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Best Quality (best + quality)
Selected AbstractsProtocols for the diagnosis of quarantine pests,EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 3-4 2000EPPO member countries have recognized the need for a harmonized approach to detection and identification methods for quarantine pests. In 1998, EPPO started anew project to prepare diagnostic protocols for the quarantine pests of the EPPO region. The work is conducted by the Panel on Diagnostics, which is under the authority of the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations. The Panel consists of 10 experts in different fields. When necessary, expert groups on specific disciplines are called upon. The Panel agreed on a suitable common format for the protocols and a procedure for producing the best quality of diagnostic protocols. As there are about 325 quarantine pests for the region (listed in the EPPO A1 and A2 lists of quarantine pests and in the Annexes of EU Directive 77/93), it was necessary to decide upon a priority list of the organisms for which protocols should be developed first. At the moment, 52 protocols are at different stages of preparation. [source] Modelling of a downdraft biomass gasifier with finite rate kinetics in the reduction zoneINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 9 2009Prokash C. Roy Abstract A model of a downdraft gasifier has been developed based on chemical equilibrium in the pyro-oxidation zone and finite rate kinetic-controlled chemical reactions in the reduction zone. The char reactivity factor (CRF) in the reduction zone, representing the number of active sites on the char and its degree of burn out, has been optimized by comparing the model predictions against the experimental results from the literature. The model predictions agree well with the temperature distribution and exit gas composition obtained from the experiments at CRF=100. A detailed parametric study has been performed at different equivalence ratios (between 2 and 3.4) and moisture content (in the range of 0,40%) in the fuel to obtain the composition of the producer gas as well as its heating value. It is observed that the heating value of the producer gas increases with the increase in the equivalence ratio and decrease in the biomass moisture content. The effect of divergence angle of the reduction zone geometry (in the range of 30,150°) on the temperature and species concentration distributions in the gasifier has been studied. An optimum divergence angle, giving the best quality of the producer gas, has been identified for a particular height of the reduction zone. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] DRYING METHODS AND QUALITY OF SHRIMP DRIED IN A JET-SPOUTED BED DRYERJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2005RUNGTIP TAPANEYASIN ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to experimentally investigate the effects of various parameters, i.e., size of shrimp, level and pattern of inlet drying air temperature, on the drying kinetics and various quality attributes of dried shrimp viz. shrinkage, rehydration ability, texture and color during drying in a jet-spouted bed dryer. It was found that the use of a constant inlet air temperature of 100C yielded dried shrimp of the best quality in terms of low percentage of shrinkage, high percentage of rehydration, low maximum shear force and high value of redness compared to shrimp dried using other conditions. A simple mathematical model that enables prediction of the drying behavior of shrimp in a jet-spouted bed dryer has also been developed. [source] Influence of Storage Atmosphere and Temperature on Quality Evolution of Cut Belgian EndivesJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 8 2001M.D. Van de Velde ABSTRACT: An optimal combination of O2, CO2, and N2 for storage of cut Belgian Endive was defined, investigating visual quality aspects. In the experimental design, principles of mixture theory were used. The acceptability of cut endives stored under different gas combinations, selected in the range where both CO2 and O2 were varied between 2% and 18%, was evaluated by a consumer panel at different time intervals during storage. The response was modeled with a second-degree polynomial, the response surface pointed in the direction of a gas mixture 10% CO2, 10% O2, and 80% N2 for maximum acceptability or best quality during storage. Repeated experiments, including different varieties from 2 different growers, confirmed the optimal gas concentration, (10% CO2, 10% O2, and 80% N2). In a second step, the effect of temperature on quality degradation of cut endives stored under optimal atmosphere conditions, was quantified using the Arrhenius equation. An activation energy of 16.3 kcal/mol was obtained. [source] PHYSICAL, SENSORY AND CHEMICAL EVALUATION OF COOKED SPAGHETTIJOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 6 2007CRISTINA S. MARTINEZ ABSTRACT The objectives of this research were to estimate the ability of chemical analysis, cooking properties, sensory evaluation and instrumental texture assays as descriptive quality parameters, and to evaluate the association between sensory and instrumental measurements on commercial pasta samples. Five commercial samples, Com1 to Com5, were analyzed. Moisture, protein and ash contents were determined from raw materials, while cooking loss, water absorption and leached amylose were measured in cooked samples. Color parameters (L*, a* and b*) were determined spectrophotometrically and color scores were calculated from raw and cooked samples. Three instrumental texture assays by a texture analyzer (TA-xT2i) and seven sensory parameters were evaluated. Chemical analysis, cooking properties, sensory evaluation and texture measurement were found to be sensitive quality parameters. From the analysis of the results, Com1 showed the best quality. A significant relationship between the sensory and instrumental measurements according to Pearson correlation and the principal component analysis was also observed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS In this work, the quality of different commercial pastas was assessed by means of chemical analysis, cooking properties, sensory evaluation and instrumental texture. The goal of this study was to identify the most important determinations related to pasta quality, and it allowed the establishment of the relationship between the sensory properties and texture measurements. [source] Determining the optimum scan map strategy for Herschel -SPIRE using the SPIRE photometer simulatorMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007T. J. Waskett ABSTRACT The forthcoming Herschel space mission will provide an unprecedented view of the far-infrared/submillimetre Universe, with the SPIRE instrument covering the 200,670 ,m wavelength range. To obtain the best quality of astronomical data from such an expensive mission the observing modes must be optimized as far as possible. This paper presents the possible scanning strategies that can be utilized by the SPIRE photometer, within the limitations imposed by the Herschel spacecraft. Each strategy is investigated for effectiveness by performing simulated observations, using the SPIRE photometer simulator. By quantifying the data quality using a simple metric, we have been able to select the optimum scanning strategy for SPIRE when it begins taking science data within the next couple of years. Additionally, this work has led to the development of a specific SPIRE mapmaking algorithm, based on the CMB code MADmap, to be provided as part of the SPIRE data pipeline processing suite. This will allow every SPIRE user to take full advantage of the optimized scan map strategy, which requires the use of maximum likelihood mapmakers such as MADmap. [source] Home haemodialysis: ,home, home, sweet, sweet home!' (Review Article)NEPHROLOGY, Issue 3 2005CHRISTOPHER R BLAGG SUMMARY: Home haemodialysis was first developed 40 years ago as a means of treating more patients with the limited funds then available. It soon became obvious that the treatment worked well and subsequent studies and experience have confirmed that it improves both mortality and morbidity and provides the best quality of life and other benefits for dialysis patients. The present review describes the history of the development of home haemodialysis in Seattle and elsewhere and the lessons learned about its benefits in the early days, which are just as relevant today. The advantages and disadvantages are discussed, as are the issues of which patients are candidates for this treatment and what is required of a home haemodialysis training and support programme. The decline in use of home haemodialysis in the USA and elsewhere is described and the actions that may already be beginning to reverse this trend. The role of home haemodialysis in giving the opportunity for longer hours of dialysis three times a week or on alternate nights is important. There is discussion of the relationship of home haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis and its important future role as the means to enable treatment with more frequent short daily and long nightly haemodialysis. [source] Geographic variation in loud calls of sportive lemurs (Lepilemur ssp.) and their implications for conservationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 9 2008Maria Méndez-Cárdenas Abstract Bioacoustical studies in nonhuman primates have shown that loud calls can be reliably used as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for discriminating cryptic taxa, for their monitoring in the field as well as for the reconstruction of their phylogeny. To date, it is unknown, whether loud calls can be used for these purposes in sportive lemurs, for which current genetic studies suggest the existence of at least 24 cryptic species. The aim of this study was to compare the structure of loud calls of populations of sportive lemurs to characterize informative acoustic traits for taxa discrimination and to establish a phylogenetic tree based on acoustic structure. We have based our study on Inter-River-Systems (IRSs) as operational taxonomic units. Samples were collected from nine different localities of four IRSs along a transect from northwestern to northern Madagascar. Two call types, the ouah and the high-pitched call, were present in almost all IRSs. Six temporal and eight spectral parameters were measured in 196 calls of the best quality given by 21 different males. Variation within and between IRSs was assessed by multivariate statistics. Loud calls differed significantly among the different IRSs. The IRSs varied most in spectral parameters, whereas temporal parameters were less variable. Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony yielded 11 out of 17 acoustic characters as phylogenetically informative. The acoustic tree had an average branch support of 78%. Its topology coincided less with geographic distances than with genetic tree topology. Altogether our findings revealed that loud calls separated geographically isolated populations of sportive lemurs specifically. Based on these results, noninvasive tools for diagnosis and monitoring of cryptic species in nature can be developed for conservation management. Am. J. Primatol. 70:828,838, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Patient Willingness to Pay for a Kidney for TransplantationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2010D. K. Herold While kidney transplantation is the most cost-effective treatment available for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and affords patients with the best quality of life, the current supply of kidneys does not meet the demand. A potential solution to increasing the supply is to compensate living donors for a kidney. The purpose of this study was to describe ESRD patient willingness to pay for a kidney. Using a self-administered survey, 107 patients in 31 U.S. states completed the survey. The quantitative method and descriptive survey design employed descriptive, correlational, nonparametric and multivariate statistical tests to evaluate the data. Of participants, 78.5% were willing to pay for a kidney; there were significant correlations between gender, health status, household income, preferred source of a kidney and willingness to pay. Men, patients with poor and fair health status and those with household incomes ,$50 000 were more willing to pay. Step-wise regression analysis found price and doctor's influence accounting for 52% of variance in willingness to pay. As price increased and doctor's opinion mattered, willingness to pay increased. This study supports development of additional studies with larger sample sizes and patients on kidney transplant waiting lists. [source] Artificial spawning of carp, Cyprinus carpio (L.)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 10 2002E Brzuska Abstract The effect of reproduction was investigated on females of Hungarian strain W, French strain F, and their cross-breed 1X whose ovulation was stimulated with carp pituitary (0.3 mg kg,1and, after 12 h, 2.7 mg kg,1) or Ovopel (one-fifth of a pellet per kg and, after 12 h, one pellet per kg). It was found that in the case of Ovopel treatment, the percentage of spawning females of strain F and the cross-breed 1X was higher than in the hypophysed fish compared. The applied ovulation stimulators did not significantly affect the weight of obtained eggs, whereas the significant (P , 0.01) effect was recorded with respect to the quality of eggs after 12-, 24-, 36- and 48-h of incubation. After Ovopel stimulation, the quality of eggs was better. The origin of the females had no statistically significant effect on the weight of eggs although the yield of eggs from fish of strain W was much smaller than that from females of strain F and the 1X cross-breed. The interaction between the ovulation stimulator and the provenance of the females was significant (P , 0.05) for the percentage of live embryos after 48-h of incubation of eggs. Eggs of the best quality (and highest weight) were obtained from fish of strain F and cross-breed 1X treated with Ovopel. In females of strain F that spawned within 6 and 10 h after the second Ovopel injection, the effect of the ovulation time on the weight of eggs was non-significant. It was significant with respect to the percentage of egg fertilization and of live embryos after 36-h of incubation (P , 0.01 and P , 0.05 respectively). The better quality of eggs (and their higher weight) was recorded when this time was shorter. [source] Comparison of Pumps and Oxygenators With Pulsatile and Nonpulsatile Modes in an Infant Cardiopulmonary Bypass ModelARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 11 2009Nikkole M. Haines Abstract As the evidence mounts in favor of pulsatile perfusion during CPB, it is necessary to investigate the effect of circuit components on the quality of pulsatility delivered throughout the circuit. We compared two bloodpumps, the Jostra HL-20 heart-lung machine and the MEDOS DELTASTREAM DP1 Bloodpump, and two oxygenators, the Capiox Baby RX05 and the MEDOS HILITE 800LT, in terms of mean arterial pressure, energy equivalent pressure, surplus hemodynamic energy, total hemodynamic energy, and pressure drop over the oxygenators using a blood analog. The pumps and oxygenators were combined in unique circuits and tested in nonpulsatile and pulsatile modes, at two flow rates (500 and 800 mL/min), and three rotational speed differentials when using the MEDOS DELTASTREAM DP1 Bloodpump for 144 trials in total. The Jostra Roller pump produced some pulsatility in nonpulsatile mode and better pulsatility in pulsatile mode than the MEDOS DP1 Bloodpump at a rotational speed differential of 2500 rpm, but not at 3500 or 4500 rpm. The MEDOS DP1 Bloodpump produced almost no pulsatility in nonpulsatile mode. Pressure drops over the Capiox Baby RX05 were markedly higher, at 92.5 ± 0.4 mm Hg with the MEDOS DP1 Bloodpump at 800 mL/min and 4500 rpm in pulsatile mode, than those of the MEDOS HILITE 800LT oxygenator, which was 67.0 ± 0.1 mm Hg at the same settings. These results suggest that careful selection of each circuit component, based on the individual clinical case and component specifics, are necessary to achieve the best quality of pulsatility. [source] | ||||||||||||||||