Experimental Design of a Flexible Manufacturing System

Abstract Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) deal with varied part and product designs, and allows variation in parts' processing sequences and production volume change. Its successful implementation results in improvement of capital utilization, higher profit margins, and increased competitiveness. Today, FMS design is complex, where various layout types and material handling system (MHS) devices exist while part inter-arrival and processing times are stochastic. This paper presents a case study to investigate effects of different input factors, including layout and MHS configuration (number, speed and type) on FMS performance measured by total production cost, total flow time and throughput, using simulation. The investigation includes interactions between input factors and identifies the settings that yield optimal performance. Overall, the paper presents a framework that integrates experimental design, simulation, and multi-criteria decision-making to the design of complex manufacturing systems

Outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation with a conditioning regimen of busulfan, cyclophosphamide and low-dose etoposide for children with myelodysplastic syndrome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESAllogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) offers the best chance of cure and long-term survival for children with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).DESIGN AND SETTINGRetrospective analysis of pediatric patients with primary MDS treated with allogeneic SCT at a single institution treated between January 1993 and December 2008.PATIENTS AND METHODSOf 16 consecutive children who received allogeneic SCT for treatment of MDS in our center, 14 patients met the criteria of MDS according WHO I and II criteria. The median age was 4.8years (range, 1-14 years) and 64% were male. The median time from diagnosis to transplant was 6 months. MDS stage was refractory cytopenia (RC) in 9, refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) in 5. Monosomy 7 was present in 35% of the patients. The majority of patients (11/14) were conditioned with a busulfan-based myeloablative (MA) regimen with addition of low-dose of etoposide (30mg/kg). All but one received a bone marrow graft.RESULTSNine patients achieved complete remission (CR), and seven remain alive. At a median follow-up of 3 years (range, 2-14 years) the OS and EFS was 57% (95%CI, 0.28-0.78). Cumulative EFS at 1 0 years was 43% (95% CI: 0.14-0.70). Relapse-related mortality was 21.4%; nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was 28.57%. All the survivors had etoposide in their conditioning regimen. Patients younger than 1 0 years had better survival (P=.001).CONCLUSIONChildren with MDS achieve encouraging OS and EFS following allogeneic SCT. A busulfan-based regimen with a lower dose of etoposide is an effective and less toxic regimen. The outcomes are best in younger patients

A New Association Analysis-Based Method for Enhancing Maintenance and Repair in Manufacturing

Maintenance and quality of products are absolutely crucial for any organization to succeed in the industrial and manufacturing engineering. Current research studies have confirmed the presence of a high correlation between these two factors, namely maintenance and quality of products, in industrial organizations. Nevertheless, no extensive research has been conducted in order to study the link between maintenance and the quality of products in manufacturing. In this paper, we conduct a study in this domain and examine the relationship patterns between maintenance and the quality of product using manufacturing data on maintenance and the product quality. Specifically, we employ association analysis and association rule mining with large and extensive sets of product quality, repair, and maintenance data. Our main objective is to discover interesting and non-trivial associations for feature failure resulting in the repair or maintenance of a product with unapproved quality. The results of evaluation are quite interesting. The resulting association rules with high values of confidence and lift suggest some essential associations between the product features and the failure; such findings have not been known and used before. This can help quality engineers and maintenance teams to enhance maintenance and repair operations and lower the overall cost of manufacturing

A Model for Maintenance Planning and Process Quality Control Optimization Based on EWMA and CUSUM Control Charts

The performance of a production system is highly dependent on the smooth operation of various equipment and processes. Thus, reducing failures of the equipment and processes in a cost-effective manner improves overall performance; this is often achieved by carrying out maintenance and quality control policies. In this study, an integrated optimization method that addresses both maintenance strategies and quality control practices is proposed using an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) chart, in which both corrective and preventive maintenance policies are considered. The integrated model has been proposed to find optimal decision variables of both the process quality decision parameters and the optimal interval of preventive maintenance (i.e., Ns, Hs, L, λ, and t_PM) to result in overall optimal expected hourly total system costs. A case study is then utilized to investigate the impact of cost criteria on the proposed integrated model and to compare the proposed model with a model using the cumulative sum (CUSUM) control chart. The improved model outputs indicate that there is a reduction of 34.6% in the total expected costs compared with those of the other model using the CUSUM chart. Finally, an analysis of sensitivity to present the effectiveness of the model parameters and the main variables in the overall costs of the system is provided

Preoperative Botulinum Toxin Injection for Complex Abdominal Wall Hernia Repair

Introduction: Due to their higher rates of morbidity and recurrence, complex abdominal wall hernias provide a difficult clinical dilemma. Botulinum toxin injection has been suggested as a feasible treatment option to ease patients' tense muscles and promote primary fascial closure. This study focus on how well preoperative botulinum toxin injections worked for patients with complicated abdominal wall hernias. Methodology: The patients in this retrospective study had complex abdominal wall hernias. Between January 2021 and December 2022, they had received preoperative botulinum toxin injections for those hernias. Age, gender, the extent of the transverse hernia defects both before and after the procedure, loss of domain, and muscle length, all were the study's variables. The data were analyzed using comparative analysis and paired t-tests. Results: The study involved 8 patients in all, with an average age of 53.38 ± 12.56 years. The mean fascial defect size before injection was 13.14 ± 4.58 cm, while the mean fascial defect size after injection was 11.84 ± 4.07 cm. Following the Botox injection, there was a statistically significant decrease in the size of the transverse hernia defect (p 0.001). The mean loss of domain before the surgery was 18.46 ± 11.96%, while the mean loss of domain after the 7.21%. Following the Botox injection, there was a statistically significant decrease in loss of domain (p 0.05). In 7 individuals, primary fascial closure was accomplished (87.5%). Both surgical and chemical components had no significant side effects. Conclusion: In individuals with complicated abdominal wall hernias, preoperative botulinum toxin injection is an efficient and secure method for lowering muscle tension and attaining primary fascial closure. it is challenging to make firm judgments on the effectiveness of preoperative Botox injection for complex abdominal wall hernia repair in the absence of a control group. The results of the current study need to be confirmed by larger studies with longer follow-up times and a control group

The Effect of Hepatitis B on Humans

The aim of the study is to know the effect of the hepatitis B virus on humans, how the virus is transmitted, what is the method of preventing it, and what treatment is used to alleviate the severity of the disease. The questionnaire was designed via the Google Drive application and distributed via the social networking application (WhatsApp), with complete transparency to the population targeted by the research. The city of Mecca, from the age of (25-55 years), where 550 questionnaires were distributed via social media application groups (WhatsApp) according to available conditions (distancing), and answers to 525 questionnaires were obtained

Clinical Laboratory with the Cooperation of Pharmacist and Nurses in Delivering Propar Antimicrobial Drugs

One of the most significant factors that is regarded to be contributing to the rise of antimicrobial resistance is the usage of antimicrobials without proper consideration. Pharmacists, nurses, and clinical microbiologists are in a strategic position to encourage the sensible use of antimicrobial medications. Community pharmacies are the primary source of access to antimicrobials. Because of this, it is essential to be aware of the quality of the dispensing service. According to the findings of the evaluation, the quality of antimicrobial dispensing is unsatisfactory, which calls for enhancements in practice as well as diversified ways to encourage the professionals involved in the process to continue their education. In addition, it is necessary to perform awareness initiatives for the general community in order to encourage the responsible utilization of antimicrobials and to decrease the level of microbial resistance

Is secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis behind the high fatality rate in Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus?

Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus (MERS-CoV) is becoming a major health concern in Saudi Arabia resulting in an associated high case fatality. The rapid deterioration of vital organs functions and high mortality rate seen in MERS-CoV has been observed previously in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by a coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and avian and bird flu-related hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). There are many reports of successful treatments for severe cases of EBV-HLH using HLH-94/2004-type immunochemotherapy with etoposide as a pro-apoptotic agent. The use of immunochemotherapy in severe MERS-CoV-related HLH merits an urgent investigation in a well-designed clinical trial

Methods in Product Design: New Strategies in Reengineering

Karena industri mengadopsi strategi pengembangan produk yang berfokus pada konsumen, mereka harus menawarkan rentang produk yang lebih luas dalam waktu desain yang lebih singkat dan proses yang dapat diproduksi dalam ukuran lot yang sewenang-wenang. Selain itu, mereka perlu menerapkan metode dan alat canggih untuk dengan mudah melakukan desain produk awal dan analisis trade-off pengembangan di antara tujuan yang bersaing. Metode dalam Desain Produk: Strategi Baru dalam Rekayasa Ulang memberikan wawasan tentang metode dan teknik yang memungkinkan penerapan filosofi desain produk yang berfokus pada konsumen dengan mengintegrasikan kemampuan desain dan pengembangan dengan sistem berbasis komputer yang cerdas. Buku ini mendefinisikan desain yang berfokus pada pelanggan dan membahas cara untuk menilai permintaan dan sumber yang berubah, dan menggali apa yang dibutuhkan untuk berhasil memproduksi barang di pasar yang menuntut. Ini meninjau metode yang telah terbukti untuk menilai kebutuhan pelanggan. Kemudian, setelah menunjukkan bagaimana perubahan kebutuhan berdampak pada rekayasa ulang produk, ini menjelaskan bagaimana perubahan dapat dicapai secara efisien. Ini merinci bagaimana kemajuan TI dan teknologi mendukung pengembangan produk yang berfokus pada pelanggan, membahas prinsip kustomisasi massal mutakhir yang memaksimalkan produksi hemat biaya, dan menggambarkan bagaimana menerapkan kebijakan pemeliharaan prediktif yang efektif. Metode dalam Desain Produk: Strategi Baru dalam Rekayasa Ulang menyediakan metode, teknologi mutakhir, dan strategi baru untuk desain dan pengembangan produk yang berfokus pada pelanggan yang memungkinkan organisasi untuk dengan cepat merespons pasar global yang menuntut