Use Of Parameters Research Articles

A better insight on physics involved in the self-starting of a straight-blade Darrieus wind turbine by means of two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has recently provided the needed improvements in simulation capabilities that allowed enhancing the design of Darrieus wind turbines. While the performance in operating conditions has increased, poor self-starting is still one of the major drawbacks of these machines. In this study, the aerodynamics of Darrieus-turbines during start-up were investigated using a two-dimensional CFD approach. A fluid-structure interaction simulation was carried out using the ANSYS® FLUENT® solver incorporating the sliding mesh technique and enabling the rotational degree of freedom of the Six Degrees of Freedom (6DOF) solver. The issue of translating a fully-resolved flow field into lumped parameters of use to characterize the instantaneous kinematic properties of the airfoils is tackled by means of two velocity sampling methods recently proposed in the literature, i.e. the 2-PointsAverage and LineAverage methods. The results provide a clear estimation of how much the blade local absolute velocity (V∞, L) is dependent on the instantaneous tip speed ratio during the first revolutions of the starting rotor. At λ < 1, the blockage of the slow-moving blades causes sudden acceleration/deceleration in V∞, L. At 1 < λ < 1.5, a significant increase in V∞, L takes place between 90° < θ < 180° where the blade is moving in the direction of the wind. At λ > 1.5, V∞, L decreases significantly during the azimuth positions of 210° < θ < 340°, where it falls in the other blades’ wake zone. It is also confirmed that the drag force significantly contributes to the Darrieus turbine start-up during the initial cycles, up to λ ≤ 1.5; this in turn corroborates the importance of having reliable data not only for lift coefficient of the airfoil but also of drag coefficient, especially at high angles of attack. Overall, the present study is thought to provide a deeper understanding of the aerodynamics of the Darrieus turbine behaviour during starting that will hopefully enable optimization of these machines.

Event-triggered adaptive NN tracking control with dynamic gain for a class of unknown nonlinear systems

An event-triggered tracking control problem is investigated for a class of unknown nonlinear systems in this paper. First, to approximate the unknown function, the radial basis function neural network is used. Then, we propose an event-triggered adaptive neural network control scheme with dynamic gain. Both the event-triggered mechanism in the controller-to-actuator channel and the dynamic gain in the sensor-to-controller channel are considered to reduce the communication load between the controller and the actuator and in the meantime to alleviate the burden of parameter adjustment as well. This scheme makes full use of the advantage that the dynamic gain is driven by the tracking error to ensure that the system output signal can track the reference signal within a prespecified accuracy without adjusting the parameters in use. Moreover, a detailed theoretical proof is given to illustrate that Zeno behavior can be excluded under the designed event-triggered controller. Finally, a simulation example is provided to show the effectiveness of our control scheme.

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 as inflammatory biomarkers in dogs naturally infected with Ehrlichia canis.

Background and Aim:Canine monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (CME), a tick-borne disease, leads to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome; it is thus important to assess the intensity of inflammation in order to treat it appropriately. The current study was designed to evaluate hematological, biochemical, and inflammatory parameters in dogs naturally infected with Ehrlichia canis compared with those in healthy dogs. We also assessed the relationship among several inflammation-related parameters and considered these parameters for use as inflammatory biomarkers of CME.Materials and Methods:Twenty-eight dogs were divided into two groups based on the results of nested polymerase chain reaction for detecting E. canis, comprising a healthy group (n=11) and an infected group (n=17). A blood sample was collected from each dog to evaluate hematological, biochemical, and inflammatory parameters, with the obtained results being statistically compared between the groups. Moreover, the correlations of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were investigated in the 28 dogs.Results:In the infected group, the mean levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were significantly lower than in the healthy group, while the mean lymphocyte and monocyte counts were higher. The mean levels of ESR and CRP were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the infected group, whereas no significant differences were found in IL-6 levels between the two groups. In the correlation analysis, ESR and CRP levels were highly correlated (p<0.01, r=0.531).Conclusion:Elevated ESR and CRP levels were found in dogs naturally infected with E. canis, which also presented mild to moderate inflammation in this study. Moreover, CRP was significantly correlated with ESR, so ESR and CRP may serve as inflammatory biomarkers for monitoring CME.

Evaluation of Roundness Parameters in Use for Sand

AbstractParticle granulometry plays an important role in the engineering behavior of many sands. However, the evaluation of particle shape and size has historically been a tedious and labor-intensi...

Instrumented and Standard Measures of Physical Performance in Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common pathology encountered by acute care physical therapists. CKD is associated with reduced physical function and fall risk. The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the test-retest reliability of standard and instrumented physical performance measures and (2) describe the relationship between subjective fall risk and objective physical performance in people with CKD. Methods: Twenty-one adults with CKD completed a battery of standard and instrumented physical performance measures 1 week apart. Standard measures were the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), gait speed, 5 times sit-to-stand (FSTS), 2-minute walk test (2MWT), and quadriceps (QS) and grip (GS) strength dynamometry. Instrumented measures included parameters of gait, sit-stand, and postural sway. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) assessed test-retest reliability, and Pearson correlations (adjusted for age) assessed the relationships between the Fall Risk Questionnaire (FRQ) and standard physical performance. Results: Excellent to moderate test-retest reliability was demonstrated in the standard and instrumented physical performance measures. A subset of standard measures was significantly associated with the FRQ score. Conclusions: This study supports the clinical reliability of a battery of standard physical performance measures and a subset of instrumented parameters for use in adults with CKD. The FRQ may be useful for screening fall risk considering its relationship to objective physical performance.

Use of LiDAR technology for quantification and design of park, garden and urban tree structure

It is essential to know the parameters of trees making up a city’s green infrastructure for evaluating the functions of its ecosystems and ecosystem services being provided. Traditional methods of creating tree inventories proved to be slow and costly, while not being able to provide sufficient data for ecosystem services mapping. Laser scanning methods can be used to obtain accurate measurements of tree dimensions, crown size measurements and overall tree structure details. They can be used to analyze large forested areas at a fraction of the time needed to measure each tree individually by hand. The goal of this study was to conduct an approbation of ground-based 3D scanning methods and test their capabilities of obtaining tree parameters for use in green infrastructure inventories. The research is based on scans and analysis of sites of the green fund of Moscow, Russia, during the vegetation periods of the years 2019-2020. LiDAR scanning allows automatic georeferencing of data and creates detailed 3D geometry of tree objects. This enables previously impossible measurements of tree dimensions to be taken and calculated: aboveground biomass and crown area. Such methods can automate the process of creating tree inventory databases, while eliminating subjective bias when recording measurements.

A comparative analysis of the compression characteristics of a thermoplastic polyurethane 3D printed in four infill patterns for comfort applications

Purpose Most support surfaces in comfort applications and sporting equipment are made from pressure-relieving foam such as viscoelastic polyurethane. However, for some users, foam is not the best material as it acts as a thermal insulator and it may not offer adequate postural support. The additive manufacturing of such surfaces and equipment may alleviate these issues, but material and design investigation is needed to optimize the printing parameters for use in pressure relief applications. This study aims to assess the ability of an additive manufactured flexible polymer to perform similarly to a viscoelastic foam for use in comfort applications. Design/methodology/approach Three-dimensional (3D) printed samples of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) are tested in uniaxial compression with four different infill patterns and varying infill percentage. The behaviours of the samples are compared to a viscoelastic polyurethane foam used in various comfort applications. Findings Results indicate that TPU experiences an increase in strength with an increasing infill percentage. Findings from the study suggest that infill pattern impacts the compressive response of 3D printed material, with two-dimensional patterns inducing an elasto-plastic buckling of the cell walls in TPU depending on infill percentage. Such buckling may not be a beneficial property for comfort applications. Based on the results, the authors suggest printing from TPU with a low-density 3D infill, such as 5% gyroid. Originality/value Several common infill patterns are characterised in compression in this work, suggesting the importance of infill choices when 3D printing end-use products and design for manufacturing.

Observed impact of skin substitutes in lower extremity diabetic ulcers: lessons from the Medicare Database (2015-2018).

To evaluate large propensity-matched cohorts to assess outcomes in patients receiving advanced treatment (AT) with skin substitutes for lower extremity diabetic ulcers (LEDUs) versus no AT (NAT) for the management of LEDUs. The Medicare Limited Dataset (1 October 2015 through 2 October 2018) were used to retrospectively analyse people receiving care for a LEDU treated with AT or NAT (propensity-matched Group 1). Analysis included major and minor amputations, emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmissions. In addition, AT following parameters for use (FPFU) was compared with AT not FPFU (propensity-matched Group 2). A paired t-test was used for comparisons of the two groups. For comparisons of three groups, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used. A Bonferroni correction was performed when multiple comparisons were calculated. There were 9,738,760 patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, of whom 909,813 had a LEDU. In propensity-matched Group 1 (12,676 episodes per cohort), AT patients had statistically fewer minor amputations (p=0.0367), major amputations (p<0.0001), ED visits (p<0.0001), and readmissions (p<0.0001) compared with NAT patients. In propensity-matched Group 2 (1131 episodes per cohort), AT FPFU patients had fewer minor amputations (p=0.002) than those in the AT not FPFU group. AT for the management of LEDUs was associated with significant reductions in major and minor amputation, ED use, and hospital readmission compared with LEDUs managed with NAT. Clinics should implement AT in accordance with the highlighted parameters for use to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

SERUM MYELOPEROXIDASE, MALONDIALDEHYDE, ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH EPILEPSY

Background: Processes such as neurodegeneration, hypoxia, blood brain barrier dysfunction and oxidative changes are effective for epileptogenesis.There is no non-invasive biomarker that can be used in the follow-up of patients with epilepsy, which is a neurodegenerative disease. Objective: In our study, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between inflammatory, oxidative, neurodegenerative processes, and antiepileptic use in patients with epilepsy. Methods: The groups were formed from the patients who were followed up in the epilepsy outpatient clinic between April 2019-June 2019, and the age-gender-matched control group.The study included 30 patients and 30 healthy volunteers. Venous serum samples were collected from groups to study myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde and alpha-synuclein. Results: The levels of myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde were higher in the control group and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.003, p&lt;0.001). The level of α-syn was higher in the epilepsy group and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=0.52). There was a positive correlation between the α-syn level and disease duration and as the disease duration increased, the level of α-syn increased (r=0.379, p=0.03). Conclusion: Although the α-syn level increases with the duration of the disease in epilepsy patients, it is not a suitable parameter for use as a biomarker in the follow-up.

Quantification of heterogeneity in microstructural refinement in metals and alloys deformed to high plastic strains

The microstructure resulting from plastic deformation of metals and alloys typically contains heterogeneity on several length scales. Here we discuss the characterization by electron backscatter diffraction of one particular aspect of such heterogeneity, namely the uniformity of refinement by high angle boundaries after application of large plastic strains. A recently developed method for the quantification of this type of heterogeneity, based on the identification of areas that remain relatively unrefined by high angle boundaries (quantified by the fraction of low misorientation regions, fLMR), is reviewed, and an extension of this method to quantity the degree of LMR clustering is presented. Additionaly, the required choices of parameters for use of this method are discussed and some general recommendations are given. The method is illustrated by a comparison of the microstructure in samples of aluminum heavily deformed by two different processing routes, where it is shown that the fLMR parameter provides a measure of both the efficiency and uniformity in refinement by high angle boundaries. It is also shown how this approach can be used to investigate the relationship between nucleation of recrystallization and deformation microstructure heterogeneity in samples deformed to large strains.

Using a Response Time-Based Expected A Posteriori Estimator to Control for Differential Speededness in Computerized Adaptive Test.

This study investigates using response times (RTs) with item responses in a computerized adaptive test (CAT) setting to enhance item selection and ability estimation and control for differential speededness. Using van der Linden's hierarchical framework, an extended procedure for joint estimation of ability and speed parameters for use in CAT is developed following van der Linden; this is called the joint expected a posteriori estimator (J-EAP). It is shown that the J-EAP estimate of ability and speededness outperforms the standard maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of ability and speededness in terms of correlation, root mean square error, and bias. It is further shown that under the maximum information per time unit item selection method (MICT)-a method which uses estimates for ability and speededness directly-using the J-EAP further reduces average examinee time spent and variability in test times between examinees above the resulting gains of this selection algorithm with the MLE while maintaining estimation efficiency. Simulated test results are further corroborated with test parameters derived from a real data example.

What Is the Estimated COVID-19 Reproduction Number and the Proportion of the Population That Needs to Be Immunized to Achieve Herd Immunity in Malaysia? A Mathematical Epidemiology Synthesis

We aimed to determine Malaysia’s COVID-19 reproduction number and herd immunity threshold through a mathematical epidemiology synthesis. Using time-series incidence data, the time-dependent reproduction number (Rt) was yielded over time during the COVID-19 containment measures in Malaysia. The value of Rt at the beginning of the epidemic and prior to any interventions in place was used to determine the proportion of the population that needs to be immunized to achieve herd immunity. Rt was strongly influenced by interventions being put in place. We established that at least 74% of the Malaysian population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19. This threshold estimate is somewhat influenced by the availability of an efficacious vaccine. A vaccine with 95% efficacy would approximately synthesize a herd immunity threshold of 78%. We conclude that Rt is a valid estimator to determine the effectiveness of control measures and a parameter of use to synthesize herd immunity thresholds in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Design of Concrete Made with Recycled Brick Waste and Its Environmental Performance

In addition to the known uses of natural clays, less publication attention has been paid to clays returned to the production process. Industrially recovered natural clays such as bricks, tiles, sanitary ceramics, ceramic roofing tiles, etc., are applicable in building materials based on concrete as an artificial recycled aggregate or as a pozzolanic type II addition. In this way, the building products with higher added value are obtained from the originally landfilled waste. This paper details the research process of introducing concrete with recycled brick waste (RBW) up to the application output. The emphasis is placed on using a RBW brash as a partial replacement for natural aggregates and evaluating an RBW powder as a type II addition for use in concrete. A set of the results for an RBW is reported by the following: (a) an artificial RBW fine aggregate meets the required standardized parameters for use in industrially made concrete, (b) a RBW powder is suitable for use in concrete as industrially made type II addition TERRAMENT showing the same pozzolanic reactivity as a well-known and broadly used pozzolan-fly ash, and (c) such an RBW as aggregate and as powder are, therefore, suitable for the production of industrially made TRITECH Eco-designed ready-mixed concrete.

Hot-water extractable C and N as indicators for 4p1000 goals in a temperate-climate long-term field experiment: A case study from Hungary

Soil organic matter (SOM) consists of various labile and stable fractions, which are differently influenced by agricultural activities and land-use change. This study, aimed at investigating the feasibility of achieving 4p1000 goals on conventionally tilled plough-land, was carried out in a 42 years-old long-term field experiment (LTE), in which the effect of three farmyard manure (FYM) doses and the FYM equivalent NPK mineral fertiliser rates can be examined, together with that of mineral fertiliser with and without ploughed-in plant residues. The soil total organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SN) and the labile hot-water soluble C (HWC) and N (HWN) fractions were determined (0–0.3 m) and used as indicators. The parameters of the tilled area were compared with those of a grassland area with similar characteristics. The suitability of these parameters for use as soil quality indicators (SQI) was also examined in terms of soil fertility. The results showed that the most sensitive fraction for the detection of treatment effects were HWC and HWN. Increases in these labile organic fractions were significantly related to the gains of SOC stocks. Based on the close correlation between these factors and both SOC and crop yield it is recommended that they should be used as indicators for the prediction of changes in SOC and in studies on soil fertility or soil quality. The initial C stock of 40.46 Mg ha−1 became 40.27–47.05 Mg ha−1 on the tilled soil after four decades, while on the grassland it rose to 69.31 Mg ha−1. The carbon sequestration rate (CSR) in the various fertilisation systems exhibited the following order: plant residue incorporation >FYM addition > mineral fertilisation (0.147–0.156, 0.101–148 and –0.021–0.065 Mg ha−1 yr−1, respectively), while an outstandingly high value of 0.687 Mg ha−1 yr−1 was recorded for the grassland. Despite the fact that the carbon sequestration potential (CSP) remained high (55.36–62.48%), the achievement of 4 per 1000 aims can only be ensured in treatments involving high rates of organic matter and only in the short term.

Improved quantification of immune-gold labeling and its use to compare the distribution of cellular factors among sub-chloroplast compartments

Quantification of immuno-gold labeling can provide valuable information on the quantity and localization of a target within a region of interest (ROI). Background subtraction usually requires preparation of material with a deliberately reduced amount of target component often by gene knockout/knockdown. This paper reports a modified method without the need for gene knockout/knockdown, by using a region outside the ROI as a background and non-immune serum to verify the reliability of the data. An optimized parameter for use in image processing was also developed to improve semi-automatic segmentation of gold particles, by using the standard deviation of pixel intensity together with default parameters (size and intensity) to improve specificity. The modified methods were used to quantify the gold labeling of various components within chloroplasts and their 3 sub-organelle compartments (thylakoid, stroma and starch). Rubisco, actin, myosin, β-tubulin, Endoplasmic reticulum-retention signal HDEL, Sterol methyltransferase 1, and double stranded RNA were all effectively and consistently quantified at the level of the different sub-chloroplast compartments. The approach should be applicable more widely for high resolution labelling of samples in which a background requiring gene knockout/knockdown is not a realistic option.

A workflow for modelling fluvial meander-belt successions: Combining forward stratigraphic modelling and multi-point geostatistics

A new workflow has been developed for modelling reservoir successions that comprise fluvial meander-belt deposits, based on algorithms that employ multi-point statistics (MPS). A library of training images – from which MPS modelling algorithms can borrow geological patterns for modelling fluvial meandering systems – has been built. The training images incorporate sedimentary architectures relating to point-bar deposits accumulated by fluvial meander-bend expansion and translation, as observed in high-sinuosity river systems and their preserved deposits in the geological record. The training-image library has been developed using a forward stratigraphic modelling software (PB-SAND) that simulates fluvial meander-bend evolution and resulting point-bar facies organization, and which has been constrained using sedimentological data from geological analogues. The training images are applied to two widely employed MPS modelling algorithms: SNESIM and DEESSE. Solutions to common issues encountered in MPS modelling workflows have been established through optimization of modelling settings for SNESIM and DEESSE. Auxiliary variables are used to simulate common facies trends. Application of the training-image library through the developed workflows for SNESIM and DEESSE has been tested; the sensitivity of unconditional simulation results to input parameters has been analysed to define modelling recipes, consisting of sets of appropriate modelling parameters for use with each training image and modelling algorithm. The creation of fluvial reservoir models that are geologically realistic using MPS algorithms remains challenging, but the proposed approach holds promise.

MarkVCID cerebral small vessel consortium: II. Neuroimaging protocols.

MarkVCID cerebral small vessel consortium: II. Neuroimaging protocols.

Numerical simulation with hardening soil model parameters of marine clay obtained from conventional tests

Over the last decades, numerical modelling has gained practical importance in geotechnical engineering as a valuable tool for predicting geotechnical problems. An accurate prediction of ground deformation is achieved if models that account for the pre-failure behaviour of soil are used. In this paper, laboratory results of the consolidated drain (CD) triaxial compression tests and one-dimensional consolidation tests of marine clay were used to determine the hardening soil model (HSM) parameter for use in Plaxis 3D analyses. The parameters investigated for the HSM were stiffness, strength and advanced parameters. The stiffness parameters were secant stiffness in CD triaxial compression test (E_{50}^{text{ref}}), tangent stiffness for primary oedometer loading test (E_{text{oed}}^{text{ref}} ), unloading/reloading stiffness (E_{text{ur}}^{text{ref}}) and power for the stress-level dependency of stiffness (m). The strength parameters were effective cohesion (c_{text{ref}}^{text{'}}), effective angle of internal friction (phi^{text{'}}) and angle of dilatancy (psi^{text{'}}). The advanced parameters were Poisson’s ratio for unloading–reloading (ν) and K0-value for normal consolidation left( {K_{circ}^{text{nc}} } right). Furthermore, Plaxis 3D was used to simulate the laboratory results to verify the effectiveness of this study. The results revealed that the stiffness parameters E_{50}^{text{ref}} , E_{text{oed}}^{text{ref}} , E_{text{ur}}^{text{ref}} and m are equal to 3.4 MPa, 3.6 MPa, 12 MPa and 0.7, respectively, and that the strength parameters c_{text{ref}}^{text{'}}, phi^{text{'}}, psi^{text{'}} and K_{circ}^{text{nc}} are equal to 33 kPa, 17.51°, 1.6° and 0.7, respectively. A final comparison of the laboratory results with the numerical results revealed that they were in accordance, which proved the efficacy of the study.

The impacts of heterogeneity on CO2 capillary trapping within the Captain Sandstone - a core to field scale study.

To ensure storage security, it is vital we understand, and can effectively model, the physical and chemical trapping mechanisms for CO2 storage. A key trapping mechanism underpinning storage security and immobilising a significant proportion of the CO2 plume is capillary trapping. Capillary trapping is considered to be responsible for 90% of the storage capacity in saline aquifers in the US, the largest potential CO2 storage resource. The ability to model and predict capillary trapping over large spatial scales in complex geological systems is essential to minimise risks and evaluate capacity. This paper investigates the effect of natural rock heterogeneities on capillary trapping across spatial scales in the Captain D Sandstone, from the Goldeneye formation, North Sea. That is, how heterogeneities affect CO2 saturation and distribution within rock core samples, and how those effects manifest, as a pseudo residual trapping, when upscaled to the field. A comprehensive dataset of 48 core plugs over a 65m interval have been studied. The location has industrial application as a target injection site for the discontinued Peterhead CCS project, with the aim to store 10 Mt CO2 over 10 years. These results are also applicable to other storage sites of similar geology. We have carried out steady-state core flooding experiments using medical x-ray CT, providing a detailed characterisation of continuum multiphase flow properties, including residual trapping characteristics, over cm scales. The results show that individual core plugs exhibit a large range in apparent residual trapping at the centimetre scale which averages out over scales of 10s of cm’s or greater. The average Land trapping value at the deca-centimetre scale is 1.7, however, at the cm scale, it varies between 0.8 and 2.8, representing a very large variation in locally trapped CO2. Consequently, at the plug scale for large initial saturations, approaching 1, the apparent residual saturation may vary between 0.2 and 0.5, given the variations in Land trapping parameter. At lower initial saturations, the variations are not as great in absolute terms, but the relative variation is just as large. Continuum numerical models are constructed from observations of residual trapping in heterogeneous rock cores using characterisation methods developed by Jackson et al. (2018, 2020). The trapping stage of a CO2 injection and migration project is simulated over a 65m region, while retaining the impact of heterogeneities at the cm-scale. Results from these models indicate that great care should be taken when upscaling the Land trapping parameter for use in field simulations, to estimate the long-term trapping of CO2 by capillary heterogeneities. Through quantifying the proportion of trapping resulting from capillary heterogeneities, the implications of modelling the system with the average and maximum experimental Land trapping parameter are evaluated. Modelling the system with the maximum experimental core plug Land trapping parameter results in the proportion of trapping caused by capillary heterogeneities to approximately double compared to that obtained using the average experimental core plug Land trapping parameter.

Development and Validation of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Method for Estimation of Elemental Impurities in Calcium Acetate Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient

A sensitive and selective method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous quantitative estimation of aluminum, magnesium, potassium, strontium and sodium in calcium acetate active pharmaceutical ingredient by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is an advanced technique which is capable of analyzing multiple elements simultaneously with high selectivity, sensitivity and much lower detection limit. The test sample was prepared with microwave assisted acid digestion and introduced into optimized instrumental parameters for use of a quadrupole based Agilent 7800 inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instrument. Scandium is used as an internal standard in the study. The developed method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, range, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and ruggedness. The results for recoveries of all elements were found between 85.3 to 103.9 %. The relative standard deviation for precision was within 15 %. Calibration plots were linear. The low relative standard deviation values and high recoveries of the method confirm the suitability of the method.