Search results

Recent developments in medical treatments have resulted in the increased use of infusion devices for the administration of highly potent drugs. Drug administration is one of the highest risk areas of clinical practice and infusion devices are associated with a substantial number of adverse drug events. Locally, there was a perception that adverse drug events involving infusion devices appeared to be increasing, and there was anecdotal evidence to suggest that the available number of devices was inadequate to meet the increasing demand. A two‐part, observational audit, carried out in an acute district general hospital, was used to identify weak areas in the systems associated with the use of infusion devices and to implement actions to rectify the weaknesses and consequently reduce the risk to patients and staff.

This paper presents results of work aimed at characterising the zero offset stability in novel thick film strain gauges. The devices studied are z‐axis (k₃₃) load sensors fabricated on insulated stainless steel substrates and include examples of novel commercially developed force sensors. Devices loaded with compressive strains using a purpose designed test jig were found to exhibit a significant zero offset shift, which is negative up to a certain level (typically 1,000 micro strains) and then increasingly positive when strained beyond this point. Repeated cycles of loading then produced a certain level of stability until the previous maximum value of applied strain was exceeded. Temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) measurements showed the devices to exhibit characteristics that depend significantly on the device geometry. The TCR was found to increase positively with increasing device thickness and surface area. The effect of overglazing the devices was found to decrease the TCR.

The purpose of this paper is to familiarize the reader with the capabilities of EFAB technology, a unique additive manufacturing process which yields fully assembled, functional mechanisms from metal on the micro to millimeter scale, and applications in medical devices.

The process is based on multi‐layer electrodeposition and planarization of at least two metals: one structural and one sacrificial. After a period of initial commercial development, it was scaled up from a prototyping‐only to a production process, and biocompatible metals were developed for medical applications.

The process yields complex, functional metal micro‐components and mechanisms with tight tolerances from biocompatible metals, in low‐high production volume.

The process described has multiple commercial applications, including minimally invasive medical instruments and implants, probes for semiconductor testing, military fuzing and inertial sensing devices, millimeter wave components, and microfluidic devices.

The process described in this paper is unusual among additive fabrication processes in being able to manufacture in high volume, and in its ability to produce devices with microscale features. It is one of only a few additive manufacturing processes that can produce metal parts or multi‐component mechanisms.

This paper aims to propose a model for the provision of EtherNet/IP device‐specific function blocks by discrete industry device vendors and to outline how multi‐vendor network environments can benefit from the use of function block programming to encapsulate code for configuring communication, diagnostics and visualisation tools.

The approach makes use of function blocks to facilitate simpler use of the EtherNet/IP protocol. The EtherNet/IP messaging mechanisms are described, along with the methodology for configuring communication for both time‐critical and non‐time‐critical messaging, including device‐specific status and diagnostic data. The same approach is utilised for communication to visualisation systems.

Validation of the model was found to make data transfer between controller and device easier and faster, owing to a reduction in the number of operations a programmer was required to implement. Implementation time was found to be just 6.25 per cent of that needed to achieve the same functionality without the use of function blocks.

The use of function blocks to describe EtherNet/IP communication was tested with a commercial product in an application environment, and subsequently adopted by multiple vendors. A reduction in technical support was noted owing to the use of identical interfaces for multiple device instances. With complete device functionality described and readily available to the end‐user, greater device functionality is utilised and more often may otherwise not have been implemented for time, cost, or complexity reasons.

In the discrete industry, it is uncommon for device vendors to provide device‐specific function blocks describing network communication interfaces and functionality, since they reside in the controller, not the device. This research presents a novel method that provides a consistent, yet flexible approach for the configuration of EtherNet/IP communication for differing devices from multiple vendors within a controller.

Currently, one of the most significant challenges organizations face is that corporate data is being delivered to mobile devices that are not managed by the information technology department. This has security implications regarding knowledge leakage, data theft, and regulatory compliance. With these unmanaged devices, companies have less control and visibility, and fewer mitigation options when protecting against the risks of cyber-attacks. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how millennials' use of personal mobile devices for work contributes to increased exposure to cyber-attacks and, consequently, security and knowledge leakage risks.

This research used a mixed-method approach by using survey questionnaires to elicit the views of millennials regarding the cybersecurity risks associated with bring your own device policies and practices. Interviews were done with security personnel. Data analysis consisted of descriptive analysis and open coding.

The results indicate that millennials expect to have ready access to technology and social media at all times, irrespective of security and privacy concerns. Companies also need to improve and enforce bring your own device policies and practices to mitigate against knowledge leakage and security risks. Millennials increasingly see the use of personal devices as a right and not a convenience. They are expecting security measures to be more seamless within the full user experience.

This paper can help organizations and millennials to understand the security risks entering the workforce if the threats of using privately owned devices on the job are ignored and to improve organizational performance.

Although the use of ultrasonic agitation on quartz crystal devices during PCB cleaning has long been suspected to be detrimental, little or no data exist to substantiate or quantify the resultant effects. This paper summarises the results of a limited study into these effects for a range of quartz crystal devices, using both CFC and aqueous solvents. The variations with exposure time, and the types and mechanisms of failure are discussed. The results are encouraging and suggest that, although these devices are more susceptible to damage than ICs, once manufacturing defects have been screened out they will withstand ultrasonic exposure without deleterious effects for periods several times longer than those used for cleaning PCBs.

Emerging technologies are shaping the way we use information and undergraduates are early adopters of technology; however the purpose of their use of these devices has been of concern. The purpose of this paper is to examine use of internet capable handheld devices among Information Resources Management (IRM) undergraduates at Babcock University, Ilisan, Nigeria.

Non‐experimental ex post facto design was adopted for the study. Total enumeration was used to capture 220 IRM undergraduates. Using an adapted ECAR study, six questionnaire with reliability value (x=0.89) were administered; all questionnaires administered were retrieved and used for the study.

The study revealed that the majority (90 per cent) own handheld devices, used mainly for social networking, checking of information, instant messaging and e‐mails. Most of the students (70 per cent) are frequent users of their devices for internet activities, expending about 2‐100 h on a weekly basis. Factors which include slow network connection, limited access, and other ways of internet access, battery life and cost hinder use of the internet via handheld devices.

The use of internet capable mobile technology is crucial in engaging higher education students.

The use of supplemental damping to dissipate energy is one of the most economical and effective ways to mitigate the effects of earthquake on structures. For practicing engineers, the ideal design procedure for buildings with supplemental damping should not be too complex to implement in practice. Building on the existing theoretical frame, the purpose of this paper is to develop simple and heuristic methods for the above design procedure.

Passive displacement‐dependent devices are considered in this paper. Based on the theoretical results for added damping and added stiffness (ADAS) devices, the paper first analyzes the generated forces and the effects of ADAS devices on structures under seismic impact. We identify design parameters and variables are identified, and present the procedure of how the values of the variables (e.g. column shear force, ductility ratio) are finalized so that the design requirements can be met is presented. A four‐story six‐bay steel building frame and a ten‐story, one‐bay steel building frame, equipped with ADAS devices, are used to demonstrate the performance of the design procedure.

Empirical results show that the arrangement of damping devices based on the proposed procedure not only significantly reduces earthquake‐induced energy, but also accomplishes the goal of being cost‐effective by the control of ductility ratio.

The proposed step‐by‐step procedure is easy for practicing engineers to apply for structures equipped with displacement‐dependent dampers, although the modeling requirements may be complex. It will also allow practicing engineers to effectively design economic seismic dampers in the preliminary design phase and further explore the cost factors by comparing different building seismic performance objectives throughout design.

GaAs electronic devices are becoming increasingly used in the microelectronics industry especially in solid state microwave, ultra high speed digital processing and optoelectronic applications. However, in the manufacture of the GaAs devices, problems due to the inherent brittleness of the GaAs and batch to batch variability of the bond pad metallisation have commonly been experienced. This has resulted in some difficulties in wire bonding to GaAs devices with ultrasonic and thermocompression wire bonding techniques. This paper describes a programme undertaken to investigate Au wire bonding techniques to GaAs devices. Specifically, bonding trials have been performed on a range of GaAs substrates using pulse tip and continuously heated thermocompression bonding and ultrasonic bonding. The results of this work have shown that thermocompression and ultrasonic wire bonding techniques are cabable of producing acceptable bonds to GaAs devices, although some of the advantages and limitations of each technique have been demonstrated. Thermocompression bonding with a continuously heated capillary gave the most tolerant envelope of bonding conditions and highest bond strengths. Pulse tip thermocompression bonding gave a less tolerant envelope of acceptable bonding conditions, required a longer bonding time and the wire was weakened above the ball bond. Ultrasonic bonding did not require any substrate heating to give acceptable bonds. However, the choice of equipment can be critical if damage to the device is to be avoided.

The purpose of this paper is to chronicle a small company's path towards establishing a functioning, effective quality system for a medical device technology and to provide some “do‐it‐yourself” (DIY) tips learned along the way.

When a company comes up with an innovation in medical device technology, where can it go from there to transfer its product into the hands of consumers? If the technology is patented, the company has the option to license it. Alternatively, the company may want to move forward with further product development and marketing on its own (whether patented or not). Getting a medical device into any market typically requires regulatory approval, which cannot be obtained without a quality system. This paper focuses on the foundations of establishing a quality system and obtaining certification and regulatory approval in Canada, the EU, and the USA, and is directed towards small medical device manufacturers. It describes the process within four phases that cover the initial start up, implementation of procedures, certification and regulatory approval, and continual improvement.

Establishing a quality system is a monumental task for any company, but especially so for a small one. However, the benefits of implementing a quality system outweigh the initial setbacks associated with doing so. The descriptions of phases in tandem with the DIY tips presented in this paper are intended to be of help to a small medical device manufacturer wanting to bring their innovative technology to consumers within a major marketplace.

This is an original paper written for the Third Canadian Quality Congress.