Paradigm for Total Quality Management in Building Maintenance Operation

The study is about developing benchmark/ paradigm for total Quality Management in Building Maintenance Operations.  Building defects is usually   outcome of failure or shortcomings recorded at early stage of project which could be design oriented and sometimes wrong  approach, this need to be corrected and as well maintained, the study thus present paradigm/benchmark through which quality of maintenance operations being carried out  on construction projects and buildings could be improved. The methodology involved primarily opinion survey, measured against benchmarked Total quality management principles, the data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire, designed in Likert scale 1 to 5. The secondary data were collected through review of pastworks, Journal articles and Textbooks. Random sampling method was used for population sampling, the result generated were analysed using mean item score, frequency count and Ranking The study concluded with recommending eighteen benchmarked quality points which when observed could lead to productivity enhancement, accident reduction, waste elimination, quality job output and host of other positive outcomes. Keywords: Quality, Maintenance, Benchmark ,Management, Paradigm,Operatio

Adapting Disruptive Applications in Managing Quality Control Systems in Intelligence Manufacturing

Controlling quality has become a major trend in the circle of manufacturers and production managers that engage in intelligent manufacturing all over the world, on account of industry 4.0, in recent times. Intelligent manufacturing therefore is the use of advanced applications, analytics, sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) to improve manufacturing. The aim of the study is to carry out a study on application of disruptive application in managing quality system in intelligent manufacturing with a view to improving manufacturing process in organizations. Survey methods was used in collating responses from production managers of manufacturing companies at selected locations censoring production managers and supervisors on some parameters such as areas of disruptions in the quality assurance monitoring and calibration in production process, issues and challenges involved in quality control systems in manufacturing, Man-Whitney U Test, T-test, Pearson’s Test were used to analyze the collated data. Also, this study presents advanced analytical tools and applications to improve quality in manufacturing process. The study finally presents areas of disruptions in the quality assurance monitoring and calibration in production process, issues and challenges involved in quality control systems in manufacturing, emerging areas of application and recommendation for improvement

Experimental Studies on the Performance of Bio Based and Industrial Surfactants in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Surfactants are known for their unique property in lowering the interfacial tension (IFT) amid fluids injected and heavy crude oil of 22.3°API. In this present work, an original surfactant was formulated from natural oil (Castor oil) to see its use in enhanced oil recovery. The results from interfacial tension reduction by the castor oil-based surfactant were compared to that of the industrial surfactant (Methyl ester sulfonate). The IFT between the aqueous phases was measured then the effect of the surfactants was studied in core flooding experiments. The IFT was found to be reduced to as low as 12.1 mN/m using the castor-based surfactant and 12.3 mN/m using the industrial surfactant. The influence of brine concentration on IFT was also investigated. Results from core floods showed that the range of oil recovery after waterflood is in the range of 30-40% and the additional recovery from surfactant flooding in the range of 35-46%

Dignity and Narrative Medicine

Critiques of the dehumanising aspects of contemporary medical practice have generated increasing interest in the ways in which health care can foster a holistic sense of wellbeing. We examine the relationship between two areas of this humanistic endeavour: narrative and dignity. This paper makes two simple arguments that are intuitive but have not yet been explored in detail: that narrative competence of carers is required for maintaining or recreating dignity, and that dignity promotion in health care practice is primarily narrative in form. The multiple meanings that dignity has in a person’s life are what give the concept power and can only be captured by narrative. This has implications for health care practice where narrative work will be increasingly required to support patient dignity in under-resourced and over-subscribed health care system

Nursing-Relevant Patient Outcomes and Clinical Processes in Data Science Literature: 2019 Year in Review

Data science continues to be recognized and used within healthcare due to the increased availability of large data sets and advanced analytics. It can be challenging for nurse leaders to remain apprised of this rapidly changing landscape. In this paper, we describe our findings from a scoping literature review of papers published in 2019 that use data science to explore, explain, and/or predict 15 phenomena of interest to nurses. Fourteen of the 15 phenomena were associated with at least one paper published in 2019. We identified the use of many contemporary data science methods (e.g., natural language processing, neural networks) for many of the outcomes. We found many studies exploring Readmissions and Pressure Injuries. The topics of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Acceptance, Burnout, Patient Safety, and Unit Culture were poorly represented. We hope the studies described in this paper help readers: (a) understand the breadth and depth of data science’s ability to improve clinical processes and patient outcomes that are relevant to nurses and (b) identify gaps in the literature that are in need of exploration

Synaptic Connections of the Neurokinin 1 Receptor-Like Immunoreactive Neurons in the Rat Medullary Dorsal Horn

The synaptic connections between neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor-like immunoreactive (LI) neurons and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-, glycine (Gly)-, serotonin (5-HT)- or dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH, a specific marker for norepinephrinergic neuronal structures)-LI axon terminals in the rat medullary dorsal horn (MDH) were examined under electron microscope by using a pre-embedding immunohistochemical double-staining technique. NK1 receptor-LI neurons were observed principally in laminae I and III, only a few of them were found in lamina II of the MDH. GABA-, Gly-, 5-HT-, or DBH-LI axon terminals were densely encountered in laminae I and II, and sparsely in lamina III of the MDH. Some of these GABA-, Gly-, 5-HT-, or DBH-LI axon terminals were observed to make principally symmetric synapses with NK1 receptor-LI neuronal cell bodies and dendritic processes in laminae I, II and III of the MDH. The present results suggest that neurons expressing NK1 receptor within the MDH might be modulated by GABAergic and glycinergic inhibitory intrinsic neurons located in the MDH and 5-HT- or norepinephrine (NE)-containing descending fibers originated from structures in the brainstem

Effects of peripheral nerve injury on parvalbumin expression in adult rat dorsal root ganglion neurons

Background: Parvalbumin (PV) is a calcium binding protein that identifies a subpopulation of proprioceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is also expressed in a high proportion of muscle afferents but its relationship to PV is unclear. Little is known of the phenotypic responses of muscle afferents to nerve injury. Sciatic nerve axotomy or L5 spinal nerve ligation and section (SNL) lesions were used to explore these issues in adult rats using immunocytochemistry. Results: In naive animals, the mean PV expression was 25 % of L4 or L5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, and this was unchanged 2 weeks after sciatic nerve axotomy. Colocalization studies with the injury marker activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) showed that approximately 24 % of PV neurons expressed ATF3 after sciatic nerve axotomy suggesting that PV may show a phenotypic switch from injured to uninjured neurons. This possibility was further assessed using the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) injury model where injured and uninjured neurons are located in different DRGs. Two weeks after L5 SNL there was no change in total PV staining and essentially all L5 PV neurons expressed ATF3. Additionally, there was no increase in PV-ir in the adjacent uninjured L4 DRG cells. Co-labelling of DRG neurons revealed that less than 2 % of PV neurons normally expressed CGRP and no colocalization was seen after injury. Conclusion: These experiments clearly show that axotomy does not produce down regulation of PV protein in the DRG. Moreover, this lack of change is not due to a phenotypic switch in PV immunoreactive (ir) neurons, or de novo expression of PV-ir in uninjured neurons after nerve injury. These results further illustrate differences that occur when muscle afferents are injured as compared to cutaneous afferents