Time Chart Research Articles

Современные ультразвуковые методы измерения остаточной толщины стенок металлических изделий под защитными покрытиями

With an increasing amount of work on residual thickness measurements of various metal products (petrochemical industry products, marine and bridge structures, transport infrastructure objects, etc.) the task of improving measurement performance is getting increasingly urgent. While measuring the residual wall thickness Hmet of coated metal products with the traditional ultrasonic methods, for example, probe-echo, a significant portion of time is spent to scrape a protective dielectric coating (most often paint) from the testing point and then to restore the coating after the measurements. In recent years the ultrasonic methods, which do not require the coating to be removed for measuring, are intensively developed. The optimal methods are the following: Echo-Echo, different Probe-Echo Coating (including the TopCOAT) and combined.
 The article describes in detail the physical basis of the methods, block diagrams of two - and four-element double crystal transducers, time charts and algorithms for Hmet computing, which together enable the coating thickness value to be eliminated from the measurement results. The analysis of every method’s merits and demerits and the restrictions on its usage are given. The article also shows the ways to improve parameters of the equipment used for coated products testing as well as measures to increase the reliability of Hmet measurement results.

Evaluación clínica del paciente con síntomas del tracto urinario inferior

Lower urinary tract symptoms are divided into three groups, storage, voiding and post
 micturition symptoms. Their level of agreement with urodynamic investigation is poor. Clinical
 history should be complemented by the application of validated symptom questionnaires
 and the recording of urinary events. Here we refer to: a) the International Consultation on
 Incontinence Questionnaire, Short Form (ICIQ-SF), b) the Urogenital Distress Inventory - Short
 Form (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire – Short Form (IIQ-7), c) the urinary
 incontinence Severity Index and d) the American Urological Association Symptom Index. The
 recordings of urinary events can be done in three main forms: a) micturition time chart, b)
 frequency volume chart, and c) bladder diary. The International Consultation on Incontinence
 Questionnaire bladder diary (ICIQ bladder diary) is the only one validated. Physical exam should
 include abdominal and genital examination, covering pelvic organ prolapse quantification in
 women, prostate evaluation in men, pelvic floor muscle function evaluation in both genders, and
 a neurologic examination focused on evaluation of the sacral nerves. It is useful to supplement
 the physical examination with the evaluation of the mobility of the bladder neck and proximal
 urethra through the Q-tip test, and with the quantification of urine leakage through the pad test

SU‐D‐BRC‐02: Application of Six Sigma Approach to Improve the Efficiency of Patient‐Specific QA in Proton Therapy

Purpose:To show how the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define‐Measure‐Analyze‐Improve‐Control) can be used for improving and optimizing the efficiency of patient‐specific QA process by designing site‐specific range tolerances.Methods:The Six Sigma tools (process flow diagram, cause and effect, capability analysis, Pareto chart, and control chart) were utilized to determine the steps that need focus for improving the patient‐specific QA process. The patient‐specific range QA plans were selected according to 7 treatment site groups, a total of 1437 cases. The process capability index, Cpm was used to guide the tolerance design of patient site‐specific range. We also analyzed the financial impact of this project.Results:Our results suggested that the patient range measurements were non‐capable at the current tolerance level of ±1 mm in clinical proton plans. The optimized tolerances were calculated for treatment sites. Control charts for the patient QA time were constructed to compare QA time before and after the new tolerances were implemented. It is found that overall processing time was decreased by 24.3% after establishing new site‐specific range tolerances. The QA failure for whole process in proton therapy would lead up to a 46% increase in total cost. This result can also predict how costs are affected by changes in adopting the tolerance design.Conclusion:We often believe that the quality and performance of proton therapy can easily be improved by merely tightening some or all of its tolerance requirements. This can become costly, however, and it is not necessarily a guarantee of better performance. The tolerance design is not a task to be undertaken without careful thought. The Six Sigma DMAIC can be used to improve the QA process by setting optimized tolerances. When tolerance design is optimized, the quality is reasonably balanced with time and cost demands.

A Novel Approach for Automatic Timetable Generation

The manual system of preparing time table in colleges is very time consuming and tedious task which usually ends up with various classes clashing either at identical room or with same teachers having more than one class at a time. Due to manual approach, proper use of resources is neither effective nor efficient. To overcome all these problems we propose to make an automated system with computer assisted timetable generator. The system will take various inputs like number of subjects, teachers, maximal lectures a teacher can conduct, priority of subject and topics to be covered in a week or a lecture, depending upon these inputs it will generate possible time tables for working days of the week, making optimal use of all resources in a way that will best suit the constraints. An appropriate timetable is then chosen from the optimal solutions generated.Timetable creation is a very arduous and time consuming task. To create timetable it takes lots of patience and man hours. Time table is created for various purposes like to organize lectures in school and colleges, to create timing charts for train and bus schedule and many more. To create timetable it requires lots of time and man power .In our paper we have tried to reduce these difficulties of generating timetable by Heuristic Algorithm.

Participation in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program as Reported by Documented and Undocumented Farm Worker Adults in the Households

ABSTRACTDebate surrounds the provision of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits to undocumented immigrants. Few studies are available to estimate use of WIC services by documented and undocumented households using nationally representative data. The authors analyzed data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) annual cross-sections from 1993 through 2009 (N = 40,896 person-years). Household documentation status is defined by the status of the adults in the household, not children. Simple mean differences, logistic regressions, and time charts described household participation in WIC over 2-year intervals. Without adjustments for covariates, 10.7% of undocumented farm workers’ households and 12.4% of documented households received WIC benefits, yielding an odds ratio of 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76–0.94). Logistic regressions revealed that for the same number of children in the household, participation by undocumented persons was higher than participation by documented persons. Time charts and logistic regressions with interaction terms showed a stronger correspondence between participation in WIC and number of children <6 years old in undocumented households than documented households. Undocumented farm workers’ households were only a little less likely to participate in WIC than documented farm workers’ households, and undocumented households’ participation was especially responsive to the presence of children. These results are consistent with the legal requirements for WIC participation, which do not distinguish between documented and undocumented households. These results may be helpful in the debate surrounding the effects of undocumented workers on WIC participation and costs.

Design of Gamma Charts Based on Average Time to Signal

Gamma charts for time between events are very useful in the high‐quality processes, which monitor the time until the rth event. The average time to signal (ATS) is adopted to evaluate the performance of Gamma charts, because it reflects both the number and the sampling interval of samples inspected until an out‐of‐control signal occurs. An ATS‐unbiased design for Gamma charts with known parameters is proposed based on the hypothesis test of the scale parameter. For the phase I monitoring, a new ATS‐unbiased design with unknown parameters is developed, and a sequential sampling scheme is adopted to start process monitoring as soon as possible. Some specific guidelines to stop updating the control limits are suggested from the convergence of the width between control limits with different phase I sample sizes. Finally, a real example is illustrated to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Visual Representations on High School Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics Assessments

The pervasive use of visual representations in textbooks, curricula, and assessments underscores their importance in K-12 science education. For example, visual representations figure prominently in the recent publication of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States in Next generation science standards: for states, by states. Achieve, Inc. on behalf of the twenty-six states and partners that collaborated on the NGSS, 2013). Although assessments of the NGSS have yet to be developed, most students are currently evaluated on their ability to interpret science visuals. While numerous studies exist on particular visuals, it is unclear whether the same types of visuals are emphasized in all science disciplines. The present study is an evaluation of the similarities and differences of visuals used to assess students’ knowledge of chemistry, earth science, living environment (biology), and physics on the New York State Regents examination. Analysis of 266 distinct visual representations categorized across the four content examinations reveals that the frequency and type of visuals vary greatly between disciplines. Diagrams, Graphs, Tables, and Maps are the most prevalent across all science disciplines. Maps, Cartograms, and Time Charts are unique to the Earth Science examination, and Network Diagrams are unique to the living environment (biology) examination. This study identifies which representations are most critical for training students across the science disciplines in anticipation of the implementation and eventual assessment of the NGSS.

Multiple Pie Charts: Unreadable, Inefficient, and Over-Used

A pie chart is a common way of presenting simple statistics—for example, the amount of time devoted to teaching, researching, and administration by the faculty can be illustrated by dividing a circle (‘pie’) into three appropriately sized segments. There has been much discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of such pie charts for a long time, and it is not likely to end soon. 3D pie charts show the same statistics, but in three dimensions. Multiple pie charts can be found where the data for groups to be compared are presented in adjacent pies. Here we argue that, even if a simple pie chart may have some advantages, the same cannot be said for multiple pie charts. Multiple pie charts are difficult to analyze and interpret, especially when comparing adjacent pies.

IJARCCE - Computer and Communication Engineering

4 Abstract: Timetable creation is a very arduous and time consuming task. To create timetable it takes lots of patience and man hours. Time table is created for various purposes like to organize lectures in school and colleges, to create timing charts for train and bus schedule and many more. To create timetable it requires lots of time and man power .In our paper we have tried to reduce these difficulties of generating timetable by Genetics Algorithm. By using Genetic algorithm we are able to reduce the time require to generate time table and generate a timetable which is more accurate, precise and free of human errors. The first phase contains all the common compulsory classes of the institute, which are scheduled by a central team. The second phase contains the individual departmental classes. Presently this timetable is prepared manually, by manipulating those of earlier years, with the only aim of producing a feasible timetable.

Media coverage of violence against women in India: a systematic study of a high profile rape case.

BackgroundOn December 16, 2012 a 23 year old female was gang-raped on a bus in Delhi. We systematically reviewed professional online media sources used to inform the timing, breadth of coverage, opinions and consistency in the depiction of events surrounding the gang-rape.MethodsWe searched two news databases (LexisNexis Academic and Factivia) and individual newspapers for English-language published media reports covering the gang-rape. Two reviewers screened the media reports and extracted data regarding the time, location and content of each report. Results were summarized qualitatively.ResultsWe identified 534 published media reports. Of these, 351 met our eligibility criteria. Based on a time chart, the total number of reports published increased steadily through December, but plateaued to a steady rate of articles per day by the first week of January. Content analysis revealed significant discrepancies between various media reports. From the 57 articles which discussed opinions about the victim, 56% applauded her bravery, 40% discussed outrage over the events and 11% discussed cases of victim-blaming.ConclusionsThe global media response of the December 16th gang-rape in India resulted in highly inconsistent depiction of the events. These findings suggest that although the spread of information through media is fast, it has major limitations.

Empirical Investigation of the Average Deployment Force of Personal Fall-Arrest Energy Absorbers

The personal energy absorber (PEA) is a critical component of a personal fall arrest system (PFAS), and it is meant to dissipate the energy generated during a fall to prevent injuries to the user. When designing PFASs, engineers need to estimate the fall distance of the user, and one of the parameters needed is the average deployment force (Fa) of a PEA. However, currently there is a lack of empirical information on Fa. The guidance for the estimation of Fa stipulated in the North American standards Z259.16 and Z359.6 did not provide supporting empirical data and appeared to be focused on lower-capacity PEAs (class E4 or Type 1) that are not common in regions like Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and Singapore. Thus, this study aims to provide empirical data for the estimation of Fa of higher-capacity PEAs (class E6 or Type 2) represented by AS/NZS 1891.1:2007 PEAs. Thirty-one force–time charts of drop tests conducted on AS/NZS 1891.1-certified PEAs were evaluated, and it was found that the Fa ranged from 3.2 to 4.7 kN with a mean of 3.9 kN. In contrast to the guidance in Z259.16 and Z359.6, the data does not support estimating Fa based on 80% of maximum arrest force. The study also provided empirical basis for approximating Fa using energy-balance calculation. This paper recommends that in the absence of manufacturer’s information on Fa and other test data, a reasonable estimate of Fa of PEA certified to AS/NZS 1891.1:2007 is 3.4 kN (10th percentile) and a conservative estimate is 3.2 kN (minimum). In the absence of publicly available empirical data of PEA certified to other standards, the results in this paper can provide useful guidance for estimation of Fa certified to other similar standards.

Dynamics of a multizone integrating regulator with frequency-zero junction of modulation zones

The design principle at the heart of a multizone integrating regulator (MZR) with frequencywidth-pulse modulation is considered. The structure chart, time charts of signals, and basic relationships for the static and dynamic characteristics of the MZR are given. The operation of the MZR in the area of reliable transmission and slow discretization of input signal frequencies is analyzed. The use of the MZR is illustrated in terms of controlling electric drives with parallel actuating paths.

Seed/catalyst-free vertical growth of high-density electrodeposited zinc oxide nanostructures on a single-layer graphene

We report the seed/catalyst-free vertical growth of high-density electrodeposited ZnO nanostructures on a single-layer graphene. The absence of hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and heat has resulted in the formation of nanoflake-like ZnO structure. The results show that HMTA and heat are needed to promote the formation of hexagonal ZnO nanostructures. The applied current density plays important role in inducing the growth of ZnO on graphene as well as in controlling the shape, size, and density of ZnO nanostructures. High density of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods comparable to other methods was obtained. The quality of the ZnO nanostructures also depended strongly on the applied current density. The growth mechanism was proposed. According to the growth timing chart, the growth seems to involve two stages which are the formation of ZnO nucleation and the enhancement of the vertical growth of nanorods. ZnO/graphene hybrid structure provides several potential applications in electronics and optoelectronics such as photovoltaic devices, sensing devices, optical devices, and photodetectors.

Evaluating Project Management Software Packages Using a Scoring Model—A Comparison between MS Project and Primavera

Since the Mid 1980’s, an increasing number of project management software packages (PMSP) has appeared in the market to support project management organizations. Despite the wide spread of PMSP, projects based organizations are left unguided as to how they should select the most appropriate software tool for their intended business use. The aim of this research was to apply a scoring model developed using ISO/IEC 14,000 software evaluation criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of two software packages in terms of functionality and price, and produce a summary of the evaluation records. To achieve research objective, a questionnaire survey method was used to investigate the two different project management software packages. One questionnaire was circulated among software users in various locations and another was targeting the software vendors. The findings of this study revealed differences between the two packages under investigation and highlighted the strength and weakness of each package. The author was able to assess the efficiency of each software package and provided a score for each attribute which helps the user to understand how the software package performs. This investigation revealed that the software user is not concerned with the most sophisticated package, or the package that has more advanced tools and features. What is more important for the user is their need to produce simple time charts, simple resource and cost analysis and basic reports.

It Must Mean Something: Narrative in Beckett's Molloy and Feldman's Triadic Memories

Morton Feldman was always on the lookout for non-musical art works that he could use to stimulate his compositional process. Later in his career the iconic Modernist writer Samuel Beckett become such a model. This paper explores the hunch that Feldman's narrative process in the long works of his final period resembles the strategies used by Beckett in his famous mid-century novels. The essay specifically makes a comparison between Beckett's novel Molloy (1947) and Feldman's Triadic Memories (1981). Classic Beckett characteristics such as aimlessness, uncertainty, disintegration, and paralysis are shown to operate as well in Triadic Memories. The analysis graphs the main musical motifs onto a time chart to illustrate how they appear, disappear, and then reappear in ways that prevent predictability.

Research on the Application of 3G Robotic Welding Guns to the Welding of Body-in-White Based on Delmia

3G welding gun is a new kind of welding guns which uses servo motor as the driving device. And it is of modularity, simplicity, robustness and high performance and has obvious advantages compared with traditional welding guns. This paper exploited robot payload check program to make comparison of the differences between OBARA welding guns and 3G welding guns. The results verified the advantages of 3G welding guns. A case study to the application of 3G welding guns to the body side was conducted, and Delmia, a 3D platform for robotic simulation and OLP, was used to create the robot welding programs. Finally, the timing chart of welding process by means of 3G welding guns was analyzed.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Imidafenacin as Add-on Treatment for Persistent Overactive Bladder Symptoms Despite α-Blocker Treatment in Patients With BPH: The ADDITION STUDY

To evaluate the effects of add-on treatment with an anticholinergic (imidafenacin) on persistent overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms despite α-blocker (tamsulosin) treatment in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Patients with BPH≥50 years old, with urinary urgency at least once per week and total OAB symptom score (OABSS)≥3 points after≥8-week treatment with tamsulosin were enrolled in a multicenter, open-label study (not double-blinded). Patients were randomized to receive tamsulosin (0.2 mg/day) alone or tamsulosin (0.2 mg/day)+ imidafenacin (0.1 mg 2 times a day). Primary endpoint was 12-week change in OABSS; secondary endpoints were changes in OABSS, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), micturition time chart (MTC), hours of undisturbed sleep (HUS), and quality of life (IPSS-QOL and BPH impact index [BII]). For statistical analysis, a mixed-effects model and t test were used. In total, 308 men were enrolled. The change from baseline to 12 weeks in total OABSS was significantly greater with add-on imidafenacin than tamsulosin alone (2.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47-2.74, P<.0001). Improvements in frequencies of daytime urination, nighttime urination, urinary urgency, urgency incontinence, IPSS, HUS, IPSS-QOL, and BII, were significantly greater from 4 weeks through 12 weeks in the imidafenacin group. Between-group difference in postvoid residual volume at 12 weeks was not significant (-1.74 mL, 95% CI -8.19 to 4.72), and no events of urinary retention were reported. Combined tamsulosin and imidafenacin treatment is effective and safe in patients with BPH with persistent OAB symptoms after tamsulosin monotherapy. Furthermore the combination treatment improved the QOL in BPH patients with OAB.

Hyperchaos Numerical Simulation and Control in a 4D Hyperchaotic System

A hyperchaotic system is introduced, and the complex dynamical behaviors of such system are investigated by means of numerical simulations. The bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponents, hyperchaotic attractors, the power spectrums, and time charts are mapped out through the theory analysis and dynamic simulations. The chaotic and hyper-chaotic attractors exist and alter over a wide range of parameters according to the variety of Lyapunov exponents and bifurcation diagrams. Furthermore, linear feedback controllers are designed for stabilizing the hyperchaos to the unstable equilibrium points; thus, we achieve the goal of a second control which is more useful in application.

Reappraisal of Regional Growth Charts in the Era of WHO Growth Standards.

After the WHO Growth Standards (WHOGS) was published in 2006, many countries in the world endorsed and adopted the new growth references as a standard measure for the growth of infants and young children. Certainly, the WHOGS has an impact on the global policy about obesity and underweight in children. Such WHOGS innovation has influenced many regional health authorities and academies, which have managed their own growth charts for a long time, in changing their strategies to develop and use regional growth charts. In Korea, along with the tradition to create a national growth chart every decade, we now face a new era of advancing with the WHOGS.

Evaluation of supply chain performance using delivery-time performance analysis chart approach

Variability reduction and business synchronization are acknowledged as keys to achieving timely deliveries in supply chain networks. The evaluation of delivery performance is a crucial component in the overall management and time control of a supply chain. This study uses lead time, delivery window and delivery performance chart (DPC) to measure the delivery performance of every stage in a serial supply chain. Lead time is an important delivery performance metric for organizations. DPC, which is integrated by the process capability indices (PCIs) and the concept of Motorola Six-Sigma, is proposed to provide several simultaneously visualized important features of delivery performance in a supply chain. We also consider the uncertainty of the estimated PCIs caused by sampling data and plot their lower confidence bounds (LCBs) in the DPC to measure the minimum delivery capability of each stage in the supply chain. Finally, a case study related to a supply chain of notebook industry is presented to demonstrate how the proposed approach can be employed to evaluate delivery performance for further reduction of lead time variability.