40 CFR 52.499 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.499 Section 52.499 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air... deterioration of air quality. (b) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The...

40 CFR 52.2497 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.2497 Section 52.2497 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air... deterioration of air quality. (b) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The...

40 CFR 52.1987 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.1987 Section 52.1987 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality rules for the prevention of significant deterioration of air quality (provisions of OAR chapter 340, Divisions 200, 202...

40 CFR 52.1884 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.1884 Section 52.1884 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air... deterioration of air quality. (b) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The...

Influence of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics on the quality of life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grbić Gordana

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The quality of life is a multidimensional concept, which is best expressed by the subjective well-being. Evaluation of the quality of life is the basis for measuring the well-being, and the determination of factors that determine the quality of life quality is the basis for its improvement Objective. To evaluate and assess the determinants of the perceived quality of life of group distinguishing features which characterize demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the population in Serbia aged over 20 years (9479 examinees. The quality of life was expressed by the perception of well-being (pleasure of life. Data on the examinees (demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were collected by using a questionnaire for adults of each household. To process, analyze and present the data, we used the methods of parametric descriptive statistics (mean value, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, variance analysis and factor analysis. Results. Although men evaluated the quality of life with a slightly higher grading, there was no statistically significant difference in the evaluation of the quality of life in relation to the examinee’s gender (p>0.005. Among the examinees there was a high statistically significant difference in grading the quality of life depending on age, level of education, marital status and type of job (p<0.001. In relation to the number of children, there was no statistically significant difference in he grading of the quality of life (p>0.005. Conclusion. The quality of life is influenced by numerous factors that characterize each person (demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of individual. Determining factors of the quality of life are numerous and diverse, and the manner and the strength of their influence are variable.

The influence of knowledge management implementation toward the quality of high schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilda Ainissyifa

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of knowledge management implementation toward the quality of high schools. This study was conducted among five high schools under an education foundation. The analysis models used in the study were correlation analysis and t-test. The respondents were used as the profession references are 86 teachers. The result of the study shows that knowledge management implementation has a positive and significant influence toward the quality of high schools.

40 CFR 52.1485 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.1485 Section 52.1485 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air... include approvable procedures for preventing the significant deterioration of air quality. (b) Regulation...

40 CFR 52.2346 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.2346 Section 52.2346 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The Utah plan, as submitted, is approved as meeting the... construct on Indian Reservations. (b) Regulation for prevention of significant deterioration of air quality...

40 CFR 52.2178 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.2178 Section 52.2178 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The South Dakota plan, as submitted, is approved as meeting the... on Indian reservations; (b) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The...

40 CFR 52.2233 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.2233 Section 52.2233 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a)(1) Paragraph 1200-3-9-.01(4)-(0)-2. of Tennessee's regulations... requesting innovative technology waivers which would significantly impact air quality in adjacent states. (2...

40 CFR 52.2303 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.2303 Section 52.2303 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The plan submitted by Texas is approved as meeting the requirements of part C, Clean Air Act for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The plan...

40 CFR 52.2581 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.2581 Section 52.2581 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a)-(c) [Reserved] (d) The requirements of sections 160 through 165... provisions for prevention of significant deterioration of air quality at 40 CFR 52.21 are applicable to the...

Influence of the Mould Cooling Process on the Quality and Properties of Aluminium Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktorie Weiss

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the effect on the quality of casting moulds (metal, bentonite mixture on the structure of the alloy AlZn5,5MgCu and selected mechanical properties of the alloy. The effect of foundry moulds can significantly affect formation and range of crystal segregation and the subsequent thermal process of homogenization which has an influence on the final quality of the alloy. The research focuses on the formation and range of crystal segregation and its removal with homogenization annealing, in which the observed influence of individual factors influencing the diffusion process and quality of the aluminium alloy.

The Influence of Sleep Disorders on Voice Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Bruna Rainho; Behlau, Mara

2017-09-19

To verify the influence of sleep quality on the voice. Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study. Data were collected by an online or printed survey divided in three parts: (1) demographic data and vocal health aspects; (2) self-assessment of sleep and vocal quality, and the influence that sleep has on voice; and (3) sleep and voice self-assessment inventories-the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Voice Handicap Index reduced version (VHI-10). A total of 862 people were included (493 women, 369 men), with a mean age of 32 years old (maximum age of 79 and minimum age of 18 years old). The perception of the influence that sleep has on voice showed a difference (P influence a voice handicap are vocal self-assessment, ESS total score, and self-assessment of the influence that sleep has on voice. The absence of daytime sleepiness is a protective factor (odds ratio [OR] > 1) against perceived voice handicap; the presence of daytime sleepiness is a damaging factor (OR influences voice. Perceived poor sleep quality is related to perceived poor vocal quality. Individuals with a voice handicap observe a greater influence of sleep on voice than those without. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pretreatment factors significantly influence quality of life in cancer patients: A Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Movsas, Benjamin; Scott, Charles; Watkins-Bruner, Deborah

2006-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this analysis was to assess the impact of pretreatment factors on quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients. Methods and Materials Pretreatment QOL (via Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy [FACT], version 2) was obtained in 1,428 patients in several prospective Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) trials including nonmetastatic head-and-neck (n = 1139), esophageal (n = 174), lung (n = 51), rectal (n = 47), and prostate (n = 17) cancer patients. Clinically meaningful differences between groups were defined as a difference of 1 standard error of measurement (SEM). Results The mean FACT score for all patients was 86 (20.7-112) with SEM of 5.3. Statistically significant differences in QOL were observed based on age, race, Karnofsky Performance Status, marital status, education level, income level, and employment status, but not by gender or primary site. Using the SEM, there were clinically meaningful differences between patients ≤50 years vs. ≥65 years. Hispanics had worse QOL than whites. FACT increased linearly with higher Karnofsky Performance Status and income levels. Married patients (or live-in relationships) had a better QOL than single, divorced, or widowed patients. College graduates had better QOL than those with less education. Conclusion Most pretreatment factors meaningfully influenced baseline QOL. The potentially devastating impact of a cancer diagnosis, particularly in young and minority patients, must be addressed

Significance of ISO 9000 Quality Management System for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Significance of ISO 9000 Quality Management System for Performance ... of ISO 9000 Quality Management System implementation for performance improvement. ... to find out the relationship between certification and process variability.

40 CFR 52.931 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.931 Section 52.931 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The..., the Kentucky Division for Air Quality has determined that the application complies with the applicable...

INFLUENCE OF RACTOPAMINE IN MEAT QUALITY OF PIGS

OpenAIRE

Priscila Furtado Campos; Bruno Andreatta Scottá; Bárbara Lopes de Oliveira

2013-01-01

Ractopamine is a -adrenergic agonists widely used in diets for finishing pigs by providing a redirection of nutrients, reducing fat and increasing lean meat deposition in the carcass. It has been shown that ractopamine promotes improved in performance and carcass characteristics of pigs. Some older studies demonstrate that the agonist does not have significant impact on the quality of the meat, but recent studies show the influence of agonist in the colorand fatty acid compositio...

40 CFR 52.738 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.738 Section 52.738 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are not met... air quality. (b) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The provisions...

40 CFR 52.793 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.793 Section 52.793 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are not met... air quality. (b) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The provisions...

40 CFR 52.632 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.632 Section 52.632 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are not met... air quality. (b) Regulations for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The provisions...

40 CFR 52.2131 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.2131 Section 52.2131 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a)-(b) [Reserved] (c) All applications and other information...

40 CFR 52.530 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.530 Section 52.530 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) EPA approves the Florida Prevention of Significant Deterioration program, as...

40 CFR 52.432 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.432 Section 52.432 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are not met... air quality. (b) Regulation for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The provisions of...

40 CFR 52.1436 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.1436 Section 52.1436 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act...

40 CFR 52.2380 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.2380 Section 52.2380 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. The program to review the construction and operation of new and...

40 CFR 52.2083 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.2083 Section 52.2083 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The Rhode Island plan, as submitted, is approved as meeting the...

40 CFR 52.1280 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.1280 Section 52.1280 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) All applications and other information required pursuant to § 52...

40 CFR 52.1029 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.1029 Section 52.1029 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. The program to review operation and construction of new and modified...

40 CFR 52.1529 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.1529 Section 52.1529 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. New Hampshire's Part Env-A 623, “Requirements for Prevention of...

40 CFR 52.1778 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.1778 Section 52.1778 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a)-(b) [Reserved] (c) All applications and other information... Resources, Division of Air Quality, 1641 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1641 or local...

The influence of cultivar, year and nitrogen supply on quality parameters of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum. L

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đurić Veselinka

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Field experiments with 3 winter wheat (Triticum, aestivum. L; Lasta, Sremica and Pobeda was applied nitrogen (rate N as follows: 0, 60, 120 and 180 kg Nha-1 from 2000 to 2002. The varieties differed in their biological and production characteristics as well as in technological quality. The analyzed samples belonged to the international ISDV (Internationale Stickstoff Dauer Versuche stationary field trial established at the Rimski Šančevi Experiment Field of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad. Improvement of end use quality in winter wheat depends on thorough understanding of the influences of environment, variety, and their interaction. Grain protein content (GPC, sedimentation value (SED, energy dough, Hagberg falling number (HFN and bread crumb quality number were measured. Highly significant differences were detected among the environments (A, rate N (B and varieties (C for each of the quality variables. Both variety (V and environment (E had a significant effect on quality traits. Significant Vx E interactions indicated that quality trait evaluations must be undertaken for environments. The most influence on protein content and sedimentation value have been climatitic condition. According to lot of environment influence on falling number and dow energy the main part of variance it is genotype and phenotype variability. .

40 CFR 52.683 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.683 Section 52.683 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The State of Idaho Rules for Control of Air Pollution in Idaho, specifically... the Clean Air Act for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. (b) The requirements of...

40 CFR 52.270 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.270 Section 52.270 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) With the exception of the areas listed in paragraph (b) of this section: (1... plan does not include approvable procedures for preventing the significant deterioration of air quality...

40 CFR 52.144 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.144 Section 52.144 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Act are not met... lands does not include approvable procedures for preventing the significant deterioration of air quality...

The influence of ocean going ships on air quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mooy, M.; Mennen, M.

2008-01-01

In this report we conclude that ocean going ships in the Netherlands contribute significantly to the emission of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter and nickel compounds into the air. In spite of this, increased levels of nitrogen dioxide concentrations have only been found in the direct vicinity of major waterways and harbours in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the emission of fine particulate matter by ocean ships could also have a negative effect on human health. Both nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter can have negative health effects on people suffering from respiratory symptoms. The above is concluded by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in an exploratory study into the effects of shipping on air quality. The VROM-Inspectorate was the commissioning body. The reason for this study was the absence of complete understanding of the influence of ocean going ships on air quality and environment. Ocean ships are one of the least regulated types of air pollution sources. Standards for desired substance levels have only been set for sulphur in the Fuel (Sulphur Content) Decree. In the Netherlands only a few studies on this subject have been conducted. A complete picture on the influence of ocean going ships on air quality and environment is lacking. In order to gain more insight into the exact influence of ocean going vessels on the environment, a specific measuring campaign or thorough analysis of measured data is recommended [nl

Influence of organizational culture on quality healthcare delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Carney, Marie

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify if aspects of organizational culture may indicate a new terrain in the cultural influences-quality healthcare relationship. This research stems from the author's belief that viewing the role of head of department or directorate as pivotal to health care management is critical to health care planning and quality healthcare delivery. Interviews were undertaken among 50 professional clinician and non-clinician managers working in the role of head of department, in acute care hospitals in Ireland. The sample was drawn from the total population of 850 managers, utilized in a previous survey study. Organizational culture is more complex than was previously thought. Several cultural influences such as excellence in care delivery, ethical values, involvement, professionalism, value-for-money, cost of care, commitment to quality and strategic thinking were found to be key cultural determinants in quality care delivery. Health care managers perceive that in order to deliver quality focused care they need to act in a professional, committed manner and to place excellence at the forefront of care delivery, whilst at the same time being capable of managing the tensions that exist between cost effectiveness and quality of care. These tensions require further research in order to determine if quality of care is affected in a negative manner by those tensions. Originality relates to the new cultural terrain presented in this paper that recognizes the potential of health service managers to influence the organizations' culture and through this influence to take a greater part in ensuring that quality health care is delivered to their patients. It also seems to be important that value-for-money is viewed as an ethical means of delivering healthcare, and not as a conflict between quality and cost.

40 CFR 52.343 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.343 Section 52.343 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are not met for the following categories of sources for preventing the significant deterioration of air quality...

40 CFR 52.833 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.833 Section 52.833 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are met... for preventing significant deterioration of air quality. The provisions of § 52.21 except paragraph (a...

40 CFR 52.986 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.986 Section 52.986 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The plan submitted by the Governor of Louisiana on August 14, 1984 (as adopted... preventing significant deterioration of air quality. (b) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the...

40 CFR 52.1634 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.1634 Section 52.1634 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The plan submitted by the Governor of New Mexico on February 21... adopted by the NMEID on March 9, 1990), Air Quality Control Regulation 707—Permits, Prevention of...

Factors Influencing Healthcare Service Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background The main purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence healthcare quality in the Iranian context. Methods Exploratory in-depth individual and focus group interviews were conducted with 222 healthcare stakeholders including healthcare providers, managers, policy-makers, and payers to identify factors affecting the quality of healthcare services provided in Iranian healthcare organisations. Results Quality in healthcare is a production of cooperation between the patient and the healthcare provider in a supportive environment. Personal factors of the provider and the patient, and factors pertaining to the healthcare organisation, healthcare system, and the broader environment affect healthcare service quality. Healthcare quality can be improved by supportive visionary leadership, proper planning, education and training, availability of resources, effective management of resources, employees and processes, and collaboration and cooperation among providers. Conclusion This article contributes to healthcare theory and practice by developing a conceptual framework that provides policy-makers and managers a practical understanding of factors that affect healthcare service quality.

40 CFR 52.1116 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.1116 Section 52.1116 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Significant deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air... deterioration of air quality. (b) The following provisions of 40 CFR 52.21 are hereby incorporated and made a...

INFLUENCE OF TREATMENT ON MAIZE SEED QUALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivica Beraković

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Due to the increasing occurrence of major pests ON corn, hybrid seed is necessary to be protected against pests and seed corn should be treated with appropriately insecticides. Choosing better technological solutions and choosing and appropriate insecticide seed treatment for corn can significantly reduce pest attack and thus enhance the production of corn. The aim of this research was to obtain based upon result information on the impact of treatment on quality of maize seed as well as the means to improve the conditions of storage and preservation of semen quality. Investigation and checking if insecticide treated seed adverse phytotoxic effect on plant growth and development in field conditions. The results indicate a significant effect of insecticide seed treatments on germination energy and non standard germination. A very significant influence of treated seed storage was also found on quality seeds. Looking at the impact of the treated hybrid on germination vigor and standard germination, a very significant hybrid impact was found out. The highest quality of the seed semen during the study was noticed with the seed of hybrid “H2”, followed by hybrid “H1”, while the hybrids “H3” and “H4” possessed less. The research shows that hybrids “H2” and “H1” are more suitable for seed treatment with insecticides than “H3” and “H4” hybrids. The field observations and research results obtained indicate a very significant impact of the treated seed on the above ground parts of plants, above ground mass, stem thickness and a very significant impact on plant spacing. The positive effect of treatment with “T1” and “T3” insecticides is visible in all conducted field researches. Plants treated with common fungicides and insecticides “T1” and “T3” had a greater height of the above ground plant parts, a larger mass of the above ground stems, greater stem thickness and better plant density treatments, compared to

Quality Circles: Determination of Significant Factors for Success an a General Model for Implementing a Quality Circle Process.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-06-01

receive for contributions to quality and productivity /4:Apdx-47. The initiative for the Quality Circle concept came from Dr Kaoru Ishikawa , a...eloquently summarized by the "Father of Quality Circles", Dr Kaoru Ishikawa . He sees that, although Japan started with the worst quality reputation among...Perceptions of Influence, Academy of Management Journal. December 1974, pp 649-bz. 49. Ishikawa , Kaoru . S.C. Circle Activities. Union of Japanese Scientists and

Medical-and-psychosocial factors influencing on the quality of life in patients with cervix cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, Mi Son; Kang, Seung Hee; Ryu, Hee Sug; Lee, Eun Hyun; Moon, Seong Mi

2005-01-01

Quality of life in patients with cancer may be influenced by various kinds of variables, such as personal, environmental, and medical factors. the purpose of this study was to identify the influencing factors on the quality of life in patients with cancer. One hundred and forty seven patients, who were taking medical therapy or following up after surgery for cervix cancer, participated in the present study. Quality of life, medical variables (cancer stage, type of treatment, follow-up status, and symptom distress), and psychosocial variables (mood disturbance, orientation to life, and social support) were measured. The obtained data were computed using multiple regression analyses. The medical-and-psychosocial variables explained 63.3% of the total variance in the quality of life (R 2 = 0.633, F = 16.969, ρ = .000). Cancer stage, symptom distress, mood disturbance, social support (family), and optimistic orientation to life were significant factors influencing on the quality of life in patients with cervix cancer. An integrative care program which includes medical-and-psychosocial characteristics of patients is essential to improve quality of life in patients with cervix cancer

Medical-and-psychosocial factors influencing on the quality of life in patients with cervix cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chun, Mi Son; Kang, Seung Hee; Ryu, Hee Sug [Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Eun Hyun [Ajou Univerisity, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Seong Mi [Ajou University Hospital, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

2005-12-15

Quality of life in patients with cancer may be influenced by various kinds of variables, such as personal, environmental, and medical factors. the purpose of this study was to identify the influencing factors on the quality of life in patients with cancer. One hundred and forty seven patients, who were taking medical therapy or following up after surgery for cervix cancer, participated in the present study. Quality of life, medical variables (cancer stage, type of treatment, follow-up status, and symptom distress), and psychosocial variables (mood disturbance, orientation to life, and social support) were measured. The obtained data were computed using multiple regression analyses. The medical-and-psychosocial variables explained 63.3% of the total variance in the quality of life (R{sup 2} = 0.633, F = 16.969, {rho} = .000). Cancer stage, symptom distress, mood disturbance, social support (family), and optimistic orientation to life were significant factors influencing on the quality of life in patients with cervix cancer. An integrative care program which includes medical-and-psychosocial characteristics of patients is essential to improve quality of life in patients with cervix cancer.

Storms do not alter long-term watershed development influences on coastal water quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yushun; Cebrian, Just; Lehrter, John; Christiaen, Bart; Stutes, Jason; Goff, Josh

2017-09-15

A twelve year (2000-2011) study of three coastal lagoons in the Gulf of Mexico was conducted to assess the impacts of local watershed development and tropical storms on water quality. The lagoons have similar physical and hydrological characteristics, but differ substantially in the degree of watershed urban development and nutrient loading rates. In total the lagoons experienced 22 storm events during the period studied. Specifically, we examine (1) whether there are influences on water quality in the lagoons from watershed development, (2) whether there are influences on water quality in the lagoons from storm activity, and (3) whether water quality is affected to a greater degree by watershed development versus storm activity. The two urbanized lagoons typically showed higher water-column nitrate, dissolved organic nitrogen, and phosphate compared with the non-urbanized lagoon. One of the urbanized lagoons had higher water-column chlorophyll a concentrations than the other two lagoons on most sampling dates, and higher light extinction coefficients on some sampling dates. The non-urbanized lagoon had higher water-column dissolved oxygen concentrations than other lagoons on many sampling dates. Our results suggest long-term influences of watershed development on coastal water quality. We also found some evidence of significant storm effects on water quality, such as increased nitrate, phosphate, and dissolved oxygen, and decreased salinity and water temperature. However, the influences of watershed development on water quality were greater. These results suggest that changes in water quality induced by human watershed development pervade despite the storm effects. These findings may be useful for environmental management since they suggest that storms do not profoundly alter long-term changes in water quality that resulted from human development of watersheds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of service quality on satisfaction: Does gender really matter?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

See Ying Kwok

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This study examining the influence of service quality on satisfaction and to investigate whether satisfaction varies between male and female in response to the perceived service quality in the Malaysian tourism context. Design/methodology/approach: The population of the study is tourists travelling to Malaysia. A sample was drawn using a multi-stage sampling method and 301 completed questionnaires were analysed with structural equation modelling. Findings: The findings show that service quality is positively associated to satisfaction and the relationship is found to be moderated by gender. Additionally, the findings also show that the service quality perceived by women is found to influence the satisfaction level greater than that of men’s in the tourism context. Research limitations/implications: Other demographic variables, such age, culture, education level, and income must also be considered in future study and when developing marketing strategies. Practical implications: The gender differences is significant moderator between service quality and satisfaction in tourism context. Tourism service providers who target on women’s market are recommended to allocate more resources and attention on the important aspects namely, reliability, considerability and empathy and tangiblility aspects in order to increase the satisfaction level among female tourists. Originality/value: The findings validates the findings of previous studies by examining the moderator role of gender in the relationship between service quality and satisfaction in Malaysian context.

The Influence of Service Quality on Satisfaction and Information System Continuance Intention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Semina Halilović

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The expectation-confirmation model of IS continuance (ECM-IS explains determinants affecting the behavior of information system (IS users which can also have an impact on their decision whether to continue or discontinue the IS use. Service quality is considered a potential motivator which can influence users’ IS behavior. Likewise, one may expect service quality to be a motivator of users’ IS continuance intention influencing their future behavior after the initial IS use, and to be an important factor of IS success in general. In this study, an extension of the ECM-IS has been proposed in order to examine whether the perception of service quality by users plays an important role in shaping IS user behavior, as well as whether it affects the level of satisfaction with and the decision to either continue or discontinue the IS use. The Extended ECM-IS (EECM-IS has explained 66% of the variance dependent variable of IS continuance. Findings of this study confirm that perceived usefulness, satisfaction and perceived service quality are significant predictors of users’ IS continuance intention.

40 CFR 52.884 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.884 Section 52.884 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of section 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act, as amended...

40 CFR 52.181 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.181 Section 52.181 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The plan submitted by the Governor of Arkansas as follows: (1) April 23, 1981...

40 CFR 52.581 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.581 Section 52.581 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) All applications and other information required pursuant to § 52.21 of this...

40 CFR 52.382 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Significant deterioration of air quality. 52.382 Section 52.382 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are not met...

Quality of life after cancer-How the extent of impairment is influenced by patient characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Elisabeth; Mendoza Schulz, Laura; Reuss-Borst, Monika

2016-10-10

Although this effect is well known, tailored treatment methods have not yet been broadly adopted. The aim of this study was to identify those patient characteristics that most influence the impairment of quality of life and thus to identify those patients who need and can benefit most from specific intervention treatment. 1879 cancer patients were given the EORTC QLQ C-30 questionnaire at the beginning and end of their inpatient rehabilitation. Patients' scores were compared to those of 2081 healthy adults (Schwarz and Hinz, Eur J Cancer 37:1345-1351, 2001). Furthermore, differences in quality of life corresponding to sex, age, tumor site, TNM stage, interval between diagnosis and rehabilitation, and therapy method were examined. Compared to the healthy population, the study group showed a decreased quality of life in all analyzed domains. This difference diminished with increasing age. Women reported a lower quality of life then men in general. Patients with prostate cancer showed the least impairment in several domains. Patients having undergone chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy were impaired the most. Surprisingly, TNM stage and interval between diagnosis and rehabilitation did not significantly influence quality of life. Global quality of life and all functional domains significantly improved after a 3-week rehabilitation program. Despite an individualized and increasingly better tolerable therapy, the quality of life of cancer patients is still considerably impaired. However, systematic screening of psychosocial aspects of cancer, e.g. quality of life, could enable improved intervention.

Influence Business Process On The Quality Of Accounting Information System

OpenAIRE

Meiryani; Muhammad Syaifullah

2015-01-01

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of business process to the quality of the accounting information system. This study aims to examine the influence of business process on the quality of the information system of accounting information system. The study was theoritical research which considered the roles of business process on quality of accounting information system which use secondary data collection. The results showed that the business process have a signifi...

An exploration of parent-child dyadic asthma management influences on quality of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Horner, Sharon D; Brown, Adama

2015-06-01

Most studies of childhood asthma management use data from a single family reporter and fail to capture the parent-child dyadic influences. In this descriptive exploratory study with 183 parent-child dyads, data were collected from both parents and children. Using structural equation modeling, the relationships of parents' and children's asthma knowledge, self-efficacy to manage asthma, and asthma management on the child's quality of life were examined. Direct significant relationships from knowledge to self-efficacy to asthma management were found for each member of the dyad. The associations between parents' and children's self-efficacy and asthma management were not statistically significant. Only the children's self-efficacy to manage asthma was significantly associated with children's asthma-related quality of life.

Seasonal influence on water quality status of Temenggor Lake, Perak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Mohd Afiq Wan Abdul Khalik; Mohd Pauzi Abdullah; Mohd Pauzi Abdullah

2012-01-01

A study of the water quality in Temenggor Lake was conducted within two different seasons, namely wet season (November - January 2009) and dry season (March - July 2010). Thirteen sampling stations were selected representing open water body of the lake particularly surrounding Banding Island. Three depths layered sampling (surface, middle and bottom of lake) was performed at each sampling stations except in zone B. An average WQI for Temenggor Lake in wet season (90.49) is slightly higher than the average for dry season (88.87). This study indicates quite significant seasonal influence of rainfalls on environmental lake ecosystems by improving the quality through dilution effect on several parameters. Statistical analysis of two-way ANOVA test indicates that all measured parameters are affected by seasonal changes except for pH, turbidity, DO, BOD, oil and grease. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and water hardness showed significant relationship with local community activities. Considering future development as eco tourism destination, the water quality of Temenggor Lake should be maintained thus some sort of integrated lake management system model on the integrated water resource management concept should be implemented. (author)

[Quality of life and related influencing factors in Chinese adults].

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Q; Wang, L M; Zhang, M

2016-02-01

To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) and influencing factors on Chinese adults. 83 666 subjects from 2010 Chronic Non-communicable Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance Project in China were included in this study. Questionnaire was used to collect information on general condition and health status. WHOQOL-BREF was adopted as an instrument to measure the QOL on all the subjects.t test was used to compare QOL from different groups. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the association of QOL with BMI, by gender. Among all the 83 666 subjects, mean scores of physical,psychological, social relationship and environment domains appeared as (73.97 ± 13.84), (66.65 ± 14.21), (65.76 ± 14.08) and (56.59 ± 15.15), respectively. Age, residential areas (urban/rural), education levels and marital status all showed significant impact on scores of the four domains (Peducation level (Peducation levels, marital status and chronic diseases could significantly influence the QOL of Chinese adults.

Influence of Price and Quality to Customer Satisfaction: Neuromarketing Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurimas Dapkevičius

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to analyze literature and find out empirical evidence on product price and quality influence on customer satisfaction through neuromarketing approach. Customers’ satisfaction on their purchase is a significant factor that leads business to success. In recent times, customer satisfaction has gained new attention within the context of the paradigm shift from transactional marketing to relationship marketing. Even it is agreed in the literature that price and quality has high effect on customer satisfaction; still there is little empirical evidence exploring this relation. Almost nothing is known about the human neural mechanisms through which it affects the decisions made by individuals. So, in this article there are reviewed two neuromarketing study cases as neuromarketing provides qualitatively different information, ostensibly better quality comparing to that obtained by traditional methods. The whole article reveals that price and quality is an important factor for customer satisfaction which leads to marketing managers’ decisions complexity nowadays as markets are becoming more and more complex and overloaded.Article in English

The influence of mood on the perception of hearing-loss related quality of life in people with hearing loss and their significant others.

Science.gov (United States)

Preminger, Jill E; Meeks, Suzanne

2010-04-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the congruent/incongruent perceptions of hearing-loss related quality of life between members of couples and to determine how incongruence was affected by individual psychosocial characteristics, specifically measures of mood (negative affect and positive affect), stress, and communication in the marriage. An exploratory correlational analysis was performed on data for 52 couples in which only one member had a hearing loss. In the regression analyses the independent variables were hearing-loss related quality of life scores measured in people with hearing loss, measured in significant others, and differences in hearing-loss related quality of life among members of a couple. The results demonstrate that both in people with hearing loss and their significant others, perceptions of hearing-loss related quality of life is highly correlated with negative mood scores. Incongruence in hearing-loss related quality of life scores reported by members of a couple were highly correlated with negative affect measured within each individual. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of audiologic rehabilitation can use measures of mood as an outcome variable.

[Degree of dry mouth and factors influencing oral health-related quality of life for community-dwelling elders].

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Myung Sook; Ryu, Se Ang

2010-10-01

This study was conducted to investigate the degree of dry mouth and oral health-related quality of life and to identify factors contributing to oral health-related quality of life for community-dwelling elders. A descriptive correlational study design was used. Participants were 156 older adults from two senior welfare centers. Data were collected on February 21, 22 and 29, 30, 2009 using structured questionnaires. Enter type multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing oral health-related quality of life according to general and oral health characteristics. There were significant differences in oral health-related quality of life according to living arrangement, insurance, smoking, number of natural teeth, and denture type. The oral health-related quality of life had significant correlations with the number of chronic disease, number of medications, and dry mouth. Factors influencing oral health-related quality of life for community-dwelling older adults were dry mouth, number of chronic disease, and medical aid, which explained about 47.9% of total variance. These results indicate that in order to promote oral health-related quality of life for older adults, prevention or management of chronic diseases as well as oral health and dry mouth are needed for this population, and especially economically poor elders.

The influence of COPD on health-related quality of life independent of the influence of comorbidity.

Science.gov (United States)

van Manen, Jeannette G; Bindels, Patrick J E; Dekker, Friedo W; Bottema, Bernardus J A M; van der Zee, Jaring S; Ijzermans, C Joris; Schadé, Egbert

2003-12-01

The goal of this study was to determine the influence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on health-related quality of life (HRQL) independent of comorbidity. Patients with COPD in general practice, >/=40 years, were selected. To recruit controls, a random sample of persons without COPD and >/=40 years, was taken. HRQL was assessed with the SF-36 and comorbidity was determined by questionnaire. The influence of COPD on HRQL independent of comorbidity (represented by adjusted regression coefficients) was significant for physical functioning (-27.6), role functioning due to physical problems (-21.6), vitality (-14.4), and general health (-25.7), and was minor and not significant for social functioning (-5.6), mental health (-1.3), role functioning due to emotional problems (-2.7), and bodily pain (-2.5). Comorbidity contributed significantly to the HRQL of all domains (-7.6 to -27.1). COPD patients can be impaired in all domains of HRQL. However, impairments in physical functioning, vitality, and general health are related to COPD and to some extent to comorbidity, while impairments in social and emotional functioning do not seem to be related to COPD, but only to comorbidity.

Online Sellers’ Website Quality Influencing Online Buyers’ Purchase Intention

Science.gov (United States)

Shea Lee, Tan; Ariff, Mohd Shoki Md; Zakuan, Norhayati; Sulaiman, Zuraidah; Zameri Mat Saman, Muhamad

2016-05-01

The increase adoption of Internet among young users in Malaysia provides high prospect for online seller. Young users aged between 18 and 25 years old are important to online sellers because they are actively involved in online purchasing and this group of online buyers is expected to dominate future online market. Therefore, examining online sellers’ website quality and online buyers’ purchase intention is crucial. Based on the Theory of planned behavior (TPB), a conceptual model of online sellers’ website quality and purchase intention of online buyers was developed. E-tailQ instrument was adapted in this study which composed of website design, reliability/fulfillment, security, privacy & trust, and customer service. Using online questionnaire and convenience sampling procedure, primary data were obtained from 240 online buyers aged between 18 to 25 years old. It was discovered that website design, website reliability/fulfillment, website security, privacy & trust, and website customer service positively and significantly influence intention of online buyers to continuously purchase via online channels. This study concludes that online sellers’ website quality is important in predicting online buyers’ purchase intention. Recommendation and implication of this study were discussed focusing on how online sellers should improve their website quality to stay competitive in online business.

Influence of Continuing Medical Education on Rheumatologists' Performance on National Quality Measures for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sapir, Tamar; Rusie, Erica; Greene, Laurence; Yazdany, Jinoos; Robbins, Mark L; Ruderman, Eric M; Carter, Jeffrey D; Patel, Barry; Moreo, Kathleen

2015-12-01

In recent years researchers have reported deficits in the quality of care provided to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including low rates of performance on quality measures. We sought to determine the influence of a quality improvement (QI) continuing education program on rheumatologists' performance on national quality measures for RA, along with other measures aligned with National Quality Strategy priorities. Performance was assessed through baseline and post-education chart audits. Twenty community-based rheumatologists across the United States were recruited to participate in the QI education program and chart audits. Charts were retrospectively audited before (n = 160 charts) and after (n = 160 charts) the rheumatologists participated in a series of accredited QI-focused educational activities that included private audit feedback, small-group webinars, and online- and mobile-accessible print and video activities. The charts were audited for patient demographics and the rheumatologists' documented performance on the 6 quality measures for RA included in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). In addition, charts were abstracted for documentation of patient counseling about medication benefits/risks and adherence, lifestyle modifications, and quality of life; assessment of RA medication side effects; and assessment of RA medication adherence. Mean rates of documented performance on 4 of the 6 PQRS measures for RA were significantly higher in the post-education versus baseline charts (absolute increases ranged from 9 to 24% of patient charts). In addition, after the intervention, significantly higher mean rates were observed for patient counseling about medications and quality of life, and for assessments of medication side effects and adherence (absolute increases ranged from 9 to 40% of patient charts). This pragmatic study provides preliminary evidence for the positive influence of QI-focused education in helping rheumatologists improve

THE INFLUENCE OF CORPORATE IMAGE, SERVICE QUALITY, PERCEIVED VALUE TOWARD STUDENT SATISFACTION AND STUDENT LOYALTY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gatri Lunarindiah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Student satisfaction and student loyalty are important factors in business education. This research was conducted with the goal to test and analyze the influence of corporate image, service quality and perceived value on student satisfaction and student loyalty. The object of the sample is students of the Economics and Business Faculty of Trisakti University as many as 150 respondents and the analysis was done by using the method of Structural Equaton Model (SEM producing conclusion that the corporate image, service quality and perceived value proved to be positive and significantly influential upon student satisfaction and service quality also proved to have a positively significant effect on student loyalty. There is a hypothesis that student satisfaction is not proven positively influencial upon student loyalty.

Marital quality and self-efficacy: influence on disease management among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tewary, Sweta; Farber, Naomi

2014-01-01

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) struggle to maintain improved functional ability and reduced pain levels. Health education emphasizing self-efficacy helps individuals to adjust with the disease outcome and progression. As a basis to develop comprehensive evidence-based patient education programs, the aim of the study was to examine the role of marriage as a predictor of pain and functional self-efficacy among individuals with RA. Review of the regression analysis did not provide support for the relationships between marital quality and self-efficacy. Relationships were not observed between marital quality, length of marriage, and self-efficacy as predicted by the first hypothesis. Additional regression analysis examination found that marital quality, length of marriage, pain, and health assessment together reported significant variance in self-efficacy. However, only health assessment significantly predicted self-efficacy. Other nonexamined variables could have influenced the independent marital quality effects. Future longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes can further validate the current findings.

Influence of additive from sugar beet on white bread quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipović Nada K.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The additive of acceptable sensory, physical and chemical and microbiological characteristics was made from cossettes. Great water binding capacity related to microcrystals of cellulose qualifies this additive as a desired one in bread making process. Bread was baked in the laboratory and patent flour was used. The additive with particles smaller than 95 (m was supplemented in the quantities of 2, 5 and 10%. The data related to the influence of the quantity of additive on white bread quality point that parallel to increasing the amount of the additive in the dough, yield of dough and bread were also increased. Negative effects are detected as volume depression and inferior bread crumb quality and altered crumb color. The decrease in bread quality is small if 2% of additive was applied, but significant with 5 and 10%. The bread freshness was highly graded 48 hours after baking due to the ability of the additive to retain water. On the whole, bread of superior quality supplemented by 5 and 10% of the additive from sugar beet fiber can be easily made by fortifying flour with gluten and by adding appropriate dough conditioner.

Influence of tube voltage on CT attenuation, radiation dose, and image quality: phantom study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Fengtan; Li Dong; Zhang Yunting

2013-01-01

Objective: To assess the influence of tube current and tube voltage on the CT attenuation, radiation dose, and image quality. Methods: A total of 113 saline solutions with decreasing dilution of contrast medium (370 mg I/ml) was produced. MDCT scan was performed with 15 series of different settings of tube current and tube voltage. CT attenuations with 15 series of different settings were all measured, and influence of tube current and tube voltage on CT attenuations was analyzed. CT dose index (CTDIvol) was recorded. The CT attenuations with different tube voltage and current were compared with one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. The correlation of CT attenuation with different tube voltage and the influence of tube voltage and current on radiation dose and image quality were tested by correlation analysis. Results: Tube current (250, 200, 150, 100, and 50 mA) had no significant effect on CT attenuation (F = 0.001, 0.008, 0.075, P > 0.05), while tube voltage (120, 100, and 80 kV) had significant effect (H = 17.906, 17.906, 13.527, 20.124, 23.563, P < 0.05). The correlation between CT attenuation and tube voltage was determined with equation: CT attenuatio N_1_0_0 _k_V = 1.561 × CT attenuatio N_1_2_0 _k_v + 4.0818, CT attenuatio N_8_0 _k_v = 1.2131 × CT attenuatio N_1_2_0 _k_v + 0.9283. The influence of tube voltage on radiation dose and image quality was also analyzed, and equations were also obtained: N_1_2_0 -k_v = -5.9771 Ln (D_1_2_0 kv) + 25.412, N_1_0_0 _k_v = -10.544 Ln (D_1_0_0 _k_v) + 36.262, N_8_0 _k_v = -25.326 Ln (D_8_0 _k_v) + 62.816. According to the results of relationship among CT attenuation, radiation dose, and image quality, lower tube voltage with higher tube current can reduce the radiation dose. Conclusions: Lower tube voltage can reduce the radiation dose. However, CT attenuation was influenced, and correction should be done with the equations. (authors)

The Influence of Marketing Public Relation and Service Quality on Corporate Image Through Public Opinion: Studies at Mandiri Bank

OpenAIRE

Suciyati, Vera

2013-01-01

This research aims to analyze the influence of marketing public relation and service quality at Bank Mandiri on corporate image through public. Convenience sampling method has been selected in order to obtain the data in this study. The analysis method that used was the path analysis. The research result had shown that: marketing public relation and service quality have significant influence simultaneously and partially on public opinion on the first structure equation. The second structure e...

Influence of baking conditions on the quality attributes of sponge cake.

Science.gov (United States)

Ureta, M Micaela; Olivera, Daniela F; Salvadori, Viviana O

2017-03-01

Sponge cake is a sweet bakery product characterized by its aerated and soft crumb and by its thin-coloured crust. The aim of this work is to analyse the influence of baking conditions (natural or forced convection, steam injection, oven temperature from 140 ℃ to 180 ℃) on sponge cake quality. Both crust and crumb regions were characterized by means of colour development, water content, crust/crumb relation, crust thickness and crumb structure (in terms of porosity, crumb density and texture). Colour measurements allowed obtaining an accurate model for browning kinetics. Crumb water content remains almost constant, while considerable dehydration occurs in the crust. In general, no significant differences due to baking conditions were found in the instrumental quality analysis.

Investigation and Evaluation on Influence of Machining (CNC Conditions on Surface Quality of Paulownia Wood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Aghajani

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the effective factors on surface quality of paulownia wood during machining by advanced computer numerical controled (CNC machine. For this aim paulownia logs were provided and were converted to proper sizes (2.5 x 10 x 15 cm and then air dried. The Variable of this study were cutting speed (8.37 and 15.07 m/s, feeding rate (6 and 12 m/min, cutting depth (1and 5 mm, cutting method (down and up-milling and cutting pattern (tangential and radial. Roughness of cut specimens edge were evaluated by profilometer method according to ISO 13565 standard. For evaluation of surface quality, average roughness (Ra, maximum roughness (R max, valley roughness (Rv and peak roughness (Rp were used. Degrees of effectiveness of the parameters were evaluated by fractional factorial design as completely random design at confidence level of 95%. The result showed that cutting speed, cutting method and feed rate are influencive factors on surface quality of machined specimens and their effects were significant. With increasing cutting speed and decreasing feeding rate the roughness decreased and surface quality improved. In up-milling cutting method, degree of roughness was higher and consequently surface quality was inferior. It is to be noted that cutting method in comparison to other factors had the high influence on surface quality. The rest variables did now have independent influence on surface quality at 95% Confidence level. This study for achieving the optimum surface quality recommends that cutting speed of 15.07 m/s, feeding rate of 6 m/min, cutting method of down-milling and cutting depth of 1 mm for tangential cross section.

Optimizing chocolate production through traceability: A review of the influence of farming practices on cocoa bean quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saltini, Rolando; Akkerman, Renzo; Frosch, Stina

2013-01-01

Due to recent developments in traceability systems, it is now possible to exchange significant amounts of data through food supply chains. Farming practices applied by cocoa farmers at the beginning of the chocolate supply chain strongly influence several quality parameters of the finished...... studies have been investigating the influence of certain farming practices on cocoa beans and the subsequent chocolate quality parameters. However, no comprehensive analysis of the process variables in the chain and their effects on the quality can be found. In this paper we review and classify...... the available literature on the topic in terms of process variables throughout the chain, and their effects on quality and flavour aspects of cocoa beans and the eventual chocolate product. After analyzing the literature, we are able to identify potential benefits of using data regarding the farming practices...

What Influences the Awareness of Physician Quality Info

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — In What Influences the Awareness of Physician Quality Information, Implications for Medicare, published in Volume 4, Issue 2 of Medicare and Medicaid Research...

THE INFLUENCE OF PRODUCT QUALITY , PRICE PERCEPTION AND BRAND IMAGE ON SATISFACTION AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY HOLCIM CONCRETE READYMIX IN JAKARTA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sita Budiastari

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to find a picture of the effect of product quality , price perception and brand image on satisfaction and customer loyalty ready mix concrete in Jakarta . This research is a quantitative study with descriptive and causal methods undertaken at Holcim Beton in 2013 with a sample of 100 customers in Jakarta and its surrounding the industrial and commercial segments project . Data collection by questionnaire respondents and analyzed using path analysis with SPSS version 20.0. The results of the study concluded that ( 1 product quality does not effect to customer satisfaction ( 2 Perception price positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction, ( 3 Brand Image does not have an influence on customer satisfaction, ( 4 all independent variables , quality of products , Perception price and a positive brand image and significant consequences for the dependent variable Customer satisfaction, with the value of determination of 50%, while 50% are influenced by other variables ( 5 Product Quality and significant effect on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction, ( 6 Perceived Price does not effect on loyalty through customer satisfaction, ( 7 brand image have effect and siginikan loyalty through customer satisfaction, ( 8 Dependent variable of product quality , price perception and brand image together and significant effect on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction, with value of determination of 77.4 %, and 22.6 % are influenced by other factors. The findings recommend that Holcim aims to improve product quality , perceived price and brand image to increase loyalty through customer satisfaction . It is also recommended to Holcim for increase of services and information to customers in order for increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Manipulation of Ovarian Function Significantly Influenced Sarcopenia in Postreproductive-Age Mice

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Rhett L. Peterson

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Previously, transplantation of ovaries from young cycling mice into old postreproductive-age mice increased life span. We anticipated that the same factors that increased life span could also influence health span. Female CBA/J mice received new (60 d ovaries at 12 and 17 months of age and were evaluated at 16 and 25 months of age, respectively. There were no significant differences in body weight among any age or treatment group. The percentage of fat mass was significantly increased at 13 and 16 months of age but was reduced by ovarian transplantation in 16-month-old mice. The percentages of lean body mass and total body water were significantly reduced in 13-month-old control mice but were restored in 16- and 25-month-old recipient mice by ovarian transplantation to the levels found in six-month-old control mice. In summary, we have shown that skeletal muscle mass, which is negatively influenced by aging, can be positively influenced or restored by reestablishment of active ovarian function in aged female mice. These findings provide strong incentive for further investigation of the positive influence of young ovaries on restoration of health in postreproductive females.

Significant positive relationship between serum magnesium and muscle quality in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Okazaki, Hisanori; Ishimura, Eiji; Okuno, Senji; Norimine, Kyoko; Yamakawa, Kenjiro; Yamakawa, Tomoyuki; Shoji, Shigeichi; Nishizawa, Yoshiki; Inaba, Masaaki

2013-01-01

Serum magnesium (Mg) levels have been associated with muscle performance in the general population. We hypothesized that serum Mg would be associated with muscle quality in hemodialysis patients. A total of 310 patients were examined (age: 58 ± 12 years, hemodialysis duration: 6.4 ± 6.0 years, 60.6% men, and 36.1% diabetics). Arm lean mass was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) on the dominant side. Arm muscle quality was defined as the ratio of the handgrip strength to the arm lean mass of the same side (kg/kg). Serum Mg was 1.15 ± 0.16 mmol/L (2.8 ± 0.4 mg/dL), being higher than the reference range of normal subjects. There was a significant negative correlation between muscle quality and age (r = -0.326, p<0.0001) and duration of hemodialysis (r = -0.253, p<0.0001). The muscle quality of the diabetics was significantly lower than that of the non-diabetics (p<0.001). There was a significant, positive correlation between muscle quality and serum Mg (r = 0.118, p<0.05), but not serum calcium or phosphate. In multiple regression analysis, age, gender, hemodialysis duration, diabetes, and serum Mg (β = 0.129, p<0.05) were significantly and independently associated with muscle quality (R(2) = 0.298, p<0.0001). These results demonstrated that a lower serum Mg concentration was significantly associated with poor muscle quality in hemodialysis patients. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanism by which lower serum Mg affects muscle quality.

Exploring Factors That Influence Quality Literature Circles

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Chase; Mohr, Kathleen A. J.

2018-01-01

Research indicates that literature circles are an authentic means for literacy development that students typically enjoy. To better understand the potential value and to add to the research base regarding literature circles, this study, involving 17 fourth graders, explores factors that may influence the quality of literature discussions,…

Influence of rainfall and catchment characteristics on urban stormwater quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, An; Egodawatta, Prasanna; Guan, Yuntao; Goonetilleke, Ashantha

2013-02-01

The accuracy and reliability of urban stormwater quality modelling outcomes are important for stormwater management decision making. The commonly adopted approach where only a limited number of factors are used to predict urban stormwater quality may not adequately represent the complexity of the quality response to a rainfall event or site-to-site differences to support efficient treatment design. This paper discusses an investigation into the influence of rainfall and catchment characteristics on urban stormwater quality in order to investigate the potential areas for errors in current stormwater quality modelling practices. It was found that the influence of rainfall characteristics on pollutant wash-off is step-wise based on specific thresholds. This means that a modelling approach where the wash-off process is predicted as a continuous function of rainfall intensity and duration is not appropriate. Additionally, other than conventional catchment characteristics, namely, land use and impervious surface fraction, other catchment characteristics such as impervious area layout, urban form and site specific characteristics have an important influence on both, pollutant build-up and wash-off processes. Finally, the use of solids as a surrogate to estimate other pollutant species was found to be inappropriate. Individually considering build-up and wash-off processes for each pollutant species should be the preferred option. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Influence Of Policy Implementation From The Change Of Institutional Status Toward Quality Of Patient Service In Hospital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dadang Kusnadi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Fenomenon and comunity problem in goverment hospital management not aware to wont and need public. Silent safety and consumen satisfaction is fenomenon lack quallity care. Goal this research goal for analysis about influence of policy implementation of hospital change institution status to the quality of patien service in Hospital. Kind of reserch is the quantity desain on approach the eksplanatory survey research analysis regresi linier multipel with analysis method validitas product moment pearson exam and reliability exam is alpha cronbach technique to hypotesis exam is path analysis and statistic exam t. Datum transformation is Skala Likert with measurement the method succesive interval. The population one thausand seventh two person with sample technique stratified random sampling the instrument research is quesioner and interview patien on caunter imforman. The result of assuming research that it is anticipated that implementation of change policy of institution status of hospital X there is significant influence to quality of service of patient Y is 66.31 and the other factor e is 33.69. In the implementation factor is significant to positif influence to quality service is communication X1 is 049 human resources X2 is 025 disposition X3 is 032 and structure birocratic X4 is 033. The conculsion from four factor independen variable X is the implementation of policy to quality service patient Y to influence and can receive in knowledge. To concept the development in implementation of policy need culture job factor because every product policy to contac direct with the community as to basic public policy.

What factors influence parents' perception of the quality of life of children and adolescents with neurocardiogenic syncope?

Science.gov (United States)

Grimaldi Capitello, Teresa; Fiorilli, Caterina; Placidi, Silvia; Vallone, Roberta; Drago, Fabrizio; Gentile, Simonetta

2016-05-17

Health-related quality of life, which can be investigated using self-reports or parental reports, could help healthcare providers understand the subjective perception of well-being of children suffering from recurrent syncopal episodes. Quality of life is not only a measure of health but is also a reflection of patients' and parents' perceptions and expectations of health. This study assessed: 1) the consistency and agreement between pediatric patients' self-reports and parents' proxy-reports of their child's quality of life; 2) whether this patient-parent agreement is dependent on additional demographic and clinical or distress factors; 3) whether the parents' psychological distress influences children's and parents' responses to questionnaires on quality of life. One hundred and twenty-five Italian children aged 6-18 years old (Mean age 12.75, SD 2.73, 48 % female) and their parents completed the Pediatric Quality of Life inventory with self-reports and parent-proxy reports, the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18. Patients' and parents' scores on quality of life were analyzed via an intra-class correlation coefficient, Spearman's correlation coefficient, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Bland-Altman plot. Child-rated quality of life was lower than parent-rated quality of life. However, there were no statistically significant differences between pediatric patients' self-reports and their parents' proxy-reports of on quality of life. Clinically significant patient-parent variation in pediatric health-related quality of life was observed. Differences in patient-parent proxy Pediatric Quality of Life inventory Total Scale Score scores were significantly associated with patient age. Concerning parents' proxy-ratings of their children's quality of life on the Pediatric Quality of Life inventory, parental stress was found to be negatively associated with their perceptions of their child's psychological quality

The influence of bread improvers and different technological parameters on bread quality

OpenAIRE

Duobienė, Lina

2015-01-01

Goal of the research: to analyse quality parameters of different types of bread, produced with or without improvers, also to evaluate intensity of microbiological spoilage of bread during storage. Results and findings: Different bread technologies have influence on bread quality parameters and in all cases bread improvers have positive influence on bread quality: „Lietuviškas ragaišis“ (Lithuanian whole wheat bread) using improvers the higher specific volume (21.27%) and porosity (9.02%...

THE INFLUENCE OF PRICE AND SERVICE QUALITY OF BRAND IMAGE AND ITS IMPACT ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GOJEK (STUDENTS STUDY ON A STATE UNIVERSITY OF JAKARTA

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Mohammad Rizan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the research are to: test empirically influence of price to brand image on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of service quality to brand image on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of price on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of service quality on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of brand image on customer satisfaction Gojek. This study used confirmatory factor analysis. The research was conducted in State University of Jakarta and used purposive sampling techniques, while the data collecting technique used questionaire, SPSS and SEM LISREL for data processing. The result shows a significant influence of price and service quality for brand image and its impact on customer satisfaction.

Influence Of Soil Type On Yield And Quality Of Different Apple Cultivars

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Alina Viorica ILIE

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine influence of different soil type on apple yield and quality. To investigate the variation in fruit quality, apples were harvested at commercial maturity on two different soil type. The investigations was conducted in experimental apple orchards located in Focsani region on two different soil type: luvic  brown typical and  luvic brown pseudogleizate. Fruits of Jonathan and Golden Delicios cultivars were tested for color, soluble solids content, total acidity, ascorbic acid, anthocyanins content and chlorophyls content with specific analytrical methods. At harvest yield, dry matter, soluble solids content, ascorbic acid and acidity were affected by soil type. In this study, no significant soil effect was found on color, anthocyanins and chlorophyll fruit content. The results obtained in this study suggest that luvic brown pseudogleizate soil leading to increased yields and enhanced fruit quality.

Fundamental factors influencing portal image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaffray, D.A.

1995-01-01

It has been recognized that improved methods of verifying radiation field placement in external beam radiotherapy are required in order to make frequent checks of field placement feasible. As a result, a large number of electronic portal imaging systems have been developed as possible replacements for film. These developments have produced digital systems with faster acquisition and improved display contrast, however, the quality of the images acquired with such systems is still disappointing. This presentation examines many of the fundamental factors which limit the quality of radiographs obtained with a megavoltage radiotherapy beam. The size and shape of the radiation sources (focal and extra-focal) in radiotherapy machines and their influence on the spatial resolution of portal images are examined. Monte Carlo simulations of x-ray interactions within the patient determined that a significant fraction of the x-ray scatter generated in the patient is due to bremsstrahlung and positron annihilation. Depending on the detector, the scatter signal can reduce the differential signal-to-noise by 20%. Furthermore, a Monte Carlo study of the interaction of x-rays within typical fluoroscopic imaging detectors (metal plate/phosphor screen) demonstrates the degrading effect of energy absorption noise on the detective quantum efficiency of fluoroscopic based imaging systems. Finally, the spatial frequency content in the x-ray shadowgram is demonstrated to change with x-ray energy, resulting in images that appear to have reduced spatial resolution at megavoltage energies. The relative magnitude of each of these factors will be presented and recommendations for the next generation of portal imaging systems will be made

Do Individual and Neighborhood Characteristics Influence Perceived Air Quality?

Science.gov (United States)

Deguen, Séverine; Padilla, Manon; Padilla, Cindy; Kihal-Talantikite, Wahida

2017-12-12

Background : Despite improvements, air pollution still remains a major public health issue. Numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated the adverse health effects of air pollution exposure based on modeled measures, but only a few have considered the health impact of perceived air quality. Improving our knowledge of individual perceptions is crucial to defining targeted actions and promoting appropriate intervention measures. Our objective is to investigate the relationship between subjective and objective measures of air pollution and to focus on how individual characteristics combined with the neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation index, measured at a fine spatial scale, may or may not alter this relationship. Materials and Methods : The subjective measures of air quality reported by a sample of Lyon residents were collected via an individual questionnaire. The objective measures of air pollution were modeled by the local air quality monitoring network of the Rhône-Alpes region at census block level. We used a socioeconomic deprivation index to capture the different socioeconomic dimensions at census block level. The statistical analysis was structured in two steps: (1) identification of individual determinants of the subjective measures of air quality using multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical clustering; (2) identification of individual and contextual characteristics that may alter the relationship between the objective and subjective measures of air pollution. Results : Among the youngest and the middle aged population (ages 30 to 59), consistent results between level of satisfaction, perceived air quality and objective measures of air pollution were found whatever the individual characteristics of the population. It is less clear among the oldest population: globally no significant difference between the NO₂ concentrations and the level of satisfaction was observed. Conclusion s : We found a significant relationship between the

THE INFLUENCE OF BUSH FORMATION IN RED BEET ON SEED PRODUCTIVITY AND SOWING QUALITIES

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L. A. Yusupova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available It is necessary not only to possess the technology to grow seeds but also to have knowledge of plant biology in particular crop, and sowing qualities of its seeds. The particular place where seeds are forming on the mother plant has much influence on qualities of sowing seed material. The influence of the development of red beet plant bush on seed productivity, monogermity and sowing qualities of seeds was estimated in Rostov oblast. The main stalk pruning and application of plant growth retardants had an effect on the structure of red beet bush. In variants given in seed plants, the third type of branching prevailed due to lack or oppression of main stalk. Consequently, the seed yield and proportion of single fruit formation rose. It was also shown that due to treatment of plants with growth retardant ‘Floron’ at the stage of waxen maturity significantly improved the seed germination as compared with control variant. As a result of the study it was shown that the mechanical pruning of main stalk and application of growth retardants had affected on the structure of seed red beet bush increasing the yield mono-seed compounds as well as had improved the yield and seed quality of monogerm red beet. 

The Influence of Service Quality toward Customer Loyalty: A Case Study at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung

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Rizki Faiz Al-Haqam

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The research objectives were to determine the correlation between service quality and customer loyalty, and also to analyze the influence of service quality on customer loyalty at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung. Respondents of this research were 70 respondents with nonprobability sampling technique done by incidental sampling. The method used is descriptive and associative, which tested the connection using the Spearman rank correlation analysis, to test the hypothesis by t-test, and to determine the accuracy of measurement using the validity and reliability test. Results of the validity and reliability test of variables X and Y are valid and reliable. Calculations were performed using SPSS software ver. 19. The results of this research show that service quality is in the category of good and customer loyalty is also in the category of good. Results show that the correlation of service quality with customer loyalty at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung is in the strong relation based on the interpretation of r value correlation coefficient. The hypothesis is proved that there is the influence of service quality on customer loyalty at Alfamart Abdurahman Saleh Bandung significantly.

SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCES OF VIOLIN EXTRACURRICULAR ACHIEVEMENT TO EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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Nafik

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This research aims to find out (1 whether there is an influence between student’s achievements of learning violin toward their emotional intelligence, (2 whether there is a correlation between student’s achievement of learning violin and their emotional intelligence, and (3 how much contribution of student’s achievement of learning violin to their emotional intelligence. It is a qualitative research which is defined as a research method based on positivism philosophy which is used to study particular sample and population. The sample and population are drawn randomly using research instruments to collect data, and the data are analyzed statistically. This aims to examine the hypothesis defined. The finding shows that there is a significant influence between student’s achievement of learning violin and their emotional intelligence about 76.1%, while the rest of it 23.9% is influenced by other factors which are not studied in this research. It proves that learning violin influences student’s emotional intelligence very much and emotional intelligence is influential in increasing student’s achievement. From the data, it shows that most of the students participating in violin extracurricular are able to increase their learning achievement.

Theoretical Considerations on the Influence of the Auditor’s Independence on Audit Quality

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A. M. Pașcu

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Although no method has been found yet to guarantee the optimum quality level for the financial information users, and implicitly the quality of accounting and audit services, the efforts concerning these aspects have lately intensified, and a multitude of elements that influence quality in audit and the accounting profession are analyzed and interpreted by many authors. In our research, we aim to analyze the manner in which ethical and moral principles, especially the auditor’s independence, may influence the quality of audit. The purpose of this paper is to stress the connection between ethical principles, responsibility and quality in accounting.

Factors influencing the quality of life of haemodialysis patients according to symptom cluster.

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, Hye Yeung; Cho, Mi-Kyoung

2018-05-01

To identify the characteristics in each symptom cluster and factors influencing the quality of life of haemodialysis patients in Korea according to cluster. Despite developments in renal replacement therapy, haemodialysis still restricts the activities of daily living due to pain and impairs physical functioning induced by the disease and its complications. Descriptive survey. Two hundred and thirty dialysis patients aged >18 years. They completed self-administered questionnaires of Dialysis Symptom Index and Kidney Disease Quality of Life instrument-Short Form 1.3. To determine the optimal number of clusters, the collected data were analysed using polytomous variable latent class analysis in R software (poLCA) to estimate the latent class models and the latent class regression models for polytomous outcome variables. Differences in characteristics, symptoms and QOL according to the symptom cluster of haemodialysis patients were analysed using the independent t test and chi-square test. The factors influencing the QOL according to symptom cluster were identified using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Physical and emotional symptoms were significantly more severe, and the QOL was significantly worse in Cluster 1 than in Cluster 2. The factors influencing the QOL were spouse, job, insurance type and physical and emotional symptoms in Cluster 1, with these variables having an explanatory power of 60.9%. Physical and emotional symptoms were the only influencing factors in Cluster 2, and they had an explanatory power of 37.4%. Mitigating the symptoms experienced by haemodialysis patients and improving their QOL require educational and therapeutic symptom management interventions that are tailored according to the characteristics and symptoms in each cluster. The findings of this study are expected to lead to practical guidelines for addressing the symptoms experienced by haemodialysis patients, and they provide basic information for developing nursing

Influence Business Strategy On The Quality Of Accounting Information System

OpenAIRE

Meiryani

2015-01-01

Abstract Todaythe survival ofthe companyis largely determinedbythe ability ofcompaniesto competeinthe market so improvement on the quality of accounting information system is needed. Companies use accounting information system as a tool to generate information that managers can make decisions. To be able to take the right decisions necessary quality of accounting information systems. In view of the above this paper considers the Influence Of Business Strategy On The Quality Of Accounting Info...

Quality of Family Context or Sibling Status? Influences on Cognitive Development

Science.gov (United States)

Freijo, Enrique B. Arranz; Oliva, Alfredo; Olabarrieta, Fernando; Martin, Juan Luis; Manzano, Ainhoa; Richards, Martin P. M.

2008-01-01

This study analyzes the influence of socioeconomic status, quality of family context and sibling status on cognitive development in a sample of 551 five-year-old children. The regression analyses confirmed the predictive value of socioeconomic status and quality of family context on cognitive development. The quality of family context mediates the…

Cassava chips quality as influenced by cultivar, blanching time and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Currently, fried cassava chips and crisps are increasingly being consumed as snacks; and fried cassava chips are produced by street processors. The quality and safety of these products is not known, therefore, the current study was to establish the influence of cassava cultivar, blanching time and slice thickness on quality ...

Influence of quality of life, self-perception, and self-esteem on orthodontic treatment need.

Science.gov (United States)

Dos Santos, Patrícia R; Meneghim, Marcelo de C; Ambrosano, Glaucia M B; Filho, Mario Vedovello; Vedovello, Silvia A S

2017-01-01

In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between normative and perceived orthodontic treatment need associated with quality of life, self-esteem, and self-perception. The sample included 248 schoolchildren aged 12 years. The normative aspect of orthodontic treatment was assessed by the Dental Health Component and the Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need. The subjects were further evaluated for their oral health-related quality of life, self-esteem, and self-perception of oral esthetics. The Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need was considered as the response variable, and generalized linear models estimated by the GENMOD procedure (release 9.3, 2010; SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Model 1 was estimated with only the intercept, providing the basis for evaluating the reduction in variance in the other models studied; then the variables were tested sequentially, considering P ≤0.05 as the criterion for remaining in the model. In the model, self-perception and self-esteem were statistically significant in relation to the perceived need for treatment. The normative need was significantly associated with the outcome variable and was not influenced by independent variables. The normative need for orthodontics treatment was not overestimated by the perceived need, and the perceived need was not influenced by sex and the impact on quality of life. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of Roughness on Quality Molybdenum Deposit Layer by Thermal Spraying

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Marián Bujna

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we deal with the impact of roughness on the quality of molybdenum layer. Insufficient cleaning may result in a poor quality of the sprayed layer. Our aim is to analyze the influence of surface roughness on the quality of molybdenum layer thickness applied by thermal spraying. Thermal spraying influence several physical and chemical properties of the coating surface. The most important ones include: hardness, density, porosity, corrosion resistance and adhesion. This technology of surface treatment of material is often used for its high degree of hardness. Hardness and erosion resistance are the parameters that need to be achieved particularly in working conditions where there is excessive depreciation of a component.

Influence of the temperature on the composites' fusion bonding quality

Science.gov (United States)

Harkous, Ali; Jurkowski, Tomasz; Bailleul, Jean-Luc; Le Corre, Steven

2017-10-01

Thermoplastic composite parts are increasingly used to replace metal pieces in automotive field due to their mechanical properties, chemical properties and recycling potential [1]. To assemble and give them new mechanical functions, fusion bonding is often used. It is a type of welding carried out at a higher temperature than the fusion one [2]. The mechanical quality of the final adhesion depends on the process parameters like pressure, temperature and cycle time [3]. These parameters depend on two phenomena at the origin of the bonding formation: intimate contact [4] and reptation and healing [5]. In this study, we analyze the influence of the temperature on the bonding quality, disregarding in this first steps the pressure influence. For that, two polyamide composite parts are welded using a specific setup. Then, they undergo a mechanical test of peeling in order to quantify the adhesion quality.

Sensory quality and fatty acid content of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) meat: influence of farm location and sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Neethling, Jeannine; Muller, Magdalena; van der Rijst, Marieta; Hoffman, Louwrens C

2018-05-01

Springbok are harvested for meat production irrespective of farm location or sex from which the meat is derived. The present study investigated the influence of farm location (three farms containing different vegetation types) and sex on the sensory quality of springbok longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle. The sensory profile (aroma, flavour and texture) was determined by descriptive sensory analysis, in addition to determination of the physical meat quality, proximate and fatty acid composition. Farm location had a significant influence on the sensory quality (gamey and liver-like aroma; beef, liver-like, lamb-like and herbaceous flavour; sweet taste; tenderness; residue; mealiness; Warner-Bratzler shear force; moisture, protein and intramuscular lipid content) and fatty acid content (oleic acid; α-linolenic acid; total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids; polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio; total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid; and omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio) of springbok meat. Sex influenced the chemical composition of springbok meat; however, the influence on the sensory profile was minor (sweet taste; P meat and should be considered when harvesting for meat production. Sex does not have to be considered for the marketing of springbok meat. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influence of ion bombardment on microcrystalline silicon material quality and solar cell performances

OpenAIRE

Bugnon, G; Feltrin, A; Sculati-Meillaud, F; Bailat, J; Ballif, C

2008-01-01

Microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon growth with VHF-PECVD was examined in an industrial type parallel plate KAITM reactor. The influence of pressure on material quality was studied in single junction solar cells. Solar cells with their intrinsic layer prepared at higher pressures exhibit remarkable improvements, reaching 8.2% efficiency at 3.5 mbar. Further analyzes showed that μc- Si:H intrinsic layers grown at higher pressures have a significantly lower defect density. These results are a...

WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE QUALITY SERVICE IMPROVEMENT IN MONTENEGRO: EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

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Djurdjica Perovic

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, using an Ordinary Least Square regression (OLS, we investigate whether intangible elements influence tourist's perception about service quality. Our empirical results based on tourist survey in Montenegro, indicate that intangible elements of tourism product have positive impact on tourist's overall perception of service quality in Montenegro.

Influence of Sex and Bank- Type on Service Quality Perceptions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The importance of customer's perception of service quality has received tremendous research attention. What is not yet established are the factors that underlie such perception of service quality. To fill this gap, the present study was designed to examine the influence of sex of bank customers and bank-type on customer's ...

Emotional memory processing is influenced by sleep quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Tempesta, Daniela; De Gennaro, Luigi; Natale, Vincenzo; Ferrara, Michele

2015-07-01

The recall of emotional memory is enhanced after sleep and is hindered by sleep deprivation. We used an emotional memory task to assess whether poor sleep quality, as well as sleep deprivation, may influence the accuracy of memory recognition, but also the affective tone associated with the memory. Seventy-five subjects, divided into poor sleeper (PS), good sleeper (GS), and sleep deprivation (SD) groups, completed two recall (R) sessions: R1, 1 h after the encoding phase; and R2, after one night of sleep for PS and GS groups and after one night of sleep deprivation for the SD group. During the encoding phase, the participants rated valence and arousal of 90 pictures. During R1 and R2, the participants first made a yes/no memory judgment of the 45 target pictures intermingled with 30 non-target pictures, then rated valence and arousal of each picture. Recognition accuracy was higher for the PS and GS groups compared to the SD group for all pictures. Emotional valence of the remembered pictures was more negative after sleep deprivation and poor quality sleep, while it was preserved after a good sleep. These results provide the first evidence that poor sleep quality negatively affects emotional valence of memories, within the context of preserved emotional memory consolidation. It is suggested that low sleep quality and lack of sleep may impose a more negative affective tone to memories. The reported effects are not to be ascribed to depressive mood, but to a specific influence of poor sleep quality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Current situations and problem analysis of influencing factors of traditional Chinese medicine tablets on forming quality].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan-Nian; Wu, Zhen-Feng; Wan, Na; Li, Yuan-Hui; Li, Hui-Ting; Yang, Ming

2018-04-01

The compressibility of tablets is the essential operating unit during the preparation of traditional Chinese medicine tablets, as well as a complicated process. Therefore, it is of great significance to comprehensively study the influencing factors on the formation process. This paper aimed to review the evaluation methods for the tablet forming quality and highlight the effects of material powder properties, excipients and preparation technology on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine tablets on the basis of relevant literatures. Furthermore, the common problems in tablet forming process are also analyzed to provide useful references for the development of tablet forming quality of traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Influence of burnout and sleep difficulties on the quality of life among medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagnin, Daniel; de Queiroz, Valéria

2015-01-01

This study assessed the influence of burnout dimensions and sleep difficulties on the quality of life among preclinical-phase medical school students. Data were collected from 193 students through their completion of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire, the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. This survey performed hierarchical multiple regressions to quantify the effects of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, academic efficacy, and sleep difficulties on the physical, psychological, social, and environmental components of an individual's quality of life. The influence of confounding variables, such as gender, stress load, and depressive symptoms, were controlled in the statistical analyses. Physical health decreased when emotional exhaustion and sleep difficulties increased. Psychological well-being also decreased when cynicism and sleep difficulties increased. Burnout and sleep difficulties together explained 22 and 21 % of the variance in the physical and psychological well-being, respectively. On the other hand, physical health, psychological well-being, and social relationships increased when the sense of academic efficacy increased. Physical and psychological well-being are negatively associated with emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and sleep difficulties in students in the early phase of medical school. To improve the quality of life of these students, a significant effort should be directed towards burnout and sleep difficulties.

Interactions of donor sources and media influence the histo-morphological quality of full-thickness skin models.

Science.gov (United States)

Lange, Julia; Weil, Frederik; Riegler, Christoph; Groeber, Florian; Rebhan, Silke; Kurdyn, Szymon; Alb, Miriam; Kneitz, Hermann; Gelbrich, Götz; Walles, Heike; Mielke, Stephan

2016-10-01

Human artificial skin models are increasingly employed as non-animal test platforms for research and medical purposes. However, the overall histopathological quality of such models may vary significantly. Therefore, the effects of manufacturing protocols and donor sources on the quality of skin models built-up from fibroblasts and keratinocytes derived from juvenile foreskins is studied. Histo-morphological parameters such as epidermal thickness, number of epidermal cell layers, dermal thickness, dermo-epidermal adhesion and absence of cellular nuclei in the corneal layer are obtained and scored accordingly. In total, 144 full-thickness skin models derived from 16 different donors, built-up in triplicates using three different culture conditions were successfully generated. In univariate analysis both media and donor age affected the quality of skin models significantly. Both parameters remained statistically significant in multivariate analyses. Performing general linear model analyses we could show that individual medium-donor-interactions influence the quality. These observations suggest that the optimal choice of media may differ from donor to donor and coincides with findings where significant inter-individual variations of growth rates in keratinocytes and fibroblasts have been described. Thus, the consideration of individual medium-donor-interactions may improve the overall quality of human organ models thereby forming a reproducible test platform for sophisticated clinical research. Copyright © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of visual appearance on loudspeaker sound quality evaluation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karandreas, Theodoros-Alexandros; Christensen, Flemming

2008-01-01

Product sound quality evaluation aims to identify relevant attributes and assess their influence on the overall auditory impression. Extending this sound specific rationale, the present study evaluates overall impression in relation to audition and vision, specifically for loudspeakers. In order...... to quantify the bias that the loudspeaker appearance has on the sound quality evaluation of a naive listening panel, audio stimuli of varied degradation are coupled with actual loudspeakers of different visual appearance....

Do neurooncological patients and their significant others agree on quality of life ratings?

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Hutterer Markus

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Patients suffering from brain tumours often experience a wide range of cognitive impairments that impair their ability to report on their quality of life and symptom burden. The use of proxy ratings by significant others may be a promising alternative to gain information for medical decision making or research purposes, if self-ratings are not obtainable. Our study investigated the agreement of quality of life and symptom ratings by the patient him/herself or by a significant other. Methods Patients with primary brain tumours were recruited at the neurooncological outpatient unit of Innsbruck Medical University. Quality of life self- and proxy-ratings were collected using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and its brain cancer module, the QLQ-BN20. Results Between May 2005 and August 2007, 42 pairs consisting of a patient and his/her significant other were included in the study. Most of the employed quality of life scales showed fairly good agreement between patient- and proxy-ratings (median correlation 0.46. This was especially true for Physical Functioning, Sleeping Disturbances, Appetite Loss, Constipation, Taste Alterations, Visual Disorders, Motor Dysfunction, Communication Deficits, Hair Loss, Itchy Skin, Motor Dysfunction and Hair Loss. Worse rater agreement was found for Social Functioning, Emotional Functioning, Cognitive Functioning, Fatigue, Pain, Dyspnoea and Seizures. Conclusion The assessment of quality of life in brain cancer patients through ratings from their significant others seems to be a feasible strategy to gain information about certain aspects of patient's quality of life and symptom burden, if the patient is not able to provide information himself.

Tidal Influence on Water Quality of Kapuas Kecil River Downstream

Science.gov (United States)

Purnaini, Rizki; Sudarmadji; Purwono, Suryo

2018-02-01

The Kapuas Kecil River is strongly influenced by tidal, in the dry season the intrusion of surface water is often a problem for the WTP because it causes the change of raw water quality to be processed. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sea tides on water quality of the Kapuas Kecil River. The study was conducted in Kapuas River downstream along ± 30 km from the upper boundary to the estuary. Water sampling is carried out during the dry and rainy season, when the tidal conditions at 7 (seven) locations of the monitoring station. Descriptive analysis methods and regression-correlation statistics are used to determine the effect of tides on water quality in Kapuas River downstream. In general, the water quality of the Kapuas Kecil River has exceeded the criteria of first class water quality, ie water that can be used for drinking water. The status of water quality of the Kapuas Kecil River based on the pollution index calculation shows the condition of the river is "mild to medium pollutants". The result of multiple linear regression analysis got the value of coefficient of determination (adjusted R square) = 0,760, which in whole show that independent variable (tidal and distance) influence to dependent variable (value of TDS) equal to 76%.

INFLUENCE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION FACTORS IN THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS QUALITY FOR THE USER SATISFACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Isabel de la Garza Ramos

2009-07-01

Full Text Available This research studies the influence range of the organizational, planning and technical factors within the information quality, system quality and information systems services quality, in the user satisfaction, based on the designed model research for this purpose. The empirical study takes place in six Higher Education Institutes (94 questionnaires by the Partial Least Square statistic tool. The results has shown that Organizational Factor (information needs, management support, institutional objectives satisfaction is which has the most impact because its high correlation value (R=0.624; R=0.435 yR=0.428 and significance (p<0.001, p<0.01 and p<0.01 in the three raised hypotheses, taking into consideration an explained variance of 78.8% in the User Satisfaction. In the same way, with the quality in general, the users think that the information systems help to satisfy their information needs and increase their productivity into making decisions in their jobs.

Radiation dose optimization in pediatric temporal bone computed tomography: influence of tube tension on image contrast and image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nauer, Claude Bertrand; Zubler, Christoph; Weisstanner, Christian; Stieger, Christof; Senn, Pascal; Arnold, Andreas

2012-01-01

The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the effect of tube tension reduction on image contrast and image quality in pediatric temporal bone computed tomography (CT). Seven lamb heads with infant-equivalent sizes were scanned repeatedly, using four tube tensions from 140 to 80 kV while the CT-Dose Index (CTDI) was held constant. Scanning was repeated with four CTDI values from 30 to 3 mGy. Image contrast was calculated for the middle ear as the Hounsfield unit (HU) difference between bone and air and for the inner ear as the HU difference between bone and fluid. The influence of tube tension on high-contrast detail delineation was evaluated using a phantom. The subjective image quality of eight middle and inner ear structures was assessed using a 4-point scale (scores 1-2 = insufficient; scores 3-4 = sufficient). Middle and inner ear contrast showed a near linear increase with tube tension reduction (r = -0.94/-0.88) and was highest at 80 kV. Tube tension had no influence on spatial resolution. Subjective image quality analysis showed significantly better scoring at lower tube tensions, with highest image quality at 80 kV. However, image quality improvement was most relevant for low-dose scans. Image contrast in the temporal bone is significantly higher at low tube tensions, leading to a better subjective image quality. Highest contrast and best quality were found at 80 kV. This image quality improvement might be utilized to further reduce the radiation dose in pediatric low-dose CT protocols. (orig.)

Factors influencing nurse-assessed quality nursing care: A cross-sectional study in hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ying; Aungsuroch, Yupin

2018-04-01

To propose a hypothesized theoretical model and apply it to examine the structural relationships among work environment, patient-to-nurse ratio, job satisfaction, burnout, intention to leave and quality nursing care. Improving quality nursing care is a first consideration in nursing management globally. A better understanding of factors influencing quality nursing care can help hospital administrators implement effective programmes to improve quality of services. Although certain bivariate correlations have been found between selected factors and quality nursing care in different study models, no studies have examined the relationships among work environment, patient-to-nurse ratio, job satisfaction, burnout, intention to leave and quality nursing care in a more comprehensive theoretical model. A cross-sectional survey. The questionnaires were collected from 510 Chinese nurses in four Chinese tertiary hospitals in January 2015. The validity and internal consistency reliability of research instruments were evaluated. Structural equation modelling was used to test a theoretical model. The findings revealed that the data supported the theoretical model. Work environment had a large total effect size on quality nursing care. Burnout largely and directly influenced quality nursing care, which was followed by work environment and patient-to-nurse ratio. Job satisfaction indirectly affected quality nursing care through burnout. This study shows how work environment past burnout and job satisfaction influences quality nursing care. Apart from nurses' work conditions of work environment and patient-to-nurse ratio, hospital administrators should pay more attention to nurse outcomes of job satisfaction and burnout when designing intervention programmes to improve quality nursing care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Relationship between Parents and Peer Influences on Qualities of Adolescent Friendship

Science.gov (United States)

Obiunu, Jude J.

2015-01-01

The study investigated the relationship between parents and peer influences on the qualities of adolescent friendship. Relevant literature in the field of adolescent friendship qualities and parental interaction were investigated. The problem of the study is the increasing incidences of emotional, imbalance among young people that manifest in…

Factors influencing the surface quality of polished tool steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rebeggiani, S; Rosén, B-G

2014-01-01

Today’s demands on surface quality of moulds for injection moulding of plastic components involve no/low defect contents and roughness levels in the nm-range for high gloss applications. Material properties as well as operating conditions influence the mould finish, and thus the final surface of moulded products. This paper focuses on how particle content and different polishing strategies influence final surface qualities of moulds. Visual estimations of polished tool steel samples were combined with non-contact 3D-surface texture analysis in order to correlate traditional assessments to more quantitative methods, and to be able to analyse the surfaces at nanometre-level. It was found that steels with a lower proportion of particles, like carbides and oxides, gave rise to smoother polished surfaces. In a comparative study of polishers from different polishing shops, it was found that while different surface preparation strategies can lead to similar final roughness, similar preparation techniques can produce high-quality surfaces from different steel grades. However, the non-contact 3D-surface texture analysis showed that not all smooth polished surfaces have desirable functional topographies for injection moulding of glossy plastic components. (paper)

Influence of mode competition on beam quality of fiber amplifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao Qi-Rong; Yan Ping; Sun Jun-Yi; Chen Xiao; Ren Hai-Cui; Gong Ma-Li

2014-01-01

Theoretical and experimental studies of the influence of the mode competition on the output beam quality of fiber amplifiers are presented. Rate equations and modal decomposition method are used in the theoretical model. In the experiment, the output beam-quality factor of a fiber amplifier, which is based on a Yb-doped double-clad large mode area fiber as a function of the seed beam quality and the pump power of the amplifier, is measured. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Influence factors analysis of water environmental quality of main rivers in Tianjin

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ran; Bao, Jingling; Zou, Di; Shi, Fang

2018-01-01

According to the evaluation results of the water environment quality of main rivers in Tianjin in 1986-2015, this paper analyzed the current situation of water environmental quality of main rivers in Tianjin retrospectively, established the index system and multiple factors analysis through selecting factors influencing the water environmental quality of main rivers from the economy, industry and nature aspects with the combination method of principal component analysis and linear regression. The results showed that water consumption, sewage discharge and water resources were the main factors influencing the pollution of main rivers. Therefore, optimizing the utilization of water resources, improving utilization efficiency and reducing effluent discharge are important measures to reduce the pollution of surface water environment.

The Influence of Season on the Cow Milk Quantity, Quality and Hygiene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ludovic Toma Cziszter

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of season of collection on the quantity, quality and hygienicproperties of the raw milk delivered from one dairy farm. The studied traits were: bulk tank milk yield, chemicalcomposition (fat, protein, lactose, and total solids, freezing point, density, total bacteria count, coliform bacteriacount and somatic cell count, during years 2010 and 2011. A total of 727 samples were drawn and analysed in twolaboratories, using the standard methods. Average milk production per day per head in the farm was 13.58 kg,obtained from 252 cows. Year of collection had a significant effect on the bulk tank raw milk yield, quality andhygiene, except for freezing point and total bacteria count. The raw milk yield and chemical composition improved(p<0.05 from year 2010 to year 2011, as well as the hygienic quality. Season of collection had a significant (p<0.05influence on the milk yield and chemical composition, the highest milk yield with the lowest concentration beingobtained during summer, while the lowest milk yield with the highest chemical composition was obtained in winter.Physical properties of the raw milk were less affected by the season of collection, with the lowest freezing point inthe winter and the highest density in the autumn. The highest somatic cell count and coliform bacteria count wasobtained during the spring and the lowest total bacteria count was obtained in winter season. There was a significant(p<0.05 interaction between year and season of production for all raw milk traits.

The influence of environment temperature on SEM image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Li; Liu, Junshan

2015-01-01

As the structure dimension goes down to the nano-scale, it often requires a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to provide image magnification up to 100 000  ×. However, SEM images at such a high magnification usually suffer from high resolution value and low signal-to-noise ratio, which results in low quality of the SEM image. In this paper, the quality of the SEM image is improved by optimizing the environment temperature. The experimental results indicate that at 100 000  ×, the quality of the SEM image is influenced by the environment temperature, whereas at 50 000  × it is not. At 100 000  × the best SEM image quality can be achieved from the environment temperature ranging 292 from 294 K, and the SEM image quality evaluated by the double stimulus continuous quality scale method can increase from grade 1 to grade 5. It is expected that this image quality improving method can be used in routine measurements with ordinary SEMs to get high quality images by optimizing the environment temperature. (paper)

ECONOMETRIC MODELLING OD THE INFLUENCE OF LAKE WATER QUALITY CHANGES ON FISHING ECONOMY

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Marek Antoni Ramczyk

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The econometric model can be a precise instrument for the analysis of the impact of the natural environment's degradation on fishing economy. This paper aims at analysing the influence of the water quality changes in lake Charzykowskie on the fishing economy. This dissertation present the results of a research on the lake water pollution's impact on fishing economy. The economic-ecological models have been constructed, explaining the changes of economic effects of the lake fishery in the conditions of an increasing water pollution in the epilimnion on the example of the catch of Rutilus rutilus, Abramis brama, Blicca bjoerkna, Coregonus albula, Coregonus lavaretus, Anguilla anguilla and Esox lucius in Lake Charzykowskie. Performed empirical research looked into the influence of the environmental factors on the size of fish catch. Calculations and analysis show clearly that though the habitat factors do influence the catch size of each studied fish species, they do it with different intensity and in various combinations. Both lake water quality and climate factors changes cause measurable effects on fishing industry of lake Charzykowskie. Among all the examined Rutilus rutilus, Abramis brama and Blicca bjoerkna the highest environmental requirements concerning water quality has Blicca bjoerkna. Whereas Abramis brama has slightly higher environmental requirements than Rutilus rutilus. Empirical calculations showed as well that Coregonus albula and Coregonus lavaretus have considerably higher water cleanness requirements than Rutilus rutilus, Abramis brama and Blicca bjoerkna. While when talking about Rutilus rutilus, Abramis brama and Blicca bjoerkna, most water characteristics still rather stimulated these species' development, when it comes to Coregonus albula and Coregonus lavaretus, in general they suppressed their development. The model has also proved quite high habitat requierements of Anquilla anquilla and correctness of the thesis that

Honeybee venom: influence of collection on quality and cytotoxicity

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Allyson Fortunato Abrantes

2017-08-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Apitoxin is the venom produced by bees. It is a complex chemical compound, rich in protein substances and with pharmacological effects. This study was carried out with the objective of comparing the quality of apitoxin extracted in an apiary in different parts of the collector in relation to moisture content, protein analysis and cytotoxicity assay with Artemia salina L. Type 1 apitoxin was collected from glass slabs at the entrance to the hive, while type 2 apitoxin was collected from the waste accumulated in the collection rods and treated by rinsing in distilled water. Both apitoxins presented significant differences (P>0.05 in relation to protein profile, with type 1 showing a higher content (77.8% than type 2 (51.9%, and presented polypeptide bands with more than 50% of their nitrogenous components having molecular weight below 10KDa. Regarding cytotoxicity assays, type 1 apitoxin had LD50 of 71.5μg mL-1, while type 2 had LD50 of 191.6μg mL-1. Thus, the region where apitoxin accumulates in the collector does influence the product quality if moisture and protein contents are in accordance with the standards recommended in specific legislation, and so it can be commercialized by the beekeeper.

Source position error influence on industry CT image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cong Peng; Li Zhipeng; Wu Haifeng

2004-01-01

Based on the emulational exercise, the influence of source position error on industry CT (ICT) image quality was studied and the valuable parameters were obtained for the design of ICT. The vivid container CT image was also acquired from the CT testing system. (authors)

Influence factors of visual quality after phacoemulsification for cataract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhen-Lin Lin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Cataract refers to the degenerative changes in lens quality caused by various causes of reduced transparency or color change. Surgical treatment is the main treatment modality at present. Among them, phacoemulsification has become the main surgical treatment for cataract because of its advantages such as short operation time, small incision and quicker healing. Today, cataract surgery has gradually shift to refractive surgery, and is no longer simply as cataract surgery. But after cataract phacoemulsification, the symptoms and visual quality are different. The main causes include refractive error, postoperative dry eyes and postoperative corneal astigmatism. This article reviews the factors that influence the visual quality of cataract phacoemulsification and its future trends.

Influence of Sleep Disturbances on Quality of Life of Iranian Menopausal Women

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Zohreh Yazdi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Subjective sleep disturbances increase during menopause. Some problems commonly encountered during menopause, such as hot flushes and sweating at night, can cause women to have difficulty in sleeping. These complaints can influence quality of life of menopausal women. Methods. This cross-sectional study was performed on menopausal women attending health centers in Qazvin for periodic assessments. We measured excessive daytime sleepiness by Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA by the Berlin questionnaire, and insomnia by the insomnia severity index (ISI. We evaluate quality of life by the Menopause specific quality of life questionnaire (MENQOL. Results. A total of 380 menopausal women entered the study. Mean age of participated women was 57.6 ± 6.02. Mean duration of menopause was 6.3 ± 4.6. The frequency of severe and moderate insomnia was 8.4% (32 and 11.8% (45. Severe daytime sleepiness (ESS ≥ 10 was present in 27.9% (80 of the participants. Multivariate analytic results show that insomnia and daytime sleepiness have independent negative impact on each domain and total score of MENQOL questionnaire. Conclusion. According to our findings, EDS and insomnia are frequent in menopausal women. Both EDS and insomnia have significant quality of life impairment.

Major genes and QTL influencing wool production and quality: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Purvis Ian

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract The opportunity exists to utilise our knowledge of major genes that influence the economically important traits in wool sheep. Genes with Mendelian inheritance have been identified for many important traits in wool sheep. Of particular importance are genes influencing pigmentation, wool quality and the keratin proteins, the latter of which are important for the morphology of the wool fibre. Gene mapping studies have identified some chromosomal regions associated with variation in wool quality and production traits. The challenge now is to build on this knowledge base in a cost-effective way to deliver molecular tools that facilitate enhanced genetic improvement programs for wool sheep.

Radiation dose optimization in pediatric temporal bone computed tomography: influence of tube tension on image contrast and image quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Nauer, Claude Bertrand; Zubler, Christoph; Weisstanner, Christian; Stieger, Christof; Senn, Pascal; Arnold, Andreas

2012-03-01

The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the effect of tube tension reduction on image contrast and image quality in pediatric temporal bone computed tomography (CT). Seven lamb heads with infant-equivalent sizes were scanned repeatedly, using four tube tensions from 140 to 80 kV while the CT-Dose Index (CTDI) was held constant. Scanning was repeated with four CTDI values from 30 to 3 mGy. Image contrast was calculated for the middle ear as the Hounsfield unit (HU) difference between bone and air and for the inner ear as the HU difference between bone and fluid. The influence of tube tension on high-contrast detail delineation was evaluated using a phantom. The subjective image quality of eight middle and inner ear structures was assessed using a 4-point scale (scores 1-2 = insufficient; scores 3-4 = sufficient). Middle and inner ear contrast showed a near linear increase with tube tension reduction (r = -0.94/-0.88) and was highest at 80 kV. Tube tension had no influence on spatial resolution. Subjective image quality analysis showed significantly better scoring at lower tube tensions, with highest image quality at 80 kV. However, image quality improvement was most relevant for low-dose scans. Image contrast in the temporal bone is significantly higher at low tube tensions, leading to a better subjective image quality. Highest contrast and best quality were found at 80 kV. This image quality improvement might be utilized to further reduce the radiation dose in pediatric low-dose CT protocols.

Author-paper affiliation network architecture influences the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of psoriasis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Luis Sanz-Cabanillas

Full Text Available Moderate-to-severe psoriasis is associated with significant comorbidity, an impaired quality of life, and increased medical costs, including those associated with treatments. Systematic reviews (SRs and meta-analyses (MAs of randomized clinical trials are considered two of the best approaches to the summarization of high-quality evidence. However, methodological bias can reduce the validity of conclusions from these types of studies and subsequently impair the quality of decision making. As co-authorship is among the most well-documented forms of research collaboration, the present study aimed to explore whether authors' collaboration methods might influence the methodological quality of SRs and MAs of psoriasis. Methodological quality was assessed by two raters who extracted information from full articles. After calculating total and per-item Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR scores, reviews were classified as low (0-4, medium (5-8, or high (9-11 quality. Article metadata and journal-related bibliometric indices were also obtained. A total of 741 authors from 520 different institutions and 32 countries published 220 reviews that were classified as high (17.2%, moderate (55%, or low (27.7% methodological quality. The high methodological quality subnetwork was larger but had a lower connection density than the low and moderate methodological quality subnetworks; specifically, the former contained relatively fewer nodes (authors and reviews, reviews by authors, and collaborators per author. Furthermore, the high methodological quality subnetwork was highly compartmentalized, with several modules representing few poorly interconnected communities. In conclusion, structural differences in author-paper affiliation network may influence the methodological quality of SRs and MAs on psoriasis. As the author-paper affiliation network structure affects study quality in this research field, authors who maintain an appropriate balance

Influence of heart rate on image quality of 64-slice spiral computed coronary angiography and optimization on reconstruction of phase window

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Xuemao; Lan Yong; Li Wei; Long Wansheng; Zhang Chaotong; Zhong Xiangyang; Yi Lan

2009-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the influence of heart rate on the image quality of 64-slice spiral computed coronary angiography (MSCTCA) and optimize the image reconstruction window. Methods: According to the heart rate, 86 patients were classified into 5 groups: group A, the heart rate ≤60 beat per minute(BMP); group B,61-70BMP, group C,71-80BMP, and group D>80BMP. The image quality of MSCTCA was scored 5 grades from 1-5 according to heart motion artifact. The influences of heart rate and reconstruction phase on the image quality of MSCTCA were evaluated. Results: Average heart rate was 64.4 ±10.1BMP. Diagnostic image quality (score>3) was attained in 277 of 344 segments at the best reconstruction interval. There was a significant corxelation between average heart rate and image quality, but there was no difference between relative delay (%) reconstruction and absolute delay (ms) reconstruction on the image quality. Conclusion: Reducing average heart rate is beneficial for improving the image quality. (authors)

The influence of feeding crimped kernel maize silage on broiler production, nutrient digestibility and meat quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ranjitkar, Samir; Karlsson, Anders H.; Petersen, Mikael A.

2016-01-01

. Broiler mortality decreased significantly when CKMS was added to the diet. 5. The consumption of drinking water was significantly lower in all maize based diets as compared to WBF and was lowest in broilers fed CKMS-30. 6. An improved litter quality in terms of dry matter content and a lower frequency...... and positively influenced bird welfare in terms of mortality and foot pad health. Therefore, the addition of 15% CKMS to maize based diets is considered an advantageous feeding strategy in broiler production...

Alfalfa nutritive quality for ruminant livestock as influenced by ambient air quality in west-central Alberta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, J.C.; Nosal, M.; Muntifering, R.B.; Krupa, S.V.

2007-01-01

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) nutritive quality response to ambient ozone (O 3 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and oxides of nitrogen (NO x ) were assessed at three locations in west-central Alberta, Canada (1998-2002). Yield data were segregated into high and low relative to overall median yield. Ozone concentrations (hourly median and 95th-percentile) and precipitation (P) contributed 69 and 29%, respectively, to the variability in crude protein (CP) concentration in low-yielding alfalfa, whereas mean temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) collectively influenced 98% of the variation in CP in high-yielding alfalfa. Three-fourths of the accounted variation in relative feed value (RFV) of low-yielding alfalfa was attributable to P, T and RH, whereas median and 95th-percentile hourly O 3 concentrations and SO 2 and NO x exposure integrals contributed 25%. In contrast, air quality, (mainly O 3 ) influenced 86% of the accounted variation in RFV of high-yielding alfalfa, and T and P collectively contributed 14%. - Exposure to ambient concentrations of phytotoxic air pollutants affected nutritive quality of alfalfa for ruminant livestock in a yield-dependent manner

The Influence of Facility and Service Quality towards Customer Satisfaction and its Impact on Customer Loyalty in Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta

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Rianto Nurtjahjo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Hotel developments currently grow very rapidly. The emergence of new hotels increases the competition in the hospitality industry. This research aimed to determine the influence of the facilities, the quality of service to customer satisfaction and its impact on customer loyalty in Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta. Data collection was done by distributing questionnaires directly to 360 customers in Borobudur Hotel in Jakarta. The analysis technique used path analysis. The results of this research indicate that the variables of facilities, service quality and customer satisfaction significantly affect customer loyalty variables simultaneously or partially. In addition, facilities and quality of service variable have a significant effect on customer satisfaction variables.

Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Spiritual Terhadap Perilaku Etis, Kualitas Kehidupan Kerja, Kepuasan Kerja, Komitmen Organisasional dan Kinerja Karyawan [Influence of Spiritual Leadership on Ethical Behavior, Quality of Work Life, Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Employee Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riane Johnly Pio

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This study aims to analyze and explain the influence of spiritual leadership to ethical behavior, quality of work life, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee performance. The sample in this study was 160 employees working at the Bank of North Sillawesi. Structural Equation Modeling was used as a tool of analysis in this study. The results showed that spiritual leadership had significant influence directly to ethical behavior, but no significant effect on the quality of work life, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee performance. Ethical behavior has a direct significant effect on the quality of working life, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, and indirectly significant effect on employee performance. Quality of work life has a significant direct effect on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee performance. Job satisfaction has a direct significant effect on organizational commitment and indirectly has a significant effect on the perforrnance of employees. Organizational commitment has a direct significant effect on the performance of the employee. The findings in this study are the spiritual leadership affects the quality of work life, job satisfaction and organizational commitment through ethical behavior. Spiritual leadership affects the performance of employees through ethical behavior and organizational commitment. Ethical behavior influences employee performance through organizational commitment, and job satisfaction influence on employee performance through organizational commitment.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE BOTANIC ORIGIN OF HONEY PLANTS ON THE QUALITY OF HONEY

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Z. Tucak

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Numerous parameters affect the quality of honey from different beehive types (Albert – Žindaršić AŽ, Langstroth – Roott LR i Dadant – Blatt DB, i.e. the material of beehives are made of, the origin of queen bees (natural and selected, etc. Our research focuses on the influence of the botanic origin of honey plants (Tilia sp. L. (lime, Amorpha fructirosa L. (desert false indigo, Helianthus annuus L. (sunflower, Brassica napus subsp. olifera DC. (oil beet and Robina pseudoacacia L. (acacia on the quality of honey. The physical and chemical analyses of honey (N=133 (water %, water insoluble compounds %, acidity level, mmol of acid per kg, electrical conductivity, mS/cm, reducing sugar %, sucrose %, HMF, mg/kg, and diastasic number were conducted by Harmonised methods of the European Honey. The pollen analysis was conducted by Harmonised methods of melissopalynology. The pollen analysis indicates that the botanic origin has had a statistically significant influence (P<0.001 on the quality of all investigated characteristics of honey, except on the share of the non–dissolving substances (P=0.088. The research was conducted in the Vukovar-Srijem County, the Republic of Croatia. All bees used in this research belong to the Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica, the European bee species.

Health related quality of life and influencing factors among welders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingxiang Qin

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Occupational exposure to welding fumes is a serious occupational health problem all over the world. Welders are exposed to many occupational hazards; these hazards might cause some occupational diseases. The aim of the study was to assess the health related quality of life (HRQL of electric welders in Shanghai China and explore influencing factors to HRQL of welders. METHODS: 301 male welders (without pneumoconiosis and 305 non-dust male workers in Shanghai were enrolled in this study. Short Form-36 (SF-36 health survey questionnaires were applied in this cross-sectional study. Socio-demographic, working and health factors were also collected. Multiple stepwise regress analysis was used to identify significant factors related to the eight dimension scores. RESULTS: Six dimensions including role-physical (RP, bodily pain (BP, general health (GH, validity (VT, social function (SF, and mental health (MH were significantly worse in welders compared to non-dust workers. Multiple stepwise regress analysis results show that native place, monthly income, quantity of children, drinking, sleep time, welding type, use of personal protective equipment (PPE, great events in life, and some symptoms including dizziness, discomfort of cervical vertebra, low back pain, cough and insomnia may be influencing factors for HRQL of welders. Among these factors, only sleep time and the use of PPE were salutary. CONCLUSIONS: Some dimensions of HRQL of these welders have been affected. Enterprises which employ welders should take measures to protect the health of these people and improve their HRQL.

The influence of powder elasticity on the quality of pressed matrix bodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heit, W.; Herrmann, F.J.

1976-01-01

The production of electrographite powder has dominating influence on the powder elasticity and the quality of pressed resin bonded bodies. The quality increases with increasing degree of graphitization and additionally depends strongly on the sequence of the process steps gruinding and graphitization. It could be shown that elasticity is the only property of the graphite powder correlating with the quality of pressed matrix bodies. (orig.) [de

Childhood quality influences genetic sensitivity to environmental influences across adulthood: A life-course Gene × Environment interaction study.

Science.gov (United States)

Keers, Robert; Pluess, Michael

2017-12-01

While environmental adversity has been shown to increase risk for psychopathology, individuals differ in their sensitivity to these effects. Both genes and childhood experiences are thought to influence sensitivity to the environment, and these factors may operate synergistically such that the effects of childhood experiences on later sensitivity are greater in individuals who are more genetically sensitive. In line with this hypothesis, several recent studies have reported a significant three-way interaction (Gene × Environment × Environment) between two candidate genes and childhood and adult environment on adult psychopathology. We aimed to replicate and extend these findings in a large, prospective multiwave longitudinal study using a polygenic score of environmental sensitivity and objectively measured childhood and adult material environmental quality. We found evidence for both Environment × Environment and Gene × Environment × Environment effects on psychological distress. Children with a poor-quality material environment were more sensitive to the negative effects of a poor environment as adults, reporting significantly higher psychological distress scores. These effects were further moderated by a polygenic score of environmental sensitivity. Genetically sensitive children were more vulnerable to adversity as adults, if they had experienced a poor childhood environment but were significantly less vulnerable if their childhood environment was positive. These findings are in line with the differential susceptibility hypothesis and suggest that a life course approach is necessary to elucidate the role of Gene × Environment in the development of mental illnesses.

Characterization of aging hair and its influence in quality of life

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Marcella A. L. Gabarra

2015-05-01

Full Text Available There are few studies that characterize the non-pigmented hair compared to pigmented hair. Furthermore, it is important to evaluate how the natural process of aging hair influences quality of life in women. For this purpose, a questionnaire was applied to evaluate the impact of greying hair and the appearance alterations on women´s self-esteem. The satisfaction level of volunteers regarding their hair structure and conditions such as shine, strength and smoothness were also evaluated. Mechanical properties, such as elasticity and traction to rupture were measured using Universal test equipment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM was used to measure the hair surface morphological conditions. A large majority of the volunteers indicated that the beginning of greying hair can negatively influence their quality of life. They also reported that the primary changes of their hair were the frizziness, dryness and loss of shine, increased loss and breakage and thinning. Morphological evaluation showed that the non-pigmented hair cuticles were thinner than pigmented hair. The adherence of the cuticle scales was more pronounced in the non-pigmented hair .Finally, this study showed the influence of the appearance of grey hair on quality of life in women as well as the morphological alterations resulting from the greying processes.

INFLUENCE OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES ON TOMATO YIELD AND QUALITY

OpenAIRE

G. I. Yarovoy; V. I. Kuzmenko

2017-01-01

The study of influence of growth regulators and biopreparations affecting on decrease of disease development, increase of yield capacity and final product quality was carried out in tomato. It was shown that all preparations were effective in decreasing the process of diseases development and increasing the yield capacity and product quality. The studies were carried out in the experimental fields at the Institute of Vegetables and Melons NAAS, in Ukraine in 2011-2012. The field studies were ...

Microstructure and nutrient distribution in oats: influence on quality

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, S. Shea; Frégeau-Reid, Judith

2009-05-01

Oats have long been recognized as having superior quality among cereals with respect to protein and lipid composition as well as soluble dietary fibre (β-glucan). The microstructure and chemistry of oats influence oat quality, and thus are determinants of the end products derived from oats. Light and scanning electron microscopies have been used to elucidate microstructure and nutrient distribution in oats. The influence of variation in these parameters on oat quality can be demonstrated, from milling through to oat products for consumption. Milling quality is determined in part by hull architecture. SEM examination of oat hulls can help predict ease of dehulling, which affects the efficiency and economics of oat milling. In addition to protein and lipid, β-glucan is an important nutritional component of oats. Fluorescence microscopy can reveal both the relative amount and distribution of β-glucan in oat kernels. Consumption of oats or oat products containing β-glucan has been shown to have beneficial effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. These health benefits have generated a demand for new and palatable ways to incorporate oats into the diet as consumer demand increases. To help meet this need, we have been investigating the use of micronized naked oats as a whole grain to be cooked and consumed as a rice alternative. Different varieties of naked oats had dramatically different acceptance levels from a sensory panel. SEM of the pericarp, light microscopy of the endosperm, and analyses of starch properties of the different varieties revealed differences that corresponded with sensory data.

Quality of synthetic speech perceptual dimensions, influencing factors, and instrumental assessment

CERN Document Server

Hinterleitner, Florian

2017-01-01

This book reviews research towards perceptual quality dimensions of synthetic speech, compares these findings with the state of the art, and derives a set of five universal perceptual quality dimensions for TTS signals. They are: (i) naturalness of voice, (ii) prosodic quality, (iii) fluency and intelligibility, (iv) absence of disturbances, and (v) calmness. Moreover, a test protocol for the efficient indentification of those dimensions in a listening test is introduced. Furthermore, several factors influencing these dimensions are examined. In addition, different techniques for the instrumental quality assessment of TTS signals are introduced, reviewed and tested. Finally, the requirements for the integration of an instrumental quality measure into a concatenative TTS system are examined.

Teachers' motivation and its influence on quality assurance in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Motivational strategies like staff training and development, promotion, salary, remuneration, working conditions, status and participatory decision making, acted as a barrier towards achieving quality assurance in the educational system. Some challenges that negatively influenced teacher motivation and recommendations ...

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

Influence of preconsolidation on consolidation quality after stamp forming of C/PEEK composites

Science.gov (United States)

Slange, T. K.; Warnet, L.; Grouve, W. J. B.; Akkerman, R.

2016-10-01

Stamp forming is a rapid manufacturing technology used to shape flat blanks of thermoplastic composite material into three-dimensional components. Currently, expensive autoclave and press consolidation are used to preconsolidate blanks. This study investigates the influence of preconsolidation on final consolidation quality after stamp forming and explores the potential of alternative blank manufacturing methods that could reduce part costs. Blanks were manufactured using various blank manufacturing methods and subsequently were stamp formed. The consolidation quality both before and after stamp forming was compared, where the focus was on void content as the main measure for consolidation quality. The void content was characterized through thickness and density measurements, as well as by microscopy analysis. Results indicate that preconsolidation quality does have an influence on the final consolidation quality. This is due to the severe deconsolidation and limited reconsolidation during stamp forming. Nevertheless, the potential of automated fiber placement and ultrasonic spot welding as alternative blank manufacturing methods was demonstrated.

Influence of self-esteem and negative affectivity on oral health related quality of life in patients with partial tooth loss

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Øzhayat, Esben Boeskov

2013-01-01

NA would be associated with worse OHRQoL.Methods: OHRQoL measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile 49 (OHIP-49), self-esteem measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), NA measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory Questionnaire (EPI-Q), global oral rating of oral comfort and controlling......To meaningfully interpret oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) measures, the influence of personality traits must be investigated. Objectives:To investigate and quantify the influence of self-esteem and negative affectivity (NA) on OHRQoL. It was hypothesized that low self-esteem and high...... and clinically significantly higher and self-esteem was statistically significantly lower in patients reporting worse oral comfort. Conclusion: NA had the strongest and most clinically meaningful influence, but both NA and self-esteem was found to influence OHRQoL; low self-esteem and high NA was associated...

Alfalfa nutritive quality for ruminant livestock as influenced by ambient air quality in west-central Alberta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, J.C. [Department of Animal Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 (United States); Nosal, M. [Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 (Canada); Muntifering, R.B. [Department of Animal Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 (United States)]. E-mail: muntirb@auburn.edu; Krupa, S.V. [Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 (United States)

2007-09-15

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) nutritive quality response to ambient ozone (O{sub 3}), sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) and oxides of nitrogen (NO {sub x} ) were assessed at three locations in west-central Alberta, Canada (1998-2002). Yield data were segregated into high and low relative to overall median yield. Ozone concentrations (hourly median and 95th-percentile) and precipitation (P) contributed 69 and 29%, respectively, to the variability in crude protein (CP) concentration in low-yielding alfalfa, whereas mean temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) collectively influenced 98% of the variation in CP in high-yielding alfalfa. Three-fourths of the accounted variation in relative feed value (RFV) of low-yielding alfalfa was attributable to P, T and RH, whereas median and 95th-percentile hourly O{sub 3} concentrations and SO{sub 2} and NO {sub x} exposure integrals contributed 25%. In contrast, air quality, (mainly O{sub 3}) influenced 86% of the accounted variation in RFV of high-yielding alfalfa, and T and P collectively contributed 14%. - Exposure to ambient concentrations of phytotoxic air pollutants affected nutritive quality of alfalfa for ruminant livestock in a yield-dependent manner.

Influence of detector pixel size, TOF resolution and DOI on image quality in MR-compatible whole-body PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Thoen, Hendrik; Keereman, Vincent; Mollet, Pieter; Van Holen, Roel; Vandenberghe, Stefaan

2013-09-21

The optimization of a whole-body PET system remains a challenging task, as the imaging performance is influenced by a complex interaction of different design parameters. However, it is not always clear which parameters have the largest impact on image quality and are most eligible for optimization. To determine this, we need to be able to assess their influence on image quality. We performed Monte-Carlo simulations of a whole-body PET scanner to predict the influence on image quality of three detector parameters: the TOF resolution, the transverse pixel size and depth-of-interaction (DOI)-correction. The inner diameter of the PET scanner was 65 cm, small enough to allow physical integration into a simultaneous PET-MR system. Point sources were used to evaluate the influence of transverse pixel size and DOI-correction on spatial resolution as function of radial distance. To evaluate the influence on contrast recovery and pixel noise a cylindrical phantom of 35 cm diameter was used, representing a large patient. The phantom contained multiple hot lesions with 5 mm diameter. These lesions were placed at radial distances of 50, 100 and 150 mm from the center of the field-of-view, to be able to study the effects at different radial positions. The non-prewhitening (NPW) observer was used for objective analysis of the detectability of the hot lesions in the cylindrical phantom. Based on this analysis the NPW-SNR was used to quantify the relative improvements in image quality due to changes of the variable detector parameters. The image quality of a whole-body PET scanner can be improved significantly by reducing the transverse pixel size from 4 to 2.6 mm and improving the TOF resolution from 600 to 400 ps and further from 400 to 200 ps. Compared to pixel size, the TOF resolution has the larger potential to increase image quality for the simulated phantom. The introduction of two layer DOI-correction only leads to a modest improvement for the spheres at radial

Influence of detector pixel size, TOF resolution and DOI on image quality in MR-compatible whole-body PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thoen, Hendrik; Keereman, Vincent; Mollet, Pieter; Van Holen, Roel; Vandenberghe, Stefaan

2013-01-01

The optimization of a whole-body PET system remains a challenging task, as the imaging performance is influenced by a complex interaction of different design parameters. However, it is not always clear which parameters have the largest impact on image quality and are most eligible for optimization. To determine this, we need to be able to assess their influence on image quality. We performed Monte-Carlo simulations of a whole-body PET scanner to predict the influence on image quality of three detector parameters: the TOF resolution, the transverse pixel size and depth-of-interaction (DOI)-correction. The inner diameter of the PET scanner was 65 cm, small enough to allow physical integration into a simultaneous PET-MR system. Point sources were used to evaluate the influence of transverse pixel size and DOI-correction on spatial resolution as function of radial distance. To evaluate the influence on contrast recovery and pixel noise a cylindrical phantom of 35 cm diameter was used, representing a large patient. The phantom contained multiple hot lesions with 5 mm diameter. These lesions were placed at radial distances of 50, 100 and 150 mm from the center of the field-of-view, to be able to study the effects at different radial positions. The non-prewhitening (NPW) observer was used for objective analysis of the detectability of the hot lesions in the cylindrical phantom. Based on this analysis the NPW-SNR was used to quantify the relative improvements in image quality due to changes of the variable detector parameters. The image quality of a whole-body PET scanner can be improved significantly by reducing the transverse pixel size from 4 to 2.6 mm and improving the TOF resolution from 600 to 400 ps and further from 400 to 200 ps. Compared to pixel size, the TOF resolution has the larger potential to increase image quality for the simulated phantom. The introduction of two layer DOI-correction only leads to a modest improvement for the spheres at radial distance of

Influence of integrated quality management system on processing management in management and production staff’s opinion in Strauss Cafe Poland Ltd Company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justyna Górna

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In the article are presented the results of the research determining the influence of the integrated quality management system on management process in the assessment of management and regular employees of Strauss Cafe Poland Ltd. According to the ISO 9001 requirements in order to effectively manage the organisation, should identify operations. The activities requiring resources and managed in order to enable the transformation of inflow into outflow should be evaluated as a process. The analysis of the gathered data shows the essential influence of the systems (QMS and HACCP on the management process in the company. The management staff emphasized the significant influence of the quality management system whereas production staff of HACCP system. Both of these groups of employees in the survey shows the beurocracy as a negative result of these systems, while positive results are improvement of image of the company and increase of both products and services quality.

Influence of intestinal stoma on spiritual quality of life of U.S. veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Carol M; Grant, Marcia; Wendel, Christopher; Rawl, Susan; Schmidt, C Max; Ko, Clifford; Krouse, Robert S

2008-09-01

To examine spiritual quality of life (QOL) of veterans with intestinal ostomies. Mixed-method cross-sectional. Male veterans with total scores in the upper (n = 59) and lower (n = 61) quartiles of the City of Hope Quality-of-Life-Ostomy survey provided spiritual QOL data. Analyses included chi-square and analysis of variance with significance set at p < .05. Content analysis was used to explicate narratives and focus groups. The high spiritual QOL group was more likely to be married, older, and report more years since surgery (each p < .0001). Upper quartile participants had more favorable scores for several spiritual QOL domains (all p < .0001). Qualitative comments reflected high or low total QOL scores. Spiritual QOL is influenced by an intestinal stoma. Qualitative comments lend insight into the meaning of spirituality items. Findings can assist in the provision of holistic care in this population.

Influence of follicular fluid and cumulus cells on oocyte quality: clinical implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Da Broi, M G; Giorgi, V S I; Wang, F; Keefe, D L; Albertini, D; Navarro, P A

2018-03-02

An equilibrium needs to be established by the cellular and acellular components of the ovarian follicle if developmental competence is to be acquired by the oocyte. Both cumulus cells (CCs) and follicular fluid (FF) are critical determinants for oocyte quality. Understanding how CCs and FF influence oocyte quality in the presence of deleterious systemic or pelvic conditions may impact clinical decisions in the course of managing infertility. Given that the functional integrities of FF and CCs are susceptible to concurrent pathological conditions, it is important to understand how pathophysiological factors influence natural fertility and the outcomes of pregnancy arising from the use of assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs). Accordingly, this review discusses the roles of CCs and FF in ensuring oocyte competence and present new insights on pathological conditions that may interfere with oocyte quality by altering the intrafollicular environment.

QUALITY INFLUENCE OF SURFACE ON AIRCRAFT TAKE-OFF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article considers quality impact influence of surface on aircraft take-off. It considers the IL-114 takeoff with all the operating engines. The goal of this research is to conduct calculating experiment to determine quality influence of surface on alteration of IL-114 takeoff characteristics during operation. Researches were carried out using the system of mathematical modeling of a flight dynamics. The main part of the system is a unit for calculating increments of aerodynam- ic coefficients caused with changing of technical condition of the surface of the airframe (roughness, waviness, available protruding elements on the airframe surface, etc. and residual deformation of the wing, fuselage, vertical and horizontal tail, as well as the difference between the rods symmetrically operating engines. In order to compute loss of rod and an increase in engine fuel consumption due to engine operation time during operation, an integral factor of thrust loss and increase in fuel consumption coefficient were introduced. Research proved that the individual characteristics of the aircraft, due to loss of engine power and increase in drag do not affect the assigned level of flight safety. The plane has a considera- ble reserve as for unsafe takeoff speed and the full gradient of climb, that ensures safety of operation.

The influence of social capital towards the quality of community tourism services in Lake Toba Parapat North Sumatera

Science.gov (United States)

Revida, Erika; Yanti Siahaan, Asima; Purba, Sukarman

2018-03-01

The objective of the research was to analyze the influence of social capital towards the quality of community tourism service In Lake Toba Parapat North Sumatera. The method used the combination between quantitative and qualitative research. Sample was taken from the Community in the area around Lake Toba Parapat North Sumatera with sample of 150 head of the family. The sampling technique was Simple Random Sampling. Data collection techniques used documentary studies, questionnaires, interview and observations, while the data analysis used were Product Moment and Simple Linear Regression analysis. The results of the research showed that there were positive and significant influence between Social Capital and the Quality of Community Tourism Services in Lake Toba Parapat North Sumatera. This research recommend the need to enhance Social Capital such as trust, norms and network and the quality of community tourism services such as Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy by giving communications, information and education continuously from the families, institutions formal and informal, community leaders, religious figures and all communities in Lake Toba Parapat North Sumatera.

Classifying Sources Influencing Indoor Air Quality (IAQ Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaharil Mad Saad

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ is deemed important nowadays. A sophisticated IAQ monitoring system which could classify the source influencing the IAQ is definitely going to be very helpful to the users. Therefore, in this paper, an IAQ monitoring system has been proposed with a newly added feature which enables the system to identify the sources influencing the level of IAQ. In order to achieve this, the data collected has been trained with artificial neural network or ANN—a proven method for pattern recognition. Basically, the proposed system consists of sensor module cloud (SMC, base station and service-oriented client. The SMC contain collections of sensor modules that measure the air quality data and transmit the captured data to base station through wireless network. The IAQ monitoring system is also equipped with IAQ Index and thermal comfort index which could tell the users about the room’s conditions. The results showed that the system is able to measure the level of air quality and successfully classify the sources influencing IAQ in various environments like ambient air, chemical presence, fragrance presence, foods and beverages and human activity.

The influence of COPD on health-related quality of life independent of the influence of comorbidity.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manen, J.G. van; Bindels, P.J.E.; Dekker, F.W.; Bottema, B.J.A.M.; Zee, J.S. van der; IJzermans, C.J.; Schadé, E.

2003-01-01

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine the influence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on health-related quality of life (HRQL) independent of comorbidity. METHODS: Patients with COPD in general practice, >/=40 years, were selected. To recruit controls, a random

The Influence of Work Characteristics in the Quality of Life of Mental Health Professionals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreia Paula

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Mental health professionals are the main instrument for intervention in this area considered as a priority in Public Health and are subject to emotional exhaustion and stress that can negatively affect their quality of life. Aims: This study aims to assess the influence of job characteristics on health-related quality of life of health professionals.Methods: To address this it was decided to conduct a cross-sectional analytical study with a quantitative approach. SF-36v2 was used as a generic instrument for assessing quality of life, which is already validated for Portuguese population, complemented by a social and professional survey. Data collection took place from 28 January to 30 April 2013.Results and Conclusions: The sample comprised 201 mental health professionals in Portugal. Health-related quality of life shows statistically significant differences in the groups of studied professionals, according to the number of hours worked per week (p=0.04 and the degree of job satisfaction (p<0.001. The assessment of the quality of life of mental health professionals allows the implementation of changes in the organization of mental health services and may contribute to an improvement in the provision of healthcare services.

Influence of Indoor Hygrothermal Conditions on Human Quality of Life in Social Housing.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Sara; Fraga, Silvia; Delgado, Joao M P Q; Ramos, Nuno M M

2015-11-17

Modern societies spend most of their time indoors, namely at home, and the indoor environment quality turns out to be a crucial factor to health, quality of life and well-being of the residents. The present study aims to understand how indoor environment relates with quality of life and how improving housing conditions impacts on individuals' health. This study case will rely on the following assessments in both rehabilitated and non-rehabilitated social housing: i) field measurements, in social dwellings (namely temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, air velocity, air change rate, level of mould spores and energy consumption); ii) residents' questionnaires on social, demogaphic, behavioural, health characteristics and quality of life. Also, iii) qualitative interviews performed with social housing residents from the rehabilitated houses, addressing the self-perception of living conditions and their influence in health status and quality of life. All the collected information will be combined and analysed in order to achieve the main objective. It is expected to define a Predicted Human Life Quality (PHLQ) index, that combines physical parameters describing the indoor environment measured through engineering techniques with residents' and neighbourhood quality of life characteristics assessed by health questionnaires. Improvement in social housing should be related with better health indicators and the new index might be an important tool contributing to enhance quality of life of the residents. Significance for public healthThis study will contribute to understand how indoor environment relates with quality of life and how improving housing conditions impacts on individuals' health, in social housing neighbourhoods. As so, it is important to share the undertaken methodology carried out by a multidisciplinary team, in order to allow other researchers following comparable studies to adopt a similar approach. The case study results will allow

Assessment of the factors with significant influence on safety culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farcasiu, M.; Nitoi, M.

2013-01-01

In this paper, a qualitative and a quantitative evaluation of the factors with significant impact on safety culture were performed. These techniques were established and applied in accordance with IAEA standards. In order to show the applicability and opportunity of the methodology a specific case study was prepared: safety culture evaluation for INR Pitesti. The qualitative evaluation was performed using specific developed questionnaires. Through analysis of the completed questionnaires was established the development stage of safety culture at INR. The quantitative evaluation was performed using a guide to rate the influence factors. For each factor was identified the influence (negative or positive) and ranking score was estimated using scoring criteria. The results have emphasized safety culture stages. The paper demonstrates the fact that using both quantitative and qualitative assessment techniques, a practical value of the safety culture concept is given. (authors)

Analysis of main influence factors on coronary artery image quality with 64-multidetector row helical CT using a pulsating cardiac phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Bin; Zhao Hong; Wu Xingwang; Zhang Jiawen; Yu Yongqiang; Liao Jingmin

2006-01-01

Objective: To explore the main influence factors (heart rate, rotation speed, and reconstruction algorithm) on the image quality of coronary artery with 40 mm VCT (64-detector row helical CT) using a pulsating cardiac phantom. Methods: An adjustable pulsating cardiac phantom (GE) containing predetermined simulated coronary arteries was scanned using a 40 mm VCT (GE LightSpeed CT) with cardiac pulsating rates of 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, and 115 beats per minute (bpm). The variable rotation speeds technique of 0.35 s, 0.40 s, and 0.45 s were used, respectively. The raw data were reconstructed using both one-sector and multi-sector reconstruction algorithm at optimal window of the R-R interval. The image quality score (IQS) was evaluated by two radiologists according to the same evaluation standard of reformated image. The correlation between heart rate (HR), roation speed, reconstruction algorithm, and IQS were analyzed. The IQS as independent variable and the HR, rotation speed, reconstruction algorithm as dependent variables were analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The heart rate and the reconstruction algorithm had significant influence on IQS. The rotation speed (0.35s, 0.40 s, and 0.45 s) didn't have significant influence on IQS. There was linear regression relationship between heart rate, reconstruction algorithm and IQS (P<0.01). The equation of multiple regression was IQS=5.154-0.046 x (HR) + 0.500 x (reconstruction algorithm). The multi-sector reconstruction algorithm improved the image quality than one-sector did. Conclusion: The main influence factors on the image quality of coronary artery can be evaluated with 40 mm VCT using a pulsating cardiac phantom. It plays an important role in clinical research and application. (authors)

Statistical analysis of the influence of wheat black point kernels on selected indicators of wheat flour quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrov Verica D.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The influence of wheat black point kernels on selected indicators of wheat flour quality - farinograph and extensograph indicators, amylolytic activity, wet gluten and flour ash content, were examined in this study. The examinations were conducted on samples of wheat harvested in the years 2007 and 2008 from the area of Central Banat in four treatments-control (without black point flour and with 2, 4 and 10% of black point flour which was added as a replacement for a part of the control sample. Statistically significant differences between treatments were observed on the dough stability, falling number and extensibility. The samples with 10% of black point flour had the lowest dough stability and the highest amylolytic activity and extensibility. There was a trend of the increasing 15 min drop and water absorption with the increased share of black point flour. Extensograph area, resistance and ratio resistance to extensibility decreased with the addition of black point flour, but not properly. Mahalanobis distance indicates that the addition of 10% black point flour had the greatest influence on the observed quality indicators, thus proving that black point contributes to the technological quality of wheat, i.e .flour.

DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF THE FORMATION OF PROFESSIONALLY SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP QUALITIES AMONG STUDENTS OF PEDAGOGICAL COLLEGE

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N. V. Kubarkova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to give a theoretical justification of the criteria, indicators and measuring instruments for diagnostics of professionally significant leadership qualities of a teacher.Methods. Research material is presented from positions of the system and activity approaches. The first one allowed to develop the structure of professionally significant leadership qualities of a teacher, which includes twelve individual abilities and traits. The second one, abilities and individual features, their manifestation and development are considered from the standpoint of systemogenesis of professional activity. From these positions defined criteria basis for the diagnosis of professionally significant leadership qualities of a teacher. Methods of content analysis and content-logical intersections are used while defining the concept of «professionally significant leadership qualities of a teacher» and elaboration of its component composition. The method of concept analysis is used to determine criteria and indicators for diagnostics of professionally significant leadership qualities of a teacher.Results. The criteria and indicators, diagnostic tools for the detection of the formation of professionally significant leadership qualities of students of pedagogical college; the characteristic of used methods are given. Scientific novelty. The article provides a definition of the concept «professionally significant qualities of leadership of the teacher» is defined by the author; essence of such qualities is revealed.Practical significance. Described in this article approaches to definition of criteria and indicators may be of interest to researchers, graduate students, undergraduates. Listed diagnostic tools can be used in the performance appraisal of teachers for evaluating their leadership qualities.

Influence of void on image quality of industrial SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J G; Jung, S H; Kim, J B; Moon, J; Kim, C H

2013-01-01

Industrial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a promising technique to determine the dynamic behavior of industrial process media and has been developed in the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. The present study evaluated the influence of a void, which is presence in multiphase reactors of industrial process, on the image quality of an industrial SPECT. The results are very encouraging; that is, the performance of the industrial SPECT system is little influenced by the presence of a void, which means that industrial SPECT is an appropriate tool to estimate the dynamic characteristics of the process media in a water-air phase bubble column with a static gas sparger

Influences on the quality of young children's diets: the importance of maternal food choices.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisk, Catherine M; Crozier, Sarah R; Inskip, Hazel M; Godfrey, Keith M; Cooper, Cyrus; Robinson, Siân M

2011-01-01

It is recognised that eating habits established in early childhood may track into adult life. Developing effective interventions to promote healthier patterns of eating throughout the life course requires a greater understanding of the diets of young children and the factors that influence early dietary patterns. In a longitudinal UK cohort study, we assessed the diets of 1640 children at age 3 years using an interviewer-administered FFQ and examined the influence of maternal and family factors on the quality of the children's diets. To describe dietary quality, we used a principal components analysis-defined pattern of foods that is consistent with healthy eating recommendations. This was termed a 'prudent' diet pattern and was characterised by high intakes of fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread, but by low intakes of white bread, confectionery, chips and roast potatoes. The key influence on the quality of the children's diets was the quality of their mother's diets; alone it accounted for almost a third of the variance in child's dietary quality. Mothers who had better-quality diets, which complied with dietary recommendations, were more likely to have children with comparable diets. This relationship remained strong even after adjustment for all other factors considered, including maternal educational attainment, BMI and smoking, and the child's birth order and the time spent watching television. Our data provide strong evidence of shared family patterns of diet and suggest that interventions to improve the quality of young women's diets could be effective in improving the quality of their children's diets.

ANALISIS DIMENSI KUALITAS PELAYANAN TERHADAP KEPUASAN MELALUI TOTAL QUALITY EDUCATION SEBAGAI MEDIATOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laela Atikah

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to know the effect of reliability, responsiveness, tangible, empathy, and assurance to student satisfaction through Total Quality Education as mediator variable. Population in this research is students of Universitas Negeri Semarang academic year 2015. Sampling used proportional random sampling with numbers of respondents more 395. Methods of data collection used questionnaires. Analysis methods were partial test and path analysis. The results showed that reliability, responsiveness, empathy, and assurance have positive and significant effect on student satisfaction with significance value 0,05. Reliability has a positive and significant impact on satisfaction through Total Quality Education with total influence of 0,121. Responsiveness has a positive and significant impact on satisfaction through Total Quality Education with total influence of 0,126. Tangible has a positive and significant impact on satisfaction through Total Quality Education with total influence of 0,130. Empathy has a positive and significant impact on satisfaction through Total Quality Education with total influence of 0,272. Assurance has a positive and significant impact on satisfaction through Total Quality Education with total influence of 0,250. It is can be concluced that Total Quality Education is a role as an intervening variable between reliability, responsivenesss, tangible, empathy, and assurance of student satisfaction.

Quality of the Teaching Process and its Factors of Influence from the Perspective of Future Business Specialists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra-Maria Drule

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In the context of the large number of Romanian economic graduates competing for a relatively small number of specialized positions, an increasingly dynamic environment that requires specialists and leaders with practical skills, internationalization and increasing competition among higher education institutions to attract both students and financing, it is necessary to evaluate the quality and performance of business educational programs. Periodic evaluation is the premise of improving and modernizing educational services, and students, as the primary beneficiaries of education, are the first to be included in this process. Therefore, the goal of this research is to identify the perceptions of students specializing in the financial management of European funds regarding the quality of teaching staff and the teaching process. This study takes a quantitative approach using a survey method and a questionnaire as a data collection instrument. The questionnaire includes a set of 11 specific items that are considered to be most relevant to the quality of higher education services and two related to overall perceptions of quality. Data were collected from a sample of more than 1,500 students enrolled in a new master’s program on the axis specified above. Analyses showed that three factors have a significant influence not only on the assessment of teacher performance during courses and seminars but also on the quality of the teacher involved in the process: the use of modern teaching techniques, the degree to which master’s students are trained and actively participate in teaching activities, and the presentation of quality and coherent information. A teacher’s performance is influenced to a lesser extent, but still a significant one, by other two items included in this study: delivering materials on time and efficiently using the time allocated to the discipline. However, professor performance is also negatively correlated with the relevance of

Global Influences on National Definitions of Quality Education: Examples from Spain and Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, Laura C.; Rutkowski, David

2014-01-01

There is increasing attention worldwide to advancing quality education. Beyond a rhetorical aim, many international organizations and national education systems have articulated a commitment to promoting measures of quality education through the development of educational indicators. This article broadly explores the global influences on national…

Influence of lokpa cattle market wastes on agricultural soil quality ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Influence of lokpa cattle market wastes on agricultural soil quality. ... African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology ... Soil samples were collected from the Central, 3 and 6 m Northwards, Southwards, Eastwards and Westwards of Lokpa cattle market, Umuneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria at ...

How and when service quality and satisfaction simultaneously influence purchase intentions?

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yu-Ying; Li, Shyh-Jane; Yang, Miles M

2011-08-01

Th e purpose of this study is to examine how and when service quality and satisfaction simultaneously influence purchase intentions. The study tries to explore and clarify the relationship between service quality and satisfaction, and to examine whether satisfaction simultaneously moderates and mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and purchase intentions. A field survey was conducted for the outpatients of 12 regional hospitals in Taiwan. The findings show that the effects of different dimensions of service quality on purchase intentions are not equal across satisfied and unsatisfied patients. This study provides empirical evidence that show how the dual roles of the moderator and mediator manipulated together by satisfaction, work to affect purchase intentions in hospital settings. In addition, the relationships between service quality and satisfaction are also clarified.

Influence of customer quality perception on the effectiveness of commercial stimuli for electronic products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Álvaro eGarrido-Morgado

2016-03-01

Full Text Available 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

Influence on working hours among shift workers and effects on sleep quality - An intervention study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garde, Anne Helene; Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten; Aust, Birgit

2011-01-01

in the high intensity group (p effects of interventions on sleep quality were observed. Thus, sleep quality was not improved by increasing work time influence in the present group of Danish elder care workers. This was partly due to program failure (failed intervention), but may also be due......The aim of the present intervention study was to examine if increased influence on working hours among shift workers led to better sleep quality. 391 employees were categorized into groups based on the performed activities: High (self-rostering), moderate (education and/or policy for working hours...

Extraction of GBH Film Medicine and Influence on Quality Evaluation of The Film

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Y. B.; Lu, L.; Ru, X.; Guo, S. Z.; Qiao, A. N.; Wang, S. W.

2017-12-01

To know the extraction effects of GBH film medicine and the influence on film quality evaluation. Ultrasonic extraction and reflux extraction were used to extract the two methods with the traditional water decocting method to contrast. They were used to determining the content of total flavonoids. The same method was used to separate the root of the main medicinal herbs and the decoction of the water decoction of the other drug powder. They were used to determine the content of total flavonoids. The effect of extraction method on the preparation of membrane was investigated. The membrane preparation, evaluation and flexibility, respectively, film-forming property, smoothness and disintegration time are used to evaluating separately the effect of extraction method. The results showed that the extraction effect of 70% ethanol concentration of total flavonoids. The best extraction method had no effect on the film quality initial evaluation. This experiment provides a method for membrane extraction agent, has a certain practical significance.

Influence Mf Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Yield and Seed Quality of French Bean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SS Kakon

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The experiment was conducted at the research field of Agronomy Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI, Joydebpur, Gazipur during Rabi (winter season of 2010-11 to 2011-12 to determine the optimum rate of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on yield and seed quality of French bean. A randomized complete block design was followed with ten treatment combinations such as N0P0, N0 P44, N50 P44, N100 P44, N150 P44, N200 P44, N150P0, N150P22, N150P33 and N150P55. Number of pods and yield of French bean were significantly increased with the increase in N (150 and P (44 kg ha--1. Averaged over the years, maximum number of pod (9.45 plant-1 and seed yield (1563.33 kg ha-1 were obtained when N and P were applied at the rate of 150 and 44 kg ha-1, respectively while lowest yield to N0P0 treatment in both the years. The treatment (N150P44 kg ha-1 gave the highest seed yield which was 51.4 and 54.30% higher than the control. Quality in terms of germination percentage and vigour index of harvested seed was also significantly influenced by higher doses of N and P while the lowest seed quality from plants that received no fertilizer in both the years.

Quality of life is significantly impaired in non-allergic rhinitis patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Segboer, Christine L.; Terreehorst, Ingrid; Gevorgyan, Artur; Hellings, Peter W.; van Drunen, Cornelis M.; Fokkens, Wytske J.

2017-01-01

In contrast to the well-known significant impairment of quality of life (QoL) in allergic rhinitis (AR), the degree of impairment in QoL in non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) remained unknown for a long time, due to a lack of a validated questionnaire to assess QoL in the NAR patient group. In this study a

Influence of childhood scleroderma on physical function and quality of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Baildam, Eileen M; Ennis, Holly; Foster, Helen E; Shaw, Lindsay; Chieng, Alice S E; Kelly, Jane; Herrick, Ariane L; Richards, Helen L

2011-01-01

there have been few studies of quality of life in childhood scleroderma and these focused predominantly on self-perception and the influence of skin lesions. Our cross-sectional study aimed to describe the influence of childhood scleroderma on physical function and quality of life in relation to clinical and demographic measures. children with either localized scleroderma or systemic sclerosis (SSc) attending pediatric rheumatology clinics, together with their parents or guardians, were asked to complete a set of 4 validated measures. Clinical and demographic data were provided by consultant pediatric rheumatologists. in total, 28 children and their parents/guardians participated in the study (68% female, median age 13 yrs; 86% localized scleroderma, 14% SSc). The median Child Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) score was 0.1 (range 0-3, 0 indicating no impairment), the median Child Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) score was 5 (range 0-30, 0 indicating no impairment), and the median Child Quality of Life Questionnaire (CQOL) function score was 26 (range 0-105, 0 indicating no impairment). Family activity, measured by the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-PF50), was also moderately impaired by scleroderma, with a median score of 83 (0-100, 100 indicating no impairment). scleroderma had only a moderate effect on quality of life and physical function as measured by the 4 validated instruments. Although a small number of children reported greater impairment, this is an encouraging finding, given its potential disfiguring and debilitating effects.

Influence of discharged effluent on the quality of surface water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... higher values of determinants obtained from sampling points close to the wastewater treatment plant and the mine exit channels strongly revealed their influence on the general quality of the stream. Detection of metals such as cadmium and lead above acceptable limits has dire consequences across the food chain.

Influence of irradiation to microbiologic infection of spices and their quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owczarczyk, B.

1995-01-01

The influence of radiation dose on the different microorganisms infecting the spices has been investigated. The quality of different types of the spices has been examined after irradiation at doses necessary for preservation. 10 refs, 4 tabs

Organic Matter Quality and its Influence on Carbon Turnover and Stabilization in Northern Peatlands

Science.gov (United States)

Turetsky, M. R.; Wieder, R. K.

2002-12-01

insoluble material (AIM) and AIM/N were significant predictors of decomposition. However, when limited to individual peatland features or bryophyte species, soluble proximate fractions were better predictors of organic matter decay. This suggests that decomposition within single litter or peat types is controlled by the size of relatively small, labile carbon pools. As peatlands store the majority of soil carbon in the boreal forest, the influences of peat quality on carbon storage and turnover should be considered in understanding the fate of carbon in northern ecosystems.

TRENDS IN URBAN STORM WATER QUALITY IN TALLINN AND INFLUENCES FROM STORMFLOW AND BASEFLOW

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Bharat Maharjan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Temporal trends provide a good interpretation of change in stormwater quality over time. This study aimed to analyse trends and influences due to stormflow and baseflow. Grab samples of 18-19 years from 1995 to 2014 recorded at outlets of 7 Tallinn watersheds were analysed for monotonic trend through seasonal Mann Kendall test for long-term, short-term, baseflow and stormflow. Statistically significant downward trends (P-value (p 0.05 and < 0.2 for 3 – SS, 1 – BOD, 1 – TN and 1 – TP were identified. Statistically significant long-term upward trends of pH were revealed in 5 basins, which reduced to 2 with 5 less significant upward trends over the 10 year period, indicating improvements in pH reduction. Härjapea has the highest pH without trend but it includes an upward trend of TN at p = 0.051. The highly possible causes for downward trends are street sweeping, sewer network improvement, decline in sub-urban agricultural areas, etc. The upward trend results of pH are related to increased alkalinisation due to acidic rain, weathering of carbonate rocks, sewage discharge and alkaline road dust. In most of the basins, stormflow has more influence on trends than baseflow.

Factors Influencing Continuous Quality Improvement Programme In Government Hospitals Of Sri Lanka

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Somatunga L C

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Health care systems are accountable to their patients and society to provide quality cost effective care and to seek ways to improve that care. By doing this positive patient outcomes are ensured. Those factors which affect the delivery of a good service have to be identified. It is important to determine whether the environment of an organization type of hospitals plays an important role in determining the implementation of quality improvement programmes Methodology This was a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional survey carried out in selected hospitals in Sri Lanka. Sixteen Line Ministry Hospitals where Quality Management Units are already in place were selected for the study. Staff working in these hospitals including doctors nurses and allied health staff was included. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was repeated after three weeks. Findings A total of 378 participants responded in the study. This study identified top management commitment training teamwork physical structure and monitoring system as independent variables that influence the CQI implementation programme. All the participants rated lower for teamwork and felt that teamwork had little influence on CQI programme implementation. The type of hospital has not influenced the implementation of CQI programme.

The influence of psychological variables on health-related quality of life among HIV-positive individuals with a history of intravenous drug use.

Science.gov (United States)

Psaros, Christina; O'Cleirigh, Conall; Bullis, Jacqueline R; Markowitz, Sarah M; Safren, Steven A

2013-01-01

Intravenous drug use (IDU) remains a prominent pathway of HIV transmission in the United States, though little is known about modifiable factors influencing quality of life among IDUs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of psychological variables (e.g., depression and anxiety) on health-related quality of life among HIV-positive individuals with a history of IDU who were enrolled in outpatient treatment for opioid dependence. 108 HIV-positive individuals with a history of IDU and participating in current outpatient treatment for opiate dependence who were screened for participation in a depression and adherence study reported sociodemographic data, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Multidimensional Health Assessment using the ACTG-SF 21). Multiple regression models controlling for disease stage and background characteristics identified significant negative relationships between General Health Perception and Functioning without Pain for anxiety and depression, and between Role Functioning and Physical Functioning for anxiety. CD4 cell count was significantly related to Physical Functioning only. Results indicate that distress (both depression and anxiety) contribute significantly to variation in HRQoL over and above the effects of disease variables. Effective depression and anxiety treatment may result in improved overall functioning.

Quality control and the substantive influence of environmental impact assessment in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poeloenen, Ismo

2006-01-01

This paper focuses on the challenges concerning the quality assurance of environmental impact statements (EIS) in Finland and the European Union. Moreover, the linkage between environmental impact assessment and decision-making is examined from a legal point of view. In addition, the paper includes some comparative remarks concerning the content requirements of examination of alternatives. The study reveals that a significant problem of the Finnish EIA system is the lack of efficient access to a judicial procedure to challenge the quality and completeness of an EIS. Another pitfall is the fact that in certain permit procedures, environmental consideration is so limited that only a minor part of the EIA can be taken into account. In its current state, EIA legislation in the EU and in Finland does not guarantee that the assessment results filter into decision-making. From the national point of view, the shortcomings can be addressed by amending current legislation concerning licensing procedures so that authorities have the competence and the duty to take environmental matters widely into account in the permit consideration. At the European level, a legislative alternative could be to strengthen the substantive element of the EIA Directive (85/337/EEC). This would increase the weight of EIA related arguments in the national appellate procedures and contribute, in some cases significantly, to the substantive influence of EIA in decision-making

Air-insufflated high-definition dacryoendoscopy yields significantly better image quality than conventional dacryoendoscopy

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Sasaki T

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Tsugihisa Sasaki,1 Tsutomu Sounou,2 Hideki Tsuji,3 Kazuhisa Sugiyama4 1Sasaki Eye Clinic, Mikuni, Sakai, 2Department of Ophthalmology, Keiju Kanazawa Hospital, 3Department of Ophthalmology, Cancer Institute Hospital, 4Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan Purpose: To facilitate the analysis of lacrimal conditions, we utilized high-definition dacryoendoscopy (HDD and undertook observations with a pressure-controlled air-insufflation system. We report the safety and performance of HDD.Methods: In this retrospective, non-randomized clinical trial, 46 patients (14 males and 32 females; age range 39–91 years; mean age ± SD 70.3±12.0 years who had lacrimal disorders were examined with HDD and conventional dacryoendoscopy (CD. The high-definition dacryoendoscope had 15,000 picture element image fibers and an advanced objective lens. Its outer diameter was 0.9–1.2 mm. Air insufflation was controlled at 0–20 kPa with a digital manometer-based pressure-controlled air-insufflation system to evaluate the quality of the image. The HDD had an air/saline irrigation channel between the outer sheath (outer diameter =1.2 mm and the metal inner sheath of the endoscope. We used it and the CD in air, saline, and diluted milk saline with and without manual irrigation to quantitatively evaluate the effect of air pressure and saline irrigation on image quality.Results: In vivo, the most significant improvement in image quality was demonstrated with air-insufflated (5–15 kPa HDD, as compared with saline-irrigated HDD and saline-irrigated CD. No emphysema or damage was noted under observation with HDD. In vitro, no significant difference was demonstrated between air-insufflated HDD and saline-irrigated HDD. In vitro, the image quality of air-insufflated HDD was significantly improved as compared with that of saline-irrigated CD.Conclusion: Pressure-controlled (5–15 kPa air

Authentic sheep meat in the European Union: Factors influencing and validating its unique meat quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Erasmus, Sara W; Muller, Magdalena; Hoffman, Louwrens C

2017-05-01

Authentic meat products are gaining attention through their unique quality characteristics linked to their origin. Various factors are known to influence the quality of fresh meat. This review describes the different Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) lamb types and discusses the factors which influences its unique sensory and chemical characteristics. Flavour, aroma, texture and colour play an integral part in the sensory quality of denomination of origin fresh meat products. For authentic fresh sheep meat the sensory (as well as chemical) quality is largely influenced by diet followed by breed, age and gender. However, diet forms the link with the geographical area of origin, which together with the traditional production system and sheep breeds used, lends the product its authentic nature. This review shows how diet linked to origin can affect the quality of the meat and furthermore how other factors such as breed can also have an effect. Research relating to the authentic lamb types were evaluated and the shortcomings highlighted in order to assist with the development of PDO and PGI specifications in the future. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

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

DETERMINANT FACTORS OF FINANCIAL REPORTING QUALITY AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaenal Fanani

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to prove empirically the determining factors that influence the quality of financialreporting and the economic consequences, and there were influence differences of quality attributes of financialreporting to the economic consequences. The research samples were taken by purposive sampling so it obtained141 listed manufacturing businesses from 2001 to 2006. The research used four data analysis technique:auxiliary regression R2, confirmatory factor analysis, simple regression, and multiple regressions. The resultsshowed seven attributes, there were five attributes that gave contribution for financial reporting quality namelyaccrual quality, predictability, smoothness, relevance value, and conservatism while the persistence and timelinessgave small contribution. The five attributes were also different each other. From the thirteen determiningfactors, it showed nine factors that produced significant influences namely operation cycle, sales volatility,firm size, firm age, loss proportion, leverage, environmental risk, institutional ownership, market concentration,and auditor quality, while the other three, they were liquidity, managerial ownership, and investmentgrowth that were not significant. Testing results of economic consequences of quality of financial reportingshowed that the quality of factorial financial reporting influenced negatively and significantly toward informationasymmetry.

RESEARCH OF INFLUENCE OF QUALITY OF ELECTRONIC EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ON QUALITY OF TRAINING WITH USE OF DISTANCE TECHNOLOGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. M. Kravtsov

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Communication improving of educational processes requires today new approaches to the management arrangements and forming of educational policy in the field of distance learning, which is based on the use of modern information and communication technologies. An important step in this process is the continuous monitoring of the development and implementation of information technology and, in particular, the distance learning systems in higher educational establishments. The main objective of the monitoring is the impact assessment on the development of distance learning following the state educational standards, curricula, methodical and technical equipment and other factors; factors revelation that influence the implementation and outcomes of distance learning; results comparison of educational institution functioning and distance education systems in order to determine the most efficient ways of its development. The paper presents the analysis results of the dependence of the quality of educational services on the electronic educational resources. Trends in educational services development was studied by comparing the quality influence of electronic educational resources on the quality of educational services of higher pedagogical educational institutions of Ukraine as of 2009-2010 and 2012-2013. Generally, the analysis of the survey results allows evaluating quality of the modern education services as satisfactory and it can be said that almost 70% of the success of their future development depends on the quality of the used electronic educational resources and distance learning systems in particular.

The influence of calcium and phosphorus levels on egg production, egg quality, tibia weight and 32P retention of layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwardly, Y.S.; Hendratno, C.; Yuyu Wahyu

1979-01-01

An experiment was conducted to study the influence of three levels of calcium and three levels of dietary phosphorus on egg production, egg quality, tibia weight and 32 P retention of layers. Calcium levels of 3.0; 3.5 and 4.0 percent were used and phosphorus contest of the diet fed were either 0.6; 0.9 or 1.2 percent.Egg production was highest with rations containing 3.5% calcium and 0.9% phosphorus. A significant increase in egg production was found at 0.9% levels of phosphorus compared to levels of 0.6 and 1.2%. Egg quality was increased significantly (p 32 P retention was low at the highest calcium level. (author)

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, 65influence significantly in the form of customers satisfaction. Customer satisfaction (T-statistic=1, 53significantly influence the customer loyalty. The data of CSI=80, 85% and CLI=74, 12% indicate the customers are satisfied and loyal to the service quality, 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

THE INFLUENCE OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE ON THE TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roldán, José L.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to examine the relationships between different types of cultures and effectiveness in Total Quality Management (TQM implementation. Using Cameron’s framework, we have tested the connection between a quality culture taxonomy and TQM programme performance using data from a survey carried out with 113 Spanish companies that have implemented TQM systems. A structural equation modelling is proposed to assess the links between both types of constructs using the Partial Least Squares (PLS technique. The most substantial results confirm, in the sample analysed, the relationship between quality culture types and the TQM programme performance, and there being different influence levels of the quality cultures.

Influence of balneophysical therapy on activity, functional capacity, and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

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Stojanović Sonja

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction It has been well known that balneophysical therapy has a therapeutic effect on clinical and biological parameters of disease activity in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA. Objective. To determine the influence of balneophysical therapy on functional capacity, activity and quality of life of the patients with RA primarily treated with some of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. Methods. The study enrolled 73 patients with RA treated with some of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (Methotrexate in 85% of patients. During hospitalization at the Clinical Rheumatologic Department of the Institute 'Niska Banja', the patients were treated, beside the medicamentous therapy, by hydrotherapy (oligomineral, homeothermic, low radioactive water, mineral peloid therapy, electrotherapy and kinesiotherapy. Before and after balneotherapy, the patients filled in the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ and the Quality of Life Rheumatoid Arthritis (QOL-RA scale. The Disease Activity Score (DAS 28 was used to measure the disease activity before and after balneotherapy. A possible value of HAQ was from 0 to 3, and QOL-RA from 0 to 10. Results. The mean value of the duration of balneophysical therapy was 14.7±4.8 days. We found significant improvement of functional capacity in the patients with RA. The average HAQ score before balneotherapy was 1.07±0.61, and 0.86±0.55 after balneotherapy, which was statistically significantly lower (p<0.05. DAS 28 after balneotherapy was also statistically significantly lower than DAS 28 before balneotherapy: the mean value of DAS 28 before therapy was 6.30±0.81 and after therapy 5.48±0.75 (p<0.001. The quality of life significantly improved after balneophysical therapy: the mean value of QOL-RA scale before therapy was 5.38±1.62 and after therapy 7.35±1.81 (p<0.05. Conclusion. Balneophysical therapy, when properly dosed, is an effective, adjuvant therapy in the patients with RA of mild disease

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2015-02-01

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

The Influence of Exotic Service Quality Towards Overall Satisfaction at Hotels in Makassar

OpenAIRE

Bata Ilyas, Gunawan; Munir, Abdul Razak

2017-01-01

As one of tourism destination place, Makassar become potential area to develop hotel industry. This study aimed to asses influence exotic dimensions quality comprising of service performance interaction quality, physical environment quality against Overall Satisfaction. This research used descriptive survey and explanatory. Population selected were all the customers at the hotel in Makassar who have a minimum 2 days and who had used the services of this hotel before. Samples in taken from Max...

The influence of quality of work life on employee job satisfaction, job commitment and tenure intention in the small and medium enterprise sectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Chinomona

2014-08-01

Full Text Available A major reason for advocating for quality of work life has been the promise that it creates a win-win situation: improved employee satisfaction and welfare, hence increased productivity, longer employee tenure and consequently increased company profitability. Nevertheless, in the context of small to medium enterprises (SMEs, scant attention has been given to the empirical investigation into the influence of the quality of work life on employee tenure intention in Southern Africa. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by examining the influence of SME employees’ perceptions of the quality of work life on their tenure intention and the mediating role of job satisfaction and job commitment in this relationship as far as Zimbabwe is concerned. Five hypotheses were posited and sample data of 282 were collected from Harare, Zimbabwe’s biggest city, to empirically test these hypotheses. The results of this study showed that, in the SME context, quality of work life positively and significantly influences employee job satisfaction, job commitment and consequently tenure intention. The managerial implications of the findings are discussed and limitations and future research directions are indicated.

Quality of Life of Parents of Children with Atopic Dermatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Marciniak, Joanna; Reich, Adam; Szepietowski, Jacek C

2017-06-09

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic dermatitis in children. The influence of AD on quality of life of parents of children with AD was studied using the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). Fifty children with AD were included in the study (age range 2-24 months) together with their parents. Children's AD was found to influence the quality of life of both parents; however, it had a more significant influence on quality of life of mothers than that of fathers (mean FDLQI: 17.1 ± 5.3 vs. 14.7 ± 5.8 points; p children's AD, mothers spent more time caring for them and carried out more household duties. Childhood AD had a greater impact on quality of life of fathers through influence on their work or education. The influence of AD on the quality of life of family members is significant, and this should be taken into account in the therapeutic process.

INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SPORTS ACTIVITIES ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER THE RECONSTRUCTION OF ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT.

Science.gov (United States)

Ninković, Srđan; Avramov, Snežana; Harhaji, Vladimir; Obradović, Mirko; Vranješ, Miodrag; Milankov, Miroslav

2015-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine the nature and presence of influence of different levels of sports activity on the life quality of the patients a year after the reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament. The study included 185 patients operated at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology of the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, who were followed for twelve months. Data were collected using the modified Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score questionnaire which included the Lysholm scale. This study included 146 male and 39 female subjects. The reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament was equally successful in both gender groups. In relation to different types of sports activity, there were no differences in the overall life quality measured by the questionnaire and its subscales, regardless of the level (professional or recreational). However, regarding the level of sports activities, there were differences among the subjects engaged in sports activities at the national level as compared with those going in for sports activities at the recreational level, and particularly in comparison with physically inactive population. A significant correlation was not found by examining the aforementioned relationship between sports activities. This study has shown that the overall life quality a year after the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament does not differ in relation to either the gender of the subjects or the type of sports activity, while the level of sports activity does have some influence on the quality of life. Professional athletes have proved to train significantly more intensively after this reconstruction than those going in for sports recreationally.

Influence on cervical MR imaging by tension. Comparison between the picture quality of cervical MR image and tension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iseki, Tadahiro; Okano, Tamotsu; Kanou, Norio; Tanaka, Kazuharu; Kawasaki, Kouichi; Kawachi, Toshiaki

2003-01-01

In our first report, we compared influence on cervical MR image (C-MRI) by fear and anxiety on between the first time and experienced patients, in which the significant difference was not seen between those patients. Then, the present study, we made a comparison of the picture sharpness of C-MRI on between patients who were in states of tension and not, and on among tense patients by several causes. Our study showed the tendency which the good quality pictures were easy to be obtained in the experienced patients who were tensely and the poor quality pictures were in the patients who were not, which could not demonstrated the statistical significant difference. However, as compared the respective cause which induces tension with the picture sharpness, the patients with tenses caused by MR device showed to be difficult to be obtained the good quality pictures. The present study suggested that ''unsuitable tension'', which was overstrung due to fear and anxiety from MR device, was difficult to obtain good quality picture of C-MRI, and that ''suitable tension'', with which could be kept still during the examination, was easy to do it. (author)

40 CFR 52.96 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.96 Section 52.96 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) The State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Air Quality... deterioration of air quality. (b) The requirements of sections 160 through 165 of the Clean Air Act are not met...

The influence of the anesthesia-to-stimulation time interval on seizure quality parameters in electroconvulsive therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jorgensen, A; Christensen, S J; Jensen, A E K

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) continues to be the most efficacious treatment for severe depression and other life-threatening acute psychiatric conditions. Treatment efficacy is dependent upon the induced seizure quality, which may be influenced by a range of treatment related factors....... Recently, the time interval from anesthesia to the electrical stimulation (ASTI) has been suggested to be an important determinant of seizure quality. METHODS: We measured ASTI in 73 ECT sessions given to 22 individual patients, and analyzed its influence on five seizure quality parameters (EEG seizure...

How influence the MOOCs platforms the quality of knowledge

OpenAIRE

Razvan DINA

2015-01-01

Based on the concept of flexibility and online learning, world class universities and academic personalities launched a new educational business model (MOOCs) allowing all interested people to freely access the online open courses. MOOC platforms are designed for continuous education and for knowledge improvement in the selected areas of interest. In this paper will be analyzed the influence of several factors specific to MOOC upon the quality of educational activity.

Influence of gamma irradiation and storage on the microbial load, chemical and sensory quality of chicken kabab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Bachir, M.; Farah, S.; Othman, Y.

2010-01-01

Influence of gamma irradiation and storage on the microbial load, chemical and sensory quality of chicken kabab was investigated. Chicken kabab was treated with 0, 2, 4 or 6 kGy doses of gamma irradiation. Treated and untreated samples were kept in a refrigerator (1-4 deg. C). Microbiological, chemical and sensory characteristics of chicken kabab were evaluated at 0-5 months of storage. Gamma irradiation decreased the microbial load and increased the shelf-life of chicken kabab. Irradiation did not influence the major constituents of chicken kabab (moisture, protein and fats). No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed for total acidity between non-irradiated (control) and irradiated chicken kabab. Thiobarbitric acid (TBA) values (expressed as mg malonaldehyde (MDA)/kg chicken kabab) and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) in chicken kabab were not affected by the irradiation. Sensory evaluation showed no significant differences between irradiated and non-irradiated samples.

Influence of gamma irradiation and storage on the microbial load, chemical and sensory quality of chicken kabab

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Bachir, M., E-mail: scientific5@aec.org.sy; Farah, S.; Othman, Y.

2010-08-15

Influence of gamma irradiation and storage on the microbial load, chemical and sensory quality of chicken kabab was investigated. Chicken kabab was treated with 0, 2, 4 or 6 kGy doses of gamma irradiation. Treated and untreated samples were kept in a refrigerator (1-4 deg. C). Microbiological, chemical and sensory characteristics of chicken kabab were evaluated at 0-5 months of storage. Gamma irradiation decreased the microbial load and increased the shelf-life of chicken kabab. Irradiation did not influence the major constituents of chicken kabab (moisture, protein and fats). No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed for total acidity between non-irradiated (control) and irradiated chicken kabab. Thiobarbitric acid (TBA) values (expressed as mg malonaldehyde (MDA)/kg chicken kabab) and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) in chicken kabab were not affected by the irradiation. Sensory evaluation showed no significant differences between irradiated and non-irradiated samples.

Influence of retrospective sorting on image quality in respiratory correlated computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guckenberger, Matthias; Weininger, Markus; Wilbert, Juergen; Richter, Anne; Baier, Kurt; Krieger, Thomas; Polat, Buelent; Flentje, Michael

2007-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of retrospective sorting on image quality in four-dimensional respiratory correlated CT. Materials and methods: Twelve patients with intrapulmonary tumors were examined using a 24-slice CT-scanner in helical mode. Images were reconstructed after retrospective sorting based on five algorithms: amplitude-based sorting with definition of peak-exhalation and peak-inhalation separately/locally for all breathing cycles (LAS) and globally for the time of image acquisition (GAS). Drifts of the breathing signal were corrected in dc-GAS. In phase-based (PS) and cycle-based (CS) algorithm the projections were sorted relative to time. Motion artifacts were scored by a radiologist. The tumor volumes were measured using automatic image segmentation. Results: Averaged over all breathing phases, LAS and PS achieved significantly improved image quality and lowest tumor volume variability compared to GAS, dc-GAS and CS. Imaging redundancy of 5 s was not sufficient for GAS and dc-GAS: missing corresponding amplitude positions in one or several breathing cycles resulted in incomplete reconstruction of peak-ventilation images in 11/12 and 10/12 patients with GAS and dc-GAS, respectively. Limiting the analysis to mid-ventilation phases showed GAS and dc-GAS as the most reliable algorithms. Conclusions: LAS and PS are suggested as a compromise between image quality and radiation dose

Influence of Northeast Monsoon cold surges on air quality in Southeast Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Ashfold, M. J.; Latif, M. T.; Samah, A. A.; Mead, M. I.; Harris, N. R. P.

2017-10-01

Ozone (O3) is an important ground-level pollutant. O3 levels and emissions of O3 precursors have increased significantly over recent decades in East Asia and export of this O3 eastward across the Pacific Ocean is well documented. Here we show that East Asian O3 is also transported southward to tropical Southeast (SE) Asia during the Northeast Monsoon (NEM) season (defined as November to February), and that this transport pathway is especially strong during 'cold surges'. Our analysis employs reanalysis data and measurements from surface sites in Peninsular Malaysia, both covering 2003-2012, along with trajectory calculations. Using a cold surge index (northerly winds at 925 hPa averaged over 105-110°E, 5°N) to define sub-seasonal strengthening of the NEM winds, we find the largest changes in a region covering much of the Indochinese Peninsula and surrounding seas. Here, the levels of O3 and another key pollutant, carbon monoxide, calculated by the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) Reanalysis are on average elevated by, respectively, >40% (∼15 ppb) and >60% (∼80 ppb) during cold surges. Further, in the broader region of SE Asia local afternoon exceedances of the World Health Organization's air quality guideline for O3 (100 μg m-3, or ∼50 ppb, averaged over 8 h) largely occur during these cold surges. Day-to-day variations in available O3 observations at surface sites on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and in corresponding parts of the MACC Reanalysis are similar, and are clearly linked to cold surges. However, observed O3 levels are typically ∼10-20 ppb lower than the MACC Reanalysis. We show that these observations are also subject to influence from local urban pollution. In agreement with past work, we find year-to-year variations in cold surge activity related to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), but this does not appear to be the dominant influence of ENSO on atmospheric composition in this region. Overall, our study

Influence of Continuing Medical Education on Rheumatologists? Performance on National Quality Measures for Rheumatoid Arthritis

OpenAIRE

Sapir, Tamar; Rusie, Erica; Greene, Laurence; Yazdany, Jinoos; Robbins, Mark L.; Ruderman, Eric M.; Carter, Jeffrey D.; Patel, Barry; Moreo, Kathleen

2015-01-01

Introduction: In recent years researchers have reported deficits in the quality of care provided to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including low rates of performance on quality measures. We sought to determine the influence of a quality improvement (QI) continuing education program on rheumatologists’ performance on national quality measures for RA, along with other measures aligned with National Quality Strategy priorities. Performance was assessed through baseline and post-educati...

Testing of the shopprimer’s influence on the quality of welded joint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Šolić

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the process of preparing the surface of construction material and applying the temporary protection that refers to the two-component epoxy workshop primer (shopprimer in order to perform testing of its influence on mechanical properties of the weld. Testing of mechanical properties of welds after welding proved that there were no negative influences of the protective coating on the quality of welded joint.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Fur Quality in Minks of Standard, Pastel, Platinum and White Hedlunda Colour Strains

OpenAIRE

Stanisław Socha; Dorota Kołodziejczyk; Ewa Kondraciuk; Danuta Wójcik; Aldona Gontarz

2010-01-01

The work aimed at the analysis of the factors that influence conformation traits, included animal size and fur quality traits in four colour types of mink: standard, pastel, platinum and white Hedlunda. The data concerns the evaluation of animal conformation traits in the period of three years. The analysis of variance of particular traits indicates statistically significant effect of the year of birth, colour type and animal sex on the majority of analysed traits. Higher means of license eva...

Significance of psychological stress response and health-related quality of life in spouses of cancer patients when given bad news

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toyoko Kugimoto

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study illuminates the degree of psychological stress response experienced by spouses of cancer patients when given bad news at three different times (notification of the name of the disease, notification of recurrence, and notification of terminality as well as the factors that influence the response and the health status of the spouse as measured by health-related quality of life (QOL. Methods: A total of 203 individuals (57 men and 146 women who had received the three types of news were surveyed using a self-report questionnaire on psychological stress response, marital satisfaction, and health-related QOL scales. Results: The degree of the psychological stress response was the highest for notification of terminality, followed by notification of the name of the disease, and notification of recurrence. The influencing factors varied depending on the notification period. Although no significant difference was observed for health-related QOL among the three notification types, significant differences were observed for certain items when compared with national standard values. Conclusions: When a notification of terminality, which produced the highest psychological stress response, is given, providing care that considers health-related QOL is necessary not only for patients but also for their spouses.

[Mother-child agreement regarding the depressive symptoms and the quality of life of the child and its influencing factors in children with and without depression].

Science.gov (United States)

Kiss, Eniko

2010-01-03

Mother-child agreement and influencing factors were studied in depressed and non-depressed children. We hypothesized that age and gender of the child and maternal depression influenced mother-child agreement; parents of depressed children underestimated the quality of life of their children; agreement was better in older and non-depressed children. We studied depressed children with Major Depressive Disorder (n = 354, mean age = 11.69 +/- 2.05 years), and non-depressed school-age children (n = 1695, mean age = 10.34 +/- 2.19 years). Psychiatric diagnosis was obtained by a semi-structured interview; depressive symptoms and quality of life were measured by self-reported questionnaires. Mother-child agreement about depressive symptoms increased as children got older. Mother-son reports showed significant difference, mother-daughter reports were similar. Depressed mothers reported more serious symptoms for their children. Depressed children's parent rated lower quality of life than children for themselves. Agreement was influenced by depression of the child and only marginally by age. Age and psychiatric illness of the examined person influences agreement, which finding may well be important in practice.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in early adolescents' friendship development: friendship selection, influence, and prospective friendship quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Ojanen, Tiina; Sijtsema, Jelle J; Hawley, Patricia H; Little, Todd D

2010-12-01

Friendships are essential for adolescent social development. However, they may be pursued for varying motives, which, in turn, may predict similarity in friendships via social selection or social influence processes, and likely help to explain friendship quality. We examined the effect of early adolescents' (N = 374, 12-14 years) intrinsic and extrinsic friendship motivation on friendship selection and social influence by utilizing social network modeling. In addition, longitudinal relations among motivation and friendship quality were estimated with structural equation modeling. Extrinsic motivation predicted activity in making friendship nominations during the sixth grade and lower friendship quality across time. Intrinsic motivation predicted inactivity in making friendship nominations during the sixth, popularity as a friend across the transition to middle school, and higher friendship quality across time. Social influence effects were observed for both motives, but were more pronounced for intrinsic motivation. Copyright © 2010 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE INFLUENCE OF SERVICE QUALITY AND STORE ATMOSPHERE ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miswanto Miswanto

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This research examines the influence of service quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy and store atmosphere on customer satisfaction and the influence of customer satisfaction on repurchase intention, trust, and word of mouth on customers of souvenir stores in Yogyakarta. Selection of the sample is done by using purposive sampling with one criterion: they have shopped in souvenir stores in Yogyakarta. Data are collected by using questionnaires and 200 souvenir store customers participate in this study. The data are analyzed by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM with Amos computer program. The findings show that none of service quality’s dimension: tangibles and store atmosphere have positive influences on customer satisfaction.

Identification of Water Quality Significant Parameter with Two Transformation/Standardization Methods on Principal Component Analysis and Scilab Software

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jovan Putranda

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Water quality monitoring is prone to encounter error on its recording or measuring process. The monitoring on river water quality not only aims to recognize the water quality dynamic, but also to evaluate the data to create river management policy and water pollution in order to maintain the continuity of human health or sanitation requirement, and biodiversity preservation. Evaluation on water quality monitoring needs to be started by identifying the important water quality parameter. This research objected to identify the significant parameters by using two transformation or standardization methods on water quality data, which are the river Water Quality Index, WQI (Indeks Kualitas Air, Sungai, IKAs transformation or standardization method and transformation or standardization method with mean 0 and variance 1; so that the variability of water quality parameters could be aggregated with one another. Both of the methods were applied on the water quality monitoring data which its validity and reliability have been tested. The PCA, Principal Component Analysis (Analisa Komponen Utama, AKU, with the help of Scilab software, has been used to process the secondary data on water quality parameters of Gadjah Wong river in 2004-2013, with its validity and reliability has been tested. The Scilab result was cross examined with the result from the Excel-based Biplot Add In software. The research result showed that only 18 from total 35 water quality parameters that have passable data quality. The two transformation or standardization data methods gave different significant parameter type and amount result. On the transformation or standardization mean 0 variances 1, there were water quality significant parameter dynamic to mean concentration of each water quality parameters, which are TDS, SO4, EC, TSS, NO3N, COD, BOD5, Grease Oil and NH3N. On the river WQI transformation or standardization, the water quality significant parameter showed the level of

How influence the MOOCs platforms the quality of knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Razvan DINA

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Based on the concept of flexibility and online learning, world class universities and academic personalities launched a new educational business model (MOOCs allowing all interested people to freely access the online open courses. MOOC platforms are designed for continuous education and for knowledge improvement in the selected areas of interest. In this paper will be analyzed the influence of several factors specific to MOOC upon the quality of educational activity.

PERCEIVED SERVICE QUALITY AND STUDENTS' SATISFACTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHING METHODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugenia Pedro

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this research was to study the relationship between perceived quality (PQ and satisfaction in Higher education, and especially to identify if these variables could differ between groups of students exposed to different teaching methods. A quantitative study was conducted at a Portuguese Faculty of Health Sciences, through a survey applied to a final sample of 359 students. Data analysis was performed through a structural equation model, using, for this purpose, the PLS method. Results confirm that PQ is positively related to students' satisfaction in the Higher Education Institutions (HEI context, and that PQ and satisfaction are significantly different when students are exposed to different teaching approaches. Although there is a substantial body of evidence regarding teaching methods in HEI, to our knowledge there is no reliable prior study that explicitly approached the influence of alternative teaching methods on students' satisfaction and their perception of service quality.

Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Spiritual Terhadap Perilaku Etis, Kualitas Kehidupan Kerja, Kepuasan Kerja, Komitmen Organisasional dan Kinerja Karyawan [Influence of Spiritual Leadership on Ethical Behavior, Quality of Work Life, Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Employee Performance

OpenAIRE

Riane Johnly Pio; Umar Nimran; Taher Alhabsji; Djamhur Hamid

2015-01-01

This study aims to analyze and explain the influence of spiritual leadership to ethical behavior, quality of work life, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee performance. The sample in this study was 160 employees working at the Bank of North Sillawesi. Structural Equation Modeling was used as a tool of analysis in this study. The results showed that spiritual leadership had significant influence directly to ethical behavior, but no significant effect on the quality of work...

Influence of ewe feeding systems on meat quality of suckling lambs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Scerra

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years interest has grown in the zootechnical exploitation of environmental feeding resources, above all in marginal areas. The survival of these areas is linked to the development of the limited available resources. Of these, natural pastures represent one of the most important, not only because their zootechnical utilisation permits savings in alimentary costs, but above all because it results in better quality dairy and meat products. The aim of this study is to verify if and to what level ewe feeding systems influence the meat quality of suckling lambs.

Factors influencing groundwater quality: towards an integrated management approach.

Science.gov (United States)

De Giglio, O; Quaranta, A; Barbuti, G; Napoli, C; Caggiano, G; Montagna, M T

2015-01-01

The safety of groundwater resources is a serious issue, particularly when these resources are the main source of water for drinking, irrigation and industrial use in coastal areas. In Italy, 85% of the water used by the public is of underground origin. The aim of this report is to analyze the main factors that make groundwater vulnerable. Soil characteristics and filtration capacity can promote or hinder the diffusion of environmental contaminants. Global climate change influences the prevalence and degree of groundwater contamination. Anthropic pressure causes considerable exploitation of water resources, leading to reduced water availability and the progressive deterioration of water quality. Management of water quality will require a multidisciplinary, dynamic and practical approach focused on identifying the measures necessary to reduce contamination and mitigate the risks associated with the use of contaminated water resources.

The Influence of Environmental Friendliness on Green Trust: The Mediation Effects of Green Satisfaction and Green Perceived Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Shan Chen

2015-07-01

Full Text Available As global green trends became more prevalent, green marketing also developed into an important issue. Although prior literature explored the main factors affecting green trust, it was inconclusive as to how environmental friendliness could affect the green trust in green marketing. This study aims to focus on the positive influence of environmental friendliness on green trust, and explore the mediation effects of green satisfaction and green perceived quality. This study undertakes an empirical study by means of questionnaire survey. The respondents are consumers who have experience purchasing green products. This study applies structural equation modeling (SEM to test the hypotheses. The findings of this study indicate that (1 environmental friendliness has a significant positive impact on green satisfaction, green perceived quality, and green trust; (2 both green satisfaction and green perceived quality positively affect green trust; and (3 green satisfaction and green perceived quality partially mediate the positive relationship between environmental friendliness and green trust.

Lifestyle influences human sperm functional quality

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Mnica Ferreira; Joana Vieira Silva; Vladimiro Silva; Antnio Barros; Margarida Fardilha

2012-01-01

Objective:To investigate the impact of acute lifestyle changes on human sperm functional quality.Methods:In the academic festivities week, young and apparently healthy male students who voluntarily submit themselves to acute lifestyle alterations(among the potentially important variations are increase in alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco consumption and circadian rhythm shifts) were used as a model system.Sperm samples were obtained before and after the academic week and compared by traditional semen analysis(n=54) and also tested for cleavedPolyADP-ribose polymerase(PARP) protein, an apoptotic marker(n=35).Results:Acute lifestyle changes that occurred during the academic week festivities(the study model) resulted both in a significant reduction in sperm quality, assessed by basic semen analysis(decrease in sperm concentration, total number of spermatozoa, progressive and non-progressive motility and increase in sperm morphological abnormalities) and by an increase in the expression of the apoptotic marker, cleavedPARP, in the ejaculate.Conclusions:Acute lifestyle changes have clear deleterious effects on sperm quality.We propose cleavedPARP as a novel molecular marker, valuable for assessing spermquality in parallel with the basic semen analysis method.

The influence of music therapy on quality of life after a stroke

OpenAIRE

Ilona Poćwierz-Marciniak; Mariola Bidzan

2017-01-01

Background A stroke is an interruption in the course of one’s life. It often results in physical disability, cognitive or executive disorders, emotional problems and, as a consequence, the decrease of one’s quality of life. The goal of this research was to determine whether music therapy during neurorehabilitation can positively influence the assessment of one’s quality of life after a stroke. Participants and procedure Sixty-one people who had had strokes and were in the ...

Influence of coffee/water ratio on the final quality of espresso coffee

OpenAIRE

Andueza, S. (Susana); Vila, M.A. (María A.); Peña, M.P. (María Paz) de; Cid, C. (Concepción)

2007-01-01

Espresso coffee is a polyphasic beverage in which the physico-chemical and sensory characteristics obviously depend on both the selection of ground roasted coffee and the technical conditions of the percolation process. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of the coffee/water ratio on the physico-chemical and sensory quality of espresso coffee. Furthermore, the influence of botanical varieties (Arabica and Robusta) and the type of roast (conventional and torrefacto) on the selec...

Paternal education status significantly influences infants' measles vaccination uptake, independent of maternal education status.

Science.gov (United States)

Rammohan, Anu; Awofeso, Niyi; Fernandez, Renae C

2012-05-08

Despite increased funding of measles vaccination programs by national governments and international aid agencies, structural factors encumber attainment of childhood measles immunisation to levels which may guarantee herd immunity. One of such factors is parental education status. Research on the links between parental education and vaccination has typically focused on the influence of maternal education status. This study aims to demonstrate the independent influence of paternal education status on measles immunisation. Comparable nationally representative survey data were obtained from six countries with the highest numbers of children missing the measles vaccine in 2008. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the influence of paternal education on uptake of the first dose of measles vaccination, independent of maternal education, whilst controlling for confounding factors such as respondent's age, urban/rural residence, province/state of residence, religion, wealth and occupation. The results of the analysis show that even if a mother is illiterate, having a father with an education of Secondary (high school) schooling and above is statistically significant and positively correlated with the likelihood of a child being vaccinated for measles, in the six countries analysed. Paternal education of secondary or higher level was significantly and independently correlated with measles immunisation uptake after controlling for all potential confounders. The influence of paternal education status on measles immunisation uptake was investigated and found to be statistically significant in six nations with the biggest gaps in measles immunisation coverage in 2008. This study underscores the imperative of utilising both maternal and paternal education as screening variables to identify children at risk of missing measles vaccination prospectively.

Bran characteristics influencing quality attributes of whole wheat Chinese steamed bread

Science.gov (United States)

This study investigated the variations in the characteristics of brans obtained from a pilot-scale milling of 17 soft red winter wheat varieties and their influences on the quality of whole wheat northern-style Chinese steamed bread (CSB) prepared from blends of a base flour and brans of different w...

Influence Of Social Support, Duration Of Illness And Age On Quality ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated influence of social support, duration of illness, and age on the quality of life of breast cancer patients. Twenty women with breast cancer drawn from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and Irrua Specialist Hospital participated in the study. One out of three hypotheses stated was ...

Influence of Calcium Chloride (CaCl/sub 2/) on Fruit Quality of Pear (Pyrus communis) cv. le conte During Storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sajid, M.; Mukhtiar, M.; Rab, M.; Shah, S.R.; Jan, I.

2014-01-01

An experiment was conducted at Postharvest laboratory, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, during 2010 to evaluate the 'Influence of calcium chloride (CaCl/sub 2/) on fruit quality of pear (Pyrus communis) cv. Le-conte'. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three factors i.e. (CaCl/sub 2/) concentration (0,3,6 and 9%), dipping time (5,10 and 15 minutes) and storage durations (0,10,20,30 and 40 days). The maximum ascorbic acid (7.93 mg/100 g), reducing sugar (5.86%), while the least percent weight loss (4.52%), pH of fruit juice (4.42), total soluble solids (TSS) (19.83%) and percent disease incidence (2.56%) were observed in fruits treated with 9% CaCl/sub 2/ solution. The dipping time also significantly influenced the quality attributes of pear fruits during storage. The more ascorbic acid (6.88 mg/100 g) and reducing sugar (5.44%) were recorded in the pear fruits dipped for 15 minutes. Storage duration significantly affected the fruit quality 40 days storage. The highest reducing sugar recorded in fresh pear fruits while the highest ascorbic acid (7.83 mg/100 g) were observed in pear fruit stored for 10 days storage duration, while more non-reducing sugar (7.03%) recorded in the fruits stored for 30 days. In the interaction of CaCl/sub 2/ concentration x dipping time, the highest total soluble solid (31.88%) noted in the fruits stored for 40 days and dipped for 5 minutes in CaCl/sub 2/ solution. It is concluded that pear fruit perform best in the postharvest life when treated with 9% CaCl/sub 2/ solution and dipped for 15 minutes. It retained most of the quality attributes up to 10 days storage at ambient temperature while a significant decline was recorded in fruit quality when extended the storage duration from 20 to 40 days. (author)

Influence of irrigation water types and stress levels on cotton fibre and yarn quality for different varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazar, A.; Ishaq, W.

2012-01-01

Cotton fibre quality is being deteriorated day by day due to various reasons and shortage/ poor quality of irrigation water is one of the reasons for the low quality of cotton fibre. The effect of the stress of water can be seen on the fibre length, strength and elongation. All these properties of fibre have also a significant influence on yarn characteristics and thus the yarn quality is also dependent on agronomic practices including irrigation. When new varieties are evolved it becomes necessary to examine such cotton varieties keenly, so that one which reflects maximum agricultural as well as industrial benefits can be recommended. The present study was planned to explore the spinning performance of various cotton varieties under different water quality treatments and water stress levels. Cotton of four varieties (CIM-501, CIM-496, CIM-499, and NIAB-111) under different types of irrigation water (canal water and tube well water) and different water stress levels (75ET, 100ET and 125ET) were selected for this research. The effect of these treatments was investigated on cotton fibre span length, strength and fibre elongation as well as on yarn quality. The study revealed that effect of different cotton varieties, water types and water stress levels on fibre and yarn quality was highly significant. Yarn characteristics showed greater values for the canal water similarly fibre length and elongations were better for canal water. Yarn tensile properties were decreased with increase in the water stress. The overall results indicated that the cotton variety NIAB-111 performed better as compared to other varieties. It is suggested that the cotton farmers may be trained by the agri. extension staff regarding maintenance of fibre quality through cultural practices and better irrigation techniques. (author)

40 CFR 52.60 - Significant deterioration of air quality.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... quality. 52.60 Section 52.60 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... deterioration of air quality. (a) All applications and other information required pursuant to § 52.21 from... “Guideline on Air Quality Models (Revised)” or other models approved by EPA. [42 FR 22869, May 5, 1977, as...

Corporate Governance Quality and Audit Quality in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wai Kee Ho

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the impact of corporate governance quality on audit quality in Malaysia. The sampling frame is 457 Malaysian non-finance listed companies, over the periods 2003 to 2007 (pre-2007 Code period and 2008 to 2012 (post-2007 Code period, consisting of 2,285 observations for each period. This study uses pooled ordinary least square (OLS to test the research hypotheses and model. The results show that the effectiveness of the audit committee (AC has no significant influence on audit fees in the pre- and post-2007 Code period, and the effectiveness of the board has no significant influence on audit fees in the pre-2007 Code period, although it has significant influence on audit fees in the post-2007 Code period. The results suggest that the existing corporate governance framework in relation to AC has limitation in its governance role on audit process. Our study contributes to existing literature conducted in the US, the UK and Australia where their institutional settings are different from that of Malaysia. In addition, our study is based on the 2007 Code’s recommendation which contributes to the previous research conducted in Malaysia and provides an insightful evidence to the regulator on the corporate governance regime in Malaysia.

Genetic diversity in Capsicum baccatum is significantly influenced by its ecogeographical distribution

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The exotic pepper species Capsicum baccatum, also known as the aji or Peruvian hot pepper, is comprised of wild and domesticated botanical forms. The species is a valuable source of new genes useful for improving fruit quality and disease resistance in C. annuum sweet bell and hot chile pepper. However, relatively little research has been conducted to characterize the species, thus limiting its utilization. The structure of genetic diversity in a plant germplasm collection is significantly influenced by its ecogeographical distribution. Together with DNA fingerprints derived from AFLP markers, we evaluated variation in fruit and plant morphology of plants collected across the species native range in South America and evaluated these characters in combination with the unique geography, climate and ecology at different sites where plants originated. Results The present study mapped the ecogeographic distribution, analyzed the spatial genetic structure, and assessed the relationship between the spatial genetic pattern and the variation of morphological traits in a diverse C. baccatum germplasm collection spanning the species distribution. A combined diversity analysis was carried out on the USDA-ARS C. baccatum germplasm collection using data from GIS, morphological traits and AFLP markers. The results demonstrate that the C. baccatum collection covers wide geographic areas and is adapted to divergent ecological conditions in South America ranging from cool Andean highland to Amazonia rainforest. A high level of morphological diversity was evident in the collection, with fruit weight the leading variable. The fruit weight distribution pattern was compatible to AFLP-based clustering analysis for the collection. A significant spatial structure was observed in the C. baccatum gene pool. Division of the domesticated germplasm into two major regional groups (Western and Eastern) was further supported by the pattern of spatial population structure. Conclusions

Factors influencing new graduate nurse burnout development, job satisfaction and patient care quality: a time-lagged study.

Science.gov (United States)

Boamah, Sheila A; Read, Emily A; Spence Laschinger, Heather K

2017-05-01

To test a hypothesized model linking new graduate nurses' perceptions of their manager's authentic leadership behaviours to structural empowerment, short-staffing and work-life interference and subsequent burnout, job satisfaction and patient care quality. Authentic leadership and structural empowerment have been shown to reduce early career burnout among nurses. Short-staffing and work-life interference are also linked to burnout and may help explain the impact of positive, empowering leadership on burnout, which in turn influences job satisfaction and patient care quality. A time-lagged study of Canadian new graduate nurses was conducted. At Time 1, surveys were sent to 3,743 nurses (November 2012-March 2013) and 1,020 were returned (27·3% response rate). At Time 2 (May-July 2014), 406 nurses who responded at Time 1 completed surveys (39·8% response rate). Descriptive analysis was conducted in SPSS. Structural equation modelling in Mplus was used to test the hypothesized model. The hypothesized model was supported. Authentic leadership had a significant positive effect on structural empowerment, which in turn decreased both short-staffing and work-life interference. Short-staffing and work-life imbalance subsequently resulted in nurse burnout, lower job satisfaction and lower patient care quality 1 year later. The findings suggest that short-staffing and work-life interference are important factors influencing new graduate nurse burnout. Developing nurse managers' authentic leadership behaviours and working with them to create and sustain empowering work environments may help reduce burnout, increase nurse job satisfaction and improve patient care quality. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Influence of Brand Image Quality to Students’ Expectation and Satisfaction of Lecture at Politeknik Indonusa Surakarta

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A. Anditha Sari

2018-02-01

Full Text Available An educational institution should be able to prove the quality of education. Consumers, in this case are students, need the proof of achievement, assessment, certification of quality, and the success of the alumni in getting work related to the field of knowledge. Evaluation is also needed to gain recognition from the community, as well as changes in curriculum and teaching methods that impact to better quality of the graduates. This study aims to analyze brand image influence to the expectations and satisfaction of students by taking sample 100 students from 5 study program i.e D3 Mass Communication, Hospitality, Informatics Management, Automotive, and Pharmacy by using systematic sample technique. Sample criteria that are students who have studied in semester 3 because students with the criteria should be able to evaluate their campus. The result of study indicates that brand image has significant effects to the expectation and satisfaction of the students.

The influence of magnetic fields on protein crystal growth and quality; Zum Einfluss magnetischer Felder auf das Wachstum und die Qualitaet von Proteinkristallen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meents, Alke

2005-08-01

Magnetic fields can affect protein crystal growth in several ways. In homogeneous magnetic fields molecules and crystallites line up themselves along the magnetic field direction due to their magnetic anisotropy. Inhomogeneous magnetic fields exert a force on diamagnetic and paramagnetic compounds towards regions of lower or higher field strength. This effect can be used to create a microgravity-like environment for diamagnetic proteins and an environment comparable to hypergravity for paramagnetic proteins. Crystallization in homogeneous magnetic fields and a microgravity-like environment are reported to have a positive effect on crystal quality. The aim of this work was to systematically investigate the effect of protein crystallization in magnetic fields on the crystal quality by comparing a large number of crystals grown under identical conditions with- and without magnetic fields. Crystal quality was determined by means of high resolution rocking-curve measurements. Furthermore in certain cases complete diffraction datasets were collected. Any possible influence of magnetic fields on the mosaicity and the quality of the diffraction data was evaluated statistically by applying Wilcoxon-Ranksum tests. To investigate the effect of protein crystallization in homogeneous magnetic fields the diamagnetic proteins Thaumatin, Trypsin, and Lysozyme and paramagnetic Myoglobin were crystallized in magnetic fields of 5 T, 8.8 T, and 15.8 T. The analysis of crystal mosaicity and quality of the diffraction data of the diamagnetic proteins did not reveal a significant influence on the crystal quality. In contrast the crystals of paramagnetic Myoglobin grew up to 14 times larger than the ones in the control experiment. In addition they had a significant lower mosaicity, and diffracted to a higher resolution than ever reported before. Special pole pieces for an existing magnet were designed and build to grow protein crystals in an inhomogeneous magnetic field The experimental

Influence of the Culinary Treatment on the Quality of Lactarius deliciosus.

Science.gov (United States)

Pogoń, Krystyna; Jaworska, Grażyna; Duda-Chodak, Aleksandra; Maciejaszek, Ireneusz

2013-06-17

The influence of culinary treatment on the nutritional value and quality of Lactarius deliciosus was established. Mushrooms: unblanched (I), blanched (II), and unblanched with onion and spices (III), were fried in oil for 10 min. Fried mushrooms were assessed before storage as well as after 48 h in storage at 20 °C, and after 48 and 96 h in storage at 4 °C. Frying increased the dry weight, protein, fat, ash, total carbohydrate, total polyphenol, and total flavonoid content, as well as the caloric value of the mushrooms. In addition, frying decreased the antioxidant activity, color parameters ( a *, h *), and texture. The most significant changes due to culinary treatment and storage were observed in type II product. Microbiological analysis of the samples after a 48 h storage period at 20 °C revealed the total viable count over 10⁶ and contamination with lactic acid bacteria. Fried mushrooms stored at 4 °C for 96 h were free from microorganisms.

Influence of the Culinary Treatment on the Quality of Lactarius deliciosus

Science.gov (United States)

Pogoń, Krystyna; Jaworska, Grażyna; Duda-Chodak, Aleksandra; Maciejaszek, Ireneusz

2013-01-01

The influence of culinary treatment on the nutritional value and quality of Lactarius deliciosus was established. Mushrooms: unblanched (I), blanched (II), and unblanched with onion and spices (III), were fried in oil for 10 min. Fried mushrooms were assessed before storage as well as after 48 h in storage at 20 °C, and after 48 and 96 h in storage at 4 °C. Frying increased the dry weight, protein, fat, ash, total carbohydrate, total polyphenol, and total flavonoid content, as well as the caloric value of the mushrooms. In addition, frying decreased the antioxidant activity, color parameters (a*, h*), and texture. The most significant changes due to culinary treatment and storage were observed in type II product. Microbiological analysis of the samples after a 48 h storage period at 20 °C revealed the total viable count over 106 and contamination with lactic acid bacteria. Fried mushrooms stored at 4 °C for 96 h were free from microorganisms. PMID:28239112

Disappointment with God and Well-Being: The Mediating Influence of Relationship Quality and Dispositional Forgiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Strelan, Peter; Acton, Collin; Patrick, Kent

2009-01-01

This study examined the extent to which disappointment with God influenced the psychological and spiritual well-being of 160 churchgoers, and the potential mediating influences of relationship quality (spiritual maturity and relationship commitment) and dispositional forgiveness. Disappointment with God was positively related to depression and…

Paternal education status significantly influences infants’ measles vaccination uptake, independent of maternal education status

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Rammohan Anu

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite increased funding of measles vaccination programs by national governments and international aid agencies, structural factors encumber attainment of childhood measles immunisation to levels which may guarantee herd immunity. One of such factors is parental education status. Research on the links between parental education and vaccination has typically focused on the influence of maternal education status. This study aims to demonstrate the independent influence of paternal education status on measles immunisation. Methods Comparable nationally representative survey data were obtained from six countries with the highest numbers of children missing the measles vaccine in 2008. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the influence of paternal education on uptake of the first dose of measles vaccination, independent of maternal education, whilst controlling for confounding factors such as respondent’s age, urban/rural residence, province/state of residence, religion, wealth and occupation. Results The results of the analysis show that even if a mother is illiterate, having a father with an education of Secondary (high school schooling and above is statistically significant and positively correlated with the likelihood of a child being vaccinated for measles, in the six countries analysed. Paternal education of secondary or higher level was significantly and independently correlated with measles immunisation uptake after controlling for all potential confounders. Conclusions The influence of paternal education status on measles immunisation uptake was investigated and found to be statistically significant in six nations with the biggest gaps in measles immunisation coverage in 2008. This study underscores the imperative of utilising both maternal and paternal education as screening variables to identify children at risk of missing measles vaccination prospectively.

Paternal education status significantly influences infants’ measles vaccination uptake, independent of maternal education status

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Despite increased funding of measles vaccination programs by national governments and international aid agencies, structural factors encumber attainment of childhood measles immunisation to levels which may guarantee herd immunity. One of such factors is parental education status. Research on the links between parental education and vaccination has typically focused on the influence of maternal education status. This study aims to demonstrate the independent influence of paternal education status on measles immunisation. Methods Comparable nationally representative survey data were obtained from six countries with the highest numbers of children missing the measles vaccine in 2008. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the influence of paternal education on uptake of the first dose of measles vaccination, independent of maternal education, whilst controlling for confounding factors such as respondent’s age, urban/rural residence, province/state of residence, religion, wealth and occupation. Results The results of the analysis show that even if a mother is illiterate, having a father with an education of Secondary (high school) schooling and above is statistically significant and positively correlated with the likelihood of a child being vaccinated for measles, in the six countries analysed. Paternal education of secondary or higher level was significantly and independently correlated with measles immunisation uptake after controlling for all potential confounders. Conclusions The influence of paternal education status on measles immunisation uptake was investigated and found to be statistically significant in six nations with the biggest gaps in measles immunisation coverage in 2008. This study underscores the imperative of utilising both maternal and paternal education as screening variables to identify children at risk of missing measles vaccination prospectively. PMID:22568861

Influences of management of Southern forests on water quantity and quality

Science.gov (United States)

Ge Sun; Mark Riedel; Rhett Jackson; Randy Kolka; Devendra Amatya; Jim Shepard

2004-01-01

Water is a key output of southern forests and is critical to other processes, functions, and values of forest ecosystems. This chapter synthesizes published literature about the effects of forest management practices on water quantity and water quality across the Southern United States region. We evaluate the influences of forest management at different temporal and...

Influence of tanks liner material on water quality and growth of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Three tank liner materials: polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene and polyester were evaluated in a 93 days experiment for their influence on culture water quality and growth performance of Clarias gariepinus. Fish of average weight of 5.03±0.21g were stocked at 375 per m3 in tanks lined with the aforementioned materials.

Quality of Life of Parents of Children with Atopic Dermatitis

OpenAIRE

Joanna Marciniak; Adam Reich; Jacek C. Szepietowski

2017-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic dermatitis in children. The influence of AD on quality of life of parents of children with AD was studied using the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). Fifty children with AD were included in the study (age range 2–24 months) together with their parents. Children’s AD was found to influence the quality of life of both parents; however, it had a more significant influence on quality of life of moth...

Factors influencing quality of life of obese students in Hangzhou, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ying-Ping; Wang, Hong-Mei; Edwards, Todd C; Wang, Ting; Jiang, Xiao-Ying; Lv, Yi-Ran; Patrick, Donald L

2015-01-01

To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of overweight and obese middle or high school students and identify relevant factors influencing their QOL scores. 716 students were recruited from 6 middle or high schools in Hangzhou, China. The Chinese version of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Weight Module (YQOL-W) was self administered. The YQOL-W scores were compared among different BMI groups, gender, educational status, annual household income, parental education and recruitment community using t test or one-way analysis of variance. The independent association of these variables with QOL among overweight and obese students was examined using multivariable linear regression modeling. Overweight and obese students reported lower total scores, self, social and environment scores than their normal weight peers (all Pstudents was associated with BMI value, gender, educational status, parental education, and recruitment community. Girls had lower total scores, self, social and environment domain scores than boys (all Pstudents had lower total and three domain scores than middle school students (all PStudents whose fathers had higher education reported higher total scores, self and social scores than students with less educated fathers (all PStudents whose mothers had higher education reported higher environment scores than students with less educated mothers (P = 0.01). Students from migrant communities reported significantly lower total scores, self and social scores than those from rural communities (all P0.05). Students from migrant communities reported comparable environment scores with those from rural and urban communities (P>0.05). Overweight and obesity have negative effects on students' quality of life. Therefore weight specific QOL could be included in weight reduction interventions as a relevant outcome.

Do structural quality indicators of nutritional care influence malnutrition prevalence in Dutch, German, and Austrian nursing homes?

Science.gov (United States)

van Nie, Noémi C; Meijers, Judith M M; Schols, Jos M G A; Lohrmann, Christa; Spreeuwenberg, Marieke; Halfens, Ruud J G

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore whether structural quality indicators for nutritional care influence malnutrition prevalence in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. Furthermore, differences in malnutrition prevalence and structural quality indicators for nutritional care nursing homes in the three countries were examined. This was a cross-sectional, multicenter study using a standardized questionnaire at the patient, ward, and institutional levels. Malnutrition was assessed by low body mass index, undesired weight loss, and reduced intake. Structural quality indicators of nutritional care were measured at the ward and institutional levels. The prevalence of malnutrition differed significantly between the three countries (Netherlands 18%, Germany 20%, and Austria 22.7%). Structural quality indicators related to nutritional care as having a guideline of prevention and treatment of malnutrition were related to malnutrition and explained malnutrition prevalence variance between the Netherlands and Germany. Differences between the Netherlands and Austria in malnutrition prevalence still existed after controlling for these quality structural indicators. Structural quality indicators of nutritional care are important in explaining malnutrition variance between the Netherlands and Germany. However, they did not explain the difference in malnutrition prevalence between the Netherlands and Austria. Investigating the role of process indicators may provide insight in the role of structural quality indicators of nutritional care in explaining the malnutrition prevalence differences between the Netherlands and Austria. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Muscle structure, sarcomere length and influences on meat quality: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertbjerg, Per; Puolanne, Eero

2017-10-01

The basic contractile unit of muscle, the sarcomere, will contract as the muscle goes into rigor post-mortem. Depending on the conditions, such as the rate of pH decline, the cooling rate and the mechanical restraints on the muscles, this longitudinal shortening will result in various post-mortem sarcomere lengths as well as lateral differences in the distances between the myosin and actin filaments. This shortening is underlying the phenomena described as rigor contraction, thaw rigor, cold shortening and heat shortening. The shortening in combination with the molecular architecture of the sarcomere as defined by the myosin filaments and their S-1 and S-2 units, the interaction with the actin filaments, and the boundaries formed by the Z-disks will subsequently influence basic meat quality traits including tenderness and water-holding capacity. Biochemical reactions from proteolysis and glycogen metabolism interrelate with the sarcomere length in a complex manner. The sarcomere length is also influencing the eating quality of cooked meat and the water-holding in meat products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Significant influence of the primary liver disease on the outcomes of hepatic retransplantation.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Qasim, A

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: There are many indications for hepatic retransplantation. AIM: To identify factors influencing retransplantation needs and outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retransplantation records from January 1993 to March 2005 were analysed. Patient and disease characteristics and survival outcomes for retransplantation were compared between various groups. RESULTS: Totally, 286 primary and 42 hepatic retransplantations were performed. Retransplantation indications included primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), primary biliary cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis C (HCV), chronic active hepatitis (CAH), and alcohol-related disease. Mean follow-up post-retransplantation was 31 +\\/- 9 months. Actuarial patient survival at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, and at the end of study was 71.4, 69, 59.5, 54.7, and 50%, respectively. Early and late retransplantation had 1-year survival of 73 and 68.5%, respectively. Retransplantation need was significantly higher for PSC, HCV, and CAH. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic retransplantation remains a successful salvage option for transplant complications; however, its need is significantly influenced by the primary liver disease.

[Quality of Outcome after Primary Total Hip Replacement at a Maximum Care Hospital in Relation to Preoperative Influencing Factors].

Science.gov (United States)

Osmanski-Zenk, K; Steinig, N S; Glass, Ä; Mittelmeier, W; Bader, R

2015-12-01

As the need for joint replacements will continue to rise, the outcome of primary total hip replacement (THR) must be improved and stabilised at a high level. In this study, we investigated whether pre-operative risk factors, such as gender, age and body weight at the time of the surgery or a restricted physical status (ASA-Status > 2 or Kellgren and Lawrence grade > 2) have a negative influence on the post-operative results or on patient satisfaction. Retrospective data collection and a prospective interview were performed with 486 patients who underwent primary total hip replacement between January 2007 and December 2010 in our hospital. The patients' satisfaction and quality of life were surveyed with the WOMAC-Score, SF-36 and EuroQol-5. Differences between more than two independent spot tests were tested with the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. Differences between two independent spot tests were tested with the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The frequencies were reported and odds ratios calculated. The confidence interval was set at 95 %. The level of significance was p total score of the SF-36 was 66.9 points. The patients declared an average EuroQol Index of 0.81. Our data show that the patients' gender did not influence the duration of surgery or the scores. However, female patients tended to exhibit more postoperative complications. However, increased patient age at the time of surgery was associated with an increased OR for duration of surgery, length of stay and risk of complications. Patients who had a normal body weight at time of the surgery showed better peri- and post-operative results. We showed that the preoperative estimated Kellgren and Lawrence grade had a significant influence on the duration of surgery. The ASA classification influenced the duration of surgery as well the length of stay and the rate of complications. The quality of results after primary THR depends on preoperative factors. Existing comorbidities have a

Numerical investigation of the influence of the strictive self-interaction on the quality of phase conjugation in the course of stimulated Brillouin scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kir'yanov, Yu F; Kochemasov, G G; Maslov, N V; Shestakova, I V

1999-01-01

The influence of the strictive self-interaction on the threshold and quality of phase conjugation in the course of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) was investigated numerically in the linear approximation for steady-state linearly polarised pumping. The calculations were carried out for the three-dimensional case of a Gaussian pump beam and a beam representing a superposition of 10 x 10 Hermitian - Gaussian modes with random phases. It was found that in the case of a Gaussian beam the growth of the strictive aberrations leads to a significant reduction of the SBS threshold but has little influence on the conjugation quality. In the case of a pump beam with a divergence exceeding the diffraction limit such growth of the strictive aberrations results (on the average) in lowering the SBS threshold and in deterioration of the conjugation quality. The calculated results depend strongly on the specific phase combination of the superposed modes. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

The Influence of Resettlement of the Capital of Probolinggo Regency Toward Service Quality of Police Record (SKCK (Study in Probolinggo Resort Police

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Erlinda Puspitasari

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This study examined the influence of resettlement of the capital of Probolinggo Regency toward service quality of Police Record (SKCK in Probolinggo Resort Police. Probolinggo Resort Police (Polres is one government agencies that experiencing resettlement of the location from Probolinggo City to Kraksaan district. It is expected that by this resettlement, public service processes would become ‘better and in high quality’. The study used quantitative research method with explanatory approach to test the hypothesis that has been set. Dependent variable in this study are resettlement of the capital of regency (X with the variables: affordability, recoverability and replicability. While the dependent variable in this study are the service quality of Police Record (SKCK (Y with the indicators: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The study used multiple linear regression method of analysis. The study revealed that the resettlement of the capital of regency variable (X which consist of three variables such as affordability (X1, recoverability (X2 and replicability variable (X3 influence significantly toward service quality of the Police Record (SKCK in Probolinggo Resort Police (Polres. Keywords: The Resettlement, The Capital of Regency, Service Quality, Police Record (SKCK, Probolinggo Resort Police.

The Influence of Oxidation on the Quality of U3O8 Kernels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Damunir; Sukarsono; Indra Suryawan

2002-01-01

The influence of oxidation on quality of U 3 O 8 kernels have been studied. The investigated the influence was changed of time and temperature oxidation of Uranyl-4(ammonia)-2(polyvinyl alcohol) gel on surface area, pore radius, pore volume, porosity and diameter size of U 3 O 8 kernel. The spherical of uranyl-4(ammonia)-2(polyvinyl alcohol) containing 150g U/l were oxidized at 200-800 o C temperature for 2-24 hours, formed U 3 O 8 kernel. After that, the quality of U 3 O 8 kernel were measured by their physical properties i.e. the surface area and pore radius using Surface areameter with N 2 gas as absorbent. The pore volume and porosity using pycnometer with aquabidest of water as a solvent, diameter size using a optical microscope. The experiment results, showed that the time and temperature oxidation of uranyl-4(ammonia)-2(polyvinyl alcohol) grain the influence to quality of U 3 O 8 in formed the surface area of specific, pore radius, pore volume of specific, porosity, and diameter size of U 3 O 8 kernel. The best accurred at 600-800 o C oxidation temperature and oxidation time was 2-5 hours. The resulted quality of U 3 O 8 kernel i.e surface area of specific was 10.84 - 5.99 m 2 /g, pore volume of specific was 10.35x10 -2 - 3.23x10 -2 cc/g, pore radius was 21.05 - 24.62 Angstrom, diameter size was 1264 - 1456 μm and porosity was 49.49 - 21.36 % Vol with Cumulative analysis error was 8.55 % Vol. (author)

How does the culture of medical group practices influence the types of programs used to assure quality of care?

Science.gov (United States)

Kaissi, Amer; Kralewski, John; Curoe, Ann; Dowd, Bryan; Silversmith, Janet

2004-01-01

It is widely acknowledged that the culture of medical group practices greatly influences the quality of care, but little is known about how cultures are translated into specific types of programs focused on quality. This study explores this issue by assessing the influence of the organizational culture on these types of programs in medical group practices in the upper Midwest. Data were obtained from two surveys of medical group practices. The first survey was designed to assess the culture of the practice using a nine-dimension instrument developed previously. The second survey was designed to obtain organizational structure data including the programs identified by the literature as important to the quality of care in medical practices. Completed surveys were obtained from eighty-eight medical groups. The relationship of the group practice culture to structural programs focused on quality of care was analyzed using logistic regression equations. Several interesting patterns emerged. As expected, practices with a strong information culture favor electronic data systems and formal programs that provide comparative or evidence-based data to enhance their clinical practices. However, those with a quality-centered culture appear to prefer patient satisfaction surveys to assess the quality of their care, while practices that are more business-oriented rely on bureaucratic strategies such as benchmarking and physician profiling. Cultures that emphasize the autonomy of physician practice were negatively (but not at a statistically significant level) associated with all the programs studied. Practices with a highly collegial culture appear to rely on informal peer review mechanisms to assure quality rather than any of the structural programs included in this analysis. This study suggests that the types of quality programs that group practices develop differ according to their cultures. Consequently, it is important for practice administrators and medical directors to

The influence of farmland pollution on the quality and safety of agricultural products

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Z. L.; Li, L. Y.; Ye, C.; Lin, X. Y.; B, C.; Wei

2018-02-01

The quality and safety of agricultural products is not only a major livelihood issues for people’s health, but also the main barriers to international trade of agricultural products nowadays. The soil is the foundation to the production of agricultural products and the guarantee of agricultural development. The farmland soil quality is directly related to the quality and safety of agricultural products. Our country’s soil has been polluted by a series of pollution, Such as the excessive discharge of industrial wastes, the encroachment of household waste, and the unreasonable use of pesticides and fertilizers. Soil degradation is a serious threat to the quality and safety of agricultural products, so eliminating soil degradation is the fundamental way out for quality and safety of agricultural products. By analyzing problems of the quality and safety of agricultural products in our country, and exploring the farmland soil influence on the quality and safety of agricultural products. This article provides a reference for improving the control level of quality and safety of agricultural products and the farmland soil quality.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE QUALITY OF PROVIDED SERVICES IN THE VISION OF TRAVEL AGENTS IN SUCEAVA MUNICIPALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Valentin HAPENCIUC

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Taking into account its pragmatic meaning, the success of a travel agency frequently relies on the activity of travel agents. In the process of promoting and selling flat voyages, customer service can be directly influenced by the interaction of factors such as: offer accuracy, sales representatives quality, employee timeliness, politeness of the travel agent, maintaining eye contact etc., all of which are components of the offered product. Thereby, we conducted, within the period 5 - 15 March 2015, a research based on interviews with 26 travel agents from 20 different units, in order to determine their awareness about potential factors that may have an influence on the quality of offered services. By the instrumentality of a questionnaire, we attempted to assess the integrity and loyalty of employees, their attitude regarding the activities they carry, their dissatisfaction, negative and  positive factors influencing service quality, and their positioning to the organization and brand.

The influence of music therapy on quality of life after a stroke

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilona Poćwierz-Marciniak

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background A stroke is an interruption in the course of one’s life. It often results in physical disability, cognitive or executive disorders, emotional problems and, as a consequence, the decrease of one’s quality of life. The goal of this research was to determine whether music therapy during neurorehabilitation can positively influence the assessment of one’s quality of life after a stroke. Participants and procedure Sixty-one people who had had strokes and were in the early stages of neurorehabilitation in a hospital took part in the research (n = 31 in the control group and n = 30 in the experimental group. All of them were physically disabled and had either minor cognitive and executive disabilities or none at all. People were randomly assigned to groups. Those in the experimental group participated in a one-on-one music therapy programme divided into 10 sessions based on guided imagery music therapy and cognitive music therapy. The first measurement of quality of life took place at the beginning of the hospital stay at the department of neurorehabilitation (about 1 month after the stroke and the second took place about 1.5 months later. Results Analysis of the results showed that participation in the music therapy programme was associated with a higher assessment of quality of life in the following aspects: general health, vitality, mental health, communication, emotional condition, and alertness. However, taking part in the music therapy had no influence on the assessment of quality of life in the areas of pain, limitation of social roles, relationships, self-care, mobility, and taking care of the house. Conclusions Stroke survivors who took part in music therapy assess their quality of life as higher compared to patients who did not take part in music therapy. Music therapy could constitute a supplementary method of treatment for patients during neurorehabilitation after a stroke, thus improving their quality of life.

Dietary fatty acids influence sperm quality and function.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferramosca, A; Moscatelli, N; Di Giacomo, M; Zara, V

2017-05-01

Recently, obesity has been linked to male infertility. In animal models the administration of a high-fat diet caused a reduction in sperm quality, by impairing gamete energy metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible effect of dietary fatty acids supplementation in the modulation of sperm energy metabolism and, in turn, in the improvement of sperm quality in rats fed a high-fat diet. Sexually mature male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups and fed for 4 weeks a standard diet (control group), a high-fat diet (enriched in 35% of fat and 15% sucrose), a high-fat diet supplemented with 2.5% olive oil (a source of monounsaturated fatty acids) or a high-fat diet supplemented with 2.5% krill oil (a source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids). Liver and adipose tissue weight, plasma glucose, insulin and lipid concentrations were determined. Activities of enzymes involved in sperm energetic metabolism were evaluated by spectrophotometric assays. Sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency was also assayed. The obtained results suggest that olive oil partially counteracts the negative effects of a high-fat diet on sperm quality, by increasing gamete motility, by reducing oxidative stress and slightly improving mitochondrial respiration efficiency. On the other hand, krill oil determines an increase in sperm concentration and motility, an increase in the activities of lactate dehydrogenase, Krebs cycle enzymes and respiratory chain complexes; a parallel increase in the cellular levels of ATP and a reduction in oxidative damage were also observed. These results suggest that dietary fatty acids are able to positively influence sperm quality and function. © 2017 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.

Influence of visual stimuli on the sound quality evaluation of loudspeaker systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karandreas, Theodoros-Alexandros; Christensen, Flemming

Product sound quality evaluation aims to identify relevant attributes and assess their influence on the overall auditory impression. Extending this sound specific rationale, the present study evaluates overall impression in relation to hearing and vision, specifically for loudspeakers. In order...... to quantify the bias that the image of a loudspeaker has on the sound quality evaluation of a naive listening panel, loudspeaker sounds of varied degradation are coupled with positively or negatively biasing visual input of actual loudspeakers, and in a separate experiment by pictures of the same loudspeakers....

Influence of visual stimuli in the sound quality evaluation of loudspeaker systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karandreas, Theodoros-Alexandros; Christensen, Flemming

2006-01-01

There is currently an increasing demand to evaluate sound quality attributes of products and understand to what extend they influence a user's overall impression, since there is usually more than one modality stimulating this evaluation. The present study uses the loudspeakers as an example...... and evaluates the overall impression in relation to hearing and vision.In order to quantify the bias that the image of a loudspeaker has on the sound quality evaluation done by a naive listening panel, loudspeaker sounds of varied degradation are coupled with positively or negatively biasing visual input...

Murcott seedless: influence of gamma irradiation on citrus production and fruit quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bermejo, A.; Pardo, J.; Cano, A.

2012-11-01

A Seedlessness is an important economic trait relating to fruit quality, and gamma irradiation is a common technique used to obtain seedless citrus fruits. Herein, we report a study of new seedless Murcott mandarin clones obtained by bud irradiation from the self-compatible not parthenocarpic Murcott mandarin. All irradiated clones examined presented lower seed numbers (from 0.23 to 2.47 seeds per fruit) and reduced pollen germination (from 1.40% to 8.55%) whereas the wild-type Murcott showed an average number of 9.03 seeds per fruit and a pollen germination value of 47.15%. Fruit quality and nutritional bio-components were affected differently; some clones presented no changes compared to the control Murcott mandarin, while other clones showed significant differences. High-performance liquid chromatographic methods were used to identify and quantify of these compounds, using photodiode array, mass and refractive index detectors. Our results indicated high contents in natural antioxidants as vitamin C (from 20.13 to 25.73 mg/100 mL) and phenolic compounds, as flavonoids, in these citrus varieties cultived under the Mediterranean climate. Some of these clones, which ripen late in the season and whose fruit quality is maintained or improved, are in the process of registration. In conclusion, budwood irradiation is a suitable technique to improve cultivars, produce seedless cultivars, adjust ripening time or raise the content of health-promoting compounds. Also this study investigates the influence of temperature during flowering on the number of seeds formed. Findings indicate that low temperatures during flower formation decreased pollen germination and seed number. (Author) 35 refs.

A Study about The Quality of Nursing Services a Hospitals’ Ward, Mojokerto

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Muhith

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Nowadays, the trend of hospital visits in Mojokerto is declining. It can caused by man (nurses, such as the quality of nursing services hasn’t been conducted optimally. This study was aimed to analyze the quality of nursing services at hospitals’ ward at Mojokerto. Method: This was explanatory research with survey method and cross sectional approach. The population were nurses and patients who undergo hospitalization minimally in three days at RSU. Dr. Wahidin Sudiro Husodo and RS Reksa Waluyo Mojokerto. The data were collected by using questionnaire, and then will be analyzed by using regression statistical test. Result: 1 There was positive significance influence of nurses capability, hospital’s ethic, and leadership to the commitment of nurses; 2 There was significant influence of capability work (identification, significance, autonomy, and feedback to the improvement of nursing services quality; 3 There was significant influence of hospital’s ethics (communication, relatedness with industry, compulsion, and specification to the improvement of nursing services quality; 4 There was significant influence of leadership (challenger risk, socialization in vision and mission, supporter, guiding, and supporting to the improvement of nursing services quality; 5 There was significant influence of nurses’ commitment (sense of belonging, sense of linking, believable leader, and suitability of value to the improvement of nursing services quality. Discussion: It can be concluded that in order to improve the quality of nursing service, management of RSU Dr. Wahidin Sudiro Husodo and RS Rekso Waluyo Mojokerto should improve the ability of nurses, the enforcement of hospital ethics to all employees without exception, and develop hospital ethics that can represent various stakeholder interests, as well as maintain and improve leadership issue. Keywords: nurses, quality, services (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance

[Influence of overweight on the health-related quality of life in adolescents].

Science.gov (United States)

Herranz Barbero, A; López de Mesa, Ma R; Azcona San Julián, C

2015-03-01

Changes in lifestyle and diet have led to a progressive increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. This disorder can lead to significant physical and psychosocial effects that affect the health related quality of life (HRQOL). Adolescence is a time of great vulnerability and very decisive in personality development. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of weight status on HRQoL in adolescents. A cross-sectional study conducted on adolescents of 12-16 years old and an assessment of HRQOL using the CHIP-Adolescents Edition questionnaires. Out of a total of 89 adolescents included, 60.7% had a normal weight and 39.3% were overweight-obese. The normal weight participants had a higher mean age than overweight-obesity participants, 14.2 vs. 13.6 years old, respectively. There were no other differences in sociodemographic characteristics between groups. Overweight-obese adolescents had a worse HRQoL, specifically as regards less resilience, lower capacity for physical activity, less family involvement, and greater peer influence. Moreover, the girls showed a lower self-esteem, satisfaction, resilience and physical activity than boys. Furthermore, less home safety and health, higher individual risk and greater peer influence was reported with increasing age of participants. Overweight-obesity negatively affects the HRQoL of adolescents. It is important to evaluate the psychosocial aspects from the perspective of the adolescents, in order to offer them a complete, personalized and multidisciplinary care. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

How Writing Quality Influences Readers' Judgements of Resumes in Business and Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Charney, Davida H.; And Others

1992-01-01

Investigates how job recruiters seeking to fill positions in mechanical engineering or marketing are influenced by the quality of writing in student resumes. Finds that teachers must assess how accurately they and their students understand the community's discourse practices to help students enter a professional discourse community. (PRA)

Ambient air quality monitoring during the H1N1 influence period in Pune (India).

Science.gov (United States)

Pathak, M; Deshpande, A; Mirashe, P K; Sorte, R B; Ojha, A

2010-10-01

Ambient air quality in an urban area is directly linked with activity level in the city including transport, business and industrial activities. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has established an ambient air quality network in the city including state-of-the-art continuous air quality monitoring stations which indicate short duration air quality variations for criteria and non-criteria pollutants. The influence of H1N1 outbreak in Pune hitting its worst pandemic condition, led the civic authorities to implement stringent isolation measures including closure of schools, colleges, business malls, cinema halls, etc. Additionally, the fear of such a pandemic brought the city to a stand still. It was therefore necessary to assess the impacts of such activity level on ambient air quality in the city. It has been observed that such events have positive impacts on air quality of the city. There was a decrease in PM concentration almost to the tune of 30 to 40% if the impacts of precipitation, i.e. seasonal variations, are taken into account. Similarly, the non criteria pollutants too showed a marked but unusual decrease in their concentrations in this ever growing city. The influence of these in turn led to lowered concentrations of secondary pollutants, i.e. O3. Overall, the ambient air quality of Pune was found to be improved during the study period.

Influence of Coal Ash Leachates and Emergent Macrophytes on Water Quality in Wetland Microcosms

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Influence of Coal Ash Leachates and Emergent Macrophytes on Water Quality in Wetland Microcosms. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Olson,...

Accounting for and predicting the influence of spatial autocorrelation in water quality modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Miralha, L.; Kim, D.

2017-12-01

Although many studies have attempted to investigate the spatial trends of water quality, more attention is yet to be paid to the consequences of considering and ignoring the spatial autocorrelation (SAC) that exists in water quality parameters. Several studies have mentioned the importance of accounting for SAC in water quality modeling, as well as the differences in outcomes between models that account for and ignore SAC. However, the capacity to predict the magnitude of such differences is still ambiguous. In this study, we hypothesized that SAC inherently possessed by a response variable (i.e., water quality parameter) influences the outcomes of spatial modeling. We evaluated whether the level of inherent SAC is associated with changes in R-Squared, Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), and residual SAC (rSAC), after accounting for SAC during modeling procedure. The main objective was to analyze if water quality parameters with higher Moran's I values (inherent SAC measure) undergo a greater increase in R² and a greater reduction in both AIC and rSAC. We compared a non-spatial model (OLS) to two spatial regression approaches (spatial lag and error models). Predictor variables were the principal components of topographic (elevation and slope), land cover, and hydrological soil group variables. We acquired these data from federal online sources (e.g. USGS). Ten watersheds were selected, each in a different state of the USA. Results revealed that water quality parameters with higher inherent SAC showed substantial increase in R² and decrease in rSAC after performing spatial regressions. However, AIC values did not show significant changes. Overall, the higher the level of inherent SAC in water quality variables, the greater improvement of model performance. This indicates a linear and direct relationship between the spatial model outcomes (R² and rSAC) and the degree of SAC in each water quality variable. Therefore, our study suggests that the inherent level of

Corporate Governance Quality and Audit Quality in Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Wai Kee Ho; Yu Hock Oo; Chee Kueng Kwong

2017-01-01

This paper examines the impact of corporate governance quality on audit quality in Malaysia. The sampling frame is 457 Malaysian non-finance listed companies, over the periods 2003 to 2007 (pre-2007 Code period) and 2008 to 2012 (post-2007 Code period), consisting of 2,285 observations for each period. This study uses pooled ordinary least square (OLS) to test the research hypotheses and model. The results show that the effectiveness of the audit committee (AC) has no significant influence on...

Does the Surgical Management of the Intercostobrachial Nerve Influence the Postoperatory Paresthesia of the Upper Limb and Life Quality in Breast Cancer Patients?

Science.gov (United States)

Orsolya, Hankó-Bauer; Coros, Marius Florin; Stolnicu, Simona; Naznean, Adrian; Georgescu, Rares

2017-01-01

The aim of our study was to evaluate the extent to which the preservation or the section of the intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN) influences the development of postoperatoryparesthesia and to assess whether the development of paresthesiamay change the patient's life quality after surgical treatment for breast carcinoma. We performed a nonrandomized retrospective study including 100 patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection for infiltrating breast carcinoma associated with axillary lymph node metastases. Using a questionnaire we studied the patients general life quality in the postoperative period. For the statistical analysis we used GraphPad Prism, Fisher'™s exact test and Chi square test. Results: 100 patients were included in our study with a mean age of 59.7 years. In 50 cases, the ICBN was preserved (Group 1),while in the remaining 50 cases the ICBN was sectioned during surgery (Group 2). Significantly more patients from Group 2 complained about postoperative paresthesia (p=0.026). In our series, the management of the ICBN cannot be significantly correlated with the impairment of the patients daily activities (p=0.2), sleeping cycle (p=0.2), and general life quality after surgery (p=0.67). We can conclude that the management of ICBN has a great influence on the development of postoperative paresthesia. Although the paresthesia does not have a negative effect on the patient'™s life quality in the postoperative period, in our opinion it is important to preserve the ICBN in order to prevent postoperative paresthesia. Celsius.

Influence of shoot topping on yield and quality of Vitis vinifera L.

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-10-20

Oct 20, 2008 ... Key words: Vitis vinifera L., shoot topping, yield, quality, canopy management, shoot topping, fruit set, yield components, fruit .... Sensory characteristics were under the interaction effect of year and topping level. Berry weight was influenced separately by the year and topping (Table 2 and 3). Yield per vine ...

Individual optimization of pacing sensors improves exercise capacity without influencing quality of life

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erol-Yilmaz, Ayten; Schrama, Tim A.; Tanka, Jutta Schroeder; Tijssen, Jan G.; Wilde, Arthur A.; Tukkie, Raymond

2005-01-01

Introduction: Programmable pacemaker sensor features are frequently used in default setting. Limited data are available about the effect of sensor optimization on exercise capacity and quality of life (QOL), Influence of individual optimization of sensors on QOL and exercise tolerance was

Factors influencing quality of patient interaction at community pharmacy drive-through and walk-in counselling areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Odukoya, Olufunmilola K; Chui, Michelle A; Pu, Jia

2014-08-01

To examine factors influencing the amount of time and information pharmacy personnel provide to patients at drive-through and walk-in counselling areas. On-site observational data collection in 22 community pharmacies by pharmacy students. Information included observable patient characteristics such as gender, age range, English proficiency and mobility impairment; encounter characteristics included type of prescription and whether the patient was acknowledged; and counselling characteristics included types of counselling information conveyed and length of time for each encounter. Patient-pharmacist encounters were documented at the drive-through and walk-in counselling areas 961 and 1098 times respectively. Pharmacists spent less time, and technicians more time, with patients at the drive-through counselling area. The amount of information provided to patients was significantly affected by whether the patient was receiving new versus refill prescriptions. Patients with a new prescription were twice as likely to receive more information from pharmacy personnel. There was a significant difference between the amount of counselling provided to patients at the drive-through and walk-in counselling area (rate ratio (RR) 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.86-1.00). Patients at the drive-through received a lower amount of information relative to patients using the walk-in. Amount of information provided to patients was affected by the level of pharmacy busyness (RR 0.96, 95% CI: 0.95-0.99). Providing patient care at the drive-through counselling area may negatively influence quality of patient care. To improve quality of pharmacy drive-through services, standardization of drive-through services in pharmacies may be needed. © 2013 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Whole-body computed tomography in trauma patients: optimization of the patient scanning position significantly shortens examination time while maintaining diagnostic image quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hickethier T

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Tilman Hickethier,1,* Kamal Mammadov,1,* Bettina Baeßler,1 Thorsten Lichtenstein,1 Jochen Hinkelbein,2 Lucy Smith,3 Patrick Sven Plum,4 Seung-Hun Chon,4 David Maintz,1 De-Hua Chang1 1Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; 2Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; 3Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada; 4Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: The study was conducted to compare examination time and artifact vulnerability of whole-body computed tomographies (wbCTs for trauma patients using conventional or optimized patient positioning. Patients and methods: Examination time was measured in 100 patients scanned with conventional protocol (Group A: arms positioned alongside the body for head and neck imaging and over the head for trunk imaging and 100 patients scanned with optimized protocol (Group B: arms flexed on a chest pillow without repositioning. Additionally, influence of two different scanning protocols on image quality in the most relevant body regions was assessed by two blinded readers. Results: Total wbCT duration was about 35% or 3:46 min shorter in B than in A. Artifacts in aorta (27 vs 6%, liver (40 vs 8% and spleen (27 vs 5% occurred significantly more often in B than in A. No incident of non-diagnostic image quality was reported, and no significant differences for lungs and spine were found. Conclusion: An optimized wbCT positioning protocol for trauma patients allows a significant reduction of examination time while still maintaining diagnostic image quality. Keywords: CT scan, polytrauma, acute care, time requirement, positioning

Nutrition myths - the factor influencing the quality of children's diets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slávka Mrosková

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Aim: To analyse the influence of parents' belief in nutrition myths on the frequency of their serving certain foods to their children. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Survey carried out with 297 respondents - parents of children aged 5-18 years. The data collection took place between September 2013 and December 2014. The questionnaire focussed on 14 nutrition myths related to selected foods (milk, dairy products, meat, offal, fruit, vegetables, eggs, fish, legumes, soya, and flour dishes. At the same time, the parents reported the frequency of their serving the monitored foods to their children. In the statistical analysis, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used. Results: For nine nutrition myths we found significant negative coefficients between a certain nutrition myth and the frequency of the serving of the food. The nutrition myths related to the consumption of fish (r = -0.328, eggs (r = -0.203, soya (r = -0.301; -0.290, offal (r = -0.155, meat (r = -0.128, milk (r = -0.272; -0.254, and fruit/vegetables (r = -0.104. Conclusion: The belief in nutrition myths appears to be a determinant modifying parental behaviour and subsequently the quality of children's diets.

Influence of socioeconomic factors on daily life activities and quality of life of Thai elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ratana Somrongthong

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: The increasing number of older people is a significant issue in Thailand, resulted in growing demands of health and social welfare services. The study aim was to explore the influence of socioeconomic factors on activities of daily living and quality of life of Thai seniors. Design and methods: Using randomised cluster sampling, one province was sampled from each of the Central, North, Northeast and South regions, then one subdistrict sampled in each province, and a household survey used to identify the sample of 1678 seniors aged 60 years and over. The Mann-Whitney U-test and binary logistic regression were used to compare and determine the association of socioeconomic variables on quality of life and activities of daily living. Results: The findings showed that sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors were significantly related to functional capacity of daily living. Education levels were strongly associated with daily life activities, with 3.55 adjusted ORs for respondents with secondary school education. Gender was important, with females comprising 61% of dependent respondents but only 47% of independent respondents. Seniors with low incomes were more likely to be anxious in the past, present and future and less likely to accept death in the late stage, with 1.40 Adjusted ORs (95%CI: 1.02-1.92, and 0.72 (95%CI: 0.53-0.98, respectively. However, they were more likely to engage in social activities. Conclusions: While socioeconomic factors strongly indicated the functional capacity to live independently, a good quality of life also required other factors leading to happiness and life satisfaction.

Site quality influence over understory plant diversity in old-growth and harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. A. Gallo

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Aim of study: The effects and interactions of shelterwood forest harvesting and site qualities over understory plant species diversity and composition were compared among primary and harvested Nothofagus pumilio forests.Area of study: Tierra del Fuego (Argentina, on three pure conditions (one and six year-old harvested, and primary without previous harvesting forests and three site qualities (high, medium and low.Material and Methods: Understory richness and cover (% were registered in five replicates of 1 hectare each per treatment. Taxonomic species were classified in categories (groups, origin and life forms. Two-way ANOVAs and multivariate analyses were conducted.Main results: Shelterwood harvesting and site quality significantly influenced understory cover and richness, which allow the introduction of native and exotic species and increasing of dicot and monocot covers. In dicots, monocots, exotics and total groups, higher richness and covers were related to time. Meanwhile, cover reached similar high values in all site qualities on dicot, native and total groups. On the other hand, monocot and exotic richness and cover remain similar in primary and recently harvested forests, and greatly increased in old harvested forests. Mosses and ferns were among the most sensitive groups.Research highlights: Impacts of shelterwood cut depend on site quality of the stands and time since harvesting occurs. For this, different site quality stands should received differential attention in the development of conservation strategies, as well as variations in the shelterwood implementation (as irregularity and patchiness should be considered to better promote understory plant species conservation inside managed areas.Key words: plant species conservation; years after harvesting; forest management; Tierra del Fuego.

Influence of reinforcement and cemented parts on quality of radiological shields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ablewicz, Z.

1974-01-01

Results of studies of the influence of reinforcement density and shape of cemented parts on quality of radiological shields are presented. The studies were carried out on built shields and on experimental blocks. The experimental studies were aimed at determination of filling degree under cemented parts of different shapes using two kinds of cement normal and heavy one and at determination of filling degree of space with dense reinforcement as well as space near boarding. The influence of reinforcement density was studied using different spacing between bars and rows of bars. In the case of difficulties with good filling under the cemented parts so called ''beard'' and more liquid mixtures were used with success. (Z.M.)

Influence of motivation, self-efficacy and situational factors on the teaching quality of clinical educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Dybowski, Christoph; Sehner, Susanne; Harendza, Sigrid

2017-05-08

Being exposed to good teachers has been shown to enhance students' knowledge and their clinical performance, but little is known about the underlying psychological mechanisms that provide the basis for being an excellent medical teacher. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) postulates that more self-regulated types of motivation are associated with higher performance. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) focuses on self-efficacy that has been shown to be positively associated with performance. To investigate the influences of different types of teaching motivation, teaching self-efficacy, and teachers' perceptions of students' skills, competencies and motivation on teaching quality. Before the winter semester 2014, physicians involved in bedside teaching in internal medicine at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf completed a questionnaire with sociodemographic items and instruments measuring different dimensions of teaching motivation as well as teaching self-efficacy. During the semester, physicians rated their perceptions of the participating students who rated the teaching quality after each lesson. We performed a random intercept mixed-effects linear regression with students' ratings of teaching quality as the dependent variable and students' general interest in a subject as covariate. We explored potential associations between teachers' dispositions and their perceptions of students' competencies in a mixed-effects random intercept logistic regression. 94 lessons given by 55 teachers with 500 student ratings were analyzed. Neither teaching motivation nor teaching self-efficacy were directly associated with students' rating of teaching quality. Teachers' perceptions of students' competencies and students' general interest in the lesson's subject were positively associated with students' rating of teaching quality. Physicians' perceptions of their students' competencies were significantly positively predicted by their teaching self-efficacy. Teaching quality

Quality of life outcomes in women with endometriosis are highly influenced by recruitment strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

De Graaff, A A; Dirksen, C D; Simoens, S; De Bie, B; Hummelshoj, L; D'Hooghe, T M; Dunselman, G A J

2015-06-01

To what extent are outcome measures in endometriosis-related quality of life studies influenced by the setting in which patient recruitment is performed? Quality of life outcomes in women with endometriosis are highly influenced by recruitment strategies. Most studies on quality of life in women with endometriosis are conducted in tertiary care centres or patient associations. It is conceivable that the setting in which patient recruitment is performed influences the quality of life results. This has not been investigated before. Retrospective questionnaire based cohort study (part of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) EndoCost study). The investigated women were recruited in three settings: a tertiary care centre for endometriosis (n = 135); five secondary care centres (n = 63); an endometriosis patient association (n = 291). The secondary and tertiary care population included women with a laparoscopic and/or histological diagnosis of endometriosis. The patient association population consisted of women with a self-reported diagnosis of surgically confirmed endometriosis. The populations did not differ in terms of age, co-morbidities and education level. Delay of diagnosis was the longest in the patient association (median 7 years) (tertiary care 2 years; secondary care 1.5 years) (P values were analysed as if the symptom was not present. Missing values never exceeded 10%, except for one value. Therefore, it can be expected that the effect of missing data on the outcome is negligible. Twenty-five patients belonged to more than one category. A sensitivity analysis showed that the influence of assigning patients to another category was limited. Outcomes regarding quality of life are highly influenced by recruitment strategy. None of the groups appeared to be a representative selection of the total population of women with endometriosis. An alternative strategy for creating a representative population for cost and quality of life studies is probably to

Assessing clinical significance in measuring oncology patient quality of life: Introduction to the symposium, content overview, and definition of terms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sloan, Jeff A.; Cella, David; Frost, Marlene; Guyatt, Gordon H.; Sprangers, Mirjam; Symonds, Tara

2002-01-01

The Clinical Significance Consensus Meeting Group of the Symposium on the Clinical Significance of Quality-of-Life Measures in Cancer Patients produced 6 articles regarding the clinical significance of quality of life (QOL) assessments in oncology. The 6 articles deal with the methods used to date:

Influence of rendering methods on yield and quality of chicken fat recovered from broiler skin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang-Kun Lin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Objective In order to utilize fat from broiler byproducts efficiently, it is necessary to develop an appropriate rendering procedure and establish quality information for the rendered fat. A study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the influence of rendering methods on the amounts and general properties of the fat recovered from broiler skin. Methods The yield and quality of the broiler skin fat rendered through high and lower energy microwave rendering (3.6 W/g for 10 min and 2.4 W/g for 10 min for high power microwave rendering (HPMR and high power microwave rendering (LPMR, respectively, oven baking (OB, at 180°C for 40 min, and water cooking (WC, boiling for 40 min were compared. Results Microwave-rendered skin exhibited the highest yields and fat recovery rates, followed by OB, and WC fats (p<0.05. HPMR fat had the highest L*, a*, and b* values, whereas WC fat had the highest moisture content, acid values, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA values (p<0.05. There was no significant difference in the acid value, peroxide value, and TBA values between HPMR and LPMR fats. Conclusion Microwave rendering at a power level of 3.6 W/g for 10 min is suggested base on the yield and quality of chicken fat.

Service quality and corporate social responsibility, influence on post-purchase intentions of sheltered employment institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chao-Chien; Lin, Shih-Yen; Cheng, Chia-Hsin; Tsai, Chia-Ching

2012-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of service quality and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction toward post-purchase intentions from sheltered employment institutions. Work experience plays an important role in career development for those people with intellectual disabilities. When they are not yet capable of obtaining a job in the open market, they must receive job training and daily care in sheltered employment institutions. If the sheltered employment institutions cannot operate properly, they will greatly affect intellectual disabilities. From the study of "Children Are Us Bakeries and Restaurants" sheltered employment institutions are one kind of food service business that has been found to request and improve service quality and execution of CSR. These are two main factors which can enhance brand value and create a good reputation for sheltered employment institutions. The questionnaire results indicate that perceived service quality has a positive relationship with customer satisfaction and the reliability dimension is the most important factor for customers to assess service quality. Meanwhile, correlation analysis shows that customer satisfaction regarding service quality influences post-purchase intentions, indicating that friendly and helpful employees can please customers and enhance their satisfaction level and also induce positive post-purchase intentions of consumers. Regarding the CSR of "Children Are Us Bakeries and Restaurants" sheltered employment institutions, the analysis reveals a statistical significance: the greater customer satisfaction of CSR, the higher the post-purchase intention. In addition, in the work, paired-sample t test analysis reveals there is a significant difference (pperceived" and "expected" responses. In summary, since those with intellectual disabilities usually are enthusiastic at work and do their best to provide good service and execute CSR

Influence of burnout and sleep difficulties on the quality of life among medical students

OpenAIRE

Pagnin, Daniel; de Queiroz, Val?ria

2015-01-01

This study assessed the influence of burnout dimensions and sleep difficulties on the quality of life among preclinical-phase medical school students. Data were collected from 193 students through their completion of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, the Maslach Burnout Inventory?Student Survey, the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire, the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. This survey performed hierarchical multiple regressions to quantify the e...

The clinical significance of quality of life assessments in oncology: a summary for clinicians

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sloan, Jeff A.; Frost, Marlene H.; Berzon, Rick; Dueck, Amylou; Guyatt, Gordon; Moinpour, Carol; Sprangers, Mirjam; Ferrans, Carol; Cella, David

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: A series of six manuscripts with an introduction appeared in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, based upon the collective effort of 30 individuals with an interest and expertise in assessing the clinical significance of quality of life (QOL) assessments. The series of manuscripts described the

Influence of steaming on drying quality and colour of beech timber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milić Goran

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an analysis of influence of the “light” steaming process on conventional drying and colour of beech timber. A stack consisting of steamed and unsteamed boards was dried. Moisture content and moisture content profiles were recorded, and at the end of drying final moisture content, moisture content difference across thickness, case-hardening and colour were determinated. No statistically significant difference between steamed and unsteamed timber was established in any of the examined parameters (MC, ΔMC, gap. The results indicate that equal (or even better drying quality can be expected with steamed beech timber than with unsteamed timber, given the same drying schedule. Dry steamed timber was darker and more reddish than the unsteamed one. An imprecision of measurement by probes in the kiln was noticed in measuring steamed and unsteamed beech timber having a moisture content of between 7% and 15%, and a solution for overcoming this problem was given. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31041

The Influence of Product Quality and Consumer Perception to Purchase Decision on Canon Dslr Camera in Manado

OpenAIRE

Gunadi, Nikita Prisilia

2015-01-01

Marketing is very important to the success of the company, marketing is used by employers as a tool to influence consumers, especially in making a purchase of a product. Consumer purchasing decision is a very important activity for the company, as one goal obtaining profits to the company. This study aimed to determine the influence of product quality, and consumer perception to purchase decision on canon DSLR camera in Manado. Quality has a direct impact on the performance products and servi...

Influence of gamma radiation on the quality of some Egyptian honey types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taha, S.M.A.; Swailam, H.M.H.

2007-01-01

The influence of gamma radiation on the quality of different types of honey (clover, sweet marjoram and black cumin) was investigated. Samples were exposed to different doses of gamma radiation at 5, 10 and 25 KGy. The effect of treatments was investigated on several physicochemical and sensory properties and on amino acid compositions, mineral contents as well as on the antifungal activity of honeys. The results of the present study showed that the physicochemical properties (ph values, refractive index, moisture content, total protein, viscosity, total sugars and reducing sugars) and the sensory properties (colour, odour, taste and consistency) of 5 and 10 KGy irradiated honey types revealed non-significant difference as compared with the non-irradiated samples while gamma irradiation up to 25 KGy was found to cause significant changes in reducing sugars, viscosity and taste. Moreover, non-significant changes mineral contents between samples irradiated at 5, 10 and 25 KGy. At 5 KGy, there was non-significant change in the total amino acid, while by increasing the irradiation dose levels to 10 and 25 KGy, there was significant decrease in the total amino acids for all types of honey. Data exhibited that black cumin honey had the most antifungal activity while both sweet marjoram and clover honey were almost the same. The present results indicated that growth of Candida albicans was the most resistant to honey concentrations followed by Microsporum canis, Chrysosporium tropicum, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium chrysogenum and Trichophyton rubrum. The antifungal activity of raw and irradiated honey types was similar

Is children's listening effort in background noise influenced by the speaker's voice quality?

Science.gov (United States)

Sahlén, Birgitta; Haake, Magnus; von Lochow, Heike; Holm, Lucas; Kastberg, Tobias; Brännström, K Jonas; Lyberg-Åhlander, Viveka

2018-07-01

The present study aims at exploring the influence of voice quality on listening effort in children performing a language comprehension test with sentences of increasing difficulty. Listening effort is explored in relation to gender ( = cisgender). The study has a between-groups design. Ninety-three mainstreamed children aged 8;2 to 9;3 with typical language development participated. The children were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 46/47) with equal allocation of boys and girls and for the analysis to four groups depending of gender and voice condition. Working memory capacity and executive functions were tested in quiet. A digital version of a language comprehension test (the TROG-2) was used to measure the effect of voice quality on listening effort, measured as response time in a forced-choice paradigm. The groups listened to sentences through recordings of the same female voice, one group with a typical voice and one with a dysphonic voice, both in competing multi-talker babble noise. Response times were logged after a time buffer between the sentence-ending and indication of response. There was a significant increase in response times with increased task difficulty and response times between the two voice conditions differed significantly. The girls in the dysphonic condition were slower with increasing task difficulty. A dysphonic voice clearly adds to the noise burden and listening effort is greater in girls than in boys when the teacher speaks with dysphonic voice in a noisy background. These findings might mirror gender differences as for coping strategies in challenging contexts and have important implications for education.

Influence of heart rate on diagnostic accuracy and image quality of 16-slice CT coronary angiography: comparison of multisegment and halfscan reconstruction approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dewey, Marc; Teige, Florian; Hamm, Bernd; Laule, Michael

2007-01-01

The lower the heart rate the better image quality in multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography. We prospectively assessed the influence of heart rate on per-patient diagnostic accuracy and image quality of MSCT coronary angiography and compared adaptive multisegment and standard halfscan reconstruction. A consecutive cohort of 126 patients scheduled to undergo conventional coronary angiography was examined with 16-slice CT. For all heart rate groups, per-patient diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher for multisegment than halfscan reconstruction with values of 95 vs. 79% (p 74 bpm, 41 patients). Differences in diagnostic accuracy between adjacent heart rate groups were only significant for halfscan reconstruction for the comparison between the 65-74 and >74 bpm group (p < 0.05). The vessel lengths free of motion artifacts were significantly longer with multisegment reconstruction in all heart rate groups and for all coronary arteries (p < 0.005). For noninvasive MSCT coronary angiography, both per-patient diagnostic accuracy and image quality decline with increasing heart rate, and multisegment reconstruction at high heart rates yields similar results as standard halfscan reconstruction at low heart rates. (orig.)

La calidad percibida de servicio y su influencia en la fidelidad de usuarios mayores en centros de fitness públicos (Influence of perceived service quality on loyalty among elderly users of public fitness centres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerónimo García, Ainara Bernal

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, there is an increasing number of elderly people attending sports centres leading to interest in the evaluation of perceived quality due to its impact on loyalty. Thus, the objectives of this study/survey were to determine perceived quality and customer loyalty among users older than 55 years old attending public fitness centres, to analyze whether there were significant differences between users, and to examine if perceived quality influenced customer loyalty. We used a sample of 610 users of public fitness centres (406 women and 204 men, performing exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, t-test and one-way ANOVA, and linear regression. The results show reliable and valid scales of service quality (employees, programs, and facilities and loyalty. Significant differences were found in the employees and facilities dimensions regarding gender, age, and educational background and in the programs dimension regarding gender, educational background, marital status, and duration of the practice session. A positive influence was found between quality and customer loyalty. These findings suggest the importance of good quality management.

Study on the influence of several factors on the quality of SR-XFMT image

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Biao; Yu Xiaohan; Xu Hongjie

2007-01-01

Synchrotron Radiation based X-ray Fluorescent Microtomography (SR-XFMT) is a novel non-destructive technique, which has the ability to reconstruct elemental distributions within a specimen with nondestructive methods. The paper studied the influence of several factors, such as the sampling interval and projections, image reconstruction algorithm and fluorescence signals, on the quality of SR-XFMT image by computer simulation. Some useful conclusions on the quality of SR-XFMT image can be drawn. (authors)

Storage influence on the functional, sensory and keeping quality of quality protein maize flour.

Science.gov (United States)

Shobha, D; Kumar, H V Dileep; Sreeramasetty, T A; Puttaramanaik; Gowda, K T Pandurange; Shivakumar, G B

2014-11-01

Apart from nutritional values functional and sensory properties affect the behavior of food system and its acceptability for consumption during storage. Hence keeping quality of maize flour (HQPM-7) with and without lime treatment(control) was studied in terms of functional (bulk density, pH, swelling capacity, water and oil absorption capacity, least gelation concentration, peroxide value), sensory (appearance, color, taste, texture, mouth feel and overall acceptability) and rolling parameters (water absorption by flour, rolling quality, diameter after baking ) for a period of 6 months under room temperature (25 ± 5 °C) in two types of packages viz, LDPE cover (P) and plastic box (B). Physical parameters such as length, breadth and thickness (11.26-10.52 mm, 9.67-9.14 mm, & 4.72-3.95 mm) were reduced in lime treated grains compared to control. Significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in ash content of lime treated flour (1.67 ± 0.01 g) was observed compared to control (1.5 ± 0.02 g). Calcium content of lime treated maize flour increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 48 to 136 mg. There is a significant reduction in functional properties of flour after 3 and 2 months irrespective in polyethylene cover and plastic box. The properties like rolling quality, diameter after baking and water uptake by the flour were reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) after 4 months of storage in treated and after 1 month in control samples. Sensory scores of roti (dry pan cake) decreased significantly after 3 months of storage with an overall acceptability score of 4.0 and 3.4. In control samples mean taste (3.6), mouth feel (3.8) as well as OAA scores (3.8) decreased after second month. Hence lime treated maize flour with added nutritional benefits is suitable for making rotis of good palatability and can be stored in LDPE covers up to 3 months.

Lake Chini Water Quality Assessment Using Multivariate Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, A.K.; Shuhaimi, Othman M.; Lim, E.C.; Aziz, Z.A.

2013-01-01

An analysis was undertaken using the multivariate approach to determine the important water quality for shallow lake water quality assessment. Fourteen water quality parameters which includes biological, physical and chemical components were collected monthly over twelve month period. The data were analysed using factor analysis which involves identification of factor correlation, factor extraction and factor permutations. The first process involved the clustering of high correlation parameters into its respective factor and the removal of parameters that have more than one factor. Agglomerative hierarchy (HACA) and discriminant analysis (DA) were also used to exhibit the important factors that has significant influence on lake water quality. The analysis showed that Lake Chini water quality was determined by more than one factor. The results indicated that the biological and chemical (nutrients) components have significant influence in determining the lake water quality. The biological parameters namely BOD5, COD, chlorophyll a and chemical (nitrate and orthophosphate) are important parameters in Lake Chini. All analysis demonstrated the importance of biological and chemical water quality components in the determination of Lake Chini water quality. (author)

Stigma, discrimination, empowerment and social networks: a preliminary investigation of their influence on subjective quality of life in a Swedish sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundberg, Bertil; Hansson, Lars; Wentz, Elisabet; Björkman, Tommy

2008-01-01

Studies investigating the importance of social network, empowerment and experiences of stigma on subjective quality of life among persons with mental illness are rare. This study aimed to investigate beliefs of devaluation/discrimination, actual rejection experiences, empowerment, social network and the relationship of these factors to subjective quality of life among subjects with mental illness. A cross-sectional study assessing beliefs of devaluation/discrimination, actual rejection experiences, empowerment, social network and subjective quality of life was performed on 150 subjects with mental illness. The factors most prominently related to subjective quality of life were overall empowerment and overall social network. For a subgroup of subjects suffering from psychotic disorders there was a significant negative relationship between subjective quality of life and rejection experiences. This group also reported more frequent rejection experiences. The findings indicate that persons with mental illness are a heterogeneous group with regard to the influence of social network, stigma and empowerment on subjective quality of life. The negative impact of actual rejection experiences might express that, in order to increase subjective quality of life, stigma must be addressed as a separate and important factor in its own right.

Estimating the influence of social-economic factors on the quality of services rendered by a housing and communal organization

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Lutsiya Sayetovna Gatina

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective to define the group of factors influencing on the quality of services rendered by a housing and communal services organization. Methods methods of systemic analysis and synthesis economicstatistical analysis. Results using the statistical methods of analysis a group of factors is defined which should be taken into account when developing the strategy of services market in housing and communal sphere. The objective of the strategy is to increase the level of quality services to the population of Russia in the housing and communal industry. Scientific novelty the indicators are revealed of the quality of communal services formed under socialeconomic factors. When analyzing the data of the matrix of interfactoral influence those were extinguished which show the largest influence on the level of services market development in housing and communal sphere. Practical value is the ability to use the assessment results to develop measures to improve the quality of housing and communal services organizations. nbsp

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...

Assessment of spatial and physical neighborhood characteristics that influence sound quality and herewith well-being and health.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Devilee, Jeroen; Kempen, Elise van; Swart, Wim; Kamp, Irene van; Ameling, Caroline

2018-01-01

Environmental noise and health studies seldom address the positive effect of environments with high acoustic quality. Sound quality, in turn, is influenced by a large number of factors, including the spatial-physical characteristics of a neighborhood. In general, these characteristics cannot be

Communicating organic food quality in China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loebnitz, Natascha; Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica

2016-01-01

Consumers in emerging countries such as China play a crucial role for up-scaling improvements in the environmental impact of food production. So far little research has explored Chinese consumer reactions to organic food labels and whether Chinese consumer inferences can be favorably influenced...... by communication efforts. An online experiment studied the influence of the presence of organic labels as well as the influence of priming of environmental values on fruit and vegetable quality inferences. We find that Chinese consumers expect organic food to be more expensive and of a higher general quality...... compared to conventional food, but we do not find significantly higher health or taste inferences for organic products. When primed with environmental values, consumers with strong environmental values express higher quality and health inferences for organically labeled food. The results indicate...

Influence of follicular fluid GDF9 and BMP15 on embryo quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Gode, Funda; Gulekli, Bulent; Dogan, Erbil; Korhan, Peyda; Dogan, Seda; Bige, Ozgur; Cimrin, Dilek; Atabey, Nese

2011-06-01

To evaluate the association between follicular fluid levels of propeptide and mature forms of growth differentiation factor (GDF) 9 and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 15 with subsequent oocyte and embryo quality. Prospective clinical study. University hospital. Eighty-one infertile patients who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The expression levels of the propeptide and mature forms of follicular fluid GDF9 and BMP15 were determined by western blot analysis. The levels of follicular fluid hormones (FSH, E2, and P) were measured with automated chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays. The relationships between the levels of GDF9 and BMP15, hormones, oocyte maturation, and embryo quality. Mature GDF9 levels were significantly correlated with the nuclear maturation of oocytes. The mean mature GDF9 level was 4.87±0.60 in the high-embryo-quality group and 1.45±0.81 in the low-embryo-quality group. There were no statistically significant differences in embryo quality among the patients regarding propeptide GDF9 and BMP15 expression status. There was a negative correlation between follicular fluid levels of P and the mature form of GDF9. Higher mature GDF9 levels in the follicular fluid were significantly correlated with oocyte nuclear maturation and embryo quality. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The influence of some non-genetic factors on the production and quality of East Friesian sheep milk in Croatia

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Neven Antunac

2007-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the herd (A and B, stage of lactation (0-60th day; 61st-150th day and 151st - drying off and number of lactation (I., II. III. IV. and other on daily milk yield, physicalchemical properties and the hygienic quality of East Friesian sheep milk. The study was conducted during 2004 and 2005 years on a 100 sheep sample. The milk samples were taken during morning and evening milking after weaning, every 30 days during lactation. The physical-chemical properties and the hygienic quality of milk were determined by reference and standard methods. The collected data were statistically analysed by the PROC ANOVA, SAS programme. The East Friesian sheep in the lactation of 217 days, produced in average 1040 mL milk/day. A significant effect (P < 0,001 of the herd was determined on the daily milk yield, dry matter non fat, freezing point, protein content (P < 0,01 and pH value (P < 0,01. The stage of lactation had a significant effect (P < 0,001 on all analyzed parameters except on somatic cell count. The highest content of fat (6.53 %, proteins (5.44 %, dry matter (17.45 % and dry matter non fat (10.98 % were determined at the end of lactation, while the content of lactose (4.61 % was the lowest. Significant coefficient of correlations (P<0,05 were also determined between daily milk yield and: the content of dry matter (-0,46, milk fat (-0,51, proteins (-0,39, lactose (0,51, dry matter non fat (-0,28, pH value (0,14. From the results, it can be concluded that the herd, stage and number of lactation have significant influence on the most analyzed parameters.

Temporal and spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of air quality index in Xuchang

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhenghua; Tian, Zhihui

2018-01-01

In recent years, the problem of air pollution becomes more and more serious. Based on the geographic and seasonal climatic characteristics of Xuchang City, this paper studies the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of air quality index. The results show that: from the time point of view, air quality index shows seasonal difference. Air quality index is highest in winter and is lowest in summer. From the space point of view, there are differences between the north and the south to a certain extent. Changge City, Yuzhou city and central Xuchang county is higher than the southeast of Xiangcheng county and Yanling county. The spatial and temporal variation characteristics of air quality index in Xuchang are influenced by natural factors and human activities, and the economic development and population are the important factors affecting the urban air quality.

Factors Influencing Older Worker Quality of Life and Intent to Continue to Work

Science.gov (United States)

Spokus, Diane

2008-01-01

High turnover has been a major problem in healthcare organizations. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among job characteristics, social support, and organizational characteristics on quality of the working life. Subsequently, the intent was to examine how those factors collectively influence turnover intention. A…

The influence of organic production on food quality - research findings, gaps and future challenges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Załęcka, Aneta; Bügel, Susanne Gjedsted; Paoletti, Flavio

2014-01-01

in order to identify research gaps and suggest future research challenges. Organic food is described according to a quality model already published. The influence of organic production on food quality is structured in primary production and processing. Furthermore, organic food authentication is discussed...... with so called 'conventional' food seems not to be appropriate, because 'conventional' is not defined. In organic food quality research a system approach is needed from which systemic markers can be selected. Research on the impact of processing technologies on the quality according to organic principles...

Determinants of diet quality in pregnancy: sociodemographic, pregnancy-specific, and food environment influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Danielle M; Gilliland, Jason A; Evers, Susan E; Wilk, Piotr; Campbell, M Karen

2013-01-01

To advance the knowledge of determinants of diet quality in pregnancy by focusing on both personal characteristics and the food environment. Cross-sectional study in which participants from the Prenatal Health Project were linked to a geographic dataset by home address. Access to fast food, convenience stores, and grocery stores was measured using a geographic information system (ArcGIS9.3). Pregnant women (n = 2,282) were recruited between 2002 and 2005 in London, Ontario, Canada. Dietary quality was measured using a validated food frequency questionnaire and the Canadian Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy. Univariate and multivariate linear regressions were calculated with the predictor variables on the Canadian Diet Quality Index for Pregnancy. Pregnant women who were born in Canada, common-law, nulliparous, less physically active, smokers, more anxious, or lacking family support had lower diet quality on average. Presence of fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery stores within 500 m of participants' homes was not associated with diet quality after controlling for personal variables. The food environment does not seem to have a large influence on diet quality in pregnancy. Further research is needed to determine other potential reasons for low diet quality among pregnant women. Copyright © 2013 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Social Structure on Cancer Pain and Quality of Life.

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, Ok-Kyung; Chee, Wonshik; Im, Eun-Ok

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate whether social structure is associated with cancer pain and quality of life using the Social Structure and Personality Research Framework. This study was a secondary analysis of data from 480 cancer patients. The measurements included socioeconomic variables, self-reported cancer pain using the McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form (MPQ-SF), and quality of life measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale (FACT-G). The data were analyzed using moderated multiple regression. Cancer pain and quality of life differed significantly with income. The associations between income and pain and quality of life were significant only for the high education group (≥ partial college), and these associations were greater for Caucasians than for their counterparts ( p life while considering possible moderating factors such as education.

Influence of pollen nutrition on honey bee health: do pollen quality and diversity matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Di Pasquale, Garance; Salignon, Marion; Le Conte, Yves; Belzunces, Luc P; Decourtye, Axel; Kretzschmar, André; Suchail, Séverine; Brunet, Jean-Luc; Alaux, Cédric

2013-01-01

Honey bee colonies are highly dependent upon the availability of floral resources from which they get the nutrients (notably pollen) necessary to their development and survival. However, foraging areas are currently affected by the intensification of agriculture and landscape alteration. Bees are therefore confronted to disparities in time and space of floral resource abundance, type and diversity, which might provide inadequate nutrition and endanger colonies. The beneficial influence of pollen availability on bee health is well-established but whether quality and diversity of pollen diets can modify bee health remains largely unknown. We therefore tested the influence of pollen diet quality (different monofloral pollens) and diversity (polyfloral pollen diet) on the physiology of young nurse bees, which have a distinct nutritional physiology (e.g. hypopharyngeal gland development and vitellogenin level), and on the tolerance to the microsporidian parasite Nosemaceranae by measuring bee survival and the activity of different enzymes potentially involved in bee health and defense response (glutathione-S-transferase (detoxification), phenoloxidase (immunity) and alkaline phosphatase (metabolism)). We found that both nurse bee physiology and the tolerance to the parasite were affected by pollen quality. Pollen diet diversity had no effect on the nurse bee physiology and the survival of healthy bees. However, when parasitized, bees fed with the polyfloral blend lived longer than bees fed with monofloral pollens, excepted for the protein-richest monofloral pollen. Furthermore, the survival was positively correlated to alkaline phosphatase activity in healthy bees and to phenoloxydase activities in infected bees. Our results support the idea that both the quality and diversity (in a specific context) of pollen can shape bee physiology and might help to better understand the influence of agriculture and land-use intensification on bee nutrition and health.

Influence of pollen nutrition on honey bee health: do pollen quality and diversity matter?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garance Di Pasquale

Full Text Available Honey bee colonies are highly dependent upon the availability of floral resources from which they get the nutrients (notably pollen necessary to their development and survival. However, foraging areas are currently affected by the intensification of agriculture and landscape alteration. Bees are therefore confronted to disparities in time and space of floral resource abundance, type and diversity, which might provide inadequate nutrition and endanger colonies. The beneficial influence of pollen availability on bee health is well-established but whether quality and diversity of pollen diets can modify bee health remains largely unknown. We therefore tested the influence of pollen diet quality (different monofloral pollens and diversity (polyfloral pollen diet on the physiology of young nurse bees, which have a distinct nutritional physiology (e.g. hypopharyngeal gland development and vitellogenin level, and on the tolerance to the microsporidian parasite Nosemaceranae by measuring bee survival and the activity of different enzymes potentially involved in bee health and defense response (glutathione-S-transferase (detoxification, phenoloxidase (immunity and alkaline phosphatase (metabolism. We found that both nurse bee physiology and the tolerance to the parasite were affected by pollen quality. Pollen diet diversity had no effect on the nurse bee physiology and the survival of healthy bees. However, when parasitized, bees fed with the polyfloral blend lived longer than bees fed with monofloral pollens, excepted for the protein-richest monofloral pollen. Furthermore, the survival was positively correlated to alkaline phosphatase activity in healthy bees and to phenoloxydase activities in infected bees. Our results support the idea that both the quality and diversity (in a specific context of pollen can shape bee physiology and might help to better understand the influence of agriculture and land-use intensification on bee nutrition and health.

Low dose irradiation influence on yield and quality of fruit juice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, G.E.; Isaacs, A.R.; Williams, D.J.; McLauchlan, R.L.; Nottingham, S.M.; Hammerton, K.

1991-01-01

Granny Smith apples, Valencia oranges, and Pearlette grapes grown in Queensland, Australia were irradiated at 0, 75, 300 and 600 Gy. Following irradiation, juice was extracted and analysed for quality and compositional changes. Irradiation treatment significantly (p0.05) decreased yield of apple juice (by 6.3% w/w at 600 Gy) and grape juice (by 4.8% w/w at 600 Gy) but did not significantly (p0.05) affect yield of orange juice (OJ). Acceptability significantly (p0.05) decreased in OJ after 600 Gy treatment. Other changes in quality and composition were minimal. Juice from irradiated apples and oranges stored at 5 degrees C for 8 wk showed similar results

Does strabismus surgery improve quality and mood, and what factors influence this?

Science.gov (United States)

McBain, H B; MacKenzie, K A; Hancox, J; Ezra, D G; Adams, G G W; Newman, S P

2016-05-01

AimsTo establish the impact of adult strabismus surgery on clinical and psychosocial well-being and determine who experiences the greatest benefit from surgery and how one could intervene to improve quality of life post-surgery.MethodsA longitudinal study, with measurements taken pre-surgery and at 3 and 6 months post-surgery. All participants completed the AS-20 a disease specific quality of life scale, along with measures of mood, strabismus and appearance-related beliefs and cognitions and perceived social support. Participants also underwent a full orthoptic assessment at their preoperative visit and again 3 months postoperatively. Clinical outcomes of surgery were classified as success, partial success or failure, using the largest angle of deviation, diplopia and requirement for further therapy.Results210 participants took part in the study. Strabismus surgery led to statistically significant improvements in psychosocial and functional quality of life. Those whose surgery was deemed a partial success did however experience a deterioration in quality of life. A combination of clinical variables, high expectations, and negative beliefs about the illness and appearance pre-surgery were significant predictors of change in quality of life from pre- to post-surgery.ConclusionsStrabismus surgery leads to significant improvements in quality of life up to 6 months postoperatively. There are however a group of patients who do not experience these benefits. A series of clinical and psychosocial factors have now been identified, which will enable clinicians to identify patients who may be vulnerable to poorer outcomes post-surgery and allow for the development of interventions to improve quality of life after surgery.

Requirements for satisfactory flying qualities of airplanes

Science.gov (United States)

Gilruth, R R

1943-01-01

Report discusses the results of an analysis of available data to determine what measured characteristics are significant in defining satisfactory flying qualities, what characteristics are reasonable to require of an airplane, and what influence the various design features have on the observed flying qualities.

The Strengthening Families Initiative and Child Care Quality Improvement: How Strengthening Families Influenced Change in Child Care Programs in One State

Science.gov (United States)

Douglass, Anne; Klerman, Lorraine

2012-01-01

Research Findings: This study investigated how the Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education initiative in Illinois (SFI) influenced change in 4 child care programs. Findings indicate that SFI influenced quality improvements through 4 primary pathways: (a) Learning Networks, (b) the quality of training, (c) the engagement of program…

Influence of Examinations Oriented Approaches on Quality Education in Primary Schools in Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Mackatiani, Caleb Imbova

2017-01-01

This paper provides a critical appraisal of the influence of examinations oriented approaches on quality education in primary schools in Kenya. The purpose of the study was to determine effects of examination oriented teaching approaches on learning achievement among primary school pupils in Kakamega County, Kenya. It explored the assumptions…

Environmental setting and natural factors and human influences affecting water quality in the White River Basin, Indiana

Science.gov (United States)

Schnoebelen, Douglas J.; Fenelon, Joseph M.; Baker, Nancy T.; Martin, Jeffrey D.; Bayless, E. Randall; Jacques, David V.; Crawford, Charles G.

1999-01-01

The White River Basin drains 11,349 square miles of central and southern Indiana and is one of 59 Study Units selected for water-quality assessment as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National WaterQuality Assessment Program. Defining the environmental setting of the basin and identifying the natural factors and human influences that affect water quality are important parts of the assessment.

Influence of virtual reality on postural balance and quality of life of pregnant women: controlled clinical trial randomized

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Oliveira Ribeiro

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: During pregnancy women undergo several transformations, which promote changes in their gravity center (GC and can result in postural and balance changes. Objective: To evaluate the influence of Nintendo WiiFit Plus® on postural balance and quality of life of pregnant women in the third trimester. Methods: 250 pregnant women enrolled through a non-probabilistic sampling process. The sample consisted of 32 women selected according to the eligibility criteria (nulliparity; low-risk pregnancy, absence of musculoskeletal disorders or surgical procedures in the spine, pelvis, hip or knee, musculoskeletal disorders, allocated as follows: 17 pregnant women in the control group (CG and 15 pregnant women in the experimental group (EG. The intervention was performed in 12 sessions of 30 minutes each, three times a week. Sociodemographic and obstetric data were presented as median and interquartile range (25% - 75%. A comparison of the relative values of variables before and after the exercise program was performed using the 2x2 ANOVA test (5% significance level. Results: There were no significant statistical differences in variables related to postural balance (P > 0.06 and quality of life (P > 0.13. Conclusion: The use of Nintendo WiiFit Plus games was not able to promote improvement in postural balance and quality of life of the pregnant women studied.

Influence of gas detonation spraying conditions on the quality of Fe-Al intermetallic protective coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Senderowski C.

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present generalized research results and analyses of the quality of coatings produced with self decomposing Fe-Al intermetallic powders deposited on 1045 steel in the gas detonation spraying (GDS. A number of GDS experiments has been carried out with significantly changed operational spraying parameters (the volume of the fuel gas, carrier gas, distance and the frequency of spraying which define the process energy level directly influencing the quality of the coating. On the basis of the initial results the choice of the process parameters has been made to obtain the most advantageous set of geometrical and physical-mechanical properties of the coating material and substrate. The quality of the coatings was considered by taking into account the grain morphology, chemical content, phase inhomogeneity, cohesive porosity, as well as adhesive porosity in the substrate coating joint. The coating roughness was also considered. It was found that all GDS coatings produced are built with lamellar splats which result from the GDS process transformed (changed plasticity and geometry powder particles forming the deposit. The result of the GDS spraying parameters optimization is the lack of signs of melting of the material (even in microareas while the geometry of the deposited grains is considerably changed. This phenomenon has been considered as a proof of high plasticity of the GDS formed Fe-Al intermetallic coatings.

Evaluation of significant sources influencing the variation of water quality of Kandla creek, Gulf of Katchchh, using PCA

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Dalal, S.G.; Shirodkar, P.V.; Jagtap, T.G.; Naik, B.G.; Rao, G.S.

and Marhaba 2003). The use of PCA for wa- ter quality assessment has increased in the last few years, mainly due to the need to obtain appreciable data reduction for analysis and decision (Morales et al. 1999). Bartlett’s sphericity test (χ 2 with degrees....). Florida: CRC. Morales, M. M., Mart, P., Llopis, A., Campos, L., & Sagrado, J. (1999). An environmental study by fac- tor analysis of surface seawater in the Gulf of Valen- cia (western Mediterranean). Analytica Chimica Acta, 394, 109–117. doi:10.1016/S0003...

MCNP simulation of the influence of the external moisture on low calorific value in the coal quality analysis by neutron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Dekun; Zhang Hongyu; Zhang Lihong; Dong Huan; Gu Deshan

2012-01-01

An important index in assessment of coal quality is low calorific value. Using neutron to analysis coal quality, the more the coal moisture content, especially the increasing of external moisture will reduce the low calorific value. The principle of coal quality analysis by neutron prompt Gamma-ray is introduced. The influence of the gamma count of the carbon element peak with increasing external moisture in coal samples was simulated using MCNP code. And discussed the reasons how external moisture content influence the calorific value. Simulation results indicate that with the increasing of external moisture in the coal samples, the gamma count of the carbon element peak dwindling, and the low calorific value reducing. The conclusion is : using neutrons method to analysis coal quality, the more external moisture content, the larger error of the measurement results of the carbon element, and will influence the calculation accuracy of the low calorific value. (authors)

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.

Factors Influencing Quality of Life in Caregivers of People with Parkinson's Disease and Implications for Clinical Guidelines

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D. Morley

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The quality of life (QoL of informal caregivers can be adversely affected by a number of factors. This issue, however, has not been well explored for carers of people with Parkinson's (PwP, with research largely restricted to the assessment of caregiver burden and caregiver strain. This study aims to determine the main influences on carer QoL in this population and consider results in the context of current clinical guidelines for the management of Parkinson's disease (PD. Carers completed the newly validated PDQ-Carer, and PwP completed the PDQ-39. The sample comprised 238 carers (mean age 68.20 years and 238 PwP (mean age 71.64. Results suggest multiple influences on caregiver QoL. These include carer age, gender, health status, and duration of the caregiving role. PwP levels of mobility and cognitive impairment are also significant influences on carer QoL. Not only should practitioners and service providers be particularly aware of the heightened impact of PD on carers over time and as PwP symptoms deteriorate, but this should also be reflected in clinical guidelines for the management of PD.

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

[Factors influencing the quality of life of elderly living in a pre-fabricated housing complex in the Sichuan earthquake area].

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Hong-Xia; Chen, Hong; Wong, Teresa Bik-Kwan Tsien; Chen, Qian; Au, May-Lan; Li, Yun

2012-02-01

The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake caused great damage to the environment and property. In the aftermath, many citizens were relocated to live in newly constructed prefabricated (prefab) communities. This paper explored the current quality of life (QOL) of elderly residents living in prefabricated communities in areas damaged by the Sichuan earthquake and identified factors of influence on QOL values. The ultimate objective was to provide evidence-based guidance for heath improvement measures. The authors used the short form WHOQOL-BREF to assess the quality of life of 191 elderly residents of prefabricated communities in the Sichuan Province 2008 earthquake zone. A Student's t-test, variance analysis, and stepwise multivariate regression methods were used to test the impact of various factors on QOL. Results indicate the self-assessed QOL of participants as good, although scores in the physical (average 56.2) and psychological (average 45.7) domains were significantly lower than the norm in China. Marital status, capital loss in the earthquake, number of children, level of perceived stress, income, interest, and family harmony each correlated with at least one of the short form WHOQOL-BREF domains in t-test and one-way analyses. After excluding for factor interaction effects using multivariate regression, we found interest, family harmony, monthly income and stress to be significant predictors of physical domain QOL, explaining 13.8% of total variance. Family harmony and interest explained 15.3% of total variance for psychological domain QOL; stress, marital status, family harmony, capital loss in the earthquake, number of children and interest explained 19.5% of total variance for social domain QOL; and stress, family harmony and interest explained 16.5% of total variance for environmental domain QOL. Family harmony and interest were significant factors across all domains, while others influenced a smaller proportion. Quality of life for elderly living in prefab

Can physical activity influence the quality of sleep among the elderly?

OpenAIRE

Podhorecka, Marta; Cytarska, Magdalena; Gębka, Dominika; Perkowski, Radosław; Androsiuk-Perkowska, Joanna; Jaroch, Alina; Siedlecka-Główczewska, Emilia; Sokołowski, Remigiusz; Zukow, Walery; Kędziora-Kornatowska, Kornelia

2017-01-01

Podhorecka Marta, Cytarska Magdalena, Gębka Dominika, Perkowski Radosław, Androsiuk-Perkowska Joanna, Jaroch Alina, Siedlecka–Główczewska Emilia, Sokołowski Remigiusz, Zukow Walery, Kędziora-Kornatowska Kornelia. Can physical activity influence the quality of sleep among the elderly? Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(12):288-305. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1133730 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/5177 ...

Influence of mechanical vibrations on the field quality measurements of LHC interaction region quadrupole magnets

CERN Document Server

Di Marco, J; Schlabach, P; Sylvester, C D; Tompkins, J C; Krzywinski, J

2000-01-01

The high gradient quadrupole magnets being developed by the US-LHC Accelerator Project for the LHC Interaction Regions have stringent field quality requirements. The field quality of these magnets will be measured using a rotating coil system presently under development. Mechanical vibrations of the coil during field quality measurements are of concern because such vibrations can introduce systematic errors in measurement results. This paper presents calculations of the expected influence of vibrations on field quality measurements and a technique to measure vibrations present in data acquired with standard "tangential-style" probes. Measured vibrations are reported and compared to simulations. Limits on systematic errors in multipole measurements are discussed along with implications for probe and measurement system design. (3 refs).

Which histological characteristics of basal cell carcinomas influence the quality of optical coherence tomography imaging?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, M.; Thrane, Lars; Jørgensen, Thomas Martini

2009-01-01

We explore how histopathology parameters influence OCT imaging of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and address whether such parameters correlate with the quality of the recorded OCT images. Our results indicate that inflammation impairs OCT imaging and that sun-damaged skin can sometimes provide more ...... clear-cut images of skin cancer lesions using OCT imaging when compared to skin cancer surrounded by skin without sun-damage. ©2009 COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.......We explore how histopathology parameters influence OCT imaging of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and address whether such parameters correlate with the quality of the recorded OCT images. Our results indicate that inflammation impairs OCT imaging and that sun-damaged skin can sometimes provide more...

Pengaruh Kualitas Pelayanan Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Pada JNE Cabang Bandung [The Influence of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction at JNE Branch in Bandung

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Januar Efendi Panjaitan

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Quality of Service Quality of Service Customer Satisfaction either simultaneously or partially on Cabang JNE Bandung. JNE is a freight company and documents that have been established since 1990. In 2004, JNE set up headquarters in Jakarta. The JNE Bandung has a branch office in Jalan Permata Kawaluyaan numbers 1-4 Soekarno Hatta, Bandung. The type of research used in this study was descriptive research type using a quantitative approach. The analysis technique used was descriptive analysis techniques and multiple linear regression. While the sampling technique used was Non Probability sampling using purposive sampling and number of samples of 78 people. The results of this research showed that the quality of service (X consisting of Reliability, Assurance, Tangibles, Empathy, and Responsiveness simultaneously had significant influence on satisfaction of customers with significant value (p value of 0.003 < 0.05. Partial test results showed that the only variable that empathy has a partial effect on was customer satisfaction with the number of variables of significance (p value amounted to 0.021 < 0.05.

Encryption for confidentiality of the network and influence of this to the quality of streaming video through network

Science.gov (United States)

Sevcik, L.; Uhrin, D.; Frnda, J.; Voznak, M.; Toral-Cruz, Homer; Mikulec, M.; Jakovlev, Sergej

2015-05-01

Nowadays, the interest in real-time services, like audio and video, is growing. These services are mostly transmitted over packet networks, which are based on IP protocol. It leads to analyses of these services and their behavior in such networks which are becoming more frequent. Video has become the significant part of all data traffic sent via IP networks. In general, a video service is one-way service (except e.g. video calls) and network delay is not such an important factor as in a voice service. Dominant network factors that influence the final video quality are especially packet loss, delay variation and the capacity of the transmission links. Analysis of video quality concentrates on the resistance of video codecs to packet loss in the network, which causes artefacts in the video. IPsec provides confidentiality in terms of safety, integrity and non-repudiation (using HMAC-SHA1 and 3DES encryption for confidentiality and AES in CBC mode) with an authentication header and ESP (Encapsulating Security Payload). The paper brings a detailed view of the performance of video streaming over an IP-based network. We compared quality of video with packet loss and encryption as well. The measured results demonstrated the relation between the video codec type and bitrate to the final video quality.

Significance and influence of the ambient temperature as a rate ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

The results obtained show that the influence of the studied factor is more complex showing an acceleration effect ... ment, the related data in the literature are very sporadic and limited. .... individual function relations expressing the influence of.

Influence of water quality on nitrifier regrowth in two full-scale drinking water distribution systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Daniel B; Van Dyke, Michele I; Anderson, William B; Huck, Peter M

2015-12-01

The potential for regrowth of nitrifying microorganisms was monitored in 2 full-scale chloraminated drinking water distribution systems in Ontario, Canada, over a 9-month period. Quantitative PCR was used to measure amoA genes from ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), and these values were compared with water quality parameters that can influence nitrifier survival and growth, including total chlorine, ammonia, temperature, pH, and organic carbon. Although there were no severe nitrification episodes, AOB and AOA were frequently detected at low concentrations in samples collected from both distribution systems. A culture-based presence-absence test confirmed the presence of viable nitrifiers. AOB were usually present in similar or greater numbers than AOA in both systems. As well, AOB showed higher regrowth potential compared with AOA in both systems. Statistically significant correlations were measured between several water quality parameters of relevance to nitrification. Total chlorine was negatively correlated with both nitrifiers and heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria, and ammonia levels were positively correlated with nitrifiers. Of particular importance was the strong correlation between HPC and AOB, which reinforced the usefulness of HPC as an operational parameter to measure general microbiological conditions in distribution systems.

Additive effects of word frequency and stimulus quality: the influence of trial history and data transformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Balota, David A; Aschenbrenner, Andrew J; Yap, Melvin J

2013-09-01

A counterintuitive and theoretically important pattern of results in the visual word recognition literature is that both word frequency and stimulus quality produce large but additive effects in lexical decision performance. The additive nature of these effects has recently been called into question by Masson and Kliegl (in press), who used linear mixed effects modeling to provide evidence that the additive effects were actually being driven by previous trial history. Because Masson and Kliegl also included semantic priming as a factor in their study and recent evidence has shown that semantic priming can moderate the additivity of word frequency and stimulus quality (Scaltritti, Balota, & Peressotti, 2012), we reanalyzed data from 3 published studies to determine if previous trial history moderated the additive pattern when semantic priming was not also manipulated. The results indicated that previous trial history did not influence the joint influence of word frequency and stimulus quality. More important, and independent of Masson and Kliegl's conclusions, we also show how a common transformation used in linear mixed effects analyses to normalize the residuals can systematically alter the way in which two variables combine to influence performance. Specifically, using transformed, rather than raw reaction times, consistently produces more underadditive patterns. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Influence of Significant Others on High School Students' Expectancies of Success and Task Value in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Skip M.; Weiss, Windee

2018-01-01

This study examined the perceived influence of significant others' beliefs on students' expectancies of success and task value in physical education (PE). PE students (N = 231) between Grades 9 and 12 participated. Multiple regressions examined the influence of perceived parents', teachers', and classmates' beliefs on students' ability…

Holding Pressure and Its Influence on Quality in PIM Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Petera

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The PIM (powder injection molding process consists of several steps in which faults can occur. The quality of the part that is produced usually cannot be seen until the end of the process. It is therefore necessary to find a way to discover the fault earlier in the process. The cause of defects is very often “phase separation” (inhomogeneity in powder distribution, which can also be influenced by the holding pressure. This paper evaluates the powder distribution with a new method based on density measurement. Measurements were made using various holding pressure values.

Customer Relationship Management Influence on Customer Value, Product Quality and Service Quality in Improving Customer Satisfaction and Its Implication on the Customer Loyalty

OpenAIRE

Harryani, Sri

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on the Customer Value (CV), Product Quality (PQ) and Service Quality (SQ) in improving Customer Satisfaction (CS) that will have implications on the Customer Loyalty (CL). The research focuses on corporate banking, where customers serve as the research sample. The data in this research using the primary data and secondary data. Source primary data used questionnaire and source the secondary da...

The Influence of Website Quality on Online Purchase Intentions: Etrust as a Mediator (Study on Agoda.Com Website Visitor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damayanti Octavia

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The high growth of Internet users in Indonesia makes e-commerce to be a promising business opportunity. In e-commerce market, there is no physical interaction between buyers, sellers, and payments. The confidence tobuy online (E-Trust can raise or lower the perceived risk and security issues, so E-Trust is crucial for the success of e-commerce companies such as Agoda.com. The sorting of online businesses is vital to avoid losses whendoing the online business transaction, such as by looking at the quality of the website and the company’s ability to provide E-Trust. The methods used in this research are quantitative and causal. The research sample was collected using non-probability sampling method which was purposive sampling by taking 200 respondents. Moreover, data analysis techniques used was SEM (Structural Equation Modeling.The conclusion of the research shows the existence of the significant influence of the website’s quality towards E-Trust, and E-Trust of the online purchase intentions. Moreover, there is an insignificant impact on the quality of the site towards online purchase intentions.

The influence factors in image quality of multi-slice spiral CT coronary angiography (MSCTA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Huiliang; Zhu Xinjin; Liang Jianhao; Zhong Yingze; Chen Xueguang; Ou Weiqian; Wen Haomao; Li Peiwen

2007-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the influence of heart rate on image quality of multi-slice spiral CT coronary angiography(MSCTA) and the optimization of image reconstruction windows. Methods: Retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT coronary angiography were performed in 67 cases. The cases were divided into four groups by heart rate, groupl with heart rate less than 60 beats per minute(bpm), group 2 with heart rate 61-70 bpm, group 3 with heart rate 71-80 bpm and group 4 with heart rate over 81 bpm. The impact of heart rate on image quality of MSCTA and the optimization of image reconstruction windows were evaluated. Results: 4 coronary (RCA,LM,LAD,LCX) segments were analyzed in each patients with regard to image quality. 86.7%(112/128) of the coronary segments were sufficient for analysis in patients with heart rate less than 60 bpm,62.5%(55/88) with 61-70 bpm,40%(8/20) with 71-80 bpm and 12.5%(2/16) with heart rate over 81 bpm, respectively. There were statistically significances between every coronary segments of group 1 and 2, group 3 and 4 (P<0.05). All coronary segments of group 1 were optimally visualized on the image reconstructed at 75% image reconstruction window of' cardiac cycle; 89.5% cases at 75% in group 2; for group 3.55% of coronary artery were best presented at 75% image reconstruction window, 45% of coronary artery at 45%; All coronary segments of group 4 were optimally visualized on the image reconstructed at 45% image reconstruction window. Conclusion: Image quality of MSCT coronary angiography is highly dependent on heart rate. Coronary artery is usually best shown at 75% image reconstruction window of cardiac cycle for those with heart rate less than 70 bpm. 30%-90% image reconstruction should be performed when heart rate is over 71 bpm. (authors)

Methodological quality of diagnostic accuracy studies on non-invasive coronary CT angiography: influence of QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies included in systematic reviews) items on sensitivity and specificity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schueler, Sabine; Walther, Stefan; Schuetz, Georg M.; Schlattmann, Peter; Dewey, Marc

2013-01-01

To evaluate the methodological quality of diagnostic accuracy studies on coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography using the QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies included in systematic reviews) tool. Each QUADAS item was individually defined to adapt it to the special requirements of studies on coronary CT angiography. Two independent investigators analysed 118 studies using 12 QUADAS items. Meta-regression and pooled analyses were performed to identify possible effects of methodological quality items on estimates of diagnostic accuracy. The overall methodological quality of coronary CT studies was merely moderate. They fulfilled a median of 7.5 out of 12 items. Only 9 of the 118 studies fulfilled more than 75 % of possible QUADAS items. One QUADAS item (''Uninterpretable Results'') showed a significant influence (P = 0.02) on estimates of diagnostic accuracy with ''no fulfilment'' increasing specificity from 86 to 90 %. Furthermore, pooled analysis revealed that each QUADAS item that is not fulfilled has the potential to change estimates of diagnostic accuracy. The methodological quality of studies investigating the diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive coronary CT is only moderate and was found to affect the sensitivity and specificity. An improvement is highly desirable because good methodology is crucial for adequately assessing imaging technologies. (orig.)

Methodological quality of diagnostic accuracy studies on non-invasive coronary CT angiography: influence of QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies included in systematic reviews) items on sensitivity and specificity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schueler, Sabine; Walther, Stefan; Schuetz, Georg M. [Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Charite Medical School, Department of Radiology, Berlin (Germany); Schlattmann, Peter [University Hospital of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Department of Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Documentation, Jena (Germany); Dewey, Marc [Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Charite Medical School, Department of Radiology, Berlin (Germany); Charite, Institut fuer Radiologie, Berlin (Germany)

2013-06-15

To evaluate the methodological quality of diagnostic accuracy studies on coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography using the QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies included in systematic reviews) tool. Each QUADAS item was individually defined to adapt it to the special requirements of studies on coronary CT angiography. Two independent investigators analysed 118 studies using 12 QUADAS items. Meta-regression and pooled analyses were performed to identify possible effects of methodological quality items on estimates of diagnostic accuracy. The overall methodological quality of coronary CT studies was merely moderate. They fulfilled a median of 7.5 out of 12 items. Only 9 of the 118 studies fulfilled more than 75 % of possible QUADAS items. One QUADAS item (''Uninterpretable Results'') showed a significant influence (P = 0.02) on estimates of diagnostic accuracy with ''no fulfilment'' increasing specificity from 86 to 90 %. Furthermore, pooled analysis revealed that each QUADAS item that is not fulfilled has the potential to change estimates of diagnostic accuracy. The methodological quality of studies investigating the diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive coronary CT is only moderate and was found to affect the sensitivity and specificity. An improvement is highly desirable because good methodology is crucial for adequately assessing imaging technologies. (orig.)

The Influence of Aging Period, Freezing Temperature and Packaging Material on Frozen Beef Chemical Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aris Sri Widati

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The objective of the study was to evaluate the influences of aging period, freezing temperature and packaging material on the frozen beef chemical quality. The material of the study was 2-3 years old Ongole grade beef of the Longissimus dorsi part,  and was then classified into 3 treat­ments, namely A (aging periode; 0, 12 and 24 hours, B (freezing temperature; -10°C and -20°C and C (packaging material; aluminum foil (Al, polyprophylene (PP, poly­ethylene (PE and without packaging material. The ob­served variables were water content, crude protein, fat, ash content. The data were analyzed by the Completely Randomized Design (CRD in the Factorial (3x2x4 pattern. The results indicated that the aging periode de­creased the water content, and ash content significantly (P<0.05, and decreased the crude protein but increased the fat content insignificantly. The lower freezing temperature prevented the decreases of the water content, and ash content significantly (P<0.05, but prevented the decrease of crude protein, fat content insignificantly. The packaging material could prevent the decreases of water content, ash content sig­nificantly (P<0.05, but prevent the decreases of protein, and fat content insignificantly. A significant interaction (P<0.05 occured between the freezing temperature and packaging material factors on ash content of the frozen beef. The conclusion was the frozen beef without aging has a high of water content, protein, and ash, but has a low fat content.Temperature at -200C and using aluminium foil packaging can prevent decreasing quality of frozen beef. Keywords : Aging period, freezing temperature,  packaging material

Influence of denture improvement on the nutritional status and quality of life of geriatric patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Wöstmann, Bernd; Michel, Karin; Brinkert, Bernd; Melchheier-Weskott, Andrea; Rehmann, Peter; Balkenhol, Markus

2008-10-01

Recent research suggests that there is a correlation between nutrition, oral health, dietary habits, patients' satisfaction and their socio-economic status. However, the dependent and independent variables have remained unclear. This exploratory interventional study aimed to identify the impact of denture improvement on the nutritional status as well as the oral health-related quality of life in geriatric patients. Forty-seven patients who were capable of feeding themselves (minimum age: 60 years) and with dentures requiring repair or replacement were selected from a random sample of 100 residents of two nursing homes. Before and 6 months after the dentures were optimised a Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and a masticatory function test were carried out. Nutritional markers (pre-albumin, serum albumin, zinc) were determined and an OHIP-G14 (Oral Health Impact Profile, German version) was recorded in order to determine the effect of the optimised oral situation on the patient's nutritional status and oral health-related quality of life. Despite the highly significant improvement in masticatory ability after the optimisation of the dentures, no general improvement regarding the nutritional status was observed since the albumin, zinc and MNA values remained unchanged and pre-albumin even decreased. Since masticatory ability and masticatory efficiency are not the only factors affecting this, prosthetic measures alone apparently cannot effect a lasting improvement in nutritional status as masticatory ability and masticatory efficiency are not the only factors of influence. Nutrition is not only a matter of masticatory function, but also depends on other influencing factors (e.g. habits, taste and cultural customs as well as financial and organisational aspects).

Influence of Fungicides Application and Seed Processing on Sunflower Seed Quality

OpenAIRE

Šimić, Branimir; Svitlica, Brankica; Ćosić, Jasenka; Andrić, Luka; Rozman, Vlatka; Postić, Jelena; Liović, Ivica

2009-01-01

The aim of the research was to determine influence of methods of seed processing and application of fungicides on mass of 1000 seeds, intergrowth energy and seed germination of sunflower hybrids ‘Favorit’ and ‘Apolon’ in 2005 and 2006. Selected untreated seeds of both sunflower hybrids (control) had a minimal mass of 1000 seeds (55-59 g), intergrowth energy (18-37 %) and seed germination (39-52 %). In both years of research maximal seed quality, mass of 1000 seeds (67-69 g), intergrowth energ...

Lipopolysaccharide significantly influences the hepatic triglyceride metabolism in growing pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhiqing; Liu, Weifeng; Huang, Yanping; Guo, Jun; Zhao, Ruqian; Yang, Xiaojing

2015-06-30

In the practical commercial pig farms, inflammation is a perennial problem, yet most of studies on inflammation are focused on immune response. Actually, inflammation can induce body metabolism disorder which will finally influence animals' growth. In this study, we investigated the effect of acute inflammation on the triglyceride (TG) metabolism in the liver of growing pigs and the possible underlying mechanisms. Twelve male growing pigs were randomly divided into two groups, a control group (received saline) and a LPS group (intramuscular injected with 15 μg/kg LPS). Six hours after LPS injection, the pigs were euthanized and sampled. Biochemical indexes, inflammation factors, lipid metabolism related parameters and mitochondrial function were evaluated. The relationship between glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the key enzymes of de novo lipogenesis were also investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP). LPS induced a serious inflammation in the liver of growing pigs proved by liver morphologic changes, the up-regulated plasma cortisol, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) content and gene expression of inflammation related genes in liver. For de novo lipogenesis, LPS significantly decreased the gene expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS), Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 (ACC-1) and Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), and the protein expression of ACC-1 and SCD-1. For lipolysis, only the gene expression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) was decreased. LPS did nothing to the gene expression of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and the lipolytic enzymes activities. For β-oxidation, LPS significantly increased the protein expression of CPT-1α, but the gene expression of mitochondrial DNA-encoded genes and the activities of mitochondrial complex IV and V demonstrated no obviously changes. Furthermore, ChIP results showed that LPS significantly decreased the level of GR binding to ACC-1 promoter. LPS infection has a profound impact on hepatic TG metabolism

THE INFLUENCE OF PRICE AND SERVICE QUALITY OF BRAND IMAGE AND ITS IMPACT ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GOJEK (STUDENTS STUDY ON A STATE UNIVERSITY OF JAKARTA)

OpenAIRE

Rizan, Mohammad; Yulianti, Dahliana; Rahmi, Rahmi

2015-01-01

The purpose of the research are to: test empirically influence of price to brand image on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of service quality to brand image on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of price on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of service quality on customer satisfaction Gojek, test empirically influence of brand image on customer satisfaction Gojek. This study used confirmatory factor analysis. The research was co...

Influence of indoor hygrothermal conditions on human quality of life in social housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Soares

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Modern societies spend most of their time indoors, namely at home, and the indoor environment quality turns out to be a crucial factor to health, quality of life and well-being of the residents. The present study aims to understand how indoor environment relates with quality of life and how improving housing conditions impacts on individuals’ health. Design and Methods: This study case will rely on the following assessments in both rehabilitated and non-rehabilitated social housing: i field measurements, in social dwellings (namely temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, air velocity, air change rate, level of mould spores and energy consumption; ii residents’ questionnaires on social, demogaphic, behavioural, health characteristics and quality of life. Also, iii qualitative interviews performed with social housing residents from the rehabilitated houses, addressing the self-perception of living conditions and their influence in health status and quality of life. All the collected information will be combined and analysed in order to achieve the main objective. Expected impact: It is expected to define a Predicted Human Life Quality (PHLQ index, that combines physical parameters describing the indoor environment measured through engineering techniques with residents’ and neighbourhood quality of life characteristics assessed by health questionnaires. Improvement in social housing should be related with better health indicators and the new index might be an important tool contributing to enhance quality of life of the residents.

The Influence of Naringin or Hesperidin Dietary Supplementation on Broiler Meat Quality and Oxidative Stability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Goliomytis

Full Text Available An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of supplementing broiler feed with hesperidin or naringin, on growth performance, carcass characteristics, breast meat quality and the oxidative stability of breast and thigh meat. Two hundred and forty 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to 6 groups. One of the groups served as a control (C and was given commercial basal diets, whereas the other five groups were given the same diets further supplemented with naringin at 0.75 g/kg (N1, naringin at 1.5 g/kg (N2, hesperidin at 0.75 g/kg (E1, hesperidin at 1.5 g/kg (E2 and a-tocopheryl acetate at 0.2 g/kg (E. At 42 days of age, 10 chickens per treatment group were slaughtered for meat quality and oxidative stability assessment. No significant differences were observed among groups in final body weight, carcass weight and internal organs weights (P>0.05 apart from liver that decreased linearly with increased levels of naringin (P-linear0.05. Measurement of lipid oxidation values showed that after hesperidin and naringin dietary supplementation, malondialdehyde values decreased in tissue samples in a dose depended manner (P-linear<0.05. In conclusion, hesperidin and naringin, positively influence meat antioxidative properties without negative implications on growth performance and meat quality characteristics in poultry, thus appearing as important additives for both the consumer and the industry.

The influence of obesity on functional outcome and quality of life after total knee arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, S; Chen, J Y; Lo, N N; Chia, S L; Tay, D K J; Pang, H N; Hao, Y; Yeo, S J

2018-05-01

Aims This study investigated the influence of body mass index (BMI) on patients' function and quality of life ten years after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Patients and Methods A total of 126 patients who underwent unilateral TKA in 2006 were prospectively included in this retrospective study. They were categorized into two groups based on BMI: Quality of life was assessed using the Physical (PCS) and Mental Component Scores (MCS) of the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Results Patients in the obese group underwent TKA at a younger age (mean, 63.0 years, sd 8.0) compared with the control group (mean, 65.6 years, sd 7.6; p = 0.03). Preoperatively, both groups had comparable functional and quality-of-life scores. Ten years postoperatively, the control group had significantly higher OKS and MCS compared with the obese group (OKS, mean 18 (sd 5) vs mean 22 (sd 10), p = 0.03; MCS, mean 56 (sd 10) vs mean 50 (sd 11), p = 0.01). After applying multiple linear regression with the various outcomes scores as dependent variables and age, gender, and Charlson Comorbidity Index as independent variables, there was a clear association between obesity and poorer outcome in KSFS, OKS, and MCS at ten years postoperatively (p quality of life postoperatively, obese patients tend to have smaller improvements in the OKS and MCS ten years postoperatively. It is important to counsel patients on the importance of weight management to achieve a more sustained outcome after TKA. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:579-83.

Factors influencing change in clinical practice: A qualitative evaluation of the implementation of the quality improvement in colonoscopy study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajasekhar, Praveen T; Rees, Colin J; Nixon, Catherine; East, James E; Brown, Sally

2016-01-01

The quality improvement in colonoscopy study was a region wide service improvement study to improve adenoma detection rate at colonoscopy by implementing evidence into routine colonoscopy practice. Implementing evidence into clinical practice can be challenging. The purpose of this paper is to perform a qualitative interview study to evaluate factors that influenced implementation within the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff in endoscopy units taking part in the quality improvement in colonoscopy study, after study completion. Units and interviewees were purposefully sampled to ensure a range of experiences was represented. Interviews were conducted with 11 participants. Key themes influencing uptake of the quality improvement in colonoscopy evidence bundle included time, study promotion, training, engagement, positive outcomes and modifications. Areas within themes were increased awareness of quality in colonoscopy (QIC), emphasis on withdrawal time and empowerment of endoscopy nurses to encourage the use of quality measures were positive outcomes of the study. The simple, visible study posters were reported as useful in aiding study promotion. Feedback sessions improved engagement. Challenges included difficulty arranging set-up meetings and engaging certain speciality groups. This evaluation suggests that methods to implement evidence into clinical practice should include identification and empowerment of team members who can positively influence engagement, simple, visible reminders and feedback. Emphasis on timing of meetings and strategies to engage speciality groups should also be given consideration. Qualitative evaluations can provide important insights into why quality improvement initiatives are successful or not, across different sites.

Influence of the Integral Quality Monitor transmission detector on high energy photon beams: A multi-centre study.

Science.gov (United States)

Casar, Bozidar; Pasler, Marlies; Wegener, Sonja; Hoffman, David; Talamonti, Cinzia; Qian, Jianguo; Mendez, Ignasi; Brojan, Denis; Perrin, Bruce; Kusters, Martijn; Canters, Richard; Pallotta, Stefania; Peterlin, Primoz

2017-09-01

The influence of the Integral Quality Monitor (IQM) transmission detector on photon beam properties was evaluated in a preclinical phase, using data from nine participating centres: (i) the change of beam quality (beam hardening), (ii) the influence on surface dose, and (iii) the attenuation of the IQM detector. For 6 different nominal photon energies (4 standard, 2 FFF) and square field sizes from 1×1cm 2 to 20×20cm 2 , the effect of IQM on beam quality was assessed from the PDD 20,10 values obtained from the percentage dose depth (PDD) curves, measured with and without IQM in the beam path. The change in surface dose with/without IQM was assessed for all available energies and field sizes from 4×4cm 2 to 20×20cm 2 . The transmission factor was calculated by means of measured absorbed dose at 10cm depth for all available energies and field sizes. (i) A small (0.11-0.53%) yet statistically significant beam hardening effect was observed, depending on photon beam energy. (ii) The increase in surface dose correlated with field size (pphoton energies except for 18MV. The change in surface dose was smaller than 3.3% in all cases except for the 20×20cm 2 field and 10MV FFF beam, where it reached 8.1%. (iii) For standard beams, transmission of the IQM showed a weak dependence on the field size, and a pronounced dependence on the beam energy (0.9412 for 6MV to 0.9578 for 18MV and 0.9440 for 6MV FFF; 0.9533 for 10MV FFF). The effects of the IQM detector on photon beam properties were found to be small yet statistically significant. The magnitudes of changes which were found justify treating IQM either as tray factors within the treatment planning system (TPS) for a particular energy or alternatively as modified outputs for specific beam energy of linear accelerators, which eases the introduction of the IQM into clinical practice. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Influence of the Integral Quality Monitor transmission detector on high energy photon beams. A multi-centre study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casar, Bozidar [Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana (Slovenia). Dept. of Radiation Physics; Pasler, Marlies [Lake Constance Radiation Oncology Center, Singen and Friedrichshafen (Germany); Wegener, Sonja [Wuerzburg Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; and others

2017-10-01

The influence of the Integral Quality Monitor (IQM) transmission detector on photon beam properties was evaluated in a preclinical phase, using data from nine participating centres: (i) the change of beam quality (beam hardening), (ii) the influence on surface dose, and (iii) the attenuation of the IQM detector. For 6 different nominal photon energies (4 standard, 2 FFF) and square field sizes from 1 x 1 cm{sup 2} to 20 x 20 cm{sup 2}, the effect of IQM on beam quality was assessed from the PDD{sub 20,10} values obtained from the percentage dose depth (PDD) curves, measured with and without IQM in the beam path. The change in surface dose with/without IQM was assessed for all available energies and field sizes from 4 x 4 cm{sup 2} to 20 x 20 cm{sup 2}. The transmission factor was calculated by means of measured absorbed dose at 10 cm depth for all available energies and field sizes. (i) A small (0.11-0.53%) yet statistically significant beam hardening effect was observed, depending on photon beam energy. (ii) The increase in surface dose correlated with field size (p < 0.01) for all photon energies except for 18 MV. The change in surface dose was smaller than 3.3% in all cases except for the 20 x 20 cm{sup 2} field and 10 MV FFF beam, where it reached 8.1%. (iii) For standard beams, transmission of the IQM showed a weak dependence on the field size, and a pronounced dependence on the beam energy (0.9412 for 6 MV to 0.9578 for 18 MV and 0.9440 for 6 MV FFF; 0.9533 for 10 MV FFF). The effects of the IQM detector on photon beam properties were found to be small yet statistically significant. The magnitudes of changes which were found justify treating IQM either as tray factors within the treatment planning system (TPS) for a particular energy or alternatively as modified outputs for specific beam energy of linear accelerators, which eases the introduction of the IQM into clinical practice.

The influence of software filtering in digital mammography image quality

Science.gov (United States)

Michail, C.; Spyropoulou, V.; Kalyvas, N.; Valais, I.; Dimitropoulos, N.; Fountos, G.; Kandarakis, I.; Panayiotakis, G.

2009-05-01

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among women. Several techniques have been developed to help in the early detection of breast cancer such as conventional and digital x-ray mammography, positron and single-photon emission mammography, etc. A key advantage in digital mammography is that images can be manipulated as simple computer image files. Thus non-dedicated commercially available image manipulation software can be employed to process and store the images. The image processing tools of the Photoshop (CS 2) software usually incorporate digital filters which may be used to reduce image noise, enhance contrast and increase spatial resolution. However, improving an image quality parameter may result in degradation of another. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of three sharpening filters, named hereafter sharpen, sharpen more and sharpen edges on image resolution and noise. Image resolution was assessed by means of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF).In conclusion it was found that the correct use of commercial non-dedicated software on digital mammograms may improve some aspects of image quality.

The influence of software filtering in digital mammography image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michail, C; Spyropoulou, V; Valais, I; Panayiotakis, G; Kalyvas, N; Fountos, G; Kandarakis, I; Dimitropoulos, N

2009-01-01

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among women. Several techniques have been developed to help in the early detection of breast cancer such as conventional and digital x-ray mammography, positron and single-photon emission mammography, etc. A key advantage in digital mammography is that images can be manipulated as simple computer image files. Thus non-dedicated commercially available image manipulation software can be employed to process and store the images. The image processing tools of the Photoshop (CS 2) software usually incorporate digital filters which may be used to reduce image noise, enhance contrast and increase spatial resolution. However, improving an image quality parameter may result in degradation of another. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of three sharpening filters, named hereafter sharpen, sharpen more and sharpen edges on image resolution and noise. Image resolution was assessed by means of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF).In conclusion it was found that the correct use of commercial non-dedicated software on digital mammograms may improve some aspects of image quality.

Influence of Public Service Quality in Citizen Satisfaction (Study in Private Hospital Y in Padang, West Sumatra Province

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Aldri Frinaldi

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The main problem in public service particularly health care service is the public’s increasing demand for better quality of service. Therefore, hospitals as one of the means of health care providers should be able to increase public satisfaction. This is important to win the trust of patients and/or families of patients who come for treatment. The lack of patients’ satisfaction in the quality of service in hospitals in Indonesia contributes to the Indonesians’ choice of medical treatment abroad. Therefore, the study aims to determine the influence of quality of services provided by the hospital toward patients’ satisfaction. This quantitative research surveyed patients in Hospital Y in Padang city using questionnaire as a research instrument. The population is all the patients and/or families of patients who are served in the hospital during the data collection in the month of May to August 2014. A sample of 100 people was selected using accidental sampling. The collected data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages and averages using SPSS version16 for windows. Simple linear regression analysis technique was used for data analysis. Location of the study was a private hospital located in the city of Padang, West Sumatra Province, which in this research is referred as private hospital Y. The results of this study indicates that there is a significant relation between the quality of service to the citizen satisfaction with the regression equation Y = 44.967 + 2.612 X with value of correlation (r = 0.760, and the influence of quality of service to the public satisfaction in 57.8%. Then the results Achievement Level Respondents (TCR in the quality of public services obtained a value of 74.8% with quite good category and to the satisfaction of the public to the TCR value of 75.3%with quite good category. It shows the quality of care in hospitals Y must be improved in order to obtain an increase in user satisfaction of the people who

The quality of the outdoor environment influences childrens health -- a cross-sectional study of preschools.

Science.gov (United States)

Söderström, M; Boldemann, C; Sahlin, U; Mårtensson, F; Raustorp, A; Blennow, M

2013-01-01

To test how the quality of the outdoor environment of child day care centres (DCCs) influences children's health. The environment was assessed using the Outdoor Play Environmental Categories (OPEC) tool, time spent outdoors and physical activity as measured by pedometer. 172/253 (68%) of children aged 3.0-5.9 from nine DCCs participated in Southern Sweden. Health data collected were body mass index, waist circumference, saliva cortisol, length of night sleep during study, and symptoms and well-being which were scored (1-week diary - 121 parent responders). Also, parent-rated well-being and health of their child were scored (questionnaire, 132 parent responders). MANOVA, ANOVA and principal component analyses were performed to identify impacts of the outdoor environment on health. High-quality outdoor environment at DCCs is associated with several health aspects in children such as leaner body, longer night sleep, better well-being and higher mid-morning saliva cortisol levels. The quality of the outdoor environment at DCCs influenced the health and well-being of preschool children and should be given more attention among health care professionals and community planners. ©2012 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica ©2012 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Influence of sampling interval and number of projections on the quality of SR-XFMT reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Biao; Yu Xiaohan; Xu Hongjie

2007-01-01

Synchrotron Radiation based X-ray Fluorescent Microtomography (SR-XFMT) is a nondestructive technique for detecting elemental composition and distribution inside a specimen with high spatial resolution and sensitivity. In this paper, computer simulation of SR-XFMT experiment is performed. The influence of the sampling interval and the number of projections on the quality of SR-XFMT image reconstruction is analyzed. It is found that the sampling interval has greater effect on the quality of reconstruction than the number of projections. (authors)

A Psychological Perspective on Preterm Children: The Influence of Contextual Factors on Quality of Family Interactions

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Michela Gatta

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Preterm birth has a critical influence on interactive, communicative, and expressive child behaviour, particularly during the first years of life. Few studies have stressed the assessment of mother-father-child interaction in families with preterm children, generating contradictory results. The present study wished to develop these fields: (i comparing the quality of family interactions between families with preterm children and families with children born at full term; (ii observing the development of family interactions after six months in the families with children born preterm; (iii assessing family and contextual factors, as parental stress and social support, in parents of preterm children in order to observe their influence on the quality of family interactions. 78 families are recruited: 39 families with preterm children (M = 19,8 months, SD = 11,05 and 39 families with full-term children (M = 19,66 months; SD = 13,10. Results show that families with preterm children display a low quality of mother-father-child interactions. After six months, family interactions result is generally stable, except for some LTP-scales reflecting a hard adjustment of parenting style to the evolution of the child. In families with preterm children, the parenting stress seemed to be correlated with the quality of mother-father-child interactions.

A Psychological Perspective on Preterm Children: The Influence of Contextual Factors on Quality of Family Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gatta, Michela; Miscioscia, Marina; Svanellini, Lorenza; Peraro, Chiara; Simonelli, Alessandra

2017-01-01

Preterm birth has a critical influence on interactive, communicative, and expressive child behaviour, particularly during the first years of life. Few studies have stressed the assessment of mother-father-child interaction in families with preterm children, generating contradictory results. The present study wished to develop these fields: (i) comparing the quality of family interactions between families with preterm children and families with children born at full term; (ii) observing the development of family interactions after six months in the families with children born preterm; (iii) assessing family and contextual factors, as parental stress and social support, in parents of preterm children in order to observe their influence on the quality of family interactions. 78 families are recruited: 39 families with preterm children ( M = 19,8 months, SD = 11,05) and 39 families with full-term children ( M = 19,66 months; SD = 13,10). Results show that families with preterm children display a low quality of mother-father-child interactions. After six months, family interactions result is generally stable, except for some LTP-scales reflecting a hard adjustment of parenting style to the evolution of the child. In families with preterm children, the parenting stress seemed to be correlated with the quality of mother-father-child interactions.

Does nutrition influence quality of life in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravasco, Paula; Monteiro-Grillo, Isabel; Camilo, Maria Ermelinda

2003-01-01

Purpose: To investigate in cancer patients referred for radiotherapy (RT): (1) quality of life (QoL), nutritional status and nutrient intake, at the onset and at the end of RT; (2) whether individualised nutritional counselling, despite symptoms, was able to enhance nutrient intake over time and whether the latter influenced the patient's QoL; and (3) which symptoms may anticipate poorer QoL and/or reduced nutritional intake. Material and methods: One hundred and twenty-five patients with tumours of the head-neck/gastrointestinal tract (high-risk: HR), prostate, breast, lung, brain, gallbladder, uterus (low-risk: LR) were evaluated before and at the end of RT. Nutritional status was evaluated by Ottery's Subjective Global Assessment, nutritional intake by a 24-h recall food questionnaire and QoL by two instruments: EUROQOL and the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ)-C30. Results: Baseline malnutrition was prevalent in HR vs. LR (P=0.02); nutritional intake was associated with nutritional status (P=0.007); the latter did not change significantly during RT. In LR, baseline energy intake was higher than EER (P=0.001), and higher than HR' intake (P=0.002); the latter increased (P<0.03), in spite of symptom increase anew and/or in severity (P=0.0001). According to both instruments, QoL was always better in LR vs. HR (P=0.01); at the end of RT, QoL improvement in HR was correlated with increased nutritional intake (P=0.001), both remained stable in LR. Conclusions: Individualised nutritional counselling accounting for nutritional status and clinical condition, was able to improve nutritional intake and patients' QoL, despite self-reported symptoms

How histological features of basal cell carcinomas influence image quality in optical coherence tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Mette; Nürnberg, Birgit M.; Thrane, Lars

2011-01-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has the potential to diagnose and measure the depth of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in skin, but some lesions appear blurred in OCT images. The aim of this study is to identify histological characteristics of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) that correlate with good...... quality OCT images of the same lesions. A total of 34 patients with BCC were OCT scanned. The influence of histology parameters (e.g. inflammation, sun damage of skin, carcinoma cell size) on OCT image quality was studied by comparing 15 BCC lesions easily identified compared to 19 BCC lesions...

Indoor air quality in public utility environments-a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Śmiełowska, Monika; Marć, Mariusz; Zabiegała, Bożena

2017-04-01

Indoor air quality has been the object of interest for scientists and specialists from the fields of science such as chemistry, medicine and ventilation system design. This results from a considerable number of potential factors, which may influence the quality of the broadly understood indoor air in a negative way. Poor quality of indoor air in various types of public utility buildings may significantly affect an increase in the incidence of various types of civilisation diseases. This paper presents information about a broad spectrum of chemical compounds that were identified and determined in the indoor environment of various types of public utility rooms such as churches, museums, libraries, temples and hospitals. An analysis of literature data allowed for identification of the most important transport paths of chemical compounds that significantly influence the quality of the indoor environment and thus the comfort of living and the health of persons staying in it.

The influence of different electrical conductivity values in a simplified recirculating soilless system on inner and outer fruit quality characteristics of tomato.

Science.gov (United States)

Krauss, Sandra; Schnitzler, Wilfried H; Grassmann, Johanna; Woitke, Markus

2006-01-25

Irrigation with saline water affects tomato fruit quality. While total fruit yield decreases with salinity, inner quality characterized by taste and health-promoting compounds can be improved. For a detailed description of this relationship, the influence of three different salt levels [electrical conductivity (EC) 3, 6.5, and 10] in hydroponically grown tomatoes was investigated. Rising salinity levels in the nutrient solution significantly increased vitamin C, lycopene, and beta-carotene in fresh fruits up to 35%. The phenol concentration was tendentiously enhanced, and the antioxidative capacity of phenols and carotenoids increased on a fresh weight basis. Additionally, the higher EC values caused an increase of total soluble solids and organic acids, parameters determining the taste of tomatoes. Total fruit yield, single fruit weight, and firmness significantly decreased with rising EC levels. Regression analyses revealed significant correlations between the EC level and the dependent variables single fruit weight, total soluble solids, titrable acids, lycopene, and antioxidative capacities of carotenoids and phenols, whereas vitamin C and phenols correlated best with truss number, and beta-carotene correlated best with temperature. Only pressure firmness showed no correlation with any of the measured parameters. As all desirable characteristics in the freshly produced tomato increased when exposed to salinity, salinity itself constitutes an alternative method of quality improvement. Moreover, it can compensate for the loss of yield by the higher inner quality due to changing demands by the market and the consumer. This investigation is to our knowledge the first comprehensive overview regarding parameters of outer quality (yield and firmness), taste (total soluble solids and acids), nutritional value (vitamin C, carotenoids, and phenolics), as well as antioxidative capacity in tomatoes grown under saline conditions.

Influence of heart rate on diagnostic accuracy and image quality of 16-slice CT coronary angiography: comparison of multisegment and halfscan reconstruction approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dewey, Marc; Teige, Florian; Hamm, Bernd [Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department of Radiology, Chariteplatz 1, P.O. Box 10098, Berlin (Germany); Laule, Michael [Department of Cardiology, Charite, Berlin (Germany)

2007-11-15

The lower the heart rate the better image quality in multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography. We prospectively assessed the influence of heart rate on per-patient diagnostic accuracy and image quality of MSCT coronary angiography and compared adaptive multisegment and standard halfscan reconstruction. A consecutive cohort of 126 patients scheduled to undergo conventional coronary angiography was examined with 16-slice CT. For all heart rate groups, per-patient diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher for multisegment than halfscan reconstruction with values of 95 vs. 79% (p < 0.05, <65 bpm, 38 patients), 85 vs. 66% (p < 0.05, 65-74 bpm, 47 patients), and 78% vs. 41% (p < 0.001, >74 bpm, 41 patients). Differences in diagnostic accuracy between adjacent heart rate groups were only significant for halfscan reconstruction for the comparison between the 65-74 and >74 bpm group (p < 0.05). The vessel lengths free of motion artifacts were significantly longer with multisegment reconstruction in all heart rate groups and for all coronary arteries (p < 0.005). For noninvasive MSCT coronary angiography, both per-patient diagnostic accuracy and image quality decline with increasing heart rate, and multisegment reconstruction at high heart rates yields similar results as standard halfscan reconstruction at low heart rates. (orig.)

Influence of extensive compressed natural gas (CNG) usage on air quality

Science.gov (United States)

Suthawaree, Jeeranut; Sikder, Helena Akhter; Jones, Charlotte Emily; Kato, Shungo; Kunimi, Hitoshi; Mohammed Hamidul Kabir, Abu Naser; Kajii, Yoshizumi

2012-07-01

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is an inexpensive, indigenous energy resource which currently accounts for the majority of automobile and domestic energy consumption in Bangladesh. This extensive CNG usage, particularly within the capital city, Dhaka, heavily influences the atmospheric composition (and hence air quality), yet to date measurements of trace gases in regions dominated by CNG emissions are relatively limited. Here we report continuous observations of the atmospherically important trace gases O3, CO, SO2, NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOC), in ambient air in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, during May 2011. The average mixing ratios of O3, CO, SO2, and NOx for the measurement period were 18.9, 520.9, 7.6 and 21.5 ppbv, respectively. The ratios of CO to NO reveal that emissions from gasoline and CNG-fuelled vehicles were dominant during the daytime (slope of ˜26), while in contrast, owing to restrictions imposed on diesel fuelled vehicles entering Dhaka City, emissions from these vehicles only became significant during the night (slope of ˜10). The total VOC mixing ratio in Dhaka was ˜5-10 times higher than the levels reported in more developed Asian cities such as Tokyo and Bangkok, which consequently gives rise to a higher ozone formation potential (OFP). However, the most abundant VOC in Dhaka were the relatively long-lived ethane and propane (with mean mixing ratios of ˜115 and ˜30 ppbv, respectively), and as a consequence, the ozone formation potential per ppb carbon (ppbC) was lower in Dhaka than in Tokyo and Bangkok. Thus the atmospheric composition of air influenced by extensive CNG combustion may be characterized by high VOC mixing ratios, yet mixing ratios of the photochemical pollutant ozone do not drastically exceed the levels typical of Asian cities with considerably lower VOC levels.

INFLUENCE OF SYSTEMIC DISEASES AND REMOVABLE ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES ON THE QUALITY OF SALIVA IN CHILDHOOD.

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Maya Rashkova

2012-03-01

Full Text Available During the last 10 years numerous investigations using saliva as a diagnostic tool have been carried out. The aim of present study is to evaluate saliva qualities for various general diseases and conditions that influence its qualities. (1 Evaluation of salivary flow and saliva consistency of children. (2 Evaluation of saliva pH and buffer capacity of children. Material and Methods. The investigation was carried out with 126 children (age 6 to 17 selected by their general diseases and conditions influencing the oral risk environment. The children were divided into 4 groups: 30 children with diabetes, 25 children with asthma treated with local corticosteroids, 27 healthy children with orthodontic treatment, 34 children as a control group (healthy children. The saliva of the children was tested with the help of “Saliva Check” of GC company. The instructions of the company producer were followed.Results. Stimulated saliva current is reliably lower for children with asthma treated with local corticosteroids, diabetes and children with orthodontic appliances. Saliva pH is with lower values for children with diabetes and asthma – diseases predisposing to acid oral environment. The decreased saliva buffer capacity for children with diabetes and asthma is an indicator for the difficult regulation of the dynamically changing oral electrolytic balance of those children.Conclusion. The saliva parameters studied can be used as biomarkers of the liquid oral environment with regard to the risks for caries and periodontal diseases in children. General health status influences saliva qualities increasing thus indirectly the caries risk.

A study on the influence of internet addiction and online interpersonal influences on health-related quality of life in young Vietnamese.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Bach Xuan; Huong, Le Thi; Hinh, Nguyen Duc; Nguyen, Long Hoang; Le, Bao Nguyen; Nong, Vuong Minh; Thuc, Vu Thi Minh; Tho, Tran Dinh; Latkin, Carl; Zhang, Melvyn Wb; Ho, Roger Cm

2017-01-31

Internet addiction (IA) is a common problem found in young Asians. This study aimed to study the influence of IA and online activities on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in young Vietnamese. This study also compared the frequencies of anxiety, depression and other addiction of young Vietnamese with and without IA. This study recruited 566 young Vietnamese (56.7% female, 43.3% male) ranging from 15 to 25 years of age via the respondent-driven sampling technique. Chi-squared, t-test and analysis of variance were used to compare young Vietnamese with and without IA. Regression analyses were used to examine the association between internet usage characteristics and HRQOL. Results from this cross-sectional study showed that 21.2% of participants suffered from IA. Online relationship demonstrated significantly higher influences on behaviors and lifestyles in participants with IA than those without IA. Participants with IA were more likely to have problems with self-care, difficulty in performing daily routine, suffer from pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression. Contrary to previous studies, we found that there were no differences in gender, sociodemographic, the number of participants with cigarette smoking, water-pipe smoking and alcohol dependence between the IA and non-IA groups. IA was significantly associated with poor HRQOL in young Vietnamese. IA is a common problem among young Vietnamese and the prevalence of IA is the highest as compared to other Asian countries. Our findings suggest that gender may not play a key role in IA. This can be an emerging trend when both genders have equal access to the internet. By studying the impact of IA on HRQOL, healthcare professionals can design effective intervention to alleviate the negative consequences of IA in Vietnam.

A study on the influence of internet addiction and online interpersonal influences on health-related quality of life in young Vietnamese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bach Xuan Tran

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Internet addiction (IA is a common problem found in young Asians. This study aimed to study the influence of IA and online activities on health-related quality of life (HRQOL in young Vietnamese. This study also compared the frequencies of anxiety, depression and other addiction of young Vietnamese with and without IA. Methods This study recruited 566 young Vietnamese (56.7% female, 43.3% male ranging from 15 to 25 years of age via the respondent-driven sampling technique. Chi-squared, t-test and analysis of variance were used to compare young Vietnamese with and without IA. Regression analyses were used to examine the association between internet usage characteristics and HRQOL. Results Results from this cross-sectional study showed that 21.2% of participants suffered from IA. Online relationship demonstrated significantly higher influences on behaviors and lifestyles in participants with IA than those without IA. Participants with IA were more likely to have problems with self-care, difficulty in performing daily routine, suffer from pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression. Contrary to previous studies, we found that there were no differences in gender, sociodemographic, the number of participants with cigarette smoking, water-pipe smoking and alcohol dependence between the IA and non-IA groups. IA was significantly associated with poor HRQOL in young Vietnamese. Conclusion IA is a common problem among young Vietnamese and the prevalence of IA is the highest as compared to other Asian countries. Our findings suggest that gender may not play a key role in IA. This can be an emerging trend when both genders have equal access to the internet. By studying the impact of IA on HRQOL, healthcare professionals can design effective intervention to alleviate the negative consequences of IA in Vietnam.

Influence of a fertilizer solution on yield and quality of bread wheat in Guadalquivir Valley (Córdoba, Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Concepción Benítez, M.; González, José Luis; Tejada, Manuel

2014-05-01

The use of by-products of food industries in agricultural practices has become a routine over the last few decades. The addition of beet vinasse, by-products of the two sep olive mill process and by-products of defatted sunflower flour, etc., to soils is a common agricultural practice, since sensible use has been reported to improve the physical, chemical and biological aspects of the soil and to increase harvest yield, and in many cases harvest quality Previous research carried out by the authors (Ordóñez et al., 2001) examined a process whereby a protein concentrate is obtained from defatted sunflower flour. In this process, floating liquid phosphorus, potassium contents and smaller amounts of humic substances and nitrogen are obtained. The potential application of this solution as a fertiliser has been evaluated on rye grass, confirming that its effects are comparable to those produced by a nutritional solution in terms of phosphorus and potassium foliar levels. The experiment was performed on soil classified as Typic Haploxererts located in the Middle Valley of the river Guadalquivir Cajeme wheat (Triticum aestivum var) variety was used at a dose of 180 kg seeds / ha. For both crop, four fertiliser treatments were applied in triplicate to randomly distributed 7 x 8 m plots. The greatest positive effect of applying the experimental phospho-potassic solution was found for the leaf levels of K, in maturity; this influence was most significant when the highest dosage of said solution. With reference to the levels of N, P and K in wheat grain, the levels of potassium were significantly different for all the fertilising treatments, and the plot fertilised with the highest dosage of the experimental phospho-potassic solution presented the highest values. As for the data obtained for harvest yield and quality, the addition of the experimental solution was observed to have a significantly positive influence (but only in the highest dosages) on the production levels.

Influence of slice overlap on positron emission tomography image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKeown, Clare; Gillen, Gerry; Dempsey, Mary Frances; Findlay, Caroline

2016-01-01

PET scans use overlapping acquisition beds to correct for reduced sensitivity at bed edges. The optimum overlap size for the General Electric (GE) Discovery 690 has not been established. This study assesses how image quality is affected by slice overlap. Efficacy of 23% overlaps (recommended by GE) and 49% overlaps (maximum possible overlap) were specifically assessed. European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) guidelines for calculating minimum injected activities based on overlap size were also reviewed. A uniform flood phantom was used to assess noise (coefficient of variation, (COV)) and voxel accuracy (activity concentrations, Bq ml −1 ). A NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) body phantom with hot/cold spheres in a background activity was used to assess contrast recovery coefficients (CRCs) and signal to noise ratios (SNR). Different overlap sizes and sphere-to-background ratios were assessed. COVs for 49% and 23% overlaps were 9% and 13% respectively. This increased noise was difficult to visualise on the 23% overlap images. Mean voxel activity concentrations were not affected by overlap size. No clinically significant differences in CRCs were observed. However, visibility and SNR of small, low contrast spheres (⩽13 mm diameter, 2:1 sphere to background ratio) may be affected by overlap size in low count studies if they are located in the overlap area. There was minimal detectable influence on image quality in terms of noise, mean activity concentrations or mean CRCs when comparing 23% overlap with 49% overlap. Detectability of small, low contrast lesions may be affected in low count studies—however, this is a worst-case scenario. The marginal benefits of increasing overlap from 23% to 49% are likely to be offset by increased patient scan times. A 23% overlap is therefore appropriate for clinical use. An amendment to EANM guidelines for calculating injected activities is also proposed which better reflects the effect overlap size

Influence of religiosity and spiritual coping on health-related quality of life in Saudi haemodialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Jonas Preposi; Colet, Paolo C; Alquwez, Nahed; Inocian, Ergie P; Al-Otaibi, Raid Salman; Islam, Sheikh Mohammed Shariful

2017-01-01

Patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) are frequently troubled by psychiatric disorders and coping problems, which can pose a serious threat to their physical and mental well-being. Using religious and spiritual interventions as a means of coping with physical and mental challenges is widely recognized. Although this topic has been well studied, in the Middle East regions, where Islam is the dominant religion, studies are limited. Thus, this study was performed to explore the influence of religiosity and spiritual coping (SC) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Saudi patients receiving HD. A total of 168 HD patients from three hospitals in Saudi Arabia formed a convenient sample for this descriptive, cross-sectional hospital-based study. Data collection was done via questionnaire-guided interviews using the Muslim Religious Index as well as the Arabic Versions of the Spiritual Coping Strategies scale and Quality of Life Index Dialysis. Regression analysis enabled identification of the factors influencing HRQoL. Older patients were found to reveal higher levels of religiosity, whereas the younger ones expressed a lesser degree of religious and nonreligious coping. Unemployed patients reported greater involvement in religious practices (RP) and more frequently used religious coping than those employed. The latter showed lower intrinsic religiosity and nonreligious coping usage than the unemployed. The respondents reported the greatest satisfaction scores on their psychological/spiritual dimension and the least scores on the social and economic dimension. Therefore, the factors that could influence the HRQoL of the respondents were identified as involvement in RP, intrinsic religious beliefs, religious coping usage and age. This study revealed significant findings regarding the importance of religiosity and SC on the HRQoL of the Saudi HD patients. Therefore, it has been highly recommended to integrate religiosity into the health-care process for such

Quality of life of cancer patients - definition, stages of survival and factors of influence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaneva, M.

2005-01-01

The aim of the review is to represent the state of assessment of quality of life of cancer patients in the investigation of different authors. It is important to know the basic ideas of quality of life during the complex treatment of cancer patients, in order to choose such methods that will lead to an improvement of their living. The definition of the concept 'quality of life', the stages that patients pass and the influencing factors should be familiar to the therapists. Today patients live longer after a complex treatment - it is important how and what challenges they are facing together with their relatives and the medical staff. The attempts to define and measure the quality of life of cancer patients date from the last ten years. This is a social demand to get such medical care, which should be at a certain level leading not only to a longer survival but this life to be of a higher quality. The patients' perceptions and preferences concerning quality of life must be given greater emphasis in cancer treatment decision making which will better his state after a competent explanation of therapists. A quality of life of every patient is as an individual problem as a part of the social health. A classification of the problem of quality of life will enlarge the oncological therapeutic concept

Evaluation of the influence of acquisition parameters of microtomography in image quality applied by carbonate rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, T. M. P.; Machado, A. S.; Araújo, O. M. O.; Ferreira, C. G.; Lopes, R. T.

2018-03-01

X-ray computed microtomography is a powerful nondestructive technique for 2D and 3D structure analysis. However, parameters used in acquisition promote directs influence in qualitative and quantitative results in characterization of samples, due image resolution. The aim of this study is value the influence of theses parameters in results through of tests changing these parameters in different situations and system characterization. Results demonstrate those pixel size and detector matrixes are the main parameters that influence in resolution and image quality. Microtomography was considered an excellent technique for characterization using the best image resolution possible.

Perceived Quality of Full HD Video - Subjective Quality Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juraj Bienik

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, an interest in multimedia services has become a global trend and this trend is still rising. The video quality is a very significant part from the bundle of multimedia services, which leads to a requirement for quality assessment in the video domain. Video quality of a streamed video across IP networks is generally influenced by two factors “transmission link imperfection and efficiency of compression standards. This paper deals with subjective video quality assessment and the impact of the compression standards H.264, H.265 and VP9 on perceived video quality of these compression standards. The evaluation is done for four full HD sequences, the difference of scenes is in the content“ distinction is based on Spatial (SI and Temporal (TI Index of test sequences. Finally, experimental results follow up to 30% bitrate reducing of H.265 and VP9 compared with the reference H.264.

Does the care dependency of nursing home residents influence their health-related quality of life?-A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabali, Manuela; Ostermann, Thomas; Jeschke, Elke; Dassen, Theo; Heinze, Cornelia

2013-03-11

Studies on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are missing for nursing home residents independent from their health conditions or interventions after admission. Our aim was to analyse if the care dependency of nursing home residents influence their HRQOL and to describe HRQOL of nursing home residents at the time of admission. Eleven German nursing homes were randomly selected for a cross-sectional multicentre study from April 2008 until December 2009. HRQOL was measured with the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) in the six domains "Physical Mobility", "Energy", "Pain", "Social Isolation", "Emotional Reaction" and "Sleep". Domain scores range from zero (good subjective health status) to 100 (poor subjective health status). Care dependency was evaluated using the Care Dependency Scale, age, sex, cognitive status and diseases were documented by the research assistants. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to quantify the influence of care dependency on HRQOL. 120 residents were included in total. HRQOL was mostly reduced in the domains "Physical Mobility" and "Energy" (mean scores >43.0), while impairment differences in the domains "Pain", "Social Isolation", "Emotional Reaction" and "Sleep" were only moderate (≤25.0). HRQOL was not influenced by the age. Women (n = 85) had a significantly poorer HRQOL in the domain "Pain" than men (mean score women: 29.5 ± 31.5; males: 14.9 ± 17.2; p = 0.011). Care dependency had an influence on the domain "Sleep" (ß = -0.195, p = 0.031), while the other domains were not influenced by care dependency. Residents with a low care dependency scored significantly lower (better HRQOL) in the domain "Sleep" than residents with a high care dependency (mean score 15.3; SD ± 19.0 versus mean score 32.8 SD ± 33.2; p dependency has no influence on the HRQOL from the nursing home residents' perspective apart from the domain "Sleep". High care dependency residents have a lower HRQOL in the

The Influence of Scalded Flour, Fermentation, and Plants Belonging to Lamiaceae Family on the Wheat Bread Quality and Acrylamide Content.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartkiene, Elena; Bartkevics, Vadims; Krungleviciute, Vita; Pugajeva, Iveta; Zadeike, Daiva; Juodeikiene, Grazina; Cizeikiene, Dalia

2018-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of additives such as plants belonging to Lamiaceae family (Thymus vulgaris, Carum carvi, Origanum vulgare, Ocimum basilicum, and Coriandrum sativum), scalded flour (SF) or scalded flour fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum LUHS135 (SFFLp) on the quality and acrylamide formation in wheat bread. The formation of acrylamide and bread quality significantly depended on the king of plants used and the amount of SF and SFFLp used. The additives of T. vulgaris and SF increased the content of acrylamide by 3.4-fold in comparison with bread prepared without SF, whereas the addition of SFFLp significantly reduced the content of acrylamide in bread, especially using 5% of SFFLp supplemented with O. vulgare and 15% of SFFLp supplemented with C. sativum (respectively by 40% and 29.4%) therefore could be recommended for safer bread production. The addition of 5% (from total wheat flour content) of scalded wheat flour fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum LUHS135 strain (SFFLp) with Origanum vulgare addition, and 5% or 10% of SFFLp prepared with Ocimum basilicum, and 15% of SFFLp prepared with Coriandrum sativum significantly reduce the content of acrylamide in wheat bread, therefore could be recommended for safer bread production. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

The relationship among water quality and land cover on a watershed influenced by human activities in the cerrado of minas gerais state

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Frederico Borges Machado

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The objective was to analyze the surface water quality on the highlands of the Conquistinha river basin, an area influenced by human activities mostly due to proximity of the Uberaba city boundaries through integrated water resources supported on geoprocessing. The water sampling campaign occurred by month, from October 2012 to September 2013 at three surface water spots strategically located to detect the human influence. Remote sensing technique of image classification process was used to produce the Land Use/Land Cover (LULC map highlighting five categories on July 2011: 42.07% on crops, 29.97% on pasture, 20.17 on human activity, 7.7% on forest and 0.09% on water. The Water Quality Index (WQI was used to evaluate its categorize water quality. All water quality results, by spatial and time approaches, indicate bad and very bad WQI according to Minas Gerais Institute to Water Management. Integrated analysis of land cover and water parameters suggest the human presence influences on water quality worsening. Urban planning about the city growing direction must be done with care over this particular region once the environmental quality especially on water resources is now compromised.

The Effect of Different Location of Muscle on Quality of Frozen Simmental Ongole Grade Male Meat

Science.gov (United States)

Triasih, D.; Krisdiani, D.; Riyanto, J.; Pratitis, W.; Widyawati, S. D.

2018-02-01

The aim of this research was to identify the influence of different types of muscle on the characteristics physical quality frozen meat of Simmental Ongole Crossbreed Male frozen meat. The research had been conducted at the Laboratory of Meat Technology and Processing and Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, Faculty of Animal Science, University GadjahMada, Yogyakarta. The physical quality with 4 levels treatments, the name was Biceps femoris (BF), Longissimus dorsi (LD), Triceps brachii (TB), and Pectoralis profundus (PP). The chemical quality with 3 levels treatments, the name was Biceps femoris (BF), Longissimus dorsi (LD), and Triceps brachii (TB). The research used Completely Randomized Design with 5 replications for each treatment. The variables of the physical quality test were pH, tenderness, cooking loss, and water-holding capacity. The chemical quality test were water content, protein content, fat content, and cholesterol content. The result of the physical quality test showed that the different types of muscle were significantly influence the pH value (P<0,01), also the influence the tenderness and cooking loss (P<0,05), but there was no significant different on water-holding capacity. The chemical quality test showed that the different types of muscle significant influenced on protein content and fat content (P<0,01). They were significant different (P<0,05) on water content, and there was significant effect (P<0,05) on cholesterol. In conclusion, the BF have high value of pH, cooking loss, water content, protein content, and cholesterol than other muscle, but have low value of tenderness and fat content.

Employee quality, monitoring environment and internal control

OpenAIRE

Chunli Liu; Bin Lin; Wei Shu

2017-01-01

We investigate the effect of internal control employees (ICEs) on internal control quality. Using special survey data from Chinese listed firms, we find that ICE quality has a significant positive influence on internal control quality. We examine the effect of monitoring on this result and find that the effect is more pronounced for firms with strict monitoring environments, especially when the firms implement the Chinese internal control regulation system (CSOX), have higher institutional ow...

The Influence of Social Media Towards Emotions, Brand Relationship Quality, and Word of Mouth (WOM on Concert’s Attendees in Indonesia

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Rahmadini Yulia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Social media has been developing significantly from year to year. In Indonesia, 72% of the internet users use the internet to access social media. This indicates that social media are effective brand communication and promotion tools. Music industry is one of the business industries which utilizes social media as communication and promotion tools, especially related to music concerts. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact and relationship of social media towards emotional attachment and brand relationship quality, in which both will be then compare towards word of mouth (WOM on concert’s attendees. This research uses descriptive design research conducted in one period (cross sectional design. Respondents of this study are 160 persons who attended concerts last year. The five-hypotheses research model in this study is tested using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM. This research shows that social media interaction may result in emotional attachment. Emotional attachment felt by concert attendees may influence positively and significantly to brand relationship quality and creates word of mouth among the concert attendees.

The Influence of Marketing Mix and Service Quality on Corporate Reputation and Its Impact on Repurchase Decision

OpenAIRE

Bastaman, Aam; Royyansyah, Mufti

2017-01-01

. Retail business is a growing Industry in Indonesia. Among others there aretwo important variables in retail business: Marketing mix and service quality. Thisresearch are aimed first to know and to analysis the influence of marketing mix andservice quality on corporate reputation and its impact on repurchase decision directlyand indirectly. Secondly, to analysis which variables affect mostly on corporatereputation and on repurchase decision. The research approaches using quantitativeapproach...

Quality of Life after Young Ischemic Stroke of Mild Severity Is Mainly Influenced by Psychological Factors.

Science.gov (United States)

de Bruijn, Marienke A A M; Synhaeve, Nathalie E; van Rijsbergen, Mariëlle W A; de Leeuw, Frank-Erik; Mark, Ruth E; Jansen, Ben P W; de Kort, Paul L M

2015-10-01

Long-term prognosis in terms of quality of life (QoL) in young stroke patients is of importance because they usually have a long life expectancy and extensive daily life demands. We aimed at determining which medical and psychological factors influence the QoL in young stroke patients (Young ischemic stroke patients admitted to the St. Elisabeth Hospital and the TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands, between 2000 and 2010 were included. One hundred seventy patients and 61 controls filled out the following questionnaires: (1) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, (2) the Fatigue Assessment Scale, and (3) the shortened World Health Organization Quality of Life scale. Using linear multiple regression analysis, we assessed the factors influencing QoL. QoL did not differ significantly between patients (median modified Rankin Scale score at follow-up, 0) and controls after a mean follow-up of 4.5 (standard deviation, 2.8) years. The presence of excessive fatigue was associated with lower scores on all domains of the QoL (P ≤ .003), but not for general health domain (P = .010). Similarly, depression was associated with worse QoL on the physical (P = .004) and psychological (P = .001) domains and anxiety with lower scores on the psychological (P stroke-specific factors and QoL. Fatigue and to a lesser extent depression and anxiety affect the QoL in young adults after ischemic stroke of mild severity. Therefore, young stroke patients should be informed about, screened, and, if possible, treated for fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Copyright © 2015 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of recycled aggregate quality and proportioning criteria on recycled concrete properties.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Gayarre, F; Serna, P; Domingo-Cabo, A; Serrano-López, M A; López-Colina, C

2009-12-01

This paper presents the results of experimental research using concrete produced by substituting part of the natural coarse aggregates with recycled aggregates from concrete demolition. The influence of the quality of the recycled aggregate (amount of declassified and source of aggregate), the percentage of replacement on the targeted quality of the concrete to be produced (strength and workability) has been evaluated. The granular structure of concrete and replacement criteria were analyzed in this study, factors which have not been analyzed in other studies. The following properties of recycled concretes were analyzed: density, absorption, compressive strength, elastic modulus, amount of occluded air, penetration of water under pressure and splitting tensile strength. A simplified test program was designed to control the costs of the testing while still producing sufficient data to develop reliable conclusions in order to make the number of tests viable whilst guaranteeing the reliability of the conclusions. Several factors were analyzed including the type of aggregate, the percentage of replacement, the type of sieve curve, the declassified content, the strength of concrete and workability of concrete and the replacement criteria. The type of aggregate and the percentage of replacement were the only factors that showed a clear influence on most of the properties. Compressive strength is clearly affected by the quality of recycled aggregates. If the water-cement ratio is kept constant and the loss of workability due to the effect of using recycled aggregate is compensated for with additives, the percentage of replacement of the recycled aggregate will not affect the compressive strength. The elastic modulus is affected by the percentage of replacement. If the percentage of replacement does not exceed 50%, the elastic modulus will only change slightly.

Influence of high latitude light conditions on sensory quality and contents of health and sensory-related compounds in swede roots (Brassica napus L. ssp. rapifera Metzg.).

Science.gov (United States)

Mølmann, Jørgen Ab; Hagen, Sidsel Fiskaa; Bengtsson, Gunnar B; Johansen, Tor J

2018-02-01

Vegetable growers in Arctic areas must increasingly rely on market strategies based on regional origin and product quality. Swede roots (rutabaga) were grown in a phytotron to investigate the effect of high latitude light conditions on sensory quality and some health and sensory-related compounds. Experimental treatments included modifications of 24 h natural day length (69° 39' N) by moving plants at daily intervals to dark chambers with either no light, fluorescent growth light and/or low intensity photoperiod extension. Shortening the photosynthetic light period to 12 h produced smaller roots than 15.7 h and 18 h, with highest scores for bitter and sulfur taste, and lowest scores for sweetness, acidic taste and fibrousness. The photoperiod in combination with the photosynthetic light period also had an influence on glucosinolate (GLS) contents, with lowest concentrations in 24 h natural light and highest in 12 h natural light. Concentrations of vitamin C, glucose, fructose and sucrose were not significantly influenced by any of the treatments. High latitude light conditions, with long photosynthetic light periods and 24 h photoperiod, can enhance sweet/less bitter taste and reduce GLS contents in swede roots, compared to growth under short day conditions. This influence of light conditions on eating quality may benefit marketing of regional products from high latitudes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Differences in Disease-specific Quality of Life in Patients with Actinic Keratosis in Australia and Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Iben Marie; Vinding, Gabrielle; Zarchi, Kian; Esmann, Solveig; Murrell, Dedee F; Jemec, Gregor B

2016-04-01

Actinic keratosis (AK) negatively influences patient quality of life as measured by the disease-specific Actinic Keratosis Quality of Life (AKQoL) questionnaire. The quality of life in Australian patients was significantly less affected than in Danish patients. We hypothesize that general factors such as public awareness and cultural connotations of AK, may influence the impact of AK on quality of life (QoL).

Influence of climate change on air quality in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lecoeur, Eve

2013-01-01

Air pollution is the result of high emissions of pollutants (and pollutant precursors) and unfavorable meteorological conditions. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is one of the pollutants of great concern for human health. Every year, a repeated or continuous exposure to such particles is responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases among the concerned populations and leads to premature deaths. Climate change is expected to impact meteorological variables (temperature, wind, precipitation,...). Those variables will influence numerous factors, which will affect air quality (emissions, precipitation scavenging, gas/particle equilibrium,...). A large body of studies have already investigated the effects of climate change on ozone, whereas only a few have addressed its effects on PM 2.5 concentrations, especially over Europe. This is the subject we investigate in this thesis. Large-scale circulation is closely linked to surface meteorological variables. Therefore, it is expected that it will impact PM 2.5 concentrations too. In this thesis, we develop a statistical algorithm to estimate future PM 2.5 concentrations from present PM 2.5 observations, selected meteorological variables and tools to represent this circulation (weather regimes and weather types). The lack of daily observations of PM 2.5 and its components over Europe prevents us to used observations. Consequently, we have created a pseudo-observed PM 2.5 data set, by using the Polyphemus/Polair3D air quality Chemical-Transport Model. Both operational and dynamic evaluations were conducted against EMEP measurements, to ensure that the influence of meteorological variables on PM 2.5 concentrations is correctly reproduced by the model. As far as we know, this dynamic evaluation of an air quality model with respect to meteorology is the first conducted to date. Future PM 2.5 concentrations display an increase over the U.K., northern France, Benelux, and in the Balkans, and a decrease over northern

Influence of WeChat on sleep quality among undergraduates in Chongqing, China: a cross-sectional study

OpenAIRE

Xu, Xianglong; Lin, Qianyi; Zhang, Yan; Zhu, Runzhi; Sharma, Manoj; Zhao, Yong

2016-01-01

Background Previous studies showed that social media is associated with sleep quality. WeChat (a native social media in China) is very popular in China, especially among the youth. In the second quarter of 2016, Tencent?s WeChat had 806 million monthly active users. The study sought to identify the influence of WeChat on the sleep quality among undergraduate students. Methods A cross-sectional survey adopted a multi-stage stratified sampling survey to investigate undergraduates in Chongqing, ...

Influence of xerostomia on oral health-related quality of life in the elderly: a 5-year longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Enoki, Kaori; Matsuda, Ken-Ich; Ikebe, Kazunori; Murai, Shunsuke; Yoshida, Minoru; Maeda, Yoshinobu; Thomson, William Murray

2014-06-01

Xerostomia and tooth loss are major oral health problems in the elderly. The aim of this longitudinal study was to characterize the influence of xerostomia on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among elderly Japanese people. A total of 99 community-dwelling, independently living individuals aged 60 years and older were interviewed and underwent dental examination at baseline and at a 5-year follow-up. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 and the Xerostomia Inventory were used to assess OHRQoL and xerostomia severity, respectively. Participants whose xerostomia worsened over the 5-year period had a significantly poorer follow-up OHRQoL. Linear regression models showed that tooth loss and worsening xerostomia were significant predictors of poorer follow-up OHRQoL. Tooth loss and worsening xerostomia result in poorer OHRQoL among older Japanese people. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Xerostomia and its impact on oral health-related quality of life].

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Gianna; Müller, Karolina; Behr, Michael; Hahnel, Sebastian

2017-02-01

Dry mouth is a frequently occurrence in elderly people and causes numerous clinical and social problems. To investigate the quality of life in geriatric patients living in nursing homes depending on the subjective sensation of dry mouth and associated oral parameters. A total of 62 male and female elderly patients living in 7 cooperating nursing homes were interviewed employing questionnaires with regard to their oral health-related quality of life (GOHAI) and their subjective perception of dry mouth (sXI-D). Dental status, drinking habits and current medication were documented. The mean GOHAI score was 53.6 and the mean sXI-D score was 7.9. Oral health-related quality of life was significantly influenced by the subjective sensation of dry mouth (p Xerostomia was significantly influenced by the number of medications consumed (p = 0.039). Xerostomia has a significant impact on the oral health-related quality of life of elderly people living in nursing homes. Thus, dental treatment should focus on the alleviation of xerostomia to improve the oral health-related quality of life in the elderly population.

In situ influence of coal ash dump on the quality of neighboring surface and ground waters by applying correlation statistic analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jasna M. Djinovic; Aleksandar R. Popovic [University of Belgrade, Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro). Center of Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy

2007-01-15

The aim of this study was to establish the real in situ influence of coal ash and slag transport and storage on the quality of neighboring surface and ground waters by applying correlation statistic analysis. It was found that the waste waters from the coal ash dump do not have any influence on the quality of the Danube river water. The Danube and the waste waters, however, influence the quality of the ground waters of the Petka spring. Changes in the concentrations of elements in the Danube or in the waste waters can have immediate or delayed impact on the quality of the spring waters. The immediate impact has calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, vanadium, cobalt from Danube; magnesium, vanadium from overflow and drainage waters; copper from drainage water. And the delayed impact has calcium, magnesium, vanadium and silicon from the Danube waters, cobalt from drainage waters, chromium and silicon from overflow waters and magnesium and vanadium from both overflow and drainage waters. 20 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.

Thin-film fixed-bed reactor for solar photocatalytic inactivation of Aeromonas hydrophila: influence of water quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khan Sadia J

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Controlling fish disease is one of the major concerns in contemporary aquaculture. The use of antibiotics or chemical disinfection cannot provide a healthy aquaculture system without residual effects. Water quality is also important in determining the success or failure of fish production. Several solar photocatalytic reactors have been used to treat drinking water or waste water without leaving chemical residues. This study has investigated the impact of several key aspects of water quality on the inactivation of the pathogenic bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila using a pilot-scale thin-film fixed-bed reactor (TFFBR system. Results The level of inactivation of Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 35654 was determined using a TFFBR with a photocatalytic area of 0.47 m2 under the influence of various water quality variables (pH, conductivity, turbidity and colour under high solar irradiance conditions (980–1100 W m-2, at a flow rate of 4.8 L h-1 through the reactor. Bacterial enumeration were obtained through conventional plate count using trypticase soy agar media, cultured in conventional aerobic conditions to detect healthy cells and under ROS-neutralised conditions to detect both healthy and sub-lethally injured (oxygen-sensitive cells. The results showed that turbidity has a major influence on solar photocatalytic inactivation of A. hydrophila. Humic acids appear to decrease TiO2 effectiveness under full sunlight and reduce microbial inactivation. pH in the range 7–9 and salinity both have no major effect on the extent of photoinactivation or sub-lethal injury. Conclusions This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the TFFBR in the inactivation of Aeromonas hydrophila under the influence of several water quality variables at high solar irradiance, providing an opportunity for the application of solar photocatalysis in aquaculture systems, as long as turbidity remains low.

Influence of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on grain yield and some baking quality characteristics of spring wheat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paavo Elonen

1975-05-01

Full Text Available In the years 1967—70 twelve irrigation experiments of spring wheat were carried out in southern Finland (60-62° N, 22-26° E. Sprinkler irrigation (2 X 30 mm increased the grain yields on an average by 1240±470kg/ha (from 2740 to 3980 kg or 45±17 %. The increases in yield were significant on clay soils (9 trials and loam (1 trial but insignificant on fines and (1 trial and mould (1 trial. Additional nitrogen fertilization (from 76 to 143kg/ha N increased the grain yields on an average by 350± 200 kg/ha or 11±6 %. The ripening of wheat was significantly promoted by irrigation in one year but slightly retarded in three years. Nitrogen fertilization slightly retarded ripening every year The falling number of grains tended to be slightly improved by irrigation (from 285 to 321, on an average, but in most trials irrigation and nitrogen fertilization had no significant influence on the falling number. Irrigation decreased the crude protein content of grains in all trials, on an average by 2.2 ± 0.7 %-units (from 16.3 to 14.1%. This unfavourable effect was, however, avoided with additional nitrogen which increased the protein content by 1.9±0.4%-units (from 14,3 to 16.2 %. The effects of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization on those characteristics of wheat that are correlated with protein, were similar to the effects on the protein content. Thus, irrigation decreased the zeleny value (from 64 to 53 ml, cold viscosity (from 214 to 114 seconds, water absorption (from 66.5 to 64.9 % and the valorimeter value (from 68 to 60, while these characteristics were improved by nitrogen fertilization. Irrigation did not decrease the Pelshenke value but increased significantly the ratio of the Pelshenke value/protein content (from 5,1 to 6.1. This indicates that the quality of protein was improved by irrigation, while the effect of nitrogen fertilization was the reverse. In fact, irrigation and additional nitrogen fertilization affected the quantity and

The relationship between overall quality of life and its subdimensions was influenced by culture: analysis of an international database

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scott, Neil W; Fayers, Peter M; Aaronson, Neil K

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether geographic and cultural factors influence the relationship between the global health status quality of life (QL) scale score of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire and seven other subscales representing fatigue, pain......, physical, role, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A large international database of QLQ-C30 responses was assembled. A linear regression model was developed predicting the QL scale score and including interactions between geographical/cultural groupings and the seven...... other scale scores. RESULTS: The pain subscale appeared to have relatively greater influence and fatigue relatively lower influence for those from other European regions compared with respondents from the UK when predicting overall quality of life (QoL). For Scandinavia physical functioning appeared...

The Influence of Academic Culture on Quality Management System ISO 9001 Maintenance within Malaysian Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Basir, Siti Arni; Davies, John; Douglas, Jacqueline; Douglas, Alexander

2017-01-01

This study investigates the influence of the elements of academic culture on quality management system ISO 9001 maintenance within Malaysian universities. There is a dearth of empirical studies on maintaining ISO 9001, particularly in the higher education context. From the literature review, academic culture was classified according to four…

Influence of coal batch preparation on the quality of metallurgical соkе

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Катерина Олегівна Шмельцер

2015-10-01

Full Text Available To study the influence of coal batch properties on coke strength we have considered the quality of the coke produced at the plant in Krivoy Rog from 2008 till 2012. Such factors as the large number of coal suppliers, imprecise selection of the optimal degree of batch crushing result in the decline in coke quality, the batch density and contents of the lean class (<0,5 mm are not optimum; poor blending of the batch after crushing; increased moisture and ash content of the coking batch; and extreme fluctuation in the coal and batch characteristics. It was found that high humidity of coal batch and its large fluctuations has most profound effect on the mechanical properties of coke. Under deteriorating resource base the quality of the coking batch preparation is important, To have batch of proper quality the following key aspects must be taken into account: the batch must be crushed to an optimum degree that will result in leaning components decrease and increased contents of vitrivite in it which improves the sinterability and coking, and hence the quality of coke; the degree of mixing of the coking batch in all indices must be up to 98-99%, for uneven distribution in the coal chamber worsens the quality of coke

Influence of Skin Packaging on Raw Beef Quality: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Stella

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A detailed revision of several aspects related to the application of skin packaging to raw beef was considered. Skin packaging, a relatively new technique derived from vacuum packaging, was developed with the aim of retailing small portions of fresh meat, minced meat, or meat preparations. Above all, the influence of this typology of packaging on the microbial population of raw meat was studied, with particular attention to total viable count, aerobic spoilage bacteria, anaerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Brochothrix thermosphacta, and lactic acid bacteria. Moreover, the effect on acidification by LAB was also deepened. As colour is the main characteristic influencing purchase decisions at the point of sale, the effect of skin packaging on this parameter was evaluated for raw meat but also for cooked meat. Tenderness, juiciness, and the ability to hold liquid of raw meat when packed in skin conditions were also considered. Furthermore, odour and flavour were considered as sensorial parameters possibly affected by skin packaging. Finally, acceptability by consumer was also investigated. In the studies considered, results showed that skin packaging is advantageous in terms of maintenance of meat quality and for prolonging shelf-life, improving the stability of the products.

Cultural values and health service quality in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Polsa, Pia; Fuxiang, Wei; Sääksjärvi, Maria; Shuyuan, Pei

2013-01-01

Several service quality studies show how cultural features may influence the way service quality is perceived. However, few studies specifically describe culture's influence on health service quality. Also, there are few studies that take into account patients' health service quality perceptions. This article seeks to present a first step to fill these gaps by examining patients' cultural values and their health service quality assessments. The study draws on published work and applies its ideas to Chinese healthcare settings. Data consist of hospital service perceptions in the People's Republic of China (PRC), a society that is socially, economically and culturally undergoing major changes. In total, 96 patients were surveyed. Data relationships were tested using partial least square (PLS) analysis. Findings show that Chinese patients' cultural values and their health service assessments are related and that the cultural values themselves seem to be changing. Additionally, further analyses provided interesting results pointing to which cultural values influenced service quality perceptions. The strongest service quality predictor was power distance. The sample is relatively small and collected from only one major hospital in China. Therefore, future research should extend the sample size and scope. Follow-up research could also include cross-cultural investigations of perceived health service quality to substantiate cultural influences on health service quality perceptions. In line with similar research in other contexts, the study confirms that power distance has a significant relationship with service quality perceptions. The study contributes to existing health service literature by offering patients' views on health service quality and by describing relationships between health service perceptions and cultural values--the study's main contribution.

The Significance of Attachment Quality for Obesity : A Meta-Analytic Review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Diener, Marc J.; Geenen, Rinie; Koelen, Jurrijn A.; Aarts, Floor; Gerdes, Victor E. A.; Brandjes, Dees P. M.; Hinnen, Chris

2016-01-01

Theoretical considerations and empirical results suggest that attachment quality is relevant to obesity. This study used meta-analytic methods to systematically examine the empirical, peer-reviewed evidence regarding the relationship between attachment quality and body mass index (BMI) in separate

Survey on the parameters influencing X-ray picture quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stender, H.S.

1985-01-01

Survey on factors influencing X-ray picture quality: 1) identification of patient and imaged body part. 2) Object properties - thickness, density, built; spatial expansion and arrangement of anatomical parts; object parts in a homogenic and an inhomogenic environment; object movements. 3) Examination technique - matching to medical issue; positioning and adjustment; projection; picture format in keeping with the medical issue; object-related fade-in; distance ratios; contrast medium distribution or deposition; compression. 4) Technical factors of picture production - radiation quality tube voltage; reproducible mAs and mR/mAs; automatic exposure equipment; focal spot size; scattered radiation grid; image intensifier and indirect radiography system; exposure time, dose-to-exposure-time ratio; film-screen combination; cassette with uniform pressure contact; film processing system; radiation safety and light safety. 5) Physical imaging parameters - mean optical density; resolution capacity; contrast reproduction; noise; modulation transmission function. 6) Perceptible picture properties - luminance density; picture contrast; recognizability of details; impression of grain structure; blurred picture structure; visually conspicuous elements. 7) Requirements on picture viewing - viewing device with high luminance density and equalized illumination; possible modification of brilliance; possible fade-in operations and prevention of ambient glare; spot light with iris diaphragm; possible viewing by magnifying lens; selection of correct viewing distances; repeated picture viewing or evaluation by two or more viewers. (orig./HP) [de

Influence of Cattle Trails on Runoff Quantity and Quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Jim J; Curtis, Tony; Chanasyk, David S; Willms, Walter D

2017-03-01

Cattle trails in grazed pastures close to rivers may adversely affect surface water quality of the adjacent river by directing runoff to it. The objective of this 3-yr study (2013-2015) in southern Alberta, Canada, was to determine if cattle trails significantly increased the risk of runoff and contaminants (sediment, nutrients) compared with the adjacent grazed pasture (control). A portable rainfall simulator was used to generate artificial rainfall (140 mm h) and runoff. The runoff properties measured were time to runoff and initial abstraction (infiltration), total runoff depth and average runoff rates, as well as concentrations and mass loads of sediment, N, and P fractions. Cattle trails significantly ( ≤ 0.10) decreased time to runoff and initial abstraction (26-32%) in the 2 yr measured and increased total runoff depth, runoff coefficients, and average runoff rates (21-51%) in 2 of 3 yr. Concentrations of sediment, N, and P fractions in runoff were not significantly greater for cattle trails than for control areas. However, mass loads of total suspended solids (57-85% increase), NH-N (31-90%), and dissolved reactive P (DRP) (30-92%) were significantly greater because of increased runoff volumes. Overall, runoff quantity and loads of sediment, NH-N, and DRP were greater for cattle trails compared with the adjacent grazed pasture, and hydrologic connection with cattle-access sites on the riverbank suggests that this could adversely affect water quality in the adjacent river. Extrapolation of the study results should be tempered by the specific conditions represented by this rainfall simulation study. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

War Reserve Materiel Prepositioning Its History, Its Significance, and Its Future

Science.gov (United States)

1991-09-01

influences such as the Beatles , Martin Luther King, Jr., and Albert Einstein have offered "new possibilities for (this] generation to see that communism...QUALITY PRACTICABLE. THE COPY FURNISHED TO DTIC CONTAINED A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PAGES WHICH DO NOT REPRODUCE LEGIBLY. The views expressed in this...thesis are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. GovermTent. p

Sleep quality and quality of life in female shift-working nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Ming-Fen; Chou, Yu-Ching; Yeh, Mei-Yu; Tzeng, Wen-Chii

2010-07-01

This paper is a report of a study of the factors that influence sleep quality and quality of life among shift-working nurses and the relationship between their sleep quality and quality of life. Although shift-working nurses strive to adapt their life schedules to shift rotations, they tend to suffer from severe sleep disturbances and increased rates of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, digestive disease and irregular menstrual cycles. Poor sleep is also associated with medical errors and occupational injuries. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2008 with a convenience sample of 435 female nurses from five regional hospitals in Taiwan. Data were collected on sleep quality and quality of life using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-BREF Taiwan version respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, analysis of variance and Pearson correlations. The majority of female shift workers (57%) had global sleep-quality scores > or = 5, indicating poor sleep and all mean scores in four domains of the quality-of-life measure were statistically significantly lower than those of females in Taiwan's general population. Scores for poor sleep quality and quality of life were related to premenstrual dysphoria, occupational injury, illness and medication use. In addition, the associations between scores on the sleep-quality and quality-of-life scales were statistically significantly inversely correlated. Advice should be included in both undergraduate programmes and continuing education to help nurses to recognize and improve their own sleep quality and life quality managers should create a supportive environment to encourage shift-working nurses to engage in healthy behaviours.

The influence of organizational culture on the use of quality techniques and its impact on performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gambi, Lillian; Jørgensen, Frances; Boer, Harry

2013-01-01

This report presents the results of a study about the influence of organizational culture on quality techniques and the impact of matching culture and technique to enhance performance. Data were drawn from 250 manufacturing companies in Brazil and Denmark. Profiles were identified according....... 2- Quality techniques contribute to improve performance, provided they are supported by appropriate cultural characteristics. For instance, the use of goal setting, continuous improvement, and failure prevention and control techniques supported by group and developmental cultures contribute...

Influence of Laundering on the Quality of Sewn Cotton and Bamboo Woven Fabrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jurgita KOŽENIAUSKIENĖ

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In the presented study the effect of laundering on the quality of sewn cotton and bamboo plain woven fabrics was investigated considering both the textile parameters and the type of chemical treatment. Quality parameters of sewn cotton and bamboo woven fabrics such as: fabric strength, seam strength and seam slippage at the moment of 4 mm seam opening were evaluated before and after washing with “Tide” washing powder without softeners or with softeners: “Surcare” and “Pflege Weicspuler”. There was also determined surface density, warp and weft densities as well as thicknesses under the pressures 0.625 kPa and 3.125 kPa, and calculated the comparative thickness that was considered as softness or porosity of fabrics. Notwithstanding that both the investigated fabrics were cellulosic their behavior after laundering was different. Under the tested conditions, unwashed and laundered with or without chemical softeners cotton fabric didn’t demonstrate seam slippage. The seam slippage resistance of laundered without or with softener specimens of bamboo fabric was increased in respect to control fabric. The larger changes in seam efficiency and seam strength because of laundering were determined for bamboo woven fabric then for cotton fabric. They could be influenced by the higher changes in bamboo fabric’s structure. The highest difference between the structure parameters of both fabrics was determined for comparative thickness. It was significantly increased for cotton fabric and decreased for bamboo fabric after chemical softening comparing to untreated fabrics.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.19.1.3831

Do Live versus Audio-Recorded Narrative Stimuli Influence Young Children's Narrative Comprehension and Retell Quality?

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Young-Suk Grace

2016-01-01

Purpose: The primary aim of the present study was to examine whether different ways of presenting narrative stimuli (i.e., live narrative stimuli versus audio-recorded narrative stimuli) influence children's performances on narrative comprehension and oral-retell quality. Method: Children in kindergarten (n = 54), second grade (n = 74), and fourth…

Safety culture : a significant influence on safety in transportation

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-01

An organizations safety culture can influence safety outcomes. Research and experience show that when safety culture is strong, accidents are less frequent and less severe. As a result, building and maintaining strong safety cultures should be a t...

Influence of the Quality of Consumer Headphones in the Perception of Spatial Audio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pablo Gutierrez-Parera

2016-04-01

Full Text Available High quality headphones can generate a realistic sound immersion reproducing binaural recordings. However, most people commonly use consumer headphones of inferior quality, as the ones provided with smartphones or music players. Factors, such as weak frequency response, distortion and the sensitivity disparity between the left and right transducers could be some of the degrading factors. In this work, we are studying how these factors affect spatial perception. To this purpose, a series or perceptual tests have been carried out with a virtual headphone listening test methodology. The first experiment focuses on the analysis of how the disparity of sensitivity between the two transducers affects the final result. The second test studies the influence of the frequency response relating quality and spatial impression. The third test analyzes the effects of distortion using a Volterra kernels scheme for the simulation of the distortion using convolutions. Finally, the fourth tries to relate the quality of the frequency response with the accuracy on azimuth localization. The conclusions of the experiments are: the disparity between both transducers can affect the localization of the source; the perception of quality and spatial impression has a high correlation; the distortion produced by the range of headphones tested at a fixed level does not affect the perception of binaural sound; and that some frequency bands have an important role in the front-back confusions.

Toward a Model of Influence in Persuasive Discussions: Negotiating Quality, Authority, Privilege, and Access within a Student-Led Argument

Science.gov (United States)

Engle, Randi A.; Langer-Osuna, Jennifer M.; McKinney de Royston, Maxine

2014-01-01

It is commonly observed that during classroom or group discussions some students have greater influence than may be justified by the normative quality of those students' contributions. We propose a 5-component theoretical framework in order to explain how undue influence unfolds. We build on literatures on persuasion, argumentation, discourse, and…

The influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis-A constant balancing between ideality and reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Malm, Karina; Bremander, Ann; Arvidsson, Barbro; Andersson, Maria L E; Bergman, Stefan; Larsson, Ingrid

2016-01-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, and systemic disease with symptoms that limit activities and affect quality of life. RA is associated with an increased risk of developing comorbidities, some of which are also known to be associated with lifestyle habits such as physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. There has been an augmented focus on the implementation and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits even for patients with RA in the past decade, but little is known about the link between patients' experiences of lifestyle habits and quality of life. The aim of the study was thus to describe and explore how patients with established RA experience the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life. The study had a descriptive and explorative design, based on qualitative content analysis. Strategic sampling was used in order to achieve variations in experiences. Twenty-two patients with RA (14 women and 8 men) from 30 to 84 years old, with a disease duration ranging from 8 to 23 years, were interviewed. The analysis of the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life resulted in the theme balancing between ideality and reality. Three categories emerged about how lifestyle habits influenced quality of life by limitations (including insufficiency and adaptation), self-regulation (including guilt and motivation), and companionship (including belonging and pleasure). Quality of life for patients with established RA was influenced by the balance between ideality and reality in the lifestyle habits: physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. This is important new knowledge for health professionals when discussing lifestyle habits with RA patients.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in early adolescents' friendship development : Friendship selection, influence, and prospective friendship quality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ojanen, Tiina; Sijtsema, Jelle J.; Hawley, Patricia H.; Little, Todd D.; Ojanen, M.

2010-01-01

Friendships are essential for adolescent social development. However, they may be pursued for varying motives, which, in turn, may predict similarity in friendships via social selection or social influence processes, and likely help to explain friendship quality. We examined the effect of early

The influence of social stigma and discriminatory experience on psychological distress and quality of life among rural-to-urban migrants in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bo; Li, Xiaoming; Stanton, Bonita; Fang, Xiaoyi

2010-07-01

The global literature has revealed a potential negative impact of social stigma on both physical and mental health among stigmatized individuals; however, the mechanisms through which social stigma affects the individual's quality of life and mental health are not well understood. This research simultaneously examines the relationships of several determinants and mediating factors of psychological distress and quality of life. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey among 1006 adult (predominantly male) rural-to-urban migrants in 2004-2005 in Beijing, China. Participants reported on their perceived social stigma, discriminatory experiences in daily life, preparation for migration, discrepancy between expectation and reality, coping with stigma-related stress, psychological distress, and quality of life. Structural equation modeling was performed. We found that perceived social stigma and discriminatory experiences had direct negative effects on psychological distress and quality of life among rural-to-urban migrants. Expectation-reality discrepancy mediated the effects of perceived social stigma and discriminatory experiences on psychological distress and quality of life; coping mediated the effect of social stigma on quality of life. Psychological distress was associated with quality of life. Preparation prior to migration was positively related to coping skills, which were positively related to quality of life. We conclude that perceived social stigma and daily discriminatory experiences have a significant influence on psychological distress and quality of life among rural-to-urban migrants. Pre-migration training with a focus on establishment of effective coping skills and preparation of migration may be helpful to improve their quality of life and mental health.

Quality-of-Life Outcomes of Patients following Patellofemoral Stabilization Surgery: The Influence of Trochlear Dysplasia.