Simplification Of Methodology Research Articles

Turnover tra generazioni nel settore agrario: il caso della mancata applicazione della misura PACSRG004 “Cooperazione per il ricambio generazionale”

The issue of agricultural turnover is high on the policy agenda of the European Community and political and social scientists. A structural feature of the European agricultural system, for which no solution has yet been found, is the difficult access of persons under 40 to positions of ownership and control of agricultural holdings. Although methodological simplifications tend to underestimate the real generational change in farming, the problem remains unresolved and requires appropriate responses that will encourage the fight against aging of agricultural sector. An attempt has been made to move in this direction with the CAP measure SRG004, entitled “Cooperation for generational renewal”. It provides a mechanism for the possibility of establishing cooperation between a farmer over 65 and a newcomer. A check on the implementation of SRG004 in Italy revealed: None of the Italian regions had adopted the measure. Based on this information, qualitative research was organized. The aim was to find out the reasons for this generalization. The research highlighted some of the mechanisms of implementation of multi-level agricultural policies in Europe, in addition to trying to answer the initial question.

Direct PCR assays for DNA barcoding and sexing of plucked feathers

The current practice of avian DNA barcoding and molecular sexing involves the use of purified DNA for PCR amplification. The effective use of lysate of minimally invasive plucked feather samples is however questionable for these applications. The present study has aimed at developing a protocol for methodological simplification of avian genetic analysis. The feather lysate was prepared by heating calamus in a dilution reagent at 98 °C for 2–15 min. A total of nine dilution reagents were tested for preparing feather lysates. PBS appeared to be the most efficient dilution reagent for preparing lysate as evidenced by PCR amplification of specific loci from mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. The PCR amplicons of 16S rRNA gene segment from 60 different avian species were subjected to Sanger sequencing. All of these samples were successfully analyzed as a result of one single PCR amplification and sequencing attempt. The PCR amplicons of CHD1 gene segments from Fischer's lovebird were denatured and effectively used for sexual differentiation with high resolution melting (HRM). In sum, direct PCR may be a suitable choice to perform avian genetic analysis using plucked feathers lysed in PBS.

ABERTURAS EM LAJES MACIÇAS DE CONCRETO ARMADO: ANÁLISE DA SUA INFLUÊNCIA NO DIMENSIONAMENTO ESTRUTURAL ATRAVÉS DO MÉTODO DE BIELAS E TIRANTES

This manuscript main objective is to compare two methods of designing reinforcement around an opening in a solid slab of reinforced concrete, in addition to analyze the deflections observed in the structural element, in order to compare the impact caused to the service limit state between different types of openings presented. For this, an analysis matrix of 10 identical slabs was elaborated, with different types of openings and positions, so that their reinforcement could be dimensioned with the TQS software help and then, using the same application, to be able to obtain the deflection results.Applying the method, it was found that the further to the center of the slab and the larger was the opening, the greater was the impact generated in the deflections. For the determination of reinforcing reinforcements, the empirical method of Lonhardt and Mönnig was used, and then this result was compared with what was calculated using the strut-and-tie model. With these results, it was observed that the empirical method of Leonhardt and Mönnig presented throughout the analysis matrix, a greater steel area than that obtained by the strut-and-tie model, thus being the most suitable for these situations. This manuscript brings with it a possible future improvement in calculation methods for the situations in which it fits, seeking a methodological simplification.

Stuck in the Wild—The Hydrology of the Teklanika River (Alaska) in the Summer of 1992

In late spring of 1992, Christopher McCandless crossed the Teklanika River, west of Healy, Alaska (United States). His summer has been well documented both in the book and the movie ‘Into the Wild.’ In early summer of 1992, he attempted to cross back over the river, but was stopped by high waters and he died later that summer. This paper investigates the hydrologic conditions of the Teklanika River watershed. We consider both climatological conditions and also conditions during the summer of 1992. We run process-based snowpack and runoff models in order to estimate the river hydrograph at the point of Mr. McCandless’ attempted crossing. Our results demonstrate that the Teklanika river is very flashy during the summer, responding rapidly to strong episodic rainfall events. The main snowmelt signal occurred in mid-to-late May, after Mr. McCandless’ first crossing and before his second attempt. The specific day of his attempted re-crossing corresponded to a large runoff event, driven by rainfall. We conclude that Mr. McCandless had unfortunate timing and that, had he tried to cross a day or two earlier or later, the outcome may have been different. This paper is also an opportunity to explore the hydrologic compromises that must be made when trying to study ungauged, or poorly gauged, areas. There is a spectrum of choices regarding input datasets and methodological simplifications and the correct location on that spectrum will depend on the particular watershed the objectives and expectations of the study.

The application of reinforcement learning to NATM tunnel design

The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) tunnel design is performed by testing support classes against the geological profile. We propose to replace this manual process with reinforcement learning, a generic framework within the realm of artificial intelligence that solves control tasks. Previous studies have demonstrated this possibility, albeit with methodological simplifications. We coupled the Finite Difference Method with a Python script, used the output of the first to train the machine learning model implemented in the latter and improved the choice of the support classes. Through benchmark tests, we demonstrated that our method was capable of choosing the optimal support classes for various geological sets and showed the relation between its performance and the number of training episodes.

Construction and installation engineering for floating wind turbines

The construction and installation engineering of floating offshore wind turbines is important to minimize schedules and costs. Floating offshore wind turbine substructures are an expanding sector within renewable power generation, offering an opportunity to deliver green energy, in new areas offshore. The floating nature of the substructures permits wind turbine placement in deep water locations. This paper investigates the construction and installation challenges for the various floating offshore wind types. It is concluded that priority areas for project management and design engineers minimising steel used in semi submersible construction, reducing the floating draft of Spars and for Tension Leg Platforms developing equipment for a safe installation. Specifically tailored design for construction and installation includes expanding the weather window in which these floating substructures can be fabricated, transported to and from offshore site and making mooring and electrical connection operations simpler. The simplification of construction methodology will reduce time spent offshore and minimise risks to installation equipment and personnel. The paper will include the best practice for ease of towing for offshore installation and the possible return to port for maintenance. The construction and installation process for a floating offshore wind turbine varies with substructure type and this will be developed in more detail in the paper. Floating offshore wind structures require an international collaboration of shipyards, ports and construction vessels, though to good project management. It is concluded that return to port for maintenance is possible for semi submersibles and barges whereas for Spars and TLP updated equipment is required to carry out maintenance offshore. In order to facilitate the construction and to minimize costs, the main aspects have to be considered i.e., the required construction vessel types, the distance from fit-out port to site and the weather restrictions.

Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Label-Free Manner Using Micromechanical Sensors.

Coronavirus (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been identified as a deadly pandemic. The genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 is performed using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique for identifying viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in infected patients. However, the RT-PCR diagnostic technique is manually laborious and expensive; therefore, it is not readily accessible in every laboratory. Methodological simplification is crucial to combat the ongoing pandemic by introducing quick, efficient, and affordable diagnostic methods. Here, we report how microcantilever sensors offer promising opportunities for rapid COVID-19 detection. Our first attempt was to capture the single-stranded complementary DNA of SARS-CoV-2 through DNA hybridization. Therefore, the microcantilever surface was immobilized with an oligonucleotide probe and detected using complementary target DNA hybridization by a shift in microcantilever resonance frequency. Our results show that microcantilever sensors can discriminate between complementary and noncomplementary target DNA on a micro to nanoscale. Additionally, the microcantilever sensors’ aptitude toward partial complementary DNA determines their potential to identify new variants of coronavirus. Therefore, microcantilever sensing could be a vital tool in the effort to extinguish the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

Modele dyskryminacyjne jako instrument oceny zagrożenia upadłością przedsiębiorstw

In Poland, the interest in discriminatory models dates back to 1994 (26 years after the publication of the assumptions of the E. Altman model). The aim of the research was an attempt to critically evaluate, in terms of methodology, the phenomenon of using discriminatory models in the procedure of examining the financial condition of enterprises. The article also attempts to evaluate the state of research in the national literature concerning the subject of discriminatory methods in assessing the financial condition and risk of bankruptcy of enterprises. In the literature, it is still noted that discriminatory methods, from a methodological point of view are unjustifiably described as having a timeless value and sectoral universality. An attempt was made to verify two research theses: the frequency of using particular discriminatory models in the national literature on the subject is not equivalent to a hierarchy of their diagnostic reliability and the discriminatory models do not have the value of sectoral universality. Critical reference was made to numerous cases of simplifications and methodological errors occurring in the national literature on the subject. The research included 132 Polish discriminatory models, the methodological assumptions of which were published in the years 1994–2020, however, for 102 models, the teaching population does not exceed 100 entities. Only in three studies were the number of enterprises higher than 1,000 (they ranged from 1,353 to 11,000). Numerous errors and methodological simplifications have been shown in attempts to apply this method, which reduces the diagnostic credibility of the obtained results, and in extreme cases even disqualifies them. This paradox was also pointed out, as numerous studies have shown that Polish enterprises do not use modern methods of bankruptcy forecasting, or they only apply them sporadically. In the surveyed population of 132 discriminatory models, the most common are the current liquidity ratio (50 models), the rate of return on investment (34), the total debt ratio (31), the asset turnover ratio (29), the ratio of financing assets with working capital (21) and the ratio of financing liabilities with a financial surplus (20).

Synergistic approach to port development

The research based on the analysis of existing theory of port development prediction and control reveals the contrariety between existing models and the requirements of practice. Historically formed toolkit briefed in previous publications of the authors and summarised in this article does not answer to the strategic question of the decision-makers about the development program of a given port. Existing models explain in detail why the port was developed in a particular way without elaborations of the exact directions for future development. Due to the nature of the studied subject it is impossible to create a single model of the process of port development using the traditional methodological principles, which fact is postulated in the article. Since the modern port is a complex, stepwise, multi-level dynamic system, it cannot be adequately mapped using traditional linear system, which is a methodological simplification of reality. As a result, the port models constructed within the linear paradigm suffer significant loss of properties, which from the outset limits the scope of their applicability. To study the strategic characteristics of port development, especially included in the associated spatial-economic clusters, it is convenient to make use of well-established research in other fields of knowledge. The principal task of the authors was not the transfer of the general provisions of this theory and the creation of a methodological concept which is already used in the transport business, but elaborating specific models of development, focusing on the study of the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the studied objects. The paper represents the results of modeling the interaction and evolution of port populations serving the hinterland. The results confirmed the theoretical assumptions and the possibility of achieving stated goals.

Massive and rapid COVID-19 testing is feasible by extraction-free SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is commonly diagnosed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect viral RNA in patient samples, but RNA extraction constitutes a major bottleneck in current testing. Methodological simplification could increase diagnostic availability and efficiency, benefitting patient care and infection control. Here, we describe methods circumventing RNA extraction in COVID-19 testing by performing RT-PCR directly on heat-inactivated or lysed samples. Our data, including benchmarking using 597 clinical patient samples and a standardised diagnostic system, demonstrate that direct RT-PCR is viable option to extraction-based tests. Using controlled amounts of active SARS-CoV-2, we confirm effectiveness of heat inactivation by plaque assay and evaluate various generic buffers as transport medium for direct RT-PCR. Significant savings in time and cost are achieved through RNA-extraction-free protocols that are directly compatible with established PCR-based testing pipelines. This could aid expansion of COVID-19 testing.

Biharmonic spline interpolation of spatial dose rate distribution in the minimum dose trajectory optimization problem

In this paper issues relating to geostationary orbit (GEO) insertion trajectory optimization is considered. The article discusses the GEO transfer trajectory optimization for a spacecraft with an electric propulsion (EP) system with the purpose of reduction of ionizing radiation dose absorbed by onboard systems from the Earth’s radiation belts. The considering trajectory optimization technique is based on the Pontryagin’s maximum principle and the method of numerical continuation. Much attention is paid to smooth approximation of the dose rate dependence on spatial coordinates using biharmonic splines interpolation. The proposed method makes it possible to abandon the methodological simplification of averaging the radiation dose rate over circular orbits to effectively solve this class of problems and directly consider the dependence of the dose rate on time and geographical longitude. Using as an example the minimum time problem for a test transfer, the errors in calculating the dose at the end of the transfer both by the proposed method and by the method of averaging over circular orbits are estimated. The proposed method turned out to be more than 13 times more accurate than the analogue. It can be applied in transfer trajectory optimization problems of an EP spacecraft in order to minimize the total accumulated ionizing radiation dose.

Circuit design solutions for the reactimeters

A number of issues pertaining to comparative analysis of possible options for algorithmic and circuit embodiment of reactimeters were examined from the standpoint of the general theory of measuring instruments and the theory of digital filters. Structural diagrams of the linear part of the reactimeter, as well as the functional algorithms and their numerical implementation are described in terms of transient characteristics and transfer functions. Parallel, straight, canonical, symmetrized, lattice and ladder block structural diagrams are examined. The corresponding difference equations are given. The obtained results allow comparing possible circuit design solutions from the viewpoint of a number of criteria: the complexity of the elemental composition (the number of integrators, summation units, multipliers, delay elements), the number of necessary computing operations, the identifiability of the hardware function of the reactimeter, the coherence between the calculated and the measured values, the sensitivity to parameter uncertainties, etc. The possibility of considering the equations of the reactimeter as autoregressive is demonstrated, which ensures adaptability of the reactimeter under operating conditions. Certain algorithms for identification of the transient response characteristic and transfer function of the reactimeter are indicated. The possibility is shown of using identical algorithms in the main computing unit for solving the direct and inverse problems of nuclear reactor kinetics for ensuring consistency between the calculated and the measured reactivity values. Upper and lower estimated reactivity values are suggested for the moment of switching on the reactimeter. Implementation of such estimations in the reactimeter design allows minimizing the time needed for reaching by the reactimeter of the operating mode. Certain methodological simplifications were used in the development of ladder and lattice circuit design solutions. The database containing parameters of the instrumental functions of the circuit design solutions of the reactimeters is available on a public website. A number of tasks and directions for further research are identified.

EDC-Mediated Oligonucleotide Immobilization on a Long Period Grating Optical Biosensor

We present the development and simplification of label-free fiber optic biosensors based on immobilization of oligonucleotides on dual-peak long period gratings (dLPGs). This improvement is the result of a simplification of biofunctionalization methodology. A one-step 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC)-mediated reaction has been developed for the straightforward immobilization of unmodified oligonucleotides on the glass fiber surface along the grating region, leading to covalent attachment of a 5´-phosphorylated probe oligonucleotide to the amino-derivatized fiber grating surface. Immobilization is achieved via a 5´phosphate-specific linkage, leaving the remainder of the oligonucleotide accessible for binding reactions. The dLPG has been tested in different external media to demonstrate its inherent ultrahigh sensitivity to the surrounding-medium refractive index (RI) achieving 50- fold improvement in RI sensitivity over the previously-published LPG sensor in media with RI’s relevant to biological assays. After functionalization, the dLPG biosensor was used to monitor the hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides showing a detectable oligonucleotide concentration of 4 nM. The proposed one-step EDC reaction approach can be further extended to develop fiber optic biosensors for disease analysis and medical diagnosis with the advances of label-free, real-time, multiplex, high sensitivity and specificity.

Barriers and facilitators influencing ethical evaluation in health technology assessment.

The objective of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators influencing the integration of ethical considerations in health technology assessment (HTA). The study consisted of two complementary approaches: (a) a systematic review of the literature; and (b) an eighteen-item online survey that was distributed to fifty-six HTA agencies affiliated with the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment. The review identified twenty-six relevant articles. The most often cited barriers in the literature were: scarcity, heterogeneity and complexity of ethical analysis methods; challenges in translating ethical analysis results into knowledge that is useful for decision makers; and lack of organizational support in terms of required expertise, time and financial resources. The most frequently cited facilitators included: usage of value-based appraisal methods, stakeholder and public engagement, enhancement of practice guidelines, ethical expertise, and educational interventions. Representatives of twenty-six (46.5 percent) agencies from nineteen countries completed the survey. A median of 10 percent (interquartile range, 5 percent to 50 percent) of the HTA products produced by the agencies was reported to include an assessment of ethical aspects. The most commonly perceived barriers were: limited ethical knowledge and expertise, insufficient time and resources, and difficulties in finding ethical evidence or using ethical guidelines. Educational interventions, demand by policy makers, and involvement of ethicists in HTA were the most commonly perceived facilitators. Our results emphasize the importance of simplification of ethics methodology and development of good practice guidelines in HTA, as well as capacity building for engaging HTA practitioners in ethical analyses.

A simplified approach to model-based analysis of the ultradian sleep homeostasis through fitting time courses of its eeg indicators obtained across routine clinical sleep lab recordings of all-night sleep and multiple 20-min napping attempts

A mathematical formulation of an ultradian process proposed by the elaborated version of the two-process model of sleep-wake regulation appears to be relatively complex compared to a very simple formulation of a homeostatic process suggested by this, and all earlier versions of the model. The methodology of numerical simulation of these two processes is based on fitting time courses of electroencephalographic (EEG) slow- wave activity obtained during, at least, two sleep episodes, a baseline sleep episode and the following episode challenged by shortening or prolongation of wakefulness. The aim of the present paper was to test a suggestion that the simulating approach to investigation of the diurnal and ultradian alternations between sleep-wake states and sub-states can benefit from several conceptual, mathematical, and methodological simplifications. In order to derive the parameters of both processes, similar (very simple) formulae were used for fitting time courses obtained during only baseline sleep of 14 women of different ages. The correlation coefficient between the simulated and empirical time courses attained value above 0.98. The derived parameters were used to predict a time course obtained across 12 very short (20-min) napping attempts of 9 sleep deprived and 9 sleep restricted young men. A coefficient between the predicted and empirical time courses (0.89) was only slightly lower than a coefficient between the same empirical time course and its direct simulation with the two-process model (0.92). In theoretical terms, the suggested simplified approach to modeling and simulation of the ultradian sleep homeostasis provides a parsimonious explanation of the basic principles of sleep-wake regulation. In practical terms, it can be implemented into a model-based analysis of numerous polysomnographic recordings of normal and disturbed sleep that are routinely collected every night in many clinical sleep laboratories around the world. The experimental and theoretical studies were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, and the Russian Foundation for Humanities (grants 07–06-00263-à, 10–06-00114- à, 06–06-00375-a, and 12–06-18001-e). I have benefited greatly from help of Olga Donskaya, Dr. Vladislav Palchikov, Dr. Konstantin Danilenko, and Dmitriy Zolotarev (Heffele) in the EEG data collection and analyses, and from help of Dr. Evgeniy Verevkin in simulation of these data.

Projectiles and the abuse of the use-wear method in a search for impact

Projectiles have enjoyed a lot of attention over the last few years as an indication of the existence of hafted hunting technology and as one of the arguments in discussions on complex human behaviour. More and more frequently, the identification of projectile points is based on a limited range of macro-fractures, despite the diversity and variability in wear features from projectile use. Such a methodological simplification does not support the wide-ranging interpretations often proposed. We address the many difficulties involved in reliably identifying projectiles and we suggest how these should preferably be dealt with.

Complicity as Infiltration

In this article, I use a Spivakian decolonizing perspective to take simplification to task in two ways—the simplification of methodology with/in grants and the simplification of critique that skirts the impossibility of noncomplicitous research and researchers. I posit that neoliberal scientism’s grants culture is colonizing research—narrowly defining what is and is not knowledge production and who are and are not researchers. I argue that qualitative research/ers might infiltrate grants culture and then work from within to make the messiness of science visible in a way that makes neoliberal scientism’s “(ab)-use” of science its own undoing (Spivak, 1999). In this sense, I reframe complicity as infiltration, but recognize that complicities are neither equal nor uniform across researchers, projects, or contexts.

Impact of point-source injection methodologies on injection studies

Effective interdiction of illicit radioactive material requires decision criteria that are sensitive to the material of interest, while insensitive to material of lesser interest. Injection studies are used to assess the sensitivities of decision criteria to radioactive threat scenarios. Configuring injection studies requires decisions about methodological factors that represent or simplify actual field conditions. Understanding the relative impact of different source injection methods on alarm rates and other outcome measures is vital for interpreting results of injection studies. The most complete and realistic way to inject point-source counts into a vehicle count profile is with the randomly positioned source profile approach. In this paper, we report a study of the impacts of methodological simplifications to this approach. We assessed relative sensitivity of two field-deployed detection algorithms to two experimental factors in point-source injection studies. The first factor featured “centered” versus “random” point-source position along the vehicle count profile. The second factor featured either adding the entire injection profile (“profile injection”) or adding only the central “spike” portion of the injection profile nearest to the point-source position (“spike injection”). A collection of 75 059 archived vehicle count profiles from an operating border crossing were injected with a simulated low-energy gamma-ray point-source intended to emulate surrogates of highly enriched uranium or plutonium. Outcomes were assessed by means of injection curves (alarm rate vs. injection source size) and a derived measure, minimum detectable count rates (MDC) required to attain a detection probability of 95%. Results show that injection methodology combined with algorithm impacts study outcomes in different ways. For gross count results, centered spike injections yield higher detection sensitivity than centered profile injections, and random spike injections yield even higher detection sensitivity than centered spike injections. Conversely, for energy window ratio results, centered spike injections yield less sensitivity than centered profile injections, and random spike injections yield even less sensitivity than centered spike injections. These effects may be partially attributable to background suppression in the vehicle profile of detection statistics. Although the observed effects (up to 10%) are not large, the injection method impacts alarm rates from the two detection algorithms in opposite directions. These results inform methodological decisions and assessments of results in injection studies.

The SWIFT periphyton test for high-capacity assessments of toxicant effects on microalgal community development

The SWIFT periphyton test was developed as a simple and high-capacity approach for assessing toxicant effects on the succession of natural communities. Attached microbial communities (periphyton) were developed over a 7 to 9 day period on artificial glass substratum submerged at sea and then transferred to a controlled indoor environment for 4 day incubation with toxicants. Added nutrients and continuous light over the test phase facilitated periphyton growth and consequently accelerated the rate of ecological succession. The structure and physiology of the algal community can be analysed using any suitable method. In this paper we suggest HPLC-based analyses of community pigment profiles as a fast and less laborious alternative to e.g. microscopic species counts. Several crucial properties of the SWIFT test were evaluated: the biological complexity of the periphyton used for testing, the consequences of the 4 day incubation under artificial conditions, toxicant effects on community structure and the feasibility of using pigment profiles as descriptors of periphyton communities. The performance of SWIFT as an ecotoxicological test system was evaluated using the three antifouling agents irgarol 1051, Sea-Nine™ 211 (DCOIT) and TBT (tri- n-butyltin). Periphyton communities used in SWIFT were of high taxonomic richness and diversity, and there were no indications for adverse changes in these characteristics over the 4 day test phase. Community pigment profiles discriminated between different communities with a resolution equally good to microscopic species counts. Comparative concentration–response studies with a two-week microcosm experiment and SWIFT revealed similar concentration and toxicant-dependent shifts in the relative abundances of species. This shows that despite the methodological simplifications in SWIFT, crucial ecological features such as competition and species sensitivity profiles were still the major factors determining the ecological succession under toxicant exposure. The sensitivity of SWIFT was equal to that of the flow-through microcosms for irgarol and TBT and lower for DCOIT, probably because of the semi-static test regime in SWIFT. Species composition and pigment profiles over seasons, together with toxicant-induced effects on the diatom xantophyll cycle and the relative content of beta-carotene, shows that pigment profiles reflect both the taxonomy and the physiology of a community. Similar to encountered changes in species composition, pigment profiles were specifically influenced by the tested toxicants.

In-vivo coronary flow profiling based on biplane angiograms: influence of geometric simplifications on the three-dimensional reconstruction and wall shear stress calculation

BackgroundClinical studies suggest that local wall shear stress (WSS) patterns modulate the site and the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods based on in-vivo three-dimensional vessel reconstructions have recently been shown to provide prognostically relevant WSS data. This approach is, however, complex and time-consuming. Methodological simplifications are desirable in porting this approach from bench to bedside. The impact of such simplifications on the accuracy of geometry and wall shear stress calculations has to be investigated.MethodsWe investigated the influence of two methods of lumen reconstruction, assuming circular versus elliptical cross-sections and using different resolutions for the cross-section reconstructions along the vessel axis. Three right coronary arteries were used, of which one represented a normal coronary artery, one with "obstructive", and one with "dilated" coronary atherosclerosis. The vessel volume reconstruction was performed with three-dimensional (3D) data from a previously validated 3D angiographic reconstruction of vessel cross-sections and vessel axis.ResultsThe difference between the two vessel volumes calculated using the two evaluated methods is less than 1 %. The difference, of the calculated pressure loss, was between 2.5% and 8.5% for the evaluated methods. The distributions of the WSS histograms were nearly identical and strongly cross-correlated (0.91–0.95). The good agreement of the results was confirmed by a Chi-square test.ConclusionA simplified approach to the reconstruction of coronary vessel lumina, using circular cross-sections and a reduced axial resolution of about 0.8 mm along the vessel axis, yields sufficiently accurate calculations of WSS.