grade bitumen, i.e., N.R.L 60-70 &amp; N.R.L 80-100. Adding organophilic nano clay to asphalt binder significantly reduced the rutting potential under cyclic loading at high temperatures (55 °C). Ten modified formulations and two virgin bitumen specimens were prepared. The modified binders' viscosity and rutting were tested using the Rotational Viscometer and Wheel Tracker Test (W.T.T.), respectively. The results were analyzed using software for Statistical Analysis. It was recorded that organophilic nano clay-modified bitumen significantly affected rutting to interpret the results. The results indicated that rutting decreased and viscosity increased in all nano clay-modified bitumen samples, with a 4.5% O.N.C modified binder showing the most significant improvement.

Axial compression tests were carried out on 6 square steel tube confined concrete short columns and 6 BFRP square pipe confined concrete axial compression tests. The concrete strength grades were C30, C40, and C50. The test results show that the failure modes of steel pipe and BFRP pipe are obviously different, and the BFRP pipe undergoes brittle failure. Compared with the short columns of concrete confined by BFRP pipes, the ultimate bearing capacity of axial compression is increased by -76.46%, -76.01%, and -73.06%, and the ultimate displacements are -79.20%, -80.78%, -71.71%.

Axial compression tests were carried out on 6 square steel tube confined concrete short columns and 6 BFRP square pipe confined concrete axial compression tests. The concrete strength grades were C30, C40, and C50. The test results show that the failure modes of steel pipe and BFRP pipe are obviously different, and the BFRP pipe undergoes brittle failure. Compared with the short columns of concrete confined by BFRP pipes, the ultimate bearing capacity of axial compression is increased by -76.46%, -76.01%, and -73.06%, and the ultimate displacements are -79.20%, -80.78%, -71.71%.

The determination of the non-loading condition of the rail cable shifting (RCS) system, which consists of main cables, hangers and rail cables, is the premise of the girder erection for the long-span suspension bridges. An analytical form-finding analysis model of shifting system is established according to the basic assumptions of flexible cable structures. Herein, the rail cable is discretized into segmental linear cable elements and the main cable is discretized into segmental catenary elements. Moreover, the calculation and analysis equation of each member and their iterative solutions are derived by taking the elastic elongation of the sling into account. In addition, by taking the girder construction of Aizhai suspension bridge as engineering background, a global scale model of the RCS system is designed and manufactured; also the test system and working conditions are established. The comparison between the test results and analytical results shows the presented analytical method is correct and effective. The process is simplified in the analytical method, and the computational results and precision can satisfy the practical engineering requirements. In addition, the proposed method is suitable to apply to the computation analysis of similar structures.

As a new plant slope protection technology, living stumps can effectively improve slope stability. The current study attemptes to investigate the mechanical characteristics of the root system of living stumps and their reinforcement mechanism on slopes by carrying out a three-dimensional living stump slope modeling test. Using ABS materials, a 3D model of a living elm stump was created by 3D printing and a slope model test was carried out. The reinforcement mechanism of the living stump was studied through a combination of model testing and numerical simulation. The results indicate that, due to the presence of living stumps in the lower and middle parts of the slope, the maximum shear stress area of the soil moved to a deeper direction. The stress state of the soil around the living stump was effectively improved due to the existence of the lateral root system.Living stumps in the lower part of the slope cross the potential sliding surface and transferred the soil shear stress gradually to the root system through root-soil interaction. Moreover, the tap roots and lateral roots of living stumps form a robust spatial structure that bears the shear stress of soil together, thus increasing the stability of the slope.

The increased consumption of food requiring thermoformed packaging means that the packaging industry demands customized solutions in terms of shapes and sizes to make the packaging unique. In particular, the food industry increasingly requires more transparent packaging, with greater clarity and a better presentation of the product features they contain. However, in turn, the differentiation of products is sought through the geometry and final finish of the product, as well as the arrangement of food inside the packaging. In addition, these types of packaging usually include ribs in the walls to improve physical properties, however they also affect the final aesthetics of the product. In accordance with this, this research study analyses by studying the mechanical properties of different relief geometries that can affect not only the aesthetics but also their strength. For this purpose, tensile and compression tests have been carried out. The results provide comparative data on the reliefs studied and show that there are different shapes, sizes and layout.

Proprioceptive deficits accompanied with motor paresis after stroke, namely sensory ataxic motor paresis has a poorer prognosis of recovery than pure motor deficit. We aimed to investigate the effects of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) on sensory ataxic upper extremity (UE) paresis at acute stroke. Eighteen stroke participants with sensory ataxic UE paresis were randomized. rPMS group received five sessions of intervention per week, where 20 minutes of rPMS prior to 20 minutes of physical therapy (PT) every other day, alternating with 40 minutes of PT. The control group received five sessions of 40 minutes of PT/week. Outcome measures were Wolf motor function test (WMFT), UE motor section of Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment Scale (FMA-UE), and Thumb localizing test (TLT). All assessments were compared before and after intervention. rPMS group received mean 6.5 sessions and the control group received 12.8 sessions, showing significantly imbalanced intervention due to different timing of hospital discharge. The imbalance was corrected by calculating gains of motor scores divided by sessions as Progress Rate (PR). Corrected gains (PR) of rPMS group was more significantly enhanced in WMFT and FMA-UE than control groups. rPMS group tended to improve TLT more than control one. rPMS might improve sensory ataxic UE paresis after stroke and proprioceptive deficit.

Global malaria epidemiology has changed in the last decade with a substantial increase in cases and death being recorded. Over 90% of global cases and deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Tanzania accounts for about 4% of all cases and deaths reported in recent years. It is believed that several factors contribute to the resurgence of malaria, parasite resistance to antimalarials and mosquito resistance to insecticides being at the top of the list. The presence of sub-microscopic infections poses a significant challenge to malaria rapid diagnostic tests (mRDT), particularly in low-endemic areas. Our cross-sectional surveys in Handeni and Moshi, Tanzania assessed the effect of low parasite density on mRDT. A significant difference (P˂0.001) in malaria prevalence by mRDT, light microscopy (LM) and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was found among age groups. In comparison to all other groups, school-age children (5-15 years) had the highest prevalence of malaria. Based on the results of this study, mRDT may miss up to 6% of cases of malaria mainly due to low-density parasitaemia. Routinely used mRDT will likely miss the sub-microscopic parasitemia which will ultimately contribute to the continued spread of malaria and hinder efforts to control and eliminate it.

The characteristics of response to stressful situations depend on a complex of factors such as personality traits, emotional regulation, health state, features of the nervous system, motor functions and proprioception. In cases of disruption of the brain's dopamine system due to disease or chemotherapy, hormone discharge due to stress, changes in emotions and proprioception may occur. The aim of our study was to find the relationship of stress resilence in verbal test and individual differences performed in proprioceptive test in onco-patients, sportsmen and group of control; as well as to observe the differences between these groups in the verbal stress resistance and individual differences proprioceptive tests. The results showed that onco-patients were less resistant as per verbal stress resistance outcomes for a major part of variables compared to other groups. The sportsmen were superior in verbal Risk and Control dimensions compared to other groups; but less in Positive Affectiveness. The proprioceptive test perfomance revealed the only statistically significant difference in performance in the dimension related to Mood, showing more Pessimism in the sportsmen group, but more Optimism in the oncopatients at temperamental (or intrisinc) level. The obtained results can be used by psychologists, therapists, coach and healthcare when needed to attend the specific needs of public, being pateints or sportsmen, etc.

Various therapeutic approaches have been developed for neglect. Many studies have demonstrated the effect of Digital therapeutics(DTx) on neglect. By contrast, only a few studies have reported on the effects of DTx on egocentric and allocentric neglect. In this article, seven studies on DTx of egocentric and allocentric neglect were reviewed. DTx, which was employed in these studies, could be classified as follows: 1) software adaptation in traditional treatment, 2) VR game using the head-mount display as treatment, and 3) development of new digital program like ReMoVES. In addition, more studies and effective results were reported on egocentric neglect than allocentric neglect. In future studies, each effect on egocentric and allocentric neglect should be identified in detail through the appropriate use of differential evaluation and long-term application of independent digital therapeutics.

The importance of statistics in biological research is inevitable. The appliance of statistics is the most powerful tool to support the scientific hypothesis and to give credibility to biological research methodology, to interpret convoluted explanations and conclusions based on the research findings. The evidences from literatures point the persistent statistical errors, selection of non-proper statistical test with the consequence of misinterpretation of the scientific results which are published in international journals. One of the most extensively used statistical tests in the field of biology (preclinical and clinical) is analysis of variance (ANOVA). ANOVA test is in place of multiple T-tests to compare the means of more than two groups at a time; and there are some important points which biologists should be aware of them to avoid possible misinterpretation of results with the consequence of wrong conclusion. Accordingly, the aim of the current review is to help biologists to understand the basic concepts of ANOVA test and reach to a more valid interpretation of achieved results.

Objectives: This paper presents a statistical review of modelling simulations for frequency and sensitivity of COVID-19 testing paradigms. Methods: We performed a review of preprints and published articles on PubMed from January 1, 2020 – March 1, 2021 using the search terms “COVID screening testing”, “COVID testing frequency”, “COVID testing frequency screening” and “SARS-CoV-2 testing frequency”.Results: Several authors’ conclusions support the claim that test frequency and test sensitivity both play a role in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission. We highlight the interplay between frequency of testing, test sensitivity and the speed at which test results are available in our review. Conclusions: Evidence suggests that sensitivity and frequency of testing both play a part in decreasing transmission of disease. We conclude that, overall, test sensitivity plays less of a role in reducing disease transmission in a population compared to the frequency of testing and how quickly test results are available.

2.25Cr-1Mo steel with high strength at high temperatures and good hydrogen resistance is widely used for power generation boiler material in high temperature and pressure use environments. Following the test evaluation of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, specimens from the base metal of a boiler pipe were found to have impact toughness values of 285 and 21 ft-lb, which are drastically different values. The analysis of the fracture surface of the 21 ft-lb test specimen revealed MnS inclusions, and it was found that cracks initiated at the inclusions. Observation of the cross-section of the crack propagation front revealed that cracks propagated along the ferrite regions and precipitate voids. Inclusions were also found in the 285 ft-lb impact specimen; however, the volume fraction of the inclusions was significantly less than that of the 21 ft-lb specimen. It was also found that the ferrite and carbide content of the 285 ft-lb specimen was less than 21 ft-lb specimen. The reason that the inclusions, ferrite, and carbide content differed in the two adjacent impact test specimens was analyzed. The effects of micro-segregation, such as MnS inclusions on ferrite and carbide, were compared and analyzed.

Non-destructive testing has many advantages, such as the ability to obtain a large number of data without destroying existing structures. However, the reliability of the estimation accuracy and the limited range of applicable targets remains an issue. This study proposes to a novel pin penetration test method to determine the early age compressive strength of concrete before demolding. The timing of demolding and initial curing are determined according to the strength development of concrete. Therefore, it is important to determine the compressive strength at the early age before demolding at the actual construction site. The applicability of this strength estimation methodology at actual construction is investigated. Small test holes (12 mm in diameter) are prepared on the mold surface in real construction sites and mock-up specimens in advance. The pin is penetrated into these test holes to obtain the relationship between the compressive strength and the penetration depth. As a result, it is confirmed that the pin penetration test method is suitable to measure the early age compressive strength at actual construction site. This allows the benchmark values for compressive strength, necessary to avoid early frost damage, to be directly verified on the concrete structural members at the construction site. For instance, the compressive strengths of greater than 5 MPa and 10 MPa can be confirmed by the penetration depths benchmark values of 8.0 mm and 6.7mm or less, respectively.

Theory of the Thermal Response Testing (TRT) is a well-known part of sizing process of the geothermal exchange system. Multiple parameters influence accuracy of effective ground thermal conductivity measurement; like testing time, variable power, climate interferences, groundwater effect etc. To improve accuracy of the TRT we introduced procedure to additionally analyze falloff temperature decline after power test. Method is based on a premise of analogy between TRT and petroleum well testing, since origin of both procedures lies in diffusivity equation with solutions for heat conduction or pressure analysis during radial flow. Applying pressure build-up test interpretation technique to the borehole heat exchanger testing, greater accuracy could be achieved since ground conductivity could be obtained from this period. Analysis was conducted on coaxial exchanger with five different power steps, and with both direct and reverse flow regime. Each test was set with 96hr of a classical TRT, followed by 96hr of temperature decline, making it almost 2000 hours of cumulative borehole testing. Results showed that ground conductivity value could vary as much as 25% depending on test time, seasonal period and power fluctuations while thermal conductivity obtained from a falloff period gives more stable values with only 10% value variation.

In this paper, the research progress on dynamic behaviors of RC structural members is reviewed from experimental, theoretical and numerical perspectives. Firstly, the basic overview, measurement methods, main conclusions and current limitations of available dynamic loading tests are presented. Then the theoretical studies on the dynamic constitutive models of RC materials, the dynamic increase factor (DIF) model for concrete and reinforcing steel and the proposed modified models of dynamic behavior parameter at the structural member level are summarized. Finally, the available modelling approach and the method for incorporating the dynamic effect in numerical simulation of RC structures are reviewed. Moreover, a brief introduction is made to the dynamic hysteretic model established on the experimental data, which provides an alternative approach to consider the dynamic effect beside the commonly used DIF method. This paper provides valuable reference for experimental studies and numerical simulations on the dynamic behaviors of RC structures, and also puts forward some issues that need to be solved in the future research works..

The Trail Making Test (TMT) is one of the most commonly administered tests in clinical and research neuropsychological settings. The two parts of the test [part A (TMT-A) and part B (TMT-B)] enable the evaluation of visuoperceptual tracking and processing speed (TMT-A), as well as divided attention, set-shifting and cognitive flexibility (TMT-B). The main cognitive processes that are assessed using TMT, i.e. processing speed, divided attention and cognitive flexibility, are often affected in patients with stroke. Considering the wide use of TMT in research and clinical settings since its introduction in neuropsychological practice, the purpose of our review was to provide a comprehensive overview on the use of TMT in stroke patients in an attempt to mainly identify its role for the evaluation of post-stroke cognitive dysfunction and progression over time, the identification of the underlying neuroanatomical pathology related to impaired TMT performance, and the association with other stroke outcomes, such motor function, driving ability and quality of life. Our comprehensive review underscores that the TMT stands as an invaluable asset in the stroke assessment toolkit, contributing nuanced insights into diverse cognitive, functional, and emotional dimensions. As research progresses, continued exploration of the TMT potential across these domains is encouraged, fostering a deeper comprehension of post-stroke dynamics, and enhancing patient-centered care across hospitals, rehabilitation centers, research institutions, and community health settings. Its integration into both research and clinical practice reaffirms TMT status as an indispensable instrument in stroke-related evaluations, enabling holistic insights that extend beyond traditional neurological assessments.

In this paper, we propose a method for the generation of simulation test scenarios for autonomous driving. Based on the requirements of standard regulatory test scenarios, we can generate virtual simulation scenarios and functional scenario libraries for autonomous driving, which can be used for simulation verification of different ADAS functions. Firstly, the design operation domain (ODD) of the functional scenario is selected and the weight values of the ODD elements taken are calculated; then a combination test algorithm based on parameter weights is improved to generate autonomous driving virtual simulation test cases for the ODD elements, which can effectively reduce the number of generated test cases compared with the traditional combination test algorithm; then the traffic participant elements under each test case are Then, the values of the subelements under the traffic participant element in each test case are sampled and clustered to obtain hazard specific scenarios. Finally, the specific scenarios are applied to the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system on the model-in-the-loop (MIL) testbed to verify the effectiveness of this scenario generation method.

Within the field of guilt and shame, two competing perspectives have been advanced. The first, the social-adaptive perspective, proposes that guilt is an inherently adaptive emotion and shame is an inherently maladaptive emotion; thus, those interested in moral character development and psychopathology should work to increase an individual’s guilt-proneness and decrease an individual’s shame-proneness. The functionalist perspective, in contrast, argues that both guilt and shame can serve a person adaptively or maladaptively—depending on the situational appropriateness, duration, intensity, and so forth. This paper reviews the research conducted supporting both positions, critiques some issues with the most widely used guilt- and shame-proneness measure in the social-adaptive research (the TOSCA), and discusses the differences in results found when assessing guilt and shame at the state versus trait level. The conclusion drawn is that although there is broad support for the functionalist perspective across a wide variety of state and trait guilt/shame studies, the functionalist perspective does not yet have the wealth of data supporting it that has been generated by the social-adaptive perspective using the TOSCA. Thus, before a dominant perspective can be identified, researchers need to (1) do more research assessing how the social-adaptive perspective compares to the functionalist perspective at the state level, and (2) do more trait research within the functionalist perspective to compare functionalist guilt- and shame-proneness measures with the TOSCA.

Categorical data analysis of 2 x 2 contingency tables is extremely common, not least because they provide odds and risk ratio statistics in medical research. The χ2 test is most often used, although some researchers use the likelihood ratio test (LRT). Does it matter which test is used? This paper argues that the LRT rather than the χ2 test should be used when we are interested in testing whether two variables are independent, as is typically the case. In contrast, the χ2 test should be reserved for where the data appear to match too closely a particular hypothesis (e.g. the null hypothesis), as may occur in the investigation of data integrity. Finally, it is argued that the evidential approach provides a consistent and coherent way in which tests can be made for each of these situations.

Preventing the occurrence of secondary caries serves as one of the significant issues in dental clinic, thus make it indispensable to improving the properties of conventional composite resin (CR) by developing a novel CR. In present study, two groups of experimental CRs loaded with different contents of fluoride-doped nano-zirconia fillers (25 wt% and 50 wt%) were fabricated. The surface topography, mechanical performance, fluoride release, antibacterial effect, aging property and cytotoxicity of the experimental CRs were evaluated subsequently. A uniform distribution of the F-zirconia fillers over the whole surface of resin matrix could be observed. The experimental CRs showed continuous fluoride release within 28 days, which was positively correlated with the content of F-zirconia fillers. Moreover, the amount of fluoride release increased in the acidic buffer. Addition of F-zirconia fillers could improve the color stability, wear resistance and microhardness of the experimental CRs, without reducing the flexure strength. Furtherly, the fluoride ions released continuously from the experimental CRs resulted in effective contact and antibacterial properties, while they showed no cytotoxicity. As a consequence, considerations can be made to employ this new kind of composite resin loaded with fluoride-doped nano-zirconia fillers to meet clinical requirements when the antimicrobial benefits are desired.

The experiments described in this research article were designed to test the effect of rare variants into genomic prediction in dairy cattle. Common polymorphisms are able to explain only a small proportion of the underlying genetic variation of complex phenotypes. Variants representing functional mutations with large effects on complex phenotypes are expected to be rare due to natural (humans) or artificial (livestock) selection pressure. Therefore, it is important to check whether the use of rare variants could increase the accuracy of ranking of animals by providing the tool for more precise differentiation among the bulls with high additive genetic merit. The goal of our study was to verify whether including rare variants in a genomic selection model allows for a more accurate description of the additive genetic background of traits under selection in dairy cattle. We used the linear mixed model for comparison SNP estimates for Holstein-Friesian cattle of the two data sets – a set containing only single nucleotide polymorphisms defined by minor allele frequency ≥ 0.01, which is routinely used in the Polish genomic evaluation system (46,216 SNPs), and a set containing SNPs selected based only on the call rate (54,378 SNPs). Based on the SNP estimates we also calculated DGV and GEBV and compared them between both data sets. In all the analyses we used production, fertility, conformation and udder health traits. We also assessed the time required for the two most computationally demanding components of genomic selection: preparing genotype data, and estimation of SNP effects between those two data sets. The results of our study indicated that the analysis including rare variants resulted in changes in the individual ranking of the top 100 male and female candidates, but had no effect on the outcome of the quality of EBV prediction as expressed by the Interbull validation test.

In order to study the way how to improve the spatial action of precast monolithic composite floor slabs, and would replace the cast-in-place surface layer for reduce the weight of structure, using pseudo-dynamic tests on 1/4 scale models of two-span and three-story frame structure. The lateral load tests compared the stresses and displacements with cast-in-place floor frame-shear wall structure (SJ1) and precast monolithic floor frame-shear wall structure with X horizontal braces at the bottom of the floor (SJ2). The results show the X horizontal braces can improve the spatial action. Structural integrity (SJ2) as well as the effective transmission of the horizontal force can be ensured by additional X bracing at the bottom of the rigidity of the floor without cast-in-place concrete topping. The results show that X horizontal braces more effectively transfer horizontal, which provides a beneficial reference for similar research.

A patient will visit physicians when he/she feels ill. This illness is not for COVID-19 but it is a general tendency of human being to visit doctor probably it can not be controlled by general drug. When a patient comes to a doctor, the doctor examines him/her after knowing his/her problem. The physician always asks him/her about some questions related to him/her daily life. For example, if a young male patient comes to a doctor with a symptom of fever and cough, the first question doctor asked him that he has a habit of smoking. Then doctor asks him whether this type of symptom appeared often to him previously or not. If the answers of both questions are yes, then the first one is habit and the second one is that he may suffering from some serious disease or a disease due to the weather. The aim of this paper is to consider habit of the patient as well as he/she has been affected by a critical disease. This information is used to build a model that will predict whether there is any possibility of his/her being affected by COVID-19. This research work contributes to tackle the pandemic situation occurred due to Corona Virus Infectious Disease, 2019 (Covid-19). Outbreak of this disease happens based on numerous factors such as past health records and habits of patients. Health records include diabetes tendency, cardiovascular disease existence, pregnancy, asthma, hypertension, pneumonia; chronic renal disease may contribute to this disease occurrence. Past lifestyles such as tobacco, alcohol consumption may be analyzed. A deep learning based framework is investigated to verify the relationship between past health records, habits of patients and covid-19 occurrence. A stacked Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) based model is proposed in this paper that identifies whether a patient can be infected by this disease or not. The proposed predictive system is compared against existing benchmark Machine Learning classifiers such as Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Decision Tree (DT).

The treatment, disposal, and resource utilization of waste mud are challenges for engineering construction. This study investigates the road performance of waste mud–solidified soil and reveals the mechanism of how solidifying materials influence the strength and deformation characteristics of waste mud. Waste mud, collected from a highway reconstruction project, was mixed with ordinary Portland cement as a solidifying material. Unconfined compressive strength tests, consolidated undrained triaxial shear tests, resonant column tests, and consolidation compression tests were conducted to evaluate the solidification effect. The test results show that with an increase in cement content from 5% to 9%, the unconfined compressive strength of the waste mud–solidified soil increased by over 100%, the curing time was extended from 3 days to 28 days, and the unconfined compressive strength increased by approximately 70%. However, an increase in initial water content from 40% to 60% reduced the unconfined compressive strength by 50%. With the increase of cement content from 5% to 9%, the cohesion and friction angles increased by approximately 78% and 24%, respectively. The initial shear modulus under dynamic shear increased by approximately 38% and the shear strain corresponding to a damping ratio decay to 70% of the initial shear modulus decreased by nearly 11%. The compression coefficient decreased by approximately 55%. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction tests showed that a higher cement content led to the formation of more hydration reaction products, especially an increase in the content of AlPO4. The bonding material between soil particles significantly increased, exerting a bonding and filling effect on soil particles and firmly adhering them together. Consequently, the strength of the waste mud–solidified soil increased significantly while its compressibility decreased.

Abstract: This paper is focusing on the stabilisation of soil using jute fibre as soil stabilizer. Stabilisation is the process of modifying the properties of a soil to improve its engineering performance and used it for a variety of engineering works. This study examines the potential of soil stabilization with jute fibre when it is cut into roughly 30mm lengths as stabilizer. The varying percentages like 0.5%, 1%, 1.5 and 2% of pieces of jute fibre were used and mixed it with soil. The laboratory tests such as California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test, modified compaction tests and direct shear strength tests have been conducted to observe the change in engineering properties of soil. On the basis of the experiments performed, it can be concluded that the stabilization of soil using 30mm pieces of jute as stabilizer improves the strength characteristics of the soil so that it becomes usable as one of the reinforcing material for the construction of roadways, parking areas, site development projects, airports and many other situations where sub-soils are not suitable for construction.

The open hole tensile and flexural test of composites holds immense importance in aerospace and structural engineering. These tests provide critical insights into how composites perform under real-world conditions, allowing for the development of materials that meet rigorous standards, thereby ensuring the safety and durability of aircraft and other applications. This study investigates the influence of hole size on the open hole tensile (OHT) and flexural properties (OHF) of plane woven aramid/epoxy (AFRP), basalt/epoxy (BFRP), and aramid-basalt/epoxy (ABFRP) sandwiched laminates. Specimens with three different hole sizes viz., 4 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm were prepared and tested according to ASTM D5766 and ASTM D7264 for OHT and OHF performance respectively. Results indicated that the hybridization of aramid-basalt layers in a sandwich lay up significantly improved the mechanical performance when compared to only aramid laminate. However, with the increase in hole size the mechanical properties declined irrespective of the material. Basalt fibres showed higher hole sensitivity under tensile loading due to its brittle fracture mechanism while aramid fibres exhibited higher hole sensitivity under flexural loading which can be attributed to its the poor compressive strength. The effect of hole size on the damage mechanism has also been highlighted through scanning electron microscope (SEM). Major failure modes observed are delamination around the hole edges, ductile and brittle fibre fractures, and delamination.

Prestrained at 5% and 15% duplex stainless steel UNS S32750 specimens have been subjected to electropulsing treatments with current density of 100 A/mm2 and 200 A/mm2 and 100 and 500 pulses for each current density value. Corrosion tests, X-ray diffraction, microhardness and residual stresses were collected before and after the electropulsing treatments. Tensile tests were performed after the electropulsing treatments in order to compare the mechanical response to the reference tensile tests performed before the pulsing treatments. Increase in fracture strain was observed after the pulsing treatment in comparison to the reference tensile tests. A decrease in microhardness was also observed after the electropulsing treatments for both degrees of prestrain. Electropulsing treatment almost eliminates the work-hardened state in the 5% prestrained specimens while partially recovered the 15% prestrained material increasing both uniform and fracture strain. The bulk temperature of the samples remained the same for all the duration of the treatments. The effect are to be addressed to a combined effect of the increase in atomic flux due to the electrical current and local joule heating in correspondence of crystal defects. Electropulsing treatment applied to metallic alloys is a promising technique to reduce the work hardening state without the need of annealing treatments in a dedicated furnace.

The current study was formulated with the aim of assessing the impact of the Extent of Drug addiction on the Family environment and interventions for drug-addicted youth in rural areas of Dir Lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The study comprised a dependent variable (Extent of Drug addiction) and an independent variable (Family Environment). A sample size of 266 was randomly selected for primary data collection through structured interviews. The collected information was evaluated through descriptive analysis (frequency and percentage distribution) and inferential analysis, specifically utilizing the Chi-square Statistical Test. The study concluded that drug addiction among youth has an adverse impact on the family environment, leading to instability and violent behavior. Further, families of drug-addicted youth experience a high level of dissatisfaction in relationships, often culminating in divorce. Similarly, the families of drug-addicted are characterized by low cohesion, role conflict, and tolerance. Thus, the government should formulate polices and strategies for the prevention of drug addiction, with speedy implementation across all institutional dynamics, including family. Moreover, It is also crucial to rehabilitate the lifeblood of a nation (youth) in terms of socio-economic, emotional and psychological growth. These recommendations were put forward in the light of the current study.

The change in the value of the breaking energy is discussed here for selected steel grades used in building structures after subjecting the samples made of them to episodes of heating in the steady-state heating regime and then cooling in a simulated fire conditions. These changes were recorded based on the instrumented Charpy impact tests, in relation to the material initial state. The S355J2+N, 1H18N9T steels and also X2CrNiMoN22-5-3 duplex steel were selected for detailed analysis. The fire conditions were modelled experimentally by heating the samples and then keeping them for a specified time at a constant temperature of: 600°C (first series) and 800°C (second series), respectively. Two alternative cooling variants were investigated in the experiment: slow cooling of the samples in the furnace, simulating the natural fire progress, without any external extinguishing action, and cooling them in water mist simulating an extinguishing action by a fire brigade. The temperature of the tested samples was set at the level -20oC and alternatively at the level + 20oC. The conducted analysis is aimed at assessing the risk of sudden, catastrophic fracture of load-bearing structure made of steel degraded as a result of a fire previously occurred with different development scenarios.

Optical fiber measurement systems have recently gained popularity following a multitude of intensive investigations. A new technique has been developed for these measurement systems that uses Rayleigh backscatter to determine the distributed strain measurement over the total length of a fiber. These measurement systems have great potential in civil engineering and structural health monitoring. This paper addresses some preliminary comparisons between three different fiber coatings and six different adhesives on steel structures. The results are based on a bending test with specimens made of precision flat steel; optical fiber strain measurements were compared with photogrammetric strain measurements. Analysis of the test data showed a strong correlation between the optical measurement system’s results and the theoretical results up to the yielding point of the steel. Furthermore, the results indicate that fibers with the Ormocer® and polyimide coatings have almost no loss in the strain measurements. The main results of this investigation are a guideline describing how to attach optical fibers to steel surfaces for distributed fiber optical strain measurements and recommendations for coatings to obtain realistic strain values. Additionally, the advantages of distributed strain measurements were revealed, which illustrates the potential of Rayleigh backscattering applications.

Seepage erosion is one of the main reasons for the local collapse or instability of embankments. To investigate the characteristics and mechanism of seepage erosion for cohesionless soils, the model tests by using an independently developed seepage erosion device and the numerical simulations based on the Discrete Element Method-Computational Fluid Dynamics (DEM-CFD) coupling model were carried out. The results show that the seepage erosion process of the cohesionless soil can be characterized by four stages: stable seepage stage, fine particles upward migration stage, sand samples boiling stage, and erosion damage stage. The skeleton structure of soil sample under seepage flow is continually changed due to the loss of fine soil particles, which results in a significant decrease in the sample strength and may ultimately lead to the failure of the sample. The results of this study can provide references and bases for the design, construction, and long-term service of embankments or earth dams under the complex seepage condition, reducing the risk of seepage erosion.

The accurate of model attitude angel plays an important role on the aerodynamic test results in the wind tunnel test. The original method applies the spherical coordinate system transformation to obtain attitude angel calculation. The model attitude angel is obtained by coordinate transformation and spherical surface mapping applying the nominal attitude angel (the balance attitude angel in the wind tunnel coordinate system) indicated by the mechanism. First, the coordinate transformation of this method is not only complex but also difficult to establish the transformed relationship between the space coordinate systems especially after many steps of coordinate transformation, moreover it cannot realize the iterative calculation of the interference relationship between attitude angels; Second, during the calculate process to solve the problem the arc is approximately used to replace the straight line, the angel for the tangent value, and the inverse trigonometric function is applied. Therefore, in the calculation of attitude angel, the process is complex and inaccurate, which can be solved approximately when calculating small attack angel. However, with the advancing development of modern aerodynamic unsteady research, the aircraft tends to develop high or super large attack angel and unsteady research field. According to engineering practice and vector theory, the concept of vector angel coordinate system is proposed for the first time, and the vector angel coordinate system of attitude angel is established. With the iterative correction calculation and avoiding the problem of approximate and inverse trigonometric function solution, the model attitude calculation process is carried out in detail, which validates that the calculation accuracy and accuracy of model attitude angels are improved. Based on engineering and theoretical methods, a vector angel coordinate system is established for the first time, which gives the transformation and angel definition relations between different flight attitude coordinate systems, that can accurately calculate the attitude angel of the corresponding coordinate system and determine its direction, especially in the channel coupling calculation, the calculation of the attitude angel between the coordinate systems is only related to the angel, and has nothing to do with the change order s of the coordinate system, which simplifies the calculation process.

The widespread use of epoxy resin (ER) in industry, owing to its excellent properties, aligns with the global shift toward greener resources and energy-efficient solutions, where utilizing metal oxides in 3D printed polymer parts can offer extended functionalities across various industries. ZnO concentrations in polyurethane acrylate composites impacted adhesion and thickness of DLP samples, with 1 wt.% achieving a thickness of 3.99±0.16 mm, closest to the target thickness of 4 mm, while 0.5 wt.% ZnO samples exhibited the lowest deviation in average thickness (±0.03 mm). Tensile strength in digital light processed (DLP) composites with ZnO remained consistent, ranging from 23.29 MPa (1 wt.%) to 25.93 MPa (0.5 wt.%), with an increase in ZnO concentration causing a reduction in tensile strength to 24.04 MPa and a decrease in the elastic modulus to 2001 MPa at 2 wt.% ZnO. The produced DLP samples, with their good corrosion resistance in alkaline environments, are well-suited for applications as protective coatings on tank walls. Customized DLP techniques can enable their effective use as structural or functional elements, such as in Portland cement concrete walls, floors and ceilings for enhanced durability and performance.

Urban air quality is increasingly being studied as a fraction of the world's population is now living in megacities. In this study, particulate matter (PM) along Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines, is investigated in terms of its ability to induce genetic damage on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Size-segregated roadside air samples were obtained from 2015-2016 near the university gate and analyzed using in vitro micronucleus and cytokinesis-block proliferation tests. While cellular proliferation was unaffected by 0 – 0.1 kg·m-3 of PM1.0 and PM2.5, PBL cells treated with PM2.5 displayed significantly higher micronucleus count (p = 0.03) compared to the cells treated with PM1.0. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy revealed greater amounts of Cd, Ca, Pb, K, Na, and Zn in PM2.5 compared to PM1.0. The results indicate the differences in composition of the two size fractions of air particulates are associated with their genotoxicities.

Silty clay modified by fly ash and crumb rubber is a kind of sustainable subgrade filler which has good anti-freeze-thaw resistance stability but wake vibration isolation performance. The objective of this study was to improve the vibration isolation of the modified soil and investigate the vibration isolation effect of the composite subgrade structure of XPS plates and the modified soil by indoor impact test. First, the vibration isolation performance of silty clay, modified soil and composite subgrade structure was respectively evaluated. Second, the effect of XPS plate’s thickness and vibration intensity on the vibration performance of the composite subgrade structure were evaluated. Third, the vibration isolation performance of the test groups under the condition of freeze-thaw cycles was assessed. The results show that the vibration isolation performance of subgrade can be effectively improved by setting XPS plates. The composite subgrade structure has certain vibration isolation effect, especially in vertical direction. Considering vibration isolation performance and costs, 5cm is the optimum XPS plates thickness. The composite subgrade structure has great vibration isolation performance under the condition of freeze-thaw cycles, so it is suitable to be applied in road subgrade in seasonal frozen regions.

Disposable absorbent hygiene products have evolved for superior performance, enhancing the convenience of daily lives. Yet the use of disposable hygiene pads has brought safety concerns on chemical exposure, and significant efforts have been made to assess the potential risks associated with use of hygiene pads. This article intends to overview the safety assessment framework of diapers and feminine pads, which includes hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment, risk characterization, and postmarket risk management. Risk assessment of various constituents are reviewed for quantification methods and conservative estimation of exposure parameters. By reviewing the up-to-date considerations in risk assessment, we aim to provide insightful discussion on safety evaluation of current versions of disposable absorbent products. More clinical testing and postmarket surveillance are needed for continuous monitoring of potential health impacts of advanced products and constituents.

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.

Mass customization, small batch sizes, high variability of product types and a changing product portfolio during the life cycle of an industrial plant are current trends in the industry. Due to an increasing decoupling of the development of software and hardware components in an industrial context, compatibility problems within industrial control systems arise more and more frequently. In this publication, a strategy concept for compatibility testing is derived and discussed by means of literature review and applied research. This 4-phased strategy concept identifies incompatibilities between software and hardware components in the industrial control environment and enables test engineers to detect problems at an early stage. By automating the compatibility test on an external I-PC, the test can be run both when new software is installed on the industrial controller and when the controller is restarted. Thus, changes to the components are constantly detected and incompatibilities are avoided. Furthermore, early incompatibility detection can ensure that a system remains permanently operational. Based on a discussion, additionally strategies are identified to consolidate the robustness and applicability of the presented concept.

This paper describes a new optimization methodology of testing vector sets reduction for testing of soft-processor cores and their individual blocks. The deterministic test vectors both for whole core and its individual blocks are investigated that significantly reduce the testing time and amount of test data that needs to be stored on the tester memory. The processor executes an assembler program which together with determined testing vectors ex-ercise its functionality. The new BIST methodology applicable at industrial testing of processor cores, diagnostics and dynamic reconfiguration of FPGA is proposed. This novel methodology combined with dynamic reconfiguration of FPGAs can be profitable applied for missions-critical i.e. FPGAs operate in space, or other difficult condition where are explore on radiation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach reduces many times testing time.

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 the context of the Korean building structure standard KDS2022, wind loads can be readily calculated in terms of the along-wind, across-wind, and torsional components, based on a single wind direction. However, this approach falls short in accurately and safely evaluating the impact of winds from various directions. Therefore, in this study, we developed a Wind Load Calculation Program (WCP) capable of predicting wind loads with relative precision during the preliminary design phase. First, wind tunnel tests were conducted to identify the essential factors necessary for calculating wind loads and the variables influencing these factors. The building shape considered was a square, and the wind force coefficients and power spectral density were measured by combining 4 ground roughness values, 11 side ratios (), 4 aspect ratios (), and wind directions ranging from 0° to 90°. Subsequently, a generalized formulation was devised to facilitate wind load calculations across diverse conditions and a method for calculating load combination coefficients, considering response correlation and load simultaneity, was presented. Finally, the wind loads obtained from the wind tunnel tests were compared with those predicted by the WCP using an actual project model.

The testing requirements of the active phased array antennas are very different from those of traditional passive antennas, due to its beam steering capability. Usually, each beam profile of the active phased array needs a separate radiation pattern test, which makes the overall testing time extremely long. Thus the traditional antenna test method can no longer meet the efficiency and cost requirements of new active phased array antennas test. In this paper, a fast test method tailored for phased array antennas is proposed that offers significantly reduced testing time at the expense of slight sacrifice of the accuracy. Using the simulated element pattern in array and ideal port excitation, the beam profile in any direction can be predicted by testing only a certain beam profile. Through theoretical derivation and experiments, the effectiveness of the method is verified, and the testing efficiency of the phased array antenna is demonstrated to be improved by ten times or even more.