Real-world utility of serological tests in patients with suspected scrub typhus in the Republic of Korea:A single-center,retrospective,observational study

Objective:Serological tests are widely used for scrub typhus diagnosis;however,their limitations are evident.This study aims to assess their practical value in clinical settings.Methods:We analyzed the data of adult patients with suspected scrub typhus who visited a tertiary care hospital in the Republic of Korea from September to December from 2019 to 2021.The included patients had an acute fever and at least one of the following ten secondary findings:myalgia,skin rash,eschar,headache,thrombocytopenia,increased liver enzyme levels,lymphadenopathy,hepatomegaly,splenomegaly,and pleural effusion.The diagnoses were grouped as scrub typhus or other diseases by two infectious disease physicians.Results:Among 136 patients who met the eligibility criteria,109 had scrub typhus and 27 had different diseases.Single and paired total antibodies using immunofluorescence assay(IFA),and total antibodies using immunochromatography-based rapid diagnostic testing(ICT)were measured in 98%,22%,and 75%of all patients,respectively.Confirmation using paired samples for scrub typhus was established at a median of 11[interquartile range(IQR)10-16]days following the first visit.Among the 82 admitted patients,the median admission time was 9(IQR 7-13)days.According to IFA,58(55%)patients with scrub typhus had total immunoglobulin titers≥1:320,while 23(85%)patients with other disease had titers<1:320.Positive ICT results were observed in 64(74%)patients with scrub typhus and 10(67%)patients with other diseases showed negative ICT results.Conclusions:Serological testing for scrub typhus is currently insufficient for decision-making in clinical practice.

Design and prototyping of the readout electronics for the transition radiation detector in the high energy cosmic radiation detection facility

The high energy cosmic-radiation detection(HERD)facility is planned to launch in 2027 and scheduled to be installed on the China Space Station.It serves as a dark matter particle detector,a cosmic ray instrument,and an observatory for high-energy gamma rays.A transition radiation detector placed on one of its lateral sides serves dual purpose,(ⅰ)calibrating HERD's electromagnetic calorimeter in the TeV energy range,and(ⅱ)serving as an independent detector for high-energy gamma rays.In this paper,the prototype readout electronics design of the transition radiation detector is demonstrated,which aims to accurately measure the charge of the anodes using the SAMPA application specific integrated circuit chip.The electronic performance of the prototype system is evaluated in terms of noise,linearity,and resolution.Through the presented design,each electronic channel can achieve a dynamic range of 0–100 fC,the RMS noise level not exceeding 0.15 fC,and the integral nonlinearity was<0.2%.To further verify the readout electronic performance,a joint test with the detector was carried out,and the results show that the prototype system can satisfy the requirements of the detector's scientific goals.

Colorectal cancer screening:The value of early detection and modern challenges

The screening of colorectal cancer(CRC)is pivotal for both the prevention and treatment of this disease,significantly improving early-stage tumor detection rates.This advancement not only boosts survival rates and quality of life for patients but also reduces the costs associated with treatment.However,the adoption of CRC screening methods faces numerous challenges,including the technical limitations of both noninvasive and invasive methods in terms of sensitivity and specificity.Moreover,socioeconomic factors such as regional disparities,economic conditions,and varying levels of awareness affect screening uptake.The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic further intensified these challenges,leading to reduced screening participation and increased waiting periods.Additionally,the growing prevalence of early-onset CRC necessitates innovative screening approaches.In response,research into new methodologies,including artificial intelligence-based systems,aims to improve the precision and accessibility of screening.Proactive measures by governments and health organizations to enhance CRC screening efforts are underway,including increased advocacy,improved service delivery,and international cooperation.The role of technological innovation and global health collaboration in advancing CRC screening is undeniable.Technologies such as artificial intelligence and gene sequencing are set to revolutionize CRC screening,making a significant impact on the fight against this disease.Given the rise in early-onset CRC,it is crucial for screening strategies to continually evolve,ensuring their effectiveness and applicability.

Exploring the Role of Serum Cystatin C in Early Detection of Acute Kidney Injury among On-Pump Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Single-Center Investigation in Bangladesh

Background: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) stands as a prominent postoperative complication in on-pump cardiac surgery, with repercussions on morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization duration. Current diagnostic criteria relying on serum creatinine levels exhibit a delayed identification of AKI, prompting an exploration of alternative biomarkers. Aims and Objectives: This study is designed to overcome diagnostic constraints and explore the viability of serum Cystatin C as an early predictor of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in individuals undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery. The investigation aims to establish the relationship between serum Cystatin C levels and the onset of AKI in patients subjected to on-pump cardiac surgery. Primary objectives involve the assessment of the diagnostic effectiveness of serum Cystatin C, its comparison with serum creatinine, and the exploration of its potential for the early identification and treatment of AKI. Methodology: Conducted as a single-center study at the cardiac surgery department of BSMMU in Bangladesh from September 2020 to August 2022, a comparative cross-sectional analysis involved 31 participants categorized into No AKI and AKI groups based on Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Data collection encompassed preoperative, post-CBP (cardiopulmonary bypass) conclusion at 2 hours, postoperative day 1, and postoperative day 2 intervals. Statistical analyses included Chi-squared tests, independent Student’s t-tests, and one-sample t-tests. Significance was set at P Results: The study revealed no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the No AKI and AKI groups, except for CPB time and cross-clamp time. Serum Cystatin C levels in the AKI group exhibited statistical significance at various time points, highlighting its potential as an early detector. Conversely, Serum Creatinine levels in the AKI group showed no statistical significance. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis further supported the efficacy of serum Cystatin C, with an Area under the ROC Curve of 0.864 and a cut-off value of 0.55 (p Conclusion: This study supports the superior utility of serum Cystatin C as an early detector of AKI in on-pump cardiac surgery patients compared to serum creatinine. Its ability to identify AKI several hours earlier may contribute to reduced morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The findings underscore the significance of exploring novel biomarkers for improved post-cardiac surgery renal function assessment.

A brief review of novel nucleic acid test biosensors and their application prospects for salmonids viral diseases detection

Viral diseases represent one of the major threats for salmonids aquaculture.Early detection and identification of viral pathogens is the main prerequisite prior to undertaking effective prevention and control measures.Rapid,sensitive,efficient and portable detection method is highly essential for fish viral diseases detection.Biosensor strategies are highly prevalent and fulfill the expanding demands of on-site detection with fast response,cost-effectiveness,high sensitivity,and selectivity.With the development of material science,the nucleic acid biosensors fabricated by semiconductor have shown great potential in rapid and early detection or screening for diseases at salmonids fisheries.This paper reviews the current detection development of salmonids viral diseases.The present limitations and challenges of salmonids virus diseases surveillance and early detection are presented.Novel nucleic acid semiconductor biosensors are briefly reviewed.The perspective and potential application of biosensors in the on-site detection of salmonids diseases are discussed.

A dual-RPA based lateral flow strip for sensitive,on-site detection of CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac genes in genetically modified crops

Traditional transgenic detection methods require high test conditions and struggle to be both sensitive and efficient.In this study,a one-tube dual recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)reaction system for CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac was proposed and combined with a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay,named“Dual-RPA-LFD”,to visualize the dual detection of genetically modified(GM)crops.In which,the herbicide tolerance gene CP4-EPSPS and the insect resistance gene Cry1Ab/Ac were selected as targets taking into account the current status of the most widespread application of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits and their stacked traits.Gradient diluted plasmids,transgenic standards,and actual samples were used as templates to conduct sensitivity,specificity,and practicality assays,respectively.The constructed method achieved the visual detection of plasmid at levels as low as 100 copies,demonstrating its high sensitivity.In addition,good applicability to transgenic samples was observed,with no cross-interference between two test lines and no influence from other genes.In conclusion,this strategy achieved the expected purpose of simultaneous detection of the two popular targets in GM crops within 20 min at 37°C in a rapid,equipmentfree field manner,providing a new alternative for rapid screening for transgenic assays in the field.

Adaptive detection of range-spread targets in homogeneous and partially homogeneous clutter plus subspace interference

Adaptive detection of range-spread targets is considered in the presence of subspace interference plus Gaussian clutter with unknown covariance matrix.The target signal and interference are supposed to lie in two linearly independent subspaces with deterministic but unknown coordinates.Relying on the two-step criteria,two adaptive detectors based on Gradient tests are proposed,in homogeneous and partially homogeneous clutter plus subspace interference,respectively.Both of the proposed detectors exhibit theoretically constant false alarm rate property against unknown clutter covariance matrix as well as the power level.Numerical results show that,the proposed detectors have better performance than their existing counterparts,especially for mismatches in the signal steering vectors.

Acoustic Non-Destructive Testing Technology in Concrete Bridge Inspection and Pile Foundation Detection

This article takes the actual construction project of a certain concrete bridge project as an example to analyze the application of acoustic non-destructive testing technology in its detection.It includes an overview of a certain bridge construction project studied and acoustic non-destructive testing technology and the application of acoustic non-destructive testing technology in actual testing.This analysis hopes to provide some guidelines for acoustic non-destructive testing of modern concrete bridge projects.

MAPOD Analysis in Eddy Current Testing of Flaws Considering Multiple Response Signals and Multiple Flaw Parameters

The reliability of the eddy current testing (ECT) in flaw detection is quantitatively evaluated by theprobability of detection (POD). Precise and efficient modeling of POD gives direction for the implement of ECTon sites to avoid false or missing flaw detection. Traditional POD analysis focuses on single uncertain factor orsingle response signal with limited credibility in engineering. This paper considers multiple response signals andmultiple flaw parameters to perform POD. The flaw length, the flaw depth, the coil impedance, and the magneticflux density are comprehensively studied under various lift-off distances. A finite element model (FEM) of ECT isestablished and verified with experiments to obtain sufficient simulation data for discrete POD modeling. Thecontinuous POD function is then fitted based on the discrete values to show the superiority of integrating multiplefactors. A comparison with conventional POD analysis further demonstrates the higher reliability of ECT flawdetection considering multiple flaw parameters and multiple response signals, especially for small flaws.

Discussion on Test and Detection Technology of Highway Asphalt Pavement

The road traffic industry in China has been developing rapidly in recent years.Asphalt has become the main material in road construction because of its seamless connection and short construction period,and it has an important impact on the overall quality of highway construction.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct scientific and reasonable tests and detections for highway asphalt pavement.This paper presents a discussion on the test and detection technology of highway asphalt pavement for future reference.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Fecal Occult Blood Test and Tumor Marker Combined Screening for Colorectal Cancer

Objective:To analyze the screening effectiveness of combining the fecal occult blood test with tumor marker detection for colorectal cancer.Methods:A total of thirty patients with colorectal cancer and thirty patients with benign colon hyperplasia who received treatment from January 2020 to January 2023 were selected.These patients were assigned to the observation group and the control group,respectively.All patients in both groups underwent both fecal occult blood tests and tumor marker detection.The levels of tumor markers between the two groups were compared,the tumor marker levels in different stages were assessed within the observation group,and the positive detection rates for single detection and combined detection were compared.Results:The levels of various tumor markers in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).Furthermore,as the Duke stage increased within the observation group,the levels of various tumor markers also increased(P<0.05).The positive detection rate of the combined test was notably higher than that of single detection(P<0.05).Conclusion:Combining the fecal occult blood test with tumor marker detection in colorectal cancer screening can significantly improve the overall detection rate.

Hypothesis testing analysis and unknown parameter estimation of GPS signal detection

Hypothesis testing analysis and unknown parameter estimation of both the intermediate frequency(IF) and baseband GPS signal detection are given by using the generalized likelihood ratio test(GLRT) approach,applying the model of GPS signal in white Gaussian noise,It is proved that the test statistic follows central or noncentral F distribution,It is also pointed out that the test statistic is nearly identical to central or noncentral chi-squared distribution because the processing samples are large enough to be considered as infinite in GPS acquisition problem.It is also proved that the probability of false alarm,the probability of detection and the threshold are affected largely when the hypothesis testing refers to the full pseudorandom noise(PRN) code phase and Doppler frequency search space cells instead of each individual cell.The performance of the test statistic is also given with combining the noncoherent integration.

Sequential Tests for the Detection of Voice Activity and the Recognition of Cyber Exploits

We consider the problem of automated voice activity detection (VAD), in the presence of noise. To attain this objective, we introduce a Sequential Detection of Change Test (SDCT), designed at the independent mixture of Laplacian and Gaussian distributions. We analyse and numerically evaluate the proposed test for various noisy environments. In addition, we address the problem of effectively recognizing the possible presence of cyber exploits in the voice transmission channel. We then introduce another sequential test, designed to detect rapidly and accurately the presence of such exploits, named Cyber Attacks Sequential Detection of Change Test (CA-SDCT). We analyse and numerically evaluate the latter test. Experimental results and comparisons with other proposed methods are also presented.

Personal glucose meters coupled with signal amplification technologies for quantitative detection of non-glucose targets:Recent progress and challenges in food safety hazards analysis

Ensuring food safety is paramount worldwide.Developing effective detection methods to ensure food safety can be challenging owing to trace hazards,long detection time,and resource-poor sites,in addition to the matrix effects of food.Personal glucose meter(PGM),a classic point-of-care testing device,possesses unique application advantages,demonstrating promise in food safety.Currently,many studies have used PGM-based biosensors and signal amplification technologies to achieve sensitive and specific detection of food hazards.Signal amplification technologies have the potential to greatly improve the analytical performance and integration of PGMs with biosensors,which is crucial for solving the challenges associated with the use of PGMs for food safety analysis.This review introduces the basic detection principle of a PGM-based sensing strategy,which consists of three key factors:target recognition,signal transduction,and signal output.Representative studies of existing PGM-based sensing strategies combined with various signal amplification technologies(nanomaterial-loaded multienzyme labeling,nucleic acid reaction,DNAzyme catalysis,responsive nanomaterial encapsulation,and others)in the field of food safety detection are reviewed.Future perspectives and potential opportunities and challenges associated with PGMs in the field of food safety are discussed.Despite the need for complex sample preparation and the lack of standardization in the field,using PGMs in combination with signal amplification technology shows promise as a rapid and cost-effective method for food safety hazard analysis.

BArcherFuzzer:An Android System Services Fuzzier via Transaction Dependencies of BpBinder

By the analysis of vulnerabilities of Android native system services,we find that some vulnerabilities are caused by inconsistent data transmission and inconsistent data processing logic between client and server.The existing research cannot find the above two types of vulnerabilities and the test cases of them face the problem of low coverage.In this paper,we propose an extraction method of test cases based on the native system services of the client and design a case construction method that supports multi-parameter mutation based on genetic algorithm and priority strategy.Based on the above method,we implement a detection tool-BArcherFuzzer to detect vulnerabilities of Android native system services.The experiment results show that BArcherFuzzer found four vulnerabilities of hundreds of exception messages,all of them were confirmed by Google and one was assigned a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures(CVE)number(CVE-2020-0363).

Design and theoretical analysis of test system for propellants' gas pressure in warhead

Aiming at harsh environment of cluster bombs center tube explosion dispersion and difficulties in installation of traditional test systems,a storage test system based on 16-bit ultra-low power microcontroller MSP430 is designed in order to acquire gas pressure during cluster bombs dispersion.To meet the requirement of low power consumption,the working states of system＇s modules during data acquisition are elaborated and the equation to calculate the gas pressure change during cylindrical center tube opening the hatch is deduced.The field test is conducted and good test results are obtained.

Strategies for Strengthening Highway Construction Testing and Quality Control

In recent years,the scale of China’s highway projects have been expanding.However,in real life,road construction projects in some places have not passed professional and rigorous inspections,resulting in various quality problems,and seriously affecting the safety of drivers and pedestrians.This paper analyzes the current situation of highway engineering test and detection,expounds the application of new technologies for highway engineering test and detection.In this paper,a case study was carried out on ground penetrating radar(GPR),which aims to improve highway engineering test and detection and provide reference for reducing highway safety risks.

Optimal selection of tests for fault detection and isolation in multi-operating mode system

The complex systems are often in the structure of multi-operating modes, and the components implementing system functions are different under different operation modes, which results in the problems that components often fail in different operating modes, faults can be only detected in specified operating modes, tests can be available in specified operating modes,and the cost and efficiency of detecting and isolating faults are different under different operating modes and isolation levels. Aiming at these problems, an optimal test selection method for fault detection and isolation in the multi-operating mode system is proposed by using the fault pair coding and rollout algorithm. Firstly,the faults in fault-test correlation matrices under different operating modes are combined to fault-pairs, which is used to construct the fault pair-test correlation matrices under different operating modes.Secondly, the final fault pair-test correlation matrix of the multioperating mode system is obtained by operating the fault pair-test correlation matrices under different operating modes. Based on the final fault pair-test correlation matrix, the necessary tests are selected by the rollout algorithm orderly. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by examples of the optimal test selection in the multi-operating mode system with faults isolated to different levels. The result shows that the proposed method can effectively mine the fault detection and isolation ability of tests and it is suitable for the optimal test selection of the multi-operating mode system with faults isolated to the replacement unit and specific fault.

NHPP-based software reliability model considering testing effort and multivariate fault detection rate

In recent decades,many software reliability growth models（SRGMs） have been proposed for the engineers and testers in measuring the software reliability precisely.Most of them is established based on the non-homogeneous Poisson process（NHPP）,and it is proved that the prediction accuracy of such models could be improved by adding the describing of characterization of testing effort.However,some research work indicates that the fault detection rate（FDR） is another key factor affects final software quality.Most early NHPPbased models deal with the FDR as constant or piecewise function,which does not fit the different testing stages well.Thus,this paper first incorporates a multivariate function of FDR,which is bathtub-shaped,into the NHPP-based SRGMs considering testing effort in order to further improve performance.A new model framework is proposed,and a stepwise method is used to apply the framework with real data sets to find the optimal model.Experimental studies show that the obtained new model can provide better performance of fitting and prediction compared with other traditional SRGMs.

Optical generation,detection and non-destructive testing applications of terahertz waves

Optoelectronic terahertz generation and detection play a key role in the applications of non-destructive testing,which involves different areas such as physics,biological,material science,imaging,explosions detection,astronomy applications,semiconductor technology and superconductiong electronics. In this article,we present a reviewof the principle and performance of typical terahertz sources,detectors and non-destructive testing applications. On this basis,the newdevelopment and trends of terahertz radiation detectors are also discussed.