Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in a Facial Reconstruction Case Series Following the Implementation of an Integrated Craniofacial Multidisciplinary Team Clinic, Three-Dimensional Photography, and Computer Modeling

BACKGROUND: Facial reconstruction surgery is often a complex and staged process, leading to lengthy reconstructive journeys for patients. The integration of a clinical pathway can give patients a clearer understanding of what to expect at each stage of their reconstructive journey. OBJECTIVES: The authors demonstrate how the incorporation of multidisciplinary team clinics, three-dimensional (3D) photography, and 3D modeling into an integrated pathway can streamline the process for patients undergoing facial reconstructive surgeries and aid their understanding of their surgeries. METHODS: A novel clinical pathway was developed for patients undergoing facial reconstructive surgery at a tertiary reconstructive unit in London. A case series was collated of 35 patients who had been through the integrated pathway. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed using FACE-Q scales, Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale, Self-Perception of Age score, and Ordinal Rank change in facial aesthetic appearance, determined subjectively and objectively. Statistical analysis was performed to calculate mean averages for each scale and PROM. RESULTS: High patient satisfaction with overall facial appearance, aging appearance, and the decision-making process was demonstrated. The average perceived improvement in age-related facial appearance was -7.7 years postreconstruction compared with prereconstruction. The Ordinal Rank improvement on facial aesthetic appearance showed considerable improvement, both subjectively and objectively. CONCLUSIONS: The authors advocate the implementation of an integrated clinical pathway for facial reconstruction, with positive impacts observed in terms of patient satisfaction and objective assessments of facial appearance. Similar principles can be extrapolated to other aspects of reconstructive surgery

AN INTEGRATED MULTIPLE STATISTICAL TECHNIQUE FOR PREDICTING POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES BASED PRIMARILY ON VARIABLES AVAILABLE IN THE 8TH GRADE

There is a class of complex problems that may be too complicated to solve by any single analytical technique. Such problems involve so many measurements of interconnected factors that analysis with a single dimension technique may improve one aspect of the problem while overall achieving little or no improvement. This research examines the utility of modeling a complex problem with multiple statistical techniques integrated to analyze different types of data. The goal was to determine if this integrated approach was feasible and provided significantly better results than a single statistical technique. An application in engineering education was chosen because of the availability and comprehensiveness of the NELS:88 longitudinal dataset. This dataset provided a huge number of variables and 12,144 records of actual students progressing from 8th grade to their final educational outcomes 12 years later. The probability of earning a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) degree is modeled using variables available in the 8th grade as well as standardized test scores. The variables include demographic, academic performance, and experiential measures. Extensive manipulation of the NELS:88 dataset was conducted to identify the student outcomes, prepare the set of covariates for modeling, and determine when the students' final outcome status occurred. The integrated models combined logistic regression, survival analysis, and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) Curve analysis to predict obtaining a STEM degree vs. other outcomes. The results of the integrated models were compared to actual outcomes and the results of separate logistic regression models. Both sets of models provided good predictive accuracy. The feasibility of integrated models for complex problems was confirmed. The integrated approach provided less variability in incorrect STEM predictions, but the improvement was not statistically significant. The main contribution of this research is designing the integrated model approach and confirming its feasibility. Additional contributions include designing a process to create large multivariate logistic regression models; developing methods for extensive manipulation of a large dataset to adapt it for new analytical purposes; extending the application of logistic regression, survival analysis, and ROC Curve analysis within educational research; and creating a formal definition for STEM that can be statistically verified

Olfactory-based augmented reality support for industrial maintenance

Augmented reality (AR) applications have opened innovative ways for performance improvement in the IoT industry. It can enhance user perception of the real-world by providing valuable information about an industrial environment and provide visual virtual information onto a head-mounted device (HMD). Such information is important for maintainers to quickly detect abnormalities, reduces nugatory routines and facilitate preventive maintenance.Since odors are made up of volatile compounds at low concentration, they can be used for olfactory-based identification.The prototype comprises of three modules: an electronic nose, a database and an AR application integrated with Microsoft HoloLens. After diagnosing an odor, the results are then sent wirelessly through a local network to the HMD worn by the user. To validate the technology, four odors have been used, including engine oil, sun lotion, medical alcohol and perfume, to record behaviors and demonstrate the repeatability of the process. The presented technology incorporates sampling methods, cleaning processes and statistical analysis that can be further scrutinized to allow correct smell identification

Strategic supplier performance evaluation::a case-based action research of a UK manufacturing organisation

The main aim of this research is to demonstrate strategic supplier performance evaluation of a UK-based manufacturing organisation using an integrated analytical framework. Developing long term relationship with strategic suppliers is common in today׳s industry. However, monitoring suppliers׳ performance all through the contractual period is important in order to ensure overall supply chain performance. Therefore, client organisations need to measure suppliers׳ performance dynamically and inform them on improvement measures. Although there are many studies introducing innovative supplier performance evaluation frameworks and empirical researches on identifying criteria for supplier evaluation, little has been reported on detailed application of strategic supplier performance evaluation and its implication on overall performance of organisation. Additionally, majority of the prior studies emphasise on lagging factors (quality, delivery schedule and value/cost) for supplier selection and evaluation. This research proposes both leading (organisational practices, risk management, environmental and social practices) and lagging factors for supplier evaluation and demonstrates a systematic method for identifying those factors with the involvement of relevant stakeholders and process mapping. The contribution of this article is a real-life case-based action research utilising an integrated analytical model that combines quality function deployment and the analytic hierarchy process method for suppliers׳ performance evaluation. The effectiveness of the method has been demonstrated through number of validations (e.g. focus group, business results, and statistical analysis). Additionally, the study reveals that enhanced supplier performance results positive impact on operational and business performance of client organisation

Requirements engineering for computer integrated environments in construction

A Computer Integrated Environment (CIE) is the type of innovative integrated information system that helps to reduce fragmentation and enables the stakeholders to collaborate together in business. Researchers have observed that the concept of CIE has been the subject of research for many years but the uptake of this technology has been very limited because of the development of the technology and its effective implementation. Although CIE is very much valued by both industrialists and academics, the answers to the question of how to develop and how to implement it are still not clear. The industrialists and researchers conveyed that networking, collaboration, information sharing and communication will become popular and critical issues in the future, which can be managed through CIE systems. In order for successful development of the technology, successful delivery, and effective implementation of user and industry-oriented CIE systems, requirements engineering seems a key parameter. Therefore, through experiences and lessons learnt in various case studies of CIE systems developments, this book explains the development of a requirements engineering framework specific to the CIE system. The requirements engineering process that has been developed in the research is targeted at computer integrated environments with a particular interest in the construction industry as the implementation field. The key features of the requirements engineering framework are the following: (1) ready-to-use, (2) simple, (3) domain specific, (4) adaptable and (5) systematic, (6) integrated with the legacy systems. The method has three key constructs: i) techniques for requirements development, which includes the requirement elicitation, requirements analysis/modelling and requirements validation, ii) requirements documentation and iii) facilitating the requirements management. It focuses on system development methodologies for the human driven ICT solutions that provide communication, collaboration, information sharing and exchange through computer integrated environments for professionals situated in discrete locations but working in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment. The overview for each chapter of the book is as follows; Chapter 1 provides an overview by setting the scene and presents the issues involved in requirements engineering and CIE (Computer Integrated Environments). Furthermore, it makes an introduction to the necessity for requirements engineering for CIE system development, experiences and lessons learnt cumulatively from CIE systems developments that the authors have been involved in, and the process of the development of an ideal requirements engineering framework for CIE systems development, based on the experiences and lessons learnt from the multi-case studies. Chapter 2 aims at building up contextual knowledge to acquire a deeper understanding of the topic area. This includes a detailed definition of the requirements engineering discipline and the importance and principles of requirements engineering and its process. In addition, state of the art techniques and approaches, including contextual design approach, the use case modelling, and the agile requirements engineering processes, are explained to provide contextual knowledge and understanding about requirements engineering to the readers. After building contextual knowledge and understanding about requirements engineering in chapter 2, chapter 3 attempts to identify a scope and contextual knowledge and understanding about computer integrated environments and Building Information Modelling (BIM). In doing so, previous experiences of the authors about systems developments for computer integrated environments are explained in detail as the CIE/BIM case studies. In the light of contextual knowledge gained about requirements engineering in chapter 2, in order to realize the critical necessity of requirements engineering to combine technology, process and people issues in the right balance, chapter 4 will critically evaluate the requirements engineering activities of CIE systems developments that are explained in chapter 3. Furthermore, to support the necessity of requirements engineering for human centred CIE systems development, the findings from semi-structured interviews are shown in a concept map that is also explained in this chapter. In chapter 5, requirements engineering is investigated from different angles to pick up the key issues from discrete research studies and practice such as traceability through process and product modelling, goal-oriented requirements engineering, the essential and incidental complexities in requirements models, the measurability of quality requirements, the fundamentals of requirements engineering, identifying and involving the stakeholders, reconciling software requirements and system architectures and barriers to the industrial uptake of requirements engineering. In addition, a comprehensive research study measuring the success of requirements engineering processes through a set of evaluation criteria is introduced. Finally, the key issues and the criteria are comparatively analyzed and evaluated in order to match each other and confirm the validity of the criteria for the evaluation and assessment of the requirements engineering implementation in the CIE case study projects in chapter 7 and the key issues will be used in chapter 9 to support the CMM (Capability Maturity Model) for acceptance and wider implications of the requirements engineering framework to be proposed in chapter 8. Chapter 6 explains and particularly focuses on how the requirements engineering activities in the case study projects were handled by highlighting strengths and weaknesses. This will also include the experiences and lessons learnt from these system development practices. The findings from these developments will also be utilized to support the justification of the necessity of a requirements engineering framework for the CIE systems developments. In particular, the following are addressed. • common and shared understanding in requirements engineering efforts, • continuous improvement, • outputs of requirement engineering • reflections and the critical analysis of the requirements engineering approaches in these practices. The premise of chapter 7 is to evaluate and assess the requirements engineering approaches in the CIE case study developments from multiple viewpoints in order to find out the strengths and the weaknesses in these requirements engineering processes. This evaluation will be mainly based on the set of criteria developed by the researchers and developers in the requirements engineering community in order to measure the success rate of the requirements engineering techniques after their implementation in the various system development projects. This set of criteria has already been introduced in chapter 5. This critical assessment includes conducting a questionnaire based survey and descriptive statistical analysis. In chapter 8, the requirements engineering techniques tested in the CIE case study developments are composed and compiled into a requirements engineering process in the light of the strengths and the weaknesses identified in the previous chapter through benchmarking with a Capability Maturity Model (CMM) to ensure that it has the required level of maturity for implementation in the CIE systems developments. As a result of this chapter, a framework for a generic requirements engineering process for CIE systems development will be proposed. In chapter 9, the authors will discuss the acceptance and the wider implications of the proposed framework of requirements engineering process using the CMM from chapter 8 and the key issues from chapter 5. Chapter 10 is the concluding chapter and it summarizes the findings and brings the book to a close with recommendations for the implementation of the Proposed RE framework and also prescribes a guideline as a way forward for better implementation of requirements engineering for successful developments of the CIE systems in the future

Ranking Of Total Quality Management’s Critical Techniques In The Malaysian Automotive Industry

Today all organizations around the world are trying to optimize the business process in the global market upon continuous improvement and total quality management in order to survive in a competitive market. Since there are huge costs to implement all tools and techniques of total quality management and it is not economical for any organization to apply all. Nine Total Quality Management’s Critical Techniques (TQM’s CTs) have been presented to implement in automotive industry. Each technique has a special application but on the other hand, some of them can be used for an assimilation objective and also some of them can be applied for more than one objective. The main objective of this study has been based on both internal and external customer satisfaction. In order to achieve the main objective, six significant criteria as decision making parameters have been proposed. The study has ranked the TQM’s CTs as alternatives regarding to each criterion through one of the best and widely used decision making methods that is called Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in ten selected Malaysia automotive companies. It has also determined an overall ranking of implementation of TQM’s CTs with respect to all criteria and by considering their performance weight. The results of overall ranking of TQM’s CTs are listed as follows: (1) Advanced Product Quality Planning Process (APQP); (2) Quality Function Deployment (QFD); (3) Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA); (4) Production Part Approval Process (PPAP); (5) Statistical Process Control (SPC); (6) Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA); (7) Management and Planning (MP) tools; (8) Kaizen; (9) 5S. It has also been found the weight of relationship of TQM’s CTs. For example, FMEA and SPC, QFD and APQP, QFD and FMEA, and 5S and Kaizen have highest relationship rather than other critical techniques of TQM. Finally, an integrated implementation framework of the TQM’s CTs with respect to their both relationship and performance weight has been suggested to create awareness and to guide quality planning managers to have an effective implementation of theses critical techniques of TQM

Statistical tools applied for the reduction of the defect rate of coffee degassing valves

Abstract Coffee is a very common beverage exported all over the world: just after roasting, coffee beans are packed in plastic or paper bags, which then experience long transfers with long storage times. Fresh roasted coffee emits large amounts of CO 2 for several weeks. This gas must be gradually released, to prevent package over-inflation and to preserve aroma, moreover beans must be protected from oxygen coming from outside. Therefore, one-way degassing valves are applied to each package: their correct functionality is strictly related to the interference coupling between their bodies and covers and to the correct assembly of the other involved parts. This work takes inspiration from an industrial problem: a company that assembles valve components, supplied by different manufacturers, observed a high level of defect rate, affecting its valve production. An integrated approach, consisting in the adoption of quality charts, in an experimental campaign for the dimensional analysis of the mating parts and in the statistical processing of the data, was necessary to tackle the question. In particular, a simple statistical tool was made available to predict the defect rate and to individuate the best strategy for its reduction. The outcome was that requiring a strict protocol, regarding the combinations of parts from different manufacturers for assembly, would have been almost ineffective. Conversely, this study led to the individuation of the weak point in the manufacturing process of the mating components and to the suggestion of a slight improvement to be performed, with the final result of a significant (one order of magnitude) decrease of the defect rate

Driving continuous improvement

The quality of improvement depends on the quality of leading and lagging performance indicators. For this reason, several tools, such as process mapping, cause and effect analysis and FMEA, need to be used in an integrated way with performance measurement models, such as balanced scorecard, integrated performance measurement system, performance prism and so on. However, in our experience, this alone is not quite enough due to the amount of effort required to monitor performance indicators at operational levels. The authors find that IT support is key to the successful implementation of performance measurement-driven continuous improvement schemes