EMA Method Research Articles

An integrated life cycle emergy analysis for environmental–economic sustainability assessment

AbstractEmergy analysis (EmA) is the quantitative sustainability method that analyses materials, energy resources, goods, or services under a common unit of solar emergy (seJ). Meanwhile, life cycle assessment (LCA) is one of the popular tools to evaluate environmental impacts. Both methods have been widely used in various applications, hence, the idea of co‐jointing these two methods has been increasing to optimize the assessment's inclusivity. However, the existing integrated LCA–EmA methods are applied segmentally with minimal data integration, which has limited the potential of co‐benefits in sustainability accounting. This research proposes a more comprehensive integration between LCA and EmA, known as life cycle emergy analysis (LCEmA). The process data is fully integrated, and the detailed methodological approach is presented to demonstrate the assessment process. Diaper manufacturing is selected as a case study to validate the functionality of the proposed LCEmA approach. The inclusion of foreground and background data offered in LCEmA approach considers backend processes such as electricity generation for manufacturing activities. This has shifted the sustainability hotspot from raw material extraction to the manufacturing process. This research demonstrates that the LCEmA approach can perform comprehensive analysis as a promising alternative to the existing integrated LCA–EmA methods.

Unfolding chromosomal uniqueness of the Scilloid ornamental Albuca virens by application of EMA based Giemsa- DAPI staining

The cytogenetic features in the tribe Ornithogaleae of subfamily Scilloideae is a prerequisite for understanding genome evolution. Unfortunately, genomic or the foundational chromosomal features are neglected within majority of Ornithogaloids, incuding Albuca, one of the largest genus of the tribe. Albuca virens (Lindl.) J.C. Manning & Goldblatt is the only ornamental species of Albuca found to be exotic to India. Analysis of karyotype by EMA method followed by Giemsa and DAPI staining is the first step towards molecular cytogenetics attempted in this species and has currently brought significant resolution in chromosome morphology (especially NORs). The Indian population of A. virens with 2n=6 chromosomes, symmetric karyotype and heterophorphy of NORs provide excellent scope to navigate questions on dysploid origin of Albuca. The regular meiotic stages advocate genomic stability despite vegetative propagation and polysomaty in root cells. The comparative review of chromosomal evolution within Albuca has been discussed in relation to the Indian A. virens as a prototype.

Assessment of the assessment-All about complexes.

Predicting model quality is a fundamental component of any modeling procedure, and blind assessment of these methods constitutes a crucial aspect of the Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction (CASP) experiment. Historically, the main focus was on assessing methods that predict global and per-residue accuracies in tertiary structure models. This focus shifted with the community's increased efforts in modeling complexes and assemblies. We asked the community to process the models from the CASP15 assembly category and provide estimates of the accuracy of the predicted quaternary structure, both globally and at the local interface level. Besides identifying remarkable accuracy of modeling groups in assessing their own predictions, we set up a benchmarking pipeline to highlight different aspects of quaternary structure models and introduced a simple consensus EMA method as baseline. While participating methods showed commendable performance, the baseline was difficult to surpass. It is important to point out that prediction performance varies for the individual CASP targets, highlighting potential areas of improvement and challenges ahead.

A Novel Engine Vibration Measurement System based on the MEMS Sensor

Internal combustion engines cause the engine to vibrate with a certain acceleration due to the oscillation of many components and combustion events during operation. The resulting vibrations can give information about the regular operation of the engine or a possible me-chanical failure. For this reason, it is very important to measure and interpret these vibrations in a healthy way. In this study, a microcontroller-based measurement system was designed and implemented to examine the vibrations of a 4-stroke, 3-cylinder and water-cooled diesel engine at different speeds, under loaded and unloaded conditions. Vibration results for three different measure-ment points at different engine speeds (900,1200,1600,2000,2400,2800 and 3200rpm) were recorded in the data recording system for 60s. The recorded data were filtered by the EMA method and the results were analyzed by the FFT method. According to the results obtained, it has been determined that there is a close linear rela-tionship between engine speed and vibrations. Results of measurement point 1 (Cylinder head) Higher vibration harmonics were measured compared to measurement points 2 (engine block) and 3 (Flywheel housing). The highest vibrations occurred at 3200rpm under loaded and unloaded operating conditions. As a result; It has been seen that the measurement sys-tem developed using MEMs-based accelerometers can be successfully applied to measure engine vibrations.

Perbandingan Efisiensi Analisis Teknikal, SMA dan EMA dalam Mengestimasi Harga Saham

The development of the times also encourages economic growth in every country. With more income, people have a desire to invest their excess income for investment activities. The investment made aims to get a profit or return. Stock return is the result (profit or loss) obtained from a stock investment. This of course requires technical analysis of which there are Simple Moving Average, and Exponential Moving Average. This study aims to compare the two analyzes and which one is more efficient in manufacturing companies on the IDX in 2021. Based on the results of the study, it is known that the Exponential Moving Average with a period of 30 days is an efficient stock price estimation analysis in estimating stock prices from the 4 sub-sectors contained in the mining sector on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2021. The Simple Moving Average becomes an analysis of stock price estimates that are less efficient in estimating the share price of the mining sector on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2021. The study also found that in the EMA method, the longer the analysis period used, the the better the prediction results with the smaller the variance description value indicator.

Comparing Reported Prescription Drug Misuse between Ecological Momentary Assessment versus Timeline Follow-Back among College Students

Background: Accurate assessment of prescription drug misuse (PDM) is critical among young-adult college students, a particularly high-risk group for this substance behavior. No studies have compared assessments of college students’ reports of PDM obtained from their reporting in daily life (via ecological momentary assessment; EMA) to their retrospective accounts of PDM over the same period (via timeline follow-back interview; TLFB), an approach that is commonly used in substance use research. Purpose/Objectives: To determine day-level agreement and person-level agreement in college student reports of PDM in EMA versus TLFB methods. Methods: Participants were 297 college freshmen and sophomores (69% female) recruited based on misuse behavior in the past three months. PDM behaviors were captured in daily life using EMA for 28 days and TLFB administered during an in-person lab visit. Agreement was assessed at the person level (any PDM during the 28 days) and day level (PDM on a given day) using Cohen’s kappa and percent agreement. Results: PDM was reported more frequently using TLFB compared to EMA. Person-level agreement between the two methods was good (k = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.70), whereas day-level agreement was fair (k = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.28). Agreement in stimulant misuse reported across methods was more consistent compared to reports of other medication classes. Conclusions: Findings offer implications for the assessment of college student PDM data in substance use research.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Weight-Related Behaviors in the Home Environment of Children From Low-Income and Racially and Ethnically Diverse Households: Development and Usability Study.

BackgroundEcological momentary assessment (EMA) is an innovative tool for capturing in-the-moment health behaviors as people go about their daily lives. EMA is an ideal tool to measure weight-related behaviors, such as parental feeding practices, stress, and dietary intake, as these occur on a daily basis and vary across time and context. A recent systematic review recommended standardized reporting of EMA design for studies that address weight-related behaviors.ObjectiveTo answer the call for reporting study designs using EMA, this paper describes in detail the EMA design of the Family Matters study and how it was adapted over time to improve functionality and meet the needs of a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse sample.MethodsFamily Matters is an incremental, 2-phased, mixed methods study, conducted with a racially and ethnically diverse, immigrant and refugee sample from largely low-income households, designed to examine risk and protective factors for child weight and weight-related behaviors in the home environment. The Family Matters study intentionally recruited White, Black, Hmong, Latino, Native American, and Somali parents with young children. Parents in phase 1 of the study completed 8 days of EMA on their smartphones, which included signal-contingent surveys (eg, asking about the parent’s stress at the time of the survey), event-contingent surveys (eg, descriptions of the meal the child ate), and end-of-day surveys (eg, overall assessment of the child’s day).ResultsA detailed description of EMA strategies, protocols, and methods used in phase 1 of the Family Matters study is provided. Compliance with EMA surveys and participants’ time spent completing EMA surveys are presented and stratified by race and ethnicity. In addition, lessons learned while conducting phase 1 EMA are shared to document how EMA methods were improved and expanded upon for phase 2 of the Family Matters study.ConclusionsThe results from this study provided an important next step in identifying best practices for EMA use in assessing weight-related behaviors in the home environment.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/30525

Simultaneous determination of duloxetine and 4-hydroxy duloxetine glucuronide in human plasma and back-conversion study.

Aim: To develop an LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of duloxetine and its metabolite, 4-hydroxy duloxetine glucuronide (4HDG) in human plasma and to investigate the potential back-conversion of 4HDG to duloxetine using stability study. Materials & methods: The LC-MS/MS method was validated according to the EMA and USFDA Bioanalytical Method Validation Guidelines and applied to pilot bioequivalence study. Results & conclusion: The method validation results were within the acceptance limits. The stability study and incurred sample reanalysis results ruled out the occurrenceof back-conversion. The study highlighted the conduct of back-conversion test and the advantages of LC-MS/MS method in terms of sensitivity, specificity and low consumption of organic solvents.

Karyotype diversity in cultivated and wild Indian rice through EMA-based chromosome analysis

India is known for its diverse cultivated and wild rice germplasm. In today's crop improvement programmes, wild relatives are much-needed genetic repository of valuable traits. Analysis of genetic diversity at the chromosomal level is one cost-effective tool to unlock foundational information related to genetics and plant breeding. Presently, enzymatic maceration and air-drying method (EMA) has been applied for the first time in six cultivated and nine wild Indian rice (diploid and tetraploid). EMA method following Giemsa staining has yielded large numbers of cytoplasm free metaphase plates with distinct chromosome morphology. Detailed analysis has revealed karyotype diversities in terms of total chromatin length (TCL), chromosome morphology and location of sat chromosomes within and between the studied species. Most of the cultivated rice has gained additional amount in TCL during the period of domestication in comparison to their progenitor Oryza nivara. Morphological clarity of the small chromosomes of rice was much required and has helped to identify individual chromosomes in the diverse karyotypes. Diversity in landmark SAT chromosomes is another important observation, not reported previously in Indian rice. Present study has shown that in most of the O. sativa members, the 10th pair contains SAT except one where 6th pair is satellited. On the other hand, diversity of SAT in diploid and tetraplod wild species has been recorded on 5th, 7th and 8th chromosome pairs and on 9th, 12th, 22nd and 23rd chromosome pairs, respectively. Karyomorphometric indices has helped to construct dendrogram to elucidate intraspecies and interspecies relationships. Untapped genetic diversity recorded in Indian rice through chromosomal analysis will be useful to the breeders and genome researchers.

Describing Ecological Momentary Assessment Methods for Collecting Dietary Intake in a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Sample

ObjectivesEcological momentary assessment (EMA) is an innovative tool being used in the obesity field to capture real-time information about people’s health. A recent systematic review regarding the use of EMA to assess dietary intake and physical activity in youth found the need for standardized reporting of EMA measures and methods. This presentation will discuss EMA methods used in the NIH-funded Family Matters study, including survey design, registration/technology, EMA protocols, implementation, and lessons learned for future EMA studies. MethodsFamily Matters is an incremental, two-phased (Phase I = 150 participants; Phase II = 627 participants), mixed-methods study conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse and immigrant/refugee sample from largely low-income households. Across two phases, the Family Matters research team designed and administered EMA surveys to parents of 5–9 year olds to measure momentary factors of importance to child weight and weight-related behaviors including parent feeding practices, child eating behaviors, meal preparation, and foods served at family meals. ResultsEMA data allowed for many cutting-edge research questions to be addressed, innovative analyses to be run, and methodological approaches to be advanced. Many diet-related topics were investigated, including 1) the investigation of both within-and across-day relationships between transient and chronic stress and parent feeding practices; 2) parental stress and mood earlier in the day and its association with parent feeding practices later in the day; and 3) family meal characteristics by meal type and day of the week. Additionally, concordance between diet-related EMA measures and objectively collected 24-hour dietary recalls was examined. Family Matters EMA diet-related measures will be presented and related results discussed. ConclusionsThis presentation will be valuable for researchers interested in using EMA for collecting obesity-related measures, such as dietary intake, physical activity, parent feeding practices, and stress/mood. Funding SourcesResearch is supported by grant number R01HL126171 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (PI: Berge).

Acceptable Residual Stresses Value Criteria for Rail Stress State

According to simulating and experimental research, the negative linear relation between the level of residual stresses, assessed by the method of acoustic tensometry, and the divergence of the notch in the rail cut in accordance with clause 7.14 of GOST 51685-2013, was found. The correlation coefficient is 0.94. It was determined by the method of regression analysis that the sensitivity of inclination of the notch is the same for different rail casts with account of the measuring errors and it is minus 0.032, but the constant component of the expression is different for different casts of the rail. The constant component should be assessed according to the results of the tests of residual stresses by destructive methods (cutting the rail) in accordance with 7.14 GOST 51685-2013. After evaluating the constant component for each of the rail casts, the dependence can be obtained that describes the notch divergence depending on the level of the measured residual stresses. When the descrepancy of the notch does not exceed 2 mm, the stress state of the rail is acceptable by GOST 51685-2013; the predicted notch discrepancy of the notch is calculated according to the dependence given in the paper. Experimental evaluation of residual stresses was carried out using the EMA method of wave input-reception and the acoustoelasticity effect. Mathematical modeling was carried out by the finite element method using the Comsol Multiphysics environment. The size of the finite elements is adaptive, the size of the element ranges from 0.2 mm to 3 mm. To simulate residual stresses, distributed loads with a gradient character were applied to the rail, selected so that at a given level of stress across the rail elements, the stress transition had a smooth character.

A phylogenetic analysis of Momordica (Cucurbitaceae) in India based on karyo-morphology, nuclear DNA content and rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences.

The infrageneric delimitation of Momordica, a medicinally important genus of Cucurbitaceae, is ill-defined until date. Momordica chromosomes are extremely small and are difficult to stain and visualize because of the dense cytoplasmic background. We have conducted karyomorphometric analysis by EMA method in five Indian Momordica species, and the nuclear genome sizes were estimated by flow cytometry for the first time. The somatic chromosome numbers ranged from 2n = 18 to 56 in the species. We have resolved previously disputed chromosome numbers in M. cymbalaria and M. dioica as 2n = 18 (lowest) and 2n = 56, respectively. Chromosome counts in the other species were re-confirmed as 2n = 22 in M. charantia, 2n = 28 in M. cochinchinensis and 2n = 56 in M. subangulata. The largest genome size was recorded in M. cymbalaria (3.74pg 2C-1), while the smallest size (0.72pg 2C-1) was detected in M. charantia var. charantia. The nuclear genome sizes were analysed in comparison to chromosome numbers and total chromosome lengths of the species. Karyomorphometric indices showed comparable symmetric karyotypes in the species except in M. cymbalaria having tendency towards asymmetry. The UPGMA phenogram and principle component analysis based on nuclear DNA contents and karyomorphometric parameters demonstrated interspecies differences, intraspecific distinction within M. charantia varieties and highlighted distinction of M. cymbalaria. This study was further supported by the rDNA ITS sequence-based phylogenetic analysis which revealed the monophyletic origin of the Indian members of Momordica and clarified the intraspecies relationship among the studied members. As a whole, the study brought out new insights on species diversification within the genus Momordica in India and would benefit further studies on biosystematics and plant breeding programmes.

Modal Parameters Identification of A Real Offshore Platform From the Response Excited by Natural Ice Loading

This paper investigates the possibility of utilizing response from natural ice loading for modal parameter identification of real offshore platforms. The test platform is the JZ20-2MUQ jacket platform located in the Liaodong Bay, China. A field experiment is carried out in winter season, as the platform is excited by floating ices. The feasibility is demonstrated by the acceleration response of two different segments. By the SSI-data method, the modal frequencies and damping ratios of four structural modes can be successfully identified from both segments. The estimated information from both segments is almost identical, which demonstrates that the modal identification is trustworthy. Furthermore, by taking the Jacket platform as a benchmark, the numerical performance of five popular time-domain EMA methods is systematically compared from different viewpoints. The comparisons are categorized as: (1) stochastic methods versus deterministic methods; (2) high-order methods versus low-order methods; (3) data-driven versus covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification methods.

Psychometric Properties of the Korean Version of the PsyMate Scale Using a Smartphone App: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

BackgroundEcological momentary assessment (EMA) is a method for capturing the changes in the variables in daily life with increased accuracy and decreased recall bias. The PsyMate scale assesses momentary moods in daily life and can be used in various settings.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to develop a Korean version of the PsyMate (K-PsyMate) scale and evaluate its psychometric properties by using the EMA method in patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) in South Korea.MethodsPatients with MMD aged over 18 years were recruited from July 2018 to January 2019 at the inpatient and outpatient departments of a university hospital in South Korea. The K-PsyMate scale comprising 13 items was developed following a translation/back translation approach of the English version and loaded onto a mobile app. Participants were instructed to enter their moods 4 times a day for 7 consecutive days. Content validity index, factor analysis, and Pearson’s correlation were performed for validity analysis. For reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients between the first and last measurements were estimated by mean rating, absolute agreement, and a 2-way mixed-effects model. Usability was analyzed through a descriptive analysis, 2-tailed t test, and analysis of variance, and the results were confirmed by Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test, as the dependent variable was not normally distributed.ResultsIn total, 1929 assessments from 93 patients were analyzed. The mean age of the participants was 40.59 (SD 10.06) years, and 66 (71%) of the 93 participants were women. Content validity was excellent as content validity index was 0.99, and 2 factors, negative affect and positive affect, were derived by an exploratory factor analysis. The correlations between the subdomains of the K-PsyMate scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were significant (P<.001). The agreement between the first and last measurements was poor to moderate according to the obtained intraclass correlation coefficient values. Usability was evaluated by 67 (72%) out of the 93 participants. The participants rated the accuracy of assessing their momentary moods on the app at 4.13 (SD 0.97), easiness in understanding questions, operating, and inputting answers at 4.12 (SD 0.88), and interruption by the survey alarms at 2.48 (SD 1.02) out of 5.ConclusionsThe K-PsyMate scale has good validity but poor to moderate agreement, which reflects the characteristics of the EMA data collected in real and natural living environments without control. The findings of our study show that the K-PsyMate scale uploaded in a mobile app can be a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the momentary mood of patients with MMD because using a mobile app is convenient and patients are familiar with their own smartphones, which they use in their daily lives.

The Effects of Special Patient Population Plasma on Pharmacokinetic Quantifications Using LC-MS/MS.

Clinical development of lesinurad, a selective uric acid reabsorption inhibitor, required analysis of lesinurad in plasma from special patient populations. EMA and FDA bioanalytical method validation guidance have recommended studying matrix effects on quantitation if samples from special patient populations are to be analyzed. In addition to lesinurad (plasma protein binding 98.2%), the matrix effects from special population plasma on the quantitation of verapamil (PPB 89.6%), allopurinol and oxypurinol (PPB negligible) were also investigated. The plasma from special population patients had no matrix effects on the three quantification methods with stable isotope labeled internal standard, protein precipitation extraction, and LC-MS/MS detection. The validated lesinurad plasma quantification method was successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic evaluations to support the clinical studies in renal impaired patients. Special population plasma did not affect quantitation of drugs with a wide range of plasma protein binding levels in human plasma. With the confirmation that there is no impact on quantification from the matrix, the bioanalytical method can be used to support the pharmacokinetic evaluations for clinical studies in special populations.

Solution to economic emission dispatch problem including wind farms using Exchange Market Algorithm Method

This paper presents an Exchange Market Algorithm (stocktickerEMA) method for solving the Economic Emission Dispatch (EED) problem including wind farms in the power systems. The stocktickerEMA algorithm is a powerful and useful method for finding the optimal value of an optimization problem with high accuracy. In recent years, because of the emission of harmful gases from fossil fuels and global warming issues, the penetration level of cleaner energies such as the wind and solar energy has been increased in order to produce the desired electrical energy. Therefore, it is vital to consider the wind turbines and wind farms in the EED optimization problem. Due to the probabilistic nature of wind speed in wind turbines, the generated power by wind turbines and wind farms has uncertain nature. Hence, the Weibull probability distribution function is used to model the wind power in the EED problem. The proposed method is tested on the IEEE 40-units test system. The analysis shows that, compared to other algorithms the EMA method has faster convergence and better ability in finding the optimal solution for the EED problem.

Controlling type I error in the reference-scaled bioequivalence evaluation of highly variable drugs.

Reference-scaled average bioequivalence (RSABE) approaches for highly variable drugs are based on linearly scaling the bioequivalence limits according to the reference formulation within-subject variability. RSABE methods have type I error control problems around the value where the limits change from constant to scaled. In all these methods, the probability of type I error has only one absolute maximum at this switching variability value. This allows adjusting the significance level to obtain statistically correct procedures (that is, those in which the probability of type I error remains below the nominal significance level), at the expense of some potential power loss. In this paper, we explore adjustments to the EMA and FDA regulatory RSABE approaches, and to a possible improvement of the original EMA method, designated as HoweEMA. The resulting adjusted methods are completely correct with respect to type I error probability. The power loss is generally small and tends to become irrelevant for moderately large (affordable in real studies) sample sizes.

Real-time assessment of alcohol craving and naltrexone treatment responsiveness in a randomized clinical trial

IntroductionThis secondary data analysis examined whether and how the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) influenced naltrexone treatment responsiveness in a randomized clinical trial. We leveraged intensive experience sampling methods to test the hypothesis that craving recorded at drinking and non-drinking moments would mediate naltrexone effects on the likelihood of heavy drinking, but only among carriers of the DRD4 long (DRD4-L) allele. MethodsParticipants (Mage=29.8years, SD=12.1) were non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers (n=104, 54.8% female, 61.5% alcohol dependent) randomized to 3weeks of daily naltrexone (50mg) or placebo. During these 3weeks, participants used handheld electronic devices to complete real-time reports of alcohol use and craving multiple times per day in their natural environments. This approach afforded intensive repeated assessment of focal variables and provided in-the-moment data to test whether craving when not drinking or early in drinking episodes explained naltrexone effects on drinking. ResultsModerated-mediation multilevel structural equation models showed that craving during non-drinking moments mediated the treatment effect of naltrexone on heavy drinking but only among carriers of the DRD4-L allele. The same pattern of associations was not shown when evaluating craving while participants were consuming alcoholic beverages. ConclusionsFindings provide the first in vivo evidence that, among carriers of the DRD4-L allele, naltrexone blunts craving in real-world settings, and this effect in turn reduces the likelihood of heavy drinking. This work highlights the utility of EMA methods for elucidating how treatments work and further demonstrates the importance of genetic factors for understanding individual differences in pharmacotherapy responsiveness.

Variable-structure interacting multiple-model estimation for group targets tracking with random matrices

In order to improve the estimation performance of interacting multiple model tracking algorithm for group targets, the expected-mode augmentation variable-structure interacting multiple model (EMA-VSIMM) and the best model augmentation variable-structure interacting multiple model (BMA-VSIMM) tracking algorithms are presented in this paper. First, by using the EMA method, a more proper expected-mode set has been chosen from the basic model set of group targets, which can make the selected tracking models better match up to the true mode. The BMA algorithm uses a fixed parameter model of different structures to constitute a candidate model set and selects a minimum difference model from target state as the present extended model from the set of candidates at real time. Second, in the filtering process of VSIMM, the fusion estimation of extension state is implemented by the scalar coefficients weighting method, where weight coefficient is calculated by the trace of the corresponding covariance matrix of extension state. The performances of the proposed EMA-VSIMM and BMA-VSIMM algorithms are evaluated via simulation of a generic group targets maneuvering tracking problem.

An electromagnetic–acoustic transducer with pulsed biasing

Pulsed magnetizing systems of EMA transducers with a tangential biasing field with respect to the surface of a test object are considered. A method for calculating the parameters of a U-shaped pulsed electromagnet, which can produce strong magnetic fields in the material of a test object and allows the efficiency of exciting and receiving ultrasonic waves by the EMA method to be increased, is presented. As an example, the parameters of a U-shaped electromagnet are calculated for an EMA transducer that excites Lamb and Rayleigh waves.