TA Methods Research Articles

On the Sensitivity of Future Hydrology in the Colorado River to the Selection of the Precipitation Partitioning Method

AbstractThe accurate partitioning of precipitation is important for snowpack and streamflow simulations in mountainous regions. However, most hydrologic models employ a partitioning method based on near‐surface air temperature (Ta) and the sensitivity of hydrologic simulations to the selection of the precipitation partitioning method (PPM) under climate change has been underexplored. To address this, we compared simulations using two PPMs, a conventional Ta‐based scheme and a wet‐bulb temperature (Tw)‐based approach (TA and TW) with the Variable Infiltration Capacity model. Our study focused on the Colorado River Basin (CRB) which is vulnerable to future snowfall and streamflow reductions due to climate warming. Historical simulations demonstrated the improved performance of the TW scheme in simulating snowfall fraction (SF) and snow water equivalent (SWE) in relation to in situ observations and a gridded SWE product. Subsequently, we evaluated the influence of the PPM selection on snowpack and streamflow projections from eight climate models under two emissions scenarios. The ensemble median results revealed more substantial decline in annual SF with the TW scheme as compared to the TA method (−12% vs. −9%) from the historical (1976–2005) to the far future (2066–2095) period, especially at lower elevations. Hydrologic simulations showed that the TA scheme underestimated reductions in SWE and streamflow (Q) under warming as compared to the TW scheme. This finding has important implications on future projections for the CRB and in other mountainous basins where climate warming can shift conditions from snowfall to rainfall.

Usability of a Mobile Application on Anemia Prevention among Adolescents

The availability and usability of a smartphone application in Indonesia for preventing anemia, particularly for adolescents, are understudied due to the large number of health applications available for hematologic diseases. This research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of a mobile application development process to prevent anemia among adolescents and test its usability to the end user. The study analyzed the usability of a hybrid application called "AneMia-Prev" at a junior high school in Serang, Banten, Indonesia. The application was developed through conducting a content review, creating a prototype, and undergoing expert development. The usability was assessed by 15 adolescents using a Think Aloud and Smartphone Usability questionnaire. Meanwhile, data analysis was conducted using Jaspers' iterative 3-cycle model. The AneMia_Prev (TA) application was developed using server-client architecture, MySQL database, Apache Tomcat, and Spring Framework. A usability test was conducted on 15 female end users, with a mean age of 16.8 years and 60.0% of them in grade 8. The application received an overall usability average of 112.5 points, indicating good usability. The study demonstrates the high usability of the prototype, indicating its effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction, suggesting that future research could use TA methods with larger sample sizes

A novel four phase slug single-well push–pull test with regional flux: forward modeling and parameter estimation

The single-well push–pull (SWPP) test has been widely used for several applications, including determination of transport parameters such as regional groundwater flux velocity, effective porosity and dispersivity. A complete SWPP test usually includes four phases of injection, chase, rest, and extraction, while previous models mostly ignore the chase phase for the sake of simplification. Actually, the chase phase is important to minimize the impact of well skins and wellbore storage on the shape of the breakthrough curves (BTCs), thus is necessary and should be included in the model. To this end, two simplified methods are proposed in this study based on two different time tp and ta during a four-phase SWPP test to estimate the parameters related to transport, where tp and ta correspond to the time of the peak concentration during the injection phase and the time when the center of tracer mass returns to the wellbore during the extraction phase, respectively. Specifically, the tp method can be used to estimate the regional groundwater flow velocity and dispersivity (transverse and longitudinal), while the ta method is used to estimate the regional groundwater flow velocity and the effective porosity. Finite-element numerical modeling of the SWPP test based on the coupling of two-dimensional transient groundwater flow and solute transport is employed to test the applicability of the proposed methods. Results indicate that both the tp and ta methods proposed in this study perform satisfactorily in estimation of regional groundwater flow velocity, effective porosity and dispersivity, and these two methods require fewer observations than traditional curve fitting methods and do not require any optimization algorithms. We have also compared the proposed two methods with several previous methods, and conclude that these two new methods generally perform better than those of previous studies in terms of parameter estimation reliability.

A difficulty-aware and task-augmentation method based on meta-learning model for few-shot diabetic retinopathy classification.

Accurate classification techniques are essential for the early diagnosis and treatment of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). However, the limited amount of annotated DR data poses a challenge for existing deep-learning models. This article proposes a difficulty-aware and task-augmentation method based on meta-learning (DaTa-ML) model for few-shot DR classification with fundus images. The difficulty-aware (Da) method operates by dynamically modifying the cross-entropy loss function applied to learning tasks. This methodology has the ability to intelligently down-weight simpler tasks, while simultaneously prioritizing more challenging tasks. These adjustments occur automatically and aim to optimize the learning process. Additionally, the task-augmentation (Ta) method is used to enhance the meta-training process by augmenting the number of tasks through image rotation and improving the feature-extraction capability. To implement the expansion of the meta-training tasks, various task instances can be sampled during the meta-training stage. Ultimately, the proposed Ta method was introduced to optimize the initialization parameters and enhance the meta-generalization performance of the model. The DaTa-ML model showed promising results by effectively addressing the challenges associated with few-shot DR classification. The Asia Pacific Tele-Ophthalmology Society (APTOS) 2019 blindness detection data set was used to evaluate the DaTa-ML model. The results showed that with only 1% of the training data (5-way, 20-shot) and a single update step (training time reduced by 90%), the DaTa-ML model had an accuracy rate of 89.6% on the test data, which is a 1.7% improvement over the transfer-learning method [i.e., residual neural network (ResNet)50 pre-trained on ImageNet], and a 16.8% improvement over scratch-built models (i.e., ResNet50 without pre-trained weights), despite having fewer trainable parameters (the parameters used by the DaTa-ML model are only 0.47% of the ResNet50 parameters). The DaTa-ML model provides a more efficient DR classification solution with little annotated data and has significant advantages over state-of-the-art methods. Thus, it could be used to guide and assist ophthalmologists to determine the severity of DR.

The Thought of Sibawaih, Ibn Madha, and William Wright in the Contribution of Ilm al-Nahwi (Epistemological Comparative Study)

This study aims to describe the nahwu epistemology of Imam Sibawaih, Ibn Madha, and William Wright. Different views on these principles will have an impact on differences in understanding and views in ilm al-Nahwi. The method used in this research is to use a qualitative method by describing the nahwu epistemology of Imam Sibawaih, Ibn Madha, and William Wright. For data retrieval and collection, the author uses library research because the data sources are reference books, and articles from online libraries, and online journals related to the theme of the article. The results of this study, Sibawaih in formulating the rules of nahwu used all the epistemological methods of nahwu (ushul al-nahwi), while Ibn Madha rejected the methods of qiyas and ta'lil. Nor does Wright use the method of qiyas and ta'lil in compiling his monumental work on nahwu which is popular among orientalists.

Rice Husk Cellulose-Based Adsorbent to Extract Rare Metals: Preparing and Properties.

Adsorption is one of the common stages in the hydrometallurgy of rare metals. Its efficiency is largely determined by the quality of the sorbent used. The purpose of this work was to create an activated sorbent based on rice husk cellulose for the extraction of rhenium from aqueous solutions. Two types of cellulose were obtained by treating rice husk with a 1.5% NaOH solution (alkaline cellulose) and a nitric acid solution in ethyl alcohol (Kürschner and Hoffer cellulose). They were tested by IR, SEM, TA, TPD-MS, and XRD methods. It was found that Kürschner and Hoffer cellulose does not contain lignin and retains structural order to a greater extent. By means of this cellulose carbonization at 600 °C and activation by physical, chemical, and combined methods, a series of sorbents were prepared and studied by different methods. It was determined that the sorbent KHC4-600VA obtained by combined activation of cellulose carbonizate by water vapor at 850 °C, followed by an alkaline treatment, has the best textural characteristics: S-~1200 m2·g-1, V-1.22 cm3·g-1, and R-2.05 nm. KHC4-600VA provides 90% recovery of Re (VII) ions from aqueous solutions. According to the Freundlich model, sorption proceeds favorably on the sorbent's heterogeneous surface.

A QUASI EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STRUCTURED TEACHING PROGRAMME REGARDING THE KNOWLEDGE OF ESSENTIAL NEWBORN CARE AMONG THE CAREGIVERS AT SELECTED CIVIL HOSPITAL, TARN TARAN, PUNJAB.

Future citizens health depends upon the care we are giving to our children today. Newborn babies constitute the foundation of life. More than half of the infant's deaths occur in newborn period. Most of these deaths occur during first week of life. The main reason of these deaths are birth asphyxia, hypothermia and infection. To reduce neonatal deaths deserve priority measures in every neonatal unit on earth so that neonatal deaths are preventable. AIM: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge regarding essential newborn care among caregivers and give them teaching about essential newborn care. a quasi experimental study was done on 60 caregivers at Civil Hospital, Ta Method: rn Taran with non- probability convenient sampling technique Self- structured questionnaire consisting 30 knowledge items were administered after informed consent. The mean pre- test score of level of knowledge regarding RESULT: essential newborn care among the caregivers of control group and experimental group were 12.5 (SD +2.20) and 12.2 (SD +3.4) respectively. The paired 't' test value was 2.05 significant at level 0.05 level. This study con Conclusion: cluded that religion had a great impact on knowledge of caregivers. The present study recommended that a Recommendations: similar study can be undertaken on large sample for better generalization by adopting a quasi experimental design to improve the knowledge of caregivers regarding essential newborn care.

Incorporating relative humidity improves the accuracy of precipitation phase discrimination in High Mountain Asia

Precipitation is an important link in the global water cycle, with changes in precipitation phase patterns significantly affecting the water and energy balance. Precipitation types in the High Mountain Asia (HMA) have changed with global warming, and precise identification of precipitation types is a primary prerequisite for conducting studies such as future snowfall changes. In this study, five precipitation phase discrimination methods, namely, Ta, Dai, Td, Ding and Trh, were compared and analyzed in the process of precipitation phase identification in HMA using daily meteorological observation data from 1951 to 2020.The results show that better accuracy is exhibited by Td, Ding and Trh, which combine relative humidity, Ta or Dai methods, which only consider temperature. Among them, the Ding method has the highest overall accuracy (93.35%), followed by Trh (93.24%), Dai (91.38%) and Td (89.57%). The Ta method produces relatively low accuracy results (89.05%) and underestimates snowfall to some extent. In general, among the various methods, the use of combined relative humidity and air temperature allows for better discrimination of precipitation phase, which provides an important scientific significance and guidance for research in the fields of meteorology and hydrological processes.

Rice Husk Research: From Environmental Pollutant to a Promising Source of Organo-Mineral Raw Materials.

Rice husk is a large-tonnage waste left from rice production. It is not subject to humification and therefore becomes a serious environmental pollutant. Due to the presence of two essential elements—carbon and silicon—in its composition, rice husk is a promising organo-mineral raw material. The known methods for processing of rice husk are associated with the formation of even more aggressive waste. The creation of a waste-free technology for processing this plant material requires a detailed study. Rice husk of Kyzylorda oblast was studied using IR, SEM, TA, TPD-MS, EPR, and TEM methods. It was determined that under a temperature up to 500 °C, the ligno-carbohydrate component of rice husk decomposes almost completely. Three main peaks are recorded during the decomposition: hemicellulose at 200 °C, cellulose at 265 °C, and lignin at 350–360 °C. This process is endothermic. However, above of 300 °C the exothermic reactions associated with the formation of new substances and condensation processes in the solid residue begin to prevail. This explains the increase in the concentration of paramagnetic centers (PMCs) in products of rice husk carbonization in the range of up to 450 °C. Further increase in temperature leads to a decrease in the number of PMCs as a result of carbon graphite-like structures formation. The silicon–carbon product of rice husk carbonization (nanocomposite) is formed by interconnected nanoscale particles of carbon and silicon dioxide, the modification of which depends on the temperature of carbonization. The obtained data allow management of the rice husk utilization process while manufacturing products in demand based on ecofriendly technologies.

Characterisation of Fe Doped Layered Cathode Material as Nano-Rechargeable Batteries

This research focuses on the layered doped lithium conductive metal oxides with the universal form Li MO2 (M = Co, Ni, Ag or Fe doped solutions) adjustment of cathode electrodes for lithium-ion cells (LIBs). Preparation in a low temperature combustion reaction promotes its electrochemical efficiency. The modification starts with the preparation of the LiCo0.5Ni0.45Fe0.5O2 (LCNFO) powder with citric acid, which is used as fuel, along with deionized water (DW). As binding materials, nitrate of ions (Li+) and ions (Fe+) were added to this mixture to create a uniformed mixture. The required amount of citric acid and de-ionised water was added to this unified mixture to create a powder. This powder was cautiously heated to 150 C0–200C0 initially, and finally annealed at a range from 600 C0 to 1000 C0 for six hours.The resulting product was submitted to a thermal analysis (TGA), which is a useful tool to explore a wide array of polymer properties. This research demonstrates the different applications of TA methods in the field of polymer-nanomaterial research and displays several examples of implementation of the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). TGA was deployed to investigate the performance of thermal characteristics, which vary with the temperature, for the illustrations and structural characterisation, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and analysis. A meticulous annealed temperature will output pure, single phase LCNFO / NP material with electrochemical behaviour. The powder was studied, and the dimensions of the cathode material were designed approximately for the XRD data using the Scherer’s equation. Furthermore, we used the Fourier transform for the IR (FT-IR) and surface morphology EDS and SEM analysis. The results focused on modifying the LiCoO2 of the cathode materials by adding materials that are similar to Ni and Fe because these materials are documented as being their own state and not contaminated with the hexagonal geometry arrangement and R three m (gap assembly). We noticed that doped Fe has material that will perform better according to the capacity, power, rate capability stability and low cost, with increased storage capacity due to the nano-size effects.

Learning Method of Ta'limul Muta’allim Book in Forming Character and Improving Students' Learning Achievement

The focus of this study are: 1) How the learning methods of Ta'limul Muta'allim books in character formation, 2) How are the learning methods of Ta'limul Muta Books 'allim in improving student learning achievement, 3) What are the obstacles faced and how are the solutions. The purpose of this study are: 1) To find out how the learning methods of the Ta'limul Muta'allim book in character formation, 2) To find out the learning methods of the Ta'limul Muta'allim Book in improving student achievement, 3) To find out what are the obstacles faced and how the solution. The method used in this study uses qualitative research methods, in the process the researcher uses interview, observation, and doc- umentation techniques. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that learning Ta'limul Muta'allim in character formation using qira'ah and demonstration methods can help students read to better understand the subject matter, then after being explained students practice the results of what is explained and understood.

Pharmacokinetic studies of moracin C in mice using various blood sampling methods

Mice have been increasingly used in pharmacokinetic evaluation due to using less amount of compound and availability of various disease models and blood sampling methods in mice have produced the distinct pharmacokinetic profiles even in the same compounds. In this study, three blood sampling methods [i.e., automated dosing/blood sampling (ABS), tail artery collection (TA) and heart puncture (HP)] were applied to investigate the pharmacokinetics of moracin C in mice. Depending on blood sampling sites, significant differences were observed in plasma concentrations as well as pharmacokinetic parameters such as AUC (area under the plasma‐time concentration curve). The AUC values in ABS and TA groups were smaller than that in HP group. Considering that moracin C was greatly distributed to liver and gastrointestinal tracts (e.g., stomach, small intestine, and large intestine) and was extensively metabolized via glucuronidation in liver and small intestines, the AUC differences could be mainly caused by the stronger stress from blood sampling via heart puncture, which might interfere the elimination (i.e., hepatic and/or intestinal first‐pass effects). The remaining amounts of moracin C in gastrointestinal tract at 24 h after its oral administration were similar among three groups with different blood sampling methods, indicating that the absorption of moracin C was not affected during the blood sampling stress of HP. These results indicate that the ABS or TA method can be utilized to obtain better reliable and accurate pharmacokinetic parameters in mice.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grants funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (NRF‐2016R1C1B2010849, NRF‐2019R1A2C2009053 and NRF‐2018R15A2023217).

Ta’wil: in Practices of Light

This research is situated within an Islamic philosophical paradigm, with a series of experiments in studio art practice. In my investigation of Mulla Sadrā’s theory of systematic intensification, I was led towards Ta’wil, a unique method of interpretation, that is primarily used for interpreting the verses of the Quran. I extract this traditional Quranic method of interpretation, Ta’wil and translate it into a visual and collective dialogue, for a practice-oriented research. Keeping in view the traditional association of the method of Ta’wil towards the Quran, I suggest there is evidence that Ta’wil is a method that can be practised outside the interpretation of the text. It is a unique method of interpretation that performs in both physical and metaphysical worlds. Ta’wil is both a noun, as an object or happening in the physical, and a process of carrying a perceptible image (for example text of the Quran) towards higher and deeper understandings. I start my writing with a brief overview of my research area, moving towards Ta’wil in creative art practice.

Laser joining of Mo and Ta sheets with Ti6Al4V or Ni filler

Joining of Mo to Ta is important in manufacturing of high temperature microwave device. However, it is difficult to weld these two refractory metals directly because of their limited weldability. This study presents a laser joining method of Mo and Ta using Ti6Al4V or Ni as filler metal to prevent the mixture of two base metals in molten pool. The bulk of the Mo and Ta remained solid and joined by the liquid filler metal since the melting point of filler metal is considerably lower than that of base metals, resulting in two interfaces formed in each joint. The tensile strength of the Mo/Ni/Ta joint fractured from Ni/Ta interface is 19% lower than that of Mo/Ti6Al4V/Ta joint broken at base metal of Ta due to the formation of IMCs. These results offer a reference to filler metals selection for the joining of Mo to Ta, and highlight a possible method when dissimilar joining of two hard-to-weld metals especially refractory metals.

Study of phase transformation temperatures of alloys based on Fe–C–Cr in high-temperature area

Three alloys based on Fe–C–Cr were studied. These alloys contained carbon in a range of 0.308–0.380 mass% and chromium 1.058–4.990 mass%. Temperatures of solidus (onward used as TS), liquidus (onward used as TL) and peritectic transformation (onward used as TP) were studied in the high-temperature region. These temperatures were obtained using two thermal analysis methods: differential thermal analysis (onward used as DTA) and simple thermal analysis (onward used as TA). The Setaram Setsys 18TM was used for experiments with employment of the DTA method. All measurements were taken in an inert atmosphere of pure argon at heating rate of 10 °C min−1, and simple TA method was used for the experiments with the use of the Netzsch STA 449 F3 Jupiter. Measurements were taken in inert atmosphere of pure argon at a heating and cooling rate of 5 °C min−1. Phase transformation temperatures were obtained by heating and cooling process and were approximated to “equilibrium conditions” (DTA method: zero heating rate and sample mass, standard, TA method: only standard) (Žaludova et al. in J Therm Anal Calorim 112:465–471, 2013a. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-012-2847-8 ; J Therm Anal Calorim 111:1203–1210, 2013b. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-012-2346-y ). The experimental data were compared and discussed with the calculation results using IDS (solidification analysis package) software (onward used as SW) Thermo-Calc and the TCFE8 (Thermo-Calc Fe-based alloys) database. The results of the two alloys were compared with those published for similar steels. The experimentally obtained transition temperatures were close to the calculated values. The solidus, liquidus and peritectic transformation temperatures were lowered with increasing carbon (range 0.308–0.380 mass%) and chromium content (range 1.058–4.990 mass%). The smallest difference between the experimental results and theoretical calculations was observed at the liquidus temperature for all alloys. Nonetheless, the difference measured for the solidus temperatures was much greater.

Ushul Al-Fiqh Dan Kontribusinya (Konsep Ta’wil dan Relevansinya Dengan Pembaharuan Hukum Islam)

The ta’wil is a method of istinbath al-ahkam from texts (nash). In principle ushuliyyin agreed to say the use of ta’wil, if it’s meets the existing requirements, this ta’wilis called by the trem ta’wil maqbul, that is ta’wil wich not far from the meaning of zhahir, so that with simpleintructionscan be understood. But if the ta’wil is based only foundation to impulses and unfulfilled conditions,the trasnforming of meaning of lafazh wich away from, can’t be known by a dalil of simple proposition. So this ta’wil like this is rejeced or termed is ta’wil ghair al-maqbul. But in determining of dalil of ta’wil (argumantation support), the are differencesof opinion among ushuliyyin, thus are raising the trem ta’wil baid. overall, method of ta’wil is still considered relevant to the reform of Islamic law.

Comparison Study of Accuracy of phenotypic Methods for Detecting Biofilm Producer Staphylococcus aureus Isolates

Microorganisms growing in a biofilm are correlating with chronic human infections and are highly resistant to immune system, antimicrobial agents and difficult to remove from the infected host. There are different methods to determine biofilm production such as Microtitre Plate (MtP) method , Congo Red Agar method (CRA) and Tube Method (TA) method .This study was carried out from December 2015 to september 2016, 580 specimens were obtained from patients at different hospitals in Erbil city/ Iraq. Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates were identified phenotypically by different biochemical and molecular tests. One hundred isolates were found to be Staphylococcus aureus. MtP, CRA and TA tested Biofilm determination. This study was aimed to compare three methods of biofilm production. The results found that the accuracy and specificity of MtP was 100%, while it was 87%, 75% and 91% ,81.25% for CRA and TA methods respectively . The MtP method was considered to be superior to CRA and TA methods, and this method was the better screening for biofilm formation than CRA and TA methods, so this method can be a reliable quantitative tool for detection of biofilm formation in clinical isolates of S. aureus

Tantalum foams prepared by the thermal dealloying process

The paper presents a promising method of Ta–based foams preparation by the thermal dealloying method. The concept of the foams formation was to remove one of the alloying elements from the tantalum alloy under high temperature. This element was magnesium that has a relatively low boiling temperature (1090°C). Ta-20wt%Ti and Ta-30wt%Ti alloys, of the melting temperatures of approx. 2400°C and 2200°C respectively were investigated.The first step of this study was the Ta-Ti-Mg alloys preparation using the mechanical alloying process. The next step was forming the green compacts by cold pressing and then sintering and dealloying at the same time.The influence of the sintering/dealloying parameters on the porous structure formation was investigated. The sintering stage was done in vacuum at 1500°C. During the dealloying process, the magnesium diffuses from the middle to the surface of the sample, leaving open spaces surrounded by a metallic scaffold.The tantalum foam with high porosity and wide pore size distribution was successfully prepared. The above results clearly show a great potential of thermal dealloying in metallic foam formation.

Measuring “hotness”: Should the sensor’s readings for rapid temperature changes be named “tempericity”?

Expansion of the meaning of “temperature” into “hotness” is discussed and analyzed, with the goal of encompassing its two aspects: the physical quantity (thermodynamic, under equilibrium) and the operational quantity (experimentally observed under off-equilibrium circumstances by the sensor’s thermoscopic reading). For standard TA methods of controlled heating and/or cooling, the standard thermodynamics applies well, but when the temperature changes very rapidly (methods of sample quenching), the customary thermodynamics is inadequate. Notwithstanding the special microchip techniques developed specifically to study rapidly changing-temperature systems, which are capable of handling cooling rates as fast as million Kelvin’s per second, the accuracy of the produced temperature data remains questionable. For such off-equilibrium, poorly defined temperature-measuring systems, a new term “tempericity” is proposed.

Air sampling of flame retardants based on the use of mixed-bed sorption tubes--a validation study.

An analytical methodology using automatic thermal desorption and gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis was optimized and validated for simultaneous determination of a set of components from three different flame retardant chemical classes: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (PBDE-28, PBDE-47, PBDE-66, PBDE-85, PBDE-99, PBDE-100), organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) (tributyl phosphate, tripropyl phosphate, tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate-, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate, triphenyl phosphate, tris(2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate and tricresylphosphate), and "novel" brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) (pentabromotoluene, 2,3,4,5,6-pentabromoethylbenzene, (2,3-dibromopropyl) (2,4,6-tribromophenyl) ether, hexabromobenzene, and 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate) in air. The methodology is based on low volume active air sampling of gaseous and particulate air fractions on mixed-bed (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/Tenax TA) sorption tubes. The optimized method provides recoveries >88%; a limit of detection in the range of 6-25 pg m(-3) for PBDEs, 6-171 pg m(-3) for PFRs, and 7-41 pg m(-3) for NBFRs; a linearity greater than 0.996; and a repeatability of less than 10% for all studied compounds. The optimized method was compared with a standard method using active air sampling on XAD-2 sorbent material, followed by liquid extraction. On the one hand, the PDMS/Tenax TA method shows comparable results at longer sampling time conditions (e.g., indoor air sampling, personal air sampling). On the other hand, at shorter sampling time conditions (e.g., sampling from emission test chambers), the optimized method detects up to three times higher concentrations and identifies more flame retardant compounds compared to the standard method based on XAD-2 loading.