An activity based quality cost and information system

Many companies are increasing their competitiveness through quality improvement. However, a widely held view among quality practitioners is that companies simply do not know the true total cost of quality, which are mostly hidden among the general overhead of the business. This problem is often attributed to an inappropriate costing system. Thus, any system that assisted companies in identifying and properly quantifying these costs will be valuable. This research, therefore, was aimed at developing a Quality Cost Information System for manufacturing industry, and to show that such a system could provide a basis for analysing quality costs and developing and evaluating the quality improvement process. A literature review of the quality literature highlighted that the major problems that hindered potential users from implementing an effective and efficient Quality Cost system were: current quality cost measurement systems were limited by their inability to trace quality costs to their source; quality was manageable only if it could be measured; quality cost did not easily fit into the traditional cost accounting structure; traditional accounting systems were unlikely to change radically to accommodate proper quality costing. This literature review was complemented by an industrial survey aimed at identifying knowledge of quality costing and current practices in manufacturing industry. The findings of the literature review and industrial survey formed the basis for the remainder of the study. As part of an integrated solution, three approaches have been proposed and detailed: 1) A graphical model of quality costing in the form of a visual tool to facilitate the introduction and communication of a quality costing information system within the organisation. 2) A proposed integration of Activity Based Costing tools with the theory of quality costing to provide a system that can deliver valuable information. 3) A Software tool for the design of Quality Costing Information Systems. The thesis concludes with the major findings and issues raised from the research undertaken. This is followed by recommendations for the successful pursuit of the beneficial implementation of the proposed quality costing system and tools along with several suggestions for further work and future research potential

Development of a Fully Integrated Acid Fracture Model

Acid fracturing in heterogeneous carbonate formations is extremely challenging to model. To obtain an acceptable acid penetration distance and fracture surface etched-width profile, a reliable fracture propagation model must be incorporated. Fracture fluid and formation temperatures have an impact on the acid concentration profile, particularly when using weak acids or injecting into dolomite formations. The model provided in this study considers these factors as fractures propagate, in order to obtain the fracture conductivity distribution and evaluate the improvement in well productivity. The pseudo three-dimensional fracture model developed here is able to provide the domains for the acid dissolution at each time step. A transient acid convection and diffusion equation is solved and the fracture etched-width profile is calculated. An iterative procedure is implemented in a temperature-dependent kinetic model, which stops when both the temperature and acid solutions converge. The model includes an injection of multiple fluid systems that can be either reactive (e.g., straight, emulsified, and gelled acid) or non-reactive (e.g., pad fluid and flush). The model incorporates multiple layer formations with different rock and kinetic properties. Leakoff is calculated for each layer and the wormhole effect is included if reaction takes place. When injection stops, the acid concentration and etching are solved as the fracture closes. As the final etching profile is generated, conductivity is calculated using a correlation that considered formation heterogeneity. Finally, the well productivity is numerically calculated by simulating the reservoir fluid flow and considering the obtained fracture with variable conductivity. Coupling the fracture geometry and acid models has a significant impact on the final solution. Simulations of acid injection on a non-coupled, constant fracture geometry always overestimate the acid penetration distance and provide inaccurate etched-width profiles. The temperature-dependent kinetic model has a noticeable effect on the etched-width distribution and acid penetration distance for dolomite formations, both are directly related to fracture performance. The model illustrated here is computationally efficient, which allows for optimizing the design parameters to create a fracture with maximum productivity for a given acid treatment size. More importantly, the optimum acid treatment size for a certain simulated reservoir volume can be determined

Medical Tourism Abroad : A new challenge to Oman’s health system - Al Dakhilya region experience

Objectives: This study aimed to understand why people seek medical advice abroad given the trouble and expense this entails. The types of medical problems for which treatment abroad was sought, preferred destinations and satisfaction with the treatment were explored. A secondary aim was to give feedback to stakeholders in the health care system on how to handle this issue and meet the needs of the community. Methods: 45 patients who had recently travelled abroad for treatment were asked to complete a questionnaire or were interviewed by telephone. Results: 40 questionnaires were received. 68% of the respondents were male. Orthopaedic diseases were the most common conditions leading patients to seek treatment abroad. Thailand was the most popular destination followed by India (50% and 30% respectively). 85% of respondents went abroad for treatment only, 10% for treatment and tourism and 2.5% were healthy, but travelled abroad for a checkup. Interestingly, 15% of the participants went abroad without first seeking medical care locally. Out of those initially treated in Oman, 38.2% had no specific diagnosis and 38.2% had received treatment, but it was not effective. 73% of respondents obtained information on treatment abroad from a friend. The Internet and medical tourism offices were the least used sources of information. 15% of the patients experienced complications after their treatment abroad. Conclusion: Various facts about medical treatment abroad need to be disseminated to the public. This will necessitate greater effort in public health promotion and education. 

Evaluating the mechanical properties of Epoxy resin with Fly ash and Silica fume as fillers

Composite material consists of merging two composite materials or more are different in mechanical and physical properties, in this study a composite polymeric material has been prepared, it's mainly used in treatment of cracks that happened in concrete slabs, by using Epoxy resin as a major substance in work while the filler were the Fly ash and Silica fume. Samples were prepared by hand-made molds has special dimensions according to the American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and  adding each filler separately with different ratios as ( 10%, 20%, 30 %, 40% and 50%), then  studying the mechanical properties of these material like tensile, hardness, compression, impact and bending properties. Key Words : Epoxy resin, Fly ash, Silica fume, fillers

Genital tuberculosis is common among females with tubal factor infertility: Observational study

Background: Genital tuberculosis is mostly asymptomatic and infertility is a common presentation. The study objective was to identify the rate of genital tuberculosis among women with tubal factor infertility in non endemic area and to assess the outcome after administration of antitubercular therapy.Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in Al Thawra General Hospital (from March 2012 to February 2014). Of a total 151 women who had tubal factor infertility, 61 cases were investigated for genital tuberculosis. Women who were found to have the disease were treated by antitubercular therapy and the outcomes were analyzed.Results: We found that 31.1% (47/151) of cases had genital tuberculosis contributing to infertility. Of these, 55.7% (34/61) were positive by histopathology, and 44.1% (15/34) were positive by polymerase chain reaction. Fallopian tubes were affected in almost all cases and the endometrium was involved in 82.9%. All patients were treated for tuberculosis and the conception rate after ATT was 12.8%.Conclusion: Genital tuberculosis is still a common health problem contributing to infertility in area considered non endemic indicating underestimation of the condition and so neglected. Antitubercular therapy is not effective in restoration of women’s fertility function as they often present with advanced pathology beyond recovery

An Efficient Inventory Model-Based GA For Food Deterioration Products In The Tourism Industry

Background: The inventory control practice of deteriorating food products that are subject to an expiration date is a challenging process. Inappropriate inventory control practice leads to substantial waste of products and significant holding and purchasing costs. Purpose: This paper aims to develop an inventory control model-based Genetic Algorithm (GA) to minimize the Total Annual Inventory Cost (TAIC) function developed explicitly for the proposed model. Methodology: GA is used and tailored to provide the best reorder level of deteriorating food products. A case study of one of the five-star hotels in Iraq is conducted, followed by a sensitivity analysis study to validate the proposed model for varying reorder levels. Results and Conclusion: A minimum inventory cost is obtained with an optimum reorder level achieved by running GA. It is concluded that the optimal reorder level provided by the proposed GA minimized the monthly inventory cost of products

Microbial Contamination of Date Rutab Collected from the Markets of Al-Hofuf City in Saudi Arabia

The microbial contamination of 60 samples from six date cultivars in the rutab stage purchased from different retail outlets in AL-Hofuf City, Saudi Arabia was studied. All samples were found contaminated with aerobic mesophilic bacteria at loads in the order 102 to 105 cfu/cm2 with some significant differences among varieties that can be attributed to differences in the weather conditions during rutab season. Also all samples, except only one, were contaminated with molds and yeasts at loads in the order 102 to 103 cfu/cm2. Potentially pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 57 samples and A. flavus/parasiticus in 13 samples, while coliforms were detected in 39 samples

The Photo Degradation of 2,3-dimethyl phenol in Drinking Water using Nano TiO2, ZnS and SnO2 Particles

The work presented in this paper is concernd with the preliminary study of semiconductors photochemical degradation of 2,3-dimethyl phenol by using powder and nanoparticles of TiO2,ZnS and SnO2. Degradation of 2,3-dimethyl phenol was carried out by using UV light at wave length of 267nm in the presence of oxygen.The absorpitivity of 2,3-dimethyl phenol decay was measured in the presence of UV light with capacity of 250 watt .The rate of degradation is increased with the weight of photocatalyst and reached  maximum value at 0.1gm (TiO2), 0.5gm (ZnO) and 1gm (SnO2).In this paper,the effects of various operating parameters of the photolytic degradation of 2,3-dimethyl phenol are presented. It was found that, different parameters, such as type of photocatalyst composition, initial substrate concentration, and amount of catalyst can play an important role on photocatalytic degradation of 2,3-dimethyl phenol. It was also found that the type and particle size of nano TiO2, SnO2 and ZnS play an important factor for accelerating the photo degradation. The activity of nano particle was found in the order: TiO2> ZnS> SnO2. The results of photodegradation are represented by Lagmuir-Hinshelwood relationship and indicate that the results are Pseudo first order. The particle size of TiO2, SnO2 and ZnS was estimated using XRD technique.  Keywords : Photodegradation, Drinking water, Nanoparticle

New algorithms to Enhanced Fused Images from Auto-Focus Images

هذا البحث يقترح طريقة جديدة لدمج صورة ذات التركيز التلقائي بالاعتماد على خوارزميات جديدة. الخوارزمية الأولى تعتمد على حساب الانحراف المعياري لدمج صورتين. الخوارزمية الثانية تتركز على التباين عند نقاط الحافات وطريقة الترابط كعامل معيار لجودة الصورة الناتجة. هذه الخوارزمية تعتمد على ثلاثة مربعات بأحجام مختلفة عند المناطق المتجانسة وتتحرك 10 نقاط ضمن المنطقة المتجانسة.  الصورة الناتجة من الدمج تحتوي على نتائج جيدة في التباين بسبب إضافة نقاط حافات من الصورتين والتي تعتمد على الخوارزميات المقترحة. تم مقارنة النتائج مع طرق مختلفة.Enhancing quality image fusion was proposed using new algorithms in auto-focus image fusion. The first algorithm is based on determining the standard deviation to combine two images. The second algorithm concentrates on the contrast at edge points and correlation method as the criteria parameter for the resulted image quality. This algorithm considers three blocks with different sizes at the homogenous region and moves it 10 pixels within the same homogenous region. These blocks examine the statistical properties of the block and decide automatically the next step. The resulted combined image is better in the contrast value because of the added edge points from the two combined images that depend on the suggested algorithms. This enhancement in edge regions is measured and reaches to double in enhancing the contrast. Different methods are used to be compared with the suggested method

Saudi mothers' preferences about breaking bad news concerning newborns: a structured verbal questionnaire

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breaking bad news (BBN) to parents whose newborn has a major disease is an ethical dilemma. In Saudi Arabia, BBN about newborns is performed according to the parental preferences that have been reported from non-Arabic/non-Islamic countries. Saudi mothers' preferences about BBN have not yet been studied. Therefore, we aimed to elicit the preferences of Saudi mothers about BBN concerning newborns.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We selected a convenience sample of 402 Saudi mothers, aged 18-50 years, who had no previous experience with BBN. We selected them via a simple number-randomization scheme from the premises of a level III Saudi hospital between October of 2009 and January of 2011. We used a hypothetical situation (BBN about trisomy 21) to elicit their preferences about BBN concerning newborns via a structured verbal questionnaire composed of 12 multiple-choice questions. We expressed their preferences as percentages (95% confidence interval), and we used the Kendall's W test (W) to assess the degree of agreement in preferences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Saudi mothers preferred that BBN be conducted with both parents together (64% [60-69]), albeit with weak levels of agreement (W = 0.29). They showed moderate agreement in their preferences that BBN should be conducted early (79% [75-83], W = 0.48), in detail (81% [77-85], W = 0.52), in person (88% [85-91], W = 0.58), and in a quiet setting (86% [83-90], W = 0.53). With extremely weak agreement, they preferred to have a known person present for support during BBN (56% [51-61], W = 0.01), to have close bodily contact with their babies (66% [61-70], W = 0.10), and to have no another patients present (64% [59-68], W = 0.08). They showed moderate levels of agreement in their desires to detail, in advance, their preferences about process of BBN by giving a reversible, written informed consent that could be utilized for guidance, if needed (80% [76-84], W = 0.36).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In our experience, Saudi mothers' preferences about BBN concerning newborns are varied, suggesting that a "one-size-fits-all" approach is inappropriate. A reversible, written informed consent detailing their preferences about BBN that would be kept in their medical records and utilized for guidance, if needed, may be the best solution, given this level of diversity. These findings merit further study.</p