Quality Evaluation Research Articles

Parasympathetic nervous system: A key role in control and mood disorders in patients with asthma

BackgroundPatients with severe asthma often have uncontrolled disease and experience mood disorders, particularly anxiety and depression. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays an important role in asthma, mainly through the parasympathetic ANS system (PANS), which favors bronchoconstriction and mental health status. ObjectiveTo evaluate the role of the activation of the PANS in uncontrolled asthma and related mood disorders. MethodsThis was a proof-of-concept cross-sectional study that analyzed demographic and clinical variables reflecting asthma severity and control, lung function, inflammation (from induced sputum), evaluation of quality of life, and the risk for anxiety and depression according to validated questionnaires. The PANS analysis was conducted based on heart rate variability: SD of the difference between consecutive normal-to-normal (NN) intervals (SDNN), root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD), percentage of consecutive NN intervals (pNN50), total power (TP), and respiratory-related power (Pr). ResultsA total of 30 patients with asthma were grouped according to asthma control and the risk for anxiety and depression; 10 patients with uncontrolled asthma compared with the patients with controlled asthma showed significant differences (P < .05) in SDNN (26.5 [8.2] vs 42.7 [29.7]), RMSSD (14.1 [6.5] vs 24 [20]), pNN50 (0.6 [1.5] vs 6.2 [11.8]), TP (0.0005 [0.00046] vs 0.0014 [0.00085]), and Pr (0.0003 [0.00025] vs 0.0007 [0.00060]) respectively. A total of 13 patients at risk for anxiety and depression compared with the patients without showed reduced values (P < .05) for SDNN (26.5 [7.9] vs 45.6 [31.3]), pNN50 (0.75 [1.4] to 7.12 [12.6]), TP (0.0005 [0.00048] to 0.0012 [0.0008]), and Pr (0.0003 [0.00027] to 0.0008 [0.00062]). ConclusionOur results suggest that PANS activity is depressed in patients with uncontrolled asthma and common mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, and the evaluation of heart rate variability may be a useful means for follow-up of asthma control and related mood disorders.

Molecular localization and exchange kinetics in pharmaceutical liposome and mRNA lipoplex nanoparticle products determined by small angle X-ray scattering and pulsed field gradient NMR diffusion measurements

We have used pulsed field gradient (PFG)-NMR diffusion experiments, also known as DOSY, in combination with small angle X-ray scattering measurements to investigate structure and molecular exchange dynamics between pharmaceutical lipid nanoparticles and the bulk phase. Using liposomes and lipoplexes formed after complexation of the liposomes with messenger mRNA as test systems, information on dynamics of encapsulated water molecules, lipids and excipients was obtained. The encapsulated fraction, having a diffusivity similar to that of the liposomes, could be clearly identified and quantified by the NMR diffusion measurements. The unilamellar liposome membranes allowed a fast exchange of water molecules, while sucrose, used as an osmolyte and model solute, showed very slow exchange. Upon interactions with mRNA a topological transition from a vesicular to a lamellar organization took place, where the mRNA was inserted in repeating lipid bilayer stacks. In the lipoplexes, a small fraction of tightly bound water molecules was present, with a diffusivity that was influenced by the additional presence of sucrose. This extended information on dynamic coherencies inside pharmaceutical nanoparticle products, provided by the combined application of SAXS and PFG-NMR diffusion measurements, can be valuable for evaluation of quality and comparability of nanoscaled pharmaceuticals.

A critical analysis of the effect of OM-85 for the prevention of recurrent respiratory tract infections or wheezing/asthma from systematic reviews with meta-analysis.

Acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are one of the most common causes of pediatric consultations/hospitalizations and a major trigger for asthma exacerbations. Some consensus statements have recommended the use of immunostimulants to boost natural defenses against severe or repeated infections. One of the most common immunostimulants is OM-85; while several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have evaluated its efficacy in preventing acute RTIs and wheezing/asthma exacerbations, results have been conflicting. Similarly, various systematic reviews with meta-analyses (SRMs) on OM-85 have used different strategies, populations, and outcomes; moreover, SRM conclusions are limited when the original studies are highly heterogeneous or have a low quality, hindering the generalizability of the findings. Here we summarize the evidence on the effect of OM-85 to prevent acute RTIs, wheezing/asthma episodes, or loss of asthma control in children, by including and critically evaluating all SRMs published to date. We searched for SRMs on OM-85 in three publication databases and found nine SRMs (seven for RTI, and two for wheezing/asthma). Among those, one had a high confidence evaluation of quality (AMSTAR-2 tool) and found a reduction in the total number of acute RTIs among the OM-85 group. Overall, no strong recommendations can be derived from the existing literature, mainly due to the high heterogeneity among included RCTs and SRMs. Further, large, high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm the true efficacy of OM-85 for the prevention of acute RTIs, asthma development, and asthma exacerbations.

Identification and functional characterization of candidate genes involved in biosynthesis of ginsenoside Rg_1

Panax ginseng is a perennial herb with the main active compounds of ginsenosides. Among the reported ginsenosides, ginsenoside Rg_1 not only has a wide range of medicinal functions and abundant content but also is one of the major ginsenoside for the quality evaluation of this herb in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The main biosynthesis pathway of ginsenoside Rg_1 in P. ginseng has been clarified, which lays a foundation for the comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the biosynthesis and regulatory mechanism of ginseno-side Rg_1. However, the biosynthesis of ginsenoside Rg_1 is associated with other complex processes involving a variety of regulatory genes and catalyzing enzyme genes, which remain to be studied comprehensively. With the transcriptome data of 344 root samples from 4-year-old P. ginseng plants and their corresponding ginsenoside Rg_1 content obtained in the previous study, this study screened out 217 differentially expressed genes(DEGs) with Rg_1 content changes by DEseq2 analysis in R language. Furthermore, the weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA) revealed 40 hub genes among the DEGs.Pearsoncorrelation analysis was further perforned to yield 20 candidate genes significantly correlated with ginsenoside Rg_1 content, and these genes were annotated to multiple metabolic processes including primary metabolism and secondary metabolism. Finally, the treatment of P. ginseng adventitious roots with methyl jasmonate indicated that 16 of these genes promoted the biosynthesis of ginsenoside Rg_1 in response to methyl jasmonate induction. Finally, one of the 16 genes was randomly selected to verify the function of the gene by genetic transformation and qRT-PCR and to confirm the rationality of the methodology of this study. The above results lay a foundation for studying the mechanism for regulation on the synthesis of ginsenoside Rg_1 and provide genetic resources for the industrial production of ginsenoside Rg_1.

Quality Evaluation of Bergamot Juice Produced in Different Areas of Calabria Region.

Citrus fruits are extensively cultivated worldwide, with Italy and Spain being major producers. In Southern Italy, particularly in Reggio Calabria, a typical citrus fruit is produced, namely, bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau), known for its mysterious origins and exceptional quality essential oil protected by the EU's PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) designation. Despite historical challenges, bergamot has regained prominence for its nutraceutical potential, especially its flavonoid-rich juice, offering significant health benefits. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the qualitative and quantitative differences of bergamot juice in Calabrian production areas. For this reason, this work aims to investigate the quality characteristics of bergamot juice produced in different areas of Calabria sites. The results showed the best quality attributes of bergamot fruits harvested in the PDO area. In particular, higher levels of total soluble solids, stable acidity, and higher juice were found. In addition, higher contents of ascorbic and citric acids, which are nutritionally valuable and tasteful, were found. The phenolic profile, characterized by the key compounds of bergamot, highlighted the better nutraceutical potential of the fruit grown in the PDO area.

Quality Evaluation of Antioxidants, and Calcium-rich Sucrose-free Biscuit Based on Spirulina and Unutilized Eggshell

Quality Evaluation of Antioxidants, and Calcium-rich Sucrose-free Biscuit Based on Spirulina and Unutilized Eggshell

Feature-level contrastive learning for full-reference light field image quality assessment

Light field (LF), as a new visual information representation for immersive experiences in virtual reality and augmented reality, has attracted extensive attention. It is of significance to establish the light field image quality assessment (LF-IQA) that conforms to the characteristics of human visual perception. Due to the spatial–angular inter-twined imaging mechanism, the quality evaluation for LF images faces more challenges than ordinary 2D/3D IQA. This paper proposes a feature-level contrastive learning based full-reference LF-IQA with a divide-and-conquer learning strategy. It first employs the cross-attention mechanism to learn the local contrast features related to the reference features from three subsets of distorted sub-aperture images (SAIs). Then a Transformer-based feature fusion is used to predict the overall perceptual quality. The evaluation experiments are carried out on three commonly used LF-IQA datasets: Win5-LID, NBU-LF1.0, and SHU. The experimental results demonstrate that our model outperforms the existing state-of-the-art LF-IQA methods.

Geometric quality evaluation of three-dimensional printable concrete using computational fluid dynamics

Geometric quality evaluation of three-dimensional printable concrete using computational fluid dynamics

Quality evaluation of private sector rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes under agro-climatic zone of Prayagraj U.P.

Quality evaluation of private sector rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes under agro-climatic zone of Prayagraj U.P.

Yield and fruit quality evaluation of some new rootstock-scion combinations of sweet orange under agro-climatic conditions of Maharashtra, India

Yield and fruit quality evaluation of some new rootstock-scion combinations of sweet orange under agro-climatic conditions of Maharashtra, India

Eco-safe hot water dip alleviates antioxidant level and sensory quality of Indian jujube fruits

Indian jujube (Ber) is highly perishable climacteric fruit owing to high decay index limiting its marketability and demands interventions to prolong shelf life. Fungicides are normally used to control rot during postharvest storage, however, residues left necessitate eco-safe alternatives like hot water dipping. Mature, pre-climacteric jujubes were dipped in 45, 50 or 55 °C water for 8, 6 or 4 min, respectively and then stored at 5 °C for periodic quality evaluation. Dipping fruits in 55 °C water resulted in 32.69 and 35.27, 64.21 and 58.57, 30.41 and 30.42, 38.50 and 52.20 % lower weight loss, decay index, malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage, whereas 15.40 and 16.77, 19.51 and 20.48 % greater antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid respectively for Umran and Pakwhite compared to 25 °C water dip. The highest glucose, fructose, malic, citric, and tartaric acids were 23.44 ± 1.04 and 29.9 ± 0.95, 30.68 ± 1.72 and 41.17 ± 2.34 mg/100 g, 138.1 ± 6.45 and 112.97 ± 6.16, 57.49 ± 1.71 and 53.78 ± 1.90, 79.58 ± 5.1 and 65.3 ± 4.83 μg/100 g whereas lower sucrose 12.34 ± 0.94 and 16.33 ± 1.05 mg/100 g were respectively recorded in 55 °C water dipped Umran and Pakwhite fruits. High dip water temperature (55 °C) exhibited better quality with the lowest decay index and weight loss, greater membrane integrity, bioactives content and sensory acceptance scores. Hence, hot water dipping was shown to be an effective residue-free option to extend the marketable period of jujubes to capture distant markets.

Determining nine fasciolicides and three metabolite residues in milk and infant formula using solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A new sensitive method of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis for nine fasciolicides (closantel, rafoxanide, oxyclozanide, niclosamide, nitroxinil, ioxynil, 4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenol, salicylanilide, and triclabendazole) and three metabolite residues (ketotriclabnedazole, triclabendazole sulfone, and triclabendazole sulfoxide) in milk and infant formula was established. The samples were extracted and purified through solid-phase extraction and analyzed using LC–MS/MS. The proposed method demonstrated high accuracy (the average recoveries ranged from 70.5 % to 107.4 %) and high sensitivity (the limits of quantification ranged from 1.0 to 25.0 µg/kg). This method was successfully applied to determine nine fasciolicides and three metabolite residues in 45 milk and infant formula, providing technical support for the safety and quality evaluation of dairy products.

Motor test data quality evaluation model based on critic-fluctuant weight assignment method

Abstract The article addresses the limitations of traditional weight analysis methods in handling ground ignition experiment data for solid rocket motors, particularly the anti-interference ability to noise factors. To address this issue, the specialized Critic-Fluctuant weight analysis method is proposed. This method calculates objective weight values based on fluctuation values and integrates noise standard scores into data quality assessment, enabling researchers to effectively and intuitively identify different levels of data quality. After comparing and analyzing the objective weights and data quality scores of 100 ground ignition test data sets, it is verified that Critic-Fluctuant has higher adaptability and accuracy than traditional CRITIC methods in ground ignition test scenarios. The article provides new insights and tools for researchers to deal with similar data characteristics.

A comprehensive strategy based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector fingerprinting and multi-component ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry technology for quality control of Jiawei Huoxiang Zhengqi Pill.

Jiawei Huoxiang Zhengqi Pill (JHZP) is a commonly used Chinese patent medicine for the clinical treatment of headache, dizziness, chest tightness as well as abdominal distension, and pain caused by wind-cold flu. In this study, a comprehensive strategy combining ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD) fingerprinting and multi-component quantitative analysis was established and validated for quality evaluation of JHZP. A total of 49 characteristic common peaks were selected in a chromatographic fingerprinting study to assess the similarity of 15 batches of JHZP. Furthermore, 109 compounds were identified or preliminarily identified from JHZP by coupling with an advanced hybrid linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer. For quantification, the optimized ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was employed for the simultaneous determination of 13 target compounds within 12min. The sensitivity, precision, reproducibility, and accuracy of the method were satisfactory. This validated UPLC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to analyzing 15 batches of JHZP. The proposed comprehensive strategy combining UHPLC-DAD fingerprinting and multi-component UPLC-MS/MS analysis proved to be highly efficient, accurate, and reliable for the quality evaluation of JHZP, which can be considered as a reference for the overall quality evaluation of other Chinese herbal formulations.

Evaluation of the Water Quality of Nakdong River Using the Real-time Water Quality Index

Recently, the influx of pollutants into rivers has increased owing to the impacts of climate and environmental change, consequently accelerating the pollution of river ecosystems and aquatic habitats. Consequently, river water quality must be precisely assessed to facilitate effective management strategies by discerning different aspects of water quality deterioration and enhancement and by identifying and regulating river contaminants. Understanding water quality at a cursory glance is highly challenging, particularly for individuals lacking expertise in water pollution assessment. Hence, the present investigation utilized a domestically developed real-time water quality index (RT-WQI) to scrutinize the water quality attributes at 12 specific locations within the total pollution quantity monitoring network situated in the main channel of the Nakdong River system to render the water quality of the river easily comprehensible even to non-specialists. Furthermore, an attempt was made to detect patterns by applying the Mann–Kendall test and locally weighted scatter plot smoothing (LOWESS) using the index values for water quality assessment. To achieve this aim, extensive water quality data (averaged on a monthly basis) spanning 2004–2022 were obtained from the Water Environment Information System of the Ministry of Environment (https://water.nier.go.kr). The gathered date were then subjected to computation of descriptive statistics for individual water quality parameters to delineate the distinctive features of water quality. This study anticipates that the evaluation of water quality across diverse river systems in the future will facilitate the identification of highly polluted rivers and confirm their trends, thereby providing fundamental data for the management of river basins and the formulation of water quality policies.

Evaluation of platelet concentrates prepared using different methods after overnight holding (18-24 h) of whole blood at room temperature.

Regulatory requirement of fixed holding time (6 h) of whole blood (WB) at room temperature, that is, 22-24°C (RT) results in sub-optimal component separation. The aim was to evaluate the platelet concentrates (PC) prepared by both platelet rich plasma (PRP) and buffy coat (BC) methods after overnight hold (18-24 h) at RT. A prospective experimental study was performed. A total of 48 WB units collected were divided into four groups (12 each) control-1 (C1) and test-1 (T1) for PRP and control-2 (C2) and test-2 (T2) for the BC method. Control groups were processed within 6 h, and in test groups, components were prepared after overnight hold, followed by evaluation of quality parameters. Irrespective of the method used, all PCs had similar volume, platelet yield, swirling, no bacterial contamination, RBC contamination, PaO2 and PaCO2 levels. PCs in the T1 group had significant differences in glucose and MPV values on d1, which were resolved by d5 of storage. PCs in T2 has significant differences in pH, glucose, and MPV levels throughout storage. PRBC in test and control groups had similar quality parameters till d42 of storage. FFPs in all tests were noninferior to the concurrent control groups till 3 months of storage. Overnight holding of WB had no lasting deleterious changes. Though a few biochemical parameters in the test groups were significantly different, they can be accepted to improve the logistics of component separation. Overall PRP method seemed to have a better result than the BC method after an overnight hold.

A dataset of the ecological security patterns in the peripheral region of Poyang Lake from 2000 to 2020

With the continuous expansion of human activities, the habitats of many species are confronted with serious destruction and threats, leading to increasingly prominent ecological security issues. Therefore, it is crucial to establish an ecological security pattern that takes species habitats into consideration, so as to protect biodiversity and maintain ecological balance. Poyang Lake, as a paradise for wildlife, serves as the habitat and breeding ground for many bird species, fish, and other aquatic organisms. Taking the research scope of the peripheral region of Poyang Lake as an example, we produced the land use data for the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 on the basis of the Google Earth Engine platform and the random forest classification method. By integrating morphological spatial pattern analysis, landscape pattern indices, landscape connectivity indices, circuit theory, and long-term land use data, we developed a long-term ecological security pattern for the peripheral region of Poyang Lake from 2000 to 2020, which takes into accounts habitats for various species including fish and birds. This dataset contains various types of data, including innovative elements. In terms of data quality control and evaluation, strict quality control and evaluation processes were conducted on the data used and the predicted results, ensuring the accuracy and credibility of the data and providing effective data support and references for relevant research. The dataset not only comprises indicator data for constructing an ecological security pattern to protect species habitats but also includes historical and predicted ecological security pattern data for the peripheral region of Poyang Lake. It can provide important scientific data support and serve as references for future research on species protection and ecological security patterns in the peripheral region of the Poyang Lake.

Quality Evaluation and Flavonoid Content of Honey from Riau Forest, Indonesia

Honey is a naturally sweet liquid produced by bees from flower nectar, which varies in quality and flavonoid content due to the food source, environment and the bees that produce it. This study aims to evaluate the quality and flavonoid content of honey from the Riau Forest of Indonesia. Quality testing was conducted in accordance with SNI 8664:2018 with sensory, physical, chemical and microbiological parameters. Flavonoid testing was carried out qualitatively using HPLC. The test results showed that the sensory profile of honey was in accordance with the standard, sweet taste, distinctive aroma, brown colour and thick shape. Chemical parameters obtained values of moisture content of 21.92%, diastase enzyme 3.13 DN and HMF 4.14 mg/kg have met the requirements. However, the reducing sugar of 54.1% is still below the requirement. Heavy metal parameters (Pb, Cd, As and Hg) were not detected and microbiological ALT 3.0 x 10 and yeast mould &lt;10 colonies/gr that have met. Furthermore, the results of flavonoid qualitative tests detected several types including Luteolin, Mangiferin, Smiglanin, maltol, isoflavones, quercetin, Cnidimol C, Norcimifungin, Apigenin, Methyl ophiopogonanone B, Pectolinarigenin, Kusenol C, 3,5,6-trihydroxy-4',7-dimetoxyflavone and Lupinifoline. The conclusion of this study shows that honey from Riau forests fulfils most of the quality requirements and has a diverse flavonoid content.

Impact of Environmental Factors, Organizational Structure, Conflict Management, and Internal Control on the Effectiveness of Islamic Schools in Banten

The rapid increase in the number of schools necessitates the evaluation of educational quality across all institutions, including both private and state-run schools, with a particular focus on Islamic schools. Organizational performance serves as a key indicator of an institution's effectiveness. This study aims to analyze the impact of organizational structure, conflict management, and internal control on the work environment and effectiveness of teachers in Islamic schools in Banten. The study population comprised teachers from Islamic schools in Banten, with a total sample size of 58 teachers. Data analysis was conducted using path analysis to assess the relationships between the variables. The analysis revealed that organizational structure, conflict management, and internal control positively influenced the teachers' work environment. Furthermore, the organizational structure was found to have a significant impact on work effectiveness. However, conflict management and internal control did not show a significant effect on teachers' work effectiveness. Additionally, the work environment had a positive effect on the effectiveness of the teachers' work. The findings indicate that a well-defined organizational structure enhances both the work environment and the effectiveness of teachers in Islamic schools. While conflict management and internal control are beneficial for improving the work environment, they do not directly influence work effectiveness. The positive correlation between the work environment and teacher effectiveness underscores the importance of fostering a supportive and well-structured organizational setting. This study underscores the critical role of organizational structure in enhancing teacher effectiveness in Islamic schools. While conflict management and internal control improve the work environment, their direct impact on effectiveness is limited. Creating a conducive work environment remains essential for maximizing the performance of teachers.

Evaluation of sleep quality among chemotherapy-treated cancer patients

Evaluation of sleep quality among chemotherapy-treated cancer patients