Quantitative Damage Detection for Planetary Gear Sets Based on Physical Models

Planetary gear set is the critical component in helicopter transmission train, and an important problem in condition monitoring and health management of planetary gear set is quantitative damage detection. In order to resolve this problem, an approach based on physical models is presented to detect damage quantitatively in planetary gear set. A particular emphasis is put on a feature generation and selection method, which is used for sun gear tooth breakage damage detection quantitatively in planetary gear box of helicopter transmission system. In this feature generation procedure, the pure torsional dynamical models of 2K-H planetary gear set is established for healthy case and sun gear tooth-breakage case. Then, a feature based on the spectrum of simulation signals of the dynamical models is generated. Aiming at selecting the best feature suitable for quantitative damage detection, a two-sample Z-test procedure is used to analyze the performance of features on damage evolution tracing. A feature named SR, which had better performance in tracking damage, is proposed to detect damage in planetary gear set. Meanwhile, the sun gear tooth-chipped seeded experiments with different severity are designed to validate the method above, and then the test vibration signal is picked up and used for damage detection. With the results of several experiments for quantitative damage detection, the feasibility and the effect of this approach are verified. The proposed method can supply an effective tool for degradation state identification in condition monitoring and health management of helicopter transmission system.

Establishment of a new quantitative detection approach to adefovir-resistant HBV and its clinical application

AIM:To establish the more feasible and sensitive assessment approach to the detection of adefovir (ADV) resistance-associated hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasispecies.METHODS: Based on the characteristics of rtA181V/T and rtN236T mutations, a new approach based on real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was established for the detection of ADV-resistant HBV quasispecies, total HBV DNA, rtA181 and rtN236 mutations in blood samples from 32 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with unsatisfactory curative effect on ADV and compared with routine HBV DNA sequencing.RESULTS: Both the sensitivity and specificity of this new detection approach to ADV-resistant HBV quasispecies were 100%, which were much higher than those of direct HBV DNA sequencing. The approach was able to detect 0.1% of mutated strains in a total plasmid population. Among the 32 clinical patients, single rtA181 and rtN236T mutation and double rtA181T and rtN236T mutations were detected in 20 and 8, respectively, while ADV-resistant mutations in 6 (including, rtA181V/T mutation alone in 5 patients) and no associated mutations in 26.CONCLUSION: This new approach is more feasible and efficient to detect ADV-resistant mutants of HBV and ADV-resistant mutations before and during ADV treatment with a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 100%.

Utility of Droplet Digital PCR Assay for Quantitative Detection of Norovirus in Shellfish, from Production to Consumption in Guangxi, China

Objective Shellfish are recognized as important vehicles of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis. The present study aimed to monitor norovirus contamination in oysters along the farm-to-fork continuum in Guangxi, a major oyster production area in Southwestern China. Methods Oyster samples were collected monthly from farms, markets, and restaurants, from January to December 2016. Norovirus was detected and quantified by one-step reverse transcription-droplet digital polymerase chain reaction（RT-ddPCR）. Results A total of 480 oyster samples were collected and tested for norovirus genogroups I and II. Norovirus was detected in 20.7% of samples, with genogroup II predominating. No significant difference was observed in norovirus prevalence among different sampling sites. The norovirus levels varied widely, with a geometric mean of 19,300 copies/g in digestive glands. Both norovirus prevalence and viral loads showed obvious seasonality, with a strong winter bias. Conclusion This study provides a systematic analysis of norovirus contamination ‘from the farm to the fork＇ in Guangxi. RT-ddPCR can be a useful tool for detection and quantification of low amounts of norovirus in the presence of inhibitors found particularly in foodstuffs. This approach will contribute to the development of strategies for controlling and reducing the risk of human illness resulting from shellfish consumption.

Study on the Simultaneously Quantitative Detection for β-Lactoglobulin and Lactoferrin of Cow Milk by Using Protein Chip Technique

Objective To research a protein chip method which can simultaneously quantitative detect β-Lactoglobulin （β-L） and Lactoferrin （Lf） at one time. Methods Protein chip printer was used to print both anti-β-L antibodies and anti-Lf antibodies on each block of protein chip. And then an improved sandwich detection method was applied while the other two detecting antibodies for the two antigens were added in the block after they were mixed. The detection conditions of the quantitative detection for simultaneous measurement of β-L and Lf with protein chip were optimized and evaluated. Based on these detected conditions, two standard curves of the two proteins were simultaneously established on one protein chip. Finally, the new detection method was evaluated by using the analysis of precision and accuracy. Results By comparison experiment, mouse monoclonal antibodies of the two antigens were chosen as the printing probe. The concentrations of β-L and Lf probes were 0.5 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL, respectively, while the titers of detection antibodies both of β-L and Lf were 1：2,000. Intra- and inter-assay variability was between 4.88% and 38.33% for all tests. The regression coefficients of protein chip comparing with ELISA for β-L and Lf were better than 0.734, and both of the two regression coefficients were statistically significant （r = 0.734, t = 2.644, P = 0.038; and r = 0.774, t = 2.998, P = 0.024）. Conclusion A protein chip method of simultaneously quantitative detection for β-L and Lf has been established and this method is worthy in further application.

Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Quantitative Detection of Ractopamine in Swine Urine

A strip reader based lateral flow immunoassay （LFIA） was established for the rapid and quantitative detection of ractopamine （RAC） in swine urine. The ratio of the optical densities （ODs） of the test line （AT） to that of the control line （Ac） was used to effectively minimize interference among strips and sample variations. The linear range for the quantitative detection of RAC was 0.2 ng/mL to 3.5 ng/mL with a median inhibitory concentration （IC50） of 0.59＋0.06 ng/mL. The limit of detection （LOD） of the LFIA was 0.13 ng/mL. The intra-assay recovery rates were 92.97%, 97.25%, and 107.41%, whereas the inter-assay rates were 80.07%, 108.17%, and 93.7%, respectively.

Quantitative and sensitive detection of prohibited fish drugs by surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Rapid and simple detections of two kinds of prohibited fish drugs, crystal violet （CV） and malachite green （MG）, were accomplished by surface-enhanced Raman scattering （SERS）. Based on the optimized Au/cicada wing, the detectable concentration of CV/MG can reach 10-7 M, and the linear logarithmic quantitative relationship curves between log/and logC allows for the determination of the unknown concentration of CV/MG solution. The detection of these two analytes in real environment was also achieved, demonstrating the application potential of SERS in the fast screening of the prohibited fish drugs, which is of great benefit for food safety and environmental monitoring.

On-treatment quantitative hepatitis B e antigen predicted response to nucleos(t)ide analogues in chronic hepatitis B

AIMTo investigate potential predictors for treatment response to nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. METHODSSeventy-six HBeAg-positive CHB patients received 96-wk NAs optimized therapy (lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil) were studied retrospectively. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen, HBeAg, hepatitis B core antibody, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and alanine aminotransferase levels were quantitatively measured before and during the treatment at 12 and 24 wk. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors for treatment response, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) of the independent predictors were calculated. RESULTSForty-three CHB patients (56.6%) achieved virological response (VR: HBV DNA ≤ 300 copies/mL) and 15 patients (19.7%) developed HBeAg seroconversion (SC) after the 96-wk NAs treatment. The HBeAg level (OR = 0.45, P = 0.003) as well as its declined value (OR = 2.03, P = 0.024) at 24-wk independently predicted VR, with the AUROC of 0.788 and 0.736, respectively. The combination of HBeAg titer 1.6 lg PEIU/mL at 24-wk predicted VR with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) of 85%, 100%, 100% and 83%, respectively, and the AUROC increased to 0.923. The HBeAg level (OR = 0.37, P = 0.013) as well as its declined value (OR = 2.02, P = 0.012) at 24-wk also independently predicted HBeAg SC, with the AUROC of 0.828 and 0.814, respectively. The HBeAg titer 2.2 lg PEIU/mL at 24-wk predicted HBeAg SC with a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV of 88%, 98%, 88% and 98%, respectively, and the AUROC reached 0.928. CONCLUSIONThe combination of HBeAg level and its declined value at 24-wk may be used as a reference parameter to optimize NAs therapy.

A Real-time Fluorescent Quantitative PCR Method for Detection of Genetically Modified Maize MON88017

In order to improve the standardized technical system of quantitative analyses for genetically modified organisms( GMOs) and protect China's bio-safety and reduce ecological risk,we establish a quantitative detection method for the genetically modified( GM) maize MON88017 using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Meanwhile,the method is evaluated by several methodological indicators such as specificity,sensitivity,accuracy and uncertainty of measurement. The results show that the method has strong specificity in analysis of genetically modified maize MON88017. The mean value(1. 54%) repeatedly measured for 29 times with the relative deviation of 2. 7% was close to the real value(1. 50%) and the variation coefficient of the measured value was 0. 1. The tested recovery rate is 100% and the uncertainty of measurement is 0. 096. 5 copies of the MON88017 molecular fragment can be detected at 97. 5% confidence level. Consequently,the quantitative detection method established in this paper for the GM maize MON88017 has fairly high specificity,accuracy and sensitivity and this technology established in this paper can provide good technical support for the safety supervision of genetically modified organisms in China.

Development of an Event-specific Quantitative PCR for Genetically Modified Maize (Zea mays) Event NK603

[ Objective ] The aim of this study was to develop a quantitative PCR detection method for genetically modified maize event NK603, so as to provide ba- sis for quantitative analysis of event NK603. [ Methods ] A quantitative PCR detection method for genetically modified maize event NK603 was developed using primers and Taqman probe designed according to the flanking sequence of event NK603, which was then adopted to detect the samples containing 2% NK603 stand- ard （with uncertain quantity of 10% ）. [ Results ] The slope of standard curve ranged between -3.6 and -3.1, and the correlation coefficient was higher than 0. 99. The amplification efficiency of this method reached 100.2%, fallen between 90% and 110%. The detected quantity of the experimental sample was 1.9%, closer to the true quantity （2%）. [ Conclusion] This quantitative PCR detection method for genetically modified maize event NK603 is very precise and can be a- dopted in routine testing analysis.

A Preliminary Study of The Value of Quantitative Testing of TP-DNA In The Treatment of Patients with Syphilis

Objectives: To explore the relationship betweenquantitative Treponema pallidum DNA (TP-DNA) PCR testingand the Toludine Red Unheated Serum Test (TRUST) inpatients with syphilis before and after treatment, and evaluatethe clinical value of quantitative TP-DNA testing in thediagnosis and treatment evaluation of syphilis. Methods: 29 patients with primary (12 cases) or secondary(17 cases) syphilis, who met the criteria set for this study wererecruited as subjects. All patients were treated with 2.4 millionunits benzathine penicillin IM weekly for 3 weeks.Quantitative tests of TP-DNA in the patients' plasma wereperformed using FQ-PCR before and after the treatment.Serologic tests including TRUST and TPPA were alsoperformed. Results: Before the treatment, 9 out of 12 primary syphilispatients (75%) and all secondary syphilis patients (17/17)tested positive for Treponema pallidum (TP) by TP-DNAtesting. The average quantitative test values of TP-DNA inprimary and secondary syphilis patients were (3.38±2.34)×10~4and (5.73±1.33)×10~6 copies/ml, respectively. After threemonths of treatment, 1 of the 9 primary and 5 out of 17secondary syphilis patients were positive upon TP-DNAtesting, respectively. The average quantities of TP-DNA were2.01×10~2 copies/ml in primary and 5.87×10~2 copies/ml insecondary syphilis patients with positive TRUST and TP-DNAtests, and 3.09×10~2 copies/ml for those with negative TRUSTrespectively. After nine months of treatment, all the primaryand secondary syphilis patients were negative upon TP-DNAtesting, while all primary and 14 of 17 (82.35%) secondarysyphilis patients showed negative TRUST results. Conclusion: That the results of TP-DNA tests are notconsistent with those or TRUST before and after treatmentindicates that quantitative TP-DNA testing may have valuableclinical significance in the early diagnosis and evaluation oftreatment regimens for syphilis.

Quantitative detection and comparison of sulfate glycosaminoglycans content in extracellular matrix of in vitro cultured epiphyseal, articular and rib chondrocytes

Objective To establish a method for quantitative detection of the sulfate glycosaminoglycans ( GAG) content in extracellular matrix of in vitro cultured chondrocytes so as to evaluate the biological characteristics of epiphyseal, articular and rib chondrocytes. Methods Sulfate GAG content in extracellular matrix of three chondrocytes was measured by the modified dimethylmethylene blue (DMB) method. The changes of the toluidine blue (TB) stain of chondrocytes were observed by light microscope. Results Primary chondrocytes had the highest content of sulfate GAG in the extracellular matrix, ie, epiphyseal chondrocytes reached ( 70. 12 ± 7. 72 )μg/cm2, articular chondrocytes (92.00 ± 10.15) μg/cm2 and rib chondrocytes (80.61 ± 11. 40) μg/cm2, respectively. On the third pasage chondrocytes, epiphyceal chondrocytes decreased to (53.27 ± 9. 50 ) μg/cm2, articular chondrocytes to (63.88 ± 11.92) μg/cm2 and rib chondrocytes to (58.94 ±8.21) μg/cm2, respectively. The change of TB in every passage

Gear Pitting Measurement by Multi-Scale Splicing Attention U-Net

The judgment of gear failure is based on the pitting area ratio of gear.Traditional gear pitting calculation method mainly rely on manual visual inspection.This method is greatly affected by human factors,and is greatly affected by the working experience,training degree and fatigue degree of the detection personnel,so the detection results may be biased.The non-contact computer vision measurement can carry out non-destructive testing and monitoring under the working condition of the machine,and has high detection accuracy.To improve the measurement accuracy of gear pitting,a novel multi-scale splicing attention U-Net(MSSA U-Net)is explored in this study.An image splicing module is first proposed for concatenating the output feature maps of multiple convolutional layers into a splicing feature map with more semantic information.Then,an attention module is applied to select the key features of the splicing feature map.Given that MSSA U-Net adequately uses multi-scale semantic features,it has better segmentation performance on irregular small objects than U-Net and attention U-Net.On the basis of the designed visual detection platform and MSSA U-Net,a methodology for measuring the area ratio of gear pitting is proposed.With three datasets,experimental results show that MSSA U-Net is superior to existing typical image segmentation methods and can accurately segment different levels of pitting due to its strong segmentation ability.Therefore,the proposed methodology can be effectively applied in measuring the pitting area ratio and determining the level of gear pitting.

Development of quantitative methods for detecting climate contributions to boundary shifts in farming-pastoral ecotone of northern China

The quantitative effect of climate change on fragile regions has been a hot topic in the field of responses to climate change. Previous studies have qualitatively documented the impacts of climate change on boundary shifts in the farming-pastoral ecotone （FPE）; however, the quantitative methods for detecting climate contributions remain relatively limited. Based on long-term data of meteorological stations and interpretations of land use since 1970, climate and land use boundaries of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s were delineated. To detect climate contributions to the FPE boundary shifts, we developed two quantitative methods to explore the spatial-temporal pattern of climate and land use boundary at the east-west （or south-north） （FishNet method） and transect directions （Digital Shoreline Analysis System, DSAS method）. The results indicated that significant differences were exhibited in climate boundaries, land use boundaries, as well as climate contributions in different regions during different periods. The northwest FPE had smaller variations, while the northeast FPE had greater shifts. In the northwest part of the southeast fringe of the Greater Hinggan Mountains and the Inner Mongolian Plateau, the shifts of climate boundaries were significantly related to the land use boundaries. The climate contributions at an east-west direction ranged from 10.7% to 44.4%, and those at a south-north direction varied from 4.7% to 55.9%. The majority of the results from the DSAS were consistent with those from the FishNet. The DSAS method is more accurate and suitable for precise detection at a small scale, whereas the FishNet method is simple to conduct statistical analysis rapidly and directly at a large scale. Our research will be helpful to adapt to climate change, to develop the productive potential, as well as to protect the environment of the FPE in northern China.

Mesoporous SiO_2 Nanoparticles:A Unique Platform Enabling Sensitive Detection of Rare Earth Ions with Smartphone Camera

Fast and sensitive detection of dilute rare earth species still represents a challenge for an on-site survey of new resources and evaluation of the economic value. In this work, a robust and low-cost protocol has been developed to analyze the concentration of rare earth ions using a smartphone camera. The success of this protocol relies on mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSNs) with large-area negatively charged surfaces, on which the rare earth cations(e.g., Eu^(3+)) are efficiently adsorbed through electrostatic attraction to enable a ‘‘concentrating effect''. The initial adsorption rate is as fast as 4025 mg(g min)^(-1), and the adsorption capacity of Eu^(3+)ions in the MSNs is as high as 4730 mg g^(-1)(equivalent to ～41.2 M) at 70 °C. The concentrated Eu^(3+)ions in the MSNs can form a complex with a light sensitizer of 1,10-phenanthroline to significantly enhance the characteristic red emission of Eu^(3+)ions due to an ‘‘antenna effect'' that relies on the efficient energy transfer from the light sensitizer to the Eu^(3+)ions.The positive synergy of ‘‘concentrating effect'' and ‘‘antenna effect'' in the MSNs enables the analysis of rare earth ions in a wide dynamic range and with a detection limit down to ～80 nM even using a smartphone camera. Our results highlight the promise of the protocol in fieldwork for exploring valuable rare earth resources.

An effective surface-enhanced Raman scattering template based on gold nanoparticle/silicon nanowire arrays

A large-scale Si nanowire array （SiNWA） is fabricated with gold （Au） nanoparticles by simple metal-assisted chemical etching and metal reduction processes. The three-dimensional nanostructured Au/SiNWA is evaluated as an active substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering （SERS）. The results show that the detection limit for rhodamine 6G is as low as 10-7 M, and the Raman enhancement factor is as large as 105 with a relative standard deviation of less than 25%. After the calibration of the Raman peak intensifies of rhodamine 6G and thiram, organic molecules could be quantitatively detected. These results indicate that Au/SiNWA is a promising SERS-active substrate for the detection of biomolecules present in low concentrations. Our findings are an important advance in SERS substrates to allow fast and quantitative detection of trace organic contaminants.

Production of monoclonal antibodies against AFLM(Ver-1),a middle key protein involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis

Aflatoxins are potent carcinogens,mutagens and teratogens,and are harmful to both humans and animals.As many as 30 genes are involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis.Among them,aflM(ver-1)gene was predicted to encode a 28-kDa NADPH-dependent ketoreductase(AFLM),which catalyzed middle enzymatic steps in aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway.AFLM(Ver-1)was proved to be necessary for conversion of versicolorin A(VERA)to demethylsterigmatocystin(DMST)in aflatoxin B1(AFB1)biosynthesis.For these reasons,aflM gene was cloned and specific monoclonal antibodies for AFLM was developed to better define potential pathways of AFLM involved in AFB1 biosynthesis.Monoclonal antibodies 11B2-1D7 and 3G5-4E7 were successfully screened out by immunizing mouse.Immunoblot analysis revealed that both had high sensitivity and specificity to identify native AFLM protein in A.flavus with detection limit of 11 ng/mL and 8 ng/mL respectively.These results showed that it was suitable for quantitative detection of AFLM in A.flavus isolate.Further investigation revealed that aflatoxin accumulations of various A.flavus were not dependent on AFLM biosynthesis.Overall,this is the first report for development for AFLM monoclonal antibody development and application in A.flavus quantitative detection.

DETECTION AND QUANTITATION OF TRACE ETHYL CARBAMATE IN ALCOLLOLIC BEVERAGES BY GC/GC AND GC/GC/MS

Analytical difficulties encountered in the determination of ethyl carbamate, a known cancinogen, in a wide variety of wines and spirits have been overcome by spe- cific, sensitive GC/GC and CC/CC/MS methods with a relatively shorter extraction procedure. The lowest detection limits were estimated to be 0. 1 and 0. 01μg/L for GC/GC and GC/GC/MS respectively. The RSD of the GC/GC method was 2. 5%.

Critical Considerations in the Immunochemical Detection and Quantitation of Antigenic Biomarkers

The formation of covalent adducts as a result of the interaction of metabolically activated chemicals with host macromolecules is a common critical event in mutagenic, carcinogenic, and immunologic phenomena. Because of their antigenicity and their immunogenicity, covalent adducts may be detected using sensitive immunochemical techniques. The immunochemical approaches to biomonitoring and molecular dosimetry of DNA damage are particularly attractive because they allow sensitive quantitation of specific DNA adducts present in small samples and do not rely on the use of radiolabeled adducts. Two examples of biomarker immunoassay development are presented: an avidin/biotin-amplified ELISA for the major DNA adduct of the human bladder carcinogen 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP), and a particle concentration fluorescent immunoassay (PCFIA) for the major protein adduct associated with toxicity by the prototype hepatotoxin acetaminophen. The examples illustrate critical steps in the development of biomarker immunoassays which include selection of the relevant adduct, preparation of an appropriate immunogen, immunization, characterization of antisera, and development of application-specific sample processing techniques for biomarker quantitation. Immunochemical procedures may be combined with other analytical techniques to form hybrid systems which take advantage of both the antigenicity and the physical or chemical properties of a biomarker to achieve greater specificity and/or sensitivity. The future usefulness of these new tools of molecular epidemiology will depend on a compound-by-compound validation of methods and critical evaluation of the biologic importance of the particular antigenic biomarker as an indicator of exposure and as an indicator of risk.

Rare-earth ions coordination enhanced ratiometric fluorescent sensing platform for quantitative visual analysis of antibiotic residues in real samples

Levofloxacin(LVFX)as a representative drug of quinolone antibiotics is widely used in clinical,and its residues enriched in water bodies and sideline products seriously damage human health.It is imperative to develop a real-time/on-site sensing method for monitoring residual antibiotics.Here,we report a portable sensing platform by utilizing a composite fluorescent nanoprobe constructed by the cerium ions(Ce^(3+))coordination functionalized Cd Te quantum dots(QDs)for the visual and quantitative detection of LVFX residues.This fluorescent probe provides a distinct color variation from red to green,which shows a good linear relationship to LVFX residues concentrations in the range of 0-6.0μmol/L with a sensitive limit of detection(LOD)of 16.3 nmol/L.The smartphone platform with Color Analyzer App installed,which could accomplish quantified detection of LVFX in water,milk,and raw pork with a LOD of 27.9nmol/L.The facile sensing method we proposed realizes rapid visualization of antibiotics residual in the environment and provides a practical application pathway in food safety and human health.

TOFD detection of shallow subsurface defects in aluminum alloy thin plates by half-skip mode-converted wave

Aluminum alloy is widely applied to the aerospace field.However,the inspection of thin plates using Time-of-Flight Diffraction(TOFD)technique is restricted by the near-surface dead zone because of the coupling between diffracted longitudinal wave and lateral wave.The halfskip mode-converted wave is introduced to decrease dead zone and detect defects in aluminum alloy thin plates by increasing ray path and propagation time.The quantitative correlation for the diffracted shear wave from longitudinal back-wall wave is deduced in combination with the acoustic path,realizing the accurate location of shallow subsurface defects.Simulated and experimental results indicate that the dead zone is decreased by 38% by the half-skip mode-converted wave,and the location errors are within 5% for the aluminum alloy plate with a thickness of 7.0 mm.Compared to other alternative TOFD techniques,half-skip mode-converted wave has better response amplitude and positioning accuracy,demonstrating strong applicability in TOFD inspection of thin plates.