Developing supply chain innovations - requirements for research and challenges for the food industry

The European food system serves 480 million people each day with food and drink (Raspor, McKenna & de Vries, 2007). It is of intense current research interest to understand how food purchase choice will impact on resource use, climate change and public health (Deloitte, 2007). It is clear that the current food needs of consumers in developed nations are becoming more complex with consideration of environmental impact, social responsibility, functional foods, nutraceuticals, obesity and food miles, amongst many issues, driving the emergence of new products (UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit, 2008). The research reported here shows how aspects of food manufacture can enhance the quality control, decrease environmental impact and improve traceability of products in food supply chains. We specifically use examples of accounting for carbon dioxide emissions, water use and food production / transport approaches in supply chains to show how manufacturers can improve their operational awareness of such factors and stimulate innovative solutions. The research presented also considers the impact of developing comprehensive sensory and consumer research when new manufacturing practices are utilised

Water quality disturbances in an aquaculture that utilizes treated mine water

The objectives of this study were to compare the performance of two feed treatments on a population of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, reared in a linear raceway system, which utilized mine water from a mine water treatment facility (MWTF); to measure and compare waste outputs; to monitor the water quality of the system; and to identify the impacts, if any, of the water quality on the fish population. Toward the end of the study, a spike in the turbidity of the water source led to additional objectives. First, the water quality was characterized during the events to determine the extent of the disturbance. Second, the impact of the events on the health and growth of the fish was evaluated. Next, the vulnerability of aquaculture systems that utilize mine waters to such events was addressed. Finally, additional water quality treatment options were identified and preliminary designs were completed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Iterative transmission image reconstruction for the DPET positron emission tomograph

Positron emission tomography (PET) systems use transmission imaging to compensate for attenuation. One commercial example of this approach is the Siemens Inveon Dedicated PET (DPET), a 120mm bore system dedicated to the study of small animals. DPET transmission images are currently reconstructed using single slice rebinning followed by filtered backprojection. Single slice rebinning attributes the attenuation associated with an oblique line integral to the direct midplane intersected thereby. This leads to position-dependent axial blurring, especially for large diameter animals, and objects with abrupt axial changes in diameter. The mathematics underlying filtered backprojection are based on assumptions that are not met by the scanner, including but not limited to data being sampled in a uniform fashion. These limitations can be alleviated by an iterative algorithm if the associated system model is made to match the physical set-up. The downside is typically viewed as a potentially prohibitive increase in the computational cost. In this dissertation, we report on the implementation and use of Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Technique (SIRT) (a weighted least-squares solver) for transmission imaging on the DPET. We provide experimental evidence regarding the improvement in transmission image quality. We also show that these new, higher quality images can be computed in less than two minutes on the existing DPET host computer thus making the approach practical. Computational speed is gained both algorithmically through relaxation and use of ordered subsets and implementation-wise through vector based arithmetic and multi-core program execution

A clinicopathological cohort study of liver pathology in 301 patients with HIV/AIDS

Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references