Qualification Method Research Articles

Microstructural investigation and identification of intermetallic σ-phase in solution annealed 316L-type austenitic stainless steel

MYRRHA (Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications) is an accelerator driven system, currently under development at SCK CEN in Mol, Belgium. This nuclear system will use liquid Lead-Bismuth eutectic alloy as a spallation target for fast neutron production and as coolant. The ideal structural material for a liquid metal cooled reactor should be unsusceptible to both liquid metal embrittlement and liquid metal corrosion, while possessing high toughness. Nuclear grade austenitic stainless steels similar to AISI 316L have therefore been chosen as the main candidate structural materials for MYRRHA. In the framework of the qualification of those candidates, a specific batch of this material has shown unexpectedly poor mechanical properties, which triggered the need of in-depth microstructural analysis. The behaviour was attributed to the unexpected and undesired presence of intermetallic σ-phase. The σ-phase was identified with a high confidence by combining the data for chemical composition from energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and crystallographic information from electron backscatter diffraction by comparing simulated Kikuchi diffraction patterns with experimentally recorded ones. At first sight the optical appearance of σ-phase resembles δ-ferrite islands, which results in the risk of overlooking this when only classical material qualification methods are used. When left undetected, testing this material including the brittle σ-phase in a liquid metal environment, in combination with miniature mechanical test specimens, could lead to misinterpretation of embrittlement of the austenitic matrix.

Rapid surface preparation for three-dimensional characterization of defect and microstructure of metal additive manufacturing using electrochemical jet

Process-induced volume defects and unsuitable microstructure have inhibited the effective quality assurance of parts manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM). Elucidating the complex interaction between the process, defect/microstructure, and performance is of critical importance. In this work, we have developed and demonstrated the capabilities of an electrochemical jet surface processing (EJSP) method to easily and effectively uncover defects and unveil the crystal microstructure and fusion mechanism in SLM parts of SUS316L and AlSi10Mg respectively. Experiments show that the EJSP method is highly effective in localized three-dimensional microstructural unveiling which eliminates the need for conventional sample preparation by polishing, and internal defects and retained fusion signatures at multiple layers are readily identified within seconds. Furthermore, EJSP unveils three-dimensional structural information at both micro- and nano-scale to facilitate crystallography and phase analysis. This unique approach has high potential to significantly improve qualification methods of SLM parts, which benefits in-depth research of microstructure characteristics and their formation mechanism in the SLM process with high efficiency and low cost.

Estimation of nitrogen nutrition index in rice from UAV RGB images coupled with machine learning algorithms

Rapid and accurate estimation of rice Nitrogen Nutrition Index (NNI) is beneficial for management of nitrogen application in rice production. Traditional estimation methods required manual actual measurement data in the field, which was time-consuming and cost-expensive, and RGB images from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provided an alternative option for nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) monitoring. In this study, RGB images from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were obtained from each growth period of rice, and six machine learning (ML) algorithms, i.e., adaptive boosting (AB), artificial neural network (ANN), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), partial least squares (PLSR), random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM), were used to extract target information for estimating NNI as well as vegetation index (VI). Results showed that most UAV VIs were significantly correlated with rice NNI at the key growing periods; the estimation results of rice NNI using six ML algorithms showed that the RF algorithms performed the best at each growth period with the determination coefficient (R2) ranged from 0.88 to 0.96 and room mean square error (RMSE) ranged from 0.03 to 0.07, in which the estimation of NNI was the best in filling period and the early jointing stage. Rice NNI at the early jointing stage was significantly correlated with soil available nitrogen (AN) with the R2 of 0.84 in Pukou and 0.72 in Luhe, respectively, and rice NNI was significantly correlated with the yield with the R2 of more than 0.7 in Pukou at the whole period and more than 0.7 in Luhe from late jointing to maturity stage. Therefore, the combination of RGB images from UAV and ML algorithms was a scalable, simple and inexpensive method for rapid qualification of rice NNI, which effectively improved nitrogen use efficiency and provided guidance for precision fertilization in rice production.

Problems of Legal Qualification in Private International Law

When resolving cross-border disputes, courts inevitably face the need for legal qualification of the dispute. The complexity of the process of qualifying disputed legal relations is due to many reasons, such as the need to consider the content of foreign law, the presence in different jurisdictions of different mechanisms of the legal qualification of legal relations, as well as the level of development of private international law in a particular country. The features of various types of qualifications have been studied in this paper, taking into account the current trends in the development of private international law. Methods: The disclosure of the topic was carried out from the standpoint of general scientific methods (sociological, systemic, structural-functional, historical), the method of theoretical analysis, special scientific methods (comparative jurisprudence, technical and legal analysis, concretization, interpretation). The methodological basis of the study was the method of the theory of knowledge. The purpose of the study: To determine the essence of the legal qualification of private international relations, analyze the various stages of the legal qualification of cross-border relations in the Russian jurisdiction, identify their features, and formulate the rules of qualification that have applied significance based on the norms of positive law and the Russian doctrine. Results: The stages of the legal qualification of cross-border relations were identified, its essence was determined, and the signs of legal qualification for certain contractual obligations were revealed. The paper analyzes the current capabilities of the lex fori and lex causae qualification methods, as well as justifies the prospects and advantages of independent qualification methods.

Lymphoedema management during the COVID-19 pandemic

Medical care for patients with oedema in the Polish health care system is fragmented and rarely ensures continuity of therapy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of traditional forms is even more difficult, which forces the search for alternative, remote forms enabling early diagnosis and implementation of proper management. Thus article presents a model of management in patients at risk of developing edema and with advanced disease in the pandemic days in the light of the current recommendations. In the lymphedema clinic, a method of questionnaire preliminary qualification of patients reported by phone or e–mail which facilitates distinguishing urgent cases (swelling that is advanced, rapidly increasing, especially despite compression therapy, complicated by skin damage, occurring in children < 12 years old or associated with advanced cancer) was introduced. Between June 2020 and March 2021, 160 patients usually needing the adjustment of another compression garment continued the therapy, and 94 persons required complex decongestive therapy and then prescribing of compression product to be worn during a day were admitted for the first time. A narrative review of the literature between 2011–2021 including prophylactic recommendations and conservative management of edema in terms of its realistic applicability under the existing restrictions, was carried out. Despite the limitations in the implementation of physiotherapy, the availability of therapy based on education and compression therapy in connection with individually selected, aerobic exercise was maintained in the clinic.

Current Progress on Marine Microplastics Pollution Research: A Review on Pollution Occurrence, Detection, and Environmental Effects

Recently, microplastics pollution has attracted much attention in the environmental field, as researchers have found traces of microplastics in both marine and terrestrial ecological environments. Here, we reviewed and discussed the current progress on microplastics pollution in the marine environment from three main aspects including their identification and qualification methods, source and distribution, and fate and toxicity in a marine ecosystem. Microplastics in the marine environment originate from a variety of sources and distribute broadly all around the world, but their quantitative information is still lacking. Up to now, there have been no adequate and standard methods to identify and quantify the various types of microplastics, which need to be developed and unified. The fate of microplastics in the environment is particularly important as they may be transferred or accumulated in the biological chain. Meanwhile, microplastics may have a high adsorption capacity to pollutants, which is the basic research to further study their fate and joint toxicity in the environment. Therefore, all the findings are expected to fill the knowledge gaps in microplastics pollution and promote the development of relative regulations.

Некоторые аспекты проблемы сертификации (аттестации) кумулятивных перфораторов

The problem of certification of shaped-charge perforators appear to be very important in oil and gas production. The paper considers five aspects of the problem. First, it is a physical aspect, which means the problem is viewed from the point of view of the physics of a cumulative explosion; the second aspect is a methodological one, which implies the most desirable, permissible, unacceptable methods of certification and qualification; the next aspect is economic, it focuses on the economy on a large scale, allowing a possible loss in a small one. Perhaps, there are things that are currently more important than the most correct physical considerations and the most perfect methods, so technical and political aspects arise. The final aspect is an organizational one which implies a rational division of powers of government departments. The most important and science-intensive aspect is the physical one, as it is associated with the design, construction, and operation of shaped charges of perforators, and this is the main focus of the paper. The paper carefully analyzes the formation, movement in free space, and action on the combined obstacle: steel — concrete — rock of monolithic and powder cumulative jets from metal and composite materials. Moreover, the study comparatively assesses the penetrating action of shaped charges of perforators according to various methods, both domestic and foreign, and assesses economic, technical, political, and organizational factors in the development of the shaped charges certification procedure. Finally, the study gives recommendations for carrying out certification and qualification tests of shaped charges of perforators in Russia.

Detecting Intergranular Phases in UNS N07725. Part II: Double-Loop Electrochemical Potentiokinetic Reactivation Test Validation

The formation of interconnected grain boundary (GB) phases in precipitation hardening (PH) nickel Alloy 725 (UNS N07725) compromises its mechanical properties and has been linked to hydrogen embrittlement failures. However, normative industry standards such as API 6ACRA are inadequate for differentiating between Alloy 725 batches with a critical extent of GB precipitation, creating the need for a complementary qualification method.In Alloy 725, intergranular phases produce a Cr and Mo depletion adjacent to GBs (i.e., sensitization). In Part I of this work, this impoverishment in Cr and Mo was used as the basis to develop a double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) test, optimized to quantify the extent of GB precipitation in Alloy 725. Part II explores the reproducibility and sensitivity of the new approach using three new independent commercial batches containing different extents of precipitation. Results were highly reproducible and confirmed the method’s sensitivity to detect small amounts of GB phases. Additionally, the DL-EPR procedure revealed clear microstructural inhomogeneities across the bars’ thickness, which increased with increasing bar diameter. This investigation strongly supports the validity of the new DL-EPR technique as a reliable and straightforward industry-friendly qualification method to quantify the extent of intergranular phases in Alloy 725.

Plant Sample Preparation for Nucleoside/Nucleotide Content Measurement with An HPLC-MS/MS.

Nucleosides/nucleotides are building blocks of nucleic acids, parts of cosubstrates and coenzymes, cell signaling molecules, and energy carriers, which are involved in many cell activities. Here, we describe a rapid and reliable method for the absolute qualification of nucleoside/nucleotide contents in plants. Briefly, 100 mg of homogenized plant material was extracted with 1 mL of extraction buffer (methanol, acetonitrile, and water at a ratio of 2:2:1). Later, the sample was concentrated five times in a freeze dryer and then injected into an HPLC-MS/MS. Nucleotides were separated on a porous graphitic carbon (PGC) column and nucleosides were separated on a C18 column. The mass transitions of each nucleoside and nucleotide were monitored by mass spectrometry. The contents of the nucleosides and nucleotides were quantified against their external standards (ESTDs). Using this method, therefore, researchers can easily quantify nucleosides/nucleotides in different plants.

Nuclear qualification of electrical equipment: challenges for the Brazilian industry

The nuclear industry requires specific safety qualification of electrical equipment in order to assure that they perform their function without experiencing common-cause failures. Electrical equipment used in the nuclear industry have been qualified according to IEEE 323 and IEC 60780 standards and their derivatives until 2016. Currently these two organizations consolidated their requirements and unified them in a common document, the IEC/IEEE 60780-323 standard. It defines the different methods of qualification, a qualification program plan and the documentation to be delivered demonstrating successful qualification of electrical equipment to be used in nuclear installations. Based on this standard, we present an approach focusing on the qualification by type-testing. The article details the necessary tests to be performed for this method, the equipment necessary to be used in the type-testing method and the documentation expected to be delivered by the supplier. To implement this qualification approach and obtain such capacity, it is necessary to perform large expenditures in equipment and in the improvement of the workforce. On the other hand, this capacity gives the companies knowledge, experience and opens new market opportunities in other areas, such as the naval and oil industries. With such expertise, Brazilian companies may become active suppliers in the world industry of electrical equipment.

Solid-phase extraction followed by direct TOF-MS-MS and HPLC analysis of ptaquiloside in Pteridium aquilinum from different places of China

Ptaquiloside (PTA) is a carcinogenic norsesquiterpene glucoside existing in Pteridium aquilinum, the young fronds of which are widely used as a wild vegetable in China. To ensure food safety, it is extremely important to establish a fast and accurate method for the quantification of PTA in P. aquilinum. This paper aimed to establish a qualification and quantification method for PTA in P. aquilinum based on a solid-phase extraction (SPE) pre-concentrating technique followed by TOF-MS/MS and HPLC-DAD analysis. The results showed that the developed method can qualify and quantify the PTA in P. aquilinum with an average recovery of 87.0% for PTA. The method is repeatable extra- and inter- days, with RSD values lower than 5%. A total of 18 P. aquilinum samples from different places of China were analyzed by the established method. The contents of PTA in the investigating samples varied from 5.61 ± 0.50–4250 mg kg−1 in dry weight, which was mostly lower than those of cases reported abroad. This study presents the characterization and quantitative assay of PTA in P. aquilinum from different places of China using direct TOF-MS/MS and HPLC-DAD quantification combined with solid-phase extraction (SPE) pre-concentrating technique, which can be employed for the safety evaluation of the food derived from P. aquilinum.

Tumor Microenvironment Status Predicts the Efficacy of Postoperative Chemotherapy or Radiochemotherapy in Resected Gastric Cancer

PurposeChemotherapy (CT) and radiochemotherapy (RCT) are currently the standard postoperative treatments for resected gastric cancer (GC). However, owing to a lack of predictive biomarkers, their efficacy is currently suboptimal. As tumor microenvironment (TME) has the potential to determine treatment response, we investigated the association of TME status with the efficacy of fluoropyrimidine (FU)-based postoperative CT/RCT in resected GC.MethodsPatients with transcriptome data were screened and selected in three independent cohorts. Favorable (fTME) and poor TME (pTME) were defined by a transcriptome-based TME qualification method. Immune infiltration and hypoxia were assessed.ResultsA total of 535 patients were eligible. fTME, indicating the presence of immune activation, was characterized by NK cell rather than CD8+ T cell infiltration. However, postoperative CT/RCT improved overall survival and disease-free survival time more evidently in patients with pTME GC than those with fTME GC. Stratified by stage in fTME GC, stage III patients benefited from postoperative CT/RCT while stage Ib/II patients did not. In comparison, patients with pTME GC benefited from postoperative CT/RCT, regardless of stage. Furthermore, fTME was more hypoxic than pTME, accompanied by a stronger expression of thymidylate synthase (TS)—the target of FU. Stage Ib/II fTME GC was the most hypoxic and had the strongest TS expression across all the subgroups stratified by TME status and stage.ConclusionsWe found that fTME, with the enrichment of NK cells, may predict the lack of postoperative CT/RCT efficacy in stage Ib/II GC, which may be associated with hypoxia and TS expression. Further validations and mechanism researches are needed.

Using Temperature and Humidity Wireless Sensor and An Arduino Board to Characterise and Verify Climatic and Thermostatic Chambers on A Webpage According to Standard NF X 15-140

Environmental controls, especially for temperature and humidity, are essential to maintain the safety, purity and effectiveness of drugs. The measurement of humidity can be particularly difficult and important in climatic and thermostatic chambers (warehouses, ovens, cold rooms, fridges, drying rooms, insulated boxes, etc.).The old method of monitoring and qualification of climatic and thermostatic chambers requires placing a defined number of recorders, then programming and store them. After that, to examine the values recorded to revolve the status of the climatic and thermostatic chambers, if they are compliant or not-complaint at any time, so all that goes to waste time and efficiency of values.We can do the monitoring and qualification of climatic and thermostatic chambers; we can verify the status of our chambers compliant or not-compliant, and this in favor to an original system that we developed.Our system can be used to allow staff to qualify and receive warnings or to autonomously regulate our physical quantities when environmental parameters do not meet specifications.Our work consists of 3 distinct steps:1. Collecting data from the sensors;2. The transfer of these data to a database;3. Data recovery through the web page [1].

Метод расчета тяги и удельной тяги газотурбинного двухконтурного двигателя по результатам испытаний на лабораторной установке «Пламя»

The main technical characteristics of jet engines depend on the fuel quality: thrust and fuel consumption. As a rule, the comparative assessment of real engines is carried by specific values. Specific thrust is one of the most important parameters of the gas turbine engine (GTE). The larger it is, the smaller the required air flow rate through the engine at a given thrust and therefore its dimensions and mass. To date, a system for evaluating the performance properties of fuels based on qualification methods has been created. However, these methods do not allow calculating the thrust and specific thrust of the engine and potentially assessing the effect of fuels on these characteristics. Therefore, the issues of efficient use of fuels for GTE are solved almost exclusively on the basis of tests at testing units with full-scale engines, which are carried out repeatedly, which leads to a significant increase in the cost of testing. The article proposes a method for calculating the thrust and specific thrust of a double-flow gas turbine engine according to the results of tests at a constant volume laboratory unit of bypass type “Flame”. The method is based on modeling the engine operating conditions using the similarity criteria of the bench reactor and the real engine and allows reducing significantly the material and time costs for testing. The experimental of the combustion characteristics of hydrocarbon fuels and the rated values of their thrust and specific thrust for a double-flow gas turbine engine are presented.

Methods of Smuggling Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, their Analogues and Precursors or Counterfeit Medicines and their Criminal Legal Characteristics

The concept of ways to commit drug smuggling, psychotropic substances, their analogues and precursors or counterfeit medicines that are present in scientific circles is analyzed. The main methods of drug smuggling and their detailed characteristics among the general classification are established and subspecies of ways to commit drug smuggling, which are relevant today, have been established and analyzed. At the same time, each subspecies is described and a clear example is given, which demonstrates the public danger of a particular way of committing drug smuggling. It was established that every year drug traffickers invent even more audacious ways to commit drug smuggling, while involving customs officers and law enforcement agencies in their illegal activities. Also, taking into account the unstable situation in the occupied territories of Ukraine and the realities of today, other illegal ways of smuggling counterfeit medicines have been established, which is quite a dangerous phenomenon. It is determined that the most appropriate and convenient way for the smuggling movement of counterfeit medicines is to forged customs identification documents and the use of fictitious business entities, which is an acute problem and requires new ways to solve this problem, as well as improvement of the legislation itself and the legal system as a whole. The methods of qualification of the above-mentioned offences under criminal law are analyzed and shortcomings regarding such qualifications are identified. A clear example and reasonably the need to make appropriate changes to the current norm, which provides for the responsibility for the smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues and precursors or counterfeit medicines, followed by the prospect of their use.

ESPUMA BUCAL NA REDUÇÃO DA PLACA BACTERIANA DENTAL EM CÃES

Resumo&#x0D; Na odontologia veterinária, os métodos de qualificação e quantificação da doença periodontal e da higiene oral têm sido utilizados para avaliação de produtos com potencial preventivo no acúmulo de cálculo dentário. Diante disso, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o uso da espuma de higienização bucal à base de própolis (Espuma Bucal IBASA) no retardo da formação da placa bacteriana dental em cães. Foram avaliados 17 cães conforme critérios pré-estabelecidos pelo Veterinary Oral Health Counsil (VOHC). Os animais foram submetidos à profilaxia dentária e divididos em dois grupos: Controle (CTL) e Espuma Bucal (EB), administrada uma vez ao dia, durante 30 dias. Após 30 dias, os dentes dos animais foram avaliados quanto da formação de placa a partir do índice de placa bacteriana estabelecido por Logan &amp; Boyce. Foi observada redução (p=0,04) dos índices de placa nos dentes incisivos e caninos dos animais tratados com a EB (1,18±0,66) em relação ao CTL (2,45±0,92). Além disso, foi observada uma redução dos índices de placa em cães que receberam EB quando comparados com os CTL, considerando os dentes do lado esquerdo (16%), direito (2%), maxilares (5%) e mandibulares (16%). O uso da EB, além de ser de fácil aplicação, auxilia na manutenção da saúde bucal de dentes e gengivas dos animais controlando a proliferação dos micro-organismos causadores da doença bacteriana e sendo uma alternativa para a redução da placa dental em cães.

Alternative methods for fracture energy acquisition in the qualification of composite repair system

Composite repair systems for metallic pipelines presenting a through-wall defect must be qualified in accordance with either ISO 24817 or ASME PCC-2 standards. This qualification method requires a number of hydrostatic tests to obtain the failure pressure. In the oil and gas industry, the failure pressure estimation is often performed using a linear fracture mechanics analysis described in both ISO and ASME standards. These standards require the determination of a constant fracture energy, also called the energy release rate. In the case of monotonically increasing loading histories, in the framework of linear fracture mechanics, brutal interfacial debonding occurs when the fracture energy reaches a critical value. This study is an attempt to show that a simpler test, such as, shaft-loaded and pressurized blister test can be employed as an alternative to hydrostatic tests in the qualification of repair systems. The goal is to obtain experimentally the critical fracture energy using blister tests. Results show a reasonable similarity between the critical energy values found using both pressurized and shaft-loaded blister test with the ones obtained with the standard required hydrostatic tests.

Quantifying Cyber Attacks on Industrial MMC-HVDC Control System Using Structured Pseudospectrum

This letter assesses the impact of cyber-attacks on the control system of the modular multilevel converter (MMC)-based high-voltage dc (MMC-HVdc) transmission technology. Specifically, the small-signal model of the MMC-HVdc is characterized by a closed-loop matrix and the distance to the small-signal instability is then quantified by structured pseudospectrum. Furthermore, a vertical search method is proposed to quantify the boundary of the structured pseudospectrum. The proposed quantification model with the vertical search method can be extended to the control of other power electronics-based systems. Case studies on a two-terminal MMC-HVdc system verify the effectiveness of the qualification method.

Assessment of the Methods Employed in the Valuation of Intellectual Property in Lagos State, Nigeria

The study investigated the methods employed in the valuation of IP in Lagos State, Nigeria; examined the relationship between method of intellectual valuation and academic qualification of estate surveyors and valuers. We adopted a quantitative survey and questionnaire as instrument for gathering relevant data from stakeholders in the study area. The findings revealed that the traditional method; cost method (M = 1.99, SD = 0.108; market method (M = 1.96, SD = 0.186) and income method (M = 1.86, SD = 0.350) are the most commonly used methods for valuing IP in the study area. The result also shows a significant relationship between traditional methods of IP valuation and academic qualification of estate surveyors and valuers; cost method ( = 1.377, p = 0.013), market method ( =1.367, p = 0.033), income method ( = 15.073, p = 0.002), profit/account method ( = 13.467, p = 0.004) and discounted cash flow ( = 1.595, p = 0.024). The study thereby conclude that estate professionals are more aware and conversant with the traditional method than the advanced method of valuation. Therefore, estate professionals will need to ensure clear understanding of the various methods of valuing intellectual property and their application.

Preliminary study of uncertainty qualification methods based on the simplified LB LOCA model for PCT estimation

Uncertainties for predictions of thermal hydraulic problem are caused by the complex physical origin. Uncertainty qualification methods are designed to meet the requirement of regulation to ensure acceptable safety margins with enough confidence. Various methods are proposed for the industrial applications to achieve the proposed level of probability and confidence. However, it is not enough to obtain more statistics information with limited calculation by the full evaluation model. The present paper is based on a simplified model of large break loss of coolant accident for peak clad temperature (PCT) estimation (Catton et al. (1990)). The simplified model is based on physical foundation with sufficient uncertainty parameters and trend indication. The higher PCT during blow down phase and reflooding phase was set to be the target output parameter. The numerous parameters and distribution in the simplified model were set to the source of input uncertainty. The effects of PIRT, sample number, uncertainty distribution were studied. The results provided qualitative and quantitative results for uncertainty methods and would be beneficial for the determination of uncertainty qualification methods in engineering design.