Proper Measurements Research Articles

Burden of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Pattern of Hepatitis B and C Presentation among HCC Patients: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most commonly occurring cancer of the liver. HCC ranks fifth from the top among the most prevailing cancers in men globally. It stands second among the major causes of mortality associated with cancer in the world. The majority of the cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are due to cirrhosis developed after infection with the chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Objective: To assess the burden of hepatocellular carcinoma and to study the pattern of hepatitis B and C in HCC patients who visited oncology outpatient department (opd) services in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study. The total number of patients visiting the Oncology OutPatient Department from July 2019 to June 2021 was recorded. Patients who had HCC of these were included in the study. The age, viral markers, and TNM staging of the patients were recorded. Both male and female patients belonging to any age group were included in the study. Results: During two years, a total of 2,102 patients visited oncology outpatient services for different cancers. Out of these, 50 patients had a diagnosis of HCC and were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 59.76±10.16 years. 70% of the patients were male and 30% were female. 60% of the patients were positive for Hepatitis C, while 36% of the patients had all viral markers negative. Conclusion HCC is a fairly common malignancy but screening programs across the world are hampered by low rates of utilization. Infection with hepatitis B and C is frequently associated with the development of HCC. If proper and adequate screening measurements are taken in time for patients who are at greater risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, better survival rates could be seen in Pakistan.

Measuring dn/dc for Polysaccharide Microgels of Varying Crosslinking Density

Static light scattering (SLS) is a powerful, noninvasive experimental method that yields the molecular weight (average molecular weight, Mw), the size (radius of gyration, Rg), and the interactions between the scatters (the second virial coefficient, A2). However, proper SLS measurements require determination of the specific refractive index increment (dn/dc) for the samples studied. While tables of dn/dc values are available for various substances, they are not generally available for microgel particles, which in our case are crosslinked chains of an amphiphilic polymer. This paper is focused on measuring dn/dc for microgel samples of varying crosslinking concentrations. Microgel dn/dc values were found to be different from the value of the parent polymer given in literature and found to have a temperature dependence as well as a crosslinker concentration dependence at higher crosslinker concentrations. Using the measured values of microgel dn/dc instead of tabulated parent polymer values on estimates of microgel Mw, Rg, and A2 highlights the importance of direct dn/dc measurements for samples studied by SLS.

Accurate Electrostatic Force Measurements by Atomic Force Microscopy Using Proper Distance Control

Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) enables us to examine the local electrostatic force between an AFM tip and sample surface, from which an electrical capacitance between them and surface potential can be evaluated, by applying direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) voltages. From the dependences of the electrostatic force on the DC voltage and on the frequency of AC voltage in EFM, carrier density, carrier type, and deep level states in a semiconductor can also be investigated. Since EFM is basically operated as an atomic force microscopy (AFM), special care should be taken in an effect of the electrostatic force on a distance control between the tip and sample, and robust distance control is necessary even under the strong electrostatic force in order to realize proper measurements of both topography and electrostatic force. In this paper, we have examined the effectiveness of the usage of the oscillation amplitude of a cantilever as a feedback target for the distance control, which is referred to as Δ <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">A</i> -mode operation, while the cantilever oscillation frequency is always kept at its primary resonance, like the conventional frequency modulation AFM (FM-AFM) which uses a resonant frequency shift as the feedback target. First, we have verified that a distance change due to the strong electrostatic force was significantly reduced compared with FM-AFM. Secondly, we have confirmed that the Δ <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">A</i> -mode operation in EFM realized proper measurements of the dependance of a tip-sample capacitance including a surface depletion capacitance on the DC voltage and on the frequency of AC voltage, indicating good robustness of the method against the strong electrostatic force.

Development of Battery Materials to Function as Corrosion Protection on Car Body Plates

Most car bodies made for mass production are made from steel or aluminum. Both are strong metals, but steel is cheaper than aluminum and is more commonly used in lower-end cars for a broader consumer range. The weakness of steel compared to aluminum is that it is susceptible to corrosion under certain conditions, and thus it may deteriorate over time without proper care. To prevent corrosion, modern cars are coated with paint to prevent direct contact with the environment. As a second line of protection, a car battery can be connected to the body to create an impressed current cathodic protection circuit. In this study, a steel sample from the car body is connected to an ICCP or impressed current cathodic protection circuit with a small 12v battery and a graphite anode. The specimen's paint layers are removed through grinding and tested in water, wet soil, and open air. The specimens in water and wet soil experienced minimum corrosion during the testing period, while the ones in open air experienced significant corrosion products on the surface. Overall, due to the small specimen size compared to battery output, all specimens experience a case of overprotection of up to -5516 mv in wet soil and -2666 mv in water. Due to limitations, we are unable to do proper measurements in the open-air environment.

Classification Learning Assisted Biosensor Data Analysis for Preemptive Plant Disease Detection

In the agricultural sector, identifying plant diseases is crucial as they hamper the plant's robustness and health, which play a vital role in agricultural productivity. Early detection allows farmers to take proper measurements and save crops from complete failure. Biosensor applications in agricultural production and plant monitoring improve the yield through definitive recommendations and improved practices. Fluorescence-based assays, colorimetric biosensors, and surface plasmon resonance-based biosensors are the most commonly used for plant pathogen detection. Plant disease detection is a prime biosensor application for preventing seasonal and cultural defects in raising crops. The sensor data analysis ensures reliable processing for distinguishable features for identifying the disease, wherein discrete information is handled with error. This article introduces a Preemptive Classification using Discrete Data (PC-DD) technique to resolve this issue. This technique requires partial series through probabilistic data substitution to improve the analysis rate. In the analysis process, the classification is performed using random forest based on two combinations: series, difference, and probability. This probability is based on identical data observed through series probability classification in the previous iteration. The unidentical data is classified under difference that is used for individual classification. This process is progressive until the detection is performed, wherein the alterations are adaptable for different biosensor input data. Therefore, the proposed technique's performance is validated using the metrics detection accuracy, analysis ratio, analysis time, classifications, and difference factor.

Birds vs. Metalic Birds: A review of Bird Strikes in Aviation

This study gathered statistical data about bird strikes from various countries, including Türkiye. The study aims to compare the bird strike events that occurred in Türkiye and other countries by investigating bird strike data analysis from targeted countries. In this context, data on bird strikes per 10000 flights, distribution of the number of birds strikes according to months, phases of flight, the components hit by the birds, and the time of the event occurred on a day were presented. The data includes findings from Türkiye, USA, UK, Australia, Finland, Iran, and Czechia. When the results were evaluated, it was concluded that bird strikes are an essential factor to consider for safety and risk management. It is crucial that countries must conduct regular reporting to manage this safety issue. With the help of appropriate modelling conducted via proper measurements, the industry will come a long way in solving the safety issues caused by bird strikes.

Blanco DECam Bulge Survey (BDBS). VII. Multiple Populations in Globular Clusters of the Galactic Bulge

We present photometric evidence for multiple stellar populations (MPs) in 14 globular clusters (GCs) toward the southern Galactic bulge. The photometric data come as part of the Blanco DECam Bulge Survey, which is a deep, wide-field near-UV-near-IR (ugrizY) survey of the southern Galactic bulge. Here, we present the first systematic study of bulge GC multiple populations with deep photometry including the u band, which is a crucial indicator of the abundance of CNO-bearing molecules in stellar atmospheres. We identify cluster members using Gaia EDR3 proper motion measurements, and then isolate red giant branch stars using r versus u − r color–magnitude diagrams. We find evidence suggesting all 14 clusters host at least two populations, and NGC 6441, NGC 6626, and NGC 6656 appear to have at least three populations. Many of these clusters are not part of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) surveys nor do they have comprehensive spectroscopic analyses so we are presenting the first evidence of MPs in several clusters. Not only do we find a strong anticorrelation between the fraction of first-generation stars and cluster absolute V magnitude, but the correlation coefficient and cluster-to-cluster scatter are similar to the results obtained from HST. Our ground-based data extend to much larger radial distances than similar HST observations, enabling a reliable estimate of the global fraction of first-generation stars in each cluster. This study demonstrates that ground-based u-band photometry as provided by DECam will prove powerful in the study of multiple populations in resolved GCs.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Landscape Transformation in Western Balkans’ Metropolitan Areas

Human-caused landscape transformation represents a danger to conserving the Earth’s natural habitats. Landscape fragmentation (LF) caused by transportation infrastructure and urban development poses a threat to human and environmental health by increasing traffic noise and pollution, reducing the size and viability of wildlife populations, facilitating the spread of invasive species, and reducing the recreational qualities of the landscape. It is especially noticeable in the metropolitan areas of developing countries due to rapid and unsupervised urban sprawl. In this context, this study aims to protect natural landscapes and biodiversity, promoting forms of sustainable development. To exemplify our aim, we bring a spatio-temporal analysis of landscape change comparing three metropolitan areas in the Western Balkans (WB). First, we compare the land use land cover (LULC) changes in Tirana (Albania), Skopje (North Macedonia), and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The comparison was based on the Urban Atlas (UA) data of 2012 and 2018. The analysis was performed on two levels, at the metropolitan and urban spatial scales. Apart from descriptive statistics about the changes in surface area and patch counts, we used effective mesh size (meff) as a landscape metric to quantify the LF level. Our results show that each city has faced significant LULC change between 2012 and 2018, with a dominant increase in artificial surfaces. Furthermore, the cumulative natural surface area reduction is followed by increased landscape patch counts, indicating an increased LF at both levels. This study enhances public awareness about the landscape transformation trends in the developing metropolitan regions of WB. The respective administrative bodies at both local and central levels are invited to consider our results and adopt proper measurements to reduce the adverse consequences of subsequent spatial development decisions.

Thermodynamic Laws and Measurements

This paper outlines issues associated with the verification of claims of thermodynamic law violations, focusing on measurement issues. We do not go into detail about the various interpretations and alternative forms of the thermodynamic “laws”, only presenting the reader with a standard interpretation of Laws 1 &amp; 2. The word “laws” is in quotes here as there have been recent experiments appearing to show violations of, or at least subtleties associated with these laws which necessitate proper measurements and experimental design.

Model order reduction by radial basis function network for sparse reconstruction of an industrial natural gas boiler

The radial basis function network (RBFN) is compared with gappy interpolation for sparse reconstruction of a reduced order model (ROM) for an industrial natural gas boiler. It is a non-intrusive method based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and sensor measurements substituted by full order model (FOM) results at specified locations. The FOM was formed by steady-state computational fluid dynamic simulation at training and validation points selected by Latin hypercube and adaptive sampling in the 2D parameter space. Parametric study was performed for a varying number of sensors located on the boiler walls as a realistic measurement option. The optimal numbers of training samples and truncated eigenmodes were determined according to the relative L 2 norm error between FOM and ROM by the truncated eigenmodes. Results showed RBFN outperforming gappy interpolation with a lower relative L 2 norm error and less dependence on the number of sensors for both temperature and nitric oxide concentration fields. The RBFN may be a better choice for reconstruction of multidimensional scalar fields as a digital twin through fusion of simulation and online data for smart operation of complicated thermofluid facilities.

A systematic PLS-SEM approach on assessment of indigenous knowledge in adapting to floods; A way forward to sustainable agriculture.

The present study was conducted in one of the major agriculture areas to check farmers indigenous knowledge about the impacts of floods on their farming lives, food security, sustainable development, and risk assessment. In the current study, primary data was used to analyze the situation. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed among farmers. We have collected a cross-sectional dataset and applied the PLS-SEM dual-stage hybrid model to test the proposed hypotheses and rank the social, economic, and technological factors according to their normalized importance. Results revealed that farmers’ knowledge associated with adaption strategies, food security, risk assessment, and livelihood assets are the most significant predictors. Farmers need to have sufficient knowledge about floods, and it can help them to adopt proper measurements. A PLS-SEM dual-stage hybrid model was used to check the relationship among all variables, which showed a significant relationship among DV, IV, and control variables. PLS-SEM direct path analysis revealed that AS (b = −0.155; p 0.001), FS (b = 0.343; p 0.001), LA (b = 0.273; p 0.001), RA (b = 0.147; p 0.006), and for FKF have statistically significant values of beta, while SD (b = −0.079NS) is not significant. These results offer support to hypotheses H1 through H4 and H5 being rejected. On the other hand, age does not have any relationship with farmers’ knowledge of floods. Our study results have important policy suggestions for governments and other stakeholders to consider in order to make useful policies for the ecosystem. The study will aid in the implementation of effective monitoring and public policies to promote integrated and sustainable development, as well as how to minimize the impacts of floods on farmers’ lives and save the ecosystem and food.

Methods of Wood Volume Determining and Its Implications for Forest Transport.

Proper measurements are extremely significant for the forest owner, the harvesting company, the hauler, the final buyer, and the wood processing company. The accuracy of round wood volume determination is of fundamental importance in planning and accounting for individual processes related to the wood trade. It is the basis for determining the maximum quantity in single load of wood that allows for using the permissible total gross vehicle weight. The determination of wood load in cubic meters does not allow unequivocally determining its weight, which often leads to overloading of vehicles. This paper presents a comparison of the photo-optical method for determining the volume of wood to be transported with the real measurement and determination of the weight of a load and the total gross vehicle weight (GVW) with the simultaneous application of conversion factors determining the weight of the load from the volume of wood. The measurement included 23 broadleaf round wood piles (193.73 m3) and 14 coniferous round wood piles (149.23 m3). The measurement error for broadleaf wood piles ranges from −47.67% to 63.16%, and from −43.31% to 24.72% for coniferous wood piles. Determination of the volume of a broadleaf wood pile using the iFOVEA method had an average error of 1.34%, while the Timbeter method had an average error of −1.83%. In the coniferous wood pile measurement, the error is −12.82% and 2.41%, respectively. Verification of the volume of the large-sized wood indicated on the delivery note (reference value) on the log sorting line (by laser scanning) showed larger volumes by 0.10 m3 to 2.54 m3, giving a percentage error of 0.35% and 8.62%, respectively. As a consequence of the application of such methods for determining the weight of wood loads, the transport truck sets are often significantly overloaded, which has a significant impact on the accelerated degradation of roads and safety in traffic and timber transportation.

Evidence for a Dense, Inhomogeneous Circumstellar Medium in the Type Ia SNR 0519-69.0

We perform an expansion study of the Balmer-dominated outer shock of the SNR 0519−69.0 in the LMC by using a combination of new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3 imagery obtained in 2020 and archival ACS images from 2010 and 2011. Thanks to the very long time baseline, our proper motion measurements are of unprecedented accuracy. We find a wide range of shock velocities, with the fastest shocks averaging 5280 km s−1 and the slowest grouping of shocks averaging just 1670 km s−1. We compare the Hα images from HST with X-ray images from Chandra and mid-IR images from Spitzer, finding a clear anticorrelation between the brightness of the remnant in a particular location and the velocity of the blast wave at that location, supporting the idea that the bright knots of X-ray and IR emission result from an interaction with a dense inhomogeneous circumstellar medium. We find no evidence for X-ray emission, thermal or nonthermal, associated with the fastest shocks, as expected if the fastest velocities are the result of the blast wave encountering the lower density ambient medium of the LMC. We derive an age of the remnant of ≤670 ± 70 yr, consistent with results derived from previous investigations.

Proposal of time domain impedance spectroscopy to determine precise dimensionless figure of merit for thermoelectric modules within minutes

Several techniques exist that use a thermoelectric element (TE) or module (TM) to measure precise dimensionless figure of merit (zT), both qualitatively and quantitatively. The techniques can be applied using both alternating (AC) and direct current (DC). Herein, the transient Harman (TH) and impedance spectroscopy (IS) methods were investigated as direct zT measurement techniques using identical TM, which showed that zT at 300 K was 0.767 and 0.811 within several minutes and several hours, respectively. The zT values differed despite the use of the same TM, which revealed that measuring ohmic resistance using DC and pulse DC is potentially misleading owing to the influence of Peltier heat on current flow. In this study, time domain impedance spectroscopy (TDIS) was proposed as a new technique to measure zT using proper DC and AC. zT obtained using TDIS was 0.811 within several minutes using the time and frequency domains, and was perfectly consistent with the result of the IS method. In conclusion, the TDIS is highly appropriate in estimating zT directly using only proper electrometric measurements, and without any heat measurements.

Commotion in their Motions: Proper Motion Anomalies of Nearby AGB Stars

Proper motion anomalies (PMa) are often useful for identifying companions, but using this technique for large and luminous stars like Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars is problematic. We studied nearby AGB stars and their potential companions in a PMa catalog derived from Hipparcos and Gaia DR2 proper motion measurements. We found that companion configurations based on PMa for AGB stars are often implausible, such that the radius of the primary star is larger than the orbit of the putative companion. This may suggest an alternative origin of PMa in AGB stars, possibly surface brightness fluctuations due to their large convective surfaces.

Parameter selection for aeroengine transient state gas path analysis

Compared with steady state data, engine transient state data cover a wider working scope of components, more complex operating conditions, and therefore can provide more abundant information regarding engine health status. To make the fullest use of engine transient data, this paper presents the methods on how to choose the proper measurements and health parameters when constructing an aeroengine gas path analysis system. The measurement selection based on sensitivity analysis is conducted, compared to which an effortless measurement selection method termed Minimum Identifiability Loss (MIL) is proposed. Aiming to reduce the estimation uncertainty, the analysis of maximal linearly independent group is presented to select optimal health parameters under the condition of limited measurements. Finally, the component health status identifiability analysis base on transient data also gives a good explanation to gas path analysis “smearing effect”.

Characterization of the vertical variation in indoor PM2.5 in an urban apartment in China

Indoor air pollution has aroused increasing concerns due to its significant adverse health impacts. Indoor PM2.5 exposure assessments often rely on PM2.5 concentration measured at a single height, which overlooks the vertical variation of PM2.5 concentrations accompanied by various indoor activities. In this study, we characterize the vertical profile of PM2.5 concentration by monitoring PM2.5 concentration at eight different heights in the kitchen and the bedroom, respectively, using low-cost sensors with high temporal resolution. The localized enhancement of PM2.5 concentration in elevated heights in the kitchen during cooking was observed on clean and polluted days, showing dominating contribution from cooking activities. The source contribution from cooking and outdoor penetration was semi-quantified using regression models. Stratified source contribution from cooking activities was evident in the kitchen during the cooking period. The contribution in elevated heights (above 170 cm) almost tripled the contrition in bottom layers (below 140 cm). In contrast, little vertical variation was observed during other times of the day in the kitchen or the bedroom. The exposure level calculated using the multi-height measurement in this study is consistently higher than the exposure level estimated from the single-height (at 110 cm) measurement. A more significant discrepancy existed for the cookers (17.8%) than the non-cookers (13.5%). By profiling the vertical gradient of PM2.5 concentration, we show the necessity to conduct multi-height measurements or proper breathing-height measurements to obtain unbiased concentration information for source apportionment and exposure assessment. In particular, the multi-height measuring scheme will be crucial to inform household cooking emission regulations.

Discovery of 34 Low-mass Comoving Systems Using NOIRLab Source Catalog DR2

We present the discovery of 34 comoving systems containing an ultracool dwarf found by means of the NOIRLab Source Catalog (NSC) DR2. NSC’s angular resolution of ∼ 1″ allows for the detection of small separation binaries with significant proper motions. We used the catalog’s accurate proper motion measurements to identify the companions by cross-matching a previously compiled list of brown dwarf candidates with NSC DR2. The comoving pairs consist of either a very low-mass star and an ultracool companion, or a white dwarf and an ultracool companion. The estimated spectral types of the primaries are in the K and M dwarf regimes, those of the secondaries in the M, L, and T dwarf regimes. We calculated angular separations between ∼2″ and ∼ 56″, parallactic distances between ∼43 and ∼261 pc, and projected physical separations between ∼169 and ∼8487 au. The lowest measured total proper motion is 97 mas yr−1, with the highest 314 mas yr−1. Tangential velocities range from ∼23 to ∼187 km s−1. We also determined comoving probabilities, estimated mass ratios, and calculated binding energies for each system. We found no indication of possible binarity for any component of the 34 systems in the published literature. The discovered systems can contribute to the further study of the formation and evolution of low-mass systems as well as to the characterization of cool substellar objects.

Teleportation of the entangled state of two superconducting qubits

An efficient scheme is proposed to teleport an entangled state of two superconducting (SC) qubits from Alice's to Bob's lab. This type of two-level systems has recently attracted a lot of attention due to the possible tunability of the coupling strength of the qubits with each other. To achieve the purpose, we first generate the GHZ state as the necessary teleportation channel. Then, appropriate interactions are performed in two processes between two of the five qubits, each with a certain frequency modulative external magnetic field which is applied on specific one of the qubits. Next, via applying proper gates and measurements in each lab, we observe that the teleportation can be successfully performed with maximum possible values of fidelity and success probability. At last, to make the protocol close to reality, decay rates of SC qubits are also taken into account, showing that our protocol still works well, satisfactorily.

Real-time parameter identification method for a novel blended-wing-body tiltrotor UAV

An accurate aircraft dynamic model is essential for the flight control system design and flight characteristic analysis of tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The unique aerodynamic interaction between the rotor and wing and the installation misalignment angles of rotor could obviously degrade the control performance of flight. However, the traditional test-bed-based identification method cannot fully simulate the real flying conditions. Thus, a real-time method based on the Error-State Kalman Filter (ESKF) is proposed to estimate the model parameters of the tiltrotor UAV. Based on the navigation information from the onboard integrated navigation system, the model parameters are augmented into the aircraft dynamic model to be estimated. Then, the observability analysis is carried out to demonstrate the convergence of the proposed method and provide the proper measurements from which the model parameters possess the best observable degree. Finally, both simulations and real flight experiments are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.