Evaluation of a Rapid Diagnostic Test, Boson Biotech SARS CoV-2 Ag, for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Gabon

1) Background: Rapid and acurate diagnostic testing for case identification, quarantine, and contact tracing is essential for managing the COVID 19 pandemic. Rapid antigen detection tests are available, however, it is important to evaluate their performances before use. We tested a rapid antigen detection of SARS-CoV-2, based on the immunochromatography (Boson Biotech SARS-CoV-2 Ag Test (Xiamen Boson Biotech Co., Ltd., China)) and the results were compared with the real time reverse transcriptase-Polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (Gold standard) results;2) Methods: From November 2021 to December 2021, samples were collected from symptomatic patients and asymptomatic individuals referred for testing in a hospital during the second pandemic wave in Gabon. All these participants attending “CTA Angondjé”, a field hospital set up as part of the management of COVID-19 in Gabon. Two nasopharyngeal swabs were collected in all the patients, one for Ag test and the other for RT-PCR;3) Results: A total of 300 samples were collected from 189 symptomatic and 111 asymptomatic individuals. The sensitivity and specificity of the antigen test were 82.5% [95%CI 73.8 - 89.3] and 97.9 % [95%CI 92.2 - 98.2] respectively, and the diagnostic accuracy was 84.4% (95% CI: 79.8 - 88.3%). The antigen test was more likely to be positive for samples with RT-PCR Ct values ≤ 32, with a sensitivity of 89.8%;4) Conclusions: The Boson Biotech SARS-CoV-2 Ag Test has good sensitivity and can detect SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially among symptomatic individuals with low viral load. This test could be incorporated into efficient testing algorithms as an alternative to PCR to decrease diagnostic delays and curb viral transmission.

Analysis on Effectiveness of Testing and Evaluation of Bridge Repair and Reinforcement

Bridge engineering is an important part of basic engineering in today’s transportation field,and its quality and performance have a vital impact on the improvement and development of modern transportation engineering.With the continuous development of transportation engineering,the maintenance and reinforcement of existing bridges are also being given more emphasis.In order to scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of bridge maintenance and reinforcement,this paper analyzes its detection and evaluation,including the significance,key points,and main methods of detection and evaluation.Therefore,this analysis aim to provide some reference for the maintenance and reinforcement and the quality improvement of bridge engineering.

Analysis of the integrated test and evaluation methods of tidal current energy generating devices in the offshore testing site

Actual sea condition testing and inspection and evaluation method research are carried out for tidal energy devices to provide scientific and effective technical support for the ocean high-tech achievement transformation and marine renewable energy development. By analyzing three core indicators, including the power output characteristics of the tidal current device, the generating capacity, energy conversion efficiency, proposed the test contents and evaluation methods of indicators are proposed in this paper; and based on the research of wind farms, power quality testing and assessment methods of offshore tidal energy device are proposed; given the security access to the test contents of tidal current energy device, tidal current energy device running conditions in the testing ground are comprehensively assessed.

Test Case Generation Evaluator for the Implementation of Test Case Generation Algorithms Based on Learning to Rank

In software testing,the quality of test cases is crucial,but manual generation is time-consuming.Various automatic test case generation methods exist,requiring careful selection based on program features.Current evaluation methods compare a limited set of metrics,which does not support a larger number of metrics or consider the relative importance of each metric to the final assessment.To address this,we propose an evaluation tool,the Test Case Generation Evaluator(TCGE),based on the learning to rank(L2R)algorithm.Unlike previous approaches,our method comprehensively evaluates algorithms by considering multiple metrics,resulting in a more reasoned assessment.The main principle of the TCGE is the formation of feature vectors that are of concern by the tester.Through training,the feature vectors are sorted to generate a list,with the order of the methods on the list determined according to their effectiveness on the tested assembly.We implement TCGE using three L2R algorithms:Listnet,LambdaMART,and RFLambdaMART.Evaluation employs a dataset with features of classical test case generation algorithms and three metrics—Normalized Discounted Cumulative Gain(NDCG),Mean Average Precision(MAP),and Mean Reciprocal Rank(MRR).Results demonstrate the TCGE’s superior effectiveness in evaluating test case generation algorithms compared to other methods.Among the three L2R algorithms,RFLambdaMART proves the most effective,achieving an accuracy above 96.5%,surpassing LambdaMART by 2%and Listnet by 1.5%.Consequently,the TCGE framework exhibits significant application value in the evaluation of test case generation algorithms.

Analysis of the Application of Static Load Test in Bridge Bearing Capacity Testing

This article uses real engineering projects as examples to analyze how static load test technology is applied in testing the bridge-bearing capacity.The analysis covers aspects such as testing section layout,test load and efficiency coefficient,loading plan,evaluation optimization,test result modification,and result evaluation.The aim is to support the accurate detection and evaluation of bridge-bearing capacity.

Pulsed Eddy Current Non-destructive Testing and Evaluation:A Review

Pulsed eddy current （PEC） non-destructive test- ing and evaluation （NDT＆E） has been around for some time and it is still attracting extensive attention from researchers around the globe, which can be witnessed through the reports reviewed in this paper. Thanks to its richness of spectral components, various applications of this technique have been proposed and reported in the lit- erature covering both structural integrity inspection and material characterization in various industrial sectors. To support its development and for better understanding of the phenomena around the transient induced eddy currents, attempts for its modelling both analytically and numeri- cally have been made by researchers around the world. This review is an attempt to capture the state-of-the-art development and applications of PEC, especially in the last 15 years and it is not intended to be exhaustive. Future challenges and opportunities for PEC NDT＆E are also presented.

Testing and Evaluation for Web Usability Based on Extended Markov Chain Model

As the increasing popularity and complexity of Web applications and the emergence of their new characteristics, the testing and maintenance of large, complex Web applications are becoming more complex and difficult. Web applications generally contain lots of pages and are used by enormous users. Statistical testing is an effective way of ensuring their quality. Web usage can be accurately described by Markov chain which has been proved to be an ideal model for software statistical testing. The results of unit testing can be utilized in the latter stages, which is an important strategy for bottom-to-top integration testing, and the other improvement of extended Markov chain model (EMM) is to present the error type vector which is treated as a part of page node. this paper also proposes the algorithm for generating test cases of usage paths. Finally, optional usage reliability evaluation methods and an incremental usability regression testing model for testing and evaluation are presented. Key words statistical testing - evaluation for Web usability - extended Markov chain model (EMM) - Web log mining - reliability evaluation CLC number TP311. 5 Foundation item: Supported by the National Defence Research Project (No. 41315. 9. 2) and National Science and Technology Plan (2001BA102A04-02-03)Biography: MAO Cheng-ying (1978-), male, Ph.D. candidate, research direction: software testing. Research direction: advanced database system, software testing, component technology and data mining.

Correction to: Recent developments in photoacoustic imaging and sensing for nondestructive testing and evaluation

Following publication of the original article[1],the authors identified an error in the article title.The first word ‘Review’ is added mistakenly by the typesetter.

Recent developments in photoacoustic imaging and sensing for nondestructive testing and evaluation

Photoacoustic(PA)imaging has been widely used in biomedical research and preclinical studies during the past two decades.It has also been explored for nondestructive testing and evaluation(NDT/E)and for industrial applications.This paper describes the basic principles of PA technology for NDT/E and its applications in recent years.PA technology for NDT/E includes the use of a modulated continuous-wave laser and a pulsed laser for PA wave excitation,PA-generated ultrasonic waves,and all-optical PA wave excitation and detection.PA technology for NDT/E has demonstrated broad applications,including the imaging of railway cracks and defects,the imaging of Li metal batteries,the measurements of the porosity and Young’s modulus,the detection of defects and damage in silicon wafers,and a visualization of underdrawings in paintings.

The effect of grade entitlement attitudes on English programs in Japanese universities language testing and evaluation： Foreign language skill development

This paper deals with the effect of grade entitlement on English programs in Japanese universities. For years, teachers and administrators have noted that even though Japan is one of the highest spending countries on English education, there has not been a commensurate increase in English ability. Most research to explain this disparity has thus far focused on methodology, class size and teacher qualifications. Recent research dealing with academic entitlement at US universities may offer an alternative explanation for some of the lack of success that Japanese universities have experienced. Ellen Greenberger, one of the author＇s of Self-entitled college students： Contributions of personality, parenting and motivational factors, which appeared in 2008 in The Journal of Youth and Adolescence claims that in recent years, the number of students appealing their grades and expecting to be rewarded for effort rather than results has increased. Greenberger＇s paper motivated this study. 200 Japanese students completed a survey that presented a number of grade scenarios. The students were asked, based on test grades and completed assignments, what grade a student should receive in each hypothetical situation. Similarly, full-time and part-time teachers were asked what grade they would give in each situation. This paper explains the different situations, students＇ and teachers＇ responses to the scenarios, and then discusses the implications for English education in Japan.

Information Security Testing Model Based on Variable Weights Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation

Nowadays,clear evaluation models and methods are lacking in classified protection of information system,which our country is making efforts to promote.The quantitative evaluation of classified protection of information system security is studied.An indicators system of testing and evaluation is established.Furthermore,a model of unit testing and evaluation and a model of entirety testing and evaluation are presented respectively.With analytic hierarchy process and two-grade fuzzy comprehensive evaluation,the subjective and uncertain data of evaluation will be quantitatively analyzed by comprehensive evaluation.Particularly,the variable weight method is used to model entirety testing and evaluation.It can solve the problem that the weights need to be adjusted because of the relationship role which enhances or reduces security of information system.Finally,the paper demonstrates that the model testing and evaluation can be validly used to evaluate the information system by an example.The model proposed in this paper provides a new valuable way for classified protection of information system security.

An Evaluation of Testing for English Majors Level 8 in China

The paper mainly presents the evaluation of a test named Testing for English Majors(TEM8) undertaken in China's higher education institution concerning the following aspects: test purpose, test specifications, candidates and the specific test techniques. The evaluation is based on Bachman and Palmer's framework of test usefulness which included test validity, reliability,practicality and backwash effect. The evaluation indicates that this test is proved to be a successful language test which satisfy testdevelopers' purpose to measure test-takers' overall language ability.

What to test and how to test: An evaluation of the Academic version of the International English Language Testing System

An attempt was made to evaluate what is tested and how it is tested in the IELTS academic test from a thinking-based perspective. The analysis framework is an incorporation of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives and Bachman's classification of language knowledge. It is found that the IELTS test exemplifies an assessment of test-takers' language knowledge and cognitive processes.

Evaluation of a Plasma hCG Method for Point of Care Testing with the Aim of Shortening Test-Turnaround-Times

Objective: To examine the correlation between plasma hCG results obtained with the new i-STAT&reg hCG point of care test with those concomitantly obtained from the central hospital laboratory utilizing the same patient samples. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional laboratory test evaluation. We compared plasma hCG results obtained with the i-STAT&reg hCG test (Abbott Point of Care, Princeton, NJ, USA) with Architect Ci8200 (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA). We also calculated the total coefficient of variation (CV) for the i-STAT&reg method. Results: The two methods showed a good linear correlation (R2 = 0.994;slope 1.03) and CV for the i-STAT&reg method was 2.1% - 5.2%. Conclusion: We suggest that the i-STAT&reg hCG blood assay could be used as a complement to urine hCG assays in clinical situations when rapid test results are needed and urine is not available.

Selection of Third-party Logistics Provider for Agricultural Products Based on System Comprehensive Evaluation

Through the analysis on the meanings and features as well as the ad- vantages of the third-party logistics for agricultural products, the quantization index system for the selection of third-party logistics providers for agricultural products was constructed based on the system comprehensive evaluation theory. Analytic hierar- chy process （AHP） was used to determine the weight of the index system of each level, and AHP and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method were used to determine the selection steps for the third-party logistics providers for agricultural products. The method was proved to be scientific and reasonable through calculation examples.

An Evaluation of the English Achievement Test for Junior High School Graduation 2012

This paper evaluates the Achievement Test for Junior High School Graduation in reliability,validity and practicality,which is aimed to help junior English teachers to understand how to identify a useful test and develop their test writing skills as well as improve their teaching.The result suggests that the Achievement Test is a reasonably reliable and valid test though some of the listening items need to be improved.It is the ideal frame of evaluating language learning through language testing.

Terahertz Spectroscopic Characterization and Thickness Evaluation of Internal Delamination Defects in GFRP Composites

The use of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy(THz-TDS)for the nondestructive testing and evaluation(NDT&E)of materials and structural systems has attracted significant attention over the past two decades due to its superior spatial resolution and capabilities of detecting and characterizing defects and structural damage in non-conducting materials.In this study,the THz-TDS system is used to detect,localize and evaluate hidden multi-delamination defects(i.e.,a three-level multi-delamination system)in multilayered GFRP composite laminates.To obtain accurate results,a wavelet shrinkage de-noising algorithm is used to remove the noise from the measured time-of-flight(TOF)signals.The thickness and location of each delamination defect in the z-direction(i.e.,through-the-thickness direction)are calculated from the de-noised TOF signals considering the interaction between the pulsed THz waves and the different interfaces in the GFRP composite laminates.A comparison between the actual and the measured thickness values of the delamination defects before and after the wavelet shrinkage denoising process indicates that the latter provides better results with less than 3.712%relative error,while the relative error of the non-de-noised signals reaches 16.388%.Also,the power and absorbance levels of the THz waves at every interface with different refractive indices in the GFRP composite laminates are evaluated based on analytical and experimental approaches.The present study provides an adequate theoretical analysis that could help NDT&E specialists to estimate the maximum thickness of GFRP composite materials and/or structures with different interfaces that can be evaluated by the THz-TDS.Also,the accuracy of the obtained results highlights the capabilities of the THz-TDS for the NDT&E of multilayered GFRP composite laminates.

A deep reinforcement learning(DRL)based approach for well-testing interpretation to evaluate reservoir parameters

Parameter inversions in oil/gas reservoirs based on well test interpretations are of great significance in oil/gas industry.Automatic well test interpretations based on artificial intelligence are the most promising to solve the problem of non-unique solution.In this work,a new deep reinforcement learning(DRL)based approach is proposed for automatic curve matching for well test interpretation,by using the double deep Q-network(DDQN).The DDQN algorithms are applied to train agents for automatic parameter tuning in three conventional well-testing models.In addition,to alleviate the dimensional disaster problem of parameter space,an asynchronous parameter adjustment strategy is used to train the agent.Finally,field applications are carried out by using the new DRL approaches.Results show that step number required for the DDQN to complete the curve matching is the least among,when comparing the naive deep Q-network(naive DQN)and deep Q-network(DQN).We also show that DDQN can improve the robustness of curve matching in comparison with supervised machine learning algorithms.Using DDQN algorithm to perform 100 curve matching tests on three traditional well test models,the results show that the mean relative error of the parameters is 7.58%for the homogeneous model,10.66%for the radial composite model,and 12.79%for the dual porosity model.In the actual field application,it is found that a good curve fitting can be obtained with only 30 steps of parameter adjustment.

Study on Evaluation Method of Failure Pressure for Pipeline with Axially Adjacent Defects

The interaction between axially adjacent defects is more significant than that between circumferentially aligned defects.However,the existing failure pressure assessment methods cannot accurately predict the failure pressure of axial adjacent defects.In the paper,the finite element model is adopted to analyze the influence of defect size,distribution mode and spacing between adjacent defects on failure pressure.A new failure pressure evaluation method is proposed by establishing the effective depth calculation model of corrosion colony with different distribution model.The burst test of X52 pipeline is carried out to verify the applicability of the method.It shows that the results of new method are consistent with the test results of pipeline with various defects and steel grades.

Employment Quality EvaluationModel Based on Hybrid Intelligent Algorithm

In order to solve the defect of large error in current employment quality evaluation,an employment quality evaluation model based on grey correlation degree method and fuzzy C-means(FCM)is proposed.Firstly,it analyzes the related research work of employment quality evaluation,establishes the employment quality evaluation index system,collects the index data,and normalizes the index data;Then,the weight value of employment quality evaluation index is determined by Grey relational analysis method,and some unimportant indexes are removed;Finally,the employment quality evaluation model is established by using fuzzy cluster analysis algorithm,and compared with other employment quality evaluation models.The test results show that the employment quality evaluation accuracy of the design model exceeds 93%,the employment quality evaluation error can meet the requirements of practical application,and the employment quality evaluation effect is much better than the comparison model.The comparison test verifies the superiority of the model.