Analyzer System Research Articles

Measurement of platelet thrombus formation in patients following severe thermal injury

Severe thermal injury significantly impacts upon hemostasis and is associated with classical changes to the circulating platelet count with a nadir followed by a rebound thrombocytosis at days ~3 and ~15 post-injury, respectively. To date, few studies have assessed platelet function following thermal injury as platelet tests often require large quantities of blood, are not representative of normal platelet pathophysiology, and are usually dependent on a normal platelet count. The purpose of this study was to measure platelet thrombus formation in vitro using a whole blood flow chip-based system following thermal injury and to study how platelet counts may impact upon the measurement. Adult (≥16 years) patients (N = 10) with ≥ 20% total burn surface area (TBSA) burn were recruited within 24 h of injury. Healthy controls (N = 25) were also recruited. Whole blood counts were measured using a hematology analyzer (Sysmex XN-1000). Platelet function was measured using the Total Thrombus-formation Analyzer System (T-TAS) within chips coated with tissue factor and collagen at shear rates of either 600 sec−1 (AR chips) or 1200 sec−1 (HD chips), the latter test being independent of platelet count. We confirmed the classical nadir in platelet counts following severe thermal injury at days 2, 3, 4 (p < 0.0001) and day 5 (p < 0.01) post-injury compared to healthy controls. Physiological platelet thrombus formation was significantly (p < 0.01) abnormal at day 3 post-injury using the AR chips but was related to the platelet count. However, although platelet dysfunction was not significant using HD chips, some of the results were independent of platelet count. A small number of samples, however, still gave abnormal results suggesting that there can be an underlying acquired platelet functional abnormality. Furthermore, the AR chip Area Under the Curve (AUC) was significantly lower on day 1 post-injury and negatively associated with severity of injury (TBSA, p < 0.05) and higher platelet function (AUC) positively associated with survival (p < 0.05). This study suggests that measuring platelet dysfunction within a more physiological in vitro test may have potential clinical utility. Larger studies are required to fully understand the impact of platelet dysfunction following severe thermal injury.

Inhibitory Effect of Aqueous Extract of Sacoglottis gabonensis on Weight Gain in Swiss Mice Exposed to Aspartame

Aim: To evaluate the Inhibitory effect of aqueous extracts of Sacoglottis gabonensis on weight gain in Swiss mice exposed to aspartame. Study Design: The study was a completely randomized design employing relevant statistical tools for analysis and interpretation. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Rivers State University. The experiment lasted for 90 days between April and June 2022. Methodology: A total of 30 adult male Swiss mice (mean weight 23.07±0.12g) were divided into six groups of five animals each. Group A was the negative control which received neither Sacoglottis gabonensis nor Aspartame, group B was the positive control which received 50mg/kg/bw/day of Aspartame only, group C received 50mg/kg/bw/day of Aspartame with 250mg/kg/bw/day of aqueous bark extract of S. gabonensis, group D received 50mg/kg/bw/day of Aspartame with 250mg/kg/bw/day of aqueous leaf extract of S. gabonensis, while groups E and F received 50mg/kg/bw/day of Aspartame with a combination of 250mg/kg/bw/day and 500mg/kg/bw/day of extracts of S. gabonensis bark and leaf extracts respectively. The experimental animals were weighed twice weekly for 30, 60 and 90 days duration and recorded to the nearest 0.01g. Mean weight from each duration was taken and subjected to statistical analysis using Statistical Analyses System SAS 9.4 Results: There was significant increase (p&lt;0.05) in weight in the 30, 60 and 90-days exposure periods in group B. The groups that received the combination of aspartame and S. gabonensis particularly at higher doses showed a significant decrease in weight across the exposure periods when compared to the group that received aspartame only and the control group. Conclusion: This result suggests that S. gabonensis reduced aspartame-induced weight gain, indicating its potential benefits for weight management. Further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and health implications.

Creation of an Anomaly Detection System for Blockchain-based Cloud Deployments that Consider Privacy and Delay.

Cloud-based deployments are increasingly vulnerable to many kinds of assaults; hence powerful anomaly detection systems are needed to prevent security breaches. While effective to some degree, current methods like RSSI, GTM, and APG have drawbacks in terms of scalability, precision, and accuracy. In order to improve the forecast accuracy of cloud assaults and optimize blockchain-based cloud installations, this study suggests a novel anomaly detection system that combines multimodal feature analysis, deep learning models, and QoS-aware sidechains. The suggested strategy considerably surpasses traditional approaches in terms of precision, accuracy, recall, and AUC performance by optimizing feature variance across various sample types and utilizing cutting-edge deep learning algorithms. Additionally, the framework shows increased efficiency in terms of throughput, energy usage, and block mining latency, makingcombining Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), the system analyses system logs to find anomalous patterns of activity linked to various threats. The architecture guarantees the transparency and integrity of system records through the use of Blockchain technology, while Deep Learning models offer accurate and quick anomaly detection. The advantages of both Deep Learning and Blockchain technology support the choice to merge them. Blockchain technology ensures the accuracy of anomaly detection and prevents tampering with system records by providing a distributed, immutable ledger. On the other hand, deep learning models produce high precision, accuracy, recall, and AUC measures because of their remarkable pattern recognition skills and ability to adjust to shifting attack strategies. Experimental data analyses show the effectiveness of the suggested framework.

INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORKING POSTURES OF PHYSIOTHERAPISTS WORKING IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION CENTERS AND HOSPITALS WITH PAIN, BODY AWARENESS LEVEL, CHRONIC FATIGUE AND DEPRESSION

This study aims to examine the relationship between physiotherapists' working posture and pain, body awareness level, chronic fatigue, and depression levels and to determine whether these parameters depend on the institution where they work. 93 randomly selected physiotherapists between the ages of 24-52 were divided into two groups according to their institutions: Rehabilitation centers/hospitals. Working posture was evaluated with the Ovako Working Posture Analysing System (OWAS), pain was evaluated with the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ-E) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), body awareness level was evaluated with the Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ), chronic fatigue was evaluated with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Self Assessment Form (CFS), depression level was evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). A relationship was found between OWAS-leg posture and NMQ-E-ankle pain (r=-0.238), between OWAS-back posture-arm posture-action class and VAS (r1=0.25; r2=-0.27; r3=0.23), and between OWAS-back posture-action class and BDI (r1=0.25; r2=0.26) (p

Corneal and intraocular pressure changes associated to the circadian rhythms: a narrative review.

To synthesize the current body of research regarding the diurnal variations in intraocular pressure (IOP) and corneal biomechanical and morphological parameters, highlighting their significance in various eye conditions. A comprehensive review of studies on the diurnal variations of IOP and corneal parameters was conducted. Tonometry findings from various studies were assessed, including the Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) and non-contact tonometers. Data on the variations in central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal curvature, and corneal biomechanics measured by the Ocular Response Analyzer system across different population groups was extracted and analyzed. In both healthy subjects and those with Fuchs dystrophy, IOP and CCT demonstrate marked diurnal declines. GAT remains the gold standard for tonometry, with the highest reliability. However, its measurements are influenced by CCT. Keratoconus patients and those with pseudoexfoliation showed significant diurnal variations in IOP. The biomechanical parameters, especially corneal hysteresis (CH) and the corneal resistance factor (CRF), largely remain stable throughout the day for most of eye conditions, with some exceptions. Notably, the corneal morphology diurnal variation, particularly curvature, yielded mixed conclusions across studies. Circadian rhythms significantly influence various corneal parameters, most notably IOP and CCT. Further studies should emphasize standardized approaches larger sample sizes, and delve deeper into less-explored areas, such as the effects of orthokeratology lenses on diurnal biomechanical shifts.

Comparative analysis of scoring systems for predicting mortality in Fournier gangrene: single center, 15years experience.

To compare 5 published scoring systems (Fournier gangrene severity index [FGSI], Uludag FGSI [UFGSI], age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index [ACCI] and the Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) and the Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing fasciitis (LRINEC) scores and to evaluate risk factors for outcome prediction in patients with Fournier gangrene (FG). Between 2010 and 2024, 311 patients were included in the study. The data of 276 survivors and 55 non-survivors were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine which of the 5 scoring systems calculated according to demographic, laboratory and clinical data predicted mortality better. In addition, a cut-off value for these scoring systems was determined by ROC analysis. The mortality rate was 17.6% in FG patients. In all 5 scoring systems, univariate analyses showed higher values in non-survivor patients, while UFGSI and FGSI scoring systems were superior to other scoring systems in multivariate analyses (p < 0.001). ROC analysis using mortality-based sensitivity and specificity revealed that the optimal cut-off values for FGSI, UFGSI, ACCI, SOFA and LRINEC should be equal to or higher than 10, 12, 4, 2 and 8, respectively. UFGSI and FGSI scores had the highest AUC values among all scores. This was followed by ACCI, qSOFAand LRINEC. For a UFGSI score ≥ 12, the sensitivity was 84%, specificity 97%, PPV 85% and NPV 97%. Among the scoring systems used to predict mortality, UFGSI was the most accurate, while LRINEC was the least accurate.

B-059 Development and Validation of Multiplex Quantitative Allergy Tests based on Automated Flow Fluorescence Immunoassay Analyzer

Abstract Background Serological allergy tests measuring allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) are simpler and safer than skin prick tests, and the results are not influenced by skin condition or human factors. Quantitative detection of sIgE can also aid in evaluating patient allergies and aiding subsequent treatment. Dymind has researched and developed novel quantitative allergy tests based on the automated flow fluorescence immunoassay analyzer system (MF1280), enabling quantitative detection of multiple sIgE in just one test with one sample. Here, we present the performance of tIgE and two specific IgE test kits using the Dymind MF1280 system. Methods This study evaluated the performance of total IgE (tIgE) and two allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) panels of inhalant and food allergens, inhalant allergen panel including d1 (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus), d2 (Dermatophagoides farina), i6 (Cockroach), e1 (Cat epithelium), e5 (Dog epithelium), w1(Common ragweed), and food allergen panel including f1 (Egg white), f2 (Cow’s milk), f3 (cod), f23 (Crab), 24 (Shrimp), and f27 (beef). Evaluation criteria included precision, linearity, limit of detection (LOD) and method comparison. As clinical performance of 425 clinical samples collected from 2 hospital laboratory in China was evaluated by both of Dymind allergen IgE MF1280 system and Phadia ImmunoCAP. Results The validated linearity of total IgE and sIgE were 2.0-5000.0 IU/mL and 0.1-100.0 IU/mL respectively. The LOD of total IgE and sIgE determined to be 2 IU/mL and 0.1 IU/mL respectively. The precision was evaluated by assaying a low and a high samples of every sIgE assay and the result of d1, d2, i6, e1, e5, w1, f1, f2, f3, f23, f24, f27 were 3.73% / 1.34% (low sample / high sample), 3.26% / 1.95%, 2.18% / 0.87%, 1.31% / 1.40%, 3.63% / 1.13%, 2.84% / 4.76%, 4.50% / 1.53%, 5.97% / 1.64%, 3.46% / 1.11%, 1.58% / 1.73%, 3.77% / 1.28%, 1.78% / 0.96% respectively. The total mean coefficient of measurements was below 7% to ensure high precision in multiplex quantitative analysis. Method comparison of 425 clinical samples between Phadia ImmunoCAP and Dymind allergen IgE showed total concordance rate was over 85% except f2 (over 80%). Conclusions The Dymind Allergen-specific IgE test kits on the automated flow fluorescence immunoassay analyzer system provide fast and accurate in vitro diagnostic detection of tIgE and sIgE for aiding diagnostics specific allergens sensitization and treatment for allergy patients, with good precision and excellent agreement compared to ImmunoCAP. The MF1280 system has advantages including random access, fully automated, multiplex quantitative detection of allergen sIgE with reducing assay time, sample consumption and lower costs.

Impacts of X-Ray irradiation on RBC, WBC and PLT by low doses (40kV and 80kV).

This study aimed to assess the impact of irradiation on red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets (PLTs) using modest doses of X-ray radiation (40 kV and 80 kV). The blood samples were exposed to X-ray irradiation at 40 and 80 kV. A haematology analyzer system with automated capability was used to quantify cellular components, specifically WBCs, RBCs, and PLTs, both before and after exposure to radiation. The study found that irradiation reduced WBC and PLT numbers. When exposed to 40 kV and 80 kV voltages, the WBC and PLT improved statistically significantly (p = 0.001). Nonetheless, the statistical analysis revealed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in red blood cell count between 40 and 80 kV doses. It can be concluded that the haematopoietic system exhibits a high degree of sensitivity to radiation exposure.

Evaluation of the effects of vitamin D analogs, bevacizumab, and radiotherapy in uveal melanoma cells

Due to the lack of a definitive effective treatment method that provides a complete cure and increases survival rates in uveal melanoma, the search for alternative treatments at the molecular level continues. In this context, we aimed to comparatively analyze the therapeutic effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (D2), 1a, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (D3), bevacizumab and radiotherapy (RT) in a uveal melanoma cell line (MP41). Cytotoxicity was evaluated using XTT cell proliferation kit and Xcelligence cell analyzer system. RT dose was determined after a clonogenic assay. Annexin V/PI staining and Western blot analyses for caspase-3, -8, and -9 were performed to analyze apoptosis. Additionally, cell cycle analyses were also conducted. As a result, we found that D2 and D3 did not show cytotoxic effects, while bevacizumab and RT showed time and dose-dependent cytotoxicity. IC50 concentration of bevacizumab was 6.945 mg/mL. Radiotherapy and bevacizumab significantly reduced cell survival and induced apoptosis when administered both as monotherapy and in combination. A significant increase in caspase proteins was detected at high bevacizumab concentrations. However, the combination of bevacizumab and radiotherapy caused a substantial decrease in caspase-3, -8 and -9 expressions. No significant difference in cell cycle distribution was detected in any treatment. Our results showed that bevacizumab inhibited MP41 cell proliferation and had an additive effect when administered with RT. In conclusion, our study offers a different perspective on the treatment of uveal melanoma, and these results, when supported by animal experiments and clinical studies in the future, might be a new step in the treatment of this challenging ocular tumor.

The introduction of Geo Wild System (GWS) as a novel wildlife reporting, monitoring, and analyzing system in Malaysia

In Malaysia, escalating human-wildlife conflicts pose significant risks to both human populations and wildlife species, highlighting the need for advanced systems for effective conflict management. This study introduces the Geo Wild System (GWS), a novel Progressive Web Application (PWA) specifically tailored for Malaysian contexts. GWS integrates data from diverse sources, including citizen reports, park rangers, and licensed hunters, and employs Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to enhance data visualization and identify conflict hotspots. During the study period from January to June 2024, GWS recorded and facilitated the deployment of 117 traps across six districts: Shah Alam, Hulu Selangor, Sungai Besar, Hulu Langat, Georgetown, and Seberang Prai. These deployments, based on reported conflict data, resulted in the capture of 88 wildlife individuals, including 85 long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), two wild boars (Sus scrofa), and one Asian palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), demonstrating the system's operational effectiveness. GWS supports a comprehensive reporting, monitoring, and analysis system, utilizing GIS-based Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) to pinpoint critical conflict hotspots, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas. User feedback was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the system’s user-friendliness and robust data integration. Despite initial deployment challenges and geodetic constraints, GWS has proven to be a valuable tool for mitigating wildlife conflicts, enabling informed, timely management responses, and offering a promising approach to adaptive wildlife management in Malaysia.

Temporal Shoreline Changes From 1984 to 2022 Along Beymelek Beach and Beymelek Lagoon, Antalya, Türkiye

Coastal zones are important transition zones between land and sea, and the shoreline is subject to dynamic change on both spatial and temporal scales. Accurate measurement and modelling of the shoreline is therefore essential for coastal sustainability and coastal zone management. In this study, the shoreline change of Beymelek Beach and Beymelek Lagoon was analyzed over both short and long periods by using End Point Rate (EPR), Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) and Linear Regression Rate (LRR) statistics from the Digital Shoreline Analyses System (DSAS) tool. The long-term shoreline statistics of the Beymelek Beach indicates that the maximum shoreline accretion was 128.4 m for NSM and 4.3 m/yr for EPR, while the maximum shoreline erosion was -62.6 m for NSM, and -1.8 m/yr for LRR in 1984 and 2022. The maximum shoreline erosion rate of Beymelek Lagoon was -148.5 m for NSM and the maximum shoreline accretion was 5.3 m for NSM between 1984 and 2022. As a result, Beymelek Beach and Beymelek Lagoon have experienced significant shoreline changes over both short and long time periods. Therefore, determining the shoreline change in the study area is crucial for making efficient decisions about the coastal zone and contributing to its sustainability.

Economic and life cycle analysis of a photovoltaic thermal application system based on phase change thermal storage

Based on the photovoltaic (PV) system, phase change materials (PCMs), thermoelectric generators (TEGs), and cooling water are combined to form a photovoltaic thermal application (PV-PCM/TEG-T) system. The system is also compared with the PV and photovoltaic phase change thermal (PV-PCM-T) systems for environmental and economic analyses. The environmental analyses shows that the environmental impacts of the three systems are mainly concentrated in the production phase, with the aluminum frames and PV panels being the primary sources of the environmental effects, while the addition of paraffin wax and TEG have relatively minor environmental impacts. Economic analyses shows that the system generates electricity for 0.076 $/kW h, with the purchase of TEGs being the main capital expenditure. At the same time, the energy payback time of this system is 17.5 % shorter than that of the PV system and 6.9 % shorter than that of the PV-PCM-T system. The life cycle conversion efficiency is 55 % higher than that of the PV system and 23.9 % higher than that of the PV-PCM-T system, which provides better energy saving. In addition, with the continuous development of TEG manufacturing technology, the PV-PCM-TEG-T system will have better economic benefits and application potential.

Enhancing life cycle assessment for reversible ground-coupled heat pump systems through dynamic analysis

Ground-coupled heat pump (GCHP) systems can provide comfortable indoor environments, but also inevitably contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and other impacts on human health, ecosystems, and resources. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology has been widely adopted to estimate the environmental impacts associated with GCHP systems, with operational electricity consumption being the largest contributor among most categories. Given the data-intensive nature of LCA, operational electricity consumption should be prioritised to refine the accuracy of LCA results. Previous studies, however, have relied on static COP (Coefficient of Performance) and annual average data to obtain the environmental impacts and have disregarded the effect of long-term performance degradation caused by building thermal load imbalances. In this paper, to bridge this research gap, a dynamic operational environmental impact assessment (DOEIA) method was proposed to improve the precision of LCA results by incorporating higher temporal resolution data of electricity mix and real-time performance modelling of the reversible GCHP system. Impacts of different temporal resolutions (i.e. monthly, trimestral, and annual) on the accuracy of LCA results was examined and the operational performance degradation resulting from imbalanced building heating and cooling loads was considered. Results demonstrate that while performance degradation effects are evenly distributed across impact categories, gaps due to temporal resolutions vary significantly between different categories. Subsequent analysis of spatial variations in the latter further emphasises the importance of accounting for higher temporal resolutions. Finally, life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results for reversible GCHP systems in different locations were obtained with the support of DOEIA method and the results underscore the necessity of a cleaner energy mix. The proposed DOEIA method can be applied to other energy systems for comparative analyses. It is replicable in other countries and regions and therefore is expected to provide methodological guidance for future decision-makers.

The Perception of Teaching in the Medical Internship in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused various transformations in society and education. Higher education institutions were forced to implement educational measures in order to safeguard the health of medical personnel and students, limiting medical practice. Objective: To describe the perception of medical interns in academic and extracurricular activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Databases were examined with keywords and meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses system. Results and Discussion: 150 articles were examined; 20 that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded; 106 were screened and 20 articles were included. Conclusion: Most students at the educational institution experience a favorable perception of online learning.

Small GTPase ActIvitY ANalyzing (SAIYAN) system: A method to detect GTPase activation in living cells.

Small GTPases are essential in various cellular signaling pathways, and detecting their activation within living cells is crucial for understanding cellular processes. The current methods for detecting GTPase activation using fluorescent proteins rely on the interaction between the GTPase and its effector. Consequently, these methods are not applicable to factors, such as Sar1, where the effector also functions as a GTPase-activating protein. Here, we present a novel method, the Small GTPase ActIvitY ANalyzing (SAIYAN) system, for detecting the activation of endogenous small GTPases via fluorescent signals utilizing a split mNeonGreen system. We demonstrated Sar1 activation at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exit site and successfully detected its activation state in various cellular conditions. Utilizing the SAIYAN system in collagen-secreting cells, we discovered activated Sar1 localized both at the ER exit sites and ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) regions. Additionally, impaired collagen secretion confined the activated Sar1 at the ER exit sites, implying the importance of Sar1 activation through the ERGIC in collagen secretion.

Exploring geospatial digital twins: a novel panorama-based method with enhanced representation of virtual geographic scenes in Virtual Reality (VR)

An important step in implementing geospatial digital twins is to enhance the expressiveness of virtual geographical scenes for the physical world. However, the existing virtual geographical scenes cannot quickly express the dynamically changing geographic environment for remote users due to the inefficient handling of modeling processes, user perception, and remote sharing. The research analysed the concept and characteristics of geospatial digital twins, and constructed the virtual geographical scene ontology, based on which we developed geographical spatiotemporal semantic rules and designed a dynamic annotation algorithm to enhance the representation of virtual geographical scenes. Finally, we investigated a real-time transmission method of panoramic video based on 5 G and used immersive virtual reality (IVR) to realize the user experience of remote immersion in geographical scenes. We selected a specific geographic environment containing multiple typical geographic entities to develop three prototype systems for experimental analyses. The results showed that the proposed method enabled users to view the virtual geographical scene on a VR device. The average latency for this process was 14.72 seconds. Compared with the virtual geographical scenes constructed by traditional methods, the experiments showed the proposed method advantageous in comprehensiveness, timeliness, and photorealism and abilities to enhance the user’s geographical scene perception.

Stable isotope-resolved metabolomics analyses of metabolic phenotypes reveal variable glutamine metabolism in different patient-derived models of non-small cell lung cancer from a single patient.

Stable isotope tracers have been increasingly used in preclinical cancer model systems, including cell culture and mouse xenografts, to probe the altered metabolism of a variety of cancers, such as accelerated glycolysis and glutaminolysis and generation of oncometabolites. Comparatively little has been reported on the fidelity of the different preclinical model systems in recapitulating the aberrant metabolism of tumors. We have been developing several different experimental model systems for systems biochemistry analyses of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC1) using patient-derived tissues to evaluate appropriate models for metabolic and phenotypic analyses. To address the issue of fidelity, we have carried out a detailed Stable Isotope-Resolved Metabolomics study of freshly resected tissue slices, mouse patient derived xenografts (PDXs), and cells derived from a single patient using both 13C6-glucose and 13C5,15N2-glutamine tracers. Although we found similar glucose metabolism in the three models, glutamine utilization was markedly higher in the isolated cell culture and in cell culture-derived xenografts compared with the primary cancer tissue or direct tissue xenografts (PDX). This suggests that caution is needed in interpreting cancer biochemistry using patient-derived cancer cells in vitro or in xenografts, even at very early passage, and that direct analysis of patient derived tissue slices provides the optimal model for ex vivo metabolomics. Further research is needed to determine the generality of these observations.

Boxing Punch Detection with Single Static Camera.

Computer vision in sports analytics is gaining in popularity. Monitoring players' performance using cameras is more flexible and does not interfere with player equipment compared to systems using sensors. This provides a wide set of opportunities for computer vision systems that help coaches, reporters, and audiences. This paper provides an introduction to the problem of measuring boxers' performance, with a comprehensive survey of approaches in current science. The main goal of the paper is to provide a system to automatically detect punches in Olympic boxing using a single static camera. The authors use Euclidean distance to measure the distance between boxers and convolutional neural networks to classify footage frames. In order to improve classification performance, we provide and test three approaches to manipulating the images prior to fitting the classifier. The proposed solution achieves 95% balanced accuracy, 49% F1 score for frames with punches, and 97% for frames without punches. Finally, we present a working system for analyses of a boxing scene that marks boxers and labelled frames with detected clashes and punches.

Targeted analysis of organic acids with GC-MS/MS: Challenges and prospects

GC-MS/MS combines the superior chromatographic resolution of GC with the specific and sensitive detection of tandem MS. On paper, it is an ideal system for the routine analyses of organic acids, yet very few studies have used and published such methods. This is likely due to several challenges highlighted in this communication. Briefly, the combination of EI ionization with MRM detection provides arguably insufficient specificity when targeting organic acids. Moreover, the narrow peaks generally produced by GC can lead to inaccurate quantification when the mass spectrometer's cycle time is too long. Potential solutions to these problems are discussed.

Measurement of natural radioactivity levels in soil samples of Bidar district, Karnataka, India.

Natural radioactivity measurement, radiation monitoring of the region, dose assessment and interpretation of radiological-related parameters are crucial aspects from the public awareness and environmental safety point of view. The ionising radiations (gamma-rays) emitted from radionuclides such as 226Ra, 232Th and 40K present in environmental materials contributes significantly to the external radiation dose received by the public. High-efficiency gamma spectrometry based on a 4″×4″ NaI (Tl) detector was employed for estimating activity concentrations of the gamma-emitting radioelements. The spectra from the detector were recorded using a PC-based 1k multichannel analyser system (WinTMCA 32). Each sample spectrum was acquired for a counting period of 60000s (16.67hr). Assuming the daughter products of 226Ra and 232Th in equilibrium, the activity concentration of these radionuclides were estimated by using the prominent gamma photo peaks of daughter products. Using the same technique, dose-related radiological parameters were calculated for all the samples. The activity concentrations of the radionuclides and the dose-related parameters for the samples were found to be comparable with the global literature values. The data generated from our study will contribute to the baseline radiological data of the region.