Simple Evaluation Method Research Articles

Sensor system for analysis of biofilm sensitivity to ampicillin

The resistance of biofilms to antibiotics is a key factor that makes bacterial infections unsusceptible to antimicrobial therapy. The results of classical tests of cell sensitivity to antibiotics cannot be used to predict therapeutic success in infections associated with biofilm formation. We describe a simple and rapid method for the real-time evaluation of bacterial biofilm sensitivity to antibiotics, with Pseudomonas putida and ampicillin as examples. The method uses an electric biosensor to detect the difference between changes in the biofilm electric polarizability, thereby evaluating antibiotic sensitivity. The electric signals showed that P. putida biofilms were susceptible to ampicillin and that at high antibiotic concentrations, the biofilms differed markedly in their susceptibility (dose-dependent effect). The sensor also detected differences between biofilms before and after ampicillin treatment. The electric-signal changes enabled us to describe the physical picture of the processes occurring in bacterial biofilms in the presence of ampicillin. The approach used in this study is promising for evaluating the activity of various compounds against biofilms, because it permits a conclusion about the antibiotic sensitivity of biofilm bacteria to be made in real time and in a short period (analysis time, not longer than 20 min). An added strong point is that analysis can be done directly in liquid, without preliminary sample preparation.Key points• Sensor system to analyze biofilm antimicrobial susceptibility is described.• The signal change depended on the ampicillin concentration (dose-dependent effect).• The sensor allows real-time determination of the antibiofilm effect of ampicillin.

Application of FTIR Spectroscopy method for The Quantification of Ascorbic Acid in Bulk Materials and Pharmaceutical Formulation

The present study illustrates the potential using of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) in pharmaceutical analysis. A simple, rapid, non-destructive, and green (FT-IR) spectroscopy method for quality control evaluation of Ascorbic acid was developed, using potassium bromide (KBr) as a matrix to quantify the drug in bulk pharmaceutical materials and AUC its dosage forms. The sample preparation was done by mixing and grinding for disk composition and without using organic solvents. Absorbance obtained for the carbon-carbon band (C=C) located at the range (1600-1700) cm-1 was used to develop a calibration curve based on the AUC measurements. Method had been validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. Linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, LOD and LOQ were evaluated and showed acceptable results for method validation in the concentration range of (2 - 12.5 mg). The validated method was able to apply for the quality control analysis of Ascorbic Acid raw materials and pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Development of an Odor Evaluation Method for Citrus Unshiu Peel Using an Electronic Nose Based on the Intensity of per Unit Length (INPULTH)

Although odor is an important indicator of herbal medicine quality, an objective odor evaluation method remains undiscovered. Quantitative measurement using previous methods is complicated as Citrus Unshiu Peel (Chimpi) emits an odor when broken. To establish odor evaluation methods for herbal medicines using chimpi as an example, we developed a reproducible method for breaking samples and an objective odor evaluation method using an electronic nose (e-nose). First, an odor-emitting device (OED) was fabricated by modifying a pill cutter, which suppressed the spread of odor components into the room air while cutting the samples. The odor was emitted from chimpi with an OED and measured using an e-nose. The cut length was then measured. The sensor intensity was positively correlated with the cut length (r = 0.840-0.927) in the same sample, and the intensity per unit length (INPULTH) calculated from the sensor intensity and cut length enables the comparison of the sensor intensity among different samples. In addition, average d-limonene emission level measured by GC-MS was positively correlated with average INPULTH (r = 0.999), which suggests that this OED and e-nose method enables the comparison of the sensor intensity and d-limonene emissions. INPULTH also positively correlated with other seven monoterpenes such as p-cymene, β-myrcene, β-phellandrene, α-pinene, β-pinene, γ-terpinene, and α-terpinolene (r = 0.701-0.865). Therefore, monoterpene content can be evaluated by measuring the odor in the same way as d-limonene. In conclusion, we developed a simple odor intensity evaluation method optimized for chimpi to establish an odor evaluation method for herbal medicines.

A Simple Power Loss Evaluation Method for High-Frequency Transformers Based on Surface Temperature Measurement Within Wide Operation Range

A Simple Power Loss Evaluation Method for High-Frequency Transformers Based on Surface Temperature Measurement Within Wide Operation Range

Ultra-low cycle fatigue evaluation method for unstiffened steel piers using fiber model

The safety of steel bridge piers is threatened by ultra-low cycle fatigue (ULCF) damage, which dominates the failure mode in those with relatively compact section under strong seismic action. Existing methods for calculating such ULCF damage face the dilemma between accuracy and efficiency. To this end, this paper proposes a simplified evaluation method based on fiber model to expediently evaluate the ULCF damage of unstiffened steel piers, evenly with sound precision. Specifically, the average stress triaxiality is assumed as 0.63 for steel piers, and it is validated by cyclic loading experiments with the modified Coffin-Masson formula and solid element sub-model. The disparity between local plastic strain range in fiber and solid models is compensated by introducing a magnified coefficient. The analyzed results indicate the slenderness ratio, axial compressive ratio, especially the flange thickness and the width-to-thickness ratio, strongly influence the strain concentration effect occurring in the pier bottom. In addition, the proposed close equation for the magnified coefficient fits well with the discrete calculated points. The 3.05% mean absolute error is realized on the predicting half cycles when applying this method in random cyclic loading. Its favorable applicability in practical engineering is also verified with considering different ground motion types.

A simple evaluation method of external Venetian blind shading performance for nearly zero energy buildings

A simple evaluation method of external Venetian blind shading performance for nearly zero energy buildings

Iron-based catholytes for aqueous redox-flow batteries

Redox-flow batteries (RFBs) are promising electrochemical energy storage devices to load-level intermittent power from renewable energy. In particular, aqueous RFBs using aqueous electrolytes possess several advantages over nonaqueous ones, such as low fabrication cost, nontoxicity, safety, and environmental benignity. Therefore, developing high-performance, abundant, less-expensive iron-based catholytes for aqueous RFBs is essential toward their wide deployment in a power grid. In this Perspective, we summarize the recent progress of iron-based catholytes for aqueous RFBs. We emphasize that iron-based catholytes possess widely ranged redox potentials (−1.0 to 1.5 V vs standard hydrogen electrodes) and solubility in water (0.2–4.0 mol L−1), thereby providing a wide range of cell performance. The molecular design, such as ligand functionalization, counter ion mixing, and asymmetrization, allows for rationally improving solubility, redox potential, and energy density. Furthermore, we demonstrate a simple evaluation method of the redox potential of iron-based catholytes using the calculated energy levels of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of ligand molecules. Finally, we rationalize the design strategy of iron-based catholytes for advanced aqueous RFBs.

Development and validation of a nomogram to predict allograft survival after pediatric liver transplantation.

Liver transplantation is the main treatment for cholestatic liver disease and some metabolic liver diseases in children. However, no accurate prediction model to determine the survival probability of grafts prior to surgery exists. This study aimed to develop an effective prognostic model for allograft survival after pediatric liver transplantation. This retrospective cohort study included 2032 patients who underwent pediatric liver transplantation between January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2020. A nomogram was developed using Cox regression and validated based on bootstrap sampling. Predictive and discriminatory accuracies were determined using the concordance index and visualized using calibration curves; net benefits were calculated for model comparison. An online Shiny application was developed for easy access to the model. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that preoperative diagnosis, recipient age, body weight, graft type, preoperative total bilirubin, interleukin-1β, portal venous blood flow direction, spleen thickness, and the presence of heart disease and cholangitis were independent factors for survival, all of which were selected in the nomogram. Calibration of the nomogram indicated that the 1-, 3-, and 5-year predicted survival rates agreed with the actual survival rate. The concordance indices for graft survival at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.776, 0.757, and 0.753, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease and Child-Pugh scoring systems. The allograft dysfunction risk of a recipient could be easily predicted using the following URL: https://aspelt.shinyapps.io/ASPELT/ / CONCLUSION: The allograft survival after pediatric liver transplantation (ASPELT) score model can effectively predict the graft survival rate after liver transplantation in children, providing a simple and convenient evaluation method for clinicians and patients.

Thermostatic shrinkage effect monitoring and analysis of novel Post-Combination Steel-UHPC composite decks

Combining Ultra-High-Performance Concrete(UHPC) layers to orthotropic steel decks through connectors has been increasingly applied to improve the latter’s fatigue resistance. However, a low water-binder ratio resulting in rapid and large UHPC shrinkage becomes a challenge since the constraint of connectors may cause shrinkage-induced stress and even cracks. To this end, a novel post-combination steel-UHPC composite deck was proposed to induce a low shrinkage constraint effect. It mainly refers to a relatively free shrinkage process due to absence of interlayer connectors in the early construction period. Particularly, 3 full-scale segmental steel-UHPC composite decks were prepared for 120 days shrinkage effect monitoring in a constant 18.5℃ space. Meanwhile, simulation and parametric analysis with shrinkage and damage plasticity constitutions were also conducted. The monitoring results showed that the shrinkage-induced UHPC strain in a post-combination specimen was 43% larger than a normal specimen, while the strain on a steel deck and rib became 60% and 79% lower. It tells an obvious lower-shrinkage constraint feature. Moreover, the lower shrinkage constraint of post-combination also resulted in a nearly 15% larger reinforcement compressive strain. Furthermore, the parametric analysis showed a detailed relationship between the low shrinkage constraint extent and the shrinkage-induced effect. Finally, a simplified theoretical shrinkage effect evaluation method was proposed. The research results provide fundamental knowledge for the shrinkage mechanism understanding of such a novel post-combination operation.

A simple method for joint evaluation of skill in directional forecasts of multiple variables

Forecasts for key macroeconomic variables are almost always made simultaneously by the same organizations, presented together, and used together in policy analyses and decision-makings. It is therefore important to know whether the forecasters are skillful enough to forecast the future values of those variables. Here a method for joint evaluation of skill in directional forecasts of multiple variables is introduced. The method is simple to use and does not rely on complicated assumptions required by the conventional statistical methods for measuring accuracy of directional forecast. The data on GDP growth and inflation forecasts of three organizations from Thailand, namely, the Bank of Thailand, the Fiscal Policy Office, and the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council as well as the actual data on GDP growth and inflation of Thailand between 2001 and 2021 are employed in order to demonstrate how the method could be used to evaluate the skills of forecasters in practice. The overall results indicate that these three organizations are somewhat skillful in forecasting the direction-of-changes of GDP growth and inflation when no band and a band of ± 1 standard deviation of the forecasted outcome are considered. However, when a band of ± 0.5% of the forecasted outcome is introduced, the skills in forecasting the direction-of-changes of GDP growth and inflation of these three organizations are, at best, little better than intelligent guess work.

Establishing entrustable professional activities for psychiatry residents in China

PurposeThe authors established entrustable professional activities for psychiatry residents in China.MethodsThe authors conducted a literature research and two expert consultation rounds following the Delphi method in 2022 to screen and optimize entrustable professional activities for psychiatry residents.ResultsThe effective questionnaire recovery rate in the two consultation rounds was 100% (44/44). The expert authority coefficients of the first and second consultation rounds were 0.861 and 0.881, respectively. The Kendall harmony coefficients of the first and second expert consultation rounds were 0.279 (χ2 = 405.43, P < .001) and 0.389 (χ2 = 3456.83, P < .001), respectively. The arithmetic means of the various indicators’ evaluation results in the two consultation rounds ranged between 3.61 and 4.93, and the full score rates were between 13.6% and 93.2%. The authors established 17 entrustable professional activities for psychiatry residents and their contents with phase-based modularization and formulated the entrustable level of each at various stages.ConclusionsCombined with standardized psychiatry training characteristics, the authors preliminarily established phase-specific and modular entrustable professional activities for psychiatry residents. The formulated entrustable professional activities are suitable for the practice and clinical environment of standardized psychiatry training in China. The devised system has good observability and measurability and provides a simple and feasible competency evaluation method for standardized psychiatry resident training.

Service reliability evaluation of highway tunnel based on digital image processing.

China is gradually transitioning from the "tunnel construction exploration era" to the "tunnel high-quality construction and operation era", and the maintenance demand of highway tunnels has increased sharply. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an evaluation method to evaluate the service reliability of highway tunnels, so as to provide reference for tunnel maintenance personnel to carry out maintenance work. Taking highway tunnels as the research object, this paper extracts three parameters, including length, maximum width and fractal dimension, from the binary image of highway tunnel lining cracks. The standard for dividing the length of the highway tunnel section is 500m as the tunnel section, and a section disease sample space including multiple highway tunnels is constructed. The EM clustering algorithm was used to determine the number of graded grades of disease, and the relative Euclidean distance was used as the evaluation index to divide the safety grade of the tunnel into five grades: normal, degraded, inferior, deteriorated and hazardous. The partial least squares method is used to establish the lining service reliability evaluation formula and verify the residual of each sample point in the sample space. The smaller the average value of the residual, the better fitting effect of the established evaluation formula. The service reliability evaluation method proposed in this paper is applied to engineering practice and compared with the expert scoring method and the national standard method, which proves that the evaluation method in this paper has the advantages of strong visibility, simple evaluation method, and is conducive to engineering practice.

Correlation Study Between Bone Cement Distribution and Adjacent Vertebral Fractures After Percutaneous Vertebroplasty

We investigated the correlation between bone cement distribution and adjacent vertebral fractures (AVFs) after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent single-segment PVP for osteoporotic compression fractures in our hospital from January 2016 to January 2021 and divided the patients into 2 groups, A and B, on the basis of the criterion of whether there were AVFs of the operated vertebrae within 1 year after surgery. We compared the general data of the 2 groups, assessed the ability of 3 simple X-ray-based evaluation methods to predict the occurrence of AVF within 1 year after surgery and derived a simple and accurate evaluation method. A total of 570 patients were included in this study: 511 patients in group A and 59 patients in group B. There were no statistical differences in the general data such as age, gender, and fracture site between the 2 groups. The posterior-anterior (PA), lateral (LAT), and PA and LAT methods showed receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) predicted postoperative AVF of 0.611, 0.691, and 0.714, respectively. The difference between the area under curve (AUC) of the PA method and LAT method was statistically significant (P= 0.0307), the difference between the AUC of PA method and PA and LAT method was statistically significant (P < 0.001), and the difference between the AUC of LAT method and PA and LAT method was not statistically significant (P= 0.3308).There was no statistical difference between the 2 groups of patients with PA method point of 1 and statistically different between patients with points of 2 and 3. There was statistical difference in points of 1, 2 and 3 in the LAT method between the 2 groups. There was a positive correlation between cement distribution scores and AVF by linear regression analysis of the 3 evaluation methods. The 3 evaluation methods reliably predict AVF after PVP, with the LAT method, PA and LAT method being more predictive than the PA method, but the LAT method is simpler, with bone cement being widely distributed after crossing the midline in the PA method and contact with the upper and lower end plates in the LAT method being a risk factor for AVF.

Intramuscular lesions in musculoskeletal MRI as a favourable prognostic sign in patients with anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis

ObjectivesAnti-differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibody-positive dermatomyositis, which has been described as clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis, complicates rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD). Owing to the absence of significant muscle symptoms, musculoskeletal...

Ground and Pile Vibrations Induced by Pile Driving

Pile driving in marine engineering causes a vibration response in the surrounding soil and adjacent piles, which may affect the safety of adjacent structures supported by the pile foundation and the internal equipment of the adjacent structures. Therefore, for the safe completion of a project, it is of great significance to study the ground and the pile vibrations induced by pile driving. Based on measurement data from a Rudong wind farm engineering in Jiangsu Province, a numerical model of the vibration response induced by pile driving was established. Based on various methods of calculating pile driving loading, the influence of pile driving loading characteristics on the vibration response was analyzed. Furthermore, the influence of pile driving on the acceleration of the ground and adjacent piles was studied, including the impacts of the distance between the driving pile, the existing pile and the driving depth. The results show that the acceleration of the ground has a good linear relationship with the distance in the logarithmic coordinate system, and the acceleration of the existing pile attenuates with an increasing driving depth of the driving pile. A simplified evaluation method for the peak acceleration response of adjacent sites impacted by pile driving was proposed, which provides a reference for ocean engineering construction in the Huangsha Ocean area of China.

Lateral impact behaviour of post-fire steel-reinforced concrete-filled steel tubular members: Experiment and evaluation method

Steel-reinforced concrete-filled steel tube (SRCFST), which exhibits superior mechanical behaviour and fire resistance than traditional concrete-filled steel tube (CFST), is widely used as a main load-carrying component in different structures. Structure might experience severe damage even collapse as a result of both impact and fire in extreme events. This study reports an experimental investigation on the responses of post-fire SRCFST members under lateral impact. Impact tests on 12 SRCFST specimens after fire were conducted, and the main parameters considered include the fire exposure time, impact height, axial load ratio, and section steel type. The temperature-time curves, failure modes, impact force, midspan deflection, axial force, plastic deformation, and energy absorption are investigated. The results show that post-fire SRCFST specimens under lateral impact experience global flexural failure. As the fire duration increases, the global deformation and local buckling of the specimen become more visible, and the plateau impact force decreases while the midspan deflection increases. In addition, based on the equivalent temperature of SRCFST members and the membrane force factor method, new simplified evaluation methods are proposed for calculating the dynamic flexural capacity and maximum deflection of SRCFST members subjected to lateral impact.

Experimental and Numerical Study on Lateral Resistance of Micropile in Sand

Micropile has been increasingly used not only as a reinforcing material for foundations but also as the foundations themselves. Due to the high slenderness ratio (length/diameter (L/D)) of the micropile, the lateral resistance has frequently been neglected or underestimated. However, field measurements in this study revealed that the lateral resistance of a micropile is considerable. In this study, the lateral behavior and lateral bearing capacity of a micropile were investigated by performing field tests, physical model tests, and numerical analysis. It was found that the lateral resistance of the micropile is highly dependent on the slenderness ratio and the installation condition such as inclination. Particularly, the battered micropile showed higher resistance than the vertical pile. The increase in the lateral support of the micropile was obtained when the micropile was inclined 45° in the direction of the load. Based on the numerical parametric study, a simple evaluation method to determine the lateral bearing capacity of a micropile is proposed.

A simplified ANN-based evaluation method for creep sensitive girder bridge identification at preliminary design stage

Excessive deflection which exceeded expectations has been identified as one of the main problems contributing to long-term performance degradation of long-span girder bridges. Although the 3D refined finite element model of the full bridge can improve the prediction accuracy of long-term creep deformation, there is still a lack of efficient creep-sensitive structural judgment methods in the preliminary design stage. This study was thus intended to develop a new evaluation method and model to identify the possibility of excessive deflection will occur by utilizing simple structural design parameters, which contributed to new understandings of the creep deformation of bridge structural level. A finite element model database established by 20 long-span prestressed concrete girder bridges with actual project backgrounds was used for providing training, testing, and validation sample datasets for the artificial neural networks (ANN). The Back Propagation (BP) model was chosen for creating mappings among variables and results and solving complex problems with a fairly accurate prediction even without sufficient information. The indicator of deflection-span ratio difference between creep models was proposed as the key analysis factor. A case study was conducted to validate the effectiveness of the ANN model. The mean absolute error (MAE) between the results of the ANN model and FE analysis was 6.25%, which indicated a high consistency. The analysis of bridge design parameters using the ANN model revealed that it had a high risk of excessive deformation, which was consistent with the conclusion of the actual situation. Multiparameter sensitivity analysis results from the model also suggest that the side-span ratio, the main span, and the deflection caused by the pavement are the most three significant impacts compared to different input variables in this model. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the performance of the ANN-based technique can predict possible excessive creep problems in advance.

A Simple Low-cost Method for Accurate Canopy Density Evaluation of Citrus

The use of canopy density for crop production is a useful tool for evaluating management practices for informed decision-making and predicting crop yields. Traditional methods for analyzing canopy density include expensive equipment that requires advanced software and costly repairs, such as leaf area index analyzers, or equipment that can only be used during optimal weather conditions, such as light meters, that quantify photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), thus making it difficult for researchers to maximize the time needed for field research evaluations and data collection. Digital image analyses using technologically advanced cameras, such as smartphone cameras, have allowed new ways of collecting data without the need to purchase specialized instruments. Using a combination of smartphone cameras and ImageJ software, canopy density can be measured in any weather conditions for a much lower cost than that of traditional equipment. This low-cost, digital image analysis method was compared with traditional PAR measurements for ‘Valencia’ sweet orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.] trees with varying levels of canopy density. A strong positive correlation between the digital image analysis method and standard canopy density measurement method using PAR measurements (r = 0.79; P&lt;0.0001) was found, indicating that this method can be used as an alternative to the PAR method. The digital image analysis method was also consistent when used during different weather conditions, whereas the PAR method was highly variable when quantifying the canopy when clouds were present in comparison with clear sky conditions. This novel method provides researchers and growers with an easy, flexible, consistent, and low-cost option for analyzing canopy density.

Highly Sensitive Colorimetric Determination of Os Driven by Electrocatalytic Gaseous Separation

Rapid assessment of ore grade is very important for field geological exploration, especially for precious metals. Based on the new electrooxidation gaseous separation (EOGS) idea, this paper reports a simple (colorimetric), fast (∼2 min), and accurate (μg L–1 level) method for the analysis of associated minerals Os in iron ores. The application of highly active coated electrodes has promoted the efficient and quantitative conversion of Os (including trivalent and tetravalent) to gaseous OsO4. Most of the coexisting components remain in the sample digestion solution during electrooxidation, which provides the possibility for ore sample analysis without pre-separation. Further electrochemical tests showed that appropriate catalytic activity (oxygen and chlorine evolution) was the key to both high conversion and anti-interference ability of the RuIr/Ti electrode, while long-term stability and low memory effect offered effective guarantee for practical application. Using the catalytic behavior of OsO4 to the CA-H2O2 reaction, we realized the accurate and rapid analysis of Os at the level of μg L–1 for the first time. Compared with the traditional chemical oxidation generation technology, mild operating conditions (such as not involving high temperature and strong oxidation/corrosive reagents) are the most significant characteristics of the electro-oxidation technology. Under the optimized conditions, the method has the merits of high separation efficiency (>90%), low detection limit (0.01 μg L–1), wide linear range (2–100 μg L–1), and low signal fluctuation (2.7%, n = 11). The aim of this study is to provide not only an economic and sustainable EOGS strategy for the accurate analysis of precious metal elements, but also a simple and effective rapid evaluation method for the ore grade based on the semi-quantitative analysis of color difference observed by the naked eye.