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It is a common practice to split a time series into an in‐sample and pseudo‐out‐of‐sample segments and estimate the out‐of‐sample loss for a given statistical model by evaluating forecasting performance over the pseudo‐out‐of‐sample segment. We propose an alternative estimator of the out‐of‐sample loss, which, contrary to the conventional wisdom, utilizes criteria measured both in‐ and out‐of‐sample via a carefully constructed system of affine weights. We prove that, provided that the time series is stationary, the proposed estimator is the best linear unbiased estimator of the out‐of‐sample loss and outperforms the conventional estimator in terms of sampling variability. Application of the optimal estimator to Diebold–Mariano type tests of predictive ability leads to a substantial power gain without increasing finite sample size distortions. An extensive evaluation on real‐world time series from the M4 forecasting competition confirms superiority of the proposed estimator and also demonstrates substantial robustness to violations of the underlying assumption of stationarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introspective agents can recognize the extent to which their internal perceptual experiences deviate from the actual states of the external world. This ability, also known as insight, is critically required for reality testing and is impaired in psychosis, yet little is known about its cognitive underpinnings. We develop a Bayesian modeling framework and a psychophysics paradigm to quantitatively characterize this type of insight while people experience a motion after-effect illusion. People can incorporate knowledge about the illusion into their decisions when judging the actual direction of a motion stimulus, compensating for the illusion (and often overcompensating). Furthermore, confidence, reaction-time, and pupil-dilation data all show signatures consistent with inferential adjustments in the Bayesian insight model. Our results suggest that people can question the veracity of what they see by making insightful inferences that incorporate introspective knowledge about internal distortions. People can have perceptual illusions that they realize are not real. Here, the authors show that this type of reality testing can be explained by a Bayesian inference model that incorporates introspective knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of double-shield TBM excavation, it is difficult to directly observe and test the characteristics of the surrounding rock. In this paper, the screening test of the different type tailings in the wet state was carried out to obtain the gradation curve and curve evaluation index. Combining with the excavation parameters and the surrounding rock characteristics of the tailings, a comprehensive analysis was carried out to establish the evaluation system among with the tailings gradation characteristics, lithology characteristics and excavation parameters. The results showed that: Sparsely fissured rock: the tailings are extensional fractures, the tailings gradation curve is inverse "S" type and gentle, and the evaluation index value: (1.50 > lg(Cu) > 1.35), (1.90 > Cc > 1.10). Broken surrounding rock: the curve is "L" type and steep, the content of coarse particles is much more than that of fine particles and (1.10 > lg(Cu) > 1.00), (2.60 > Cc > 2.40). Fractured rock: the curve is "Step" type, the tailings particles lack the middle particle size, the minerals are mostly weathered, (2.15 > lg(Cu)> 1.95), (0.09 > Cc > 0.07). The research results have good applicability to the surrounding rock stability evaluation of the example tunnel, which verifies the feasibility of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software testing is an essential phase in the software development life cycle. One of the important types of software testing is unit testing and its execution is time-consuming and costly. Using parallelization to speed up the testing execution is beneficial and productive for programmers. To parallelize test execution, researchers can use GPU machines. In GPU applications, multiple threads execute in parallel within a group known as a warp. Branch divergence affects the performance of a warp negatively when some threads run a branch, and the other threads are idle waiting for the first set of threads to finish their execution. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to minimize branch divergence when testing an application on a GPU. We arrange test inputs based on the warp size of a GPU machine. Test inputs that have similar control flow paths are grouped within the same warp executing in parallel. Thus, the branch divergence is minimized per warp. We validate and evaluate our algorithm on six benchmarks (57 programs in total). Our approach accelerates the testing execution by up to 3.8x and improves the warp execution efficiency by up to 15x. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: No prospective diagnostic studies have directly compared widespread non‐invasive liver tests in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using the intention‐to‐diagnose method for each of the three main histological features of metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease ‐ namely fibrosis, metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and steatosis. Aims: To compare the performance of nine tests using the intention‐to‐diagnose rather than the standard method, which would exclude non‐evaluable participants Methods: Biopsy was used as the reference with predetermined cut‐offs, advanced fibrosis being the main endpoint. The Nash‐FibroTest panel including FibroTest‐T2D, SteatoTest‐T2D and MashTest‐T2D was optimised for type 2 diabetes. FibroTest‐T2D was compared to vibration‐controlled transient elastography stiffness (VCTE), two‐dimensional shear‐wave elastography stiffness (TD‐SWE), and Fibrosis‐4 blood test. NashTest‐T2D was compared to aspartate aminotransferase. SteatoTest‐T2D was compared to the controlled attenuation parameter and the hepatorenal gradient. Results: Among 402 cases, non‐evaluable tests were 6.7% for VCTE, 4.0% for hepatorenal gradient, 3.2% for controlled attenuation parameter, 1.5% for TD‐SWE, 1.2% for NashTest‐T2D, and 0.02% for Fibrosis‐4, aspartate aminotransferase and SteatoTest‐T2D. The VCTE AUROC for advanced fibrosis was over‐estimated by 6% (0.83 [95% CI: 0.78–0.87]) by standard analysis compared to intention‐to‐diagnose (0.77 [0.72–0.81] p = 0.008). The AUROCs for advanced fibrosis did not differ significantly in intention‐to‐diagnose between FibroTest‐T2D (0.77; 95% CI: 0.73–0.82), VCTE (0.77; 95% CI: 0.72–0.81) and TD‐SWE(0.78; 0.74–0.83) but were all higher than the Fibrosis‐4 score (0.70; 95% CI all differences ≥7%; p ≤ 0.03). For MASH, MashTest‐T2D had a higher AUROC (0.76; 95% CI: 0.70–0.80) than aspartate aminotransferase (0.72; 95% CI: 0.66–0.77; p = 0.035). For steatosis, AUROCs did not differ significantly between SteatoTest‐T2D, controlled attenuation parameter and hepatorenal gradient. Conclusions: In intention‐to‐diagnose analysis, FibroTest‐T2D, TD‐SWE and VCTE performed similarly for staging fibrosis, and out‐performed Fibrosis‐4 in outpatients with type 2 diabetes. The standard analysis over‐estimated VCTE performance. ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT03634098. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Laboratories should be aware of the stability of the analytes they are testing in order to avoid incorrect reporting and patient management. Stability studies are difficult to interpret and reproduce, with little guidance on how to determine appropriate clinical cut off values. Here we describe a standardised approach to determining stability for routine haematinics tests using published EFLM guidelines. Methods: The haematinics panel at UHNM contains vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, iron and transferrin. Blood tubes included were serum separator tubes, gel-free serum and lithium-heparin plasma. Conditions tested were room temperature, 2–8°C and −20°C. For each condition and tube, three samples were analysed in duplicate at 0, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h using the Siemens Atellica platform. Results: The percentage difference was calculated for each respective blood tube and storage condition, in addition to individual analyte maximum permissible instability scores. The majority of analytes for all blood tubes were stable for 5 days or more when stored at 4–8°C and −20°C. Ferritin (excluding gel-free), iron and transferrin further showed stability >5 days when stored at room temperature. However, vitamin B12 and folate demonstrated poor stability data for all tube types tested. Conclusions: Here we describe a stability study for the haematinics panel on the Siemens Atellica platform using the standardised EFLM Checklist for Reporting Stability Studies (CRESS). The checklist was used in order to promote a standardised and transferable scientific approach to what has previously been lacking in the literature when performing stability experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disposing of items of forensic relevance in bodies of water is one countermeasure offenders can use to avoid detection. The impact of immersion in water has been explored for blood, saliva, and semen; however, few studies have assessed touch DNA. Here we report on the effect of exposure to water on the persistence of touch DNA over prolonged periods of time. To evaluate the persistence of cells from touch DNA, after water exposure, three substrates and two water types were tested: plastic, metal, and ceramic, submerged into seawater or tap water. Diamond™ Nucleic Acid Dye was used to stain cells deposited by touch. Cell counts before and after water exposure were compared to investigate cell loss over time, ranging from 6 hours to 5 days. A logarithmic increase in the percent of cells lost was observed over time when the data for substrate and water type conditions were combined. Substrate type influenced the persistence of cells, with the metal substrate retaining cells longer than plastic or ceramic. The influence of water type appeared dependent on the substrate, with varied cell persistence on metal whereas plastic and ceramic recorded similar cell loss over time between water types. The ability to visualize cells after exposure to water could assist in triaging evidence within operational forensic laboratories and allow for targeted sampling. This proof‐of‐concept study demonstrated that greater than 50% of cells can persist on various items submerged in aqueous environments for at least 5 days, highlighting the possibility for downstream DNA testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looked into how artificial aging affected the mechanical behavior of composites made of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP). In this context, GFRP composites were produced by vacuum infusion method and artificially aged in the aging cabinet. Three different composite specimen types were tested. These are unaged samples aged 750 h and aged 1500 h. Three-point bending tests were performed to determine the mechanical properties. The absorbed energies of the samples were determined and the maximum bending stresses were calculated. The maximum contact force and sample displacements were also determined. In addition, the damage areas of the samples were examined optically and the changes that occurred with the aging time were determined. Finally, SEM images were taken to observe the changes in the internal structure of the aging and non-aging samples. According to results, as the sample aged, a decrease was observed in the energy values absorbed by the composite samples. In addition, as the aging time increased, it was determined that there was a spread in the damage area and more visible fiber breaks occurred. The increase in the aging time caused a decrease in the stiffness of the composite specimen, worsened its mechanical properties, and increased matrix damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a method based on fine torque control to evaluate traction in rolling—liding line contacts under small slide-to-roll ratios (SRRs). To accomplish this, we engineered an innovative testing machine—a two-roller tribometer capable of precisely applying resisting torques to one of the rollers. Two types of tests were designed and conducted to validate our method and showcase the capabilities of the novel test setup. The first type, named the "Traction Decay Test", proved to be effective in evaluating changes in the SRR over time. The second, named the "Torque-Mode Traction Test", demonstrated its effectiveness in achieving ultra-low SRRs, in the order of 0.01%. As a result, traction curves with high resolution in the low SRR domain were constructed. This advancement provides the means for gaining a deeper understanding of traction coefficients, wear behavior, and tribological performance at ultra-low SRRs across diverse applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggressing, bullying, and helping occur within the social context and their impact may be determined by the nature of the dyadic relationship between the agent and the recipient of the behavior. This study tests a theoretical model of power-relevant interpersonal behavior which proposes two bipolar continua: beneficial to harmful impact and relative power imbalance between dyad members. From a bystander perspective, adolescents rated similarity of paired vignettes, which varied based on intensity of beneficial to harmful impact, relative power between agent and recipient, and power type (academic or social). Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys according to type of power to test whether the proposed theoretical model of power-relevant interpersonal behavior is supported. The first proposed dimension, beneficial–harmful, emerged in all four sets of MDS analyses (boys, academic power; boys, social power; girls, academic power; boys, academic power). The secondary proposed dimension, relative power, only emerged for girls regarding social power, as the fourth dimension in that solution. Thus, results suggest that relative power is not a salient concept in adolescents' thinking about helping and aggressing. Rather, dimensions of extent of impact and collective power of the dyad (combined status of agent and recipient) empirically emerged. These results may inform a taxonomy of interpersonal behavior, conceptualization of bullying, and promotion-prevention programs that promote helping and prevent aggressing among adolescents in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is a commonly used screening tool for cognitive disorders, known for its ease of administration and scoring. Despite frequent use by clinicians, CDT is criticized for its poor predictive value in mild cases of impairment. Objective: To evaluate CDT as a screening tool for early stage of cognitive impairment in biomarker-verified Alzheimer's disease (AD) and depressive disorder (DD). Methods: We analyzed CDT of 172 patients with verified AD, 70 patients with DD, in whom neurodegenerative disorder was excluded using cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, and 58 healthy older adults. CDT was scored using the semi-quantitative (Shulman) and itemized criteria (adapted from Mendez). Results: Logistic regression showed that for both DD and AD patients with high Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (27 and above) the significant predicting variable is uneven number spacing. As MMSE deteriorates (24-26 points), an additional error of setting clock hands is predictive of the disease. In the low MMSE condition, CDT showed an acceptable discrimination for AD (AUC itemized 0.740, Shulman 0.741) and DD (AUC itemized 0.827, Shulman 0.739) using both scoring methods. In the high MMSE condition, discrimination rates were acceptable using itemized scoring but poor using Shulman scoring for both AD (AUC itemized 0.707, Shulman 0.677) and DD (AUC itemized 0.755, Shulman 0.667) groups. Conclusion: Ideally, modern diagnostic process should take place before the cognitive performance drops beneath the healthy range. This makes CDT of little use when screening patients with very mild cognitive deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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At-home rapid COVID-19 tests in the U.S. utilize nasal-swab specimens and require high viral loads to reliably give positive results. Longitudinal studies from the onset of infection have found infectious virus can present in oral specimens days before nasal. Detection and initiation of infection-control practices may therefore be delayed when nasal-swab rapid tests are used, resulting in greater transmission to contacts. We assessed whether index cases first identified by rapid nasal-swab COVID-19 tests had more transmission to household contacts than index cases who used other test types (tests with higher analytical sensitivity and/or non-nasal specimen types). In this observational cohort study, 370 individuals from 85 households with a recent COVID-19 case were screened at least daily by RT-qPCR on one or more self-collected upper-respiratory specimen types. A two-level random intercept model was used to assess the association between the infection outcome of household contacts and each covariable (household size, race/ethnicity, age, vaccination status, viral variant, infection-control practices, and whether a rapid nasal-swab test was used to initially identify the household index case). Transmission was quantified by adjusted secondary attack rates (aSAR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR). An aSAR of 53.6% (95% CI 38.8–68.3%) was observed among households where the index case first tested positive by a rapid nasal-swab COVID-19 test, which was significantly higher than the aSAR for households where the index case utilized another test type (27.2% 95% CI 19.5–35.0%, P = 0.003 pairwise comparisons of predictive margins). We observed an aOR of 4.90 (95% CI 1.65–14.56) for transmission to household contacts when a nasal-swab rapid test was used to identify the index case, compared to other test types. Use of nasal-swab rapid COVID-19 tests for initial detection of infection and initiation of infection control may be less effective at limiting transmission to household contacts than other test types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study used myocardial tissues of 10 forensic FFPET patients and the samples were prepared into films. The DNA was extracted using xylene-Chelex100 method, dewaxing solution-Chelex100 method, dewaxing solution-Vazyme Fast-Pure FFPE DNA Isolation kit (abbreviated as FP kit) and dewaxing solution-Beijing Tiangen paraffin-embedded tissue genome extraction kit (abbreviated as Tiangen kit), and determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometer for concentration and purity, and short tandem repeats (STR) typing test (23 autosomes). The extraction quality, STR typing quality and detection rate of FFPET in four different extraction methods were compared and analyzed to find an efficient, simple, economical, practical, and convenient method. The results showed that for the quality of extrated DNA, the concentration of DNA extracted by two Chelex100 methods were higher than the two test kits, and the purity of DNA extracted by the kits were superior to that of the other two methods. The differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The average concentration and purity of DNA extracted by FP kit were superior to those by Tiangen kit without significant differences (P>0.05). For the quality of STR typing and detection rate, STR typing generally shows the imbalance of amplification between different loci and different alleles of the same locus, with the former being higher and the later lower. The average detection rate of STR was in the order of: FP kit >Tiangen kit>Chelex100 method. There were no significant difference in the detection rates of STR loci between the two Chelex100 methods (P>0.05), whereas there were significant differences between them and the other two methods (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between the FP kit and Tiangen kit (P<0.05). Therefore when dealing with difficult samples such as formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues in forensic DNA identification cases, the dewaxing solution-Vazyme FastPure FFPE DNA Isolation kit was superior to the other three DNA extraction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to present the main points related to the technical philosophy of self-healing of electrical distribution networks, within the context of Smart Grids and the main equipment and elements that are part of this context. Through the identification of the main power quality (PQ) disturbances that cause damage to equipment and components, connections will be made between the technical characteristics of protection equipment (circuit breakers, reclosers, automatic switches, sectionalizers, and relays), their respective type tests provided by standards and the vulnerable points concerning their power and control circuits, which directly affect the performance of the self-healing philosophy and the improvement of quality indexes (Equivalent Duration of Interruption and Equivalent Frequency of Interruption), established by ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid advancement of additive manufacturing technologies for concrete construction requires further understanding of material performance and its relationship with print parameters such as interlayer time-lapse and workability retention during the print. This study addresses the effects of the time delay between consecutive extruded layers on the mechanical performance of printed concrete using a mix designed by Quikrete. A series of specimens were prepared with printing delays of 10, 15, 30, and 60 min. This work correlates the change in fracture properties, mechanical performance, and workability retention with the interlayer time-lapse between two consecutive concrete layers. Interlayer time-lapse is defined as the time difference in printing of two consequent layers of concrete. It affects individual properties differently based on the loading direction and test types, but it is consistent in terms of interlayer performance. The understanding of the effect of interlayer time-lapse on the fracture properties between two consecutive printed layers fills the knowledge gaps in printed concrete research. Therefore, this study can help researchers perform required optimization and safely estimate the performance of printed concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of fecal feces are a set of tests used by the doctor to evaluate pathologies related to the digestive system. The results of the analysis allow assessing diseases caused by infectious agents such as parasites, bacteria and viruses. To carry out this type of test, it is necessary to use a stool sample collected by the patient, therefore the collection of the sample must be carried out with the appropriate protocols, since there may be a series of factors that alter the quality of the sample at the moment. after its collection, some of these factors may be related to the materials to be used or to contamination with biological fluids such as urine. For this reason, it is advisable to instruct the patient on the proper technique for collecting fecal simples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may induce micro-vascular and macro-vascular changes that can lead to neuropathic changes which may affect the auditory pathway resulting in hearing loss. The study aims to evaluate the outcome of ipsilateral and contralateral acoustic reflex (AR) parameters and reflex decay tests (RDT) in patients with T2DM, and the relationship between average AR parameters, and duration and control of T2DM. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care setup in 126 subjects which included 42 subjects with T2DM between 30 and 60 years of age, age-matched with 84 non-diabetic subjects. The subjects were evaluated for pure tone average (PTA), speech identification score (SIS), AR parameters [acoustic reflex threshold (ART), acoustic reflex amplitude (ARA), acoustic reflex latency (ARL)] and RDT. Results: The subjects with T2DM showed increased PTA in both ears when compared to the subjects with no disease. No significant difference was found in the SIS between both groups. There was no significant difference in the ART and ARL between the two groups. There was a significant difference in the ipsilateral and contralateral ARA at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and broadband noise (BBN) when compared between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups. No significant difference was found between average AR parameters and duration and control of T2DM. Conclusion: T2DM increases hearing thresholds and reduces ipsilateral and contralateral AR at lower frequencies and BBN. Duration and control of T2DM do not affect the AR parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study on the mechanical quasi-static behavior of self-piercing rivet (SPR) connections with three stacked sheets made from an AA6016-T4 aluminum alloy. The goal was to study the effects of sheet thickness and stack up of the SPR connection under large deformation and failure. Several different types of tests were performed to investigate the initial load-bearing capacity as well as the remaining capacity after partial joint failure. Additionally, the performance of state-of-the-art constraint modeling techniques was evaluated. The parameters for large-scale connector models were found through inverse modeling of the experiments. The models were validated against an additional test configuration where the middle sheet was load-free. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of narcolepsy is based on clinical information, combined with polysomnography (PSG) and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). PSG and the MSLT are moderately reliable at diagnosing narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) but unreliable for diagnosing narcolepsy type 2 (NT2). This is a problem, especially given the increased risk of a false-positive MSLT in the context of circadian misalignment or sleep deprivation, both of which commonly occur in the general population. We aimed to clarify the accuracy of PSG/MSLT testing in diagnosing NT1 versus controls without sleep disorders. Repeatability and reliability of PSG/MSLT testing and temporal changes in clinical findings of patients with NT1 versus patients with hypersomnolence with normal hypocretin-1 were compared. 84 patients with NT1 and 100 patients with non-NT1-hypersomnolence disorders, all with congruent cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 (CSF-hcrt-1) levels, were included. Twenty-five of the 84 NT1 patients and all the hypersomnolence disorder patients underwent a follow-up evaluation consisting of clinical assessment, PSG, and a modified MSLT. An additional 68 controls with no sleep disorders were assessed at baseline. Confirming results from previous studies, we found that PSG and our modified MSLT accurately and reliably diagnosed hypocretin-deficient NT1 (accuracy = 0.88, reliability = 0.80). Patients with NT1 had stable clinical and electrophysiological presentations over time that suggested a stable phenotype. In contrast, the PSG/MSLT results of patients with hypersomnolence, and normal CSF-hcrt-1 had poor reliability (0.32) and low repeatability. • Polysomnography and multiple sleep latency test were accurate in diagnosing NT1. • Patients with NT1 presented a stable prognosis and characteristic profile. • Patients with NT1 have stable electrophysiological presentation. • Patients with hypersomnolence with hypocretin-1 are complex heterogeneous disorders. • Hypersomnolence patients with normal hypocretin-1 showed poor reliability and repeatability of electrophysiological results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes police and public reactions to an intergroup-communication intervention developed and tested in Santa Barbara, California. We discuss the theory underlying the development of the intervention as well as its implementation as a means of improving relationships between police officers and members of the Hispanic community. Based on thematic analysis of interviews with program participants, we provide qualitative evidence about police and public reactions to the intervention. The data presented herein indicate that the intervention improved empathy and trust between participants from both groups. These results suggest that interventions based on principles of intergroup communication could be a useful mechanism for improving relationships between police and historically marginalized communities. They also provide a promising framework for research on how police can translate research into practice in the area of community trust-building with groups reluctant to engage with police. Future research should begin testing the effectiveness of these types of interventions using experimental or quasi-experimental methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of target recognition technology, people pay more and more attention to the cost of sample generation, tag addition and network training. Active learning can choose as few samples as possible to achieve a better recognition effect. In this paper, a small number of the simulation generated radar cross-section time series are selected as the training data, combined with the least confidence and edge sampling, a sample selection method based on few-shot learning is proposed. The effectiveness of the method is verified by the target type recognition test in multi time radar cross-section time series. Using the algorithm in this paper, 10 kinds of trajectory data are selected from all 19 kinds of trajectory data, and the training model is tested, which can achieve similar results with 19 kinds of trajectory data training model. Compared with the random selection method, the accuracy is improved by 4–10% in different time lengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In presents analyzes show that an intensification of the material densification in the case of low temperatures that leads to an increased resistance in the case of mechanic requests, large deformation tensions being accepted. For the materials sintered by the chosen composition for the type of test pieces submitted to the trial at environmental temperature, the corresponding breakage the obtained porosity may be a ductile breakage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetic analysis of joint work and joint contribution provides practitioners with information regarding movement characteristics and strategies of any jump test that is undertaken. This study aimed to compare joint works and contributions, and performance metrics in the countermovement jump (CMJ), drop jump (DJ), and countermovement rebound jump CMRJ. Thirty-three participants completed 18 jumps across two testing sessions. Jump height and strategy-based metrics (time to take-off [TTTO], countermovement depth [CM depth], and ground contact time [GCT]) were measured. Two-way analysis of variance assessed systematic bias between jump types and test sessions (α = 0.05). Reliability was evaluated via intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] and coefficient of variation [CV]. Jump height and strategy-based metrics demonstrated good to excellent reliability (ICC = 0.82–0.98) with moderate CV (≤8.64%). Kinetic variables exhibited moderate to excellent reliability (ICC = 0.64–0.93) with poor to moderate CV (≤25.04%). Moreover, apart from TTTO (p ≤ 0.027, effect size [ES] = 0.49–0.62) that revealed significant differences between jump types, CM depth (p ≤ 0.304, ES = 0.27–0.32) and GCT (p ≤ 0.324, ES = 0.24) revealed nonsignificant trivial to small differences between three jumps in both sessions. Finally, the negative and positive hip and knee works, and positive ankle contribution measured in the CMRJ showed significant differences from the CMJ and DJ (p ≤ 0.048, g ≤ 0.71), with no significant difference observed in other kinetic variables between the three jump actions (p ≥ 0.086). Given the consistent joint works and joint contributions between jump types, the findings suggest that practitioners can utilize the CMRJ as a viable alternative to CMJ and DJ tests, and the CMRJ test offers valuable insights into movement characteristics and training suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to develop a reading comprehension test for English 7 not perfectly Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) but similar to PISA and to determine the contributing factors of students' reading performance. This research type is formative evaluation development by Tessmer. The participants of this research were 150 high school students of two public schools in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental, Philippines. The results of this study show that the approximate distribution of tasks per targeted process and text availability can be applied in designing the Table of Specifications (TOS) and there are eight indicators to consider in selecting texts and contexts and in constructing the test items in order to develop PISA-like reading comprehension test namely: (1) cognitive process, (2) format of the text, (3) type of the text, (4) situation or context, (5) type of test (6) level of question, (7) type of question and (8) text medium and text environment. The developed reading comprehension test is not perfectly PISA but only PISA-like because the indicators do not include reading proficiency levels in PISA and do not deal much with questions and item difficulty for each reading proficiency level. Results also yield PISAlike reading comprehension test items that are: (1) valid as these adhere to the PISA reading literacy criteria and the sets of questions are highly reliable; (2) practical because teachers agree that the questions can assess students' reading literacy and thinking skills; and (3) effective because the mean score of students, although very low, reflects the 2018 PISA reading result. Contributing factors of the low performance are poor vocabulary, poor reading strategies, getting bored and tired of reading, multiple texts, expectations of reading the same texts previously discussed and writing the same answers already given, type of text and reading tasks. The use of PISA-like reading comprehension test may be a great help, so teachers can modify reading comprehension test and students will be familiar with PISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have focused on new preventive measures to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. One promising application is the usage of antimicrobial materials on often-touched surfaces to reduce the load of infectious virus particles. Since tests with in vitro-propagated SARS-CoV-2 require biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratories with limited capacities and high costs, experiments with an appropriate surrogate like the bacteriophage ɸ6 are preferred in most studies. The aim of this study was to compare ɸ6 and SARS-CoV-2 within antiviral surface tests. Different concentrations of copper coatings on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were used to determine their neutralizing activity against ɸ6 and SARS-CoV-2. The incubation on the different specimens led to similar inactivation of both SARS-CoV-2 and ɸ6. After 24 h, no infectious virus particles were evident on any of the tested samples. Shorter incubation periods on specimens with high copper concentrations also showed a complete inactivation. In contrast, the uncoated PET foils resulted only in a negligible reduced inactivation during the one-hour incubation. The similar reduction rate for ɸ6 and SARS-CoV-2 in our experiments provide further evidence that the bacteriophage ɸ6 is an adequate model organism for SARS-CoV-2 for this type of testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of cataloged debris produced, the anti-satellite test carried out by Russia, in November 2021, at an altitude of about 480 km, leading to the destruction of the old satellite Cosmos 1408, was the second worst to date and represented the third worst fragmentation in orbit. It generated more than 1/4 of the cataloged debris produced over 55 years by all such tests and almost twice as many as were produced by all previous Soviet tests. After placing this event in its historical context, this paper analyzes in detail how the evolution of the Cosmos 1408 debris cloud affected the environment below 600 km in the first seven months, focusing on the two operational space stations and the Starlink large constellation of satellites. During the first six months following the test, the Cosmos 1408 cloud of fragments nearly doubled the average flux of cataloged objects on the International Space Station and increased by about 3/4 that on China's Tiangong. In the same period, the Starlink large constellation saw an average increase in the flux of cataloged objects of about 20%. Some orbital planes, the "counter-rotating" ones with respect to the Cosmos 1408 debris cloud, were more affected than others, and the affected planes gradually changed over time, due to the differential precession of cloud and constellation nodes. However, being the Starlink constellation 70 km higher up, the flux of Cosmos 1408 cataloged debris steadily decreased over the period analyzed, due to the cloud orbital decay, reducing to just over a quarter of its extrapolated initial value after seven months. • A review of ASAT tests as a source of orbital debris was presented. • The impact of the Cosmos 1408 destruction was put into context. • The cataloged debris flux increase on space stations was computed and discussed. • The debris flux increase and evolution on Starlink orbit planes was analyzed. • A moratorium on this type of ASAT tests was recommended, including low LEO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: performance for an athlete is vital and the accompaniment from nutrition and physiotherapy, in an articulated manner, to optimize it, is fundamental; changes in indicators of body composition, proportionality and physical type can alter the performance of movement patterns and these asymmetries or deficiencies can be identified through the Functional Movement Screen. The objective of this research was to identify the association of different cineanthropometrics characteristics with functional movement pattern scores in TEAM Medellin athletes. Materials and method: an observational, cross-sectional study with analytical intention was conducted, which included 95 high-performance athletes. For functional movement assessment (FMS), a battery of seven tests was used; additionally, body composition, anthropometric, proportionality and physical type tests were measured to explore, through bivariate analysis and prevalence ratios, the possible associations and their magnitude. Results and discussion: one out of every three athletes managed to complete the most functional tests. In-line lunge, rotational stability and leg raise are the tests with the lowest completeness. Anthropometric indicators affecting four of these functional tests are related to body composition, body proportionality and physique-type characteristics. Conclusions: this is one of the first studies to explore the association between cineanthropometrics indicators with functional movement assessment. Adequate nutritional characteristics are necessary to achieve optimal movement quality and thus better sports performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fundamental goal of population genetic studies is to identify historical biogeographic patterns and understand the processes that generate them. However, localized demographic events can skew population genetic inference. Assessing populations with multiple types of genetic markers, each with unique mutation rates and responses to changes in population size, can help to identify potentially confounding population‐specific demographic processes. Here, we compared population structure and connectivity inferred from microsatellites and restriction site‐associated DNA loci among 17 populations of an arid‐specialist lizard, the desert night lizard, Xantusia vigilis, in central California to test among historical processes structuring population genetic diversity. We found that both marker types yielded generally concordant insights into population genetic structure including a major phylogenetic break maintained between two populations separated by less than 10 km, suggesting that either marker type could be used to understand generalized demographic patterns across the region for management purposes. However, we also found that the effects of demography on marker discordance could be used to elucidate population histories and distinguish among competing biogeographic hypotheses. Our results suggest that comparisons of within‐population diversity across marker types provide powerful opportunities for leveraging marker discordance, particularly for understanding the creation and maintenance of contact zones among clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polystyrene has limited adhesivity to inorganic materials such as metals. However, the inorganic surface can be treated to enhance bonding to energetically stable polystyrene. This concept is verified in this paper with organosilane aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) as the coupling agent primed on hydroxylated aluminum alloy AA2024-T3. We characterize the structural integrity and electrical impedance of the polystyrene coating on APTES-primed surfaces with different cured conditions after exposure to 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for seven days. The results show that top-coated polystyrene on APTES is more structurally intact and less electrically conductive than the polystyrene coating alone. The coating layer made of top-coating polystyrene on a curing APTES film has the largest water uptake rate in the early stage of immersion in the corrosion solution. In the later stage, all coating layers tested regained their impedance while losing structural integrity. The charge transfer in the double layer of coated specimens for all types of coatings tested is predominantly through capacitance-based charging/discharging, presumably governed by the adsorption mechanism of ions at the coating/substrate interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a commonly used initial test for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Parallel use of FIT with risk assessment (RA) could improve the detection of non‐bleeding lesions, but at the expense of compromising sensitivity. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy of FIT and/or RA in the Shanghai CRC screening program, and systematically reviewed the relevant evaluations worldwide. Methods: RA and 2‐specimen FIT were used in parallel in the Shanghai screening program, followed by a colonoscopy among those with positive results. Sensitivity, specificity, detection rate of CRC, positive predictive value (PPV), and other measures with their 95% confident intervals were calculated for each type of tests and several assumed combined tests. We further searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library for relevant studies published in English up to January 5, 2022. Results: By the end of 2019, a total of 1,901,360 participants of the screening program completed 3,045,108 tests, with 1,901,360 first‐time tests and 1,143,748 subsequent tests. Parallel use of RA and 2‐specimen FIT achieved a sensitivity of 0.78 (0.77–0.80), a specificity of 0.78 (0.78–0.78), PPV of 0.89% (0.86–0.92), and a detection rate of 1.99 (1.93–2.05) for CRC per 1000 among participants enrolled in the first screening round, and performed similarly among those who participated for several times. A meta‐analysis of 103 published observational studies demonstrated a higher sensitivity [0.76 (0.36, 0.94)] but a much lower specificity [0.59 (0.28, 0.85)] of parallel use of RA and FIT for detecting CRC in average‐risk populations than in our subjects. One‐specimen FIT, the most commonly used initial test, had a pooled specificity comparable to the Shanghai screening program (0.92 vs. 0.91), but a much higher pooled sensitivity (0.76 vs. 0.57). Conclusion: Our results indicate the limitation of FIT only as an initial screening test for CRC in Chinese populations, and highlight the higher sensitivity of parallel use of RA and FIT. Attempts should be made to optimize RA to improve effectiveness of screening in the populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bubble growth behavior significantly influences boiling heat transfer performance, and different microchannel structures and configurations affect bubble growth behavior. To explore the impact of microchannel structures and configurations on the growth behavior of boiling bubbles, two types of microchannel test plates were fabricated on copper substrates using laser machining technology. It was a parallel configuration plate with five different microchannel spacings and a blade vein configuration plate with four different fractal angles. The bubble growth behavior on these two types of surfaces was studied through visual experiments. The results show that smaller microchannel spacing leads to earlier bubble coalescence and departure times under the same degree of superheat. The 3.00 mm microchannel spacing is the critical interfering distance for the parallel configuration plates, while interference behavior occurs for the bubbles on the simulated vein configuration plates at any fractal angle. Furthermore, in different ranges of superheat, the bubble departure diameter increases with increasing superheat, and the frequency of bubble departure initially increases and then decreases with increasing superheat. This study provides experimental data support and design reference for the design of heat transfer plate structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article presents the results of tests on walls made of AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) strengthened with the FRCM system. The effect of the applied strengthening was determined based on the results of tests on masonry models subjected to compression, diagonal compression and shear. Models of walls without strengthening, strengthened on one and two sides were tested. The research models were built of masonry elements made of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) SOLBET OPTIMAL 4/600. The walls were erected on a system thin‐layer mortar, class M5, without filling the head joints. PBO fiber meshes embedded in a mineral matrix were used as superficial reinforcement. The walls were strengthened by applying the PBO‐MX GOLD MASONRY system mortar to the side surfaces of the models and the PBO‐MESH GOLD 22/22 mesh was embedded in it, and then the top layer of the PBO‐MX GOLD MASONRY system mortar was applied. The compressive strength test was performed on 18 models in accordance with the requirements of the PN‐EN 1052‐1: 2000 standard. In the case of compression, additional tests were performed on models weakened by a cut imitating cracking. The diagonal compression test was performed on 18 models in accordance with the requirements of ASTM E519‐81 standard. The shear load test was performed on 27 models in accordance with the requirements of the PN‐EN 1052–3: 2004 standard. A clear increase in load capacity in each type of test was noted in models strengthened on two sides. In models strengthened on one side, the positive effect of strengthening was observed only by increasing the deformability of the wall. Regardless of the test type, the use of surface reinforcement allowed for smoother behavior of the test models after the loss of load capacity in relation to models without strengthening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate the use of the ohmic drop compensation method during battery discharges at different rates. Four different types of NMC Li-ion batteries are compared and three 18,650 cells of each type are tested to evaluate the performance dispersion. The cell type that shows significant performance improvement thanks to ohmic drop compensation in this first experimental part is then selected to complete the exploration. A drone-type usage profile is set up and demonstrates without any doubt the interest of using this type of protocol in such usage. Finally, a preliminary aging study is also performed on this type of cells: ohmic drop compensation use has no effect on low-power performance decrease during aging and has a moderate impact on high-power performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the designs and calculations of a leaping type soil-covering device for potato cultivation. The device is based on the full-film mulching cultivation mode, where the seed rows are covered with soil. The working principle of the leaping type soil-covering device was analyzed and the core structural parameters were determined. In order to search for a reasonable rotation speed of the screw conveyor, the soil-covering process of leaping type soil-covering device is simulated based on the EDEM software. Through single factor simulation experiments, relationship between the width and thickness of covering soil and the rotation speed of the screw conveyor was studied. The optimal values obtained were the scraper height of 60 mm and the screw conveyor rotation speed of 169 r/min. Based on the quadratic function fitting, the relationship between the length of the soil cover and the position of the seedling belt was determined. With the optimization objective of the seedling belt misalignment rate, the length of the soil cover was determined to be 417 mm. A prototype of the device was manufactured and tested in the field. The field test showed that the qualified rate of the thickness of the seeded soil cover was 92%, the qualified rate of covering soil thickness was 91%, the dislocation rate between the seeding row with covering soil and the seedling belt was 5%, and the damage degree of plastic film was 49.2 mm/m2. These results indicate that the designed potato planter with leaping type soil-covering device meets accepted agronomical requirements of potato planters and film-mulching planters. The natural emergence rate of potato seedlings reached 92% and the seedling burning rate was 7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To identify gender-based differences in pulpal sensory thresholds in human teeth utilizing various conducting media. Materials and Methods: The study involved 50 participants of both genders equally distributed. The maxillary central incisors were the teeth selected for the intervention. The three conducting media that were put to the test were Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Enamel Repair Toothpaste (CS), Himalaya herbals sensitivity toothpaste (HS), and Lignox 2% gel (LG). Subject's sensory threshold readings as well as the Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were noted at the tiniest sensation they experienced. Following an ANOVA, a post hoc analysis was performed to confirm the significance between the three media. Results: Lox 2% Jelly significantly reduced sensory threshold values compared to the other conducting media (P < 0.001). Comparing the sensory threshold values of the sexes showed that men have greater values. Male and female readings differed significantly in the Lox 2% Jelly group (P = 0.021), whereas Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Enamel Repair Toothpaste, Himalaya herbals sensitivity toothpaste (P < 0.001) groups showed highly significant variances. All the three conducting media had a highly significant variance for the VAS scores. (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The conducting material used and gender affect the pulpal sensory thresholds to electric impulses produced by EPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pharmacogenetics (PGx) has the potential to improve health outcomes but cost of testing is a barrier for equitable access. Reimbursement by insurance providers may lessen the financial burden for patients, but the extent to which PGx claims are covered in clinical practice has not been wellcharacterized in the literature. Methods: A retrospective analysis of outpatient claims submitted to payers for PGx tests from 1/1/2019 through 12/31/2021 was performed. A reimbursement rate was calculated and compared across specific test types (e.g., single genes, panel), payers, indication, and the year the claim was submitted. Results: A total of 1,039 outpatient claims for PGx testing were analyzed. The overall reimbursement rate was 46% and ranged from 36%–48% across payers. PGx panels were reimbursed at a significantly higher rate than single gene tests (74% vs. 43%, p < 0.001). Discussion: Reimbursement of claims for PGx testing is variable based on the test type, indication, year the claim was submitted, number of diagnosis codes submitted, and number of unique diagnosis codes submitted. Due to the highly variable nature of reimbursement, cost and affordability should be discussed with each patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictive genetic testing can provide information about whether or not someone will develop or is likely to develop a specific condition at a later stage in life. Economic evaluation can assess the value of money for such testing. Studies on the economic evaluation of predictive genetic testing have been carried out in a variety of settings, and this research aims to conduct a scoping review of findings from these studies. We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases with combined search terms, from 2019 to 2022. Relevant studies from 2013 to 2019 in a previous systematic review were also included. The study followed the recommended stages for undertaking a scoping review. A total of 53 studies were included, including 33 studies from the previous review and 20 studies from the search of databases. A significant number of studies focused on the US, UK, and Australia (34%, 23%, and 11%). The most frequently included health conditions were cancer and cardiovascular diseases (68% and 19%). Over half of the studies compared predictive genetic testing with no genetic testing, and the majority of them concluded that at least some type of genetic testing was cost-effective compared to no testing (94%). Some studies stated that predictive genetic testing is becoming more cost-effective with the trend of lowering genetic testing costs. Studies on predictive genetic testing covered various health conditions, particularly cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Most studies indicated that predictive genetic testing is cost-effective compared to no testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A beam‐end test is proposed in this paper and in the new fib Model Code 2020 to determine the effects of concrete type, confinement effects, and casting position on the anchorage strength of reinforcing bars. Two bars are cast in each specimen (in the two opposite corners), one in a "good" casting position and the other in "poor" casting position. The proposed test aims to be an economical bond test capable to represent actual conditions of anchored bars in real design practice. The test is also intended to verify whether existing provisions for bond and anchorage in the fib Model Code are suitable in nonconventional concrete. The validity of the proposed beam end type bond test is assessed by the results of more 60 tests on rebars having anchorage length of about 20 times the bar diameter in plain concrete, in fiber reinforced concrete, and in recycled aggregate concrete. Experimental results provide information both on the "top cast effect" in three types of concrete and on the effectiveness of fib Model Code provisions for anchorage when nonconventional concrete is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of unsaturated soil mechanics in geotechnical engineering problems relies on the construction of the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC). The existing relationships for SWCC are presented in the form of fitting equations, which contain fitting coefficients rather than physically well-defined soil parameters linked to test data. Hence, two new formulations are developed to represent the SWCC, which only involve actual soil parameters related to the test data. In addition, a solution method is also proposed to achieve convergence to a single set of soil parameters for the same SWCC. One of these is a rectangular hyperbolic function, particularly developed for cohesive soils, whereas the other formulation is formed of an inversed power function useful for all soil types. Both formulations are defined in terms of saturated water content, residual water content, air-entry value and residual suction parameters, which can be obtained using SWCC test data. The proposed equations are employed for a large database collected from the literature including diverse soil types and testing procedures. The results indicate that both formulations provided adequate performance for the suction range they are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]