Sequential Analysis Method Research Articles

Personalized assessment of the risk of hypertension when exposed to noise and vibration

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the medical and social significance of the problem of prevention of cardiovascular diseases in workers in harmful and (or) dangerous working conditions. The aim is to develop an algorithm for a personalized assessment of the risk of arterial hypertension (AH) when exposed to noise and vibration. Materials and methods. Two groups were examined: group 1 (four hundred twenty people) consisted of workers of processing plants exposed to noise; group 2 (355 people) – underground miners exposed to combined noise and vibrations. To identify risk factors for hypertension, subgroups are allocated in each group, depending on the presence of hypertension – the “AH+” subgroup and the “AH–” subgroup. Occupational and non-occupational risk factors of hypertension were assessed. For each of the risk factors of hypertension, for which a significant difference was established in the compared subgroups, the prognostic coefficient was calculated using the Wald method of sequential mathematical analysis. Results. A high prevalence of hypertension was found in workers exposed to noise (43%) and combined effects of noise and vibration (47%) with an average degree of occupational conditioning (RR=1.5–1.57, EF=33.0–34.0%). Prognostically significant risk factors for hypertension were identified: the age of an employee over 50 years, work experience under the influence of noise and vibration for more than 20 years, a smoking index of more than 20, a high level of personal anxiety, a violation of carbohydrate metabolism, a state of maladaptation (index of functional changes IFC>3.1), an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system with a predominance of sympathicotonia (LF/HF>1.5). Based on the results obtained, a personalized algorithm for assessing the total risk of hypertension has been developed. Limitations. The data obtained was specific to workers exposed to noise and vibration, the methodological approach of this study can be used to assess the risk of hypertension in workers in other occupational groups. Conclusion. The application of the algorithm will make it possible to identify workers predisposed to hypertension at the early stages of the disease, form groups of dispensary supervision, and carry out preventive measures to prevent the progression of hypertension.

Effect of Direct Current and Periodic Polarization on Differential Electrolytic Potentiometric Signal Produced By Carbon Nanotube Electrode

In differential electrolytic potentiometry (DEP), a pair of identical indicator electrodes is polarized using either a very small, heavily stabilized direct current (DC) or a periodic square waveform (SW) of constant amplitude. The square wave can be biased or bias-free. In this study, carbon nanotube-modified silver electrodes, CNT-Ag, were used as the DEP indicating system with all types of polarization. This was done to investigate how the polarization mode affects the signal intensity, shape, position, and amplification. The method was applied to analyze various analytes including ascorbic acid, Fluoroquinolone, cyanide, and chloride using normal titrimetric and sequential injection analysis (SIA) methods. Many of the findings showed that raising the polarizing direct current density (µA/cm2) boosts the DEP peak until reaching a certain point, after which the peaks begin to widen and the position of the peak center shifts. Similar changes were observed when increasing the percentage bias of the square waveform used to polarize the CNT-Ag indicator electrodes. The free-biased square waveform led to the least improvement in peak intensity. As the percentage bias increased, the peak intensity improved up to a certain level. However, beyond that point, all peaks began to broaden without further enhancement in intensity. In all cases, periodic polarization of electrodes produced a much greater enhancement in peak intensities compared to direct current polarization. With square-wave polarization, the ongoing reversal of polarity prevents the accumulation of films on the electrodes, speeds up the response, and substantially reduces electrode fouling and deactivation.Furthermore, aside from the advantages of the periodic polarization, the CNT-Ag electrode, fabricated through chemical vapor deposition with aligned and well-structured CNTs, contributes to boosting the DEP peak intensity by promoting heterogeneous electron transfer. This process facilitates fast equilibrium, leading to precise and reproducible results. Figure 1

(Invited) Advanced Plated Cu Metallization for Hybrid Bonding and 3D Interconnects

Semiconductor packaging has been developed to meet the requirement of high-density input/output terminals and downsizing. For further high performance and functionality, the research and development on System in Package (SiP), which achieves interconnection between heterogeneous devices in a package, goes on. There are various packaging configurations suggested, such as 2.1D SiP and 2.3D SiP using organic substrates, 2.5D SiP using Si substrates with TSV, and 3D SiP using TSV with microbump or Cu-SiO2 hybrid bonding [1][2][3]. Hybrid bonding using Cu-Cu direct bonding technology is gaining greater momentum owing to its ability to form the ultra-scaled interconnection at much reduced pitches below 5 µm. While improving the quality of Cu-Cu bonding plays a critical role in enhancing the performance of 3D SiP, reducing the resistance of Cu-Cu junctions is one of the most important strategies. Therefore, the additive chemistry for plated Cu plays a significant impact in advanced 3D packaging.In our recent study, we succeeded in making large Cu grain at low temperature, which shows good physical properties by controlled Cu grain size and orientation We defined plating solution A as the low crystal growth process and solution B as the high crystal growth process. Fig.1 shows the SIM images of the cross-section of Cu pretreated with FIB; it was indicated that Cu film plated with solution A shows a grain size under 2 µm, while solution B shows a grain size over 5 µm. Plated Cu with large grains showed high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. We concluded that the results are due to the large Cu grains exhibited less grain boundary than polycrystalline Cu having various orientations; therefore, the large grains are appropriate as an interconnecting material [4]. Additionally, we applied the large Cu grains to Cu-SiO2 hybrid bonding and confirmed quite low electrical resistance. We demonstrated that the interface of Cu bonding plated with solution B showed large Cu grains, and Cu crystal orientation of the top and bottom are identical compared with solution A.On the other hand, it is also important to control oxidation since copper oxide film is expected to affect electrical properties in Cu-Cu direct bonding. Therefore, we have investigated the dominant factors that affect the oxidation of plated Cu. Generally, the oxidation reaction of Cu first produces the monovalent Cu ion Cu+, which undergoes CuOH to form a cuprous oxide Cu2O film on the Cu surface. When exposed to an oxidizing environment, cupric oxide CuO is grown. The thickness of copper oxide film formed after annealing at 150 degrees Celsius for 1 hour was measured by the sequential electrochemical reduction analysis (SERA) method, which is capable of distinguishing CuO and Cu2O. Consequently, the copper oxide film grown after annealing mainly consisted of Cu2O, and we have confirmed that the thickness of Cu2O was highly related to additive factors such as concentration and molecular weight. For instance, it was increased logarithmically with increasing molecular weight of polyethylene glycol (PEG), a commonly used suppressor in acid plating solution. The concentration of the brightener showed a proportional relationship to the thickness of Cu2O, and the charge density of the levelers was one of the most significant factors affecting the oxidation of plated Cu among the factors examined in this study. Further evaluation of how additives in the plating solution affect oxidation and its applications, such as Cu-Cu bonding, will be presented at the conference.

Statins for the primary prevention of venous thromboembolism.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) involves the formation of a blood clot in a vein, and includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). The annual incidence for VTE varies from 0.75 to 2.69 per 1000 individuals, with about 40 million people worldwide impacted by VTE. Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-coenzyme A (CoA) reductase inhibitors, inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and display several vascular-protective effects, including antithrombotic properties. However, the potential role of statins in the primary prevention of VTE is still not clear. To evaluate the benefits and risks of statins in preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) in individuals with no prior history of VTE. We used standard Cochrane search methods. The search was last updated on 13 March 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing statins with any control intervention (including placebo and usual care) in healthy individuals or participants with conditions other than VTE. There were no restrictions on the dose, duration, route, or timing of statins. We used standard Cochrane methods. Our primary outcomes were VTE, DVT, and PE. Our secondary outcomes were serious adverse events, adverse events, and mortality. We used the trial sequential analysis (TSA) method to judge whether the evidence was sufficient, and we used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of the evidence for each outcome. We included 27 RCTs involving 122,601 adults (aged 18 years and above) who were healthy, had various medical conditions (e.g. hypercholesterolemia), or were at risk for cardiovascular disease. Both males and females were included in all studies. Two studies focused solely on participants over 60 years of age. We deemed four studies to have a low risk of bias overall, while 19 were at high risk of bias, and four were unclear. The 27 studies compared use of statins versus placebo or usual care in individuals who had never experienced VTE. The statins used in the studies were atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, and simvastatin. Twenty-three studies followed up participants for over a year, with six of those extending follow-ups for over five years. Twenty-five studies were based in hospitals, and 24 studies were funded by industry. Only one study used VTE as a primary endpoint. The median incidence of VTE in the statins group was 0.72% (ranging from 0% to 10.53%), and in the control group it was 0.89% (ranging from 0% to 6.83%). Our pooled analysis of the 27 studies showed that, relative to control groups, statins may slightly reduce the overall incidence of VTE (odds ratio (OR) 0.86, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.76 to 0.98; 27 studies, 122,601 participants; low-certainty evidence). Of the statins we evaluated, only rosuvastatin seemed to be associated with a reduced incidence of VTE, albeit the reduction in incidence was very small. The evidence did not clearly indicate a difference between groups in the incidence of DVT (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.41 to 1.18; six studies, 40,305 participants; low-certainty evidence), PE (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.52; five studies, 28,427 participants; low-certainty evidence), or myopathy (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.45; 10 studies, 75,551 participants; low-certainty evidence). Nonetheless, statin use might slightly decrease the incidence of any serious adverse event (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.99; 13 studies, 67,020 participants; low-certainty evidence) and any death (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.95; 24 studies, 116,761 participants; low-certainty evidence), compared to control. Using statins for the primary prevention of VTE may slightly reduce the incidence of VTE and all-cause mortality. However, this effect is likely too weak to be considered significant. Statin use may not decrease the occurrence of DVT and PE. The current evidence is insufficient to draw strong conclusions because of the risk of bias in the studies, imprecision in the effect estimates, and potential publication bias. More evidence from well conducted and fully reported RCTs is needed to assess the preventive effects of different types of statins, as well as the effects of different dosages and treatment durations in various populations.

Research on the evaluation method for safety cognitive ability of workers in high-risk construction positions

PurposeSafety cognitive ability is a key factor influencing unsafe behavior. However, the existing achievements have not yet involved the division of the hierarchical relationship of factors influencing safety cognition and lack a quantitative evaluation system of safety cognitive ability. The purpose of this paper is to find out the deficiencies in the safety cognition of workers in high-risk construction positions and to provide practical suggestions for improving their safety cognitive ability and reducing unsafe behavior.Design/methodology/approachBased on the iceberg model, the factors influencing the safety cognitive ability of workers in high-risk construction positions and their hierarchical relationship were determined, and an evaluation index system consisting of four primary indicators and 20 secondary indicators was constructed. The game theory algorithm was used to optimize the subjective and objective weights of the indicators calculated by the sequential analysis method (G1) and the entropy weighting method (EWM) to obtain the optimal combination weight value. The Matlab software was used for cloud mapping and similarity calculation to determine the safety cognitive ability level of the object to be evaluated.FindingsThe research results indicate that the comprehensive level of safety cognitive ability of scaffolders in this construction project is at “Level III”, the fundamental factors and compliance factors are at “Level IV”, the auxiliary factors and driving factors are at “Level III”. This conclusion aligns with the situation learned from the previous field investigation, which validates the feasibility and scientificity of the proposed evaluation method.Research limitations/implicationsConsidering that the safety cognitive ability of construction workers is constantly changing, this study has not yet delved into the specific impacts of various influencing factors on the level of safety cognitive ability. Future research can utilize simulation software, such as MATLAB and Vensim, to construct dynamic simulation models that accurately simulate the changing rules of construction workers’ safety cognitive ability under the influence of different factors.Practical implicationsThis research broadens the application scope of the iceberg model, enriches the analysis model of the factors influencing the safety cognitive ability of workers in high-risk construction positions and provides a novel perspective for similar research. The safety cognitive ability evaluation method proposed in this paper can not only accurately evaluate the safety cognitive ability level of workers in high-risk positions such as scaffolders but also provide practical suggestions for improving the safety cognitive ability of workers, which is of great significance to improve the safety management level and reduce unsafe behavior in the construction field.Originality/valueThis research fills the research gap of workers in high-risk construction positions and the quantification of safety cognitive ability. The iceberg model is used to realize the hierarchical division of the factors influencing safety cognitive ability. Additionally, an evaluation method for the safety cognitive ability of workers in high-risk construction positions based on the game theory combination weighting method and cloud model is proposed, which realizes the quantitative evaluation of safety cognitive ability.

Sequential Injection Analysis Method for the Determination of Glutathione in Pharmaceuticals.

A sequential injection analysis method for the determination of glutathione (GSH) in pharmaceuticals has been developed. It is based on the reduction of the Cu(II)-neocuproine complex by GSH and the formation of an orange-yellow colored Cu(I)-neocuproine complex with maximum absorbance at 458 nm. Under optimal conditions the method is characterized by a linear calibration range of 6.0 × 10-7-8.0 × 10-5 mol L-1 (Amax = 3270 CGSH - 0.0010; R2 = 0.9983), limit of detection of 2.0 × 10-7 mol L-1, limit of quantification of 6.7 × 10-7 mol L-1, repeatability (expressed as relative standard deviation) of 3.8%, and sampling rate of 60 h-1. The newly developed method has been successfully applied to the determination of GSH in pharmaceutical samples with no statistically significant difference between the results obtained and those produced by the standard Pharmacopoeia method.

Automatic Diagnosis of Lung Diseases (Pneumonia, Cancer) with given Reliabilities on the Basis of an Irradiation Images of Patients

The article proposes algorithms for the automatic diagnosis of human lung diseases pneumonia and cancer, based on images obtained by radiation irradiation, which allow us to make decisions with the necessary reliability, that is, to restrict the probabilities of making possible errors to a pre-planned level. Since the information obtained from the observation is random, Wald’s sequential analysis method and Constrained Bayesian Method (CBM) of statistical hypothesis testing are used for making a decision, which allow us to restrict both types of possible errors. Both methods have been investigated using statistical simulation and real data, which fully confirmed the correctness of theoretical reasoning and the ability to make decisions with the required reliability using artificial intelligence. The advantage of CBM compared to Wald’s method is shown, which is expressed in the relative scarcity of observation results needed to make a decision with the same reliability. The possibility of implementing the proposed method in modern computerized X-ray equipment due to its simplicity and promptness of decision-making is also shown.

Development of a sequential injection analysis method for the automatic speciation of inorganic selenium in water samples

Selenium is an important micronutrient for the human body, but biological concentrations on either side of its narrow nutritional window can lead to serious health impacts. Furthermore, Se(IV) has been reported to be more toxic than Se(VI). Therefore, prudent control and monitoring of Se intake should involve speciation of this element. Herein, the development and validation of an automatic sequential injection analysis (SIA) system and method for the speciation of Se(IV) and Se(VI) in water samples is reported for the first time. This method is based on the starch-iodide reaction using Se(IV) as the oxidant, which subsequently forms a blue compound with starch. Total selenium is determined after an online pre-reduction of Se(VI) to Se(IV) with HCl at 75 °C. The concentration of Se(VI) is then calculated as the difference between the total Se and Se(IV) concentrations. The calibration curves for Se(IV) and total Se are characterised by linear ranges of 0 – 1.5 mg L-1 and 0 – 2.5 mg L-1, limits of detection (LODs) of 0.02 mg L-1 and 0.07 mg L-1, and averaged relative standard deviations (RSDs) (n = 3) of 1.33 % and 2.95 % respectively, with a sampling rate of 10 h−1. The newly developed SIA method has been successfully applied to drinking water samples spiked with both Se species and good recoveries in the range 94 – 109 % have been achieved.

Clinical outcomes of corticosteroid administration for acute respiratory distress syndrome in adults based on meta-analyses and trial sequential analysis.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which results in lung injury as a consequence of sepsis and septic shock, is associated with severe systemic inflammation and is responsible for a high worldwide mortality rate. Investigate whether corticosteroids could benefit clinical outcomes in adult with ARDS. A comprehensive search of electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMbase, and Cochrane Library from their inception to 7 May 2023 was conducted to identify studies that met the eligibility criteria, including only randomized controlled trials. The study was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the methods of trial sequential analysis. Mortality rates, including including the 14-, 28-, 45-, and 60-day mortality, hospital mortality, and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. 17 studies with 2508 patients. Data relating to mortality at 14, 28, 45, and 60 days were not significantly different when treatments with corticosteroids and placebo were compared. In terms of hospital and ICU mortality, the mortality of those who had received corticosteroids was significantly lower than that of those who had not. ARDS patients who received assisted ventilation benefited from corticosteroid therapy, as revealed by the significant difference in outcome days between those who received assisted ventilation and those who did not. Corticosteroid had significantly more days free from mechanical ventilation, ICU-free days, and MODS-free days during the first 28 days, but not more organ support-free days up to day 28. Although corticosteroid therapy did not reduce mortality rates at different observation periods, it significantly reduced hospital and ICU mortality. Administering corticosteroids to ARDS patients significantly decreased the days of assisted ventilation and time cost consumption. This study confirmed that long-term use of low-dose glucocorticoids may have a positive effect on early ARDS. Risk of bias due to the differences in patient characteristics.

Assessment of Urban Sustainability and Coupling Coordinated Development: An Empirical Study in Anhui Province, China

The conflict between economic development and environmental degradation has significantly impeded urban development. Currently, the Chinese government is actively promoting the comprehensive transformation of new-type urbanization. This study measured the quality of urbanization and its degree of coupling coordination in 16 cities in Anhui Province from 2010 to 2020, utilizing 32 indicators across six dimensions: economic development (ED), infrastructure (INF), population development (PD), social development (SD), environmental protection (EP) and urban–rural integration (URI). Additionally, a novel method of sequential relationship analysis, oriented towards “interaction–change” was introduced to calculate indicator weights, which take the interactive degree among various indices and dependencies between neighboring cities into account. The results indicate that urban development in Anhui Province is imbalanced due to a low degree of resource matching. However, there is a positive trend in the relationship between urbanization quality and economic development. Furthermore, although the coupling coordination degree of urbanization quality in most cities fluctuates at different scales, it is still necessary to narrow and optimize the gap between subsystems. For one thing, the above achievements may provide reference for breaking through the traditional static weighting method from the theoretical level. For another, it can also provide decision-makers with valuable insights to establish an intercity complementary management system, so as to achieve sustainable development across the entire region.

ОСНОВНІ ЧИННИКИ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ УКРАЇНИ В УМОВАХ ВІЙНИ

Nowadays, enterprises operating in the difficult conditions of development of the modern economy, in the conditions of war, face many problems related not only to maintaining high economic performance, but also to the very possibility of remaining in the market. Therefore, the issues of ensuring the sustainable development of enterprises are of particular relevance, as the higher the sustainability of the enterprise, the lower the risk of unplanned results. The effective use of sustainable development mechanisms allows an enterprise not only to adapt to the negative impact of the external environment, but also to develop continuously. Вісник Чернівецького торговельно-економічного інституту. 2024. Вип. І (93) 40 The purpose of the study is to determine the main factors of sustainable development of the Ukrainian industry in the conditions of war. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is formed by: fundamental provisions of management, formal logic, general scientific theoretical methods of generalisation, comparison, which involves a consistent and structural analysis of basic terms and concepts (in the study of the essence and content of the concept of "sustainable development"); a combination of methods of systematic and logical sequential analysis to assess the dynamics of the processes under study (in the study of factors of sustainable development of an industrial enterprise); analysis and synthesis (in the analysis of the utilisation of production capacities). The article investigates the essence of sustainable development, the specifics of sustainable development of industry of Ukraine in the conditions of war; it identifies the main elements (factors) of the strategy of sustainable development of Ukrainian industry; it substantiates the importance of the enterprise structure in its ability to respond to changes in the external environment; proposes optimal solutions to solve problems for the enterprise in crisis situations and during the war. The proposed issues of sustainable development of the Ukrainian industry can be used for practical solution of problems related to the processes of adaptation of the Ukrainian management model to the European business valuation system based on the concept of double materiality. Prospects for further research include: application of reporting of Ukrainian enterprises in terms of sustainable development; impact on the environment and society of industrial companies in the context of sustainable development; principles of sustainable development during the war; study of experience of global companies in the field of sustainable development.

Leveraging machine learning to dissect role of combinations of amino acids in modulating the effect of zinc on mammalian cell growth.

Although the contributions of individual components of cell culture media are largely known, their combinatorial effects are far less understood. Experiments varying one component at a time cannot identify combinatorial effects, and analysis of the large number of experiments required to decipher such effects is challenging. Machine learning algorithms can help in the analysis of such datasets to identify multi-component interactions. Zinc toxicity in vitro is known to change depending on amino acid concentration in the extracellular medium. Multiple amino acids are known to be involved in this protection. Thirty-two amino acid compositions were formulated to evaluate their effect on the growth of CHO cells under high zinc conditions. A sequential machine learning analysis methodology was used, which led to the identification of a set of amino acids (threonine, proline, glutamate, aspartate, asparagine, and tryptophan) contributing to protection from zinc. Our results suggest that a decrease in availability of these set of amino acids due to consumption may affect cell growth in media formulated with high zinc concentrations, and in contrast, normal levels of these amino acids are associated with better tolerance to high zinc concentration. Our sequential analysis method may be similarly employed for high throughput medium design and optimization experiments to identify interactions among a large number of cell culture medium components.

INFORMATION TERRORISM AND ITS PREVENTION IN THE GLOBAL POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The manifestations of information terrorism can be realized concerning the subjects of the global political sphere. Preventing and countering its consequences is a difficult task, primarily due to the multiple directions of modern threats, as well as the complexity of selecting and implementing measures to be taken to counter such manifestations of information danger. The study aims to analyze the trends in the development of measures to counter information terrorist attacks that have been and are being carried out against the targets of the global political sphere in the XXI century. The research was carried out using the methods of sequential analysis of the peculiarities of development and systemic description of information terrorism. In addition, the article provides a comparative assessment of related concepts. The descriptive method, comparison, analysis and synthesis of information were used to assess the content, methods of counteraction, principles and measures to counter information threats. According to the research results, the key features of countering information terrorism today include the formation and improvement of the regulatory framework based on global cooperation, openness, transparency, increased responsibility and proactive state policy to counter information terrorist attacks.

Curriculum Analytics of Course Choices:

In a higher education context, students are expected to take charge of their learning by deciding “what” to learn and “how” to learn. While the learning analytics (LA) community has seen increasing research on the “how” to learn part (i.e., researching methods for supporting students in their learning journey), the “what” to learn part is still underinvestigated. We present a case study of curriculum analytics and its application to a dataset of 243 students of the bachelor’s program in the broad discipline of health sciences to explore the effects of course choices on students’ academic performance. Using curriculum metrics such as grading stringency, course temporal position, and duration, we investigated how course choices differed between high- and low-performing students using both temporal and sequential analysis methods. We found that high-performing students were likely to pick an elective course of low difficulty. It appeared that these students were more strategic in terms of their course choices than their low-performing peers. Generally, low-performing students seemed to have made suboptimal choices when selecting elective courses; e.g., when they picked an elective course of high difficulty, they were less likely to pick a following course of low difficulty. The findings of this study have design implications for researchers, program directors, and coordinators, because they can use the results to (i) update the course sequencing, (ii) guide students about course choices based on their current GPA (such as through course recommendation dashboards), (iii) identify bottleneck courses, and (iv) assist higher education institutions in planning a more balanced course roadmap to help students manage their workload effectively.

Research on the Spatial Dynamic Evolution of Digital Agriculture—Evidence from China

Digital agriculture serves as a pivotal means of ushering in innovative agricultural practices and achieving sustainable agricultural development. Although agricultural digitalization has received increasing attention, the unbalanced development and regional disparities of digital agriculture are still key obstacles to sustainable agricultural development. Based on the data of 31 provinces in China from 2013 to 2021, this study evaluates the development level of digital agriculture in China, and further analyzes the distribution pattern, spatial characteristics, and transition probabilities of digital agriculture from a regional perspective. The index system of the digital agriculture development level is constructed from five aspects: infrastructure, talent resources, agricultural informatization, the digitization of agricultural production processes, and agricultural production efficiency. Among these, infrastructure and talent resources reflect the resources needed for the development of digital agriculture; agricultural informatization and the digitization of the agricultural production process indicate the role of digitization in the process of agricultural development; and the agricultural production efficiency is the goal of the digital agriculture development, which is a critical criteria of its evaluation. The weighted analysis method of objective sequential analysis, which combines the dynamic level of indicators and sequential relationships, is used to assign weights to the indicators. In addition, to address the regional disparities in the development level of digital agriculture, kernel density estimation, Moran’s index, and (spatial) Markov chain analysis are applied to analyze the spatial dynamic evolution of digital agriculture in China. The findings reveal substantial regional disparities in digital agriculture development within China, particularly in the Western region, where development lags behind. Moreover, this study offers actionable policy recommendations for policymakers to strengthen regional infrastructure and talent cultivation, as well as other aspects of digital agriculture development, to mitigate regional differences and provide reference for other emerging countries.

Determination of N-Acetyl-L-cysteine Ethyl Ester (NACET) by Sequential Injection Analysis.

New sequential injection analysis (SIA) methods with optical sensing for the determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine ethyl ester (NACET) have been developed and optimized. NACET is a potential drug and antioxidant with advantageous pharmacokinetics. The methods involve the reduction of Cu(II) in its complexes with neocuproine (NCN), bicinchoninic acid (BCA), and bathocuproine disulfonic acid (BCS) to the corresponding chromophoric Cu(I) complexes by the analyte. The absorbance of the Cu(I) complexes with NCN, BCA, and BCS was measured at their maximum absorbance wavelengths of 458, 562, and 483 nm, respectively. The sensing manifold parameters and experimental conditions were optimized for each of the Cu(II) complexes used. Under optimal conditions, the corresponding linear calibration ranges, limits of detection, and sampling rates were 8.0 × 10-6-2.0 × 10-4 mol L-1, 5.5 × 10-6 mol L-1, and 60 h-1 for NCN; 6.0 × 10-6-1.0 × 10-4 mol L-1, 5.2 × 10-6 mol L-1, and 60 h-1 for BCA; and 4.0 × 10-6-1.0 × 10-4 mol L-1, 2.6 × 10-6 mol L-1, and 78 h-1 for BCS. The Cu(II)-BCS complex was found to be best performing in terms of sensitivity and sampling rate. Usual excipients in pharmaceutical preparations did not interfere with NACET analysis.

Direct Growth of Carbon Nanotubes on Silver Substrate for Determination of Fluoroquinolone

Metallic electrodes modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by direct growth have advantages over the ones modified through external connection methods. These advantages are: (i) reduced contact resistance between CNTs and metal substrate, which is required for electroanalytical determinations. (ii) Strong adhesion of the CNTs layer to the metal substrate which in turn prevents the detachment of CNTs from the electrode surface and stops the deterioration of the signal with time and use. This present work shows the use of carbon nanotubes-modified silver (CNTs-Ag) electrode prepared by direct growth of CNTs as indicator electrodes for differential electrolytic potentiometric (DEP) determination of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. Characterization of CNTs-Ag electrode by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy showed the growth of aligned, crystalline, and graphitized CNTs. Application of CNTs-Ag electrode for the determination of ciprofloxacin by sequential injection analysis (SIA) method exhibited fast and stable response, reproducible signals, and durability for long-term use. Ciprofloxacin has been quantified in the range of 60 – 1000 µmol/L with a good linear relationship. This work combined the advantages of Direct grown CNTs, SIA technique, and the square-wave DEP method. Figure 1

Information technology of quality improvement planning of process subsets of the spice model

The object of research is the software development process. The subject of the study is models, methods and information technology for planning quality improvement of a subset of processes of the SPICE maturity model. The aim of the work is to implement the developed models, method and technology within the framework of information technology and check its performance on test examples. Research methods: quality engineering of software systems; the theory of utility, on the basis of which the target function of the model is built; the method of options sequential analysis; the decision-making theory and modeling of business processes in the development of decision-making support information technology. Applied models: the SPICE maturity model is formalized, which is presented in the form of a hierarchical system; a model for evaluating the level of possibility of a separate process/subprocess of the SPICE model was synthesized; the quality improvement-planning model of a subset of the SPICE model processes under conditions of limited resources is synthesized. The method of options sequential analysis was applied, which was implemented on the basis of the "Kyiv Broom" algorithm. The obtained results: a technology for solving the given task was developed, which is presented in the form of a sequence of execution of individual business processes using the IDEFO standard; the requirements for software were defined; a data model of the subject area was developed; the toolkit for software development is substantiated; the software architecture was chosen; a diagram of software components placement is presented; the performance of the developed information technology was verified on test examples. The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the obtained information technology allows the managers of IT companies within the limits of the allocated resources in a certain planning period to build the trajectory of the development of the most significant processes of software, to determine how their level of opportunity will increase in each planning sub-period in order to obtain quality software.

Robust Bayesian optimization for flexibility analysis of expensive simulation-based models with rigorous uncertainty bounds

The performance of emerging biochemical systems rests on their potential to adapt to uncertainties quickly and accurately. Flexibility analysis is a quantitative framework for determining if a system can maintain safe and feasible operation despite uncertainty. Most available methods assume access to equation-oriented models, which can be difficult to obtain in practice. In this paper, we propose a sequential black-box flexibility analysis method, BoFlex, that overcomes this challenge by constructing probabilistic surrogate models over the joint space of uncertain and recourse variables. BoFlex is based on a special alternating confidence bound procedure, which we show finitely converges to a correct solution under mild assumptions on the unknown functions. We also establish a rigorous upper bound on the convergence rate in terms of the maximum information gain of the surrogate model. The advantages of BoFlex are demonstrated on several case studies including a heat exchanger network and a bubble column reactor.

Early-age cracking in mass concrete: Modeling and case study of an extra-large exhibition pool

Early-age cracking is one of the most common and challenging problems in the construction of mass concrete structures. This paper addresses the effects of factors such as temperature, hydration, creep, and shrinkage on the time-varying properties of concrete during construction by establishing an energy-based constitutive model for early-age concrete within the framework of continuous damage mechanics. The model comprehensively describes the damage of concrete due to the aging effect related to the degree of hydration, where the mechanical damage is driven by the work conjugated to the elastoplastic damage energy release rates. The thermal evolution during hydration is fitted with a large amount of experimental data, enabling the partial decoupling of multi-factor effects and facilitating the establishment of a sequential thermal-mechanical coupling analysis method. After preliminary verification through restrained ring cracking tests, the proposed model and method are applied to simulate the construction of an actual large-scale Orcinus orca exhibition pool. By predicting and analyzing the worst-case scenarios, the cracking risk, potential cracking mode, and cracking location of the large pool are determined, providing an important basis for practical construction control and optimization. Examples of these strategies include segmented schemes, reinforcement optimization, and the addition of tensile fibers, as well as selecting the best wind speed, environmental temperature, and casting temperature during construction. These efforts provided crucial guidance for the actual construction of the exhibition pool, and as a result, no visible cracks were found in the completed structure.