[Study on seed quality test and quality standard of Pesudostellaria heterophylla].

PubMed

Xiao, Cheng-Hong; Zhou, Tao; Jiang, Wei-Ke; Chen, Min; Xiong, Hou-Xi; Liao, Ming-Wu

2014-08-01

Referring to the rules for agricultural seed testing (GB /T 3543-1995) issued by China, the test of sampling, seed purity, weight per 1 000 seeds, seed moisture, seed viability and germination rate had been studied for screening seed quality test methods of Pesudostellaria heterophylla. The seed quality from different collection areas was measured. The results showed that at least 6.5 g seeds should be sampled and passed through 10-mesh sieve for purity analysis. The weight of 1 000 seeds was determined by using the 500-seed method. The phenotypic observation and size measurement were used for authenticity testing. The seed moisture was determined under the higher temperature (130 ± 2) degrees C for 5 hours. The seeds were dipped into 0.2% TTC sustaining 1 hour at 40 degrees C, then the viability could be determined. The break dormancy seeds were cultured on sand at 10 degrees C. K cluster analysis was applied for the data analysis, the seed quality from different collection areas grading of P. Heterophylla was described as three grades. The seed quality of each grade should reach following requirements: for first grade seeds, germination rate ≥ 86%, 1 000-grain weight ≥ 2.59 g, purity ≥ 87%, moisture ≤ 13.1%; for second grade seeds, germination rate ≥ 70%, 1 000-grain weight ≥ 2.40 g, purity ≥ 77%, moisture ≤ 14.3%; for third grade seeds, germination rate ≥ 41%, 1 000-grain weight ≥ 2.29 g, purity ≥ 76%, moisture ≤ 15.8%. The seed testing methods for quality items of P. heterophylla had been initially established, as well as the primary P. heterophylla seed quality classification standard.

Flight-testing and frequency-domain analysis for rotorcraft handling qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ham, Johnnie A.; Gardner, Charles K.; Tischler, Mark B.

1995-01-01

A demonstration of frequency-domain flight-testing techniques and analysis was performed on a U.S. Army OH-58D helicopter in support of the OH-58D Airworthiness and Flight Characteristics Evaluation and of the Army's development and ongoing review of Aeronautical Design Standard 33C, Handling Qualities Requirements for Military Rotorcraft. Hover and forward flight (60 kn) tests were conducted in 1 flight hour by Army experimental test pilots. Further processing of the hover data generated a complete database of velocity, angular-rate, and acceleration-frequency responses to control inputs. A joint effort was then undertaken by the Airworthiness Qualification Test Dirtectorate and the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate to derive handling-quality information from the frequency-domain database using a variety of approaches. This report documents numerous results that have been obtained from the simple frequency-domain tests; in many areas, these results provide more insight into the aircraft dynmamics that affect handling qualities than do traditional flight tests. The handling-quality results include ADS-33C bandwidth and phase-delay calculations, vibration spectral determinations, transfer-function models to examine single-axis results, and a six-degree-of-freedom fully coupled state-space model. The ability of this model to accurately predict responses was verified using data from pulse inputs. This report also documents the frequency-sweep flight-test technique and data analysis used to support the tests.

Operational Results From a High Power Alternator Test Bed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birchenough, Arthur; Hervol, David

2007-01-01

The Alternator Test Unit (ATU) in the Lunar Power System Facility (LPSF) located at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio was used to simulate the operating conditions and evaluate the performance of the ATU and its interaction with various LPSF components in accordance with the current Fission Surface Power System (FSPS) requirements. The testing was carried out at the breadboard development level. These results successfully demonstrated excellent ATU power bus characteristics and rectified user load power quality during steady state and transient conditions. Information gained from this work could be used to assist the design and primary power quality considerations for a possible future FSPS. This paper describes the LPSF components and some preliminary test results.

7 CFR 58.928 - Quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality control tests. 58.928 Section 58.928... Procedures § 58.928 Quality control tests. All dairy products and other ingredients shall be subject to inspection for quality and condition throughout each processing operation. Quality control tests shall be...

7 CFR 58.335 - Quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality control tests. 58.335 Section 58.335... Procedures § 58.335 Quality control tests. All milk, cream and related products are subject to inspection for quality and condition throughout each processing operation. Quality control tests shall be made on flow...

Approaches to quality management and accreditation in a genetic testing laboratory

PubMed Central

Berwouts, Sarah; Morris, Michael A; Dequeker, Elisabeth

2010-01-01

Medical laboratories, and specifically genetic testing laboratories, provide vital medical services to different clients: clinicians requesting a test, patients from whom the sample was collected, public health and medical-legal instances, referral laboratories and authoritative bodies. All expect results that are accurate and obtained in an efficient and effective manner, within a suitable time frame and at acceptable cost. There are different ways of achieving the end results, but compliance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189, the international standard for the accreditation of medical laboratories, is becoming progressively accepted as the optimal approach to assuring quality in medical testing. We present recommendations and strategies designed to aid genetic testing laboratories with the implementation of a quality management system, including key aspects such as document control, external quality assessment, internal quality control, internal audit, management review, validation, as well as managing the human side of change. The focus is on pragmatic approaches to attain the levels of quality management and quality assurance required for accreditation according to ISO 15189, within the context of genetic testing. Attention is also given to implementing efficient and effective quality improvement. PMID:20720559

7 CFR 58.733 - Quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Quality control tests. 58.733 Section 58.733... Procedures § 58.733 Quality control tests. (a) Chemical analyses. The following chemical analyses shall be... pasteurization by means of the phosphatase test, as well as any other tests necessary to assure good quality...

7 CFR 58.733 - Quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quality control tests. 58.733 Section 58.733... Procedures § 58.733 Quality control tests. (a) Chemical analyses. The following chemical analyses shall be... pasteurization by means of the phosphatase test, as well as any other tests necessary to assure good quality...

Testing for Seed Quality in Southern Oaks

Treesearch

F.T. Bonner

1984-01-01

Expressions of germination rate, such as peak value (PV) or mean germination time (MGT), provide good estimates of acorn quality, but test completion requires a minimum of 3 weeks. For more rapid estimates, tetrazolium staining is recommended. Some seed test results were significantly correlated with nursery germination of cherrybark and water oaks, but not with...

7 CFR 58.928 - Quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... quality test shall be made to determine product stability. ... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Quality control tests. 58.928 Section 58.928... Procedures § 58.928 Quality control tests. All dairy products and other ingredients shall be subject to...

7 CFR 58.928 - Quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... quality test shall be made to determine product stability. ... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Quality control tests. 58.928 Section 58.928... Procedures § 58.928 Quality control tests. All dairy products and other ingredients shall be subject to...

Quality of dry chemistry testing.

PubMed

Nakamura, H; Tatsumi, N

1999-01-01

Since the development of the qualitative test paper for urine in 1950s, several kinds of dry-state-reagents and their automated analyzers have been developed. "Dry chemistry" has become to be called since the report on the development of quantitative test paper for serum bilirubin with reflectometer in the end of 1960s and dry chemistry has been world widely known since the presentation on the development of multilayer film reagent for serum biochemical analytes by Eastman Kodak Co at the 10th IFCC Meeting in the end of 1970s. We have reported test menu, results in external quality assessment, merits and demerits, and the future possibilities of dry chemistry.

Sci-Fri AM: Quality, Safety, and Professional Issues 01: CPQR Technical Quality Control Suite Development including Quality Control Workload Results

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

Malkoske, Kyle; Nielsen, Michelle; Brown, Erika

A close partnership between the Canadian Partnership for Quality Radiotherapy (CPQR) and the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicist’s (COMP) Quality Assurance and Radiation Safety Advisory Committee (QARSAC) has resulted in the development of a suite of Technical Quality Control (TQC) Guidelines for radiation treatment equipment, that outline specific performance objectives and criteria that equipment should meet in order to assure an acceptable level of radiation treatment quality. The framework includes consolidation of existing guidelines and/or literature by expert reviewers, structured stages of public review, external field-testing and ratification by COMP. The adopted framework for the development and maintenance of themore » TQCs ensures the guidelines incorporate input from the medical physics community during development, measures the workload required to perform the QC tests outlined in each TQC, and remain relevant (i.e. “living documents”) through subsequent planned reviews and updates. This presentation will show the Multi-Leaf Linear Accelerator document as an example of how feedback and cross-national work to achieve a robust guidance document. During field-testing, each technology was tested at multiple centres in a variety of clinic environments. As part of the defined feedback, workload data was captured. This lead to average time associated with testing as defined in each TQC document. As a result, for a medium-sized centre comprising 6 linear accelerators and a comprehensive brachytherapy program, we evaluate the physics workload to 1.5 full-time equivalent physicist per year to complete all QC tests listed in this suite.« less

Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests

PubMed Central

Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S

2008-01-01

Objective To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. Design A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Setting Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. Main outcome measures A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. Results 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. Conclusions The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers. PMID:18263912

[The Scope, Quality and Safety Requirements of Drug Abuse Testing].

PubMed

Küme, Tuncay; Karakükcü, Çiğdem; Pınar, Aslı; Coşkunol, Hakan

2017-01-01

The aim of this review is to inform about the scopes and requirements of drug abuse testing. Drug abuse testing is one of the tools for determination of drug use. It must fulfill the quality and safety requirements in judgmental legal and administrative decisions. Drug abuse testing must fulfill some requirements like selection of the appropriate test matrix, appropriate screening test panel, sampling in detection window, patient consent, identification of the donor, appropriate collection site, sample collection with observation, identification and control of the sample, specimen custody chain in preanalytical phase; analysis in authorized laboratories, specimen validity tests, reliable testing METHODS, strict quality control, two-step analysis in analytical phase; storage of the split specimen, confirmation of the split specimen in the objection, result custody chain, appropriate cut-off concentration, the appropriate interpretation of the result in postanalytical phase. The workflow and analytical processes of drug abuse testing are explained in last regulation of the Department of Medical Laboratory Services, Ministry of Health in Turkey. The clinical physicians have to know and apply the quality and safety requirements in drug abuse testing according to last regulations in Turkey.

Quality of information accompanying on-line marketing of home diagnostic tests.

PubMed

Datta, Adrija K; Selman, Tara J; Kwok, Tony; Tang, Teresa; Khan, Khalid S

2008-01-01

To assess the quality of information provided to consumers by websites marketing medical home diagnostic tests. A cross-sectional analysis of a database developed from searching targeted websites. Data sources were websites written in English which marketed medical home diagnostic tests. A meta-search engine was used to identify the first 20 citations for each type of home diagnostic medical test. Relevant websites limited to those written in English were reviewed independently and in triplicate, with disputes resolved by two further reviewers. Information on the quality of these sites was extracted using a pre-piloted performer. 168 websites were suitable for inclusion in the review. The quality of these sites showed marked variation. Only 24 of 168 (14.2%) complied with at least three-quarters of the quality items and just over half (95 of 168, 56.5%) reported official approval or certification of the test. Information on accuracy of the test marketed was reported by 87 of 168 (51.7%) websites, with 15 of 168 (8.9%) providing a scientific reference. Instructions for use of the product were found in 97 of 168 (57.9%). However, the course of action to be taken after obtaining the test result was stated in only 63 of 168 (37.5%) for a positive result and 43 of 168 (25.5%) for a negative result. The quality of information posted on commercial websites marketing home tests online is unsatisfactory and potentially misleading for consumers.

Flight testing and frequency domain analysis for rotorcraft handling qualities characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ham, Johnnie A.; Gardner, Charles K.; Tischler, Mark B.

1993-01-01

A demonstration of frequency domain flight testing techniques and analyses was performed on a U.S. Army OH-58D helicopter in support of the OH-58D Airworthiness and Flight Characteristics Evaluation and the Army's development and ongoing review of Aeronautical Design Standard 33C, Handling Qualities Requirements for Military Rotorcraft. Hover and forward flight (60 knots) tests were conducted in 1 flight hour by Army experimental test pilots. Further processing of the hover data generated a complete database of velocity, angular rate, and acceleration frequency responses to control inputs. A joint effort was then undertaken by the Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate (AQTD) and the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD) to derive handling qualities information from the frequency response database. A significant amount of information could be extracted from the frequency domain database using a variety of approaches. This report documents numerous results that have been obtained from the simple frequency domain tests; in many areas, these results provide more insight into the aircraft dynamics that affect handling qualities than to traditional flight tests. The handling qualities results include ADS-33C bandwidth and phase delay calculations, vibration spectral determinations, transfer function models to examine single axis results, and a six degree of freedom fully coupled state space model. The ability of this model to accurately predict aircraft responses was verified using data from pulse inputs. This report also documents the frequency-sweep flight test technique and data analysis used to support the tests.

Ordering Molecular Genetic Tests and Reporting Results

PubMed Central

Lubin, Ira M.; Caggana, Michele; Constantin, Carolyn; Gross, Susan J.; Lyon, Elaine; Pagon, Roberta A.; Trotter, Tracy L.; Wilson, Jean Amos; McGovern, Margaret M.

2008-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that patient care may be compromised as a consequence of poor communication between clinicians and laboratory professionals in cases in which molecular genetic test results are reported. To understand better the contributing factors to such compromised care, we investigated both pre- and postanalytical processes using cystic fibrosis mutation analysis as our model. We found that although the majority of test requisition forms requested patient/family information that was necessary for the proper interpretation of test results, in many cases, these data were not provided by the individuals filling out the forms. We found instances in which result reports for simulated diagnostic testing described individuals as carriers where only a single mutation was found with no comment pertaining to a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Similarly, reports based on simulated scenarios for carrier testing were problematic when no mutations were identified, and the patient's race/ethnicity and family history were not discussed in reference to residual risk of disease. Remarkably, a pilot survey of obstetrician-gynecologists revealed that office staff, including secretaries, often helped order genetic tests and reported test results to patients, raising questions about what efforts are undertaken to ensure personnel competency. These findings are reviewed in light of what efforts should be taken to improve the quality of test-ordering and result-reporting practices. PMID:18669879

Spinal cord testing: auditing for quality assurance.

PubMed

Marr, J A; Reid, B

1991-04-01

A quality assurance audit of spinal cord testing as documented by staff nurses was carried out. Twenty-five patient records were examined for accuracy of documented testing and compared to assessments performed by three investigators. A pilot study established interrater reliability of a tool that was designed especially for this study. Results indicated staff nurses failed to meet pre-established 100% standard in all categories of testing when compared with investigator's findings. Possible reasons for this disparity are discussed as well as indications for modifications in the spinal testing record, teaching program and preset standards.

Identification of the Quality Spot Welding used Non Destructive Test-Ultrasonic Testing: (Effect of Welding Time)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sifa, A.; Endramawan, T.; Badruzzaman

2017-03-01

Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) is frequently used as one way of welding is used in the manufacturing process, especially in the automotive industry [4][5][6][7]. Several parameters influence the process of welding points. To determine the quality of a welding job needs to be tested, either by damaging or testing without damage, in this study conducted experimental testing the quality of welding or identify quality of the nugget by using Non-Destructive Test (NDT) -Ultrasonic Testing (UT), in which the identification of the quality of the welding is done with parameter thickness of worksheet after welding using NDT-UT with use same material worksheet and have more thickness of worksheet, the thickness of the worksheet single plate 1mm, with the capability of propagation Ultrasonic Testing (UT) standard limited> 3 mm [1], welding process parameters such as the time difference between 1-10s and the welding current of 8 KV, visually Heat Affected Zone ( HAZ ) have different results due to the length of time of welding. UT uses a probe that is used with a frequency of 4 MHz, diameter 10 mm, range 100 and the couplant used is oil. Identification techniques using drop 6dB, with sound velocity 2267 m / s of Fe, with the result that the effect of the Welding time affect the size of the HAZ, identification with the lowest time 1s show results capable identified joined through NDT - UT.

Effects of time and recall of patch test results on quality of life (QoL) after testing. Cross-sectional study analyzing QoL in hand eczema patients 1, 5 and 10 years after patch testing.

PubMed

Jamil, Wasim N; Lindberg, Magnus

2017-08-01

Patch testing can improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). To study the impact on HRQOL of elapsed time after patch testing (1-10 years), and how the outcome of testing and patients' recall affects HRQOL. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire was sent to all patients (aged 18-65 years) who were patch tested for suspected contact allergy in 2009, 2005 and 2000 at the Department of Dermatology in Örebro. The response rate was 51% (n = 256). The DLQI score was significantly lower at 10 years after patch testing (mean DLQI = 5.5) than at 1 year (mean DLQI = 7.7). Work was the most impaired aspect. A binary logistic model showed that only time (10 years after testing) was associated with no effect, a light effect or a moderate effect (DLQI < 10) on HRQOL. No such association was seen for patients with negative or positive test results concerning full recall, partial recall or no recall of diagnosed allergens. Although there was an improvement in HRQOL over time, the work aspect remained a major problem. The improvement was not affected by the outcome of testing and patients' recall of test results. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Water Quality: A Field-Based Quality Testing Program for Middle Schools and High Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts State Water Resources Authority, Boston.

This manual contains background information, lesson ideas, procedures, data collection and reporting forms, suggestions for interpreting results, and extension activities to complement a water quality field testing program. Information on testing water temperature, water pH, dissolved oxygen content, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrates, total…

Quality control of test iodine in urine by spectrophotometry UV-Vis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huda, Thorikul; Nafisah, Durotun; Kumorowulan, Suryati; Lestari, Sri

2017-12-01

A quality control of iodine test in with UV-Vis spectrophotometry has been done. The purpose of this research is to find out whether the test results of samples conducted by Clinical Office of Research and Development Of GAKI (BP2GAKI) laboratory are still controlled, feasible and reliable, and still consistent over time, as indicated by the control chart. Quality control parameters are linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, and limit of quantification. Based on the quality control that has been done, obtained linearity (r)= -0.9974, the detection limit and the limit of quantitation are respectively 2.26 µg/L and 7.54 µg/L, while the accuracy is calculated by %recovery and precision with value % RSD are 97.4161% and 1.7136% respectively. The quality control of iodine test in urine using the control chart shows excellent or stable results for 30 days and no variation of the results is very different for each day.

Results of the First Italian External Quality Assurance Scheme for somatic EGFR mutation testing in non-small-cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Normanno, Nicola; Pinto, Carmine; Taddei, Gianluigi; Gambacorta, Marcello; Castiglione, Francesca; Barberis, Massimo; Clemente, Claudio; Marchetti, Antonio

2013-06-01

The Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) and the Italian Society of Pathology and Cytology organized an external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for EGFR mutation testing in non-small-cell lung cancer. Ten specimens, including three small biopsies with known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status, were validated in three referral laboratories and provided to 47 participating centers. The participants were requested to perform mutational analysis, using their usual method, and to submit results within a 4-week time frame. According to a predefined scoring system, two points were assigned to correct genotype and zero points to false-negative or false-positive results. The threshold to pass the EQA was set at higher than 18 of 20 points. Two rounds were preplanned. All participating centers submitted the results within the time frame. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/sequencing was the main methodology used (n = 37 laboratories), although a few centers did use pyrosequencing (n = 8) or real-time PCR (n = 2). A significant number of analytical errors were observed (n = 20), with a high frequency of false-positive results (n = 16). The lower scores were obtained for the small biopsies. Fourteen of 47 centers (30%) that did not pass the first round, having a score less than or equal to 18 points, used PCR/sequencing, whereas 10 of 10 laboratories, using pyrosequencing or real-time PCR, passed the first round. Eight laboratories passed the second round. Overall, 41of 47 centers (87%) passed the EQA. The results of the EQA for EGFR testing in non-small-cell lung cancer suggest that good quality EGFR mutational analysis is performed in Italian laboratories, although differences between testing methods were observed, especially for small biopsies.

Pursuing the Qualities of a "Good" Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coniam, David

2014-01-01

This article examines the issue of the quality of teacher-produced tests, limiting itself in the current context to objective, multiple-choice tests. The article investigates a short, two-part 20-item English language test. After a brief overview of the key test qualities of reliability and validity, the article examines the two subtests in terms…

[Testing methods for seed quality of Bletilla striata].

PubMed

Zhang, Zhi-Hui; Liu, Da-Hui; Zhu, Xin-Yan; Ji, Peng-Zhang; Wang, Li; Shi, Ya-Na; Ma, Cong-Ji

2016-06-01

In order to provide a basis for establishing seed testing rules and seed quality standard of Bletilla striata, the seed quality of B.striata from different producing area was measured referring to the Rules for Agricultural Seed Testing(GB/T 3543-1995).The results showed that the seeds of B.striata passed through 20-mesh sieve for purity analysis.The weight of seeds was measured by 1000-seed method and the water content was measured at the higher temperature (133±2) ℃ for 3 hours.The seeds were cultured on the wet filter paper at 30 ℃ for 4-20 days in light for germination testing.The method of testing seed viability was that seeds were dipped into 1% TTC solution for 7 hours at temperature of 40 ℃. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Seedling quality tests: plant moisture stress

Treesearch

Gary Ritchie; Thomas D. Landis

2005-01-01

This is the fifth installment in our review of seedling quality tests. Here we focus on what is commonly known as "plant moisture stress" or PMS. Although PMS is not routinely used for seedling quality testing per se, it is nevertheless the most common physiological measurement made on reforestation stock. This is because the measurement itself is simple and...

[Seed quality test methods of Paeonia suffruticosa].

PubMed

Cao, Ya-Yue; Zhu, Zai-Biao; Guo, Qiao-Sheng; Liu, Li; Wang, Chang-Lin

2014-11-01

In order to optimize the testing methods for Paeonia suffruticosa seed quality, and provide basis for establishing seed testing rules and seed quality standard of P. suffruticosa. The seed quality of P. suffruticosa from different producing areas was measured based on the related seed testing regulations. The seed testing methods for quality items of P. suffruticosa was established preliminarily. The samples weight of P. suffruticosa was at least 7 000 g for purity analysis and was at least 700 g for test. The phenotypic observation and size measurement were used for authenticity testing. The 1 000-seed weight was determined by 100-seed method, and the water content was carried out by low temperature drying method (10 hours). After soaking in distilled water for 24 h, the seeds was treated with different temperature stratifications of day and night (25 degrees C/20 degrees C, day/night) in the dark for 60 d. After soaking in the liquor of GA3 300 mg x L(-1) for 24 h, the P. suffruticos seeds were cultured in wet sand at 15 degrees C for 12-60 days for germination testing. Seed viability was tested by TlC method.

The quality of veterinary in-clinic and reference laboratory biochemical testing.

PubMed

Rishniw, Mark; Pion, Paul D; Maher, Tammy

2012-03-01

Although evaluation of biochemical analytes in blood is common in veterinary practice, studies assessing the global quality of veterinary in-clinic and reference laboratory testing have not been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of biochemical testing in veterinary laboratories using results obtained from analyses of 3 levels of assayed quality control materials over 5 days. Quality was assessed by comparison of calculated total error with quality requirements, determination of sigma metrics, use of a quality goal index to determine factors contributing to poor performance, and agreement between in-clinic and reference laboratory mean results. The suitability of in-clinic and reference laboratory instruments for statistical quality control was determined using adaptations from the computerized program, EZRules3. Reference laboratories were able to achieve desirable quality requirements more frequently than in-clinic laboratories. Across all 3 materials, > 50% of in-clinic analyzers achieved a sigma metric ≥ 6.0 for measurement of 2 analytes, whereas > 50% of reference laboratory analyzers achieved a sigma metric ≥ 6.0 for measurement of 6 analytes. Expanded uncertainty of measurement and ± total allowable error resulted in the highest mean percentages of analytes demonstrating agreement between in-clinic and reference laboratories. Owing to marked variation in bias and coefficient of variation between analyzers of the same and different types, the percentages of analytes suitable for statistical quality control varied widely. These findings reflect the current state-of-the-art with regard to in-clinic and reference laboratory analyzer performance and provide a baseline for future evaluations of the quality of veterinary laboratory testing. © 2012 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Image quality testing of assembled IR camera modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winters, Daniel; Erichsen, Patrik

2013-10-01

Infrared (IR) camera modules for the LWIR (8-12_m) that combine IR imaging optics with microbolometer focal plane array (FPA) sensors with readout electronics are becoming more and more a mass market product. At the same time, steady improvements in sensor resolution in the higher priced markets raise the requirement for imaging performance of objectives and the proper alignment between objective and FPA. This puts pressure on camera manufacturers and system integrators to assess the image quality of finished camera modules in a cost-efficient and automated way for quality control or during end-of-line testing. In this paper we present recent development work done in the field of image quality testing of IR camera modules. This technology provides a wealth of additional information in contrast to the more traditional test methods like minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) which give only a subjective overall test result. Parameters that can be measured are image quality via the modulation transfer function (MTF) for broadband or with various bandpass filters on- and off-axis and optical parameters like e.g. effective focal length (EFL) and distortion. If the camera module allows for refocusing the optics, additional parameters like best focus plane, image plane tilt, auto-focus quality, chief ray angle etc. can be characterized. Additionally, the homogeneity and response of the sensor with the optics can be characterized in order to calculate the appropriate tables for non-uniformity correction (NUC). The technology can also be used to control active alignment methods during mechanical assembly of optics to high resolution sensors. Other important points that are discussed are the flexibility of the technology to test IR modules with different form factors, electrical interfaces and last but not least the suitability for fully automated measurements in mass production.

Testing the effects of social anxiety disorder on friendship quality across gender and ethnicity.

PubMed

Rodebaugh, Thomas L; Fernandez, Katya C; Levinson, Cheri A

2012-01-01

Previous research suggests that social anxiety disorder (SAD) has a specific relationship with impairment in friendship quality; however, potential moderators of this relationship have not been tested. The current study examines whether the specific effect of SAD on friendship quality is stable or varies across gender and ethnicity in a large epidemiological dataset. Results indicate that the underlying construct of friendship quality differed slightly but significantly between men and women; as a result, effects of SAD were tested in men and women separately. After partially constraining friendship quality across ethnic groups, our results indicated that the relationship between SAD and friendship quality remained robust in all groups. In addition to replicating the finding that SAD specifically relates to perceived friendship quality, the current study highlights the need to test whether underlying constructs such as friendship quality are consistent across the groups that make up heterogeneous samples.

Improved Quality in Aerospace Testing Through the Modern Design of Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeLoach, R.

2000-01-01

This paper illustrates how, in the presence of systematic error, the quality of an experimental result can be influenced by the order in which the independent variables are set. It is suggested that in typical experimental circumstances in which systematic errors are significant, the common practice of organizing the set point order of independent variables to maximize data acquisition rate results in a test matrix that fails to produce the highest quality research result. With some care to match the volume of data required to satisfy inference error risk tolerances, it is possible to accept a lower rate of data acquisition and still produce results of higher technical quality (lower experimental error) with less cost and in less time than conventional test procedures, simply by optimizing the sequence in which independent variable levels are set.

Testing Teacher Candidates: The Role of Licensure Tests in Improving Teacher Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Karen J., Ed.; Robinson, David Z., Ed.; Plake, Barbara S., Ed.; Knowles, Kaeli T., Ed.

This book examines the appropriateness and technical quality of teacher licensure tests currently in use, evaluating teacher licensure tests and examining the use of tests to hold states and institutions of higher education accountable for the quality of teacher preparation and licensure. It also suggests alternatives for developing and assessing…

Quality index of radiological devices: results of one year of use.

PubMed

Tofani, Alessandro; Imbordino, Patrizia; Lecci, Antonio; Bonannini, Claudia; Del Corona, Alberto; Pizzi, Stefano

2003-01-01

The physical quality index (QI) of radiological devices summarises in a single numerical value between 0 and 1 the results of constancy tests. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the results of the use of such an index on all public radiological devices in the Livorno province over one year. The quality index was calculated for 82 radiological devices of a wide range of types by implementing its algorithm in a spreadsheet-based software for the automatic handling of quality control data. The distribution of quality index values was computed together with the associated statistical quantities. This distribution is strongly asymmetrical, with a sharp peak near the highest QI values. The mean quality index values for the different types of device show some inhomogeneity: in particular, mammography and panoramic dental radiography devices show far lower quality than other devices. In addition, our analysis has identified the parameters that most frequently do not pass the quality tests for each type of device. Finally, we sought some correlation between quality and age of the device, but this was poorly significant. The quality index proved to be a useful tool providing an overview of the physical conditions of radiological devices. By selecting adequate QI threshold values for, it also helps to decide whether a given device should be upgraded or replaced. The identification of critical parameters for each type of device may be used to improve the definition of the QI by attributing greater weights to critical parameters, so as to better address the maintenance of radiological devices.

Testing the Effects of Social Anxiety Disorder on Friendship Quality Across Gender and Ethnicity

PubMed Central

Rodebaugh, Thomas L.; Fernandez, Katya C.; Levinson, Cheri A.

2013-01-01

Previous research suggests that social anxiety disorder has a specific relationship with impairment in friendship quality; however, potential moderators of this relationship have not been tested. The current study examines whether the specific effect of social anxiety disorder on friendship quality is stable or varies across gender and ethnicity in a large epidemiological dataset. Results indicate that the underlying construct of friendship quality differed slightly but significantly between men and women; as a result, effects of social anxiety disorder were tested in men and women separately. After partially constraining friendship quality across ethnic groups, our results indicated that the relationship between social anxiety disorder and friendship quality remained robust in all groups. In addition to replicating the finding that social anxiety disorder specifically relates to perceived friendship quality, the current study highlights the need to test whether underlying constructs such as friendship quality are consistent across the groups that make up heterogeneous samples. PMID:22428540

Quality of prenatal care questionnaire: instrument development and testing.

PubMed

Heaman, Maureen I; Sword, Wendy A; Akhtar-Danesh, Noori; Bradford, Amanda; Tough, Suzanne; Janssen, Patricia A; Young, David C; Kingston, Dawn A; Hutton, Eileen K; Helewa, Michael E

2014-06-03

Utilization indices exist to measure quantity of prenatal care, but currently there is no published instrument to assess quality of prenatal care. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a new instrument, the Quality of Prenatal Care Questionnaire (QPCQ). Data for this instrument development study were collected in five Canadian cities. Items for the QPCQ were generated through interviews with 40 pregnant women and 40 health care providers and a review of prenatal care guidelines, followed by assessment of content validity and rating of importance of items. The preliminary 100-item QPCQ was administered to 422 postpartum women to conduct item reduction using exploratory factor analysis. The final 46-item version of the QPCQ was then administered to another 422 postpartum women to establish its construct validity, and internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Exploratory factor analysis reduced the QPCQ to 46 items, factored into 6 subscales, which subsequently were validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity was also demonstrated using a hypothesis testing approach; there was a significant positive association between women's ratings of the quality of prenatal care and their satisfaction with care (r = 0.81). Convergent validity was demonstrated by a significant positive correlation (r = 0.63) between the "Support and Respect" subscale of the QPCQ and the "Respectfulness/Emotional Support" subscale of the Prenatal Interpersonal Processes of Care instrument. The overall QPCQ had acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.96), as did each of the subscales. The test-retest reliability result (Intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.88) indicated stability of the instrument on repeat administration approximately one week later. Temporal stability testing confirmed that women's ratings of their quality of prenatal care did not change as a result of giving birth or between the early postpartum

Monitoring the Quality of Medicines: Results from Africa, Asia, and South America

PubMed Central

Hajjou, Mustapha; Krech, Laura; Lane-Barlow, Christi; Roth, Lukas; Pribluda, Victor S.; Phanouvong, Souly; El-Hadri, Latifa; Evans, Lawrence; Raymond, Christopher; Yuan, Elaine; Siv, Lang; Vuong, Tuan-Anh; Boateng, Kwasi Poku; Okafor, Regina; Chibwe, Kennedy M.; Lukulay, Patrick H.

2015-01-01

Monitoring the quality of medicines plays a crucial role in an integrated medicines quality assurance system. In a publicly available medicines quality database (MQDB), the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) reports results of data collected from medicines quality monitoring (MQM) activities spanning the period of 2003–2013 in 17 countries of Africa, Asia, and South America. The MQDB contains information on 15,063 samples collected and tested using Minilab® screening methods and/or pharmacopeial methods. Approximately 71% of the samples reported came from Asia, 23% from Africa, and 6% from South America. The samples collected and tested include mainly antibiotic, antimalarial, and antituberculosis medicines. A total of 848 samples, representing 5.6% of total samples, failed the quality test. The failure proportion per region was 11.5%, 10.4%, and 2.9% for South America, Africa, and Asia, respectively. Eighty-one counterfeit medicines were reported, 86.4% of which were found in Asia and 13.6% in Africa. Additional analysis of the data shows the distribution of poor-quality medicines per region and by therapeutic indication as well as possible trends of counterfeit medicines. PMID:25897073

How does study quality affect the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis?

PubMed Central

Westwood, Marie E; Whiting, Penny F; Kleijnen, Jos

2005-01-01

Background The use of systematic literature review to inform evidence based practice in diagnostics is rapidly expanding. Although the primary diagnostic literature is extensive, studies are often of low methodological quality or poorly reported. There has been no rigorously evaluated, evidence based tool to assess the methodological quality of diagnostic studies. The primary objective of this study was to determine the extent to which variations in the quality of primary studies impact the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis and whether this differs with diagnostic test type. A secondary objective was to contribute to the evaluation of QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in diagnostic accuracy studies. Methods This study was conducted as part of large systematic review of tests used in the diagnosis and further investigation of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. All studies included in this review were assessed using QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in systematic reviews of diagnostic accuracy studies. The impact of individual components of QUADAS on a summary measure of diagnostic accuracy was investigated using regression analysis. The review divided the diagnosis and further investigation of UTI into the following three clinical stages: diagnosis of UTI, localisation of infection, and further investigation of the UTI. Each stage used different types of diagnostic test, which were considered to involve different quality concerns. Results Many of the studies included in our review were poorly reported. The proportion of QUADAS items fulfilled was similar for studies in different sections of the review. However, as might be expected, the individual items fulfilled differed between the three clinical stages. Regression analysis found that different items showed a strong association with test performance for the different tests evaluated. These differences were observed both within and between the three

Quality assurance for HIV point-of-care testing and treatment monitoring assays

PubMed Central

Sandstrom, Paul; Denny, Thomas N.; Hurlston, Mackenzie; Ball, Terry B.; Peeling, Rosanna W.; Boeras, Debrah I.

2016-01-01

In 2015, UNAIDS launched the 90-90-90 targets aimed at increasing the number of people infected with HIV to become aware of their status, access antiretroviral therapies and ultimately be virally suppressed. To achieve these goals, countries may need to scale up point-of-care (POC) testing in addition to strengthening central laboratory services. While decentralising testing increases patient access to diagnostics, it presents many challenges with regard to training and assuring the quality of tests and testing. To ensure synergies, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine held a series of consultations with countries with an interest in quality assurance and their implementing partners, and agreed on an external quality assessment (EQA) programme to ensure reliable results so that the results lead to the best possible care for HIV patients. As a result of the consultations, EQA International was established, bringing together EQA providers and implementers to develop a strategic plan for countries to establish national POC EQA programmes and to estimate the cost of setting up and maintaining the programme. With the dramatic increase in the number of proficiency testing panels required for thousands of POC testing sites across Africa, it is important to facilitate technology transfer from global EQA providers to a network of regional EQA centres in Africa for regional proficiency testing panel production. EQA International will continue to identify robust and cost-effective EQA technologies for quality POC testing, integrating novel technologies to support sustainable country-owned EQA programmes in Africa. PMID:28879133

Motion-base simulator results of advanced supersonic transport handling qualities with active controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feather, J. B.; Joshi, D. S.

1981-01-01

Handling qualities of the unaugmented advanced supersonic transport (AST) are deficient in the low-speed, landing approach regime. Consequently, improvement in handling with active control augmentation systems has been achieved using implicit model-following techniques. Extensive fixed-based simulator evaluations were used to validate these systems prior to tests with full motion and visual capabilities on a six-axis motion-base simulator (MBS). These tests compared the handling qualities of the unaugmented AST with several augmented configurations to ascertain the effectiveness of these systems. Cooper-Harper ratings, tracking errors, and control activity data from the MBS tests have been analyzed statistically. The results show the fully augmented AST handling qualities have been improved to an acceptable level.

Evaluation of differences in quality of experience features for test stimuli of good-only and bad-only overall audiovisual quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strohmeier, Dominik; Kunze, Kristina; Göbel, Klemens; Liebetrau, Judith

2013-01-01

Assessing audiovisual Quality of Experience (QoE) is a key element to ensure quality acceptance of today's multimedia products. The use of descriptive evaluation methods allows evaluating QoE preferences and the underlying QoE features jointly. From our previous evaluations on QoE for mobile 3D video we found that mainly one dimension, video quality, dominates the descriptive models. Large variations of the visual video quality in the tests may be the reason for these findings. A new study was conducted to investigate whether test sets of low QoE are described differently than those of high audiovisual QoE. Reanalysis of previous data sets seems to confirm this hypothesis. Our new study consists of a pre-test and a main test, using the Descriptive Sorted Napping method. Data sets of good-only and bad-only video quality were evaluated separately. The results show that the perception of bad QoE is mainly determined one-dimensionally by visual artifacts, whereas the perception of good quality shows multiple dimensions. Here, mainly semantic-related features of the content and affective descriptors are used by the naïve test participants. The results show that, with increasing QoE of audiovisual systems, content semantics and users' a_ective involvement will become important for assessing QoE differences.

Framework and indicator testing protocol for developing and piloting quality indicators for the UK quality and outcomes framework.

PubMed

Campbell, Stephen M; Kontopantelis, Evangelos; Hannon, Kerin; Burke, Martyn; Barber, Annette; Lester, Helen E

2011-08-10

Quality measures should be subjected to a testing protocol before being used in practice using key attributes such as acceptability, feasibility and reliability, as well as identifying issues derived from actual implementation and unintended consequences. We describe the methodologies and results of an indicator testing protocol (ITP) using data from proposed quality indicators for the United Kingdom Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). The indicator testing protocol involved a multi-step and methodological process: 1) The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method, to test clarity and necessity, 2) data extraction from patients' medical records, to test technical feasibility and reliability, 3) diaries, to test workload, 4) cost-effectiveness modelling, and 5) semi-structured interviews, to test acceptability, implementation issues and unintended consequences. Testing was conducted in a sample of representative family practices in England. These methods were combined into an overall recommendation for each tested indicator. Using an indicator testing protocol as part of piloting was seen as a valuable way of testing potential indicators in 'real world' settings. Pilot 1 (October 2009-March 2010) involved thirteen indicators across six clinical domains and twelve indicators passed the indicator testing protocol. However, the indicator testing protocol identified a number of implementation issues and unintended consequences that can be rectified or removed prior to national roll out. A palliative care indicator is used as an exemplar of the value of piloting using a multiple attribute indicator testing protocol - while technically feasible and reliable, it was unacceptable to practice staff and raised concerns about potentially causing actual patient harm. This indicator testing protocol is one example of a protocol that may be useful in assessing potential quality indicators when adapted to specific country health care settings and may be of use to policy-makers and

7 CFR 58.523 - Laboratory and quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Laboratory and quality control tests. 58.523 Section... Service 1 Operations and Operating Procedures § 58.523 Laboratory and quality control tests. (a) Quality control tests shall be made on samples as often as necessary to determine the shelf-life and stability of...

7 CFR 58.523 - Laboratory and quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Laboratory and quality control tests. 58.523 Section... Service 1 Operations and Operating Procedures § 58.523 Laboratory and quality control tests. (a) Quality control tests shall be made on samples as often as necessary to determine the shelf-life and stability of...

7 CFR 58.523 - Laboratory and quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Laboratory and quality control tests. 58.523 Section... Service 1 Operations and Operating Procedures § 58.523 Laboratory and quality control tests. (a) Quality control tests shall be made on samples as often as necessary to determine the shelf-life and stability of...

7 CFR 58.523 - Laboratory and quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Laboratory and quality control tests. 58.523 Section... Service 1 Operations and Operating Procedures § 58.523 Laboratory and quality control tests. (a) Quality control tests shall be made on samples as often as necessary to determine the shelf-life and stability of...

7 CFR 58.523 - Laboratory and quality control tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Laboratory and quality control tests. 58.523 Section... Service 1 Operations and Operating Procedures § 58.523 Laboratory and quality control tests. (a) Quality control tests shall be made on samples as often as necessary to determine the shelf-life and stability of...

Quality assuring HIV point of care testing using whole blood samples.

PubMed

Dare-Smith, Raellene; Badrick, Tony; Cunningham, Philip; Kesson, Alison; Badman, Susan

2016-08-01

The Royal College of Pathologists Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP), have offered dedicated external quality assurance (EQA) for HIV point of care testing (PoCT) since 2011. Prior to this, EQA for these tests was available within the comprehensive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) module. EQA testing for HIV has typically involved the supply of serum or plasma, while in the clinic or community based settings HIV PoCT is generally performed using whole blood obtained by capillary finger-stick collection. RCPAQAP has offered EQA for HIV PoCT using stabilised whole blood since 2014. A total of eight surveys have been undertaken over a period of 2 years from 2014 to 2015. Of the 962 responses received, the overall consensus rate was found to be 98% (941/962). A total of 21 errors were detected. The majority of errors were attributable to false reactive HIV p24 antigen results (9/21, 43%), followed by false reactive HIV antibody results (8/21, 38%). There were 4/21 (19%) false negative HIV antibody results and no false negative HIV p24 antigen results reported. Overall performance was observed to vary minimally between surveys, from a low of 94% up to 99% concordant. Encouraging levels of testing proficiency for HIV PoCT are indicated by these data, but they also confirm the need for HIV PoCT sites to participate in external quality assurance programs to ensure the ongoing provision of high quality patient care. Copyright © 2016 Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. All rights reserved.

Field spectrometer (S191H) preprocessor tape quality test program design document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, H. M.

1976-01-01

Program QA191H performs quality assurance tests on field spectrometer data recorded on 9-track magnetic tape. The quality testing involves the comparison of key housekeeping and data parameters with historic and predetermined tolerance limits. Samples of key parameters are processed during the calibration period and wavelength cal period, and the results are printed out and recorded on an historical file tape.

Seedling quality tests: chlorophyll fluoresence

Treesearch

Gary Ritchie; Thomas D. Landis

2005-01-01

So far in this series we have discussed the most commonly -used seedling quality tests: root growth potential, cold hardiness, and stress resistance. In this issue, we're going to talk about one of the newest test-chlorophyll fluorescence (CF). The technology for measuring CF has been in place for over 50 years but has been applied to tr?e seedling physiology only...

Dispositional optimism and sleep quality: a test of mediating pathways.

PubMed

Uchino, Bert N; Cribbet, Matthew; de Grey, Robert G Kent; Cronan, Sierra; Trettevik, Ryan; Smith, Timothy W

2017-04-01

Dispositional optimism has been related to beneficial influences on physical health outcomes. However, its links to global sleep quality and the psychological mediators responsible for such associations are less studied. This study thus examined if trait optimism predicted global sleep quality, and if measures of subjective well-being were statistical mediators of such links. A community sample of 175 participants (93 men, 82 women) completed measures of trait optimism, depression, and life satisfaction. Global sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results indicated that trait optimism was a strong predictor of better PSQI global sleep quality. Moreover, this association was mediated by depression and life satisfaction in both single and multiple mediator models. These results highlight the importance of optimism for the restorative process of sleep, as well as the utility of multiple mediator models in testing distinct psychological pathways.

Naturalness and interestingness of test images for visual quality evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halonen, Raisa; Westman, Stina; Oittinen, Pirkko

2011-01-01

Balanced and representative test images are needed to study perceived visual quality in various application domains. This study investigates naturalness and interestingness as image quality attributes in the context of test images. Taking a top-down approach we aim to find the dimensions which constitute naturalness and interestingness in test images and the relationship between these high-level quality attributes. We compare existing collections of test images (e.g. Sony sRGB images, ISO 12640 images, Kodak images, Nokia images and test images developed within our group) in an experiment combining quality sorting and structured interviews. Based on the data gathered we analyze the viewer-supplied criteria for naturalness and interestingness across image types, quality levels and judges. This study advances our understanding of subjective image quality criteria and enables the validation of current test images, furthering their development.

Paper Test Cards for Presumptive Testing of Very Low Quality Antimalarial Medications

PubMed Central

Weaver, Abigail A.; Lieberman, Marya

2015-01-01

Carrying out chemical analysis of antimalarials to detect low-quality medications before they reach a patient is a costly venture. Here, we show that a library of chemical color tests embedded on a paper card can presumptively identify formulations corresponding to very low quality antimalarial drugs. The presence or absence of chloroquine (CQ), doxycycline (DOX), quinine, sulfadoxine, pyrimethamine, and primaquine antimalarial medications, in addition to fillers used in low-quality pharmaceuticals, are indicated by patterns of colors that are generated on the test cards. Test card sensitivity for detection of these pure components ranges from 90% to 100% with no false positives in the absence of pharmaceutical. The color intensities from reactions characteristic of CQ or DOX allowed visual detection of formulations of these medications cut with 60% or 100% filler, although samples cut with 30% filler could not be reliably detected colorimetrically. However, the addition of unexpected fillers, even in 30% quantities, or substitute pharmaceuticals, could sometimes be detected by other color reactions on the test cards. Tests are simple and inexpensive enough to be carried out in clinics, pharmacies, and ports of entry and could provide a screening method to presumptively indicate very low quality medicines throughout the supply chain. PMID:25897064

Applicability of ambient toxicity testing to national or regional water-quality assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elder, John F.

1990-01-01

Comprehensive assessment of the quality of natural waters requires a multifaceted approach. Descriptions of existing conditions may be achieved by various kinds of chemical and hydrologic analyses, whereas information about the effects of such conditions on living organisms depends on biological monitoring. Toxicity testing is one type of biological monitoring that can be used to identify possible effects of toxic contaminants. Based on experimentation designed to monitor responses of organisms to environmental stresses, toxicity testing may have diverse purposes in water-quality assessments. These purposes may include identification of areas that warrant further study because of poor water quality or unusual ecological features, verification of other types of monitoring, or assessment of contaminant effects on aquatic communities. Toxicity-test results are most effective when used as a complement to chemical analyses, hydrologic measurements, and other biological monitoring. However, all toxicity-testing procedures have certain limitations that must be considered in developing the methodology and applications of toxicity testing in any large-scale water-quality-assessment program. A wide variety of toxicity-test methods have been developed to fulfill the needs of diverse applications. The methods differ primarily in the selections made relative to four characteristics: (1) test species, (2) endpoint (acute or chronic), (3) test-enclosure type, and (4) test substance (toxicant) that functions as the environmental stress. Toxicity-test approaches vary in their capacity to meet the needs of large-scale assessments of existing water quality. Ambient testing, whereby the test organism is exposed to naturally occurring substances that contain toxicant mixtures in an organic or inorganic matrix, is more likely to meet these needs than are procedures that call for exposure of the test organisms to known concentrations of a single toxicant. However, meaningful

ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: external quality assessment and comparative testing for reference and in-clinic laboratories.

PubMed

Camus, Melinda S; Flatland, Bente; Freeman, Kathleen P; Cruz Cardona, Janice A

2015-12-01

The purpose of this document is to educate providers of veterinary laboratory diagnostic testing in any setting about comparative testing. These guidelines will define, explain, and illustrate the importance of a multi-faceted laboratory quality management program which includes comparative testing. The guidelines will provide suggestions for implementation of such testing, including which samples should be tested, frequency of testing, and recommendations for result interpretation. Examples and a list of vendors and manufacturers supplying control materials and services to veterinary laboratories are also included. © 2015 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Examining the Impact of Covariates on Anchor Tests to Ascertain Quality over Time in a College Admissions Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiberg, Marie; von Davier, Alina A.

2017-01-01

We propose a comprehensive procedure for the implementation of a quality control process of anchor tests for a college admissions test with multiple consecutive administrations. We propose to examine the anchor tests and their items in connection with covariates to investigate if there was any unusual behavior in the anchor test results over time…

Diagnostic performance of serological assays for anti-HBs testing: Results from a quality assessment program.

PubMed

Raven, Stijn; Hautvast, Jeannine; Steenbergen, Jim van; Akkermans, Reinier; Weykamp, Cas; Smits, Francis; Hoebe, Christian; Vossen, Ann

2017-02-01

Post-vaccination testing after hepatitis B vaccination is indispensable to evaluate long-term immunological protection. Using a threshold level of antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) to define serological protection, implies reproducible and valid measurements of different diagnostic assays. In this study we assess the performance of currently used anti-HBs assays. In 2013, 45 laboratories participated in an external quality assessment program using pooled anti-HBs serum samples around the cutoff values 10IU/l and 100IU/l. Laboratories used either Axsym (Abbott Laboratories), Architect (Abbott Laboratories), Access (Beckman-Coulter), ADVIA Centaur anti-HBs2 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics), Elecsys, Modular or Cobas (Roche Diagnostics) or Vidas Total Quick (Biomerieux) for anti-HBs titre quantification. We analysed covariance using mixed-model repeated measures. To assess sensitivity/specificity and agreement, a true positive or true negative result was defined as an anti-HBs titre respectively above or below the cutoff value by ≥4 of 6 assays. Different anti-HBs assays were associated with statistically significant (P<0.05) differences in anti-HBs titres in all dilutions. Sensitivity and specificity ranged respectively from 64%-100% and 95%-100%. Agreement between assays around an anti-HBs titre cutoff value of 10IU/l ranged from 93%-100% and was 44% for a cutoff value of 100IU/l. Around a cutoff value of 10IU/l use of the Access assay may result in false-negative results. Concerning the cutoff value of 100IU/l, a sample being classified below or above this cutoff relied heavily on the specific assay used, with both the Architect and the Access resulting in false-negative results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dispositional optimism and sleep quality: a test of mediating pathways

PubMed Central

Cribbet, Matthew; Kent de Grey, Robert G.; Cronan, Sierra; Trettevik, Ryan; Smith, Timothy W.

2016-01-01

Dispositional optimism has been related to beneficial influences on physical health outcomes. However, its links to global sleep quality and the psychological mediators responsible for such associations are less studied. This study thus examined if trait optimism predicted global sleep quality, and if measures of subjective well-being were statistical mediators of such links. A community sample of 175 participants (93 men, 82 women) completed measures of trait optimism, depression, and life satisfaction. Global sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results indicated that trait optimism was a strong predictor of better PSQI global sleep quality. Moreover, this association was mediated by depression and life satisfaction in both single and multiple mediator models. These results highlight the importance of optimism for the restorative process of sleep, as well as the utility of multiple mediator models in testing distinct psychological pathways. PMID:27592128

Iowa Central Quality Fuel Testing Laboratory

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

Heach, Don; Bidieman, Julaine

2013-09-30

The objective of this project is to finalize the creation of an independent quality fuel testing laboratory on the campus of Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa that shall provide the exploding biofuels industry a timely and cost-effective centrally located laboratory to complete all state and federal fuel and related tests that are required. The recipient shall work with various state regulatory agencies, biofuel companies and state and national industry associations to ensure that training and testing needs of their members and American consumers are met. The recipient shall work with the Iowa Department of Ag and Landmore » Stewardship on the development of an Iowa Biofuel Quality Standard along with the Development of a standard that can be used throughout industry.« less

Segments from red blood cell units should not be used for quality testing.

PubMed

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

2014-02-01

Nondestructive testing of blood components could permit in-process quality control and reduce discards. Tubing segments, generated during red blood cell (RBC) component production, were tested to determine their suitability as a sample source for quality testing. Leukoreduced RBC components were produced from whole blood (WB) by two different methods: WB filtration and buffy coat (BC). Components and their corresponding segments were tested on Days 5 and 42 of hypothermic storage (HS) for spun hematocrit (Hct), hemoglobin (Hb) content, percentage hemolysis, hematologic indices, and adenosine triphosphate concentration to determine whether segment quality represents unit quality. Segment samples overestimated hemolysis on Days 5 and 42 of HS in both BC- and WB filtration-produced RBCs (p < 0.001 for all). Hct and Hb levels in the segments were also significantly different from the units at both time points for both production methods (p < 0.001 for all). Indeed, for all variables tested different results were obtained from segment and unit samples, and these differences were not consistent across production methods. The quality of samples from tubing segments is not representative of the quality of the corresponding RBC unit. Segments are not suitable surrogates with which to assess RBC quality. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks.

21 CFR 640.56 - Quality control test for potency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... quality control test for potency may be performed by a clinical laboratory which meets the standards of... 21 Food and Drugs 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Quality control test for potency. 640.56 Section...) BIOLOGICS ADDITIONAL STANDARDS FOR HUMAN BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCTS Cryoprecipitate § 640.56 Quality control...

"We'll call you when the results are in": Preferences for how medical test results are delivered.

PubMed

Dooley, Michael D; Burreal, Shay; Sweeny, Kate

2017-02-01

Whether healthy or sick, adults undergo frequent medical testing; however, no guidelines currently exist as to how patients are informed of their medical test results. This short report provides an initial look at how healthcare professionals deliver medical test results and patient preferences regarding these procedures. We specifically focus on two options for delivery of results: (1) open-ended timing, in which patients are contacted without warning when test results become available; or (2) closed-ended timing, in which patients are provided with a specific day and time when they will learn their test results. Participants who underwent a recent medical test indicated which delivery method their healthcare professional provided and their preferred method. Findings demonstrate a large discrepancy between actual and preferred timing, stemming from a general trend towards providing open-ended timing, whereas patient preferences were evenly split between the two options. This study provides a first step in understanding the merits of two options for delivering medical test results to patients and suggests an opportunity to improve patient care. The findings from this study provide first steps toward the development of guidelines for delivering test results in ways that maximize the quality of patient care. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A routine quality assurance test for CT automatic exposure control systems.

PubMed

Iball, Gareth R; Moore, Alexis C; Crawford, Elizabeth J

2016-07-08

The study purpose was to develop and validate a quality assurance test for CT automatic exposure control (AEC) systems based on a set of nested polymethylmethacrylate CTDI phantoms. The test phantom was created by offsetting the 16 cm head phantom within the 32 cm body annulus, thus creating a three part phantom. This was scanned at all acceptance, routine, and some nonroutine quality assurance visits over a period of 45 months, resulting in 115 separate AEC tests on scanners from four manufacturers. For each scan the longitudinal mA modulation pattern was generated and measurements of image noise were made in two annular regions of interest. The scanner displayed CTDIvol and DLP were also recorded. The impact of a range of AEC configurations on dose and image quality were assessed at acceptance testing. For systems that were tested more than once, the percentage of CTDIvol values exceeding 5%, 10%, and 15% deviation from baseline was 23.4%, 12.6%, and 8.1% respectively. Similarly, for the image noise data, deviations greater than 2%, 5%, and 10% from baseline were 26.5%, 5.9%, and 2%, respectively. The majority of CTDIvol and noise deviations greater than 15% and 5%, respectively, could be explained by incorrect phantom setup or protocol selection. Barring these results, CTDIvol deviations of greater than 15% from baseline were found in 0.9% of tests and noise deviations greater than 5% from baseline were found in 1% of tests. The phantom was shown to be sensitive to changes in AEC setup, including the use of 3D, longitudinal or rotational tube current modulation. This test methodology allows for continuing performance assessment of CT AEC systems, and we recommend that this test should become part of routine CT quality assurance programs. Tolerances of ± 15% for CTDIvol and ± 5% for image noise relative to baseline values should be used. © 2016 The Authors

A Systems Engineering Approach to Quality Assurance for Aerospace Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, Christena C.

2015-01-01

On the surface, it appears that AS91001 has little to say about how to apply a Quality Management System (QMS) to major aerospace test programs (or even smaller ones). It also appears that there is little in the quality engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK)2 that applies to testing, unless it is nondestructive examination (NDE), or some type of lab or bench testing associated with the manufacturing process. However, if one examines: a) how the systems engineering (SE) processes are implemented throughout a test program; and b) how these SE processes can be mapped to the requirements of AS9100, a number of areas for involvement of the quality professional are revealed. What often happens is that quality assurance during a test program is limited to inspections of the test article; what could be considered a manufacturing al fresco approach. This limits the quality professional and is a disservice to the programs and projects, since there are a number of ways that quality can enhance critical processes, and support efforts to improve risk reduction, efficiency and effectiveness.

Langley Wind Tunnel Data Quality Assurance-Check Standard Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hemsch, Michael J.; Grubb, John P.; Krieger, William B.; Cler, Daniel L.

2000-01-01

A framework for statistical evaluation, control and improvement of wind funnel measurement processes is presented The methodology is adapted from elements of the Measurement Assurance Plans developed by the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) for standards and calibration laboratories. The present methodology is based on the notions of statistical quality control (SQC) together with check standard testing and a small number of customer repeat-run sets. The results of check standard and customer repeat-run -sets are analyzed using the statistical control chart-methods of Walter A. Shewhart long familiar to the SQC community. Control chart results are presented for. various measurement processes in five facilities at Langley Research Center. The processes include test section calibration, force and moment measurements with a balance, and instrument calibration.

Internal quality control in serological tests for syphilis.

PubMed Central

Wasley, G D

1985-01-01

The importance of syphilis serological tests demands that laboratory reports are reliable. Internal quality control applied to the organisation of a syphilis serology service improves laboratory bench performance and reporting. Described here are internal quality control procedures of a department that serves a genitourinary medicine clinic and conducts 70 000 tests a year to investigate for syphilis. PMID:3884487

Test results on reuse of reclaimed shower water - A summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verostko, Charles E.; Garcia, Rafael; Sauer, Richard; Reysa, Richard P.; Linton, Arthur T.

1989-01-01

Results are presented from tests to evaluate a microgravity whole body shower and waste water recovery system design for possible use on the Space Station. Several water recovery methods were tested, including phase change distillation, a thermoelectric hollow fiber membrane evaporation subsystem, and a reverse osmosis dynamic membrane system. Consideration is given to the test hardware, the types of soaps evaluated, the human response to showering with reclaimed water, chemical treatment for microbial control, the procedures for providing hygienic water, and the quality of water produced by the systems. All three of the waste water recovery systems tested successfully produced reclaimed water for reuse.

Applicability of ambient toxicity testing to national or regional water-quality assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elder, J.F.

1989-01-01

Comprehensive assessment of the quality of natural waters requires a multifaceted approach. Based on experimentation designed to monitor responses of organisms to environmental stresses, toxicity testing may have diverse purposes in water quality assessments. These purposes may include identification that warrant further study because of poor water quality or unusual ecological features, verification of other types of monitoring, or assessment of contaminant effects on aquatic communities. A wide variety of toxicity test methods have been developed to fulfill the needs of diverse applications. The methods differ primarily in the full selections made relative to four characteristics: (1) test species, (2) endpoints (acute or chronic), (3) test enclosure type, and (4) test substance (toxicant) that functions as the environmental stress. Toxicity test approachs vary in their capacity to meet the needs of large-scale assessments of existing water quality. Ambient testing is more likely to meet these needs than are the procedures that call for exposure of the test organisms to known concentrations of a single toxicant. However, meaningful interpretation of ambient test results depend on the existence of accompanying chemical analysis of the ambient media. The ambient test substance may be water or sediments. Sediment tests have had limited application, but they are useful because of the fact that most toxicants tend to accumulate in sediments, and many test species either inhabit the sediments or are in frequent contact with them. Biochemical testing methods, which have been developing rapidly in recent years, are likely to be among the most useful procedures for large-scale water quality assessments. They are relatively rapid and simple, and more importantly, they focus on biochemical changes that are the initial responses of virtually all organisms to environmental stimuli. Most species are sensitive to relatively few toxicants and their sensitivities vary as

ATM Quality of Service Tests for Digitized Video Using ATM Over Satellite: Laboratory Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.; Brooks, David E.; Frantz, Brian D.

1997-01-01

A digitized video application was used to help determine minimum quality of service parameters for asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) over satellite. For these tests, binomially distributed and other errors were digitally inserted in an intermediate frequency link via a satellite modem and a commercial gaussian noise generator. In this paper, the relation- ship between the ATM cell error and cell loss parameter specifications is discussed with regard to this application. In addition, the video-encoding algorithms, test configurations, and results are presented in detail.

Development and Testing of a Nuclear Quality Assurance/Quality Control Technician Curriculum. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espy, John; And Others

A project was conducted to field test selected first- and second-year courses in a postsecondary nuclear quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) technician curriculum and to develop the teaching/learning modules for seven technical specialty courses remaining in the QA/QC technician curriculum. The field testing phase of the project involved the…

Quality of HIV Testing Data Before and After the Implementation of a National Data Quality Assessment and Feedback System.

PubMed

Beltrami, John; Wang, Guoshen; Usman, Hussain R; Lin, Lillian S

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented a national data quality assessment and feedback system for CDC-funded HIV testing program data. Our objective was to analyze data quality before and after feedback. Coinciding with required quarterly data submissions to CDC, each health department received data quality feedback reports and a call with CDC to discuss the reports. Data from 2008 to 2011 were analyzed. Fifty-nine state and local health departments that were funded for comprehensive HIV prevention services. Data collected by a service provider in conjunction with a client receiving HIV testing. National data quality assessment and feedback system. Before and after intervention implementation, quality was assessed through the number of new test records reported and the percentage of data values that were neither missing nor invalid. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the effect of feedback in improving the completeness of variables. Data were included from 44 health departments. The average number of new records per submission period increased from 197 907 before feedback implementation to 497 753 afterward. Completeness was high before and after feedback for race/ethnicity (99.3% vs 99.3%), current test results (99.1% vs 99.7%), prior testing and results (97.4% vs 97.7%), and receipt of results (91.4% vs 91.2%). Completeness improved for HIV risk (83.6% vs 89.5%), linkage to HIV care (56.0% vs 64.0%), referral to HIV partner services (58.9% vs 62.8%), and referral to HIV prevention services (55.3% vs 63.9%). Calls as part of feedback were associated with improved completeness for HIV risk (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75-2.96), linkage to HIV care (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI, 1.31-1.96), referral to HIV partner services (AOR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.43-2.09), and referral to HIV prevention services (AOR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.43-2.10). Feedback contributed to increased data quality. CDC and

Can Sanitary Surveys Replace Water Quality Testing? Evidence from Kisii, Kenya.

PubMed

Misati, Aaron Gichaba; Ogendi, George; Peletz, Rachel; Khush, Ranjiv; Kumpel, Emily

2017-02-07

Information about the quality of rural drinking water sources can be used to manage their safety and mitigate risks to health. Sanitary surveys, which are observational checklists to assess hazards present at water sources, are simpler to conduct than microbial tests. We assessed whether sanitary survey results were associated with measured indicator bacteria levels in rural drinking water sources in Kisii Central, Kenya. Overall, thermotolerant coliform (TTC) levels were high: all of the samples from the 20 tested dug wells, almost all (95%) of the samples from the 25 tested springs, and 61% of the samples from the 16 tested rainwater harvesting systems were contaminated with TTC. There were no significant associations between TTC levels and overall sanitary survey scores or their individual components. Contamination by TTC was associated with source type (dug wells and springs were more contaminated than rainwater systems). While sanitary surveys cannot be substituted for microbial water quality results in this context, they could be used to identify potential hazards and contribute to a comprehensive risk management approach.

Can Sanitary Surveys Replace Water Quality Testing? Evidence from Kisii, Kenya

PubMed Central

Misati, Aaron Gichaba; Ogendi, George; Peletz, Rachel; Khush, Ranjiv; Kumpel, Emily

2017-01-01

Information about the quality of rural drinking water sources can be used to manage their safety and mitigate risks to health. Sanitary surveys, which are observational checklists to assess hazards present at water sources, are simpler to conduct than microbial tests. We assessed whether sanitary survey results were associated with measured indicator bacteria levels in rural drinking water sources in Kisii Central, Kenya. Overall, thermotolerant coliform (TTC) levels were high: all of the samples from the 20 tested dug wells, almost all (95%) of the samples from the 25 tested springs, and 61% of the samples from the 16 tested rainwater harvesting systems were contaminated with TTC. There were no significant associations between TTC levels and overall sanitary survey scores or their individual components. Contamination by TTC was associated with source type (dug wells and springs were more contaminated than rainwater systems). While sanitary surveys cannot be substituted for microbial water quality results in this context, they could be used to identify potential hazards and contribute to a comprehensive risk management approach. PMID:28178226

Predicting rheological behavior and baking quality of wheat flour using a GlutoPeak test.

PubMed

Rakita, Slađana; Dokić, Ljubica; Dapčević Hadnađev, Tamara; Hadnađev, Miroslav; Torbica, Aleksandra

2018-06-01

The purpose of this research was to gain an insight into the ability of the GlutoPeak instrument to predict flour functionality for bread making, as well as to determine which of the GlutoPeak parameters show the best potential in predicting dough rheological behavior and baking performance. Obtained results showed that GlutoPeak parameters correlated better with the indices of extensional rheological tests which consider constant dough hydration than with those which were performed at constant dough consistency. The GlutoPeak test showed that it is suitable for discriminating wheat varieties of good quality from those of poor quality, while the most discriminating index was maximum torque (MT). Moreover, MT value of 50 BU and aggregation energy value of 1,300 GPU were set as limits of wheat flour quality. The backward stepwise regression analysis revealed that a high-level prediction of indices which are highly affected by protein content (gluten content, flour water absorption, and dough tenacity) was achieved by using the GlutoPeak indices. Concerning bread quality, a moderate prediction of specific loaf volume and an intense level prediction of breadcrumb textural properties were accomplished by using the GlutoPeak parameters. The presented results indicated that the application of this quick test in wheat transformation chain for the assessment of baking quality would be useful. Baking test is considered as the most reliable method for assessing wheat-baking quality. However, baking test requires trained stuff, time, and large sample amount. These disadvantages have led to a growing demand to develop new rapid tests which would enable prediction of baked product quality with a limited flour size. Therefore, we tested the possibility of using a GlutoPeak tester to predict loaf volume and breadcrumb textural properties. Discrimination of wheat varieties according to quality with a restricted flour amount was also examined. Furthermore, we proposed the limit

Does quantity generate quality? Testing the fundamental principle of brainstorming.

PubMed

Muñoz Adánez, Alfredo

2005-11-01

The purpose of this work is to test the chief principle of brainstorming, formulated as "quantity generates quality." The study is included within a broad program whose goal is to detect the strong and weak points of creative techniques. In a sample of 69 groups, containing between 3 and 8 members, the concurrence of two commonly accepted criteria was established as a quality rule: originality and utility or value. The results fully support the quantity-quality relation (r = .893): the more ideas produced to solve a problem, the better quality of the ideas. The importance of this finding, which supports Osborn's theory, is discussed, and the use of brainstorming is recommended to solve the many open problems faced by our society.

Investigating the Quality of Teacher-Produced Tests for EFL Students and the Effects of Training in Test Development Principles and Practices on Improving Test Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coniam, David

2009-01-01

This paper examines the quality of tests that Hong Kong teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) produce for their own EFL students. The paper examines the effects on graduate teachers of a language testing programme where participants produced objective tests, proceeding through the stages of test specification, moderation, and item…

Portable Imagery Quality Assessment Test Field for Uav Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dąbrowski, R.; Jenerowicz, A.

2015-08-01

Nowadays the imagery data acquired from UAV sensors are the main source of all data used in various remote sensing applications, photogrammetry projects and in imagery intelligence (IMINT) as well as in other tasks as decision support. Therefore quality assessment of such imagery is an important task. The research team from Military University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Geodesy Institute, Department of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry has designed and prepared special test field- The Portable Imagery Quality Assessment Test Field (PIQuAT) that provides quality assessment in field conditions of images obtained with sensors mounted on UAVs. The PIQuAT consists of 6 individual segments, when combined allow for determine radiometric, spectral and spatial resolution of images acquired from UAVs. All segments of the PIQuAT can be used together in various configurations or independently. All elements of The Portable Imagery Quality Assessment Test Field were tested in laboratory conditions in terms of their radiometry and spectral reflectance characteristics.

Sleep quality and duration are associated with performance in maximal incremental test.

PubMed

Antunes, B M; Campos, E Z; Parmezzani, S S; Santos, R V; Franchini, E; Lira, F S

2017-08-01

Inadequate sleep patterns may be considered a trigger to development of several metabolic diseases. Additionally, sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality can negatively impact performance in exercise training. However, the impact of sleep duration and sleep quality on performance during incremental maximal test performed by healthy men is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to analyze the association between sleep pattern (duration and quality) and performance during maximal incremental test in healthy male individuals. A total of 28 healthy males volunteered to take part in the study. Sleep quality, sleep duration and physical activity were subjectively assessed by questionnaires. Sleep pattern was classified by sleep duration (>7h or <7h of sleep per night) and sleep quality according to the sum of measured points and/or scores by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Incremental exercise test was performed at 35 watts for untrained subjects, 70 watts for physically active subjects and 105 watts for well-trained subjects. HR max was correlated with sleep quality (r=0.411, p=0.030) and sleep duration (r=-0.430, p=0.022). Participants reporting good sleep quality presented higher values of W max , VO 2max and lower values of HR max when compared to participants with altered sleep. Regarding sleep duration, only W max was influenced by the amount of sleeping hours per night and this association remained significant even after adjustment by VO 2max . Sleep duration and quality are associated, at least in part, with performance during maximal incremental test among healthy men, with losses in W max and HR max . In addition, our results suggest that the relationship between sleep patterns and performance, mainly in W max , is independent of fitness condition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Analysis of the results of the SEIMC External Quality Control Program. Year 2013].

PubMed

de Gopegui Bordes, Enrique Ruiz; Orta Mira, Nieves; Del Remedio Guna Serrano, M; Medina González, Rafael; Rosario Ovies, María; Poveda, Marta; Gimeno Cardona, Concepción

2015-07-01

The External Quality Control Program of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) include controls for bacteriology, serology, mycology, parasitology, mycobacteria, virology, molecular microbiology and HIV-1, HCV and HBV viral loads. This manuscript presents the analysis of results obtained of the participants from the 2013 SEIMC External Quality Control Programme, except viral loads controls, that they are summarized in a manuscript abroad. As a whole, the results obtained in 2013 confirm the excellent skill and good technical standards found in previous editions. However, erroneous results can be obtained in any laboratory and in clinically relevant determinations. Once again, the results of this program highlighted the need to implement both internal and external controls in order to assure the maximal quality of the microbiological tests. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Results from raw milk microbiological tests do not predict the shelf-life performance of commercially pasteurized fluid milk.

PubMed

Martin, N H; Ranieri, M L; Murphy, S C; Ralyea, R D; Wiedmann, M; Boor, K J

2011-03-01

Analytical tools that accurately predict the performance of raw milk following its manufacture into commercial food products are of economic interest to the dairy industry. To evaluate the ability of currently applied raw milk microbiological tests to predict the quality of commercially pasteurized fluid milk products, samples of raw milk and 2% fat pasteurized milk were obtained from 4 New York State fluid milk processors for a 1-yr period. Raw milk samples were examined using a variety of tests commonly applied to raw milk, including somatic cell count, standard plate count, psychrotrophic bacteria count, ropy milk test, coliform count, preliminary incubation count, laboratory pasteurization count, and spore pasteurization count. Differential and selective media were used to identify groups of bacteria present in raw milk. Pasteurized milk samples were held at 6°C for 21 d and evaluated for standard plate count, coliform count, and sensory quality throughout shelf-life. Bacterial isolates from select raw and pasteurized milk tests were identified using 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. Linear regression analysis of raw milk test results versus results reflecting pasteurized milk quality consistently showed low R(2) values (<0.45); the majority of R(2) values were <0.25, indicating small relationship between the results from the raw milk tests and results from tests used to evaluate pasteurized milk quality. Our findings suggest the need for new raw milk tests that measure the specific biological barriers that limit shelf-life and quality of fluid milk products. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Systems Engineering Approach to Quality Assurance for Aerospace Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, Christena C.

2014-01-01

On the surface, it appears that AS9100 has little to say about how to apply a Quality Management System (QMS) to major aerospace test programs (or even smaller ones). It also appears that there is little in the quality engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK) that applies to testing, unless it is nondestructive examination (NDE), or some type of lab or bench testing associated with the manufacturing process. However, if one examines: a) how the systems engineering (SE) processes are implemented throughout a test program; and b) how these SE processes can be mapped to the requirements of AS9100, a number of areas for involvement of the quality professional are revealed. What often happens is that quality assurance during a test program is limited to inspections of the test article; what could be considered a manufacturing al fresco approach. This limits the quality professional and is a disservice to the programs and projects, since there are a number of ways that quality can enhance critical processes, and support efforts to improve risk reduction, efficiency and effectiveness. The Systems Engineering (SE) discipline is widely used in aerospace to ensure the progress from Stakeholder Expectations (the President, Congress, the taxpayers) to a successful, delivered product or service. Although this is well known, what is not well known is that these same SE processes are implemented in varying complexity, to prepare for and implement test projects that support research, development, verification and validation, qualification, and acceptance test projects. Although the test organization's terminology may vary from the SE terminology, and from one test service provider to another, the basic process is followed by successful, reliable testing organizations. For this analysis, NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 7123.1, NASA Systems Engineering Processes and Requirements is used to illustrate the SE processes that are used for major aerospace testing. Many of these processes

Delivering safe and effective test-result communication, management and follow-up: a mixed-methods study protocol.

PubMed

Dahm, Maria R; Georgiou, Andrew; Westbrook, Johanna I; Greenfield, David; Horvath, Andrea R; Wakefield, Denis; Li, Ling; Hillman, Ken; Bolton, Patrick; Brown, Anthony; Jones, Graham; Herkes, Robert; Lindeman, Robert; Legg, Michael; Makeham, Meredith; Moses, Daniel; Badmus, Dauda; Campbell, Craig; Hardie, Rae-Anne; Li, Julie; McCaughey, Euan; Sezgin, Gorkem; Thomas, Judith; Wabe, Nasir

2018-02-15

The failure to follow-up pathology and medical imaging test results poses patient-safety risks which threaten the effectiveness, quality and safety of patient care. The objective of this project is to: (1) improve the effectiveness and safety of test-result management through the establishment of clear governance processes of communication, responsibility and accountability; (2) harness health information technology (IT) to inform and monitor test-result management; (3) enhance the contribution of consumers to the establishment of safe and effective test-result management systems. This convergent mixed-methods project triangulates three multistage studies at seven adult hospitals and one paediatric hospital in Australia.Study 1 adopts qualitative research approaches including semistructured interviews, focus groups and ethnographic observations to gain a better understanding of test-result communication and management practices in hospitals, and to identify patient-safety risks which require quality-improvement interventions.Study 2 analyses linked sets of routinely collected healthcare data to examine critical test-result thresholds and test-result notification processes. A controlled before-and-after study across three emergency departments will measure the impact of interventions (including the use of IT) developed to improve the safety and quality of test-result communication and management processes.Study 3 adopts a consumer-driven approach, including semistructured interviews, and the convening of consumer-reference groups and community forums. The qualitative data will identify mechanisms to enhance the role of consumers in test-management governance processes, and inform the direction of the research and the interpretation of findings. Ethical approval has been granted by the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee and Macquarie University. Findings will be disseminated in academic, industry and consumer journals

Providing predictive testing for Huntington disease via telehealth: results of a pilot study in British Columbia, Canada.

PubMed

Hawkins, A K; Creighton, S; Ho, A; McManus, B; Hayden, M R

2013-07-01

Predictive testing (PT) for Huntington disease (HD) usually requires several in-person appointments which acts as a barrier to testing for those from remote regions. This pilot study reports the use of telehealth PT to examine whether such telehealth testing improves access to HD PT while maintaining quality of care and support. Individuals underwent PT via the telehealth protocol or standard in-person protocol and were asked to complete surveys regarding their experience. Results reveal no significant differences between the in-person-tested and telehealth-tested groups with respect to quality of care, information, counselling and support. The majority of participants in both groups stated that pre-test counselling had provided them with sufficient knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of undergoing testing, the opportunity to ask questions, and the ability to make an informed decision. The majority of participants in both groups were satisfied by the manner in which results were delivered and stated they had received sufficient information regarding the implications of these results. This study reveals that telehealth PT improves access while maintaining quality of care and support. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Measuring the quality-of-life effects of diagnostic and screening tests.

PubMed

Swan, J Shannon; Miksad, Rebecca A

2009-08-01

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is a central concept for understanding the outcomes of medical care. When used in cost-effectiveness analysis, HRQL is typically measured for conditions persisting over long time frames (years), and quality-adjusted life year (QALY) values are generated. Consequently, years are the basic unit of time for cost-effectiveness analysis results: dollars spent per QALY gained. However, shorter term components of health care may also affect HRQL, and there is increased interest in measuring and accounting for these events. In radiology, the short-term HRQL effects of screening and diagnostic testing may affect a test's cost-effectiveness, even though they may only last for days. The unique challenge in radiology HRQL assessment is to realistically tap into the testing and screening experience while remaining consistent with QALY theory. The authors review HRQL assessment and highlight methods developed to specifically address the short-term effects of radiologic screening and testing.

Instrumental intelligent test of food sensory quality as mimic of human panel test combining multiple cross-perception sensors and data fusion.

PubMed

Ouyang, Qin; Zhao, Jiewen; Chen, Quansheng

2014-09-02

Instrumental test of food quality using perception sensors instead of human panel test is attracting massive attention recently. A novel cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion imitating multiple mammal perception was proposed for the instrumental test in this work. First, three mimic sensors of electronic eye, electronic nose and electronic tongue were used in sequence for data acquisition of rice wine samples. Then all data from the three different sensors were preprocessed and merged. Next, three cross-perception variables i.e., color, aroma and taste, were constructed using principal components analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) which were used as the input of models. MLR, back-propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) and support vector machine (SVM) were comparatively used for modeling, and the instrumental test was achieved for the comprehensive quality of samples. Results showed the proposed cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion presented obvious superiority to the traditional data fusion methodologies, also achieved a high correlation coefficient (>90%) with the human panel test results. This work demonstrated that the instrumental test based on the cross-perception multi-sensors data fusion can actually mimic the human test behavior, therefore is of great significance to ensure the quality of products and decrease the loss of the manufacturers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial regression test for ensuring temperature data quality in southern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estévez, J.; Gavilán, P.; García-Marín, A. P.

2018-01-01

Quality assurance of meteorological data is crucial for ensuring the reliability of applications and models that use such data as input variables, especially in the field of environmental sciences. Spatial validation of meteorological data is based on the application of quality control procedures using data from neighbouring stations to assess the validity of data from a candidate station (the station of interest). These kinds of tests, which are referred to in the literature as spatial consistency tests, take data from neighbouring stations in order to estimate the corresponding measurement at the candidate station. These estimations can be made by weighting values according to the distance between the stations or to the coefficient of correlation, among other methods. The test applied in this study relies on statistical decision-making and uses a weighting based on the standard error of the estimate. This paper summarizes the results of the application of this test to maximum, minimum and mean temperature data from the Agroclimatic Information Network of Andalusia (southern Spain). This quality control procedure includes a decision based on a factor f, the fraction of potential outliers for each station across the region. Using GIS techniques, the geographic distribution of the errors detected has been also analysed. Finally, the performance of the test was assessed by evaluating its effectiveness in detecting known errors.

TESTS OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY SINKS

EPA Science Inventory

Experiments were conducted in a room-size test chamber to determine the sink effects of selected materials on indoor air concentrations of p-dichlorobenzene (PDCB). hese effects might alter pollutant behavior from that predicted using similar indoor air quality models, by reducin...

pcr: an R package for quality assessment, analysis and testing of qPCR data

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Mahmoud

2018-01-01

Background Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a broadly used technique in the biomedical research. Currently, few different analysis models are used to determine the quality of data and to quantify the mRNA level across the experimental conditions. Methods We developed an R package to implement methods for quality assessment, analysis and testing qPCR data for statistical significance. Double Delta CT and standard curve models were implemented to quantify the relative expression of target genes from CT in standard qPCR control-group experiments. In addition, calculation of amplification efficiency and curves from serial dilution qPCR experiments are used to assess the quality of the data. Finally, two-group testing and linear models were used to test for significance of the difference in expression control groups and conditions of interest. Results Using two datasets from qPCR experiments, we applied different quality assessment, analysis and statistical testing in the pcr package and compared the results to the original published articles. The final relative expression values from the different models, as well as the intermediary outputs, were checked against the expected results in the original papers and were found to be accurate and reliable. Conclusion The pcr package provides an intuitive and unified interface for its main functions to allow biologist to perform all necessary steps of qPCR analysis and produce graphs in a uniform way. PMID:29576953

The compartment bag test (CBT) for enumerating fecal indicator bacteria: Basis for design and interpretation of results.

PubMed

Gronewold, Andrew D; Sobsey, Mark D; McMahan, Lanakila

2017-06-01

For the past several years, the compartment bag test (CBT) has been employed in water quality monitoring and public health protection around the world. To date, however, the statistical basis for the design and recommended procedures for enumerating fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations from CBT results have not been formally documented. Here, we provide that documentation following protocols for communicating the evolution of similar water quality testing procedures. We begin with an overview of the statistical theory behind the CBT, followed by a description of how that theory was applied to determine an optimal CBT design. We then provide recommendations for interpreting CBT results, including procedures for estimating quantiles of the FIB concentration probability distribution, and the confidence of compliance with recognized water quality guidelines. We synthesize these values in custom user-oriented 'look-up' tables similar to those developed for other FIB water quality testing methods. Modified versions of our tables are currently distributed commercially as part of the CBT testing kit. Published by Elsevier B.V.

[Perception of odor quality by Free Image-Association Test].

PubMed

Ueno, Y

1992-10-01

A method was devised for evaluating odor quality. Subjects were requested to freely describe the images elicited by smelling odors. This test was named the "Free Image-Association Test (FIT)". The test was applied for 20 flavors of various foods, five odors from the standards of T&T olfactometer (Japanese standard olfactory test), butter of yak milk, and incense from Lamaism temples. The words for expressing imagery were analyzed by multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Seven clusters of odors were obtained. The feature of these clusters were quite similar to that of primary odors which have been suggested by previous studies. However, the clustering of odors can not be explained on the basis of the primary-odor theory, but the information processing theory originally proposed by Miller (1956). These results support the usefulness of the Free Image-Association Test for investigating odor perception based on the images associated with odors.

[Analysis of the results of the SEIMC External Quality Control Program. Year 2012].

PubMed

de Gopegui Bordes, Enrique Ruiz; Guna Serrano, M del Remedio; Orta Mira, Nieves; Ovies, María Rosario; Poveda, Marta; Gimeno Cardona, Concepción

2014-02-01

The External Quality Control Program of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) include controls for bacteriology, serology, mycology, parasitology, mycobacteria, virology and molecular microbiology. This article presents the most relevant conclusions and lessons from the 2012 controls. As a whole, the results obtained in 2012 confirm the excellent skill and good technical standards found in previous editions. However, erroneous results can be obtained in any laboratory and in clinically relevant determinations. Once again, the results of this program highlighted the need to implement both internal and external controls in order to assure the maximal quality of the microbiological tests. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

[Analysis of the results of the SEIMC External Quality Control Program. Year 2014].

PubMed

Gopegui Bordes, Enrique Ruiz de; Guna Serrano, M Del Remedio; Orta Mira, Nieves; Medina González, Rafael; Rosario Ovies, María; Poveda, Marta; Gimeno Cardona, Concepción

2016-07-01

The External Quality Control Program of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) include controls for bacteriology, serology, mycology, parasitology, mycobacteria, virology and molecular microbiology. This article presents the most relevant conclusions and lessons from the 2014 controls. As a whole, the results obtained in 2014 confirm the excellent skill and good technical standards found in previous editions. However, erroneous results can be obtained in any laboratory and in clinically relevant determinations. Once again, the results of the SEIMC program highlighted the need to implement both internal and external controls in order to assure the maximal quality of the microbiological tests. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The Italian National External quality assessment program in molecular genetic testing: results of the VII round (2010-2011).

PubMed

Censi, F; Tosto, F; Floridia, G; Marra, M; Salvatore, M; Baffico, A M; Grasso, M; Melis, M A; Pelo, E; Radice, P; Ravani, A; Rosatelli, C; Resta, N; Russo, S; Seia, M; Varesco, L; Falbo, V; Taruscio, D

2013-01-01

Since 2001 the Istituto Superiore di Sanità established a quality assurance programme for molecular genetic testing that covers four pathologies: Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Beta Thalassemia (BT), Fragile X Syndrome (FX), and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC). Since 2009 this activity is an institutional activity and participation is open to both public and private laboratories. Seven rounds have been performed until now and the eighth is in progress. Laboratories receive 4 DNA samples with mock clinical indications. They analyze the samples using their routine procedures. A panel of assessors review the raw data and the reports; all data are managed through a web utility. In 2010 the number of participants was 43, 17, 15, 5 for CF, BT, FX, APC schemes respectively. Genotyping results were correct in 96%, 98.5%, 100%, and 100% of CF, BT, FX, and APC samples, respectively. Interpretation was correct in 74%, 91%, 88%, and 60% of CF, BT, FX, and APC reports, respectively; however in most of them it was not complete but a referral to genetic counseling was given. Reports were satisfactory in more than 60% of samples in all schemes. This work presents the 2010 results in detail comparing our data with those from other European schemes.

The costs of accessible quality assured syphilis diagnostics: informing quality systems for rapid syphilis tests in a Tanzanian setting.

PubMed

Sweeney, Sedona; Mosha, Jacklin F; Terris-Prestholt, Fern; Sollis, Kimberly A; Kelly, Helen; Changalucha, John; Peeling, Rosanna W

2014-08-01

To determine the costs of Rapid Syphilis Test (RSTs) as compared with rapid plasma reagin (RPR) when implemented in a Tanzanian setting, and to determine the relative impact of a quality assurance (QA) system on the cost of RST implementation. The incremental costs for RPR and RST screening programmes in existing antenatal care settings in Geita District, Tanzania were collected for 9 months in subsequent years from nine health facilities that varied in size, remoteness and scope of antenatal services. The costs per woman tested and treated were estimated for each facility. A sensitivity analysis was constructed to determine the impact of parameter and model uncertainty. In surveyed facilities, a total of 6362 women were tested with RSTs compared with 224 tested with RPR. The range of unit costs was $1.76-$3.13 per woman screened and $12.88-$32.67 per woman treated. Unit costs for the QA system came to $0.51 per woman tested, of which 50% were attributed to salaries and transport for project personnel. Our results suggest that rapid syphilis diagnostics are very inexpensive in this setting and can overcome some critical barriers to ensuring universal access to syphilis testing and treatment. The additional costs for implementation of a quality system were found to be relatively small, and could be reduced through alterations to the programme design. Given the potential for a quality system to improve quality of diagnosis and care, we recommend that QA activities be incorporated into RST roll-out. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2013; all rights reserved.

Phase III Integrated Water Recovery Testing at MSFC - Closed hygiene and potable loop test results and lesson learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holder, Donald W., Jr.; Bagdigian, Robert M.

1992-01-01

A series of tests has been conducted at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to evaluate the performance of a Space Station Freedom (SSF) pre-development water recovery system. Potable, hygiene, and urine reclamation subsystems were integrated with end-use equipment items and successfully operated for a total of 35 days, including 23 days in closed-loop mode with man-in-the-loop. Although several significant subsystem physical anomalies were encountered, reclaimed potable and hygiene water routinely met current SSF water quality specifications. This paper summarizes the test objectives, system design, test activities/protocols, significant results/anomalies, and major lessons learned.

Analysis of wind-tunnel stability and control tests in terms of flying qualities of full-scale airplanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kayten, Gerald G

1945-01-01

The analysis of results of wind-tunnel stability and control tests of powered airplane models in terms of the flying qualities of full-scale airplanes is advocated. In order to indicated the topics upon which comments are considered desirable in the report of a wind-tunnel stability and control investigation and to demonstrate the nature of the suggested analysis, the present NACA flying-qualities requirements are discussed in relation to wind-tunnel tests. General procedures for the estimation of flying qualities from wind-tunnel tests are outlined.

Test 6, Test 7, and Gas Standard Analysis Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perez, Horacio, III

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation shows results of analyses on odor, toxic off gassing and gas standards. The topics include: 1) Statistical Analysis Definitions; 2) Odor Analysis Results NASA Standard 6001 Test 6; 3) Toxic Off gassing Analysis Results NASA Standard 6001 Test 7; and 4) Gas Standard Results NASA Standard 6001 Test 7;

Quality circles: Organizational adaptations, improvements and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tortorich, R.

1985-01-01

The effective application in industry and government of quality circles work was demonstrated. The results achieved in quality and productivity improvements and cost savings are impressive. The circle process should be institutionalized within industry and government. The stages of circle program growth, innovations that help achieve circle process institutionalization, and the result achieved at Martin Marietta's Michoud Division and within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are addressed.

Cholesterol testing and results

MedlinePlus

... profile results; Hyperlipidemia-results; Lipid disorder test results; Heart disease - cholesterol results ... at an earlier age if you have: Diabetes Heart disease Stroke High blood pressure A strong family history ...

Phase quality map based on local multi-unwrapped results for two-dimensional phase unwrapping.

PubMed

Zhong, Heping; Tang, Jinsong; Zhang, Sen

2015-02-01

The efficiency of a phase unwrapping algorithm and the reliability of the corresponding unwrapped result are two key problems in reconstructing the digital elevation model of a scene from its interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) or interferometric synthetic aperture sonar (InSAS) data. In this paper, a new phase quality map is designed and implemented in a graphic processing unit (GPU) environment, which greatly accelerates the unwrapping process of the quality-guided algorithm and enhances the correctness of the unwrapped result. In a local wrapped phase window, the center point is selected as the reference point, and then two unwrapped results are computed by integrating in two different simple ways. After the two local unwrapped results are computed, the total difference of the two unwrapped results is regarded as the phase quality value of the center point. In order to accelerate the computing process of the new proposed quality map, we have implemented it in a GPU environment. The wrapped phase data are first uploaded to the memory of a device, and then the kernel function is called in the device to compute the phase quality in parallel by blocks of threads. Unwrapping tests performed on the simulated and real InSAS data confirm the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.

MPEG-2 Over Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Over Satellite Quality of Service (QoS) Experiments: Laboratory Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.; Frantz, Brian D.; Spells, Marcus J.

1998-01-01

Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) quality of service (QoS) experiments were performed using MPEG-2 (ATM application layer 5, AAL5) over ATM over an emulated satellite link. The purpose of these experiments was to determine the free-space link quality necessary to transmit high-quality multimedia information by using the ATM protocol. The detailed test plan and test configuration are described herein as are the test results. MPEG-2 transport streams were baselined in an errored environment, followed by a series of tests using, MPEG-2 over ATM. Errors were created both digitally as well as in an IF link by using a satellite modem and commercial gaussian noise test set for two different MPEG-2 decoder implementations. The results show that ITU-T Recommendation 1.356 Class 1, stringent ATM applications will require better link quality than currently specified; in particular, cell loss ratios of better than 1.0 x 10(exp -8) and cell error ratios of better than 1.0 x 10(exp -7) are needed. These tests were conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center in support of satellite-ATM interoperability research.

External quality assessment unravels interlaboratory differences in quality of RAS testing for anti-EGFR therapy in colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Tack, Véronique; Ligtenberg, Marjolijn J L; Tembuyser, Lien; Normanno, Nicola; Vander Borght, Sara; Han van Krieken, J; Dequeker, Elisabeth M C

2015-03-01

Regulations for the selection of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer for anti-EGFR treatment changed at the end of 2013. The set of mutations to be tested extended from KRAS codons 12 and 13 to KRAS and NRAS exons 2, 3, and 4. A European external quality assessment scheme monitored the performance of laboratories and evaluated the implementation of the new regulations. The 131 participating laboratories received 10 samples of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material, including RAS (exon 2, 3, 4) and BRAF mutations. Mock clinical data were provided for three cases. Using their routine methods, laboratories determined the genotypes and submitted three written reports. Assessors scored the results according to predefined evaluation criteria. Half of the participants (49.3%) had completely implemented the new test requirements (codons 12, 13, 59, 61, 117, and 146 of KRAS and NRAS), and 96 laboratories (73.3%) made no genotype mistakes. Correct nomenclature, according to the Human Genome Variation Society, was used by 82 laboratories (62.6%). Although regulations were effective for several months, many laboratories were not ready for full RAS testing in the context of anti-EGFR therapy. Nevertheless, in each participating country, there are laboratories that provide complete and correct testing. External quality assessments can be used to monitor implementation of new test regulations and to stimulate the laboratories to improve their testing procedures. Because the results of this program are available on the website of the European Society of Pathology, patients and clinicians can refer test samples to a reliable laboratory. ©AlphaMed Press.

[Quality Management and Quality Specifications of Laboratory Tests in Clinical Studies--Challenges in Pre-Analytical Processes in Clinical Laboratories].

PubMed

Ishibashi, Midori

2015-01-01

The cost, speed, and quality are the three important factors recently indicated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the purpose of accelerating clinical studies. Based on this background, the importance of laboratory tests is increasing, especially in the evaluation of clinical study participants' entry and safety, and drug efficacy. To assure the quality of laboratory tests, providing high-quality laboratory tests is mandatory. For providing adequate quality assurance in laboratory tests, quality control in the three fields of pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical processes is extremely important. There are, however, no detailed written requirements concerning specimen collection, handling, preparation, storage, and shipping. Most laboratory tests for clinical studies are performed onsite in a local laboratory; however, a part of laboratory tests is done in offsite central laboratories after specimen shipping. As factors affecting laboratory tests, individual and inter-individual variations are well-known. Besides these factors, standardizing the factors of specimen collection, handling, preparation, storage, and shipping, may improve and maintain the high quality of clinical studies in general. Furthermore, the analytical method, units, and reference interval are also important factors. It is concluded that, to overcome the problems derived from pre-analytical processes, it is necessary to standardize specimen handling in a broad sense.

Developing a quality by design approach to model tablet dissolution testing: an industrial case study.

PubMed

Yekpe, Ketsia; Abatzoglou, Nicolas; Bataille, Bernard; Gosselin, Ryan; Sharkawi, Tahmer; Simard, Jean-Sébastien; Cournoyer, Antoine

2018-07-01

This study applied the concept of Quality by Design (QbD) to tablet dissolution. Its goal was to propose a quality control strategy to model dissolution testing of solid oral dose products according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The methodology involved the following three steps: (1) a risk analysis to identify the material- and process-related parameters impacting the critical quality attributes of dissolution testing, (2) an experimental design to evaluate the influence of design factors (attributes and parameters selected by risk analysis) on dissolution testing, and (3) an investigation of the relationship between design factors and dissolution profiles. Results show that (a) in the case studied, the two parameters impacting dissolution kinetics are active pharmaceutical ingredient particle size distributions and tablet hardness and (b) these two parameters could be monitored with PAT tools to predict dissolution profiles. Moreover, based on the results obtained, modeling dissolution is possible. The practicality and effectiveness of the QbD approach were demonstrated through this industrial case study. Implementing such an approach systematically in industrial pharmaceutical production would reduce the need for tablet dissolution testing.

Quality Teaching in Addressing Student Achievement: A Comparative Study between National Board Certified Teachers and Other Teachers on the Kentucky Core Content Test Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buecker, Harrie Lynne

2010-01-01

This dissertation focused on the link between quality teaching and its potential impact on student achievement. National Board Certification is used to represent quality teaching and student achievement is measured by the Kentucky Core Content Test. Data were gathered on the reading and mathematics scores of students of National Board Teachers who…

Evaluation of the theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme: a one-group, pre-test post-test pilot study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Guideline adherence in physical therapy is far from optimal, which has consequences for the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy care. Programmes to enhance guideline adherence have, so far, been relatively ineffective. We systematically developed a theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme aimed at the individual performance level (practicing physiotherapists; PTs) and the practice organization level (practice quality manager; PQM). The aim of the study was to pilot test the multilevel QUIP programme’s effectiveness and the fidelity, acceptability and feasibility of its implementation. Methods A one-group, pre-test, post-test pilot study (N = 8 practices; N = 32 PTs, 8 of whom were also PQMs) done between September and December 2009. Guideline adherence was measured using clinical vignettes that addressed 12 quality indicators reflecting the guidelines’ main recommendations. Determinants of adherence were measured using quantitative methods (questionnaires). Delivery of the programme and management changes were assessed using qualitative methods (observations, group interviews, and document analyses). Changes in adherence and determinants were tested in the paired samples T-tests and expressed in effect sizes (Cohen’s d). Results Overall adherence did not change (3.1%; p = .138). Adherence to three quality indicators improved (8%, 24%, 43%; .000 ≤ p ≤ .023). Adherence to one quality indicator decreased (−15.7%; p = .004). Scores on various determinants of individual performance improved and favourable changes at practice organizational level were observed. Improvements were associated with the programme’s multilevel approach, collective goal setting, and the application of self-regulation; unfavourable findings with programme deficits. The one-group pre-test post-test design limits the internal validity of the study, the self-selected sample its external validity. Conclusions The QUIP

[Outcome quality in rehabilitation of children and adolescents: results of project aiming at the development of a quality assurance programme].

PubMed

Farin, E; Gustke, M; Widera, T; Matthies, S

2012-06-01

This study reports on the results of a project that was initiated by the German pension fund and the statutory health insurers and conducted in 2009 to 2010 with the goal of developing, arranging and testing instruments for quality assurance for the outcome (including patient satisfaction) in inpatient medical rehabilitation centres for children and adolescents. After a 6-month concept phase in which instruments were developed using value benefit analyses, expert consensus procedures, surveys of centres, and qualitative (cognitive interviews) and quantitative (psychometric tests) pre-studies, data were collected in 23 child and adolescent rehabilitation centres using the instruments that had been developed. The project was limited to the following 4 main diagnoses: obesity, bronchial asthma, atopic eczema, and hyperkinetic disorders as well as related disorders (ICD: F90-F94). Children and adolescents over the age of 12 years were interviewed themselves, for younger children, the parents were interviewed. It was decided to include 7 constructs that can be considered as indicators of the quality of the outcome or of patient satisfaction: generic and disease-specific quality of life, perceived change in health, body function parameters (e. g., blood pressure), disease-related self-management, satisfaction of the children/adolescents with rehabilitation, and parent satisfaction. With respect to quality of life, blood pressure, Munich fitness test and lung function parameters, low to medium effects were achieved; with respect to body mass index, SCORAD score and disease-related self-management, the effects were strong. The results can be summarised to the effect that rehabilitation generally achieves noticeable effects in the areas where the impairment is pronounced. In both the parent and the rehabilitation patient survey, there was a high level of satisfaction. The parents of rehab patients under the age of 12 years gave the centres an average assessment of 1.6 to 1

The economic impact of poor sample quality in clinical chemistry laboratories: results from a global survey.

PubMed

Erdal, Erik P; Mitra, Debanjali; Khangulov, Victor S; Church, Stephen; Plokhoy, Elizabeth

2017-03-01

Background Despite advances in clinical chemistry testing, poor blood sample quality continues to impact laboratory operations and the quality of results. While previous studies have identified the preanalytical causes of lower sample quality, few studies have examined the economic impact of poor sample quality on the laboratory. Specifically, the costs associated with workarounds related to fibrin and gel contaminants remain largely unexplored. Methods A quantitative survey of clinical chemistry laboratory stakeholders across 10 international regions, including countries in North America, Europe and Oceania, was conducted to examine current blood sample testing practices, sample quality issues and practices to remediate poor sample quality. Survey data were used to estimate costs incurred by laboratories to mitigate sample quality issues. Results Responses from 164 participants were included in the analysis, which was focused on three specific issues: fibrin strands, fibrin masses and gel globules. Fibrin strands were the most commonly reported issue, with an overall incidence rate of ∼3%. Further, 65% of respondents indicated that these issues contribute to analyzer probe clogging, and the majority of laboratories had visual inspection and manual remediation practices in place to address fibrin- and gel-related quality problems (55% and 70%, respectively). Probe maintenance/replacement, visual inspection and manual remediation were estimated to carry significant costs for the laboratories surveyed. Annual cost associated with lower sample quality and remediation related to fibrin and/or gel globules for an average US laboratory was estimated to be $100,247. Conclusions Measures to improve blood sample quality present an important step towards improved laboratory operations.

SU-F-T-313: Clinical Results of a New Customer Acceptance Test for Elekta VMAT

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

Rusk, B; Fontenot, J

Purpose: To report the results of a customer acceptance test (CAT) for VMAT treatments for two matched Elekta linear accelerators. Methods: The CAT tests were performed on two clinically matched Elekta linear accelerators equipped with a 160-leaf MLC. Functional tests included performance checks of the control system during dynamic movements of the diaphragms, MLC, and gantry. Dosimetric tests included MLC picket fence tests at static and variable dose rates and a diaphragm alignment test, all performed using the on-board EPID. Additionally, beam symmetry during arc delivery was measured at the four cardinal angles for high and low dose rate modesmore » using a 2D detector array. Results of the dosimetric tests were analyzed using the VMAT CAT analysis tool. Results: Linear accelerator 1 (LN1) met all stated CAT tolerances. Linear accelerator 2 (LN2) passed the geometric, beam symmetry, and MLC position error tests but failed the relative dose average test for the diaphragm abutment and all three picket fence fields. Though peak doses in the abutment regions were consistent, the average dose was below the stated tolerance corresponding to a leaf junction that was too narrow. Despite this, no significant differences in patient specific VMAT quality assurance measured were observed between the accelerators and both passed monthly MLC quality assurance performed with the Hancock test. Conclusion: Results from the CAT showed LN2 with relative dose averages in the abutment regions of the diaphragm and MLC tests outside the tolerances resulting from differences in leaf gap distances. Tolerances of the dose average tests from the CAT may be small enough to detect MLC errors which do not significantly affect patient QA or the routine MLC tests.« less

Artificial enzyme-powered microfish for water-quality testing.

PubMed

Orozco, Jahir; García-Gradilla, Victor; D'Agostino, Mattia; Gao, Wei; Cortés, Allan; Wang, Joseph

2013-01-22

We present a novel micromotor-based strategy for water-quality testing based on changes in the propulsion behavior of artificial biocatalytic microswimmers in the presence of aquatic pollutants. The new micromotor toxicity testing concept mimics live-fish water testing and relies on the toxin-induced inhibition of the enzyme catalase, responsible for the biocatalytic bubble propulsion of tubular microengines. The locomotion and survival of the artificial microfish are thus impaired by exposure to a broad range of contaminants, that lead to distinct time-dependent irreversible losses in the catalase activity, and hence of the propulsion behavior. Such use of enzyme-powered biocompatible polymeric (PEDOT)/Au-catalase tubular microengine offers highly sensitive direct optical visualization of changes in the swimming behavior in the presence of common contaminants and hence to a direct real-time assessment of the water quality. Quantitative data on the adverse effects of the various toxins upon the swimming behavior of the enzyme-powered artificial swimmer are obtained by estimating common ecotoxicological parameters, including the EC(50) (exposure concentration causing 50% attenuation of the microfish locomotion) and the swimmer survival time (lifetime expectancy). Such novel use of artificial microfish addresses major standardization and reproducibility problems as well as ethical concerns associated with live-fish toxicity assays and hence offers an attractive alternative to the common use of aquatic organisms for water-quality testing.

Honeywell Cascade Distiller System Performance Testing Interim Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Sargusingh, Miriam

2014-01-01

The ability to recover and purify water through physiochemical processes is crucial for realizing long-term human space missions, including both planetary habitation and space travel. Because of their robust nature, distillation systems have been actively pursued as one of the technologies for water recovery. The Cascade Distillation System (CDS) is a vacuum rotary distillation system with potential for greater reliability and lower energy costs than existing distillation systems. The CDS was previously under development through Honeywell and NASA. In 2009, an assessment was performed to collect data to support down-selection and development of a primary distillation technology for application in a lunar outpost water recovery system. Based on the results of this testing, an expert panel concluded that the CDS showed adequate development maturity, TRL-4, together with the best product water quality and competitive weight and power estimates to warrant further development. The Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Water Recovery Project (WRP) worked to address weaknesses identified by The Panel; namely bearing design and heat pump power efficiency. Testing at the NASA-JSC Advanced Exploration System Water Laboratory (AES Water Lab) using a prototype Cascade Distillation Subsystem (CDS) wastewater processor (Honeywell International, Torrance, Calif.) with test support equipment and control system developed by Johnson Space Center was performed to evaluate performance of the system with the upgrades. The CDS will also have been challenged with ISS analog waste streams and a subset of those being considered for Exploration architectures. This paper details interim results of the AES WRP CDS performance testing.

Development and flight test results of an autothrottle control system at Mach 3 cruise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilyard, G. B.; Burken, J. J.

1980-01-01

Flight test results obtained with the original Mach hold autopilot designed the YF-12C airplane which uses elevator control and a newly developed Mach hold system having an autothrottle integrated with an altitude hold autopilot system are presented. The autothrottle tests demonstrate good speed control at high Mach numbers and high altitudes while simultaneously maintaining control over altitude and good ride qualities. The autothrottle system was designed to control either Mach number or knots equivalent airspeed (KEAS). Excellent control of Mach number or KEAS was obtained with the autothrottle system when combined with altitude hold. Ride qualities were significantly better than with the conventional Mach hold system.

Test Result of 650 MHz, Beta 0.61 Single Cell Niobium Cavity

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

Seth, Sudeshna; Bhattacharyya, Pranab; Dutta Gupta, Anjan

VECC has been involved in the design, analysis and development of 650 MHz, beta 0.61 (LB650), elliptical Superconducting RF linac cavity, as part of research and development activities on SRF cavities and associated technologies under Indian Institutions Fermilab Collaboration (IIFC). A single-cell niobium cavity has been indigenously designed and developed at VECC, with the help of Electron Beam Welding (EBW) facility at IUAC, New Delhi. Various measurements, processing and testing at 2K in Vertical Test Stand (VTS) of the single-cell cavity was carried out at ANL and Fermilab, USA, with active participation of VECC engineers. It achieved a maximum acceleratingmore » gradient(Eacc) of 34.5 MV/m with Quality Factor of 2·10⁹ and 30 MV/m with Quality Factor of 1.5·10¹⁰. This is probably the highest accelerating gradient achieved so far in the world for LB650 cavities. This paper describes the design, fabrication and measurement of the single cell niobium cavity. Cavity processing and test results of Vertical Test of the single-cell niobium cavity are also presented.« less

42 CFR 438.364 - External quality review results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false External quality review results. 438.364 Section 438.364 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... quality review results. (a) Information that must be produced. The State must ensure that the EQR produces...

42 CFR 438.364 - External quality review results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false External quality review results. 438.364 Section 438.364 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... quality review results. (a) Information that must be produced. The State must ensure that the EQR produces...

42 CFR 438.364 - External quality review results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false External quality review results. 438.364 Section 438.364 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... quality review results. (a) Information that must be produced. The State must ensure that the EQR produces...

42 CFR 438.364 - External quality review results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false External quality review results. 438.364 Section 438.364 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... quality review results. (a) Information that must be produced. The State must ensure that the EQR produces...

42 CFR 438.364 - External quality review results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false External quality review results. 438.364 Section 438.364 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... quality review results. (a) Information that must be produced. The State must ensure that the EQR produces...

Performance Assessment of Internal Quality Control (IQC) Products in Blood Transfusion Compatibility Testing in China

PubMed Central

Li, Jing-Jing; Gao, Qi; Liu, Zhi-Dong; Kang, Qiong-Hua; Hou, Yi-Jun; Zhang, Luo-Chuan; Hu, Xiao-Mei; Li, Jie; Zhang, Juan

2015-01-01

Internal quality control (IQC) is a critical component of laboratory quality management, and IQC products can determine the reliability of testing results. In China, given the fact that most blood transfusion compatibility laboratories do not employ IQC products or do so minimally, there is a lack of uniform and standardized IQC methods. To explore the reliability of IQC products and methods, we studied 697 results from IQC samples in our laboratory from 2012 to 2014. The results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the IQCs in anti-B testing were 100% and 99.7%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the IQCs in forward blood typing, anti-A testing, irregular antibody screening, and cross-matching were all 100%. The reliability analysis indicated that 97% of anti-B testing results were at a 99% confidence level, and 99.9% of forward blood typing, anti-A testing, irregular antibody screening, and cross-matching results were at a 99% confidence level. Therefore, our IQC products and methods are highly sensitive, specific, and reliable. Our study paves the way for the establishment of a uniform and standardized IQC method for pre-transfusion compatibility testing in China and other parts of the world. PMID:26488582

Generating quality word sense disambiguation test sets based on MeSH indexing.

PubMed

Fan, Jung-Wei; Friedman, Carol

2009-11-14

Word sense disambiguation (WSD) determines the correct meaning of a word that has more than one meaning, and is a critical step in biomedical natural language processing, as interpretation of information in text can be correct only if the meanings of their component terms are correctly identified first. Quality evaluation sets are important to WSD because they can be used as representative samples for developing automatic programs and as referees for comparing different WSD programs. To help create quality test sets for WSD, we developed a MeSH-based automatic sense-tagging method that preferentially annotates terms being topical of the text. Preliminary results were promising and revealed important issues to be addressed in biomedical WSD research. We also suggest that, by cross-validating with 2 or 3 annotators, the method should be able to efficiently generate quality WSD test sets. Online supplement is available at: http://www.dbmi.columbia.edu/~juf7002/AMIA09.

[Analysis on 2011 quality control results on aerobic plate count of microbiology laboratories in China].

PubMed

Han, Haihong; Li, Ning; Li, Yepeng; Fu, Ping; Yu, Dongmin; Li Zhigang; Du, Chunming; Guo, Yunchang

2015-01-01

To test the aerobic plate count examining capability of microbiology laboratories, to ensure the accuracy and comparability of quantitative bacteria examination results, and to improve the quality of monitoring. The 4 different concentration aerobic plate count piece samples were prepared and noted as I, II, III and IV. After homogeneity and stability tests, the samples were delivered to monitoring institutions. The results of I, II, III samples were logarithmic transformed, and evaluated with Z-score method using the robust average and standard deviation. The results of IV samples were evaluated as "satisfactory" when reported as < 10 CFU/piece or as "not satisfactory" otherwise. Pearson χ2 test was used to analyze the ratio results. 309 monitoring institutions, which was 99.04% of the total number, reported their results. 271 institutions reported a satisfactory result, and the satisfactory rate was 87.70%. There was no statistical difference in satisfactory rates of I, II and III samples which were 81.52%, 88.30% and 91.40% respectively. The satisfactory rate of IV samples was 93.33%. There was no statistical difference in satisfactory rates between provincial and municipal CDC. The quality control program has provided scientific data that the aerobic plate count capability of the laboratories meets the requirements of monitoring tasks.

KRAS mutations testing in colorectal carcinoma patients in Italy: from guidelines to external quality assessment.

PubMed

Normanno, Nicola; Pinto, Carmine; Castiglione, Francesca; Bardelli, Alberto; Gambacorta, Marcello; Botti, Gerardo; Nappi, Oscar; Siena, Salvatore; Ciardiello, Fortunato; Taddei, Gianluigi; Marchetti, Antonio

2011-01-01

Monoclonal antibodies directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC) that do not carry KRAS mutations. Therefore, KRAS testing has become mandatory to chose the most appropriate therapy for these patients. In order to guarantee the possibility for mCRC patients to receive an high quality KRAS testing in every Italian region, the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) and the Italian Society of Pathology and Cytopathology -Italian division of the International Academy of Pathology (SIAPEC-IAP) started a program to improve KRAS testing. AIOM and SIAPEC identified a large panel of Italian medical oncologists, pathologists and molecular biologists that outlined guidelines for KRAS testing in mCRC patients. These guidelines include specific information on the target patient population, the biological material for molecular analysis, the extraction of DNA, and the methods for the mutational analysis that are summarized in this paper. Following the publication of the guidelines, the scientific societies started an external quality assessment scheme for KRAS testing. Five CRC specimens with known KRAS mutation status were sent to the 59 centers that participated to the program. The samples were validated by three referral laboratories. The participating laboratories were allowed to use their own preferred method for DNA extraction and mutational analysis and were asked to report the results within 4 weeks. The limit to pass the quality assessment was set at 100% of true responses. In the first round, only two centers did not pass (3%). The two centers were offered to participate to a second round and both centers failed again to pass. The results of this first Italian quality assessment for KRAS testing suggest that KRAS mutational analysis is performed with good quality in the majority of Italian centers. © 2011 Normanno et al.

KRAS Mutations Testing in Colorectal Carcinoma Patients in Italy: From Guidelines to External Quality Assessment

PubMed Central

Normanno, Nicola; Pinto, Carmine; Castiglione, Francesca; Bardelli, Alberto; Gambacorta, Marcello; Botti, Gerardo; Nappi, Oscar; Siena, Salvatore; Ciardiello, Fortunato; Taddei, GianLuigi; Marchetti, Antonio

2011-01-01

Background Monoclonal antibodies directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC) that do not carry KRAS mutations. Therefore, KRAS testing has become mandatory to chose the most appropriate therapy for these patients. Methodology/Principal Findings In order to guarantee the possibility for mCRC patients to receive an high quality KRAS testing in every Italian region, the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) and the Italian Society of Pathology and Cytopathology -Italian division of the International Academy of Pathology (SIAPEC-IAP) started a program to improve KRAS testing. AIOM and SIAPEC identified a large panel of Italian medical oncologists, pathologists and molecular biologists that outlined guidelines for KRAS testing in mCRC patients. These guidelines include specific information on the target patient population, the biological material for molecular analysis, the extraction of DNA, and the methods for the mutational analysis that are summarized in this paper. Following the publication of the guidelines, the scientific societies started an external quality assessment scheme for KRAS testing. Five CRC specimens with known KRAS mutation status were sent to the 59 centers that participated to the program. The samples were validated by three referral laboratories. The participating laboratories were allowed to use their own preferred method for DNA extraction and mutational analysis and were asked to report the results within 4 weeks. The limit to pass the quality assessment was set at 100% of true responses. In the first round, only two centers did not pass (3%). The two centers were offered to participate to a second round and both centers failed again to pass. Conclusions The results of this first Italian quality assessment for KRAS testing suggest that KRAS mutational analysis is performed with good quality in the majority of Italian centers

Development of large aperture telescope technology (LATT): test results on a demonstrator bread-board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briguglio, R.; Xompero, M.; Riccardi, A.; Lisi, F.; Duò, F.; Vettore, C.; Gallieni, D.; Tintori, M.; Lazzarini, P.; Patauner, C.; Biasi, R.; D'Amato, F.; Pucci, M.; Pereira do Carmo, João.

2017-11-01

The concept of a low areal density primary mirror, actively controlled by actuators, has been investigated through a demonstration prototype. A spherical mirror (400 mm diameter, 2.7 Kg mass) has been manufactured and tested in laboratory and on the optical bench, to verify performance, controllability and optical quality. In the present paper we will describe the prototype and the test results.

[Analysis of the results of the SEIMC External Quality Control Program. Year 2011].

PubMed

Ruiz de Gopegui Bordes, Enrique; Guna Serrano, M del Remedio; Orta Mira, Nieves; Ovies, María Rosario; Poveda, Marta; Gimeno Cardona, Concepción

2013-02-01

The External Quality Control Program of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica [SEIMC]) includes controls for bacteriology, serology, mycology, parasitology, mycobacteria, virology, and molecular microbiology. This article presents the most relevant conclusions and lessons from the 2011 controls. Overall, the results obtained in 2011 confirm the excellent skill and good technical standards found in previous years. Nevertheless, erroneous results can be obtained in any laboratory and in clinically relevant determinations. The results of this program highlight the need to implement both internal and external controls, such as those offered by the SEIMC program, in order to ensure maximal quality of microbiological tests. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 799.12 - Test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Test results. 799.12 Section 799.12... results. Except as set forth in specific chemical test rules in subpart B of this part, a positive or negative test result in any of the tests required under subpart B is defined in the TSCA test guidelines...

40 CFR 799.12 - Test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Test results. 799.12 Section 799.12... results. Except as set forth in specific chemical test rules in subpart B of this part, a positive or negative test result in any of the tests required under subpart B is defined in the TSCA test guidelines...

40 CFR 799.12 - Test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Test results. 799.12 Section 799.12... results. Except as set forth in specific chemical test rules in subpart B of this part, a positive or negative test result in any of the tests required under subpart B is defined in the TSCA test guidelines...

Results of an Innovative Education, Training and Quality Assurance Program for Point-of-Care HbA1c Testing using the Bayer DCA 2000 in Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

PubMed Central

Shephard, Mark D; Gill, Janice P

2003-01-01

This study describes the development, implementation and management of a multi-faceted quality assurance program called Quality Assurance for Aboriginal Medical Services (QAAMS) to support point-of-care HbA1c testing on the Bayer DCA 2000 in Aboriginal people with diabetes from 45 Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. The quality assurance program comprised four elements: production of culturally appropriate education resources, formal training for Aboriginal Health Workers conducting HbA1c testing, an external quality assurance program and on-going quality management support services including a help hotline and an annual workshop. Aboriginal Health Workers were required to test two quality assurance (QAAMS) samples in a blind sense every month since July 1999. Samples were linearly related and comprised six paired levels of HbA1c. The short and long term performance of each service’s DCA 2000 was reviewed monthly and at the end of each six month testing cycle. The average participation rate over 7 six-monthly QAAMS testing cycles was 88%. 84% of 3100 quality assurance tests performed were within preset limits of acceptability. The median precision (CV%) for HbA1c testing has averaged 3.8% across the past 5 cycles (range 3.4 to 4.0%) and is continuing to improve. The introduction of a medical rebate for HbA1c testing has ensured the program’s sustainability. Through continuing education and training, Aboriginal Health Workers have achieved consistent analytical performance for HbA1c testing on the DCA 2000, equivalent to that of laboratory scientists using the same instrument. This unique quality assurance model can be readily adapted to other Indigenous health settings and other point-of-care tests and instruments. PMID:18568052

ITC Guidelines on Quality Control in Scoring, Test Analysis, and Reporting of Test Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allalouf, Avi

2014-01-01

The Quality Control (QC) Guidelines are intended to increase the efficiency, precision, and accuracy of the scoring, analysis, and reporting process of testing. The QC Guidelines focus on large-scale testing operations where multiple forms of tests are created for use on set dates. However, they may also be used for a wide variety of other testing…

Improvement of the quality of BRAF testing in melanomas with nationwide external quality assessment, for the BRAF EQA group

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Knowledge about tumour gene mutation status is essential for the treatment of increasing numbers of cancer patients, and testing quality has a major impact on treatment response and cost. In 2012, 4,629 tests for BRAF p.V600 were performed in France, in patients with melanomas. Methods Two batches of unstained melanoma sections were sent, in May and November 2012, to the 46 laboratories supported by the French National Institute of Cancer (INCa). An external quality assessment (EQA) evaluated mutation status, response times and compliance with INCa recommendations. Results All the French laboratories involved in testing participated in the EQA. Fourteen different methods were used to detect BRAF mutations, most consisting of combinations of in-house techniques. False responses were noted in 25/520 cases (4.8%), 11 of which concerned confusion between p.V600E and p.V600K. Thus, 2.7% of responses would have led to inappropriate treatment. Within six months, mean response times decreased from 22 to 12 days (P<0.001), and the percentage of samples evaluated by a pathologist for tumour cell content increased, from 75.2% to 96.9% (P<0.001). Conclusion Despite the use of non-certified methods, the false response rate was low. Nationwide EQA can improve the quality of molecular pathology tests on tumours. PMID:24119386

VLT deformable secondary mirror: integration and electromechanical tests results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biasi, R.; Andrighettoni, M.; Angerer, G.; Mair, C.; Pescoller, D.; Lazzarini, P.; Anaclerio, E.; Mantegazza, M.; Gallieni, D.; Vernet, E.; Arsenault, R.; Madec, P.-Y.; Duhoux, P.; Riccardi, A.; Xompero, M.; Briguglio, R.; Manetti, M.; Morandini, M.

2012-07-01

The VLT Deformable secondary is planned to be installed on the VLT UT#4 as part of the telescope conversion into the Adaptive Optics test Facility (AOF). The adaptive unit is based on the well proven contactless, voice coil motor technology that has been already successfully implemented in the MMT, LBT and Magellan adaptive secondaries, and is considered a promising technical choice for the forthcoming ELT-generation adaptive correctors, like the E-ELT M4 and the GMT ASM. The VLT adaptive unit has been recently assembled after the completion of the manufacturing and modular test phases. In this paper, we present the most relevant aspects of the system integration and report the preliminary results of the electromechanical tests performed on the unit. This test campaign is a typical major step foreseen in all similar systems built so far: thanks to the metrology embedded in the system, that allows generating time-dependent stimuli and recording in real time the position of the controlled mirror on all actuators, typical dynamic response quality parameters like modal settling time, overshoot and following error can be acquired without employing optical measurements. In this way the system dynamic and some aspect of its thermal and long term stability can be fully characterized before starting the optical tests and calibrations.

External quality assessment of medical laboratories in Croatia: preliminary evaluation of post-analytical laboratory testing.

PubMed

Krleza, Jasna Lenicek; Dorotic, Adrijana; Grzunov, Ana

2017-02-15

Proper standardization of laboratory testing requires assessment of performance after the tests are performed, known as the post-analytical phase. A nationwide external quality assessment (EQA) scheme implemented in Croatia in 2014 includes a questionnaire on post-analytical practices, and the present study examined laboratory responses in order to identify current post-analytical phase practices and identify areas for improvement. In four EQA exercises between September 2014 and December 2015, 145-174 medical laboratories across Croatia were surveyed using the Module 11 questionnaire on the post-analytical phase of testing. Based on their responses, the laboratories were evaluated on four quality indicators: turnaround time (TAT), critical values, interpretative comments and procedures in the event of abnormal results. Results were presented as absolute numbers and percentages. Just over half of laboratories (56.3%) monitored TAT. Laboratories varied substantially in how they dealt with critical values. Most laboratories (65-97%) issued interpretative comments with test results. One third of medical laboratories (30.6-33.3%) issued abnormal test results without confirming them in additional testing. Our results suggest that the nationwide post-analytical EQA scheme launched in 2014 in Croatia has yet to be implemented to the full. To close the gaps between existing recommendations and laboratory practice, laboratory professionals should focus on ensuring that TAT is monitored and lists of critical values are established within laboratories. Professional bodies/institutions should focus on clarify and harmonized rules to standardized practices and applied for adding interpretative comments to laboratory test results and for dealing with abnormal test results.

[Study on procedure of seed quality testing and seed grading scale of Phellodendron amurense].

PubMed

Liu, Yanlu; Zhang, Zhao; Dai, Lingchao; Zhang, Bengang; Zhang, Xiaoling; Wang, Han

2011-12-01

To study the procedure of seed quality testing and seed grading scale of Phellodendron amurense. Seed quality testing methods were developed, which included the test of sampling, seed purity, weight per 1 000 seeds, seed moisture, seed viability and germination rate. The related data from 62 cases of seed specimens of P. amurense were analyzed by cluster analysis. The seed quality test procedure was developed, and the seed quality grading scale was formulated.

Manager personality, manager service quality orientation, and service climate: test of a model.

PubMed

Salvaggio, Amy Nicole; Schneider, Benjamin; Nishii, Lisa H; Mayer, David M; Ramesh, Anuradha; Lyon, Julie S

2007-11-01

This article conceptually and empirically explores the relationships among manager personality, manager service quality orientation, and climate for customer service. Data were collected from 1,486 employees and 145 managers in grocery store departments (N = 145) to test the authors' theoretical model. Largely consistent with hypotheses, results revealed that core self-evaluations were positively related to managers' service quality orientation, even after dimensions of the Big Five model of personality were controlled, and that service quality orientation fully mediated the relationship between personality and global service climate. Implications for personality and organizational climate research are discussed. (c) 2007 APA

Improving Papanicolaou test quality and reducing medical errors by using Toyota production system methods.

PubMed

Raab, Stephen S; Andrew-Jaja, Carey; Condel, Jennifer L; Dabbs, David J

2006-01-01

The objective of the study was to determine whether the Toyota production system process improves Papanicolaou test quality and patient safety. An 8-month nonconcurrent cohort study that included 464 case and 639 control women who had a Papanicolaou test was performed. Office workflow was redesigned using Toyota production system methods by introducing a 1-by-1 continuous flow process. We measured the frequency of Papanicolaou tests without a transformation zone component, follow-up and Bethesda System diagnostic frequency of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, and diagnostic error frequency. After the intervention, the percentage of Papanicolaou tests lacking a transformation zone component decreased from 9.9% to 4.7% (P = .001). The percentage of Papanicolaou tests with a diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance decreased from 7.8% to 3.9% (P = .007). The frequency of error per correlating cytologic-histologic specimen pair decreased from 9.52% to 7.84%. The introduction of the Toyota production system process resulted in improved Papanicolaou test quality.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Measurement Accuracy of Al Alloy Tensile Test Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podgornik, Bojan; Žužek, Borut; Sedlaček, Marko; Kevorkijan, Varužan; Hostej, Boris

2016-02-01

In order to properly use materials in design, a complete understanding of and information on their mechanical properties, such as yield and ultimate tensile strength must be obtained. Furthermore, as the design of automotive parts is constantly pushed toward higher limits, excessive measuring uncertainty can lead to unexpected premature failure of the component, thus requiring reliable determination of material properties with low uncertainty. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of different metrology factors, including the number of tested samples, specimens machining and surface quality, specimens input diameter, type of testing and human error on the tensile test results and measurement uncertainty when performed on 2xxx series Al alloy. Results show that the most significant contribution to measurement uncertainty comes from the number of samples tested, which can even exceed 1 %. Furthermore, moving from experimental laboratory conditions to very intense industrial environment further amplifies measurement uncertainty, where even if using automated systems human error cannot be neglected.

Overview of Power Quality and Integrated Testing at JSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, Francis

2018-01-01

This presentation describes the basic philosophy behind integrated testing and partially integrated testing. It lists some well known errors in space systems that were or could have been caught during integrated testing. Two examples of integrated testing at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) are mentioned, and then an overview of two test facilities that do power testing (partially integrated testing) at JSC are presented, with information on the capabilities of each. Finally a list of three projects that has problems caught during power quality or Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) testing is presented.

Healthy Efficient New Gas Homes (HENGH) Pilot Test Results

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

Chan, Wanyu R.; Maddalena, Randy L; Stratton, Chris

The Healthy Efficient New Gas Homes (HENGH) is a field study that will collect data on ventilation systems and indoor air quality (IAQ) in new California homes that were built to 2008 Title 24 standards. A pilot test was performed to help inform the most time and cost effective approaches to measuring IAQ in the 100 test homes that will be recruited for this study. Two occupied, single-family detached homes built to 2008 Title 24 participated in the pilot test. One of the test homes uses exhaust-only ventilation provided by a continuous exhaust fan in the laundry room. The othermore » home uses supply air for ventilation. Measurements of IAQ were collected for two weeks. Time-resolved concentrations of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and formaldehyde were measured. Measurements of IAQ also included time-integrated concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), volatile aldehydes, and NO2. Three perfluorocarbon tracers (PFTs) were used to estimate the dilution rate of an indoor emitted air contaminant in the two pilot test homes. Diagnostic tests were performed to measure envelope air leakage, duct leakage, and airflow of range hood, exhaust fans, and clothes dryer vent when accessible. Occupant activities, such as cooking, use of range hood and exhaust fans, were monitored using various data loggers. This document describes results of the pilot test.« less

Flight test results for several light, canard-configured airplanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Philip W.

1987-01-01

Brief flight evaluations of two different, light, composite constructed, canard and winglet configured airplanes were performed to assess their handling qualities; one airplane was a single engine, pusher design and the other a twin engine, push-pull configuration. An emphasis was placed on the slow speed/high angle of attack region for both airplanes and on the engine-out regime for the twin. Mission suitability assessment included cockpit and control layout, ground and airborne handling qualities, and turbulence response. Very limited performance data was taken. Stall/spin tests and the effects of laminar flow loss on performance and handling qualities were assessed on an extended range, single engine pusher design.

Ordering molecular genetic tests and reporting results: practices in laboratory and clinical settings.

PubMed

Lubin, Ira M; Caggana, Michele; Constantin, Carolyn; Gross, Susan J; Lyon, Elaine; Pagon, Roberta A; Trotter, Tracy L; Wilson, Jean Amos; McGovern, Margaret M

2008-09-01

Previous studies have suggested that patient care may be compromised as a consequence of poor communication between clinicians and laboratory professionals in cases in which molecular genetic test results are reported. To understand better the contributing factors to such compromised care, we investigated both pre- and postanalytical processes using cystic fibrosis mutation analysis as our model. We found that although the majority of test requisition forms requested patient/family information that was necessary for the proper interpretation of test results, in many cases, these data were not provided by the individuals filling out the forms. We found instances in which result reports for simulated diagnostic testing described individuals as carriers where only a single mutation was found with no comment pertaining to a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Similarly, reports based on simulated scenarios for carrier testing were problematic when no mutations were identified, and the patient's race/ethnicity and family history were not discussed in reference to residual risk of disease. Remarkably, a pilot survey of obstetrician-gynecologists revealed that office staff, including secretaries, often helped order genetic tests and reported test results to patients, raising questions about what efforts are undertaken to ensure personnel competency. These findings are reviewed in light of what efforts should be taken to improve the quality of test-ordering and result-reporting practices.

Developing software to "track and catch" missed follow-up of abnormal test results in a complex sociotechnical environment.

PubMed

Smith, M; Murphy, D; Laxmisan, A; Sittig, D; Reis, B; Esquivel, A; Singh, H

2013-01-01

Abnormal test results do not always receive timely follow-up, even when providers are notified through electronic health record (EHR)-based alerts. High workload, alert fatigue, and other demands on attention disrupt a provider's prospective memory for tasks required to initiate follow-up. Thus, EHR-based tracking and reminding functionalities are needed to improve follow-up. The purpose of this study was to develop a decision-support software prototype enabling individual and system-wide tracking of abnormal test result alerts lacking follow-up, and to conduct formative evaluations, including usability testing. We developed a working prototype software system, the Alert Watch And Response Engine (AWARE), to detect abnormal test result alerts lacking documented follow-up, and to present context-specific reminders to providers. Development and testing took place within the VA's EHR and focused on four cancer-related abnormal test results. Design concepts emphasized mitigating the effects of high workload and alert fatigue while being minimally intrusive. We conducted a multifaceted formative evaluation of the software, addressing fit within the larger socio-technical system. Evaluations included usability testing with the prototype and interview questions about organizational and workflow factors. Participants included 23 physicians, 9 clinical information technology specialists, and 8 quality/safety managers. Evaluation results indicated that our software prototype fit within the technical environment and clinical workflow, and physicians were able to use it successfully. Quality/safety managers reported that the tool would be useful in future quality assurance activities to detect patients who lack documented follow-up. Additionally, we successfully installed the software on the local facility's "test" EHR system, thus demonstrating technical compatibility. To address the factors involved in missed test results, we developed a software prototype to account for

Principles for high-quality, high-value testing.

PubMed

Power, Michael; Fell, Greg; Wright, Michael

2013-02-01

A survey of doctors working in two large NHS hospitals identified over 120 laboratory tests, imaging investigations and investigational procedures that they considered not to be overused. A common suggestion in this survey was that more training was required. And, this prompted the development of a list of core principles for high-quality, high-value testing. The list can be used as a framework for training and as a reference source. The core principles are: (1) Base testing practices on the best available evidence. (2) Apply the evidence on test performance with careful judgement. (3) Test efficiently. (4) Consider the value (and affordability) of a test before requesting it. (5) Be aware of the downsides and drivers of overdiagnosis. (6) Confront uncertainties. (7) Be patient-centred in your approach. (8) Consider ethical issues. (9) Be aware of normal cognitive limitations and biases when testing. (10) Follow the 'knowledge journey' when teaching and learning these core principles.

Results of Investigative Tests of Gas Turbine Engine Compressor Blades Obtained by Electrochemical Machining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozhina, T. D.; Kurochkin, A. V.

2016-04-01

The paper highlights results of the investigative tests of GTE compressor Ti-alloy blades obtained by the method of electrochemical machining with oscillating tool-electrodes, carried out in order to define the optimal parameters of the ECM process providing attainment of specified blade quality parameters given in the design documentation, while providing maximal performance. The new technological methods suggested based on the results of the tests; in particular application of vibrating tool-electrodes and employment of locating elements made of high-strength materials, significantly extend the capabilities of this method.

Primary care spirometry: test quality and the feasibility and usefulness of specialist reporting

PubMed Central

White, Patrick; Wong, Wun; Fleming, Tracey; Gray, Barry

2007-01-01

Background Provision of spirometry for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a new requirement in primary care. Effective spirometry requires that tests and interpretations meet international criteria. Aim To assess the feasibility and usefulness of remote specialist reporting of primary care spirometry. Design of study Comparison of reporting by primary care clinicians and respiratory specialists of consecutive primary care spirometry tests. Setting South London primary care teams with patient lists ≥6000. Method Feasibility of remote reporting of spirometry was assessed by the frequency of electronic mailing of tests. Usefulness of remote reporting was defined by the frequency that specialist reports made a clinically significant addition. Usefulness was assessed by measuring agreement (κ) between primary care reports and those of specialists. Clinically significant disagreements were analysed with respect to test quality, diagnosis, and severity. Results Six practices emailed 312 tests over 3 months. Forty-nine tests sent without indices or curves (flow volume and time volume) were excluded. Mean age of patients tested was 65 years and 52% were female. Mean predicted forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) was 69%. Clinically significant disagreements were identified in the interpretation of acceptability (quality) of 67/212 (32%) tests (κ = 0.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0 to 0.24), of diagnosis in 49/168 (29%) tests (κ = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.25 to 0.55), and of severity in 62/191 (32%) tests (κ = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.63). Conclusion Remote reporting of primary care spirometry was feasible. Its usefulness was confirmed by the high rate of additional clinically significant information to the reports of primary care clinicians. The quality of primary care spirometry was so unsatisfactory that remote reporting of tests may be a means of establishing adequate spirometry. PMID:17761057

LabRS: A Rosetta stone for retrospective standardization of clinical laboratory test results.

PubMed

Hauser, Ronald George; Quine, Douglas B; Ryder, Alex

2018-02-01

Clinical laboratories in the United States do not have an explicit result standard to report the 7 billion laboratory tests results they produce each year. The absence of standardized test results creates inefficiencies and ambiguities for secondary data users. We developed and tested a tool to standardize the results of laboratory tests in a large, multicenter clinical data warehouse. Laboratory records, each of which consisted of a laboratory result and a test identifier, from 27 diverse facilities were captured from 2000 through 2015. Each record underwent a standardization process to convert the original result into a format amenable to secondary data analysis. The standardization process included the correction of typos, normalization of categorical results, separation of inequalities from numbers, and conversion of numbers represented by words (eg, "million") to numerals. Quality control included expert review. We obtained 1.266 × 109 laboratory records and standardized 1.252 × 109 records (98.9%). Of the unique unstandardized records (78.887 × 103), most appeared <5 times (96%, eg, typos), did not have a test identifier (47%), or belonged to an esoteric test with <100 results (2%). Overall, these 3 reasons accounted for nearly all unstandardized results (98%). Current results suggest that the tool is both scalable and generalizable among diverse clinical laboratories. Based on observed trends, the tool will require ongoing maintenance to stay current with new tests and result formats. Future work to develop and implement an explicit standard for test results would reduce the need to retrospectively standardize test results. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Misleading biochemical laboratory test results

PubMed Central

Nanji, Amin A.

1984-01-01

This article reviews the general and specific factors that interfere with the performance of common biochemical laboratory tests and the interpretation of their results. The clinical status of the patient, drug interactions, and in-vivo and in-vitro biochemical interactions and changes may alter the results obtained from biochemical analysis of blood constituents. Failure to recognize invalid laboratory test results may lead to injudicious and dangerous management of patients. PMID:6375845

Quality of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Viral Load Testing in Australia

PubMed Central

Best, Susan J.; Gust, Anthony P.; Johnson, Elizabeth I. M.; McGavin, Catherine H.; Dax, Elizabeth M.

2000-01-01

This study determined the proficiencies of laboratories measuring human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral loads and the accuracies of two assays used for HIV-1 viral load measurement in Australia and investigated the variability of the new versions of these assays. Quality assessment program panels containing (i) dilutions of HIV-1 subtype B, (ii) replicates of identical samples of HIV-1 subtype B, and (iii) samples of subtype E and B were tested by laboratories. Total variability (within and between laboratories) was tested with quality control samples. The coefficients of variation (CVs) for the Roche AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR version (v) 1.0 and Chiron Quantiplex bDNA 2.0 assays ranged from 53 to 87% and 22 to 31%, respectively. The widespread occurrence of invalid runs with the AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR 1.0 assay was identified. The CVs of the new versions of the assays were 82 to 86% for the AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR v 1.5 assay and 16 to 23% for the Quantiplex bDNA 3.0 assay. For virus dilution samples, all but 5 of 19 laboratories obtained results within 2 standard deviations of the mean. The Quantiplex bDNA 2.0 assay reported values lower than those reported by the AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR version 1.0 assay for samples containing HIV-1 subtype B, whereas the reverse was true for subtype E. Identification and resolution of the problem of invalid runs markedly improved the quality of HIV-1 viral load testing. The variability observed between laboratories and between assays, even the most recent versions, dictates that monitoring of viral load in an individual should always be by the same laboratory and by the same assay. Results for an individual which differ by less than 0.5 log10 HIV-1 RNA copy number/ml should not be considered clinically significant. PMID:11060062

49 CFR 236.110 - Results of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Results of tests. 236.110 Section 236.110...: All Systems Inspections and Tests; All Systems § 236.110 Results of tests. (a) Results of tests made... records must show the name of the railroad, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs...

49 CFR 236.110 - Results of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Results of tests. 236.110 Section 236.110...: All Systems Inspections and Tests; All Systems § 236.110 Results of tests. (a) Results of tests made... records must show the name of the railroad, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs...

49 CFR 236.110 - Results of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Results of tests. 236.110 Section 236.110...: All Systems Inspections and Tests; All Systems § 236.110 Results of tests. (a) Results of tests made... records must show the name of the railroad, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs...

49 CFR 236.110 - Results of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Results of tests. 236.110 Section 236.110...: All Systems Inspections and Tests; All Systems § 236.110 Results of tests. (a) Results of tests made... records must show the name of the railroad, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs...

49 CFR 236.110 - Results of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Results of tests. 236.110 Section 236.110...: All Systems Inspections and Tests; All Systems § 236.110 Results of tests. (a) Results of tests made... records must show the name of the railroad, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs...

External quality assessment for CD4 + T-lymphocyte count test

PubMed Central

Gaspar, Pâmela Cristina; Wohlke, Bruna Lovizutto Protti; Brunialti, Milena Karina Coló; Pires, Ana Flávia; Kohiyama, Igor Massaki; Salomão, Reinaldo; Alonso Neto, José Boullosa; Júnior, Orlando da Costa Ferreira; Franchini, Miriam; Bazzo, Maria Luiza; Benzaken, Adele Schwartz

2018-01-01

Abstract The National Network for CD4+ T-lymphocyte counting of Brazil comprises 93 laboratories. This study reports the laboratory performances achieved in external quality assessment (EQA) rounds provides by Ministry of Health to evaluate the quality of the kits used and the performance of test by the technicians. Ten EQA rounds were analyzed according the EQA criteria aimed to evaluate individual laboratory performance on the basis of the accuracy of their results compared to the general mean obtained by all participating laboratories and the reproducibility of the results obtained between 2 samples from the same donor. The percentage of approved and failed laboratories in the EQAs tends to follow a uniform pattern. Since 2011, approval has remained above 80% and the failure rate has never exceeded 15%. EQA is very important to evaluate the performance of the laboratories, to identify monitor, and to resolve errors as quickly as possible. PMID:29794603

40 CFR 799.12 - Test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Test results. 799.12 Section 799.12...) IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE AND MIXTURE TESTING REQUIREMENTS General Provisions § 799.12 Test results. Except as set forth in specific chemical test rules in subpart B of this part, a positive or...

40 CFR 799.12 - Test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Test results. 799.12 Section 799.12...) IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE AND MIXTURE TESTING REQUIREMENTS General Provisions § 799.12 Test results. Except as set forth in specific chemical test rules in subpart B of this part, a positive or...

Best Practices: Power Quality and Integrated Testing at JSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Lydia

2018-01-01

This presentation discusses Best Practices for Power Quality and Integrated Testing at JSC in regards to electrical systems. These high-level charts include mostly generic information; however, a specific issue is discussed involving flight hardware that could have been discovered prior to flight with an integrated test.

Testing a pharmacist-patient relationship quality model among older persons with diabetes.

PubMed

Worley, Marcia M

2006-03-01

Considering recent changes to the Medicare program, pharmacists will have unique opportunities to be reimbursed for providing Medication Therapy Management Services to older persons with diabetes. A high-quality pharmacist-patient relationship can lay the foundation for effective provision of Medication Therapy Management Services and improved care in this cohort. To test a pharmacist-patient relationship quality model in a group of older persons with diabetes from the patient's perspective. Antecedents to relationship quality were pharmacist participative behavior/patient-centeredness of relationship, patient participative behavior, and pharmacist-patient interpersonal communication. Pharmacist-patient relationship commitment was the outcome of relationship quality studied. Data were collected via mailed questionnaire from a random sample of 600 community-dwelling adults in the United States who (1) were 65 years of age and older, (2) had type 1 or type 2 diabetes, (3) used at least one prescription medication to treat their diabetes, and (4) used some type of nonmail order pharmacy as their primary source of obtaining prescription medications. Model relationships were tested using path analysis. The adjusted response rate was 41.6% (221/531). The models explained 47% and 49% of the variance in relationship quality and relationship commitment, respectively. In the relationship quality model, pharmacist participative behavior/patient-centeredness of relationship (beta=.51, P<.001) and pharmacist-patient interpersonal communication (beta=.17, P=.008) had direct effects on relationship quality. In the relationship commitment model, relationship quality had a direct effect on relationship commitment (beta=.60, P<.001). Pharmacist participative behavior/patient-centeredness and pharmacist-patient interpersonal communication had indirect effects on relationship commitment through their effects on relationship quality, which is a mediator in the model. Results affirm

Field testing, refinement, and psychometric evaluation of a new measure of quality of care for assisted living.

PubMed

Rantz, Marilyn J; Aud, Myra A; Zwygart-Stauffacher, Mary; Mehr, David R; Petroski, Gregory F; Owen, Steven V; Madsen, Richard W; Flesner, Marcia; Conn, Vicki; Maas, Meridean

2008-01-01

Field test results are reported for the Observable Indicators of Nursing Home Care Quality Instrument-Assisted Living Version, an instrument designed to measure the quality of care in assisted living facilities after a brief 30-minute walk-through. The OIQ-AL was tested in 207 assisted-living facilities in two states using classical test theory, generalizability theory, and exploratory factor analysis. The 34-item scale has a coherent six-factor structure that conceptually describes the multidimensional concept of care quality in assisted living. The six factors can be logically clustered into process (Homelike and Caring, 21 items) and structure (Access and Choice; Lighting; Plants and Pets; Outdoor Spaces) subscales and for a total quality score. Classical test theory results indicate most subscales and the total quality score from the OIQ-AL have acceptable interrater, test-retest, and strong internal consistency reliabilities. Generalizability theory analyses reveal that dependability of scores from the instrument are strong, particularly by including a second observer who conducts a site visit and independently completes an instrument, or by a single observer conducting two site visits and completing instruments during each visit. Scoring guidelines based on the total sample of observations (N = 358) help guide those who want to use the measure to interpret both subscale and total scores. Content validity was supported by two expert panels of people experienced in the assisted-living field, and a content validity index calculated for the first version of the scale is high (3.43 on a four-point scale). The OIQ-AL gives reliable and valid scores for researchers, and may be useful for consumers, providers, and others interested in measuring quality of care in assisted-living facilities.

[Active ageing and quality of life--Results of a WHO demonstration project].

PubMed

von dem Knesebeck, O; David, K; Bill, P; Hikl, R

2006-04-01

Based on the Active Ageing Programme of the World Health Organization (WHO), a demonstration project was conducted in a city in North-Rhine Westphalia between October 2002 and December 2004. The aim of the study was to promote an active ageing process, to maintain autonomy and independence among older people, and thereby to promote health and quality of life. The target group included people aged 55 to 80 years. The aim was to include older persons in a critical period of life due to loss of partner within the last five years and people undergoing a status change due to retirement within the last two years. 344 participants were visited at home to assess their health and psychosocial situation and to identify opportunities for activities. Participants were supported in their efforts to realise the agreed-upon activities. In this article results of the external evaluation are presented. It is analysed whether quality of life according to the WHOQOL Bref improves among participants in the course of the project. Results of non-parametric tests show small differences in quality of life between the three waves of interviews (at the beginning of the project, after one year, at the end of the project). This holds true when only those participants are analysed who retired within the last two years. However, quality of life significantly improves among older persons who lost their partner within the last five years. In terms of implementation of the WHO Active Ageing Programme results suggest application of a risk group strategy.

Waiting for Radiology Test Results: Patient Expectations and Emotional Disutility.

PubMed

Woolen, Sean; Kazerooni, Ella A; Wall, Amber; Parent, Kelly; Cahalan, Shannon; Alameddine, Mitchell; Davenport, Matthew S

2018-02-01

To measure patient willingness to wait and emotional disutility of waiting for outpatient imaging test results. A prospective HIPAA-compliant multicenter outpatient quality improvement survey was administered by a trained interviewer to 218 outpatients from November 1, 2016, to February 1, 2017. The survey was vetted by patient- and family-centered care advocates with experience in survey design and underwent precognitive testing for readability. Six clinical scenarios were tested. Descriptive statistics were calculated. The response (93% [202 of 218]) and completion (93% [188 of 202]) rates were excellent. Anxiety (28% [57 of 202]), depression (26% [53 of 202]), and cancer (23% [46 of 202]) histories were common. Median stated expectations for imaging test results receipt were 3 days after a screening examination (interquartile range [IQR] 5 days); 2 days after chest x-ray for chest pain (IQR 3) or MRI or CT for back pain (IQR 2); and 1 day after chest x-ray for pneumonia (IQR 2), MRI or CT for brain tumor (IQR 2), or CT for cancer treatment (IQR 3). If imaging results are not received, the median time patients stated they would wait to call their provider was 1 to 5 days (varied by indication). Waiting for imaging results exerts an emotional change in 45% (91 of 202) of individuals, with the majority (85% [77 of 91]) experiencing anxiety (minimal 28%, mild 45%, moderate 22%, severe 4%, extreme 1%). Patients expect outpatient imaging results within 1 to 3 days and will call providers by 1 to 5 days. Waiting for test results commonly induces anxiety. Copyright © 2017 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Procedure of seed quality testing and seed grading standard of Prunus humilis].

PubMed

Wen, Hao; Ren, Guang-Xi; Gao, Ya; Luo, Jun; Liu, Chun-Sheng; Li, Wei-Dong

2014-11-01

So far there exists no corresponding quality test procedures and grading standards for the seed of Prunus humilis, which is one of the important source of base of semen pruni. Therefor we set up test procedures that are adapt to characteristics of the P. humilis seed through the study of the test of sampling, seed purity, thousand-grain weight, seed moisture, seed viability and germination percentage. 50 cases of seed specimens of P. humilis tested. The related data were analyzed by cluster analysis. Through this research, the seed quality test procedure was developed, and the seed quality grading standard was formulated. The seed quality of each grade should meet the following requirements: for first grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 68%, thousand-grain weight 383 g, purity ≥ 93%, seed moisture ≤ 5%; for second grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 26%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 266 g, purity ≥ 73%, seed moisture ≤9%; for third grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 10%, purity ≥ 50%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 08 g, seed moisture ≤ 13%.

Quality Indicators for the Total Testing Process.

PubMed

Plebani, Mario; Sciacovelli, Laura; Aita, Ada

2017-03-01

ISO 15189:2012 requires the use of quality indicators (QIs) to monitor and evaluate all steps of the total testing process, but several difficulties dissuade laboratories from effective and continuous use of QIs in routine practice. An International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine working group addressed this problem and implemented a project to develop a model of QIs to be used in clinical laboratories worldwide to monitor and evaluate all steps of the total testing process, and decrease error rates and improve patient services in laboratory testing. All laboratories are invited, at no cost, to enroll in the project and contribute to harmonized management at the international level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Asynchronous Transfer Mode Quality-of-Service Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.

1998-01-01

In support of satellite-ATM interoperability, researchers at the NASA Lewis Research Center performed asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) quality-of-service experiments using MPEG-2 (ATM application layer 5, AAL5) over ATM over an emulated satellite link. The purpose of these experiments was to determine the free-space link quality necessary to use the ATM protocol to transmit high-quality multimedia information. The experimental results have been submitted to various International Telecommunications Union (ITU) study groups in order to improve and modify current standards and recommendations for the telecommunications industry. Quality-of-service parameters for Class I, stringent class requirements for ITU-T I.356 are currently being debated. The experimental results presented will help to establish these quality-of-service thresholds. This material will also be useful in the development of the ITU-R WP-4B's Draft Preliminary New Recommendation on the Transmission of Asynchronous Transfer Mode Traffic via Satellite (Rec. S.atm).

21 CFR 640.56 - Quality control test for potency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

..., Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration. Such testing shall not be... Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration. (d) If the average potency level of antihemophilic... 21 Food and Drugs 7 2011-04-01 2010-04-01 true Quality control test for potency. 640.56 Section...

Preliminary psychometric testing of the Fox Simple Quality-of-Life Scale.

PubMed

Fox, Sherry

2004-06-01

Although quality of life is extensively defined as subjective and multidimensional with both affective and cognitive components, few instruments capture important dimensions of the construct, and few are both conceptually congruent and user friendly for the clinical setting. The aim of this study was to develop and test a measure that would be easy to use clinically and capture both cognitive and affective components of quality of life. Initial item sources for the Fox Simple Quality-of-Life Scale (FSQOLS) were literature-based. Thirty items were compiled for content validity assessment by a panel of expert healthcare clinicians from various disciplines, predominantly nursing. Five items were removed as a result of the review because they reflected negatively worded or redundant items. The 25-item scale was mailed to 177 people with lung, colon, and ovarian cancer in various stages. Cancer types were selected theoretically, based on similarity in prognosis, degree of symptom burden, and possible meaning and experience. Of the 145 participants, all provided complete data on the FSQOLS. Psychometric evaluation of the FSQOLS included item-total correlations, principal components analysis with varimax rotation revealing two factors explaining 50% variance, reliability estimation using alpha estimates, and item-factor correlations. The FSQOLS exhibited significant convergent validity with four popular quality-of-life instruments: the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale, the Short-Form-36 Health Survey, and the General Well-Being Scale. Content validity of the scale was explored and supported using qualitative interviews of 14 participants with lung, colon and ovarian cancer, who were a subgroup of the sample for the initial instrument testing.

[Genetic predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer: importance of test results].

PubMed

Julian-Reynier, Claire

2011-01-01

Oncogenetic consultations and predictive BRCA1/2 testing are intertwined processes and the specific impact of these genetic tests if performed alone through direct-to-consumer offers remains unknown. Noteworthy, the expectations of patients vary with their own status, whether they are affected or not by breast cancer at the time genetic testing is performed. The prescription of genetic tests for BCRA mutations has doubled in France between 2003 and 2009. There is a consensus on the fact that genetic results disclosure led to a significant increase in the knowledge and understanding that the patients have of the genetic risk and also changed the medical follow-up of these patients. Evaluating the psychological burden of tests disclosure did not reveal any major distress in patients who are followed by high-quality multidisciplinary teams. Longitudinal cohorts studies have now evaluated the perception and behaviour of these patients, and observed sociodemographic as well as geographic and psychosocial differences both in the acceptation of prophylactic strategies such as surgery, and time to surgery. © 2011 médecine/sciences - Inserm / SRMS.

Electronic Quality of Life Assessment Using Computer-Adaptive Testing

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background Quality of life (QoL) questionnaires are desirable for clinical practice but can be time-consuming to administer and interpret, making their widespread adoption difficult. Objective Our aim was to assess the performance of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-100 questionnaire as four item banks to facilitate adaptive testing using simulated computer adaptive tests (CATs) for physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL. Methods We used data from the UK WHOQOL-100 questionnaire (N=320) to calibrate item banks using item response theory, which included psychometric assessments of differential item functioning, local dependency, unidimensionality, and reliability. We simulated CATs to assess the number of items administered before prespecified levels of reliability was met. Results The item banks (40 items) all displayed good model fit (P>.01) and were unidimensional (fewer than 5% of t tests significant), reliable (Person Separation Index>.70), and free from differential item functioning (no significant analysis of variance interaction) or local dependency (residual correlations < +.20). When matched for reliability, the item banks were between 45% and 75% shorter than paper-based WHOQOL measures. Across the four domains, a high standard of reliability (alpha>.90) could be gained with a median of 9 items. Conclusions Using CAT, simulated assessments were as reliable as paper-based forms of the WHOQOL with a fraction of the number of items. These properties suggest that these item banks are suitable for computerized adaptive assessment. These item banks have the potential for international development using existing alternative language versions of the WHOQOL items. PMID:27694100

A New Tool for Nutrition App Quality Evaluation (AQEL): Development, Validation, and Reliability Testing

PubMed Central

Huang, Wenhao; Chapman-Novakofski, Karen M

2017-01-01

Background The extensive availability and increasing use of mobile apps for nutrition-based health interventions makes evaluation of the quality of these apps crucial for integration of apps into nutritional counseling. Objective The goal of this research was the development, validation, and reliability testing of the app quality evaluation (AQEL) tool, an instrument for evaluating apps’ educational quality and technical functionality. Methods Items for evaluating app quality were adapted from website evaluations, with additional items added to evaluate the specific characteristics of apps, resulting in 79 initial items. Expert panels of nutrition and technology professionals and app users reviewed items for face and content validation. After recommended revisions, nutrition experts completed a second AQEL review to ensure clarity. On the basis of 150 sets of responses using the revised AQEL, principal component analysis was completed, reducing AQEL into 5 factors that underwent reliability testing, including internal consistency, split-half reliability, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability (IRR). Two additional modifiable constructs for evaluating apps based on the age and needs of the target audience as selected by the evaluator were also tested for construct reliability. IRR testing using intraclass correlations (ICC) with all 7 constructs was conducted, with 15 dietitians evaluating one app. Results Development and validation resulted in the 51-item AQEL. These were reduced to 25 items in 5 factors after principal component analysis, plus 9 modifiable items in two constructs that were not included in principal component analysis. Internal consistency and split-half reliability of the following constructs derived from principal components analysis was good (Cronbach alpha >.80, Spearman-Brown coefficient >.80): behavior change potential, support of knowledge acquisition, app function, and skill development. App purpose split half-reliability was

A micro-vibration generated method for testing the imaging quality on ground of space remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Yingying; Wang, Li; Wu, Qingwen

2018-03-01

In this paper, a novel method is proposed, which can simulate satellite platform micro-vibration and test the impact of satellite micro-vibration on imaging quality of space optical remote sensor on ground. The method can generate micro-vibration of satellite platform in orbit from vibrational degrees of freedom, spectrum, magnitude, and coupling path. Experiment results show that the relative error of acceleration control is within 7%, in frequencies from 7Hz to 40Hz. Utilizing this method, the system level test about the micro-vibration impact on imaging quality of space optical remote sensor can be realized. This method will have an important applications in testing micro-vibration tolerance margin of optical remote sensor, verifying vibration isolation and suppression performance of optical remote sensor, exploring the principle of micro-vibration impact on imaging quality of optical remote sensor.

Quality-assurance results for routine water analysis in US Geological Survey laboratories, water year 1991

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maloney, T.J.; Ludtke, A.S.; Krizman, T.L.

1994-01-01

The US. Geological Survey operates a quality- assurance program based on the analyses of reference samples for the National Water Quality Laboratory in Arvada, Colorado, and the Quality of Water Service Unit in Ocala, Florida. Reference samples containing selected inorganic, nutrient, and low ionic-strength constituents are prepared and disguised as routine samples. The program goal is to determine precision and bias for as many analytical methods offered by the participating laboratories as possible. The samples typically are submitted at a rate of approximately 5 percent of the annual environmental sample load for each constituent. The samples are distributed to the laboratories throughout the year. Analytical data for these reference samples reflect the quality of environmental sample data produced by the laboratories because the samples are processed in the same manner for all steps from sample login through data release. The results are stored permanently in the National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System. During water year 1991, 86 analytical procedures were evaluated at the National Water Quality Laboratory and 37 analytical procedures were evaluated at the Quality of Water Service Unit. An overall evaluation of the inorganic (major ion and trace metal) constituent data for water year 1991 indicated analytical imprecision in the National Water Quality Laboratory for 5 of 67 analytical procedures: aluminum (whole-water recoverable, atomic emission spectrometric, direct-current plasma); calcium (atomic emission spectrometric, direct); fluoride (ion-exchange chromatographic); iron (whole-water recoverable, atomic absorption spectrometric, direct); and sulfate (ion-exchange chromatographic). The results for 11 of 67 analytical procedures had positive or negative bias during water year 1991. Analytical imprecision was indicated in the determination of two of the five National Water Quality Laboratory nutrient constituents: orthophosphate as phosphorus and

Quality assurance in RT-PCR-based BCR/ABL diagnostics--results of an interlaboratory test and a standardization approach.

PubMed

Burmeister, T; Maurer, J; Aivado, M; Elmaagacli, A H; Grünebach, F; Held, K R; Hess, G; Hochhaus, A; Höppner, W; Lentes, K U; Lübbert, M; Schäfer, K L; Schafhausen, P; Schmidt, C A; Schüler, F; Seeger, K; Seelig, R; Thiede, C; Viehmann, S; Weber, C; Wilhelm, S; Christmann, A; Clement, J H; Ebener, U; Enczmann, J; Leo, R; Schleuning, M; Schoch, R; Thiel, E

2000-10-01

Here we describe the results of an interlaboratory test for RT-PCR-based BCR/ABL analysis. The test was organized in two parts. The number of participating laboratories in the first and second part was 27 and 20, respectively. In the first part samples containing various concentrations of plasmids with the ela2, b2a2 or b3a2 BCR/ABL transcripts were analyzed by PCR. In the second part of the test, cell samples containing various concentrations of BCR/ABL-positive cells were analyzed by RT-PCR. Overall PCR sensitivity was sufficient in approximately 90% of the tests, but a significant number of false positive results were obtained. There were significant differences in sensitivity in the cell-based analysis between the various participants. The results are discussed, and proposals are made regarding the choice of primers, controls, conditions for RNA extraction and reverse transcription.

Improving the quality of parameter estimates obtained from slug tests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Butler, J.J.; McElwee, C.D.; Liu, W.

1996-01-01

The slug test is one of the most commonly used field methods for obtaining in situ estimates of hydraulic conductivity. Despite its prevalence, this method has received criticism from many quarters in the ground-water community. This criticism emphasizes the poor quality of the estimated parameters, a condition that is primarily a product of the somewhat casual approach that is often employed in slug tests. Recently, the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) has pursued research directed it improving methods for the performance and analysis of slug tests. Based on extensive theoretical and field research, a series of guidelines have been proposed that should enable the quality of parameter estimates to be improved. The most significant of these guidelines are: (1) three or more slug tests should be performed at each well during a given test period; (2) two or more different initial displacements (Ho) should be used at each well during a test period; (3) the method used to initiate a test should enable the slug to be introduced in a near-instantaneous manner and should allow a good estimate of Ho to be obtained; (4) data-acquisition equipment that enables a large quantity of high quality data to be collected should be employed; (5) if an estimate of the storage parameter is needed, an observation well other than the test well should be employed; (6) the method chosen for analysis of the slug-test data should be appropriate for site conditions; (7) use of pre- and post-analysis plots should be an integral component of the analysis procedure, and (8) appropriate well construction parameters should be employed. Data from slug tests performed at a number of KGS field sites demonstrate the importance of these guidelines.

Quality and use of consumer information provided with home test kits: room for improvement.

PubMed

Grispen, Janaica E J; Ickenroth, Martine H P; de Vries, Nanne K; van der Weijden, Trudy; Ronda, Gaby

2014-10-01

Diagnostic self-tests (tests on body materials that are initiated by consumers with the aim of diagnosing a disorder or risk factor) are becoming increasingly available. Although the pros and cons of self-testing are currently not clear, it is an existing phenomenon that is likely to gain further popularity. To examine consumers' use of and needs for information about self-testing, and to assess the quality of consumer information provided with home test kits, as perceived by consumers and as assessed using a checklist of quality criteria. A cross-sectional Internet survey among 305 self-testers assessed their use of and needs for information and their perception of the quality of consumer information provided with self-test kits. A meta-search engine was used to identify Dutch and English consumer information for home diagnostic tests available online at the time of the study. The quality of this consumer information was evaluated using a checklist of quality criteria. The consumers' information needs were in line with the most frequently used information, and the information was perceived as being of moderate to good quality. The information was mostly in agreement with clinical practice guidelines, although information on reliability and follow-up behaviour was limited. Approximately half of the instruction leaflets did not include information on the target group of the test. Although generally of moderate to good quality, some aspects of the information provided were in many cases insufficient. European legislation concerning self-tests and accompanying information needs to be adapted and adhered to more closely. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New Quality Metrics for Web Search Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metaxas, Panagiotis Takis; Ivanova, Lilia; Mustafaraj, Eni

Web search results enjoy an increasing importance in our daily lives. But what can be said about their quality, especially when querying a controversial issue? The traditional information retrieval metrics of precision and recall do not provide much insight in the case of web information retrieval. In this paper we examine new ways of evaluating quality in search results: coverage and independence. We give examples on how these new metrics can be calculated and what their values reveal regarding the two major search engines, Google and Yahoo. We have found evidence of low coverage for commercial and medical controversial queries, and high coverage for a political query that is highly contested. Given the fact that search engines are unwilling to tune their search results manually, except in a few cases that have become the source of bad publicity, low coverage and independence reveal the efforts of dedicated groups to manipulate the search results.

[Roaming through methodology. XXXII. False test results].

PubMed

van der Weijden, T; van den Akker, M

2001-05-12

The number of requests for diagnostic tests is rising. This leads to a higher chance of false test results. The false-negative proportion of a test is the proportion of negative test results among the diseased subjects. The false-positive proportion is the proportion of positive test results among the healthy subjects. The calculation of the false-positive proportion is often incorrect. For example, instead of 1 minus the specificity it is calculated as 1 minus the positive predictive value. This can lead to incorrect decision-making with respect to the application of the test. Physicians must apply diagnostic tests in such a way that the risk of false test results is minimal. The patient should be aware that a perfectly conclusive diagnostic test is rare in medical practice, and should more often be informed of the implications of false-positive and false-negative test results.

Quality of Education Predicts Performance on the Wide Range Achievement Test-4th Edition Word Reading Subtest

PubMed Central

Sayegh, Philip; Arentoft, Alyssa; Thaler, Nicholas S.; Dean, Andy C.; Thames, April D.

2014-01-01

The current study examined whether self-rated education quality predicts Wide Range Achievement Test-4th Edition (WRAT-4) Word Reading subtest and neurocognitive performance, and aimed to establish this subtest's construct validity as an educational quality measure. In a community-based adult sample (N = 106), we tested whether education quality both increased the prediction of Word Reading scores beyond demographic variables and predicted global neurocognitive functioning after adjusting for WRAT-4. As expected, race/ethnicity and education predicted WRAT-4 reading performance. Hierarchical regression revealed that when including education quality, the amount of WRAT-4's explained variance increased significantly, with race/ethnicity and both education quality and years as significant predictors. Finally, WRAT-4 scores, but not education quality, predicted neurocognitive performance. Results support WRAT-4 Word Reading as a valid proxy measure for education quality and a key predictor of neurocognitive performance. Future research should examine these findings in larger, more diverse samples to determine their robust nature. PMID:25404004

Subsonic stability and control flight test results of the Space Shuttle /tail cone off/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooke, D. R.

1980-01-01

The subsonic stability and control testing of the Space Shuttle Orbiter in its two test flights in the tailcone-off configuration is discussed, and test results are presented. Flight test maneuvers were designed to maximize the quality and quantity of stability and control data in the minimal time allotted using the Space Shuttle Functional Simulator and the Modified Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MMLE) programs, and coefficients were determined from standard sensor data sets using the MMLE, despite problems encountered in timing due to the different measurement systems used. Results are included for lateral directional and longitudinal maneuvers as well as the Space Shuttle aerodynamic data base obtained using the results of wind tunnel tests. The flight test data are found to permit greater confidence in the data base since the differences found are well within control system capability. It is suggested that the areas of major differences, including lateral directional data with open speedbrake, roll due to rudder and normal force due to elevon, be investigated in any further subsonic flight testing. Improvements in sensor data and data handling techniques for future orbital test flights are indicated.

46 CFR 160.133-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and..., tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms. (a) Unless the Commandant directs.... The Commandant may prescribe additional production tests and inspections necessary to maintain quality...

46 CFR 160.133-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and..., tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms. (a) Unless the Commandant directs.... The Commandant may prescribe additional production tests and inspections necessary to maintain quality...

Developing Software to “Track and Catch” Missed Follow-up of Abnormal Test Results in a Complex Sociotechnical Environment

PubMed Central

Smith, M.; Murphy, D.; Laxmisan, A.; Sittig, D.; Reis, B.; Esquivel, A.; Singh, H.

2013-01-01

Summary Background Abnormal test results do not always receive timely follow-up, even when providers are notified through electronic health record (EHR)-based alerts. High workload, alert fatigue, and other demands on attention disrupt a provider’s prospective memory for tasks required to initiate follow-up. Thus, EHR-based tracking and reminding functionalities are needed to improve follow-up. Objectives The purpose of this study was to develop a decision-support software prototype enabling individual and system-wide tracking of abnormal test result alerts lacking follow-up, and to conduct formative evaluations, including usability testing. Methods We developed a working prototype software system, the Alert Watch And Response Engine (AWARE), to detect abnormal test result alerts lacking documented follow-up, and to present context-specific reminders to providers. Development and testing took place within the VA’s EHR and focused on four cancer-related abnormal test results. Design concepts emphasized mitigating the effects of high workload and alert fatigue while being minimally intrusive. We conducted a multifaceted formative evaluation of the software, addressing fit within the larger socio-technical system. Evaluations included usability testing with the prototype and interview questions about organizational and workflow factors. Participants included 23 physicians, 9 clinical information technology specialists, and 8 quality/safety managers. Results Evaluation results indicated that our software prototype fit within the technical environment and clinical workflow, and physicians were able to use it successfully. Quality/safety managers reported that the tool would be useful in future quality assurance activities to detect patients who lack documented follow-up. Additionally, we successfully installed the software on the local facility’s “test” EHR system, thus demonstrating technical compatibility. Conclusion To address the factors involved in missed

First French Pilot Quality Assessment of the EndoPredict Test for Early Luminal Breast Carcinoma.

PubMed

Lehmann-Che, Jacqueline; Miquel, Catherine; Wong, Jennifer; Callens, Celine; Rouleau, Etienne; Quillien, Veronique; Lozano, Nicolas; Cayre, Anne; Lacroix, Ludovic; Bieche, Ivan; Bertheau, Philippe; Teixeira, Luis; Llorca, Frederique Penault; Lamy, Pierre Jean; DE Cremoux, Patricia

2018-05-01

Genomic signatures are needed for the determination of prognosis in patients with early stage, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancers. EndoPredict test is a RNA-based multigene assay that assesses the risk of 10-year relapse in this context. Quality assessment is a mandatory requirement for a laboratory to address the analytical quality of these molecular analyses. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the robustness of this prognostic test, its usefulness for the patient's treatment strategy, at the national level. This study presents a pilot quality assessment (QA) of the EndoPredict test using composite design, including the follow-up of internal control values (qREF) of the 12 genes of the assay for 151 independent tests and one formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) breast cancer sample. The evaluation of the test was performed by comparing the results of six independent medical laboratories. All measures were highly reproducible and quantification of the qREF showed a standard deviation of less than 0.50 and a coefficient of variation always of <2%. All laboratories found concordant results for the breast cancer samples. The mean EndoPredict (EP) score for the breast cancer sample was 4.97±0.24. The mean of EPclin score was 3.07±0.05. This first French independent reported QA assessed the robustness and reproducibility of the EndoPredict test. Such a simple composite design could represent an adapted QA for an expensive diagnostic test. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

To What Extent is Drinking Water Tested in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Comparative Analysis of Regulated Water Quality Monitoring.

PubMed

Peletz, Rachel; Kumpel, Emily; Bonham, Mateyo; Rahman, Zarah; Khush, Ranjiv

2016-03-02

Water quality information is important for guiding water safety management and preventing water-related diseases. To assess the current status of regulated water quality monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa, we evaluated testing programs for fecal contamination in 72 institutions (water suppliers and public health agencies) across 10 countries. Data were collected through written surveys, in-person interviews, and analysis of microbial water quality testing levels. Though most institutions did not achieve the testing levels specified by applicable standards or World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines, 85% of institutions had conducted some microbial water testing in the previous year. Institutions were more likely to meet testing targets if they were suppliers (as compared to surveillance agencies), served larger populations, operated in urban settings, and had higher water quality budgets (all p < 0.05). Our results indicate that smaller water providers and rural public health offices will require greater attention and additional resources to achieve regulatory compliance for water quality monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa. The cost-effectiveness of water quality monitoring should be improved by the application of risk-based water management approaches. Efforts to strengthen monitoring capacity should pay greater attention to program sustainability and institutional commitment to water safety.

Impact of syncope on quality of life: validation of a measure in patients undergoing tilt testing.

PubMed

Nave-Leal, Elisabete; Oliveira, Mário; Pais-Ribeiro, José; Santos, Sofia; Oliveira, Eunice; Alves, Teresa; Cruz Ferreira, Rui

2015-03-01

Recurrent syncope has a significant impact on quality of life. The development of measurement scales to assess this impact that are easy to use in clinical settings is crucial. The objective of the present study is a preliminary validation of the Impact of Syncope on Quality of Life questionnaire for the Portuguese population. The instrument underwent a process of translation, validation, analysis of cultural appropriateness and cognitive debriefing. A population of 39 patients with a history of recurrent syncope (>1 year) who underwent tilt testing, aged 52.1 ± 16.4 years (21-83), 43.5% male, most in active employment (n=18) or retired (n=13), constituted a convenience sample. The resulting Portuguese version is similar to the original, with 12 items in a single aggregate score, and underwent statistical validation, with assessment of reliability, validity and stability over time. With regard to reliability, the internal consistency of the scale is 0.9. Assessment of convergent and discriminant validity showed statistically significant results (p<0.01). Regarding stability over time, a test-retest of this instrument at six months after tilt testing with 22 patients of the sample who had not undergone any clinical intervention found no statistically significant changes in quality of life. The results indicate that this instrument is of value for assessing quality of life in patients with recurrent syncope in Portugal. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Electronic nose for quality control of Colombian coffee through the detection of defects in "Cup Tests".

PubMed

Rodríguez, Juan; Durán, Cristhian; Reyes, Adriana

2010-01-01

Electronic noses (ENs), are used for many applications, but we must emphasize the importance of their application to foodstuffs like coffee. This paper presents a research study about the analysis of Colombian coffee samples for the detection and classification of defects (i.e., using "Cup Tests"), which was conducted at the Almacafé quality control laboratory in Cúcuta, Colombia. The results obtained show that the application of an electronic nose called "A-NOSE", may be used in the coffee industry for the cupping tests. The results show that e-nose technology can be a useful tool for quality control to evaluate the excellence of the Colombian coffee produced by National Federation of Coffee Growers.

Rules of thumb to increase the software quality through testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buttu, M.; Bartolini, M.; Migoni, C.; Orlati, A.; Poppi, S.; Righini, S.

2016-07-01

The software maintenance typically requires 40-80% of the overall project costs, and this considerable variability mostly depends on the software internal quality: the more the software is designed and implemented to constantly welcome new changes, the lower will be the maintenance costs. The internal quality is typically enforced through testing, which in turn also affects the development and maintenance costs. This is the reason why testing methodologies have become a major concern for any company that builds - or is involved in building - software. Although there is no testing approach that suits all contexts, we infer some general guidelines learned during the Development of the Italian Single-dish COntrol System (DISCOS), which is a project aimed at producing the control software for the three INAF radio telescopes (the Medicina and Noto dishes, and the newly-built SRT). These guidelines concern both the development and the maintenance phases, and their ultimate goal is to maximize the DISCOS software quality through a Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) workflow beside a continuous delivery pipeline. We consider different topics and patterns; they involve the proper apportion of the tests (from end-to-end to low-level tests), the choice between hardware simulators and mockers, why and how to apply TDD and the dependency injection to increase the test coverage, the emerging technologies available for test isolation, bug fixing, how to protect the system from the external resources changes (firmware updating, hardware substitution, etc.) and, eventually, how to accomplish BDD starting from functional tests and going through integration and unit tests. We discuss pros and cons of each solution and point out the motivations of our choices either as a general rule or narrowed in the context of the DISCOS project.

Sediment toxicity test results for the Urban Waters Study 2010, Bellingham Bay, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Biedenbach, James M.

2011-01-01

The Washington Department of Ecology annually determines the quality of recently deposited sediments in Puget Sound as a part of Ecology's Urban Waters Initiative. The annual sediment quality studies use the Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) approach, thus relying on measures of chemical contamination, toxicity, and benthic in-faunal effects (Chapman, 1990). Since 2002, the studies followed a rotating sampling scheme, each year sampling a different region of the greater Puget Sound Basin. During the annual studies, samples are collected in locations selected with a stratified-random design, patterned after the designs previously used in baseline surveys completed during 1997-1999 (Long and others, 2003; Wilson and Partridge, 2007). Sediment samples were collected by personnel from the Washington Department of Ecology, in June of 2010 and shipped to the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) laboratory in Corpus Christi, Texas (not shown), where the tests were performed. Sediment pore water was extracted with a pneumatic apparatus and was stored frozen. Just before testing, water-quality measurements were made and salinity adjusted, if necessary. Tests were performed on a dilution series of each sample consisting of 100-, 50-, and 25-percent pore-water concentrations. The specific objectives of this study were to: * Extract sediment pore water from a total of 30 sediment samples from the Bellingham Bay, Washington area within a day of receipt of the samples. * Measure water-quality parameters (salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, sulfide, and ammonia) of thawed pore-water samples before testing and adjust salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen, if necessary, to obtain optimal ranges for the test species. * Conduct the fertilization toxicity test with pore water using sea urchin (Stronylocentrotus purpuratus) (S. purpuratus) gametes. * Perform quality control assays with reference pore water, dilution blanks and a positive control dilution series with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS

ASVCP guidelines: quality assurance for point-of-care testing in veterinary medicine.

PubMed

Flatland, Bente; Freeman, Kathleen P; Vap, Linda M; Harr, Kendal E

2013-12-01

Point-of-care testing (POCT) refers to any laboratory testing performed outside the conventional reference laboratory and implies close proximity to patients. Instrumental POCT systems consist of small, handheld or benchtop analyzers. These have potential utility in many veterinary settings, including private clinics, academic veterinary medical centers, the community (eg, remote area veterinary medical teams), and for research applications in academia, government, and industry. Concern about the quality of veterinary in-clinic testing has been expressed in published veterinary literature; however, little guidance focusing on POCT is available. Recognizing this void, the ASVCP formed a subcommittee in 2009 charged with developing quality assurance (QA) guidelines for veterinary POCT. Guidelines were developed through literature review and a consensus process. Major recommendations include (1) taking a formalized approach to POCT within the facility, (2) use of written policies, standard operating procedures, forms, and logs, (3) operator training, including periodic assessment of skills, (4) assessment of instrument analytical performance and use of both statistical quality control and external quality assessment programs, (5) use of properly established or validated reference intervals, (6) and ensuring accurate patient results reporting. Where possible, given instrument analytical performance, use of a validated 13s control rule for interpretation of control data is recommended. These guidelines are aimed at veterinarians and veterinary technicians seeking to improve management of POCT in their clinical or research setting, and address QA of small chemistry and hematology instruments. These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide a minimum standard for maintenance of POCT instruments in the veterinary setting. © 2013 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology and European Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Proposed quality control guidelines for antimicrobial susceptibility tests using tilmicosin.

PubMed Central

Shryock, T R; White, D W; Werner, C S; Staples, J M

1995-01-01

Quality control guidelines for tilmicosin, a novel veterinary-use-only macrolide, were developed in a multi-laboratory study according to established National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) procedures (M23-T2). Tilmicosin was incorporated into Sensititre plates for broth microdilution endpoint testing and into two lots of 15-micrograms disks for Kirby-Bauer agar disk diffusion testing. One common lot and five unique lots of Mueller-Hinton media were used. (Broth was cation adjusted, and agar was supplemented with 5% defibrinated sheep blood.) Bacteria used for reference strains included Pasteurella haemolytica 128K, Pasteurella multocida ATCC 43137, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 (microdilution) and ATCC 25923 (disk). Replicate tests were conducted. Disk diffusion and broth microdilution quality control ranges are proposed. PMID:7714188

Sperm competition leads to functional adaptations in avian testes to maximize sperm quantity and quality.

PubMed

Lüpold, Stefan; Wistuba, Joachim; Damm, Oliver S; Rivers, James W; Birkhead, Tim R

2011-05-01

The outcome of sperm competition (i.e. competition for fertilization between ejaculates from different males) is primarily determined by the relative number and quality of rival sperm. Therefore, the testes are under strong selection to maximize both sperm number and quality, which are likely to result in trade-offs in the process of spermatogenesis (e.g. between the rate of spermatogenesis and sperm length or sperm energetics). Comparative studies have shown positive associations between the level of sperm competition and both relative testis size and the proportion of seminiferous (sperm-producing) tissue within the testes. However, it is unknown how the seminiferous tissue itself or the process of spermatogenesis might evolve in response to sperm competition. Therefore, we quantified the different germ cell types and Sertoli cells (SC) in testes to assess the efficiency of sperm production and its associations with sperm length and mating system across 10 species of New World Blackbirds (Icteridae) that show marked variation in sperm length and sperm competition level. We found that species under strong sperm competition generate more round spermatids (RS)/spermatogonium and have SC that support a greater number of germ cells, both of which are likely to increase the maximum sperm output. However, fewer of the RS appeared to elongate to mature spermatozoa in these species, which might be the result of selection for discarding spermatids with undesirable characteristics as they develop. Our results suggest that, in addition to overall size and gross morphology, testes have also evolved functional adaptations to maximize sperm quantity and quality.

Underground Test Area Quality Assurance Project Plan Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

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

Irene Farnham

This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) provides the overall quality assurance (QA) program requirements and general quality practices to be applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) Underground Test Area (UGTA) Sub-Project (hereafter the Sub-Project) activities. The requirements in this QAPP are consistent with DOE Order 414.1C, Quality Assurance (DOE, 2005); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Modeling (EPA, 2002); and EPA Guidance on the Development, Evaluation, and Application of Environmental Models (EPA, 2009). The QAPP Revision 0 supersedes DOE--341, Underground Test Area Quality Assurancemore » Project Plan, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 4.« less

External Quality Assessment for Zika Virus Molecular Diagnostic Testing, Brazil.

PubMed

Fischer, Carlo; Pedroso, Celia; Mendrone, Alfredo; Bispo de Filippis, Ana Maria; Vallinoto, Antonio Carlos Rosário; Ribeiro, Bergmann Morais; Durigon, Edison Luiz; Marques, Ernesto T A; Campos, Gubio S; Viana, Isabelle F T; Levi, José Eduardo; Scarpelli, Luciano Cesar; Nogueira, Mauricio Lacerda; Bastos, Michele de Souza; Souza, Nathalia C Santiago; Khouri, Ricardo; Lira, Sanny; Komninakis, Shirley Vasconcelos; Baronti, Cécile; Charrel, Rémi N; Kümmerer, Beate M; Drosten, Christian; Brites, Carlos; de Lamballerie, Xavier; Niedrig, Matthias; Netto, Eduardo Martins; Drexler, Jan Felix

2018-05-01

We conducted an external quality assessment of Zika virus molecular diagnostic tests in Brazil using a new Zika virus standard. Of 15 laboratories, 73% showed limited sensitivity and specificity. Viral load estimates varied significantly. Continuous quality assurance is needed to adequately estimate risk for Zika virus-associated disease and determine patient care.

Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Test Results

MedlinePlus

... FAQ187 GYNECOLOGIC PROBLEMS Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Test Results • What is cervical cancer screening? • What causes abnormal cervical cancer screening test results? • What is the difference between the terms cervical ...

Prognostic value of a pre-freeze hypo-osmotic swelling test on the post-thaw quality of dog semen.

PubMed

Karger, S; Geiser, B; Grau, M; Burfeind, O; Heuwieser, W; Arlt, S P

2016-03-01

Throughout cryopreservation, sperm are exposed to major osmotic challenges. Only intact membranes of sperm cells are able to regulate these volumetric changes, which can be determined by the hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOS test). Correlations between the HOS test and conventional semen variables are inconsistent. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to examine relationships between HOS test results and standard semen variables before freezing and after thawing and (2) to evaluate the prognostic value of the HOS assessments on post-thaw quality of dog semen. Semen of 35 dogs was collected and analyzed before freezing and after thawing following a 7-day freeze-thaw interval. Conventional semen variables such as sperm cell motility, membrane integrity morphology were evaluated and the HOS test was conducted with results from this test being recorded. In fresh semen the HOS test was positively correlated with progressive motility of sperm cells: r=0.52, sperm cell membrane integrity: r=0.50 and normal sperm cell morphology: r=0.46 (P<0.05). In frozen-thawed semen, the data obtained with the HOS test were positively correlated with progressive sperm cell motility: r=0.67 and membrane integrity: r=0.86 (P<0.05). The data obtained with the HOS test in fresh semen were positively correlated with sperm cell membrane integrity: r=0.50 normal sperm cell morphology: r=0.55 and data from the HOS test (r=0.43; P<0.05) with frozen-thawed semen. For the prediction of individual cryopreservation capacity, results from assessment of the fresh semen variables of good and poor semen quality were statistically compared. Based on these results, it is not possible to predict the quality of frozen-thawed dog semen using the HOS test. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of results of fluconazole disk diffusion testing for Candida species with results from a central reference laboratory in the ARTEMIS global antifungal surveillance program.

PubMed

Pfaller, M A; Hazen, K C; Messer, S A; Boyken, L; Tendolkar, S; Hollis, R J; Diekema, D J

2004-08-01

The accuracy of antifungal susceptibility tests is important for accurate resistance surveillance and for the clinical management of patients with serious infections. Our main objective was to compare the results of fluconazole disk diffusion testing of Candida spp. performed by ARTEMIS participating centers with disk diffusion and MIC results obtained by the central reference laboratory. A total of 2,949 isolates of Candida spp. were tested by NCCLS disk diffusion and reference broth microdilution methods in the central reference laboratory. These results were compared to the results of disk diffusion testing performed in the 54 participating centers. All tests were performed and interpreted following NCCLS recommendations. Overall categorical agreement between participant disk diffusion test results and reference laboratory MIC results was 87.4%, with 0.2% very major errors (VME) and 3.3% major errors (ME). The categorical agreement between the disk diffusion test results obtained in the reference laboratory with the MIC test results was similar: 92.8%. Likewise, good agreement was observed between participant disk diffusion test results and reference laboratory disk diffusion test results: 90.4%, 0.4% VME, and 3.4% ME. The disk diffusion test was especially reliable in detecting those isolates of Candida spp. that were characterized as resistant by reference MIC testing. External quality assurance data obtained by surveillance programs such as the ARTEMIS Global Antifungal Surveillance Program ensure the generation of useful surveillance data and result in the continued improvement of antifungal susceptibility testing practices.

46 CFR 160.115-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of winches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Launching Appliances-Winches § 160.115-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of... necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor compliance with the requirements of this subpart. (b...

46 CFR 160.115-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of winches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Launching Appliances-Winches § 160.115-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of... necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor compliance with the requirements of this subpart. (b...

46 CFR 160.132-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of davits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Launching Appliances-Davits § 160.132-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of... necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor compliance with the requirements of this subpart. (b...

46 CFR 160.115-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of winches.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Launching Appliances-Winches § 160.115-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of... necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor compliance with the requirements of this subpart. (b...

46 CFR 160.132-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of davits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Launching Appliances-Davits § 160.132-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of... necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor compliance with the requirements of this subpart. (b...

46 CFR 160.132-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of davits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Launching Appliances-Davits § 160.132-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of... necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor compliance with the requirements of this subpart. (b...

FIRST RESULTS FROM OPERATIONAL TESTING OF THE U.S. EPA MODELS-3 COMMUNITY MULTISCALE MODEL FOR AIR QUALITY (CMAQ)

EPA Science Inventory

The Models 3 / Community Multiscale Model for Air Quality (CMAQ) has been designed for one-atmosphere assessments for multiple pollutants including ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), and acid / nutrient deposition. In this paper we report initial results of our evalu...

Impact assessment of treated wastewater on water quality of the receiver using the Wilcoxon test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ofman, Piotr; Puchlik, Monika; Simson, Grzegorz; Krasowska, Małgorzata; Struk-Sokołowska, Joanna

2017-11-01

Wastewater treatment is a process which aims to reduce the concentration of pollutants in wastewater to the level allowed by current regulations. This is to protect the receivers which typically are rivers, streams, lakes. Examination of the quality of treated wastewater allows for quick elimination of possible negative effects, and the study of water receiver prevents from excessive contamination. The paper presents the results of selected physical and chemical parameters of treated wastewater from the largest on the region in north-eastern Poland city of Bialystok municipal wastewater treatment and Biała River, the receiver. The samples for research were taken 3-4 a month in 2015 from two points: before and after discharge. The impact of the wastewater treatment plant on the quality of the receiver waters was studied by using non-parametric Wilcoxon test. This test determined whether the analyzed indicators varied significantly depending on different sampling points of the river, above and below place of discharge of treated wastewater. These results prove that the treated wastewater does not affect the water quality in the Biała River.

Texting Test Results Reduces the Time to Treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections.

PubMed

Bilello, Lori A; Livingood, William C; Lukens-Bull, Katryne; Smotherman, Carmen; Choe, Ulyee

2018-06-07

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a major health problem and source of health disparities in the United States. With diminishing resources, public health agencies are challenged to limit inefficient STI practices and still maintain effective population health. The purpose of this study was to implement a text-messaging strategy to convey STI test results and to assess whether texting positive results was associated with a shorter treatment time frame. Quasi-experimental design. Six counties in Florida. Sexually transmitted infection clients in 6 county health departments. Clients tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis were given the option to receive their results by a text message or the regular notification process (phone or follow-up clinic visit). The time to treatment after a positive test result for those clients who received their results by a text message versus the regular notification process. Those who were presumptively treated were excluded from the analysis. Over a 10-month period, 4081 clients were offered the texting option and 47.8% agreed to participate. For the counties combined, there was a higher percentage of those who received treatment within 1 to 4 days who received their positive test results by text message (53.0%) versus those who received their results by traditional methods (42.0%). In addition, there was a lower percentage of those who either did not get treated or were treated 8 days or more who received their positive test results by text message (26.1%) versus those who received their results by traditional methods (35.2%). Providing a text-messaging option is a viable strategy for clinics to provide timely results to their clients, and these clients were more likely to be treated in 1 to 4 days. Important for public health quality improvement, and increased efficiency and adoption of emerging technologies.

Lithium cell test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bragg, B. J.

1977-01-01

Three lithium SO2 cells, two lithium CF cells, and a vinyl chloride cell, all with crimped seals, and all strictly experimental, were independently discharged on resistors. Three temperatures were used and several different storage temperatures. Discharge rate generally on the nominal discharges were 0.1 amp, 0.5 amp, and 1 amp. Tests results show that the crimp seals are inadequate, especially for the SO2 cells. Normal discharges present no hazards. All cells discharge to zero. The problem of lithium cell explosions, such as occurred during off-limits testing, is discussed.

Hybrid TE panel test results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bifano, W. J.

1972-01-01

Test results are presented for a nine couple (3 x 3 array) thermoelectric panel of hybrid thermocouples. In the hybrid couple, a hollow cylinder of p-type Si-Ge is used to encapsulate a segmented PbTe/Si-Ge n-leg. The hybrid couple is predicted to offer a 10- to 15-percent improvement in performance relative to all Si-Ge couples. The efficiency, output power, and internal resistance of the panel as well as the resistances of the individual hybrid couples are presented as a function of test time covering a period of more than 2600 hours. Initial test results indicated hybrid couple performance consistent with design predictions. Extraneous resistance ranged from 20 to 25% of the hybrid couple thermoelectric resistance.

Diffuse prior monotonic likelihood ratio test for evaluation of fused image quality measures.

PubMed

Wei, Chuanming; Kaplan, Lance M; Burks, Stephen D; Blum, Rick S

2011-02-01

This paper introduces a novel method to score how well proposed fused image quality measures (FIQMs) indicate the effectiveness of humans to detect targets in fused imagery. The human detection performance is measured via human perception experiments. A good FIQM should relate to perception results in a monotonic fashion. The method computes a new diffuse prior monotonic likelihood ratio (DPMLR) to facilitate the comparison of the H(1) hypothesis that the intrinsic human detection performance is related to the FIQM via a monotonic function against the null hypothesis that the detection and image quality relationship is random. The paper discusses many interesting properties of the DPMLR and demonstrates the effectiveness of the DPMLR test via Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, the DPMLR is used to score FIQMs with test cases considering over 35 scenes and various image fusion algorithms.

Quality assurance practices in Europe: a survey of molecular genetic testing laboratories

PubMed Central

Berwouts, Sarah; Fanning, Katrina; Morris, Michael A; Barton, David E; Dequeker, Elisabeth

2012-01-01

In the 2000s, a number of initiatives were taken internationally to improve quality in genetic testing services. To contribute to and update the limited literature available related to this topic, we surveyed 910 human molecular genetic testing laboratories, of which 291 (32%) from 29 European countries responded. The majority of laboratories were in the public sector (81%), affiliated with a university hospital (60%). Only a minority of laboratories was accredited (23%), and 26% was certified. A total of 22% of laboratories did not participate in external quality assessment (EQA) and 28% did not use reference materials (RMs). The main motivations given for accreditation were to improve laboratory profile (85%) and national recognition (84%). Nearly all respondents (95%) would prefer working in an accredited laboratory. In accredited laboratories, participation in EQA (P<0.0001), use of RMs (P=0.0014) and availability of continuous education (CE) on medical/scientific subjects (P=0.023), specific tasks (P=0.0018), and quality assurance (P<0.0001) were significantly higher than in non-accredited laboratories. Non-accredited laboratories expect higher restriction of development of new techniques (P=0.023) and improvement of work satisfaction (P=0.0002) than accredited laboratories. By using a quality implementation score (QIS), we showed that accredited laboratories (average score 92) comply better than certified laboratories (average score 69, P<0.001), and certified laboratories better than other laboratories (average score 44, P<0.001), with regard to the implementation of quality indicators. We conclude that quality practices vary widely in European genetic testing laboratories. This leads to a potentially dangerous situation in which the quality of genetic testing is not consistently assured. PMID:22739339

State Test Results Are Predictable

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tienken, Christopher H.

2014-01-01

Out-of-school, community demographic and family-level variables have an important influence on student achievement as measured by large-scale standardized tests. Studies described here demonstrated that about half of the test score is accounted for by variables outside the control of teachers and school administrators. The results from these…

To What Extent is Drinking Water Tested in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Comparative Analysis of Regulated Water Quality Monitoring

PubMed Central

Peletz, Rachel; Kumpel, Emily; Bonham, Mateyo; Rahman, Zarah; Khush, Ranjiv

2016-01-01

Water quality information is important for guiding water safety management and preventing water-related diseases. To assess the current status of regulated water quality monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa, we evaluated testing programs for fecal contamination in 72 institutions (water suppliers and public health agencies) across 10 countries. Data were collected through written surveys, in-person interviews, and analysis of microbial water quality testing levels. Though most institutions did not achieve the testing levels specified by applicable standards or World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines, 85% of institutions had conducted some microbial water testing in the previous year. Institutions were more likely to meet testing targets if they were suppliers (as compared to surveillance agencies), served larger populations, operated in urban settings, and had higher water quality budgets (all p < 0.05). Our results indicate that smaller water providers and rural public health offices will require greater attention and additional resources to achieve regulatory compliance for water quality monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa. The cost-effectiveness of water quality monitoring should be improved by the application of risk-based water management approaches. Efforts to strengthen monitoring capacity should pay greater attention to program sustainability and institutional commitment to water safety. PMID:26950135

Quality initiatives: improving patient flow for a bone densitometry practice: results from a Mayo Clinic radiology quality initiative.

PubMed

Aakre, Kenneth T; Valley, Timothy B; O'Connor, Michael K

2010-03-01

Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodologies have been used in manufacturing for some time. However, Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodologies also are applicable to radiology as a way to identify opportunities for improvement in patient care delivery settings. A multidisciplinary team of physicians and staff conducted a 100-day quality improvement project with the guidance of a quality advisor. By using the framework of DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control), time studies were performed for all aspects of patient and technologist involvement. From these studies, value stream maps for the current state and for the future were developed, and tests of change were implemented. Comprehensive value stream maps showed that before implementation of process changes, an average time of 20.95 minutes was required for completion of a bone densitometry study. Two process changes (ie, tests of change) were undertaken. First, the location for completion of a patient assessment form was moved from inside the imaging room to the waiting area, enabling patients to complete the form while waiting for the technologist. Second, the patient was instructed to sit in a waiting area immediately outside the imaging rooms, rather than in the main reception area, which is far removed from the imaging area. Realignment of these process steps, with reduced technologist travel distances, resulted in a 3-minute average decrease in the patient cycle time. This represented a 15% reduction in the initial patient cycle time with no change in staff or costs. Radiology process improvement projects can yield positive results despite small incremental changes.

CUSUM-Logistic Regression analysis for the rapid detection of errors in clinical laboratory test results.

PubMed

Sampson, Maureen L; Gounden, Verena; van Deventer, Hendrik E; Remaley, Alan T

2016-02-01

The main drawback of the periodic analysis of quality control (QC) material is that test performance is not monitored in time periods between QC analyses, potentially leading to the reporting of faulty test results. The objective of this study was to develop a patient based QC procedure for the more timely detection of test errors. Results from a Chem-14 panel measured on the Beckman LX20 analyzer were used to develop the model. Each test result was predicted from the other 13 members of the panel by multiple regression, which resulted in correlation coefficients between the predicted and measured result of >0.7 for 8 of the 14 tests. A logistic regression model, which utilized the measured test result, the predicted test result, the day of the week and time of day, was then developed for predicting test errors. The output of the logistic regression was tallied by a daily CUSUM approach and used to predict test errors, with a fixed specificity of 90%. The mean average run length (ARL) before error detection by CUSUM-Logistic Regression (CSLR) was 20 with a mean sensitivity of 97%, which was considerably shorter than the mean ARL of 53 (sensitivity 87.5%) for a simple prediction model that only used the measured result for error detection. A CUSUM-Logistic Regression analysis of patient laboratory data can be an effective approach for the rapid and sensitive detection of clinical laboratory errors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Depth-dependent groundwater quality sampling at City of Tallahassee test well 32, Leon County, Florida, 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

McBride, W. Scott; Wacker, Michael A.

2015-01-01

A test well was drilled by the City of Tallahassee to assess the suitability of the site for the installation of a new well for public water supply. The test well is in Leon County in north-central Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey delineated high-permeability zones in the Upper Floridan aquifer, using borehole-geophysical data collected from the open interval of the test well. A composite water sample was collected from the open interval during high-flow conditions, and three discrete water samples were collected from specified depth intervals within the test well during low-flow conditions. Water-quality, source tracer, and age-dating results indicate that the open interval of the test well produces water of consistently high quality throughout its length. The cavernous nature of the open interval makes it likely that the highly permeable zones are interconnected in the aquifer by secondary porosity features.

Internal quality control practice of thyroid disease related tests and imprecision analysis in China.

PubMed

Hu, Li-Tao; Wang, Zhi-Guo

2014-01-01

Internal quality control (IQC) has a long and well-established role in clinical laboratories and the quality of laboratories has achieved great improvement in China. However, the practice of IQC varies significantly between institutions and many problems still exists. Consequently, the Chinese National Center for Clinical Laboratories has been undertaking monthly nation-wide surveys of current IQC practice of tests since 2010 to monitor laboratory quality. Thyroid disease related tests were chosen for this research. Different numbers of laboratories in China participating national external quality assessment (EQA) schemes of Total Thyroxine (TT4), Total Triiodothyronine (TT3), Free Thyroxine (FT4) and Free Triiodothyronine (FT3) tests, and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) measurements, were required to report the IQC information though the national external quality assessment (EQA) network platform. Survey data showed significant variability in all aspects of IQC practice. More than half of the laboratories are using a single concentration level of IQC material and up to 28.6% of the laboratories only use 1(2s) or 1(3s) to monitor IQC results for FT3, TT3, FT4, TT4, and TSH. The medians of the average time intervals of two control tests for FT3, TT3, FT4, TT4, and TSH are 33.6, 35.4, 33.6, 35.4, and 33.6 hours, respectively, more or less 1.4 days. When quality specifications based on biological variation are applied to imprecision evaluation, only 46.3%, 52.1%, 31.3%, 12.8%, and 5.86% laboratories meet the minimum performance for FT3, TT3, FT4, and TT4, 24.5%, 23.6%, 12.8%, and 5.86% of the all meet the desirable performance, and 4.4%, 3.9%, 2.5% and 3.0% of the all meet the optimal performance. While it shows a higher percentage of acceptable laboratories (98.1%, 87.9% and 39.0% meeting the minimum, desirable and optimal performance, respectively) for TSH. Not-well-designed IQC practices may affect the effectiveness of laboratory IQC and, thus, the adequacy of a

Instructor Quality and EMT Certification Examination Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russ-Eft, Darlene; Dickison, Phil; Levine, Roger

2007-01-01

The Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS) provides a representative sampling of EMTs throughout the United States. This study examines the relationship between instructor quality and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians certification examination outcomes. Results show significant…

Physical Education and Its Effect on Elementary Testing Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tremarche, Pamela V.; Robinson, Ellyn M.; Graham, Louise B.

2007-01-01

This study was designed to determine the impact of increased quality Physical Education time on Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) standardized scores. The MCAS test was given to 311 fourth-grade students in two Southeastern communities in Massachusetts, within a two-month period in April and May of 2001. The participants were…

Digital holographic microscopy for toxicity testing and cell culture quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemper, Björn

2018-02-01

For the example of digital holographic microscopy (DHM), it is illustrated how label-free biophysical parameter sets can be extracted from quantitative phase images of adherent and suspended cells, and how the retrieved data can be applied for in-vitro toxicity testing and cell culture quality assessment. This includes results from the quantification of the reactions of cells to toxic substances as well as data from sophisticated monitoring of cell alterations that are related to changes of cell culture conditions.

Quality of education and memory test performance in older men: the New York University Paragraph Recall Test normative data.

PubMed

Mathews, Melissa; Abner, Erin; Caban-Holt, Allison; Dennis, Brandon C; Kryscio, Richard; Schmitt, Frederick

2013-09-01

Memory evaluation is a key component in the accurate diagnosis of cognitive disorders.One memory procedure that has shown promise in discriminating disease-related cognitive decline from normal cognitive aging is the New York University Paragraph Recall Test; however, the effects of education have been unexamined as they pertain to one's literacy level. The current study provides normative data stratified by estimated quality of education as indexed by irregular word reading skill. Conventional norms were derived from a sample (N = 385) of cognitively intact elderly men who were initially recruited for participation in the PREADViSE clinical trial. A series of multiple linear regression models were constructed to assess the influence of demographic variables on mean NYU Paragraph Immediate and Delayed Recall scores. Test version, assessment site, and estimated quality of education were significant predictors of performance on the NYU Paragraph Recall Test. Findings indicate that estimated quality of education is a better predictor of memory performance than ethnicity and years of total education. Normative data stratified according to estimated quality of education are presented. The current study provides evidence and support for normativedata stratified by quality of education as opposed to years of education.

Stochastic Models of Quality Control on Test Misgrading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jianjun

Stochastic models are developed in this article to examine the rate of test misgrading in educational and psychological measurement. The estimation of inadvertent grading errors can serve as a basis for quality control in measurement. Limitations of traditional Poisson models have been reviewed to highlight the need to introduce new models using…

Quality Test of Flexible Flat Cable (FFC) With Short Open Test Using Law Ohm Approach through Embedded Fuzzy Logic Based On Open Source Arduino Data Logger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohmanu, Ajar; Everhard, Yan

2017-04-01

A technological development, especially in the field of electronics is very fast. One of the developments in the electronics hardware device is Flexible Flat Cable (FFC), which serves as a media liaison between the main boards with other hardware parts. The production of Flexible Flat Cable (FFC) will go through the process of testing and measuring of the quality Flexible Flat Cable (FFC). Currently, the testing and measurement is still done manually by observing the Light Emitting Diode (LED) by the operator, so there were many problems. This study will be made of test quality Flexible Flat Cable (FFC) computationally utilize Open Source Embedded System. The method used is the measurement with Short Open Test method using Ohm’s Law approach to 4-wire (Kelvin) and fuzzy logic as a decision maker measurement results based on Open Source Arduino Data Logger. This system uses a sensor current INA219 as a sensor to read the voltage value thus obtained resistance value Flexible Flat Cable (FFC). To get a good system we will do the Black-box testing as well as testing the accuracy and precision with the standard deviation method. In testing the system using three models samples were obtained the test results in the form of standard deviation for the first model of 1.921 second model of 4.567 and 6.300 for the third model. While the value of the Standard Error of Mean (SEM) for the first model of the model 0.304 second at 0.736 and 0.996 of the third model. In testing this system, we will also obtain the average value of the measurement tolerance resistance values for the first model of - 3.50% 4.45% second model and the third model of 5.18% with the standard measurement of prisoners and improve productivity becomes 118.33%. From the results of the testing system is expected to improve the quality and productivity in the process of testing Flexible Flat Cable (FFC).

46 CFR 160.135-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of lifeboats.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... materials are as per the plans approved under § 160.135-13(h) of this subpart. (2) Post assembly tests and... 46 Shipping 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Lifeboats (SOLAS) § 160.135-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of lifeboats...

46 CFR 160.135-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of lifeboats.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... materials are as per the plans approved under § 160.135-13(h) of this subpart. (2) Post assembly tests and... 46 Shipping 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and... Lifeboats (SOLAS) § 160.135-15 Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of lifeboats...

Results of industrial tests of carbonate additive to fuel oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zvereva, E. R.; Dmitriev, A. V.; Shageev, M. F.; Akhmetvalieva, G. R.

2017-08-01

Fuel oil plays an important role in the energy balance of our country. The quality of fuel oil significantly affects the conditions of its transport, storage, and combustion; release of contaminants to atmosphere; and the operation of main and auxiliary facilities of HPPs. According to the Energy Strategy of Russia for the Period until 2030, the oil-refining ratio gradually increases; as a result, the fraction of straight-run fuel oil in heavy fuel oils consistently decreases, which leads to the worsening of performance characteristics of fuel oil. Consequently, the problem of the increase in the quality of residual fuel oil is quite topical. In this paper, it is suggested to treat fuel oil by additives during its combustion, which would provide the improvement of ecological and economic indicators of oil-fired HPPs. Advantages of this method include simplicity of implementation, low energy and capital expenses, and the possibility to use production waste as additives. In the paper, the results are presented of industrial tests of the combustion of fuel oil with the additive of dewatered carbonate sludge, which is formed during coagulation and lime treatment of environmental waters on HPPs. The design of a volume delivery device is developed for the steady additive input to the boiler air duct. The values are given for the main parameters of the condition of a TGM-84B boiler plant. The mechanism of action of dewatered carbonate sludge on sulfur oxides, which are formed during fuel oil combustion, is considered. Results of industrial tests indicate the decrease in the mass fraction of discharged sulfur oxides by 36.5%. Evaluation of the prevented damage from sulfur oxide discharged into atmospheric air shows that the combustion of the fuel oil of 100 brand using carbonate sludge as an additive (0.1 wt %) saves nearly 6 million rubles a year during environmental actions at the consumption of fuel oil of 138240 t/year.

Electronic Detection of Delayed Test Result Follow-Up in Patients with Hypothyroidism.

PubMed

Meyer, Ashley N D; Murphy, Daniel R; Al-Mutairi, Aymer; Sittig, Dean F; Wei, Li; Russo, Elise; Singh, Hardeep

2017-07-01

Delays in following up abnormal test results are a common problem in outpatient settings. Surveillance systems that use trigger tools to identify delayed follow-up can help reduce missed opportunities in care. To develop and test an electronic health record (EHR)-based trigger algorithm to identify instances of delayed follow-up of abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) results in patients being treated for hypothyroidism. We developed an algorithm using structured EHR data to identify patients with hypothyroidism who had delayed follow-up (>60 days) after an abnormal TSH. We then retrospectively applied the algorithm to a large EHR data warehouse within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), on patient records from two large VA networks for the period from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2011. Identified records were reviewed to confirm the presence of delays in follow-up. During the study period, 645,555 patients were seen in the outpatient setting within the two networks. Of 293,554 patients with at least one TSH test result, the trigger identified 1250 patients on treatment for hypothyroidism with elevated TSH. Of these patients, 271 were flagged as potentially having delayed follow-up of their test result. Chart reviews confirmed delays in 163 of the 271 flagged patients (PPV = 60.1%). An automated trigger algorithm applied to records in a large EHR data warehouse identified patients with hypothyroidism with potential delays in thyroid function test results follow-up. Future prospective application of the TSH trigger algorithm can be used by clinical teams as a surveillance and quality improvement technique to monitor and improve follow-up.

Performance testing and results of the first Etec CORE-2564

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franks, C. Edward; Shikata, Asao; Baker, Catherine A.

1993-03-01

In order to be able to write 64 megabit DRAM reticles, to prepare to write 256 megabit DRAM reticles and in general to meet the current and next generation mask and reticle quality requirements, Hoya Micro Mask (HMM) installed in 1991 the first CORE-2564 Laser Reticle Writer from Etec Systems, Inc. The system was delivered as a CORE-2500XP and was subsequently upgraded to a 2564. The CORE (Custom Optical Reticle Engraver) system produces photomasks with an exposure strategy similar to that employed by an electron beam system, but it uses a laser beam to deliver the photoresist exposure energy. Since then the 2564 has been tested by Etec's standard Acceptance Test Procedure and by several supplementary HMM techniques to insure performance to all the Etec advertised specifications and certain additional HMM requirements that were more demanding and/or more thorough than the advertised specifications. The primary purpose of the HMM tests was to more closely duplicate mask usage. The performance aspects covered by the tests include registration accuracy and repeatability; linewidth accuracy, uniformity and linearity; stripe butting; stripe and scan linearity; edge quality; system cleanliness; minimum geometry resolution; minimum address size and plate loading accuracy and repeatability.

46 CFR 160.170-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and..., quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms. (a) Unless the Commandant directs otherwise, an... prescribe additional production tests and inspections necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor...

46 CFR 160.170-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and..., quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms. (a) Unless the Commandant directs otherwise, an... prescribe additional production tests and inspections necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor...

46 CFR 160.133-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and..., quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms. (a) Unless the Commandant directs otherwise, an... prescribe additional production tests and inspections necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor...

46 CFR 160.170-15 - Production inspections, tests, quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Production inspections, tests, quality control, and..., quality control, and conformance of release mechanisms. (a) Unless the Commandant directs otherwise, an... prescribe additional production tests and inspections necessary to maintain quality control and to monitor...

Radiative, actively cooled panel tests results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shore, C. P.; Nowak, R. J.; Sharpe, E. L.

1978-01-01

The radiative, actively cooled panel designed to withstand a uniform incident heat flux of 136 kW/sq m to a 444 K surface temperature was evaluated. The test program consisted of preliminary static thermal mechanical loading and aerothermal flow tests. Test results are briefly discussed.

Results of the ESA study on psychological selection of astronaut applicants for Columbus missions I: Aptitude testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fassbender, Christoph; Goeters, Klaus-Martin

European participation in the Space Station Freedom brought about new challenges for the psychological selection of astronaut candidates, particularly in respect to specific demands of long duration space flights. For this reason existing selection criteria and methods were reassessed. On these grounds a study was undertaken applying a unique composition of aptitude tests to a group of 97 ESA scientists and engineers who are highly comparable to the expected astronaut applicants with respect to age and education. The tests assessed operational aptitudes such as logical reasoning, memory function, perception, spatial orientation, attention, psychomotor function, and multiple task capacity. The study goals were: 1) Verification of psychometric qualities and applicability of tests in a normative group; 2) Search for culture-fair tests by which multi-national groups can be examined; 3) Identification of test methods which consider general and special operational demands of long duration space flights. Based on the empirical findings a test battery was arranged for use in the selection of ESA astronaut applicants. Results showed that 16 out of the 18 employed tests have good psychometric qualities and differentiate reliably in the special group of testees. The meta structure of the test battery as described by a factorial analysis is presented. Applicability of tests was generally high. Tests were culture-fair, however, a relation between English language skills and test results was identified. Since most item material was language-free, this was explained with the importance of English language skills for the understanding of test instructions. Solutions to this effect are suggested.

Quality Test Various Existing dem in Indonesia Toward 10 Meter National dem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amhar, Fahmi

2016-06-01

Indonesia has various DEM from many sources and various acquisition date spreaded in the past two decades. There are DEM from spaceborne system (Radarsat, TerraSAR-X, ALOS, ASTER-GDEM, SRTM), airborne system (IFSAR, Lidar, aerial photos) and also terrestrial one. The research objective is the quality test and how to extract best DEM in particular area. The method is using differential GPS levelling using geodetic GPS equipment on places which is ensured not changed during past 20 years. The result has shown that DEM from TerraSAR-X and SRTM30 have the best quality (rmse 3.1 m and 3.5 m respectively). Based on this research, it was inferred that these parameters are still positively correlated with the basic concept, namely that the lower and the higher the spatial resolution of a DEM data, the more imprecise the resulting vertical height.

HPV testing for primary cervical screening: Laboratory issues and evolving requirements for robust quality assurance.

PubMed

Carozzi, Francesca Maria; Del Mistro, Annarosa; Cuschieri, Kate; Frayle, Helena; Sani, Cristina; Burroni, Elena

2016-03-01

This review aims to highlight the importance of Quality Assurance for Laboratories performing HPV test for Cervical Cancer Screening. An HPV test, to be used as primary screening test, must be validated according to international criteria, based on comparison of its clinical accuracy to HC2 or GP5+/6+ PCR-EIA tests. The number of validated platforms is increasing and appropriate Quality Assurance Programs (QAPs) which can interrogate longitudinal robustness and quality are paramount. This document describes the following topics: (1) the characteristics of an HPV laboratory and the personnel training needs, to ensure an elevated quality of the entire process and the optimal use of the resources; (2) the Quality Assurance, as both internal (IQA) and external quality assessment (EQA) systems, to be implemented and performed, and the description of the existing EQAs, including limitations; (3) general considerations for an optimal EQA program for hrHPV primary screening Due to the importance of Quality Assurance for this field, international efforts are necessary to improve QA International Collaboration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DART Core/Combustor-Noise Initial Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyle, Devin K.; Henderson, Brenda S.; Hultgren, Lennart S.

2017-01-01

Contributions from the combustor to the overall propulsion noise of civilian transport aircraft are starting to become important due to turbofan design trends and advances in mitigation of other noise sources. Future propulsion systems for ultra-efficient commercial air vehicles are projected to be of increasingly higher bypass ratio from larger fans combined with much smaller cores, with ultra-clean burning fuel-flexible combustors. Unless effective noise-reduction strategies are developed, combustor noise is likely to become a prominent contributor to overall airport community noise in the future. The new NASA DGEN Aero0propulsion Research Turbofan (DART) is a cost-efficient testbed for the study of core-noise physics and mitigation. This presentation gives a brief description of the recently completed DART core combustor-noise baseline test in the NASA GRC Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL). Acoustic data was simultaneously acquired using the AAPL overhead microphone array in the engine aft quadrant far field, a single midfield microphone, and two semi-infinite-tube unsteady pressure sensors at the core-nozzle exit. An initial assessment shows that the data is of high quality and compares well with results from a quick 2014 feasibility test. Combustor noise components of measured total-noise signatures were educed using a two-signal source-separation method an dare found to occur in the expected frequency range. The research described herein is aligned with the NASA Ultra-Efficient Commercial Transport strategic thrust and is supported by the NASA Advanced Air Vehicle Program, Advanced Air Transport Technology Project, under the Aircraft Noise Reduction Subproject.

Proteomics Quality Control: Quality Control Software for MaxQuant Results.

PubMed

Bielow, Chris; Mastrobuoni, Guido; Kempa, Stefan

2016-03-04

Mass spectrometry-based proteomics coupled to liquid chromatography has matured into an automatized, high-throughput technology, producing data on the scale of multiple gigabytes per instrument per day. Consequently, an automated quality control (QC) and quality analysis (QA) capable of detecting measurement bias, verifying consistency, and avoiding propagation of error is paramount for instrument operators and scientists in charge of downstream analysis. We have developed an R-based QC pipeline called Proteomics Quality Control (PTXQC) for bottom-up LC-MS data generated by the MaxQuant software pipeline. PTXQC creates a QC report containing a comprehensive and powerful set of QC metrics, augmented with automated scoring functions. The automated scores are collated to create an overview heatmap at the beginning of the report, giving valuable guidance also to nonspecialists. Our software supports a wide range of experimental designs, including stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC), tandem mass tags (TMT), and label-free data. Furthermore, we introduce new metrics to score MaxQuant's Match-between-runs (MBR) functionality by which peptide identifications can be transferred across Raw files based on accurate retention time and m/z. Last but not least, PTXQC is easy to install and use and represents the first QC software capable of processing MaxQuant result tables. PTXQC is freely available at https://github.com/cbielow/PTXQC .

A procedure for testing the quality of LANDSAT atmospheric correction algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dias, L. A. V. (Principal Investigator); Vijaykumar, N. L.; Neto, G. C.

1982-01-01

There are two basic methods for testing the quality of an algorithm to minimize atmospheric effects on LANDSAT imagery: (1) test the results a posteriori, using ground truth or control points; (2) use a method based on image data plus estimation of additional ground and/or atmospheric parameters. A procedure based on the second method is described. In order to select the parameters, initially the image contrast is examined for a series of parameter combinations. The contrast improves for better corrections. In addition the correlation coefficient between two subimages, taken at different times, of the same scene is used for parameter's selection. The regions to be correlated should not have changed considerably in time. A few examples using this proposed procedure are presented.

Comparison of Quality and Output of Different Optimal Perimetric Testing Approaches in Children With Glaucoma.

PubMed

Patel, Dipesh E; Cumberland, Phillippa M; Walters, Bronwen C; Russell-Eggitt, Isabelle; Brookes, John; Papadopoulos, Maria; Khaw, Peng Tee; Viswanathan, Ananth C; Garway-Heath, David; Cortina-Borja, Mario; Rahi, Jugnoo S

2018-02-01

.70; limit of agreement, -7.74 to 6.35) but were comparable when greater than this threshold (mean difference, -0.03; limit of agreement, -2.33 to 2.27). Visual field classification scores for static perimetry tests showed substantial agreement (linearly weighted κ, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65-0.93), although 25 of 80 (31%) were graded with a more severe defect for Octopus static perimetry. Of the 7 severe cases of visual field loss (grade 5), 5 had lower kinetic than static classification scores. A simple static perimetry approach potentially yields high-quality results in children younger than 10 years. For children older than 10 years, without penalizing quality, the addition of kinetic perimetry enabled measurement of far-peripheral sensitivity, which is particularly useful in children with severe visual field restriction.

Preventing falls in assisted living: Results of a quality improvement pilot study.

PubMed

Zimmerman, Sheryl; Greene, Angela; Sloane, Philip D; Mitchell, Madeline; Giuliani, Carol; Nyrop, Kirsten; Walsh, Edith

Residents of assisted living (AL) communities are at high risk for falls, which result in negative outcomes and high health care costs. Adapting effective falls prevention programs for AL quality improvement (QI) has the potential to reduce falls, improve resident quality of life, and reduce costs. This project tested the feasibility and outcomes of an evidence-based multi-component QI program, the Assisted Living Falls Prevention and Monitoring Program (AL-FPMP). Resident posture and gait improved, likely due to exercise and/or physical therapy. Effective falls prevention QI programs can be implemented in AL, and are advised to (1) establish and maintain a falls team to create a culture focused on the reduction of falls risk; (2) teach staff to assess residents using the Morse Falls Scale to increase their awareness of residents' falls risk and improvement; and (3) modify existing exercise programs to address balance and lower body strength. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Access and Quality of HIV-Related Point-of-Care Diagnostic Testing in Global Health Programs.

PubMed

Fonjungo, Peter N; Boeras, Debrah I; Zeh, Clement; Alexander, Heather; Parekh, Bharat S; Nkengasong, John N

2016-02-01

Access to point-of-care testing (POCT) improves patient care, especially in resource-limited settings where laboratory infrastructure is poor and the bulk of the population lives in rural settings. However, because of challenges in rolling out the technology and weak quality assurance measures, the promise of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related POCT in resource-limited settings has not been fully exploited to improve patient care and impact public health. Because of these challenges, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in partnership with other organizations, recently launched the Diagnostics Access Initiative. Expanding HIV programs, including the "test and treat" strategies and the newly established UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets, will require increased access to reliable and accurate POCT results. In this review, we examine various components that could improve access and uptake of quality-assured POC tests to ensure coverage and public health impact. These components include evaluation, policy, regulation, and innovative approaches to strengthen the quality of POCT. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Evaluation of an external quality assessment program for HIV testing in Haiti, 2006-2011.

PubMed

Louis, Frantz Jean; Anselme, Renette; Ndongmo, Clement; Buteau, Josiane; Boncy, Jacques; Dahourou, Georges; Vertefeuille, John; Marston, Barbara; Balajee, S Arunmozhi

2013-12-01

To evaluate an external quality assessment (EQA) program for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rapid diagnostics testing by the Haitian National Public Health Laboratory (French acronym: LNSP). Acceptable performance was defined as any proficiency testing (PT) score more than 80%. The PT database was reviewed and analyzed to assess the testing performance of the participating laboratories and the impact of the program over time. A total of 242 laboratories participated in the EQA program from 2006 through 2011; participation increased from 70 laboratories in 2006 to 159 in 2011. In 2006, 49 (70%) laboratories had a PT score of 80% or above; by 2011, 145 (97.5%) laboratories were proficient (P < .05). The EQA program for HIV testing ensures quality of testing and allowed the LNSP to document improvements in the quality of HIV rapid testing over time.

To err is human, to correct is public health: a systematic review examining poor quality testing and misdiagnosis of HIV status

PubMed Central

Johnson, Cheryl C.; Fonner, Virginia; Sands, Anita; Ford, Nathan; Obermeyer, Carla Mahklouf; Tsui, Sharon; Wong, Vincent; Baggaley, Rachel

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction: In accordance with global testing and treatment targets, many countries are seeking ways to reach the “90-90-90” goals, starting with diagnosing 90% of all people with HIV. Quality HIV testing services are needed to enable people with HIV to be diagnosed and linked to treatment as early as possible. It is essential that opportunities to reach people with undiagnosed HIV are not missed, diagnoses are correct and HIV-negative individuals are not inadvertently initiated on life-long treatment. We conducted this systematic review to assess the magnitude of misdiagnosis and to describe poor HIV testing practices using rapid diagnostic tests. Methods: We systematically searched peer-reviewed articles, abstracts and grey literature published from 1 January 1990 to 19 April 2017. Studies were included if they used at least two rapid diagnostic tests and reported on HIV misdiagnosis, factors related to potential misdiagnosis or described quality issues and errors related to HIV testing. Results: Sixty-four studies were included in this review. A small proportion of false positive (median 3.1%, interquartile range (IQR): 0.4-5.2%) and false negative (median: 0.4%, IQR: 0-3.9%) diagnoses were identified. Suboptimal testing strategies were the most common factor in studies reporting misdiagnoses, particularly false positive diagnoses due to using a “tiebreaker” test to resolve discrepant test results. A substantial proportion of false negative diagnoses were related to retesting among people on antiretroviral therapy. Conclusions: HIV testing errors and poor practices, particularly those resulting in false positive or false negative diagnoses, do occur but are preventable. Efforts to accelerate HIV diagnosis and linkage to treatment should be complemented by efforts to improve the quality of HIV testing services and strengthen the quality management systems, particularly the use of validated testing algorithms and strategies, retesting people

Preventing Stalled Quality Improvement Teams: A Written Test of Project Selectionability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacdayan, Paul

2002-01-01

Discusses organizations' use of quality improvement teams in total quality management and how they can benefit from training team personnel in how to select projects with a low risk of stalling. Describes an efficient written assessment test of project selection ability designed for those who conduct evaluations of training sessions. (Author/LRW)

Development of a quality control test procedure for characterizing fracture properties of asphalt mixtures.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

The main objective of this study is to investigate the use of the semi-circular bend (SCB) : test as a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) measure for field construction. : Comparison of fracture properties from the SCB test and fatigue beam te...

Impact of external haematology proficiency testing programme on quality of laboratories.

PubMed

Saxena, Renu; Katoch, S C; Srinivas, Upendra; Rao, Seema; Anand, Hema

2007-11-01

A reliable and reproducible report from a laboratory needs internal quality control within the laboratory and participation in external proficiency testing programmes (EPTP). This study conducted at the Department of Haematology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, which has been conducting an EPTP since 1992, was undertaken to assess the efficacy of this programme in improving the performance of participating laboratories in reporting test samples sent for Hb, total leucocyte count (TLC), reticulocyte count and assessment of peripheral blood smear (PBS). The samples were prepared in our laboratory according to the International Standards Organization (ISO) guidelines. The performance of individual laboratories was assessed using robust Z score, which is an indicator of acceptability of the test result. An improvement in the overall percentage of laboratories with acceptable reports was seen during the study period. It has increased from 38,40,40 per cent in 1992 to 85, 90,94.7 per cent in 2006 for Hb, TLC, reticulocyte count, respectively. However, the results for peripheral smear assessment improved only marginally. The external haematology proficiency testing programme run by our department for Hb, TLC, reticulocyte count, and peripheral blood smear assessment, has helped in improving the reporting standards of these parameters in Indian laboratories.

Characterization of currently marketed heparin products: key tests for quality assurance.

PubMed

Keire, David A; Ye, Hongping; Trehy, Michael L; Ye, Wei; Kolinski, Richard E; Westenberger, Benjamin J; Buhse, Lucinda F; Nasr, Moheb; Al-Hakim, Ali

2011-01-01

During the 2007-2008 heparin crisis, it was found that the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) testing monograph for unfractionated heparin sodium (UFH) did not detect the presence of the contaminant, oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) in heparin. In response to this concern, new tests and specifications were developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USP and put in place to not only detect the contaminant OSCS but also to improve assurance of quality and purity of the drug product. Additional tests were also developed to monitor the heparin supply chain for other possible economically motivated additives or impurities. In 2009, a new USP monograph was put in place that includes 500 MHz (1)H NMR, SAX-HPLC, %galactosamine in total hexosamine, and anticoagulation time assays with purified factor IIa or factor Xa. These tests represent orthogonal approaches for UFH identification, measurement of bioactivity, and for detection of process impurities or contaminants in UFH. The FDA has applied these analytical approaches to the study of UFH active pharmaceutical ingredients in the marketplace. Here, we describe results from a comprehensive survey of UFH collected from seven different sources after the 2009 monograph revision and compare these data with results obtained on other heparin samples collected during the 2007-2008 crisis.

Deducing material quality in cast and hot-forged steels by new bending test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valberg, Henry; Langøy, Morten; Nedreberg, Mette; Helvig, Torgeir

2017-10-01

A special bend test has been developed and applied for the purpose of characterization and comparison of the material ductility in crankpin steel discs manufactured by casting, or casting subsequently followed by hot open-die forging (ODF) or closed-die forging (CDF). The bending test specimen consists of a small rectangular plate of material with a round hole cut out in the middle. The "eye-shape" specimens were cut out from various positions either near to the surface of, or from the interior of the discs. The test method revealed differences in ductility for the investigated materials, and for different depth positions inside the discs. The roughening of the specimen surface on the top-side of the specimen bend also varied dependent on the processing method for the material. Current results show that this test method is useful for evaluation of material quality in differently processed material. Experimental bend test results are presented for differently processed variants of the same material, i.e., crankpin discs either made by solely casting or casting subsequently followed by hot working either by ODF or CDF.

Monitoring Quality Across Home Visiting Models: A Field Test of Michigan's Home Visiting Quality Assurance System.

PubMed

Heany, Julia; Torres, Jennifer; Zagar, Cynthia; Kostelec, Tiffany

2018-06-05

Introduction In order to achieve the positive outcomes with parents and children demonstrated by many home visiting models, home visiting services must be well implemented. The Michigan Home Visiting Initiative developed a tool and procedure for monitoring implementation quality across models referred to as Michigan's Home Visiting Quality Assurance System (MHVQAS). This study field tested the MHVQAS. This article focuses on one of the study's evaluation questions: Can the MHVQAS be applied across models? Methods Eight local implementing agencies (LIAs) from four home visiting models (Healthy Families America, Early Head Start-Home Based, Parents as Teachers, Maternal Infant Health Program) and five reviewers participated in the study by completing site visits, tracking their time and costs, and completing surveys about the process. LIAs also submitted their most recent review by their model developer. The researchers conducted participant observation of the review process. Results Ratings on the MHVQAS were not significantly different between models. There were some differences in interrater reliability and perceived reliability between models. There were no significant differences between models in perceived validity, satisfaction with the review process, or cost to participate. Observational data suggested that cross-model applicability could be improved by assisting sites in relating the requirements of the tool to the specifics of their model. Discussion The MHVQAS shows promise as a tool and process to monitor implementation quality of home visiting services across models. The results of the study will be used to make improvements before the MHVQAS is used in practice.

PFLOTRAN Verification: Development of a Testing Suite to Ensure Software Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, G. E.; Frederick, J. M.

2016-12-01

In scientific computing, code verification ensures the reliability and numerical accuracy of a model simulation by comparing the simulation results to experimental data or known analytical solutions. The model is typically defined by a set of partial differential equations with initial and boundary conditions, and verification ensures whether the mathematical model is solved correctly by the software. Code verification is especially important if the software is used to model high-consequence systems which cannot be physically tested in a fully representative environment [Oberkampf and Trucano (2007)]. Justified confidence in a particular computational tool requires clarity in the exercised physics and transparency in its verification process with proper documentation. We present a quality assurance (QA) testing suite developed by Sandia National Laboratories that performs code verification for PFLOTRAN, an open source, massively-parallel subsurface simulator. PFLOTRAN solves systems of generally nonlinear partial differential equations describing multiphase, multicomponent and multiscale reactive flow and transport processes in porous media. PFLOTRAN's QA test suite compares the numerical solutions of benchmark problems in heat and mass transport against known, closed-form, analytical solutions, including documentation of the exercised physical process models implemented in each PFLOTRAN benchmark simulation. The QA test suite development strives to follow the recommendations given by Oberkampf and Trucano (2007), which describes four essential elements in high-quality verification benchmark construction: (1) conceptual description, (2) mathematical description, (3) accuracy assessment, and (4) additional documentation and user information. Several QA tests within the suite will be presented, including details of the benchmark problems and their closed-form analytical solutions, implementation of benchmark problems in PFLOTRAN simulations, and the criteria used to

Evaluation of the theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme: a one-group, pre-test post-test pilot study.

PubMed

Rutten, Geert M; Harting, Janneke; Bartholomew, L Kay; Schlief, Angelique; Oostendorp, Rob A B; de Vries, Nanne K

2013-05-25

Guideline adherence in physical therapy is far from optimal, which has consequences for the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy care. Programmes to enhance guideline adherence have, so far, been relatively ineffective. We systematically developed a theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme aimed at the individual performance level (practicing physiotherapists; PTs) and the practice organization level (practice quality manager; PQM). The aim of the study was to pilot test the multilevel QUIP programme's effectiveness and the fidelity, acceptability and feasibility of its implementation. A one-group, pre-test, post-test pilot study (N = 8 practices; N = 32 PTs, 8 of whom were also PQMs) done between September and December 2009. Guideline adherence was measured using clinical vignettes that addressed 12 quality indicators reflecting the guidelines' main recommendations. Determinants of adherence were measured using quantitative methods (questionnaires). Delivery of the programme and management changes were assessed using qualitative methods (observations, group interviews, and document analyses). Changes in adherence and determinants were tested in the paired samples T-tests and expressed in effect sizes (Cohen's d). Overall adherence did not change (3.1%; p = .138). Adherence to three quality indicators improved (8%, 24%, 43%; .000 ≤ p ≤ .023). Adherence to one quality indicator decreased (-15.7%; p = .004). Scores on various determinants of individual performance improved and favourable changes at practice organizational level were observed. Improvements were associated with the programme's multilevel approach, collective goal setting, and the application of self-regulation; unfavourable findings with programme deficits. The one-group pre-test post-test design limits the internal validity of the study, the self-selected sample its external validity. The QUIP programme has the potential to change physical

Unravelling the quality of HIV counselling and testing services in the private and public sectors in Zambia

PubMed Central

Ron Levey, Ilana; Wang, Wenjuan

2014-01-01

Background Despite the substantial investment for providing HIV counselling and testing (VCT) services in Zambia, there has been little effort to systematically evaluate the quality of VCT services provided by various types of health providers. This study, conducted in 2009, examines VCT in the public and private sectors including private for-profit and NGO/faith-based sectors in Copperbelt and Luapula. Methods The study used five primary data collection methods to gauge quality of VCT services: closed-ended client interviews with clients exiting VCT sites; open-ended client interviews; interviews with facility managers; review of service statistics; and an observation of the physical environment for VCT by site. Over 400 clients and 87 facility managers were interviewed from almost 90 facilities. Sites were randomly selected and results are generalizable at the provincial level. Results The study shows concerning levels of underperformance in VCT services across the sectors. It reveals serious underperformance in counselling about key risk-reduction methods. Less than one-third of clients received counselling on reducing number of sexual partners and only approximately 5% of clients received counselling about disclosing test results to partners. In terms of client profiles, the NGO sector attracts the most educated clients and less educated Zambians seek VCT services at very low rates (7%). The private for-profit performs equally or sometimes better than other sectors even though this sector is not adequately integrated into the Zambian national response to HIV. Conclusion The private for-profit sector provides VCT services on par in quality with the other sectors. Most clients did not receive counselling on partner reduction or disclosure of HIV test results to partners. In a generalized HIV epidemic where multiple concurrent sexual partners are a significant problem for transmitting the disease, risk-reduction methods and discussion should be a main focus of pre-test

Update on lifetime tests results and analysis carried out on Thales Cryogenics integral coolers (RM family)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cauquil, Jean-Marc; Martin, Jean-Yves; Bruins, Peter; Benschop, A. A. J.

2003-01-01

The life time tests realised on the serial production of Rotary Mmonoblock RM2 coolers show a measured MTTF of 4900 hours. The conventional test profile applied to these coolers is representative of operation in typical application. The duration of such life time tests is very long. The results of a design change and its impact on MTTF are available only several months after the assembly of the prototypes. We decided to develop a test method in order to reduce the duration of these life time tests. The principle is to define a test protocol easy to implement, more severe than typical application profile in order to accelerate life time tests. The accelerated test profile was defined and tested successfully. This new technique allows us to reduce life time tests costs and duration and thus the costs involved. As a consequence, we decided to have a screening of our production with this accelerated test. This allows us to master continuously the quality of our serial products and to collect additional data. This paper presents the results of life time tests performed on RM2 coolers according to the conventional and accelerated test profiles as well as the first results on the new RM2 design which show a calculated MTTF of 10000 hours.

Rockwell-Rocketdyne flywheel test results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steele, R. S., Jr.; Babelay, E. F., Jr.; Sutton, B. J.

1981-01-01

Results are presented of the spin test evaluation of the Rockwell-Rocketdyne RPE-10 design flywheel at the Oak Ridge Flywheel Evaluation Laboratory. Details of the static evaluation, including measures of weight, inertia, natural frequencies, and radiography, are also presented. The flywheel was subjected to seven spin cycles with a maximum of 383 rps, 105% of design speed. At that speed, the energy stored was 1.94 kWhr at 36.1 Whr/kg. The maximum speed was limited by the inability of the test facility to accommodate the increasing eccentric shift of both hub disks with increasing speed. No material degradation was observed during the testing.

Evaluation of the methodological quality of studies of the performance of diagnostic tests for bovine tuberculosis using QUADAS.

PubMed

Downs, Sara H; More, Simon J; Goodchild, Anthony V; Whelan, Adam O; Abernethy, Darrell A; Broughan, Jennifer M; Cameron, Angus; Cook, Alasdair J; Ricardo de la Rua-Domenech, R; Greiner, Matthias; Gunn, Jane; Nuñez-Garcia, Javier; Rhodes, Shelley; Rolfe, Simon; Sharp, Michael; Upton, Paul; Watson, Eamon; Welsh, Michael; Woolliams, John A; Clifton-Hadley, Richard S; Parry, Jessica E

2018-05-01

There has been little assessment of the methodological quality of studies measuring the performance (sensitivity and/or specificity) of diagnostic tests for animal diseases. In a systematic review, 190 studies of tests for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle (published 1934-2009) were assessed by at least one of 18 reviewers using the QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) checklist adapted for animal disease tests. VETQUADAS (VQ) included items measuring clarity in reporting (n = 3), internal validity (n = 9) and external validity (n = 2). A similar pattern for compliance was observed in studies of different diagnostic test types. Compliance significantly improved with year of publication for all items measuring clarity in reporting and external validity but only improved in four of the nine items measuring internal validity (p < 0.05). 107 references, of which 83 had performance data eligible for inclusion in a meta-analysis were reviewed by two reviewers. In these references, agreement between reviewers' responses was 71% for compliance, 32% for unsure and 29% for non-compliance. Mean compliance with reporting items was 2, 5.2 for internal validity and 1.5 for external validity. The index test result was described in sufficient detail in 80.1% of studies and was interpreted without knowledge of the reference standard test result in only 33.1%. Loss to follow-up was adequately explained in only 31.1% of studies. The prevalence of deficiencies observed may be due to inadequate reporting but may also reflect lack of attention to methodological issues that could bias the results of diagnostic test performance estimates. QUADAS was a useful tool for assessing and comparing the quality of studies measuring the performance of diagnostic tests but might be improved further by including explicit assessment of population sampling strategy. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A New Tool for Nutrition App Quality Evaluation (AQEL): Development, Validation, and Reliability Testing.

PubMed

DiFilippo, Kristen Nicole; Huang, Wenhao; Chapman-Novakofski, Karen M

2017-10-27

The extensive availability and increasing use of mobile apps for nutrition-based health interventions makes evaluation of the quality of these apps crucial for integration of apps into nutritional counseling. The goal of this research was the development, validation, and reliability testing of the app quality evaluation (AQEL) tool, an instrument for evaluating apps' educational quality and technical functionality. Items for evaluating app quality were adapted from website evaluations, with additional items added to evaluate the specific characteristics of apps, resulting in 79 initial items. Expert panels of nutrition and technology professionals and app users reviewed items for face and content validation. After recommended revisions, nutrition experts completed a second AQEL review to ensure clarity. On the basis of 150 sets of responses using the revised AQEL, principal component analysis was completed, reducing AQEL into 5 factors that underwent reliability testing, including internal consistency, split-half reliability, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability (IRR). Two additional modifiable constructs for evaluating apps based on the age and needs of the target audience as selected by the evaluator were also tested for construct reliability. IRR testing using intraclass correlations (ICC) with all 7 constructs was conducted, with 15 dietitians evaluating one app. Development and validation resulted in the 51-item AQEL. These were reduced to 25 items in 5 factors after principal component analysis, plus 9 modifiable items in two constructs that were not included in principal component analysis. Internal consistency and split-half reliability of the following constructs derived from principal components analysis was good (Cronbach alpha >.80, Spearman-Brown coefficient >.80): behavior change potential, support of knowledge acquisition, app function, and skill development. App purpose split half-reliability was .65. Test-retest reliability showed no

Dredged Material Evaluations: Review of Zooplankton Toxicity Test Methods for Marine Water Quality Evaluations

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

Standardization (ISO). 2015. Water quality - calanoid copepod early- life stage test with Acartia tonsa. ISO 16778:2015. International Organization for...Toxicity Test Methods for Marine Water Quality Evaluations by Alan J Kennedy, Guilherme Lotufo, Jennifer G. Laird, and J. Daniel Farrar PURPOSE: The...MPRSA evaluations in some regions. The organisms used in these test methods are not planktonic for most of their life cycles (juveniles and adults

The Resazurin-Agar Method - a Quick Test to Determine Water Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huckfeldt, J.; Westphal, B.; Claußen, L.

2015-12-01

Rezasurin has been used as a smart tracer in stream ecosystems to indicate metabolic activity, specifically aerobic respiration by heterotrophic bacteria. Resazurin is a blue compound which is irreversibly reduced to the pink resorufin in the presence of aerobic bacteria. The degree and speed of colour change from blue to pink is a measure of the degree of oxygen consumption and thus an indirect indication of the concentration of aerobic bacteria in a given medium. A high concentration of bacteria in water indicates a bad water quality. In our work a method was developed using resazurin agar plates to find a quick and easy way for testing water quality and comparing concentrations of bacteria in freshwater and seawater samples. The theory was to concentrate bacteria from a defined volume of water sample onto polycarbonate filters (0.2 μm), which are then placed onto the resazurin agar plate. The presence of aerobic bacteria on the filter will reduce the resazurin in the agar and the compound changes its colour. First tests conducted with different dilutions of a pure culture of yoghurt bacteria showed promising results and confirmed the feasibility of the method. In a further assay, we used water samples from different water layers and different temperatures and were also able to observe differences in the concentration of bacteria, depending on these different environmental conditions.The assay was also successfully used with seawater samples, collected from 2 different stations at 3 different depths in the Baltic Sea (salinity=15). The discolouration of the plates showed good correlation with the oxygen concentrations in the water. The resazurin-agar plate method is economical and fast. Several samples could be investigated at the same time without sacrificing the reliability of the results. Thus it is a good pre-screening test for a quantitative evaluation of bacteria in a water sample.

Study of twenty preparations of human albumin solution which failed in quality control testing due to elevated sodium content, a poor internal quality control at manufacturing unit.

PubMed

Prasad, J P; Madhu, Y; Singh, Surinder; Soni, G R; Agnihotri, N; Singh, Varsha; Kumar, Pradeep; Jain, Nidhi; Prakash, Anu; Singh, Varun

2016-11-01

Current study is conducted in our laboratory due to failure in quality control testing of twenty batches of Human Albumin solution in which sodium content is higher than the prescribed limit. These batches are received in short duration from indigenous manufacturer and is the first incident of failure of Human albumin preparation in sodium content of manufacturer. On request of manufacturer, study is conducted to rule out the cause. Repeat testing of each out of specification batch is conducted and a trend analysis is drawn between our findings and manufacturer's results, also study of trend analysis of manufacturer for the last one year. Trend analysis data indicated towards poor consistency of batches with major shift at various time intervals in sodium content of human albumin preparation. Further analysis rule out that non-traceable quality of standard used in the internal quality control testing by manufacturer is the root cause of the problem. Copyright © 2016 International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Second Generation International Space Station (ISS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Verification Testing and On-Orbit Performance Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bentley, Nicole L.; Thomas, Evan A.; VanWie, Michael; Morrison, Chad; Stinson, Richard G.

2010-01-01

The Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOGA) is designed to autonomously determine recovered water quality as a function of TOC. The current TOGA has been on the International Space Station since November 2008. Functional checkout and operations revealed complex operating considerations. Specifically, failure of the hydrogen catalyst resulted in the development of an innovative oxidation analysis method. This method reduces the activation time and limits the hydrogen produced during analysis, while retaining the ability to indicate TOC concentrations within 25% accuracy. Subsequent testing and comparison to archived samples returned from the Station and tested on the ground yield high confidence in this method, and in the quality of the recovered water.

Quality, not just quantity: Lessons learned from HIV testing in Salvador, Brazil

PubMed Central

MacCarthy, Sarah; Rasanathan, Jennifer J. K.; Dourado, Ines; Gruskin, Sofia

2015-01-01

Studies have demonstrated that an early HIV diagnosis is a critical first step toward continued engagement in care. We examined HIV testing experiences in Salvador, Brazil, to understand how a focus on quality services can inform service provision more generally in the post–2015 global health agenda. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with HIV-positive pregnant women in Salvador, a large urban centre of northeast Brazil. Interviews were transcribed, translated, and coded for analysis. Deductive codes confirmed factors identified in the literature review. Inductive codes highlighted new factors emerging from the initial coding. ‘Quality’ was defined according to global and national guidelines as HIV testing with informed and voluntary consent, counselling, and confidentiality (3Cs). No pregnant woman experienced all elements of the 3Cs. Three women did not experience any informed and voluntary consent, counselling, or confidentiality. Few women provided consent overall and none received pre-test counselling. Post-test counselling and confidentiality of services were more consistently provided. This study suggests that testing in Salvador—the third-largest city in the country—is not of the quality called for by global and national guidelines, despite the fact that HIV testing is being routinely provided for HIV-positive pregnant women in Brazil. Going forward, additional clarity around the 3Cs is necessary to improve how the quality, not just the quantity, of HIV services is measured. PMID:24881693

Near patient testing in general practice: attitudes of general practitioners and practice nurses, and quality assurance procedures carried out.

PubMed Central

Hilton, S; Rink, E; Fletcher, J; Sibbald, B; Freeling, P; Szczepura, A; Davies, C; Stilwell, J

1994-01-01

BACKGROUND. The evaluation of near patient testing in British general practice has largely been confined to studies examining individual tests or comparing equipment. AIM. This study set out to determine the attitudes of practice staff to near patient testing, and the extent to which staff undertook quality assessment. METHOD. Four types of near patient testing machines were introduced into 12 general practices in two regions of England, south west Thames and west Midlands. General practitioner and practice nurse attitudes to near patient testing were assessed by semi-structured interview before and six months after the introduction of the machines. The extent to which routine quality assurance procedures were carried out within the surgery and as part of local and national schemes was examined. RESULTS. Although 80% of general practitioners anticipated changing patient management with near patient testing, only two fifths reported having done so after six months. Nurses generally were enthusiastic at the outset, although one third were unhappy about incorporating near patient testing into their work schedules. Time pressure was the most important factor restricting uptake of near patient testing. Nurses performed quality control regularly but complete local external quality assurance procedures were established in only half the practices. All the practices participated in a national scheme for cholesterol assays. CONCLUSION. General practitioners in this study did not find near patient testing a very useful addition to their resources. Pressure on nurses' time was the most frequently reported limitation. PMID:7748669

Rockwell-Rocketdyne flywheel test results

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

Steele, R.S. Jr.; Babelay, E.F. Jr.; Sutton, B.J.

1981-01-01

Results are presented of the spin test evaluation of the Rockwell-Rocketdyne RPE-10 design flywheel at the Oak Ridge Flywheel Evaluation Laboratory. Details of the static evaluation, including measures of weight, inertia, natural frequencies, and radiography, are also presented. The flywheel was subjected to seven spin cycles with a maximum of 383 rps, 105% of design speed. At that speed, the energy stored was 1.94 kWhr at 36.1 Whr/kg. The maximum speed was limited by the inability of the test facility to accommodate the increasing eccentric shift of both hub disks with increasing speed. No material degradation was observed during themore » testing.« less

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.

Better Data Quality for Better Healthcare Research Results - A Case Study.

PubMed

Hart, Robert; Kuo, Mu-Hsing

2017-01-01

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have been identified as a key tool to collect data for healthcare research. However, EHR data must be of sufficient quality to support quality research results. Island Health, BC, Canada has invested and continues to invest in the development of solutions to address the quality of its EHR data and support high quality healthcare studies. This paper examines Island Health's data quality engine, its development and its successful implementation.

Results of steel containment vessel model test

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

Luk, V.K.; Ludwigsen, J.S.; Hessheimer, M.F.

A series of static overpressurization tests of scale models of nuclear containment structures is being conducted by Sandia National Laboratories for the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation of Japan and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Two tests are being conducted: (1) a test of a model of a steel containment vessel (SCV) and (2) a test of a model of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV). This paper summarizes the conduct of the high pressure pneumatic test of the SCV model and the results of that test. Results of this test are summarized and are compared with pretest predictions performed bymore » the sponsoring organizations and others who participated in a blind pretest prediction effort. Questions raised by this comparison are identified and plans for posttest analysis are discussed.« less

Why do water quality monitoring programs succeed or fail? A qualitative comparative analysis of regulated testing systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Peletz, Rachel; Kisiangani, Joyce; Bonham, Mateyo; Ronoh, Patrick; Delaire, Caroline; Kumpel, Emily; Marks, Sara; Khush, Ranjiv

2018-05-31

Water quality testing is critical for guiding water safety management and ensuring public health. In many settings, however, water suppliers and surveillance agencies do not meet regulatory requirements for testing frequencies. This study examines the conditions that promote successful water quality monitoring in Africa, with the goal of providing evidence for strengthening regulated water quality testing programs. We compared monitoring programs among 26 regulated water suppliers and surveillance agencies across six African countries. These institutions submitted monthly water quality testing results over 18 months. We also collected qualitative data on the conditions that influenced testing performance via approximately 821 h of semi-structured interviews and observations. Based on our qualitative data, we developed the Water Capacity Rating Diagnostic (WaterCaRD) to establish a scoring framework for evaluating the effects of the following conditions on testing performance: accountability, staffing, program structure, finances, and equipment & services. We summarized the qualitative data into case studies for each of the 26 institutions and then used the case studies to score the institutions against the conditions captured in WaterCaRD. Subsequently, we applied fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to compare these scores against performance outcomes for water quality testing. We defined the performance outcomes as the proportion of testing Targets Achieved (outcome 1) and Testing Consistency (outcome 2) based on the monthly number of microbial water quality tests conducted by each institution. Our analysis identified motivation & leadership, knowledge, staff retention, and transport as institutional conditions that were necessary for achieving monitoring targets. In addition, equipment, procurement, infrastructure, and enforcement contributed to the pathways that resulted in strong monitoring performance. Our identification of institutional

Evaluating quality management systems for HIV rapid testing services in primary healthcare clinics in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

PubMed Central

Jaya, Ziningi; Drain, Paul K.

2017-01-01

Introduction Rapid HIV tests have improved access to HIV diagnosis and treatment by providing quick and convenient testing in rural clinics and resource-limited settings. In this study, we evaluated the quality management system for voluntary and provider-initiated point-of-care HIV testing in primary healthcare (PHC) clinics in rural KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Material and methods We conducted a quality assessment audit in eleven PHC clinics that offer voluntary HIV testing and counselling in rural KZN, South Africa from August 2015 to October 2016. All the participating clinics were purposively selected from the province-wide survey of diagnostic services. We completed an on-site monitoring checklist, adopted from the WHO guidelines for assuring accuracy and reliability of HIV rapid tests, to assess the quality management system for HIV rapid testing at each clinic. To determine clinic’s compliance to WHO quality standards for HIV rapid testing the following quality measure was used, a 3-point scale (high, moderate and poor). A high score was defined as a percentage rating of 90 to 100%, moderate was defined as a percentage rating of 70 to 90%, and poor was defined as a percentage rating of less than 70%. Clinic audit scores were summarized and compared. We employed Pearson pair wise correlation coefficient to determine correlations between clinics audit scores and clinic and clinics characteristics. Linear regression model was computed to estimate statistical significance of the correlates. Correlations were reported as significant at p ≤0.05. Results Nine out of 11 audited rural PHC clinics are located outside 20Km of the nearest town and hospital. Majority (18.2%) of the audited rural PHC clinics reported that HIV rapid test was performed by HIV lay counsellors. Overall, ten clinics were rated moderate, in terms of their compliance to the stipulated WHO guidelines. Audit results showed that rural PHC clinics’ average rating score for compliance

Efficient clinical evaluation of guideline quality: development and testing of a new tool

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Evaluating the methodological quality of clinical practice guidelines is essential before deciding which ones which could best inform policy or practice. One current method of evaluating clinical guideline quality is the research-focused AGREE II instrument. This uses 23 questions scored 1–7, arranged in six domains, which requires at least two independent testers, and uses a formulaic weighted domain scoring system. Following feedback from time-poor clinicians, policy-makers and managers that this instrument did not suit clinical need, we developed and tested a simpler, shorter, binary scored instrument (the iCAHE Guideline Quality Checklist) designed for single users. Methods Content and construct validity, inter-tester reliability and clinical utility were tested by comparing the new iCAHE Guideline Quality Checklist with the AGREE II instrument. Firstly the questions and domains in both instruments were compared. Six randomly-selected guidelines on a similar theme were then assessed by three independent testers with different experience in guideline quality assessment, using both instruments. Per guideline, weighted domain and total AGREE II scores were calculated, using the scoring rubric for three testers. Total iCAHE scores were calculated per guideline, per tester. The linear relationship between iCAHE and AGREE II scores was assessed using Pearson r correlation coefficients. Score differences between testers were assessed for the iCAHE Guideline Quality Checklist. Results There were congruent questions in each instrument in four domains (Scope & Purpose, Stakeholder involvement, Underlying evidence/Rigour, Clarity). The iCAHE and AGREE II scores were moderate to strongly correlated for the six guidelines. There was generally good agreement between testers for iCAHE scores, irrespective of their experience. The iCAHE instrument was preferred by all testers, and took significantly less time to administer than the AGREE II instrument. However

Avoiding Assessment Anarchy. Quality Test Administration Strategies: Communicate Expectations, Reduce Variation, Increase Quality, Improve Relationships, Reward Excellence, Recognize Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matter, M. Kevin

This paper presents strategies that address the needs of the school district assessment office for standardized procedures to support reliable and efficient test processing and reporting and that meet the needs of school staff for test administration guidelines. The key to test administration and processing quality is a knowledgeable test…

To err is human, to correct is public health: a systematic review examining poor quality testing and misdiagnosis of HIV status.

PubMed

Johnson, Cheryl C; Fonner, Virginia; Sands, Anita; Ford, Nathan; Obermeyer, Carla Mahklouf; Tsui, Sharon; Wong, Vincent; Baggaley, Rachel

2017-08-29

In accordance with global testing and treatment targets, many countries are seeking ways to reach the "90-90-90" goals, starting with diagnosing 90% of all people with HIV. Quality HIV testing services are needed to enable people with HIV to be diagnosed and linked to treatment as early as possible. It is essential that opportunities to reach people with undiagnosed HIV are not missed, diagnoses are correct and HIV-negative individuals are not inadvertently initiated on life-long treatment. We conducted this systematic review to assess the magnitude of misdiagnosis and to describe poor HIV testing practices using rapid diagnostic tests. We systematically searched peer-reviewed articles, abstracts and grey literature published from 1 January 1990 to 19 April 2017. Studies were included if they used at least two rapid diagnostic tests and reported on HIV misdiagnosis, factors related to potential misdiagnosis or described quality issues and errors related to HIV testing. Sixty-four studies were included in this review. A small proportion of false positive (median 3.1%, interquartile range (IQR): 0.4-5.2%) and false negative (median: 0.4%, IQR: 0-3.9%) diagnoses were identified. Suboptimal testing strategies were the most common factor in studies reporting misdiagnoses, particularly false positive diagnoses due to using a "tiebreaker" test to resolve discrepant test results. A substantial proportion of false negative diagnoses were related to retesting among people on antiretroviral therapy. Conclusions HIV testing errors and poor practices, particularly those resulting in false positive or false negative diagnoses, do occur but are preventable. Efforts to accelerate HIV diagnosis and linkage to treatment should be complemented by efforts to improve the quality of HIV testing services and strengthen the quality management systems, particularly the use of validated testing algorithms and strategies, retesting people diagnosed with HIV before initiating treatment and

New strategy to improve quality control of Montenegro skin test at the production level.

PubMed

Guedes, Deborah Carbonera; Minozzo, João Carlos; Pasquali, Aline Kuhn Sbruzzi; Faulds, Craig; Soccol, Carlos Ricardo; Thomaz-Soccol, Vanete

2017-01-01

The production of the Montenegro antigen for skin test poses difficulties regarding quality control. Here, we propose that certain animal models reproducing a similar immune response to humans may be used in the quality control of Montenegro antigen production. Fifteen Cavia porcellus (guinea pigs) were immunized with Leishmania amazonensis or Leishmania braziliensis , and, after 30 days, they were skin tested with standard Montenegro antigen. To validate C. porcellus as an animal model for skin tests, eighteen Mesocricetus auratus (hamsters) were infected with L. amazonensis or L. braziliensis , and, after 45 days, they were skin tested with standard Montenegro antigen. Cavia porcellus immunized with L. amazonensis or L. braziliensis , and hamsters infected with the same species presented induration reactions when skin tested with standard Montenegro antigen 48-72h after the test. The comparison between immunization methods and immune response from the two animal species validated C. porcellus as a good model for Montenegro skin test, and the model showed strong potential as an in vivo model in the quality control of the production of Montenegro antigen.

Assessment of non-destructive testing technologies for quality control/quality assurance of asphalt mixtures : [tech transfer summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-02-01

Evaluation of the actual performance (quality) of pavements requires : in situ nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques that can accurately : measure the most critical, objective, and sensitive properties of : pavement systems.

Design, testing and validation of an innovative web-based instrument to evaluate school meal quality.

PubMed

Patterson, Emma; Quetel, Anna-Karin; Lilja, Karin; Simma, Marit; Olsson, Linnea; Elinder, Liselotte Schäfer

2013-06-01

To develop a feasible, valid, reliable web-based instrument to objectively evaluate school meal quality in Swedish primary schools. The construct 'school meal quality' was operationalized by an expert panel into six domains, one of which was nutritional quality. An instrument was drafted and pilot-tested. Face validity was evaluated by the panel. Feasibility was established via a large national study. Food-based criteria to predict the nutritional adequacy of school meals in terms of fat quality, iron, vitamin D and fibre content were developed. Predictive validity was evaluated by comparing the nutritional adequacy of school menus based on these criteria with the results from a nutritional analysis. Inter-rater reliability was also assessed. The instrument was developed between 2010 and 2012. It is designed for use in all primary schools by school catering and/or management representatives. A pilot-test of eighty schools in Stockholm (autumn 2010) and a further test of feasibility in 191 schools nationally (spring 2011). The four nutrient-specific food-based criteria predicted nutritional adequacy with sensitivity ranging from 0.85 to 1.0, specificity from 0.45 to 1.0 and accuracy from 0.67 to 1.0. The sample in the national study was statistically representative and the majority of users rated the questionnaire positively, suggesting the instrument is feasible. The inter-rater reliability was fair to almost perfect for continuous variables and agreement was ≥ 67 % for categorical variables. An innovative web-based system to comprehensively monitor school meal quality across several domains, with validated questions in the nutritional domain, is available in Sweden for the first time.

Automatic film processors' quality control test in Greek military hospitals.

PubMed

Lymberis, C; Efstathopoulos, E P; Manetou, A; Poudridis, G

1993-04-01

The two major military radiology installations (Athens, Greece) using a total of 15 automatic film processors were assessed using the 21-step-wedge method. The results of quality control in all these processors are presented. The parameters measured under actual working conditions were base and fog, contrast and speed. Base and fog as well as speed displayed large variations with average values generally higher than acceptable, whilst contrast displayed greater stability. Developer temperature was measured daily during the test and was found to be outside the film manufacturers' recommended limits in nine of the 15 processors. In only one processor did film passing time vary on an every day basis and this was due to maloperation. Developer pH test was not part of the daily monitoring service being performed every 5 days for each film processor and found to be in the range 9-12; 10 of the 15 processors presented pH values outside the limits specified by the film manufacturers.

Employment of telemedicine in emergency medicine. Clinical requirement analysis, system development and first test results.

PubMed

Czaplik, M; Bergrath, S; Rossaint, R; Thelen, S; Brodziak, T; Valentin, B; Hirsch, F; Beckers, S K; Brokmann, J C

2014-01-01

Demographic change, rising co-morbidity and an increasing number of emergencies are the main challenges that emergency medical services (EMS) in several countries worldwide are facing. In order to improve quality in EMS, highly trained personnel and well-equipped ambulances are essential. However several studies have shown a deficiency in qualified EMS physicians. Telemedicine emerges as a complementary system in EMS that may provide expertise and improve quality of medical treatment on the scene. Hence our aim is to develop and test a specific teleconsultation system. During the development process several use cases were defined and technically specified by medical experts and engineers in the areas of: system administration, start-up of EMS assistance systems, audio communication, data transfer, routine tele-EMS physician activities and research capabilities. Upon completion, technical field tests were performed under realistic conditions to test system properties such as robustness, feasibility and usability, providing end-to-end measurements. Six ambulances were equipped with telemedical facilities based on the results of the requirement analysis and 55 scenarios were tested under realistic conditions in one month. The results indicate that the developed system performed well in terms of usability and robustness. The major challenges were, as expected, mobile communication and data network availability. Third generation networks were only available in 76.4% of the cases. Although 3G (third generation), such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), provides beneficial conditions for higher bandwidth, system performance for most features was also acceptable under adequate 2G (second generation) test conditions. An innovative concept for the use of telemedicine for medical consultations in EMS was developed. Organisational and technical aspects were considered and practical requirements specified. Since technical feasibility was demonstrated in these

Advanced Thermal Simulator Testing: Thermal Analysis and Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon M.; Dickens, Ricky; Dixon, David; Reid, Robert; Adams, Mike; Davis, Joe

2008-01-01

Work at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center seeks to develop high fidelity, electrically heated thermal simulators that represent fuel elements in a nuclear reactor design to support non-nuclear testing applicable to the development of a space nuclear power or propulsion system. Comparison between the fuel pins and thermal simulators is made at the outer fuel clad surface, which corresponds to the outer sheath surface in the thermal simulator. The thermal simulators that are currently being tested correspond to a SNAP derivative reactor design that could be applied for Lunar surface power. These simulators are designed to meet the geometric and power requirements of a proposed surface power reactor design, accommodate testing of various axial power profiles, and incorporate imbedded instrumentation. This paper reports the results of thermal simulator analysis and testing in a bare element configuration, which does not incorporate active heat removal, and testing in a water-cooled calorimeter designed to mimic the heat removal that would be experienced in a reactor core.

Jet-Surface Interaction Test: Far-Field Noise Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Clifford A.

2012-01-01

Many configurations proposed for the next generation of aircraft rely on the wing or other aircraft surfaces to shield the engine noise from the observers on the ground. However, the ability to predict the shielding effect and any new noise sources that arise from the high-speed jet flow interacting with a hard surface is currently limited. Furthermore, quality experimental data from jets with surfaces nearby suitable for developing and validating noise prediction methods are usually tied to a particular vehicle concept and, therefore, very complicated. The Jet/Surface Interaction Test was intended to supply a high quality set of data covering a wide range of surface geometries and positions and jet flows to researchers developing aircraft noise prediction tools. During phase one, the goal was to measure the noise of a jet near a simple planar surface while varying the surface length and location in order to: (1) validate noise prediction schemes when the surface is acting only as a jet noise shield and when the jet/surface interaction is creating additional noise, and (2) determine regions of interest for more detailed tests in phase two. To meet these phase one objectives, a flat plate was mounted on a two-axis traverse in two distinct configurations: (1) as a shield between the jet and the observer (microphone array) and (2) as a reflecting surface on the opposite side of the jet from the observer.

European external quality control study on the competence of laboratories to recognize rare sequence variants resulting in unusual genotyping results.

PubMed

Márki-Zay, János; Klein, Christoph L; Gancberg, David; Schimmel, Heinz G; Dux, László

2009-04-01

Depending on the method used, rare sequence variants adjacent to the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of interest may cause unusual or erroneous genotyping results. Because such rare variants are known for many genes commonly tested in diagnostic laboratories, we organized a proficiency study to assess their influence on the accuracy of reported laboratory results. Four external quality control materials were processed and sent to 283 laboratories through 3 EQA organizers for analysis of the prothrombin 20210G>A mutation. Two of these quality control materials contained sequence variants introduced by site-directed mutagenesis. One hundred eighty-nine laboratories participated in the study. When samples gave a usual result with the method applied, the error rate was 5.1%. Detailed analysis showed that more than 70% of the failures were reported from only 9 laboratories. Allele-specific amplification-based PCR had a much higher error rate than other methods (18.3% vs 2.9%). The variants 20209C>T and [20175T>G; 20179_20180delAC] resulted in unusual genotyping results in 67 and 85 laboratories, respectively. Eighty-three (54.6%) of these unusual results were not recognized, 32 (21.1%) were attributed to technical issues, and only 37 (24.3%) were recognized as another sequence variant. Our findings revealed that some of the participating laboratories were not able to recognize and correctly interpret unusual genotyping results caused by rare SNPs. Our study indicates that the majority of the failures could be avoided by improved training and careful selection and validation of the methods applied.

The Influence of Anxiety and Quality of Interaction on Collaborative Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandey, Carol; Kapitanoff, Susan

2011-01-01

This research investigated the relationships among test performance, anxiety, and the quality of interaction during collaborative testing of college students. It also explored which students are most likely to benefit from collaborative testing. It was randomly determined whether a student would take each of six examinations alone or with a…

Quality Testing of Artemisinin-Based Antimalarial Drugs in Myanmar.

PubMed

Guo, Suqin; Kyaw, Myat Phone; He, Lishan; Min, Myo; Ning, Xiangxue; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Baomin; Cui, Liwang

2017-10-01

Artemisinin-based combination therapies are the frontline treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The circulation of falsified and substandard artemisinin-based antimalarials in Southeast Asia has been a major predicament for the malaria elimination campaign. To provide an update of this situation, we purchased 153 artemisinin-containing antimalarials, as convenience samples, in private drug stores from different regions of Myanmar. The quality of these drugs in terms of their artemisinin derivative content was tested using specific dipsticks for these artemisinin derivatives, as point-of-care devices. A subset of these samples was further tested by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This survey identified that > 35% of the collected drugs were oral artesunate and artemether monotherapies. When tested with the dipsticks, all but one sample passed the assays, indicating that the detected artemisinin derivative content corresponded approximately to the labeled contents. However, one artesunate injection sample was found to contain no active ingredient at all by the dipstick assay and subsequent HPLC analysis. The continued circulation of oral monotherapies and the description, for the first time, of falsified parenteral artesunate provides a worrisome picture of the antimalarial drug quality in Myanmar during the malaria elimination phase, a situation that deserves more oversight from regulatory authorities.

Beef quality labels: A combination of sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis.

PubMed

Meyerding, Stephan G H; Gentz, Maria; Altmann, Brianne; Meier-Dinkel, Lisa

2018-08-01

Consumer perspectives of beef quality are complex, leading to a market that is increasingly differentiating. Thus, ongoing monitoring and assessment of changes in consumer perspectives is essential to identify changing market conditions. Often only credence and search characteristics are evaluated in consumer studies; therefore the object of the present study is to examine consumer preferences and perceptions towards beef steaks, also including experience characteristics, using a mixed methods approach. For this reason, 55 consumers participated in an experiment in Germany, including a sensory acceptance test, stated willingness to pay, and choice-based conjoint analysis (CBCA). Different quality characteristics were included, but a focus on the quality labels of 'dry aged beef', 'Block House beef', and 'Angus beef' was predominant throughout the experiment with the results showing that quality labels significantly increased overall liking as well as the stated willingness to pay. Quality labels were also the one of the most important characteristics in the conjoint analysis, after origin and price. The results of all applied methods are comparable for the characteristic quality label. The combination of sensory acceptance test and CBCA were additionally able to evaluate all three kinds of beef quality characteristics, which could not be evaluated together only using a single method. This suggests that a mixture of methods should be used to gain better knowledge on the true behavior of beef consumers. Experience and credence characteristics, including beef quality labels, present opportunities for future research as well as the potential for determining product and market differentiation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New STS-1 Electronics: Development and Test Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uhrhammer, R. A.; Karavas, B.; Friday, J.; Vanzandt, T.; Hutt, C. R.; Wielandt, E.; Romanowicz, B.

2007-12-01

The STS-1 seismometer is currently the principal very broad-band (VBB) seismometer used in global or regional seismic networks operated by members of the Federation of Digital Broad-Band Seismograph Networks (FDSN). It is widely viewed as the finest VBB sensor in the world, Unfortunately, many of the STS-1's, which were manufactured and installed 10-20 years ago, are encountering both operational failures and age-related degradation. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that sensors are no longer being produced or supported by the original manufacturer, G. Streckeisen AG. In a first step towards assuring continued high quality of VBB data for decades to come, we have developed and tested new electronics and methods for mechanical repair for the STS-1 very broadband seismometer. This is a collaborative project with Tom VanZandt of Metrozet, LLC (Redondo Beach, CA) and Erhard Wielandt (original designer of the STS-1), and has been funded by a grant from NSF through the IRIS/GSN program. A primary goal of this effort was to develop a fully-tested, modern electronics module that will be a drop-in replacement for the original electronics. This new electronics design addresses environmental packaging problems that have led to operational degradation and failures in the existing instruments. This effort also provided the opportunity to implement a set of electronic improvements that will make the installation and operation of the sensors more efficient. Metrozet developed the first prototype new electronics for the STS-1, while the BSL engineering staff constructed a test-bed at the Byerly Vault (BKS) and developed the capability to simultaneously test 6-8 STS-1 components. BSL staff then tested successive versions of the electronics. The first generation prototype electronics did not include centering or calibration functionality. The second generation prototype included remote centering functionality as well as calibration functions. After some observations and

Validating a dance-specific screening test for balance: preliminary results from multisite testing.

PubMed

Batson, Glenna

2010-09-01

Few dance-specific screening tools adequately capture balance. The aim of this study was to administer and modify the Star Excursion Balance Test (oSEBT) to examine its utility as a balance screen for dancers. The oSEBT involves standing on one leg while lightly targeting with the opposite foot to the farthest distance along eight spokes of a star-shaped grid. This task simulates dance in the spatial pattern and movement quality of the gesturing limb. The oSEBT was validated for distance on athletes with history of ankle sprain. Thirty-three dancers (age 20.1 +/- 1.4 yrs) participated from two contemporary dance conservatories (UK and US), with or without a history of lower extremity injury. Dancers were verbally instructed (without physical demonstration) to execute the oSEBT and four modifications (mSEBT): timed (speed), timed with cognitive interference (answering questions aloud), and sensory disadvantaging (foam mat). Stepping strategies were tracked and performance strategies video-recorded. Unlike the oSEBT results, distances reached were not significant statistically (p = 0.05) or descriptively (i.e., shorter) for either group. Performance styles varied widely, despite sample homogeneity and instructions to control for strategy. Descriptive analysis of mSEBT showed an increased number of near-falls and decreased timing on the injured limb. Dancers appeared to employ variable strategies to keep balance during this test. Quantitative analysis is warranted to define balance strategies for further validation of SEBT modifications to determine its utility as a balance screening tool.

Design and Testing of a Tool for Evaluating the Quality of Diabetes Consumer-Information Web Sites

PubMed Central

Steinwachs, Donald; Rubin, Haya R

2003-01-01

Background Most existing tools for measuring the quality of Internet health information focus almost exclusively on structural criteria or other proxies for quality information rather than evaluating actual accuracy and comprehensiveness. Objective This research sought to develop a new performance-measurement tool for evaluating the quality of Internet health information, test the validity and reliability of the tool, and assess the variability in diabetes Web site quality. Methods An objective, systematic tool was developed to evaluate Internet diabetes information based on a quality-of-care measurement framework. The principal investigator developed an abstraction tool and trained an external reviewer on its use. The tool included 7 structural measures and 34 performance measures created by using evidence-based practice guidelines and experts' judgments of accuracy and comprehensiveness. Results Substantial variation existed in all categories, with overall scores following a normal distribution and ranging from 15% to 95% (mean was 50% and median was 51%). Lin's concordance correlation coefficient to assess agreement between raters produced a rho of 0.761 (Pearson's r of 0.769), suggesting moderate to high agreement. The average agreement between raters for the performance measures was 0.80. Conclusions Diabetes Web site quality varies widely. Alpha testing of this new tool suggests that it could become a reliable and valid method for evaluating the quality of Internet health sites. Such an instrument could help lay people distinguish between beneficial and misleading information. PMID:14713658

Quality Evaluation of Coatings by Automatic Scratch Testing

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-01

MTL TR 89-98 IADII QUALITY EVALUATION OF COATINGS BY AUTOMATIC SCRATCH TESTING KIRIT J. BHANSALI LBRTR A1 U.S. ARMY MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY...distribution unlimited. LABORATORY COMMANO U.S. ARMY MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY PMUNKS wcamaauv LUaAMUv Watertown, Massachusetts 02172-0001 .o...Theo 7- Kattamis* 9 PEWNWING ORGANIZATION NAME AMO ADDRESS 1.PORUEEET RJC.TS AREA & WORK UNIT NUMSS U.S. Army Materials Technology Laboratory Watertown

Test and study on mirror quality of ultra-precision diamond turning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yanyan; Sun, Tao; Li, Zengqiang; Wu, Baosen

2014-09-01

Using the diamond turning lathe and mono crystalline diamond tool, the aluminum alloy of 2A12 was cut under different cutting parameters including cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut and the mirror surfaces were made. The surface roughness, micro hardness and residual stress of the mirror surface were tested by the surface profiler, the universal hardness tester and X-stress Robot. The influences of the cutting parameters on the mirror quality were studied. The research results have theoretical and practical significance to the selection of the optimal cutting parameters in ultraprecision diamond turning.

Evaluation of cassette-based digital radiography detectors using standardized image quality metrics: AAPM TG-150 Draft Image Detector Tests.

PubMed

Li, Guang; Greene, Travis C; Nishino, Thomas K; Willis, Charles E

2016-09-08

The purpose of this study was to evaluate several of the standardized image quality metrics proposed by the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group 150. The task group suggested region-of-interest (ROI)-based techniques to measure nonuniformity, minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), number of anomalous pixels, and modulation transfer function (MTF). This study evaluated the effects of ROI size and layout on the image metrics by using four different ROI sets, assessed result uncertainty by repeating measurements, and compared results with two commercially available quality control tools, namely the Carestream DIRECTVIEW Total Quality Tool (TQT) and the GE Healthcare Quality Assurance Process (QAP). Seven Carestream DRX-1C (CsI) detectors on mobile DR systems and four GE FlashPad detectors in radiographic rooms were tested. Images were analyzed using MATLAB software that had been previously validated and reported. Our values for signal and SNR nonuniformity and MTF agree with values published by other investigators. Our results show that ROI size affects nonuniformity and minimum SNR measurements, but not detection of anomalous pixels. Exposure geometry affects all tested image metrics except for the MTF. TG-150 metrics in general agree with the TQT, but agree with the QAP only for local and global signal nonuniformity. The difference in SNR nonuniformity and MTF values between the TG-150 and QAP may be explained by differences in the calculation of noise and acquisition beam quality, respectively. TG-150's SNR nonuniformity metrics are also more sensitive to detector nonuniformity compared to the QAP. Our results suggest that fixed ROI size should be used for consistency because nonuniformity metrics depend on ROI size. Ideally, detector tests should be performed at the exact calibration position. If not feasible, a baseline should be established from the mean of several repeated measurements. Our study indicates that the TG-150 tests can be

Evaluation of cassette‐based digital radiography detectors using standardized image quality metrics: AAPM TG‐150 Draft Image Detector Tests

PubMed Central

Greene, Travis C.; Nishino, Thomas K.; Willis, Charles E.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate several of the standardized image quality metrics proposed by the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group 150. The task group suggested region‐of‐interest (ROI)‐based techniques to measure nonuniformity, minimum signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), number of anomalous pixels, and modulation transfer function (MTF). This study evaluated the effects of ROI size and layout on the image metrics by using four different ROI sets, assessed result uncertainty by repeating measurements, and compared results with two commercially available quality control tools, namely the Carestream DIRECTVIEW Total Quality Tool (TQT) and the GE Healthcare Quality Assurance Process (QAP). Seven Carestream DRX‐1C (CsI) detectors on mobile DR systems and four GE FlashPad detectors in radiographic rooms were tested. Images were analyzed using MATLAB software that had been previously validated and reported. Our values for signal and SNR nonuniformity and MTF agree with values published by other investigators. Our results show that ROI size affects nonuniformity and minimum SNR measurements, but not detection of anomalous pixels. Exposure geometry affects all tested image metrics except for the MTF. TG‐150 metrics in general agree with the TQT, but agree with the QAP only for local and global signal nonuniformity. The difference in SNR nonuniformity and MTF values between the TG‐150 and QAP may be explained by differences in the calculation of noise and acquisition beam quality, respectively. TG‐150's SNR nonuniformity metrics are also more sensitive to detector nonuniformity compared to the QAP. Our results suggest that fixed ROI size should be used for consistency because nonuniformity metrics depend on ROI size. Ideally, detector tests should be performed at the exact calibration position. If not feasible, a baseline should be established from the mean of several repeated measurements. Our study indicates that the TG�

The methodological quality of diagnostic test accuracy studies for musculoskeletal conditions can be improved.

PubMed

Henschke, Nicholas; Keuerleber, Julia; Ferreira, Manuela; Maher, Christopher G; Verhagen, Arianne P

2014-04-01

To provide an overview of reporting and methodological quality in diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies in the musculoskeletal field and evaluate the use of the QUality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) checklist. A literature review identified all systematic reviews that evaluated the accuracy of clinical tests to diagnose musculoskeletal conditions and used the QUADAS checklist. Two authors screened all identified reviews and extracted data on the target condition, index tests, reference standard, included studies, and QUADAS items. A descriptive analysis of the QUADAS checklist was performed, along with Rasch analysis to examine the construct validity and internal reliability. A total of 19 systematic reviews were included, which provided data on individual items of the QUADAS checklist for 392 DTA studies. In the musculoskeletal field, uninterpretable or intermediate test results are commonly not reported, with 175 (45%) studies scoring "no" to this item. The proportion of studies fulfilling certain items varied from 22% (item 11) to 91% (item 3). The interrater reliability of the QUADAS checklist was good and Rasch analysis showed excellent construct validity and internal consistency. This overview identified areas where the reporting and performance of diagnostic studies within the musculoskeletal field can be improved. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of information quality attribute for SME towards adoption of research result

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Febriani, E.; Dewobroto, W. S.; Anggraini, R. D.

2017-12-01

Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) holds significant role in fostering Indonesian economy. However, the research that is supposed to support the development of SMEs business has not yet fully adopted or utilized. Information attributes may be used as the benchmark to find the intention of SMEs from a research result and develop the strategy of quality information for all organizations both SMEs and the researcher. Therefore, because of the importance of information quality attribute required by SMEs, the research aims to analyses the information quality required by SMEs to clarify the information quality into the dimension of information quality. The research was started by distributing online questionnaire to SMEs. The questionnaire result showed that the content dimension is the most aspect required by SMEs, followed by time and form dimension, respectively. Quality information attribute required by SMEs from a research is that the result may be applied to the business.

Does the speaker's voice quality influence children's performance on a language comprehension test?

PubMed

Lyberg-Åhlander, Viveka; Haake, Magnus; Brännström, Jonas; Schötz, Susanne; Sahlén, Birgitta

2015-02-01

A small number of studies have explored children's perception of speakers' voice quality and its possible influence on language comprehension. The aim of this explorative study was to investigate the relationship between the examiner's voice quality, the child's performance on a digital version of a language comprehension test, the Test for Reception of Grammar (TROG-2), and two measures of cognitive functioning. The participants were (n = 86) mainstreamed 8-year old children with typical language development. Two groups of children (n = 41/45) were presented with the TROG-2 through recordings of one female speaker: one group was presented with a typical voice and the other with a simulated dysphonic voice. Significant associations were found between executive functioning and language comprehension. The results also showed that children listening to the dysphonic voice achieved significantly lower scores for more difficult sentences ("the man but not the horse jumps") and used more self-corrections on simpler sentences ("the girl is sitting"). Findings suggest that a dysphonic speaker's voice may force the child to allocate capacity to the processing of the voice signal at the expense of comprehension. The findings have implications for clinical and research settings where standardized language tests are used.

[Risk adjusted assessment of quality of perinatal centers - results of perinatal/neonatal quality surveillance in Saxonia].

PubMed

Koch, R; Gmyrek, D; Vogtmann, Ch

2005-12-01

The weak point of the country-wide perinatal/neonatal quality surveillance as a tool for evaluation of achievements of a distinct clinic, is the ignorance of interhospital differences in the case-mix of patients. Therefore, that approach can not result in a reliable bench marking. To adjust the results of quality assessment of different hospitals according to their risk profile of patients by multivariate analysis. The perinatal/neonatal data base of 12.783 newborns of the saxonian quality surveillance from 1998 to 2000 was analyzed. 4 relevant quality indicators of newborn outcome -- a) severe intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants < 1500 g, b) death in hospital of preterm infants < 1500 g, c) death in newborns with birth weight > 2500 g and d) hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy -- were targeted to find out specific risk predictors by considering 26 risk factors. A logistic regression model was used to develop the risk predictors. Risk predictors for the 4 quality indicators could be described by 3 - 9 out of 26 analyzed risk factors. The AUC (ROC)-values for these quality indicators were 82, 89, 89 and 89 %, what signifies their reliability. Using the new specific predictors for calculation the risk adjusted incidence rates of quality indicator yielded in some remarkable changes. The apparent differences in the outcome criteria of analyzed hospitals were found to be much less pronounced. The application of the proposed method for risk adjustment of quality indicators makes it possible to perform a more objective comparison of neonatal outcome criteria between different hospitals or regions.

Dynamic stability and handling qualities tests on a highly augmented, statically unstable airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gera, Joseph; Bosworth, John T.

1987-01-01

This paper describes some novel flight tests and analysis techniques in the flight dynamics and handling qualities area. These techniques were utilized during the initial flight envelope clearance of the X-29A aircraft and were largely responsible for the completion of the flight controls clearance program without any incidents or significant delays. The resulting open-loop and closed-loop frequency responses and the time history comparison using flight and linear simulation data are discussed.

A suite of phantom-based test methods for assessing image quality of photoacoustic tomography systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, William C.; Jia, Congxian; Wear, Keith A.; Garra, Brian S.; Pfefer, T. Joshua

2017-03-01

As Photoacoustic Tomography (PAT) matures and undergoes clinical translation, objective performance test methods are needed to facilitate device development, regulatory clearance and clinical quality assurance. For mature medical imaging modalities such as CT, MRI, and ultrasound, tissue-mimicking phantoms are frequently incorporated into consensus standards for performance testing. A well-validated set of phantom-based test methods is needed for evaluating performance characteristics of PAT systems. To this end, we have constructed phantoms using a custom tissue-mimicking material based on PVC plastisol with tunable, biologically-relevant optical and acoustic properties. Each phantom is designed to enable quantitative assessment of one or more image quality characteristics including 3D spatial resolution, spatial measurement accuracy, ultrasound/PAT co-registration, uniformity, penetration depth, geometric distortion, sensitivity, and linearity. Phantoms contained targets including high-intensity point source targets and dye-filled tubes. This suite of phantoms was used to measure the dependence of performance of a custom PAT system (equipped with four interchangeable linear array transducers of varying design) on design parameters (e.g., center frequency, bandwidth, element geometry). Phantoms also allowed comparison of image artifacts, including surface-generated clutter and bandlimited sensing artifacts. Results showed that transducer design parameters create strong variations in performance including a trade-off between resolution and penetration depth, which could be quantified with our method. This study demonstrates the utility of phantom-based image quality testing in device performance assessment, which may guide development of consensus standards for PAT systems.

49 CFR 234.273 - Results of inspections and tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Results of inspections and tests. 234.273 Section....273 Results of inspections and tests. (a) Results of inspections and tests made in compliance with.../DOT inventory number, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs, replacements...

49 CFR 234.273 - Results of inspections and tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Results of inspections and tests. 234.273 Section....273 Results of inspections and tests. (a) Results of inspections and tests made in compliance with.../DOT inventory number, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs, replacements...

49 CFR 234.273 - Results of inspections and tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Results of inspections and tests. 234.273 Section....273 Results of inspections and tests. (a) Results of inspections and tests made in compliance with.../DOT inventory number, place and date, equipment tested, results of tests, repairs, replacements...

Patch-test results in children and adolescents: systematic review of a 15-year period*

PubMed Central

Rodrigues, Dulcilea Ferraz; Goulart, Eugênio Marcos Andrade

2016-01-01

The number of studies on patch-test results in children and adolescents has gradually increased in recent years, thus stimulating reviews. This paper is a systematic review of a 15-year period devoted to studying the issue. Variations pertaining to the number and age groups of tested children and/or adolescents, the number of subjects with atopy/atopic dermatitis history, the quantity, type and concentrations of the tested substances, the test technique and type of data regarding clinical relevance, must all be considered in evaluating these studies, as they make it harder to formulate conclusions. The most common allergens in children were nickel, thimerosal, cobalt, fragrance, lanolin and neomycin. In adolescents, they were nickel, thimerosal, cobalt, fragrance, potassium dichromate, and Myroxylon pereirae. Knowledge of this matter aids health professionals in planning preventive programs aimed at improving children's quality of life and ensuring that their future prospects are not undermined. PMID:26982781

Improving behaviour in self-testing (IBIS): Study on frequency of use, consequences, information needs and use, and quality of currently available consumer information (protocol).

PubMed

Grispen, Janaica E J; Ickenroth, Martine H P; de Vries, Nanne K; Dinant, Geert-Jan; Ronda, Gaby; van der Weijden, Trudy

2010-08-03

Self-tests are available to consumers for more than 25 conditions, ranging from infectious diseases to cardiovascular risk factors. Self-tests are defined as in-vitro tests on body materials such as blood, urine, faeces, or saliva that are initiated by consumers to diagnose a particular disorder or risk factor without involving a medical professional. In 2006, 16% of a sample of Dutch Internet users had ever used at least one self-test and 17% intended to use a self-test in the future. The objectives of this study are to determine (1) the frequency of self-test use, (2) the consumers' reasons for using or not using a self-test, (3) the information that is used by self-testers in the different self-test stages and the consumers' interpretation of the quality of this information, (4) the consumers' response to self-test results in terms of their confidence in the result, reassurance by the test result, and follow-up behaviour, (5) the information consumers report to need in the decision making process of using or not using a self-test, and in further management on the basis of the self-test result, and (6) the quality of the currently available consumer information on a selected set of self-tests. Mixed methods study with (1) a cross-sectional study consisting of a two-phase Internet-questionnaire, (2) semi-structured interviews with self-testers and consumers who intend to use a self-test, and (3) the assessment of the quality of consumer information of self-tests. The Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour will serve as the theoretical basis for the questionnaires and the interview topic guides. The self-testing area is still in a state of flux and therefore it is expected that self-test use will increase in the future. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which combines quantitative and qualitative research to identify consumers' information needs and use concerning self-testing, and the consumers' actual follow-up behaviour based

Non-Nuclear Validation Test Results of a Closed Brayton Cycle Test-Loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Steven A.

2007-01-01

Both NASA and DOE have programs that are investigating advanced power conversion cycles for planetary surface power on the moon or Mars, or for next generation nuclear power plants on earth. Although open Brayton cycles are in use for many applications (combined cycle power plants, aircraft engines), only a few closed Brayton cycles have been tested. Experience with closed Brayton cycles coupled to nuclear reactors is even more limited and current projections of Brayton cycle performance are based on analytic models. This report describes and compares experimental results with model predictions from a series of non-nuclear tests using a small scale closed loop Brayton cycle available at Sandia National Laboratories. A substantial amount of testing has been performed, and the information is being used to help validate models. In this report we summarize the results from three kinds of tests. These tests include: 1) test results that are useful for validating the characteristic flow curves of the turbomachinery for various gases ranging from ideal gases (Ar or Ar/He) to non-ideal gases such as CO2, 2) test results that represent shut down transients and decay heat removal capability of Brayton loops after reactor shut down, and 3) tests that map a range of operating power versus shaft speed curve and turbine inlet temperature that are useful for predicting stable operating conditions during both normal and off-normal operating behavior. These tests reveal significant interactions between the reactor and balance of plant. Specifically these results predict limited speed up behavior of the turbomachinery caused by loss of load, the conditions for stable operation, and for direct cooled reactors, the tests reveal that the coast down behavior during loss of power events can extend for hours provided the ultimate heat sink remains available.

Results of shuttle EMU thermal vacuum tests incorporating an infrared imaging camera data acquisition system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, James E.; Tepper, Edward H.; Trevino, Louis A.

1991-01-01

Manned tests in Chamber B at NASA JSC were conducted in May and June of 1990 to better quantify the Space Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit's (EMU) thermal performance in the cold environmental extremes of space. Use of an infrared imaging camera with real-time video monitoring of the output significantly added to the scope, quality and interpretation of the test conduct and data acquisition. Results of this test program have been effective in the thermal certification of a new insulation configuration and the '5000 Series' glove. In addition, the acceptable thermal performance of flight garments with visually deteriorated insulation was successfully demonstrated, thereby saving significant inspection and garment replacement cost. This test program also established a new method for collecting data vital to improving crew thermal comfort in a cold environment.

Low Emissions RQL Flametube Combustor Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Clarence T.; Holdeman, James D.

2001-01-01

The overall objective of this test program was to demonstrate and evaluate the capability of the Rich-burn/Quick-mix/Lean-burn (RQL) combustor concept for HSR applications. This test program was in support of the Pratt & Whitney and GE Aircraft Engines HSR low-NOx Combustor Program. Collaborative programs with Parker Hannifin Corporation and Textron Fuel Systems resulted in the development and testing of the high-flow low-NOx rich-burn zone fuel-to-air ratio research fuel nozzles used in this test program. Based on the results obtained in this test program, several conclusions can be made: (1) The RQL tests gave low NOx and CO emissions results at conditions corresponding to HSR cruise. (2) The Textron fuel nozzle design with optimal multiple partitioning of fuel and air circuits shows potential of providing an acceptable uniform local fuel-rich region in the rich burner. (3) For the parameters studied in this test series, the tests have shown T3 is the dominant factor in the NOx formation for RQL combustors. As T3 increases from 600 to 1100 F, EI(NOx) increases approximately three fold. (4) Factors which appear to have secondary influence on NOx formation are P4, T4, infinity(sub rb), V(sub ref,ov). (5) Low smoke numbers were measured for infinity(sub rb) of 2.0 at P4 of 120 psia.

Price-dependent quality: examining the effects of price on multimedia quality requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hands, David S.; Partridge, Caroline; Cheng, Kennedy; Jacobs, Richard J.

2007-02-01

Traditionally, subjective quality assessments are made in isolation of mediating factors (e.g. interest in content, price). This approach is useful for determining the pure perceptual quality of content. Recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding users' quality of experience. To move from perceptual quality assessment to quality of experience assessment, factors beyond reproduction quality must be considered. From a commercial perspective, content and price are key determinants of success. This paper investigates the relationship between price and quality. Subjects selected content that was of interest to them. Subjects were given a budget of ten pounds at the start of the test. When viewing content, subjects were free to select different levels of quality. The lowest quality was free (and subjects left the test with ten pounds). The highest quality used up the full budget (and subjects left the test with no money). A range of pricing tariffs was used in the test. During the test, subjects were allowed to prioritise quality or price. The results of the test found that subjects prioritised quality over price across all tariff levels. At the higher pricing tariffs, subjects became more price sensitive. Using data from a number of subjective tests, a utility function describing the relationship between price and quality was produced.

Quality Assurance Results for a Commercial Radiosurgery System: A Communication.

PubMed

Ruschin, Mark; Lightstone, Alexander; Beachey, David; Wronski, Matt; Babic, Steven; Yeboah, Collins; Lee, Young; Soliman, Hany; Sahgal, Arjun

2015-10-01

The purpose of this communication is to inform the radiosurgery community of quality assurance (QA) results requiring attention in a commercial FDA-approved linac-based cone stereo-tactic radiosurgery (SRS) system. Standard published QA guidelines as per the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) were followed during the SRS system's commissioning process including end-to-end testing, cone concentricity testing, image transfer verification, and documentation. Several software and hardware deficiencies that were deemed risky were uncovered during the process and QA processes were put in place to mitigate these risks during clinical practice. In particular, the present work focuses on daily cone concentricity testing and commissioning-related findings associated with the software. Cone concentricity/alignment is measured daily using both optical light field inspection, as well as quantitative radiation field tests with the electronic portal imager. In 10 out of 36 clini-cal treatments, adjustments to the cone position had to be made to align the cone with the collimator axis to less than 0.5 mm and on two occasions the pre-adjustment measured offset was 1.0 mm. Software-related errors discovered during commissioning included incorrect transfer of the isocentre in DICOM coordinates, improper handling of non-axial image sets, and complex handling of beam data, especially for multi-target treatments. QA processes were established to mitigate the occurrence of the software errors. With proper QA processes, the reported SRS system complies with tolerances set out in established guidelines. Discussions with the vendor are ongoing to address some of the hardware issues related to cone alignment. © The Author(s) 2014.

TECHNIQUES TO DETERMINE A COMPANY'S ABILITY TO CONDUCT A QUALITY STACK TEST

EPA Science Inventory

Techniques to determine a testing company's ability to conduct a quality stack test for compliance or process engineering purposes are presented. The document has four sections. The first identifies characteristics commonly associated with laboratories that have a history of perf...

Mathematics Placement Test: Typical Results with Unexpected Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingalls, Victoria

2011-01-01

Based on the results of a prior case-study analysis of mathematics placement at one university, the mathematics department developed and piloted a mathematics placement test. This article describes the implementation process for a mathematics placement test and further analyzes the test results for the pilot group. As an unexpected result, the…

Household Microbial Water Quality Testing in a Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey: Evaluation of the Compartment Bag Test for Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Wang, Alice; McMahan, Lanakila; Rutstein, Shea; Stauber, Christine; Reyes, Jorge; Sobsey, Mark D

2017-04-01

AbstractThe Joint Monitoring Program relies on household surveys to classify access to improved water sources instead of measuring microbiological quality. The aim of this research was to pilot a novel test for Escherichia coli quantification of household drinking water in the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Peru. In the Compartment Bag Test (CBT), a 100-mL water sample is supplemented with chromogenic medium to support the growth of E. coli , poured into a bag with compartments, and incubated. A color change indicates E. coli growth, and the concentration of E. coli /100 mL is estimated as a most probable number. Triplicate water samples from 704 households were collected; one sample was analyzed in the field using the CBT, another replicate sample using the CBT was analyzed by reference laboratories, and one sample using membrane filtration (MF) was analyzed by reference laboratories. There were no statistically significant differences in E. coli concentrations between the field and laboratory CBT results, or when compared with MF results. These results suggest that the CBT for E. coli is an effective method to quantify fecal bacteria in household drinking water. The CBT can be incorporated into DHS and other national household surveys as a direct measure of drinking water safety based on microbial quality to better document access to safe drinking water.

Household Microbial Water Quality Testing in a Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey: Evaluation of the Compartment Bag Test for Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Wang, Alice; McMahan, Lanakila; Rutstein, Shea; Stauber, Christine; Reyes, Jorge; Sobsey, Mark D.

2017-01-01

The Joint Monitoring Program relies on household surveys to classify access to improved water sources instead of measuring microbiological quality. The aim of this research was to pilot a novel test for Escherichia coli quantification of household drinking water in the 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in Peru. In the Compartment Bag Test (CBT), a 100-mL water sample is supplemented with chromogenic medium to support the growth of E. coli, poured into a bag with compartments, and incubated. A color change indicates E. coli growth, and the concentration of E. coli/100 mL is estimated as a most probable number. Triplicate water samples from 704 households were collected; one sample was analyzed in the field using the CBT, another replicate sample using the CBT was analyzed by reference laboratories, and one sample using membrane filtration (MF) was analyzed by reference laboratories. There were no statistically significant differences in E. coli concentrations between the field and laboratory CBT results, or when compared with MF results. These results suggest that the CBT for E. coli is an effective method to quantify fecal bacteria in household drinking water. The CBT can be incorporated into DHS and other national household surveys as a direct measure of drinking water safety based on microbial quality to better document access to safe drinking water. PMID:28500818

NCV Flow Diagnostic Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cappuccio, Mina

1999-01-01

There were two objectives for this test. First, was to assess the reasons why there is approximately 1.5 drag counts (cts) discrepancy between measured and computed drag improvement of the Non-linear Cruise Validation (NCV) over the Technology Concept Airplane (TCA) wing body (WB) configurations. The Navier-Stokes (N-S) pre-test predictions from Boeing Commercial Airplane Group (BCAG) show 4.5 drag cts of improvement for NCV over TCA at a lift coefficient (CL) of 0. I at Mach 2.4. The pre-test predictions from Boeing Phantom Works - Long Beach, BPW-LB, show 3.75 drag cts of improvement. BCAG used OVERFLOW and BPW-LB used CFL3D. The first test entry to validate the improvement was held at the NASA Langley Research Center (LARC) UPV;T, test number 1687. The experimental results showed that the drag improvement was only 2.6 cts, not accounting for laminar run and trip drag. This is approximately 1.5 cts less than predicted computationally. In addition to the low Reynolds Number (RN) test, there was a high RN test in the Boeing Supersonic Wind Tunnel (BSWT) of NCV and TCA. BSV@T test 647 showed that the drag improvement of NCV over TCA was also 2.6 cts, but this did account for laminar run and trip drag. Every effort needed to be done to assess if the improvement measured in LaRC UPWT and BSWT was correct. The second objective, once the first objective was met, was to assess the performance increment of NCV over TCA accounting for the associated laminar run and trip drag corrections in LaRC UPWT. We know that the configurations tested have laminar flow on portions of the wing and have trip drag due to the mechanisms used to force the flow to go from laminar to turbulent aft of the transition location.

Quality management and accreditation in a mixed research and clinical hair testing analytical laboratory setting-a review.

PubMed

Fulga, Netta

2013-06-01

Quality management and accreditation in the analytical laboratory setting are developing rapidly and becoming the standard worldwide. Quality management refers to all the activities used by organizations to ensure product or service consistency. Accreditation is a formal recognition by an authoritative regulatory body that a laboratory is competent to perform examinations and report results. The Motherisk Drug Testing Laboratory is licensed to operate at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. The laboratory performs toxicology tests of hair and meconium samples for research and clinical purposes. Most of the samples are involved in a chain of custody cases. Establishing a quality management system and achieving accreditation became mandatory by legislation for all Ontario clinical laboratories since 2003. The Ontario Laboratory Accreditation program is based on International Organization for Standardization 15189-Medical laboratories-Particular requirements for quality and competence, an international standard that has been adopted as a national standard in Canada. The implementation of a quality management system involves management commitment, planning and staff education, documentation of the system, validation of processes, and assessment against the requirements. The maintenance of a quality management system requires control and monitoring of the entire laboratory path of workflow. The process of transformation of a research/clinical laboratory into an accredited laboratory, and the benefits of maintaining an effective quality management system, are presented in this article.

USAF Test Pilot School. Flying Qualities Textbook, Volume 2, Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-04-01

Qualities Flight Testing, Performance and Flying Qaulities Branch, Flight Test Engneerd ision, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Mayst Ce1ter, Edwards...For these aircraft, the program manager may re*uire a mil spec written specifically for the aircraft and control system involwd. 5.20.2 _EL k,Tt...OR MANAGED IN CONTEXT OF MISSION, WITH AVAILABLE PILOT ATTENTION. S UNCONTROLLABLE CONTROL WILL BE LOST DURING SOME PORTION OF MISSION. ACCEPTABLE

Advanced Stirling Convertor Dynamic Test Approach and Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meer, David W.; Hill, Dennis; Ursic, Joseph J.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Lockheed Martin Corporation (LM), and NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have been developing the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) for use as a power system for space science missions. As part of the extended operation testing of this power system, the Advanced Stirling Convertors (ASC) at NASA GRC undergo a vibration test sequence intended to simulate the vibration history that an ASC would experience when used in an ASRG for a space mission. This sequence includes testing at workmanship and flight acceptance levels interspersed with periods of extended operation to simulate prefueling and post fueling. The final step in the test sequence utilizes additional testing at flight acceptance levels to simulate launch. To better replicate the acceleration profile seen by an ASC incorporated into an ASRG, the input spectra used in testing the convertors was modified based on dynamic testing of the ASRG Engineering Unit (ASRG EU) at LM. This paper outlines the overall test approach, summarizes the test results from the ASRG EU, describes the incorporation of those results into the test approach, and presents the results of applying the test approach to the ASC-1 #3 and #4 convertors. The test results include data from several accelerometers mounted on the convertors as well as the piston position and output power variables.

Investigation of Waikele well no 2401-01, Oahu, Hawaii; pumping test, well logs and water quality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eyre, P.R.

1983-01-01

Field tests indicate that an abandoned well (No. 2401-01) near the confluence of Waikele and Kipapa Streams, Oahu, Hawaii, can be reactivated to produce potable water at a rate of 400-500 gallons per minute. Previous tests in 1946 and 1954 indicated that the well tapped the brackish transition zone which inderlies the Ghyben-Herzberg lens of the Pearl Harbor aquifer. Results of this study, based on geologic and geophysical logs of the wall, as well as on pumping test and water-quality data, indicate that the slightly brackish water produced by the well results from brackish irrigation return water. It does not appear that pumping from this well will cause seawater upconing or intrusion. (USGS)

Quality Control for Scoring Tests Administered in Continuous Mode: An NCME Instructional Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allalouf, Avi; Gutentag, Tony; Baumer, Michal

2017-01-01

Quality control (QC) in testing is paramount. QC procedures for tests can be divided into two types. The first type, one that has been well researched, is QC for tests administered to large population groups on few administration dates using a small set of test forms (e.g., large-scale assessment). The second type is QC for tests, usually…

Adjusting for cross-cultural differences in computer-adaptive tests of quality of life.

PubMed

Gibbons, C J; Skevington, S M

2018-04-01

Previous studies using the WHOQOL measures have demonstrated that the relationship between individual items and the underlying quality of life (QoL) construct may differ between cultures. If unaccounted for, these differing relationships can lead to measurement bias which, in turn, can undermine the reliability of results. We used item response theory (IRT) to assess differential item functioning (DIF) in WHOQOL data from diverse language versions collected in UK, Zimbabwe, Russia, and India (total N = 1332). Data were fitted to the partial credit 'Rasch' model. We used four item banks previously derived from the WHOQOL-100 measure, which provided excellent measurement for physical, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life domains (40 items overall). Cross-cultural differential item functioning was assessed using analysis of variance for item residuals and post hoc Tukey tests. Simulated computer-adaptive tests (CATs) were conducted to assess the efficiency and precision of the four items banks. Splitting item parameters by DIF results in four linked item banks without DIF or other breaches of IRT model assumptions. Simulated CATs were more precise and efficient than longer paper-based alternatives. Assessing differential item functioning using item response theory can identify measurement invariance between cultures which, if uncontrolled, may undermine accurate comparisons in computer-adaptive testing assessments of QoL. We demonstrate how compensating for DIF using item anchoring allowed data from all four countries to be compared on a common metric, thus facilitating assessments which were both sensitive to cultural nuance and comparable between countries.

40 CFR 204.57-5 - Reporting of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Reporting of test results. 204.57-5... of test results. (a)(1) The manufacturer shall submit a copy of the test report for all testing... compressor. (iii) Compressor serial number. (iv) Test results by serial numbers (3) The first test report for...

40 CFR 204.57-5 - Reporting of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Reporting of test results. 204.57-5... of test results. (a)(1) The manufacturer shall submit a copy of the test report for all testing... compressor. (iii) Compressor serial number. (iv) Test results by serial numbers (3) The first test report for...

40 CFR 204.57-5 - Reporting of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Reporting of test results. 204.57-5... of test results. (a)(1) The manufacturer shall submit a copy of the test report for all testing... compressor. (iii) Compressor serial number. (iv) Test results by serial numbers (3) The first test report for...

40 CFR 204.57-5 - Reporting of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Reporting of test results. 204.57-5... of test results. (a)(1) The manufacturer shall submit a copy of the test report for all testing... compressor. (iii) Compressor serial number. (iv) Test results by serial numbers (3) The first test report for...

40 CFR 204.57-5 - Reporting of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Reporting of test results. 204.57-5... of test results. (a)(1) The manufacturer shall submit a copy of the test report for all testing... compressor. (iii) Compressor serial number. (iv) Test results by serial numbers (3) The first test report for...

Drug and alcohol testing results : 1997 annual report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-12-01

The Drug and Alcohol Testing Results 1997 Annual Report is a compilation and analysis of mass transit drug and alcohol testing reported by transit systems in the United States during 1997. The report covers testing results for the following drug type...

Flow Quality Studies of the NASA Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel Circuit (1995 Tests)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arrington, E. Allen; Kee-Bowling, Bonnie A.; Gonsalez, Jose C.

2000-01-01

The purpose of conducting the flow-field surveys described in this report was to more fully document the flow quality in several areas of the tunnel circuit in the NASA Glenn Research Center Icing Research Tunnel. The results from these surveys provide insight into areas of the tunnel that were known to exhibit poor flow quality characteristics and provide data that will be useful to the design of flow quality improvements and a new heat exchanger for the facility. An instrumented traversing mechanism was used to survey the flow field at several large cross sections of the tunnel loop over the entire speed range of the facility. Flow-field data were collected at five stations in the tunnel loop, including downstream of the fan drive motor housing, upstream and downstream of the heat exchanger, and upstream and downstream of the spraybars located in the settling chamber upstream of the test section. The data collected during these surveys greatly expanded the data base describing the flow quality in each of these areas. The new data matched closely the flow quality trends recorded from earlier tests. Data collected downstream of the heat exchanger and in the settling chamber showed how the configuration of the folded heat exchanger affected the pressure, velocity, and flow angle distributions in these areas. Smoke flow visualization was also used to qualitatively study the flow field in an area downstream of the drive fan and in the settling chamber/contraction section.

The presence-absence coliform test for monitoring drinking water quality.

PubMed Central

Rice, E W; Geldreich, E E; Read, E J

1989-01-01

The concern for improved monitoring of the sanitary quality of drinking water has prompted interest in alternative methods for the detection of total coliform bacteria. A simplified qualitative presence-absence test has been proposed as an alternate procedure for detecting coliform bacteria in potable water. In this paper data from four comparative studies were analyzed to compare the recovery of total coliform bacteria from drinking water using the presence-absence test, the multiple fermentation tube procedure, and the membrane filter technique. The four studies were of water samples taken from four different geographic areas of the United States: Hawaii, New England (Vermont and New Hampshire), Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Analysis of the results of these studies were compared, based upon the number of positive samples detected by each method. Combined recoveries showed the presence-absence test detected significantly higher numbers of samples with coliforms than either the fermentation tube or membrane filter methods, P less than 0.01. The fermentation tube procedure detected significantly more positive samples than the membrane filter technique, P less than 0.01. Based upon the analysis of the combined data base, it is clear that the presence-absence test is as sensitive as the current coliform methods for the examination of potable water. The presence-absence test offers a viable alternative to water utility companies that elect to use the frequency-of-occurrence approach for compliance monitoring. PMID:2493663

Effectiveness of the Hydrogen Sulfide Test as a Water Quality Indicator for Diarrhea Risk in Rural Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Islam, Mahfuza; Ercumen, Ayse; Naser, Abu Mohd; Unicomb, Leanne; Rahman, Mahbubur; Arnold, Benjamin F.; Colford, Jr., John M.; Luby, Stephen P.

2017-01-01

Abstract. Microbiological water quality is usually assessed by the identification of Escherichia coli (E. coli), a fecal indicator. The hydrogen sulfide (H2S) test is an inexpensive, easy-to-use, and portable alternative field-based water quality test. Our study evaluated the H2S test’s effectiveness as a water quality indicator for diarrhea risk. Field workers collected stored drinking water samples for H2S analysis and detection of E. coli by membrane filtration and measured caregiver-reported diarrhea among children < 5 years in the same households 1 month later. We assessed the association between the H2S test (incubated for 24 hours and 48 hours) and diarrhea prevalence, with 2-day and 7-day symptom recall periods (N = 1,348). We determined the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value (PPV, NPV) of the H2S test compared with E. coli (N = 525). Controlling for potentially confounding covariates, H2S-positive water (at 24 or 48 hours) was not associated with 2-day diarrhea prevalence (24-hour prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63–1.69; 48-hour PR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.58–1.38) or 7-day diarrhea prevalence (24-hour PR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.76–1.78; 48-hour PR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.81–1.80). The sensitivity, PPV, and NPV of the H2S test was significantly higher when the H2S test was incubated for 48 versus 24 hours whereas specificity showed the opposite trend. H2S test sensitivity, PPV, and NPV increased with increasing E. coli levels, consistent with previous evidence that the H2S test is a useful water quality tool in high-contamination settings. However, our results suggest that the H2S test is not an effective indicator for waterborne diarrhea. PMID:29141754

NEXT Single String Integration Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soulas, George C.; Patterson, Michael J.; Pinero, Luis; Herman, Daniel A.; Snyder, Steven John

2010-01-01

As a critical part of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) test validation process, a single string integration test was performed on the NEXT ion propulsion system. The objectives of this test were to verify that an integrated system of major NEXT ion propulsion system elements meets project requirements, to demonstrate that the integrated system is functional across the entire power processor and xenon propellant management system input ranges, and to demonstrate to potential users that the NEXT propulsion system is ready for transition to flight. Propulsion system elements included in this system integration test were an engineering model ion thruster, an engineering model propellant management system, an engineering model power processor unit, and a digital control interface unit simulator that acted as a test console. Project requirements that were verified during this system integration test included individual element requirements ; integrated system requirements, and fault handling. This paper will present the results of these tests, which include: integrated ion propulsion system demonstrations of performance, functionality and fault handling; a thruster re-performance acceptance test to establish baseline performance: a risk-reduction PMS-thruster integration test: and propellant management system calibration checks.

A quality score for coronary artery tree extraction results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Qing; Broersen, Alexander; Kitslaar, Pieter H.; Lelieveldt, Boudewijn P. F.; Dijkstra, Jouke

2018-02-01

Coronary artery trees (CATs) are often extracted to aid the fully automatic analysis of coronary artery disease on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) images. Automatically extracted CATs often miss some arteries or include wrong extractions which require manual corrections before performing successive steps. For analyzing a large number of datasets, a manual quality check of the extraction results is time-consuming. This paper presents a method to automatically calculate quality scores for extracted CATs in terms of clinical significance of the extracted arteries and the completeness of the extracted CAT. Both right dominant (RD) and left dominant (LD) anatomical statistical models are generated and exploited in developing the quality score. To automatically determine which model should be used, a dominance type detection method is also designed. Experiments are performed on the automatically extracted and manually refined CATs from 42 datasets to evaluate the proposed quality score. In 39 (92.9%) cases, the proposed method is able to measure the quality of the manually refined CATs with higher scores than the automatically extracted CATs. In a 100-point scale system, the average scores for automatically and manually refined CATs are 82.0 (+/-15.8) and 88.9 (+/-5.4) respectively. The proposed quality score will assist the automatic processing of the CAT extractions for large cohorts which contain both RD and LD cases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a general quality score for an extracted CAT is presented.

Tests to measure the quality of spermatozoa at spermiation

PubMed Central

Amann, Rupert P.

2010-01-01

This commentary is to critique the revised World Health Organization (WHO) semen analysis manual as it pertains to characteristics of a spermatozoon at spermiation. The aims of the revised WHO manual include improving the 'quality of semen analysis' without any restriction to clinical use. Furthermore, the manual states that semen analysis may be useful for (a) 'investigating male fertility status' and (b) 'monitoring spermatogenesis during and following male fertility regulation.' However, if the analysis of ejaculated spermatozoa is intended for the purposes described in (b), then cells that are abnormal at spermiation must be identified. This paper takes the position that the manual does not identify methods to estimate the quality of spermatozoa at spermiation. Instead, it uses a 'gold standard' of sperm passing through the cervical mucus or arriving near the site of fertilization. Although this standard is appropriate for drawing conclusions regarding the probability that an individual could impregnate his partner, it is not appropriate for studying illness of the testes per se. Herein, the measures of sperm quality presented in the WHO manual are critiqued with respect to the detection of spermatozoa that were abnormal at spermiation vs. those that became abnormal subsequently. Quality assessments based on the percentage of motile or 'viable' spermatozoa are meaningless. Alternative quality attributes defining spermatozoa at spermiation are presented in this paper. In conclusion, assessment of spermatozoal quality at spermiation, on the basis of quality attributes of individual ejaculated spermatozoa, is best achieved through application of (a) a new paradigm for the morphological evaluation of sperm quality and (b) modern analytical techniques to evaluate, in an adequate sample, several appropriate independent attributes in each spermatozoon in order to more accurately identify the proportion of abnormal spermatozoa. PMID:20111084

42 CFR 493.1281 - Standard: Comparison of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Standard: Comparison of test results. 493.1281... Testing Analytic Systems § 493.1281 Standard: Comparison of test results. (a) If a laboratory performs the... between test results using the different methodologies, instruments, or testing sites. (b) The laboratory...

42 CFR 493.1281 - Standard: Comparison of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard: Comparison of test results. 493.1281... Testing Analytic Systems § 493.1281 Standard: Comparison of test results. (a) If a laboratory performs the... between test results using the different methodologies, instruments, or testing sites. (b) The laboratory...

42 CFR 493.1281 - Standard: Comparison of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Standard: Comparison of test results. 493.1281... Testing Analytic Systems § 493.1281 Standard: Comparison of test results. (a) If a laboratory performs the... between test results using the different methodologies, instruments, or testing sites. (b) The laboratory...

42 CFR 493.1281 - Standard: Comparison of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Standard: Comparison of test results. 493.1281... Testing Analytic Systems § 493.1281 Standard: Comparison of test results. (a) If a laboratory performs the... between test results using the different methodologies, instruments, or testing sites. (b) The laboratory...

42 CFR 493.1281 - Standard: Comparison of test results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Standard: Comparison of test results. 493.1281... Testing Analytic Systems § 493.1281 Standard: Comparison of test results. (a) If a laboratory performs the... between test results using the different methodologies, instruments, or testing sites. (b) The laboratory...

Revision and psychometric testing of the City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire.

PubMed

Grant, Marcia; Ferrell, Betty; Dean, Grace; Uman, Gwen; Chu, David; Krouse, Robert

2004-10-01

Ostomies may be performed for bowel or urinary diversion, and occur in both cancer and non-cancer patients. Impact on physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being is not unexpected, but has been minimally described in the literature. The City of Hope Quality of Life (COH-QOL)-Ostomy Questionnaire is an adult patient self-report instrument designed to assess quality of life. This report focuses on the revision and psychometric testing of this questionnaire. The revised COH-QOL-Ostomy Questionnaire involved in-depth patient interviews and expert panel review. The format consisted of a 13-item disease and demographic section, a 34-item forced-choice section, and a 41-item linear analogue scaled section. A mailed survey to California members of the United Ostomy Association resulted in a 62% response rate (n = 1513). Factor analysis was conducted to refine the instrument. Construct validity involved testing a number of hypotheses identifying contrasting groups. Factor analysis confirmed the conceptual framework. Reliability of subscales ranged from 0.77 to 0.90. The questionnaire discriminated between subpopulations with specific concerns. Overall, the analyses provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the COH-QOL-Ostomy Questionnaire as a comprehensive, multidimensional self-report questionnaire for measuring quality of life in patients with intestinal ostomies.

49 CFR 229.313 - Product testing results and records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Product testing results and records. 229.313....313 Product testing results and records. (a) Results of product testing conducted by a railroad as... by this subpart. Results of product testing conducted by a vendor or private equipment owner in...

49 CFR 229.313 - Product testing results and records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Product testing results and records. 229.313....313 Product testing results and records. (a) Results of product testing conducted by a railroad as... by this subpart. Results of product testing conducted by a vendor or private equipment owner in...

49 CFR 229.313 - Product testing results and records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Product testing results and records. 229.313....313 Product testing results and records. (a) Results of product testing conducted by a railroad as... by this subpart. Results of product testing conducted by a vendor or private equipment owner in...

MUC-4 Test Results and Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

PAGE unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 MUC3 MUC4 STEMS 15,285 INFLECTED FORMS 14,56 1 TOTALS est at 10,000...34 . As an indication of system development during MUC4 , we can compare our TST3 results with our results on th e MUC-4 interim test (TST2) . The relevant... MUC4 Interim Test) Summary Scores SLOT POS ACT COR PAR INC ICR IPA SPU MIS NON REC PRE OVG inc-total 529 1189 160 63 24 0 23 942 282 718 36 16 79 perp

Process Improvements in Training Device Acceptance Testing: A Study in Total Quality Management

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-12

Quality Management , a small group of Government and industry specialists examined the existing training device acceptance test process for potential improvements. The agreed-to mission of the Air Force/Industry partnership was to continuously identify and promote implementable approaches to minimize the cost and time required for acceptance testing while ensuring that validated performance supports the user training requirements. Application of a Total Quality process improvement model focused on the customers and their requirements, analyzed how work was accomplished, and

Handling Qualities Flight Testing of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaser, Scott T.; Strovers, Brian K.

2011-01-01

Airborne infrared astronomy has a long successful history, albeit relatively unknown outside of the astronomy community. A major problem with ground based infrared astronomy is the absorption and scatter of infrared energy by water in the atmosphere. Observing the universe from above 40,000 ft puts the observation platform above 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere, thereby addressing this problem at a fraction of the cost of space based systems. The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft is the most ambitious foray into the field of airborne infrared astronomy in history. Using a 747SP (The Boeing Company, Chicago, Illinois) aircraft modified with a 2.5m telescope located in the aft section of the fuselage, the SOFIA endeavors to provide views of the universe never before possible and at a fraction of the cost of space based systems. The modification to the airplane includes moveable doors and aperture that expose the telescope assembly. The telescope assembly is aimed and stabilized using a multitude of on board systems. This modification has the potential to cause aerodynamic anomalies that could induce undesired forces either at the cavity itself or indirectly due to interference with the empennage, both of which could cause handling qualities issues. As a result, an extensive analysis and flight test program was conducted from December 2009 through March 2011. Several methods, including a Lower Order Equivalent Systems analysis and pilot assessment, were used to ascertain the effects of the modification. The SOFIA modification was found to cause no adverse handling qualities effects and the aircraft was cleared for operational use. This paper discusses the history and modification to the aircraft, development of test procedures and analysis, results of testing and analysis, lessons learned for future projects and justification for operational certification.

49 CFR 234.273 - Results of inspections and tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Results of inspections and tests. 234.273 Section... Maintenance, Inspection, and Testing Inspections and Tests § 234.273 Results of inspections and tests. (a) Results of inspections and tests made in compliance with this part shall be recorded on forms provided by...

49 CFR 234.273 - Results of inspections and tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Results of inspections and tests. 234.273 Section... Maintenance, Inspection, and Testing Inspections and Tests § 234.273 Results of inspections and tests. (a) Results of inspections and tests made in compliance with this part shall be recorded on forms provided by...

Phase III Simplified Integrated Test (SIT) results - Space Station ECLSS testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Barry C.; Carrasquillo, Robyn L.; Dubiel, Melissa Y.; Ogle, Kathryn Y.; Perry, Jay L.; Whitley, Ken M.

1990-01-01

During 1989, phase III testing of Space Station Freedom Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) began at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) with the Simplified Integrated Test. This test, conducted at the MSFC Core Module Integration Facility (CMIF), was the first time the four baseline air revitalization subsystems were integrated together. This paper details the results and lessons learned from the phase III SIT. Future plans for testing at the MSFC CMIF are also discussed.

Spirometry in primary care: An analysis of spirometry test quality in a regional primary care asthma program

PubMed Central

Licskai, Christopher J; Sands, Todd W; Paolatto, Lisa; Nicoletti, Ivan; Ferrone, Madonna

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Primary care office spirometry can improve access to testing and concordance between clinical practice and asthma guidelines. Compliance with test quality standards is essential to implementation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of spirometry performed onsite in a regional primary care asthma program (RAP) by health care professionals with limited training. METHODS: Asthma educators were trained to perform spirometry during two 2 h workshops and supervised during up to six patient encounters. Quality was analyzed using American Thoracic Society (ATS) 1994 and ATS/European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2003 (ATS/ERS) standards. These results were compared with two regional reference sites: a primary care group practice (Family Medical Centre [FMC], Windsor, Ontario) and a teaching hospital pulmonary function laboratory (London Health Sciences Centre [LHSC], London, Ontario). RESULTS: A total of 12,815 flow-volume loops (FVL) were evaluated: RAP – 1606 FVL in 472 patient sessions; reference sites – FMC 4013 FVL in 573 sessions; and LHSC – 7196 in 1151 sessions. RAP: There were three acceptable FVL in 392 of 472 (83%) sessions, two reproducible FVL according to ATS criteria in 428 of 469 (91%) sessions, and 395 of 469 (84%) according to ATS/ERS criteria. All quality criteria – minimum of three acceptable and two reproducible FVL according to ATS criteria in 361 of 472 (77%) sessions and according to ATS/ERS criteria in 337 of 472 (71%) sessions. RAP met ATS criteria more often than the FMC (388 of 573 [68%]); however, less often than LHSC (1050 of 1151 [91%]; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Health care providers with limited training and experience operating within a simple quality program achieved ATS/ERS quality spirometry in the majority of sessions in a primary care setting. The quality performance approached pulmonary function laboratory standards. PMID:22891184

[Faecal occult blood test for colorectal cancer screening: high quality for a good price].