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1
Cipollini, Irene <1976>. "Pet food: quality and quality improvement." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2008. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/1058/1/Tesi_Cipollini_Irene.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Today’s pet food industry is growing rapidly, with pet owners demanding high-quality
diets for their pets. The primary role of diet is to provide enough nutrients to meet metabolic
requirements, while giving the consumer a feeling of well-being. Diet nutrient composition
and digestibility are of crucial importance for health and well being of animals. A recent
strategy to improve the quality of food is the use of “nutraceuticals” or “Functional foods”.
At the moment, probiotics and prebiotics are among the most studied and frequently used
functional food compounds in pet foods.
The present thesis reported results from three different studies.
The first study aimed to develop a simple laboratory method to predict pet foods
digestibility. The developed method was based on the two-step multi-enzymatic incubation
assay described by Vervaeke et al. (1989), with some modification in order to better
represent the digestive physiology of dogs. A trial was then conducted to compare in vivo
digestibility of pet-foods and in vitro digestibility using the newly developed method.
Correlation coefficients showed a close correlation between digestibility data of total dry
matter and crude protein obtained with in vivo and in vitro methods (0.9976 and 0.9957,
respectively). Ether extract presented a lower correlation coefficient, although close to 1
(0.9098). Based on the present results, the new method could be considered as an alternative
system of evaluation of dog foods digestibility, reducing the need for using experimental
animals in digestibility trials.
The second parte of the study aimed to isolate from dog faeces a Lactobacillus strain
capable of exert a probiotic effect on dog intestinal microflora. A L. animalis strain was
isolated from the faeces of 17 adult healthy dogs..The isolated strain was first studied in
vitro when it was added to a canine faecal inoculum (at a final concentration of 6 Log
CFU/mL) that was incubated in anaerobic serum bottles and syringes which simulated the
large intestine of dogs. Samples of fermentation fluid were collected at 0, 4, 8, and 24 hours
for analysis (ammonia, SCFA, pH, lactobacilli, enterococci, coliforms, clostridia).
Consequently, the L. animalis strain was fed to nine dogs having lactobacilli counts lower
than 4.5 Log CFU per g of faeces. The study indicated that the L animalis strain was able to
survive gastrointestinal passage and transitorily colonize the dog intestine. Both in vitro and
in vivo results showed that the L. animalis strain positively influenced composition and
metabolism of the intestinal microflora of dogs.
The third trail investigated in vitro the effects of several non-digestible
oligosaccharides (NDO) on dog intestinal microflora composition and metabolism.
Substrates were fermented using a canine faecal inoculum that was incubated in anaerobic
serum bottles and syringes. Substrates were added at the final concentration of 1g/L (inulin,
FOS, pectin, lactitol, gluconic acid) or 4g/L (chicory). Samples of fermentation fluid were
collected at 0, 6, and 24 hours for analysis (ammonia, SCFA, pH, lactobacilli, enterococci,
coliforms). Gas production was measured throughout the 24 h of the study. Among the
tested NDO lactitol showed the best prebiotic properties. In fact, it reduced coliforms and
increased lactobacilli counts, enhanced microbial fermentation and promoted the production
of SCFA while decreasing BCFA. All the substrates that were investigated showed one or
more positive effects on dog faecal microflora metabolism or composition. Further studies
(in particular in vivo studies with dogs) will be needed to confirm the prebiotic properties of
lactitol and evaluate its optimal level of inclusion in the diet.
2
Cipollini, Irene <1976>. "Pet food: quality and quality improvement." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2008. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/1058/.
Full textAbstract:
Today’s pet food industry is growing rapidly, with pet owners demanding high-quality
diets for their pets. The primary role of diet is to provide enough nutrients to meet metabolic
requirements, while giving the consumer a feeling of well-being. Diet nutrient composition
and digestibility are of crucial importance for health and well being of animals. A recent
strategy to improve the quality of food is the use of “nutraceuticals” or “Functional foods”.
At the moment, probiotics and prebiotics are among the most studied and frequently used
functional food compounds in pet foods.
The present thesis reported results from three different studies.
The first study aimed to develop a simple laboratory method to predict pet foods
digestibility. The developed method was based on the two-step multi-enzymatic incubation
assay described by Vervaeke et al. (1989), with some modification in order to better
represent the digestive physiology of dogs. A trial was then conducted to compare in vivo
digestibility of pet-foods and in vitro digestibility using the newly developed method.
Correlation coefficients showed a close correlation between digestibility data of total dry
matter and crude protein obtained with in vivo and in vitro methods (0.9976 and 0.9957,
respectively). Ether extract presented a lower correlation coefficient, although close to 1
(0.9098). Based on the present results, the new method could be considered as an alternative
system of evaluation of dog foods digestibility, reducing the need for using experimental
animals in digestibility trials.
The second parte of the study aimed to isolate from dog faeces a Lactobacillus strain
capable of exert a probiotic effect on dog intestinal microflora. A L. animalis strain was
isolated from the faeces of 17 adult healthy dogs..The isolated strain was first studied in
vitro when it was added to a canine faecal inoculum (at a final concentration of 6 Log
CFU/mL) that was incubated in anaerobic serum bottles and syringes which simulated the
large intestine of dogs. Samples of fermentation fluid were collected at 0, 4, 8, and 24 hours
for analysis (ammonia, SCFA, pH, lactobacilli, enterococci, coliforms, clostridia).
Consequently, the L. animalis strain was fed to nine dogs having lactobacilli counts lower
than 4.5 Log CFU per g of faeces. The study indicated that the L animalis strain was able to
survive gastrointestinal passage and transitorily colonize the dog intestine. Both in vitro and
in vivo results showed that the L. animalis strain positively influenced composition and
metabolism of the intestinal microflora of dogs.
The third trail investigated in vitro the effects of several non-digestible
oligosaccharides (NDO) on dog intestinal microflora composition and metabolism.
Substrates were fermented using a canine faecal inoculum that was incubated in anaerobic
serum bottles and syringes. Substrates were added at the final concentration of 1g/L (inulin,
FOS, pectin, lactitol, gluconic acid) or 4g/L (chicory). Samples of fermentation fluid were
collected at 0, 6, and 24 hours for analysis (ammonia, SCFA, pH, lactobacilli, enterococci,
coliforms). Gas production was measured throughout the 24 h of the study. Among the
tested NDO lactitol showed the best prebiotic properties. In fact, it reduced coliforms and
increased lactobacilli counts, enhanced microbial fermentation and promoted the production
of SCFA while decreasing BCFA. All the substrates that were investigated showed one or
more positive effects on dog faecal microflora metabolism or composition. Further studies
(in particular in vivo studies with dogs) will be needed to confirm the prebiotic properties of
lactitol and evaluate its optimal level of inclusion in the diet.
3
Michael, Gary E. "Introduction to Quality Improvement." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2011. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6432.
Full text
4
Ayad, Sarah. "Business Process Models Quality : evaluation and improvement." Thesis, Paris, CNAM, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013CNAM0922/document.
Full textAbstract:
La problématique scientifique abordée correspond à la modélisation et à l'amélioration des processus métiers. Ce problème est d'un intérêt croissant pour les entreprises qui prennent conscience de l'impact indéniable que peuvent avoir une meilleure compréhension et une meilleure gestion des processus métiers (PM) sur l'efficacité, la cohérence et la transparence de leurs activités. Le travail envisagé dans le cadre de la thèse vise à proposer une méthode et un outil pour mesurer et améliorer la qualité des modèles de processus métier. L’originalité de l’approche est qu’elle vise non seulement la qualité syntaxique mais aussi la qualité sémantique et pragmatique en s’appuyant notamment sur les connaissances du domaine<br>In recent years the problems related to modeling and improving business processes have been of growing interest. Indeed, companies are realizing the undeniable impact of a better understanding and management of business processes (BP) on the effectiveness, consistency, and transparency of their business operations. BP modeling aims at a better understanding of processes, allowing deciders to achieve strategic goals of the company. However, inexperienced systems analysts often lack domain knowledge leading and this affects the quality of models they produce.Our approach targets the problem related to business process modeling quality by proposing an approach encompassing methods and tools for business process (BP) models quality measurement and improvement. We propose to support this modeling effort with an approach that uses domain knowledge to improve the semantic quality of BP models.The main contribution of this thesis is fourfold:1. Exploiting the IS domain knowledge: A business process metamodel is identified.Semantics are added to the metamodel by the mean of OCL constraints.2. Exploiting the application domain knowledge. It relies on domain ontologies. Alignment between the concepts of both metamodels is defined and illustrated.3. Designing of the guided quality process encompassing methods and techniques to evaluate and improve the business process models. Our process propose many quality constraints and metrics in order to evaluat the quality of the models and finally the process propose relevant recommendations for improvement.4. Development of a software prototype “BPM-Quality”. Our prototype implements all theabove mentioned artifacts and proposes a workflow enabling its users to evaluate andimprove CMs efficiently and effectively.We conducted a survey to validate the selection of the quality constraints through a first experience and also conducted a second experiment to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of our overall approach and proposed improvements
5
Pang, Eva Y. "Developing a quality improvement taxonomy." Thesis, This resource online, 1990. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-03122009-040520/.
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6
Sousa, SeÌrgio Dinis Teixeira de. "Quality improvement measures in SMEs." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.422289.
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7
O’Donnell, Barbara Ann. "Quality improvement, or quality care : an ethnographic study of frontline National Health Service staff engagement with a quality improvement initiative." Thesis, University of the West of Scotland, 2018. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.768251.
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8
Ayad, Sarah. "Business Process Models Quality : evaluation and improvement." Electronic Thesis or Diss., Paris, CNAM, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013CNAM0922.
Full textAbstract:
La problématique scientifique abordée correspond à la modélisation et à l'amélioration des processus métiers. Ce problème est d'un intérêt croissant pour les entreprises qui prennent conscience de l'impact indéniable que peuvent avoir une meilleure compréhension et une meilleure gestion des processus métiers (PM) sur l'efficacité, la cohérence et la transparence de leurs activités. Le travail envisagé dans le cadre de la thèse vise à proposer une méthode et un outil pour mesurer et améliorer la qualité des modèles de processus métier. L’originalité de l’approche est qu’elle vise non seulement la qualité syntaxique mais aussi la qualité sémantique et pragmatique en s’appuyant notamment sur les connaissances du domaine<br>In recent years the problems related to modeling and improving business processes have been of growing interest. Indeed, companies are realizing the undeniable impact of a better understanding and management of business processes (BP) on the effectiveness, consistency, and transparency of their business operations. BP modeling aims at a better understanding of processes, allowing deciders to achieve strategic goals of the company. However, inexperienced systems analysts often lack domain knowledge leading and this affects the quality of models they produce.Our approach targets the problem related to business process modeling quality by proposing an approach encompassing methods and tools for business process (BP) models quality measurement and improvement. We propose to support this modeling effort with an approach that uses domain knowledge to improve the semantic quality of BP models.The main contribution of this thesis is fourfold:1. Exploiting the IS domain knowledge: A business process metamodel is identified.Semantics are added to the metamodel by the mean of OCL constraints.2. Exploiting the application domain knowledge. It relies on domain ontologies. Alignment between the concepts of both metamodels is defined and illustrated.3. Designing of the guided quality process encompassing methods and techniques to evaluate and improve the business process models. Our process propose many quality constraints and metrics in order to evaluat the quality of the models and finally the process propose relevant recommendations for improvement.4. Development of a software prototype “BPM-Quality”. Our prototype implements all theabove mentioned artifacts and proposes a workflow enabling its users to evaluate andimprove CMs efficiently and effectively.We conducted a survey to validate the selection of the quality constraints through a first experience and also conducted a second experiment to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of our overall approach and proposed improvements
9
Saroso, Dana Santoso. "Product quality improvement : a system approach /." St. Lucia, Qld, 2003. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe17433.pdf.
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10
Yella, Gilbert Ncheh, and Tongwa Ivo Atem. "Continuous Quality Improvement: Implementation and Sustainability." Thesis, Mälardalen University, Department of Innovation, Design and Product Development, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-378.
Full textAbstract:
<p>As the philosophy of doing business shift from sell what you can produce to produce what you can sell so do the customers’ specification continuously become a vital tool during product development process, hence increasing the volatility of the business environment. The objective of this thesis is to thoroughly review literature to be supported by cases why most companies fail in sustaining improvement programs then map out a pathway that will leads to successful implementation.</p><p>A series of reasons were found which impedes the successful implementation of improvement programs which includes; management is unable to define the problem to be solve and the method of measurement, implementers choose wrong parameters for improvement, implementers sub-optimize or may not involve everyone that will be affected by the program, top management gives little or no attention to improvement programs and at times they may even loose focus, so many concurrent improvement programs are executed which will result to resource overloading, teams members most often lack data integrity, and teams members are often scared to try new ideas hence prohibiting the chances of innovation. To minimize this cankerworm, a number of steps has been mentioned. The steps were divided into two phases, the selection phase and the implementation. The selection process includes; defining the program, focus program on improving shareholders’ value and choose program base on a holistic perspective. The implementation phase includes; commitment of top management, prioritize projects, use critical chain project management to plan and execute project, lay emphasis on quality data, minimize the number of concurrent projects, encourage risk taking, and spend time and resources on value adding activities.</p>
11
Wang, Xiaosong. "Automatic quality improvement of archive film." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.556740.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis describes our work towards a unified framework for automatic restoration of dirt and blotches in archive film. The framework we present here is composed of three stages, i. e. defect detection, false alarm elimination, and defect removal. First, we propose a novel probabilistic approach to detect defects in digitized archive film. An HMM is characterized and trained to model the statistical changes of temporal pixel transitions over several frames before and after the current frame. The trained HMM is then applied to measure how the likelihood of an unseen observation sequence being normal varies if each single observation within it was missing, one at a time in a leave-one-out fashion. The centre pixel of the observation sequence will be marked in the defect map, if the likelihood of the observation sequence without the centre pixel is larger, by a certain degree, than the average of all likelihoods. The resulting defect maps from our proposed defect detector encapsulates the true defects very well, but can suffer from many false alarms. Therefore, we extend the defect detection method to add a two-stage false alarm elimination process, which is developed based on investigating the characteristics and causes of false alarms. The proposed false alarm approach first applies MRF modelling on the defect map to propagate neighbouring normal pixels into the false alarm region using spatial continuity constraints. Then, the pyramidal Lucas-Kanade feature tracker is adopted to impose temporal correlation constraints on spatially isolated false alarm regions. This helps increase the accuracy of the proposed method significantly. Finally, we present a novel restoration method for defects and missing regions in archive films. Our statistical framework is based on Random Walks to examine the spatiotemporal path of a degraded pixel, and uses texture features in addition to intensity and motion information traditionally used in previous restoration works. The degraded pixels within a frame are restored in a multiscale framework by up- dating their features (intensity, motion and texture) at each level with reference to the attributes of normal pixels and other defective pixels in the previous scale as long as they fall within the defective pixel's random walk-based spatiotemporal neighbourhood. The proposed algorithms are compared against state-of-the-art and industry-standard methods to demonstrate their improved detection and restoration performance using our archive film restoration dataset.·.
12
Baliso, Unathi. "Partnering with suppliers for quality improvement." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1232.
Full textAbstract:
A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master Technology: Quality in the Faculty of Engineering at the Cape Penisula University of Technology<br>Uneven surfaces on national roads that often lead to difficulty and even danger can be extremely hazardous when wet, due to mud and cracks, and also create dust pollution for motorists, pedestrians, residents and business. The continuing use of low quality raw materials in producing hot mix asphalt for national roads, leads to regular maintenance at a very high cost. The quality aggregates (stone that is used to produce asphalt), and the quality of bitumen are often inadequate for the correct composition of hot mix asphalt. The mst important factors affecting initial and long term performance of the highways is the inferior pavement structure and condition, due to poor aggregates (raw material)from suppliers. The performance of asphalt i s largely determined by the characteristics of its constituents, the asphalt binder and aggregates.
13
Steyn, Nadine Louise. "Quality improvement using visual management techniques." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2214.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MTech (Quality))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015.<br>The fundamental activities of a business can be summarized as being a cycle of strategy development
and implementation, operations design and management and finally performance measurement,
which feeds back into strategy design. This research aims to determine whether visual management can
assist the quality motive by adding value to the above‐mentioned business activities for start‐up
businesses and strategic business units within the South African context. The main topics to be addressed are performance management and visual management (VM). Performance management entails investigating the concept of strategy, its formulation and eventual implementation; performance measurement; improvement initiatives and greater quality theory. Visual management will be introduced as an angle on corporate communication and the importance of sharing information indiscriminately throughout the organisation. Both empirical and non-‐empirical research methods are used to answer the question of the impact of VM on business activities. The first involves a theoretical synthesis from the literature, the second was based on interviews with professionals from the relevant industries, the third is content analysis of the above.
14
Wrigley, Timothy John. "Water quality improvement of piggery effluent." Thesis, Wrigley, Timothy John (1999) Water quality improvement of piggery effluent. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 1999. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/52406/.
Full textAbstract:
An experimental wetland system was constructed to upgrade the water quality of piggery wastewater. Transplanted aquatic macrophytes were successfully established within the wetland. The wetland experiment was concluded prematurely because of continual pipework blockages which prevented wastewater flow into the wetland.
The precipitate in the pipework was identified as Struvite, MgNH4PO4.6H2O, a precipitate widely associated with wastewaters and kidney stones.
The formation of struvite in the piggery wastewaters indicated that struvite may be an important process in the removal of nutrients.
X-ray diffraction of lagoon sludge confirmed that struvite precipitation occurred in the three wastewater lagoons at the piggery.
Magnesium, essential for the formation of struvite, entered the waste water system via groundwater used for wash down. Magnesium was also an important food supplement in the feed provided for the pigs. Magnesium coupled with ammonia and phosphorus at pH values greater than nine (9) can produce struvite. Up to 250 tonnes/annum of struvite could be removed from the final piggery effluent under correct pH and dosing conditions. Struvite is a valuable slow release fertilizer, and its formation and removal from wastewaters may be important in the reduction of eutrophication in receiving waters.
Laboratory-scale batch and continuous anaerobic digestion of piggery effluent was undertaken. The removal of struvite from solution by chemical dosing with MgSO4 after digestion was determined.
During anaerobic digestion of piggery wastewater, COD was reduced by 50%- 90%, as measured by biogas production. Concentrations of PO4-P in the supemate increased during batch digestion (21 to 33 mg/L) while a marked reduction in PO4-P concentration of the supemate from the continuous digestion (21 to 10 mg/L) occurred. The addition of MgSO4 to the supernate reduced PO4-P concentrations from 33 to 7 mg/L (batch) and from 10 to 0.1 mg/L (continuous). Struvite, aphthitalite (K3Na(SO4)2) and thermardite (Na2SO4) were precipitated from solution.
A computer model was developed to describe struvite solubility chemistry; this included the electro-neutrality equation which allowed for greater variability in the input components. Relationships between the major ions were retained without approximation. The model results fitted data from both our laboratory results and published values. Equilibrium constants which markedly affect the output were identified and solubility constants derived.
The computer model of the solution chemistry of struvite was then improved. Firstly, the algorithm was smaller and faster with ammonia as the prime calculation point in the liquid phase. Secondly, the incorporation of dissolved magnesium hydrogen phosphate (dMHP) in the model significantly increased concentrations in solution. Thirdly, estimates of activity coefficients were included.
These improvements made a 5-10% improvement in the fit. This flexible modeling procedure allowed for the ready inclusion of all possible species. The addition of associated ammonium phosphates improved the fit. Estimates of the association constants were included. Applications of the model include waste-water treatment and the formation of kidney stones.
15
J, Mohammad Mohammad Alkin Cihad. "Text Mining: A Burgeoning Quality Improvement Tool." Master's thesis, METU, 2007. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12609006/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
While the amount of textual data available to us is constantly increasing, managing
the texts by human effort is clearly inadequate for the volume and complexity of the
information involved. Consequently, requirement for automated extraction of useful
knowledge from huge amounts of textual data to assist human analysis is apparent.
Text mining (TM) is mostly an automated technique that aims to discover knowledge
from textual data. In this thesis, the notion of text mining, its techniques, applications
are presented. In particular, the study provides the definition and overview of
concepts in text categorization. This would include document representation models,
weighting schemes, feature selection methods, feature extraction, performance
measure and machine learning techniques. The thesis details the functionality of text
mining as a quality improvement tool. It carries out an extensive survey of text
mining applications within service sector and manufacturing industry. It presents two
broad experimental studies tackling the potential use of text mining for the hotel
industry (the comment card analysis), and in automobile manufacturer (miles per
gallon analysis).
Keywords: Text Mining, Text Categorization, Quality Improvement, Service Sector,
Manufacturing Industry.
16
Stefanovic, Milorad. "Advanced software engineering models for quality improvement." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ60501.pdf.
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Kromlidis, S. "Battery energy storage for power quality improvement." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.556320.
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Fahlén, Jesper, and Andréas Langell. "Internal Quality Audits as an Improvement Tool." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Kvalitetsteknik, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-107429.
Full textAbstract:
A large proportion of businesses around the world is today ISO 9001 certified and is consequently conducting internal audits on a regular basis. It has however not been possible to conclude that internal audits always add value to the organisation, despite the large utilisation of this tool. Some authors, e.g. Alic & Rusjan (2010) and Wealleans (2000), mean that there are possibilities that internal audits may be used as a value-adding improvement tool. This has led to the emergence of this master’s thesis. The purpose of the case study was therefore formulated to examine how internal quality audits can be made more effective and used as an improvement tool. Research questions were formed to fulfil the stated purpose. The aim of these research questions was to answer how and why internal quality audits are conducted, what factors that are important for effective audits and how internal quality audits be used as an improvement tool. Saab AB is a military defence and security company with a long history of conducting internal quality audits. Key personnel of the audit organisation at Saab have however recognised a need for developing the audit activities, with the goal of adding more value to the company. The recognition had a similar purpose to this thesis, making Saab the ideal case company for this study. From academic theories nine important factors emerged to be able to fully understand and improve the internal audits. The empirical data was collected at the case company through interviews, a focus group, participant observations and document analyses. The result from the empirical findings were, together with the identified factors, analysed and discussed. Conclusions could thereafter be drawn. The case study shows that an internal audit is performed according to a process with five steps, similar to the theory presented by Wealleans (2000). The main purpose of audits is currently to check requirement compliance. The earlier mentioned nine factors were confirmed to be important for effective audits. These factors have to be considered in order for internal quality audits to be used as an improvement tool. One of the conclusions was that all factors are indirectly or directly linked to each other in a complex matrix. It is therefore essential that all factors are treated when examining a company’s internal audit activities. The results indicate that the audit activities need to be broaden and that the work methods and tools, used in the audit process, require further development. A recommendation to the case company is to work closer to their Lean organisation and start using quality tools such as 5 Whys. There is a need of further academic attention in the field of complementary quality tools and methods used in internal quality audits. This case study could work as a foundation for deeper and more targeted research in this area.<br>En stor andel av företag runt om i världen är idag ISO 9001-certifierade och genomför således interna revisioner på regelbunden basis. Det har dock inte varit möjligt att bevisa att interna revisioner alltid adderar värde till organisationen, trots den stora användningen av detta verktyg. Vissa författare, till exempel Alic & Rusjan (2010) och Wealleans (2000), menar att det finns möjligheter att använda interna revisioner som ett värdeadderande förbättringsverktyg. Detta har lett till uppkomsten av detta examensarbete. Syftet med denna fallstudie var därför formulerat till att studera hur interna kvalitetsrevisioner kan göras mer effektiva samt användas som ett förbättringsverktyg. Forskarfrågor utformades för att uppfylla det angivna syftet. Målet med dessa forskarfrågor var att svara på hur och varför interna kvalitetsrevisioner utförs, identifiera vilka faktorer som är viktiga för effektiva revisioner samt undersöka hur interna kvalitetsrevisioner kan användas som ett förbättringsverktyg. Saab AB är ett försvars- och säkerhetsföretag med en lång historia av att utföra interna kvalitetsrevisioner. Nyckelpersoner från revisionsverksamheten på Saab har dock insett att revisionsaktiviteterna måste utvecklas, med målet att addera värde till företaget. Detta mål ligger i linje med syftet bakom detta examensarbete, vilket gör Saab till det ideala fallföretaget för denna studie. Från akademiska teorier har nio viktiga faktorer identifierats för att kunna förstå och förbättra interna revisioner. Den empiriska datan samlades in på fallföretaget genom intervjuer, en fokusgrupp, deltagande observation och dokumentgranskning. Resultatet från empirin var, tillsammans med de identifierade faktorerna, analyserade och diskuterade. Slutsatser kunde därefter dras. Fallstudien visar att en internrevision utförs enligt en process med fem steg, likt den teori som presenterades av Wealleans (2000). Revisioners huvudsyfte är för tillfället att kontrollera kravuppfyllnad. De tidigare nämnda nio faktorerna bekräftades vara viktiga för effektiva revisioner. Dessa faktorer måste beaktas för att interna kvalitetsrevisioner ska kunna användas som ett förbättringsverktyg. En av slutsatserna var att alla faktorer är indirekt eller direkt kopplade till varandra på ett komplext sätt. Det är därför viktigt att alla faktorer behandlas när ett företags interna revisionsaktiviteter undersöks. Resultatet indikerar att revisionsaktiviteter behöver breddas och att arbetsmetoderna och verktygen, som används i revisionsprocessen, behöver utvecklas. En rekommendation till fallföretaget är att de bör arbeta närmare sin Leanorganisation och börja använda kvalitetsverktyg såsom 5 Whys. Det finns ett behov av ytterliggare akademisk uppmärksamhet gällande området kompletterande kvalitetsverktyg och metoder till interna kvalitetsrevisioner. Denna fallstudie kan användas som en grund till för djupare och mer inriktad forskning inom detta område.
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Kasikci, Ismail. "A new method for power quality improvement." Thesis, Brunel University, 2000. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5802.
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A new control method for active power filters in conjunction with a passive filter circuit are presented and analysed in this thesis. A new technique for load modelling is introduced in order to enable the design of compensators to improve the power factor and to reduce harmonic levels in electrical power systems. The principles of analysis, design, operation and control of the new circuit equipped with IGBTs are presented. This enables the compensation of rapidly changing loads and reactive power. A special circuit equipped with IGBTs is able to compensate for the reactive power and harmonic currents of different orders. The important aspect of the present work is based on the compensator control circuit for power factor correction and harmonic elimination, and its application. This new configuration improves the rating of the active power filter, reducing power losses in the switches compared to existing and newly developed active filters. Furthermore, it is very stable in operation and much faster by a factor of 20. The thesis also presents a detailed mathematical modelling of the proposed system with frequency and time domain equations. The frequency response of the proposed system is also discussed. This new proposal has been checked using a dedicated software simulation program, which was specifically developed for this purpose. An experimental set-up has been designed and implemented in order to apply the new method using IGBTs as well as some other devices. This thesis also presents a critical literature survey, which provides a critical overview of previous work relevant to the power quality improvement reactive power compensation and active filtering.
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Huddart, Sam. "Healthcare quality improvement in emergency laparotomy surgery." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2018. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/848690/.
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Emergency laparotomies in the UK, and internationally, have a high risk of death, with accompanying evidence of suboptimal care. The emergency laparotomy pathway quality improvement care (ELPQuiC) bundle is a care bundle for patients undergoing emergency laparotomy, consisting of: initial assessment with early warning scores, early antibiotics, interval between decision and operation less than 6 hours, consultant-led intra-operative care, goal-directed fluid therapy and postoperative intensive care. The primary aim was to determine if implementation improved patient mortality after emergency laparotomy. Methods: The ELPQuiC bundle was implemented in four hospitals, using locally identified strategies to assess the impact on risk-adjusted mortality. Comparison of risk-adjusted 30-day mortality rates before and after care-bundle implementation was made using risk-adjusted cumulative sum (CUSUM) plots and a logistic regression model. Results: Risk-adjusted CUSUM plots showed an increase in the numbers of lives saved per 100 patients treated in all hospitals, from 6.47 in the baseline interval (299 patients included) to 12.44 after implementation (427 patients included) (P < 0.001). The overall risk-adjusted risk of death decreased from 15.6 to 9.6 per cent (risk ratio 0.614, 95 per cent confidence interval 0.451 to 0.836; P=0.002). There was an increase in the uptake of the ELPQuiC processes but no significant difference in the patient predicted risk of mortality profile as determined by the mean Portsmouth Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (P-POSSUM) risk (0.197 and 0.223 before and after implementation respectively; P=0.395). Conclusion: Use of the ELPQuiC bundle was associated with an increase in compliance to the majority of elements of the care bundle. Introduction of the ELPQuiC Bundle was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death following emergency laparotomy.
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Heath, Michael Lindsey. "Quality control improvement in global apparel sourcing." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104309.
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Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2016. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.<br>Thesis: S.M. in Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2016. In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-50).<br>This project addressed challenges within the quality management process of one of the operating groups of Li & Fung. The primary goals were improved product quality and reduced quality control costs. The operating group works with thousands of factories across the world, producing a large variety of apparel and textile products. The industry trend of fast fashion, with small order sizes and shorter lead times, has placed considerable burden on the limited quality control resources. Understanding the current state of the quality management process was the first project step, and this was accomplished through factory visits and interviewing workers. The current inspection process was designed for large orders and performs sub-optimally with smaller orders. Second, the project took a broad view of the supplier base, performing statistical analysis of inspection and factory data. This revealed problems with the process that lead to high inspection costs and inaccurate inspection results. Next, the project identified technological solutions and process improvements to address the root causes of these issues and to increase the accuracy and efficiency of inspectors. Three specific technology solutions were developed: measurement digitization, label scanners, and improved management metrics. Each solution was prototyped and the critical functionality was tested to demonstrate the value of implementation. Business analysis of the solutions revealed time savings of 60,000 inspector hours/year and cost savings of more than $1 million. At the conclusion of the project, integration of the solutions within the current inspection mobile app was ongoing and expected to be rolled out across the quality organization in the first half of 2016. Finally, recommendations beyond the scope of the technology solutions are provided for further improvement of the quality management process.<br>by Michael Lindsey Heath.<br>M.B.A.<br>S.M. in Engineering Systems
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Brown, Robert Paul. "Organisational culture and quality improvement : a study." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/2682.
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The initial direction of this research was in the application of Quality tools and techniques, within the framework of the EFQM Model for Business Excellence. Three quality improvement projects managed by the author (Cost of Quality, BPR and Benchmarking) sought to identify the key elements of a process improvement methodology. However, the completion of the three case studies led the author to review the whole approach of the research. The review led to the need to develop an understanding of the culture and the environment of an organisation as a precursor to implementing quality improvement. The ability of an organisation to manage the process of continuous improvement or TQM implementation was fundamentally dependent on the culture of an organisation. Organisational culture is the bedrock upon which organisational change is based and an understanding of the culture could help the practitioner focus on key change issues at the outset. The main work in the research then set about attempting to develop and test a model of organisational culture and climate which would help practitioners develop a fuller understanding of organisational culture and internal environment before interventions were carried out. A process for developing an understanding of organisational culture and climate was derived, using information obtained from the culture, quality and climate literature and the review of the case studies. This process included the use of various tools and techniques such as multi-item questionnaire and focus groups. The process used Focus Groups to identify key issues within Lloyds TSB and to help develop a multi-item questionnaire, termed PCOC. The PCOC questionnaire was then tested in four different Areas of Lloyds TSB and the results were analysed and compared to identify similarities and differences across Business Areas. The implications for the implementation of quality improvement were identified and recommendations for managing change were made.
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Neubeck, Truls. "Quality improvement within nonprofit social service providers." Doctoral thesis, Hälsohögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, HHJ. IMPROVE (Improvement, innovation, and leadership in health and welfare), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-29788.
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As a relatively new phenomenon in 2009, Swedish nonprofit social service providers proposed quality improvement as a way to reduce mistakes, use resources more effectively and meet the needs and expectations of clients in a better way. Although similar experiences have been studied in health care, the transfer of quality improvement to nonprofit social services gives a possibility for more knowledge on what enables, and constrains, systematic quality improvement in this specific context. This thesis is based on five years of supporting quality improvement in the Swedish nonprofit welfare sector. Specifically, it builds knowledge on which active mechanisms and enabling or constraining structures exist for nonprofit social service quality improvement. By studying quality improvement projects that have been conducted in the development program Forum for Values, critical cases and broad overviews are found valuable. These cases have resulted in four papers on quality improvement in nonprofit social services. The papers include: critical cases from a nursing home for elderly and a daycare for disabled children (Paper I); a critical case from a sheltered housing (Paper II); an overview of performance measurements in 127 quality improvement projects (Paper III); and an analytical model of how improvement policy and practice are bridged by intermediaries (Paper IV). In this thesis, enabled or constrained events and activities related to Deming's system of profound knowledge are identified from the papers and elaborated upon. As a basis for transforming practice into continuous improvement, profound knowledge includes the four knowledge domains: appreciation of a system, theory of knowledge, understanding of variation and psychology of change. From a realist perspective, the identified events are seen as enabled or constrained by mechanisms and underlying regularities, or structures, in the context of nonprofit social services. The emerging mechanisms found in this thesis are: describing and reflecting upon project relations; forming and testing a theory of action; collecting and displaying measurable results over time; and engaging and participating in a development program. The structures that enable these mechanisms are: connecting projects to shared values such as client needs; local ownership of what should be measured; and translating quality improvement into a single practice. Constraining structures identified are: a lack of generalizable scientific knowledge and inappropriate or missing infrastructure for measurements. Reflecting upon the emergent structures of nonprofit social services, the role of political macro structures, reflective practice, competence in statistical methods and areas of expertise becomes important. From this discussion and the findings some hypotheses for future work can be formulated. First, the identified mechanisms and structures form a framework that helps explain why intended actions of quality improvement occur or not. This frameworkcan be part of formulating a program theory of quality improvement in nonprofit social services. With this theory, quality improvement can be evaluated, reflected upon and further developed in future interventions. Second,new quality improvement interventions can be reproduced more regularly by active work with known enablers and constraints from this program theory. This means that long-lasting interventions can be performed and studied in a second generation of improvement efforts. Third, if organizations integrate quality improvement as a part of their everyday practice they also develop context-specific knowledge about their services. This context-specific knowledge can be adopted and further developed through dedicated management and understanding of variation. Thus, if enabling structures are invoked and constraining structures handled, systematic quality improvement could be one way to integrate generalizable scientific knowledge as part of an evidence-creating practice.
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Watson, Robert V. "Mains power quality improvement using active filters." Thesis, University of South Wales, 2009. https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentthesis/mains-power-quality-improvement-using-active-filters(e798030f-aca0-49c1-b85f-c9cb856109bb).html.
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Michael, Gary E. "Running a Successful Clinical Quality Improvement Process." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2012. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6433.
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Johnson, Jeannie E. "Quality Improvement Project: Decreasing Patient Wait Times." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1627511374637774.
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Kwok, Tak Lung. "Quality improvement and inspection in supply chains /." View abstract or full-text, 2004. http://library.ust.hk/cgi/db/thesis.pl?IEEM%202004%20KWOK.
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Bon, Abdul Talib. "Process quality improvement on beltline moulding manufacturing." La Rochelle, 2008. http://www.theses.fr/2008LAROS239.
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Le monde industriel de fabrication d'aujourd'hui doit satisfaire la demande des utilisateurs finaux et l'un des facteurs déterminants est la demande des produits de haute précision. Plusieurs stratégies ont été employées par les fabricants pour réduire le nombre des défauts et prédire la précision des processus de fabrication. L'approche de l'amélioration de contrôle de qualité, implémentée dans cette étude, comprend la mise en place des paramètres et l'optimisation pour le processus de la moulure des ceintures de caisse afin de réduire la durée de la prise et le nombre des défauts. Nous avons développé de nouvelles techniques dans la sélection des paramètres et l'optimisation, dans lesquelles nous utilisons deux techniques statistiques qui sont notamment l'optimisation d'essaim de particules et l'algorithme génétique. Les techniques de prévisions ARIMA développées au cours de cette étude pourraient devenir un outil d'interprétation des données plus supérieur que la méthodologie traditionnelle existante. Les résultats de cette étude serviront d'évidences utiles dans l'applicabilité de l'implémentation de la méthodologie de la moulure des ceintures de caisses proposée aux fabricants<br>The world of manufacturing industries is forced to meet the demand of the end users and one of the factors is highly quality demand from customer and highly precise products have determined by manufacturing systems. Many strategues from manufacturer already did how to reduce the number of defected and forecast the manufacturing process to more accurate. Process Quality Improvement approach was introduced and implemented in this study. Which is a parameter setting and optimization for beltline moulding process have developed and optimized to both shorten setting time and reduce number of detect procedures. We developed new techniques in parameter selection and optimization which is we apply a statistical techniques, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) approach in this study. The ARIMA forecasting techniques developed for this study can forecast, and can become superior to traditional methodology where interpretation is needed. The findings from the study will serve as a useful evidence and applicability of the proposed methodology to beltline moulding manufacturer for implementation
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Ferreira, Labiche. "Crash quality- an approach for evaluating spending on quality improvement initiatives." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2000. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/RTD/id/26041.
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University of Central Florida College of Engineering Thesis<br>The quality movement has become popular among corporations big and small for one reason: empirical evidence suggests that quality and productivity (and hence profitability) are linked. Unfortunately, while many firms accept that quality and productivity go together, few actually track the gains associated with their quality improvement programs. Companies also tend to spend on quality improvement with no indication of estimation of the impact of funding on the targeted process. It would be of great value to know: (1) the impact of spending to enhance the product/process quality level, and (2) the point at which expenditures for quality improvement are not economical. This research involves modeling the quality level of a product composed of integrated components/processes and the costs associated with quality improvement. Presented in this research is a methodology for determining the point at which the target quality level is reached. This point signifies when future spending should be re-directed. The research defines this point as the "Crash Quality Point (CQP)." Cases of a single process level and double level three-stage process are modeled to conceptualize CQP. The finding from the output analysis reveal that the quality level appoaches the target level at varying points in time. Any spending beyond this point does not have an impact on the quality level compared to the period prior to the Crash Quality Point. Spending past this point is futile and these funds could be spent on othe quality improvement projects. The special case modeled also illustrates the use of this tool in the selection of processes for improvements based on the quality level of the process. This is an added advantage in scenarios where funds are limited and management is constrained to improve process quality with limited funds. Using a real world example validates the proposed CQP methodology. The results of the validation indicate that the model developed can assist managers in forecasting the budget requirements for quality spending based on the quality improvement goals. The tool also enables managers to estimate the point in time at which allocations of funds may be directed for process reengineering. The CQP method will enable quality improvement professionals to determine the economical viability and the limits in expenditures on quality improvement. It enables managers to evaluate spending alternatives and approximate when the point of diminishing return is reached.<br>Ph.D.;<br>Engineering;<br>Industrial Engineering Management Systems;<br>154 p.<br>xiii, 154 leaves, bound : ill., (some col.) ; 28 cm.
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He, Zhonglin. "Software quality improvement by application of the Japanese manufacturing quality techniques." Thesis, Southampton Solent University, 1998. http://ssudl.solent.ac.uk/1273/.
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The software industry is facing a great challenge due to the demand of quality and complexity on an ever increasing number of software products. The software industry has been dealing with this challenge by software process assessment and improvement, and by improving and developiong more sophisticated software development methodologies. Quality concepts and practices have been well formulated in traditional manufacturing industries, especially in Japan. However many successful and influential manufacturing quality techniques have not been examined systematically in context of software quality. To tackle the existing problems in improving the software process maturity and software product quality, I investigate the quality principles and techniques developed in manufacturing industries and study the feasibility and ways in applying them to software quality. The similarities and differences between software and manufacturing industries are analysed. Motivated by the TQM (Total Quality Management) concept, the Japanese quality control tools and quality management tools are examined together with the Deming cycle in the context of software process improvement. The manufacturing process capability indices Cp and Cpk are examined and it is shown how they can be used in quantitatively monitoring, controlling and improving the software process. The very successful Japanese manufacturing quality techniques, Taguchi methods, are investigated. Two of these methods are shown to be appropriate to apply to software quality. The Taguchi's optimal parameter design method is used to produce the Orthogonal Software Testing Methodology to optimise software testing. Taguchi's fractional factorial experimentation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method is used to produce an Orthoganol Software Performance Evaluation Methodology which provides an experimental method for effective software performance evaluation.
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Wajid, Gohar. "Pakistan's teaching hospitals : present measured quality and proposed quality improvement programme." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.402995.
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Dyason, Marilyn Dorothy. "Driving competitive continuous improvement." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.310396.
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Zwet, Aisha. "Total quality management : a framework for quality improvement in Arab manufacturing companies." Thesis, University of East London, 2017. http://roar.uel.ac.uk/7305/.
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Total Quality Management (TQM), has been accepted globally as a management philosophy and practice to improve quality. However, only limited empirical studies have been carried out in manufacturing SMEs in the Gulf countries. The primary concern for the manufacturing SME s in the Middle East who want to compete in the global market is that many competitors have been involved in quality improvement programs for decades which initially give them a competitive edge. These companies have already developed the top management commitment, infrastructure and other resources needed to sustain continuous improvement (CI) practices. Manufacturing companies in the Middle East, on the other hand, have until recently often lacked the knowledge and skills essential to develop and implement a total quality program, hence struggle to improve the quality management system in comparison to the manufacturing companies in the west. There are many reasons for this wide gap. The causes include education, amount of time and capital spent on research on total quality management (TQM) and other quality management models, limited use of variety quality control lean tools and techniques, limited access to information and communication technology, low labour productivity and a variety of other social cultural issues that impede productivity and efficiency. This research investigates the actual causes of difficulties in implementing and adopting TQM and CI practices that challenge the manufacturing SMEs in the Gulf region in terms of quality management. The research was designed to identify the current level of TQM implementation in manufacturing SMEs in the Gulf States and investigate the TQM and CI Parameters that affect the performance of the companies and to identify barriers that stop them from implementing TQM in their company. The main objectives were to determine the influencing factors and response to TQM implementation within manufacturing SMEs. A first stage empirical analysis was carried out to establish the current state of quality initiatives and identify the current level of knowledge regarding TQM and critical success factors in manufacturing SMEs . in the Middle East . The main findings of the research include the impact of TQM practice on manufacturing SMEs in the Middle East , identification of critical success factors to implement TQM effectively, establishing the impact of demographic characteristics on TQM and significant and positive effect on relationships such as education and training, employee participation , customer satisfaction and management commitment. Based on the empirical findings a TQM framework was developed that is more suitable for Arab SMEs to improve the quality management and business performance. The contribution to knowledge in this research is the development of a framework to combine selected CI tools that suit the Arab manufacturing SMEs and that will improve the productivity, lead time, customer satisfaction, low cost, quality product and employee skills. The proposed TQM model was validated through a second stage empirical analysis.
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Strong, Andrew J. "Development of a Quality Improvement Method for International Manufacturing." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 2008. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd2337.pdf.
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Mast, Jeroen de. "Quality improvement from the viewpoint of statistical method." [S.l. : Amsterdam : s.n.] ; Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host], 2002. http://dare.uva.nl/document/65101.
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Tan, Matthias H. Y. "Contributions to quality improvement methodologies and computer experiments." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/48936.
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This dissertation presents novel methodologies for five problem areas in modern quality improvement and computer experiments, i.e., selective assembly, robust design with computer experiments, multivariate quality control, model selection for split plot experiments, and construction of minimax designs.
Selective assembly has traditionally been used to achieve tight specifications on the clearance of two mating parts. Chapter 1 proposes generalizations of the selective assembly method to assemblies with any number of components and any assembly response function, called generalized selective assembly (GSA). Two variants of GSA are considered: direct selective assembly (DSA) and fixed bin selective assembly (FBSA). In DSA and FBSA, the problem of matching a batch of N components of each type to give N assemblies that minimize quality cost is formulated as axial multi-index assignment and transportation problems respectively. Realistic examples are given to show that GSA can significantly improve the quality of assemblies.
Chapter 2 proposes methods for robust design optimization with time consuming computer simulations. Gaussian process models are widely employed for modeling responses as a function of control and noise factors in computer experiments. In these experiments, robust design optimization is often based on average quadratic loss computed as if the posterior mean were the true response function, which can give misleading results. We propose optimization criteria derived by taking expectation of the average quadratic loss with respect to the posterior predictive process, and methods based on the Lugannani-Rice saddlepoint approximation for constructing accurate credible intervals for the average loss. These quantities allow response surface uncertainty to be taken into account in the optimization process.
Chapter 3 proposes a Bayesian method for identifying mean shifts in multivariate normally distributed quality characteristics. Multivariate quality characteristics are often monitored using a few summary statistics. However, to determine the causes of an out-of-control signal, information about which means shifted and the directions of the shifts is often needed. We propose a Bayesian approach that gives this information. For each mean, an indicator variable that indicates whether the mean shifted upwards, shifted downwards, or remained unchanged is introduced. Default prior distributions are proposed. Mean shift identification is based on the modes of the posterior distributions of the indicators, which are determined via Gibbs sampling.
Chapter 4 proposes a Bayesian method for model selection in fractionated split plot experiments. We employ a Bayesian hierarchical model that takes into account the split plot error structure. Expressions for computing the posterior model probability and other important posterior quantities that require evaluation of at most two uni-dimensional integrals are derived. A novel algorithm called combined global and local search is proposed to find models with high posterior probabilities and to estimate posterior model probabilities. The proposed method is illustrated with the analysis of three real robust design experiments. Simulation studies demonstrate that the method has good performance.
The problem of choosing a design that is representative of a finite candidate set is an important problem in computer experiments. The minimax criterion measures the degree of representativeness because it is the maximum distance of a candidate point to the design. Chapter 5 proposes algorithms for finding minimax designs for finite design regions. We establish the relationship between minimax designs and the classical set covering location problem in operations research, which is a binary linear program. We prove that the set of minimax distances is the set of discontinuities of the function that maps the covering radius to the optimal objective function value, and optimal solutions at the discontinuities are minimax designs. These results are employed to design efficient procedures for finding globally optimal minimax and near-minimax designs.
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Armstrong, Matthew. "Power quality improvement of grid connected photovoltaic inverters." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.512180.
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Saravi, Mohammad Ebrahimzadeh. "Improving cost estimation accuracy through quality improvement techniques." Thesis, University of Bath, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.520948.
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Han, Lei. "IMPROVEMENT OF SILICON OXIDE QUALITY USING HEAT TREATMENT." UKnowledge, 2012. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/ece_etds/5.
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In decades, the tremendous development of integrated circuits industry could be mostly attributed to SiO2, since its satisfactory properties as a gate dielectric candidate. The effectivity of SiO2 has been challenged since dielectric layer was scaled down below 3nm, when the gate leakage current of SiO2 became unacceptable. Institution to silicon-based CMOS techniques were proposed, but they have their own limitations. Nowadays, materials with high dielectric constants are mainstream gate dielectric materials in industry, but a SiO2 interfacial layer is still necessary to avoid gap between gate dielectric layer and Si substrate, and to minimize interface trap charges. In this thesis work, by applying lateral heating process on Si wafer with thermally grown ultrathin SiO2, the gate leakage current density could be reduced by 3-5 order of magnitude. MOS capacitors were fabricated, and electrical properties were tested with semiconductor parameter analyzer and LCR meter. The underlying mechanism of this appealing phenomenon was explored. Since unacceptable gate leakage current is one of the main reasons which prevent the scaling trend in semiconductor industry, this technology brings a possibility to post-pone the end of scaling trend, and pave a way for extensive application in industry. A new method for fabrication of MOS capacitors metal gate has been developed, and lift-off process has been replaced by wet etching process. This method provides better contact between dielectric layer and metal gate, meanwhile much easier operation.
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Dai, Qi M. Eng Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Quality improvement and control based on defect reduction." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62497.
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Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-49).<br>This thesis addresses the quality improvement in a printing process at a food packaging company now experiencing hundreds of printing defects. Methodologies of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC), and Response Surface Model were introduced to reduce the defect rate and control the process. As a result, critical inputs were identified, and a statistical regression model was constructed to predict the flaw size by knowing the critical inputs of the process. The mathematical optimal settings were determined to minimize the flaw size. Moreover, advanced control charts were developed to monitor and control the process.<br>by Dai, Qi.<br>M.Eng.
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Khan, Omar S. (Omar Sharif). "System dynamics modeling of generic quality improvement programs." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42807.
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Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1997.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-134).<br>by Omar S. Khan.<br>S.B.and M.Eng.
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Jalbani, Akhtar Ali. "Quality Assessment and Quality Improvement for UML Models." Doctoral thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-0006-B6AA-7.
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Mishra, Shrutisnata. "Power Quality Improvement Using Unified Power Quality Conditioner." Thesis, 2016. http://ethesis.nitrkl.ac.in/8277/1/2016_MT_214EE4248_Power_Quality_Improvement_Using.pdf.
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Power quality can be defined as any power problem faced in the frequency, current or voltage deviation which leads to mal-operation of the customer’s equipment. It has been always difficult to maintain the quality of electric power so as to keep it within the acceptable limits. Mainly the use of power electronics devices that acts as the nonlinear load is responsible for the degradation in the poor power quality. Poor power quality results in various problems in the distribution systems like higher power losses, harmonics, sag and swells in the voltage, poor distortion and displacement factor. The recent developments in communications, digital electronics, and control system have rapidly increased the number of sensitive loads that require ideal sinusoidal supply voltage for their proper operation. So it became necessary to include some sort of compensation in order to meet limits proposed by standards. Here Unified power quality Conditioner (UPQC) has been used to overcome the power quality problem. UPQC which is a combination of back to back connected series and shunt APFs through a common DC link voltage, the two APFs function differently. The shunt active filter is mainly advantageous in removing the current related problems and the improvement of power factor and regulation of DC link voltage. Whereas the series APF helps in correction of voltage related problems by acting as a controlled voltage source. Two control strategies has been described here i.e. the UVTG (unit vector template generation) and the synchronous reference frame, P-Q technique. UVTG is used for the control of both series and shunt active power filter whereas in the other method synchronous reference frame method is used for the control of SAF and the P-Q method is used for the control of shunt APF.
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鄭松森. "Quality Improvement of Sapphire Wafer." Thesis, 2009. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/76043778767156715129.
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碩士<br>國立清華大學<br>工業工程與工程管理學系工程碩士在職專班<br>97<br>Due to bursting development of LED market, highly change and various of requirements, and competition among all sapphire supplier, quality of sapphire and wafer-customization have become fundamental conditions of raising customer satisfaction. Productivity and competitiveness of an enterprise is determined by quality, cost, delivery time of product. During the period of quality improvement, the company may encounter technical problems or bottleneck from manufacturing and product design which all are important factors of causing yield loss.
This research took company A as an example. According to cause-effect analysis, the reasons of causing wafer broken and wafer scratch during grind process were operating method of people, attitude management toward job, job transfer between duty-shift and pressure control of equipments. The research not only discussed the root causes of cause-effect generating from people, but also prevents from miscommunication, and job transfer anomaly. To assess one’s proficiency was also one of the management methods mentioned. Through effective human management, job improvement, facility plan and quality control methodology, improvements of decreasing man-made error, and process quality were available, the high yield and low cost can also be acquired.
The research predicted that wafer broken and scratch can be decreased through improving factors above. After automatize equipments, one can decreased wafer broken rate, parameters, such as time and pressure, setting error that resulted in wafer thickness out of spec and wafer loss. Through the discussion of results, we could put forward the contribution, limitation and future development.
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Garudachar, Srinivas B. "Statistical techniques for quality improvement." 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/23906.
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Yu, Wei-Chang, and 俞維昌. "The Quality Improvement Organization Model." Thesis, 1994. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/17855990245669985905.
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碩士<br>國立中山大學<br>企業管理研究所<br>82<br>The qualities of products and service are more and more import-
ant for organization’s competiveness since 1980s.According to
U.S.Defence study(1990),organization has been already developed
from maximizing the performance of each part to maximizing the
performance of system.For an organization to be the best in its
industry,the entire organization including supplier and
customer has to be addressed as a unit and has its continuous
quality improvement on a global scale.Therefore,this research
investigat- es organization change by extracting concepts of
system and qual- ity improvement.Research methods include
literature review,perso- nal interviewing and case archival
analysis. The new findings of this research include: 1.The QIO
model which based on mutual influence by customer sati-
sfaction level and organizational activity,can be separated
into four types:adaptive、efficient、technical and innovation.
Innovation type is different from current TQM by process team、
self-directive management and learning.QIO model and its twelve
question can do as a tool for self-diagnosis of organization.
2.The stages for entering and sustaining innovation type
are:(1) Top management restructures organizations to process-
drive and self-directed(2)Total job skill and attitude
training(3)Build prcoss teams to upgrade technology、job
quality or labor produ- ctivity for customer delight(4)
Shareowners support top managem- ent and reinvest employee by
the reason of good profitability and market share which comes
from delighted customer. 3.The learning cycle which is formrd
by self-apprasial、question、theory and test is better than
PDCA or OPMR for organization which strives to sustain the best
in the world. 4.The potential competiveness of organization is
organization’s assets times by organization’s context.
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Chu, Jia-Hui, and 朱家慧. "Improvement of Low Quality Image." Thesis, 2012. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/77738125267770762316.
Full textAbstract:
碩士<br>國立臺灣海洋大學<br>資訊工程學系<br>100<br>Currently, many devices are available to capture images. The image color is usually distorted if a low cost device is adapted. This thesis explores an approach of improving the low-quality digital images such as cell phone cameras through correction of distorted color images.
This thesis proposes a color correction algorithm for the low-quality digital images. The proposed method uses the expectation maximization algorithm (EM algorithm) to obtain the parameters, which assign input images into many defects classes. There are three processing steps for the proposed method. First, global color attributes of the low quality input image are used in a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) framework to classify the input images into M predefined global classes. In the second step, the input image is processed with a non-linear color correction algorithm for each of the M global classes. This color correction algorithm, referred to as RSCC (resolution synthesis color correction), applies a spatially varying color correction, which is determined by the local color attributes of the input image. Last, the outputs of the RSCC predictors are combined using the global classification weights to generate the corrected color image.
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Wang, Sheng-You, and 王聖佑. "Efficiency improvement on Quality Inspection." Thesis, 2017. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/9bac65.
Full textAbstract:
碩士<br>國立勤益科技大學<br>資訊管理系<br>105<br>At present Taiwan's traditional manufacturing industries, most of the manufacturers use the ISO standard to improve the quality and efficiency of the productions. The primary activities to make the process function effectively are quality standardization of in-process inspection, including first and last check, independent inspection, inspection examination, etc.,. But they will build very large numbers of report files during operations that make the jobs very tedious and inconvenient. This study uses feasibility-analysis to illustrate the executable conditions and uses SWOT method to analyze and cross-analyze to give strategy of quality control inspection system. listing quality inspection planning program. The main objective of this article is to simplify the inspections and to digitalize the table sheets, such that, the original complicated paper reports, through database analysis, process exception reports will be given and used for improvement scheme. The inspections are made stage by stage to confirm whether each of them fulfills the predicted planning, which keeps good efficiency of all the inspections.
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Anand, Piyush. "Power Quality Improvement Using Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC)." Thesis, 2016. http://ethesis.nitrkl.ac.in/8286/1/2016_MT_214EE4241_(Upqc).pdf.
Full textAbstract:
The advance use of power electronic devices introduces harmonics in the supply system which creates a problem in the quality of power delivered. Good Power Quality is very much important for our day to day use of appliances in both industrial and domestic sectors. Researchers have tried and implemented many useful technology for removing all the voltage and current related harmonic occurrence problems which in turn improves the quality of power delivered to the power system. The prime focus of this thesis is the implementation of control strategies like SRF theory and instantaneous power (p-q) for the operation of Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) which is one of the recent technology that includes both series and shunt active power filter operating at the same time and thereby improves all the current and voltage related problem like voltage sag/swell, flicker, etc. at the same time and helps in reduction of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). In this thesis it is shown via MATLAB simulation how UPQC model can be used to decrease the % THD in source voltage, source current and load voltage waveforms created due to non-linear/ sensitive loads usage.
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Betterton, Carl E. "Quality improvement prioritization in production systems." 2005. http://purl.galileo.usg.edu/uga%5Fetd/betterton%5Fcarl%5Fe%5F200505%5Fphd.
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