Quantitative Selection of Variation Reduction Plans

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Variation Reduction ◽  
Multiple Quality Characteristics ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Manufacturing Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Manufacturing Variation ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Quality has been a rallying call in the design and manufacturing world for the last two decades. One way to improve quality is to reduce the impact of manufacturing variation. Variation risk mitigation is challenging especially when a product has multiple quality characteristics and complex production and assembly. It is common wisdom that companies should identify and mitigate the risk associated with variation throughout the design process. As yield problems are identified, they should be mitigated using the most cost effective approach. One approach to variation risk mitigation is variation reduction (VR). VR targets reduction of variation introduced by existing manufacturing processes using tools such as Design of Experiments (DOE) and robust design. Many companies have specialized groups that specialize in these methods. VR teams have the role of improving manufacturing performance; however, these teams are limited in their resources. In addition, no tools exist to quantitatively determine where a VR team’s efforts are most effectively deployed. This paper provides a mathematical and optimization model to best allocate VR resources in a complex product.

scholarly journals Selecting Bolt-on Dimensions for the EQ-5D: Testing the Impact of Hearing, Sleep, Cognition, Energy, and Relationships on Preferences Using Pairwise Choices

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99
Author(s):  
Aureliano Paolo Finch ◽  
John Brazier ◽  
Clara Mukuria
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health State ◽  
Health States ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Severity Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of

Background Generic preference-based measures (GPBMs) such as the EQ-5D are valid across many conditions, but in some cases, “bolting on” additional dimensions may improve validity. The selection of “bolt-ons” has been based on the psychometric impact of individual dimensions, but preferences provide another important way to select them. This study aims to test the potential of using pairwise choices to inform the selection of bolt-ons for the EQ-5D-5L. Methods General population preferences were collected using an online survey of 1040 UK residents. Three EQ-5D-5L health state pairs were selected based on pairs that had a 50:50 split in respondent preferences from a previous pairwise survey. Participants were presented with pairwise choices of EQ-5D-5L health states without and with bolt-ons of hearing, sleep, cognition, energy, and relationships, each added individually. Logistic models were used to assess the impact of bolt-ons, as well as bolt-ons at different severity levels, on the log odds of responders choosing between health states. Results Preferences varied according to the bolt-ons and their severity level (only levels 1, 3, and 5 were used). Additions of bolt-ons at level 1 generally resulted in nonstatistically significant differences while additions of bolt-ons at level 3 and level 5 produced a negative and statistically significant impact on preferences for the health state with the bolt-on. At level 5, hearing had the largest impact, followed by cognition, relationships, energy, and sleep. At level 3, cognition produced the largest impact, followed by hearing and sleep with similar impacts, energy, and relationships. This ordering offers information for bolt-on selection, with hearing and cognition appearing as the most important. The weight placed on the different health problems is not constant across severity levels between bolt-ons. Conclusions Pairwise choices provide a cost-effective approach of generating information on preferences to support bolt-on selection.

The Susceptibility of Healthy People to COVID-19 Infection and the Role of ACE2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Kushkestani ◽  
Mohsen Parvani ◽  
Bakhtyar Tartibian ◽  
Rasoul Eslami
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Ace2 Gene

The COVID-19 virus has caused many deaths of people worldwide since the pandemic began. However, no definitive treatment for this infection has been discovered so far. It has been shown that comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are associated with an increased risk of SARS-COV-2 infection. Interestingly, SARS-COV-2, like SARS-COV, uses the ACE2 gene to enter the host cell. Also, changes or imbalance in ACE2.ACE can affect SARS-COV-2 susceptibility, related outcomes and mortality. Regarding the crucial role of ACE2 protein in COVID-19 infection, the effect of different factors such as age, BMI, physical activity levels, nutritional status, altitude, as well as blood group was assessed on the level of this protein. Further, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted to examine factors that increase or decrease the risk of COVID-19 and its related severity and outcome in normal subjects emphasizing the pivotal role of ACE2. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the involved mechanisms of ACE2 protein and other risk factors causing infection in different situations and finally, to introduce a safe, accurate, and cost-effective approach to prevent SARS-COV-2 infection and hard clinical outcomes in normal subjects.

scholarly journals Improvement of the Impact Properties of Composite Laminates by Means of Nano-Modification of the Matrix—A Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed Saghafi ◽  
Mohamad Fotouhi ◽  
Giangiacomo Minak
Keyword(s):  
Composite Laminates ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
Compression After Impact ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
The Right ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of

This paper reviews recent works on the application of nanofibers and nanoparticle reinforcements to enhance the interlaminar fracture toughness, to reduce the impact induced damage and to improve the compression after impact performance of fiber reinforced composites with brittle thermosetting resins. The nanofibers have been mainly used as mats embedded between plies of laminated composites, whereas the nanoparticles have been used in 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D dimensional patterns to reinforce the matrix and consequently the composite. The reinforcement mechanisms are presented, and a comparison is done between the different papers in the literature. This review shows that in order to have an efficient reinforcement effect, careful consideration is required in the manufacturing, materials selection and reinforcement content and percentage. The selection of the right parameters can provide a tough and impact resistant composite with cost effective reinforcements.

scholarly journals Soluble biological markers in osteoarthritis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 1759720X2110403
Author(s):  
Jean-Charles Rousseau ◽  
Roland Chapurlat ◽  
Patrick Garnero
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Biological Markers ◽  
Biochemical Markers ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Type Ii Collagen ◽  
Cartilage Matrix ◽  
Joint Tissue ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Selection Of

In recent years, markers research has focused on the structural components of cartilage matrix. Specifically, a second generation of degradation markers has been developed against type II collagen neoepitopes generated by specific enzymes. A particular effort has been made to measure the degradation of minor collagens III and X of the cartilage matrix. However, because clinical data, including longitudinal controlled studies, are very scarce, it remains unclear whether they will be useful as an alternative to or in combination with current more established collagen biological markers to assess patients with osteoarthritis (OA). In addition, new approaches using high-throughput technologies allowed to detect new types of markers and improve the knowledge about the metabolic changes linked to OA. The relative advances coming from phenotype research are a first attempt to classify the heterogeneity of OA, and several markers could improve the phenotype characterization. These phenotypes could improve the selection of patients in clinical trials limiting the size of the studies by selecting patients with OA characteristics corresponding to the metabolic pathway targeted by the molecules evaluated. In addition, the inclusion of rapid progressors only in clinical trials would facilitate the demonstration of efficacy of the investigative drug to reduce joint degradation. The combination of selective biochemical markers appears as a promising and cost-effective approach to fulfill this unmet clinical need. Among the various potential roles of biomarkers in OA, their ability to monitor drug efficacy is probably one of the most important, in association with clinical and imaging parameters. Biochemical markers have the unique property to detect changes in joint tissue metabolism within a few weeks.

The Future of Phlebology in Europe

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 181-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brahman Dharmarajah ◽  
Tristan RA Lane ◽  
Hayley M Moore ◽  
HA Martino Neumann ◽  
Eberhard Rabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
Venous Disease ◽  
Vein Thrombosis ◽  
Venous Diseases ◽  
Thrombus Removal ◽  
Deep Vein ◽  
The Impact

Background Worldwide superficial and deep venous diseases are common and associated with significant individual and socioeconomic morbidity. Increasing burden of venous disease requires Phlebology to define itself as an independent specialty representing not only patients but the multidisciplinary physicians involved in venous care. Methods & Results In this article the scope of venous disease in Europe and subsequent future governance for treatment in the region is discussed. Superficial venous disease is common with 26.9-68.6% of European populations reported to have C2-C6 disease according to the CEAP (Clinical severity, Aetiology, Anatomy and Pathophysiology) scoring system. However, a significant disparity is observed in the treatment of superficial venous disease across Europe. Post thrombotic syndrome (PTS) after deep vein thrombosis (DVT) contributes to the increasing burden of deep venous disease. Aggressive thrombus removal for acute ileofemoral DVT provides a cost-effective 14.4% risk reduction in the development of PTS. Additionally, deep venous lesions requiring endovascular intervention are being increasingly performed to prevent recurrent thrombosis. The European College of Phlebology (ECoP) has been formed to provide a responsible body for the care of the European patient with venous disease. The role of the ECoP includes unifying European member states through standardised guideline production, identification of research strategy and provision of training and accreditation of physicians. Conclusion Creation of a European venous disease specific speciality will provide a patient centred approach through understanding of the impact of disease in the region and delivery of high quality diagnostics and treatment from an appropriately certified Phlebologist.

Effective Pharmacist led interventional strategies to improve outcomes in hypertensive patients: a narrative review

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samra Bashir ◽  
Akash Syed
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Care ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pharmacist Intervention ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Hypertensive Patients ◽  
Disease Outcomes ◽  
Cost Effective Alternative ◽  
The Impact

The role of pharmacist intervention as a cost-effective alternative to physician in disease management is increasingly been recognized. Studies have demonstrated that pharmaceutical care can improve drug therapy as well as patient satisfaction in chronic health conditions including cardiovascular diseases. This study is aimed to review and outline a comprehensive pharmaceutical care plan from the randomized controlled trials previously conducted to assess the impact of pharmacist-managed care on disease outcomes in hypertensive patients. Compared with usual care, the pharmaceutical intervention involved patient evaluation, patient education and counselling, medication review and management, patient monitoring and follow-up, and feedback to the primary physician as major strategies.

Diversity for NPP I&C Systems Safety and Cyber Security

2020 ◽  
pp. 239-288
Author(s):  
Ievgen Babeshko ◽  
Vyacheslav Duzhiy ◽  
Oleg Illiashenko ◽  
Alexander Siora ◽  
Vladimir Sklyar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ordinal Scale ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
Degree Of Confidence ◽  
Diversity Strategy ◽  
Selection Of

This chapter presents a cost-effective approach to selection of the most diverse NPP Reactor Trip System (RTS) under uncertainty. The selection of a pair of primary and secondary RTS is named a diversity strategy. All possible strategies are evaluated on an ordinal scale with linguistic values provided by experts. These values express the expert's degree of confidence that evaluated variants of secondary RTS are different from primary RTS. All diversity strategies are evaluated on a set of linguistic diversity criteria, which are included in a corresponding diversity attribute. The generic fuzzy diversity score is an aggregation of the linguistic values provided by the experts to obtain a collective assessment of the secondary RTS's similarity (difference) with a primary one. This most rational diversity strategy is found during the exploitation stage, taking into consideration the fuzzy diversity score and cost of each strategy.

scholarly journals Rheometer enabled study of cartilage frequency-dependent properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Perni ◽  
Polina Prokopovich
Keyword(s):  
Applied Load ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Constant Load ◽  
Hydraulic Permeability ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Shear Moduli ◽  
Tissue Replacement ◽  
Cost Effective Approach ◽  
The Impact

AbstractDespite the well-established dependence of cartilage mechanical properties on the frequency of the applied load, most research in the field is carried out in either load-free or constant load conditions because of the complexity of the equipment required for the determination of time-dependent properties. These simpler analyses provide a limited representation of cartilage properties thus greatly reducing the impact of the information gathered hindering the understanding of the mechanisms involved in this tissue replacement, development and pathology. More complex techniques could represent better investigative methods, but their uptake in cartilage research is limited by the highly specialised training required and cost of the equipment. There is, therefore, a clear need for alternative experimental approaches to cartilage testing to be deployed in research and clinical settings using more user-friendly and financial accessible devices. Frequency dependent material properties can be determined through rheometry that is an easy to use requiring a relatively inexpensive device; we present how a commercial rheometer can be adapted to determine the viscoelastic properties of articular cartilage. Frequency-sweep tests were run at various applied normal loads on immature, mature and trypsinased (as model of osteoarthritis) cartilage samples to determine the dynamic shear moduli (G*, G′ G″) of the tissues. Moduli increased with increasing frequency and applied load; mature cartilage had generally the highest moduli and GAG depleted samples the lowest. Hydraulic permeability (KH) was estimated from the rheological data and decreased with applied load; GAG depleted cartilage exhibited higher hydraulic permeability than either immature or mature tissues. The rheometer-based methodology developed was validated by the close comparison of the rheometer-obtained cartilage characteristics (G*, G′, G″, KH) with results obtained with more complex testing techniques available in literature. Rheometry is relatively simpler and does not require highly capital intensive machinery and staff training is more accessible; thus the use of a rheometer would represent a cost-effective approach for the determination of frequency-dependent properties of cartilage for more comprehensive and impactful results for both healthcare professional and R&D.

scholarly journals The Role of Nanoparticle Shapes and Structures in Material Characterisation of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Bionanocomposite Films

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohanad Mousa ◽  
Yu Dong
Keyword(s):  
Polyvinyl Alcohol ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Halloysite Nanotubes ◽  
Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽  
Cloisite 30B ◽  
Bionanocomposite Films ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Nanoparticle Shapes ◽  
Selection Of

Three different types of nanoparticles, 1D Cloisite 30B clay nanoplatelets, 2D halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), and 3D nanobamboo charcoals (NBCs) were employed to investigate the impact of nanoparticle shapes and structures on the material performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) bionanocomposite films in terms of their mechanical and thermal properties, morphological structures, and nanomechanical behaviour. The overall results revealed the superior reinforcement efficiency of NBCs to Cloisite 30B clays and HNTs, owing to their typical porous structures to actively interact with PVA matrices in the combined formation of strong mechanical and hydrogen bondings. Three-dimensional NBCs also achieved better nanoparticle dispersibility when compared with 1D Cloisite 30B clays and 2D HNTs along with higher thermal stability, which was attributed to their larger interfacial regions when characterised for the nanomechanical behaviour of corresponding bionanocomposite films. Our study offers an insightful guidance to the appropriate selection of nanoparticles as effective reinforcements and the further sophisticated design of bionanocomposite materials.

The role of political leaders in mitigating the risk of mass atrocities: an analysis of Khama, Kaunda and Nyerere

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen McLoughlin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
General Question ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Genocide Studies ◽  
Political Environments ◽  
Structural Risk ◽  
Atrocity Crimes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article examines the impact that three political leaders—Seretse Khama, Kenneth Kaunda and Julius Nyerere—had on navigating the long-term risk associated with mass atrocities. While the scholarship on comparative genocide studies has acknowledged the crucial dimension of leadership in the perpetration of such violence, very little is known about the preventive influence of leaders in cases where risk is present. This influence works both ways: the ideas, decisions and policies of political leaders are often the most instrumental factor in effective processes of risk mitigation. Yet to date, there has been no systematic study of the role of leadership in managing and ameliorating risk associated with mass atrocities. Indeed, the more general question of why mass atrocities do not occur is also largely neglected. I argue that these leaders were cognisant of the disruptive potential of tribal, ethnic and religious division; they advocated for inclusive national identities and developed policies that fostered social cohesion; and were effective in creating social and political environments that had an inhibitory effect on structural risk factors associated with atrocity crimes.

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