Discrepancies In Values Research Articles

Navigation and Guidance for Autonomous Quadcopter Drones Using Deep Learning on Indoor Corridors

Autonomous drones require accurate navigation and localization algorithms to carry out their duties. Outdoors drones can utilize GPS for navigation and localization systems. However, GPS is often unreliable or not available at all indoors. Therefore, in this research, an autonomous indoor drone navigation model was created using a deep learning algorithm, to assist drone navigation automatically, especially in indoor corridor areas. In this research, only the Caddx Ratel 2 FPV camera mounted on the drone was used as an input for the deep learning model to navigate the drone forward without a collision with the wall in the corridor. This research produces two deep learning models, namely, a rotational model to overcome a drone's orientation deviations with a loss of 0.0010 and a mean squared error of 0.0009, and a translation model to overcome a drone's translation deviation with a loss of 0.0140 and a mean squared error of 0.011. The implementation of the two models on autonomous drones reaches an NCR value of 0.2. The conclusion from the results obtained in this research is that the difference in resolution and FOV value in the actual image captured by the FPV camera on the drone with the image used for training the deep learning model results in a discrepancy in the output value during the implementation of the deep learning model on autonomous drones and produces low NCR implementation values.

Shale Wettability Characteristics via Air/Brines and Air/Oil Contact Angles and Influence of Controlling Factors: A Case Study of Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan.

Wettability is the fundamental parameter that influences the productivity of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The knowledge of this regarding shale formation is yet inadequate; thus, detailed analysis is essential for successful development of such reservoirs. The Early Cretaceous Sembar formations in the Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan, is considered as the key target for energy exploration; however, it exhibits large uncertainties due to the lack of data availability. Sembar shales hold significant hydrocarbon volumes rich in organic content; however, prior to this, no comprehensive research has been conducted to quantify the wetting behavior of these shales. Thus, precise information about the wetting behavior of Sembar shale formations is essential, as it is influenced by many factors. Therefore, in this study, we examined the wettability of Sembar shale samples by performing a suit of contact angle (CA) measurements. The CA measurements on shale samples were performed using different salt types (NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and Reef Salt) and concentrations of 0.1 M and 0.5 M under ambient pressures and varying temperatures (25-50 °C). The CA was measured via air-brine and air-oil under prevailing pressure and temperature conditions. Subsequently, the sample morphology and surface topography were examined via field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The mineral compositions were obtained via X-ray diffraction studies. The results clearly show that the Sembar shale possesses a mixed wetting behavior. Under dry surfaces, they have large affinity to oil and deionized water in which the droplet spreads quickly on the sample surfaces. Conversely, the samples aged with n-decane and NaCl brines exhibited higher CAs than the untreated samples. Additionally, the CA measured by changing temperatures led to an increase for all brine droplets; the CA further increased as the concentrations of salts increased from 0.1 to 0.5 M. We then discussed the possible reasons for the discrepancy in CA values due to temperature changes and brine concentrations. Moreover, the CA was measured corresponding to the surface roughness from which it appears that it merely affects the wettability of these shale samples. However, the present study results lead to an improved understanding of the wettability of Sembar shale of the Lower Indus Basin in Pakistan.

Decay spectroscopy of the blocked fission product I130

Numerous applications rely on the identification and quantification of fission products with the activation technique, where $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays emitted in the decay are used to estimate the initial activity of the radionuclide of interest. $^{130}\mathrm{I}$ is a so-called blocked fission product, which can be produced only directly through fission, a property that makes it particularly attractive for nuclear forensics. A source of $^{130}\mathrm{I}$ was produced using a $(p,n)$ reaction on enriched $^{130}\mathrm{Te}$ at the Brookhaven Tandem Van de Graaff, and its decay was studied with the Gammasphere at Argonne National Laboratory. Two new levels were identified, and over 25 transitions were added, removed, or replaced in the level scheme with intensity measurements made down to ${I}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ = 0.000 66 per 100 decays. The uncertainty on the intensities of the strongest transitions, those that are commonly used to quantify the activity of the radionuclide, was improved by a factor of 2 compared to the previous best assessment, and discrepancies in the literature values were resolved. A detailed angular correlation analysis further permitted the determination of a number of spin assignments for excited levels and mixing ratios for $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray transitions.

A Symbolic Approach to Detecting Hardware Trojans Triggered by Don’t Care Transitions

Due to the globalization of Integrated Circuit supply chain, hardware Trojans and the attacks that can trigger them have become an important security issue. One type of hardware Trojans leverages the “don’t care transitions” in Finite-state Machines (FSMs) of hardware designs. In this article, we present a symbolic approach to detecting don’t care transitions and the hidden Trojans. Our detection approach works at both register-transfer level (RTL) and gate level, does not require a golden design, and works in three stages. In the first stage, it explores the reachable states. In the second stage, it performs an approximate analysis to find the don’t care transitions and any discrepancies in the register values or output lines due to don’t care transitions. The second stage can be used for both predicting don’t care triggered Trojans and for guiding don’t care aware reachability analysis. In the third stage, it performs a state-space exploration from reachable states that have incoming don’t care transitions to explore the Trojan payload and to find behavioral discrepancies with respect to what has been observed in the first stage. We also present a pruning technique based on the reachability of FSM states. We present a methodology that leverages both RTL and gate-level for soundness and efficiency. Specifically, we show that don’t care transitions and Trojans that leverage them must be detected at the gate-level, i.e., after synthesis has been performed, for soundness. However, under specific conditions, Trojan payload exploration can be performed more efficiently at RTL. Additionally, the modular design of our approach also provides a fast Trojan prediction method even at the gate level when the reachable states of the FSM is known a priori . Evaluation of our approach on a set of benchmarks from OpenCores and TrustHub and using gate-level representation generated by two synthesis tools, YOSYS and Synopsis Design Compiler (SDC), shows that our approach is both efficient (up to 10× speedup w.r.t. no pruning) and precise (0% false positives both at RTL and gate-level netlist) in detecting don’t care transitions and the Trojans that leverage them. Additionally, the total analysis time can achieve up to 1.62× (using YOSYS) and 1.92× (using SDC) speedup when synthesis preserves the FSM structure, the foundry is trusted, and the Trojan detection is performed at RTL.

Molecular weight determination of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate by gel permeation chromatography

Low molecular weight (LWM) hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) have a wide range of applications. To determine their molecular weight (MW), we developed a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) method, which is calibrated based on serrated peaks in the chromatograms. MW calibrants were obtained from the enzymolysis of HA and CS using hyaluronidase. The identical structure of calibrants and samples ensured the soundness of the method. The highest confidence MWs were up to 14,454 and 14,605 for HA and CS, respectively, and the standard curves showed very high correlation coefficients. Thanks to the changeless relationship between MW and its contribution to the GPC integral, the second calibration curves could be derived via one GPC column, also embodied correlation coefficients of >0.9999. The discrepancies of MW values were minuscule, and the measurement of a sample could be conducted in <30 min. The accuracy of the method was verified using LWM heparins, and the measured Mw values showed a 1.2 %–2.0 % error relative to pharmacopeia results. The MW results obtained for LWM-HA and LWM-CS samples were also consistent with the results obtained by multiangle laser light scattering. The method was also verified be able to measure the very low MWs.

The effect of sample thickness on micro-mesoscale tensile properties of 304SS, HT-9, and CuCrZr

Small scale mechanical testing has gained significant attention in recent times due to its advantages for materials research and development; however, the ability to extend small scale testing results to larger scale applications remains difficult, and questions remain with regards to quantifying macroscale properties from microscale tests. In this study, 304SS, HT-9, and CuCrZr samples of various conditions were tested using the SS-J sample geometry with thicknesses ranging from 800μm to 30μm. Starting at thicknesses below 200μm, significant reductions in material properties such as uniform elongation and ultimate tensile strength were observed. The presence and magnitude of the changes varied across material and material condition, indicating the coupling of both geometric and microstructural effects. Finite element analysis was performed on the overall test setup used, revealing potential flaws in using the SS-J and other related sample geometries to increasingly extreme sample aspect ratios. Microhardness and nanoindentation were also performed for comparison and revealed discrepancies in values at these different length scales.

Evaluation of ZIF-8 flexible force fields for structural and mechanical properties

Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) offer considerable potential for applications in adsorption due to their large pore volumes and surface areas. Studies on mechanical stability of MOFs are scarce. Seminal experimental work has shed a new light on the role that elastic constants play in establishing the structural stability of the prototypical ZIF-8 MOF, with its elastic deformation mechanism being linked to the pliant ZnN4 tetrahedra (Tan et al., 2012). Over the past decade several classical flexible force fields have been proposed to study the physical properties of the system using simulations (Zheng et al., 2012; Hu et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2013, Wu et al., 2014; Krokidas et al., 2015; Weng and Schmidt, 2019; Dürholt et al. 2019). In this work, we evaluated the majority of them for reproducing structural and mechanical properties (unit cell sizes as a function of temperature and pressure, and elastic constants as a function of pressure), compared them to existing DFT calculations (Tan et al., 2012; Maul et al., 2019) and found that they provide different results under the same testing conditions. The obtained results provide insight into the relationship between fundamental elastic properties and the chosen force field parametrization, allowing us to characterize the applicability of each of the force fields. Furthermore, the employed two-code approach allowed us to find significant discrepancies in elastic constant values for the same force field between methodologies that employ different energy minimization algorithms, suggesting that eigenmode-following approaches might be needed to guarantee true minimum energy configurations for ZIFs.

HPB P50 Prediction and Management of Choledocholithiasis in Gallstone Related Disease

Abstract Background Acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis and cholangitis are common presentations to the general surgery on-call shift, the management of which can be complicated by evidence of choledocholithiasis. Risk scoring systems exist to help guide the requirement for further imaging or endoscopy for these patients. Our audit reviewed the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) scoring system for choledocholithiasis prediction and associated management guidelines against current practices at a tertiary hospital to assess how well common practice matches guideline recommendations based on choledocholithiasis risk. Our aim was to assess how current practice for investigation of possible choledocholithiasis interlinks with CBD stone risk scoring systems, whether risk scoring is useful in management of a gallstone related disease risk and if a choledocholithiasis risk prediction tool could optimize resource usage. Methods We retrospectively identified a cohort of patients presenting acutely to the surgical unit over a three-month period with symptoms suggestive of cholecystitis, cholangitis or pancreatitis. Patients were identified from prospectively maintained, electronic records of surgical in-patients and on-call surgical patient lists. Patients meeting local guideline criteria for diagnosis of pancreatitis (serum lipase greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal or CT confirmed pancreatic inflammation) or Tokyo Guidelines 2018 for diagnosis of cholecystitis and cholangitis were included. Those with non-gallstone pathology, previous cholecystectomies and incomplete data were excluded. Patients were categorized into respective risk strata according to the ASGE scoring system and their ongoing management was compared against those guidelines. Subgroup analyses on outcomes and complications for those in each risk strata and in those with age over 55 years of elevated bilirubin as risk factors were also performed. Results 78 patients were identified with 13 categorized as high-risk, 46 intermediate risk and 19 low-risk. 12 of 13 patients (92%) at high risk had evidence of choledocholithiasis on MRCP, CT or USS. 10 of 12 patients (83%) subsequently had a definitive ERCP or preceding cholecystectomy. No low-risk patient had evidence of choledocholithiasis on imaging. 90% of this group have had or are awaiting cholecystectomy. 1 patient, who declined cholecystectomy, re-presented 8 months later with choledocholithiasis. Within the intermediate risk category, there was greater discrepancy in the predictive value of choledocholithiasis. 17 of 46 (37%) patients had an MRCP or EUS with 4 having choledocholithiasis and all going on to have duct clearance. 29 patients (63%) did not have MRCP or EUS, instead receiving either USS, CT or both. 2 patients in this group were unfit for further procedure and received no further imaging, 2 patients had evidence of choledocholithiasis and 25 had no evidence of choledocholithiasis. To date 12 patients have had or are awaiting a cholecystectomy and a further 12 have declined or were not fit for cholecystectomy. 8 patients were stratified as intermediate risk on age &amp;gt;55 alone with no patients having evidence of choledocholithiasis. Conclusions Although based on a small retrospective study, risk prediction using the ASGE scoring tool works effectively in high and low risk patient cohorts, but appears to over predict choledocholithiasis in the intermediate risk group, particularly when based on age alone. Patients with high risk of choledocholithiasis should proceed to duct clearance without further imaging, whilst low risk patients can proceed directly to cholecystectomy. Over investigation dictated by the guidelines for the intermediate risk group is likely to lead to poor compliance as shown in our dataset and may lead to increased burden on imaging services, particularly in hospitals serving more elderly populations.

A diagnostic proposal for sarcopenic obesity in adults based on body composition phenotypes.

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) associates a decrease in lean body mass (LBM) with an excessive increase in fat mass (FM). A number of diagnostic methods, definitions criteria, and thresholds have been proposed for SO resulting in markedly discordant prevalence estimates in populations with obesity. In this study, we first assessed several previously described SO diagnostic criteria and their limitations, and then we propose an innovative approach for identifying SO. Data were from a cross-sectional study of a cohort of overweight/obese patients who underwent clinical, laboratory, and body composition assessments by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We performed unsupervised machine learning through clustering analysis to discriminate lean and fat compartments, and multivariate logistic regressions which provided prognostic variables applied on sex-specific models for SO diagnosis evaluation based on a training dataset (80% of total sample, n=1165). The predicted models were validated by random forest (RF) machine learning algorithm in the validation dataset (20% of total sample, n=262). Data from 1427 subjects were analyzed, 79.8% women, mean (±s.d.) age 45.0 (±12.9) years, grade III obesity (BMI over 40kg/m2) in 42.7%, diabetes in 20.7%, dyslipidemia in 86.3%, and arterial hypertension in 30.3%. Patients with grade III obesity had higher amounts of LBM, FM, and bone mass than subjects with overweight (BMI between 25.0 and 29.9kg/m2) (p-values < 0.001). When published definitions of SO were applied to this cohort, the prevalence ranged from 0.6% to 96.6%. We built a model that identified 62 (4.3%) individuals as SO, 1125 (78.9%) as non-SO, and 240 (16.8%) as borderline-SO. SO patients showed higher body weight, FM, bone mass, leptin levels, and hepatic steatosis index, but lower LBM and all muscle indexes than non-SO subjects (p-values ≤ 0.001). Patients in the SO and borderline-SO categories were more often females than males (4.5% vs. 3.8% and 16.9% vs. 16.7% respectively, p-value < 0.001) and had significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and hypertension than non-SO subjects. Males with SO also had higher cardiovascular risk score, while females had higher prevalence of respiratory disorders (p-values < 0.05 for all). Current diagnostic criteria for SO result in widely discrepant prevalence values leading to diagnosis uncertainty. We developed and validated diagnostic criteria based on body composition phenotypes, specifically for overweight/obese subjects, which identified patients at risk of cardio-metabolic complications. This approach may improve the identification of sarcopenia in subjects with obesity.

A comparative study for determination of thermal inactivation parameters of Salmonella in high gel and standard egg white powder using three methods

Egg white powder (EWP), the main ingredient in many food products, is widely used in the food industry due to its whipping, textural properties and practical advantages. Significant food safety risks might occur when contamination/cross-contamination takes place after a lethal processing step. It is critical to use appropriate D- and Z-values to evaluate the food safety risks. However, different thermal destructing methods may result in discrepancies in thermal resistance values of the same food matrix. Four isothermal treatments at 75, 80, 85, and 90 °C were studied in EWP using three methods for comparison, thermal death disks water bath (TDWB), plastic bags water bath (PBWB), and plastic bags dry bath (PBDB). D-values for Salmonella under four isothermal temperatures were greater (P < 0.05) in Standard EWP compared to High Gel EWP, respectively; The average Z-values for Salmonella were in the range of 10.62 °C–14.57 °C. D-values resulted significant difference (P < 0.05) using TDWB and PBWB, but no significant difference was observed between PBDB and PBWB. These results can be potentially applied for EWP pasteurization, and PBDB may provid a better way of studying a large variety of powdered products regarding thermal inactivation parameters of pathogens.

Hubble tensions: a historical statistical analysis

ABSTRACT Statistical analyses of measurements of the Hubble–Lemaître constant H0 (163 measurements between 1976 and 2019) show that the statistical error bars associated with the observed parameter measurements have been underestimated – or the systematic errors were not properly taken into account – in at least 15–20 per cent of the measurements. The fact that the underestimation of error bars for H0 is so common might explain the apparent discrepancy of values, which is formally known as the Hubble tension. Here we have carried out a recalibration of the probabilities with this sample of measurements. We find that thexσ deviation is indeed equivalent in a normal distribution to the xeqσ deviation in the frequency of values, where xeq = 0.83x0.62. Hence, a tension of 4.4σ, estimated between the local Cepheid–supernova distance ladder and cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, is indeed a 2.1σ tension in equivalent terms of a normal distribution of frequencies, with an associated probability P(&amp;gt;xeq) = 0.036 (1 in 28). This can be increased up to a equivalent tension of 2.5σ in the worst of the cases of claimed 6σ tension, which may occur anyway as a random statistical fluctuation.

Assessment of the Performance of a Portable, Low-Cost and Open-Source Device for Luminance Mapping through a DIY Approach for Massive Application from a Human-Centred Perspective.

Ubiquitous computing has enabled the proliferation of low-cost solutions for capturing information about the user’s environment or biometric parameters. In this sense, the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to build new low-cost systems or verify the correspondence of low-cost systems compared to professional devices allows the spread of application possibilities. Following this trend, the authors aim to present a complete DIY and replicable procedure to evaluate the performance of a low-cost video luminance meter consisting of a Raspberry Pi and a camera module. The method initially consists of designing and developing a LED panel and a light cube that serves as reference illuminance sources. The luminance distribution along the two reference light sources is determined using a Konica Minolta luminance meter. With this approach, it is possible to identify an area for each light source with an almost equal luminance value. By applying a frame that covers part of the panel and shows only the area with nearly homogeneous luminance values and applying the two systems in a dark space in front of the low-cost video luminance meter mounted on a professional reference camera photometer LMK mobile air, it is possible to check the discrepancy in luminance values between the low-cost and professional systems when pointing different homogeneous light sources. In doing so, we primarily consider the peripheral shading effect, better known as the vignetting effect. We then differentiate the correction factor S of the Radiance Pcomb function to better match the luminance values of the low-cost system to the professional device. We also introduce an algorithm to differentiate the S factor depending on the light source. In general, the DIY calibration process described in the paper is time-consuming. However, the subsequent applications in various real-life scenarios allow us to verify the satisfactory performance of the low-cost system in terms of luminance mapping and glare evaluation compared to a professional device.

Measuring integrated team-based oncology care: Developing a novel chart abstraction tool.

316 Background: In December 2018, the Livestrong Cancer Institutes (LCI) launched the CaLM Model of Whole-Person Cancer Care. Compared to traditional models of oncology care, CaLM offers integrated interdisciplinary supportive care. As team-based care delivery models like CaLM begin to become more predominant, health IT infrastructure and systems are failing to adequately capture and measure simple clinical data on team-based encounters. Athena, our EHR, lacked discrete fields to capture necessary data from shared appointments in order to evaluate patient utilization of team-based longitudinal care; requiring us to develop a manual chart abstraction to evaluate the clinical model. Methods: We performed a literature review and environmental scan on chart abstraction for team-based care. When limited results were found, we sought to develop a novel tool in REDCap. We developed a list of variables and domains that required measurement and worked with IT to determine which, if any, could be generated automatically in reports in the Athena EHR. Remaining domains (12 domains and 151 unique data points) were strategically embedded in a methodological abstraction tool that mapped closely to the logic and flow of the EHR. We tested the tool and iterated over three months in 2019. Before abstraction began, we developed and executed a two module, four hour training for data collectors to ensure quality data collection. Over a one year period, four abstractors pulled data from over 400 individual patient charts in the EHR. Results: We developed a unique two-phase quality assurance (QA) algorithm. Phase 1- We randomly selected 10% of patient records; two abstractors completed dual data entry (same chart). Dual data entry controls for discrepant values that can be common in large datasets. A third-party team reviewed both charts, recording discrepancies by category, harmonizing charts, and data was used to retrain data collectors during weekly meetings. Highest discrepancies occurred when documenting treatment history (95%). For 89% of records, there were differences in psychosocial utilization. As a result of these discrepancies, we opted to extend QA- the remaining 90% of records were reviewed by third party scanning half of domains for accuracy. The chart abstraction was successfully completed on over 400 patient charts; the process took over 18 months to complete. Conclusions: Analyzing patters of team-based care is likely a manual process, regardless of EHR vendor. Our tool is well-structured with the ability to be open source, so that other clinics can utilize our tool in lieu of replicating the same painstaking process.

Identification of Lithocholic Acid as a Molecular Glass Host for Room‐Temperature Phosphorescent Materials

AbstractLithocholic acid was identified as a molecular glass host material for room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) chromophores. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed on a series of structurally similar, biologically sourced molecules, including lithocholic acid, β‐estradiol, cholesterol, and β‐sitosterol, in an effort to identify new amorphous molecular glasses independent of plasticizing additives. DSC analysis revealed lithocholic acid and β‐estradiol form stable molecular glasses post thermal processing unlike neat cholesterol and β‐sitosterol. The ability of lithocholic acid and β‐estradiol to stabilize high wt. % loadings of d10‐pyrene and a mixture of d10‐pyrene and an iridium chromophore, bis(2,4‐difluorophenylpyridinato)‐tetrakis(1‐pyrazolyl)borate iridium(III) (FIr6), was also investigated. All β‐estradiol formulations show β‐estradiol cold crystallization. Optical microscopy and wide angle X‐ray scattering measurements suggest spherulite β‐estradiol crystals form during this process. Finally, time‐resolved luminescence and phosphorescence quantum yield experiments show that the d10‐pyrene RTP lifetime is longer and the d10‐pyrene phosphorescence quantum yield is higher in lithocholic acid molecular glasses than in β‐estradiol molecular glasses. The discrepancy in lifetime and quantum yield values is explained by quantitatively smaller rates of non‐radiative decay from the triplet state of d10‐pyrene in lithocholic acid.

Evaluating the Dual-Target Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay: Comparison between Viral Loads Measured with pol and LTR Targets in the Same Samples.

ABSTRACTFor effective management of HIV-1 patients, accurate measurement of HIV-1-RNA viral load (VL) is fundamental. The latest generation molecular assays for monitoring VL perform simultaneous detection of two regions of the viral genome, but without specifying the target used for VL quantitation. By using the “open” software (research use only [RUO]) of Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay (Aptima) which provides both results obtained with the pol and LTR targets, we were able to compare n = 500 plasma samples results from chronically HIV-1-infected patients under antiretroviral therapy (ART). Correlation and concordance were analyzed. By stratifying VL into two groups (<30 and ≥30 copies/mL HIV-1-RNA) according to pol-based results and matching them with their respective LTR values, concordance was substantial (κ = 0.635; 95%CI = 0.569 to 0.700) as expected. Considering the specimens (n = 224) with VL exactly quantified (i.e., ≥30 copies/mL) with both targets, an optimal correlation subsisted (r = 0.8882; P < 0.0001) and Bland-Altman plot showed no significant mean difference between them. However, by stratifying all these data in three ranges (30 to 200, 201 to 1,000, and >1,000 copies/mL) according to pol-based results, concordance analysis showed fair agreement (κ = 0.344; 95%CI = 0.257 to 0.432). Indeed, after excluding mutually concordant VL values in each range (n = 134), the remaining discordant samples (n = 90; 40.1%) showed significant (P < 0.05) difference between VL measured with the two targets. With the Aptima “open” software, samples with pol-based VL <1,000 copies (cp)/mL HIV-1-RNA, the corresponding LTR values were on average 0.5 log10 cp/mL higher. Further studies on these discrepancies and the nature of viral RNA elements detected only with the LTR despite efficient ART are in progress.IMPORTANCE The last generation dual-target platforms for quantification of HIV-1 RNA return a single value of viral load (VL) derived from a combined reading of two HIV-1 genome targets. By using a modified version of Aptima software, providing both the VL results obtained from pol and LTR amplification separately, we observed discordant VL results in some samples from HIV-1-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy. In particular, some samples with pol-based quantified <1,000 copies/mL VL showed the LTR-based value on average 0.5 log10 copies/mL higher, and other samples, always by treated patients, showed VL exclusively quantified with LTR target while the corresponding pol-based VL results were completely undetected. Standard software of double-target based diagnostic systems does not allow recognizing discrepant VL values in these particular, but not rare, clinical specimens. This issue could have implications for clinical management by leading physicians to consider changing antiretroviral regimen based on presumed failure of antiretroviral therapy.

Evaluation of Stress and Fatigue on Different Implant Lengths in the Rehabilitation of Atrophic Mandibles with Full-Arch Fixed Prosthesis Using Finite Element Method.

This research aimed to evaluate the stress and fatigue generated in short implants compared to regular implants in rehabilitation with fixed full-arch implant-supported prostheses in atrophic mandibles using the finite element method (FEM). Four models were constructed with different implants lengths: 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm. A 100-N oblique load was applied to evaluate the stress on the bone, implant, and prosthetic components. Similar behavior was observed for all groups, except for 4 mm, which showed more discrepant values. During the fatigue test, all the groups exhibited infinite lives except G4. Based on the similarity of all the models, it is suggested that all short implants investigated are seemingly viable alternatives for the rehabilitation of atrophic mandibles. However, the 6-mm-long and 8-mm-long implants evinced more favorable mechanical behavior than the 4-mm-long type.

How GHRM impacts employee OCBE: the role of emotions and value discrepancy

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact mechanism of green human resource management (GHRM) on employee organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE). The authors maintain that anticipated environmental pride and guilt serve as dual mediators on the relationship between GHRM and OCBE, while environmental value discrepancy between employees and coworkers of the employees serve as the moderator on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachFor this study, 226 valid questionnaires were obtained from various industries (food, machinery, electronics, etc.) in China and a hierarchical regression analysis was performed.FindingsThe results revealed that GHRM exerts a direct influence on OCBE, as well as indirect effects through anticipated environmental emotions. Environmental value discrepancy moderates the relationship between GHRM and anticipated environmental emotions.Originality/valueThe contribution of this study is not only to investigate the emotional impact mechanism between GHRM and employee OCBE, but also to identify the boundary conditions for the effect of GHRM on employees’ anticipated environmental emotions. The authors' findings offer a new theoretical framework for future research on GHRM, as well as practical implications for researchers and managers in organizational environmental management.

Thermal conductivity of sugar alcohols

During the past decade sugar alcohols have been extensively studied for thermal storage purposes. One of the recent focuses of research has been in improving their heat charge and discharge rate by enhancing the thermal conductivity with different types of additives. However, the current literature shows a vast discrepancy in measured values of sugar alcohols. This work presents an experimental study on thermal conductivity of seven sugar alcohols. The aim is to find out the reason for the discrepancy of literature values for erythritol, mannitol and xylitol, and to present new reference data for galacticol, myo-inositol, maltitol and sorbitol. We study the impact of material preparation method, raw material grade and sensor contact on the crystalline structure and the conductivity. The crystalline structure was inspected with optical and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, and melting properties with differential scanning calorimetry. We found that different polymorphs, grain structure and crystallite sizes can be obtained by different preparation methods. This caused the conductivity of mannitol, galacticol and myo-inositol to vary by tens of percentages. Crystallization temperatures of xylitol and erythritol were found to affect their grain size but had only a minor effect on the conductivity. Overall, the conductivities of solid phase sugar alcohols were found to be within the upper range of the previous literature; based on the methods of this work, we did not find any evidence for the low and intermediate values for erythritol, xylitol and mannitol. Due to the high amorphous content of maltitol and sorbitol their conductivity was substantially lower than that of the other sugar alcohols. Thermal conductivity of liquid phases was found to accurately follow a linear relationship with the molar mass for sugar alcohols with carbon number between 4 and 6.

Investigation of the microstructural characteristics of heated sandstone by micro-computed tomography technique

Heritage buildings always pose challenges due to experiencing high temperatures and pressure over time. Sandstone is one of the common sedimentary rock types used for these buildings. Therefore, it is very important to understand the microstructural variations of rocks associated with these constructions along with the mechanical variations. In this study, the microstructural and mechanical alteration of selected types of sandstones is investigated after it is heated from room temperature to 800 °C. Micro X-ray computed tomography (µXCT), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) techniques were used to identify the physical, chemical, mineralogical and microstructural changes of sandstone after different heat treatments. The mechanical alteration of the heated rock specimens was also studied using the point load index (PLI). The main changes in microstructure were observed when the sandstone’s temperature was greater than 400 °C. The total porosity measured by µXCT of sandstone increased by more than 70% at 800 °C compared to its porosity at room temperature. When the temperature increases, the open porosity increases while the closed porosity decreases. Noticeable changes in rock mineralogy were identified at temperatures exceeding 400 °C, which can be attributed to the phase transition of quartz, decomposition of feldspar and dehydroxylation of kaolinite. The TG and DTG analyses and point load index were in good agreement concerning these changes in rock mineralogy. Microstructural variation is one of the main reasons for the discrepancy in threshold values between different sandstones.

Valuation of ecosystem services through offsets: Why are coastal ecosystems more valuable in Australia than in Brazil?

Economies depend on ecosystem services, but only recently have ecosystem service values been incorporated into economic and political decision-making. Increasingly, offsets have become a common valuation tool for incorporating the value of nature into economics. To offset means to compensate ecosystem losses in one place by creating equivalent gains elsewhere: this is the pragmatic ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity approach. Offsets are currently attracting particular attention in Santos, Brazil, where the largest Global South harbor is located. Port stakeholders are pressuring for revision of the local offset policy to enable an expansion of their activities and related immitigable impacts.Seeking to contribute to improved policy design at local scale, we proceed in two steps: (1) compiling and selecting comparable offsets policies around the world, considering those targeted specifically at ecosystems; and (2) identifying the methodological differences that can lead to discrepancies in final monetary values. Results show that the same kind of development (port), impacting a similar ecosystem (mangrove), have been assigned offset values six times less if allocated in São Paulo (Brazil) rather than in Queensland (Australia). We identify a general out-of-kind tendency for offsets and explore these comparative results from the perspective of identifying possible and desirable improvements.