The CCD instrument background of the SMILE SXI

The ESA and CAS SMILE mission orbit is highly elliptical and will pass through multiple radiation environments.The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)instrument aboard has a radiation shutter door designed to close when the surrounding radiation flux is high.The shutter door will close when passing below an altitude threshold to protect against trapped particles in the Earth’s Van Allen Belts.Therefore,two radiation environments can be approximated based on the shutter door position:open and closed.The instrument background for the CCDs(Charge-Coupled Devices)that form the focal plane array of the SXI were evaluated for the two environments.Due to the correlation of the space environment with the solar cycle,the solar minima and maxima,the background was also evaluated at these two extremes.The results demonstrated that the highest instrument background will occur during solar minima due to the main contributing source being Galactic Cosmic Rays(GCRs).It was also found that the open background was highest for solar minima and that the closed background was highest during solar maxima.This is due to the radiation shutter door acting as a scattering centre and the changes in the energy flux distribution of the GCRs between the two solar extremes.

Glaucoma surgery experiments using digital microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography and OCT-compatible instruments

There is a certain failure rate in traditional glaucoma surgery because of the lack of depth information in microscope images.In this work,we present a digital microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography(MIOCT)system and several custom-made OCT-compatible instruments for glaucoma surgery.Sixteen ophthalmologists were asked to perform trabeculectomy and canaloplasty on live porcine eyes using the system and instruments.After surgery,a subjective feedback survey about the user experience was taken.The experiment results showed that our system can help surgeons easily locate important tissue structures during surgery.The custom-made instruments also solved the shadowing problem in OCT imaging.Surgeons preferred to use the system in their future practice.

Special topic on new instruments and sensing technologies

New instruments and sensing technologies have extensive applications in non-destructive testing,safety monitoring,human-computer interaction,precision sensing,and other fields.The emergence of new structural materials,new preparation processes,and new sensing theories has driven the development of precision measurement instruments and intelligent sensing technology with the rapid development of electromagnetics,optics,and materials science.

Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe, and Innovation Leading the Future——Astronomical Techniques and Instruments

Dear Readers:Astronomical Techniques and Instruments is a professional English journal of open access devoted to recent develop-ments,discoveries,and theories in astronomical techniques,methods,and instruments.It will serve as a platform for dis-course,learning,and information sharing for astronomic and astrophysics professionals worldwide.

Reform of Teaching Practice of Modern Instrumental Analysis in Biotechnology Programs

Through the online and offline practical reform of the Modern Instrumental Analysis course of biotechnology majors from teaching content,teaching method,teaching demonstration to teaching effect,the traditional single offline lecture is transformed into diversified and interactive modern teaching.The practical reform enriches and optimizes the course content,perfects and improves the course assessment system,and improves the teaching quality.It achieves the student-centered and application-oriented teaching goal,and also provides reference for further cultivating high-quality applied talents.

Development and validation of an instrument to assess knowledge,attitudes,and practices on digital health among nursing officers

Objective:Validation is an important aspect of an instrument,and it ensures the confidence of researchers to employ the instrument in their studies.This study was conducted to develop and validate an instrument to assess knowledge,attitudes,and practices(KAP) on digital health among nurses since digital health capacity is a major concern in health care that needs to be assessed.Methods:We conducted a methodological study to assess the content validity and reliability of the instrument.First,items were generated through a comprehensive literature review and by obtaining an expert opinion.Second,content and face validity were assessed by a panel of 7 experts.Both the item-level content validity index(I-CVI) and the scale-level content validity index(S-CVI) were established.Moreover,test–retest reliability and internal consistency of the instrument were assessed.Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.Results:The initial pool consisted of 60 items and after obtaining content,face,and construct validity,51 items remained.Items with an I-CVI <0.78 were considered relevant.The S-CVI for relevancy,clarity,ambiguity,and simplicity were 0.93,0.91,0.94,and 0.92,respectively.Five subcomponents were constructed in each knowledge and attitudes domain,and the test–retest reliability test revealed that the instrument has good reliability,showing correlation coefficient values for the KAP domains and the total questionnaire of 0.76,0.98,0.99,and 0.99,respectively.The independent Cronbach's α for all items was 0.76,indicating good internal consistency.Conclusions:The present study established the acceptable validity and ensured the good reliability and internal consistency of the instrument,which can serve as an assessment tool of KAP on digital health among healthcare professionals.

Surgical Management of Lumbar Spinal Canal Stenosis with Instrumentation at the Yaounde Central Hospital: Comparison of Unilateral versus Bilateral Pedicle Screw Fixation Combined with Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Introduction: The choice of adopting unilateral pedicle screw fixation or using bilateral pedicle screw fixation in lumbar spinal stenosis remains controversial. In our context, very few studies have been performed comparing the clinical effectiveness of unilateral versus bilateral fixation in the surgical management of lumbar spinal canal stenosis. Objective: Evaluate the impact on quality of life and clinical efficacy of unilateral spondylodesis compared to bilateral spondylodesis in the surgical management of lumbar spinal canal stenosis at the Yaounde Central Hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study for a period of 4 years, from June 2015 to June 2019. It involved all patients operated for lumbar canal stenosis and who underwent spondylodesis or spinal fusion at the neurosurgery department of the Yaounde Central Hospital. Results: A total of 68 participants were recruited during our study period. 32 (47%) of the study population were in the 50 - 60 age group, with a mean age of 56.98 years ranging from 41 to 75 years. Females, housewives and farmers were the most affected. In our study, 72% of patients had unilateral spondylodesis and 28% had bilateral fusion. Preoperatively, 71% of patients had insurmountable pain, refractory to medical treatment. At 3 months postoperatively, 73.7% of patients with bilateral setup had moderate pain compared to 69% of those with unilateral setup. At 6 months postoperatively, 79% of patients with bilateral fusion had mild pain compared to 82% of patients with unilateral setup. At 1 year postoperatively, all patients had mild pain. Preoperatively, 66.2% of patients were unable to walk and 19.1% of patients were bedridden according to the Oswestry score. At 3 months postoperatively, 10.2% of patients with unilateral setup were unable to walk compared to 10.5% of patients with bilateral fixation, while 67.3% of patients with unilateral fixation had moderate disability compared to 52.6% of patients with bilateral fixation. At 6 months postoperatively, 51% of patients with unilateral setup had moderate disability compared to 47.4% of patients with bilateral fixation, while 42.9% of patients with unilateral fixation had mild disability compared to 42.1% of patients with bilateral fixation. At 1 year postoperatively, 81.6% of patients who underwent unilateral fixation had only mild disability compared to 73.7% of patients with bilateral fixation. Conclusion: The assessment of quality of life according to the set-up used shows similar results at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year, with no statistically significant differences. Single-sided pedicle screw fixation combined with transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion or mounting has the advantage of being faster, with less bleeding and is less expensive compared to bilateral fixation.

Analysis Of Urban Planning Instruments in Comala,Colima,Mexico(1997-2009)from a Gender Perspective-A Secondary Publication

This work is carried out based on the analysis of urban planning instruments,taking the gender perspective as a foundation.It arises from the inclusion of women in the participation of urban development,through an analysis of the gender gaps that have marked the history of women,the inequalities serve as a basis for carrying out this study.It highlights the challenges we face today as a society in the process of building citizen participation,where we must all be recognized and have equal opportunities within the territory in which we live.This article analyzes the extent to which the Municipal Urban Development Programs of the Mexican municipality of Comala,Colima,Mexico,consider the recommendations on gender and urbanism,established since the 1990s by international entities and applied transversally to urban planning policies.Considerable differences are found between women and men in terms of empowerment and participation in urban territorial planning instruments,mainly in the oldest instrument(1997).Significant progress is observed in the most recent document and is currently in force in the municipality of Comala(2009).

Instrument Automation Control System Faults and Maintenance

This article explores the topic of fault diagnosis and maintenance strategies for instrument automation control systems,analyzing them through specific cases.The aim of this research is to improve the stability and reliability of the system by conducting a thorough investigation of faults and maintenance in instrument automation control systems.By doing so,this research hopes to provide a strong guarantee for the smooth progress of industrial production.

Design of Signal Lamp Filament Monitoring Alarm Instrument

To improve the reliability of the light emitting diode(LED)signal lamp filament current monitoring alarm instrument for metro systems,a new type of hot standby online monitoring apparatus was developed which is based on synchronous transmission data(STD)bus technology.In this system,a double hot standby mode can be achieved by adopting bus arbitration.In addition,to detect the effective value of alternating current which is from 0 to 200 mA in the signal lamp lighting circuit,a precision rectifier signal conditioning circuit and an isolated acquisition circuit were designed.This new type of alarm instrument has high detection accuracy and could meet the functional requirements for metro signal systems after comparing it with some industry products that were applied on the spot.

Research on the Testing Methods of Instrumental System in the Marine Magnetic Survey

Testing methods of instrumental system in the marine magnetic survey have been studied in this paper, and the feasibility of each method has been testified by the observed data. The conclusion shows that the method brought out can effectively eliminate the systematic error caused by the instrumental system, and greatly improve the surveying precision and the reliability of the survey results.

Threshold decision for instrument control system and its application in nuclear power plant

Threshold decision is an important function of nuclear instrument control system based on physical parameters threshold decision. Because the conventional decision methods lack correlation with time and conditions, by analyzing the existing methods, some optimized methods are adopted. Considering safety, those methods are improved in data processing algorithms, floating threshold with multiple values, association with specific working condition, etc. These measures im- prove the nuclear instrument control system in fault tolerance and fault diagnosis, especially, the shutdown number of nucle- ar power plant decreases.

On the Azimuth Error of ESG Strapdown North-Seeking Instrument

Because the vector of angular momentum of ESG (electrostatically suspended gyroscope) maintains the fixed direction in inertial space, it may be regarded as a fixed star. The astronavigation aigorithm is used to estimate the azimuth angle and the gyro constant drift in the paper. The relative errors which affect the estimation accuracy of the azimuth angle are the analysed.

Problems and principles in translation of cross-cultural research instruments

The process of translation is an important part of cross-cultural studies. Cross-cultural researchers are often confronted by the need to translate instruments from one language to another. In the translation, linguistic equivalence, functional equivalence, cultural equivalence and metric equivalence are factors that need to be considered greatly. This paper examines the translation of cross-cultural research instrument from these points of view, illustrates with examples and puts forward suggestions for incorporating each factor into research studies.

How does the Instrumental Motivation Affect English Learning in China

For years,learning English has always been a popular trend in China.However,for most of students,the main purpose of learning this language is not to improve their English proficiency but to obtain the related English proficiency certificates,which will contribute to their graduation or competition.Under such instrumental motivation,students may succeed in shortterm competition but fail in long-term development,especially when studying abroad or working in a foreign company.In order to help Chinese students improve their English proficiency effectively;this article will introduce several strategies that could be considered and implemented in English classes in China.

INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL CONTROL:MEASURING INSTRUMENT FROM WHOLE TO PART

A new concept called intelligent virtual control (IVC), which can be drivenby measuring functions, is put forward. This small 'intelligent measurement instrument unit (IMIU)',carrying with functions of instrument, consists of different types of intelligent virtualinstrument (IVI) through individual components together as building blocks and can be displayeddirectly on the computer screen. This is a new concept of measuring instrument, and also animportant breakthrough after virtual instrument (VI). Virtual control makes instrument resourcesobtain further exploitation. It brings about a fundamental change to the design and manufacturingmode. The instrument therefore, can not only be produced directly inside a PC, but the product isinvolved in the 'green product' system. So far, all the present digital instruments will grow to bereplaced by intelligent control with green characteristics.

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Vehicle Instrument Panel Based on Multi-objective Genetic Algorithm

Typical multidisciplinary design optimization（MDO） has gradually been proposed to balance performances of lightweight, noise, vibration and harshness（NVH） and safety for instrument panel（IP） structure in the automotive development. Nevertheless, plastic constitutive relation of Polypropylene（PP） under different strain rates, has not been taken into consideration in current reliability-based and collaborative IP MDO design. In this paper, based on tensile test under different strain rates, the constitutive relation of Polypropylene material is studied. Impact simulation tests for head and knee bolster are carried out to meet the regulation of FMVSS 201 and FMVSS 208, respectively. NVH analysis is performed to obtain mainly the natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes, while the crashworthiness analysis is employed to examine the crash behavior of IP structure. With the consideration of lightweight, NVH, head and knee bolster impact performance, design of experiment（DOE）, response surface model（RSM）, and collaborative optimization（CO） are applied to realize the determined and reliability-based optimizations, respectively. Furthermore, based on multi-objective genetic algorithm（MOGA）, the optimal Pareto sets are completed to solve the multi-objective optimization（MOO） problem. The proposed research ensures the smoothness of Pareto set, enhances the ability of engineers to make a comprehensive decision about multi-objectives and choose the optimal design, and improves the quality and efficiency of MDO.

Lead-Lag Connection of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) with East Asian Surface Air Temperatures in Instrumental Records

The authors analyzed the lead-lag connection of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) with East Asian surface air temperatures (EATs) using instrumental records, and compared the results with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The maximum correlation was found when EATs led the AMO by five to seven years (with a correlation coefficient of 0.72, whereas the correlation coefficient was 0.91 when the AMO led EATs by 24-28 years). This is different from the PDO, which mostly correlated with EATs when the PDO led EATs by 13-15 years (with a correlation coefficient of 0.67, whereas the correlation coefficient was 0.76 when EATs led the PDO by 24-26 years). The PDO led the AMO by 19-21 years (with a correlation coefficient of 0.71, whereas the correlation coefficient was 0.84 when the AMO led the PDO by 16-18 years). These results support a previous understanding that EATs positively correlate with the AMO, and imply that the observed East Asian warming trend may have been slowing down since the early 2010s.

Rapid instrument exchanging system for the Cassegrain focus of the Lijiang 2.4-m Telescope

As a facility used for astronomical research, the Lijiang 2.4-m telescope of Yunnan Astronomical Observatories, requires the ability to change one auxiliary instrument with another in as short a time as possible. This arises from the need to quickly respond to scientific programs （e.g. transient observation, time domain studies） and changes in observation conditions （e.g. seeing and weather conditions）. In this paper, we describe the design, construction and test of hardware and software in the rapid instrument exchange system （RIES） for the Cassegrain focal station of this telescope, which enables instruments to be quickly changed at night without much loss of observing time. Tests in the laboratory and at the telescope show that the image quality and pointing accuracy of RIES are satisfactory. With RIES, we observed the same Landolt standard stars almost at the same time with the Princeton Instruments VersArray 1300B Camera （PICCD） and the Yunnan Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera （YFOSC）, while both were mounted at the Cassegrain focus. A quasi-simultaneous comparison shows that the image quality of the optical system inside the YFOSC is comparable with that provided by the PICCD.

Smart Plant Instrument软件在炼油项目上的应用

结合Smart Plant Instrument在炼油项目上的应用,介绍了Smart Plant Instrument的使用意义、Smart Plant Instrument较winpccad的优越性、Smart Plant Instrument软件功能、Smart Plant Instrument常见问题的解决方法。