Quality Assurance Challenges Research Articles

Performance and acceptability of the TfL Urban Bus Sound (AVAS)

Transport for London's quiet-running bus fleet is required to include an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) compliant with UNECE Regulation 138 and as part of a wider series of safety measures as set out in their Bus Safety Standard towards the London Mayor's 'Vision Zero' objectives. As a public body, TfL must ensure that the Urban Bus Sound AVAS implementation is fit-for-purpose from a safety standpoint, is considerate of driver working conditions and is consistently implemented across a number of vehicle types, manufacturers and fleet operators. Additionally, as quiet-running vehicles increase across the London bus network, it must consider the impact on the urban soundscape. Over the course of two years, Phase 2 of the project addressed practical implementation and quality assurance challenges, bringing together soundscape and acoustic testing, on-street public and key stakeholder surveys, workshops with multiple vehicle manufacturers and operators as well as engagement with bus drivers. The project concludes by providing an optimised AVAS solution with specification and vehicle checks documentation to ensure successful roll-out. The project provides an important view on considerations for how AVAS can be implemented on public transport vehicle fleets, to consider and work with a wide range of public and stakeholder requirements.

Examining the Key Components of Faculty Development to Advance Japanese Higher Education: A Qualitative Study

Establishing an effective management system for teaching and learning is an urgent challenge for quality assurance and enhancement in Japanese higher education. Faculty development (FD) plays a key role in improving the human resources directly responsible for educational quality. This paper discusses how FD should evolve to advance Japanese higher education. Specifically, it presents the results of a qualitative study examining future directions of FD in Japan. A content analysis of the opinions of people in charge of FD was conducted to reveal the essential components for advancing higher education, including various critical themes on how FD should be, along with improvement-related themes, not only faculty teaching skills but also program- and institutional-level management. The results suggest that FD must be developed systematically within an institution in collaboration with other institutions, using technology such as e-learning systems. Lastly, measures should be taken to create sustainable and meaningful FD activities in Japanese higher education.

Exploring the challenges in software testing of the 5G system at Nokia: A survey

The ever-growing size and complexity of industrial software products pose significant quality assurance challenges to engineering researchers and practitioners, despite the constant effort to increase knowledge and improve the processes. 5G technology developed by Nokia is one example of such a grand and highly complex system with improvement potential. The following paper provides an overview of the current quality assurance processes used by Nokia to develop the 5G technology and provides insight into the most prominent challenges by an evaluation of perceived importance, urgency, and difficulty to understand the future opportunities. Nokia mode of operation, briefly introduced in this paper, has been subjected to extensive analysis by a selected group of experienced test-oriented professionals to define the most critical areas of concern. Secondly, the identified problems were evaluated by Nokia gNB system-level test professionals in a dedicated survey. The questionnaire was completed by 312 out of 2935 (10.63%) possible respondents. The challenges are seen as the most important and urgent: customer scenario testing, performance testing, and competence ramp-up. Challenges seen as the most difficult to solve are low occurrence failures, hidden feature dependencies, and hardware configuration-specific problems. Our research identified several improvement areas in the quality assurance processes used to develop the 5G technology by determining the most important and urgent problems that at the same time have a low perceived difficulty. Such initiatives are attractive from a business perspective. On the other hand, challenges seen as the most impactful yet difficult may be of interest to the academic research community. • Our survey, designed to elicit understanding of the most significant challenges in testing large and complex 5G gNB software system, received 312 out of 2935 (10.63%) system-level test practitioners in Nokia. • Challenges seen as having the highest importance are: customer scenario testing, performance testing, and competence ramp-up. • Challenges seen as having the highest urgency are: customer scenario testing, performance testing, and competence ramp-up. • Challenges seen as being the most difficult are: low occurrence failures, hidden feature dependencies, and hardware configuration-specific problems. • Obtained results imply which future improvement opportunities can have the most significant impact on the quality and cost of the software testing processes in the company. • Interestingly, respondents still seem to be not well familiar with software defect prediction models.

Developing a regulatory model for product quality assurance in Nigeria’s local industries

This paper presents a comprehensive regulatory model for enhancing product quality assurance within Nigeria's local industries. As Nigeria's industrial sector continues to expand, the need for robust quality assurance mechanisms has become increasingly critical. Current challenges include inconsistent quality standards, inadequate enforcement of regulations, and limited industry compliance, which undermine product reliability and consumer trust. This study proposes a regulatory framework designed to address these issues by integrating international best practices with localized strategies. The proposed model emphasizes three core components: regulatory standards, enforcement mechanisms, and industry collaboration. First, the model advocates for the establishment of clear, standardized quality benchmarks tailored to the unique needs of local industries. By adopting globally recognized standards and adapting them to local contexts, the model aims to enhance the consistency and reliability of products manufactured in Nigeria. Second, the model outlines a multi-tiered enforcement strategy, including regular inspections, certification processes, and penalties for non-compliance. It suggests leveraging technological advancements, such as digital tracking systems and automated quality checks, to improve monitoring efficiency and reduce the potential for corruption. Third, the model highlights the importance of fostering collaboration between regulatory bodies, industry stakeholders, and consumer organizations. By promoting dialogue and cooperation, the model seeks to create a supportive ecosystem where best practices are shared, and feedback mechanisms are established to continuously refine quality standards. The regulatory model presented herein is designed to be dynamic and adaptable, capable of evolving in response to emerging industry trends and technological advancements. It aims to not only address current quality assurance challenges but also to set a foundation for sustained industrial growth and consumer protection. By implementing this model, Nigeria's local industries can achieve higher standards of product quality, enhance consumer confidence, and contribute to the broader goal of economic development.

COVID -19 pandemic: challenges for management and quality assurance

The article explores the opportunities and challenges associated with work changes under restrictions in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this article is to describe the restrictions and challenges that employees and supervisors have encountered when working remotely, as well as how this has influenced job quality. With the aid of the QFORTE project, this article was created, and special emphasis has been given to the examination of activities in the higher education sector during remote work during the COVID-19 epidemic and to the issues of quality assurance of the processes deriving therefrom. It is concluded that, despite the data indicating employee agreement when shifting to remote work - partially or entirely - more study on the influence of remote work on employee motivation, self-realization, and job quality is required. The article examines academic publications on the subject of researching issues with remote work, management, employee motivation, and psychological health. The authors used sources and studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and previous years, as well as during the “post-pandemic period”.

A Cloud-based Framework for Quality Assurance and Enhancement as a Service (QAEaaS) for Universities with Blended Learning Approach

The dynamic and multi-dimensional quality assurance process for Saudi higher education institutes under the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) demands an integrated framework for management and support of internal quality reviews and evidence-based self -studies in a cost-effective way. Due to cross-institutional involvement, quality assurance compliance with NCAAA standards is even more challenging for institutes offering courses with blended learning paradigm in multiple campuses. This papers proposes a Cloud-based framework to realize Quality Assurance and Enhancement as a Service (QAEaaS) to facilitate the internal quality reviews by providing efficient data management and effective communication for different stakeholders. Architecture of the proposed framework is described with respective features to cope with the identified quality assurance challenges and issues faced by the Saudi higher education institutes.

Magistral Compounding with 3D Printing: A Promising Way to Achieve Personalized Medicine

BackgroundMagistral compounding has always been an integral part of pharmacy practice. The increasing demand worldwide for personalized drug treatments might be accommodated by an increase in magistral compounding. The new, flexible technology of 3D medicine printing could advance this process even further. However, the issue of how 3D medicine printing can be implemented within the existing magistral compounding infrastructure has not been explored.AimsTo investigate how 3D printing can be integrated into the existing compounding system by taking regulatory, economic, and profession-oriented aspects into account.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant Dutch stakeholders representing various health institutions, such as health ministries and boards, professional bodies, and different types of pharmacies. Participants were identified through purposeful sampling. Content analysis was applied to identify the main themes.ResultsA total of 15 Dutch stakeholders were interviewed. It was found that the prevalence of compounding in community pharmacies in the Netherlands has decreased as a result of the practice shifting to specialized compounding pharmacies due to higher costs, lack of space, and the need to fulfill quality requirements. All interviewees considered 3D printing to be a promising compounding technique for community pharmacies, as it offers an automated approach with high digital flexibility and enables adapted formulations, including ‘polypills.’ Regulatory and quality assurance challenges were considered comparable to those of normal magistral products; however, there remain pending regulatory issues regarding quality control, particularly for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients containing intermediate feedstock materials (e.g., prefilled cartridges) in 3D printing. 3D printing was believed to become cost effective over time.ConclusionIn the Netherlands, specialized compounding pharmacies have largely taken over compounding activities. 3D printing could be introduced within this system; however, challenges regarding how to regulate prefilled cartridges have yet to be addressed. Compounding using 3D printing in regular community pharmacies could enhance patients’ individualized treatment; however, this activity would require incentives to stimulate the return of compounding to normal pharmacy practice.

Maintaining and monitoring quality of a continuously administered digital assessment

Digital-first assessments are a new generation of high-stakes assessments that can be taken anytime and anywhere in the world. The flexibility, complexity, and high-stakes nature of these assessments pose quality assurance challenges and require continuous data monitoring and the ability to promptly identify, interpret, and correct anomalous results. In this manuscript, we illustrate the development of a quality assurance system for anomaly detection for a new high-stakes digital-first assessment, for which the population of test takers is still in flux. Various control charts and models are applied to detect and flag any abnormal changes in the assessment statistics, which are then reviewed by experts. The procedure of determining the causes of a score anomaly is demonstrated with a real-world example. Several categories of statistics, including scores, test taker profiles, repeaters, item analysis and item exposure, are monitored to provide context and evidence for evaluating the score anomaly as well as assure the quality of the assessment. The monitoring results and alerts are programmed to be automatically updated and delivered via an interactive dashboard every day.

Challenges in quality assurance and quality control systems development

Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) is of critical interest in the mining industry. Over the years, Anglo American Platinum has adopted a sound strategy of Best Practice Principles (BPP) for mass measurement, sampling, sample preparation, analysis, and metal accounting. Often, much effort is focused on implementation and maintenance of quality control systems to provide quality assurance. Within the Anglo American Platinum business units, QA/QC data are deemed of significant value on a day-to-day basis and on a higher level also provides a means to prove or disprove evaluation and metal accounting disputes between various sites and/or opposing members of the Joint Evaluation Committee (JEC). Unfortunately, QA/QC data and associated QA/QC systems alone do not always provide the technical or tangible reasons to supplement explanations around anomalies in performance. It is sometimes necessary to go beyond monitoring and focus on interpreting the QA/QC data to comprehend the underlying issues. This paper aims to showcase a multitude of actual case studies pertaining to troubleshooting of challenges encountered throughout the Platinum processing pipeline (i.e., Concentrator to Smelter to Refinery). These challenges range from areas of mass measurement to sampling, to sample preparation and analytical as well as plant performance. Observations and learnings from these instances indicated that even though stringent QA/QC was adhered to, it was evident that complying to first principles of mass measurement and sampling theory, minimum sample mass and an ongoing understanding of individual material characteristics was crucial. It was also highlighted that the re-assessment of designs, methods and protocols are necessary per material stream and that a standardization approach across all Anglo American Platinum business units is perhaps sensible at one time but may not always be appropriate and/or relevant.

The PRACTICE framework for organising and delivering a learning event for pharmacists' lifelong learning

IntroductionTo date, there is no unified model in Great Britain (GB), or globally, that provides consistency in planning, delivering, and evaluating learning events, that can support pharmacists' lifelong learning. This poses ongoing challenges for quality assurance and standardisation. The aim of this study is to present the development and validation of a framework to support the planning, delivery, and evaluation of learning events. MethodsDevelopment and design of the framework was a result of using triangulating methods capturing data from previous studies. Primary validation included face validation and content validation. Secondary validation involved using a think-aloud systematic process. Finally, the framework was trialed in practice by organising, delivering, and evaluating a learning event, following its guidelines. ResultsInitially, the PRACTICE framework included 48 statements. The content validity of the framework was 0.9. Think-aloud interventions resulted in changes to the number and clarity of statements, along with their position in the framework. The final PRACTICE framework consists of 51 statements and was successfully trialed in a face-to-face training event. ConclusionsThe PRACTICE framework is an instrument supported by validation evidence and has been shown to be used effectively. Although the PRACTICE framework was created primarily for pharmacists, validation showed it can also be used for organising training events for other health care professionals. Future organisation and delivery of events according to the framework will continue to provide evidence about use in different settings.

Supporting maintenance and testing for AI functions of mobile apps based on user reviews: An empirical study on plant identification apps

AbstractDespite the tremendous development of artificial intelligence (AI)‐based mobile apps, they suffer from quality issues. Data‐driven AI software poses challenges for maintenance and quality assurance. Metamorphic testing has been successfully adopted to AI software. However, most previous studies require testers to manually identify metamorphic relations in an ad hoc and arbitrary manner, thereby encountering difficulties in reflecting real‐world usage scenarios. Previous work showed that information available in user reviews is effective for maintenance and testing tasks. Yet, there is a lack of studies leveraging reviews to facilitate AI function maintenance and testing activities. This paper proposes METUR, a novel approach to supporting maintenance and testing for AI functions based on reviews. Firstly, METUR automatically classifies reviews that can be exploited for supporting AI function maintenance and evolution activities. Then, it identifies test contexts from reviews in the usage scenario category. METUR instantiates the metamorphic relation pattern for deriving concrete metamorphic relations based on test contexts. The follow‐up test dataset is constructed for conducting metamorphic testing. Empirical studies on plant identification apps indicate that METUR effectively categorizes reviews that are related to AI functions. METUR is feasible and effective in detecting inconsistent behaviors by using the metamorphic relations constructed based on reviews.

Investigation of 2D radiophotoluminescence films in radiotherapy: Multileaf collimator Quality Assurance and small field dosimetry

In radiotherapy, accurate dose determination and precise dose delivery to the tumor are directly associated with better treatment outcomes, such as better tumor control and lower post treatment complications. Challenges in Quality Assurance (QA) are a.o. (1) the varying amounts of primary and secondary scattered photons, the varying gantry angles and the energy heterogeneity and (2) the small field sizes used in Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT).As alternative to the commonly used GafChromic™ EBT films, radiophotoluminescence (RPL) films gained attention for high resolution 2D dosimetry in radiotherapy thanks to their insensitivity to ambient light, reusability, absence of fading and the few image corrections needed.In this work we characterize the response of improved Al2O3:C,Mg RPL films in a clinical 6 MV beam. Film response was evaluated in terms of uniformity, dose response, minimum detectable dose (MDD), small field dosimetry and its performance was evaluated for multileaf collimator (MLC) QA tests.The new films showed linear dose response up to 8 Gy, followed by supralinear response for higher doses up to 24 % at 20 Gy. QA checks for the MLC, including the chair and the alternating leaves, were compared with calculations from the treatment planning system (TPS) and showed an agreement within 5% for alternating leaves and a deviation in Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) below 1.5 % for the chair test. The maximum FWHM discrepancy between RPL film results and reference data (diode) for small field sizes (30 × 30, 20 × 20, 10 × 10, 8 × 8, 6 × 6 mm2) was 1.9 %. Notwithstanding the variations in dose response, the studied films exhibit overall good agreement with reference data and demonstrate potential for QA in IMRT and small field radiotherapy

Benefits and challenges of cross-border quality assurance in higher education. A case study in engineering education in Europe

ABSTRACT Quality assurance in higher education has become a global activity. In the European Higher Education Area, cross-border quality assurance has been heavily encouraged by the European Commission. Behind this, lies the belief that encouraging competition among quality assurance bodies and introducing a liberal ‘market’ logic into the sector would result in a better overall quality of higher education. However, some critical voices have pinpointed possible risks of this practice. This calls for a better understanding of the actual implications of cross-border quality assurance. Using a purposely chosen case study, this article reflects on the risks and benefits of cross-border quality assurance in Europe. The case study involves the accreditation in the engineering sector in Belgium by a French accreditation agency, in partnership with a Belgian agency. Benefits and challenges of cross-border quality assurance are identified, as well as several key lessons for quality assurance bodies involved in this type of activity.

The role of external quality assurance for student learning outcomes in Japan: evaluation of evidence between bureaucracy and peer reviews

ABSTRACT This study examines the roles and challenges of external quality assurance in reviewing learning outcome assessments of Japanese universities. Following criticism that Japan has overly relied on the difficulty of entrance examination as a quality metric for a given institution, rather than graduates’ competencies, there is more pressure for transparency in higher education. Recognising the shift from the old dichotomy to a new ‘trinity’ (accountability, improvement and transparency), Japanese accreditation has pushed universities to define, assess and improve learning outcomes. Applying the double logic of quality assurance (bureaucracy and peer review) and employing interviews with key quality assurance agency personnel, this study shows peer reviewers’ professional judgment as qualitative, contextual and even philosophical, thus helping enhance a university’s uniqueness and diversity while maintaining objectivity and equity. Furthermore, accreditation needs to cultivate a ‘culture of evidence’ in universities to capture their initiatives and make such efforts empirically meaningful.

IRRADIATED BLOOD PRODUCTS-INSTITUTE PORTUGUESE OF ONCOLOGY – COIMBRA (IPOC) – EXPERIENCE OF BLOOD QUALITY ASSURANCE

The risks and benefits in the transfusion medicine are a great challenges for blood quality assurance. They must be sufficient to support answers to the acute and late effects. The irradiation of blood components for avoid Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) isn't different. The Medicine Transfusional Service(MST) – IPOC have procedures considered of excellence in Portugal-Central that take a good prevention for DHEC. Goals: This work has with objectives introduce our procedures and results for irradiated blood components to Central Portugal region by 1 year. The MST-IPOC irradiated blood components (CE – erythrocyte concentrate, PP – platelets pool and CUP – platelet concentrate unit by apheresis) for internal and external hospitals use, principally to central region at Portugal and we work with Physical Medicine to maintain the quality of this service that is included in the European hemovigilance system. We has a IBL 437C irradiator since 1997 and use RAD-SURE type 25Gy hand tags and supporting labels of irradiation, separated records to internal and external irradiation, description step by step since activation doctor/technical staff and the pos tranfusional tracking of GVHD around all irradiated units in this service. Our results: 60 % CE, 70% PP and 100% CUP of all irradiated components are used in IPOC internally and 72% of those irradiated from external institutions were University Hospital of Coimbra. 94% and 6% CE, 93% and 7 % PP had irradiated for adults and children, respectively. In the evaluation of acute or late GVHD we hadnt been positive case notified in the last years. We considered that our answer are the result of our quality procedures and the good training in this process.

Automatic Fault Detection for Deep Learning Programs Using Graph Transformations

Nowadays, we are witnessing an increasing demand in both corporates and academia for exploiting Deep Learning ( DL ) to solve complex real-world problems. A DL program encodes the network structure of a desirable DL model and the process by which the model learns from the training dataset. Like any software, a DL program can be faulty, which implies substantial challenges of software quality assurance, especially in safety-critical domains. It is therefore crucial to equip DL development teams with efficient fault detection techniques and tools. In this article, we propose NeuraLint , a model-based fault detection approach for DL programs, using meta-modeling and graph transformations. First, we design a meta-model for DL programs that includes their base skeleton and fundamental properties. Then, we construct a graph-based verification process that covers 23 rules defined on top of the meta-model and implemented as graph transformations to detect faults and design inefficiencies in the generated models (i.e., instances of the meta-model). First, the proposed approach is evaluated by finding faults and design inefficiencies in 28 synthesized examples built from common problems reported in the literature. Then NeuraLint successfully finds 64 faults and design inefficiencies in 34 real-world DL programs extracted from Stack Overflow posts and GitHub repositories. The results show that NeuraLint effectively detects faults and design issues in both synthesized and real-world examples with a recall of 70.5% and a precision of 100%. Although the proposed meta-model is designed for feedforward neural networks, it can be extended to support other neural network architectures such as recurrent neural networks. Researchers can also expand our set of verification rules to cover more types of issues in DL programs.

Referencing of powder bed for in situ detection of lateral layer displacements in additive manufacturing

Abstract. An increasing number of additive manufacturing (AM) applications leads to rising challenges for the process-accompanying quality assurance. Beside post-processing measurement systems, in situ monitoring systems in particular are currently requested to ensure feedback controlling during AM processes. For data acquisition and subsequent evaluation, a high data quality is of importance. It depends on a high resolution and accuracy of measurement systems, adapted measurement conditions and a reference to the powder bed or component for geometric measurements. Within this scientific study, a new reference system has been implemented into the powder bed to reduce measurement deviations by an abbreviated metrological loop. After data acquisition and image processing layer by layer, the position stability of the reference system has been analysed in relation to the optical measuring system. Based on a contour detection of the reference markers, the evaluation of geometrical process deviations is presented as an essential basis for a closed-loop controlling system. Thermally induced and mechanical drifts within the manufacturing process can be verified by the reference system in the powder bed. As an outlook, two methods are suggested for a process-accompanying referenced detection of the melting pool and resulting contour displacements during additive manufacturing.

Current and future challenges in quality assurance in molecular diagnostics

The development and performance of molecular genetic assays has required increasingly complex quality assurance in recent years and continues to pose new challenges. Quality management officers, as well as academic and technical personnel are confronted with new molecular genetic parameters, methods, changing regulatory environments, questions regarding appropriate validation, and quality control for these innovative assays that are increasingly applying quantification and/or multiplex formats. Yet, quality assurance and quality control guidelines are still not widely available or in some circumstances have become outdated. For these reasons, the need for solutions to provide test confidence continues to grow. In order to integrate new test procedures into existing quality assurance measures, the ISO 15189 guideline can serve as an orientation. The ISO 15189 guideline describes requirements for medical laboratories and thus includes those performing molecular diagnostics. This article gives an overview of the possibilities and challenges in quality assurance of molecular parameters and shows possible solutions.

Quality Assurance Challenges for Development of Crew Escape System Motors

Quality Assurance Challenges for Development of Crew Escape System Motors

Virtual Single Flank Testing – Applications for Industry 4.0

Single flank testing is used to measure the quality of a gearset. The paring of two specific flank geometries leads to a unique transmission error curve. The challenge in quality assurance is to find a way to differentiate flank geometries by evaluating the transmission error curves. Therefore, characteristic values are needed to efficiently analyze the huge amount of data. In this paper, characteristic values in time and frequency domain are used to compare the results of an arbitrary amount of transmission error curves. With the data, an additional method is developed to estimate the geometry from the given transmission error.