Since each rock joint is unique by nature,the utilization of replicas in direct shear testing is required to carry out experimental parameter studies.However,information about the ability of the replicas to simulate t...Since each rock joint is unique by nature,the utilization of replicas in direct shear testing is required to carry out experimental parameter studies.However,information about the ability of the replicas to simulate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint and their dispersion in direct shear testing is lacking.With the aim to facilitate generation of high-quality direct shear test data from replicas,a novel component in the testing procedure is introduced by presenting two parameters for geometric quality assurance.The parameters are derived from surface comparisons of three-dimensional(3D)scanning data of the rock joint and its replicas.The first parameter,smf,captures morphological deviations between the replica and the rock joint surfaces.smf is derived as the standard deviation of the deviations between the coordinate points of the replica and the rock joint.Four sources of errors introduced in the replica manufacturing process employed in this study could be identified.These errors could be minimized,yielding replicas with smf0.06 mm.The second parameter is a vector,VHp100,which describes deviations with respect to the shear direction.It is the projection of the 100 mm long normal vector of the best-fit plane of the replica joint surface to the corresponding plane of the rock joint.VHp100was found to be less than or equal to 0.36 mm in this study.Application of these two geometric quality assurance parameters demonstrates that it is possible to manufacture replicas with high geometric similarity to the rock joint.In a subsequent paper(part 2),smf and VHp100 are incorporated in a novel quality assurance method,in which the parameters shall be evaluated prior to direct shear testing.Replicas having parameter values below established thresholds shall have a known and narrow dispersion and imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint.展开更多
Each rock joint is unique by nature which means that utilization of replicas in direct shear tests is required in experimental parameter studies.However,a method to acquire knowledge about the ability of the replicas ...Each rock joint is unique by nature which means that utilization of replicas in direct shear tests is required in experimental parameter studies.However,a method to acquire knowledge about the ability of the replicas to imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint and their dispersion in direct shear testing is lacking.In this study,a novel method is presented for geometric quality assurance of replicas.The aim is to facilitate generation of high-quality direct shear testing data as a prerequisite for reliable subsequent analyses of the results.In Part 1 of this study,two quality assurance parameters,smf and V_(Hp100),are derived and their usefulness for evaluation of geometric deviations,i.e.geometric reproducibility,is shown.In Part 2,the parameters are validated by showing a correlation between the parameters and the shear mechanical behavior,which qualifies the parameters for usage in the quality assurance method.Unique results from direct shear tests presenting comparisons between replicas and the rock joint show that replicas fulfilling proposed threshold values of σ_(mf)<0.06 mm and|V_(Hp100)|<0.2 mm have a narrow dispersion and imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint in all aspects apart from having a slightly lower peak shear strength.The wear in these replicas,which have similar morphology as the rock joint,is in the same areas as in the rock joint.The wear is slightly larger in the rock joint and therefore the discrepancy in peak shear strength derives from differences in material properties,possibly from differences in toughness.It is shown by application of the suggested method that the quality assured replicas manufactured following the process employed in this study phenomenologically capture the shear strength characteristics,which makes them useful in parameter studies.展开更多
Huaiyin Institute of Technology is taken as the research object.The content of horticulture curriculum system under the background of new agricultural science is constructed and elaborated,including theoretical curric...Huaiyin Institute of Technology is taken as the research object.The content of horticulture curriculum system under the background of new agricultural science is constructed and elaborated,including theoretical curriculum system of"three platforms and seven curriculum groups"and practice system of"two platforms,three levels and four modules".Moreover,the quality assurance strategy of the curriculum system is discussed from three angles of enhancing professional emotion,enhancing professional practice and strengthening innovation ability,to reach the training objective of outstanding applied horticultural talents under the background of new agricultural science.展开更多
Purpose: Patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) requires manual operation of different workstations, which is time-consuming and error-prone. Therefore, developing automated solutions to improve efficiency and accu...Purpose: Patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) requires manual operation of different workstations, which is time-consuming and error-prone. Therefore, developing automated solutions to improve efficiency and accuracy is a priority. The purpose of this study was to develop a general software interface with scripting on a human interactive device (HID) for improving the efficiency and accuracy of manual quality assurance (QA) procedures. Methods: As an initial application, we aimed to automate our PSQA workflow that involves Varian Eclipse treatment planning system, Elekta MOSAIQ oncology information system and PTW Verisoft application. A general platform, the AutoFrame interface with two imbedded subsystems—the AutoFlow and the PyFlow, was developed with a scripting language for automating human operations of aforementioned systems. The interface included three functional modules: GUI module, UDF script interpreter and TCP/IP communication module. All workstations in the PSQA process were connected, and most manual operations were automated by AutoFrame sequentially or in parallel. Results: More than 20 PSQA tasks were performed both manually and using the developed AutoFrame interface. On average, 175 (±12) manual operations of the PSQA procedure were eliminated and performed by the automated process. The time to complete a PSQA task was 8.23 (±0.78) minutes for the automated workflow, in comparison to 13.91 (±3.01) minutes needed for manual operations. Conclusion: We have developed the AutoFrame interface framework that successfully automated our PSQA procedure, and significantly reduced the time, human (control/clicking/typing) errors, and operators’ stress. Future work will focus on improving the system’s flexibility and stability and extending its operations to other QA procedures.展开更多
Continuously improving the internal quality assurance system and promoting the innovative development of higher vocational education is a challenge that every higher vocational institution must solve on the road of di...Continuously improving the internal quality assurance system and promoting the innovative development of higher vocational education is a challenge that every higher vocational institution must solve on the road of diagnosis and improvement.To address the current dilemma of building internal quality assurance systems in higher education institutions,this study utilizes a case study approach.This study takes Jingzhou Vocational and Technical College as the research object for research.Conclusion:The excellent diagnosis and reform model and the effectiveness of diagnosis and reform in this school can provide new strategic ideas for the practice of diagnosis and reform for the high-quality development of higher education in Hubei.展开更多
Aerospace manufacturing SMEs are continuously facing the challenge on managing their supply chain and complying with the aerospace manufacturing quality standard requirement due to their lack of resources and the natu...Aerospace manufacturing SMEs are continuously facing the challenge on managing their supply chain and complying with the aerospace manufacturing quality standard requirement due to their lack of resources and the nature of business. In this paper, the ERP system based approach is presented to quality control and assurance work in light of seamless integration of in-process production data and information internally and therefore managing suppliers more effectively and efficiently. The Aerospace Manufacturing Quality Assurance Standard(BS/EN9100) is one of the most recognised and essential protocols for developing the industry-operated-and-driven quality assurance systems. The research investigates using the ERP based system as an enabler to implement BS/EN9100 quality management system at manufacturing SMEs and the associated implementation and application perspectives. An application case study on a manufacturing SME is presented by using the SAP based implementation, which helps further evaluate and validate the approach and application system development.展开更多
The security assurance of computer-based systems that rely on safety and security</span><span style="font-family:'Minion Pro Capt','serif';"> </span><span style="fon...The security assurance of computer-based systems that rely on safety and security</span><span style="font-family:'Minion Pro Capt','serif';"> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">assurance, such as consistency, durability, efficiency and accessibility, require or need resources. This target</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> the System-of-Systems (SoS) problems with the exception of difficulties and concerns that apply similarly to subsystem interactions on a single system and system-as-component interactions on a large information</span><span style="font-family:'Minion Pro Capt','serif';"> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">system. This research addresses security and information assurance for safety-critical systems, where security and safety </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">are</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> addressed before going to actual implementation/development phase for component-based systems. For this purpose, require a conceptual idea or strategy that deals with the application logic security assurance issues. This may explore the vulnerability in single component or a reuse of specification in existing logic in component-based system. Keeping in view this situation, we have defined seven concepts of security assurance and security assurance design strategy for safety-critical systems.展开更多
Objectives: To classify community pharmacies (CPs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in terms of the quality of medicines sold by them, using?the lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) technique with a predefined threshold. Met...Objectives: To classify community pharmacies (CPs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in terms of the quality of medicines sold by them, using?the lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) technique with a predefined threshold. Methods: Riyadh CPs were divided into 2 categories (“lots” for the purpose of LQAS), i.e., chain and independent CPs. Upper and lower rate thresholds for CPs that sell low-quality medicines were predefined as 20% and 5%, respectively. Consumer and provider risks were predefined as 0.05 and 0.10, respectively. The calculated number of randomly selected CPs required in each lot was 36;then, sale of low-quality medicines in >3 CPs implies a prevalence of >20% of such CPs according to LQAS. A randomly selected brand of amoxicillin (selected as a quality indicator of medicines because it is both widely counterfeited and heat-sensitive) was purchased from each pharmacy by a “mystery shopper”, checked for authenticity, and analyzed for drug content and content uniformity using a validated HPLC method. Results: Substandard amoxicillin was purchased in 9 pharmacies (4 chains and 5 independent). Both lots were thus rejected as unacceptable, which may indicate that consumers in Riyadh are at risk of purchasing substandard medicines at CPs. Conclusions: The quality of medicines sold in CPs in Riyadh did not meet our acceptability criterion, and appropriate intervention by decision makers is recommended. LQAS proved to be a practical, economical, and statistically valid sampling method for surveying the quality of medicines. It should enable decision makers to allocate resources for improvement more efficiently.展开更多
改革开放以来,我国进出口贸易规模不断扩大,这在客观上要求我国加快财务准则的国际化。作为未来人才培养的载体,我国财经类高校纷纷开设双语课程,以培养国际化人才。本研究以Audit and Assurance课程为例,对双语课程在教学改革中的实践...改革开放以来,我国进出口贸易规模不断扩大,这在客观上要求我国加快财务准则的国际化。作为未来人才培养的载体,我国财经类高校纷纷开设双语课程,以培养国际化人才。本研究以Audit and Assurance课程为例,对双语课程在教学改革中的实践进行了阐述,并提出了实践中存在的问题,最后给出相应的对策和建议。展开更多
As developing countries become more involved in the international chemical trade, they must adhere to certain requirements for importation of their chemicals into foreign countries. These developing countries will be ...As developing countries become more involved in the international chemical trade, they must adhere to certain requirements for importation of their chemicals into foreign countries. These developing countries will be required to provide basic safety information on their chemical products, including data developed from chemical and toxicologic testing. These data must be developed in accordance with the national requirements of the importing country. Many importing countries have adopted the OECD Test Guidelines and the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) as primary guidance to assure the quality of laboratory data. These procedures provide a basis for internationally acceptable data. Several countries have incorporated many of these provisions into their national laws or administrative procedures. These procedures describe the process of documenting the conduct of laboratory studies, including recording of data, reporting of study results, and storage of data gathered. This process is intended to assure the quality and integrity of the data so that, if required, the study can be reconstructed by an auditor or an inspector. Details of these procedures and their applicability to the international chemical trade are discussed. 1989 Academic Press, Inc.展开更多
Security practices such as Audits that often focus on penetration testing are performed to find flaws in some types of vulnerability & use tools, which have been tailored to resolve certain risks based on code err...Security practices such as Audits that often focus on penetration testing are performed to find flaws in some types of vulnerability & use tools, which have been tailored to resolve certain risks based on code errors, code conceptual <span style="font-family:Verdana;">assumptions bugs</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> etc. Most existing security practices in e-Commerce are</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> dealt with as an auditing activity. They may have policies of security, which are enforced by auditors who enable a particular set of items to be reviewed, but </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">also fail to find vulnerabilities, which have been established in complianc</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">e </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">with application logic. In this paper, we will investigate the problem of business</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> logic vulnerability in the component-based rapid development of e-commerce applications while reusing design specification of component. We propose secure application functional processing Logic Security technique for compo</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">nent-based e-commerce application, based on security requirement of</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> e-business </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">process and security assurance logical component behaviour specification</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> ap</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">proach to formulize and design a solution for business logic vulnerability</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> phenomena.</span></span></span></span>展开更多
Based on methods of quality assurance to monitor acid precipitation by using ion balance proposedby US National Atmospheric the position Program (VADP) and National Trends Vetwork (NTN) . an ionbalance calculation to ...Based on methods of quality assurance to monitor acid precipitation by using ion balance proposedby US National Atmospheric the position Program (VADP) and National Trends Vetwork (NTN) . an ionbalance calculation to acid rain data in Guizhou Province, Ch展开更多
To be a worldwide competitor, enterprise needs to e va luate and select its supplier carefully. Generally, to evaluate a supplier, the evaluating effort is focused on the purchase price, delivery time, product quali t...To be a worldwide competitor, enterprise needs to e va luate and select its supplier carefully. Generally, to evaluate a supplier, the evaluating effort is focused on the purchase price, delivery time, product quali ty, etc. The vendors’ quality assurance is seldom considered. However, it reflec ts the ability that a vendor can provide high quality but low cost products cont inuously and stably. In this paper, with the study on evaluation of supplier’s q uality assurance system, a set of methods and indices to supplier’s quality assu rance evaluation is introduced. The indices construct an index system, which is based on the ISO9000 series standards. According to the problem’s character and the requirement of evaluation, all the evaluation indices are set off to three k inds: general index, functional index and protective index. And the evaluation m ethod combines quantitative analysis with qualitative analysis. Firstly, a sensi tive factor model is constructed to estimate the contribution of factors that ha ve key effect on synthetic evaluation in supplier’s quality system. Then, those suppliers having low evaluating value are rejected. Secondly, fuzzy logic is int roduced to evaluate other suppliers synthetically. The rest suppliers are compar able. So, supplier’s quality assurance system can be evaluated in quantity. Afte r unification works, the evaluated suppliers can be ranked. And the best vendor can be selected out intuitively.展开更多
With the acceleration of urbanization and increase of points in power systems,complaints about power grids have increased.In the actual on-site measurement process,although the actual measurement results can meet the ...With the acceleration of urbanization and increase of points in power systems,complaints about power grids have increased.In the actual on-site measurement process,although the actual measurement results can meet the relevant standards,some people are still concerned that the electromagnetic environment may change drastically outside the measurement period,which will have an impact on human health.In this study,the situation of electromagnetic online monitoring systems at home and abroad was introduced firstly,and then some practical requirements for establishing monitoring stations were analyzed.According to existing technologies and related writings,the methods and steps for establishing a quality assurance system were introduced,including the identification of quality assurance system activities and their corresponding structure of quality assurance system documents,the preparation and principles of the documents,and the operation of the quality assurance system.It intends to provide reference for the relevant organizations and personnel conducting electromagnetic environment monitoring when establishing a quality assurance system.Through the establishment of the online monitoring system and the later data publicity,the public have an intuitive understanding of the electromagnetic environment attenuation around power transmission and transformation projects,which can not only make China's electric power industry develop better,but also monitor the unexpected situation in time,maintain public safety and reduce people's fear of electromagnetic radiation in substations.展开更多
Improving the quality assurance (QA) processes and acquiring accreditation are top priorities for academic programs. The learning outcomes (LOs)assessment and continuous quality improvement represent core components ...Improving the quality assurance (QA) processes and acquiring accreditation are top priorities for academic programs. The learning outcomes (LOs)assessment and continuous quality improvement represent core components ofthe quality assurance system (QAS). Current assessment methods suffer deficiencies related to accuracy and reliability, and they lack well-organized processes forcontinuous improvement planning. Moreover, the absence of automation, andintegration in QA processes forms a major obstacle towards developing efficientquality system. There is a pressing need to adopt security protocols that providerequired security services to safeguard the valuable information processed byQAS as well. This research proposes an effective methodology for LOs assessment and continuous improvement processes. The proposed approach ensuresmore accurate and reliable LOs assessment results and provides systematic wayfor utilizing those results in the continuous quality improvement. This systematicand well-specified QA processes were then utilized to model and implement automated and secure QAS that efficiently performs quality-related processes. Theproposed system adopts two security protocols that provide confidentiality, integrity, and authentication for quality data and reports. The security protocols avoidthe source repudiation, which is important in the quality reporting system. This isachieved through implementing powerful cryptographic algorithms. The QASenables efficient data collection and processing required for analysis and interpretation. It also prepares for the development of datasets that can be used in futureartificial intelligence (AI) researches to support decision making and improve thequality of academic programs. The proposed approach is implemented in a successful real case study for a computer science program. The current study servesscientific programs struggling to achieve academic accreditation, and gives rise tofully automating and integrating the QA processes and adopting modern AI andsecurity technologies to develop effective QAS.展开更多
Measurements of environmental and human samplesrequires data of known quality.The basis to obtainsuch measurements is in a well designed and executedquality assurance and quality control program.Inthe measurement of m...Measurements of environmental and human samplesrequires data of known quality.The basis to obtainsuch measurements is in a well designed and executedquality assurance and quality control program.Inthe measurement of mutagenesis and other genotoxicendpoints in environmental and human samples。展开更多
Purpose: With usually a millimeter-level PTV margin, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) pose a stringent requirement on the isocentricity of the Linac. This requirement is p...Purpose: With usually a millimeter-level PTV margin, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) pose a stringent requirement on the isocentricity of the Linac. This requirement is partly fulfilled by routine isocenter quality assurance (QA) test to verify the size and location of the isocenter. The current common QA methods such as spoke shot were developed before SBRT/SRS became popular and when IGRT was largely absent and hence have their limitations. In this work, we describe an isocenter QA approach based on portal imaging to provide the community with a superior alternative. Methods: The proposed approach utilizes a BrainLab ball bearing (BB) phantom in conjunction with an electronic portal imaging devices (EPID) imager. The BB phantom was first aligned with a calibrated room laser system. Portal images were then acquired using 6 MV beam with a 2 × 2 cm2 open field and a 15 mm cone on a Varian TrueBeam STx machine. The gantry, collimator, and table were rotated separately at selected angles to acquire a series of portal images in order to determine the isocenter of each rotating system. The location and diameter of these isocenters were determined by calculating the relative displacement of either BB or open field edge between the acquired EPID images. The demonstration of the reproducibility and robustness of this EPID-based approach was carried out by repeating measurements 10 times independently for each rotating system and simulating clinical scenarios of asymmetric jaws and misalignment of BB phantom, respectively. Results: For our TrueBeam STx machine, the isocenter diameter derived from open-field EPID images was roughly 0.15 mm, 0.18 mm, 0.49 mm for the collimator, table, and gantry, respectively. For the collimator and gantry, images taken with the cone gave considerably smaller isocenter diameter. Results remained almost unchanged despite the presence of simulated BB misalignment and asymmetric jaws error, and between independent measurements. Isocenter location and diameter derived from images obtained at a limited number of angles (≤11) were adequately accurate to represent those derived from images of densely sampled angles. Conclusions: An EPID-based isocenter QA approach is described and demonstrated to be accurate, robust, and reproducible. This approach provides a superior alternative to conventional isocenter QA methods with no additional cost. It can be implemented with convenience for any linear accelerator with an EPID imager.展开更多
Purpose: Respiratory-gated radiation therapy (RT) using the real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system is an effective technique for managing tumor motion. High dosimetric and geometric accuracy is needed;how...Purpose: Respiratory-gated radiation therapy (RT) using the real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system is an effective technique for managing tumor motion. High dosimetric and geometric accuracy is needed;however, quality assurance (QA) for respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to perform QA for respiratorygated RT using the RTRT system. Materials and Methods: The RTRT system detected the position of the fiducial marker and radiation delivery gated to the motion of the marker was performed. The dynamic anthropomorphic thorax phantom was positioned at the isocenter using the fiducial marker in the phantom. The phantom was irradiated only when the fiducial marker was within a three-dimensional gating window of ±2 mm from the planned position. First, the absolute doses were measured using anionization chamber inserted in the phantom under the stationary, gating and non-gating state for sinusoidal (nadir-to-peak amplitude [A]: 20 - 40 mm, breathing period [T]: 2 - 4 s) and the basic respiratory patterns. Second, the dose profiles were measured using Gafchromic films in the phantom under the same conditions. Differences between dose profiles were calculated to evaluate the dosimetric and geometric accuracy. Finally, differences between the actual and measured position of the fiducial marker were calculated to evaluate the tracking accuracy for sinusoidal and basic respiratory patterns. Results: For the sinusoidal patterns, the relative doses were 0.93 for non-gating and 0.99 for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 0.94 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), 0.55 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s), respectively. For the basic respiratory pattern, the relative doses were 1.00 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating, respectively. Compared to the stationary conditions, the differences in lateral distance between the 90% dose of dose profiles were 6.23 mm for non-gating and 0.36 mm for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 8.79 mm for non-gating and 1.73 mm for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), 18.37 mm for non-gating and 0.67 mm for gating (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s), respectively. For the basic respiratory pattern, those were 5.23 mm for non-gating and 0.35 mm for gating. The root mean square (RMS) values of the tracking error were 0.18 mm (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 0.14 mm (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), and 0.21 mm (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s) for sinusoidal and 0.79 mm for the basic respiratory pattern, respectively. Conclusion: We conducted QA for respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system. The respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system reduced the blurring effects on dose distribution with high dosimetric and geometric accuracy.展开更多
Background: Quality is important in every setting especially in the health service where the needs of patients should be an utmost priority. However, this is sometimes not the situation in most health care centres due...Background: Quality is important in every setting especially in the health service where the needs of patients should be an utmost priority. However, this is sometimes not the situation in most health care centres due to increasing stress because of inadequate resources and increasing demands for services. This present study seeks to assess quality assurance in the management of wounds. Method: A descriptive survey involving 280 participants;data was collected using structured questionnaire. The questionnaires included some quality indicators which were used to assess the quality of care patients received from the health facility. Results: Out of the 280 participants, females were 57.1% (n = 160) and males, 42.9% (n = 120). Ages of the participants ranged from 15 - 70+ years with a mean age of 35.8 ± 1.5;28.6% (n = 80) of staff had an excellent attitude while 5.7% (n = 16) had a fair attitude. The condition of 112 did not require surgery (40.0%), however, out of the 168 who underwent surgery, 32 (19.0%) were not satisfied while 136 (81.0%) were satisfied. Also, 97.1% (n = 272) were accorded privacy, 51.4% (n = 144) were assured of confidentiality, 48.6% (n = 136) were educated on diagnoses and treatment, 91.4% (n = 256) understood pharmacy instruction, 57.1% (n = 160) were satisfied with time spent in the facility, 97.1% (n = 272) were not shun by nurses because of their wounds. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction should be the priority of all persons working in the health facility. In accessing quality service, patient satisfaction can be met if quality assurance measures are put in place. This quality assurance measures should include all units of the health delivery system since it would help to ensure judicious use of resources in order to meet the health needs of patients.展开更多
Organizational computing devices are increasingly becoming targets of cyber-attacks, and organizations have become dependent on the safety and security of their computer networks and their organizational computing dev...Organizational computing devices are increasingly becoming targets of cyber-attacks, and organizations have become dependent on the safety and security of their computer networks and their organizational computing devices. Business and government often use defense in-depth information assurance measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and password procedures across their enterprises to plan strategically and manage IT security risks. This quantitative study explores whether the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model can be effectively applied to the prioritization of information assurance defense in-depth measures. In response to these threats, the President, legislators, experts, and others have characterized cyber security as a pressing national security issue. The methods used in this study consisted of emailing study participants a survey requesting that they prioritize five defense in-depth information assurance measures, anti-virus, intrusion detection, password, smart-cards, and encryption, with a range of responses from 1 - 5 using a Likert scale to consider standard cost, effectiveness, and perceived ease of use in terms of protection of organizational computing devices. The measures were then weighted, based on ranking. A pair-wise comparison of each of the five measures is then made using AHP to determine whether the Likert scale and the AHP model could be effectively applied to the prioritization of information assurance measures to protect organizational computing devices. The findings of the research reject the H0 null hypothesis that AHP does not affect the relationship between the information technology analysts’ prioritization of five defense in-depth dependent variables and the independent variables of cost, ease of use, and effectiveness in protecting organizational devices against cyber-attacks.展开更多
文摘Since each rock joint is unique by nature,the utilization of replicas in direct shear testing is required to carry out experimental parameter studies.However,information about the ability of the replicas to simulate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint and their dispersion in direct shear testing is lacking.With the aim to facilitate generation of high-quality direct shear test data from replicas,a novel component in the testing procedure is introduced by presenting two parameters for geometric quality assurance.The parameters are derived from surface comparisons of three-dimensional(3D)scanning data of the rock joint and its replicas.The first parameter,smf,captures morphological deviations between the replica and the rock joint surfaces.smf is derived as the standard deviation of the deviations between the coordinate points of the replica and the rock joint.Four sources of errors introduced in the replica manufacturing process employed in this study could be identified.These errors could be minimized,yielding replicas with smf0.06 mm.The second parameter is a vector,VHp100,which describes deviations with respect to the shear direction.It is the projection of the 100 mm long normal vector of the best-fit plane of the replica joint surface to the corresponding plane of the rock joint.VHp100was found to be less than or equal to 0.36 mm in this study.Application of these two geometric quality assurance parameters demonstrates that it is possible to manufacture replicas with high geometric similarity to the rock joint.In a subsequent paper(part 2),smf and VHp100 are incorporated in a novel quality assurance method,in which the parameters shall be evaluated prior to direct shear testing.Replicas having parameter values below established thresholds shall have a known and narrow dispersion and imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint.
文摘Each rock joint is unique by nature which means that utilization of replicas in direct shear tests is required in experimental parameter studies.However,a method to acquire knowledge about the ability of the replicas to imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint and their dispersion in direct shear testing is lacking.In this study,a novel method is presented for geometric quality assurance of replicas.The aim is to facilitate generation of high-quality direct shear testing data as a prerequisite for reliable subsequent analyses of the results.In Part 1 of this study,two quality assurance parameters,smf and V_(Hp100),are derived and their usefulness for evaluation of geometric deviations,i.e.geometric reproducibility,is shown.In Part 2,the parameters are validated by showing a correlation between the parameters and the shear mechanical behavior,which qualifies the parameters for usage in the quality assurance method.Unique results from direct shear tests presenting comparisons between replicas and the rock joint show that replicas fulfilling proposed threshold values of σ_(mf)<0.06 mm and|V_(Hp100)|<0.2 mm have a narrow dispersion and imitate the shear mechanical behavior of the rock joint in all aspects apart from having a slightly lower peak shear strength.The wear in these replicas,which have similar morphology as the rock joint,is in the same areas as in the rock joint.The wear is slightly larger in the rock joint and therefore the discrepancy in peak shear strength derives from differences in material properties,possibly from differences in toughness.It is shown by application of the suggested method that the quality assured replicas manufactured following the process employed in this study phenomenologically capture the shear strength characteristics,which makes them useful in parameter studies.
基金Supported by Higher Education Research Project of Huaiyin Institute of Technology(2019GJ12).
文摘Huaiyin Institute of Technology is taken as the research object.The content of horticulture curriculum system under the background of new agricultural science is constructed and elaborated,including theoretical curriculum system of"three platforms and seven curriculum groups"and practice system of"two platforms,three levels and four modules".Moreover,the quality assurance strategy of the curriculum system is discussed from three angles of enhancing professional emotion,enhancing professional practice and strengthening innovation ability,to reach the training objective of outstanding applied horticultural talents under the background of new agricultural science.
文摘Purpose: Patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) requires manual operation of different workstations, which is time-consuming and error-prone. Therefore, developing automated solutions to improve efficiency and accuracy is a priority. The purpose of this study was to develop a general software interface with scripting on a human interactive device (HID) for improving the efficiency and accuracy of manual quality assurance (QA) procedures. Methods: As an initial application, we aimed to automate our PSQA workflow that involves Varian Eclipse treatment planning system, Elekta MOSAIQ oncology information system and PTW Verisoft application. A general platform, the AutoFrame interface with two imbedded subsystems—the AutoFlow and the PyFlow, was developed with a scripting language for automating human operations of aforementioned systems. The interface included three functional modules: GUI module, UDF script interpreter and TCP/IP communication module. All workstations in the PSQA process were connected, and most manual operations were automated by AutoFrame sequentially or in parallel. Results: More than 20 PSQA tasks were performed both manually and using the developed AutoFrame interface. On average, 175 (±12) manual operations of the PSQA procedure were eliminated and performed by the automated process. The time to complete a PSQA task was 8.23 (±0.78) minutes for the automated workflow, in comparison to 13.91 (±3.01) minutes needed for manual operations. Conclusion: We have developed the AutoFrame interface framework that successfully automated our PSQA procedure, and significantly reduced the time, human (control/clicking/typing) errors, and operators’ stress. Future work will focus on improving the system’s flexibility and stability and extending its operations to other QA procedures.
文摘Continuously improving the internal quality assurance system and promoting the innovative development of higher vocational education is a challenge that every higher vocational institution must solve on the road of diagnosis and improvement.To address the current dilemma of building internal quality assurance systems in higher education institutions,this study utilizes a case study approach.This study takes Jingzhou Vocational and Technical College as the research object for research.Conclusion:The excellent diagnosis and reform model and the effectiveness of diagnosis and reform in this school can provide new strategic ideas for the practice of diagnosis and reform for the high-quality development of higher education in Hubei.
基金support for this research (R85169) from Mollart Engineering Ltd
文摘Aerospace manufacturing SMEs are continuously facing the challenge on managing their supply chain and complying with the aerospace manufacturing quality standard requirement due to their lack of resources and the nature of business. In this paper, the ERP system based approach is presented to quality control and assurance work in light of seamless integration of in-process production data and information internally and therefore managing suppliers more effectively and efficiently. The Aerospace Manufacturing Quality Assurance Standard(BS/EN9100) is one of the most recognised and essential protocols for developing the industry-operated-and-driven quality assurance systems. The research investigates using the ERP based system as an enabler to implement BS/EN9100 quality management system at manufacturing SMEs and the associated implementation and application perspectives. An application case study on a manufacturing SME is presented by using the SAP based implementation, which helps further evaluate and validate the approach and application system development.
文摘The security assurance of computer-based systems that rely on safety and security</span><span style="font-family:'Minion Pro Capt','serif';"> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">assurance, such as consistency, durability, efficiency and accessibility, require or need resources. This target</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> the System-of-Systems (SoS) problems with the exception of difficulties and concerns that apply similarly to subsystem interactions on a single system and system-as-component interactions on a large information</span><span style="font-family:'Minion Pro Capt','serif';"> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">system. This research addresses security and information assurance for safety-critical systems, where security and safety </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">are</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> addressed before going to actual implementation/development phase for component-based systems. For this purpose, require a conceptual idea or strategy that deals with the application logic security assurance issues. This may explore the vulnerability in single component or a reuse of specification in existing logic in component-based system. Keeping in view this situation, we have defined seven concepts of security assurance and security assurance design strategy for safety-critical systems.
文摘Objectives: To classify community pharmacies (CPs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in terms of the quality of medicines sold by them, using?the lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) technique with a predefined threshold. Methods: Riyadh CPs were divided into 2 categories (“lots” for the purpose of LQAS), i.e., chain and independent CPs. Upper and lower rate thresholds for CPs that sell low-quality medicines were predefined as 20% and 5%, respectively. Consumer and provider risks were predefined as 0.05 and 0.10, respectively. The calculated number of randomly selected CPs required in each lot was 36;then, sale of low-quality medicines in >3 CPs implies a prevalence of >20% of such CPs according to LQAS. A randomly selected brand of amoxicillin (selected as a quality indicator of medicines because it is both widely counterfeited and heat-sensitive) was purchased from each pharmacy by a “mystery shopper”, checked for authenticity, and analyzed for drug content and content uniformity using a validated HPLC method. Results: Substandard amoxicillin was purchased in 9 pharmacies (4 chains and 5 independent). Both lots were thus rejected as unacceptable, which may indicate that consumers in Riyadh are at risk of purchasing substandard medicines at CPs. Conclusions: The quality of medicines sold in CPs in Riyadh did not meet our acceptability criterion, and appropriate intervention by decision makers is recommended. LQAS proved to be a practical, economical, and statistically valid sampling method for surveying the quality of medicines. It should enable decision makers to allocate resources for improvement more efficiently.
文摘改革开放以来,我国进出口贸易规模不断扩大,这在客观上要求我国加快财务准则的国际化。作为未来人才培养的载体,我国财经类高校纷纷开设双语课程,以培养国际化人才。本研究以Audit and Assurance课程为例,对双语课程在教学改革中的实践进行了阐述,并提出了实践中存在的问题,最后给出相应的对策和建议。
文摘As developing countries become more involved in the international chemical trade, they must adhere to certain requirements for importation of their chemicals into foreign countries. These developing countries will be required to provide basic safety information on their chemical products, including data developed from chemical and toxicologic testing. These data must be developed in accordance with the national requirements of the importing country. Many importing countries have adopted the OECD Test Guidelines and the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) as primary guidance to assure the quality of laboratory data. These procedures provide a basis for internationally acceptable data. Several countries have incorporated many of these provisions into their national laws or administrative procedures. These procedures describe the process of documenting the conduct of laboratory studies, including recording of data, reporting of study results, and storage of data gathered. This process is intended to assure the quality and integrity of the data so that, if required, the study can be reconstructed by an auditor or an inspector. Details of these procedures and their applicability to the international chemical trade are discussed. 1989 Academic Press, Inc.
文摘Security practices such as Audits that often focus on penetration testing are performed to find flaws in some types of vulnerability & use tools, which have been tailored to resolve certain risks based on code errors, code conceptual <span style="font-family:Verdana;">assumptions bugs</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> etc. Most existing security practices in e-Commerce are</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> dealt with as an auditing activity. They may have policies of security, which are enforced by auditors who enable a particular set of items to be reviewed, but </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">also fail to find vulnerabilities, which have been established in complianc</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">e </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">with application logic. In this paper, we will investigate the problem of business</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> logic vulnerability in the component-based rapid development of e-commerce applications while reusing design specification of component. We propose secure application functional processing Logic Security technique for compo</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">nent-based e-commerce application, based on security requirement of</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> e-business </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">process and security assurance logical component behaviour specification</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> ap</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">proach to formulize and design a solution for business logic vulnerability</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> phenomena.</span></span></span></span>
文摘Based on methods of quality assurance to monitor acid precipitation by using ion balance proposedby US National Atmospheric the position Program (VADP) and National Trends Vetwork (NTN) . an ionbalance calculation to acid rain data in Guizhou Province, Ch
文摘To be a worldwide competitor, enterprise needs to e va luate and select its supplier carefully. Generally, to evaluate a supplier, the evaluating effort is focused on the purchase price, delivery time, product quali ty, etc. The vendors’ quality assurance is seldom considered. However, it reflec ts the ability that a vendor can provide high quality but low cost products cont inuously and stably. In this paper, with the study on evaluation of supplier’s q uality assurance system, a set of methods and indices to supplier’s quality assu rance evaluation is introduced. The indices construct an index system, which is based on the ISO9000 series standards. According to the problem’s character and the requirement of evaluation, all the evaluation indices are set off to three k inds: general index, functional index and protective index. And the evaluation m ethod combines quantitative analysis with qualitative analysis. Firstly, a sensi tive factor model is constructed to estimate the contribution of factors that ha ve key effect on synthetic evaluation in supplier’s quality system. Then, those suppliers having low evaluating value are rejected. Secondly, fuzzy logic is int roduced to evaluate other suppliers synthetically. The rest suppliers are compar able. So, supplier’s quality assurance system can be evaluated in quantity. Afte r unification works, the evaluated suppliers can be ranked. And the best vendor can be selected out intuitively.
基金Supported by the Open Project of Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering(ZX2017005)
文摘With the acceleration of urbanization and increase of points in power systems,complaints about power grids have increased.In the actual on-site measurement process,although the actual measurement results can meet the relevant standards,some people are still concerned that the electromagnetic environment may change drastically outside the measurement period,which will have an impact on human health.In this study,the situation of electromagnetic online monitoring systems at home and abroad was introduced firstly,and then some practical requirements for establishing monitoring stations were analyzed.According to existing technologies and related writings,the methods and steps for establishing a quality assurance system were introduced,including the identification of quality assurance system activities and their corresponding structure of quality assurance system documents,the preparation and principles of the documents,and the operation of the quality assurance system.It intends to provide reference for the relevant organizations and personnel conducting electromagnetic environment monitoring when establishing a quality assurance system.Through the establishment of the online monitoring system and the later data publicity,the public have an intuitive understanding of the electromagnetic environment attenuation around power transmission and transformation projects,which can not only make China's electric power industry develop better,but also monitor the unexpected situation in time,maintain public safety and reduce people's fear of electromagnetic radiation in substations.
基金Author extends his appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University for funding and supporting this work through Graduate Student Research Support Program.
文摘Improving the quality assurance (QA) processes and acquiring accreditation are top priorities for academic programs. The learning outcomes (LOs)assessment and continuous quality improvement represent core components ofthe quality assurance system (QAS). Current assessment methods suffer deficiencies related to accuracy and reliability, and they lack well-organized processes forcontinuous improvement planning. Moreover, the absence of automation, andintegration in QA processes forms a major obstacle towards developing efficientquality system. There is a pressing need to adopt security protocols that providerequired security services to safeguard the valuable information processed byQAS as well. This research proposes an effective methodology for LOs assessment and continuous improvement processes. The proposed approach ensuresmore accurate and reliable LOs assessment results and provides systematic wayfor utilizing those results in the continuous quality improvement. This systematicand well-specified QA processes were then utilized to model and implement automated and secure QAS that efficiently performs quality-related processes. Theproposed system adopts two security protocols that provide confidentiality, integrity, and authentication for quality data and reports. The security protocols avoidthe source repudiation, which is important in the quality reporting system. This isachieved through implementing powerful cryptographic algorithms. The QASenables efficient data collection and processing required for analysis and interpretation. It also prepares for the development of datasets that can be used in futureartificial intelligence (AI) researches to support decision making and improve thequality of academic programs. The proposed approach is implemented in a successful real case study for a computer science program. The current study servesscientific programs struggling to achieve academic accreditation, and gives rise tofully automating and integrating the QA processes and adopting modern AI andsecurity technologies to develop effective QAS.
文摘Measurements of environmental and human samplesrequires data of known quality.The basis to obtainsuch measurements is in a well designed and executedquality assurance and quality control program.Inthe measurement of mutagenesis and other genotoxicendpoints in environmental and human samples。
文摘Purpose: With usually a millimeter-level PTV margin, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) pose a stringent requirement on the isocentricity of the Linac. This requirement is partly fulfilled by routine isocenter quality assurance (QA) test to verify the size and location of the isocenter. The current common QA methods such as spoke shot were developed before SBRT/SRS became popular and when IGRT was largely absent and hence have their limitations. In this work, we describe an isocenter QA approach based on portal imaging to provide the community with a superior alternative. Methods: The proposed approach utilizes a BrainLab ball bearing (BB) phantom in conjunction with an electronic portal imaging devices (EPID) imager. The BB phantom was first aligned with a calibrated room laser system. Portal images were then acquired using 6 MV beam with a 2 × 2 cm2 open field and a 15 mm cone on a Varian TrueBeam STx machine. The gantry, collimator, and table were rotated separately at selected angles to acquire a series of portal images in order to determine the isocenter of each rotating system. The location and diameter of these isocenters were determined by calculating the relative displacement of either BB or open field edge between the acquired EPID images. The demonstration of the reproducibility and robustness of this EPID-based approach was carried out by repeating measurements 10 times independently for each rotating system and simulating clinical scenarios of asymmetric jaws and misalignment of BB phantom, respectively. Results: For our TrueBeam STx machine, the isocenter diameter derived from open-field EPID images was roughly 0.15 mm, 0.18 mm, 0.49 mm for the collimator, table, and gantry, respectively. For the collimator and gantry, images taken with the cone gave considerably smaller isocenter diameter. Results remained almost unchanged despite the presence of simulated BB misalignment and asymmetric jaws error, and between independent measurements. Isocenter location and diameter derived from images obtained at a limited number of angles (≤11) were adequately accurate to represent those derived from images of densely sampled angles. Conclusions: An EPID-based isocenter QA approach is described and demonstrated to be accurate, robust, and reproducible. This approach provides a superior alternative to conventional isocenter QA methods with no additional cost. It can be implemented with convenience for any linear accelerator with an EPID imager.
文摘Purpose: Respiratory-gated radiation therapy (RT) using the real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system is an effective technique for managing tumor motion. High dosimetric and geometric accuracy is needed;however, quality assurance (QA) for respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to perform QA for respiratorygated RT using the RTRT system. Materials and Methods: The RTRT system detected the position of the fiducial marker and radiation delivery gated to the motion of the marker was performed. The dynamic anthropomorphic thorax phantom was positioned at the isocenter using the fiducial marker in the phantom. The phantom was irradiated only when the fiducial marker was within a three-dimensional gating window of ±2 mm from the planned position. First, the absolute doses were measured using anionization chamber inserted in the phantom under the stationary, gating and non-gating state for sinusoidal (nadir-to-peak amplitude [A]: 20 - 40 mm, breathing period [T]: 2 - 4 s) and the basic respiratory patterns. Second, the dose profiles were measured using Gafchromic films in the phantom under the same conditions. Differences between dose profiles were calculated to evaluate the dosimetric and geometric accuracy. Finally, differences between the actual and measured position of the fiducial marker were calculated to evaluate the tracking accuracy for sinusoidal and basic respiratory patterns. Results: For the sinusoidal patterns, the relative doses were 0.93 for non-gating and 0.99 for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 0.94 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), 0.55 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s), respectively. For the basic respiratory pattern, the relative doses were 1.00 for non-gating and 1.00 for gating, respectively. Compared to the stationary conditions, the differences in lateral distance between the 90% dose of dose profiles were 6.23 mm for non-gating and 0.36 mm for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 8.79 mm for non-gating and 1.73 mm for gating (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), 18.37 mm for non-gating and 0.67 mm for gating (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s), respectively. For the basic respiratory pattern, those were 5.23 mm for non-gating and 0.35 mm for gating. The root mean square (RMS) values of the tracking error were 0.18 mm (A = 20 mm, T = 2 s), 0.14 mm (A = 20 mm, T = 4 s), and 0.21 mm (A = 40 mm, T = 4 s) for sinusoidal and 0.79 mm for the basic respiratory pattern, respectively. Conclusion: We conducted QA for respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system. The respiratory-gated RT using the RTRT system reduced the blurring effects on dose distribution with high dosimetric and geometric accuracy.
文摘Background: Quality is important in every setting especially in the health service where the needs of patients should be an utmost priority. However, this is sometimes not the situation in most health care centres due to increasing stress because of inadequate resources and increasing demands for services. This present study seeks to assess quality assurance in the management of wounds. Method: A descriptive survey involving 280 participants;data was collected using structured questionnaire. The questionnaires included some quality indicators which were used to assess the quality of care patients received from the health facility. Results: Out of the 280 participants, females were 57.1% (n = 160) and males, 42.9% (n = 120). Ages of the participants ranged from 15 - 70+ years with a mean age of 35.8 ± 1.5;28.6% (n = 80) of staff had an excellent attitude while 5.7% (n = 16) had a fair attitude. The condition of 112 did not require surgery (40.0%), however, out of the 168 who underwent surgery, 32 (19.0%) were not satisfied while 136 (81.0%) were satisfied. Also, 97.1% (n = 272) were accorded privacy, 51.4% (n = 144) were assured of confidentiality, 48.6% (n = 136) were educated on diagnoses and treatment, 91.4% (n = 256) understood pharmacy instruction, 57.1% (n = 160) were satisfied with time spent in the facility, 97.1% (n = 272) were not shun by nurses because of their wounds. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction should be the priority of all persons working in the health facility. In accessing quality service, patient satisfaction can be met if quality assurance measures are put in place. This quality assurance measures should include all units of the health delivery system since it would help to ensure judicious use of resources in order to meet the health needs of patients.
文摘Organizational computing devices are increasingly becoming targets of cyber-attacks, and organizations have become dependent on the safety and security of their computer networks and their organizational computing devices. Business and government often use defense in-depth information assurance measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and password procedures across their enterprises to plan strategically and manage IT security risks. This quantitative study explores whether the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model can be effectively applied to the prioritization of information assurance defense in-depth measures. In response to these threats, the President, legislators, experts, and others have characterized cyber security as a pressing national security issue. The methods used in this study consisted of emailing study participants a survey requesting that they prioritize five defense in-depth information assurance measures, anti-virus, intrusion detection, password, smart-cards, and encryption, with a range of responses from 1 - 5 using a Likert scale to consider standard cost, effectiveness, and perceived ease of use in terms of protection of organizational computing devices. The measures were then weighted, based on ranking. A pair-wise comparison of each of the five measures is then made using AHP to determine whether the Likert scale and the AHP model could be effectively applied to the prioritization of information assurance measures to protect organizational computing devices. The findings of the research reject the H0 null hypothesis that AHP does not affect the relationship between the information technology analysts’ prioritization of five defense in-depth dependent variables and the independent variables of cost, ease of use, and effectiveness in protecting organizational devices against cyber-attacks.
