Search results for "efficiency."
showing 10 items of 1362 documents
Protocol for Specific Isolation of Virulent Strains of Vibrio vulnificus Serovar E (Biotype 2) from Environmental Samples
2004
ABSTRACT The eel pathogen Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2 comprises at least three serovars, with serovar E being the only one involved in both epizootics of eel vibriosis and sporadic cases of human infections. The virulent strains of this serovar (VSE) have only been recovered from clinical (mainly eel tissue) sources. The main objective of this work was to design and validate a new protocol for VSE-specific isolation from environmental samples. The key element of the new protocol is the broth used for the first step (saline eel serum broth [SEB]), which contains eel serum as a nutritive and selective component. This approach takes advantage of the ability of VSE cells to grow in eel serum an…
A composite indicator index as a proxy for measuring the quality of water supply as perceived by users for urban water services
2021
Abstract The objective of this study is to develop a composite indicator (CI) to measure the quality of water supply based on the variables that are considered to affect users’ perceptions of water supply quality. The proposed CI includes six relevant aspects that determine users’ perceptions of water supply quality (network quality, water quality, water price, complaints, inconvenience caused by upgrading the network, and continuity of service) in a simple, economical, and objective way, using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with weights based on data envelopment analysis (DEA). The CI was applied to 32 municipalities in the metropolitan area of Valencia (Spain). The results show t…
Measuring the eco-efficiency of wastewater treatment plants under data uncertainty
2018
Abstract Eco-efficiency assessment is a useful tool for improving the sustainability of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, it is a complex task that requires the integration of several performance indicators into a single index. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is established as a highly effective methodology for achieving this as it permits the integration of the service value, resource consumption and environmental impact variables as the desirable outputs, inputs and undesirable outputs, respectively. However, traditional DEA models omit uncertainties in the data that are likely to result in biased conclusions. This study pioneers the assessment of the eco-efficiency of WWTPs w…
Hospital performance: Efficiency or quality? Can we have both with IT?
2015
This paper explores influence of IT investment on hospital efficiency and quality.There is a direct effect of IT investment on service quality in hospitals.There is a moderating effect of quality on operational efficiency in hospitals.There is a U-shaped relationship between IT investments and operational efficiency.IT investments have diminishing returns beyond a certain point. The influence of IT investment on hospital efficiency and quality are of great interest to healthcare executives as well as insurers. Few studies have examined how IT investments influence both efficiency and quality or whether there is an optimal IT investment level that influences both in the desired direction. De…
The Rail Quality Index as an Indicator of the “Global Comfort” in Optimizing Safety, Quality and Efficiency in Railway Rails
2012
AbstractThe proposed model uses the stochastic dynamic programming and in particular Markov decision processes applied to the Rail Quality Index (RQI - Italian Indice di Qualità del Binario, IQB).By performing the integrated analysis of the classes of variables which characterize the overall service quality (in terms of comfort and safety), the proposed mathematical approach allows to find the solutions to the decision-making process in function of the probability of deterioration of the state variables of the infrastructure over time and of the flow of available resources.
Effect of soil permanent grass cover on growth, yield and water status of rainfed olive trees in Sicily
2017
The study was carried out in an olive grove located along the hills of northern Sicily where soil had been managed for decades by chemical weeding. Starting in 2008, one portion of the grove was left non-weeded, and the permanent grass cover was managed by mowing 2-3 times per year in winter and spring. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, yield, average drupe weight, percentage of drupe black color (veraison), trunk circumference, shoot elongation, and leaf relative water content (RWC) were determined on 34 adult trees of the cultivar 'Biancolilla' with uniform size and age. In 2013, soil organic matter content and leaf nutrient concentrations were also determined in the two portions of the grove. As e…
Subsurface drip irrigated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) with saline water under Tunisian climate
2012
Field experiment was conducted at the Higher Institute of Agronomy of Chott Meriem (Tunisia) during the growing season (2011/2012) to investigate the effects of water quality on water‘s dynamic in soil (water potential, soilcmoisture distribution, water’s stock in soil) and water use efficiency (WUE) to produce potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Irrigation management treatments were fresh (1 dS m-1) and saline waters (4 dS m-1). Subsurface drip irrigation was used, a rate of 4 L h-1 applied at the same irrigation duration and interval. The results indicate that water content is more uniform using the saline water varies from 15 to 23% than treatment varies from 10 to 26%. The recorded changes o…
Improvement of Oxidative Status, Milk and Cheese Production, and Food Sustainability Indexes by Addition of Durum Wheat Bran to Dairy Cows’ Diet
2019
Durum wheat bran (DWB) is a by-product mostly used in feeding ruminants, contributing to decrease in the utilization of feeds suitable as foods for human consumption, thus improving the sustainability of livestock production. However, the potential benefits of DWB, due to its content in phenolic acids, mainly consisting of ferulic acid with antioxidant properties, have not been well clarified yet. Accordingly, in this experiment, 36 lactating cows divided into three groups received, over a period of 100 days, one of three concentrates including DWB at 0% (DWB0), 10% (DWB10), or 20% (DWB20). The concentrates were formulated to be isoproteic and isoenergetic and, to balance the higher fiber c…
New applications in integrated fixed film activated sludge-membrane bioreactor (IFAS-MBR) systems
2020
Abstract This chapter provides an overview on the development and application of integrated fixed film activated sludge-membrane bioreactor (IFAS-MBR) systems. IFAS-MBRs represent a novel configuration for advanced wastewater treatment, and only a few studies are available in literature. With this aim, the results of some studies on IFAS-MBR systems already published are discussed and compared in this chapter. Literature shows that the influent carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) strongly affects the biological process in IFAS-MBR. The organic matter removal efficiency (removed biologically) decreases from 60% to 23.5% with the decrease of influent C/N from 10 to 2 mgCOD mgTN− 1. Nitrogen remova…
BRAZILIAN SOCIAL HOUSING POLICY: TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
2013
In the last decade, Brazil passed through several political and economic reforms that led to significant social changes, among which the reduction of the levels of inequality and extreme poverty. Nowadays considered one of the emerging economies, the country seeks to solidify its position through wide strategies aimed to propose decisive initiatives for a balanced social development, which are deeply affecting local architecture and urban planning. In this scenario social housing design has become, since the last decade, the mirror of a national policy that is implementing robust strategies to achieve high levels of growth. The paper provides an overview of the upgrades achieved in the fiel…