Sample Of Test Research Articles

Designing tests for some motor abilities and predicting the level of performance skill for academic school football players aged (13-14) years

The study aims to design tests to measure some motor abilities in the study sample, to find standard grades and levels for some tests of motor abilities in the study sample, preparing equations to predict the level of performance skill of soccer players in terms of mobility tests in the research sample. The researcher used the descriptive approach, and the research community was selected from football academy players aged (13-14) years in Raparin. The research sample was selected intentionally, which included (260) players. So as to reach the results, the researcher used a set of statistical programs by using SPSS. It was concluded to find and determine the grades and standard levels modified for the research sample in the motor tests, determining an equation to predict the level of performance skill in terms of motor abilities. It is recommended that the prediction equation can be adopted as indicators through which the components of motor abilities are determined and the possibility of upgrading it according to the time period of the preparation stage to reach the level of competition.

Geometallurgical modeling and reconciliation with production data in a fhosphate mine

The characterization of the ore and its performance prediction in the processing unit are essential for the success of mining projects and should be part of the resource model. The greatest difficulties encountered in the elaboration of these models are the characteristics of the metallurgical variables, such as non-additivity and non-linearity, lack of uniformity of the database and the few samples of process tests. The generalization of geometallurgical models from primary attributes is a valid option when the relationships between geological characteristics and metallurgical responses are well established and will be tested in this work. Bench tests that simulate the mineral concentration process were performed and compared with geological and chemical information. Multivariate statistical analyses and computational algorithms allowed the prediction of metallurgical attributes from the properties of the rocks simulated by Gaussian sequential simulation. The results were reconciled with the plant data over a period of one year and proved to be consistent.

Zero-lactose sherbet with honey: Sensory analysis and economic viability

The objective of this study was to develop a zero-lactose sherbet sweetened with honey by means of sensory analysis and to calculate its economic viability. Using a simplex-centroid mix design, nine mixes were prepared. Microbiological analyses were performed to ensure the safety of the judges in the sensory analysis. The sensory analysis was performed in two stages: the order-preference test of the formulations obtained in the experimental design and the affective acceptance test of the most preferred sample in the order-preference test. The acceptability index was also used. The economic viability was calculated by comparing its cost with the cost of the standard sherbet formulation. In the order-preference test, the sample with 13.80 g/100 g honey, 2.25 g/100 g emulsifier, and 0.85 g/100 g neutral alloy was the most preferred. In the affective test, all the attributes had an acceptability index greater than 80%, classifying the ice cream as having good sensory acceptance since it is necessary for the index to be above 70%. The zero-lactose sherbet sweetened with honey costs 40% more than the traditional sherbet. Therefore, we can conclude that the development of zero-lactose ice cream sweetened with honey is a product sensorial and accepted by consumers. Despite the cost of production, consumers prefer healthier products even if they have to pay a higher price.

High rate of detected variants in male PLCZ1 and ACTL7A genes causing failed fertilization after ICSI.

What is the frequency of PLCZ1, ACTL7A, and ACTL9 variants in male patients showing fertilization failure after ICSI, and how effective is assisted oocyte activation (AOA) for them? Male patients with fertilization failure after ICSI manifest variants in PLCZ1 (29.09%), ACTL7A (14.81%), and ACTL9 (3.70%), which can be efficiently overcome by AOA treatment with ionomycin. Genetic variants in PLCZ1, and more recently, in ACTL7A, and ACTL9 male genes, have been associated with total fertilization failure or low fertilization after ICSI. A larger patient cohort is required to understand the frequency at which these variants occur, and to assess their effect on the calcium ion (Ca2+) release during oocyte activation. AOA, using ionomycin, can restore fertilization and pregnancy rates in patients with PLCZ1 variants, but it remains unknown how efficient this is for patients with ACTL7A and ACTL9 variants. This prospective study involved two patient cohorts. In the first setting, group 1 (N = 28, 2006-2020) underwent only PLCZ1 genetic screening, while group 2 (N = 27, 2020-2023) underwent PLCZ1, ACTL7A, and ACTL9 genetic screening. Patients were only recruited when they had a mean fertilization rate of ≤33.33% in at least one ICSI cycle with at least four MII oocytes. Patients underwent a mouse oocyte activation test (MOAT) and at least one ICSI-AOA cycle using calcium chloride (CaCl2) injection and double ionomycin exposure at our centre. All patients donated a saliva sample for genetic screening and a sperm sample for further diagnostic tests, including Ca2+ imaging. Genetic screening was performed via targeted next-generation sequencing. Identified variants were classified by applying the revised ACMG guidelines into a Bayesian framework and were confirmed by bidirectional Sanger sequencing. If variants of uncertain significance or likely pathogenic or pathogenic variants were found, patients underwent additional determination of the sperm Ca2+-releasing pattern in mouse (MOCA) and in IVM human (HOCA) oocytes. Additionally, ACTL7A immunofluorescence and acrosome ultrastructure analyses by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed for patients with ACTL7A and/or ACTL9 variants. Overall, the frequency rate of PLCZ1 variants was 29.09%. Moreover, 14.81% of patients carried ACTL7A variants and 3.70% carried ACTL9 variants. Seven different PLCZ1 variants were identified (p.Ile74Thr, p.Gln94*, p.Arg141His, p.His233Leu, p.Lys322*, p.Ile379Thr, and p.Ser500Leu), five of which are novel. Interestingly, PLCZ1 variants p.Ser500Leu and p.His233Leu occurred in 14.55% and 9.09% of cases. Five different variants were found in ACTL7A (p.Tyr183His, p.Gly214Ser, p.Val340Met, p.Ser364Glnfs*9, p.Arg373Cys), four of them being identified for the first time. A novel variant in ACTL9 (p.Arg271Pro) was also described. Notably, both heterozygous and homozygous variants were identified.The MOCA and HOCA tests revealed abnormal or absent Ca2+ release during fertilization in all except one patient, including patients with PLCZ1 heterozygous variants. TEM analysis revealed abnormal acrosome ultrastructure in three patients with ACTL7A variants, but only patients with homozygous ACTL7A variants showed reduced fluorescence intensity in comparison to the control.AOA treatment significantly increased the fertilization rate in the 19 patients with detected variants (from 11.24% after conventional ICSI to 61.80% after ICSI-AOA), as well as positive hCG rate (from 10.64% to 60.00%) and live birth rate (from 6.38% to 37.14%), resulting in 13 healthy newborns. In particular, four live births and two ongoing pregnancies were produced using sperm from patients with ACTL7A variants. Genetic screening included exonic and outflanking intronic regions, which implies that deep intronic variants were missed. In addition, other male genes or possible female-related factors affecting the fertilization process remain to be investigated. Genetic screening of PLCZ1, ACTL7A, and ACTL9 offers a fast, cost-efficient, and easily implementable diagnostic test for total fertilization failure or low fertilization after ICSI, eliminating the need for complex diagnostic tests like MOAT or Ca2+ analysis. Nonetheless, HOCA remains the most sensitive functional test to reveal causality of uncertain significance variants. Interestingly, heterozygous PLCZ1 variants are sufficient to cause inadequate Ca2+ release during ICSI. Most importantly, AOA treatment using CaCl2 injection followed by double ionomycin exposure is highly effective for this patient group, including those with ACTL7A variants, who also display a Ca2+-release deficiency. This study was supported by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) (TBM-project grant T002223N awarded to B.H.) and by the Special Research Fund (BOF) (starting grant BOF.STG.2021.0042.01 awarded to B.H.). A.C.B., R.R.G., C.C., E.V.D.V., A.R., D.S., L.L., P.C., S.S., A.B., and F.V.M. have nothing to disclose. B.H. reports a research grant from FWO and BOF, and reports being a board member of the Belgian Ethical Committee on embryo research. N/A.

Designing tests for some physical abilities and predicting the level of performance skill for academic school football players at the ages of (13-14) years

The study aims to design tests to measure some physical abilities in the study sample, to find standard grades and levels for some tests of physical abilities in the study sample, preparing equations to predict the level of performance skill of soccer players in terms of mobility tests in the research sample. The researcher used the descriptive approach, and the research community was selected from football academy players with ages (13-14) years in Raparin. The research sample was selected intentionally, which included (260) players. So as to reach the results, the researcher used a set of statistical programs by using SPSS. It was concluded to find and determine the grades and standard levels modified for the research sample in the physical tests. It is concluded that these tests can be accepted as an evaluation method and indicator to show the player's physical and skillful condition, and to define an equation to predict the level of performance skill in terms of physical abilities.

Vitamin D deficiency and its impact on outcomes in myocardial infarction patients: a prospective observational study

Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, but its impact on outcomes in myocardial infarction (MI) patients remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and short-term and medium-term outcomes in patients with myocardial infarction. Ischemic heart diseases (IHD) are the most common cause of death in the world. Identifying risk factors and predictors can play a critical role in identifying high-risk people in screenings, identifying high-risk patients during admission to the hospital, and adjusting these risk factors in patients to improve prognosis. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on 212 patients diagnosed with myocardial infarction at Seyed al-Shohada Hospital in Urmia, Iran. Having been admitted, the patients had their serum vitamin D levels measured using the same blood sample for routine tests. Levels of vitamin D were categorized as normal (>30 ng/ml), insufficient (21-29 ng/ml), or deficient (<20 ng/ml). The patient's files provided the demographic, clinical, and biomedical information, echocardiography, and angiography data. The patients were followed for at least six months post-MI, with a maximum follow-up of 11 months. Follow-up occurred through monthly phone calls and outpatient clinic visits as needed. Primary outcomes included in-hospital complications (such as death, significant bleeding, acute pulmonary edema, cardiogenic shock, and arrhythmias), cardiac readmissions, and mortality. Logistic regression and Cox regression analyses were used to examine the connection between outcome variables and vitamin D levels, adjusting for potential confounders including age, gender, blood pressure, diabetes, blood lipids, creatinine, disease severity (SYNTAX score*), and left ventricular ejection fraction. The mean serum level of vitamin D in patients on admission was 33. 62 ng/dL. The average number of hospitalization days was 4.8 days, and the rate of re-hospitalization was 26.6% in the six-month follow-up and 30.3% in the 9-month follow-up. The hospital mortality rate was equal to 1.4%, and the mortality rate at the end of the follow-up period was equal to 8.3%. The most common complication during hospitalization among the patients was ventricular tachycardia. However, in follow-up, re-hospitalization due to previous issues was the most common complication. Results: The mean serum vitamin D level was 33. 62 ng/ml,with 52.8% of patients having insufficient or deficient levels. The most common in-hospital complication was ventricular tachycardia (11.5%). Vitamin D deficiency was not significantly associated with in-hospital complications. However, during the follow-up period, vitamin D deficiency was significantly related to increased risk of readmission to hospital (HR: 6.984, 95% CI: 3.500-13.936, p<0.001). The 6-month readmission rate was 26.6%, increasing to 30.3% at 9 months. Vitamin D deficiency was also associated with increased cardiac mortality (HR: 12.936, 95% CI: 1.494- 112.016, p=0.020) during follow-up. The 9-month mortality rate was 8.3%. Other factors contributing to cardiac mortality included disease severity (SYNTAX score) and female gender. Conclusions: While vitamin D deficiency did not impact short-term complications, it was associated with increased risk of hospitalreadmission and mortality in MI patients during medium-term follow-up. These findings suggest that vitamin D status can significantly impact long-term outcomes for MI patients

Effect of Instagram Ads on Consumer Purchase Interest in Skin Care

The development of digital media has created innovative changes and opportunities in the field of marketing. If social media is used and used correctly, marketing through social media can clearly reduce marketing costs in the long run. A real example is Instagram advertising, which tends to be cheaper and more effective than other search engine advertising options. Advertisements can be defined as messages that offer a product aimed at the public through an information medium. This research aims to analyze effect of instagram ads on consumer purchase interest in skin care. This type of research is descriptive quantitative research. Population in this think about is the number of consumer purchase interest in skin care as Instagram users. Sample of tests for this consideration is 50 consumer purchase interest in skin care as Instagram users. The data analysis method used simple linear regression analysis. The results show that Instagram ads has significant effect on consumer purchase interest.

THE EFFECT OF BLENDED LEARNING ON EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND CREATIVITY OF IRANIAN EFL LEARNERS

This study investigates the influence of blended learning instruction (BLI) on the educational accountability and creativity of intermediate EFL learners in Iran. Moreover, it aims to identify EFL learners’ attitudes toward BLI. To this end, 60 female intermediate EFL learners were selected out of 90 through their performance on a sample of the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). The participants were assigned into two 30-learner groups (i.e., BLI and control). The first questionnaires were administered as their pre-test to check EFL learners’ educational accountability and creativity level before the treatment. During the intervention, the experimental group received instruction through BLI, while the control group received conventional instruction. The second questionnaires were administered as a post-test to check EFL learners’ educational accountability and creativity level after the treatment. Moreover, 10 EFL learners were randomly selected from the BLI group to be interviewed. The results of the two separate ANCOVAs indicated that BLI significantly affected EFL learners’ educational accountability and creativity. The results of the interviews indicated that the majority of the participants believed that BLI made them more self-directed and autonomous. Similarly, 90% of the learners believed that BLI had changed their views towards self and cooperative learning.

Interpretable machine learning models for predicting the bond strength between UHPC and normal-strength concrete

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) boasts superior mechanical properties and durability, rendering it a viable material to repair and reinforce pre-existing concrete structures. The complexity of the bond behavior between UHPC and normal-strength concrete (NC) presents a challenge to make precise predictions of the interfacial bond strength. This study employed four machine learning algorithms, namely artificial neural network, random forest, adaptive boosting, and categorical gradient boosting, to predict the interfacial bond strength of UHPC-NC. A database of 95 samples of slant shear tests was collected from existing literature. The input variables for modeling include joint angle, compressive strength of NC and UHPC, surface treatment, interfacial moisture, curing age, and curing method. The impact of each feature on the slant shear bond strength was assessed using SHapley Additive exPlanations and Partial Dependence Plots. Results show that the categorical gradient boosting model performed the best on the testing set, achieving an R2 of 0.948, RMSE of 1.408, and MAE of 1.028. The accuracy of all four machine learning models surpassed that of two empirical models (AASHTO LRFD 2014 and Eurocode 2). The top three features influencing the interfacial bond strength were identified as the surface treatment, joint angle, and compressive strength of NC, while the impact of the curing method and the interfacial moisture were comparatively limited. The proposed machine learning model exhibits potential as a valuable tool for assisting structural retrofitting and rehabilitation with UHPC.

Combustion characteristics of crude tyre blends fuel in compression ignition engine

With the rise of automobile vehicles, the number of scrap tyres has been increasing rapidly. Proper management of waste tyre is challenging work for any country. Tyre oil possesses a greater potential of using as a substitute for conventional diesel. The investigation was made on the effects of blends of waste tyre fuel on combustion characteristics such as cylinder pressure (CP), net heat release rate (NHR), cumulative heat release (CHR), ignition delay (IGD), exhaust gas temperature (EGT), and % heat equivalent to brake power (HBP). It was found that crude tyre fuel has a low cetane index which affects the combustion characteristics. The two sample of test fuel were prepared by adding 5% crude tyre fuel to 95% diesel fuel (5BTF) and 10% crude tyre fuel to 90% diesel fuel (10BTF) by volume and their performance and emission characteristics were studied in a single cylinder four stroke diesel engine. For 10BTF, peak CP was reduced by 6.69%, IGD increased by 10.85%, NHR increased by 19.33% and there was a small difference in EGT with diesel. The opacity value of the blends of tyre fuel was found within the emission standard of Nepal. It is concluded that a blend of crude tyre pyrolysis oil up to 5% by volume with diesel shows similar combustion characteristics as that of diesel.

Small-scale fluidised bed flotation device for ore amenability testing

Fluidised bed flotation, such as with Eriez’s HydroFloat®, has demonstrated the ability to recover coarse particles up to 600 µm in size during sulphide flotation. The ability to perform flotation at coarse particle sizes provides significant benefits to the minerals processing industry, including energy savings in comminution and increased plant throughput.However, the smallest available fluidised bed flotation units require between 15 and 20 kg of sample for a single test and upwards of 100 kg of sample to conduct initial scoping studies for new ore feed material. This high sample requirement often prohibits the execution of small-scale flotation optimisation tests using this technology.The development of a small-scale fluidised bed flotation device is therefore vital to enable rapid and efficient testing for essential operations such as ore amenability and geometallurgical evaluation, circuit modelling and design, and routine metallurgical assessment.This work presents the design and development of a small-scale fluidised bed flotation device that uses 1–2 kg of sample per test. The work further outlines the testing methodology to achieve both reasonable and reproducible flotation results. Both the device and test methodology were demonstrated using two copper ore samples, and the flotation results generated were similar in form to laboratory batch testing using conventional flotation cells.

Abrasion Behaviors of Silica-Reinforced Solution Styrene-Butadiene Rubber Compounds Using Different Abrasion Testers.

Solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) is widely used to improve the properties of tire tread compounds. Tire wear particles (TWPs), which are generated on real roads as vehicles traverse, represent one of significant sources of microplastics. In this study, four SSBR compounds were prepared using two SSBRs with high styrene (STY samples) and 1,2-unit (VIN samples) contents, along with dicyclopentadiene resin. The abrasion behaviors were investigated using four different abrasion testers: cut and chip (CC), Lambourn, DIN, and laboratory abrasion tester (LAT100). The abrasion rates observed in the Lambourn and LAT100 abrasion tests were consistent with each other, but the results of CC and DIN abrasion tests differed from them. The addition of the resin improved the abrasion rate and resulted in the generation of large wear particles. The abrasion rates of STY samples in the Lambourn and LAT100 abrasion tests were lower than those of VIN samples, whereas the values in the CC and DIN abrasion tests were higher than those of VIN samples. The wear particles were predominantly larger than 1000 μm, except for the VIN sample in the DIN abrasion test. However, TWPs > 1000 μm are rarely produced on real roads. The size distributions of wear particles > 1000 μm were 74.0-99.5%, 65.9-93.4%, 7.2-95.1%, and 37.5-83.0% in the CC, Lambourn, DIN, and LAT100 abrasion tests, respectively. The size distributions of wear particles in the Lambourn and LAT100 abrasion tests were broader than those in the other tests, whereas the distributions in the CC abrasion test were narrower. The abrasion patterns and the morphologies and size distributions of wear particles generated by the four abrasion tests varied significantly, attributable to differences in the bound rubber contents, crosslink densities, and tensile properties.

Study of the mechanical properties of cardboard with barrier properties

The aim of this study is to test and compare the mechanical properties of the cardboard selected for the tests and to determine the best type of material. As cardboard is used in a wide range of industries for the packaging of goods, it is important to determine which of the types of cardboard tested is the most resistant to wear and the least deformable under changing environmental conditions. It is also important to compare and identify what improvements could be made to existing materials to make the board durable and environmentally friendly. To conduct the experiment of this study, four types of cardboard with barrier properties were used. For all the tests sample groups of different cardboards with different barrier properties were prepared and the specimens were stored and acclimatised under the same conditions before the tests. Specific software and devices were used to determine the final results. Selected types of tests were chosen to compare the types of cardboard as they are close to the real-life use of the packaging. After obtaining results of selected tests, compared values have shown that there were no significant changes, but there were some differences in the strength properties, which could be mainly due to the different mechanical properties of each type of paperboard. As a result, one type of paperboard was superior in both resistance and wetting tests. To conclude, this study, which was carried out to compare the strength properties of four different types of cardboard and their behaviour caused by changed surroundings demonstrates that all the types of tested cardboards are proper for use but need to be protected from direct wetting or wearing and tearing. Furthermore, this study helped to obtain new directions and ideas on how cardboard could be improved and made an even more resilient but environmentally friendly material and how it could be improved and applied in industrial companies in the future.

Effect of Torsional Load on Electrical and Mechanical Properties/Behaviour of Stretchable GNP-Ag Conductive Ink

Stretchable conductive inks (SCIs) have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential applications in flexible and wearable electronics. Graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) hybridization conductive ink is a promising material for stretchable electronics due to its high electrical conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. However, the resistivity of GNP ink on flexible substrates can be affected by various factors, such as the torsion of the substrate. This paper aims to investigate the effect of torsional load in terms of the electrical and mechanical behaviour of hybridization conductive ink between GNP and Ag. The research was carried out on the formulation and performance of GNP hybrids using GNP and silver flakes (Ag). The GNP hybrid ink was printed on a copper substrate using a mesh stencil method and cured at 250 °C for an hour. The resistivity was evaluated at room temperature before and after the torsional tests in terms of electrical characteristics. The finding exposed that the resistivity values for each of the three samples of torsional tests significantly changed after 1000 cycles. Eventually, the resistance value at cycle 5000 rose due to the damaging impact of increasing the number of torsional cycles on the sample. In future work, it is recommended that the evaluation is made under temperature dependence and supported by SEM images.

Investigating AXIN1 gene polymorphisms in Turkish children with cryptorchidism: A pilot study

Cryptorchidism is one of the most common congenital anomalies in male children, occurring in 2-5% of full-term male infants. Both genetic and environmental factors are observed to play a role in its etiology. A study conducted in Japan identified the AXIN1 gene as being associated with cryptorchidism. We aimed to conduct a pilot study on AXIN1 gene polymorphism in Turkish children with cryptorchidism, and whether AXIN1 gene polymorphism is a risk factor for cryptorchidism. Between January 2023 and December 2023, we have planned a prospective controlled study including 84 boys operated for cryptorchidism as study group, and 96 boys operated for circumcision as control group. The remaining blood samples of preoperative laboratory tests in ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) tubes were kept at -20 Co freezer for genomic studies. Patient demographics, physical examination and operative findings were recorded, study patients were grouped according to testis localization. After collecting all samples, genomic DNA isolation procedure was done, and analysis of the 3 polymorphisms (rs12921862, rs1805105 and rs370681) of AXIN1 gene was performed using conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Genotype and allele frequencies of each group was analyzed and compared. The most common location of cryptorchid testis was proximal inguinal (53%), followed by distal inguinal (25.3%), bilateral (13.3%), and intra-abdominal (8.4%). Regarding the 3 polymorphisms of AXIN1 gene, there was no significant difference between study and control groups, in terms of genotype and allele frequencies (P>0.05). Eight haplotype blocks were estimated for 3 polymorphisms of AXIN1. However, no significant difference was observed between study and control groups regarding haplotype distributions (P>0.05). In addition, the comparison of the localization of testis with AXIN1 gene polymorphism did not show any significant difference among cryptorchid testis groups (P>0.05). The AXIN1 gene is located on chromosome 16p and its polymorphisms have been associated with various diseases. In a Chinese study, the rs370681 polymorphism was found to be associated with cryptorchidism. However, our results showed no association between the AXIN1 gene haplotypes for the studied polymorphisms and cryptorchidism. In this study we have investigated the AXIN1 gene polymorphism in Turkish children with cryptorchidism as a pilot study. Although we could not identify any difference as compared to control group, further research is necessary to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to the development of cryptorchidism.

#1405 Salt sensitivity and hypertensive nephropathy: a link to be discovered

Abstract Background and Aims Sodium sensitivity (SS) is a change in blood pressure (BP) depending on Na+ intake, 30% of population has it. Either a salt load test or a sodium dietary protocol can be used to stratify the population into 3 groups based on BP variation: sodium sensitive (SS), sodium resistant (SR), inverse sodium sensitivity (ISS), based on an increase, a non-significant variation or a decrease in BP following the administration of Na+. SNPs located in genes related with Na+ metabolism, aldosterone synthesis and kidney tubular Na+ reabsorption are related to this phenotype. Method We analyzed data collected from the follow-up (FUP) of 127 subjects with a new diagnosis of hypertension, categorized by their profile through acute salt load test. We analyzed the kidney damage by annual decline of eGFR and development of microalbuminuria. Genetic polymorphism analysis has been executed. Results No differences in the decline of eGFR are observed among the groups (−1.3084 ml/min ± 0.16 p-Value 0.372). SR subjects seem to be more prone to develop earlier microalbuminuria (χ 2 10.682, p = 0.005) even with an adequate BP control (P-Anova SBP 0.766; P-Anova DBP 0.856). An inverse correlation exists between pressure-natriuresis ratio and decline in eGFR (R −0.194 p = 0.016). Polymorphism in CYP11B2 (0.72 OR p = 0.045) and NEDD4L (0.74 OR p = 0.027) are protective against eGFR decline. ADD3 polymorphism (3.73 OR p = 0.049) is a risk factor for development of microalbuminuria. KL (0.15 OR p = 0.034), PKD and TRPC6 (p-Value 0.037, p-Value 0.009) polymorphism are protective factor against microalbuminuria. Conclusion SR patients are more at risk of developing hypertensive nephropathy earlier than other groups; steeper pressure natriuresis ratio is involved in quicker decline in renal function possibly accelerating development of hypertensive nephropathy. Further studies with larger sample and standardization in salt sensitivity test are needed to translate this knowledges into clinical setting.

High Temperature Experiments and Properties of Carbon Polyimide Composites

The interlayer shear tests of AC741/M55JB carbon fiber reinforced composite at room temperature, 400℃, 600℃ and 800℃ were carried out.The longitudinal and transverse shear tests of AC741/CCF800 carbon fiber reinforced composite were carried out at room temperature, 400℃, 600℃ and 800℃ dry conditions, as well as the experiments to calculate material property parameters. The results showed that the main failure mode of the sample in the interlayer shear test was stratified damage, and the fracture of the upper surface material was not obvious.This is due to the different types of tests, the interlayer shear pattern is short and small, and it is not easy to occur the fracture damage of the material without stratification.In addition, with the increase of temperature, the interlaminar shear strength also decreased significantly.In crossbar shear test, the maximum in-plane shear stress, maximum in-plane shear strength and in-plane shear modulus of the material gradually decrease with the increase of temperature, thus changing the bearing property of the material.

Estimation of Cronbach reliability based on sample size, gender, and the grades

<span lang="EN-US">The study tries to see the effect of different sample sizes on the reliability of creativity tests using Cronbach’s alpha. In addition, the background of the sample (gender and grade) is also detected. The study has a practical significance for designing a sample for estimating reliability using Cronbach alpha. The secondary data are used for analysis. The sample of creativity test is determined purposively, that is, has been administered to 1,960 students. The α-coefficient calculation uses the SPSS program. The result proves in the total sample, the creativity test is reliable (α=0.852). In small sample sizes, the α-coefficients values vary greatly in the different test groups. In the larger sample size, the α-coefficients are closer to constant in the different test groups. For a polytomous scale test with a length of 20 items, the α-coefficients obtained close to constant on the sample size of more than 80 testees. This result indicates for the optimum result the sample size is at least four times larger than the number of test items in reliability analysis, especially Cronbach alpha. Based on the gender aspect, descriptively the α-coefficient in the male group (0.846) was almost equal to the female group (0.851). By grouping the testees based on the grades, there are slight differences in α-coefficients in class IV (0.850), class V (0.841), and class VI (0.809). Regarding the results of this study, in the reliability estimation of test development, it is suggested to consider the adequacy and the characteristic of samples.</span>

Peculiarities of steel hardening under deformation conditions with external influence of a magnetic field

The strain resistance of a metal, its intensity of hardening, directly depends on the evolution of defects in the crystal lattice. The positive influence of a magnetic field (MF) on the movement of dislocations and their interaction with stoppers (magnetoplastic effect) is known. For the practical use of MF in forging technologies, generalized data on the strengthening of metals during plastic deformation are required. The results of using a constant MF with induction up to 1,2 T in the processes of testing samples for tension and compression were studied. Tensile tests were carried out on samples of steels St3, 20, U8, 40Cr, 09Cr16Ni4Nb, X10CrNiTi18-10, copper M3 and compression tests on steels St3, 09Cr16Ni4Nb, X10CrNiTi18-10, copper M3. Curves of metal hardening during deformation are plotted in the coordinates flow stress – logarithmic strain. The flow stress is determined by the ratio of the load to the cross-sectional area of the sample valid for a given moment of testing under uniform deformation. The change in flow stress of metals is described by the power function of the Ludwik-Hollomon equation. In tension and compression of ferromagnetic steels St3, 20, 40Cr, U8 and 09Cr16Ni4Nb, the impact of MF leads to an increase in the intensity of their hardening. This is most evident in hardened or high-strength steels. But for St3 steel softened by annealing, the effect is the opposite - in MF the intensity of hardening is somewhat less. Tension in MF of paramagnetic steel X10CrNiTi18-10 showed an increase in the intensity of hardening, but compression showed its decrease. Tension and compression of M3 copper in MF occur with a slight decrease in the intensity of hardening. The experiments carried out revealed the main effect of MF at the initial stage of deformation. The hardening curves were divided into straight and parabolic sections with the hardening coefficients determined for each of them. The main effect of MT on the primary stage of linear hardening has been revealed, where a decrease in the intensity of hardening (St3, 40Cr, X10CrNiTi18-10, M3), an increase (St3 and X10CrNiTi18-10) or a reduction (St3 annealed) in the duration of this stage is observed. Keywords: magnetoplasticity, tension, compression, hardening, stress, strain.

Sendaway capillary NT-proBNP in pulmonary hypertension

BackgroundN-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a biomarker of cardiac ventricular wall stress that is incorporated into pulmonary hypertension (PH) risk stratification models. Sendaway sampling may enable patients to perform...