Effective Quality Control Research Articles

Process characterization for ethanol precipitation of Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Danshen) using 1H NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics

Process quality control of the herbal medicines (HMs) still hits technical bottlenecks due to their complicated multi-step pretreating. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy could serve as a powerful technique able to obtain comprehensive information of chemical compounds in the manufacturing process of HMs by a single analytical test. In this study, ethanol precipitation, a critical pretreating process of an especially widely used HM preparation, was conducted with different process variables, including ethanol-material ratio, apparent ethanol concentration and moisture concentration of the raw material, 40 lab-scale experiments of ethanol precipitation were orchestrated by a full factor design with additional central composite circumscribed experiments. Then, 16 metabolites were recognized as the most critical potential chemical markers in the process by 1H NMR spectra and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Finally, multiple linear regression (MLR) was applied to evaluate the impacts of process variables and their interaction on the chemical markers and explain the consistency variation of the process intermediates. The results promote the further understanding of ethanol precipitation process and open up possibilities to develop a more effective process quality control methodology of an HM, through providing a more in-depth and improved pharmaceutical process understanding and characterization.

Epichloë Fungal Endophytes-From a Biological Curiosity in Wild Grasses to an Essential Component of Resilient High Performing Ryegrass and Fescue Pastures.

The relationship between Epichloë endophytes found in a wide range of temperate grasses spans the continuum from antagonistic to mutualistic. The diversity of asexual mutualistic types can be characterised by the types of alkaloids they produce in planta. Some of these are responsible for detrimental health and welfare issues of ruminants when consumed, while others protect the host plant from insect pests and pathogens. In many temperate regions they are an essential component of high producing resilient tall fescue and ryegrass swards. This obligate mutualism between fungus and host is a seed-borne technology that has resulted in several commercial products being used with high uptake rates by end-user farmers, particularly in New Zealand and to a lesser extent Australia and USA. However, this has not happened by chance. It has been reliant on multi-disciplinary research teams undertaking excellent science to understand the taxonomic relationships of these endophytes, their life cycle, symbiosis regulation at both the cellular and molecular level, and the impact of secondary metabolites, including an understanding of their mammalian toxicity and bioactivity against insects and pathogens. Additionally, agronomic trials and seed biology studies of these microbes have all contributed to the delivery of robust and efficacious products. The supply chain from science, through seed companies and retailers to the end-user farmer needs to be well resourced providing convincing information on the efficacy and ensuring effective quality control to result in a strong uptake of these Epichloë endophyte technologies in pastoral agriculture.

Development of fuzzy $$ \bar{X} - S $$ control charts with unbalanced fuzzy data

Statistical process control is an effective quality control technique to monitor a production process with balanced data under certain conditions. However, there are some situations where dealing with uncertainty and unbalanced data is considered. In such situations, the traditional statistical control charts are not effective to obtain control limits. The aim of this paper is fourfold. First of all, the collected unbalanced data are converted to triangular fuzzy numbers for each sample. Second, this paper develops a fuzzy $$ \bar{X} - S $$ control chart while dealing with unbalanced fuzzy data. Third, a proposed approach is presented on how to deal with unbalanced fuzzy data for calculations of control limits. Besides, fuzzy process capability analyses are conducted to measure process performance. Finally, an illustrative example is conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed fuzzy $$ \bar{X} - S $$ control chart with unbalanced data for uncertainty.

Identification of PM2.5 sources contributing to both Brown carbon and reactive oxygen species generation in winter in Beijing, China

Better understanding of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) composition and sources associated with brown carbon (BrC) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential for developing effective air quality control strategies to mitigate climate warming and protect human health. To identify the common chemical composition and sources associated with BrC and ROS, BrC light absorption and hydroxyl radical (·OH), one of the most reactive ROS, were measured for the same batch of filter samples collected in Beijing, China during a winter sampling period covering days with different pollution levels, together with detailed chemical composition analysis, including major components and individual organic and inorganic source-specific tracers. The results showed that both light absorption of BrC and ·OH generation by per mass PM2.5 decreased with increase of PM2.5 mass concentrations, which could be primarily attributed to the predominant roles played by secondary inorganic aerosols in the increased PM2.5 mass, while both of them increased with the fractions of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in PM2.5. WSOC and combustion-related sources were found to be the common and major contributors to both BrC and ·OH generation in Beijing winter. However, BrC exhibited better correlations with fossil source WSOC, while ·OH better correlated with biomass burning source related WSOC. During the study period, fossil sources especially coal combustion were more important sources for BrC, while biomass burning played a relatively stronger role in ·OH generation.

Evaluation of the Antiwrinkle Activity of Enriched Isatidis Folium Extract and an HPLC-UV Method for the Quality Control of Its Cream Products.

Currently, many extracts from natural sources are added to cosmetic products for reducing facial aging and wrinkles. This study investigated the antiwrinkle activity of enriched extract of Isatidis Folium used for a novel antiwrinkle cream product. The result demonstrated that this enriched extract has excellent antiwrinkle activity by significantly inhibiting mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1, matrix metalloproteinase-3, and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and upregulating the mRNA expression of IL-4 and procollagen. Additionally, to implement effective quality control of the entire manufacturing process of antiwrinkle cream products based on the enriched extract of Isatidis Folium, the main chemical constituents of the enriched extract of Isatidis Folium was evaluated by high–performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS), five constituents were undisputedly confirmed. An HPLC-UV method in 15-min analysis time for quality assessment of the entire manufacturing process of antiwrinkle cream products was proposed and validated. The optimal conditions for extracting TMCA (3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid) from the developed antiwrinkle cream products were determined using response surface methodology based on central composite design. The established HPLC method and optimal extract condition are suitable for routinely analyzing this novel antiwrinkle cream product.

INFLUENCE OF LARGE ARTIFICIAL POROSITY ON BENDING BEHAVIOUR OF TI6AL4V ELI ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED SPECIMENS SUBJECTED TO TYPICAL LOADS DURING MASTICATION

Effective quality control of implants made using additive manufacturing is an important task for suppliers to comply fully with existing regulations and certifications. To study the influence of porosity on the mechanical behaviour of mandibular implants produced by additive manufacturing, preliminary tests with longitudinal flat samples were performed with 3D point bending tests. Ti6Al4V Extra Low Interstitial (ELI) specimens with artificial porosity were designed and subjected to typical loads during mastication. In this work, a finite element simulation was constructed to investigate the bending behaviour of samples, which was consistent with the experimental results. The work shows that even large artificial cavities (designed up to 0.42 mm) do not significantly affect the strength of additively manufactured 2.5 mm-thick Ti6Al4V ELI specimens under typical static loads of mandibular implants, in the considered loading conditions, and for samples subjected to appropriate surface finishing and annealing heat treatment.

Metodología de gestión basada en lean construction y pmbok; Para mejorar la productividad en proyectos de construcción.

El artículo expone resultados, acerca de procesos vinculados con la gestión de proyectos, con el objetivo de proponer una metodología basada en Lean Construction y en los fundamentos de la Guía del PMBOK; que permita mejorar la productividad en proyectos de construcción. La metodología obtenida de integrar el escenario de la Planificación Last Planner, al grupo de procesos de planificación, así como al grupo de procesos de monitoreo y control del escenario del PMI (Fundamentos de la Guía del PMBOK); logrará optimizar los factores que afectan la planificación, el monitoreo y control de proyectos de construcción mejorando su productividad; reflejándose en la mejora de la calidad, tiempo y costo del proyecto. La optimización del proceso de Perfilado de la subrasante sin aporte de material generó grandes resultados (outputs) como la reducción del tiempo (plazo de ejecución) de 98 días a 68 días y la reducción del costo de S/. 255,851.59 a S/. 230,061.70; estos outputs son por unidad de consumo (inputs) que corresponde a los recursos administrados eficientemente (Mano de obra, equipo y materiales) y a un eficaz control de calidad.

PECULIARITIES OF DISTANCE LEARNING WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF POSTGRADUATE TRAINING OF DOCTORS IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE

To ensure high-quality distance learning at the Department of Emergency Medicine of the National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education named after P. L. Shupyk, a specialized course of thematic improvement is used, presented by digital lecture and practical material presented in limited access on an exchange server for students registered on the cycle. This form of education has a number of advantages both in terms of the convenience of the educational process for teachers and students, and the reduction of possible risks in case of adverse situations such as the epidemic threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Distance education provides quality and comprehensive training of the student without separation from daily activities, taking into account the individually most convenient place and time to access the electronic knowledge base of the cycle.
 Existing technologies of distance learning through the use of modern digital platforms, high-quality content of educational web resources, the introduction of an effective quality control system of knowledge give us the opportunity to adapt to new realities of the educational process and ensure consistently high quality of postgraduate medical education.

Widespread intron retention impairs protein homeostasis in C9orf72 ALS brains.

The GGGGCC hexanucleotide expansion in C9orf72 (C9) is the most frequent known cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), yet a clear understanding of how C9 fits into the broader context of ALS/FTD pathology has remained lacking. The repetitive RNA derived from the C9 repeat is known to sequester hnRNPH, a splicing regulator, into insoluble aggregates, resulting in aberrant alternative splicing. Furthermore, hnRNPH insolubility and altered splicing of a robust set of targets have been observed to correlate in C9 and sporadic ALS/FTD patients alike, suggesting that changes along this axis are a core feature of disease pathogenesis. Here, we characterize previously uncategorized RNA splicing defects involving widespread intron retention affecting almost 2000 transcripts in C9ALS/FTD brains exhibiting a high amount of sequestered, insoluble hnRNPH. These intron retention events appear not to alter overall expression levels of the affected transcripts but rather the protein-coding regions. These retained introns affect transcripts in multiple cellular pathways predicted to be involved in C9 as well as sporadic ALS/FTD etiology, including the proteasomal and autophagy systems. The retained intron pre-mRNAs display a number of characteristics, including enrichment of hnRNPH-bound splicing enhancer motifs and a propensity for G-quadruplex (G-Q) formation, linking the defective splicing directly to high amounts of sequestered hnRNPH. Together, our results reveal previously undetected splicing defects in high insoluble hnRNPH-associated C9ALS brains, suggesting a feedback between effective RNA-binding protein dosage and protein quality control in C9, and perhaps all, ALS/FTD.

Prospective cohort data quality assurance and quality control strategy and method: Korea HIV/AIDS Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVESThe aim of effective data quality control and management is to minimize the impact of errors on study results by identifying and correcting them. This study presents the results of a data quality control system for the Korea HIV/AIDS Cohort Study that took into account the characteristics of the data.METHODSThe HIV/AIDS Cohort Study in Korea conducts repeated measurements every 6 months using an electronic survey administered to voluntarily consenting participants and collects data from 21 hospitals. In total, 5,795 sets of data from 1,442 participants were collected from the first investigation in 2006 to 2016. The data refining results of 2015 and 2019 were converted into the data refining rate and compared.RESULTSThe quality control system involved 3 steps at different points in the process, and each step contributed to data quality management and results. By improving data quality control in the pre-phase and the data collection phase, the estimated error value in 2019 was 1,803, reflecting a 53.9% reduction from 2015. Due to improvements in the stage after data collection, the data refining rate was 92.7% in 2019, a 24.21%p increase from 2015.CONCLUSIONSDespite this quality management strategy, errors may still exist at each stage. Logically possible errors for the post-review refining of downloaded data should be actively identified with appropriate consideration of the purpose and epidemiological characteristics of the study data. To improve data quality and reliability, data management strategies should be systematically implemented.

Application of Apriori Algorithm in the Lamination Process in Yacht Production

Abstract The article specifies the dependence of defects occurring in the lamination process in the production of yachts. Despite great knowledge about their genesis, they cannot be completely eliminated. Authentic data obtained through cooperation with one of the Polish yacht shipyards during the years 2013–2017 were used for the analysis. To perform a simulation, the sample size was observed in 1450 samples, consisting of 6 models of yachts with closed and open deck. Finding the dependence of the occurrence of specific defects will allow for faster procedures and more effective quality control, which will contribute to lower costs. The use of new methods based on artificial intelligence related to Big Data allows for easier observation of dependencies in the complex structure of data from yacht production. The association rules were defined using the algorithm Apriori and define interdependent defects. A number of dependencies were found for the occurrence of production defects not obvious to technologists, but occurring with a high probability of coexistence. The presented research results may allow the planning process of production tasks to be improved.

KOMPUTASI METODE MULTIVARIATE EXPONENTIALLY WEIGHTED MOVING AVERAGE (MEWMA) UNTUK PENGENDALIAN KUALITAS PROSES PRODUKSI MENGGUNAKAN GUI MATLAB (STUDI KASUS: PT. Pismatex Textile Industry Pekalongan)

Control chart is one of the effective statistical tools to overcome the problem of process quality in a production. Multivariate Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (MEWMA) control chart is an effective quality control tool in processes with more than one variable and correlated (multivariate). The MEWMA control chart has a weight value (λ) which makes this chart more sensitive in detecting small shifts process mean. The weight (λ) has values ranging from 0 to 1 ( ), where this weight will be given to each data. The MEWMA control chart in this study was used to form a control chart by the product defects percentage of grade B and grade B at PT. Pismatex Textile Industry Pekalongan. In this study, GUI Matlab was formed to assist the computational process in forming MEWMA control charts to control the quality of production at PT. Pismatex Textile Industry Pekalongan. Based on the result, the optimal weight is obtained at the weight value λ = 0.9. Keywords: Multivariate Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (MEWMA), Weight (λ), GUI Matlab, Percentage of product defects.

Identification of geographical origin of TPFD based on handheld NIR spectroscopy and PLSDA

The present study is focused on the identification of geographical origin (Zhejiang, Yunnan and Anhui, China) of Dendrobium officinale’s dried stem called Tiepi fengdou by mean of the handheld near-infrared spectrometer. Raw data were preprocessed to reduce unwanted spectral variations by the first-order derivative followed by standard normal variate transformation, and partial least squares discriminant analysis model was developed for calibration. The results showed that more than 90% of the origins were identified. Therefore, it is possible to classify the geographical origin of Tiepi fengdou by the use of the handheld near-infrared spectrometer for effective quality control.

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) fingerprint of raw and honey-fried licorice based on headspace-gas-chromatography ion-mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS)

Licorice is one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. In clinic, raw licorice and honey-fried licorice are used in medicines, with the main effects in clearing away heat and detoxifying, moistening lungs and removing phlegm. Honey-fried licorice has effects in nourishing the spleen and stomach and replenishing Qi and pulse. Because traditional Chinese medicine exerts the effects through multiple components and multiple targets, the index components used in the quality evaluation of licorice are often difficult to reflect their real quality. In addition, most of studies for the quality standards have shown that honey-fried licorice are the same as licorice, with a lack of quality evaluation standards that can demonstrate their processing characteristics. The quality of medicine is directly related to its clinical efficacy, so it is necessary to establish a more effective quality control method. Licorice has a beany smell, which is one of the main quality identification characteristics. In this study, by taking advantage of the odor characteristics, a headspace-gas chromatography-ion migration mass spectrometry technology was used to establish a quality evaluation method. A total of 76 volatile components were identified. Through the dynamic principal component analysis, 7 kinds of volatile substances in raw licorice and 13 kinds of volatile substances in honey-fried licorice were statistically obtained, and could be taken as index components for the quality evaluation of raw and honey-fried licorice, respectively. This study could help realize the combination and unification of modern detection and traditional quality evaluation methods, and make a more realistic evaluation for the quality of licorice.

Fish Quality Index Method: Principles, weaknesses, validation, and alternatives-A review.

Fish is a high nutritional value matrix of which production and consumption have been increasing in the last years. Advancements in the efficient evaluation of freshness are essential to optimize the quality assessment, to improve consumer safety, and to reduce raw material losses. Therefore, it is necessary to use rapid, nondestructive, and objective methodologies to evaluate the quality of this matrix. Quality Index Method (QIM) is a tool applied to indicate fish freshness through a sensory evaluation performed by a group of assessors. However, the use of QIM as an official method for quality assessment is limited by the protocol, sampling size, specificities of the species, storage conditions, and assessor's experience, which make this method subjective. Also, QIM may present divergences regarding the development of microorganisms and chemical analysis. In this way, novel quality evaluation methods such as electronic noses, electronic tongues, machine vision system, and colorimetric sensors have been proposed, and novel technologies such as proteomics and mitochondrial analysis have been developed. In this review, the weaknesses of QIM were exposed, and novel methodologies for quality evaluation were presented. The consolidation of these novel methodologies and their use as methods of quality assessment are an alternative to sensory methods, and their understanding enables a more effective fish quality control.

Theoretical study on beam quality and thermal stability in solid-state zigzag tube laser amplifier

Compared to zig-zag solid-state slab lasers, zig-zag solid-state tube lasers (SSZTLs) exhibit significant potential in beam quality improvement and output power enhancement. However, the progress of SSZTLs still faces enormous challenges due to the lack of effective control of beam quality. We first developed a comprehensive model for analyzing the output beam quality of zig-zag tube lasers by taking both the fabrication and alignment errors and thermal effects into consideration. The primary factors degrading the beam quality and thermal stability of the SSZTLs were analyzed in detail, and a self-correction method based on the complementary optical path was further proposed and analyzed theoretically to effectively improve the beam quality and thermal stability of the SSZTLs. The results show that this method can not only effectively correct the off-axis aberrations but also mitigate the depolarization loss that arises from the thermal instability of the SSZTLs. This work can provide a reference in the beam control and applications of SSZTLs.

Impacts of PM2.5 sources on variations in particulate chemical compounds in ambient air of Bangkok, Thailand

In this study, PM2.5-bound carbonaceous compounds, including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble ionic species (WSIS), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the ambient air of Bangkok were analysed. The mean PM2.5 concentration was 77.0 ± 21.2 μg m−3, while the average concentrations of OC, and EC were 8.03 ± 4.02, and 2.62 ± 1.49 μg m−3, respectively. The relatively high OC/EC ratio (3.52 ± 1.41) coupled with a strong positive correlation between K+ and carbonaceous compounds (K+vs. OC (r = 0.86), K+vs. EC (r = 0.87), K+vs. Char-EC (r = 0.82)) suggest that biomass burning are one of the major contributors to PM2.5 in the sampling area. A comparatively high abundance of both B[g,h,i]P and Ind guides that vehicular exhausts, industrial combustion, and burning of waste might reflect the sources of these PAHs in Bangkok's atmosphere. Interestingly, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) indicated that the main source of PM2.5 was a mixture of various combustion activities (e.g. biomass burning, vehicular exhaust, fossil fuel, coal, and industrial emissions). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) successfully classified five principal sources of PM2.5, including vehicular exhaust, biomass burning, sea salt aerosol, power plant, and industrial emissions, which accounted for 43.7%, 24.0%, 10.5%, 6.48%, and 4.46%, respectively. These results indicated that the effects of vehicular exhausts and biomass burning played an important role in governing the PM2.5 level in ambient air of Bangkok. The findings of this study aid policymakers in launching effective air quality control strategies based on the source apportionment analysis.

Design and control of economically attractive side-stream extractive distillation process

The performance and effectiveness of the conventional and heat-integrated side-stream extractive distillation arrangements are explored with the simultaneous consideration of the steady-state economics, thermodynamics and dynamic controllability aspects of the process. The overall performance of simple stream-to-stream heat-integrated F-S-E configuration (serially preheating column inlet feeds by solvent stream) is superior to others because of the least total annual cost (TAC), CO2 emissions and highest second-law efficiency among these side-stream cases. It can further reduce 8.16% in TAC compared to the conventional extractive distillation configuration. Exergy and entropy generation analyses are employed in these heat-integrated side-stream extractive distillation arrangements to thorough evaluate the energy degeneration in each component. Furthermore, dynamic control analyses for conventional and heat-integrated side-stream extractive distillation processes are also explored. Two novel compromised tactics are proposed to make the economically optimal heat-integrated arrangement more stable at rejecting large feed disturbances according to the physical implemented issues of economizers. Both effective and robust dual-product quality controls are provided for tackling the large (20%) throughput and feed composition perturbations. Furthermore, a new developed control scheme with parallel arrangement works better than that with series exchangers’ arrangement by comprehensively weighing results of steady-state economic design and dynamic controllability.

Assessment of an in-house phantom for the quality control of a clinical gamma camera.

Since in-house phantoms may provide effective quality control for gamma cameras in clinical settings, this study aims to assess an in-house phantom designed to perform quality control tests of a gamma camera using locally available, affordable materials. This is of particular importance in developing countries where scientific support may not be readily available. The phantom was made from cylindrical plexiglass with a diameter of 230 mm and thickness of 60 mm. The phantom design was based on NEMA recommendations and only used materials that are locally available and generally accessible to most nuclear medicine departments and require minimal engineering instruction. The phantom demonstrated high levels of reliability and accuracy. The integral uniformity range was between 1.93% and 2.40%. The differential uniformity ranged between 1.48% and 1.70%. This work demonstrates that in-house phantoms are capable of monitoring gamma camera performance. This approach is particularly useful when scientific support is not easily accessible and when commercial phantoms are not readily available.

Development of the automated information system «clean district» for control of cleaning of streets in the city of Krasnoyarsk

Among the measures aimed at the effective performance of public services in a modern urban environment, one of the main is the quality control and efficiency of the work performed. Timely street cleaning is hampered by several groups of problems, including the lack of a single automated information system (AIS) control of the work performed. In this regard, there is a need to improve and automate this area. This approach will allow you to combine high performance due to the speed of the system and effective quality control of street cleaning. The purpose of this work is the study and analysis of existing information systems (is), allowing to automate the process of quality control and operational performance of the above tasks. On the basis of the conducted researches, to develop is, having coordinated with the customer (administration of the Central district of Krasnoyarsk) requirements and functionality which allow to automate this process.This article presents the main aspects of the design and software solutions for the implementation of the algorithm in the form of AIS, designed to automate the process of monitoring the cleanliness of streets in the city. The development of AIS was conducted in the PhpStorm integrated development environment in the PHP programming language.