Print quality study of a laboratory offset press

PAPRO operates within the Forest Research company and their mission is to develop value-addingindustry solutions. At present there are no good ways for mills to easily test the printing quality on newsprintpaper. There is a great need for a fast way to do this on different paper qualities; with a laboratory-offset press this can be both a time and money saving method. At PAPRO Forest Research, NewZealand, a laboratory offset press has been developed and designed, during the past seven years, concerningthis issue. Earlier projects were made concerning the press, e.g. to establish the optimal settings.The mission with this project was to partly determine the present variability of the print quality andto evaluate if the fountain solution, distilled water and 2% Diol green concentrate, used at the momentmixed with different percentages of Isopropanol could decrease the variability and contribute to morestabile results. Throughout the whole project the print quality showed a high variation and was evenmore variable when the Isopropanol was added. All in all 50 print rounds times twelve printed paperstrips was carried out through the project divided into three parts. To analyse the print quality, amicroscope with an image capture camera has been used. Data from the taken images was analysedand inserted into charts to see the variations.The conclusions of the whole project are not satisfying because no final evaluations were possible tomake. Main conclusions are that the additive of Isopropanol to the ordinary fountain solution, used atpresent, only contributed to more unstable results of the print quality. And it seems to be difficult toget some stable results from the lab press as long as the room where it is placed is not fully conditionedas required for the process of offset printing. And the fact that the airbrush which applies theamount of fountain solution is also variable, as shown in earlier projects, which contributes to unstableresults as well. For further work more exact parameters as a conditioned room are required and thepossibility to further design the laboratory press to use waterless offset printing instead.

Print quality study of newsprint : Further development of the laboratoryoffset press at PAPRO

A laboratory offset press has been developed over the last five years at PAPRO for testing print qualityon newsprint, as at present, there is no good way for the mills to test this issue. In this project a comparisonhas been made between a laboratory offset press and a commercial press to see if the laboratoryoffset press can be used as a reliable test method or if a further development is needed.To evaluate the method, similar papers have been printed in both presses and compared using imageanalysis techniques. All together eighteen samples were tested which is enough to give comparableresults. The print quality showed a high variation, the values from the laboratory offset press and thecommercial press were not following the same trends. At present time the laboratory offset press needsome further development before it can be used as a reliable test method for halftone prints. Even sosome conclusions were made.The newsprint that has been used came from Norske Skog Tasman Mill (Kawerau), since the otheraim of this project was to do a repeatability study of their three existing paper machines to distinguishpossible differences in the production. The paper samples were taken from each paper machine on sixdifferent dates to give a representative result. This also gave the opportunity to compare the machinesbetween themselves. Comparison between the machines shows that the wire side gives a better andmore even result than the topside on the prints from the laboratory offset press. According to the resultfrom the commercial press the wire side shows a higher degree of variability. Samples from papermachine 2 and 3 were less variable and had the lowest standard deviation of grey level for solid areas.This suggests that newsprints from PM 2 and PM 3 give a more even print quality with a better inkcoverage.

Subjective quality study of adaptive streaming of monoscopic and stereoscopic video

Nowadays, HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) has become a reliable distribution technology offering significant advantages in terms of both user perceived Quality of Experience (QoE) and resource utilization for content and network service providers. By trading-off the video quality, HAS is able to adapt to the available bandwidth and display requirements so that it can deliver the video content to a variety of devices over the Internet. However, until now there is not enough knowledge of how the adaptation techniques affect the end user's visual experience. Therefore, this paper presents a comparative analysis of different bitrate adaptation strategies in adaptive streaming of monoscopic and stereoscopic video. This has been done through a subjective experiment of testing the end-user response to the video quality variations, considering the visual comfort issue. The experimental outcomes have made a good insight into the factors that can influence on the QoE of different adaptation strategies.

Falls Lake water-quality study : hydraulic laboratory investigation /

Bibliography: p. 23.

Ecorse River water quality study : May-July, 1969.

"August, 1969."

Water-quality study of the Cheney Reservoir watershed, south-central Kansas /

Mode of access: Internet.

Estudo do efeito de dois intervalos de crescimento e seis níveis de azoto na produção de matéria seca e na qualidade de uma pastagem de Lolium perenne, em consociação com Trifolium repens e Trifolium pratense

Dissertação de Mestrado, Engenharia Zootécnica, 13 de Janeiro de 2016 , Universidade dos Açores.

Secondhand smoke exposure in children is associated with common carotid artery intima-media thickness

Objective: To investigate the association between common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in children. Methods: Data were available at baseline in the Quebec Adiposity and Lifestyle investigation in Youth (QUALITY) study, an ongoing longitudinal investigation of Caucasian children aged 8e10 years at cohort inception, who had at least one obese parent. Data on exposure to parents, siblings and friends smoking were collected in interviewer-administered child, and self-report parent questionnaires. Blood cotinine was measured with a high sensitivity ELISA. cIMTwas measured by ultrasound. The association between blood cotinine and cIMT was investigated in multivariable linear regression analyses controlling for age, body mass index, and child smoking status. Results: Mean (SD) cIMT (0.5803 (0.04602)) did not differ across age or sex. Overall 26%, 6% and 3% of children were exposed to parents, siblings and friends smoking, respectively. Cotinine ranged from 0.13 ng/ml to 7.38 ng/ml (median (IQR)¼0.18 ng/ml)). Multivariately, a 1 ng/ml increase in cotinine was associated with a 0.090 mm increase in cIMT (p¼0.034). Conclusion: In children as young as age 8e10 years, exposure to SHS relates to cIMT, a marker of pre-clinical atherosclerosis. Given the wide range of health effects of SHS, increased public health efforts are needed to reduced exposure among children in homes an private vehicles.

Impact of physical activity on activity of daily living in moderate to severe dementia: a critical review

The objectives of this study were to describe the different modalities of physical activity programs designed for moderate to severe dementia and to identify their impact on functional independence in activities of daily living (ADL). A critical review of randomized controlled trials related to the impact of physical activity programs in moderately to severely demented persons on ADL performance and meta-analysis of the identified studies were performed. Among the 303 identified articles, five responded to the selection criteria. Four out of the five studies demonstrated limited methodological quality. In one high-quality study, physical activity programs significantly delayed deterioration of ADL performance. The program components and ADL assessment tools vary widely across studies. Although the proposed treatments have not proven their efficiency in improving the ADL status of the patients, they were able to limit the decline in ADL functioning. Future research is warranted in order to identify clinically relevant modalities for physical activity programs for people with moderate to severe dementia.

1009-004 Lost Island Lake Watershed Final Report

The Lost Island Lake watershed is located in the prairie pothole region, a region dotted with glacial wetlands and shallow lakes. At 1,180 acres, Lost Island Lake is the state's fifth largest natural lake and its watershed is comprised of nearly 1,000 acres of wetland habitat, including Iowa 's largest natural wetland – Barringer Slough. Unfortunately, Lost Island and its associated wetlands are not functioning to their fullest ecological and water quality potential. In 2002 and 2004, Lost Island Lake was categorized as '·impaired'" on Iowa's Impaired Waters List. Frequent algal blooms and suspended solids drastically increase turbidity levels resulting in its impairment. To investigate these concerns, a two-year study and resulting Water Quality Improvement Plan were completed. The water quality study identified an overabundance of non-native common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the lake and its surrounding wetlands as a primary cause of impairment. The goal of the Lost Island Lake Watershed Enhancement Project is to restore ecological health to Lost Island Lake and its intricate watershed resulting in improved water quality and a diverse native plant and wildlife community. The purpose of this grant is to obtain funding for the construction of two combination fish barriers and water control structures placed at key locations in the watershed within the Blue Wing Marsh complex. Construction of the fish barriers and water control structures would aid restoration efforts by preventing spawning common carp from entering wetlands in the watershed and establishing the ability to manage water levels in large wetland areas. Water level management is crucial in wetland health and exotic fish control. These two structures are part of a larger construction project that involves a total of four combination fish barriers and water control structures and one additional fish barrier. The entire Lost Island Lake Watershed Enhancement Project is a multi-year project, but the construction phase for the fish barriers and water control structures will be completed before December 31, 2011.

Ability of different adiposity indicators to identify children with elevated blood pressure.

OBJECTIVE: Body composition measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is believed to be superior to crude measures such as BMI or waist circumference (WC) to assess health risks associated with adiposity in adults. We compared the ability of BMI, WC, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), percentage body fat from skinfold thickness, and measures of total and central fat assessed by DXA to identify children with elevated blood pressure (BP). STUDY DESIGN: The QUALITY Study follows 630 Caucasian families (father, mother, and child originally aged 8-10 years). BP, height, weight, WC, and skinfold thickness were measured according to standardized protocols. Elevated BP was defined as systolic or diastolic BP at least 90th age, sex, and height-specific percentile. Total and central fat were determined with DXA. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) statistic was computed from logistic models that adjusted for age, sex, height, Tanner stage, and physical activity. RESULTS: All adiposity indicators were highly correlated. WC and WHtR did not show superior ability over BMI to identify children with elevated SBP (P = 0.421 and 0.473). Measures of total and central fat from DXA did not show an improved ability over BMI or WC to identify children with elevated SBP (P = 0.325-0.662). CONCLUSION: Results support the use of BMI in clinical and public health settings, at least in this age group. As all indicators had a limited ability to identify children with elevated BP, results also support measurement of BP in all children of this age independent of a weight status.

Sähkögeneraattoriosien hitsauksen tuottavuuden kehittäminen

Hitsauksen tuottavuuteen vaikuttavat hitsausmäärä, käytetyt prosessit ja laatu. Työn teoriaosuudessa tutustutaan hitsauksen tuottavuuteen sekä suunnittelullisesta että valmistuksellisesta näkökulmasta. Hitsauksen laadulliset asiat, kuten laatustandardit ja vaatimukset käydään läpi keskittyen standardin SFS-EN ISO 3834 kattaviin laatuvaatimuksiin. Rikkomaton ja rikkova aineenkoetus ja yleisimmät hitsausvirheet esitetään yleisellä tasolla. Hitsausprosesseista esitetään MIG/MAG- ja MAG-täytelankahitsauksen sekä pulssihitsauksen perusteet. Tässä diplomityössä tutkitaan pulssihitsauksen soveltuvuutta sähkögeneraattorin staattoripaketin eripariliitoksen hitsaukseen ja kykyä parantaa sekä tuottavuutta että laatua. Tutkimus perustuu koehitsauksiin ja niiden perusteella tehtyihin johtopäätöksiin. Lisäksi pohditaan sisätuulettimien hitsauksen kehittämistä ja annetaan kehitysehdotus valmistusprosessista. Koehitsauksien perusteella pulssihitsaus on hyvä prosessiparannus staattoripakettien hitsaukseen. Kohdistettu valokaari ja alhaisempi lämmöntuonti verrattuna perinteiseen MAG-hitsaukseen sekä hitsauksen yksinkertaisuus tuovat etuja eripariliitoksen hitsauksen laatuun. Kustannuslaskelmien myötä hitsausprosessin muutoksen odotetaan tuovan kustannussäästöjä. Hitsauslaadun parantuessa ja jälkityöstön määrän vähentyessä hitsausprosessin muutos on kannattava.

Features of neighbourhood environments associated with obesity and related health behaviours in children: using multiple statistical approaches to identify obesogenic environments

Contexte: L'obésité chez les jeunes représente aujourd’hui un problème de santé publique à l’échelle mondiale. Afin d’identifier des cibles potentielles pour des stratégies populationnelles de prévention, les liens entre les caractéristiques du voisinage, l’obésité chez les jeunes et les habitudes de vie font de plus en plus l’objet d’études. Cependant, la recherche à ce jour comporte plusieurs incohérences. But: L’objectif général de cette thèse est d’étudier la contribution de différentes caractéristiques du voisinage relativement à l’obésité chez les jeunes et les habitudes de vie qui y sont associées. Les objectifs spécifiques consistent à: 1) Examiner les associations entre la présence de différents commerces d’alimentation dans les voisinages résidentiels et scolaires des enfants et leurs habitudes alimentaires; 2) Examiner comment l’exposition à certaines caractéristiques du voisinage résidentiel détermine l’obésité au niveau familial (chez le jeune, la mère et le père), ainsi que l’obésité individuelle pour chaque membre de la famille; 3) Identifier des combinaisons de facteurs de risque individuels, familiaux et du voisinage résidentiel qui prédisent le mieux l’obésité chez les jeunes, et déterminer si ces profils de facteurs de risque prédisent aussi un changement dans l’obésité après un suivi de deux ans. Méthodes: Les données proviennent de l’étude QUALITY, une cohorte québécoise de 630 jeunes, âgés de 8-10 ans au temps 1, avec une histoire d’obésité parentale. Les voisinages de 512 participants habitant la Région métropolitaine de Montréal ont été caractérisés à l’aide de : 1) données spatiales provenant du recensement et de bases de données administratives, calculées pour des zones tampons à partir du réseau routier et centrées sur le lieu de la résidence et de l’école; et 2) des observations menées par des évaluateurs dans le voisinage résidentiel. Les mesures du voisinage étudiées se rapportent aux caractéristiques de l’environnement bâti, social et alimentaire. L’obésité a été estimée aux temps 1 et 2 à l’aide de l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC) calculé à partir du poids et de la taille mesurés. Les habitudes alimentaires ont été mesurées au temps 1 à l'aide de trois rappels alimentaires. Les analyses effectuées comprennent, entres autres, des équations d'estimation généralisées, des régressions multiniveaux et des analyses prédictives basées sur des arbres de décision. Résultats: Les résultats démontrent la présence d’associations avec l’obésité chez les jeunes et les habitudes alimentaires pour certaines caractéristiques du voisinage. En particulier, la présence de dépanneurs et de restaurants-minutes dans le voisinage résidentiel et scolaire est associée avec de moins bonnes habitudes alimentaires. La présence accrue de trafic routier, ainsi qu’un faible niveau de prestige et d’urbanisation dans le voisinage résidentiel sont associés à l’obésité familiale. Enfin, les résultats montrent qu’habiter un voisinage obésogène, caractérisé par une défavorisation socioéconomique, la présence de moins de parcs et de plus de dépanneurs, prédit l'obésité chez les jeunes lorsque combiné à la présence de facteurs de risque individuels et familiaux. Conclusion: Cette thèse contribue aux écrits sur les voisinages et l’obésité chez les jeunes en considérant à la fois l'influence potentielle du voisinage résidentiel et scolaire ainsi que l’influence de l’environnement familial, en utilisant des méthodes objectives pour caractériser le voisinage et en utilisant des méthodes statistiques novatrices. Les résultats appuient en outre la notion que les efforts de prévention de l'obésité doivent cibler les multiples facteurs de risque de l'obésité chez les jeunes dans les environnements bâtis, sociaux et familiaux de ces jeunes.

Ansiedad, depresión y calidad de vida en personas adultas con VIH/SIDA y deterioro cognitivo leve

El Virus de la Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH) y el Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida (SIDA) han tenido a lo largo de los años un comportamiento epidemiológico que muestra la tendencia al aumento, de tal forma que ha llegado a considerarse como un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. Sin embargo los tratamientos antiretrovirales han permitido que las personas con esta infección tengan una tasa de supervivencia mayor; pero ligado a esto, se han presentado efectos secundarios tales como problemas con la memoria y el funcionamiento cognitivo de estas personas. Además se ha encontrado que las personas con VIH/SIDA tienen algunas alteraciones en su área afectiva y generalmente ven afectada su calidad de vida. Este es un estudio exploratorio descriptivo que tuvo por objeto describir la ansiedad, depresión y percepción de calidad de vida en 35 pacientes con VIH/SIDA con deterioro cognitivo leve, seleccionados por conveniencia. Se aplicaron tres cuestionarios, el BDI-II para evaluar la sintomatología depresiva; el BAI para evaluar la sintomatología ansiosa y el MOS-SF30 para evaluar la calidad de vida. Además, se realizó una entrevista semiestructurada para profundizar en la evaluación de estas tres variables. Dentro de los resultados se evidenció que todos los paciente presentan algún nivel de ansiedad y de depresión, evalúan su calidad de vida en un punto medio; ni óptima ni baja. Se discuten estos y otros resultados.

Elementos que intervêm no desdobramento do plano estratégico : estudo em instituição de ensino superior

O presente trabalho foi estruturado a partir de um estudo qualitativo baseado na experiência de planejamento estratégico em uma universidade. Teve por objetivo identificar as variáveis que intervêm na implementação daquele processo com a utilização da metodologia de desdobramento de diretrizes. O estudo qualitativo realizado adotou procedimentos que incluíram pesquisa individual com representantes dos segmentos da universidade. Os entrevistados representam os responsáveis pelas finalidades de planejamento, de supervisão geral e setorial, de execução do ensino, bem como de apoio técnico e assessoria. Os principais procedimentos adotados no desenvolvimento da pesquisa foram descrição, análise e interpretação. O planejamento estratégico, usualmente descrito como processo integrante da gestão empresarial, é apresentado como um recurso que capacita a instituição de ensino superior a atuar com eficiência e eficácia e a reagir com rapidez às demandas do seu entorno social. O desdobramento das diretrizes é mostrado como uma ferramenta que pode ser aplicada no detalhamento do plano estratégico, assim que as linhas de ação anuais estejam definidas. Resultaram do estudo a confirmação de que professores e funcionários necessitam de incentivo para atuar nesse processo e que fatores como liderança e comprometimento com resultados, esforço para o compartilhamento do propósito comum, motivação dos envolvidos e acompanhamento dos processos são essenciais para a implementação, com sucesso, do plano estratégico.