Equivalent Response Research Articles

Protocols and Technologies Used by Italian Dental Professionals to Maintain Good Oral Health in Orthodontic Patients Before, During and After Treatment: A Survey Study

Background: Orthodontic appliances increase biofilm accumulation by expanding plaque retention sites. Enamel demineralization and periodontal inflammation are considered to be the most prevalent consequences of biofilm formation in orthodontic patients, with reported prevalence rates of up to 50%. To date, there are different procedures and indications that have been used for the treatment of these conditions. Therefore, professionals may use different technologies and protocols to control bacterial biofilm. The aim of this study was to investigate the protocols and technologies used by Italian dental professionals to maintain good oral health in orthodontic patients before, during and after treatment. Methods: A total of 155 dental professionals, dentists, dental hygienist students and dental hygienists, attending the Italian Academy of Advanced Technologies in Oral Hygiene Sciences (A.T.A.S.I.O.) congress, completed a questionnaire to identify prevention technologies and protocols before, during and after orthodontic treatment. Results: The results show equivalent responses between dentists and dental hygienists, with most dental hygienists more likely to personalize treatment. Remineralization technologies and protocols are selected based on patient characteristics. During professional oral hygiene sessions, the most commonly used technologies before, during and after therapy are ultrasonic scaler and airflow with powders. Mouthwashes and toothpastes are customized and shared with the patient, with remineralizing technologies predominant in toothpastes. After treatment, aesthetics is evaluated and the whitening protocol is selected based on the patient’s characteristics. Conclusions: There is not a specific prevention program associated with each orthodontic therapy in the literature, so it is necessary to tailor the treatment to best manage the risks of orthodontic therapy and maintain healthy tissues.

ChatGPT 35 Better Improves Comprehensibility of English, Than Spanish, Generated Responses to Osteosarcoma Questions.

Despite adequate discussion and counseling in the office, inadequate health literacy or language barriers may make it difficult to follow instructions from a physician and access necessary resources. This may negatively impact survival outcomes. Most healthcare materials are written at a 10th grade level, while many patients read at an 8th grade level. Hispanic Americans comprise about 25% of the US patient population, while only 6% of physicians identify as bilingual. (1) Does ChatGPT 3.5 provide appropriate responses to frequently asked patient questions that are sufficient for clinical practice and accurate in English and Spanish? (2) What is the comprehensibility of the responses provided by ChatGPT 3.5 and are these modifiable? Twenty frequently asked osteosarcoma patient questions, evaluated by two fellowship-trained musculoskeletal oncologists were input into ChatGPT 3.5. Responses were evaluated by two independent reviewers to assess appropriateness for clinical practice, and accuracy. Responses were graded using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test (FKGL). The responses were then input into ChatGPT 3.5 for a second time with the following command "Make text easier to understand". The same method was done in Spanish. All responses generated were appropriate for a patient-facing informational platform. There was no difference in the Flesch Reading Ease Score between English and Spanish responses before the modification (p = 0.307) and with the Flesch-Kincaid grade level (p = 0.294). After modification, there was a statistically significant difference in comprehensibility between English and Spanish responses (p = 0.003 and p = 0.011). In both English and Spanish, none of the ChatGPT generated responses were found to be factually inaccurate. ChatGPT was able to modify responses upon follow-up with a simplified command. However, it was shown to be better at improving English responses than equivalent Spanish responses.

Equivalent system frequency response model with energy storage

Providing Frequency Response (FR) using energy storage system (ESS) has been adopted in power systems worldwide to reduce the maximum frequency deviation. This paper presents a new equivalent system frequency response model with ESS. The model can be conveniently used to assess the system frequency nadir and calculate the capacity and equivalent droop of storage considering the maximum frequency deviation in a synchronous generator (SG) dominated system. Unlike existing calculation methods based on control strategies such as fuzzy-logic, robust control, data-driving control and predictive algorithm, the proposed method (i) uses the equivalent capacity and equivalent droop to describe the FR of SG and ESS, thereby avoids the difficulty in solving high-order FR model and (ii) does not need the control strategy of SGs in the network. Therefore, the proposed method provides a simple yet systematic method in calculating the capacity and equivalent droop of ESS. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using the four-generator two-area (4G2A) system with 0 %, 25 % and 50 % penetration of renewable resources and different types of SGs (hydraulic and steam SG) based on the given maximum frequency deviation..

Diverse microtubule-destabilizing drugs induce equivalent molecular pathway responses in endothelial cells.

Microtubule (MT)-destabilizing drugs, despite their potential for toxicity, are used to treat a surprising range of diseases, including cancers, inflammatory disorders, and parasitic infections. To investigate how drugs with apparently similar actions on MTs achieve diverse clinical effects, we compared the molecular pathways that are activated by three drugs with different clinical profiles, vinblastine, combretastatin A4, and plinabulin. All three elicited similar gene expression responses via Rho GTPase activation. This finding suggests that their distinct clinical effects are not caused by different effects on MTs, but rather by differences in drug transport, pharmacokinetics or tubulin isotype affinity. Our findings provide insights into how plinabulin might protect the bone marrow and may help medicinal chemists design MT drugs for new applications.

Study on equivalent stiffness estimation mfethods and dynamic impact response of rockfall protection canopies

Study on equivalent stiffness estimation mfethods and dynamic impact response of rockfall protection canopies

Postexercise Dietary Leucine Retention for Whole-Body Anabolism Is Greater With Whey Protein Isolate and Fish-Derived Protein Hydrolysate Than Nonessential Amino Acids in Trained Young Men.

Marine-derived proteins, such as blue whiting-derived protein hydrolysates (BWPH), represent high-quality sources of dietary protein, but their ability to support postexercise anabolism is not established. The impact of BWPH on whole-body anabolism was compared with an isonitrogenous whey protein isolate (WPI) and nonessential amino acid (NEAA) control in 10 trained young males (31 ± 4years) who, on three separate visits, performed a session of whole-body resistance exercise and then consumed, in randomized crossover fashion, BWPH, WPI, or NEAA (0.33g/kg; 19, 33, and 0mg/kgleucine, respectively) with L-[1-13C]leucine. Breath, blood, and urine samples were collected for 6-hr postprandial to assess dietary leucine oxidation, amino acid (AA) concentrations, and 3-methylhistidine: creatinine ratio. Peak and area under the curve concentrations for leucine, branched-chain amino acids, and essential amino acids were greater in WPI compared with BWPH (all p < .05) but with no differences in time to peak concentration. Total oxidation reflected leucine intake (WPI > BWPH > NEAA; p < .01), whereas relative oxidation was greater (p < .01) in WPI (28.6 ± 3.6%) compared with NEAA (21.3 ± 4.2%), but not BWPH (28.6 ± 8.8%). Leucine retention, a proxy for whole-body protein synthesis, was greater in WPI (185.6 ± 9.5μmol/kg) compared with BWPH (109.3 ± 14.1 μmol/kg) and NEAA (5.74 ± 0.30μmol/kg; both p < .01), with BWPH being greater than NEAA (p < .01). Urinary 3-methylhistidine: creatinine ratio did not differ between conditions. Both WPI and BWPH produced essential aminoacidemia and supported whole-body anabolism after resistance exercise, but a higher intake of BWPH to better approximate the leucine and EAA content of WPI may be needed to produce an equivalent anabolic response.

Tell Me More! Examining the Benefits of Adding Structured Probing in Asynchronous Video Interviews

ABSTRACTThe personnel selection field has observed the rising use of asynchronous video interviews (AVI). The current study investigates whether follow‐up questions (probes) can optimize the applicant experience in AVIs. Across two experimental studies with participants recruited from Prolific, we investigated whether AVIs with probing promote applicant reactions (e.g., the opportunity to perform perceptions) toward the AVI and how probing influences interview behaviors, applicant perceptions, and interview performance ratings. In Study 1, 404 participants were randomly assigned to either an AVI with probing or an AVI without probing. Results indicated that probing directly improved the opportunity to perform perceptions and interview performance ratings. In addition, probing positively impacted honest impression management and motivation to perform indirectly through participants' perceived opportunity to perform. However, mediation analyses suggested that the effect of probing on interview performance ratings was driven by response length. In Study 2 (n = 271), we teased apart the effects of the inherently added response time that probing affords applicants with an additional condition that matched the response time of probes. Relative to Study 1, probing only slightly improved the opportunity to perform perceptions, but the effect of probing on the opportunity to perform perceptions was greater when compared to an AVI with an equivalent response time. In addition, probing positively impacted interview performance ratings, above and beyond their increased response time. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Magnetic field quality conversion factors experimentally measured in clinical MR-linac beams for seven MR-compatible ionization chamber models.

The purpose of this work was to experimentally quantify MR-compatible ionization chamber response for 1.5T Elekta Unity and 0.35T ViewRay MRIdian MR-linac systems through the determination of the magnetic field quality conversion factor, kB,Q. Seven MR-compatible ionization chamber models from Standard Imaging and PTW were evaluated. Both the quality conversion factor kQ and the magnetic field quality conversion factor kB,Q were experimentally determined through a cross-calibration method. Specifically, the ratio of absorbed dose measured with a reference A1SL chamber under reference conditions to corrected output measured with each test chamber at the same point of measurement allowed for the determination of kB,Q. The angular dependence of the magnetic field quality conversion factor for MR-compatible chamber models was assessed for the 1.5T Elekta Unity system by measuring kB,Q with the chamber axis and magnetic field direction aligned at cardinal angles (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°). Beam quality conversion (kQ) factors for MR-compatible ionization chambers measured in a standard linac beam showed an average percent difference of -0.09±0.18% compared to computed kQ values for their conventional chamber versions. Similarly, magnetic field quality conversion (kB,Q) factors for corresponding MR and non-MR ionization chamber models measured using the same cross-calibration technique demonstrated average percent differences of -0.1±0.3% and 0.0±0.2% for the Elekta Unity and ViewRay MRIdian, respectively. Investigation of the angular dependence of this correction factor demonstrated identical chamber response for equivalent MR-compatible and conventional chamber models. This work provides critical experimental validation of MR-compatible ionization chamber performance, with a direct comparison of measured kB,Q values to corresponding conventional chamber models demonstrating nearly equivalent chamber response. kB,Q values determined using our experimental method will serve as an important reference for upcoming MR-linac reference dosimetry protocols and ultimately represent an important step towards accurate output calibration of MR-linac systems.

An improved notion for the computation of strain ratio in equivalent linear site response

An improved notion for the computation of strain ratio in equivalent linear site response

Host responses to haustorium invasion of the stem parasitic plant, Cuscuta campestris, differ from responses to wounding.

The parasitic mechanism employed by the stem parasitic plant, Cuscuta campestris, involves degradation of the host epidermis and intrusion of the cortical tissue of the host stem by a specialized organ called the haustorium. In host plants, the mechanical stimuli associated with this degradation and intrusion of host tissues is considered to be comparable to wounding. However, it has not yet been clarified whether parasitic invasion and wounding induce equivalent responses in host plants. In this study, we demonstrated that parasitic intrusion-induced responses that were comparable to wounding in the host plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, including upregulation of Arabidopsis NAC DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN 71 (ANAC071), which is a key transcription factor associated with wound repair, cell division, and vascular development. Despite these similarities, we found that the mechanism regulating the induction of cell division- and vascular development-related genes at the host-parasite interface differed from that associated with wound repair. Specifically, ANAC071 was not required for the induction of cell division-related genes, as their upregulation was observed in anac071/096/011 triple mutants as well as in wild-type host plants. We also found that neither auxin nor ethylene plays a significant role in inducing the expression of vascular development-related genes. Thus, the findings show that the mechanisms responsible for upregulating cell division- and vascular development-related genes differ between parasitic and wound repair responses.

Comparison of Urine Output Response of Intravenous Bumetanide and Furosemide in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: an observational analysis.

Loop diuretics are a fundamental cornerstone in management of hypervolemia encountered in acute decompensated heart failure. There is variation in literature describing relative potency of loop diuretic agents, and very limited available data specific to the heart failure population. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to compare the urine output response between intravenous furosemide and bumetanide in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they were admitted between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, with acute decompensated heart failure and received intravenous bumetanide or furosemide within 48 hours of admission. Propensity matching was utilized to determine comparison groups. The primary outcome was total urine output for 24 hours following initiation of the diuretic regimen. A total of 120 patients (60 in each group) were matched after exclusion criteria were applied. The total urine output was similar between groups. The bumetanide group did demonstrate a greater urine output: furosemide equivalent response (52 ± 46 mL/mg versus 33 ± 25 mL/mg; p=0.007). Based on our analysis, similar urine output may be achieved with either intravenous bumetanide or furosemide in acute decompensated heart failure; however a higher dose of furosemide may be required than what has been previously established as an equivalent dose to bumetanide to achieve a similar diuretic effect. These results should warrant further investigation to better establish dose-response relationships with loop diuretics in the acute decompensate heart failure.

Preclinical development of lyophilized self-replicating RNA vaccines for COVID-19 and malaria with improved long-term thermostability

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID-19 have demonstrated high efficacy and rapid deployment capability to target emerging infectious diseases. However, the need for ultra-low temperature storage made the distribution of LNP/mRNA vaccines to regions with limited resources impractical. This study explores the use of lyophilization to enhance the stability of self-replicating mRNA (repRNA) vaccines, allowing for their storage at non-freezing temperatures such as 2–8 °C or room temperature (25 °C). We lyophilized repRNA molecules complexed to a novel cationic emulsion delivery system, LION™, with different sugar-based lyoprotectants to identify candidates that provided the best vaccine integrity and effectiveness after being thermally stressed. For screening, we used repRNA encoding the reporter protein secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) and for proof-of-concept, we used repRNA vaccines encoding SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike (WA-1 isolate) or full-length surface protein circumsporozoite (CS) of Plasmodium yoelii (Py). We found that lyophilization of LION/repRNA with sucrose provided the best colloidal stability, preserved in vitro expression, and induced equivalent antigen-specific antibody responses in mice compared to freshly prepared liquid LION/repRNA. Furthermore, lyophilized vaccines were stable for at least one week at 25 °C and at least one year at 2–8 °C. The cumulative analysis of stability-determining physicochemical data, in vitro potency, and in vivo immunogenicity in mice enabled the selection of a lead lyophilized composition containing 10 % w/v sucrose as the lyoprotectant. The data presented here provide a foundation for the clinical evaluation of next-generation thermostable repRNA vaccines that will enable more equitable vaccine access globally.

A Comparative Study on Seismic Behaviour of Plan Irregular Buildings

Abstract: Asymmetrical plan irregularities occur when the horizontal layout of a building is non uniform or unsymmetrical in one or more axes. These irregularities may arise from variations in building shape, size, or configuration, leading to nonuniform distribution of mass, stiffness, or load paths throughout the structure. Considering equivalent static analysis (ESA) and response spectrum analysis (RSA) as per IS 1893-Part 1 (2016) considering seismic zones III, structure with square shaped plan performs better than the other shaped models (viz. T, L, H and Plus shapes) with least values of storey displacement and storey drift ratio, and also with higher value of storey stiffness. Thus, square plan shaped structure is seismically more resistant than T, L, H and Plus shaped structures.

Major contributors to FLASH sparing efficacy emerge from murine skin studies: dose rate, total dose per fraction, anesthesia and oxygenation.

Normal tissue sparing from radiation damage upon ultra-high dose rate irradiation, known as the FLASH effect with an equivalent tumor response, has been widely reported in murine skin models, and translation of this type of radiotherapy to humans has already begun, with skin sparing being a primary outcome expected. This study reviews the status of the field, focusing on the proposed mechanisms and skin response assays, outlining what has become known in terms of input parameters that might control the magnitude of the FLASH effect. Murine studies have largely focused on acute damage responses, developing over 3-8 weeks, to single doses of FLASH versus conventional dose rate (CDR), suggesting that at dose rates above tens of Gray per second, with a total dose of more than 20 Gy, the FLASH effect is induced. Fractionated delivery appears to be possible, although fraction sizes >17 Gy appear to be needed for sparing efficacy. The interplay between the dose rate and total dose per fraction remains to be fully elucidated. Oxygen is a modulator of efficacy, with both hypoxia and hyperoxia diminishing the effect of FLASH. Measurement of transient changes in oxygen levels is possible and may be a marker of treatment efficacy. Taken together, murine skin data provide important information for translational studies, despite the associated limitations. Studies of later-term sparing effects, as well as studies on pig skin, are needed to take the next step in assessing translational FLASH efficacy. The control of biological factors, such as tissue oxygenation, may be required to understand and control the response.

Numerical simulation of a two-dimensional Blume-Capel ferromagnet in an oscillating magnetic field with a constant bias.

We perform a numerical study of the kinetic Blume-Capel (BC) model to find if it exhibits the metamagnetic anomalies previously observed in the kinetic Ising model for supercritical periods [P. Riego et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 117202 (2017)0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.118.117202; G. M. Buendía et al., Phys. Rev. B 96, 134306 (2017)2469-995010.1103/PhysRevB.96.134306]. We employ a heat-bath Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm on a square lattice in which spins can take values of ±1,0, with a nonzero crystal field, subjected to a sinusoidal oscillating field in conjunction with a constant bias. In the ordered region, we find an equivalent hysteretic response of the order parameters with its respective conjugate fields between the kinetic and the equilibrium model. In the disordered region (supercritical periods), we observed two peaks, symmetrical with respect to zero bias, in the susceptibility and scaled variance curves, consistent with the numerical and experimental findings on the kinetic Ising model. This behavior does not have a counterpart in the equilibrium model. Furthermore, we find that the peaks occur at higher values of the bias field and become progressively smaller as the density of zeros, or the amplitude of the oscillating field, increases. Using nucleation theory, we demonstrate that these fluctuations, as in the Ising model, are not a critical phenomenon, but that they are associated with a crossover between a single-droplet (SD) and a multidroplet (MD) magnetization switching mechanism. For strong (weak) bias, the SD (MD) mechanism dominates. We also found that the zeros concentrate on the droplets' surfaces, which may cause a reduced interface tension in comparison with the Ising model [M. Schick et al., Phys. Rev. B 34, 1797 (1986)0163-182910.1103/PhysRevB.34.1797]. Our results suggest that metamagnetic anomalies are not particular to the kinetic Ising model, but rather are a general characteristic of spin kinetic models, and provide further evidence that the equivalence between dynamical phase transitions and equilibrium ones is only valid near the critical point.

Sensitivity of snow magnitude and duration to hydrology model parameters

Process-based hydrology models are critical for understanding streamflow and water supply under global change. However, these models require parameterization which introduces additional uncertainty into the models. The role that these parameters play in driving uncertainty is under-studied, especially for intermediary processes outside of streamflow. An important example in snowmelt dominant regions are intermediary processes related to snowpack accumulation and ablation. We examine the sensitivity of snow magnitude and duration to eleven parameters relevant to snow processes in the coupled crop-hydrology model VIC-CropSyst using a hybrid global–local Distributed Evaluation of Local Sensitivity Analysis approach. With the Pacific Northwest US as a case study, our specific research questions are: (a) What is the sensitivity response of peak snow water equivalent (SWE) and snow duration and how does it vary in the parameter space? (b) What are the key drivers of the sensitivity response? and (c) Which of the most sensitive parameters can we immediately improve by leveraging existing data products? Both target variables were sensitive to less than four of the eleven parameters. We found that peak SWE was most sensitive to either the precipitation partitioning temperature threshold or the albedo of new snow, depending on the geography and associated interplay between hydro-meteorological factors. In contrast, snow duration was primarily sensitive to the albedo of new snow and the albedo decay coefficient during snowmelt. Machine learning explainability workflows applied on the sensitivity response explained the model behavior and determined key geographic and hydro-meteorological drivers of the sensitivity response. Regions where the significant precipitation co-occurred with near-freezing temperature exhibited higher sensitivity of peak SWE to precipitation partitioning. In contrast, much colder high-elevation regions that have a delayed snowmelt-driven runoff when downward shortwave radiation is higher, displayed more sensitivity to albedo parameters. We also noted differences in the list of key parameters and in the level of sensitivity between our work and the limited comparable existing work. This highlights the need for comprehensive sensitivity analysis of snow metrics to become a routine component of hydrology model application studies in addition to streamflow. This is critical for us to better understand model behavior, identify key model parameters that can benefit from more dynamic representation in the models, and strategically improve models to best support decision-makers.

The Beam Squint Effects in Antenna Arrays at Millimeter Bands

Beam squint phenomenon is considered one of the most drawbacks that limit the use of (mm-waves) array antennas; which causes significant degradation in the BER of the system. In this paper, a uniform linear array (ULA) system is exemplified at millimeter (mm-waves) frequency bands to realize the effects of beam squint phenomena from different directions on an equivalent gain response to represent the channel performance in terms of bit error rate (BER). A simple QPSK passband signal model is developed and tested according to the proposed antenna array with beam squint. The computed results show that increasing the passband bandwidth and the number of antenna elements, have a significant degradation in BER at the receiver when the magnitude and phase errors caused by the beam squint at 26 GHz with various spectrum bandwidths.

Truncated VZV gE Induces High-Titer Neutralizing Antibodies in Mice.

Backgrounds: A contemporary public health challenge is the increase in the prevalence rates of herpes zoster (HZ) worldwide. Methods: In this work, the gE gene structure was analyzed using bioinformatics techniques, and three plasmids of varying lengths, tgE537, tgE200, and tgE350, were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. These proteins were used to immunize BALB/c mice with Al/CpG adjuvant; ELISPOT and FCM were used to evaluate cellular immunity; and ELISA, VZV microneutralization, and FAMA assays were performed to detect antibody titers. Results: Target protein concentrations of 1.8 mg/mL for tgE537, 0.15 mg/mL for tgE200 and 0.65 mg/mL for tgE350 were effectively produced. The ability of the three protein segments to stimulate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as to cause lymphocytes to secrete IFN-γ and IL-4, did not significantly differ from one another. Both tgE537 and tgE350 were capable of generating VZV-specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies, while tgE350 had the highest neutralizing antibody titer (4388). There was no equivalent humoral immune response induced by tgE200. Conclusions: The results of this investigation provide the groundwork for the creation of HZ recombinant vaccines using truncated proteins as antigens.

B-281 Performance Characteristics Evaluation of the ARK Diagnostics Immunoassay for Xylazine/4-HydroxyXylazine in Urine

Abstract Background Xylazine exposure is currently common in some US cities, but routine laboratory testing is not available. We evaluated the ARK Diagnostics immunoassay for qualitative detection of xylazine/4-hydroxy Xylazine in urine, prior to its anticipated release as a Forensic Use Only assay. Evaluation of performance characteristics of the ARK assay were conducted at two university hospitals, using either the semi-quantitative application of the assay, as performed on the Roche Cobas 503 analyzer (Institution A), or the qualitative application of the assay, as performed on the Beckman Coulter AU480 analyzer (Institution B). Methods Xylazine (X) and 4-hydroxy Xylazine (4-OHX) were obtained from Cayman Chemical (Ann Arbor, MI). Pooled xylazine-free urine was spiked either with X or 4-OHX in the range of 0-2000 ng/mL. De-identified, to-be-discarded patient urine samples were obtained from among those submitted for routine drugs-of-abuse panel testing. X measurements on all samples were performed by LC-MS/MS; samples were segregated into X-NEGATIVE (X&amp;lt;10 ng/mL) and X-POSITIVE (X&amp;gt;=10 ng/mL). The ARK assay was conducted according to manufacturer’s instructions, either as a semi-quantitative assay (Institution A, Roche analyzer) or as a qualitative assay (Institution B, Beckman Coulter analyzer), with 10 ng/mL as the manufacturer-specified cutoff for ARK POSITIVE, using manufacturer-supplied calibration standards ranging from 0-500 ng/mL X. Results The ARK semi-quantitative analysis (Roche analyzer) showed essentially equivalent curvilinear response curves for either X or 4-OHX at concentrations below 1000 ng/mL; for the semi-quantitative ARK assay, we use “&amp;gt;1200 ng/mL” for X-ARK &amp;gt;1200 ng/mL. By mixing studies (Roche), there were neither positive nor negative interferences observed as assessed for common drugs of abuse or for common therapeutic drugs. The presence of hemoglobin, bilirubin or moderate lipemia were devoid of assay interference. Precision studies for manufacturer-supplied controls were as follows: intra-assay CVs were 6.9% for the NEGATIVE control (5.1±0.35 ng/mL) and 5.9% for the POSITIVE control (15.7±0.53 ng/mL) (n=20); interassay CVs were 7.8% for the NEGATIVE control (5.1±0.40 ng/mL) and 5.7% for the POSITIVE control (15.9±0.90 ng/mL) (n=20). For the qualitative ARK assay as performed on the Beckman analyzer, POSITIVE and NEGATIVE controls ran invariably according to their designations. For the semi-quantitative assay application (Roche analyzer): among 78 X-NEGATIVE samples by LC-MS/MS, there were 0% ARK-POSITIVE results (false-positive rate=0%); among 74 X-POSITIVE samples by LC-MS/MS, there was one ARK-NEGATIVE result (false-negative rate=1.4%); this sample (X=65 ng/mL) was found to have a high amorphous crystalline content, and was unable to be reanalyzed. For the qualitative assay application (Beckman Coulter analyzer): among 78 X-NEGATIVE samples there was one ARK-POSITIVE sample (false-positive rate=1.3%) for a sample with xylazine=8.8 ng/mL by LC-MS/MS, with undetectable 4-OHX (&amp;lt;10 ng/mL); among 74 X-POSITIVE samples, there were no ARK-NEGATIVE results (false-negative rate=0%). Conclusions The ARK xylazine immunoassay demonstrated acceptable analytical performance with respect to detection of xylazine in urine at 10 ng/mL. With additional consideration of the assay’s cross reactivity with the major xylazine metabolite, 4-OH-xylazine, the assay was judged to be highly suitable for routine use as a screening test for detection of xylazine exposure via urine testing.

Vibrational Analysis of Composite Conical-Cylindrical Shells with Functionally Graded Coatings in Thermal Environments.

This article studies the vibrational behavior of composite conical-cylindrical shells (CCSs) with functionally graded coatings (FGCs) in thermal environments using the first-order shear deformation theory. Firstly, the equivalent material parameters, fundamental frequency, and resonant displacement responses of the CCSs with FGCs are derived using the mixture principle, complex modulus method, and transfer function approach. Then, detailed thermal vibration tests are performed on CCS structures with and without coatings to assess the reliability of the proposed model, revealing that the current model accurately forecasts the thermal vibration behavior of the CCSs with FGCs. Finally, the effect of key parameters on the vibrational properties of the CCSs with FGCs is investigated. The results demonstrate that increasing the functionally graded index, coating thickness, and Young's modulus ratio can greatly enhance the vibration suppression capability of the structure.