Test Method Research Articles

Specifics of Mental Burnout Manifestation in Rural School Teachers

Introduction. The scientific relevance and social significance of the mental burnout are determined by the maladaptive nature of its manifestations, which have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the professional activity of specialists. At the same time in the scientific field there is a deficit of research revealing the mechanisms of influence of specific conditions of pedagogical activity realization on its efficiency and presenting the consequences of this influence. Objective. To study mental burnout in school teachers working in rural areas. Materials and Methods. The study participants were 184 teachers from schools in the districts of the city of Zabaikalski Krai and Chita. In the process of forming the sample, the questionnaire survey was used, based on the results of which two groups were formed: the first group included 56 teachers from rural schools, and the second group consisted of 58 teachers from city schools. At the stage of empirical research, we used the method of psychodiagnostic testing, which included the method of professional burnout by K. Maslach and S. Jackson in adaptation of N. E. Vodopyanova and V. V. Boyko’s method of diagnosing emotional burnout. The non-parametric criterion of reliability of differences U Mann-Whitney was used in processing the results of the study. Results. It was found that the frequency of occurrence and the degree of severity of mental burnout manifestations are lower in rural school teachers compared to urban school teachers. The dynamics of symptoms in this group is characterized by earlier stages of development and the emerging nature of symptoms, and there is a qualitative peculiarity of the general structure of mental burnout, manifested in the dominance of certain symptoms and the nature of their completeness. Discussion. The analysis of the empirical research results allows us to speak about the peculiarities of mental burnout concerning its frequency of occurrence, degree of expression, and qualitative uniqueness in rural and urban school teachers. The results of the study indicate higher adaptive capabilities of rural school teachers in relation to the development of mental burnout and allow us to outline an effective direction of appropriate preventive work.

Viable Bacteria Assay of Helicobacter pylori by RT-qPCR Measurement of cgt Gene Expression Levels: Establishment and Application of a New Method

To establish a viable bacteria assay for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) by assessing the cgt gene expression, and to develop accordingly a rapid and novel testing method for clinical precision treatment. Viable bacteria count was determined in bacterial cultures. The transcriptional expression level of cgt (hp0421), the conserved gene that encodes cholesterol-α-glucosyltransferase (CGT) in H. pylori, was measured by RT-PCR. The correlation between the number of colonies and cgt gene transcription expression was analyzed and the regression model was constructed. The linear range, sensitivity, and specificity of the new method were examined accordingly. The bactericidal action of clarithromycin was assessed using this method to verify the performance of the method in determining clinical bacterial drug resistance. The Ct values of cgt for H. pylori colony counts of 102, 104, 106, and 108 CFU/mL were 29.67±0.14, 23.37±0.36, 17.65±0.37, and 11.38±0.39, respectively. In the range of 101-108 CFU/mL, the regression equation for cgt gene expression and viable bacterial counts determined by RT-qPCR was y=-0.3501x+12.49, with the correlation coefficient being R 2=0.9992 and the sensitivity being 101 CFU/mL, showing no cross-reaction with 13 other bacteria. The lg values of live H. pylori bacteria treated with clarithromycin at 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 μg/mL for 12 h were 2.57±0.02, 2.45±0.01, 2.19±0.02, 1.91±0.07, and 1.33±0.05, respectively. The corresponding cgt gene Ct values were 27.76±0.09, 28.37±0.24, 29.51±0.14, 30.11±0.12, and 31.66±0.11. By applying the cgt gene expression in the equation, the estimated counts of viable bacteria were found to be 2.73±0.03, 2.52±0.08, 2.11±0.05, 1.89±0.02, and 1.33±0.04, showing no significant difference in statistical analysis (P>0.05). The method for assessing viable bacteria account by evaluating cgt gene expression in H. pylori was successfully established, significantly reducing the time required to determine viable bacteria count and providing a new method for clinical viable bacteria testing.

INNOVATIVE EXPERIMENTAL TESTING PROGRAM OF DIRECT SHEAR TEST IN SOIL MECHANICS

The research work aims at analyzing for the first time the data set obtained on cohesive soil samples following the publication of the Romanian Invention Patent RO 134239. The standard test method for the direct shear test provides the shear strength parameter – internal friction angle in consolidated drained condition - of either undisturbed or remolded soil samples forcing the shear plane at the midsection of the sample in the horizontal direction. The samples are provided in parallelepipedal shape (6 cm x 6 cm x 2 cm) and the displacement rate in horizontal direction is 0.1 mm/min. The new equipment patented in Romania changes the direction of shearing, from horizontal to vertical, and the soil samples are of cubic shape (6 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm). The experimental program involves testing both the parallelepipedal and cubic samples using the same motorized mechanism, with simultaneous readings from their respective micro-comparators. The UU test is performed without allowing consolidation and shearing at 1.0 mm/min. For the CD test, samples are consolidated under vertical loads for 24 hours before shearing at 0.1 mm/min. The shear stresses for cubic samples were higher than those for parallelepipedal samples, with residual stresses reflecting this trend. For cubic samples, both the peak and residual shear stresses trend lines indicated higher cohesion (c) and lower internal friction angle (𝜙) for UU tests and CD tests in contrast to parallelepipedal samples in both testing conditions. The innovative testing program allows for variability in shear strength parameters along the soil failure surface in both natural and compacted soil structures. This differentiation divides the soil condition into drained and undrained states at the initiation, emergence points, and the point of maximum depth along the failure surface. This approach is significant for accurately assessing soil shear resistance and potential failure mechanisms. The study's findings suggest a nuanced approach to parameter selection for slope stability analysis, ensuring accurate representation of both cohesion and internal friction in stability models.

Verification of the Mycoplasma IST3 for urogenital mycoplasma culture in comparison to the Mycoplasma IST2

Background: Unlike the Mycoplasma IST2 kit (bioMérieux), the Mycoplasma IST3 kit has been updated to comply with the standardized antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) method for Ureaplasma spp. (Up) and Mycoplasma hominis (Mh). We aimed to verify the use of the Mycoplasma IST3 kit for genital mycoplasma cultures. Methods: From September 2023 to January 2024, the R1 medium remaining after inoculation with IST2 was refrigerated until the next day. For IST2-positive samples, 300 μL of residual R1 medium was inoculated into the IST3. Species identification, enumeration, and AST results obtained using IST3 were compared with those obtained using IST2. Results: A total of 48 IST2-positive samples were inoculated into IST3, including 35, 1, and 12 Up-only, Mh-only, and both Up- and Mh-positive samples, respectively. Among Up-only samples, 2.8%, 91.4%, and 100.0% were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and erythromycin, respectively. With IST3, 45 (93.8%) samples grew genital mycoplasmas; 42 (89.4%) of the 47 Up-positive samples and 6 (46.2%) of the 13 Mh-positive samples showed growth of the same organisms. All seven samples that failed to grow Mh were from mixed cultures, of which four Mh concentrations of < 104/mL. Up was susceptible to levofloxacin, tetracycline, and erythromycin at the rates of 64.3 %, 88.1 %, and 95.2 %, respectively. Conclusion: IST3 showed good performance in detecting genital Mycoplasma except for its tendency to not detect Mh of low concentrations in mixed cultures. IST3 is preferable to IST2 because it can accurately screen for erythromycin resistance in Up and reduce falseresistances for fluoroquinolone.

Investigation on the current situation of occupational disease hazards in stone processing enterprises in Weihai City

Objective: To analyze the occupational disease hazards in stone processing enterprises in Weihai City to provide scientific basis for occupational disease prevention. Methods: From January 2021 to December 2022, 107 stone processing enterprises in Weihai City were selected to collect the detection status of occupational hazard factors in the workplace through on-site investigation and on-site monitoring of occupational hazard factors. The diagnostic reports on occupational diseases and suspected occupational diseases of 780 workers were collected through the Occupational Diseases and Hazard Factors Monitoring Information System of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the occupational health monitoring files of the occupational health examination institutions and the information data of the occupational disease diagnosis institutions. The differences between the measurement data were analyzed by Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability method. Results: 107 stone processing enterprises were mainly focused on granite processing, and the average free silica content in granite was 32.92% (12.78%-47.84%). The over-standard rate of silica dust was 0.31% (6/1920), and the over-standard rate of noise was 86.20% (1324/1536). Among them, the noise intensity of cutting position was the highest[120.5 dB (A) ]. The over-standard rates of noise in cutting, water grinding, dry grinding (polishing) and material preparation (forklift transportation) were 98.05%, 89.55%, 70.00% and 42.62%, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Among 780 workers, 31 cases (3.97%) of suspected silicosis were detected, and 13 cases (1.67%) were diagnosed with silicosis. 51 cases (6.54%) of suspected occupational noise deafness were detected, and 11 cases (1.41%) were diagnosed with occupational noise deafness. Conclusion: Silicon dust and noise in some positions of stone processing enterprises in Weihai City exceed the standard, and supervision should be strengthened, prevention and control measures should be implemented to protect the occupational health of workers.

The Influence of the Heat Flux of the Infrared Heater on the Charring Rate of Spruce Wood.

The study investigates the determination of selected fire properties of spruce wood, specifically the charring rate, using a modified testing method described and registered at the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic PUV 50121-2020, utility model no. 9373. The samples were exposed to a square ceramic infrared heater, FTE-750W, with a power output of 750 W, using which we determined the heat flux as a function of voltage (V). Spruce wood specimens with dimensions of 75 mm × 75 mm × 50 mm (l × w × h) were subjected to thermal exposure under heat fluxes of 10, 15, 20, and 25 kW∙m-2. The charring rate was evaluated using two distinct approaches: the first method measured the thickness of the char layer formed after a duration of 1800 s, while the second method was based on reaching a temperature threshold of 300 °C. The findings demonstrated a positive correlation between the thermal load and the charring rate. The charring rates obtained using the first method ranged from 0.2397 to 0.6933 mm∙min-1, whereas those derived from the second method varied from 0 to 1.0344 mm∙min-1. This suggests that the 300 °C temperature criterion may not be a reliable parameter for calculating the charring rate. The precision of the results was corroborated through numerical simulations.

Performance Assessment of Biomass-derived Urea-Furfuraldehyde Resins as Oilfield Scale Inhibitors

Oilfield-scale formation is a persistent challenge in the oil industry. While numerous scale inhibitors have been in use for decades, there is a significant research gap in discovering renewable, cost-effective, ecologically friendly, and efficient inhibitors. This study sets out to fill this gap by investigating the potential of scale inhibitors (SIs) made from bio-resin derivatives of red onion skin; ROF and ROFU, in reducing CaCO3 and CaSO4 scales. The scale inhibition performance of ROF and ROFU was rigorously evaluated using the NACE standard static bottle test method. The data revealed that increasing scale-inhibitor contact time, concentration, and temperature enhances inhibitor efficacy, with the best inhibition efficiencies found for ROF and ROFU on the CaSO4 scale compared to the CaCO3 scale across all studied parameters. A comparison of the prepared SIs with a commercial scale inhibitor (CSI) showed a high inhibition rate of over 90% at minimal dosage of 60ppm in both scales studied. Despite having a lower inhibition rate (IE) than CSI, ROF and ROFU demonstrate significant potential as green oilfield SIs. This sustainable technique, which transforms agro-waste into a valuable oilfield chemical via a one-pot chemical process, could have profound economic and societal benefits, offering hope for a more sustainable future in the oil industry.

FINANCIAL RATIOS AFFECTING FIRM VALUE AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AS MODERATING VARIABLE

The goal of this research is to gather the empirical data regarding the influence of financial performance, leverage, board of commissioner, sales growth, firm size, liquidity, and dividend policy on firm value. Moreover, corporate governance moderates the impact of financial performance on firm value. The non-financial company used in this research is the consumer cyclicals and non-cyclicals companies with total 43 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2020 to 2022. The hypothesis testing method used is multiple regression method that resulting financial performance, board of commissioner, sales growth, firm size, and liquidity impact the value of a firm. Strong financial performance will attract investors to invest in company, which will grow stock price. Independent commissioner monitors company’s financial statement that is align with company’s real condition, so it increases investor’s trust as well as firm value. Higher sales growth, the lower firm value due to higher tax expense and production cost. Higher total asset causes lack of efficiency in supervising operational activities and strategies by management. Greater current assets, reflect higher current ratio, have lower return than fixed assets. Therefore, the firm value will decrease. Corporate governance negatively moderates the influence of financial performance on firm value. In decision-making, investors consider high managerial ownership due to opportunistic management’s propensity. Meanwhile, leverage and dividend policy have no impact on firm value.

Understanding chromoblastomycosis in Sri Lanka; insights into fungal aetiology and antifungal susceptibility patterns

Introduction: Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic disfiguring fungal infection of the subcutaneous tissue found mainly in the socio-economically marginalized population in the tropical and sub-tropical regions, characterized by the presence of sclerotic cells. This study was done with the aim of identifying the antifungal sensitivity patterns of the causative agents of chromoblastomycosis in Sri Lanka from 1992 to 2019.Methodology: Study was done on the stored isolates received from patients with chromoblastomycosis since 1992 to 2019, to the Mycology Reference Laboratory of Medical Research Institute, Colombo. Isolates were revived by subculture on Potato dextrose agar. Identification was done phenotypically. Antifungal sensitivity testing was performed by E test method. Available demographic and clinical data were analysed.Results: Of the 74 isolates, 71 (96%) were caused by Fonsecaea pedrosoi. Mean MIC for the antifungals tested were lowest for posaconazole 0.015 μg/ml followed by itraconazole 0.225 μg/ml, and voriconazole 0.768 μg/ml while amphotericin B demonstrated complete resistance with mean MIC of 30.591 μg/ml. No statistically significant differences were noted on the antifungal sensitivity of the isolates from 1992 to 2004 and 2005 to 2019.Conclusions: Fonsecaea pedrosoi was the commonest causative agent causing chromoblastomycosis in the studied population. Posaconazole demonstrated the lowest MIC values for the tested isolates followed by itraconazole and voriconazole. Amphotericin B demonstrated very high MIC values which were likely to result in clinical failure upon treatment. MIC values demonstrated minimal fluctuations throughout the tested time.

The corrosion inhibition performance of a diissocyanate-imidazole based organic compound during acid cleaning of MSF desalination plant

Inorganic scale formation is a common issue in multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination plants, significantly impacting operational efficiency. To address this, acid cleaning is frequently employed, but it can lead to severe corrosion of alloy components if not properly controlled with corrosion inhibitors. This study investigates the effectiveness of toluene-2,4-diisocyanate-4-(1H-imidazole-ly) aniline (TDIA) as a corrosion inhibitor for 304L stainless steel in a simulated acid cleaning solution (1M HCl and 3.5 % NaCl). A range of tests, including electrochemical analysis, weight loss measurements, and surface characterization techniques such as AFM, EDS, and SEM, were used to assess the inhibitor's performance at temperatures of 25, 45, 65, and 90 °C. At a concentration of 50 ppm, TDIA achieved inhibition efficiencies of around 90% at 25 °C and above 80% at 90 °C, demonstrating effective protection across all temperatures studied. The adsorption behavior of TDIA followed the Langmuir adsorption model, and it acted as a mixed-type inhibitor by forming a protective layer on the metal surface, which prevents corrosive agents from accessing the steel. The dual-environment testing method, simulating conditions in desalination plants, offers valuable insights into the inhibitor's practical performance, enhancing the applicability of these findings to real-world industrial scenarios.

Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Self-Efficacy Regarding Vaginal Birth Scale: A Methodological Study

Aim: The aim of the study was to test validity and reliability of the Self-efficacy Regarding Vaginal Birth Scale in Turkish. Material and Methods: The methodological study was conducted in a university hospital with 165 pregnant women. The data were collected using "Personal Information Form", "Self-Efficacy Regarding Vaginal Birth Scale and "Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory - Short Form". Language validity, content validity, confirmatory factor analyse and criterion-dependence validity and were performed to test the validity of the scale. The scale’s reliability was assessed using the item-total correlation, Cronbach’s alpha, split-half test method and test-retest analysis. Results: The scale content validity index was found above 0.80. In the confirmatory factor analysis, all the goodness of fit indexes had acceptable values. Item-total correlations ranged between 0.167 and 0.809 for each item and were positively correlated with the scale total. In line with the recommendations of experts, no items were removed from the scale. It was determined that the scale was collected under one factor as 9 items. The correlation between the two halves of the scale is 0.76, the Spearman-Brown coefficient is 0.86, and the Gutmann Split-Half coefficient is 0.85. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient calculated for the overall scale was 0.87. The total correlation of the items and the test-retest correlation showed high reliability with 0.924 (p

Temperature Dependence of the Pre-Chromatographic ‘Lawrence’ Method for Bivalves Contaminated with Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins

AbstractSaxitoxins are potent neurotoxins originating the acute human neurological syndrome of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) via bivalve vectors. The official testing method in the European Union, commonly known as the ‘Lawrence method’, involves pre-column oxidation steps. The Portuguese monitoring adopted the hydrogen peroxide oxidation screening approach for bivalves contaminated with Gymnodinium catenatum toxins, which can quantify chromatographically at once 6 out of 10 analogues commonly found in bivalves. Seasonal fluctuation in the fluorescence yield of calibration curves was observed across years in a consistent manner. It correlated with fluctuations in average monthly air temperature in Lisbon, highlighting the importance of recording the room temperature during the oxidation steps as a matter of routine practice. Incubation experiments also showed an increase in fluorescence yield with temperature, more pronounced for the 11-hydroxysulphate analogues (dcGTX2 + 3, C1 + 2, GTX2 + 3) than for the 11-H toxins (dcSTX, GTX5[B1], STX). Temperature can be exploited to increase fluorescence yield, assisting in spectral confirmation, but must not exceed 40–50 °C to avoid toxin decomposition or production of extra oxidation products.

Conformity Assessment of a Modernised Locomotive Bogie and Body Connection – Type Tests and Results

Referring to the lecture held on 16th Mini-Conference on Vehicle System Dynamics, Identification and Anomalies, Budapest, 5-7 November 2018, the accredited Notified Body started the conformity assessment process of the modernized bogie-locomotive body connection of MÁV-START Class V63 electric locomotives running with Ganz-MÁVAG UFC-type bogies, in 2017. Since the planned modification of the locomotives was delayed, the Conformity Assessment Body could perform the necessary riding quality and noise test in the summer of 2020 instead of September 2018. The study presents the modification carried out on the locomotives, the test procedures, and the test results. The aim and the novelty of the research was to apply the latest developments of the test procedures on a modified, existing rolling stock. The conformity for the new requirement makes challenges for the development of testing even if theoretically a well-known test method is applied. The article gives an example for the application of a classic test method combined with of the new possibilities, that makes unnecessary the use of additional railway test cars.

Discrimination Between Benign and Malignant Lesions With Restriction Spectrum Imaging MRI in an Enriched Breast Cancer Screening Cohort.

Breast cancer screening with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) is recommended for high-risk women but has limitations, including variable specificity and difficulty in distinguishing cancerous (CL) and high-risk benign lesions (HRBL) from average-risk benign lesions (ARBL). Complementary non-invasive imaging techniques would be useful to improve specificity. To evaluate the performance of a previously-developed breast-specific diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) model (BS-RSI3C) to improve discrimination between CL, HRBL, and ARBL in an enriched screening population. Prospective. Exactly 187 women, either with mammography screening recommending additional imaging (N = 49) or high-risk individuals undergoing routine breast MRI (N = 138), before the biopsy. Multishell DW-MRI echo planar imaging sequence with a reduced field of view at 3.0 T. A total of 72 women had at least one biopsied lesion, with 89 lesions categorized into ARBL, HRBL, CL, and combined CLs and HRBLs (CHRLs). DW-MRI data were processed to produce apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, and estimate signal contributions (C1, C2, and C3-restricted, hindered, and free diffusion, respectively) from the BS-RSI3C model. Lesion regions of interest (ROIs) were delineated on DW images based on suspicious DCE-MRI findings by two radiologists; control ROIs were drawn in the contralateral breast. One-way ANOVA and two-sided t-tests were used to assess differences in signal contributions and ADC values among groups. P-values were adjusted using the Bonferroni method for multiple testing, P = 0.05 was used for the significance level. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and intra-class correlations (ICC) were also evaluated. C1, √C1C2, and were significantly different in HRBLs compared with ARBLs (P-values < 0.05). The had the highest AUC (0.821) in differentiating CHRLs from ARBLs, performing better than ADC (0.696), especially in non-mass enhancement (0.776 vs. 0.517). This study demonstrated the BS-RSI3C could differentiate HRBLs from ARBLs in a screening population, and separate CHRLs from ARBLs better than ADC. 2.

Performance of an in-house multiplex PCR assay for HIV-1 drug resistance testing – A cheaper alternative

BackgroundCurrently, most HIV drug resistance PCR assays amplify the protease-reverse transcriptase (PR-RT) fragment separately from the integrase (IN) fragment. The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR assay that simultaneously amplifies PR-RT and IN fragments for HIV-1 drug-resistance testing. MethodsThe in-house multiplex PCR assay was evaluated on extracted total nucleic acids obtained from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and Lancet laboratories. Sanger sequencing was performed on amplicons, and HIV-1 drug-resistance mutations (DRMs) were assessed using HIV Stanford drug resistance database. ResultsThis study tested 59 patient samples with known HIV-1 viral load and DRM results; 41 from Lancet and 18 from NHLS. In-house multiplex PCR assay detected one or both fragments in most samples but had higher sensitivity for detection of IN fragment (93.2 %) compared to PR-RT fragment (83.1 %). There was 100 % concordance between Lancet assay versus in-house assay sequence data for IN DRMs, but lower concordance with PR-RT (87.0 %). The in-house multiplex PCR assay’s precision and reproducibility analysis showed ≥99.9 % sequence similarity and yielded similar DRM results for both PR-RT and IN fragments. ConclusionsThe in-house multiplex PCR assay demonstrated satisfactory performance and higher sensitivity for IN fragment amplification. This could be a cost-effective method for HIV-1 drug resistance testing as both PR-RT and IN fragments are successfully amplified in one reaction in most samples.

Parameter identification and uncertainty evaluation in quasi-dynamic test of solar thermal collectors with Monte Carlo method

This work presents a comparison between two methods used for parameter identification and calculation of parameter uncertainty applied to the measured data of solar thermal collectors when tested according to ISO 9806:2017. One method is using a weighted least square (WLS) fit and the partial derivative approach described in the GUM (the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement). The second is using the Monte Carlo (MC) method, also described in GUM. Uncertainty evaluation by Monte Carlo method is based on a probabilistic approach and is an alternative way for identification of parameters and determination of the uncertainties. In this work the results were obtained according to Quasi-Dynamic Test (QDT) method for a flat plate collector and an evacuated tubular collector. The least squares (LS) method and a nonlinear regression method (MPFit) are used in the identification of parameters for each iteration of the MC method. For the implemented MC method computation times are also discussed. One disadvantage of the MC method is the computation time which depends on the number of samples in the experimental test quantity files, however with this study we think that the advantages of the MC method outweigh the disadvantages, and it is useful even as a complementary tool in QDT testing of collectors.

Cyclic seismic pushover testing of a multi-story underground station

The experimental approach is crucial for investigating the seismic performance and damage process of underground structures. Considering the shortcomings of the 1-g, centrifuge shaking table and monotonic displacement pushover tests, a large-scale cyclic displacement pushover test method is proposed based on the soil-underground structure dynamic interaction and seismic performance quantification system. Taking a two-story three-span subway station structure as the prototype, the cyclic displacement pushover test device was designed for a 1/7-scale multi-story subway station based on the seismic response characteristics of underground structures. The corresponding numerical simulations and experiments were conducted. Typical numerical results (including the seismic damage process, capacity curves of the structural columns, and strain response) and test results (the macroscopic phenomenon of structural damage development, strain response, and deformation response) are interpreted. The results show that the proposed cyclic displacement pushover test is better than the monotonic displacement pushover test, the damage process of the tested station structure conforms to the description of the inter-story drift ratio (IDR) quantification system of seismic performance. Meanwhile, the column has greater strain amplitudes than other components, and the column strain curves reach their peaks before other components. Furthermore, the tested station structure has a similar damage pattern to the Daikai subway station. The reliability and feasibility of the proposed cyclic displacement pushover test method are verified.

Evaluation of the Utilization of Web-based Library Application Information Systems using Whitebox and Blackbox Testing Methods

The library information system is a computerized process for integrated data management. This research was conducted in the library located at SMAN 12 Bandung, Jl. Sekejati No. 36, Sukapura. The importance of performance measurement. The validity of implementation from the perspective of effectiveness and efficiency of web-based libraries is the main thing in the aim of managing library digitalization. This research was carried out using the Whitebox and Blackbox Testing integration method. The purpose of the research is to conduct an Information Technology Audit with the validity of measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of application functions. The research results show that the technical analysis of FlowGraph Whitebox is based on source code and flowcharts running on Cyclomatic Complexity which counts the number of nodes and edges in FlowGraph. Research implications support the assessment of the concrete validity of the method used. This can be seen from the research results that the performance of the Web-based Widyantara Library application at SMAN 12 Bandung is considered satisfactory with a good level of validity, this is proven by the test results using the white box testing method. Meanwhile, based on the analysis of the black box testing method on application functionality, the test results are said to be good with a validity percentage reaching 100%. Validity according to application design is proven by testing 10 application scenarios.

Individual Psychological Profiles And Their Influence On Self-Regulatory Behaviour In Sport

The purpose of this paper is to study how individual psychological characteristics of an athlete affect his/her ability to effectively self-regulate during training. In the course of the study, the testing method was applied (Cognitive Strategies in Sport Scale and Psychological Stress Measurement). Methods of descriptive statistics for the analysis of the mean value and square deviation and Pearson's correlation coefficient (chi-square). The results of the study showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean values of all cognitive strategies. The most pronounced differences were observed between emotional control and other strategies, as well as between focusing attention and other strategies. This suggests that emotional control and attention focus are key cognitive strategies for achieving success in sport. In addition, psychological aspects and individual personality traits of athletes significantly affect their ability to self-regulate during training, which confirms the importance of taking these factors into account when developing training programmes. The study confirmed that emotional control and focus are key cognitive strategies for achieving success in sport. Individual psychological characteristics of athletes have a significant impact on their ability to effectively self-regulate during training. This highlights the importance of integrating psychological training into training programmes to improve athletes' performance. Further research should focus on developing methods to help improve these aspects.

Novel auxetic metamaterials inspired from geometry patterns of an Iranian Mosque with improved energy absorption capability

Recent developments in auxetic metamaterials have positioned them as highly effective energy absorbers, offering superior energy absorption and specific energy absorption (SEA) properties. Meanwhile, the fascinating geometric patterns and motifs found in historical arts have emerged as a valuable source of inspiration for designing innovative auxetic unit cells. This research proposes a novel auxetic unit cell inspired by the geometric patterns exhibited in the Isfahan Jameh Mosque in Iran. Two distinct auxetic structures are designed with different arrangements of the proposed unit cell and fabricated via the fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing technology. Their negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR), energy absorption capability, and SEA are evaluated through both experimental testing and finite element method (FEM). The comparative analysis of the results shows that the designed structures exhibit significantly enhanced energy absorption compared to the other two different re-entrant auxetic structures. Consequently, these novel auxetic structures hold great promise in replacing conventional re-entrant structures as highly efficient energy absorber devices.