Analysis of the characteristics of a two-fiber sensor for monitorship of a turbid medium

Summary Certain characteristics of a two-fiber sensor device, of the type proposed by Papaet al. for sea water turbidity monitorship, are examined. The extension of medium from which most of the received backscattered power originates is investigated, together with possible effects of multiple scattering on the received power. Laboratory measurements testing the results of the analysis are reported.

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Riassunto Sono esaminate alcune caratteristiche di un sensore a due fibre, del tipo di quello proposto da Papaet al. per il monitoraggio della torbidità dell'acqua di mare. è stata studiata l'estensione della zona del mezzo da cui proviene la maggior parte della radiazione retrodiffusa ricevuta. Sono stati considerati effetti di diffusione multipla. I risultati dell'analisi sono stati controllati con misure in laboratorio.

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Резюме Исследуются некоторые характеристики дву-qh-нитевого датчика, предложенного Папа и др. для мониторирования мутности морской воды. Исследуется расширение зоны в среде, из которой формируется основная часть рассеянного назад излучения. Также рассматриваются эффекты многократного рассеяния. На основе лабораторных измерений проводится проверка результатов анализа.

     

Internal audits in private medical laboratory practice – a Finnish experience in 1996–2000

Internal audits inherently effect quality improvement, and concrete results can be expected by careful planning. As audits should improve the quality system in situ, the development of audits should not be neglected. ISO/IEC 17025 describes the objectives of internal audits and management reviews in more detail compared to the former standards EN 45001 and ISO/IEC Guide 25, although the main features are unchanged. This addresses continuous surveillance of the current practice. A brief questionnaire on vertical audits was distributed to 74 of 120 employees at a Finnish private medical laboratory, Medix Laboratories Ltd. A positive feed-back was received from the current management of audits. However, the study revealed that continuous supervision of audits is needed. Many employees were not willing to perform audits if they had no previous experience. Additionally, audits performed at the workbench were not considered as the best possible for fruitful discussions. Received: 20 February 2001 Accepted: 30 November 2001     

强预不变凸函数的充要条件

本文讨论了强预不变凸函数与预不变凸函数、严格预不变凸函数及半严格预不变凸函数之间的关系,得到它的三个充要条件：(i)在一定条件下,f是强预不变凸函数的充分必要条件是f是预不变凸函数且f满足中间点强预不变凸性；(ii)在一定条件下,f是强预不变凸函数的充分必要条件是f是严格预不变凸函数且f满足中间点强预不变凸性；(iii)在一定条件下,f是强预不变凸函数的充分必要条件是f是半严格预不变凸函数且f满足中间点强预不变凸性．     

Multiparametric Evaluation of Dysphonic Severity

SUMMARY: In recent years, the multiparametric approach for evaluating perceptual rating of voice quality has been advocated. This study evaluates the accuracy of predicting perceived overall severity of voice quality with a minimal set of aerodynamic, voice range profile (phonetogram), and acoustic perturbation measures. One hundred and twelve dysphonic persons (93 women and 19 men) with laryngeal pathologies and 41 normal controls (35 women and six men) with normal voices participated in this study. Perceptual severity judgement was carried out by four listeners rating the G (overall grade) parameter of the GRBAS scale. The minimal set of instrumental measures was selected based on the ability of the measure to discriminate between dysphonic and normal voices, and to attain at least a moderate correlation with perceived overall severity. Results indicated that perceived overall severity was best described by maximum phonation time of sustained /a/, peak intraoral pressure of the consonant-vowel /pi/ strings production, voice range profile area, and acoustic jitter. Direct-entry discriminant function analysis revealed that these four voice measures in combination correctly predicted 67.3% of perceived overall severity levels.     

Accreditation of reference material producers: the example of IRMM's Reference Materials Unit

The potential approaches for third-party assessment of reference material producers are revisited and the activities of the Reference Materials (RM) Unit of the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) to obtain accreditation to ISO Guide 34 and ISO 17025 are described. Accreditation was related to the Unit as all matrix RM activities of the institute are concentrated there. A management system was established that allows sufficient flexibility to be applicable to a wide range of RMs while being precise enough to ensure compliance with ISO Guides 30, 31 and especially 34 and 35. Accreditation was achieved in 2004 with independent scopes for testing and RM production and was confirmed and extended in 2005. The key aspects of the RM Unit's management system for RM production are presented. Presented at BERM-10, April 2006, Charleston, SC, USA     

30 years of research in thermal analysis and calorimetry

The research in thermal analysis and calorimetry, conducted by the author over the period 1964 to 1993, is summarised and concisely reviewed. The major investigations have focussed on thermal analysis studies of coordination compounds, particularly the metal dithiocarbamate complexes. A significant solution calorimetric study of some metal dithiocarbamate complexes has also been undertaken. DSC has been applied to determine the sublimation enthalpies of many metal dithiocarbamate and metal pentane-2,4-dionate complexes and solution calorimetry has been applied to study the thermochemistry of the latter group of complexes. Thermal analysis investigations of several inorganic molten salt systems have been initiated. Thermometric titrimetry has been applied to study metal-macrocyclic ligand systems in aqueous media and particularly those systems of environmental significance. Temperature calibration standards for TMA have been proposed and TMA has been applied to study the mechanical properties of several common inorganic compounds. DTA has been applied to study a wide variety of phenols and has subsequently been applied as an analytical technique to determine the components of solid state phenol mixtures. Thermometric titrimetry has been applied to determine the phenolic content of wines. A comprehensive thermal analysis study of Australian brown coal has been undertaken, involving the DSC determination of coal specific energy, a TG/DTA study of the coal pyrolysis and combustion processes and a TG/DTA and EGA study of the cation catalytic effect on the coal pyrolysis process. Thermal analysis and calorimetric techniques have been extensively publicised and promoted by the publication of specialist reviews, the presentation of symposia review papers and the oral presentation of short courses, particularly in the SE Asian region. This review essentially reveals the diversity of possible application of thermal analysis and calorimetric techniques and the primary significance of thermodynamic data in the fundamental rationalisation of chemical phenomena.     

Detection and assessment of citrus tristeza virus antigens by computer-aided scanning densitometry

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) extracted from Etrog citron (C.medica L.) was immunoprecipitated. The immunoprecipitate was fractionated by SDS-PAGE and western blotted onto nitrocellulose. The CTV antigens were determined by immunoblot analysis using rabbit anti-CTV IgG, and the protein-band pattern exhibited on the nitrocellulose was assessed by soft-laser scanning densitometry. The densitometric tracing revealed the presence of bands that were not visible to the naked eye. Using the superimposition mode of the instrument, it was also revealed that the protein-band patterns of different CTV samples were not identical. Computer-aided soft-laser scanning densitometry proved to be a powerful approach in the detection and assessment of protein bands revealed on nitrocellulose immunoblots, which we were previously unable to do employing conventional methods.     

四川省重点河段水环境安全性评价

为研究四川省重点河段水环境的安全性,利用综合评价指数法和模糊综合评价决策的数学模型对主要水系干流和支流河段的水质安全性做出了评价.结果显示,岷江流域的水质安全性较差,主要的污染物为重金属汞和铁,沱江和涪江流域的水质安全性较好.     

Environmental and economic comparison of waste solvent treatment options

The sustainable development and consumption need more efficient use of natural resources. As a consequence, the use of industrial solvents demands their recovery instead of end-of-pipe treatment. It is not always clear, however, which treatment alternative should be applied. Based on an industrial case study, the environmental and economic evaluation and comparison of the treatment alternatives of a non-ideal solvent mixture containing azeotropes is investigated for determining the preferable option. For the recovery of the industrial solvent mixture, two different separation alternatives are evaluated: a less effective alternative and a novel design based on hybrid separation tools. An end-of-pipe treatment alternative, incineration, is also considered and the split of the solvent mixtures between recovery and incineration is investigated. The environmental evaluation of the alternatives is carried out using ‘Eco-indicator 99 life-cycle impact assessment methodology’. Economic investigation is also accomplished. The economic features clearly favour the total recovery, however, the environmental evaluation detects that if a recovery process of low efficiency is applied, its environmental burden can be similar or even higher than that of the incineration. This motivates engineers to design more effective recovery processes and reconsider the evaluation of process alternatives at environmental decision making.