Coparenting Mediates the Association between Relationship Quality and Father Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varga, Colleen M.; Gee, Christina B.; Rivera, Lyzaida; Reyes, Claudia X.

2017-01-01

The study of adolescent childbearing is a major public policy concern, and father involvement is a particular focus. Previous research with married couples has found that coparenting may be a better predictor of father involvement than relationship quality. The current study examined 94 primiparous African American and Latino parents to determine…

A Program to Improve the Triangulated Surface Mesh Quality Along Aircraft Component Intersections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cliff, Susan E.

2005-01-01

A computer program has been developed for improving the quality of unstructured triangulated surface meshes in the vicinity of component intersections. The method relies solely on point removal and edge swapping for improving the triangulations. It can be applied to any lifting surface component such as a wing, canard or horizontal tail component intersected with a fuselage, or it can be applied to a pylon that is intersected with a wing, fuselage or nacelle. The lifting surfaces or pylon are assumed to be aligned in the axial direction with closed trailing edges. The method currently maintains salient edges only at leading and trailing edges of the wing or pylon component. This method should work well for any shape of fuselage that is free of salient edges at the intersection. The method has been successfully demonstrated on a total of 125 different test cases that include both blunt and sharp wing leading edges. The code is targeted for use in the automated environment of numerical optimization where geometric perturbations to individual components can be critical to the aerodynamic performance of a vehicle. Histograms of triangle aspect ratios are reported to assess the quality of the triangles attached to the intersection curves before and after application of the program. Large improvements to the quality of the triangulations were obtained for the 125 test cases; the quality was sufficient for use with an automated tetrahedral mesh generation program that is used as part of an aerodynamic shape optimization method.

Components of the costs of controlling quality: a transaction cost economics approach.

PubMed

Stiles, R A; Mick, S S

1997-01-01

This article identifies the components that contribute to a healthcare organization's costs in controlling quality. A central tenet of our argument is that at its core, quality is the result of a series of transactions among members of a diverse network. Transaction cost economics is applied internally to analyze intraorganizational transactions that contribute to quality control, and questions for future research are posed.

Perceptions of Parent-Child Attachment Relationships and Friendship Qualities: Predictors of Romantic Relationship Involvement and Quality in Adolescence.

PubMed

Kochendorfer, Logan B; Kerns, Kathryn A

2017-05-01

Relationships with parents and friends are important contexts for developing romantic relationship skills. Parents and friends may influence both the timing of involvement and the quality of romantic relationships. Three models of the joint influence of parents and friends (direct effects model, mediation model, and moderator model) have been proposed. The present study uses data from a longitudinal study (n = 1012; 49.8% female; 81.1% Caucasian) to examine how attachment and friendship quality at age 10 years predict romantic relationship involvement and quality at ages 12 and 15 years. The results supported the direct effects model, with attachment and friendship quality uniquely predicting different romantic relationship outcomes. The findings provide further support for the important influence of family and friends on early romantic relationships.

Involving Tutors and Support Staff in the Adult and Community Learning Quality Agenda.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ravenhall, Mark; Ogilvie, Margaret; Ewens, David

This booklet outlines the new policy context facing adult and community learning (ACL) providers in Great Britain in their pursuit of high-quality learning experiences for their customers. It shows how a Total Quality Management (TQM) approach to supporting staff development can be effective in securing quality. TQM components are values,…

Technical Note: Independent component analysis for quality assurance in functional MRI.

PubMed

Astrakas, Loukas G; Kallistis, Nikolaos S; Kalef-Ezra, John A

2016-02-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is an established method of analyzing human functional MRI (fMRI) data. Here, an ICA-based fMRI quality control (QC) tool was developed and used. ICA-based fMRI QC tool to be used with a commercial phantom was developed. In an attempt to assess the performance of the tool relative to preexisting alternative tools, it was used seven weeks before and eight weeks after repair of a faulty gradient amplifier of a non-state-of-the-art MRI unit. More specifically, its performance was compared with the AAPM 100 acceptance testing and quality assurance protocol and two fMRI QC protocols, proposed by Freidman et al. ["Report on a multicenter fMRI quality assurance protocol," J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 23, 827-839 (2006)] and Stocker et al. ["Automated quality assurance routines for fMRI data applied to a multicenter study," Hum. Brain Mapp. 25, 237-246 (2005)], respectively. The easily developed and applied ICA-based QC protocol provided fMRI QC indices and maps equally sensitive to fMRI instabilities with the indices and maps of other established protocols. The ICA fMRI QC indices were highly correlated with indices of other fMRI QC protocols and in some cases theoretically related to them. Three or four independent components with slow varying time series are detected under normal conditions. ICA applied on phantom measurements is an easy and efficient tool for fMRI QC. Additionally, it can protect against misinterpretations of artifact components as human brain activations. Evaluating fMRI QC indices in the central region of a phantom is not always the optimal choice.

Parental Depression, Relationship Quality, and Nonresident Father Involvement with Their Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulson, James F.; Dauber, Sarah E.; Leiferman, Jenn A.

2011-01-01

The role of depression in nonresident fathers' involvement with their infant children is poorly understood. A three-factor model of father involvement was evaluated, and its association with parental relationship quality and depressive symptoms in both parents were tested. Data on 569 families from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study were used.…

Core components of a comprehensive quality assurance program in anatomic pathology.

PubMed

Nakhleh, Raouf E

2009-11-01

In this article the core components of a comprehensive quality assurance and improvement plan are outlined. Quality anatomic pathology work comes with focus on accurate, timely, and complete reports. A commitment to continuous quality improvement and a systems approach with a persistent effort helps to achieve this end. Departments should have a quality assurance and improvement plan that includes a risk assessment of real and potential problems facing the laboratory. The plan should also list the individuals responsible for carrying out the program with adequate resources, a defined timetable, and annual assessment for progress and future directions. Quality assurance monitors should address regulatory requirements and be organized by laboratory division (surgical pathology, cytology, etc) as well as 5 segments (preanalytic, analytic, postanalytic phases of the test cycle, turn-around-time, and customer satisfaction). Quality assurance data can also be used to evaluate individual pathologists using multiple parameters with peer group comparison.

Certification of production-quality gLite Job Management components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreetto, P.; Bertocco, S.; Capannini, F.; Cecchi, M.; Dorigo, A.; Frizziero, E.; Giacomini, F.; Gianelle, A.; Mezzadri, M.; Molinari, E.; Monforte, S.; Prelz, F.; Rebatto, D.; Sgaravatto, M.; Zangrando, L.

2011-12-01

With the advent of the recent European Union (EU) funded projects aimed at achieving an open, coordinated and proactive collaboration among the European communities that provide distributed computing services, more strict requirements and quality standards will be asked to middleware providers. Such a highly competitive and dynamic environment, organized to comply a business-oriented model, has already started pursuing quality criteria, thus requiring to formally define rigorous procedures, interfaces and roles for each step of the software life-cycle. This will ensure quality-certified releases and updates of the Grid middleware. In the European Middleware Initiative (EMI), the release management for one or more components will be organized into Product Team (PT) units, fully responsible for delivering production ready, quality-certified software and for coordinating each other to contribute to the EMI release as a whole. This paper presents the certification process, with respect to integration, installation, configuration and testing, adopted at INFN by the Product Team responsible for the gLite Web-Service based Computing Element (CREAM CE) and for the Workload Management System (WMS). The used resources, the testbeds layout, the integration and deployment methods, the certification steps to provide feedback to developers and to grant quality results are described.

Inputs to quality: supervision, management, and community involvement in health facilities in Egypt in 2004.

PubMed

Cherlin, Emily J; Allam, Adel A; Linnander, Erika L; Wong, Rex; El-Toukhy, Essam; Sipsma, Heather; Krumholz, Harlan M; Curry, Leslie A; Bradley, Elizabeth H

2011-10-20

As low- and middle-income countries experience economic development, ensuring quality of health care delivery is a central component of health reform. Nevertheless, health reforms in low- and middle-income countries have focused more on access to services rather than the quality of these services, and reporting on quality has been limited. In the present study, we sought to examine the prevalence and regional variation in key management practices in Egyptian health facilities within three domains: supervision of the facility from the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), managerial processes, and patient and community involvement in care. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from 559 facilities surveyed with the Egyptian Service Provision Assessment (ESPA) survey in 2004, the most recent such survey in Egypt. We registered on the Measure Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) website http://legacy.measuredhs.com/login.cfm to gain access to the survey data. From the ESPA sampled 559 MOHP facilities, we excluded a total of 79 facilities because they did not offer facility-based 24-hour care or have at least one physician working in the facility, resulting in a final sample of 480 facilities. The final sample included 76 general service hospitals, 307 rural health units, and 97 maternal and child health and urban health units (MCH/urban units). We used standard frequency analyses to describe facility characteristics and tested the statistical significance of regional differences using chi-square statistics. Nearly all facilities reported having external supervision within the 6 months preceding the interview. In contrast, key facility-level managerial processes, such as having routine and documented management meetings and applying quality assurance approaches, were uncommon. Involvement of communities and patients was also reported in a minority of facilities. Hospitals and health units located in Urban Egypt compared with more rural parts of Egypt were

Employee satisfaction: an integral component of total quality.

PubMed

Gvazdinskas, L C; Maffetone, M A

1995-01-01

As part of the Total Quality Management process, the leadership of Rush Medical Laboratories, with a staff of 400, made an initial commitment to focus on their own employees as the most important customers. Only after the employees' development, their help, their support, and their empowerment could Rush Medical Laboratories make the improvements in customer relationships and obtain the operations improvement, cost savings, and productivity necessary to maintain a competitive edge. This article outlines the numerous employee initiatives that have resulted from this commitment. All of these initiatives were successful at some point during the 5 or more years since the incorporation of TQM within Rush Medical Laboratories. In the spirit of continuous improvement, some have been modified or discontinued and replaced by others. This article provides an overview of the many improvements that are possible when employees are provided a forum in which to voice their needs, and it challenges the management and employees of all laboratories to focus on this vital component of total quality.

[Personal satisfaction as a component of adult's quality of life in Medellin].

PubMed

Cardona, Doris; Agudelo, Héctor B

2007-01-01

Determining personal satisfaction as the main component of the quality of life of men and women aged 20 to 64 in Medellin during 2005. This was a cross/sectional descriptive population study. Its primary source of information consisted of two samples (659 men and 683 women) representing 523,705 and 651,704 people respectively, according to population expansion factors, selected via probabilistic complex sampling, stratified by socioeconomic level, clustering, city blocks, houses and people. The quality of life for adults in Medellin is mainly represented by personal and economic aspects, their housing's physical environment and social security. The aspects analysed in this study were evaluated above 75%; personal abilities and capability produced the greatest satisfaction, whilst the economic situation and social security produced least satisfaction. There were no significant differences according to gender regarding personal satisfaction concerning various aspects of life. This study's contribution to knowledge lies in making evident the need to integrate each person's subjectivity, opinions and individual perception of his/her own life, since these are the main components in evaluating an individual's quality of life.

Implementation and Qualifications Lessons Learned for Space Flight Photonic Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, Melanie N.

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the process for implementation and qualification of space flight photonic components. It discusses the causes for most common anomalies for the space flight components, design compatibility, a specific failure analysis of optical fiber that occurred in a cable in 1999-2000, and another ExPCA connector anomaly involving pins that broke off. It reviews issues around material selection, quality processes and documentation, and current projects that the Photonics group is involved in. The importance of good documentation is stressed.

Ballistic Testing and Product Quality Surveillance for the Interceptor Body Armor - Vest Components Need Improvement

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-03

six contracts. Interceptor Body Armor – Vest Components IBA is a modular body armor system that consists of an OTV, ceramic plates , and components...Armor - Vest Components Need Improvement Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the...Ballistic Testing and Product Quality Surveillance for the Interceptor Body Armor - Vest Components Need Improvement 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT

Learning Principal Component Analysis by Using Data from Air Quality Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Arribas, Luis Vicente; Leon-González, María Eugenia; Rosales-Conrado, Noelia

2017-01-01

With the final objective of using computational and chemometrics tools in the chemistry studies, this paper shows the methodology and interpretation of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using pollution data from different cities. This paper describes how students can obtain data on air quality and process such data for additional information…

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry based component profiling and quality prediction for Japanese sake.

PubMed

Mimura, Natsuki; Isogai, Atsuko; Iwashita, Kazuhiro; Bamba, Takeshi; Fukusaki, Eiichiro

2014-10-01

Sake is a Japanese traditional alcoholic beverage, which is produced by simultaneous saccharification and alcohol fermentation of polished and steamed rice by Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. About 300 compounds have been identified in sake, and the contribution of individual components to the sake flavor has been examined at the same time. However, only a few compounds could explain the characteristics alone and most of the attributes still remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the component profile and the attributes of sake. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS)-based non-targeted analysis was employed to obtain the low molecular weight component profile of Japanese sake including both nonvolatile and volatile compounds. Sake attributes and overall quality were assessed by analytical descriptive sensory test and the prediction model of the sensory score from the component profile was constructed by means of orthogonal projections to latent structures (OPLS) regression analysis. Our results showed that 12 sake attributes [ginjo-ka (aroma of premium ginjo sake), grassy/aldehydic odor, sweet aroma/caramel/burnt odor, sulfury odor, sour taste, umami, bitter taste, body, amakara (dryness), aftertaste, pungent/smoothness and appearance] and overall quality were accurately explained by component profiles. In addition, we were able to select statistically significant components according to variable importance on projection (VIP). Our methodology clarified the correlation between sake attribute and 200 low molecular components and presented the importance of each component thus, providing new insights to the flavor study of sake. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Candidate gene markers involved in San Daniele ham quality.

PubMed

Renaville, B; Piasentier, E; Fan, B; Vitale, M; Prandi, A; Rothschild, M F

2010-07-01

San Daniele dry-cured hams (also known as prosciutto) are produced in the Northeastern region of Italy. This high value product requires high quality fresh meat to avoid processing problems. The Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein-1 (SREBF1) is a transcription factor involved in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis in muscle and adipose tissues. The SREBF1 gene, its regulating genes SCAP and MBTPS1, and one of its target genes, SCD, were investigated for associations with several meat quality traits of San Daniele hams. Significant associations of some gene markers were found with carcass weight, lean percentage, backfat thickness, ham green weight, ham fat cover thickness, shear force (WBSF), salting losses and instrumental colour of both lean and fat. These findings provide initial evidences that SNPs in SREBF1, SCAP, MBTPS1 and SCD are associated with San Daniele ham quality and may be considered as markers for selective breeding programs. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patient involvement in the decision-making process improves satisfaction and quality of life in postmastectomy breast reconstruction.

PubMed

Ashraf, Azra A; Colakoglu, Salih; Nguyen, John T; Anastasopulos, Alexandra J; Ibrahim, Ahmed M S; Yueh, Janet H; Lin, Samuel J; Tobias, Adam M; Lee, Bernard T

2013-09-01

The patient-physician relationship has evolved from the paternalistic, physician-dominant model to the shared-decision-making and informed-consumerist model. The level of patient involvement in this decision-making process can potentially influence patient satisfaction and quality of life. In this study, patient-physician decision models are evaluated in patients undergoing postmastectomy breast reconstruction. All women who underwent breast reconstruction at an academic hospital from 1999-2007 were identified. Patients meeting inclusion criteria were mailed questionnaires at a minimum of 1 y postoperatively with questions about decision making, satisfaction, and quality of life. There were 707 women eligible for our study and 465 completed surveys (68% response rate). Patients were divided into one of three groups: paternalistic (n = 18), informed-consumerist (n = 307), shared (n = 140). There were differences in overall general satisfaction (P = 0.034), specifically comparing the informed group to the paternalistic group (66.7% versus 38.9%, P = 0.020) and the shared to the paternalistic group (69.3% versus 38.9%, P = 0.016). There were no differences in aesthetic satisfaction. There were differences found in the SF-12 physical component summary score across all groups (P = 0.033), and a difference was found between the informed and paternalistic groups (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the mental component score (P = 0.42). Women undergoing breast reconstruction predominantly used the informed model of decision making. Patients who adopted a more active role, whether using an informed or shared approach, had higher general patient satisfaction and physical component summary scores compared with patients whose decision making was paternalistic. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Multilevel, Statewide Investigation of School District Anti-Bullying Policy Quality and Student Bullying Involvement.

PubMed

Gower, Amy L; Cousin, Molly; Borowsky, Iris W

2017-03-01

Although nearly all states in the United States require school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies, little research examines the effect of these policies on student bullying and health. Using a statewide sample, we investigated associations between the quality of school district anti-bullying policies and student bullying involvement and adjustment. School district anti-bullying policies (N = 208) were coded for their quality based on established criteria. District-level data were combined with student reports of bullying involvement, emotional distress, and school connectedness from a state surveillance survey of 6th, 9th, and 12th grade students (N = 93,437). Results indicated that policy quality was positively related to bullying victimization. Furthermore, students reporting frequent perpetration/victimization who also attended districts with high-quality policies reported more emotional distress and less school connectedness compared with students attending districts with low quality policies. Although statistically significant, the magnitude of these associations was small. Having a high-quality school district anti-bullying policy is not sufficient to reduce bullying and protect bullying-involved young people. Future studies examining policy implementation will inform best practices in bullying prevention. © 2017, American School Health Association.

APPLICATION OF SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE CONCEPTS AND PROCEDURES TO ENVIORNMENTAL RESEARCH INVOLVING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

EPA Science Inventory

As EPA’s environmental research expands into new areas that involve the development of software, quality assurance concepts and procedures that were originally developed for environmental data collection may not be appropriate. Fortunately, software quality assurance is a ...

A quality monitoring program for red blood cell components: in vitro quality indicators before and after implementation of semiautomated processing.

PubMed

Acker, Jason P; Hansen, Adele L; Kurach, Jayme D R; Turner, Tracey R; Croteau, Ioana; Jenkins, Craig

2014-10-01

Canadian Blood Services has been conducting quality monitoring of red blood cell (RBC) components since 2005, a period spanning the implementation of semiautomated component production. The aim was to compare the quality of RBC components produced before and after this production method change. Data from 572 RBC units were analyzed, categorized by production method: Method 1, RBC units produced by manual production methods; Method 2, RBC units produced by semiautomated production and the buffy coat method; and Method 3, RBC units produced by semiautomated production and the whole blood filtration method. RBC units were assessed using an extensive panel of in vitro tests, encompassing regulated quality control criteria such as hematocrit (Hct), hemolysis, and hemoglobin (Hb) levels, as well as adenosine triphosphate, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, extracellular K(+) and Na(+) levels, methemoglobin, p50, RBC indices, and morphology. Throughout the study, all RBC units met mandated Canadian Standards Association guidelines for Hb and Hct, and most (>99%) met hemolysis requirements. However, there were significant differences among RBC units produced using different methods. Hb content was significantly lower in RBC units produced by Method 2 (51.5 ± 5.6 g/unit; p < 0.001). At expiry, hemolysis was lowest in Method 2-produced RBC units (p < 0.05) and extracellular K(+) levels were lowest in units produced by Method 1 (p < 0.001). While overall quality was similar before and after the production method change, the observed differences, although small, indicate a lack of equivalency across RBC products manufactured by different methods. © 2014 AABB.

Incorporating principal component analysis into air quality ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The efficacy of standard air quality model evaluation techniques is becoming compromised as the simulation periods continue to lengthen in response to ever increasing computing capacity. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a statistical approach called Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with the intent of motivating its use by the evaluation community. One of the main objectives of PCA is to identify, through data reduction, the recurring and independent modes of variations (or signals) within a very large dataset, thereby summarizing the essential information of that dataset so that meaningful and descriptive conclusions can be made. In this demonstration, PCA is applied to a simple evaluation metric – the model bias associated with EPA's Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model when compared to weekly observations of sulfate (SO42−) and ammonium (NH4+) ambient air concentrations measured by the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet). The advantages of using this technique are demonstrated as it identifies strong and systematic patterns of CMAQ model bias across a myriad of spatial and temporal scales that are neither constrained to geopolitical boundaries nor monthly/seasonal time periods (a limitation of many current studies). The technique also identifies locations (station–grid cell pairs) that are used as indicators for a more thorough diagnostic evaluation thereby hastening and facilitating understanding of the prob

Head Start Program Quality: Examination of Classroom Quality and Parent Involvement in Predicting Children's Vocabulary, Literacy, and Mathematics Achievement Trajectories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wen, Xiaoli; Bulotsky-Shearer, Rebecca J.; Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie L.; Korfmacher, Jon

2012-01-01

Guided by a developmental-ecological framework and Head Start's two-generational approach, this study examined two dimensions of Head Start program quality, classroom quality and parent involvement and their unique and interactive contribution to children's vocabulary, literacy, and mathematics skills growth from the beginning of Head Start…

The Impact of Involving Students in Managing the Quality of Higher Education Provision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garwe, Evelyn Chiyevo

2015-01-01

This study was aimed at exploring the power of student involvement in improving quality of higher educational provision in private higher education institutions in Zimbabwe. A longitudinal approach involving two separate surveys and covering a period of three years was used. A preliminary survey aimed at assessing the issues that impact negatively…

Drug quality in South Africa: perceptions of key players involved in medicines distribution.

PubMed

Patel, Aarti; Norris, Pauline; Gauld, Robin; Rades, Thomas

2009-01-01

Substandard medicines contribute to poor public health and affect development, especially in the developing world. However knowledge of how manufacturers, distributors and providers understand the concept of drug quality and what strategies they adopt to ensure drug quality is limited, particularly in the developing world. The purpose of this paper is to explore pharmaceutical manufacturers', distributors' and providers' perceptions of drug quality in South Africa and how they ensure the quality of drugs during the distribution process. The approach taken was qualitative data collection through key informant interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Transcripts were analysed thematically in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban, South Africa. Participants were recruited purposefully from a South African pharmaceutical manufacturer, SA subsidiaries of international manufacturers, national distribution companies, national wholesaler, public and private sector pharmacists, and a dispensing doctor. In total, ten interviews were conducted. Participants described drug quality in terms of the product and the processes involved in manufacturing and handling the product. Participants identified purchasing registered medicines from licensed suppliers, use of standard operating procedures, and audits between manufacturer and distributor and/or provider as key strategies employed to protect medicine quality. Effective communication amongst all stakeholders, especially in terms of providing feedback regarding complaints about medicine quality, appears as a potential area of concern, which would benefit from further research. The paper hightlights that ensuring medicine quality should be a shared responsibility amongst all involved in the distribution process to prevent medicines moving from one distribution system (public) into another (private).

Vocabulary Acquisition through Cloze Exercises, Sentence-Writing and Composition-Writing: Extending the Evaluation Component of the Involvement Load Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zou, Di

2017-01-01

This research inspects the allocation of involvement load to the evaluation component of the involvement load hypothesis, examining how three typical approaches to evaluation (cloze-exercises, sentence-writing, and composition-writing) promote word learning. The results of this research were partially consistent with the predictions of the…

MODELS-3 COMMUNITY MULTISCALE AIR QUALITY (CMAQ) MODEL AEROSOL COMPONENT 1: MODEL DESCRIPTION

EPA Science Inventory

The aerosol component of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model is designed to be an efficient and economical depiction of aerosol dynamics in the atmosphere. The approach taken represents the particle size distribution as the superposition of three lognormal subdis...

Cancer rehabilitation and palliative care: critical components in the delivery of high-quality oncology services.

PubMed

Silver, Julie K; Raj, Vishwa S; Fu, Jack B; Wisotzky, Eric M; Smith, Sean Robinson; Kirch, Rebecca A

2015-12-01

Palliative care and rehabilitation practitioners are important collaborative referral sources for each other who can work together to improve the lives of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers by improving both quality of care and quality of life. Cancer rehabilitation and palliative care involve the delivery of important but underutilized medical services to oncology patients by interdisciplinary teams. These subspecialties are similar in many respects, including their focus on improving cancer-related symptoms or cancer treatment-related side effects, improving health-related quality of life, lessening caregiver burden, and valuing patient-centered care and shared decision-making. They also aim to improve healthcare efficiencies and minimize costs by means such as reducing hospital lengths of stay and unanticipated readmissions. Although their goals are often aligned, different specialized skills and approaches are used in the delivery of care. For example, while each specialty prioritizes goal-concordant care through identification of patient and family preferences and values, palliative care teams typically focus extensively on using patient and family communication to determine their goals of care, while also tending to comfort issues such as symptom management and spiritual concerns. Rehabilitation clinicians may tend to focus more specifically on functional issues such as identifying and treating deficits in physical, psychological, or cognitive impairments and any resulting disability and negative impact on quality of life. Additionally, although palliative care and rehabilitation practitioners are trained to diagnose and treat medically complex patients, rehabilitation clinicians also treat many patients with a single impairment and a low symptom burden. In these cases, the goal is often cure of the underlying neurologic or musculoskeletal condition. This report defines and describes cancer rehabilitation and palliative care, delineates their

Paternal involvement in the management of pediatric chronic diseases: associations with adherence, quality of life, and health status.

PubMed

Wysocki, Tim; Gavin, Leslie

2006-06-01

This article reports associations among paternal involvement in pediatric chronic disease management and child outcomes. The Dads' Active Disease Support scale (DADS) and measures of treatment adherence, quality of life, health status, and health care utilization were obtained for youths with six chronic diseases, with complete data sets obtained from 190 couples. Paternal involvement was not associated with these outcomes among younger children. Among adolescents, mother-reported and father-reported DADS scores indicating more paternal involvement were associated with maintenance, rather than deterioration, of treatment adherence and more favorable quality of life. Youths' health status and health care utilization were not related significantly to paternal involvement. More paternal involvement was associated with more favorable adherence and quality of life among adolescents but not associated with health status or health care utilization. Longitudinal studies could verify whether paternal involvement merits clinical intervention.

Chronic alcohol exposure affects the cell components involved in membrane traffic in neuronal dendrites.

PubMed

Romero, Ana M; Renau-Piqueras, Jaime; Marín, M Pilar; Esteban-Pretel, Guillermo

2015-01-01

The specific traffic of the membrane components in neurons is a major requirement to establish and maintain neuronal domains-the axonal and the somatodendritic domains-and their polarized morphology. Unlike axons, dendrites contain membranous organelles, which are involved in the secretory pathway, including the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus and post-Golgi apparatus carriers, the cytoskeleton, and plasma membrane. A variety of molecules and factors are also involved in this process. Previous studies have shown that chronic alcohol exposure negatively affects several of these cell components, such as the Golgi apparatus or cytoskeleton in neurons. Yet very little information is available on the possible effects of this exposure on the remaining cell elements involved in intracellular trafficking in neurons, particularly in dendrites. By qualitative and quantitative electron microscopy, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting, we herein show that chronic exposure to moderate levels (30 mM) of ethanol in cultured neurons reduces the volume and surface density of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, and increases the levels of GRP78, a chaperone involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress. Ethanol also significantly diminishes the proportion of neurons that show an extension of Golgi into dendrites and dendritic Golgi outposts, a structure present exclusively in longer, thicker apical dendrites. Both Golgi apparatus types were also fragmented into a large number of cells. We also investigated the effect of alcohol on the levels of microtubule-based motor proteins KIF5, KIF17, KIFC2, dynein, and myosin IIb, responsible for transporting different cargoes in dendrites. Of these, alcohol differently affects several of them by lowering dynein and raising KIF5, KIFC2, and myosin IIb. These results, together with other previously published ones, suggest that practically all the protein trafficking steps in dendrites are altered to a greater or lesser extent by chronic

Parental involvement and association with adolescents' fruit and vegetable intake at follow-up: Process evaluation results from the multi-component school-based Boost intervention.

PubMed

Jørgensen, Sanne Ellegård; Jørgensen, Thea Suldrup; Aarestrup, Anne Kristine; Due, Pernille; Krølner, Rikke

2016-10-26

Based on the assumption of parental influence on adolescent behavior, multicomponent school-based dietary interventions often include a parental component. The effect of this intervention component is seldom reported and the evidence is inconsistent. We conducted a systematic process evaluation of the parental component and examined whether the leveal of parental involvement in a large multi-component intervention: the Boost study was associated with adolescents' fruit and vegetable (FV) intake at follow-up. The Boost study was targeting FV intake among 1,175 Danish 7 th graders (≈13- year-olds) in the school year 2010/11. The study included a school component: free FV in class and curricular activities; a local community component: fact sheets for sports- and youth clubs; and a parental component: presentation of Boost at a parent-school meeting, 6 newsletters to parents, 3 guided student-parent curricular activities, and a student-parent Boost event. Students whose parent replied to the follow-up survey (n = 347). Questionnaire data from students, parents and teachers at 20 intervention schools. Process evaluation measures: dose delivered, dose received, appreciation and level of parental involvement. Parental involvement was trichotomized into: low/no (0-2 points), medium (3 points) and high (4-6 points). The association between level of parental involvement and self-reported FV intake (24-h recall), was analyzed using multilevel regression analyses. The Boost study was presented at a parent-school meeting at all intervention schools. The dose delivered was low to moderate for the three other parental elements. Most parents appreciated the intervention and talked with their child about Boost (83.5 %). High, medium and low parental involvement was found among 30.5 %, 29.6 % and 39.4 % of the students respectively. Parental involvement was highest among women. More men agreed that the parental newsletters provided new information. Students with a medium

Involving mental health service users in quality assurance

PubMed Central

Weinstein, Jenny

2006-01-01

Abstract Objective  This study compares the process and outcomes of two approaches to engaging mental health (MH) service users in the quality assurance (QA) process. Background  QA plays a significant role in health and care services, including those delivered in the voluntary sector. The importance of actively, rather than passively, involving service users in evaluation and service development has been increasingly recognized during the last decade. Design  This retrospective small‐scale study uses document analysis to compare two QA reviews of a MH Day Centre, one that took place in 1998 as a traditional inspection‐type event and one that took place in 2000 as a collaborative process with a user‐led QA agenda. Setting and participants  The project was undertaken with staff, volunteers and service users in a voluntary sector MH Day Centre. Intervention  The study compares the management, style, evaluation tools and service user responses for the two reviews; it considers staff perspectives and discusses the implications of a collaborative, user‐led QA process for service development. Results  The first traditional top–down inspection‐type QA event had less ownership from service users and staff and served the main purpose of demonstrating that services met organizational standards. The second review, undertaken collaboratively with a user‐led agenda focused on different priorities, evolving a new approach to seeking users’ views and achieving a higher response rate. Conclusions  Because both users and staff had participated in most aspects of the second review they were more willing to work together and action plan to improve the service. It is suggested that the process contributed to an evolving ethos of more effective quality improvement and user involvement within the organization. PMID:16677189

Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy for rapid identification and quality evaluation of cell culture media components.

PubMed

Li, Boyan; Ryan, Paul W; Shanahan, Michael; Leister, Kirk J; Ryder, Alan G

2011-11-01

The application of fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy to the quantitative analysis of complex, aqueous solutions of cell culture media components was investigated. These components, yeastolate, phytone, recombinant human insulin, eRDF basal medium, and four different chemically defined (CD) media, are used for the formulation of basal and feed media employed in the production of recombinant proteins using a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell based process. The comprehensive analysis (either identification or quality assessment) of these materials using chromatographic methods is time consuming and expensive and is not suitable for high-throughput quality control. The use of EEM in conjunction with multiway chemometric methods provided a rapid, nondestructive analytical method suitable for the screening of large numbers of samples. Here we used multiway robust principal component analysis (MROBPCA) in conjunction with n-way partial least squares discriminant analysis (NPLS-DA) to develop a robust routine for both the identification and quality evaluation of these important cell culture materials. These methods are applicable to a wide range of complex mixtures because they do not rely on any predetermined compositional or property information, thus making them potentially very useful for sample handling, tracking, and quality assessment in biopharmaceutical industries.

Are All Program Elements Created Equal? Relations Between Specific Social and Emotional Learning Components and Teacher-Student Classroom Interaction Quality.

PubMed

Abry, Tashia; Rimm-Kaufman, Sara E; Curby, Timothy W

2017-02-01

School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are presented to educators with little understanding of the program components that have the greatest leverage for improving targeted outcomes. Conducted in the context of a randomized controlled trial, the present study used variation in treatment teachers' (N = 143) implementation of four core components of the Responsive Classroom approach to examine relations between each component and the quality of teachers' emotional, organizational, and instructional interactions in third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms (controlling for pre-intervention interaction quality and other covariates). We also examined the extent to which these relations varied as a function of teachers' baseline levels of interaction quality. Indices of teachers' implementation of Morning Meeting, Rule Creation, Interactive Modeling, and Academic Choice were derived from a combination of teacher-reported surveys and classroom observations. Ratings of teacher-student classroom interactions were aggregated across five observations conducted throughout the school year. Structural path models indicated that teachers' use of Morning Meeting and Academic Choice related to higher levels of emotionally supportive interactions; Academic Choice also related to higher levels of instructional interactions. In addition, teachers' baseline interaction quality moderated several associations such that the strongest relations between RC component use and interaction quality emerged for teachers with the lowest baseline interaction quality. Results highlight the value of examining individual program components toward the identification of program active ingredients that can inform intervention optimization and teacher professional development.

MERIS Retrieval of Water Quality Components in the Turbid Albemarle-Pamlico Sound Estuary, USA

EPA Science Inventory

Biological, geophysical and optical field observations carried out in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA were used to develop a semi-empirical optical algorithm for assessing inherent optical properties associated with water quality components (WQCs). Three wavelengths ...

Characterization of chromophoric dissolved organic matter and relationships among PARAFAC components and water quality parameters in Heilongjiang, China.

PubMed

Cui, Hongyang; Shi, Jianhong; Qiu, Linlin; Zhao, Yue; Wei, Zimin; Wang, Xinglei; Jia, Liming; Li, Jiming

2016-05-01

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is an important optically active substance that can transports nutrients and pollutants from terrestrial to aquatic systems. Additionally, it is used as a measure of water quality. To investigate the source and composition of CDOM, we used chemical and fluorescent analyses to characterize CDOM in Heilongjiang. The composition of CDOM can be investigated by excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). PARAFAC identified four individual components that were attributed to microbial humic-like (C1) and terrestrial humic-like (C2-4) in water samples collected from the Heilongjiang River. The relationships between the maximum fluorescence intensities of the four PARAFAC components and the water quality parameters indicate that the dynamic of the four components is related to nutrients in the Heilongjiang River. The relationships between the fluorescence component C3 and the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) indicates that component C3 makes a great contribution to BOD5 and it can be used as a carbon source for microbes in the Heilongjiang River. Furthermore, the relationships between component C3, the particulate organic carbon (POC), and the chemical oxygen demand (CODMn) show that component C3 and POC make great contributions to BOD5 and CODMn. The use of these indexes along with PARAFAC results would be of help to characterize the co-variation between the CDOM and water quality parameters in the Heilongjiang River.

MERIS Retrieval of Water Quality Components in the Turbid Albemarle-Pamlico Sound Estuary, USA

EPA Science Inventory

Two remote-sensing optical algorithms for the retrieval of the water quality components (WQCs) in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System (APES) have been developed and validated for chlorophyll a (Chl) concentration. Both algorithms are semiempirical because they incorporate some...

Pseudocontamination of blood components with Burkholderia cepacia during quality controls.

PubMed

Ebner, W; Meyer, E; Schulz-Huotari, C; Scholz, R; Zilow, G; Daschner, F D

2005-06-01

We report on a pseudooutbreak of Burkholderia cepacia because of the use of a contaminated disinfectant during quality controls in a university blood bank. No septic reactions associated with transfusions had been reported in patients over the last 6 months. Analysis of the individual quality control procedures showed that a disinfectant based on a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) had been used in order to disinfect the rubber stopper of the blood culture bottle. B. cepacia was found in a sample taken from this disinfectant, which was prepared with concentrate and tap water according to the manufacturer's instructions. The four isolates (one in disinfectant and three in blood components) were found to be identical in their biochemical reactions and resistance patterns. QAC-based disinfectants are not efficacious against a part of the spectrum of gram-negatives and are therefore inadequate. After introduction of an alcohol-based preparation, no more cases of B. cepacia contamination have been identified.

Low levels of food involvement and negative affect reduce the quality of diet in women of lower educational attainment.

PubMed

Jarman, M; Lawrence, W; Ntani, G; Tinati, T; Pease, A; Black, C; Baird, J; Barker, M

2012-10-01

Women of lower educational attainment tend to have poorer quality diets and lower food involvement (an indicator of the priority given to food) than women of higher educational attainment. The present study reports a study of the role of food involvement in the relationship between educational attainment and quality of diet in young women. The first phase uses six focus group discussions (n = 28) to explore the function of food involvement in shaping the food choices of women of lower and higher educational attainment with young children. The second phase is a survey that examines the relationship between educational attainment and quality of diet in women, and explores the role of mediating factors identified by the focus group discussions. The focus groups suggested that lower food involvement in women of lower educational attainment might be associated with negative affect (i.e. an observable expression of negative emotion), and that this might mean that they did not place a high priority on eating a good quality diet. In support of this hypothesis, the survey of 1010 UK women found that 14% of the effect of educational attainment on food involvement was mediated through the woman's affect (P ≤ 0.001), and that 9% of the effect of educational attainment on quality of diet was mediated through food involvement (P ≤ 0.001). Women who leave school with fewer qualifications may have poorer quality diets than women with more qualifications because they tend to have a lower level of food involvement, partly attributed to a more negative affect. Interventions to improve women's mood may benefit their quality of diet. © 2012 The Authors Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics © 2012 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Target for improvement: a cluster randomised trial of public involvement in quality-indicator prioritisation (intervention development and study protocol)

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Public priorities for improvement often differ from those of clinicians and managers. Public involvement has been proposed as a way to bridge the gap between professional and public clinical care priorities but has not been studied in the context of quality-indicator choice. Our objective is to assess the feasibility and impact of public involvement on quality-indicator choice and agreement with public priorities. Methods We will conduct a cluster randomised controlled trial comparing quality-indicator prioritisation with and without public involvement. In preparation for the trial, we developed a 'menu' of quality indicators, based on a systematic review of existing validated indicator sets. Participants (public representatives, clinicians, and managers) will be recruited from six participating sites. In intervention sites, public representatives will be involved through direct participation (public representatives, clinicians, and managers will deliberate together to agree on quality-indicator choice and use) and consultation (individual public recommendations for improvement will be collected and presented to decision makers). In control sites, only clinicians and managers will take part in the prioritisation process. Data on quality-indicator choice and intended use will be collected. Our primary outcome will compare quality-indicator choice and agreement with public priorities between intervention and control groups. A process evaluation based on direct observation, videorecording, and participants' assessment will be conducted to help explain the study's results. The marginal cost of public involvement will also be assessed. Discussion We identified 801 quality indicators that met our inclusion criteria. An expert panel agreed on a final set of 37 items containing validated quality indicators relevant for chronic disease prevention and management in primary care. We pilot tested our public-involvement intervention with 27 participants (11 public

A variation reduction allocation model for quality improvement to minimize investment and quality costs by considering suppliers’ learning curve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosyidi, C. N.; Jauhari, WA; Suhardi, B.; Hamada, K.

2016-02-01

Quality improvement must be performed in a company to maintain its product competitiveness in the market. The goal of such improvement is to increase the customer satisfaction and the profitability of the company. In current practice, a company needs several suppliers to provide the components in assembly process of a final product. Hence quality improvement of the final product must involve the suppliers. In this paper, an optimization model to allocate the variance reduction is developed. Variation reduction is an important term in quality improvement for both manufacturer and suppliers. To improve suppliers’ components quality, the manufacturer must invest an amount of their financial resources in learning process of the suppliers. The objective function of the model is to minimize the total cost consists of investment cost, and quality costs for both internal and external quality costs. The Learning curve will determine how the employee of the suppliers will respond to the learning processes in reducing the variance of the component.

Identification of a two-component signal transduction system involved in fimbriation of Porphyromonas gingivalis.

PubMed

Hayashi, J; Nishikawa, K; Hirano, R; Noguchi, T; Yoshimura, F

2000-01-01

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a periodontopathogen, is an oral anaerobic gram-negative bacterium with numerous fimbriae on the cell surface. Fimbriae have been considered to be an important virulence factor in this organism. We analyzed the genomic DNA of transposon-induced, fimbria-deficient mutants derived from ATCC 33277 and found that seven independent mutants had transposon insertions within the same restriction fragment. Cloning and sequencing of the disrupted region from one of the mutants revealed two adjacent open reading frames (ORFs) which seemed to encode a two-component signal transduction system. We also found that six of the mutants had insertions in a gene, fimS, a homologue of the genes encoding sensor kinase, and that the insertion in the remaining one disrupted the gene immediately downstream, fimR, a homologue of the response regulator genes in other bacteria. These findings suggest that this two-component regulatory system is involved in fimbriation of P. gingivalis.

Is parents' work involvement responsive to the quality of relationships with adolescent offspring?

PubMed

Fortner, Melissa R; Crouter, Ann C; McHale, Susan M

2004-09-01

Researchers know relatively little about how family relationships influence work involvement, although individuals are concerned about how family life interferes with or enhances work experiences. This study examined change in parents' work involvement as a function of relationship quality with offspring (mean age = 15 years) with data from 191 families participating in a longitudinal study. Results suggested a compensatory association between parents' feelings of acceptance and warmth toward offspring and work involvement. Less positive acceptance predicted (a) increasing emotional job involvement for mothers with sons and fathers with daughters and (b) increasing work hours for fathers with daughters. Results highlight how parents may compensate for less positive relationships with adolescents and are discussed in terms of research and applied implications. Copyright 2004 American Psychological Association

Component-Level Tuning of Kinematic Features from Composite Therapist Impressions of Movement Quality

PubMed Central

Venkataraman, Vinay; Turaga, Pavan; Baran, Michael; Lehrer, Nicole; Du, Tingfang; Cheng, Long; Rikakis, Thanassis; Wolf, Steven L.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a general framework for tuning component-level kinematic features using therapists’ overall impressions of movement quality, in the context of a Home-based Adaptive Mixed Reality Rehabilitation (HAMRR) system. We propose a linear combination of non-linear kinematic features to model wrist movement, and propose an approach to learn feature thresholds and weights using high-level labels of overall movement quality provided by a therapist. The kinematic features are chosen such that they correlate with the quality of wrist movements to clinical assessment scores. Further, the proposed features are designed to be reliably extracted from an inexpensive and portable motion capture system using a single reflective marker on the wrist. Using a dataset collected from ten stroke survivors, we demonstrate that the framework can be reliably used for movement quality assessment in HAMRR systems. The system is currently being deployed for large-scale evaluations, and will represent an increasingly important application area of motion capture and activity analysis. PMID:25438331

Investigating the use of patient involvement and patient experience in quality improvement in Norway: rhetoric or reality?

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Patient involvement in health care decision making is part of a wider trend towards a more bottom-up approach to service planning and provision, and patient experience is increasingly conceptualized as a core dimension of health care quality. The aim of this multi-level study is two-fold: 1) to describe and analyze how governmental organizations expect acute hospitals to incorporate patient involvement and patient experiences into their quality improvement (QI) efforts and 2) to analyze how patient involvement and patient experiences are used by hospitals to try to improve the quality of care they provide. Methods This multi-level case study combines analysis of national policy documents and regulations at the macro level with semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation of key meetings and shadowing of staff at the meso and micro levels in two purposively sampled Norwegian hospitals. Fieldwork at the meso and micro levels was undertaken over a 12-month period (2011–2012). Results Governmental documents and regulations at the macro level demonstrated wide-ranging expectations for the integration of patient involvement and patient experiences in QI work in hospitals. The expectations span from systematic collection of patients’ and family members’ experiences for the purpose of improving service quality through establishing patient-oriented arenas for ongoing collaboration with staff to the support of individual involvement in decision making. However, the extent of involvement of patients and application of patient experiences in QI work was limited at both hospitals. Even though patient involvement was gaining prominence at the meso level − and to a lesser extent at the micro level − relevant tools for measuring and using patient experiences in QI work were lacking, and available measures of patient experience were not being used meaningfully or systematically. Conclusions The relative lack of expertise in Norwegian hospitals of

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

21 CFR 111.120 - What quality control operations are required for components, packaging, and labels before use in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... components, packaging, and labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? 111.120 Section 111..., OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Production and Process Control System: Requirements for... labels before use in the manufacture of a dietary supplement? Quality control operations for components...

Manual versus Automated Carotid Artery Plaque Component Segmentation in High and Lower Quality 3.0 Tesla MRI Scans

PubMed Central

Smits, Loek P.; van Wijk, Diederik F.; Duivenvoorden, Raphael; Xu, Dongxiang; Yuan, Chun; Stroes, Erik S.; Nederveen, Aart J.

2016-01-01

Purpose To study the interscan reproducibility of manual versus automated segmentation of carotid artery plaque components, and the agreement between both methods, in high and lower quality MRI scans. Methods 24 patients with 30–70% carotid artery stenosis were planned for 3T carotid MRI, followed by a rescan within 1 month. A multicontrast protocol (T1w,T2w, PDw and TOF sequences) was used. After co-registration and delineation of the lumen and outer wall, segmentation of plaque components (lipid-rich necrotic cores (LRNC) and calcifications) was performed both manually and automated. Scan quality was assessed using a visual quality scale. Results Agreement for the detection of LRNC (Cohen’s kappa (k) is 0.04) and calcification (k = 0.41) between both manual and automated segmentation methods was poor. In the high-quality scans (visual quality score ≥ 3), the agreement between manual and automated segmentation increased to k = 0.55 and k = 0.58 for, respectively, the detection of LRNC and calcification larger than 1 mm2. Both manual and automated analysis showed good interscan reproducibility for the quantification of LRNC (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.94 and 0.80 respectively) and calcified plaque area (ICC of 0.95 and 0.77, respectively). Conclusion Agreement between manual and automated segmentation of LRNC and calcifications was poor, despite a good interscan reproducibility of both methods. The agreement between both methods increased to moderate in high quality scans. These findings indicate that image quality is a critical determinant of the performance of both manual and automated segmentation of carotid artery plaque components. PMID:27930665

Do quality improvement collaboratives' educational components match the dominant learning style preferences of the participants?

PubMed

Weggelaar-Jansen, Anne Marie; van Wijngaarden, Jeroen; Slaghuis, Sarah-Sue

2015-06-20

Quality improvement collaboratives are used to improve healthcare by various organizations. Despite their popularity literature shows mixed results on their effectiveness. A quality improvement collaborative can be seen as a temporary learning organization in which knowledge about improvement themes and methods is exchanged. In this research we studied: Does the learning approach of a quality improvement collaborative match the learning styles preferences of the individual participants and how does that affect the learning process of participants? This research used a mixed methods design combining a validated learning style questionnaire with data collected in the tradition of action research methodology to study two Dutch quality improvement collaboratives. The questionnaire is based on the learning style model of Ruijters and Simons, distinguishing five learning style preferences: Acquisition of knowledge, Apperception from others, Discovery of new insights, Exercising in fictitious situations and Participation with others. The most preferred learning styles of the participants were Discovery and Participation. The learning style Acquisition was moderately preferred and Apperception and Exercising were least preferred. The educational components of the quality improvement collaboratives studied (national conferences, half-day learning sessions, faculty site visits and use of an online tool) were predominantly associated with the learning styles Acquisition and Apperception. We observed a decrease in attendance to the learning activities and non-conformance with the standardized set goals and approaches. We conclude that the participants' satisfaction with the offered learning approach changed over time. The lacking match between these learning style preferences and the learning approach in the educational components of the quality improvement collaboratives studied might be the reason why the participants felt they did not gain new insights and therefore ceased

Combining RNA interference and kinase inhibitors against cell signalling components involved in cancer

PubMed Central

O'Grady, Michael; Raha, Debasish; Hanson, Bonnie J; Bunting, Michaeline; Hanson, George T

2005-01-01

Background The transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1) has been implicated in a large variety of biological processes including oncogenic transformation. The tyrosine kinases of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) constitute the beginning of one signal transduction cascade leading to AP-1 activation and are known to control cell proliferation and differentiation. Drug discovery efforts targeting this receptor and other pathway components have centred on monoclonal antibodies and small molecule inhibitors. Resistance to such inhibitors has already been observed, guiding the prediction of their use in combination therapies with other targeted agents such as RNA interference (RNAi). This study examines the use of RNAi and kinase inhibitors for qualification of components involved in the EGFR/AP-1 pathway of ME180 cells, and their inhibitory effects when evaluated individually or in tandem against multiple components of this important disease-related pathway. Methods AP-1 activation was assessed using an ME180 cell line stably transfected with a beta-lactamase reporter gene under the control of AP-1 response element following epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation. Immunocytochemistry allowed for further quantification of small molecule inhibition on a cellular protein level. RNAi and RT-qPCR experiments were performed to assess the amount of knockdown on an mRNA level, and immunocytochemistry was used to reveal cellular protein levels for the targeted pathway components. Results Increased potency of kinase inhibitors was shown by combining RNAi directed towards EGFR and small molecule inhibitors acting at proximal or distal points in the pathway. After cellular stimulation with EGF and analysis at the level of AP-1 activation using a β-lactamase reporter gene, a 10–12 fold shift or 2.5–3 fold shift toward greater potency in the IC50 was observed for EGFR and MEK-1 inhibitors, respectively, in the presence of RNAi targeting EGFR. Conclusion EGFR

Influence of ingredients and chemical components on the quality of Chinese steamed bread.

PubMed

Zhu, Fan

2014-11-15

Chinese steamed bread (CSB) is a staple food in China since ancient time. The basic ingredients include wheat flour, yeast/sourdough, and water. Current consumer trends urge the production of CSB on a large scale as well as the formulation of healthier CSB with specific nutritional benefits. This requires a better definition of the relationship between the properties of ingredients/chemical components and CSB quality. This review summarises the recent advances in understanding the roles of basic and optional ingredients and their chemical components in the appearance, textural, sensory, and shelf-life properties of CSB, and provides suggestions for further research to match the current trends. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the Water Quality Components in Turbid Estuarine Waters Based on Radiative Transfer Approximations

EPA Science Inventory

Bio-geo-optical data collected in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA were used to develop a semi-empirical optical algorithm for assessing inherent optical properties associated with water quality components (WQCs). Three wavelengths (560, 665 and 709 nm) were explored ...

DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS OF CFD SIMULATIONS IN SUPPORT OF AIR QUALITY STUDIES INVOLVING BUILDINGS

EPA Science Inventory

There is a need to properly develop the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods in support of air quality studies involving pollution sources near buildings at industrial sites. CFD models are emerging as a promising technology for such assessments, in part due ...

NOAA's National Air Quality Predictions and Development of Aerosol and Atmospheric Composition Prediction Components for the Next Generation Global Prediction System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stajner, I.; Hou, Y. T.; McQueen, J.; Lee, P.; Stein, A. F.; Tong, D.; Pan, L.; Huang, J.; Huang, H. C.; Upadhayay, S.

2016-12-01

NOAA provides operational air quality predictions using the National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC): ozone and wildfire smoke for the United States and airborne dust for the contiguous 48 states at http://airquality.weather.gov. NOAA's predictions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) became publicly available in February 2016. Ozone and PM2.5 predictions are produced using a system that operationally links the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model with meteorological inputs from the North American mesoscale forecast Model (NAM). Smoke and dust predictions are provided using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. Current NAQFC focus is on updating CMAQ to version 5.0.2, improving PM2.5 predictions, and updating emissions estimates, especially for NOx using recently observed trends. Wildfire smoke emissions from a newer version of the USFS BlueSky system are being included in a new configuration of the NAQFC NAM-CMAQ system, which is re-run for the previous 24 hours when the wildfires were observed from satellites, to better represent wildfire emissions prior to initiating predictions for the next 48 hours. In addition, NOAA is developing the Next Generation Global Prediction System (NGGPS) to represent the earth system for extended weather prediction. NGGPS will include a representation of atmospheric dynamics, physics, aerosols and atmospheric composition as well as coupling with ocean, wave, ice and land components. NGGPS is being developed with a broad community involvement, including community developed components and academic research to develop and test potential improvements for potentially inclusion in NGGPS. Several investigators at NOAA's research laboratories and in academia are working to improve the aerosol and gaseous chemistry representation for NGGPS, to develop and evaluate the representation of atmospheric composition, and to establish and improve the coupling with radiation and microphysics

Verifying Digital Components of Physical Systems: Experimental Evaluation of Test Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laputenko, A. V.; López, J. E.; Yevtushenko, N. V.

2018-03-01

This paper continues the study of high quality test derivation for verifying digital components which are used in various physical systems; those are sensors, data transfer components, etc. We have used logic circuits b01-b010 of the package of ITC'99 benchmarks (Second Release) for experimental evaluation which as stated before, describe digital components of physical systems designed for various applications. Test sequences are derived for detecting the most known faults of the reference logic circuit using three different approaches to test derivation. Three widely used fault types such as stuck-at-faults, bridges, and faults which slightly modify the behavior of one gate are considered as possible faults of the reference behavior. The most interesting test sequences are short test sequences that can provide appropriate guarantees after testing, and thus, we experimentally study various approaches to the derivation of the so-called complete test suites which detect all fault types. In the first series of experiments, we compare two approaches for deriving complete test suites. In the first approach, a shortest test sequence is derived for testing each fault. In the second approach, a test sequence is pseudo-randomly generated by the use of an appropriate software for logic synthesis and verification (ABC system in our study) and thus, can be longer. However, after deleting sequences detecting the same set of faults, a test suite returned by the second approach is shorter. The latter underlines the fact that in many cases it is useless to spend `time and efforts' for deriving a shortest distinguishing sequence; it is better to use the test minimization afterwards. The performed experiments also show that the use of only randomly generated test sequences is not very efficient since such sequences do not detect all the faults of any type. After reaching the fault coverage around 70%, saturation is observed, and the fault coverage cannot be increased anymore. For

Boar seminal plasma components and their relation with semen quality.

PubMed

López Rodríguez, Alfonso; Rijsselaere, Tom; Beek, Josine; Vyt, Philip; Van Soom, Ann; Maes, Dominiek

2013-02-01

Select boar seminal plasma (SP) components and their relation to semen quality were investigated. Thirty nine boars from three artificial insemination (AI) centers were divided into group A (GA: > 80% normal sperm and >70% motility) and group B (GB: < 80% normal sperm and < 70% motility). Each ejaculate was collected and semen volume, concentration, sperm motility (computer aided semen analysis; CASA), morphology, and vitality (both eosin nigrosin staining) were investigated. The SP was separated and analyzed for aspartate-amino-transferase (AST), γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and the concentrations of sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), calcium (Ca), phosphate (PO(4)(3-)), magnesium (Mg), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) were assessed. Repeated measures (2 months interval) were conducted in eight boars of GA from one AI center. The activity of GGT (r = -0.482) and ALP (r = -0.459) was moderately associated (p < 0.05) with ejaculate volume and strongly associated with concentration (r = 0.580 and r = 0.618, respectively; p = 0.000). Moderate associations (p < 0.05) were found between ALP (r = 0.439), GGT (r = 0.387), Na (r = -0.428), K (r = 0.354), and Se (r = 0.354) with progressive motility. The SP concentration of Na (r = -0.401), Cl (r = -0.521), and K (r = 0.350) was associated (p < 0.05) with normal morphology. Only Mg was associated (p < 0.05) with membrane damage (r = -0.335). The concentration of Na, Cl, and Zn (1681.0 vs. 1701.0 µg/dL) was different between groups (p < 0.05). Repeated measures showed significant differences in time but only for Na, Mg, and Zn (p < 0.05). In conclusion, several biochemical components of SP were related to semen quality. The analysis of biochemical parameters could provide extra information about reproductive health of AI boars.

Consumer involvement in Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) projects - lessons from Australia.

PubMed

Kirkpatrick, Carl M J; Roughead, Elizabeth E; Monteith, Gregory R; Tett, Susan E

2005-12-01

It is essential that knowledge gained through health services research is collated and made available for evaluation, for policy purposes and to enable collaboration between people working in similar areas (capacity building). The Australian Quality Use of Medicine (QUM) on-line, web-based project database, known as the QUMmap, was designed to meet these needs for a specific sub-section of health services research related to improving the use of medicines. Australia's National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines identifies the primacy of consumers as a major principle for quality use of medicines, and aims to support consumer led research. The aim of this study was to determine how consumers as a group have been represented in QUM projects in Australia. A secondary aim was to investigate how the projects with consumer involvement fit into Australia's QUM policy framework. Using the web-based QUMmap, all projects which claimed consumer involvement were identified and stratified into four categories, projects undertaken by; (a) consumers for consumers, (b) health professionals for consumers, (c) health professionals for health professionals, and (d) other. Projects in the first two categories were then classified according to the policy 'building blocks' considered necessary to achieve QUM. Of the 143 'consumer' projects identified, the majority stated to be 'for consumers' were either actually by health professionals for health professionals (c) or by health professionals for consumers (b) (47% and 40% respectively). Only 12 projects (9%) were directly undertaken by consumers or consumer groups for consumers (a). The majority of the health professionals for consumers (b) projects were directed at the provision of services and interventions, but were not focusing on the education, training or skill development of consumers. Health services research relating to QUM is active in Australia and the projects are collated and searchable on the web-based interactive

Transcriptomic insights into citrus segment membrane's cell wall components relating to fruit sensory texture.

PubMed

Wang, Xun; Lin, Lijin; Tang, Yi; Xia, Hui; Zhang, Xiancong; Yue, Maolan; Qiu, Xia; Xu, Ke; Wang, Zhihui

2018-04-23

During fresh fruit consumption, sensory texture is one factor that affects the organoleptic qualities. Chemical components of plant cell walls, including pectin, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, play central roles in determining the textural qualities. To explore the genes and regulatory pathways involved in fresh citrus' perceived sensory texture, we performed mRNA-seq analyses of the segment membranes of two citrus cultivars, Shiranui and Kiyomi, with different organoleptic textures. Segment membranes were sampled at two developmental stages of citrus fruit, the beginning and end of the expansion period. More than 3000 differentially expressed genes were identified. The gene ontology analysis revealed that more categories were significantly enriched in 'Shiranui' than in 'Kiyomi' at both developmental stages. In total, 108 significantly enriched pathways were obtained, with most belonging to metabolism. A detailed transcriptomic analysis revealed potential critical genes involved in the metabolism of cell wall structures, for example, GAUT4 in pectin synthesis, CESA1, 3 and 6, and SUS4 in cellulose synthesis, CSLC5, XXT1 and XXT2 in hemicellulose synthesis, and CSE in lignin synthesis. Low levels, or no expression, of genes involved in cellulose and hemicellulose, such as CESA4, CESA7, CESA8, IRX9 and IRX14, confirmed that secondary cell walls were negligible or absent in citrus segment membranes. A chemical component analysis of the segment membranes from mature fruit revealed that the pectin, cellulose and lignin contents, and the segment membrane's weight (% of segment) were greater in 'Kiyomi'. Organoleptic quality of citrus is easily overlooked. It is mainly determined by sensory texture perceived in citrus segment membrane properties. We performed mRNA-seq analyses of citrus segment membranes to explore the genes and regulatory pathways involved in fresh citrus' perceived sensory texture. Transcriptomic data showed high repeatability between two

Use of Principal Components Analysis and Kriging to Predict Groundwater-Sourced Rural Drinking Water Quality in Saskatchewan

PubMed Central

McLeod, Lianne; Bharadwaj, Lalita; Epp, Tasha; Waldner, Cheryl L.

2017-01-01

Groundwater drinking water supply surveillance data were accessed to summarize water quality delivered as public and private water supplies in southern Saskatchewan as part of an exposure assessment for epidemiologic analyses of associations between water quality and type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Arsenic in drinking water has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases and previous studies have identified multiple wells with arsenic above the drinking water standard of 0.01 mg/L; therefore, arsenic concentrations were of specific interest. Principal components analysis was applied to obtain principal component (PC) scores to summarize mixtures of correlated parameters identified as health standards and those identified as aesthetic objectives in the Saskatchewan Drinking Water Quality Standards and Objective. Ordinary, universal, and empirical Bayesian kriging were used to interpolate arsenic concentrations and PC scores in southern Saskatchewan, and the results were compared. Empirical Bayesian kriging performed best across all analyses, based on having the greatest number of variables for which the root mean square error was lowest. While all of the kriging methods appeared to underestimate high values of arsenic and PC scores, empirical Bayesian kriging was chosen to summarize large scale geographic trends in groundwater-sourced drinking water quality and assess exposure to mixtures of trace metals and ions. PMID:28914824

Use of Principal Components Analysis and Kriging to Predict Groundwater-Sourced Rural Drinking Water Quality in Saskatchewan.

PubMed

McLeod, Lianne; Bharadwaj, Lalita; Epp, Tasha; Waldner, Cheryl L

2017-09-15

Groundwater drinking water supply surveillance data were accessed to summarize water quality delivered as public and private water supplies in southern Saskatchewan as part of an exposure assessment for epidemiologic analyses of associations between water quality and type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Arsenic in drinking water has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases and previous studies have identified multiple wells with arsenic above the drinking water standard of 0.01 mg/L; therefore, arsenic concentrations were of specific interest. Principal components analysis was applied to obtain principal component (PC) scores to summarize mixtures of correlated parameters identified as health standards and those identified as aesthetic objectives in the Saskatchewan Drinking Water Quality Standards and Objective. Ordinary, universal, and empirical Bayesian kriging were used to interpolate arsenic concentrations and PC scores in southern Saskatchewan, and the results were compared. Empirical Bayesian kriging performed best across all analyses, based on having the greatest number of variables for which the root mean square error was lowest. While all of the kriging methods appeared to underestimate high values of arsenic and PC scores, empirical Bayesian kriging was chosen to summarize large scale geographic trends in groundwater-sourced drinking water quality and assess exposure to mixtures of trace metals and ions.

Whole blood treated with riboflavin and ultraviolet light: quality assessment of all blood components produced by the buffy coat method.

PubMed

Schubert, Peter; Culibrk, Brankica; Karwal, Simrath; Serrano, Katherine; Levin, Elena; Bu, Daniel; Bhakta, Varsha; Sheffield, William P; Goodrich, Raymond P; Devine, Dana V

2015-04-01

Pathogen inactivation (PI) technologies are currently licensed for use with platelet (PLT) and plasma components. Treatment of whole blood (WB) would be of benefit to the blood banking community by saving time and costs compared to individual component treatment. However, no paired, pool-and-split study directly assessing the impact of WB PI on the subsequently produced components has yet been reported. In a "pool-and-split" study, WB either was treated with riboflavin and ultraviolet (UV) light or was kept untreated as control. The buffy coat (BC) method produced plasma, PLT, and red blood cell (RBC) components. PLT units arising from the untreated WB study arm were treated with riboflavin and UV light on day of production and compared to PLT concentrates (PCs) produced from the treated WB units. A panel of common in vitro variables for the three types of components was used to monitor quality throughout their respective storage periods. PCs derived from the WB PI treatment were of significantly better quality than treated PLT components for most variables. RBCs produced from the WB treatment deteriorated earlier during storage than untreated units. Plasma components showed a 3% to 44% loss in activity for several clotting factors. Treatment of WB with riboflavin and UV before production of components by the BC method shows a negative impact on all three blood components. PLT units produced from PI-treated WB exhibited less damage compared to PLT component treatment. © 2014 AABB.

Spatial, Temporal, and Density-Dependent Components of Habitat Quality for a Desert Owl

PubMed Central

Flesch, Aaron D.; Hutto, Richard L.; van Leeuwen, Willem J. D.; Hartfield, Kyle; Jacobs, Sky

2015-01-01

Spatial variation in resources is a fundamental driver of habitat quality but the realized value of resources at any point in space may depend on the effects of conspecifics and stochastic factors, such as weather, which vary through time. We evaluated the relative and combined effects of habitat resources, weather, and conspecifics on habitat quality for ferruginous pygmy-owls (Glaucidium brasilianum) in the Sonoran Desert of northwest Mexico by monitoring reproductive output and conspecific abundance over 10 years in and around 107 territory patches. Variation in reproductive output was much greater across space than time, and although habitat resources explained a much greater proportion of that variation (0.70) than weather (0.17) or conspecifics (0.13), evidence for interactions among each of these components of the environment was strong. Relative to habitat that was persistently low in quality, high-quality habitat buffered the negative effects of conspecifics and amplified the benefits of favorable weather, but did not buffer the disadvantages of harsh weather. Moreover, the positive effects of favorable weather at low conspecific densities were offset by intraspecific competition at high densities. Although realized habitat quality declined with increasing conspecific density suggesting interference mechanisms associated with an Ideal Free Distribution, broad spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality persisted. Factors linked to food resources had positive effects on reproductive output but only where nest cavities were sufficiently abundant to mitigate the negative effects of heterospecific enemies. Annual precipitation and brooding-season temperature had strong multiplicative effects on reproductive output, which declined at increasing rates as drought and temperature increased, reflecting conditions predicted to become more frequent with climate change. Because the collective environment influences habitat quality in complex ways, integrated approaches

Spatial, temporal, and density-dependent components of habitat quality for a desert owl.

PubMed

Flesch, Aaron D; Hutto, Richard L; van Leeuwen, Willem J D; Hartfield, Kyle; Jacobs, Sky

2015-01-01

Spatial variation in resources is a fundamental driver of habitat quality but the realized value of resources at any point in space may depend on the effects of conspecifics and stochastic factors, such as weather, which vary through time. We evaluated the relative and combined effects of habitat resources, weather, and conspecifics on habitat quality for ferruginous pygmy-owls (Glaucidium brasilianum) in the Sonoran Desert of northwest Mexico by monitoring reproductive output and conspecific abundance over 10 years in and around 107 territory patches. Variation in reproductive output was much greater across space than time, and although habitat resources explained a much greater proportion of that variation (0.70) than weather (0.17) or conspecifics (0.13), evidence for interactions among each of these components of the environment was strong. Relative to habitat that was persistently low in quality, high-quality habitat buffered the negative effects of conspecifics and amplified the benefits of favorable weather, but did not buffer the disadvantages of harsh weather. Moreover, the positive effects of favorable weather at low conspecific densities were offset by intraspecific competition at high densities. Although realized habitat quality declined with increasing conspecific density suggesting interference mechanisms associated with an Ideal Free Distribution, broad spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality persisted. Factors linked to food resources had positive effects on reproductive output but only where nest cavities were sufficiently abundant to mitigate the negative effects of heterospecific enemies. Annual precipitation and brooding-season temperature had strong multiplicative effects on reproductive output, which declined at increasing rates as drought and temperature increased, reflecting conditions predicted to become more frequent with climate change. Because the collective environment influences habitat quality in complex ways, integrated approaches

Quality control procedures for dynamic treatment delivery techniques involving couch motion.

PubMed

Yu, Victoria Y; Fahimian, Benjamin P; Xing, Lei; Hristov, Dimitre H

2014-08-01

In this study, the authors introduce and demonstrate quality control procedures for evaluating the geometric and dosimetric fidelity of dynamic treatment delivery techniques involving treatment couch motion synchronous with gantry and multileaf collimator (MLC). Tests were designed to evaluate positional accuracy, velocity constancy and accuracy for dynamic couch motion under a realistic weight load. A test evaluating the geometric accuracy of the system in delivering treatments over complex dynamic trajectories was also devised. Custom XML scripts that control the Varian TrueBeam™ STx (Serial #3) axes in Developer Mode were written to implement the delivery sequences for the tests. Delivered dose patterns were captured with radiographic film or the electronic portal imaging device. The couch translational accuracy in dynamic treatment mode was 0.01 cm. Rotational accuracy was within 0.3°, with 0.04 cm displacement of the rotational axis. Dose intensity profiles capturing the velocity constancy and accuracy for translations and rotation exhibited standard deviation and maximum deviations below 3%. For complex delivery involving MLC and couch motions, the overall translational accuracy for reproducing programmed patterns was within 0.06 cm. The authors conclude that in Developer Mode, TrueBeam™ is capable of delivering dynamic treatment delivery techniques involving couch motion with good geometric and dosimetric fidelity.

Spouses' involvement in their partners' diabetes management: associations with spouse stress and perceived marital quality.

PubMed

August, Kristin J; Rook, Karen S; Franks, Melissa M; Parris Stephens, Mary Ann

2013-10-01

Spouses frequently attempt to influence (control) or support their chronically ill partners' adherence behaviors. Studies have documented effects of spousal control and support on chronically ill individuals, but little is known about how these two forms of involvement in a partner's disease management may be associated with spouses' stress or the quality of their interactions with their ill partners. The current study sought to address this gap by examining spouses' day-to-day involvement in their marital partner's management of type 2 diabetes (n = 129). Multilevel analyses of daily diary data revealed that on days when spouses exerted control, they reported more stress and more tense marital interactions, although these associations were more pronounced when patients exhibited poor adherence, had been ill for a longer period of time, and had more comorbid health conditions. On days when spouses provided support, in contrast, they reported less stress and more enjoyable marital interactions. The findings from the current study suggest that spouses' day-to-day stress and quality of interactions with their partners are associated with spouses' involvement in their partners' disease management, with health-related social control and support exhibiting distinctive associations.

Sound quality assessment of Diesel combustion noise using in-cylinder pressure components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payri, F.; Broatch, A.; Margot, X.; Monelletta, L.

2009-01-01

The combustion process in direct injection (DI) Diesel engines is an important source of noise, and it is thus the main reason why end-users could be reluctant to drive vehicles powered with this type of engine. This means that the great potential of Diesel engines for environment preservation—due to their lower consumption and the subsequent reduction of CO2 emissions—may be lost. Moreover, the advanced combustion concepts—e.g. the HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition)—developed to comply with forthcoming emissions legislation, while maintaining the efficiency of current engines, are expected to be noisier because they are characterized by a higher amount of premixed combustion. For this reason many efforts have been dedicated by car manufacturers in recent years to reduce the overall level and improve the sound quality of engine noise. Evaluation procedures are required, both for noise levels and sound quality, that may be integrated in the global engine development process in a timely and cost-effective manner. In previous published work, the authors proposed a novel method for the assessment of engine noise level. A similar procedure is applied in this paper to demonstrate the suitability of combustion indicators for the evaluation of engine noise quality. These indicators, which are representative of the peak velocity of fuel burning and the resonance in the combustion chamber, are well correlated with the combustion noise mark obtained from jury testing. Quite good accuracy in the prediction of the engine noise quality has been obtained with the definition of a two-component regression, which also permits the identification of the combustion process features related to the resulting noise quality, so that corrective actions may be proposed.

Testing procedures for carbon fiber reinforced plastic components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gosse, H. J.; Kaitatzidi, M.; Roth, S.

1977-01-01

Tests for studying the basic material are considered and quality control investigations involving preimpregnated materials (prepreg) are discussed. Attention is given to the prepreg area weight, the fiber area weight of prepregs, the resin content, volatile components, the effective thickness, resin flow, the resistance to bending strain, tensile strength, and shear strength. A description of tests conducted during the manufacturing process is also presented, taking into account X-ray methods, approaches of neutron radiography, ultrasonic procedures, resonance methods and impedance studies.

Relationships between self-reported sleep quality components and cognitive functioning in breast cancer survivors up to 10 years following chemotherapy.

PubMed

Henneghan, Ashley M; Carter, Patricia; Stuifbergan, Alexa; Parmelee, Brennan; Kesler, Shelli

2018-04-23

Links have been made between aspects of sleep quality and cognitive function in breast cancer survivors (BCS), but findings are heterogeneous. The objective of this study is to examine relationships between specific sleep quality components (latency, duration, efficiency, daytime sleepiness, sleep disturbance, use of sleep aids) and cognitive impairment (performance and perceived), and determine which sleep quality components are the most significant contributors to cognitive impairments in BCS 6 months to 10 years post chemotherapy. Women 21 to 65 years old with a history of non-metastatic breast cancer following chemotherapy completion were recruited. Data collection included surveys to evaluate sleep quality and perceived cognitive impairments, and neuropsychological testing to evaluate verbal fluency and memory. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression were calculated. 90 women (mean age 49) completed data collection. Moderate significant correlations were found between daytime dysfunction, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and sleep disturbance and perceived cognitive impairment (Rs = -0.37 to -0.49, Ps<.00049), but not objective cognitive performance of verbal fluency, memory or attention. After accounting for individual and clinical characteristics, the strongest predictors of perceived cognitive impairments were daytime dysfunction, sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbance. Findings support links between sleep quality and perceived cognitive impairments in BCS and suggest specific components of sleep quality (daytime dysfunction, sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbance) are associated with perceived cognitive functioning in this population. Findings can assist clinicians in guiding survivors to manage sleep and cognitive problems and aid in the design of interventional research. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Quality Circles: Involvement, Problem-Solving, and Recognition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moretz, H. Lynn

1983-01-01

The media production department of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) began quality circle meetings in January 1981 after studying the process of quality circles and obtaining the understanding and support of the college administration. A quality circle is a small group of people doing similar work who voluntarily meet on a regular basis to…

Managerial implications of corporate board involvement and perceived market competition for quality improvement in nursing homes.

PubMed

Weech-Maldonado, R; Zinn, J S; Brannon, D

1999-01-01

This study examines the relationships among corporate board involvement, total quality management (TQM) adoption, perceived market competition, and the perceived effect of quality improvement (QI) activities for a sample of nursing homes in Pennsylvania. The findings of this study have several implications for healthcare managers interested in maximizing the effectiveness of QI efforts. Board involvement in quality improvement was an important predictor of QI outcomes in the areas of finance, resident care, and human resources. However, TQM adoption had a positive effect on human resources outcomes only. These findings suggest that board involvement in any organized form of QI may be more important than the adoption of a formal TQM program in the nursing home industry. TQM's emphasis on employee empowerment may account for its positive influence on human resources. Perceived competition was associated with better financial outcomes. Low-cost leadership can be a key to survival in more competitive markets, requiring a focus on efficiency and productivity issues in QI efforts. By focusing on process improvement, the facilities may achieve cost reductions that can result in an improved financial position. Facilities perceived to be in more competitive environments were also more likely to adopt TQM. This is consistent with the assertion by resource-dependence theorists that organizations facing competition for resources must be responsive to the needs of resource-providing constituencies.

Total Quality Management in Libraries. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masters, Denise G.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is "a system of continuous improvement employing participative management and centered on the needs of customers." Key components of TQM are employee involvement and training, problem-solving teams, statistical methods, long-term goals and thinking, and recognition that the system, not people, produces…

[Quality evaluation of rhubarb dispensing granules based on multi-component simultaneous quantitative analysis and bioassay].

PubMed

Tan, Peng; Zhang, Hai-Zhu; Zhang, Ding-Kun; Wu, Shan-Na; Niu, Ming; Wang, Jia-Bo; Xiao, Xiao-He

2017-07-01

This study attempts to evaluate the quality of Chinese formula granules by combined use of multi-component simultaneous quantitative analysis and bioassay. The rhubarb dispensing granules were used as the model drug for demonstrative study. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was adopted for simultaneously quantitative determination of the 10 anthraquinone derivatives (such as aloe emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside) in rhubarb dispensing granules; purgative biopotency of different batches of rhubarb dispensing granules was determined based on compound diphenoxylate tablets-induced mouse constipation model; blood activating biopotency of different batches of rhubarb dispensing granules was determined based on in vitro rat antiplatelet aggregation model; SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for correlation analysis between 10 anthraquinone derivatives and purgative biopotency, blood activating biopotency. The results of multi-components simultaneous quantitative analysisshowed that there was a great difference in chemical characterizationand certain differences inpurgative biopotency and blood activating biopotency among 10 batches of rhubarb dispensing granules. The correlation analysis showed that the intensity of purgative biopotency was significantly correlated with the content of conjugated anthraquinone glycosides (P<0.01), and the intensity of blood activating biopotency was significantly correlated with the content of free anthraquinone (P<0.01). In summary, the combined use of multi-component simultaneous quantitative analysis and bioassay can achieve objective quantification and more comprehensive reflection on overall quality difference among different batches of rhubarb dispensing granules. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Application of principal component regression and partial least squares regression in ultraviolet spectrum water quality detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiangtong; Luo, Yongdao; Dai, Honglin

2018-01-01

Water is the source of life and the essential foundation of all life. With the development of industrialization, the phenomenon of water pollution is becoming more and more frequent, which directly affects the survival and development of human. Water quality detection is one of the necessary measures to protect water resources. Ultraviolet (UV) spectral analysis is an important research method in the field of water quality detection, which partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis method is becoming predominant technology, however, in some special cases, PLSR's analysis produce considerable errors. In order to solve this problem, the traditional principal component regression (PCR) analysis method was improved by using the principle of PLSR in this paper. The experimental results show that for some special experimental data set, improved PCR analysis method performance is better than PLSR. The PCR and PLSR is the focus of this paper. Firstly, the principal component analysis (PCA) is performed by MATLAB to reduce the dimensionality of the spectral data; on the basis of a large number of experiments, the optimized principal component is extracted by using the principle of PLSR, which carries most of the original data information. Secondly, the linear regression analysis of the principal component is carried out with statistic package for social science (SPSS), which the coefficients and relations of principal components can be obtained. Finally, calculating a same water spectral data set by PLSR and improved PCR, analyzing and comparing two results, improved PCR and PLSR is similar for most data, but improved PCR is better than PLSR for data near the detection limit. Both PLSR and improved PCR can be used in Ultraviolet spectral analysis of water, but for data near the detection limit, improved PCR's result better than PLSR.

Palliative care in the home: a scoping review of study quality, primary outcomes, and thematic component analysis.

PubMed

Hofmeister, Mark; Memedovich, Ally; Dowsett, Laura E; Sevick, Laura; McCarron, Tamara; Spackman, Eldon; Stafinski, Tania; Menon, Devidas; Noseworthy, Tom; Clement, Fiona

2018-03-07

The aim of palliative care is to improve the quality of life of patients and families through the prevention and relief of suffering. Frequently, patients may choose to receive palliative care in the home. The objective of this paper is to summarize the quality and primary outcomes measured within the palliative care in the home literature. This will synthesize the current state of the literature and inform future work. A scoping review was completed using PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EconLit, PsycINFO, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database were searched from inception to August 2016. Inclusion criteria included: 1) care was provided in the "home of the patient" as defined by the study, 2) outcomes were reported, and 3) reported original data. Thematic component analysis was completed to categorize interventions. Fifty-three studies formed the final data set. The literature varied extensively. Five themes were identified: accessibility of healthcare, caregiver support, individualized patient centered care, multidisciplinary care provision, and quality improvement. Primary outcomes were resource use, symptom burden, quality of life, satisfaction, caregiver distress, place of death, cost analysis, or described experiences. The majority of studies were of moderate or unclear quality. There is robust literature of varying quality, assessing different components of palliative care in the home interventions, and measuring different outcomes. To be meaningful to patients, these interventions need to be consistently evaluated with outcomes that matter to patients. Future research could focus on reaching a consensus for outcomes to evaluate palliative care in the home interventions.

REVIEW OF THE GOVERNING EQUATIONS, COMPUTATIONAL ALGORITHMS, AND OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE MODELS-3 COMMUNITY MULTISCALE AIR QUALITY (CMAQ) MODELING SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

This article describes the governing equations, computational algorithms, and other components entering into the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system. This system has been designed to approach air quality as a whole by including state-of-the-science capabiliti...

Coptidis rhizoma and its main bioactive components: recent advances in chemical investigation, quality evaluation and pharmacological activity.

PubMed

Meng, Fan-Cheng; Wu, Zheng-Feng; Yin, Zhi-Qi; Lin, Li-Gen; Wang, Ruibing; Zhang, Qing-Wen

2018-01-01

Coptidis rhizoma (CR) is the dried rhizome of Coptis chinensis Franch., C. deltoidea C. Y. Cheng et Hsiao or C. teeta Wall. (Ranunculaceae) and is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of various diseases including bacillary dysentery, typhoid, tuberculosis, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, empyrosis, pertussis, and other illnesses. A literature survey was conducted via SciFinder, ScieneDirect, PubMed, Springer, and Wiley databases. A total of 139 selected references were classified on the basis of their research scopes, including chemical investigation, quality evaluation and pharmacological studies. Many types of secondary metabolites including alkaloids, lignans, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saccharides, and steroids have been isolated from CR. Among them, protoberberine-type alkaloids, such as berberine, palmatine, coptisine, epiberberine, jatrorrhizine, columamine, are the main components of CR. Quantitative determination of these alkaloids is a very important aspect in the quality evaluation of CR. In recent years, with the advances in isolation and detection technologies, many new instruments and methods have been developed for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the main alkaloids from CR. The quality control of CR has provided safety for pharmacological applications. These quality evaluation methods are also frequently employed to screen the active components from CR. Various investigations have shown that CR and its main alkaloids exhibited many powerful pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, hypoglycemic, anti-Alzheimer and hepatoprotective activities. This review summarizes the recent phytochemical investigations, quality evaluation methods, the biological studies focusing on CR as well as its main alkaloids.

Blood component recalls in the United States.

PubMed

Ramsey, G; Sherman, L A

1999-05-01

United States blood suppliers are required to recall marketed blood components later found to be in violation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for safety, purity, and potency. Many recalled units have already been transfused. Analysis of the frequency and nature of blood component recalls would be useful for blood suppliers, transfusion services, and physicians. Each blood component recall in the weekly FDA Enforcement Report from 1990 through 1997 was examined for the number of units, recall reason, and hazard class. Units for manufacturing were excluded. In 8 years, an estimated 241,800 blood components were recalled, or approximately 1 in 700 units available to US hospitals. Eighty-eight percent of recalled units were in 22 large recalls of over 1000 units each. The most common reasons were incorrect testing for syphilis (57% of units) or viral markers (19%), reactive or previously reactive donor viral markers (6-11%), and inadequate donor-history screening (4%). Twelve units were in the FDA's highest hazard Class I, 24 percent were in Class II, and 76 percent were in Class III. Over 43,900 units had HIV-related problems, but only 3 units involved HIV transmission. Large recalls have declined since peaking in 1995, but units in small recalls increased 116 percent in 1997 over the previous 7-year average. Although high-risk recalls are rare, many blood component recalls pose medical concerns for physicians and patients. The recent decline in large recalls may be due to increased FDA oversight, stricter accreditation standards for quality improvement, and more centralized donor testing in large specialized laboratories. However, smaller recalls, which involve nearly all blood suppliers, were sharply higher in 1997.

Principal component analysis of the Norwegian version of the quality of life in late-stage dementia scale.

PubMed

Mjørud, Marit; Kirkevold, Marit; Røsvik, Janne; Engedal, Knut

2014-01-01

To investigate which factors the Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia (QUALID) scale holds when used among people with dementia (pwd) in nursing homes and to find out how the symptom load varies across the different severity levels of dementia. We included 661 pwd [mean age ± SD, 85.3 ± 8.6 years; 71.4% women]. The QUALID and the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale were applied. A principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization was applied to test the factor structure. Nonparametric analyses were applied to examine differences of symptom load across the three CDR groups. The mean QUALID score was 21.5 (±7.1), and the CDR scores of the three groups were 1 in 22.5%, 2 in 33.6% and 3 in 43.9%. The results of the statistical measures employed were the following: Crohnbach's α of QUALID, 0.74; Bartlett's test of sphericity, p <0.001; the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure, 0.77. The PCA analysis resulted in three components accounting for 53% of the variance. The first component was 'tension' ('facial expression of discomfort', 'appears physically uncomfortable', 'verbalization suggests discomfort', 'being irritable and aggressive', 'appears calm', Crohnbach's α = 0.69), the second was 'well-being' ('smiles', 'enjoys eating', 'enjoys touching/being touched', 'enjoys social interaction', Crohnbach's α = 0.62) and the third was 'sadness' ('appears sad', 'cries', 'facial expression of discomfort', Crohnbach's α 0.65). The mean score on the components 'tension' and 'well-being' increased significantly with increasing severity levels of dementia. Three components of quality of life (qol) were identified. Qol decreased with increasing severity of dementia. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Qualification and issues with space flight laser systems and components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ott, Melanie N.; Coyle, D. B.; Canham, John S.; Leidecker, Henning W., Jr.

2006-02-01

The art of flight quality solid-state laser development is still relatively young, and much is still unknown regarding the best procedures, components, and packaging required for achieving the maximum possible lifetime and reliability when deployed in the harsh space environment. One of the most important issues is the limited and unstable supply of quality, high power diode arrays with significant technological heritage and market lifetime. Since Spectra Diode Labs Inc. ended their involvement in the pulsed array business in the late 1990's, there has been a flurry of activity from other manufacturers, but little effort focused on flight quality production. This forces NASA, inevitably, to examine the use of commercial parts to enable space flight laser designs. System-level issues such as power cycling, operational derating, duty cycle, and contamination risks to other laser components are some of the more significant unknown, if unquantifiable, parameters that directly effect transmitter reliability. Designs and processes can be formulated for the system and the components (including thorough modeling) to mitigate risk based on the known failures modes as well as lessons learned that GSFC has collected over the past ten years of space flight operation of lasers. In addition, knowledge of the potential failure modes related to the system and the components themselves can allow the qualification testing to be done in an efficient yet, effective manner. Careful test plan development coupled with physics of failure knowledge will enable cost effect qualification of commercial technology. Presented here will be lessons learned from space flight experience, brief synopsis of known potential failure modes, mitigation techniques, and options for testing from the system level to the component level.

Qualification and Issues with Space Flight Laser Systems and Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, Melanie N.; Coyle, D. Barry; Canham, John S.; Leidecker, Henning W.

2006-01-01

The art of flight quality solid-state laser development is still relatively young, and much is still unknown regarding the best procedures, components, and packaging required for achieving the maximum possible lifetime and reliability when deployed in the harsh space environment. One of the most important issues is the limited and unstable supply of quality, high power diode arrays with significant technological heritage and market lifetime. Since Spectra Diode Labs Inc. ended their involvement in the pulsed array business in the late 1990's, there has been a flurry of activity from other manufacturers, but little effort focused on flight quality production. This forces NASA, inevitably, to examine the use of commercial parts to enable space flight laser designs. System-level issues such as power cycling, operational derating, duty cycle, and contamination risks to other laser components are some of the more significant unknown, if unquantifiable, parameters that directly effect transmitter reliability. Designs and processes can be formulated for the system and the components (including thorough modeling) to mitigate risk based on the known failures modes as well as lessons learned that GSFC has collected over the past ten years of space flight operation of lasers. In addition, knowledge of the potential failure modes related to the system and the components themselves can allow the qualification testing to be done in an efficient yet, effective manner. Careful test plan development coupled with physics of failure knowledge will enable cost effect qualification of commercial technology. Presented here will be lessons learned from space flight experience, brief synopsis of known potential failure modes, mitigation techniques, and options for testing from the system level to the component level.

Qualification and Issues with Space Flight Laser Systems and Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, Melanie N.; Coyle, D. Barry; Canham, John S.; Leidecker, Henning W.

2006-01-01

The art of flight quality solid-state laser development is still relatively young, and much is still unknown regarding the best procedures, components, and packaging required for achieving the maximum possible lifetime and reliability when deployed in the harsh space environment. One of the most important issues is the limited and unstable supply of quality, high power diode arrays with significant technological heritage and market lifetime. Since Spectra Diode Labs Inc. ended their involvement in the pulsed array business in the late 199O's, there has been a flurry of activity from other manufacturers, but little effort focused on flight quality production. This forces NASA, inevitably, to examine the use of commercial parts to enable space flight laser designs. System-level issues such as power cycling, operational derating, duty cycle, and contamination risks to other laser components are some of the more significant unknown, if unquantifiable, parameters that directly effect transmitter reliability. Designs and processes can be formulated for the system and the components (including thorough modeling) to mitigate risk based on the known failures modes as well as lessons learned that GSFC has collected over the past ten years of space flight operation of lasers. In addition, knowledge of the potential failure modes related to the system and the components themselves can allow the qualification testing to be done in an efficient yet, effective manner. Careful test plan development coupled with physics of failure knowledge will enable cost effect qualification of commercial technology. Presented here will be lessons learned from space flight experience, brief synopsis of known potential failure modes, mitigation techniques, and options for testing from the system level to the component level.

Methodological issues in the quantitative assessment of quality of life.

PubMed

Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B; Yfantopoulos, John N

2011-10-01

The term quality of life can be identified in Aristotle's classical writings of 330 BC. In his Nichomachian ethics he recognises the multiple relationships between happiness, well-being, "eudemonia" and quality of life. Historically the concept of quality of life has undergone various interpretations. It involves personal experience, perceptions and beliefs, attitudes concerning philosophical, cultural, spiritual, psychological, political, and financial aspects of everyday living. Quality of life has been extensively used both as an outcome and an explanatory factor in relation to human health, in various clinical trials, epidemiologic studies and health interview surveys. Because of the variations in the definition of quality of life, both in theory and in practice, there are also a wide range of procedures that are used to assess quality of life. In this paper several methodological issues regarding the tools used to evaluate quality of life is discussed. In summary, the use of components consisted of large number of classes, as well as the use of specific weights for each scale component, and the low-to-moderate inter-correlation level between the components, is evident from simulated and empirical studies.

Staff Involvement in Leadership Decision Making in the UK Further Education Sector: Perceptions of Quality and Social Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maringe, Felix

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to explore the quality of leadership decision making at various leadership levels in the further education (FE) sector. Using Hoffberg and Korver's model for integrated decision making, the paper aims to examine how staff in five UK FE colleges perceive the quality of their involvement in decision-making teams…

Community Involvement Components in Culturally-Oriented Teacher Preparation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahan, James M.

At Indiana University, preservice teachers participate in required community-based multicultural programs that allow them to become directly involved with community characteristics, values, needs, and achievements. It is hoped that this experience will help them to adapt curriculum and instructional techniques to fit community realities and…

ASSESSING BIOACCUMULATION FOR DERIVING NATIONAL HUMAN HEALTH WATER QUALITY CRITERIA

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is revising its methodology for deriving national ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) to protect human health. A component of this guidance involves assessing the potential for chemical bioaccumulation in commonly consumed fish ...

The Prediction of Key Cytoskeleton Components Involved in Glomerular Diseases Based on a Protein-Protein Interaction Network.

PubMed

Ding, Fangrui; Tan, Aidi; Ju, Wenjun; Li, Xuejuan; Li, Shao; Ding, Jie

2016-01-01

Maintenance of the physiological morphologies of different types of cells and tissues is essential for the normal functioning of each system in the human body. Dynamic variations in cell and tissue morphologies depend on accurate adjustments of the cytoskeletal system. The cytoskeletal system in the glomerulus plays a key role in the normal process of kidney filtration. To enhance the understanding of the possible roles of the cytoskeleton in glomerular diseases, we constructed the Glomerular Cytoskeleton Network (GCNet), which shows the protein-protein interaction network in the glomerulus, and identified several possible key cytoskeletal components involved in glomerular diseases. In this study, genes/proteins annotated to the cytoskeleton were detected by Gene Ontology analysis, and glomerulus-enriched genes were selected from nine available glomerular expression datasets. Then, the GCNet was generated by combining these two sets of information. To predict the possible key cytoskeleton components in glomerular diseases, we then examined the common regulation of the genes in GCNet in the context of five glomerular diseases based on their transcriptomic data. As a result, twenty-one cytoskeleton components as potential candidate were highlighted for consistently down- or up-regulating in all five glomerular diseases. And then, these candidates were examined in relation to existing known glomerular diseases and genes to determine their possible functions and interactions. In addition, the mRNA levels of these candidates were also validated in a puromycin aminonucleoside(PAN) induced rat nephropathy model and were also matched with existing Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) transcriptomic data. As a result, there are 15 of 21 candidates in PAN induced nephropathy model were consistent with our predication and also 12 of 21 candidates were matched with differentially expressed genes in the DN transcriptomic data. By providing a novel interaction network and prediction, GCNet

The Prediction of Key Cytoskeleton Components Involved in Glomerular Diseases Based on a Protein-Protein Interaction Network

PubMed Central

Ju, Wenjun; Li, Xuejuan; Li, Shao; Ding, Jie

2016-01-01

Maintenance of the physiological morphologies of different types of cells and tissues is essential for the normal functioning of each system in the human body. Dynamic variations in cell and tissue morphologies depend on accurate adjustments of the cytoskeletal system. The cytoskeletal system in the glomerulus plays a key role in the normal process of kidney filtration. To enhance the understanding of the possible roles of the cytoskeleton in glomerular diseases, we constructed the Glomerular Cytoskeleton Network (GCNet), which shows the protein-protein interaction network in the glomerulus, and identified several possible key cytoskeletal components involved in glomerular diseases. In this study, genes/proteins annotated to the cytoskeleton were detected by Gene Ontology analysis, and glomerulus-enriched genes were selected from nine available glomerular expression datasets. Then, the GCNet was generated by combining these two sets of information. To predict the possible key cytoskeleton components in glomerular diseases, we then examined the common regulation of the genes in GCNet in the context of five glomerular diseases based on their transcriptomic data. As a result, twenty-one cytoskeleton components as potential candidate were highlighted for consistently down- or up-regulating in all five glomerular diseases. And then, these candidates were examined in relation to existing known glomerular diseases and genes to determine their possible functions and interactions. In addition, the mRNA levels of these candidates were also validated in a puromycin aminonucleoside(PAN) induced rat nephropathy model and were also matched with existing Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) transcriptomic data. As a result, there are 15 of 21 candidates in PAN induced nephropathy model were consistent with our predication and also 12 of 21 candidates were matched with differentially expressed genes in the DN transcriptomic data. By providing a novel interaction network and prediction, GCNet

Optimum Tolerance Design Using Component-Amount and Mixture-Amount Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piepel, Gregory F.; Ozler, Cenk; Sehirlioglu, Ali Kemal

2013-08-01

One type of tolerance design problem involves optimizing component and assembly tolerances to minimize the total cost (sum of manufacturing cost and quality loss). Previous literature recommended using traditional response surface (RS) designs and models to solve this type of tolerance design problem. In this article, component-amount (CA) and mixture-amount (MA) approaches are proposed as more appropriate for solving this type of tolerance design problem. The advantages of the CA and MA approaches over the RS approach are discussed. Reasons for choosing between the CA and MA approaches are also discussed. The CA and MA approaches (experimental design, response modeling,more » and optimization) are illustrated using real examples.« less

The use of focus groups in evaluating quality of life components among elderly Chinese people.

PubMed

Leung, Kai-Kuen; Wu, En-Chang; Lue, Bee-Horng; Tang, Li-Yu

2004-02-01

In Taiwan, to measure the quality of life (QOL) of elderly Chinese, one must rely on instruments developed in other Chinese or Western populations and not specifically for the elderly. The purpose of this study is to understand the components of QOL for elderly Chinese from Taiwan living in residential homes or in their communities. Forty-four elderly men and women divided into six focus groups were interviewed on video tape and the resultant recording was analyzed qualitatively by six independent researchers. The study yielded 15 QOL domains grouped into six dimensions: physical health (physical well-being, impact of illness, medical care), psychological health (mood states, life attitude and retrospection, philosophy of living, self-efficacy), social function (connectedness, exercise and leisure activities, social activities and services), living environment (living environment and arrangements, institutional factors), economic status, and religion and death (religion, death). For elderly Chinese in Taiwan, positive and negative life domains are equally important in the perception of life quality; person-environment interaction is a major consideration in the evaluation of QOL; family ties are an important component of QOL; traditional Chinese beliefs exert a positive influence on perceived QOL; and social functioning and vitality have a different meaning in Chinese compared to Western cultures.

Effectiveness of a multi-component quality improvement intervention on rates of hyperglycaemia

PubMed Central

Franco, Thérèse; Aaronson, Barry; Brown, Laurel; Blackmore, Craig; Rupp, Stephen; Lee, Grace

2017-01-01

Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted, hospital-wide glycaemic control quality improvement programme. Methods The quality improvement intervention comprised three components, derived through root cause analysis: standardising and simplifying care (including evidence-based order sets), increasing visibility (through provider access to clinical data and direct feedback) and educational outreach (directed at the entire institution). Effectiveness was determined at a single urban acute care hospital through time-series analysis with statistical process control charts. Primary outcomes included rate of hyperglycaemia and rate of hypoglycaemia. Results The study included 70 992 hospital admissions for 50 404 patients, with 3 35 645 patient days. The hyperglycaemia ratio decreased 25.2% from 14.1% to 10.5% (95% CI 3.3 to 3.9 percentage points, p<0.001). The ratio of patient days with highly elevated blood glucose (>299 mg/dL) decreased 31.8% from 4.8% to 3.3% (95% CI 1.4 to 1.7 percentage points, p<0.001). Hypoglycaemia ratio decreased from 5.2% to 4.6% (95% CI 0.27 to 0.89 percentage points, p<0.001) in patients with diabetes, but increased in patients without diabetes from 1.2% to 1.7% (95% CI 0.46 to 0.70 percentage points, p<0.001). Conclusions We demonstrate improved hospital-wide glycaemic control after a multifaceted quality improvement intervention in the context of strong institutional commitment, national mentorship and Lean management PMID:29450273

Potyvirus helper component-proteinase self-interaction in the yeast two-hybrid system and delineation of the interaction domain involved.

PubMed

Urcuqui-Inchima, S; Walter, J; Drugeon, G; German-Retana, S; Haenni, A L; Candresse, T; Bernardi, F; Le Gall, O

1999-05-25

Using the yeast two-hybrid system, a screen was performed for possible interactions between the proteins encoded by the 5' region of potyviral genomes [P1, helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro), and P3]. A positive self-interaction involving HC-Pro was detected with lettuce mosaic virus (LMV) and potato virus Y (PVY). The possibility of heterologous interaction between the HC-Pro of LMV and of PVY was also demonstrated. No interaction involving either the P1 or the P3 proteins was detected. A series of ordered deletions from either the N- or C-terminal end of the LMV HC-Pro was used to map the domain involved in interaction to the 72 N-terminal amino acids of the protein, a region known to be dispensable for virus viability but necessary for aphid transmission. A similar but less detailed analysis mapped the interacting domain to the N-terminal half of the PVY HC-Pro. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

The Impact of Stress Urinary Incontinence on Individual Components of Quality of Life in Malaysian Women.

PubMed

Lim, Renly; Liong, Men Long; Leong, Wing Seng; Lau, Yong Khee; Khan, Nurzalina Abdul Karim; Yuen, Kah Hay

2018-02-01

To assess the impact of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) on individual components of quality of life (QoL) using both condition-specific and generic questionnaires, and to compare the results of the 2 instruments with a control group. Women with or without SUI aged ≥21 years old were recruited. Subjects completed the International Consultation of Incontinence-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF), International Consultation of Incontinence-Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ-LUTSqol), and EQ-5D questionnaires. A total of 120 women with SUI and 145 controls participated. The ICIQ-LUTSqol total score (mean ± standard deviation) was significantly higher in the SUI group (38.96 ± 10.28) compared with the control group (20.78 ± 2.73) (P <.001). When adjusted for significant confounders, the SUI group continued to have significantly poorer QoL compared with the control group (P <.001). The negative effect of SUI on "physical activities" and "jobs" were the 2 most frequently reported and burdensome components of the ICIQ-LUTSqol, with approximately 50% of women with SUI affected "moderately" or "a lot." When measured using the EQ-5D questionnaire, there were significantly higher percentages of patients with SUI who had problems with usual activities, pain or discomfort, and anxiety or depression (P <.05). Women suffering from SUI have significantly poorer QoL compared with continent women when measured using both condition-specific and generic QoL measures. Clinicians should pay closer attention to the impact of SUI on individual components of QoL, particularly limitations on physical activities and jobs, which were the 2 most impairing and frequently reported components of QoL. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Effects of shading at different phases of grain-filling on wheat grain protein components contents and processing quality].

PubMed

Shi, Yu; Chen, Mao-xue; Yu, Zhen-wen; Xu, Zhen-zhu

2011-10-01

Taking three wheat cultivars Jimai 20 (strong gluten), Taishan 23 (medium gluten), and Ningmai 9 (weak gluten) as test materials, a field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of shading at different phases of grain-filling on the grain protein components contents and processing quality. Four treatments were installed, i. e., no shading (S0), shading at early grain-filling phase (from 0 day after anthesis (DAA) to 11 DAA; S1), shading at medium grain-filling phase (from 12 DAA to 23 DAA; S2), and shading at late grain-filling phase (from 24 DAA to 35 DAA; S3). No significant differences were observed in the grain albumin+globulin contents of the three cultivars among the four treatments. Shading increased the grain HMW-GS, LMW-GS, gluten, glutenin, and total protein contents of Jimai 20 and Taishan 23 significantly, and the increments were higher in treatment S2 than in other shading treatments. Treatments S2 and S3 increased the grain protein components contents of Ningmai 9 significantly. Comparing with the control, shading decreased the grain yield significantly, but increased the dough development time, dough stability time, and sedimentation volume, especially for treatment S2, which suggested that the wheat grain quality had a close relationship with the light intensity at medium phase of grain-filling. Overall, the regulation effect of shading at grain-filling stage on the wheat grain yield, grain protein components contents, and indices values of grain processing quality for the test cultivars was in the order of Jimai 20 > Taishan 23 > Ningmai 9.

ER quality control components UGGT and STT3a are required for activation of defense responses in bir1-1.

PubMed

Zhang, Qian; Sun, Tongjun; Zhang, Yuelin

2015-01-01

The receptor-like kinase SUPPRESSOR OF BIR1, 1 (SOBIR1) functions as a critical regulator in plant immunity. It is required for activation of cell death and defense responses in Arabidopsis bak1-interacting receptor-like kinase 1,1 (bir1-1) mutant plants. Here we report that the ER quality control component UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase (UGGT) is required for the biogenesis of SOBIR1 and mutations in UGGT suppress the spontaneous cell death and constitutive defense responses in bir1-1. Loss of function of STT3a, which encodes a subunit of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex, also suppresses the autoimmune phenotype in bir1-1. However, it has no effect on the accumulation of SOBIR1, suggesting that additional signaling components other than SOBIR1 may be regulated by ER quality control. Our study provides clear evidence that ER quality control play critical roles in regulating defense activation in bir1-1.

TOGA: A TOUGH code for modeling three-phase, multi-component, and non-isothermal processes involved in CO 2-based Enhanced Oil Recovery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pan, Lehua; Oldenburg, Curtis M.

core flood involving flow of three phases and 12 components. Results of simulations of a hypothetical 3D CO 2-EOR problem involving three phases and multiple components are presented to demonstrate the field-scale capabilities of the new code. This user guide provides instructions for use and sample problems for verification and demonstration.« less

Sustaining High Quality Teaching and Evidence-based Curricula: Follow-up Assessment of Teachers in the REDI Project

PubMed Central

Bierman, Karen L; DeRousie, Rebecca M. Sanford; Heinrichs, Brenda; Domitrovich, Celene E.; Greenberg, Mark T.; Gill, Sukhdeep

2013-01-01

Recent research has validated the power of evidence-based preschool interventions to improve teaching quality and promote child school readiness when implemented in the context of research trials. However, very rarely are follow-up assessments conducted with teachers in order to evaluate the maintenance of improved teaching quality or sustained use of evidence-based curriculum components after the intervention trial. In the current study, we collected follow-up assessments of teachers one year after their involvement in the REDI research trial to evaluate the extent to which intervention teachers continued to implement the REDI curriculum components with high-quality, and to explore possible pre-intervention predictors of sustained implementation. In addition, we conducted classroom observations to determine whether general improvements in the teaching quality of intervention teachers (relative to control group teachers) were sustained. Results indicated sustained high-quality implementation of some curriculum components (the PATHS curriculum), but decreased implementation of other components (the language-literacy components). Sustained intervention effects were evident on most aspects of general teaching quality targeted by the intervention. Implications for practice and policy are discussed. PMID:24204101

Intercomparison of air quality data using principal component analysis, and forecasting of PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ concentrations using artificial neural networks, in Thessaloniki and Helsinki.

PubMed

Voukantsis, Dimitris; Karatzas, Kostas; Kukkonen, Jaakko; Räsänen, Teemu; Karppinen, Ari; Kolehmainen, Mikko

2011-03-01

In this paper we propose a methodology consisting of specific computational intelligence methods, i.e. principal component analysis and artificial neural networks, in order to inter-compare air quality and meteorological data, and to forecast the concentration levels for environmental parameters of interest (air pollutants). We demonstrate these methods to data monitored in the urban areas of Thessaloniki and Helsinki in Greece and Finland, respectively. For this purpose, we applied the principal component analysis method in order to inter-compare the patterns of air pollution in the two selected cities. Then, we proceeded with the development of air quality forecasting models for both studied areas. On this basis, we formulated and employed a novel hybrid scheme in the selection process of input variables for the forecasting models, involving a combination of linear regression and artificial neural networks (multi-layer perceptron) models. The latter ones were used for the forecasting of the daily mean concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ for the next day. Results demonstrated an index of agreement between measured and modelled daily averaged PM₁₀ concentrations, between 0.80 and 0.85, while the kappa index for the forecasting of the daily averaged PM₁₀ concentrations reached 60% for both cities. Compared with previous corresponding studies, these statistical parameters indicate an improved performance of air quality parameters forecasting. It was also found that the performance of the models for the forecasting of the daily mean concentrations of PM₁₀ was not substantially different for both cities, despite the major differences of the two urban environments under consideration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Patients' involvement in improvement initiatives: a qualitative systematic review.

PubMed

van, Claire; McInerney, Patricia; Cooke, Richard

2015-10-01

Over the last 20 years, quality improvement in health has become an important strategy in health services in many countries. With the emphasis on quality health care, there has been a shift in social paradigms towards including service users in their own health on different levels. There is growing evidence in literature on the positive impact on health outcomes where patients are active participants in their personal care. There is however less information available on the broader influence of users on improvement in systems. The objective of this review was to identify the barriers and enablers to patients being involved in quality improvement efforts directed towards their own health care. This review considered studies that included adults and children of any age experiencing any health problem.The review considered studies that explored patient or user participation in quality improvement and the factors enabling and hindering this processThe qualitative component of this review considered studies that focused on qualitative data, including, but not limited to, designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research and feminist research. Other texts such as opinion papers and reports were also considered. The search strategy aimed to find both published and unpublished studies. A three-step search strategy was utilized in this review. The searches using all identified keywords and index terms included the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, EBSCOhost and CINAHL.Qualitative, text and opinion papers were considered for inclusion in this review.Closely related concepts like community involvement, family involvement, patients' involvement in their own care (for example, in the case of shared decision making), and patient centeredness in the context of a consultation were excluded. Qualitative and textual papers selected for retrieval were assessed by two independent reviewers for authenticity prior to inclusion in the review using

Chemical and biotechnological processing of collagen-containing raw materials into functional components of feed suitable for production of high-quality meat from farm animals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baburina, M. I.; Ivankin, A. N.; Stanovova, I. A.

2017-09-01

The process of chemical biotechnological processing of collagen-containing raw materials into functional components of feeds for effective pig rearing was studied. Protein components of feeds were obtained as a result of hydrolysis in the presence of lactic acid of the animal collagen from secondary raw materials, which comprised subcutaneous collagen (cuticle), skin and veined mass with tendons from cattle. For comparison, a method is described for preparing protein components of feeds by cultivating Lactobacillus plantarum. Analysis of the kinetic data of the conversion of a high-molecular collagen protein to an aminolyte polypeptide mixture showed the advantage of microbiological synthesis in obtaining a protein for feeds. Feed formulations have been developed to include the components obtained, and which result in high quality pork suitable for the production of quality meat products.

Quality components and antidepressant-like effects of GABA green tea.

PubMed

Teng, Jie; Zhou, Wen; Zeng, Zhen; Zhao, Wenfang; Huang, Yahui; Zhang, Xu

2017-09-20

Gamma (γ)-aminobutyric acid (GABA) green tea, with high GABA content, is a kind of special green tea. The goals of this study are to analyze the changes in quality components of green tea during anaerobic treatment, and to investigate whether or not the extract of GABA present in green tea can prevent depression or improve the depressive state of animals. Results showed that GABA content in green tea had increased significantly after anaerobic treatment. The contents of tea polysaccharides, total free amino acids, and water extracts were also increased whereas tea polyphenols were reduced. More importantly, the extract of GABA green tea could alleviate mouse depression and stress from desperate environments through the forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), mRNA and protein expression levels of GABA A receptors. Therefore, these results indicate that GABA green tea may have a health effect on prevention and alleviation of depression, and it works on the GABAergic neurotransmission of mouse cerebral cortex via up-regulating expression of the GABA A receptor α1 subunit, thus ameliorating depression.

Modular Building Supplement: A Quick, Quality Solution for Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodmiller, Brian D.; Schendell, Derek G.

2003-01-01

This supplement presents three articles on modular construction that look at: "Fast Track Expansion for a New Jersey School" (involving a modular addition); "Precast Construction Helps Schools Meet Attendance Boom" (precast concrete components are quick, durable, and flexible); and "Airing HVAC Concerns" (poor indoor air quality in prefabricated…

The role of fixation and bone quality on the mechanical stability of tibial knee components.

PubMed

Lee, R W; Volz, R G; Sheridan, D C

1991-12-01

Tibial component loosening remains one of the major causes of failure of cemented and noncemented total knee arthroplasties. In this study, the authors identified the role of implant design, method of fixation, and bone density as it related to implant stability. The physical properties of "good" and "bad" bone were simulated using a "good" and "bad" foam model of the proximal tibia, fabricated in the laboratory from DARO RF-100 foam. A generic tibial component permitting various fixation designs was implanted into "good" and "bad" variable density foam tibial models in both cemented and noncemented modes. The mechanical stability of the implants was determined using a Materials Testing Machine by the application of an eccentrically applied cyclic load. The micromotion (subsidence and lift-off) of the tibial implants was recorded using two Linear Variable Differential Transformers. Statistically significant differences in implant stability were recorded as a function of fixation method. The most rigid implant fixation was achieved using four peripherally placed, 6.5-mm cancellous screws. The addition of a central stem added stability only in the case of "poor" quality foam. The mechanical stability of noncemented implants related directly to the density of the foam. Implant stability was greatly enhanced in "poor" quality foam by the use of cement. The method of implant fixation and bone density are critical determinants to tibial implant stability.

Association of sleep quality components and wake time with metabolic syndrome: The Qazvin Metabolic Diseases Study (QMDS), Iran.

PubMed

Zohal, Mohammadali; Ghorbani, Azam; Esmailzadehha, Neda; Ziaee, Amir; Mohammadi, Zahrasadat

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to determine the association of sleep quality and sleep quantity with metabolic syndrome in Qazvin, Iran. this cross sectional study was conducted in 1079 residents of Qazvin selected by multistage cluster random sampling method in 2011. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the criteria proposed by the national cholesterol education program third Adult treatment panel. Sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). A logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of sleep status and metabolic syndrome. Mean age was 40.08±10.33years. Of 1079, 578 (52.2%) were female, and 30.6% had metabolic syndrome. The total global PSQI score in the subjects with metabolic syndrome was significantly higher than subjects without metabolic syndrome (6.30±3.20 vs. 5.83±2.76, P=0.013). In logistic regression analysis, sleep disturbances was associated with 1.388 fold increased risk of metabolic syndrome after adjustment for age, gender, and body mass index. Sleep disturbances component was a predictor of metabolic syndrome in the present study. More longitudinal studies are necessary to understand the association of sleep quality and its components with metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2017 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the relationship between drinking water quality based on content of inorganic components and landform classes using fuzzy AHP (case study: south of Firozabad, west of Fars province, Iran)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokarram, Marzieh; Sathyamoorthy, Dinesh

2016-10-01

In this study, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to study the relationship between drinking water quality based on content of inorganic components and landform classes in the south of Firozabad, west of Fars province, Iran. For determination of drinking water quality based on content of inorganic components, parameters of calcium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), magnesium (Mg), thorium (TH), sodium (Na), electrical conductivity (EC), sulfate (SO4), and total dissolved solids (TDS) were used. It was found that 8.29 % of the study area has low water quality; 64.01 %, moderate; 23.33 %, high; and 4.38 %, very high. Areas with suitable drinking water quality based on content of inorganic components are located in parts of the south-eastern and south-western parts of the study area. The relationship between landform class and drinking water quality based on content of inorganic components shows that drinking water quality based on content of inorganic components is high in the stream, valleys, upland drainages, and local ridge classes, and low in the plain small and midslope classes. In fact we can predict water quality using extraction of landform classes from a digital elevation model (DEM) by the Topographic Position Index (TPI) method, so that streams, valleys, upland drainages, and local ridge classes have more water quality than the other classes. In the study we determined that without measurement of water sample characteristics, we can determine water quality by landform classes.

Predicting Romantic Involvement, Relationship Cognitions, and Relationship Qualities from Physical Appearance, Perceived Norms, and Relational Styles regarding Friends and Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furman, Wyndol; Winkles, Jessica K.

2010-01-01

Using a sample of 199 adolescents, the present study examined Furman and Wehner's (1999) hypothesis that the predictors of the degree of romantic involvement and the predictors of romantic relationship cognitions and qualities differ. As hypothesized, physical appearance and friends' normative romantic involvement were related to the degree of…

Identifying Shortcomings in the Measurement of Service Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fogarty, Gerard; Catts, R.; Forlin, C.

2000-01-01

Studied the use of SERVPEFR the performance component of the Service Quality Scale (SERVQUAL) in 2 studies involving 113 and 212 customers of businesses in Australia and investigated a revised (extended) version of SERVPEFR with 122 customers. Results suggest that SERVPEFR items are too easy to rate highly, and that the revisions did not overcome…

Survey to Identify Substandard and Falsified Tablets in Several Asian Countries with Pharmacopeial Quality Control Tests and Principal Component Analysis of Handheld Raman Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Kakio, Tomoko; Nagase, Hitomi; Takaoka, Takashi; Yoshida, Naoko; Hirakawa, Junichi; Macha, Susan; Hiroshima, Takashi; Ikeda, Yukihiro; Tsuboi, Hirohito; Kimura, Kazuko

2018-06-01

The World Health Organization has warned that substandard and falsified medical products (SFs) can harm patients and fail to treat the diseases for which they were intended, and they affect every region of the world, leading to loss of confidence in medicines, health-care providers, and health systems. Therefore, development of analytical procedures to detect SFs is extremely important. In this study, we investigated the quality of pharmaceutical tablets containing the antihypertensive candesartan cilexetil, collected in China, Indonesia, Japan, and Myanmar, using the Japanese pharmacopeial analytical procedures for quality control, together with principal component analysis (PCA) of Raman spectrum obtained with handheld Raman spectrometer. Some samples showed delayed dissolution and failed to meet the pharmacopeial specification, whereas others failed the assay test. These products appeared to be substandard. Principal component analysis showed that all Raman spectra could be explained in terms of two components: the amount of the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the kinds of excipients. Principal component analysis score plot indicated one substandard, and the falsified tablets have similar principal components in Raman spectra, in contrast to authentic products. The locations of samples within the PCA score plot varied according to the source country, suggesting that manufacturers in different countries use different excipients. Our results indicate that the handheld Raman device will be useful for detection of SFs in the field. Principal component analysis of that Raman data clarify the difference in chemical properties between good quality products and SFs that circulate in the Asian market.

A case study of translating ACGME practice-based learning and improvement requirements into reality: systems quality improvement projects as the key component to a comprehensive curriculum.

PubMed

Tomolo, A M; Lawrence, R H; Aron, D C

2009-10-01

In 2002, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) introduced a new requirement: residents must demonstrate competency in Practice-Based Learning and Improvement (PBLI). Training in this domain is still not consistently integrated into programmes, with few, if any, adequately going beyond knowledge of basic content and addressing all components of the requirement. To summarise the implementation of a PBLI curriculum designed to address all components of the requirement and to evaluate the impact on the practice system. A case-study approach was used for identifying and evaluating the steps for delivering the curriculum, along with the Model for Improvement's successive Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles (July 2004-May 2006). Notes from curriculum development meetings, notes and presentation slides made by teams about their projects, resident curriculum exit evaluations curriculum and interviews. Residents reported high levels of comfort by applying PBLI-related knowledge and skills and that the curriculum improved their ability to do various PBLI tasks. The involvement of multiple stakeholders increased. Twelve of the 15 teams' suggestions with practical systems-relevant outcomes were implemented and sustained beyond residents' project periods. While using the traditional PDSA cycles was helpful, there were limitations. A PBLI curriculum that is centred around practice-based quality improvement projects can fulfil the objectives of this ACGME competency while accomplishing sustained outcomes in quality improvement. A comprehensive curriculum is an investment but offers organisational rewards. We propose a more realistic and informative representation of rapid PDSA cycle changes.

A case study of translating ACGME practice-based learning and improvement requirements into reality: systems quality improvement projects as the key component to a comprehensive curriculum.

PubMed

Tomolo, A M; Lawrence, R H; Aron, D C

2009-06-01

In 2002, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) introduced a new requirement: residents must demonstrate competency in Practice-Based Learning and Improvement (PBLI). Training in this domain is still not consistently integrated into programmes, with few, if any, adequately going beyond knowledge of basic content and addressing all components of the requirement. To summarise the implementation of a PBLI curriculum designed to address all components of the requirement and to evaluate the impact on the practice system. A case-study approach was used for identifying and evaluating the steps for delivering the curriculum, along with the Model for Improvement's successive Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles (July 2004-May 2006). Notes from curriculum development meetings, notes and presentation slides made by teams about their projects, resident curriculum exit evaluations curriculum and interviews. Residents reported high levels of comfort by applying PBLI-related knowledge and skills and that the curriculum improved their ability to do various PBLI tasks. The involvement of multiple stakeholders increased. Twelve of the 15 teams' suggestions with practical systems-relevant outcomes were implemented and sustained beyond residents' project periods. While using the traditional PDSA cycles was helpful, there were limitations. A PBLI curriculum that is centred around practice-based quality improvement projects can fulfil the objectives of this ACGME competency while accomplishing sustained outcomes in quality improvement. A comprehensive curriculum is an investment but offers organisational rewards. We propose a more realistic and informative representation of rapid PDSA cycle changes.

Involving patients in setting priorities for healthcare improvement: a cluster randomized trial.

PubMed

Boivin, Antoine; Lehoux, Pascale; Lacombe, Réal; Burgers, Jako; Grol, Richard

2014-02-20

Patients are increasingly seen as active partners in healthcare. While patient involvement in individual clinical decisions has been extensively studied, no trial has assessed how patients can effectively be involved in collective healthcare decisions affecting the population. The goal of this study was to test the impact of involving patients in setting healthcare improvement priorities for chronic care at the community level. Cluster randomized controlled trial. Local communities were randomized in intervention (priority setting with patient involvement) and control sites (no patient involvement). Communities in a canadian region were required to set priorities for improving chronic disease management in primary care, from a list of 37 validated quality indicators. Patients were consulted in writing, before participating in face-to-face deliberation with professionals. Professionals established priorities among themselves, without patient involvement. A total of 172 individuals from six communities participated in the study, including 83 chronic disease patients, and 89 health professionals. The primary outcome was the level of agreement between patients' and professionals' priorities. Secondary outcomes included professionals' intention to use the selected quality indicators, and the costs of patient involvement. Priorities established with patients were more aligned with core generic components of the Medical Home and Chronic Care Model, including: access to primary care, self-care support, patient participation in clinical decisions, and partnership with community organizations (p < 0.01). Priorities established by professionals alone placed more emphasis on the technical quality of single disease management. The involvement intervention fostered mutual influence between patients and professionals, which resulted in a 41% increase in agreement on common priorities (95%CI: +12% to +58%, p < 0.01). Professionals' intention to use the selected quality

Involving patients in setting priorities for healthcare improvement: a cluster randomized trial

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Patients are increasingly seen as active partners in healthcare. While patient involvement in individual clinical decisions has been extensively studied, no trial has assessed how patients can effectively be involved in collective healthcare decisions affecting the population. The goal of this study was to test the impact of involving patients in setting healthcare improvement priorities for chronic care at the community level. Methods Design: Cluster randomized controlled trial. Local communities were randomized in intervention (priority setting with patient involvement) and control sites (no patient involvement). Setting: Communities in a canadian region were required to set priorities for improving chronic disease management in primary care, from a list of 37 validated quality indicators. Intervention: Patients were consulted in writing, before participating in face-to-face deliberation with professionals. Control: Professionals established priorities among themselves, without patient involvement. Participants: A total of 172 individuals from six communities participated in the study, including 83 chronic disease patients, and 89 health professionals. Outcomes: The primary outcome was the level of agreement between patients’ and professionals’ priorities. Secondary outcomes included professionals’ intention to use the selected quality indicators, and the costs of patient involvement. Results Priorities established with patients were more aligned with core generic components of the Medical Home and Chronic Care Model, including: access to primary care, self-care support, patient participation in clinical decisions, and partnership with community organizations (p < 0.01). Priorities established by professionals alone placed more emphasis on the technical quality of single disease management. The involvement intervention fostered mutual influence between patients and professionals, which resulted in a 41% increase in agreement on common

Extended principle component analysis - a useful tool to understand processes governing water quality at catchment scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selle, B.; Schwientek, M.

2012-04-01

Water quality of ground and surface waters in catchments is typically driven by many complex and interacting processes. While small scale processes are often studied in great detail, their relevance and interplay at catchment scales remain often poorly understood. For many catchments, extensive monitoring data on water quality have been collected for different purposes. These heterogeneous data sets contain valuable information on catchment scale processes but are rarely analysed using integrated methods. Principle component analysis (PCA) has previously been applied to this kind of data sets. However, a detailed analysis of scores, which are an important result of a PCA, is often missing. Mathematically, PCA expresses measured variables on water quality, e.g. nitrate concentrations, as linear combination of independent, not directly observable key processes. These computed key processes are represented by principle components. Their scores are interpretable as process intensities which vary in space and time. Subsequently, scores can be correlated with other key variables and catchment characteristics, such as water travel times and land use that were not considered in PCA. This detailed analysis of scores represents an extension of the commonly applied PCA which could considerably improve the understanding of processes governing water quality at catchment scales. In this study, we investigated the 170 km2 Ammer catchment in SW Germany which is characterised by an above average proportion of agricultural (71%) and urban (17%) areas. The Ammer River is mainly fed by karstic springs. For PCA, we separately analysed concentrations from (a) surface waters of the Ammer River and its tributaries, (b) spring waters from the main aquifers and (c) deep groundwater from production wells. This analysis was extended by a detailed analysis of scores. We analysed measured concentrations on major ions and selected organic micropollutants. Additionally, redox-sensitive variables

Service User- and Carer-Reported Measures of Involvement in Mental Health Care Planning: Methodological Quality and Acceptability to Users

PubMed Central

Gibbons, Chris J.; Bee, Penny E.; Walker, Lauren; Price, Owen; Lovell, Karina

2014-01-01

Background: Increasing service user and carer involvement in mental health care planning is a key healthcare priority but one that is difficult to achieve in practice. To better understand and measure user and carer involvement, it is crucial to have measurement questionnaires that are both psychometrically robust and acceptable to the end user. Methods: We conducted a systematic review using the terms “care plan$,” “mental health,” “user perspective$,” and “user participation” and their linguistic variants as search terms. Databases were searched from inception to November 2012, with an update search at the end of September 2014. We included any articles that described the development, validation or use of a user and/or carer-reported outcome measures of involvement in mental health care planning. We assessed the psychometric quality of each instrument using the “Evaluating the Measurement of Patient-Reported Outcomes” (EMPRO) criteria. Acceptability of each instrument was assessed using novel criteria developed in consultation with a mental health service user and carer consultation group. Results: We identified eleven papers describing the use, development, and/or validation of nine user/carer-reported outcome measures. Psychometric properties were sparsely reported and the questionnaires met few service user/carer-nominated attributes for acceptability. Where reported, basic psychometric statistics were of good quality, indicating that some measures may perform well if subjected to more rigorous psychometric tests. The majority were deemed to be too long for use in practice. Discussion: Multiple instruments are available to measure user/carer involvement in mental health care planning but are either of poor quality or poorly described. Existing measures cannot be considered psychometrically robust by modern standards, and cannot currently be recommended for use. Our review has identified an important knowledge gap, and an urgent need to

Method of using infrared radiation for assembling a first component with a second component

DOEpatents

Sikka, Vinod K.; Whitson, Barry G.; Blue, Craig A.

1999-01-01

A method of assembling a first component for assembly with a second component involves a heating device which includes an enclosure having a cavity for inserting a first component. An array of infrared energy generators is disposed within the enclosure. At least a portion of the first component is inserted into the cavity, exposed to infrared energy and thereby heated to a temperature wherein the portion of the first component is sufficiently softened and/or expanded for assembly with a second component.

Automated processing of whole blood units: operational value and in vitro quality of final blood components

PubMed Central

Jurado, Marisa; Algora, Manuel; Garcia-Sanchez, Félix; Vico, Santiago; Rodriguez, Eva; Perez, Sonia; Barbolla, Luz

2012-01-01

Background The Community Transfusion Centre in Madrid currently processes whole blood using a conventional procedure (Compomat, Fresenius) followed by automated processing of buffy coats with the OrbiSac system (CaridianBCT). The Atreus 3C system (CaridianBCT) automates the production of red blood cells, plasma and an interim platelet unit from a whole blood unit. Interim platelet unit are pooled to produce a transfusable platelet unit. In this study the Atreus 3C system was evaluated and compared to the routine method with regards to product quality and operational value. Materials and methods Over a 5-week period 810 whole blood units were processed using the Atreus 3C system. The attributes of the automated process were compared to those of the routine method by assessing productivity, space, equipment and staffing requirements. The data obtained were evaluated in order to estimate the impact of implementing the Atreus 3C system in the routine setting of the blood centre. Yield and in vitro quality of the final blood components processed with the two systems were evaluated and compared. Results The Atreus 3C system enabled higher throughput while requiring less space and employee time by decreasing the amount of equipment and processing time per unit of whole blood processed. Whole blood units processed on the Atreus 3C system gave a higher platelet yield, a similar amount of red blood cells and a smaller volume of plasma. Discussion These results support the conclusion that the Atreus 3C system produces blood components meeting quality requirements while providing a high operational efficiency. Implementation of the Atreus 3C system could result in a large organisational improvement. PMID:22044958

Automated processing of whole blood units: operational value and in vitro quality of final blood components.

PubMed

Jurado, Marisa; Algora, Manuel; Garcia-Sanchez, Félix; Vico, Santiago; Rodriguez, Eva; Perez, Sonia; Barbolla, Luz

2012-01-01

The Community Transfusion Centre in Madrid currently processes whole blood using a conventional procedure (Compomat, Fresenius) followed by automated processing of buffy coats with the OrbiSac system (CaridianBCT). The Atreus 3C system (CaridianBCT) automates the production of red blood cells, plasma and an interim platelet unit from a whole blood unit. Interim platelet unit are pooled to produce a transfusable platelet unit. In this study the Atreus 3C system was evaluated and compared to the routine method with regards to product quality and operational value. Over a 5-week period 810 whole blood units were processed using the Atreus 3C system. The attributes of the automated process were compared to those of the routine method by assessing productivity, space, equipment and staffing requirements. The data obtained were evaluated in order to estimate the impact of implementing the Atreus 3C system in the routine setting of the blood centre. Yield and in vitro quality of the final blood components processed with the two systems were evaluated and compared. The Atreus 3C system enabled higher throughput while requiring less space and employee time by decreasing the amount of equipment and processing time per unit of whole blood processed. Whole blood units processed on the Atreus 3C system gave a higher platelet yield, a similar amount of red blood cells and a smaller volume of plasma. These results support the conclusion that the Atreus 3C system produces blood components meeting quality requirements while providing a high operational efficiency. Implementation of the Atreus 3C system could result in a large organisational improvement.

[Study on "multi-dimensional structure and process dynamics quality control system" of Danshen infusion solution based on component structure theory].

PubMed

Feng, Liang; Zhang, Ming-Hua; Gu, Jun-Fei; Wang, Gui-You; Zhao, Zi-Yu; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2013-11-01

As traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation products feature complex compounds and multiple preparation processes, the implementation of quality control in line with the characteristics of TCM preparation products provides a firm guarantee for the clinical efficacy and safety of TCM preparation products. Danshen infusion solution is a preparation commonly used in clinic, but its quality control is restricted to indexes of finished products, which can not guarantee its inherent quality. Our study group has proposed "multi-dimensional structure and process dynamics quality control system" on the basis of "component structure theory", for the purpose of controlling the quality of Danshen infusion solution at multiple levels and in multiple links from the efficacy-related material basis, the safety-related material basis, the characteristics of dosage form to the preparation process. This article, we bring forth new ideas and models to the quality control of TCM preparation products.

Breadth and depth involvement: Understanding Internet gambling involvement and its relationship to gambling problems.

PubMed

LaPlante, Debi A; Nelson, Sarah E; Gray, Heather M

2014-06-01

The "involvement effect" refers to the finding that controlling for gambling involvement often reduces or eliminates frequently observed game-specific associations with problem gambling. In other words, broader patterns of gambling behavior, particularly the number of types of games played over a defined period, contribute more to problem gambling than playing specific games (e.g., lottery, casino, Internet gambling). This study extends this burgeoning area of inquiry in three primary ways. First, it tests independently and simultaneously the predictive power of two gambling patterns: breadth involvement (i.e., the number of games an individual plays) and depth involvement (i.e., the number of days an individual plays). Second, it includes the first involvement analyses of actual betting activity records that are associated with clinical screening information. Third, it evaluates and compares the linearity of breadth and depth effects. We conducted analyses of the actual gambling activity of 1,440 subscribers to the bwin.party gambling service who completed an online gambling disorder screen. In all, 11 of the 16 games we examined had a significant univariate association with a positive screen for gambling disorder. However, after controlling for breadth involvement, only Live Action Internet sports betting retained a significant relationship with potential gambling-related problems. Depth involvement, though significantly related to potential problems, did not impact game-based gambling disorder associations as much as breadth involvement. Finally, breadth effects appeared steeply linear, with a slight quadratic component manifesting beyond four games played, but depth effects appeared to have a strong linear component and a slight cubic component.

A Systematic Scoping Review of Yoga Intervention Components and Study Quality

PubMed Central

Elwy, A. Rani; Groessl, Erik J.; Eisen, Susan V.; Riley, Kristen; Maiya, Meghan; Lee, Jennifer P.; Sarkin, Andrew; Park, Crystal L.

2014-01-01

Context The scientific study of yoga requires rigorous methodology. This review aimed to systematically assess all studies of yoga interventions to: (1) determine yoga intervention characteristics; (2) examine methodologic quality of the subset of RCTs; and (3) explore how well these interventions are reported. Evidence acquisition Searches were conducted through April 2012 in PubMed, PsycInfo, Ageline, and Ovid’s Alternative and Complementary Medicine database using the text term yoga, and through handsearching five journals. Original studies were included if the intervention: (1) consisted of at least one yoga session with some type of health assessment; (2) targeted adults age ≥18 years; (3) was published in an English language peer–reviewed journal; and (4) was available for review. Evidence synthesis Of 3,062 studies identified, 465 studies in 30 countries were included. Analyses were conducted through 2013. Most interventions took place in India (n=228) or the U.S. (n=124), with intensity ranging from a single yoga session up to two sessions per day. Intervention lengths ranged from one session to 2 years. Asanas (poses) were mentioned as yoga components in 369 (79%) interventions, but were either minimally or not at all described in 200 (54%) of these. Most interventions (74%, n=336) did not include home practice. Of the included studies, 151 were RCTs. RCT quality was rated as poor. Conclusions This review highlights the inadequate reporting and methodologic limitations of current yoga intervention research, which limits study interpretation and comparability. Recommendations for future methodology and reporting are discussed. PMID:24996759

IMMUNOREACTIONS INVOLVING PLATELETS

PubMed Central

Shulman, N. Raphael

1958-01-01

A steric and kinetic model for the sequence and mechanism of reactions leading to formation of a complex from an antibody, a haptene (quinidine), and a cell membrane (platelets), and to fixation of complement by the complex was deduced from the effects of varying the initial concentration of each component of the complex on the amount of complement fixed, from kinetic aspects of the sequential reactions, and from other chemical and physical properties of the various components involved. Theoretical results calculated using equations based on the model, which were derived by Dr. Terrell L. Hill, were similar in all respects to experimental results. Results of this study were consistent with the possibilities that the protein moiety of a haptenic antigen involved in development of an antibody which attaches to a cell is not necessarily a component of the cell, and that the cell reacts with the antibody by virtue of having a surface favorable for non-specific adsorption of certain haptene-antibody complexes. PMID:13525578

43 CFR 10010.6 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... POLICY ACT Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality § 10010.6 Public involvement. The... public concerning their activities affecting the quality of the environment. ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Public involvement. 10010.6 Section 10010...

43 CFR 10010.6 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... POLICY ACT Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality § 10010.6 Public involvement. The... public concerning their activities affecting the quality of the environment. ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Public involvement. 10010.6 Section 10010...

43 CFR 10010.6 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... POLICY ACT Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality § 10010.6 Public involvement. The... public concerning their activities affecting the quality of the environment. ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Public involvement. 10010.6 Section 10010...

How to Begin a Quality Improvement Project.

PubMed

Silver, Samuel A; Harel, Ziv; McQuillan, Rory; Weizman, Adam V; Thomas, Alison; Chertow, Glenn M; Nesrallah, Gihad; Bell, Chaim M; Chan, Christopher T

2016-05-06

Quality improvement involves a combined effort among health care staff and stakeholders to diagnose and treat problems in the health care system. However, health care professionals often lack training in quality improvement methods, which makes it challenging to participate in improvement efforts. This article familiarizes health care professionals with how to begin a quality improvement project. The initial steps involve forming an improvement team that possesses expertise in the quality of care problem, leadership, and change management. Stakeholder mapping and analysis are useful tools at this stage, and these are reviewed to help identify individuals who might have a vested interest in the project. Physician engagement is a particularly important component of project success, and the knowledge that patients/caregivers can offer as members of a quality improvement team should not be overlooked. After a team is formed, an improvement framework helps to organize the scientific process of system change. Common quality improvement frameworks include Six Sigma, Lean, and the Model for Improvement. These models are contrasted, with a focus on the Model for Improvement, because it is widely used and applicable to a variety of quality of care problems without advanced training. It involves three steps: setting aims to focus improvement, choosing a balanced set of measures to determine if improvement occurs, and testing new ideas to change the current process. These new ideas are evaluated using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, where knowledge is gained by testing changes and reflecting on their effect. To show the real world utility of the quality improvement methods discussed, they are applied to a hypothetical quality improvement initiative that aims to promote home dialysis (home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis). This provides an example that kidney health care professionals can use to begin their own quality improvement projects. Copyright © 2016 by the American

How to Begin a Quality Improvement Project

PubMed Central

Harel, Ziv; McQuillan, Rory; Weizman, Adam V.; Thomas, Alison; Chertow, Glenn M.; Nesrallah, Gihad; Bell, Chaim M.; Chan, Christopher T.

2016-01-01

Quality improvement involves a combined effort among health care staff and stakeholders to diagnose and treat problems in the health care system. However, health care professionals often lack training in quality improvement methods, which makes it challenging to participate in improvement efforts. This article familiarizes health care professionals with how to begin a quality improvement project. The initial steps involve forming an improvement team that possesses expertise in the quality of care problem, leadership, and change management. Stakeholder mapping and analysis are useful tools at this stage, and these are reviewed to help identify individuals who might have a vested interest in the project. Physician engagement is a particularly important component of project success, and the knowledge that patients/caregivers can offer as members of a quality improvement team should not be overlooked. After a team is formed, an improvement framework helps to organize the scientific process of system change. Common quality improvement frameworks include Six Sigma, Lean, and the Model for Improvement. These models are contrasted, with a focus on the Model for Improvement, because it is widely used and applicable to a variety of quality of care problems without advanced training. It involves three steps: setting aims to focus improvement, choosing a balanced set of measures to determine if improvement occurs, and testing new ideas to change the current process. These new ideas are evaluated using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, where knowledge is gained by testing changes and reflecting on their effect. To show the real world utility of the quality improvement methods discussed, they are applied to a hypothetical quality improvement initiative that aims to promote home dialysis (home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis). This provides an example that kidney health care professionals can use to begin their own quality improvement projects. PMID:27016497

Freshwater DOM quantity and quality from a two-component model of UV absorbance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Heather T.; Tipping, Edward; Koprivnjak, Jean-Francois; Miller, Matthew P.; Cookson, Brenda; Hamilton-Taylor, John

2012-01-01

We present a model that considers UV-absorbing dissolved organic matter (DOM) to consist of two components (A and B), each with a distinct and constant spectrum. Component A absorbs UV light strongly, and is therefore presumed to possess aromatic chromophores and hydrophobic character, whereas B absorbs weakly and can be assumed hydrophilic. We parameterised the model with dissolved organic carbon concentrations [DOC] and corresponding UV spectra for c. 1700 filtered surface water samples from North America and the United Kingdom, by optimising extinction coefficients for A and B, together with a small constant concentration of non-absorbing DOM (0.80 mg DOC L-1). Good unbiased predictions of [DOC] from absorbance data at 270 and 350 nm were obtained (r2 = 0.98), the sum of squared residuals in [DOC] being reduced by 66% compared to a regression model fitted to absorbance at 270 nm alone. The parameterised model can use measured optical absorbance values at any pair of suitable wavelengths to calculate both [DOC] and the relative amounts of A and B in a water sample, i.e. measures of quantity and quality. Blind prediction of [DOC] was satisfactory for 9 of 11 independent data sets (181 of 213 individual samples).

The Effects of Argument Quality and Involvement Type on Attitude Formation and Attitude Change: A Test of Dual-Process and Social Judgment Predictions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Hee Sun; Levine, Timothy R.; Kingsley Westerman, Catherine Y.; Orfgen, Tierney; Foregger, Sarah

2007-01-01

Involvement has long been theoretically specified as a crucial factor determining the persuasive impact of messages. In social judgment theory, ego-involvement makes people more resistant to persuasion, whereas in dual-process models, high-involvement people are susceptible to persuasion when argument quality is high. It is argued that these…

Six Sigma Approach to Improve Stripping Quality of Automotive Electronics Component – a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, Noraini Mohd; Murni Mohamad Kadri, Siti; Con Ee, Toh

2018-03-01

Lacking of problem solving skill techniques and cooperation between support groups are the two obstacles that always been faced in actual production line. Inadequate detail analysis and inappropriate technique in solving the problem may cause the repeating issues which may give impact to the organization performance. This study utilizes a well-structured six sigma DMAIC with combination of other problem solving tools to solve product quality problem in manufacturing of automotive electronics component. The study is concentrated at the stripping process, a critical process steps with highest rejection rate that contribute to the scrap and rework performance. The detail analysis is conducted in the analysis phase to identify the actual root cause of the problem. Then several improvement activities are implemented and the results show that the rejection rate due to stripping defect decrease tremendously and the process capability index improved from 0.75 to 1.67. This results prove that the six sigma approach used to tackle the quality problem is substantially effective.

NOAA's National Air Quality Prediction and Development of Aerosol and Atmospheric Composition Prediction Components for NGGPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stajner, I.; McQueen, J.; Lee, P.; Stein, A. F.; Wilczak, J. M.; Upadhayay, S.; daSilva, A.; Lu, C. H.; Grell, G. A.; Pierce, R. B.

2017-12-01

NOAA's operational air quality predictions of ozone, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and wildfire smoke over the United States and airborne dust over the contiguous 48 states are distributed at http://airquality.weather.gov. The National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) providing these predictions was updated in June 2017. Ozone and PM2.5 predictions are now produced using the system linking the Community Multiscale Air Quality model (CMAQ) version 5.0.2 with meteorological inputs from the North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM) version 4. Predictions of PM2.5 include intermittent dust emissions and wildfire emissions from an updated version of BlueSky system. For the latter, the CMAQ system is initialized by rerunning it over the previous 24 hours to include wildfire emissions at the time when they were observed from the satellites. Post processing to reduce the bias in PM2.5 prediction was updated using the Kalman filter analog (KFAN) technique. Dust related aerosol species at the CMAQ domain lateral boundaries now come from the NEMS Global Aerosol Component (NGAC) v2 predictions. Further development of NAQFC includes testing of CMAQ predictions to 72 hours, Canadian fire emissions data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and the KFAN technique to reduce bias in ozone predictions. NOAA is developing the Next Generation Global Predictions System (NGGPS) with an aerosol and gaseous atmospheric composition component to improve and integrate aerosol and ozone predictions and evaluate their impacts on physics, data assimilation and weather prediction. Efforts are underway to improve cloud microphysics, investigate aerosol effects and include representations of atmospheric composition of varying complexity into NGGPS: from the operational ozone parameterization, GOCART aerosols, with simplified ozone chemistry, to CMAQ chemistry with aerosol modules. We will present progress on community building, planning and development of NGGPS.

[Establishment of industry promotion technology system in Chinese medicine secondary exploitation based on "component structure theory"].

PubMed

Cheng, Xu-Dong; Feng, Liang; Zhang, Ming-Hua; Gu, Jun-Fei; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2014-10-01

The purpose of the secondary exploitation of Chinese medicine is to improve the quality of Chinese medicine products, enhance core competitiveness, for better use in clinical practice, and more effectively solve the patient suffering. Herbs, extraction, separation, refreshing, preparation and quality control are all involved in the industry promotion of Chinese medicine secondary exploitation of industrial production. The Chinese medicine quality improvement and industry promotion could be realized with the whole process of process optimization, quality control, overall processes improvement. Based on the "component structure theory", "multi-dimensional structure & process dynamic quality control system" and systematic and holistic character of Chinese medicine, impacts of whole process were discussed. Technology systems of Chinese medicine industry promotion was built to provide theoretical basis for improving the quality and efficacy of the secondary development of traditional Chinese medicine products.

Linearmycins Activate a Two-Component Signaling System Involved in Bacterial Competition and Biofilm Morphology

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

includes the gastrointestinal tract of animals and the rhizosphere of plants. Interactions between different species in bacterial communities have impacts on our health and industry. However, many approaches currently used to study whole bacterial communities do not resolve mechanistic details of interspecies interactions, including how bacteria sense and respond to their competitors. Using a competition model, we have uncovered dual functions for a previously uncharacterized two-component signaling system involved in specific antibiotic resistance and biofilm morphology. Insights gleaned from signaling within interspecies interaction models build a more complete understanding of gene functions important for bacterial communities and will enhance community-level analytical approaches. PMID:28461449

Factors Influencing Team Performance in a Continuous Quality Improvement Process in the Wisconsin Technical College System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pietz, Victoria Lynn

2014-01-01

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) programs are growing in popularity in higher education settings and a key component is the use of work groups, which require active employee involvement. The problem addressed in this research was the lack of employee engagement in the Quality Review Process (QRP), which is a statewide CQI model developed by…

Mapping carcass and meat quality QTL on Sus Scrofa chromosome 2 in commercial finishing pigs

PubMed Central

Heuven, Henri CM; van Wijk, Rik HJ; Dibbits, Bert; van Kampen, Tony A; Knol, Egbert F; Bovenhuis, Henk

2009-01-01

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting carcass and meat quality located on SSC2 were identified using variance component methods. A large number of traits involved in meat and carcass quality was detected in a commercial crossbred population: 1855 pigs sired by 17 boars from a synthetic line, which where homozygous (A/A) for IGF2. Using combined linkage and linkage disequilibrium mapping (LDLA), several QTL significantly affecting loin muscle mass, ham weight and ham muscles (outer ham and knuckle ham) and meat quality traits, such as Minolta-L* and -b*, ultimate pH and Japanese colour score were detected. These results agreed well with previous QTL-studies involving SSC2. Since our study is carried out on crossbreds, different QTL may be segregating in the parental lines. To address this question, we compared models with a single QTL-variance component with models allowing for separate sire and dam QTL-variance components. The same QTL were identified using a single QTL variance component model compared to a model allowing for separate variances with minor differences with respect to QTL location. However, the variance component method made it possible to detect QTL segregating in the paternal line (e.g. HAMB), the maternal lines (e.g. Ham) or in both (e.g. pHu). Combining association and linkage information among haplotypes improved slightly the significance of the QTL compared to an analysis using linkage information only. PMID:19284675

A dementia care management intervention: which components improve quality?

PubMed

Chodosh, Joshua; Pearson, Marjorie L; Connor, Karen I; Vassar, Stefanie D; Kaisey, Marwa; Lee, Martin L; Vickrey, Barbara G

2012-02-01

To analyze whether types of providers and frequency of encounters are associated with higher quality of care within a coordinated dementia care management (CM) program for patients and caregivers. Secondary analysis of intervention-arm data from a dementia CM cluster-randomized trial, where intervention participants interacted with healthcare organization care managers (HOCMs), community agency care managers (CACMs), and/ or healthcare organization primary care providers (HOPCPs) over 18 months. Encounters of 238 patient/caregivers (dyads) with HOCMs, CACMs, and HOPCPs were abstracted from care management electronic records. The quality domains of assessment, treatment, education/support, and safety were measured from medical record abstractions and caregiver surveys. Mean percentages of met quality indicators associated with exposures to each provider type and frequency were analyzed using multivariable regression, adjusting for participant characteristics and baseline quality. As anticipated, for all 4 domains, the mean percentage of met dementia quality indicators was 15.5 to 47.2 percentage points higher for dyads with HOCM--only exposure than for dyads with none (all P < .008); not anticipated were higher mean percentages with increasing combinations of provider-type exposure-up to 73.7 percentage points higher for safety (95% confidence interval 65.2%-82.1%) with exposure to all 3 provider types compared with no exposure. While greater frequency of HOCM-dyad encounters was associated with higher quality (P < .04), this was not so for other provider types. HOCMs' interactions with dyads was essential for dementia care quality improvement. Additional coordinated interactions with primary care and community agency staff yielded even higher quality.

Developing a patient-led electronic feedback system for quality and safety within Renal PatientView.

PubMed

Giles, Sally J; Reynolds, Caroline; Heyhoe, Jane; Armitage, Gerry

2017-03-01

It is increasingly acknowledged that patients can provide direct feedback about the quality and safety of their care through patient reporting systems. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of patients, healthcare professionals and researchers working in partnership to develop a patient-led quality and safety feedback system within an existing electronic health record (EHR), known as Renal PatientView (RPV). Phase 1 (inception) involved focus groups (n = 9) and phase 2 (requirements) involved cognitive walkthroughs (n = 34) and 1:1 qualitative interviews (n = 34) with patients and healthcare professionals. A Joint Services Expert Panel (JSP) was convened to review the findings from phase 1 and agree the core principles and components of the system prototype. Phase 1 data were analysed using a thematic approach. Data from phase 1 were used to inform the design of the initial system prototype. Phase 2 data were analysed using the components of heuristic evaluation, resulting in a list of core principles and components for the final system prototype. Phase 1 identified four main barriers and facilitators to patients feeding back on quality and safety concerns. In phase 2, the JSP agreed that the system should be based on seven core principles and components. Stakeholders were able to work together to identify core principles and components for an electronic patient quality and safety feedback system in renal services. Tensions arose due to competing priorities, particularly around anonymity and feedback. Careful consideration should be given to the feasibility of integrating a novel element with differing priorities into an established system with existing functions and objectives. © 2016 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

Systematic reviews involving complementary and alternative medicine interventions had higher quality of reporting than conventional medicine reviews.

PubMed

Lawson, Margaret L; Pham, Ba'; Klassen, Terry P; Moher, David

2005-08-01

To compare the quality of systematic reviews reported in English and in languages other than English, and to determine whether there are differences between conventional medicine (CM) and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) reports. We used the Oxman and Guyatt (OG) scale to assess the quality of reporting in 130 systematic reviews: 50 were language-restricted, 32 were language-inclusive but only English-language (EL) trials contained (inclusive-EL), and 48 were language-inclusive and included trials published in languages other than English (inclusive-LOE). Of the 130 reviews, 105 addressed CM interventions and 25 addressed CAM interventions. Comparison of the systematic reviews showed that the quality of reporting and reporting characteristics are not affected by inclusion or exclusion of LOE; however, the quality of reporting of systematic reviews involving CAM interventions is higher than that of reviews focusing on CM interventions. Informal comparison of the OG scale with the data collected on quality assessments showed that the OG scale performs well overall but may not identify important differences in comprehensiveness of the search strategy and avoidance of bias in study selection. Further research is required to determine the best methods for assessing quality of systematic reviews and whether the effect of language restrictions is dependent on the type of intervention (CM or CAM).

The degree of cardiac baroreflex involvement during active standing is associated with the quality of life in fibromyalgia patients.

PubMed

Zamunér, Antonio Roberto; Porta, Alberto; Andrade, Carolina Pieroni; Forti, Meire; Marchi, Andrea; Furlan, Raffaello; Barbic, Franca; Catai, Aparecida Maria; Silva, Ester

2017-01-01

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a rheumatologic disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain, fatigue and other symptoms. Baroreflex dysfunction has been observed in women with FMS. However, it is unknown whether the limited involvement of the baroreflex control during an orthostatic stimulus has some impact on the quality of life of the FMS patient. Therefore, the aim of the study is evaluate the relationship between the quality of life of the FMS patient and indexes of the cardiovascular autonomic control as estimated from spontaneous fluctuations of heart period (HP) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP). We enrolled 35 women with FMS (age: 48.8±8.9 years; body mass index: 29.3±4.3 Kg/m2). The electrocardiogram, non-invasive finger blood pressure and respiratory activity were continuously recorded during 15 minutes at rest in supine position (REST) and in orthostatic position during active standing (STAND). Traditional cardiovascular autonomic control markers were assessed along with a Granger causality index assessing the strength of the causal relation from SAP to HP (CRSAP→HP) and measuring the degree of involvement of the cardiac baroreflex. The impact of FMS on quality of life was quantified by the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) and visual analog score for pain (VAS pain). No significant linear association was found between FIQ scores and the traditional cardiovascular indexes both at REST and during STAND (p>0.05). However, a negative relationship between CRSAP→HP during STAND and FIQ score was found (r = -0.56, p<0.01). Similar results were found with VAS pain. In conclusion, the lower the degree of cardiac baroreflex involvement during STAND in women with FMS, the higher the impact of FMS on the quality of life, thus suggesting that Granger causality analysis might be clinically helpful in assessing the state of the FMS patient.

The degree of cardiac baroreflex involvement during active standing is associated with the quality of life in fibromyalgia patients

PubMed Central

Porta, Alberto; Andrade, Carolina Pieroni; Forti, Meire; Marchi, Andrea; Furlan, Raffaello; Barbic, Franca; Catai, Aparecida Maria; Silva, Ester

2017-01-01

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a rheumatologic disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain, fatigue and other symptoms. Baroreflex dysfunction has been observed in women with FMS. However, it is unknown whether the limited involvement of the baroreflex control during an orthostatic stimulus has some impact on the quality of life of the FMS patient. Therefore, the aim of the study is evaluate the relationship between the quality of life of the FMS patient and indexes of the cardiovascular autonomic control as estimated from spontaneous fluctuations of heart period (HP) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP). We enrolled 35 women with FMS (age: 48.8±8.9 years; body mass index: 29.3±4.3 Kg/m2). The electrocardiogram, non-invasive finger blood pressure and respiratory activity were continuously recorded during 15 minutes at rest in supine position (REST) and in orthostatic position during active standing (STAND). Traditional cardiovascular autonomic control markers were assessed along with a Granger causality index assessing the strength of the causal relation from SAP to HP (CRSAP→HP) and measuring the degree of involvement of the cardiac baroreflex. The impact of FMS on quality of life was quantified by the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) and visual analog score for pain (VAS pain). No significant linear association was found between FIQ scores and the traditional cardiovascular indexes both at REST and during STAND (p>0.05). However, a negative relationship between CRSAP→HP during STAND and FIQ score was found (r = -0.56, p<0.01). Similar results were found with VAS pain. In conclusion, the lower the degree of cardiac baroreflex involvement during STAND in women with FMS, the higher the impact of FMS on the quality of life, thus suggesting that Granger causality analysis might be clinically helpful in assessing the state of the FMS patient. PMID:28614420

A component-based, integrated spatially distributed hydrologic/water quality model: AgroEcoSystem-Watershed (AgES-W) overview and application

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

AgroEcoSystem-Watershed (AgES-W) is a modular, Java-based spatially distributed model which implements hydrologic/water quality simulation components. The AgES-W model was previously evaluated for streamflow and recently has been enhanced with the addition of nitrogen (N) and sediment modeling compo...

Consumer Involvement in Evaluation and Quality Assurance Efforts: Review of Current Efforts in the Field of Developmental Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashline, Melissa

This review of the professional and programmatic literature in the field of developmental disabilities focuses on ways in which individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are becoming increasingly involved in program evaluation and quality assurance efforts. Three major movements are having an impact on this activity: state and…

Service user involvement enhanced the research quality in a study using interpretative phenomenological analysis - the power of multiple perspectives.

PubMed

Mjøsund, Nina Helen; Eriksson, Monica; Espnes, Geir Arild; Haaland-Øverby, Mette; Jensen, Sven Liang; Norheim, Irene; Kjus, Solveig Helene Høymork; Portaasen, Inger-Lill; Vinje, Hege Forbech

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine how service user involvement can contribute to the development of interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology and enhance research quality. Interpretative phenomenological analysis is a qualitative methodology used in nursing research internationally to understand human experiences that are essential to the participants. Service user involvement is requested in nursing research. We share experiences from 4 years of collaboration (2012-2015) on a mental health promotion project, which involved an advisory team. Five research advisors either with a diagnosis or related to a person with severe mental illness constituted the team. They collaborated with the research fellow throughout the entire research process and have co-authored this article. We examined the joint process of analysing the empirical data from interviews. Our analytical discussions were audiotaped, transcribed and subsequently interpreted following the guidelines for good qualitative analysis in interpretative phenomenological analysis studies. The advisory team became 'the researcher's helping hand'. Multiple perspectives influenced the qualitative analysis, which gave more insightful interpretations of nuances, complexity, richness or ambiguity in the interviewed participants' accounts. The outcome of the service user involvement was increased breadth and depth in findings. Service user involvement improved the research quality in a nursing research project on mental health promotion. The interpretative element of interpretative phenomenological analysis was enhanced by the emergence of multiple perspectives in the qualitative analysis of the empirical data. We argue that service user involvement and interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology can mutually reinforce each other and strengthen qualitative methodology. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Component characterization and predictive modeling for green roof substrates optimized to adsorb P and improve runoff quality: A review.

PubMed

Jennett, Tyson S; Zheng, Youbin

2018-06-01

This review is a synthesis of the current knowledge regarding the effects of green roof substrate components and their retentive capacity for nutrients, particularly phosphorus (P). Substrates may behave as either sources or sinks of P depending on the components they are formulated from, and to date, the total P-adsorbing capacity of a substrate has not been quantified as the sum of the contributions of its components. Few direct links have been established among substrate components and their physicochemical characteristics that would affect P-retention. A survey of recent literature presented herein highlights the trends within individual component selection (clays and clay-like material, organics, conventional soil and sands, lightweight inorganics, and industrial wastes and synthetics) for those most common during substrate formulation internationally. Component selection will vary with respect to ease of sourcing component materials, cost of components, nutrient-retention capacity, and environmental sustainability. However, the number of distinct components considered for inclusion in green roof substrates continues to expand, as the desires of growers, material suppliers, researchers and industry stakeholders are incorporated into decision-making. Furthermore, current attempts to characterize the most often used substrate components are also presented whereby runoff quality is correlated to entire substrate performance. With the use of well-described characterization (constant capacitance model) and modeling techniques (the soil assemblage model), it is proposed that substrates optimized for P adsorption may be developed through careful selection of components with prior knowledge of their chemical properties, that may increase retention of P in plant-available forms, thereby reducing green roof fertilizer requirements and P losses in roof runoff. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the quality of the ecological component of English Environmental Statements.

PubMed

Drayson, Katherine; Wood, Graham; Thompson, Stewart

2015-09-01

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a key tool to help ensure sustainable built development in more than 200 countries worldwide. Ecology is frequently a component of EIA and early reviews of Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) chapters identified scope for improvement at almost every stage of the EcIA process, regardless of country. However, there have been no reviews of UK EcIA chapters since 2000, despite important changes in biodiversity and planning legislation, policy and guidance. In addition, no UK EcIA chapter reviews have attempted to assign a grade or score to EcIA chapters (as has been done for reviews of US, Finnish and Indian EcIA chapters). Furthermore, no EcIA chapter reviews have attempted to use a scoring system to identify which variables determine EcIA chapter information content, beyond straightforward comparisons of EcIA chapters before and after the introduction of guidelines. A variant of the Biodiversity Assessment Index (BAI) was used to assign scores between zero and one to EcIA chapters based on a series of 47 questions drawn from EU legislation and professional guidance. 112 EcIA chapters for proposed developments that were subsequently granted planning permission in England were assessed. The mean BAI score was less than 0.5, indicating the presence of considerable information gaps in the majority of EcIA chapters. Of 13 predictor variables identified as having the potential to affect EcIA chapter quality, 10 were identified as significantly related to the BAI scores. A backward stepwise Generalized Linear Model identified the use of professional guidance, the ecological consultancy type and the length of the EcIA chapter as having the greatest combined explanatory power. As a result, several recommendations are made to help improve future EcIA chapter content, including formal EcIA chapter review, publicising the professional guidance to consultants, the provision of training and the introduction of an accreditation scheme for

Judging the Quality of Teaching in Lessons: Some Thoughts Prompted by Ofsted's Subsidiary Guidance on Teaching Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Colin

2014-01-01

Lesson observations involving judgements of teaching quality are a regular feature of classroom life. Such observations and judgements are made by senior and middle managers in schools and also, very significantly, by Ofsted inspectors as a major component of their judgement on the quality of teaching in a school. Using the example of Ofsted…

Quantification and semiquantification of multiple representative components for the holistic quality control of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Qin, Zifei; Lin, Pei; Dai, Yi; Yao, Zhihong; Wang, Li; Yao, Xinsheng; Liu, Liyin; Chen, Haifeng

2016-05-01

Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus (named Xiebai in China) is a folk medicine with medicinal values for the treatment of thoracic obstruction and cardialgia, and a food additive as well. However, there is even no quantitative standard for Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus recorded in the current edition of the Chinese Pharmacopeia. Hence, simultaneous assay of multiple components is urgent. In this study, chemometric methods were firstly applied to discover the components with significant fluctuation among multiple Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus samples based on optimized fingerprints. Meanwhile, the major components and main absorbed components in rats were all selected as its representative components. Subsequently, a sensitive method was established for the simultaneous determination of 54 components (15 components for quantification and 39 components for semiquantification) by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Moreover, the validated method was successfully applied to evaluate the quality of multiple samples on the market. It became known that multiple Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus samples varied significantly and showed poor consistency. This work illustrated that the proposed approach could improve the quality of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus, and it also provided a feasible method for quality evaluation of other traditional Chinese medicines. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-throughput ocular artifact reduction in multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) using component subspace projection.

PubMed

Ma, Junshui; Bayram, Sevinç; Tao, Peining; Svetnik, Vladimir

2011-03-15

After a review of the ocular artifact reduction literature, a high-throughput method designed to reduce the ocular artifacts in multichannel continuous EEG recordings acquired at clinical EEG laboratories worldwide is proposed. The proposed method belongs to the category of component-based methods, and does not rely on any electrooculography (EOG) signals. Based on a concept that all ocular artifact components exist in a signal component subspace, the method can uniformly handle all types of ocular artifacts, including eye-blinks, saccades, and other eye movements, by automatically identifying ocular components from decomposed signal components. This study also proposes an improved strategy to objectively and quantitatively evaluate artifact reduction methods. The evaluation strategy uses real EEG signals to synthesize realistic simulated datasets with different amounts of ocular artifacts. The simulated datasets enable us to objectively demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms some existing methods when no high-quality EOG signals are available. Moreover, the results of the simulated datasets improve our understanding of the involved signal decomposition algorithms, and provide us with insights into the inconsistency regarding the performance of different methods in the literature. The proposed method was also applied to two independent clinical EEG datasets involving 28 volunteers and over 1000 EEG recordings. This effort further confirms that the proposed method can effectively reduce ocular artifacts in large clinical EEG datasets in a high-throughput fashion. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phenotyping the quality of complex medium components by simple online-monitored shake flask experiments.

PubMed

Diederichs, Sylvia; Korona, Anna; Staaden, Antje; Kroutil, Wolfgang; Honda, Kohsuke; Ohtake, Hisao; Büchs, Jochen

2014-11-07

Media containing yeast extracts and other complex raw materials are widely used for the cultivation of microorganisms. However, variations in the specific nutrient composition can occur, due to differences in the complex raw material ingredients and in the production of these components. These lot-to-lot variations can affect growth rate, product yield and product quality in laboratory investigations and biopharmaceutical production processes. In the FDA's Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative, the control and assessment of the quality of critical raw materials is one key aspect to maintain product quality and consistency. In this study, the Respiration Activity Monitoring System (RAMOS) was used to evaluate the impact of different yeast extracts and commercial complex auto-induction medium lots on metabolic activity and product yield of four recombinant Escherichia coli variants encoding different enzymes. Under non-induced conditions, the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of E. coli was not affected by a variation of the supplemented yeast extract lot. The comparison of E. coli cultivations under induced conditions exhibited tremendous differences in OTR profiles and volumetric activity for all investigated yeast extract lots of different suppliers as well as lots of the same supplier independent of the E. coli variant. Cultivation in the commercial auto-induction medium lots revealed the same reproducible variations. In cultivations with parallel offline analysis, the highest volumetric activity was found at different cultivation times. Only by online monitoring of the cultures, a distinct cultivation phase (e.g. glycerol depletion) could be detected and chosen for comparable and reproducible offline analysis of the yield of functional product. This work proves that cultivations conducted in complex media may be prone to significant variation in final product quality and quantity if the quality of the raw material for medium preparation is not thoroughly

Predicting Romantic Involvement, Relationship Cognitions, and Relationship Qualities from Physical Appearance, Perceived Norms, and Relational Styles Regarding Friends and Parents

PubMed Central

Furman, Wyndol; Winkles, Jessica K

2010-01-01

Using a sample of 199 adolescents, the present study examined Furman and Wehner’s (1999) hypothesis that the predictors of the degree of romantic involvement and the predictors of romantic relationship cognitions and qualities differ. As hypothesized, physical appearance and friends’ normative romantic involvement were related to the degree of casual and serious romantic involvement, whereas relational styles regarding friends and parents were unrelated in almost all cases. On the other hand, relational styles regarding friends and parents were related to supportive and negative romantic interactions and romantic styles,. In contrast, physical appearance and friends’ normative romantic involvement were generally unrelated to interactions and romantic styles. Physical appearance was also related to romantic appeal and satisfaction. PMID:20800891

A Delphi study to identify the core components of nurse to nurse handoff.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Jennifer; Abraham, Joanna; Riesenberg, Lee Ann; Matson, Jeff; Lopez, Karen Dunn

2018-03-08

The aim of this study was to identify the core components of nurse-nurse handoffs. Patient handoffs involve a process of passing information, responsibility and control from one caregiver to the next during care transitions. Around the globe, ineffective handoffs have serious consequences resulting in wrong treatments, delays in diagnosis, longer stays, medication errors, patient falls and patient deaths. To date, the core components of nurse-nurse handoff have not been identified. This lack of identification is a significant gap in moving towards a standardized approach for nurse-nurse handoff. Mixed methods design using the Delphi technique. From May 2016 - October 2016, using a series of iterative steps, a panel of handoff experts gave feedback on the nurse-nurse handoff core components and the content in each component to be passed from one nurse to the next during a typical unit-based shift handoff. Consensus was defined as 80% agreement or higher. After three rounds of participant review, 17 handoff experts with backgrounds in clinical nursing practice, academia and handoff research came to consensus on the core components of handoff: patient summary, action plan and nurse-nurse synthesis. This is the first study to identify the core components of nurse-nurse handoff. Subsequent testing of the core components will involve evaluating the handoff approach in a simulated and then actual patient care environment. Our long-term goal is to improve patient safety outcomes by validating an evidence-based handoff framework and handoff curriculum for pre-licensure nursing programmes that strengthen the quality of their handoff communication as they enter clinical practice. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Commissioning and quality assurance for the treatment delivery components of the AccuBoost system

PubMed Central

Talmadge, Mike; Ladd, Ron; Halvorsen, Per

2015-01-01

The objective for this work was to develop a commissioning methodology for the treatment delivery components of the AccuBoost system, as well as to establish a routine quality assurance program and appropriate guidance for clinical use based on the commissioning results. Various tests were developed: 1) assessment of the accuracy of the displayed separation value; 2) validation of the dwell positions within each applicator; 3) assessment of the accuracy and precision of the applicator localization system; 4) assessment of the combined dose profile of two opposed applicators to confirm that they are coaxial; 5) measurement of the absolute dose delivered with each applicator to confirm acceptable agreement with dose based on Monte Carlo modeling; 6) measurements of the skin‐to‐center dose ratio using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters; and 7) assessment of the mammopad cushion's effect on the center dose. We found that the difference between the measured and the actual paddle separation is <0.1 cm for the separation range of 3 cm to 7.5 cm. Radiochromic film measurements demonstrated that the number of dwell positions inside the applicators agree with the values from the vendor, for each applicator type and size. The shift needed for a good applicator‐grid alignment was within 0.2 cm. The dry‐run test using film demonstrated that the shift of the dosimetric center is within 0.15 cm. Dose measurements in water converted to polystyrene agreed within 5.0% with the Monte Carlo data in polystyrene for the same applicator type, size, and depth. A solid water‐to‐water (phantom) factor was obtained for each applicator, and all future annual quality assurance tests will be performed in solid water using an average value of 1.07 for the solid water‐to‐water factor. The skin‐to‐center dose ratio measurements support the Monte Carlo‐based values within 5.0% agreement. For the treatment separation range of 4 cm to 8 cm, the change in center dose

Commissioning and quality assurance for the treatment delivery components of the AccuBoost system.

PubMed

Iftimia, Ileana; Talmadge, Mike; Ladd, Ron; Halvorsen, Per

2015-03-08

The objective for this work was to develop a commissioning methodology for the treatment delivery components of the AccuBoost system, as well as to establish a routine quality assurance program and appropriate guidance for clinical use based on the commissioning results. Various tests were developed: 1) assessment of the accuracy of the displayed separation value; 2) validation of the dwell positions within each applicator; 3) assessment of the accuracy and precision of the applicator localization system; 4) assessment of the combined dose profile of two opposed applicators to confirm that they are coaxial; 5) measurement of the absolute dose delivered with each applicator to confirm acceptable agreement with dose based on Monte Carlo modeling; 6) measurements of the skin-to-center dose ratio using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters; and 7) assessment of the mammopad cushion's effect on the center dose. We found that the difference between the measured and the actual paddle separation is < 0.1 cm for the separation range of 3 cm to 7.5 cm. Radiochromic film measurements demonstrated that the number of dwell positions inside the applicators agree with the values from the vendor, for each applicator type and size. The shift needed for a good applicator-grid alignment was within 0.2 cm. The dry-run test using film demonstrated that the shift of the dosimetric center is within 0.15 cm. Dose measurements in water converted to polystyrene agreed within 5.0% with the Monte Carlo data in polystyrene for the same applicator type, size, and depth. A solid water-to-water (phantom) factor was obtained for each applicator, and all future annual quality assurance tests will be performed in solid water using an average value of 1.07 for the solid water-to-water factor. The skin-to-center dose ratio measurements support the Monte Carlo-based values within 5.0% agreement. For the treatment separation range of 4 cm to 8cm, the change in center dose would be < 1

A social marketing approach to quality improvement in family planning services: a case study from Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Gulzar, Jamshaid; Ali, Moazzam; Kuroiwa, Chushi

2008-02-01

In the 1990s, social marketing approach was introduced in Pakistan to improve the quality and accessibility of family planning methods involving private practitioners. This study measured six quality elements using a Bruce-Jain framework. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 29 randomly selected Green Star clinics. The study's four components were 1) an inventory of each outlet (infrastructure, equipment, and supplies); 2) an observation guide for interaction between family planning clients and service providers; 3) exit interviews with clients attending the outlet; and 4) interviews with providers at the outlet. Of the 29 clients participating in the exit interviews, 72% were new users of family planning. The clients' mean age was 32 years; all clients were married; 93% had received formal education. Housework was the principal activity of 93% of clients. The mean number of children reported was three. Both hormonal and intrauterine contraceptives (IUCDs) were available in all facilities; 86% of the clients reported being able to obtain their contraceptive of choice. Most facilities had the equipment and supplies needed to deliver services; service personnel were trained and regularly supervised; the service outlets emphasized mechanisms to ensure continuity of use. Notable shortcomings included a shortage of information on alternative methods, contraindications, and side-effect management, as well as a dearth of registration records. In conclusion, this is a good example of public-private partnership involving private practitioners using a social marketing approach. The quality components of a Bruce-Jain framework were achieved, resulting in a satisfied clientele. Involvement of private service outlets increased the accessibility and enhanced the use of services. Social marketing may be expanded to improve quality and access by involving further components of health care.

The Aftercare and School Observation System (ASOS): Reliability and Component Structure.

PubMed

Ingoldsby, Erin M; Shelleby, Elizabeth C; Lane, Tonya; Shaw, Daniel S; Dishion, Thomas J; Wilson, Melvin N

2013-10-01

This study examines the psychometric properties and component structure of a newly developed observational system, the Aftercare and School Observation System (ASOS). Participants included 468 children drawn from a larger longitudinal intervention study. The system was utilized to assess participant children in school lunchrooms and recess and various afterschool environments. Exploratory factor analyses examined whether a core set of component constructs assessing qualities of children's relationships, caregiver involvement and monitoring, and experiences in school and aftercare contexts that have been linked to children's behavior problems would emerge. Construct validity was assessed by examining associations between ASOS constructs and questionnaire measures assessing children's behavior problems and relationship qualities in school and aftercare settings. Across both settings, two factors showed very similar empirical structures and item loadings, reflecting the constructs of a negative/aggressive context and caregiver positive involvement, with one additional unique factor from the school setting reflecting the extent to which caregiver methods used resulted in less negative behavior and two additional unique factors from the aftercare setting reflecting positivity in the child's interactions and general environment and negativity in the child's interactions and setting. Modest correlations between ASOS factors and aftercare provider and teacher ratings of behavior problems, adult-child relationships, and a rating of school climate contributed to our interpretation that the ASOS scores capture meaningful features of children's experiences in these settings. This study represents the first step of establishing that the ASOS reliably and validly captures risk and protective relationships and experiences in extra-familial settings.

WE-AB-BRA-07: Operating Room Quality Assurance (ORQA) for Spine Surgery Using Known-Component 3D-2D Image Registration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Uneri, A; De Silva, T; Goerres, J

Purpose: Intraoperative x-ray radiography/fluoroscopy is commonly used to qualitatively assess delivery of surgical devices (e.g., spine pedicle screws) but can fail to reliably detect suboptimal placement (e.g., breach of adjacent critical structures). We present a method wherein prior knowledge of the patient and surgical components is leveraged to match preoperative CT and intraoperative radiographs for quantitative assessment of 3D pose. The method presents a new means of operating room quantitative quality assurance (ORQA) that could improve quality and safety, and reduce the frequency of revision surgeries. Methods: The algorithm (known-component registration, KC-Reg) uses patient-specific preoperative CT and parametrically defined surgicalmore » component models within a robust 3D-2D registration method to iteratively optimize gradient similarity using the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy. Advances from previous work address key challenges to clinical translation: i) absolving the need for offline geometric calibration of the C-arm; and ii) solving multiple component bodies simultaneously, thereby allowing QA in a single step (e.g., spinal construct with 4–20 screws), rather than sequential QA of each component. Performance was tested in a spine phantom with 10 pedicle screws, and first results from clinical studies are reported. Results: Phantom experiments demonstrated median target registration error (TRE) of (1.0±0.3) mm at the screw tip and (0.7°±0.4°) in angulation. The simultaneous multi-body registration approach improved TRE from the previous (sequential) method by 42%, reduced outliers, and fits into the natural workflow. Initial application of KC-Reg in clinical data shows TRE of (2.5±4.5) mm and (4.7°±0.5°). Conclusion: The KC-Reg algorithm offers a potentially valuable method for quantitative QA of the surgical product, using radiographic systems that are already within the surgical arsenal. For spine surgery, the

Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Components and Enterprise Component Information System (eCIS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

John Minihan; Ed Schmidt; Greg Enserro

The purpose of the project was to develop the processes for using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts for WR production and to put in place a system for implementing the data management tools required to disseminate, store, track procurement, and qualify vendors. Much of the effort was devoted to determining if the use of COTS parts was possible. A basic question: How does the Nuclear Weapons Complex (NWC) begin to use COTS in the weapon Stockpile Life Extension Programs with high reliability, affordability, while managing risk at acceptable levels? In FY00, it was determined that a certain weapon refurbishment program couldmore » not be accomplished without the use of COTS components. The elements driving the use of COTS components included decreased cost, greater availability, and shorter delivery time. Key factors that required implementation included identifying the best suppliers and components, defining life cycles and predictions of obsolescence, testing the feasibility of using COTS components with a test contractor to ensure capability, as well as quality and reliability, and implementing the data management tools required to disseminate, store, track procurement, and qualify vendors. The primary effort of this project then was to concentrate on the risks involved in the use of COTS and address the issues of part and vendor selection, procurement and acceptance processes, and qualification of the parts via part and sample testing. The Enterprise Component Information System (eCIS) was used to manage the information generated by the COTS process. eCIS is a common interface for both the design and production of NWC components and systems integrating information between SNL National Laboratory (SNL) and the Kansas City Plant (KCP). The implementation of COTS components utilizes eCIS from part selection through qualification release. All part related data is linked across an unclassified network for access by both SNL and KCP personnel. The system includes

Bacteriostatic conformal coating for electronic components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bland, C.; Le Doux, F. N.

1967-01-01

Coating for electronic components used in space applications has bacteriostatic qualities capable of hindering bacterial reproduction, both vegetative and sporulative viable microorganisms. It exhibits high electrical resistivity, a low outgassing rate, and is capable of restraining electronic components when subjected to mechanical vibrations.

Involving Families in School Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrera, John M.; Warner, Laverne

2006-01-01

The relationship of schools to diverse communities demands attention by administrators, teachers, staff members, and volunteers. How well the three constructs mesh depends on the abilities and sensitivities of all constituencies involved. Three components are essential to successful programs that involve families in an educational setting:…

Exploring Oral Cancer Patients' Preference in Medical Decision Making and Quality of Life.

PubMed

Cheng, Sun-Long; Liao, Hsien-Hua; Shueng, Pei-Wei; Lee, Hsi-Chieh; Cheewakriangkrai, Chalong; Chang, Chi-Chang

2017-01-01

Little is known about the clinical effects of shared medical decision making (SMDM) associated with quality of life about oral cancer? To understand patients who occurred potential cause of SMDM and extended to explore the interrelated components of quality of life for providing patients with potential adaptation of early assessment. All consenting patients completed the SMDM questionnaire and 36-Item Short Form (SF-36). Regression analyses were conducted to find predictors of quality of life among oral cancer patients. The proposed model predicted 57.4% of the variance in patients' SF-36 Mental Component scores. Patient mental component summary scores were associated with smoking habit (β=-0.3449, p=0.022), autonomy (β=-0.226, p=0.018) and Control preference (β=-0.388, p=0.007). The proposed model predicted 42.6% of the variance in patients' SF-36 Physical component scores. Patient physical component summary scores were associated with higher education (β=0.288, p=0.007), employment status (β=-0.225, p=0.033), involvement perceived (β=-0.606, p=0.011) and Risk communication (β=-0.558, p=0.019). Future research is necessary to determine whether oral cancer patients would benefit from early screening and intervention to address shared medical decision making.

A systematic review of the evidence on service user involvement in interpersonal skills training of mental health students.

PubMed

Perry, J; Watkins, M; Gilbert, A; Rawlinson, J

2013-08-01

Service user involvement has become a common feature of education programmes for mental health students. However, little is known about the effects of this type of education on the interpersonal skills of students taking part. This paper reports findings from a systematic review that formed part of a wider investigation into service user involvement in teaching interpersonal skills. The review aimed to locate and assess the quality of the published evidence relating to the effects of service user involvement on mental health students interpersonal skills and to synthesize results, using a definition of interpersonal skill that includes attitudes, empathy and skills as its key components. Results from this study indicate that the quality of evidence in this area is poor. However, sufficient synthesis of the evidence base was possible to allow conclusions and recommendations for both research and practice. Conclusions were that the involvement of service users in this area is both acceptable and valuable for students and had specific impacts on attitudes, empathy and skills. Some difficulties and reservations about the style of involvement are discussed. Recommendations for the conduct of future research are also made. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Semantic Entity-Component State Management Techniques to Enhance Software Quality for Multimodal VR-Systems.

PubMed

Fischbach, Martin; Wiebusch, Dennis; Latoschik, Marc Erich

2017-04-01

Modularity, modifiability, reusability, and API usability are important software qualities that determine the maintainability of software architectures. Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR, AR, MR) systems, modern computer games, as well as interactive human-robot systems often include various dedicated input-, output-, and processing subsystems. These subsystems collectively maintain a real-time simulation of a coherent application state. The resulting interdependencies between individual state representations, mutual state access, overall synchronization, and flow of control implies a conceptual close coupling whereas software quality asks for a decoupling to develop maintainable solutions. This article presents five semantics-based software techniques that address this contradiction: Semantic grounding, code from semantics, grounded actions, semantic queries, and decoupling by semantics. These techniques are applied to extend the well-established entity-component-system (ECS) pattern to overcome some of this pattern's deficits with respect to the implied state access. A walk-through of central implementation aspects of a multimodal (speech and gesture) VR-interface is used to highlight the techniques' benefits. This use-case is chosen as a prototypical example of complex architectures with multiple interacting subsystems found in many VR, AR and MR architectures. Finally, implementation hints are given, lessons learned regarding maintainability pointed-out, and performance implications discussed.

NDTAC Practice Guide: Quality Education Services Are Critical for Youth Involved with the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonsoulin, Simon; Clark, Heather Griller; Rankin, Victoria E.

2015-01-01

This National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk (NDTAC) practice guide examines the principle that quality education services are critical for youth involved with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. This principle asserts that, to address the…

Involvement of μ/m-calpain in the proteolysis and meat quality changes during postmortem storage of chicken breast muscle.

PubMed

Zhao, Liang; Xing, Tong; Huang, Jichao; Qiao, Yan; Chen, Yulian; Huang, Ming

2018-02-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the role of calpain isotypes, especially poultry-specific μ/m-calpain in the proteolysis and meat quality changes of chicken breast muscle during postmortem storage. Calpain activity was detected by casein zymography, while the degradation of titin, desmin and Troponin-T was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blot. Meat quality indicators such as water holding capacity and tenderness were also studied. The correlation analysis between calpain activity, proteolysis and the changes in meat quality indicators indicated that there were strong correlations for μ-calpain during the first 12 h of storage, while such strong correlations for μ/m-calpain were only found in samples stored from 12 h to 7 days. Our study suggested that μ-calpain played a major role in meat quality changes while μ/m-calpain could also be involved but played a limited role in the proteolysis and meat quality changes during 12 h to 7 days postmortem storage of chicken breast muscle. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Empathy for social exclusion involves the sensory-discriminative component of pain: a within-subject fMRI study

PubMed Central

Novembre, Giovanni; Zanon, Marco

2015-01-01

Recent research has shown that experiencing events that represent a significant threat to social bonds activates a network of brain areas associated with the sensory-discriminative aspects of pain. In the present study, we investigated whether the same brain areas are involved when witnessing social exclusion threats experienced by others. Using a within-subject design, we show that an ecologically valid experience of social exclusion recruits areas coding the somatosensory components of physical pain (posterior insular cortex and secondary somatosensory cortex). Furthermore, we show that this pattern of activation not only holds for directly experienced social pain, but also during empathy for social pain. Finally, we report that subgenual cingulate cortex is the only brain area conjointly active during empathy for physical and social pain. This supports recent theories that affective processing and homeostatic regulation are at the core of empathic responses. PMID:24563529

Predicting romantic involvement, relationship cognitions, and relationship qualities from physical appearance, perceived norms, and relational styles regarding friends and parents.

PubMed

Furman, Wyndol; Winkles, Jessica K

2010-12-01

Using a sample of 199 adolescents, the present study examined Furman and Wehner's (1999) hypothesis that the predictors of the degree of romantic involvement and the predictors of romantic relationship cognitions and qualities differ. As hypothesized, physical appearance and friends' normative romantic involvement were related to the degree of casual and serious romantic involvement, whereas relational styles regarding friends and parents were unrelated in almost all cases. On the other hand, relational styles regarding friends and parents were related to supportive and negative romantic interactions and romantic styles. In contrast, physical appearance and friends' normative romantic involvement were generally unrelated to interactions and romantic styles. Physical appearance was also related to romantic appeal and satisfaction. Copyright © 2010 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality Assurance of Assessment and Moderation Discourses Involving Sessional Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grainger, Peter; Adie, Lenore; Weir, Katie

2016-01-01

Quality assurance is a major agenda in tertiary education. The casualisation of academic work, especially in teaching, is also a quality assurance issue. Casual or sessional staff members teach and assess more than 50% of all university courses in Australia, and yet the research in relation to the role sessional staff play in quality assurance of…

Differences between Higher and Lower Achievement Rate and Leadership Qualities, Instructional Practices, Parental Involvement, Opportunity to Learn, and Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ficarra, Laura

2017-01-01

The purpose of this mixed study was to investigate the differences between higher and lower achievement middle school rates pertaining to leadership qualities, opportunity to learn, instructional practices, parental involvement, and professional development. Qualitatively, principals were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol.…

A two component system is involved in acid adaptation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus.

PubMed

Cui, Yanhua; Liu, Wei; Qu, Xiaojun; Chen, Zhangting; Zhang, Xu; Liu, Tong; Zhang, Lanwei

2012-05-20

The Gram-positive bacterium Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus is of vital importance to the food industry, especially to the dairy industry. Two component systems (TCSs) are one of the most important mechanisms for environmental sensing and signal transduction in the majority of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. A typical TCS consists of a histidine protein kinase (HPK) and a cytoplasmic response regulator (RR). To investigate the functions of TCSs during acid adaptation in L. bulgaricus, we used quantitative PCR to reveal how TCSs expression changes during acid adaptation. Two TCSs (JN675228/JN675229 and JN675230/JN675231) and two HPKs (JN675236 and JN675240) were induced during acid adaptation. These TCSs were speculated to be related with the acid adaptation ability of L. bulgaricus. The mutants of JN675228/JN675229 were constructed in order to investigate the functions of JN675228/JN675229. The mutants showed reduced acid adaptation compared to that of wild type, and the complemented strains were similar to the wild-type strain. These observations suggested that JN675228 and JN675229 were involved in acid adaptation in L. bulgaricus. The interaction between JN675228 and JN675229 was identified by means of yeast two-hybrid system. The results indicated there is interaction between JN675228 and JN675229. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Parent Involvement: "The Key to Quality Education."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Jesus

The paper briefly describes Project PADRES (Parents and Auxiliary Development Resources in Education Services), a program designed to create a partnership between parents and school representatives in order to improve educational services to limited English proficient students; and discusses parent involvement with the school. To create the…

The involvement of medical doctors in hospital governance and implications for quality management: a quick scan in 19 and an in depth study in 7 OECD countries.

PubMed

Rotar, A M; Botje, D; Klazinga, N S; Lombarts, K M; Groene, O; Sunol, R; Plochg, T

2016-05-24

Hospital governance is broadening its orientation from cost and production controls towards 'improving performance on clinical outcomes'. Given this new focus one might assume that doctors are drawn into hospital management across OECD countries. Hospital performance in terms of patient health, quality of care and efficiency outcomes is supposed to benefit from their involvement. However, international comparative evidence supporting this idea is limited. Just a few studies indicate that there may be a positive relationship between medical doctors being part of hospital boards, and overall hospital performance. More importantly, the assumed relationship between these so-called doctor managers and hospital performance has remained a 'black-box' thus far. However, there is an increasing literature on the implementation of quality management systems in hospitals and their relation with improved performance. It seems therefore fair to assume that the relation between the involvement of doctors in hospital management and improved hospital performance is partly mediated via quality management systems. The threefold aim of this paper is to 1) perform a quick scan of the current situation with regard to doctor managers in hospital management in 19 OECD countries, 2) explore the phenomenon of doctor managers in depth in 7 OECD countries, and 3) investigate whether doctor involvement in hospital management is associated with more advanced implementation of quality management systems. This study draws both on a quick scan amongst country coordinators in OECD's Health Care Quality Indicator program, and on the DUQuE project which focused on the implementation of quality management systems in European hospitals. This paper reports two main findings. First, medical doctors fulfil a broad scope of managerial roles at departmental and hospital level but only partly accompanied by formal decision making responsibilities. Second, doctor managers having more formal decision making

Structure and content components of self-management interventions that improve health-related quality of life in people with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

PubMed

Tu, Wenjing; Xu, Guihua; Du, Shizheng

2015-10-01

The purpose of this review was to identify and categorise the components of the content and structure of effective self-management interventions for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic gastrointestinal disorders impacting health-related quality of life. Although the efficacy of self-management interventions has been demonstrated in previous studies, the most effective components of the content and structure of these interventions remain unknown. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomised controlled trials was used. A systematic search of six electronic databases, including Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane central register of controlled trials, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, was conducted. Content analysis was used to categorise the components of the content and structure of effective self-management interventions for inflammatory bowel disease. Clinically important and statistically significant beneficial effects on health-related quality of life were explored, by comparing the association between effect sizes and various components of self-management interventions such as the presence or absence of specific content and different delivery methods. Fifteen randomised controlled trials were included in this review. Distance or remote self-management interventions demonstrated a larger effect size. However, there is no evidence for a positive effect associated with specific content component of self-management interventions in adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease in general. The results showed that self-management interventions have positive effects on health-related quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and distance or remote self-management programmes had better outcomes than other types of interventions. This review provides useful information to clinician and researchers when

Application of kaizen methodology to foster departmental engagement in quality improvement.

PubMed

Knechtges, Paul; Decker, Michael Christopher

2014-12-01

The Toyota Production System, also known as Lean, is a structured approach to continuous quality improvement that has been developed over the past 50 years to transform the automotive manufacturing process. In recent years, these techniques have been successfully applied to quality and safety improvement in the medical field. One of these techniques is kaizen, which is the Japanese word for "good change." The central tenant of kaizen is the quick analysis of the small, manageable components of a problem and the rapid implementation of a solution with ongoing, real-time reassessment. Kaizen adds an additional "human element" that all stakeholders, not just management, must be involved in such change. Because of the small size of the changes involved in a kaizen event and the inherent focus on human factors and change management, a kaizen event can serve as good introduction to continuous quality improvement for a radiology department. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A Natural Component-Based Oxygen Indicator with In-Pack Activation for Intelligent Food Packaging.

PubMed

Won, Keehoon; Jang, Nan Young; Jeon, Junsu

2016-12-28

Intelligent food packaging can provide consumers with reliable and correct information on the quality and safety of packaged foods. One of the key constituents in intelligent packaging is a colorimetric oxygen indicator, which is widely used to detect oxygen gas involved in food spoilage by means of a color change. Traditional oxygen indicators consisting of redox dyes and strong reducing agents have two major problems: they must be manufactured and stored under anaerobic conditions because air depletes the reductant, and their components are synthetic and toxic. To address both of these serious problems, we have developed a natural component-based oxygen indicator characterized by in-pack activation. The conventional oxygen indicator composed of synthetic and artificial components was redesigned using naturally occurring compounds (laccase, guaiacol, and cysteine). These natural components were physically separated into two compartments by a fragile barrier. Only when the barrier was broken were all of the components mixed and the function as an oxygen indicator was begun (i.e., in-pack activation). Depending on the component concentrations, the natural component-based oxygen indicator exhibited different response times and color differences. The rate of the color change was proportional to the oxygen concentration. This novel colorimetric oxygen indicator will contribute greatly to intelligent packaging for healthier and safer foods.

Components and Quality Measures of DIME (Devitalized Tissue, Infection/Inflammation, Moisture Balance, and Edge Preparation) in Wound Care

PubMed Central

Snyder, Robert J.; Fife, Caroline; Moore, Zena

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: To discuss how patient considerations and the initial wound environment can affect wound treatment and summarize the way in which the initial US Wound Registry measures capture aspects of the DIME (Debridement/devitalized tissue, Infection or inflammation, Moisture balance, and wound Edge preparation/wound depth) principles. DISCUSSION: The treatment of chronic wounds often involves extended hospital stays and long-term outpatient follow-up visits with costly advanced therapeutic interventions. As complex care is required for chronic wounds, treatment guidelines such as DIME have evolved to include consideration of patient-centered concerns and etiology, as well as features of wound bed preparation. The US healthcare system is in the midst of transitioning to a quality-based system. However, as wound care is not yet a recognized specialty, it is poorly represented in the current approved quality-based measures. CONCLUSION: This article helps to identify the practice guidelines that are not currently represented by quality metrics. PMID:27089149

National Profiles of Classroom Quality and Family Involvement: A Multilevel Examination of Proximal Influences on Head Start Children's School Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulotsky-Shearer, Rebecca J.; Wen, Xiaoli; Faria, Ann-Marie; Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie L.; Korfmacher, Jon

2012-01-01

Guided by a developmental and ecological model, the study employed latent profile analysis to identify a multilevel typology of family involvement and Head Start classroom quality. Using the nationally representative Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 1997; N = 1870), six multilevel latent profiles were estimated, characterized…

Quality dependent fusion of intramodal and multimodal biometric experts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kittler, J.; Poh, N.; Fatukasi, O.; Messer, K.; Kryszczuk, K.; Richiardi, J.; Drygajlo, A.

2007-04-01

We address the problem of score level fusion of intramodal and multimodal experts in the context of biometric identity verification. We investigate the merits of confidence based weighting of component experts. In contrast to the conventional approach where confidence values are derived from scores, we use instead raw measures of biometric data quality to control the influence of each expert on the final fused score. We show that quality based fusion gives better performance than quality free fusion. The use of quality weighted scores as features in the definition of the fusion functions leads to further improvements. We demonstrate that the achievable performance gain is also affected by the choice of fusion architecture. The evaluation of the proposed methodology involves 6 face and one speech verification experts. It is carried out on the XM2VTS data base.

Components for the Global Digital Object Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaves, Helen; Hanahoe, Hilary; Weigel, Tobias; Lannom, Larry; Wittenburg, Peter; Koureas, Dimitris; Almas, Bridget

2017-04-01

We are at a tipping point in the development of a common conceptual framework and set of tools and components which will revolutionize the management of scientific data. It is widely acknowledged that the current volumes and complexity of data now being collected, and the inevitable and enormous increase in that volume and complexity, have reached the point where action is required. Around 80% of the data generated is being lost after short time periods and a corresponding amount of time is being wasted by reseachers on routine data management tasks. At the same time, and largely in response to this perceived crisis, a number of principles (G8, RDA DFT, FAIR) for the management of scientific data have arisen and been widely endorsed. The danger now is that agreement will stop at the level of principles and that multiple non-interoperable domain and technology specific silos will continue to arise, all based on the abstract principles. If this happens, we will lose the opportunity to create a common set of low-level tools and components based on an agreed conceptual approach. The Research Data Alliance (RDA) is now combining recommendations from its individual working and interest groups, such as suggestions for proper citation of dynamic data or how to assess the quality of repositories, to design configurations of core components (as specified by RDA and other initiatives such as W3C) and stimulate their implementation. Together with a few global communities such as climate modeling, biodiversity and material science, experts involved in RDA are developing a concept called Global Digital Object Cloud (GDOC) which has the potential to overcome the huge fragmentation which hampers efficient data management and re-use. It is compliant with the FAIR principles in so far as a) it puts Digital Objects (DOs) in its center, b) has all DOs assigned PIDs which are resolvable to useful state information, c) has all DOs associated with metadata, and d) has all DO bit

Respiratory muscle involvement in sarcoidosis.

PubMed

Schreiber, Tina; Windisch, Wolfram

2018-07-01

In sarcoidosis, muscle involvement is common, but mostly asymptomatic. Currently, little is known about respiratory muscle and diaphragm involvement and function in patients with sarcoidosis. Reduced inspiratory muscle strength and/or a reduced diaphragm function may contribute to exertional dyspnea, fatigue and reduced health-related quality of life. Previous studies using volitional and non-volitional tests demonstrated a reduced inspiratory muscle strength in sarcoidosis compared to control subjects, and also showed that respiratory muscle function may even be significantly impaired in a subset of patients. Areas covered: This review examines the evidence on respiratory muscle involvement and its implications in sarcoidosis with emphasis on pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory muscle dysfunction. The presented evidence was identified by a literature search performed in PubMed and Medline for articles about respiratory and skeletal muscle function in sarcoidosis through to January 2018. Expert commentary: Respiratory muscle involvement in sarcoidosis is an underdiagnosed condition, which may have an important impact on dyspnea and health-related quality of life. Further studies are needed to understand the etiology, pathogenesis and extent of respiratory muscle involvement in sarcoidosis.

Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part XII: The Work System, Testing, and Clinical Reasoning.

PubMed

Harolds, Jay A

2016-07-01

Donabedian felt the 3 major components affecting quality were process, structure, and outcome. Later investigators often substitute the word "structure" for a broader concept called the "work system." One component of the latter is the people involved, and for diagnosis, this often is best done with a diagnostic team. The work system in diagnosis has many obstacles to achieve optimum performance. There are also important problems with how tests are ordered and interpreted and clinical reasoning and biases.

Stakeholder involvement in water management: necessity or luxury?

PubMed

Morrison, K

2003-01-01

Stakeholder involvement in water management is widely recognized as an important component of the design and implementation of sustainable water management initiatives. Despite this, there remains a deep-rooted resistance to the widespread implementation of programs to prioritize such involvement (as witnessed by, for example, the low priority given to the public involvement element of the European Union Water Framework Directive). This paper addresses the issue of stakeholder involvement by first confronting the fact that it is not a water issue, per se. Such diverse fields as economics, agriculture, public health, pollution prevention, business and education have also identified stakeholder involvement as a difficult but necessary component of successful action in their fields. For the water sector, the issue of stakeholder involvement as either a necessity for sustainable water management, or a luxury to be used to complement traditional approaches, is discussed.

Reassessing the causal structure of enduring involvement

Treesearch

Jinhee Jun; Gerard T. Kyle; James D. Absher; William E. Hammitt

2009-01-01

Guided by tenets of identity theory, we hypothesized a causal structure of enduring involvement suggesting that self-relevant components precede the other dimensions. We used Kyle et al.'s (2004a) Modified Involvement Scale, in which leisure involvement is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct consisting of identity affirmation, identity expression,...

Levels of Leadership: Effects of District and School Leaders on the Quality of School Programs of Family and Community Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Joyce L.; Galindo, Claudia L.; Sheldon, Steven B.

2011-01-01

Purpose: This study tests key constructs of sociocultural and organizational learning theories with quantitative methods to better understand the nature and impact of district and school leadership and actions on the quality of programs of family and community involvement. Research Design: Survey data from a "nested" sample of 24 districts and 407…

Metal-backed versus all-polyethylene tibial components in primary total knee arthroplasty

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background and purpose The choice of either all-polyethylene (AP) tibial components or metal-backed (MB) tibial components in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. We therefore performed a meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials that have evaluated MB and AP tibial components in primary TKA. Methods The search strategy included a computerized literature search (Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and a manual search of major orthopedic journals. A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized or quasi-randomized trials that compared the performance of tibial components in primary TKA was performed using a fixed or random effects model. We assessed the methodological quality of studies using Detsky quality scale. Results 9 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2000 and 2009 met the inclusion quality standards for the systematic review. The mean standardized Detsky score was 14 (SD 3). We found that the frequency of radiolucent lines in the MB group was significantly higher than that in the AP group. There were no statistically significant differences between the MB and AP tibial components regarding component positioning, knee score, knee range of motion, quality of life, and postoperative complications. Interpretation Based on evidence obtained from this study, the AP tibial component was comparable with or better than the MB tibial component in TKA. However, high-quality RCTs are required to validate the results. PMID:21895503

A Lysine at the C-Terminus of an Odorant-Binding Protein is Involved in Binding Aldehyde Pheromone Components in Two Helicoverpa Species

PubMed Central

Sun, Ya-Lan; Huang, Ling-Qiao; Pelosi, Paolo; Wang, Chen-Zhu

2013-01-01

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are soluble proteins, whose role in olfaction of insects is being recognized as more and more important. We have cloned, expressed and purified an OBP (HarmOBP7) from the antennae of the moth Helicoverpa armigera. Western blot experiments indicate specific expression of this protein in the antennae of adults. HarmOBP7 binds both pheromone components Z-11-hexadecenal and Z-9-hexadecenal with good affinity. We have also performed a series of binding experiments with linear aldehydes, alcohols and esters, as well as with other compounds and found a requirement of medium size for best affinity. The affinity of OBP7, as well as that of a mutant lacking the last 6 residues does not substantially decrease in acidic conditions, but increases at basic pH values with no significant differences between wild-type and mutant. Binding to both pheromone components, instead, is negatively affected by the lack of the C-terminus. A second mutant, where one of the three lysine residues in the C-terminus (Lys123) was replaced by methionine showed reduced affinity to both pheromone components, as well as to their analogues, thus indicating that Lys123 is involved in binding these compounds, likely forming hydrogen bonds with the functional groups of the ligands. PMID:23372826

[Rancidness of Armeniacae Semen Amarum involving Bianzhuang Lunzhi].

PubMed

Gong, Jian-Ting; Zhao, Li-Ying; Rudolf, Bauer; Mi, Wen-Juan; Li, Yang; Li, Jia-Hui; Ren, Zhi-Yu; Xu, Dong; Zhao, Ting; Yan, Yong-Hong

2016-12-01

This article aims to compare the qualities of Armeniacae Semen Amarum before and after rancidness, in order to study the rancidness of Armeniacae Semen Amarum. In the experiment, content of fatty oil, acid value and peroxide value were determined before and after rancidness,respectively. Meanwhile, HPLC, GC-MS were utilized to analyze laetrile and fatty acid components. Besides, colorimeter and e-nose were introduced to quantify and compare "color and odor". A correlation analysis was conducted on the above results. The results showed that color of post-rancidness Armeniacae Semen Amarum changed from yellow to brown, with sour and lower content of laetrile. On the contrary, acid and peroxide values increased significantly, with changes in fatty acid component. There was a considerable correlation between appearance characteristics and changes in internal quality. The "sensory analysis-quality identification system" can provide a certain scientific basis for prediction of the content of chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine, preliminary judgment of quality of traditional Chinese medicine and real-time quality monitoring, which offers us novel ideas and reference for storage principles of traditional Chinese medicines of "pre-event prediction, during-event intervention and post-event identification". Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Simultaneous determination of eight active components in Houttuynia cordata injection and its quality control in productive process.

PubMed

Ji, Wei; Bi, Kaishun; Chen, Qianqian; Jiang, Lingyan; Liang, Ke; Li, Qing

2011-11-01

A simple, reliable and effective gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight components (α-pinene, β-pinene, myrcene, limonene, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, bornyl acetate and methyl-n-nonylketone) in Chinese medicine Houttuynia cordata and its injection. The chromatographic separation of all eight components, including undecylene as internal standard was performed on a DB-1 column (30 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm). Excellent linear behaviors including herb and injection over the investigated concentration ranges were observed with the values of r(2) higher than 0.9990 for all analytes. Satisfactory intra-day and inter-day precisions were achieved with RSD less than 2% and the average recoveries for all analytes at three different concentrations obtained were in the range of 93.4-104.4%, with RSD ranging from 1.3 to 4.1%. The proposed method was successfully applied in the simultaneous determination of these active components in H. cordata and H. cordata injection (HCI), including the intermediate product of HCI in productive process, from different pharmaceutical factories and different production batches, indicating that the method in this paper was particularly suitable for the routine analysis of HCI and its quality control in productive process. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Grey Relational Analysis Coupled with Principal Component Analysis for Optimization of Stereolithography Process to Enhance Part Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raju, B. S.; Sekhar, U. Chandra; Drakshayani, D. N.

2017-08-01

The paper investigates optimization of stereolithography process for SL5530 epoxy resin material to enhance part quality. The major characteristics indexed for performance selected to evaluate the processes are tensile strength, Flexural strength, Impact strength and Density analysis and corresponding process parameters are Layer thickness, Orientation and Hatch spacing. In this study, the process is intrinsically with multiple parameters tuning so that grey relational analysis which uses grey relational grade as performance index is specially adopted to determine the optimal combination of process parameters. Moreover, the principal component analysis is applied to evaluate the weighting values corresponding to various performance characteristics so that their relative importance can be properly and objectively desired. The results of confirmation experiments reveal that grey relational analysis coupled with principal component analysis can effectively acquire the optimal combination of process parameters. Hence, this confirm that the proposed approach in this study can be an useful tool to improve the process parameters in stereolithography process, which is very useful information for machine designers as well as RP machine users.

To be involved or not to be involved: a survey of public preferences for self-involvement in decision-making involving mental capacity (competency) within Europe.

PubMed

Daveson, Barbara A; Bausewein, Claudia; Murtagh, Fliss E M; Calanzani, Natalia; Higginson, Irene J; Harding, Richard; Cohen, Joachim; Simon, Steffen T; Deliens, Luc; Bechinger-English, Dorothee; Hall, Sue; Koffman, Jonathan; Ferreira, Pedro Lopes; Toscani, Franco; Gysels, Marjolein; Ceulemans, Lucas; Haugen, Dagny F; Gomes, Barbara

2013-05-01

The Council of Europe has recommended that member states of European Union encourage their citizens to make decisions about their healthcare before they lose capacity to do so. However, it is unclear whether the public wants to make such decisions beforehand. To examine public preferences for self-involvement in end-of-life care decision-making and identify associated factors. A population-based survey with 9344 adults in England, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Across countries, 74% preferred self-involvement when capable; 44% preferred self-involvement when incapable through, for example, a living will. Four factors were associated with a preference for self-involvement across capacity and incapacity scenarios, respectively: higher educational attainment ((odds ratio = 1.93-2.77), (odds ratio = 1.33-1.80)); female gender ((odds ratio = 1.27, 95% confidence interval = 1.14-1.41), (odds ratio = 1.30, 95% confidence interval = 1.20-1.42)); younger-middle age ((30-59 years: odds ratio = 1.24-1.40), (50-59 years: odds ratio = 1.23, 95% confidence interval = 1.04-1.46)) and valuing quality over quantity of life or valuing both equally ((odds ratio = 1.49-1.58), (odds ratio = 1.35-1.53)). Those with increased financial hardship (odds ratio = 0.64-0.83) and a preference to die in hospital (not a palliative care unit) (odds ratio = 0.73, 95% confidence interval = 0.60-0.88), a nursing home or residential care (odds ratio = 0.73, 95% confidence interval = 0.54-0.99) were less likely to prefer self-involvement when capable. For the incapacity scenario, single people were more likely to prefer self-involvement (odds ratio = 1.34, 95% confidence interval = 1.18-1.53). Self-involvement in decision-making is important to the European public. However, a large proportion of the public prefer to not make decisions about their care in advance of incapacity. Financial hardship, educational attainment, age, and preferences regarding quality and quantity

Adverse effect versus quality control of the Fuenzalida-Palacios antirabies vaccine.

PubMed

Nogueira, Y L

1998-01-01

We evaluated the components of the Fuenzalida-Palacios antirabies vaccine, which is till used in most developing countries in human immunization for treatment and prophylaxis. This vaccine is prepared from newborn mouse brains at 1% concentration. Even though the vaccine is considered to have a low myelin content, it is not fully free of myelin or of other undesirable components that might trigger adverse effects after vaccination. The most severe effect is a post-vaccination neuroparalytic accident associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. In the present study we demonstrate how the vaccines produced and distributed by different laboratories show different component patterns with different degrees of impurity and with varying protein concentrations, indicating that production processes can vary from one laboratory to another. These differences, which could be resolved using a better quality control process, may affect and impair immunization, with consequent risks and adverse effects after vaccination. We used crossed immunoelectrophoresis to evaluate and demonstrate the possibility of quality control in vaccine production, reducing the risk factors possibly involved in these immunizing products.

Rhetorical skills as a component of midwifery care.

PubMed

Domajnko, Barbara; Drglin, Zalka; Pahor, Majda

2011-04-01

this article argues that rhetorical skills are an important quality factor of midwifery care. In particular, it aims to identify and discuss the relevance of three classical means of persuasion: ethos, pathos and logos. secondary analysis, rhetorical analysis of semi-structured interviews. Slovenia. Interviews were carried out predominantly in 2006. Data refer to childbirths in 2005 and 2006. four women with recent experience of childbirth. analysis identified the presence of all three means of persuasion in the interaction between midwives and women. Focusing on midwives, the quality of their awareness and command of rhetorical skills remains questionable. In particular, women experienced lack of a rational account of the situation and decisions made by health-care professionals involved in maternity care. acknowledging professional ethics, awareness and good command of all three means of persuasion [but above all, argumentative persuasion (logos)] is an integral component of midwifery care. It can contribute to collaborative relations between midwives and women, and thus promote women-centred midwifery care. knowledge of the three classical rhetorical means of persuasion should be integrated into professional midwifery curricula. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patients' perception of their involvement in shared treatment decision making: Key factors in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Veilleux, Sophie; Noiseux, Isabelle; Lachapelle, Nathalie; Kohen, Rita; Vachon, Luc; Guay, Brian White; Bitton, Alain; Rioux, John D

2018-02-01

This study aims to characterize the relationships between the quality of the information given by the physician, the involvement of the patient in shared decision making (SDM), and outcomes in terms of satisfaction and anxiety pertaining to the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A Web survey was conducted among 200 Canadian patients affected with IBD. The theoretical model of SDM was adjusted using path analysis. SAS software was used for all statistical analyses. The quality of the knowledge transfer between the physician and the patient is significantly associated with the components of SDM: information comprehension, patient involvement and decision certainty about the chosen treatment. In return, patient involvement in SDM is significantly associated with higher satisfaction and, as a result, lower anxiety as regards treatment selection. This study demonstrates the importance of involving patients in shared treatment decision making in the context of IBD. Understanding shared decision making may motivate patients to be more active in understanding the relevant information for treatment selection, as it is related to their level of satisfaction, anxiety and adherence to treatment. This relationship should encourage physicians to promote shared decision making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The quality of social relationships in ravens

PubMed Central

Fraser, Orlaith N.; Bugnyar, Thomas

2015-01-01

The quality of a social relationship represents the history of past social interactions between two individuals, from which the nature and outcome of future interactions can be predicted. Current theory predicts that relationship quality comprises three separate components, its value, compatibility and security. This study is the first to investigate the components of relationship quality in a large-brained bird. Following methods recently used to obtain quantitative measures of each relationship quality component in chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, we entered data on seven behavioural variables from a group of 11 ravens, Corvus corax, into a principal components analysis. The characteristics of the extracted components matched those predicted for value, compatibility and security, and were labelled as such. When the effects of kinship and sex combination on each relationship quality component were analysed, we found that kin had more valuable relationships, whereas females had less secure and compatible relationships, although the effect of sex combination on compatibility only applied to nonkin. These patterns are consistent with what little knowledge we have of raven relationships from aviary studies and show that the components of relationship quality in ravens may indeed be analogous to those in chimpanzees. PMID:25821236

Cemented all-polyethylene and metal-backed polyethylene tibial components used for primary total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials involving 1798 primary total knee implants.

PubMed

Voigt, Jeffrey; Mosier, Michael

2011-10-05

The cost of the implant as part of a total knee arthroplasty accounts for a substantial portion of the costs for the overall procedure: all-polyethylene tibial components cost considerably less than cemented metal-backed tibial components. We performed a systematic review of the literature to determine whether the clinical results of lower-cost all-polyethylene tibial components were comparable with the results of a more expensive metal-backed tibial component. We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO CINAHL, the bibliographies of identified articles, orthopaedic meeting abstracts, health technology assessment web sites, and important orthopaedic journals. This search was performed for the years 1990 to the present. No language restriction was applied. We restricted our search to Level-I studies involving participants who received either an all-polyethylene or a metal-backed tibial implant. The primary outcome measures were durability, function, and adverse events. Two reviewers independently screened the papers for inclusion, assessed trial quality, and extracted data. Effects estimates were pooled with use of fixed and random-effects models of risk ratios, calculated with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistic. Forest plots were also generated. Data on 1798 primary total knee implants from twelve studies were analyzed. In all studies, the median or mean age of the participants was greater than sixty-seven years, with a majority of the patients being female. There was no difference between patients managed with an all-polyethylene tibial component and those managed with a metal-backed tibial component in terms of adverse events. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the durability of the implants at two, ten, and fifteen years postoperatively, regardless of the year or how durability was defined (revision or radiographic failure). Finally, with use of a variety of validated

Known-component 3D-2D registration for quality assurance of spine surgery pedicle screw placement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uneri, A.; De Silva, T.; Stayman, J. W.; Kleinszig, G.; Vogt, S.; Khanna, A. J.; Gokaslan, Z. L.; Wolinsky, J.-P.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

2015-10-01

A 3D-2D image registration method is presented that exploits knowledge of interventional devices (e.g. K-wires or spine screws—referred to as ‘known components’) to extend the functionality of intraoperative radiography/fluoroscopy by providing quantitative measurement and quality assurance (QA) of the surgical product. The known-component registration (KC-Reg) algorithm uses robust 3D-2D registration combined with 3D component models of surgical devices known to be present in intraoperative 2D radiographs. Component models were investigated that vary in fidelity from simple parametric models (e.g. approximation of a screw as a simple cylinder, referred to as ‘parametrically-known’ component [pKC] registration) to precise models based on device-specific CAD drawings (referred to as ‘exactly-known’ component [eKC] registration). 3D-2D registration from three intraoperative radiographs was solved using the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES) to maximize image-gradient similarity, relating device placement relative to 3D preoperative CT of the patient. Spine phantom and cadaver studies were conducted to evaluate registration accuracy and demonstrate QA of the surgical product by verification of the type of devices delivered and conformance within the ‘acceptance window’ of the spinal pedicle. Pedicle screws were successfully registered to radiographs acquired from a mobile C-arm, providing TRE 1-4 mm and  <5° using simple parametric (pKC) models, further improved to  <1 mm and  <1° using eKC registration. Using advanced pKC models, screws that did not match the device models specified in the surgical plan were detected with an accuracy of  >99%. Visualization of registered devices relative to surgical planning and the pedicle acceptance window provided potentially valuable QA of the surgical product and reliable detection of pedicle screw breach. 3D-2D registration combined with 3D models of known surgical

Impact of bran components on the quality of whole wheat bread

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Whole grains contain components, such as dietary fiber, starch, fat, antioxidant nutrients, minerals, vitamin, lignans, and phenolic compounds, which are beneficial to human health. Most of the beneficial components are found in the germ and bran as part of a wheat kernel, which are reduced in the ...

Advanced Electrical Materials and Component Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwarze, Gene E.

2003-01-01

The primary means to develop advanced electrical components is to develop new and improved materials for magnetic components (transformers, inductors, etc.), capacitors, and semiconductor switches and diodes. This paper will give a description and status of the internal and external research sponsored by NASA Glenn Research Center on soft magnetic materials, dielectric materials and capacitors, and high quality silicon carbide (SiC) atomically smooth substrates. The rationale for and the benefits of developing advanced electrical materials and components for the PMAD subsystem and also for the total power system will be briefly discussed.

The facilitated component of intestinal glucose absorption

PubMed Central

Kellett, George L

2001-01-01

Over the last decade, a debate has developed about the mechanism of the passive or ‘diffusive’ component of intestinal glucose absorption and, indeed, whether it even exists. Pappenheimer and colleagues have proposed that paracellular solvent drag contributes a passive component, which, at high concentrations of sugars similar to those in the jejunal lumen immediately after a meal, is severalfold greater than the active component mediated by the Na+-glucose cotransporter SGLT1. On the other hand, Ferraris & Diamond maintain that the kinetics of glucose absorption can be explained solely in terms of SGLT1 and that a passive or paracellular component plays little, if any, part. Recently, we have provided new evidence that the passive component of glucose absorption exists, but is in fact facilitated since it is mediated by the rapid, glucose-dependent activation and recruitment of the facilitative glucose transporter GLUT2 to the brush-border membrane; regulation involves a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway activated by glucose transport through SGLT1 and also involves mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) signalling pathways. This topical review seeks to highlight the significant points of the debate, to show how our proposals on GLUT2 impact on different aspects of the debate and to look at the regulatory events that are likely to be involved in the short-term regulation of sugar absorption during the assimilation of a meal. PMID:11251042

32 CFR 651.36 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... to open decision-making and builds the necessary community trust that sustains the Army in the long... National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY... information on public involvement requirements). (b) Environmental agencies and the public will be involved to...

Component Models for Semantic Web Languages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksson, Jakob; Aßmann, Uwe

Intelligent applications and agents on the Semantic Web typically need to be specified with, or interact with specifications written in, many different kinds of formal languages. Such languages include ontology languages, data and metadata query languages, as well as transformation languages. As learnt from years of experience in development of complex software systems, languages need to support some form of component-based development. Components enable higher software quality, better understanding and reusability of already developed artifacts. Any component approach contains an underlying component model, a description detailing what valid components are and how components can interact. With the multitude of languages developed for the Semantic Web, what are their underlying component models? Do we need to develop one for each language, or is a more general and reusable approach achievable? We present a language-driven component model specification approach. This means that a component model can be (automatically) generated from a given base language (actually, its specification, e.g. its grammar). As a consequence, we can provide components for different languages and simplify the development of software artifacts used on the Semantic Web.

C1q complement component and -antibodies reflect SLE activity and kidney involvement.

PubMed

Horák, P; Hermanová, Z; Zadrazil, J; Ciferská, H; Ordeltová, M; Kusá, L; Zurek, M; Tichý, T

2006-07-01

The role of the complement system in the pathogenesis of systemic diseases is very ambivalent. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), many abnormalities in the activation of the complement system have been reported. The most important antibodies formed against the complement system in SLE are the ones associated with the C1q component. The aim of this study was to assess separately the anti-C1q antibodies and C1q component in the serum from 65 patients with SLE, then in individuals with (n=33) and without (n=32) lupus nephritis and with active (n=36) and nonactive (n=29) form of the disease (European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement, ECLAM>3, ECLAMcomponent. The mean serum levels were 90.89+/-13 IU/ml for anti-C1q antibodies and 145+/-52 mg/l for C1q. The significant difference in C1q antibodies levels was found between individuals with and without lupus nephritis (117.5+/-52 IU/ml vs. 28.2+/-12.2 IU/ml, p=0.0001) and between those with active and nonactive SLE (154.6+/-115 IU/ml vs. 50.6+/-73, p=0.001). C1q complement component was statistically lower in patients with lupus nephritis (144+/-30 mg/l vs. 175+/-50 mg/ml, p=0.002) and in active patients (138+/-40 mg/l vs. 202+/-20 mg/l, p=0.001). If the two parameters are measured together, they seem to have a mirror-like pattern of serum concentration, and they are potential markers of SLE activity and of the presence of lupus nephritis.

Developing a more useful surface quality metric for laser optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turchette, Quentin; Turner, Trey

2011-02-01

Light scatter due to surface defects on laser resonator optics produces losses which lower system efficiency and output power. The traditional methodology for surface quality inspection involves visual comparison of a component to scratch and dig (SAD) standards under controlled lighting and viewing conditions. Unfortunately, this process is subjective and operator dependent. Also, there is no clear correlation between inspection results and the actual performance impact of the optic in a laser resonator. As a result, laser manufacturers often overspecify surface quality in order to ensure that optics will not degrade laser performance due to scatter. This can drive up component costs and lengthen lead times. Alternatively, an objective test system for measuring optical scatter from defects can be constructed with a microscope, calibrated lighting, a CCD detector and image processing software. This approach is quantitative, highly repeatable and totally operator independent. Furthermore, it is flexible, allowing the user to set threshold levels as to what will or will not constitute a defect. This paper details how this automated, quantitative type of surface quality measurement can be constructed, and shows how its results correlate against conventional loss measurement techniques such as cavity ringdown times.

De novo transcriptome analysis of immune response on cobia (Rachycentron canadum) infected with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida revealed inhibition of complement components and involvement of MyD88-independent pathway.

PubMed

Tran, Hung Bao; Lee, Yen-Hung; Guo, Jiin-Ju; Cheng, Ta-Chih

2018-06-01

Cobia, Rachycentron canadum, one of the most important aquatic species in Taiwan, has suffered heavy losses from Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida, which is the causal agent of photobacteriosis. In this study, the transcriptomic profiles of livers and spleens from Pdp-infected and non-infected cobia were obtained for the first time by Illumina-based paired-end sequencing method with a focus on immune-related genes. In total, 164,882 high quality unigenes were obtained in four libraries. Following Pdp infection, 7302 differentially expressed unigenes from liver and 8600 differentially expressed unigenes from spleen were identified. Twenty-seven of the differently expressed genes were further validated by RT-qPCR (average correlation coefficient 0.839, p-value <0.01). Results indicated a negative regulation of complement components and increased expression of genes involved in MyD88-independent pathway. Moreover, a remarkable finding was the increased expression of IL-10, implying an inadequacy of immune responses. This study not only characterized several putative immune pathways, but also provided a better understanding of the molecular responses to photobacteriosis in cobia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

36 CFR 907.13 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 907.13 Public involvement. Interested persons may obtain information concerning any... Public Information Officer of the Corporation, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1220 North, Washington... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Public involvement. 907.13...

36 CFR 907.13 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 907.13 Public involvement. Interested persons may obtain information concerning any... Public Information Officer of the Corporation, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1220 North, Washington... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Public involvement. 907.13...

36 CFR 907.13 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 907.13 Public involvement. Interested persons may obtain information concerning any... Public Information Officer of the Corporation, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1220 North, Washington... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Public involvement. 907.13...

36 CFR 907.13 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 907.13 Public involvement. Interested persons may obtain information concerning any... Public Information Officer of the Corporation, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1220 North, Washington... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Public involvement. 907.13...

Survey of the prevalence and methodology of quality assurance for B-mode ultrasound image quality among veterinary sonographers.

PubMed

Hoscheit, Larry P; Heng, Hock Gan; Lim, Chee Kin; Weng, Hsin-Yi

2018-05-01

Image quality in B-mode ultrasound is important as it reflects the diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic information provided during clinical scanning. Quality assurance programs for B-mode ultrasound systems/components are comprised of initial quality acceptance testing and subsequent regularly scheduled quality control testing. The importance of quality assurance programs for B-mode ultrasound image quality using ultrasound phantoms is well documented in the human medical and medical physics literature. The purpose of this prospective, cross-sectional, survey study was to determine the prevalence and methodology of quality acceptance testing and quality control testing of image quality for ultrasound system/components among veterinary sonographers. An online electronic survey was sent to 1497 members of veterinary imaging organizations: the American College of Veterinary Radiology, the Veterinary Ultrasound Society, and the European Association of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, and a total of 167 responses were received. The results showed that the percentages of veterinary sonographers performing quality acceptance testing and quality control testing are 42% (64/151; 95% confidence interval 34-52%) and 26% (40/156: 95% confidence interval 19-33%) respectively. Of the respondents who claimed to have quality acceptance testing or quality control testing of image quality in place for their ultrasound system/components, 0% have performed quality acceptance testing or quality control testing correctly (quality acceptance testing 95% confidence interval: 0-6%, quality control testing 95% confidence interval: 0-11%). Further education and guidelines are recommended for veterinary sonographers in the area of quality acceptance testing and quality control testing for B-mode ultrasound equipment/components. © 2018 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

CMAQ Involvement in Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Description of Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII). Different chemical transport models are applied by different groups over North America and Europe and evaluated against observations.

Warning: Parental Involvement May Be Hazardous.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Mark J.; Mosley, Mary H.

1999-01-01

Principals should not presume that all parental involvement is good while ignoring adverse home conditions (such as divorce, abuse and neglect, coercive family interactions, mental-health problems, poverty, and unemployment) that may interfere with quality involvement. School-parent alliances are vital but will grow more complex as society…

Report of Total Involvement Professional Semester TIPS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, James I.

The goal of the Total Involvement Professional Semester (TIPS) was to allow elementary education students at Shippensburg State College to become involved in an educational environment in a meaningful way to develop their professional knowledge and skills. The experimental program consisted of five important components: a) three weeks of…

Polyenergetic known-component reconstruction without prior shape models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, C.; Zbijewski, W.; Zhang, X.; Xu, S.; Stayman, J. W.

2017-03-01

Purpose: Previous work has demonstrated that structural models of surgical tools and implants can be integrated into model-based CT reconstruction to greatly reduce metal artifacts and improve image quality. This work extends a polyenergetic formulation of known-component reconstruction (Poly-KCR) by removing the requirement that a physical model (e.g. CAD drawing) be known a priori, permitting much more widespread application. Methods: We adopt a single-threshold segmentation technique with the help of morphological structuring elements to build a shape model of metal components in a patient scan based on initial filtered-backprojection (FBP) reconstruction. This shape model is used as an input to Poly-KCR, a formulation of known-component reconstruction that does not require a prior knowledge of beam quality or component material composition. An investigation of performance as a function of segmentation thresholds is performed in simulation studies, and qualitative comparisons to Poly-KCR with an a priori shape model are made using physical CBCT data of an implanted cadaver and in patient data from a prototype extremities scanner. Results: We find that model-free Poly-KCR (MF-Poly-KCR) provides much better image quality compared to conventional reconstruction techniques (e.g. FBP). Moreover, the performance closely approximates that of Poly- KCR with an a prior shape model. In simulation studies, we find that imaging performance generally follows segmentation accuracy with slight under- or over-estimation based on the shape of the implant. In both simulation and physical data studies we find that the proposed approach can remove most of the blooming and streak artifacts around the component permitting visualization of the surrounding soft-tissues. Conclusion: This work shows that it is possible to perform known-component reconstruction without prior knowledge of the known component. In conjunction with the Poly-KCR technique that does not require knowledge of

Project-based teaching in health informatics: a course on health care quality improvement.

PubMed

Moehr, J R; Berenji, G R; Green, C J; Kagolovsky, Y

2001-01-01

Teaching the skills and knowledge required in health informatics [1] is a challenge because the skill of applying knowledge in real life requires practice. We relate the experience with introducing a practice component to a course in "Health Care Quality Improvement". Working health care professionals were invited to bring an actual quality problem from their place of work and to work alongside students in running the problem through a quality improvement project lifecycle. Multiple technological and process oriented teaching innovations were employed including project sessions in observation rooms, video recording of these sessions, generation of demonstration examples and distance education components. Both students and their collaborators from the work place developed proficiency in applying quality improvement methods as well as in experiencing the realities of group processes, information gaps and organizational constraints. The principles used to achieve high involvement of the whole class, the employed resources and technical support are described. The resulting academic and practical achievements are discussed in relation to the alternative instructional modalities, and with respect to didactic implications for similar endeavors and beyond to other fields such as systems engineering.

12 CFR 1815.113 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 1815.113 Public involvement. All information collected by the Fund pursuant to this part shall be available to the public consistent with the CEQ regulations. Interested persons may obtain... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Public involvement. 1815.113 Section 1815.113...

12 CFR 1815.113 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 1815.113 Public involvement. All information collected by the Fund pursuant to this part shall be available to the public consistent with the CEQ regulations. Interested persons may obtain... 12 Banks and Banking 10 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Public involvement. 1815.113 Section 1815.113...

12 CFR 1815.113 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 1815.113 Public involvement. All information collected by the Fund pursuant to this part shall be available to the public consistent with the CEQ regulations. Interested persons may obtain... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Public involvement. 1815.113 Section 1815.113...

12 CFR 1815.113 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 1815.113 Public involvement. All information collected by the Fund pursuant to this part shall be available to the public consistent with the CEQ regulations. Interested persons may obtain... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Public involvement. 1815.113 Section 1815.113...

12 CFR 1815.113 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 1815.113 Public involvement. All information collected by the Fund pursuant to this part shall be available to the public consistent with the CEQ regulations. Interested persons may obtain... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Public involvement. 1815.113 Section 1815.113...

Hologram interferometry in automotive component vibration testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Gordon M.; Forbes, Jamie W.; Marchi, Mitchell M.; Wales, Raymond R.

1993-02-01

An ever increasing variety of automotive component vibration testing is being pursued at Ford Motor Company, U.S.A. The driving force for use of hologram interferometry in these tests is the continuing need to design component structures to meet more stringent functional performance criteria. Parameters such as noise and vibration, sound quality, and reliability must be optimized for the lightest weight component possible. Continually increasing customer expectations and regulatory pressures on fuel economy and safety mandate that vehicles be built from highly optimized components. This paper includes applications of holographic interferometry for powertrain support structure tuning, body panel noise reduction, wiper system noise and vibration path analysis, and other vehicle component studies.

Holistic processing of face configurations and components.

PubMed

Hayward, William G; Crookes, Kate; Chu, Ming Hon; Favelle, Simone K; Rhodes, Gillian

2016-10-01

Although many researchers agree that faces are processed holistically, we know relatively little about what information holistic processing captures from a face. Most studies that assess the nature of holistic processing do so with changes to the face affecting many different aspects of face information (e.g., different identities). Does holistic processing affect every aspect of a face? We used the composite task, a common means of examining the strength of holistic processing, with participants making same-different judgments about configuration changes or component changes to 1 portion of a face. Configuration changes involved changes in spatial position of the eyes, whereas component changes involved lightening or darkening the eyebrows. Composites were either aligned or misaligned, and were presented either upright or inverted. Both configuration judgments and component judgments showed evidence of holistic processing, and in both cases it was strongest for upright face composites. These results suggest that holistic processing captures a broad range of information about the face, including both configuration-based and component-based information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Ottawa Panel guidelines on programmes involving therapeutic exercise for the management of hand osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Brosseau, Lucie; Thevenot, Odette; MacKiddie, Olivia; Taki, Jade; Wells, George A; Guitard, Paulette; Léonard, Guillaume; Paquet, Nicole; Aydin, Sibel Z; Toupin-April, Karine; Cavallo, Sabrina; Moe, Rikke Helene; Shaikh, Kamran; Gifford, Wendy; Loew, Laurianne; De Angelis, Gino; Shallwani, Shirin Mehdi; Aburub, Ala' S; Mizusaki Imoto, Aline; Rahman, Prinon; Álvarez Gallardo, Inmaculada C; Cosic, Milkana Borges; Østerås, Nina; Lue, Sabrina; Hamasaki, Tokiko; Gaudreault, Nathaly; Towheed, Tanveer E; Koppikar, Sahil; Kjeken, Ingvild; Mahendira, Dharini; Kenny, Glen P; Paterson, Gail; Westby, Marie; Laferrière, Lucie; Longchamp, Guy

2018-06-01

To identify programmes involving therapeutic exercise that are effective for the management of hand osteoarthritis and to provide stakeholders with updated, moderate to high-quality recommendations supporting exercises for hand osteoarthritis. A systematic search and adapted selection criteria included comparable trials with exercise programmes for managing hand osteoarthritis. Based on the evaluated evidence, a panel of experts reached consensus through a Delphi approach endorsing the recommendations. A hierarchical alphabetical grading system (A, B, C+, C, C-, D-, D, D+, E, F) was based on clinical importance (≥15%) and statistical significance ( P < 0.05). Ten moderate- to high-quality studies were included. Eight studies with programmes involving therapeutic exercise (e.g. range of motion (ROM) + isotonic + isometric + functional exercise) seemed to be effective. Forty-six positive grade recommendations (i.e. A, B, C+) were obtained during short-term (<12 weeks) trials for pain, stiffness, physical function, grip strength, pinch strength, range of motion, global assessment, pressure pain threshold, fatigue and abductor pollicis longus moment and during long-term (>12 weeks) trials for physical function and pinch strength. Despite that many programmes involving exercise with positive recommendations for clinical outcomes are available to healthcare professionals and hand osteoarthritis patients that aid in the management of hand osteoarthritis, there is a need for further research to isolate the specific effect of exercise components.

A principal components model of soundscape perception.

PubMed

Axelsson, Östen; Nilsson, Mats E; Berglund, Birgitta

2010-11-01

There is a need for a model that identifies underlying dimensions of soundscape perception, and which may guide measurement and improvement of soundscape quality. With the purpose to develop such a model, a listening experiment was conducted. One hundred listeners measured 50 excerpts of binaural recordings of urban outdoor soundscapes on 116 attribute scales. The average attribute scale values were subjected to principal components analysis, resulting in three components: Pleasantness, eventfulness, and familiarity, explaining 50, 18 and 6% of the total variance, respectively. The principal-component scores were correlated with physical soundscape properties, including categories of dominant sounds and acoustic variables. Soundscape excerpts dominated by technological sounds were found to be unpleasant, whereas soundscape excerpts dominated by natural sounds were pleasant, and soundscape excerpts dominated by human sounds were eventful. These relationships remained after controlling for the overall soundscape loudness (Zwicker's N(10)), which shows that 'informational' properties are substantial contributors to the perception of soundscape. The proposed principal components model provides a framework for future soundscape research and practice. In particular, it suggests which basic dimensions are necessary to measure, how to measure them by a defined set of attribute scales, and how to promote high-quality soundscapes.

[Quality planning of Family Health Units using Quality Function Deployment (QFD)].

PubMed

Volpato, Luciana Fernandes; Meneghim, Marcelo de Castro; Pereira, Antonio Carlos; Ambrosano, Gláucia Maria Bovi

2010-08-01

Quality is an indispensible requirement in the health field, and its pursuit is necessary in order to meet demands by a population that is aware of its rights, as part of the essence of good work relations, and to decrease technological costs. Quality thus involves all parties to the process (users and professionals), and is no longer merely an attribute of the health service. This study aimed to verify the possibility of quality planning in the Family Health Units, using Quality Function Deployment (QFD). QFD plans quality according to user satisfaction, involving staff professionals and identifying new approaches to improve work processes. Development of the array, called the House of Quality, is this method's most important characteristics. The results show a similarity between the quality demanded by users and the quality planned by professionals. The current study showed that QFD is an efficient tool for quality planning in public health services.

[Quality concept in health care. Methodology for its measurement].

PubMed

Morera Guitart, J

2003-12-01

It is increasingly necessary that the neurologists achieve basic knowledgement in clinical management and medical care quality. We will review the concepts of medical care quality (MCQ). Of the definitions checked, we want to emphasize the following aspects. a) application of current scientific knowledge; b) interpersonal relationship; c) environment where the assistance is dispensed; d) results in health; e) cost of assistance; f) risks for the patient and g) patient satisfaction. For the analysis of the MCQ we could distinguish several components: scientific-technical component, efficacy, effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, continuity, equity, appropriateness, and satisfaction of the patient and of the professional. One of the main objectives to measure the MCQ is to improve the assistance itself. For its measurement we can employ diverse methods depending on our objective: to improve the process, to do Benchmarking, to know the satisfaction of the patients or to guarantee the quality of the medical attention. The most used tools for this measurement are: establishment of criteria-indicator-standard for quality, elaboration of satisfaction questionnaires, interviews to key informant, analysis of complaints and claims of patients and professionals, and clinical audits. The role of the neurologist in the achievement of a high quality neurological attention if fundamental. Therefore, it is necessary some specific formation on: scientific and technical matter, communicative abilities, teamworking, management and organisation of tasks and pharmaco-economic evaluation, and a cultural change that involves every professional on the co-responsibility of the continuous improvement of the processes and of the results of his work, advancing gradually towards the excellence of medical assistance.

Prospective Fathers: Psychosocial Adaptation and Involvement in the Last Trimester of Pregnancy.

PubMed

Kuljanić, Karin; Dorčić, Tamara Martinac; Bistrović, Ivana Ljubičić; Brnčić-Fischer, Alemka

2016-12-01

Paternal involvement in pregnancy has been recognized to have an impact on new-born's outcomes and only recently got under the spot light of mental health perspective. The aim of this study was to test differences in paternal involvement in pregnancy, perceived stress and relationship quality regarding complications in pregnancy and pregnancy duration (gestational weeks) in the last trimester of pregnancy. The role of personality traits (neuroticism and extroversion), relationship quality satisfaction and perceived stress in prospective father's perception of pregnancy involvement were examined. One-hundred forty-three primiparus couples in the last trimester of their pregnancy participated in the study. Prospective fathers completed a booklet with questionnaires including The Quality of Marriage Index, The Perceived Stress Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Partner's Involvement in Pregnancy Scale. Prospective mothers completed only Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and questions on pregnancy complications and demographics. The prospective fathers showed high involvement in their partner's pregnancies, elevated levels of perceived stress and high relationship quality. There were found no differences in the above named variables regarding complications in pregnancy and pregnancy duration. Higher involvement of prospective fathers was related with older age, lower male neuroticism and higher female extroversion, better relationship quality and lower perceived stress. The findings demonstrate that prospective father's involvement in pregnancy is supported with psychological factors, namely personality traits, quality of relationship and perceived stress. These results should lead to target interventions that can modify and improve fathers' involvement perspective and promoting a couples mental health during pregnancy: thus clinically important for promotion of healthy prenatal behaviour and decrease in mothers' emotional distress.

Family Religious Involvement and the Quality of Family Relationships for Early Adolescents. A Research Report of the National Study of Youth and Religion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Christian; Kim, Phillip

This report examines associations between three dimensions of family religious involvement (number of days per week the family does something religious, parental worship service attendance, and parental prayer) and the quality of family relationships for early adolescents. Out of the 27 family relationship variables examined, all significantly…

Multiple Criteria Evaluation of Quality and Optimisation of e-Learning System Components

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Dagiene, Valentina

2010-01-01

The main research object of the paper is investigation and proposal of the comprehensive Learning Object Repositories (LORs) quality evaluation tool suitable for their multiple criteria decision analysis, evaluation and optimisation. Both LORs "internal quality" and "quality in use" evaluation (decision making) criteria are analysed in the paper.…

A typology of place attachment and activity involvement

Treesearch

Andrew J. Mowen; Alan R. Graefe; Randy J. Virden

1998-01-01

While previous research suggests that place attachment and activity involvement impact visitor perceptions, it has not examined the simultaneous effects of these affective constructs. This study develops a typology of both place attachment and activity involvement. It examines variations between attachment-involvement levels and visitor evaluations of quality. Results...

Impact of librarians on reporting of the literature searching component of pediatric systematic reviews*

PubMed Central

Meert, Deborah; Torabi, Nazi; Costella, John

2016-01-01

Objective A critical element in conducting a systematic review is the identification of studies. To date, very little empirical evidence has been reported on whether the presence of a librarian or information professional can contribute to the quality of the final product. The goal of this study was to compare the reporting rigor of the literature searching component of systematic reviews with and without the help of a librarian. Method Systematic reviews published from 2002 to 2011 in the twenty highest impact factor pediatrics journals were collected from MEDLINE. Corresponding authors were contacted via an email survey to determine if a librarian was involved, the role that the librarian played, and functions that the librarian performed. The reviews were scored independently by two reviewers using a fifteen-item checklist. Results There were 186 reviews that met the inclusion criteria, and 44% of the authors indicated the involvement of a librarian in conducting the systematic review. With the presence of a librarian as coauthor or team member, the mean checklist score was 8.40, compared to 6.61 (p<0.001) for reviews without a librarian. Conclusions Findings indicate that having a librarian as a coauthor or team member correlates with a higher score in the literature searching component of systematic reviews. PMID:27822147

Impact of librarians on reporting of the literature searching component of pediatric systematic reviews.

PubMed

Meert, Deborah; Torabi, Nazi; Costella, John

2016-10-01

A critical element in conducting a systematic review is the identification of studies. To date, very little empirical evidence has been reported on whether the presence of a librarian or information professional can contribute to the quality of the final product. The goal of this study was to compare the reporting rigor of the literature searching component of systematic reviews with and without the help of a librarian. Systematic reviews published from 2002 to 2011 in the twenty highest impact factor pediatrics journals were collected from MEDLINE. Corresponding authors were contacted via an email survey to determine if a librarian was involved, the role that the librarian played, and functions that the librarian performed. The reviews were scored independently by two reviewers using a fifteen-item checklist. There were 186 reviews that met the inclusion criteria, and 44% of the authors indicated the involvement of a librarian in conducting the systematic review. With the presence of a librarian as coauthor or team member, the mean checklist score was 8.40, compared to 6.61 ( p <0.001) for reviews without a librarian. Findings indicate that having a librarian as a coauthor or team member correlates with a higher score in the literature searching component of systematic reviews.

Rotation sequence to report humerothoracic kinematics during 3D motion involving large horizontal component: application to the tennis forehand drive.

PubMed

Creveaux, Thomas; Sevrez, Violaine; Dumas, Raphaël; Chèze, Laurence; Rogowski, Isabelle

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine the respective aptitudes of three rotation sequences (Y t X f 'Y h '', Z t X f 'Y h '', and X t Z f 'Y h '') to effectively describe the orientation of the humerus relative to the thorax during a movement involving a large horizontal abduction/adduction component: the tennis forehand drive. An optoelectronic system was used to record the movements of eight elite male players, each performing ten forehand drives. The occurrences of gimbal lock, phase angle discontinuity and incoherency in the time course of the three angles defining humerothoracic rotation were examined for each rotation sequence. Our results demonstrated that no single sequence effectively describes humerothoracic motion without discontinuities throughout the forehand motion. The humerothoracic joint angles can nevertheless be described without singularities when considering the backswing/forward-swing and the follow-through phases separately. Our findings stress that the sequence choice may have implications for the report and interpretation of 3D joint kinematics during large shoulder range of motion. Consequently, the use of Euler/Cardan angles to represent 3D orientation of the humerothoracic joint in sport tasks requires the evaluation of the rotation sequence regarding singularity occurrence before analysing the kinematic data, especially when the task involves a large shoulder range of motion in the horizontal plane.

Educational Quality in Music Teacher Education: Components of a Foundation for Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johansen, Geir

2007-01-01

Increasing demands for educational quality in higher education affect both higher music education and music teacher education. A theoretical framework is needed if we are to question what is meant by "educational quality" in the latter. To establish programs for quality development and assessment requires basic subject-specific research on the…

GCS component development cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez, Jose A.; Macias, Rosa; Molgo, Jordi; Guerra, Dailos; Pi, Marti

2012-09-01

The GTC1 is an optical-infrared 10-meter segmented mirror telescope at the ORM observatory in Canary Islands (Spain). First light was at 13/07/2007 and since them it is in the operation phase. The GTC control system (GCS) is a distributed object & component oriented system based on RT-CORBA8 and it is responsible for the management and operation of the telescope, including its instrumentation. GCS has used the Rational Unified process (RUP9) in its development. RUP is an iterative software development process framework. After analysing (use cases) and designing (UML10) any of GCS subsystems, an initial component description of its interface is obtained and from that information a component specification is written. In order to improve the code productivity, GCS has adopted the code generation to transform this component specification into the skeleton of component classes based on a software framework, called Device Component Framework. Using the GCS development tools, based on javadoc and gcc, in only one step, the component is generated, compiled and deployed to be tested for the first time through our GUI inspector. The main advantages of this approach are the following: It reduces the learning curve of new developers and the development error rate, allows a systematic use of design patterns in the development and software reuse, speeds up the deliverables of the software product and massively increase the timescale, design consistency and design quality, and eliminates the future refactoring process required for the code.

PACS quality control and automatic problem notifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honeyman-Buck, Janice C.; Jones, Douglas; Frost, Meryll M.; Staab, Edward V.

1997-05-01

One side effect of installing a clinical PACS Is that users become dependent upon the technology and in some cases it can be very difficult to revert back to a film based system if components fail. The nature of system failures range from slow deterioration of function as seen in the loss of monitor luminance through sudden catastrophic loss of the entire PACS networks. This paper describes the quality control procedures in place at the University of Florida and the automatic notification system that alerts PACS personnel when a failure has happened or is anticipated. The goal is to recover from a failure with a minimum of downtime and no data loss. Routine quality control is practiced on all aspects of PACS, from acquisition, through network routing, through display, and including archiving. Whenever possible, the system components perform self and between platform checks for active processes, file system status, errors in log files, and system uptime. When an error is detected or a exception occurs, an automatic page is sent to a pager with a diagnostic code. Documentation on each code, trouble shooting procedures, and repairs are kept on an intranet server accessible only to people involved in maintaining the PACS. In addition to the automatic paging system for error conditions, acquisition is assured by an automatic fax report sent on a daily basis to all technologists acquiring PACS images to be used as a cross check that all studies are archived prior to being removed from the acquisition systems. Daily quality control is preformed to assure that studies can be moved from each acquisition and contrast adjustment. The results of selected quality control reports will be presented. The intranet documentation server will be described with the automatic pager system. Monitor quality control reports will be described and the cost of quality control will be quantified. As PACS is accepted as a clinical tool, the same standards of quality control must be established

A portable system for processing donated whole blood into high quality components without centrifugation.

PubMed

Gifford, Sean C; Strachan, Briony C; Xia, Hui; Vörös, Eszter; Torabian, Kian; Tomasino, Taylor A; Griffin, Gary D; Lichtiger, Benjamin; Aung, Fleur M; Shevkoplyas, Sergey S

2018-01-01

The use of centrifugation-based approaches for processing donated blood into components is routine in the industrialized world, as disparate storage conditions require the rapid separation of 'whole blood' into distinct red blood cell (RBC), platelet, and plasma products. However, the logistical complications and potential cellular damage associated with centrifugation/apheresis manufacturing of blood products are well documented. The objective of this study was to evaluate a proof-of-concept system for whole blood processing, which does not employ electromechanical parts, is easily portable, and can be operated immediately after donation with minimal human labor. In a split-unit study (n = 6), full (~500mL) units of freshly-donated whole blood were divided, with one half processed by conventional centrifugation techniques and the other with the new blood separation system. Each of these processes took 2-3 hours to complete and were performed in parallel. Blood products generated by the two approaches were compared using an extensive panel of cellular and plasma quality metrics. Comparison of nearly all RBC parameters showed no significant differences between the two approaches, although the portable system generated RBC units with a slight but statistically significant improvement in 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid concentration (p < 0.05). More notably, several markers of platelet damage were significantly and meaningfully higher in products generated with conventional centrifugation: the increase in platelet activation (assessed via P-selectin expression in platelets before and after blood processing) was nearly 4-fold higher for platelet units produced via centrifugation, and the release of pro-inflammatory mediators (soluble CD40-ligand, thromboxane B2) was significantly higher for centrifuged platelets as well (p < 0.01). This study demonstrated that a simple, passive system for separating donated blood into components may be a viable alternative to centrifugation

Automotive HMI design and participatory user involvement: review and perspectives.

PubMed

François, Mathilde; Osiurak, François; Fort, Alexandra; Crave, Philippe; Navarro, Jordan

2017-04-01

Automotive human-machine interface (HMI) design is facing new challenges due to the technological advances of the last decades. The design process has to be adapted in order to address human factors and road safety challenges. It is now widely accepted that user involvement in the HMI design process is valuable. However, the current form of user involvement in industry remains at the stages of concept assessment and usability tests. Moreover, the literature in other fields (e.g. information systems) promotes a broader user involvement with participatory design (i.e. the user is fully involved in the development process). This article reviews the established benefits of participatory design and reveals perspectives for automotive HMI quality improvement in a cognitive ergonomic framework. Practitioner Summary: Automotive HMI quality determines, in part, drivers' ability to perform primary driving tasks while using in-vehicle devices. User involvement in the design process is a key point to contribute to HMI quality. This article reports the potential benefits of a broad involvement from drivers to meet automotive HMI design challenges.

Incorporating principal component analysis into air quality model evaluation

EPA Science Inventory

The efficacy of standard air quality model evaluation techniques is becoming compromised as the simulation periods continue to lengthen in response to ever increasing computing capacity. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a statistical approach called Princi...

Quality assessment of Herba Leonuri based on the analysis of multiple components using normal- and reversed-phase chromatographic methods.

PubMed

Dong, Shuya; He, Jiao; Hou, Huiping; Shuai, Yaping; Wang, Qi; Yang, Wenling; Sun, Zheng; Li, Qing; Bi, Kaishun; Liu, Ran

2017-12-01

A novel, improved, and comprehensive method for quality evaluation and discrimination of Herba Leonuri has been developed and validated based on normal- and reversed-phase chromatographic methods. To identify Herba Leonuri, normal- and reversed-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography fingerprints were obtained by comparing the colors and R f values of the bands, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints were obtained by using an Agilent Poroshell 120 SB-C18 within 28 min. By similarity analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis, we show that there are similar chromatographic patterns in Herba Leonuri samples, but significant differences in counterfeits and variants. To quantify the bio-active components of Herba Leonuri, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was performed to analyze syringate, leonurine, quercetin-3-O-robiniaglycoside, hyperoside, rutin, isoquercitrin, wogonin, and genkwanin simultaneously by single standard to determine multi-components method with rutin as internal standard. Meanwhile, normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was performed by using an Agilent ZORBAX HILIC Plus within 6 min to determine trigonelline and stachydrine using trigonelline as internal standard. Innovatively, among these compounds, bio-active components of quercetin-3-O-robiniaglycoside and trigonelline were first determined in Herba Leonuri. In general, the method integrating multi-chromatographic analyses offered an efficient way for the standardization and identification of Herba Leonuri. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Trust and Parents' Involvement in Schools of Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strier, Michal; Katz, Hagai

2016-01-01

Education researchers and policymakers have been focusing for the last three decades on increasing parental involvement in schools. Their work focused on the positive effects that parental involvement has on varied aspects of school quality and functioning. In this study we examined "trust," a known predictor of parental involvement in…

Non-destructive component separation using infrared radiant energy

DOEpatents

Simandl, Ronald F [Knoxville, TN; Russell, Steven W [Knoxville, TN; Holt, Jerrid S [Knoxville, TN; Brown, John D [Harriman, TN

2011-03-01

A method for separating a first component and a second component from one another at an adhesive bond interface between the first component and second component. Typically the method involves irradiating the first component with infrared radiation from a source that radiates substantially only short wavelengths until the adhesive bond is destabilized, and then separating the first component and the second component from one another. In some embodiments an assembly of components to be debonded is placed inside an enclosure and the assembly is illuminated from an IR source that is external to the enclosure. In some embodiments an assembly of components to be debonded is simultaneously irradiated by a multi-planar array of IR sources. Often the IR radiation is unidirectional. In some embodiments the IR radiation is narrow-band short wavelength infrared radiation.

Homework Involvement among Hong Kong Primary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, Vicky C. W.

2009-01-01

One component of the curriculum reform in Hong Kong focuses on the use of homework in consolidating learning, deepening understanding and constructing knowledge. This study examines the profile of Hong Kong primary school students' homework involvement, and investigates the relationships between time involvement and academic attributes, namely…

The extent, quality and impact of patient and public involvement in primary care research: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Blackburn, Steven; McLachlan, Sarah; Jowett, Sue; Kinghorn, Philip; Gill, Paramjit; Higginbottom, Adele; Rhodes, Carol; Stevenson, Fiona; Jinks, Clare

2018-01-01

In the UK, more patients go to primary care than other parts of the health service. Therefore it is important for research into primary care to include the insights and views of people who receive these services. To explore the extent, quality and impact of patient and public involvement (PPI) in primary care research, we examined documents of 200 projects and surveyed 191 researchers.We found that about half of studies included PPI to develop research ideas and during the study itself. Common activities included designing study materials, advising on methods, and managing the research. Some studies did not undertake the PPI activities initially planned and funded for. PPI varied by study design, health condition and study population. We found pockets of good practice: having a PPI budget, supporting PPI contributors, and PPI informing recruitment issues. However, good practice was lacking in other areas. Few projects offered PPI contributors training, used PPI to develop information for participants about study progress and included PPI to advise on publishing findings.Researchers reported beneficial impacts of PPI. Most impact was reported when the approach to PPI included more indicators of good practice. The main cost of PPI for researchers was their time. Many reported difficulties providing information about PPI.In partnership with PPI contributors, we have used these findings to develop:a new Cost and Consequences Framework for PPI highlighting financial and non-financial costs, benefits and harms of PPIFifteen co-produced recommendations to improve the practice and delivery of PPI. Background: To improve the lives of patients in primary care requires the involvement of service users in primary care research. We aimed to explore the extent, quality and impact of patient and public involvement (PPI) in primary care research. Methods: We extracted information about PPI from grant applications, reports and an electronic survey of researchers of studies funded

Automated reuseable components system study results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilroy, Kathy

1989-01-01

The Automated Reusable Components System (ARCS) was developed under a Phase 1 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract for the U.S. Army CECOM. The objectives of the ARCS program were: (1) to investigate issues associated with automated reuse of software components, identify alternative approaches, and select promising technologies, and (2) to develop tools that support component classification and retrieval. The approach followed was to research emerging techniques and experimental applications associated with reusable software libraries, to investigate the more mature information retrieval technologies for applicability, and to investigate the applicability of specialized technologies to improve the effectiveness of a reusable component library. Various classification schemes and retrieval techniques were identified and evaluated for potential application in an automated library system for reusable components. Strategies for library organization and management, component submittal and storage, and component search and retrieval were developed. A prototype ARCS was built to demonstrate the feasibility of automating the reuse process. The prototype was created using a subset of the classification and retrieval techniques that were investigated. The demonstration system was exercised and evaluated using reusable Ada components selected from the public domain. A requirements specification for a production-quality ARCS was also developed.

Involvement with Children and Low-Income Fathers’ Psychological Well-Being

PubMed Central

Kotila, Letitia E.; Kamp Dush, Claire M.

2014-01-01

Low income men are at risk for depressive symptoms and reduced father involvement. Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 2,703), we examined reciprocal associations between father involvement and depressive symptoms, and the moderating effect of relationship quality, for resident and nonresident fathers. Higher father involvement was associated with lower depressive symptoms two years later across the full sample of fathers. However, nonresidence functioned as a risk; higher nonresident father involvement with toddlers was associated with greater depressive symptoms two years later. Greater resident father involvement with toddlers was associated with fewer depressive symptoms two years later in low quality couple relationships. Across the full sample, the association between depressive symptoms and lower involvement was weak. PMID:25614731

Performance comparison of independent component analysis algorithms for fetal cardiac signal reconstruction: a study on synthetic fMCG data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantini, D.; Hild, K. E., II; Alleva, G.; Comani, S.

2006-02-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms have been successfully used for signal extraction tasks in the field of biomedical signal processing. We studied the performances of six algorithms (FastICA, CubICA, JADE, Infomax, TDSEP and MRMI-SIG) for fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG). Synthetic datasets were used to check the quality of the separated components against the original traces. Real fMCG recordings were simulated with linear combinations of typical fMCG source signals: maternal and fetal cardiac activity, ambient noise, maternal respiration, sensor spikes and thermal noise. Clusters of different dimensions (19, 36 and 55 sensors) were prepared to represent different MCG systems. Two types of signal-to-interference ratios (SIR) were measured. The first involves averaging over all estimated components and the second is based solely on the fetal trace. The computation time to reach a minimum of 20 dB SIR was measured for all six algorithms. No significant dependency on gestational age or cluster dimension was observed. Infomax performed poorly when a sub-Gaussian source was included; TDSEP and MRMI-SIG were sensitive to additive noise, whereas FastICA, CubICA and JADE showed the best performances. Of all six methods considered, FastICA had the best overall performance in terms of both separation quality and computation times.

[Quality of sleep and selective attention in university students: descriptive cross-sectional study].

PubMed

Fontana, Silvia Alicia; Raimondi, Waldina; Rizzo, María Laura

2014-09-05

Sleep quality not only refers to sleeping well at night, but also includes appropriate daytime functioning. Poor quality of sleep can affect a variety of attention processes. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the relationship between the perceived quality of sleep and selective focus in a group of college students. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a group of 52 Argentinian college students of the Universidad Adventista del Plata. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Continuous Performance Test and the Trail Making Test were applied. The main results indicate that students sleep an average of 6.48 hours. Generally half of the population tested had a good quality of sleep. However, the dispersion seen in some components demonstrates the heterogeneity of the sample in these variables. It was observed that the evaluated attention processes yielded different levels of alteration in the total sample: major variability in the process of process and in the divided-attention processes were detected. A lower percentage of alteration was observed in the process of attention support. Poor quality of sleep has more impact in the sub processes with greater participation of corticocortical circuits (selective and divided attention) and greater involvement of the prefrontal cortex. Fewer difficulties were found in the attention-support processes that rely on subcortical regions and have less frontal involvement.

Multiple Family Groups for Child Behavior Difficulties Retention Among Child Welfare–Involved Caregivers

PubMed Central

Gopalan, Geetha; Fuss, Ashley; Wisdom, Jennifer P.

2013-01-01

Among children who remain at home with their permanent caregivers following a child welfare investigation, few who manifest emotional and behavioral difficulties actually engage in mental health treatment. The Multiple Family Group service delivery model to reduce childhood disruptive behavior disorders (MFG) has shown promise in engaging child welfare-involved families. This qualitative study examines caregiver perceptions of factors that influence retention in MFGs among child welfare-involved families. Methods Twenty-five predominantly Black and Hispanic adult (ages 26–57) female caregivers with child welfare services involvement participated in individual, in-depth interviews about their experience with MFGs. Transcribed interview data were thematically coded guided by grounded theory methodology. Emergent themes were subsequently organized into a conceptual framework. Results Within the overarching influence of child welfare services involvement, specific components of MFGs influencing retention included the quality of interaction among group members, group facilitators’ attentive approach with caregivers, supports designed to overcome logistical barriers (i.e., child care, transportation expenses, meals), and perceptions of MFG content and activities as fun and helpful. Caregiver factors, including their mental health and personal characteristics, as well as children’s behavior, (i.e., observed changes in behavioral difficulties) were also associated with retention. Conclusions High acceptability suggest utility for implementing MFGs within settings serving child welfare involved families, with additional modifications to tailor to setting and client features. PMID:26527856

Stakeholder involvement in establishing a milk quality sub-index in dairy cow breeding goals: a Delphi approach.

PubMed

Henchion, M; McCarthy, M; Resconi, V C; Berry, D P; McParland, S

2016-05-01

The relative weighting on traits within breeding goals are generally determined by bio-economic models or profit functions. While such methods have generally delivered profitability gains to producers, and are being expanded to consider non-market values, current approaches generally do not consider the numerous and diverse stakeholders that affect, or are affected, by such tools. Based on principles of respondent anonymity, iteration, controlled feedback and statistical aggregation of feedback, a Delphi study was undertaken to gauge stakeholder opinion of the importance of detailed milk quality traits within an overall dairy breeding goal for profit, with the aim of assessing its suitability as a complementary, participatory approach to defining breeding goals. The questionnaires used over two survey rounds asked stakeholders: (a) their opinion on incorporating an explicit sub-index for milk quality into a national breeding goal; (b) the importance they would assign to a pre-determined list of milk quality traits and (c) the (relative) weighting they would give such a milk quality sub-index. Results from the survey highlighted a good degree of consensus among stakeholders on the issues raised. Similarly, revelation of the underlying assumptions and knowledge used by stakeholders to make their judgements illustrated their ability to consider a range of perspectives when evaluating traits, and to reconsider their answers based on the responses and rationales given by others, which demonstrated social learning. Finally, while the relative importance assigned by stakeholders in the Delphi survey (4% to 10%) and the results of calculations based on selection index theory of the relative emphasis that should be placed on milk quality to halt any deterioration (16%) are broadly in line, the difference indicates the benefit of considering more than one approach to determining breeding goals. This study thus illustrates the role of the Delphi technique, as a complementary

Principal Component Analysis for Enhancement of Infrared Spectra Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haney, Ricky Lance

The issue of air quality within the aircraft cabin is receiving increasing attention from both pilot and flight attendant unions. This is due to exposure events caused by poor air quality that in some cases may have contained toxic oil components due to bleed air that flows from outside the aircraft and then through the engines into the aircraft cabin. Significant short and long-term medical issues for aircraft crew have been attributed to exposure. The need for air quality monitoring is especially evident in the fact that currently within an aircraft there are no sensors to monitor the air quality and potentially harmful gas levels (detect-to-warn sensors), much less systems to monitor and purify the air (detect-to-treat sensors) within the aircraft cabin. The specific purpose of this research is to utilize a mathematical technique called principal component analysis (PCA) in conjunction with principal component regression (PCR) and proportionality constant calculations (PCC) to simplify complex, multi-component infrared (IR) spectra data sets into a reduced data set used for determination of the concentrations of the individual components. Use of PCA can significantly simplify data analysis as well as improve the ability to determine concentrations of individual target species in gas mixtures where significant band overlap occurs in the IR spectrum region. Application of this analytical numerical technique to IR spectrum analysis is important in improving performance of commercial sensors that airlines and aircraft manufacturers could potentially use in an aircraft cabin environment for multi-gas component monitoring. The approach of this research is two-fold, consisting of a PCA application to compare simulation and experimental results with the corresponding PCR and PCC to determine quantitatively the component concentrations within a mixture. The experimental data sets consist of both two and three component systems that could potentially be present as air

Quality-based purchasing in health care.

PubMed

Waters, Hugh R; Morlock, Laura L; Hatt, Laurel

2004-01-01

Quality-based purchasing is a growing trend that seeks to improve healthcare quality through the purchaser-provider relationship. This article provides a unifying conceptual framework, presents examples of the purchaser-provider relationship in countries at different income levels, and identifies important supporting mechanisms for quality-based purchasing. As countries become wealthier, a higher proportion of healthcare spending is channeled through pooled arrangements, allowing for greater involvement of purchasers in promoting the quality of service provision. Global and line item budgets are the most common type of provider payment system in low and middle-income countries. In these countries, improving public hospital performance through contracting and incentives is a key issue. In middle and high-income countries, there are several documented examples of governments contracting to private or non-governmental health care providers, resulting in higher perceived quality of care and lower delivery costs. Encouraging quality through employer purchasing arrangements has been promoted in several countries, particularly the United States. Community-based financing schemes are an increasingly common form of health financing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, but these schemes still cover less than 10% of national populations in countries in which they are active. To date, there is little evidence of their impact on healthcare quality. The availability of information--concerning healthcare service provision and outcomes--determines the options for establishing and monitoring contract provisions and promoting quality. Regardless of the context, quality-based purchasing depends critically on informa-tion--reporting, monitoring, and providing useful information to healthcare consumers. In many low and middle-income countries, the lack of availability of information is the principal constraint on measuring performance, a critical component of quality

Comparison of five Lonicera flowers by simultaneous determination of multi-components with single reference standard method and principal component analysis.

PubMed

Gao, Wen; Wang, Rui; Li, Dan; Liu, Ke; Chen, Jun; Li, Hui-Jun; Xu, Xiaojun; Li, Ping; Yang, Hua

2016-01-05

The flowers of Lonicera japonica Thunb. were extensively used to treat many diseases. As the demands for L. japonica increased, some related Lonicera plants were often confused or misused. Caffeoylquinic acids were always regarded as chemical markers in the quality control of L. japonica, but they could be found in all Lonicera species. Thus, a simple and reliable method for the evaluation of different Lonicera flowers is necessary to be established. In this work a method based on single standard to determine multi-components (SSDMC) combined with principal component analysis (PCA) for control and distinguish of Lonicera species flowers have been developed. Six components including three caffeoylquinic acids and three iridoid glycosides were assayed simultaneously using chlorogenic acid as the reference standard. The credibility and feasibility of the SSDMC method were carefully validated and the results demonstrated that there were no remarkable differences compared with external standard method. Finally, a total of fifty-one batches covering five Lonicera species were analyzed and PCA was successfully applied to distinguish the Lonicera species. This strategy simplifies the processes in the quality control of multiple-componential herbal medicine which effectively adapted for improving the quality control of those herbs belonging to closely related species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quality components of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) varieties.

PubMed

Tiitinen, Katja M; Hakala, Mari A; Kallio, Heikki P

2005-03-09

The sensory quality and chemical constituents of juices from seven sea buckthorn (Hippophaerhamnoides L.) varieties were studied in two consecutive seasons. The juices were generally described as sour and astringent, with low sweetness and fruity flavor. The differences in sensory quality as well as in chemical composition between samples and years were significant (p < 0.05) in most parameters studied. The Chuiskaya variety was described as the sweetest, with the strongest fruity flavor, whereas the varieties Avgustinka, Botanicheskaya, Trofimovskaya, and Raisa were the sourest and most astringent. Total sugar (fructose and glucose) varied from 1.9 to 7.1 g/100 mL in juice, total acid (malic and quinic acids) from 3.1 to 5.1 g/100 mL, vitamin C from 29 to 176 mg/100 mL, and pulp oil from 0.7 to 3.6%. The soluble solids were between 7.4 and 12.6, the pH between 2.7 and 2.9, and the titrable acidity between 2.0 and 3.7. The redness was highest on Avgustinka and Raisa, but there were no differences in yellowness. Total sugar and the sugar/acid ratio correlated positively with sweetness and negatively with sourness and astringency, whereas total acid and titrable acidity correlated positively with sourness and astringency and negatively with sweetness.

[Separation and identification of specific components and quality standard of stem of Dendrobium officinale].

PubMed

Ye, Zi; Lu, Ye; Xue, Ya-Fu; Xu, Hong; Wang, Zheng-Tao

2016-07-01

The violanthin, a specific component, was separated and identified from the stems of Dendrobium officinale by chromatographic technique and spectroscopic method for the first time. The microscopic characteristics of D. officinale powder were examined under a microscopy and described. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) method was used for qualitative analysis of the violanthin from D. officinale stems with a mixture of ethyl acetate, butanone, formic acid and water (4∶3∶1∶1) as the developing solvent on high performance silica gel precoated plate (SGF254) and using aluminium trichloride as a chromagenic agent. The results showed significant characteristics of violanthin from D. officinale stems on TLC, with certain specificity, and could be used to distinguish it from other easily confusing processed medicinal stems of D. devonianum, D. gratiosissimum and D. aphyllum. The content of naringenin, an active ingredient in D. officinale stems was determined by HPLC analysis on a Bischoff Chromatography HIPAK NC-04 ODS AB column (4.4 mm×250 mm, 5 mm) with acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid solution as the mobile phase for gradient elution. The wavelength was set at 226 nm and column temperature was 25 ℃. The HPLC method showed good linearity within the range of 3.90-250.00 g•mL⁻¹ (r = 0.999 9) for naringenin. The average recovery of naringenin was 99.20% with 0.17% of RSD. The mass fraction of 20 batches of D. officinale stems was between 0.190 and 0.498 mg•g⁻¹. The established qualitative and quantitative method was simple and rapid with good repeatability and accuracy, providing experimental basis for improving the quality standard of D. officinale, with a very important significance to ensure its quality and clinical effect. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Involving vendors in continuous quality improvement efforts.

PubMed

McDevitt, M C

1995-03-01

In the hospital environment, vendors supply a wide range of items, from surgical sutures to the latest in high-cost technological equipment. Also, many clinical and support services, such as respiratory therapy, transcription, and computer databanks are now outsourced to commercial vendors. Interaction with such vendors is often less than satisfactory, with prolonged timelines and disruption of an important process that is being computerized. Although hospitals deal with very few vendors in long-term relationships, such as those seen in manufacturing, this should not preclude the formation of a supplier-customer relationship that goes beyond management's interaction with the sales representative in response to a request for proposal. This is especially true when a process improvement team has studied an internal process and defined a key quality characteristic.

36 CFR § 907.13 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY § 907.13 Public involvement. Interested persons may obtain information concerning any... Public Information Officer of the Corporation, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1220 North, Washington... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true Public involvement. § 907.13...

Robustness of Flexible Systems With Component-Level Uncertainties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maghami, Peiman G.

2000-01-01

Robustness of flexible systems in the presence of model uncertainties at the component level is considered. Specifically, an approach for formulating robustness of flexible systems in the presence of frequency and damping uncertainties at the component level is presented. The synthesis of the components is based on a modifications of a controls-based algorithm for component mode synthesis. The formulation deals first with robustness of synthesized flexible systems. It is then extended to deal with global (non-synthesized ) dynamic models with component-level uncertainties by projecting uncertainties from component levels to system level. A numerical example involving a two-dimensional simulated docking problem is worked out to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Quality Evaluation of Agricultural Distillates Using an Electronic Nose

PubMed Central

Dymerski, Tomasz; Gębicki, Jacek; Wardencki, Waldemar; Namieśnik, Jacek

2013-01-01

The paper presents the application of an electronic nose instrument to fast evaluation of agricultural distillates differing in quality. The investigations were carried out using a prototype of electronic nose equipped with a set of six semiconductor sensors by FIGARO Co., an electronic circuit converting signal into digital form and a set of thermostats able to provide gradient temperature characteristics to a gas mixture. A volatile fraction of the agricultural distillate samples differing in quality was obtained by barbotage. Interpretation of the results involved three data analysis techniques: principal component analysis, single-linkage cluster analysis and cluster analysis with spheres method. The investigations prove the usefulness of the presented technique in the quality control of agricultural distillates. Optimum measurements conditions were also defined, including volumetric flow rate of carrier gas (15 L/h), thermostat temperature during the barbotage process (15 °C) and time of sensor signal acquisition from the onset of the barbotage process (60 s). PMID:24287525

42 CFR 480.143 - QIO involvement in shared health data systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS ACQUISITION, PROTECTION, AND DISCLOSURE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATION INFORMATION Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) Disclosure of Confidential Information § 480.143 QIO involvement in shared health data...

42 CFR 480.143 - QIO involvement in shared health data systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS ACQUISITION, PROTECTION, AND DISCLOSURE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATION INFORMATION Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) Disclosure of Confidential Information § 480.143 QIO involvement in shared health data...

42 CFR 480.143 - QIO involvement in shared health data systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS ACQUISITION, PROTECTION, AND DISCLOSURE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATION INFORMATION Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) Disclosure of Confidential Information § 480.143 QIO involvement in shared health data...

Linking quality of healthcare and health-related quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes: an evaluative study in Mexican family practice.

PubMed

Doubova, Svetlana V; Mino-León, Dolores; Pérez-Cuevas, Ricardo

2013-12-01

To assess the association between quality of care and health-related quality of life among type 2 diabetes patients. A cross-sectional study assessing the association between quality of care and quality of life using multiple linear regression analysis. Family medicine clinics (FMC) (n = 39) of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in Mexico City. Type 2 diabetes patients (n = 312), older than 19 years. Health-related quality of life was measured using the MOS Short-Form-12 (SF-12); quality of healthcare was measured as the percentage of recommended care received under each of four domains: early detection of diabetes complications, non-pharmacological treatment, pharmacological treatment and health outcomes. The average quality of life score was 41.4 points on the physical component and 47.9 points on the mental component. Assessment of the quality of care revealed deficiencies. The average percentages of recommended care received were 21.9 for health outcomes and 56.6 for early detection of diabetes complications and pharmacological treatment; for every 10 percent additional points on the pharmacological treatment component, quality of life improved by 0.4 points on the physical component (coefficient 0.04, 95% confidence intervals 0.01-0.07). There was a positive association between the quality of pharmacological care and the physical component of quality of life. The quality of healthcare for type 2 diabetes patients in FMC of the IMSS in Mexico City is not optimal.

Analysis of failed nuclear plant components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diercks, D. R.

1993-12-01

Argonne National Laboratory has conducted analyses of failed components from nuclear power- gener-ating stations since 1974. The considerations involved in working with and analyzing radioactive compo-nents are reviewed here, and the decontamination of these components is discussed. Analyses of four failed components from nuclear plants are then described to illustrate the kinds of failures seen in serv-ice. The failures discussed are (1) intergranular stress- corrosion cracking of core spray injection piping in a boiling water reactor, (2) failure of canopy seal welds in adapter tube assemblies in the control rod drive head of a pressurized water reactor, (3) thermal fatigue of a recirculation pump shaft in a boiling water reactor, and (4) failure of pump seal wear rings by nickel leaching in a boiling water reactor.

Modified cleaning method for biomineralized components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsutsui, Hideto; Jordan, Richard W.

2018-02-01

The extraction and concentration of biomineralized components from sediment or living materials is time consuming and laborious and often involves steps that remove either the calcareous or siliceous part, in addition to organic matter. However, a relatively quick and easy method using a commercial cleaning fluid for kitchen drains, sometimes combined with a kerosene soaking step, can produce remarkable results. In this study, the method is applied to sediments and living materials bearing calcareous (e.g., coccoliths, foraminiferal tests, holothurian ossicles, ichthyoliths, and fish otoliths) and siliceous (e.g., diatom valves, silicoflagellate skeletons, and sponge spicules) components. The method preserves both components in the same sample, without etching or partial dissolution, but is not applicable to unmineralized components such as dinoflagellate thecae, tintinnid loricae, pollen, or plant fragments.

Mutations in Durum Wheat SBEII Genes affect Grain Yield Components, Quality, and Fermentation Responses in Rats

PubMed Central

Hazard, Brittany; Zhang, Xiaoqin; Naemeh, Mahmoudreza; Hamilton, M. Kristina; Rust, Bret; Raybould, Helen E.; Newman, John W.; Martin, Roy; Dubcovsky, Jorge

2016-01-01

Increased amylose in wheat (Triticum ssp.) starch is associated with increased resistant starch, a fermentable dietary fiber. Fermentation of resistant starch in the large intestine produces short-chain fatty acids that are associated with human health benefits. Since wheat foods are an important component of the human diet, increases in amylose and resistant starch in wheat grains have the potential to deliver health benefits to a large number of people. In three replicated field trials we found that mutations in starch branching enzyme II genes (SBEIIa and SBEIIb) in both A and B genomes (SBEIIa/b-AB) of durum wheat [T. turgidum L. subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn.] resulted in large increases of amylose and resistant starch content. The presence of these four mutations was also associated with an average 5% reduction in kernel weight (P = 0.0007) and 15% reduction in grain yield (P = 0.06) compared to the wild type. Complete milling and pasta quality analysis showed that the mutant lines have an acceptable quality with positive effects on pasta firmness and negative effects on semolina extraction and pasta color. Positive fermentation responses were detected in rats (Rattus spp.) fed with diets incorporating mutant wheat flour. This study quantifies benefits and limitations associated with the deployment of the SBEIIa/b-AB mutations in durum wheat and provides the information required to develop realistic strategies to deploy durum wheat varieties with increased levels of amylose and resistant starch. PMID:27134286

42 CFR 480.143 - QIO involvement in shared health data systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS ACQUISITION, PROTECTION, AND DISCLOSURE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATION REVIEW INFORMATION Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) Disclosure of Confidential Information § 480.143 QIO involvement in shared health data...

42 CFR 480.143 - QIO involvement in shared health data systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS ACQUISITION, PROTECTION, AND DISCLOSURE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATION REVIEW INFORMATION Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) Disclosure of Confidential Information § 480.143 QIO involvement in shared health data...

Father-involvement in a refugee sample: relations between posttraumatic stress and caregiving.

PubMed

van Ee, Elisa; Sleijpen, Marieke; Kleber, Rolf J; Jongmans, Marian J

2013-12-01

Despite increased attention to the role of fathers within families, there is still a dearth of studies on the impact of trauma on father-involvement. This study investigates the quantity of father-involvement and the influence of posttraumatic stress on the quality of involvement in a refugee and asylum seeker population. Eighty refugees and asylum seekers and their young children (aged 18-42 months) were recruited. Measures included assessment of parental trauma (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), quantity and quality of involvement (quantity of caregiving and Emotional Availability Scales), and perception of the father-child relationship (interview). The results show that fathers were less involved in caregiving tasks and play activities than mothers. No parental gender differences were found on each of the Emotional Availability Scales. Traumatic stress symptoms negatively affected the perception and the actual quality of parent-child interaction (sensitivity, structuring, nonhostility). Nevertheless, almost all fathers described their relationship with their child as good and their child as very important to them. As the quality of father-involvement is of importance to the development of the child, traumatized fathers are as much in need of clinical intervention as mothers. Despite the impact of posttraumatic stress, refugee fathers clearly are involved in the lives of their children. Mechanisms such as a deliberate withdrawal when stressed and compensation might enable affected fathers to step into the interaction when needed, raise the quality of involvement with their child, and diminish the negative impact of stress resulting from trauma and migration. © FPI, Inc.

Communicative Interaction Processes Involving Non-Vocal Physically Handicapped Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Deberah

1982-01-01

Communication prostheses are critical components of the nonvocal child's communication process, but are only one component. This article focuses on the steps involved in communicative interaction processes and the potential barriers to the development of effective interaction and analysis of nonvocal communicative interactions. A discussion of the…

A quality management systems approach for CD4 testing in resource-poor settings.

PubMed

Westerman, Larry E; Kohatsu, Luciana; Ortiz, Astrid; McClain, Bernice; Kaplan, Jonathan; Spira, Thomas; Marston, Barbara; Jani, Ilesh V; Nkengasong, John; Parsons, Linda M

2010-10-01

Quality assurance (QA) is a systematic process to monitor and improve clinical laboratory practices. The fundamental components of a laboratory QA program include providing a functional and safe laboratory environment, trained and competent personnel, maintained equipment, adequate supplies and reagents, testing of appropriate specimens, internal monitoring of quality, accurate reporting, and external quality assessments. These components are necessary to provide accurate and precise CD4 T-cell counts, an essential test to evaluate start of and monitor effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected patients. In recent years, CD4 testing has expanded dramatically in resource-limited settings. Information on a CD4 QA program as described in this article will provide guidelines not only for clinical laboratory staff but also for managers of programs responsible for supporting CD4 testing. All agencies involved in implementing CD4 testing must understand the needs of the laboratory and provide advocacy, guidance, and financial support to established CD4 testing sites and programs. This article describes and explains the procedures that must be put in place to provide reliable CD4 determinations in a variety of settings.

Engineering Quality Software: 10 Recommendations for Improved Software Quality Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-27

lack of user involvement • Inadequate Software Process Management & Control By Contractors • No “Team” of Vendors and users; little SME participation...1990 Quality Perspectives • Process Quality ( CMMI ) • Product Quality (ISO/IEC 2500x) – Internal Quality Attributes – External Quality Attributes... CMMI /ISO 9000 Assessments – Capture organizational knowledge • Identify best practices, lessons learned Know where you are, and where you need to be

Guidelines for Parent Involvement in Chapter 1 Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weckstein, Paul

Chapter 1 is the largest federal education program in existence. It provides extra services to help low-achieving students and is targeted primarily at areas where low-income families reside. Parent involvement in designing and implementing the program is an essential part of Chapter 1. However, the parent involvement component is often not as…

Quality of life and physical activity in an older working-age population.

PubMed

Puciato, Daniel; Borysiuk, Zbigniew; Rozpara, Michał

2017-01-01

Physical activity can be an effective means of prevention and therapy of many psychosomatic disorders. It can also have a significant impact on the quality of life of older working-age people. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationships between quality of life and physical activity in older working-age people from Wrocław, Poland. The study group comprised 1,013 people, including 565 women and 448 men, aged 55-64 years (59.1±2.9 years). The study took form of a questionnaire survey. The participants assessed their physical activity and quality of life using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Version (IPAQ-SF) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. The highest mean indices of general quality of life, perceived health status, and quality of life in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains were shown by respondents whose intensity of physical activity was the highest. Moreover, the odds of high assessment of overall quality of life increased with respondents' higher levels of physical activity. Quality of life improvement programs should also involve increased physical activity components.

Quality of life and physical activity in an older working-age population

PubMed Central

Puciato, Daniel; Borysiuk, Zbigniew; Rozpara, Michał

2017-01-01

Objective Physical activity can be an effective means of prevention and therapy of many psychosomatic disorders. It can also have a significant impact on the quality of life of older working-age people. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationships between quality of life and physical activity in older working-age people from Wrocław, Poland. Materials and methods The study group comprised 1,013 people, including 565 women and 448 men, aged 55–64 years (59.1±2.9 years). The study took form of a questionnaire survey. The participants assessed their physical activity and quality of life using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Version (IPAQ-SF) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. Results The highest mean indices of general quality of life, perceived health status, and quality of life in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains were shown by respondents whose intensity of physical activity was the highest. Moreover, the odds of high assessment of overall quality of life increased with respondents’ higher levels of physical activity. Conclusion Quality of life improvement programs should also involve increased physical activity components. PMID:29042763

Metacognitive components in smart learning environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumadyo, M.; Santoso, H. B.; Sensuse, D. I.

2018-03-01

Metacognitive ability in digital-based learning process helps students in achieving learning goals. So that digital-based learning environment should make the metacognitive component as a facility that must be equipped. Smart Learning Environment is the concept of a learning environment that certainly has more advanced components than just a digital learning environment. This study examines the metacognitive component of the smart learning environment to support the learning process. A review of the metacognitive literature was conducted to examine the components involved in metacognitive learning strategies. Review is also conducted on the results of study smart learning environment, ranging from design to context in building smart learning. Metacognitive learning strategies certainly require the support of adaptable, responsive and personalize learning environments in accordance with the principles of smart learning. The current study proposed the role of metacognitive component in smart learning environment, which is useful as the basis of research in building environment in smart learning.

On the Global Regularity for the 3D Magnetohydrodynamics Equations Involving Partial Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Chenyin

2018-03-01

In this paper, we study the regularity criteria of the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics system in terms of some components of the velocity field and the magnetic field. With a decomposition of the four nonlinear terms of the system, this result gives an improvement of some corresponding previous works (Yamazaki in J Math Fluid Mech 16: 551-570, 2014; Jia and Zhou in Nonlinear Anal Real World Appl 13: 410-418, 2012).

Father Involvement and Behavior Problems among Preadolescents at Risk of Maltreatment

PubMed Central

Yoon, Susan; Bellamy, Jennifer L.; Kim, Wonhee; Yoon, Dalhee

2018-01-01

Although there is a well-established connection between father involvement and children’s positive behavioral development in general, this relation has been understudied in more vulnerable and high-risk populations. The aims of this study were to examine how the quantity (i.e., the amount of shared activities) and quality (i.e., perceived quality of the father-child relationship) of father involvement are differently related to internalizing and externalizing behavior problems among preadolescents at risk of maltreatment and test if these associations are moderated by father type and child maltreatment. A secondary data analysis was conducted using data from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). Generalized estimating equations analysis was performed on a sample of 499 preadolescents aged 12 years. The results indicated that higher quality of father involvement was associated with lower levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems whereas greater quantity of father involvement was associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The positive association between the quantity of father involvement and behavior problems was stronger in adolescents who were physically abused by their father. The association between father involvement and behavior problems did not differ by the type of father co-residing in the home. The findings suggest that policies and interventions aimed at improving the quality of fathers’ relationships and involvement with their children may be helpful in reducing behavior problems in adolescents at risk of maltreatment. PMID:29491703

Component research for future propulsion systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, C. L.; Weden, G. J.; Zuk, J.

1981-01-01

Factors affecting the helicopter market are reviewed. The trade-offs involving acquisition cost, mission reliability, and life cycle cost are reviewed, including civil and military aspects. The potential for advanced vehicle configurations with substantial improvements in energy efficiency, operating economics, and characteristics to satisfy the demands of the future market are identified. Advanced propulsion systems required to support these vehicle configurations are discussed, as well as the component technology for the engine systems. Considerations for selection of components in areas of economics and efficiency are presented.

Biochemical and nutritional components of selected honey samples.

PubMed

Chua, Lee Suan; Adnan, Nur Ardawati

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of biochemical (enzymes) and nutritional components in the selected honey samples from Malaysia. The relationship is important to estimate the quality of honey based on the concentration of these nutritious components. Such a study is limited for honey samples from tropical countries with heavy rainfall throughout the year. A number of six honey samples that commonly consumed by local people were collected for the study. Both the biochemical and nutritional components were analysed by using standard methods from Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Individual monosaccharides, disaccharides and 17 amino acids in honey were determined by using liquid chromatographic method. The results showed that the peroxide activity was positively correlated with moisture content (r = 0.8264), but negatively correlated with carbohydrate content (r = 0.7755) in honey. The chromatographic sugar and free amino acid profiles showed that the honey samples could be clustered based on the type and maturity of honey. Proline explained for 64.9% of the total variance in principle component analysis (PCA). The correlation between honey components and honey quality has been established for the selected honey samples based on their biochemical and nutritional concentrations. PCA results revealed that the ratio of sucrose to maltose could be used to measure honey maturity, whereas proline was the marker compound used to distinguish honey either as floral or honeydew.

Designing sound and visual components for enhancement of urban soundscapes.

PubMed

Hong, Joo Young; Jeon, Jin Yong

2013-09-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of audio-visual components on environmental quality to improve soundscape. Natural sounds with road traffic noise and visual components in urban streets were evaluated through laboratory experiments. Waterfall and stream water sounds, as well as bird sounds, were selected to enhance the soundscape. Sixteen photomontages of a streetscape were constructed in combination with two types of water features and three types of vegetation which were chosen as positive visual components. The experiments consisted of audio-only, visual-only, and audio-visual conditions. The preferences and environmental qualities of the stimuli were evaluated by a numerical scale and 12 pairs of adjectives, respectively. The results showed that bird sounds were the most preferred among the natural sounds, while the sound of falling water was found to degrade the soundscape quality when the road traffic noise level was high. The visual effects of vegetation on aesthetic preference were significant, but those of water features relatively small. It was revealed that the perceptual dimensions of the environment were different from the noise levels. Particularly, the acoustic comfort factor related to soundscape quality considerably influenced preference for the overall environment at a higher level of road traffic noise.

Quality assurance past and present in Canada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bush, R.S.

Quality assurance in any clinical field must involve the three components of clinical care: (a) diagnosis and evaluation of patients; (b) medical decision making and treatment; and (c) outcome analysis. Nationally, there have been five annual reviews of outcome from all cancer centers following radiation therapy for cancer at various sites. These reviews are voluntary and organized through the Canadian Association of Radiologists. The objective is to determine if there are any major differences in outcome across the country, and if so, can such differences be related to the population treated or technique used. So far no major differences havemore » been noted. There is a National Tumour Reference Center funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) to provide assistancein establishing diagnostic criteria in pathology. Ontario has been active through the staging and reporting, together with an evaluative program for this staging system. All other quality assurance programs take place at the level of local centers.« less

Meeting the Challenge of Involving Parents in School. Newsletter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2005

2005-01-01

Parent involvement continues to challenge practitioners engaged in school reform despite being a required component of many school improvement initiatives--from Title I Schoolwide Programs to federally mandated school improvement plans. The benefits of parent involvement are clear: A growing body of research shows that successful parent…

77 FR 36419 - Feasibility of Enumerating “Specially Designed” Components

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-19

... feasibility of positively identifying ``specially designed'' ``components'' on the Commerce Control List (CCL... exhaustive lists of the ``specially designed'' ``components'' referred to in certain Export Control... project involving minimizing the use of the term ``specially designed'' on the current Commerce Control...

Architecture, component, and microbiome of biofilm involved in the fouling of membrane bioreactors.

PubMed

Inaba, Tomohiro; Hori, Tomoyuki; Aizawa, Hidenobu; Ogata, Atsushi; Habe, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

Biofilm formation on the filtration membrane and the subsequent clogging of membrane pores (called biofouling) is one of the most persistent problems in membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment and reclamation. Here, we investigated the structure and microbiome of fouling-related biofilms in the membrane bioreactor using non-destructive confocal reflection microscopy and high-throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Direct confocal reflection microscopy indicated that the thin biofilms were formed and maintained regardless of the increasing transmembrane pressure, which is a common indicator of membrane fouling, at low organic-loading rates. Their solid components were primarily extracellular polysaccharides and microbial cells. In contrast, high organic-loading rates resulted in a rapid increase in the transmembrane pressure and the development of the thick biofilms mainly composed of extracellular lipids. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the biofilm microbiomes, including major and minor microorganisms, substantially changed in response to the organic-loading rates and biofilm development. These results demonstrated for the first time that the architectures, chemical components, and microbiomes of the biofilms on fouled membranes were tightly associated with one another and differed considerably depending on the organic-loading conditions in the membrane bioreactor, emphasizing the significance of alternative indicators other than the transmembrane pressure for membrane biofouling.

A Model Parental Involvement Program for Bilingual/Bicultural Developmental Day Care.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Avila, Marcia Freedman

Parental involvement in migrant education is now being mandated across the country. Parental involvement in bilingual/bicultural day care is just as, if not more, important than involvement at the public school level. This study was conducted to test whether or not parental involvement could become an active component in a bilingual/bicultural day…

Complement system and immunological mediators: Their involvements in the induced inflammatory process by Androctonus australis hector venom and its toxic components.

PubMed

Bekkari, Nadjia; Martin-Eauclaire, Marie-France; Laraba-Djebari, Fatima

2015-01-01

Androctonus australis hector scorpion venom is well known by its high toxicity, it induces massive release of neurotransmitters that lead to pathophysiological disorders in cardiovascular, neuro-hormonal and immune systems. Previous studies have shown the relationship between the severity of scorpion envenoming and immune system activation. This study was assessed to investigate the involvement of complement system and inflammatory mediators after sublethal injection of Aah venom, its toxic fraction (FtoxG50) and its main toxins (AahI and AahII) into NMRI mice. The Activation complement system by the venom is also compared to that induced of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Obtained results showed that seric complement system (CS) is activated by the venom and by its toxic components; this activation is more pronounced into liver tissue when toxic components (FtoxG50, AahI or AahII) are used. Increase of cytokine levels (IL1β, TNFα and ICAM) into hepatic tissue induced by AahI or AahII neurotoxins is correlated with tissue alterations. Aprotinin, a non specific inhibitor of complement system seems to be able to reduce CS consumption and to restore partially the induced tissue damage by venom. The mechanisms by which toxic fraction or LPS induced the activation of complement system seem to be different. Sensitivity of hepatic tissue is more pronounced after FtoxG50 injection; however lung tissue is more sensible to LPS than FoxG50. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The effect of metabolic syndrome components on exercise performance in patients with intermittent claudication.

PubMed

Gardner, Andrew W; Montgomery, Polly S

2008-06-01

To determine the effect of metabolic syndrome components on intermittent claudication, physical function, health-related quality of life, and peripheral circulation in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and to identify the metabolic syndrome components most predictive of each outcome measure. Patients limited by intermittent claudication with three (n = 48), four (n = 45), or five (n = 40) components of metabolic syndrome were studied. Patients were assessed on PAD-specific measures consisting of ankle-brachial index (ABI), initial claudication distance, absolute claudication distance, physical function measures, health-related quality of life, and calf blood flow and transcutaneous oxygen tension responses after 3 minutes of vascular occlusion. Initial claudication distance (mean +/- SD) progressively declined (P = .019) in those with three (203 +/- 167 m), four (124 +/- 77 m), and five (78 +/- 57 m) metabolic syndrome components, and absolute claudication distance progressively declined (P = .036) in these groups as well (414 +/- 224 m vs 323 +/- 153 m vs 249 +/- 152 m, respectively). Furthermore, compared with patients with only three components of metabolic syndrome, those with all five components had impaired values (P < .05) for peak oxygen uptake, ischemic window, 6-minute walk distance, self-perceived walking ability and health, daily physical activity, health-related quality of life on six of eight domains, calf hyperemia, and calf ischemia after vascular occlusion. Abdominal obesity was the predictor (P < .05) of exercise performance during the treadmill and 6-minute walk tests, as well as physical activity. Elevated fasting glucose was the predictor (P < .05) of peripheral vascular measures, self-perceived walking ability and health, and health-related quality of life. PAD patients with more metabolic syndrome components have worsened intermittent claudication, physical function, health-related quality of life, and peripheral circulation

Impact on enzyme activity as a new quality index of wastewater.

PubMed

Balestri, Francesco; Moschini, Roberta; Cappiello, Mario; Del-Corso, Antonella; Mura, Umberto

2013-03-15

The aim of this study was to define a new indicator for the quality of wastewaters that are released into the environment. A quality index is proposed for wastewater samples in terms of the inertness of wastewater samples toward enzyme activity. This involves taking advantage of the sensitivity of enzymes to pollutants that may be present in the waste samples. The effect of wastewater samples on the rate of a number of different enzyme-catalyzed reactions was measured, and the results for all the selected enzymes were analyzed in an integrated fashion (multi-enzymatic sensor). This approach enabled us to define an overall quality index, the "Impact on Enzyme Function" (IEF-index), which is composed of three indicators: i) the Synoptic parameter, related to the average effect of the waste sample on each component of the enzymatic sensor; ii) the Peak parameter, related to the maximum effect observed among all the effects exerted by the sample on the sensor components; and, iii) the Interference parameter, related to the number of sensor components that are affected less than a fixed threshold value. A number of water based samples including public potable tap water, fluids from urban sewage systems, wastewater disposal from leather, paper and dye industries were analyzed and the IEF-index was then determined. Although the IEF-index cannot discriminate between different types of wastewater samples, it could be a useful parameter in monitoring the improvement of the quality of a specific sample. However, by analyzing an adequate number of waste samples of the same type, even from different local contexts, the profile of the impact of each component of the multi-enzymatic sensor could be typical for specific types of waste. The IEF-index is proposed as a supplementary qualification score for wastewaters, in addition to the certification of the waste's conformity to legal requirements. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Involving Members of the Public in Health Economics Research: Insights from Selecting Health States for Valuation to Estimate Quality-Adjusted Life-Year (QALY) Weights.

PubMed

Goodwin, Elizabeth; Boddy, Kate; Tatnell, Lynn; Hawton, Annie

2018-04-01

Over recent years, public involvement in health research has expanded considerably. However, public involvement in designing and conducting health economics research is seldom reported. Here we describe the development, delivery and assessment of an approach for involving people in a clearly defined piece of health economics research: selecting health states for valuation in estimating quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). This involvement formed part of a study to develop a condition-specific preference-based measure of health-related quality of life, the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-8D), and the work reported here relates to the identification of plausible, or realistic, health states for valuation. An Expert Panel of three people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was recruited from a local involvement network, and two health economists designed an interactive task that enabled the Panel to identify health states that were implausible, or unlikely to be experienced. Following some initial confusion over terminology, which was resolved by discussion with the Panel, the task worked well and can be adapted to select health states for valuation in the development of any preference-based measure. As part of the involvement process, five themes were identified by the Panel members and the researchers which summarised our experiences of public involvement in this health economics research example: proportionality, task design, prior involvement, protectiveness and partnerships. These are described in the paper, along with their practical implications for involving members of the public in health economics research. Our experience demonstrates how members of the public and health economists can work together to improve the validity of health economics research. Plain Language Summary It has become commonplace to involve members of the public in health service research. However, published reports of involving people in designing health economics research are rare. We

High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PubMed

Nolan, Jerry P

2014-06-01

The quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) impacts on outcome after cardiac arrest. This review will explore the factors that contribute to high-quality CPR and the metrics that can be used to monitor performance. A recent consensus statement from North America defined five key components of high-quality CPR: minimizing interruptions in chest compressions, providing compressions of adequate rate and depth, avoiding leaning on the chest between compressions, and avoiding excessive ventilation. Studies have shown that real-time feedback devices improve the quality of CPR and, in one before-and-after study, outcome from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. There is evidence for increasing survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and this is associated with increasing rates of bystander CPR. The quality of CPR provided by healthcare professionals can be improved with real-time feedback devices. The components of high-quality CPR and the metrics that can be measured and fed back to healthcare professionals have been defined by expert consensus. In the future, real-time feedback based on the physiological responses to CPR may prove more effective.

Vacuum Brazing of Accelerator Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rajvir; Pant, K. K.; Lal, Shankar; Yadav, D. P.; Garg, S. R.; Raghuvanshi, V. K.; Mundra, G.

2012-11-01

Commonly used materials for accelerator components are those which are vacuum compatible and thermally conductive. Stainless steel, aluminum and copper are common among them. Stainless steel is a poor heat conductor and not very common in use where good thermal conductivity is required. Aluminum and copper and their alloys meet the above requirements and are frequently used for the above purpose. The accelerator components made of aluminum and its alloys using welding process have become a common practice now a days. It is mandatory to use copper and its other grades in RF devices required for accelerators. Beam line and Front End components of the accelerators are fabricated from stainless steel and OFHC copper. Fabrication of components made of copper using welding process is very difficult and in most of the cases it is impossible. Fabrication and joining in such cases is possible using brazing process especially under vacuum and inert gas atmosphere. Several accelerator components have been vacuum brazed for Indus projects at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore using vacuum brazing facility available at RRCAT, Indore. This paper presents details regarding development of the above mentioned high value and strategic components/assemblies. It will include basics required for vacuum brazing, details of vacuum brazing facility, joint design, fixturing of the jobs, selection of filler alloys, optimization of brazing parameters so as to obtain high quality brazed joints, brief description of vacuum brazed accelerator components etc.

[Quality assurance and quality improvement. Personal experiences and intentions].

PubMed

Roche, B G; Sommer, C

1995-01-01

test, formulate hypotheses of cause, test those hypotheses, apply remedies, and assess the effect of remedies. Total employee involvement is critical. A power comes from enabling all employees to become involved in quality improvement. A great advantage of CQI is the prevention orientation of the concept. The CQI permeated a collegial approach, people learn how to work together to improve. CQI is a time consuming procedure. During our travel we learned the definition of quality as the customer satisfaction. To build a CQI concept in employed time but all employed are involved in quality improvement. Applying CQI we could be able to refuse Quality control programs.

Different Polar Metabolites and Protein Profiles between High- and Low-Quality Japanese Ginjo Sake

PubMed Central

Takahashi, Kei; Kohno, Hiromi

2016-01-01

Japanese ginjo sake is a premium refined sake characterized by a pleasant fruity apple-like flavor and a sophisticated taste. Because of technical difficulties inherent in brewing ginjo sake, off-flavors sometimes occur. However, the metabolites responsible for off-flavors as well as those present or absent in higher quality ginjo sake remain uncertain. Here, the relationship between 202 polar chemical compounds in sake identified using capillary electrophoresis coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry and its organoleptic properties, such as quality and off-flavor, was examined. First, we found that some off-flavored sakes contained higher total amounts of metabolites than other sake samples. The results also identified that levels of 2-oxoglutaric acid and fumaric acid, metabolites in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, were highly but oppositely correlated with ginjo sake quality. Similarly, pyridoxine and pyridoxamine, co-enzymes for amino transferase, were also highly but oppositely correlated with ginjo sake quality. Additionally, pyruvic acid levels were associated with good quality as well. Compounds involved in the methionine salvage cycle, oxidative glutathione derivatives, and amino acid catabolites were correlated with low quality. Among off-flavors, an inharmonious bitter taste appeared attributable to polyamines. Furthermore, protein analysis displayed that a diversity of protein components and yeast protein (triosephosphate isomerase, TPI) leakage was linked to the overall metabolite intensity in ginjo sake. This research provides insight into the relationship between sake components and organoleptic properties. PMID:26939054

Multi-Dimensional Parental Involvement in Schools: A Principal's Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapp, Nicole; Duncan, Heather

2012-01-01

Parental involvement is an important indicator of students' success in school. When schools engage families in a manner connected to improving learning, students do make greater gains. Creating and implementing an effective parental involvement model is an essential component in increasing student achievement in school. This article addresses the…

Multinational Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinser, Kevin

2011-01-01

Multinational colleges and universities pose numerous challenges to the traditional models of quality assurance that are designed to validate domestic higher education. When institutions cross international borders, at least two quality assurance protocols are involved. To guard against fraud and abuse, quality assurance in the host country is…

Independent Component Analysis of Textures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manduchi, Roberto; Portilla, Javier

2000-01-01

A common method for texture representation is to use the marginal probability densities over the outputs of a set of multi-orientation, multi-scale filters as a description of the texture. We propose a technique, based on Independent Components Analysis, for choosing the set of filters that yield the most informative marginals, meaning that the product over the marginals most closely approximates the joint probability density function of the filter outputs. The algorithm is implemented using a steerable filter space. Experiments involving both texture classification and synthesis show that compared to Principal Components Analysis, ICA provides superior performance for modeling of natural and synthetic textures.

Impact of Resident Involvement in Neurosurgery: An American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database Analysis of 33,977 Patients

PubMed Central

Kumar, Prateek; Seicean, Sinziana; Neuhauser, Duncan; Selman, Warren R.; Bambakidis, Nicholas C.

2018-01-01

Objective There is conflicting and limited literature on the effect of intraoperative resident involvement on surgical outcomes. Our study assessed effects of resident involvement on outcomes in patients undergoing neurosurgery. Methods We identified 33,977 adult neurosurgical cases from 374 hospitals in the 2006–2012 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, a prospectively collected national database with established reproducibility and validity. Outcomes were compared according to resident involvement before and after 1:1 matching on procedure and perioperative risk factors. Results Resident involvement was documented in 13,654 cases. We matched 10,170 resident-involved cases with 10,170 attending-alone. In the matched sample, resident involvement was associated with increased surgery duration (average, 34 minutes) and slight increases in odds for prolonged hospital stay (odds ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2–1.3) and complications (odds ratio, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1–1.3) including infections (odds ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2–1.7). Increased risk for infections persisted after controlling for surgery duration (odds ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1–1.5). The majority of cases were spine surgeries, and resident involvement was not associated with morbidity or mortality for malignant tumor and aneurysm patients. Training level of residents was not associated with differences in outcomes. Conclusion Resident involvement was more common in sicker patients undergoing complex procedures, consistent with academic centers undertaking more complex cases. After controlling for patient and intraoperative characteristics, resident involvement in neurosurgical cases continued to be associated with longer surgical duration and slightly higher infection rates. Longer surgery duration did not account for differences in infection rates. PMID:29656619

A Retentive Memory of Tetrachloroethene Respiration in Sulfurospirillum halorespirans - involved Proteins and a possible link to Acetylation of a Two-Component Regulatory System.

PubMed

Türkowsky, Dominique; Esken, Jens; Goris, Tobias; Schubert, Torsten; Diekert, Gabriele; Jehmlich, Nico; von Bergen, Martin

2018-06-15

Organohalide respiration (OHR), comprising the reductive dehalogenation of halogenated organic compounds, is subject to a unique memory effect and long-term transcriptional downregulation of the involved genes in Sulfurospirillum multivorans. Gene expression ceases slowly over approximately 100 generations in the absence of tetrachloroethene (PCE). However, the molecular mechanisms of this regulation process are not understood. We show here that Sulfurospirillum halorespirans undergoes the same type of regulation when cultivated without chlorinated ethenes for a long period of time. In addition, we compared the proteomes of S. halorespirans cells cultivated in the presence of PCE with those of cells long- and short-term cultivated with nitrate as the sole electron acceptor. Important OHR-related proteins previously unidentified in S. multivorans include a histidine kinase, a putative quinol dehydrogenase membrane protein, and a PCE-induced porin. Since for some regulatory proteins a posttranslational regulation of activity by lysine acetylations is known, we also analyzed the acetylome of S. halorespirans, revealing that 32% of the proteome was acetylated in at least one condition. The data indicate that the response regulator and the histidine kinase of a two-component system most probably involved in induction of PCE respiration are highly acetylated during short-term cultivation with nitrate in the absence of PCE. The so far unique long-term downregulation of organohalide respiration is now identified in a second species suggesting a broader distribution of this regulatory phenomenon. An improved protein extraction method allowed the identification of proteins most probably involved in transcriptional regulation of OHR in Sulfurospirillum spp. Our data indicate that acetylations of regulatory proteins are involved in this extreme, sustained standby-mode of metabolic enzymes in the absence of a substrate. This first published acetylome of Epsilonproteobacteria

Relevance between SV and components based on water quality inspection by gas plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanishi, A.; Aoyama, C.; Fukuoka, H.; Tajima, H.; Kumagai, H.; Takahashi, A.

2017-12-01

Gas and hydrate seeping from the seafloor into ocean water can be monitored on board, as images on echogram (acoustic equipment display inboard) by utilizing acoustic measurement equipment such as multi-beam sonars. Colors and shades of these images displayed on the monitor vary depending on the acoustic impedance. Backscattering strength (hereinafter referred as SV) depends on the type and density of plume components. Therefore, plume components should not be determined only by examining volume scattering density. By standardizing the relevance between gas plume SV and the components, types of plume components can be presumed just by calculating plume SV based on multi-beam data.Data from the following explorations will be utilized to perform the analysis of metal sensor, CTD measurement, and sampling. July, 2017 KAIYO-MARU2 (KAIYO ENGINEERING CO., LTD) @ Sea of Japan July, 2017 SIHNYO MARU (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology) @ Sea of Japan. And Chemical data obtained through YK16-07 cruise is also to be discussed.

The association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health-related quality of life among adolescents.

PubMed

Muros, José J; Salvador Pérez, Federico; Zurita Ortega, Félix; Gámez Sánchez, Vanesa M; Knox, Emily

The aim of this research was to examine the association between body mass index, physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and health-related quality of life in a sample of Spanish adolescents. The study involved 456 adolescents aged between 11 and 14 years. They completed questionnaires on the Mediterranean diet (KIDMED), physical activity (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children [PAQ-C]), and quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27). Body mass index was calculated. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to determine whether health-related quality of life could be predicted by the measured variables. The variables were analyzed in a stepwise manner, with Mediterranean diet entered in the first step, body mass index in the second, and physical activity in the third. Mediterranean diet accounted for 4.6% of the variance in adolescent's health-related quality of life, with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet predicting higher health-related quality of life-scores. Body mass index accounted for a further 4.1% of the variance, with a higher body mass index predicting lower health-related quality of life scores. Finally, physical activity explained an additional 11.3% of the variance, with a higher level of physical activity being associated with higher health-related quality of life scores. Together, these variables explained 20% of the variance in the adolescents' health-related quality of life. Physical activity, body mass index, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet are important components to consider when targeting improvements in the health-related quality of life of adolescents, with physical activity representing the component with the greatest influence. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

[Function and structure of the Federal Joint Committee and the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care in consideration of patient involvement].

PubMed

Mühlbauer, V; Teupen, S

2014-01-01

The Federal Joint Committee and the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care have become important players in the German health care system, not only since the benefit assessment of pharmaceuticals and the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG) were established. However, the manifold tasks and duties these institutions have besides the benefit assessment of pharmaceuticals is less known, just as the role the patient's representatives play. The function and structure of the Federal Joint Committee and the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care as well as their collaboration in consideration of patient involvement will be explained in this article. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Additive manufacturing of optical components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinrich, Andreas; Rank, Manuel; Maillard, Philippe; Suckow, Anne; Bauckhage, Yannick; Rößler, Patrick; Lang, Johannes; Shariff, Fatin; Pekrul, Sven

2016-08-01

The development of additive manufacturing methods has enlarged rapidly in recent years. Thereby, the work mainly focuses on the realization of mechanical components, but the additive manufacturing technology offers a high potential in the field of optics as well. Owing to new design possibilities, completely new solutions are possible. This article briefly reviews and compares the most important additive manufacturing methods for polymer optics. Additionally, it points out the characteristics of additive manufactured polymer optics. Thereby, surface quality is of crucial importance. In order to improve it, appropriate post-processing steps are necessary (e.g. robot polishing or coating), which will be discussed. An essential part of this paper deals with various additive manufactured optical components and their use, especially in optical systems for shape metrology (e.g. borehole sensor, tilt sensor, freeform surface sensor, fisheye lens). The examples should demonstrate the potentials and limitations of optical components produced by additive manufacturing.

PM10 and gaseous pollutants trends from air quality monitoring networks in Bari province: principal component analysis and absolute principal component scores on a two years and half data set

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The chemical composition of aerosols and particle size distributions are the most significant factors affecting air quality. In particular, the exposure to finer particles can cause short and long-term effects on human health. In the present paper PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter lower than 10 μm), CO, NOx (NO and NO2), Benzene and Toluene trends monitored in six monitoring stations of Bari province are shown. The data set used was composed by bi-hourly means for all parameters (12 bi-hourly means per day for each parameter) and it’s referred to the period of time from January 2005 and May 2007. The main aim of the paper is to provide a clear illustration of how large data sets from monitoring stations can give information about the number and nature of the pollutant sources, and mainly to assess the contribution of the traffic source to PM10 concentration level by using multivariate statistical techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Absolute Principal Component Scores (APCS). Results Comparing the night and day mean concentrations (per day) for each parameter it has been pointed out that there is a different night and day behavior for some parameters such as CO, Benzene and Toluene than PM10. This suggests that CO, Benzene and Toluene concentrations are mainly connected with transport systems, whereas PM10 is mostly influenced by different factors. The statistical techniques identified three recurrent sources, associated with vehicular traffic and particulate transport, covering over 90% of variance. The contemporaneous analysis of gas and PM10 has allowed underlining the differences between the sources of these pollutants. Conclusions The analysis of the pollutant trends from large data set and the application of multivariate statistical techniques such as PCA and APCS can give useful information about air quality and pollutant’s sources. These knowledge can provide useful advices to environmental policies in

Investigation of the HLA component involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by using the marker association-segregation [chi][sup 2] (MASC) method: Rejection of the unifying-shared-epitope hypothesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dizier, M.H.; Eliaou, J.F.; Babron, M.C.

In order to investigate the HLA component involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the authors tested genetic models by the marker association-segregation [chi][sup 2] (MASC) method, using the HLA genotypic distribution observed in a sample of 97 RA patients. First they tested models assuming the involvement of a susceptibility gene linked to the DR locus. They showed that the present data are compatible with a simple model assuming the effect of a recessive allele of a biallelic locus linked to the DR locus and without any assumption of synergistic effect. Then they considered models assuming the direct involvement of the DRmore » allele products, and tested the unifying-shared-epitope hypothesis, which has been proposed. Under this hypothesis the DR alleles are assumed to be directly involved in the susceptibility to the disease because of the presence of similar or identical amino acid sequences in position 70-74 of the third hypervariable region of the DRBI molecules, shared by the RA-associated DR alleles DR4Dw4, DR4Dw14, and DR1. This hypothesis was strongly rejected with the present data. In the case of the direct involvement of the DR alleles, hypotheses more complex that the unifying-shared-epitope hypothesis would have to be considered. 28 refs., 2 tabs.« less

Model-based tomographic reconstruction of objects containing known components.

PubMed

Stayman, J Webster; Otake, Yoshito; Prince, Jerry L; Khanna, A Jay; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey H

2012-10-01

The likelihood of finding manufactured components (surgical tools, implants, etc.) within a tomographic field-of-view has been steadily increasing. One reason is the aging population and proliferation of prosthetic devices, such that more people undergoing diagnostic imaging have existing implants, particularly hip and knee implants. Another reason is that use of intraoperative imaging (e.g., cone-beam CT) for surgical guidance is increasing, wherein surgical tools and devices such as screws and plates are placed within or near to the target anatomy. When these components contain metal, the reconstructed volumes are likely to contain severe artifacts that adversely affect the image quality in tissues both near and far from the component. Because physical models of such components exist, there is a unique opportunity to integrate this knowledge into the reconstruction algorithm to reduce these artifacts. We present a model-based penalized-likelihood estimation approach that explicitly incorporates known information about component geometry and composition. The approach uses an alternating maximization method that jointly estimates the anatomy and the position and pose of each of the known components. We demonstrate that the proposed method can produce nearly artifact-free images even near the boundary of a metal implant in simulated vertebral pedicle screw reconstructions and even under conditions of substantial photon starvation. The simultaneous estimation of device pose also provides quantitative information on device placement that could be valuable to quality assurance and verification of treatment delivery.

QUEST for Quality for Students: A Student Quality Concept. Volume 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galán Palomares, Fernando Miguel; Todorovski, Blazhe; Kažoka, Asnate; Saarela, Henni

2013-01-01

This is the final publication of the QUEST for Quality for Students (QUEST) project, run by the European Students' Union. The QUEST project has managed to analyse students' views on the quality of higher education to identify areas in which students can become increasingly involved in quality assurance and enhancement processes. This publication…

Manganese-induced regulations in growth, yield formation, quality characters, rice aroma and enzyme involved in 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline biosynthesis in fragrant rice.

PubMed

Li, Meijuan; Ashraf, Umair; Tian, Hua; Mo, Zhaowen; Pan, Shenggang; Anjum, Shakeel Ahmad; Duan, Meiyang; Tang, Xiangru

2016-06-01

Micro-nutrient application is essential for normal plant growth while a little is known about manganese (Mn)-induced regulations in morpho-physiological attributes, aroma formation and enzyme involved in 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) biosynthesis in aromatic rice. Present study aimed to examine the influence of four levels of Mn i.e., Mn1 (100 mg MnSO4 pot(-1)), Mn2 (150 mg MnSO4 pot(-1)), Mn3 (200 mg MnSO4 pot(-1)), and Mn4 (250 mg MnSO4 pot(-1)) on the growth, yield formation, quality characters, rice aroma and enzyme involved in 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline biosynthesis in two fragrant rice cultivars i.e., Meixiangzhan and Nongxiang 18. Pots without Mn application were served as control (Ck). Each pot contained 15 kg of soil. Effects on agronomic characters, quality attributes, 2-AP contents and enzymes involved in 2-AP biosynthesis have been studied in early and late season rice. Results depicted that Mn improved rice growth, yield and related characters, and some quality attributes significantly. It further up-regulated proline, pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid (P5C) (precursors of 2-AP), soluble proteins and activities of proline dehydrogenase (ProDH), Δ(1) pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid synthetase (P5CS) ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) that led to enhanced 2-AP production in rice grains. Moreover, higher Mn levels resulted in increased grain Mn contents in both rice cultivars. Along with growth and yield improvement, Mn application significantly improved rice aromatic contents. Overall, Nongxiang 18 accumulated more 2-AP contents than Meixiangzhan in both seasons under Mn application. This study further explored the importance of Mn in rice aroma formation and signifies that micro-nutrients can play significant roles in rice aroma synthesis; however, intensive studies at molecular levels are still needed to understand the exact mechanisms of Mn to improve rice aroma formation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

14 CFR 1216.309 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

....309 Aeronautics and Space NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Procedures for Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Agency Procedures § 1216.309 Public involvement. (a) Interested persons can get information on NASA environmental impact statements and other...

Quality assurance of radiotherapy in cancer treatment: toward improvement of patient safety and quality of care.

PubMed

Ishikura, Satoshi

2008-11-01

The process of radiotherapy (RT) is complex and involves understanding of the principles of medical physics, radiobiology, radiation safety, dosimetry, radiation treatment planning, simulation and interaction of radiation with other treatment modalities. Each step in the integrated process of RT needs quality control and quality assurance (QA) to prevent errors and to give high confidence that patients will receive the prescribed treatment correctly. Recent advances in RT, including intensity-modulated and image-guided RT, focus on the need for a systematic RTQA program that balances patient safety and quality with available resources. It is necessary to develop more formal error mitigation and process analysis methods, such as failure mode and effect analysis, to focus available QA resources optimally on process components. External audit programs are also effective. The International Atomic Energy Agency has operated both an on-site and off-site postal dosimetry audit to improve practice and to assure the dose from RT equipment. Several countries have adopted a similar approach for national clinical auditing. In addition, clinical trial QA has a significant role in enhancing the quality of care. The Advanced Technology Consortium has pioneered the development of an infrastructure and QA method for advanced technology clinical trials, including credentialing and individual case review. These activities have an impact not only on the treatment received by patients enrolled in clinical trials, but also on the quality of treatment administered to all patients treated in each institution, and have been adopted globally; by the USA, Europe and Japan also.

Perceptions and characteristics of registered nurses' involvement in decision making.

PubMed

Mangold, Kara L; Pearson, Kristina K; Schmitz, Julie R; Scherb, Cindy A; Specht, Janet P; Loes, Jean L

2006-01-01

This study aimed to determine the level of actual and preferred decisional involvement and ascertain whether there is decisional dissonance among registered nurses (RNs). A convenience sample of 196 RNs completed a demographic form and the Decisional Involvement Scale, a tool that measures actual and preferred decisional involvement for RNs in 6 categories: unit staffing, quality of professional practice, professional recruitment, unit governance and leadership, quality of support staff practice, and collaboration/liaison activities. From these data, the level of and difference between RN's actual and preferred decisional involvement was analyzed. In addition, the impact of level of education, years of experience, hours worked per pay period, and work setting on actual and preferred decisional involvement were measured. A statistically significant difference was found between RNs' actual and preferred decisional involvement, with RNs preferring more decisional involvement than they actually experienced. Work setting was the only variable to which a difference could be attributed. Further study is warranted to find causes of decisional dissonance and interventions that could help alleviate the problem and potentially increase job satisfaction.

Effect of pooled comparative information on judgments of quality

PubMed Central

Baumgart, Leigh A.; Bass, Ellen J.; Voss, John D.; Lyman, Jason A.

2015-01-01

Quality assessment is the focus of many health care initiatives. Yet it is not well understood how the type of information used in decision support tools to enable judgments of quality based on data impacts the accuracy, consistency and reliability of judgments made by physicians. Comparative pooled information could allow physicians to judge the quality of their practice by making comparisons to other practices or other specific populations of patients. In this study, resident physicians were provided with varying types of information derived from pooled patient data sets: quality component measures at the individual and group level, a qualitative interpretation of the quality measures using percentile rank, and an aggregate composite quality score. 32 participants viewed thirty quality profiles consisting of information applicable to the practice of thirty de-identified resident physicians. Those provided with quality component measures and a qualitative interpretation of the quality measures (rankings) judged quality of care more similarly to experts and were more internally consistent compared to participants who were provided with quality component measures alone. Reliability between participants was significantly less for those who were provided with a composite quality score compared to those who were not. PMID:26949581

Regulatory components for treating persistent pain in long-term care.

PubMed

Planton, Jonathan; Edlund, Barbara J

2010-04-01

Persistent or chronic pain is frequently reported by older adults and has the potential to dramatically influence quality of life. Estimates indicate that 25% to 50% of community-dwelling older adults experience this kind of pain. This rate is even higher in long-term care facilities, where 50% to 75% of residents have chronic pain syndromes that are untreated or undertreated. To promote optimal pain management and enumerate the responsibilities of skilled nursing facilities to effectively treat and prevent pain, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a new pain management surveyor guidance, F-Tag 309, which endorses the presence of an interdisciplinary team approach to pain management that involves the resident. The guidance delineates pain management principles, the need for ongoing professional education in all components of pain management, and emphasizes the important role of appropriate pharmacological treatment in conjunction with nonpharmacological interventions to aggressively manage pain. This directive will help skilled nursing facilities achieve optimal pain management for their residents. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

New approach to 'top-and-bottom' whole blood separation using the multiunit TACSI WB system: quality of blood components.

PubMed

Lotens, A; Najdovski, T; Cellier, N; Ernotte, B; Lambermont, M; Rapaille, A

2014-10-01

TACSI whole blood system is designed to combine primary and secondary processing of six whole blood bags into plasma units, buffy coat and red blood cell concentrates. The aim of this study was to investigate the specifications and in vitro storage parameters of blood components compared with standard centrifugation and separation processing. Whole blood bags, collected in CRC kits, were treated on a TACSI whole blood system. They were compared with whole blood bags collected in Composelect kits. In addition to routine quality control analyses, conservation studies were performed on red blood cell concentrates for 42 days and on plasma for 6 months. Platelets pools with five buffy coats were also created, and cellular contamination was evaluated. Red blood cell concentrates produced from TACSI whole blood met European quality requirements. For white blood cell count, one individual result exceeded 1 × 10(6) cells/unit. All plasma units fell within specifications for residual cellular contamination and storage parameters. The performances of the TACSI whole blood system allow for the preparation of low volume buffy coats with a recovery of 90% of whole blood platelets. Haemoglobin losses in TACSI BC are smaller, but this did not result in higher haemoglobin content of red cells. These BC are suitable for the production of platelet concentrates. From these in vitro data, red blood cell concentrates produced using TACSI whole blood are suitable for clinical use with a quality at least equivalent to the control group. © 2014 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Designing a mixture experiment when the components are subject to a nonlinear multiple-component constraint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piepel, Greg F.; Cooley, Scott K.; Vienna, John D.

This article presents a case study of developing an experimental design for a constrained mixture experiment when the experimental region is defined by single-component constraints (SCCs), linear multiple-component constraints (MCCs), and a nonlinear MCC. Traditional methods and software for designing constrained mixture experiments with SCCs and linear MCCs are not directly applicable because of the nonlinear MCC. A modification of existing methodology to account for the nonlinear MCC was developed and is described in this article. The case study involves a 15-component nuclear waste glass example in which SO3 is one of the components. SO3 has a solubility limit inmore » glass that depends on the composition of the balance of the glass. A goal was to design the experiment so that SO3 would not exceed its predicted solubility limit for any of the experimental glasses. The SO3 solubility limit had previously been modeled by a partial quadratic mixture (PQM) model expressed in the relative proportions of the 14 other components. The PQM model was used to construct a nonlinear MCC in terms of all 15 components. In addition, there were SCCs and linear MCCs. This article discusses the waste glass example and how a layered design was generated to (i) account for the SCCs, linear MCCs, and nonlinear MCC and (ii) meet the goals of the study.« less

The professional perspective on patient involvement in the development of quality indicators: a qualitative analysis using the example of chronic heart failure in the German health care setting.

PubMed

Pohontsch, Nadine Janis; Herzberg, Heidrun; Joos, Stefanie; Welti, Felix; Scherer, Martin; Blozik, Eva

2015-01-01

There is an international consensus that quality indicators (QIs) of health care ought to represent patient-relevant aspects. Therefore, patient involvement in the development process is essential. However, there is no methodological gold standard for involving patients in QI development. The aim of this study is to explore experts' views on the representation of patient-relevant aspects in the QI development process using the QIs developed in the context of the German National Disease Management Guideline for Heart Failure as an example. Semi-structured, open telephone interviews were conducted with 15 German experts (patient representatives, physicians, researchers, and methodologists involved in guideline development or quality assessment). Interview themes were the relevance of the exemplary set of QIs for patients, as well as the legitimacy of, competence of, and collaboration with the patient representative who participated in the development process. Interviews were fully transcribed and content analyzed. Deductive categories derived from the research questions were supplemented by inductively formed categories during the review of the interview material. The qualitative analysis suggests a discrepancy between the guidelines' QIs and those relevant to patients from an expert's point of view, such as physician-patient communication and quality of counseling. Experts reported only minor communication and cooperation problems while working together in the guideline/QI development team. Concerns existed, for example, regarding the recruitment of patient representatives for diseases without self-help organizations, the financing of patient representation, and the training of patient representatives. Only few potential strategies for improving the process of patient involvement were mentioned. Integrating the patients' perspectives through the recruitment of a patient representative to participate in the development team was well established and broadly accepted

Identifying knowledge gaps between practice and research for implementation components of sustainable interventions to improve the working environment - A rapid review.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Charlotte Diana Nørregaard; Højberg, Helene; Bengtsen, Elizabeth; Jørgensen, Marie Birk

2018-02-01

In a recent study, we involved all relevant stakeholders to identify practice-based implementation components for successful implementation and sustainability in work environment interventions. To understand possible knowledge gaps between evidence and practice, the aim of this paper is to investigate if effectiveness studies of the 11 practice-based implementation components can be identified in existing scientific literature. PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies. After screening, 38 articles met the inclusion criteria. Since some of the studies describe more than one practice-based implementation concept a total of 125 quality criteria assessments were made. The overall result is that 10 of the 11 practice-based implementation components can be found in the scientific literature, but the evaluation of them is poor. From this review it is clear that there are knowledge gaps between evidence and practice with respect to the effectiveness of implementation concepts. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

[Nutrigenomics--bioactive dietary components].

PubMed

Gętek, Monika; Czech, Natalia; Fizia, Katarzyna; Białek-Dratwa, Agnieszka; Muc-Wierzgoń, Małgorzata; Kokot, Teresa; Nowakowska-Zajdel, Ewa

2013-04-05

Nutrigenomics analyzes relations between diet and genes, and identifies mechanisms in which food and nutrition affect health and lifestyles and noncommunicable diseases (R. Chadwick, 2004). Bioactive dietary components are signal molecules that carry information from the external environment and affect in terms of quantity and quality in the process of gene expression. The biological effect of bioactive dietary components depends on various of physiological processes that can occur within a few genes. Polymorphism of genes can change their function and physiological response of the body for nutrients. Bioactive dietary components work on at least two levels of the expression of genes as factors regulating chromatin structure and as factors directly regulate the activity of nuclear receptors. The processes of synthesis and DNA repair are regulated by some of vitamins, macro-and micro-elements. They provide, among others, cofactors of enzymes that catalyze the replication of DNA methylation and its repair. DNA methylation profile may change under the influence of diet, single nucleotide polymorphisms and environmental factors. Bioactive dietary components may directly affect the process of gene expression by acting as ligands for nuclear receptors. Sensitive to dietary group of nuclear receptors are sensory receptors. This group includes, among others receptor PPAR (peroxisome proliferator activated), responsible for energy metabolism and receptors LXR (liver X receptor), FXR (farnesoid X receptor) and RXR, which is responsible for the metabolism of cholesterol.

Focus on fresh frozen plasma - facilitating optimal management of bleeding through collaboration between clinicians and transfusion specialists on component specifications.

PubMed

MacLennan, Sheila

2016-01-01

A symposium on plasma for direct clinical use was held in September 2015 by the European directorate for the quality of medicines and healthcare (EDQM) in order to consider changes to the Council of Europe guide to the preparation, use and quality assurance of blood components monographs on plasma components. The programme reviewed use of plasma in various settings, novel components, adverse reactions, manufacturing and quality monitoring issues. The main requirement identified was that plasma should be made available to support early transfusion in the trauma/massive haemorrhage setting. Further guidance on component manufacturing and reviewing of quality monitoring requirements will also be addressed. A working group has been established to review component monographs and other advice in the guide relating to plasma components, with the aim of providing optimal components to support clinical management of patients requiring plasma. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Disagreement in Parental Reports of Father Involvement

PubMed Central

Charles, Pajarita; Spielfogel, Jill; Gorman-Smith, Deborah; Schoeny, Michael; Henry, David; Tolan, Patrick

2016-01-01

Despite agreement on the value of father involvement in children’s lives, research has been limited due to the exclusion of fathers in studies, questionable validity of mothers’ reports on father involvement, and simple measures of fathering behavior. Our study extends previous research by comparing reports of father involvement using robust, multidimensional father involvement measures. Data from 113 fathers and 126 mothers reporting on 221 children were used to assess father involvement. Results indicate that fathers reported significantly higher levels of involvement than mothers reported. Findings from hierarchical linear models suggest that race/ethnicity and mothers’ reports of positive relationship quality were associated with smaller discrepancies in reports of father involvement, whereas nonmarried partnerships, older children, father residence, and biological status predicted larger discrepancies. Our study demonstrates the importance of obtaining father involvement reports directly from fathers and why father involvement should be assessed as a multidimensional construct to examine fathering behavior. PMID:29515272

Inferring random component distributions from environmental measurements for quality assurance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Environmental measurement programs can add value by providing not just accurate data, but also a measure of that accuracy. While quality assurance (QA) has been recognized as necessary since almost the beginning of automated weather measurement, it has received less attention than the data proper. M...

Components of Adenovirus Genome Packaging

PubMed Central

Ahi, Yadvinder S.; Mittal, Suresh K.

2016-01-01

Adenoviruses (AdVs) are icosahedral viruses with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. Genome packaging in AdV is thought to be similar to that seen in dsDNA containing icosahedral bacteriophages and herpesviruses. Specific recognition of the AdV genome is mediated by a packaging domain located close to the left end of the viral genome and is mediated by the viral packaging machinery. Our understanding of the role of various components of the viral packaging machinery in AdV genome packaging has greatly advanced in recent years. Characterization of empty capsids assembled in the absence of one or more components involved in packaging, identification of the unique vertex, and demonstration of the role of IVa2, the putative packaging ATPase, in genome packaging have provided compelling evidence that AdVs follow a sequential assembly pathway. This review provides a detailed discussion on the functions of the various viral and cellular factors involved in AdV genome packaging. We conclude by briefly discussing the roles of the empty capsids, assembly intermediates, scaffolding proteins, portal vertex and DNA encapsidating enzymes in AdV assembly and packaging. PMID:27721809

Salinity-induced inhibition of growth in the aquatic pteridophyte Azolla microphylla primarily involves inhibition of photosynthetic components and signaling molecules as revealed by proteome analysis.

PubMed

Thagela, Preeti; Yadav, Ravindra Kumar; Mishra, Vagish; Dahuja, Anil; Ahmad, Altaf; Singh, Pawan Kumar; Tiwari, Budhi Sagar; Abraham, Gerard

2017-01-01

Salinity stress causes adverse physiological and biochemical changes in the growth and productivity of a plant. Azolla, a symbiotic pteridophyte and potent candidate for biofertilizer due to its nitrogen fixation ability, shows reduced growth and nitrogen fixation during saline stress. To better understand regulatory components involved in salinity-induced physiological changes, in the present study, Azolla microphylla plants were exposed to NaCl (6.74 and 8.61 ds/m) and growth, photochemical reactions of photosynthesis, ion accumulation, and changes in cellular proteome were studied. Maximum dry weight was accumulated in control and untreated plant while a substantial decrease in dry weight was observed in the plants exposed to salinity. Exposure of the organism to different concentrations of salt in hydroponic conditions resulted in differential level of Na + and K + ion accumulation. Comparative analysis of salinity-induced proteome changes in A. microphylla revealed 58 salt responsive proteins which were differentially expressed during the salt exposure. Moreover, 42 % spots among differentially expressed proteins were involved in different signaling events. The identified proteins are involved in photosynthesis, energy metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, protein synthesis, and defense. Downregulation of these key metabolic proteins appears to inhibit the growth of A. microphylla in response to salinity. Altogether, the study revealed that in Azolla, increased salinity primarily affected signaling and photosynthesis that in turn leads to reduced biomass.

Fabrication, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control for PROSPECT Detector Component Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gustafson, Ian; Prospect (The Precision Reactor Oscillation; Spectrum Experiment) Collaboration

2017-09-01

The Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment (PROSPECT) is an electron antineutrino (νe) detector intended to make a precision measurement of the 235U neutrino spectrum and to search for the possible existence of sterile neutrinos with a mass splitting of Δm2 on the order of 1 eV2 . As a short baseline detector, PROSPECT will be located less than 10 meters from the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As PROSPECT intends to search for baseline-dependent oscillations, physical segmentation is needed to better measure the interaction position. PROSPECT will therefore be a segmented detector in two dimensions, thereby improving position measurements. PROSPECT will be segmented into 154 (11×14) 1.2-meter long rectangular tubes, using optical separators. Each separator will consist of a carbon fiber core, laminated with optical reflector (to increase light collection) and Teflon (to ensure compatibility with the scintillator). These optical separators will be held in place via strings of 3D printed PLA rods called `pinwheels.' This poster discusses the fabrication and quality assurance (QA) procedures used in the production of both the PROSPECT optical separators and pinwheels. For the PROSPECT collaboration.

The reliability-quality relationship for quality systems and quality risk management.

PubMed

Claycamp, H Gregg; Rahaman, Faiad; Urban, Jason M

2012-01-01

Engineering reliability typically refers to the probability that a system, or any of its components, will perform a required function for a stated period of time and under specified operating conditions. As such, reliability is inextricably linked with time-dependent quality concepts, such as maintaining a state of control and predicting the chances of losses from failures for quality risk management. Two popular current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and quality risk management tools, failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and root cause analysis (RCA) are examples of engineering reliability evaluations that link reliability with quality and risk. Current concepts in pharmaceutical quality and quality management systems call for more predictive systems for maintaining quality; yet, the current pharmaceutical manufacturing literature and guidelines are curiously silent on engineering quality. This commentary discusses the meaning of engineering reliability while linking the concept to quality systems and quality risk management. The essay also discusses the difference between engineering reliability and statistical (assay) reliability. The assurance of quality in a pharmaceutical product is no longer measured only "after the fact" of manufacturing. Rather, concepts of quality systems and quality risk management call for designing quality assurance into all stages of the pharmaceutical product life cycle. Interestingly, most assays for quality are essentially static and inform product quality over the life cycle only by being repeated over time. Engineering process reliability is the fundamental concept that is meant to anticipate quality failures over the life cycle of the product. Reliability is a well-developed theory and practice for other types of manufactured products and manufacturing processes. Thus, it is well known to be an appropriate index of manufactured product quality. This essay discusses the meaning of reliability and its linkages with quality

Psychoeducational preparation of children for surgery: the importance of parental involvement.

PubMed

Li, Ho Cheung William; Lopez, Violeta; Lee, Tin Loi Isabel

2007-01-01

To examine the effects of therapeutic play intervention on outcomes of children undergoing day surgery, and to highlight the importance of parental involvement in the psychoeducational preparation of children for surgery. A randomized controlled trial, two group pre-test and repeated post-test, between subjects design was employed. Hong Kong Chinese children (7-12 years of age; n=203) admitted for elective surgery in a day surgery unit, along with their parents during a 13-month period, were invited to participate in the study. By using a simple complete randomization method, 97 of children with their parents were assigned to the experimental group receiving therapeutic play intervention, and 106 children with their parents were assigned to the control group receiving routine information preparation. The results showed that both children and their parents in the experimental group reported lower state anxiety scores in pre- and post-operative periods. Children in the experimental group exhibited fewer instances of negative emotional behaviors and parents in the experimental group reported greater satisfaction. The results, however, find no differences in children's post-operative pain between the two groups. The study provides empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of using therapeutic play intervention and the importance of parental involvement in the psychoeducational preparation of children for surgery. The findings heighten the awareness of the importance of integrating therapeutic play and parental involvement as essential components of holistic and quality nursing care to prepare children for surgery.

Reliability Quantification of Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, Ashwin R.; Korovaichuk, Igor; Zampino, Edward

2010-01-01

The Advanced Stirling Convertor, is intended to provide power for an unmanned planetary spacecraft and has an operational life requirement of 17 years. Over this 17 year mission, the ASC must provide power with desired performance and efficiency and require no corrective maintenance. Reliability demonstration testing for the ASC was found to be very limited due to schedule and resource constraints. Reliability demonstration must involve the application of analysis, system and component level testing, and simulation models, taken collectively. Therefore, computer simulation with limited test data verification is a viable approach to assess the reliability of ASC components. This approach is based on physics-of-failure mechanisms and involves the relationship among the design variables based on physics, mechanics, material behavior models, interaction of different components and their respective disciplines such as structures, materials, fluid, thermal, mechanical, electrical, etc. In addition, these models are based on the available test data, which can be updated, and analysis refined as more data and information becomes available. The failure mechanisms and causes of failure are included in the analysis, especially in light of the new information, in order to develop guidelines to improve design reliability and better operating controls to reduce the probability of failure. Quantified reliability assessment based on fundamental physical behavior of components and their relationship with other components has demonstrated itself to be a superior technique to conventional reliability approaches based on utilizing failure rates derived from similar equipment or simply expert judgment.

Regulation of SOBIR1 accumulation and activation of defense responses in bir1-1 by specific components of ER quality control.

PubMed

Sun, Tongjun; Zhang, Qian; Gao, Minghui; Zhang, Yuelin

2014-03-01

Receptor-like kinases play diverse roles in plant biology. Arabidopsis BAK1-INTERACTING RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE 1 (BIR1) functions as a negative regulator of plant immunity. bir1-1 mutant plants display spontaneous cell death and constitutive defense responses that are dependent on SUPPRESSOR OF BIR1,1 (SOBIR1) and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4). Here we report that mutations in three components of ER quality control, CALRETICULIN3 (CRT3), ER-LOCALIZED DnaJ-LIKE PROTEIN 3b (ERdj3b) and STROMAL-DERIVED FACTOR-2 (SDF2), also suppress the spontaneous cell death and constitutive defense responses in bir1-1. Further analysis revealed that accumulation of the SOBIR1 protein is reduced in crt3-1 and erdj3b-1 mutant plants. These data suggest that ER quality control plays important roles in the biogenesis of SOBIR1, and is required for cell death and defense responses in bir1-1. © 2014 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quality drying of softwood lumber : guidebook - checklist

Treesearch

M. R. Milota; J. D. Danielson; R. S. Boone; D. W. Huber

The IMPROVE Lumber Drying Program is intended to increase awareness of the lumber drying system as a critical component in the manufacture of quality lumber. One objective of the program is to provide easy-to-use tools that a kiln operator can use to maintain an efficient kiln operation and therefore contribute to lumber drying quality. This report is one component of...

Quality drying of hardwood lumber : guidebook -- checklist

Treesearch

R. S. Boone; M. R. Milota; J. D. Danielson; D. W. Huber

The IMPROVE Lumber Drying Program is intended to increase awareness of the lumber drying system as a critical component in the manufacture of quality lumber. One objective of the program is to provide easy-to-use tools that a kiln operator can use to maintain an efficient kiln operation and therefore improve lumber drying quality. This report is one component of the...

Cerebellar contribution to spatial event processing: involvement in procedural and working memory components.

PubMed

Mandolesi, L; Leggio, M G; Graziano, A; Neri, P; Petrosini, L

2001-12-01

Spatial function is one of the cognitive functions altered in the presence of cerebellar lesions. We investigated the cerebellar contribution to the acquisition of spatial procedural and working memory components by means of a radial maze. To establish whether a cerebellar lesion would cause a deficit in solving the radial maze, a first experiment was carried out by using a full-baited maze procedure in different experimental groups, with or without cerebellar lesion and with or without pretraining. Non-pretrained hemicerebellectomized (HCbed) animals exhibited impaired performances in all (motor, spatial and procedural) task aspects. Pre-trained HCbed animals performed similarly to control animals in the task aspects linked to the processing of spatial and procedural factors. To distinguish procedural from working memory components, a forced-choice paradigm of the radial maze was used in the second experiment. Non-pretrained HCbed rats continued to make a lot of errors and show severe perseverative tendencies, already observed in the first experiment, supporting a specific cerebellar role in acquiring new behaviours and in modifying them in relation to the context. Interestingly, hindered from putting the acquired explorative patterns into action and compelled to use only working memory abilities, the pretrained HCbed group exhibited a dramatic worsening of performance. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrate that cerebellar damage induces a specific behaviour in radial maze tasks, characterized by an inflexible use of the procedures (if indeed any procedure was acquired before the lesion) and by a severe impairment in working memory processes.

Quality of life and physical components linked to sarcopenia: The SarcoPhAge study.

PubMed

Beaudart, C; Reginster, J Y; Petermans, J; Gillain, S; Quabron, A; Locquet, M; Slomian, J; Buckinx, F; Bruyère, O

2015-09-01

The SarcoPhAge project is an ongoing longitudinal study following community-dwelling elderly subjects with the objective to assess some health and functional consequences of sarcopenia. The sarcopenia diagnosis algorithm developed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and used in the present study needs further validation through cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The aim of the present study is to assess, using this algorithm, the prevalence of sarcopenia and the clinical components linked to this geriatric syndrome. Participants were community dwelling subjects aged 65years or older. To diagnose sarcopenia, we applied the definition of the EWGSOP. Muscle mass was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, muscle strength by a hydraulic dynamometer and physical performance by the SPPB test. Large amounts of socio-demographic, anamnestic and clinical data were collected in all subjects. 534 subjects were recruited for this study (60.5% of women, mean age of 73.5±6.16years), among whom 73 subjects were diagnosed sarcopenic, which represents a global prevalence of 13.7%. Prevalence was 11.8% in men and 14.9% in women. Sarcopenic subjects were older; had a lower Body Mass Index, lower calf, waist, wrist and arm circumferences; presented more cognitive impairments (Mini-Mental State Examination), more comorbidities; were more often malnourished; and consumed more drugs. After adjustment for age, BMI, cognitive status, nutritional status, number of comorbidities and number of drugs, sarcopenic subjects had a worse physical health-related quality of life (SF-36) for the domain of physical functioning, were at higher risk of falls (Timed Up and Go test), were more frail (Fried), presented more often tiredness for the achievement of activities of daily living (Mobility-test), presented less fat mass and obviously less lean mass. Sarcopenic women were also more dependent for housekeeping and handling finances (Lawton scale) than non

Associations between multidimensional frailty and quality of life among Dutch older people.

PubMed

Gobbens, Robbert J J; van Assen, Marcel A L M

2017-11-01

To examine the associations between components of physical, psychological and social frailty with quality of life among older people. This cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of Dutch citizens. A total of 671 people aged 70 years or older completed a web-based questionnaire ('the Senioren Barometer'). This questionnaire contained the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for measuring physical, psychological and social frailty, and the WHOQOL-OLD for measuring six quality of life facets (sensory abilities, autonomy, past, present and future activities, social participation, death and dying, intimacy) and quality of life total. Nine of fifteen individual frailty components had an effect on at least one facet of quality of life and quality of life total, after controlling for socio-demographic factors, multimorbidity and the other frailty components. Of these nine components five, two and two refer to physical, psychological and social frailty, respectively. Feeling down was the only frailty component associated with all quality of life facets and quality of life total. Both physical inactivity and lack of social relations were associated with four quality of life facets and quality of life total. This study showed that quality of life in older people is associated with physical, psychological and social frailty components, emphasizing the importance of a multidimensional assessment of frailty. Health care and welfare professionals should in particular pay attention to feeling down, physical inactivity and lack of social relations among older people, because their relation with quality of life seems to be the strongest. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The quality march. National survey profiles quality improvement activities.

PubMed

1993-12-05

This nationwide profile of CQI/TQM adopters and non-adopters provides important baseline information with which to chart the growing involvement of hospitals with formal quality improvement efforts. Using a stringent definition, the findings suggest rather widespread adoption of CQI/TQM, although most of it has been very recent. Further, there are systematic differences by bed size, teaching orientation, and system membership. Though the Deming method is the most popular approach to CQI/TQM, nearly as many hospitals report using a combination of approaches, and approximately 22 percent report that they have not selected any specific approach. Of particular note is the finding that those involved with CQI/TQM activities perceive fewer barriers to their quality improvement efforts than those not involved. The impact of these differences on perceived costs and outcomes will be addressed in the next issue of Hospitals & Health Networks.

C-reactive protein as an available biomarker determining mental component of health-related quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injury

PubMed Central

Sabour, Hadis; Latifi, Sahar; Soltani, Zahra; Shakeri, Hania; Norouzi Javidan, Abbas; Ghodsi, Seyed-Mohammad; Hadian, Mohammad Reza; Emami Razavi, Seyed-Hassan

2017-01-01

Objectives C-reactive protein (CRP) has been shown to correlate with health-related quality of life (HRQL) in some chronic medical conditions. However, these associations have not yet described in spinal cord injury (SCI). In this study, we tried to identify biomarkers associated with HRQL in SCI. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Tertiary rehabilitation center. Participants Referred patients to Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center between November 2010 and April 2013. Outcome Measure Blood samples were taken to measure circulatory CRP, leptin, adiponectin, ferritin, parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, thyroid hormones, fasting plasma glucose and lipid profile. All the analyses were performed with adjustment for injury-related confounders (level of injury, injury completeness and time since injury) and demographic characteristics. HRQL was measured with Short Form health survey (SF-36). Results The initial inverse association between CRP and total score of SF-36 (P: 0.006, r = −0.28) was lost after adjustment for confounders. However, the negative correlation between CRP and Mental Component Summary (MCS) remained significant (P: 0.0005, r = −0.38). Leptin level was inversely correlated with Physical Component Summary (PCS) (P: 0.02, r = −0.30). Conclusion Although CRP and leptin levels were not related with total scores of SF-36 questionnaire, CRP can be more useful in determining mental component of HRQL whereas leptin can be a determinant of physical component. The combined consideration of these two biomarkers may help to predict HRQL in individuals with SCI. PMID:26914649

A Meta-Analysis: The Relationship between Father Involvement and Student Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeynes, William H.

2015-01-01

A meta-analysis was undertaken, including 66 studies, to determine the relationship between father involvement and the educational outcomes of urban school children. Statistical analyses were done to determine the overall impact and specific components of father involvement. The possible differing effects of paternal involvement by race were also…

Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals the Genetic Basis of Stalk Cell Wall Components in Maize

PubMed Central

Hu, Xiaojiao; Liu, Zhifang; Wu, Yujin; Huang, Changling

2016-01-01

Lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose are the three main components of the plant cell wall and can impact stalk quality by affecting cell wall structure and strength. In this study, we evaluated the lignin (LIG), cellulose (CEL) and hemicellulose (HC) contents in maize using an association mapping panel that included 368 inbred lines in seven environments. A genome-wide association study using approximately 0.56 million SNPs with a minor allele frequency of 0.05 identified 22, 18 and 24 loci significantly associated with LIG, CEL and HC at P < 1.0×10−4, respectively. The allelic variation of each significant association contributed 4 to 7% of the phenotypic variation. Candidate genes identified by GWAS mainly encode enzymes involved in cell wall metabolism, transcription factors, protein kinase and protein related to other biological processes. Among the association signals, six candidate genes had pleiotropic effects on lignin and cellulose content. These results provide valuable information for better understanding the genetic basis of stalk cell wall components in maize. PMID:27479588

Slimmer or fertile? Pharmacological mechanisms involved in reduced sperm quality and fertility in rats exposed to the anorexigen sibutramine.

PubMed

Borges, Cibele S; Missassi, Gabriela; Pacini, Enio S A; Kiguti, Luiz Ricardo A; Sanabria, Marciana; Silva, Raquel F; Banzato, Thais P; Perobelli, Juliana E; Pupo, André S; Kempinas, Wilma G

2013-01-01

Sperm acquire motility and fertility capacity during epididymal transit, under the control of androgens and sympathetic innervations. It is already known that the acceleration of epididymal sperm transit time can lead to lower sperm quality. In a previous work we showed that rats exposed to the anorexigen sibutramine, a non-selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, presented faster sperm transit time, lower epididymal sperm reserves and potentiation of the tension of epididymal duct to norepinephrine exposed acutely in vitro to sibutramine. In the present work we aimed to further investigate pharmacological mechanisms involved in these alterations and the impact on rat sperm quality. For this, adult male Wistar rats were treated with sibutramine (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 30 days. Sibutramine decreased final body, seminal vesicle, ventral prostate and epididymal weights, as well as sperm transit time in the epididymal cauda. On the contrary of the in vitro pharmacological assays, in which sibutramine was added directly to the bath containing strips of distal epididymal cauda, the ductal tension was not altered after in vivo sub-chronic exposure to sibutramine. However, there is pharmacological evidence that the endogenous epididymal norepinephrine reserves were reduced in these animals. It was also shown that the decrease in prostate weight can be related to increased tension developed of the gland, due to sibutramine sympathomimetic effects. In addition, our results showed reduced sperm quality after in utero artificial insemination, a more sensitive procedure to assess fertility in rodents. The epididymal norepinephrine depletion exerted by sibutramine, associated with decreases in sperm transit time, quantity and quality, leading to reduced fertility in this experimental model, reinforces the concerns about the possible impact on fertility of man taking sibutramine as well as other non-selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors

Slimmer or Fertile? Pharmacological Mechanisms Involved in Reduced Sperm Quality and Fertility in Rats Exposed to the Anorexigen Sibutramine

PubMed Central

Borges, Cibele S.; Missassi, Gabriela; Pacini, Enio S. A.; Kiguti, Luiz Ricardo A.; Sanabria, Marciana; Silva, Raquel F.; Banzato, Thais P.; Perobelli, Juliana E.; Pupo, André S.; Kempinas, Wilma G.

2013-01-01

Sperm acquire motility and fertility capacity during epididymal transit, under the control of androgens and sympathetic innervations. It is already known that the acceleration of epididymal sperm transit time can lead to lower sperm quality. In a previous work we showed that rats exposed to the anorexigen sibutramine, a non-selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, presented faster sperm transit time, lower epididymal sperm reserves and potentiation of the tension of epididymal duct to norepinephrine exposed acutely in vitro to sibutramine. In the present work we aimed to further investigate pharmacological mechanisms involved in these alterations and the impact on rat sperm quality. For this, adult male Wistar rats were treated with sibutramine (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 30 days. Sibutramine decreased final body, seminal vesicle, ventral prostate and epididymal weights, as well as sperm transit time in the epididymal cauda. On the contrary of the in vitro pharmacological assays, in which sibutramine was added directly to the bath containing strips of distal epididymal cauda, the ductal tension was not altered after in vivo sub-chronic exposure to sibutramine. However, there is pharmacological evidence that the endogenous epididymal norepinephrine reserves were reduced in these animals. It was also shown that the decrease in prostate weight can be related to increased tension developed of the gland, due to sibutramine sympathomimetic effects. In addition, our results showed reduced sperm quality after in utero artificial insemination, a more sensitive procedure to assess fertility in rodents. The epididymal norepinephrine depletion exerted by sibutramine, associated with decreases in sperm transit time, quantity and quality, leading to reduced fertility in this experimental model, reinforces the concerns about the possible impact on fertility of man taking sibutramine as well as other non-selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors

Patient involvement climate: views and behaviours among registered nurses in myocardial infarction care.

PubMed

Arnetz, Judith E; Zhdanova, Ludmila

2015-02-01

To introduce and define the patient involvement climate and measure its quality and strength via views and behaviours among nurses in coronary care units. Patient involvement is receiving increased attention among healthcare providers. To better understand and optimise the interpersonal dynamics of patient involvement, it is important to study the organisational context in which the patient-provider interaction occurs. Cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire study. Registered nurses across 12 coronary care units (n = 303) completed a questionnaire reporting their views and behaviours regarding patient involvement. Analyses assessed climate quality (the positive or negative nature of nurses' perceptions) and climate strength (the degree of consensus within coronary care units). Climate quality and strength were greatest for the dimensions measuring nurses' views of patient involvement, the nurse-patient information exchange process and nurses' responsiveness to patient needs. Climate quality and strength were weaker for the dimensions measuring nurses' views of the hindrances associated with patient involvement, discussion of daily activities and efforts to motivate patients to take responsibility for their health. In units with consensus that patient involvement poses hindrances, nurses were less likely to address patient needs. When nurses perceived patient involvement as less of a hindrance in their work, they were more responsive to patient needs. A patient involvement climate characterised by motivational behaviour among nurses was marked by better information exchange and discussion of suitable activities postdischarge. Managers can capitalise on positive climate aspects by encouraging ward activities that facilitate active patient involvement among nurses. One suggestion is educational interventions at the workplace focused on reducing perceptions of patient involvement as a hindrance and encouraging the attitudes that it can enrich nursing work and

Neuropsychological outcome in patients with childhood craniopharyngioma and hypothalamic involvement.

PubMed

Özyurt, Jale; Thiel, Christiane M; Lorenzen, Anna; Gebhardt, Ursel; Calaminus, Gabriele; Warmuth-Metz, Monika; Müller, Hermann L

2014-04-01

To test memory performance and executive functions in patients with childhood craniopharyngioma and hypothalamic involvement. Using standardized neuropsychological tests, we compared cognitive performance in a group of 15 patients with childhood craniopharyngioma and known hypothalamic involvement and a group of 24 age- and intelligence-matched control subjects. In addition, we compared individual patients' results with normative data to detect abnormal performance in the clinically relevant range. Within the patient group, we further tested whether the grade of hypothalamic involvement had an impact on cognitive performance and quality of life. Relative to healthy controls, the patients demonstrated significantly lower performance scores in tests of memory and executive functioning. On the individual performance level, delayed recall performance was severely impaired in one-third of the patients. Compared with patients with low-grade hypothalamic involvement, those with high-grade hypothalamic involvement showed worse performance in executive functions and reduced functional capabilities for daily life actions, indicating lower quality of life. Our findings demonstrate that hypothalamic involvement is related to impairments in memory and executive functioning in patients with childhood craniopharyngioma and indicate that a high grade of hypothalamic involvement is related to worse outcomes. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

32 CFR 651.47 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Public Involvement and the Scoping Process § 651.47 Public... analyzing environmental considerations. This requirement can be met at the very beginning of the process by...

32 CFR 651.47 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Public Involvement and the Scoping Process § 651.47 Public... analyzing environmental considerations. This requirement can be met at the very beginning of the process by...

32 CFR 651.47 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Public Involvement and the Scoping Process § 651.47 Public... analyzing environmental considerations. This requirement can be met at the very beginning of the process by...

32 CFR 651.47 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Public Involvement and the Scoping Process § 651.47 Public... analyzing environmental considerations. This requirement can be met at the very beginning of the process by...

Total quality assurance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louzon, E.

1989-12-01

Quality, cost, and schedule are three factors affecting the competitiveness of a company; they require balancing so that products of acceptable quality are delivered, on time and at a competitive cost. Quality costs comprise investment in quality maintenance and failure costs which arise from failure to maintain standards. The basic principle for achieving the required quality at minimum cost is that of prevention of failures, etc., through production control, attention to manufacturing practices, and appropriate management and training. Total quality control involves attention to the product throughout its life cycle, including in-service performance evaluation, servicing, and maintenance.

IQGAP1 Interacts with Components of the Slit Diaphragm Complex in Podocytes and Is Involved in Podocyte Migration and Permeability In Vitro

PubMed Central

Rigothier, Claire; Auguste, Patrick; Welsh, Gavin I.; Lepreux, Sébastien; Deminière, Colette; Mathieson, Peter W.; Saleem, Moin A.; Ripoche, Jean; Combe, Christian

2012-01-01

IQGAP1 is a scaffold protein that interacts with proteins of the cytoskeleton and the intercellular adhesion complex. In podocytes, IQGAP1 is associated with nephrin in the glomerular slit diaphragm (SD) complex, but its role remains ill-defined. In this work, we investigated the interaction of IQGAP1 with the cytoskeleton and SD proteins in podocytes in culture, and its role in podocyte migration and permeability. Expression, localization, and interactions between IQGAP1 and SD or cytoskeletal proteins were determined in cultured human podocytes by Western blot (WB), immunocytolocalization (IC), immunoprecipitation (IP), and In situ Proximity Ligation assay (IsPL). Involvement of IQGAP1 in migration and permeability was also assessed. IQGAP1 expression in normal kidney biopsies was studied by immunohistochemistry. IQGAP1 expression by podocytes increased during their in vitro differentiation. IC, IP, and IsPL experiments showed colocalizations and/or interactions between IQGAP1 and SD proteins (nephrin, MAGI-1, CD2AP, NCK 1/2, podocin), podocalyxin, and cytoskeletal proteins (α-actinin-4). IQGAP1 silencing decreased podocyte migration and increased the permeability of a podocyte layer. Immunohistochemistry on normal human kidney confirmed IQGAP1 expression in podocytes and distal tubular epithelial cells and also showed an expression in glomerular parietal epithelial cells. In summary, our results suggest that IQGAP1, through its interaction with components of SD and cytoskeletal proteins, is involved in podocyte barrier properties. PMID:22662192

E-Quality in the Workplace: Quality Circles or Quality of Working Life Programs in the US.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Grant T.; Romano, Richard

Quality Circle (QC) and Quality of Working Life (QWL) in the United States are similar in that both stress participative decision making, preserve management's prerogative to have the final say, and are voluntary. QC and QWL programs differ, however, in that labor unions are more involved in QWLs; QCs deal only with technical problems related to…

Quality of the delivery services in health facilities in Northern Ethiopia.

PubMed

Fisseha, Girmatsion; Berhane, Yemane; Worku, Alemayehu; Terefe, Wondwossen

2017-03-09

Substantial improvements have been observed in the coverage of and access to maternal health service, especially in skilled birth attendants, in Ethiopia. However, the quality of care has been lagging behind. Therefore, this study investigated the status of the quality of delivery services in Northern Ethiopia. A facility based survey was conducted from December 2014 to February 2015 in Northern Ethiopia. The quality of delivery service was assessed in 32 health facilities using a facility audit checklist, by reviewing delivery, by conducting in-depth interview and observation, and by conducting exit interviews with eligible mothers. Facilities were considered as 'good quality' if they scored positively on 75% of the quality indicators set in the national guidelines for all the three components; input (materials, infrastructure, and human resource), process (adherence to standard care procedures during intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods) and output (the mothers' satisfaction and utilization of lifesaving procedures). Overall 2 of 32 (6.3%) of the study facilities fulfilled all the three quality components; input, process and output. Two of the three components were assessed as good in 11 of the 32 (34.4%) health facilities. The input quality was the better of the other quality components; which was good in 21 out of the 32 (65.6%) health facilities. The process and output quality was good in only 10 of the 32 (31.3%) facilities. Only 6.3% of the studied health facilities had good quality in all three dimensions of quality measures that was done in accordance to the national delivery service guidelines. The most compromised quality component was the process. Systematic and sustained efforts need to be strengthened to improve all dimensions of quality in order to achieve the desired quality of delivery services and increase the proportion of births occurring in health facilities.

Involving users and carers in the assessment of preregistration nursing students' clinical nursing practice: a strategy for patient empowerment and quality improvement?

PubMed

Haycock-Stuart, Elaine; Donaghy, Eddie; Darbyshire, Chris

2016-07-01

To examine (1) nursing lecturers' and (2) preregistration nursing students' perspectives of user and carer involvement in the formal assessment of preregistration nursing students' clinical practice. The involvement of service users and carers in the assessment of clinical practice in nursing education is a recent phenomenon. The Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards in the UK clearly reflect a shift in thinking from paternalistic approaches to person-centred approaches. This shift in thinking includes service user and carer involvement in student nursing assessment and there is evidence that this is being developed in several countries. Located in the interpretive paradigm, data from a two-staged, multicentre qualitative study are presented. Interpretive analysis of semi-structured, one to one interviews with nursing lecturers (n = 15) and focus groups with nursing students (n = 51) across 11 Higher Educational Institutions. There is a strong commitment for working alongside service users and carers in the education and training of nursing students; however, involving service users and carers in formal practice assessment is identified as more challenging compared with other areas of service user/carer involvement. Service user/carers should provide feedback/review or comment, but not necessarily formal, summative 'assessment'. The evidence base for involving users and carers in assessment is limited. Involvement of users and carers in providing feedback to nursing students is welcomed. However, concerns exist about the preparedness of users and carers for formal clinical assessment. Discussion and clarification with clinical mentors and user and carer groups is necessary to understand if they agree with the policy direction of user and carer involvement in the assessment of nursing students. Quality assurance concerns are raised by students and lecturers when involving user and carer in assessing nursing students' clinical skills. Mentors are seen as key to

Concept of Draft International Standard for a Unified Approach to Space Program Quality Assurance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stryzhak, Y.; Vasilina, V.; Kurbatov, V.

2002-01-01

For want of the unified approach to guaranteed space project and product quality assurance, implementation of many international space programs has become a challenge. Globalization of aerospace industry and participation of various international ventures with diverse quality assurance requirements in big international space programs requires for urgent generation of unified international standards related to this field. To ensure successful fulfillment of space missions, aerospace companies should design and process reliable and safe products with properties complying or bettering User's (or Customer's) requirements. Quality of the products designed or processed by subcontractors (or other suppliers) should also be in compliance with the main user (customer)'s requirements. Implementation of this involved set of unified requirements will be made possible by creating and approving a system (series) of international standards under a generic title Space Product Quality Assurance based on a system consensus principle. Conceptual features of the baseline standard in this system (series) should comprise: - Procedures for ISO 9000, CEN and ECSS requirements adaptation and introduction into space product creation, design, manufacture, testing and operation; - Procedures for quality assurance at initial (design) phases of space programs, with a decision on the end product made based on the principle of independence; - Procedures to arrange incoming inspection of products delivered by subcontractors (including testing, audit of supplier's procedures, review of supplier's documentation), and space product certification; - Procedures to identify materials and primary products applied; - Procedures for quality system audit at the component part, primary product and materials supplier facilities; - Unified procedures to form a list of basic performances to be under configuration management; - Unified procedures to form a list of critical space product components, and unified

Protein quality control in organelles - AAA/FtsH story.

PubMed

Janska, Hanna; Kwasniak, Malgorzata; Szczepanowska, Joanna

2013-02-01

This review focuses on organellar AAA/FtsH proteases, whose proteolytic and chaperone-like activity is a crucial component of the protein quality control systems of mitochondrial and chloroplast membranes. We compare the AAA/FtsH proteases from yeast, mammals and plants. The nature of the complexes formed by AAA/FtsH proteases and the current view on their involvement in degradation of non-native organellar proteins or assembly of membrane complexes are discussed. Additional functions of AAA proteases not directly connected with protein quality control found in yeast and mammals but not yet in plants are also described shortly. Following an overview of the molecular functions of the AAA/FtsH proteases we discuss physiological consequences of their inactivation in yeast, mammals and plants. The molecular basis of phenotypes associated with inactivation of the AAA/FtsH proteases is not fully understood yet, with the notable exception of those observed in m-AAA protease-deficient yeast cells, which are caused by impaired maturation of mitochondrial ribosomal protein. Finally, examples of cytosolic events affecting protein quality control in mitochondria and chloroplasts are given. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein Import and Quality Control in Mitochondria and Plastids. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Statistical process management: An essential element of quality improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckner, M. R.

Successful quality improvement requires a balanced program involving the three elements that control quality: organization, people and technology. The focus of the SPC/SPM User's Group is to advance the technology component of Total Quality by networking within the Group and by providing an outreach within Westinghouse to foster the appropriate use of statistic techniques to achieve Total Quality. SPM encompasses the disciplines by which a process is measured against its intrinsic design capability, in the face of measurement noise and other obscuring variability. SPM tools facilitate decisions about the process that generated the data. SPM deals typically with manufacturing processes, but with some flexibility of definition and technique it accommodates many administrative processes as well. The techniques of SPM are those of Statistical Process Control, Statistical Quality Control, Measurement Control, and Experimental Design. In addition, techniques such as job and task analysis, and concurrent engineering are important elements of systematic planning and analysis that are needed early in the design process to ensure success. The SPC/SPM User's Group is endeavoring to achieve its objectives by sharing successes that have occurred within the member's own Westinghouse department as well as within other US and foreign industry. In addition, failures are reviewed to establish lessons learned in order to improve future applications. In broader terms, the Group is interested in making SPM the accepted way of doing business within Westinghouse.

Insomnia, Sleep Quality, and Quality of Life in Mild to Moderate Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Shafazand, Shirin; Wallace, Douglas M; Arheart, Kristopher L; Vargas, Silvia; Luca, Corneliu C; Moore, Henry; Katzen, Heather; Levin, Bonnie; Singer, Carlos

2017-03-01

Sleep disorders are prevalent in Parkinson's disease but underreported in clinical settings. The contribution of sleep disorders to health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients with this degenerative neurological disease are not well known. To evaluate the impact of insomnia symptoms, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and poor sleep quality on HRQOL in a cohort of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. We enrolled a convenience sample of 66 adults seen in the University of Miami Movement Disorders Clinic between July 2011 and June 2013. Participants completed validated questionnaires to determine insomnia symptoms, OSA risk, depression, anxiety, and HRQOL. All patients underwent unattended polysomnography to confirm OSA. Results were compared for those with and without insomnia symptoms. Principal component and regression analyses were performed to evaluate determinants of HRQOL. Participants were predominately Hispanic males with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease. Insomnia symptoms were reported for 46% of the study subjects. OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, ≥5) was noted in 47%, with a mean apnea-hypopnea index of 8.3 ± 11.0. Fairly bad to very bad sleep quality was reported by 21% of the participants. Insomnia (r = 0.71; P < 0.001), daytime sleepiness (r = 0.36; P = 0.003), depression symptoms (r =  0.44; P < 0.001), and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.33; P = 0.006) were significant correlates of poor sleep quality. OSA, severity of Parkinson's disease, and dopaminergic therapy were not. In the principal component analysis, sleep quality was a significant component of the "psychological factor" that in turn was a significant determinant of overall HRQOL. Insomnia symptoms, OSA, and subsequent poor sleep quality are prevalent in Parkinson's disease. In this single-center, exploratory study, we found that insomnia and poor sleep quality, but not OSA, play important roles in determining overall quality of life for patients

40 CFR 1506.6 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Public involvement. 1506.6 Section 1506.6 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OTHER REQUIREMENTS OF NEPA § 1506.6... of local concern the notice may include: (i) Notice to State and areawide clearinghouses pursuant to...

40 CFR 1506.6 - Public involvement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Public involvement. 1506.6 Section 1506.6 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OTHER REQUIREMENTS OF NEPA § 1506.6... of local concern the notice may include: (i) Notice to State and areawide clearinghouses pursuant to...

Predictors of quality of life in AIDS patients.

PubMed

Kemppainen, J K

2001-01-01

While much work has been completed in relation to measuring and defining the varying dimensions of quality of life in HIV/AIDS, very little research attention has been directed toward identifying factors that influence or enhance quality of life. This study examined whether variables relating to demographic characteristics, severity of illness, psychological status, or level of engagement in nursing care would predict quality of life in persons with advanced or late stage HIV/AIDS. A convenience sample of 162 hospitalized male and female patients with AIDS participated in this study. The participants completed the HIV Symptom Checklist, the Beck Depression Inventory, the HIV-QAM (a measure of changes in the status of hospitalized AIDS patients due to nursing care), and two measures of engagement in nursing care. The Living With HIV Scale was used as the measure of quality of life. The two components of this scale were analyzed independently. The strongest predictor of decreased quality of life scores was depression (accounting for 23% of the variance), with symptoms accounting for 9.75% and female gender accounting for an additional 8%. Two measures of patient engagement with nursing care providers contributed a total of 13.44% of the variance in quality of life scores. The findings emphasize the importance of recognizing and treating depression in persons with HIV/AIDS. The number of symptoms and their frequency also has a profound effect on quality of life. Although modest, study findings suggest that quality of life for an acutely ill, hospitalized patient with AIDS is enhanced through more active involvement or engagement in the process of nursing care.

Regulation of natural competence by the orphan two-component system sensor kinase ChiS involves a non-canonical transmembrane regulator in Vibrio cholerae.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Shouji; Mitobe, Jiro; Ishikawa, Takahiko; Wai, Sun Nyunt; Ohnishi, Makoto; Watanabe, Haruo; Izumiya, Hidemasa

2014-01-01

In Vibrio cholerae, 41 chitin-inducible genes, including the genes involved in natural competence for DNA uptake, are governed by the orphan two-component system (TCS) sensor kinase ChiS. However, the mechanism by which ChiS controls the expression of these genes is currently unknown. Here, we report the involvement of a novel transcription factor termed 'TfoS' in this process. TfoS is a transmembrane protein that contains a large periplasmic domain and a cytoplasmic AraC-type DNA-binding domain, but lacks TCS signature domains. Inactivation of tfoS abolished natural competence as well as transcription of the tfoR gene encoding a chitin-induced small RNA essential for competence gene expression. A TfoS fragment containing the DNA-binding domain specifically bound to and activated transcription from the tfoR promoter. Intracellular TfoS levels were unaffected by disruption of chiS and coexpression of TfoS and ChiS in Escherichia coli recovered transcription of the chromosomally integrated tfoR::lacZ gene, suggesting that TfoS is post-translationally modulated by ChiS during transcriptional activation; however, this regulation persisted when the canonical phosphorelay residues of ChiS were mutated. The results presented here suggest that ChiS operates a chitin-induced non-canonical signal transduction cascade through TfoS, leading to transcriptional activation of tfoR. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Service quality benchmarking via a novel approach based on fuzzy ELECTRE III and IPA: an empirical case involving the Italian public healthcare context.

PubMed

La Fata, Concetta Manuela; Lupo, Toni; Piazza, Tommaso

2017-11-21

A novel fuzzy-based approach which combines ELECTRE III along with the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) is proposed in the present work to comparatively evaluate the service quality in the public healthcare context. Specifically, ELECTRE III is firstly considered to compare the service performance of examined hospitals in a noncompensatory manner. Afterwards, IPA is employed to support the service quality management to point out improvement needs and their priorities. The proposed approach also incorporates features of the Fuzzy Set Theory so as to address the possible uncertainty, subjectivity and vagueness of involved experts in evaluating the service quality. The model is applied to five major Sicilian public hospitals, and strengths and criticalities of the delivered service are finally highlighted and discussed. Although several approaches combining multi-criteria methods have already been proposed in the literature to evaluate the service performance in the healthcare field, to the best of the authors' knowledge the present work represents the first attempt at comparing service performance of alternatives in a noncompensatory manner in the investigated context.

Nutrient database improvement project: the influence of U.S.D.A. Quality and Yield Grade on the separable components and proximate composition of raw and cooked retail cuts from the beef rib and plate.

PubMed

Martin, J N; Brooks, J C; Thompson, L D; Savell, J W; Harris, K B; May, L L; Haneklaus, A N; Schutz, J L; Belk, K E; Engle, T; Woerner, D R; Legako, J F; Luna, A M; Douglass, L W; Douglass, S E; Howe, J; Duvall, M; Patterson, K Y; Leheska, J L

2013-11-01

Beef nutrition is important to the worldwide beef industry. The objective of this study was to analyze proximate composition of eight beef rib and plate cuts to update the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR). Furthermore, this study aimed to determine the influence of USDA Quality Grade on the separable components and proximate composition of the examined retail cuts. Carcasses (n=72) representing a composite of Yield Grade, Quality Grade, gender and genetic type were identified from six regions across the U.S. Beef plates and ribs (IMPS #109 and 121C and D) were collected from the selected carcasses and shipped to three university meat laboratories for storage, retail fabrication, cooking, and dissection and analysis of proximate composition. These data provide updated information regarding the nutrient content of beef and emphasize the influence of common classification systems (Yield Grade and Quality Grade) on the separable components, cooking yield, and proximate composition of retail beef cuts. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Essential metrics for assessing sex & gender integration in health research proposals involving human participants.

PubMed

Day, Suzanne; Mason, Robin; Tannenbaum, Cara; Rochon, Paula A

2017-01-01

Integrating sex and gender in health research is essential to produce the best possible evidence to inform health care. Comprehensive integration of sex and gender requires considering these variables from the very beginning of the research process, starting at the proposal stage. To promote excellence in sex and gender integration, we have developed a set of metrics to assess the quality of sex and gender integration in research proposals. These metrics are designed to assist both researchers in developing proposals and reviewers in making funding decisions. We developed this tool through an iterative three-stage method involving 1) review of existing sex and gender integration resources and initial metrics design, 2) expert review and feedback via anonymous online survey (Likert scale and open-ended questions), and 3) analysis of feedback data and collective revision of the metrics. We received feedback on the initial metrics draft from 20 reviewers with expertise in conducting sex- and/or gender-based health research. The majority of reviewers responded positively to questions regarding the utility, clarity and completeness of the metrics, and all reviewers provided responses to open-ended questions about suggestions for improvements. Coding and analysis of responses identified three domains for improvement: clarifying terminology, refining content, and broadening applicability. Based on this analysis we revised the metrics into the Essential Metrics for Assessing Sex and Gender Integration in Health Research Proposals Involving Human Participants, which outlines criteria for excellence within each proposal component and provides illustrative examples to support implementation. By enhancing the quality of sex and gender integration in proposals, the metrics will help to foster comprehensive, meaningful integration of sex and gender throughout each stage of the research process, resulting in better quality evidence to inform health care for all.

Essential metrics for assessing sex & gender integration in health research proposals involving human participants

PubMed Central

Mason, Robin; Tannenbaum, Cara; Rochon, Paula A.

2017-01-01

Integrating sex and gender in health research is essential to produce the best possible evidence to inform health care. Comprehensive integration of sex and gender requires considering these variables from the very beginning of the research process, starting at the proposal stage. To promote excellence in sex and gender integration, we have developed a set of metrics to assess the quality of sex and gender integration in research proposals. These metrics are designed to assist both researchers in developing proposals and reviewers in making funding decisions. We developed this tool through an iterative three-stage method involving 1) review of existing sex and gender integration resources and initial metrics design, 2) expert review and feedback via anonymous online survey (Likert scale and open-ended questions), and 3) analysis of feedback data and collective revision of the metrics. We received feedback on the initial metrics draft from 20 reviewers with expertise in conducting sex- and/or gender-based health research. The majority of reviewers responded positively to questions regarding the utility, clarity and completeness of the metrics, and all reviewers provided responses to open-ended questions about suggestions for improvements. Coding and analysis of responses identified three domains for improvement: clarifying terminology, refining content, and broadening applicability. Based on this analysis we revised the metrics into the Essential Metrics for Assessing Sex and Gender Integration in Health Research Proposals Involving Human Participants, which outlines criteria for excellence within each proposal component and provides illustrative examples to support implementation. By enhancing the quality of sex and gender integration in proposals, the metrics will help to foster comprehensive, meaningful integration of sex and gender throughout each stage of the research process, resulting in better quality evidence to inform health care for all. PMID:28854192

Psychosocial impact of involvement in the Special Olympics.

PubMed

Crawford, Clare; Burns, Jan; Fernie, Bruce A

2015-01-01

Existing evidence suggests that people with intellectual disabilities are vulnerable to low self-esteem leading to additional psychosocial issues such as social exclusion and stress. Previous research into the involvement of Special Olympics (SO) of people with intellectual disabilities has indicted positive psychosocial outcomes. Involvement in sport is known generally to have psychological and social benefits. This study aimed to compare the psychosocial impact of involvement in sport through the SO to no or limited sports involvement, for a sample of people with intellectual disabilities. A cross sectional design was employed comparing three groups, SO, Mencap Sports, and Mencap No Sports on the variables: Self-esteem, quality of life, stress levels and social networks. One hundred and one participants were recruited either through the SO or Mencap. Data were collected through the completion of validated questionnaires by one to one interviews with the participants. Analysis revealed that self-esteem, quality of life, and stress were all significantly associated with SO involvement. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore whether scores on these variables were able to predict group membership. Self-esteem was found to be a significant predictor of group membership, those in the SO having the highest self-esteem. The findings provide further evidence of a positive association between sport involvement and increased psychological wellbeing, especially for those involved in the SO. The implications of these findings for practice and future research into the relationship between sport and psychological wellbeing within the learning disabled population are considered. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NDE of cylindrically symmetric components with piezofilm transducers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, David K.; Zhang, Zhong

PVDF polymer film transducers are presently shown to exhibit the flexibility and comformability required for inspection of components with curved surfaces. Although these transducers are less efficient than rigid ceramic ones, and are less accurately matched to the acoustic impedance of metals as well as ceramic transducers, their advantages are presently shown to outweigh their disadvantages in some applications involving tube and rod shaped components. Interface measurements of a Zr/Zircalloy-2 tube allowed the detailed evaluation of weakly reflecting interfaces.

Laser Micromachining Fabrication of THz Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DrouetdAubigny, C.; Walker, C.; Jones, B.; Groppi, C.; Papapolymerou, J.; Tavenier, C.

2001-01-01

Laser micromachining techniques can be used to fabricate high-quality waveguide structures and quasi-optical components to micrometer accuracies. Successful GHz designs can be directly scaled to THz frequencies. We expect this promising technology to allow the construction of the first fully integrated THz heterodyne imaging arrays. At the University of Arizona, construction of the first laser micromachining system designed for THz waveguide components fabrication has been completed. Once tested and characterized our system will be used to construct prototype THz lx4 focal plane mixer arrays, magic tees, AR coated silicon lenses, local oscillator source phase gratings, filters and more. Our system can micro-machine structures down to a few microns accuracy and up to 6 inches across in a short time. This paper discusses the design and performance of our micromachining system, and illustrates the type, range and performance of components this exciting new technology will make accessible to the THz community.

Trading Quality across Borders: Colonial Discourse and International Quality Assurance Policies in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blanco Ramírez, Gerardo

2014-01-01

Accountability and quality assurance have become central discourses in higher education policy throughout the world. However, accountability and quality assurance involve power and control. Practices and ideas about quality developed in the Global North are spreading rapidly across the Global South, leading to increased uniformity in the…

Relationships Among Daytime Napping and Fatigue, Sleep Quality, and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients.

PubMed

Sun, Jia-Ling; Lin, Chia-Chin

2016-01-01

The relationships among napping and sleep quality, fatigue, and quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients are not clearly understood. The aim of the study was to determine whether daytime napping is associated with nighttime sleep, fatigue, and QOL in cancer patients. In total, 187 cancer patients were recruited. Daytime napping, nighttime self-reported sleep, fatigue, and QOL were assessed using a questionnaire. Objective sleep parameters were collected using a wrist actigraph. According to waking-after-sleep-onset measurements, patients who napped during the day experienced poorer nighttime sleep than did patients who did not (t = -2.44, P = .02). Daytime napping duration was significantly negatively correlated with QOL. Patients who napped after 4 PM had poorer sleep quality (t = -1.93, P = .05) and a poorer Short-Form Health Survey mental component score (t = 2.06, P = .04) than did patients who did not. Fatigue, daytime napping duration, and sleep quality were significant predictors of the mental component score and physical component score, accounting for 45.7% and 39.3% of the variance, respectively. Daytime napping duration was negatively associated with QOL. Napping should be avoided after 4 PM. Daytime napping affects the QOL of cancer patients. Future research can determine the role of napping in the sleep hygiene of cancer patients.

Using Principal Component and Tidal Analysis as a Quality Metric for Detecting Systematic Heading Uncertainty in Long-Term Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morley, M. G.; Mihaly, S. F.; Dewey, R. K.; Jeffries, M. A.

2015-12-01

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) operates the NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled ocean observatories to collect data on physical, chemical, biological, and geological ocean conditions over multi-year time periods. Researchers can download real-time and historical data from a large variety of instruments to study complex earth and ocean processes from their home laboratories. Ensuring that the users are receiving the most accurate data is a high priority at ONC, requiring quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) procedures to be developed for all data types. While some data types have relatively straightforward QAQC tests, such as scalar data range limits that are based on expected observed values or measurement limits of the instrument, for other data types the QAQC tests are more comprehensive. Long time series of ocean currents from Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP), stitched together from multiple deployments over many years is one such data type where systematic data biases are more difficult to identify and correct. Data specialists at ONC are working to quantify systematic compass heading uncertainty in long-term ADCP records at each of the major study sites using the internal compass, remotely operated vehicle bearings, and more analytical tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) to estimate the optimal instrument alignments. In addition to using PCA, some work has been done to estimate the main components of the current at each site using tidal harmonic analysis. This paper describes the key challenges and presents preliminary PCA and tidal analysis approaches used by ONC to improve long-term observatory current measurements.

Design of three-component vaccines against group A streptococcal infections: importance of spatial arrangement of vaccine components.

PubMed

Abdel-Aal, Abu-Baker M; Zaman, Mehfuz; Fujita, Yoshio; Batzloff, Michael R; Good, Michael F; Toth, Istvan

2010-11-25

Immunological assessment of group A streptococcal (GAS) branched lipopeptides demonstrated the impact of spatial arrangement of vaccine components on both the quality and quantity of their immune responses. Each lipopeptide was composed of three components: a GAS B-cell epitope (J14), a universal CD4(+) T-cell helper epitope (P25), and an immunostimulant lipid moiety that differs only in its spatial arrangement. The best systemic immune responses were demonstrated by a lipopeptide featuring the lipid moiety at the lipopeptide C-terminus. However, this candidate did not achieve protection against bacterial challenge. The best protection (100%) was shown by a lipopeptide featuring a C-terminal J14, conjugated through a lysine residue to P25 at the N-terminus, and a lipid moiety on the lysine side chain. The former candidate features α-helical conformation required to produce protective J14-specific antibodies. Our results highlight the importance of epitope orientation and lipid position in the design of three-component synthetic vaccines.

Introduction to ISO 15189: a blueprint for quality systems in veterinary laboratories.

PubMed

Freeman, Kathleen P; Bauer, Natali; Jensen, Asger L; Thoresen, Stein

2006-06-01

A trend in human and veterinary medical laboratory management is to achieve accreditation based on international standards. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 standard is the first developed especially for accreditation of medical laboratories, and emphasizes the laboratory-client interface. European veterinary laboratories seeking to train candidates for the certification examination of the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ECVCP) require approval by the ECVCP Laboratory Standards Committee, which bases its evaluation in part on adherence to quality systems described in the ISO 15189 standards. The purpose of this article was to introduce the latest ISO quality standard and describe its application to veterinary laboratories in Europe, specifically as pertains to accreditation of laboratories involved in training veterinary clinical pathologists. Between 2003 and 2006, the Laboratory Standards Committee reviewed 12 applications from laboratories (3 commercial and 9 university) involved in training veterinary clinical pathologists. Applicants were asked to provide a description of the facilities for training and testing, current methodology and technology, health and safety policy, quality assurance policy (including internal quality control and participation in an external quality assurance program), written standard operating procedures (SOPs) and policies, a description of the laboratory information system, and personnel and training. Also during this time period multiple informal and formal discussions among ECVCP diplomates took place as to current practices and perceived areas of concern with regard to laboratory accreditation requirements. Areas in which improvement most often was needed in veterinary laboratories applying for ECVCP accreditation were the written quality plan, defined quality requirements for the tests performed, written SOPs and policies, training records, ongoing audits and competency

Application of principal component analysis to ecodiversity assessment of postglacial landscape (on the example of Debnica Kaszubska commune, Middle Pomerania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojciechowski, Adam

2017-04-01

In order to assess ecodiversity understood as a comprehensive natural landscape factor (Jedicke 2001), it is necessary to apply research methods which recognize the environment in a holistic way. Principal component analysis may be considered as one of such methods as it allows to distinguish the main factors determining landscape diversity on the one hand, and enables to discover regularities shaping the relationships between various elements of the environment under study on the other hand. The procedure adopted to assess ecodiversity with the use of principal component analysis involves: a) determining and selecting appropriate factors of the assessed environment qualities (hypsometric, geological, hydrographic, plant, and others); b) calculating the absolute value of individual qualities for the basic areas under analysis (e.g. river length, forest area, altitude differences, etc.); c) principal components analysis and obtaining factor maps (maps of selected components); d) generating a resultant, detailed map and isolating several classes of ecodiversity. An assessment of ecodiversity with the use of principal component analysis was conducted in the test area of 299,67 km2 in Debnica Kaszubska commune. The whole commune is situated in the Weichselian glaciation area of high hypsometric and morphological diversity as well as high geo- and biodiversity. The analysis was based on topographical maps of the commune area in scale 1:25000 and maps of forest habitats. Consequently, nine factors reflecting basic environment elements were calculated: maximum height (m), minimum height (m), average height (m), the length of watercourses (km), the area of water reservoirs (m2), total forest area (ha), coniferous forests habitats area (ha), deciduous forest habitats area (ha), alder habitats area (ha). The values for individual factors were analysed for 358 grid cells of 1 km2. Based on the principal components analysis, four major factors affecting commune ecodiversity

Gift and sacrifice: parental involvement in Latino adolescents' education.

PubMed

Ceballo, Rosario; Maurizi, Laura K; Suarez, Gloria A; Aretakis, Maria T

2014-01-01

Although myriad studies document the benefits of parental involvement in education on various indicators of children's academic performance, less research examines parental involvement among adolescents in low-income Latino families. Incorporating a multidimensional conceptualization of parental involvement, this study examined the relation between parental involvement and academic outcomes in a sample of 223 low-income, Latino adolescents. Results indicated that three types of parental involvement (gift/sacrifice, future discussions/academic socialization, and school involvement) had significant, positive associations with academic outcomes. Moreover, our results suggest that parents' stories about struggles with poverty and immigration are an important component of parental involvement, contributing to adolescents' desire to succeed academically and "give back" to parents. Additionally, our findings indicated that the positive relations between parental involvement and academic outcomes were stronger for immigrant youth and for those with higher endorsements of the Latino cultural value of respeto (respect).

Involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex in time-based prospective memory task monitoring: An EEG analysis of brain sources using Independent Component and Measure Projection Analysis

PubMed Central

Burgos, Pablo; Kilborn, Kerry; Evans, Jonathan J.

2017-01-01

Objective Time-based prospective memory (PM), remembering to do something at a particular moment in the future, is considered to depend upon self-initiated strategic monitoring, involving a retrieval mode (sustained maintenance of the intention) plus target checking (intermittent time checks). The present experiment was designed to explore what brain regions and brain activity are associated with these components of strategic monitoring in time-based PM tasks. Method 24 participants were asked to reset a clock every four minutes, while performing a foreground ongoing word categorisation task. EEG activity was recorded and data were decomposed into source-resolved activity using Independent Component Analysis. Common brain regions across participants, associated with retrieval mode and target checking, were found using Measure Projection Analysis. Results Participants decreased their performance on the ongoing task when concurrently performed with the time-based PM task, reflecting an active retrieval mode that relied on withdrawal of limited resources from the ongoing task. Brain activity, with its source in or near the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), showed changes associated with an active retrieval mode including greater negative ERP deflections, decreased theta synchronization, and increased alpha suppression for events locked to the ongoing task while maintaining a time-based intention. Activity in the ACC was also associated with time-checks and found consistently across participants; however, we did not find an association with time perception processing per se. Conclusion The involvement of the ACC in both aspects of time-based PM monitoring may be related to different functions that have been attributed to it: strategic control of attention during the retrieval mode (distributing attentional resources between the ongoing task and the time-based task) and anticipatory/decision making processing associated with clock-checks. PMID:28863146

Guidelines for the processing and quality assurance of benthic invertebrate samples collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cuffney, T.F.; Gurtz, M.E.; Meador, M.R.

1993-01-01

Benthic invertebrate samples are collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. This is a perennial, multidisciplinary program that integrates biological, physical, and chemical indicators of water quality to evaluate status and trends and to develop an understanding of the factors controlling observed water quality. The Program examines water quality in 60 study units (coupled ground- and surface-water systems) that encompass most of the conterminous United States and parts of Alaska and Hawaii. Study-unit teams collect and process qualitative and semi-quantitative invertebrate samples according to standardized procedures. These samples are processed (elutriated and subsampled) in the field to produce as many as four sample components: large-rare, main-body, elutriate, and split. Each sample component is preserved in 10-percent formalin, and two components, large-rare and main-body, are sent to contract laboratories for further processing. The large-rare component is composed of large invertebrates that are removed from the sample matrix during field processing and placed in one or more containers. The main-body sample component consists of the remaining sample materials (sediment, detritus, and invertebrates) and is subsampled in the field to achieve a volume of 750 milliliters or less. The remaining two sample components, elutriate and split, are used for quality-assurance and quality-control purposes. Contract laboratories are used to identify and quantify invertebrates from the large-rare and main-body sample components according to the procedures and guidelines specified within this document. These guidelines allow the use of subsampling techniques to reduce the volume of sample material processed and to facilitate identifications. These processing procedures and techniques may be modified if the modifications provide equal or greater levels of accuracy and precision. The intent of sample processing is to

[Family perceptions and moderating factors of involvement in non-residential fathers].

PubMed

Della Casa, André; Spillner, Murielle; Winkler-Metzke, Christa; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph

2012-01-01

The involvement of non-resident fathers with their child was analysed by use of a questionnaire in a sample of 74 divorced or separated families living in the city of Ziurich, Switzerland. Fathers, mothers, and one child separately rated the involvement of the father. The three perspectives were compared and showed significant differences in the dimensions of educational responsibility, cognitive and social support, and the quality of the emotional relationship. The temporal availability and leisure time activities did not show significant differences. The different family perspectives should be considered when assessing a father's involvement with his child. The quality of the relationship of the children to their fathers was primarily fostered by the emotional engagement of the father.

Use of Integrative Oncology, Involvement in Decision-Making, and Breast Cancer Survivor Health-Related Quality of Life in the First 5 Years Postdiagnosis.

PubMed

Andersen, M Robyn; Sweet, Erin; Hager, Shelly; Gaul, Marcia; Dowd, Fred; Standish, Leanna J

2018-03-01

This study sought to describe changes in the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of women who do and do not seek naturopathic oncology (NO) complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) care during and immediately after breast cancer treatment, and to explore the predictive role of NO CAM care, demographic characteristics, and involvement in decision-making on HRQOL in breast cancer survivors. Matched cohorts of breast cancer survivors who did and did not choose to supplement their breast cancer treatment with NO care within 2 years of diagnosis participated. NO users were identified through naturopathic doctors' clinics and usual care (UC) controls with similar prognosis were identified through a cancer registry. The registry provided information about all participants' age, race, ethnicity, marital status, stage of cancer at time of diagnosis, date of diagnosis, and use of conventional medical treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and endocrine therapy). Data of participants' self-reported involvement in decision-making and HRQOL were collected at study enrollment and at 6-month follow-up. At 6-month follow-up, the NO patients reported significantly more involvement in decision-making about care and better general health than did UC patients ( P < .05). Self-reported involvement in decision-making about cancer treatment was associated with better role-physical, role-emotional, and social-functional well-being ( P < .05). Race, age, marital status, and congruence of preferred and achieved levels of involvement also predicted aspects of HRQOL in breast cancer survivors ( P < .05). Both NO CAM care and involvement in decision-making about cancer treatment may be associated with better HRQOL in breast cancer survivors.

The NtrY-NtrX two-component system is involved in controlling nitrate assimilation in Herbaspirillum seropedicae strain SmR1.

PubMed

Bonato, Paloma; Alves, Lysangela R; Osaki, Juliana H; Rigo, Liu U; Pedrosa, Fabio O; Souza, Emanuel M; Zhang, Nan; Schumacher, Jörg; Buck, Martin; Wassem, Roseli; Chubatsu, Leda S

2016-11-01

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is a diazotrophic β-Proteobacterium found endophytically associated with gramineae (Poaceae or graminaceous plants) such as rice, sorghum and sugar cane. In this work we show that nitrate-dependent growth in this organism is regulated by the master nitrogen regulatory two-component system NtrB-NtrC, and by NtrY-NtrX, which functions to specifically regulate nitrate metabolism. NtrY is a histidine kinase sensor protein predicted to be associated with the membrane and NtrX is the response regulator partner. The ntrYntrX genes are widely distributed in Proteobacteria. In α-Proteobacteria they are frequently located downstream from ntrBC, whereas in β-Proteobacteria these genes are located downstream from genes encoding an RNA methyltransferase and a proline-rich protein with unknown function. The NtrX protein of α-Proteobacteria has an AAA+ domain, absent in those from β-Proteobacteria. An ntrY mutant of H. seropedicae showed the wild-type nitrogen fixation phenotype, but the nitrate-dependent growth was abolished. Gene fusion assays indicated that NtrY is involved in the expression of genes coding for the assimilatory nitrate reductase as well as the nitrate-responsive two-component system NarX-NarL (narK and narX promoters, respectively). The purified NtrX protein was capable of binding the narK and narX promoters, and the binding site at the narX promoter for the NtrX protein was determined by DNA footprinting. In silico analyses revealed similar sequences in other promoter regions of H. seropedicae that are related to nitrate assimilation, supporting the role of the NtrY-NtrX system in regulating nitrate metabolism in H. seropedicae. © 2016 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Sleep Duration and Health-Related Quality of Life in Predialysis CKD.

PubMed

Sung, Su-Ah; Hyun, Young Youl; Lee, Kyu Beck; Park, Hayne Cho; Chung, Wookyung; Kim, Yeong Hoon; Kim, Yong-Soo; Park, Sue Kyung; Oh, Kook-Hwan; Ahn, Curie

2018-06-07

Sleep duration has been associated with cardiometabolic risk and mortality. The health-related quality of life represents a patient's comprehensive perception of health and is accepted as a health outcome. We examined the relationship between sleep duration and health-related quality of life in predialysis CKD. In this cross-sectional study, data from 1910 adults with CKD enrolled in the Korean Cohort Study for Outcome in Patients with CKD were analyzed. Health-related quality of life was assessed with the physical component summary and mental component summary of the Short Form-36 Health Survey. Low health-related quality of life was defined as a Short Form-36 Health Survey score >1 SD below the mean. Using a generalized additive model and multivariable logistic regression analysis, the relationship between self-reported sleep duration and health-related quality of life was examined. Seven-hour sleepers showed the highest health-related quality of life. We found an inverted U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and health-related quality of life as analyzed by a generalized additive model. In multivariable logistic analysis, short sleepers (≤5 h/d) had lower health-related quality of life (odds ratio, 3.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.86 to 5.60 for the physical component summary; odds ratio, 2.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.43 to 3.94 for the mental component summary), and long sleepers (≥9 h/d) had lower health-related quality of life (odds ratio, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.55 to 5.03 for the physical component summary; odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.20 to 3.60 for the mental component summary) compared with 7-hour sleepers. Sleep duration had a significant U-shaped association with low health-related quality of life. These findings suggest that short or long sleep duration is independently associated with low health-related quality of life in adults with CKD. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Parent involvement and student academic performance: a multiple mediational analysis.

PubMed

Topor, David R; Keane, Susan P; Shelton, Terri L; Calkins, Susan D

2010-01-01

Parent involvement in a child's education is consistently found to be positively associated with a child's academic performance. However, there has been little investigation of the mechanisms that explain this association. The present study examines two potential mechanisms of this association: the child's perception of cognitive competence and the quality of the student-teacher relationship. This study used a sample of 158 seven-year-old participants, their mothers, and their teachers. Results indicated a statistically significant association between parent involvement and a child's academic performance, over and above the impact of the child's intelligence. A multiple mediation model indicated that the child's perception of cognitive competence fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and the child's performance on a standardized achievement test. The quality of the student-teacher relationship fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and teacher ratings of the child's classroom academic performance. Limitations, future research directions, and implications for public policy initiatives are discussed.

Parent involvement and student academic performance: A multiple mediational analysis

PubMed Central

Topor, David R.; Keane, Susan P.; Shelton, Terri L.; Calkins, Susan D.

2011-01-01

Parent involvement in a child's education is consistently found to be positively associated with a child's academic performance. However, there has been little investigation of the mechanisms that explain this association. The present study examines two potential mechanisms of this association: the child's perception of cognitive competence and the quality of the student-teacher relationship. This study used a sample of 158 seven-year old participants, their mothers, and their teachers. Results indicated a statistically significant association between parent involvement and a child's academic performance, over and above the impact of the child's intelligence. A multiple mediation model indicated that the child's perception of cognitive competence fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and the child's performance on a standardized achievement test. The quality of the student-teacher relationship fully mediated the relation between parent involvement and teacher ratings of the child's classroom academic performance. Limitations, future research directions, and implications for public policy initiatives were discussed. PMID:20603757

Quality of sleep and health-related quality of life in renal transplant recipients.

PubMed

Liu, Hong-Xia; Lin, Jun; Lin, Xiao-Hong; Wallace, Linda; Teng, Sha; Zhang, Shu-Ping; Hao, Yu-Fang

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the sleep quality and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients after renal transplantation and to explore the relationship between the quality of sleep and the HRQOL. Sleep disorders are still an important clinical problem after renal transplantation. Previous studies mainly focused on patients' sleep quality before kidney transplant. More studies are needed to document sleep quality after renal transplantation. A cross-sectional design was used in this study. A convenience sample of renal transplant recipients was recruited at an outpatient transplant clinic of a general hospital in Beijing, China. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measure quality of sleep. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (MOS SF-36) was used to measure health-related quality of life. The average PSQI score of the 204 renal transplant recipients was 5.81±3.52, significantly lower than the norm. Fifty (24.5%) recipients were classified as having poor sleep quality (global PSQI > 7). The mean scores of renal transplant recipients for SF-36 Mental Component Summary (MCS) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) were 47.57±6.71 and 48.26±9.66 respectively. Compared with residents in Sichuan province, recipients' scores for SF-36 dimensions were statistically lower except the dimension of mental health. SF-36 scores of poor sleepers (PSQI > 7) were significantly lower than the good sleepers (PSQI ≤ 7) in both the MCS and PCS. Significant differences exist between the groups in physical function, bodily pain, vitality, and mental health dimensions. Sleep quality and HRQOL of patients after renal transplantation were lower than the norm. Poor sleep is associated with lower HRQOL. Health professionals need to pay attention to sleep quality and HRQOL in renal transplant recipients and take appropriate measures to improve patients' sleep quality and HRQOL.

Significant components of service brand equity in healthcare sector.

PubMed

Chahal, Hardeep; Bala, Madhu

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study is to examine three significant components of service brand equity--i.e. perceived service quality, brand loyalty, and brand image--and analyze relationships among the components of brand equity and also their relationship with brand equity, which is still to be theorized and developed in the healthcare literature. Effective responses were received from 206 respondents, selected conveniently from the localities of Jammu city. After scale item analysis, the data were analyzed using factor analysis, correlations, t-tests, multiple regression analysis and path modeling using SEM. The findings of the study support that service brand equity in the healthcare sector is greatly influenced by brand loyalty and perceived quality. However, brand image has an indirect effect on service brand equity through brand loyalty (mediating variable). The research can be criticized on the ground that data were selected conveniently from respondents residing in the city of Jammu, India. But at the same time the respondents were appropriate for the study as they have adequate knowledge about the hospitals, and were associated with the selected hospital for more than four years. Furthermore, the validity and reliability of the data are strong enough to take care of the limitations of the convenience sampling selection method. The study has unique value addition to the service marketing vis-à-vis healthcare literature, from both theoretical and managerial perspectives. The study establishes a direct and significant relationship between service brand equity and its two components, i.e. perceived service quality and brand loyalty in the healthcare sector. It also provides directions to healthcare service providers in creating, enhancing, and maintaining service brand equity through service quality and brand loyalty, to sustain competitive advantage.

[Effects of soil, climate, and their interaction on some neutral volatile aroma components in flue-cured tobacco leaves from high quality tobacco planting regions of Hunan Province].

PubMed

Deng, Xiao-Hua; Xie, Peng-Fei; Peng, Xin-Hui; Yi, Jian-Hua; Zhou, Ji-Heng; Zhou, Qing-Ming; Pu, Wen-Xuan; Dai, Yuan-Gang

2010-08-01

A pot experiment with the soils from Yongzhou, Liuyang, and Sangzhi, the high-quality tobacco planting regions of Hunan Province, was conducted to study the effects of climate, soil, and their interaction on some neutral volatile aroma components in flue-cured tobacco leaves. The contents of test neutral volatile aroma components in the flue-cured tobacco leaves were of medium variation, and the variation intensity was decreased in the order of dihydroactinolide, damascenone, furfural, total megastigmatrienone, and beta-ionone. Climate, soil, and their interaction affected the neutral volatile aroma components in different degrees. The furfural content was most affected by climate, the damascenone content was most affected by climate and by soil, the total megastigmatrienone and beta-ionone contents were most affected by the interaction of soil and climate, while the dihydroactinolide content was less affected by soil, climate, and their interaction. The contribution of climate, soil, and their interaction to the contents of the five aroma components was 40.82%, 20.67%, and 38.51%, respectively. During different growth periods of tobacco, different climate factors had different effects on the neutral volatile aroma components. The rainfall, cloudiness, and mean air temperature at rooting stage, the diurnal temperature amplitude, sunshine time, and evaporation at vigorous growth stage, and the rainfall, evaporation, and mean air temperature at maturing stage were the top three climate factors affecting the contents of the neutral volatile aroma components in flue-tobacco leaves. For the soil factors, the available potassium, available phosphorus, and pH were the top three factors affecting the contents of the five components.

A Two-component NADPH Oxidase (NOX)-like System in Bacteria Is Involved in the Electron Transfer Chain to the Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase MsrP*

PubMed Central

Juillan-Binard, Céline; Picciocchi, Antoine; Andrieu, Jean-Pierre; Petit-Hartlein, Isabelle; Caux-Thang, Christelle; Vivès, Corinne; Nivière, Vincent

2017-01-01

MsrPQ is a newly identified methionine sulfoxide reductase system found in bacteria, which appears to be specifically involved in the repair of periplasmic proteins oxidized by hypochlorous acid. It involves two proteins: a periplasmic one, MsrP, previously named YedY, carrying out the Msr activity, and MsrQ, an integral b-type heme membrane-spanning protein, which acts as the specific electron donor to MsrP. MsrQ, previously named YedZ, was mainly characterized by bioinformatics as a member of the FRD superfamily of heme-containing membrane proteins, which include the NADPH oxidase proteins (NOX/DUOX). Here we report a detailed biochemical characterization of the MsrQ protein from Escherichia coli. We optimized conditions for the overexpression and membrane solubilization of an MsrQ-GFP fusion and set up a purification scheme allowing the production of pure MsrQ. Combining UV-visible spectroscopy, heme quantification, and site-directed mutagenesis of histidine residues, we demonstrated that MsrQ is able to bind two b-type hemes through the histidine residues conserved between the MsrQ and NOX protein families. In addition, we identify the E. coli flavin reductase Fre, which is related to the dehydrogenase domain of eukaryotic NOX enzymes, as an efficient cytosolic electron donor to the MsrQ heme moieties. Cross-linking experiments as well as surface Plasmon resonance showed that Fre interacts with MsrQ to form a specific complex. Taken together, these data support the identification of the first prokaryotic two-component protein system related to the eukaryotic NOX family and involved in the reduction of periplasmic oxidized proteins. PMID:28028176

Religion involvement and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia in Latin America.

PubMed

Caqueo-Urízar, Alejandra; Urzúa, Alfonso; Boyer, Laurent; Williams, David R

2016-04-01

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between religion involvement (RI) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with schizophrenia from three countries in Latin America, while considering key confounding factors such as socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the public mental health services in La Paz, Bolivia; Arica, Chile; and Tacna, Peru. The data collected included RI, socio-demographic information, clinical characteristics, type of treatment and QoL using the S-QoL 18 questionnaire. A multivariate analysis using multiple linear regressions was performed to determine variables associated with QoL levels. Two hundred and fifty-three patients with schizophrenia were enrolled in our study. Significant positive associations were found between RI and QoL (the S-QoL 18 index: β = 0.13; p = 0.048; autonomy dimension: β = 0.15; p = 0.027). Other socio-cultural and economic factors were also associated with low QoL level: being a woman, older patient, low education level and being Aymara. Severity of the psychotic symptoms was associated to a lower QoL for all the dimension (β from 0.15 to 0.31), except for the resilience. Our study found that socio-cultural and economic factors including RI were associated with QoL in patients with schizophrenia in Latin America, suggesting that these factors may influence positively health outcome. However, these relationships were moderate in strength, especially in comparison to symptoms severity which remained the most important features associated with QoL.

Involving self-help groups in health-care institutions: the patients' contribution to and their view of 'self-help friendliness' as an approach to implement quality criteria of sustainable co-operation.

PubMed

Nickel, Stefan; Trojan, Alf; Kofahl, Christopher

2017-04-01

The importance of patient participation and involvement is now widely acknowledged; in the past, few systematic health-care institution policies existed to establish sustainable co-operation. In 2004, in Germany, the initiative 'Self-Help Friendliness (SHF) and Patient-Centeredness in Health Care' was launched to establish and implement quality criteria related to collaboration with patient groups. The objective of this study was to describe (i) how patients were involved in the development of SHF by summarizing a number of studies and (ii) a new survey on the importance and feasibility of SHF. In a series of participative studies, SHF was shaped, tested and implemented in 40 health-care institutions in Germany. Representatives from 157 self-help groups (SHGs), 50 self-help organizations and 17 self-help clearing houses were actively involved. The second objective was reached through a survey of 74 of the 115 member associations of the biggest self-help umbrella organization at federal level (response rate: 64 %). Patient involvement included the following: identification of the needs and wishes of SHGs regarding co-operation, their involvement in the definition of quality criteria of co-operation, having a crucial role during the implementation of SHF and accrediting health-care institutions as self-help friendly. The ten criteria in total were positively valued and perceived as moderately practicable. Through the intensive involvement of self-help representatives, it was feasible to develop SHF as a systematic approach to closer collaboration of professionals and SHGs. Some challenges have to be taken into account involving patients and the limitations of our empirical study. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quality in ethics consultations.

PubMed

Magill, Gerard

2013-11-01

There is an increasing need for quality in ethics consultations, though there have been significant achievements in the United States and Europe. However, fundamental concerns that place the profession in jeopardy are discussed from the perspective of the U.S. in a manner that will be helpful for other countries. The descriptive component of the essay (the first two points) explains the achievements in ethics quality (illustrated by the IntegratedEthics program of the Veterans Health Administration) and the progress on standards and competencies for ethics consultations (represented by the Core Competencies of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities). Based on these achievements, the analytical component of the essay (the final three points) identifies and seeks to resolve three fundamental concerns (with increasing levels of importance) that compromise quality in ethics consultations: standards of quality; professionalism; and credentialing. The analysis argues for clearer standards of quality in ethics consultation and urges further professionalism by explaining the need for the following: interpreting the ASBH core competencies in a normative manner, developing a Code of Ethics, and clarifying the meaning of best practices. However, the most serious concern that threatens quality in ethics consultations is the lack of a credentialing process. This concern can be resolved effectively by developing an independent Ethics Consultation Accreditation Council to accredit and standardize graduate degree programs, fellowship experiences, and qualifying examinations. This credentialing process is indispensable if we are to strategically enhance quality in ethics consultations.

Impact of quality of dietary fat on serum cholesterol and coronary heart disease: focus on plant sterols and other non-glyceride components.

PubMed

Ghafoorunissa

2009-01-01

for prevention/correction of dyslipidaemia and increasing the antioxidant potential of human diets. The food-based dietary guidelines recommended to ensure an optimal fat quality in the diet of Indians provide high levels of natural plant sterols and other health-promoting non-glyceride components in addition to adequate absolute levels of individual fatty acids and their optimal balance. National policies to promote these dietary guidelines may contribute to the prevention of coronary heart disease and other diet-related chronic diseases.

Parental childhood adversity, depressive symptoms, and parenting quality: Effects on toddler self-regulation in Child Welfare Services-involved families

PubMed Central

Spieker, Susan J.; Oxford, Monica L.; Fleming, Charles B.; Lohr, Mary Jane

2018-01-01

Parents who are child welfare services-involved (CWSI) often have a history of childhood adversity and depressive symptoms. Both affect parenting quality, which in turn influences child adaptive functioning. We tested a model of the relations between parental depression and child regulatory outcomes first proposed by Lyons-Ruth and colleagues (2002). We hypothesized that both parental depression and parenting quality mediate the effects of parental early adversity on offspring regulatory outcomes. Participants were 123 CWSI parents and their toddlers who were assessed three times over a period of six months. At T1, parents reported on their childhood adversity and current depressive symptoms. At T2, parents’ sensitivity to their child’s distress and non-distress cues were rated from a videotaped teaching task. At T3, observers rated children’s emotional regulation, orientation/engagement, and secure base behavior. The results of a path model partly supported hypotheses. Parent childhood adversity was associated with current depressive symptoms, which in turn was related to parent sensitivity to child distress but not non-distress. Sensitivity to distress also predicted secure base behavior. Depression directly predicted orientation/engagement, also predicted by sensitivity to non-distress. Sensitivity to distress predicted emotion regulation and orientation/engagement. Results are discussed in terms of intervention approaches for CWSI families. PMID:29266280

[Pulmonary involvement in connective tissue disease].

PubMed

Bartosiewicz, Małgorzata

2016-01-01

The connective tissue diseases are a variable group of autoimmune mediated disorders characterized by multiorgan damage. Pulmonary complications are common, usually occur after the onset of joint symptoms, but can also be initially presenting complaint. The respiratory system may be involved in all its component: airways, vessels, parenchyma, pleura and respiratory muscles. Lung involvement is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in the connective tissue diseases. Clinical course is highly variable - can range from mild to rapidly progressive, some processes are reversible, while others are irreversible. Thus, the identification of reversible disease , and separately progressive disease, are important clinical issues. The frequency, clinical presentation, prognosis and responce to therapy are different, depending on the pattern of involvement as well as on specyfic diagnostic method used to identify it. High- resolution computed tompography plays an important role in identifying patients with respiratory involvement. Pulmonary function tests are a sensitive tool detecting interstitial lung disease. In this article, pulmonary lung involvement accompanying most frequently apperaing connective tissue diseases - rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, lupus erythematosus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis, Sjögrens syndrome and mixed connective tissue disaese are reviewed.

[Content of mineral elements of Gastrodia elata by principal components analysis].

PubMed

Li, Jin-ling; Zhao, Zhi; Liu, Hong-chang; Luo, Chun-li; Huang, Ming-jin; Luo, Fu-lai; Wang, Hua-lei

2015-03-01

To study the content of mineral elements and the principal components in Gastrodia elata. Mineral elements were determined by ICP and the data was analyzed by SPSS. K element has the highest content-and the average content was 15.31 g x kg(-1). The average content of N element was 8.99 g x kg(-1), followed by K element. The coefficient of variation of K and N was small, but the Mn was the biggest with 51.39%. The highly significant positive correlation was found among N, P and K . Three principal components were selected by principal components analysis to evaluate the quality of G. elata. P, B, N, K, Cu, Mn, Fe and Mg were the characteristic elements of G. elata. The content of K and N elements was higher and relatively stable. The variation of Mn content was biggest. The quality of G. elata in Guizhou and Yunnan was better from the perspective of mineral elements.

Increasing Parental Involvement in Speech-Sound Remediation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Micah Renee Ferguson

2014-01-01

Speech therapy homework is a key component of a successful speech therapy program, increasing carryover of learned speech sounds. Poor return rate of homework assigned, with a lack of parental involvement, is a problem. The purpose of this project study was to examine what may increase parental participation in speech therapy homework. Guided by…

Sarcopenia Is Associated With Physical and Mental Components of Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults.

PubMed

Manrique-Espinoza, Betty; Salinas-Rodríguez, Aarón; Rosas-Carrasco, Oscar; Gutiérrez-Robledo, Luis Miguel; Avila-Funes, José Alberto

2017-07-01

To estimate the association between sarcopenia and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among community-dwelling older adults. Cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort. The Rural Frailty Study, a prospective study on the prevalence of frailty in rural settings in Mexico, with baseline and follow-up measurements conducted in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Five hundred forty-three men and women older than 70 years. Information regarding demographic characteristics, comorbidities, mental status, dependency in activities of daily living, frailty, HRQoL, and other characteristics was obtained. Objective measurements of muscle strength and physical performance were grip strength using a manual hydraulic dynamometer and walking speed; measure of low muscle was by a calf circumference. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Physical and mental components of the HRQoL were measured through the Medical Outcomes Study Health Survey Questionnaire 36-Item Short Form. Prevalence of sarcopenia was 20.6% for severe and 15.8% for moderate. After adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics, severe sarcopenia was significantly and inversely associated with both the physical (β = -5.39; P = .010) and the mental components (β = -3.69; P = .057) of HRQoL when compared with pre- and nonsarcopenic individuals. Our results on the association between sarcopenia and HRQoL suggest that the latter declines in the presence of severe sarcopenia in older adults. This finding highlights the relevance of the early detection of sarcopenia in older individuals, and even that its detection must be a part of routine diagnosis procedures. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Quality System Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snell, William H.; Turner, Anne M.; Gifford, Luther; Stites, William

2010-01-01

A quality system database (QSD), and software to administer the database, were developed to support recording of administrative nonconformance activities that involve requirements for documentation of corrective and/or preventive actions, which can include ISO 9000 internal quality audits and customer complaints.

Efficient techniques for forced response involving linear modal components interconnected by discrete nonlinear connection elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avitabile, Peter; O'Callahan, John

2009-01-01

Generally, response analysis of systems containing discrete nonlinear connection elements such as typical mounting connections require the physical finite element system matrices to be used in a direct integration algorithm to compute the nonlinear response analysis solution. Due to the large size of these physical matrices, forced nonlinear response analysis requires significant computational resources. Usually, the individual components of the system are analyzed and tested as separate components and their individual behavior may essentially be linear when compared to the total assembled system. However, the joining of these linear subsystems using highly nonlinear connection elements causes the entire system to become nonlinear. It would be advantageous if these linear modal subsystems could be utilized in the forced nonlinear response analysis since much effort has usually been expended in fine tuning and adjusting the analytical models to reflect the tested subsystem configuration. Several more efficient techniques have been developed to address this class of problem. Three of these techniques given as: equivalent reduced model technique (ERMT);modal modification response technique (MMRT); andcomponent element method (CEM); are presented in this paper and are compared to traditional methods.

Automatic assembly of micro-optical components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gengenbach, Ulrich K.

1996-12-01

Automatic assembly becomes an important issue as hybrid micro systems enter industrial fabrication. Moving from a laboratory scale production with manual assembly and bonding processes to automatic assembly requires a thorough re- evaluation of the design, the characteristics of the individual components and of the processes involved. Parts supply for automatic operation, sensitive and intelligent grippers adapted to size, surface and material properties of the microcomponents gain importance when the superior sensory and handling skills of a human are to be replaced by a machine. This holds in particular for the automatic assembly of micro-optical components. The paper outlines these issues exemplified at the automatic assembly of a micro-optical duplexer consisting of a micro-optical bench fabricated by the LIGA technique, two spherical lenses, a wavelength filter and an optical fiber. Spherical lenses, wavelength filter and optical fiber are supplied by third party vendors, which raises the question of parts supply for automatic assembly. The bonding processes for these components include press fit and adhesive bonding. The prototype assembly system with all relevant components e.g. handling system, parts supply, grippers and control is described. Results of first automatic assembly tests are presented.

Quality Leadership and Quality Control

PubMed Central

Badrick, Tony

2003-01-01

Different quality control rules detect different analytical errors with varying levels of efficiency depending on the type of error present, its prevalence and the number of observations. The efficiency of a rule can be gauged by inspection of a power function graph. Control rules are only part of a process and not an end in itself; just as important are the trouble-shooting systems employed when a failure occurs. 'Average of patient normals' may develop as a usual adjunct to conventional quality control serum based programmes. Acceptable error can be based on various criteria; biological variation is probably the most sensible. Once determined, acceptable error can be used as limits in quality control rule systems. A key aspect of an organisation is leadership, which links the various components of the quality system. Leadership is difficult to characterise but its key aspects include trust, setting an example, developing staff and critically setting the vision for the organisation. Organisations also have internal characteristics such as the degree of formalisation, centralisation, and complexity. Medical organisations can have internal tensions because of the dichotomy between the bureaucratic and the shadow medical structures. PMID:18568046

Virtual enterprise model for the electronic components business in the Nuclear Weapons Complex

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferguson, T.J.; Long, K.S.; Sayre, J.A.

1994-08-01

The electronic components business within the Nuclear Weapons Complex spans organizational and Department of Energy contractor boundaries. An assessment of the current processes indicates a need for fundamentally changing the way electronic components are developed, procured, and manufactured. A model is provided based on a virtual enterprise that recognizes distinctive competencies within the Nuclear Weapons Complex and at the vendors. The model incorporates changes that reduce component delivery cycle time and improve cost effectiveness while delivering components of the appropriate quality.

Developing a Model Component

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fields, Christina M.

2013-01-01

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) Simulation Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) is responsible for providing simulations to support test and verification of SCCS hardware and software. The Universal Coolant Transporter System (UCTS) was a Space Shuttle Orbiter support piece of the Ground Servicing Equipment (GSE). The initial purpose of the UCTS was to provide two support services to the Space Shuttle Orbiter immediately after landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The UCTS is designed with the capability of servicing future space vehicles; including all Space Station Requirements necessary for the MPLM Modules. The Simulation uses GSE Models to stand in for the actual systems to support testing of SCCS systems during their development. As an intern at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), my assignment was to develop a model component for the UCTS. I was given a fluid component (dryer) to model in Simulink. I completed training for UNIX and Simulink. The dryer is a Catch All replaceable core type filter-dryer. The filter-dryer provides maximum protection for the thermostatic expansion valve and solenoid valve from dirt that may be in the system. The filter-dryer also protects the valves from freezing up. I researched fluid dynamics to understand the function of my component. The filter-dryer was modeled by determining affects it has on the pressure and velocity of the system. I used Bernoulli's Equation to calculate the pressure and velocity differential through the dryer. I created my filter-dryer model in Simulink and wrote the test script to test the component. I completed component testing and captured test data. The finalized model was sent for peer review for any improvements. I participated in Simulation meetings and was involved in the subsystem design process and team collaborations. I gained valuable work experience and insight into a career path as an engineer.

Evolution of Multidrug Resistance during Staphylococcus aureus Infection Involves Mutation of the Essential Two Component Regulator WalKR

PubMed Central

Howden, Benjamin P.; McEvoy, Christopher R. E.; Allen, David L.; Chua, Kyra; Gao, Wei; Harrison, Paul F.; Bell, Jan; Coombs, Geoffrey; Bennett-Wood, Vicki; Porter, Jessica L.; Robins-Browne, Roy; Davies, John K.; Seemann, Torsten; Stinear, Timothy P.

2011-01-01

Antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is a major public health threat, compounded by emergence of strains with resistance to vancomycin and daptomycin, both last line antimicrobials. Here we have performed high throughput DNA sequencing and comparative genomics for five clinical pairs of vancomycin-susceptible (VSSA) and vancomycin-intermediate ST239 S. aureus (VISA); each pair isolated before and after vancomycin treatment failure. These comparisons revealed a frequent pattern of mutation among the VISA strains within the essential walKR two-component regulatory locus involved in control of cell wall metabolism. We then conducted bi-directional allelic exchange experiments in our clinical VSSA and VISA strains and showed that single nucleotide substitutions within either walK or walR lead to co-resistance to vancomycin and daptomycin, and caused the typical cell wall thickening observed in resistant clinical isolates. Ion Torrent genome sequencing confirmed no additional regulatory mutations had been introduced into either the walR or walK VISA mutants during the allelic exchange process. However, two potential compensatory mutations were detected within putative transport genes for the walK mutant. The minimal genetic changes in either walK or walR also attenuated virulence, reduced biofilm formation, and led to consistent transcriptional changes that suggest an important role for this regulator in control of central metabolism. This study highlights the dramatic impacts of single mutations that arise during persistent S. aureus infections and demonstrates the role played by walKR to increase drug resistance, control metabolism and alter the virulence potential of this pathogen. PMID:22102812

[Audit and feedback, and continuous quality improvement strategies to improve the quality of care for type 2 diabetes: a systematic review of literature].

PubMed

Vecchi, Simona; Agabiti, Nera; Mitrova, Susanna; Cacciani, Laura; Amato, Laura; Davoli, Marina; Bargagli, Anna Maria

2016-01-01

we analysed evidence on effective interventions to improve the quality of care and management in patients with diabetes type 2. This review focuses particularly on audit and feedback intervention, targeted to healthcare providers, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) involving health professionals and health care systems, respectively. we searched The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE (search period: January 2005-December 2015) to identify systematic reviews (SR) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) considering patients' outcomes and process measures as quality indicators in diabetes care. Selection of studies and data extraction were carried out independently by two reviewers. Methodological quality of individual studies was assessed using the checklist «Assessment of methodological quality of systematic review» (AMSTAR) and the Cochrane's tool, respectively. We produced summaries of results for each study design. the search process resulted in 810 citations. One SR and 7 RCTs that compared any intervention in which audit and feedback and CQI was a component vs. other interventions were selected. The SR found that audit and feedback activity was associated with improvements of glycaemic (mean difference: 0.26; 95%CI 0.08;0.44) and cholesterol control (mean difference: 0.03; 95%CI -0.04;0.10). CQI interventions were not associated with an improvement of quality of diabetes care. The RCTs considered in this review compared a broad range of interventions including feedback as unique activity or as part of more complex strategies. The methodological quality was generally poor in all the included trials. the available evidence suggests that audit and feedback and CQI improve quality of care in diabetic patients, although the effect is small and heterogeneous among process and outcomes indicators.

Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Water Quality data in Indian River Lagoon, Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayemuzzaman, M.; Ye, M.

2015-12-01

The Indian River Lagoon, is part of the longest barrier island complex in the United States, is a region of particular concern to the environmental scientist because of the rapid rate of human development throughout the region and the geographical position in between the colder temperate zone and warmer sub-tropical zone. Thus, the surface water quality analysis in this region always brings the newer information. In this present study, multivariate statistical procedures were applied to analyze the spatial and temporal water quality in the Indian River Lagoon over the period 1998-2013. Twelve parameters have been analyzed on twelve key water monitoring stations in and beside the lagoon on monthly datasets (total of 27,648 observations). The dataset was treated using cluster analysis (CA), principle component analysis (PCA) and non-parametric trend analysis. The CA was used to cluster twelve monitoring stations into four groups, with stations on the similar surrounding characteristics being in the same group. The PCA was then applied to the similar groups to find the important water quality parameters. The principal components (PCs), PC1 to PC5 was considered based on the explained cumulative variances 75% to 85% in each cluster groups. Nutrient species (phosphorus and nitrogen), salinity, specific conductivity and erosion factors (TSS, Turbidity) were major variables involved in the construction of the PCs. Statistical significant positive or negative trends and the abrupt trend shift were detected applying Mann-Kendall trend test and Sequential Mann-Kendall (SQMK), for each individual stations for the important water quality parameters. Land use land cover change pattern, local anthropogenic activities and extreme climate such as drought might be associated with these trends. This study presents the multivariate statistical assessment in order to get better information about the quality of surface water. Thus, effective pollution control/management of the surface

Analysis of Minor Component Segregation in Ternary Powder Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asachi, Maryam; Hassanpour, Ali; Ghadiri, Mojtaba; Bayly, Andrew

2017-06-01

In many powder handling operations, inhomogeneity in powder mixtures caused by segregation could have significant adverse impact on the quality as well as economics of the production. Segregation of a minor component of a highly active substance could have serious deleterious effects, an example is the segregation of enzyme granules in detergent powders. In this study, the effects of particle properties and bulk cohesion on the segregation tendency of minor component are analysed. The minor component is made sticky while not adversely affecting the flowability of samples. The segregation extent is evaluated using image processing of the photographic records taken from the front face of the heap after the pouring process. The optimum average sieve cut size of components for which segregation could be reduced is reported. It is also shown that the extent of segregation is significantly reduced by applying a thin layer of liquid to the surfaces of minor component, promoting an ordered mixture.

Co-Parenting, Relationship Quality, and Father Involvement in African American and Latino Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varga, Colleen M.; Gee, Christina B.

2017-01-01

The study of adolescent childbearing is a major public policy concern in the United States, and father involvement is particularly important. The current study examined 94 African American and Latino adolescent mothers and their children's fathers (47 co-parents) to determine whether co-parenting was a better predictor of father involvement than…

Release strategies for making transferable semiconductor structures, devices and device components

DOEpatents

Rogers, John A; Nuzzo, Ralph G; Meitl, Matthew; Ko, Heung Cho; Yoon, Jongseung; Menard, Etienne; Baca, Alfred J

2014-11-25

Provided are methods for making a device or device component by providing a multilayer structure having a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of release layers and releasing the functional layers from the multilayer structure by separating one or more of the release layers to generate a plurality of transferable structures. The transferable structures are printed onto a device substrate or device component supported by a device substrate. The methods and systems provide means for making high-quality and low-cost photovoltaic devices, transferable semiconductor structures, (opto-)electronic devices and device components.

Release strategies for making transferable semiconductor structures, devices and device components

DOEpatents

Rogers, John A [Champaign, IL; Nuzzo, Ralph G [Champaign, IL; Meitl, Matthew [Raleigh, NC; Ko, Heung Cho [Urbana, IL; Yoon, Jongseung [Urbana, IL; Menard, Etienne [Durham, NC; Baca, Alfred J [Urbana, IL

2011-04-26

Provided are methods for making a device or device component by providing a multilayer structure having a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of release layers and releasing the functional layers from the multilayer structure by separating one or more of the release layers to generate a plurality of transferable structures. The transferable structures are printed onto a device substrate or device component supported by a device substrate. The methods and systems provide means for making high-quality and low-cost photovoltaic devices, transferable semiconductor structures, (opto-)electronic devices and device components.

Release strategies for making transferable semiconductor structures, devices and device components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rogers, John A.; Nuzzo, Ralph G.; Meitl, Matthew

2016-05-24

Provided are methods for making a device or device component by providing a multi layer structure having a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of release layers and releasing the functional layers from the multilayer structure by separating one or more of the release layers to generate a plurality of transferable structures. The transferable structures are printed onto a device substrate or device component supported by a device substrate. The methods and systems provide means for making high-quality and low-cost photovoltaic devices, transferable semiconductor structures, (opto-)electronic devices and device components.

Advanced Power Electronics Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwarze, Gene E.

2004-01-01

This paper will give a description and status of the Advanced Power Electronics Materials and Components Technology program being conducted by the NASA Glenn Research Center for future aerospace power applications. The focus of this research program is on the following: 1) New and/or significantly improved dielectric materials for the development of power capacitors with increased volumetric efficiency, energy density, and operating temperature. Materials being investigated include nanocrystalline and composite ceramic dielectrics and diamond-like carbon films; 2) New and/or significantly improved high frequency, high temperature, low loss soft magnetic materials for the development of transformers/inductors with increased power/energy density, electrical efficiency, and operating temperature. Materials being investigated include nanocrystalline and nanocomposite soft magnetic materials; 3) Packaged high temperature, high power density, high voltage, and low loss SiC diodes and switches. Development of high quality 4H- and 6H- SiC atomically smooth substrates to significantly improve device performance is a major emphasis of the SiC materials program; 4) Demonstration of high temperature (> 200 C) circuits using the components developed above.

Students Matter: Quality Measurements in Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unal, Zafer; Unal, Aslihan

2016-01-01

Quality Matters (QM) is a peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components. It has generated widespread interest and received national recognition for its peer-based approach to quality assurance and continuous improvement in online education. While the entire QM online course design process is…

Statistical issues in quality control of proteomic analyses: good experimental design and planning.

PubMed

Cairns, David A

2011-03-01

Quality control is becoming increasingly important in proteomic investigations as experiments become more multivariate and quantitative. Quality control applies to all stages of an investigation and statistics can play a key role. In this review, the role of statistical ideas in the design and planning of an investigation is described. This involves the design of unbiased experiments using key concepts from statistical experimental design, the understanding of the biological and analytical variation in a system using variance components analysis and the determination of a required sample size to perform a statistically powerful investigation. These concepts are described through simple examples and an example data set from a 2-D DIGE pilot experiment. Each of these concepts can prove useful in producing better and more reproducible data. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of Total Quality Management on the Quality and Productivity of Human Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siregar, I.; Nasution, A. A.; Sari, R. M.

2017-03-01

Human resources is the main factor in improving company performance not only in industrial products but also services. Therefore, all of the organization performers involved must work together to achieve product quality services expected by consumers. Educational institutions are the service industries which are educators and instructor involved in it. Quality of product and services produced depends on the education organization performers. This study did a survey of instructors in public and private universities in North Sumatra to obtain the factors that affect quality of human resources and productivity of human resources. Human resources quality is viewed by the elements of TQM. TQM elements that are discussed in this study are leadership, communication, training and education, support structure, measurement and reward and recognition. The results of this study showed a correlation numbers across the exogenous variables on endogenous variables relationships tend to be strong and be positive. In addition, elements of TQM are discussed except the support structure which has a direct influence on the quality of human resources. Variable leadership, reward and recognition and quality of human resources have a significant effect on productivity.

Separate cortical networks involved in music perception: preliminary functional MRI evidence for modularity of music processing.

PubMed

Schmithorst, Vincent J

2005-04-01

Music perception is a quite complex cognitive task, involving the perception and integration of various elements including melody, harmony, pitch, rhythm, and timbre. A preliminary functional MRI investigation of music perception was performed, using a simplified passive listening task. Group independent component analysis (ICA) was used to separate out various components involved in music processing, as the hemodynamic responses are not known a priori. Various components consistent with auditory processing, expressive language, syntactic processing, and visual association were found. The results are discussed in light of various hypotheses regarding modularity of music processing and its overlap with language processing. The results suggest that, while some networks overlap with ones used for language processing, music processing may involve its own domain-specific processing subsystems.

System diagnostics using qualitative analysis and component functional classification

DOEpatents

Reifman, J.; Wei, T.Y.C.

1993-11-23

A method for detecting and identifying faulty component candidates during off-normal operations of nuclear power plants involves the qualitative analysis of macroscopic imbalances in the conservation equations of mass, energy and momentum in thermal-hydraulic control volumes associated with one or more plant components and the functional classification of components. The qualitative analysis of mass and energy is performed through the associated equations of state, while imbalances in momentum are obtained by tracking mass flow rates which are incorporated into a first knowledge base. The plant components are functionally classified, according to their type, as sources or sinks of mass, energy and momentum, depending upon which of the three balance equations is most strongly affected by a faulty component which is incorporated into a second knowledge base. Information describing the connections among the components of the system forms a third knowledge base. The method is particularly adapted for use in a diagnostic expert system to detect and identify faulty component candidates in the presence of component failures and is not limited to use in a nuclear power plant, but may be used with virtually any type of thermal-hydraulic operating system. 5 figures.

System diagnostics using qualitative analysis and component functional classification

DOEpatents

Reifman, Jaques; Wei, Thomas Y. C.

1993-01-01

A method for detecting and identifying faulty component candidates during off-normal operations of nuclear power plants involves the qualitative analysis of macroscopic imbalances in the conservation equations of mass, energy and momentum in thermal-hydraulic control volumes associated with one or more plant components and the functional classification of components. The qualitative analysis of mass and energy is performed through the associated equations of state, while imbalances in momentum are obtained by tracking mass flow rates which are incorporated into a first knowledge base. The plant components are functionally classified, according to their type, as sources or sinks of mass, energy and momentum, depending upon which of the three balance equations is most strongly affected by a faulty component which is incorporated into a second knowledge base. Information describing the connections among the components of the system forms a third knowledge base. The method is particularly adapted for use in a diagnostic expert system to detect and identify faulty component candidates in the presence of component failures and is not limited to use in a nuclear power plant, but may be used with virtually any type of thermal-hydraulic operating system.

Systematic Quality Work in Preschool