Test Parameters Research Articles

玉米植保无人机离心喷施系统设计与雾滴分布特性试验

Aiming at the problems of spraying pole-type plant protection machines difficult to get down to the field after row closure of maize in the middle and late stages, uneven droplet distribution of pressure nozzle-type plant protection drone, and difficult to change the droplet particle size, this paper designed a UAV centrifugal spraying system for maize planting protection through the designed centrifugal nozzle combined with a plant protection drone. A single nozzle parameter test was carried out to study the relationship between nozzle speed, flow rate and droplet size. The variable parameter flow rate is set in the range of 300 ml ~ 1000 mL / min, and the nozzle rotation speed is set in the range of 8000 ~ 18000 r / min gradient change. The test results show that the droplet size is related to the liquid supply flow rate and the nozzle rotation speed. According to the theory of optimal biological particle size, the centrifugal nozzle parameter is determined to select the liquid supply flow rate of 1000 mL / min and the nozzle rotation speed of 14000 r / min. The droplet distribution characteristics test under the actual operating conditions was carried out with this parameter, and the important index parameters such as droplet size, droplet density and coverage rate were analyzed to characterize the UAV aerial spraying operation. The experimental results show that the flight speed of the UAV has an important effect on the droplet deposition parameters, which significantly affects the droplet coverage, droplet density and deposition amount of the bottom layer of maize, and the droplet coverage and the droplet deposition amount of each sampling layer tends to decrease with the increase of flight speed, and the coefficient of variation (CV) value of the centrifugal spraying system was the smallest at the flight speed of 1.5m/s, and the effect of droplet deposition was the most uniform. at a flight speed of 1.5m/s. The effect of droplet deposition is the most uniform. This study can provide a reference basis for the optimization of parameters and the correct use of centrifugal plant protection UAV in the middle and late stage plant protection operations of tall crops such as maize.

Feline leishmaniosis in the Mediterranean Basin: a multicenter study

BackgroundCats are now recognized as competent hosts for Leishmania infantum and a blood source for sand fly vectors. Although canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is endemic in Mediterranean Basin countries, large-scale epidemiological studies are lacking for feline leishmaniosis (FeL). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of L. infantum infections, associated risk factors, clinical signs, and clinicopathological abnormalities in domestic cat populations from six Mediterranean Basin countries.MethodsFrom 2019 to 2022, blood and serum samples of cats (n = 2067) living in Italy (n = 300), Greece (n = 297), Portugal (n = 295), France (n = 231), Israel (n = 313), and Spain (n = 631) were collected along with animal data (i.e., age, sex, breed, housing conditions, and geographical origin), clinical signs, and laboratory blood test parameters. Cats were grouped according to their age as kittens (up to 1 year), young (older than 1 and younger than 7 years), mature (between 7 and 10 years), and senior (older than 10 years). Serum samples were tested for L. infantum by immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and blood samples of seropositive cats were tested for L. infantum kinetoplast deoxyribonucleic acid (kDNA). Viral infection by feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) was molecularly addressed in all cats enrolled. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the association between the risk of L. infantum infection and independent variables, and among co-infection of L. infantum with FIV and/or FeLV, clinical signs, and clinicopathological abnormalities.ResultsOverall, 17.3% (358/2067) of cats scored positive for L. infantum by serological tests. Specifically, 24.7% were from Portugal, 23.2% from Greece, 16.6% from Israel, 15% from Spain, 13.3% from France, and 12.6% from Italy. Leishmania infantum DNA was detected in 15 seropositive animals. Housing condition and FIV infection proved to be risk factors for FeL. Leishmania seropositivity was significantly associated with weight loss, lymphadenomegaly, gingivostomatitis, and oral ulcers, as well as with reduced albumin and albumin/globulin ratio, increased total globulins and total proteins, leukocytosis, and thrombocytosis.ConclusionsThis study provides, for the first time, a large-scale epidemiological survey on FeL and its clinical presentation, revealing that L. infantum circulates among domestic cats, especially shelter/free-roaming and FIV-infected animals, living in CanL endemic countries of the Mediterranean Basin.Graphical

Not a Deficit, Just Different: Prepulse Inhibition Disruptions in Autism Depend on Startle Stimulus Intensities.

Sensory processing disruptions are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurological disorders. The acoustic startle response and prepulse inhibition (PPI) are common metrics used to assess disruptions in sensory processing and sensorimotor gating in clinical studies and animal models. However, often there are inconsistent findings on ASD-related PPI deficits across different studies. Here, we used a novel method for assessing changes in startle and PPI in rodents, using the Cntnap2 knock-out (KO) rat model for neurodevelopmental disorder/ASD that has consistently shown PPI disruptions in past studies. We discovered that not only sex and prepulse intensity but also the intensity of the startle stimulus profoundly impacts whether PPI deficits are evident in the Cntnap2 KO rat or not. We show that rats do not universally exhibit a PPI deficit; instead, impaired PPI is contingent on specific testing conditions. Notably, at lower startle stimulus intensities, Cntnap2 KO rats not only demonstrated intact PPI but also exhibited evidence of enhanced PPI compared with their wild-type counterparts. This finding emphasizes the importance of considering specific testing conditions when evaluating startle and PPI in the context of ASD and other neuropsychiatric conditions and might explain some of the inconsistencies between different studies.

Investigating the impact of extreme weather events and related indicators on cardiometabolic multimorbidity

BackgroundThe impact of weather on human health has been proven, but the impact of extreme weather events on cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) needs to be urgently explored.ObjectivesInvestigating the impact of extreme temperature, relative humidity (RH), and laboratory testing parameters at admission on adverse events in CMM hospitalizations.DesignsTime-stratified case-crossover design.MethodsA distributional lag nonlinear model with a time-stratified case-crossover design was used to explore the nonlinear lagged association between environmental factors and CMM. Subsequently, unbalanced data were processed by 1:2 propensity score matching (PSM) and conditional logistic regression was employed to analyze the association between laboratory indicators and unplanned readmissions for CMM. Finally, the previously identified environmental factors and relevant laboratory indicators were incorporated into different machine learning models to predict the risk of unplanned readmission for CMM.ResultsThere are nonlinear associations and hysteresis effects between temperature, RH and hospital admissions for a variety of CMM. In addition, the risk of admission is higher under low temperature and high RH conditions with the addition of particulate matter (PM, PM2.5 and PM10) and O3_8h. The risk is greater for females and adults aged 65 and older. Compared with first quartile (Q1), the fourth quartile (Q4) had a higher association between serum calcium (HR = 1.3632, 95% CI: 1.0732 ~ 1.7334), serum creatinine (HR = 1.7987, 95% CI: 1.3528 ~ 2.3958), fasting plasma glucose (HR = 1.2579, 95% CI: 1.0839 ~ 1.4770), aspartate aminotransferase/ alanine aminotransferase ratio (HR = 2.3131, 95% CI: 1.9844 ~ 2.6418), alanine aminotransferase (HR = 1.7687, 95% CI: 1.2388 ~ 2.2986), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (HR = 1.4951, 95% CI: 1.2551 ~ 1.7351) were independently and positively associated with unplanned readmission for CMM. However, serum total bilirubin and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) showed negative correlations. After incorporating environmental factors and their lagged terms, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) demonstrated a more prominent predictive performance for unplanned readmission of CMM patients, with an average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.767 (95% CI:0.7486 ~ 0.7854).ConclusionsExtreme cold or wet weather is linked to worsened adverse health effects in female patients with CMM and in individuals aged 65 years and older. Moreover, meteorologic factors and environmental pollutants may elevate the likelihood of unplanned readmissions for CMM.

Particle filter data assimilation for ubiquitous unstable trajectories of two-dimensional three-state cellular automata

Estimating the states of error-growing (sensitive to initial state) cellular automata (CA) based on noisy imperfect data is challenging due to the discreteness of the dynamical system. This paper proposes particle filter (PF)–based data assimilation (DA) for three-state error-growing CA and demonstrates that the PF-based DA can predict the present and future state even with noisy and sparse observations. The error-growing CA used in the present study comprised a competitive system of land, grass, and sheep. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first application of DA to such CA. The performance of DA for different observation sets was evaluated in terms of observational error, density, and frequency, and a series of sensitivity tests of the internal parameters in the DA was conducted. The inflation and localization parameters were tuned according to the sensitivity tests.

Is Takaful (Islamic Insurance) More Efficient Than Conventional Insurance A Comparative Analysis Of Insurance Industry In Malaysia

The efficiency of the Malaysian insurance industry (II) has drawn increasing international attention as the country has a dual-insurance system that comprises conventional insurance (CI) and takaful (Islamic) insurance (TI). Therefore, the objectives of the present study are to evaluate the efficiency of the Malaysian II as well as compare the efficiencies of CI and TI in Malaysia. Secondary data, spanning 2013-2021, from 46 CI and 28 TI providers was used. The results of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) indicates that scale efficiency (SE) has a significantly larger impact on the impact the total efficiency (TE) of the Malaysian II than pure technical efficiency (PTE). Therefore, larger insurance companies, with higher SE, are better suited to deal with large-scale risks, while smaller insurance companies may need to diversify or reinsure to limit their risk. Meanwhile, the results of the parametric and non-parametric tests indicate that there is a significant difference between the efficiencies of the Malaysian CI and TI industries. More specifically, that the Shariah-compliant nature of the Malaysian TI industry is a more conservative investment approach. As such, it decreases the risk of losses and financial instability. The purpose of comparing the efficiencies of the Malaysian TI and CI industries was to stimulate innovation and competition in the Malaysian II.

Comments on standard EN-10371 and proposals for standard follow up

The small punch test technique was developed in the USA in the 1980 s, followed shortly by Japan and introduced to Europe in the 1990 s. CEN organized Workshop 21 to summarize more than ten years of research results and formulate the first technical guidelines CWA 15627. The specification work for European standard started in 2015 and the first European standard EN-10371 was published in 2022. The EN-10371 standardized the specimen size and test apparatus. It also specifies the test procedure and characteristic parameters for small punch test (SP) and small punch creep test (SPC). Nine annexes allows estimation of the values normally obtained using classical standard size uniaxial or fracture mechanics specimens. In order to make the standard perfect and usable, the standard working group proposed a five year “standard follow up” project in 2019. Responding to the proposed project, authors carefully re-examined the specification, and found some shortcomings in the standard. Proposals are put forward to improve the current methodology and extend the standard scope to include the latest development.

Comparison of standard and global hemostasis assays in cord and peripheral blood of newborns.

Umbilical cord blood is used for the testing of various parameters in newborns. However, data on its applicability for hemostasis assays is insufficient. To evaluate whether umbilical cord blood can be used for standard tests, thromboelastometry and thrombodynamics for preterm and term newborns. 187 newborns were included in the study. Blood was taken from the umbilical cord and by venipuncture of the newborn. Clotting times, fibrinogen, D-dimer, thromboelastometry and thrombodynamics were measured. Clotting times and fibrinogen indicated a hypocoagulable shift, while thromboelastometry and thrombodynamics showed a hypercoagulable shift in hemostasis in umbilical cord blood compared to newborn blood. D-dimer indicated an enhanced process of thrombus lysis in newborn blood compared to cord blood. Collecting blood into a tube with the addition of a contact pathway inhibitor did not significantly change the global assay parameters in either umbilical cord blood or newborn blood. In the thrombodynamics assay, spontaneous clotting was detected but suppressed by the addition of a tissue factor inhibitor. Hemostasis in cord and newborn blood differs for both global and standard tests. Hypercoagulability in newborns registered with the global assay thrombodynamics is associated with the presence of tissue factor in the blood. 1. We found a hypercoagulation shift in newborns compared with the adult references, possibly due to the presence of tissue factor in blood. 2. Blood coagulation is enhanced in cord blood compared with blood sampled from the vein of a newborn according to thromboelastometry and thrombodynamics assays. 3. Clotting times and fibrinogen concentrations in cord blood differ from these parameters in newborn blood. 4. Studying of the (patho)physiological features of hemostasis in newborns should consider differences in cord blood and vein sampled blood.

Compression behavior of sheet-network triply periodic minimal surface metamaterials as a function of density grading

This study involved the fabrication and experimental testing of five distinct geometries of triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) cellular structures characterized by uniform and relative density grading. The specific geometries examined were Schoen-Gyroid, Schwarz-Diamond, Schoen-I-WP, Schwarz-Primitive, and Fischer-Koch S. The experimental tests focused on subjecting these structures to compression loads. Samples were produced with a masked stereolithography (MSLA) printer. The samples had initial and end volume fractions (VFs) ranging from 20% to 60% in increments of 10%, with five varied relative densities. The Taguchi method is utilized to determine the optimal testing parameters, while the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test is employed to examine the data. The novelty of this paper is to comprehensively investigate the structural efficiency and versatility of TPMS for various applications by optimizing five different functionally graded TPMSs. The ANOVA findings highlighted the substantial impacts of Initial VF, Final VF, and TPMS type on the observed fluctuations in stress at the first peak. The Initial VF made a significant contribution, demonstrating 28.8% higher effectiveness than the Final VF. The TPMS type had a statistically significant effect on the amount of energy absorbed, revealing that different lattice types have abilities to absorb energy.

A Validated LC-MS/MS Assay for the Quantification of Cholate Isotopes in Human Serum.

Current methods for evaluating liver health rely on nonspecific blood tests, elastography surrogates for fibrosis, and invasive procedures, none of which directly measure liver function and physiology. Herein we present the analytical validation of a unique, highly sensitive LC-MS/MS assay and dual-sample oral (DuO) cholate challenge test to reliably quantify serial serum concentrations of cholate isotopes administered to patients with liver diseases. The clearance of administered cholate isotopes measured by the assay provides information about liver function and physiology. Analytical method validation of the cholate assay analytes (endogenous unlabeled cholic acid, 24-13C-cholic acid, and 2,2,4,4-D4-cholic acid) in terms of accuracy, precision, analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity, and range of reliable response was completed in human serum samples spiked with quality controls and calibrators in accordance with applicable guidelines. DuO test parameters were validated using samples from 48 subjects representing various liver disease etiologies. Accuracy (mean biases) for all analytes ranged from 0.1% to 3.7%. Using a nested components-of-variance design (20 days, 2 runs per day, 2 replicates per sample), total imprecision for all analytes ranged from 2.3% to 8.4%. Lower and upper limits of quantitation were established and validated at 0.1 to 10.0 µM. Matrix effects and potential interferents did not affect assay performance. DuO test validation met all prespecified acceptance criteria. The method validation studies described herein established the performance characteristics in terms of accuracy, precision, analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity, reportable ranges, and reference intervals of the LC-MS/MS cholate assay and DuO test.

The association between sleep quantity, insomnia and lung cancer risk - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The effect of various sleep traits on the risk of lung cancer differs among pre-existing studies. This study aims to systematically review and synthesise the association between sleep duration and insomnia with the incidence of lung cancer. PubMed, Embase and The Cochrane Library were searched from inception to 23 April 2023 for observational studies examining the effect of sleep quantity or insomnia on lung cancer incidence. We pooled maximally-adjusted hazard ratios and odds ratios separately using random effects inverse variance weighted models. The risk of bias of observational studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We included 11 observational studies with a pooled cohort of 5,049,141 patients. The mean age of the patients was 49.5 ± 17.7years, and 51.4% were males. The risk of bias ranged from low-moderate. Individuals who slept for a shorter or longer duration than the reference range of sleep per night showed an increased risk of lung cancer by 11% (HR:1.11; 95%CI:1.00-1.23) and 16% (HR:1.16; 95%CI:1.06-1.27) respectively. Furthermore, individuals with insomnia symptoms had a 9% greater risk of lung cancer than those without symptoms (HR:1.09; 95%CI:1.05-1.13). This study suggests that insufficient sleep, excessive sleep and insomnia may be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Physicians should be mindful of this association and encourage healthy sleep practises among patients. Given the observed heterogeneity among some pre-existing studies, future research with longer periods of follow-up, greater control for covariates and objective testing of sleep parameters may add value to this topic.

Adaptation Test and Genetic Parameters Estimation of Chili (Capsicum spp.) by Automation Drip Irrigation System in UG Technopark, Cianjur

Bean stew efficiency in 2019-2021 is vacillated because of the utilization of improper assortments and ecological variable. This study plans to decide assortments that have ideal development and creation at UG Technopark and to decide the hereditary variety between bean stew assortments. This study used a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three blocks and one factor made up of eight chili varieties. The information examination utilized in this review was investigation of varians (ANOVA) at 5 and 1% level and the post hoc test utilized Duncan's Various Reach Test at 5%. Noticed information additionally were broke down utilizing coefficient of hereditary difference, coefficient of phenotypic change and heritability examination. The results showed that the Bonita variety has the highest plant height, dichotomous height, and the largest stem diameter. Bishop's crown variation had the biggest character of crown width, length and width of leaves meanwhile Ayesha variety had the fastest flowering time. On the fruit characters, Bishop’s crown variety had the highest fruit weight per plant and fruit diameter. Reisa varieties had the highest fruit weight. Each character had a wide range of genetic coefficients of variation with values ranging from 16.50 to 77.96%, high phenotypic coefficents of variation with values ranging from 13.93 to 86.38% and high broad meaning heritability values ranging from 0.43 to 1.00.

A rigorous and versatile statistical test for correlations between stationary time series.

In disciplines from biology to climate science, a routine task is to compute a correlation between a pair of time series and determine whether the correlation is statistically significant (i.e., unlikely under the null hypothesis that the time series are independent). This problem is challenging because time series typically exhibit autocorrelation and thus cannot be properly analyzed with the standard iid-oriented statistical tests. Although there are well-known parametric tests for time series, these are designed for linear correlation statistics and thus not suitable for the increasingly popular nonlinear correlation statistics. There are also nonparametric tests that can be used with any correlation statistic, but for these, the conditions that guarantee correct false positive rates are either restrictive or unclear. Here, we describe the truncated time-shift (TTS) test, a nonparametric procedure to test for dependence between 2 time series. We prove that this test correctly controls the false positive rate as long as one of the time series is stationary, a minimally restrictive requirement among current tests. The TTS test is versatile because it can be used with any correlation statistic. Using synthetic data, we demonstrate that this test performs correctly even while other tests suffer high false positive rates. In simulation examples, simple guidelines for parameter choices allow high statistical power to be achieved with sufficient data. We apply the test to datasets from climatology, animal behavior, and microbiome science, verifying previously discovered dependence relationships and detecting additional relationships.

Some non parametric tests for umbrella alternatives in experimental design: A simulation study

Testing the null hypothesis against the umbrella alternative arises in various practical situations. This article has studied some non parametric tests that may be used for umbrella alternatives and their performance in different symmetric and asymmetric distributions, including long-tailed, short-tailed, and a mixture of two distributions. We have considered viz., Mack and Wolfe test, Hettmansperger and Norton test, Shi test, SU test, and Modified Mack and Wolfe test. The simulation approach assesses the empirical level and power of test statistics. The study shows that the SU and Shi tests have performed almost the same in Normal, Cauchy, Contaminated normal, and mixture distributions. However, the overall performance of the SU test was found to be better than that of other selected tests.

Impact of Islamicity on the productivity of conventional and Islamic banks in selected southeast Asian countries

This study provides a new understanding of how bank-specific characteristics, the macroeconomic environment, and Islamicity affect the productivity of conventional banks (CBs) and Islamic banks (IBs) in selected Southeast Asian countries. The data of 153 banks, collected between 2015 and 2020, were used, and the influence of the selected factors was investigated by using panel data approaches, as well as the data envelopment analysis-based Malmquist productivity index (DEA-MPI). In the first-stage analysis, bank productivity was measured by using total factor productivity changes (TFPC), and in the second-stage analysis, panel regression analysis was performed, specifically, multiple panel regression analysis, which employed pooled ordinary least squares, a fixed-effects model, and a random-effects model. Parametric and nonparametric (Mann–Whitney and Kruskall–Wallis) tests found that the IBs were more progressive than the CBs. The findings indicated that unlike the IBs, change in the productivity of the CBs was adversely affected by economic Islamicity, as well as legal and governance Islamicity, which indicated that macroeconomic and legal structures that leaned toward Islamic values adversely affected the CBs. Meanwhile, the IBs were likely to be structured in line with such values and thus can mitigate the adverse impact of various factors. Both groups were negatively affected by human and political rights Islamicity, which indicated the use of a setup that could not benefit from Islamic values. This finding lends credence to the arguments in the literature that IBs mirror CBs in practice to remain competitive in their pricing based on market principles. The IBs were found to benefit from international relations Islamicity, which bodes well for the competitiveness of new players against the ancient setup of CBs in the globalized world.

Comparative Study of Preoperative Sagittal Spinal Pelvic Alignment in Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy, Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament, and Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.

Cervical spondylosis may lead to changes in the sagittal parameters of the neck and trigger compensatory alterations in systemic sagittal parameters. However, there is currently a dearth of comparative research on the changes and compensatory alterations to sagittal parameters resulting from different types of cervical spondylosis. This study compared the preoperative sagittal alignment sequences among patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR), ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), and cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) caused by factors resulting from non-OPLL factors. Full length lateral X-ray of the spine and cervical computed tomography (CT) of 256 patients (134 men, 122 women; mean age, 56.9 ± 9.5 years) were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 4096 radiomics features were measured through the lateral X-ray by two spinal surgeons with extensive experience. The clinical symptoms measures were the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, number of hand actions in 10 s, hand-grip strength, visual analog scale (VAS) score. Normally distributed data was compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for parametric variables and χ2 test were used to analyze the categorical data. In the OPLL group, the C2-C7 Cobb angle was greater than in the CSR and CSM groups (19.8 ± 10.4°, 13.3 ± 10.3°, and 13.9 ± 9.9°, respectively, p < 0.001). Additionally, the C7-S1 SVA measure was found to be situated in the anterior portion with regards to the CSM and CSR groups (19.7 ± 58.4°, -6.3 ± 34.3° and -26.3 ± 32.9°, p < 0.001). Moreover, the number of individuals with C7-S1 SVA >50 mm was significantly larger than the CSM group (26/69, 11/83, p < 0.001). In the CSR group, the TPA demonstrated smaller values compared to the OPLL group (8.8 ± 8.5°, 12.7 ± 10.2°, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the SSA was comparatively smaller as opposed to both the OPLL and CSM groups (49.6 ± 11.2°, 54.2 ± 10.8° and 54.3 ± 9.3°, p < 0.05). Patients with OPLL exhibit greater cervical lordosis than those with CSR and CSM. However, OPLL is more likely to result in spinal imbalance when compared to the CSM group. Furthermore, OPLL and CSM patients exhibit anterior trunk inclination and worse global spine sagittal parameters in comparison to CSR patients.

Optimisation Design of Thermal Test System for Metal Fibre Surface Combustion Structure

The metal fibre surface combustion structure has the characteristics of strong thermal matching ability, short response time, and strong shape adaptability. It has more advantages in the thermal test of complex hypersonic vehicle surface inlet, leading edge, etc. In this paper, a method of aerodynamic thermal simulation test based on metal fibre surface combustion is proposed. The aim of the study was to create a uniform target heat flow on the inner wall surface of a cylindrical specimen by matching the gas jet flow rate and the geometry of the combustion surface. The research adopted the optimisation design method based on the surrogate model to establish the numerical calculation model of a metal fibre combustion jet heating cylinder specimen. One hundred sample points were obtained through Latin hypercube sampling, and a database of design parameters and heat flux was established through numerical simulation. The kriging surrogate model and the non-dominated sequencing genetic optimisation algorithm with elite strategy were adopted. A bi-objective optimisation design was carried out with the optimisation objective of the coincidence between the predicted and the target heat flux on the inner wall of the specimen. The results showed that the average relative errors of heat flow density on the specimen surface were 8.8% and 6% through the leave-one-out cross-validation strategy and the validation of six test sample points, respectively. The relative error values in most regions were within 5%, which indicates that the established kriging surrogate model has high prediction accuracy. Under the optimal solution conditions, the numerical calculation results of the heat flow on the inner wall of the specimen were in good agreement with the target heat flow values, with an average relative error of less than 5% and a maximum value of less than 8%. These results show that the optimisation design method based on the kriging surrogate model can effectively match the thermal test parameters of metal fibre combustion structures.

A nomogram prediction of coronary artery dilation in Kawasaki diseases based on mtDNA copy number.

The level of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) in peripheral blood cells had been identified to be involved in several immune and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the levels of mtDNA-CN in Kawasaki disease (KD) and to construct a nomogram prediction for coronary artery lesions in children with KD. One hundred and forty-four children with KD diagnosed from March 2020 to March 2022 were involved in the study. The clinical features and laboratory test parameters of these children were assessed between the KD and normal groups. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed sequentially to identify the essential risk factors. Subsequently, a nomogram prediction was constructed. A total of 274 children were included in the analysis. Of these, 144 (52.6%) represented the KD group. Peripheral blood DNA mtDNA qPCR showed that the -log value of mtDNA-CN in the KD group (6.67 ± 0.34) was significantly higher than that in the healthy group (6.40 ± 0.18) (P<0.001). The area under the ROC curve for mtDNA-CN in distinguishing KD was 0.757. MtDNA-CN (OR = 13.203, P = 0.009, 95% CI 1.888-92.305), RBC (OR = 5.135, P = 0.014, 95% CI 1.394-18.919), and PA (OR = 0.959, P = 0.014, 95% CI 0.927-0.991) were identified as independent risk factors for coronary artery dilation in children with KD. Finally, the nomogram predictive was established based on the results of multivariable analysis, demonstrating the satisfied prediction and calibration values. The results of this study revealed that mtDNA-CN could be used as a biomarker in predicting the development of KD. Furthermore, the higher the mtDNA-CN was significantly associated with coronary artery dilation in KD.

Evaluation and Development of Analytical Procedures to Assess Buffering Capacity of Carbonate Ruminant Feed Buffers.

The inclusion of rumen buffers in ruminant feeds has gained widespread adoption for the prevention of rumen acidosis, thereby avoiding the negative production and health consequences of low rumen pH and resulting in improved feed efficiency. Benchmarking and quality controlling the performance of rumen buffer materials is of significant interest to feed mills and end-user producers. The aim of this study was to evaluate, develop and optimise a laboratory protocol to consistently and robustly evaluate rumen buffering materials in order to predict their in vivo efficacy. Three different methods were evaluated for determining the buffering potential of carbonate buffer materials: (a) 2 and 8 h static pH, (b) 8 h fixed HCl acid load addition and (c) 3 h acidotic diet simulation using acetic acid. Buffer material, threshold pH, test duration and interactions between all three variables were significant (p < 0.001) in evaluating the performance of the buffer materials. The acidotic diet simulation was found to provide a different ranking of materials to the 8 h fixed HCl acid load methodology. The results highlight the importance of method selection and test parameters for accurately evaluating the potential efficacy of rumen buffer materials.

Can We Predict Gastric Leaks After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy by Evaluating the Complete Blood Count on Postoperative Day 1?

We assessed whether postoperative day-1 (POD-1) complete blood count (CBC) test parameters, including red cell distribution width (RDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), could identify patients with gastric leaks after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Patients with postoperative gastric leaks (n=36) and patients with no complications who were selected by age-sex-BMI matching (n=254) were included in the study. The levels of RDW, MPW, PCT, PLR, and NLR were compared between groups in univariate analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was run for CBC parameters with a P -value<0.05 in univariate analyses. The area under the curve (AUC) was evaluated, and a cutoff value was determined. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio (LR), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy were calculated. The level of PCT was significantly lower, while levels of PLR and NLR were significantly higher in patients with postoperative gastric leaks as compared with those without ( P <0.05). The AUC of both PCT and PLR was <0.750, while the AUC of NLR was 0.911. NLR cutoff at 3.6 yielded 80% sensitivity, 92% specificity, and an LR of 10. In the study cohort, PPV of 59%, NPV of 97%, and an accuracy of 90% were found. Our results suggest that NLR at POD-1, with a cutoff value of 3.6, is a useful indicator of postoperative gastric leak who underwent LSG. We recommend the use of this easily calculated parameter in clinical practice.