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Consistent Quality (consistent + quality)
Selected AbstractsMethods for retrieving hydrologically significant surface parameters from remote sensing: a review for applications to east Asia regionHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 4 2009Bunkei Matsushita Abstract As human populations and resource use continue to increase, water quality and water resource management will become major problems. With its advantages of large area coverage, high spatial resolution, frequent update and consistent quality, remote sensing has been widely used for hydrological studies and water resources management. This paper focuses on three potential functions of remote sensing for hydrological analysis in east Asia: (1) monitoring water quality in turbid lakes; (2) extracting impervious surface areas (ISAs) from watersheds and (3) estimating evapotranspiration in semi-arid areas. Reviewing the results of the above three topics, it becomes clear that the ability of the current remote sensing technique is still limited in terms of its use in hydrological simulations. An alternative to improving the sensors is developing effective algorithms to compensate for the limitations of current satellite sensors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Extending critical bandwidth allocation techniques for stored video delivery across best-effort networksINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 10 2001Wu-chi Feng Abstract In this paper, we propose two new techniques for the delivery of compressed prerecorded video streams across best-effort networks like the Internet. Current approaches for the delivery of stored video across best-effort networks typically alter the quality of the video frames, the frame rate delivered to the user, or a combination of both. By using network feedback, these algorithms continually adjust the video quality to fit within the available network resources. These approaches, however, do not take advantage of the a priori information available from stored video streams, namely the frame sizes that the movie consists of. We will show how monitoring the a priori information and actively monitoring a client-side buffer can help smooth the video frame rate delivered to the user, providing a more consistent quality of video. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effect of three lipid/hydrocolloid coatings on shelf life stability of Golden Delicious applesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 9 2007Frank D. Conforti Summary The shelf life quality of freshly harvested Golden Delicious apples coated with three individually developed lipid/hydrocolloid coatings was assessed throughout refrigerated storage. The apples were monitored for 8 weeks. The coatings resulted in low internal O2 and the least loss of fruit firmness when compared with the non-coated apple group. The coated apples had very little starch breakdown, minimum flesh colour development, or loss of titratable acidity content. Soluble solids and fresh weight loss remained unchanged for both the non-coated and coated groups. Sensory analysis confirmed that the coated apples maintained consistent quality in firmness, crispness and juiciness throughout the storage period. [source] Evidence of the role of marketing arrangements and valuation methods in improving beef qualityAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Yanyan Liu Low and inconsistent beef quality has been blamed by some for the losses of beef's share of total meat consumption. Tighter vertical coordination through use of alternative marketing arrangements and more precise price signaling through use of different cattle valuation methods may help improve beef quality because these mechanisms facilitate information exchange enabling producers to respond better to consumer demand. For the congressionally mandated Livestock and Meat Marketing Study, we modeled differences in levels and variances of cattle quality associated with particular marketing arrangements and valuation methods using fed cattle purchase data from 29 large U.S. beef packing plants for October 2002 through March 2005. Results indicate fed cattle procured through marketing agreements and packer ownership had higher and more consistent quality compared to other types of arrangements. Auction market cattle quality was the most inconsistent. Fed cattle valued using carcass weight with a grid were associated with higher and more consistent quality. [EconLit Citation: Q13]. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Multi-stream video conferencing over a peer-to-peer networkBELL LABS TECHNICAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Adriaan J. de Lind van Wijngaarden Video conferencing is becoming an increasingly desirable alternative to face-to-face meetings. Many companies and organizations have multiple locations, and their employees' communication options are typically limited to audio-only conference calls. These are often ineffective because of the limited level of interaction between the participants. Video conferencing is seen as a promising alternative to increase efficiency and reduce carbon emissions by mitigating the need for travel. However, current video conferencing solutions are either too expensive, require dedicated equipment and infrastructure, or are too cumbersome to implement on an individual location basis for widespread use. Low cost solutions usually provide neither the desired level of interaction nor the consistent quality needed for corporate communications. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid video conferencing architecture that incorporates peer-to-peer communication functions for media distribution. In addition, new concepts, such as novel video cameras, cordless camera adaptors, a two-sided display, and a device that provides bidirectional remote presence are presented to enhance the experience for the remote participants. The proposed solution aims to significantly improve collaboration across sites, thus enhancing remote workplace effectiveness through low cost video conferencing, reducing the need for travel, and serving as an important enabler for eco-sustainability. © 2010 Alcatel-Lucent. [source] Rapid whole monoclonal antibody analysis by mass spectrometry: An Ultra scale-down study of the effect of harvesting by centrifugation on the post-translational modification profile,BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2010C.Q. Reid Abstract With the trend towards the generation and production of increasing numbers of complex biopharmaceutical (protein based) products, there is an increased need and requirement to characterize both the product and production process in terms of robustness and reproducibility. This is of particular importance for products from mammalian cell culture which have large molecular structures and more often than not complex post-translational modifications (PTMs) that can impact the efficacy, stability and ultimately the safety of the final product. It is therefore vital to understand how the operating conditions of a bioprocess affect the distribution and make up of these PTMs to ensure a consistent quality and activity in the final product. Here we have characterized a typical bioprocess and determined (a) how the time of harvest from a mammalian cell culture and, (b) through the use of an ultra scale-down mimic how the nature of the primary recovery stages, affect the distribution and make up of the PTMs observed on a recombinant IgG4 monoclonal antibody. In particular we describe the use of rapid whole antibody analysis by mass spectrometry to analyze simultaneously the changes that occur to the cleavage of heavy chain C-terminal lysine residues and the glycosylation pattern, as well as the presence of HL dimers. The time of harvest was found to have a large impact upon the range of glycosylation patterns observed, but not upon C-terminal lysine cleavage. The culture age had a profound impact on the ratio of different glycan moieties found on antibody molecules. The proportion of short glycans increased (e.g., (G0F)2 20,35%), with an associated decrease in the proportion of long glycans with culture age (e.g., (G2F)2 7,4%, and G1F/G2F from 15.2% to 7.8%). Ultra scale-down mimics showed that subsequent processing of these cultures did not change the post-translational modifications investigated, but did increase the proportion of half antibodies present in the process stream. The combination of ultra scale-down methodology and whole antibody analysis by mass spectrometry has demonstrated that the effects of processing on the detailed molecular structure of a monoclonal antibody can be rapidly determined early in the development process. In this study we have demonstrated this analysis to be applicable to critical process design decisions (e.g., time of harvest) in terms of achieving a desired molecular structure, but this approach could also be applied as a selection criterion as to the suitability of a platform process for the preparation of a new drug candidate. Also the methodology provides means for bioprocess engineers to predict at the discovery phase how a bioprocess will impact upon the quality of the final product. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 85,95. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Estimating the Implicit Prices of Beef Cattle Attributes: A Case from AlbertaCANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2002Allan M. Walburger Pressures on beef producers to provide lean beef of consistent quality have been mounting in recent years. Yet this requires beef breeders to alter and broaden cattle improvement objectives to include carcass merit traits. They need information on heritability and the values associated with genetic traits in order to effectively do this. This study estimates the implicit prices in east-central Alberta, Canada, for bull attributes using a hedonic pricing model. The results indicate that the most important bull attributes to buyers (breeders) in this region are sale weight, birth weight and scrotal circumference. Also important are ribeye area and average daily gain. Selection of these attributes conforms with expectations because they are moderately to highly heritable and are associated with improved fertility and reproduction, reduced production costs and higher returns. In addition, the results suggest that breeders have been changing selection emphasis away from reproduction traits and toward carcass traits associated with improved production efficiency and consumer demand. Depuis quelques années, les producteurs subissent des pressions grandissantes pour fournir du b,uf maigre de qualité uniforme. Ces pressions contraignent les éleveurs à modifier et àélargir leurs objectifs d'hybridation en y incluant les caractères génétiques qui codent les paramètres de la carcasse. Pour y arriver, les éleveurs ont besoin de renseignements sur l'héritabilité et la valeur des caractères en question. Dans cet article, le prix implicite des attributs des taureaux dans le centre-est de l'Alberta est estimé selon un modèle hédoniste. Les attributs les plus importants pour les acheteurs (éleveurs) de la région sont le poids à la vente, le poids à la mise bas et la circonférence du scrotum. Comptent aussi pour beaucoup la surface du faux-filet et le gain quotidien moyen. La sélection de tels attributs est conforme aux prévisions, car il s'agit de caractères très héréditaires qu'on relie à une fertilité accrue et de meilleures aptitudes à la reproduction, done à une réduction des coûts d'élevage et à un rendement plus élevé. Par ailleurs, les résultats de l'analyse laissent croire que les éleveurs ont réorienté leurs programmes de sélection, laissant de côté les aptitudes à la reproduction pour les paramètres de la carcasse associés à un meilleure productivité et à la demande des consommateurs. [source] | |||||||||||||