Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF LICENTIATE OF ENGINEERING Antecedents for Quality Management in Small and Medium Enterprises

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are fundamental pillars of any national economy, often employing more people than large companies. Unlike larger companies, however, they often lack systematic ways to improve their operations. Quality Management (QM) has become recognised as a viable way to improve the quality of products and processes and large companies often use QM ideas as part of their operations. Historically, the main focus for QM research has been on larger organisations rather than SMEs. Since SMEs have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, such as their personalised management and lack of financial strength, respectively, it is not always possible to use traditional QM ideas in SMEs directly. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate antecedents for QM ideas and practices in SMEs, thereby contributing to the knowledge on how to adopt QM in SMEs. Three papers are presented in order to achieve this aim. The first paper uses a case study to show a successful example of QM in a large company, which serves as a baseline for how a successful QM initiative may look. The paper also discusses the need to contextualise any improvement initiative in any company. The second paper is a literature review on the adoption of QM in SMEs. It synthesises and groups recommendations, creating a collection of important issues for SMEs to consider when adopting QM. The paper highlights the importance of external support for these endeavours and reinforces the idea that contextualisation is always important. The third paper is based on a case study in a small company, which successfully made crucial changes. The paper investigates this case in the light of Paper I and Paper II. Paper III reveals that although methods for small companies do not need to be very different from large ones, there can be some obstacles in the adoption process itself.
Local Disk Depot - Customizing the Software Environment: Customizing the Software Environment

The depot model, developed at Carnegie Mellon University, provides a method for managing third-party and locally developed software. depot uses an object-oriented approach to managing software; each software package is managed as one or more logical objects. Yet, from the perspective of a user, the multiple "software objects" appear as a single, integrated, software environment. Local disk depot (ldd) is an extension to the depot framework. ldd facilitates the management of environments that "inherit" software from the "master" software environments. The inherited software environment is formed by taking software and configuration information from the master software environments, and integrating that with local software and configuration information. The most common use of ldd is to have an inherited environment on the local disk of a workstation. This allows the workstation administrator to locally cache software in order to improve performance and availability of critical software in the event of server or network failure. The inherited environments, however, can be used for more than saving local copies of remote software. Workstation administrators can introduce customizations to the software environment, as well as add additional software, even from other software environments. Developers can easily test new or updated applications on their own machines in an environment that is otherwise identical to the released environment.
Development of an airworthiness framework assessment tool; novel and visual

There is a requirement within aviation to understand the frameworks of different regulators. An aircraft designed and certified in Europe may be operated in Asia by an Australian operator. In each of these areas a different set of regulations are applicable. The requirements of regulators are outlined in their airworthiness frameworks. Within the civil community the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) details, in a series of annexes, the requirements or recommended practices for civil airworthiness frameworks. However, no such independent organisation, or standardised set of requirements exists within Military airworthiness. This is slowly changing, with work within European Defence and other cooperative military forums for understanding other Nations military airworthiness frameworks gaining prominence. Most notable is the work of the European Defence Agency Military Airworthiness Authorities (MAWA) Forum. Their recognition process is based on the exchange of completed question sets that are based on ICAO requirements. However, a question based comparison does not give a sense of how the frameworks are different, but it does supply information. To complement the process, an assessments framework, which illustrates areas of difference of regulatory scope, has been developed. This framework provides a visual comparison tool, based on the independence of regulatory attestations, which highlights areas of difference within regulatory frameworks. Current research has focused on military technical airworthiness and has provided a mechanism for comparing the technical regulatory frameworks of the United States (US) Army, Navy and Air Force along with that of Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Australia.
Why Patients Dissatisfy with Medical Care in China--Evidence from the Patient Perceived Value

- Background: Enlarged financial and managerial resources spending on medical improvement had rarely to decrease the crowed waiting line or increase the patient satisfaction. Investigating patients’ perceived value (PPV) gain an insight of patients’ satisfaction. PPV is a valuable perspective for hospitals to strategically improve medical care quality and performance from functional and emotional sides. - Methods: According to the theory of perceived value, an empirical study had been carried out by field survey and data collection in 7 well-known hospitals in Zhejiang Province China. 2586 questionnaires with valid data were analyzed according to PPV. - Results: Beside of the importance of functional values (effectiveness of treatment effect, reasonable and accurate prices, standardization and normalization, convenience and accessibility), the emotional values (communication with doctors/nurses, comfortable environment and facilitates) were highlighted. The preferences of patients’ perceived value were influenced by patients’ background features, and then the differentiation of patients’ satisfaction was proceeded. These patients, who are young, female, outpatient, light ill condition, high educational level and high income, tend to be relatively high demanding on medical care services but in high dissatisfaction level. Additionally, the findings show an advantage to pass the reasonability of waiting time to patients’ thought. - Conclusion: Classified convenience receiving approaches according to differentiated PPV and background features of patients, equipped up with e-enabled health care environment, can bring worthwhile patients’ satisfaction in Chinese hospitals .
The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability

Today, many companies operate within a complex network of firms that all depend on each other for success. In this book, authors Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien use the powerful example of biological ecosystems to show how companies can leverage these emerging business networks for long-term success. The book's title, "The Keystone Advantage", is taken directly from biology - it refers to "keystone species", which proactively maintain the healthy functioning of their entire ecosystem for a simple reason: their own survival depends on it. In the same way, say the authors, companies can protect and ensure their own success by deliberately fostering the combined health of the network they operate in.
Examining the Reliability of a Force Sensing Resistor as a Possible Tool to Assess Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of a force sensing resistor (FSR) as a possible diagnostic tool to assess Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) when combined with the modified Phalen’s Test. Fifteen healthy undergraduate students participated in this study. Researchers used identical testing protocols on two separate occasions. Statistical analysis results revealed a strong positive correlation, r = 0.91, p< 0.05 across replications. The outcome of this study sheds light on the use of a FSR as a possible tool to assess and diagnose CTS when combined with the modified Phalen’s Test.
Multilayer Perceptrons for Classification

Abstract : Techniques for training, testing, and validating multilayer perceptrons are thoroughly examined. Results obtained using perceptrons are compared and contrasted with two multivariate discriminant analysis techniques- logistic regression and k neighbor. Methods for determining significant input features are investigated and a procedure for examining the confidence to place in the significance of these features is developed. Procedures to evaluate the applicability of high-order feature inputs are examined. These methods and procedures are applied to two very different applications. The first application concerns the prediction of Air Force pilot retention/separation rates for input to force projection models. The second application concerns the classification of Armor Piercing Incendiary (API) projectiles based on firing parameters. Results showed that none of the classification methods considered was able to accurately classify individual pilot's retention decisions, however, multi perceptrons were judged to be the superior discriminator for the classification of API projectiles. For the API projectile analysis, a procedure to determine which input features are no more significant than noise was demonstrated. The resulting salient set of feature inputs was shown to train quicker and decrease the output error. A method to identify appropriate high-order inputs was also demonstrated. Neural networks, Pattern recognition, Discriminant analysis, Incendiary projectiles, Pilots.
Prioritizing Effective 7Ms to Improve Production Systems Performance by Using AHP Technique

As it arises from the paper, present research is prioritizing effective 7Ms in order to improve production systems performance, using AHP technique. In this research systematic approach has been used for organization and production system inputs, named as 7Ms (Management, Man power, Marketing, Method, Machine, Material, Money) and the factors which play critical roles to improve these 7Ms, have been investigated. This research has been done on a manufacturing plant, but it can also be used for other types of organizations paying attention to their situation in competitive environment.
CFD modelling of wind turbine airfoil aerodynamics

This paper reports the first findings of an ongoing research programme on wind turbine computational aerodynamics at the University of Glasgow. Several modeling aspects of wind turbine airfoil aerodynamics based on the solution of the Reynoldsaveraged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are addressed. One of these is the effect of an a priori method for structured grid adaptation aimed at improving the wake resolution. Presented results emphasize that the proposed adaptation strategy greatly improves the wake resolution in the far-field, whereas the wake is completely diffused by the non-adapted grid with the same number and distribution of grid nodes. A grid refinement analysis carried out with the adapted grid shows that the improvements of flow resolution thus achieved are of a smaller magnitude with respect to those accomplished by adapting the grid keeping constant the number of nodes. The proposed adaptation approach can be easily included in the structured generation process of both commercial and in-house structured mesh generators systems. The study also aims at quantifying the solution inaccuracy arising from not modeling the laminar-to-turbulent transition. It is found that the drag forces obtained by considering the flow as transitional or fully turbulent may differ by 50 %. The impact of various turbulence models on the predicted aerodynamic forces is also analyzed. All these issues are investigated using a special-purpose hyperbolic grid generator and a multi-block structured finitevolume RANS code. The numerical experiments consider the flow field past a wind turbine airfoil for which an exhaustive campaign of steady and unsteady experimental measurements was conducted. The predictive capabilities of the CFD solver are validated by comparing experimental data and numerical predictions for selected flow regimes. The incompressible analysis and design code XFOIL is also used to support the findings of the comparative analysis of numerical RANS-based results and experimental data.
Relative acceptance of brodifacoum pellets and soft bait sachets by Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) on Wake Atoll

Removing invasive rats from island ecosystems using rodenticides has proven conservation benefits and is an important management tool for conserving and restoring island ecosystems. However, rodenticide-based eradications can fail if not all rats consume enough bait to result in lethal toxicosis. A recent post-operational review of a failed attempt to eradicate rats from Wake Atoll suggested that some individuals may not have ingested a lethal dose of rodenticide due to potential dietary and/or sensory preferences developed via regular access to anthropogenic food sources. These food sources may be higher in fats and oils, possessing different sensory properties (e.g., softer, chewier, etc.) than the harder pellet formulation of the rodenticide Brodifacoum 25W Conservation (B-25W) used in the eradication attempt. To test this theory, we captured rats from two areas on Wake Island where they may have regular access to human food sources, as well as an uninhabited part of island where rats presumably have less access to human-based food sources and therefore are less likely to be preconditioned for these food types. We subjected them to a head-to-head two-choice bait selection trial between a “soft” sachet formulation of a brodifacoum-based bait, FINAL Soft Bait with Lumitrack ® (FINAL), versus the harder pellet formulation of B-25W. Regardless of which habitat rats were captured in, rats overwhelmingly preferred the pellet formulation. No rats in the head-to-head trail consumed any of the FINAL bait, and 100% of the rats that consumed B-25W died. Of the rats in a separate no-choice trail of just FINAL bait, 5 failed to eat any bait; of the rats that did consume some of the FINAL bait, 80% died. Our results demonstrate that Polynesian rats on Wake Atoll do not prefer this soft formulation of brodifacoum-based rodenticide bait. Our results suggest that baiting strategies in the inhabited regions of the atoll, for a proposed eradication attempt, should continue to focus on utilizing traditional pellet formulations. While these results are unequivocal in our test case, we suggest caution in making inference to other situations where dietary preferences of local rodent populations may differ, and local environmental conditions may make other baiting choices more appropriate and efficacious.
On Target or Off the Mark: A Content Analysis of Air Force News Release Usage in Prestige and Air Force-Related Newspapers During Operation Northern Watch

Abstract : This study evaluated the use of information contained in U.S. Air Force news releases about Operation Northern Watch by three national newspapers -- the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Air Force Times from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1999. The purpose of the study was posed as a research question: To what degree did the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Air Force Times use information provided in U.S. Air Force news releases regarding Operation Northern Watch? The research involved a content analysis in the context of a case study, examining news articles from "Section A" of the two prestige newspapers and all news articles filling the news hole in the Air Force-related newspaper. News releases and articles were compared to determine whether certain releases could have generated particular articles. If a match was found, the release and article were paired and coded. All of the releases examined contained a "positive" tone. Nearly 60% of the articles examined contained a "positive" tone, 21% were "balanced," and less than 15% were "negative. " All releases were "hard news," and all but one was "past-oriented. " Most of the articles were "hard news" and "past-oriented. " Most articles in the prestige newspapers used "minimal" information from the news releases, while the Air Force Times used "minimal" and "significant" information equally. Nearly half of the articles examined used sources outside the Air Force, but inside the Department of Defense. Less than 60% of all articles examined were found to contain "very high accuracy," meaning all of the five W's (who, what, where, when, and why) provided in the release were present and correct in the articles.
Successful Incident Management on a Major Reconstruction Project

Reconstruction of high traffic roads presents considerable challenges to minimizing delays due to traffic incidents. The Pacific Motorway Project was a fast-track reconstruction of 43 km of one of the most heavily trafficked inter-urban routes in Australia, carrying up to 90,000 vehicles per day between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in South East Queensland. Reconstruction by the State Department of Main Roads involved upgrading from four to eight lanes, under traffic and along an existing corridor. Keeping traffic flowing route was a priority, and key objectives during the construction and operation phases (with sections progressively opened to traffic) were to ensure smooth traffic flow, minimizing impact on road users; to ensure the Motorway operated safely; and, to limit project cost, balancing design and construction with the operation of the existing roadway, to reduce costs, traffic delays and safety risks to acceptable levels. While these objectives are at times in tension, they were able to be satisfactorily achieved through a range of incident management initiatives, including setting clear objectives and performance standards, building good working partnerships, application of appropriate cost-effective technology and well thought out communication strategies. Successful incident management during the project meant that delays were minimized and response times to traffic incidents substantially reduced. This paper focuses on institutional issues and outlines the experience in keeping traffic flowing during a major road reconstruction project, in particular the incident management techniques implemented and the results and lessons learned in managing the impact on traffic.
Future Standardization Areas for Identity Management Systems

There are several areas of identity management that require standardization in order for them to work effectively. This paper proposes three standardization areas: the development of fine-grained privacy standards, the negotiation standards, and the backward privacy standards. Backward privacy refers to the problems that arise due to the massive amount of the already revealed personal information in the past which might reduce, or render useless, the effectiveness of the use of the privacy enhancing identity management system in the future. The main characteristics that each standard should have are also laid out in this paper.
Effects of Boiling Time on the Antioxidant Activity of Moringa Leaf Extract

M. oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree, native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas in Northwestern India, and widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas where its young seed pods and leaves are used as vegetables, and many parts of the tree are used in traditional herbal medicine. Moringa can also be used for water purification and hand washing [2]. The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant, being a significant source of B vitamins, vitamin C, pro vitamin A as beta-carotene, vitamin K, manganese, and protein, among other essential nutrients [3]. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach and are commonly dried and crushed into powder used in soups and sauces. [1].
Seeing Sound: Hans Jenny and the Cymatic Atlas

I argue that cymatic imaging processes are methods of artifactual data production rather than data collection and that the production of sonorous figures can be shown to be scientifically valuable when compared to other artifactual data production methods used in the past, particularly Alphonse Bertillon's use of anthropometrics to organize police catalogues in the 19th century. By artifactual, I mean that the data produced through a cymatic regime are the result of the imaging practice, and do not exist in the world before they are manufactured through a contrived process. Cymatics, a mediating imaging practice, permits an enhanced visual access to acoustical phenomena that are typically only experienced through our senses of hearing and touch. Furthermore, the production of cymatic images allows both hobbyists and scientists to create atlases, visual data repositories, of sound, wave displacements, and other modal phenomena. Without the artifactual visual data produced by a process like cymatics, it is impossible to create image-based atlases of invisible phenomena like sound that show more than idealized graphics of a particular wave.In order for scientific cymatic atlases to be created, the methods of production of a cymatic image, especially the frequency of the wave displacement and the media through which that wave displacement is being propagated, must be faithfully recorded and measured in order for viewers of the atlas to know what particular phenomenon they are observing. Though cymatics has been studied in detail since the Enlightenment, Dr. Hans Jenny was the first person to accurately record this auxiliary data, which allowed him to create the first cymatic atlas that was useful to scientists.