Multi-Criteria Decision Approach to Design a Vacuum Infusion Process Layout Providing the Polymeric Composite Part Quality

The increasingly widespread use of vacuum assisted technologies in the manufacture of polymer-composite structures does not always provide the required product quality and repeatability. Deterioration of quality most often appears itself in the form of incomplete filling of the preform with resin as a result of the inner and outer dry spot formation, as well as due to premature gelation of the resin and blockage of the vacuum port. As experience shows, these undesirable phenomena are significantly dependent on the location of the resin and vacuum ports. This article presents a method for making a decision on the rational design of a process layout. It is based on early forecasting of its objectives in terms of quality and reliability when simulating its finite element model, on the correlation analysis of the preliminary and final quality assessments, as well as on the study of the cross-correlation of a group of early calculated sub-criteria. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by the example of vacuum infusion of a 3D thin-walled structure of complex geometry.

Reduced reference image and video quality assessments: review of methods

With the growing demand for image and video-based applications, the requirements of consistent quality assessment metrics of image and video have increased. Different approaches have been proposed in the literature to estimate the perceptual quality of images and videos. These approaches can be divided into three main categories; full reference (FR), reduced reference (RR) and no-reference (NR). In RR methods, instead of providing the original image or video as a reference, we need to provide certain features (i.e., texture, edges, etc.) of the original image or video for quality assessment. During the last decade, RR-based quality assessment has been a popular research area for a variety of applications such as social media, online games, and video streaming. In this paper, we present review and classification of the latest research work on RR-based image and video quality assessment. We have also summarized different databases used in the field of 2D and 3D image and video quality assessment. This paper would be helpful for specialists and researchers to stay well-informed about recent progress of RR-based image and video quality assessment. The review and classification presented in this paper will also be useful to gain understanding of multimedia quality assessment and state-of-the-art approaches used for the analysis. In addition, it will help the reader select appropriate quality assessment methods and parameters for their respective applications.

The role of expert judgments in wine quality assessment: the mismatch between chemical, sensorial and extrinsic cues

Purpose The complexity in determining the quality of a credence good like wine increases due to the lack of mandatory ingredient labeling. This has generated a significant information asymmetry in the wine market, leading consumers to delegate their purchase decisions to expert rankings and wine guides. This paper explores whether expert assessments reduce the information asymmetry caused by the absence of ingredient labeling in the wine market.Design/methodology/approach By employing analysis of variance (ANOVA) in a sample of 304 wines included in the Wine Guide of the Spanish Consumers Organization (OCU), this paper assesses the extent to which expert assessments based on sensory evaluations converge with the objective cues provided by laboratory analysis in wine quality evaluations.Findings Results reveal a mismatch between expert assessments and laboratory analyses. Chemical aspects such as SO2 levels or volatile acidity, sensorial factors such as intensity and persistence, and extrinsic variables such as the region of origin or wine type play an important role in the quality ranking of wines.Originality/value These findings call for the inclusion of objective intrinsic cues in expert sensory assessments to provide consumers reliable information about wines and to resolve the apparent dissonances in wine quality assessments.

Wastewater QC workflow in GalaxyTrakr (SSQuAWK) v2

PURPOSE: Step-by-step instructions for checking sequence quality for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater samples using SSQuAWK: SARS - CoV - 2 Sequence Quality Assurance Workflow and Kontraption. The SSQuAWK workflow, implemented in a custom Galaxy instance, will produce quality assessments for raw reads (Illumina MiSeq paired-end fastq files). SCOPE: This protocol covers the following tasks: 1. Set up an account in GalaxyTrakr 2. Create a new history 3. Upload data 4. Execute the SSQuAWK workflow 5. Interpret the results Version history: V1: Basic protocol steps with screenshots V2: Addition of a detailed 12 minute video tutorial

How Reliable and Valid are the Evaluations of Digital Competence in Higher Education: A Systematic Mapping Study

Evaluating digital competencies has become a topic of growing interest in recent years. Although several reviews and studies have summarized the main elements of progress and shortcomings in this area, some issues are yet to be explored. Very little information is available about the ways of ensuring the validity and reliability of the instrument used. This study addresses this issue through systematic mapping covering the period from January 2015 to July 2020. Based on 88 primary studies, we conclude that a growing number of studies have emerged over the years; most of them are based on European university students in social science programs; the quality of the journals where they were published is low; and the instruments used are mostly questionnaires and ad-hoc surveys that measure the various dimensions of digital competence based on participants’ perceptions. Out of the eight possible types of quality assessment, studies commonly report only four (one in the case of reliability and three in the case of validity). More than 50% of the studies do not provide evidence of having assessed the reliability and validity at the same time. Although participant discipline resulted in a significantly association with the practice of reporting reliability and validity assessments, no specific dimension explained such association. A non-parametric multivariate analysis reveals, among other interesting patterns, that the practice of not reporting quality assessments is more present in studies where participants belong to the fields of Engineering and Technology, Health Sciences, and Humanities.

Environmental Determinates of Distribution for Dragonfly Nymphs (Odonata: Anisoptera) in Urban and Non-Urban East Texas Streams, USA

We collected environmental and habitat data for nymphs of 12 dragonfly species (Odonata: Anisoptera) from 91 stream sites throughout eastern Texas, including urban and non-urban locations. Understanding the relationship of dragonflies to habitat structure and other environmental variables is crucial for the purpose of conserving these insects and better using them as predictive tools for water quality assessments, and refining tolerance values. The objectives of this study were to determine the key environmental variables influencing the diversity and distribution of dragonflies in eastern Texas streams, and further determine if differences in those factors could be observed between urban and nonurban sites. We collected samples separately from benthic habitats and woody snag habitats. Significantly fewer sites were observed to have dragonfly species on snag habitat (mean = 1.25) compared to benthic samples (mean = 14.67) (t-test, p = 0.001). The number of dragonfly species collected among non-urban streams (mean = 9.83) was not significantly different than urban streams (mean = 6.08; t-test, p = 0.07). Detrended correspondence analysis of benthic and snag habitat data collected from non-urban and urban locations showed that most of the species are oriented most closely to benthic habitats in non-urban streams. Snag habitat was shown to be poorly ordinated for all of the species. A canonical correspondence analysis of 29 water quality and habitat variables as environmental determinants of dragonfly diversity and distribution showed that distributional relationships among species are complex and often described by multiple environmental factors.

First Results after Implantation of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Trifocal Intraocular Lenses: Visual and Optical Performance

Purpose. To compare postcataract surgery visual and optical performance between two trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) with the same optical design: a hydrophobic acrylic glistening-free IOL and a hydrophilic acrylic IOL. Methods. Patients were bilaterally implanted with either the hydrophobic or the hydrophilic IOL. The data of the patients’ right eyes were evaluated. Visual quality assessments included refractive outcomes, monocular visual acuity (VA) at far, intermediate, and near distances, defocus curve, aberrations (spherical aberration (SA)), root mean square (RMS) of corneal, internal, and total higher-order aberrations (HOAs)), and tilt of IOL. Results. Fifty-one patients were included in the analysis: 26 patients implanted with the hydrophobic IOL and 25 patients implanted with the hydrophilic IOL. At 1 month, no statistically significant differences were found for monocular uncorrected and corrected VA at distance, distance-corrected VA at intermediate and near, defocus curve, manifest spherical equivalent, total SA, and RMS of the total, internal, and corneal HOA. The defocus curve of both groups showed a visual acuity of 0.3 logMAR or better in the intermediate range from 0.5 to −2.5 D of vergence level with no significant differences between the groups. Compared to the hydrophilic group, y-direction tilt was significantly higher in the hydrophobic group ( p = 0.027 ). The total tilt and x-axis tilt did not differ between the groups. Conclusion. Both IOLs demonstrated an excellent quality of vision and provided the patient with a wide range of vision.

Internalizing and Externalizing Correlates of Parental Overprotection as Measured by the EMBU: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aspects of parenting including overprotection explain individual differences in child adjustment. This review and meta-analysis summarizes studies on parental overprotection and internalizing and externalizing problems. To ensure that findings could be compared as systematically as possible, the focus is on studies that used the overprotection scale of the Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (“Memories of my Parents’ Upbringing”) (EMBU) questionnaire, a popular instrument to measure parental overprotection. In total, we extracted 176 effects from 29 studies. A modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to perform quality assessments for the included studies. Parental overprotection was positively associated with offspring internalizing and externalizing problems, with overall estimates ranging from r = .14 to .18. Moderator analyses suggested that effects of maternal were larger than effects of paternal overprotection. Other factors that moderated the strength of the association between overprotection and maladjustment included whether outcomes were self-reported or parent-reported, the design was cross-sectional or longitudinal, and publication year. Cultural context, age at exposure, and child sex did not explain differences between effect sizes. Most findings were based on cross-sectional studies and therefore do not constitute proof of causal relations. Many studies were of less-than-satisfactory quality regarding representativeness of the sample, descriptions of the data collection, and statistical analyses. There is a clear need for well-powered longitudinal studies to strengthen inferences about associations between parental overprotection and internalizing and externalizing problems.

Systematic Assessment of Product Quality

The article describes an innovative metrizable idea for systemic assessments of product quality within the baking industry. Complex product quality analysis requires the employment of metrizability criteria for factors that impact the quality of the product, and these are called determinants. Therefore, such analysis is only possible with the use of systems engineering. A system represents the potential of a manufacturing process, of major impact on quality. Composites of the manufacturing process make up the determinants of bread quality, grouped into three sets: raw materials, manufacturing technology, and manufacturing organization and technique. This paper also contains methodological implications for the construction of algorithms for manufacturing process potential determinants. Metrizable product quality assessment is a very important issue in the context of its implementation in manufacturing companies. Its use allows for obtaining comprehensive data on the quality status of a product. It is an important tool for analyzing and forecasting modern quality trends. The method presented in the article is new, innovative, and practical; and its vector representation may prove useful in Quality 4.0. The method could be an important point of reference for managers, directors, and decision makers who must determine the best metrizability criteria for systemic product quality assessments, and could prove useful in Industry 4.0 in the bakery industry. The main value of the paper is the presentation of a new, extensive method for systemic assessments of product quality based on vector analysis in industrial organization. We trialed the method in the baking industry. We concluded that the method is a contribution to management science, especially in the field of quality management, because this approach is not used in business and is not described in relevant international literature.