Test Locations Research Articles

Remote assessment of the Penn computerised neurocognitive battery in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Neurocognitive functioning is an integral phenotype of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome relating to severity of psychopathology and outcomes. A neurocognitive battery that could be administered remotely to assess multiple cognitive domains would be especially beneficial to research on rare genetic variants, where in-person assessment can be unavailable or burdensome. The current study compares in-person and remote assessments of the Penn computerised neurocognitive battery (CNB). Participants (mean age=17.82, SD=6.94years; 48% female) completed the CNB either in-person at a laboratory (n=222) or remotely (n=162). Results show that accuracy of CNB performance was equivalent across the two testing locations, while slight differences in speed were detected in 3 of the 11 tasks. These findings suggest that the CNB can be used in remote settings to assess multiple neurocognitive domains.

Interpreting the Interaction of Genotype with Environmental Factors in Barley Using Partial Least Squares Regression Model

Genotype by environment interaction (GEI) is a complex problem that complicates the barley selection and breeding process. The knowledge of the relationship between cereal phenology and climatic data is important for understanding GEI and the physiological pathways responsible for the interaction effect. The grain yield of twenty winter barley genotypes in six environments was observed. Factors influencing the variability were analyzed using a linear mixed model. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was applied to determine the most relevant environmental variables in certain stages of development that explained GEI effects. Biplot with environmental variables explained 43.7% of the GEI. The barley was generally the most sensitive to the environmental conditions (relative humidity, maximum temperature and its variation, sun hours, and precipitation) during the anthesis and filling stage (May) which caused GEI. Temperature variables did not show significance only in the vegetative phase. Different genotypes responded differently to environmental factors. Genotypes NS-525, NS-589, and J-103 were highlighted as widely adaptable, and Zaječar was a suitable and reliable location for yield testing. The GEI information presented in this paper can be useful in traditional plant breeding and future breeding programs through molecular research of crop developmental genes and examination of physiological processes in two-row barley.

Characterising ecological resource utilization by the endangered Egyptian vulture in Oman to better manage and mitigate electrocution risk

Electrocution is a threat to birds and can undermine their conservation status. We tracked 15 globally endangered Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) in Oman and used Resource Selection Functions (RSFs) to identify habitats important to vultures and locate places where electrocution risk is high. During daytime vultures selected rugged areas with low vegetative cover, and habitats near roads, waste disposal sites, and both high (>50 kV, large pylons) and medium voltage electricity infrastructure. At night vultures also selected rugged habitats with scarce vegetation. At night high voltage infrastructure was selected, especially in areas of relatively low ruggedness at higher elevations; medium voltage infrastructure was avoided at night. The pattern of infrastructure use suggested that vultures were using large pylons for night-time roosting, but used both large pylons and smaller poles for perching during the day. 54.2 % of 11–33 kV powerlines in the study area were within the top six habitat suitability categories, which also contained 87.3 % of 34,778 vulture daytime test locations. Retrofitting powerlines overlapping the highest suitability zones would have the largest immediate impact. Areas surrounding landfills were also important: 10.34 % of all test locations were located within 2 km of landfills, which contained only 14.5 km of 11–33 kV lines. Targeting these areas would provide high impact at low cost. These maps are particularly useful in Oman because it is a stronghold for resident endangered large birds (i.e., Egyptian vulture, lappet-faced vulture Torgos tracheliotos) and an important winter destination for endangered steppe eagles (Aquila nipalensis).

A Global-Local Approximation Framework for Large-Scale Gaussian Process Modeling

In this work, we propose a novel framework for large-scale Gaussian process (GP) modeling. Contrary to the global, and local approximations proposed in the literature to address the computational bottleneck with exact GP modeling, we employ a combined global-local approach in building the approximation. Our framework uses a subset-of-data approach where the subset is a union of a set of global points designed to capture the global trend in the data, and a set of local points specific to a given testing location to capture the local trend around the testing location. The correlation function is also modeled as a combination of a global, and a local kernel. The predictive performance of our framework, which we refer to as TwinGP, is comparable to the state-of-the-art GP modeling methods, but at a fraction of their computational cost.

Stereo vision based systems for sea-state measurement and floating structures monitoring

Using computer vision techniques such as stereo vision systems for sea state measurement or for offshore structures monitoring can improve the measurement fidelity and accuracy with no significant additional cost. In this paper, two experiments (in-lab/open-sea) are conducted to study the performance of stereo vision system to measure the water wave surface elevation and rigid body heaving motion. For the in-lab experiment, regular water waves are generated in a wave tank for different frequencies and wave heights, where the water surface is scanned by the stereo vision camera installed on the top of the tank. Surface elevation inferred by the stereo vision is verified by an installed stationary side camera that records the water surface through the tank transparent side window, water surface elevation measured by the side camera recordings is extracted using edge detection algorithm. During the in-lab experiment a heaving buoy is installed to test the performance of Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM) algorithm to monitor the buoy heave motion. The VSLAM algorithm fuses a buoy onboard stereo vision recordings with an embedded Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to estimate the 6-DOF of a rigid body. The Buoy motion VSLAM measurements are verified by a KLT tracking algorithm implemented on the video recordings of the stationary side camera. The open-sea experiment is implemented in Lake Somerville, Texas. The stereo vision system is installed to measure the water surface elevation and directional spectrum of the wind generated irregular waves. The open-sea wave measurements by the stereo vision are verified by a Sofar commercial wave buoys deployed in the testing location.

A fast algorithm to factorize high-dimensional tensor product matrices used in genetic models.

Many genetic models (including models for epistatic effects as well as genetic-by-environment) involve covariance structures that are Hadamard products of lower rank matrices. Implementing these models requires factorizing large Hadamard product matrices. The available algorithms for factorization do not scale well for big data, making the use of some of these models not feasible with large sample sizes. Here, based on properties of Hadamard products and (related) Kronecker products, we propose an algorithm that produces an approximate decomposition that is orders of magnitude faster than the standard eigenvalue decomposition. In this article, we describe the algorithm, show how it can be used to factorize large Hadamard product matrices, present benchmarks, and illustrate the use of the method by presenting an analysis of data from the northern testing locations of the G × E project from the Genomes to Fields Initiative (n ∼ 60,000). We implemented the proposed algorithm in the open-source "tensorEVD" R package.

Analysis of DVB-T2 TV Broadcast Receiver with Comparison of Signal Reception Quality

Television is one of the most widely used media for receiving sound and image transmissions worldwide, particularly in Indonesia. Government regulations require all television broadcasters in Indonesia to cease analog broadcasts and transition to digital broadcasts. Consequently, a device known as the Set Top Box (STB), equipped with a low noise amplifier (LNA), converts DVB-T2 digital signals into images and audio suitable for analog televisions. Tests were conducted to evaluate its signal reception capabilities. These tests took place at four Palembang city locations, utilizing indoor and outdoor antennas. The results revealed that the device's signal strength ranged from -48.7 dBm, reaching 100% signal quality, to the weakest signal at -97 dBm. Moreover, an average difference of 6.9 dB was observed between indoor and outdoor testing for each frequency. Furthermore, analyzing the average signal strength based on distance showed that the highest strength of -56.2 dBm occurred at a distance of 1.5 km from the transmitter during outdoor testing. In comparison, the weakest strength of -91.6 dBm occurred at a distance of 1.8 km during indoor testing. Additionally, a signal strength comparison between test locations indicated that the most significant difference was between the Kamboja and Plaju locations. The LNA device achieved its highest gain value of 15.2 dB. Various factors, including antenna direction, obstructions such as buildings, antenna height, signal stability, and the distance between the transmitter and receiver, influence the signal quality.

Adaptation of Napier grass varieties in the highlands of East Gojjam

The experiment was conducted in the East Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Regional State to evaluate the varieties of released Napier grass in the study area. The four varieties of Napier grass considered for this research experiment were Maralfalafa, ILRI- 16743, ILRI-14984 and Zehone-03 (Acc. 16819). The varieties were planted in 4 m x 3 m plots using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the beginning of the main rainy season. Root splits at the Debremarkos onstation and Debere Eliyas sites were planted in four rows per plot. The analysis was conducted using R software. Least significance difference (LSD) at the 5% significance level was used for the comparison of means. The combined plant height, number of tillers per plant, total fresh biomass yield per hectare (t/ha), and total dry matter yield (t/ha) did not significantly differ between the varieties. The leaf-to-stem ratios of the Napier grass varieties were significantly different. In the present study, ILRI-14984 was found to be leafier than the other tested varieties. The combined analysis of the second- and third-year data revealed significant differences in plant height, number of tillers and leaf-to-stem ratio among the tested years. The greatest plant height (152.42 cm) at harvest was found in the second year after establishment, which was 2022, whereas the number of tillers per plant was greater in the 2023 harvest season. The testing location did not affect plant height, total fresh biomass yield per hectare, or total dry matter yield per hectare. The number of tillers per plant and the leaf-to-stem ratio significantly differed among the tested locations. A greater number of tillers per plant was recorded at the Debre Eliyas testing site. Similarly, the leaf-to-stem ratio was significantly greater at the same testing site.

Molecular confirmation of Coleosporium plumeriae Causing Rust of Plumeria rubra in Mexico.

Frangipani (Plumeria rubra L.; Apocynaceae.) is a deciduous ornamental shrub, native to tropical America and widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. In Mexico, P. rubra is also used in traditional medicine and religious ceremonies. In November 2018-2022, rust-diseased leaves of P. rubra were found in Yautepec (18°49'29"N; 99°05'46"W), Morelos, Mexico. Symptoms of the disease included small chlorotic spots on the adaxial surface of the infected leaves, which as the disease progressed turned into necrotic areas surrounded by a chlorotic halo. The chlorotic spots observed on the adaxial leaf surface coincided with numerous erumpent uredinia of bright orange color on the abaxial leaf surface. As a result of the infection, foliar necrosis and leaves abscission was observed. Of the 40 sampled trees, 95% showed symptoms of the disease. On microscopic examination of the fungus, bright orange, subepidermal uredinia were observed, which subsequently faded to white. Urediniospores were bright yellow-orange color. They were ellipsoid or globose, sometimes angular, echinulate, (21.5) 26.5 (33.0) × (16.0) 19.0 (23.0) μm in size. Morphological features of the fungus correspond with previous descriptions of Coleosporium plumeriae by Holcomb and Aime (2010) and Soares et al., (2019). A voucher specimen was deposited in the Herbarium of the Departmet of Plant-Insect Interactions at the Biotic Products Development Center of the National Polytechnic Institute under accession no. IPN 10.0113. Species identity was confirmed by amplifying the 5.8S subunit, the ITS 2 region, and part of the 28S region with rust-specific primer Rust2inv (Aime, 2006) and LR6 (Vilgalys and Hester 1990). The sequence was deposited in GenBank (OQ518406) and showed 100% sequence homology (1435/1477bp) with a reference sequence (MG907225) of C. plumeriae from Plumeria spp. (Aime et al. 2018). Pathogenicity was confirmed by spraying a urediniospores suspension of 2×104 spores ml-1 onto ten plants of P. rubra. Six plants were inoculated and sealed in plastic bags, while four noninoculated plants were applied with sterile distilled water. Plants were inoculated at 25°C and held for 48 h in a dew chamber, after this, the plants were transferred to greenhouse conditions (33/span>2°C). The experiment was performed twice. All inoculated plants developed rust symptoms after 14 days, whereas the non-inoculated plants remained symptomless. The recovered fungus was morphologically identical to that observed in the original diseased plants, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. According to international databases (Crous 2004; Farr and Rossman 2023), C. plumeriae has not been officially reported in Mexico, despite being a prevalent disease. Diseased plants have been collected and deposited in herbaria, unfortunately, these reports lack important information such as geographic location of sampling, pathogenicity tests, or molecular evidence, which are essential for a comprehensive study of the disease in Mexico. To our knowledge, this is the molecular confirmation of Coleosporium plumeriae causing rust of Plumeria rubra in Mexico. Rust of P. rubra caused by C. plumeriae has been previously identified in India, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Indonesia by Baiswar et al. (2008), Chung et al. (2006), Holcomb and Aime (2010) and Soares et al., (2019). This disease causes important economic losses in nurseries, due to the defoliation of infected plants.

Test author and location

Test author and location

Performance Evaluation of Nigeria Railway Track Ballast Under Simulated Operational Conditions

Over time, most research on railway track performance has focused mainly on rail and track geometry, with a few considering the damage or degradation occurring at the substructure level. This paper presents a step‐by‐step comprehensive study on the performance evaluation of selected uncontaminated ballast under simulated operational conditions and contaminated ballast (i.e., fouled) based on a series of laboratory tests. Tested parameters included granulometry, strength, durability and drainability and were compared with the recognised railway ballast requirements. The topsoil used as one of the fouling agents is classified into the ML group as inorganic silt with median compressibility. The initial gradation of the ballast indicates that the clean ballast samples are typically uniformly graded and generally strong and suitable for use following relevant recommendations. The abrasion tolerance of the uncontaminated ballast samples from both test locations increased as the cyclic/repeated loading induced by the train increased. The ballast gradation curves for each mix after the fouling process in the worst case of degradation by abrasion and contaminant shifted to broad‐graded classification due to the presence of finer‐sized particles. Generally, the higher the content of the fouling agent as ballast contamination, the lower the hydraulic conductivity. However, the inclusion of diesel as liquid intrusion does not seem to have any significant effect on the hydraulic conductivity. The study further presents an empirical model capable of predicting the hydraulic conductivity of ballast. The study concluded with admissible ballast contamination for cleaning and maintenance works.

Predicting Axial Stress State In Continuously Welded Rail Using Impulse-Generated Vibration Measurements

Continuously welded rails are connected without stress relief joints and, thus, thermally induced rail movement is constrained, which can result in the development of excessive axial stress and risk of rail failure. Nondestructive testing (NDT) methods that estimate in-place rail stress state or rail neutral temperature are desired. Some methods have been developed, but none satisfy the requirements for ideal monitoring in practice. We propose an NDT technique based on impulse-generated vibration, seeking high-frequency rail vibration resonances whose frequency maintains a consistent correlation with rail axial stress/strain across different temperatures, stress states, and rail support conditions. Rail temperature, axial strain, and vibration data were collected from an active Class 1 commercial rail line over a period of nearly two years. The frequencies of four consistent and clear resonance modes of the rail were monitored. One of the identified modes demonstrates a unique linear relation with axial strain across a range of temperatures and stress states at each of the two measurement locations. The developed linear relations were used to predict in-place strain and rail neutral temperature with acceptable accuracy across all the measurement data, although each test location exhibits a unique relation.

The value of assessing progressive loss of red/green and yellow/blue chromatic sensitivity in glaucoma

*Correspondence: franziska.rauscher@medizin.uni-leipzig.deThe value of assessing progressive loss of red/green and yellow/blue chromatic sensitivity in glaucoma.The study employed visual stimuli designed to isolate and reveal how spatial, temporal and chromatic aspects of visual processing change from normal sensitivity to extreme loss in glaucoma. The experiments carried out examined the fovea and each of four paracentral retinal regions, arranged diagonally away from fixation at an eccentricity of 6°. Spatial vision was investigated by measuring both absolute detection thresholds and functional contrast sensitivity using Landolt ring stimuli (Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2022;42:1363–1378). These psychophysical tests based on Landolt C optotypes measure both detection thresholds and gap orientation discrimination thresholds in the same experiments using randomly interleaved test locations. First‐order motion perception was examined by using moving stimuli embedded in static luminance contrast noise. Red/green (RG) and yellow/blue (YB) colour thresholds were measured with the Colour Assessment and Diagnosis (CAD) test, which makes use of random, dynamic luminance contrast noise (±45%) to isolate the use of RG and YB colour signals. Subjects were normal controls (n = 65) and glaucoma patients with binocular visual field defects (n = 15) classified based on their Humphrey Field Analyser mean deviation (MD) scores. The impairment of visual function varied depending on the stimulus attribute and location tested. The severity of loss increased monotonically with disease progression. For subjects with mild glaucoma (MD −0.01 to −6.00 dB), significantly more data points exceeded the upper normal threshold limits for the corresponding age for RG colour thresholds than for any other visual test (Br Med Bull 2017;122:51–77), followed by motion thresholds. This was particularly the case for the parafoveal locations when compared with the equivalent thresholds measured at the fovea. The results suggest that a multifaceted measure of binocular visual performance based on foveal and parafoveal tests of RG colour vision and first‐order motion, can best inform on the progression of glaucoma and the overall loss of visual performance for comparison with other measures of changes in the quality of life in patients with glaucoma.Keywords: Glaucoma, Visual function, Colour vision, Motion detection, Contrast, Acuity, Colour Assessment and Diagnosis, CAD.

Structurally enhanced perimetric examination

Aims/Purpose: To assess the use of structural data to guide perimetric examination.Methods: Two perimetric strategies were tested on ten healthy participants: standard ZEST with population‐based prior distributions and Structural‐ZEST (S‐ZEST), enhanced with OCT data to determine the starting parameters. Both strategies were tested twice, in random order. The Compass Automated Perimeter (CMP, iCare) was used to collect the perimetric data through the Open Perimetry Interface and bespoke Shiny user interface (UI). The UI was used to import the Spectralis SD‐OCT scans (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) and align the OCT data with the fundus image captured by the CMP. A 10–2 grid was centred on the fovea of each participant, aligned with the fovea‐disc axis. The UI calculated the Ganglion Cell Layer (GCL) thickness corresponding to each test location, after accounting for ganglion cell displacement. The starting priors for S‐ZEST were modelled using an independent dataset of glaucoma and healthy subjects. Bland–Altman plots were used to quantify test–retest variability. Bootstrap was used to calculate confidence intervals (CIs) and p‐values to compare the widths of the 95%‐Limits of Repeatability (LoR). Correlation between GCL thickness and sensitivity (dB) and the difference in test duration was calculated using linear mixed effect models. Agreement was quantified with the mean difference between the results of the two strategies.Results: 95%‐LoRs for S‐ZEST of the two devices were similar (p = 0.829). The structure–function correlation was significant for both (p < 0.001), and very similar between S‐ZEST (R2 = 0.24) and ZEST (R2 = 0.23). There was a small but statistically significant mean difference in sensitivity between S‐ZEST and ZEST (0.56 [0.35, 0.77] dB, p = 0.034). S‐ZEST was 2.7 [1.2, 3.5] min faster than ZEST (p < 0.001).Conclusions: S‐ZEST significantly shortened testing time without reducing repeatability in healthy observers.

Study on the regional ASF prediction method based on the ordinary kriging interpolation

The eLoran system functions as a robust backup to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), providing substantial signal power, robust anti-jamming capabilities, and an easily maintainable ground system. Nonetheless, the propagation time delay of the system, primarily driven by the Additional Secondary Phase Factor (ASF), significantly influences the positioning accuracy. Compensating for ASF can effectively enhance the positioning performance. Traditional propagation delay theories frequently yield substantial discrepancies between the predicted and measured values in regions characterized by extended propagation distances and varying topographic features. To address this issue, we conducted ASF measurements within a selected test area using a limited number of measurement points. We employed the ordinary Kriging interpolation method to predict ASF values across the entire test area, and used cross-validation to validate our predictions. The results confirmed the accuracy and effectiveness of the Kriging interpolation algorithm in predicting ASF values within specific regions. The cross-validation demonstrated that the errors remained within acceptable ranges. Furthermore, we applied Ordinary Kriging, Inverse Distance Weighting, and Radial Basis Function Interpolation methods to evaluate the positioning accuracy of the test area before and after ASF correction. Compared to other methods, using the Ordinary Kriging interpolation algorithm for predicting ASF values resulted in a corrected positioning accuracy of up to 68.8 m at various test locations. This approach effectively resolves the challenge of low accuracy in theoretical calculations in complex environments. By utilizing ordinary Kriging interpolation, we required measurements of only a few ASF values within a specific region to create an ASF correction map, addressing the challenges related to inaccurate theoretical calculations in complex pathways and avoiding time-consuming and labor-intensive large-scale measurements. The results of this study offer valuable theoretical support for improving the accuracy of land-based navigation systems.

Designing a Virtual Campus Tour using Image Stitching Techniques to Provide Information on College Entrance Test

The University of Bengkulu administers college entrance exams, however some test takers still require assistance in locating the correct room, despite the building being marked. It is crucial to avoid errors in finding the right test room, as it can cause potential students to waste valuable time. Therefore, a more precise and practical solution is necessary to provide information on test locations. This study designs a location-based virtual tour that offers a 360-degree view, providing information on the location of each building and the conditions inside and outside each test room. The virtual tour encompasses 81 buildings, including test rooms, with 28 to 32 images captured at each location, then stitched together using image stitching techniques. The goal of the virtual tour is to create a comprehensive view of the test location and provide more detailed information on the room's condition. Furthermore, the usability of this virtual tour was tested on 140 high school students as potential test participants, utilizing the System Usability Scale (SUS) to evaluate its effectiveness, resulting in a score of 72.19. In other words, the virtual tour was found to be an effective tool in helping users understand the test location.

Discussion on the Application of Coal Gangue in Soil Remediation in Plateau Areas

Soil remediation is an important part of ecological environment restoration, especially important in the harsh environmental conditions in the high and cold plateau. Adding special materials to improve the soil environment can improve the soil quality, which is conducive to vegetation growth and ecological improvement. As a solid waste in the process of coal resource development and utilization, coal gangue is also a new type of soil remediation and improvement material, which has natural advantages and great potential in controlling contaminated soil, improving soil quality and improving ecosystem. In this work, Junba Village in the plateau area affected by desertification was taken as the observation location of the restoration test, and two groups of sample plots were set up in the area for comparison tests. One group with coal gangue materials (water retaining agent 120g and coal gangue) was taken as the No. 1 plot, and the control group without coal gangue materials (water retaining agent 120g) was taken as the No. 2 plot. After longterm observation and measurement, the development quantity of vegetation in sample No. 1 (98 dominants and 97 dominants) was obviously better than that in sample No. 2 (38 dominants and 24 dominants) , and the growth status was also better than that in sample No. 1 (0. 6 cm in leaf width of alkali-grass) and that in sample No. 2 (0. 3 cm in leaf width of alkali-grass) . Thus, it can be shown that coal gangue has a positive and effective role in soil remediation in the plateau areas, and it is suggested to popularize the use of soil remediation in other similar environments.

High-resolution spatiotemporal assessment of solar potential from remote sensing data using deep learning

Spatiotemporal assessment of solar potential is one of the most promising solutions to find suitable locations for future photovoltaic systems’ placement. However, accurate assessment of solar potential on large areas can be challenging due to missing data or computational complexity. In this paper, a fully convolutional neural network based method for high-resolution spatiotemporal assessment of solar potential by using remote sensing data is presented. The method is trained and validated on the area of 32 km2 of the Maribor city, Slovenia, and tested on the 6 different locations in Slovenia and Germany. The proposed method was tested against the simulation algorithm, which utilized isotropic Liu Jordan diffuse model or anisotropic Perez model with sky view factor based shading. On average, a normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 6.06% and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 4.29% was achieved in test locations against the simulation based on Liu-Jordan model. When training the fully convolutional neural network models against the ground truth, generated with more advanced Perez diffuse model, the average NRMSE was 8.37% and MAPE of 10.90% was achieved across all test locations. Additionally, it was shown that the proposed method can assess solar potential in high-resolution from the input in lower resolution with higher accuracy than the simulation algorithm, while being up to 1500-times faster.

A population-based study of the trend in SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic modalities from the beginning of the pandemic to the Omicron surge in Kyoto City, Kyoto, Japan

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents critical diagnostic challenges for managing the pandemic. We investigated the 30-month changes in COVID-19 testing modalities and functional testing sites from the early period of the pandemic to the most recent Omicron surge in 2022 in Kyoto City, Japan.MethodsThis is a retrospective-observational study using a local anonymized population database that included patients' demographic and clinical information, testing methods and facilities from January 2020 to June 2022, a total of 30 months. We computed the distribution of symptomatic presentation, testing methods, and testing facilities among cases. Differences over time were tested using chi-square tests of independence.ResultsDuring the study period, 133,115 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported, of which 90.9% were symptomatic. Although nucleic acid amplification testing occupied 68.9% of all testing, the ratio of lateral flow devices (LFDs) rapidly increased in 2022. As the pandemic continued, the testing capability was shifted from COVID-19 designated facilities to general practitioners, who became the leading testing providers (57.3% of 99,945 tests in 2022).ConclusionsThere was a dynamic shift in testing modality during the first 30 months of the pandemic in Kyoto City. General practitioners increased their role substantially as the use of LFDs spread dramatically in 2022. By comprehending and documenting the evolution of testing methods and testing locations, it is anticipated that this will contribute to the establishment of an even more efficient testing infrastructure for the next pandemic.

Validity and Reliability Test of the Learning Independence Questionnaire Instrument in Using Electronic Modules

This research aims to create an instrument that can measure students' learning independence by measuring the level of validity and reliability. The instrument is a questionnaire for student learning independence consisting of 41 statements (20 positive statements and 21 negative statements) with responses based on a Likert scale score of 1 to 5. The research location for the empirical test of learning independence was at SMAN 1 Kalasan class XII MIPA in 3 classes. The number of empirical trial participants was 99 students. The results of the empirical test of the learning independence questionnaire instrument were then analyzed using the Winstep Rasch model program. The quality of the instrument can be determined from the unidimensional assumption test, the suitability test of the statement items to the Rasch model (item fit), and the bias of the statement items with the help of the Winstep program. The results obtained were that in the validity calculation there was 1 invalid statement out of 41 existing statements, namely the statement "I try to study as best as possible to achieve good performance" on the responsibility indicator. The reliability of the learning independence questionnaire instrument regarding the use of electronic modules is 0.93 and is in the very high category, so it can be concluded that the other 40 statements are declared valid and variable so that they can be used as instruments in measuring learning independence regarding the use of electronic modules.