Search

Copyright of Global Journal of Economics & Business is the property of Refaad for Studies, Research & Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Natural Fibers are one of the important growing markets in the domain of bio-composites' processing, due to an unprecedented increase in environmental and economic challenges. As a result, proper selection of the natural fibers that meet the requirements for environment-friendly bio-composites is an important phase as it can heavily enhance the achievement of low-cost design for better sustainable societies. In general, Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is considered as a powerful tool that helps designers and decision-makers to accomplish their intended goals. The current research paper extends a material selection model that incorporates Weibull distribution in the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The strength of this model lies in its ability to account the dispersion in material properties objectively and consider a pre-defined quality level at the time of the material selection process. A case study is presented in this study to illustrate the potential and applicability of the proposed method. The results show that the ranking is dynamic and is highly sensitive to the scenarios of six sigma levels. From the analytical outcomes, the study found that NENDRAN BANANA is the most appropriate fiber that can be used in the hybridization process to design a passenger-vehicle center-lever parkingbrake component with a reasonable defect per million opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of a new adaptive version of the multiple dependent state (AMDS) sampling plan is presented based on the time truncated life test under the Weibull distribution. We achieved the proposed sampling plan by applying the concept of the double sampling plan and existing multiple dependent state sampling plans. A warning sign for acceptance number was proposed to increase the probability of current lot acceptance. The optimal plan parameters were determined simultaneously with nonlinear optimization problems under the producer's risk and consumer's risk. A simulation study was presented to support the proposed sampling plan. A comparison between the proposed and existing sampling plans, namely multiple dependent state (MDS) sampling plans and a modified multiple dependent state (MMDS) sampling plan, was considered under the average sampling number and operating characteristic curve values. In addition, the use of two real datasets demonstrated the practicality and usefulness of the proposed sampling plan. The results indicated that the proposed plan is more flexible and efficient in terms of the average sample number compared to the existing MDS and MMDS sampling plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customizing the quality of the product to change customer expectations is a necessary action in good, prospering organizations. In enterprises, the most beneficial solutions consider the future satisfaction of customer with the product. This issue is not easy and is not resolved; therefore, integration of different techniques was proposed as part of a single, coherent appliance. Therefore, the aim is to propose the appliance to predict the quality of hypothetically modified products. The appliance was developed by adequately selected and combined techniques, i.e., survey research with the Likert scale, AHP method (Analytic Hierarchy Process), Pareto rule (20/80), WSM method (Weighted Sum Model) and Naive Classifier Bayes. The concept of the proposed appliance concerns the possibility of determining important product attributes and possible combinations of feature states. Based on this, the quality levels were estimated, and then satisfaction with the hypothetical modifications of the product was predicted. The test was carried out on the vacuum cleaner. As a result, four combinations of product modifications were determined, which have been created based on hypothetical and actual attributes. Each modification was satisfying for the customer. Therefore, the proposed apparatus turned out to be effective in predicting customer satisfaction for the modified quality levels. Originality is to propose a new integration of different techniques to predict levels of quality product modification based on current product quality.

With the emerging wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor development, the increasing power density and efficiency of power electronic converters may cause more switching oscillation, electromagnetic interference noise, and additional power loss, further increasing the probability of device failure. Therefore, determining and quantifying the failure of a metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistor (MOSFET), which assembled using WBG semiconductor in some applications, is crucial to improving the reliability of a power converter. This study proposes a novel failure quantitative assessment approach based on MOSFET parasitic parameters. According to the two-port network theory, MOSFET is equivalent to some second-order RLC circuits composed of independent inductances, capacitances, and resistances in series. Then, the frequency-domain impedance associated with the physical failure of MOSFET is identified through frequency domain reflectometry. Accelerated aging and bond wires cut-off experiments are employed to obtain various quality states of the MOSFET device. Result shows that the MOSFET quality level and its number of bond wire lift-offs can be quantified effectively. Drain-to-source on-resistance (RDS(on)) that normally represents the MOSFET quality shows a positive linear function relationship on drain-to-source parasitic resistance (RD + RS) during the quality degradation proceeding. This finding matches with the correlation established between RDS (on) and RD + RS in theory. Meanwhile, source parasitic inductance (LS) increases with the severity of bond wires faults, and even the slight fault shows a high sensitivity. The proposed approach would be an effective quality screening technology for power semiconductor devices without power on treatment, which can effectively avoid the impact of junction temperature and test conditions (current and voltage) on test results, and does not need to design additional test circuits. The test frequency range we used in this approach was 10–300 MHz, which to some extent is suitable for providing an on-line quality monitoring technology for high-frequency WBG power devices manufacturing.

Project managers supervise projects to ensure their smooth completion within a stipulated time frame and budget while guaranteeing construction quality. The relationships of various attributes with quality can be quantified and classified to facilitate such supervision. Therefore, this study used a data mining algorithm to analyze the relationships between defects, quality levels, contract sums, project categories, and progress in 1,015 inspection projects. In the first part, association rule mining (ARM), an unsupervised data mining approach, was used to obtain 11 rules relating two defect types (i.e., quality management system and construction quality) and determine the relationships between the four attributes (i.e., quality level, contract sum, project category, and progress). The resulting association rule may be beneficial for construction management because project managers can use it to determine the correlations between defects and attributes. In the second part, supervised data mining techniques, namely neural network (NN), support vector machine (SVM), and decision tree (C5.0 and QUEST) algorithms, were applied to develop a classification model for quality prediction. The target variable was quality, which was divided into four levels, and the decision variables comprised 499 defects, 3 contract sums, 7 project categories, and 2 progress variables. The results indicated that five defects were important. Finally, the four indicators of gain chart, break-even point (BEP), accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated to evaluate the model. For the SVM model, the actual value predicted by the gain chart was 96.04%, the BEP was 0.95, and the AUC was 0.935. The SVM yielded optimal classification efficiency and effectively predicted the quality level. The data mining model developed in this study can serve as a reference for effective construction management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have pointed out that the-smaller-the-better quality characteristics (QC) can be found in many important components of machine tools, such as roundness, verticality, and surface roughness of axes, bearings, and gears. This paper applied a process quality index that is capable of measuring the level of process quality. Meanwhile, a model of fuzzy quality evaluation was developed by the process quality index as having a one-to-one mathematical relationship with the process yield. In addition to assessing the level of process quality, the model can also be employed as a basis for determining whether to improve the process quality at the same time. This model can cope with the problem of small sample sizes arising from the need for enterprises' quick response, which means that the accuracy of the evaluation can still be maintained in the case of small sample sizes. Moreover, this fuzzy quality evaluation model is built on the confidence interval, enabling a decline in the probability of misjudgment incurred by sampling errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study analyzes the optimal price and quality decisions of a retailer for its different stores in a heterogeneous market. The consumers are also assumed to be heterogeneous in terms of their willingness to pay for quality who are non-uniformly distributed in the market. This type of heterogeneity which is identified based on income disparity can have important implications for a retailer's optimal policy. The main objective of this study is to determine how the distribution of different types of consumers in the market and how their travel costs affect the optimal setting of price and quality levels among different stores of a retailer. According to the findings of this study, the geographical disparity of willingness to pay plays a significant role in differentiation and targeting strategy of a retailer. Furthermore, a comparative analysis revealed that the widely adopted assumption of uniform distribution of consumers in the literature would lead to non-optimal decisions in which the distribution of consumers is non-uniform in a real-world situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the stochastic nature of production systems, it is necessary to first build an uncertainty model for subsequent real applications. Moreover, process parameter planning, quality design, and production inventory management are interdependent elements. In this research, a computer simulation model via computer-aided engineering (CAE) was developed to determine the optimal process parameters, lot size, and back order intervals for an integrated process design and inventory management system with simultaneous quality and cost considerations. Based on the estimated process time and costs obtained using CAE, the derived production rate and unit cost were then used for production inventory applications. In consideration of the uncertainty factor, the response surface method (RSM) was employed to analyze the output, namely the total costs incurred in employing the proposed approach, as well as the inputs, which include the cutting parameters, production quantity, and back order intervals. After the RSM was used to obtain the response functions, which represent the output of the collective interests, the mathematical programming (MP) was formulated based on the response functions to determine the optimal process parameters, process quality levels, production order quantities, and back order intervals. The total cost per set time unit was minimized by determining the required quality level, process parameter values, Economic Production Quantity (EPQ), and back order intervals. A cutting example was chosen to demonstrate the proposed approach. Two cases were used for comparison: the Integrated Case (the proposed approach herein) and the Disintegrated Case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process uncertainty makes remanufacturing operations management sophisticated. To reduce the uncertainty of the timing, quality and quantity of product returns in remanufacturing, motivated by the selling and leasing of electric vehicle batteries, we consider a monopolist vendor who markets her products by adopting two models: (1) a single leasing model, and (2) a single selling model. We first investigate the firm's marketing model with remanufacturing and analyze the impact of the quality level of the returned products on the firm's marketing and remarketing models. Then we compare selling and leasing models. We first find that only when the quality level of returned sold products is relatively high will the vendor choose to remanufacture under the single selling model. Conversely, only when the quality level of returned leased products is relatively low will the vendor decide to remanufacture under the single leasing model. Secondly, we show that the space of remanufacturable quality level under the single selling model is bigger than the space under the single leasing model. Thirdly, selling is more profitable than leasing when the quality level of returned sold products is sufficiently high. These results are further demonstrated by a numerical study. Our study provides firms with guidance on how to optimally adopt remanufacturing and marketing strategies that take into account the quality level of the returned products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ukrainian Society USNDT issued and is disseminating International Standard ISO 5817, concerning three levels D, C, B of welded joint quality, which has been applied by all the leading countries of the world since 2003 at mutual deliveries of welded metal structures. In Russia it is valid since 2009 р. Starting from 2019 all the metal structures made in Ukraine by arc welding methods should comply with STSU USNDT ISO 5817-2019 standard «Fusion-welded joints in steel, nickel, titanium and their alloys, quality levels (ISO 5817:2014, IDT) Kyiv, 2019. This standard is an identical translation of ISO 5817:2014 «Welding. Fusion – welded joints in steel, titanium and their alloys – Quality level for imperfections», adopted as DSTU ISO 5817:2016 by confi rmation method. The paper explains the importance of this standard, and gives a short table with admissible dimensions of surface defects for levels D, C, B. STSU USNDT ISO 5817-2019 standard is presented completely in USNDT site: www. usndt.com.ua. 6 Ref., 1 Tabl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recompression is a prevalent form of multimedia content manipulation. Different approaches have been developed to detect this kind of alteration for digital images of well-known JPEG format. However, they are either limited in performance or complex. These problems may arise from different quality level options of JPEG compression standard and their combinations after recompression. Inspired from semantic and perceptual analyses, in this paper, we suggest a part-level middle-out learning strategy to detect double compression via an architecturally efficient classifier. We first demonstrate that singly and doubly compressed data with different JPEG coder settings lie in a feature space representation as a limited number of coherent clusters, called parts. To show this, we visualize behavior of a set of prominent Benford-based features. Then, by leveraging such discovered knowledge, we model the issue of double JPEG compression detection in the family of feature engineering-based approaches as a part-level classification problem to cover all possible JPEG quality level combinations. The proposed strategy exhibits low complexity and yet comparable performance in comparison to related methods in that family. For reproducibility, our codes are available upon request to fellows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop a functional model for the synthesis of nanostructures of the given quality level, which will allow to effectively control the process of nanopatterning on the surface of semiconductors with tunable properties. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses the IDEF0 methodology, which focuses on the functional design of the system under study and describes all the necessary processes with an accuracy sufficient for an unambiguous modelling of the system's activity. Based on this methodology, we have developed a functional model for the synthesis of nanostructures of the given quality level and tested its effectiveness through practice. Findings: The paper introduces a functional model for the synthesis of nanostructures on the surface of the given quality level semiconductors and identifies the main factors affecting the quality of nanostructures as well as the mechanisms for controlling the formation of porous layers with tunable properties. Using the example of etching single-crystal indium phosphide electrochemically in a hydrochloric acid solution, we demonstrate that the application of the suggested model provides a means of forming nanostructures with tunable properties, assessing the quality level of the nanostructures obtained and bringing the parameters in line with the reference indicators at a qualitatively new level. Research limitations/implications: Functional modelling using the IDEF0 methodology is widely used when process control is required. In this study it has been applied to control the synthesis of nanostructures of the given quality level on the surface of semiconductors. However, these studies require continuation, namely, the establishment of correlations between the technological and resource factors of synthesis and the acquired properties of nanostructures. Practical implications: This study has a significant practical effect. Firstly, it shows that functional modelling can reduce the time required to form large batches of the given quality level nanostructures. This has made it possible to substantiate the choice of the initial semiconductor parameters and nanostructure synthesis modes in industrial production from the theoretical and empirical perspective. Secondly, the presented methodology can be applied to control the synthesis of other nanostructures with desired properties and to reduce the expenses required when resources are depleted and the cost of raw materials is high. Originality/value: This paper is the first to apply the IDEF0 methodology to control the given quality nanostructure synthesis. This paper will be of value to engineers who are engaged in the synthesis of nanostructures, to researchers and scientists as well as to students studying nanotechnology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Facta Universitatis: Series Physical Education & Sport is the property of Facta Universitatis, Series Physical Education & Sport and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Providing a CLSC model with two product-types: new and secondary products. • Considering the secondary producer's demand as a fraction of returned items. • Remanufacturing the remanufactureable products at the same initial quality. • Providing different price and quality for secondary product compared to new one. • Introducing a hierarchical revenue-sharing contract between supply chain members. Due to the growing concerns about the increasing release of consumer products to the environment, especially for defective electronic products, the management of the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) is emerging. To do this, a chain consisting of a manufacturer, a retailer, and a collector is offered in a manufacturer-led Stackelberg game. Due to the presenting of some concepts in the model, which are provided by considering two categories of customers for primary and secondary goods, it is suitable for electronics supply chains. In order to coordinate between the members of the chain, a hierarchical revenue sharing (HRS) contract is introduced, which is suitable for some members of the chain where operate as a holding company. In the following, some numerical examples are applied to examine the applicability of the proposed models. The results of the sensitivity analysis on the main parameters of the problem indicate an increase in the profitability of all members in the coordination contract compared to the decentralized mode. Furthermore, customer sensitivity to price and quality has also inverse and direct impact to members' profitability, respectively. Each of the analyzes provides some in-depth managerial implications that can be considered for future research. Finally, another research result will explain the increase in the amount of return defective goods by the customer in the contract mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the increasingly serious food quality problems, this paper carried out a three-level cold chain integrated inventory model research. First, this paper built an inventory model for the integrated three-echelon cold chain, and it determined the inventory and production of each member of the cold chain from the perspective of maximizing total profit in the supply chain. Secondly, this paper considered that demand was affected by product quality, and the metamorphic rate obeyed the three-parameter Weibull distribution. Therefore, it established a three-level cold chain inventory model with the total profit maximization as the objective function, at the same time, it solved the inventory and production volume of each member of the cold chain. Finally, it carried out the simulation on the case of a dairy stock-production problem in a cold chain. The conclusion verifies the validity of the model. This paper also conducted sensitivity analysis on the level of quality effort. The results show that when the supply chain strives for product quality at all levels, the overall profit of the supply chain is greater. Moreover, the greater the level of quality effort, the higher the profit in the supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have pointed out that the-smaller-the-better quality characteristics (QC) can be found in many important components of machine tools, such as roundness, verticality, and surface roughness of axes, bearings, and gears. This paper applied a process quality index that is capable of measuring the level of process quality. Meanwhile, a model of fuzzy quality evaluation was developed by the process quality index as having a one-to-one mathematical relationship with the process yield. In addition to assessing the level of process quality, the model can also be employed as a basis for determining whether to improve the process quality at the same time. This model can cope with the problem of small sample sizes arising from the need for enterprises’ quick response, which means that the accuracy of the evaluation can still be maintained in the case of small sample sizes. Moreover, this fuzzy quality evaluation model is built on the confidence interval, enabling a decline in the probability of misjudgment incurred by sampling errors.

The study was conducted during 2014-2018 period in order to define the quality level of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Feteasa neagra varieties, according to the characteristics of the harvest year. The grape harvest was recorded earlier with 12 days in case of Cabernet Sauvignon and with 14 days in case of Fetească neagră variety, compared to the multiannual average. During the years of study, harvesting of grapes from the Cabernet Sauvignon variety was made between September 17 and October 6, and that of the grapes from the Feteasca neagra variety during September 17-28. The dynamics of grape ripening was very fast in the harvest year 2014, fast in the years 2015 and 2016, slow in 2017 and 2018. In the 2014 harvest year for the Cabernet Sauvignon variety, the phenolic maturity of the grapes was assessed as good for all determined analytical parameters. Grapes from the Cabernet Sauvignon variety are well formed, with a percentage of normally developed berries, with the skin of the grapes in a high proportion, high in anthocyanins; small-medium grains, thick skin of the grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon wine was appreciated, compared to the average of 1990-1999, with a very good alcoholic concentration of 12.6% vol. alc. in 2016 and 12.8% vol alc. in the years 2017 and 2018. The wine from the Feteasca neagra variety was appreciated as being extractive, with a high alcohol concentration of over 13% vol. alc., with a medium acidity, intensely colored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop an optimization model to better allocate cost of quality (COQ) in the supply chain (SC). In addition, the paper provides a roadmap based on COQ that allocates limited given budget among the SC entities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a comprehensive SC model while introducing six different scenarios, where each scenario minimizes fixed costs and COQ of the SC. Findings: The results showed that the highest portion of the COQ should be allocated at the retailer echelon while the lowest portion should be kept at the manufacturer echelon. The findings also presented that the retailer should always maintain the highest quality level (QL) compared to the manufacturer and supplier. Originality/value: Considering prevention, appraisal and failure (PAF) cost model, this research defines the tradeoff among PA, F costs, QL and material flow in the SC network; no work has been published regarding integrating PAF, QL and material flow into SC modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Sociales (13159518) is the property of Revista de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Zulia Venezuela and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Models and methods for presentation of database and knowledge base have been developed on the basis of composition and structure of data flow in technological process of welding. The information in data and knowledge base is presented in the form of multilevel hierarchical structure and it is organized according to its functionality in the form of separate files. Each file contains a great number of tables. While using mathematical simulation and information technologies an expert system has been developed with the purpose to take decisions in designing and process engineering for production of welded ructures. The system makes it possible to carry out technically substantiated selection of welded and welding materials, sttypes of welded connections, welding methods, parameters and modes of welding. The developed system allows to improve quality of the accepted design decisions due to reduction of manual labour costs for work with normative-reference documentation, analysis and evaluation of dozens of possible alternatives. The system also permits to reduce labour inputs for testing structures on technological effectiveness, to ensure reduction of materials consumption for welded structures, to guarantee faultless formation of welded connections at this stage.