Mean Standard Deviation Values Research Articles

Depth-Wise Distribution of Soil Chemical Properties, Micro-nutrients Status, and Bacterial Population under Quercus leucotrichophora and Shorea robusta Forest of Chakrata and Thano Region of Uttarakhand

Forest trees have an appreciable demand for nutrients as they have longer rotation than crops and this is easily replenished by the constant release of nutrients resulting from weathering under favorable conditions in the soils developed from parent material rich in nutrient-bearing minerals. A study was undertaken to assess the chemical properties, micro-nutrient status, and bacterial population; two sites were taken for the collection of soil samples: the oak forest of Chakrata and the Sal forest of Thano. Soils were drawn at three depths viz. 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm, 60-90 cm. All soil parameters examined at three depths viz. 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm, 60-90 cm. Oak (Quercus Leucotrichophora) forests have higher microbial activity than Sal forests. The soil in both the studied areas was rich in nutrients, where, the maximum mean standard deviation values of pH (6.85), soil organic carbon (5.9 %), available nitrogen (0.04 %) reported in the Oak forest of Chakrata, and available phosphorus were almost similar in both forest regions. Oak forests have higher organic carbon, water-holding capacity, and nutrient availability compared to Sal forests. However, it is concluded that, for better conditions of these forests for soil and carbon-storing potential, the forest needs good management practices, especially in community forest areas to avoid illegal felling, impact of fire, and over-exploitation of fuel and fodder. Good management practices would help mitigate the impact of climate change and sustainable outcomes of the resources for the community's benefit.

High-resolution regional gravity field modeling in data-challenging regions for the realization of geopotential-based height systems

Modern height systems are based on the combination of satellite positioning and gravity field models of high resolution. However, in many regions, especially developing or newly industrializing countries, there is no (reliable) regional gravity model at all, due to challenges such as limited data availability, unknown/low data quality, and missing metadata. This paper addresses this issue in a case study of Colombia, where eight decades of historical terrestrial and airborne gravity measurements are available but widely contain systematic errors, outliers, and biases. Correspondingly, processing strategies and structures are proposed and applied to validate and improve the quality of old gravity datasets. A novel method is developed based on spherical radial basis functions (SRBFs) for estimating biases, which are found in different airborne surveys with values exceeding 40 mGal. The validity of this bias estimation method is demonstrated both by a simulation test and by the evaluation of the airborne data in comparison to the SATOP (SAtellite-TOPography) model, which merges the satellite-only global gravity model GOCO06s with the Earth2014 topography model. The terrestrial and airborne data are then combined with a global gravity model (GGM), ultra-high-resolution topography models, as well as altimetry-derived gravity anomalies from DTU21GRA for the offshore areas. The results are presented in terms of height anomalies (QGeoidCOL2023), and they are thoroughly validated using GPS/leveling data both in the absolute and relative manner. The standard deviation in comparison to the GPS/leveling data after applying a correction surface to account for the datum inconsistencies amounts to 15.76 cm, which is 27% smaller compared to the mean standard deviation value given by five recent high-resolution GGMs, and 36% smaller than the one delivered by the latest South American quasi-geoid model QGEOID2021. The relative validation results show that QGeoidCOL2023 performs better, i.e., delivers lower RMS errors than the GGMs and QGEOID2021 in all the baseline length groups. These results indicate the validity and benefits of the developed methods and procedures, which can be used for other data-challenging areas to facilitate the realization of geopotential-based height systems.Graphical

Evaluation of Daily Patient Position Accuracy and Calculation of Setup Errors with Skin Markers and Surface-Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) in Breast Cancer

This study aims to compare the inter-fractional patient positioning errors between the use of skin markers and SGRT in patients receiving breast radiotherapy. It also includes calculating the inter- and intra-fractional PTV margins required for free breathing (FB) and deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) techniques due to setup uncertainties. The treatment data of a total of 2209 fractions from 80 patients who received whole breast or chest wall radiotherapy at an institution between March 2021 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. In the first group of patients, the skin markers placed in the Computed Tomography (CT) scan with the FB technique were aligned and positioned with the room lasers in the Elekta Versa HD, and plan-specific shifts were made. The optical surface scanning procedure was applied to the second group of patients with the Sentinel™ system for FB or DIBH techniques in simulation. Patients were positioned for treatment by matching reference surface images with real-time images from the Catalyst™ HD surface imaging system. Positions of all patients were verified with kilovoltage or cone-beam CT imaging systems, and 3D shift vectors were recorded daily. To compare both setup methods, PTV margins including mean positioning shifts (MPS), the vector length of the shifts and setup errors were calculated from van Herk's formulas. The MPS of all patients using skin markers were 0.20±0.85 cm, 0.32±1.55 cm, and 0.18±0.44 cm in the vertical, longitudinal and lateral directions, respectively. Then, these values given above were found to be 0.12±0.15 cm, 0.06±0.17 cm, 0.07±0.23 cm for FB using Catalyst™ HD, and 0.34±0.30 cm, 0.29±0.26 cm, 0.23±0.30 cm for DIBH. In different setup techniques, no statistically significant difference was found between the 3D shift vectors in any direction with Wilcoxon signed-rank test (p>0.05). The mean standard deviation values in all directions were calculated as 1.22 cm and 0.61 cm, respectively, in patients using skin markers and SGRT. This study indicates a significant difference between the positioning shifts of patients positioned with skin markers and SGRT. The surface imaging system is an advantageous non-invasive method that increases setup accuracy and reproducibility in breast radiotherapy.

Serum Hemoglobin and Potassium Levels in Sudden Cardiac Death at Hemodialysis Center of Aziz Bhatti Hospital Gujrat

Background: Sudden cardiac arrest has become a serious pandemic and a substantial public health burden. Significant morbidity and death are linked to it. Hemodialysis is considerably a heavy burden on cardiac patients. A sudden cardiac arrest is sometimes a disastrous event that happens without warning and is regrettably a significant cardiac disease manifestation in individuals surviving on kidney dialysis. Aim: To determine Serum Hemoglobin and potassium levels in sudden cardiac death patients admitted in hemodialysis center of Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital Gujrat. Study Design: Cross-Sectional Study Methodology: This research study was conducted at the hemodialysis center of Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital Gujrat. The Ethics Committee approved to conduct of this descriptive cross-sectional study on 40 (20 males and 20 females) sudden cardiac patients. All information and the goal of the research project were explained to patients or their relatives before the collection of blood serum. Prescription drug lists, smoking histories, and medication or dialysis report data were randomly evaluated. Laboratory results from recent month were collected, together with dialysis run sheets and cardiac arrest data forms. Results: Results of this result study showed that the mean value of age was 50 years with a mean standard deviation of 15.1 (p= <0.001). The mean BMI (kg/m2) was estimated as 26.8 with a mean standard deviation value of 2.6 (p= 0.01). Almost 21.6% of male patients were smokers and overall 36.1% were associated with cardiac arrest due to coronary artery disease. Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) was 165 (95% CI of 117-140) (p= <0.001), diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) was 89 ( 95% CI of 64-72) (p= <0.001), hemoglobin level was 0.73 (95% CI of 0.70-0.76) (p= <0.001), Hemoglobin A1 c was 6.4% (95% CI of 5.8-7.6) (p= <0.001), Urea was 56 (95% CI of 41-79) (p= <0.001), and estimated glomerulus filtration rate (mL/min per 1.73mm2 ) was 1.16 (1.10-1.22) in sudden cardiac patients with low K (serum <4.0mmole/L). For the sudden cardiac patients with higher K level (serum >4.0mmole/L) showed that there was a significant change in the estimated values i.e. estimated glomerular filtration rate (mL/min per 1.73 mm2) was 0.67 (95% CI of 0.54-0.58) (p=<0.01). The practical implication of this research study suggests that the higher proportion of cardiac patients were reported higher concentration of K level serum. For diagnosis purposes K-level was directly associated with the cardiac disease progression. Conclusion: Hemodialysis patients with sudden cardiac arrest had reported very low concentrations of potassium levels. Dialysate prescriptions should be continuously reviewed and changed, especially after hospitalization in high-risk patients, to lower the risk of adverse cardiac events during hemodialysis. It was suggested that in the high-normal range of serum potassium seems to be safe and is linked to better outcomes. Keywords: Sudden cardiac arrest, Hemodialysis, serum potassium level, Hemoglobin

A Comparative Change in Left Ventricular Mass Index on Echocardiography in Hypertensive Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients Taking Candesartan

Background: To assess the evolution of the left ventricular mass index on echocardiography in candesartan-treated hypertension individuals with and without diabetes. Study Design: This is a cross-sectional comparative study. Place and Duration: The present study was conducted from June 2022 to February 2023. Methodology: A total of 120 male and female patients of 35-55 years of age, fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for this study and divided into two groups i.e. Group-A and Group B. In Group-A 60 diabetic type-2 hypertensive patients were considered while in Group B 60 non-diabetic hypertensive patients were included. Patients of both groups were treated with candesartan. Raw data was operated through SPSS version 2022 with the Mean standard deviation regression (Mean ± SD). Results: Significant changes (P≤0.05) in both groups were seen, the hypertensive diabetic patients showed Mean standard Deviation value (35.65 ± 5.93) whereas hypertensive non-diabetic patients showed Mean standard Deviation value (21.95 ± .48) respectively. Practical Implications: In the current study there was an echocardiographic comparison of left ventricular mass index changes in both diabetic and non-diabetic hypertensive patients was concluded with candesartan cilexetil. The findings of this clinical trial are so beneficial for hypertensive patients to manage their self. Practical implication This study compared the effect of candesartan on left ventricular mass index in hypertensive diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The results showed that candesartan was more effective in reducing left ventricular mass index in hypertensive diabetic patients. This study provides useful information for the management of hypertension in diabetic patients of the community. Conclusion: Candesartan reduced left ventricular mass index more in hypertensive diabetic as compared to non-diabetic hypertensive patients. Both diabetic and non-diabetic hypertensive patients had a reduction in blood pressure with candesartan. With the considerable BP drop, candesartan is a viable treatment for hypertensive diabetic patients. Keywords: Hypertensive, Diabetics, Candesartan and Left ventricular index, posterior wall thickness.

Population norms in France with EQ-5D-5L: health states, value indexes, and VAS.

To provide EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L French population norms based on a sample of 15,000 responders. Based on the National Health and Wellness Survey, an international, annual, selfadministered Internet-based survey, this study extracted data from France for 2018 involving a sample of 15,000 respondents stratified by age and gender. Responses to the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, together with sociodemographic, health behavior, and disease status variables were collected. VAS, value indexes, the level sum score, and the distribution of levels per dimension were described. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify covariates with a statistically significant effect on the five dimensions and the three scores. The mean [standard deviation (SD)] VAS was 73.4 (22.2) for the entire sample (male 74.8 vs female 72.2, p < 0.0001). The Mean SD value index was 0.905 (0.158) (male 0.915 vs female 0.895, p < 0.0001). The mean SD level sum score was 7.6 (3.0) (7.4 for males vs. 7.9 for females p < 0.0001). Health state 11,111 (no problem in any dimension) represented 25.1% of all responses. "No problem" responses' proportions were Self Care (91.3%), Usual Activities (74.2%), Mobility (72.4%), Anxiety/Depression (52.6%) and Pain/Discomfort (37.7%). Multivariate regressions revealed a significant relationship for health states, value indexes, and VAS with age, income, employment, marital status, smoking and alcohol consumption, obesity, and the presence of one or more health problems. Based on a large sample, this study is the first to report EQ-5D-5L population norms for France.

Feline Herpesvirüs Tip-1 İle Enfekte Kedilerde Vitamin D Düzeyleri

In this study, it was aimed to measure vitamin D levels in Feline Herpesvirus Type-1 (FeHV-1) infected cats and thus to determine its relationship with the disease activity. The animal material of this study was composed of 20 cats of different breeds, ages and genders, which showed clinical symptoms of the disease and were diagnosed with Feline Herpesvirus infection by rapid test. The control group of the study consisted of 10 cats of different breeds, ages and genders, which were healthy according to the results of routine physical examination, laboratory works, which were brought for the purpose of vaccination, and which were determined to be Feline Herpesvirus Type-1 antigen negative with the rapid test. Blood samples were taken from cats in both groups and 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 levels were determined by the fluorescent immunoassay method. The mean standard deviation values of 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 levels in FeHV-1 infected cats and healthy cats were found to be 33.30 and 64.70 ng/ml, respectively. FeHV-1 infected cats showed a significant decrease in serum vitamin D levels compared to healthy cats in the control group. As a result, vitamin D deficiency may have an effect on the formation of the disease.

Evaluation of NeQuick2 Model over Mid-Latitudes of Northern Hemisphere

NeQuick2 is a three-dimensional ionospheric electron density empirical model that uses numerical integration to calculate the total electron content along any line-of-sight (LOS). As one of the most commonly used three-dimensional ionospheric models, it is necessary to objectively evaluate the accuracy and stability of NeQuick2 over a long period, especially over the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere where most of the ground-based GNSS stations are distributed. Therefore, different methods are used in this study to evaluate the accuracy of the NeQuick2 model from 2008 to 2021, including comparison with the International Global Navigation Satellite System Global Ionosphere Maps (IGSG), Jason2 Vertical Electron content (VTEC), and self-consistent evaluation. The comparison with IGSG shows that the standard deviation (STD) value is about 2.59 TECU. The accuracy of the IGSG and NeQuick2 model over ocean regions shows that the bias of IGSG is more significant than that of the NeQuick2 model. The mean STD value is 2.09 TECU for IGSG, and the corresponding value is 3.18 TECU for the NeQuick2 model, which is about 50% worse than IGSG. The dSTEC assessment results indicate that the variation in bias for IGSG is more stable than that of the NeQuick2 model. The mean STD value is 0.86 and 1.52 TECU for IGSG and NeQuick2 model, respectively. The conclusion could be made that NeQuick2 model represents the average ionosphere electron content and its accuracy fluctuates with solar conditions. Compared with the IGSG, the NeQuick2 model always underestimates TEC value, especially in low solar activity periods and compared with Jason2, the TEC values obtained by NeQuick2 model are overestimated, but the degree of overestimation is smaller than that of IGSG.

Homogeneity assessment of the SuperCam calibration targets onboard rover perseverance

The SuperCam instrument, onboard the Perseverance rover (Mars 2020 mission) is designed to perform remote analysis on the Martian surface employing several spectroscopic techniques such as Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Time-Resolved Raman (TRR), Time-Resolved Fluorescence (TRF) and Visible and Infrared (VISIR) reflectance. In addition, SuperCam also acquires high-resolution images using a color remote micro-imager (RMI) as well as sounds with its microphone. SuperCam has three main subsystems, the Mast Unit (MU) where the laser for chemical analysis and collection optics are housed, the Body Unit (BU) where the different spectrometers are located inside the rover, and the SuperCam Calibration Target (SCCT) located on the rover's deck to facilitate calibration tests at similar ambient conditions as the analyzed samples. To perform adequate calibrations on Mars, the 22 mineral samples included in the complex SCCT assembly must have a very homogeneous distribution of major and minor elements. The analysis and verification of such homogeneity for the 5–6 replicates of the samples included in the SCCT has been the aim of this work. To verify the physic-chemical homogeneity of the calibration targets, micro Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) imaging was first used on the whole surface of the targets, then the relative abundances of the detected elements were computed on 20 randomly distributed areas of 100 × 100 μm. For those targets showing a positive Raman response, micro-Raman spectroscopy imaging was performed on the whole surface of the targets at a resolution of 100 × 100 μm. The %RSD values (percent of relative standard deviation of mean values) for the major elements measured with EDXRF were compared with similar values obtained by two independent LIBS set-ups at spot sizes of 300 μm in diameter. The statistical analysis showed which elements were homogeneously distributed in the 22 mineral targets of the SCCT, providing their uncertainty values for further calibration. Moreover, nine of the 22 targets showed a good Raman response and their mineral distributions were also studied. Those targets can be also used for calibration purposes of the Raman part of SuperCam using the wavenumbers of their main Raman bands proposed in this work.

Bone Region Segmentation in Medical Images Based on Improved Watershed Algorithm.

Watershed algorithm is widely used in image segmentation, but it has oversegmentation in image segmentation. Therefore, an image segmentation algorithm based on K-means and improved watershed algorithm is proposed. Firstly, Gaussian filter is used to denoise human skeleton image. K-means clustering algorithm is used to segment the denoised image and the connected component with the largest area is extracted as the initial human skeleton region. The initial bone region was morphologically opened and then morphologically closed to eliminate the noise. Morphologically open operation is used to disconnect other human tissues that adhere to the human bone region and eliminate the background noise with small area, while closed operation smoothes the edge of the human bone region and fills the fracture in the contour line. Secondly, the watershed segmentation algorithm is implemented on the image after morphological operation. The similarity degree of two blocks is defined according to the mean difference of gray level of adjacent blocks and the mean value of standard deviation of gray level of pixels in the edge of the block 4-neighborhood. The adaptive threshold T is generated by Otsu method for histogram of gradient amplitude image. If the similarity degree is greater than T, the image blocks will be merged; otherwise, the image blocks will not be merged. The proposed image segmentation algorithm is used to extract and segment the human bone region from 100 medical images containing human bone. The number of blocks segmented by watershed algorithm is 2775 to 3357, but the number of blocks segmented by the proposed algorithm is 221 to 559. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm effectively solves the oversegmentation problem of watershed algorithm and effectively segments the image target.

АНТИКРИЗОВЕ УПРАВЛІННЯ ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЮ ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА В КОНТЕКСТІ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ ТА ІННОВАТИЗАЦІЇ ВИРОБНИЧО-ЕКОНОМІЧНИХ ПРОЦЕСІВ

In the paper a methodical approach to diagnose the level of anti-crisis management of efficiency of economic potential of iron ore enterprise in the context of competitiveness and innovation of production and economic processes has been developed. It has been established, that the conditions of dynamism, uncertainty and conflicts of modern market of iron ore products stipulate the necessity of management of enterprise for permanent monitoring of proper level of performance target indicators of efficiency as basis for future costs for overcoming and prevention of crisis phenomena. An important characteristic of the enterprise's economic potential efficiency is its ability to ensure the achievement of prospective goals in the production and supply of commodity products, which by their operational properties meet the requirements of consumer demand and are produced on the basis of production and economic processes with a sufficient level of innovativeness. In this context, the attention is focused on monitoring the dynamics of the efficiency level of the iron ore enterprise potential under the condition of competitiveness and innovativeness. The estimation of values of the corresponding complex integral index has been done taking into account the influence of intensive and extensive factors on the progressive development of an enterprise and the standard deviation of mean values of its components. The expediency of providing rationally balanced management of production processes in relation to intensive and extensive component of economic growth which is an important factor in increasing the efficiency of enterprise innovativeness and its competitiveness has been proved. It has been argued, that in the process of diagnosing of riskiness level of iron ore enterprise and feasibility study of anti-crisis measures, using of theoretic-game tools of riskology, in particular, risk matrices and numerical characteristics of target performance indicators, will allow enterprise management to raise quality and content of managerial decisions on reduction of negative consequences of assumed possible crisis phenomena and situations.

Crista Volume Measured from 3D Reconstructions Shows a Relationship to Sesamoid Station

Category:BunionIntroduction/Purpose:The hallux valgus (HV) deformity results in progressive subluxation of the sesamoids from their position (station) under the plantar surface of the first metatarsal head. This subluxation may result in erosion of the crista that separates the sesamoid grooves due to contact with the tibial sesamoid during weightbearing. While previous work using weightbearing CT (WBCT) scans has suggested that tibial sesamoid position is associated with degenerative change of the sesamoid metatarsal joint (Katsui FAI), no studies have quantified the relationship between sesamoid metatarsal degenerative changes and sesamoid subluxation. The purpose of the current investigation is to examine the relationship of the volume of the crista to first metatarsal pronation and sesamoid station, using three-dimensional models of patients' deformities created from WBCT scans.Methods:Thirty-nine HV patients and nine normal subjects underwent weightbearing or simulated weightbearing CT (WBCT) imaging. Crista volume was determined using a line drawn to connect the nadir of each sulcus on either side of the intersesamoidal crista for the length of the crista (Figure 1). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare mean crista volume between HV and normal patients. WBCT scans were used to establish sesamoid position using a four-stage scale (Kim FAI 2015) and quantify first metatarsal pronation using 3D reconstructions as previously described (Campbell FAI 2018). Single-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to compared the crista volume and pronation angle between the four sesamoid stations. A linear regression was performed to determine whether crista volume was associated with the pronation angle. Spearman's rank coefficient (r) was used to test the relationship of the sesamoid station against the crista volume and pronation angle.Results:The mean crista volume in HV patients was 80.10 mm3 +- 35 mm3 and in normal subjects was 150.64 mm3 +- 24 mm3, which differed significantly between the two groups (P<0.001). Mean crista volumes were found to be statistically significantly different between the sesamoid stations (P<0.001) with decreasing crista volumes significantly and strongly correlated with increasing sesamoid station (r = -0.80, P<0.001). The mean standard deviation values of the crista volume by sesamoid station were 154.4 mm3 +- 18.7 mm3 for station zero, 98.19 mm3 +- 26.9 mm3 for station one, 78.45 mm3 +- 30.1 mm3 for station two, and 44.77 mm3 +- 13.5 mm3 for station three. There was no difference in the mean pronation angle between the four sesamoid stations (P=0.37). Additionally, no statistically significant relationship was found between sesamoid station and pronation angle. The pronation angle was not associated with crista volume (P=0.52).Conclusion:Our study found that HV patients have significantly lower mean crista volumes compared to normal patients. Crista volume was strongly correlated with sesamoid subluxation/station, suggesting that tibial sesamoid subluxation results in erosion of the crista. In contrast, the pronation deformity was not associated with crista volume demonstrating that the degenerative changes of the sesamoid metatarsal are not related to the rotational deformity of the first metatarsal. This supports the hypothesis that tibial sesamoid subluxation may result in osteoarthritis of the sesamoid metatarsal joint and may be an overlooked source of pain in HV.

Associations of Renal Augmented Velocity Index with Arterial Stiffness, Carotid Intima–Media Thickness and Blood Pressure, in Comparison with Renal Resistive Index

The augmented velocity index (Avi) is a new Doppler index associated with arterial stiffness. We examined associations of renal Avi with blood pressure (BP), aortic stiffness and carotid intima–media thickness (IMT), and compared its performance with that of resistive index (RI). One hundred forty-seven volunteers were recruited. Renal Avi had significant positive correlations with systolic BP (r = 0.37, p < 0.001), diastolic BP (r = 0.2, p = 0.016), mean arterial pressure (r = 0.29, p < 0.001), pulse pressure (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (r = 0.49, p < 0.001) and carotid IMT (r = 0.23, p = 0.005). RI correlated positively with pulse pressure (r = 0.3, p < 0.001) only. After adjustments for co-variables, the associations remained similar. Patients with abnormal BP values (≥130/80 mm Hg), IMT and aortic stiffness (≥1 standard deviation of mean value) had higher Avi than those with normal values, but not RI. In conclusion, renal Avi had stronger associations with BP, arterial stiffness and carotid IMT than RI in apparently healthy volunteers, and was significantly increased in abnormal patients.

Wind resource and energy potential assessment of the Sujawal site, Sindh Pakistan

PurposeThe objective of this paper to assess the wind energy potential of the Sujawal site for minimizing the dependence on fossil fuels.Design/methodology/approachThe site-specific wind shear coefficient and the turbulence model were investigated. The two-parameter, k and c, Weibull distribution function was used to analyze the wind speed of the Sujawal site. The standard deviation of the site was also assessed for a period of a year. Also, the coefficient of variation was carried out to determine the difference at each height. The wind power and energy densities were assessed for a period of a year. The economic assessment of energy/kWh was investigated for selection of appropriate wind turbine.FindingsThe mean wind shear of the Sujawal site was found to be 0.274. The mean wind speed was found to be 7.458, 6.911, 6.438 and 5.347 at 80, 60, 40 and 20 m, respectively, above the ground level (AGL). The mean values of k parameter were observed to be 2.302, 2.767, 3.026 and 3.105 at 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively, for a period of a year. The Weibull c m/s parameter values were found to be 8.415, 7.797, 7.265 and 6.084 m/s at 80, 60, 40 and 20 m, respectively. The mean values of standard deviation were found to be 0.765, 0.737, 0.681 and 0.650 at 20, 40, 60, and 80 m, respectively. The mean wind power density (W/m2) was found to be 287.33, 357.16, 405.16 and 659.58 for 20, 40, 60 and 80 m, respectively. The economic assessment showed that wind turbine 7 had the minimum cost/kWh US$ 0.0298.Originality/valueThe Sujawal site is suitable for installing the utility wind turbines for energy generation at the lowest cost; hence, a sustainable solution.

Zinc concentrations in the expressed prostatic fluid of patients with bladder cancer

Introduction: In our previous studies it was concluded that the zinc (Zn) level in in human expressed prostatic fluid (EPF) is a first candidate with the role of offering a new, simple, fast, reliable, and non-invasive diagnostic tool for prostate cancer (PCa) screening. However it was unclear how other non-prostatic diseases inherent of the old persons, including heart diseases, atherosclerosis, diabetes, asymptomatic cancer of different localization and some others, impact on a chemical element composition of expressed prostatic fluid. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether significant changes in the levels of Zn in EPF exist in patients with bladder cancer (BC). Methods: Prostatic fluid levels of Zn were prospectively evaluated in 17 patients with BC and 51 healthy male inhabitants (control group). Measurements were performed using 109Cd radionuclide-induced energy dispersive X-ray fluorescent microanalysis developed by us. Results: Mean value  standard deviation of mean (MSD) for concentration of Zn in the EPF of healthy males and patients with BC was 573202 mg/L and 625±108 mg/L, respectively. Using both parametric Student’s t-test and non-parametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U-test it was shown that the Zn concentration in the EPF of patients with BC did not differ from that in healthy subjects. Conclusion: Such serious illness as BC did not impact on the Zn concentration in the EPF.

Optimising sampling strategies for emergency response: Soil sampling

The novel approach for optimising soil sampling strategies in areas affected by radionuclides is suggested. Major factors influencing the efficiency of soil sampling strategies, including (number of samples, sampling area size, sampling depth and spatial resolution of the sample sites are examined to provide optimisation of the soil sampling plan. The experimental field studies to validate the suggested approach were performed in 25 sampling units ranging from 1.2 × 1.2 m to 60 × 60 m size. The sampling units were selected on arable farmlands, natural meadow and former agricultural land), as well as coniferous and deciduous forests with contamination density of 137Cs ranging from 2.8 kBq·m−2 to 24.5 MBq·m−2. The studied areas were contaminated by both the global fallout and the Chernobyl radioactive particles of different types. To determine the values of standard deviation of the log of the soil contamination density of 137Cs, 25 to 256 soil samples were collected with an increment of 0.07–10 m within each sampling unit. It was found that the values of standard deviation of the log of the soil contamination density of 137Cs were not dependent on the mean contamination density, the type of radioactive deposition and the landscape features. The mean value of standard deviation calculated for all sites studied was estimated as 0.44 ± 0.15 and 0.30 ± 0.10 for the sampling area 0.001 m2 (∅37 mm) and 0.005 m2 (∅80 mm) at the relative measurement uncertainties lower than 10% (CI = 95%). Concentrations of 137Cs in the soil samples were statistically independent when sampling points were situated at a distance larger than 1 m one from each other. A simple method was developed for assessing minimum sample sizes required for estimation of the median or the geometric mean of radionuclide soil contamination with a relative uncertainty set by the user. The approach was also suggested for estimation of the uncertainty of soil contamination for the case of composite samples. The approach was implemented in the Ukrainian national requirements for assessment of quality of the soil.

Stiffness Imaging With a Continuum Appendage: Real-Time Shape and Tip Force Estimation From Base Load Readings

In this letter, we propose benefiting from load readings at the base of a continuum appendage for real-time forward integration of Cosserat rod model with application in configuration and tip load estimation. The application of this method is successfully tested for stiffness imaging of a soft tissue, using a 3-DOF hydraulically actuated braided continuum appendage. Multiple probing runs with different actuation pressures are used for mapping the tissue surface shape and directional linear stiffness, as well as detecting non-homogeneous regions, e.g. a hard nodule embedded in a soft silicon tissue phantom. Readings from a 6-axis force sensor at the tip is used for comparison and verification. As a result, the tip force is estimated with 0.016–0.037 N (7–20%) mean error in the probing and 0.02–0.1 N (6–12%) in the indentation direction, 0.17 mm (14%) mean error is achieved in estimating the surface profile, and 3.4–15 [N/m] (10–16%) mean error is observed in evaluating tissue directional stiffness, depending on the appendage actuation. We observed that if the appendage bends against the slider motion (toward the probing direction), it provides better horizontal stiffness estimation and better estimation in the perpendicular direction is achieved when it bends toward the slider motion (against the probing direction). In comparison with a rigid probe, $\approx \!\!10$ times smaller stiffness and $\approx \!\!7$ times larger mean standard deviation values were observed, suggesting the importance of a probe stiffness in estimation the tissue stiffness.

The influence of temperature on surface concentration and interaction energy between components in binary liquid systems

Surface tension of two binary mixtures of DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) − water and DMSO − acetonitrile were measured over the whole range of composition at ambient pressure in the temperatures range between 298.15 K and 328.15 K. Surface tension deviations (Δσ) were calculated by using the experimental data. The values of Δσ for two binary systems (at all temperatures) are negative that reflect the strong hydrogen bonding between unlike components of mixtures (except for some mole fractions in the DMSO/acetonitrile system). Surface tension data of the binary systems were correlated using Fu et al., Li et al., Myers–Scott, Wang–Chen and Redlich–Kister models. The mean value of standard deviation (S) for binary systems with four models at different temperatures is less than 0.42. Additionally, the obtained results of the Li et al. model were used to estimate the interaction energy between DMSO − water and DMSO − acetonitrile in binary mixtures, and then, the influence of temperature on interaction energy was investigated, which is an important parameter in thermodynamics. Finally, the results have been discussed in terms of surface mole fraction (xi,s) and lyophobicity (β) by the extended Langmuir (EL) isotherm.

Investigating effects of force and pressure centre signals on stabilogram analysis

In this study, the centre of pressure (COP x ) and force change (F x ) in the anterior-posterior (AP) plane, the centre of pressure (COP y ) and force change (F y ) signals in medial-lateral (ML) plane were compared. In order to make comparisons in this context, the time-dependent norms of the COP x -COP y , and F x -F y signals (F B , COP B ) of 163 subjects were calculated separately. Subsequently, the mean standard deviation values (F STD , COP STD ) of these values generated by time-based were obtained. The scatter plots in the AP plane (F xSTD , COP xSTD ) and the ML plane (F ySTD , COP ySTD ) are presented in different categories, which depend on the standard deviation values, young-elderly of the measurement group, the firm-soft of the ground and open-close of the eyes. Finally, the separation successes of F xSTD - F ySTD and COP xSTD - COP ySTD were calculated by means of basic classification algorithms. According to the results obtained, it is observed that the force signals generally provide more successful results than COP signals. In the study, the highest accuracy was performed with force signals and the support vector machine algorithm separated the young-aged group with an accuracy of 81.67%.

The Parallel SBAS Approach for Sentinel-1 Interferometric Wide Swath Deformation Time-Series Generation: Algorithm Description and Products Quality Assessment

We present an advanced differential synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (DInSAR) processing chain, based on the Parallel Small BAseline Subset (P-SBAS) technique, for the efficient generation of deformation time series from Sentinel-1 (S-1) interferometric wide (IW) swath SAR data sets. We first discuss an effective solution for the generation of high-quality interferograms, which properly accounts for the peculiarities of the terrain observation with progressive scans (TOPS) acquisition mode used to collect S-1 IW SAR data. These data characteristics are also properly accounted within the developed processing chain, taking full advantage from the burst partitioning. Indeed, such data structure represents a key element in the proposed P-SBAS implementation of the S-1 IW processing chain, whose migration into a cloud computing (CC) environment is also envisaged. An extensive experimental analysis, which allows us to assess the quality of the obtained interferometric products, is presented. To do this, we apply the developed S-1 IW P-SBAS processing chain to the overall archive acquired from descending orbits during the March 2015-April 2017 time span over the whole Italian territory, consisting in 2740 S-1 slices. In particular, the quality of the final results is assessed through a large-scale comparison with the GPS measurements relevant to nearly 500 stations. The mean standard deviation value of the differences between the DInSAR and the GPS time series (projected in the radar line of sight) is less than 0.5 cm, thus confirming the effectiveness of the implemented solution. Finally, a discussion about the performance achieved by migrating the developed processing chain within the Amazon Web Services CC environment is addressed, highlighting that a two-year data set relevant to a standard S-1 IW slice can be reliably processed in about 30 h.The presented results demonstrate the capability of the implemented P-SBAS approach to efficiently and effectively process large S-1 IW data sets relevant to extended portions of the earth surface, paving the way to the systematic generation of advanced DInSAR products to monitor ground displacements at a very wide spatial scale.