Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for quality analysis of agricultural and food products

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, C. B.; Jayas, D. S.; Paliwal, J.; White, N. D. G.

2010-04-01

Agricultural and food processing industries are always looking to implement real-time quality monitoring techniques as a part of good manufacturing practices (GMPs) to ensure high-quality and safety of their products. Near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging is gaining popularity as a powerful non-destructive tool for quality analysis of several agricultural and food products. This technique has the ability to analyse spectral data in a spatially resolved manner (i.e., each pixel in the image has its own spectrum) by applying both conventional image processing and chemometric tools used in spectral analyses. Hyperspectral imaging technique has demonstrated potential in detecting defects and contaminants in meats, fruits, cereals, and processed food products. This paper discusses the methodology of hyperspectral imaging in terms of hardware, software, calibration, data acquisition and compression, and development of prediction and classification algorithms and it presents a thorough review of the current applications of hyperspectral imaging in the analyses of agricultural and food products.

[Application of THz technology to nondestructive detection of agricultural product quality].

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yu-ying; Ge, Hong-yi; Lian, Fei-yu; Zhang, Yuan; Xia, Shan-hong

2014-08-01

With recent development of THz sources and detector, applications of THz radiation to nondestructive testing and quality control have expanded in many fields, such as agriculture, safety inspection and quality control, medicine, biochemistry, communication etc. Compared with other detection technique, being a new kind of technique, THz radiation has low energy, good perspectivity, and high signal-to-noise ratio, and thus can obtain physical, chemical and biological information. This paper first introduces the basic concept of THz radiation and the major properties, then gives an extensive review of recent research progress in detection of the quality of agricultural products via THz technique, analyzes the existing shortcomings of THz detection and discusses the outlook of potential application, finally proposes the new application of THz technique to detection of quality of stored grain.

In-Vitro gas production technique as for feed evaluation: volume of gas production and feed degradability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asih Kurniawati

2007-01-01

In-vitro gas production technique can be used to predict feed quality. The effect of molasses supplementation as a source of degradable carbohydrate to protein source red clover silage has been done using this technique. Data showed there were positive correlation between total volume gas produced and feed degradability (r = 0.96), between total volume gas produced and microbial biomass (r = 0,96). Dry matter degradability, dry matter degraded, microbial biomass production and efficiency of nitrogen utilization, highly significant (P<0,01) increased due to increasing of degradable carbohydrate. The addition of 0.3 g molasses gave the best result whereas the addition of 0.15 g and 0.225 g have better effect than 0.0625 g molasses addition and red clover only. This result suggested that In-vitro production technique can be used as tool for feed evaluation. (author)

Quality Improvement, Inventory Management, Lead Time Reduction and Production Scheduling in High-Mix Manufacturing Environments

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-13

Quality Improvement , Inventory Management, Lead Time Reduction and Production Scheduling in High-mix Manufacturing Environments by Sean Daigle B.S...Mechanical Engineering Chairman, Department Committee on Graduate Theses 2 Quality Improvement , Inventory Management, Lead Time Reduction and... Production Scheduling in High-mix Manufacturing Environments by Sean Daigle Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering on January 13, 2017, in

CUSTOMER SERVICES AND PRODUCT QUALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NEAMŢU Liviu

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Objective level of product is a combination of material elements. They are supplemented by satisfying highly heterogeneous and complex motivations, representing highly diverse subjective functions associated to product until individualization for each type of consumption. Thus it observes highly surprising developments of subjective function associated with a product and which determines in the consumer's opinion the quality level of the product. The present study examines the role of associated services covering the subjective function of the product in view of the fact that the utility or subjective function is dependent on elements such as style, fashion and fads. Consumers will no longer accept products with average quality of related services. For a company that wants to stay in the market and achieve profitability, the only solution is moving towards a complete product package type goods-services. Associated services are thus an indicator of quality and the best customer loyalty insurance policy, there is a close relationship between the quality of services provided by a firm, customer satisfaction and company profitability.

A quality assurance initiative for commercial-scale production in high-throughput cryopreservation of blue catfish sperm.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, E; Liao, T W; Tiersch, T R

2013-10-01

Cryopreservation of fish sperm has been studied for decades at a laboratory (research) scale. However, high-throughput cryopreservation of fish sperm has recently been developed to enable industrial-scale production. This study treated blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) sperm high-throughput cryopreservation as a manufacturing production line and initiated quality assurance plan development. The main objectives were to identify: (1) the main production quality characteristics; (2) the process features for quality assurance; (3) the internal quality characteristics and their specification designs; (4) the quality control and process capability evaluation methods, and (5) the directions for further improvements and applications. The essential product quality characteristics were identified as fertility-related characteristics. Specification design which established the tolerance levels according to demand and process constraints was performed based on these quality characteristics. Meanwhile, to ensure integrity throughout the process, internal quality characteristics (characteristics at each quality control point within process) that could affect fertility-related quality characteristics were defined with specifications. Due to the process feature of 100% inspection (quality inspection of every fish), a specific calculation method, use of cumulative sum (CUSUM) control charts, was applied to monitor each quality characteristic. An index of overall process evaluation, process capacity, was analyzed based on in-control process and the designed specifications, which further integrates the quality assurance plan. With the established quality assurance plan, the process could operate stably and quality of products would be reliable. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Quality and Worker Quality

OpenAIRE

Abowd, John M; Kramarz, Francis

1995-01-01

We study the relation between product quality and worker quality using an economic model that, under certain conditions, provides a direct link between product price, product quality and work-force quality. Our measures of product quality are the evolution in the detailed product price relative to its product group, and the level of the product price relative to this group. Our worker quality measures are the firm's average person effect and personal characteristics effect from individual wag...

Product Quality and Worker Quality

OpenAIRE

John M. ABOWD; Françis KRAMARZ; Antoine MOREAU

1996-01-01

We study the relation between product quality and worker quality using an economic model that, under certain conditions, provides a direct link between product price, product quality and work force quality. Our measures of product quality are the evolution in the detailed product price relative to its product group and the level of the product price relative to this group. Our worker quality measures are the firm's average person effect and personal characteristics effect from individual wage...

Develop Quality Characteristics Based Quality Evaluation Process for Ready to Use Software Products

OpenAIRE

Daiju Kato; Hiroshi Ishikawa

2016-01-01

The users who use ready to use software product had better get the products’ quality information with classified by some kind of global standard metrics or technique for their evaluation. But many of those software products’ co mpanies don’t provide the quality information because of the products are developed b y their own development and evaluation process. But those users want to get quality i...

Quantifying and predicting meat and meat products quality attributes using electromagnetic waves: an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Damez, Jean-Louis; Clerjon, Sylvie

2013-12-01

The meat industry needs reliable meat quality information throughout the production process in order to guarantee high-quality meat products for consumers. Besides laboratory researches, food scientists often try to adapt their tools to industrial conditions and easy handling devices useable on-line and in slaughterhouses already exist. This paper overviews the recently developed approaches and latest research efforts related to assessing the quality of different meat products by electromagnetic waves and examines the potential for their deployment. The main meat quality traits that can be assessed using electromagnetic waves are sensory characteristics, chemical composition, physicochemical properties, health-protecting properties, nutritional characteristics and safety. A wide range of techniques, from low frequency, high frequency impedance measurement, microwaves, NMR, IR and UV light, to X-ray interaction, involves a wide range of physical interactions between the electromagnetic wave and the sample. Some of these techniques are now in a period of transition between experimental and applied utilization and several sensors and instruments are reviewed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combined microfluidization and ultrasonication: a synergistic protocol for high-efficient processing of SWCNT dispersions with high quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Sida, E-mail: s.luo@buaa.edu.cn [Beihang University, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation (China); Liu, Tao, E-mail: tliu@fsu.edu [Florida State University, High-Performance Materials Institute (United States); Wang, Yong; Li, Liuhe [Beihang University, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation (China); Wang, Guantao; Luo, Yun [China University of Geosciences, Center of Safety Research, School of Engineering and Technology (China)

2016-08-15

High-efficient and large-scale production of high-quality CNT dispersions is necessary for meeting the future needs to develop various CNT-based electronic devices. Herein, we have designed novel processing protocols by combining conventional ultrasonication process with a new microfluidization technique to produce high-quality SWCNT dispersions with improved processing efficiency. To judge the quality of SWCNT dispersions, one critical factor is the degree of exfoliation, which could be quantified by both geometrical dimension of the exfoliated nanotubes and percentage of individual tubes in a given dispersion. In this paper, the synergistic effect of the combined protocols was systematically investigated through evaluating SWCNT dispersions with newly developed characterization techniques, namely preparative ultracentrifuge method (PUM) and simultaneous Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy (SRSPL). The results of both techniques draw similar conclusions that as compared with either of the processes operated separately, a low-pass microfluidization followed by a reasonable duration of ultrasonication could substantially improve the processing efficiency to produce high-quality SWCNT dispersions with averaged particle length and diameter as small as ~600 and ~2 nm, respectively.Graphical abstract.

New techniques in quality assurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fornicola, J.C.

1987-01-01

GPU Nuclear Corp. has a multifaceted quality assurance (QA) program. This program includes a comprehensive QA organization to help ensure its implementation. The QA organization employs various techniques in assuring quality at GPU Nuclear. These techniques not only include the typical QA/quality-control verification activities, i.e., QA engineering, quality control, and audits, but also include some new innovative techniques. Several new techniques have been developed for verifying activities. These techniques include monitoring and functional audits of safety systems. Several new techniques for assessing performance and adequacy and effectiveness of plant and QA programs, such as plant assessments and QA systems engineering evaluations, have also been developed. This paper provides an overview of these and other new techniques being employed by GPU Nuclear's QA organization

Melt-drop technique for the production of high-purity metal powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldinger, F.; Linck, E.; Claussen, N.

1977-01-01

The production of high-purity powders of metals and alloys such as beryllium, titanium alloys, or superalloys is a problem. Oxidation of these materials cannot be avoided. Oxidation occurs in inert gases and even in reducing atmospheres when any gas impurities are present. Therefore, the powder production of these materials has to be performed either in high vacuum or at least in a static atmosphere of inert gas purified immediately before coming into contact with the disintegrating material. These requirements are very well met by the melt-drop technique presented in this paper, especially for coarse powders which must not necessarily be cold-workable. This is true, for example, for superalloys where high-temperature applications require large grain sizes; or in titanium alloys because the final microstructure will be achieved by a thermomechanical treatment. In the case of beryllium and beryllium alloys, where grain sizes <5 μm are desired, further milling is necessary. But the melt-drop technique offers a simple and clean method directly from the purifying process of vacuum melting. In melt-drop processes a liquid metal flows through a nozzle at the bottom of a crucible or the melt is just poured through a sieve. The theory of disintegration of a liquid jet into droplets, dates back to the 19th century. More recent investigations attempted to produce uniformly sized droplets by applying a capillary wave of given wave length to the jet. But this has been done only with non-metallic materials. Evidence is presented to prove the theory and show that this concept is applicable to the production of metal powders with controlled particle size

Image processing system performance prediction and product quality evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, E. K.; Hammill, H. B. (Principal Investigator)

1976-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. A new technique for image processing system performance prediction and product quality evaluation was developed. It was entirely objective, quantitative, and general, and should prove useful in system design and quality control. The technique and its application to determination of quality control procedures for the Earth Resources Technology Satellite NASA Data Processing Facility are described.

THE ACADEMIC PERSONNEL MOTIVATION - A FACTOR FOR HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viara Slavianska

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The present paper consecutively puts an accent on 1 the quality of higher education as a national priority, 2 the qualification and motivation of the academic staff as factors for offering an educational product of high quality, 3 the strategies, policies and practices for motivating the academic personnel. The necessity of education improvement is adduced, the strategies and politics in the field of academic personnel training are presented, and the possible effects from a wrong approach to employees’ motivation in academic environment are commented.

The impact of applying product-modelling techniques in configurator projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvam, Lars; Kristjansdottir, Katrin; Shafiee, Sara

2018-01-01

This paper aims to increase understanding of the impact of using product-modelling techniques to structure and formalise knowledge in configurator projects. Companies that provide customised products increasingly apply configurators in support of sales and design activities, reaping benefits...... that include shorter lead times, improved quality of specifications and products, and lower overall product costs. The design and implementation of configurators are a challenging task that calls for scientifically based modelling techniques to support the formal representation of configurator knowledge. Even...... the phenomenon model and information model are considered visually, (2) non-UML-based modelling techniques, in which only the phenomenon model is considered and (3) non-formal modelling techniques. This study analyses the impact to companies from increased availability of product knowledge and improved control...

Use of artificial intelligence in the production of high quality minced meat

Science.gov (United States)

Kapovsky, B. R.; Pchelkina, V. A.; Plyasheshnik, P. I.; Dydykin, A. S.; Lazarev, A. A.

2017-09-01

A design for an automatic line for minced meat production according to new production technology based on an innovative meat milling method is proposed. This method allows the necessary degree of raw material comminution at the stage of raw material preparation to be obtained, which leads to production intensification due to the traditional meat mass comminution equipment being unnecessary. To ensure consistent quality of the product obtained, the use of on-line automatic control of the technological process for minced meat production is envisaged. This system has been developed using artificial intelligence methods and technologies. The system is trainable during the operation process, adapts to changes in processed raw material characteristics and to external impacts that affect the system operation, and manufactures meat shavings with minimal dispersion of the typical particle size. The control system includes equipment for express analysis of the chemical composition of the minced meat and its temperature after comminution. In this case, the minced meat production process can be controlled strictly as a function of time, which excludes subjective factors for assessing the degree of finished product readiness. This will allow finished meat products with consistent, targeted high quality to be produced.

Influence of raw milk quality on processed dairy products: How do raw milk quality test results relate to product quality and yield?

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Steven C; Martin, Nicole H; Barbano, David M; Wiedmann, Martin

2016-12-01

This article provides an overview of the influence of raw milk quality on the quality of processed dairy products and offers a perspective on the merits of investing in quality. Dairy farmers are frequently offered monetary premium incentives to provide high-quality milk to processors. These incentives are most often based on raw milk somatic cell and bacteria count levels well below the regulatory public health-based limits. Justification for these incentive payments can be based on improved processed product quality and manufacturing efficiencies that provide the processor with a return on their investment for high-quality raw milk. In some cases, this return on investment is difficult to measure. Raw milks with high levels of somatic cells and bacteria are associated with increased enzyme activity that can result in product defects. Use of raw milk with somatic cell counts >100,000cells/mL has been shown to reduce cheese yields, and higher levels, generally >400,000 cells/mL, have been associated with textural and flavor defects in cheese and other products. Although most research indicates that fairly high total bacteria counts (>1,000,000 cfu/mL) in raw milk are needed to cause defects in most processed dairy products, receiving high-quality milk from the farm allows some flexibility for handling raw milk, which can increase efficiencies and reduce the risk of raw milk reaching bacterial levels of concern. Monitoring total bacterial numbers in regard to raw milk quality is imperative, but determining levels of specific types of bacteria present has gained increasing importance. For example, spores of certain spore-forming bacteria present in raw milk at very low levels (e.g., products to levels that result in defects. With the exception of meeting product specifications often required for milk powders, testing for specific spore-forming groups is currently not used in quality incentive programs in the United States but is used in other countries (e.g., the

Production of high quality water for oil sands application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beaudette-Hodsman, C.; Macleod, B. [Pall Corp., Mississauga, ON (Canada); Venkatadri, R. [Pall Corp., East Hills, NY (United States)

2008-10-15

This paper described a pressurized microfiltration membrane system installed at an oil sands extraction site in Alberta. The system was designed to complement a reverse osmosis (RO) system installed at the site to produce the high quality feed water required by the system's boilers. Groundwater in the region exhibited moderate total suspended solids and high alkalinity and hardness levels, and the RO system required feed water with a silt density index of 3 or less. The conventional pretreatment system used at the site was slowing down production due to the severe fouling of the RO membranes. The new microfiltration system contained an automated PVDF hollow fiber microfiltration membrane system contained in a trailer. Suspended particles and bacteria were captured within the filter, and permeate was sent to the RO unit. Within 6 hours of being installed, the unit was producing water with SDI values in the range of 1.0 to 2.5. It was concluded that the microfiltration system performed reliably regardless of wide variations in feed water quality and flow rates. 3 refs., 1 tab., 8 figs.

Optical coherence tomography as an accurate inspection and quality evaluation technique in paper industry

Science.gov (United States)

Prykäri, Tuukka; Czajkowski, Jakub; Alarousu, Erkki; Myllylä, Risto

2010-05-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a technique for the noninvasive imaging of turbid media, based on low-coherence interferometry, was originally developed for the imaging of biological tissues. Since the development of the technique, most of its applications have been related to the area of biomedicine. However, from early stages, the vertical resolution of the technique has already been improved to a submicron scale. This enables new possibilities and applications. This article presents the possible applications of OCT in paper industry, where submicron or at least a resolution close to one micron is required. This requirement comes from the layered structure of paper products, where layer thickness may vary from single microns to tens of micrometers. This is especially similar to the case with high-quality paper products, where several different coating layers are used to obtain a smooth surface structure and a high gloss. In this study, we demonstrate that optical coherence tomography can be used to measure and evaluate the quality of the coating layer of a premium glossy photopaper. In addition, we show that for some paper products, it is possible to measure across the entire thickness range of a paper sheet. Furthermore, we suggest that in addition to topography and tomography images of objects, it is possible to obtain information similar to gloss by tracking the magnitude of individual interference signals in optical coherence tomography.

Quality control of static irradiation processing products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bao Jianzhong; Chen Xiulan; Cao Hong; Zhai Jianqing

2002-01-01

Based on the irradiation processing practice of the nuclear technique application laboratory of Yangzhou Institute of Agricultural Science, the quality control of irradiation processing products is discussed

Production of high-quality polydisperse construction mixes for additive 3D technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerasimov, M. D.; Brazhnik, Yu V.; Gorshkov, P. S.; Latyshev, S. S.

2018-03-01

The paper describes a new design of a mixer allowing production of high quality polydisperse powders, used in additive 3D technologies. A new principle of dry powder particle mixing is considered, implementing a possibility of a close-to-ideal distribution of such particles in common space. A mathematical model of the mixer is presented, allowing evaluating quality indicators of the produced mixture. Experimental results are shown and rational values of process parameters of the mixer are obtained.

White-collar productivity and quality issues; Proceedings of the Symposium on Productivity and Quality: Strategies for Improving Operations in Government and Industry, Washington, DC, September 25, 26, 1984

Science.gov (United States)

Gerard, M. (Editor); Edwards, P. W. (Editor)

1985-01-01

Techniques for improving the productivity of white-collar workers while maintaining high product quality are examined in reviews and reports. The emphasis is on the application of strategies developed in the private sector to government-agency and aerospace-industry operations. Topics discussed include international competition, organizational attitudes and orientation, management practices, education and training, renewing large organizations, encouraging innovation, national initiatives, employee involvement, management involvement, and applications of new technology.

Highly purified water production technology. The influence of water purity on steam quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganter, J.

1975-01-01

The fundamental question related to high-pressure steam generation, intended for powering steam turbines, concerns steam production conditions based on constant quality standards. The characteristics of water (salinity, silica concentration) are indicated for a given steam quality as a function of the pressure. Two processes for the purification of feedwater for high pressure boilers are described: a treatment using precoated cellulose or resin filters and a treatment using mixed-bed ion exchangers. When ultrapure water is required, the demineralized water is filtred using microfiltration and ultrafiltration processes [fr

Production of a high-velocity water slug using an impacting technique

Science.gov (United States)

Dehkhoda, S.; Bourne, N. K.

2014-02-01

A pulsed water jet consists of a series of discrete water slugs travelling at high velocity. Immediately after striking a target, these slugs apply high-intensity, short-duration transient stress pulses reaching an amplitude known as the water hammer pressure, followed by low-intensity, long-duration stationary stress at a lower stagnation pressure. The magnitude and duration of the water hammer and stagnation pressures are controlled by the size and quality of the water slugs. The use of water jets for rock cutting in mining operations is a centuries-old technology; however, practical methods for producing high-energy water slugs repeatedly have proven difficult. This can be partly due to the fact that the geometrical properties of a jet and so its effectiveness in creating damage is controlled and influenced by the method that is employed to generate the water slugs. This paper investigates the quality of a single water slug produced using an impacting technique where a hammer strikes a piston, resting on top of a water-filled chamber. The coherence and integrity of the jet core was of concern in this study. The impact impulse of the formed water jet was measured in a Kel-F target material using an embedded PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) shock gauge. The recorded stress waveform was then used to determine the unity and endurance of the water slug stream once travelled through air.

Production of high quality sodium iodide preparations labelled with carrier free iodine-125

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdukayumov, M.N.; Chistyakov, P.G.; Shilin, E.A.

2001-01-01

Work is related to the problem of high-quality Sodium Iodide preparation production and to the choice of the peptids iodination methods with the purpose of control test developing to determine the Biological activity of the above mentioned preparation

IPOs and Product Quality.

OpenAIRE

Stoughton, Neal M; Wong, Kit Pong; Zechner, Josef

2001-01-01

Given recent public attention paid to high-flying Internet IPOs such as Yahoo and Amazon.com, we explore a product market motive for going public. We develop a model where consumers discern product quality from the stock price. The model predicts that only better-quality firms will go public. Effects of IPO announcements on rival firms' stock prices are related to inferences about market size and market share. The model also predicts that the likelihood of "hot issue" markets depends on the d...

Module-based quality system functionality evaluation in production logistics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khabbazi, M.R.; Wikander, J.; Onori, M.; Maffei, A.; Chen, D.

2016-07-01

This paper addresses a comprehensive modeling and functionality evaluation of a module-based quality system in production logistics at the highest domain abstract level of business processes. All domain quality business processes and quality data transactions are modeled using BPMN and UML tools and standards at the business process and data modeling. A modular web-based prototype is developed to evaluate the models addressing the quality information system functionality requirements and modularity in production logistics through data scenarios and data queries. Using the object-oriented technique in design at the highest domain level, the proposed models are subject further development in the lower levels for the implementing case. The models are specifically able to manipulate all quality operations including remedy and control in a lot-based make-to-order production logistics system as an individual module. Due to the specification of system as domain design structure, all proposed BPMs, data models, and the actual database prototype are seen referential if not a solution as a practical “to-be” quality business process re-engineering template. This paper sets out to provide an explanatory approach using different practical technique at modeling steps as well as the prototype implementation. (Author)

Machine vision system: a tool for quality inspection of food and agricultural products.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Krishna Kumar; Kar, A; Jha, S N; Khan, M A

2012-04-01

Quality inspection of food and agricultural produce are difficult and labor intensive. Simultaneously, with increased expectations for food products of high quality and safety standards, the need for accurate, fast and objective quality determination of these characteristics in food products continues to grow. However, these operations generally in India are manual which is costly as well as unreliable because human decision in identifying quality factors such as appearance, flavor, nutrient, texture, etc., is inconsistent, subjective and slow. Machine vision provides one alternative for an automated, non-destructive and cost-effective technique to accomplish these requirements. This inspection approach based on image analysis and processing has found a variety of different applications in the food industry. Considerable research has highlighted its potential for the inspection and grading of fruits and vegetables, grain quality and characteristic examination and quality evaluation of other food products like bakery products, pizza, cheese, and noodles etc. The objective of this paper is to provide in depth introduction of machine vision system, its components and recent work reported on food and agricultural produce.

Quality Productivity Circle in Manufacture | Achi | Nigerian Journal of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A brief history of quality control and productivity is hereby traced. ... Circle management technique are discussed in its relationship with productivity. ... so should be made sound in body (and spirit) through appropriate training and motivation.

Quality Management techniques embedded in Agile Project Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dovleac Raluca

2017-01-01

Full Text Available It used to be hard to make your dream come true and start a business but now, thanks to the dotcom boom and the rapid development of emerging technologies everybody has the chance to become the next Steve Jobs. Quality management tools and creativity techniques gave birth to the startup trend that transforms a brilliant idea into an innovative product. A common practice amongst startups is Agile development. In this paper, after analyzing the Agile approach and the tools used to ensure quality for every stage of a product’s development life cycle and the results of using the Agile approach looking out for advantages and short comings as well, we proposed a PDCA inspired tool which embeds both quality and creativity techniques to help developers ensure quality for each stage of a product’s life cycle as well as help them better organize their activities to reach the desired goals. We validated this approach by implementing it to the case of the Vitraly startup.

Software product quality control

CERN Document Server

Wagner, Stefan

2013-01-01

Quality is not a fixed or universal property of software; it depends on the context and goals of its stakeholders. Hence, when you want to develop a high-quality software system, the first step must be a clear and precise specification of quality. Yet even if you get it right and complete, you can be sure that it will become invalid over time. So the only solution is continuous quality control: the steady and explicit evaluation of a product's properties with respect to its updated quality goals.This book guides you in setting up and running continuous quality control in your environment. Star

How companies embed non-quantifiable product qualities through their product development process

OpenAIRE

Guldbrandsen, Marianne Norden

2006-01-01

Many consumer products have reached a high level of technical product quality. Rapid adoption of new technologies and access to a global market means that markets are getting saturated. This means that technical differentiation is often not enough to sell a product and products compete more and more on intangible product qualities - these are meant to delight, bring pleasure, be easy to use and to create an experience. These qualities are often difficult to measure in the pr...

Milk quality in high production systems during dry and rainy seasons ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study aimed to evaluate the milk quality of crossbred cows from five production systems according to the quality parameters required by Normative Instruction No. 62 (NI 62). Five different production systems were used, with different environmental and sanitary conditions, and with animals from different breeds in two ...

INTERKAMA 92 ante portas: Effect of measurement techniques and automation on the efficiency, productivity and environmental compatibility of industrial production plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, T.

1992-01-01

Rationalization with measurement techniques and automation can be defined as continuous effort to organize structure and flow of production and services in a way that an acceptable quality of suitability and performance is attained in an environment-friendly way with economical resource consumption. The high technical level in this area in Germany had a positive effect on the (so-called) prosperity. This is proved by e.g. the export quota, i.e. the share of export in the gross income product. It is in Germany with 32% about four times as high as in the United States and more than two and half times as high as in Japan. But here is no reason for complacency as we are still confronted with several unsolved problems which result from the necessity to supply changing markets, to increase quality and to protect the environment. (orig.) [de

Stress wave techniques for determining quality of dimensional lumber from switch ties

Science.gov (United States)

K. C. Schad; D. E. Kretschmann; K. A. McDonald; R. J. Ross; D. W. Green

1995-01-01

Researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, have been studying nondestructive techniques for evaluating the strength of wood. This report describes the results of a pilot study on using these techniques to determine the quality of large dimensional lumber cut from switch ties. First, pulse echo and dynamic (transverse vibration) techniques were...

Innovative Hyperspectral Imaging-Based Techniques for Quality Evaluation of Fruits and Vegetables: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuzhen Lu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available New, non-destructive sensing techniques for fast and more effective quality assessment of fruits and vegetables are needed to meet the ever-increasing consumer demand for better, more consistent and safer food products. Over the past 15 years, hyperspectral imaging has emerged as a new generation of sensing technology for non-destructive food quality and safety evaluation, because it integrates the major features of imaging and spectroscopy, thus enabling the acquisition of both spectral and spatial information from an object simultaneously. This paper first provides a brief overview of hyperspectral imaging configurations and common sensing modes used for food quality and safety evaluation. The paper is, however, focused on the three innovative hyperspectral imaging-based techniques or sensing platforms, i.e., spectral scattering, integrated reflectance and transmittance, and spatially-resolved spectroscopy, which have been developed in our laboratory for property and quality evaluation of fruits, vegetables and other food products. The basic principle and instrumentation of each technique are described, followed by the mathematical methods for processing and extracting critical information from the acquired data. Applications of these techniques for property and quality evaluation of fruits and vegetables are then presented. Finally, concluding remarks are given on future research needs to move forward these hyperspectral imaging techniques.

Computational Intelligence Techniques for New Product Design

CERN Document Server

Chan, Kit Yan; Dillon, Tharam S

2012-01-01

Applying computational intelligence for product design is a fast-growing and promising research area in computer sciences and industrial engineering. However, there is currently a lack of books, which discuss this research area. This book discusses a wide range of computational intelligence techniques for implementation on product design. It covers common issues on product design from identification of customer requirements in product design, determination of importance of customer requirements, determination of optimal design attributes, relating design attributes and customer satisfaction, integration of marketing aspects into product design, affective product design, to quality control of new products. Approaches for refinement of computational intelligence are discussed, in order to address different issues on product design. Cases studies of product design in terms of development of real-world new products are included, in order to illustrate the design procedures, as well as the effectiveness of the com...

Improvement of Production Quality by using Six Sigma Technique:

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sawsan Ali

2013-04-01

Full Text Available As a result of lack of conformity of the outer diameter of the filling piston of plastic syringe to the specifications set out in the design map and the increased demand for its  products from the Medical syringes factory – Babylon. The research conducts the necessary investigations and  analysis of the production process as most of the units rejected by fact that the outer diameter of the filling piston is smaller than the minimum specification and units returned to work  due to the fact that  the outer diameter larger than the upper limit of the specification.13The research aims firstly to examine the outer diameter of the filling piston through the use of the control chart of the variables represented by the average , and its impact on the production process capability because the increase in diameter specification leads to an increase in the pressure imposed on the lining of the cylinder, causing difficulty in piston movement and a decrease in diameter specification which leads to loose the process capability to prevent leakage of fluid, causing air to enter as well as to speed the movement of the piston, which negatively affects human life in both cases. Secondly, study the possibility of improving the production process capability by using advanced levels of the sigma.The results showed that the production process in the case of a disciplined and follows a normal distribution, the pointer of  the production process capability is equal to (0.55 and the factory works within the level of Sigma equal to (1.65. The proportion of a damaged product is (15.8 % and rework (0.99 %.In order to  reduce the proportion of damaged product, this paper introduces a quality plan depending on ( ±0.025 as tolerance limits instead of ( ±0.05 to increase sigma level by 202%.

Software product quality measurement

OpenAIRE

Godliauskas, Eimantas

2016-01-01

This paper analyses Ruby product quality measures, suggesting three new measures for Ruby product quality measurement tool Rubocop to measure Ruby product quality characteristics defined in ISO 2502n standard series. This paper consists of four main chapters. The first chapter gives a brief view of software product quality and software product quality measurement. The second chapter analyses object oriented quality measures. The third chapter gives a brief view of the most popular Ruby qualit...

Seed production and quality of maize in High Valleys of Mexico.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Virgen-Vargas

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to increase the productivity of maize in High Valleys of Mexico, at the Valley of México and Bajio Experimental Stations of the National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP. The following activities were carried out: production of registered seed to strengthen seed micro- enterprises of national capital, quality evaluation of certified seed, and generation of production technology. Between 2005 and 2013, 46.71 tons of registered seed of the hybrids parents: H-40, H-48, H-50, H-52, H-66, H-70 and H-161, and the varieties: VS-22, V-54A and V-55A were produced and sold to 31 seed producers in the Estado de Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Hidalgo, Morelos, Guanajuato, Michoacan, and Jalisco; that satisfied 60 % of demand per year (8.68 t. In 2013 and 2014, agreements were signed between INIFAP and four micro-enterprises to produce registered seeds. The certified seed produced by companies reached certification standards, germination percentage ≥ 85, 98% pure seed and less than 2% inert matter; test weight between 72 and 78 kg/hl, thousand seed weight between 288 and 361 g and genetic quality between 96 and 98 % of the true type plants. The study identified information about locations, potential yields, population density, and planting dates for the production of parents, lines and single crosses, in the Estado de Mexico and Tlaxcala.

Consideration of the relevance of standard quality techniques in Mass Customisation

OpenAIRE

Brabazon, Philip G.; MacCarthy, Bart L.

2007-01-01

The business philosophy of Mass Customisation (MC) implies rapid response to customer requests, high efficiency and limited cost overheads of customisation. Furthermore, it also implies the quality benefits of the mass production paradigm are guaranteed. However, traditional quality science in manufacturing is premised on volume production of uniform products rather than of differentiated products associated with MC. This creates quality challenges and raises questions over the suitability ...

Production of high-quality electron bunches by dephasing and beam loading in channeled and unchanneled laser plasma accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geddes, C.G.R.; Toth, Cs.; Tilborg, J. van; Esarey, E.; Schroeder, C.B.; Bruhwiler, D.; Nieter, C.; Cary, J.; Leemans, W.P.

2005-01-01

High-quality electron beams, with a few 10 9 electrons within a few percent of the same energy above 80 MeV, were produced in a laser wakefield accelerator by matching the acceleration length to the length over which electrons were accelerated and outran (dephased from) the wake. A plasma channel guided the drive laser over long distances, resulting in production of the high-energy, high-quality beams. Unchanneled experiments varying the length of the target plasma indicated that the high-quality bunches are produced near the dephasing length and demonstrated that channel guiding was more stable and efficient than relativistic self-guiding. Consistent with these data, particle-in-cell simulations indicate production of high-quality electron beams when trapping of an initial bunch of electrons suppresses further injection by loading the wake. The injected electron bunch is then compressed in energy by dephasing, when the front of the bunch begins to decelerate while the tail is still accelerated

Good air quality in offices improves productivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fanger, Povl Ole

2000-01-01

Three recent independent studies have documented that the quality of indoor air has a significant and positive influence or? the productivity of office workers. A combined analysis of the results of the three studies shows a significant relationship between productivity and perceived indoor air...... quality. The impact on productivity justifies a much higher indoor air quality than the minimum levels prescribed in present standards and guidelines. One way of providing air of high quality for people to breathe, without involving excessive ventilation rates and energy use, is to provide "personalized...

Good air quality in offices improves productivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fanger, Povl Ole

2000-01-01

Three recent independent studies have documented that the quality of indoor air has a significant and positive influence on the productivity of office workers. A combined analysis of the results of the three studies shows a significant relationship between productivity and perceived indoor air...... quality. The impact on productivity justifies a much higher indoor air quality than the minimum levels prescribed in present standards and guidelines. One way of providing air of high quality for people to breathe, without involving excessive ventilation rates and energy use, is to provide "personalized...

Safe and High Quality Food Production using Low Quality Waters and Improved Irrigation Systems and Management, EU Project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plauborg, Finn; Jensen, Christian Richardt; Dalsgaard, Anders

2009-01-01

: the safety and quality of food products, and the increasing competition for clean freshwater. SAFIR is funded for the period 2005-2009 under the Food Quality and Safety thematic area of the EU 6th Framework Research Programme. The challenge for the next years will be to produce safe and high quality foods...... a multi-disciplinary team, with food safety and quality experts, engineers, agronomists and economists from17 research institutes and private companies in Europe, Israel and China working together. The project assesses potential risks to farmers. Coupled with farm management and economic models, a new...... intelligent tool for efficient and safe use and re-use of low-quality water are being developed. Already published results indicate water saving in the order of 25-30% in agricultural crops as potatoes and tomatoes are possible without yield reduction. Slightly treated waste water can be used safely when...

Development of a biotechnological process for the production of high quality linen fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Valladares Juárez, Ana Gabriela; Rost, Gernot; Heitmann, Uwe; Heger, Egon; Müller, Rudolf

2011-10-01

A novel biotechnological process for the production of high-quality flax fibers was developed. In this process, decorticated fibers from green flax were washed with 0.5% soda solution and treated with the pectinolytic strain Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius PB94A. Before drying the fibers, they were treated with the textile softener Adulcinol BUN. If the fibers contained contaminant shives, a bleaching step with hydrogen peroxide was performed before the softener treatment. In experiments where fibers were treated by the new process, and in which the bacterial solutions were reused seven times, the fiber quality was similar in all batches. The resolution of the treated fibers was 2.7 ± 0.4 and the fineness was 11.1 ± 1.1 dtex, while the starting material had a resolution of 7.3 and a fineness of 37 dtex. The new biotechnological treatment eliminates the weather-associated risks of the traditional fiber retting completely and produces consistently high-quality fibers that can be used to produce fine linen yarns.

Effect of drying technique on quality of UO2 sintered spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benadik, A.; Becvar, J.; Jakesova, L.

1978-01-01

A comparison was made of the appearance and quality of UO 2 sintered spheres prepared from gel particles by drying in the air saturated with gaseous products of thermal decomposition at 225 degC, and by azeotropic distillation. The quality of the end product was controlled by the gel particle size and drying technique. Coarser particles (0.95 mm in diameter) were of inhomogeneous structure and after drying by azeotropic distillation had a lower specific density. Particles 0.82 and 0.75 mm in diameter had a specific density >= 98.2% of theoretical value and a homogeneous structure. (author)

Trends in microbial control techniques for poultry products.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Filomena; Domingues, Fernanda C; Nerín, Cristina

2018-03-04

Fresh poultry meat and poultry products are highly perishable foods and high potential sources of human infection due to the presence of several foodborne pathogens. Focusing on the microbial control of poultry products, the food industry generally implements numerous preventive measures based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management system certification together with technological steps, such as refrigeration coupled to modified atmosphere packaging that are able to control identified potential microbial hazards during food processing. However, in recent years, to meet the demand of consumers for minimally processed, high-quality, and additive-free foods, technologies are emerging associated with nonthermal microbial inactivation, such as high hydrostatic pressure, irradiation, and natural alternatives, such as biopreservation or the incorporation of natural preservatives in packaging materials. These technologies are discussed throughout this article, emphasizing their pros and cons regarding the control of poultry microbiota and their effects on poultry sensory properties. The discussion for each of the preservation techniques mentioned will be provided with as much detail as the data and studies provided in the literature for poultry meat and products allow. These new approaches, on their own, have proved to be effective against a wide range of microorganisms in poultry meat. However, since some of these emergent technologies still do not have full consumer's acceptability and, taking into consideration the hurdle technology concept for poultry processing, it is suggested that they will be used as combined treatments or, more frequently, in combination with modified atmosphere packaging.

Visual air quality simulation techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Molenar, John V.; Malm, William C.; Johnson, Christopher E.

Visual air quality is primarily a human perceptual phenomenon beginning with the transfer of image-forming information through an illuminated, scattering and absorbing atmosphere. Visibility, especially the visual appearance of industrial emissions or the degradation of a scenic view, is the principal atmospheric characteristic through which humans perceive air pollution, and is more sensitive to changing pollution levels than any other air pollution effect. Every attempt to quantify economic costs and benefits of air pollution has indicated that good visibility is a highly valued and desired environmental condition. Measurement programs can at best approximate the state of the ambient atmosphere at a few points in a scenic vista viewed by an observer. To fully understand the visual effect of various changes in the concentration and distribution of optically important atmospheric pollutants requires the use of aerosol and radiative transfer models. Communication of the output of these models to scientists, decision makers and the public is best done by applying modern image-processing systems to generate synthetic images representing the modeled air quality conditions. This combination of modeling techniques has been under development for the past 15 yr. Initially, visual air quality simulations were limited by a lack of computational power to simplified models depicting Gaussian plumes or uniform haze conditions. Recent explosive growth in low cost, high powered computer technology has allowed the development of sophisticated aerosol and radiative transfer models that incorporate realistic terrain, multiple scattering, non-uniform illumination, varying spatial distribution, concentration and optical properties of atmospheric constituents, and relative humidity effects on aerosol scattering properties. This paper discusses these improved models and image-processing techniques in detail. Results addressing uniform and non-uniform layered haze conditions in both

Influence of Machine Exploitation Effectiveness on Furniture Production Quality Level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stasiak-Betlejewska Renata

2015-12-01

Full Text Available One of the most important factors determining the company‘s capacity to produce high quality products is the level of machinery operation effectiveness. Companies having modern machinery are characterized by high productivity. To obtain a high quality product, the equipment should be properly used, without any failure, which contributes significantly to the exploitation level increase. The modernity level and the exploitation effectiveness level for chosen machine producing furniture components in relation to the product quality level were analysed in the paper. As a result of the research findings analysis, proposals for corrective actions with regard to machinery maintenance and production processes were presented.

Product quality of parenteral vancomycin products in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Nambiar, S; Madurawe, R D; Zuk, S M; Khan, S R; Ellison, C D; Faustino, P J; Mans, D J; Trehy, M L; Hadwiger, M E; Boyne, M T; Biswas, K; Cox, E M

2012-06-01

In response to concerns raised about the quality of parenteral vancomycin products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the product quality of all FDA-approved parenteral vancomycin products available in the United States. Product quality was evaluated independently at two FDA Office of Testing and Research (FDA-OTR) sites. In the next phase of the investigation, being done in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the in vivo activity of these products will be evaluated in an appropriate animal model. This paper summarizes results of the FDA investigation completed thus far. One site used a validated ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography method (OTR-UPLC), and the second site used the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for related substances provided in the British Pharmacopeia (BP) monograph for vancomycin intravenous infusion. Similar results were obtained by the two FDA-OTR laboratories using two different analytical methods. The products tested had 90 to 95% vancomycin B (active component of vancomycin) by the BP-HPLC method and 89 to 94% vancomycin by OTR-UPLC methods. Total impurities were 5 to 10% by BP-HPLC and 6 to 11% by OTR-UPLC methods. No single impurity was >2.0%, and the CDP-1 level was ≤ 2.0% across all products. Some variability in impurity profiles of the various products was observed. No adverse product quality issues were identified with the six U.S. vancomycin parenteral products. The quality parameters of all parenteral vancomycin products tested surpassed the United States Pharmacopeia acceptance criteria. Additional testing will characterize in vivo performance characteristics of these products.

Assessing impacts of organic production on pork and beef quality

OpenAIRE

Sundrum, Albert

2010-01-01

Organic livestock farming is based on a low input production method, aiming to provide products of a high product and process quality rather than maximizing production. The production of a high meat quality corresponds to the expectations of consumers who are both seeking a premium product and who are willing to pay premium prices. This review focuses on the question of whether organic pork and beef production currently meet consumer demands, and it elaborates the potentials and limitations f...

Multicriteria Evaluation of Product Quality

OpenAIRE

Pabedinskaitė, Arnoldina; Vitkauskas, Romualdas

2009-01-01

Product quality assessment is a complex task. The aim of this paper is to analyse the concepts of quality, different quality management models and their interaction with knowledge management models and the presented criteria system for assessing product quality. Moreover, multicriteria methods and their applicability to assessment of the product quality are analysed. On the basis of group of the product quality criteria and using the multicriteria evaluation methods, the quality of the produc...

Increasing the quality and safety of meat products through high technology methods during their storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miteva, D.; Nacheva, I.; Georgieva, L.

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to increase the quality and safety of different meat products by applying two high technology methods – lyophilization and gamma-irradiation. Object of study were chicken, pork and beef meat products. The organoleptic, physicochemical and microbiological properties after lyophilization, irradiation with gamma-rays and during the preservation of the samples were studied. The results indicated that the application of the two original technologies for preservation could ensure qualitative and long-lasting preservation of meat products with excellently preserved taste and organoleptic properties

Communication methods and production techniques in fixed prosthesis fabrication: a UK based survey. Part 2: Production techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, J.; Nesbit, M.; Saberi, S.; Petridis, H.

2014-01-01

Aim The aim of this study was to identify the communication methods and production techniques used by dentists and dental technicians for the fabrication of fixed prostheses within the UK from the dental technicians' perspective. This second paper reports on the production techniques utilised. Materials and methods Seven hundred and eighty-two online questionnaires were distributed to the Dental Laboratories Association membership and included a broad range of topics, such as demographics, impression disinfection and suitability, and various production techniques. Settings were managed in order to ensure anonymity of respondents. Statistical analysis was undertaken to test the influence of various demographic variables such as the source of information, the location, and the size of the dental laboratory. Results The number of completed responses totalled 248 (32% response rate). Ninety percent of the respondents were based in England and the majority of dental laboratories were categorised as small sized (working with up to 25 dentists). Concerns were raised regarding inadequate disinfection protocols between dentists and dental laboratories and the poor quality of master impressions. Full arch plastic trays were the most popular impression tray used by dentists in the fabrication of crowns (61%) and bridgework (68%). The majority (89%) of jaw registration records were considered inaccurate. Forty-four percent of dental laboratories preferred using semi-adjustable articulators. Axial and occlusal under-preparation of abutment teeth was reported as an issue in about 25% of cases. Base metal alloy was the most (52%) commonly used alloy material. Metal-ceramic crowns were the most popular choice for anterior (69%) and posterior (70%) cases. The various factors considered did not have any statistically significant effect on the answers provided. The only notable exception was the fact that more methods of communicating the size and shape of crowns were utilised for

Confectionery products (halva type obtained from sunflower: production technology and quality alterations. A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mureşan, V.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Sunflower "halva" is a popular and widely enjoyed confectionery product specific to the countries of Eastern Europe. Conventional halva has historically been produced from sesame seeds in the Middle East and Northern Africa. However, in the production of halva in Eastern Europe, sesame seeds have been largely replaced by sunflower seeds, due to the high availability of sunflower in this region and the comparable taste of the final product. Due to the importance of the cost of raw materials in the food industry, utilization of sunflower seeds in halva production may be of great interest worldwide because it offers the possibility of significantly lowering production costs. Nevertheless, oil separation and storage techniques must be perfected if sunflower halva is to fulfill its promise of becoming a cost effective alternative to sesame seed halva on a worldwide scale. The aims of this review are firstly, to describe the current state of sunflower halva technology, secondly, to isolate the main problems affecting the quality of the final product, and thirdly, to suggest areas of further research necessary to move sunflower halva production closer to reaching its full potential on the world market.

Automatic Quality Inspection of Percussion Cap Mass Production by Means of 3D Machine Vision and Machine Learning Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Tellaeche, A.; Arana, R.; Ibarguren, A.; Martínez-Otzeta, J. M.

The exhaustive quality control is becoming very important in the world's globalized market. One of these examples where quality control becomes critical is the percussion cap mass production. These elements must achieve a minimum tolerance deviation in their fabrication. This paper outlines a machine vision development using a 3D camera for the inspection of the whole production of percussion caps. This system presents multiple problems, such as metallic reflections in the percussion caps, high speed movement of the system and mechanical errors and irregularities in percussion cap placement. Due to these problems, it is impossible to solve the problem by traditional image processing methods, and hence, machine learning algorithms have been tested to provide a feasible classification of the possible errors present in the percussion caps.

Perfusion seed cultures improve biopharmaceutical fed-batch production capacity and product quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, William C; Lu, Jiuyi; Kwiatkowski, Chris; Yuan, Hang; Kshirsagar, Rashmi; Ryll, Thomas; Huang, Yao-Ming

2014-01-01

Volumetric productivity and product quality are two key performance indicators for any biopharmaceutical cell culture process. In this work, we showed proof-of-concept for improving both through the use of alternating tangential flow perfusion seed cultures coupled with high-seed fed-batch production cultures. First, we optimized the perfusion N-1 stage, the seed train bioreactor stage immediately prior to the production bioreactor stage, to minimize the consumption of perfusion media for one CHO cell line and then successfully applied the optimized perfusion process to a different CHO cell line. Exponential growth was observed throughout the N-1 duration, reaching >40 × 10(6) vc/mL at the end of the perfusion N-1 stage. The cultures were subsequently split into high-seed (10 × 10(6) vc/mL) fed-batch production cultures. This strategy significantly shortened the culture duration. The high-seed fed-batch production processes for cell lines A and B reached 5 g/L titer in 12 days, while their respective low-seed processes reached the same titer in 17 days. The shortened production culture duration potentially generates a 30% increase in manufacturing capacity while yielding comparable product quality. When perfusion N-1 and high-seed fed-batch production were applied to cell line C, higher levels of the active protein were obtained, compared to the low-seed process. This, combined with correspondingly lower levels of the inactive species, can enhance the overall process yield for the active species. Using three different CHO cell lines, we showed that perfusion seed cultures can optimize capacity utilization and improve process efficiency by increasing volumetric productivity while maintaining or improving product quality. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Quality of original and biosimilar epoetin products.

Science.gov (United States)

Brinks, Vera; Hawe, Andrea; Basmeleh, Abdul H H; Joachin-Rodriguez, Liliana; Haselberg, Rob; Somsen, Govert W; Jiskoot, Wim; Schellekens, Huub

2011-02-01

To compare the quality of therapeutic erythropoietin (EPO) products, including two biosimilars, with respect to content, aggregation, isoform profile and potency. Two original products, Eprex (epoetin alpha) and Dynepo (epoetin delta), and two biosimilar products, Binocrit (epoetin alpha) and Retacrit (epoetin zeta), were compared using (1) high performance size exclusion chromatography, (2) ELISA, (3) SDS-PAGE, (4) capillary zone electrophoresis and (5) in-vivo potency. Tested EPO products differed in content, isoform composition, and potency. Of the tested products, the biosimilars have the same or even better quality as the originals. Especially, the potency of originals may significantly differ from the value on the label.

Versatile, High Quality and Scalable Continuous Flow Production of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio-Martinez, Marta; Batten, Michael P.; Polyzos, Anastasios; Carey, Keri-Constanti; Mardel, James I.; Lim, Kok-Seng; Hill, Matthew R.

2014-01-01

Further deployment of Metal-Organic Frameworks in applied settings requires their ready preparation at scale. Expansion of typical batch processes can lead to unsuccessful or low quality synthesis for some systems. Here we report how continuous flow chemistry can be adapted as a versatile route to a range of MOFs, by emulating conditions of lab-scale batch synthesis. This delivers ready synthesis of three different MOFs, with surface areas that closely match theoretical maxima, with production rates of 60 g/h at extremely high space-time yields. PMID:24962145

Analysis of quality information flows in the product creation process of high-volume consumer products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sander, P.C.; Brombacher, A.C.

2000-01-01

It is recently realised that Quality and Reliability are not only a function of the product but also of the organisation realising the product. In spite of this very few companies are able to translate this into their business processes. The Maturity Index on Reliability (MIR) was developed to

Production of High Quality Die Steels from Large ESR Slab Ingots

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Xin; Jiang, Zhou-hua; Li, Hua-bing; Liu, Fu-bin; Li, Xing

With the rapid development of manufacture industry in China, die steels are in great need of large slab ingot of high quality and large tonnage, such as P20, WSM718R and so on. Solidification structure and size of large slab ingots produced with conventional methods are not satisfied. However, large slab ingots manufactured by ESR process have a good solidification structure and enough section size. In the present research, the new slab ESR process was used to produce the die steels large slab ingots with the maximum size of 980×2000×3200mm. The compact and sound ingot can be manufactured by the slab ESR process. The ultra-heavy plates with the maximum thickness of 410 mm can be obtained after rolling the 49 tons ingots. Due to reducing the cogging and forging process, the ESR for large slab ingots process can increase greatly the yield and production efficiency, and evidently cut off product costs.

Power quality research techniques: advantages and disadvantages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil Montoya, Francisco; Manzano Agugliaro, Francisco; Gomez Lopez, Julio; Sanchez Alguacil, Pedro

2012-01-01

Nowadays, power quality (PQ) plays a very important role in power systems. So that is why it is very important to use suitable tools allowing a precise detection of anomalies and perturbations in power systems. Given traditional analysis techniques, such as Fourier Transform, today new tools are being developed based on domain transformation, such as Wavelet Transform (WT) or S-Transform (ST), along with Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques such as Fuzzy Logic (FL) or Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). In this paper, new algorithm and mathematic techniques are reviewed and discussed, and also compared with traditional techniques, revealing the precision and superiority achieved with these new techniques. ST and WT is detailed, basically, as a tool with great scope and future in power quality analysis because of its precision, noise immunity and its contribution with quality information about PQ.

Effective use of product quality information in food supply chain logistics

OpenAIRE

Rijpkema, W.A.

2014-01-01

Food supply chains have inherent characteristics, such as variability in product quality and quality decay, which put specific demands on logistics decision making. Furthermore, food supply chain organization and control has changed significantly in the past decades by factors such as scale intensification and globalization. In practice, these characteristics and developments frequently lead to supply chain problems, such as high levels of product waste, product quality problems, and high lo...

Analysis of High Quality Agar wood Oil Chemical Compounds By Means Of SPME/ GC-MS and Z-Score Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nurlaila Ismail; Mohd Ali Nor Azah; Mailina Jamil; Saiful Nizam Tajuddin; Mohd Nasir Taib

2013-01-01

Currently, the grading of the agar wood oil to the high and low quality is done using manually such as human trained grader. It was performed based on the agar wood oil physical properties such as human experience and perception and the oil colour, odor and long lasting aroma. Several researchers found that chemical profiles of the oil should be utilized to overcome the problem facing by manual techniques for example human nose cannot tolerate with the many oils at the same time, so that accurate result can be obtained in grading the agar wood oil. The analysis involved of SPME/ GC-MS and Z-score techniques have been proposed in this study to analyze the chemical compounds especially from the high quality samples of agar wood oil (Aquilariamalaccensis) from Malaysia. Two SPME fibers were used such as divinylbenzene-carbogen-polydimethylsiloxane (DVB-CAR-PDMS) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in extracting the oils compound under three different sampling temperature conditions such as 40, 60 and 80 degree Celsius. The chemical compounds extracted by SPME/ GC-MS were analyzed. The chemical compounds as identified by Z-score as significant compounds were discussed before the conclusion is made. It was found that 10-epi-γ-eudesmol, aromadendrene, β-agar ofuran, α-agar ofuran and γ-eudesmol were highlighted as significant for high quality agar wood oil and can be used as a marker compounds in classifying the agar wood oil. (author)

Simultaneous production of high-quality water and electrical power from aqueous feedstock’s and waste heat by high-pressure membrane distillation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuipers, N.J.M.; Hanemaaijer, J.H.; Brouwer, H.; Medevoort, J. van; Jansen, A.; Altena, F.; Vleuten, P. van der; Bak, H.

2015-01-01

A new membrane distillation (MD) concept (MemPower) has been developed for the simultaneous production of high-quality water from various aqueous feedstocks with cogeneration of mechanical power (electricity). Driven by low-grade heat (waste, solar, geothermal, etc.) a pressurized distillate can be

Production of biodiesel using the microwave technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shakinaz A. El Sherbiny

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Biodiesel production is worthy of continued study and optimization of production procedures because of its environmentally beneficial attributes and its renewable nature. Non-edible vegetable oils such as Jatropha oil, produced by seed-bearing shrubs, can provide an alternative and do not have competing food uses. However, these oils are characterized by their high free fatty acid contents. Using the conventional transesterification technique for the production of biodiesel is well established. In this study an alternative energy stimulant, “microwave irradiation”, was used for the production of the alternative energy source, biodiesel. The optimum parametric conditions obtained from the conventional technique were applied using microwave irradiation in order to compare the systems. The study showed that the application of radio frequency microwave energy offers a fast, easy route to this valuable biofuel with the advantages of enhancing the reaction rate (2 min instead of 150 min and of improving the separation process. The methodology allows for the use of high free fatty acid content feedstock, including Jatropha oil. However, this emerging technology needs to be further investigated for possible scale-up for industrial application.

Quality assurance techniques for activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, D.A.

1984-01-01

The principles and techniques of quality assurance are applied to the measurement method of activation analysis. Quality assurance is defined to include quality control and quality assessment. Plans for quality assurance include consideration of: personnel; facilities; analytical design; sampling and sample preparation; the measurement process; standards; and documentation. Activation analysis concerns include: irradiation; chemical separation; counting/detection; data collection, and analysis; and calibration. Types of standards discussed include calibration materials and quality assessment materials

An inkjet vision measurement technique for high-frequency jetting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Kye-Si, E-mail: kskwon@sch.ac.kr; Jang, Min-Hyuck; Park, Ha Yeong [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Soonchunhyang University 22, Soonchunhyang-Ro, Shinchang, Asan Chungnam 336-745 (Korea, Republic of); Ko, Hyun-Seok [Department of Electrical and Robot Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, 22, Soonchunhyang-Ro, Shinchang, Asan Chungnam 336-745 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-06-15

Inkjet technology has been used as manufacturing a tool for printed electronics. To increase the productivity, the jetting frequency needs to be increased. When using high-frequency jetting, the printed pattern quality could be non-uniform since the jetting performance characteristics including the jetting speed and droplet volume could vary significantly with increases in jet frequency. Therefore, high-frequency jetting behavior must be evaluated properly for improvement. However, it is difficult to measure high-frequency jetting behavior using previous vision analysis methods, because subsequent droplets are close or even merged. In this paper, we present vision measurement techniques to evaluate the drop formation of high-frequency jetting. The proposed method is based on tracking target droplets such that subsequent droplets can be excluded in the image analysis by focusing on the target droplet. Finally, a frequency sweeping method for jetting speed and droplet volume is presented to understand the overall jetting frequency effects on jetting performance.

An inkjet vision measurement technique for high-frequency jetting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Kye-Si; Jang, Min-Hyuck; Park, Ha Yeong; Ko, Hyun-Seok

2014-01-01

Inkjet technology has been used as manufacturing a tool for printed electronics. To increase the productivity, the jetting frequency needs to be increased. When using high-frequency jetting, the printed pattern quality could be non-uniform since the jetting performance characteristics including the jetting speed and droplet volume could vary significantly with increases in jet frequency. Therefore, high-frequency jetting behavior must be evaluated properly for improvement. However, it is difficult to measure high-frequency jetting behavior using previous vision analysis methods, because subsequent droplets are close or even merged. In this paper, we present vision measurement techniques to evaluate the drop formation of high-frequency jetting. The proposed method is based on tracking target droplets such that subsequent droplets can be excluded in the image analysis by focusing on the target droplet. Finally, a frequency sweeping method for jetting speed and droplet volume is presented to understand the overall jetting frequency effects on jetting performance

An Overview of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Sherif, Josef S.; Tran, Tuyet-Lan

1995-01-01

QFD is a product planning tool and a process methodology that enables all organizations, departments, and individuals in a business or a project to systematically focus on the critical performance, functions, and/or characteristics of a product that are the most important to the customer. It is part of the Total Quality Management (TQM) concept.. This presentation describes the objectives of QFD, the process for implementing the technique, the benefits derived from proper implementation, the kinds of systems where QFD is best utilized, what the success factors are, how QFD works, some guidelines for selection of a QFD team, and the functional roles of key team members.

A design technique of low cost but high quality peak stretcher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lo, H Y; Su, C S; Hsu, J Y; Wang, L

1981-03-01

This paper presents the design of low cost but high quality pulse peak stretcher incorporated with a LSI of 12 bit ADC and SKD-85 microcomputer. The conflict between the capacitor high charging speed and longer holding time for realizing a high quality stretcher is discussed and solved. For a lager number of channels available in a dual ramp Wilkinson-type ADC, two-stage stretchers connected in series are designed. The first stage is a fast-discharge to keep the output stretched pulse follow-up the input quickly and the second-stage (main stretcher) is a slow-discharge to keep the transient of the circuit minimum. Both of these two peak stretchers are described and the experiment results are photographically recorded.

Impact of product familiarity on beef quality perception

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Banovic, Marija; Fontes, Magda Aguiar; Barreira, Maria Madalena

2012-01-01

This study examines the use of intrinsic and extrinsic cues in beef quality perception at the point of purchase and upon consumption by consumers with varying levels of familiarity with a particular beef product. High-familiarity consumers tend to use the color of the meat to assess beef quality......, whereas low-familiarity consumers tend to believe that the brand is the most valid cue for assessing beef quality. However, due to the lack of consistency in sensory beef quality, high-familiarity consumers’ ability to form quality expectations that are predictive of their quality experience is no better...

“Five Minutes of Composers”: A Technique for Evaluating Productivity of Verbal Memory in the System of Basic Music Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sorokov D.G.

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the need for developing criteria-based diagnostic tools for quick individual and group evaluation of musical knowledge in children within the system of basic music education. The proposed technique called “Five Minutes of Composers” allows one to evaluate musical knowledge in a single child, in a whole class or in an educational organisation. The paper provides a full description of the technique and the process of its standartisation: stanines and corresponding normative values are assigned to each age group; the differential validity of the technique is statistically proven for the factors "gender", "stage of education", "age", and "total productivity". The outcomes of the conducted study show the following: the average level of productivity is significantly higher in girls; this level is significantly higher in students of 6th and 7th classes as compared to students of 3rd—5th classes; there is a direct correlation between age and productivity of recall; children with high levels of productivity outscore others in the number of recalled names of composers right from the start. The paper concludes with some remarks concerning the possibilities of using this technique for measuring the progress in children’s musical knowledge, for criteria-based comparative analysis of the quality of teaching, and for evaluating the quality of music education in single classes and educational organisations in general.

PENGARUH SERVICE QUALITY, PRODUCT QUALITY DAN PERCEIVED VALUE TERHADAP KEPUASAN DAN LOYALITAS PELANGGAN INDUSTRI KAYU PERHUTANI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Winarni Saftarya Timedina Gultom

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to analyze the influences of service quality, product quality and perceived value on the satisfaction and loyalty of the customers of Perhutani wood industry, the level of customer satisfaction and loyalty and managerial implications. Four data analysis techniques were used including the structural equation modeling partial least squares (SEMPLS with 24 exogenous latent variable attributes and 6 endogenous latent variable attributes; CSI, CLI and IPA. SEMPLS results showed that the variables of service quality (T-statistic=2, 79*>T-table=1, 96 and product quality (T-statistic=6, 45*>T-table=1, 96 significantly influence the satisfaction of the customers of Perhutani wood industry. Perceived value variable (T-statistic=0, 65quality, product quality, and perceived value provided by Perhutani wood industry. The main priority of the performances to be improved based on IPA include the attributes of accuracy of product sizes: length, width, thickness, complaint handling, product delivery, service employees, comprehension of needs, officer awareness, information on the documents and prevailing prices, service time completion, purchase document accuracy, price certainty, allocation certainty, suitability prices with quality, and affordable product prices.Keywords: perhutani, wood industry, satisfaction, loyalty, SEMPLS

Quality system implementation for nuclear analytical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The international effort (UNIDO, ILAC, BIPM, etc.) to establish a functional infrastructure for metrology and accreditation in many developing countries needs to be complemented by assistance to implement high quality practices and high quality output by service providers and producers in the respective countries. Knowledge of how to approach QA systems that justify a formal accreditation is available in only a few countries and the dissemination of know how and development of skills is needed bottom up from the working level of laboratories and institutes. Awareness building, convincing of management, introduction of good management practices, technical expertise and good documentation will lead to the creation of a quality culture that assures a sustainability and inherent development of quality practices as a prerequisite of economic success. Quality assurance and quality control can be used as a valuable management tool and is a prerequisite for international trade and information exchange. This publication tries to assist quality managers, Laboratory Managers and staff involved in setting up a QA/QC system in a nuclear analytical laboratory to take appropriate action to start and complete the necessary steps for a successful quality system for ultimate national accreditation. This guidebook contributes to a better understanding of the basic ideas behind ISO/IEC 17025, the international standard for 'General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories'. It provides basic information and detailed explanation about the establishment of the QC system in analytical and nuclear analytical laboratories. It is a proper training material for training of trainers and makes managers with QC management and implementation familiar. This training material aims to facilitate the implementation of internationally accepted quality principles and to promote attempts by Member States' laboratories to obtain accreditation for nuclear analytical

Production and quality control of concrete for the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station - [Part 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singha Roy, P.K.; Sukhtankar, K.D.; Prasad, K.

1975-01-01

The production and quality control of concrete and concrete materials for the construction of the twin-reactor Rajasthan Atomic Power Station with its 400 MW net capacity posed many challenges since many of the requirements for the properties of concrete were new and were being laid down for the first time in India. Some of the conditions for the concrete included leak-tightness against gas pressure, total absence of shrinkage in the containment even when the ambient temperature during concreting was as high as 45degC, placing concrete at a temperature as low as 8degC, the use of non-shrink and high strength grout, absolute impermeability against water, high density for radiation shielding, controlled modulus of elasticity for large machine foundations, high strength with high slump for the prestressed concrete dome, etc. Though the total quantity of concrete was not very much compared with a large river valley or steel plant project, (e.g., about 1.2 X 10 6 m 3 for a 2-million tonne steel plant) it was quite significant, being about 70,000 m 3 of normal density and 2,100 m 3 of high density concrete. The production of these quantities entailed intensive material study and investigation, development of new mixes with additives not tried out before in the country, and design and quality control techniques which were unique in many respects. The paper deals with the production and quality control of concrete, including grouts used in the projects, but the actual concreting and construction operations are not discussed. (author)

[Pharmaceutical product quality control and good manufacturing practices].

Science.gov (United States)

Hiyama, Yukio

2010-01-01

This report describes the roles of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in pharmaceutical product quality control. There are three keys to pharmaceutical product quality control. They are specifications, thorough product characterization during development, and adherence to GMP as the ICH Q6A guideline on specifications provides the most important principles in its background section. Impacts of the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (rPAL) which became effective in 2005 on product quality control are discussed. Progress of ICH discussion for Pharmaceutical Development (Q8), Quality Risk Management (Q9) and Pharmaceutical Quality System (Q10) are reviewed. In order to reconstruct GMP guidelines and GMP inspection system in the regulatory agencies under the new paradigm by rPAL and the ICH, a series of Health Science studies were conducted. For GMP guidelines, product GMP guideline, technology transfer guideline, laboratory control guideline and change control system guideline were written. For the GMP inspection system, inspection check list, inspection memo and inspection scenario were proposed also by the Health Science study groups. Because pharmaceutical products and their raw materials are manufactured and distributed internationally, collaborations with other national authorities are highly desired. In order to enhance the international collaborations, consistent establishment of GMP inspection quality system throughout Japan will be essential.

Safe and High Quality Food Production using Low Quality Waters and Improved Irrigation Systems and Management (SAFIR)

Science.gov (United States)

Cary, L.; Kloppmann, W.; Battilani, A.; Bertaki, M.; Blagojevic, S.; Chartzoulakis, K.; Dalsgaard, A.; Forslund, A.; Jovanovic, Z.; Kasapakis, I.

2009-04-01

The safe use of treated domestic wastewater for irrigation needs to address the risks for humans (workers, exposed via contact with irrigation water, soil, crops and food, consumers, exposed via ingestion of fresh and processed food), for animals (via ingestion of crops an soil), for the crops and agricultural productivity (via salinity and trace element uptake), for soil (via accumulation or release of pollutants) as well as for surface, groundwaters and the associated ecosystems (via runoff and infiltration, Kass et al., 2005, Bouwer, 2000). A work package in the EU FP5 project SAFIR is dedicated to study the impact of wastewater irrigation on the soil-water-plant-product system. Its monitoring program comprises pathogens and inorganic pollutants, including both geogenic and potentially anthropogenic trace elements in the aim to better understand soil-irrigation water interactions. The SAFIR field study sites are found in China, Italy, Crete, and Serbia. A performance evaluation of SAFIR-specific treatment technology through the monitoring of waste water and irrigation water quality was made through waste water chemical and microbiological qualities, which were investigated upstream and downstream of the SAFIR specific treatment three times per season. Irrigation water transits through the uppermost soil decimetres to the crop roots. The latter will become, in the course of the irrigation season, the major sink of percolating water, together with evaporation. The water saving irrigation techniques used in SAFIR are surface and subsurface drip irrigation. The investigation of the solid soil phase concentrates on the root zone as main transit and storage compartment for pollutants and, eventually, pathogens. The initial soil quality was assessed through a sampling campaign before the onset of the first year irrigation; the soil quality has been monitored throughout three years under cultivation of tomatoes or potatoes. The plot layout for each of the study sites

Production process and quality control for the HTTR fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshimuta, S.; Suzuki, N.; Kaneko, M.; Fukuda, K.

1991-01-01

Development of the production and inspection technology for High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) fuel has been carried out by cooperative work between Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd (NFI). The performance and the quality level of the developed fuel are well established to meet the design requirements of the HTTR. For the commercial scale production of the fuel, statistical quality control and quality assurance must be carefully considered in order to assure the safety of the HTTR. It is also important to produce the fuel under well controlled process condition. To meet these requirements in the production of the HTTR fuel, a new production process and quality control system is to be introduced in the new facilities. The main feature of the system is a computer integrated control system. Process control data at each production stage of products and semi-products are all gathered by terminal computers and processed by a host computer. The processed information is effectively used for the production, quality and accountancy control. With the aid of this system, all the products will be easily traceable from starting materials to final stages and the statistical evaluation of the quality of products becomes more reliable. (author). 8 figs

Growth of high quality large area MgB2 thin films by reactive evaporation

OpenAIRE

Moeckly, Brian H.; Ruby, Ward S.

2006-01-01

We report a new in-situ reactive deposition thin film growth technique for the production of MgB2 thin films which offers several advantages over all existing methods and is the first deposition method to enable the production of high-quality MgB2 films for real-world applications. We have used this growth method, which incorporates a rotating pocket heater, to deposit MgB2 films on a variety of substrates, including single-crystalline, polycrystalline, metallic, and semiconductor materials u...

Problem-solving and developing quality management methods and techniques on the example of automotive industry

OpenAIRE

Jacek Łuczak; Radoslaw Wolniak

2015-01-01

The knowledge about methods and techniques of quality management together with their effective use can be definitely regarded as an indication of high organisational culture. Using such methods and techniques in an effective way can be attributed to certain level of maturity, as far as the quality management system in an organisation is concerned. There is in the paper an analysis of problem-solving methods and techniques of quality management in the automotive sector in Poland. The survey wa...

Mathematical modelling of the process of quality control of construction products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pogorelov Vadim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The study presents the results of years of research in the field of quality management of industrial production construction production, based on mathematical modelling techniques, process and results of implementing the developed programme of monitoring and quality control in the production process of the enterprise. The aim of this work is the presentation of scientific community of the practical results of mathematical modelling in application programs. In the course of the research addressed the description of the applied mathematical models, views, practical results of its application in the applied field to assess quality control. The authors used this mathematical model in practice. The article presents the results of applying this model. The authors developed the experimental software management and quality assessment by using mathematical modeling methods. The authors continue research in this direction to improve the diagnostic systems and quality management systems based on mathematical modeling methods prognostic and diagnostic processes.

Product quality driven food process design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hadiyanto, M.

2007-01-01

Consumers evaluate food products on their quality, and thus the product quality is a main target in industrial food production. In the last decade there has been a remarkable increase of interest of the food industry to put food product quality central in innovation. However, quality itself is

Development of recycling techniques on decommissioning concrete waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikura, Takeshi; Oguri, Daiichiro; Sukekiyo, Mitsuaki

2000-01-01

Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC) has been developing decommissioning techniques, implemented under a contract with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), to verify and improve the performance of the key decommissioning techniques. One of main themes is on concrete recycling techniques, which deals with high quality aggregate retrieval from concrete waste, high efficient usage of the by-product powder to recycling products, and effective usage of radioactive concrete to filling material for waste form. This paper describes progress and accomplishment on the concrete recycling technique development which started in 1996. (author)

Theoretical Application of Supervision over Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xin; CHENG; Ying; ZHANG

2013-01-01

Supervision over quality and safety of agricultural products has received high attention of management department.Competent authorities have formulated and issued many measures to strengthen supervision over quality and safety of agricultural products and improve China’s agricultural product quality and safety level.From the perspective of management science,this paper elaborates basic contents of two basic management theories,Broken Windows Effect and Effect of Heat Furnace.Then,it analyzes influence of Broken Windows Effect and Effect of Heat Furnace on supervision over quality and safety of agricultural products.Finally,it comes up with recommendations for supervision over quality and safety of agricultural products.

Customer Focused Product Design Using Integrated Model of Target Costing, Quality Function Deployment and Value Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Rezaei Dolatabadi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Target costing by integrating customer requirements, technical attributes and cost information into the product design phase and eliminating the non-value added functions, plays a vital role in different phases of the product life cycle. Quality Function Deployment (QFD and Value Engineering (VE are two techniques which can be used for applying target costing, successfully. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated model of target costing, QFD and VE to explore the role of target costing in managing product costs while promoting quality specifications meeting customers’ needs. F indings indicate that the integration of target costing, QFD and VE is an essential technique in managing the costs of production process. Findings also imply that integration of the three techniques provides a competitive cost advantage to companies.

Air Quality Assessment Using Interpolation Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awkash Kumar

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Air pollution is increasing rapidly in almost all cities around the world due to increase in population. Mumbai city in India is one of the mega cities where air quality is deteriorating at a very rapid rate. Air quality monitoring stations have been installed in the city to regulate air pollution control strategies to reduce the air pollution level. In this paper, air quality assessment has been carried out over the sample region using interpolation techniques. The technique Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW of Geographical Information System (GIS has been used to perform interpolation with the help of concentration data on air quality at three locations of Mumbai for the year 2008. The classification was done for the spatial and temporal variation in air quality levels for Mumbai region. The seasonal and annual variations of air quality levels for SO2, NOx and SPM (Suspended Particulate Matter have been focused in this study. Results show that SPM concentration always exceeded the permissible limit of National Ambient Air Quality Standard. Also, seasonal trends of pollutant SPM was low in monsoon due rain fall. The finding of this study will help to formulate control strategies for rational management of air pollution and can be used for many other regions.

Quality Products - The CANDU Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ingolfsrud, L. John

1989-01-01

The prime focus of the CANDU concept (natural uranium fuelled-heavy water moderated reactor) from the beginning has economy, heavy water losses and radiation exposures also were strong incentives for ensuring good design and reliable equipment. It was necessary to depart from previously accepted commercial standards and to adopt those now accepted in industries providing quality products. Also, through feedback from operating experience and specific design and development programs to eliminate problems and improve performance, CANDU has evolved into today's successful product and one from which future products will readily evolve. Many lessons have been learned along the way. On the one hand, short cuts of failures to understand basic requirements have been costly. On the other hand, sound engineering and quality equipment have yielded impressive economic advantages through superior performance and the avoidance of failures and their consequential costs. The achievement of lifetime economical performance demands quality products, good operation and good maintenance. This paper describes some of the basic approaches leading to high CANDU station reliability and overall excellent performance, particularly where difficulties have had to be overcome. Specific improvements in CANDU design and in such CANDU equipment as heat transport pumps, steam generators, valves, the reactor, fuelling machines and station computers, are described. The need for close collaboration among designers, nuclear laboratories, constructors, operators and industry is discussed. This paper has reviewed some of the key components in the CANDU system as a means of indicating the overall effort that is required to provide good designs and highly reliable equipment. This has required a significant investment in people and funding which has handsomely paid off in the excellent performance of CANDU stations. The close collaboration between Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Canadian industry and the

Nuclear techniques in animal production and health

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moustgaard, J [Institute of Physiology, Endocrinology and Bloodgrouping, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen (Denmark)

1976-07-01

In the fight against animal diseases, especially parasitic infections, nuclear techniques have also proved to be of great value, namely in the production of irradiated vaccines against helminthic diseases. In this context it should be stressed that reduced productivity due to protein loss caused by intestinal parasites is a problem of paramount economic importance in developing as well as developed countries. Recently radioisotopes in the so-called radioimmunoassays have also been applied in determination of the hormonal status of farm animals and to elucidate its relation to the environment and to the physiological and nutritional condition of the animal. This rapidly developing technique may make it possible to control the reproductive performance of cattle and sheep more efficiently than has hitherto been the case. Production of animal protein of a high biological value for human nutrition is still a problem of great concern for the less developed countries. Without doubt the use of nuclear techniques, hand in hand with other research methods, will be of great help in overcoming this condition, always provided that the countries in question possess the necessary equipment and trained personnel.

Nuclear techniques in animal production and health

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moustgaard, J.

1976-01-01

In the fight against animal diseases, especially parasitic infections, nuclear techniques have also proved to be of great value, namely in the production of irradiated vaccines against helminthic diseases. In this context it should be stressed that reduced productivity due to protein loss caused by intestinal parasites is a problem of paramount economic importance in developing as well as developed countries. Recently radioisotopes in the so-called radioimmunoassays have also been applied in determination of the hormonal status of farm animals and to elucidate its relation to the environment and to the physiological and nutritional condition of the animal. This rapidly developing technique may make it possible to control the reproductive performance of cattle and sheep more efficiently than has hitherto been the case. Production of animal protein of a high biological value for human nutrition is still a problem of great concern for the less developed countries. Without doubt the use of nuclear techniques, hand in hand with other research methods, will be of great help in overcoming this condition, always provided that the countries in question possess the necessary equipment and trained personnel

Phosphate fertilization on production and quality of cauliflower seeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Ismael Inácio Cardoso

2016-08-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Due to the scarcity of information related to the effect of fertilizers on production and quality of vegetable seeds, mainly on species which present an increase in the cycle, like cauliflower, more studies are necessary about the influence of nutrients rates which provide high production of high-quality seeds. This research aimed to evaluate the influence of rates of phosphorus (P on the production and quality of cauliflower seeds. Five rates of phosphorus were studied (0, 300, 600, 900 and 1200kg ha-1 of P2O5, in a randomized complete block design, with four replications. Production and quality (weight of a thousand seeds, germination test, first count of germination test and emergence in substrate of the seeds and soil chemical characteristics were evaluated. The higher the rate of phosphorus, the higher P content in the soil and values of sum of bases, cation exchange capacity and saturation of bases were observed at the end of the cycle. Seed quality was not affected by P fertilization, with the exception of the weight of a thousand seeds which was adjusted to a linear model. For seed production quadratic effect was obtained. The highest weight of seeds per plant was estimated for the rate of 862kg ha-1 of P2O5.

Adoption and impact of high quality bambara flour (HQBF ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Adoption and impact of high quality bambara flour (HQBF) technology in the ... consumer acceptability/quality of products, credit, availability of raw materials, and ... as a result of 12.5 per cent increase in demand for bambara-based products.

Network-based production quality control

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Yongjin; Tseng, Bill; Chiou, Richard

2007-09-01

This study investigates the feasibility of remote quality control using a host of advanced automation equipment with Internet accessibility. Recent emphasis on product quality and reduction of waste stems from the dynamic, globalized and customer-driven market, which brings opportunities and threats to companies, depending on the response speed and production strategies. The current trends in industry also include a wide spread of distributed manufacturing systems, where design, production, and management facilities are geographically dispersed. This situation mandates not only the accessibility to remotely located production equipment for monitoring and control, but efficient means of responding to changing environment to counter process variations and diverse customer demands. To compete under such an environment, companies are striving to achieve 100%, sensor-based, automated inspection for zero-defect manufacturing. In this study, the Internet-based quality control scheme is referred to as "E-Quality for Manufacturing" or "EQM" for short. By its definition, EQM refers to a holistic approach to design and to embed efficient quality control functions in the context of network integrated manufacturing systems. Such system let designers located far away from the production facility to monitor, control and adjust the quality inspection processes as production design evolves.

Ranking factors involved in product design using a hybrid model of Quality Function Deployment, Data Envelopment Analysis and TOPSIS technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davood Feiz

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Quality function deployment (QFD is one such extremely important quality management tool, which is useful in product design and development. Traditionally, QFD rates the design requirements (DRs with respect to customer requirements, and aggregates the rating to get relative importance score of DRs. An increasing number of studies emphasize on the need to incorporate additional factors, such as cost and environmental impact, while calculating the relative importance of DRs. However, there are different methodologies for driving the relative importance of DRs, when several additional factors are considered. TOPSIS (technique for order preferences by similarity to ideal solution is suggested for the purpose of the research. This research proposes new approach of TOPSIS for considering the rating of DRs with respect to CRs, and several additional factors, simultaneously. Proposed method is illustrated using by step-by-step procedure. The proposed methodology was applied for the Sanam Electronic Company in Iran.

Effects of different drying methods on the product quality and volatile compounds of whole shiitake mushrooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yuting; Zhao, Yingting; Huang, Jijun; Zeng, Hongliang; Zheng, Baodong

2016-04-15

Various drying methods play important roles in the preservation of foods. However, how the different drying methods affect the quality of some foods is not clear. This paper evaluates the effects of hot air, vacuum, microwave, and microwave vacuum drying techniques on important qualities and volatile compounds of whole shiitake (Lentinus edodes) mushrooms. These four drying methods resulted in a significantly (pdried products. Microwave vacuum drying helped to maintain larger amounts of taste-active amino acids, and improved nutrient retention and color attributes. Furthermore, the uniform honeycomb network created by microwave vacuum drying along with a less collapsed structure of dried samples can be used to explain the observed high rehydration ratio. Therefore, microwave vacuum drying should be a potential method for obtaining high-quality dried mushrooms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Provide good air quality for people and improve their productivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fanger, Povl Ole

2000-01-01

Three recent independent studies have documented that the quality of indoor air has a significant and positive influence on the productivity of office workers. A combined analysis of the results of the three studies shows a significant relationship between productivity and perceived indoor air...... quality. The impact on productivity justifies a much higher indoor air quality than the minimum levels prescribed in present standards and guidelines. One way of providing air of high quality for people to breathe, without involving excessive ventilation rates and energy use, is to provide "personalized...... air" to each individual. The application of this concept is discussed....

Related regulation of quality control of industrial products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-04-01

This book introduce related regulation of quality control of industrial products, which includes regulations of industrial products quality control, enforcement ordinance of industrial products quality control, enforcement regulation of quality control of industrial products, designated items with industrial production quality indication, industrial production quality test, and industrial production quality test organization and management tips of factory quality by grade.

QUANTIFYING SUPPLIERS’ PRODUCT QUALITY: AN EXPLORATORY PRODUCT AUDIT METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Avakh Darestani

2012-01-01

Full Text Available

ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The quality of the raw material and supplied product from suppliers plays a critical role in the quality of the final product. It has become the norm that vehicle manufacturers require their suppliers to measure product quality and service with a product audit method. Measuring quality of product is emphasised by QS9000 VDA6.5 and ISO/TS16949. From a competitive standpoint, and also to see continuous improvement in business, companies need to monitor their suppliers’ performance. Quality and delivery are two very important indicators of supplier performance. This paper presents a statistical method for measuring the quality of supplied product. This method allocates different weights to variables and attributes characteristics. Moreover, following normal distribution, the tolerance zone is divided to three regions with different scores. Therefore, the quality of suppliers’ products can be monitored based on the Product Quality Audit Score (PQAS. However, this method may be employed for organisations to monitor their raw material, work-in-process parts, and final product. It can be an indicator to monitor supplier quality behaviour.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gehalte van grondstowwe en produkte/komponente wat deur leweransiers verskaf word, speel ‘n kritiese rol in die gehalte van die finale produk. Dit het die norm geword in die motorvervaardigingsbedryf dat daar van leweransiers verwag word om hulle produkkwaliteit en –diens te meet by wyse van ‘n produkouditmetode. Die meting van produkkwaliteit word benadruk deur QS9000 VDA6.5 en ISO/TS16949. Uit ‘n mededingingshoek en ook om kontinue verbetering te monitor, is dit noodsaaklik dat leweransiers se verrigting gemeet word. Gehalte en aflewering is twee van die belangrikste indikatore van leweransiersverrigting. In hierdie artikel word ‘n statistiese model voorgehou vir die meting van die kwaliteit van die gelewerde produk. Die metode ken verskillende

Highly qualified does not equal high quality: A study of urban stakeholders' perceptions of quality in science teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Rommel Joseph

By employing qualitative methods, this study sought to determine the perceptions that urban stakeholders hold about what characteristics should distinguish a high school science teacher whom they would consider to demonstrate high quality in science teaching. A maximum variation sample of six science teachers, three school administrators, six parents and six students from a large urban public school district were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interview techniques. From these data, a list of observable characteristics which urban stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching was generated. Observational techniques were utilized to determine the extent to which six urban high school science teachers, who meet the NCLB Act criteria for being "highly qualified", actually possessed the characteristics which these stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the data set. The findings suggest that urban stakeholders perceive that a high school science teacher who demonstrates high quality in science teaching should be knowledgeable about their subject matter, their student population, and should be resourceful; should possess an academic background in science and professional experience in science teaching; should exhibit professionalism, a passion for science and teaching, and a dedication to teaching and student learning; should be skillful in planning and preparing science lessons and in organizing the classroom, in presenting the subject matter to students, in conducting a variety of hands-on activities, and in managing a classroom; and should assess whether students complete class goals and objectives, and provide feedback about grades for students promptly. The findings further reveal that some of the urban high school science teachers who were deemed to be "highly qualified", as defined by the NCLB Act, engaged in practices that threatened quality in science

Present status of high quality beam facility at Waseda University

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Washio, M.; Kawai, H.; Hama, Y.; Kudo, N.; Kobayashi, M.; Kuribayasi, T.; Kawaguchi, M.; Kuroda, R.; Maeda, K.; Nagasawa, F.; Ueyama, D.; Hizume, K.; Wang, X.J.; Hayano, H.; Urakawa, J.; Kashiwagi, S.

2004-01-01

A research project named High-Tech Research Center Project has been conducted at Waseda University. In this project, an RF gun system has been used for production of low emittance and short bunched electron beam. The experiments for the electron beam quality measurement have been carried out by slit scan techniques, etc. Short pulsed x-ray with the energy range of so-called water window has been generation by the inverse compton scattering. Further, the pulse radiolysis system has been constructed, and the stroboscopic pulse radiolysis has been applied for the detection of hydrated electron in picosecond time region. (author)

New techniques for analyzing relationships between energy and water quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, E.; Thode, H.C. Jr.

1980-01-01

Water quality data for 65 variables were obtained for the period 1955 to 1977 and aggregated on a county basis. Measurements were taken primarily in New England and the Middle Atlantic States. When a subset of 138 counties with complete data was used, it was found that county aggregation statistical procedures resulted in data still able to describe the chemical characteristics of natural waters. Energy and socioeconomic data were merged with water quality data for these 138 counties. The path analytic methodology used by geneticists was adapted for use with these combined data to investigate for potential interactions between energy-related activities and water quality. A path diagram was proposed to provide insight into the possible causal nature of these interrelations. Direct and indirect pathways from energy production and use were traced to three factors describing functional attributes of water: conductivity, hardness, and dissolved metallic ions. This analysis explained 25 to 40% of the variance in three water quality factors and indicated the applicability of this technique to regional assessments of water quality impacts due to many human activities

Quality assurance and product quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacroix, D.; Bastiani, P. de

2004-01-01

The basic quality assurance requirements have to be completed by means that are oriented towards the quality of products; in COGEMA LOGISTICS our approach is based on four principles: 1) an integrated management system: Quality, health and safety, environment 2) an organization based on the responsibility of all actors, trust and transparency 3) a methodical approach to continuously improve the methods that are employed to achieve quality: -process management -corrective and preventive actions -self assessments and various surveys 4) but at the same time strong procedures for control and monitoring of all activities: -technical and quality audits (external and internal) -at source inspections -engineering activities inspections This performance-based approach is necessary to guaranty the effectiveness of the traditional formal QA means

Highly reliable TOFD UT Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acharya, G.D.; Trivedi, S.A.R.; Pai, K.B.

2003-01-01

The high performance of the time of flight diffraction technique (TOFD) with regard to the detection capabilities of weld defects such as crack, slag, lack of fusion has led to a rapidly increasing acceptance of the technique as a pre?service inspection tool. Since the early 1990s TOFD has been applied to several projects, where it replaced the commonly used radiographic testing. The use of TOM lead to major time savings during new build and replacement projects. At the same time the TOFD technique was used as base line inspection, which enables monitoring in the future for critical welds, but also provides documented evidence for life?time. The TOFD technique as the ability to detect and simultaneously size flows of nearly any orientation within the weld and heat affected zone. TOM is recognized as a reliable, proven technique for detection and sizing of defects and proven to be a time saver, resulting in shorter shutdown periods and construction project times. Thus even in cases where inspection price of TOFD per welds is higher, in the end it will result in significantly lower overall costs and improve quality. This paper deals with reliability, economy, acceptance criteria and field experience. It also covers comparative study between radiography technique Vs. TOFD. (Author)

COSTING OF QUALITY IN BUSINESS BASE UNIT SEVERAL PRODUCTIONS, CIENFUEGOS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gómez Alfonso, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The calculation of quality costs as a component of the System of Quality Management, is a must for Cuban business managers, to provide a technique identified as an advanced instrument of management, which will lead to improved competitiveness and serve as an informative source. Identify and calculate the costs of quality, as well as propose measured plans, to promote a decrease in operating expenses, which can be used as a tool to improve processes. The Business Unit of Several Base Productions of Cienfuegos presents the fault to give way to Business Improvement and certification of its Quality Management System, according to the norm ISO 9001:2008 and the decree law 281, so that the objective research was to estimate the costs of quality processes in the company. To achieve this level were used empirical methods and techniques such as direct observation, document review and work in groups, which allowed to calculate the costs of quality in all processes. The results obtained are applicable to companies that operate in the Cuban economy and according to the Cuban economic model implemented from the year 2011.

Development of high productivity pipeline girth welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yapp, David; Liratzis, Theocharis

2010-01-01

The trend for increased oil and gas consumption implies a growth of long-distance pipeline installations. Welding is a critical factor in the installation of pipelines, both onshore and offshore, and the rate at which the pipeline can be laid is generally determined by the speed of welding. This has resulted in substantial developments in pipeline welding techniques. Arc welding is still the dominant process used in practice, and forge welding processes have had limited successful application to date, in spite of large investments in process development. Power beam processes have also been investigated in detail and the latest laser systems now show promise for practical application. In recent years the use of high strength steels has substantially reduced the cost of pipeline installation, with X70 and X80 being commonly used. This use of high strength pipeline produced by thermomechanical processing has also been researched. They must all meet three requirments, high productivity, satisfactory weld properties, and weld quality

Nannochloropsis algae pyrolysis with ceria-based catalysts for production of high-quality bio-oils.

Science.gov (United States)

Aysu, Tevfik; Sanna, Aimaro

2015-10-01

Pyrolysis of Nannochloropsis was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor with newly prepared ceria based catalysts. The effects of pyrolysis parameters such as temperature and catalysts on product yields were investigated. The amount of bio-char, bio-oil and gas products, as well as the compositions of the resulting bio-oils was determined. The results showed that both temperature and catalyst had significant effects on conversion of Nannochloropsis into solid, liquid and gas products. The highest bio-oil yield (23.28 wt%) and deoxygenation effect was obtained in the presence of Ni-Ce/Al2O3 as catalyst at 500°C. Ni-Ce/Al2O3 was able to retain 59% of the alga starting energy in the bio-oil, compared to only 41% in absence of catalyst. Lower content of acids and oxygen in the bio-oil, higher aliphatics (62%), combined with HHV show promise for production of high-quality bio-oil from Nannochloropsis via Ni-Ce/Al2O3 catalytic pyrolysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Considerations of critical quality attributes in the analytical comparability assessment of biosimilar products.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Ohseok; Joung, Jeewon; Park, Younjoo; Kim, Chan Wha; Hong, Seung Hwa

2017-07-01

Based on experience in clinical trial approvals and marketing authorizations for biosimilar products in Korea, we suggest principles for the analytical comparability assessment of biosimilar products with respect to regulatory considerations. The composition and manufacturing processes of biosimilar products can differ from those of the reference product depending on the information available for the reference product and the time of product development; however, the analytical characteristics of biosimilar products should be highly similar to those of the reference product. Although manufacturing an identical product in terms of the quality profile is nearly impossible due to the high molecular weight and complex structure of biological products, the developer of the biosimilar product should attempt to establish a quality level as similar to that of the reference product as possible. When comparing the similarity of quality attributes, the criticality of the quality attributes and the characteristics of orthogonal quality attributes need to be considered carefully. Based on the results from the analytical comparability assessment, the comparability results of non-clinical and clinical studies should be evaluated before claiming biosimilarity to the reference product. In this review, we focus on quality attribute evaluation based on our regulatory experience. Copyright © 2017 International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microbiological quality and safety assessment in the production of moderate and high humidity cheeses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denise da Fontoura Prates

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Moderate and high humidity cheeses are described as important vehicles of pathogens in many foodborne diseases outbreaks. Microbial contamination can occur in raw material or in the different steps of the product processing due to inadequate hygiene practices. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety in the production of moderate and high humidity cheese. Samples from raw milk, handlers’ hands surface, final product were collected in three cheese manufacturing plants located in southern Brazil, with different levels of sanitary control. Effectiveness of milk pasteurization was also evaluated. Thermotolerant coliforms, coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes were evaluated. Raw milk samples showed the highest contamination levels, with enumeration of 1.1x105 most probable number (MPN mL-1 for thermotolerant coliforms, 4x105 colony-forming units (CFU mL-1 for CPS and presence of Salmonella spp. CPS were also reported in one sample of handler’s hands surface. However, only one sample of the final product was out of Brazilian regulatory standards, exceeding the limit allowed for CPS. Milk pasteurization process used in cheese preparation was effective, regardless the level of sanitary control of the industries. Results highlighted the need for better hygiene practices, in obtaining the raw milk and in the handling during the cheese manufacturing steps.

Systems Engineering Metrics: Organizational Complexity and Product Quality Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Mog, Robert A.

1997-01-01

Innovative organizational complexity and product quality models applicable to performance metrics for NASA-MSFC's Systems Analysis and Integration Laboratory (SAIL) missions and objectives are presented. An intensive research effort focuses on the synergistic combination of stochastic process modeling, nodal and spatial decomposition techniques, organizational and computational complexity, systems science and metrics, chaos, and proprietary statistical tools for accelerated risk assessment. This is followed by the development of a preliminary model, which is uniquely applicable and robust for quantitative purposes. Exercise of the preliminary model using a generic system hierarchy and the AXAF-I architectural hierarchy is provided. The Kendall test for positive dependence provides an initial verification and validation of the model. Finally, the research and development of the innovation is revisited, prior to peer review. This research and development effort results in near-term, measurable SAIL organizational and product quality methodologies, enhanced organizational risk assessment and evolutionary modeling results, and 91 improved statistical quantification of SAIL productivity interests.

Production Of Hollow Toy Product From Radiation Pre vulcanized Natural Rubber Latex (RVNRL) By Using Casting And Moulding Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Noorwadi Mat Lazim; Sofian Ibrahim; Muhammad Saiful Omar

2013-01-01

Hollow toy products are very synonym to the child from the age of months since it able to stimulating each of their sense such as sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Most of hollow toy products are made from natural rubber latex by using moulding and casting technique. The moulding and casting technique is a manufacturing process by pored liquid latex into a mould, which contain cavity of the desired shape. The mould made from plaster of Paris able to absorbs water from latex meanwhile the presence of calcium ions from plaster of Paris will tend to diffuse into latex thus promote formation of deposit on surface of cavity mould. To improve the quality and safety of hollow toy product made from latex, Radiation Pre vulcanized Natural Rubber Latex (RVNRL) has been identified to be used because it can fulfill the standard requirement for latex and also due to its special abilities such as lower modulus (soft latex products), nitrosamines free, low in nitrosatables, free from chemical accelerators induced allergies and better biodegradability. This paper identify the problem appears from the process of making hollow toy products from RVNRL by using moulding and casting technique. (author)

Application of Proteomics in Food Technology and Food Biotechnology: Process Development, Quality Control and Product Safety

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dajana Gašo-Sokač

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Human food is a very complex biological mixture and food processing and safety are very important and essential disciplines. Proteomics technology using different high-performance separation techniques such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, one-dimensional and multidimensional chromatography, combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry has the power to monitor the protein composition of foods and their changes during the production process. The use of proteomics in food technology is presented, especially for characterization and standardization of raw materials, process development, detection of batch-to-batch variations and quality control of the final product. Further attention is paid to the aspects of food safety, especially regarding biological and microbial safety and the use of genetically modified foods.

Assuring quality in high-consequence engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoover, Marcey L.; Kolb, Rachel R.

2014-03-01

In high-consequence engineering organizations, such as Sandia, quality assurance may be heavily dependent on staff competency. Competency-dependent quality assurance models are at risk when the environment changes, as it has with increasing attrition rates, budget and schedule cuts, and competing program priorities. Risks in Sandia's competency-dependent culture can be mitigated through changes to hiring, training, and customer engagement approaches to manage people, partners, and products. Sandia's technical quality engineering organization has been able to mitigate corporate-level risks by driving changes that benefit all departments, and in doing so has assured Sandia's commitment to excellence in high-consequence engineering and national service.

Application of microscopy technique and high-performance liquid chromatography for quality assessment of the flower bud of Tussilago farfara L. (Kuandonghua)

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Da; Liang, Li; Zhang, Jing; Kang, Tingguo

2015-01-01

Background: Quality control is one of the bottleneck problems limiting the application and development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In recent years, microscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques have been frequently applied in the quality control of TCM. However, studies combining conventional microscopy and HPLC techniques for the quality control of the flower bud of Tussilago farfara L. (Kuandonghua) have not been reported. Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the quality of the flower bud of T. farfara L. and to establish the relationships between the quantity of pollen grains and four main bioactive constituents: tussilagone, chlorogenic acid, rutin and isoquercitrin. Materials and Methods: In this study, microscopic examination was used to quantify microscopic characteristics of the flower bud of T. farfara L., and the chemical components were determined by HPLC. The data were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences statistics software. Results: The results of the analysis showed that tussilagone, chlorogenic acid, rutin and isoquercitrin were significantly correlated with the quantity of pollen grains in the flower bud of T. farfara L. There is a positive correlation between them. From these results, it can be deduced that the flower bud of T. farfara L. with a greater quantity of pollen grains should be of better quality. Conclusion: The study showed that the established method can be helpful for evaluating the quality of the flower bud of T. farfara L. based on microscopic characteristic constants and chemical quantitation. PMID:26246737

Accelerated Solvent Extraction: An Innovative Sample Extraction Technique for Natural Products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazlina Ahmad Hassali; Azfar Hanif Abd Aziz; Rosniza Razali

2015-01-01

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is one of the novel techniques that have been developed for the extraction of phytochemicals from plants in order to shorten the extraction time, decrease the solvent consumption, increase the extraction yield and enhance the quality of extracts. This technique combines elevated temperatures and pressure with liquid solvents. This paper gives a brief overview of accelerated solvent extraction technique for sample preparation and its application to the extraction of natural products. Through practical examples, the effects of operational parameters such as temperature, volume of solvent used, extraction time and extraction yields on the performance of ASE are discussed. It is demonstrated that ASE technique allows reduced solvent consumption and shorter extraction time, while the extraction yields are even higher than those obtained with conventional methods. (author)

Grassland-Cropping Rotations: An Avenue for Agricultural Diversification to Reconcile High Production with Environmental Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemaire, Gilles; Gastal, François; Franzluebbers, Alan; Chabbi, Abad

2015-11-01

A need to increase agricultural production across the world to ensure continued food security appears to be at odds with the urgency to reduce the negative environmental impacts of intensive agriculture. Around the world, intensification has been associated with massive simplification and uniformity at all levels of organization, i.e., field, farm, landscape, and region. Therefore, we postulate that negative environmental impacts of modern agriculture are due more to production simplification than to inherent characteristics of agricultural productivity. Thus by enhancing diversity within agricultural systems, it should be possible to reconcile high quantity and quality of food production with environmental quality. Intensification of livestock and cropping systems separately within different specialized regions inevitably leads to unacceptable environmental impacts because of the overly uniform land use system in intensive cereal areas and excessive N-P loads in intensive animal areas. The capacity of grassland ecosystems to couple C and N cycles through microbial-soil-plant interactions as a way for mitigating the environmental impacts of intensive arable cropping system was analyzed in different management options: grazing, cutting, and ley duration, in order to minimize trade-offs between production and the environment. We suggest that integrated crop-livestock systems are an appropriate strategy to enhance diversity. Sod-based rotations can temporally and spatially capture the benefits of leys for minimizing environmental impacts, while still maintaining periods and areas of intensive cropping. Long-term experimental results illustrate the potential of such systems to sequester C in soil and to reduce and control N emissions to the atmosphere and hydrosphere.

Improving the quality of pork and pork products (EU project)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Mette; Grunert, Klaus G.; Bonneau, M.

2008-01-01

demands. A large EU-project (Q-PorkChains) funded by EU 6th framework programme was initiated in January 2007. The aim of Q-PorkChains is to improve the quality of pork and its products for the consumer and to develop innovative, integrated and sustainable food production chains with low environmental....... The European Unions self-sufficiency and leading position in the global market for pork and pork products is challenged by a number of non-European countries. Therefore, there is a need for developing innovative, integrated, and sustainable food production chains of high quality pork products matching consumer...... impact. Q-PorkChains is composed of six research modules (consumer and citizen demands, pig production, product development, pork chain management, molecular quality control and knowledge synthesis) and two horizontal modules focusing on implementation of obtained knowledge in pilot and demonstration...

Developing Flanagan's critical incident technique to elicit indicators of high and low quality nursing care from patients and their nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Norman, I J; Redfern, S J; Tomalin, D A; Oliver, S

1992-05-01

This paper discusses a development of Flanagan's critical incident technique (CIT) to elicit indicators of high and low quality nursing from patients and their nurses on medical, surgical and elderly care wards. Stages in undertaking the CIT are identified and presuppositions held by most researchers about the nature of the technique are identified. The paper describes how the authors moved to a different set of presuppositions during the course of the study. Preliminary analysis of interview transcripts revealed that critical incidents need not always be demarcated scenes with a clear beginning and end, but may arise from respondents summarizing their overall experience within their description of one incident. Characteristically respondents were unable to give a detailed account of such incidents but validity may be established by the fact that respondents appear to recount what actually happened as they saw it, and what they said was clearly important to them. The researchers found that the most appropriate basic unit of analysis was not the incident itself but 'happenings' revealed by incidents that are 'critical' by virtue of being important to respondents with respect to the quality of nursing care. The importance of CIT researchers achieving an understanding of the 'meaning' of critical happenings to respondents is emphasized. Analysis of the interview transcripts is facilitated by the use of INGRES, a relational database computer program which should enable a 'personal theory' of quality nursing for each respondent, both patients and nurses, to be described. The study suggests that the CIT is a flexible technique which may be adapted to meet the demands of nursing research. If carefully applied, the CIT seems capable of capitalizing on respondents' own stories and avoids the loss of information which occurs when complex narratives are reduced to simple descriptive categories. Patients and nurses have unique perspectives on nursing and their views are of

PLEIADES-HR INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR RADIOMETRIC IMAGE QUALITY COMMISSIONING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Blanchet

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The first Pleiades-HR satellite, part of a constellation of two, has been launched on December 17, 2011. This satellite produces high resolution optical images. In order to achieve good image quality, Pleiades-HR should first undergo an important 6 month commissioning phase period. This phase consists in calibrating and assessing the radiometric and geometric image quality to offer the best images to end users. This new satellite has benefited from technology improvements in various fields which make it stand out from other Earth observation satellites. In particular, its best-in-class agility performance enables new calibration and assessment techniques. This paper is dedicated to presenting these innovative techniques that have been tested for the first time for the Pleiades- HR radiometric commissioning. Radiometric activities concern compression, absolute calibration, detector normalization, and refocusing operations, MTF (Modulation Transfer Function assessment, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR estimation, and tuning of the ground processing parameters. The radiometric performances of each activity are summarized in this paper.

ALMA High Frequency Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, J. D.; Mason, B.; Impellizzeri, V.; Kameno, S.; Fomalont, E.; Chibueze, J.; Takahashi, S.; Remijan, A.; Wilson, C.; ALMA Science Team

2015-12-01

The purpose of the ALMA High Frequency Campaign is to improve the quality and efficiency of science observing in Bands 8, 9, and 10 (385-950 GHz), the highest frequencies available to the ALMA project. To this end, we outline observing modes which we have demonstrated to improve high frequency calibration for the 12m array and the ACA, and we present the calibration of the total power antennas at these frequencies. Band-to-band (B2B) transfer and bandwidth switching (BWSW), techniques which improve the speed and accuracy of calibration at the highest frequencies, are most necessary in Bands 8, 9, and 10 due to the rarity of strong calibrators. These techniques successfully enable increased signal-to-noise on the calibrator sources (and better calibration solutions) by measuring the calibrators at lower frequencies (B2B) or in wider bandwidths (BWSW) compared to the science target. We have also demonstrated the stability of the bandpass shape to better than 2.4% for 1 hour, hidden behind random noise, in Band 9. Finally, total power observing using the dual sideband receivers in Bands 9 and 10 requires the separation of the two sidebands; this procedure has been demonstrated in Band 9 and is undergoing further testing in Band 10.

Linking quality goals and product development competences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Johanne Rønnow; Harmsen, Hanne; Friis, Alan

2008-01-01

Quality is a main determinant of consumer food choice. Product development is accordingly a key activity for companies, because it generates the products on the quality of which consumer choices are based. In this respect, product development managers have a focal role, as their personal quality......, including reversed laddering sessions with 18 product development managers. Discrepancies between managerial and consumer quality goals are uncovered. Furthermore, the results point to two general dilemmas faced by product development managers in relation to quality; an external stakeholder dilemma...... orientation influence the way product development is performed. The aim of this paper is to investigate managerial quality goals and how these may be linked to product development competences, which has not previously been studied. The study draws on an empirical, qualitative study in the Danish food industry...

Scalable graphene production from ethanol decomposition by microwave argon plasma torch

Science.gov (United States)

Melero, C.; Rincón, R.; Muñoz, J.; Zhang, G.; Sun, S.; Perez, A.; Royuela, O.; González-Gago, C.; Calzada, M. D.

2018-01-01

A fast, efficient and simple method is presented for the production of high quality graphene on a large scale by using an atmospheric pressure plasma-based technique. This technique allows to obtain high quality graphene in powder in just one step, without the use of neither metal catalysts and nor specific substrate during the process. Moreover, the cost for graphene production is significantly reduced since the ethanol used as carbon source can be obtained from the fermentation of agricultural industries. The process provides an additional benefit contributing to the revalorization of waste in the production of a high-value added product like graphene. Thus, this work demonstrates the features of plasma technology as a low cost, efficient, clean and environmentally friendly route for production of high-quality graphene.

Fabrication of high-quality single-crystal Cu thin films using radio-frequency sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seunghun; Kim, Ji Young; Lee, Tae-Woo; Kim, Won-Kyung; Kim, Bum-Su; Park, Ji Hun; Bae, Jong-Seong; Cho, Yong Chan; Kim, Jungdae; Oh, Min-Wook; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Jeong, Se-Young

2014-08-29

Copper (Cu) thin films have been widely used as electrodes and interconnection wires in integrated electronic circuits, and more recently as substrates for the synthesis of graphene. However, the ultra-high vacuum processes required for high-quality Cu film fabrication, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), restricts mass production with low cost. In this work, we demonstrated high-quality Cu thin films using a single-crystal Cu target and radio-frequency (RF) sputtering technique; the resulting film quality was comparable to that produced using MBE, even under unfavorable conditions for pure Cu film growth. The Cu thin film was epitaxially grown on an Al2O3 (sapphire) (0001) substrate, and had high crystalline orientation along the (111) direction. Despite the 10(-3) Pa vacuum conditions, the resulting thin film was oxygen free due to the high chemical stability of the sputtered specimen from a single-crystal target; moreover, the deposited film had >5× higher adhesion force than that produced using a polycrystalline target. This fabrication method enabled Cu films to be obtained using a simple, manufacturing-friendly process on a large-area substrate, making our findings relevant for industrial applications.

Association between product quality control and process quality control of bulk milk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velthuis, A.; Asseldonk, van M.A.P.M.

2010-01-01

Assessment of dairy-milk quality is based on product quality control (testing bulk-milk samples) and process quality control (auditing dairy farms). It is unknown whether process control improves product quality. To quantify possible association between product control and process control a

Product quality, service reliability and management of operations at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

High product quality, service reliability, and management of operations are key factors in business growth and sustainability. Analyzing “The Starbucks Experience” is a pedagogical approach to reinforcing the concepts of control and management of quality, service reliability, and efficient operations in action. The objective ...

The assessment of quality of products using selected quality instruments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edyta Kardas

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The quality parameters of products should be controlled at every stage of the production process, since it allows detection of any problems even in the initial stages of production processes and removes their causes during manufacturing. Final control of products is intended to capture non-conforming products that did not go to the customers. The results of such controls should constantly be analysed. Such analysis can help to detect the most common problems, determine some dependences or identify the causes of such situations. A lot of different instruments that can support improvement of processes can be used for this kind of analysis. The paper presents the possibility of using some tools which can be utilized to support the analysis and assessment of quality of products at different stages of the production process. The quality analysis of exemplary products using selected quality methods and tolls is carried out. Metal sleeve, that is part of electronic control subassembly of anti-blocking system of ABS, which was the research component being studied.

Quality keeping and upgrading technique on delivery of raw fodder and so forth by using radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Ryoei; Tanaka Osamu; Uegaki, Ryuichi; Ando, Sada; Akiyama, Fumiaki; Yamada, Akio

1999-01-01

This study aimed at examining chemical and microbiological changes of feed raw materials caused by γ-ray radiation and obtaining some fundamental informations for development of new preparation and storage technique using radiation. In previous results, it could be estimated that the γ-ray radiation showed an effect to protect quality decrease of the silage. In particular, a product with good chemical compositions and sheep fondness and excellent quality on blended silage with pasture and beer cake could be obtained. In 1997 fiscal year, on bean curd refuse with fast putrefaction, a relationship between time length from production to closed sealing for blended silage and quality after preparation was examined. (G.K.)

Quality Assessment of Collection 6 MODIS Atmospheric Science Products

Science.gov (United States)

Manoharan, V. S.; Ridgway, B.; Platnick, S. E.; Devadiga, S.; Mauoka, E.

2015-12-01

Since the launch of the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites in December 1999 and May 2002, respectively, atmosphere and land data acquired by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on-board these satellites have been reprocessed five times at the MODAPS (MODIS Adaptive Processing System) located at NASA GSFC. The global land and atmosphere products use science algorithms developed by the NASA MODIS science team investigators. MODAPS completed Collection 6 reprocessing of MODIS Atmosphere science data products in April 2015 and is currently generating the Collection 6 products using the latest version of the science algorithms. This reprocessing has generated one of the longest time series of consistent data records for understanding cloud, aerosol, and other constituents in the earth's atmosphere. It is important to carefully evaluate and assess the quality of this data and remove any artifacts to maintain a useful climate data record. Quality Assessment (QA) is an integral part of the processing chain at MODAPS. This presentation will describe the QA approaches and tools adopted by the MODIS Land/Atmosphere Operational Product Evaluation (LDOPE) team to assess the quality of MODIS operational Atmospheric products produced at MODAPS. Some of the tools include global high resolution images, time series analysis and statistical QA metrics. The new high resolution global browse images with pan and zoom have provided the ability to perform QA of products in real time through synoptic QA on the web. This global browse generation has been useful in identifying production error, data loss, and data quality issues from calibration error, geolocation error and algorithm performance. A time series analysis for various science datasets in the Level-3 monthly product was recently developed for assessing any long term drifts in the data arising from instrument errors or other artifacts. This presentation will describe and discuss some test cases from the

Techniques for the identification of corrosion products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramanathan, L.V.

1988-12-01

This paper presents the different techniques that can be used to identify corrosion/oxidation products through determination of either their composition or their structure, chemical analysis and spectrochemical analysis are commonly used to determine the composition of gross corrosion products. Surface anaLysis techniques such as electron microprobe, AES, ESCA, SIMS, ISS, neutron activation analysis, etc., can be used not only to detect the concentration of the various elements present, but also to obtain the concentration profiles of these elements through the corrosion products. The structure of corrosion products is normally determined with the aid of either X-ray or electron diffraction techniques. This paper describes the basic principles, typical characteristics, limitations and the types of information that can be obtained from each of the techniques along with some typical examples. (author) [pt

Review of the quantification techniques for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in food products.

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Vasudha; Kumar, Pawan; Kwon, Eilhann E; Kim, Ki-Hyun

2017-10-13

There is a growing need for accurate detection of trace-level PAHs in food products due to the numerous detrimental effects caused by their contamination (e.g., toxicity, carcinogenicity, and teratogenicity). This review aims to discuss the up-to-date knowledge on the measurement techniques available for PAHs contained in food or its related products. This article aims to provide a comprehensive outline on the measurement techniques of PAHs in food to help reduce their deleterious impacts on human health based on the accurate quantification. The main part of this review is dedicated to the opportunities and practical options for the treatment of various food samples and for accurate quantification of PAHs contained in those samples. Basic information regarding all available analytical measurement techniques for PAHs in food samples is also evaluated with respect to their performance in terms of quality assurance.

Optimum profit model considering production, quality and sale problem

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chung-Ho; Lu, Chih-Lun

2011-12-01

Chen and Liu ['Procurement Strategies in the Presence of the Spot Market-an Analytical Framework', Production Planning and Control, 18, 297-309] presented the optimum profit model between the producers and the purchasers for the supply chain system with a pure procurement policy. However, their model with a simple manufacturing cost did not consider the used cost of the customer. In this study, the modified Chen and Liu's model will be addressed for determining the optimum product and process parameters. The authors propose a modified Chen and Liu's model under the two-stage screening procedure. The surrogate variable having a high correlation with the measurable quality characteristic will be directly measured in the first stage. The measurable quality characteristic will be directly measured in the second stage when the product decision cannot be determined in the first stage. The used cost of the customer will be measured by adopting Taguchi's quadratic quality loss function. The optimum purchaser's order quantity, the producer's product price and the process quality level will be jointly determined by maximising the expected profit between them.

Fabricating High-Quality 3D-Printed Alloys for Dental Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min-Ho Hong

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Metal additive manufacturing (AM, especially selective laser melting (SLM, has been receiving particular attention because metallic functional structures with complicated configurations can be effectively fabricated using the technique. However, there still exist some future challenges for the fabrication of high-quality SLM products for dental applications. First, the surface quality of SLM products should be further improved by standardizing the laser process parameters or by appropriately post-treating the surface. Second, it should be guaranteed that dental SLM restorations have good dimensional accuracy and, in particular, a good marginal fit. Third, a definitive standard regarding building and scanning strategies, which affect the anisotropy, should be established to optimize the mechanical properties and fatigue resistance of SLM dental structures. Fourth, the SLM substructure’s bonding and support to veneering ceramic should be further studied to facilitate the use of esthetic dental restorations. Finally, the biocompatibility of SLM dental alloys should be carefully examined and improved to minimize the potential release of toxic metal ions from the alloys. Future research of SLM should focus on solving the above challenges, as well as on fabricating dental structures with “controlled” porosity.

Application of nuclear techniques in improving agricultural productivity with particular reference to pasture management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majid Ajorlo; Ramdzani Abdullah

2009-01-01

Nuclear techniques are appropriate tools to settle problems for agriculture or natural resources which cannot be solved using conventional agricultural techniques. In this paper, the research activities carried out and the achievements so far obtained in the agricultural specialties -all by using nuclear techniques- with particular reference to pasture management are discussed. Insect pest control by Sterile Insect Techniques (SIT); soil and water management using neutron moisture probes; determining N-fixation capacity of legumes using N-15 isotope and nuclear methods; soil erosion measurement using of fallout radionuclide such as Cs-137; monitoring the movement of saline water in salt-affected land using isotopes of chlorine; livestock production and health by RIA and ELISA are some of achievements so far obtained in improving agricultural productivity. The ultimate goal of the nuclear technique investigation in agriculture is to use the resources efficiently in obtaining higher plant and livestock yields while increasing the quality and protecting them against insects, diseases and weeds. (Author)

Organic leek seed production - securing seed quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deleuran, Lise Christina; Boelt, Birte

2011-01-01

To maintain integrity in organic farming, availability of organically produced GM-free seed of varieties adapted to organic production systems is of vital impor-tance. Despite recent achievements, organic seed supply for a number of vegetable species is insufficient. Still, in many countries...... seeds. Tunnel production is a means of securing seed of high genetic purity and quality, and organic leek (Allium porrum L.) seed production was tested in tunnels in Denmark. The present trial focused on steckling size and in all years large stecklings had a positive effect on both seed yield...

Organic Leek Seed Production - Securing Seed Quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deleuran, L C; Boelt, B

2011-01-01

To maintain integrity in organic farming, availability of organically produced GM-free seed of varieties adapted to organic production systems is of vital impor-tance. Despite recent achievements, organic seed supply for a number of vegetable species is insufficient. Still, in many countries...... seeds. Tunnel production is a means of securing seed of high genetic purity and quality, and organic leek (Allium porrum L.) seed production was tested in tunnels in Denmark. The present trial focused on steckling size and in all years large stecklings had a positive effect on both seed yield...

Nuclear techniques in food production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merlin, J.P.C.

1975-01-01

This study is divided into three parts. The first, devoted to the use of radiations in food production, deals especially with artificial mutagenesis, selectors taking advantage of altered hereditary features in plants from irradiated seed; sterilization of animals to eliminate harmful insects (male sterilization technique); the lethal power of radiations used for the production of animal vaccins, attenuated by irradiation, against organisms which infest or degrade food products. Part two shows that radioactive atoms used as tracers to reveal migrations and chemical transformations of products such as fertilizers and pesticides can speed up all kinds of agronomical research. Their possibilities in research on animal feeding and to detect poisonous substances in foodstuffs are also mentioned. The last part is devoted to the use of nuclear techniques in irrigation and more precisely in the study of underground water flows soil moisture and lastly the future of nuclear desalination [fr

Quality transitivity and traceability system of herbal medicine products based on quality markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Changxiao; Guo, De-An; Liu, Liang

2018-05-15

Due to a variety of factors to affect the herb quality, the existing quality management model is unable to evaluate the process control. The development of the concept of "quality marker" (Q-marker) lays basis for establishing an independent process quality control system for herbal products. To ensure the highest degree of safety, effectiveness and quality process control of herbal products, it is aimed to establish a quality transitivity and traceability system of quality and process control from raw materials to finished herbal products. Based on the key issues and challenges of quality assessment, the current status of quality and process controls from raw materials to herbal medicinal products listed in Pharmacopoeia were analyzed and the research models including discovery and identification of Q-markers, analysis and quality management of risk evaluation were designed. Authors introduced a few new technologies and methodologies, such as DNA barcoding, chromatographic technologies, fingerprint analysis, chemical markers, bio-responses, risk management and solution for quality process control. The quality and process control models for herbal medicinal products were proposed and the transitivity and traceability system from raw materials to the finished products was constructed to improve the herbal quality from the entire supply and production chain. The transitivity and traceability system has been established based on quality markers, especially on how to control the production process under Good Engineering Practices, as well as to implement the risk management for quality and process control in herbal medicine production. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Nondestructive methods for quality evaluation of livestock products.

Science.gov (United States)

Narsaiah, K; Jha, Shyam N

2012-06-01

The muscles derived from livestock are highly perishable. Rapid and nondestructive methods are essential for quality assurance of such products. Potential nondestructive methods, which can supplement or replace many of traditional time consuming destructive methods, include colour and computer image analysis, NIR spectroscopy, NMRI, electronic nose, ultrasound, X-ray imaging and biosensors. These methods are briefly described and the research work involving them for products derived from livestock is reviewed. These methods will be helpful in rapid screening of large number of samples, monitoring distribution networks, quick product recall and enhance traceability in the value chain of livestock products. With new developments in the areas of basic science related to these methods, colour, image processing, NIR spectroscopy, biosensors and ultrasonic analysis are expected to be widespread and cost effective for large scale meat quality evaluation in near future.

Twelfth ISAS national symposium on analytical techniques for safety and sufficiency of natural resources/products: technical papers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padmanabhan, P.K.; Page, A.G.

1997-02-01

This volume contains the proceedings of the ISAS (Indian Society of Analytical Scientists) national symposium. The main thrust of the symposium was on new fuel cycle technologies relevant to thorium utilisation programmes. The technologies for different separation processes, techniques for measurements of various process parameters and highly sensitive analytical methods for the determination of the chemical constituents were among the other topics covered. Quality upgradation, standardisation of methods and validation of measurements which are integral parts of product evaluation were also discussed. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

Rare earth magnets with high energy products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirosawa, S.; Kaneko, Y.

1998-01-01

High energy-products exceeding 430 kj/m 3 (54 MGOe) have been realized on anisotropic permanent magnets based on the Nd 2 Fe 14 B phase, recently. To produce extremely high-energy-product permanent magnets, special processes have been designed in order to realize the minimum oxygen content, the maximum volume fraction of the hard magnetic Nd 2 Fe 14 B phase, the highest orientation of the easy axis of magnetization, and small and homogeneous crystalline grain sizes in the finished magnets. For the powder metallurgical process, special techniques such as low-oxygen fine powder processing and magnetic alignment using pulsed magnetic fields have been developed. It has been shown that a good control of both homogeneity of distribution of constituent phases and the narrowness of the size distribution in the starting powder have great influences on the magnetic energy products. It is emphasized that the recently developed techniques are applicable in a large-scale production, meaning that extremely high-energy-product magnets are available on commercial basis. (orig.)

Towards High Productivity in Precision Grinding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Brian Rowe

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Over the last century, substantial advances have been made, based on improved understanding of the requirements of grinding processes, machines, control systems, materials, abrasives, wheel preparation, coolants, lubricants, and coolant delivery. This paper reviews a selection of areas in which the application of scientific principles and engineering ingenuity has led to the development of new grinding processes, abrasives, tools, machines, and systems. Topics feature a selection of areas where relationships between scientific principles and new techniques are yielding improved productivity and better quality. These examples point towards further advances that can fruitfully be pursued. Applications in modern grinding technology range from high-precision kinematics for grinding very large lenses and reflectors through to medium size grinding machine processes and further down to grinding very small components used in micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS devices. The importance of material issues is emphasized for the range of conventional engineering steels, through to aerospace materials, ceramics, and composites. It is suggested that future advances in productivity will include the wider application of artificial intelligence and robotics to improve precision, process efficiency, and features required to integrate grinding processes into wider manufacturing systems.

A brief fatigue inventory of shoulder health developed by quality function deployment technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shuo-Fang; Lee, Yannlong; Huang, Yiting

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a diagnostic outcome instrument that has high reliability and low cost. The scale, called the Shoulder Fatigue Scale-30 Items (SFS-30) risk assessment, was used to determine the severity of patient neck and shoulder discomfort. The quality function deployment (QFD) technique was used in designing and developing a simple medical diagnostic scale with high degree of accuracy. Research data can be used to divide the common causes of neck and shoulder discomfort into 6 core categories: occupation, cumulative, psychologic, diseases, diet, and sleep quality. The SFS-30 was validated by using a group of individuals who had been previously diagnosed with different levels of neck and shoulder symptoms. The SFS-30 assessment determined that 78.57% of the participants experienced a neck and shoulder discomfort level above the SFS-30 risk curve and required immediate medical attention. The QFD technique can improve the accuracy and reliability of an assessment outcome instrument. This is mainly because the QFD technique is effective in prioritizing and assigning weight to the items in the scale. This research successfully developed a reliable risk assessment scale to diagnose neck and shoulder symptoms using QFD technique. This scale was proven to have high accuracy and closely represents reality.

Preparation of quality control samples for thyroid hormones T3 and T4 in radioimmunoassay techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, F.O.A.

2006-03-01

Today, the radioimmunoassay becomes one of the best techniques for quantitative analysis of very low concentration of different substances. RIA is being widely used in medical and research laboratories. To maintain high specificity and accuracy in RIA and other related techniques the quality controls must be introduced. In this dissertation quality control samples for thyroid hormones (Triiodothyronine T3 and Thyroxin T4), using RIA techniques. Ready made chinese T4, T3 RIA kits were used. IAEA statistical package were selected.(Author)

Production of high-quality marketing applications: strategies for biotechnology companies working with contract research organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hecker, Sandra J; Preston, Christopher; Foote, MaryAnn

2003-01-01

Many biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies use clinical research organizations (CROs) to assist in the writing and preparation of clinical documents intended for submission to health authorities. Start-up companies often require the expertise of a CRO to prepare their first regulatory documents. Larger or more experienced companies often require CRO staff to assist at times of multiple simultaneous submissions. The timely production of high-quality new drug marketing applications requires close collaborations between the drug company and the CRO. The views of both CRO and industry in ensuring best practices are discussed.

2. Product quality control and assurance system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

Product quality control and assurance are dealt with in relation to reliability in nuclear power engineering. The topics treated include product quality control in nuclear power engineering, product quality assurance of nuclear power plant equipment, quality assurance programs, classification of selected nuclear power equipment, and standards relating to quality control and assurance and to nuclear power engineering. Particular attention is paid to Czechoslovak and CMEA standards. (P.A.). 2 figs., 1 tab., 12 refs

Quality estimation methods used in product life cycle

OpenAIRE

M. Dudek-Burlikowska; D. Szewieczek

2007-01-01

Purpose: A new approach to quality control in production company with usage of quality research methods has been presented.Design/methodology/approach: The possibility of usage of quality research methods are connected with continuous quality improvement of pre-production, production and after-production spheres of organization. Interdependence of the quality research methods and product life cycle has been taken into account.Findings: At the present time the enterprises should integrate qua...

Alginate Adsorbent Immobilization Technique Promotes Biobutanol Production by Clostridium acetobutylicum Under Extreme Condition of High Concentration of Organic Solvent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhuoliang Ye

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol fermentation, bacteria should tolerate high concentrations of solvent products, which inhibit bacteria growth and limit further increase of solvents to more than 20 g/L. Moreover, this limited solvent concentration significantly increases the cost of solvent separation through traditional approaches. In this study, alginate adsorbent immobilization technique was successfully developed to assist in situ extraction using octanol which is effective in extracting butanol but presents strong toxic effect to bacteria. The adsorbent improved solvent tolerance of Clostridium acetobutylicum under extreme condition of high concentration of organic solvent. Using the developed technique, more than 42% of added bacteria can be adsorbed to the adsorbent. Surface area of the adsorbent was more than 10 times greater than sodium alginate. Scanning electron microscope image shows that an abundant amount of pore structure was successfully developed on adsorbents, promoting bacteria adsorption. In adsorbent assisted ABE fermentation, there was 21.64 g/L butanol in extracting layer compared to negligible butanol produced with only the extractant but without the adsorbent, for the reason that adsorbent can reduce damaging exposure of C. acetobutylicum to octanol. The strategy can improve total butanol production with respect to traditional culture approach by more than 2.5 fold and save energy for subsequent butanol recovery, which effects can potentially make the biobutanol production more economically practical.

Status for NEXIM New X-ray Imaging Modalities for safe and high quality food

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Einarsdottir, Hildur; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær; Larsen, Rasmus

2014-01-01

. The main focuses are determined to be threefold: 1)Improving the detectability of low density foreign bodies incidentally present in food products. 2)Development of new modalities for assessment of quality traits in food production, for instance connective tissue and fatty acid composition. 3)Develop...... to developing laboratory-based setups further towards an in-line scanning system. Additionally, close co-operation with industrial partners has further emphasized the need for new techniques for quality control, product development and foreign object detection....

A new technique to measure fission-product diffusion coefficients in UO2 fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hocking, W.H.; Verrall, R.A.; Bushby, S.J.

1999-01-01

This paper describes a new out-reactor technique for the measurement of fission-product diffusion rates in UO 2 . The technique accurately simulates in-reactor fission-fragment effects: a thermal diffusion that is due to localized mixing in the fission track, radiation-enhanced diffusion that is due to point-defect creation by fission fragments, and bubble resolution. The technique utilizes heavy-ion accelerators - low energy (40 keV to 1 MeV) for fission-product implantation, high energy (72 MeV) to create fission-fragment damage effects, and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for measuring the depth profile of the implanted species. Preliminary results are presented from annealing tests (not in the 72 MeV ion flux) at 1465 deg. C and 1650 deg. C at low and high concentrations of fission products. (author)

Application of gamma-ray irradiation technique to select, create and develop super rice with high quality to substitute the imported hybrid rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Duy Quy; Tran Duy Vuong; Tran Duy Duong; Bui Huy Thuc

2015-01-01

Three varieties NPT3, BQ and TQ14 were selected by irradiation ray source Gamma Co-60 with dry seed, 13% grain moisture and created at 25-30 krad. NPT3 is super rice varieties with characteristics such as: extremely short growing period (105-110 day crop; 130- 135 days in the spring, the average yield of 9-10 tones/ha), quality, stem, leaf stand, suitable for intensive capability, able to resist pests and unfavorable conditions especially the elements of productivity (amylase from 15-16%) and mass produced including hybrid rice as Nhi Uu 868, Thien Nguyen Uu 9, HYT100, etc. BQ rice varieties were high quality, average productivity gain of 7.5- 8.0 ton/ha, equivalent to hybrid rice, short growth period (105-110 days in summer season; 120- 130 days in spring season), and quality rice: content 18-20% amylose, rice delicious, supple as BC15. TQ14 varieties was planted in 2 seasons/ year, with agricultural and biological characteristics as Khang-Dan18 mutant with wide adaptation, high yield potential, the average gain from 5.9 to 6.2 tones/ha, short growth period (105-110 days in summer season, 130-135 days in spring season), insect resistance, quality of rice suitable for manufacturing technology like noodles, instant noodles, rice noodles, Ethanol. (author)

Universal and rapid salt-extraction of high quality genomic DNA for PCR-based techniques.

OpenAIRE

Aljanabi, S M; Martinez, I

1997-01-01

A very simple, fast, universally applicable and reproducible method to extract high quality megabase genomic DNA from different organisms is described. We applied the same method to extract high quality complex genomic DNA from different tissues (wheat, barley, potato, beans, pear and almond leaves as well as fungi, insects and shrimps' fresh tissue) without any modification. The method does not require expensive and environmentally hazardous reagents and equipment. It can be performed even i...

In vitro gas production in rumen fluid of buffalo as affected by urea-calcium mixture in high-quality feed block.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherdthong, Anusorn; Wanapat, Metha

2014-04-01

This study aimed to determine the effect of urea-calcium sulphate mixture (U-cas) levels in high-quality feed block (HQFB) on ruminal digestibility, fermentation and gas kinetics in rumen fluid of swamp buffalo by using in vitro techniques. The treatments were seven levels of U-cas incorporated in HQFB at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18% and the experimental design was a completely randomized design. Gas production rate constants for the insoluble fraction, potential extent of gas and cumulative gas were linearly increased with increasing levels of U-cas in HQFB. The in vitro dry matter digestibility, in vitro organic matter digestibility, true digestibility and microbial mass were altered by treatments and were greatest at 18% U-cas supplementation. Concentrations of propionate were linearly increased with increasing levels of U-cas and was highest with U-cas supplementation at 18%. The NH3 -N concentration was highest when urea was added in the HQFB while NH3 -N concentration tended to be reduced with increasing level of U-cas. The findings suggest supplementation of 18% U-cas in HQFB improves kinetics of gas production, rumen fermentation, digestibility and microbial mass as well as controlling the rate of N degradation in the rumen of swamp buffalo. © 2014 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Porcelain Product Quality Analysis in PT XYZ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Hwi Chie

2015-12-01

Full Text Available PT. XYZ is a company engaged in manufacturing porcelain dinner ware such as plates, cups, teapot, bowl, etc Porcelain product is safe for use and product defect will only affect the aesthetic not the functional side. The company always maintain the quality of the products produced as by maintaining a good product, in terms of visuals, will keep customers interested in the product. Good quality products characterized by quality A / B and C, and the product defect characterized by the quality of D, Lost, and BU. Concepts and methods used to analyze is a statistical process control (SPC which includes Pareto diagram, fraction nonconformities, flow charts and fishbone diagrams and management tools (fault tree analysis. Statistical Process Control (SPC is one of the methods, which includes Pareto charts, fraction nonconformities, flow chart, and fishbone diagram and also management tools (fault tree analysis. SPC is useful to find the facts from the problems and factors that affect the quality of the products, while fault tree analysis is useful to analyze each of the production process.

A pilot modeling technique for handling-qualities research

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, R. A.

1980-01-01

A brief survey of the more dominant analysis techniques used in closed-loop handling-qualities research is presented. These techniques are shown to rely on so-called classical and modern analytical models of the human pilot which have their foundation in the analysis and design principles of feedback control. The optimal control model of the human pilot is discussed in some detail and a novel approach to the a priori selection of pertinent model parameters is discussed. Frequency domain and tracking performance data from 10 pilot-in-the-loop simulation experiments involving 3 different tasks are used to demonstrate the parameter selection technique. Finally, the utility of this modeling approach in handling-qualities research is discussed.

Quality Dimensions of Purchase Behavior Decision on Fishery Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurliza Nurliza

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The role of fishery product has been developed and acknowledged in terms of food security both as income sources and food supplies for developing countries. On the other hand, quality control has become a challenge in overcoming consumers’ decision to purchase the products. The objective of research is to understand and evaluate consumer behavior in purchasing the products in regards to quality dimension on fishery products by using non-probability sampling technique to 142 consumers in three different locations in Pontianak (shops, mini/supermarkets, and local markets. Data were gathered by in-depth interviews divided into four categories consisting of consumer profiles; product knowledge; perception and preference; and quality dimension variable with conjoint analysis. The result shows that price, flavor, moistness, texture, nutrition, packaging color, and packaging size do not affect consumers’ decision to purchase the products. On the contrary, package durability attribute is the primary factor in their decision to purchase, and it is then followed by packaging material, availability, flavor, guarantee, guarantee source, brand, packaging form, and product form. This is beneficial for producers to improve the quality factors and develop market opportunities in the future. Besides, consumers can obtain information on product characteristics to fulfill their expectation and satisfaction.Keywords: conjoint analysis, fishery products, non-probability sampling, purchase behavior, quality dimensionsABSTRAKPeran produk olahan perikanan telah berkembang dan diakui dalam keamanan pangan–baik sebagai sumber pendapatan maupun sumber makanan bagi negara-negara berkembang. Namun, pengendalian terhadap karakteristik mutu menjadi sebuah tantangan dalam menghadapi keputusan pembelian konsumen. Tujuan penelitian adalah memahami dan mengevaluasi perilaku keputusan pembelian konsumen terkait dimensi mutu pada produk olahan perikanan menggunakan teknik non

Integrating Kano’s Model into Quality Function Deployment for Product Design: A Comprehensive Review

Science.gov (United States)

Ginting, Rosnani; Hidayati, Juliza; Siregar, Ikhsan

2018-03-01

Many methods and techniques are adopted by some companies to improve the competitiveness through the fulfillment of customer satisfaction by enhancement and improvement the product design quality. Over the past few years, several researcher have studied extensively combining Quality Function Deployment and Kano’s model as design techniques by focusing on translating consumer desires into a product design. This paper presents a review and analysis of several literatures that associated to the integration methodology of Kano into the QFD process. Various of international journal articles were selected, collected and analyzed through a number of relevant scientific publications. In-depth analysis was performed, and focused in this paper on the results, advantages and drawbacks of its methodology. In addition, this paper also provides the analysis that acquired in this study related to the development of the methodology. It is hopedd this paper can be a reference for other researchers and manufacturing companies to implement the integration method of QFD- Kano for product design.

An innovative "ChemicalVia" process for the production of high density interconnect printed circuit boards The ATLAS muon chamber quality control with the X-ray tomograph at CERN

CERN Document Server

Da Silva, Vitor; Watts, David; Van der Bij, Erik; Banhidi, Z; Berbiers, Julien; Lampl, W; Marchesotti, M; Rangod, Stephane; Sbrissa, E; Schuh, S; Voss, Rüdiger; Zhuravlov, V

2004-01-01

The ChemicalVia process, patented by CERN, provides a new method of making microvias in high-density multilayer printed circuit boards of different types, such as sequential build-up (SBU), high density interconnected (HDI), or laminated multi-chip modules (MCM-L). The process uses chemical etching instead of laser, plasma or other etching techniques and can be implemented in a chain production line. This results in an overall reduced operation and maintenance cost and a much shorter hole production time as compared with other microvia processes. copy Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 4 Refs.4 An essential part of the Muon Spectrometer of the ATLAS experiment is based on the Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) technology. About 1200 muon drift chambers are being built at 13 institutes all over the world. The MDT chambers require an exceptional mechanical construction accuracy of better than 20 mu m. A dedicated X-ray tomograph has been developed at CERN since 1996 to control the mechanical quality of the chambers. The...

High energy gamma-ray production in nuclear reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinston, J.A.; Nifenecker, H.; Nifenecker, H.

1989-01-01

Experimental techniques used to study high energy gamma-ray production in nuclear reactions are reviewed. High energy photon production in nucleus-nucleus collisions is discussed. Semi-classical descriptions of the nucleus-nucleus gamma reactions are introduced. Nucleon-nucleon gamma cross sections are considered, including theoretical aspects and experimental data. High energy gamma ray production in proton-nucleus reactions is explained. Theoretical explanations of photon emission in nucleus-nucleus collisions are treated. The contribution of charged pion currents to photon production is mentioned

Growth of high-quality large-area MgB2 thin films by reactive evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moeckly, B H; Ruby, W S

2006-01-01

We report a new in situ reactive deposition thin film growth technique for the production of MgB 2 thin films which offers several advantages over all existing methods and is the first deposition method to enable the production of high-quality MgB 2 films for real-world applications. We have used this growth method, which incorporates a rotating pocket heater, to deposit MgB 2 films on a variety of substrates, including single-crystalline, polycrystalline, metallic, and semiconductor materials up to 4 inch in diameter. This technique allows growth of double-sided, large-area films in the intermediate temperature range of 400-600 deg. C. These films are clean, well-connected, and consistently display T c values of 38-39 K with low resistivity and residual resistivity values. They are also robust and uncommonly stable upon exposure to atmosphere and water. (rapid communication)

Quality Improvement and Learning in Productive Systems

OpenAIRE

Charles H. Fine

1986-01-01

Recent interest in product quality suggests that effort devoted to improving the quality of manufactured products may reduce unit costs. This conjecture---that improving quality can lower costs---challenges the traditional assumption that unit costs increase with increased quality assurance activities and has significant implications for quality management. By introducing the idea of a quality-based learning curve, this paper links the previously disjoint literatures of quality control and le...

Quality Control for Expanded Tsetse Production, Sterilization and Field Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-07-01

The use of the sterile insect technique (SIT) for the control of pest insects as part of an integrated, area-wide approach is widely accepted. Its application for the eradication of different tsetse flies, the vectors of human sleeping sickness and African animal trypanosomosis, is attracting increasing interest. Following several initial demonstrations of the application of the SIT for tsetse control the technique was applied on the island of Unguja, Zanzibar, in the mid-1990s and, as the final component of an integrated control programme, led to the eradication of the only tsetse species on the island, Glossina austeni. This successful programme encouraged a number of countries to embark on projects with an SIT component for tsetse control, most Ethiopia. In 2001 the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) was launched by the Organization of African Unity (now African Union, AU) and, subsequently, six countries obtained funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2005 to support control programmes with an SIT component. A further six countries have subsequently requested AfDB funding for their programmes. The FAO/IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) on Automation for Tsetse Mass Rearing For Use in Sterile Insect Technique Programmes, which was completed in 2001, led to the development of a semi-automated system for tsetse production. Using this new system, a large rearing facility was established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to supply sterile males for an elimination programme in the southern Rift Valley. The development of large-scale rearing highlighted the need for improved quality control procedures and, with this in mind, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture established a CRP in 2003 entitled Improved and Harmonized Quality Control for Expanded Tsetse Production, Sterilization and Field Application with the Objective of Improving and Expanding the Quality Control Sections of the FAO

Quality Control for Expanded Tsetse Production, Sterilization and Field Application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-07-15

The use of the sterile insect technique (SIT) for the control of pest insects as part of an integrated, area-wide approach is widely accepted. Its application for the eradication of different tsetse flies, the vectors of human sleeping sickness and African animal trypanosomosis, is attracting increasing interest. Following several initial demonstrations of the application of the SIT for tsetse control the technique was applied on the island of Unguja, Zanzibar, in the mid-1990s and, as the final component of an integrated control programme, led to the eradication of the only tsetse species on the island, Glossina austeni. This successful programme encouraged a number of countries to embark on projects with an SIT component for tsetse control, most Ethiopia. In 2001 the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) was launched by the Organization of African Unity (now African Union, AU) and, subsequently, six countries obtained funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2005 to support control programmes with an SIT component. A further six countries have subsequently requested AfDB funding for their programmes. The FAO/IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) on Automation for Tsetse Mass Rearing For Use in Sterile Insect Technique Programmes, which was completed in 2001, led to the development of a semi-automated system for tsetse production. Using this new system, a large rearing facility was established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to supply sterile males for an elimination programme in the southern Rift Valley. The development of large-scale rearing highlighted the need for improved quality control procedures and, with this in mind, the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture established a CRP in 2003 entitled Improved and Harmonized Quality Control for Expanded Tsetse Production, Sterilization and Field Application with the Objective of Improving and Expanding the Quality Control Sections of the FAO

Studies on safety and efficacy of gamma-irradiated ginseng -Development of irradiation techniques for quality improvement of ginseng products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Han Ok; Byeon, Meong Uh; Yang, Jae Seung; Cho, Seong Ki; Kang, Il Joon

1993-10-01

The fourth year research program on Korean ginseng was carried out in order to improve in the microbiological quality and physical properties of red ginseng and its processing by application of irradiation technology. The quality of red ginseng and their products were strictly controlled by government invested Korean Tobacco Ginseng Co., but there is a need of alternative technology for decontaminating and disinfestating in view of supplying stable raw material and securing the hygienic production because the use of food fumigants and preservatives has been restricted due to their harmful effects on human and environment. It is desirable that the limited moisture content of red ginseng product should be increased, considering the economic and physical properties of its products, by application of irradiation technology for sterilization of prepackaged red ginseng products. Red ginseng products were irradiated at dose of 0, 5, 7.5, 10 kGy respectively, following moisture content of sample were increased up to 14%, 16%, 18% and 20% by keeping at humidity controlled desiccator. Each sample stored at ambient temperature (20 deg C, 70% RH) and accelerated storage condition (40 deg C, 90% RH) were used for the evaluation of microbiological quality, TBA value, color difference measurement, hydrogen donating activity, HPLC pattern and content of saponins, change of fatty acids and characteristics of moisture absorption

Technology and quality of Skorup - traditional Montenegrin dairy product

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slavko Mirecki

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Skorup is Montenegrin traditional dairy product. Its main characteristics are extremely high content of milk fat and centuries-old technology. Due to the specific technology, high nutritional value and its historical heritage, Skorup deserves to be labelled as product with protected designation of origin (PDO or protected geographical indication (PGI. The purpose of this study was to collect the most important data about Skorup technology and quality and to launch the process of protection. The chemical quality of raw milk was analysed using IR spectrophotometry, the number of somatic cells and total bacteria count by flow cytometry, and Skorup composition by FTIR spectrophotometry. The presence of Escherichia coli, coagulase positive staphylococci and aerobic mesophilic bacteria in Skorup was detected by standard broth base methods. All Skorup samples contained more than 80 % of fat in dry matter, more than 70 % dry matter, approximately 60 % milk fat and 6 % proteins. The sensory characteristics of all samples were excellent, and according to sensory classification, they belong to the highest classes (I and IA. However, five out of twenty samples did not meet requirements for hygienic quality, which implies the urgent need for improvement of hygiene conditions during its production.

The Dynamic Signification of Product Qualities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reijonen, Satu; Tryggestad, Kjell

2012-01-01

This article addresses the “greening” of markets by inquiring into how different versions of environmental friendliness of a product are constructed and how they are placed in an order of significance in relation to each other and to other product qualities. The study extends constructivist market...... studies by elaborating on the dynamic signification of product qualities. The case analysis of the development and commercialization of a “polyvinylchloride-free” and “environmentally friendly” urinary drainage bag in the medical devices market shows these qualities to be temporal and fragile outcomes....... It is concluded that, besides a supporting socio-technical market arrangement around the product, the ability of the product to take different matters of concern into account is crucial for the possibility of “greening” markets....

Conventional and dense gas techniques for the production of liposomes: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Meure, Louise A; Foster, Neil R; Dehghani, Fariba

2008-01-01

The aim of this review paper is to compare the potential of various techniques developed for production of homogenous, stable liposomes. Traditional techniques, such as Bangham, detergent depletion, ether/ethanol injection, reverse-phase evaporation and emulsion methods, were compared with the recent advanced techniques developed for liposome formation. The major hurdles for scaling up the traditional methods are the consumption of large quantities of volatile organic solvent, the stability and homogeneity of the liposomal product, as well as the lengthy multiple steps involved. The new methods have been designed to alleviate the current issues for liposome formulation. Dense gas liposome techniques are still in their infancy, however they have remarkable advantages in reducing the use of organic solvents, providing fast, single-stage production and producing stable, uniform liposomes. Techniques such as the membrane contactor and heating methods are also promising as they eliminate the use of organic solvent, however high temperature is still required for processing.

Quality management systems for fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) sterile insect technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caceres, C.; Robinson, A.; McInnis, D.; Shelly, T.; Jang, E.; Hendrichs, J.

2007-01-01

The papers presented in this issue are focused on developing and validating procedures to improve the overall quality of sterile fruit flies for use in area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programs with a sterile insect technique (SIT) component. The group was coordinated and partially funded by the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, under a five-year Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on 'Quality Assurance in Mass-Reared and Released Fruit Flies for Use in SIT Programmes'. Participants in the CRP from 16 countries came from both basic and applied fields of expertise to ensure that appropriate and relevant procedures were developed. A variety of studies was undertaken to develop protocols to assess strain compatibility and to improve colonization procedures and strain management. Specific studies addressed issues related to insect nutrition, irradiation protocols, field dispersal and survival, field cage behavior assessments, and enhancement of mating competitiveness. The main objective was to increase the efficiency of operational fruit fly programs using sterile insects and to reduce their cost. Many of the protocols developed or improved during the CRP will be incorporated into the international quality control manual for sterile tephritid fruit flies, standardizing key components of the production, sterilization, shipment, handling, and release of sterile insects. (author) [es

Line-Scan Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques for Food Safety and Quality Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianwei Qin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Hyperspectral imaging technologies in the food and agricultural area have been evolving rapidly over the past 15 years owing to tremendous interest from both academic and industrial fields. Line-scan hyperspectral imaging is a major method that has been intensively researched and developed using different physical principles (e.g., reflectance, transmittance, fluorescence, Raman, and spatially resolved spectroscopy and wavelength regions (e.g., visible (VIS, near infrared (NIR, and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR. Line-scan hyperspectral imaging systems are mainly developed and used for surface inspection of food and agricultural products using area or line light sources. Some of these systems can also be configured to conduct spatially resolved spectroscopy measurements for internal or subsurface food inspection using point light sources. This paper reviews line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques, with introduction, demonstration, and summarization of existing and emerging techniques for food and agricultural applications. The main topics include related spectroscopy techniques, line-scan measurement methods, hardware components and systems, system calibration methods, and spectral and image analysis techniques. Applications in food safety and quality are also presented to reveal current practices and future trends of line-scan hyperspectral imaging techniques.

MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF CONFECTIONARY PRODUCTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ľubomíra Juhaniaková

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to determine microbiological quality of confectionery products. In confectionery products microbiological parameters: total count of bacteria, coliforms bacteria,mesophilic aerobes bacteria and microscopic filamentous fungi were observed. The confectionery products were evaluated: Kremeš and Venčekcake. For microbiological tests 20 samples of confectionery products were used. The numbers of total count of bacteria ranged from 3.29 log CFU.g-1, the number of mesophilic aerobes bacteria ranged from 1.86 to 2.85 log CFU.g-1, coliforms bacteria in confectionery products ranged from 0to 2.06CFU.g-1and the number of microscopic fungi ranged from 1.13 to 1.96CFU.g-1. The samples of cake prom private production showed better microbiological quality as samples from market production. All investigated samples of confectionary products were inaccordance with the Codex Alimentarius of the Slovak Republic.

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN HIGH EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasan SERİN, Alper AYTEKİN

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The approach of Total Quality Management (TQM has been even more common and most recently its use in high education has been discussed. Likewise the enterprises producing various products, universities have also inputs, processes, and outputs. Due to conditions of competition, universities have to improve the qualities of these inputs, processes, and outputs, according to satisfaction, demands, and expectations of internal and external customers. If the TQM has been implemented in the universities with a manner that aims for customer satisfaction (students, lecturers, public and private establishments, and families, supports constant development, ensures participatory approach, and encourages working in groups, it will provide universities with effectiveness, efficiency, dynamics, and economics. In this study, common problems of universities, definitions of quality and TQM in high education, customer concept at universities, and factors affecting the quality of education have been explained. Besides, in order TQM approach to be successfully implemented in the universities, various suggestions have been presented.

Quality control of nuclear fuel plates using digital image processing techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salinas, Renato; Radd, Ulrich; Coronado, Harold; Olivares, Luis

2003-01-01

The Chilean Atomic Energy Commission (CCHEN) has developed the technology requires to manufacture low enriched uranium-235 nuclear fuel elements used in non-power reactor applications and in research. These fuel plates are assembled in two nuclear facilities located at La Reina (RECH-1) and Lo Aguirre where the present work was developed. Furthermore since high quality standards have been met, these facilities are able to export these nuclear fuel plates to foreign countries. Each MTR fuel elements consists of 16 low enriched uranium silicide (U 3 Si 2 ) fuel plates. A stringent quality assurance program requires among others, homogeneity measurements of uranium surface density values of these fuel plates, which are traditionally accomplished with optical densitometry methods. We have implemented and alternative technique which uses computer vision to determine uranium surface density values in these fuel plates. Both techniques are compared. Advantages of machine vision methods include considerable time saving and a complete quantitative evaluation of uranium densities as compared to the sparse technique involved in the optical densitometry method (Au)

The perception of quality mapping product and service quality to consumer perceptions

CERN Document Server

Kenyon, George N

2015-01-01

Exploring the concept of quality management from a new point of view, this book presents a holistic model of how consumers judge the quality of products. It links consumer perceptions of quality to the design and delivery of the final product, and presents models and methods for improving the quality of these products and services. It offers readers an improved understanding of how and why the design process must consider how the consumer will perceive a product or service. In order to facilitate the presentation and understanding of these concepts, illustrations and case examples are also provided throughout the book.   This book provides an invaluable resource for managers, designers, manufacturers, professional practitioners and academics interested in quality management. It also offers a useful supplementary text for marketing and quality management courses.

7 CFR 58.142 - Product quality and stability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... production of the highest quality of finished product and improve product stability. Milk should not be more... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Product quality and stability. 58.142 Section 58.142... Procedures § 58.142 Product quality and stability. The receiving, holding and processing of milk and cream...

USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNIQUES IN QUALITY IMPROVING PROCESS

OpenAIRE

KALİTE İYİLEŞTİRME SÜRECİNDE YAPAY ZEKÃ KAYA; Orhan ENGİN

2005-01-01

Today, changing of competition conditions and customer preferences caused to happen many differences in the viewpoint of firms' quality studies. At the same time, improvements in computer technologies accelerated use of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence technologies are being used to solve many industry problems. In this paper, we investigated the use of artificial intelligence techniques to solve quality problems. The artificial intelligence techniques, which are used in quali...

Production and Quality Evaluation of Dambu-Nama – A Nigerian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nigerian Food Journal ... The most optimum processing time, viz cooking and steaming for 60, 90 and 120 min ... The findings show that boiling for 90 minutes is the best processing technique for preparation of high quality dambu-nana.

Economic production and processing of agricultural fibre plants for high quality applications in automotive, building and furniture industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pecenka, R.; Furll, C.; Gusovius, H.J. [Leibniz Inst. for Agricultural Engineering, Potsdam (Germany)

2010-07-01

The demand for high-quality fibres and shives from hemp and flax as an alternative raw material for the automotive and building industry is increasing. Fibres are used primarily for composite reinforcement instead of synthetic fibres. Shives are used for animal bedding, but processing trials in wood industry for the production of low weight particle boards from shives are also very promising. Fibre producers require experience in cultivation and harvesting as well as modern processing technologies in order to supply flax fibres or shives at competitive prices under the changing conditions of international raw material markets. A complete processing line has been developed, installed and tested at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering (ATB) to study all the processing stages of fibre production. The new ATB line can produce high quality fibres and shives from retted and unretted hemp, flax and oilseed flax straw without technical changes of the machine line. The ATB pilot plant has been operated by a cooperation of farmers since 2008. Experience from industrial operation has been used to develop a modern fibre processing line with a throughput of up to 5 t per h hemp straw in only one short line.

Variability in sunflower oil quality for biodiesel production: A simulation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereyra-Irujo, Gustavo A.; Izquierdo, Natalia G.; Covi, Mauro; Nolasco, Susana M.; Quiroz, Facundo; Aguirrezabal, Luis A.N.

2009-01-01

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from vegetable oils or animal fats. The fatty acid composition of the feedstock, which varies among and within species, is the main determinant of biodiesel quality. In this work we analyze the variability in biodiesel quality (density, kinematic viscosity, heating value, cetane number and iodine value) obtained from sunflower oil, by means of a validated crop model that predicts the fatty acid composition of one high-oleic, and three traditional (high-linoleic) sunflower hybrids. The model was run with a 10-year average weather data from 56 weather stations in Argentina, and simulation results were compared to the biodiesel standards of Argentina, USA and Europe. We show that biodiesel produced from sunflower oil does not have one fixed quality, but different qualities depending on weather conditions and agricultural practices, and that intraspecific variation in biodiesel quality can be larger than interspecific differences. Our results suggest that (a) sunflower oil from high-oleic hybrids is suitable for biodiesel production (within limits of all analyzed standards), regardless of growing conditions and (b) sunflower oil from traditional hybrids is suitable for biodiesel production under the standards of Argentina and USA, while only certain hybrids grown in warm regions (e.g., Northern Argentina, Southern USA, China, India, Pakistan) are suitable for biodiesel production according to the European standard

The future trends for research on quality and safety of animal products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nigel D. Scollan

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Quality must now be considered as a convergence between consumers' wishes and needs and the intrinsic and extrinsic quality attributes of food products. The increasing number of quality attributes which must be considered, increasing globalisation and the heterogeneity in consumption habits between countries are making this convergence progressively more difficult. In parallel, science is rapidly evolving (with the advent of genomics for instance, and a growing number of applications is thus expected for the improvement of food safety and quality. Among the meat and fish quality attributes, colour is very important because it determines, at least in part, consumer choice. The key targets to ensure a satisfactory colour are animal nutrition and management for fish, processing and product conditioning for meat. Tenderness and flavour continue to be important issues for the consumer because eating remains a pleasure. They both determine quality experience which itself influences repetitive purchase. Meat tenderness is a very complex problem which can be solved only by a holistic approach involving all the factors from conception, animal breeding and production, muscle biology and slaughter practice to carcass processing and meat preparation at the consumer end. Today, safety and healthiness are among the most important issues. Unfortunately, animal products can potentially be a source of biological and chemical contamination for consumers. The introduction of both control strategies along the food chain and the development of a food safety management system, from primary production to the domestic environment, are key issues that must be achieved. Despite a high dietary supply of saturated fats by dairy and meat products, it is imperative that professionals involved in animal research and in the associated industry convey the positive nutritional contributions of animal products to both consumers and health professionals. The latter include protein

Grassland-based products: quality and authentication

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coppa, M.; Cabiddu, A.; Elsässer, M.; Hulin, S.; Lind, V.; Martin, B.; Mosquera-Losada, M.R.; Peeters, A.; Prache, S.; Pol, van den A.; Peratoner, G.

2017-01-01

There is increased consumer demand for food products with a perceived positive image. Product quality can be assessed in terms of food safety, nutritional composition, technological and sensory characteristics and ethics. In order to summarise the current knowledge linking quality traits and

Soil quality: key for sustainable production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefano Mocali

2011-02-01

Full Text Available In the last few years several definitions of “soil quality” have been advanced, but among them the most appreciated is “the ability of soils to interact with the ecosystem in order to maintain the biological productivity, the environmental quality and to promote animal and vegetal health” as defined by Doran and Parkin in 1994. Many researchers place more emphasis on its conceptual meaning for land planning and farm management, while others consider that definition to be worth nothing in order to understand soil properties and the concept of soil quality looks like the concept of “to be suitable for”. For this reason a definition of “soil use” is needed. The food quality is characterized by several properties: the healthiness and the nutritional value, the amount of the production, the typicalness and organoleptic properties, etc.. A lot of these properties depend on environmental quality and, in particular, on soil quality. In fact soil represents the natural substrate for growth and productivity of most of the plants that live on the Hearth because they get all the essential nutritional elements from it for their own development; consequently each nutritional element present into the soil as bioavailable form for the plants is potentially destined to entry in the animal (and human food chain. In the quality process of food productive process it will be important to assure the best soil quality as possible, without any unwanted element (which will not be discussed in this note and with the right amount of fertility elements in order to guarantee the best production. In this paper the relationships between soil quality, soil biodiversity and crop sustainability will be discussed. Finally the concept of soil “biota” as nodal point for the environment regulation and the application of the indicators for soil quality will be discussed.

Soil quality: key for sustainable production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Benedetti

2009-04-01

Full Text Available In the last few years several definitions of “soil quality” have been advanced, but among them the most appreciated is “the ability of soils to interact with the ecosystem in order to maintain the biological productivity, the environmental quality and to promote animal and vegetal health” as defined by Doran and Parkin in 1994. Many researchers place more emphasis on its conceptual meaning for land planning and farm management, while others consider that definition to be worth nothing in order to understand soil properties and the concept of soil quality looks like the concept of “to be suitable for”. For this reason a definition of “soil use” is needed. The food quality is characterized by several properties: the healthiness and the nutritional value, the amount of the production, the typicalness and organoleptic properties, etc.. A lot of these properties depend on environmental quality and, in particular, on soil quality. In fact soil represents the natural substrate for growth and productivity of most of the plants that live on the Hearth because they get all the essential nutritional elements from it for their own development; consequently each nutritional element present into the soil as bioavailable form for the plants is potentially destined to entry in the animal (and human food chain. In the quality process of food productive process it will be important to assure the best soil quality as possible, without any unwanted element (which will not be discussed in this note and with the right amount of fertility elements in order to guarantee the best production. In this paper the relationships between soil quality, soil biodiversity and crop sustainability will be discussed. Finally the concept of soil “biota” as nodal point for the environment regulation and the application of the indicators for soil quality will be discussed.

Effects of plastic mulches and high tunnel raspberry production systems on soil physicochemical quality indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Domagała-Świątkiewicz, Iwona; Siwek, Piotr

2018-01-01

In horticulture, degradable materials are desirable alternatives to plastic films. Our aim was to study the impact of soil plastic mulching on the soil properties in the high tunnel and open field production systems of raspberry. The raised beds were mulched with a polypropylene non-woven and two degradable mulches: polypropylene with a photodegradant and non-woven polylactide. The results indicated that the system of raspberry production, as well as the type of mulching had significant impact on soil organic carbon stock, moisture content and water stable aggregate amount. Soils taken from the open field system had a lower bulk density and water stability aggregation index, but higher organic carbon and capillary water content as compared to soils collected from high tunnel conditions. In comparison with the open field system, soil salinity was also found to be higher in high tunnel, as well as with higher P, Mg, Ca, S, Na and B content. Furthermore, mulch covered soils had more organic carbon amount than the bare soils. Soil mulching also enhanced the water capacity expressed as a volume of capillary water content. In addition, mulching improved the soil structure in relation to the bare soil, in particular, in open field conditions. The impact of the compared mulches on soil quality indicators was similar.

Detection of illicit HEU production in gaseous centrifuge enrichment plants using neutron counting techniques on product cylinders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, Corey R.; Geist, William H.

2010-01-01

Innovative and novel safeguards approaches are needed for nuclear energy to meet global energy needs without the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation. Part of these efforts will include creating verification techniques that can monitor uranium enrichment facilities for illicit production of highly-enriched uranium (HEU). Passive nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques will be critical in preventing illicit HEU production because NDA offers the possibility of continuous and unattended monitoring capabilities with limited impact on facility operations. Gaseous centrifuge enrichment plants (GCEP) are commonly used to produce low-enriched uranium (LEU) for reactor fuel. In a GCEP, gaseous UF 6 spins at high velocities in centrifuges to separate the molecules containing 238 U from those containing the lighter 235 U. Unfortunately, the process for creating LEU is inherently the same as HEU, creating a proliferation concern. Insuring that GCEPs are producing declared enrichments poses many difficult challenges. In a GCEP, large cascade halls operating thousands of centrifuges work together to enrich the uranium which makes effective monitoring of the cascade hall economically prohibitive and invasive to plant operations. However, the enriched uranium exiting the cascade hall fills product cylinders where the UF 6 gas sublimes and condenses for easier storage and transportation. These product cylinders hold large quantities of enriched uranium, offering a strong signal for NDA measurement. Neutrons have a large penetrability through materials making their use advantageous compared to gamma techniques where the signal is easily attenuated. One proposed technique for detecting HEU production in a GCEP is using neutron coincidence counting at the product cylinder take off stations. This paper discusses findings from Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX) code simulations that examine the feasibility of such a detector.

The use of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) technique in evaluation of patients with cervical spine trauma: impact on radiation dose reduction and image quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Patro, Satya N; Chakraborty, Santanu; Sheikh, Adnan

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) technique on the image quality and radiation dose reduction. The comparison was made with the traditional filtered back projection (FBP) technique. We retrospectively reviewed 78 patients, who underwent cervical spine CT for blunt cervical trauma between 1 June 2010 and 30 November 2010. 48 patients were imaged using traditional FBP technique and the remaining 30 patients were imaged using the ASiR technique. The patient demographics, radiation dose, objective image signal and noise were recorded; while subjective noise, sharpness, diagnostic acceptability and artefacts were graded by two radiologists blinded to the techniques. We found that the ASiR technique was able to reduce the volume CT dose index, dose-length product and effective dose by 36%, 36.5% and 36.5%, respectively, compared with the FBP technique. There was no significant difference in the image noise (p = 0.39), signal (p = 0.82) and signal-to-noise ratio (p = 0.56) between the groups. The subjective image quality was minimally better in the ASiR group but not statistically significant. There was excellent interobserver agreement on the subjective image quality and diagnostic acceptability for both groups. The use of ASiR technique allowed approximately 36% radiation dose reduction in the evaluation of cervical spine without degrading the image quality. The present study highlights that the ASiR technique is extremely helpful in reducing the patient radiation exposure while maintaining the image quality. It is highly recommended to utilize this novel technique in CT imaging of different body regions.

Drop-on-Demand System for Manufacturing of Melt-based Solid Oral Dosage: Effect of Critical Process Parameters on Product Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Içten, Elçin; Giridhar, Arun; Nagy, Zoltan K; Reklaitis, Gintaras V

2016-04-01

The features of a drop-on-demand-based system developed for the manufacture of melt-based pharmaceuticals have been previously reported. In this paper, a supervisory control system, which is designed to ensure reproducible production of high quality of melt-based solid oral dosages, is presented. This control system enables the production of individual dosage forms with the desired critical quality attributes: amount of active ingredient and drug morphology by monitoring and controlling critical process parameters, such as drop size and product and process temperatures. The effects of these process parameters on the final product quality are investigated, and the properties of the produced dosage forms characterized using various techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and dissolution testing. A crystallization temperature control strategy, including controlled temperature cycles, is presented to tailor the crystallization behavior of drug deposits and to achieve consistent drug morphology. This control strategy can be used to achieve the desired bioavailability of the drug by mitigating variations in the dissolution profiles. The supervisor control strategy enables the application of the drop-on-demand system to the production of individualized dosage required for personalized drug regimens.

Planning product quality: An example - ornamental plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kovačević Miodrag

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The industry of ornamental plants is a subject of quality planning. The quality plan is a document setting out the specific quality practices in ornamental plants production. That plan introduce organizational structure procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality in life cycle of product chain. For engineers it represents a new tool.

Supercritical fluid techniques as methods of analyses for individual triacylglycerols and other lipids important for the quality of rapeseed oil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjergegaard, Charlotte; Buskov, S.; Møller, P.

Toward enhanced value of cruciferous oilseed crops by optimal production and use of the high quality seed components......Toward enhanced value of cruciferous oilseed crops by optimal production and use of the high quality seed components...

A comparison of analogue and digital techniques in upper gastrointestinal examinations: absorbed dose and diagnostic quality of the images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Axelsson, B.; Hansson, I.B. [Department of Hospital Physics, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm (Sweden); Boden, K.; Witt, H.H. [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm (Sweden); Fransson, S.G. [Department of Thoracic Radiology, University Hospital, Linkoeping (Sweden); Persliden, J. [Department of Radiation Physics, University Hospital, Linkoeping (Sweden)

2000-08-01

This study was performed to investigate whether patient exposure and diagnostic quality of the image is significantly influenced by the introduction of digital image acquisition techniques. Evaluation was performed for three different techniques (analogue, analogue fluoro+digital radiography, digital) in examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The evaluation was done from data acquired in three different departments. Patient exposure was recorded as KERMA-area product (KAP) and the individual patient readings were normalised to a standard size patient. Image quality was assessed using visual grading with a reference image. The recorded KAP values were significantly higher (22.3 Gycm{sup 2}) for the fully digital technique compared to the others (analogue 6.8 Gycm{sup 2}, analogue+digital 3.6 Gycm{sup 2}). This was due mostly to an increased number of exposures. The diagnostic quality of the image was, however, also regarded to be slightly lower for the technique giving the lowest patient dose with the smallest number of exposures (analogue+digital). The digital examination technique, as used in this study, thus resulted in significantly higher patient dose without any significant gain in diagnostic quality of the image. (orig.)

A comparison of analogue and digital techniques in upper gastrointestinal examinations: absorbed dose and diagnostic quality of the images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axelsson, B.; Hansson, I.B.; Boden, K.; Witt, H.H.; Fransson, S.G.; Persliden, J.

2000-01-01

This study was performed to investigate whether patient exposure and diagnostic quality of the image is significantly influenced by the introduction of digital image acquisition techniques. Evaluation was performed for three different techniques (analogue, analogue fluoro+digital radiography, digital) in examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The evaluation was done from data acquired in three different departments. Patient exposure was recorded as KERMA-area product (KAP) and the individual patient readings were normalised to a standard size patient. Image quality was assessed using visual grading with a reference image. The recorded KAP values were significantly higher (22.3 Gycm 2 ) for the fully digital technique compared to the others (analogue 6.8 Gycm 2 , analogue+digital 3.6 Gycm 2 ). This was due mostly to an increased number of exposures. The diagnostic quality of the image was, however, also regarded to be slightly lower for the technique giving the lowest patient dose with the smallest number of exposures (analogue+digital). The digital examination technique, as used in this study, thus resulted in significantly higher patient dose without any significant gain in diagnostic quality of the image. (orig.)

Managing quality inside a high-technology project organization

OpenAIRE

Jokinen, T. (Tauno)

2004-01-01

Abstract This action research addresses the deployment of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles in a high-technology new product development organisation. During the period of study, the organisation grew fast. High-technology product development and hypergrowth provided a unique combination of extreme conditions for the study. The existing concepts of TQM are presented as an organised map enabling strategic analysis for an implementation plan. The history of TQM dates back to the ...

GMP production of [18F]FDOPA and issues concerning its quality analyses as in USP 'Fluorodopa F 18 Injection'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kao, C.K.; Hsu Wenlin; Xie Hengli; Lin Mingchi; Lan Wenchun; Chao Haoyu

2011-01-01

Lately, 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA (FDOPA) has found increase in its clinical demand for whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and two key issues in fulfilling this demand are the difficulties in producing FDOPA under the recently imposed PET drug good manufacturing practice (GMP) regulations and in providing it in the quality meeting the terms of major compendia. This paper describes the approaches for the GMP production of FDOPA and for the product testing to meet the standard of United States Pharmacopeia (USP) 'Fluorodopa F 18 Injection.' FDOPA was produced by the carrier-added electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction in the facility complying Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme clean room standard. The special aseptic handling technique was applied to minimize the bioburden. The product quality control followed all testing items and procedures, including three different settings of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The process yielded FDOPA average 2.60±0.26 GBq (N=22) in every batch. All qualities of the product were within the specifications described in the USP 'Fluorodopa F 18 Injection.' The entire production was audited by the government authority and certified to comply with the latest PET drug GMP regulation. Our efforts in producing FDOPA following all aspects of GMP requirements have resulted in a product with the USP quality and certified as GMP complied. The routine production yields enough doses for three to four whole-body scans in each batch. The issues discussed in the report provide good reference for producers planning in routine production for PET drugs that are not commonly produced or with complicated compendial quality control tests. (author)

Statistical process control: An approach to quality assurance in the production of vitrified nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulsipher, B.A.; Kuhn, W.L.

1987-01-01

Current planning for liquid high-level nuclear wastes existing in the United States includes processing in a liquid-fed ceramic melter to incorporate it into a high-quality glass, and placement in a deep geologic repository. The nuclear waste vitrification process requires assurance of a quality product with little or no final inspection. Statistical process control (SPC) is a quantitative approach to one quality assurance aspect of vitrified nuclear waste. This method for monitoring and controlling a process in the presence of uncertainties provides a statistical basis for decisions concerning product quality improvement. Statistical process control is shown to be a feasible and beneficial tool to help the waste glass producers demonstrate that the vitrification process can be controlled sufficiently to produce an acceptable product. This quantitative aspect of quality assurance could be an effective means of establishing confidence in the claims to a quality product

Statistical process control: An approach to quality assurance in the production of vitrified nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulsipher, B.A.; Kuhn, W.L.

1987-02-01

Current planning for liquid high-level nuclear wastes existing in the US includes processing in a liquid-fed ceramic melter to incorporate it into a high-quality glass, and placement in a deep geologic repository. The nuclear waste vitrification process requires assurance of a quality product with little or no final inspection. Statistical process control (SPC) is a quantitative approach to one quality assurance aspect of vitrified nuclear waste. This method for monitoring and controlling a process in the presence of uncertainties provides a statistical basis for decisions concerning product quality improvement. Statistical process control is shown to be a feasible and beneficial tool to help the waste glass producers demonstrate that the vitrification process can be controlled sufficiently to produce an acceptable product. This quantitative aspect of quality assurance could be an effective means of establishing confidence in the claims to a quality product. 2 refs., 4 figs

CAD/CAM: improved design quality, increased productivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Evans, D. E.; England, J.

1980-01-01

Maintaining productivity levels while assuring the quality of engineering products grows increasingly more difficult and costly for industries such as the energy industry which are heavily committed to product design. The man/machine interface made possible through the development of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology can be applied to the design process as a tool for increased control to assure the quality of the final engineering product. The quality-control aspects of CAD/CAM technology are addressed in this presentation.

Silicon carbide production by Self-Propagating High Temperature (SHS) technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, Eduardo de Souza; Schneider, Pedro Luiz; Mattoso, Irani Guedes; Costa, Carlos Roberto Correia da; Louro, Luis Henrique Leme

1997-01-01

Samples of silicon carbide (SiC) were synthesized from a mixture of silicon and carbon powders, using the Self-Propagating High Temperature Synthesis (SHS) technique. Three mixtures were tried, using silicon particles of the same average size but carbon particles of different average sizes. The method tried is characterized by an ignition temperature of 1450 deg C and the short duration of the synthesis ( 2-3 min). The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scattering electron microscopy. (author)

High quality joining techniques: in-process assurance (IPA) welding system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaihara, Shoichiro [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1996-08-01

On July 1, 1995, the Product Liability Law was enforced, and in industrial world, further reliability has been demanded. Recently, accompanying the progress of electronics, the proportion taken by automatic welders and robots increased in welding. By memorizing proper welding conditions, the welding from initial to final passes can be done fully automatically. Also feedback mechanism was equipped to mechanized welders, and the in-process control has become to be feasible. The way of thinking on confirming in process welding quality in arc welding is explained. IPA welding system utilizes the multi-media collecting images and sound, samples the change of welding conditions and the state of arc on a same screen, and monitors the deviation from the range of proper welding conditions. At the time of abnormality, inspector or a computer carries out image diagnosis and welding control, and the system indicates the soundness of welded parts. The basic concept and the flow chart of this system are shown. The experiment of applying the system to arc welding is reported. The correlation of welding phenomena and welding conditions is examined. (K.I.)

High quality joining techniques: in-process assurance (IPA) welding system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaihara, Shoichiro

1996-01-01

On July 1, 1995, the Product Liability Law was enforced, and in industrial world, further reliability has been demanded. Recently, accompanying the progress of electronics, the proportion taken by automatic welders and robots increased in welding. By memorizing proper welding conditions, the welding from initial to final passes can be done fully automatically. Also feedback mechanism was equipped to mechanized welders, and the in-process control has become to be feasible. The way of thinking on confirming in process welding quality in arc welding is explained. IPA welding system utilizes the multi-media collecting images and sound, samples the change of welding conditions and the state of arc on a same screen, and monitors the deviation from the range of proper welding conditions. At the time of abnormality, inspector or a computer carries out image diagnosis and welding control, and the system indicates the soundness of welded parts. The basic concept and the flow chart of this system are shown. The experiment of applying the system to arc welding is reported. The correlation of welding phenomena and welding conditions is examined. (K.I.)

Problems concerning product quality enhancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marek Krynke

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In the article analysis of the discrepancies in the production process for selected products in a company producing candles was carried out. Using the Pareto-Lorenzdiagram and the FMEA method the most essential areas having influence on the production of candles were shown. Apart from factors connected with the manufacturing side of the process, factors of the labour organization and requirements concerning the quality of material were also noted. An appropriate quality of equipment constitutes one of the essential conditions of production process functioning and this directly influences manufacturing possibilities of the enterprise. A synthesis of immaterial factors that influence the production of the enterprise, taking into consideration conditions of functioning the production system, was also carried out. The set of factors selected for description was the fourteenth Toyota management principle. Respondents were asked to provide answers which could bring the best improvements.

Quality by Design (QbD) Approach for Development of Co-Processed Excipient Pellets (MOMLETS) By Extrusion-Spheronization Technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Hetal; Patel, Kishan; Tiwari, Sanjay; Pandey, Sonia; Shah, Shailesh; Gohel, Mukesh

2016-01-01

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is an excellent excipient for the production of pellets by extrusion spheronization. However, it causes slow release rate of poorly water soluble drugs from pellets. Co-processed excipient prepared by spray drying (US4744987; US5686107; WO2003051338) and coprecipitation technique (WO9517831) are patented. The objective of present study was to develop co-processed MCC pellets (MOMLETS) by extrusion-spheronization technique using the principle of Quality by Design (QbD). Co-processed excipient core pellets (MOMLETS) were developed by extrusion spheronization technique using Quality by Design (QbD) approach. BCS class II drug (telmisartan) was layered onto it in a fluidized bed processor. Quality Target Product Profile (QTPP) and Critical Quality Attributes (CQA) for pellets were identified. Risk assessment was reported using Ishikawa diagram. Plackett Burman design was used to check the effect of seven independent variables; superdisintegrant, extruder speed, ethanol: water, spheronizer speed, extruder screen, pore former and MCC: lactose; on percentage drug release at 30 min. Pareto chart and normal probability plot was constructed to identify the significant factors. Box-Behnken design (BBD) using three most significant factors (Extruder screen size, type of superdisintegrant and type of pore former) was used as an optimization design. The control space was identified in which desired quality of the pellets can be obtained. Co-processed excipient core pellets (MOMLETS) were successfully developed by QbD approach. Versatility, Industrial scalability and simplicity are the main features of the proposed research. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Analysis of an industrial production suspension of Bacillus lentus subtilisin crystals by powder diffraction: a powerful quality-control tool

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frankær, Christian Grundahl; Moroz, Olga V.; Turkenburg, Johan P.

2014-01-01

. A controlled crystallization experiment with a highly purified Savinase sample allowed the growth of single crystals of the form identified by XRPD; their structure was solved and refined to a resolution of 1.17 Å with an R of 9.2% and an Rfree of 11.8%. Thus, there are at least three polymorphs present...... in the production suspension, albeit with the 1ndq -like microcrystals predominating. It is shown how the two techniques can provide invaluable and complementary information for such a production suspension and it is proposed that XRPD provides an excellent quality-control tool for such suspensions....

Certification of production-quality gLite Job Management components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2011-01-01

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

Certification of production-quality gLite Job Management components

Science.gov (United States)

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

2011-12-01

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

Quality risk in outsourcing: noncontractible product quality and private quality cost information

OpenAIRE

Kaya, Murat; Özer, Özalp; Ozer, Ozalp

2009-01-01

This article addresses the concept of quality risk in outsourcing. Recent trends in outsourcing extend a contract manufacturer's (CM's) responsibility to several functional areas, such as research and development and design in addition to manufacturing. This trend enables an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to focus on sales and pricing of its product. However, increasing CM responsibilities also suggest that the OEM's product quality is mainly determined by its CM. We identify two facto...

Quality of service in the Netherlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knijp, J.; Zwart, T. de; Frenken, R.M.L. [KEMA (Netherlands)

1997-12-31

Growing competition between utilities, changing legislation and increased usage of sensitive and disturbing end-user equipment, are some reasons for growing attention for the customers` view towards the product electricity and its related services. This growing interest certainly does not mean that the technical quality level always has to be increased. This depends mainly on the requirements and expectations of the customers. Achieving a reliable power supply at high quality level requires enormous investments. For electric utilities, it is important to know how the customers value the delivered products and services in order to determine if the investments are proportionally. Utilities need new tools and techniques to search for an optimal quality level for each customer. Product differentiation and additional services can be developed if the right information is available. In 1994 KEMA has started a project called: Quality of service. During the project different methods and techniques have been developed. In this paper three tools will be presented. The ``customer simulator``, the Dutch power quality monitoring programme and the ``PSQ-indicator``. (Author)

Microbiological Quality of Some Major Fishery Products Exported from India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamat, A. S.; Bandekar, J. R.M.; Karani, S.; Jadhav, R.; Shashidhar, A.; Kakatkar, S.; Pingulkar, K.; Ghadge, N; Warrier, S. B.R.; Venugopal, V. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India); Panda, K. [Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai (India); Bhat, A. [Vikram University, Ujjain (India)

2005-01-15

The export quality marine and aquaculture fish and fishery products were collected from European Union Approved (EUA) and EU-non-approved (EUN) plants located at east and west coast of India and were analysed for the presence of human bacterial pathogens using standard bacteriological techniques. A total of 126 samples comprising of 26 marine shrimp (Penaeus indicus), 18 freshwater prawn, scampi (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), 40 squid (Loligo sp.), six cuttle fish (Sepia sp.), 30 rohu (Lobia rohita) and six long fin herring (Citrocentrus sp.) were analysed. The samples were screened for aerobic plate count (APC) and pathogens including Salmonella spp., Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica. It was observed that the marine products from EUN plants were of poorer microbiological quality as compared with products from EUA plants. Samples of squid (40%) and shrimp (28.5%) from EUN plants were found to be contaminated with Salmonella. However, V. cholerae, L. monocytogenes, and, Y. enterocolitica were not detected in any of the samples tested. Shrimp samples (28%) from EUN plants were positive for Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Shrimp (14.3%) and squid (40%) were also contaminated with coagulase positive S. aureus. Salmonella contamination was observed in 16.7% of the cuttle fish samples from EUN plants. Whole herring samples were of acceptable microbiological quality. Of the freshwater items analyzed, whole rohu samples had higher microbial load as compared to processed rohu samples. All the rohu samples were free from the pathogens, however, 25% of the rohu steak samples had E. coli exceeding the limit of 20 cfu/g. Both whole as well as headless scampi harboured higher microbial load; whole (50%) and headless (41%) scampi samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp. The results suggested a need for implementation of better hygienic practices for the improvement of microbial

Beneficial and Harmful Agile Practices for Product Quality

OpenAIRE

Theobald, Sven; Diebold, Philipp

2017-01-01

There is the widespread belief that Agile neglects the product quality. This lack of understanding how Agile processes assure the quality of the product prevents especially companies from regulated domains from an adoption of Agile. This work aims to identify which Agile Practices contribute towards product quality. Hence, data from a survey study is analyzed to identify Ag-ile Practices which are beneficial or harmful for the quality of the product. From 49 practices that were used in the su...

Light quality and efficiency of consumer grade solid state lighting products

Science.gov (United States)

Dam-Hansen, Carsten; Corell, Dennis Dan; Thorseth, Anders; Poulsen, Peter Behrensdorff

2013-03-01

The rapid development in flux and efficiency of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) has resulted in a flooding of the lighting market with Solid State Lighting (SSL) products. Many traditional light sources can advantageously be replaced by SSL products. There are, however, large variations in the quality of these products, and some are not better than the ones they are supposed to replace. A lack of quality demands and standards makes it difficult for consumers to get an overview of the SSL products. Here the results of a two year study investigating SSL products on the Danish market are presented. Focus has been on SSL products for replacement of incandescent lamps and halogen spotlights. The warm white light and good color rendering properties of these traditional light sources are a must for lighting in Denmark and the Nordic countries. 266 SSL replacement lamps have been tested for efficiency and light quality with respect to correlated color temperature and color rendering properties. This shows a trade-off between high color rendering warm white light and energy efficiency. The lumen and color maintenance over time has been investigated and results for products running over 11000 h will be presented. A new internet based SSL product selection tool will be shown. Here the products can be compared on efficiency, light quality parameters, thus providing a better basis for the selection of SSL products for consumers.

Application of biotechnology to improve livestock products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swati Gupta

Full Text Available Biotechnological achievements of recent years have emerged as powerful tool to improve quality attributes of livestock products including milk and meat products. Biotechnological approaches can be employed for improving productivity, economy, physicochemical and nutritional attributes of a wide range of livestock products. The target areas of biotechnological research in the field of livestock products can be envisaged as production of high yielding food animal, improvement in quality of their products, enhanced production of natural food grade preservatives, efficient byproduct utilization and so forth. Many of the biotechnological techniques can be explored in the area of quality assurance programmes, which would be of great help to produce livestock products of assured quality and public health safety. [Vet World 2012; 5(10.000: 634-638

Development and quality characteristics of shelf-stable soy-agushie: a residual by-product of soymilk production.

Science.gov (United States)

Nti, Christina A; Plahar, Wisdom A; Annan, Nana T

2016-03-01

A process was developed for the production of a high-protein food ingredient, soy-agushie, from the residual by-product of soymilk production. The product, with a moisture content of about 6%, was evaluated for its quality characteristics and performance in traditional dishes. The protein content was about 26% with similar amino acids content as that of the whole soybean. Lysine remained high in the dehydrated product (6.57 g/16 g N). While over 60% of the original B vitamins content in the beans was extracted with the milk, high proportions of the minerals were found to be retained in the residual by-product. The process adequately reduced the trypsin inhibitor levels in the beans from 25 to 1.5 mg/g. High sensory scores were obtained for recipes developed with soy-agushie in traditional dishes. The scope of utilization of the soy-agushie could be widened to include several traditional foods and bakery products for maximum nutritional benefits.

Development of an image processing system in splendid squid quality classification

Science.gov (United States)

Masunee, Niyada; Chaiprapat, Supapan; Waiyagan, Kriangkrai

2013-07-01

Agricultural products typically exhibit high variance in quality characteristics. To assure customer satisfaction and control manufacturing productivity, quality classification is necessary to screen off defective items and to grade the products. This article presents an application of image processing techniques on squid grading and defect discrimination. A preliminary study indicated that surface color was an efficient determinant to justify quality of splendid squids. In this study, a computer vision system (CVS) was developed to examine the characteristics of splendid squids. Using image processing techniques, squids could be classified into three different quality grades as in accordance with an industry standard. The developed system first sifted through squid images to reject ones with black marks. Qualified squids were graded on a proportion of white, pink, and red regions appearing on their bodies by using fuzzy logic. The system was evaluated on 100 images of squids at different quality levels. It was found that accuracy obtained by the proposed technique was 95% compared with sensory evaluation of an expert.

Radioscopy applied to the improvement of industrial processes of quality control in the Brazilian footwear production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandes, Marcela Tatiana Fernandes; Mello Filho, Mauro Otto de Cavalcanti, E-mail: mbeserra@cefet-rj.br, E-mail: maurootto@cefet-rj.br [Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Raupp, Fernanda Maria Pereira, E-mail: fraupp@puc-rio.br [Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Industrial

2013-07-01

According to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, China has the last five years in the Brazilian footwear market for imports, representing 70% of total imports. Brazil has been recording declines in footwear exports; in 2011 there was an average reduction of 21.5% compared to 2010. Thus, Brazil has moved to the eighth position in the export market. Moreover, Asians have been improving the quality and technological level of their footwear for niche markets. It is well known that the introduction of new technologies into industrial organizations enables adding value to their products, making the organizations more competitive in the global market. In this work, we present a study on the use of radioscopy technique to improve quality control of the Brazilian footwear industry. Being already used by some international footwear manufactures, aiming at the identification of strange bodies, control jumps, among other aspects, this technique brings innovation to the referred industry, since it is a non-destructive test approach that makes use of X-rays. We also propose a tool for the application of radioscopy technique to improve quality control processes of footwear production, employing concepts of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). (author)

Radioscopy applied to the improvement of industrial processes of quality control in the Brazilian footwear production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandes, Marcela Tatiana Fernandes; Mello Filho, Mauro Otto de Cavalcanti; Raupp, Fernanda Maria Pereira

2013-01-01

According to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, China has the last five years in the Brazilian footwear market for imports, representing 70% of total imports. Brazil has been recording declines in footwear exports; in 2011 there was an average reduction of 21.5% compared to 2010. Thus, Brazil has moved to the eighth position in the export market. Moreover, Asians have been improving the quality and technological level of their footwear for niche markets. It is well known that the introduction of new technologies into industrial organizations enables adding value to their products, making the organizations more competitive in the global market. In this work, we present a study on the use of radioscopy technique to improve quality control of the Brazilian footwear industry. Being already used by some international footwear manufactures, aiming at the identification of strange bodies, control jumps, among other aspects, this technique brings innovation to the referred industry, since it is a non-destructive test approach that makes use of X-rays. We also propose a tool for the application of radioscopy technique to improve quality control processes of footwear production, employing concepts of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). (author)

High throughput protein production screening

Science.gov (United States)

Beernink, Peter T [Walnut Creek, CA; Coleman, Matthew A [Oakland, CA; Segelke, Brent W [San Ramon, CA

2009-09-08

Methods, compositions, and kits for the cell-free production and analysis of proteins are provided. The invention allows for the production of proteins from prokaryotic sequences or eukaryotic sequences, including human cDNAs using PCR and IVT methods and detecting the proteins through fluorescence or immunoblot techniques. This invention can be used to identify optimized PCR and WT conditions, codon usages and mutations. The methods are readily automated and can be used for high throughput analysis of protein expression levels, interactions, and functional states.

Development of a high-quality cut-off wall using electrophoresis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawachi, T.; Murahashi, H.

1991-01-01

Techniques to build a high-quality cut-off wall have been developed for storage facilities of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) as an emergency measures to prevent leakages. The cut-off wall is highly impermeable, nucleid-adsorptive and have long-term durability. Electrophoresis is used to form impermeable membrane of bentonite as main features of the cut-off wall. First of all, laboratory tests have been conducted to study ways of building barriers on site and to collect data on the barriers properties. Afterwards, on-site construction tests of a high-quality cut-off wall have been carried out. In this paper, we describe the process and results on the studies of the high-quality cut-off wall using electrophoresis

High quality transportation fuels from renewable feedstock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindfors, Lars Peter

2010-09-15

Hydrotreating of vegetable oils is novel process for producing high quality renewable diesel. Hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO) are paraffinic hydrocarbons. They are free of aromatics, have high cetane numbers and reduce emissions. HVO can be used as component or as such. HVO processes can also be modified to produce jet fuel. GHG savings by HVO use are significant compared to fossil fuels. HVO is already in commercial production. Neste Oil is producing its NExBTL diesel in two plants. Production of renewable fuels will be limited by availability of sustainable feedstock. Therefore R and D efforts are made to expand feedstock base further.

Integration of quality improvement and cost-efficiency through industrial improvement techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vink JP

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Jasper P Vink,1 Maxime T Rigaudy,1,2 Karl O Elmqvist11Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London, London, 2Hull York Medical School, York, UKIn this journal, Crema and Verbano1 discussed the importance of defining quality of health care and how quality can be improved through various industrial instruments and techniques. Quality of health care is a heavily debated topic that requires a wide scope of considerations across the many stakeholders of the health system. We acknowledge Crema and Verbano’s arguments that patient safety is a basic pillar of quality, upon which we would like to expand by highlighting the clinical effectiveness and patient-reported outcomes, which are the two further crucial components of quality. The arguments made regarding quality improvement techniques and cost efficiency in health care provision are insightful, yet appear to make a distinction between efforts to improve quality, eliminate waste from processes, and cut costs in health care provision. We would argue that in fact these achievements are all closely related and can be achieved simultaneously, if the industrial techniques of quality management are applied adequately.View the original paper by Crema and Verbano.

NASA Excellence Award for Quality and Productivity 1989 highlights. The 1989 recipient: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

The NASA Excellence Award for Productivity and Quality is the result of NASA's desire to encourage superior quality and the continuous improvement philosophy in the aerospace industry. It is awarded to NASA contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers who have demonstrated sustained excellence, customer orientation, and outstanding achievements in a total quality management (TQM) environment. The 'highlights' booklet is intended to transfer successful techniques demonstrated by the performance and quality of major NASA contractors.

World production and quality of cow's milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petar Bosnić

2003-01-01

Full Text Available World milk production has a great economical effect being in the function of human food production and nutrition. Milk is obtained from cows, buffalos, sheeps, goats, camels and donkey with cow's milk production dominating. The world milk production in 2000 was 568.480 thousands of tons of all types of milk of which 484.895 thousands tons are cow's milk with a total of 85.30 % of the world milk production. Buffalo's milk production is on the second place with 61.913 thousands of tonnes (10.89 % production capacity. On the three continents (Europe, North America and Asia 81.82 % of total cow's milk production is located. Developed countries produce 50 % of total milk production, while higher milk production is forecast for the developing countries. The EU countries participate with 23.72 % in the world milk production and with 55.60 % on the European area. High annual lactation production, under selected cow's milk production, of above 6000 kg is located in developed countries, where annual participation of Israel accounts for over 10000 kg of milk per cow. Commercial milk production of genetics cattle accounts from 80 % to 85 %. Milk quality, with regard to milk fat and proteincontent, in developed countries is above an average value. With the annual milk production of 7000 kg of cow's milk, up to 294 kg of milk fat and 238 kg of protein are produced. Due to milk characteristics as agro-food product, milk and dairy products manufacture and transportation are in details regulated with existing quality standards. 95 % of the EU milk producers fulfil international hygienic rules on milk safety standards (somatic cells, microorganisms. With regard to long term development, until 2030, changes on herd management (outdoor and indoor exposure, between continents, will occur. In 2030, the world milk production is forecast to increase by 64%, with cow's milk production of 765.9 million tonnes.

HLW immobilization in glass: industrial operation and product quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacquet-Francillon, N.; Leroy, P.; Runge, S.

1992-01-01

This extended summary discusses the immobilization of high level wastes from the viewpoint of the quality of the final product, i.e. the HLW glass. The R and D studies comprise 3 steps: glass formulation, glass characterization and long term behaviour studies

Technological measures to improve automotive product quality

OpenAIRE

Gladkov, V.; Kruglov, S.

2010-01-01

The paper examines the basic technological measures aimed at improving product quality in automotive industry. While paying due attention to solving organizational and technological problems, including the development of certification systems for production processes, it is also necessary to improve the technical standards of specific technologies, equipment and materials as they largely determine product quality. Special emphasis is given to the importance of improving the production of auto...

Bulk H analysis using neutrons for routine quality control of cassava and products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jonah, S.A.; Okunade, I.O.; Abolude, O.; Onyike, E.; Inuwa, I.M.

2011-01-01

Nuclear and related techniques are useful in addressing the issues of food security and safety facing the world today, via quality control of raw materials and products. In this work, experimental investigations were performed to assess the use of total hydrogen content in cassava and products as a quality control indicator of starch and cyanide contents. The work was carried out using a neutron reflection facility at the Centre for Energy Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Cassava samples and products were obtained from retail outlets of Ibadan, Umudike and Zaria, representing three major regions of Nigeria. In general, data obtained indicate a total hydrogen content range of 4.47±0.11-10.71±0.27 wt% for the various samples, including raw, dry and processed cassava. Results show that samples having low hydrogen content are generally rich in cyanide compounds and demonstrate an inverse relationship between hydrogen content and cyanide content. The implication of this is that the neutron reflection facility can be used as a quality control setup for routine determination of hydrogen as an indicator of the cyanide content in cassava and products.

Evaluation of Environmental Quality Productive Ecosystem Guayas (Ecuador).

Science.gov (United States)

Pozo, Wilson; Pardo, Francisco; Sanfeliu, Teófilo; Carrera, Gloria; Jordan, Manuel; Bech, Jaume; Roca, Núria

2015-04-01

Natural resources are deteriorating very rapidly in the Gulf of Guayaquil and the area of influence in the Guayas Basin due to human activity. Specific problems are generated by the mismanagement of the aquaculture industry affecting the traditional agricultural sectors: rice, banana, sugarcane, cocoa, coffee, and soya also studied, and by human and industrial settlements. The development of industrial activities such as aquaculture (shrimp building for shrimp farming in ponds) and agriculture, have increasingly contributed to the generation of waste, degrading and potentially toxic elements in high concentrations, which can have adverse effects on organisms in the ecosystems, in the health of the population and damage the ecological and environmental balance. The productive Guayas ecosystem, consists of three interrelated ecosystems, the Gulf of Guayaquil, the Guayas River estuary and the Guayas Basin buffer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental quality of the productive Guayas ecosystem (Ecuador), through operational and specific objectives: 1) Draw up the transition coastal zone in the Gulf of Guayaquil, 2) Set temporal spatial variability of soil salinity in wetlands rice, Lower Guayas Basin, 3) evaluate the heavy metals in wetland rice in the Lower Basin of Guayas. The physical and chemical parameters of the soils have been studied. These are indicators of environmental quality. The multivariate statistical method showed the relations of similarities and dissimilarities between variables and parameter studies as stable. Moreover, the boundaries of coastal transition areas, temporal spatial variability of soil salinity and heavy metals in rice cultivation in the Lower Basin of Guayas were researched. The sequential studies included and discussed represent a broad framework of fundamental issues that has been valued as a basic component of the productive Guayas ecosystem. They are determinants of the environmental quality of the Guayas

Measurement of the perceived quality of a product

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maire J.-L.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available For some companies, visual inspection has become an essential step when seeking to improve the quality of their products. The aim of this control is to be sure of the perceived quality of the product, which often goes well beyond the quality expected by the customer. For this type of control, the controller should be able to detect any anomaly on a product, characterize this anomaly, and then evaluate it in order to decide if the product should be accepted or rejected. This paper describes how this characterization can be carried out and, more specifically, how to measure the impact of the local environment of an anomaly on the perceived quality of the product.

Novel technique for coal pyrolysis and hydrogenation product analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pfefferle, L.D.; Boyle, J.

1993-03-15

A microjet reactor coupled to a VUV photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer has been used to obtain species measurements during high temperature pyrolysis and oxidation of a wide range of hydrocarbon compounds ranging from allene and acetylene to cyclohexane, benzene and toluene. Initial work focused on calibration of the technique, optimization of ion collection and detection and characterization of limitations. Using the optimized technique with 118 nm photoionization, intermediate species profiles were obtained for analysis of the hydrocarbon pyrolysis and oxidation mechanisms. The soft'' ionization, yielding predominantly molecular ions, allowed the study of reaction pathways in these high temperature systems where both sampling and detection challenges are severe. Work has focused on the pyrolysis and oxidative pyrolysis of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures representative of coal pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis products. The detailed mass spectra obtained during pyrolysis and oxidation of hydrocarbon mixtures is especially important because of the complex nature of the product mixture even at short residence times and low primary reactant conversions. The combustion community has advanced detailed modeling of pyrolysis and oxidation to the C4 hydrocarbon level but in general above that size uncertainties in rate constant and thermodynamic data do not allow us to a priori predict products from mixed hydrocarbon pyrolyses using a detailed chemistry model. For pyrolysis of mixtures of coal-derived liquid fractions with a large range of compound structures and molecular weights in the hundreds of amu the modeling challenge is severe. Lumped models are possible from stable product data.

Quality costs in the production process

OpenAIRE

J. Michalska

2006-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is showing the relationship of the quality costs with a production process. In this paper it was worked out and introduced the way of marking the documents with regard to the quality costs.Design/methodology/approach: In the frames of own research it has been analysed the quality costs in the production process from the documents marked using the worked out way of marking.Findings: On the basis of the own research it can be stated, that the majority of the eleme...

Making Quality Sense: A Guide to Quality, Tools and Techniques, Awards and the Thinking Behind Them.

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, Jane

This document is intended to guide further education colleges and work-based learning providers through some of the commonly used tools, techniques, and theories of quality management. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) various ways of defining quality; methods used by organizations to achieve quality (quality control, quality…

EXPERT-ANALITICAL MONITORING OF LEARNING PROCESS QUALITY IN HIGH SCHOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. M. Korotun

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The technological model is proposed for monitoring process of learning process quality in high school compliant with current European and home standards. The mathematical methods are elaborated for diverse activities as to learning process objects quality determination unified support. They self-consistently combine: automatic expert evaluation with Bayesian net and Value tree models; Delphi technique enhancement; best practices for education quality assessment. Quality estimates’ consistency index is introduced for their choice and acceptability analysis. Its permanent increasing over monitoring stages is guaranteed. The tools for these stages’ automatic support are described.

Multi-intelligence critical rating assessment of fusion techniques (MiCRAFT)

Science.gov (United States)

Blasch, Erik

2015-06-01

Assessment of multi-intelligence fusion techniques includes credibility of algorithm performance, quality of results against mission needs, and usability in a work-domain context. Situation awareness (SAW) brings together low-level information fusion (tracking and identification), high-level information fusion (threat and scenario-based assessment), and information fusion level 5 user refinement (physical, cognitive, and information tasks). To measure SAW, we discuss the SAGAT (Situational Awareness Global Assessment Technique) technique for a multi-intelligence fusion (MIF) system assessment that focuses on the advantages of MIF against single intelligence sources. Building on the NASA TLX (Task Load Index), SAGAT probes, SART (Situational Awareness Rating Technique) questionnaires, and CDM (Critical Decision Method) decision points; we highlight these tools for use in a Multi-Intelligence Critical Rating Assessment of Fusion Techniques (MiCRAFT). The focus is to measure user refinement of a situation over the information fusion quality of service (QoS) metrics: timeliness, accuracy, confidence, workload (cost), and attention (throughput). A key component of any user analysis includes correlation, association, and summarization of data; so we also seek measures of product quality and QuEST of information. Building a notion of product quality from multi-intelligence tools is typically subjective which needs to be aligned with objective machine metrics.

Techniques for high dose dosimetry in industry, agriculture and medicine. Proceedings of a symposium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

In radiation processing, it is important that the irradiated products are reliable and safe. For processes that impact directly on public health, dosimetry provides a formal means of regulation. For other applications, measurements are indispensable for process control to improve quality and the measurements have to be standardized. Thus, dosimetry is an essential part of quality standards for radiation processes. In the developing world, establishment of such quality standards is only in the embryonic stage, and the IAEA should and does play a role in the development and implementation of these standards. The IAEA initiated a programme of high dose dosimetry in 1977 to accomplish dose standardization on an industrial scale, to promote dosimetry as a quality control measure in radiation processing, and to help develop new dosimetry techniques. Since dosimetry has such a key role in these processes, the IAEA organized this international symposium to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of up-to-date developments in this field. Since the International Symposium on High Dose Dosimetry for Radiation Processing held in 1990 the field of dosimetry has deepened and broadened. There is a definite shift towards quality assurance, which calls for dependable dosimetry systems with well established traceability to national or international standards. Also, many new applications of radiation have been developed and for these new and innovative dosimetry methods are needed. This symposium has provided a forum for the discussion of many of these developments and consideration of the outstanding issues in these vital areas Refs, figs, tabs

Techniques for high dose dosimetry in industry, agriculture and medicine. Proceedings of a symposium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-03-01

In radiation processing, it is important that the irradiated products are reliable and safe. For processes that impact directly on public health, dosimetry provides a formal means of regulation. For other applications, measurements are indispensable for process control to improve quality and the measurements have to be standardized. Thus, dosimetry is an essential part of quality standards for radiation processes. In the developing world, establishment of such quality standards is only in the embryonic stage, and the IAEA should and does play a role in the development and implementation of these standards. The IAEA initiated a programme of high dose dosimetry in 1977 to accomplish dose standardization on an industrial scale, to promote dosimetry as a quality control measure in radiation processing, and to help develop new dosimetry techniques. Since dosimetry has such a key role in these processes, the IAEA organized this international symposium to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of up-to-date developments in this field. Since the International Symposium on High Dose Dosimetry for Radiation Processing held in 1990 the field of dosimetry has deepened and broadened. There is a definite shift towards quality assurance, which calls for dependable dosimetry systems with well established traceability to national or international standards. Also, many new applications of radiation have been developed and for these new and innovative dosimetry methods are needed. This symposium has provided a forum for the discussion of many of these developments and consideration of the outstanding issues in these vital areas

High-Quality Ultra-Compact Grid Layout of Grouped Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoghourdjian, Vahan; Dwyer, Tim; Gange, Graeme; Kieffer, Steve; Klein, Karsten; Marriott, Kim

2016-01-01

Prior research into network layout has focused on fast heuristic techniques for layout of large networks, or complex multi-stage pipelines for higher quality layout of small graphs. Improvements to these pipeline techniques, especially for orthogonal-style layout, are difficult and practical results have been slight in recent years. Yet, as discussed in this paper, there remain significant issues in the quality of the layouts produced by these techniques, even for quite small networks. This is especially true when layout with additional grouping constraints is required. The first contribution of this paper is to investigate an ultra-compact, grid-like network layout aesthetic that is motivated by the grid arrangements that are used almost universally by designers in typographical layout. Since the time when these heuristic and pipeline-based graph-layout methods were conceived, generic technologies (MIP, CP and SAT) for solving combinatorial and mixed-integer optimization problems have improved massively. The second contribution of this paper is to reassess whether these techniques can be used for high-quality layout of small graphs. While they are fast enough for graphs of up to 50 nodes we found these methods do not scale up. Our third contribution is a large-neighborhood search meta-heuristic approach that is scalable to larger networks.

S-shape relationship between customer satisfaction and willingness to pay premium prices for high quality cured pork products in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Cotes-Torres, Alejandro; Muñoz-Gallego, Pablo A; Cotes-Torres, José Miguel

2012-03-01

This paper explores 2 different probabilistic models explaining willingness to pay premium prices for high-quality cured products from the swine industry. Seven cured pork products (sausage, fuet, ham, loin, shoulder, salami and pepperoni) were studied in 9 food-stores in Valladolid, Spain. Consumers of the products were interviewed (686 completed surveys). It was found by using mixed effect statistical models that the relationship between willingness to pay a premium price and customer satisfaction had nonlinear behavior, following an S-shape with inverted slope which was the first empirical evidence of this type of behavior in meat products in real market conditions. It was also established that the interaction between satisfaction and current expenditure on the product was significant and indispensable for explaining consumers' willingness to pay premium price for cured pork products. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of different techniques for in microgravity-a simple mathematic estimation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality for space environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Braunecker, S; Douglas, B; Hinkelbein, J

2015-07-01

Since astronauts are selected carefully, are usually young, and are intensively observed before and during training, relevant medical problems are rare. Nevertheless, there is a certain risk for a cardiac arrest in space requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Up to now, there are 5 known techniques to perform CPR in microgravity. The aim of the present study was to analyze different techniques for CPR during microgravity about quality of CPR. To identify relevant publications on CPR quality in microgravity, a systematic analysis with defined searching criteria was performed in the PubMed database (http://www.pubmed.com). For analysis, the keywords ("reanimation" or "CPR" or "resuscitation") and ("space" or "microgravity" or "weightlessness") and the specific names of the techniques ("Standard-technique" or "Straddling-manoeuvre" or "Reverse-bear-hug-technique" or "Evetts-Russomano-technique" or "Hand-stand-technique") were used. To compare quality and effectiveness of different techniques, we used the compression product (CP), a mathematical estimation for cardiac output. Using the predefined keywords for literature search, 4 different publications were identified (parabolic flight or under simulated conditions on earth) dealing with CPR efforts in microgravity and giving specific numbers. No study was performed under real-space conditions. Regarding compression depth, the handstand (HS) technique as well as the reverse bear hug (RBH) technique met parameters of the guidelines for CPR in 1G environments best (HS ratio, 0.91 ± 0.07; RBH ratio, 0.82 ± 0.13). Concerning compression rate, 4 of 5 techniques reached the required compression rate (ratio: HS, 1.08 ± 0.11; Evetts-Russomano [ER], 1.01 ± 0.06; standard side straddle, 1.00 ± 0.03; and straddling maneuver, 1.03 ± 0.12). The RBH method did not meet the required criteria (0.89 ± 0.09). The HS method showed the highest cardiac output (69.3% above the required CP), followed by the ER technique (33

Implementation of 350-2500 nm diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography to rapidly assess manufacturing consistency and quality of cotrimoxazole tablets in Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaale, Eliangiringa; Hope, Samuel M; Jenkins, David; Layloff, Thomas

2016-01-01

To assess the quality of cotrimoxazole tablets produced by a Tanzanian manufacturer by a newly instituted quality assurance programme. Tablets underwent a diffuse reflectance spectroscopy procedure with periodic quality assessment confirmation by assay and dissolution testing using validated HPTLC techniques (including weight variation and disintegration evaluations). Based on results from the primary test methods, the first group of product was 99% compliance. This approach provides a model for rapidly assuring product quality of future procurements of other products that is more cost-effective than traditional pharmaceutical testing techniques. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Process of Optimizing Mechanical Sound Quality in Product Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksen, Kaare; Holst, Thomas

2011-01-01

The research field concerning optimizing product sound quality is a relatively unexplored area, and may become difficult for designers to operate in. To some degree, sound is a highly subjective parameter, which is normally targeted sound specialists. This paper describes the theoretical...... and practical background for managing a process of optimizing the mechanical sound quality in a product design by using simple tools and workshops systematically. The procedure is illustrated by a case study of a computer navigation tool (computer mouse or mouse). The process is divided into 4 phases, which...... clarify the importance of product sound, defining perceptive demands identified by users, and, finally, how to suggest mechanical principles for modification of an existing sound design. The optimized mechanical sound design is followed by tests on users of the product in its use context. The result...

Optimisation Of Volvariella volvacea Spawn Production For High Mycelia Growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nie, H.J.; Azhar Mohamad; Joyce, Y.S.M.; Muhamad Najmi Moin

2016-01-01

Volvariella volvacea is a tropical mushroom cultivated throughout the world mostly in Asia and Europe for its taste, nutrition, fast growing nature and simple method of cultivation. It is also widely cultivated in Malaysia and known locally as Paddy Straw Mushroom. Growers strive to obtain high quality mushroom spawn to achieve high production. High quality spawn with fast mycelia growth are achieved through strain selection and optimisation of seedling production conditions. This study aims to optimise spawn production through 3 studies along the production main stages. Firstly, comparisons were made between agar media. Mycelia grown on Malt Extract Agar (MEA) covered the agar plates 2 days faster than Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) grown mycelia. The next stage is of mother grain spawn production by inoculating a bag of grains from mycelia agar plugs. Bags are then sealed with caps. The amount of aeration for grain spawn were studied by using two types of caps. Caps with hole allowed more aeration compared to caps without holes. Study determined bags with more aeration colonised grains 2 days faster than bags with lesser aeration. For the final stage of producing planting spawn, the growth on paddy straw substrate with and without kapok (10 %) were evaluated. Results revealed mycelia fully colonised the substrate bags without kapok 1-2 days faster than substrate bags with kapok. These findings contribute in achieving production of high quality Volvariella volvacea spawn. (author)

Interaction between production control and quality control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bij, van der J.D.; Ekert, van J.H.W.

1999-01-01

Describes a qualitative study on interaction between systems for production control and quality control within industrial organisations. Production control and quality control interact in a sense. Good performance for one aspect often influences or frustrates the performance of the other. As far as

Stainless steel fabrication for high quality requirements in the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wareing, A.J.

1990-01-01

In this paper the author explains the welding procedures and practices adopted within the nuclear industry to achieve the high quality and standards of welds required. The changeover to mechanised welding, orbital TIG welding and synergic MIG welding, has resulted in consistent achievement of high quality standards as well as optimising the productivity. However, the use of mechanised welding machines does require the welder operating them to be fully trained and qualified. The formally organised training courses are described and the cost savings and production rates achieved by utilising the mechanised method are discussed. (author)

Problem-solving and developing quality management methods and techniques on the example of automotive industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacek Łuczak

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The knowledge about methods and techniques of quality management together with their effective use can be definitely regarded as an indication of high organisational culture. Using such methods and techniques in an effective way can be attributed to certain level of maturity, as far as the quality management system in an organisation is concerned. There is in the paper an analysis of problem-solving methods and techniques of quality management in the automotive sector in Poland. The survey was given to the general population, which in case of the study consisted of companies operating in Poland that had certified quality management systems against ISO/TS 16949. The results of the conducted survey and the conclusions of the author can show actual and potential OEM suppliers (both 1st and 2nd tier in which direction their strategies for development and improvement of quality management systems should go in order to be effective. When the universal character of methods and techniques used in the surveyed population of companies is taken into consideration, it can be assumed that the results of the survey are also universal for all organisations realising the TQM strategy. The results of the research confirmed that methods which are also the basis for creating key system documents are the most relevant ones, i.e. flowcharts and FMEA, and moreover process monitoring tools (SPC and problem solving methods -above all 8D.

Evaluation of syngas production unit cost of bio-gasification facility using regression analysis techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Yangyang; Parajuli, Prem B.

2011-08-10

Evaluation of economic feasibility of a bio-gasification facility needs understanding of its unit cost under different production capacities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the unit cost of syngas production at capacities from 60 through 1800Nm 3/h using an economic model with three regression analysis techniques (simple regression, reciprocal regression, and log-log regression). The preliminary result of this study showed that reciprocal regression analysis technique had the best fit curve between per unit cost and production capacity, with sum of error squares (SES) lower than 0.001 and coefficient of determination of (R 2) 0.996. The regression analysis techniques determined the minimum unit cost of syngas production for micro-scale bio-gasification facilities of $0.052/Nm 3, under the capacity of 2,880 Nm 3/h. The results of this study suggest that to reduce cost, facilities should run at a high production capacity. In addition, the contribution of this technique could be the new categorical criterion to evaluate micro-scale bio-gasification facility from the perspective of economic analysis.

Cytotoxic Drugs Departments as a precondition for high-quality product

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna Głuszek

2014-06-01

a pharmacy becomes the producer and distributor of oncologic drugs. This is related with high requirements concerning the production of drugs (high quality, safety of the engaged staff, as well as participation in a rational management of medicines. According to the FIP, a pharmacy is a public health care facility where work is performed by authorised persons: Masters of Pharmacy and pharmacy technicians. At present the task of a clinical pharmacist also includes the supervision of activities in the area of clinical pharmacy. This is a new task for pharmacists, who are obliged to constantly expand their knowledge and actively participate in the activities of the medical team.

Spittlebug impacts on sugarcane quality and ethanol production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisele Cristina Ravaneli

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate the impacts of spittlebug (Mahanarva fimbriolata attack on sugarcane quality and ethanol production. Technological and microbiological parameters of juice and fermentation process were evaluated in ten fermentation cycles and two harvest seasons. Treatments consisted of different spittlebug stalk damage levels: control, with 100% of apparently healthy stalks; medium, with 15% of damaged or dry stalks (DDS; high, with 30% of DDS; and very high, with 60% of DDS. Spittlebug attack caused significant losses in cane quality, reducing total soluble solids, sucrose content, total reducing sugars, and pH, and increasing total phenolic compounds, and total and volatile juice acidity. The fermentation process was also significantly affected, resulting in lower ethanol content in wine. There was an increase in acetaldehyde concentration in the distillate. The spittlebug attack caused negative impacts on sugarcane quality and fermentation process, and these impacts are stronger in late season harvests.

Optimization of a micro-scale, high throughput process development tool and the demonstration of comparable process performance and product quality with biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Steven T; Stewart, Kevin D; Afdahl, Chris; Patel, Rohan; Newell, Kelcy J

2017-07-14

In this paper, we discuss the optimization and implementation of a high throughput process development (HTPD) tool that utilizes commercially available micro-liter sized column technology for the purification of multiple clinically significant monoclonal antibodies. Chromatographic profiles generated using this optimized tool are shown to overlay with comparable profiles from the conventional bench-scale and clinical manufacturing scale. Further, all product quality attributes measured are comparable across scales for the mAb purifications. In addition to supporting chromatography process development efforts (e.g., optimization screening), comparable product quality results at all scales makes this tool is an appropriate scale model to enable purification and product quality comparisons of HTPD bioreactors conditions. The ability to perform up to 8 chromatography purifications in parallel with reduced material requirements per run creates opportunities for gathering more process knowledge in less time. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A review on optimization production and upgrading biogas through CO2 removal using various techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Andriani, Dian; Wresta, Arini; Atmaja, Tinton Dwi; Saepudin, Aep

2014-02-01

Biogas from anaerobic digestion of organic materials is a renewable energy resource that consists mainly of CH4 and CO2. Trace components that are often present in biogas are water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, siloxanes, hydrocarbons, ammonia, oxygen, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen. Considering the biogas is a clean and renewable form of energy that could well substitute the conventional source of energy (fossil fuels), the optimization of this type of energy becomes substantial. Various optimization techniques in biogas production process had been developed, including pretreatment, biotechnological approaches, co-digestion as well as the use of serial digester. For some application, the certain purity degree of biogas is needed. The presence of CO2 and other trace components in biogas could affect engine performance adversely. Reducing CO2 content will significantly upgrade the quality of biogas and enhancing the calorific value. Upgrading is generally performed in order to meet the standards for use as vehicle fuel or for injection in the natural gas grid. Different methods for biogas upgrading are used. They differ in functioning, the necessary quality conditions of the incoming gas, and the efficiency. Biogas can be purified from CO2 using pressure swing adsorption, membrane separation, physical or chemical CO2 absorption. This paper reviews the various techniques, which could be used to optimize the biogas production as well as to upgrade the biogas quality.

"Product on Stopper" in a Lyophilized Drug Product: Cosmetic Defect or a Product Quality Concern?

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Shyam B; Roy, Shouvik; Yang, Han-Chang Cathy

2018-06-01

During manufacturing of a lyophilized drug product, operator errors in product handling during loading of product filled vials onto the lyophilizer can lead to a seemingly cosmetic defect which can impact certain critical quality attributes of finished product. In this study, filling of a formulated monoclonal antibody in vials was performed using a peristaltic pump filling unit, and subsequently, the product was lyophilized. After lyophilization, upon visual inspection, around 40% of vials had cosmetic defect with residual product around stopper of the vial and were categorized as "product on stopper" vials, whereas remaining 60% vials with no cosmetic defect were called "acceptable vials." Both groups of vials from 1 single batch were tested for critical quality attributes including protein concentration (ultraviolet absorbance at 280), residual moisture (Karl Fischer), sterility (membrane filtration), and container closure integrity (CCI) (blue dye ingress). Analysis of protein quality attributes such as aggregation, protein concentration, residual moisture showed no significant difference between vials with "product on stopper" and "acceptable vials." However, CCI of the "product on stopper" vials was compromised due to the presence of product around stopper of the vial. The results from this case study demonstrate the following 2 important findings: (1) that a seemingly cosmetic defect may impact product quality, compromising the integrity of the product and (2) that CCI test method can be used as an orthogonal method to sterility testing to evaluate sterility assurance of the product. The corrective action proposed to mitigate this defect is use of a larger sized vial that can potentially minimize this defect that arises because of product handling errors. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Production system with process quality control: modelling and application

Science.gov (United States)

Tsou, Jia-Chi

2010-07-01

Over the past decade, there has been a great deal of research dedicated to the study of quality and the economics of production. In this article, we develop a dynamic model which is based on the hypothesis of a traditional economic production quantity model. Taguchi's cost of poor quality is used to evaluate the cost of poor quality in the dynamic production system. A practical case from the automotive industry, which uses the Six-sigma DMAIC methodology, is discussed to verify the proposed model. This study shows that there is an optimal value of quality investment to make the production system reach a reasonable quality level and minimise the production cost. Based on our model, the management can adjust its investment in quality improvement to generate considerable financial return.

Harvest timing and techniques to optimize fiber quality in the Texas High Plains

Science.gov (United States)

Production conditions typical to the Texas High Plains region can produce cotton crops with high short fiber and nep content, both of which have a detrimental impact on ring spinning performance. Since Texas now produces nearly 50% of the US cotton crop annually, it is critical that research focuses...

Modified Starch of Sorghum Mutant Line Zh-30 for High Fiber Muffin Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.D.S. Santosa

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Sorghum mutant line Zh-30 is a breeding line developed at the Center for the Application of Isotope and Radiation Technology, BATAN by using mutation techniques. Gamma irradiation with the dose of 300 Gy was used to induce sorghum genetic variation. Through selection processes in several generations, the mutant line Zh-30 was identified to have better agronomic characteristics, better grain quality and higher grain yield than the original variety. Research on modified starch quality of this mutant line was done to identify its potential use in food industry. Functionality of pregelatinized, hydroxypropyl and crosslinked starch of this mutant line (Mutant TexInstant 30 has been studied for its use in high fiber muffin products. Characteristics of high fiber muffins containing 1.50; 3.50 and 5.50% of Mutant Tex-Instant 30 replacement levels to wheat flour were evaluated using both sensory panel and physical test methods. With regard to the sensory parameters, the high fiber muffins containing 1.50 - 5.50 % Mutant Tex-Instant 30 in general were not significantly different compared to the standard reference muffin. Results of physical evaluations showed that all Mutant Tex-Instant 30 containing products retained more moisture during baking than the standard reference. Tenderness of all products decreased at similar rate following 24 and 48 hr of room temperature storage and seven days at freezer temperature. These results suggested that sorghum mutant line Zh-30 starch could be modified and potentially used in food industry as a subtitute of wheat flour.

Modified Starch of Sorghum Mutant Line Zh-30 For High Fiber Muffin Products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santosa, D. D. S; Human, S

2009-01-01

Sorghum mutant line Zh-30 is a breeding line developed at the Center for the Application of Isotope and Radiation Technology, BATAN by using mutation techniques. Gamma irradiation with the dose of 300 Gy was used to induce sorghum genetic variation. Through selection processes in several generations, the mutant line Zh-30 was identified to have better agronomic characteristics, better grain quality and higher grain yield than the original variety. Research on modified starch quality of this mutant line was done to identify its potential use in food industry. Functionality of pregelatinized, hydroxypropyl and crosslinked starch of this mutant line (Mutant TexInstant 30) has been studied for its use in high fiber muffin products. Characteristics of high fiber muffins containing 1.50; 3.50 and 5.50% of Mutant Tex-Instant 30 replacement levels to wheat flour were evaluated using both sensory panel and physical test methods. With regard to the sensory parameters, the high fiber muffins containing 1.50 - 5.50 % Mutant Tex-Instant 30 in general were not significantly different compared to the standard reference muffin. Results of physical evaluations showed that all Mutant Tex-Instant 30 containing products retained more moisture during baking than the standard reference. Tenderness of all products decreased at similar rate following 24 and 48 hr of room temperature storage and seven days at freezer temperature. These results suggested that sorghum mutant line Zh-30 starch could be modified and potentially used in food industry as a subtitute of wheat flour (author)

Concepts for modelling the quality of perishable products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sloof, M.; Tijskens, L.M.M.; Wilkinson, E.C.

1996-01-01

It is generally accepted that the quality of perishable products depends on three factors: the product, the user and the market situation. It is therefore difficult to define what quality is and how to control it. Decomposition of the effects of these factors on quality leads to a distinction

Inter-Comparison of High-Resolution Satellite Precipitation Products over Central Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Guo

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the spatial error structures of eight precipitation estimates derived from four different satellite retrieval algorithms including TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA, Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH, Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP and Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN. All the original satellite and bias-corrected products of each algorithm (3B42RTV7 and 3B42V7, CMORPH_RAW and CMORPH_CRT, GSMaP_MVK and GSMaP_Gauge, PERSIANN_RAW and PERSIANN_CDR are evaluated against ground-based Asian Precipitation-Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of Water Resources (APHRODITE over Central Asia for the period of 2004 to 2006. The analyses show that all products except PERSIANN exhibit overestimation over Aral Sea and its surrounding areas. The bias-correction improves the quality of the original satellite TMPA products and GSMaP significantly but slightly in CMORPH and PERSIANN over Central Asia. 3B42RTV7 overestimates precipitation significantly with large Relative Bias (RB (128.17% while GSMaP_Gauge shows consistent high correlation coefficient (CC (>0.8 but RB fluctuates between −57.95% and 112.63%. The PERSIANN_CDR outperforms other products in winter with the highest CC (0.67. Both the satellite-only and gauge adjusted products have particularly poor performance in detecting rainfall events in terms of lower POD (less than 65%, CSI (less than 45% and relatively high FAR (more than 35%.

Developing Product Quality Control for Standardization of Tsetse Mass Production. Working Material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The recent Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) provides a mechanism within which SIT will be one of the major components of an integrated areawide approach to the establishment of tsetse fly-free areas. Currently world-wide tsetse production is 1/40 of the projected requirement in 2006. To achieve this objective it is essential that quality control (QC) measures suitable for the expanded production be in place. Therefore, improved QC methodology has become a top priority. Improvements in QC methodology will help to ensure the attainment of these production goals and improve quality of rearing, minimize production costs and generate trained QC and production staff required to successfully produce flies and monitor their quality and suitability for release. The proposed CRP is designed to address these issues.

THE EFFECT OF SERVICE, PRODUCT QUALITY, AND PERCEIVED VALUE ON CUSTOMER PURCHASE INTENTION AND SATISFACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dodi Iskandar

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The research was conducted at Kedai Sop Durian Lodaya (KSDL in Bogor on February 2015. The research objectives were 1 to identify the characteristics of KSDL consumer’s behavior, 2 to analyze the factors influencing the consumer satisfaction and purchase intention of KSDL’s consumers , 3 to analyze KSDL's consumer satisfaction level and purchase intention, 4 to formulate the managerial implications in order to increase consumer satisfaction and KSDL's purchase intention. The research was conducted by using descriptive methods through case study approach. Data was collected through questionnaires with non-probability sampling technique, using  convenience sampling technique. Data was analyzed by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM. The result shows that all of the satisfaction component variabels have significantly influenced consumer satisfaction and purchase intention. In sequence, the variables having the highest influence to the lowest influence are product quality, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, reliability, tangibility, and perceived value.    Keywords: consumer satisfaction, service quality, product quality, purchase intention, SEM, kedai sop durian lodaya (KSDL ABSTRAKPenelitian dilakukan di Kedai Sop Durian Lodaya (KSDL di Bogor pada bulan Februari 2015. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah 1 mengidentifikasi karakteristik perilaku konsumen di KSDL, 2 menganalisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kepuasan dan purchase intention pada konsumen di KSDL, 3 menganalisis tingkat kepuasan dan purchase intention konsumen di KSDL, 4 merumuskan implikasi manajerial untuk meningkatkan kepuasan konsumen serta menimbulkan purchase intention konsumen di KSDL. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan metode deskriptif melalui pendekatan studi kasus. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui pengisian kuesioner dengan teknik nonprobability sampling menggunakan metode convenience sampling. Data dianalisis dengan menggunakan structural equation modeling

The effect of fermentation temperature on the functional dairy product quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kanurić Katarina G.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of fermented dairy beverage production by the application of kombucha cultivated on thyme tea in combination with a probiotic starter and to evaluate the quality of the new functional product. Fermented dairy beverages are produced from milk with 1.6% milk fat at three fermentation temperatures: 37°C, 40ºC and 43ºC.Chemical quality, rheological properties and products of added starter cultures metabolism were determined in the fermented dairy beverages after production and after10 days of storage. Produced fermented dairy beverages have reduced milk fat content and good textural characteristics. Besides the highly valuable milk components, they contain numerous compounds which have pronounced therapeutic properties. These products could be used as functional food in the diet of different populations for health improvement.

Microalgae harvesting techniques: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Gulab; Patidar, S K

2018-07-01

Microalgae with wide range of commercial applications have attracted a lot of attention of the researchers in the last few decades. However, microalgae utilization is not economically sustainable due to high cost of harvesting. A wide range of solid - liquid separation techniques are available for microalgae harvesting. The techniques include coagulation and flocculation, flotation, centrifugation and filtration or a combination of various techniques. Despite the importance of harvesting to the economics and energy balance, there is no universal harvesting technique for microalgae. Therefore, this review focuses on assessing technical, economical and application potential of various harvesting techniques so as to allow selection of an appropriate technology for cost effectively harvesting of microalgae from their culture medium. Various harvesting and concentrating techniques of microalgae were reviewed to suggest order of suitability of the techniques for four main microalgae applications i.e biofuel, human and animal food, high valued products, and water quality restoration. For deciding the order of suitability, a comparative analysis of various harvesting techniques based on the six common criterions (i.e biomass quality, cost, biomass quantity, processing time, species specific and toxicity) has been done. Based on the order of various techniques vis-a-vis various criteria and preferred order of criteria for various applications, order of suitability of harvesting techniques for various applications has been decided. Among various harvesting techniques, coagulation and flocculation, centrifugation and filtration were found to be most suitable for considered applications. These techniques may be used alone or in combination for increasing the harvesting efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hoshin Kanri: a technique for strategic quality management.

Science.gov (United States)

Tennant, C; Roberts, P A

2000-01-01

This paper describes a technique for Strategic Quality Management (SQM), known as Hoshin Kanri, which has been operated as a management system in many Japanese companies since the 1960s. It represents a core aspect of Japanese companies' management systems, and is stated as: the means by which the overall control system and Total Quality Management (TQM) are deployed. Hoshin Kanri is not particularly unique in its concept of establishing and tracking individual goals and objectives, but the manner in which the objectives and the means to achieve them are developed and deployed is. The problem with applying the concept of Strategic Quality Management (SQM) using Hoshin Kanri, is that it can tend to challenge the traditional authoritarian strategic planning models, which have become the paradigms of modern business. Yet Hoshin Kanri provides an appropriate tool for declaration of the strategic vision for the business while integrating goals and targets in a single holistic model. There have been various adaptations of Hoshin Kanri to align the technique to Western thinking and management approaches, yet outside Japan its significance has gone largely unreported. It is proposed that Hoshin Kanri is an effective methodology for SQM, which has a number of benefits over the more conventional planning techniques. The benefits of Hoshin Kanri as a tool for Strategic Quality Management (SQM) compared to conventional planning systems include: integration of strategic objectives with tactical daily management, the application of the plan-do-check-act cycle to business process management, parallel planning and execution methodology, company wide approach, improvements in communication, increased consensus and buy-in to goal setting, and cross-functional-management integration.

MODERN CONCEPTS OF THE SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGY FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARGARITA JANESKA

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Product quality is generally accepted as being crucial in today’s industrial business. The traditional aspects of product quality are connected to product design (translating customer demands into attractive features and technical specifications and to the design and specification of high performance production processes with low defect rates. Quality management is the general expression for all actions leading to quality. Quality management is focused on improving customer satisfaction through continuous improvement of processes including the removal of uncertain activities, and continuous improvement of the quality of processes, products and services. The quality management includes four key processes, such as quality planning, quality assurance, quality control and quality costs. The main accent in this paper will be on quality control and the application of one of the quality control tools in order to improve it. Six Sigma is different from other quality improvement concepts in that its framework is comprised of many principles, tools and techniques, which, together with experience, are all integrated and translated into best practices. Bearing in mind that the goal of every company is to work effectively and effectively in the long run, this paper focuses on Six Sigma as a way to continuously improve quality. Namely, this paper emphasizes the key features of the quality of products / services, the Need for the application of Six Sigma for quality assurance, and also a detailed list of tools and techniques that can be used during the implementation of Six Sigma.

assessment of environmental impacts in comfortable furniture production process using life cycle assessment (LCA technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

hejhar abbasi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Furniture industry releases annually a large amount of volatile organic compound to the environment due to the use of adhesives, textiles, paints and coating materials. There are some different methods to measure the load of pollutions and the environmental impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA is one of the best techniques. LCA is a technique in which all environmental impacts related to a product assessed all over its life cycle, from cradle to grave, and ultimately can be used to improve the production process and to prevent unsuitable environmental impacts. In summary, it can be concluded that the use of this technique is the basis for sustainable development and improving social, economic, and environmental indices. This study focused on the collecting of a comprehensive life cycle inventory data for comfortable furniture in two different production processes (B1 and B2 located in Tehran province, and analyzed the environmental impacts during the production process as gate to gate investigation. The results revealed that emissions in production process B1 were higher than that of production process B2. The reason for this is that basic operations such as sawing and frame assembling along with final operation have been done in the same unit for case B1. Textile production and usage, and polyurethane foam were identified as the main hotspots, respectively. Moreover, the results showed that comfortable furniture production process has the highest effects on ecosystem quality, human health, and resources (fossil fuels and mines, respectively.

Managerial Techniques in Educational Administration.

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, John J.

1983-01-01

Management techniques developed during the past 20 years assume the rational bureaucratic model. School administration requires contingent techniques. Quality Circle, Theory Z, and the McKenzie 7-Framework are discussed as techniques to increase school productivity. (MD)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-09-01

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

Key factors for a high-quality peritoneal dialysis program--the role of the PD team and continuous quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Wei; Ni, Zhaohui; Qian, Jiaqi

2014-06-01

The proportion of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) has increased very fast in China over the last decade. Renji Hospital, affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, is a recognized high-quality PD unit with a high PD utilization rate, excellent patient and technique survival (1-year and 5-year patient survival rate of 93% and 71%, and 1-year and 5-year technique survival of 96% and 82%, respectively), low peritonitis rate and a well-documented good quality of life of the treated patients. We believe that a dedicated and experienced PD team, a structured patient training program, continuous patient support, establishing and utilizing standardized protocols, starting PD with low dialysis dose, monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), and continuous quality improvement (CQI) are the key factors underlying this successful PD program. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.

Improving animal productivity by nuclear techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, M.; Jayasuriya, M.C.N.; Perera, B.M.A.O.

1995-01-01

The IAEA and FAO have run a joint programme for 30 years to assist national agricultural research systems in member states to develop, test and apply nuclear and related techniques for improving the productivity of livestock. Applications of nuclear technologies for improving livestock productivity include: use of radioimmunoassay in animal nutrition researches, animal production, and evaluating feeding and management systems through reproductive performance in a field. Geographic coverage and the type of livestock studies are: grazing animals (cattle, goats and sheep) in Africa, Latin America and Asia, as well as buffalo production in Asia. 6 refs, 8 figs, 6 tabs

Emerging technology: A key enabler for modernizing pharmaceutical manufacturing and advancing product quality.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Thomas F; Yu, Lawrence X; Lee, Sau L

2016-07-25

Issues in product quality have produced recalls and caused drug shortages in United States (U.S.) in the past few years. These quality issues were often due to outdated manufacturing technologies and equipment as well as lack of an effective quality management system. To ensure consistent supply of safe, effective and high-quality drug products available to the patients, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supports modernizing pharmaceutical manufacturing for improvements in product quality. Specifically, five new initiatives are proposed here to achieve this goal. They include: (i) advancing regulatory science for pharmaceutical manufacturing; (ii) establishing a public-private institute for pharmaceutical manufacturing innovation; (iii) creating incentives for investment in the technological upgrade of manufacturing processes and facilities; (iv) leveraging external expertise for regulatory quality assessment of emerging technologies; and (v) promoting the international harmonization of approaches for expediting the global adoption of emerging technologies. Published by Elsevier B.V.

What is the new paradigm in product quality?

OpenAIRE

Robotham, AJ; Guldbrandsen, M

2000-01-01

The current product quality paradigm is founded upon a customer-focused product development process, in which the functionality and behaviour of a product are designed to fulfil the needs of customers, and technological innovation is used to expand the capability and enhance the performance of the product. However, this view of product quality does not reflect the current practices of today's leading manufacturers, who now offer "total solutions" based upon an integrated package of products a...

Microbiological quality and safety assessment of lettuce production in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceuppens, Siele; Hessel, Claudia Titze; de Quadros Rodrigues, Rochele; Bartz, Sabrina; Tondo, Eduardo César; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2014-07-02

The microbiological quality and safety of lettuce during primary production in Brazil were determined by enumeration of hygiene indicators Escherichia coli, coliforms and enterococci and detection of enteric pathogens Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 in organic fertilizers, soil, irrigation water, lettuce crops, harvest boxes and worker's hands taken from six different lettuce farms throughout the crop growth cycle. Generic E. coli was a suitable indicator for the presence of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, while coliforms and enterococci were not. Few pathogens were detected: 5 salmonellae and 2 E. coli O157:H7 from 260 samples, of which only one was lettuce and the others were manure, soil and water. Most (5/7) pathogens were isolated from the same farm and all were from organic production. Statistical analysis revealed the following environmental and agro-technical risk factors for increased microbial load and pathogen prevalence in lettuce production: high temperature, flooding of lettuce fields, application of contaminated organic fertilizer, irrigation with water of inferior quality and large distances between the field and toilets. Control of the composting process of organic fertilizers and the irrigation water quality appear most crucial to improve and/or maintain the microbiological quality and safety during the primary production of lettuce. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Production and quality of kefir cultured butter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaşar Karaca

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cream is the main raw material for the butter production and reflects its properties into butter quality. Maturation of cream with appropriate starter culture is important for butter quality, sensory properties and shelf life of the end product. Kefir grains contain important probiotics for healthy nutrition including lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeasts in high numbers. The aim of this research was to determine the properties of butter produced using natural kefir culture during a 21-day cold storage. Determination of microbial, chemical and sensory properties of butter samples was carried out. Control sample (KOTE had 6.64 log CFU g-1 Lactococcus spp. while kefir cultured butter samples had 8.58 log CFU g-1. Kefir cultured butter contained 5.24 log CFU g-1 L. acidophilus at Day 1, while control samples did not have L. acidophilus. Acetaldehyde content of kefir cultured butter was significantly higher from the uncultured butter. According to sensory evaluation performed by 12 panelists, KKTE samples had better sensory properties than those observed in the KOTE samples.

The complexity of earth observation valuation: Modeling the patterns and processes of agricultural production and groundwater quality to construct a production possibilities frontier

Science.gov (United States)

Forney, W.; Raunikar, R. P.; Bernknopf, R.; Mishra, S.

2012-12-01

A production possibilities frontier (PPF) is a graph comparing the production interdependencies for two commodities. In this case, the commodities are defined as the ecosystem services of agricultural production and groundwater quality. This presentation focuses on the refinement of techniques used in an application to estimate the value of remote sensing information. Value of information focuses on the use of uncertain and varying qualities of information within a specific decision-making context for a certain application, which in this case included land use, biogeochemical, hydrogeologic, economic and geospatial data and models. The refined techniques include deriving alternate patterns and processes of ecosystem functions, new estimates of ecosystem service values to construct a PPF, and the extension of this work into decision support systems. We have coupled earth observations of agricultural production with groundwater quality measurements to estimate the value of remote sensing information in northeastern Iowa to be 857M ± 198M (at the 2010 price level) per year. We will present an improved method for modeling crop rotation patterns to include multiple years of rotation, reduction in the assumptions associated with optimal land use allocations, and prioritized improvement of the resolution of input data (for example, soil resources and topography). The prioritization focuses on watersheds that were identified at a coarse-scale of analysis to have higher intensities of agricultural production and lower probabilities of groundwater survivability (in other words, remaining below a regulatory threshold for nitrate pollution) over time, and thus require finer-scaled modeling and analysis. These improved techniques and the simulation of certain scale-dependent policy and management actions, which trade-off the objectives of optimizing crop value versus maintaining potable groundwater, and provide new estimates for the empirical values of the PPF. The calculation

Production, consumption, and quality attributes of Akpan – a yoghurt-like cereal product from West Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Sassa, C

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Akpan is a high-potential, traditional yoghurt-like product made from fermented cereal starch, and consumed as a thirst-quenching beverage in Benin. This study investigated the characteristics of consumers, the traditional processing techniques...

Low-cost high-quality crystalline germanium based flexible devices

KAUST Repository

Nassar, Joanna M.

2014-06-16

High performance flexible electronics promise innovative future technology for various interactive applications for the pursuit of low-cost, light-weight, and multi-functional devices. Thus, here we show a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible fabrication of flexible metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) with high-κ/metal gate stack, using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) cost-effective technique to obtain a high-quality Ge channel. We report outstanding bending radius ~1.25 mm and semi-transparency of 30%.

Low-cost high-quality crystalline germanium based flexible devices

KAUST Repository

Nassar, Joanna M.; Hussain, Aftab M.; Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2014-01-01

High performance flexible electronics promise innovative future technology for various interactive applications for the pursuit of low-cost, light-weight, and multi-functional devices. Thus, here we show a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible fabrication of flexible metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) with high-κ/metal gate stack, using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) cost-effective technique to obtain a high-quality Ge channel. We report outstanding bending radius ~1.25 mm and semi-transparency of 30%.

No improvement without learning: prerequisites for learning the relations between process and product quality in practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Solingen, van D.M.; Berghout, E.W.; Kusters, R.J.; Trienekens, J.J.M.; Bomarius, F.; Oivo, M.

2000-01-01

Generic relationships between process and product quality are rarely available, because such relationships are highly depending on context factors; the impact of a certain process on product quality is often largely influenced by the characteristics of the specific organisation, processes, business

Novel production techniques of radioisotopes using electron accelerators

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, Daniel Robert

Non-traditional radioisotope production techniques using a compact, high power linear electron accelerator have been demonstrated and characterized for the production of 18F, 47Sc, 147 Pm, and 99mTc from a variety of target candidates. These isotopes are used extensively in the medical field as diagnostic and therapy radioisotopes, as well as the space industry as RTG's. Primary focus was placed on 99mTc as it constitutes approximately 80% of all diagnostic procedures in the medical community that use radioactive tracers. It was also the prime focus due to recent events at the Chalk River nuclear reactor, which caused global shortages of this isotope a few years ago. A Varian K15 LINAC was first used to show proof of principle in Las Vegas. Various samples were then taken to the Idaho Accelerator Center where they were activated using an electron LINAC capable of electron energies from 4 to 25 MeV at a beam power of approximately 1 kW. Production rates, cross sections, and viability studies were then performed and conducted to assess the effectiveness of the candidate target and the maximum production rate for each radioisotope. Production rates for 18F from lithium fluoride salts were shown to be ideal at 21MeV, namely 1.7 Ci per kg of LiF salt, per kW of beam current, per 10 hour irradiation time. As the typical hospital consumption of 18F is around 500 mCi per day, it is clear that a large amount of 18F can be made from a small (300 gram) sample of LiF salt. However, since there is no current separation process for 18F from 19F, the viability of this technique is limited until a separations technique is developed. Furthermore, the calculated cross section for this reaction is in good agreement with literature, which supports the techniques for the isotopes mentioned below. Production rates for 47Sc from vanadium oxide targets were shown to be a maximum at 25 MeV with a production rate of 2 mCi per day, assuming a 2 kW beam and a 10 kg target. While this

High-quality vertical light emitting diodes fabrication by mechanical lift-off technique

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Po-Min; Hsu, Shih-Chieh; Chang, Chun-Yen

2011-10-01

We report the fabrication of mechanical lift-off high quality thin GaN with Hexagonal Inversed Pyramid (HIP) structures for vertical light emitting diodes (V-LEDs). The HIP structures were formed at the GaN/sapphire substrate interface under high temperature during KOH wet etching process. The average threading dislocation density (TDD) was estimated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and found the reduction from 2×109 to 1×108 cm-2. Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed that the compressive stress of GaN epilayer was effectively relieved in the thin-GaN LED with HIP structures. Finally, the mechanical lift-off process is claimed to be successful by using the HIP structures as a sacrificial layer during wafer bonding process.

Selection of productivity improvement techniques via mathematical modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahassan M. Khater

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new mathematical model to select an optimal combination of productivity improvement techniques. The proposed model of this paper considers four-stage cycle productivity and the productivity is assumed to be a linear function of fifty four improvement techniques. The proposed model of this paper is implemented for a real-world case study of manufacturing plant. The resulted problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming which can be solved for optimality using traditional methods. The preliminary results of the implementation of the proposed model of this paper indicate that the productivity can be improved through a change on equipments and it can be easily applied for both manufacturing and service industries.

Lightweight and Continuous Architectural Software Quality Assurance using the aSQA Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Henrik Bærbak; Hansen, Klaus Marius; Lindstrøm, Bo

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present a novel technique for assessing and prioritizing architectural quality in large-scale software development projects. The technique can be applied with relatively little effort by software architects and thus suited for agile development in which quality attributes can...... be assessed and prioritized, e.g., within each development sprint. We outline the processes and metrics embodied in the technique, and report initial experiences on the benefits and liabilities. In conclusion, the technique is considered valuable and a viable tool, and has benefits in an architectural...

High-quality forage production under salinity by using a salt-tolerant AtNXH1-expressing transgenic alfalfa combined with a natural stress-resistant nitrogen-fixing bacterium.

Science.gov (United States)

Stritzler, Margarita; Elba, Pagano; Berini, Carolina; Gomez, Cristina; Ayub, Nicolás; Soto, Gabriela

2018-06-20

Alfalfa, usually known as the "Queen of Forages", is the main source of vegetable protein to meat and milk production systems worldwide. This legume is extremely rich in proteins due to its highly efficient symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing strains. In the last years, alfalfa culture has been displaced to saline environments by other important crops, including major cereals, a fact that has reduced its biomass production and symbiotic nitrogen fixation. In this short communication, we report the high forage production and nutrient quality of alfalfa under saline conditions by alfalfa transformation with the AtNHX1 Na + /H + antiporter and inoculation with the stress-resistant nitrogen-fixing strain Sinorhizobium meliloti B401. Therefore, the incorporation of transgenic traits into salt-sensitive legumes in association with the inoculation with natural stress-resistant isolates could be a robust approach to improve the productivity and quality of these important nitrogen-fixing crops. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

How product trial changes quality perception of four new processed beef products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saeed, Faiza; Grunert, Klaus G; Therkildsen, Margrethe

2013-01-01

evaluation, quality evaluation and purchase motive fulfillment. For two of the tested products, trial resulted in a decline of the evaluation of cues, quality and purchase motive fulfillment compared to pre-trial expectations. For these products, positive expectations were created by giving information about...... and gender, which may be due to underlying differences in previous experience. The study gives useful insights for testing of new processed meat products before market introduction....

Dosimetry for radiation processing. Final report of the co-ordinated research project on characterization and evaluation of high dose dosimetry techniques for quality assurance in radiation processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-06-01

In many Member States the use of large cobalt-60 gamma ray facilities and electron beam accelerators with beam energies from about 0.1 to 10 MeV for industrial processing continues to increase. For these processes, quality assurance relies on the application of well established dosimetry systems and procedures. This is especially the case for health regulated processes, such as the radiation sterilization of health care products, and the irradiation of food to eliminate pathogenic organisms or to control insect pests. A co-ordinated research project (CRP) was initiated by the IAEA in June 1995. Research contracts and research agreements in areas of high dose dosimetry were initiated to meet these challenges. The major goals of this CRP were to investigate the parameters that influence the response of dosimeters and to develop reference and transfer dosimetry techniques, especially for electron beams of energy less than 4 MeV and for high energy X ray sources (up to 5 MV). These will help to unify the radiation measurements performed by different radiation processing facilities and other high dose dosimetry users in Member States and encourage efforts to obtain traceability to primary and secondary standards laboratories. It will also aim to strengthen and expand the present International Dose Assurance Service (IDAS) provided by the IAEA

THE OPTIMIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL MINING PARAMETERS IN QUARRY FOR DIMENSION STONE BLOCKS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT BASED ON PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TECHNIQUES OF MEASUREMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruslan Sobolevskyi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This research focuses on patterns of change in the dimension stone commodity blocks quality production on previously identifi ed and measured geometrical parameters of natural cracks, modelling and planning out the fi nal dimension of stone products and fi nished products based on the proposed digital photogrammetric techniques. The optimal parameters of surveying are investigated and the infl uence of surveying distance to length and crack area is estimated. Rational technological parameters of dimension stone blocks production are taken into account.

Rapid transient production in plants by replicating and non-replicating vectors yields high quality functional anti-HIV antibody.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Sainsbury

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The capacity of plants and plant cells to produce large amounts of recombinant protein has been well established. Due to advantages in terms of speed and yield, attention has recently turned towards the use of transient expression systems, including viral vectors, to produce proteins of pharmaceutical interest in plants. However, the effects of such high level expression from viral vectors and concomitant effects on host cells may affect the quality of the recombinant product.To assess the quality of antibodies transiently expressed to high levels in plants, we have expressed and characterised the human anti-HIV monoclonal antibody, 2G12, using both replicating and non-replicating systems based on deleted versions of Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV RNA-2. The highest yield (approximately 100 mg/kg wet weight leaf tissue of affinity purified 2G12 was obtained when the non-replicating CPMV-HT system was used and the antibody was retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER. Glycan analysis by mass-spectrometry showed that the glycosylation pattern was determined exclusively by whether the antibody was retained in the ER and did not depend on whether a replicating or non-replicating system was used. Characterisation of the binding and neutralisation properties of all the purified 2G12 variants from plants showed that these were generally similar to those of the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO cell-produced 2G12.Overall, the results demonstrate that replicating and non-replicating CPMV-based vectors are able to direct the production of a recombinant IgG similar in activity to the CHO-produced control. Thus, a complex recombinant protein was produced with no apparent effect on its biochemical properties using either high-level expression or viral replication. The speed with which a recombinant pharmaceutical with excellent biochemical characteristics can be produced transiently in plants makes CPMV-based expression vectors an attractive option for

Role of configuration management in improving quality of metal products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, U.; Kalsoom, T.

2007-01-01

The Configuration Management (CM) is an imperative discipline which helps in producing quality metal products for the customers. CM implements a graded approach to Configuration Items whose failure poses human as well as product losses. Effective CM provides information to Project Management, Quality Control, and Quality Assurance in identifying schedules and processes related to metal component production. The CM is a supportive function, mostly working side by side with Quality Assurance and Quality Control in the development / production of metal parts. The CM provides tools and guidelines for managing a product while Quality Assurance verifies and validates the same outside the scope of Configuration Audits. Configuration Management raises productivity of metal product, makes-available design reuse, reduces service and support costs, enhances visibility and eliminates rework on metal products. The elements of CM i.e. Identification, Control, Status Accounting and Audits playa vital role to enhance the quality of metal products. Only established CM System can make it possible to swing initial development criteria to final user friendly metal products. The challenges of today in our metal industry are to design and develop state-of-the-art products, for which, CM ideas given in this paper, will help to achieve all the set goals. (author)

Soft X-ray generation via inverse compton scattering between high quality electron beam and high power laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masakazu Washio; Kazuyuki Sakaue; Yoshimasa Hama; Yoshio Kamiya; Tomoko Gowa; Akihiko Masuda; Aki Murata; Ryo Moriyama; Shigeru Kashiwagi; Junji Urakawa

2007-01-01

High quality beam generation project based on High-Tech Research Center Project, which has been approved by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 1999, has been conducted by advance research institute for science and engineering, Waseda University. In the project, laser photo-cathode RF-gun has been selected for the high quality electron beam source. RF cavities with low dark current, which were made by diamond turning technique, have been successfully manufactured. The low emittance electron beam was realized by choosing the modified laser injection technique. The obtained normalized emmitance was about 3 m.mrad at 100 pC of electron charge. The soft x-ray beam generation with the energy of 370 eV, which is in the energy region of so-called water window, by inverse Compton scattering has been performed by the collision between IR laser and the low emmitance electron beams. (Author)

Production and quality evaluation of probiotic soy milk | Onyibe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Soy milk is produced from a protein rich legume with high nutritional value. Adding probiotic agent(s) to soy milk increases its health value. In this study, soy milk and probiotic soy milk samples were produced, their qualities evaluated and shelf life at different temperatures of storage monitored. Products were of good taste ...

The ontological model and the hybrid expert system for products and processes quality identification involving the approach based on system analysis and quality function deployment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitriev Aleksandr

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Discussed model of quality of identification has improved mathematical tools and allows you to use a variety of additional information. The proposed robust method is a matrix MTQFD (Matrix Technique Quality Function Deployment allows you to determine not only the priorities but also the assessment of the target values of the product characteristics and process parameters, with the possible use of the information on the negative relationship. Designed ontological model, method and model of expert system versatile and can be used to identify the quality of services.

Swedish Consumers’ Perception of Food Quality and Sustainability in Relation to Organic Food Production

Science.gov (United States)

Gebresenbet, Girma

2018-01-01

Consumers’ demand for locally produced and organic foods has increased in Sweden. This paper presents the results obtained from the analysis of data acquired from 100 consumers in Sweden who participated in an online survey during March to June 2016. The objective was to identify consumers’ demand in relation to organic food and sustainable food production, and to understand how the consumers evaluate food quality and make buying decisions. Qualitative descriptions, descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Chi-square test (with alpha value of p production method is more sustainable than conventional methods. Female consumers have more positive attitudes than men towards organic food. However, age difference, household size and income level do not significantly influence the consumers’ perception of sustainable food production concepts. Regionality, sustainable methods of production and organic production are the most important parameters to characterize the food as high quality and make buying decisions. On the other hand, product uniformity, appearance, and price were found to be relatively less important parameters. Food buying decisions and food quality were found to be highly related with Pearson’s correlation coefficient of r = 0.99. PMID:29614785

Image quality in the anteroposterior cervical spine radiograph: Comparison between moving, stationary and non-grid techniques in a lamb neck

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keating, Michelle [School of Health and Social Care, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DD (United Kingdom); Grange, Stuart, E-mail: Stuart2.Grange@uwe.ac.u [School of Health and Social Care, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Stapleton, Bristol BS16 1DD (United Kingdom)

2011-05-15

Background: Cervical spine radiography is a commonly employed examination for degenerative disease and trauma in the cervical spine. Traditionally, the anteroposterior projection is undertaken with the use of an anti-scatter grid. Some practitioners appear to have rejected this practice in favour of a non-grid technique, possibly because of the dose saving it affords. It is necessary to determine if image quality in the cervical spine is significantly degraded and whether the omission of the grid is justified. Method: Using a slaughtered lamb neck as a model of the human neck triplicate radiographs were obtained using a non-grid, a stationary grid and a moving grid technique. Entrance surface dose and dose area product was measured for these techniques. Image quality in terms of contrast, sharpness and overall acceptability was evaluated by 9 independent and blinded observers. Results: A significant reduction in measured dose was observed when the non-grid technique was compared to stationary or moving grid techniques. A statistically significant reduction in image contrast, sharpness and acceptability was also seen in the non-grid compared to grid techniques. Conclusion: These results show evidence of significantly greater image quality in the presence of either a moving or stationary grid in the lamb model. As such they support the continued use of scatter rejection methods such as the anti-scatter grid in AP radiography of the human cervical spine, to optimise radiographic image quality in this critical structure.

Image quality in the anteroposterior cervical spine radiograph: Comparison between moving, stationary and non-grid techniques in a lamb neck

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keating, Michelle; Grange, Stuart

2011-01-01

Background: Cervical spine radiography is a commonly employed examination for degenerative disease and trauma in the cervical spine. Traditionally, the anteroposterior projection is undertaken with the use of an anti-scatter grid. Some practitioners appear to have rejected this practice in favour of a non-grid technique, possibly because of the dose saving it affords. It is necessary to determine if image quality in the cervical spine is significantly degraded and whether the omission of the grid is justified. Method: Using a slaughtered lamb neck as a model of the human neck triplicate radiographs were obtained using a non-grid, a stationary grid and a moving grid technique. Entrance surface dose and dose area product was measured for these techniques. Image quality in terms of contrast, sharpness and overall acceptability was evaluated by 9 independent and blinded observers. Results: A significant reduction in measured dose was observed when the non-grid technique was compared to stationary or moving grid techniques. A statistically significant reduction in image contrast, sharpness and acceptability was also seen in the non-grid compared to grid techniques. Conclusion: These results show evidence of significantly greater image quality in the presence of either a moving or stationary grid in the lamb model. As such they support the continued use of scatter rejection methods such as the anti-scatter grid in AP radiography of the human cervical spine, to optimise radiographic image quality in this critical structure.

Bundle Pricing Decisions for Fresh Products with Quality Deterioration

OpenAIRE

Fang, Yan; Jiang, Yiping; Han, Xingxing

2018-01-01

How to sell fresh products quickly to decrease the storage cost and to meet customer quality requirement is of vital importance in the food supply chain. Bundling fresh products is an efficient strategy to promote sales and reduce storage pressure of retailers. In this paper, we consider the bundle pricing decisions for homogeneous fresh products with quality deterioration. The value of fresh products with quality deterioration is approximated as an exponential function based on which custome...

The effect of thermal treatment on the quality changes of Antartic krill meal during the manufacturing process: High processing temperatures decrease product quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Henna Fung Sieng; Bruheim, Inge; Ale, Marcel Tutor

2015-01-01

The quality of krill products is influenced by their manufacturing process and could be evaluated by their degradation products from lipid oxidation and non-enzymatic browning reactions. The main objectives of this study were: (i) to investigate the effect of thermal treatment on these two reacti...

Competition and product quality in the supermarket industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsa, David A

2011-01-01

This article analyzes the effect of competition on a supermarket firm's incentive to provide product quality. In the supermarket industry, product availability is an important measure of quality. Using U.S. Consumer Price Index microdata to track inventory shortfalls, I find that stores facing more intense competition have fewer shortfalls. Competition from Walmart—the most significant shock to industry market structure in half a century—decreased shortfalls among large chains by about a third. The risk that customers will switch stores appears to provide competitors with a strong incentive to invest in product quality.

DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES IN SERVICE QUALITY LITERATURE: ESSENTIALS AND ADVANCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed naved Khan

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Academic and business researchers have for long debated on the most appropriate data analysis techniques that can be employed in conducting empirical researches in the domain of services marketing. On the basis of an exhaustive review of literature, the present paper attempts to provide a concise and schematic portrayal of generally followed data analysis techniques in the field of services quality literature. Collectively, the extant literature suggests that there is a growing trend among researchers to rely on higher order multivariate techniques viz. confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling etc. to generate and analyze complex models, while at times ignoring very basic and yet powerful procedures such as mean, t-Test, ANOVA and correlation. The marked shift in orientation of researchers towards using sophisticated analytical techniques can largely beattributed to the competition within the community of researchers in social sciences in general and those working in the area of service quality in particular as also growing demands of reviewers ofjournals. From a pragmatic viewpoint, it is expected that the paper will serve as a useful source of information and provide deeper insights to academic researchers, consultants, and practitionersinterested in modelling patterns of service quality and arriving at optimal solutions to increasingly complex management problems.

FAO/IAEA International Symposium on Food Safety and Quality: Applications of Nuclear and Related Techniques, Vienna, Austria, 10−13 November 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

Ensuring food supply integrity is of the utmost importance in relation to food security, safety and quality, consumer protection and international trade. Control measures throughout the entire food production and supply chain are essential to maintain and assure this integrity. The fundamental purpose of the controls is to support food safety and quality, because both are essential and set the foundation for food security and consumer protection as well as facilitating both domestic and international trade. The need for methods to monitor and verify food safety and quality is evidenced by the ever growing list of food product recalls and incidents such as melamine, antibiotic and dioxin contamination. Food fraud (e.g. the adulteration of beef products with horse meat), the introduction of new technologies with potential food safety implications (e.g. nanotechnology) and environmental factors (e.g. climate change) further highlight the importance of continued refinement, development and innovation to improve food control measures. Effective techniques are necessary to help assess and manage risks and protect the consumer. These include food irradiation to treat food directly, as well as other nuclear and related technologies for tracing food products in order to verify their provenance or to detect and control contaminants. To explore some of these challenges experienced by many Member States, an International Symposium on Food Safety and Quality: Applications of Nuclear and Related Techniques was held in Vienna, Austria, from 10 to 13 November 2014, under the auspices of the Food and Environmental Protection Subprogramme.

Novel food processing techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesna Lelas

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Recently, a lot of investigations have been focused on development of the novel mild food processing techniques with the aim to obtain the high quality food products. It is presumed also that they could substitute some of the traditional processes in the food industry. The investigations are primarily directed to usage of high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasound, tribomechanical micronization, microwaves, pulsed electrical fields. The results of the scientific researches refer to the fact that application of some of these processes in particular food industry can result in lots of benefits. A significant energy savings, shortening of process duration, mild thermal conditions, food products with better sensory characteristics and with higher nutritional values can be achieved. As some of these techniques act also on the molecular level changing the conformation, structure and electrical potential of organic as well as inorganic materials, the improvement of some functional properties of these components may occur. Common characteristics of all of these techniques are treatment at ambient or insignificant higher temperatures and short time of processing (1 to 10 minutes. High hydrostatic pressure applied to various foodstuffs can destroy some microorganisms, successfully modify molecule conformation and consequently improve functional properties of foods. At the same time it acts positively on the food products intend for freezing. Tribomechanical treatment causes micronization of various solid materials that results in nanoparticles and changes in structure and electrical potential of molecules. Therefore, the significant improvement of some rheological and functional properties of materials occurred. Ultrasound treatment proved to be potentially very successful technique of food processing. It can be used as a pretreatment to drying (decreases drying time and improves functional properties of food, as extraction process of various components

Intelligent Systems Approaches to Product Sound Quality Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Pietila, Glenn M.

As a product market becomes more competitive, consumers become more discriminating in the way in which they differentiate between engineered products. The consumer often makes a purchasing decision based on the sound emitted from the product during operation by using the sound to judge quality or annoyance. Therefore, in recent years, many sound quality analysis tools have been developed to evaluate the consumer preference as it relates to a product sound and to quantify this preference based on objective measurements. This understanding can be used to direct a product design process in order to help differentiate the product from competitive products or to establish an impression on consumers regarding a product's quality or robustness. The sound quality process is typically a statistical tool that is used to model subjective preference, or merit score, based on objective measurements, or metrics. In this way, new product developments can be evaluated in an objective manner without the laborious process of gathering a sample population of consumers for subjective studies each time. The most common model used today is the Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), although recently non-linear Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approaches are gaining popularity. This dissertation will review publicly available published literature and present additional intelligent systems approaches that can be used to improve on the current sound quality process. The focus of this work is to address shortcomings in the current paired comparison approach to sound quality analysis. This research will propose a framework for an adaptive jury analysis approach as an alternative to the current Bradley-Terry model. The adaptive jury framework uses statistical hypothesis testing to focus on sound pairings that are most interesting and is expected to address some of the restrictions required by the Bradley-Terry model. It will also provide a more amicable framework for an intelligent systems approach

Fractal Image Compression Based on High Entropy Values Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douaa Younis Abbaas

2018-04-01

Full Text Available There are many attempts tried to improve the encoding stage of FIC because it consumed time. These attempts worked by reducing size of the search pool for pair range-domain matching but most of them led to get a bad quality, or a lower compression ratio of reconstructed image. This paper aims to present a method to improve performance of the full search algorithm by combining FIC (lossy compression and another lossless technique (in this case entropy coding is used. The entropy technique will reduce size of the domain pool (i. e., number of domain blocks based on the entropy value of each range block and domain block and then comparing the results of full search algorithm and proposed algorithm based on entropy technique to see each of which give best results (such as reduced the encoding time with acceptable values in both compression quali-ty parameters which are C. R (Compression Ratio and PSNR (Image Quality. The experimental results of the proposed algorithm proven that using the proposed entropy technique reduces the encoding time while keeping compression rates and reconstruction image quality good as soon as possible.

DUACS: Toward High Resolution Sea Level Products

Science.gov (United States)

Faugere, Y.; Gerald, D.; Ubelmann, C.; Claire, D.; Pujol, M. I.; Antoine, D.; Desjonqueres, J. D.; Picot, N.

2016-12-01

The DUACS system produces, as part of the CNES/SALP project, and the Copernicus Marine Environment and Monitoring Service, high quality multimission altimetry Sea Level products for oceanographic applications, climate forecasting centers, geophysic and biology communities... These products consist in directly usable and easy to manipulate Level 3 (along-track cross-calibrated SLA) and Level 4 products (multiple sensors merged as maps or time series) and are available in global and regional version (Mediterranean Sea, Arctic, European Shelves …).The quality of the products is today limited by the altimeter technology "Low Resolution Mode" (LRM), and the lack of available observations. The launch of 2 new satellites in 2016, Jason-3 and Sentinel-3A, opens new perspectives. Using the global Synthetic Aperture Radar mode (SARM) coverage of S3A and optimizing the LRM altimeter processing (retracking, editing, ...) will allow us to fully exploit the fine-scale content of the altimetric missions. Thanks to this increase of real time altimetry observations we will also be able to improve Level-4 products by combining these new Level-3 products and new mapping methodology, such as dynamic interpolation. Finally these improvements will benefit to downstream products : geostrophic currents, Lagrangian products, eddy atlas… Overcoming all these challenges will provide major upgrades of Sea Level products to better fulfill user needs.

Novel technique of making thin target foil of high density material via rolling method

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, C. K.; Rohilla, Aman; Singh, R. P.; Singh, Gurjot; Chamoli, S. K.

2018-05-01

The conventional rolling method fails to yield good quality thin foils of thicknesses less than 2 mg/cm2 for high density materials with Z ≥ 70 (e.g. gold, lead). A special and improved technique has been developed to obtain such low thickness good quality gold foils by rolling method. Using this technique thin gold foils of thickness in the range of 0.850-2.5 mg/cm2 were obtained in the present work. By making use of alcohol during rolling, foils of thickness 1 mg/cm2 can be obtained in shorter time with less effort.

Review of non-destructive techniques for the quality checking of encapsulated radioactive waste: 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saunderson, D.H.

1989-01-01

Methods for non-destructively evaluating the condition of encapsulated ILW cement/waste monoliths, sealed within a drum, may form one component of a quality checking system. The QCTF have commissioned a wide-ranging survey of techniques that might be applicable to this problem. As a result of previously reported work, high-energy radiography has been identified as being most likely to satisfy the requirements for determining the physical condition of the monolith after encapsulation. Nucleonic methods such as neutron interrogation and high-resolution-spectroscopy can be applied to check on the contents of the drum. Ultrasonic methods were seen to have potential in monitoring the setting and curing processes during the forming of the monolith. The study of various ultrasonic methods for subsequent inspection of sealed drums, ILWRP(85)P27, concluded that they were not likely to be of use for the quality checking process. For completeness, this report covers the remaining techniques that have been considered during the course of the survey, however unlikely their application might be. (author)

A Lightweight Intelligent Virtual Cinematography System for Machinima Production

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Elson, David K; Riedl, Mark O

2007-01-01

Machinima is a low-cost alternative to full production filmmaking. However, creating quality cinematic visualizations with existing machinima techniques still requires a high degree of talent and effort...

High-dimensional nested analysis of variance to assess the effect of production season, quality grade and steam pasteurization on the phenolic composition of fermented rooibos herbal tea.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanimirova, I; Kazura, M; de Beer, D; Joubert, E; Schulze, A E; Beelders, T; de Villiers, A; Walczak, B

2013-10-15

A nested analysis of variance combined with simultaneous component analysis, ASCA, was proposed to model high-dimensional chromatographic data. The data were obtained from an experiment designed to investigate the effect of production season, quality grade and post-production processing (steam pasteurization) on the phenolic content of the infusion of the popular herbal tea, rooibos, at 'cup-of-tea' strength. Specifically, a four-way analysis of variance where the experimental design involves nesting in two of the three crossed factors was considered. For the purpose of the study, batches of fermented rooibos plant material were sampled from each of four quality grades during three production seasons (2009, 2010 and 2011) and a sub-sample of each batch was steam-pasteurized. The phenolic content of each rooibos infusion was characterized by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-diode array detection (DAD). In contrast to previous studies, the complete HPLC-DAD signals were used in the chemometric analysis in order to take into account the entire phenolic profile. All factors had a significant effect on the phenolic content of a 'cup-of-tea' strength rooibos infusion. In particular, infusions prepared from the grade A (highest quality) samples contained a higher content of almost all phenolic compounds than the lower quality plant material. The variations of the content of isoorientin and orientin in the different quality grade infusions over production seasons are larger than the variations in the content of aspalathin and quercetin-3-O-robinobioside. Ferulic acid can be used as an indicator of the quality of rooibos tea as its content generally decreases with increasing tea quality. Steam pasteurization decreased the content of the majority of phenolic compounds in a 'cup-of-tea' strength rooibos infusion. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microbiological and nutritional quality of the goat meat by-product "sarapatel".

Science.gov (United States)

Brasil, Luciana; Queiroz, Angela; Silva, Josevan; Bezerra, Taliana; Arcanjo, Narciza; Magnani, Marciane; Souza, Evandro; Madruga, Marta

2014-01-16

Goat "sarapatel" is a product made from blood and viscera. For the first time, the microbiological and nutritional quality of "sarapatel" samples (n=48) sold under different conditions (in street markets, butcher shops, and supermarkets under refrigeration, frozen or at room temperature) was evaluated. Goat "sarapatel" is a nutritive food, with each 100 g providing, on average, 72 g of moisture, 2 g of ash, 18 g of protein, 9 g of lipids, 2 g of carbohydrates, 282 mg of cholesterol, and high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids and essential amino acids. The analysis of the "sarapatel" samples shows that none of them contain Salmonella spp. or L. monocytogenes. High counts (>104) of total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, and sulfite-reducing Clostridium were detected, and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus was found in 31.25% of samples. The storage conditions evaluated (refrigeration, frozen or at room temperature) did not affect the physicochemical quality of the "sarapatel"; however, the unsatisfactory microbiological quality indicates that it is necessary to improve the health-sanitary aspects of the processing and sale of this product.

A Model to Improve the Quality Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasan GOKKAYA

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The topic of this paper is to present a solution who can improve product qualityfollowing the idea: “Unlike people who have verbal skills, machines use "sign language"to communicate what hurts or what has invaded their system’. Recognizing the "signs"or symptoms that the machine conveys is a required skill for those who work withmachines and are responsible for their care and feeding. The acoustic behavior of technical products is predominantly defined in the design stage, although the acoustic characteristics of machine structures can be analyze and give a solution for the actual products and create a new generation of products. The paper describes the steps intechnological process for a product and the solution who will reduce the costs with the non-quality of product and improve the management quality.

Recent developments in high purity niobium metal production at CBMM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdo, Gustavo Giovanni Ribeiro; Sousa, Clovis Antonio de Faria; Guimarães, Rogério Contato; Ribas, Rogério Marques; Vieira, Alaércio Salvador Martins; Menezes, Andréia Duarte; Fridman, Daniel Pallos; Cruz, Edmundo Burgos

2015-01-01

CBMM is a global supplier of high quality niobium products including pure niobium, the focus of this paper. CBMM’s position has been consolidated over three decades of producing high purity niobium metal ingots. The company supplies, among other products, commercial and reactor grade niobium ingots. One of the main uses of CBMM’s ingots is for the manufacture of particle accelerators (superconducting radio frequency – SRF – cavities), where the purity and homogeneity of niobium metal is essentially important for good performance. CBMM constantly strives to improve process controls and product quality, and is currently implementing innovations in production, research and development to further improve ingot quality. The main aim is to reduce the content of interstitial elements, such as nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), and hydrogen (H), starting with the raw materials through the final step of ingot production. CBMM held the first trial to produce the world’s largest-diameter niobium ingot (as cast 535 mm). The results of this initial trial presented very low levels of interstitial impurities (N, O, C, H), allowing the achievement of residual resistivity ratio (RRR) values very close to 300 in a six-melt process in an electron beam furnace. These values were reached with 850 ppm of tantalum. SRF cavities will be produced with this material in order to study the effect of low impurities and high RRR on the Q factor and accelerating gradient

Product Quality Assurance for Off-Grid Lighting in Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

World Bank; Mills, Evan; Mills, Evan

2008-07-13

Although the emergence of markets for high efficiency off-grid lighting technologies holds promise, realizing the potential of this opportunity on a long-term, sustainable basis requires careful attention to issues of product quality, consumer protection, and the potential for significant 'market spoiling', in anticipation of increases of sales of low cost, low performance off-grid lighting products. The goal of the Lighting Africa quality assurance workshop was to articulate strategies to mitigate the dangers of market spoiling and to explore ways to protect consumers from misleading advertising for sales of inferior, off-grid lighting products in the context of Lighting Africa's overarching objective to support the industry in developing a robust off-grid lighting market in Africa. The workshop resulted in the identification of two strategic approaches for meeting Lighting Africa quality assurance programmatic needs. The first strategy is intended to meet a short-term programmatic need for quality associated with requests for lighting products by bulk procurement agents, such as in a World Bank-financed project. The development of procurement specifications and test procedures that could be used in a quality/usability screening method in order to provide guidance for forthcoming large volume purchases emerged as the best solution to meet this need. Such approaches are used in World Bank-financed solar home systems (SHSs) projects in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China, among others. However, unlike the SHSs which have multiple balance-of-system (BOS) components warranting the need for an array of specifications for individual components, stand alone lighting systems require specifications that are amenable to individual light points. To test this approach, Lighting Africa elected to use the technical specifications issued by the Photovoltaic Global Approval Program for solar lanterns that use CFL bulbs (PVRS11A) as the basis of qualifying such

Very high expander processing of maize on animal performance, digestibility and product quality of finishing pigs and broilers.

Science.gov (United States)

Puntigam, R; Schedle, K; Schwarz, C; Wanzenböck, E; Eipper, J; Lechner, E-M; Yin, L; Gierus, M

2017-11-06

The present study investigated the effect of hydrothermic maize processing and supplementation of amino acids (AA) in two experiments. In total, 60 barrows and 384 broilers were fed four diets including either unprocessed (T1), or hydrothermically processed maize, that is short- (T2), or long-term conditioned (LC) (T3), and subsequently expanded maize of the same batch. Assuming a higher metabolizable energy (ME) content after processing, the fourth diet (T4) contains maize processed as treatment T3, but AA were supplemented to maintain the ideal protein value. Performance, digestibility and product quality in both species were assessed. Results show that in pigs receiving T4 the average daily feed intake was lower compared with the other treatments, whereas no difference was observed in broilers. The T3 improved the feed conversion rate compared with T1 (Panimal species, suggesting a higher ME content in diets with processed maize. The higher ME content of diets with processed maize is supported also by measurements of product quality. Supplementation of AA in T4 enhanced the loin depth in pigs as well as the amount of breast meat in broilers. Further effects of processing maize on meat quality were the reduced yellowness and antioxidative capacity (Panimal performance and digestibility in both species. However, effects on carcass characteristics and product quality differed. The negative effects on product quality could be partly compensated with the AA supplementation, whereas a change in meat colour and reduced antioxidative capacity was observed in all groups fed hydrothermic maize processing.

Signaling Product Quality Information in Supply Chains via Corporate Social Responsibility Choices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuhui Li

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on how an upstream supplier signals the private information of its product quality with corporate social responsibility (CSR choices to a downstream retailer and uninformed consumers in the final market. We build a signaling model to: capture the strategic interactions among the supplier, the retailer, and the final consumers in the supply chain; characterize completely the set of all separating perfect Bayesian equilibriums (PBEs; and finally, select a unique equilibrium that satisfies the intuitive criterion for exploring some comparative statics. The equilibrium results show that under some technical conditions: (1 a set of moderate levels of CSR conduct signal the upstream supplier’s high quality in the sense of separating PBEs; (2 the unique separating PBE satisfying the intuitive criterion is the one with the lowest CSR level that separates a high-quality supplier from a low-quality supplier; (3 the lowest CSR level decreases in the proportion of informed consumers and the low-quality supplier’s marginal CSR cost, but is independent of the high-quality supplier’s marginal CSR cost; (4 the profits of the high-quality supplier increase in proportion to the number of informed consumers and the low-quality supplier’s marginal cost CSR, but decrease in proportion to the high-quality supplier’s marginal CSR cost. Managerial insights are also discussed.

Application of Optical Coherence Tomography Freeze-Drying Microscopy for Designing Lyophilization Process and Its Impact on Process Efficiency and Product Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Korang-Yeboah, Maxwell; Srinivasan, Charudharshini; Siddiqui, Akhtar; Awotwe-Otoo, David; Cruz, Celia N; Muhammad, Ashraf

2018-01-01

Optical coherence tomography freeze-drying microscopy (OCT-FDM) is a novel technique that allows the three-dimensional imaging of a drug product during the entire lyophilization process. OCT-FDM consists of a single-vial freeze dryer (SVFD) affixed with an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system. Unlike the conventional techniques, such as modulated differential scanning calorimetry (mDSC) and light transmission freeze-drying microscopy, used for predicting the product collapse temperature (Tc), the OCT-FDM approach seeks to mimic the actual product and process conditions during the lyophilization process. However, there is limited understanding on the application of this emerging technique to the design of the lyophilization process. In this study, we investigated the suitability of OCT-FDM technique in designing a lyophilization process. Moreover, we compared the product quality attributes of the resulting lyophilized product manufactured using Tc, a critical process control parameter, as determined by OCT-FDM versus as estimated by mDSC. OCT-FDM analysis revealed the absence of collapse even for the low protein concentration (5 mg/ml) and low solid content formulation (1%w/v) studied. This was confirmed by lab scale lyophilization. In addition, lyophilization cycles designed using Tc values obtained from OCT-FDM were more efficient with higher sublimation rate and mass flux than the conventional cycles, since drying was conducted at higher shelf temperature. Finally, the quality attributes of the products lyophilized using Tc determined by OCT-FDM and mDSC were similar, and product shrinkage and cracks were observed in all the batches of freeze-dried products irrespective of the technique employed in predicting Tc.

Influence of Customer Quality Perception on the Effectiveness of Commercial Stimuli for Electronic Products.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido-Morgado, Álvaro; González-Benito, Óscar; Martos-Partal, Mercedes

2016-01-01

Creating and maintaining customer loyalty are strategic requirements for modern business. In the current competitive context, product quality, and brand experience are crucial in building and maintaining customer loyalty. Consumer loyalty, which may be classified into cognitive loyalty and affective loyalty, is related to customers' quality perception. Cue utilization theory distinguishes two dimensions for perceived quality, extrinsic quality-linked to the brand-and intrinsic quality-related with internal product characteristics. We propose that (i) cognitive loyalty is more influenced by intrinsic product quality whereas extrinsic product quality (brand name) is more salient for affective loyalty and, (ii) different commercial stimuli have a differential effectiveness on intrinsic and extrinsic perceived quality. In fact, in this study, we analyze how perceived quality dimensions may influence the effectiveness of two different commercial stimuli: displays and advertising flyers. While displays work within the point of sale under time-constrained conditions where consumers are more likely to use heuristics to simplify their decisions, advertising flyers work outside of the point of sale under low time-constrained conditions, and therefore favor a more reasoned purchase decision where systematic processing will be more likely. We analyze the role of quality perception in determining the effectiveness of both these commercial stimuli for selling products that induce high purchase involvement and perceived risk. The empirical analysis focuses on computer products sold by one of Europe's largest computer retailers and it combines scanner, observational, and survey data. The results show that both dimensions of quality perceptions moderate the influence of displays and advertising flyers on sales, but their impact is different on each commercial stimuli. Extrinsic quality perception increases to a greater extent the effect of displays due to the use of a brand name

Application of Six Sigma Using DMAIC Methodology in the Process of Product Quality Control in Metallurgical Operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Girmanová Lenka

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The Six Sigma DMAIC can be considered a guide for problem solving and product or process improvement. The majority of companies start to implement Six Sigma using the DMAIC methodology. The paper deals with application of Six Sigma using the DMAIC methodology in the process of product quality control. The case study is oriented on the field of metallurgical operations. The goal of the Six Sigma project was to ensure the required metallurgic product quality and to avoid an increase in internal costs associated with poor product quality. In this case study, a variety of tools and techniques like flow chart, histogram, Pareto diagram, analysis of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis data, cause and effect diagram, logical analysis was used. The Sigma level has improved by approximately 13%. The achieved improvements have helped to reduce the quantity of defective products and the processing costs (technology for re-adjusting. Benefits resulting from the DMAIC implementation can be divided into three levels: the qualitative, economic and safety level.

St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) products - an assessment of their authenticity and quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Booker, Anthony; Agapouda, Anastasia; Frommenwiler, Débora A; Scotti, Francesca; Reich, Eike; Heinrich, Michael

2018-02-01

St John's wort products (Hypericum perforatum L.) are widely available for sale in many countries including the UK via the internet. In the UK, these products are required to hold either a marketing authorisation or Traditional herbal registration (THR) to be sold legally. The THR and other regulatory schemes help to ensure product safety and quality providing an example of best practice but there is a risk if both regulated and un-regulated products continue to be available to consumers. The project is embedded in a larger study aiming to investigate the quality of different herbal medicinal products along diverse value chains. Here we focus on a comparison of the quality of the finished products and assess phytochemical variation between registered products (THRs) and products obtained from the market without any registration. 47 commercial products (granulated powders and extracts) were sourced from different suppliers. We analysed these samples using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and 1 H NMR spectroscopy coupled with multi-variate analysis software following a method previously developed by our group. The consistency of the products varies significantly. Adulteration of the products (36%), possibly with other Hypericum species obtained from China or use of chemically distinct H. perforatum cultivars or chemotypes, and adulteration of the products (19%) with food dyes (tartrazine, amaranth, brilliant blue, sunset yellow) were the principle findings of this study. There is significant compositional variation among commercial finished products and two main causative quality problems were identified as adulteration by incorrect species or adulteration with food dyes. Generally, food supplements and unlicensed products were found to be of poorer quality than the regulated ones including THRs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Calibration Techniques for Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Malings, C.; Ramachandran, S.; Tanzer, R.; Kumar, S. P. N.; Hauryliuk, A.; Zimmerman, N.; Presto, A. A.

2017-12-01

Assessing the intra-city spatial distribution and temporal variability of air quality can be facilitated by a dense network of monitoring stations. However, the cost of implementing such a network can be prohibitive if high-quality but high-cost monitoring systems are used. To this end, the Real-time Affordable Multi-Pollutant (RAMP) sensor package has been developed at the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies of Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with SenSevere LLC. This self-contained unit can measure up to five gases out of CO, SO2, NO, NO2, O3, VOCs, and CO2, along with temperature and relative humidity. Responses of individual gas sensors can vary greatly even when exposed to the same ambient conditions. Those of VOC sensors in particular were observed to vary by a factor-of-8, which suggests that each sensor requires its own calibration model. To this end, we apply and compare two different calibration methods to data collected by RAMP sensors collocated with a reference monitor station. The first method, random forest (RF) modeling, is a rule-based method which maps sensor responses to pollutant concentrations by implementing a trained sequence of decision rules. RF modeling has previously been used for other RAMP gas sensors by the group, and has produced precise calibrated measurements. However, RF models can only predict pollutant concentrations within the range observed in the training data collected during the collocation period. The second method, Gaussian process (GP) modeling, is a probabilistic Bayesian technique whereby broad prior estimates of pollutant concentrations are updated using sensor responses to generate more refined posterior predictions, as well as allowing predictions beyond the range of the training data. The accuracy and precision of these techniques are assessed and compared on VOC data collected during the summer of 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA. By combining pollutant data gathered by each RAMP sensor and applying

Quality-assurance techniques used with automated analysis of gamma-ray spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Killian, E.W.; Koeppen, L.D.; Femec, D.A.

1994-01-01

In the course of developing gamma-ray spectrum analysis algorithms for use by the Radiation Measurements Laboratory at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), several techniques have been developed that enhance and verify the quality of the analytical results. The use of these quality-assurance techniques is critical when gamma-ray analysis results from low-level environmental samples are used in risk assessment or site restoration and cleanup decisions. This paper describes four of the quality-assurance techniques that are in routine use at the laboratory. They are used for all types of samples, from reactor effluents to environmental samples. The techniques include: (1) the use of precision pulsers (with subsequent removal) to validate the correct operation of the spectrometer electronics for each and every spectrum acquired, (2) the use of naturally occurring and cosmically induced radionuclides in samples to help verify that the data acquisition and analysis were performed properly, (3) the use of an ambient background correction technique that involves superimposing (open-quotes mappingclose quotes) sample photopeak fitting parameters onto multiple background spectra for accurate and more consistent quantification of the background activities, (4) the use of interactive, computer-driven graphics to review the automated locating and fitting of photopeaks and to allow for manual fitting of photopeaks

Ultra-processed food product brands on Facebook pages: highly accessed by Brazilians through their marketing techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Horta, Paula M; Rodrigues, Fernanda T; Dos Santos, Luana C

2018-06-01

To analyse the content and extent of marketing of ultra-processed food products (UPP) and their brand pages on Facebook, which are highly accessed by Brazilians. Descriptive. Sixteen UPP brand pages on Facebook were selected from 250 pages that were the most liked by Brazilians in October 2015. We analysed the frequency of 'likes' and members 'talking about' each one of the pages, in addition to fifteen marketing techniques used in the previous year (September 2014 to October 2015). The number of posts, likes, 'shares' and 'commentaries', and the mean number of likes, shares and commentaries per post, were collected for one month, from 23 September to 23 October 2015. The two most liked pages were: Coke® (93 673 979 likes) and McDonald's® (59 749 819 likes). Regarding the number of people talking about the pages, McDonald's led with 555 891 commentaries, followed by Coke (287 274), Burger King® (246 148) and Kibon® (244 523). All pages used marketing techniques, which included photos, user conversations, presence of brand elements and links. Videos were observed on 93·8 % of the pages; promotions on 68·8 %; and celebrities on 62·5 %. In one month, Garoto®, Outback® and Coke were brands that published more than one post per day. Kibon achieved the highest ratio of likes per post (285 845·50) and Burger King had the highest mean shares per post (10 083·93), including commentaries per post (7958·13). UPP marketing is extensively used on Facebook pages and is highly accessed by Brazilians, with UPP companies employing a diversity of marketing strategies.

Groundwater quality assessment of urban Bengaluru using multivariate statistical techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Gulgundi, Mohammad Shahid; Shetty, Amba

2018-03-01

Groundwater quality deterioration due to anthropogenic activities has become a subject of prime concern. The objective of the study was to assess the spatial and temporal variations in groundwater quality and to identify the sources in the western half of the Bengaluru city using multivariate statistical techniques. Water quality index rating was calculated for pre and post monsoon seasons to quantify overall water quality for human consumption. The post-monsoon samples show signs of poor quality in drinking purpose compared to pre-monsoon. Cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA) were applied to the groundwater quality data measured on 14 parameters from 67 sites distributed across the city. Hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) grouped the 67 sampling stations into two groups, cluster 1 having high pollution and cluster 2 having lesser pollution. Discriminant analysis (DA) was applied to delineate the most meaningful parameters accounting for temporal and spatial variations in groundwater quality of the study area. Temporal DA identified pH as the most important parameter, which discriminates between water quality in the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons and accounts for 72% seasonal assignation of cases. Spatial DA identified Mg, Cl and NO3 as the three most important parameters discriminating between two clusters and accounting for 89% spatial assignation of cases. Principal component analysis was applied to the dataset obtained from the two clusters, which evolved three factors in each cluster, explaining 85.4 and 84% of the total variance, respectively. Varifactors obtained from principal component analysis showed that groundwater quality variation is mainly explained by dissolution of minerals from rock water interactions in the aquifer, effect of anthropogenic activities and ion exchange processes in water.

REVIEW ON THE EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ephrem Gidey

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Quality and productivity concepts were confusing and sometimes used interchangeably by experts both in industry and academics. Though researches, to some extent, tried to show the developments of quality and productivity, as yet, no research was devoted to study their evolution in a way to know how they reached into their existing form and their relationship, whether it existed. This study intends to disclose the reason behind the confusion and concept - intermix by studying the main advancements in the evolution of the two concepts. Their evolution is chronologically determined by grouping basic advancements in to distinct timeframes and their corresponding relationship is identified using natural selection and biased mutation approaches of evolution. The paper revealed that in the first period there was Seemingly Productivity; in the second Primarily Productivity; in the third Primarily Quality; in the fourth Primarily Quality-based Productivity (i.e. one after the other norm; and in the fifth period both quality and productivity will be equally primarily focus of firms (Primarily Quality and Productivity. Through logical justifications, observations made in the existing literature, and based on the nature of future competitiveness orientation, future relationship between the two concepts needs intelligence in that they will be equally, seemingly with trade-off, and concurrently important for organizational growth, agility, and excellence; one will never exist without the other, and after the other.

Quality control of coated fuel particles for high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaneko, Mitsunobu

1987-01-01

The quality control of the coated fuel particles for high temperature gas-cooled reactors is characterized by the fact that the size of the target product to be controlled is very small, and the quantity is very large. Accordingly, the sampling plan and the method of evaluating the population through satisfically treating the measured data of the samples are the important subjects to see and evaluate the quality of a batch or a lot. This paper shows the fabrication process and the quality control procedure for the coated fuel particles. The development work of a HTGR was started by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in 1969, and as for the production technology for coated fuel particles, Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd. has continued the development work. The pilot plan with the capacity of about 40 kg/year was established in 1972. The fuel product fabricated in this plant was put to the irradiation experiment and out-of-pile evaluation test. In 1983, the production capacity was expanded to 200 kg/year, and the fuel compacts for the VHTRC in JAERI were produced for two years. The basic fuel design, the fabrication process, the quality control, the process control and the quality assurance are reported. For the commercial product, the studies from the viewpoint of production and quality control costs are required. (Kako, I.)

Quality Assurance in the Presence of Variability

Science.gov (United States)

Lauenroth, Kim; Metzger, Andreas; Pohl, Klaus

Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) is a reuse-driven development paradigm that has been applied successfully in information system engineering and other domains. Quality assurance of the reusable artifacts of the product line (e.g. requirements, design, and code artifacts) is essential for successful product line engineering. As those artifacts are reused in several products, a defect in a reusable artifact can affect several products of the product line. A central challenge for quality assurance in product line engineering is how to consider product line variability. Since the reusable artifacts contain variability, quality assurance techniques from single-system engineering cannot directly be applied to those artifacts. Therefore, different strategies and techniques have been developed for quality assurance in the presence of variability. In this chapter, we describe those strategies and discuss in more detail one of those strategies, the so called comprehensive strategy. The comprehensive strategy aims at checking the quality of all possible products of the product line and thus offers the highest benefits, since it is able to uncover defects in all possible products of the product line. However, the central challenge for applying the comprehensive strategy is the complexity that results from the product line variability and the large number of potential products of a product line. In this chapter, we present one concrete technique that we have developed to implement the comprehensive strategy that addresses this challenge. The technique is based on model checking technology and allows for a comprehensive verification of domain artifacts against temporal logic properties.

Quality Measurement in the Wood Products Supply Chain

OpenAIRE

Espinoza, Omar Alejandro

2009-01-01

The purpose of this research is to learn about quality measurement practices in a wood products supply chain. According to the Supply Chain Management paradigm, companies no longer compete as individual entities, but as part of complex networks of suppliers and customers, linked together by flows of materials and information. Evidence suggests that a high degree of integration between supply chain members is essential to achieve superior market and financial performance. This study investigat...

Low Power CMOS Circuit Techniques for Optical Interconnects and High Speed Pulse Compression Radar

OpenAIRE

Li, Jun

2015-01-01

High performance computing and high resolution range sensor motivates the intelligent system innovations such as smart car, smart home/community and 3D motion games. Most importantly, 3D graphics technique requires high performance computation to provide high quality and vivid real-time videos. Accurate motion sensing requires high resolution radar sensor. However, in general, data transmission limits the large scale computation while high resolution radar signal processor limits the detectio...

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Additive manufacturing techniques for the production of tissue engineering constructs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mota, Carlos; Puppi, Dario; Chiellini, Federica; Chiellini, Emo

2015-03-01

'Additive manufacturing' (AM) refers to a class of manufacturing processes based on the building of a solid object from three-dimensional (3D) model data by joining materials, usually layer upon layer. Among the vast array of techniques developed for the production of tissue-engineering (TE) scaffolds, AM techniques are gaining great interest for their suitability in achieving complex shapes and microstructures with a high degree of automation, good accuracy and reproducibility. In addition, the possibility of rapidly producing tissue-engineered constructs meeting patient's specific requirements, in terms of tissue defect size and geometry as well as autologous biological features, makes them a powerful way of enhancing clinical routine procedures. This paper gives an extensive overview of different AM techniques classes (i.e. stereolithography, selective laser sintering, 3D printing, melt-extrusion-based techniques, solution/slurry extrusion-based techniques, and tissue and organ printing) employed for the development of tissue-engineered constructs made of different materials (i.e. polymeric, ceramic and composite, alone or in combination with bioactive agents), by highlighting their principles and technological solutions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tools and techniques for product design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lutters, Diederick; Houten, Fred J.A.M.; Bernard, Alain; Mermoz, Emmanuel; Schutte, Corné S.L.

2014-01-01

For product designers, tools and techniques are essential in driving the design cycle. Nevertheless, their employment usually is implicit, while passing over e.g. the design and project environments empowering their adequate use. This publication presents an overview of approaches in structuring and

Enhancement of Energy Efficiency and Food Product Quality Using Adsorption Dryer with Zeolite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moh Djaeni

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Drying is a basic operation in wood, food, pharmaceutical and chemical industry. Currently, several drying methods are often not efficient in terms of energy consumption (energy efficiency of 20-60% and have an impact on product quality degradation due to the introduction of operational temperature upper 80oC. This work discusses the development of adsorption drying with zeolite to improve the energy efficiency as well as product quality. In this process, air as drying medium is dehumidified by zeolite. As a result humidity of air can be reduced up to 0.1 ppm. So, for heat sensitive products, the drying process can be performed in low or medium temperature with high driving force. The study has been conducted in three steps: designing the dryer, performing laboratory scale equipment (tray, spray, and fluidised bed dryers with zeolite, and evaluating the dryer performance based on energy efficiency and product quality. Results showed that the energy efficiency of drying process is 15-20% higher than that of conventional dryer. In additon, the dryer can speed up drying time as well as retaining product quality.

[Research progress of Terahertz wave technology in quality measurement of food and agricultural products].

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zhan-Ke; Zhang, Hong-Jian; Ying, Yi-Bin

2007-11-01

The quality concern of food and agricultural products has become more and more significant. The related technologies for nondestructive measurement or quality control of food products have been the focus of many researches. Terahertz (THz) radiation, or THz wave, the least explored region of the spectrum, is the electromagnetic wave that lies between mid-infrared and microwave radiation, which has very important research and application values. THz spectroscopy and THz imaging technique are the two main applications of THz wave. During the past decade, THz waves have been used to characterize the electronic, vibrational and compositional properties of solid, liquid and gas phase materials. Recently, THz technology has gained a lot of attention of researchers in various fields from biological spectral analysis to bio-medical imaging due to its unique features compared with microwave and optical waves. In the present paper, the properties of THz wave and its uniqueness in sensing and imaging applications were discussed. The most recent researches on THz technology used in food quality control and agricultural products inspection were summarized. The prospect of this novel technology in agriculture and food industry was also discussed.

Framing quality improvement tools and techniques in healthcare the case of improvement leaders' guides.

Science.gov (United States)

Millar, Ross

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a study of how quality improvement tools and techniques are framed within healthcare settings. The paper employs an interpretive approach to understand how quality improvement tools and techniques are mobilised and legitimated. It does so using a case study of the NHS Modernisation Agency Improvement Leaders' Guides in England. Improvement Leaders' Guides were framed within a service improvement approach encouraging the use of quality improvement tools and techniques within healthcare settings. Their use formed part of enacting tools and techniques across different contexts. Whilst this enactment was believed to support the mobilisation of tools and techniques, the experience also illustrated the challenges in distributing such approaches. The paper provides an important contribution in furthering our understanding of framing the "social act" of quality improvement. Given the ongoing emphasis on quality improvement in health systems and the persistent challenges involved, it also provides important information for healthcare leaders globally in seeking to develop, implement or modify similar tools and distribute leadership within health and social care settings.

Quality of Original and Biosimilar Epoetin Products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brinks, V.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/31395979X; Hawe, A.; Basmeleh, A.H.H.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/337907331; Joachin-Rodriguez, L.; Haselberg, R.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304822647; Somsen, G.W.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/117149357; Jiskoot, W.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/084557397; Schellekens, H.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/068406762

2011-01-01

Purpose: To compare the quality of therapeutic erythropoietin (EPO) products, including two biosimilars, with respect to content, aggregation, isoform profile and potency. Methods: Two original products, Eprex (epoetin alfa) and Dynepo (epoetin delta), and two biosimilar products, Binocrit (epoetin

The Quality Control of the LHC Continuous Cryostat Interconnections

CERN Document Server

Bertinelli, F; Bozzini, D; Cruikshank, P; Fessia, P; Grimaud, A; Kotarba, A; Maan, W; Olek, S; Poncet, A; Russenschuck, Stephan; Savary, F; Sulek, Z; Tock, J P; Tommasini, D; Vaudaux, L; Williams, L

2008-01-01

The interconnections between the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) magnets have required some 40 000 TIG welded joints and 65 000 electrical splices. At the level of single joints and splices, non-destructive techniques find limited application: quality control is based on the qualification of the process and of operators, on the recording of production parameters and on production samples. Visual inspection and process audits were the main techniques used. At the level of an extended chain of joints and splices - from a 53.5 m half-cell to a complete 2.7 km arc sector - quality control is based on vacuum leak tests, electrical tests and RF microwave reflectometry that progressively validated the work performed. Subsequent pressure tests, cryogenic circuits flushing with high pressure helium and cool-downs revealed a few unseen or new defects. This paper presents an overview of the quality control techniques used, seeking lessons applicable to similar large, complex projects.

Effect of Dipping and Vacuum Impregnation Coating Techniques with Alginate Based Coating on Physical Quality Parameters of Cantaloupe Melon.

Science.gov (United States)

Senturk Parreidt, Tugce; Schmid, Markus; Müller, Kajetan

2018-04-01

Edible coating based on sodium alginate solution was applied to fresh-cut cantaloupe melon by dipping and vacuum impregnation coating methods. One aim of this work is to produce more technical information concerning these conventional and novel coating processes. For this purpose, the effect of various coating parameters (dipping time, draining time, time length of the vacuum period, vacuum pressure, atmospheric restoration time) with several levels on physical quality parameters (percentage of weight gain, color, and texture) of noncoated and coated samples were determined in order to define adequate coating process parameters to achieve a successful coating application. Additionally, the effects of dipping and vacuum impregnation processes were compared. Both processes improved the firmness of the melon pieces. However, vacuum impregnation application had higher firmness and weight gain results, and had significant effect (P coating technique and the parameters used significantly affect the physical quality characteristics of coated food products. The work presented produced more technical information concerning dipping and vacuum impregnation coating techniques, along with evaluating the effects of various coating parameters with several levels. The results revealed that vacuum impregnation technique is a successful coating method; however the effects should be carefully assessed for each product. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Multi-criterion analysis technique in a process of quality management

OpenAIRE

A. Gwiazda

2007-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to present the critical analysis of some multi-criteria techniques applied in the area of quality management. It is strongly stated that some solutions in this scientific area characterizes the non-methodological approaches.Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology, in presented work, has been based on the theoretical analysis of the quality tools management and on the empirical researches.Findings: The proposals of improvement the main quality to...

High throughput electrospinning of high-quality nanofibers via an aluminum disk spinneret

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Guokuo

In this work, a simple and efficient needleless high throughput electrospinning process using an aluminum disk spinneret with 24 holes is described. Electrospun mats produced by this setup consisted of fine fibers (nano-sized) of the highest quality while the productivity (yield) was many times that obtained from conventional single-needle electrospinning. The goal was to produce scaled-up amounts of the same or better quality nanofibers under variable concentration, voltage, and the working distance than those produced with the single needle lab setting. The fiber mats produced were either polymer or ceramic (such as molybdenum trioxide nanofibers). Through experimentation the optimum process conditions were defined to be: 24 kilovolt, a distance to collector of 15cm. More diluted solutions resulted in smaller diameter fibers. Comparing the morphologies of the nanofibers of MoO3 produced by both the traditional and the high throughput set up it was found that they were very similar. Moreover, the nanofibers production rate is nearly 10 times than that of traditional needle electrospinning. Thus, the high throughput process has the potential to become an industrial nanomanufacturing process and the materials processed by it may be used as filtration devices, in tissue engineering, and as sensors.

Swedish Consumers’ Perception of Food Quality and Sustainability in Relation to Organic Food Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Techane Bosona

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Consumers’ demand for locally produced and organic foods has increased in Sweden. This paper presents the results obtained from the analysis of data acquired from 100 consumers in Sweden who participated in an online survey during March to June 2016. The objective was to identify consumers’ demand in relation to organic food and sustainable food production, and to understand how the consumers evaluate food quality and make buying decisions. Qualitative descriptions, descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Chi-square test (with alpha value of p < 0.05 as level of significance, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for analysis. About 72% of participants have the perception that organic food production method is more sustainable than conventional methods. Female consumers have more positive attitudes than men towards organic food. However, age difference, household size and income level do not significantly influence the consumers’ perception of sustainable food production concepts. Regionality, sustainable methods of production and organic production are the most important parameters to characterize the food as high quality and make buying decisions. On the other hand, product uniformity, appearance, and price were found to be relatively less important parameters. Food buying decisions and food quality were found to be highly related with Pearson’s correlation coefficient of r = 0.99.

Monazite upgradation and production of high pure rare earths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asnani, C.K.; Mohanty, D.; Kumar, S.S.

2014-01-01

Rare earth extraction from monazite and further processing of mixed rare earth chlorides for producing individual high pure rare earths involves a complex flowsheet based on solvent extraction process. Apart from involving multiple extractions, scrubbing and stripping operations, the flowsheet requires optimization of critical parameters such as solvent molarity, solvent saponification level and recycling of product solutions as reflux to ensure preferential upload of required rare earths to generate high purity product. This paper tracks monazite flow from the raw sand feed through to the monazite product and its processing to generate rare earths of internationally acceptable quality

Improving Vintage Seismic Data Quality through Implementation of Advance Processing Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Latiff, A. H. Abdul; Boon Hong, P. G.; Jamaludin, S. N. F.

2017-10-01

It is essential in petroleum exploration to have high resolution subsurface images, both vertically and horizontally, in uncovering new geological and geophysical aspects of our subsurface. The lack of success may have been from the poor imaging quality which led to inaccurate analysis and interpretation. In this work, we re-processed the existing seismic dataset with an emphasis on two objectives. Firstly, to produce a better 3D seismic data quality with full retention of relative amplitudes and significantly reduce seismic and structural uncertainty. Secondly, to facilitate further prospect delineation through enhanced data resolution, fault definitions and events continuity, particularly in syn-rift section and basement cover contacts and in turn, better understand the geology of the subsurface especially in regard to the distribution of the fluvial and channel sands. By adding recent, state-of-the-art broadband processing techniques such as source and receiver de-ghosting, high density velocity analysis and shallow water de-multiple, the final results produced a better overall reflection detail and frequency in specific target zones, particularly in the deeper section.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty with a high-quality rotational angiographic unit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pedicelli, Alessandro [Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policl. A.Gemelli, l.go Gemelli 1, 00168 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: apedicelli@rm.unicatt.it; Rollo, Massimo [Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policl. A.Gemelli, l.go Gemelli 1, 00168 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: mrollo@rm.unicatt.it; Piano, Mariangela [Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policl. A.Gemelli, l.go Gemelli 1, 00168 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: mariangela.piano@gmail.com; Re, Thomas J. [Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policl. A.Gemelli, l.go Gemelli 1, 00168 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: tomjre@gmail.com; Cipriani, Maria C. [Department of Gerontology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policl. A.Gemelli, l.go Gemelli 1, 00168 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: alexped@yahoo.com; Colosimo, Cesare [Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policl. A.Gemelli, l.go Gemelli 1, 00168 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: colosimo@rm.unicatt.it; Bonomo, Lorenzo [Department of Bioimaging and Radiological Sciences, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policl. A.Gemelli, l.go Gemelli 1, 00168 Rome (Italy)], E-mail: lbonomo@rm.unicatt.it

2009-02-15

We evaluated the reliability of a rotational angiographic unit (RA) with flat-panel detector as a single technique to guide percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and for post-procedure assessment by 2D and 3D reformatted images. Fifty-five consecutive patients (104 vertebral bodies) were treated under RA fluoroscopy. Rotational acquisitions with 2D and 3D reconstruction were obtained in all patients for immediate post-procedure assessment. In complex cases, this technique was also used to evaluate the needle position during the procedure. All patients underwent CT scan after the procedure. RA and CT findings were compared. In all cases, a safe trans-pedicular access and an accurate control of the bone-cement injection were successfully performed with high-quality fluoroscopy, even at the thoracic levels and in case of vertebra plana. 2D and 3D rotational reconstructions permitted CT-like images that clearly showed needle position and were similar to CT findings in depicting intrasomatic implant-distribution. RA detected 40 cement leakages compared to 42 demonstrated by CT and showed overall 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity compared to CT for final post-procedure assessment. Our preliminary results suggest that high-quality RA is reliable and safe as a single technique for PVP guidance, control and post-procedure assessment. It permits fast and cost-effective procedures avoiding multi-modality imaging.

Multicapillary SDS-gel electrophoresis for the analysis of fluorescently labeled mAb preparations: a high throughput quality control process for the production of QuantiPlasma and PlasmaScan mAb libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Székely, Andrea; Szekrényes, Akos; Kerékgyártó, Márta; Balogh, Attila; Kádas, János; Lázár, József; Guttman, András; Kurucz, István; Takács, László

2014-08-01

Molecular heterogeneity of mAb preparations is the result of various co- and post-translational modifications and to contaminants related to the production process. Changes in molecular composition results in alterations of functional performance, therefore quality control and validation of therapeutic or diagnostic protein products is essential. A special case is the consistent production of mAb libraries (QuantiPlasma™ and PlasmaScan™) for proteome profiling, quality control of which represents a challenge because of high number of mAbs (>1000). Here, we devise a generally applicable multicapillary SDS-gel electrophoresis process for the analysis of fluorescently labeled mAb preparations for the high throughput quality control of mAbs of the QuantiPlasma™ and PlasmaScan™ libraries. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ensuring and Improving Information Quality for Earth Science Data and Products: Role of the ESIP Information Quality Cluster

Science.gov (United States)

Ramapriyan, Hampapuram; Peng, Ge; Moroni, David; Shie, Chung-Lin

2016-01-01

Quality of products is always of concern to users regardless of the type of products. The focus of this paper is on the quality of Earth science data products. There are four different aspects of quality - scientific, product, stewardship and service. All these aspects taken together constitute Information Quality. With increasing requirement on ensuring and improving information quality, there has been considerable work related to information quality during the last several years. Given this rich background of prior work, the Information Quality Cluster (IQC), established within the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) has been active with membership from multiple organizations. Its objectives and activities, aimed at ensuring and improving information quality for Earth science data and products, are discussed briefly.

Ensuring and Improving Information Quality for Earth Science Data and Products Role of the ESIP Information Quality Cluster

Science.gov (United States)

Ramapriyan, H. K. (Rama); Peng, Ge; Moroni, David; Shie, Chung-Lin

2016-01-01

Quality of products is always of concern to users regardless of the type of products. The focus of this paper is on the quality of Earth science data products. There are four different aspects of quality scientific, product, stewardship and service. All these aspects taken together constitute Information Quality. With increasing requirement on ensuring and improving information quality, there has been considerable work related to information quality during the last several years. Given this rich background of prior work, the Information Quality Cluster (IQC), established within the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) has been active with membership from multiple organizations. Its objectives and activities, aimed at ensuring and improving information quality for Earth science data and products, are discussed briefly.

Product Chemistry and Process Efficiency of Biomass Torrefaction, Pyrolysis and Gasification Studied by High-Throughput Techniques and Multivariate Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Li

Despite the great passion and endless efforts on development of renewable energy from biomass, the commercialization and scale up of biofuel production is still under pressure and facing challenges. New ideas and facilities are being tested around the world targeting at reducing cost and improving product value. Cutting edge technologies involving analytical chemistry, statistics analysis, industrial engineering, computer simulation, and mathematics modeling, etc. keep integrating modern elements into this classic research. One of those challenges of commercializing biofuel production is the complexity from chemical composition of biomass feedstock and the products. Because of this, feedstock selection and process optimization cannot be conducted efficiently. This dissertation attempts to further evaluate biomass thermal decomposition process using both traditional methods and advanced technique (Pyrolysis Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometry). Focus has been made on data base generation of thermal decomposition products from biomass at different temperatures, finding out the relationship between traditional methods and advanced techniques, evaluating process efficiency and optimizing reaction conditions, comparison of typically utilized biomass feedstock and new search on innovative species for economical viable feedstock preparation concepts, etc. Lab scale quartz tube reactors and 80il stainless steel sample cups coupled with auto-sampling system were utilized to simulate the complicated reactions happened in real fluidized or entrained flow reactors. Two main high throughput analytical techniques used are Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) and Pyrolysis Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometry (Py-MBMS). Mass balance, carbon balance, and product distribution are presented in detail. Variations of thermal decomposition temperature range from 200°C to 950°C. Feedstocks used in the study involve typical hardwood and softwood (red oak, white oak, yellow poplar, loblolly pine

NOAA High-Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Analysis Products

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This archive covers two high resolution sea surface temperature (SST) analysis products developed using an optimum interpolation (OI) technique. The analyses have a...

Application of Metabolomics to Quality Control of Natural Product Derived Medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyung-Min; Jeon, Jun-Yeong; Lee, Byeong-Ju; Lee, Hwanhui; Choi, Hyung-Kyoon

2017-11-01

Metabolomics has been used as a powerful tool for the analysis and quality assessment of the natural product (NP)-derived medicines. It is increasingly being used in the quality control and standardization of NP-derived medicines because they are composed of hundreds of natural compounds. The most common techniques that are used in metabolomics consist of NMR, GC-MS, and LC-MS in combination with multivariate statistical analyses including principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Currently, the quality control of the NP-derived medicines is usually conducted using HPLC and is specified by one or two indicators. To create a superior quality control framework and avoid adulterated drugs, it is necessary to be able to determine and establish standards based on multiple ingredients using metabolic profiling and fingerprinting. Therefore, the application of various analytical tools in the quality control of NP-derived medicines forms the major part of this review. Veregen ® (Medigene AG, Planegg/Martinsried, Germany), which is the first botanical prescription drug approved by US Food and Drug Administration, is reviewed as an example that will hopefully provide future directions and perspectives on metabolomics technologies available for the quality control of NP-derived medicines.

Ultrasonic techniques for quality assessment of ITER Divertor plasma facing component

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez-Ona, Rafael; Garcia, Monica; Medrano, Mercedes

2009-01-01

The divertor is one of the most challenging components of ITER machine. Its plasma facing components contain thousands of joints that should be assessed to demonstrate their integrity during the required lifetime. Ultrasonic (US) techniques have been developed to study the capability of defect detection and to control the quality and degradation of these interfaces after the manufacturing process. Three types of joints made of carbon fibre composite to copper alloy, tungsten to copper alloy, and copper-to-copper alloy with two types of configurations have been studied. More than 100 samples representing these configurations and containing implanted flaws of different sizes have been examined. US techniques developed are detailed and results of validation samples examination before and after high heat flux (HHF) tests are presented. The results show that for W monoblocks the US technique is able to detect, locate and size the degradations in the two sample joints; for CFC monoblocks, the US technique is also able to detect, locate and size the calibrated defects in the two joints before the HHF, however after the HHF test the technique is not able to reliably detect defects in the CFC/Cu joint; finally, for the W flat tiles the US technique is able to detect, locate and size the calibrated defects in the two joints before HHF test, nevertheless defect location and sizing are more difficult after the HHF test.

Innovation in the development and improvement of meat products: High hydrostatic pressures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gallardo, Claudia

2015-08-01

Full Text Available One focus of interest in the development of products and processes of the food industry is related to the reduction in the use of additives that could have negative effects on consumer health. This view called cleaning nutritional label is aimed at the partial or total substitution of additives by other factors that do not have these negative effects and maintain the safety and quality of the products processed. The high hydrostatic pressure (HHP is one of the new conservation factors used to reduce the content of sodium chloride and nitrites in meat products. HHP technology is increasingly being applied to produce safe with high quality and minimal effects on food sensory and nutritional characteristics. In this context the present review describes the current status in the development of processed meat products, specifically ham, as well as alternative use of high pressure in the product and its future development prospects.

Combining metabolic and process engineering strategies to improve recombinant glycoprotein production and quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Karengera, Eric; Durocher, Yves; De Crescenzo, Gregory; Henry, Olivier

2017-11-01

Increasing recombinant protein production while ensuring a high and consistent protein quality remains a challenge in mammalian cell culture process development. In this work, we combined a nutrient substitution approach with a metabolic engineering strategy that improves glucose utilization efficiency. This combination allowed us to tackle both lactate and ammonia accumulation and investigate on potential synergistic effects on protein production and quality. To this end, HEK293 cells overexpressing the pyruvate yeast carboxylase (PYC2) and their parental cells, both stably producing the therapeutic glycoprotein interferon α2b (IFNα2b), were cultured in media deprived of glutamine but containing chosen substitutes. Among the tested substitutes, pyruvate led to the best improvement in growth (integral of viable cell density) for both cell lines in batch cultures, whereas the culture of PYC2 cells without neither glutamine nor any substitute displayed surprisingly enhanced IFNα2b production. The drastic reduction in both lactate and ammonia in the cultures translated into extended high viability conditions and an increase in recombinant protein titer by up to 47% for the parental cells and the PYC2 cells. Product characterization performed by surface plasmon resonance biosensing using Sambucus nigra (SNA) lectin revealed that the increase in yield was however accompanied by a reduction in the degree of sialylation of the product. Supplementing cultures with glycosylation precursors and a cofactor were effective at counterbalancing the lack of glutamine and allowed improvement in IFNα2b quality as evaluated by lectin affinity. Our study provides a strategy to reconcile protein productivity and quality and highlights the advantages of PYC2-overexpressing cells in glutamine-free conditions.

Production control system specified quality sausage products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Tokarev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The problem of management of production target in technological system of production of sausages of the set quality is considered in article. Decomposition of technological system is considered. Functions of management are allocated: formation of an optimum compounding of forcemeat, expert analysis of a compounding, laboratory analysis of a compounding and its statement. Information technology of interaction of these functions is offered. The mathematical problem definition of finding of an optimum compounding meat product with use of possible substitutes of ingredients is presented. This mathematical problem is a classical linear programming problem whose solution has the standard program. Since the manufacture of the finished product are various nonlinear effects are taken into account at the present time it is practically impossible, the methodology provided in this operation "Expert analysis of the formulation" and "Laboratory analysis of the finished product." An example of calculating the optimum alternative base recipe "Sausages “Viennese with cheese”" TS 9213-010-40155161-2002. For an alternative formulation demands were made at a cost of meat, the ingredient composition, as well as the final product organoleptic and physic-chemical indicators should comply with regulatory requirements "Sausages “Viennese with cheese”" TS 9213-010-40155161-2002. Indicator acid activity (pH calculated stuffing formulation should be in the range 6.0-6.3. As a partial replacement for the main raw material have been proposed acceptable substitutes. It was necessary to calculate on the basis of the formulation "Sausages “Viennese with cheese”" TS 9213-010-40155161-2002 optimal price and quality alternative formulation. As a result of depreciation of the value of alternative stuffing recipe was 14,5 % when all of the restrictions on the consumer properties. The proposed information technology implemented in the software package "Multi

Quality determinants of fruit and vegetables productions

OpenAIRE

Bruno Mezzetti; Cherubino Leonardi

2009-01-01

Nowadays, the main goal for modern horticultural production is the increase of quality. Furthermore, in consideration of the new consumer demand, always more attracted by a diet based on a larger consumption of fruit and vegetables without risks of pesticides residues and with increased nutritional value, new important features in addition to the traditional quality attributes are now requested. For a program of qualification and valorisation of modern horticultural productions, it is fundame...

Transgenesis techniques and its application in poultry production ...