Production and Evaluation of Porous Photocatalyst Concrete Filter (deNOx PCF) for NOx Reduction

A porous photocatalyst concrete filter (deNOx PCF) is successfully manufactured to reduce NOx by mixing TiO2 photocatalyst with lightweight aerated concrete. From the results, 4% infusion rate of each foaming agent provided the smallest change of the height, and the optimal quality of the air bubbles can be produced by using foaming agent B with 4% of infusion rate. When 3% of TiO2 photocatalyst was mixed, less irregular and relatively homogeneous pores were formed on the surface with white color due to the proper amount of photocatalyst applied. For 3% of photocatalyst mixed with deNOx PCF, 1.03 μmol/hr of NO was reduced equivalent to 10.99% of NO reduction, suggesting that the TiO2 photocatalyst dispersed in the continuous and well-developed pores inside the specimen successfully performed the removal of NO flowing through deNOx PCF using synergistic effects of adsorption and photodegradation reaction. Finally, the specimen of porous deNOx PCF for reducing NOx developed in this study can be applied to various construction sites and the air quality can be solved by reducing NOx contributing to the formation of fine particles.

Evaluation of Sputum-Culture Results for Tuberculosis Patients in the United States-Affiliated Pacific Islands

Sputum-culture confirmation guides tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and patient management but has previously been reported to be low in the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). We evaluated factors associated with positive sputum-culture results by analyzing TB case surveillance and laboratory data, including sputa quality and quantity for diagnostic specimens from the USAPI. A lower proportion of sputum specimens were reported as culture positive from the USAPI (42%), compared with Hawaii (58%) and the United States (55%). Few (3%) sputa collected from TB patients in the USAPI had both optimal quality and quantity; 40% had optimal quality (mucoid), and 7% had optimal quantity (>5 mL). Suboptimal sputum specimen quality and quantity contributed to fewer sputum-culture positive results in the USAPI. Improving sputum collection and handling might lead to more culture positive results and ultimately improve patient care and TB control in USAPI.

Optimal management of efficiency gains manufacturing enterprises

Сформулированы две ключевые задачи, связанные с повышением эффективности производственных предприятий на основе оптимального управления качеством и снижением себестоимости производимой продукции. Решение первой задачи сводится к допустимому росту качества производимой предприятием продукции путем ее модернизации с учетом покупательской способности основной массы потребителей на различных сегментах рынка. Приведен критерий позволяющий определить оптимальные объемы производства продукции с различным уровнем качества для различных сегментов рынка, обеспечивающие производственному предприятию получение максимально возможной прибыли за счет роста потребительских свойств производимой продукции и повышения на этой основе ее рыночной стоимости. Решение второй задачи связано с условной минимизацией переменных издержек производства без потери требуемого уровня качества различных видов производимой предприятием продукции, которая обеспечивается путем сбалансированного ввода факторов производства в производственный процесс. Такой ввод факторов производства сопровождается снижением себестоимости производимой предприятием продукции и получением на этой основе дополнительной прибыли. Для проведения условной оптимизации, когда решение задачи оптимального управления получением дополнительной прибыли находится на границе области допустимых значений вводимых в него факторов, приводится критерий определяющий условие сбалансированного их ввода в производственный процесс и снижения на этой основе переменных издержек производства различных видов продукции в краткосрочном периоде. Two key tasks have been formulated related to improving the efficiency of manufacturing enterprises based on optimal quality management and reducing the cost of production. The solution to the first problem is reduced to an acceptable increase in the quality of the products produced by the enterprise by means of its modernization, taking into account the purchasing power of the bulk of consumers in various market segments. A criterion is given that allows you to determine the optimal production volumes of products with different levels of quality for different market segments, providing a manufacturing enterprise to obtain the maximum possible profit due to the growth of consumer properties of the products produced and on this basis increase its market value. The solution of the second problem is associated with the conditional minimization of variable production costs without losing the required level of quality of various types of products produced by the enterprise, which is ensured by balanced input of production factors into the production process. This input of factors of production is accompanied by a decrease in the cost of products manufactured by the enterprise and the receipt of additional profit on this basis. To carry out conditional optimization, when the solution to the problem of optimal control for obtaining additional profit is on the border of the region of admissible values ​​of the factors introduced into it, a criterion is given that determines the condition for their balanced input into the production process and, on this basis, reduce the variable production costs of various types of products in the short term.

Towards accurate non-contact moisture inspection using THz imaging and thickness information

This study proposes an approach for a non-contact moisture inspection in dried food products, which is crucial to maintain optimal quality and shelf-life, using terahertz (THz) signal. To achieve this, a sample-specific calibration curve needs to be determined first. HAITAI crackers were chosen in this work for demonstration purposes. Fifteen stacks of crackers with different heights were prepared and moisturized by covering with a wet tissue paper for different time periods, resulting in moisture levels between 3 and 40% R.H.. Then, each sample was placed on a conveyor belt system between a THz source and THz a detector, and transmitted signal was measured 5 times. After that, moisture percentage of the sample was determined based on a gravimetric method, whose results served as a ground-truth measurement. A thickness of the sample was also measured using a vernier. All signal measurements, together with their corresponding known thicknesses and moisture percentages, were used to calculate necessary coefficients that define a sample-specific calibration curve. Once a calibration curve for the cracker was obtained, it was used to estimate the moisture percentages in samples with different thicknesses. Mean absolute error (MAE) of the moisture percentage is found to be less than 12% when the sample thickness is modelled as part of the calibration curve, which is over 50 times less compared to the case when the sample thickness is not modelled. Therefore, the utilization of an automatic thickness determination would be promising for real-time and accurate non-contact moisture inspection. This approach can be also integrated into a production line to improve quality control in the food industry without interrupting existing processes.

Care Aides’ Perceptions of Caring for Nursing Home Residents With Past Psychological Trauma

The dynamic interplay between dementia and psychological trauma can exert powerful effects on nursing home residents’ behavioral symptoms and quality of life. Our objectives in this exploratory study were to assess care aides’ perceptions of how often they worked with residents with past psychological trauma, the types of trauma encountered, and reasons for these beliefs. We conducted semi-structured cognitive interviews (n = 10) with care aides in June 2019 to inform the development of a trauma needs assessment (4 questions) that we included in a large survey of nursing staff (2019 - 2020). Care aides (n = 3761) were sampled from 91 randomly selected urban nursing homes stratified by health region, owner operator model, and size. We completed basic statistics and content analyses. Care aides identified residents they believed to have psychological trauma histories and provided reasons for their beliefs. Approximately 12% of the reported traumatic events were disclosed to staff. The most common, broad categories of trauma to emerge during analysis were abuse (40%) and war exposure (30%). Each had sub-categories. The most common categories of signs of trauma were re-experiencing symptoms such as flashbacks and nightmares (28%), and avoidance of specific triggers, such as water or intimate care (24%). The majority of the reported signs of trauma were persistent and distressing for staff and residents. Some behaviours assumed to be responsive behaviours of dementia may relate to traumatic stress symptomatology. Implementing trauma-informed supports for residents and care aides is essential to person-centred care and optimal quality of life.

Job Resignation in Nursing Homes During COVID-19: The Role of Employer Communication and Worker Preparedness

Although research on factors mitigating the negative impact of strain/stress experienced by nursing home (NH) workers during the pandemic is emerging, there is no research on how COVID-19-related work stress and employer supports influence NH workers decision to resign. The purpose of this study was to investigate if high quality communication related to COVID-19 by the employer – a form of job support - can mitigate the impact of work stress on NH employees (N=1,730) decision to resign by optimizing employees’ preparedness to care for residents with COVID-19. Guided by the Job-Demands-Control-Support Model and employing path analyses, results indicate that higher stress was associated with greater likelihood of resigning, which operated through the paths of communication quality and preparedness. While higher stress was associated with less optimal quality of communication, good quality of communication was associated with more optimal preparedness which was associated with reduced likelihood of leaving one’s job.

Critical Photoperiod and Optimal Quality of Night Interruption Light for Runner Induction in June-Bearing Strawberries

The optimal photoperiod and light quality for runner induction in strawberries ‘Sulhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’ were investigated. Two experiments were carried out in a semi-closed walk-in growth chamber with 25/15 °C day/night temperatures and a light intensity of 250 μmol·m–2·s–1photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) provided from white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In the first experiment, plants were treated with a photoperiod of either 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, or 22 h In the second experiment, a total of 4 h of night interruption (NI) light at an intensity of 70 μmol·m–2·s–1PPFD provided from either red, blue, green, white, or far-red LED in addition to 11 h short day (SD). The results showed that both ‘Sulhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’ produced runners when a photoperiod was longer than 16 h, and the number of runners induced positively correlated with the length of photoperiod. However, the plant growth, contents of chlorophyll, sugar and starch, and Fv/Fo decreased in a 22 h photoperiod. All qualities of the NI light, especially red light, significantly increased the number of runners and daughter plants induced per plant as compared with those in the SD treatment in both cultivars. In a conclusion, a photoperiod between 16 and 20 h and NI light, especially red NI light, can be used for quality runner induction in both ‘Sulhyang’ and ‘Maehyang’.