Conventional Testing Approaches Research Articles

Numerical analysis of an advanced infrared-based metasurface surface plasmon resonance sensor for COVID-19 detection

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the critical need for rapid and precise diagnostic methodologies. Conventional testing approaches often exhibit limitations in terms of speed, accessibility, and sensitivity. To address these constraints, we propose an advanced graphene-based biosensing platform for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This sensor integrates advanced nanophotonic principles, metamaterial physics, and two-dimensional material properties to achieve enhanced sensitivity through the detection of refractive index perturbations induced by SARS-CoV-2 biomolecules. Electromagnetic simulations were conducted to optimize the sensor design. The resulting configuration demonstrates a sensitivity of 1800 nmRIU−1 and a detection limit of 0.007 RIU. The sensor exhibits multi-wavelength sensing capabilities at 3.942 μm, 4.018 μm, 4.088 μm, and 4.201 μm, with a high figure of merit of 104.167 RIU−1 and quality factors ranging from 65.766 to 251. 750.The sensor's multilayer architecture, comprising tungsten, graphene, and strontium titanate synergistically enhances both sensitivity and selectivity. Its compact form factor and capacity for real-time analysis render it a promising candidate for point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostics.

On-Site Characterization of Automotive Diffuser Aerodynamics by 3D LPT

This investigation proposes a novel LPT facility featuring Helium-Filled Soap Bubbles flow tracers, LED illumination and two high-speed cameras to characterize the dominating flow patterns within automotive underbodies. A remote control (RC) car model, fitted with custom-made floor and diffusers, traverses a region of seeded air following the Ring of Fire methodology. Underground-placed cameras view the car through a transparent panel, providing unparalleled optical access to the underbody of the car. The on-site measurement setup and the interaction between car model and ground enhance the realism and fidelity of the experiments, while potentially reducing testing costs associated with wind tunnel operation. The setup is shown to be a valid alternative to conventional testing approaches to capture flow separation, 3D flow evolution and differences in the flow field between the four tested configurations, whereby the diffuser angle was varied in the range between 5° and 20°. The 15° diffuser led to the largest velocity and pressure peaks under the car, whereas the 10° diffuser produced the most downforce thanks to the diffuser “pumping” effect, leading to a large region of low pressure under the vehicle. Notably, the 20° diffuser featured the most prominent flow separation at the diffuser’s leading edge, heavily affecting its ability to sustain low pressures under the car. The results show that the wide tyres have a major impact on the underbody flow, because their large wakes induce mass flow leakage through the sides of the car, thus disrupting the mechanism of downforce generation and impairing the generation of streamwise vortices.

Automation in Mobile Testing: Techniques and Strategies for Faster, More Accurate Testing in Healthcare Applications

Amidst the fast changing healthcare industry, mobile apps are crucial in enhancing patient care, optimising operations, and enabling communication between patients and healthcare professionals. Nevertheless, it is essential to guarantee the quality and dependability of these apps by thorough testing in order to protect patient data and uphold the integrity of healthcare services. The conventional manual testing approaches often prove inadequate in fulfilling the requirements of contemporary mobile apps because of their time-consuming character and vulnerability to human fallibility. Therefore, the use of automation in mobile testing has become a crucial approach to improve the effectiveness and precision of the testing procedure. This work investigates the methodologies and approaches for integrating automation in mobile testing specifically in the healthcare application domain. Firstly, it addresses the distinct obstacles encountered while testing healthcare mobile applications, such as strict legal obligations, the need for thorough data protection, and the intricacy of healthcare processes. This study emphasises how automation tackles these issues by providing quicker execution, consistent outcomes, and the capacity to include comprehensive test scenarios that human testing may overlook.

Exploring the mechanical, metallurgical, and fracture characteristics of hybrid-reinforced magnesium metal matrix composite synthesized via friction stir processing route

Low-cost hybrid-reinforced magnesium metal matrix composite (HMMC) materials present a revolutionary category of materials achieved by combining two or more distinct reinforcing elements within the magnesium (Mg) matrix. The main focus of this research is to fabricate Mg-based HMMCs with exceptional mechanical and other characteristics by utilizing Mg substrate AZ61A as the base material. To achieve this, nano-titanium carbide (TiC), nano-silicon carbide (SiC), and fly ash (FA) were selected as hybrid reinforcements, and the friction stir processing technique was employed for their incorporation. The microstructural, thermal, mechanical, wear, and fracture properties of synthesized HMMCs were carefully examined using a conventional testing approach. The findings demonstrate that the grain size of the base AZ61A alloy was measured at 32 µm, whereas the AZ61A/FA/TiC/SiC composite exhibited a remarkable reduction to 3.5 µm. Notably, this reduction in grain size leads to simultaneous enhancement in mechanical properties. The microhardness, ultimate tensile strength, and ultimate compressive strength of the developed HMMC showed an impressive increase, measuring 2.09 times, 2.75 times, and 2.10 times higher, respectively, compared to their initial values of the base material. Moreover, a significant enhancement in wear resistance was also observed, attributed to the increased hardness and homogenous hybrid reinforcement dispersion into the HMMCs. In addition, it was evident that the synergistic combination of different reinforcement particulates in Mg-based alloy improves overall fracture resistance and catastrophic failure and mitigates crack propagation.

A review of gene mutations, conventional testing and novel approaches to cancer screening

Cancer is a genetic disease caused due to mutations in the tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes involved in the cell cycle regulation. It may include mutations that may be inherited or acquired during one’s lifetime and affect single gene or multiple genes, chromosomes and their protein expression patterns, ultimately leading to a loss of control over the cell cycle and culminating in uncontrolled cell growth. With the tremendous increase in global cancer burden and early detection being the key to cure, it has become imperative that the genes be studied and new genetic and biochemical testing techniques be utilized. In this review, we have looked at various mutations involved in common cancer-causing genes, their role under normal physiological conditions, mechanisms of mutation and their occurrence in different types of cancers. Also, the review focuses on conventional and novel approaches for genetic and biochemical testing, the techniques used and their advantages and limitations.

Real-time terahertz characterization for composite delamination using a lightweight CPU adaptive network

Delamination defects, as common damages occurring in fiber reinforced composite laminates, are often difficult to be detected due to their invisibility and concealment. Terahertz (THz) technique, as a promising alternative to conventional nondestructive testing (NDT) approaches, has emerged great potentials in quantitative characterization of delamination defects in composites. However, since THz signals are susceptible to confounding interference during THz inspection, such as the noise, interlayer reflection, dispersion and overlap, the accuracy and speed of defect localization and identification are usually contradictory. Generally, to improve the accuracy, many complex manual signal processing methods can be applied, which however will inevitably decrease the inference speed for delamination inspection and cannot fulfill the automatic and real-time analysis requirements in practical THz applications. Here, an intelligent THz 3D characterization system based on the lightweight deep learning (DL) model is proposed to realize the automatic and real-time characterization of hidden delamination defects in composites with high accuracy and low CPU latency. The core aims to specifically design a lightweight and end-to-end CPU adaptive network to obtain the optimal balance between the accuracy and speed. A series of experiments are implemented to validate the superior comprehensive performance of the system in terms of classification accuracy and inference speed on low-cost CPU-based platform. Compared with other methods, the proposed system can be not only able to obtain the superior accuracy, but also to obtain low CPU latency. Therefore, our work provides a novel and general paradigm for DL-based THz intelligent 3D characterization, which will promote the deployment of the system for the automatic and real-time THz characterization in industrial applications.

The Impact and Spillover Effects of HIV Self-Test Technology on HIV Outcomes of the South African Working Class

Background: South Africa recently adopted HIV self-test technology (HIVST) to improve HIV testing and encourage earlier treatment initiation in working populations with a low uptake of conventional testing approaches. This study investigates the impact of HIVST on testing outcomes, focusing on both frequent and infrequent working-class testers. The paper also examines the spillover effect of HIVST on antiretroviral (ART) treatment initiation. To identify these effects, the author focused on South Africa and exploited the HIVST distribution data of 6259 beneficiaries of HIVST. Methods: The author used a two-stage least-squared model to quantify the impact of the HIVST on these vulnerable working populations. Results: The results show that HIVST fosters a 27.6% higher testing uptake in infrequently testing workers compared to frequently testing workers, and that the uptake of HIVST is 11.5% higher in rural regions than in urban settings, as well as 14.5% more prominent in infrequent male testers than infrequent female testers. Notably, the positive effects of HIVST are also confirmed by the presence of positive spillover effects in workers screening positive for HIV. The paper documents a 7.6% increase in ART initiation in infrequent testers. Conclusions: There is a case for adopting this technology to improve the uptake of HIV testing and ART initiation as the country seeks to attain the UNAIDS 95–95–95 targets by 2030.

Abstract 1086: PEGylated talazoparib enhances therapeutic window of its combination with temozolomide in Ewing sarcoma

Abstract Introduction: The Ewing family of sarcomas is the fourth most common highly malignant childhood cancer. Current standard therapy is relatively ineffective for relapsed and metastatic Ewing sarcoma predominantly due to development of resistance to chemotherapeutics. Nanoparticle-formulated drugs are reported to increase uptake into tumor tissue, while reducing drug access to normal tissues, because of reduced permeability of normal vasculature. This potentially leads to lower dose exposure in normal tissues and reduced toxicity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antitumor activity of the PEGylated poly(ADP) ribose polymerase 1/2 (PARP1/2) inhibitor talazoparib combined with the DNA alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) in Ewing sarcoma xenograft models and other pediatric cancers. Method:. We evaluated the preclinical efficacy of PEGylated talazoparib (PEG~TLZ), alone or in combination with TMZ, in Ewing sarcoma and glioblastoma patient derived xenograft (PDX) models. Additional solid tumor models, such as rhabdomyosarcoma, Wilms tumor, malignant rhabdoid tumor, osteosarcoma, and synovial sarcoma were evaluated using a novel single mouse testing approach. PEG~TLZ was administered as a single administration intraperitoneally to mice bearing subcutaneous tumors at a single dose of 5 - 20 µmol/kg alone, or at 10 µmol/kg on day 1 combined with TMZ administered orally at 40 mg/kg starting on day 3 or 4 for 5 consecutive days. Results: Mice bearing Ewing sarcoma and MGMT-deficient glioblastoma xenografts tolerated PEG~TLZ+TMZ with minimal toxicity and achieved maintained complete response (MCR). The time-separated drug administration schedule of the single dose of PEG~TLZ followed by the 5-day TMZ treatment demonstrated objective responses in Ewing sarcoma, rhabdoid tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, and glioblastoma PDX models. Conclusion: We evaluated the range of PEG~TLZ+TMZ activity among pediatric solid tumor panels using conventional and single-mouse testing approaches, and demonstrated that PEG~TLZ combined with delayed TMZ administration enhances the therapeutic window of the treatment compared to free TLZ. From the clinical standpoint, the single intravenous administration of PEG~TLZ could be advantageous for treating infants and young children. Citation Format: Vanessa Del Pozo, Andrew J. Robles, Shaun Fontaine, Qianqian Liu, Joel E. Michalek, Peter J. Houghton, Raushan Kurmasheva. PEGylated talazoparib enhances therapeutic window of its combination with temozolomide in Ewing sarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1086.

In Situ Fabrication, Manipulation, and Mechanical Characterization of Free‐Standing Silica Thin Films Using Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy

AbstractDetermination of mechanical properties of (silica) thin films is important for the development of new applications. However, a versatile approach for small‐scale sample fabrication and in situ mechanical testing of these materials is currently lacking which can overcome the existing difficulties in conventional testing approaches. Here, it is shown that by combining focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB‐SEM) with micromanipulators free‐standing silica beams of the desired dimensions can be fabricated. Using in situ bending tests on such beams inside the SEM and finite element method simulations, the Young's modulus of thin‐film silica and the effects of gallium ion beam radiation on Young's modulus are determined. Furthermore, the effects of controlled relative humidity on the mechanical behavior of silica beams are investigated. The demonstrated FIB‐SEM approach can be extended to other materials and preparation conditions to measure, model, and optimize mechanical properties of thin films for a wide range of (coating) applications.

Efficacy of Unconventional Penetration Testing Practices

The financial and confidential cost of cyberattack has presented a significant loss to the organization and government where the privacy of worthless information has become vulnerable to cyber threat. In terms of efforts implemented to avoid this risk, the cyberattack continues to evolve, making the cybersecurity systems weekend. This has necessitated the importance of comprehensive penetration testing, assessment techniques, and tools to analyze and present the currently available unconventional penetration techniques and tactics to test and examine their key features and role in supporting cybersecurity and measure their effectiveness. The importance of cyberspace and its value make it an eminent target for attackers to exploit any vulnerability they may encounter in the respective system. Due to the cybersecurity risks, robust security measures need to be put in place to protect the system in question. Penetration testing is one such security measure that aims to uncover the security vulnerabilities in the system. Due to the dynamic aspect of cyberspace and technology, advanced or more unusual penetration testing mechanisms need to be employed to deal with the emerging vulnerabilities and security threats in cyberspace. This research explores and utilizes the conventional and unconventional penetration testing methods and identifies the study's main objectives to improve the current penetration testing techniques to increase security effectiveness and efficiency. It also calculates vulnerabilities and risks based on Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) scores and their impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It proposes a Wi-Fi penetration testing approach based on Kali Linux. It also highlights the conventional and unconventional penetration testing approaches and justifies the essence of penetration testing over cyberattack cases. Due to the dynamic changes in technology, the conventional penetration testing method does not seem to be efficient to achieve its goal.

Core-shell structured gold nanorods on thread-embroidered fabric-based microfluidic device for Ex Situ detection of glucose and lactate in sweat

Core-shell gold nanorods (AuNRs) with Raman reporter sandwiched was prepared as the Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tags for detecting biomarkers in human sweat. A textile-based microfluidic device integrated SERS technology and colorimetric assay as a multifunctional sweat sensor is presented in this work. Two significant metabolites in human sweat, lactate and glucose, and the local sweat loss, were monitored and rated. Mercerized cotton thread was embroidered into the hydrophobic cotton fabric as the detection sites. Viscose thread was contacted to the embroidered pattern as the microfluidic channel. Core-shell structured Au nanorods (AuNRs@Au) sandwiched Raman reporters were prepared and deposited into the embroidered sites as SERS tags for testing target biomarkers in sweat. Through the data fitting of the SERS characteristic information of the samples with known concentration, two mathematic functions were formulated to detect the concentration of glucose and lactate in sweat accurately. The limit of detection (LOD) of physiological relevant range toward glucose (0–20 mM, S/N = 3) and lactic acid (0.1–40 mM, S/N = 3) in sweat is 0.125 μM and 0.05 mM, respectively. Field evaluation was conducted on four healthy subjects at different body positions, demonstrating the accuracy of this SERS-based assay system in the textile-based sensing band. The concentration of lactate and glucose in the sweat of the four subjects is 3.50–10.34 mM and 51.86–67.19 μM. This thread/fabric microfluidic band with a SERS-based assay system enables coherent sensing and ex situ detecting human sweat with well performance and high accuracy, which matches the results of conventional testing approaches.

Long-Term In-Use NOx Emissions from London Buses with Retrofitted NOx Aftertreatment.

Buses constitute a significant source of air pollutant emissions in cities. In this study, we present real-world NOx emissions from 97 diesel-hybrid buses measured using on-board diagnostic systems over 44 months and 6.35 million km in London. Each bus had previously been retrofitted with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment system to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). On average, parallel hybrid (PH) and series hybrid (SH) buses emitted 3.80 g of NOx/km [standard deviation (SD) of 1.02] and 2.37 g of NOx/km (SD of 0.51), respectively. The SCR systems reduced engine-out emissions by 79.8% (SD of 5.0) and 87.2% (SD of 2.9) for the PHs and SHs, respectively. Lower ambient temperatures (0-10 °C) increased NOx emissions of the PHs by 24.2% but decreased NOx emissions of the SHs by 27.9% compared to values found at more moderate temperatures (10-20 °C). To improve emissions inventories, we provide new distance-based NOx emissions factors for different ranges of ambient temperature. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the emissions benefits of reduced congestion were largely offset by more frequent route layovers leading to lower SCR temperatures and effectiveness. This study shows that continuous in-service measurements enable quantification of real-world vehicle emissions over a wide range of operations that complements conventional testing approaches.

Reaction Time-Based Cognitive Assessments in Virtual Reality - A Feasibility Study with an Age Diverse Sample.

While virtual reality (VR) is an emerging paradigm in a variety of research contexts, VR-based embodiment effects on behavior and performance still lack in sufficient evidence regarding to bias in cognitive performance assessment. In this methodological observational study, we compare the VR measurement of cognitive performance with a conventional computer-based testing approach in real life (RL) in younger and older adults. The differences between VR and RL scenarios are investigated using the background of two theoretical models from cognitive psychology. Furthermore, data assessment reliability and validity are analyzed, concerning the feasibility of technological and ergonomic aspects. A within-group comparison showed no change in information processing speed in either one of the two age groups, i.e., both groups perform equally well in RL and in a VR testing environment. The use of lifelike VR environments for cognitive performance tests seems not to lead to any performance changes compared to RL computer-based assessments, making VR suitable for similar applications. On technical concerns, we recommend the careful use of reaction time paradigms regarding to input hardware and stimuli presentation.

Acceptability and uptake of HIV self-testing in emergency care settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Emergency departments (ED) interface with large numbers of patients that are often missed by conventional HIV testing approaches. ED-based HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an innovative engagement approach which has potential for testing gains among populations that have failed to be reached. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated acceptability and uptake of HIVST, as compared to standard provider-delivered testing approaches, among patients seeking care in ED settings. Six electronic databases were systematically searched (Dates: January 1990-May 2021). Reports with data on HIVST acceptability and/or testing uptake in ED settings were included. Two reviewers identified eligible records (κ=0.84); quality was assessed using formalized criteria. Acceptability and testing uptake metrics were summarized, and pooled estimates were calculated using random-effects models with assessments of heterogeneity. Of 5773 records identified, seven met inclusion criteria. The cumulative sample was 1942 subjects, drawn from three randomized control trials (RCTs) and four cross-sectional studies. Four reports assessed HIVST acceptability. Pooled acceptability of self-testing was 92.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88.0%-97.1%). Data from two RCTs demonstrated that HIVST significantly increased testing uptake as compared to standard programs (risk ratio [RR]=4.41, 95% CI: 1.95-10.10, I2 =25.8%). Overall, the quality of evidence was low (42.9%) or very low (42.9%), with one report of moderate quality (14.2%). Available data indicate that HIVST may be acceptable and may increase testing among patients seeking emergency care, suggesting that expanding ED-based HIVST programs could enhance HIV diagnosis. However, given the limitations of the reports, additional research is needed to better inform the evidence base.

Targeted long-read sequencing identifies missing disease-causing variation

Despite widespread clinical genetic testing, many individuals with suspected genetic conditions lack a precise diagnosis, limiting their opportunity to take advantage of state-of-the-art treatments. In some cases, testing reveals difficult-to-evaluate structural differences, candidate variants that do not fully explain the phenotype, single pathogenic variants in recessive disorders, or no variants in genes of interest. Thus, there is a need for better tools to identify a precise genetic diagnosis in individuals when conventional testing approaches have been exhausted. We performed targeted long-read sequencing (T-LRS) using adaptive sampling on the Oxford Nanopore platform on 40 individuals, 10 of whom lacked a complete molecular diagnosis. We computationally targeted up to 151 Mbp of sequence per individual and searched for pathogenic substitutions, structural variants, and methylation differences using a single data source. We detected all genomic aberrations-including single-nucleotide variants, copy number changes, repeat expansions, and methylation differences-identified by prior clinical testing. In 8/8 individuals with complex structural rearrangements, T-LRS enabled more precise resolution of the mutation, leading to changes in clinical management in one case. In ten individuals with suspected Mendelian conditions lacking a precise genetic diagnosis, T-LRS identified pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in six and variants of uncertain significance in two others. T-LRS accurately identifies pathogenic structural variants, resolves complex rearrangements, and identifies Mendelian variants not detected by other technologies. T-LRS represents an efficient and cost-effective strategy to evaluate high-priority genes and regions or complex clinical testing results.

An Intelligent Mobile Application Testing Experience Report

Artificial intelligence applications provide tremendous opportunities to improve human life and drive innovation. AI systems/applications which operate in a real-world environment have to encounter an infinite set of feasible scenarios. Conventional testing approach to test the AI application allows only limited testing and does not allow taking the different contexts into consideration and may lead to insufficient validation and characterization. Therefore, to ensure robustness, certainty and reliability of AI applications, the authors applied classification-based AI software testing framework and 3D decision tables to generate test cases. Moreover, the authors compared the quality assurance metrics (accuracy, correctness, reliability and consistency) of AI and non-AI functions in the AI mobile application scenario. Our results indicate and confirm that complete AI function validation is not possible with conventional testing methods, but AI software testing strategy proposed based on classification framework and 3D decision tables has a good effect.

Inverse characterisation of gradient distribution of the modulus of bamboo using a four-point bending test

Abstract As a natural graded material, bamboo has gradually increasing elastic modulus along the radial direction from the inner to the outer skin. Accurate measurement of the modulus distribution plays an important role in bamboo-based structural design. However, it is difficult to characterise this modulus distribution by using conventional testing approaches on bamboo slices. A more effective method was developed in this study for the inverse identification of gradually varying material properties. The method is based on the digital image correlation and finite element model updating techniques. The radial distribution of the elastic modulus of bamboo was obtained through only one four-point bending test. The inversely identified modulus distribution was verified through uniaxial tensile tests on sliced bamboo strips and microscopic observation of the volume fraction distribution of its vascular bundle. The results showed that the elastic modulus of the bamboo material decreased from the outer skin (20 GPa) to the inner skin (2 GPa), which is in good consistence with the tensile test results on sliced specimens.

Integrative genomic analysis implicates ERCC6 and its interaction with ERCC8 in susceptibility to breast cancer

Up to 30% of all breast cancer cases may be inherited and up to 85% of those may be due to segregation of susceptibility genes with low and moderate risk [odds ratios (OR) ≤ 3] for (mostly peri- and post-menopausal) breast cancer. The majority of low/moderate-risk genes, particularly those with minor allele frequencies (MAF) of < 30%, have not been identified and/or validated due to limitations of conventional association testing approaches, which include the agnostic nature of Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). To overcome these limitations, we used a hypothesis-driven integrative genomics approach to test the association of breast cancer with candidate genes by analyzing multi-omics data. Our candidate-gene association analyses of GWAS datasets suggested an increased risk of breast cancer with ERCC6 (main effect: 1.29 ≤ OR ≤ 2.91, 0.005 ≤ p ≤ 0.04, 11.8 ≤ MAF ≤ 40.9%), and implicated its interaction with ERCC8 (joint effect: 3.03 ≤ OR ≤ 5.31, 0.01 ≤ pinteraction ≤ 0.03). We found significant upregulation of ERCC6 (p = 7.95 × 10–6) and ERCC8 (p = 4.67 × 10–6) in breast cancer and similar frequencies of ERCC6 (1.8%) and ERCC8 (0.3%) mutations in breast tumors to known breast cancer susceptibility genes such as BLM (1.9%) and LSP1 (0.3%). Our integrative genomics approach suggests that ERCC6 may be a previously unreported low- to moderate-risk breast cancer susceptibility gene, which may also interact with ERCC8.

Profiling gene expression dynamics underpinning conventional testing approaches to better inform pre-clinical evaluation of an age appropriate spironolactone formulation

There is a need to accelerate paediatric formulation evaluation and enhance quality of early stage data in drug development to alleviate the information pinch point present between formulation development and clinical evaluation. This present work reports application of DNA microarrays as a high throughput screening tool identifying markers for prediction of bioavailability and formulation driven physiological responses. With a focus on enhancing paediatric medicine provision, an oral liquid spironolactone suspension was formulated addressing a paediatric target product profile. Caco-2 cells cultured on transwell inserts were implemented in transport assays in vitro and DNA microarrays were used to examine gene expression modulation. Wistar rats were used to derive in vivo bioavailability data. In vitro, genomic, and in vivo data sets were concurrently evaluated linking drug transport and the genomic fingerprint generated by spironolactone formulation exposure. Significant changes in gene expression are reported as a result of formulation exposure. These include genes coding for ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, solute carrier (SLC) transporters, cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, and carboxylesterase enzymes. Genomic findings better inform pre-clinical understanding of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic responses to spironolactone and its active metabolites than current in vitro drug transport assays alone.

Application of hybrid simulation method for seismic performance evaluation of RC coupling beams subjected to realistic boundary condition

SummaryIn a building subjected to seismic loading, large compressive force may develop in reinforced concrete (RC) coupling beams because of axial restraint imposed by the neighboring shear walls against the elongation of the coupling beams during the failure process. The axially compressive force can increase the shear stiffness and strength of the coupling beam and may change its failure mode. In this paper, a novel coupling beam testing procedure adopting hybrid simulation method is proposed in which the axial restraint is determined through hybrid simulation and the calculated axial restraint is imposed on a specimen during the test. RC coupling beams were tested by adopting both the proposed test procedure and the conventional testing approach in which the effect of the axial restraint is not accounted for. Test results depict a clear difference in the response of the coupling beam, such as shear capacity and failure mode, depending on the consideration of the axial restraint during the test. The test outcome demonstrates the usefulness and applicability of the proposed test procedure.