High Efficiency Values Research Articles

MECHANISTIC OUTCOMES OF LIPID CORE ON SOLID LIPID NANOPARTICLE CHARACTERIZATION

In our present study, solid lipid nanoparticles were fabricated by modified double emulsification followed by ultracentrifugation method. The SLNs of the anti-HIV drugs lamivudine, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and efavirenz were synthesized using lipids Compritol 888 ATO, glyceryl monostearate, stearic acid and emulsifiers soy lecithin and Pluronic®F68. The synthesized SLNs were characterized for compatibility studies, mean particle size, PDI, zeta potential, surface morphology and entrapment studies. The higher amount of Compritol based SLNs formulation showed maximum entrapment efficiency with comparatively larger sized, homogenous particles. All the lipid based SLNs possessed no incompatibilities and showed high stability profiles. Based on the results of surface morphology, zeta potential and high entrapment efficiency values, the optimum lipid for SLNs formulation among the other lipids was determined to be Compritol 888 ATO.

Electrochromic windows based on luminescent acrylate/ionosilicas

AbstractPoly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based composite films doped with lanthanide-doped sol–gel derived imidazolium-based ionosilicas (IS-Ln) were recently proposed as active layers of luminescent down shifting (LDS) layers, but subsequent work demonstrated also their potential as electrolytes for electrochromic devices (ECDs) with foreseen application in smart windows of energy-efficient buildings. Nevertheless, some challenges remained to be addressed in the latter devices, the most critical one being the poor solubility of PMMA in the ionic liquid used in the formulation of these materials. To avoid this drawback, in the present work we propose novel lanthanide-containing acrylate/ionosilicas (AC/IS-Ln, Ln = Tb3+, Eu3+). The transparent, homogeneous, and luminescent hybrid materials synthesized are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic force microscopy, contact angle measurements, ionic conductivity, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Optimized samples are successfully employed as electrolytes in luminescent ECD prototypes. The ECD device doped with AC/IS-Eu shows good cycling stability with reproducible bleaching/coloring over 50 chronoamperometry cycles, high coloration efficiency (CE) values CEin/CEout in the visible (−89/+98 cm2 C−1), and near-infrared (−126/138 cm2 C−1) spectral regions, and outstanding memory effect. Graphical Abstract

OLEDs on Down-Converting Fabric by Using a High Scalable Planarization Process and a Transparent Polymeric Electrode

Textile-based electronics represents a key technology for the development of wearable devices. Light-emitting textiles based on OLED architecture are particularly promising due to their intrinsic flexibility and possibility to be fabricated on large areas using scalable processes. Fabric planarization is one of the most critical issues in their fabrication. Here we report a fast, simple, and industrially scalable planarization method based on the transfer of surface morphological properties from silicon to fabric. A liquid resin is used as a planarization layer, and by exploiting the low roughness of a ‘guide substrate’ it is possible to replicate the smooth and uniform surface from the silicon to the planarization layer. The result is a fabric with a flat and homogeneous polymer layer on its surface, suitable for OLED fabrication. In particular, the effect of resin viscosity on the surface morphology was evaluated to obtain the best planarization layer. The best device shows high luminance and current efficiency values, even after 1000 bending cycles. We also explored the possibility of tuning the color emitted by the device by using a fluorescent fabric as a down-converting layer. Thanks to this approach, it is in principle possible to achieve white emission from a very simple device architecture.

2.3 MW Biomass Steam Power Plant: Experimental and Thermodynamic Analysis

The present paper shows the experimental and numerical analysis of a biomass plant from maximum power of 2.3 MW. This is a classical Steam Power Plant with a maximum pressure of 48 bar and a turbine inlet temperature of about 430 °C at the design point. The size is significantly smaller than the mean of this t system [1], [2], [3], [4], but maintains a relative high value (about 22.9%) of the Global Electric Efficiency. The analysis was conducted using experimental data, collected directly on the Power Plant, at the Design Point, and thus validating thermodynamic models. The difficulty in collecting the experimental data of this type of system, is mainly due to the enormous variability of the lower heating value of biomass, which involves a large variability of the load and then the operating parameters. Combustion simulation was experimental data (Flue gas temperature, air flow, fuel flow) and the results allowed the evaluation of the biomass composition that is within the range reported in the literature [5]. Different Plant configurations were, numerically, evaluated to plug the power fluctuations due to variability of biomass. A 100 kWe Natural Gas fuelled Turbine (MGT) was numerically connected to the Steam Power Plant (BSPP) to evaluate the benefits on the power fluctuations and on the Global Electric Efficiency. A MGT thermodynamic scheme has been developed and, properly, validated with experimental data from literature [6] e [7]. It is designed to send the hot gases coming from the exit of the MGT in the combustion c main system, thus creating a MGT-ST Analysis of the results of this coupling has noticed an improvement in terms of efficiency and operational stability

Urban land use efficiency and its driving factors in ecologically fragile areas: the case of northwest China

ABSTRACT Urban land serves as the medium for urban economic and residential activity. The degree of intensive and efficient use of urban land and the coordinated growth of the economy and society are significantly impacted by utilization efficiency. Northwest China’s temperature, geography, water, and soil characteristics make less of the region suited for urban development. Thus, it is imperative to investigate Northwest China’s urban land use efficiency (ULUE). This study applies the efficiency loss model to highlight the discrepancy between the optimal and actual values of each input-output variable of the ULUE, and uses the Super-SBM model to compute the ULUE of 39 cities. Additionally, the internal driving elements of the ULUE are examined using the Global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) index. This study discovered that Northwest China had a low ULUE, with a modest upward trend seen between 2004 and 2018. The overall shape of the region was similar to an ‘N’ curve, with high efficiency values concentrated in the southeast of the region in 2018. When considering the agglomeration impact of urban agglomeration, these results are dependable. Moreover, the efficiency loss model discovered that pollution and wasteful resource usage were the main reasons behind the drop in ULUE in Northwest China. Finally, the GML index and its constituents revealed that the main force behind ULUE’s growth in Northwest China is technological developments. This research provides important policy implications for reducing the gap between eastern and western regions, supporting high-quality development in northwest China, and protecting and intensively using urban land.

Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Capture by an Intelligent Vertical Plant Factory within an Industrial Park

Bio-based carbon capture and utilization emerges as a critical pathway to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial activities. Within this context, plant factories become an innovative solution for biological carbon capture within industrial parks, fed with the substantial carbon emissions inherent in industrial exhaust gases to maximize their carbon sequestration capabilities. Among the various plant species suitable for such plant factories, Pennisetum giganteum becomes a candidate with the best potential, characterized by its high photosynthetic efficiency (rapid growth rate), perennial feature, and significant industrial value. This paper studies the feasibility of cultivating Pennisetum giganteum within an intelligent plant factory situated in an industrial park. An automated and intelligent plant factory was designed and established, in which multiple rounds of Pennisetum giganteum cultivations were performed, and life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out to quantitatively evaluate its carbon capture capacity. The results show that the primary carbon emission in the plant factory arises from the lighting phase, constituting 67% of carbon emissions, followed by other processes (15%) and the infrastructure (10%). The absorption of CO2 during Pennisetum giganteum growth in the plant factory effectively mitigates carbon emissions from industrial exhaust gases. The production of 1 kg of dry Pennisetum giganteum leads to a net reduction in emissions by 0.35 kg CO2 equivalent. A plant factory with dimensions of 3 m × 6 m × 2.8 m can annually reduce carbon emissions by 174 kg, with the annual carbon sequestration per unit area increased by 56% compared to open-field cultivation. Furthermore, large-scale plant factories exhibit the potential to offset the carbon emissions of entire industrial parks. These findings confirm the viability of bio-based carbon capture using intelligent plant factories, highlighting its potential for carbon capture within industrial parks.

Design methodology based on multi-objective optimization with evolutionary algorithms for humidification-dehumidification desalination systems using updated approaches

This paper develops a methodology for multi-objective optimization using Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). The methodology aims to address the problem of the close relation between variables based on a mathematical model that simulates design variants of humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination systems, where the variation of one parameter can affect another. The approach consists of an exhaustive study of the state of the art to incorporate as many results as possible, including variable and parameter constraints established by previous research. Energy efficiency and potable water production are optimized with respect to the total area of the system's active components and the ratio of seawater converted to potable water. The calculations generate 20 Pareto optimal solutions, with an average pure water production of 14.01 l/h, and an average of the total and solar heating areas of 22.43 m2 and 8.52 m2, respectively, including many other parameters with similar values compared to other publications. The methodology is flexible, updatable, and generates high efficiency values, confirmed by the comparison of equivalent parameters and the pinch analysis, also with respect to previous results. The sensitivity analysis performed, presents different trends in the relation between variables in this scenario contributing to feedback on the behavior of hyperparameters of the algorithm, indicating a very wide potential of solutions. For the water temperature entering the dehumidifier, the range between 30 and 37 °C is determined as the optimum range, however, this is not the only result from the trend analysis of these 20 solutions, compared with other references. This methodology is a contribution to the overall objective of improving the HDH technology design process; optimal solutions are obtained for systems of the configuration chosen to apply it, but it can be adapted to others.

Comparative study of performance of temiki (Melastomacandidum) and rubek (Calotropis gigantea) extract inhibitors for carbon steel in corrosive media

The use of synthetic inhibitors that negatively affect the environment is still used. Organic inhibitors are the best and most environmentally friendly solutions such as Temiki plants (MelastomaCandidum) and Rubik (Calotropis Giganteen) which have good corrosion cell inhibitor properties and have the potential to be used as corrosion inhibitors. This study analyzed Temiki and Rubik extracts as corrosion inhibitors in carbon steel using the weight loss method in 3.5% NaCl solution and analyzed the efficiency of the inhibitors. Temiki and Rubik's are extracted by drying the leaves, stems and flowers under the sun. Then the material is mashed together and distilled by the solid-liquid method with the Soxhlet tool. Identification of plant components using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Density and viscosity were analyzed following ASTM D 4052 and ASTM D 445 standards. Weight loss method testing was carried out at inhibitor concentrations of 200, 300, 400 and 500 ppm, with soaking time for 15 weeks and data collection was carried out every week. The results of the analysis showed the highest corrosion rate in Temiki extract with a concentration of 500 ppm reaching 1,569 mpy and the lowest at a concentration of 500 ppm reaching 0.157 mpy. In Rubik's extract inhibitors, the highest corrosion rate occurred in 500 ppm inhibitors reaching 1,268 mpy, while the lowest occurred at 200 ppm concentrations reaching 0.331 mpy. The highest efficiency value is the 400 ppm Temiki inhibitor with efficiency reaching 82.89% and the lowest at 500 ppm reaching 19.55%. while for the efficiency of Rubik's extract inhibitors, the highest value was 62.71%, at a concentration of 200 ppm. While the lowest is 28.40%, at 500 ppm inhibitors. These results show that Temiki and Rubik's extracts can still function well as corrosion inhibitors in low-carbon steels in NaCl solution.

RESEARCH ON THE RULES OF ESG PERFORMANCE AND VALUE CREATION BASED ON ROUGH SETS

In the context of global sustainable development, the relationship between environmental, social responsibility, and governance (ESG) performance and multi-stakeholder value creation has been widely discussed. However, there is a complex causal relationship between ESG performance and value creation, many firm characteristics are involved, and there is no systematic study on them. In this study, we aim to explore the relationship between ESG performance and value creation, the joint role of firms’ internal and external characteristics in this relationship, and how the three components of ESG performance act on value creation through their various configurations. To identify complex causal relationships among variables, this study introduces rough sets method to describe these configuration relationships by generating rules. We use China’s 300 CSI-listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2015 to 2020 as research samples and find that firms with good ESG performance are more likely to have high-efficiency value creation; moreover, this relationship exists only among firms with specific characteristics. Additionally, different combinations of ESG components may have a differential impact on value creation, and we identify four configurations that generate high-efficiency value creation. This study contributes to guiding companies to strengthen their ESG practices and rationally allocate resources.

New bipolar derivatives with diphenylsulfone or dibenzophenone as TADF based emitters for OLEDs

Bipolar derivatives having thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) functions were synthesized by multistep synthetic procedure by using 3-(N,N-diphenylamino)-9H-carbazole and 9-(4-(4-fluorophenylsulfonyl)phenyl)carbazole or 4-(carbazol-9-yl)-4′-fluorobenzophenone in the final step. The materials have high thermal stabilities and form molecular glasses with very high glass transition temperatures of 140 °C–143 °C.The compounds were tested in multilayer TADF based organic light emitting diodes. The most efficient green device demonstrated low turn-on voltage of 2.2 V, maximum luminance of 60155 cd/m2 and high peak efficiency values of 12.1 % (35.4 cd/A and 46.3 lm/W). The device maintained high efficiency at practical luminance levels of 100 cd/m2 and 1000 cd/m2, registering 12.1 % and 11.1 %, respectively.

Improving Valvular Pathologies and Ventricular Dysfunction Diagnostic Efficiency Using Combined Auscultation and Electrocardiography Data: A Multimodal AI Approach.

Simple sensor-based procedures, including auscultation and electrocardiography (ECG), can facilitate early diagnosis of valvular diseases, resulting in timely treatment. This study assessed the impact of combining these sensor-based procedures with machine learning on diagnosing valvular abnormalities and ventricular dysfunction. Data from auscultation at three distinct locations and 12-lead ECGs were collected from 1052 patients undergoing echocardiography. An independent cohort of 103 patients was used for clinical validation. These patients were screened for severe aortic stenosis (AS), severe mitral regurgitation (MR), and left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) with ejection fractions ≤ 40%. Optimal neural networks were identified by a fourfold cross-validation training process using heart sounds and various ECG leads, and their outputs were combined using a stacking technique. This composite sensor model had high diagnostic efficiency (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values: AS, 0.93; MR, 0.80; LVD, 0.75). Notably, the contribution of individual sensors to disease detection was found to be disease-specific, underscoring the synergistic potential of the sensor fusion approach. Thus, machine learning models that integrate auscultation and ECG can efficiently detect conditions typically diagnosed via imaging. Moreover, this study highlights the potential of multimodal artificial intelligence applications.

Analisis Laju Dosis Paparan Pada Penggunaan Mobile Shielding di Ruang Panoramik RSUD Koja

Panoramic is an extra oral examination that can produce an image of the entire mouth in a single exposure to speed up the examination. However, a panoramic examination takes several seconds until the collimator finishes surrounding the object. Therefore, knowing how to properly use self-protective devices and monitor radiation exposure is necessary to optimize radiation safety control. This study aims to analyze the feasibility of using mobile shielding as self-protection during exposure to a panoramic examination. This study was conducted at Koja Hospital in February - June 2023 using an analytical, quantitative method to measure the exposure dose rate in the panoramic room of Koja Hospital. Measurements are made using a calibrated survey meter measuring instrument. The result of measuring the initial exposure at a distance of 100 m is 84.19 µSv. Data analysis shows that the exposure received by radiation workers is far from the established dose limit value, so mobile shielding used as a self-protective device in the panoramic room of Koja Hospital is still worth using with high-efficiency values of 99.16% and wood+Pb at 99.14%. Although the rate of exposure dose received is still far from the dose limit value, workers should be careful when using radiation to minimize health risks. Keywords: radiation shielding, mobile shielding dose rate, effectiveness

РАЗРАБОТКА ДИНАМИЧЕСКОЙ МОДЕЛИ ДЛЯ РАСЧЕТА КИНЕМАТИЧЕСКОЙ ПОГРЕШНОСТИ И ОЦЕНКИ ЕЕ ВЛИЯНИЯ НА КПД ПЛАНЕТАРНЫХ МЕХАНИЗМОВ С ТЕЛАМИ КАЧЕНИЯ

When studying the characteristics of the mechanisms of small-sized drives, an important task is to develop ways to increase the efficiency of the mechanism. The article discusses theoretical issues related to the influence assessment of kinematic error on the efficiency of gears with rolling bodies. As a result of the research, a generalized dynamic model of planetary ball and roller mechanisms is obtained, taking into account kinematic errors, linking manufacturing errors or elastic deformations and kinematic transmission error. Mathematical dependences of the dynamic model of mechanisms with rolling bodies are derived. The model was tested on the example of calculating the kinematic error of a single-stage planetary ball transmission. Polynomial equations with constant coefficients are obtained for determining kinematic errors from the influence of manufacturing errors of transmission links. It is established that for different kinematic schemes, gear ratios and angular velocities of planetary mechanisms with rolling bodies, the transmission efficiency can vary significantly depending on its kinematic error. For gear ratios from 1.5 to 5, drive shaft rotation speeds from 1,500 to 3,000 rpm, depending on the highest values of the kinematic error from 0.00175 to 0.0349 radians, the transmission efficiency within the driven shaft rotation can decrease from 0.93 to 11 %. At the same time, transmissions constructed according to the sixth kinematic scheme have the highest efficiency values. The average efficiency value per revolution of the driven shaft from the influence of kinematic errors can decrease up to 5 %. Graphs of the dependences of transmission efficiency on their kinematic errors are given.

Design and performance test of series underwater Savonius rotors with horizontal axis

<span lang="EN-US">The energy of river water flow or irrigation canals can be utilized by using a horizontal axis Savonius turbine, which converts low-speed river flow into electrical power with good design. The design of this turbine needs to pay attention to several parameters, namely, the deflector angle, the number of blades, the diameter and thickness of the blades, and the diameter and thickness of the end plates. However, the problem usually encountered is imperfect turbine construction due to the large drag force that occurs so that the power generated is low. Based on this background, it is proposed to manufacture and test the performance of a series Savonius underwater rotors with a horizontal axis. The research results found that the generator voltage without load was 25.6 V when the turbine only rotated at 47.2 rpm, whereas when under load, the average power produced was 8.5 watts with an average turbine speed of 31 rpm. The highest efficiency value on the rotor is 86.73%, with a torque value of 3.36 at a turbine speed of 29.9 rpm. This indicates that the tool can generate large torque at low speeds.</span>

Environmental performance of Malaysia’s air pollutants based on data envelopment analysis with slack-based measure and Malmquist productivity index

Air pollutants have a significant impact on humans and the environment, making their reduction and mitigation crucial and requiring attention from policymakers. In this study, the impact of air pollutant concentrations, namely particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM10), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) on the environmental performance of 15 states in Malaysia was examined using available data from 2018 to 2021. The analysis was performed using data envelopment analysis (DEA) with slack-based measure (SBM) and the Malmquist productivity index (MPI). The efficiency values were used for principal component analysis (PCA) to infer the influencing factors that are highly redundant or dependent on each other. Results from SBM-DEA suggested an important aspect of gross domestic product toward efficiency score, where high efficiency values were observed for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and a small state like Perlis (efficiency value of 1.000). The MPI score indicated that the performance of each state was relatively low for the years 2019–2020, which suggested a regression in performance productivity due to the haze episode. PCA analysis showed that there were two factors, where the highest contribution for Factor 1 was Melaka and Johor with an average contribution of 8.15% and for Factor 2 was Perlis and Perak with an average contribution of 23%. This study’s findings showed that air pollutants play significant roles in achieving good environmental performance in order to tackle global issues such as global warming and climate change.

Spillover effects of urban form on urban land use efficiency: evidence from a comparison between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers of China.

The contradiction between the basin's economic importance and its role as an ecological barrier impedes efficient urban land use. This study aims to propose an integrated approach to compare the urban land use of two representative basin areas of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin and to investigate the impact of urban form on urban land use efficiency. Urban form was characterized by landscape indexes including Patch Density, Largest Patch Index, Edge Density, Patch Cohesion Index, and Agglomeration Index based on FRAGSTATS 4.0 software, and urban land use efficiency was measured by using Slack-Based Model-Undesirable, considering urban land becomes an emission source. Furthermore, spatial econometric models were adopted to explore direct effects and spatial spillover effects of urban form on urban land use efficiency. From 2000 to 2018, changes in urban form in both Yangtze River Economic Belt and Yellow River Basin showed increased fragmentation, enhanced heterogeneity, and more complex patch shapes. The high values of urban land use efficiency were concentrated in lower reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Spatial econometric models suggested that between different basins and various sized cities, the impact of urban form on urban land use efficiency had a spatial spillover effect and regional heterogeneity. Results indicated that input factors such as capital and labor should be more concentrated in metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations, thus promoting higher land use efficiency.

Thermodynamic analysis of a Carnot battery unit with double exploitation of a waste heat source

Carnot batteries are critical technologies for increasing the penetration of renewable energy sources because they enable suitable energy storage for long-term periods. The achievement of a high round-trip efficiency is an important point that determines the sustainability of the Carnot batteries. In this direction, the present work comes to investigate a Carnot battery with latent storage that exploits properly a waste heat stream. The examined unit includes a high-temperature heat pump, an organic Rankine cycle, a latent storage system and the proper heat exchanger for the waste heat stream exploitation. The novelty of the studied idea lies in the exploitation of the waste heat stream in two ways. Specifically, the waste heat stream feeds firstly the latent storage system with heat, and secondary it feeds the evaporator of the heat pump with heat input for enhancing the heat pump’s coefficient of performance. This design makes it possible to achieve high round-trip efficiency values and also to exploit properly a waste heat stream. For the benchmark scenario with 100 kW electricity input, 350 kW waste heat input at 200 °C and 160 °C storage temperature, the round-trip efficiency was found at 64 %, the system’s energy efficiency at 14.2 %, the system’s exergy efficiency at 36.7 % and the produced electricity at 64 kW.

Determination of modes for safe application of selective micro-pulse individual retinal therapy of the macular zone using the modeling based on the theory of activated complex

Purpose: to make modeling of various modes of laser radiation, to assess the degree of damage to the retinal pigment epithelium and adjacent structures, and to determine modes and safety conditions of selective micro-pulse individual retinal therapy based on the theory of activated complex. Materials and methods. The authors have modeled the degree of damage to the chorioretinal complex and adjacent structures using the activated complex theory with the Eyring equation. The following definitions were used to determine the regime quality and safety conditions: micro-pulse mode is a mode with fixed values of micro-pulse duration, duty cycle and the number of pulses in the packet; power is a variable parameter. Efficiency is the ratio of the amount of denatured protein inside the retinal pigment epithelium layer to the total amount of protein in it. Selectivity is the ratio of the amount of denatured protein inside the retinal pigment epithelium layer to the total amount of denatured protein. Relative harmfulness is the ratio of denatured protein volume outside the retinal pigment epithelium to the volume of protein in it. Results and discussion. The quality of micro-pulse mode was found as depending on the selectivity value with efficiency equal to 90 %. With the efficiency value less than 50 %, the mode is non-selective, with more than 67 % – selective. Safety conditions for selective micro-pulse modes have been established, taking into account safety of the neurosensory retina and choroid in terms of relative harmfulness which should not exceed 1. Parameters at which micro-pulse modes have high values (more than 90 – 99) of efficiency and selectivity at the same time have been determined as well. It requires single pulse mode, micro pulse duration of 25 microseconds and power from 6 to 8 W. To expand the combination of parameters, it is necessary to be able to freely change them in increments of 1 pulse, 5 microseconds, 100 mW, with long interval and short duty cycle. These technical capabilities can be realized and implemented into clinical practice by manufacturers of laser devices. Conclusion. For selective micro-pulse individual retinal therapy of the macular zone with existing lasers, the following recommendation are to be observed: micro-pulse modes with pulse duration no more than 200 microseconds, short duty cycle less than 5 % and number of pulses in an envelope no more than 5; relative harmfulness less than one, radiation power selection, personalized patient’s characteristics.

TB-ISATEST: a Diagnostic LAMP Assay for Differentiation of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>

Consumption, white plague, tuberculosis… Only relatively recently, this disease has ceased to be an absolutely death sentence for infected people, but problems of the spread and diagnosis of the disease are still relevant. This paper presents results of the development of a new loop isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, named TB-ISATEST, which targeting the species-specific gene rv2341 for the differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from non-tuberculosis mycobacteria. The assay is applicable for quantitative analysis of genomic DNA and allows detecting tenfold difference in concentration. The results of amplification optimization using a unique two-stage protocol based on the method of orthogonal Taguchi matrices are presented for the first time. A theoretical interpretation of the high amplification efficiency values observed in the LAMP reaction is proposed. Limit of detection of the developed assay is 40 copies of genomic DNA per reaction and amplification requires 15 min. In terms of the combination of characteristics, the TB-ISATEST assay surpasses all the known ways for identifying M. tuberculosis by the LAMP method.

Energy flow analysis of in Litopenaeus vannamei-Tegillarca granosa polyculture ponds based on EwE model

In order to characterize the energy flow and trophic structure of a polyculture pond that contained Litopenaeus vannamei and Tegillarca granosa, we used an Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) model. We constructed the EwE model using 13 functional groups including L. vannamei, T. granosa, macrozooplankton, microzooplankton, microbenthos, bacterioplankton, benthic bacteria, micro-phytoplankton, nano-phytoplankton, pico-phytoplankton, artificial feed, detritus in water, and detritus in sediment. Our findings showed that this polyculture ecosystem contained five trophic levels and that two of them accounted for 99.41% of the total system throughput. L. vannamei, microbenthos, and detritus in sediment displayed high ecotrophic efficiency (EE) values, while artificial feed held relatively low EE implying that the artificial feed was used inefficiently. The bacteria including benthic bacteria and bacterioplankton was inefficiently used. The main energy flows were associated with artificial feed, phytoplankton, and detritus in this polyculture system. The compatibility of L. vannamei and T. granosa was high according to the mixed trophic impact analysis. In conclusion, the study showed that this polyculture ecosystem still needed to be improved in the aspects of energy consumption. It would be necessary for this polyculture ecosystem to perform further optimization and enhancement on the energy utilization efficiency and comprehensive benefits.