Assessing the quality of water quality assessments: An analytical quality control protocol for benthic diatoms

In this paper, the background to the development of an analytical quality control procedure for the Trophic Diatom Index (TDI) is explained, highlighting some of the statistical and taxonomic problems encountered, and going on to demonstrate how the system works in practice. Most diatom-based pollution indices, including the TDI, use changes in the relative proportions of different taxa to indicate changing environmental conditions. The techniques involved are therefore much simpler than those involved in many studies of phytoplankton, for example, where absolute numbers are required.

Pollution and water quality control of the River Tejo. Report on a visit to Portugal, Sep 27th - October 10th, 1987

Fundamental changes in the management of water resources in Portugal are now evolving. Five regional organisations termed Administracaos de Regiao Hidrographic (ARH), will be created to manage water resources within their respective geographical areas. These areas will be catchment based. As a fore-runner to the implementation of the five ARH's a foundation project has been established within the Direcao-Geral do Recursos Naturais to examine the practical implications of the new system. This project has been divided into a number of sub-projects and complementary projects to include the Tejo complementary project. The Tejo complementary project is the focus of this report. The report is to advise on the role of biology in the proposed ARH, to establish priorities for biological studies within the present Projecto de Gestao Integrada dos Recursos Hidricos da Bacia Hidrografica do Rio Tejo (PGIRH/T) and to assist with the planning of laboratory facilities for biology at the new PGIRH/T laboratory at Alges, Lisboa.

Management of Biesboch reservoirs for quality control with special reference to eutrophication

The three Biesbosch Reservoirs are pumped storage reservoirs, fed with rather polluted and highly eutrophic water from the River Meuse. Air injection at the bottom of the reservoirs prevents thermal stratification, which would otherwise result in serious water quality deterioration. Reservoir mixing also serves as an economic algal control measure; mixing over sufficient depth causes light to play the role of limiting factor and this, combined with zooplankton grazing, keeps the biomass of phytoplankton at acceptable levels. Special problems are caused by benthic, geosmin-producing Oscillatoria species growing on the inner embankment. Rooting up the bottom with a harrow is used as the method of control, based on underwater observations by biological staff trained as SCUBA-divers. With regard to pollutant behaviour the three reservoirs act as a series of fully mixed reactors. This enables the application of kinetic models to describe their behaviour and allows the use of a selective intake policy, e.g. for suspended solids with associated contaminants, ammonia and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. A combination of selective intake and self- purification processes - enhanced by the compartmentalisation of the storage volume in three reservoirs - leads to a striking improvement for many water-quality parameters.

Management of broodstock and quality control of fish seed in Hungary

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) breeding has a long tradition in Hungary. However, recent economic changes in Eastern Europe and new developments in aquaculture necessitated the need for ensuring quality of the brood stock used in hatcheries and the legal and institutional frameworks needed to implement the program. In addition to good research and development programs and gene banking, it became essential to establish an appropriate legal framework, organize, coordinate and control breeding activities, and provide financial support. It was a major breakthrough for carp breeding when C.carpio was recognized as one of the cultivated animals in the Animal Breeding Act in 1993. The Carp Breeding Section of the Hungarian Fish Producers Association plays an important role in carp breeding programs. Thirteen breeding farms of the Carp Breeding Section have 24 certified C.carpio varieties. In Hungary, about 80 % of the seed used as stocking for commercial production are from high quality certified breeders.

Statistical quality control charts on attributes in fish processing technology

Apart from the use of statistical quality control chart for variables or attributes of food products in a food processing industry, the application of these charts for attributes of fishery products is explained. Statistical quality control chart for fraction defectives is explained by noting defective fish sausages per shift from a sausage industry while control chart for number of defectives is illustrated for number of defective fish cans in each hour of its production of a canning industry. C-chart is another type of control chart which is explained here for number of defects per single fish fillet sampled a1l random for every five minutes in a processing industry. These statistical quality control charts help in the more economic use of resource, time and labour than control charts for variables of products. Also control charts for attributes exhibit the quality history of finished products at different times of production thereby minimizing the risk of consumer rejection.

Quality control in the Indian fish processing industry

Quality control is defined as the continuing assessment of a current operation. It is usually the responsibility of an individual or a department directly responsible to the management. In the case of fish and fishery products, quality control includes all the steps taken to protect the quality of the material since catch until it reaches the consumer.

Adoption of recommended quality control practices by fish processing factories

Responses to mailed questionnaires from 31 fish processing factories revealed that for 55 recommended practices in quality control, the percentage of adopters varied from 21.43 to 100.The adoption index was not correlated to any of five variables studied. The mean adoption index did not differ significantly between five other criteria related to fish processing. Rate of rejection or reprocessing at the factory itself was highly correlated with the amount of water used per tonne of processed material.

Applying quality control in building energy modelling: Comparative simulation of a high performance building

Quality control is considered from the simulator's perspective through comparative simulation of an ultra energy-efficient building with EE4-DOE2.1E and EnergyPlus. The University of Calgary's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum Child Development Centre, with a 66% certified energy cost reduction rating, was the case study building. A Natural Resources Canada incentive program required use of EE4 interface with DOE2.1E simulation engine for energy modelling. As DOE2.1E lacks specific features to simulate advanced systems such as radiant cooling in the CDC, an EnergyPlus model was developed to further evaluate these features. The EE4-DOE2.1E model was used for quality control during development of the base EnergyPlus model and simulation results were compared. Advanced energy systems then added to the EnergyPlus model generated small difference in estimated total annual energy use. The comparative simulation process helped identify the main input errors in the draft EnergyPlus model. The comparative use of less complex simulation programs is recommended for quality control when producing more complex models. © 2009 International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA).

Improving data quality in DSM modelling: A structural comparison approach

The Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) has proved to be a useful tool for system structure elicitation and analysis. However, as with any modelling approach, the insights gained from analysis are limited by the quality and correctness of input information. This paper explores how the quality of data in a DSM can be enhanced by elicitation methods which include comparison of information acquired from different perspectives and levels of abstraction. The approach is based on comparison of dependencies according to their structural importance. It is illustrated through two case studies: creation of a DSM showing the spatial connections between elements in a product, and a DSM capturing information flows in an organisation. We conclude that considering structural criteria can lead to improved data quality in DSM models, although further research is required to fully explore the benefits and limitations of our proposed approach.