Search

The selection of raw materials to produce quality artisanal bricks is imperative for sustainable building in rural regions. Artisanal brick-making process often employs traditional kiln to fire brick because it is an affordable, and applicable technology in the rural region. However, there are noticeable cracks, increasing among buildings constructed with artisanal bricks from the rural region in South Africa. In response, this study aims to evaluate the soil and artisanal brick specimens to understand the suitability of the raw materials and quality of products in the study area. A total of twenty soil samples and twenty-seven artisanal burnt bricks were collected from three different artisanal brick-making sites designated as Site A, B, and C. In all samples, the geotechnical tests revealed a sandy loam soil type with a predominance of chlorite clay minerals and non-clay minerals. Furthermore, the sand-size particles depict a relatively higher proportion compared to clay-size particles. Besides, Atterberg's limit test plotted above the A-line of the plasticity chart indicates an inorganic clay of low plasticity with a low to medium compressibility property. Based on the empirical workability and mechanical tests, most of the studied soils are suitable for optimum and acceptable extrusion bricks and suitable for an on-site single-story construction based on SANS 227:2007 standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Geographical limitations in remote island medical facilities result in excessive wastage of blood products. To address this, we explored the feasibility of a novel blood rotation system, which enables the return and redelivery of blood products to/from the blood bank while ensuring the management of product quality, including temperature control. This study aimed to enhance the supply of blood products to these facilities. Materials and Methods: The Japan Red Cross Nagasaki Blood Center, Nagasaki Goto Chuoh Hospital (NGCH) and Nagasaki University Hospital collaborated to coordinate the transport and supply of red blood cell (RBC) products. Type O, RhD‐positive, irradiated RBC products were stored at a precise 4.0 ± 2.0°C in an active transport refrigerator (ATR). After transport from the Japan Red Cross Nagasaki Blood Center to NGCH, RBC products were held for 1 week in the ATR, and unused products were returned. Eligible returned products were reissued to the Nagasaki University Hospital. Results: All the returned RBC products met the redelivery criteria. Among the 103 redelivered RBC preparations, 101 bags (98.1%) were successfully used. NGCH utilized 597 RBC products and discarded 80 samples. The ATR supplied 107 type O RBC bags without any wastage. The overall wastage rate was 10.2% during the study period compared with 24.2% in the same period in the previous year. Conclusion: This innovative supply and operation system ensures a consistent and secure RBC product supply to remote islands while maximizing blood product use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality development of socio-economic, ecological environment, tourism industry and natural resources in the Yellow River Basin is a major strategic task for national development. High-quality development in the Yellow River Basin still has a lot of room for improvement, so it is important for the coupled and coordinated development of water resources-socio-economic-ecological environment-tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin region. In this study, we focus on the major strategic issues of high quality development in the Yellow River Basin in the context of the above-mentioned background and the current forms and policies of sustainable development in China, and conduct research on the theory and methods of assessing the sustainable development of regional water resources-socio-economic-ecological environment-tourism industry. However, by analyzing the existing research literature on sustainable development assessment, we find that most of them focus on a single area or two combinations of modal development studies, and focus on exploring micro-coupling mechanisms, so the generality of macro policy support is rather mediocre, which we fill this gap through this study. The study relies on an innovative macroscopic research perspective that draws pioneeringly on the quality function deployment (QFD) theory in the field of product quality management in marketing, which, it is worth stating, allows for a framework of research perspectives from a systematic and holistic perspective. In this framework, we will propose a G1-entropy value method for indicator importance (weight) assessment. It is worth stating that the G1 method used in this paper is different from the traditional G1 method in that we will introduce the identity information weights of experts to improve the reliability of the subjective assignment method. We will also construct an indicator system for studying the regional sustainable development issues in the Yellow River Basin on this basis, so as to complete the ranking and analysis of the nine provinces and the importance of indicators in the Yellow River Basin. This study will provide a comprehensive theoretical basis for Chinese government and related departments to formulate policies for the high-quality development of water resources, socio-economic, ecological environment and tourism industry in the Yellow River Basin, and also provide theoretical and empirical references for the analysis and assessment of similar international regional sustainability cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving product quality while making decisions remains a challenge. The objective of this research was to develop a model that supports the precise enhancement of product quality through comprehensive analysis of possibilities, product incompatibilities, root causes, and recommended improvement actions. The model incorporated various tools and methods such as the SMARTER method, expert team selection, brainstorming, Ishikawa diagram, 5M+E rule, FAHP, and FTOPSIS methods. The study demonstrated that integrating quality management tools and decision-making methods into a unified model enables the accurate prioritization of activities for product quality management. This integrated approach represents the novelty of this research. The model was evaluated using a mechanical seal made of 410 alloy. The research findings can be valuable to enterprises seeking to enhance product quality at any stage of production, particularly for modified or new products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous improvement in good practices and implementation of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) remains very crucial for food hygiene quality safety to steadily thrive in the agro-food product industry sector. To improve the agro-food product quality, the dependency of quality management (QM) on such key facets as quality assurance (QA), control, improvement, and planning appears to be on the rise. Herein, how food hygiene quality safety standards and their associated processes have been assured is described. To understand the relevance of QM in the (above-mentioned) processes, we discuss some ethical quality considerations, food quality safety standards, HACCP fundamentals/implementation, QA control systems, other quality standards associated with agro-food industry, together with supplementary essentials associated with quality. Through the combined efforts of HACCP and QA control points (QACP) such as improved food hygiene, both quality, and safety levels can be further enhanced and sustained. Establishing the QM system within a given agro-food product enterprise is not the real deal, what matters most is how to maintain and sustain it. Some challenges encountered during the auditing/implementation processes of food safety management systems, as well as directions for future studies, involving QM, QA, and food hygiene quality safety, are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately estimating the critical operations that affect the quality of customized printed circuit board (PCB) can better guide enterprises in lean management of product quality. However, the common methods of enterprises are difficult to use the deep semantics between operation-related entities. To solve this problem, this paper constructed a knowledge graph of operation-related entities and proposed GENI-SD to estimate the importance of PCB operation. Firstly, this paper employed the knowledge graph to represent the relationship between operation-related entities, and utilized the graph neural network model GENI to estimate the importance of operation nodes. Secondly, this paper improved GENI and established a novel model called as GENI-SD by introducing a sampling module based on an improved predicate-aware attention mechanism and a score aggregation considering the direction of adjacent edges, thus to resolve noisy neighbors and non-direction aggregation shortcoming of GENI. Finally, it conducted experiments on the real data of PCB workshop. The results demonstrate that GENI-SD outperforms SOTA and obtains 6. 78% and 0. 71 % improvement in Spearman and NDCG@ 10 metrics comparing to that of GEN! respectively. This study provides a novel and effective method for estimating the importance of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time–temperature indicator (TTI) technologies allow for nondestructive and real‐time quality management of perishable products during the entire transport–storage process, which provides an important guarantee for the product safety of end users. However, the existing TTI technologies still have shortcomings in recyclability, sensitivity, and environmental tolerance, limiting their widespread applications. Herein, a new TTI route based on the light storage effect in persistent luminescent (PersL) materials is proposed. Such TTI is designed on account of the principle that the release rate of light‐induced trapped carriers in PersL materials is closely dependent on the storage time and temperature, enabling to establish a correlation between the number of residual carriers and the freshness of perishable products. Taking KZnF3:Mn2+ as a model material, the light‐storage‐based TTI technology shows excellent recyclability, reliability, and environmental stability. This work reveals great potentials of PersL phosphors as information recording materials in advanced TTI application and next‐generation biological detection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-API standard series of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) have been developed rapidly to meet the increasing demand of the oil and gas fields, while the frequent accidents of non-API OCTG still occur due to the lack of a perfect quality management system. In this paper, the main types, service conditions, and the current status of quality evaluation technology of non-API OCTG at home and abroad were introduced. For the quality problems of non-API OCTG during the domestic application, the needs of the industry development needs and continuous improvement of quality management system were taken into consideration. Based on the working conditions, the quantitative evaluation method of quality grading was built by the grading idea represented by capability maturity model integration (CMMI) based on the field working conditions. And an evaluation method, including process maturity level, items, indexes and procedures, was proposed and verified. The results showed that the average value and level of quantitative evaluation results of quality grading were 81.5 and C, respectively, which was in good accordance with the current status of non-API product management. The evaluation method is more quantitative and targeted, which would provide for the completeness of the non-API product quality management system with methodological support and theoretical reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider various methods of monitoring technological processes in modern machine-building production, including statistical methods of product quality management. The problem of constructing measurement control procedures for two parameters in those cases where the deviation of the quality index from the nominal value is described by a generalization of the Rayleigh distribution with two parameters is posed and solved. The distributions of control statistics are investigated. Numerical procedures are described that make it possible to calculate the distribution functions of statistics with sufficient accuracy for practical purposes. The operational characteristics of a control plan using statistics that estimate two distribution parameters and a plan for a one-parameter distribution model are compared. It is shown that close values of consumer and producer risks in comparable situations with two-parameter control are provided with a slight increase in the sample size compared to the one-parameter case. The results obtained will be useful in the organization of acceptance control procedures for parts with external and internal cylindrical surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study proposed the development of a computerized platform to support the inspection management and laboratory analysis of animal products supplied to the Brazilian Army troops. The applied research corresponds to the modality of technological production in three phases. Phase I consisted in survey from Fiscal Report Files of animal products, which was printed and issued by the FIBL (Food Inspection and Bromatology Laboratory) from the 12th Supply Battalion, from January to November 2021, and the Brazilian Army's Technical Bulletins (BT30.404-EB) Files. Phase II corresponded to design and development of the "Food Platform - Guaranteed Traceability and Reliability". All the developed programming was stored at an outsourced web server by accessing the FIBLs through the link: www.pmppa.com.br/alimentar. The supportive computerized platform used the PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) language associated with the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), JS (Java script) and bootstrap. Phase III consisted in performing a Black Box testing. The available modules for information inclusion in the system are the following issues: "Animal products registration"; "Analyses release"; "Technical Bulletin registration" and "Reports", which allow attributing the satisfactory or unsatisfactory quality to the animal products providing safe consumption for the troops, according to the evaluation of laboratory samples. The platform was effectively developed, guaranteeing the veterinary officer a safe tool to support the quality management of products intended for feeding the Brazilian Army troops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality management reflects on the product gingerbread by applying the Customer Orientation and the Continuous Improvement principles, also by analysing and developing the product in terms of the influence exerted by the various quantities of ingredients and the use of dough maturation.The presented study made corelations between the physical and chemical parameters of the finished products and the rheological characteristics of doughs. Dough with varying wheat and rye flour ratios were made, being left to mature for 30 and respectively 150 minutes. Corelations were made between the specific volume of the product and the rheological characteristics of the doughs. The dough’s consistency measured with the farinograph after 10 minutes of mixing and the widening percentage of the gingerbread in the baking process were corelated. The variation of the dough’s volume during maturation was studied after 30 minutes of maturation, respectively 150 minutes of maturation. The results obtain inform with regard to the influence that the rye flour ratio has on the distortion of the product during baking, on the consistency of the dough and on the specific volume. Key words: gingerbread, rheological characteristics of the dough, physical and chemical parameters, quality indicators [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the growth status of fruits can enable precise growth management and improve the product quality. Previous studies have rarely used deep learning to observe changes over time, and manual annotation is required to detect hidden regions of fruit. Thus, additional research is required for automatic annotation and tracking fruit changes over time. We propose a system to record the growth characteristics of individual apples in real time using Mask R-CNN. To accurately detect fruit regions hidden behind leaves and other fruits, we developed a region detection model by automatically generating 3000 composite orchard images using cropped images of leaves and fruits. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified on a total of 1417 orchard images obtained from the monitoring system, tracking the size of fruits in the images. The mean absolute percentage error between the true value manually annotated from the images and detection value provided by the proposed method was less than 0.079, suggesting that the proposed method could extract fruit sizes in real time with high accuracy. Moreover, each prediction could capture a relative growth curve that closely matched the actual curve after approximately 150 elapsed days, even if a target fruit was partially hidden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated the microbial community in Kantuan‐sliced chicken during retail storage at different temperatures (4 ± 1°C and 25 ± 1°C). Compared with the samples stored at 25°C, a lower storage temperature (4°C) could prolong the shelf life of Kantuan‐sliced chicken, as revealed by a lower change rate in pH value, total volatile basic nitrogen, and total viable counts. For the freshly prepared chicken sample, the microbial community was mainly dominated by the genus of Psychrobacter (71.67%), which is a member of Moraxellaceae family. During refrigerated storage, the genus of Brochothrix (belonging to Listeriaceae family) occupied the dominant position with a relative abundance at a level of ≥50% throughout the whole storage period, accompanied by the phenomenon that Psychromonas ranged from 12.32% to 22.54%. In the 25°C group, the samples presented rich microbial diversity. Enterococcus, Fusobacterium, Maccoroccus, and Lactococcus were the main components of the microbial community in the middle and late stages of storage. The microbial community of Kantuan‐sliced chicken was quite sensitive to storage temperature. The results indicated that the spoilage bacteria of refrigerated samples were mainly composed of Gram‐positive bacteria when compared to the samples stored at 25°C. It seems that the combination of low storage temperature with preservatives for Gram‐positive bacteria would be useful for Kantuan‐sliced chicken. Novelty impact statement: Kantuan‐sliced chicken is a popular food product (ready‐to‐eat food) in middle China, which is easy to deteriorate. This study clarified the microbial community diversity and dynamics in the Kantuan‐sliced chicken during storage at 4°C and 25°C to solve the unclear spoilage process. Our results extend the understanding of microbial spoilage of Kantuan‐sliced chicken and provide valuable microbial management information for both researchers and the food industry, which is helpful for further improving product quality management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines the digital twin system modeling method to conduct an in-depth study and analysis of graph-theoretic combinatorial optimization. This paper provides new ideas and approaches for optimal numerical analysis work by studying the digital twin modeling method that integrates digital modeling and graph theory combination, provides theoretical support for safe, stable, and economic operation of the system, proposes a solution for digital twin model based on big data platform, focuses on the nearest neighbor propagation (AP) and graph theory combination, solves the digital twin real-time monitoring data asynchronous, incomplete problem, and applies the algorithm to the digital twin model based on the big data platform for data preprocessing to achieve better results. This paper also presents a web-based digital twin system based on intelligent practical needs, analysis, and comparison of existing models, combined with digital twin technology, detailing the differences and connections between the various levels of numerical analysis and the implementation of this data in various fields, such as user management, equipment health management, product quality management, and workshop 3D navigation and detailed modeling of the digital twin system based on this numerical analysis to realize remote online monitoring, analysis, and management. In this paper, for the numerical analysis process, firstly, the key technologies of modeling and simulation operation control of production line based on digital twin are studied, and the rapid response manufacturing system based on a digital twin is designed and validated. Secondly, a scheduling technology framework for capacity simulation evaluation and optimization is established, and batching optimization, outsourcing decision, and rolling scheduling techniques are thus proposed to form a batching optimization algorithm based on priority rules, which realizes batching processing, outsourcing decision, and rolling scheduling of production orders to optimize equipment utilization and capacity. Finally, digital twin-based modeling is designed, and the validation results demonstrate the system's superior performance in achieving information interaction between physical and virtual production lines, optimization of numerical analysis, and display of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Strawberry NIR online flexible drop-free detection prototype was developed. • Transmittance spectra with effective internal quality information was acquired. • Models based on variable optimization obtained better adaptability and stability. • Technologies need to be nondestructive, low-cost, and improve farmer profits. Strawberry, as a fragile and vulnerable fruit, the realization of automatic sorting is conducive to improve the intelligent level of strawberry industry and improve the ability of product quality management. An on-line soluble solids content (SSC) detection prototype which can protect the strawberry from mechanical damage was researched and developed. The reflectance and transmittance of visible and near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectra were acquired by the prototype respectively, and the performances of the two spectra on the SSC detection performance of strawberry were compared. Four feature selection algorithms like competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) ware used for reflectance and transmittance spectra to reduce the spectra complexity, improve the strawberry SSC detection accuracy and optimize the running time of the prototype. The comparison showed that the transmittance spectra can reflect the internal SSC information of strawberry better. Then the results of feature variable selection showed that strawberry transmittance spectra combined with CARS algorithm achieved the best result of SSC prediction, and the prediction correlation coefficient (Rp) was 0.928, the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) was 0.412 °Brix, and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) value was 2.670. The CARS-PLS model for reflectance spectra also obtained the optimization result in the reflectance group, but its Rp, RMSEP and RPD value was 0.812, 0.587 °Brix and 1.670 respectively, which still did not meet the reliability of application. The results demonstrated that the Vis/NIR transmittance spectra have great application potential in strawberry on-line internal quality detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trend towards healthy nutrition is gaining considerable popularity among the population both on global and domestic level. One of its main components is the consumption of organic products. Certification is considered an important way to confirm that certain products are organic. Ukraine is characterized by significant potential for the production of organic products, also our country is one of the world leaders in terms of their exports, providing significant financial income and population employment. As a result of Russia's military action, the activities of Ukrainian organic sector organizations have come under threat. The importance of certification for ensuring the effective activity of organic market operators, its legislative and regulatory base of its implementation in Ukraine, the main branches of organic production, state regulation of bodies for its implementation, stages and features of this process, its duration, official registration of its results were analyzed and researched in the article. The basic normative documents for conformity of which the certification of organic productions and products in the international, foreign and domestic practice is carried out were defined and characterized. A list of certification bodies for organic production recognized by the European Commission for the provision of control services for organic production and circulation of organic products in Ukraine, which have the right to issue certificates of inspection for export. It was determined that among them the domestic organization LLC "Organic Standard" is presented. Its services are characterized by the highest popularity at the Ukrainian level. Based on the analyzed material, it was investigated that certification significantly contributes to the effective operation of organic market participants, especially producers, creating conditions for consumer confidence, opening markets, cooperation, product diversification, product quality management and managing risks. Also it was established that certification is especially important for economic recovery in martial law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, in the global market products and services need to have factors that exceed expectations if the manufacturer wants to be one of the leading market players, and they have to fulfill all the basic and customer requirements. Very often there is a large percentage of working time which is wasted in communication in order to clarify misunderstandings, correct mistakes, and sometimes reorganize improper work activities. To avoid these losses, more time has to be spent on analyzing and planning to meet customer requirements. The QFD method is a comprehensive method for quality planning and management in the product creation process. This why it is necessary to perform systematic monitoring and measurement in all processes, primarily on the basis of set goals in terms of time, costs and product quality. The paper presents the use of the QFD method to improve the existing product, a device for automatic pressure adjustment in car tires. According to the QFD methodology, all participants are provided with a system analysis in the realization of products through four phases, from customer requirements to all definitions of the work process. Also, the goal is to achieve a reduction in the number of work instructions. The fourth matrix shows key processes with performance and graded significance. These are processes that require special attention during production design, in order to improve a product and make it meet customer expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have a long history as the main source and basic raw material of cosmetics. The efficacy and application of plant extracts in cosmetics are becoming more and more extensive. However, environmental pollution causes pesticide residue problems in plant extracts inevitably. 'Cosmetics Safety Technical Specification (2015 Edition)' stipulates that a variety of pesticide ingredients are prohibited components of cosmetics. Moreover, the first cosmetics regulation EC 1223 / 2009 also clearly points out that pesticides such as aldrin and dieldrin are prohibited components in cosmetics. In this study, the 20 pesticide components selected as the main research content are all prohibited components specified in the 'Cosmetics Safety Technical Specification (2015 Edition)'. They have the high detection rate of daily detection and the same detection method. However, due to the lack of testing standards for pesticides in cosmetics at home and abroad, it is difficult to evaluate the pesticides in cosmetics on the domestic market. In particular, for cosmetics containing plant extracts that may contain pesticide residues, there is an urgent need to establish a simple, rapid, efficient and accurate pesticide residue detection and analysis method. Therefore, in order to improve the detection recovery rate, remove the interference of impurity components, reduce the mass spectrometry matrix effect and improve the detection sensitivity, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) purification methods were introduced into the sample pretreatment technology. A sensitive method for determination of 20 banned pesticides residues in cosmetics containing plant extracts by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC- MS/ MS) was established. The target compounds were extracted with acetonitrile followed by GPC for cleanup step and concentrated to a constant volume, separated by high performance liquid chromatography, and then detected by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry qualitatively and quantitatively. The results showed that each target has good linearity in its own content ranges and the correlation coefficients are higher than 0. 990. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of 20 pesticides is between 0. 001-0. 1 mg/ kg, the average recovery at three spiked levels is 81. 5%-116. 2%, and the relative standard deviation CRSD) is 0. 52 %-9. 42 %. This method is simple, rapid and reliable, which can be used for determination of 20 pesticides in cosmetics containing plant extracts. This research can not only fill in the domestic and foreign gaps in the standard testing methods for pesticide residues in cosmetics, but also help actively respond to EU-related technical trade measures and guide companies to strengthen their own product quality management. It can provide technical support to improve the domestic and foreign cosmetics standard system, realize the monitoring of pesticide residues in cosmetics and ensure the quality and safety of cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of the sand core directly affects the quality of the casting during the casting process. The establishment of an information link between the sand core and the casting can realize the traceability of sand core production and process data in the casting production. The technology can be used when casting defects related to the sand core occur and quickly respond to the causes and optimize the manufacturing process of the sand core making process. This article describes the necessity of establishing a traceability process for sand core making information and introduces a traceability process of sand core information in casting production to ensure that each sand core has its own production process information, which is for product quality management and process optimization. It provides information supervision and promotes the development of intelligent casting manufacturing technology and management technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective implementation of new market strategies presents the mining enterprises with new challenges which require precise assessment instruments of the carried out business to be met at the level of mines, preparation plants, coking plants, and steelworks. These instruments include deposit, technological, and economic parameters, which together with a safety margin, determining the percentage reserve level of each parameter, shape the profitability of undertaken projects. The paper raises the issue of designing an IT architecture of the system for deposit modelling and mining production scheduling, implemented in the JSW SA. The development and application of the system was important with regard to the overriding objective of the Quality ProgramProgram of the JSW Capital Group, which is increasing the effectiveness of deposit and commercial product quality management. The paper also presents the required specification of the technical architecture necessary to implement systems and the actions required to integrate them with other IT systems of the JSW Group. The heuristic technical architecture of the JSW SA production line management system presented in the paper enables an analysis of the production process profitability in a carried account system in the area of mines, preparation plants, and coking plants of the mining group of the biggest European coal producer for metallurgical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling and reducing process variability is an essential aspect for maintaining the product or service quality. Even though most practitioners believe that an increasing process variability is often a more severe concern than a shift in location, barely a few research paid attention to the cost‐efficient monitoring of process variability. Some of the existing studies addressed the dispersion aspect, assuming that the quality characteristic is Gaussian. Non‐normal and complex distributions are not uncommon in modern production processes, time to event processes, or processes involving service quality. Unfortunately, we find no literature on economically designed nonparametric (distribution‐free) schemes for monitoring process variability. This article introduces two Shewhart‐type cost‐optimized nonparametric schemes for monitoring the variability of any unknown but continuous processes to fill the research gap. The proposed monitoring schemes are based on two popular two‐sample rank statistics for differences in scale parameters, known as the Ansari–Bradley statistic and the Mood statistic. We assess their actual performance for a set of process scenarios and illustrate the design along with the implementation steps. We discuss a practical problem related to product quality management. It is expected that the proposed schemes will be beneficial in various industrial operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of product processing quality management in automobile manufacturing supply chain, the concepts of automobile manufacturing supply chain and medium auto parts enterprise are put forward, the theory of product life cycle and relationship life cycle is introduced, and the automobile manufacturing supply chain is divided into product processing preparation stage, product sample performance evaluation stage and product production and operation stage. The cooperation model of the medium enterprise in the automotive manufacturing supply chain is constructed, the management characteristics and key influencing factors of the medium auto parts enterprises in the three stages of the automotive manufacturing supply chain are analyzed, and from the perspective of the supply chain, the product processing quality management demand model of the medium enterprise is established. Taking a new product manufacturing of an auto parts enterprise in China as an example, the practicability and rationality of the proposed concept and model are verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is reveal how the Total Quality Management issue is discussed in the literature, with a systematic approach based on scientific mapping techniques. The study also examines the position of the TQM in the future. As a method, bibliometric and document analysis techniques were used. During the use of these two techniques, the softwares such as CiteSpace, Wosviewer and Search Carrot, Google tools (Google Ngram, Google fusion) were used. Common citation networks and word mapping, citation bursts, dual map drawing units are the tools used for analysis. Total Quality Management issue is most widely used in management discipline among the all disciplines. In addition, it was found that TQM is mostly searched with keywords such as quality management systems and product quality. It was observed that interest to the TQM had increased after 1985 and it had reached highest level in 1995, and it has experienced a continuous descent until 2008. The study found that the countries conducting more research on the Total Quality Management issue in the world are the USA and UK. It was generally recommended to investigate the effect of TQM on product quality and company performance (include productivity) in the essential publications which are examined. At this point, it has been concluded that the TQM will lose its popularity as long as stays a management philosophy in the field of management. Instead, this study recommends to focus on operational oriented activities such as lean manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of this work, a universally accepted definition of Quality was not found, and there is little information on Quality under the qualitative paradigm. Justification: the above evidences the opportunity to expand research on the subject. Goals: to verify if at the completion of the present study there was a unique and universal definition of Quality, propose reasoning considering Quality as a hypothetical entity and previously unpublished definitions of: Binity, Quality, Absolute Quality, Relative Quality. With a qualitative paradigm and bibliographic design, the research was based on obtaining the information from documents relevant to quality and searching for an ontological argument to elucidate the existence of Quality as a hypothetical entity. In the results, a universally accepted definition of Quality was not found and therefore novel definitions of Quality were proposed, with which to contribute to the culture of Quality, promoting satisfactory qualitative and quantitative results in theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmaceutical is the core of Bangladesh's Healthcare sector with an annual average growth rate consistently in the double digits. The real growth of local pharmaceutical industries started after the "Drug Control Ordinance-1982''. Objective of the review is to identify the historical background, explore the overall situation and future opportunities of Pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh overall growth of industries virtually polarized in three big metropolitan areas of Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna, mainly in Dhaka. Presently, the industry meets 97% of local demand and exports to more than 80 countries. As a Least Developed Country (LDC), the country is exempted from obligations to implement patents and data protection for pharmaceutical products until 2033. Generic drugs in Bangladesh estimates to reach BDT 30,300 core by 2024. A number of companies have achieved accreditation from different world-famous regulatory bodies like US-FDA, UK-MHRA, Australia-TGA, EU for quality management and quality products manufacturing. A local industry supporting drug policy and effective regulatory framework, along with trade related aspects of intellectual property rights relaxations are the key reasons for success of the industry. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has named pharmaceuticals the Product of the Year for 2018. Prospect of the sector depends largely on the interactions among the proprietors, regulatory bodies and the government, whether they can meet up the requisites to continue growth of the sector while facing the challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A rapid and broadly applicable method to assess relevant oxidative damage in biopharmaceuticals is important for lifecycle management of product quality. Multiple methods are currently employed as stress tests to induce oxidative damage for assessment of stability, safety, and efficacy. We compared two common methods for inducing oxidative damage to assess differences in impact on bioactivity and structure of the biopharmaceuticals. Methods: Biopharmaceuticals were treated with either metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO) conditions or the reactive-oxygen species (ROS) inducer 2,2′-Azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH), then analyzed for changes in structure and bioactivity. Results: We demonstrate that commonly used chemical methods for assessing oxidation yield distinct oxidation profiles for each of the biotechnology products analyzed, including monoclonal antibodies. We further report oxidant- and product-specific changes in bioactivity under oxidizing conditions, along with differential oxidation on the molecular subunits of monoclonal antibodies. Conclusion: Our results highlight the need for product-specific optimization and selection of orthogonal, relevant oxidizers when characterizing stress responses in biopharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present dynamic environment, manufacture are required to reduce product development cycle time and enhance product quality. To meet such challenges many business are developing closer relationships with their business partner through application of interorganisational system. Electronic data interchange (EDI) providing a structured form of communication and has become very popular vehicle for electronic communication. Since the EDI concept was popularised in 1990, there is a growing recognition by practitioners and academics. The aim of this study is to perform an analysis of EDI research, give the current discussion regarding the trends and note the suggestions for the future directions of EDI research in the manufacture. In this paper, we provide a wide coverage of excessively citations on EDI from 1990 to 2017 from good references in this area. The papers are classified into EDI implementation strategy, EDI adoption, EDI integration, EDI in supply chain and EDI in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study results of this literature review are expected to assist development of EDI research especially the implementation of EDI on production outsourcing as one of supply chain activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Oxidation reactions during manufacturing, distribution, and storage of meat and meat products result in undesirable physicochemical changes and aromas, which leads to detrimental effects on the product quality. This could be translated into the consumer dissatisfaction and economic loss. One of the most common practices to overcome this issue is the incorporation of synthetic antioxidants. However, the increasing health-consciousness of consumers and their preference for natural additives leads to the search of natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants. A number of essential oils have strong antioxidant properties and are explored as potential alternatives to chemical antioxidants in the meat industry. These compounds are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), and their application single or combined with other essential oils, ingredients or preservation technologies have beneficial effects on meat products. Their activity depends on several parameters including their concentrations, their possible synergistic effects, and the extraction method used to obtain them. Although steam distillation is the most common industrial technique for essential oils extraction, novel technologies have been emerged to address the drawbacks of the traditional extraction method and to obtain high-quality essential oils. This paper provides an overview of the application of essential oils as potential substitutes for synthetic antioxidants in the meat industry, exploring their mechanism of action against oxidation reactions, and the effect of extraction methods on their effectiveness. Highlights • Essential oils protect meat and meat products from several deteriorative reactions. • Phenolic compounds are responsible for strong antioxidant activity of essential oils. • Synergistic effect with other essential oils, ingredients, and conservation methods improves their activity. • Future trends include their use as alternative to synthetic antioxidants. • Regulations and their possible negative effect on sensory attributes should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automotive painted components confront an almost limitless variety of environments and environmental assaults. The appearance (color, gloss, and texture) of the surface significantly affects a customer's perception of product quality. During the paint application process however, and later during car operation, numerous kinds of failures and/or paint damages can occur. A defective part from a car in warranty period with paint blisters was brought for investigations. Samples from defective part were taken, and then they were examined using optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A section of the part away from the blisters was excised and used as a reference. The black coating was analyzed in the reference area, on the rim of the part away from the blisters and on top of the coating covering the blisters. The result of the spectral subtraction revealed that benzyl benzoate was used inside of the car. Benzyl benzoate is used in topical medications, insect repellents, perfumes and cosmetics. As a proof of benzyl benzoate utilization inside of the car, a paint attack with benzyl benzoate was performed. The test revealed that, the part's failure was similar to that seen in the returned part from the car in warranty period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investing in product quality for future growths or conserving cash flow to avoid bankruptcy is an important trade-off faced by many capital-constrained startups. Focusing on the trade-off, this paper proposes a two-stage model where a startup firm must earn profit above the survival threshold by the end of every stage. Considering impacts of the uncertainty of demand responsiveness to quality (DRQ), market shocks, and survival threshold, a hedge with price setting and quality investing is established against the bankruptcy risk. Besides, this paper stresses the necessity of identifying the operational decisions of startups under both profit-seeking and survival-seeking objectives. Results illustrate that, under stochastic environment, the profit-seeking startup makes conservative (aggressive) investment on quality by setting lower (higher) price and investing in lower (higher) quality than the deterministic case, while the survival-seeking startup always sets its price linked to quality in positive direction. In addition, the profit-seeking startup always improves its investment on quality when either the mean or the variance of DRQ increase, while the survival-seeking startup reduces its investment when either the mean of DRQ increases to a certain level or the variance of DRQ increases. Other factors are also examined. Finally, this paper provides the startup managers some guidance on the quality investing strategy under capital constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sol-gel performance of wheat starch (WS) is of great importance for the processing and quality management of flour-based products. Herein, how acetylated starch (AS) inclusion modulates those properties of wheat starch-based system was understood using different techniques, e.g., rheological analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Compared with WS alone, the resultant WS-AS binary system exhibited lower setback viscosity (corresponding to inhibited starch retrogradation as verified by XRD), zero-shear viscosity, moduli, and gel strength, accompanied by a suppressed sol-gel transition. Also, from thixotropy tests, the binary system with AS (WS-8%AS) presented the weakest thixotropy in hysteresis loop and a greater in-shear recovery property (as indicated by the three interval thixotropy test (3-ITT)), and the systems containing 6%–8% AS were proved to show good sol-gel properties. The property improvement could be related to the inhibited retrogradation, according to correlation analysis. In addition, the gel freeze-thaw stability of WS-AS systems was reduced as compared to WS, probably related to phase separations. The present information would facilitate the design of wheat starch-based matrices with regulated quality attributes. [Display omitted] • Incorporating acetylated starch reduced modulus, viscosity and thixotropy of binary sol. • Incorporating acetylated starch lowered hardness, chewiness and strength of binary gel. • Incorporating acetylated starch delayed the sol-gel transition of binary system. • Phase separations probably occurred in the wheat starch-acetylated starch binary system. • Including 6%–8% acetylated starch improved the performance of wheat starch-based system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Robust parameter design (RPD) aims to build product quality in the early design phase of product development by optimizing operating conditions of process parameters. A vast majority of the current RPD studies are based on an uncensored random sample from a process distribution. In reality, censoring schemes are widely implemented in lifetime testing, survival analysis, and reliability studies in which the value of a measurement is only partially known. However, there has been little work on the development of RPD when censored data are under study. To fill in the research gaps given practical needs, this paper proposes response surface–based RPD models that focus on survival times and hazard rate. Primary tools used in this paper include the Kaplan‐Meier estimator, Greenwood's formula, the Cox proportional hazards regression method, and a nonlinear programming method. The experimental modeling and optimization procedures are demonstrated through a numerical example. Various response surface–based RPD optimization models are proposed, and their RPD solutions are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grading of fruits is the post harvesting step involving the labeling of fruits into their respective categories using external (color, size, shape etc) and internal features(aroma, taste, pH etc). This could be done manually which is tiresome, inconsistent and time consuming task and therefore computer vision based fruit grading comes into play which makes the whole grading process consistent, labor saving and fast as well. In past years, researchers had introduced many non destructive image processing technique to grade the food products, ensuring quality of food products. This paper presents algorithm of classifying guava fruit into categories using Local Tetra patterns. Features extracted are classified using SVM, K-NN, Trees, ANNs. Results generated by different classifiers are analyzed using accuracy and error rate. Linear layer neural network gave the highest results amongst all the classifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of natural plant biostimulants is proposed as a promising and innovative approach to ensure improved and sustainable yields and product quality. A greenhouse experiment was performed to assess the yield performance, leaf net assimilation of CO 2 , mineral composition of leaves and fruits, and fruit physicochemical quality attributes of two tomato cultivars (Akyra and Sir Elyan) in relation to biostimulant treatments (control or two different concentrations of the legume-derived protein hydrolysate Trainer ® ). Treated tomato plants were sprayed every 10 days with a solution containing 2.5 and 5.0 ml L −1 of biostimulant. Akyra was found to be richest in K, Ca, Mg, lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant activities (LAA and HAA), lycopene, total phenolic and total ascorbic acid. Foliar applications of legume-derived protein hydrolysate at 5.0 ml L −1 increased marketable yield of Akyra and Sir Elyan by modulating yield components differently depending on cultivars: higher number of fruits in Akyra and increase of fruit mean weight in Sir Elyan. Improved yield performance with biostimulant foliar applications at the highest rate was related to improved leaf nutritional status (higher K and Mg) and higher net assimilation of CO 2 . The application of legume-derived protein hydrolysate at 5.0 ml L −1 , and to a lesser degree at 2.5 ml L −1 , elicited an increase in antioxidant activities, total soluble solids, mineral composition (K and Mg) as well as bioactive molecules such as lycopene and ascorbic acid, thereby increasing the nutritional and functional quality of the fruits. These findings can assist tomato growers in selecting cultivars and application dose for protein hydrolysate to complement high crop productivity with optimal fruit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing methods of Misai Kucing still remain crude and lack technological advancements. In terms of drying, very few studies have attempted to apply advanced drying technology to improve Misai Kucing quality and drying time. This paper presents first attempt to improve Misai Kucing drying kinetics and product quality through solar-assisted heat pump drying and comparison was made against solar drying. Experimental results showed that solar-dried samples had the greatest total color change and loss of two bioactive ingredients as compared to solar-assisted heat pump-dried samples due to its longer time process, higher drying temperature, and chlorophyll degradation. By comparing the statistical values, it showed that the Page model had the best goodness of fit at all tested dried samples by both drying methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinicians, working in the health-care diagnostic systems of developing countries, currently face the challenges of rising costs, increased number of patient visits, and limited resources. A significant trend is using low-cost substrates to develop microfluidic devices for diagnostic purposes. Various fabrication techniques, materials, and detection methods have been explored to develop these devices. Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) have gained attention for sensing multiplex analytes, confirming diagnostic test results, rapid sample analysis, and reducing the volume of samples and analytical reagents. μPADs, which can provide accurate and reliable direct measurement without sample pretreatment, can reduce patient medical burden and yield rapid test results, aiding physicians in choosing appropriate treatment. The objectives of this review are to provide an overview of the strategies used for developing paper-based sensors with enhanced analytical performances and to discuss the current challenges, limitations, advantages, disadvantages, and future prospects of paper-based microfluidic platforms in clinical diagnostics. μPADs, with validated and justified analytical performances, can potentially improve the quality of life by providing inexpensive, rapid, portable, biodegradable, and reliable diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological complexity associated with biotherapeutics such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) requires extensive characterization to ensure product quality consistency, safety, and efficacy. ADCs generated via partial reduction of antibody interchain disulfide bonds result in a distribution of variants containing 0–8 conjugated drugs. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is a key analytical technique used to separate drug load variants of thiol linked ADCs and to calculate the average drug-to-antibody molar ratio (DAR). Salts present in HIC separations are not amenable to mass spectrometry (MS) detection, therefore confirmation of HIC peak identities have historically required offline fraction collection and subsequent MS analysis. We present a workflow comprised of three MS compatible two-dimensional liquid chromatography methods for higher throughput characterization of HIC peaks without manual fractionation. These methods are complementary and together provide DAR confirmation, identification of drug-load isomers, and localization of post-translational modifications to specific subunits. The results demonstrate an efficient mechanism for characterization of ADC HIC peaks and provided unique insight into differential HIC retention times based on conjugation sites and glycan structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the maximum time of emersion of Senegalese sole ( Solea senegalensis) specimens to form the basis for a dry sole transport procedure. For this purpose, 56 specimens (922.33 ± 29.52 g body weight) were individually placed in polystyrene boxes on a wet cloth, maintaining constant temperature (15°C) during emersion trial. Specimens ( n = 7 per group) were sampled for plasma, and mortality was monitored at different points (0, 2, 6, 12, 20, 28, 36 and 44 h of emersion), and several stress (cortisol, glucose and lactate) and metabolic (triglycerides, proteins and amino acids) parameters were assessed. After sampling, each experimental group was placed in recovery tanks for the assessment of delayed mortality and feeding performance after emersion trial. Transport periods longer than 28 h produced high stress level indicated by (i) significant increase in circulating cortisol and lactate and (ii) glucose reserves mobilization. These alterations originated physiological problems during the emersion trial that induced mortality as well as problems for recovering correct feeding performance of specimens. These results suggested that at 15°C for S. senegalensis specimens (around 900 g body weight), a waterless transport is possible without direct or delayed mortality up to 28 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality by design (QbD) has become an inevitable trend because of its benefits for product quality and process understanding. Trials have been conducted using QbD in nanosystems' optimization. This paper reviews the application of QbD for processing nanosystems and summarizes the application procedure. It provides prospective guidelines for future investigations that apply QbD to nanosystem manufacturing processes. Employing the QbD concept in this way is a novel area in nanosystem quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations were carried out in 2014 and 2015 on the experimental field of the Scientific Tobacco Institute - Prilep. They included four introduced fertile varieties and three domestic promising hybrid lines in CMS form created in the Institute, with the standard Australian variety Ca-757 used as a check. The trial was set up in randomized blocks with 4 replications. The highest average yield per stalk (161,7 g) and per hectare (3 593 kg) was achieved in line V- 79/09 CMS F1. The lowest yield per stalk (125,3g) and hectare (2 784kg) was recorded in the standard Australian variety Ca-757. The highest quality of tobacco raw, expressed through the average price, was obtained in the line V-79/09 CMS F1 (1,51 USD/kg) and lowest in the variety Ca-757 (1,28 USD/kg). Also, the gross income was the highest in line V- 79/09 CMS F1 (5 434 USD/ha) and the lowest in the variety Ca-757 (3 583 USD/kg). With some variety lines, for some characteristics, there were statistically significant differences with 5% and 1% significant levels compared to a Ca-757. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]