• Title/Summary/Keyword: enhancement of quality

Search Result 1,495, Processing Time 0.035 seconds

Probiotics Increase Intramuscular Fat and Improve the Composition of Fatty Acids in Sunit Sheep through the Adenosine 5'-Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) Signaling Pathway

  • Yue Zhang;Duo Yao;Huan Huang;Min Zhang;Lina Sun;Lin Su;LiHua Zhao;Yueying Guo;Ye Jin
    • Food Science of Animal Resources
    • /
    • v.43 no.5
    • /
    • pp.805-825
    • /
    • 2023
  • This experiment aims to investigate the impact of probiotic feed on growth performance, carcass traits, plasma lipid biochemical parameters, intramuscular fat and triglyceride content, fatty acid composition, mRNA expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism, and the activity of the enzyme in Sunit sheep. In this experiment, 12 of 96 randomly selected Sunit sheep were assigned to receive the basic diet or the basic diet supplemented with probiotics. The results showed that supplementation with probiotics significantly increased the loin eye area, and decreased plasma triglycerides and free fatty acids, increasing the content of intramuscular fat and triglycerides in the muscle and improving the composition of the fatty acids. The inclusion of probiotics in the diet reduced the expression of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase alpha 2 (AMPKα2) mRNA and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1B (CPT1B) mRNA, while increasing the expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha (ACCα) mRNA, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA, fatty acid synthase mRNA, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 mRNA. The results of this study indicate that supplementation with probiotics can regulate fat deposition and improves the composition of fatty acids in Sunit sheep through the signaling pathways AMPK-ACC-CPT1B and AMPK-SREBP-1c. This regulatory mechanism leads to an increase in intramuscular fat content, a restructuring of muscle composition of the fatty acids, and an enhancement of the nutritional value of meat. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the food science of animal resources and provide valuable references for the production of meat of higher nutritional value.

NEAR-INFRARED STUDIES ON STRUCTURE-PROPERTIES RELATIONSHIP IN HIGH DENSITY AND LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE

  • Sato, Harumi;Simoyama, Masahiko;Kamiya, Taeko;Amari, Trou;Sasic, Slobodan;Ninomiya, Toshio;Siesler, Heinz-W.;Ozaki, Yukihiro
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
    • /
    • 2001.06a
    • /
    • pp.1281-1281
    • /
    • 2001
  • Near-infrared (NIR) spectra have bean measured for high-density (HDPE), linear low-density (LLDPE), and low-density (LDPE) polyethylene in pellet or thin films. The obtained spectra have been analyzed by conventional spectroscopic analysis methods and chemometrics. By using the second derivative, principal component analysis (PCA), and two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis, we could separate many overlapped bands in the NIR. It was found that the intensities of some bands are sensitive to density and crystallinity of PE. This may be the first time that such bands in the NIR region have ever been discussed. Correlations of such marker bands among the NIR spectra have also been investigated. This sort of investigation is very important not only for further understanding of vibration spectra of various of PE but also for quality control of PE by vibrational spectroscopy. Figure 1 (a) and (b) shows a NIR reflectance spectrum of one of the LLDPE samples and that of PE, respectively. Figure 2 shows a PC weight loadings plot of factor 1 for a score plot of PCA for the 16 kinds of LLDPE and PE based upon their 51 NIR spectra in the 1100-1900 nm region. The PC loadings plot separates the bands due to the $CH_3$ groups and those arising form the $CH_2$ groups, allowing one to make band assignments. The 2D correlation analysis is also powerful in band enhancement, and the band assignments based upon PCA are in good agreement with those by the 2D correlation analysis.(Figure omitted). We have made a calibration model, which predicts the density of LLDPE by use of partial least square (PLS) regression. From the loadings plot of regression coefficients for the model , we suggest that the band at 1542, 1728, and 1764 nm very sensitive to the changes in density and crystalinity.

  • PDF

Opportunities for Agricultural Water Management Interventions in the Krishna Western Delta - A case from Andhra Pradesh, India

  • Kumar, K. Nirmal Ravi
    • Agribusiness and Information Management
    • /
    • v.9 no.1
    • /
    • pp.7-17
    • /
    • 2017
  • Agricultural water management has gained enormous attention in the developing world to alleviate poverty, reduce hunger and conserve ecosystems in small-scale production systems of resource-poor farmers. The story of food security in the $21^{st}$ century in India is likely t o be closely linked to the story of water security. Today, the water resource is under severe threat. The past experiences in India in general and in Andhra Pradesh in particular, indicated inappropriate management of irrigation has led to severe problems like excessive water depletion, reduction in water quality, water logging, salinization, marked reduction in the annual discharge of some of the rivers, lowering of ground water tables due to pumping at unsustainable rates, intrusion of salt water in some coastal areas etc. Considering the importance of irrigation water resource efficiency, Krishna Western Delta (KWD) of Andhra Pradesh was purposively selected for this in depth study, as the farming community in this area are severely affected due to severe soil salinity and water logging problems and hence, adoption of different water saving crop production technologies deserve special mention. It is quite disappointing that, canals, tube wells and filter points and other wells could not contribute much to the irrigated area in KWD. Due to less contribution from these sources, the net area irrigated also showed declining growth at a rate of -6.15 per cent. Regarding paddy production, both SRI and semi-dry cultivation technologies involves less irrigation cost (Rs. 2475.21/ha and Rs. 3248.15/ha respectively) when compared to transplanted technology (Rs. 4321.58/ha). The share of irrigation cost in Total Operational Cost (TOC) was highest for transplanted technology of paddy (11.06%) followed by semi-dry technology (10.85%) and SRI technology (6.21%). The increased yield and declined cost of cultivation of paddy in SRI and semi-dry production technologies respectively were mainly responsible for the low cost of production of paddy in SRI (Rs. 495.22/qtl) and semi-dry (Rs. 532.81/qtl) technologies over transplanted technology (Rs. 574.93/qtl). This clearly indicates that, by less water usage, paddy returns can be boosted by adopting SRI and semi-dry production technologies. Both the system-level and field-level interventions should be addressed to solve the issues/problems of water management. The enabling environment, institutional roles and functions and management instruments are posing favourable picture for executing the water management interventions in the State of Andhra Pradesh in general and in KWD in particular. This facilitates the farming community to harvest good crop per unit of water resource used in the production programme. To achieve better results, the Farmers' Organizations, Water Users Associations, Department of Irrigation etc., will have to aim at improving productivity per unit of water drop used and this must be supported through system-wide enhancement of water delivery systems and decision support tools to assist farmers in optimizing the allocation of limited water among crops, selection of crops based on farming situations, and adoption of appropriate alternative crops in drought years.

The Recent Practice of Evaluation of Government-sponsored Research Institutes(GRIs) in Korea : From Retrospective to Forward-looking perspective (이공계 정부출연(연) 기관평가모형개발 및 적용사례 연구)

  • 이철원;현재호
    • Proceedings of the Technology Innovation Conference
    • /
    • 1998.06a
    • /
    • pp.131-163
    • /
    • 1998
  • The interest in the evaluation of government-sponsored research institutes (GRIs) has increased markedly in Korea in 1990s; this is mainly because of the increasing needs 1) to improve the quality of R&D at GRIs, and 2) to reorient the GRIs' strategic position in Korean national innovation systems due to the enhancement of R&D capabilities of private companies and universities during last decade. As a first attempt to diagnose the managerial and strategic issues of GRIs, a Multi-Ministerial Evaluation Committee was established as an ad hoc task force under the Prime Minister's Office in 1991. According to the recommendations of the committee, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to which most of GRIs were affiliated, made it a rule to evaluate the annual performance of GRIs since 1992. This paper examines the recent experience of MOST's evaluation of Government-sponsored Research Institute in Korea. After several years'efforts of Science & Technology Policy Institute(STEPI) to build prospective evaluation systenL MOST decided to apply two supplementary approaches for the evaluation of GRIs; one is summative annual evaluation and the other is formative 3-year evaluation. The annual evaluation system that is designed as a temporary measure is to monitor and to guide the self-evaluation activities of GRIs. In the process of annual evaluation, MOST tries to minimize its direct involvement, and allows each GRI to develop self-evaluation system that is most appropriate for the unique characteristics of the institute. If there exist urgent issues under scrutiny, however, it can be incorporated and examined by a group of external experts as special issues in the annual evaluation system. The aim of 3-year evaluation is both to examine the past performance of each GRI and to investigate whether the strategic role of each GRI is viable in the future. Its major focus, however, lies not on auditing past performance but on strengthening future strategic position of each GRI. The MOST designates a group of evaluation experts with appropriate knowledge and competence as members of the General Evaluation Committee for one year. With the help of STEPI, a specialized research institute for R&D evaluation, the General Evaluation Committee develops methodology and procedures for the actual evaluation of GRIs. Based on the evaluation reports and recommendations from the General Evaluation Committee, the MOST develops various policy measures for strengthening GRIs.

  • PDF

Enhancement of light extraction efficiency in vertical light-emitting diodes with MgO nano-pyramids structure

  • Son, Jun-Ho;Yu, Hak-Ki;Lee, Jong-Lam
    • Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
    • /
    • 2010.03a
    • /
    • pp.16-16
    • /
    • 2010
  • GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are attracting great interest as candidates for next-generation solid-state lighting, because of their long lifetime, small size, high efficacy, and low energy consumption. However, for general illumination applications, the external quantum efficiency of LEDs, determined by the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and the light extraction efficiency, must be further increased. The IQE is determined by crystal quality and epitaxial layer structure and high value of IQE more than 70% for blue LEDs have been already reported. However, there is much room for improvement of light extraction efficiency because most of the generated photons from active layer remain inside LEDs by total internal reflection at the interface of semiconductor with air due to the high refractive index difference between LEDs epilayer (for GaN, n=2.5) and air (n=1). The light confining in LEDs will be reabsorbed by the metal electrode or active layer, reducing the efficacy of LEDs. Here, we present the first demonstration of enhanced light extraction by forming a MgO nano-pyramids structure on the surface of vertical-LEDs. The MgO nano-pyramids structure was successfully fabricated at room temperature using conventional electron-beam evaporation without any additional process. The nano-sized pyramids of MgO are formed on the surface during growth due to anisotropic characteristics between (111) and (200) plane of MgO. The ZnO layer with quarter-wavelength in thickness is inserted between GaN and MgO layers to increase the critical angle for total internal reflection, because the refractive index of ZnO (n=1.94) could be matched between GaN (n=2.5) and MgO (n=1.73). The MgO nano-pyramids structure and ZnO refractive-index modulation layer enhanced the light extraction efficiency ofV-LEDs with by 49%, comparing with the V-LEDs with a flat n-GaN surface. The angular-dependent emission intensity shows the enhanced light extraction through the side walls of V-LEDs as well as through the top surface of the n-GaN, because of the increase in critical angle for total internal reflection as well as light scattering at the MgO nano-pyramids surface.

  • PDF

Astudy On The Size, Characteristics And The Shape Of $Dentichek^{(R)}$ Toothbrush (($Denticheck^{(R)}$) 치솔의 규격, 특성 및 행태에 관한 연구)

  • Mun, Ik-Sang;Kim, Chong-Kwan;Chai, Jung-Kui;Jo, Kyoo-Sung;Choi, Seong-Ho;Yi, Seung-Won
    • Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
    • /
    • v.26 no.1
    • /
    • pp.255-265
    • /
    • 1996
  • The purpose of the present study is to evaluate dimensional consistency, bristle finishes and bristle rebound rate of four brands of $Dentichek^{(R)}$ toothbrushes(regular-male, regular-female, soft-male, soft-female) to provide referneces in product enhancement and quality control for the manufacturer and to provide suggestions in selecting appropriate toothbrushes for general public. The results are as follows : 1. The size of the head is : $25.10{\times}8.10mm$ for male toothbrushes and $19.90{\times}8.10mm$ for male toothbrushes, while the size of the bristle portion is: $29.90{\times}10.65mm$ for male toothbrushes and $25.25{\times}10.65mm$ for female toothbrushes. 2. The length of the bristles is 10.70mm in all four groups. 3. The length of the toothbrush is 192mm in all four groups. 4. The number of tuft is 43 for male toothbrushes and 35 for female toothbrushes. Tuft arrangement is 4-row configuration in all four groups. 5. The number of bristles in a tuft ranges from 40-56, with higher numbers in male toothbrushes compared to the female counterparts, and higher numbers in the "soft" variety compared to the regular ones. 6. The diameter of the bristle is : 0.21mm for the outer row and 0.19mm for the inner row in the regular brand, and 0.17mm for the soft brand. 7. Irregularly finished bristle ends comprised 20-22% of the total bristles. 8. The bristle rebound rate ranges from 55.9% to 62.3%, with higher numbers in the "soft" variety compared to the regular ones. The above results show that $Dentichek^{(R)}$ toothbrushes meet the requirements of Korean Dental Association standards for toothbrushes, but further evaluations of their effects on periodontium and plaque elimination in actual in-use situation may be needed.

  • PDF

A study on the needs of dental hygiene students in a region for the credit bank system for a bachelor's degree (일부지역 치위생과 학생들의 학사학위 취득을 위한 학점은행제 요구도 조사)

  • Kim, Mi-Jeong;Lee, Hye-Kyung
    • Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
    • /
    • v.9 no.2
    • /
    • pp.179-191
    • /
    • 2009
  • The purpose of this study was to examine the needs of dental hygiene students at a lifelong education center of a three-year-course college for a credit bank system. The subjects in this study were 200 dental hygiene students at a college located in J, which offered courses of a credit bank system. A survey was conducted from May 19 to 23, 2008, to gather data on the acquisition of a bachelor's degree and the credit bank system, and the answer sheets from 184 respondents(92%) were collected. After the collected data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN 12.0 program, the following findings were given: 1. In regard to an intention of taking a bachelor's degree, the largest number of the students investigated(74.5%) intended to do that if they had any chance. As for the reason, 55.6% wanted to get the degree in pursuit of their own personal development. 2. Concerning how to win a bachelor's degree, the largest group that accounted for 63.0% preferred the credit bank systems of college lifelong education centers. 41.8% got interested in the credit bank system mainly because their acquaintances informed them of it. It shows that colleges should reinforce publicity activities if they want to offer the credit bank system. 3. The quality of educational programs and cost had an impact on the choice of an educational institution when they planned to get a bachelor's degree from the credit bank system. Therefore excellent educational programs should be provided, and the government should provide learners with economic help and fund educational institutions. 4. As to comparison of a regular college and the credit bank system as a way to get a bachelor's degree, that was considered to be helpful for finding a job(a mean of 3.39) and for the development of sociability(3.22). That was also deemed to be of use for the improvement of practical job performance, to win public recognition and to be helpful for being well-cultivated, though not many students had those opinions. They took a different view according to academic year(p<.05). 5. Regarding the expected effects of getting a degree from the credit bank system, the greatest group expected it to step up their personal development(3.85). The second largest group expected it to boost job efficacy(3.30), and the students whose academic year was higher had a better opinion. 6. As for future directions for the credit bank system, the largest group put emphasis on the improvement of social perception through intensive P.R. and the enhancement of the qualifications of professors and lecturers(4.02). These opinions were more stressed by the juniors than by the sophomores and seniors, and academic year made a significant difference to their views(p<.05).

  • PDF

A Study on Removal of Organism and Nitrogen, Phosphorus in Wastewater Treatment Process Using Nitrifier Activated Reactor (질산화균 활성화조를 이용한 하수처리 공정에서의 유기물 및 질소, 인 제거에 관한 연구)

  • Dong, Young-tak;Seo, Dong-whan;Bae, Yu-jin;Park, Ju-seok
    • Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
    • /
    • v.21 no.6
    • /
    • pp.727-735
    • /
    • 2007
  • The use of water by cities is increasing owing to industrialization, the concentration of population, and the enhancement of the standard of living. Accordingly, the amount of waste water is also increasing, and the degree of pollution of the water system is rising. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to remove organisms and suspended particles as well as the products of eutrophication such as nitrates and phosphates. This study developed a high-end treatment engineering solution with maximum efficiency and lower costs by researching and developing a advanced treatment engineering solution with the use of Biosorption. As a result, the study conducted a test with a $50m^3/day$ Pilot Scale Plant by developing treatment engineering so that only the secondary treatment satisfies the standard of water quality and which provided optimal treatment efficiency along with convenient maintenance and management. The removal of organisms, which has to be pursued first for realizing nitrification during the test period, was made in such a way that there would be no oxidation by microorganisms in the reactor while preparing oxygen as an inhibitor for the growth of microorganism in the course of moving toward the primary settling pond. The study introduced microorganisms in the endogeneous respiration stage to perform adhesion, absorption, and filtering by bringing them into contact with the inflowing water with the use of a sludge returning from the secondary settling pond. Also a test was conducted to determine how effective the microorganisms are as an inner source of carbon. The HRT(Hydraulic Retention Time) in the nitrification tank (aerobic tank) could be reduced to two hours or below, and the stable treatment efficiency of the process using the organisms absorbed in the NAR reactor as a source of carbon could be proven. Also, given that the anaerobic condition of the pre-treatment tank becomes basic in the area of phosphate discharge, it was found that there was excellent efficiency for the removal of phosphate when the pre-treatment tank induced the discharge of phosphate and the polishing reactor induced the uptake of phosphate. The removal efficiency was shown to be about 94.4% for $BOD_5$. 90.7% for $COD_{Cr}$ 84.3% for $COD_{Mn}$, 96.0% for SS, 77.3% for TN, and 96.0% for TP.

Double-Gauss Optical System Design with Fixed Magnification and Image Surface Independent of Object Distance (물체거리가 변하여도 배율과 상면이 고정되는 이중 가우스 광학계의 설계)

  • Ryu, Jae Myung;Ryu, Chang Ho;Kim, Kang Min;Kim, Byoung Young;Ju, Yun Jae;Jo, Jae Heung
    • Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
    • /
    • v.29 no.1
    • /
    • pp.19-27
    • /
    • 2018
  • A change in object distance would generally change the magnification of an optical system. In this paper, we have proposed and designed a double-Gauss optical system with a fixed magnification and image surface regardless of any change in object distance, according to moving the lens groups a little bit to the front and rear of the stop, independently parallel to the direction of the optical axis. By maintaining a constant size of image formation in spite of various object-distance changes in a projection system such as a head-up display (HUD) or head-mounted display (HMD), we can prevent the field of view from changing while focusing in an HUD or HMD. Also, to check precisely the state of the wiring that connects semiconductor chips and IC circuit boards, we can keep the magnification of the optical system constant, even when the object distance changes due to vertical movement along the optical axis of a testing device. Additionally, if we use this double-Gauss optical system as a vision system in the testing process of lots of electronic boards in a manufacturing system, since we can systematically eliminate additional image processing for visual enhancement of image quality, we can dramatically reduce the testing time for a fast test process. Also, the Gaussian bracket method was used to find the moving distance of each group, to achieve the desired specifications and fix magnification and image surface simultaneously. After the initial design, the optimization of the optical system was performed using the Synopsys optical design software.

A Case Study on Response of Cooperative Education Programs in Accordance with the Amendment of Regulation of Ministry of Education (교육부 고시 개정에 따른 기업의 현장실습학기제 대응 사례 연구)

  • Young-sam Yoo;Ji-sung Park;Eui-taek Hwang;Tae-hyung Kim
    • Journal of Practical Engineering Education
    • /
    • v.15 no.1
    • /
    • pp.107-117
    • /
    • 2023
  • The operating regulations of the undergraduate co-op amended and announced on July 6, 2021 aim to enhance the quality of co-op and improve student rights through the standardized operation. However, among the revisions, 75% of the minimum wage and up to 25% of job training are acting as great difficulties in corporate participation in the co-op. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to review the concept of the co-op and the main contents of the revision of the Ministry of Education's operating regulations, and to examine companies' perceptions and responses. As a result of the study, some companies were not aware of the revision of the notice in detail. In addition, the revisions related to the training support fee was found to be the biggest concern among the corporates, and the burden of job training also existed among the corporates. Based on the research results, policy improvement directions were discussed, and the implications and limitations of this study were also suggested.