Design, analysis, and control of a large transport aircraft utilizing selective engine thrust as a backup system for the primary flight control. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gerren, Donna S.

1995-01-01

A study has been conducted to determine the capability to control a very large transport airplane with engine thrust. This study consisted of the design of an 800-passenger airplane with a range of 5000 nautical miles design and evaluation of a flight control system, and design and piloted simulation evaluation of a thrust-only backup flight control system. Location of the four wing-mounted engines was varied to optimize the propulsive control capability, and the time constant of the engine response was studied. The goal was to provide level 1 flying qualities. The engine location and engine time constant did not have a large effect on the control capability. The airplane design did meet level 1 flying qualities based on frequencies, damping ratios, and time constants in the longitudinal and lateral-directional modes. Project pilots consistently rated the flying qualities as either level 1 or level 2 based on Cooper-Harper ratings. However, because of the limited control forces and moments, the airplane design fell short of meeting the time required to achieve a 30 deg bank and the time required to respond a control input.

Real time monitoring of powder blend bulk density for coupled feed-forward/feed-back control of a continuous direct compaction tablet manufacturing process.

PubMed

Singh, Ravendra; Román-Ospino, Andrés D; Romañach, Rodolfo J; Ierapetritou, Marianthi; Ramachandran, Rohit

2015-11-10

The pharmaceutical industry is strictly regulated, where precise and accurate control of the end product quality is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the drug products. For such control, the process and raw materials variability ideally need to be fed-forward in real time into an automatic control system so that a proactive action can be taken before it can affect the end product quality. Variations in raw material properties (e.g., particle size), feeder hopper level, amount of lubrication, milling and blending action, applied shear in different processing stages can affect the blend density significantly and thereby tablet weight, hardness and dissolution. Therefore, real time monitoring of powder bulk density variability and its incorporation into the automatic control system so that its effect can be mitigated proactively and efficiently is highly desired. However, real time monitoring of powder bulk density is still a challenging task because of different level of complexities. In this work, powder bulk density which has a significant effect on the critical quality attributes (CQA's) has been monitored in real time in a pilot-plant facility, using a NIR sensor. The sensitivity of the powder bulk density on critical process parameters (CPP's) and CQA's has been analyzed and thereby feed-forward controller has been designed. The measured signal can be used for feed-forward control so that the corrective actions on the density variations can be taken before they can influence the product quality. The coupled feed-forward/feed-back control system demonstrates improved control performance and improvements in the final product quality in the presence of process and raw material variations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

42 CFR 476.90 - Lack of cooperation by a health care facility or practitioner.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS UTILIZATION AND QUALITY CONTROL REVIEW Review Responsibilities of Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs... and a reasonable amount of time to respond to a request for information about a claim, and if the...

Monitoring scale scores over time via quality control charts, model-based approaches, and time series techniques.

PubMed

Lee, Yi-Hsuan; von Davier, Alina A

2013-07-01

Maintaining a stable score scale over time is critical for all standardized educational assessments. Traditional quality control tools and approaches for assessing scale drift either require special equating designs, or may be too time-consuming to be considered on a regular basis with an operational test that has a short time window between an administration and its score reporting. Thus, the traditional methods are not sufficient to catch unusual testing outcomes in a timely manner. This paper presents a new approach for score monitoring and assessment of scale drift. It involves quality control charts, model-based approaches, and time series techniques to accommodate the following needs of monitoring scale scores: continuous monitoring, adjustment of customary variations, identification of abrupt shifts, and assessment of autocorrelation. Performance of the methodologies is evaluated using manipulated data based on real responses from 71 administrations of a large-scale high-stakes language assessment.

Flying-qualities criteria for wings-level-turn maneuvering during an air-to-ground weapon delivery task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sammonds, R. I.; Bunnell, J. W.

1981-01-01

A moving base simulator experiment demonstrated that a wings-level-turn control mode improved flying qualities for air to ground weapon delivery compared with those of a conventionally controlled aircraft. Evaluations of criteria for dynamic response for this system have shown that pilot ratings correlate well on the basis of equivalent time constant of the initial response. Ranges of this time constant, as well as digital system transport delays and lateral acceleration control authorities that encompassed level 1 through 3 handling qualities, were determined.

Effect of time delay on flying qualities: An update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, R. E.; Sarrafian, S. K.

1986-01-01

Flying qualities problems of modern, full-authority electronic flight control systems are most often related to the introduction of additional time delay in aircraft response to a pilot input. These delays can have a significant effect on the flying qualities of the aircraft. Time delay effects are reexamined in light of recent flight test experience with aircraft incorporating new technology. Data from the X-29A forward-swept-wing demonstrator, a related preliminary in-flight experiment, and other flight observations are presented. These data suggest that the present MIL-F-8785C allowable-control system time delay specifications are inadequate or, at least, incomplete. Allowable time delay appears to be a function of the shape of the aircraft response following the initial delay. The cockpit feel system is discussed as a dynamic element in the flight control system. Data presented indicate that the time delay associated with a significant low-frequency feel system does not result in the predicted degradation in aircraft flying qualities. The impact of the feel system is discussed from two viewpoints: as a filter in the control system which can alter the initial response shape and, therefore, the allowable time delay, and as a unique dynamic element whose delay contribution can potentially be discounted by special pilot loop closures.

42 CFR 478.20 - Time limits for requesting reconsideration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Section 478.20 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS RECONSIDERATIONS AND APPEALS Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Reconsiderations and Appeals § 478.20 Time limits for...

Real-time product attribute control to manufacture antibodies with defined N-linked glycan levels.

PubMed

Zupke, Craig; Brady, Lowell J; Slade, Peter G; Clark, Philip; Caspary, R Guy; Livingston, Brittney; Taylor, Lisa; Bigham, Kyle; Morris, Arvia E; Bailey, Robert W

2015-01-01

Pressures for cost-effective new therapies and an increased emphasis on emerging markets require technological advancements and a flexible future manufacturing network for the production of biologic medicines. The safety and efficacy of a product is crucial, and consistent product quality is an essential feature of any therapeutic manufacturing process. The active control of product quality in a typical biologic process is challenging because of measurement lags and nonlinearities present in the system. The current study uses nonlinear model predictive control to maintain a critical product quality attribute at a predetermined value during pilot scale manufacturing operations. This approach to product quality control ensures a more consistent product for patients, enables greater manufacturing efficiency, and eliminates the need for extensive process characterization by providing direct measures of critical product quality attributes for real time release of drug product. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Effects on employees of controlling working hours and working schedules.

PubMed

Kubo, T; Takahashi, M; Togo, F; Liu, X; Shimazu, A; Tanaka, K; Takaya, M

2013-03-01

High levels of control over working time and low variability in working hours have been associated with improved health-related outcomes. The potential mechanisms for this association remain unclear. To examine how work-time control and variability of working times are associated with fatigue recovery, sleep quality, work-life balance, and 'near misses' at work. Manufacturing sector employees completed a questionnaire that assessed work-time control, work-time variability, fatigue recovery, sleep quality, work-life balance and the frequency of near misses in the past 6 months. Mixed model analysis of covariance and multiple logistic regression analysis tested the main effects of work-time control and variability and their interaction, while adjusting for age, sex, work schedules, and overtime work in the past month. Subscales of work-time control were also investigated (control over daily working hours and over days off). One thousand three hundred and seventy-two completed questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 69%. A significantly higher quality of sleep and better work-life balance were found in the 'high control with low variability' reference group than in the other groups. Significantly better recovery of fatigue was also observed in the group having control over days off with low variability. While near misses were more frequent in the group with high control over daily working hours coupled with high variability compared with the reference group this was not significant. High work-time control and low variability were associated with favourable outcomes of health and work-life balance. This combined effect was not observed for the safety outcome addressed here.

The utilization of six sigma and statistical process control techniques in surgical quality improvement.

PubMed

Sedlack, Jeffrey D

2010-01-01

Surgeons have been slow to incorporate industrial reliability techniques. Process control methods were applied to surgeon waiting time between cases, and to length of stay (LOS) after colon surgery. Waiting times between surgeries were evaluated by auditing the operating room records of a single hospital over a 1-month period. The medical records of 628 patients undergoing colon surgery over a 5-year period were reviewed. The average surgeon wait time between cases was 53 min, and the busiest surgeon spent 291/2 hr in 1 month waiting between surgeries. Process control charting demonstrated poor overall control of the room turnover process. Average LOS after colon resection also demonstrated very poor control. Mean LOS was 10 days. Weibull's conditional analysis revealed a conditional LOS of 9.83 days. Serious process management problems were identified in both analyses. These process issues are both expensive and adversely affect the quality of service offered by the institution. Process control mechanisms were suggested or implemented to improve these surgical processes. Industrial reliability and quality management tools can easily and effectively identify process control problems that occur on surgical services. © 2010 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Modeling Canadian Quality Control Test Program for Steroid Hormone Receptors in Breast Cancer: Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

PubMed

Pérez, Teresa; Makrestsov, Nikita; Garatt, John; Torlakovic, Emina; Gilks, C Blake; Mallett, Susan

The Canadian Immunohistochemistry Quality Control program monitors clinical laboratory performance for estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor tests used in breast cancer treatment management in Canada. Current methods assess sensitivity and specificity at each time point, compared with a reference standard. We investigate alternative performance analysis methods to enhance the quality assessment. We used 3 methods of analysis: meta-analysis of sensitivity and specificity of each laboratory across all time points; sensitivity and specificity at each time point for each laboratory; and fitting models for repeated measurements to examine differences between laboratories adjusted by test and time point. Results show 88 laboratories participated in quality control at up to 13 time points using typically 37 to 54 histology samples. In meta-analysis across all time points no laboratories have sensitivity or specificity below 80%. Current methods, presenting sensitivity and specificity separately for each run, result in wide 95% confidence intervals, typically spanning 15% to 30%. Models of a single diagnostic outcome demonstrated that 82% to 100% of laboratories had no difference to reference standard for estrogen receptor and 75% to 100% for progesterone receptor, with the exception of 1 progesterone receptor run. Laboratories with significant differences to reference standard identified with Generalized Estimating Equation modeling also have reduced performance by meta-analysis across all time points. The Canadian Immunohistochemistry Quality Control program has a good design, and with this modeling approach has sufficient precision to measure performance at each time point and allow laboratories with a significantly lower performance to be targeted for advice.

Effects of rhythmical and extra-rhythmical qualities of music on heart rate during stationary bike activities.

PubMed

DI Cagno, Alessandra; Iuliano, Enzo; Fiorilli, Giovanni; Aquino, Giovanna; Giombini, Arrigo; Menotti, Federica; Tsopani, Despina; Calcagno, Giuseppe

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of rhythmical and extra-rhythmical qualities of music on the heart rate (HR) and rates of perceived exertion (RPE), during sub-maximal stationary bike activity. HR of 28 female adult participants was monitored during 3 session of physical activity, performed under 3 different conditions: Hi-BPM (music with 150-170 BPM), RHYTHM (rhythmical qualities only of Hi-BPM condition) and control condition without music (CONTROL). Four parameters were analyzed: the highest HR value (High-HR), High-HR minus starting HR (∆HR), time to reach the 75% of Maximal HR (MHR) (TimeTo75%) and time over 75% MHR (TimeOver75%). HR trend analysis was performed to evaluate differences among the three conditions. OMNI-Cycle Scale was administered to evaluate RPE. MANOVA showed significant differences between the three conditions in TimeTo75%, ∆HR (P<0.01) and TimeOver75% (P<0.05). In RHYTHM and CONTROL conditions after reaching 75% MHR, the HR increase were significantly lower than Hi-BPM (P<0.01). No significant differences were found in OMNI-Cycle Scale scores of Hi-BPM and RHYTHM whereas RPE was significantly higher in CONTROL condition (P<0.05). Hi-BPM and RHYTHM music allowed a faster reaching of the aerobic training zone compared to CONTROL conditions. Nevertheless, after 75% MHR, extra-rhythmical qualities are necessary to maintain or to increase the working HR levels.

MS-based monitoring of proteolytic decay of synthetic reporter peptides for quality control of plasma and serum specimens.

PubMed

Findeisen, Peter; Thumfart, Jörg Oliver; Costina, Victor; Hofheinz, Ralf; Neumaier, Michael

2013-09-01

To determine the preanalytical quality of serum and plasma by monitoring the time-dependent ex vivo decay of a synthetic reporter peptide (RP) with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Serum and plasma specimens were spiked with the RP and proteolytic fragments were monitored with LC/MS at different preanalytical time points ranging from 2 to 24 hours after blood withdrawal. The concentration of fragments changed in a time-dependent manner, and respective peptide profiles were used to classify specimens according to their preanalytical time span. Classification accuracy was high, with values always above 0.89 for areas under receiver operating characteristic curves. This "proteomics degradation clock" can be used to estimate the preanalytical quality of serum and plasma and might have impact on quality control procedures of biobanking repositories.

QC-ART: A tool for real-time quality control assessment of mass spectrometry-based proteomics data.

PubMed

Stanfill, Bryan A; Nakayasu, Ernesto S; Bramer, Lisa M; Thompson, Allison M; Ansong, Charles K; Clauss, Therese; Gritsenko, Marina A; Monroe, Matthew E; Moore, Ronald J; Orton, Daniel J; Piehowski, Paul D; Schepmoes, Athena A; Smith, Richard D; Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo; Metz, Thomas O

2018-04-17

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based proteomics studies of large sample cohorts can easily require from months to years to complete. Acquiring consistent, high-quality data in such large-scale studies is challenging because of normal variations in instrumentation performance over time, as well as artifacts introduced by the samples themselves, such as those due to collection, storage and processing. Existing quality control methods for proteomics data primarily focus on post-hoc analysis to remove low-quality data that would degrade downstream statistics; they are not designed to evaluate the data in near real-time, which would allow for interventions as soon as deviations in data quality are detected.  In addition to flagging analyses that demonstrate outlier behavior, evaluating how the data structure changes over time can aide in understanding typical instrument performance or identify issues such as a degradation in data quality due to the need for instrument cleaning and/or re-calibration.  To address this gap for proteomics, we developed Quality Control Analysis in Real-Time (QC-ART), a tool for evaluating data as they are acquired in order to dynamically flag potential issues with instrument performance or sample quality.  QC-ART has similar accuracy as standard post-hoc analysis methods with the additional benefit of real-time analysis.  We demonstrate the utility and performance of QC-ART in identifying deviations in data quality due to both instrument and sample issues in near real-time for LC-MS-based plasma proteomics analyses of a sample subset of The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young cohort. We also present a case where QC-ART facilitated the identification of oxidative modifications, which are often underappreciated in proteomic experiments. Published under license by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

QUALITY CONTROL OF PHARMACEUTICALS.

PubMed

LEVI, L; WALKER, G C; PUGSLEY, L I

1964-10-10

Quality control is an essential operation of the pharmaceutical industry. Drugs must be marketed as safe and therapeutically active formulations whose performance is consistent and predictable. New and better medicinal agents are being produced at an accelerated rate. At the same time more exacting and sophisticated analytical methods are being developed for their evaluation. Requirements governing the quality control of pharmaceuticals in accordance with the Canadian Food and Drugs Act are cited and discussed.

Interaction of feel system and flight control system dynamics on lateral flying qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, R. E.; Knotts, L. H.

1990-01-01

An experimental investigation of the influence of lateral feel system characteristics on fighter aircraft roll flying qualities was conducted using the variable stability USAF NT-33. Forty-two evaluation flights were flown by three engineering test pilots. The investigation utilized the power approach, visual landing task and up-and-away tasks including formation, gun tracking, and computer-generated compensatory attitude tracking tasks displayed on the Head-Up Display. Experimental variations included the feel system frequency, force-deflection gradient, control system command type (force or position input command), aircraft roll mode time constant, control system prefilter frequency, and control system time delay. The primary data were task performance records and evaluation pilot comments and ratings using the Cooper-Harper scale. The data highlight the unique and powerful effect of the feel system of flying qualities. The data show that the feel system is not 'equivalent' in flying qualities influence to analogous control system elements. A lower limit of allowable feel system frequency appears warranted to ensure good lateral flying qualities. Flying qualities criteria should most properly treat the feel system dynamic influence separately from the control system, since the input and output of this dynamic element is apparent to the pilot and thus, does not produce a 'hidden' effect.

Role of technology in supporting quality control and treatment fidelity in a family caregiver clinical trial.

PubMed

Farran, Carol J; Etkin, Caryn D; McCann, Judith J; Paun, Olimpia; Eisenstein, Amy R; Wilbur, Joellen

2011-11-01

This article describes how a family caregiver lifestyle physical activity clinical trial uses research technology to enhance quality control and treatment fidelity. This trial uses a range of Internet, Blaise(®) Windows-based software and Echo Server technologies to support quality control issues, such as data collection, data entry, and study management advocated by the clinical trials literature, and to ensure treatment fidelity concerning intervention implementation (i.e., design, training, delivery, receipt, and enactment) as proposed by the National Institutes of Health Behavior Change Consortium. All research staff are trained to use these technologies. Strengths of this technological approach to support quality control and treatment fidelity include the comprehensive plan, involvement of all staff, and ability to maintain accurate and timely data. Limitations include the upfront time and costs for developing and testing these technological methods, and having support staff readily available to address technological issues if they occur.

Assessments of the quality of randomized controlled trials published in International Journal of Urology from 1994 to 2011.

PubMed

Cho, Hee Ju; Chung, Jae Hoon; Jo, Jung Ki; Kang, Dong Hyuk; Cho, Jeong Man; Yoo, Tag Keun; Lee, Seung Wook

2013-12-01

Randomized controlled trials are one of the most reliable resources for assessing the effectiveness and safety of medical treatments. Low quality randomized controlled trials carry a large bias that can ultimately impair the reliability of their conclusions. The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of randomized controlled trials published in International Journal of Urology by using multiple quality assessment tools. Randomized controlled trials articles published in International Journal of Urology were found using the PubMed MEDLINE database, and qualitative analysis was carried out with three distinct assessment tools: the Jadad scale, the van Tulder scale and the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. The quality of randomized controlled trials was analyzed by publication year, type of subjects, intervention, presence of funding and whether an institutional review board reviewed the study. A total of 68 randomized controlled trial articles were published among a total of 1399 original articles in International Journal of Urology. Among these randomized controlled trials, 10 (2.70%) were from 1994 to 1999, 23 (4.10%) were from 2000 to 2005 and 35 (4.00%) were from 2006 to 2011 (P = 0.494). On the assessment with the Jadad and van Tulder scale, the numbers and percentage of high quality randomized controlled trials increased over time. The studies that had institutional review board reviews, funding resources or that were carried out in multiple institutions had an increased percentage of high quality articles. The numbers and percentage of high-quality randomized controlled trials published in International Journal of Urology have increased over time. Furthermore, randomized controlled trials with funding resources, institutional review board reviews or carried out in multiple institutions have been found to be of higher quality compared with others not presenting these features. © 2013 The Japanese Urological Association.

75 FR 15391 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Texas; Revision to Control...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-29

... Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Texas; Revision to Control Volatile Organic Compound... to control volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from storage tanks, transport vessels and marine... parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time. For additional information, see...

High-Performance Integrated Control of water quality and quantity in urban water reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galelli, S.; Castelletti, A.; Goedbloed, A.

2015-11-01

This paper contributes a novel High-Performance Integrated Control framework to support the real-time operation of urban water supply storages affected by water quality problems. We use a 3-D, high-fidelity simulation model to predict the main water quality dynamics and inform a real-time controller based on Model Predictive Control. The integration of the simulation model into the control scheme is performed by a model reduction process that identifies a low-order, dynamic emulator running 4 orders of magnitude faster. The model reduction, which relies on a semiautomatic procedural approach integrating time series clustering and variable selection algorithms, generates a compact and physically meaningful emulator that can be coupled with the controller. The framework is used to design the hourly operation of Marina Reservoir, a 3.2 Mm3 storm-water-fed reservoir located in the center of Singapore, operated for drinking water supply and flood control. Because of its recent formation from a former estuary, the reservoir suffers from high salinity levels, whose behavior is modeled with Delft3D-FLOW. Results show that our control framework reduces the minimum salinity levels by nearly 40% and cuts the average annual deficit of drinking water supply by about 2 times the active storage of the reservoir (about 4% of the total annual demand).

Quality control in gastrointestinal surgery.

PubMed

Ramírez-Barba, Ector Jaime; Arenas-Moya, Diego; Vázquez-Guerrero, Arturo

2011-01-01

We analyzed the Mexican legal framework, identifying the vectors that characterize quality and control in gastrointestinal surgery. Quality is contemplated in the health protection rights determined according to the Mexican Constitution, established in the general health law and included as a specific goal in the actual National Development Plan and Health Sector Plan. Quality control implies planning, verification and application of corrective measures. Mexico has implemented several quality strategies such as certification of hospitals and regulatory agreements by the General Salubrity Council, creation of the National Health Quality Committee, generation of Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Certification of Medical Specialties, among others. Quality control in gastrointestinal surgery must begin at the time of medical education and continue during professional activities of surgeons, encouraging multidisciplinary teamwork, knowledge, abilities, attitudes, values and skills that promote homogeneous, safe and quality health services for the Mexican population.

Total quality assurance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louzon, E.

1989-12-01

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

A hard day's night: a longitudinal study on the relationships among job demands and job control, sleep quality and fatigue.

PubMed

de Lange, Annet H; Kompier, Michiel A J; Taris, Toon W; Geurts, Sabine A E; Beckers, Debby G J; Houtman, Irene L D; Bongers, Paulien M

2009-09-01

This prospective four-wave study examined (i) the causal direction of the longitudinal relations among job demands, job control, sleep quality and fatigue; and (ii) the effects of stability and change in demand-control history on the development of sleep quality and fatigue. Based on results of a four-wave complete panel study among 1163 Dutch employees, we found significant effects of job demands and job control on sleep quality and fatigue across a 1-year time lag, supporting the strain hypothesis (Demand-Control model; Karasek and Theorell, Basic Books, New York, 1990). No reversed or reciprocal causal patterns were detected. Furthermore, our results revealed that cumulative exposure to a high-strain work environment (characterized by high job demands and low job control) was associated with elevated levels of sleep-related complaints. Cumulative exposure to a low-strain work environment (i.e. low job demands and high job control) was associated with the highest sleep quality and lowest level of fatigue. Our results revealed further that changes in exposure history were related to changes in reported sleep quality and fatigue across time. As expected, a transition from a non-high-strain towards a high-strain job was associated with a significant increase in sleep-related complaints; conversely, a transition towards a non-high-strain job was not related to an improvement in sleep-related problems.

An efficient transmission power control scheme for temperature variation in wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Lee, Jungwook; Chung, Kwangsue

2011-01-01

Wireless sensor networks collect data from several nodes dispersed at remote sites. Sensor nodes can be installed in harsh environments such as deserts, cities, and indoors, where the link quality changes considerably over time. Particularly, changes in transmission power may be caused by temperature, humidity, and other factors. In order to compensate for link quality changes, existing schemes detect the link quality changes between nodes and control transmission power through a series of feedback processes, but these approaches can cause heavy overhead with the additional control packets needed. In this paper, the change of the link quality according to temperature is examined through empirical experimentation. A new power control scheme combining both temperature-aware link quality compensation and a closed-loop feedback process to adapt to link quality changes is proposed. We prove that the proposed scheme effectively adapts the transmission power to the changing link quality with less control overhead and energy consumption.

HDP for the Neutralized pH Value Control in the Clarifying Process of Sugar Cane Juice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Xiaofeng; Yang, Jiaran

2009-05-01

Neutralizing pH value of sugar cane juice is the important craft in the control process in the clarifying process of sugar cane juice, which is the important factor to influence output and the quality of white sugar. On the one hand, it is an important content to control the neutralized pH value within a required range, which has the vital significance for acquiring high quality purified juice, reducing energy consumption and raising sucrose recovery. On the other hand, it is a complicated physical-chemistry process, which has the characteristics of strong non-linearity, time-varying, large time-delay, and multi-input. Therefore, there has not been a very good solution to control the neutralized pH value. Firstly, in this chapter, a neural network model for the clarifying process of sugar juice is established based on gathering 1200 groups of real-time sample data in a sugar factory. Then, the HDP (Heuristic Dynamic Programming) method is used to optimize and control the neutralized pH value in the clarifying process of sugar juice. Simulation results indicate that this method has good control effect. This will build a good foundation for stabilizing the clarifying process and enhancing the quality of the purified juice and lastly enhancing the quality of white sugar.

Generation of Quality Pulses for Control of Qubit/Quantum Memory Spin States: Experimental and Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

TECHNICAL REPORT 3046 September 2016 GENERATION OF QUALITY PULSES FOR CONTROL OF QUBIT/QUANTUM MEMORY SPIN STATES: EXPERIMENTAL AND SIMULATION...nuclear spin states of qubits/quantum memory applicable to semiconductor, superconductor, ionic, and superconductor-ionic hybrid technologies. As the...pulse quality and need for development of single pulses with very high quality will impact directly the coherence time of the qubit/ memory , we present

Quality Control of Pharmaceuticals

PubMed Central

Levi, Leo; Walker, George C.; Pugsley, L. I.

1964-01-01

Quality control is an essential operation of the pharmaceutical industry. Drugs must be marketed as safe and therapeutically active formulations whose performance is consistent and predictable. New and better medicinal agents are being produced at an accelerated rate. At the same time more exacting and sophisticated analytical methods are being developed for their evaluation. Requirements governing the quality control of pharmaceuticals in accordance with the Canadian Food and Drugs Act are cited and discussed. PMID:14199105

The remote supervisory and controlling experiment system of traditional Chinese medicine production based on Fieldbus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Jinliang; Lu, Pei

2006-11-01

Since the quality of traditional Chinese medicine products are affected by raw material, machining and many other factors, it is difficult for traditional Chinese medicine production process especially the extracting process to ensure the steady and homogeneous quality. At the same time, there exist some quality control blind spots due to lacking on-line quality detection means. But if infrared spectrum analysis technology was used in traditional Chinese medicine production process on the basis of off-line analysis to real-time detect the quality of semi-manufactured goods and to be assisted by advanced automatic control technique, the steady and homogeneous quality can be obtained. It can be seen that the on-line detection of extracting process plays an important role in the development of Chinese patent medicines industry. In this paper, the design and implement of a traditional Chinese medicine extracting process monitoring experiment system which is based on PROFIBUS-DP field bus, OPC, and Internet technology is introduced. The system integrates intelligence node which gathering data, superior sub-system which achieving figure configuration and remote supervisory, during the process of traditional Chinese medicine production, monitors the temperature parameter, pressure parameter, quality parameter etc. And it can be controlled by the remote nodes in the VPN (Visual Private Network). Experiment and application do have proved that the system can reach the anticipation effect fully, and with the merits of operational stability, real-time, reliable, convenient and simple manipulation and so on.

In-situ and real-time growth observation of high-quality protein crystals under quasi-microgravity on earth.

PubMed

Nakamura, Akira; Ohtsuka, Jun; Kashiwagi, Tatsuki; Numoto, Nobutaka; Hirota, Noriyuki; Ode, Takahiro; Okada, Hidehiko; Nagata, Koji; Kiyohara, Motosuke; Suzuki, Ei-Ichiro; Kita, Akiko; Wada, Hitoshi; Tanokura, Masaru

2016-02-26

Precise protein structure determination provides significant information on life science research, although high-quality crystals are not easily obtained. We developed a system for producing high-quality protein crystals with high throughput. Using this system, gravity-controlled crystallization are made possible by a magnetic microgravity environment. In addition, in-situ and real-time observation and time-lapse imaging of crystal growth are feasible for over 200 solution samples independently. In this paper, we also report results of crystallization experiments for two protein samples. Crystals grown in the system exhibited magnetic orientation and showed higher and more homogeneous quality compared with the control crystals. The structural analysis reveals that making use of the magnetic microgravity during the crystallization process helps us to build a well-refined protein structure model, which has no significant structural differences with a control structure. Therefore, the system contributes to improvement in efficiency of structural analysis for "difficult" proteins, such as membrane proteins and supermolecular complexes.

Real-time feedback control of twin-screw wet granulation based on image analysis.

PubMed

Madarász, Lajos; Nagy, Zsombor Kristóf; Hoffer, István; Szabó, Barnabás; Csontos, István; Pataki, Hajnalka; Démuth, Balázs; Szabó, Bence; Csorba, Kristóf; Marosi, György

2018-06-04

The present paper reports the first dynamic image analysis-based feedback control of continuous twin-screw wet granulation process. Granulation of the blend of lactose and starch was selected as a model process. The size and size distribution of the obtained particles were successfully monitored by a process camera coupled with an image analysis software developed by the authors. The validation of the developed system showed that the particle size analysis tool can determine the size of the granules with an error of less than 5 µm. The next step was to implement real-time feedback control of the process by controlling the liquid feeding rate of the pump through a PC, based on the real-time determined particle size results. After the establishment of the feedback control, the system could correct different real-life disturbances, creating a Process Analytically Controlled Technology (PACT), which guarantees the real-time monitoring and controlling of the quality of the granules. In the event of changes or bad tendencies in the particle size, the system can automatically compensate the effect of disturbances, ensuring proper product quality. This kind of quality assurance approach is especially important in the case of continuous pharmaceutical technologies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of ubiquitin-proteasome in protein quality control and signaling: implication in the pathogenesis of eye diseases

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The ubiquitin–proteasome pathway (UPP) plays important roles in many cellular functions, such as protein quality control, cell cycle control, and signal transduction. The selective degradation of aberrant proteins by the UPP is essential for the timely removal of potential cytotoxic damaged or other...

[Development of whole process quality control and management system of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces based on traditional Chinese medicine quality tree].

PubMed

Yu, Wen-Kang; Dong, Ling; Pei, Wen-Xuan; Sun, Zhi-Rong; Dai, Jun-Dong; Wang, Yun

2017-12-01

The whole process quality control and management of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction pieces is a system engineering, involving the base environment, seeds and seedlings, harvesting, processing and other multiple steps, so the accurate identification of factors in TCM production process that may induce the quality risk, as well as reasonable quality control measures are very important. At present, the concept of quality risk is mainly concentrated in the aspects of management and regulations, etc. There is no comprehensive analysis on possible risks in the quality control process of TCM decoction pieces, or analysis summary of effective quality control schemes. A whole process quality control and management system for TCM decoction pieces based on TCM quality tree was proposed in this study. This system effectively combined the process analysis method of TCM quality tree with the quality risk management, and can help managers to make real-time decisions while realizing the whole process quality control of TCM. By providing personalized web interface, this system can realize user-oriented information feedback, and was convenient for users to predict, evaluate and control the quality of TCM. In the application process, the whole process quality control and management system of the TCM decoction pieces can identify the related quality factors such as base environment, cultivation and pieces processing, extend and modify the existing scientific workflow according to their own production conditions, and provide different enterprises with their own quality systems, to achieve the personalized service. As a new quality management model, this paper can provide reference for improving the quality of Chinese medicine production and quality standardization. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Perceived consequences, changeability and personal control of coronary heart disease are associated with health-related quality of life.

PubMed

Sigurdardottir, Arun K; Sigurlásdóttir, Kolbrún; Ólafsson, Kjartan; Svavarsdóttir, Margrét Hrönn

2017-11-01

To explore changes in illness perception and health-related quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease following percutaneous coronary intervention from the time when patients were discharged from hospital and five months later and to investigate association between illness perception and physical and mental health-related quality of life at five-month follow-up. Illness perception is known to influence patients' motivation to engage in preventive behaviour. Prospective and comparative with two measurement points: at discharge from hospital (time 1) and five months later (time 2). Two self-administered questionnaires were used as follows: the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised measured illness perception and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) measured physical and mental health-related quality of life. The sample consisted of patients with coronary heart disease admitted to University Hospital between November 2011-April 2012. A total of 69 questionnaires were returned for both measurement times. Most responders were male (71%), mean age was 68·9 (SD 10·3) years. Health-related quality of life increased over time, and illness perception changed; five months after discharge, participants were more aware that the disease was chronic and could worsen suddenly, and they perceived that the disease had less of a consequence on their lives compared to when they were staying in the hospital. Associations between increased personal control, changeability of the disease, perceptions of less of a consequence of the disease on daily life and increased health-related quality of life were demonstrated at time 2. Perceptions of personal control, changeability and consequences of the disease should be assessed and discussed with cardiac patients, as these illness perceptions are related to physical and mental health-related quality of life. Increased understanding of consequences of the disease, personal control and perceived changeability of the illness affects health-related quality of life; these are factors that nurses in clinical practice can influence and thereby improve patients' outcomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Conjunctively optimizing flash flood control and water quality in urban water reservoirs by model predictive control and dynamic emulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galelli, Stefano; Goedbloed, Albert; Schmitter, Petra; Castelletti, Andrea

2014-05-01

Urban water reservoirs are a viable adaptation option to account for increasing drinking water demand of urbanized areas as they allow storage and re-use of water that is normally lost. In addition, the direct availability of freshwater reduces pumping costs and diversifies the portfolios of drinking water supply. Yet, these benefits have an associated twofold cost. Firstly, the presence of large, impervious areas increases the hydraulic efficiency of urban catchments, with short time of concentration, increased runoff rates, losses of infiltration and baseflow, and higher risk of flash floods. Secondly, the high concentration of nutrients and sediments characterizing urban discharges is likely to cause water quality problems. In this study we propose a new control scheme combining Model Predictive Control (MPC), hydro-meteorological forecasts and dynamic model emulation to design real-time operating policies that conjunctively optimize water quantity and quality targets. The main advantage of this scheme stands in its capability of exploiting real-time hydro-meteorological forecasts, which are crucial in such fast-varying systems. In addition, the reduced computational requests of the MPC scheme allows coupling it with dynamic emulators of water quality processes. The approach is demonstrated on Marina Reservoir, a multi-purpose reservoir located in the heart of Singapore and characterized by a large, highly urbanized catchment with a short (i.e. approximately one hour) time of concentration. Results show that the MPC scheme, coupled with a water quality emulator, provides a good compromise between different operating objectives, namely flood risk reduction, drinking water supply and salinity control. Finally, the scheme is used to assess the effect of source control measures (e.g. green roofs) aimed at restoring the natural hydrological regime of Marina Reservoir catchment.

World Ocean Database and the Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Program Database: Synthesis of historical and near real-time ocean profile data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, T.; Sun, L.; Locarnini, R. A.; Mishonov, A. V.; Hall, N.; Ouellet, M.

2016-02-01

The World Ocean Database (WOD) contains systematically quality controlled historical and recent ocean profile data (temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients, carbon cycle variables, biological variables) ranging from Captain Cooks second voyage (1773) to this year's Argo floats. The US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) also hosts the Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP) Continuously Managed Database (CMD) which provides quality controlled near-real time ocean profile data and higher level quality controlled temperature and salinity profiles from 1990 to present. Both databases are used extensively for ocean and climate studies. Synchronization of these two databases will allow easier access and use of comprehensive regional and global ocean profile data sets for ocean and climate studies. Synchronizing consists of two distinct phases: 1) a retrospective comparison of data in WOD and GTSPP to ensure that the most comprehensive and highest quality data set is available to researchers without the need to individually combine and contrast the two datasets and 2) web services to allow the constantly accruing near-real time data in the GTSPP CMD and the continuous addition and quality control of historical data in WOD to be made available to researchers together, seamlessly.

The complications of controlling agency time discretion: FDA review deadlines and postmarket drug safety.

PubMed

Carpenter, Daniel; Chattopadhyay, Jacqueline; Moffitt, Susan; Nall, Clayton

2012-01-01

Public agencies have discretion on the time domain, and politicians deploy numerous policy instruments to constrain it. Yet little is known about how administrative procedures that affect timing also affect the quality of agency decisions. We examine whether administrative deadlines shape decision timing and the observed quality of decisions. Using a unique and rich dataset of FDA drug approvals that allows us to examine decision timing and quality, we find that this administrative tool induces a piling of decisions before deadlines, and that these “just-before-deadline” approvals are linked with higher rates of postmarket safety problems (market withdrawals, severe safety warnings, safety alerts). Examination of data from FDA advisory committees suggests that the deadlines may impede quality by impairing late-stage deliberation and agency risk communication. Our results both support and challenge reigning theories about administrative procedures, suggesting they embody expected control-expertise trade-offs, but may also create unanticipated constituency losses.

Influence of staff infection control training on infection-related quality measures in US nursing homes.

PubMed

Kaur, Jasjit; Stone, Patricia W; Travers, Jasmine L; Cohen, Catherine C; Herzig, Carolyn T A

2017-09-01

Health care-associated infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in US nursing home residents. Ongoing training of nursing home staff is vital to the implementation of infection prevention and control processes. Our aim was to describe associations between methods, frequency, and timing of staff infection prevention and control training and infection-related quality measures. In this national survey of nursing homes, timing of staff infection prevention and control training was associated with reduced indwelling urinary catheter use. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Effects of an inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program on dyspnea, exercise capacity, and health related quality of life for patients with chronic lung disease].

PubMed

Lee, Chang Kwan

2007-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program on dyspnea, exercise capacity, and health related quality of life in inpatients with chronic lung disease. This quasi experimental study was designed with a nonequivalent control group pre-post test time series. Twenty three patients were assigned to the experimental group and nineteen to the control group. The inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program was composed of upper and lower extremity exercise, breathing retraining, inspiratory muscle training, education, relaxation and telephone contacts. This program consisted of 4 sessions with inpatients and 4 weeks at home after discharge. The control group was given a home based pulmonary rehabilitation program at the time of discharge. The outcomes were measured by the Borg score, 6MWD and the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire(CRQ). There was a statistically significant difference in dyspnea between the experimental group and control group, but not among time sequence, or interaction between groups and time sequence. Also significant improvements in exercise capacity and health related quality of life were found only in the experimental group. An Inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program may be a useful intervention to reduce dyspnea, and increase exercise capacity and health related quality of life for chronic lung disease patients.

Interpreting the handling qualities of aircraft with stability and control augmentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hodgkinson, J.; Potsdam, E. H.; Smith, R. E.

1990-01-01

The general process of designing an aircraft for good flying qualities is first discussed. Lessons learned are pointed out, with piloted evaluation emerging as a crucial element. Two sources of rating variability in performing these evaluations are then discussed. First, the finite endpoints of the Cooper-Harper scale do not bias parametric statistical analyses unduly. Second, the wording of the scale does introduce some scatter. Phase lags generated by augmentation systems, as represented by equivalent time delays, often cause poor flying qualities. An analysis is introduced which allows a designer to relate any level of time delay to a probability of loss of aircraft control. This view of time delays should, it is hoped, allow better visibility of the time delays in the design process.

Generation of Quality Pulses for Control of Qubit/Quantum Memory Spin States: Experimental and Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

TECHNICAL REPORT 3046 September 2016 GENERATION OF QUALITY PULSES FOR CONTROL OF QUBIT/QUANTUM MEMORY SPIN STATES: EXPERIMENTAL AND SIMULATION...control circuitry for control of electron/ nuclear spin states of qubits/quantum memory applicable to semiconductor, superconductor, ionic, and...coherence time of the qubit/ memory , we present as an example the integration of cryogenic superconductor components, including filters and

Impact of a pharmacist-led warfarin self-management program on quality of life and anticoagulation control: a randomized trial.

PubMed

Verret, Lucie; Couturier, Justine; Rozon, Andréanne; Saudrais-Janecek, Sarah; St-Onge, Amélie; Nguyen, Angela; Basmadjian, Arsène; Tremblay, Simon; Brouillette, Denis; de Denus, Simon

2012-10-01

To evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-led warfarin patient self-management program on quality of life and anticoagulation control compared with management in a physician-led specialized anticoagulation clinic. Prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label trial. Tertiary care academic medical center. A total of 114 patients aged 18-75 years who were followed at a specialized anticoagulation clinic, had received warfarin for at least 6 months, and were expected to continue warfarin for a minimum of 4 months. All patients attended an educational session on anticoagulation provided by a pharmacist. Patients randomized to the self-management group (58 patients) also received practical training to use the CoaguChek XS device and a self-management dosing algorithm. Patients in the control group (56 patients) continued to undergo standard management at the anticoagulation clinic. Patients completed a validated quality-of-life questionnaire and the validated Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge test at the beginning and end of the study. The quality of anticoagulation control was evaluated by using the time spent in therapeutic range. After 4 months of follow-up, a significant improvement in the self-management group was observed compared with the control group in four of the five quality-of-life topics (p<0.05). Improvements in knowledge were observed in both groups after the training session and persisted after 4 months (p<0.05 for all). The time spent in the therapeutic range (80.0% in the self-management group vs 75% in the control group, p=0.79) and in the extended therapeutic range ([target international normalized ratio ± 0.3] 93.2% in the self-management group vs 91.1% in the control group, p=0.30) were similar between groups. A self-management warfarin program led by pharmacists resulted in significant improvement in the quality of life of patients receiving warfarin therapy as well as a reduction in the time required for anticoagulation monitoring, while maintaining a level of anticoagulation control similar to a high-quality specialized anticoagulation clinic. © 2012 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Criteria for Side-Force Control in Air-to-Ground Target Acquisition and Tracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sammonds, Robert I.; McNeill, Walter E.; Bunnell, John W.

1982-01-01

A moving-base simulator experiment conducted at Ames Research Center demonstrated that a wings-level-turn control mode improved flying qualities for air-to-ground weapons delivery compared with those of a conventional aircraft. Evaluations of criteria for dynamic response for this system have shown that pilot ratings correlate well with equivalent time constant of the initial response and with system bandwidth. Ranges of this time constant, as well as digital-system transport delays and lateral-acceleration control authorities that encompassed level 1 through level 3 handling qualities, were determined.

An online real time ultrasonic NDT system for the quality control of spot welding in the automotive industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athi, N.; Wylie, S. R.; Cullen, J. D.; Al-Jader, M.; Al-Shamma'a, A. I.; Shaw, A.

2009-07-01

Resistance spot welding is the main joining technique used for the fabrication of body-in-white structures in the automotive industry. The quality of the welds depends on the profile of the spot welding electrode cap. The increased use of zinc coated steel in the industry increases wear rate of the caps, making quality control more difficult. This paper presents a novel online real time ultrasonic NDE system for resistance spot welding which evaluates every weld as it is formed. SEM results are presented to show the alloying of the electrode caps.

Flying-qualities criteria for wings-level-turn maneuvering during an air-to-ground weapon delivery task

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sammonds, R. I.; Bunnell, J. W., Jr.

1980-01-01

A moving-base simulator experiment conducted at Ames Research Center demonstrated that a wings-level-turn control mode improved flying qualities for air-to-ground weapons delivery compared with those of a conventional aircraft. Evaluations of criteria for dynamic response for this system have shown that pilot ratings correlate well on the basis of equivalent time constant of the initial response. Ranges of this time constant, as well as digital-system transport delays and lateral-acceleration control authorities that encompassed Level I through Level III handling qualities, were determined.

Implementing self sustained quality control procedures in a clinical laboratory.

PubMed

Khatri, Roshan; K C, Sanjay; Shrestha, Prabodh; Sinha, J N

2013-01-01

Quality control is an essential component in every clinical laboratory which maintains the excellence of laboratory standards, supplementing to proper disease diagnosis, patient care and resulting in overall strengthening of health care system. Numerous quality control schemes are available, with combinations of procedures, most of which are tedious, time consuming and can be "too technical" whereas commercially available quality control materials can be expensive especially for laboratories in developing nations like Nepal. Here, we present a procedure performed at our centre with self prepared control serum and use of simple statistical tools for quality assurance. The pooled serum was prepared as per guidelines for preparation of stabilized liquid quality control serum from human sera. Internal Quality Assessment was performed on this sample, on a daily basis which included measurement of 12 routine biochemical parameters. The results were plotted on Levey-Jennings charts and analysed with quality control rules, for a period of one month. The mean levels of biochemical analytes in self prepared control serum were within normal physiological range. This serum was evaluated every day along with patients' samples. The results obtained were plotted on control charts and analysed using common quality control rules to identify possible systematic and random errors. Immediate mitigation measures were taken and the dispatch of erroneous reports was avoided. In this study we try to highlight on a simple internal quality control procedure which can be performed by laboratories, with minimum technology, expenditure, and expertise and improve reliability and validity of the test reports.

Effects of a sitting boxing program on upper limb function, balance, gait, and quality of life in stroke patients.

PubMed

Park, Junhyuck; Gong, Jihwan; Yim, Jongeun

2017-01-01

Boxing training including traditional stretching, muscular strength training, and duration training would be considered to be effective for improved functional stretching, dynamic balance, walking speed, and quality of life. We aimed to investigate upper limb function, balance, gait, and quality of life in stroke patients before and after a sitting boxing program. Twenty-six participants were randomly allocated to a boxing group (n = 13) and control group (n = 13) after the upper limb function, balance, gait, and quality of Life were recorded. The boxing group underwent a sitting boxing program (3 times/week) as well as conventional physical therapy (3 times/week) for 6 weeks. The control group only underwent conventional physical therapy (3 times/week) for 6 weeks. The Manual Functional Test (MFT), non-affected hand grip, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), velocity moment with eye opened, 10-m Walk Test (10 MWT), and Stroke-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire (SS-QOL) were significantly improved in the boxing group (p < 0.05) and showed significantly greater improvements in the boxing group compared to the control group (p < 0.05) after 6 weeks. The sitting boxing program group had positive effects on upper extremity function, balance, gait, and quality of life in stroke patients.

Pharmaceutical quality by design: product and process development, understanding, and control.

PubMed

Yu, Lawrence X

2008-04-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pharmaceutical Quality by Design (QbD) and describe how it can be used to ensure pharmaceutical quality. The QbD was described and some of its elements identified. Process parameters and quality attributes were identified for each unit operation during manufacture of solid oral dosage forms. The use of QbD was contrasted with the evaluation of product quality by testing alone. The QbD is a systemic approach to pharmaceutical development. It means designing and developing formulations and manufacturing processes to ensure predefined product quality. Some of the QbD elements include: Defining target product quality profile; Designing product and manufacturing processes; Identifying critical quality attributes, process parameters, and sources of variability; Controlling manufacturing processes to produce consistent quality over time. Using QbD, pharmaceutical quality is assured by understanding and controlling formulation and manufacturing variables. Product testing confirms the product quality. Implementation of QbD will enable transformation of the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) review of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) into a science-based pharmaceutical quality assessment.

Can a combination of average of normals and "real time" External Quality Assurance replace Internal Quality Control?

PubMed

Badrick, Tony; Graham, Peter

2018-03-28

Internal Quality Control and External Quality Assurance are separate but related processes that have developed independently in laboratory medicine over many years. They have different sample frequencies, statistical interpretations and immediacy. Both processes have evolved absorbing new understandings of the concept of laboratory error, sample material matrix and assay capability. However, we do not believe at the coalface that either process has led to much improvement in patient outcomes recently. It is the increasing reliability and automation of analytical platforms along with improved stability of reagents that has reduced systematic and random error, which in turn has minimised the risk of running less frequent IQC. We suggest that it is time to rethink the role of both these processes and unite them into a single approach using an Average of Normals model supported by more frequent External Quality Assurance samples. This new paradigm may lead to less confusion for laboratory staff and quicker responses to and identification of out of control situations.

Application Research of Quality Control Technology of Asphalt Pavement based on GPS Intelligent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Min; Gao, Bo; Shang, Fei; Wang, Tao

2017-10-01

Due to the difficulty of steel deck pavement asphalt layer compaction caused by the effect of the flexible supporting system (orthotropic steel deck plate), it is usually hard and difficult to control for the site compactness to reach the design goal. The intelligent compaction technology is based on GPS control technology and real-time acquisition of actual compaction tracks, and then forms a cloud maps of compaction times, which guide the roller operator to do the compaction in accordance with the design requirement to ensure the deck compaction technology and compaction quality. From the actual construction situation of actual bridge and checked data, the intelligent compaction technology is significant in guaranteeing the steel deck asphalt pavement compactness and quality stability.

[Study of continuous quality improvement for clinical laboratory processes via the platform of Hospital Group].

PubMed

Song, Wenqi; Shen, Ying; Peng, Xiaoxia; Tian, Jian; Wang, Hui; Xu, Lili; Nie, Xiaolu; Ni, Xin

2015-05-26

The program of continuous quality improvement in clinical laboratory processes for complete blood count (CBC) was launched via the platform of Beijing Children's Hospital Group in order to improve the quality of pediatric clinical laboratories. Fifteen children's hospitals of Beijing Children's Hospital group were investigated using the method of Chinese adapted continuous quality improvement with PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action). The questionnaire survey and inter-laboratory comparison was conducted to find the existing problems, to analyze reasons, to set forth quality targets and to put them into practice. Then, targeted training was conducted to 15 children's hospitals and the second questionnaire survey, self examinations by the clinical laboratories was performed. At the same time, the Group's online internal quality control platform was established. Overall effects of the program were evaluated so that lay a foundation for the next stage of PDCA. Both quality of control system documents and CBC internal quality control scheme for all of clinical laboratories were improved through this program. In addition, standardization of performance verification was also improved, especially with the comparable verification rate of precision and internal laboratory results up to 100%. In terms of instrument calibration and mandatory diagnostic rates, only three out of the 15 hospitals (20%) failed to pass muster in 2014 from 46.67% (seven out of the 15 hospitals) in 2013. The abnormal data of intraday precision variance coefficients of the five CBC indicator parameters (WBC, RBC, Hb, Plt and Hct) of all the 15 laboratories accounted for 1.2% (2/165) in 2014, a marked decrease from 9.6% (14/145) in 2013. While the number of the hospitals using only one horizontal quality control object for daily quality control has dropped to three from five. The 15 hospitals organized a total of 263 times of training in 2014 from 101 times in 2013, up 160%. The quality improvement program for the clinical laboratories launched via the Hospital Group platform can promote the joint development of the pediatric clinical laboratory discipline of all the member hospitals with remarkable improvement results, and the experience is recommendable for further rollout.

Increasing the quality, comparability and accessibility of phytoplankton species composition time-series data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zingone, Adriana; Harrison, Paul J.; Kraberg, Alexandra; Lehtinen, Sirpa; McQuatters-Gollop, Abigail; O'Brien, Todd; Sun, Jun; Jakobsen, Hans H.

2015-09-01

Phytoplankton diversity and its variation over an extended time scale can provide answers to a wide range of questions relevant to societal needs. These include human health, the safe and sustained use of marine resources and the ecological status of the marine environment, including long-term changes under the impact of multiple stressors. The analysis of phytoplankton data collected at the same place over time, as well as the comparison among different sampling sites, provide key information for assessing environmental change, and evaluating new actions that must be made to reduce human induced pressures on the environment. To achieve these aims, phytoplankton data may be used several decades later by users that have not participated in their production, including automatic data retrieval and analysis. The methods used in phytoplankton species analysis vary widely among research and monitoring groups, while quality control procedures have not been implemented in most cases. Here we highlight some of the main differences in the sampling and analytical procedures applied to phytoplankton analysis and identify critical steps that are required to improve the quality and inter-comparability of data obtained at different sites and/or times. Harmonization of methods may not be a realistic goal, considering the wide range of purposes of phytoplankton time-series data collection. However, we propose that more consistent and detailed metadata and complementary information be recorded and made available along with phytoplankton time-series datasets, including description of the procedures and elements allowing for a quality control of the data. To keep up with the progress in taxonomic research, there is a need for continued training of taxonomists, and for supporting and complementing existing web resources, in order to allow a constant upgrade of knowledge in phytoplankton classification and identification. Efforts towards the improvement of metadata recording, data annotation and quality control procedures will ensure the internal consistency of phytoplankton time series and facilitate their comparability and accessibility, thus strongly increasing the value of the precious information they provide. Ultimately, the sharing of quality controlled data will allow one to recoup the high cost of obtaining the data through the multiple use of the time-series data in various projects over many decades.

On quality control procedures for solar radiation and meteorological measures, from subhourly to montly average time periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinar, B.; Blanc, P.; Wald, L.; Hoyer-Klick, C.; Schroedter-Homscheidt, M.; Wanderer, T.

2012-04-01

Meteorological data measured by ground stations are often a key element in the development and validation of methods exploiting satellite images. These data are considered as a reference against which satellite-derived estimates are compared. Long-term radiation and meteorological measurements are available from a large number of measuring stations. However, close examination of the data often reveals a lack of quality, often for extended periods of time. This lack of quality has been the reason, in many cases, of the rejection of large amount of available data. The quality data must be checked before their use in order to guarantee the inputs for the methods used in modelling, monitoring, forecast, etc. To control their quality, data should be submitted to several conditions or tests. After this checking, data that are not flagged by any of the test is released as a plausible data. In this work, it has been performed a bibliographical research of quality control tests for the common meteorological variables (ambient temperature, relative humidity and wind speed) and for the usual solar radiometrical variables (horizontal global and diffuse components of the solar radiation and the beam normal component). The different tests have been grouped according to the variable and the average time period (sub-hourly, hourly, daily and monthly averages). The quality test may be classified as follows: • Range checks: test that verify values are within a specific range. There are two types of range checks, those based on extrema and those based on rare observations. • Step check: test aimed at detecting unrealistic jumps or stagnation in the time series. • Consistency checks: test that verify the relationship between two or more time series. The gathered quality tests are applicable for all latitudes as they have not been optimized regionally nor seasonably with the aim of being generic. They have been applied to ground measurements in several geographic locations, what result in the detection of some control tests that are no longer adequate, due to different reasons. After the modification of some test, based in our experience, a set of quality control tests is now presented, updated according to technology advances and classified. The presented set of quality tests allows radiation and meteorological data to be tested in order to know their plausibility to be used as inputs in theoretical or empirical methods for scientific research. The research leading to those results has partly receive funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement no. 262892 (ENDORSE project).

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.

Flying qualities and control system characteristics for superaugmented aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, T. T.; Mcruer, D. T.; Johnston, D. E.

1984-01-01

Aircraft-alone dynamics and superaugmented control system fundamental regulatory properties including stability and regulatory responses of the basic closed-loop systems; fundamental high and low frequency margins and governing factors; and sensitivity to aircraft and controller parameters are addressed. Alternative FCS mechanizations, and mechanizational side effects are also discussed. An overview of flying qualities considerations encompasses general pilot operations as a controller in unattended, intermittent and trim, and full-attention regulatory or command control; effective vehicle primary and secondary response properties to pilot inputs and disturbances; pilot control architectural possibilities; and comparison of superaugmented and conventional aircraft path responses for different forms of pilot control. Results of a simple experimental investigation into pilot dynamic behavior in attitude control of superaugmented aircraft configurations with high frequency time laps and time delays are presented.

Analysis And Control System For Automated Welding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, Bradley W.; Burroughs, Ivan A.; Kennedy, Larry Z.; Rodgers, Michael H.; Goode, K. Wayne

1994-01-01

Automated variable-polarity plasma arc (VPPA) welding apparatus operates under electronic supervision by welding analysis and control system. System performs all major monitoring and controlling functions. It acquires, analyzes, and displays weld-quality data in real time and adjusts process parameters accordingly. Also records pertinent data for use in post-weld analysis and documentation of quality. System includes optoelectronic sensors and data processors that provide feedback control of welding process.

Randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of using foot reflexology to improve quality of sleep amongst Taiwanese postpartum women.

PubMed

Li, Chia-Yen; Chen, Su-Chiu; Li, Chung-Yi; Gau, Meei-Ling; Huang, Chiu-Mieh

2011-04-01

to examine the effectiveness of using foot reflexology to improve sleep quality in postpartum women. randomised controlled trial, conducted at two postpartum centres in northern Taiwan. 65 postpartum women reporting poor quality of sleep were recruited from July 2007 to December 2007. participants were assigned randomly to either an intervention or a control group. Participants in both groups received the same care except for reflexology therapy. The intervention group received a single 30-minute foot reflexology session at the same time each evening for five consecutive days. Sessions were administered by a certified nurse reflexologist. MEASURES AND FINDINGS: the outcome measure was the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and this was performed at baseline and post test. Mean PQSI scores for both groups declined over time between baseline and post test. Using a generalised estimation equation to control several confounding variables, the changes in mean PSQI were found to be significantly lower in the intervention group (β=-2.24, standard error=0.38, p<0.001) than in the control group. an intervention involving foot reflexology in the postnatal period significantly improved the quality of sleep. midwives should evaluate maternal sleep quality and design early intervention programmes to improve quality of sleep in order to increase maternal biopsychosocial well-being. Midwives interested in complementary therapies should be encouraged to obtain training in reflexology and to apply it in clinical settings if it is allowed. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teacher’s sleep quality: linked to social job characteristics?

PubMed Central

KOTTWITZ, Maria U.; GERHARDT, Christin; PEREIRA, Diana; ISELI, Lionel; ELFERING, Achim

2017-01-01

Besides dealing with high workload, being a teacher is challenging with respect to the social context. There is increasing evidence that adverse social job characteristics challenge sleep quality. The current study tests whether restraint sleep quality (defined as worse sleep quality before than during vacation) is related to time-related job stressors, job resources, and social job characteristics. Forty-eight elementary school teachers (42% women) participated both during the last week before and the first week after vacation. Before vacation, teachers were asked for demographics and working conditions with reference to the last 30 d, and sleep quality with reference to the last 7 d. After vacation sleep quality during vacation was assessed and used as reference for working time sleep quality. Results showed mean levels of sleep quality increased during vacation. In teachers with restrained working time sleep quality (38%), experiences of failure at work, social exclusion, and emotional dissonance were more frequent than in teachers with unrestrained working time sleep quality (Ps<0.05). Groups did not differ in time-related stressors, time control and social support from supervisors. Emotion work, social exclusion and individual experience of failure seem to challenge sleep quality in teachers. PMID:28804097

Teacher's sleep quality: linked to social job characteristics?

PubMed

Kottwitz, Maria U; Gerhardt, Christin; Pereira, Diana; Iseli, Lionel; Elfering, Achim

2018-02-07

Besides dealing with high workload, being a teacher is challenging with respect to the social context. There is increasing evidence that adverse social job characteristics challenge sleep quality. The current study tests whether restraint sleep quality (defined as worse sleep quality before than during vacation) is related to time-related job stressors, job resources, and social job characteristics. Forty-eight elementary school teachers (42% women) participated both during the last week before and the first week after vacation. Before vacation, teachers were asked for demographics and working conditions with reference to the last 30 d, and sleep quality with reference to the last 7 d. After vacation sleep quality during vacation was assessed and used as reference for working time sleep quality. Results showed mean levels of sleep quality increased during vacation. In teachers with restrained working time sleep quality (38%), experiences of failure at work, social exclusion, and emotional dissonance were more frequent than in teachers with unrestrained working time sleep quality (Ps<0.05). Groups did not differ in time-related stressors, time control and social support from supervisors. Emotion work, social exclusion and individual experience of failure seem to challenge sleep quality in teachers.

Improvements in cognition, quality of life, and physical performance with clinical Pilates in multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Küçük, Fadime; Kara, Bilge; Poyraz, Esra Çoşkuner; İdiman, Egemen

2016-01-01

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the effects of clinical Pilates in multiple sclerosis patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty multiple sclerosis patients were enrolled in this study. The participants were divided into two groups as the clinical Pilates and control groups. Cognition (Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite), balance (Berg Balance Scale), physical performance (timed performance tests, Timed up and go test), tiredness (Modified Fatigue Impact scale), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and quality of life (Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life Questionnaire) were measured before and after treatment in all participants. [Results] There were statistically significant differences in balance, timed performance, tiredness and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite tests between before and after treatment in the clinical Pilates group. We also found significant differences in timed performance tests, the Timed up and go test and the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite between before and after treatment in the control group. According to the difference analyses, there were significant differences in Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite and Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life Questionnaire scores between the two groups in favor of the clinical Pilates group. There were statistically significant clinical differences in favor of the clinical Pilates group in comparison of measurements between the groups. Clinical Pilates improved cognitive functions and quality of life compared with traditional exercise. [Conclusion] In Multiple Sclerosis treatment, clinical Pilates should be used as a holistic approach by physical therapists. PMID:27134355

Improvements in cognition, quality of life, and physical performance with clinical Pilates in multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Küçük, Fadime; Kara, Bilge; Poyraz, Esra Çoşkuner; İdiman, Egemen

2016-03-01

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to determine the effects of clinical Pilates in multiple sclerosis patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty multiple sclerosis patients were enrolled in this study. The participants were divided into two groups as the clinical Pilates and control groups. Cognition (Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite), balance (Berg Balance Scale), physical performance (timed performance tests, Timed up and go test), tiredness (Modified Fatigue Impact scale), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and quality of life (Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life Questionnaire) were measured before and after treatment in all participants. [Results] There were statistically significant differences in balance, timed performance, tiredness and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite tests between before and after treatment in the clinical Pilates group. We also found significant differences in timed performance tests, the Timed up and go test and the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite between before and after treatment in the control group. According to the difference analyses, there were significant differences in Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite and Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life Questionnaire scores between the two groups in favor of the clinical Pilates group. There were statistically significant clinical differences in favor of the clinical Pilates group in comparison of measurements between the groups. Clinical Pilates improved cognitive functions and quality of life compared with traditional exercise. [Conclusion] In Multiple Sclerosis treatment, clinical Pilates should be used as a holistic approach by physical therapists.

Ocean Data Quality Control

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-18

the aero- sol at the coincident time and location of the satellite SST retrievals. This informa- tion is available in the daytime for the anti-solar...are of the same form, such as probabilities or standard normal deviates. A quality control decision-making algorithm in use at the U.S. Navy oceano

Yoga effects on mood and quality of life in Chinese women undergoing heroin detoxification: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Zhuang, Shu-mei; An, Shi-hui; Zhao, Yue

2013-01-01

Yoga, as a mind-body therapy, is effective in improving quality of life for patients with chronic diseases, yet little is known about its effectiveness in female heroin addicts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of yoga on mood status and quality of life among women undergoing detoxification for heroin dependence in China. This study was a randomized controlled trial. Seventy-five women aged 20-37 years undergoing detoxification for heroin dependence at AnKang Hospital were allocated randomly into an intervention or a control group. Women in the intervention group received a 6-month yoga intervention in addition to hospital routine care, and women in the control group received hospital routine care only. Mood status and quality of life were assessed using the Profile of Mood States and Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey at baseline and following 3 and 6 months of treatment. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate treatment and time effects on mood and quality of life. Most female heroin addicts were young and single, with a low education level. Most had used heroin by injection. Mood state and quality of life of female heroin addicts were poor. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in mood status and quality of life over time compared with their counterparts in the control group. Yoga may improve mood status and quality of life for women undergoing detoxification for heroin dependence. Yoga can be used as an auxiliary treatment with traditional hospital routine care for these women.

Pulse-Flow Microencapsulation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, Dennis R.

2006-01-01

The pulse-flow microencapsulation system (PFMS) is an automated system that continuously produces a stream of liquid-filled microcapsules for delivery of therapeutic agents to target tissues. Prior microencapsulation systems have relied on batch processes that involve transfer of batches between different apparatuses for different stages of production followed by sampling for acquisition of quality-control data, including measurements of size. In contrast, the PFMS is a single, microprocessor-controlled system that performs all processing steps, including acquisition of quality-control data. The quality-control data can be used as real-time feedback to ensure the production of large quantities of uniform microcapsules.

Effect of sequential pneumatic compression therapy on venous blood velocity, refilling time, pain and quality of life in women with varicose veins: a randomized control study

PubMed Central

Yamany, Abeer; Hamdy, Bassant

2016-01-01

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sequential pneumatic compression therapy on venous blood flow, refilling time, pain level, and quality of life in women with varicose veins. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-eight females with varicose veins were selected and randomly allocated to a control group, and experimental group. Maximum and mean venous blood velocities, the refilling time, pain by visual analog scale and quality of life by Aberdeen Varicose Veins Questionnaire were measured in all patients before and after six weeks of treatment. Both groups received lower extremity exercises; in addition, patients in the experimental group received sequential pneumatic compression therapy for 30 minutes daily, five days a week for six weeks. [Results] All measured parameters improved significantly in both groups, comparison of post treatment measurements between groups showed that the maximum and mean blood flow velocity, the pain level, and quality of life were significantly higher in the experimental group compared with the control group. On the other hand there was no significant difference between groups for refilling time. [Conclusion] Sequential pneumatic compression therapy with the applied parameters was an effective modality for increasing venous blood flow, reducing pain, and improving quality of women life with varicose veins. PMID:27512247

Long-Term Melatonin Therapy for Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Sleep Onset Insomnia and Late Melatonin Onset: Evaluation of Sleep Quality, Chronotype, and Lifestyle Factors Compared to Age-Related Randomly Selected Population Cohorts.

PubMed

Zwart, Tom C; Smits, Marcel G; Egberts, Toine C G; Rademaker, Carin M A; van Geijlswijk, Ingeborg M

2018-03-02

The extent of continuance of melatonin therapy initiated in pre-pubertal children with chronic sleep onset insomnia (CSOI) was investigated in young adult life. Sleep timing, sleep quality, adverse events, reasons for cessation of therapy, and patient characteristics with regard to therapy regimen, chronotype and lifestyle factors possibly influencing sleeping behavior were assessed. With an online survey using questionnaires (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, and Munich Chronotype Questionnaire), outcomes were measured and compared with age-related controls. These controls were extracted from published epidemiological research programs applying the same questionnaires. At the moment of the survey, melatonin was still continued by 27.3% of the patients, with a mean treatment duration of 10.8 years. The overall average treatment duration was 7.1 years. Sleep quality of both discontinued and persistent melatonin users did not deviate from controls. Sleep timing and chronotype scores indicated evening type preference in all responders. Adverse events were scarce but the perceived timing of pubertal development suggested a tendency towards delayed puberty in former and current users of melatonin. This study may underestimate the number of children that are able to stop using melatonin due to the response rate (47.8%) and appeal for continuing users. Sleep timing parameters were based on self-reported estimates. Control populations were predominantly students and were of varying nationalities. The statistical power of this study is low due to the limited sample size. Melatonin therapy sustained for 7.1 years does not result in substantial deviations of sleep quality as compared to controls and appears to be safe. The evening type preference suggests a causal relation with CSOI. This study shows that ten years after initiation of treatment with melatonin for CSOI, approximately 75% of the patients will have normal sleep quality without medication.

Multi-criteria decision making approaches for quality control of genome-wide association studies.

PubMed

Malovini, Alberto; Rognoni, Carla; Puca, Annibale; Bellazzi, Riccardo

2009-03-01

Experimental errors in the genotyping phases of a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) can lead to false positive findings and to spurious associations. An appropriate quality control phase could minimize the effects of this kind of errors. Several filtering criteria can be used to perform quality control. Currently, no formal methods have been proposed for taking into account at the same time these criteria and the experimenter's preferences. In this paper we propose two strategies for setting appropriate genotyping rate thresholds for GWAS quality control. These two approaches are based on the Multi-Criteria Decision Making theory. We have applied our method on a real dataset composed by 734 individuals affected by Arterial Hypertension (AH) and 486 nonagenarians without history of AH. The proposed strategies appear to deal with GWAS quality control in a sound way, as they lead to rationalize and make explicit the experimenter's choices thus providing more reproducible results.

User's Guide for ERB 7 Matrix. Volume 1: Experiment Description and Quality Control Report for Year 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tighe, R. J.; Shen, M. Y. H.

1984-01-01

The Nimbus 7 ERB MATRIX Tape is a computer program in which radiances and irradiances are converted into fluxes which are used to compute the basic scientific output parameters, emitted flux, albedo, and net radiation. They are spatially averaged and presented as time averages over one-day, six-day, and monthly periods. MATRIX data for the period November 16, 1978 through October 31, 1979 are presented. Described are the Earth Radiation Budget experiment, the Science Quality Control Report, Items checked by the MATRIX Science Quality Control Program, and Science Quality Control Data Analysis Report. Additional material from the detailed scientific quality control of the tapes which may be very useful to a user of the MATRIX tapes is included. Known errors and data problems and some suggestions on how to use the data for further climatologic and atmospheric physics studies are also discussed.

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

Malkoske, Kyle; Nielsen, Michelle; Brown, Erika

The Canadian Partnership for Quality Radiotherapy (CPQR) and the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicist’s (COMP) Quality Assurance and Radiation Safety Advisory Committee (QARSAC) have worked together in the development of a suite of Technical Quality Control (TQC) Guidelines for radiation treatment equipment and technologies, that outline specific performance objectives and criteria that equipment should meet in order to assure an acceptable level of radiation treatment quality. Early community engagement and uptake survey data showed 70% of Canadian centers are part of this process and that the data in the guideline documents reflect, and are influencing the way Canadian radiation treatmentmore » centres run their technical quality control programs. As the TQC development framework matured as a cross-country initiative, guidance documents have been developed in many clinical technologies. Recently, there have been new TQC documents initiated for Gamma Knife and Cyberknife technologies where the entire communities within Canada are involved in the review process. At the same time, QARSAC reviewed the suite as a whole for the first time and it was found that some tests and tolerances overlapped across multiple documents as single tests could pertain to multiple quality control areas. The work to streamline the entire suite has allowed for improved usability of the suite while keeping the integrity of single quality control areas. The suite will be published by the JACMP, in the coming year.« less

Design and implementation of software for automated quality control and data analysis for a complex LC/MS/MS assay for urine opiates and metabolites.

PubMed

Dickerson, Jane A; Schmeling, Michael; Hoofnagle, Andrew N; Hoffman, Noah G

2013-01-16

Mass spectrometry provides a powerful platform for performing quantitative, multiplexed assays in the clinical laboratory, but at the cost of increased complexity of analysis and quality assurance calculations compared to other methodologies. Here we describe the design and implementation of a software application that performs quality control calculations for a complex, multiplexed, mass spectrometric analysis of opioids and opioid metabolites. The development and implementation of this application improved our data analysis and quality assurance processes in several ways. First, use of the software significantly improved the procedural consistency for performing quality control calculations. Second, it reduced the amount of time technologists spent preparing and reviewing the data, saving on average over four hours per run, and in some cases improving turnaround time by a day. Third, it provides a mechanism for coupling procedural and software changes with the results of each analysis. We describe several key details of the implementation including the use of version control software and automated unit tests. These generally useful software engineering principles should be considered for any software development project in the clinical lab. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Study of quality of a branch laboratory--an opinion of a laboratory manager].

PubMed

Yazawa, Naoyuki

2006-11-01

At the stage of establishing a branch laboratory, quality evaluation is extremely difficult. Even the results of a control survey by the headquarters of the branch laboratory are unhelpful. For a clinical laboratory, the most important function is to provide reliable data all the time, and to maintain the reliability of clinical doctors with informed responses. We mostly refer to control surveys and daily quality control data to evaluate a clinical laboratory, but we rarely check its fundamental abilities, such as planning events, preserving statistical data about the standard range, using the right method for quality control and others. This is generally disregarded and it is taken for granted that they will be correct the first time. From my six years of experience working with X's branch laboratory, I realized that there might be some relation between the quality of a branch laboratory and the fundamental abilities of the company itself. I would never argue that all branch laboratories are ineffective, but they should be conscious of fundamental activities. The referring laboratory, not the referral laboratory, should be responsible for ensuring that the referral laboratory's examination results and findings are correct.

The effect of transportation of broilers during summer on the expression of heat shock protein 70, postmortem metabolism and meat quality.

PubMed

Xing, T; Xu, X L; Zhou, G H; Wang, P; Jiang, N N

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different transport times on broilers during summer on stress, meat quality, and early postmortem muscle metabolites. Arbor Acres broiler chickens (n = 105) were randomly categorized into 5 treatments: unstressed control, 0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h, and 4 h transport. Each treatment consisted of 3 replicates with 7 birds each. All birds (except the control group) were transported according to a designed protocol. With the extension of transport time, the activities of plasma creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) gradually increased. The content of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) did not change significantly during 0.5 h transport compared to the control group, but was significantly higher (P < 0.05) at 1 h or more of transport time. Also, transport times of 2 h or more resulted in a death rate of 20%-33% of broilers. We found that the breast meat in the 0.5 h transport group had significantly (P < 0.05) higher L* values, drip loss, cooking loss, AMP/ATP ratio, and phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK). In addition, pH24h was lower compared to the control group, increasing the likelihood of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE)-like meat. However, no significant variations were found in meat color, drip loss, or cooking loss in other transport groups compared to the control group under the condition of this study. Muscle glycogen content decreased with time of transportation. There were significant correlations among p-AMPK and meat quality (P < 0.05). These results indicate that preslaughter transport during summer may cause severe physiological and biochemical changes of broilers. Further investigations studying the deeper relationship between biological indicators and meat quality according to the similar transport conditions would provide a better understanding of the effect of transport duration on meat quality.

Development of Real Time Implementation of 5/5 Rule based Fuzzy Logic Controller Shunt Active Power Filter for Power Quality Improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puhan, Pratap Sekhar; Ray, Pravat Kumar; Panda, Gayadhar

2016-12-01

This paper presents the effectiveness of 5/5 Fuzzy rule implementation in Fuzzy Logic Controller conjunction with indirect control technique to enhance the power quality in single phase system, An indirect current controller in conjunction with Fuzzy Logic Controller is applied to the proposed shunt active power filter to estimate the peak reference current and capacitor voltage. Current Controller based pulse width modulation (CCPWM) is used to generate the switching signals of voltage source inverter. Various simulation results are presented to verify the good behaviour of the Shunt active Power Filter (SAPF) with proposed two levels Hysteresis Current Controller (HCC). For verification of Shunt Active Power Filter in real time, the proposed control algorithm has been implemented in laboratory developed setup in dSPACE platform.

Towards an integrated quality control procedure for eddy-covariance data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitale, Domenico; Papale, Dario

2017-04-01

The eddy-covariance technique is nowadays the most reliable and direct way, allowing to calculate the main fluxes of Sensible and Latent Heat and of Net Ecosystem Exchange, this last being the result of the difference between the CO2 assimilated by photosynthetic activities and those released to the atmosphere through the ecosystem respiration processes. Despite the improvements in accuracy of measurement instruments and software development, the eddy-covariance technique is not suitable under non-ideal conditions respect to the instruments characteristics and the physical assumption behind the technique mainly related to the well-developed and stationary turbulence conditions. Under these conditions the calculated fluxes are not reliable and need to be flagged and discarded. In order to discover these unavoidable "bad" fluxes and build dataset with the highest quality, several tests applied both on high-frequency (10-20 Hz) raw data and on half-hourly times series have been developed in the past years. Nevertheless, there is an increasing need to develop a standardized quality control procedure suitable not only for the analysis of long-term data, but also for the near-real time data processing. In this paper, we review established quality assessment procedures and present an innovative quality control strategy with the purpose of integrating the existing consolidated procedures with robust and advanced statistical tests more suitable for the analysis of time series data. The performance of the proposed quality control strategy is evaluated both on simulated and EC data distributed by the ICOS research infrastructure. It is concluded that the proposed strategy is able to flag and exclude unrealistic fluxes while being reproducible and retaining the largest possible amount of high quality data.

Process-based quality for thermal spray via feedback control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dykhuizen, R. C.; Neiser, R. A.

2006-09-01

Quality control of a thermal spray system manufacturing process is difficult due to the many input variables that need to be controlled. Great care must be taken to ensure that the process remains constant to obtain a consistent quality of the parts. Control is greatly complicated by the fact that measurement of particle velocities and temperatures is a noisy stochastic process. This article illustrates the application of quality control concepts to a wire flame spray process. A central feature of the real-time control system is an automatic feedback control scheme that provides fine adjustments to ensure that uncontrolled variations are accommodated. It is shown how the control vectors can be constructed from simple process maps to independently control particle velocity and temperature. This control scheme is shown to perform well in a real production environment. We also demonstrate that slight variations in the feed wire curvature can greatly influence the process. Finally, the geometry of the spray system and sensor must remain constant for the best reproducibility.

Parenting matters: a longitudinal study into parenting and adolescent sleep.

PubMed

Meijer, Anne Marie; Reitz, Ellen; Dekoviċ, Maja

2016-10-01

The current three-wave longitudinal study examined the differential relations between general parenting behaviour (monitoring, autonomy granting, and the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship) and adolescent sleep (bedtimes, time in bed, sleep quality and sleepiness) over a period of 2 years. At Time 1, the sample consisted of 650 adolescents between 12 and 15 years old (M = 13.36 years; SD = 0.55 years). At Time 2, 563 adolescents participated, and at Time 3 there were 493 adolescents. The distribution of boys and girls was about equal. Adolescents completed questionnaires in the classroom. Linear mixed model analyses were performed, controlling for sex, age, social economic status and ethnicity. Results showed that higher levels of monitoring contributed to earlier bedtimes, longer time in bed, better sleep quality and less sleepiness. The parent-adolescent relationship quality showed positive associations with time in bed, sleep quality and sleepiness, but not with bedtimes. Autonomy granting appeared hardly to be related to any of the sleep variables. In addition, passing of time, sex and ethnicity contributed to adolescent sleep as main effects or in interaction with parental control and support, suggesting that the main effects of monitoring and the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship are not constant across the whole range of the covariates. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that general parenting behaviour may contribute to better adolescent sleep over time. Therefore, the involvement of parents in improvement of adolescent sleep is highly advocated. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

Automated quality control for stitching of textile articles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Jeffrey L. (Inventor); Markus, Alan (Inventor)

1999-01-01

Quality control for stitching of a textile article is performed by measuring thread tension in the stitches as the stitches are being made, determining locations of the stitches, and generating a map including the locations and stitching data derived from the measured thread tensions. The stitching data can be analyzed, off-line or in real time, to identify defective stitches. Defective stitches can then be repaired. Real time analysis of the thread tensions allows problems such as broken needle threads to be corrected immediately.

Quality by control: Towards model predictive control of mammalian cell culture bioprocesses.

PubMed

Sommeregger, Wolfgang; Sissolak, Bernhard; Kandra, Kulwant; von Stosch, Moritz; Mayer, Martin; Striedner, Gerald

2017-07-01

The industrial production of complex biopharmaceuticals using recombinant mammalian cell lines is still mainly built on a quality by testing approach, which is represented by fixed process conditions and extensive testing of the end-product. In 2004 the FDA launched the process analytical technology initiative, aiming to guide the industry towards advanced process monitoring and better understanding of how critical process parameters affect the critical quality attributes. Implementation of process analytical technology into the bio-production process enables moving from the quality by testing to a more flexible quality by design approach. The application of advanced sensor systems in combination with mathematical modelling techniques offers enhanced process understanding, allows on-line prediction of critical quality attributes and subsequently real-time product quality control. In this review opportunities and unsolved issues on the road to a successful quality by design and dynamic control implementation are discussed. A major focus is directed on the preconditions for the application of model predictive control for mammalian cell culture bioprocesses. Design of experiments providing information about the process dynamics upon parameter change, dynamic process models, on-line process state predictions and powerful software environments seem to be a prerequisite for quality by control realization. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The design of control system of livestock feeding processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sihombing, Juna; Napitupulu, Humala L.; Hidayati, Juliza

2018-03-01

PT. XYZ is a company that produces animal feed. One type of animal feed produced is 105 ISA P. In carrying out its production process, PT. XYZ faces the problem of rejected feed amounts during 2014 to June 2015 due to the amount of animal feed that exceeds the standard feed quality of 13% of moisture content and 3% for ash content. Therefore, the researchers analyzed the relationship between factors affecting the quality and extent of damage by using regression and correlation and determine the optimum value of each processing process. Analysis results found that variables affecting product quality are mixing time, steam conditioning temperature and cooling time. The most dominant variable affecting the product moisture content is mixing time with the correlation coefficient of (0.7959) and the most dominant variable affecting the ash content of the product during the processing is mixing time with the correlation coefficient of (0.8541). The design of the proposed product processing control is to run the product processing process with mixing time 235 seconds, steam conditioning temperature 87 0C and cooling time 192 seconds. Product quality 105 ISA P obtained by using this design is with 12.16% moisture content and ash content of 2.59%.

Purgative bowel cleansing combined with simethicone improves capsule endoscopy imaging.

PubMed

Wei, Wei; Ge, Zhi-Zheng; Lu, Hong; Gao, Yun-Jie; Hu, Yun-Biao; Xiao, Shu-Dong

2008-01-01

To evaluate the effects of the various methods of small bowel preparation on the quality of visualization of the small bowel and the gastrointestinal transit time of capsule endoscopy (CE). Ninety patients referred for CE were prospectively randomized to three equal groups according to the preparation used: (a) a control group, in which patients were requested to drink 1 L of clear liquids only, 12 h before the examination; (b) a purgative group, in which patients were requested to ingest 1 L of a polyethylene glycol (PEG)/electrolyte solution only, 12 h before the examination; or (c) a purgative combined with simethicone group (P-S group), in which patients were requested to ingest 1 L of PEG, 12 h before the examination, and 300 mg of simethicone, 20 min before the examination. Effects of the different bowel preparations on the gastric transit time (GTT), small bowel transit time (SBTT), examination completion rate, quality of images of the entire small intestine, and cleansing of the proximal small bowel and distal ileum were evaluated. The number of patients with "adequate" cleansing of the entire small intestine was 17 in the P-S group, 12 in the purgative group, and seven in the control group (P= 0.002). The P-S group had significantly better image quality than the control group (P= 0.001). The P-S group had significantly better image quality for the proximal small bowel (segment A [Seg A]) than the control group (P= 0.0001). Both the P-S group (P= 0.0001) and the purgative group (P= 0.0002) had significantly better image quality for the distal ileum (segment B [Seg B]) than the control group; the P-S group had significantly better image quality than the purgative group as well (P= 0.0121). Gastrointestinal transit time was not different among the three groups, nor was the examination completion rate. Purgative bowel cleansing combined with simethicone before CE improved the quality of imaging of the entire small bowel as well as the visualization of the mucosa in the proximal and distal small intestine.

Controlled trials in children: quantity, methodological quality and descriptive characteristics of pediatric controlled trials published 1948-2006.

PubMed

Thomson, Denise; Hartling, Lisa; Cohen, Eyal; Vandermeer, Ben; Tjosvold, Lisa; Klassen, Terry P

2010-09-30

The objective of this study was to describe randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) in child health published between 1948 and 2006, in terms of quantity, methodological quality, and publication and trial characteristics. We used the Trials Register of the Cochrane Child Health Field for overall trends and a sample from this to explore trial characteristics in more detail. We extracted descriptive data on a random sample of 578 trials. Ninety-six percent of the trials were published in English; the percentage of child-only trials was 90.5%. The most frequent diagnostic categories were infectious diseases (13.2%), behavioural and psychiatric disorders (11.6%), neonatal critical care (11.4%), respiratory disorders (8.9%), non-critical neonatology (7.9%), and anaesthesia (6.5%). There were significantly fewer child-only studies (i.e., more mixed child and adult studies) over time (P = 0.0460). The proportion of RCTs to CCTs increased significantly over time (P<0.0001), as did the proportion of multicentre trials (P = 0.002). Significant increases over time were found in methodological quality (Jadad score) (P<0.0001), the proportion of double-blind studies (P<0.0001), and studies with adequate allocation concealment (P<0.0001). Additionally, we found an improvement in reporting over time: adequate description of withdrawals and losses to follow-up (P<0.0001), sample size calculations (P<0.0001), and intention-to-treat analysis (P<0.0001). However, many trials still do not describe their level of blinding, and allocation concealment was inadequately reported in the majority of studies across the entire time period. The proportion of studies with industry funding decreased slightly over time (P = 0.003), and these studies were more likely to report positive conclusions (P = 0.028). The quantity and quality of pediatric controlled trials has increased over time; however, much work remains to be done, particularly in improving methodological issues around conduct and reporting of trials.

Greenhouse production of Impatiens wallerana using a controlled-release fertiliser produces quality finished plants with enhanced garden performance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nutrient management during production can greatly influence post-production quality of plants. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of controlled release fertilizer (CRF) applied at the time of plug planting on the garden performance (post-production) of impatiens (Impatiens wal...

76 FR 10295 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Texas; Revisions To Control...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-24

... Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Texas; Revisions To Control Volatile Organic Compound... Organic Compounds. The State submitted these revisions on March 4, 2010. These revisions remove the Texas... second comment period. Any parties interested in commenting on this action should do so at this time...

Evaluation of statistical protocols for quality control of ecosystem carbon dioxide fluxes

Treesearch

Jorge F. Perez-Quezada; Nicanor Z. Saliendra; William E. Emmerich; Emilio A. Laca

2007-01-01

The process of quality control of micrometeorological and carbon dioxide (CO2) flux data can be subjective and may lack repeatability, which would undermine the results of many studies. Multivariate statistical methods and time series analysis were used together and independently to detect and replace outliers in CO2 flux...

Quality control in the year 2000.

PubMed

Schade, B

1992-01-01

'Just-in-time' production is a prerequisite for a company to meet the challenges of competition. Manufacturing cycles have been so successfully optimized that release time now has become a significant factor. A vision for a major quality-control (QC) contribution to profitability in this decade seems to be the just-in-time release. Benefits will go beyond cost savings for lower inventory. The earlier detection of problems will reduce rejections and scrap. In addition, problem analysis and problem-solving will be easier. To achieve just-in-time release, advanced automated systems like robots will become the workhorses in QC for high volume pharmaceutical production. The requirements for these systems are extremely high in terms of quality, reliability and ruggedness. Crucial for the success might be advances in use of microelectronics for error checks, system recording, trouble shooting, etc. as well as creative new approaches (for example the use of redundant assay systems).

42 CFR 478.36 - Record of reconsideration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS RECONSIDERATIONS AND APPEALS Utilization and Quality Control...) Completion of litigation and the passage of the time period for filing all appeals. (b) Contents of the...

Data Quality Assurance and Control for AmeriFlux Network at CDIAC, ORNL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shem, W.; Boden, T.; Krassovski, M.; Yang, B.

2014-12-01

The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) serves as the long-term data repository for the AmeriFlux network. Datasets currently available include hourly or half-hourly meteorological and flux observations, biological measurement records, and synthesis data products. Currently there is a lack of standardized nomenclature and specifically designed procedures for data quality assurance/control in processing and handling micrometeorological and ecological data at individual flux sites. CDIAC's has bridged this gap by providing efficient and accurate procedures for data quality control and standardization of the results for easier assimilation by the models used in climate science. In this presentation we highlight the procedures we have put in place to scrutinize continuous flux and meteorological data within Ameriflux network. We itemize some basic data quality issues that we have observed over the past years and include some examples of typical data quality issues. Such issues, e.g., incorrect time-stamping, poor calibration or maintenance of instruments, missing or incomplete metadata and others that are commonly over-looked by PI's, invariably impact the time-series observations.

A precipitation database of station-based daily and monthly measurements for West Africa: Overview, quality control and harmonization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bliefernicht, Jan; Waongo, Moussa; Annor, Thompson; Laux, Patrick; Lorenz, Manuel; Salack, Seyni; Kunstmann, Harald

2017-04-01

West Africa is a data sparse region. High quality and long-term precipitation data are often not readily available for applications in hydrology, agriculture, meteorology and other needs. To close this gap, we use multiple data sources to develop a precipitation database with long-term daily and monthly time series. This database was compiled from 16 archives including global databases e.g. from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN), databases from research projects (e.g. the AMMA database) and databases of the national meteorological services of some West African countries. The collection consists of more than 2000 precipitation gauges with measurements dating from 1850 to 2015. Due to erroneous measurements (e.g. temporal offsets, unit conversion errors), missing values and inconsistent meta-data, the merging of this precipitation dataset is not straightforward and requires a thorough quality control and harmonization. To this end, we developed geostatistical-based algorithms for quality control of individual databases and harmonization to a joint database. The algorithms are based on a pairwise comparison of the correspondence of precipitation time series in dependence to the distance between stations. They were tested for precipitation time series from gages located in a rectangular domain covering Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin and Togo. This harmonized and quality controlled precipitation database was recently used for several applications such as the validation of a high resolution regional climate model and the bias correction of precipitation projections provided the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). In this presentation, we will give an overview of the novel daily and monthly precipitation database and the algorithms used for quality control and harmonization. We will also highlight the quality of global and regional archives (e.g. GHCN, GSOD, AMMA database) in comparison to the precipitation databases provided by the national meteorological services.

Distributed sensor architecture for intelligent control that supports quality of control and quality of service.

PubMed

Poza-Lujan, Jose-Luis; Posadas-Yagüe, Juan-Luis; Simó-Ten, José-Enrique; Simarro, Raúl; Benet, Ginés

2015-02-25

This paper is part of a study of intelligent architectures for distributed control and communications systems. The study focuses on optimizing control systems by evaluating the performance of middleware through quality of service (QoS) parameters and the optimization of control using Quality of Control (QoC) parameters. The main aim of this work is to study, design, develop, and evaluate a distributed control architecture based on the Data-Distribution Service for Real-Time Systems (DDS) communication standard as proposed by the Object Management Group (OMG). As a result of the study, an architecture called Frame-Sensor-Adapter to Control (FSACtrl) has been developed. FSACtrl provides a model to implement an intelligent distributed Event-Based Control (EBC) system with support to measure QoS and QoC parameters. The novelty consists of using, simultaneously, the measured QoS and QoC parameters to make decisions about the control action with a new method called Event Based Quality Integral Cycle. To validate the architecture, the first five Braitenberg vehicles have been implemented using the FSACtrl architecture. The experimental outcomes, demonstrate the convenience of using jointly QoS and QoC parameters in distributed control systems.

Distributed Sensor Architecture for Intelligent Control that Supports Quality of Control and Quality of Service

PubMed Central

Poza-Lujan, Jose-Luis; Posadas-Yagüe, Juan-Luis; Simó-Ten, José-Enrique; Simarro, Raúl; Benet, Ginés

2015-01-01

This paper is part of a study of intelligent architectures for distributed control and communications systems. The study focuses on optimizing control systems by evaluating the performance of middleware through quality of service (QoS) parameters and the optimization of control using Quality of Control (QoC) parameters. The main aim of this work is to study, design, develop, and evaluate a distributed control architecture based on the Data-Distribution Service for Real-Time Systems (DDS) communication standard as proposed by the Object Management Group (OMG). As a result of the study, an architecture called Frame-Sensor-Adapter to Control (FSACtrl) has been developed. FSACtrl provides a model to implement an intelligent distributed Event-Based Control (EBC) system with support to measure QoS and QoC parameters. The novelty consists of using, simultaneously, the measured QoS and QoC parameters to make decisions about the control action with a new method called Event Based Quality Integral Cycle. To validate the architecture, the first five Braitenberg vehicles have been implemented using the FSACtrl architecture. The experimental outcomes, demonstrate the convenience of using jointly QoS and QoC parameters in distributed control systems. PMID:25723145

Adaptive Data Processing Technique for Lidar-Assisted Control to Bridge the Gap between Lidar Systems and Wind Turbines: Preprint

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

Schlipf, David; Raach, Steffen; Haizmann, Florian

2015-12-14

This paper presents first steps toward an adaptive lidar data processing technique crucial for lidar-assisted control in wind turbines. The prediction time and the quality of the wind preview from lidar measurements depend on several factors and are not constant. If the data processing is not continually adjusted, the benefit of lidar-assisted control cannot be fully exploited, or can even result in harmful control action. An online analysis of the lidar and turbine data are necessary to continually reassess the prediction time and lidar data quality. In this work, a structured process to develop an analysis tool for the predictionmore » time and a new hardware setup for lidar-assisted control are presented. The tool consists of an online estimation of the rotor effective wind speed from lidar and turbine data and the implementation of an online cross correlation to determine the time shift between both signals. Further, initial results from an ongoing campaign in which this system was employed for providing lidar preview for feed-forward pitch control are presented.« less

Sleep and chronobiology in cluster headache.

PubMed

Barloese, M; Lund, N; Petersen, A; Rasmussen, M; Jennum, P; Jensen, R

2015-10-01

Cluster headache (CH) is the headache disorder with the strongest chronobiological traits. The severe attacks of pain occur with diurnal and annual rhythmicity but the precise rhythm and involvement of potential zeitgebers is unknown. Patients complain of poor sleep quality yet this has never been studied. We investigated triggers, rhythms, sleep quality and chronotypes in CH. Patients and controls completed questionnaires and structured interviews composed of new and previously validated parts including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Patients were characterized by a CH index, a unified measure of headache burden. A total of 275 CH patients and 145 matched controls were included. The most common trigger was sleep (80%) and a relationship between clusters and daylight was identified. Of the patients, 82.2% reported diurnal and 56% annual rhythmicity. Patients reported impaired sleep quality (PSQI) (p < 0.0001) and an inverse relationship between time passed since last attack and sleep quality was identified (p < 0.0001). The CH index was positively related to the PSQI (p < 0.0001). Diurnally, CH exhibits a relationship with night-time and annually with daylight hours. Patients' sleep quality is reduced compared with controls. Results suggest a complex relationship as sleep quality improves between clusters, but remains pathological. © International Headache Society 2015.

A Controlled Agitation Process for Improving Quality of Canned Green Beans during Agitation Thermal Processing.

PubMed

Singh, Anika; Pratap Singh, Anubhav; Ramaswamy, Hosahalli S

2016-06-01

This work introduces the concept of a controlled agitation thermal process to reduce quality damage in liquid-particulate products during agitation thermal processing. Reciprocating agitation thermal processing (RA-TP) was used as the agitation thermal process. In order to reduce the impact of agitation, a new concept of "stopping agitations after sufficient development of cold-spot temperature" was proposed. Green beans were processed in No. 2 (307×409) cans filled with liquids of various consistency (0% to 2% CMC) at various frequencies (1 to 3 Hz) of RA-TP using a full-factorial design and heat penetration results were collected. Corresponding operator's process time to impart a 10-min process lethality (Fo ) and agitation time (AT) were calculated using heat penetration results. Accordingly, products were processed again by stopping agitations as per 3 agitation regimes, namely; full time agitation, equilibration time agitation, and partial time agitation. Processed products were photographed and tested for visual quality, color, texture, breakage of green beans, turbidity, and percentage of insoluble solids in can liquid. Results showed that stopping agitations after sufficient development of cold-spot temperatures is an effective way of reducing product damages caused by agitation (for example, breakage of beans and its leaching into liquid). Agitations till one-log temperature difference gave best color, texture and visual product quality for low-viscosity liquid-particulate mixture and extended agitations till equilibration time was best for high-viscosity products. Thus, it was shown that a controlled agitation thermal process is more effective in obtaining high product quality as compared to a regular agitation thermal process. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Is take-over time all that matters? The impact of visual-cognitive load on driver take-over quality after conditionally automated driving.

PubMed

Zeeb, Kathrin; Buchner, Axel; Schrauf, Michael

2016-07-01

Currently, development of conditionally automated driving systems which control both lateral and longitudinal vehicle guidance is attracting a great deal of attention. The driver no longer needs to constantly monitor the roadway, but must still be able to resume vehicle control if necessary. The relaxed attention requirement might encourage engagement in non-driving related secondary tasks, and the resulting effect on driver take-over is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine how engagement in three different naturalistic secondary tasks (writing an email, reading a news text, watching a video clip) impacted take-over performance. A driving simulator study was conducted and data from a total of 79 participants (mean age 40 years, 35 females) were used to examine response times and take-over quality. Drivers had to resume vehicle control in four different non-critical scenarios while engaging in secondary tasks. A control group did not perform any secondary tasks. There was no influence of the drivers' engagement in secondary tasks on the time required to return their hands to the steering wheel, and there seemed to be only little if any influence on the time the drivers needed to intervene in vehicle control. Take-over quality, however, deteriorated for distracted drivers, with drivers reading a news text and drivers watching a video deviating on average approximately 8-9cm more from the lane center. These findings seem to indicate that establishing motor readiness may be carried out almost reflexively, but cognitive processing of the situation is impaired by driver distraction. This, in turn, appears to determine take-over quality. The present findings emphasize the importance to consider both response times and take-over quality for a comprehensive understanding of factors that influence driver take-over. Furthermore, a training effect in response times was found to be moderated by the drivers' prior experience with driver assistance systems. This shows that besides driver distraction, driver-related factors influencing take-over performance exist. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Earth Observation Data Quality Monitoring and Control: A Case Study of STAR Central Data Repository

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, W.; Jochum, M.

2017-12-01

Earth observation data quality is very important for researchers and decision makers involved in weather forecasting, severe weather warning, disaster and emergency response, environmental monitoring, etc. Monitoring and control earth observation data quality, especially accuracy, completeness, and timeliness, is very useful in data management and governance to optimize data flow, discover potential transmission issues, and better connect data providers and users. Taking a centralized near real-time satellite data repository, STAR (Center for Satellite Applications and Research of NOAA) Central Data Repository (SCDR), as an example, this paper describes how to develop new mechanism to verify data integrity, check data completeness, and monitor data latency in an operational data management system. Such quality monitoring and control of large volume satellite data help data providers and managers improve data transmission of near real-time satellite data, enhance its acquisition and management, and overcome performance and management issues to better serve research and development activities.

42 CFR 478.32 - Time limits for issuance of the reconsidered determination.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... determination. 478.32 Section 478.32 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS RECONSIDERATIONS AND APPEALS Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Reconsiderations and Appeals § 478.32...

42 CFR 478.42 - Submitting a request for a hearing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS RECONSIDERATIONS AND APPEALS Utilization and Quality Control... who is a railroad retiree. (b) Time limit for submitting a request for a hearing. (1) The request for... determination, unless the time is extended for good cause as provided in § 473.22. (2) The date of receipt of...

Effects of Meteorological Data Quality on Snowpack Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Havens, S.; Marks, D. G.; Robertson, M.; Hedrick, A. R.; Johnson, M.

2017-12-01

Detailed quality control of meteorological inputs is the most time-intensive component of running the distributed, physically-based iSnobal snow model, and the effect of data quality of the inputs on the model is unknown. The iSnobal model has been run operationally since WY2013, and is currently run in several basins in Idaho and California. The largest amount of user input during modeling is for the quality control of precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and wind direction inputs. Precipitation inputs require detailed user input and are crucial to correctly model the snowpack mass. This research applies a range of quality control methods to meteorological input, from raw input with minimal cleaning, to complete user-applied quality control. The meteorological input cleaning generally falls into two categories. The first is global minimum/maximum and missing value correction that could be corrected and/or interpolated with automated processing. The second category is quality control for inputs that are not globally erroneous, yet are still unreasonable and generally indicate malfunctioning measurement equipment, such as temperature or relative humidity that remains constant, or does not correlate with daily trends observed at nearby stations. This research will determine how sensitive model outputs are to different levels of quality control and guide future operational applications.

Fluctuation in Relationship Quality Over Time and Individual Well-being: Main, Mediated, and Moderated Effects

PubMed Central

Whitton, Sarah W.; Rhoades, Galena K.; Whisman, Mark A.

2018-01-01

This study examined how the degree of within-person variation (or temporal fluctuation) in relationship quality over time was associated with well-being (psychological distress and life satisfaction). A national sample of 18 to 34 year old men and women in unmarried, opposite-sex relationships completed six waves of surveys every four months (N = 748). Controlling for initial levels of and linear changes in relationship quality, greater temporal fluctuation in relationship quality over time was associated with increasing psychological distress and decreasing life satisfaction over time. Decreased confidence in one’s relationship partially mediated these associations. Moderation analyses revealed that the association between fluctuations in relationship quality and change in life satisfaction was stronger for women, participants cohabiting with their partners, and those with greater anxious attachment, whereas the association between fluctuations in relationship quality and change in psychological distress was stronger for people with greater avoidant attachment. PMID:24727811

Job-shop scheduling applied to computer vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebastian y Zuniga, Jose M.; Torres-Medina, Fernando; Aracil, Rafael; Reinoso, Oscar; Jimenez, Luis M.; Garcia, David

1997-09-01

This paper presents a method for minimizing the total elapsed time spent by n tasks running on m differents processors working in parallel. The developed algorithm not only minimizes the total elapsed time but also reduces the idle time and waiting time of in-process tasks. This condition is very important in some applications of computer vision in which the time to finish the total process is particularly critical -- quality control in industrial inspection, real- time computer vision, guided robots. The scheduling algorithm is based on the use of two matrices, obtained from the precedence relationships between tasks, and the data obtained from the two matrices. The developed scheduling algorithm has been tested in one application of quality control using computer vision. The results obtained have been satisfactory in the application of different image processing algorithms.

42 CFR 475.106 - Prohibition against contracting with payor organizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organizations § 475.106 Prohibition against contracting... is not a payor organization is unavailable at that time. CMS may determine the unavailability of...

The Early Development and Evolution of the QARTOD for In-Situ Wave Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchard, R. H.; Thomas, J.; Teng, C. C.; Burnett, W.; Castel, D.

2017-12-01

In 2013 the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program Office issued manual was for the Real-Time Quality Control of In-Situ Surface Wave Data. This was one of the first Quality Assurance/Quality Control of Real-Time Oceanographic Data (QARTOD) manuals that now cover 11 different in situ measurements. This landmark document was the product of an effort initiated at a 2002 OCEANS.US workshop. The workshop identified and prioritized ocean variables with directional waves ranked as one of the highest key variables for inclusion into a national backbone of observations. The workshop was the impetus that led to the first QARTOD meeting in 2003 that involved over 80 participants and developed minimum standards for real-time observations. Over three more QARTOD meetings, two ad hoc meetings, and many hours of coordination and review involving dozens of wave measurement users and providers, consensus was reached on a list of essential "must Do's" for quality control tests that eventually formed the basis of the manual. The IOOS QARTOD manual established a standard format, provided greater detail, included codeable examples of the algorithms and established a framework for periodic reviews and updates. While the bulk of the quality control procedures originated with those being used by the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) and by NOAA's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), QARTOD also enlisted the expertise of federal, academic, and industry partners. CDIP and NDBC each operated more than 100 wave measuring buoys and had long histories of wave buoy measurements. In addition to buoy measurements, users and providers of fixed and bottom-mounted wave systems were also included. This paper examines the individual contributions, early developments, and the evolution of the QARTOD wave measurement efforts that culminated in the US IOOS manual. These efforts serve as an example of how individuals with a common interest and dedication can achieve results for the common good. Quality control algorithms of value, but not included in the essential list and further quality control advancements outside of the QARTOD will also be reviewed.

Trade transport and environment linkages at the U.S.-Mexico border: which policies matter?

PubMed

Fernandez, Linda; Das, Monica

2011-03-01

We apply a fixed-effects model to examine the impact of trade and environmental policies on air quality at ports along the U.S.-Mexico border. We control for other factors influencing air quality, such as air quality of cities near the border, volume of traffic flows and congestion. Results show the air quality improved after 2004, when the diesel engine policy was applied. We see mixed results for the trade policy, whose implementation time varies across ports along the international border. Controlling for air quality in cities near the border is essential for assessing the policy contributions to air quality. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An up-to-date quality-controlled surface mass balance data set for the 90°-180°E Antarctica sector and 1950-2005 period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magand, O.; Genthon, C.; Fily, M.; Krinner, G.; Picard, G.; Frezzotti, M.; Ekaykin, A. A.

2007-06-01

On the basis of thousands of surface mass balance (SMB) field measurements over the entire Antarctic ice sheet it is currently estimated that more than 2 Gt of ice accumulate each year at the surface of Antarctica. However, these estimates suffer from large uncertainties. Various problems affect Antarctic SMB measurements, in particular, limited or unwarranted spatial and temporal representativeness, measurement inaccuracy, and lack of quality control. We define quality criteria on the basis of (1) an up-to-date review and quality rating of the various SMB measurement methods and (2) essential information (location, dates of measurements, time period covered by the SMB values, and primary data sources) related to each SMB data. We apply these criteria to available SMB values from Queen Mary to Victoria lands (90°-180°E Antarctic sector) from the early 1950s to present. This results in a new set of observed SMB values for the 1950-2005 time period with strong reduction in density and coverage but also expectedly reduced inaccuracies and uncertainties compared to other compilations. The quality-controlled SMB data set also contains new results from recent field campaigns (International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE), Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE), and Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) projects) which comply with the defined quality criteria. A comparative evaluation of climate model results against the quality-controlled updated SMB data set and other widely used ones illustrates that such Antarctic SMB studies are significantly affected by the quality of field SMB values used as reference.

How do memory and attention change with pregnancy and childbirth? A controlled longitudinal examination of neuropsychological functioning in pregnant and postpartum women.

PubMed

Logan, Dustin M; Hill, Kyle R; Jones, Rochelle; Holt-Lunstad, Julianne; Larson, Michael J

2014-01-01

Current literature on cognitive functioning in pregnancy and postpartum is mixed, with most research showing deficits in memory and attention during pregnancy or no difference between pregnant participants and controls with little emphasis on the postpartum period. In the current study, we used a longitudinal controlled design and 42 primarily not depressed participants to compare pregnant women in the third trimester and approximately three months postpartum with matched controls over the same time period on neuropsychological domains including memory, attention, learning, visuospatial, and executive functioning. We also evaluated the role of mood and quality of life as potential moderators of cognitive functioning in pregnancy/postpartum. Results indicated no differences between controls and pregnant/postpartum women on neuropsychological measures at any time points. Self-reported memory difficulties, however, were higher in the pregnant/postpartum women. Pregnant and postpartum women had worse self-reported mood and quality of life than controls. Mood and quality of life slightly moderated specific measures of attention and verbal fluency; however, neither mood nor quality of life moderated overall neuropsychological functioning in either group. Number of previous pregnancies had no effect on the study findings. Results suggest differences in subjective memory complaints, but no differences in objective neuropsychological test results between controls and pregnant/postpartum women who are primarily not diagnosed with depression.

Impact of dose calibrators quality control programme in Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furnari, J. C.; de Cabrejas, M. L.; del C. Rotta, M.; Iglicki, F. A.; Milá, M. I.; Magnavacca, C.; Dima, J. C.; Rodríguez Pasqués, R. H.

1992-02-01

The national Quality Control (QC) programme for radionuclide calibrators started 12 years ago. Accuracy and the implementation of a QC programme were evaluated over all these years at 95 nuclear medicine laboratories where dose calibrators were in use. During all that time, the Metrology Group of CNEA has distributed 137Cs sealed sources to check stability and has been performing periodic "checking rounds" and postal surveys using unknown samples (external quality control). An account of the results of both methods is presented. At present, more of 65% of the dose calibrators measure activities with an error less than 10%.

Computer graphics for quality control in the INAA of geological samples

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grossman, J.N.; Baedecker, P.A.

1987-01-01

A data reduction system for the routine instrumental activation analysis of samples is described, with particular emphasis on interactive graphics capabilities for evaluating analytical quality. Graphics procedures have been developed to interactively control the analysis of selected photopeaks during spectral analysis, and to evaluate detector performance during a given counting cycle. Graphics algorithms are also used to compare the data on reference samples with accepted values, to prepare quality control charts to evaluate long term precision and to search for systematic variations in data on reference samples as a function of time. ?? 1987 Akade??miai Kiado??.

Field Methods and Quality-Assurance Plan for Quality-of-Water Activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knobel, LeRoy L.; Tucker, Betty J.; Rousseau, Joseph P.

2008-01-01

Water-quality activities conducted by the staff of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project Office coincide with the USGS mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation's water resources. The activities are conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho Operations Office. Results of the water-quality investigations are presented in various USGS publications or in refereed scientific journals. The results of the studies are highly regarded, and they are used with confidence by researchers, regulatory and managerial agencies, and interested civic groups. In its broadest sense, quality assurance refers to doing the job right the first time. It includes the functions of planning for products, review and acceptance of the products, and an audit designed to evaluate the system that produces the products. Quality control and quality assurance differ in that quality control ensures that things are done correctly given the 'state-of-the-art' technology, and quality assurance ensures that quality control is maintained within specified limits.

The business case for quality improvement: oral anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Rose, Adam J; Berlowitz, Dan R; Ash, Arlene S; Ozonoff, Al; Hylek, Elaine M; Goldhaber-Fiebert, Jeremy D

2011-07-01

The potential to save money within a short time frame provides a more compelling "business case" for quality improvement than merely demonstrating cost-effectiveness. Our objective was to demonstrate the potential for cost savings from improved control in patients anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation. Our population consisted of 67 077 Veterans Health Administration patients anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation between October 1, 2006, and September 30, 2008. We simulated the number of adverse events and their associated costs and utilities, both before and after various degrees of improvement in percent time in therapeutic range (TTR). The simulation had a 2-year time horizon, and costs were calculated from the perspective of the payer. In the base-case analysis, improving TTR by 5% prevented 1114 adverse events, including 662 deaths; it gained 863 quality-adjusted life-years and saved $15.9 million compared with the status quo, not accounting for the cost of the quality improvement program. Improving TTR by 10% prevented 2087 events, gained 1606 quality-adjusted life-years, and saved $29.7 million. In sensitivity analyses, costs were most sensitive to the estimated risk of stroke and the expected stroke reduction from improved TTR. Utilities were most sensitive to the estimated risk of death and the expected mortality benefit from improved TTR. A quality improvement program to improve anticoagulation control probably would be cost-saving for the payer, even if it were only modestly effective in improving control and even without considering the value of improved health. This study demonstrates how to make a business case for a quality improvement initiative.

Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approaches for Quality Control of Genome-Wide Association Studies

PubMed Central

Malovini, Alberto; Rognoni, Carla; Puca, Annibale; Bellazzi, Riccardo

2009-01-01

Experimental errors in the genotyping phases of a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) can lead to false positive findings and to spurious associations. An appropriate quality control phase could minimize the effects of this kind of errors. Several filtering criteria can be used to perform quality control. Currently, no formal methods have been proposed for taking into account at the same time these criteria and the experimenter’s preferences. In this paper we propose two strategies for setting appropriate genotyping rate thresholds for GWAS quality control. These two approaches are based on the Multi-Criteria Decision Making theory. We have applied our method on a real dataset composed by 734 individuals affected by Arterial Hypertension (AH) and 486 nonagenarians without history of AH. The proposed strategies appear to deal with GWAS quality control in a sound way, as they lead to rationalize and make explicit the experimenter’s choices thus providing more reproducible results. PMID:21347174

National Survey on Internal Quality Control Practice for Lipid Parameters in Laboratories of China from 2014 to 2016.

PubMed

Ye, Yuanyuan; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Haijian; He, Falin; Zhong, Kun; Yuan, Shuai; Wang, Zhiguo

2017-09-01

To investigate the situation of Internal Quality Control (IQC) practice for total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol from 2014 to 2016 in laboratories in China and provide improvement measurements. A web-based External Quality Assessment (EQA) system was used to collect IQC data of lipid parameters in laboratories which continuously participated in the national EQA programs in China from 2014 to 2016. Pass rate of the coefficients of variation (CVs) of two level quality controls in four lipid parameters were calculated according to six quality specifications for precision to evaluate the current status of precision level of the four lipid parameters and their change over time in China. 533, 512, 504, and 466 laboratories continuously reported the data of level one for total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, and 212, 210, 208 and 198 laboratories reported the level two, respectively. The percentage of laboratories meeting the quality specification varied based on different criteria. Non-significant change can be found in the pass rate of CVs over time. The number of laboratories using a closed system increased over time, but still only accounted for a small proportion. There is no significant difference in the pass rate of CVs between closed and open systems. Triglycerides currently have a fairly good performance in China. While the performance of laboratories on total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol has yet to be improved.

Sensors control gas metal arc welding

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

Siewert, T.A.; Madigan, R.B.; Quinn, T.P.

1997-04-01

The response time of a trained welder from the time a weld problem is identified to the time action is taken is about one second--especially after a long, uneventful period of welding. This is acceptable for manual welding because it is close to the time it takes for the weld pool to solidify. If human response time were any slower, manual welding would not be possible. However, human response time is too slow to respond to some weld events, such as melting of the contact tube in gas metal arc welding (GMAW), and only automated intelligent control systems can reactmore » fast enough to correct or avoid these problems. Control systems incorporate welding knowledge that enables intelligent decisions to be made about weld quality and, ultimately, to keep welding parameters in the range where only high-quality welds are produced. This article discusses the correlation of electrical signals with contact-tube wear, changes in shielding gas, changes in arc length, and other weld process data.« less

Quality of closed chest compression on a manikin in ambulance vehicles and flying helicopters with a real time automated feedback.

PubMed

Havel, Christof; Schreiber, Wolfgang; Trimmel, Helmut; Malzer, Reinhard; Haugk, Moritz; Richling, Nina; Riedmüller, Eva; Sterz, Fritz; Herkner, Harald

2010-01-01

Automated verbal and visual feedback improves quality of resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and was proven to increase short-term survival. Quality of resuscitation may be hampered in more difficult situations like emergency transportation. Currently there is no evidence if feedback devices can improve resuscitation quality during different modes of transportation. To assess the effect of real time automated feedback on the quality of resuscitation in an emergency transportation setting. Randomised cross-over trial. Medical University of Vienna, Vienna Municipal Ambulance Service and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Unit (Christophorus Flugrettungsverein) in September 2007. European Resuscitation Council (ERC) certified health care professionals performing CPR in a flying helicopter and in a moving ambulance vehicle on a manikin with human-like chest properties. CPR sessions, with real time automated feedback as the intervention and standard CPR without feedback as control. Quality of chest compression during resuscitation. Feedback resulted in less deviation from ideal compression rate 100 min(-1) (9+/-9 min(-1), p<0.0001) with this effect becoming steadily larger over time. Applied work was less in the feedback group compared to controls (373+/-448 cm x compression; p<0.001). Feedback did not influence ideal compression depth significantly. There was some indication of a learning effect of the feedback device. Real time automated feedback improves certain aspects of CPR quality in flying helicopters and moving ambulance vehicles. The effect of feedback guidance was most pronounced for chest compression rate. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applications of flight control system methods to an advanced combat rotorcraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tischler, Mark B.; Fletcher, Jay W.; Morris, Patrick M.; Tucker, George T.

1989-01-01

Advanced flight control system design, analysis, and testing methodologies developed at the Ames Research Center are applied in an analytical and flight test evaluation of the Advanced Digital Optical Control System (ADOCS) demonstrator. The primary objectives are to describe the knowledge gained about the implications of digital flight control system design for rotorcraft, and to illustrate the analysis of the resulting handling-qualities in the context of the proposed new handling-qualities specification for rotorcraft. Topics covered in-depth are digital flight control design and analysis methods, flight testing techniques, ADOCS handling-qualities evaluation results, and correlation of flight test results with analytical models and the proposed handling-qualities specification. The evaluation of the ADOCS demonstrator indicates desirable response characteristics based on equivalent damping and frequency, but undersirably large effective time-delays (exceeding 240 m sec in all axes). Piloted handling-qualities are found to be desirable or adequate for all low, medium, and high pilot gain tasks; but handling-qualities are inadequate for ultra-high gain tasks such as slope and running landings.

Inhibitory Control Mediates the Association between Perceived Stress and Secure Relationship Quality.

PubMed

Herd, Toria; Li, Mengjiao; Maciejewski, Dominique; Lee, Jacob; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; King-Casas, Brooks; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen

2018-01-01

Past research has demonstrated negative associations between exposure to stressors and quality of interpersonal relationships among children and adolescents. Nevertheless, underlying mechanisms of this association remain unclear. Chronic stress has been shown to disrupt prefrontal functioning in the brain, including inhibitory control abilities, and evidence is accumulating that inhibitory control may play an important role in secure interpersonal relationship quality, including peer problems and social competence. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examine whether changes in inhibitory control, measured at both behavioral and neural levels, mediate the association between stress and changes in secure relationship quality with parents and peers. The sample included 167 adolescents (53% males) who were first recruited at age 13 or 14 years and assessed annually three times. Adolescents' inhibitory control was measured by their behavioral performance and brain activities, and adolescents self-reported perceived stress levels and relationship quality with mothers, fathers, and peers. Results suggest that behavioral inhibitory control mediates the association between perceived stress and adolescent's secure relationship quality with their mothers and fathers, but not their peers. In contrast, given that stress was not significantly correlated with neural inhibitory control, we did not further test the mediation path. Our results highlight the role of inhibitory control as a process through which stressful life experiences are related to impaired secure relationship quality between adolescents and their mothers and fathers.

Inhibitory Control Mediates the Association between Perceived Stress and Secure Relationship Quality

PubMed Central

Herd, Toria; Li, Mengjiao; Maciejewski, Dominique; Lee, Jacob; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; King-Casas, Brooks; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen

2018-01-01

Past research has demonstrated negative associations between exposure to stressors and quality of interpersonal relationships among children and adolescents. Nevertheless, underlying mechanisms of this association remain unclear. Chronic stress has been shown to disrupt prefrontal functioning in the brain, including inhibitory control abilities, and evidence is accumulating that inhibitory control may play an important role in secure interpersonal relationship quality, including peer problems and social competence. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examine whether changes in inhibitory control, measured at both behavioral and neural levels, mediate the association between stress and changes in secure relationship quality with parents and peers. The sample included 167 adolescents (53% males) who were first recruited at age 13 or 14 years and assessed annually three times. Adolescents’ inhibitory control was measured by their behavioral performance and brain activities, and adolescents self-reported perceived stress levels and relationship quality with mothers, fathers, and peers. Results suggest that behavioral inhibitory control mediates the association between perceived stress and adolescent’s secure relationship quality with their mothers and fathers, but not their peers. In contrast, given that stress was not significantly correlated with neural inhibitory control, we did not further test the mediation path. Our results highlight the role of inhibitory control as a process through which stressful life experiences are related to impaired secure relationship quality between adolescents and their mothers and fathers. PMID:29535664

Causes of cine image quality deterioration in cardiac catheterization laboratories.

PubMed

Levin, D C; Dunham, L R; Stueve, R

1983-10-01

Deterioration of cineangiographic image quality can result from malfunctions or technical errors at a number of points along the cine imaging chain: generator and automatic brightness control, x-ray tube, x-ray beam geometry, image intensifier, optics, cine camera, cine film, film processing, and cine projector. Such malfunctions or errors can result in loss of image contrast, loss of spatial resolution, improper control of film optical density (brightness), or some combination thereof. While the electronic and photographic technology involved is complex, physicians who perform cardiac catheterization should be conversant with the problems and what can be done to solve them. Catheterization laboratory personnel have control over a number of factors that directly affect image quality, including radiation dose rate per cine frame, kilovoltage or pulse width (depending on type of automatic brightness control), cine run time, selection of small or large focal spot, proper object-intensifier distance and beam collimation, aperture of the cine camera lens, selection of cine film, processing temperature, processing immersion time, and selection of developer.

Signal quality and Bayesian signal processing in neurofeedback based on real-time fMRI.

PubMed

Koush, Yury; Zvyagintsev, Mikhail; Dyck, Miriam; Mathiak, Krystyna A; Mathiak, Klaus

2012-01-02

Real-time fMRI allows analysis and visualization of the brain activity online, i.e. within one repetition time. It can be used in neurofeedback applications where subjects attempt to control an activation level in a specified region of interest (ROI) of their brain. The signal derived from the ROI is contaminated with noise and artifacts, namely with physiological noise from breathing and heart beat, scanner drift, motion-related artifacts and measurement noise. We developed a Bayesian approach to reduce noise and to remove artifacts in real-time using a modified Kalman filter. The system performs several signal processing operations: subtraction of constant and low-frequency signal components, spike removal and signal smoothing. Quantitative feedback signal quality analysis was used to estimate the quality of the neurofeedback time series and performance of the applied signal processing on different ROIs. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) across the entire time series and the group event-related SNR (eSNR) were significantly higher for the processed time series in comparison to the raw data. Applied signal processing improved the t-statistic increasing the significance of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes. Accordingly, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the feedback time series was improved as well. In addition, the data revealed increase of localized self-control across feedback sessions. The new signal processing approach provided reliable neurofeedback, performed precise artifacts removal, reduced noise, and required minimal manual adjustments of parameters. Advanced and fast online signal processing algorithms considerably increased the quality as well as the information content of the control signal which in turn resulted in higher contingency in the neurofeedback loop. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Practical UXO Classification: Enhanced Data Processing Strategies for Technology Transition - Fort Ord: Dynamic and Cued Metalmapper Processing and Classification

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-06

OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for...Geophysical Mapping, Electromagnetic Induction, Instrument Verification Strip, Time Domain Electromagnetic, Unexploded Ordnance 16. SECURITY...Munitions Response QA Quality Assurance QC Quality Control ROC Receiver Operating Characteristic RTK Real- time Kinematic s Second SNR

Statistical tools for transgene copy number estimation based on real-time PCR.

PubMed

Yuan, Joshua S; Burris, Jason; Stewart, Nathan R; Mentewab, Ayalew; Stewart, C Neal

2007-11-01

As compared with traditional transgene copy number detection technologies such as Southern blot analysis, real-time PCR provides a fast, inexpensive and high-throughput alternative. However, the real-time PCR based transgene copy number estimation tends to be ambiguous and subjective stemming from the lack of proper statistical analysis and data quality control to render a reliable estimation of copy number with a prediction value. Despite the recent progresses in statistical analysis of real-time PCR, few publications have integrated these advancements in real-time PCR based transgene copy number determination. Three experimental designs and four data quality control integrated statistical models are presented. For the first method, external calibration curves are established for the transgene based on serially-diluted templates. The Ct number from a control transgenic event and putative transgenic event are compared to derive the transgene copy number or zygosity estimation. Simple linear regression and two group T-test procedures were combined to model the data from this design. For the second experimental design, standard curves were generated for both an internal reference gene and the transgene, and the copy number of transgene was compared with that of internal reference gene. Multiple regression models and ANOVA models can be employed to analyze the data and perform quality control for this approach. In the third experimental design, transgene copy number is compared with reference gene without a standard curve, but rather, is based directly on fluorescence data. Two different multiple regression models were proposed to analyze the data based on two different approaches of amplification efficiency integration. Our results highlight the importance of proper statistical treatment and quality control integration in real-time PCR-based transgene copy number determination. These statistical methods allow the real-time PCR-based transgene copy number estimation to be more reliable and precise with a proper statistical estimation. Proper confidence intervals are necessary for unambiguous prediction of trangene copy number. The four different statistical methods are compared for their advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, the statistical methods can also be applied for other real-time PCR-based quantification assays including transfection efficiency analysis and pathogen quantification.

42 CFR 478.22 - Good cause for late filing of a request for a reconsideration or hearing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS RECONSIDERATIONS AND APPEALS Utilization and Quality Control Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Reconsiderations and... party from making the request on time. (2) Whether an action by the QIO misled the party. (3) Whether...

Enhancement of the Automated Quality Control Procedures for the International Soil Moisture Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heer, Elsa; Xaver, Angelika; Dorigo, Wouter; Messner, Romina

2017-04-01

In-situ soil moisture observations are still trusted to be the most reliable data to validate remotely sensed soil moisture products. Thus, the quality of in-situ soil moisture observations is of high importance. The International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN; http://ismn.geo.tuwien.ac.at/) provides in-situ soil moisture data from all around the world. The data is collected from individual networks and data providers, measured by different sensors in various depths. The data sets which are delivered in different units, time zones and data formats are then transformed into homogeneous data sets. An erroneous behavior of soil moisture data is very difficult to detect, due to annual and daily changes and most significantly the high influence of precipitation and snow melting processes. Only few of the network providers have a quality assessment for their data sets. Therefore, advanced quality control procedures have been developed for the ISMN (Dorigo et al. 2013). Three categories of quality checks were introduced: exceeding boundary values, geophysical consistency checks and a spectrum based approach. The spectrum based quality control algorithms aim to detect erroneous measurements which occur within plausible geophysical ranges, e.g. a sudden drop in soil moisture caused by a sensor malfunction. By defining several conditions which have to be met by the original soil moisture time series and their first and second derivative, such error types can be detected. Since the development of these sophisticated methods many more data providers shared their data with the ISMN and new types of erroneous measurements were identified. Thus, an enhancement of the automated quality control procedures became necessary. In the present work, we introduce enhancements of the existing quality control algorithms. Additionally, six completely new quality checks have been developed, e.g. detection of suspicious values before or after NAN-values, constant values and values that lie in a spectrum where a high majority of values before and after is flagged and therefore a sensor malfunction is certain. For the evaluation of the enhanced automated quality control system many test data sets were chosen, and manually validated to be compared to the existing quality control procedures and the new algorithms. Improvements will be shown that assure an appropriate assessment of the ISMN data sets, which are used for validations of soil moisture data retrieved by satellite data and are the foundation many other scientific publications.

Exercise in Patients on Dialysis: A Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Manfredini, Fabio; Mallamaci, Francesca; D’Arrigo, Graziella; Baggetta, Rossella; Bolignano, Davide; Torino, Claudia; Lamberti, Nicola; Bertoli, Silvio; Ciurlino, Daniele; Rocca-Rey, Lisa; Barillà, Antonio; Battaglia, Yuri; Rapanà, Renato Mario; Zuccalà, Alessandro; Bonanno, Graziella; Fatuzzo, Pasquale; Rapisarda, Francesco; Rastelli, Stefania; Fabrizi, Fabrizio; Messa, Piergiorgio; De Paola, Luciano; Lombardi, Luigi; Cupisti, Adamasco; Fuiano, Giorgio; Lucisano, Gaetano; Summaria, Chiara; Felisatti, Michele; Pozzato, Enrico; Malagoni, Anna Maria; Castellino, Pietro; Aucella, Filippo; Abd ElHafeez, Samar; Provenzano, Pasquale Fabio; Tripepi, Giovanni; Catizone, Luigi

2017-01-01

Previous studies have suggested the benefits of physical exercise for patients on dialysis. We conducted the Exercise Introduction to Enhance Performance in Dialysis trial, a 6-month randomized, multicenter trial to test whether a simple, personalized walking exercise program at home, managed by dialysis staff, improves functional status in adult patients on dialysis. The main study outcomes included change in physical performance at 6 months, assessed by the 6-minute walking test and the five times sit-to-stand test, and in quality of life, assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF) questionnaire. We randomized 296 patients to normal physical activity (control; n=145) or walking exercise (n=151); 227 patients (exercise n=104; control n=123) repeated the 6-month evaluations. The distance covered during the 6-minute walking test improved in the exercise group (mean distance±SD: baseline, 328±96 m; 6 months, 367±113 m) but not in the control group (baseline, 321±107 m; 6 months, 324±116 m; P<0.001 between groups). Similarly, the five times sit-to-stand test time improved in the exercise group (mean time±SD: baseline, 20.5±6.0 seconds; 6 months, 18.2±5.7 seconds) but not in the control group (baseline, 20.9±5.8 seconds; 6 months, 20.2±6.4 seconds; P=0.001 between groups). The cognitive function score (P=0.04) and quality of social interaction score (P=0.01) in the kidney disease component of the KDQOL-SF improved significantly in the exercise arm compared with the control arm. Hence, a simple, personalized, home-based, low-intensity exercise program managed by dialysis staff may improve physical performance and quality of life in patients on dialysis. PMID:27909047

Application of reiteration of Hankel singular value decomposition in quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staniszewski, Michał; Skorupa, Agnieszka; Boguszewicz, Łukasz; Michalczuk, Agnieszka; Wereszczyński, Kamil; Wicher, Magdalena; Konopka, Marek; Sokół, Maria; Polański, Andrzej

2017-07-01

Medical centres are obliged to store past medical records, including the results of quality assurance (QA) tests of the medical equipment, which is especially useful in checking reproducibility of medical devices and procedures. Analysis of multivariate time series is an important part of quality control of NMR data. In this work we proposean anomaly detection tool based on Reiteration of Hankel Singular Value Decomposition method. The presented method was compared with external software and authors obtained comparable results.

Effect of Tai Ji Quan training on self-reported sleep quality in elderly Chinese women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trail.

PubMed

Lü, Jiaojiao; Huang, Lingyan; Wu, Xie; Fu, Weijie; Liu, Yu

2017-05-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a 24-week Tai Ji Quan training program on sleep quality, quality of life, and physical performance among elderly Chinese women with knee osteoarthritis (OA). A 24-week randomized, controlled trial of 46 elderly women with knee OA. Participants were randomly assigned to either a Tai Ji Quan group (n = 23) or a control group (n = 23). Participants in the Tai Ji Quan group completed training sessions three times per week, while those in the control group had bi-weekly educational classes. The primary outcome was total score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality of Index (PSQI). Secondary outcomes were: seven subscales of the PSQI; sleep latency; total sleep time; sleep efficiency; physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36); Berg Balance Scale (BBS); and Timed Up and Go (TUG). Compared with the control group, participants in the Tai Ji Quan group had significantly improved primary outcome (global PSQI score, p = 0.006) and secondary outcomes, including three PSQI sub-scores (sleep latency, p = 0.031; sleep duration, p = 0.043; daytime dysfunction, p = 0.007), total sleep time (p = 0.033), and SF-36 PCS (p = 0.006). The Tai Ji Quan group also had significant improvements compared with baseline in three PSQI sub-scores (sleep latency, p = 0.031; habitual sleep efficiency, p = 0.049; sleep disturbance, p = 0.016), sleep latency (p = 0.003), BBS (p = 0.001), and TUG (p = 0.006). Tai Ji Quan training is an effective treatment approach to improve sleep quality and quality of life in elderly Chinese women with knee OA. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (June 16, 2013): ChiCTR-TRC-13003264. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Qualitative and quantitative assessment of DNA quality of frozen beef based on DNA yield, gel electrophoresis and PCR amplification and their correlations to beef quality.

PubMed

Zhao, Jing; Zhang, Ting; Liu, Yongfeng; Wang, Xingyu; Zhang, Lan; Ku, Ting; Quek, Siew Young

2018-09-15

Freezing is a practical method for meat preservation but the quality of frozen meat can deteriorate with storage time. This research investigated the effect of frozen storage time (up to 66 months) on changes in DNA yield, purity and integrity in beef, and further analyzed the correlation between beef quality (moisture content, protein content, TVB-N value and pH value) and DNA quality in an attempt to establish a reliable, high-throughput method for meat quality control. Results showed that frozen storage time influenced the yield and integrity of DNA significantly (p < 0.05). The DNA yield decreased as frozen storage time increased due to DNA degradation. The half-life (t 1/2  = ln2/0.015) was calculated as 46 months. The DNA quality degraded dramatically with the increased storage time based on gel electrophoresis results. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products from both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA) were observed in all frozen beef samples. Using real-time PCR for quantitative assessment of DNA and meat quality revealed that correlations could be established successfully with mathematical models to evaluate frozen beef quality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deliberate Practice Enhances Quality of Laparoscopic Surgical Performance in a Randomized Controlled Trial: from Arrested Development to Expert Performance

PubMed Central

Hashimoto, Daniel A.; Sirimanna, Pramudith; Gomez, Ernest D.; Beyer-Berjot, Laura; Ericsson, K. Anders; Williams, Noel N.; Darzi, Ara; Aggarwal, Rajesh

2014-01-01

Background This study investigated whether deliberate practice leads to an increase in surgical quality in virtual reality (VR) laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LC). Previous research has suggested that sustained DP is effective in surgical training. Methods Fourteen residents were randomized into deliberate practice (n=7) or control training (n=7). Both groups performed 10 sessions of two VR LCs. Each session, the DP group was assigned 30 minutes of DP activities in between LCs while the control group viewed educational videos or read journal articles. Performance was assessed on speed and dexterity; quality was rated with global (GRS) and procedure-specific (PSRS) rating scales. All participants then performed five porcine LCs. Results Both groups improved over 20 VR LCs in time, dexterity, and global rating scales (all p<0.05). After 20 LCs, there were no differences in speed or dexterity between groups. The DP group achieved higher quality of VR surgical performance than control for GRS (26 vs. 20, p=0.001) and PSRS (18 vs. 15, p=0.001). For VR cases, DP subjects plateaued at GRS=25 after 10 cases and control group at GRS=20 after five cases. At completion of VR training, 100% of the DP group reached target quality of performance (GRS≥21) compared to 30% in the control group. There were no significant differences for improvements in time or dexterity over five porcine LCs. Conclusion This study suggests that DP leads to higher quality performance in VR LC than standard training alone. Standard training may leave individuals in a state of “arrested development” compared to DP. PMID:25539697

Rapid toxicity detection in water quality control utilizing automated multispecies biomonitoring for permanent space stations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, E. L.; Young, R. C.; Smith, M. D.; Eagleson, K. W.

1986-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate proposed design characteristics and applications of automated biomonitoring devices for real-time toxicity detection in water quality control on-board permanent space stations. Simulated tests in downlinking transmissions of automated biomonitoring data to Earth-receiving stations were simulated using satellite data transmissions from remote Earth-based stations.

Real Time Quality Control Methods for Cued EMI Data Collection

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-14

contents be construed as reflecting the official policy or position of the Department of Defense. Reference herein to any specific commercial product...This project evaluated the effectiveness of in-field quality control (QC) procedures during cued electromagnetic induction (EMI) data collection. The...electromagnetic induction ESTCP Environmental Security Technology Certification Program hr hour ISO Industry Standard Object IVS Instrument

Quality engineering as a profession.

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

Kolb, Rachel R.; Hoover, Marcey L.

Over the course of time, the profession of quality engineering has witnessed significant change, from its original emphasis on quality control and inspection to a more contemporary focus on upholding quality processes throughout the organization and its product realization activities. This paper describes the profession of quality engineering, exploring how todays quality engineers and quality professionals are certified individuals committed to upholding quality processes and principles while working with different dimensions of product development. It also discusses the future of the quality engineering profession and the future of the quality movement as a whole.

Neural Network based Control of SG based Standalone Generating System with Energy Storage for Power Quality Enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayar, Priya; Singh, Bhim; Mishra, Sukumar

2017-08-01

An artificial intelligence based control algorithm is used in solving power quality problems of a diesel engine driven synchronous generator with automatic voltage regulator and governor based standalone system. A voltage source converter integrated with a battery energy storage system is employed to mitigate the power quality problems. An adaptive neural network based signed regressor control algorithm is used for the estimation of the fundamental component of load currents for control of a standalone system with load leveling as an integral feature. The developed model of the system performs accurately under varying load conditions and provides good dynamic response to the step changes in loads. The real time performance is achieved using MATLAB along with simulink/simpower system toolboxes and results adhere to an IEEE-519 standard for power quality enhancement.

Flying qualities design criteria applicable to supersonic cruise aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chalk, C. R.

1980-01-01

A comprehensive set of flying qualities design criteria was prepared for use in the supersonic cruise research program. The framework for stating the design criteria is established and design criteria are included which address specific failures, approach to dangerous flight conditions, flight at high angle of attack, longitudinal and lateral directional stability and control, the primary flight control system, and secondary flight controls. Examples are given of lateral directional design criteria limiting lateral accelerations at the cockpit, time to roll through 30 deg of bank, and time delay in the pilot's command path. Flight test data from the Concorde certification program are used to substantiate a number of the proposed design criteria.

Quality control in the year 2000

PubMed Central

Schade, Bernd

1992-01-01

‘Just-in-time’ production is a prerequisite for a company to meet the challenges of competition. Manufacturing cycles have been so successfully optimized that release time now has become a significant factor. A vision for a major quality-control (QC) contribution to profitability in this decade seems to be the just-in-time release. Benefits will go beyond cost savings for lower inventory. The earlier detection of problems will reduce rejections and scrap. In addition, problem analysis and problem-solving will be easier. To achieve just-in-time release, advanced automated systems like robots will become the workhorses in QC for high volume pharmaceutical production. The requirements for these systems are extremely high in terms of quality, reliability and ruggedness. Crucial for the success might be advances in use of microelectronics for error checks, system recording, trouble shooting, etc. as well as creative new approaches (for example the use of redundant assay systems). PMID:18924930

Patient-reported outcomes in randomised controlled trials of colorectal cancer: an analysis determining the availability of robust data to inform clinical decision-making

PubMed Central

Whale, Katie; Fish, Daniel; Fayers, Peter; Cafaro, Valentina; Pusic, Andrea; Blazeby, Jane M.; Efficace, Fabio

2016-01-01

Purpose Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the most robust study design measuring outcomes of colorectal cancer (CRC) treatments, but to influence clinical practice trial design and reporting of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) must be of high quality. Objectives of this study were as follows: to examine the quality of PRO reporting in RCTs of CRC treatment; to assess the availability of robust data to inform clinical decision-making; and to investigate whether quality of reporting improved over time. Methods A systematic review from January 2004–February 2012 identified RCTs of CRC treatment describing PROs. Relevant abstracts were screened and manuscripts obtained. Methodological quality was assessed using International Society for Quality of Life Research—patient-reported outcome reporting standards. Changes in reporting quality over time were established by comparison with previous data, and risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results Sixty-six RCTs were identified, seven studies (10 %) reported survival benefit favouring the experimental treatment, 35 trials (53 %) identified differences in PROs between treatment groups, and the clinical significance of these differences was discussed in 19 studies (29 %). The most commonly reported treatment type was chemotherapy (n = 45; 68 %). Improvements over time in key methodological issues including the documentation of missing data and the discussion of the clinical significance of PROs were found. Thirteen trials (20 %) had high-quality reporting. Conclusions Whilst improvements in PRO quality reporting over time were found, several recent studies still fail to robustly inform clinical practice. Quality of PRO reporting must continue to improve to maximise the clinical impact of PRO findings. PMID:25910987

Statewide implementation of Pave-IR in the Texas Department of Transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-02-01

This project conducted work to complement implementation of Pave-IR into the Texas Department of : Transportations hot-mix-asphalt quality control/quality assurance specification. Pave-IR provides real-time : thermal profiling of paving operations...

Eight Truths for Middle Managers in Lean Times.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, David W.

1991-01-01

Suggests strategies to help middle managers in libraries cope with difficult financial times. Highlights include resource allocations; the importance of change to prevent a decline in quality and to demonstrate some degree of control; the need to control both financial and staff resources; and providing vision for the future. (LRW)

MASQOT: a method for cDNA microarray spot quality control

PubMed Central

Bylesjö, Max; Eriksson, Daniel; Sjödin, Andreas; Sjöström, Michael; Jansson, Stefan; Antti, Henrik; Trygg, Johan

2005-01-01

Background cDNA microarray technology has emerged as a major player in the parallel detection of biomolecules, but still suffers from fundamental technical problems. Identifying and removing unreliable data is crucial to prevent the risk of receiving illusive analysis results. Visual assessment of spot quality is still a common procedure, despite the time-consuming work of manually inspecting spots in the range of hundreds of thousands or more. Results A novel methodology for cDNA microarray spot quality control is outlined. Multivariate discriminant analysis was used to assess spot quality based on existing and novel descriptors. The presented methodology displays high reproducibility and was found superior in identifying unreliable data compared to other evaluated methodologies. Conclusion The proposed methodology for cDNA microarray spot quality control generates non-discrete values of spot quality which can be utilized as weights in subsequent analysis procedures as well as to discard spots of undesired quality using the suggested threshold values. The MASQOT approach provides a consistent assessment of spot quality and can be considered an alternative to the labor-intensive manual quality assessment process. PMID:16223442

Controlled Trials in Children: Quantity, Methodological Quality and Descriptive Characteristics of Pediatric Controlled Trials Published 1948-2006

PubMed Central

Thomson, Denise; Hartling, Lisa; Cohen, Eyal; Vandermeer, Ben; Tjosvold, Lisa; Klassen, Terry P.

2010-01-01

Background The objective of this study was to describe randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) in child health published between 1948 and 2006, in terms of quantity, methodological quality, and publication and trial characteristics. We used the Trials Register of the Cochrane Child Health Field for overall trends and a sample from this to explore trial characteristics in more detail. Methodology/Principal Findings We extracted descriptive data on a random sample of 578 trials. Ninety-six percent of the trials were published in English; the percentage of child-only trials was 90.5%. The most frequent diagnostic categories were infectious diseases (13.2%), behavioural and psychiatric disorders (11.6%), neonatal critical care (11.4%), respiratory disorders (8.9%), non-critical neonatology (7.9%), and anaesthesia (6.5%). There were significantly fewer child-only studies (i.e., more mixed child and adult studies) over time (P = 0.0460). The proportion of RCTs to CCTs increased significantly over time (P<0.0001), as did the proportion of multicentre trials (P = 0.002). Significant increases over time were found in methodological quality (Jadad score) (P<0.0001), the proportion of double-blind studies (P<0.0001), and studies with adequate allocation concealment (P<0.0001). Additionally, we found an improvement in reporting over time: adequate description of withdrawals and losses to follow-up (P<0.0001), sample size calculations (P<0.0001), and intention-to-treat analysis (P<0.0001). However, many trials still do not describe their level of blinding, and allocation concealment was inadequately reported in the majority of studies across the entire time period. The proportion of studies with industry funding decreased slightly over time (P = 0.003), and these studies were more likely to report positive conclusions (P = 0.028). Conclusions/Significance The quantity and quality of pediatric controlled trials has increased over time; however, much work remains to be done, particularly in improving methodological issues around conduct and reporting of trials. PMID:20927344

[Investigation on the homogeneity and stability of quality controlling cosmetic samples containing arsenic].

PubMed

Dong, Bing; Song, Yu; Fan, Wenjia; Zhu, Ying

2010-11-01

To study the homogeneity and stability of arsenic in quality controlling cosmetic samples. Arsenic was determined by atomic fluorescence spectrophotometric method. The t-test and F-test were used to evaluate the significant difference of the within-bottle and between-bottle results with three batches. The RSDs of arsenic obtained in different time were compared with the relative expanding uncertainties to evaluate the stability. Average and variance of within-bottle and between-bottle results of arsenic were not different significantly. The RSDs of Arsenic were less than the relative expanding uncertainties. Quality controlling cosmetic samples containing arsenic were considered homogeneous and stable.

Water Quality in the Production of Containerized Longleaf Pine Seedlings

Treesearch

David J. Moorhead; John M. Ruter

2002-01-01

The consistent production of quality container grown seedlings requires that key production variables be identified and controlled; otherwise, quality and the percentage of marketable plants will be erratic (Garber and Ruter 1993a). Additionally, production times and costs may increase unless production variables are monitored and managed throughout the production...

Groundwater quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, May 2012 through December 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arnold, Terri L.; Desimone, Leslie A.; Bexfield, Laura M.; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Barlow, Jeannie R.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Musgrove, MaryLynn; Kingsbury, James A.; Belitz, Kenneth

2016-06-20

Groundwater-quality data were collected from 748 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from May 2012 through December 2013. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study networks, which assess land-use effects on shallow groundwater quality; major aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply; and enhanced trends networks, which evaluate the time scales during which groundwater quality changes. Groundwater samples were analyzed for a large number of water-quality indicators and constituents, including major ions, nutrients, trace elements, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and radionuclides. These groundwater quality data are tabulated in this report. Quality-control samples also were collected; data from blank and replicate quality-control samples are included in this report.

Associations between Mother-Child Relationship Quality and Adolescent Adjustment: Using a Genetically Controlled Design to Determine the Direction and Magnitude of Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guimond, Fanny-Alexandra; Laursen, Brett; Vitaro, Frank; Brendgen, Mara; Dionne, Ginette; Boivin, Michel

2016-01-01

This study used a genetically controlled design to examine the direction and the magnitude of effects in the over-time associations between perceived relationship quality with mothers and adolescent maladjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms and delinquency). A total of 163 monozygotic (MZ) twins pairs (85 female pairs, 78 male pairs) completed…

The Automation of Nowcast Model Assessment Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

that will automate real-time WRE-N model simulations, collect and quality control check weather observations for assimilation and verification, and...domains centered near White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, where the Meteorological Sensor Array (MSA) will be located. The MSA will provide...observations and performing quality -control checks for the pre-forecast data assimilation period. 2. Run the WRE-N model to generate model forecast data

Flight Dynamics Aspects of a Large Civil Tiltrotor Simulation Using Translational Rate Command

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawrence, Ben; Malpica, Carlos A.; Theodore, Colin R.; Decker, William A.; Lindsey, James E.

2011-01-01

An in-depth analysis of a Large Civil Tiltrotor simulation with a Translational Rate Command control law that uses automatic nacelle deflections for longitudinal velocity control and lateral cyclic for lateral velocity control is presented. Results from piloted real-time simulation experiments and offline time and frequency domain analyses are used to investigate the fundamental flight dynamic and control mechanisms of the control law. The baseline Translational Rate Command conferred handling qualities improvements over an attitude command attitude hold control law but in some scenarios there was a tendency to enter PIO. Nacelle actuator rate limiting strongly influenced the PIO tendency and reducing the rate limits degraded the handling qualities further. Counterintuitively, increasing rate limits also led to a worsening of the handling qualities ratings. This led to the identification of a nacelle rate to rotor longitudinal flapping coupling effect that induced undesired pitching motions proportional to the allowable amount of nacelle rate. A modification that applied a counteracting amount of longitudinal cyclic proportional to the nacelle rate significantly improved the handling qualities. The lateral axis of the Translational Rate Command conferred Level 1 handling qualities in a Lateral Reposition maneuver. Analysis of the influence of the modeling fidelity on the lateral flapping angles is presented. It is showed that the linear modeling approximation is likely to have under-predicted the side-force and therefore under-predicted the lateral flapping at velocities above 15 ft/s. However, at lower velocities, and therefore more weakly influenced by the side force modeling, the accelerations that the control law commands also significantly influenced the peak levels of lateral flapping achieved.

Field methods and quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities and water-level measurements, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartholomay, Roy C.; Maimer, Neil V.; Wehnke, Amy J.

2014-01-01

Water-quality activities and water-level measurements by the personnel of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project Office coincide with the USGS mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation’s water resources. The activities are carried out in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho Operations Office. Results of the water-quality and hydraulic head investigations are presented in various USGS publications or in refereed scientific journals and the data are stored in the National Water Information System (NWIS) database. The results of the studies are used by researchers, regulatory and managerial agencies, and interested civic groups. In the broadest sense, quality assurance refers to doing the job right the first time. It includes the functions of planning for products, review and acceptance of the products, and an audit designed to evaluate the system that produces the products. Quality control and quality assurance differ in that quality control ensures that things are done correctly given the “state-of-the-art” technology, and quality assurance ensures that quality control is maintained within specified limits.

High perfomance liquid chromatography fingerprint analysis for quality control of brotowali (Tinospora crispa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syarifah, V. B.; Rafi, M.; Wahyuni, W. T.

2017-05-01

Brotowali (Tinospora crispa) is widely used in Indonesia as ingredient of herbal medicine formulation. To ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of herbal medicine products, its chemical constituents should be continuously evaluated. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint is one of powerful technique for this quality control process. In this study, HPLC fingerprint analysis method was developed for quality control of brotowali. HPLC analysis was performed in C18 column and detection was performed using photodiode array detector. The optimum mobile phase for brotowali fingerprint was acetonitrile (ACN) and 0.1% formic acid in gradient elution mode at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The number of peaks detected in HPLC fingerprint of brotowali was 32 peaks and 23 peaks for stems and leaves, respectively. Berberine as marker compound was detected at retention time of 20.525 minutes. Evaluation of analytical performance including precision, reproducibility, and stability prove that this HPLC fingerprint analysis was reliable and could be applied for quality control of brotowali.

A cluster-randomised quality improvement study to improve two inpatient stroke quality indicators.

PubMed

Williams, Linda; Daggett, Virginia; Slaven, James E; Yu, Zhangsheng; Sager, Danielle; Myers, Jennifer; Plue, Laurie; Woodward-Hagg, Heather; Damush, Teresa M

2016-04-01

Quality indicator collection and feedback improves stroke care. We sought to determine whether quality improvement training plus indicator feedback was more effective than indicator feedback alone in improving inpatient stroke indicators. We conducted a cluster-randomised quality improvement trial, randomising hospitals to quality improvement training plus indicator feedback versus indicator feedback alone to improve deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis and dysphagia screening. Intervention sites received collaborative-based quality improvement training, external facilitation and indicator feedback. Control sites received only indicator feedback. We compared indicators pre-implementation (pre-I) to active implementation (active-I) and post-implementation (post-I) periods. We constructed mixed-effect logistic models of the two indicators with a random intercept for hospital effect, adjusting for patient, time, intervention and hospital variables. Patients at intervention sites (1147 admissions), had similar race, gender and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores to control sites (1017 admissions). DVT prophylaxis improved more in intervention sites during active-I period (ratio of ORs 4.90, p<0.001), but did not differ in post-I period. Dysphagia screening improved similarly in both groups during active-I, but control sites improved more in post-I period (ratio of ORs 0.67, p=0.04). In logistic models, the intervention was independently positively associated with DVT performance during active-I period, and negatively associated with dysphagia performance post-I period. Quality improvement training was associated with early DVT improvement, but the effect was not sustained over time and was not seen with dysphagia screening. External quality improvement programmes may quickly boost performance but their effect may vary by indicator and may not sustain over time. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Mesh control information of windmill designed by Solidwork program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulyana, T.; Sebayang, D.; Rafsanjani, A. M. D.; Adani, J. H. D.; Muhyiddin, Y. S.

2017-12-01

This paper presents the mesh control information imposed on the windmill already designed. The accuracy of Simulation results is influenced by the quality of the created mesh. However, compared to the quality of the mesh is made, the simulation time running will be done software also increases. The smaller the size of the elements created when making the mesh, the better the mesh quality will be generated. When adjusting the mesh size, there is a slider that acts as the density regulator of the element. SolidWorks Simulation also has Mesh Control facility. Features that can adjust mesh density only in the desired part. The best results of mesh control obtained for both static and thermal simulation have ratio 1.5.

Real-time measurement of quality during the compaction of subgrade soils.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

Conventional quality control of subgrade soils during their compaction is usually performed by monitoring moisture content and dry density at a few discrete locations. However, randomly selected points do not adequately represent the entire compacted...

Quality-Assurance Data for Routine Water Analyses by the U.S. Geological Survey Laboratory in Troy, New York-July 1997 through June 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lincoln, Tricia A.; Horan-Ross, Debra A.; McHale, Michael R.; Lawrence, Gregory B.

2006-01-01

The laboratory for analysis of low-ionic-strength water at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Center in Troy, N.Y., analyzes samples collected by USGS projects throughout the Northeast. The laboratory's quality-assurance program is based on internal and interlaboratory quality-assurance samples and quality-control procedures that were developed to ensure proper sample collection, processing, and analysis. The quality-assurance/quality-control data for the time period addressed in this report were stored in the laboratory's SAS data-management system, which provides efficient review, compilation, and plotting of data. This report presents and discusses results of quality-assurance and quality- control samples analyzed from July 1997 through June 1999. Results for the quality-control samples for 18 analytical procedures were evaluated for bias and precision. Control charts indicate that data for eight of the analytical procedures were occasionally biased for either high-concentration and (or) low-concentration samples but were within control limits; these procedures were: acid-neutralizing capacity, total monomeric aluminum, total aluminum, ammonium, calcium, chloride, specific conductance, and sulfate. The data from the potassium and sodium analytical procedures are insufficient for evaluation. Results from the filter-blank and analytical-blank analyses indicate that the procedures for 11 of 13 analytes were within control limits, although the concentrations for blanks were occasionally outside the control limits. Blank analysis results for chloride showed that 22 percent of blanks did not meet data-quality objectives and results for dissolved organic carbon showed that 31 percent of the blanks did not meet data-quality objectives. Sampling and analysis precision are evaluated herein in terms of the coefficient of variation obtained for triplicate samples in the procedures for 14 of the 18 analytes. At least 90 percent of the samples met data-quality objectives for all analytes except total aluminum (70 percent of samples met objectives) and potassium (83 percent of samples met objectives). Results of the USGS interlaboratory Standard Reference Sample (SRS) Project indicated good data quality for most constituents over the time period. The P-sample (low-ionic-strength constituents) analysis had good ratings in two of these studies and a satisfactory rating in the third. The results of the T-sample (trace constituents) analysis indicated high data quality with good ratings in all three studies. The N-sample (nutrient constituents) studies had one each of excellent, good, and satisfactory ratings. Results of Environment Canada's National Water Research Institute (NWRI) program indicated that at least 80 percent of the samples met data-quality objectives for 9 of the 13 analytes; the exceptions were dissolved organic carbon, ammonium, chloride, and specific conductance. Data-quality objectives were not met for dissolved organic carbon in two NWRI studies, but all of the samples were within control limits for the last study. Data-quality objectives were not met in 41 percent of samples analyzed for ammonium, 25 percent of samples analyzed for chloride, and 30 percent of samples analyzed for specific conductance. Results from blind reference-sample analyses indicated that data-quality objectives were met by at least 84 percent of the samples analyzed for calcium, chloride, magnesium, pH, and potassium. Data-quality objectives were met by 73 percent of those analyzed for sulfate. The data-quality objective was not met for sodium. The data are insufficient for evaluation of the specific conductance results.

Application of the suggestion system in the improvement of the production process and product quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gołaś, H.; Mazur, A.; Gruszka, J.; Szafer, P.

2016-08-01

The elaboration is a case study and the research was carried out in the company Alco-Mot Ltd., which employs 120 people. The company specializes in the production of lead poles for industrial and traction batteries using gravity casting. The elements embedded in the cast are manufactured on a machining centre, which provides the stability of the process and of the dimensions of the product as well as a very short production time. As a result of observation and analysis the authors have developed a concept for the implementation of a dynamic suggestion system in ALCO-MOT, including, among others, a standard for actions in the implementation of the suggestion system, as well as clear guidelines for the processing and presentation of the activities undertaken in the time between the establishment of the concept (suggestions) and the benefits analysis after the proposed solutions have been implemented. The authors also present how suggestions proposed by ALCO-MOT staff contributed to the improvement of the processes of production and quality control. Employees offered more than 30 suggestions, of which more than a half are being implemented now and further actions are being prepared for implementation. The authors will present the results of improvements in, for example, tool replacement time, scrap reduction. The authors will present how kaizen can improve the production and quality control processes. They will present how the production and quality control processes looked before and after the implementation of employee suggestions.

Human Connectome Project Informatics: quality control, database services, and data visualization

PubMed Central

Marcus, Daniel S.; Harms, Michael P.; Snyder, Abraham Z.; Jenkinson, Mark; Wilson, J Anthony; Glasser, Matthew F.; Barch, Deanna M.; Archie, Kevin A.; Burgess, Gregory C.; Ramaratnam, Mohana; Hodge, Michael; Horton, William; Herrick, Rick; Olsen, Timothy; McKay, Michael; House, Matthew; Hileman, Michael; Reid, Erin; Harwell, John; Coalson, Timothy; Schindler, Jon; Elam, Jennifer S.; Curtiss, Sandra W.; Van Essen, David C.

2013-01-01

The Human Connectome Project (HCP) has developed protocols, standard operating and quality control procedures, and a suite of informatics tools to enable high throughput data collection, data sharing, automated data processing and analysis, and data mining and visualization. Quality control procedures include methods to maintain data collection consistency over time, to measure head motion, and to establish quantitative modality-specific overall quality assessments. Database services developed as customizations of the XNAT imaging informatics platform support both internal daily operations and open access data sharing. The Connectome Workbench visualization environment enables user interaction with HCP data and is increasingly integrated with the HCP's database services. Here we describe the current state of these procedures and tools and their application in the ongoing HCP study. PMID:23707591

The data quality analyzer: a quality control program for seismic data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ringler, Adam; Hagerty, M.T.; Holland, James F.; Gonzales, A.; Gee, Lind S.; Edwards, J.D.; Wilson, David; Baker, Adam

2015-01-01

The quantification of data quality is based on the evaluation of various metrics (e.g., timing quality, daily noise levels relative to long-term noise models, and comparisons between broadband data and event synthetics). Users may select which metrics contribute to the assessment and those metrics are aggregated into a “grade” for each station. The DQA is being actively used for station diagnostics and evaluation based on the completed metrics (availability, gap count, timing quality, deviation from a global noise model, deviation from a station noise model, coherence between co-located sensors, and comparison between broadband data and synthetics for earthquakes) on stations in the Global Seismographic Network and Advanced National Seismic System.

The Effectiveness of Web-Based Asthma Self-Management System, My Asthma Portal (MAP): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Ernst, Pierre; Bartlett, Susan J; Valois, Marie-France; Zaihra, Tasneem; Paré, Guy; Grad, Roland; Eilayyan, Owis; Perreault, Robert; Tamblyn, Robyn

2016-01-01

Background Whether Web-based technologies can improve disease self-management is uncertain. My Asthma Portal (MAP) is a Web-based self-management support system that couples evidence-based behavioral change components (self-monitoring of symptoms, physical activity, and medication adherence) with real-time monitoring, feedback, and support from a nurse case manager. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the impact of access to a Web-based asthma self-management patient portal linked to a case-management system (MAP) over 6 months compared with usual care on asthma control and quality of life. Methods A multicenter, parallel, 2-arm, pilot, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 100 adults with confirmed diagnosis of asthma from 2 specialty clinics. Asthma control was measured using an algorithm based on overuse of fast-acting bronchodilators and emergency department visits, and asthma-related quality of life was assessed using the Mini-Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MAQLQ). Secondary mediating outcomes included asthma symptoms, depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, and beliefs about medication. Process evaluations were also included. Results A total of 49 individuals were randomized to MAP and 51 to usual care. Compared with usual care, participants in the intervention group reported significantly higher asthma quality of life (mean change 0.61, 95% CI 0.03 to 1.19), and the change in asthma quality of life for the intervention group between baseline and 3 months (mean change 0.66, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.98) was not seen in the control group. No significant differences in asthma quality of life were found between the intervention and control groups at 6 (mean change 0.46, 95% CI –0.12 to 1.05) and 9 months (mean change 0.39, 95% CI –0.2 to 0.98). For poor control status, there was no significant effect of group, time, or group by time. For all self-reported measures, the intervention group had a significantly higher proportion of individuals, demonstrating a minimal clinically meaningful improvement compared with the usual care group. Conclusions This study supported the use of MAP to enhance asthma quality of life but not asthma control as measured by an administrative database. Implementation of MAP beyond 6 months with tailored protocols for monitoring symptoms and health behaviors as individuals’ knowledge and self-management skills improve may result in long-term gains in asthma control. ClinicalTrial International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 34326236; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN34326236 (Archived by Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/6mGxoI1R7). PMID:27908846

A conceptual ground-water-quality monitoring network for San Fernando Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Setmire, J.G.

1985-01-01

A conceptual groundwater-quality monitoring network was developed for San Fernando Valley to provide the California State Water Resources Control Board with an integrated, basinwide control system to monitor the quality of groundwater. The geology, occurrence and movement of groundwater, land use, background water quality, and potential sources of pollution were described and then considered in designing the conceptual monitoring network. The network was designed to monitor major known and potential point and nonpoint sources of groundwater contamination over time. The network is composed of 291 sites where wells are needed to define the groundwater quality. The ideal network includes four specific-purpose networks to monitor (1) ambient water quality, (2) nonpoint sources of pollution, (3) point sources of pollution, and (4) line sources of pollution. (USGS)

Monitoring the Level of Students' GPAs over Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakir, Saad T.; McNeal, Bob

2010-01-01

A nonparametric (or distribution-free) statistical quality control chart is used to monitor the cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) of students over time. The chart is designed to detect any statistically significant positive or negative shifts in student GPAs from a desired target level. This nonparametric control chart is based on the…

Quality of Diabetes Care in Germany Improved from 2000 to 2007 to 2014, but Improvements Diminished since 2007. Evidence from the Population-Based KORA Studies

PubMed Central

Knoll, Gabriella; Schunk, Michaela; Meisinger, Christa; Huth, Cornelia; Holle, Rolf

2016-01-01

Objective Little is known about the development of the quality of diabetes care in Germany. The aim of this study is to analyze time trends in patient self-management, physician-delivered care, medication, risk factor control, complications and quality of life from 2000 to 2014. Methods Analyses are based on data from individuals with type 2 diabetes of the population-based KORA S4 (1999–2001, n = 150), F4 (2006–2008, n = 203), FF4 (2013/14, n = 212) cohort study. Information on patient self-management, physician-delivered care, medication, risk factor control and quality of life were assessed in standardized questionnaires and examinations. The 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk was calculated using the UKPDS risk engine. Time trends were analyzed using multivariable linear and logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, education, diabetes duration, and history of cardiovascular disease. Results From 2000 to 2014 the proportion of participants with type 2 diabetes receiving oral antidiabetic/cardio-protective medication and of those reaching treatment goals for glycemic control (HbA1c<7%, 60% to 71%, p = 0.09), blood pressure (<140/80 mmHg, 25% to 69%, p<0.001) and LDL cholesterol (<2.6 mmol/l, 13% to 27%, p<0.001) increased significantly. However, improvements were generally smaller from 2007 to 2014 than from 2000 to 2007. Modeled 10-year CHD risk decreased from 30% in 2000 to 24% in 2007 to 19% in 2014 (p<0.01). From 2007 to 2014, the prevalence of microvascular complications decreased and quality of life increased, but no improvements were observed for the majority of indicators of self-management. Conclusion Despite improvements, medication and risk factor control has remained suboptimal. The flattening of improvements and deteriorations in quality of (self-) care since 2007 indicate that more effort is needed to improve quality of care and patient self-management. Due to selection or lead time bias an overestimation of quality of care improvements cannot be ruled out. PMID:27749939

Effect on asphalt quality due to nighttime construction : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-01

The objectives of this project were to identify and analyze the nighttime paving traffic control standards in other states and compare the effects of daytime vs. nighttime paving on quality, safety, costs, and construction time. Surveys of various De...

Recent National Transonic Facility Test Process Improvements (Invited)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilgore, W. A.; Balakrishna, S.; Bobbitt, C. W., Jr.; Adcock, J. B.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the results of two recent process improvements; drag feed-forward Mach number control and simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing, at the National Transonic Facility. These improvements have reduced the duration and cost of testing. The drag feed-forward Mach number control reduces the Mach number settling time by using measured model drag in the Mach number control algorithm. Simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing allows simultaneous collection of force/moment and pressure data without sacrificing data quality thereby reducing the overall testing time. Both improvements can be implemented at any wind tunnel. Additionally the NTF is working to develop and implement continuous pitch as a testing option as an additional method to reduce costs and maintain data quality.

Recent National Transonic Facility Test Process Improvements (Invited)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilgore, W. A.; Balakrishna, S.; Bobbitt, C. W., Jr.; Adcock, J. B.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the results of two recent process improvements; drag feed-forward Mach number control and simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing, at the National Transonic Facility. These improvements have reduced the duration and cost of testing. The drag feedforward Mach number control reduces the Mach number settling time by using measured model drag in the Mach number control algorithm. Simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing allows simultaneous collection of force/moment and pressure data without sacrificing data quality thereby reducing the overall testing time. Both improvements can be implemented at any wind tunnel. Additionally the NTF is working to develop and implement continuous pitch as a testing option as an additional method to reduce costs and maintain data quality.

Quantity is nothing without quality: automated QA/QC for streaming sensor networks

Treesearch

John L. Campbell; Lindsey E. Rustad; John H. Porter; Jeffrey R. Taylor; Ethan W. Dereszynski; James B. Shanley; Corinna Gries; Donald L. Henshaw; Mary E. Martin; Wade. M. Sheldon; Emery R. Boose

2013-01-01

Sensor networks are revolutionizing environmental monitoring by producing massive quantities of data that are being made publically available in near real time. These data streams pose a challenge for ecologists because traditional approaches to quality assurance and quality control are no longer practical when confronted with the size of these data sets and the...

Handling qualities effects of display latency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, David W.

1993-01-01

Display latency is the time delay between aircraft response and the corresponding response of the cockpit displays. Currently, there is no explicit specification for allowable display lags to ensure acceptable aircraft handling qualities in instrument flight conditions. This paper examines the handling qualities effects of display latency between 70 and 400 milliseconds for precision instrument flight tasks of the V-22 Tiltrotor aircraft. Display delay effects on the pilot control loop are analytically predicted through a second order pilot crossover model of the V-22 lateral axis, and handling qualities trends are evaluated through a series of fixed-base piloted simulation tests. The results show that the effects of display latency for flight path tracking tasks are driven by the stability characteristics of the attitude control loop. The data indicate that the loss of control damping due to latency can be simply predicted from knowledge of the aircraft's stability margins, control system lags, and required control bandwidths. Based on the relationship between attitude control damping and handling qualities ratings, latency design guidelines are presented. In addition, this paper presents a design philosophy, supported by simulation data, for using flight director display augmentation to suppress the effects of display latency for delays up to 300 milliseconds.

High-field open versus short-bore magnetic resonance imaging of the spine: a randomized controlled comparison of image quality.

PubMed

Enders, Judith; Rief, Matthias; Zimmermann, Elke; Asbach, Patrick; Diederichs, Gerd; Wetz, Christoph; Siebert, Eberhard; Wagner, Moritz; Hamm, Bernd; Dewey, Marc

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare the image quality of spinal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed on a high-field horizontal open versus a short-bore MR scanner in a randomized controlled study setup. Altogether, 93 (80% women, mean age 53) consecutive patients underwent spine imaging after random assignement to a 1-T horizontal open MR scanner with a vertical magnetic field or a 1.5-T short-bore MR scanner. This patient subset was part of a larger cohort. Image quality was assessed by determining qualitative parameters, signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR), and quantitative contour sharpness. The image quality parameters were higher for short-bore MR imaging. Regarding all sequences, the relative differences were 39% for the mean overall qualitative image quality, 53% for the mean SNR values, and 34-37% for the quantitative contour sharpness (P<0.0001). The CNR values were also higher for images obtained with the short-bore MR scanner. No sequence was of very poor (nondiagnostic) image quality. Scanning times were significantly longer for examinations performed on the open MR scanner (mean: 32±22 min versus 20±9 min; P<0.0001). In this randomized controlled comparison of spinal MR imaging with an open versus a short-bore scanner, short-bore MR imaging revealed considerably higher image quality with shorter scanning times. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00715806.

High-Field Open versus Short-Bore Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Spine: A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Image Quality

PubMed Central

Zimmermann, Elke; Asbach, Patrick; Diederichs, Gerd; Wetz, Christoph; Siebert, Eberhard; Wagner, Moritz; Hamm, Bernd; Dewey, Marc

2013-01-01

Background The purpose of the present study was to compare the image quality of spinal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed on a high-field horizontal open versus a short-bore MR scanner in a randomized controlled study setup. Methods Altogether, 93 (80% women, mean age 53) consecutive patients underwent spine imaging after random assignement to a 1-T horizontal open MR scanner with a vertical magnetic field or a 1.5-T short-bore MR scanner. This patient subset was part of a larger cohort. Image quality was assessed by determining qualitative parameters, signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR), and quantitative contour sharpness. Results The image quality parameters were higher for short-bore MR imaging. Regarding all sequences, the relative differences were 39% for the mean overall qualitative image quality, 53% for the mean SNR values, and 34–37% for the quantitative contour sharpness (P<0.0001). The CNR values were also higher for images obtained with the short-bore MR scanner. No sequence was of very poor (nondiagnostic) image quality. Scanning times were significantly longer for examinations performed on the open MR scanner (mean: 32±22 min versus 20±9 min; P<0.0001). Conclusions In this randomized controlled comparison of spinal MR imaging with an open versus a short-bore scanner, short-bore MR imaging revealed considerably higher image quality with shorter scanning times. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00715806 PMID:24391767

Mathematical modeling for resource and energy saving control of extruders in multi-assortment productions of polymeric films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polosin, A. N.; Chistyakova, T. B.

2018-05-01

In this article, the authors describe mathematical modeling of polymer processing in extruders of various types used in extrusion and calender productions of film materials. The method consists of the synthesis of a static model for calculating throughput, energy consumption of the extruder, extrudate quality indices, as well as a dynamic model for evaluating polymer residence time in the extruder, on which the quality indices depend. Models are adjusted according to the extruder type (single-screw, reciprocating, twin-screw), its screw and head configuration, extruder’s work temperature conditions, and the processed polymer type. Models enable creating extruder screw configurations and determining extruder controlling action values that provide the extrudate of required quality while satisfying extruder throughput and energy consumption requirements. Model adequacy has been verified using polyolefins’ and polyvinylchloride processing data in different extruders. The program complex, based on mathematical models, has been developed in order to control extruders of various types in order to ensure resource and energy saving in multi-assortment productions of polymeric films. Using the program complex in the control system for the extrusion stage of the polymeric film productions enables improving film quality, reducing spoilage, lessening the time required for production line change-over to other throughput and film type assignment.

Storm water management in an urban catchment: effects of source control and real-time management of sewer systems on receiving water quality.

PubMed

Frehmann, T; Nafo, I; Niemann, A; Geiger, W F

2002-01-01

For the examination of the effects of different storm water management strategies in an urban catchment area on receiving water quality, an integrated simulation of the sewer system, wastewater treatment plant and receiving water is carried out. In the sewer system real-time control measures are implemented. As examples of source control measures the reduction of wastewater and the reduction of the amount of impervious surfaces producing storm water discharges are examined. The surface runoff calculation and the simulation of the sewer system and the WWTP are based on a MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation environment. The impact of the measures on the receiving water is simulated using AQUASIM. It can be shown that the examined storm water management measures, especially the source control measures, can reduce the combined sewer overflow volume and the pollutant discharge load considerably. All examined measures also have positive effects on the receiving water quality. Moreover, the reduction of impervious surfaces avoids combined sewer overflow activities, and in consequence prevents pollutants from discharging into the receiving water after small rainfall events. However, the receiving water quality improvement may not be seen as important enough to avoid acute receiving water effects in general.

An analysis of a candidate control algorithm for a ride quality augmentation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suikat, Reiner; Donaldson, Kent; Downing, David R.

1987-01-01

This paper presents a detailed analysis of a candidate algorithm for a ride quality augmentation system. The algorithm consists of a full-state feedback control law based on optimal control output weighting, estimators for angle of attack and sideslip, and a maneuvering algorithm. The control law is shown to perform well by both frequency and time domain analysis. The rms vertical acceleration is reduced by about 40 percent over the whole mission flight envelope. The estimators for the angle of attack and sideslip avoid the often inaccurate or costly direct measurement of those angles. The maneuvering algorithm will allow the augmented airplane to respond to pilot inputs. The design characteristics and performance are documented by the closed-loop eigenvalues; rms levels of vertical, lateral, and longitudinal acceleration; and representative time histories and frequency response.

Aquatic therapy improves pain, disability, quality of life, body composition and fitness in sedentary adults with chronic low back pain. A controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

Baena-Beato, Pedro Ángel; Artero, Enrique G; Arroyo-Morales, Manuel; Robles-Fuentes, Alejandro; Gatto-Cardia, María Claudia; Delgado-Fernández, Manuel

2014-04-01

To determine the effects of a two-month intensive aquatic therapy programme on back pain, disability, quality of life, body composition and health-related fitness in sedentary adults with chronic low back pain. Controlled clinical trial. Community. Forty-nine sedentary patients with chronic low back pain. Patients were allocated into active group (n = 24, two months, five times/week) or waiting list, control group (n = 25) according to space on the programme. Outcomes variables were pain (visual analogue scale), disability (Oswestry Disability Index), quality of life (Quality Short-Form Health Survey 36), body composition (weight, body mass index, body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass) and health-related fitness (sit-and-reach, handgrip strength, curl-up, Rockport 1-mile test). The active group significantly improved low back pain (-3.83 ± 0.35 mm on the visual analogue scale ), disability (-12.7 ± 1.3 points for the Oswestry Disability Index) and the standardized physical component (10.3 ± 1.4 points for the Quality Short-Form Health Survey 36) of quality-of-life domains (P < 0.001), with no significant changes on the standardized mental component (P = 0.114). In relation to body composition and fitness, the active group showed significant improvements (all P-values < 0.01). The control group presented no significant change in any parameter. A two-month intensive aquatic therapy programme of high-frequency (five times/week) decreases levels of back pain and disability, increases quality of life, and improves body composition and health-related fitness in sedentary adults with chronic low back pain.

Impact of a Mindfulness-Based Weight-Loss Intervention on Sleep Quality Among Adults with Obesity: Data from the SHINE Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Adler, Elizabeth; Dhruva, Anand; Moran, Patricia J; Daubenmier, Jennifer; Acree, Michael; Epel, Elissa S; Bacchetti, Peter; Prather, Aric A; Mason, Ashley; Hecht, Frederick M

2017-03-01

Sleep disturbance is a common problem among adults with obesity. Mindfulness interventions have been shown to improve sleep quality in various populations but have not been investigated in adults with obesity. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a mindfulness-based weight-loss intervention with an active control on self-reported sleep quality among adults with obesity. This study was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial and included 194 adults with a body mass index in the range 30-45 kg/m 2 . The treatment intervention included mindfulness-based eating and stress-management practices, and the active control intervention included training in progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). Both groups received identical diet and exercise guidelines in 17 group sessions conducted over 5.5 months that were matched for time, attention, and social support. The primary outcome of this analysis was between-group change in self-reported sleep quality, which was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score at baseline and at 6, 12, and 18 months. Between-group differences in mean PSQI change scores in the mindfulness group (n = 100) compared to the control group (n = 94) were -0.27 (-0.68, 1.22; p = 0.58) at 6 months, -0.57 (-0.35, 1.50; p = 0.22) at 12 months, and -0.50 (-0.53, 1.53; p = 0.34) at 18 months, all in the direction of more sleep improvement in the mindfulness group but none reaching statistical significance. In the mindfulness group, average weekly minutes of meditation practice time was associated with improved sleep quality from baseline to 6 months. No statistically significant evidence was found that a weight-loss program that incorporates mindfulness improves self-reported sleep quality compared to a control diet/exercise intervention that included PMR. Within the mindfulness group, average weekly minutes of mindfulness practice was associated with improved sleep quality.

Research on PM2.5 time series characteristics based on data mining technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Lifang; Jia, Jin

2018-02-01

With the development of data mining technology and the establishment of environmental air quality database, it is necessary to discover the potential correlations and rules by digging the massive environmental air quality information and analyzing the air pollution process. In this paper, we have presented a sequential pattern mining method based on the air quality data and pattern association technology to analyze the PM2.5 time series characteristics. Utilizing the real-time monitoring data of urban air quality in China, the time series rule and variation properties of PM2.5 under different pollution levels are extracted and analyzed. The analysis results show that the time sequence features of the PM2.5 concentration is directly affected by the alteration of the pollution degree. The longest time that PM2.5 remained stable is about 24 hours. As the pollution degree gets severer, the instability time and step ascending time gradually changes from 12-24 hours to 3 hours. The presented method is helpful for the controlling and forecasting of the air quality while saving the measuring costs, which is of great significance for the government regulation and public prevention of the air pollution.

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

Costa, Mafalda T., E-mail: mafaldatcosta@gmail.com; Carolino, Elisabete, E-mail: lizcarolino@gmail.com; Oliveira, Teresa A., E-mail: teresa.oliveira@uab.pt

In water supply systems with distribution networkthe most critical aspects of control and Monitoring of water quality, which generates crises system, are the effects of cross-contamination originated by the network typology. The classics of control of quality systems through the application of Shewhart charts are generally difficult to manage in real time due to the high number of charts that must be completed and evaluated. As an alternative to the traditional control systems with Shewhart charts, this study aimed to apply a simplified methodology of a monitoring plan quality parameters in a drinking water distribution, by applying Hotelling’s T{sup 2}more » charts and supplemented with Shewhart charts with Bonferroni limits system, whenever instabilities with processes were detected.« less

Flared landing approach flying qualities. Volume 2: Appendices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weingarten, Norman C.; Berthe, Charles J., Jr.; Rynaski, Edmund G.; Sarrafian, Shahan K.

1986-01-01

An in-flight research study was conducted utilizing the USAF/Total In-Flight Simulator (TIFS) to investigate longitudinal flying qualities for the flared landing approach phase of flight. A consistent set of data were generated for: determining what kind of command response the pilot prefers/requires in order to flare and land an aircraft with precision, and refining a time history criterion that took into account all the necessary variables and the characteristics that would accurately predict flying qualities. Seven evaluation pilots participated representing NASA Langley, NASA Dryden, Calspan, Boeing, Lockheed, and DFVLR (Braunschweig, Germany). The results of the first part of the study provide guidelines to the flight control system designer, using MIL-F-8785-(C) as a guide, that yield the dynamic behavior pilots prefer in flared landings. The results of the second part provide the flying qualities engineer with a derived flying qualities predictive tool which appears to be highly accurate. This time-domain predictive flying qualities criterion was applied to the flight data as well as six previous flying qualities studies, and the results indicate that the criterion predicted the flying qualities level 81% of the time and the Cooper-Harper pilot rating, within + or - 1%, 60% of the time.

Flared landing approach flying qualities. Volume 1: Experiment design and analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weingarten, Norman C.; Berthe, Charles J., Jr.; Rynaski, Edmund G.; Sarrafian, Shahan K.

1986-01-01

An inflight research study was conducted utilizing the USAF Total Inflight Simulator (TIFS) to investigate longitudinal flying qualities for the flared landing approach phase of flight. The purpose of the experiment was to generate a consistent set of data for: (1) determining what kind of commanded response the pilot prefers in order to flare and land an airplane with precision, and (2) refining a time history criterion that took into account all the necessary variables and their characteristics that would accurately predict flying qualities. The result of the first part provides guidelines to the flight control system designer, using MIL-F-8785-(C) as a guide, that yield the dynamic behavior pilots perfer in flared landings. The results of the second part provides the flying qualities engineer with a newly derived flying qualities predictive tool which appears to be highly accurate. This time domain predictive flying qualities criterion was applied to the flight data as well as six previous flying qualities studies, and the results indicate that the criterion predicted the flying qualities level 81% of the time and the Cooper-Harper pilot rating, within + or - 1, 60% of the time.

Alertness and cognitive control: Testing the early onset hypothesis.

PubMed

Schneider, Darryl W

2018-05-01

Previous research has revealed a peculiar interaction between alertness and cognitive control in selective-attention tasks: Congruency effects are larger on alert trials (on which an alerting cue is presented briefly in advance of the imperative stimulus) than on no-alert trials, despite shorter response times (RTs) on alert trials. One explanation for this finding is the early onset hypothesis, which is based on the assumptions that increased alertness shortens stimulus-encoding time and that cognitive control involves gradually focusing attention during a trial. The author tested the hypothesis in 3 experiments by manipulating alertness and stimulus quality (which were intended to shorten and lengthen stimulus-encoding time, respectively) in an arrow-based flanker task involving congruent and incongruent stimuli. Replicating past findings, the alerting manipulation led to shorter RTs but larger congruency effects on alert trials than on no-alert trials. The stimulus-quality manipulation led to longer RTs and larger congruency effects for degraded stimuli than for intact stimuli. These results provide mixed support for the early onset hypothesis, but the author discusses how data and theory might be reconciled if stimulus quality affects stimulus-encoding time and the rate of evidence accumulation in the decision process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Environment-friendly cycle time optimization and quality improvisation using Six Sigma.

PubMed

Deshpande, V S; Mungle, N P

2008-07-01

Healthy environment in any organization can make a difference in improving productivity and quality with low defect, lack of concentration, willingness to work, minimum accidental problems etc. Six Sigma is one of the more recent quality improvement initiatives to gain popularity and acceptance in many industries across the globe. It is an alternative to TQM to obtain minimum manufacturing defect, cycle time reduction, cost reduction, inventory reduction etc. Its use is increasingly widespread in many industries, in both manufacturing and service industries with many proponents of the approach claiming that it has developed beyond a quality control approach into a broader process improvement concept.

HPTLC Fingerprint Analysis: A Quality Control for Authentication of Herbal Phytochemicals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ram, Mauji; Abdin, M. Z.; Khan, M. A.; Jha, Prabhakar

Authentication and consistent quality are the basic requirement for Indian traditional medicine (TIM), Chinese traditional herbal medicine (TCHM), and their commercial products, regardless of the kind of research conducted to modernize the TIM and TCHM. The complexities of TIM and TCHM challenge the current official quality control mode, for which only a few biochemical markers were selected for identification and quantitative assay. Referring too many unknown factors existed in TIM and TCHM, it is impossible and unnecessary to pinpoint qualitatively and quantitatively every single component contained in the herbal drug. Chromatographic fingerprint is a rational option to meet the need for more effective and powerful quality assessment to TIM and TCHM. The optimized chromatographic fingerprint is not only an alternative analytical tool for authentication, but also an approach to express the various pattern of chemical ingredients distribution in the herbal drugs and preserve such "database" for further multifaced sustainable studies. Analytical separation techniques, for example, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) were among the most popular methods of choice used for quality control of raw material and finished herbal product. Fingerprint analysis approach using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) has become the most potent tool for quality control of herbal medicines because of its simplicity and reliability. It can serve as a tool for identification, authentication, and quality control of herbal drugs. In this chapter, attempts are being made to expand the use of HPTLC and at the same time create interest among prospective researcher in herbal analysis. The developed method can be used as a quality control tool for rapid authentication from a wide variety of herbal samples. Some examples demonstrated the role of fingerprinting in quality control and assessment.

Quality of randomized controlled trials published in the International Urogynecology Journal 2007-2016.

PubMed

Kim, Kyu Shik; Chung, Jae Hoon; Jo, Jung Ki; Kim, Jae Heon; Kim, Seungjun; Cho, Jeoung Man; Cho, Hee Ju; Choi, Hong Yong; Lee, Seung Wook

2018-07-01

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide the best quality clinical evidence. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of RCTs published by the International Urogynecology Journal (IUJ) in 2007-2016. RCTs in original articles were extracted from PubMed and IUJ homepage. Change in RCT quality over time was assessed with Jadad and van Tulder scales and Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool (CCRBT). Jadad scores of 3-5 or van Tulder scores of >5 indicated high-quality RCTs. The effect on RCT quality of including funding source and institutional review board (IRB) approval statements and describing the intervention was assessed. In addition, changes in RCT topics over time were assessed. Annual RCT frequencies did not change significantly (6.7-15.7%): 36.1% and 25.7% described blinding and allocation concealment, respectively. Both tended to increase between 2013 and 2016, particularly 2013 and 2014. Funding statement inclusion (39.1% overall) and intervention description (78.2% overall) tended to increase steadily. IRB statement inclusion (60.4% overall) increased significantly (p < 0.01). Jadad scores and van Tulder rose significantly until 2014 (p < 0.01). Frequencies of high-quality RCTs tended to rise. CCRBT indicated that RCTs with a low risk of bias tended to increase until 2014. However, from 2015, Jadad scores, van Tulder, and CCRBT the low risk tended to decreased. RCTs with funding and IRB approval statements had higher Jadad and van Tulder scores than unfunded RCTs (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). Intervention description did not associate with better quality. RCT quality improved over time, but a dip in quality was observed in 2015-2016 because of decreased blinding and allocation concealment.

Recent water quality trends in a typical semi-arid river with a sharp decrease in streamflow and construction of sewage treatment plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Peng; Li, Xuyong; Su, Jingjun; Hao, Shaonan

2018-01-01

Identification of the interactive responses of water quantity and quality to changes in nature and human stressors is important for the effective management of water resources. Many studies have been conducted to determine the influence of these stressors on river discharge and water quality. However, there is little information about whether sewage treatment plants can improve water quality in a region where river streamflow has decreased sharply. In this study, a seasonal trend decomposition method was used to analyze long-term (1996-2015) and seasonal trends in the streamflow and water quality of the Guanting Reservoir Basin, which is located in a semi-arid region of China. The results showed that the streamflow in the Guanting Reservoir Basin decreased sharply from 1996-2000 due to precipitation change and human activities (human use and reservoir regulation), while the streamflow decline over the longer period of time (1996-2015) could be attributed to human activities. During the same time, the river water quality improved significantly, having a positive relationship with the capacity of wastewater treatment facilities. The water quality in the Guanting Reservoir showed a deferred response to the reduced external loading, due to internal loading from sediments. These results implied that for rivers in which streamflow has declined sharply, the water quality could be improved significantly by actions to control water pollution control. This study not only provides useful information for water resource management in the Guanting Reservoir Basin, but also supports the implementation of water pollution control measures in other rivers with a sharp decline in streamflow.

The effect of peer-led education on the life quality of mastectomy patients referred to breast cancer-clinics in Shiraz, Iran 2009.

PubMed

Sharif, Farkhondeh; Abshorshori, Narjes; Tahmasebi, Sedigheh; Hazrati, Maryam; Zare, Najaf; Masoumi, Sarah

2010-07-23

Breast cancer among women is a relatively common with a more favorable expected survival rates than other forms of cancers. This study aimed to determine the improved quality of life for post-mastectomy women through peer education. Using pre and post test follow up and control design approach, 99 women with stage I and II of breast cancer diagnosis were followed one year after modified radical mastectomy. To measure the quality of life an instrument designed by the European organization for research and treatment of cancer, known as the Quality of Life Question (QLQ-30) and its breast cancer supplementary measure (QLQ-BR23) at three points in time (before, immediately and two months after intervention) for both groups were used. The participant selection was a convenient sampling method and women were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group was randomly assigned to five groups and peer educators conducted weekly educational programs for one month. Tabulated data were analyzed using chi square, t test, and repeated measurement multivariate to compare the quality of life differences over time. For the experimental group, the results showed statistically significant improvement in all performance aspects of life quality and symptom reduction (P < 0.001), while the control group had no significant differences in all aspects of life quality. The findings of this study suggest that peer led education is a useful intervention for post-mastectomy women to improve their quality of life.

Impact of chronic lymphatic filariasis on quantity and quality of productive work among weavers in an endemic village from India.

PubMed

Babu, B V; Swain, B K; Rath, K

2006-05-01

To assess the impact of hydrocele and lymphoedema on the quantity and quality of productive work of weavers. Case-control study in an endemic village in Andhra Pradesh, India. We collected qualitative data on work activities from cases and age- and sex-matched controls through informal discussions and observation. The mean (+/-standard deviation) daily work time of cases was 7.38 h (+/-2.47), significantly less than that of controls (8.17+/-2.41 h). Lost work time was equivalent to around 29 days of work in a year. Gender had significant influence on the mean number of working hours in this occupational group. Most cases could not weave, which is physically demanding, and preferred less strenuous tasks such as spinning, starching, dyeing or sizing. Hard physical labour constitutes 71.5% of total work time among patients and 83.7% in controls. As income also depends on the type of work, cases earn less. Filariasis has an adverse impact on the productivity of weavers, and morbidity management strategies and control programmes need to take this into account.

Analysis of the longitudinal handling qualities and pilot-induced-oscillation tendencies of the High-Angle-of-Attack Research Vehicle (HARV)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, Ronald A.

1994-01-01

The NASA High-Angle-of Attack Research Vehicle (HARV), a modified F-18 aircraft, experienced handling qualities problems in recent flight tests at NASA Dryden Research Center. Foremost in these problems was the tendency of the pilot-aircraft system to exhibit a potentially dangerous phenomenon known as a pilot-induced oscillation (PIO). When they occur, PIO's can severely restrict performance, sharply dimish mission capabilities, and can even result in aircraft loss. A pilot/vehicle analysis was undertaken with the goal of reducing these PIO tendencies and improving the overall vehicle handling qualities with as few changes as possible to the existing feedback/feedforward flight control laws. Utilizing a pair of analytical pilot models developed by the author, a pilot/vehicle analysis of the existing longitudinal flight control system was undertaken. The analysis included prediction of overall handling qualities levels and PIO susceptability. The analysis indicated that improvement in the flight control system was warranted and led to the formulation of a simple control stick command shaping filter. Analysis of the pilot/vehicle system with the shaping filter indicated significant improvements in handling qualities and PIO tendencies could be achieved. A non-real time simulation of the modified control system was undertaken with a realistic, nonlinear model of the current HARV. Special emphasis was placed upon those details of the command filter implementation which could effect safety of flight. The modified system is currently awaiting evaluation in the real-time, pilot-in-the-loop, Dual-Maneuvering-Simulator (DMS) facility at Langley.

The impact of travel distance, travel time and waiting time on health-related quality of life of diabetes patients: An investigation in six European countries.

PubMed

Konerding, Uwe; Bowen, Tom; Elkhuizen, Sylvia G; Faubel, Raquel; Forte, Paul; Karampli, Eleftheria; Mahdavi, Mahdi; Malmström, Tomi; Pavi, Elpida; Torkki, Paulus

2017-04-01

The effects of travel distance and travel time to the primary diabetes care provider and waiting time in the practice on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with type 2 diabetes are investigated. Survey data of 1313 persons with type 2 diabetes from six regions in England (274), Finland (163), Germany (254), Greece (165), the Netherlands (354), and Spain (103) were analyzed. Various multiple linear regression analyses with four different EQ-5D-3L indices (English, German, Dutch and Spanish index) as target variables, with travel distance, travel time, and waiting time in the practice as focal predictors and with control for study region, patient's gender, patient's age, patient's education, time since diagnosis, thoroughness of provider-patient communication were computed. Interactions of regions with the remaining five control variables and the three focal predictors were also tested. There are no interactions of regions with control variables or focal predictors. The indices decrease with increasing travel time to the provider and increasing waiting time in the provider's practice. HRQoL of patients with type 2 diabetes might be improved by decreasing travel time to the provider and waiting time in the provider's practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantifying the effect of air quality control measures during the 2010 Commonwealth Games at Delhi, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beig, Gufran; Chate, Dilip M.; Ghude, Sachin. D.; Mahajan, A. S.; Srinivas, R.; Ali, K.; Sahu, S. K.; Parkhi, N.; Surendran, D.; Trimbake, H. R.

2013-12-01

In 2010, the XIX Commonwealth Games (CWG-2010) were held in India for the first time at Delhi and involved 71 commonwealth nations and dependencies with more than 6000 athletes participating in 272 events. This was the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in India and strict emission controls were imposed during the games in order to ensure improved air quality for the participating athletes as a significant portion of the population in Delhi is regularly exposed to elevated levels of pollution. The air quality control measures ranged from vehicular and traffic controls to relocation of factories and reduction of power plant emissions. In order to understand the effects of these policy induced control measures, a network of air quality and weather monitoring stations was set-up across different areas in Delhi under the Government of India's System of Air quality Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) project. Simultaneous measurements of aerosols, reactive trace gases (e.g. NOx, O3, CO) and meteorological parameters were made before, during and after CWG-2010. Contrary to expectations, the emission controls implemented were not sufficient to reduce the pollutants, instead in some cases, causing an increase. The measured pollutants regularly exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality limits over the games period. The reasons for this increase are attributed to an underestimation of the required control measures, which resulted in inadequate planning. The results indicate that any future air quality control measures need to be well planned and strictly imposed in order to improve the air quality in Delhi, which affects a large population and is deteriorating rapidly. Thus, the presence of systematic high resolution data and realistic emission inventories through networks such as SAFAR will be directly useful for the future.

Rotorcraft flying qualities improvement using advanced control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, D.; Postlethwaite, I.; Howitt, J.; Foster, N.

1993-01-01

We report on recent experience gained when a multivariable helicopter flight control law was tested on the Large Motion Simulator (LMS) at DRA Bedford. This was part of a study into the application of multivariable control theory to the design of full-authority flight control systems for high-performance helicopters. In this paper, we present some of the results that were obtained during the piloted simulation trial and from subsequent off-line simulation and analysis. The performance provided by the control law led to level 1 handling quality ratings for almost all of the mission task elements assessed, both during the real-time and off-line analysis.

Data Quality Screening Service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strub, Richard; Lynnes, Christopher; Hearty, Thomas; Won, Young-In; Fox, Peter; Zednik, Stephan

2013-01-01

A report describes the Data Quality Screening Service (DQSS), which is designed to help automate the filtering of remote sensing data on behalf of science users. Whereas this process often involves much research through quality documents followed by laborious coding, the DQSS is a Web Service that provides data users with data pre-filtered to their particular criteria, while at the same time guiding the user with filtering recommendations of the cognizant data experts. The DQSS design is based on a formal semantic Web ontology that describes data fields and the quality fields for applying quality control within a data product. The accompanying code base handles several remote sensing datasets and quality control schemes for data products stored in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF), a common format for NASA remote sensing data. Together, the ontology and code support a variety of quality control schemes through the implementation of the Boolean expression with simple, reusable conditional expressions as operands. Additional datasets are added to the DQSS simply by registering instances in the ontology if they follow a quality scheme that is already modeled in the ontology. New quality schemes are added by extending the ontology and adding code for each new scheme.

Sleep Quality in Adolescents With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).

PubMed

Josev, Elisha K; Jackson, Melinda L; Bei, Bei; Trinder, John; Harvey, Adrienne; Clarke, Cathriona; Snodgrass, Kelli; Scheinberg, Adam; Knight, Sarah J

2017-09-15

Little is known about the type and severity of sleep disturbances in the pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) population, compared with healthy adolescents. Using a range of objective and subjective measures, the aim of this study was to investigate sleep quality, the relationship between objective and subjective measures of sleep quality, and their associations with anxiety in adolescents with CFS/ME compared with healthy controls. Twenty-one adolescents with CFS/ME aged 13 to 18 years (mean age 15.57 ± 1.40), and 145 healthy adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (mean age 16.2 ± 1.00) wore actigraphy watches continuously for 2 weeks to collect a number of objective sleep variables. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to obtain a subjective measure of sleep quality. Anxiety was measured by the Spence Children's Anxiety scale. On average over the 2-week period, adolescents with CFS/ME were found to have (1) significantly longer objective sleep onset latency, time in bed, total sleep time, and a later rise time (all P < .005), and (2) significantly poorer subjective sleep quality ( P < .001), compared with healthy adolescents. The CFS/ME patient group displayed higher levels of anxiety ( P < .05), and in both groups, higher levels of anxiety were significantly related to poorer subjective sleep quality ( P < .001). This study provides objective and subjective evidence of sleep disturbance in adolescents with CFS/ME compared with healthy adolescent controls. © 2017 American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Handling Qualities of a Large Civil Tiltrotor in Hover using Translational Rate Command

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malpica, Carlos A.; Theodore, Colin R.; Lawrence, Ben; Lindsey, James; Blanken, Chris

2012-01-01

A Translational Rate Command (TRC) control law has been developed to enable low speed maneuvering of a large civil tiltrotor with minimal pitch changes by means of automatic nacelle angle deflections for longitudinal velocity control. The nacelle actuator bandwidth required to achieve Level 1 handling qualities in hover and the feasibility of additional longitudinal cyclic control to augment low bandwidth nacelle actuation were investigated. A frequency-domain handling qualities criterion characterizing TRC response in terms of bandwidth and phase delay was proposed and validated against a piloted simulation conducted on the NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator. Seven experimental test pilots completed evaluations in the ADS-33E-PRF Hover Mission Task Element (MTE) for a matrix of nacelle actuator bandwidths, equivalent rise times and control response sensitivities, and longitudinal cyclic control allocations. Evaluated against this task, longitudinal phase delay shows the Level 1 boundary is around 0.4 0.5 s. Accordingly, Level 1 handling qualities were achieved either with a nacelle actuator bandwidth greater than 4 rad/s, or by employing longitudinal cyclic control to augment low bandwidth nacelle actuation.

[Quality of documentation of intraoperative and postoperative complications : improvement of documentation for a nationwide quality assurance program and comparison with routine data].

PubMed

Jakob, J; Marenda, D; Sold, M; Schlüter, M; Post, S; Kienle, P

2014-08-01

Complications after cholecystectomy are continuously documented in a nationwide database in Germany. Recent studies demonstrated a lack of reliability of these data. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a control algorithm on documentation quality and the use of routine diagnosis coding as an additional validation instrument. Completeness and correctness of the documentation of complications after cholecystectomy was compared over a time interval of 12 months before and after implementation of an algorithm for faster and more accurate documentation. Furthermore, the coding of all diagnoses was screened to identify intraoperative and postoperative complications. The sensitivity of the documentation for complications improved from 46 % to 70 % (p = 0.05, specificity 98 % in both time intervals). A prolonged time interval of more than 6 weeks between patient discharge and documentation was associated with inferior data quality (incorrect documentation in 1.5 % versus 15 %, p < 0.05). The rate of case documentation within the 6 weeks after hospital discharge was clearly improved after implementation of the control algorithm. Sensitivity and specificity of screening for complications by evaluating routine diagnoses coding were 70 % and 85 %, respectively. The quality of documentation was improved by implementation of a simple memory algorithm.

Development of inferential sensors for real-time quality control of water-level data for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Daamen, Ruby C.; Edwin A. Roehl, Jr.; Conrads, Paul

2010-01-01

A technology often used for industrial applications is “inferential sensor.” Rather than installing a redundant sensor to measure a process, such as an additional waterlevel gage, an inferential sensor, or virtual sensor, is developed that estimates the processes measured by the physical sensor. The advantage of an inferential sensor is that it provides a redundant signal to the sensor in the field but without exposure to environmental threats. In the event that a gage does malfunction, the inferential sensor provides an estimate for the period of missing data. The inferential sensor also can be used in the quality assurance and quality control of the data. Inferential sensors for gages in the EDEN network are currently (2010) under development. The inferential sensors will be automated so that the real-time EDEN data will continuously be compared to the inferential sensor signal and digital reports of the status of the real-time data will be sent periodically to the appropriate support personnel. The development and application of inferential sensors is easily transferable to other real-time hydrologic monitoring networks.

Good and poor sleepers among OSA patients: sleep quality and overnight polysomnography findings.

PubMed

Lusic Kalcina, Linda; Valic, Maja; Pecotic, Renata; Pavlinac Dodig, Ivana; Dogas, Zoran

2017-07-01

Previous studies aimed to determine if Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) is a valid screening instrument for obstructive sleep apnea, indicating its disadvantages. However, the rationale of PSQI use in sleep clinics is not the screening, but the assessment of sleep quality itself. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the sleep quality in obstructive sleep apnea patients and to identify the cutoff point for differentiation of "good" and "poor" sleepers among them. We constructed the Croatian version of PSQI and assessed its psychometric properties. The protocol of the study included the assessment of sleep quality in 130 obstructive sleep apnea patients and 75 healthy control subjects. All subjects completed the Croatian version of the PSQI, and the patients underwent overnight polysomnography screening. Obstructive sleep apnea patients had higher values of the global PSQI component score, indicating lower sleep quality, compared to a healthy control group (p < 0.001). The psychometric properties of PSQI scores in the prediction of normal sleep efficiency indicate that the cutoff score of 9.5 differentiates patients in total sleep time (p <  0.001), REM duration (p = 0.014), sleep efficiency (p = 0.001), time spent awake during sleep (p = 0.006), after sleep (p = 0.024), and after sleep onset (p = 0.001). In OSA patients, a PSQI cutoff score of 9.5 differentiated good and poor sleepers significantly in total sleep time, REM duration, time spent awake during sleep, and WASO time. Current findings enhance the interpretability of PSQI results in a population of OSA patients.

Generating Options for Active Risk Control (GO-ARC): introducing a novel technique.

PubMed

Card, Alan J; Ward, James R; Clarkson, P John

2014-01-01

After investing significant amounts of time and money in conducting formal risk assessments, such as root cause analysis (RCA) or failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), healthcare workers are left to their own devices in generating high-quality risk control options. They often experience difficulty in doing so, and tend toward an overreliance on administrative controls (the weakest category in the hierarchy of risk controls). This has important implications for patient safety and the cost effectiveness of risk management operations. This paper describes a before and after pilot study of the Generating Options for Active Risk Control (GO-ARC) technique, a novel tool to improve the quality of the risk control options generation process. The quantity, quality (using the three-tiered hierarchy of risk controls), variety, and novelty of risk controls generated. Use of the GO-ARC technique was associated with improvement on all measures. While this pilot study has some notable limitations, it appears that the GO-ARC technique improved the risk control options generation process. Further research is needed to confirm this finding. It is also important to note that improved risk control options are a necessary, but not sufficient, step toward the implementation of more robust risk controls. © 2013 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

A novel approach to rapidly explore analytical markers for quality control of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae extract granules by robust principal component analysis with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Song, Jing-Zheng; Li, Song-Lin; Zhou, Yan; Qiao, Chun-Feng; Chen, Shi-Lin; Xu, Hong-Xi

2010-11-02

In a well-controlled experiment, outliers discriminated by robust principal component analysis (RPCA) represent contents in samples which are of particular quality distinguishable from the rest of the others, therefore chemical constituents in a natural product causing discrimination between outliers and the majority of samples could be considered as analytical markers for quality control. Based on this strategy, a novel approach for rapidly exploring characteristic analytical markers was proposed for the quality control of extract granules of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (EGRSM). In this study, large sizes of samples were analyzed via high-throughput ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-UV-Q-Tof MS). RPCA was first performed on the three groups of samples: RSM (the raw material), the in-house prepared aqueous extract of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (AERSM) and commercial product of EGRSM, to determine the variation of specific constituents between raw material and the final products as well as the effect of manufacturing process on the overall quality. Then RPCA was performed on the commercial products of EGRSM to explore the applicability of identified characteristic markers for the quality control of EGRSM. Candidate markers were extracted by RPCA, and their molecular formulae were determined by high resolution electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) analysis. The suitability of identified markers was then evaluated by determining the relationship between quantities of the identified markers with their antioxidant activities biologically, and further confirmed in a variety of samples. In conclusion, the combination of RPCA with UHPLC-UV-Q-Tof MS is a reliable means to identify chemical markers for evaluating quality of herbal medicines. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of baby oil on pruritus, sleep quality, and quality of life in hemodialysis patients: pretest-post-test model with control groups.

PubMed

Karadag, Ezgi; Kilic, Serap Parlar; Karatay, Gülnaz; Metin, Ozgur

2014-07-01

To assess the effect of baby oil on pruritus, sleep quality, and quality of life in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This pretest-post-test model with control groups study was conducted in HD units in two different provinces in eastern Turkey. The study group consisted of a total of 70 patients receiving HD treatment who met the inclusion criteria, 35 being in the intervention group and 35 in the control group. After the patients in both groups were informed about the study, they were administered a questionnaire, the Severity Scale, Visual Analog Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale. Following the administration of baby oil to the patients in the intervention group three times a week for a period of 1 month, the same scales were repeated to explore their pruritic status, sleep quality, and quality of life. The same scales were repeated also for the patients in the control group 1 month later but without administering any baby oil. When the Itch Severity Scale, Visual Analog Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and SF-36 Quality of Life Physical and Mental Component scores of the patients in the control and intervention groups before and after the intervention were compared, the differences in the change were found to be statistically significant in favor of the intervention group (P < 0.05). It was found in this study that administration of baby oil had positive effects on itching, quality of life, and sleep quality in HD patients who had itching complaints. © 2013 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2013 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Real-time motion-based H.263+ frame rate control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Hwangjun; Kim, JongWon; Kuo, C.-C. Jay

1998-12-01

Most existing H.263+ rate control algorithms, e.g. the one adopted in the test model of the near-term (TMN8), focus on the macroblock layer rate control and low latency under the assumptions of with a constant frame rate and through a constant bit rate (CBR) channel. These algorithms do not accommodate the transmission bandwidth fluctuation efficiently, and the resulting video quality can be degraded. In this work, we propose a new H.263+ rate control scheme which supports the variable bit rate (VBR) channel through the adjustment of the encoding frame rate and quantization parameter. A fast algorithm for the encoding frame rate control based on the inherent motion information within a sliding window in the underlying video is developed to efficiently pursue a good tradeoff between spatial and temporal quality. The proposed rate control algorithm also takes the time-varying bandwidth characteristic of the Internet into account and is able to accommodate the change accordingly. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed scheme.

Impact of the Tactical Picture Quality on the Fire Control Radar Search-Lock-On Time

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

theory terminology). It is required to grade the benefits from the different possible actions so that an optimal solution can be chosen. For instance, in...the fire control radar search-lock-on time (U) 4. AUTEURS (Nom de famille, prénom et initiales. Indiquer les grades militaires, ex.: Bleau, Maj

Research on control strategy based on fuzzy PR for grid-connected inverter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qian; Guan, Weiguo; Miao, Wen

2018-04-01

In the traditional PI controller, there is static error in tracking ac signals. To solve the problem, the control strategy of a fuzzy PR and the grid voltage feed-forward is proposed. The fuzzy PR controller is to eliminate the static error of the system. It also adjusts parameters of PR controller in real time, which avoids the defect of fixed parameter fixed. The grid voltage feed-forward control can ensure the quality of current and improve the system's anti-interference ability when the grid voltage is distorted. Finally, the simulation results show that the system can output grid current with good quality and also has good dynamic and steady state performance.

Effects of sous-vide method at different temperatures, times and vacuum degrees on the quality, structural, and microbiological properties of pork ham.

PubMed

Jeong, Kiyoung; O, Hyeonbin; Shin, So Yeon; Kim, Young-Soon

2018-04-10

This study evaluated the influence of different factors on pork hams cooked by sous-vide method. The quality and structural and microbiological properties of the treated samples were compared with those of controls. Samples were subjected to treatment at different combinations of temperature (61 °C or 71 °C), time (45 or 90 min), and vacuum degree (98.81% or 96.58%). The control sample was air packaged and boiled for 45 min in boiling water. Temperature and vacuum degree affected quality properties, while the effect of time was limited. Samples cooked at 61 °C showed higher moisture content, redness, and pink color of the meat juice, whereas samples cooked at 71 °C showed higher cooking loss rate, lightness, and volatile basic nitrogen values. Texture analysis indicated tenderer meat for the treatment group than the control. No microbial growth was detected in any treatment groups. Meat cooked at 61 °C and 98.81% vacuum showed more spacious arrangement of meat fiber. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved statistical method for temperature and salinity quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gourrion, Jérôme; Szekely, Tanguy

2017-04-01

Climate research and Ocean monitoring benefit from the continuous development of global in-situ hydrographic networks in the last decades. Apart from the increasing volume of observations available on a large range of temporal and spatial scales, a critical aspect concerns the ability to constantly improve the quality of the datasets. In the context of the Coriolis Dataset for ReAnalysis (CORA) version 4.2, a new quality control method based on a local comparison to historical extreme values ever observed is developed, implemented and validated. Temperature, salinity and potential density validity intervals are directly estimated from minimum and maximum values from an historical reference dataset, rather than from traditional mean and standard deviation estimates. Such an approach avoids strong statistical assumptions on the data distributions such as unimodality, absence of skewness and spatially homogeneous kurtosis. As a new feature, it also allows addressing simultaneously the two main objectives of an automatic quality control strategy, i.e. maximizing the number of good detections while minimizing the number of false alarms. The reference dataset is presently built from the fusion of 1) all ARGO profiles up to late 2015, 2) 3 historical CTD datasets and 3) the Sea Mammals CTD profiles from the MEOP database. All datasets are extensively and manually quality controlled. In this communication, the latest method validation results are also presented. The method has already been implemented in the latest version of the delayed-time CMEMS in-situ dataset and will be deployed soon in the equivalent near-real time products.

Exercise in Patients on Dialysis: A Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Manfredini, Fabio; Mallamaci, Francesca; D'Arrigo, Graziella; Baggetta, Rossella; Bolignano, Davide; Torino, Claudia; Lamberti, Nicola; Bertoli, Silvio; Ciurlino, Daniele; Rocca-Rey, Lisa; Barillà, Antonio; Battaglia, Yuri; Rapanà, Renato Mario; Zuccalà, Alessandro; Bonanno, Graziella; Fatuzzo, Pasquale; Rapisarda, Francesco; Rastelli, Stefania; Fabrizi, Fabrizio; Messa, Piergiorgio; De Paola, Luciano; Lombardi, Luigi; Cupisti, Adamasco; Fuiano, Giorgio; Lucisano, Gaetano; Summaria, Chiara; Felisatti, Michele; Pozzato, Enrico; Malagoni, Anna Maria; Castellino, Pietro; Aucella, Filippo; Abd ElHafeez, Samar; Provenzano, Pasquale Fabio; Tripepi, Giovanni; Catizone, Luigi; Zoccali, Carmine

2017-04-01

Previous studies have suggested the benefits of physical exercise for patients on dialysis. We conducted the Exercise Introduction to Enhance Performance in Dialysis trial, a 6-month randomized, multicenter trial to test whether a simple, personalized walking exercise program at home, managed by dialysis staff, improves functional status in adult patients on dialysis. The main study outcomes included change in physical performance at 6 months, assessed by the 6-minute walking test and the five times sit-to-stand test, and in quality of life, assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF) questionnaire. We randomized 296 patients to normal physical activity (control; n =145) or walking exercise ( n =151); 227 patients (exercise n =104; control n =123) repeated the 6-month evaluations. The distance covered during the 6-minute walking test improved in the exercise group (mean distance±SD: baseline, 328±96 m; 6 months, 367±113 m) but not in the control group (baseline, 321±107 m; 6 months, 324±116 m; P <0.001 between groups). Similarly, the five times sit-to-stand test time improved in the exercise group (mean time±SD: baseline, 20.5±6.0 seconds; 6 months, 18.2±5.7 seconds) but not in the control group (baseline, 20.9±5.8 seconds; 6 months, 20.2±6.4 seconds; P =0.001 between groups). The cognitive function score ( P =0.04) and quality of social interaction score ( P =0.01) in the kidney disease component of the KDQOL-SF improved significantly in the exercise arm compared with the control arm. Hence, a simple, personalized, home-based, low-intensity exercise program managed by dialysis staff may improve physical performance and quality of life in patients on dialysis. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Air Quality Monitoring: Risk-Based Choices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, John T.

2009-01-01

Air monitoring is secondary to rigid control of risks to air quality. Air quality monitoring requires us to target the credible residual risks. Constraints on monitoring devices are severe. Must transition from archival to real-time, on-board monitoring. Must provide data to crew in a way that they can interpret findings. Dust management and monitoring may be a major concern for exploration class missions.

Groundwater-quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2014 and select quality-control data from May 2012 through December 2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arnold, Terri L.; Bexfield, Laura M.; Musgrove, MaryLynn; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Stackelberg, Paul E.; Barlow, Jeannie R.; Desimone, Leslie A.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Kingsbury, James A.; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Fleming, Brandon J.; Belitz, Kenneth

2017-10-05

Groundwater-quality data were collected from 559 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from January through December 2014. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study networks, which are used to assess land-use effects on shallow groundwater quality; major aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply; and enhanced trends networks, which are used to evaluate the time scales during which groundwater quality changes. Groundwater samples were analyzed for a large number of water-quality indicators and constituents, including major ions, nutrients, trace elements, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, radionuclides, and some constituents of special interest (arsenic speciation, chromium [VI] and perchlorate). These groundwater-quality data, along with data from quality-control samples, are tabulated in this report and in an associated data release.

How do mothers manage their preschool children’s eating habits and does this change as children grow older? A longitudinal analysis

PubMed Central

Jarman, Megan; Ogden, Jane; Inskip, Hazel; Lawrence, Wendy; Baird, Janis; Cooper, Cyrus; Robinson, Sian; Barker, Mary

2015-01-01

The practices mothers adopt in relation to feeding their children have been identified as important predictors of children’s quality of diet. However, most studies of the impact of these practices on quality of children’s diets have been cross-sectional in design, limiting conclusions about change and causality. Previous research has called for qualitative exploration of the way these practices are used in a real-life setting. This study set out to address these gaps in knowledge. At baseline, mothers recruited to a community-based intervention study and who had a preschool child, completed a questionnaire about their use of covert and overt control practices, child food neophobia and demographics. The quality of children’s diets was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire Both questionnaires were repeated with the mothers two years later. Complete data at both time points were available for 228 mother-child pairs. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 29 mothers of preschool children to explore their experiences of feeding young children. Mothers who increased their use of overt control had children whose level of food neophobia also increased (P=0.02). Mothers who used more covert control had children with better quality diets at both time points (P=<0.01) and mothers who increased their use of covert control over the two year follow-up had children whose diet quality improved (P=0.003). These associations were independent of confounders such as mother’s level of education. In the focus groups, mothers suggested that feeding young children was stressful and that control was often relinquished in order to reduce conflict at mealtimes. Supporting parents to adopt more covert techniques to control their children’s eating habits may be an effective way of improving the quality of young children’s diets. PMID:26271222

Opportunities and challenges of real-time release testing in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

PubMed

Jiang, Mo; Severson, Kristen A; Love, John Christopher; Madden, Helena; Swann, Patrick; Zang, Li; Braatz, Richard D

2017-11-01

Real-time release testing (RTRT) is defined as "the ability to evaluate and ensure the quality of in-process and/or final drug product based on process data, which typically includes a valid combination of measured material attributes and process controls" (ICH Q8[R2]). This article discusses sensors (process analytical technology, PAT) and control strategies that enable RTRT for the spectrum of critical quality attributes (CQAs) in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Case studies from the small-molecule and biologic pharmaceutical industry are described to demonstrate how RTRT can be facilitated by integrated manufacturing and multivariable control strategies to ensure the quality of products. RTRT can enable increased assurance of product safety, efficacy, and quality-with improved productivity including faster release and potentially decreased costs-all of which improve the value to patients. To implement a complete RTRT solution, biologic drug manufacturers need to consider the special attributes of their industry, particularly sterility and the measurement of viral and microbial contamination. Continued advances in on-line and in-line sensor technologies are key for the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry to achieve the potential of RTRT. Related article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bit.26378/full. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ozone treatment of shell eggs to preserve functional quality and enhance shelf life during storage.

PubMed

Yüceer, Muhammed; Aday, Mehmet Seçkin; Caner, Cengiz

2016-06-01

Eggs have long been recognised as a source of high-quality proteins. Many methods exist to extend shelf life of food and one of them is ozone treatment, which is an emerging technology for disinfecting surfaces in the food industry. This study aimed to extend the shelf life of fresh eggs using gaseous ozone treatments at concentrations of 2, 4 and 6 ppm with exposure times of 2 and 5 min during storage for 6 weeks at 24 °C. The effect of the treatments on interior quality and functional properties of eggs is also reported. Ozone concentration and exposure time significantly affected the Haugh unit (HU), yolk index, albumen pH, relative whipping capacity (RWC), and albumen viscosity of eggs during the storage. Control eggs had the highest albumen pH and lowest albumen viscosity. Attributes such as albumen pH and RWC of eggs exposed to ozone treatments were better than the control samples. The measurement results showed that ozone concentration at 6 ppm and exposure time of 5 min can be applied to fresh eggs and extend shelf life up to 6 weeks at 24 °C storage period. Ozone treatments helped to maintain egg quality for a longer time. Ozone concentrations at 2 and 4 ppm showed promising results in maintaining internal quality and functional properties of fresh eggs during storage. Ozone at high concentration (6 ppm) caused a detrimental effect on eggshell quality. As a result, this study demonstrated that ozone treatments of 2, and especially 4 and 6 ppm concentration maintained eggshell quality during the storage. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Elsner, Bernhard; Kugler, Joachim; Pohl, Marcus; Mehrholz, Jan

2016-07-18

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, with the severity of the disability usually increasing with disease duration. IPD affects patients' health-related quality of life, disability, and impairment. Current rehabilitation approaches have limited effectiveness in improving outcomes in patients with IPD, but a possible adjunct to rehabilitation might be non-invasive brain stimulation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to modulate cortical excitability, and hence to improve these outcomes in IPD. To assess the effectiveness of tDCS in improving motor and non-motor symptoms in people with IPD. We searched the following databases (until February 2016): the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; the Cochrane Library ; 2016 , Issue 2), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Science Citation Index, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Rehabdata, and Inspec. In an effort to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing trials, we searched trial registers and reference lists, handsearched conference proceedings, and contacted authors and equipment manufacturers. We included only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and randomised controlled cross-over trials that compared tDCS versus control in patients with IPD for improving health-related quality of life , disability, and impairment. Two review authors independently assessed trial quality (JM and MP) and extracted data (BE and JM). If necessary, we contacted study authors to ask for additional information. We collected information on dropouts and adverse events from the trial reports. We included six trials with a total of 137 participants. We found two studies with 45 participants examining the effects of tDCS compared to control (sham tDCS) on our primary outcome measure, impairment, as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). There was very low quality evidence for no effect of tDCS on change in global UPDRS score ( mean difference (MD) -7.10 %, 95% confidence interval (CI -19.18 to 4.97; P = 0.25, I² = 21%, random-effects model). However, there was evidence of an effect on UPDRS part III motor subsection score at the end of the intervention phase (MD -14.43%, 95% CI -24.68 to -4.18; P = 0.006, I² = 2%, random-effects model; very low quality evidence). One study with 25 participants measured the reduction in off and on time with dyskinesia, but there was no evidence of an effect (MD 0.10 hours, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.34; P = 0.41, I² = 0%, random-effects model; and MD 0.00 hours, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.12; P = 1, I² = 0%, random- effects model, respectively; very low quality evidence).Two trials with a total of 41 participants measured gait speed using measures of timed gait at the end of the intervention phase, revealing no evidence of an effect ( standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.50, 95% CI -0.17 to 1.18; P = 0.14, I² = 11%, random-effects model; very low quality evidence). Another secondary outcome was health-related quality of life and we found one study with 25 participants reporting on the physical health and mental health aspects of health-related quality of life (MD 1.00 SF-12 score, 95% CI -5.20 to 7.20; I² = 0%, inverse variance method with random-effects model; very low quality evidence; and MD 1.60 SF-12 score, 95% CI -5.08 to 8.28; I² = 0%, inverse variance method with random-effects model; very low quality evidence, respectively). We found no study examining the effects of tDCS for improving activities of daily living. In two of six studies, dropouts , adverse events, or deaths occurring during the intervention phase were reported. There was insufficient evidence that dropouts , adverse effects, or deaths were higher with intervention (risk difference (RD) 0.04, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.12; P = 0.40, I² = 0%, random-effects model; very low quality evidence).We found one trial with a total of 16 participants examining the effects of tDCS plus movement therapy compared to control (sham tDCS) plus movement therapy on our secondary outcome, gait speed at the end of the intervention phase, revealing no evidence of an effect (MD 0.05 m/s, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.25; inverse variance method with random-effects model; very low quality evidence). We found no evidence of an effect regarding differences in dropouts and adverse effects between intervention and control groups (RD 0.00, 95% CI -0.21 to 0.21; Mantel-Haenszel method with random-effects model; very low quality evidence). There is insufficient evidence to determine the effects of tDCS for reducing off time ( when the symptoms are not controlled by the medication) and on time with dyskinesia ( time that symptoms are controlled but the person still experiences involuntary muscle movements ) , and for improving health- related quality of life, disability, and impairment in patients with IPD. Evidence of very low quality indicates no difference in dropouts and adverse events between tDCS and control groups.

Effect of hemodiafiltration on quality of life over time.

PubMed

Mazairac, Albert H A; de Wit, G Ardine; Grooteman, Muriel P C; Penne, E Lars; van der Weerd, Neelke C; den Hoedt, Claire H; Lévesque, Renée; van den Dorpel, Marinus A; Nubé, Menso J; ter Wee, Piet M; Bots, Michiel L; Blankestijn, Peter J

2013-01-01

It is unclear if hemodiafiltration leads to a better quality of life compared with hemodialysis. It was, therefore, the aim of this study to assess the effect of hemodiafiltration on quality of life compared with hemodialysis in patients with ESRD. This study analyzed the data of 714 patients with a median follow-up of 2 years from the Convective Transport Study. The patients were enrolled between June of 2004 and December of 2009. The Convective Transport Study is a randomized controlled trial on the effect of online hemodiafiltration versus low-flux hemodialysis on all-cause mortality. Quality of life was assessed with the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form. This questionnaire provides data for a physical and mental composite score and describes kidney disease-specific quality of life in 12 domains. The domains have scales from 0 to 100. There were no significant differences in changes in health-related quality of life over time between patients treated with hemodialysis (n=358) or hemodiafiltration (n=356). The quality of life domain patient satisfaction declined over time in both dialysis modalities (hemodialysis: -2.5/yr, -3.4 to -1.5, P<0.001; hemodiafiltration: -1.4/yr, -2.4 to -0.5, P=0.004). Compared with hemodialysis, hemodiafiltration had no significant effect on quality of life over time.

TESTING, PERFORMANCE VALIDATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL OF FIELD-PORTABLE INSTRUMENTATION

EPA Science Inventory

New technologies for field-portable monitoring instruments often have a long lead time in development and authorization. Some obstacles to the acceptance of these pilot technologies include concern about liabilities, reluctance to take risks on new technologies, and uncertainty a...

Improvement of mechanical performance for vibratory microgyroscope based on sense mode closed-loop control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Dingbang; Su, Jianbin; Chen, Zhihua; Hou, Zhanqiang; Wang, Xinghua; Wu, Xuezhong

2013-04-01

In order to improve its structural sensitivity, a vibratory microgyroscope is commonly sealed in high vacuum to increase the drive mode quality factor. The sense mode quality factor of the microgyroscope will also increase simultaneously after vacuum sealing, which will lead to a long decay time of free response and even self-oscillation of the sense mode. As a result, the mechanical performance of the microgyroscope will be seriously degraded. In order to solve this problem, a closed-loop control technique is presented to adjust and optimize the sense mode quality factor. A velocity feedback loop was designed to increase the electric damping of the sense mode vibration. A circuit was fabricated based on this technique, and experimental results indicate that the sense mode quality factor of the microgyroscope was adjusted from 8052 to 428. The decay time of the sense mode free response was shortened from 3 to 0.5 s, and the vibration-rejecting ability of the microgyroscope was improved obviously without sensitivity degradation.

[Quality control assessments of feces examination for schistosomiasis in province-level laboratories of Zhejiang Province].

PubMed

Chen, Wen; Zhu, Ming-Dong; Yan, Xiao-Lan; Lin, Li-Jun; Zhang, Jian-Feng; Li, Li; Wen, Li-Yong

2011-06-01

To understand and evaluate the quality of feces examination for schistosomiasis in province-level laboratories of Zhejiang Province. With the single-blind method, the stool samples were detected by the stool hatching method and sediment detection method. In the 3 quality control assessments in 2006, 2008 and 2009, most laboratories finished the examinations on time. The accordance rates of detections were 88.9%, 100% and 93.9%, respectively. The province-level laboratories for schistosomiasis feces examination of Zhejiang Province is coming into standardization, and the techniques of schistosomiasis feces examination are optimized gradually.

Using Statistical Process Control to Drive Improvement in Neonatal Care: A Practical Introduction to Control Charts.

PubMed

Gupta, Munish; Kaplan, Heather C

2017-09-01

Quality improvement (QI) is based on measuring performance over time, and variation in data measured over time must be understood to guide change and make optimal improvements. Common cause variation is natural variation owing to factors inherent to any process; special cause variation is unnatural variation owing to external factors. Statistical process control methods, and particularly control charts, are robust tools for understanding data over time and identifying common and special cause variation. This review provides a practical introduction to the use of control charts in health care QI, with a focus on neonatology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of control theory to dynamic systems simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Auslander, D. M.; Spear, R. C.; Young, G. E.

1982-01-01

The application of control theory is applied to dynamic systems simulation. Theory and methodology applicable to controlled ecological life support systems are considered. Spatial effects on system stability, design of control systems with uncertain parameters, and an interactive computing language (PARASOL-II) designed for dynamic system simulation, report quality graphics, data acquisition, and simple real time control are discussed.

Intelligent Control Approaches for Aircraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gundy-Burlet, Karen; KrishnaKumar, K.; Soloway, Don; Kaneshige, John; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This paper presents an overview of various intelligent control technologies currently being developed and studied under the Intelligent Flight Control (IFC) program at the NASA Ames Research Center. The main objective of the intelligent flight control program is to develop the next generation of flight controllers for the purpose of automatically compensating for a broad spectrum of damaged or malfunctioning aircraft components and to reduce control law development cost and time. The approaches being examined include: (a) direct adaptive dynamic inverse controller and (b) an adaptive critic-based dynamic inverse controller. These approaches can utilize, but do not require, fault detection and isolation information. Piloted simulation studies are performed to examine if the intelligent flight control techniques adequately: 1) Match flying qualities of modern fly-by-wire flight controllers under nominal conditions; 2) Improve performance under failure conditions when sufficient control authority is available; and 3) Achieve consistent handling qualities across the flight envelope and for different aircraft configurations. Results obtained so far demonstrate the potential for improving handling qualities and significantly increasing survivability rates under various simulated failure conditions.

Real-time assessment of critical quality attributes of a continuous granulation process.

PubMed

Fonteyne, Margot; Vercruysse, Jurgen; Díaz, Damián Córdoba; Gildemyn, Delphine; Vervaet, Chris; Remon, Jean Paul; De Beer, Thomas

2013-02-01

There exists the intention to shift pharmaceutical manufacturing of solid dosage forms from traditional batch production towards continuous production. The currently applied conventional quality control systems, based on sampling and time-consuming off-line analyses in analytical laboratories, would annul the advantages of continuous processing. It is clear that real-time quality assessment and control is indispensable for continuous production. This manuscript evaluates strengths and weaknesses of several complementary Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tools implemented in a continuous wet granulation process, which is part of a fully continuous from powder-to-tablet production line. The use of Raman and NIR-spectroscopy and a particle size distribution analyzer is evaluated for the real-time monitoring of critical parameters during the continuous wet agglomeration of an anhydrous theophylline- lactose blend. The solid state characteristics and particle size of the granules were analyzed in real-time and the critical process parameters influencing these granule characteristics were identified. The temperature of the granulator barrel, the amount of granulation liquid added and, to a lesser extent, the powder feed rate were the parameters influencing the solid state of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). A higher barrel temperature and a higher powder feed rate, resulted in larger granules.

Effects of a Creative Expression Intervention on Emotions, Communication, and Quality of Life in Persons with Dementia

PubMed Central

Phillips, Lorraine J.; Reid-Arndt, Stephanie A.; Pak, Youngju

2010-01-01

Background Effective nonpharmacological interventions are needed to treat neuropsychiatric symptoms and improve quality of life for the 5.3 million Americans affected by dementia. Objective To test the effect of a storytelling program, TimeSlips, on communication, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and quality of life in long-term care residents with dementia. Method A quasi-experimental, two-group, repeated measures design was used to compare persons with dementia who were assigned to the twice-weekly, 6-week TimeSlips intervention (n = 28) or usual care (n = 28) group at baseline and postintervention at Weeks 7 and 10. Outcome measures included the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home Version, Functional Assessment of Communication Skills, Quality of Life–AD, and Observed Emotion Rating Scale (this last measure was collected also at Weeks 3 and 6 during TimeSlips for the treatment group and during mealtime for the control group). Results Compared to the control group, the treatment group exhibited significantly higher pleasure at Week 3 (p < .001), Week 6 (p < .001), and Week 7 (p < .05). Small to moderate treatment effects were found for Week 7 Social Communication (d = .49) and Basic Needs Communication (d = .43). A larger effect was found for pleasure at Week 7 (d = .58). Discussion As expected given the engaging nature of the TimeSlips creative story-telling intervention, analyses revealed increased positive affect during and at 1-week post-intervention. In addition, perhaps associated with the intervention’s reliance on positive social interactions and verbal communication, participants evidenced improved communication skills. However, more frequent dosing and booster sessions of TimeSlips may be needed to show significant differences between treatment and control groups on long-term effects and other outcomes. PMID:21048483

Effects of a creative expression intervention on emotions, communication, and quality of life in persons with dementia.

PubMed

Phillips, Lorraine J; Reid-Arndt, Stephanie A; Pak, Youngju

2010-01-01

Effective nonpharmacological interventions are needed to treat neuropsychiatric symptoms and to improve quality of life for the 5.3 million Americans affected by dementia. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of a storytelling program, TimeSlips, on communication, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and quality of life in long-term care residents with dementia. A quasi-experimental, two-group, repeated measures design was used to compare persons with dementia who were assigned to the twice-weekly, 6-week TimeSlips intervention group (n = 28) or usual care group (n = 28) at baseline and postintervention at Weeks 7 and 10. Outcome measures included the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home Version, the Functional Assessment of Communication Skills, the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease, and the Observed Emotion Rating Scale (this last measure was collected also at Weeks 3 and 6 during TimeSlips for the treatment group and during mealtime for the control group). Compared with the control group, the treatment group exhibited significantly higher pleasure at Week 3 (p < .001), Week 6 (p < .001), and Week 7 (p < .05). Small to moderate treatment effects were found for Week 7 social communication (d = .49) and basic needs communication (d = .43). A larger effect was found for pleasure at Week 7 (d = .58). As expected, given the engaging nature of the TimeSlips creative storytelling intervention, analyses revealed increased positive affect during and at 1 week postintervention. In addition, perhaps associated with the intervention's reliance on positive social interactions and verbal communication, participants evidenced improved communication skills. However, more frequent dosing and booster sessions of TimeSlips may be needed to show significant differences between treatment and control groups on long-term effects and other outcomes.

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.

Applying Statistical Process Quality Control Methodology to Educational Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blumberg, Carol Joyce

A subset of Statistical Process Control (SPC) methodology known as Control Charting is introduced. SPC methodology is a collection of graphical and inferential statistics techniques used to study the progress of phenomena over time. The types of control charts covered are the null X (mean), R (Range), X (individual observations), MR (moving…

Preoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer: a comparative study of quality control adherence at two cancer hospitals in Spain and Poland

PubMed Central

Fundowicz, Magdalena; Macia, Miguel; Marin, Susanna; Bogusz-Czerniewicz, Marta; Konstanty, Ewelina; Modolel, Ignaci; Malicki, Julian; Guedea, Ferran

2014-01-01

Background We performed a clinical audit of preoperative rectal cancer treatment at two European radiotherapy centres (Poland and Spain). The aim was to independently verify adherence to a selection of indicators of treatment quality and to identify any notable inter-institutional differences. Methods A total of 162 patients, in Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) 68 and in Greater Poland Cancer Centre (GPCC) 94, diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer and treated with preoperative radiotherapy or radio-chemotherapy were included in retrospective study. A total of 7 quality control measures were evaluated: waiting time, multidisciplinary treatment approach, portal verification, in vivo dosimetry, informed consent, guidelines for diagnostics and therapy, and patient monitoring during treatment. Results Several differences were observed. Waiting time from pathomorphological diagnosis to initial consultation was 31 (ICO) vs. 8 (GPCC) days. Waiting time from the first visit to the beginning of the treatment was twice as long at the ICO. At the ICO, 82% of patient experienced treatment interruptions. The protocol for portal verification was the same at both institutions. In vivo dosimetry is not used for this treatment localization at the ICO. The ICO utilizes locally-developed guidelines for diagnostics and therapy, while the GPCC is currently developing its own guidelines. Conclusions An independent external clinical audit is an excellent approach to identifying and resolving deficiencies in quality control procedures. We identified several procedures amenable to improvement. Both institutions have since implemented changes to improve quality standards. We believe that all radiotherapy centres should perform a comprehensive clinical audit to identify and rectify deficiencies. PMID:24991212

Preoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer: a comparative study of quality control adherence at two cancer hospitals in Spain and Poland.

PubMed

Fundowicz, Magdalena; Macia, Miguel; Marin, Susanna; Bogusz-Czerniewicz, Marta; Konstanty, Ewelina; Modolel, Ignaci; Malicki, Julian; Guedea, Ferran

2014-06-01

We performed a clinical audit of preoperative rectal cancer treatment at two European radiotherapy centres (Poland and Spain). The aim was to independently verify adherence to a selection of indicators of treatment quality and to identify any notable inter-institutional differences. A total of 162 patients, in Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) 68 and in Greater Poland Cancer Centre (GPCC) 94, diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer and treated with preoperative radiotherapy or radio-chemotherapy were included in retrospective study. A total of 7 quality control measures were evaluated: waiting time, multidisciplinary treatment approach, portal verification, in vivo dosimetry, informed consent, guidelines for diagnostics and therapy, and patient monitoring during treatment. Several differences were observed. Waiting time from pathomorphological diagnosis to initial consultation was 31 (ICO) vs. 8 (GPCC) days. Waiting time from the first visit to the beginning of the treatment was twice as long at the ICO. At the ICO, 82% of patient experienced treatment interruptions. The protocol for portal verification was the same at both institutions. In vivo dosimetry is not used for this treatment localization at the ICO. The ICO utilizes locally-developed guidelines for diagnostics and therapy, while the GPCC is currently developing its own guidelines. An independent external clinical audit is an excellent approach to identifying and resolving deficiencies in quality control procedures. We identified several procedures amenable to improvement. Both institutions have since implemented changes to improve quality standards. We believe that all radiotherapy centres should perform a comprehensive clinical audit to identify and rectify deficiencies.

In-flight investigation of the effects of pilot location and control system design on airplane flying qualities for approach and landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weingarten, N. C.; Chalk, C. R.

1982-01-01

The handling qualities of large airplanes in the approach and landing flight phase were studied. The primary variables were relative pilot position with respect to center of rotation, command path time delays and phase shifts, augmentation schemes and levels of augmentation. It is indicated that the approach and landing task with large airplanes is a low bandwidth task. Low equivalent short period frequencies and relatively long time delays are tolerated only when the pilot is located at considerable distance forward of the center of rotation. The control problem experienced by the pilots, when seated behind the center of rotation, tended to occur at low altitude when they were using visual cues of rate of sink and altitude. A direct lift controller improved final flight path control of the shuttle like configurations.

Off-Line Quality Control In Integrated Circuit Fabrication Using Experimental Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phadke, M. S.; Kackar, R. N.; Speeney, D. V.; Grieco, M. J.

1987-04-01

Off-line quality control is a systematic method of optimizing production processes and product designs. It is widely used in Japan to produce high quality products at low cost. The method was introduced to us by Professor Genichi Taguchi who is a Deming-award winner and a former Director of the Japanese Academy of Quality. In this paper we will i) describe the off-line quality control method, and ii) document our efforts to optimize the process for forming contact windows in 3.5 Aim CMOS circuits fabricated in the Murray Hill Integrated Circuit Design Capability Laboratory. In the fabrication of integrated circuits it is critically important to produce contact windows of size very near the target dimension. Windows which are too small or too large lead to loss of yield. The off-line quality control method has improved both the process quality and productivity. The variance of the window size has been reduced by a factor of four. Also, processing time for window photolithography has been substantially reduced. The key steps of off-line quality control are: i) Identify important manipulatable process factors and their potential working levels. ii) Perform fractional factorial experiments on the process using orthogonal array designs. iii) Analyze the resulting data to determine the optimum operating levels of the factors. Both the process mean and the process variance are considered in this analysis. iv) Conduct an additional experiment to verify that the new factor levels indeed give an improvement.

Health-related effects of early part-time sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Shiri, Rahman; Kausto, Johanna; Martimo, Kari-Pekka; Kaila-Kangas, Leena; Takala, Esa-Pekka; Viikari-Juntura, Eira

2013-01-01

Previously we reported that early part-time sick leave enhances return to work (RTW) among employees with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). This paper assesses the health-related effects of this intervention. Patients aged 18-60 years who were unable to perform their regular work due to MSD were randomized to part- or full-time sick leave groups. In the former, workload was reduced by halving working time. Using validated questionnaires, we assessed pain intensity and interference with work and sleep, region-specific disability due to MSD, self-rated general health, health-related quality of life (measured via EuroQol), productivity loss, depression, and sleep disturbance at baseline, 1, 3, 8, 12, and 52 weeks. We analyzed the repeated measures data (171-356 observations) with the generalized estimating equation approach. The intervention (part-time sick leave) and control (full-time sick leave) groups did not differ with regard to pain intensity, pain interference with work and sleep, region-specific disability, productivity loss, depression, or sleep disturbance. The intervention group reported better self-rated general health (adjusted P=0.07) and health-related quality of life (adjusted P=0.02) than the control group. In subgroup analyses, the intervention was more effective among the patients whose current problem began occurring <6 weeks before baseline and those with ≤30% productivity loss at baseline. Our findings showed that part-time sick leave did not exacerbate pain-related symptoms and functional disability, but improved self-rated general health and health-related quality of life in the early stage of work disability due to MSD.

Quality control process improvement of flexible printed circuit board by FMEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasaephol, Siwaporn; Chutima, Parames

2018-02-01

This research focuses on the quality control process improvement of Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB), centred around model 7-Flex, by using Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) method to decrease proportion of defective finished goods that are found at the final inspection process. Due to a number of defective units that were found at the final inspection process, high scraps may be escaped to customers. The problem comes from poor quality control process which is not efficient enough to filter defective products from in-process because there is no In-Process Quality Control (IPQC) or sampling inspection in the process. Therefore, the quality control process has to be improved by setting inspection gates and IPCQs at critical processes in order to filter the defective products. The critical processes are analysed by the FMEA method. IPQC is used for detecting defective products and reducing chances of defective finished goods escaped to the customers. Reducing proportion of defective finished goods also decreases scrap cost because finished goods incur higher scrap cost than work in-process. Moreover, defective products that are found during process can reflect the abnormal processes; therefore, engineers and operators should timely solve the problems. Improved quality control was implemented for 7-Flex production lines from July 2017 to September 2017. The result shows decreasing of the average proportion of defective finished goods and the average of Customer Manufacturers Lot Reject Rate (%LRR of CMs) equal to 4.5% and 4.1% respectively. Furthermore, cost saving of this quality control process equals to 100K Baht.

e-Monitoring of Asthma Therapy to Improve Compliance in children using a real-time medication monitoring system (RTMM): the e-MATIC study protocol.

PubMed

Vasbinder, Erwin C; Janssens, Hettie M; Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen P M H; van Dijk, Liset; de Winter, Brenda C M; de Groot, Ruben C A; Vulto, Arnold G; van den Bemt, Patricia M L A

2013-03-21

Many children with asthma do not have sufficient asthma control, which leads to increased healthcare costs and productivity loss of parents. One of the causative factors are adherence problems. Effective interventions improving medication adherence may therefore improve asthma control and reduce costs. A promising solution is sending real time text-messages via the mobile phone network, when a medicine is about to be forgotten. As the effect of real time text-messages in children with asthma is unknown, the primary aim of this study is to determine the effect of a Real Time Medication Monitoring system (RTMM) with text-messages on adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). The secondary objective is to study the effects of RTMM on asthma control, quality of life and cost-effectiveness of treatment. A multicenter, randomized controlled trial involving 220 children (4-11 years) using ICS for asthma. All children receive an RTMM-device for one year, which registers time and date of ICS doses. Children in the intervention group also receive tailored text-messages, sent only when a dose is at risk of omission. Primary outcome measure is the proportion of ICS dosages taken within the individually predefined time-interval. Secondary outcome measures include asthma control (monthly Asthma Control Tests), asthma exacerbations, healthcare use (collected from hospital records, patient reports and pharmacy record data), and disease-specific quality of life (PAQLQ questionnaire). Parental and children's acceptance of RTMM is evaluated with online focus groups and patient questionnaires. An economic evaluation is performed adopting a societal perspective, including relevant healthcare costs and parental productivity loss. Furthermore, a decision-analytic model is developed in which different levels of adherence are associated with clinical and financial outcomes. Also, sensitivity analyses are carried out on different price levels for RTMM. If RTMM with tailored text-message reminders proves to be effective, this technique can be used in daily practice, which would support children with suboptimal adherence in their asthma (self)management and in achieving better asthma control and better quality of life. Netherlands Trial Register NTR2583.

The Global Streamflow Indices and Metadata Archive (GSIM) - Part 2: Quality control, time-series indices and homogeneity assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gudmundsson, Lukas; Do, Hong Xuan; Leonard, Michael; Westra, Seth

2018-04-01

This is Part 2 of a two-paper series presenting the Global Streamflow Indices and Metadata Archive (GSIM), which is a collection of daily streamflow observations at more than 30 000 stations around the world. While Part 1 (Do et al., 2018a) describes the data collection process as well as the generation of auxiliary catchment data (e.g. catchment boundary, land cover, mean climate), Part 2 introduces a set of quality controlled time-series indices representing (i) the water balance, (ii) the seasonal cycle, (iii) low flows and (iv) floods. To this end we first consider the quality of individual daily records using a combination of quality flags from data providers and automated screening methods. Subsequently, streamflow time-series indices are computed for yearly, seasonal and monthly resolution. The paper provides a generalized assessment of the homogeneity of all generated streamflow time-series indices, which can be used to select time series that are suitable for a specific task. The newly generated global set of streamflow time-series indices is made freely available with an digital object identifier at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.887470 and is expected to foster global freshwater research, by acting as a ground truth for model validation or as a basis for assessing the role of human impacts on the terrestrial water cycle. It is hoped that a renewed interest in streamflow data at the global scale will foster efforts in the systematic assessment of data quality and provide momentum to overcome administrative barriers that lead to inconsistencies in global collections of relevant hydrological observations.

Quality of Life and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Long-Term Treated Dermatitis Herpetiformis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Finland.

PubMed

Pasternack, Camilla; Kaukinen, Katri; Kurppa, Kalle; Mäki, Markku; Collin, Pekka; Reunala, Timo; Huhtala, Heini; Salmi, Teea

2015-12-01

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a cutaneous manifestation of celiac disease. Both conditions are treated with a restrictive life-long gluten-free diet (GFD). Treated celiac disease patients have been shown to have more severe gastrointestinal symptoms and inferior quality of life compared with healthy controls, but evidence regarding quality of life in DH is lacking. The aim was to evaluate whether long-term GFD-treated DH patients suffer from persistent gastrointestinal symptoms and if they experience a drawdown in quality of life. Gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life were assessed in 78 long-term GFD-treated DH patients using the validated Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, Psychological General Well-Being and Short Form 36 Health Survey questionnaires. The findings were compared with 110 healthy controls, population-based reference values and 371 treated celiac disease controls. The median age of the DH patients at the time of the study was 57 years, and 51 % were male. Significant differences in gastrointestinal symptoms or quality of life were not detected when treated DH patients were compared with healthy controls, but treated DH patients had less severe gastrointestinal symptoms and increased quality of life compared with celiac disease controls. Female DH patients had more severe gastrointestinal symptoms and reduced vitality compared with male DH patients. The presence of skin symptoms and the adherence to or duration of GFD did not have any influence on gastrointestinal symptoms or quality of life. We conclude that long-term GFD-treated DH patients do not suffer from the burden of dietary treatment and have a quality of life comparable to that of controls.

The Effectiveness of Web-Based Asthma Self-Management System, My Asthma Portal (MAP): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Ahmed, Sara; Ernst, Pierre; Bartlett, Susan J; Valois, Marie-France; Zaihra, Tasneem; Paré, Guy; Grad, Roland; Eilayyan, Owis; Perreault, Robert; Tamblyn, Robyn

2016-12-01

Whether Web-based technologies can improve disease self-management is uncertain. My Asthma Portal (MAP) is a Web-based self-management support system that couples evidence-based behavioral change components (self-monitoring of symptoms, physical activity, and medication adherence) with real-time monitoring, feedback, and support from a nurse case manager. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of access to a Web-based asthma self-management patient portal linked to a case-management system (MAP) over 6 months compared with usual care on asthma control and quality of life. A multicenter, parallel, 2-arm, pilot, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 100 adults with confirmed diagnosis of asthma from 2 specialty clinics. Asthma control was measured using an algorithm based on overuse of fast-acting bronchodilators and emergency department visits, and asthma-related quality of life was assessed using the Mini-Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MAQLQ). Secondary mediating outcomes included asthma symptoms, depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, and beliefs about medication. Process evaluations were also included. A total of 49 individuals were randomized to MAP and 51 to usual care. Compared with usual care, participants in the intervention group reported significantly higher asthma quality of life (mean change 0.61, 95% CI 0.03 to 1.19), and the change in asthma quality of life for the intervention group between baseline and 3 months (mean change 0.66, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.98) was not seen in the control group. No significant differences in asthma quality of life were found between the intervention and control groups at 6 (mean change 0.46, 95% CI -0.12 to 1.05) and 9 months (mean change 0.39, 95% CI -0.2 to 0.98). For poor control status, there was no significant effect of group, time, or group by time. For all self-reported measures, the intervention group had a significantly higher proportion of individuals, demonstrating a minimal clinically meaningful improvement compared with the usual care group. This study supported the use of MAP to enhance asthma quality of life but not asthma control as measured by an administrative database. Implementation of MAP beyond 6 months with tailored protocols for monitoring symptoms and health behaviors as individuals' knowledge and self-management skills improve may result in long-term gains in asthma control. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 34326236; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN34326236 (Archived by Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/6mGxoI1R7). ©Sara Ahmed, Pierre Ernst, Susan J Bartlett, Marie-France Valois, Tasneem Zaihra, Guy Paré, Roland Grad, Owis Eilayyan, Robert Perreault, Robyn Tamblyn. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 01.12.2016.

[Coronary artery bypass surgery: methods of performance monitoring and quality control].

PubMed

Albert, A; Sergeant, P; Ennker, J

2009-10-01

The strength of coronary bypass operations depends on the preservation of their benefits regarding freedom of symptoms, quality of life and survival, over decades. Significant variability of the results of an operative intervention according to the hospital or the operating surgeon is considered a weakness in the procedure. The external quality insurance tries to reach a transparent service providing market through hospital ranking comparability. Widely available information and competition will promote the improvement of the whole quality. The structured dialog acts as a control instrument for the BQS (Federal Quality Insurance). It is launched in case of deviations from the standard references or statistically significant differences between the results of the operations in any hospital and the average notational results. In comparison to the external control the hospital internal control has greater ability to reach a medically useful statement regarding the results of the treatment and to correct the mistakes in time. An online information portal based on a departmental databank (DataWarehouse, DataMart) is an attractive solution for the physician in order to get transparently and timely informed about the variability in the performance.The individual surgeon significantly influences the short- and long-term treatment results. Accordingly, selection, targeted training and performance measurements are necessary.Strict risk management and failure analysis of individual cases are included in the methods of internal quality control aiming to identify and correct the inadequacies in the system and the course of treatment. According to the international as well as our own experience, at least 30% of the mortalities after bypass operations are avoidable. A functioning quality control is especially important in minimally invasive interventions because they are often technically more demanding in comparison to the conventional procedures. In the field of OPCAB surgery, the special advantages of the procedure can be utilised to reach a nearly complete avoidance of postoperative stroke through combining the procedure with aorta no-touch technique. The long-term success of the bypass operation depends on the type of bypass material in additions to many other factors. Both internal mammary arteries are considered the most durable.Using an operation preparation check contributes to the operative success.

Near Real-Time Automatic Data Quality Controls for the AERONET Version 3 Database: An Introduction to the New Level 1.5V Aerosol Optical Depth Data Product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giles, D. M.; Holben, B. N.; Smirnov, A.; Eck, T. F.; Slutsker, I.; Sorokin, M. G.; Espenak, F.; Schafer, J.; Sinyuk, A.

2015-12-01

The Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) has provided a database of aerosol optical depth (AOD) measured by surface-based Sun/sky radiometers for over 20 years. AERONET provides unscreened (Level 1.0) and automatically cloud cleared (Level 1.5) AOD in near real-time (NRT), while manually inspected quality assured (Level 2.0) AOD are available after instrument field deployment (Smirnov et al., 2000). The growing need for NRT quality controlled aerosol data has become increasingly important. Applications of AERONET NRT data include the satellite evaluation (e.g., MODIS, VIIRS, MISR, OMI), data synergism (e.g., MPLNET), verification of aerosol forecast models and reanalysis (e.g., GOCART, ICAP, NAAPS, MERRA), input to meteorological models (e.g., NCEP, ECMWF), and field campaign support (e.g., KORUS-AQ, ORACLES). In response to user needs for quality controlled NRT data sets, the new Version 3 (V3) Level 1.5V product was developed with similar quality controls as those applied by hand to the Version 2 (V2) Level 2.0 data set. The AERONET cloud screened (Level 1.5) NRT AOD database can be significantly impacted by data anomalies. The most significant data anomalies include AOD diurnal dependence due to contamination or obstruction of the sensor head windows, anomalous AOD spectral dependence due to problems with filter degradation, instrument gains, or non-linear changes in calibration, and abnormal changes in temperature sensitive wavelengths (e.g., 1020nm) in response to anomalous sensor head temperatures. Other less common AOD anomalies result from loose filters, uncorrected clock shifts, connection and electronic issues, and various solar eclipse episodes. Automatic quality control algorithms are applied to the new V3 Level 1.5 database to remove NRT AOD anomalies and produce the new AERONET V3 Level 1.5V AOD product. Results of the quality control algorithms are presented and the V3 Level 1.5V AOD database is compared to the V2 Level 2.0 AOD database.

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

Drying based on temperature-detection-assisted control in microwave-assisted pulse-spouted vacuum drying.

PubMed

Cao, Xiaohuang; Zhang, Min; Qian, He; Mujumdar, Arun S

2017-06-01

An online temperature-detection-assisted control system of microwave-assisted pulse-spouted vacuum drying was newly developed. By using this system, temperature control can be automatically and continuously adjusted based on the detection of drying temperature and preset temperature. Various strategies for constant temperature control, linear temperature control and three-step temperature control were applied to drying carrot cubes. Drying kinetics and the quality of various temperature-controlled strategies online are evaluated for the new drying technology as well as its suitability as an alternative drying method. Drying time in 70 °C mode 1 had the shortest drying time and lowest energy consumption in all modes. A suitable colour, highest re-hydration ratio and fracture-hardness, and longest drying time occurred in 30-40-50 °C mode 3. The number of hot spots was reduced in 40-50-60 °C mode 3. Acceptable carrot snacks were obtained in 50-60-70 °C mode 3 and 70 °C mode 2. All temperature curves showed that the actual temperatures followed the preset temperatures appropriately. With this system, a linear temperature-controlled strategy and a three-step temperature-controlled strategy can improve product quality and heating non-uniformity compared to constant temperature control, but need greater energy consumption and longer drying time. A temperature-detection-assisted control system was developed for providing various drying strategies as a suitable alternative in making a snack product. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Quality control and improvement of cancer care: what is needed? 4th European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM) May 5th, 2017, Berlin, Germany.

PubMed

Ortmann, Olaf; Helbig, Ulrike; Torode, Julie; Schreck, Stefan; Karjalainen, Sakari; Bettio, Manola; Ringborg, Ulrik; Klinkhammer-Schalke, Monika; Bray, Freddy

2018-06-01

National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) often describe structural requirements for high quality cancer care. During the fourth European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM) participants shared learnings from their own national setting to formulate best practice in optimizing communication strategies between parties involved in clinical cancer registries, cancer centers and guideline groups. A decentralized model of data collection close to the patient and caregiver enhances timely completion and the quality of the data captured. Nevertheless, central coordination is necessary to define datasets, indicators, standard settings, education, training and quality control to maintain standards across the network. In particular, interaction of parties in cancer care network has to be established and maintained on a regular basis. After establishing the structural requirements of cancer care networks, communication between the different components and parties is required to analyze outcome data, provide regular reporting to all and develop strategies for continuous improvement of quality across the network.

Marital violence and coparenting quality after separation.

PubMed

Hardesty, Jennifer L; Crossman, Kimberly A; Khaw, Lyndal; Raffaelli, Marcela

2016-04-01

Research has identified multiple predictors of coparenting quality, but few studies have investigated how intimate partner violence (IPV) affects divorcing couples' coparenting relationships. We addressed this question in a sample of 154 mothers with different marital IPV experiences. Mothers were recruited within 4 months of a divorce filing and completed two interviews 3 months apart. At Time 1, mothers reported on violence and coercive control during marriage, and postseparation behavioral (e.g., parental communication), emotional (e.g., anger), and intrusion (e.g., harassment) dynamics; at Time 2, they reported on coparenting quality (i.e., levels of support and conflict). In the overall sample, divorce and violence variables independently predicted coparenting quality. Mothers were then classified into three groups: no violence (NV; n = 74), situational couple violence (SCV; n = 46), or coercive controlling violence (CCV; n = 34). Of the 3, coparenting quality was lowest in the CCV group. While the SCV group was similar to the NV group on most divorce-related variables, the CCV group reported more hostility at separation and placed less importance on father-child relationships. Finally, patterns of association between study variables and coparenting quality showed some parallels between the SCV and NV groups. For CCV, postseparation harassment and fear were negatively associated with coparenting quality. Findings contribute to understanding predictors of coparenting quality and support the need for individualized assessments of divorce cases with attention to IPV dynamics. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Marital Violence and Coparenting Quality After Separation

PubMed Central

Hardesty, Jennifer L.; Crossman, Kimberly A.; Khaw, Lyndal; Raffaelli, Marcela

2016-01-01

Research has identified multiple predictors of coparenting quality, but few studies have investigated how intimate partner violence (IPV) affects divorcing couples’ coparenting relationships. We addressed this question in a sample of 154 mothers with different marital IPV experiences. Mothers were recruited within four months of a divorce filing and completed two interviews three months apart. At Time 1, mothers reported on violence and coercive control during marriage, and postseparation behavioral (e.g., parental communication), emotional (e.g., anger), and intrusion (e.g., harassment) dynamics; at Time 2, they reported on coparenting quality (i.e., levels of support and conflict). In the overall sample, divorce and violence variables independently predicted coparenting quality. Mothers were then classified into three groups: no violence (NV; n = 74), situational couple violence (SCV; n = 46), or coercive controlling violence (CCV; n = 34). Of the three, coparenting quality was lowest in the CCV group. While the SCV group was similar to the NV group on most divorce-related variables, the CCV group reported more hostility at separation and placed less importance on father-child relationships. Finally, patterns of association between study variables and coparenting quality showed some parallels between the SCV and NV groups. For CCV, postseparation harassment and fear were negatively associated with coparenting quality. Findings contribute to understanding predictors of coparenting quality and support the need for individualized assessments of divorce cases with attention to IPV dynamics. PMID:26866837

Quantification of histochemical stains using whole slide imaging: development of a method and demonstration of its usefulness in laboratory quality control.

PubMed

Gray, Allan; Wright, Alex; Jackson, Pete; Hale, Mike; Treanor, Darren

2015-03-01

Histochemical staining of tissue is a fundamental technique in tissue diagnosis and research, but it suffers from significant variability. Efforts to address this include laboratory quality controls and quality assurance schemes, but these rely on subjective interpretation of stain quality, are laborious and have low reproducibility. We aimed (1) to develop a method for histochemical stain quantification using whole slide imaging and image analysis and (2) to demonstrate its usefulness in measuring staining variation. A method to quantify the individual stain components of histochemical stains on virtual slides was developed. It was evaluated for repeatability and reproducibility, then applied to control sections of an appendix to quantify H&E staining (H/E intensities and H:E ratio) between automated staining machines and to measure differences between six regional diagnostic laboratories. The method was validated with <0.5% variation in H:E ratio measurement when using the same scanner for a batch of slides (ie, it was repeatable) but was not highly reproducible between scanners or over time, where variation of 7% was found. Application of the method showed H:E ratios between three staining machines varied from 0.69 to 0.93, H:E ratio variation over time was observed. Interlaboratory comparison demonstrated differences in H:E ratio between regional laboratories from 0.57 to 0.89. A simple method using whole slide imaging can be used to quantify and compare histochemical staining. This method could be deployed in routine quality assurance and quality control. Work is needed on whole slide imaging devices to improve reproducibility. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Bridging the gap between PAT concepts and implementation: An integrated software platform for fermentation.

PubMed

Chopda, Viki R; Gomes, James; Rathore, Anurag S

2016-01-01

Bioreactor control significantly impacts both the amount and quality of the product being manufactured. The complexity of the control strategy that is implemented increases with reactor size, which may vary from thousands to tens of thousands of litres in commercial manufacturing. The Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative has highlighted the need for having robust monitoring tools and effective control schemes that are capable of taking real time information about the critical quality attributes (CQA) and the critical process parameters (CPP) and executing immediate response as soon as a deviation occurs. However, the limited flexibility that present commercial software packages offer creates a hurdle. Visual programming environments have gradually emerged as potential alternatives to the available text based languages. This paper showcases development of an integrated programme using a visual programming environment for a Sartorius BIOSTAT® B Plus 5L bioreactor through which various peripheral devices are interfaced. The proposed programme facilitates real-time access to data and allows for execution of control actions to follow the desired trajectory. Major benefits of such integrated software system include: (i) improved real time monitoring and control; (ii) reduced variability; (iii) improved performance; (iv) reduced operator-training time; (v) enhanced knowledge management; and (vi) easier PAT implementation. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of aerobic training on hot flushes and quality of life—a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Luoto, Riitta; Moilanen, Jaana; Heinonen, Reetta; Mikkola, Tomi; Raitanen, Jani; Tomas, Eija; Ojala, Katriina; Mansikkamäai, Kirsi; Nygård, Clas-Håkan

2012-01-01

Background and objective. To estimate whether aerobic training has an effect on frequency of hot flushes or quality of life. Design. A randomized controlled trial. Participants and setting. Symptomatic, sedentary women (n = 176), 43–63 years, no current use of hormone therapy. Intervention. Unsupervised aerobic training for 50 minutes four times per week during 6 months. Outcomes. Hot flushes as measured with Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL, SF-36), daily reported hot flushes on phone-based diary, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and body composition. Results. Intervention group had larger decrease in the frequency of night-time hot flushes based on phone diary (P for month X group = 0.012), but not on WHQ scale. Intervention group had less depressed mood (P= 0.01) than control women according to change in WHQ score. Changes in WHQ score in depressed mood (P = 0.03) and menstrual symptoms (P=0.01) in the intervention group were significantly dependent on frequency of training sessions. HRQoL was improved among the intervention group women in physical functioning (P= 0.049) and physical role limitation (P= 0.017). CRF improved (P= 0.008), and lean muscle mass increased (P= 0.046) significantly in the intervention group as compared to controls. Conclusions. Aerobic training may decrease the frequency of hot flushes and improve quality of life among slightly overweight women. PMID:21639722

Improving labeling efficiency in automatic quality control of MRSI data.

PubMed

Pedrosa de Barros, Nuno; McKinley, Richard; Wiest, Roland; Slotboom, Johannes

2017-12-01

To improve the efficiency of the labeling task in automatic quality control of MR spectroscopy imaging data. 28'432 short and long echo time (TE) spectra (1.5 tesla; point resolved spectroscopy (PRESS); repetition time (TR)= 1,500 ms) from 18 different brain tumor patients were labeled by two experts as either accept or reject, depending on their quality. For each spectrum, 47 signal features were extracted. The data was then used to run several simulations and test an active learning approach using uncertainty sampling. The performance of the classifiers was evaluated as a function of the number of patients in the training set, number of spectra in the training set, and a parameter α used to control the level of classification uncertainty required for a new spectrum to be selected for labeling. The results showed that the proposed strategy allows reductions of up to 72.97% for short TE and 62.09% for long TE in the amount of data that needs to be labeled, without significant impact in classification accuracy. Further reductions are possible with significant but minimal impact in performance. Active learning using uncertainty sampling is an effective way to increase the labeling efficiency for training automatic quality control classifiers. Magn Reson Med 78:2399-2405, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Quality Detection of Litchi Stored in Different Environments Using an Electronic Nose

PubMed Central

Xu, Sai; Lü, Enli; Lu, Huazhong; Zhou, Zhiyan; Wang, Yu; Yang, Jing; Wang, Yajuan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to explore the utility of an electronic nose to detect the quality of litchi fruit stored in different environments. In this study, a PEN3 electronic nose was adopted to test the storage time and hardness of litchi that were stored in three different types of environment (room temperature, refrigerator and controlled-atmosphere). After acquiring data about the hardness of the sample and from the electronic nose, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), canonical correlation analysis (CCA), BP neural network (BPNN) and BP neural network-partial least squares regression (BPNN-PLSR), were employed for data processing. The experimental results showed that the hardness of litchi fruits stored in all three environments decreased during storage. The litchi stored at room temperature had the fastest rate of decrease in hardness, followed by those stored in a refrigerator environment and under a controlled-atmosphere. LDA has a poor ability to classify the storage time of the three environments in which litchi was stored. BPNN can effectively recognize the storage time of litchi stored in a refrigerator and a controlled-atmosphere environment. However, the BPNN classification of the effect of room temperature storage on litchi was poor. CCA results show a significant correlation between electronic nose data and hardness data under the room temperature, and the correlation is more obvious for those under the refrigerator environment and controlled-atmosphere environment. The BPNN-PLSR can effectively predict the hardness of litchi under refrigerator storage conditions and a controlled-atmosphere environment. However, the BPNN-PLSR prediction of the effect of room temperature storage on litchi and global environment storage on litchi were poor. Thus, this experiment proved that an electronic nose can detect the quality of litchi under refrigeratored storage and a controlled-atmosphere environment. These results provide a useful reference for future studies on nondestructive and intelligent monitoring of fruit quality. PMID:27338391

Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work.

PubMed

Shrestha, Nipun; Ijaz, Sharea; Kukkonen-Harjula, Katriina T; Kumar, Suresh; Nwankwo, Chukwudi P

2015-01-26

The number of people working whilst seated at a desk keeps increasing worldwide. As sitting increases, occupational physical strain declines at the same time. This has contributed to increases in cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Therefore, reducing and breaking up the time that people spend sitting while at work is important for health. To evaluate the effects of workplace interventions to reduce sitting at work compared to no intervention or alternative interventions. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, OSH UPDATE, PsycINFO, Clinical trials.gov and the World Health Organization (WHO) search trial portal up to 14 February, 2014. We also searched reference lists of articles and contacted authors. We included randomised controlled trials (RCT), cluster-randomised controlled trials (cRCTs), and quasi-randomised controlled trials of interventions to reduce sitting at work. For changes of workplace arrangements, we also included controlled before-and-after studies (CBAs) with a concurrent control group. The primary outcome was time spent sitting at work per day, either self-reported or objectively measured by means of an accelerometer coupled with an inclinometer. We considered energy expenditure, duration and number of sitting episodes lasting 30 minutes or more, work productivity and adverse events as secondary outcomes. Two review authors independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles for study eligibility. Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We contacted authors for additional data where required. We included eight studies, four RCTs, three CBAs and one cRCT, with a total of 1125 participants. The studies evaluated physical workplace changes (three studies), policy changes (one study) and information and counselling (four studies). No studies investigated the effect of treadmill desks, stepping devices, periodic breaks or standing or walking meetings. All the studies were at high risk of bias. The quality of the evidence was very low to low. Half of the studies were from Australia and the other half from Europe, with none from low- or middle-income countries. Physical workplace changesWe found very low quality evidence that sit-stand desks with or without additional counselling reduced sitting time at work per workday at one week follow-up (MD -143 minutes (95% CI -184 to -102, one study, 31 participants) and at three months' follow-up (MD - 113 minutes, 95% CI -143 to -84, two studies, 61 participants) compared to no intervention. Total sitting time during the whole day decreased also with sit-stand desks compared to no intervention (MD -78 minutes, 95% CI -125 to -30, one study, 31 participants) as did the duration of sitting episodes lasting 30 minutes or more (MD -52 minutes, 95% CI -79 to -26, two studies, 74 participants). Sit-stand desks did not have a considerable effect on work performance and had an inconsistent effect on musculoskeletal symptoms and sick leave. Policy changesWalking strategies had no considerable effect on sitting at work (MD -16 minutes, 95% CI -54 to 23, one study, 179 participants, low quality evidence). Information and counsellingGuideline-based counselling by occupational physicians reduced sitting time at work (MD -28 minutes, 95% CI -54 to -2, one study, 396 participants, low quality evidence). There was no considerable effect on reduction in total sitting time during the whole day.Mindfulness training induced a non-significant reduction in workplace sitting time (MD -2 minutes, 95% CI -22 to 18) at six months' follow-up and at 12 months' follow-up (MD -16 minutes, 95% CI -45 to 12, one study, 257 participants, low quality evidence).There was an inconsistent effect of computer prompting on sitting time at work. One study found no considerable effect on sitting at work (MD -18 minutes, 95% CI -53 to 17, 28 participants, low quality evidence) at 10 days' follow-up, while another study reported a significant reduction in sitting at work (MD -55 minutes, 95% CI -96 to -14, 34 participants, low quality evidence) at 13 weeks' follow-up. Computer prompting software also led to a non-significant increase in energy expenditure at work (MD 278 calories/workday, 95% CI 0 to 556, one study, 34 participants, low quality evidence) at 13 weeks' follow-up. At present there is very low quality evidence that sit-stand desks can reduce sitting time at work, but the effects of policy changes and information and counselling are inconsistent. There is a need for high quality cluster-randomised trials to assess the effects of different types of interventions on objectively measured sitting time. There are many ongoing trials that might change these conclusions in the near future.

Performance Contracting and Quality Improvement in Outpatient Treatment: Effects on Waiting Time and Length of Stay

PubMed Central

Stewart, Maureen T.; Horgan, Constance M.; Garnick, Deborah W.; Ritter, Grant; McLellan, A. Thomas

2012-01-01

We evaluate effects of a performance contract (PC) implemented in Delaware in 2001 and participation in quality improvement (QI) programs on waiting time for treatment and length of stay (LOS) using client treatment episode level data from Delaware (n = 12,368) and Maryland (n = 147,151) for 1998 – 2006. Results of difference-in-difference analyses indicate waiting time declined 13 days following the PC, after controlling for client characteristics and historical trends. Participation in the PC and a formal QI program was associated with a decrease of 20 days. LOS increased 22 days under the PC and 24 days under the PC and QI programs, after controlling for client characteristics. The PC and QI program were associated with improvements in LOS and waiting time, although we cannot determine which aspects of the programs (incentives, training, monitoring) resulted in these changes. PMID:22445031

Considerations In The Design And Specifications Of An Automatic Inspection System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, David T.

1980-05-01

Considerable activities have been centered around the automation of manufacturing quality control and inspection functions. Several reasons can be cited for this development. The continuous pressure of direct and indirect labor cost increase is only one of the obvious motivations. With the drive for electronics miniaturization come more and more complex processes where control parameters are critical and the yield is highly susceptible to inadequate process monitor and inspection. With multi-step, multi-layer process for substrate fabrication, process defects that are not detected and corrected at certain critical points may render the entire subassembly useless. As a process becomes more complex, the time required to test the product increases significantly in the total build cycle. The urgency to reduce test time brings more pressure to improve in-process control and inspection. The advances and improvements of components, assemblies and systems such as micro-processors, micro-computers, programmable controllers, and other intelligent devices, have made the automation of quality control much more cost effective and justifiable.

Effect of non-alcoholic beer on Subjective Sleep Quality in a university stressed population.

PubMed

Franco, L; Bravo, R; Galán, C; Rodríguez, A B; Barriga, C; Cubero, Javier

2014-09-01

Sleep deprivation affects the homeostasis of the physiological functions in the human organism. Beer is the only beverage that contains hops, a plant which has a sedative effect. Our objective is to determine the improvement of subjective sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The sample was conducted among a population of 30 university students. The study took place during a period of 3 weeks, the first 7 days were used for the Control, and during the following 14 days the students ingested beer (were asked to drink non-alcoholic beer) while having dinner. The results revealed that Subjective Sleep Quality improved in the case of those students who drank one beer during dinner compared to the Control, this is corroborated by the fact that Sleep Latency decreased (p < 0.05) compared to their Control. The overall rating Global Score of Quality of Sleep also improved significantly (p < 0.05). These results confirm that the consumption of non-alcoholic beer at dinner time helps to improve the quality of sleep at night.

40 CFR 63.9808 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... times, you must maintain your monitoring systems including, but not limited to, maintaining necessary parts for routine repairs of the monitoring equipment. (c) Except for, as applicable, monitoring system malfunctions, associated repairs, and required quality assurance or quality control activities, you must...

40 CFR 63.9808 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... times, you must maintain your monitoring systems including, but not limited to, maintaining necessary parts for routine repairs of the monitoring equipment. (c) Except for, as applicable, monitoring system malfunctions, associated repairs, and required quality assurance or quality control activities, you must...

40 CFR 63.9808 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... times, you must maintain your monitoring systems including, but not limited to, maintaining necessary parts for routine repairs of the monitoring equipment. (c) Except for, as applicable, monitoring system malfunctions, associated repairs, and required quality assurance or quality control activities, you must...

40 CFR 63.9808 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... times, you must maintain your monitoring systems including, but not limited to, maintaining necessary parts for routine repairs of the monitoring equipment. (c) Except for, as applicable, monitoring system malfunctions, associated repairs, and required quality assurance or quality control activities, you must...

40 CFR 63.9808 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... times, you must maintain your monitoring systems including, but not limited to, maintaining necessary parts for routine repairs of the monitoring equipment. (c) Except for, as applicable, monitoring system malfunctions, associated repairs, and required quality assurance or quality control activities, you must...

Total Quality Management in Libraries: A Sourcebook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neil, Rosanna M., Comp.

Total Quality Management (TQM) brings together the best aspects of organizational excellence by driving out fear, offering customer-driven products and services, doing it right the first time by eliminating error, and maintaining inventory control without waste. Libraries are service organizations which are constantly trying to improve service.…

40 CFR 63.6135 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Combustion Turbines Continuous Compliance Requirements § 63.6135 How do I monitor and collect data to... quality assurance or quality control activities (including, as applicable, calibration checks and required... times the stationary combustion turbine is operating. (b) Do not use data recorded during monitor...

40 CFR 63.6135 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Combustion Turbines Continuous Compliance Requirements § 63.6135 How do I monitor and collect data to... quality assurance or quality control activities (including, as applicable, calibration checks and required... times the stationary combustion turbine is operating. (b) Do not use data recorded during monitor...

40 CFR 63.6135 - How do I monitor and collect data to demonstrate continuous compliance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Combustion Turbines Continuous Compliance Requirements § 63.6135 How do I monitor and collect data to... quality assurance or quality control activities (including, as applicable, calibration checks and required... times the stationary combustion turbine is operating. (b) Do not use data recorded during monitor...

A case-control study of quality of life and functional impairment in women with long-standing vertebral osteoporotic fracture.

PubMed

Hall, S E; Criddle, R A; Comito, T L; Prince, R L

1999-01-01

There have been several studies of the impact of vertebral osteoporotic fracture on the quality of life and functionality of individual subjects. To date, however, no direct comparisons with age-matched normal subjects without vertebral fracture have been made. The radiographs of 145 female clinic patients with vertebral fractures were reviewed by the study physicians. The controls were recruited from the electoral role and by media appeal. One hundred and sixty-seven women had radiographs taken to determine those without vertebral fracture. Fracture subjects and controls had to be ambulant and were excluded if they had significant radiologic evidence of degenerative disk or joint disease of the spine. One hundred cases and one hundred controls were matched by 5-year age groups. The number, position and severity of the vertebral fracture on the lateral radiographs of the cases was recorded. Quality of life was measured using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) (maximum score 100) and a utility score calculated from these results (maximum score 1). Two measurements of functionality were employed: the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) to assess the activities of daily living (maximum score 100) and the Timed 'Up & Go' (TUG) that measured the time taken for the subject to rise from sitting in a chair, walk 3 m along a line, return to the chair and sit down. The fracture subjects had 2.9 +/- 1.6 (mean +/- SD) vertebral fractures and the time since last fracture was 5.1 +/- 4.8 years. The SF-36 physical function component summary index results were: fracture subjects 36 +/- 11, controls 48 +/- 9 (p < 0.001). The SF-36 mental health component summary index results were: fracture subjects 50 +/- 11, controls 54 +/- 8 (p < 0.05). The utility scores were: fracture subjects 0.64 +/- 0.08, controls 0.72 +/- 0.07 (p < 0.001). The MBI results were: fracture subjects 97 +/- 5, controls 99 +/- 1 (p < 0.01). The TUG results were: fracture subjects 13.8 +/- 7.3 s, controls 10.1 +/- 4.1 s (p < 0.01). TUG and MBI scores correlated well with SF-36 scores; however, no domain of the SF-36 or functional measure correlated with either the number of vertebral fractures or the time since last vertebral fracture. Thus, clinically reported vertebral fractures impair both the quality of life and functionality of these subjects. The adverse impact of vertebral fracture on quality of life and functionality needs to be recognized by medical practitioners, subjects and the community, so that adequate health resources can be devoted to the prevention and treatment of this debilitating condition condition.

Examining System-Wide Impacts of Solar PV Control Systems with a Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Platform

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

Williams, Tess L.; Fuller, Jason C.; Schneider, Kevin P.

2014-06-08

High penetration levels of distributed solar PV power generation can lead to adverse power quality impacts, such as excessive voltage rise, voltage flicker, and reactive power values that result in unacceptable voltage levels. Advanced inverter control schemes have been developed that have the potential to mitigate many power quality concerns. However, local closed-loop control may lead to unintended behavior in deployed systems as complex interactions can occur between numerous operating devices. To enable the study of the performance of advanced control schemes in a detailed distribution system environment, a test platform has been developed that integrates Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) withmore » concurrent time-series electric distribution system simulation. In the test platform, GridLAB-D, a distribution system simulation tool, runs a detailed simulation of a distribution feeder in real-time mode at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and supplies power system parameters at a point of common coupling. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a hardware inverter interacts with grid and PV simulators emulating an operational distribution system. Power output from the inverters is measured and sent to PNNL to update the real-time distribution system simulation. The platform is described and initial test cases are presented. The platform is used to study the system-wide impacts and the interactions of inverter control modes—constant power factor and active Volt/VAr control—when integrated into a simulated IEEE 8500-node test feeder. We demonstrate that this platform is well-suited to the study of advanced inverter controls and their impacts on the power quality of a distribution feeder. Additionally, results are used to validate GridLAB-D simulations of advanced inverter controls.« less

A randomized, controlled trial of team-based competition to increase learner participation in quality-improvement education.

PubMed

Scales, Charles D; Moin, Tannaz; Fink, Arlene; Berry, Sandra H; Afsar-Manesh, Nasim; Mangione, Carol M; Kerfoot, B Price

2016-04-01

Several barriers challenge resident engagement in learning quality improvement (QI). We investigated whether the incorporation of team-based game mechanics into an evidence-based online learning platform could increase resident participation in a QI curriculum. Randomized, controlled trial. Tertiary-care medical center residency training programs. Resident physicians (n = 422) from nine training programs (anesthesia, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pediatrics, psychiatry and general surgery) randomly allocated to a team competition environment (n = 200) or the control group (n = 222). Specialty-based team assignment with leaderboards to foster competition, and alias assignment to de-identify individual participants. Participation in online learning, as measured by percentage of questions attempted (primary outcome) and additional secondary measures of engagement (i.e. response time). Changes in participation measures over time between groups were assessed with a repeated measures ANOVA framework. Residents in the intervention arm demonstrated greater participation than the control group. The percentage of questions attempted at least once was greater in the competition group (79% [SD ± 32] versus control, 68% [SD ± 37], P= 0.03). Median response time was faster in the competition group (P= 0.006). Differences in participation continued to increase over the duration of the intervention, as measured by average response time and cumulative percent of questions attempted (each P< 0.001). Team competition increases resident participation in an online course delivering QI content. Medical educators should consider game mechanics to optimize participation when designing learning experiences. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

[Statistical process control applied to intensity modulated radiotherapy pretreatment controls with portal dosimetry].

PubMed

Villani, N; Gérard, K; Marchesi, V; Huger, S; François, P; Noël, A

2010-06-01

The first purpose of this study was to illustrate the contribution of statistical process control for a better security in intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatments. This improvement is possible by controlling the dose delivery process, characterized by pretreatment quality control results. So, it is necessary to put under control portal dosimetry measurements (currently, the ionisation chamber measurements were already monitored by statistical process control thanks to statistical process control tools). The second objective was to state whether it is possible to substitute ionisation chamber with portal dosimetry in order to optimize time devoted to pretreatment quality control. At Alexis-Vautrin center, pretreatment quality controls in IMRT for prostate and head and neck treatments were performed for each beam of each patient. These controls were made with an ionisation chamber, which is the reference detector for the absolute dose measurement, and with portal dosimetry for the verification of dose distribution. Statistical process control is a statistical analysis method, coming from industry, used to control and improve the studied process quality. It uses graphic tools as control maps to follow-up process, warning the operator in case of failure, and quantitative tools to evaluate the process toward its ability to respect guidelines: this is the capability study. The study was performed on 450 head and neck beams and on 100 prostate beams. Control charts, showing drifts, both slow and weak, and also both strong and fast, of mean and standard deviation have been established and have shown special cause introduced (manual shift of the leaf gap of the multileaf collimator). Correlation between dose measured at one point, given with the EPID and the ionisation chamber has been evaluated at more than 97% and disagreement cases between the two measurements were identified. The study allowed to demonstrate the feasibility to reduce the time devoted to pretreatment controls, by substituting the ionisation chamber's measurements with those performed with EPID, and also that a statistical process control monitoring of data brought security guarantee. 2010 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Statistical Process Control: A Quality Tool for a Venous Thromboembolic Disease Registry.

PubMed

Posadas-Martinez, Maria Lourdes; Rojas, Liliana Paloma; Vazquez, Fernando Javier; De Quiros, Fernan Bernaldo; Waisman, Gabriel Dario; Giunta, Diego Hernan

2016-01-01

We aim to describe Statistical Control Process as a quality tool for the Institutional Registry of Venous Thromboembolic Disease (IRTD), a registry developed in a community-care tertiary hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The IRTD is a prospective cohort. The process of data acquisition began with the creation of a computerized alert generated whenever physicians requested imaging or laboratory study to diagnose venous thromboembolism, which defined eligible patients. The process then followed a structured methodology for patient's inclusion, evaluation, and posterior data entry. To control this process, process performance indicators were designed to be measured monthly. These included the number of eligible patients, the number of included patients, median time to patient's evaluation, and percentage of patients lost to evaluation. Control charts were graphed for each indicator. The registry was evaluated in 93 months, where 25,757 patients were reported and 6,798 patients met inclusion criteria. The median time to evaluation was 20 hours (SD, 12) and 7.7% of the total was lost to evaluation. Each indicator presented trends over time, caused by structural changes and improvement cycles, and therefore the central limit suffered inflexions. Statistical process control through process performance indicators allowed us to control the performance of the registry over time to detect systematic problems. We postulate that this approach could be reproduced for other clinical registries.

Public Health Interventions for Aedes Control in the Time of Zikavirus– A Meta-Review on Effectiveness of Vector Control Strategies

PubMed Central

Bouzid, Maha; Brainard, Julii; Hooper, Lee; Hunter, Paul R.

2016-01-01

Background There is renewed interest in effective measures to control Zika and dengue vectors. A synthesis of published literature with a focus on the quality of evidence is warranted to determine the effectiveness of vector control strategies. Methodology We conducted a meta-review assessing the effectiveness of any Aedes control measure. We searched Scopus and Medline for relevant reviews through to May 2016. Titles, abstracts and full texts were assessed independently for inclusion by two authors. Data extraction was performed in duplicate and validity of the evidence was assessed using GRADE criteria. Findings 13 systematic reviews that investigated the effect of control measures on entomological parameters or disease incidence were included. Biological controls seem to achieve better reduction of entomological indices than chemical controls, while educational campaigns can reduce breeding habitats. Integrated vector control strategies may not always increase effectiveness. The efficacy of any control programme is dependent on local settings, intervention type, resources and study duration, which may partly explain the varying degree of success between studies. Nevertheless, the quality of evidence was mostly low to very low due to poor reporting of study design, observational methodologies, heterogeneity, and indirect outcomes, thus hindering an evidence-based recommendation. Conclusions The evidence for the effectiveness of Aedes control measures is mixed. Chemical control, which is commonly used, does not appear to be associated with sustainable reductions of mosquito populations over time. Indeed, by contributing to a false sense of security, chemical control may reduce the effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at encouraging local people to remove mosquito breeding sites. Better quality studies of the impact of vector control interventions on the incidence of human infections with Dengue or Zika are still needed. PMID:27926934

In pursuit of quality by viable quality assurance system: the controllers' perceptions.

PubMed

Aziz, Anwar

2011-01-01

Patients, families and communities expect safe, competent and compassionate nursing care that has always been a core value of nursing. To meet these expectations, a valid and reliable quality assurance (QA) system is crucial to ensure that nurse-graduates are competent, confident and fit to practice. The QA approach is seen to be fundamental for quality improvement, it would be appropriate to consider its influence in the nursing education in Pakistan as the current situation is evident of non-existence of such a system to assure its quality. The data is drawn from a qualitative case study conducted in 2004. Among a purposive sample of 71 nurses inclusive of a group of Controllers were interviewed on one-to-one basis. Interviews were audio taped to reduce the risk of any misinterpretation and to facilitate the exact description of data as it was said. The non-directive, semi-structured and open-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. Thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts of the interviews was done. The study findings reveal a unanimous desire of the nurses to gauge quality of nurse education through efficient and effective quality assurance system. A crucial need is felt to develop a viable quality assurance system to ensure approved level of quality in nursing education to deliver the right care to the right patient at the right time, every time. The continuous quality assurance and improvement (CQAI) framework based on Deming Quality Cycle (Plan, Do, Check and Act) could facilitate appropriate designing and development of mechanism.

Two-year, randomized, controlled study of safinamide as add-on to levodopa in mid to late Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Borgohain, Rupam; Szasz, Jozsef; Stanzione, Paolo; Meshram, Chandrashekhar; Bhatt, Mohit H; Chirilineau, Dana; Stocchi, Fabrizio; Lucini, Valentina; Giuliani, Rodolfo; Forrest, Emma; Rice, Patricia; Anand, Ravi

2014-09-01

In a 6-month double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations, safinamide 50 and 100 mg/d significantly increased ON-time without increasing dyskinesia. Further long-term safinamide use in these patients was evaluated over an additional 18 months. Patients continued on their randomized placebo, 50, or 100 mg/d safinamide. The primary endpoint was change in Dyskinesia Rating Scale total score during ON-time over 24 months. Other efficacy endpoints included change in ON-time without troublesome dyskinesia, changes in individual diary categories, depressive symptoms, and quality of life measures. Change in Dyskinesia Rating Scale was not significantly different in safinamide versus placebo groups, despite decreased mean total Dyskinesia Rating Scale with safinamide compared with an almost unchanged score in placebo. Ad hoc subgroup analysis of moderate to severe dyskinetic patients at baseline (36% of patients) showed a decrease with safinamide 100 mg/d compared with placebo (P = 0.0317). Improvements in motor function, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms, clinical status, and quality of life at 6 months remained significant at 24 months. Adverse events and discontinuation rates were similar with safinamide and placebo. This 2-year, controlled study of add-on safinamide in mid-to-late Parkinson's disease with motor fluctuations, although not demonstrating an overall difference in dyskinesias between patients and controls, showed improvement in dyskinesia in patients at least moderately dyskinetic at baseline. The study additionally demonstrated significant clinical benefits in ON-time (without troublesome dyskinesia), OFF-time, activities of daily living, motor symptoms, quality of life, and symptoms of depression. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Substation Reactive Power Regulation Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Junfeng; Zhang, Chunwang; Ma, Daqing

2018-01-01

With the increasing requirements on the power supply quality and reliability of distribution network, voltage and reactive power regulation of substations has become one of the indispensable ways to ensure voltage quality and reactive power balance and to improve the economy and reliability of distribution network. Therefore, it is a general concern of the current power workers and operators that what kind of flexible and effective control method should be used to adjust the on-load tap-changer (OLTC) transformer and shunt compensation capacitor in a substation to achieve reactive power balance in situ, improve voltage pass rate, increase power factor and reduce active power loss. In this paper, based on the traditional nine-zone diagram and combining with the characteristics of substation, a fuzzy variable-center nine-zone diagram control method is proposed and used to make a comprehensive regulation of substation voltage and reactive power. Through the calculation and simulation of the example, this method is proved to have satisfactorily reconciled the contradiction between reactive power and voltage in real-time control and achieved the basic goal of real-time control of the substation, providing a reference value to the practical application of the substation real-time control method.

How gamma radiation processing systems are benefiting from the latest advances in information technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Wayne H.; Levesque, Daniel

2000-03-01

This paper discusses how gamma irradiation plants are putting the latest advances in computer and information technology to use for better process control, cost savings, and strategic advantages. Some irradiator operations are gaining significant benefits by integrating computer technology and robotics with real-time information processing, multi-user databases, and communication networks. The paper reports on several irradiation facilities that are making good use of client/server LANs, user-friendly graphics interfaces, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, distributed I/O with real-time sensor devices, trending analysis, real-time product tracking, dynamic product scheduling, and automated dosimetry reading. These plants are lowering costs by fast and reliable reconciliation of dosimetry data, easier validation to GMP requirements, optimizing production flow, and faster release of sterilized products to market. There is a trend in the manufacturing sector towards total automation using "predictive process control". Real-time verification of process parameters "on-the-run" allows control parameters to be adjusted appropriately, before the process strays out of limits. Applying this technology to the gamma radiation process, control will be based on monitoring the key parameters such as time, and making adjustments during the process to optimize quality and throughput. Dosimetry results will be used as a quality control measurement rather than as a final monitor for the release of the product. Results are correlated with the irradiation process data to quickly and confidently reconcile variations. Ultimately, a parametric process control system utilizing responsive control, feedback and verification will not only increase productivity and process efficiency, but can also result in operating within tighter dose control set points.

Digitalizing historical high resolution water level data: Challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holinde, Lars; Hein, Hartmut; Barjenbruch, Ulrich

2017-04-01

Historical tide-gauge data offer the opportunities for determining variations in key characteristics for water level data and the analyses of past extreme events (storm surges). These information are important for calculating future trends and scenarios. But there are challenges involved due to the extensive effort needed to digitalize gauge sheets and quality control the resulting historical data. Based on these conditions, two main sources for inaccuracies in historical time series can be identified. First are several challenges due to the digitalization of the historical data, e.g. general quality of the sheets, multiple crossing lines of the observed water levels and additional comments on the sheet describing problems or additional information during the measurements. Second are problems during the measurements themselves. These can include the incorrect positioning of the sheets, trouble with the tide-gauge and maintenance. Errors resulting from these problems can be e.g. flat lines, discontinuities and outlier. Especially, the characterization of outliers has to be conducted carefully, to distinguish between real outliers and the appearance of extreme events. Methods for the quality control process involve the use of statistics, machine learning and neural networks. These will be described and applied to three different time series from tide gauge stations at the cost of Lower Saxony, Germany. Resulting difficulties and outcomes of the quality control process will be presented and explained. Furthermore, we will present a first glance at analyses for these time series.

Mentoring Interventions for Underrepresented Scholars in Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences: Effects on Quality of Mentoring Interactions and Discussions

PubMed Central

Lewis, Vivian; Martina, Camille A.; McDermott, Michael P.; Chaudron, Linda; Trief, Paula M.; LaGuardia, Jennifer G.; Sharp, Daryl; Goodman, Steven R.; Morse, Gene D.; Ryan, Richard M.

2017-01-01

Mentors rarely receive education about the unique needs of underrepresented scholars in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. We hypothesized that mentor-training and peer-mentoring interventions for these scholars would enrich the perceived quality and breadth of discussions between mentor–protégé dyads (i.e., mentor–protégé pairs). Our multicenter, randomized study of 150 underrepresented scholar–mentor dyads compared: 1) mentor training, 2) protégé peer mentoring, 3) combined mentor training and peer mentoring, and 4) a control condition (i.e., usual practice of mentoring). In this secondary analysis, the outcome variables were quality of dyad time and breadth of their discussions. Protégé participants were graduate students, fellows, and junior faculty in behavioral and biomedical research and healthcare. Dyads with mentor training were more likely than those without mentor training to have discussed teaching and work–life balance. Dyads with peer mentoring were more likely than those without peer mentoring to have discussed clinical care and career plans. The combined intervention dyads were more likely than controls to perceive that the quality of their time together was good/excellent. Our study supports the value of these mentoring interventions to enhance the breadth of dyad discussions and quality of time together, both important components of a good mentoring relationship. PMID:28747354

Trajectories of Sleep Quality and Associations with Mood during the Perinatal Period.

PubMed

Tomfohr, Lianne M; Buliga, Elena; Letourneau, Nicole L; Campbell, Tavis S; Giesbrecht, Gerald F

2015-08-01

The aim of this study was to investigate trajectories of sleep quality and associations with mood in the perinatal period. Although it is commonly accepted that subjective sleep quality declines during pregnancy and the transition to parenthood, some women may follow qualitatively distinct trajectories. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were collected from 293 women at four time points: during early pregnancy, at Time 1 (T1; < 22 w gestational age [GA]; late pregnancy, at Time 2 (T2; 32 w GA); during the postnatal period at Time 3 (T3; 3 mo postpartum); and Time 4 (T4; 6 mo postpartum). A group-based semiparametric mixture model was used to estimate patterns of sleep quality throughout the perinatal period. Four trajectory groups were identified, including patterns defined by high sleep quality throughout (21.5%), mild decrease in sleep quality (59.5%), significant decrease in sleep quality (12.3%) and a group with poor sleep quality throughout (6.7%). Women who had the worst sleep quality at Time 1 and those who experienced significant increases in sleep problems throughout pregnancy were also the groups who reported the highest levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in early pregnancy and the lowest levels of social support. After controlling for covariates, the groups with worst subjective sleep quality during pregnancy were also the most likely to experience high symptoms of depression in the postpartum period. Most of the women in our sample reported mild sleep disturbances through the perinatal period. A subgroup of women reported a significant decline in sleep quality from early to late pregnancy and another reported poor subjective sleep quality throughout pregnancy; these groups had the greatest risk of experiencing high symptoms of depression in the postpartum period. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Complete synchronization of uncertain chaotic systems via a single proportional adaptive controller: A comparative study

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

Ahmad, Israr, E-mail: iak-2000plus@yahoo.com; Saaban, Azizan Bin, E-mail: azizan.s@uum.edu.my; Ibrahim, Adyda Binti, E-mail: adyda@uum.edu.my

This paper addresses a comparative computational study on the synchronization quality, cost and converging speed for two pairs of identical chaotic and hyperchaotic systems with unknown time-varying parameters. It is assumed that the unknown time-varying parameters are bounded. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and using the adaptive control method, a single proportional controller is proposed to achieve the goal of complete synchronizations. Accordingly, appropriate adaptive laws are designed to identify the unknown time-varying parameters. The designed control strategy is easy to implement in practice. Numerical simulations results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed synchronization scheme.

A multichannel amplitude and relative-phase controller for active sound quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosquera-Sánchez, Jaime A.; Desmet, Wim; de Oliveira, Leopoldo P. R.

2017-05-01

The enhancement of the sound quality of periodic disturbances for a number of listeners within an enclosure often confronts difficulties given by cross-channel interferences, which arise from simultaneously profiling the primary sound at each error sensor. These interferences may deteriorate the original sound among each listener, which is an unacceptable result from the point of view of sound quality control. In this paper we provide experimental evidence on controlling both amplitude and relative-phase functions of stationary complex primary sounds for a number of listeners within a cavity, attaining amplifications of twice the original value, reductions on the order of 70 dB, and relative-phase shifts between ± π rad, still in a free-of-interference control scenario. To accomplish such burdensome control targets, we have designed a multichannel active sound profiling scheme that bases its operation on exchanging time-domain control signals among the control units during uptime. Provided the real parts of the eigenvalues of persistently excited control matrices are positive, the proposed multichannel array is able to counterbalance cross-channel interferences, while attaining demanding control targets. Moreover, regularization of unstable control matrices is not seen to prevent the proposed array to provide free-of-interference amplitude and relative-phase control, but the system performance is degraded, as a function of the amount of regularization needed. The assessment of Loudness and Roughness metrics on the controlled primary sound proves that the proposed distributed control scheme noticeably outperforms current techniques, since active amplitude- and/or relative-phase-based enhancement of the auditory qualities of a primary sound no longer implies in causing interferences among different positions. In this regard, experimental results also confirm the effectiveness of the proposed scheme on stably enhancing the sound qualities of periodic sounds for multiple listeners within a cavity.

Improving Service Delivery in a County Health Department WIC Clinic: An Application of Statistical Process Control Techniques

PubMed Central

Boe, Debra Thingstad; Parsons, Helen

2009-01-01

Local public health agencies are challenged to continually improve service delivery, yet they frequently operate with constrained resources. Quality improvement methods and techniques such as statistical process control are commonly used in other industries, and they have recently been proposed as a means of improving service delivery and performance in public health settings. We analyzed a quality improvement project undertaken at a local Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic to reduce waiting times and improve client satisfaction with a walk-in nutrition education service. We used statistical process control techniques to evaluate initial process performance, implement an intervention, and assess process improvements. We found that implementation of these techniques significantly reduced waiting time and improved clients' satisfaction with the WIC service. PMID:19608964

Effect of Hemodiafiltration on Quality of Life over Time

PubMed Central

Mazairac, Albert H.A.; de Wit, G. Ardine; Grooteman, Muriel P.C.; Penne, E. Lars; van der Weerd, Neelke C.; den Hoedt, Claire H.; Lévesque, Renée; van den Dorpel, Marinus A.; Nubé, Menso J.; ter Wee, Piet M.; Bots, Michiel L.

2013-01-01

Summary Background and objectives It is unclear if hemodiafiltration leads to a better quality of life compared with hemodialysis. It was, therefore, the aim of this study to assess the effect of hemodiafiltration on quality of life compared with hemodialysis in patients with ESRD. Design, setting, participants, & measurements This study analyzed the data of 714 patients with a median follow-up of 2 years from the Convective Transport Study. The patients were enrolled between June of 2004 and December of 2009. The Convective Transport Study is a randomized controlled trial on the effect of online hemodiafiltration versus low-flux hemodialysis on all-cause mortality. Quality of life was assessed with the Kidney Disease Quality of Life—Short Form. This questionnaire provides data for a physical and mental composite score and describes kidney disease-specific quality of life in 12 domains. The domains have scales from 0 to 100. Results There were no significant differences in changes in health-related quality of life over time between patients treated with hemodialysis (n=358) or hemodiafiltration (n=356). The quality of life domain patient satisfaction declined over time in both dialysis modalities (hemodialysis: −2.5/yr, −3.4 to −1.5, P<0.001; hemodiafiltration: −1.4/yr, −2.4 to −0.5, P=0.004). Conclusions Compared with hemodialysis, hemodiafiltration had no significant effect on quality of life over time. PMID:23124783

[The continuous graphic presentation of interdepartmental results (author's transl)].

PubMed

Berger, J; Hirsch, H

1976-10-01

The results of interdepartmental determinations can be clearly presented in the laboratory in two ways: 1. Entry on a test card, according to Shewhart, as used in internal quality control. 2. Entry on a test card, constructed on the principle of the Cusum test. By the latter procedure, systematic errors are detected sooner than with the usual test card. A graphic variant of the Cusum test is described; a V-mask is not required; the card superficially resembles the usual control card, and the calculation time is minimal. This method may also be used to advantage in internal quality control.

Halogenated peptides as internal standards (H-PINS): introduction of an MS-based internal standard set for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Mirzaei, Hamid; Brusniak, Mi-Youn; Mueller, Lukas N; Letarte, Simon; Watts, Julian D; Aebersold, Ruedi

2009-08-01

As the application for quantitative proteomics in the life sciences has grown in recent years, so has the need for more robust and generally applicable methods for quality control and calibration. The reliability of quantitative proteomics is tightly linked to the reproducibility and stability of the analytical platforms, which are typically multicomponent (e.g. sample preparation, multistep separations, and mass spectrometry) with individual components contributing unequally to the overall system reproducibility. Variations in quantitative accuracy are thus inevitable, and quality control and calibration become essential for the assessment of the quality of the analyses themselves. Toward this end, the use of internal standards cannot only assist in the detection and removal of outlier data acquired by an irreproducible system (quality control) but can also be used for detection of changes in instruments for their subsequent performance and calibration. Here we introduce a set of halogenated peptides as internal standards. The peptides are custom designed to have properties suitable for various quality control assessments, data calibration, and normalization processes. The unique isotope distribution of halogenated peptides makes their mass spectral detection easy and unambiguous when spiked into complex peptide mixtures. In addition, they were designed to elute sequentially over an entire aqueous to organic LC gradient and to have m/z values within the commonly scanned mass range (300-1800 Da). In a series of experiments in which these peptides were spiked into an enriched N-glycosite peptide fraction (i.e. from formerly N-glycosylated intact proteins in their deglycosylated form) isolated from human plasma, we show the utility and performance of these halogenated peptides for sample preparation and LC injection quality control as well as for retention time and mass calibration. Further use of the peptides for signal intensity normalization and retention time synchronization for selected reaction monitoring experiments is also demonstrated.

Halogenated Peptides as Internal Standards (H-PINS)

PubMed Central

Mirzaei, Hamid; Brusniak, Mi-Youn; Mueller, Lukas N.; Letarte, Simon; Watts, Julian D.; Aebersold, Ruedi

2009-01-01

As the application for quantitative proteomics in the life sciences has grown in recent years, so has the need for more robust and generally applicable methods for quality control and calibration. The reliability of quantitative proteomics is tightly linked to the reproducibility and stability of the analytical platforms, which are typically multicomponent (e.g. sample preparation, multistep separations, and mass spectrometry) with individual components contributing unequally to the overall system reproducibility. Variations in quantitative accuracy are thus inevitable, and quality control and calibration become essential for the assessment of the quality of the analyses themselves. Toward this end, the use of internal standards cannot only assist in the detection and removal of outlier data acquired by an irreproducible system (quality control) but can also be used for detection of changes in instruments for their subsequent performance and calibration. Here we introduce a set of halogenated peptides as internal standards. The peptides are custom designed to have properties suitable for various quality control assessments, data calibration, and normalization processes. The unique isotope distribution of halogenated peptides makes their mass spectral detection easy and unambiguous when spiked into complex peptide mixtures. In addition, they were designed to elute sequentially over an entire aqueous to organic LC gradient and to have m/z values within the commonly scanned mass range (300–1800 Da). In a series of experiments in which these peptides were spiked into an enriched N-glycosite peptide fraction (i.e. from formerly N-glycosylated intact proteins in their deglycosylated form) isolated from human plasma, we show the utility and performance of these halogenated peptides for sample preparation and LC injection quality control as well as for retention time and mass calibration. Further use of the peptides for signal intensity normalization and retention time synchronization for selected reaction monitoring experiments is also demonstrated. PMID:19411281

Control of Protein Crystal Nucleation and Growth Using Stirring Solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niino, Ai; Adachi, Hiroaki; Takano, Kazufumi; Matsumura, Hiroyoshi; Kinoshita, Takayoshi; Warizaya, Masaichi; Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Mori, Yusuke; Sasaki, Takatomo

2004-11-01

We have previously developed a protein crystallization technique using a stirring protein solution and revealed that (i) continuous stirring prevents excess spontaneous nucleation and accelerates the growth of protein crystals and (ii) prestirring (solution stirring in advance) promotes the crystal nucleation of hen egg-white lysozyme. In bovine adenosine deaminase (ADA) crystallization, continuous stirring improves the crystal quality but elongates the nucleation time. In this paper, in order to control both the crystal nucleation and growth of ADA using a Micro-Stirring technique, we carried out five different stirring patterns such as (i) no stirring, (ii) continuous stirring, (iii) prestirring, (iv) poststirring (stirring late in the growth period) and (v) restirring (combined pre- and poststirring). The results showed that high-quality well-shaped crystals were obtained under the continuous stirring and restirring conditions and the nucleation time under the prestirring and restirring conditions was shorter than that under the continuous stirring and poststirring conditions. Consequently, high-quality crystals were promptly obtained under the restirring condition. These results suggest that we are able to control both the nucleation and growth of protein crystals with the stirring techniques.

Optimal glucocorticoid therapy.

PubMed

Debono, Miguel; Ross, Richard J

2011-01-01

The rhythmic regulation of human physiology and behaviour is controlled by a central endogenous clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Most tissues have peripheral clocks that oscillate in time with this central clock. How the central time keeper controls peripheral clocks is not established, however there is evidence to suggest that the cortisol rhythm is one important secondary messenger. Loss of the endogenous cortisol rhythm is associated with sleep disturbance, depression, and metabolic abnormalities. In adrenal insufficiency, current glucocorticoid replacement regimens cannot replace the normal circadian rhythm of cortisol, and patients have an increased mortality and impaired quality of life. We propose that reproducing circadian cortisol levels may improve quality of life in patients with adrenal insufficiency and we have been investigating the impact of circadian hydrocortisone replacement. Using Chronocort, a modified release preparation of hydrocortisone, we have demonstrated that it is possible to simulate the overnight rise in cortisol release and, in preliminary studies in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, control morning androgen levels. Future studies are now required to determine whether Chronocort can improve quality of life in patients with adrenal insufficiency. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Weld analysis and control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Larry Z. (Inventor); Rodgers, Michael H. (Inventor); Powell, Bradley W. (Inventor); Burroughs, Ivan A. (Inventor); Goode, K. Wayne (Inventor)

1994-01-01

The invention is a Weld Analysis and Control System developed for active weld system control through real time weld data acquisition. Closed-loop control is based on analysis of weld system parameters and weld geometry. The system is adapted for use with automated welding apparatus having a weld controller which is capable of active electronic control of all aspects of a welding operation. Enhanced graphics and data displays are provided for post-weld analysis. The system provides parameter acquisition, including seam location which is acquired for active torch cross-seam positioning. Torch stand-off is also monitored for control. Weld bead and parent surface geometrical parameters are acquired as an indication of weld quality. These parameters include mismatch, peaking, undercut, underfill, crown height, weld width, puddle diameter, and other measurable information about the weld puddle regions, such as puddle symmetry, etc. These parameters provide a basis for active control as well as post-weld quality analysis and verification. Weld system parameters, such as voltage, current and wire feed rate, are also monitored and archived for correlation with quality parameters.

[Quality of life and physical activity of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases].

PubMed

Nowak, Agata; Kucio, Cezary

2015-01-01

Estimation of the quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and comparison these results with control group. A group of 16 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and 13 healthy persons as a control group. In orderto estimate the quality of life, polish version of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) was used. The Second questionnaire that was used is WHOQOL-BREF (The World Health Organization Quality of Life). To assess the level of physical activity was applied the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (MLTPAQ). All the results have been correlated to answer the question if there is any relationship between the quality of life and physical activity and if level of these parameters is different in control group. In the group of patients the lowest level of functioning were stated on bowel ailments field and emotional field. The most important roles in patients life are social relationship and sanity. The higher level of the caloric consumption was stated in the group of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases in comparison to control group. There was no significant difference in caloric consumption related with the recreation and house works. Because of the fact that all of the patients were in the remission period, it was impossible to verify if there is any relationship between quality of life and the stage of disease. The results of researches have not proved relationship between the level of physical activity and the quality of life among the patients as well as in the control group.

Mobile App for Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

PubMed

Sjöström, Malin; Lindholm, Lars; Samuelsson, Eva

2017-05-08

Mobile apps can increase access to care, facilitate self-management, and improve adherence to treatment. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects 10-35% of women and, currently, an app with instructions for pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is available as first-line treatment. A previous randomized controlled study demonstrated that the app benefitted symptom severity and quality of life (QoL); in this study we investigate the cost-effectiveness of the app. The objective of this study was to evaluate the health economy of the app for treating SUI. This deterministic cost-utility analysis, with a 1-year societal perspective, compared the app treatment with no treatment. Health economic data were collected alongside a randomized controlled trial performed in Sweden from March 2013 to October 2014. This study included 123 community-dwelling women participants of 18 years and above, with stress urinary incontinence ≥1 time per week. Participants were self-assessed with validated questionnaires and 2-day leakage diaries, and then randomized to 3 months of treatment (app group, n=62) or no treatment (controls, n=61). The app focused on pelvic floor muscle training, prescribed 3 times daily. We continuously registered treatment delivery costs. Data were collected on each participant's training time, incontinence aids, and laundry at baseline and at a 3-month follow-up. We measured quality of life with the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Quality of Life, and calculated the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. Data from the 3-month follow-up were extrapolated to 1 year for the calculations. Our main outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios compared between app and control groups. One-way and multiway sensitivity analyses were performed. The mean age of participants was 44.7 years (SD 9.4). Annual costs were €547.0 for the app group and €482.4 for the control group. Annual gains in quality-adjusted life years for app and control groups were 0.0101 and 0.0016, respectively. Compared with controls, the extra cost per quality-adjusted life year for the app group ranged from -€2425.7 to €14,870.6, which indicated greater gains in quality-adjusted life years at similar or slightly higher cost. The app for treating stress urinary incontinence is a new, cost-effective, first-line treatment with potential for increasing access to care in a sustainable way for this patient group. ©Malin Sjöström, Lars Lindholm, Eva Samuelsson. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 08.05.2017.

The IEO Data Center Management System: Tools for quality control, analysis and access marine data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casas, Antonia; Garcia, Maria Jesus; Nikouline, Andrei

2010-05-01

Since 1994 the Data Centre of the Spanish Oceanographic Institute develops system for archiving and quality control of oceanographic data. The work started in the frame of the European Marine Science & Technology Programme (MAST) when a consortium of several Mediterranean Data Centres began to work on the MEDATLAS project. Along the years, old software modules for MS DOS were rewritten, improved and migrated to Windows environment. Oceanographic data quality control includes now not only vertical profiles (mainly CTD and bottles observations) but also time series of currents and sea level observations. New powerful routines for analysis and for graphic visualization were added. Data presented originally in ASCII format were organized recently in an open source MySQL database. Nowadays, the IEO, as part of SeaDataNet Infrastructure, has designed and developed a new information system, consistent with the ISO 19115 and SeaDataNet standards, in order to manage the large and diverse marine data and information originated in Spain by different sources, and to interoperate with SeaDataNet. The system works with data stored in ASCII files (MEDATLAS, ODV) as well as data stored within the relational database. The components of the system are: 1.MEDATLAS Format and Quality Control - QCDAMAR: Quality Control of Marine Data. Main set of tools for working with data presented as text files. Includes extended quality control (searching for duplicated cruises and profiles, checking date, position, ship velocity, constant profiles, spikes, density inversion, sounding, acceptable data, impossible regional values,...) and input/output filters. - QCMareas: A set of procedures for the quality control of tide gauge data according to standard international Sea Level Observing System. These procedures include checking for unexpected anomalies in the time series, interpolation, filtering, computation of basic statistics and residuals. 2. DAMAR: A relational data base (MySql) designed to manage the wide variety of marine information as common vocabularies, Catalogues (CSR & EDIOS), Data and Metadata. 3.Other tools for analysis and data management - Import_DB: Script to import data and metadata from the Medatlas ASCII files into the database. - SelDamar/Selavi: interface with the database for local and web access. Allows selective retrievals applying the criteria introduced by the user, as geographical bounds, data responsible, cruises, platform, time periods, etc. Includes also statistical reference values calculation, plotting of original and mean profiles together with vertical interpolation. - ExtractDAMAR: Script to extract data when they are archived in ASCII files that meet the criteria upon an user request through SelDamar interface and export them in ODV format, making also a unit conversion.

Modeling Study on Air Quality Improvement due to Mobile Source Emission control Plan in Seoul Metropolitan Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y. J.; Sunwoo, Y.; Hwang, I.; Song, S.; Sin, J.; Kim, D.

2015-12-01

A very high population and corresponding high number of vehicles in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) are aggravating the air quality of this region. The Korean government continues to make concerted efforts to improve air quality. One of the major policies that the Ministry of Environment of Korea enforced is "The Special Act for Improvement of Air Quality in SMA" and "The 1st Air Quality Management Plan of SMA". Mobile Source emission controls are an important part of the policy. Thus, it is timely to evaluate the air quality improvement due to the controls. Therefore, we performed a quantitative analysis of the difference in air quality using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model and December, 2011 was set as the target period to capture the impact of the above control plans. We considered four fuel-type vehicle emission scenarios and compared the air quality improvement differences between them. The scenarios are as follows: no-control, gasoline vehicle control only, diesel vehicle control only, and control of both; utilizing the revised mobile source emissions from the Clean Air Policy Support System (CAPSS), which is the national emission inventory reflecting current policy.In order to improve the accuracy of the modeling data, we developed new temporal allocation coefficients based on traffic volume observation data and spatially reallocated the mobile source emissions using vehicle flow survey data. Furthermore, we calculated the PM10 and PM2.5 emissions of gasoline vehicles which is omitted in CAPSS.The results of the air quality modeling shows that vehicle control plans for both gasoline and diesel lead to a decrease of 0.65ppb~8.75ppb and 0.02㎍/㎥~7.09㎍/㎥ in NO2 and PM10 monthly average concentrations, respectively. The large percentage decreases mainly appear near the center of the metropolis. However, the largest NO2 decrease percentages are found in the northeast region of Gyeonggi-do, which is the province that surrounds the capital of Seoul. Comparing the results between the different scenarios, diesel vehicle control impact dominates relative to the impact of gasoline control. The diesel-only reduction plan shows that NO2 and PM10 improved by 2.93ppb and 3.32㎍/㎥, respectively.

Evaluation of nonpoint-source contamination, Wisconsin; selected streamwater-quality data, land-use and best-management practices inventory, and quality assurance and quality control, water year 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Corsi, Steven R.; Walker, John F.; Graczyk, D.J.; Greb, S.R.; Owens, D.W.; Rappold, K.F.

1995-01-01

A special study was done to determine the effect of holding time on fecal coliform colony counts. A linear regression indicated that the mean decrease in colony counts over 72 hours was 8.2 percent per day. Results after 24 hours showed that colony counts increased in some samples and decreased in others.

Control Chart on Semi Analytical Weighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, G. S.; Oliveira, C. C.; Silva, T. B. S. C.; Stellato, T. B.; Monteiro, L. R.; Marques, J. R.; Faustino, M. G.; Soares, S. M. V.; Ulrich, J. C.; Pires, M. A. F.; Cotrim, M. E. B.

2018-03-01

Semi-analytical balance verification intends to assess the balance performance using graphs that illustrate measurement dispersion, trough time, and to demonstrate measurements were performed in a reliable manner. This study presents internal quality control of a semi-analytical balance (GEHAKA BG400) using control charts. From 2013 to 2016, 2 weight standards were monitored before any balance operation. This work intended to evaluate if any significant difference or bias were presented on weighting procedure over time, to check the generated data reliability. This work also exemplifies how control intervals are established.

Analysis of results obtained using the automatic chemical control of the quality of the water heat carrier in the drum boiler of the Ivanovo CHP-3 power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larin, A. B.; Kolegov, A. V.

2012-10-01

Results of industrial tests of the new method used for the automatic chemical control of the quality of boiler water of the drum-type power boiler ( P d = 13.8 MPa) are described. The possibility of using an H-cationite column for measuring the electric conductivity of an H-cationized sample of boiler water over a long period of time is shown.

The quantitative control and matching of an optical false color composite imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chengxian; Dai, Zixin; Pan, Xizhe; Li, Yinxi

1993-10-01

Design of an imaging system for optical false color composite (OFCC) capable of high-precision density-exposure time control and color balance is presented. The system provides high quality FCC image data that can be analyzed using a quantitative calculation method. The quality requirement to each part of the image generation system is defined, and the distribution of satellite remote sensing image information is analyzed. The proposed technology makes it possible to present the remote sensing image data more effectively and accurately.

Continuous processing and the applications of online tools in pharmaceutical product manufacture: developments and examples.

PubMed

Ooi, Shing Ming; Sarkar, Srimanta; van Varenbergh, Griet; Schoeters, Kris; Heng, Paul Wan Sia

2013-04-01

Continuous processing and production in pharmaceutical manufacturing has received increased attention in recent years mainly due to the industries' pressing needs for more efficient, cost-effective processes and production, as well as regulatory facilitation. To achieve optimum product quality, the traditional trial-and-error method for the optimization of different process and formulation parameters is expensive and time consuming. Real-time evaluation and the control of product quality using an online process analyzer in continuous processing can provide high-quality production with very high-throughput at low unit cost. This review focuses on continuous processing and the application of different real-time monitoring tools used in the pharmaceutical industry for continuous processing from powder to tablets.

Effects of motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behaviour therapy on depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in adults with type II diabetes mellitus: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Huang, Chiung-Yu; Lai, Hui-Ling; Chen, Chun-I; Lu, Yung-Chuan; Li, Su-Chen; Wang, Long-Whou; Su, Yi

2016-05-01

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behavioural therapy on depressive symptoms, glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting glucose, body mass index (BMI), and health-related quality of life in type II diabetes patients. A controlled trial was conducted to compare patients who received the behavioural intervention with untreated controls on measures of health outcomes. A total of 31 intervention group participants and 30 controls were selected from patients that met the inclusion criteria from a hospital-based endocrinology outpatient department. The outcome measures including depressive symptoms, glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting glucose, BMI, and both physical and mental quality of life were collected before (T1), after (T2), and after 90 days (T3) following the intervention. The experimental group showed a significant reduction in glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting glucose, and depressive symptoms and a significant increase in physical quality of life and mental quality of life at T2 and T3, while patients in the control group with usual care showed no changes over time. The behavioural intervention facilitated a significant improvement in psychological adjustment and glycemic control, thus strengthening diabetes control skills and leading to healthy outcomes. It is feasible that nurses and psychiatrists can deliver the behavioural intervention for diabetes patients to decrease their depressive symptoms. Sharing discussion and problem-solving experiences is particularly helpful method for self-control, and these will be beneficially influential on further research.

A quality evaluation of stabilization of rotation frequency of gas-diesel engines when using an adaptive automatic control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhilenkov, A. A.; Efremov, A. A.

2017-02-01

A possibility of quality improvement of stabilization of rotation frequency of the gas-diesels used as prime mover of generator set in the multigenerator units working for abruptly variable load of large power is considered. An evaluation is made on the condition of fuzzy controller use developed and described by the authors in a number of articles. An evaluation has shown that theoretically, the revolution range of a gas-diesel engine may be reduced 25-30 times in case of optimal settings of the controller in the whole power range. The results of modelling showing a considerable quality improvement of transient processes in the investigated system during a sharp change of loading are presented in this article.

Quality of Life, Sleep, and Health of Air Traffic Controllers With Rapid Counterclockwise Shift Rotation.

PubMed

Sonati, Jaqueline Girnos; De Martino, Milva Maria Figueiredo; Vilarta, Roberto; da Silva Maciel, Érika; Sonati, Renato José Ferreira; Paduan, Paulo Cézar

2016-08-01

Rotating shiftwork is common for air traffic controllers and usually causes sleep deprivation, biological adaptations, and life changes for these workers. This study assessed quality of life, the sleep, and the health of 30 air traffic controllers employed at an international airport in Brazil. The objective was to identify health and quality of life concerns of these professionals. The results identified physical inactivity, overweight, excess body fat, low scores for physical and social relationships, and sleep deprivation for workers in all four workshifts. In conclusion, these workers are at risk for chronic non-transmittable diseases and compromised work performance, suggesting the need for more rest time before working nightshifts and work environments that stimulate physical activity and healthy diets. © 2016 The Author(s).

40 CFR 57.402 - Elements of the supplementary control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... capable of routine real time measurement of maximum expected SO2 concentrations for the averaging times of... emission curtailment decisions based on the use of real time information from the air quality monitoring... meteorological information necessary to operate the system; (iv) The ambient concentrations and meteorological...

40 CFR 57.402 - Elements of the supplementary control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... capable of routine real time measurement of maximum expected SO2 concentrations for the averaging times of... emission curtailment decisions based on the use of real time information from the air quality monitoring... meteorological information necessary to operate the system; (iv) The ambient concentrations and meteorological...

40 CFR 57.402 - Elements of the supplementary control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... capable of routine real time measurement of maximum expected SO2 concentrations for the averaging times of... emission curtailment decisions based on the use of real time information from the air quality monitoring... meteorological information necessary to operate the system; (iv) The ambient concentrations and meteorological...

40 CFR 57.402 - Elements of the supplementary control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... capable of routine real time measurement of maximum expected SO2 concentrations for the averaging times of... emission curtailment decisions based on the use of real time information from the air quality monitoring... meteorological information necessary to operate the system; (iv) The ambient concentrations and meteorological...

40 CFR 57.402 - Elements of the supplementary control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... capable of routine real time measurement of maximum expected SO2 concentrations for the averaging times of... emission curtailment decisions based on the use of real time information from the air quality monitoring... meteorological information necessary to operate the system; (iv) The ambient concentrations and meteorological...

Collaborative real-time scheduling of multiple PTZ cameras for multiple object tracking in video surveillance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yu-Che; Huang, Chung-Lin

2013-03-01

This paper proposes a multi-PTZ-camera control mechanism to acquire close-up imagery of human objects in a surveillance system. The control algorithm is based on the output of multi-camera, multi-target tracking. Three main concerns of the algorithm are (1) the imagery of human object's face for biometric purposes, (2) the optimal video quality of the human objects, and (3) minimum hand-off time. Here, we define an objective function based on the expected capture conditions such as the camera-subject distance, pan tile angles of capture, face visibility and others. Such objective function serves to effectively balance the number of captures per subject and quality of captures. In the experiments, we demonstrate the performance of the system which operates in real-time under real world conditions on three PTZ cameras.

Vision-based real-time position control of a semi-automated system for robot-assisted joint fracture surgery.

PubMed

Dagnino, Giulio; Georgilas, Ioannis; Tarassoli, Payam; Atkins, Roger; Dogramadzi, Sanja

2016-03-01

Joint fracture surgery quality can be improved by robotic system with high-accuracy and high-repeatability fracture fragment manipulation. A new real-time vision-based system for fragment manipulation during robot-assisted fracture surgery was developed and tested. The control strategy was accomplished by merging fast open-loop control with vision-based control. This two-phase process is designed to eliminate the open-loop positioning errors by closing the control loop using visual feedback provided by an optical tracking system. Evaluation of the control system accuracy was performed using robot positioning trials, and fracture reduction accuracy was tested in trials on ex vivo porcine model. The system resulted in high fracture reduction reliability with a reduction accuracy of 0.09 mm (translations) and of [Formula: see text] (rotations), maximum observed errors in the order of 0.12 mm (translations) and of [Formula: see text] (rotations), and a reduction repeatability of 0.02 mm and [Formula: see text]. The proposed vision-based system was shown to be effective and suitable for real joint fracture surgical procedures, contributing a potential improvement of their quality.

Integrated Application of Quality-by-Design Principles to Drug Product Development: A Case Study of Brivanib Alaninate Film-Coated Tablets.

PubMed

Badawy, Sherif I F; Narang, Ajit S; LaMarche, Keirnan R; Subramanian, Ganeshkumar A; Varia, Sailesh A; Lin, Judy; Stevens, Tim; Shah, Pankaj A

2016-01-01

Modern drug product development is expected to follow quality-by-design (QbD) paradigm. At the same time, although there are several issue-specific examples in the literature that demonstrate the application of QbD principles, a holistic demonstration of the application of QbD principles to drug product development and control strategy, is lacking. This article provides an integrated case study on the systematic application of QbD to product development and demonstrates the implementation of QbD concepts in the different aspects of product and process design for brivanib alaninate film-coated tablets. Using a risk-based approach, the strategy for development entailed identification of product critical quality attributes (CQAs), assessment of risks to the CQAs, and performing experiments to understand and mitigate identified risks. Quality risk assessments and design of experiments were performed to understand the quality of the input raw materials required for a robust formulation and the impact of manufacturing process parameters on CQAs. In addition to the material property and process parameter controls, the proposed control strategy includes use of process analytical technology and conventional analytical tests to control in-process material attributes and ensure quality of the final product. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The association between improved quality diabetes indicators, health outcomes and costs: towards constructing a "business case" for quality of diabetes care--a time series study.

PubMed

Wilf-Miron, Rachel; Bolotin, Arkadi; Gordon, Nesia; Porath, Avi; Peled, Ronit

2014-12-01

In primary health care systems where member's turnover is relatively low, the question, whether investment in quality of care improvement can make a business case, or is cost effective, has not been fully answered.The objectives of this study were: (1) to investigate the relationship between improvement in selected measures of diabetes (type 2) care and patients' health outcomes; and (2) to estimate the association between improvement in performance and direct medical costs. A time series study with three quality indicators - Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing, HbA1C and LDL- cholesterol (LDL-C) control - which were analyzed in patients with diabetes, insured by a large health fund. Health outcomes measures used: hospitalization days, Emergency Department (ED) visits and mortality. Poisson, GEE and Cox regression models were employed. Covariates: age, gender and socio-economic rank. 96,553 adult (age >18) patients with diabetes were analyzed. The performance of the study indicators, significantly and steadily improved during the study period (2003-2009). Poor HbA1C (>9%) and inappropriate LDL-C control (>100 mg/dl) were significantly associated with number of hospitalization days. ED visits did not achieve statistical significance. Improvement in HbA1C control was associated with an annual average of 2% reduction in hospitalization days, leading to substantial reduction in tertiary costs. The Hazard ratio for mortality, associated with poor HbA1C and LDL-C, control was 1.78 and 1.17, respectively. Our study demonstrates the effect of continuous improvement in quality care indicators, on health outcomes and resource utilization, among patients with diabetes. These findings support the business case for quality, especially in healthcare systems with relatively low enrollee turnover, where providers, in the long term, could "harvest" their investments in improving quality.

Global chemical profiling based quality evaluation approach of rhubarb using ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Liu, Haiyu; Qin, Lingling; Zhang, Zhixin; Wang, Qing; Zhang, Qingqing; Lu, Zhiwei; Wei, Shengli; Gao, Xiaoyan; Tu, Pengfei

2015-02-01

A global chemical profiling based quality evaluation approach using ultra performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the quality evaluation of three rhubarb species, including Rheum palmatum L., Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf., and Rheum officinale Baill. Considering that comprehensive detection of chemical components is crucial for the global profile, a systemic column performance evaluation method was developed. Based on this, a Cortecs column was used to acquire the chemical profile, and Chempattern software was employed to conduct similarity evaluation and hierarchical cluster analysis. The results showed R. tanguticum could be differentiated from R. palmatum and R. officinale at the similarity value 0.65, but R. palmatum and R. officinale could not be distinguished effectively. Therefore, a common pattern based on three rhubarb species was developed to conduct the quality evaluation, and the similarity value 0.50 was set as an appropriate threshold to control the quality of rhubarb. A total of 88 common peaks were identified by their accurate mass and fragmentation, and partially verified by reference standards. Through the verification, the newly developed method could be successfully used for evaluating the holistic quality of rhubarb. It would provide a reference for the quality control of other herbal medicines. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparison of quality of obturation and instrumentation time using hand files and two rotary file systems in primary molars: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Govindaraju, Lavanya; Jeevanandan, Ganesh; Subramanian, E M G

2017-01-01

In permanent dentition, different rotary systems are used for canal cleaning and shaping. Rotary instrumentation in pediatric dentistry is an emerging concept. A very few studies have compared the efficiency of rotary instrumentation for canal preparation in primary teeth. Hence, this study was performed to compare the obturation quality and instrumentation time of two rotary files systems - Protaper, Mtwo with hand files in primary molars. Forty-five primary mandibular molars were randomly allotted to one of the three groups. Instrumentation was done using K-files in Group 1; Protaper in Group 2; and Mtwo in Group 3. Instrumentation time was recorded. The canal filling quality was assessed as underfill, optimal fill, and overfill. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square, ANOVA, and post hoc Tukey test. No significant difference was observed in the quality of obturation among three groups. Intergroup comparison of the instrumentation time showed a statistically significant difference between the three groups. The use of rotary instrumentation in primary teeth results in marked reduction in the instrumentation time and improves the quality of obturation.

The Association Between Physical Activity, Sitting Time, Sleep Duration, and Sleep Quality as Correlates of Presenteeism

PubMed Central

Guertler, Diana; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Short, Camille; Alley, Stephanie; Schoeppe, Stephanie; Duncan, Mitch J.

2015-01-01

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship of lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, work and non-work sitting time, sleep quality, and sleep duration) with presenteeism while controlling for sociodemographics, work- and health-related variables. Methods: Data were collected from 710 workers (aged 20 to 76 years; 47.9% women) from randomly selected Australian adults who completed an online survey. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between lifestyle behaviors and presenteeism. Results: Poorer sleep quality (standardized regression coefficients [B] = 0.112; P < 0.05), suboptimal duration (B = 0.081; P < 0.05), and lower work sitting time (B = −0.086; P < 0.05) were significantly associated with higher presenteeism when controlling for all lifestyle behaviors. Engaging in three risky lifestyle behaviors was associated with higher presenteeism (B = 0.150; P < 0.01) compared with engaging in none or one. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the importance of sleep behaviors for presenteeism and call for behavioral interventions that simultaneously address sleep in conjunction with other activity-related behaviors. PMID:25742538

A low-cost sensing system for cooperative air quality monitoring in urban areas.

PubMed

Brienza, Simone; Galli, Andrea; Anastasi, Giuseppe; Bruschi, Paolo

2015-05-26

Air quality in urban areas is a very important topic as it closely affects the health of citizens. Recent studies highlight that the exposure to polluted air can increase the incidence of diseases and deteriorate the quality of life. Hence, it is necessary to develop tools for real-time air quality monitoring, so as to allow appropriate and timely decisions. In this paper, we present uSense, a low-cost cooperative monitoring tool that allows knowing, in real-time, the concentrations of polluting gases in various areas of the city. Specifically, users monitor the areas of their interest by deploying low-cost and low-power sensor nodes. In addition, they can share the collected data following a social networking approach. uSense has been tested through an in-field experimentation performed in different areas of a city. The obtained results are in line with those provided by the local environmental control authority and show that uSense can be profitably used for air quality monitoring.

Correlates of Nocturia and Relationships of Nocturia With Sleep Quality and Glycemic Control in Women With Type 2 Diabetes.

PubMed

Chang, Chun-Jen; Pei, Dee; Wu, Chien-Chih; Palmer, Mary H; Su, Ching-Chieh; Kuo, Shu-Fen; Liao, Yuan-Mei

2017-07-01

To explore correlates of nocturia, compare sleep quality and glycemic control for women with and without nocturia, and examine relationships of nocturia with sleep quality and glycemic control in women with diabetes. This study was a cross-sectional, correlational study with data collected from 275 women with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify correlates. Chi-squared tests were used to identify candidate variables for the first logistic regression model. A one-way analysis of variance was used to compare sleep quality and glycemic control for women with and those without nocturia. Pearson correlations were used to examine the relationships of nocturia with sleep quality and glycemic control. Of the 275 participants, 124 (45.1%) had experienced nocturia (at least two voids per night). Waist circumference, parity, time since diagnosis of diabetes, sleep quality, and increased daytime urinary frequency were correlated with nocturia after adjusting for age. Compared to women without nocturia, women who had nocturia reported poorer sleep quality. A significant correlation was found between the number of nocturnal episodes and sleep quality. Nocturia and poor sleep are common among women with diabetes. The multifactorial nature of nocturia supports the delivered management and treatments being targeted to underlying etiologies in order to optimize women's symptom management. Interventions aimed at modifiable correlates may include maintaining a normal body weight and regular physical exercise for maintaining a normal waist circumference, and decreasing caffeine consumption, implementing feasible modifications in sleeping environments and maintaining sleep hygiene to improve sleep quality. Healthcare professionals should screen for nocturia and poor sleep and offer appropriate nonpharmacological lifestyle management, behavioral interventions, or pharmacotherapy for women with diabetes. © 2017 Sigma Theta Tau International.

ProSens: integrated production control by automated inspection planning and efficient multisensor metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, Ulf; Li, Zhichao; Bichmann, Stephan, II; Pfeifer, Tilo

2003-05-01

By China's entry into the WTO, Chinese as well as German companies are facing the question, how to minimize the risk of unfamiliar cooperation partners when developing products. The rise of customer demands concerning quality, product diversity and the reduction of expenses require flexibility and efficiency with reliable component suppliers. In order to build and strengthen sino-german cooperations, a manufacturing control using homogenized and efficient measures to assure high quality is of vital importance. Lack of unifications may cause identical measurements conducted at subcontractors or customers to be carried out with different measurement processes which leads to incomparable results. Rapidly growing company cooperations and simultaneously decreasing of manufacturing scope cause substantial difficulties when coordinating joint quality control activities. "ProSens," a sino-german project consortium consisting of industrial users, technology producers and research institutes, aims at improving selected production processes by: Creation of a homogeneous quality awareness in sino-german cooperations. Sensitization for process accompanying metrology at an early stage of product development. Increase of the process performance by the use of integrated metrology. Reduction of production time and cost. Unification of quality control of complex products by means of efficient measurement strategies and CAD-based inspection planning.

Facility versus unit level reporting of quality indicators in nursing homes when performance monitoring is the goal

PubMed Central

Norton, Peter G; Murray, Michael; Doupe, Malcolm B; Cummings, Greta G; Poss, Jeff W; Squires, Janet E; Teare, Gary F; Estabrooks, Carole A

2014-01-01

Objectives To demonstrate the benefit of defining operational management units in nursing homes and computing quality indicators on these units as well as on the whole facility. Design Calculation of adjusted Resident Assessment Instrument – Minimum Data Set 2.0 (RAI–MDS 2.0) quality indicators for: PRU05 (prevalence of residents with a stage 2–4 pressure ulcer), PAI0X (prevalence of residents with pain) and DRG01 (prevalence of residents receiving an antipsychotic with no diagnosis of psychosis), for quarterly assessments between 2007 and 2011 at unit and facility levels. Comparisons of these risk-adjusted quality indicators using statistical process control (control charts). Setting A representative sample of 30 urban nursing homes in the three Canadian Prairie Provinces. Measurements Explicit decision rules were developed and tested to determine whether the control charts demonstrated improving, worsening, unchanging or unclassifiable trends over the time period. Unit and facility performance were compared. Results In 48.9% of the units studied, unit control chart performance indicated different changes in quality over the reporting period than did the facility chart. Examples are provided to illustrate that these differences lead to quite different quality interventions. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the necessity of considering facility-level and unit-level measurement when calculating quality indicators derived from the RAI–MDS 2.0 data, and quite probably from any RAI measures. PMID:24523428

Implementation of "Quality by Design (QbD)" Approach for the Development of 5-Fluorouracil Loaded Thermosensitive Hydrogel.

PubMed

Dalwadi, Chintan; Patel, Gayatri

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate Quality by Design (QbD) principle for the preparation of hydrogel products to prove both practicability and utility of executing QbD concept to hydrogel based controlled release systems. Product and process understanding will help in decreasing the variability of critical material and process parameters, which give quality product output and reduce the risk. This study includes the identification of the Quality Target Product Profiles (QTPPs) and Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) from literature or preliminary studies. To identify and control the variability in process and material attributes, two tools of QbD was utilized, Quality Risk Management (QRM) and Experimental Design. Further, it helps to identify the effect of these attributes on CQAs. Potential risk factors were identified from fishbone diagram and screened by risk assessment and optimized by 3-level 2- factor experimental design with center points in triplicate, to analyze the precision of the target process. This optimized formulation was further characterized by gelling time, gelling temperature, rheological parameters, in-vitro biodegradation and in-vitro drug release. Design space was created using experimental design tool that gives the control space and working within this controlled space reduces all the failure modes below the risk level. In conclusion, QbD approach with QRM tool provides potent and effectual pyramid to enhance the quality into the hydrogel.

Simultaneous Determination of Ten Constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule by High-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple-quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Li, Ting Yu; Huo, Xiao Kui; Zheng, Lu; Wang, Chao; Cong, Hai Jian; Xiang, Ting; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Bao Jing; Huang, Shan Shan; Wu, Bin; Li, Xin Yu

2017-01-01

Background: Chaiqin Qingning Capsule (CQQNC) was a prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the effects of clearing away heat and removing toxin, harmonizing the exterior and interior, it was widely used in Asian, for example, China and Japan, different batches of the raws materials and different processing time may be the vital factor which raised a challenge to control the quality of the CQQNC. Experimental Methods: In this experiment, a high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/MS (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to simultaneously determine ten bioactive components for the quality control of CQQNC. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an XBridge BEH C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 2.5 μm) with a mobile phase composed of 10 mm aqueous ammonium acetate and acetonitrile using a gradient elution in 20 min. This study was conducted by multiple reaction monitoring mode through electrospray ionization resource with a negative ionization mode. Results: The established method was validated with good performance of precision, accuracy, stability, and reproducibility and was utilized to simultaneously quantify ten constituents of CQQNC obtained from seven different batches. Conclusion: It is the first time to report the rapid and simultaneous analysis of the ten compounds in CQQNC by HPLC-MS/MS and apply to determine 10 constituents in 7 batches of CQQNC bought from drug store in china. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. SUMMARY In this paper, a simple, specific, and rapid high-performance liquid chromatogram coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of ten constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule has been developed for the first time. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. Abbreviations used: CHM: Chinese herbal medicine; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine; CQQNC: Triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry Chaiqin Qingning Capsules; HPLC–MS/MS: High liquid chromatography equipped with tandem mass spectrometry; ESI: Electrospray ionization; DP: Declustering potential; CE: Collision energy; RSD: Relative standard deviation; LOD: Limit of detection; LOQ: Limit of quantity. PMID:29200714

Simultaneous Determination of Ten Constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule by High-performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple-quadrupole Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Li, Ting Yu; Huo, Xiao Kui; Zheng, Lu; Wang, Chao; Cong, Hai Jian; Xiang, Ting; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Bao Jing; Huang, Shan Shan; Wu, Bin; Li, Xin Yu

2017-01-01

Chaiqin Qingning Capsule (CQQNC) was a prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the effects of clearing away heat and removing toxin, harmonizing the exterior and interior, it was widely used in Asian, for example, China and Japan, different batches of the raws materials and different processing time may be the vital factor which raised a challenge to control the quality of the CQQNC. In this experiment, a high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/MS (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to simultaneously determine ten bioactive components for the quality control of CQQNC. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an XBridge BEH C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 2.5 μm) with a mobile phase composed of 10 mm aqueous ammonium acetate and acetonitrile using a gradient elution in 20 min. This study was conducted by multiple reaction monitoring mode through electrospray ionization resource with a negative ionization mode. The established method was validated with good performance of precision, accuracy, stability, and reproducibility and was utilized to simultaneously quantify ten constituents of CQQNC obtained from seven different batches. It is the first time to report the rapid and simultaneous analysis of the ten compounds in CQQNC by HPLC-MS/MS and apply to determine 10 constituents in 7 batches of CQQNC bought from drug store in china. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. In this paper, a simple, specific, and rapid high-performance liquid chromatogram coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of ten constituents in Chaiqin Qingning Capsule has been developed for the first time. This method could be considered as good quality criteria to control the quality of CQQNC. Abbreviations used: CHM: Chinese herbal medicine; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine; CQQNC: Triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry Chaiqin Qingning Capsules; HPLC-MS/MS: High liquid chromatography equipped with tandem mass spectrometry; ESI: Electrospray ionization; DP: Declustering potential; CE: Collision energy; RSD: Relative standard deviation; LOD: Limit of detection; LOQ: Limit of quantity.

76 FR 54730 - Rubicon Trail Easement, Eldorado National Forest, Pacific Ranger District

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-02

... erosion control feature as described in the Rubicon Trail Saturated Soil Water Quality Protection Plan (El..., OHV users also drive the trail when it is covered by snow and at times when saturated soil conditions... the Saturated Soil Water Quality Protection Plan would be constructed from Little Sluice to the County...

Fluidization quality analyzer for fluidized beds

DOEpatents

Daw, C. Stuart; Hawk, James A.

1995-01-01

A control loop and fluidization quality analyzer for a fluidized bed utilizes time varying pressure drop measurements. A fast-response pressure transducer measures the overall bed pressure drop, or over some segment of the bed, and the pressure drop signal is processed to produce an output voltage which changes with the degree of fluidization turbulence.

Fluidization quality analyzer for fluidized beds

DOEpatents

Daw, C.S.; Hawk, J.A.

1995-07-25

A control loop and fluidization quality analyzer for a fluidized bed utilizes time varying pressure drop measurements. A fast-response pressure transducer measures the overall bed pressure drop, or over some segment of the bed, and the pressure drop signal is processed to produce an output voltage which changes with the degree of fluidization turbulence. 9 figs.

Radiation Safety and Quality Assurance in North American Dental Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farman, Allan G.; Hines, Vickie G.

1986-01-01

A survey of dental schools that revealed processing quality control and routine maintenance checks on x-ray generators are being carried out in a timely manner is discussed. However, methods for reducing patient exposure to radiation are not being fully implemented, and some dental students are being exposed to x-rays. (Author/MLW)

Quality of Drawing as a Factor in the Interpretation of Figure Drawings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Frank A.; Greenberg, Roger P.

1978-01-01

The drawings of 32 poliomyelitis patients and their matched controls were examined to see whether figure drawings primarily reflect the subject's projection of psychological state, ability to draw, or some combination of these two factors. Quality of drawing may at times be the overwhelming determinant of clinical and research findings.…

Operator-Friendly Technique and Quality Control Considerations for Indigo Colorimetric Measurement of Ozone Residual

EPA Science Inventory

Drinking water ozone disinfection systems measure ozone residual concentration, C, for regulatory compliance reporting of concentration-times-time (CT), and the resultant log-inactivation of virus, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. The indigotrisulfonate (ITS) colorimetric procedure i...

Data quality control and tools in passive seismic experiments exemplified on the Czech broadband seismic pool MOBNET in the AlpArray collaborative project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vecsey, Luděk; Plomerová, Jaroslava; Jedlička, Petr; Munzarová, Helena; Babuška, Vladislav; AlpArray Working Group

2017-12-01

This paper focuses on major issues related to the data reliability and network performance of 20 broadband (BB) stations of the Czech (CZ) MOBNET (MOBile NETwork) seismic pool within the AlpArray seismic experiments. Currently used high-resolution seismological applications require high-quality data recorded for a sufficiently long time interval at seismological observatories and during the entire time of operation of the temporary stations. In this paper we present new hardware and software tools we have been developing during the last two decades while analysing data from several international passive experiments. The new tools help to assure the high-quality standard of broadband seismic data and eliminate potential errors before supplying data to seismological centres. Special attention is paid to crucial issues like the detection of sensor misorientation, timing problems, interchange of record components and/or their polarity reversal, sensor mass centring, or anomalous channel amplitudes due to, for example, imperfect gain. Thorough data quality control should represent an integral constituent of seismic data recording, preprocessing, and archiving, especially for data from temporary stations in passive seismic experiments. Large international seismic experiments require enormous efforts from scientists from different countries and institutions to gather hundreds of stations to be deployed in the field during a limited time period. In this paper, we demonstrate the beneficial effects of the procedures we have developed for acquiring a reliable large set of high-quality data from each group participating in field experiments. The presented tools can be applied manually or automatically on data from any seismic network.

Ocean Wireless Networking and Real Time Data Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, J.; Orcutt, J. A.; Vernon, F. L.; Braun, H. W.; Rajasekar, A.

2001-12-01

Recent advances in technology have enabled the exploitation of satellite communications for high-speed (> 64 kbps) duplex communications with oceanographic ships at sea. Furthermore, decreasing costs for high-speed communications have made possible continuous connectivity to the global Internet for delivery of data ashore and communications with scientists and engineers on the ship. Through support from the Office of Naval Research, we have planned a series of tests using the R/V Revelle for real time data delivery of large quantities of underway data (e.g. continuous multibeam profiling) to shore for quality control, archiving, and real-time data availability. The Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) were funded by the NSF Information Technology Research (ITR) Program, the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology [Cal-(IT)2] and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for research entitled: "Exploring the Environment in Time: Wireless Networks & Real-Time Management." We will describe the technology to be used for the real-time seagoing experiment and the planned expansion of the project through support from the ITR grant. The short-term goal is to exercise the communications system aboard ship in various weather conditions and sea states while testing and developing the real-time data quality control and archiving methodology. The long-term goal is to enable continuous observations in the ocean, specifically supporting the goals of the DEOS (Dynamics of Earth and Ocean Systems) observatory program supported through a NSF Major Research Equipment (MRE) program - a permanent presence in the oceans. The impact on scientific work aboard ships, however, is likely to be fundamental. It will be possible to go to sea in the future with limited engineering capability for scientific operations by allowing shore-based quality control of data collected and videoconferencing for problem resolution. Costs for shipboard measurements will be reduced significantly while, at the same time, the quality of data collected will increase and ex-post-facto data archiving will no longer be necessary.

[Impact of the entry age and veterinary care on the health and performance of veal calves. II. Blood values, performance and carcass quality].

PubMed

Bähler, C; Tschuor, A; Schüpbach-Regula, G

2016-07-01

The objective of this field study was to investigate the impact of the entry age and of veterinary care on blood values, performance and carcass quality of veal calves in Switzerland. From July 2012 until May 2013 a total of 316 young calves (aged ø 10.8 days), 425 market calves (aged ø 39.5 days), and 65 old calves (aged ø 61.5 days) were observed during the production cycle. As control calves 9'019 veal calves fattened at the same time as the market calves were available. At time of entry the average hemoglobin value of 88.2 g/l in market calves was significantly (p < 0.001) lower than in young (96.2 g/l), old (95.0 g/l) and control calves (95.0 g/l). At time of slaughter the hemoglobin of control calves was 101.2 g/l and significantly (p < 0.001) lower than in young (129.6 g/l) and market calves (131.6 g/l). The average daily weight gain reached 1.21 kg in young calves, 1.28 kg in market calves, 1.29 kg in old calves and 1.30 kg in control calves. The premature slaughter rate was 3.4% in control calves, 8.1% young (p < 0.001), 3.4% in commercial and 0% in old calves (p = 0.17). The percentage of the favorite carcass quality was 53.8% in control calves and differed significantly (p < 0.001) from young (43.5%) and market calves (42.8%), but not from old calves (50.8%, p = 0.9). The carcass color with the average photometric L-value of 41.5 in young and 41.6 in market calves differed significantly (p < 0.001) from old (44.4) and control calves (45.4). The intensive veterinary care and the different entry ages had no positive effect on performance and carcass quality. The iron supply resulted in increased hemoglobin values and in reddish carcass color in more than 50% of the investigated calves.

SU-G-JeP3-08: Robotic System for Ultrasound Tracking in Radiation Therapy

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

Kuhlemann, I; Graduate School for Computing in Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Luebeck; Jauer, P

Purpose: For safe and accurate real-time tracking of tumors for IGRT using 4D ultrasound, it is necessary to make use of novel, high-end force-sensitive lightweight robots designed for human-machine interaction. Such a robot will be integrated into an existing robotized ultrasound system for non-invasive 4D live tracking, using a newly developed real-time control and communication framework. Methods: The new KUKA LWR iiwa robot is used for robotized ultrasound real-time tumor tracking. Besides more precise probe contact pressure detection, this robot provides an additional 7th link, enhancing the dexterity of the kinematic and the mounted transducer. Several integrated, certified safety featuresmore » create a safe environment for the patients during treatment. However, to remotely control the robot for the ultrasound application, a real-time control and communication framework has to be developed. Based on a client/server concept, client-side control commands are received and processed by a central server unit and are implemented by a client module running directly on the robot’s controller. Several special functionalities for robotized ultrasound applications are integrated and the robot can now be used for real-time control of the image quality by adjusting the transducer position, and contact pressure. The framework was evaluated looking at overall real-time capability for communication and processing of three different standard commands. Results: Due to inherent, certified safety modules, the new robot ensures a safe environment for patients during tumor tracking. Furthermore, the developed framework shows overall real-time capability with a maximum average latency of 3.6 ms (Minimum 2.5 ms; 5000 trials). Conclusion: The novel KUKA LBR iiwa robot will advance the current robotized ultrasound tracking system with important features. With the developed framework, it is now possible to remotely control this robot and use it for robotized ultrasound tracking applications, including image quality control and target tracking.« less

ATAD control goals through the analysis of process variables and evaluation of quality, production and cost.

PubMed

Nájera, S; Gil-Martínez, M; Zambrano, J A

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper is to establish and quantify different operational goals and control strategies in autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD). This technology appears as an alternative to conventional sludge digestion systems. During the batch-mode reaction, high temperatures promote sludge stabilization and pasteurization. The digester temperature is usually the only online, robust, measurable variable. The average temperature can be regulated by manipulating both the air injection and the sludge retention time. An improved performance of diverse biochemical variables can be achieved through proper manipulation of these inputs. However, a better quality of treated sludge usually implies major operating costs or a lower production rate. Thus, quality, production and cost indices are defined to quantify the outcomes of the treatment. Based on these, tradeoff control strategies are proposed and illustrated through some examples. This paper's results are relevant to guide plant operators, to design automatic control systems and to compare or evaluate the control performance on ATAD systems.

The Anaesthetic-ECT Time Interval in Electroconvulsive Therapy Practice--Is It Time to Time?

PubMed

Gálvez, Verònica; Hadzi-Pavlovic, Dusan; Wark, Harry; Harper, Simon; Leyden, John; Loo, Colleen K

2016-01-01

Because most common intravenous anaesthetics used in ECT have anticonvulsant properties, their plasma-brain concentration at the time of seizure induction might affect seizure expression. The quality of ECT seizure expression has been repeatedly associated with efficacy outcomes. The time interval between the anaesthetic bolus injection and the ECT stimulus (anaesthetic-ECT time interval) will determine the anaesthetic plasma-brain concentration when the ECT stimulus is administered. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the anaesthetic-ECT time interval on ECT seizure quality and duration. The anaesthetic-ECT time interval was recorded in 771 ECT sessions (84 patients). Right unilateral brief pulse ECT was applied. Anaesthesia given was propofol (1-2 mg/kg) and succinylcholine (0.5-1.0 mg/kg). Seizure quality indices (slow wave onset, amplitude, regularity, stereotypy and post-ictal suppression) and duration were rated through a structured rating scale by a single blinded trained rater. Linear Mixed Effects Models analysed the effect of the anaesthetic-ECT time interval on seizure quality indices, controlling for propofol dose (mg), ECT charge (mC), ECT session number, days between ECT, age (years), initial seizure threshold (mC) and concurrent medication. Longer anaesthetic-ECT time intervals lead to significantly higher quality seizures (p < 0.001 for amplitude, regularity, stereotypy and post-ictal suppression). These results suggest that the anaesthetic-ECT time interval is an important factor to consider in ECT practice. This time interval should be extended to as long as practically possible to facilitate the production of better quality seizures. Close collaboration between the anaesthetist and the psychiatrist is essential. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

QCScreen: a software tool for data quality control in LC-HRMS based metabolomics.

PubMed

Simader, Alexandra Maria; Kluger, Bernhard; Neumann, Nora Katharina Nicole; Bueschl, Christoph; Lemmens, Marc; Lirk, Gerald; Krska, Rudolf; Schuhmacher, Rainer

2015-10-24

Metabolomics experiments often comprise large numbers of biological samples resulting in huge amounts of data. This data needs to be inspected for plausibility before data evaluation to detect putative sources of error e.g. retention time or mass accuracy shifts. Especially in liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) based metabolomics research, proper quality control checks (e.g. for precision, signal drifts or offsets) are crucial prerequisites to achieve reliable and comparable results within and across experimental measurement sequences. Software tools can support this process. The software tool QCScreen was developed to offer a quick and easy data quality check of LC-HRMS derived data. It allows a flexible investigation and comparison of basic quality-related parameters within user-defined target features and the possibility to automatically evaluate multiple sample types within or across different measurement sequences in a short time. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows an easy selection of processing steps and parameter settings. The generated results include a coloured overview plot of data quality across all analysed samples and targets and, in addition, detailed illustrations of the stability and precision of the chromatographic separation, the mass accuracy and the detector sensitivity. The use of QCScreen is demonstrated with experimental data from metabolomics experiments using selected standard compounds in pure solvent. The application of the software identified problematic features, samples and analytical parameters and suggested which data files or compounds required closer manual inspection. QCScreen is an open source software tool which provides a useful basis for assessing the suitability of LC-HRMS data prior to time consuming, detailed data processing and subsequent statistical analysis. It accepts the generic mzXML format and thus can be used with many different LC-HRMS platforms to process both multiple quality control sample types as well as experimental samples in one or more measurement sequences.

Application of Calspan pitch rate control system to the Space Shuttle for approach and landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weingarten, N. C.; Chalk, C. R.

1983-01-01

A pitch rate control system designed for use in the shuttle during approach and landing was analyzed and compared with a revised control system developed by NASA and the existing OFT control system. The design concept control system uses filtered pitch rate feedback with proportional plus integral paths in the forward loop. Control system parameters were designed as a function of flight configuration. Analysis included time and frequency domain techniques. Results indicate that both the Calspan and NASA systems significantly improve the flying qualities of the shuttle over the OFT. Better attitude and flight path control and less time delay are the primary reasons. The Calspan system is preferred because of reduced time delay and simpler mechanization. Further testing of the improved flight control systems in an in-flight simulator is recommended.

Application of Motion Induced Remote-Field Eddy-Current effect to online inspection and quality examination of rolling metallic strips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yushi; Udpa, Satish; Lord, William; Udpa, Lalita; Ouyang, Tianhe

2001-04-01

The Motion Induced Remote-Field Eddy-Current (MIRFEC) effect was first observed in 1994. The effect was first exploited for detecting pipeline stress corrosion cracks as a part of a research project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This paper presents a new application of the MIRFEC effect for online inspection of rolling metallic strips. Currently, rolled metallic strips and sheets are inspected off-line, which is costly, time consuming and not ideal for quality control. A well-designed online diagnostic and control system for metal rolling process may be able to reduce cost, improve quality, and hence enhance competitiveness of the product. The overall objective of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of a new nondestructive measurement system for on-line diagnostics and control of metallic rolling process using the MIRFEC effect. The system can be used to monitor, in real time, metallic strips/sheets for possible anomalies, inclusions, voids, bubbles, lamination, as well as variations in its magnetic and other properties. The potential advantages of the MIRFEC system include simplicity, robustness, low cost, high reliability, quick and accurate signal classification and characterization. Such systems can be used for real-time process control, or off-line data analysis. The technique also allows operation at high temperatures, tolerates large lift-off and vibration, and high rolling speed. Results of finite element modeling of the MIRFEC effect and experimental measurement data obtained from a prototype system are presented.

Sleep, Glucose, and Daytime Functioning in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Perfect, Michelle M.; Patel, Priti G.; Scott, Roxanne E.; Wheeler, Mark D.; Patel, Chetanbabu; Griffin, Kurt; Sorensen, Seth T.; Goodwin, James L.; Quan, Stuart F.

2012-01-01

Study Hypotheses: 1) Youth with evidence of SDB (total apnea-hypopnea index [Total-AHI] ≥ 1.5) would have significantly worse glucose control than those without SDB; 2) Elevated self-reported sleepiness in youth with T1DM would be related to compromised psychosocial functioning; and 3) Youth with T1DM would have significantly less slow wave sleep (SWS) than controls. Design: The study utilized home-based polysomnography, actigraphy, and questionnaires to assess sleep, and continuous glucose monitors and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) values to assess glucose control in youth with T1DM. We compared sleep of youth with T1DM to sleep of a matched control sample. Setting: Diabetic participants were recruited in a pediatric endocrinology clinic. Participants: Participants were youth (10 through 16 years) with T1DM. Controls, matched for sex, age, and BMI percentile, were from the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea study. Results: Participants with a Total-AHI ≥ 1.5 had higher glucose levels. Sleepiness and/or poor sleep habits correlated with reduced quality of life, depressed mood, lower grades, and lower state standardized reading scores. Diabetic youth spent more time (%) in stage N2 and less time in stage N3. Findings related to sleep architecture included associations between reduced SWS and higher HbA1C, worse quality of life, and sleepiness. More time (%) spent in stage N2 related to higher glucose levels/hyperglycemia, behavioral difficulties, reduced quality of life, lower grades, depression, sleep-wake behavior problems, poor sleep quality, sleepiness, and lower state standardized math scores. Conclusions: Sleep should be routinely assessed as part of diabetes management in youth with T1DM. Citation: Perfect MM; Patel PG; Scott RE; Wheeler MD; Patel C; Griffin K; Sorensen ST; Goodwin JL; Quan SF. Sleep, glucose, and daytime functioning in youth with type 1 diabetes. SLEEP 2012;35(1):81-88. PMID:22215921

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

PubMed

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

2012-01-01

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

[Effect of actoprotectors on the work capacity of operators during modeling of various factors of space flight].

PubMed

Bobkov, Iu G; Epishkin, A K

1988-01-01

This paper presents experimental findings indicating that bemithyl, an actoprotective agent, has a beneficial effect on the health status and work capacity of operators during simulated space flight and 56-hour continuous work. The drug enhanced psychophysiological tolerance of the operators and improved the quality of their work: the quality of their compensatory tracking was on the average 10% higher, the number of errors of their porsuit tracking was 1.8 times lower, and the time of visual signal detection was 2.4 times shorter as compared to the placebo controls.

Inspection criteria ensure quality control of parallel gap soldering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burka, J. A.

1968-01-01

Investigation of parallel gap soldering of electrical leads resulted in recommendation on material preparation, equipment, process control, and visual inspection criteria to ensure reliable solder joints. The recommendations will minimize problems in heat-dwell time, amount of solder, bridging conductors, and damage of circuitry.

Can We Control Contaminant Transport In Hydrologic Networks? Application Of Control Theory Concepts To Watershed Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeghiazarian, L.; Riasi, M. S.

2016-12-01

Although controlling the level of contamination everywhere in the surface water network may not be feasible, it is vital to maintain safe water quality levels in specific areas, e.g. recreational waters. The question then is "what is the most efficient way to fully/partially control water quality in surface water networks?". This can be posed as a control problem where the goal is to efficiently drive the system to a desired state by manipulating few input variables. Such problems reduce to (1) finding the best control locations in the network to influence the state of the system; and (2) choosing the time-variant inputs at the control locations to achieve the desired state of the system with minimum effort. We demonstrate that the optimal solution to control the level of contamination in the network can be found through application of control theory concepts to transport in dendritic surface water networks.

Method of Analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey California District Sacramento Laboratory?Determination of Trihalomethane Formation Potential, Method Validation, and Quality-Control Practices

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crepeau, Kathryn L.; Fram, Miranda S.; Bush, Noel

2004-01-01

An analytical method for the determination of the trihalomethane formation potential of water samples has been developed. The trihalomethane formation potential is measured by dosing samples with chlorine under specified conditions of pH, temperature, incubation time, darkness, and residual-free chlorine, and then analyzing the resulting trihalomethanes by purge and trap/gas chromatography equipped with an electron capture detector. Detailed explanations of the method and quality-control practices are provided. Method validation experiments showed that the trihalomethane formation potential varies as a function of time between sample collection and analysis, residual-free chlorine concentration, method of sample dilution, and the concentration of bromide in the sample.

Mindfulness meditation for insomnia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Gong, Hong; Ni, Chen-Xu; Liu, Yun-Zi; Zhang, Yi; Su, Wen-Jun; Lian, Yong-Jie; Peng, Wei; Jiang, Chun-Lei

2016-10-01

Insomnia is a widespread and debilitating condition that affects sleep quality and daily productivity. Although mindfulness meditation (MM) has been suggested as a potentially effective supplement to medical treatment for insomnia, no comprehensively quantitative research has been conducted in this field. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis on the findings of related randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effects of MM on insomnia. Related publications in PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and PsycINFO were searched up to July 2015. To calculate the standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), we used a fixed effect model when heterogeneity was negligible and a random effect model when heterogeneity was significant. A total of 330 participants in 6 RCTs that met the selection criteria were included in this meta-analysis. Analysis of overall effect revealed that MM significantly improved total wake time and sleep quality, but had no significant effects on sleep onset latency, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, total wake time, ISI, PSQI and DBAS. Subgroup analyses showed that although there were no significant differences between MM and control groups in terms of total sleep time, significant effects were found in total wake time, sleep onset latency, sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and PSQI global score (absolute value of SMD range: 0.44-1.09, all p<0.05). The results suggest that MM may mildly improve some sleep parameters in patients with insomnia. MM can serve as an auxiliary treatment to medication for sleep complaints. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analytical Models of Cross-Layer Protocol Optimization in Real-Time Wireless Sensor Ad Hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hortos, William S.

The real-time interactions among the nodes of a wireless sensor network (WSN) to cooperatively process data from multiple sensors are modeled. Quality-of-service (QoS) metrics are associated with the quality of fused information: throughput, delay, packet error rate, etc. Multivariate point process (MVPP) models of discrete random events in WSNs establish stochastic characteristics of optimal cross-layer protocols. Discrete-event, cross-layer interactions in mobile ad hoc network (MANET) protocols have been modeled using a set of concatenated design parameters and associated resource levels by the MVPPs. Characterization of the "best" cross-layer designs for a MANET is formulated by applying the general theory of martingale representations to controlled MVPPs. Performance is described in terms of concatenated protocol parameters and controlled through conditional rates of the MVPPs. Modeling limitations to determination of closed-form solutions versus explicit iterative solutions for ad hoc WSN controls are examined.

Moderate exercise plus sleep education improves self-reported sleep quality, daytime mood, and vitality in adults with chronic sleep complaints: a waiting list-controlled trial.

PubMed

Gebhart, Carmen; Erlacher, Daniel; Schredl, Michael

2011-01-01

Research indicates that physical exercise can contribute to better sleep quality. This study investigates the six-week influence of a combined intervention on self-rated sleep quality, daytime mood, and quality of life. A nonclinical sample of 114 adults with chronic initiating and the maintaining of sleep complaints participated in the study. The intervention group of 70 adults underwent moderate physical exercise, conducted weekly, plus sleep education sessions. Improvements among participants assigned to the intervention group relative to the waiting-list control group (n = 44) were noted for subjective sleep quality, daytime mood, depressive symptoms and vitality. Derived from PSQI subscores, the intervention group reported increased sleep duration, shortened sleep latency, fewer awakenings after sleep onset, and overall better sleep efficiency compared to controls. The attained scores were well sustained and enhanced over a time that lasted through to the follow-up 18 weeks later. These findings have implications in treatment programs concerning healthy lifestyle approaches for adults with chronic sleep complaints.

Moderate Exercise Plus Sleep Education Improves Self-Reported Sleep Quality, Daytime Mood, and Vitality in Adults with Chronic Sleep Complaints: A Waiting List-Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Gebhart, Carmen; Erlacher, Daniel; Schredl, Michael

2011-01-01

Research indicates that physical exercise can contribute to better sleep quality. This study investigates the six-week influence of a combined intervention on self-rated sleep quality, daytime mood, and quality of life. A nonclinical sample of 114 adults with chronic initiating and the maintaining of sleep complaints participated in the study. The intervention group of 70 adults underwent moderate physical exercise, conducted weekly, plus sleep education sessions. Improvements among participants assigned to the intervention group relative to the waiting-list control group (n = 44) were noted for subjective sleep quality, daytime mood, depressive symptoms and vitality. Derived from PSQI subscores, the intervention group reported increased sleep duration, shortened sleep latency, fewer awakenings after sleep onset, and overall better sleep efficiency compared to controls. The attained scores were well sustained and enhanced over a time that lasted through to the follow-up 18 weeks later. These findings have implications in treatment programs concerning healthy lifestyle approaches for adults with chronic sleep complaints. PMID:23471095

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

Near infrared spectroscopy based monitoring of extraction processes of raw material with the help of dynamic predictive modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Haixia; Suo, Tongchuan; Wu, Xiaolin; Zhang, Yue; Wang, Chunhua; Yu, Heshui; Li, Zheng

2018-03-01

The control of batch-to-batch quality variations remains a challenging task for pharmaceutical industries, e.g., traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) manufacturing. One difficult problem is to produce pharmaceutical products with consistent quality from raw material of large quality variations. In this paper, an integrated methodology combining the near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and dynamic predictive modeling is developed for the monitoring and control of the batch extraction process of licorice. With the spectra data in hand, the initial state of the process is firstly estimated with a state-space model to construct a process monitoring strategy for the early detection of variations induced by the initial process inputs such as raw materials. Secondly, the quality property of the end product is predicted at the mid-course during the extraction process with a partial least squares (PLS) model. The batch-end-time (BET) is then adjusted accordingly to minimize the quality variations. In conclusion, our study shows that with the help of the dynamic predictive modeling, NIRS can offer the past and future information of the process, which enables more accurate monitoring and control of process performance and product quality.

75 FR 21716 - Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Airline Service Quality Performance...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-26

... large certificated air carriers to file ``On-Time Flight Performance Reports'' and ``Mishandled-Baggage... On-Time Flight Performance Reports to identify problem areas within the air traffic control system... concerning their chances of on-time flights and the rate of mishandled baggage by the 18 largest scheduled...

The impact of glaucoma on quality of life in Ethiopia: a case-control study.

PubMed

Ayele, Fisseha A; Zeraye, Banchamelak; Assefa, Yared; Legesse, Kbrom; Azale, Telake; Burton, Matthew J

2017-12-13

Glaucoma is a chronic disease characterized by irreversible optic nerve damage and visual field loss that leads to visual impairment and blindness; ultimately limiting personal independence and compromising overall quality of life of affected individuals. There is paucity of information on how glaucoma affects the quality of life of patients in low and middle-income countries where resources for both diagnosis and treatment of such conditions are limited. In this study we investigate the impact of glaucoma on quality of life in Ethiopian patients. The quality of life of 307 glaucoma patients and 76 normal controls that were frequency matched to the age and sex profiles of the cases was assessed using Amharic version of Glaucoma Quality of Life -15 questionnaire. Linear regression models and the t-test were employed to compare significant differences in GQL-15 scores and to generate mean and mean differences between cases and controls respectively. The mean GQL-15 score in the glaucoma cases was substantially higher (indicating poorer quality of life) than the controls [cases 46.3 (95% CI, 28.8-63.8) and controls 18.6 (95% CI, 15.2-22.0), p < 0.0001]. Cases with normal visual acuity and mild glaucoma had significantly higher scores than the controls. Poorer quality of life was associated with age ≥ 71 years old 51.1 (95%CI, 26.2-75.9), rural residence 55.7 (95%CI, 49.9-61.5), monthly income of <400 Birr (53.1; 95%CI, 50.5-55.6), diagnosis time 1-5 years (49.6; 95%CI, 41.2-57.9), severe visual impairment (70.5; 95%CI, 58.1-82.8), and advanced glaucoma (50.9; 95%CI, 43.6-58.3). These glaucoma patients, including those with normal visual acuity and early disease, had poorer quality of life compared to normal controls. Older age, rural residence, low income and more advanced disease were significantly associated with poorer quality of life. There is a need to increase awareness of the impact of glaucoma among clinicians, patients and their families, for a better understanding of the impact this disease has on a person's life.

A real-time control framework for urban water reservoirs operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galelli, S.; Goedbloed, A.; Schwanenberg, D.

2012-04-01

Drinking water demand in urban areas is growing parallel to the worldwide urban population, and it is acquiring an increasing part of the total water consumption. Since the delivery of sufficient water volumes in urban areas represents a difficult logistic and economical problem, different metropolitan areas are evaluating the opportunity of constructing relatively small reservoirs within urban areas. Singapore, for example, is developing the so-called 'Four National Taps Strategies', which detects the maximization of water yields from local, urban catchments as one of the most important water sources. However, the peculiar location of these reservoirs can provide a certain advantage from the logistical point of view, but it can pose serious difficulties in their daily management. Urban catchments are indeed characterized by large impervious areas: this results in a change of the hydrological cycle, with decreased infiltration and groundwater recharge, and increased patterns of surface and river discharges, with higher peak flows, volumes and concentration time. Moreover, the high concentrations of nutrients and sediments characterizing urban discharges can cause further water quality problems. In this critical hydrological context, the effective operation of urban water reservoirs must rely on real-time control techniques, which can exploit hydro-meteorological information available in real-time from hydrological and nowcasting models. This work proposes a novel framework for the real-time control of combined water quality and quantity objectives in urban reservoirs. The core of this framework is a non-linear Model Predictive Control (MPC) scheme, which employs the current state of the system, the future discharges furnished by a predictive model and a further model describing the internal dynamics of the controlled sub-system to determine an optimal control sequence over a finite prediction horizon. The main advantage of this scheme stands in its reduced computational requests and the capability of exploiting real-time hydro-meteorological information, which are crucial for an effective operation of these fast-varying hydrological systems. The framework is here demonstrated on the operation of Marina Reservoir (Singapore), whose recent construction in late 2008 increased the effective catchment area to about 50% of the total available. Its operation, which accounts for drinking water supply, flash floods control and water quality standards, is here designed by combining the MPC scheme with the process-based hydrological model SOBEK. Extensive simulation experiments show the validity of the proposed framework.

77 FR 28772 - Air Quality: Widespread Use for Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery and Stage II Waiver

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-16

... required emissions control measure in Serious, Severe, and Extreme ozone nonattainment areas. Beginning... control on nearly all new highway vehicles since 2006. Over time, non- ORVR vehicles will continue to be replaced with ORVR vehicles. Stage II and ORVR emission control systems are redundant, and the EPA has...

Marital relationship quality in early-stage dementia: perspectives from people with dementia and their spouses.

PubMed

Clare, Linda; Nelis, Sharon M; Whitaker, Christopher J; Martyr, Anthony; Markova, Ivana S; Roth, Ilona; Woods, Robert T; Morris, Robin G

2012-01-01

Spouse caregivers of people with dementia (PwD) report relatively poor marital relationship quality (RQ), but few studies have obtained the perspective of the PwD, examined discrepancies between spouses, or considered changes in RQ over time. This study explored caregiver and PwD perceptions of RQ, identified associated factors, and examined changes over an 18-month period. Participants were 54 couples where one spouse had early-stage dementia and 54 were control couples. RQ was assessed with the Positive Affect Index. Measures of mood, stress, and quality of life (QoL) were also administered. The clinical couples were followed up after 9 and 18 months. Caregivers gave significantly lower RQ ratings than controls. PwD ratings did not differ significantly from those of caregivers or controls. Dyadic discrepancies were significantly greater in the clinical than in the control group. Caregiver ratings were associated with stress, whereas PwD ratings were associated with depression and QoL. Discrepancies were associated with caregiver stress and with PwD mood, QoL, and age. Caregiver ratings declined significantly over time; PwD ratings did not decline significantly, but showed different trends for men and women. It is important to consider RQ when considering how to support couples where one partner has early-stage dementia.

A case-control study of self-reported health, quality-of-life and general functioning among recent immigrants and age- and sex-matched Swedish-born controls.

PubMed

Löfvander, Monica; Rosenblad, Andreas; Wiklund, Tony; Bennström, Halina; Leppert, Jerzy

2014-12-01

To examine whether new immigrants had inferior quality-of-life, well-being and general functioning compared with Swedish age- and sex-matched controls. A prospective case-control study was designed including immigrants from non-European countries, 18-65 years of age, with recent Permanent Permits to Stay (PPS) in Sweden, and age- and sex-matched Swedish-born (SB) persons from the general population in Västmanland County, Sweden. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality-of-Life (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale and the General Activity Functioning Assessment Scale (GAF) from DSM-IV were posted (SB), or applied in personal interviews (PPS) with interpreters. Differences between the PPS and SB groups were measured using McNemar's test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test conducted separately for observations at baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-up. There were 93 pairs (mean age 36 years). Persons from Somalia (67%) and Iraq (27%) dominated the PPS group. The differences between the groups were statistically significant for all time points for the Psychological health and Social relationship domains of WHOQOL-BREF, and for the baseline and 6-month follow-up time points of GHQ-12 where the PPS-group had a higher degree of well-being, health and quality-of-life than the SB. This tendency applied for both sexes in the immigrant group. These new immigrants did not have inferior physical or psychological health, quality-of-life, well-being or social functioning compared with their age- and sex-matched Swedish born pairs during a 1-year follow-up. Thus, there is reason to advocate immigrants' fast integration into society. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

The effect of strength training on quality of prolonged basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PubMed

Abelairas-Gómez, Cristian; Barcala-Furelos, Roberto; Szarpak, Łukasz; García-García, Óscar; Paz-Domínguez, Álvaro; López-García, Sergio; Rodríguez-Núñez, Antonio

2017-01-01

Providing high-quality chest compressions and rescue breaths are key elements in the effectiveness of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. To investigate the effects of a strength training programme on the quality of prolonged basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a manikin. This was a quasi-experimental trial. Thirty-nine participants with prior basic life support knowledge were randomised to an experimental or control group. They then performed a test of 10 min of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth ventilation on manikins equipped with a skill reporter tool (baseline or test 1). The experimental group participated in a four-week strength training programme focused on the muscles involved in chest compressions. Both groups were subsequently tested again (test 2). After training, the experimental group significantly increased the mean depth of compression (53.7 ± 2.3 mm vs. 49.9 ± 5.9 mm; p = 0.003) and the correct compression fraction (68.2 ± 21.0% vs. 46.4 ± 29.1%; p = 0.004). Trained subjects maintained chest compression quality over time better than the control group. The mean tidal volume delivered was higher in the experimental than in the control group (701.5 ± 187.0 mL vs. 584.8 ± 113.6 mL; p = 0.040) and above the current resuscitation guidelines. In test 2, the percentage of rescue breaths with excessive volume was higher in the experi-mental group than in the controls (31.5 ± 19.6% vs. 15.6 ± 13.0%; p = 0.007). A simple strength training programme has a significant impact on the quality of chest compressions and its maintenance over time. Additional training is needed to avoid over-ventilation of potential patients.

Effects of health education intervention on negative emotion and quality of life of patients with laryngeal cancer after postoperative radiotherapy.

PubMed

Han, J; Nian, H; Zheng, Z-Y; Zhao, M-M; Xu, D; Wang, C

2018-02-01

The study aimed to explore and analyze the effects of health education intervention on patients with laryngeal cancer and evaluate negative emotions and quality of life after receiving postoperative radiotherapy. Furthermore the relationship between health education intervention methods and its correlation to complications and relapse rates require greater understanding. Patients with aryngeal cancer receiving surgery and postoperative radiotherapy were randomly divided into observation and control groups. A quality of life questionnaire was used to evaluate patients' current life quality as well as negative emotions experienced. The collected data was evaluated using the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) as well as the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). At the time of discharge, patients' satisfaction on nursing and perception of health knowledge was assessed. Three and six months after discharge, patients were given follow-up visits and questionnaire surveys to evaluate their rehabilitation. This was done in relation with the Morningside Rehabilitation Stats Scale (MRSS), incidence of complications and recurrence. The scores of negative emotions, exhibited during the study, were lower in the observation group than in the control group. A month after discharge had a positive correlation to improved quality of life. This was highlighted in the observation group in comparison with the control group. The data collected following discharge revealed an improvement in quality of life, compared with that at the time of admission. Compared with the control group, the SAS and SDS scores in the observation group were decreased a month after discharge. Compared with the scores on admission, the SAS and SDS scores in both groups were decreased one month after discharge. The observation group had a lower incidence of complications than that of the control group. Six months after discharge, in the observation group, the MRSS score was lower than before discharge while in the control group, the MRSS score was higher than before discharge. Health education intervention can significantly improve the quality of life and reduce experiences relating to negative emotion in patients with laryngeal cancer. This improvement was seen following surgery and radiotherapy. Additionally effective reduction rates in the incidence of postoperative complications and recurrence were exhibited following methods of health education intervention. Copyright © 2017 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Quality Improvement and 'work engagement'; concluding results from a national, longitudinal, cross-sectional study of the 'Productive Ward-Releasing Time to Care' Programme.

PubMed

White, Mark; Butterworth, Tony; Wells, John Sg

2017-08-01

Concerns about patient safety and reducing harm have led to a particular focus on initiatives that improve healthcare quality. However Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives have in the past typically faltered because they fail to fully engage healthcare professionals, resulting in apathy and resistance amongst this group of key stakeholders. Productive Ward: Releasing Time to Care (PW) is a ward-based QI programme created to help ward-based teams redesign and streamline the way that they work; leaving more time to care for patients. PW is designed to engage and empower ward-based teams to improve the safety, quality and delivery of care. The main objective of this study was to explore whether PW sustains the 'engagement' of ward-based teams by examining the longitudinal effect that the national QI programme had on the 'work-engagement' of ward-based teams in Ireland. Utilising the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale questionnaire (UWES-17), we surveyed nine PW (intervention) sites from typical acute Medical/Surgical, Rehabilitation and Elderly services (representing the entire cohort of a national phase of PW implementation in Ireland) and a cohort of matched control sites. The numbers surveyed from the PW group at T1 (up to 3 months after commencing the programme) totalled 253 ward-team members and 249 from the control group. At T2 (12 months later), the survey was repeated with 233 ward-team members from the PW sites and 236 from the control group. Overall findings demonstrated that those involved in the QI initiative had higher 'engagement' scores at T1 and T2 in comparison to the control group. Total 'engagement' score (TES), and its 3 dimensions, were all significantly higher in the PW group at T1, but only the Vigour dimension remained significantly higher at T2 (p = 0.006). Our results lend some support to the assertions of the PW initiative itself and suggest that when compared to a control group, ward-based teams involved in the QI programme are more likely to be 'engaged' by it and its associated improvement activities and that this is maintained over time. However, only the Vigour dimension of 'engagement' remained significantly higher in the PW over time.

Trajectories of Sleep Quality and Associations with Mood during the Perinatal Period

PubMed Central

Tomfohr, Lianne M.; Buliga, Elena; Letourneau, Nicole L.; Campbell, Tavis S.; Giesbrecht, Gerald F.

2015-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate trajectories of sleep quality and associations with mood in the perinatal period. Although it is commonly accepted that subjective sleep quality declines during pregnancy and the transition to parenthood, some women may follow qualitatively distinct trajectories. Design, Setting, and Participants: Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data were collected from 293 women at four time points: during early pregnancy, at Time 1 (T1; < 22 w gestational age [GA]; late pregnancy, at Time 2 (T2; 32 w GA); during the postnatal period at Time 3 (T3; 3 mo postpartum); and Time 4 (T4; 6 mo postpartum). A group-based semiparametric mixture model was used to estimate patterns of sleep quality throughout the perinatal period. Results: Four trajectory groups were identified, including patterns defined by high sleep quality throughout (21.5%), mild decrease in sleep quality (59.5%), significant decrease in sleep quality (12.3%) and a group with poor sleep quality throughout (6.7%). Women who had the worst sleep quality at Time 1 and those who experienced significant increases in sleep problems throughout pregnancy were also the groups who reported the highest levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms in early pregnancy and the lowest levels of social support. After controlling for covariates, the groups with worst subjective sleep quality during pregnancy were also the most likely to experience high symptoms of depression in the postpartum period. Conclusions: Most of the women in our sample reported mild sleep disturbances through the perinatal period. A subgroup of women reported a significant decline in sleep quality from early to late pregnancy and another reported poor subjective sleep quality throughout pregnancy; these groups had the greatest risk of experiencing high symptoms of depression in the postpartum period. Citation: Tomfohr LM, Buliga E, Letourneau NL, Campbell TS, Giesbrecht GF. Trajectories of sleep quality and associations with mood during the perinatal period. SLEEP 2015;38(8):1237–1245. PMID:25845691

Impact of Scribes on Physician Satisfaction, Patient Satisfaction, and Charting Efficiency: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Gidwani, Risha; Nguyen, Cathina; Kofoed, Alexis; Carragee, Catherine; Rydel, Tracy; Nelligan, Ian; Sattler, Amelia; Mahoney, Megan; Lin, Steven

2017-01-01

PURPOSE Scribes are increasingly being used in clinical practice despite a lack of high-quality evidence regarding their effects. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of medical scribes on physician satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and charting efficiency. METHODS We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which physicians in an academic family medicine clinic were randomized to 1 week with a scribe then 1 week without a scribe for the course of 1 year. Scribes drafted all relevant documentation, which was reviewed by the physician before attestation and signing. In encounters without a scribe, the physician performed all charting duties. Our outcomes were physician satisfaction, measured by a 5-item instrument that included physicians’ perceptions of chart quality and chart accuracy; patient satisfaction, measured by a 6-item instrument; and charting efficiency, measured by time to chart close. RESULTS Scribes improved all aspects of physician satisfaction, including overall satisfaction with clinic (OR = 10.75), having enough face time with patients (OR = 3.71), time spent charting (OR = 86.09), chart quality (OR = 7.25), and chart accuracy (OR = 4.61) (all P values <.001). Scribes had no effect on patient satisfaction. Scribes increased the proportion of charts that were closed within 48 hours (OR =1.18, P =.028). CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, we have conducted the first randomized controlled trial of scribes. We found that scribes produced significant improvements in overall physician satisfaction, satisfaction with chart quality and accuracy, and charting efficiency without detracting from patient satisfaction. Scribes appear to be a promising strategy to improve health care efficiency and reduce physician burnout. PMID:28893812

Adaptive controller for a strength testbed for aircraft structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laperdin, A. I.; Yurkevich, V. D.

2017-07-01

The problem of control system design for a strength testbed of aircraft structures is considered. A method for calculating the parameters of a proportional-integral controller (control algorithm) using the time-scale separation method for the testbed taking into account the dead time effect in the control loop is presented. An adaptive control algorithm structure is proposed which limits the amplitude of high-frequency oscillations in the control system with a change in the direction of motion of the rod of the hydraulic cylinders and provides the desired accuracy and quality of transients at all stages of structural loading history. The results of tests of the developed control system with the adaptive control algorithm on an experimental strength testbed for aircraft structures are given.

Study of thickness and uniformity of oxide passivation with DI-O3 on silicon substrate for electronic and photonic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Mamta; Hazra, Purnima; Singh, Satyendra Kumar

2018-05-01

Since the beginning of semiconductor fabrication technology evolution, clean and passivated substrate surface is one of the prime requirements for fabrication of Electronic and optoelectronic device fabrication. However, as the scale of silicon circuits and device architectures are continuously decreased from micrometer to nanometer (from VLSI to ULSI technology), the cleaning methods to achieve better wafer surface qualities has raised research interests. The development of controlled and uniform silicon dioxide is the most effective and reliable way to achieve better wafer surface quality for fabrication of electronic devices. On the other hand, in order to meet the requirement of high environment safety/regulatory standards, the innovation of cleaning technology is also in demand. The controlled silicon dioxide layer formed by oxidant de-ionized ozonated water has better uniformity. As the uniformity of the controlled silicon dioxide layer is improved on the substrate, it enhances the performance of the devices. We can increase the thickness of oxide layer, by increasing the ozone time treatment. We reported first time to measurement of thickness of controlled silicon dioxide layer and obtained the uniform layer for same ozone time.

The Effects of Education Quality on Income Growth and Mortality Decline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamison, Eliot A.; Jamison, Dean T.; Hanushek, Eric A.

2007-01-01

Previous work shows that higher levels of education quality (as measured by international student achievement tests) increase growth rates of national income. This paper begins by confirming those findings in an analysis involving more countries over more time with additional controls. We then use the panel structure of our data to assess whether…

Flexible optical metrology strategies for the control and quality assurance of small series production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, R.; Pavim, A.

2009-06-01

The demand for achieving smaller and more flexible production series with a considerable diversity of products complicates the control of the manufacturing tasks, leading to big challenges for the quality assurance systems. The quality assurance strategy that is nowadays used for mass production is unable to cope with the inspection flexibility needed among automated small series production, because the measuring strategy is totally dependent on the fixed features of the few manufactured object variants and on process parameters that can be controlled/compensated during production time. The major challenge faced by a quality assurance system applied to small series production facilities is to guarantee the needed quality level already at the first run, and therefore, the quality assurance system has to adapt itself constantly to the new manufacturing conditions. The small series production culture requires a change of paradigms, because its strategies are totally different from mass production. This work discusses the tight inspection requirements of small series production and presents flexible metrology strategies based on optical sensor data fusion techniques, agent-based systems as well as cognitive and self-optimised systems for assuring the needed quality level of flexible small series. Examples of application scenarios are provided among the automated assembly of solid state lasers and the flexible inspection of automotive headlights.

42 CFR 456.523 - Revised UR plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UTILIZATION CONTROL Utilization Review Plans: FFP, Waivers, and Variances for Hospitals and Mental Hospitals Ur Plan: Remote Facility Variances from Time Requirements § 456.523 Revised... control over the utilization of services; and (2) Conducts reviews in a way that improves the quality of...

42 CFR 456.523 - Revised UR plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UTILIZATION CONTROL Utilization Review Plans: FFP, Waivers, and Variances for Hospitals and Mental Hospitals Ur Plan: Remote Facility Variances from Time Requirements § 456.523 Revised... control over the utilization of services; and (2) Conducts reviews in a way that improves the quality of...

School Self-Evaluation and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofman, Roelande H.; Dijkstra, Nynke J.; Hofman, W. H. Adriaan

2009-01-01

In the last 2 decades, educational systems have developed accountability policies in which schools maintain autonomy for their pedagogical, instructional, and organizational practices (internal control). At the same time, they are held accountable to public authorities (external control) for the quality of their education. It is not clear whether…

Bidirectional relations between work-related stress, sleep quality and perseverative cognition.

PubMed

Van Laethem, Michelle; Beckers, Debby G J; Kompier, Michiel A J; Kecklund, Göran; van den Bossche, Seth N J; Geurts, Sabine A E

2015-11-01

In this longitudinal two-wave study, bidirectional relations between work-related stress and sleep quality were examined. Moreover, it was investigated whether perseverative cognition is a potential underlying mechanism in this association, related to both work-related stress and sleep quality. A randomly selected sample of Dutch employees received an online survey in 2012 and 2013. Of all invited employees, 877 participated in both waves. Structural equation modeling was performed to analyze the data. We found evidence for reversed relations between work-related stress and sleep quality. Specifically, when controlling for perseverative cognition, work-related stress was not directly related to subsequent sleep quality, but low sleep quality was associated with an increase in work-related stress over time. Moreover, negative bidirectional associations over time were found between perseverative cognition and sleep quality, and positive bidirectional associations were found between work-related stress and perseverative cognition. Lastly, a mediation analysis showed that perseverative cognition fully mediated the relationship between work-related stress and sleep quality. The study findings suggest that perseverative cognition could be an important underlying mechanism in the association between work-related stress and sleep quality. The bidirectionality of the studied relationships could be an indication of a vicious cycle, in which work-related stress, perseverative cognition, and sleep quality mutually influence each other over time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real-time control system for adaptive resonator

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

Flath, L; An, J; Brase, J

2000-07-24

Sustained operation of high average power solid-state lasers currently requires an adaptive resonator to produce the optimal beam quality. We describe the architecture of a real-time adaptive control system for correcting intra-cavity aberrations in a heat capacity laser. Image data collected from a wavefront sensor are processed and used to control phase with a high-spatial-resolution deformable mirror. Our controller takes advantage of recent developments in low-cost, high-performance processor technology. A desktop-based computational engine and object-oriented software architecture replaces the high-cost rack-mount embedded computers of previous systems.

Determinants of longitudinal health-related quality-of-life change in children with asthma from low-income families: a report from the PROMIS® Pediatric Asthma Study.

PubMed

Li, Z; Leite, W L; Thompson, L A; Gross, H E; Shenkman, E A; Reeve, B B; DeWalt, D A; Huang, I-C

2017-03-01

How the longitudinal asthma control status and other socio-demographic factors influence the changes of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among asthmatic children, especially from low-income families, has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to describe the trajectories of asthma-specific HRQOL over 15 months and examine the effect of asthma control status on HRQOL by taking socio-demographic factors into consideration. A total of 229 dyads of asthmatic children and their parents enroled in public insurance programs were recruited for assessing asthma control status and HRQOL over four time points of assessment. Asthma control status was measured using the Asthma Control and Communication Instrument, and asthma-specific HRQOL was assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System's Pediatric Asthma Impact Scale. Latent growth models (LGMs) were applied to examine the trajectory of HRQOL and the factors contributing to the changes of HRQOL. Unconditional LGM revealed that HRQOL was improved over time. Conditional LGM suggested that accounting for asthma control and participants' socio-demographic factors, the variation in the initial level of HRQOL was significant, yet the rate of change was not. Conditional LGM also revealed that poorly controlled asthma status was associated with poor HRQOL at each time point (P's < 0.05). Lower parental education was associated with lower baseline HRQOL (P < 0.05). Hispanic children had a larger increase in HRQOL over time (P < 0.01) than non-Hispanic White children. Vulnerable socio-demographic characteristics and poorly controlled asthma status affect HRQOL in children. This finding encourages interventions to improve asthma control status and HRQOL in minority children. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[New idea of traditional Chinese medicine quality control based on "composition structure" theory].

PubMed

Liu, Dan; Jia, Xiaobin; Yu, Danhong

2012-03-01

On the road of the modern Chinese medicine developing internationally, there is a key issues that setting up a reasonable, accurate and be quantified quality evaluation system which is comply with the basic theory of Chinese medicine. Based on the overall understanding of the role of traditional Chinese medicine components, author suggested that the idea of "structural components" theory should be embedded into the system and thought the Chinese medicine play a multi-target, multi-channel pharmacodynamic effects founded on the specific microcosmic structural relationship between the components and the components within the group. At present, the way of Chinese pharmacopoeia checking the quality of Chinese medicine is mainly depends on controlling the single or multiple targets of ingredients. In fact, this way is out of the overall effectiveness of the Chinese medicine, so we can not thoroughly controlling the quality of Chinese medicine from the essence of the Chinese medicine. Secondly, it's only macro-structural quantity that the Chinese pharmacopoeia just controlling the less effective ingredients, this is not enough to reflect the internal microstructure of the integrity and systematic. In other words, this cannot reflect the structural components of the Chinese medicine (the essence of traditional Chinese medicine). In view of above mentioned reasons, the author propose the new idea on the quality control in the medicine that quantify the ratio structural relationship in component and the ingredients of the components, set the optimal controlling proportion between the components and ingredients. At the same time, author thought we should conduct the depth study in the micro-quantified the multi-component and multi-ingredient, in the process of studying the material basis of Chinese medicine. Therefore, it could establish a more rational basis for the Chinese medicine quality controlling system.

[A randomised clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention developed for adult asthmatics in a primary care centre].

PubMed

Cano Fuentes, Gloria; Dastis Bendala, Carmen; Morales Barroso, Isabel; Manzanares Torné, M Luisa; Fernández Gregorio, Andrés; Martín Romana, Leticia

2014-03-01

To assess the effect of an educational intervention on asthma control and quality of life. A randomised clinical trial of patients with asthma, with an intervention group (IG) and a control (GC). Asthma control and quality of life was measured in both groups at baseline and every three months for one a year. Blinding was only possible in the collection and analysis of data. Two urban Primary Care Health Centres A total of 163 patients aged 18 to 55 years were included: 84 were assigned to the IG and 79 to the CG. The follow-up was completed by 104 patients (GI: 55 and GC 49). Three educational sessions in small interactive groups. The first session was at the beginning of spring, the second 15 days later, and the third 6 months later, to recall the knowledge. Asthma control level and quality of life using ACT(Asthma Control Test) and the AQLQ (Asthma Quality of life Questionnaire). In the third month, statistically significant differences were detected in the percentage of patients with good control [(P=.0002), 75% in the GI, and 48.5% in the GC, Relative Risk (RR)=1.6 [1.2 to 2.1], Number Needed to Treat (NNT)=3.8 [2.4 to 9.4], and an improvement in levels of quality of life from baseline (P=.005), RR=2.3 [1.3 to 4.1], NNT: 4.3 [2.6 to 12.4]. No differences were detected in the remaining sessions. These interventions are effective in improving the control and quality of life in short-term, which can guide us in choosing the best time to do it. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Land cover controls on summer discharge and runoff solution chemistry of semi-arid urban catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallo, Erika L.; Brooks, Paul D.; Lohse, Kathleen A.; McLain, Jean E. T.

2013-04-01

SummaryRecharge of urban runoff to groundwater as a stormwater management practice has gained importance in semi-arid regions where water resources are scarce and urban centers are growing. Despite this trend, the importance of land cover in controlling semi-arid catchment runoff quantity and quality remains unclear. Here we address the question: How do land cover characteristics control the amount and quality of storm runoff in semi-arid urban catchments? We monitored summertime runoff quantity and quality from five catchments dominated by distinct urban land uses: low, medium, and high density residential, mixed use, and commercial. Increasing urban land cover increased runoff duration and the likelihood that a rainfall event would result in runoff, but did not increase the time to peak discharge of episodic runoff. The effect of urban land cover on hydrologic responses was tightly coupled to the magnitude of rainfall. At distinct rainfall thresholds, roads, percent impervious cover and the stormwater drainage network controlled runoff frequency, runoff depth and runoff ratios. Contrary to initial expectations, runoff quality did not vary in repose to impervious cover or land use. We identified four major mechanisms controlling runoff quality: (1) variable solute sourcing due to land use heterogeneity and above ground catchment connectivity; (2) the spatial extent of pervious and biogeochemically active areas; (3) the efficiency of overland flow and runoff mobilization; and (4) solute flushing and dilution. Our study highlights the importance of the stormwater drainage systems characteristics in controlling urban runoff quantity and quality; and suggests that enhanced wetting and in-stream processes may control solute sourcing and retention. Finally, we suggest that the characteristics of the stormwater drainage system should be integrated into stormwater management approaches.

Cost effectiveness of novel oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation depending on the quality of warfarin anticoagulation control.

PubMed

Janzic, Andrej; Kos, Mitja

2015-04-01

Vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, are standard treatments for stroke prophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patient outcomes depend on quality of warfarin management, which includes regular monitoring and dose adjustments. Recently, novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) that do not require regular monitoring offer an alternative to warfarin. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether cost effectiveness of NOACs for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation depends on the quality of warfarin control. We developed a Markov decision model to simulate warfarin treatment outcomes in relation to the quality of anticoagulation control, expressed as percentage of time in the therapeutic range (TTR). Standard treatment with adjusted-dose warfarin and improved anticoagulation control by genotype-guided dosing were compared with dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban. The analysis was performed from the Slovenian healthcare payer perspective using 2014 costs. In the base case, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for apixaban, dabigatran and edoxaban was below the threshold of €25,000 per quality-adjusted life-years compared with adjusted-dose warfarin with a TTR of 60%. The probability that warfarin was a cost-effective option was around 1%. This percentage rises as the quality of anticoagulation control improves. At a TTR of 70%, warfarin was the preferred treatment in half the iterations. The cost effectiveness of NOACs for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who are at increased risk for stroke is highly sensitive to warfarin anticoagulation control. NOACs are more likely to be cost-effective options in settings with poor warfarin management than in settings with better anticoagulation control, where they may not represent good value for money.

Interindividual and intraindividual variations in postprandial glycemia peak time complicate precise recommendations for self-monitoring of glucose in persons with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Johansen, Mette Dencker; Gjerløv, Irene; Christiansen, Jens Sandahl; Hejlesen, Ole K

2012-03-01

In glycemic control, postprandial glycemia may be important to monitor and optimize as it reveals glycemic control quality, and postprandial hyperglycemia partly predicts late diabetic complications. Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) may be an appropriate technology to use, but recommendations on measurement time are crucial. We retrospectively analyzed interindividual and intraindividual variations in postprandial glycemic peak time. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and carbohydrate intake were collected in 22 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Meals were identified from carbohydrate intake data. For each meal, peak time was identified as time from meal to CGM zenith within 40-150 min after meal start. Interindividual (one-way Anova) and intraindividual (intraclass correlation coefficient) variation was calculated. Nineteen patients were included with sufficient meal data quality. Mean peak time was 87 ± 29 min. Mean peak time differed significantly between patients (p = 0.02). Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.29. Significant interindividual and intraindividual variations exist in postprandial glycemia peak time, thus hindering simple and general advice regarding postprandial SMBG for detection of maximum values. © 2012 Diabetes Technology Society.

Toward Higher QA: From Parametric Release of Sterile Parenteral Products to PAT for Other Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms.

PubMed

Hock, Sia Chong; Constance, Neo Xue Rui; Wah, Chan Lai

2012-01-01

Pharmaceutical products are generally subjected to end-product batch testing as a means of quality control. Due to the inherent limitations of conventional batch testing, this is not the most ideal approach for determining the pharmaceutical quality of the finished dosage form. In the case of terminally sterilized parenteral products, the limitations of conventional batch testing have been successfully addressed with the application of parametric release (the release of a product based on control of process parameters instead of batch sterility testing at the end of the manufacturing process). Consequently, there has been an increasing interest in applying parametric release to other pharmaceutical dosage forms, beyond terminally sterilized parenteral products. For parametric release to be possible, manufacturers must be capable of designing quality into the product, monitoring the manufacturing processes, and controlling the quality of intermediates and finished products in real-time. Process analytical technology (PAT) has been thought to be capable of contributing to these prerequisites. It is believed that the appropriate use of PAT tools can eventually lead to the possibility of real-time release of other pharmaceutical dosage forms, by-passing the need for end-product batch testing. Hence, this literature review attempts to present the basic principles of PAT, introduce the various PAT tools that are currently available, present their recent applications to pharmaceutical processing, and explain the potential benefits that PAT can bring to conventional ways of processing and quality assurance of pharmaceutical products. Last but not least, current regulations governing the use of PAT and the manufacturing challenges associated with PAT implementation are also discussed. Pharmaceutical products are generally subjected to end-product batch testing as a means of quality control. Due to the inherent limitations of conventional batch testing, this is not the most ideal approach. In the case of terminally sterilized parenteral products, these limitations have been successfully addressed with the application of parametric release (the release of a product based on control of process parameters instead of batch sterility testing at the end of the manufacturing process). Consequently, there has been an increasing interest in applying parametric release to other pharmaceutical dosage forms. With the advancement of process analytical technology (PAT), it is possible to monitor the manufacturing processes closely. This will eventually enable quality control of the intermediates and finished products, and thus their release in real-time. Hence, this literature review attempts to present the basic principles of PAT, introduce the various PAT tools that are currently available, present their recent applications to pharmaceutical processing, and explain the potential benefits that PAT can bring to conventional ways of processing and quality assurance of pharmaceutical products. It will also discuss the current regulations governing the use of PAT and the manufacturing challenges associated with the implementation of PAT.

Control of a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process for improved composition and thickness precision in compound semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaffney, Monique Suzanne

1998-11-01

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is a process used to manufacture electronic and optoelectronic devices that has traditionally lacked real-time growth monitoring and control. Controlling the growth rate and composition using the existing sensors, as well as advanced monitoring systems developed in-house, is shown to improve device quality. Specific MOCVD growth objectives are transformed into controller performance goals. Group III bubbler concentration variations, which perturb both growth rate and composition precision, are identified to be the primary disturbances. First a feed forward control system was investigated, which used an ultrasonic concentration monitor, located upstream in the process. This control strategy resulted in improved regulation of the gallium delivery rate by cancelling the sensed gallium bubbler concentration disturbances via the injection mass flow controller. The controller performance is investigated by growing GaInAs/InP superlattices. Results of growths performed under normal operating conditions and also under large perturbations include X-ray diffraction from the samples as well as real-time sensor signal data. High quality superlattices that display up to eight orders of satellite peaks are obtained under the feed forward compensation scheme, demonstrating improved layer-to-layer reproducibility of thickness and composition. The success of the feed forward control demonstration led to the development of a more complex downstream feedback control system. An ultraviolet absorption monitor was fabricated and retrofitted as a feedback control signal. A control-oriented model of the downstream process was developed for the feedback controller synthesis. Although challenged with both the photolysis and multi-gas detection issues common to UV absorption monitors, closed loop control with the UV sensor was performed and proved to be an effective method of disturbance rejection. An InP/GaInAs test structure was grown under both open and closed loop conditions. During the growth of a bulk GaInAs layer, an indium concentration disturbance was injected by way of the bubbler pressure control valve. The controller goal was to reject this concentration disturbance. The UV absorption real-time data, as well as both X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence post-growth sample measurements were used to evaluate the controller performance. All results indicate that the closed loop control system greatly improved the quality of the perturbed growth.

Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2006: Quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tanner, Dwight Q.; Bragg, Heather M.; Johnston, Matthew W.

2006-01-01

For the eight monitoring stations in water year 2006, an average of 99.1% of the total-dissolved-gas data were received in real time by the USGS satellite downlink and were within 1% saturation of the expected value on the basis of calibration data, replicate quality-control measurements in the river, and comparison to ambient river conditions at adjacent stations. 

Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, 2005: quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tanner, Dwight Q.; Bragg, Heather M.; Johnston, Matthew W.

2005-01-01

For the eight monitoring sites in water year 2005, an average of 98.2% of the total-dissolved-gas data were received in real time by the USGS satellite downlink and were within 1% saturation of the expected value, based on calibration data, replicate quality-control measurements in the river, and comparison to ambient river conditions at adjacent sites. 

Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia river, Oregon and Washington, 2004: quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tanner, Dwight Q.; Bragg, Heather M.; Johnston, Matthew

2004-01-01

For the seven monitoring sites used to regulate spill in water year 2004, an average of 99.0% of the total- dissolved-gas data were received in real time by the USGS satellite downlink and were within 1% saturation of the expected value, based on calibration data, replicate quality-control measurements in the river, and comparison to ambient river conditions at adjacent sites.

Precipitation data in a mountainous catchment in Honduras: quality assessment and spatiotemporal characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westerberg, I.; Walther, A.; Guerrero, J.-L.; Coello, Z.; Halldin, S.; Xu, C.-Y.; Chen, D.; Lundin, L.-C.

2010-08-01

An accurate description of temporal and spatial precipitation variability in Central America is important for local farming, water supply and flood management. Data quality problems and lack of consistent precipitation data impede hydrometeorological analysis in the 7,500 km2 Choluteca River basin in central Honduras, encompassing the capital Tegucigalpa. We used precipitation data from 60 daily and 13 monthly stations in 1913-2006 from five local authorities and NOAA's Global Historical Climatology Network. Quality control routines were developed to tackle the specific data quality problems. The quality-controlled data were characterised spatially and temporally, and compared with regional and larger-scale studies. Two gap-filling methods for daily data and three interpolation methods for monthly and mean annual precipitation were compared. The coefficient-of-correlation-weighting method provided the best results for gap-filling and the universal kriging method for spatial interpolation. In-homogeneity in the time series was the main quality problem, and 22% of the daily precipitation data were too poor to be used. Spatial autocorrelation for monthly precipitation was low during the dry season, and correlation increased markedly when data were temporally aggregated from a daily time scale to 4-5 days. The analysis manifested the high spatial and temporal variability caused by the diverse precipitation-generating mechanisms and the need for an improved monitoring network.

ChronQC: a quality control monitoring system for clinical next generation sequencing.

PubMed

Tawari, Nilesh R; Seow, Justine Jia Wen; Perumal, Dharuman; Ow, Jack L; Ang, Shimin; Devasia, Arun George; Ng, Pauline C

2018-05-15

ChronQC is a quality control (QC) tracking system for clinical implementation of next-generation sequencing (NGS). ChronQC generates time series plots for various QC metrics to allow comparison of current runs to historical runs. ChronQC has multiple features for tracking QC data including Westgard rules for clinical validity, laboratory-defined thresholds and historical observations within a specified time period. Users can record their notes and corrective actions directly onto the plots for long-term recordkeeping. ChronQC facilitates regular monitoring of clinical NGS to enable adherence to high quality clinical standards. ChronQC is freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/nilesh-tawari/ChronQC), Docker (https://hub.docker.com/r/nileshtawari/chronqc/) and the Python Package Index. ChronQC is implemented in Python and runs on all common operating systems (Windows, Linux and Mac OS X). tawari.nilesh@gmail.com or pauline.c.ng@gmail.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Improved latrine cleanliness through behaviour change and changes in quality of latrine construction: a longitudinal intervention study in rural Burundi.

PubMed

Mosler, Hans-Joachim; Sonego, Ina Lucia

2017-10-01

Latrine cleanliness increased in the intervention group compared to the control group (increase from 21 to 31 % of latrines classified as clean in intervention [N = 198] and decrease from 37 to 27 % in control [N = 91]). Improved habitual latrine cleaning lead to latrines being 3.5 times more likely to improve in observed latrine cleanliness (χ 2  = 16.36, p < .001) and so did improvements in quality of latrine construction, eg households that had installed a lid were 7.39 times more likely to have a cleaner latrine (χ 2  = 4.46, p < .05). Changes in psychosocial factors, namely forgetting, personal norm, satisfaction with cleanliness, explained much of the change in habitual latrine cleaning (adj. r 2  = .46). Behaviour change interventions targeting psychosocial factors and quality of latrine construction seem promising to ensure clean and hygienic latrines.

Efficacy of a Social Self-Value Empowerment Intervention to Improve Quality of Life of HIV Infected People Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment in Nepal: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Bhatta, Dharma Nand; Liabsuetrakul, Tippawan

2017-06-01

We developed a comprehensive and culturally applicable empowerment intervention social self-value package with an aim to assess its efficacy in order to improve the quality of life (QoL) of HIV infected people receiving antiretroviral treatment. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either six weekly intervention sessions or standard care. Nonlinear mixed-effects models were performed to compare changes in empowerment scores over time. Between September and November 2014, 1447 individuals were screened, of whom 132 were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The mean scores of empowerment, social support and quality of life increased and stigma scores were reduced in the intervention group at 3- and 6-months. An intervention effect on social support, stigma and QoL was significantly increased by time and group with low and high empowerment. No adverse events were reported. The empowerment intervention was efficacious in improving QoL of HIV infected people.

Study quality on groin injury management remains low: a systematic review on treatment of groin pain in athletes

PubMed Central

Serner, Andreas; van Eijck, Casper H; Beumer, Berend R; Hölmich, Per; Weir, Adam; de Vos, Robert-Jan

2015-01-01

Background Groin pain in athletes is frequent and many different treatment options have been proposed. The current level of evidence for the efficacy of these treatments is unknown. Objective Systematically review the literature on the efficacy of treatments for groin pain in athletes. Methods Nine medical databases were searched in May 2014. Inclusion criteria: treatment studies in athletes with groin pain; randomised controlled trials, controlled clinical trials or case series; n>10; outcome measures describing number of recovered athletes, patient satisfaction, pain scores or functional outcome scores. One author screened search results, and two authors independently assessed study quality. A best evidence synthesis was performed. Relationships between quality score and outcomes were evaluated. Review registration number CRD42014010262. Results 72 studies were included for quality analysis. Four studies were high quality. There is moderate evidence that, for adductor-related groin pain, active exercises compared with passive treatments improve success, multimodal treatment with a manual therapy technique shortens the time to return to sports compared with active exercises and adductor tenotomy improves treatment success over time. There is moderate evidence that for athletes with sportsman's hernia, surgery results in better treatment success then conservative treatment. There was a moderate and inverse correlation between study quality and treatment success (p<0.001, r=−0.41), but not between study quality and publication year (p=0.09, r=0.20). Conclusions Only 6% of publications were high quality. Low-quality studies showed significantly higher treatment success and study quality has not improved since 1985. There is moderate evidence for the efficacy of conservative treatment (active exercises and multimodal treatments) and for surgery in patients with adductor-related groin pain. There is moderate evidence for efficacy of surgical treatment in sportsman's hernia. PMID:25633830

Examining System-Wide Impacts of Solar PV Control Systems with a Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Platform

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

Williams, Tess L.; Fuller, Jason C.; Schneider, Kevin P.

2014-10-11

High penetration levels of distributed solar PV power generation can lead to adverse power quality impacts such as excessive voltage rise, voltage flicker, and reactive power values that result in unacceptable voltage levels. Advanced inverter control schemes have been proposed that have the potential to mitigate many power quality concerns. However, closed-loop control may lead to unintended behavior in deployed systems as complex interactions can occur between numerous operating devices. In order to enable the study of the performance of advanced control schemes in a detailed distribution system environment, a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) platform has been developed. In the HIL system,more » GridLAB-D, a distribution system simulation tool, runs in real-time mode at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and supplies power system parameters at a point of common coupling to hardware located at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Hardware inverters interact with grid and PV simulators emulating an operational distribution system and power output from the inverters is measured and sent to PNNL to update the real-time distribution system simulation. The platform is described and initial test cases are presented. The platform is used to study the system-wide impacts and the interactions of controls applied to inverters that are integrated into a simulation of the IEEE 8500-node test feeder, with inverters in either constant power factor control or active volt/VAR control. We demonstrate that this HIL platform is well-suited to the study of advanced inverter controls and their impacts on the power quality of a distribution feeder. Additionally, the results from HIL are used to validate GridLAB-D simulations of advanced inverter controls.« less

Analytical study of beam handling and emittance control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, James R.; Sloan, M. L.

1993-12-01

The thrust of our research on beam handling and emittance control was to explore how one might design high current electron accelerators, with the preservation of high beam quality designed as the primary design consideration. We considered high current, induction linacs in the parameter class of the ETA/ATA accelerators at LLNL, but with improvements to the accelerator gap design and other features to permit a significant increase in the deliverable beam brightness. Our approach for beam quality control centered on the use of solenoidal magnetic focusing through such induction accelerators, together with gently-shaped (adiabatic) acceleration gaps. This approach offers several tools for the control of beam quality. The strength and axial variation in the solenoidal magnetic field may be designed, as may the length and shape of the acceleration gaps, the loading of the gaps, and the axial spacing from gap to gap. This research showed that each of these design features may individually be optimized to contribute to improved beam quality control, and by exploiting these features, it appears feasible to produce high current, high energy electron beams possessing breakthrough beam quality and brightness. Applications which have been technologically unachievable may for the first time become possible. One such application is the production of high performance free electron lasers at very short wavelengths, extending down to the optical (less than 1 micron) regime.

Quantity and quality assessment of randomized controlled trials on orthodontic practice in PubMed.

PubMed

Shimada, Tatsuo; Takayama, Hisako; Nakamura, Yoshiki

2010-07-01

To find current high-quality evidence for orthodontic practice within a reasonable time, we tested the performance of a PubMed search. PubMed was searched using publication type randomized controlled trial and medical subject heading term "orthodontics" for articles published between 2003 and 2007. The PubMed search results were compared with those from a hand search of four orthodontic journals to determine the sensitivity of PubMed search. We evaluated the precision of the PubMed search result and assessed the quality of individual randomized controlled trials using the Jadad scale. Sensitivity and precision were 97.46% and 58.12%, respectively. In PubMed, of the 277 articles retrieved, 161 (58.12%) were randomized controlled trials on orthodontic practice, and 115 of the 161 articles (71.42%) were published in four orthodontic journals: American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, The Angle Orthodontist, the European Journal of Orthodontics, and the Journal of Orthodontics. Assessment by the Jadad scale revealed 60 high-quality randomized controlled trials on orthodontic practice, of which 45 (75%) were published in these four journals. PubMed is a highly desirable search engine for evidence-based orthodontic practice. To stay current and get high-quality evidence, it is reasonable to look through four orthodontic journals: American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, The Angle Orthodontist, the European Journal of Orthodontics, and the Journal of Orthodontics.

Auricular acupuncture for sleep disturbance in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder: a feasibility study.

PubMed

King, Heather C; Spence, Dennis L; Hickey, Anita H; Sargent, Paul; Elesh, Ronald; Connelly, Cynthia D

2015-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an auricular acupuncture (AA) insomnia regimen among Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep disturbance. Secondarily, this study examined the effect of an AA insomnia regimen on objective sleep times by wrist actigraphy, subjective sleep times by sleep diary, and sleep quality ratings utilizing the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Veterans (n = 30) were randomized to receive a 3-week AA insomnia regimen. Veterans receiving the AA insomnia regimen reported it as a more acceptable treatment for sleep disturbance than subjects in the control group (AA group median = 5 vs. control group median = 3, p = 0.004). Significant differences between groups were found on the sleep quality and daytime dysfunction components of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (p = 0.003, p = 0.004). No other significant differences between groups were found for objective and subjective sleep measures. These results suggest that an AA insomnia regimen may improve sleep quality and daytime dysfunction among veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Future, large-scale, prospective clinical trials are needed to examine AA effects on sleep. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

A Strategy to Establish a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan for the Application of Biosensors for the Detection of E. coli in Water.

PubMed

Hesari, Nikou; Kıratlı Yılmazçoban, Nursel; Elzein, Mohamad; Alum, Absar; Abbaszadegan, Morteza

2017-01-03

Rapid bacterial detection using biosensors is a novel approach for microbiological testing applications. Validation of such methods is an obstacle in the adoption of new bio-sensing technologies for water testing. Therefore, establishing a quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) plan is essential to demonstrate accuracy and reliability of the biosensor method for the detection of E. coli in drinking water samples. In this study, different reagents and assay conditions including temperatures, holding time, E. coli strains and concentrations, dissolving agents, salinity and pH effects, quality of substrates of various suppliers of 4-methylumbelliferyl glucuronide (MUG), and environmental water samples were included in the QA/QC plan and used in the assay optimization and documentation. Furthermore, the procedural QA/QC for the monitoring of drinking water samples was established to validate the performance of the biosensor platform for the detection of E. coli using a culture-based standard technique. Implementing the developed QA/QC plan, the same level of precision and accuracy was achieved using both the standard and the biosensor methods. The established procedural QA/QC for the biosensor will provide a reliable tool for a near real-time monitoring of E. coli in drinking water samples to both industry and regulatory authorities.

A Strategy to Establish a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan for the Application of Biosensors for the Detection of E. coli in Water

PubMed Central

Hesari, Nikou; Kıratlı Yılmazçoban, Nursel; Elzein, Mohamad; Alum, Absar; Abbaszadegan, Morteza

2017-01-01

Rapid bacterial detection using biosensors is a novel approach for microbiological testing applications. Validation of such methods is an obstacle in the adoption of new bio-sensing technologies for water testing. Therefore, establishing a quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) plan is essential to demonstrate accuracy and reliability of the biosensor method for the detection of E. coli in drinking water samples. In this study, different reagents and assay conditions including temperatures, holding time, E. coli strains and concentrations, dissolving agents, salinity and pH effects, quality of substrates of various suppliers of 4-methylumbelliferyl glucuronide (MUG), and environmental water samples were included in the QA/QC plan and used in the assay optimization and documentation. Furthermore, the procedural QA/QC for the monitoring of drinking water samples was established to validate the performance of the biosensor platform for the detection of E. coli using a culture-based standard technique. Implementing the developed QA/QC plan, the same level of precision and accuracy was achieved using both the standard and the biosensor methods. The established procedural QA/QC for the biosensor will provide a reliable tool for a near real-time monitoring of E. coli in drinking water samples to both industry and regulatory authorities. PMID:28054956

Identification of long-term trends and seasonality in high-frequency water quality data from the Yangtze River basin, China.

PubMed

Duan, Weili; He, Bin; Chen, Yaning; Zou, Shan; Wang, Yi; Nover, Daniel; Chen, Wen; Yang, Guishan

2018-01-01

Comprehensive understanding of the long-term trends and seasonality of water quality is important for controlling water pollution. This study focuses on spatio-temporal distributions, long-term trends, and seasonality of water quality in the Yangtze River basin using a combination of the seasonal Mann-Kendall test and time-series decomposition. The used weekly water quality data were from 17 environmental stations for the period January 2004 to December 2015. Results show gradual improvement in water quality during this period in the Yangtze River basin and greater improvement in the Uppermost Yangtze River basin. The larger cities, with high GDP and population density, experienced relatively higher pollution levels due to discharge of industrial and household wastewater. There are higher pollution levels in Xiang and Gan River basins, as indicated by higher NH4-N and CODMn concentrations measured at the stations within these basins. Significant trends in water quality were identified for the 2004-2015 period. Operations of the three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) enhanced pH fluctuations and possibly attenuated CODMn, and NH4-N transportation. Finally, seasonal cycles of varying strength were detected for time-series of pollutants in river discharge. Seasonal patterns in pH indicate that maxima appear in winter, and minima in summer, with the opposite true for CODMn. Accurate understanding of long-term trends and seasonality are necessary goals of water quality monitoring system efforts and the analysis methods described here provide essential information for effectively controlling water pollution.

Real-time robot deliberation by compilation and monitoring of anytime algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zilberstein, Shlomo

1994-01-01

Anytime algorithms are algorithms whose quality of results improves gradually as computation time increases. Certainty, accuracy, and specificity are metrics useful in anytime algorighm construction. It is widely accepted that a successful robotic system must trade off between decision quality and the computational resources used to produce it. Anytime algorithms were designed to offer such a trade off. A model of compilation and monitoring mechanisms needed to build robots that can efficiently control their deliberation time is presented. This approach simplifies the design and implementation of complex intelligent robots, mechanizes the composition and monitoring processes, and provides independent real time robotic systems that automatically adjust resource allocation to yield optimum performance.

A Study of Quality of Service Communication for High-Speed Packet-Switching Computer Sub-Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cui, Zhenqian

1999-01-01

With the development of high-speed networking technology, computer networks, including local-area networks (LANs), wide-area networks (WANs) and the Internet, are extending their traditional roles of carrying computer data. They are being used for Internet telephony, multimedia applications such as conferencing and video on demand, distributed simulations, and other real-time applications. LANs are even used for distributed real-time process control and computing as a cost-effective approach. Differing from traditional data transfer, these new classes of high-speed network applications (video, audio, real-time process control, and others) are delay sensitive. The usefulness of data depends not only on the correctness of received data, but also the time that data are received. In other words, these new classes of applications require networks to provide guaranteed services or quality of service (QoS). Quality of service can be defined by a set of parameters and reflects a user's expectation about the underlying network's behavior. Traditionally, distinct services are provided by different kinds of networks. Voice services are provided by telephone networks, video services are provided by cable networks, and data transfer services are provided by computer networks. A single network providing different services is called an integrated-services network.

[Prevalence of urinary tract symptoms in women with diabetes mellitus].

PubMed

Jiménez-Rodríguez, Javier; Carbajal-Ramírez, Angélica; Meza-Vázquez, Héctor; Moreno-Palacios, Jorge; Serrano-Brambila, Eduardo

2016-01-01

The objective was to evaluate the prevalence of urinary tract symptoms and the impact in the quality of life in women with diabetes, the association with DM and neuropathy evolution time and glycemic control. A cohort of women from the DiabetIMSS program was evaluated from January 2011 to 2013. The personal history, time of DM diagnosis, neuropathy, urinary symptoms, glycemic control and quality of life impact were noted. A total of 169 women were evaluated. The median age was 58 years (29-85) and DM main evolution time was 9 years (0.5-31). Urinary tract symptoms were present in 128 (75.7 %) patients. Stress and urge incontinence were predominantly present (45.3 and 40.6 % respectively), followed by obstructive and irritative symptoms (25 and 10.1 % respectively). The impact in the quality of life was mild-moderate in 91.1 % of the patients. At least one criteria for neuropathy was noted in 154 (91.1 %) patients. Neuropathy evolution time was longer in the symptomatic group (12 vs 4.8 months). Symptoms were mainly present in patients with more than one year of neuropathy; p < 0.05. There is a high prevalence of urinary tract symptoms in diabetic women. The only associated risk factor was neuropathy. No significative association was found between the rest of the factors.

Longitudinal Handling Qualities of the Tu-144LL Airplane and Comparisons With Other Large, Supersonic Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, Timothy H.; Marshall, Alisa

2000-01-01

Four flights have been conducted using the Tu-144LL supersonic transport aircraft with the dedicated objective of collecting quantitative data and qualitative pilot comments. These data are compared with the following longitudinal flying qualities criteria: Neal-Smith, short-period damping, time delay, control anticipation parameter, phase delay (omega(sp)*T(theta(2))), pitch bandwidth as a function of time delay, and flight path as a function of pitch bandwidth. Determining the applicability of these criteria and gaining insight into the flying qualities of a large, supersonic aircraft are attempted. Where appropriate, YF-12, XB-70, and SR-71 pilot ratings are compared with the Tu-144LL results to aid in the interpretation of the Tu-144LL data and to gain insight into the application of criteria. The data show that approach and landing requirements appear to be applicable to the precision flightpath control required for up-and-away flight of large, supersonic aircraft. The Neal-Smith, control anticipation parameter, and pitch-bandwidth criteria tend to correlate with the pilot comments better than the phase delay criterion, omega(sp)*T(theta(2)). The data indicate that the detrimental flying qualities implication of decoupled pitch-attitude and flightpath responses occurring for high-speed flight may be mitigated by requiring the pilot to close the loop on flightpath or vertical speed.

The Pan European Phenological Database PEP725: Data Content and Data Quality Control Procedures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurkovic, Anita; Hübner, Thomas; Koch, Elisabeth; Lipa, Wolfgang; Scheifinger, Helfried; Ungersböck, Markus; Zach-Hermann, Susanne

2014-05-01

Phenology - the study of the timing of recurring biological events in the animal and plant world - has become an important approach for climate change impact studies in recent years. It is therefore a "conditio sine qua non" to collect, archive, digitize, control and update phenological datasets. Thus and with regard to cross-border cooperation and activities it was necessary to establish, operate and promote a pan European phenological database (PEP725). Such a database - designed and tested under cost action 725 in 2004 and further developed and maintained in the framework of the EUMETNET program PEP725 - collects data from different European governmental and nongovernmental institutions and thus offers a unique compilation of plant phenological observations. The data follows the same classification scheme - the so called BBCH coding system - that makes datasets comparable. Europe had a long tradition in the observation of phenological events: the history of collecting phenological data and their usage in climatology began in 1751. The first datasets in PEP725 date back to 1868. However, there are only a few observations available until 1950. From 1951 onwards, the phenological networks all over Europe developed rapidly: Currently, PEP725 provides about 9 million records from 23 European countries (covering approximately 50% of Europe). To supply the data in a good and uniform quality it is essential and worthwhile to establish and develop data quality control procedures. Consequently, one of the main tasks within PEP725 is the conception of a multi-stage-quality control. Currently the tests are stepwise composed: completeness -, plausibility -, time consistency -, climatological - and statistical checks. In a nutshell: The poster exemplifies the status quo of the data content of the PEP725 database and incipient stages of used and planned quality controls, respectively. For more details, we would also like to promote and refer to the PEP725 website (http://www.pep725.eu) and invite additional institutions and regional services to join our program.

Adapted physical activity is beneficial on balance, functional mobility, quality of life and fall risk in community-dwelling older women: a randomized single-blinded controlled trial.

PubMed

Kovács, E; Prókai, L; Mészáros, L; Gondos, T

2013-06-01

Exercise programmes have important role in prevention of falls, but to date, we have little knowledge about the effects of Adapted Physical Activity programme on balance of older women. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an Adapted Physical Activity programme on balance, risk of falls and quality of life in community-dwelling older women. This was a randomized controlled study. Community, in a local sport centre. Older women aged over 60 years. Seventy-six women were randomised to an exercise group providing Adapted Physical Activity programme for 25 weeks or a control group (in which they did not participate in any exercise programme). The one-leg stance test, Timed Up and Go test, incidence of fall and the quality of life (SF-36V2) were measured at baseline and after 25 weeks. The one-leg stance test and the Timed Up and Go test in the exercise group was significantly better than in the control group after the intervention period (P=0.005; P=0.001, respectively). The Physical Functioning, Vitality and General Health subdomains of quality of life were also significantly better in the exercise group compared to the control group (P=0.004; P=0.005; P=0.038, respectively). Relative risk was 0.40 (90% CI 0.174 to 0.920) and the number needed to treat was 5 (95% CI 2.3 to 23.3). This 25-week Adapted Physical Activity programme improves static balance, functional mobility, as well as Physical Functioning, Vitality and General Health subdomains of quality of life. Based on our results, the Adapted Physical Activity programme may be a promising fall prevention exercise programme improving static balance and functional mobility for community-dwelling older women.

Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Early Recovery of Bowel Function in Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Yi-Hua; Dong, Guang-Tong; Ye, Yang; Zheng, Jia-Bin; Zhang, Ying; Lin, Hong-Sheng; Wang, Xue-Qian

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture therapy to reduce the duration of postoperative ileus (POI) and to enhance bowel function in cancer patients. A systematic search of electronic databases for studies published from inception until January 2017 was carried out from six databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving the use of acupuncture and acupressure for POI and bowel function in cancer patients were identified. Outcomes were extracted from each study and pooled to determine the risk ratio and standardized mean difference. 10 RCTs involving 776 cancer patients were included. Compared with control groups (no acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and other active therapies), acupuncture was associated with shorter time to first flatus and time to first defecation. A subgroup analysis revealed that manual acupuncture was more effective on the time to first flatus and the time to first defecation; electroacupuncture was better in reducing the length of hospital stay. Compared with control groups (sham or no acupressure), acupressure was associated with shorter time to first flatus. However, GRADE approach indicated a low quality of evidence. Acupuncture and acupressure showed large effect size with significantly poor or inferior quality of included trials for enhancing bowel function in cancer patients after surgery. Further well-powered evidence is needed.

[Effects of a dance therapy programme on quality of life, sleep and blood pressure in middle-aged women: A randomised controlled trial].

PubMed

Serrano-Guzmán, María; Valenza-Peña, Carmen M; Serrano-Guzmán, Carmen; Aguilar-Ferrándiz, Encarnación; Valenza-Demet, Gerald; Villaverde-Gutiérrez, Carmen

2016-10-21

Evidence suggests that dance therapy may have positive effects in areas such as cardiovascular parameters and sleep. The aim of the present study is to explore whether a dance therapy programme improves sleep and blood pressure in a population of middle-aged pre-hypertensive and hypertensive women. A randomised controlled trial was conducted, in which participants were assigned to one of 2 groups: standard care (with usual activities and medication) or dance therapy (in which the participants followed a dance therapy programme, in addition to their medication). The intervention was an 8-week, 3-times-per-week, progressive and specific group dance-training programme. The dance steps were specifically designed to improve balance by shifting the body and relocating the centre of gravity. The main measures obtained were blood pressure, sleep quality and quality of life, measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the European Quality of Life Questionnaire. Sixty-seven pre-hypertensive and hypertensive middle-aged women were randomised to either an intervention group (n=35) or a control group (n=32) after baseline testing. The intervention group reported a significant improvement in blood pressure values (P<.01), as well as in sleep quality (P<.05) and quality of life (P<.001), compared to the control group. The dance therapy programme improved blood pressure, sleep and quality of life in pre-hypertensive and hypertensive middle-aged women, and constitutes an interesting basis for larger-scale research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Resist image quality control via acid diffusion constant and/or photodecomposable quencher concentration in the fabrication of 11 nm half-pitch line-and-space patterns using extreme-ultraviolet lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozawa, Takahiro; Santillan, Julius Joseph; Itani, Toshiro

2018-05-01

Extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography will be applied to the high-volume production of semiconductor devices with 16 nm half-pitch resolution and is expected to be extended to that of devices with 11 nm half-pitch resolution. With the reduction in the feature sizes, the control of acid diffusion becomes a significant concern. In this study, the dependence of resist image quality on T PEB D acid and photodecomposable quencher concentration was investigated by the Monte Carlo method on the basis of the sensitization and reaction mechanisms of chemically amplified EUV resists. Here, T PEB and D acid are the postexposure baking (PEB) time and the acid diffusion constant, respectively. The resist image quality of 11 nm line-and-space patterns is discussed in terms of line edge roughness (LER) and stochastic defect generation. For the minimization of LER, it is necessary to design and control not only the photodecomposable quencher concentration but also T PEB D acid. In this case, D acid should be adjusted to be 0.3–1.5 nm2 s‑1 for a PEB time of 60 s with optimization of the balance among LER and stochastic pinching and bridging. Even if it is difficult to decrease D acid to the range of 0.3–1.5 nm2 s‑1, the image quality can still be controlled via only the photodecomposable quencher concentration, although LER and stochastic pinching and bridging are slightly increased. In this case, accurate control of the photodecomposable quencher concentration and the reduction in the initial standard deviation of the number of protected units are required.

Chest CT in children: anesthesia and atelectasis.

PubMed

Newman, Beverley; Krane, Elliot J; Gawande, Rakhee; Holmes, Tyson H; Robinson, Terry E

2014-02-01

There has been an increasing tendency for anesthesiologists to be responsible for providing sedation or anesthesia during chest CT imaging in young children. Anesthesia-related atelectasis noted on chest CT imaging has proven to be a common and troublesome problem, affecting image quality and diagnostic sensitivity. To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a standardized anesthesia, lung recruitment, controlled-ventilation technique developed at our institution to prevent atelectasis for chest CT imaging in young children. Fifty-six chest CT scans were obtained in 42 children using a research-based intubation, lung recruitment and controlled-ventilation CT scanning protocol. These studies were compared with 70 non-protocolized chest CT scans under anesthesia taken from 18 of the same children, who were tested at different times, without the specific lung recruitment and controlled-ventilation technique. Two radiology readers scored all inspiratory chest CT scans for overall CT quality and atelectasis. Detailed cardiorespiratory parameters were evaluated at baseline, and during recruitment and inspiratory imaging on 21 controlled-ventilation cases and 8 control cases. Significant differences were noted between groups for both quality and atelectasis scores with optimal scoring demonstrated in the controlled-ventilation cases where 70% were rated very good to excellent quality scans compared with only 24% of non-protocol cases. There was no or minimal atelectasis in 48% of the controlled ventilation cases compared to 51% of non-protocol cases with segmental, multisegmental or lobar atelectasis present. No significant difference in cardiorespiratory parameters was found between controlled ventilation and other chest CT cases and no procedure-related adverse events occurred. Controlled-ventilation infant CT scanning under general anesthesia, utilizing intubation and recruitment maneuvers followed by chest CT scans, appears to be a safe and effective method to obtain reliable and reproducible high-quality, motion-free chest CT images in children.

Externalizing symptoms, effortful control, and intrusive parenting: A test of bidirectional longitudinal relations during early childhood.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Nancy; Taylor, Zoe E; Widaman, Keith F; Spinrad, Tracy L

2015-11-01

At approximately 30, 42, and 54 months of age (N = 231), the relations among children's externalizing symptoms, intrusive maternal parenting, and children's effortful control (EC) were examined. Both intrusive parenting and low EC have been related to psychopathology, but children's externalizing problems and low EC might affect the quality of parenting and one another. Mothers' intrusive behavior with their children was assessed with observations, children's EC was measured with mothers' and caregivers' reports, and children's externalizing symptoms were assessed with mothers', fathers', and caregivers' reports. In a structural equation panel model, bidirectional relations between intrusive parenting and EC were found: EC at 30 and 42 months predicted low levels of intrusive parenting a year later, controlling for prior levels of parenting and vice versa. Moreover, high levels of children's externalizing problems at both 30 and 42 months negatively predicted EC a year later, controlling for prior levels of EC. Although externalizing problems positively predicted high EC over time, this appeared to be a suppression effect because these variables had a strong negative pattern in the zero-order correlations. Moreover, when controlling for the stability of intrusive parenting, EC, and externalizing (all exhibited significant stability across time) and the aforementioned cross-lagged predictive paths, EC and externalizing problems were still negatively related within the 54-month assessment. The findings are consistent with the view that children's externalizing behavior undermines their EC and contributes to intrusive mothering and that relations between intrusive parenting and EC are bidirectional across time. Thus, interventions that focus on modifying children's externalizing problems (as well as the quality of parenting) might affect the quality of parenting they receive and, hence, subsequent problems with adjustment.

Improvement in the quality of the catering service of a rehabilitation hospital.

PubMed

Donini, L M; Castellaneta, E; De Guglielmi, S; De Felice, M R; Savina, C; Coletti, C; Paolini, M; Cannella, C

2008-02-01

Malnutrition due to undernutrition or overnutrition is highly prevalent in hospital in-patients and it decisively conditions patients clinical outcome. One of the most influencing factors of malnutrition in hospitalized patients is--at least in part--the Catering Service Quality. Is to verify, over a 5 year period, the course of the quality of the institutional Catering Service, verifying the effectiveness of the quality improvement process used. Quality control was performed by objective (meal order accuracy, proper distribution of food in trolleys, route time from the kitchen to the ward and time of food distribution, food weight and temperature, waste assessment) and subjective assessment (quality was measured by giving the patients a questionnaire after meals). The survey included: 572 meals and 591 interviews. A significant amount of "qualitative" errors (lack of respect for patient preferences or at the moment of supplying the food trolley) have been found. Over the time and the amount of patients that wasted a considerable amount of the portion served was considerably reduced food temperature have been improved. Also patient satisfaction with menu variability, portion size, temperature and cooking quality improved over time. The overall ratings of meals under observation improved too in fact, positive opinions ranged from 18% in 2002 to 48.3% in 2006. Ongoing research and quality verification, which include all catering service workers, yields a constant improvement in quality. Patients in healthcare settings should receive a service they appreciates, but it should be--at the same time--correct from a nutritional point of view. For this reason, it is necessary a continuous mediation between customers satisfaction and nutritionists work, dieticians and nursing staff. From this point of view the educational approach becomes essential to feed patient compliance to dietetic treatment that will continue after discharge.

Interaction of sleep quality and sleep duration on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Tang, Yunzhao; Meng, Lingling; Li, Daiqing; Yang, Min; Zhu, Yanjuan; Li, Chenguang; Jiang, Zhenhuan; Yu, Ping; Li, Zhu; Song, Hongna; Ni, Changlin

2014-01-01

Copious evidence from epidemiological and laboratory studies has revealed that sleep status is associated with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, thus increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to reveal the interaction of sleep quality and sleep quantity on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. From May 2013 to May 2014, a total of 551 type 2 diabetes patients in Tianjin Metabolic Diseases Hospital were enrolled. Blood samples were taken to measure glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and all the patients completed the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire to evaluate their sleep status. "Good sleep quality" was defined as PQSI <5, "average sleep quality" was defined as PQSI 6-8, and "poor sleep quality" was defined as PQSI >8. Poor glycemic control was defined as HbA1c ≥7%. Sleep quantity was categorized as <6, 6-8, and >8 hours/night. Short sleep time was defined as sleep duration <6 hours/night. In the poor glycemic control group, the rate of patients who had insufficient sleep was much higher than that in the other group (χ(2) = 11.16, P = 0.037). The rate of poor sleep quality in poor glycemic control group was much greater than that in the average control group (χ(2) = 9.79, P = 0.007). After adjusted by gender, age, body mass index, and disease duration, the adjusted PSQI score's OR was 1.048 (95% CI 1.007-1.092, P = 0.023) for HbA1c level. The sleep duration's OR was 0.464 (95% CI 0.236-0.912, P = 0.026) for HbA1c level. One-way analysis of variance showed that the poor sleep quality group had the highest homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (P < 0.01). Inadequate sleep, in both quality and quantity, should be regarded as a plausible risk factor for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Poor sleep might bring much more serious insulin resistance and could be the reason for bad glycemic control. A good night's sleep should be seen as a critical health component tool in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is important for clinicians to target the root causes of short sleep duration and/or poor sleep quality.

Automatic quality control in clinical (1)H MRSI of brain cancer.

PubMed

Pedrosa de Barros, Nuno; McKinley, Richard; Knecht, Urspeter; Wiest, Roland; Slotboom, Johannes

2016-05-01

MRSI grids frequently show spectra with poor quality, mainly because of the high sensitivity of MRS to field inhomogeneities. These poor quality spectra are prone to quantification and/or interpretation errors that can have a significant impact on the clinical use of spectroscopic data. Therefore, quality control of the spectra should always precede their clinical use. When performed manually, quality assessment of MRSI spectra is not only a tedious and time-consuming task, but is also affected by human subjectivity. Consequently, automatic, fast and reliable methods for spectral quality assessment are of utmost interest. In this article, we present a new random forest-based method for automatic quality assessment of (1)H MRSI brain spectra, which uses a new set of MRS signal features. The random forest classifier was trained on spectra from 40 MRSI grids that were classified as acceptable or non-acceptable by two expert spectroscopists. To account for the effects of intra-rater reliability, each spectrum was rated for quality three times by each rater. The automatic method classified these spectra with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.976. Furthermore, in the subset of spectra containing only the cases that were classified every time in the same way by the spectroscopists, an AUC of 0.998 was obtained. Feature importance for the classification was also evaluated. Frequency domain skewness and kurtosis, as well as time domain signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in the ranges 50-75 ms and 75-100 ms, were the most important features. Given that the method is able to assess a whole MRSI grid faster than a spectroscopist (approximately 3 s versus approximately 3 min), and without loss of accuracy (agreement between classifier trained with just one session and any of the other labelling sessions, 89.88%; agreement between any two labelling sessions, 89.03%), the authors suggest its implementation in the clinical routine. The method presented in this article was implemented in jMRUI's SpectrIm plugin. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Extending the soil moisture record of the climate reference network with machine learning

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil moisture estimation is crucial for agricultural decision-support and a key component of hydrological and climatic research. Unfortunately, quality-controlled soil moisture time series data are uncommon before the most recent decade. However, time series data for precipitation are accessible at ...

Rapid testing of pulse transformers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grillo, J.

1980-01-01

Quality-control testing of pulse transformers is speeded up by method for determining rise time and droop. Instead of using oscilloscope and square-wave generator to measure these characteristics directly, method uses voltmeter and sine-wave generator to measure them indirectly in about one-tenth time. Droop and rise time are determined by measuring input/output voltage ratio at just four frequencies.

Part-Time Faculty Evaluation: A Campus Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, James P.

For the past 13 years, the Verde Valley Campus of Yavapai College, in Arizona, has used the same system to evaluate part-time faculty in an effort to both maintain quality control and provide feedback to part-time faculty and address their concerns. The system utilizes two instruments to gather evaluative data. The first is used to determine…

Nursing implications: symptom presentation and quality of life in rectal cancer patients.

PubMed

O'Gorman, Claire; Barry, Amanda; Denieffe, Suzanne; Sasiadek, Wojciech; Gooney, Martina

2016-05-01

To determine the changes in symptoms experienced by rectal cancer patients during preoperative chemoradiotherapy, with a specific focus on fatigue and to explore how symptoms impact the quality of life. Rectal cancer continues to be a healthcare issue internationally, despite advances in management strategies, which includes the administration of preoperative chemoradiotherapy to improve locoregional control. It is known that this treatment may cause adverse effects; however, there is a paucity of literature that specifically examines fatigue, symptoms and quality of life in this patient cohort. A prospective, quantitative correlational design using purposive sampling was adopted. Symptoms and quality of life were measured with validated questionnaires in 35 patients at four time points. Symptoms that changed significantly over time as examined using rm-anova include fatigue, bowel function issues, nutritional issues, pain, dermatological issues and urinary function issues. Findings indicate that fatigue leads to poorer quality of life, with constipation, bloating, stool frequency, appetite loss, weight worry, nausea and vomiting, dry mouth and pain also identified as influencing factors on quality of life. Findings have highlighted the importance of thorough symptom assessment and management of patients receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy, particularly midway through treatment, in order to optimise quality of life and minimise interruptions to treatment. Close monitoring of symptoms during preoperative chemoradiotherapy, particularly at week 4, will enable the implementation of timely interventions so that interruptions to treatment are prevented and the quality of life is optimised, which may hasten postoperative recovery times. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Health related quality of life among myocardial infarction survivors in the United States: a propensity score matched analysis.

PubMed

Mollon, Lea; Bhattacharjee, Sandipan

2017-12-04

Little is known regarding the health-related quality of life among myocardial infarction (MI) survivors in the United States. The purpose of this population-based study was to identify differences in health-related quality of life domains between MI survivors and propensity score matched controls. This retrospective, cross-sectional matched case-control study examined differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among MI survivors of myocardial infarction compared to propensity score matched controls using data from the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Propensity scores were generated via logistic regression for MI survivors and controls based on gender, race/ethnicity, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, and comorbidities. Chi-square tests were used to compare differences between MI survivors to controls for demographic variables. A multivariate analysis of HRQoL domains estimated odds ratios. Life satisfaction, sleep quality, and activity limitations were estimated using binary logistic regression. Social support, perceived general health, perceived physical health, and perceived mental health were estimated using multinomial logistic regression. Significance was set at p < 0.05. The final sample consisted of 16,729 MI survivors matched to 50,187 controls (n = 66,916). Survivors were approximately 2.7 times more likely to report fair/poor general health compared to control (AOR = 2.72, 95% CI: 2.43-3.05) and 1.5 times more likely to report limitations to daily activities (AOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.34-1.59). Survivors were more likely to report poor physical health >15 days in the month (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.46-1.83) and poor mental health >15 days in the month (AOR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.07-1.46) compared to matched controls. There was no difference in survivors compared to controls in level of emotional support (rarely/never: AOR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.48-1.18; sometimes: AOR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.41-1.28), hours of recommended sleep (AOR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.94-1.38), or life satisfaction (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 0.99-2.63). MI survivors experienced lower HRQoL on domains of general health, physical health, daily activity, and mental health compared to the general population.

Real-time multi-DSP control of three-phase current-source unity power factor PWM rectifier

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

Xiao Wang; Boon-Teck Ooi

1993-07-01

The design of a real-time multi-DSP controller for a high-quality six-valve three-phase current-source unity power factor PWM rectifier is discussed in this paper. With the decoupler preprocessor and the dynamic trilogic PWM trigger scheme, each of the three input currents can be controlled independently. Based on the a-b-c frame system model and the fast parallel computer control, the pole-placement control method is implemented successfully to achieve fast response in the ac currents. The low-frequency resonance in the ac filter L-C networks has been damped effectively. The experimental results are obtained from a 1-kVA bipolar transistor current-source PWM rectifier with amore » real-time controller using three TMS320C25 DSP's.« less

The long term impact of cataract surgery on quality of life, activities and poverty: results from a six year longitudinal study in Bangladesh and the Philippines.

PubMed

Danquah, Lisa; Kuper, Hannah; Eusebio, Cristina; Rashid, Mamunur Akm; Bowen, Liza; Foster, Allen; Polack, Sarah

2014-01-01

Cataract surgery has been shown to improve quality of life and household economy in the short term. However, it is unclear whether these benefits are sustained over time. This study aims to assess the six year impact of cataract surgery on health related quality of life (HRQoL), daily activities and economic poverty in Bangladesh and The Philippines. This was a longitudinal study. At baseline people aged ≥50 years with visual impairment due to cataract ('cases') and age-, sex-matched controls without visual impairment were interviewed about vision specific and generic HRQoL, daily activities and economic indicators (household per capita expenditure, assets and self-rated wealth). Cases were offered free or subsidised cataract surgery. Cases and controls were re-interviewed approximately one and six years later. At baseline across the two countries there were 455 cases and 443 controls. Fifty percent of cases attended for surgery. Response rates at six years were 47% for operated cases and 53% for controls. At baseline cases had poorer health and vision related QoL, were less likely to undertake productive activities, more likely to receive assistance with activities and were poorer compared to controls (p<0.05). One year after surgery there were significant increases in HRQoL, participation and time spent in productive activities and per capita expenditure and reduction in assistance with activities so that the operated cases were similar to controls. These increases were still evident after six years with the exception that time spent on productive activities decreased among both cases and controls. Cataract causing visual loss is associated with reduced HRQoL and economic poverty among older adults in low-income countries. Cataract surgery improves the HRQoL of the individual and economy of the household. The findings of this study suggest these benefits are sustained in the long term.

Effects of post-discharge nurse-led telephone supportive care for patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing peritoneal dialysis in China: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Li, Juan; Wang, Huizhen; Xie, Hongzhen; Mei, Guiping; Cai, Wenzhi; Ye, Junsheng; Zhang, Jianlin; Ye, Guirong; Zhai, Huimin

2014-05-01

Patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) need integrated health care to maintain a desirable quality of life. Studies suggest that post-discharge nurseled telephone support has a positive effect for patients suffering from chronic diseases. But the post-discharge care is under-developed in mainland China and the effects of post-discharge care on patients with peritoneal dialysis have not been conclusive. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of postdischarge nurse-led telephone support on patients with peritoneal dialysis in mainland China. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the medical department of a regional hospital in Guangzhou. 135 patients were recruited, 69 in the study group and 66 in the control group. The control group received routine hospital discharge care. The study group received post-discharge nurse-led telephone support. The quality of life (Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form, KDQOL-SF), blood chemistry, complication control, readmission and clinic visit rates were observed at three time intervals: baseline before discharge (T1), 6 (T2) and 12 (T3) weeks after discharge. Statistically significant effects were found for symptom/problem, work status, staff encouragement, patient satisfaction and energy/fatigue in KDQOL-SF and 84-day (12-week) clinic visit rates between the two groups. The study group had more significant improvement than the control group for sleep, staff encouragement at both T2 and T3, and pain at T2 and patient satisfaction at T3. No significant differences were observed between the two groups for the baseline measures, other dimensions in KDQOL-SF, blood chemistry, complication control, readmission rates at all time intervals and clinic visit rates at the first two time intervals. Post-discharge nurse-led telephone support for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis is effective to enhance patients' well-being in the transition from hospital to home in mainland China. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.

Importance of interactions between food quality, quantity, and gut transit time on consumer feeding, growth, and trophic dynamics.

PubMed

Mitra, Aditee; Flynn, Kevin J

2007-05-01

Ingestion kinetics of animals are controlled by both external food availability and feedback from the quantity of material already within the gut. The latter varies with gut transit time (GTT) and digestion of the food. Ingestion, assimilation efficiency, and thus, growth dynamics are not related in a simple fashion. For the first time, the important linkage between these processes and GTT is demonstrated; this is achieved using a biomass-based, mechanistic multinutrient model fitted to experimental data for zooplankton growth dynamics when presented with food items of varying quality (stoichiometric composition) or quantity. The results show that trophic transfer dynamics will vary greatly between the extremes of feeding on low-quantity/high-quality versus high-quantity/low-quality food; these conditions are likely to occur in nature. Descriptions of consumer behavior that assume a constant relationship between the kinetics of grazing and growth irrespective of food quality and/or quantity, with little or no recognition of the combined importance of these factors on consumer behavior, may seriously misrepresent consumer activity in dynamic situations.

Real-time PCR for type-specific identification of herpes simplex in clinical samples: evaluation of type-specific results in the context of CNS diseases.

PubMed

Meylan, Sylvain; Robert, Daniel; Estrade, Christine; Grimbuehler, Valérie; Péter, Olivier; Meylan, Pascal R; Sahli, Roland

2008-02-01

HSV-1 and HSV-2 cause CNS infections of dissimilar clinico-pathological characteristics with prognostic and therapeutic implications. To validate a type-specific real-time PCR that uses MGB/LNA Taqman probes and to review the virologico-clinical data of 25 eligible patients with non-neonatal CNS infections. This real-time PCR was evaluated against conventional PCR (26 CSF and 20 quality controls), and LightCycler assay (51 mucocutaneous, 8 CSF and 32 quality controls) and culture/immunofluorescence (75 mucocutaneous) to assess typing with independent methods. Taqman real-time PCR detected 240 HSV genomes per ml CSF, a level appropriate for the management of patients, and provided unambiguous typing for the 104 positive (62 HSV-1 and 42 HSV-2) out the 160 independent clinical samples tested. HSV type diagnosed by Taqman real-time PCR predicted final diagnosis (meningitis versus encephalitis/meningoencephalitis, p<0.001) in 24/25 patients at time of presentation, in contrast to clinical evaluation. Our real-time PCR, as a sensitive and specific means for type-specific HSV diagnosis, provided rapid prognostic information for patient management.

Large-scale synthesis of high-quality hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets for large-area graphene electronics.

PubMed

Lee, Kang Hyuck; Shin, Hyeon-Jin; Lee, Jinyeong; Lee, In-yeal; Kim, Gil-Ho; Choi, Jae-Young; Kim, Sang-Woo

2012-02-08

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has received a great deal of attention as a substrate material for high-performance graphene electronics because it has an atomically smooth surface, lattice constant similar to that of graphene, large optical phonon modes, and a large electrical band gap. Herein, we report the large-scale synthesis of high-quality h-BN nanosheets in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process by controlling the surface morphologies of the copper (Cu) catalysts. It was found that morphology control of the Cu foil is much critical for the formation of the pure h-BN nanosheets as well as the improvement of their crystallinity. For the first time, we demonstrate the performance enhancement of CVD-based graphene devices with large-scale h-BN nanosheets. The mobility of the graphene device on the h-BN nanosheets was increased 3 times compared to that without the h-BN nanosheets. The on-off ratio of the drain current is 2 times higher than that of the graphene device without h-BN. This work suggests that high-quality h-BN nanosheets based on CVD are very promising for high-performance large-area graphene electronics. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Light quality and temperature effects on antirrhinum growth and development

PubMed Central

Khattak, Abdul Mateen; Pearson, Simon

2005-01-01

An experiment was carried out to examine the effects of light quality on the growth and development of antirrhinum under three different temperatures 19 °C, 24 °C and 27 °C in glasshouses. Five different colour filters (i.e. ‘Red absorbing’, ‘Blue absorbing’, ‘Blue and Red absorbing’ and two ‘partially Blue absorbing’ materials) were tested, with one clear polythene as a control. Plant height, internode length and leaf area were significantly affected by the spectral filters as well as the temperature. Analysis of color filter’s effect on presumed photoreceptors to exist indicated that antirrhinum plant height was regulated by the action of a blue acting photoreceptor (BAP) and not the phytochrome. There was no evidence for an effect of phytochrome or BAP on time to flowering, however, increasing temperature levels effectively decreased the time to flowering. To predict the effects of different spectral qualities and temperature, simple models were created from data on plant height, internode length and time to flowering. These models were then applied to simulate the potential benefits of spectral filters and temperature in manipulation of growth control and flowering in antirrhinum. PMID:15633247

Quality of Diabetes Care: The Challenges of an Increasing Epidemic in Mexico. Results from Two National Health Surveys (2006 and 2012)

PubMed Central

Flores-Hernández, Sergio; Saturno-Hernández, Pedro J.; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia; Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh; Villalpando, Salvador; Hernández-Ávila, Mauricio

2015-01-01

Background The quality of diabetes care remains suboptimal according to numerous studies assessing the achievement of quality indicators for diabetes care in various healthcare settings. We report about global and specific quality indicators for diabetes care and their association to glycemic control at the population level in two national health surveys in Mexico. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2006 and 2012 National Health Surveys in Mexico. We examined quality of care for 2,965 and 4,483 adults (≥ 20 years) with diagnosed type 2 diabetes using fourteen simple and two composite indicators derived from self-reported information. In a subsample for both surveys, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured at the time of the interview. We obtained survey weight-adjusted estimators using multiple regression models (logistic and linear) with combined data files, including survey year as covariate to assess change. Results Global quality of care in 2012 was 40.8%, with a relative improvement of 11.7% between 2006 and 2012. Detections of cardiovascular disease risk factors (dyslipidemia and hypertension) were the indicators with the highest improvement, while non-pharmaceutical treatment and diabetic foot exams showed minor changes. We found a significant association between the quality of the process of diabetes care and glycemic control (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.63-3.94). Age more than 65 years old, the type of health subsystem, gender (males), and high socio-economic status were also significantly associated to glycemic control. Conclusions Quality diabetes care and glycemic control improved and are significantly associated. However, according to international standards, the current situation remains suboptimal. A more holistic approach is needed, with an emphasis on improving quality in outpatient care. PMID:26230991

Quality of Diabetes Care: The Challenges of an Increasing Epidemic in Mexico. Results from Two National Health Surveys (2006 and 2012).

PubMed

Flores-Hernández, Sergio; Saturno-Hernández, Pedro J; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia; Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh; Villalpando, Salvador; Hernández-Ávila, Mauricio

2015-01-01

The quality of diabetes care remains suboptimal according to numerous studies assessing the achievement of quality indicators for diabetes care in various healthcare settings. We report about global and specific quality indicators for diabetes care and their association to glycemic control at the population level in two national health surveys in Mexico. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2006 and 2012 National Health Surveys in Mexico. We examined quality of care for 2,965 and 4,483 adults (≥ 20 years) with diagnosed type 2 diabetes using fourteen simple and two composite indicators derived from self-reported information. In a subsample for both surveys, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured at the time of the interview. We obtained survey weight-adjusted estimators using multiple regression models (logistic and linear) with combined data files, including survey year as covariate to assess change. Global quality of care in 2012 was 40.8%, with a relative improvement of 11.7% between 2006 and 2012. Detections of cardiovascular disease risk factors (dyslipidemia and hypertension) were the indicators with the highest improvement, while non-pharmaceutical treatment and diabetic foot exams showed minor changes. We found a significant association between the quality of the process of diabetes care and glycemic control (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.63-3.94). Age more than 65 years old, the type of health subsystem, gender (males), and high socio-economic status were also significantly associated to glycemic control. Quality diabetes care and glycemic control improved and are significantly associated. However, according to international standards, the current situation remains suboptimal. A more holistic approach is needed, with an emphasis on improving quality in outpatient care.

A reliable low cost integrated wireless sensor network for water quality monitoring and level control system in UAE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abou-Elnour, Ali; Khaleeq, Hyder; Abou-Elnour, Ahmad

2016-04-01

In the present work, wireless sensor network and real-time controlling and monitoring system are integrated for efficient water quality monitoring for environmental and domestic applications. The proposed system has three main components (i) the sensor circuits, (ii) the wireless communication system, and (iii) the monitoring and controlling unit. LabView software has been used in the implementation of the monitoring and controlling system. On the other hand, ZigBee and myRIO wireless modules have been used to implement the wireless system. The water quality parameters are accurately measured by the present computer based monitoring system and the measurement results are instantaneously transmitted and published with minimum infrastructure costs and maximum flexibility in term of distance or location. The mobility and durability of the proposed system are further enhanced by fully powering via a photovoltaic system. The reliability and effectiveness of the system are evaluated under realistic operating conditions.

Diabetes-related quality of life is enhanced by glycaemic improvement in older people.

PubMed

Abbatecola, A M; Spazzafumo, L; Fabbietti, P; Testa, R; Rabini, R A; Bonfigli, A R; Corsonello, A; Lattanzio, F; Paolisso, G

2015-02-01

To investigate the validity and reliability of the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life instrument in older Italians with diabetes and to test the association of diabetes-related quality of life with glycaemic control over time. A total of 558 outpatients with Type 2 diabetes from the Diabetic Unit of the Italian National Research Centre on Aging Hospital in Ancona were enrolled to complete questionnaires (Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life-19 and the Short-Form-12), and to undergo clinical and biochemical testing at baseline and at 12 months of follow-up. The overall impact of diabetes using the average weighted impact score from the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life questionnaire was calculated. Participants were categorized according to this score as having either less or more negative diabetes-related quality of life. Participants had a mean ± SD age of 67.7 ± 9.2 years and 51.8% were male. Factor analysis and Cronbach's coefficient of internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.931) confirmed that the 19 domain-specific Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life items could be combined into a single scale in this Italian population. The impact score correlated with the physical (r = 0.275; P < 0.001) and mental components (r = 0.291; P < 0.001) of the Short-Form-12 questionnaire. Significant differences were found according to diabetic complications in specific Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life items and impact scores. Insulin use had a greater association with a more negative quality of life compared with other antidiabetic agents. A multivariate linear regression model with restricted linear spline application showed that the relationship between HbA1c and impact score was not linear and that the change in the impact score was associated with improved glycaemic control in those with a less negative diabetes-related quality of life at 12 months. The Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life-19 is a valid tool for measuring the impact of diabetes on quality of life in older Italians. Perception of diabetes-related quality of life is associated with glycaemic control over time. © 2014 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2014 Diabetes UK.

DEVELOPMENT OF DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES AND USE OF TWO VARIATIONS OF GENETICALLY-MODIFIED STREPTOCOCCUS GORDONIL AS LYSIS CONTROLS IN A QPCR ASSAY FOR ASSESSING SANITARY QUALITY OF WATER

EPA Science Inventory

Joseph B. James and Fred J. Genthner

United States Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, FL

Background: Methods using rapid cycle, real-time, quantitative (QPCR) are being developed for detecting and quantifying Enterococcus spp. as well as other aquatic b...

Identifying multiple stressor controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the River Thames (UK) using high-frequency water quality data.

PubMed

Bowes, M J; Loewenthal, M; Read, D S; Hutchins, M G; Prudhomme, C; Armstrong, L K; Harman, S A; Wickham, H D; Gozzard, E; Carvalho, L

2016-11-01

River phytoplankton blooms can pose a serious risk to water quality and the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. Developing a greater understanding of the physical and chemical controls on the timing, magnitude and duration of blooms is essential for the effective management of phytoplankton development. Five years of weekly water quality monitoring data along the River Thames, southern England were combined with hourly chlorophyll concentration (a proxy for phytoplankton biomass), flow, temperature and daily sunlight data from the mid-Thames. Weekly chlorophyll data was of insufficient temporal resolution to identify the causes of short term variations in phytoplankton biomass. However, hourly chlorophyll data enabled identification of thresholds in water temperature (between 9 and 19°C) and flow (<30m(3)s(-1)) that explained the development of phytoplankton populations. Analysis showed that periods of high phytoplankton biomass and growth rate only occurred when these flow and temperature conditions were within these thresholds, and coincided with periods of long sunshine duration, indicating multiple stressor controls. Nutrient concentrations appeared to have no impact on the timing or magnitude of phytoplankton bloom development, but severe depletion of dissolved phosphorus and silicon during periods of high phytoplankton biomass may have contributed to some bloom collapses through nutrient limitation. This study indicates that for nutrient enriched rivers such as the Thames, manipulating residence time (through removing impoundments) and light/temperature (by increasing riparian tree shading) may offer more realistic solutions than reducing phosphorus concentrations for controlling excessive phytoplankton biomass. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Quality anlysis of the before redrying raw tobacco & after redrying sheet tobacco by using online near infrared spectroscopy].

PubMed

Tang, Zhao-qi; Liu, Ying; Shu, Ru-xin; Yang, Kai; Zhao, Long-lian; Zhang, Lu-da; Zhang Ye-hui; Li, Jun-hui

2014-12-01

In this paper, the 7 different origin before redrying raw tobacco & after redrying sheet tobacco's online near infrared spectroscopy were collected from sorting & redrying production line specifically for "ZHONGHUA" brand. By using the projection model bulit by different origin tobacco's online spectroscopy and the method of variance and correlation analysis, we studied the uniformity and similarity quality characteristics change before and after the redrying of tobacco, which can provide support for understanding the quality of the tobacco material and cigarette product formulations. This study show that selecting about 10,000 by equally spaced sampling time from a huge number of online near infrared spectroscopy, for modeling are feasible, and representative. After manual sorting, threshing, and redrying, the uiformity of each origin tobacco near-infrared spectroscopy can be increased by 10%~35%, homogeneity of the tobacco leaf has been significantly improved. After redrying, the similar relationship embodied in the origin also have significant changes, overall it reduce significantly, that shows the quality differences embodied by origin significantly improve, which can provide greater space for formulations, it shows the need for high-quality Chinese cigarette production requires large amounts of financial and human resources to implement cured tobacco processing. The traditional means of chemical analysis, it takes a lot of time and effort, it is difficult to control the entire processing chain, Near Infrared Spectroscopy with its rapid, non-destructive advantage, not only can achieve real-time detection and quality control, but also can take full advantage of near-infrared spectroscopy information created in the production process, which is a very promising online analytical detection technology in many industries especially in the agricultural and food processing industries.

Relationship between influence function accuracy and polishing quality in magnetorheological finishing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schinhaerl, Markus; Schneider, Florian; Rascher, Rolf; Vogt, Christian; Sperber, Peter

2010-10-01

Magnetorheological finishing is a typical commercial application of a computer-controlled polishing process in the manufacturing of precision optical surfaces. Precise knowledge of the material removal characteristic of the polishing tool (influence function) is essential for controlling the material removal on the workpiece surface by the dwell time method. Results from the testing series with magnetorheological finishing have shown that a deviation of only 5% between the actual material removal characteristic of the polishing tool and that represented by the influence function caused a considerable reduction in the polishing quality. The paper discusses reasons for inaccuracies in the influence function and the effects on the polishing quality. The generic results of this research serve for the development of improved polishing strategies, and may be used in alternative applications of computer-controlled polishing processes that quantify the material removal characteristic by influence functions.

Photoluminescence-based quality control for thin film absorber layers of photovoltaic devices

DOEpatents

Repins, Ingrid L.; Kuciauskas, Darius

2015-07-07

A time-resolved photoluminescence-based system providing quality control during manufacture of thin film absorber layers for photovoltaic devices. The system includes a laser generating excitation beams and an optical fiber with an end used both for directing each excitation beam onto a thin film absorber layer and for collecting photoluminescence from the absorber layer. The system includes a processor determining a quality control parameter such as minority carrier lifetime of the thin film absorber layer based on the collected photoluminescence. In some implementations, the laser is a low power, pulsed diode laser having photon energy at least great enough to excite electron hole pairs in the thin film absorber layer. The scattered light may be filterable from the collected photoluminescence, and the system may include a dichroic beam splitter and a filter that transmit the photoluminescence and remove scattered laser light prior to delivery to a photodetector and a digital oscilloscope.

Real-time audiovisual feedback system in a physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical service in Finland: the quality results and barriers to implementation.

PubMed

Sainio, Marko; Kämäräinen, Antti; Huhtala, Heini; Aaltonen, Petri; Tenhunen, Jyrki; Olkkola, Klaus T; Hoppu, Sanna

2013-07-01

To evaluate the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in a physician staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) using a monitor-defibrillator with a quality analysis feature. As a post hoc analysis, the potential barriers to implementation were surveyed. The quality of CPR performed by the HEMS from November 2008 to April 2010 was analysed. To evaluate the implementation rate of quality analysis, the HEMS database was screened for all cardiac arrest missions during the study period. As a consequence of the observed low implementation rate, a survey was sent to physicians working in the HEMS to evaluate the possible reasons for not utilizing the automated quality analysis feature. During the study period, the quality analysis was used for 52 out of 187 patients (28%). In these cases the mean compression depth was < 40 mm in 46% and < 50 mm in 96% of the 1-min analysis intervals, but otherwise CPR quality corresponded with the 2005 resuscitation guidelines. In particular, the no-flow fraction was remarkably low 0.10 (0.07, 0.16). The most common reasons for not using quality-controlled CPR were that the device itself was not taken to the scene, or not applied to the patient, because another EMS unit was already treating the patient with another defibrillator. When quality-controlled CPR technology was used, the indicators of good quality CPR as described in the 2005 resuscitation guidelines were mostly achieved albeit with sufficient compression depth. The use of the well-described technology in improving patient care was low. Wider implementation of the automated quality control and feedback feature in defibrillators could further improve the quality of CPR on the field. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00951704).

Piloted simulator study of allowable time delay in pitch flight control system of a transport airplane with negative static stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grantham, William D.; Smith, Paul M.; Person, Lee H., Jr.; Meyer, Robert T.; Tingas, Stephen A.

1987-01-01

A piloted simulation study was conducted to determine the permissible time delay in the flight control system of a 10-percent statically unstable transport airplane during cruise flight conditions. The math model used for the simulation was a derivative Lockheed L-1011 wide-body jet transport. Data were collected and analyzed from a total of 137 cruising flights in both calm- and turbulent-air conditions. Results of this piloted simulation study verify previous findings that show present military specifications for allowable control-system time delay may be too stringent when applied to transport-size airplanes. Also, the degree of handling-qualities degradation due to time delay is shown to be strongly dependent on the source of the time delay in an advanced flight control system. Maximum allowable time delay for each source of time delay in the control system, in addition to a less stringent overall maximum level of time delay, should be considered for large aircraft. Preliminary results also suggest that adverse effects of control-system time delay may be at least partially offset by variations in control gearing. It is recommended that the data base include different airplane baselines, control systems, and piloting tasks with many pilots participating, so that a reasonable set of limits for control-system time delay can be established to replace the military specification limits currently being used.

Control Synthesis of Discrete-Time T-S Fuzzy Systems via a Multi-Instant Homogenous Polynomial Approach.

PubMed

Xie, Xiangpeng; Yue, Dong; Zhang, Huaguang; Xue, Yusheng

2016-03-01

This paper deals with the problem of control synthesis of discrete-time Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems by employing a novel multiinstant homogenous polynomial approach. A new multiinstant fuzzy control scheme and a new class of fuzzy Lyapunov functions, which are homogenous polynomially parameter-dependent on both the current-time normalized fuzzy weighting functions and the past-time normalized fuzzy weighting functions, are proposed for implementing the object of relaxed control synthesis. Then, relaxed stabilization conditions are derived with less conservatism than existing ones. Furthermore, the relaxation quality of obtained stabilization conditions is further ameliorated by developing an efficient slack variable approach, which presents a multipolynomial dependence on the normalized fuzzy weighting functions at the current and past instants of time. Two simulation examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefits of the results developed in this paper.

Methods to achieve high interrater reliability in data collection from primary care medical records.

PubMed

Liddy, Clare; Wiens, Miriam; Hogg, William

2011-01-01

We assessed interrater reliability (IRR) of chart abstractors within a randomized trial of cardiovascular care in primary care. We report our findings, and outline issues and provide recommendations related to determining sample size, frequency of verification, and minimum thresholds for 2 measures of IRR: the κ statistic and percent agreement. We designed a data quality monitoring procedure having 4 parts: use of standardized protocols and forms, extensive training, continuous monitoring of IRR, and a quality improvement feedback mechanism. Four abstractors checked a 5% sample of charts at 3 time points for a predefined set of indicators of the quality of care. We set our quality threshold for IRR at a κ of 0.75, a percent agreement of 95%, or both. Abstractors reabstracted a sample of charts in 16 of 27 primary care practices, checking a total of 132 charts with 38 indicators per chart. The overall κ across all items was 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.92) and the overall percent agreement was 94.3%, signifying excellent agreement between abstractors. We gave feedback to the abstractors to highlight items that had a κ of less than 0.70 or a percent agreement less than 95%. No practice had to have its charts abstracted again because of poor quality. A 5% sampling of charts for quality control using IRR analysis yielded κ and agreement levels that met or exceeded our quality thresholds. Using 3 time points during the chart audit phase allows for early quality control as well as ongoing quality monitoring. Our results can be used as a guide and benchmark for other medical chart review studies in primary care.

Evaluation Of Rotation Frequency Gas-Diesel Engines When Using Automatic Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhilenkov, A.; Efremov, A.

2017-01-01

A possibility of quality improvement of stabilization of rotation frequency of the gas-diesels used as prime mover of generator set in the multigenerator units working for abruptly variable load of large power is considered. An evaluation is made on condition of fuzzy controller use developed and described by the authors in a number of articles. An evaluation has shown that theoretically, the revolution range of gas-diesel engine may be reduced at 25-30 times at optimal settings of the controller in all the power range. The results of modeling showing a considerable quality improvement of transient processes in the investigated system at a sharp change of loading are presented in this article.

76 FR 39434 - Notice of Utah's Resource Advisory Council (RAC)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-06

... wildlife, livestock water quality, and recreational opportunities of ``time control'' grazing. A... protocol. The conference call with Director Abbey will take place from 1-1:45 p.m. (Mountain Time). A half.... All meetings are open to the public; however, transportation, lodging, and meals are the...

Using Modified Fagan Inspections to Control Rapid System Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griesel, M. A.; Welz, L. L.

1994-01-01

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been developing new approaches to software and system development to shorten life cycle time and reduce total life-cycle cost, while maintaining product quality. One such approach has been taken by the Just-In-Time (JIT) Materiel Acquisition System Development Project.

Toward city-scale water quality control: building a theory for smart stormwater systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerkez, B.; Mullapudi, A. M.; Wong, B. P.

2016-12-01

Urban stormwater systems are rarely designed as actual systems. Rather, it is often assumed that individual Best Management Practices (BMPs) will add up to achieve desired watershed outcomes. Given the rise of BMPs and green infrastructure, we ask: does doing "best" at the local scale guarantee the "best" at the global scale? Existing studies suggest that the system-level performance of distributed stormwater practices may actually adversely impact watersheds by increasing downstream erosion and reducing water quality. Optimizing spatial placement may not be sufficient, however, since precipitation variability and other sources of uncertainty can drive the overall system into undesirable states. To that end, it is also important to control the temporal behavior of the system, which can be achieved by equipping stormwater elements (ponds, wetlands, basins, bioswales, etc.) with "smart" sensors and valves. Rather than building new infrastructure, this permits for existing assets to be repurposed and controlled to adapt to individual storm events. While we have learned how to build and deploy the necessary sensing and control technologies, we do not have a framework or theory that combines our knowledge of hydrology, hydraulics, water quality and control. We discuss the development of such a framework and investigate how existing water domain knowledge can be transferred into a system-theoretic context to enable real-time, city-scale stormwater control. We apply this framework to water quality control in an urban watershed in southeast Michigan, which has been heavily instrumented and retrofitted for control over the past year.

Irradiance and spectral distribution control system for controlled environment chambers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krones, M. J.; Sager, J. C.; Johnson, A. T.; Knott, W. M. (Principal Investigator)

1987-01-01

This paper describes a closed-loop control system for controlling the irradiance and spectral quality generated by fluorescent lamps in a controlled environment chamber. The 400 to 800 nm irradiance and the ratio of the red waveband (600 to 700 nm) to the far-red waveband (700 to 800 nm) were independently controlled and varied as functions of time. A suggested application is to investigate the possibility of synergistic effects of changing irradiance levels and changing spectral distributions on photoperiodism and photomorphogenesis.

WELDSMART: A vision-based expert system for quality control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andersen, Kristinn; Barnett, Robert Joel; Springfield, James F.; Cook, George E.

1992-01-01

This work was aimed at exploring means for utilizing computer technology in quality inspection and evaluation. Inspection of metallic welds was selected as the main application for this development and primary emphasis was placed on visual inspection, as opposed to other inspection methods, such as radiographic techniques. Emphasis was placed on methodologies with the potential for use in real-time quality control systems. Because quality evaluation is somewhat subjective, despite various efforts to classify discontinuities and standardize inspection methods, the task of using a computer for both inspection and evaluation was not trivial. The work started out with a review of the various inspection techniques that are used for quality control in welding. Among other observations from this review was the finding that most weld defects result in abnormalities that may be seen by visual inspection. This supports the approach of emphasizing visual inspection for this work. Quality control consists of two phases: (1) identification of weld discontinuities (some of which may be severe enough to be classified as defects), and (2) assessment or evaluation of the weld based on the observed discontinuities. Usually the latter phase results in a pass/fail judgement for the inspected piece. It is the conclusion of this work that the first of the above tasks, identification of discontinuities, is the most challenging one. It calls for sophisticated image processing and image analysis techniques, and frequently ad hoc methods have to be developed to identify specific features in the weld image. The difficulty of this task is generally not due to limited computing power. In most cases it was found that a modest personal computer or workstation could carry out most computations in a reasonably short time period. Rather, the algorithms and methods necessary for identifying weld discontinuities were in some cases limited. The fact that specific techniques were finally developed and successfully demosntrated to work illustrates that the general approach taken here appears to be promising for commercial development of computerized quality inspection systems. Inspection based on these techniques may be used to supplement or substitute more elaborate inspection methods, such as x-ray inspections.

Cloud Motion Vectors from MISR using Sub-pixel Enhancements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davies, Roger; Horvath, Akos; Moroney, Catherine; Zhang, Banglin; Zhu, Yanqiu

2007-01-01

The operational retrieval of height-resolved cloud motion vectors by the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer on the Terra satellite has been significantly improved by using sub-pixel approaches to co-registration and disparity assessment, and by imposing stronger quality control based on the agreement between independent forward and aft triplet retrievals. Analysis of the fore-aft differences indicates that CMVs pass the basic operational quality control 67% of the time, with rms differences - in speed of 2.4 m/s, in direction of 17 deg, and in height assignment of 290 m. The use of enhanced quality control thresholds reduces these rms values to 1.5 m/s, 17 deg and 165 m, respectively, at the cost of reduced coverage to 45%. Use of the enhanced thresholds also eliminates a tendency for the rms differences to increase with height. Comparison of CMVs from an earlier operational version that had slightly weaker quality control, with 6-hour forecast winds from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office yielded very low bias values and an rms vector difference that ranged from 5 m/s for low clouds to 10 m/s for high clouds.

Measuring the quality of therapeutic apheresis care in the pediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Sussmane, Jeffrey B; Torbati, Dan; Gitlow, Howard S

2012-01-01

Our goal was to measure the quality of care provided in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) during Therapeutic Apheresis (TA). We described the care as a step by step process. We designed a flow chart to carefully document each step of the process. We then defined each step with a unique clinical indictor (CI) that represented the exact task we felt provided quality care. These CIs were studied and modified for 1 year. We measured our performance in this process by the number of times we accomplished the CI vs. the total number of CIs that were to be performed. The degree of compliance, with these clinical indicators, was analyzed and used as a metric for quality by calculating how close the process is running exactly as planned or "in control." The Apheresis Process was in control (compliance) for 47% of the indicators, as measured in the aggregate for the first observational year. We then applied the theory of Total Quality Management (TQM) through our Design, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) model. We were able to improve the process and bring it into control by increasing the compliance to > 99.74%, in the aggregate, for the third and fourth quarter of the second year. We have implemented TQM to increase compliance, thus control, of a highly complex and multidisciplinary Pediatric Intensive Care therapy. We have shown a reproducible and scalable measure of quality for a complex clinical process in the PICU, without additional capital expenditure. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Building large mosaics of confocal edomicroscopic images using visual servoing.

PubMed

Rosa, Benoît; Erden, Mustafa Suphi; Vercauteren, Tom; Herman, Benoît; Szewczyk, Jérôme; Morel, Guillaume

2013-04-01

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy provides real-time microscopic images of tissues contacted by a small probe that can be inserted in vivo through a minimally invasive access. Mosaicking consists in sweeping the probe in contact with a tissue to be imaged while collecting the video stream, and process the images to assemble them in a large mosaic. While most of the literature in this field has focused on image processing, little attention has been paid so far to the way the probe motion can be controlled. This is a crucial issue since the precision of the probe trajectory control drastically influences the quality of the final mosaic. Robotically controlled motion has the potential of providing enough precision to perform mosaicking. In this paper, we emphasize the difficulties of implementing such an approach. First, probe-tissue contacts generate deformations that prevent from properly controlling the image trajectory. Second, in the context of minimally invasive procedures targeted by our research, robotic devices are likely to exhibit limited quality of the distal probe motion control at the microscopic scale. To cope with these problems visual servoing from real-time endomicroscopic images is proposed in this paper. It is implemented on two different devices (a high-accuracy industrial robot and a prototype minimally invasive device). Experiments on different kinds of environments (printed paper and ex vivo tissues) show that the quality of the visually servoed probe motion is sufficient to build mosaics with minimal distortion in spite of disturbances.

Screening for the anti-inflammation quality markers of Xiaojin Pills based on HPLC-MS/MS method, COX-2 inhibition test and protein interaction network.

PubMed

Xiong, Xi; He, Ya-Nan; Feng, Bi; Pan, Yuan; Zhang, Hai-Zhu; Ke, Xiu-Mei; Zhang, Yi; Yang, Ming; Han, Li; Zhang, Ding-Kun

2018-05-10

Nowadays, breast disorders seriously affect women's health in an increasing number. In China, Xiaojin Pills are commonly used in the treatment of breast diseases. Doctors have concluded that the combined use of Xiaojin Pills with conventional therapy can significantly improve the efficacy with fewer side effects. However, the prescription of Xiaojin Pills is complicated and their quality control methods cannot completely ensure the quality of Xiaojin Pills. On the basis of its mechanism, our study combined chemical evaluation and biological evaluation to identify the anti-inflammatory markers of Xiaojin Pills. In this manuscript, 13 compounds in Xiaojin Pills were quantified. At the same time, the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition rates of different Xiaojin Pills were measured and the possible markers were screened by spectrum-effect relationship. Further, anti-inflammatory activities of markers were verified and protein interaction network was analyzed, identifying the components of Protocatechuate, Beta-Boswellic acid and Levistilide A as the anti-inflammatory quality markers of Xiaojin Pills. We hope our studies can provide a scientific theoretical basis for accurately quality control of Xiaojin Pills and reasonable suggestions for pharmaceutical companies and new ideas for the quality control of other medicines.

Tear film aberration dynamics and vision-related quality of life in patients with dry eye disease.

PubMed

Denoyer, Alexandre; Rabut, Ghislaine; Baudouin, Christophe

2012-09-01

Corneal and ocular wavefront aberrations were recorded together with clinical examination results and patient-reported vision-related quality-of-life evaluation results to define the relevance of dynamic optical analysis of the eye in dry eye disease (DED). Prospective and comparative clinical study. Forty DED patients and 40 age- and gender-matched control subjects. Serial measurements of ocular and corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs) after blink were performed for 10 seconds using the KR-1 aberrometer (Topcon, Clichy, France). Vision-related health-targeted quality of life was evaluated using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. The clinical examination included tear film assessment (tear film break-up time and Schirmer I test), ocular surface damage assessment with the Oxford and van Bijsterveld indexes, and Meibomian dysfunction grading. Tear osmolarity also was measured. The time course of HOAs and modulation transfer function (MTF) was compared between groups and was analyzed in comparison with the OSDI and clinical data in DED patients. The root mean square of ocular and corneal total HOAs, particularly third-order aberrations, significantly increased over the 10-second period in DED patients, whereas no change occurred in controls. Analysis of MTF revealed progressive degradation of ocular optical quality resulting from loss of contrast at intermediate and high spatial frequencies in DED patients compared with controls. The progression index for corneal HOAs was correlated with the subjective index of patient-reported visual outcomes and with objective clinical findings of tear film and ocular surface damage. Objective measurement of the time course of HOAs may constitute a new single instrument to evaluate and manage patients with DED because it reliably reflects the completeness of the disease. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Hypotensive Anesthesia on Reducing Intraoperative Blood Loss, Duration of Operation, and Quality of Surgical Field During Orthognathic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

PubMed

Lin, Susie; McKenna, Samuel J; Yao, Chuan-Fong; Chen, Yu-Ray; Chen, Chit

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of hypotensive anesthesia in reducing intraoperative blood loss, decreasing operation time, and improving the quality of the surgical field during orthognathic surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials addressing these issues were carried out. An electronic database search was performed. The risk of bias was evaluated with the Jadad Scale and Delphi List. The inverse variance statistical method and a random-effects model were used. Ten randomized controlled trials were included for analysis. Our meta-analysis indicated that hypotensive anesthesia reduced intraoperative blood loss by a mean of about 169 mL. Hypotensive anesthesia was not shown to reduce the operation time for orthognathic surgery, but it did improve the quality of the surgical field. Subgroup analysis indicated that for blood loss in double-jaw surgery, the weighted mean difference favored the hypotensive group, with a reduction in blood loss of 175 mL, but no statistically significant reduction in blood loss was found for anterior maxillary osteotomy. If local anesthesia with epinephrine was used in conjunction with hypotensive anesthesia, the reduction in intraoperative blood loss was increased to 254.93 mL. Hypotensive anesthesia was effective in reducing blood loss and improving the quality of the surgical field, but it did not reduce the operation time for orthognathic surgery. The use of local anesthesia in conjunction with hypotensive general anesthesia further reduced the amount of intraoperative blood loss for orthognathic surgery. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF 2.0): A Meta-Analysis of Three Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trials.

PubMed

Gerson, Lauren; Stouch, Bruce; Lobonţiu, Adrian

2018-01-01

The TIF procedure has emerged as an endoscopic treatment for patients with refractory gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Previous systematic reviews of the TIF procedure conflated findings from studies with modalities that do not reflect the current 2.0 procedure technique or refined data-backed patient selection criteria. A meta-analysis was conducted using data only from randomized studies that assessed the TIF 2.0 procedure compared to a control. The purpose of the meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy and long-term outcomes associated with performance of the TIF 2.0 procedure in patients with chronic long-term refractory GERD on optimized PPI therapy, including esophageal pH, PPI utilization and quality of life. Methods: Three prospective research questions were predicated on the outcomes of the TIF procedure compared to patients who received PPI therapy or sham, concomitant treatment for GERD, and the patient-reported quality of life. Event rates were calculated using the random effect model. Since the time of follow-up post-TIF procedure was variable, analysis was performed to incorporate the time of follow-up for each individual patient at the 3-year time point. Results: Results from this meta-analysis, including data from 233 patients, demonstrated that TIF subjects at 3 years had improved esophageal pH, a decrease in PPI utilization, and improved quality of life. Conclusions: In a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials (RCTs), the TIF procedure data for patients with GERD refractory to PPI's produces significant changes, compared with sham or PPI therapy, in esophageal pH, decreased PPI utilization, and improved quality of life. Celsius.

Yoga and compassion meditation program improve quality of life and self-compassion in family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Danucalov, Marcelo Ad; Kozasa, Elisa H; Afonso, Rui F; Galduroz, José Cf; Leite, José R

2017-01-01

To investigate the effects of the practice of yoga in combination with compassion meditation on the quality of life, attention, vitality and self-compassion of family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease. A total of 46 volunteers were randomly allocated to two groups, the yoga and compassion meditation program group (n = 25), and the control group (CG) that received no treatment (n = 21). The program lasted 8 weeks, and comprised three yoga and meditation practices per week, with each session lasting 1 h and 15 min. Quality of life, attention, vitality, and self-compassion scores were measured pre- and postintervention. The yoga and compassion meditation program group showed statistically significant improvements (P < 0.05) on quality of life, attention, vitality and self-compassion scores as compared with the control group, which showed no statistical significant differences at the postintervention time-point. The findings of the present study suggest that an 8-week yoga and compassion meditation program can improve the quality of life, vitality, attention, and self-compassion of family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 85-91. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Inter-laboratory quality control for hormone-dependent gene expression in human breast tumors using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

de Cremoux, P; Bieche, I; Tran-Perennou, C; Vignaud, S; Boudou, E; Asselain, B; Lidereau, R; Magdelénat, H; Becette, V; Sigal-Zafrani, B; Spyratos, F

2004-09-01

Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) used to detect minor changes in specific mRNA concentrations may be associated with poor reproducibility. Stringent quality control is therefore essential at each step of the protocol, including the PCR procedure. We performed inter-laboratory quality control of quantitative PCR between two independent laboratories, using in-house RT-PCR assays on a series of hormone-related target genes in a retrospective consecutive series of 79 breast tumors. Total RNA was reverse transcribed in a single center. Calibration curves were performed for five target genes (estrogen receptor (ER)alpha, ERbeta, progesterone receptor (PR), CYP19 (aromatase) and Ki 67) and for two reference genes (human acidic ribosomal phosphoprotein PO (RPLPO) and TATA box-binding protein (TBP)). Amplification efficiencies of the calibrator were determined for each run and used to calculate mRNA expression. Correlation coefficients were evaluated for each target and each reference gene. A good correlation was observed for all target and reference genes in both centers using their own protocols and kits (P < 0.0001). The correlation coefficients ranged from 0.90 to 0.98 for the various target genes in the two centers. A good correlation was observed between the level of expression of the ERalpha and the PR transcripts (P < 0.001). A weak inverse correlation was observed in both centers between ERalpha and ERbeta levels, but only when TBP was the reference gene. No other correlation was observed with other parameters. Real-time PCR assays allow convenient quantification of target mRNA transcripts and quantification of target-derived nucleic acids in clinical specimens. This study addresses the importance of inter-laboratory quality controls for the use of a panel of real-time PCR assays devoted to clinical samples and protocols and to ensure their appropriate accuracy. This can also facilitate exchanges and multicenter comparison of data.

Flight testing the digital electronic engine control in the F-15 airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, L. P.

1984-01-01

The digital electronic engine control (DEEC) is a full-authority digital engine control developed for the F100-PW-100 turbofan engine which was flight tested on an F-15 aircraft. The DEEC hardware and software throughout the F-15 flight envelope was evaluated. Real-time data reduction and data display systems were implemented. New test techniques and stronger coordination between the propulsion test engineer and pilot were developed which produced efficient use of test time, reduced pilot work load, and greatly improved quality data. The engine pressure ratio (EPR) control mode is demonstrated. It is found that the nonaugmented throttle transients and engine performance are satisfactory.

Multileaf collimator performance monitoring and improvement using semiautomated quality control testing and statistical process control.

PubMed

Létourneau, Daniel; Wang, An; Amin, Md Nurul; Pearce, Jim; McNiven, Andrea; Keller, Harald; Norrlinger, Bernhard; Jaffray, David A

2014-12-01

High-quality radiation therapy using highly conformal dose distributions and image-guided techniques requires optimum machine delivery performance. In this work, a monitoring system for multileaf collimator (MLC) performance, integrating semiautomated MLC quality control (QC) tests and statistical process control tools, was developed. The MLC performance monitoring system was used for almost a year on two commercially available MLC models. Control charts were used to establish MLC performance and assess test frequency required to achieve a given level of performance. MLC-related interlocks and servicing events were recorded during the monitoring period and were investigated as indicators of MLC performance variations. The QC test developed as part of the MLC performance monitoring system uses 2D megavoltage images (acquired using an electronic portal imaging device) of 23 fields to determine the location of the leaves with respect to the radiation isocenter. The precision of the MLC performance monitoring QC test and the MLC itself was assessed by detecting the MLC leaf positions on 127 megavoltage images of a static field. After initial calibration, the MLC performance monitoring QC test was performed 3-4 times/week over a period of 10-11 months to monitor positional accuracy of individual leaves for two different MLC models. Analysis of test results was performed using individuals control charts per leaf with control limits computed based on the measurements as well as two sets of specifications of ± 0.5 and ± 1 mm. Out-of-specification and out-of-control leaves were automatically flagged by the monitoring system and reviewed monthly by physicists. MLC-related interlocks reported by the linear accelerator and servicing events were recorded to help identify potential causes of nonrandom MLC leaf positioning variations. The precision of the MLC performance monitoring QC test and the MLC itself was within ± 0.22 mm for most MLC leaves and the majority of the apparent leaf motion was attributed to beam spot displacements between irradiations. The MLC QC test was performed 193 and 162 times over the monitoring period for the studied units and recalibration had to be repeated up to three times on one of these units. For both units, rate of MLC interlocks was moderately associated with MLC servicing events. The strongest association with the MLC performance was observed between the MLC servicing events and the total number of out-of-control leaves. The average elapsed time for which the number of out-of-specification or out-of-control leaves was within a given performance threshold was computed and used to assess adequacy of MLC test frequency. A MLC performance monitoring system has been developed and implemented to acquire high-quality QC data at high frequency. This is enabled by the relatively short acquisition time for the images and automatic image analysis. The monitoring system was also used to record and track the rate of MLC-related interlocks and servicing events. MLC performances for two commercially available MLC models have been assessed and the results support monthly test frequency for widely accepted ± 1 mm specifications. Higher QC test frequency is however required to maintain tighter specification and in-control behavior.

Inclusion of seminal plasma in sperm cryopreservation of Iberian pig.

PubMed

Gómez-Fernández, José; Gómez-Izquierdo, Emilio; Tomás, Cristina; González-Bulnes, Antonio; Sánchez-Sánchez, Raúl; de Mercado, Eduardo

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the inclusion of seminal plasma (SP) in the freezing extender, trying to preserve as much as possible of SP with spermatozoa from Iberian pigs, thus improving the conservation of animal genetic resources of this breed. Experiment 1, evaluated the effect of substituting water with SP as diluent in the freezing media in different proportions (0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%), over pre-freezing (at 10°C and 5°C) and post-thawing sperm quality. The results showed that over 50% of SP in the extender, significantly decreased sperm quality in comparison to the control sample (0% SP) and the samples with 10% and 25% of SP (P<0.05). No significant differences were found between the control sample and the samples with 10% and 25% SP (P>0.05), but treatment with 25% did not show significant differences between the time of incubation at 37°C after thawing (P>0.05), showing greater sperm quality resistance over time. Experiment 2, evaluated the effect of prolonged incubation period, until 480min (simulating the lifespan of sperm in the female genital tract), of sperm samples with 0%, 10% and 25% of SP. Treatment with 25% of SP maintained better sperm quality over time, compared to control sample. Significant differences were observed especially in the parameters of motility analysis (TMS, total motile spermatozoa; PMS: progressive motility spermatozoa. P<0.05). In Experiment 3, the effect of the presence of SP was evaluated during the thawing process. Although some differences were observed between treatments, these differences were not as clear as the previous experiments. In conclusion, replacement of 25% of the water by SP as diluent in the freezing extender could be considered the maximum percentage of inclusion, without harmful effects to the sperm. In addition, this proportion of SP maintained Iberian sperm quality for longer time when it was present during the freezing and thawing process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Are reports of randomized controlled trials improving over time? A systematic review of 284 articles published in high-impact general and specialized medical journals.

PubMed

To, Matthew J; Jones, Jennifer; Emara, Mohamed; Jadad, Alejandro R

2013-01-01

Inadequate reporting undermines findings of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study assessed and compared articles published in high-impact general medical and specialized journals. Reports of RCTs published in high-impact general and specialized medical journals were identified through a search of MEDLINE from January to March of 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. Articles that provided original data on adult patients diagnosed with chronic conditions were included in the study. Data on trial characteristics, reporting of allocation concealment, quality score, and the presence of a trial flow diagram were extracted independently by two reviewers, and discrepancies were resolved by consensus or independent adjudication. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative variables. Comparisons between general medical and specialized journals, and trends over time were performed using Chi-square tests. Reports of 284 trials were analyzed. There was a significantly higher proportion of RCTs published with adequate reporting of allocation concealment (p = 0.003), presentation of a trial flow diagram (p<0.0001) and high quality scores (p = 0.038) over time. Trials published in general medical journals had higher quality scores than those in specialized journals (p = 0.001), reported adequate allocation concealment more often (p = 0.013), and presented a trial flow diagram more often (p<0.001). We found significant improvements in reporting quality of RCTs published in high-impact factor journals over the last fifteen years. These improvements are likely attributed to concerted international efforts to improve reporting quality such as CONSORT. There is still much room for improvement, especially among specialized journals.

CONDUIT: A New Multidisciplinary Integration Environment for Flight Control Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tischler, Mark B.; Colbourne, Jason D.; Morel, Mark R.; Biezad, Daniel J.; Levine, William S.; Moldoveanu, Veronica

1997-01-01

A state-of-the-art computational facility for aircraft flight control design, evaluation, and integration called CONDUIT (Control Designer's Unified Interface) has been developed. This paper describes the CONDUIT tool and case study applications to complex rotary- and fixed-wing fly-by-wire flight control problems. Control system analysis and design optimization methods are presented, including definition of design specifications and system models within CONDUIT, and the multi-objective function optimization (CONSOL-OPTCAD) used to tune the selected design parameters. Design examples are based on flight test programs for which extensive data are available for validation. CONDUIT is used to analyze baseline control laws against pertinent military handling qualities and control system specifications. In both case studies, CONDUIT successfully exploits trade-offs between forward loop and feedback dynamics to significantly improve the expected handling, qualities and minimize the required actuator authority. The CONDUIT system provides a new environment for integrated control system analysis and design, and has potential for significantly reducing the time and cost of control system flight test optimization.

The effect of group music therapy on mood, speech, and singing in individuals with Parkinson's disease--a feasibility study.

PubMed

Elefant, Cochavit; Baker, Felicity A; Lotan, Meir; Lagesen, Simen Krogstie; Skeie, Geir Olve

2012-01-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder where patients exhibit impairments in speech production. Few studies have investigated the influence of music interventions on vocal abilities of individuals with PD. To evaluate the influence of a group voice and singing intervention on speech, singing, and depressive symptoms in individuals with PD. Ten patients diagnosed with PD participated in this one-group, repeated measures design study. Participants received the sixty-minute intervention, in a small group setting once a week for 20 consecutive weeks. Speech and singing quality were acoustically analyzed using a KayPentax Multi-Dimensional Voice Program, voice ability using the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), and depressive symptoms using the Montgomery and Asberg Depression rating scale (MADRS). Measures were taken at baseline (Time 1), after 10 weeks of weekly sessions (Time 2), and after 20 weeks of weekly sessions (Time 3). Significant changes were observed for five of the six singing quality outcomes at Time 2 and 3, as well as voice range and the VHI physical subscale at Time 3. No significant changes were found for speaking quality or depressive symptom outcomes; however, there was an absence of decline on speaking quality outcomes over the intervention period. Significant improvements in singing quality and voice range, coupled with the absence of decline in speaking quality support group singing as a promising intervention for persons with PD. A two-group randomized control study is needed to determine whether the intervention contributes to maintenance of speaking quality in persons with PD.

Implementation of statistical process control for proteomic experiments via LC MS/MS.

PubMed

Bereman, Michael S; Johnson, Richard; Bollinger, James; Boss, Yuval; Shulman, Nick; MacLean, Brendan; Hoofnagle, Andrew N; MacCoss, Michael J

2014-04-01

Statistical process control (SPC) is a robust set of tools that aids in the visualization, detection, and identification of assignable causes of variation in any process that creates products, services, or information. A tool has been developed termed Statistical Process Control in Proteomics (SProCoP) which implements aspects of SPC (e.g., control charts and Pareto analysis) into the Skyline proteomics software. It monitors five quality control metrics in a shotgun or targeted proteomic workflow. None of these metrics require peptide identification. The source code, written in the R statistical language, runs directly from the Skyline interface, which supports the use of raw data files from several of the mass spectrometry vendors. It provides real time evaluation of the chromatographic performance (e.g., retention time reproducibility, peak asymmetry, and resolution), and mass spectrometric performance (targeted peptide ion intensity and mass measurement accuracy for high resolving power instruments) via control charts. Thresholds are experiment- and instrument-specific and are determined empirically from user-defined quality control standards that enable the separation of random noise and systematic error. Finally, Pareto analysis provides a summary of performance metrics and guides the user to metrics with high variance. The utility of these charts to evaluate proteomic experiments is illustrated in two case studies.

A Control-Theoretic Approach for the Combined Management of Quality-of-Service and Energy in Service Centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poussot-Vassal, Charles; Tanelli, Mara; Lovera, Marco

The complexity of Information Technology (IT) systems is steadily increasing and system complexity has been recognised as the main obstacle to further advancements of IT. This fact has recently raised energy management issues. Control techniques have been proposed and successfully applied to design Autonomic Computing systems, trading-off system performance with energy saving goals. As users behaviour is highly time varying and workload conditions can change substantially within the same business day, the Linear Parametrically Varying (LPV) framework is particularly promising for modeling such systems. In this chapter, a control-theoretic method to investigate the trade-off between Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and energy saving objectives in the case of admission control in Web service systems is proposed, considering as control variables the server CPU frequency and the admission probability. To quantitatively evaluate the trade-off, a dynamic model of the admission control dynamics is estimated via LPV identification techniques. Based on this model, an optimisation problem within the Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework is setup, by means of which it is possible to investigate the optimal trade-off policy to manage QoS and energy saving objectives at design time and taking into explicit account the system dynamics.

A multicomponent exercise program for institutionalized older adults.

PubMed

Justine, Maria; Hamid, Tengku Aizan

2010-10-01

This study examined the effects of a multicomponent exercise program on depression and quality of life in institutionalized older adults. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were recruited from a publicly funded shelter home in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan Malaysia. The experimental group consisted of 23 volunteers 60 or older who performed 60 minutes of supervised exercise three times per week for 12 weeks. The control group consisted of 20 volunteers who continued with a sedentary lifestyle. At 12 weeks, the exercise group demonstrated an improvement in quality of life by 10.74% (p > 0.05) but not depression (-1.6%, p > 0.05). The control group demonstrated a decrease in both quality of life by 11.26% (p > 0.05) and level of depression by 17.7% (p > 0.05). This study suggests a multicomponent exercise program is a feasible intervention to improve quality of life in institutionalized older adults. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Novel Method to Detect and Characterize 18F-FDG Infiltration at the Injection Site: A Single-Institution Experience.

PubMed

Muzaffar, Razi; Frye, Sarah A; McMunn, Anna; Ryan, Kelley; Lattanze, Ron; Osman, Medhat M

2017-12-01

A novel quality control and quality assurance device provides time-activity curves that can identify and characterize PET/CT radiotracer infiltration at the injection site during the uptake phase. The purpose of this study was to compare rates of infiltration detected by the device with rates detected by physicians. We also assessed the value of using the device to improve injection results in our center. Methods: 109 subjects consented to the study. All had passive device sensors applied to their skin near the injection site and mirrored on the contralateral arm during the entire uptake period. Nuclear medicine physicians reviewed standard images for the presence of dose infiltration. Sensor-generated time-activity curves were independently examined and then compared with the physician reports. Injection data captured by the software were analyzed, and the results were provided to the technologists. Improvement measures were implemented, and rates were remeasured. Results: Physician review of the initial 40 head-to-toe field-of-view images identified 15 cases (38%) of dose infiltration (9 minor, 5 moderate, and 1 significant). Sensor time-activity curves on these 40 cases independently identified 22 cases (55%) of dose infiltration (16 minor, 5 moderate, and 1 significant). After the time-activity curve results and the contributing factor analysis were shared with technologists, injection techniques were modified and an additional 69 cases were studied. Of these, physician review identified 17 cases (25%) of infiltration (13 minor, 3 moderate, and 1 significant), a 34% decline. Sensor time-activity curves identified 4 cases (6%) of infiltration (2 minor and 2 moderate), an 89% decline. Conclusion: The device provides valuable quality control information for each subject. Time-activity curves can further characterize visible infiltration. Even when the injection site was out of the field of view, the time-activity curves could still detect and characterize infiltration. Our initial experience showed that the quality assurance information obtained from the device helped reduce the rate and severity of infiltration. The device revealed site-specific contributing factors that helped nuclear medicine physicians and technologists customize their quality improvement efforts to these site-specific issues. Reducing infiltration can improve image quality and SUV quantification, as well as the ability to minimize variability in a site's PET/CT results. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Accelerated development and flight evaluation of active controls concepts for subsonic transport aircraft. Volume 2: AFT C.G. simulation and analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Urie, D. M.

1979-01-01

Relaxed static stability and stability augmentation with active controls were investigated for subsonic transport aircraft. Analytical and simulator evaluations were done using a contemporary wide body transport as a baseline. Criteria for augmentation system performance and unaugmented flying qualities were evaluated. Augmentation control laws were defined based on selected frequency response and time history criteria. Flying qualities evaluations were conducted by pilots using a moving base simulator with a transport cab. Static margin and air turbulence intensity were varied in test with and without augmentation. Suitability of a simple pitch control law was verified at neutral static margin in cruise and landing flight tasks. Neutral stability was found to be marginally acceptable in heavy turbulence in both cruise and landing conditions.

Increasing Efficiency at the NTF by Optimizing Model AoA Positioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, Bradley L.; Spells, Courtney

2006-01-01

The National Transonic Facility (NTF) at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is a national resource for aeronautical research and development. The government, military and private industries rely on the capability of this facility for realistic flight data. Reducing the operation costs and keeping the NTF affordable is essential for aeronautics research. The NTF is undertaking an effort to reduce the time between data points during a pitch polar. This reduction is being driven by the operating costs of a cryogenic facility. If the time per data point can be reduced, a substantial cost savings can be realized from a reduction in liquid nitrogen (LN2) consumption. It is known that angle-of-attack (AoA) positioning is the longest lead-time item between points. In January 2005 a test was conducted at the NTF to determine the cause of the long lead-time so that an effort could be made to improve efficiency. The AoA signal at the NTF originates from onboard instrumentation then travels through a number of different systems including the signal conditioner, digital voltmeter, and the data system where the AoA angle is calculated. It is then fed into a closed loop control system that sets the model position. Each process along this path adds to the time per data point affecting the efficiency of the data taking process. Due to the nature of the closed loop feed back AoA control and the signal path, it takes approximately 18 seconds to take one pitch pause point with a typical AoA increment. Options are being investigated to reduce the time delay between points by modifying the signal path. These options include: reduced signal filtering, using analog channels instead of a digital volt meter (DVM), re-routing the signal directly to the AoA control computer and implementing new control algorithms. Each of these has potential to reduce the positioning time and together the savings could be significant. These timesaving efforts are essential but must be weighed against possible loss of data quality. For example, a reduction in filtering can introduce noise into the signal and using analog channels could result in some loss of accuracy. Data quality assessments need to be performed concurrently with timesaving techniques since data quality parameters are essential in maintaining facility integrity. This paper will highlight time saving efforts being undertaken or studied at the NTF. It will outline the instrumentation and computer systems involved in setting of the model pitch attitude then suggest changes to the process and discuss how these system changes would effect the time between data points. It also discusses the issue of data quality and how the potential efficiency changes in the system could affect it. Lastly, it will discuss the possibility of using an open loop control system and give some pros and cons of this method.

Using Third Party Data to Update a Reference Dataset in a Quality Evaluation Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xavier, E. M. A.; Ariza-López, F. J.; Ureña-Cámara, M. A.

2016-06-01

Nowadays it is easy to find many data sources for various regions around the globe. In this 'data overload' scenario there are few, if any, information available about the quality of these data sources. In order to easily provide these data quality information we presented the architecture of a web service for the automation of quality control of spatial datasets running over a Web Processing Service (WPS). For quality procedures that require an external reference dataset, like positional accuracy or completeness, the architecture permits using a reference dataset. However, this reference dataset is not ageless, since it suffers the natural time degradation inherent to geospatial features. In order to mitigate this problem we propose the Time Degradation & Updating Module which intends to apply assessed data as a tool to maintain the reference database updated. The main idea is to utilize datasets sent to the quality evaluation service as a source of 'candidate data elements' for the updating of the reference database. After the evaluation, if some elements of a candidate dataset reach a determined quality level, they can be used as input data to improve the current reference database. In this work we present the first design of the Time Degradation & Updating Module. We believe that the outcomes can be applied in the search of a full-automatic on-line quality evaluation platform.

Simulation of intelligent object behavior in a virtual reality system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mironov, Sergey F.

1998-01-01

This article presents a technique for computer control of a power boat movement in real-time marine trainers or arcade games. The author developed and successfully implemented a general technique allowing intellectual navigation of computer controlled moving objects that proved to be appropriate for real-time applications. This technique covers significant part of necessary behavioral tasks that appear in such titles. At the same time the technique forms a part of a more general system that involves control of less complicated characters of another nature. The system being an open one can be easily used by an action or arcade programming to improve the overall quality of characters artificial intelligence style.

Redeposition in plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition: Silicon nitride film quality ruled by the gas residence time

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

Knoops, Harm C. M., E-mail: h.c.m.knoops@tue.nl, E-mail: w.m.m.kessels@tue.nl; Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, North End, Bristol BS49 4AP; Peuter, K. de

2015-07-06

The requirements on the material properties and growth control of silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}) spacer films in transistors are becoming ever more stringent as scaling of transistor structures continues. One method to deposit high-quality films with excellent control is atomic layer deposition (ALD). However, depositing SiN{sub x} by ALD has turned out to be very challenging. In this work, it is shown that the plasma gas residence time τ is a key parameter for the deposition of SiN{sub x} by plasma-assisted ALD and that this parameter can be linked to a so-called “redeposition effect”. This previously ignored effect, which takesmore » place during the plasma step, is the dissociation of reaction products in the plasma and the subsequent redeposition of reaction-product fragments on the surface. For SiN{sub x} ALD using SiH{sub 2}(NH{sup t}Bu){sub 2} as precursor and N{sub 2} plasma as reactant, the gas residence time τ was found to determine both SiN{sub x} film quality and the resulting growth per cycle. It is shown that redeposition can be minimized by using a short residence time resulting in high-quality films with a high wet-etch resistance (i.e., a wet-etch rate of 0.5 nm/min in buffered HF solution). Due to the fundamental nature of the redeposition effect, it is expected to play a role in many more plasma-assisted ALD processes.« less

Sequentially Executed Model Evaluation Framework

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

2015-10-20

Provides a message passing framework between generic input, model and output drivers, and specifies an API for developing such drivers. Also provides batch and real-time controllers which step the model and I/O through the time domain (or other discrete domain), and sample I/O drivers. This is a library framework, and does not, itself, solve any problems or execute any modeling. The SeMe framework aids in development of models which operate on sequential information, such as time-series, where evaluation is based on prior results combined with new data for this iteration. Has applications in quality monitoring, and was developed as partmore » of the CANARY-EDS software, where real-time water quality data is being analyzed for anomalies.« less

Meta-analysis of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for relief of spinal pain.

PubMed

Resende, L; Merriwether, E; Rampazo, É P; Dailey, D; Embree, J; Deberg, J; Liebano, R E; Sluka, K A

2018-04-01

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis analysing the existing data on transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or interferential current (IFC) for chronic low back pain (CLBP) and/or neck pain (CNP) taking into account intensity and timing of stimulation, examining pain, function and disability. Seven electronic databases were searched for TENS or IFC treatment in non-specific CLBP or CNP. Four reviewers independently selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TENS or IFC intervention in adult individuals with non-specific CLBP or CNP. Primary outcomes were for self-reported pain intensity and back-specific disability. Two reviewers performed quality assessment, and two reviewers extracted data using a standardized form. Nine RCTs were selected (eight CLBP; one CNP), and seven studies with complete data sets were included for meta-analysis (655 participants). For CLBP, meta-analysis shows TENS/IFC intervention, independent of time of assessment, was significantly different from placebo/control (p < 0.02). TENS/IFC intervention was better than placebo/control, during therapy (p = 0.02), but not immediately after therapy (p = 0.08), or 1-3 months after therapy (p = 0.99). Analysis for adequate stimulation parameters was not significantly different, and there was no effect on disability. This systematic review provides inconclusive evidence of TENS benefits in low back pain patients because the quality of the studies was low, and adequate parameters and timing of assessment were not uniformly used or reported. Without additional high-quality clinical trials using sufficient sample sizes and adequate parameters and outcome assessments, the outcomes of this review are likely to remain unchanged. These data highlight the need for additional high-quality RCTs to examine the effects of TENS in CLBP. Trials should consider intensity of stimulation, timing of outcome assessment and assessment of pain, disability and function. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Use of Computer Statistical Packages to Generate Quality Control Reports on Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

Quality Control Statistical Analysis 126. Th~rAcr ivowhis. sim oeva.e ebb VI .eseem mu 111160#0 by block nuaber; OU6btaining timely and efficient...DISSAI.SFIEC 4 31 EXTRE.,AELY SATISFIED 4 32 8. HUW MAN-Y MEN IN YOU 1QNIT hA:,T TO DO A GOCO JOB IN 5. 2 TRAIING -?5- ə> F01 UF THEM ɚ> SCME CF THEM...permanent disk storage space within the coma- puteor account.* The user may not wish to run the "Audit" program in the s a batch flow as the 6th.: three

Plant Habitat (PH)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Onate, Bryan

2016-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) will soon have a platform for conducting fundamental research of Large Plants. Plant Habitat (PH) is designed to be a fully controllable environment for high-quality plant physiological research. PH will control light quality, level, and timing, temperature, CO2, relative humidity, and irrigation, while scrubbing ethylene. Additional capabilities include leaf temperature and root zone moisture and oxygen sensing. The light cap will have red (630 nm), blue (450 nm), green (525 nm), far red (730 nm) and broad spectrum white LEDs. There will be several internal cameras (visible and IR) to monitor and record plant growth and operations.

Hot and Cold Therapy Eases Pain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

In the 1960s, NASA civil servant Tom Hughes worked for Marshall Space Flight Center s Quality Control Laboratory as a systems engineer. Reporting directly to Dr. Wernher von Braun, Marshall s first director, Hughes was assigned as a NASA representative for quality control at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, to oversee the Saturn V rocket project. During this time, Hughes invented several technologies to improve the safety of the rocket, earning several commendations from von Braun. He also gained technical expertise in microwave technology, as NASA researched it to determine its relationship to radar.

Symptom Severity and Quality of Life Among Long-term Colorectal Cancer Survivors Compared With Matched Control Subjects: A Population-Based Study.

PubMed

Hart, Tae L; Charles, Susan T; Gunaratne, Mekhala; Baxter, Nancy N; Cotterchio, Michelle; Cohen, Zane; Gallinger, Steven

2018-03-01

Data are lacking regarding physical functioning, psychological well-being, and quality of life among colorectal cancer survivors >10 years postdiagnosis. The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported physical functioning, quality of life, and psychological well-being in long-term colorectal cancer survivors compared with age- and sex-matched unaffected control subjects. Participants completed a cross-sectional survey. The colorectal cancer survivors and unaffected control subjects were recruited from the Ontario Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry. A population-based sample of colorectal cancer survivors (N = 296) and their age- and sex-matched unaffected control subjects (N = 255) were included. Survivors were, on average, 15 years postdiagnosis. Quality of life was measured with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scale, bowel dysfunction with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center scale, urinary dysfunction with the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, fatigue with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue scale, and depression with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. In linear mixed-model analyses adjusting for income, education, race, and comorbid medical conditions, survivors reported good emotional, functional, physical, and overall quality of life, comparable to control subjects. Fatigue and urinary functioning did not differ significantly between survivors and control subjects. Survivors reported significantly higher social quality of life and lower depression compared with unaffected control subjects. The only area where survivors reported significantly worse deficits was in bowel dysfunction, but the magnitude of differences was relatively small. Generalizability is limited by moderately low participation rates. Findings are likely biased toward healthy participants. No baseline assessment was available to examine change in outcomes over time. Long-term colorectal cancer survivors appear to have comparable quality of life and, in some areas, better well-being than their unaffected peers. Bowel dysfunction may continue to be an ongoing issue even 15 years after colorectal cancer diagnosis. Overall quality of life can be expected to be good in this group of older survivors. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A476.

Model assessment of atmospheric pollution control schemes for critical emission regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Shixian; An, Xingqin; Liu, Zhao; Sun, Zhaobin; Hou, Qing

2016-01-01

In recent years, the atmospheric environment in portions of China has become significantly degraded and the need for emission controls has become urgent. Because more international events are being planned, it is important to implement air quality assurance targeted at significant events held over specific periods of time. This study sets Yanqihu (YQH), Beijing, the location of the 2014 Beijing APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, as the target region. By using the atmospheric inversion model FLEXPART, we determined the sensitive source zones that had the greatest impact on the air quality of the YQH region in November 2012. We then used the air-quality model Models-3/CMAQ and a high-resolution emissions inventory of the Beijing-Tianjian-Hebei region to establish emission reduction tests for the entire source area and for specific sensitive source zones. This was achieved by initiating emission reduction schemes at different ratios and different times. The results showed that initiating a moderate reduction of emissions days prior to a potential event is more beneficial to the air quality of Beijing than initiating a high-strength reduction campaign on the day of the event. The sensitive source zone of Beijing (BJ-Sens) accounts for 54.2% of the total source area of Beijing (BJ), but its reduction effect reaches 89%-100% of the total area, with a reduction efficiency 1.6-1.9 times greater than that of the entire area. The sensitive source zone of Huabei (HuaB-Sens.) only represents 17.6% of the total area of Huabei (HuaB), but its emission reduction effect reaches 59%-97% of the entire area, with a reduction efficiency 4.2-5.5 times greater than that of the total area. The earlier that emission reduction measures are implemented, the greater the effect they have on preventing the transmission of pollutants. In addition, expanding the controlling areas to sensitive provinces and cities around Beijing (HuaB-sens) can significantly accelerate the reduction effects compared to controlling measures only in the Beijing sensitive source zone (BJ-Sens). Therefore, when enacting emission reduction schemes, cooperating with surrounding provinces and cities, as well as narrowing the reduction scope to specific sensitive source zones prior to unfavorable meteorological conditions, can help reduce emissions control costs and improve the efficiency and maneuverability of emission reduction schemes.

Quality-Assurance Data for Routine Water Analyses by the U.S. Geological Survey Laboratory in Troy, New York--July 1999 through June 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lincoln, Tricia A.; Horan-Ross, Debra A.; McHale, Michael R.; Lawrence, Gregory B.

2006-01-01

The laboratory for analysis of low-ionic-strength water at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science Center in Troy, N.Y., analyzes samples collected by USGS projects throughout the Northeast. The laboratory's quality-assurance program is based on internal and interlaboratory quality-assurance samples and quality-control procedures that were developed to ensure proper sample collection, processing, and analysis. The quality-assurance and quality-control data were stored in the laboratory's LabMaster data-management system, which provides efficient review, compilation, and plotting of data. This report presents and discusses results of quality-assurance and quality-control samples analyzed from July 1999 through June 2001. Results for the quality-control samples for 18 analytical procedures were evaluated for bias and precision. Control charts indicate that data for eight of the analytical procedures were occasionally biased for either high-concentration or low-concentration samples but were within control limits; these procedures were: acid-neutralizing capacity, total monomeric aluminum, total aluminum, calcium, chloride and nitrate (ion chromatography and colormetric method) and sulfate. The total aluminum and dissolved organic carbon procedures were biased throughout the analysis period for the high-concentration sample, but were within control limits. The calcium and specific conductance procedures were biased throughout the analysis period for the low-concentration sample, but were within control limits. The magnesium procedure was biased for the high-concentration and low concentration samples, but was within control limits. Results from the filter-blank and analytical-blank analyses indicate that the procedures for 14 of 15 analytes were within control limits, although the concentrations for blanks were occasionally outside the control limits. The data-quality objective was not met for dissolved organic carbon. Sampling and analysis precision are evaluated herein in terms of the coefficient of variation obtained for triplicate samples in the procedures for 17 of the 18 analytes. At least 90 percent of the samples met data-quality objectives for all analytes except ammonium (81 percent of samples met objectives), chloride (75 percent of samples met objectives), and sodium (86 percent of samples met objectives). Results of the USGS interlaboratory Standard Reference Sample (SRS) Project indicated good data quality over the time period, with most ratings for each sample in the good to excellent range. The P-sample (low-ionic-strength constituents) analysis had one satisfactory rating for the specific conductance procedure in one study. The T-sample (trace constituents) analysis had one satisfactory rating for the aluminum procedure in one study and one unsatisfactory rating for the sodium procedure in another. The remainder of the samples had good or excellent ratings for each study. Results of Environment Canada's National Water Research Institute (NWRI) program indicated that at least 89 percent of the samples met data-quality objectives for 10 of the 14 analytes; the exceptions were ammonium, total aluminum, dissolved organic carbon, and sodium. Results indicate a positive bias for the ammonium procedure in all studies. Data-quality objectives were not met in 50 percent of samples analyzed for total aluminum, 38 percent of samples analyzed for dissolved organic carbon, and 27 percent of samples analyzed for sodium. Results from blind reference-sample analyses indicated that data-quality objectives were met by at least 91 percent of the samples analyzed for calcium, chloride, fluoride, magnesium, pH, potassium, and sulfate. Data-quality objectives were met by 75 percent of the samples analyzed for sodium and 58 percent of the samples analyzed for specific conductance.

Adaptive measurements of urban runoff quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Brandon P.; Kerkez, Branko

2016-11-01

An approach to adaptively measure runoff water quality dynamics is introduced, focusing specifically on characterizing the timing and magnitude of urban pollutographs. Rather than relying on a static schedule or flow-weighted sampling, which can miss important water quality dynamics if parameterized inadequately, novel Internet-enabled sensor nodes are used to autonomously adapt their measurement frequency to real-time weather forecasts and hydrologic conditions. This dynamic approach has the potential to significantly improve the use of constrained experimental resources, such as automated grab samplers, which continue to provide a strong alternative to sampling water quality dynamics when in situ sensors are not available. Compared to conventional flow-weighted or time-weighted sampling schemes, which rely on preset thresholds, a major benefit of the approach is the ability to dynamically adapt to features of an underlying hydrologic signal. A 28 km2 urban watershed was studied to characterize concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus. Water quality samples were autonomously triggered in response to features in the underlying hydrograph and real-time weather forecasts. The study watershed did not exhibit a strong first flush and intraevent concentration variability was driven by flow acceleration, wherein the largest loadings of TSS and total phosphorus corresponded with the steepest rising limbs of the storm hydrograph. The scalability of the proposed method is discussed in the context of larger sensor network deployments, as well the potential to improving control of urban water quality.

Sitting Tai Chi Improves the Balance Control and Muscle Strength of Community-Dwelling Persons with Spinal Cord Injuries: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Tsang, William W. N.; Gao, Kelly L.; Chan, K. M.; Purves, Sheila; Macfarlane, Duncan J.; Fong, Shirley S. M.

2015-01-01

Objective. To investigate the effects of sitting Tai Chi on muscle strength, balance control, and quality of life (QOL) among survivors with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Methods. Eleven SCI survivors participated in the sitting Tai Chi training (90 minutes/session, 2 times/week for 12 weeks) and eight SCI survivors acted as controls. Dynamic sitting balance was evaluated using limits of stability test and a sequential weight shifting test in sitting. Handgrip strength was also tested using a hand-held dynamometer. QOL was measured using the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Scale. Results. Tai Chi practitioners achieved significant improvements in their reaction time (P = 0.042); maximum excursion (P = 0.016); and directional control (P = 0.025) in the limits of stability test after training. In the sequential weight shifting test, they significantly improved their total time to sequentially hit the 12 targets (P = 0.035). Significant improvement in handgrip strength was also found among the Tai Chi practitioners (P = 0.049). However, no significant within and between-group differences were found in the QOL outcomes (P > 0.05). Conclusions. Twelve weeks of sitting Tai Chi training could improve the dynamic sitting balance and handgrip strength, but not QOL, of the SCI survivors. PMID:25688276

Sleep Quality Among Low-Income Young Women in Southeast Texas Predicts Changes in Perceived Stress Through Hurricane Ike.

PubMed

Wu, Zhao Helen; Stevens, Richard G; Tennen, Howard; North, Carol S; Grady, James J; Holzer, Charles

2015-07-01

To document the time course of perceived stress among women through the period of a natural disaster, to determine the effect of sleep quality on this time course, and to identify risk factors that predict higher levels of perceived stress. Longitudinal study from 2006-2012. Community-based family planning clinics in southeast Texas. There were 296 women aged 18-31 y who experienced Hurricane Ike, September 2008. Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was administered every 2 mo from 6 mo before to 12 mo after Hurricane Ike. Sleep quality was assessed 1 mo after Hurricane Ike using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Good sleep was defined as a PSQI summary score < 5, and poor sleep as a score ≥ 5. Hurricane Ike stressors (e.g., property damage, subjective stressors) and pre-Ike lifetime major life events and emotional health (e.g., emotional dysregulation, self-control) were also assessed. Over the entire period of 18 mo (6 mo before and 12 mo after the hurricane), perceived stress was significantly higher among poor sleepers compared to good sleepers, and only good sleepers showed a significant decrease in perceived stress after Hurricane Ike. In addition, a higher level of perceived stress was positively associated with greater Ike damage among poor sleepers, whereas this correlation was not observed among good sleepers. In the final multivariate longitudinal model, Ike-related subjective stressors as well as baseline major life events and emotional dysregulation among poor sleepers predicted higher levels of perceived stress over time; among good sleepers, additional factors such as lower levels of self-control and having a history of a psychiatric disorder also predicted higher levels of perceived stress. Sleep quality after Hurricane Ike, an intense natural disaster producing substantial damage, impacted changes in perceived stress over time. Our findings suggest the possibility that providing victims of disasters with effective interventions to improve sleep quality could help to reduce their perceived stress over time. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Developing a workstation-based, real-time simulation for rapid handling qualities evaluations during design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Frederick; Biezad, Daniel J.

1994-01-01

This paper describes the Rapid Aircraft DynamIcs AssessmeNt (RADIAN) project - an integration of the Aircraft SYNThesis (ACSTNT) design code with the USAD DATCOM code that estimates stability derivatives. Both of these codes are available to universities. These programs are then linked to flight simulation and flight controller synthesis tools and resulting design is evaluated on a graphics workstation. The entire process reduces the preliminary design time by an order of magnitude and provides an initial handling qualities evaluation of the design coupled to a control law. The integrated design process is applicable to both conventional aircraft taken from current textbooks and to unconventional designs emphasizing agility and propulsive control of attitude. The interactive and concurrent nature of the design process has been well received by industry and by design engineers at NASA. The process is being implemented into the design curriculum and is being used by students who view it as a significant advance over prior methods.

The impact of pay-for-performance on quality of care for minority patients.

PubMed

Epstein, Arnold M; Jha, Ashish K; Orav, E John

2014-10-01

To determine whether racial disparities in process quality and outcomes of care change under hospital pay-for-performance. Retrospective cohort study comparing the change in racial disparities in process quality and outcomes of care between 2004 and 2008 in hospitals participating in the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration versus control hospitals. Using patient-level Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) data, we identified 226,096 patients in Premier hospitals, which were subject to pay-for-performance (P4P) contracts and 1,607,575 patients at control hospitals who had process of care measured during hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), or pneumonia. We additionally identified 123,241 Medicare patients in Premier hospitals and 995,107 in controls who were hospitalized for AMI, CHF, pneumonia, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. We then compared HQA process quality indicators for AMI, CHF, and pneumonia between P4P and control hospitals, as well as risk-adjusted mortality rates for AMI, CHF, pneumonia, and CABG. Black patients initially had lower performance on process quality indicators in both Premier and non-Premier hospitals. The racial gap decreased over time in both groups; the reduction in the gap in Premier hospitals was greater than the gap reduction in non-Premier hospitals for AMI patients. During the study period, mortality generally decreased for blacks relative to whites for AMI, CHF, and pneumonia in both Premier and non-Premier hospitals, with the relative reduction for blacks greatest in Premier hospitals for CHF. Our results show no evidence of a deleterious impact of P4P in the Premier HQID on racial disparities in process quality or outcomes.

Austrian Daily Climate Data Rescue and Quality Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurkovic, A.; Lipa, W.; Adler, S.; Albenberger, J.; Lechner, W.; Swietli, R.; Vossberg, I.; Zehetner, S.

2010-09-01

Checked climate datasets are a "conditio sine qua non" for all projects that are relevant for environment and climate. In the framework of climate change studies and analysis it is essential to work with quality controlled and trustful data. Furthermore these datasets are used as input for various simulation models. In regard to investigations of extreme events, like strong precipitation periods, drought periods and similar ones we need climate data in high temporal resolution (at least in daily resolution). Because of the historical background - during Second World War the majority of our climate sheets were sent to Berlin, where the historical sheets were destroyed by a bomb attack and so important information got lost - only several climate sheets, mostly duplicates, before 1939 are available and stored in our climate data archive. In 1970 the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna started a first attempt to digitize climate data by means of punch cards. With the introduction of a routinely climate data quality control in 1984 we can speak of high-class-checked daily data (finally checked data, quality flag 6). Our group is working on the processing of digitization and quality control of the historical data for the period 1872 to 1983 for 18 years. Since 2007 it was possible to intensify the work (processes) in the framework of an internal project, namely Austrian Climate Data Rescue and Quality Control. The aim of this initiative was - and still is - to supply daily data in an outstanding good and uniform quality. So this project is a kind of pre-project for all scientific projects which are working with daily data. In addition to routine quality checks (that are running since 1984) using the commercial Bull Software we are testing our data with additional open source software, namely ProClim.db. By the use of this spatial and statistical test procedure, the elements air temperature and precipitation - for several sites in Carinthia - could already be checked, flagged and corrected. Checking the output (so called- error list) of ProClim is very time consuming and needs trained staff; however, in last instance it is necessary. Due to the guideline "Your archive is your business card for quality" the sub-project NEW ARCHIVE was initialized and started at the end of 2009. Our paper archive contains historical, up to 150 year-old, climate sheets that are valuable cultural assets. Unfortunately the storage of these historical and actual data treasures turned out to be more than suboptimal (insufficient protection against dust, dirt, humidity and light incidence). Because of this fact a concept for a new storage system and archive database was generated and already partly realized. In a nutshell this presentation shows on the one hand the importance of recovering historical climate sheets for climate change research - even if it is exhausting and time consuming - and gives on the other hand a general overview of used quality control procedures at our institute.

Impact of gum chewing on the quality of bowel preparation for colonoscopy: an endoscopist-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Fang, Jun; Wang, Shu-Ling; Fu, Hong-Yu; Li, Zhao-Shen; Bai, Yu

2017-07-01

Gum chewing can accelerate motility in the GI tract; clinical studies suggested gum chewing can reduce postoperative ileus. However, no trial has investigated the effect of gum chewing on bowel preparation for colonoscopy in addition to polyethylene glycol (PEG). The objective of this study was to investigate whether gum chewing before colonoscopy can increase the quality of bowel preparation. This was a single-center, randomized controlled trial. Consecutive patients undergoing colonoscopy were randomized to the gum group or the control group. Patients in the gum group chewed sugar-free gum every 2 hours for 20 minutes each time from the end of drinking 2 L of PEG to the beginning of colonoscopy. Patients in the control group only received 2 L of PEG before colonoscopy. The quality of bowel preparation, procedure time, adenoma detection rate, patients' tolerance, and adverse events were compared. Three hundred patients were included in the study (150 in the control group, 150 in the gum group). More than 90% of patients in both groups were satisfied with the process of bowel preparation, and the incidence of adverse events was comparable in the 2 groups (41.3% vs 46.0%, P = .42). The mean Boston Bowel Preparation Scale score was 6.2 ± 1.4 and 6.1 ± 1.2 in the control group and the gum group, respectively, and the difference between the 2 groups was not significant (P = .51). This study indicates that gum chewing does not improve the quality of bowel preparation for colonoscopy, but it can improve patients' satisfaction with the process of bowel preparation and does not have negative effects on cleanliness. (Clinical trials registration number: NCT02507037.). Copyright © 2017 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Triage of oxidation-prone proteins by Sqstm1/p62 within the mitochondria

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

Lee, Minjung; Shin, Jaekyoon, E-mail: jkshin@med.skku.ac.kr

2011-09-16

Highlights: {yields} The mitochondrion contains its own protein quality control system. {yields} p62 localizes within the mitochondria and forms mega-dalton sized complexes. {yields} p62 interacts with oxidation-prone proteins and the proteins of quality control. {yields} In vitro delivery of p62 improves mitochondrial functions. {yields} p62 is implicated as a participant in mitochondrial protein quality control. -- Abstract: As the mitochondrion is vulnerable to oxidative stress, cells have evolved several strategies to maintain mitochondrial integrity, including mitochondrial protein quality control mechanisms and autophagic removal of damaged mitochondria. Involvement of an autophagy adaptor, Sqstm1/p62, in the latter process has been recently described.more » In the present study, we provide evidence that a portion of p62 directly localizes within the mitochondria and supports stable electron transport by forming heterogeneous protein complexes. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) of mitochondrial proteins co-purified with p62 revealed that p62 interacts with several oxidation-prone proteins, including a few components of the electron transport chain complexes, as well as multiple chaperone molecules and redox regulatory enzymes. Accordingly, p62-deficient mitochondria exhibited compromised electron transport, and the compromised function was partially restored by in vitro delivery of p62. These results suggest that p62 plays an additional role in maintaining mitochondrial integrity at the vicinity of target machineries through its function in relation to protein quality control.« less

Coping and social problem solving correlates of asthma control and quality of life.

PubMed

McCormick, Sean P; Nezu, Christine M; Nezu, Arthur M; Sherman, Michael; Davey, Adam; Collins, Bradley N

2014-02-01

In a sample of adults with asthma receiving care and medication in an outpatient pulmonary clinic, this study tested for statistical associations between social problem-solving styles, asthma control, and asthma-related quality of life. These variables were measured cross sectionally as a first step toward more systematic application of social problem-solving frameworks in asthma self-management training. Recruitment occurred during pulmonology clinic service hours. Forty-four adults with physician-confirmed diagnosis of asthma provided data including age, gender, height, weight, race, income, and comorbid conditions. The Asthma Control Questionnaire, the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Short Form), and peak expiratory force measures offered multiple views of asthma health at the time of the study. Maladaptive coping (impulsive and careless problem-solving styles) based on transactional stress models of health were assessed with the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised: Short Form. Controlling for variance associated with gender, age, and income, individuals reporting higher impulsive-careless scores exhibited significantly lower scores on asthma control (β = 0.70, p = 0.001, confidence interval (CI) [0.37-1.04]) and lower asthma-related quality of life (β = 0.79, p = 0.017, CI [0.15-1.42]). These findings suggest that specific maladaptive problem-solving styles may uniquely contribute to asthma health burdens. Because problem-solving coping strategies are both measureable and teachable, behavioral interventions aimed at facilitating adaptive coping and problem solving could positively affect patient's asthma management and quality of life.

Long-lasting effects of a new memory self-efficacy training for stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Aben, Laurien; Heijenbrok-Kal, Majanka H; Ponds, Rudolf W H M; Busschbach, Jan J V; Ribbers, Gerard M

2014-01-01

This study aims to determine the long-term effects of a new Memory Self-efficacy (MSE) training program for stroke patients on MSE, depression, and quality of life. In a randomized controlled trial, patients were allocated to a MSE training or a peer support group. Outcome measures were MSE, depression, and quality of life, measured with the Metamemory-In-Adulthood questionnaire, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Who-Qol Bref questionnaire, respectively. We used linear mixed models to compare the outcomes of both groups immediately after training, after 6 months, and after 12 months, adjusted for baseline. In total, 153 former inpatients from 2 rehabilitation centers were randomized-77 to the experimental and 76 to the control group. MSE increased significantly more in the experimental group and remained significantly higher than in the control group after 6 and 12 months (B = 0.42; P = .010). Psychological quality of life also increased more in the experimental group but not significantly (B = 0.09; P = .077). However, in the younger subgroup of patients (<65 years old), psychological quality of life significantly improved in the experimental group compared to the control group and remained significantly higher over time (B = 0.14; P = .030). Other outcome measures were not significantly different between both groups. An MSE training program improved MSE and psychological quality of life in stroke patients aged <65 years. These effects persisted during 12 months of follow-up.

Using a statistical process control chart during the quality assessment of cancer registry data.

PubMed

Myles, Zachary M; German, Robert R; Wilson, Reda J; Wu, Manxia

2011-01-01

Statistical process control (SPC) charts may be used to detect acute variations in the data while simultaneously evaluating unforeseen aberrations that may warrant further investigation by the data user. Using cancer stage data captured by the Summary Stage 2000 (SS2000) variable, we sought to present a brief report highlighting the utility of the SPC chart during the quality assessment of cancer registry data. Using a county-level caseload for the diagnosis period of 2001-2004 (n=25,648), we found the overall variation of the SS2000 variable to be in control during diagnosis years of 2001 and 2002, exceeded the lower control limit (LCL) in 2003, and exceeded the upper control limit (UCL) in 2004; in situ/localized stages were in control throughout the diagnosis period, regional stage exceeded UCL in 2004, and distant stage exceeded the LCL in 2001 and the UCL in 2004. Our application of the SPC chart with cancer registry data illustrates that the SPC chart may serve as a readily available and timely tool for identifying areas of concern during the data collection and quality assessment of central cancer registry data.

Identification of long-term trends and seasonality in high-frequency water quality data from the Yangtze River basin, China

PubMed Central

He, Bin; Chen, Yaning; Zou, Shan; Wang, Yi; Nover, Daniel; Chen, Wen; Yang, Guishan

2018-01-01

Comprehensive understanding of the long-term trends and seasonality of water quality is important for controlling water pollution. This study focuses on spatio-temporal distributions, long-term trends, and seasonality of water quality in the Yangtze River basin using a combination of the seasonal Mann-Kendall test and time-series decomposition. The used weekly water quality data were from 17 environmental stations for the period January 2004 to December 2015. Results show gradual improvement in water quality during this period in the Yangtze River basin and greater improvement in the Uppermost Yangtze River basin. The larger cities, with high GDP and population density, experienced relatively higher pollution levels due to discharge of industrial and household wastewater. There are higher pollution levels in Xiang and Gan River basins, as indicated by higher NH4-N and CODMn concentrations measured at the stations within these basins. Significant trends in water quality were identified for the 2004–2015 period. Operations of the three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) enhanced pH fluctuations and possibly attenuated CODMn, and NH4-N transportation. Finally, seasonal cycles of varying strength were detected for time-series of pollutants in river discharge. Seasonal patterns in pH indicate that maxima appear in winter, and minima in summer, with the opposite true for CODMn. Accurate understanding of long-term trends and seasonality are necessary goals of water quality monitoring system efforts and the analysis methods described here provide essential information for effectively controlling water pollution. PMID:29466354

Objective Speech Quality Assessment Based on Payload Discrimination of Lost Packets for Cellular Phones in NGN Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uemura, Satoshi; Fukumoto, Norihiro; Yamada, Hideaki; Nakamura, Hajime

A feature of services provided in a Next Generation Network (NGN) is that the end-to-end quality is guaranteed. This is quite a challenging issue, given the considerable fluctuation in network conditions within a Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) network. Therefore, a novel approach, whereby a network node and a mobile terminal such as a cellular phone cooperate with each other to control service quality is essential. In order to achieve such cooperation, the mobile terminal needs to become more intelligent so it can estimate the service quality, including the user's perceptual quality, and notify the measurement result to the network node. Subsequently, the network node implements some kind of service control function, such as a resource and admission control function, based on the notification from the mobile terminal. In this paper, the role of the mobile terminal in such collaborative system is focused on. As a part of a QoS/QoE measurement system, we describe an objective speech quality assessment with payload discrimination of lost packets to measure the user's perceptual quality of VoIP. The proposed assessment is so simple that it can be implemented on a cellular phone. We therefore did this as part of the QoS/QoE measurement system. By using the implemented system, we can measure the user's perceptual quality of VoIP as well as the network QoS metrics, in terms of criteria such as packet loss rate, jitter and burstiness in real time.

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…

Patterns of Father Self Evaluations among Mexican and European American Men and Links to Adolescent Adjustment

PubMed Central

Perez-Brena, Norma J.; Cookston, Jeffrey T.; Fabricius, William V.; Saenz, Delia

2013-01-01

A mixed-method study identified profiles of fathers who mentioned key dimensions of their parenting and linked profile membership to adolescents’ adjustment using data from 337 European American, Mexican American and Mexican immigrant fathers and their early adolescent children. Father narratives about what fathers do well as parents were thematically coded for the presence of five fathering dimensions: emotional quality (how well father and child get along), involvement (amount of time spent together), provisioning (the amount of resources provided), discipline (the amount and success in parental control), and role modeling (teaching life lessons through example). Next, latent class analysis was used to identify three patterns of the likelihood of mentioning certain fathering dimensions: an emotionally-involved group mentioned emotional quality and involvement; an affective-control group mentioned emotional quality, involvement, discipline and role modeling; and an affective-model group mentioned emotional quality and role modeling. Profiles were significantly associated with subsequent adolescents’ reports of adjustment such that adolescents of affective-control fathers reported significantly more externalizing behaviors than adolescents of emotionally-involved fathers. PMID:24883049

Quality evaluation of Yin Chen Hao Tang extract based on fingerprint chromatogram and simultaneous determination of five bioactive constituents.

PubMed

Wang, Xijun; Lv, Haitao; Sun, Hui; Jiang, Xingang; Wu, Zeming; Sun, Wenjun; Wang, Ping; Liu, Lian; Bi, Kaishun

2008-01-01

A completely validated method based on HPLC coupled with photodiode array detector (HPLC-UV) was described for evaluating and controlling quality of Yin Chen Hao Tang extract (YCHTE). First, HPLC-UV fingerprint chromatogram of YCHTE was established for preliminarily elucidating amount and chromatographic trajectory of chemical constituents in YCHTE. Second, for the first time, five mainly bioactive constituents in YCHTE were simultaneously determined based on fingerprint chromatogram for furthermore controlling the quality of YCHTE quantitatively. The developed method was applied to analyze 12 batches of YCHTE samples which consisted of herbal drugs from different places of production, showed acceptable linearity, intraday (RSD <5%), interday precision (RSD <4.80%), and accuracy (RSD <2.80%). As a result, fingerprint chromatogram determined 15 representative general fingerprint peaks, and the fingerprint chromatogram resemblances are all better than 0.9996. The contents of five analytes in different batches of YCHTE samples do not indicate significant difference. So, it is concluded that the developed HPLC-UV method is a more fully validated and complete method for evaluating and controlling the quality of YCHTE.

Metrology: Measurement Assurance Program Guidelines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eicke, W. G.; Riley, J. P.; Riley, K. J.

1995-01-01

The 5300.4 series of NASA Handbooks for Reliability and Quality Assurance Programs have provisions for the establishment and utilization of a documented metrology system to control measurement processes and to provide objective evidence of quality conformance. The intent of these provisions is to assure consistency and conformance to specifications and tolerances of equipment, systems, materials, and processes procured and/or used by NASA, its international partners, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. This Measurement Assurance Program (MAP) guideline has the specific objectives to: (1) ensure the quality of measurements made within NASA programs; (2) establish realistic measurement process uncertainties; (3) maintain continuous control over the measurement processes; and (4) ensure measurement compatibility among NASA facilities. The publication addresses MAP methods as applied within and among NASA installations and serves as a guide to: control measurement processes at the local level (one facility); conduct measurement assurance programs in which a number of field installations are joint participants; and conduct measurement integrity (round robin) experiments in which a number of field installations participate to assess the overall quality of particular measurement processes at a point in time.

Regulation of assimilate partitioning by daylength and spectral quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britz, Steve J.

1994-01-01

The effects of daylength and spectral quality on assimilate partitioning and leaf carbohydrate content should be considered when conducting controlled environment experiments or comparing results between studies obtained under different lighting conditions. Changes in partitioning may indicate alterations to photoregulatory processes within the source leaf rather than disruptions in sink strength. Moreover, it may be possible to use photoregulatory responses of assimilate partitioning to probe mechanisms of growth and development involving translocation of carbon or adaptation to environmental factors such as elevated CO2. It may also be possible to steer assimilate partitioning for the benefit of controlled environment agriculture using energy-efficient manipulations such as daylength extensions with dim irradiances, end-of-day alterations in light quality, or shifting plants between different spectral qualities as a part of phasic control of growth and development. Note that high starch levels measured on a one-time basis provide little information, since it is the proportion of photosynthate stored as starch that is meaningful. Large differences in starch content can result from small changes in partitioning integrated over several days. Rate information is required.

Scater: pre-processing, quality control, normalization and visualization of single-cell RNA-seq data in R.

PubMed

McCarthy, Davis J; Campbell, Kieran R; Lun, Aaron T L; Wills, Quin F

2017-04-15

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is increasingly used to study gene expression at the level of individual cells. However, preparing raw sequence data for further analysis is not a straightforward process. Biases, artifacts and other sources of unwanted variation are present in the data, requiring substantial time and effort to be spent on pre-processing, quality control (QC) and normalization. We have developed the R/Bioconductor package scater to facilitate rigorous pre-processing, quality control, normalization and visualization of scRNA-seq data. The package provides a convenient, flexible workflow to process raw sequencing reads into a high-quality expression dataset ready for downstream analysis. scater provides a rich suite of plotting tools for single-cell data and a flexible data structure that is compatible with existing tools and can be used as infrastructure for future software development. The open-source code, along with installation instructions, vignettes and case studies, is available through Bioconductor at http://bioconductor.org/packages/scater . davis@ebi.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Rotorcraft handling-qualities design criteria development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aiken, Edwin W.; Lebacqz, J. Victor; Chen, Robert T. N.; Key, David L.

1988-01-01

Joint NASA/Army efforts at the Ames Research Center to develop rotorcraft handling-qualities design criteria began in earnest in 1975. Notable results were the UH-1H VSTOLAND variable stability helicopter, the VFA-2 camera-and-terrain-board simulator visual system, and the generic helicopter real-time mathematical model, ARMCOP. An initial series of handling-qualities studies was conducted to assess the effects of rotor design parameters, interaxis coupling, and various levels of stability and control augmentation. The ability to conduct in-flight handling-qualities research was enhanced by the development of the NASA/Army CH-47 variable-stability helicopter. Research programs conducted using this vehicle include vertical-response investigations, hover augmentation systems, and the effects of control-force characteristics. The handling-qualities data base was judged to be sufficient to allow an update of the military helicopter handling-qualities specification, MIL-H-8501. These efforts, including not only the in-house experimental work but also contracted research and collaborative programs performed under the auspices of various international agreements. The report concludes by reviewing the topics that are currently most in need of work, and the plans for addressing these topics.

Quality of life in small-scaled homelike nursing homes: an 8-month controlled trial.

PubMed

Kok, Jeroen S; Nielen, Marjan M A; Scherder, Erik J A

2018-02-27

Quality of life is a clinical highly relevant outcome for residents with dementia. The question arises whether small scaled homelike facilities are associated with better quality of life than regular larger scale nursing homes do. A sample of 145 residents living in a large scale care facility were followed over 8 months. Half of the sample (N = 77) subsequently moved to a small scaled facility. Quality of life aspects were measured with the QUALIDEM and GIP before and after relocation. We found a significant Group x Time interaction on measures of anxiety meaning that residents who moved to small scale units became less anxious than residents who stayed on the regular care large-scale units. No significant differences were found on other aspects of quality of life. This study demonstrates that residents who move from a large scale facility to a small scale environment can improve an aspect of quality of life by showing a reduction in anxiety. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN11151241 . registration date: 21-06-2017. Retrospectively registered.

Alternative indicators for monitoring the quality of a continuous intervention program on antibiotic prescribing during changing healthcare conditions.

PubMed

Bantar, C; Franco, D; Heft, C; Vesco, E; Arango, C; Izaguirre, M; Alcázar, G; Boleas, M; Oliva, M E

2005-06-01

We recently published on the impact of a four-phase hospital-wide intervention program designed to optimize the quality of antibiotic use, where a multidisciplinary team (MDT) could modify prescription at the last phase. Because health care quality was changing during the last 5 years (late 1999 to early 2004), we developed certain indicators to monitor the quality of our intervention over time. Different periods were defined as baseline (pre-intervention), initial intervention-active control, pre-crisis control, crisis control, post-crisis control and end of crisis control. Major indicators were rates of prescription modification by the MDT; prescription for an uncertain infection and a novel index formula (RIcarb) to estimate the rationale for carbapenem use. We assessed 2115 antimicrobial prescriptions. Modification of prescription rate was 30% at the beginning and decreased thereafter up to stable levels. Rate of prescriptions ordered for cases of both uncertain infection and unknown source of infection decreased significantly after intervention (i.e. from baseline to active control). In contrast, a doubling of culture-directed prescriptions was observed between these periods. RIcarb values lower and higher than 60% (modal, cut-off) were assumed as carbapenem overuse and underuse, respectively. Overuse was observed at the pre-intervention, while pronounced underuse was shown during the crisis (RIcarb, 45% and 87%, respectively). The present study demonstrates that certain indicators, other than the widely adopted impact outcomes, are a suitable tool for monitoring the quality of a continuous, long-term, active intervention on antimicrobial prescribing practice, especially when applied in a changing healthcare setting.

Effects of an exercise and manual therapy program on physical impairments, function and quality-of-life in people with osteoporotic vertebral fracture: a randomised, single-blind controlled pilot trial

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background This randomised, single-blind controlled pilot trial aimed to determine the effectiveness of a physiotherapy program, including exercise and manual therapy, in reducing impairments and improving physical function and health-related quality of life in people with a history of painful osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Methods 20 participants were randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 11) or control (n = 9) group. The intervention group attended individual sessions with an experienced clinician once a week for 10 weeks and performed daily home exercises with adherence monitored by a self-report diary. The control group received no treatment. Blinded assessment was conducted at baseline and 11 weeks. Questionnaires assessed self-reported changes in back pain, physical function, and health-related quality of life. Objective measures of thoracic kyphosis, back and shoulder muscle endurance (Timed Loaded Standing Test), and function (Timed Up and Go test) were also taken. Results Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant reductions in pain during movement (mean difference (95% CI) -1.8 (-3.5 to -0.1)) and at rest (-2.0 (-3.8 to -0.2)) and significantly greater improvements in Qualeffo physical function (-4.8 (-9.2 to -0.5)) and the Timed Loaded Standing test (46.7 (16.1 to 77.3) secs). For the perceived change in back pain over the 10 weeks, 9/11 (82%) participants in the intervention group rated their pain as 'much better' compared with only 1/9 (11%) participants in the control group. Conclusion Despite the modest sample size, these results support the benefits of exercise and manual therapy in the clinical management of patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures, but need to be confirmed in a larger sample. Trail registration NCT00638768 PMID:20163739

Spaceport Command and Control System Automated Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, Meriel

2017-01-01

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) launch control system for the Orion capsule and Space Launch System, the next generation manned rocket currently in development. This large system requires high quality testing that will properly measure the capabilities of the system. Automating the test procedures would save the project time and money. Therefore, the Electrical Engineering Division at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has recruited interns for the past two years to work alongside full-time engineers to develop these automated tests, as well as innovate upon the current automation process.

Spaceport Command and Control System Automation Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwang, Andrew

2017-01-01

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) launch control system for the Orion capsule and Space Launch System, the next generation manned rocket currently in development. This large system requires high quality testing that will properly measure the capabilities of the system. Automating the test procedures would save the project time and money. Therefore, the Electrical Engineering Division at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has recruited interns for the past two years to work alongside full-time engineers to develop these automated tests, as well as innovate upon the current automation process.

A Web-Based, Social Networking Physical Activity Intervention for Insufficiently Active Adults Delivered via Facebook App: Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Ferguson, Monika; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Plotnikoff, Ron; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Thomas, Samantha; Nelson-Field, Karen; Olds, Tim

2015-01-01

Background Online social networks offer considerable potential for delivery of socially influential health behavior change interventions. Objective To determine the efficacy, engagement, and feasibility of an online social networking physical activity intervention with pedometers delivered via Facebook app. Methods A total of 110 adults with a mean age of 35.6 years (SD 12.4) were recruited online in teams of 3 to 8 friends. Teams were randomly allocated to receive access to a 50-day online social networking physical activity intervention which included self-monitoring, social elements, and pedometers (“Active Team” Facebook app; n=51 individuals, 12 teams) or a wait-listed control condition (n=59 individuals, 13 teams). Assessments were undertaken online at baseline, 8 weeks, and 20 weeks. The primary outcome measure was self-reported weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Secondary outcomes were weekly walking, vigorous physical activity time, moderate physical activity time, overall quality of life, and mental health quality of life. Analyses were undertaken using random-effects mixed modeling, accounting for potential clustering at the team level. Usage statistics were reported descriptively to determine engagement and feasibility. Results At the 8-week follow-up, the intervention participants had significantly increased their total weekly MVPA by 135 minutes relative to the control group (P=.03), due primarily to increases in walking time (155 min/week increase relative to controls, P<.001). However, statistical differences between groups for total weekly MVPA and walking time were lost at the 20-week follow-up. There were no significant changes in vigorous physical activity, nor overall quality of life or mental health quality of life at either time point. High levels of engagement with the intervention, and particularly the self-monitoring features, were observed. Conclusions An online, social networking physical activity intervention with pedometers can produce sizable short-term physical activity changes. Future work is needed to determine how to maintain behavior change in the longer term, how to reach at-need populations, and how to disseminate such interventions on a mass scale. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12614000488606; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=366239 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ZVtu6TMz). PMID:26169067

A Web-Based, Social Networking Physical Activity Intervention for Insufficiently Active Adults Delivered via Facebook App: Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Maher, Carol; Ferguson, Monika; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Plotnikoff, Ron; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Thomas, Samantha; Nelson-Field, Karen; Olds, Tim

2015-07-13

Online social networks offer considerable potential for delivery of socially influential health behavior change interventions. To determine the efficacy, engagement, and feasibility of an online social networking physical activity intervention with pedometers delivered via Facebook app. A total of 110 adults with a mean age of 35.6 years (SD 12.4) were recruited online in teams of 3 to 8 friends. Teams were randomly allocated to receive access to a 50-day online social networking physical activity intervention which included self-monitoring, social elements, and pedometers ("Active Team" Facebook app; n=51 individuals, 12 teams) or a wait-listed control condition (n=59 individuals, 13 teams). Assessments were undertaken online at baseline, 8 weeks, and 20 weeks. The primary outcome measure was self-reported weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Secondary outcomes were weekly walking, vigorous physical activity time, moderate physical activity time, overall quality of life, and mental health quality of life. Analyses were undertaken using random-effects mixed modeling, accounting for potential clustering at the team level. Usage statistics were reported descriptively to determine engagement and feasibility. At the 8-week follow-up, the intervention participants had significantly increased their total weekly MVPA by 135 minutes relative to the control group (P=.03), due primarily to increases in walking time (155 min/week increase relative to controls, P<.001). However, statistical differences between groups for total weekly MVPA and walking time were lost at the 20-week follow-up. There were no significant changes in vigorous physical activity, nor overall quality of life or mental health quality of life at either time point. High levels of engagement with the intervention, and particularly the self-monitoring features, were observed. An online, social networking physical activity intervention with pedometers can produce sizable short-term physical activity changes. Future work is needed to determine how to maintain behavior change in the longer term, how to reach at-need populations, and how to disseminate such interventions on a mass scale. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12614000488606; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=366239 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ZVtu6TMz).

Quality control in public participation assessments of water quality: the OPAL Water Survey.

PubMed

Rose, N L; Turner, S D; Goldsmith, B; Gosling, L; Davidson, T A

2016-07-22

Public participation in scientific data collection is a rapidly expanding field. In water quality surveys, the involvement of the public, usually as trained volunteers, generally includes the identification of aquatic invertebrates to a broad taxonomic level. However, quality assurance is often not addressed and remains a key concern for the acceptance of publicly-generated water quality data. The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) Water Survey, launched in May 2010, aimed to encourage interest and participation in water science by developing a 'low-barrier-to-entry' water quality survey. During 2010, over 3000 participant-selected lakes and ponds were surveyed making this the largest public participation lake and pond survey undertaken to date in the UK. But the OPAL approach of using untrained volunteers and largely anonymous data submission exacerbates quality control concerns. A number of approaches were used in order to address data quality issues including: sensitivity analysis to determine differences due to operator, sampling effort and duration; direct comparisons of identification between participants and experienced scientists; the use of a self-assessment identification quiz; the use of multiple participant surveys to assess data variability at single sites over short periods of time; comparison of survey techniques with other measurement variables and with other metrics generally considered more accurate. These quality control approaches were then used to screen the OPAL Water Survey data to generate a more robust dataset. The OPAL Water Survey results provide a regional and national assessment of water quality as well as a first national picture of water clarity (as suspended solids concentrations). Less than 10 % of lakes and ponds surveyed were 'poor' quality while 26.8 % were in the highest water quality band. It is likely that there will always be a question mark over untrained volunteer generated data simply because quality assurance is uncertain, regardless of any post hoc data analyses. Quality control at all stages, from survey design, identification tests, data submission and interpretation can all increase confidence such that useful data can be generated by public participants.