Rapid Way Research Articles

Bus scheduling with heterogeneous Fleets: Formulation and hybrid metaheuristic algorithms

This paper focuses on optimizing mixed-fleet bus scheduling (MFBS) with vehicles of different sizes in public transport systems. We develop a novel mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model to address the MFBS problem by optimizing vehicle assignment and dispatching programs. The model considers user costs, operator costs, and the crowding inconvenience of standing and sitting passengers. To tackle the complexity of the MFBS problem, we employ Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). Besides, we develop two hybrid metaheuristics, including GA-SA [a combination of GA and Simulated Annealing (SA)] and GWO-SA (a combination of GWO and SA), to improve optimization capabilities for the MFBS problem. We also employ a Taguchi approach to fine-tune the metaheuristics’ parameters. We widely examine and compare the metaheuristics’ performance across various-sized samples (small, medium, and large), considering solution quality, computational time, and the result stability of each algorithm. We also compare the metaheuristics’ solutions with the optimal solutions acquired by GAMS software in small and medium-scale samples. Our findings show that the GWO-SA outperforms the other metaheuristics. Applying our model to a real bus corridor in Santiago, Chile, we find that precise dispatching plans generated by more sophisticated/advanced algorithms (GA-SA and GWO-SA) lead to larger cost savings and improved performance compared to simpler algorithms (GA and GWO). Interestingly, utilizing more advanced algorithms makes a difference in terms of fleet planning in crowded scenarios, whereas for low and medium-demand cases, simpler dispatching algorithms could be used without a drop in accuracy.

Twenty Years of Socio-Economic Research on Organic Agriculture Across the World: Looking at the Past to Be Ready for the Future

The world organic sector has evolved in a rapid way over the last few decades, driven by consumer interest, producer and retailer strategies, as well as by the evolving normative context. This growth has stimulated an increase in academic research, particularly in socio-economic research. The present work aims to understand the evolution of organic socio-economic research in terms of the research themes covered within this field, their relative importance, and how this importance has changed over time. The implementation of a structural topic model on scientific abstracts from the last 20 years allowed us to identify three broad areas of interest for organic socio-economic researchers: consumers, production, and society. The relevance of these strands varies in different areas of the world, mostly aligning with the prominent aspects of local organic sectors. This signals a good integration of organic socio-economic research within local contexts, with the possible development of place-based skills to be exploited within the global debate on organic agriculture. Overall, a reasonably strong imbalance emerges, with consumer-focused studies being more prominent than production-focused ones, especially those investigating producers’ economic results. The latter seems to call for renewed attention on and analysis of the organic sector, assisted by robust evidence on both ends of the organic supply chain.

Au Nanoparticles-Trisbipyridine Ruthenium(II) Nanoaggregates as Signal-Amplifying SERS Tags for Immunoassay of cTnI.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of human mortality worldwide. In the early stages of AMI, the patient's electrocardiogram (ECG) may not change, so the fast, sensitive, and accurate detection of the specific biomarker of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is of great importance in the early diagnosis of AMI. In this work, for the first time, electrostatic nanoaggregates of negatively charged Au nanoparticles and positively charged trisbipyridine ruthenium(II) ions (i.e., (-)AuNPs|[Ru(bpy)3]2+ ENAs) as novel and signal-amplifying surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tags were synthesized in an easy and rapid (<3 min) way and applied in the highly sensitive, rapid detection of cTnI in human serum by being combined with an immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS). The synthesized (-)AuNPs|[Ru(bpy)3]2+ ENAs exhibited strong SERS activity due to the multiple Raman-active units (three bpy ligands) carried by each [Ru(bpy)3]2+ complex ion and abundant hotspots in each SERS tag. The developed (-)AuNPs|[Ru(bpy)3]2+ ENAs-based SERS-ICTS has been validated to be applicable in detection of cTnI in human serum with excellent sensing performances, such as fast testing (5 min) and a low detection limit (60 pg/mL). It is envisioned that the developed (-)AuNPs|[Ru(bpy)3]2+ ENAs-based SERS-ICTS sensor may have promising applications in point of care testing of various biomarkers in clinic. Additionally, this work may inspire the finding and the application of new types of Raman reporter molecules based on high valent metal-multi ligand coordination compounds like [Ru(bpy)3]2+.

Transportation connectivity development strategy in the Wakatobi islands, Indonesia

This study aims to analyze connectivity or accessibility between regions in Wakatobi islands, both within and between islands, to understand the available transportation network. Based on an understanding of the dynamics of connectivity, it is expected to provide a solid foundation for the development of more efficient and sustainable transportation infrastructure in the future. A combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches is used to explore data more comprehensively and accurately. The two primary airports and several ports are still insufficient in enhancing connectivity for both the residents and tourists within the archipelago. Improving road, sea, and air transportation networks is a necessity and expectation to improve connectivity between regions. An analysis of accessibility potential provides an overview of transportation costs and expensive and long travel fares. There are several needs that need to be met in the form of the revitalization of local ports, the development of the concept of Air Buses between crossing ports, optimizing routes between airports, and the implementation of Bus/BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) on each island with feeder lines. Furthermore, the development of connectivity in Wakatobi must consider various alternative modes of transportation, increasing service frequencies, and developing supporting infrastructure. This conclusion is the basis for the preparation of a holistic and sustainable connectivity development plan in the Wakatobi archipelago.

Analysis of System Performance and Public Transportation Services of Trans Metro Dewata Bali Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Public Interest in Bali Province

This study analyzes the influence of various factors (safety, security, comfort, affordability, equality, and order) on interest in using the Trans Metro Dewata Bali Bus Rapid Transit as a mode of public transportation in Bali. This research uses quantitative descriptive method with primary and secondary data collection and questionnaire distribution. Determination of the sample using the slovin formula with simple random sampling technique distributed to the Balinese people with a total of 100 samples. Testing the feasibility of the research instrument using the validity test calculated in the SPSS program. The results showed that the variables together had a significant influence on interest in using the system, with an R Square value of 0.368, indicating that 36.8% of the variance in interest could be explained by these factors. However, 63.2% of the variance is influenced by other variables not included in this study

Pattern detection in the vehicular activity of bus rapid transit systems

In this paper, we explore different methods to detect patterns in the activity of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems focusing on two aspects of transit: infrastructure and the movement of vehicles. To this end, we analyze records of velocity and position of each active vehicle in nine BRT systems located in the Americas. We detect collective patterns that characterize each BRT system obtained from the statistical analysis of velocities in the entire system (global scale) and at specific zones (local scale). We analyze the velocity records at the local scale applying the Kullback-Leibler divergence to compare the vehicular activity between zones. This information is organized in a similarity matrix that can be represented as a network of zones. The resulting structure for each system is analyzed using network science methods. In particular, by implementing community detection algorithms on networks, we obtain different groups of zones characterized by similarities in the movement of vehicles. Our findings show that the representation of the dataset with information of vehicles as a network is a useful tool to characterize at different scales the activity of BRT systems when geolocalized records of vehicular movement are available. This general approach can be implemented in the analysis of other public transportation systems.

Stereodivergent Synthesis of Chiral Hydrobenzofuranpyrrolidines by Catalytic Asymmetric Dearomative Cyclization and Controlled Epimerization

A rapid and straightforward way to access stereoisomeric sets of products bearing multiple stereogenic centers is still a significant challenge in asymmetric catalysis. We present herein our experimental studies on the stereodivergent synthesis of chiral hydrobenzofuran‐fused pyrrolidines with three stereogenic centers via organocatalytic asymmetric dearomative cyclization and epimerization process. Chiral bifunctional thiourea catalyst could successfully promote the enantioselective dearomatization cyclization of 2‐nitrobenzofurans with o‐hydroxy aromatic aldimines, which enabled the synthesis of (3S,3aR,8bR)‐hydrobenzofuran[3.2]pyrrolidines in 79‐92% yields with &gt;20:1 stereoselectivities and 93‐99% enantio‐ selectivities. While catalytic amount of DBU could induce the direct intramolecular epimerization of (3S,3aR,8bR)‐hydrobenzofuran[3.2] pyrrolidines to its diastereomers (3R,3aR,8bR)‐hydrobenzofuran[3.2] pyrrolidines in 72‐87% yields without loss of stereoselectivities. The mechanistic pathways of the epimerization process were investigated by a series of control experiments study. This work provides an alternative and forward solution for the stereodivergent preparation of functionalized pyrrolidines with potential bioactivities.

An anti-Shiga toxin VHH nanobody multimer protects mice against fatal toxicosis when administered intramuscularly as repRNA.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a systemic sequelae from gastrointestinal infection with Shiga toxin (Stx) producing Escherichia coli (STEC) that can result in acute kidney injury, lasting renal disease, and death. Despite a window for intervention between hemorrhagic diarrhea and onset of HUS, no specific therapies exist to prevent or treat HUS following STEC infection. Furthermore, there is no way to predict which patients with STEC will develop HUS or any rapid way to determine which Stx variant is present. To address this, we have broadened the therpay to neutralize additional toxin variants. It contains a multimer of nanobodies derived from camelid heavy chain antibody fragments (VHHs). An improved VHH-based neutralizing agent (VNA2) is delivered intramuscularly as RNA combined with LION nanoparticles rather than mRNA, that replicates on administration (repRNA), resulting in a rapidly circulating VNA that can bind systemic toxin. The RNA/VNA2-Stx administered intramuscularly prevents toxicity and death in a mouse model of acute Stx toxicity.

Collaborative optimization of multi-modal transport solutions for urban-rural bus routes.

Faced with the land use heterogeneity and trip distribution non-equilibrium along the corridor connecting urban district and rural area, the operation characteristics of the all-stop bus, the express bus and the shuttle bus running on the transportation corridor should be given full consideration, as well as the tradeoff between passenger trip cost and bus operation cost during the peak-hour period. In order to realize the reliable decision of bus resources configuration for urban-rural public transportation, a bi-objective programming model of multi-modal urban-rural bus operation scheme is established, where the decision variables include the departure frequency of different bus modals, the terminals of shuttle buses, and the stop scheme of express buses, under the constraints of departure interval, passenger volume, vehicle occupancy, section capacity usage and modal competition. To validate the feasibility of proposed optimization model, an urban-rural bus corridor from Rural Jasmine Ecological Park in Hanjiang District to West Xiangyang Bridge in Songqiao Town was chosen as a study case, and the operation organization scheme of three bus modals were solved by the mathematical solver Lingo using mixed integer programming. Meanwhile, the scheme differences under different subobjective weights were discussed, taking into account the uncertain passenger demand and operation supply. The result shows that the increase of passenger trip cost weight will increase the departure frequency of all three bus modals, while the increase of operation cost weight will decrease the total operating vehicles, but the stop frequency at middle stations for express buses will increase accordingly. Compared to the current operation scheme, the optimized scheme can greatly enhance the section capacity usage at a slight sacrifice of passenger trip time with fewer bus vehicles.

Reinforcement Learning for Transit Signal Priority with Priority Factor

Public transportation has been identified as a viable solution to mitigate traffic congestion. Transit signal priority (TSP) control, which is widely used at signalized intersections, has been recognized as a practical strategy to improve the efficiency and reliability of bus operations. However, traditional TSP control may fall short of efficiency and is facing several challenges of negative externalities for non-transit users and the need to handle conflicting priority requests. Recent studies have proposed the use of reinforcement learning (RL) methods to identify efficient traffic signal control (TSC). Some of these studies on RL-based TSC have incorporated the concept of max-pressure (MP), which is a maximal weight-matching algorithm to minimize queue sizes. Nevertheless, the existing RL-based TSC methods focus on private vehicles and cannot adequately distinguish between buses and private vehicles. In prior research, RL-based control has been implemented within the context of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. This study proposes a novel RL-based TSC strategy that leverages the MP concept and extends it to incorporate TSP control. This is the first implementation of RL-based TSP control within the mixed-traffic road network. A significant innovation of this research is the introduction of the priority factor (PF), which is designed to prioritize bus movements at signalized intersections. The proposed RL-based TSP with PF control seeks to balance the competing objectives of enhancing bus operations while mitigating adverse impacts on non-transit users. To evaluate the performance of the proposed TSP method with the PF mechanism, simulations were conducted on an arterial and a grid network under dynamic traffic conditions. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed TSP with PF not only reduces bus travel times and resolves conflicts between priority requests but also does not make a significant negative impact on passenger car operations. Furthermore, the PF can be dynamically assigned according to the number of passengers on each bus, suggesting the potential for the proposed approach to be applied in various traffic management scenarios.

Mobility challenges for women: A case study of bus rapid transit Peshawar

In Pakistan, women face significant barriers to urban mobility. This is due to limited access to safe, affordable, and sustainable public transportation, exacerbated by socio-cultural norms and experiences of harassment. Addressing these challenges is crucial for promoting gender equality and unlocking women's potential for growth. This research inspects women's mobility experiences and challenges and proposes potential improvements for bus rapid transit (BRT) Peshawar. Interviews were conducted for data collection, and statistical tools and methods were employed to analyze the results. The most common modes of travel to and from the BRT stations were walk (39%&45%) followed by Taxi/Rickshaw (32%each) and car/bike(15%&9%), respectively. Most users accessed the BRT system within a 3km radius (55%) and typically traveled during the daytime (56% from 6-10 am and 51%from 2-6 pm). The main challenges identified, mainly for the younger users, were harassment faced at stations (66%for 18-30 years and 52%for 31-45 years of age groups, respectively) while on the buses with 54%for <18 years and 56%for 18-30 years of age groups, respectively, with a visual type of harassment in major. The study highlights women's unique mobility challenges with Peshawar BRT. Addressing these issues can boost their education and economic prospects, as a major study sample was comprised of lower-income employees (80% having an income less than 40,000PKR*) and middle-aged students (48%). The findings provide valuable insights for BRT Peshawar and future BRT projects in developing countries. Despite separate seats, challenges persist during peak hours due to the absence of partitions between male and female sections within buses and other BRT amenities.

Enhancing Urban Resilience through Strategic Parking Pricing in Jakarta’s Bus Rapid Transit Corridors

Although Jakarta has invested in various mass transport systems, these efforts have not successfully reduced private vehicle use. Due to this, this study aims to analyze the impact of implementing TransJakarta bus rapid transit corridor-based high parking tariffs on travel mode choice, including road- and rail-based public transport, ride-hailing, taxi, car, and motorcycle. Involving 478 private vehicle users and implementing a nested logit model, some variables, including respondents’ income, travel time, egress time, parking costs, parking distance, travel cost, and parking surcharge, are considered to understand to what extent these variables influence the use of proposed travel mode in the future. The nested logit model shows that not all variables significantly influence travel mode use, specifically related to rail-based public transport choice among motorcyclists. Meanwhile,parking distance insignificantly influences the choice of all travel modes except cars among car users. The results also indicate that increasing parking tariffs insignificantly influences the likelihood of both motorcyclists and car users shifting to public transport. Motorcyclists and car users tend to continue using motorcycles but change parking locations with higher tariffs. Additionally, some shifts towards ride-hailing services and TransJakarta Bus Rapid Transit are found, meaning that there is potential for these alternatives to play a significant role in reducing private vehicle use. Based on the model results, additional push-based policies, such as the odd-even license plate rule, are necessary to effectively support the transition from private vehicle use to public transport. Implementing these policies is expected to significantly contribute to reducing traffic congestion and promoting a sustainable and resilient urban environment.

Flash sintering of AlN ceramics with Y2O3 additive

This study demonstrates the fabrication of dense AlN-based ceramics through the flash sintering technique for the first time. Flash sintering was performed at a furnace temperature of 1500 °C with 10 wt% Y2O3 as a sintering aid in a nitrogen atmosphere. The effects of the current density and holding time on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties were investigated. The results show that the relative density, grain size and Vickers hardness of specimens increase with increasing current density and holding time. The specimen showed the highest relative density of 98.6% and a Vickers hardness of 12.68 GPa when a current density of 100 mA/mm2 and a holding time of 60 min were used. Additionally, the grain sizes at the positive side of the electrodes were found to be larger than those at the negative side. These findings suggest that dense AlN-based ceramics can be fabricated in a rapid and efficient way through the flash sintering technique.

Microfluidic-Based Electrical Operation and Measurement Methods in Single-Cell Analysis.

Cellular heterogeneity plays a significant role in understanding biological processes, such as cell cycle and disease progression. Microfluidics has emerged as a versatile tool for manipulating single cells and analyzing their heterogeneity with the merits of precise fluid control, small sample consumption, easy integration, and high throughput. Specifically, integrating microfluidics with electrical techniques provides a rapid, label-free, and non-invasive way to investigate cellular heterogeneity at the single-cell level. Here, we review the recent development of microfluidic-based electrical strategies for single-cell manipulation and analysis, including dielectrophoresis- and electroporation-based single-cell manipulation, impedance- and AC electrokinetic-based methods, and electrochemical-based single-cell detection methods. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of the microfluidic-based electrical techniques for single-cell analysis are proposed.

A Quality Improvement Project On The Introduction Of A Nurse-Led, Patient Self-Monitored Blood Pressure Telehealth Platform

Abstract Background Telehealth is a strategy for health and wellbeing promotion. Hypertension is a modifiable risk factor in vascular health. Timely, reliable and accessible identification of this risk is important. Working within an interdisciplinary ambulatory neurovascular hub, a nurse-led model of service provided the opportunity to effectively identify and modify this risk through the secondary prevention measure of hypertension management. Methods An interdisciplinary neurovascular service quality improvement group, the “Stroke Big Room”, evaluated service models and telehealth platforms for patient-self monitoring of hypertension. The telehealth “Florence” platform was introduced. An accompanying Patient Information Leaflet was developed with the Communications Team within the Trust. Patients with a blood pressure of 130/80mmHg and a confirmed diagnosis of minor stroke or transient ischaemic attack were offered the “Flo” platform. Results A 20-patient sample found: 50% required no treatment change, 30% were commenced on antihypertensive treatment and 20% required antihypertensive dose increase. In the 2023/24 financial year, 285 patients participated in the Flo platform. Conclusion Timely identification and modification of hypertension is a reversible risk factor for neurovascular disease. A nurse-led service for the provision of, education on and support in use of a telehealth monitoring platform is an effective approach. This service model allows for effective secondary prevention treatment in a rapid and accessible way. The telehealth platform “Flo” was accessible to patients on the basis of patient reported outcome measures. As a result of the use of the platform, pharmacotherapeutic interventions occurred in 50% of participants in this telehealth programme.

Effectiveness of Trans Jateng Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services for customers with disabilities in Surakarta city

BRT Trans Jateng is a government mode of transportation that cannot be separated from the principle of good and quality public services for customers with disabilities. The aim of this research is to measure the effectiveness of Trans Jateng BRT services for customers with disabilities, especially in the city of Surakarta. The design of this research is to use the Fuzzy SERVQUAL method to measure the level of satisfaction of disabled customers with BRT Trans Jateng services. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling using 30 samples of disabled customers in the city of Surakarta. Here it can be seen that all of the five dimensions measured require improvement. Improvements are carried out based on the priority of the largest gap value. From the results of data processing, the first rank is the tangible dimension with a gap value of -2.0167, then the second rank is the empathy dimension with a gap value of -1.9583, the third rank is the responsiveness dimension with a gap value of -1.95, in the fourth rank is the assurance dimension with a gap value of -1.92, and the fifth rank of the reliability dimension with a gap value of -1.89

Analysis of a thermal correction method for infrared spectroscopy : preparation for the future observations of the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos with the MIRS instrument

Abstract The MIRS infrared spectrometer is part of the scientific payload of JAXA’s Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) mission. From the reflected sunlight by the planetary surfaces, MIRS will provide information on the Mars atmosphere and the mineralogy and chemistry of its moons. Spectra carried out by the instrument (0.9-3.6 µm) include the thermal emission from the surface, which needs to be modeled and removed to extract the compositional information. In this study, to find an efficient and rapid way to thermally correct infrared data, we developed a simple thermal emission correction based on black body fits, and quantify its relative error. To test the method, we generated synthetic spectra of Phobos by using a thermophysical model. We found that the method can produce reflectance spectra with only a few percent errors, although some under-correction of the thermal contribution is observed. Compositional information may still be retrieved through the position of absorption bands, despite the thermal emission correction can leave some uncertainties in its strength. We conclude that the method could be used for a first and quick analysis for interpretation of the MIRS data. We also applied our thermal correction methodology to real CRISM observations of Phobos. The method looks reliable with a satisfactory removal of the thermal contribution, confirms the presence of an absorption band centered around 2.8 µm, and reveals an apparent absorption at 3.2 µm. However, we are not able to confirm the reality of the 3.2 µm band at this stage, because of the presence of an artifact in CRISM data.

Modulation of Vibrio cholerae gene expression through conjugative delivery of engineered regulatory small RNAs.

Given the prevalence of antibiotic resistance, there is an increasing need to develop alternative approaches to managing pathogenic bacteria. In this work, we explore the feasibility of modulating the expression of various cellular systems in Vibrio cholerae using engineered regulatory sRNAs delivered into cells via DNA conjugation. These sRNAs are based on regulatory sRNAs found in V. cholerae and exploit its native regulatory machinery. By delivering these sRNAs conjugatively along with a real-time marker for DNA transfer, we found that complete knockdown of a targeted cellular system could be achieved within one cell division cycle after sRNA gene delivery. These results indicate that conjugative delivery of engineered regulatory sRNAs is a rapid and robust way of precisely targeting V. cholerae.

The role of humerus cortical thickness in predicting osteoporosis in MR imaging.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of humerus cortical thickness on coronal T1-weighted images of the humerus in distinguishing patients with normal vs. abnormal bone mineral density (BMD). Patients (n:138) with shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were evaluated. Patients were grouped into normal and low BMD (osteopenia and osteoporosis) according to DXA. An average cortical bone thickness (CBTavg) and gauge cortical bone thickness (CBTg) were calculated from the proximal humerus on coronal T1W MRI. Sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of osteoporosis were determined for several cortical bone thickness thresholds. Proximal humerus average cortical bone thickness measurements strongly correlated with DXA femur and lumbar scores (p < 0.01). Gauge cortical thickness measurements also correlated with DXA femur and lumbar scores (p < 0.01). Average cortical bone thickness measurement of 4.52 mm was determined to be a potential marker for predicting osteoporosis, with a sensitivity of 92.3% and a specificity of 84.9%. Average cortical bone thickness measurements obtained from shoulder MRI are correlated with DXA. It appears to be effective in differentiating patients with normal and abnormal BMD and may help to opportunistically predict patients with osteoporosis in a rapid, simple and practical way, potentially guiding further diagnostic assessments.

Low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry: a new approach for monosaccharide identification in sugar solutions

SummaryMonosaccharides such as glucose, fructose, and galactose are the building blocks of oligosaccharides and act as the major energy sources in our body. These three monosaccharides are the most prominent in food processing and widely consumed analytes, found in fruits or milk. Although several analytical methods are available to identify and quantify sugar solutions, their drawbacks urge the search for better possible alternatives. A simple, rapid, and efficient method for identifying monosaccharides (ᴅ‐fructose, ᴅ‐galactose, and ᴅ‐glucose) was investigated using low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF‐NMR), exploring the applicability and reliability of this machine. The transverse (T2) relaxation curve was analysed to distinguish monosaccharides from each other. The increasing monosaccharide concentration in the sugar solution causes leftward shifts in signals, indicating a gradual reduction in the mobility of water molecules. The addition of sugar generated a secondary peak, which assisted in identifying monosaccharides. Notably, fructose exhibited distinct behaviour from that of glucose and galactose. The regression coefficient consistently exceeded 0.98, indicating the reliability of this experiment. LF‐NMR encountered challenges in differentiating stereo‐isomeric glucose and galactose. However, quantification of monosaccharides from known binary mixtures (water and one monosaccharide) is possible by preparing standard curves of different concentrations of sugars. These standard curves can be either T2 or the total surface area of the peaks as a function of sugar concentration. The study concludes that LF‐NMR has potential for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of monosaccharides in pure solutions or powdered samples. It is hoped that the rapid and easy way of monosaccharide identification by simple analysis of peaks obtained from NMR spectra will enhance its accessibility for users. However, it also acknowledges limitations in applying this method to complex systems (mixtures of different sugars in a solution).