Improved Process Flow Research Articles

Study of hydrogenation with electron injection for TOPCon solar cells with different tunneling oxide layers

In order to further improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells, the hydrogenation with electron injection (HEI) technique on TOPCon solar cells with different processes for preparing tunneling SiOx layers was investigated. The experimental results showed that the conversion efficiency enhancement of TOPCon solar cells with a tunneling SiOx layer prepared by a N2O plasma oxidation method (PO method) was lower than that of the cells prepared by an indirect thermal oxidation method (TO method) under the same HEI treatment conditions. Further studies proved that the improvement effect after HEI treatment was closely related to the denseness of the tunneling SiOx layer: HEI treatment for TOPCon solar cells with a low dense tunneling SiOx layer (TO method) requires higher temperature, higher current, and longer time to achieve a better improvement, while the HEI parameters of cells with a high dense tunneling oxide layer (PO method) need to be readjusted. By optimizing the HEI parameters for cells prepared by the PO method, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the cells was finally improved by 0.098%abs. The PCE was improved from the original negative growth to a level close to that of the TOPCon cells prepared by the TO method. This result provided an improved process flow to further increase the efficiency of TOPCon solar cells.

An optimal design and improved processing technology for the rose-bow titanium alloy spring of subway pantograph

The traditional low-alloy steel rose-bow spring of subway pantograph is easily occurred the corrosion and fracture after being used for a central period of time, which interrupts the train current collection and cannot provide power for the train, as a result of the interruption of the normal operation of subway trains. Therefore, an optimal design and improved processing technology for the rose-bow titanium alloy spring of subway pantograph was studied in this paper. The heat treatment tests on the two titanium alloy springs, made of TC18 and TB6 materials, were conducted respectively. The improved process flow of the rose-bow titanium alloy spring was also determined. Fatigue test results show that both TC18 and TB6 titanium alloy springs of pantograph can meet the corresponding requirements.

Improvement of construction waste resource treatment process

With the continuous increase of construction waste production in China, the treatment of construction waste resources is an important way to reduce. In this paper, the problems existing in the traditional process are improved and optimized. The improved process flow is optimized from four aspects: increasing the crushing ratio, improving the screening effect, enhancing the aggregate strength and reducing the dust. The focus is on the particle shaping and strengthening process, gel strengthening process and crushing spray dust removal process of the crushed aggregate, which makes up for the shortcomings of the current treatment process and improves the treatment efficiency and quality of construction waste. The focus is on the particle shaping and strengthening process, gel strengthening process and crushing spray dust removal process of the crushed aggregate, which makes up for the shortcomings of the current treatment process and improves the treatment efficiency and quality of construction waste. It can provide reference for the treatment of construction waste resources.

Abstract TP389: Collaborative Approach to Improving Tele Stroke Call Back Times

Background/Purpose: Emergency stroke evaluation requires rapid access to stroke experts for treatment decisions and advice, in many community settings this is facilitated through a hub and spoke telemedicine relationship. Since widespread adoption of the expanded endovascular time window, volume of calls to a single large academic hub stroke center have drastically increased and it was identified that there was a delay in achieving rapid connection to the hub sites which may result in delayed tPA evaluations. We sought to implement a focused process review to improve timely access to the hub stroke team. Methods: Leadership from the hub and spoke hospitals collaboratively reviewed and implemented steps to improve the time from spoke call out to hub call back for acute stroke. Interventions included: 1) Establishing a goal of less than 10 minutes for physician contact on all cases, 2) Revising spoke protocol to call out immediately following CT instead of after CT read, 3) Development of a stroke call out log that is shared between sites, 4) Hub hospital revised protocol to have cases within tPA time window bypass phone call and go directly to camera, 5) Exchange of direct cell phone numbers for follow-up questions on existing patients, 6) Weekly calls to discuss any video case time delays and time flow review, 7) development of a hub hospital call center escalation process for when the primary call physician has multiple calls coming in. Results: Data we analyzed through retrospective review of a prospectively collected database over a five month period. Results are displayed in the table 1. Conclusions: Improved process flow times within tele-stroke networks may be achieved through a focused collaborative relationship between hub and spoke hospitals with transparency of data and open discussion about barriers to achieving desired results.

Robotic Instrument Failure—A Critical Analysis of Cause and Quality Improvement Strategies

ObjectiveTo introduce a quality improvement initiative tracking robotic instrument failures on a per case basis. It is imperative to understand rates of failure, financial implications of failures, and identify factors suggesting common mechanisms of failure. Materials and MethodsStarting in January 1, 2014 a quality reporting system for failed robotic equipment began. Staff was instructed to submit an incident report when a robotic instrument failed and the instrument returned to central processing. Instruments were then returned to the manufacturer (Intuitive Surgical Inc, Sunnyvale, CA) for analysis and reimbursement. Results of failure analysis by the manufacturer, including reimbursement rates, were recorded and correlated with the procedure and surgical specialty. ResultsA total of 3935 robotic cases were performed during the study period with a reported instrument failure incidence of 6.2% (247 total instruments). Etiology of instrument failure was as follows: tip or wrist (46.9%), cable (30.0%), unknown (12.6%), control housing (5.3%), and shaft (3.2%). Highest instrument failure incidence was seen in colorectal surgery cases at 4.0%, Urology had the lowest at 2.7%. Manufacturer reimbursement rate was 57.9%; the most common reason for denial being mishandling/misuse of equipment, determined by manufacturer analysis. ConclusionHerein, we have demonstrated that improved process flow of reporting is necessary to better track incidence and etiology of instrument failures. Cost savings comes from improved training of not only surgeons but operating room and central processing staff in handling equipment to prevent high rates of reimbursement denial.

IMPROVING THE TECHNOLOGY OF PRODUCING CELLULOSE OXIDATION-ORGANOSOLVENT WAY OF NON-WOOD PLANT MATERIALS

An improved process flow diagram for the production of cellulose by oxidation-organosolvent method from non-wood vegetable raw materials with pre-alkaline treatment and recovery of the spent cooking solution has been developed. It is shown that it is possible to obtain technical cellulose with the desired properties with repeated use of the spent cooking solution, which allows to reduce the consumption of acetic acid and fresh water by two and 1.7 times, respectively. The scheme includes the following stages: preparation of raw materials; preparation of the cooking composition and alkaline solution, alkaline treatment, cooking and washing of cellulose, recovery of the spent cooking solution, neutralization of the spent alkaline solution and the use of contaminated water. When implementing the flowcharts are formed by the following types of contaminated water: water for rinsing plant material circulates through the first and second steps of adding water with catalyst; circulating the water from flushing technical pulp in three stages – the washing water from the first washing stage is directed to the Converter; the washing water from the second stage washing sent to the first stage of the wash technical cellulose; the third step of the rinsing water is fed from the drum filter with the addition of fresh water; the concentration of sodium hydroxide in the spent alkaline solution is 1.75 %. In the neutralizer, weakly acidic water with a concentration of acetic acid of 0.83% and sodium acetate with a concentration of 2.5% is formed; weakly acidic water from the neutralizer is fed to the first stage of washing plant raw materials. Fresh water is used for the preparation of balanced peracetic acid, alkaline solution and the third stage of technical cellulose washing. Solid waste is formed in the hydraulic separator during washing of vegetable raw materials; in the tank of the spent cooking solution in the form of a precipitate from zero fiber; in the neutralizer, the washed precipitate can be used as an anti-frost additive for concrete. It is proposed to use reactor and neutralizer as the main technological equipment.

IMPROVED PROCESS FLOW FOR FORMATION OF BIPOLAR STATIC INDUCTION TRANSISTOR

The improved process flow differs from the known ones in the fact that the same photomask is used for formation of a channel stopper and metal contacts. Such approach has made it possible not only to decrease a number of the used phototomasks but it has also permitted to obtain a device with the required electrical characteristics. The paper presnts results of device and process simulation of bipolar static induction transistor (BSIT) manufactured in accordance with the improved process flow, measuring data of electrophysical parameters of its experimental samples and also comparison of simulation results with experimental data. At present there is a large quantity of software products that permit to perform physico-topological simulation of semiconductor structures. The device-process simulation is considered as a part of such simulation and it allows prior to obtaining experimental samples to determine process flow parameters at which the investigated structure will have necessary electrical parameters and characteristics. Thus the device-process simulation represents a certain “virtual production” for manufacturing semiconductor devices and microcircuits beginning from the startup stage of semiconductor wafer at production site and finishing by electrical characteristics measurements of the obtained structure. The BSIT device simulation being an analog of direct measurements of current-voltage characteristics has been performed with help of program system MOD-1D developed by the author. The BSIT model based on the fundamental system of semiconductor equations is mainly used for calculation of the BSIT current-voltage characteristics direct branch and its parameters and charge carrier recombination is described by Shockley – Read – Hall expression and equation depicting the Auger recombination process.

An empirical study of the impact of lean construction techniques on sustainable construction in the UK

Purpose– The contribution of lean construction techniques in sustainable construction cannot be over emphasised, as sustainable development is now enshrined in government policy. In addition, lean construction is now faced with the challenges of sustainable development, continuous improvement, waste elimination, a stronger user focus, increased value for money along with high quality management of projects and supply chains, and improved communications. This paper presents an exploratory study from extant literature and the results of the use of questionnaire survey among construction participants to explore the contribution of implementing lean construction techniques in sustainable construction.Design/methodology/approach– Surveys of UK-based construction professional were conducted. The data collected were analysed with SPSS 19.0 version software using the percentile method, Cronbach ' sαreliability test, Kruskal Wallis test, Kendall ' s coefficient of concordance and one samplet-test.Findings– Results from this study indicate that there are several benefits associated with implementation of lean construction and sustainable construction. The overall perspective of professionals within the construction industry, according to questionnaire survey, shows that benefits such as improved corporate image and sustainable competitive advantage, improved process flow and productivity, improvement in environmental quality and increased compliance with customer ' s expectations are realised following integration of principles of lean construction and sustainable construction within construction industry. Just-in-time, visualisation tool, value analysis, daily huddle meetings and value stream mapping are the most common lean tools/techniques for enabling sustainability. This study also identified several areas of linkage between lean and sustainability such as waste reduction, environmental management, value maximisation, and health and safety improvement among others.Originality/value– The originality of this paper lies in its consideration of lean construction principles to better understand its impact on sustainable construction. This research contributes to the awareness of the benefits that can be derived from the implementation of lean construction in sustainable construction within the construction industry.

Lean and queuing integration for the transformation of health care processes

PurposePatient satisfaction and quality care are important indicators for the success of any health care enterprise. The critical nature of health care operations entails that some excess capacity is stored in the system to provide the necessary flexibility of response. To prepare health care organizations to deliver high quality services at lower costs, this paper aims to report a lean health care (LEAN‐HC) transformation model that integrates queuing theory and lean methodology to improve the dynamic performance of the health care system.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews and evaluates an emergency department health care system that adopts a system dynamic model, redesigned the process using value stream mapping to eliminate non‐value‐added activities to achieve just‐in‐time (JIT) services. This study was conducted at SD Mission Hospital, India. The LEAN‐HC model includes three steps. First, the patient arrival flow is assessed and adjusted, using physicians at the front of the queue to separate patients at triage into major, medium, and minor injury classes. Second, a cross‐functional team consisting of process, information and clinical experts maps the hospital's current state to identify and eliminate wasteful non‐value‐added activities. Third, the process is continually de‐bottlenecked using a variety of lean techniques, such as 5S visual management, one‐piece‐flow to reduce service lead time, and adoption of standard operating procedures.FindingsThe authors' results reveal that a lean integration to queuing methodology frees up capacity in the health care system, providing necessary flexibility of response. The implementation of the LEAN‐HC model resulted in the following improvement. First, an improved process flow and increased capacity. Second, emergency department length of stay for all patient classes decreased. Third, value stream mapping was found to be useful in detecting opportunities to decrease patient turnaround. Fourth, the service bottleneck could be identified and shifted to where it could be most easily controlled, adhering to the principle of one piece flow. No changes in resource availability and safety or quality issues occurred during the implementation of lean methodology.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates how to apply lean methodology in conjunction with the queuing modeling in the health care industry, particularly with regards to the patient wait time and reduction in medical errors. The LEAN‐HC model delivers more efficient service by increasing hospital capacity while reducing non‐value‐added times and overhead costs.

Improved process flow for buried channel fabrication in silicon

The fabrication of microchannels using MEMS technology always attracted the attention of researchers and designers of microfluidic systems. Our group focused on realizing buried fluidic channels in silicon substrates involving deep reactive ion etching. To meet the demands of today’s complex microsystems, our aim was to create passive microfluidics in the bulk Si substrate well below the surface, while retaining planarity of the wafer. Therefore additional lithographic steps for e.g. integrating circuit elements are still possible on the chip surface. In this paper, a more economic process flow is applied which also contains a selective edge-masking method in order to eliminate under-etching phenomenon at the top of the trenches to be filled. The effect of Al protection on the subsequent etch steps is also discussed. Applying the proposed protection method, our group successfully fabricated sealed microchannels with excellent surface planarity above the filled trenches. Due to the concept, the integration of the technology in hollow silicon microprobes fabrication is now available.

Probiotics and lamb performance: A review

Probiotics are naturally occurring microbes, which upon administration improve the health status of the animal by competing with the pathogenic microbes and nutrient utilization by having a positive influence on gut microflora. Addition of probiotics in the lamb’s diet has been reported to improve feed utilization and growth performance of the animals. The exact mechanism through which they affect the animal performance is not well known. However, it is stated that they work synergistically with the ruminal microbes. They also increase the ruminal pH, which favours the growth of cellulolytic bacteria. Improvement in the colonization of cellulolytic bacteria may result in improved digestion process and nitrogen flow towards lower digestive tract. Furthermore, their anti-pathogenic activity may reduce the stress on animal. Because of higher profit margin in intensive small ruminant production, farmers are shifting from tradition to high input feeding systems. In order to harvest, real benefits from small ruminants which are raised on nutrient rich diet, feed additives like probiotics are used to enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization in growing ruminants. However, reports regarding the effect of probiotics administration on growing and fattening performance and carcass characteristics of the lambs are inconsistent. This might be related to the type and level of probiotics used and ingredient composition of the experimental diet. Thus, further research to understand the interaction of direct fed microbials with ruminal microbes is to have better understanding about adequate dose level at particular stage of lamb growth. This short review article is an attempt to recapitulate the effects of feeding probiotics on different aspects of lamb production which directly or indirectly influence the productivity and hence profitability associated with this enterprise. Key words: Probiotics, lambs performance, microbial growth.

An in-plane low-noise accelerometer fabricated with an improved process flow

We present a bulk micromachined in-plane capacitive accelerometer fabricated with an improved process flow, by etching only one-fifth of the wafer thickness at the back of the silicon while forming the bar-structure electrode for the sensing capacitor. The improved flow greatly lowers the footing effect during deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), and increases the proof mass by 54% compared to the traditional way, resulting in both improved device quality and a higher yield rate. Acceleration in the X direction is sensed capacitively by varying the overlapped area of a differential capacitor pair, which eliminates the nonlinear behavior by fixing the parallel-plate gap. The damping coefficient of the sensing motion is low due to the slide-film damping. A large proof mass is made using DRIE, which also ensures that dimensions of the spring beams in the Y and Z directions can be made large to lower cross axis coupling and increase the pull-in voltage. The theoretical Brownian noise floor is 0.47 µg/Hz1/2 at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The tested frequency response of a prototype complies with the low damping design scheme. Output data for input acceleration from −1 g to 1 g are recorded by a digital multimeter and show very good linearity. The tested random bias of the prototype is 130 µg at an averaging time of around 6 s.

Process flow improvement on a bulk micromachined gyroscope

An introduction of a bulk micromachined frame gyroscope and the efforts made to lower the footing effect during deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) is featured. The gyroscope is driven into oscillation electrostatically and senses rate signal by the varying overlapped area of the electrodes, which eliminates the nonlinear behaviour of sensing the varying gap. Damping factors for the driving and sensing modes are low due to the slide-film damping, resulting in high quality factors in the atmosphere. A large proofmass can be made by DRIE, which also ensures a large pull-in voltage. The footing effect during fabrication has been greatly reduced by the improved process flow, which also increases the proof mass by 50%. Thus device quality and yield rate are both improved. Functional results of an improved prototype are given.

The Role of the Physical Environment in Crossing the Quality Chasm

Evidence-based design findings are available to help inform hospital decision makers of opportunities for ensuring that quality and safety are designed into new and refurbished facilities. The Institute of Medicine's six quality aims of patient centeredness, safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, and equity provide an organizing framework for introducing a representative portion of the evidence. Design improvements include single-bed and variable-acuity rooms; electronic access to medical records; greater accommodation for families and visitors; handrails to prevent patient falls; standardization (room layout, equipment, and supplies for improved efficiencies); improved work process flow to reduce delays and wait times; and better assessment of changing demographics, disease conditions, and community needs for appropriately targeted health care services. A recent analysis of the business case suggests that a slight, one-time incremental cost for ensuring safety and quality would be paid back in two to three years in the form of operational savings and increased revenues. Hospitals leaders anticipating new construction projects should take advantage of evidence-based design findings that have the potential of raising the quality of acute care for decades to come.