Simple Monitoring Method Research Articles

毛糸を捕集材としたパッシブサンプラーによる室内大気中ＰＣＢ濃度推定法に関する研究

We investigated a method for calculating polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in indoor air from the amounts trapped in passive air samplers (PASs) by yarns as trapping materials in order to establish a practical and simple monitoring method. To determine the coefficients required for the calculations, indoor air sampling by yarn PASs and low-volume air samplers was conducted in laboratories over 2 months. The uptake coefficient was determined by dividing the rate of increase in the concentrations of the compounds in the yarn SAS by those atmospheric concentrations measured by a low-volume air sampler. The elimination coefficient was calculated as the ratio of the concentration in the PAS to the atmospheric concentration under equilibrium conditions over 2 weeks. An advantage of this method is that if environmental conditions (air temperature, humidity, wind speed, etc.) do not vary greatly then the atmospheric concentration can be calculated by using a single equation at any place and any time, even when adsorption by the yarn SAS ha not reached equilibrium. The calculated atmospheric concentrations of PCBs were within the range of two to three times the concentrations measured by active air samplers (AASs) at 23 to 28 °C.

Determination of NTBC in serum samples from patients with hereditary tyrosinemia type I by capillary electrophoresis☆

Hereditary tyrosinemia type I is a serious metabolic disorder leading to liver failure. 2-(2-Nitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl)-1,3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC) is a relatively new drug which is used to prevent the accumulation of toxic metabolites in patients with hereditary tyrosinemia type I. In the present study, we have developed a new, simple, fast, and cost-effective capillary electrophoresis method for the quantitative monitoring of this drug in serum samples. Micellar electrochromatographic separation of NTBC was performed using 20 mmol/L phosphate and 40 mmol/L sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) at pH 12 as running electrolyte. Separation of NTBC was achieved in around 4 min. Reproducibilities of migration times and corrected peak areas of NTBC (as R.S.D.%) were found as 0.73 and 1.99, respectively. The detection limit was 3.17 and the quantification limit was 10.6 micromol/L for NTBC using UV detection at 278 nm. The utility of the method was demonstrated by the detection of NTBC in serum samples from patients with hereditary tyrosinemia type I using this drug.

Simple monitoring method for precaution of landslides watching tilting and water contents on slopes surface

A low-cost and simple monitoring method for early warning of landslides is proposed. To detect abnormal deformation of a slope, this method employs a tilt sensor in place of an extensometer on the slope surface. In order to examine the relevance of measuring rotation angle on a slope surface by tilt sensor, model tests were conducted, and rotation on the slope surface was observed together with slide displacement along the surface. The rotation data responded 30 min before failure in a model test, which could be useful as a signal for early warning. However, the behavior of rotation before failure varies from case to case, and thus, criteria to issue warning should be defined more carefully. For a model slope made of uniform loose sand, measurement of slide displacement along the slope surface is sensitive to failure at the toe, while the measurement of rotation on the slope surface is useful to detect the development of progressive failure upward along the slope. Wireless sensor units with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) tilt sensor and volumetric water content sensor were also examined on a real slope in Kobe City, and a long-term monitoring was attempted. A simple but possible way to define the criteria of judgment to issue warning can be proposed based on combination of data obtained by the tilt sensors and volumetric water content sensors.

The integrated control concept and its relevance to current integrated pest management in California fresh market grapes

The foundation of an integrated pest management program involves valid treatment thresholds, accurate and simple monitoring methods, effective natural controls, selective pesticides and trained individuals who can implement the concept. The Integrated Control Concept written by Stern, Smith, van den Bosch and Hagen elucidated each of these points in an alfalfa ecosystem. Alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa L.) has a low per acre value, requires little hand labor and is primarily marketed in the USA. In contrast, fresh market table grape (Vitis vinifera L.) has a high per acre value, requires frequent hand labor operations, suffers unacceptable cosmetic damage and is marketed throughout both the USA and the world. Each of the components of a working IPM program is present in table grape production. Marketing grapes to foreign countries presents special problems with pests considered invasive and where residue tolerances for some selective insecticides are lacking. However, fresh market grape farmers are still able to deal with these special problems and utilize an IPM program that has resulted in a 42% reduction in broad-spectrum insecticide use from 1995 to 2007.

The detection and quantification of cyanobacterial toxins in water using the brine shrimp (<i>Artemia salina</i>) assay

The cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are an ancient and ubiquitous group of prokaryotes that form dense growths or blooms in eutrophic water bodies. The blooms are of interest to aquaculturists and water management authorities due to their production of taste and odour compounds and/or potent natural toxins. The study focused on method development for toxin extraction and detection in cyanobacterial blooms based on its lethal effect on the brine shrimp, Artemia salina. The standard, pure microcystin-LR and extracts of cyanobacterial cells were assessed by an immersion assay and the results were analysed by the probits method using the software Ldp Line. The LC 5O for pure microcystin-LR was 6.80 μg ml -1 while that of samples ranged from 0.80 - 33.58 mg ml -1 . The cultured bloom, M. aeruginosa PCC 7813 with 3.68 μg mg -1 MC-LR equivalents of toxin was the most toxic sample while the natural bloom from loch Carlisle was the least toxic with 0.18 μg mg -1 MC-LR equivalents of toxin. The brine shrimp assay provides a simple and sensitive method for routine monitoring of blooms, particularly in developing countries where sophisticated equipment are not available.

Building Exposure Biology Centers to Put the E into “G × E” Interaction Studies

Building Exposure Biology Centers to Put the E into “G × E” Interaction Studies

A non-destructive method to monitor changes in a troponin T peptide in beef drip with a monoclonal antibody

To simplify the monitoring of postmortem beef aging, we established a system to detect a troponin T (TnT) peptide fragment in bovine muscle drip (natural exudates) with an original monoclonal antibody. The antibody was raised against a synthetic peptide APPPPAEVPEVHEEVH corresponding to the N-terminal region of bovine fast-type TnT. In a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), our antibody detected the standard peptide dose-dependently. According to the monitoring examination with a competitive ELISA during 22 days postmortem, the concentration of the peptide in both the drip and trichloroacetic acid extracts from the longissimus muscle ( n = 4) significantly increased in parallel, up to 10 nmol/ml and 16.4 nmol/g at day 14 postmortem, respectively. These events were accompanied by an increase in the conventional 30 kDa fragment in western blot analysis and a decrease in the Warner–Bratzler shear force value of the beef from 5.0 to 2.4 N/cm 2. The peptide detection system using drips with the antibody has advantages applicable to a non-destructive, simple, quick, and on-site monitoring method, such as immunochromatography.

Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensing for Monitoring Systems of <i>Oncomelania nosophora</i> Following the Eradication of Schistosomiasis Japonica in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan

In order to develop an inexpensive, simple, and accurate method of monitoring for the reemergence of schistosomiasis japonica in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, the distribution and habitation density of the intermediate host, Oncomelania nosophora, were spatially analyzed using geographic information systems. The 1967-1968 density distribution maps prepared by Yamanashi Prefecture and Nihei were digitized and geocoded. The habitats and population density of O. nosophora were estimated by referring to the data compiled by the Yamanashi Association for Schistosomiasis Control (1977). These earlier findings were compared with average population densities between 1996 and 2000 previously recorded (Nihei, N., Kajihara, N., Kirinoki, M., et al., Parasitol. Int., 52, 395-401, 2003 and Nihei, N., Kajihara, N., Kirinoki, M., et al., Parasitol. Int., 53, 199-205, 2004). A variance map was created to compare the spatial distribution maps of population density from each of the two periods of interest. The changes in distribution were remarkable and the map was found to be effective for future control. The most appropriate monitoring sites were chosen on the basis of the spatial population density maps and the variance map. Moreover, the paddy fields at risk were extracted using the normalized difference vegetation index value based on Advanced Land Observation Satellite images. The combination of this method with the global positioning system provides an inexpensive means of monitoring modern schistosomiasis endemic areas in Japan and also in China, the Philippines, and other countries as well, where the intermediate snail grows in paddy fields and marshlands under consistently wet conditions.

A protein-based oxygen biosensor for high-throughput monitoring of cell growth and cell viability

Fluorescently labeled hemocyanin has been previously proposed as an oxygen sensor. In this study, we explored the efficacy of this biosensor for monitoring the biological oxygen consumption of bacteria and its use in testing bacterial cell growth and viability of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Paracoccus denitrificans, and Staphylococcus simulans. Using a microwell plate, the time courses for the complete deoxygenation of samples with different initial concentrations of cells were obtained and the doubling times were extracted. The applicability of our fluorescence-based cell growth assay as an antibacterial drug screening method was also explored. The results provide a proof-of-principle for a simple, quantitative, and sensitive method for high-throughput monitoring of prokaryotic cell growth and antibiotic susceptibility screening.

Phylogenetic and serological analyses reveal genetic diversity of Agrobacterium vitis strains in Japan

Twenty‐eight strains of Agrobacterium vitis, including both tumorigenic and nonpathogenic phenotypes involving 26 isolated in Japan and strains NCPPB 3554T and NCPPB 2562 isolated in Australia and Greece, respectively, were characterized by means of a slide agglutination test (SAT) using antisera prepared against somatic antigens. Phylogenetic analyses were also carried out, using the results of repetitive sequence‐based polymerase chain reaction and the partial nucleotide sequences of pyrG, recA and rpoD. The A. vitis strains separated into four serogroups (A to D) based on the SAT reactivity. The phylogenetic analyses showed A. vitis strains separated into four tumorigenic groups (A to D) and one nonpathogenic group (E). Serogroups A to C corresponded exactly to genetic groups A to C, respectively, whereas serogroup D further divided into two distinct genetic groups, D and E. Genetic group E was isolated in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, and all strains of it have been found to coexist with tumorigenic strains belonging to the other groups within the same galled grapevine tissues. These results suggest that A. vitis strains are genetically heterogeneous and can be separated into several genetic groups. The differences between the nucleotide sequences of pyrG, recA and rpoD of the genetic groups will enable the development of a simple and convenient monitoring method, which will increase understanding of the dynamics of each genetic group of A. vitis in the natural environment.

Assessment of Behavior during Labor in Rats and Effect of Intrathecal Morphine

Efficacy of analgesics varies with the type of pain. Little is known in this regard concerning labor pain, given the ethical barriers to study in humans and the lack of surrogate animal models. To address this, the authors classified and quantified spontaneous behaviors during labor and delivery in rats and examined the effects of a known analgesic, intrathecal morphine. Pregnant rats were video recorded for 72 h surrounding the time of anticipated labor and delivery. Specific behaviors were identified and classified into general activities, phasic stretching behaviors, and maternal attention activities. Rats received intrathecal infusion of saline or morphine, 0.035-3.5 microg/h, beginning approximately 1 day before delivery, and effects on behaviors and response to noxious heating of the paw were quantified. Phasic stretching behaviors occurred with high frequency before delivery of the first pup and were rare after delivery of the last pup. Intrathecal morphine at infusion rates greater than 0.035 microg/h abolished these behaviors without affecting general or maternal behaviors or the timing or duration of labor and delivery. Morphine was also antinociceptive to noxious heat, but only at infusion rates of 1.0 microg/h or higher. Phasic stretching behaviors are observed after distension or inflammation of pelvic viscera in rats, and similar behaviors occur during labor and delivery. Selective and dose-related blockade by intrathecal morphine of only these behaviors suggests that they reflect nociception and that this simple monitoring method can be used to study therapies for the pain of labor and delivery.

Time resolved spectroelectrochemistry studies for protection of heritage metals

This paper discusses the evaluation of metal conservation treatments using a specialised electrochemical cell. The cell can be deployed in a synchrotron beam line to make in situ, time resolved, measurements on heritage metal alloys undergoing processes based on immersion in aqueous treatment solutions, electrochemical treatments/measurements. The present paper focuses on two specific projects: the evaluation of corrosion potential data as a simple monitoring method during the stabilisation of cupreous objects recovered from marine environments and the development and testing of a coating to protect lead objects which is stable, reversible (i.e. easy to apply and to remove), protective against corrosion and aesthetically justified.

Noninvasive respiratory monitoring system based on the piezoceramic transducer’s pyroelectric effect

This paper presents a simple alternative method and system for noninvasive respiratory airflow monitoring. The proposed system uses a piezoceramic transducer to measure respiratory airflow. When a piezoceramic transducer is impacted by respiratory airflow, there is a piezoelectric and a pyroelectric response to pressure and thermal airflow fluctuations. In this study, the selected transducer's response output is dominated by the pyroelectricity factor. Therefore, the piezoelectric effect is not significant and can be ignored in this study. Using the transducer's pyroelectricity to measure thermal flow variations, a subject's respiratory rate and respiratory air volumetric flow rate can be monitored. The proposed system was evaluated for accuracy and response time using quiet and postphysical exertion breathing modes. Using the pneumotach system as a benchmark, the proposed system's respiratory rate measurement accuracy for the two breathing modes is approximately 98.78%. In addition, the proposed system's output voltage is highly correlated with the respiratory volumetric flow rate measured by the selected pneumotach (r2=0.9783). The average correlation coefficient between the pneumotach system's output waveform and the proposed system is approximately 0.9389. Moreover, the proposed system and the selected pneumotach have almost the same rapid response time to respiratory airflow. When compared to a temperature measurement thermistor system, the thermistor on average is approximately 25.3 ms slower than the proposed system. Furthermore, compared to the selected screen-type pneumotach system, the proposed system simplifies the respiration monitoring requirements. Instead of sensing the pressure drop across a mesh screen, like the screen-type pneumotach, it measures respiration at one point within the respiratory airflow. The proposed system benefits from simplified processing circuits and a mesh-free design. The advantages of this new respiratory airflow measurement method are fast response time, high accuracy, low cost, and ease of implementation.

Adjacency matrices and chemical transformation graphs

The vast numbers of molecular objects and chemical transformations of a substrate cannot be evaluated even intuitively, which necessitates the development of simple reaction monitoring methods. Here this problem is formulated for the first time, and possible solutions are substantiated.

Hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography for extraction and determination of some antidepressant drugs in biological fluids

The applicability of hollow fiber-based liquid phase microextraction (HF-LPME) was evaluated for the extraction and preconcentration of three antidepressant drugs (amitriptyline, imipramine and sertraline) prior to their determination by HPLC-UV. The target drugs were extracted from 11.0 mL of aqueous solution with pH 12.0 (source phase) into an organic extracting solvent ( n-dodecane) impregnated in the pores of a hollow fiber and finally back extracted into 24 μL of aqueous solution located inside the lumen of the hollow fiber and adjusted to pH 2.1 using 0.1 M of H 3PO 4 (receiving phase). The extraction was performed due to pH gradient between the inside and outside of the hollow fiber membrane. In order to obtain high extraction efficiency, the parameters affecting the HF-LPME including pH of the source and receiving phases, the type of organic phase, ionic strength and volume of the source phase, stirring rate and extraction time were studied and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, enrichment factors up to 300 were achieved and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.%) of the method was in the range of 2–12%. The calibration curves were obtained in the range of 5–500 μg L −1 with reasonable linearity ( R 2 > 0.998) and the limits of detection (LODs) ranged between 0.5 and 0.7 μg L −1 (based on S/N = 3). Finally, the applicability of the proposed method was evaluated by extraction and determination of the drugs in urine, plasma and tap water samples. The results indicated that hollow fiber microextraction method has excellent clean-up and high-preconcentration factor and can be served as a simple and sensitive method for monitoring of antidepressant drugs in the biological samples.

Naspharyngeal tube for monitoring of the buried freeflap in layngopharyngeal defects

There are numerous techniques to monitor free flaps but most operators still rely on clinical appearance and handheld doppler. Obviously buried free flaps are not amenable to simple direct clinical monitoring, but this is a group of patients who present late with infection or fistula formation if failure goes unrecognised and often with negligible salvage rates. 1 Disa J.J. Cordeiro P.G. Hidalgo D.A. Efficacy of conventional monitoring techniques in free tissue transfer: an 11 year experience in 750 consecutive cases. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999; 104: 97-101 Crossref PubMed Scopus (256) Google Scholar Consequences of flap failure in these patients can be catastrophic. There are various specialist monitoring adjuncts that can be utilised, however we describe a simple method of monitoring for those flaps used to reconstruct pharyngeal defects.

Comparison of electrical velocimetry and transpulmonary thermodilution for measuring cardiac output in piglets

Monitoring of cardiovascular function is essential during major pediatric and pediatric cardiac surgery. Invasive monitoring of cardiac output (CO) and oxygen delivery is expensive and sometimes associated with adverse events. Therefore, we investigated the accuracy of a new noninvasive CO monitoring device using electrical velocimetry (EV) in comparison with the more invasive transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) method. In five fasted, anesthetized and mechanically ventilated piglets, CO was measured simultaneously using EV and TPTD under normal conditions, volume loading, inotropic support and exsanguination. In five piglets, 169 measurements could be performed. The correlations between EV-CO and TPTD-CO were significant for absolute values (P < 0.0001, r = 0.82) and relative changes from baseline (P < 0.0001, r = 0.93). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of the relative changes of the EV-CO values in relation to the first EV-CO measurement showed a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 94% (AUC 0.974, 95% CI 0.96-0.99). Changes in TPTD-CO greater than 15% lead to a change of EV-CO in the same direction in 93%. Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean difference between the two methods of -0.63 l x min(-1) with an sd of 0.64 l x min(-1). The lower and upper limits of agreement were -1.88 and 0.62 l x min(-1), percentage limit of agreement was +/-82.8%. The results show that EV is a safe, simple, noninvasive and cost-effective method for continuous trend monitoring of CO in piglets. The agreement of the EV-CO with TPTD-CO is not good enough to replace the standard method in our animal model. A correction factor for body habitus in piglets may be beneficial.

Modified perpendicular drought index (MPDI): a real-time drought monitoring method

Soil moisture and vegetation growth are the most direct and important indicators of drought events and, therefore, an understanding of vegetation and soil spectral behavior is critical to the drought estimation. Recently, Ghulam et al. [Ghulam, A., Qin, Q., Zhan, Z., 2006. Designing of the perpendicular drought index. Environmental Geology, doi:10.1007/s00254-006-0544-2 (accessed March 8, 2007).] established the Perpendicular Drought Index (PDI) that is based on an extensive analysis of spatial distribution features of soil moisture in NIR-Red spectral space. In this paper, an improved drought monitoring method, the Modified Perpendicular Drought Index (MPDI), is developed introducing vegetation fraction, which takes into account both soil moisture and vegetation growth. To validate the drought indices proposed by this paper, Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) images from different times registered over different eco-systems with various drought conditions are used to calculate the PDI and MPDI over ground measuring points. The PDI and MPDI are then compared to an in-situ drought index obtained from field measurements made synchronously with the satellite overpass, including the bulk soil moisture content at different soil depths, field moisture capacity, wilting coefficient, etc. It is evident from the results that the PDI and the MPDI is highly accordant with in-situ drought values with the highest correlation ( R 2 = 0.8134) found between the MPDI and an in-situ drought index derived from 0–20 cm mean soil moisture. This study concludes that the PDI and the MPDI provide quite similar results for bare soil surfaces, especially in the early stages of vegetation growth. However, the MPDI demonstrates a much better performance in measuring vegetated surfaces since it takes into account both soil moisture and vegetation growth in the modeling process. The MPDI has the potential to provide a simple and real-time drought monitoring method in the remote estimation of drought phenomena.

Arterial T-Graft in Coronary Surgery: Comparison of Selective Coronary Angiography and Multi-Slice Computed Tomography

The main aim of our study was to compare the results and value of angiography and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) after coronary artery bypass grafting using complex arterial conduit combinations. Twenty-six patients underwent coronary surgery. In all patients, we utilized a T-graft (free arterial graft centrally implanted into the left internal thoracic artery IN SITU). Postoperative coronary angiography and MSCT were carried out prior to discharge. The results were interpreted separately by two different investigators. One hundred and thirteen distal anastomoses using 59 grafts for T-graft combinations were performed in 26 patients. A mean of 3.5 peripheral anastomoses was established per patient. Angiography showed a bypass graft patency rate of 94.6 % (56/59). In angiography, the patency rate of anastomoses was 96.5 % (109/113). All occlusions were identified in sequential anastomoses. The bypass patency rate measured by MSCT was 100 % and the patency rate of anastomoses 100 %. Based on these results, MSCT showed a sensitivity of 98.9 %. The specificity was 50.8 %, the positive predictive value was 94.6 % and the negative predictive value had a level of 99.9 %. MSCT is a simple, less invasive and useful method of monitoring results after coronary surgery including anastomosis and graft patency after complex arterial grafts. Its value may be restricted for sequential anastomoses and angiography should be preferentially used in these cases.

NIR-red spectral space based new method for soil moisture monitoring

Drought is a complex natural disaster that occurs frequently. Soil moisture has been the main issue in remote monitoring of drought events as the most direct and important variable describing the drought. Spatio-temporal distribution and variation of soil moisture evidently affect surface evapotranspiration, agricultural water demand, etc. In this paper, a new simple method for soil moisture monitoring is developed using near-infrared versus red (NIR-red) spectral reflectance space. First, NIR-red spectral reflectance space is established using atmospheric and geometric corrected ETM+ data, which is manifested by a triangle shape, in which different surface covers have similar spatial distribution rules. Next, the model of soil moisture monitoring by remote sensing (SMMRS) is developed on the basis of the distribution characteristics of soil moisture in the NIR-red spectral reflectance space. Then, the SMMRS model is validated by comparison with field measured soil moisture data at different depths. The results showed that satellite estimated soil moisture by SMMRS is highly accordant with field measured data at 5 cm soil depth and average soil moisture at 0–20 cm soil depths, correlation coefficients are 0.80 and 0.87, respectively. This paper concludes that, being simple and effective, the SMMRS model has great potential to estimate surface moisture conditions.