22 research outputs found
Contextual Analysis of Current Media Governance & Policies in Pakistan
This paper raises concerns regarding the role of PEMRA and the rulesgoverning the content on Pakistani television. The paper aims toidentify the different phenomena which have become common placein the Pakistani media these days. In the later section, it tries to isolateand discuss the historical development of the adopted westerncultural ideals, which author's argue led to these phenomena
Effect of raster angle and infill pattern on the in-plane and edgewise flexural properties of fused filament fabricated acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene
Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is a popular additive manufacturing process to produce printed polymer components, whereby their strength is highly dependent on the process parameters. The raster angle and infill pattern are two key process parameters and their effects on flexural properties need further research. Therefore, the present study aimed to print test specimens with varying raster angles and infill patterns to learn their influence on the in-plane and edgewise flexural properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) material. The results revealed that the highest in-plane and edgewise flexural moduli were obtained when printing was performed at 0 ° raster angle. In comparison, the lowest values were obtained when the printing was executed with a 90 ° raster angle. Regarding the infill pattern, the tri-hexagon pattern showed the largest in-plane modulus, and the quarter-cubic pattern exhibited the greatest edgewise flexural modulus. However, considering both the modulus and load carrying capacity, the quarter-cubic pattern showed satisfactory performance in both planes. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the failure modes, i.e., raster rupture, delamination of successive layers and void formation. The failure occurred either due to one or a combination of these modes
Application of value stream mapping (VSM) in gear manufacturing process: A case study
Since the end of 20th century, Lean Manufacturing has been recognized as an important approach in competitive industrial environments to improving productivity by reducing process cycle time. To remain competitive in the market, organizations are compelled to find new domains for improvements in order to reduce production lead time and to smooth the flow of processes. The current research aims at designing efficient future VSM to improve productivity by reducing process cycle time and waste in a gear manufacturing process in an automotive industry. The approach was based on mapping the current state of the process to identify the non-value-added activities and also for opportunities for improvement in value added activities. Kaizen events are the main metrics for improvement in the current process by integrating it with the future value stream map. This study concluded that the designed future value stream map helps effectively in identifying the wasteful activities i.e. distance travelled and inventory at different workstations. VSM integrated with Kaizen proves itself a useful approach in achieving continuous process improvement
Fetal Brain Tissue Annotation and Segmentation Challenge Results
In-utero fetal MRI is emerging as an important tool in the diagnosis and
analysis of the developing human brain. Automatic segmentation of the
developing fetal brain is a vital step in the quantitative analysis of prenatal
neurodevelopment both in the research and clinical context. However, manual
segmentation of cerebral structures is time-consuming and prone to error and
inter-observer variability. Therefore, we organized the Fetal Tissue Annotation
(FeTA) Challenge in 2021 in order to encourage the development of automatic
segmentation algorithms on an international level. The challenge utilized FeTA
Dataset, an open dataset of fetal brain MRI reconstructions segmented into
seven different tissues (external cerebrospinal fluid, grey matter, white
matter, ventricles, cerebellum, brainstem, deep grey matter). 20 international
teams participated in this challenge, submitting a total of 21 algorithms for
evaluation. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of the results from
both a technical and clinical perspective. All participants relied on deep
learning methods, mainly U-Nets, with some variability present in the network
architecture, optimization, and image pre- and post-processing. The majority of
teams used existing medical imaging deep learning frameworks. The main
differences between the submissions were the fine tuning done during training,
and the specific pre- and post-processing steps performed. The challenge
results showed that almost all submissions performed similarly. Four of the top
five teams used ensemble learning methods. However, one team's algorithm
performed significantly superior to the other submissions, and consisted of an
asymmetrical U-Net network architecture. This paper provides a first of its
kind benchmark for future automatic multi-tissue segmentation algorithms for
the developing human brain in utero.Comment: Results from FeTA Challenge 2021, held at MICCAI; Manuscript
submitte
Estimation of ion accelerating potential inside the nanosecond pulsed laser produced tungsten plasma
Plasma plume generated by neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium granite laser (wavelength = 1064 nm, pulse duration = 6 ns) focused onto a planar tungsten target is investigated with the help of ion collector (IC) and electrostatic ion energy analyzer (IEA) operating in time-of-flight configuration. Laser fluence was in the range of 7–20 J/cm2. The IEA spectra showed that the charge state of tungsten ions emitted from the plume increases with the laser fluence and W6+ was the highest ion charge state detected in the investigated range of the laser fluence. Coulomb–Boltzmann-shifted time function was used to determine ion intensities and peak energies of the various ion charge states from the measured IC spectra. Depending on the charge state, the energies of various ion charge states were in the range of 0.6–2.7 keV. The experimental data were exploited to estimate the equivalent accelerating potential developed inside the plume. The equivalent accelerating potential was found to increase linearly with the increase of laser fluence. The comparison with literature data revealed that the equivalent accelerating potential also increases with the atomic number of the target material. These results are in good agreement with the predictions of the electrostatic model for ion acceleration in laser plasma
Temporal and Spectral Characterization of Electromagnetic Pulse Emitted From Nanosecond Pulsed Laser Produced Aluminum Plasma
Kinetics of Ions Emitted From Nanosecond-Pulsed Laser-Generated Plasma in Broad Range of the Laser Fluence
Pulsed Laser Deposition of Platinum Nanoparticles as a Catalyst for High-Performance PEM Fuel Cells
The catalyst layers for polymer-electrolyte-membrane (PEM) fuel cells were fabricated by deposition of platinum directly onto the gas diffusion layer using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). This technique reduced the number of steps required to synthesize the catalyst layers and the amount of Pt loading required. PEM fuel cells with various Pt loadings for the cathode were investigated. With a cathode Pt loading of 100 μ g·cm − 2 , the current density of a single cell reached 1205 mA·cm − 2 at 0.6 V, which was close to that of a single cell using an E-TEK (trademark) Pt/C electrode with a cathode Pt loading of 400 μ g·cm − 2 . Furthermore, for a PEM fuel cell with both electrodes prepared by PLD and a total anode and cathode Pt loading of 117 μ g·cm − 2 , the overall Pt mass-specific power density at 0.6 V reached 7.43 kW·g − 1 , which was five times that of a fuel cell with E-TEK Pt/C electrodes. The high mass-specific power density was due to that a very thin nanoporous Pt layer was deposited directly onto the gas diffusion layer, which made good contact with the Nafion membrane and thus resulted in a low-resistance membrane electrode assembly
Six Sigma in construction: a review of critical success factors
Purpose
This paper aims at collecting and reviewing the published literature on the Six Sigma in construction along with its critical success factors (CSFs).
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on literature review. Based on the keyword and semantic search techniques, papers published on the topic of Six Sigma during 2000-2015 are retrieved. Frequency analysis is performed to find out significance of identified CSFs, and zoning is performed based on the product of frequency of appearance and parties affected by the CSFs.
Findings
A total of 69 CSFs are identified as published in the literature. Based on an inclusion criterion of minimum 15 appearances, 22 CSFs are shortlisted for further analysis. Of these CSFs, around 32 per cent fall into red zone (most critical), 50 per cent into yellow and 18 per cent into green zone (least critical).
Research limitations/implications
This work is limited by partial identification of CSFs. Though based on an extensive search, the retrieved CSFs may not be all the published ones. However, more thorough search techniques can be applied to improve upon this work.
Practical implications
The findings can be used to facilitate the decision-making in the context of project success.
Originality/value
This work is an original attempt at gathering Six Sigma CSFs applicable to construction projects. It may be used for further research and development to help ensure project quality and success
Impact of Progression of Parkinson's Disease and Various Other Factors on Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Objective: While much research has been conducted toward understanding the relationship between prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) and generalized anxiety, little has been done considering additional influential factors in the relationship by means of a large ethnically diverse sample. Our study strives to fulfill these deficits in the literature as we set out to determine the impact of progression of PD, age, gender, and Hoehn and Yahr (H and Y) staging of PD on generalized anxiety. Methods: A retrospective chart review analysis was performed on PD patients who were regularly examined in a community-based PD and movement disorders center from 2005 to 2010. Results: This study consisted of 310 patients with PD among whom 12% had generalized anxiety. Neither age nor gender was significant onset predictors at P = 0.05. The impact of progression of H and Y Stages 2–3 and 2–4 increased the odds of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) prevalence though it was statistically insignificant at P = 0.05. Conclusions: Clinicians should not expect the risk of developing anxiety to depend on gender nor change as a function of age though it may increase with symptomatic progression of PD as outlined by H and Y. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest and most ethnically diverse prevalence study with a focus on generalized anxiety and PD. Significant Outcomes and Limitations: The symptomatic progression of PD, but not age or gender, may be associated with an increased risk for GAD. This study lacked adjustment for potential confounders such as depression and PD medications