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Quality Analysis (quality + analysis)
Selected AbstractsSTOCHASTIC WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS USING RELIABILITY METHOD,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 3 2001Kun-Yeun Han ABSTRACT: This study developed a QUAL2E-Reliability Analysis (QUAL2E-RA) model for the stochastic water quality analysis of the downstream reach of the main Han River in Korea. The proposed model is based on the QUAL2E model and incorporates the Advanced First-Order Second-Moment (AFOSM) and Mean-Value First-Order Second-Moment (MFOSM) methods. After the hydraulic characteristics from standard step method are identified, the optimal reaction coefficients are then estimated using the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) method. Considering variations in river discharges, pollutant loads from tributaries, and reaction coefficients, the violation probabilities of existing water quality standards at several locations in the river were computed from the AFOSM and MFOSM methods, and the results were compared with those from the Monte Carlo method. The statistics of the three uncertainty analysis methods show that the outputs from the AFOSM and MFOSM methods are similar to those from the Monte Carlo method. From a practical model selection perspective, the MFOSM method is more attractive in terms of its computational simplicity and execution time. [source] Pulsed Electric Field Processing of Beer: Microbial, Sensory, and Quality AnalysesJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 8 2004G.A. Evrendilek ABSTRACT: In this study, pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment of beer, effectiveness of PEF treatment on microbial inactivation, effects of PEF treatment on sensory properties, and detection of electrode material migration were explored. Beer samples were treated by PEF for the inactivation of natural flora and inoculated cultures of Saccaromyces uvarum, Rhodotorula rubra, Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus damnosus, and Bacillus subtilis. Inactivation induced by the PEF treatment was 0.5, 4.1, 4.3, 4.7, 5.8, and 4.8 log10 colony-forming units/mL in the above microorganisms, respectively (P < 0.05). There was a significant increase in the amount of Cr, Zn, Fe, and Mn ions in the beer samples after PEF treatment (P < 0.05) leading to a statistically significant degradation in flavor and mouth feel. Further studies are needed to optimize electrode materials and PEF treatment to minimize or eliminate this degradation. [source] How do small browsers respond to resource changes?FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Dietary response of the Cape grysbok to clearing alien Acacias Summary 1.,The responses of small ruminants to changing food availability may vary from a broadening of the diet with declining availability, as predicted by optimality theory, to the maintenance of a restricted, selected diet, as predicted by the body-size constraint hypothesis. 2.,We test these conflicting predictions by assessing the dietary responses of the Cape grysbok Raphicerus melanotis, a near-endemic to the Cape Floristic region, South Africa, to changes in the availability of a key forage species (i.e. Australian Acacia sp.). We predicted that the removal of alien Acacias would cause a broadening of the diet, and the consumption of previously avoided species, despite the selectivity imposed by their small body size. We used faecal analyses to describe grysbok diet and assessed diet quality through faecal quality analyses. 3.,Results show that grysbok are highly selective browsers, able to change their diet and dietary preferences in response to changes in food availability. Animals included additional species in the diet in the absence of alien Acacias, altered their principal dietary items, broadened foraging strategies to include grass and some previously avoided species became preferred in the absence of Acacias. These dietary changes were effective in maintaining dietary protein intake, and caused a reduction in fibre intake in the absence of Acacias. 4.,The data do not support the body size constraint hypothesis which is thought to impose a limit on the ability of small ruminants to select additional dietary species. 5.,These data represent the first quantification of extensive grazing (up to 51% of the diet) by a species considered a browser. These findings support the prediction of optimality theory, whereby animals faced with a loss of important food items broaden their diet to include previously avoided species. [source] Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in polycystic ovary syndrome: what are the risks and can they be reduced?DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010J. Tomlinson Diabet. Med. 27, 498,515 (2010) Abstract Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but these risks are poorly defined. This study aimed to evaluate the evidence for these risks and whether screening and risk reduction are feasible. Medline reviews and data quality analysis were used using standard tools. Results showed that (i) polycystic ovary syndrome is a risk factor forT2DM but the magnitude of risk is uncertain, (ii) fasting plasma glucose is an inadequate screening test forT2DM in this population and the oral glucose tolerance test is superior, (iii) the identification of women with PCOS for diabetes screening is constrained by current diagnostic criteria for PCOS; however, women with oligomenorrhoea and those with diagnosed PCOS and obesity or a family history of T2DM are at highest risk, (iv) risk factors for T2DM are improved by weight loss interventions and by metformin. However, no studies have determined whether T2DM incidence is reduced, (v) polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors but data on CVD incidence are weak, (vi) risk factors for CVD are improved by the same interventions and statins and (vi) no studies have evaluated whether CVD incidence is reduced. While PCOS has important metabolic associations, and short-term interventions reduce risk factors for T2DM and CVD, data on prevalence and incidence of T2DM and particularly CVD are poor. There is a need for a clear definition of PCOS, for diabetes screening protocols and for long-term studies to determine whether risks can be reduced. [source] Advances in the application of the SWAT model for water resources managementHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 3 2005R. Jayakrishnan Abstract Developments in computer technology have revolutionized the study of hydrologic systems and water resources management. Several computer-based hydrologic/water quality models have been developed for applications in hydrologic modelling and water resources studies. Distributed parameter models, necessary for basin-scale studies, have large input data requirements. Geographic information systems (GIS) and model,GIS interfaces aid the efficient creation of input data files required by such models. One such model available for the water resources professional is the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), a distributed parameter model developed by the United States Department of Agriculture. This paper describes some recent advances made in the application of SWAT and the SWAT,GIS interface for water resources management. Four case studies are presented. The Hydrologic Unit Model for the United States (HUMUS) project used SWAT to conduct a national-scale analysis of the effect of management scenarios on water quantity and quality. Integration of the SWAT model with rainfall data available from the WSR-88D radar network helps us to incorporate the spatial variability of rainfall into the modelling process. This study demonstrates the usefulness of radar rainfall data in distributed hydrologic studies and the potential of SWAT for application in flood analysis and prediction. A hydrologic modelling study of the Sondu river basin in Kenya using SWAT indicates the potential for application of the model in African watersheds and points to the need for development of better model input data sets in Africa, which are critical for detailed water resources studies. The application of SWAT for water quality analysis in the Bosque river basin, Texas demonstrates the strength of the model for analysing different management scenarios to minimize point and non-point pollution, and its potential for application in total maximum daily load (TMDL) studies. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] STOCHASTIC WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS USING RELIABILITY METHOD,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 3 2001Kun-Yeun Han ABSTRACT: This study developed a QUAL2E-Reliability Analysis (QUAL2E-RA) model for the stochastic water quality analysis of the downstream reach of the main Han River in Korea. The proposed model is based on the QUAL2E model and incorporates the Advanced First-Order Second-Moment (AFOSM) and Mean-Value First-Order Second-Moment (MFOSM) methods. After the hydraulic characteristics from standard step method are identified, the optimal reaction coefficients are then estimated using the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) method. Considering variations in river discharges, pollutant loads from tributaries, and reaction coefficients, the violation probabilities of existing water quality standards at several locations in the river were computed from the AFOSM and MFOSM methods, and the results were compared with those from the Monte Carlo method. The statistics of the three uncertainty analysis methods show that the outputs from the AFOSM and MFOSM methods are similar to those from the Monte Carlo method. From a practical model selection perspective, the MFOSM method is more attractive in terms of its computational simplicity and execution time. [source] Influence of Starvation on Flesh Quality of Farmed Dentex, Dentex dentexJOURNAL OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY, Issue 4 2010María Dolores Suárez Dentex (mean initial weight 324 ± 5 g) from a fish farm were divided into two groups (control and fasted). At the end of experimental period (5 wk), dentex were sampled for gross muscle composition and quality analysis. For post mortem muscle analysis, after death, fish were kept in a cold chamber at 4 C, and muscle samples were taken at 4 (prerigor state), 24 (rigor state), and 82 (postrigor state) h after slaughtering. In each fish, textural and biochemical parameters were determined. During starvation, there was a drastic reduction in muscle lipid content and a relative increase of the proteolysis. There were little qualitative changes in the fatty-acid profile of muscle lipids, although a significant increase in n3/n6 ratio in the starved dentex was detected. Starved fish also showed higher muscle firmness, but no differences in pH and water holding capacity were observed. Total and myofibrillar protein and collagen content increased significantly in starved dentex. Firmness during post mortem storage was significantly higher in starved fish, compared with control group. Preslaughtering feeding status showed decisive influence on the evolution dentex muscle quality parameters during cold storage. [source] Multivariate Cluster Analysis Regression Procedures as Tools to Identify Motile Sperm Subpopulations in Rabbit Semen and to Predict Semen Fertility and Litter SizeREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 3 2007A Quintero-Moreno Contents Computerized motility analysis (CASA) shows that four separate subpopulations of spermatozoa with different motility characteristics co-exist in rabbit ejaculates. There were significant (p < 0.01) differences in the distribution of these subpopulations among separate genetic lines, total sperm abnormalities and the percentage of altered acrosomes. Furthermore, logistic and linear multivariate regressions among several parameters of rabbit semen quality analysis were tested for use as predictive tools for the fertilizing ability of a specific artificial insemination semen sample. Logistic regression analysis rendered two mathematical, significant (p < 0.01) models: one between sperm viability and conception rate and the other between total sperm abnormalities and conception rate. Multiple linear regression analyses also yielded some significant relationships between both fertility (p < 0.001) and litter size (p < 0.05), with respect to some semen characteristics. Our results support the hypothesis that the predictive in vivo fertility use of the standard rabbit semen quality analysis coupled with a CASA determination could be reasonably achieved by applying linear and logistic regression analyses among several parameters of rabbit semen quality analysis. [source] Effects of Constant, 9 and 16-h Light Cycles on Sperm Quality, Semen Storage Ability and Motile Sperm Subpopulations Structure of Boar SemenREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 5 2006MM Rivera Contents This study was performed to test the effect that two separate, daily, constant-light regimes of both 9 and 16 h could have on the main parameters of boar-semen quality analysis, as well as on the motile sperm subpopulations structure and the ability of its conservation at 16°C. Results show that both luminous regimes have slight, specific effects on the main parameters of boar-semen quality analysis, as well as on the motile sperm subpopulations structure. Furthermore, the conservation ability at 16°C of boar semen was not significantly different between both photoperiods. When a temporal study was performed, results showed that semen quality and motility parameter changes were stabilized at nearly constant values from the second month of the study to the last month in both luminous regimes, indicating a rapid light-related effect on testicular function. Our results indicate that light regimes oscillating from 9 h daily to 16 h daily are of little importance in the control of boar-semen quality in a farming environment. [source] The efficacy of voice therapy in patients after treatment for early glottic carcinomaCANCER, Issue 1 2006Christine D. L. van Gogh M.D. Abstract BACKGROUND After treatment for early glottic carcinoma, a considerable number of patients end up with voice problems that interfere with daily life activities. The objective of this randomized and controlled study was to assess the efficacy of voice therapy in these patients. METHODS Of 177 patients, 6,120 months after treatment for early glottic carcinoma, 70 patients (40%) suffered from voice impairment based on a 5-item screening questionnaire. Approximately 60% of those 70 patients were not interested in participating in the current study. Twenty-three patients who were willing to participate were assigned randomly either to a voice therapy group (n = 12 patients) or to a control group (n = 11 patients). Multidimensional voice analyses (the self-reported Voice Handicap Index [VHI], acoustic and perceptual voice quality analysis, videolaryngostroboscopy, and the Voice Range Profile) were conducted twice: before and after voice therapy or with 3 months in between for the control group. RESULTS Statistical analyses of the difference in scores (postmeasurement minus premeasurement) showed significant voice improvement after voice therapy on the total VHI score, percent jitter, and noise-to-harmonics ratio in the voice signal and on the perceptual rating of vocal fry. CONCLUSIONS Voice therapy proved to be effective in patients who had voice problems after treatment for early glottic carcinoma. Improvement not only was noticed by the patients (VHI) but also was confirmed by objective voice parameters. Cancer 2006. © 2005 American Cancer Society. [source] | |||||||||||||