Search results

This study aims to explore the use and relevance of WALYs (well-being-adjusted life years) in light of the utilitarian premises of neoclassical economics that continue to dominate health outcomes evaluation. QALYs (quality-adjusted life years) and DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) measure longevity and quality of life in terms of purely health-related aspects and outcomes of medical interventions. However, evaluative questions of subjective well-being may be equally important in comparing outcomes and cost-effectiveness of these interventions.

A two-phase online search strategy for refereed research on dry eye treatment with omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3s) was adopted. Phase I aimed to identify and contrast clinical parameters of efficacy in omega-3 dietary supplementation. Phase II aimed to find a preference-based, multi-attribute utility instrument specific and sensitive enough to dry eye and its consequences on patients’ subjective well-being. We then illustrate how WALYs can be conceptualized and calculated based on the search results.

Empiric therapies like omega-3s can be assessed in terms of reducing or relieving symptomatic discomfort and pain, and enabling the patient to enjoy life and derive satisfaction from daily activities. We find in VisQoL (Vision and Quality of Life Index) a viable alternative to conventional multi-attribute utility instruments, including those typically used in QALY and DALY calculations. Clinical efficacy indices of dry eye can be linked to VisQoL’s quality of life dimensions. Differently weighted outcomes can be aggregated. And WALYs per patient per year can be computed by scaling aggregated outcomes to match the WALY rating scale. The implications of subjective well-being for both patient and society can thus be approached from a broader and richer perspective.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind in pharmaceutical outcomes valuation and marketing. It offers a framework for analyzing life satisfaction and well-being among dry eye patients under treatment. It is also the first to use and adapt a multi-attribute utility measure to treatment outcomes of omega-3s in ocular diseases, from which this study suggests WALYs may be computed. However, it does not suggest that WALYs should supplant QALYs and DALYs in evaluating health outcomes. Medical economics is enriched if alternative methods of outcomes evaluations can help fill in the gaps in existing paradigms and do so by accounting for other effects of condition-specific interventions. Costs and benefits of interventions to the individual and society can then be valued not just more effectively, but also more equitably.

This paper aims to propose a framework on complaint management system for quality management by applying the text mining method and potential failure identification that can support organization learning (OL). Customer complaints in the form of email text is the input of the framework, while the most frequent complaints are visualized using a Pareto diagram. The company can learn from this Pareto diagram and take action to improve their process.

The first main part of the framework is creating a defect database from potential failure identification, which is the initial part of the failure mode and effect analysis technique. The second main part is the text mining of customer email complaints. The last part of the framework is matching the result of text mining with the defect database and presenting in the form of a Pareto diagram. After the framework is proposed, a case study is conducted to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method.

By using the defect database, the framework can interpret the customer email complaints into the list of most defect complained by customer using a Pareto diagram. The results of the Pareto diagram, based on the results of text mining of consumer complaints via email, can be used by a company to learn from complaint and to analyze the potential failure mode. This analysis helps company to take anticipatory action for avoiding potential failure mode happening in the future.

The framework on complaint management system for quality management by applying the text mining method and potential failure identification is proposed for the first time in this paper.

The aim of this paper was to verify applicability of graphene-based sensors for voltammetric and amperometric measurements of low-concentration compounds in biological fluids.

Using the screen printing method, electrochemical sensors were manufactured on polymethylmetacrylate foil using a paste consisting of organic solvents and graphene nanopetals. As the model of a biological fluid tear film was chosen, the compound chosen as the analyte was H₂O₂, which is produced in oxidation of biological compounds. Tear film analog was prepared, in which, the measurements were carried out in a wide range of concentrations to determine the oxidation potential of H₂O₂ through square-wave voltammetry. The second series of amperometric measurements was carried out for concentrations between 0 and 30 μM/L, which is the lower range of physiological glucose concentration in tear films.

The sensors presented linearity for concentrations from 0 to 3.5 per cent. Mean linear correlation coefficient between the peak current and the concentration for the examined sensors was 0.9764. Mean sensitivity was 434.4 mA·M−1·L−1.

Results indicate a need for optimization of the sensors ' performance. Main parameters to be improved are surface area of electrodes and purity of the graphene layer, as well as uniformity of the manufacturing process to improve accuracy and repeatability of measurements.

Technology and materials used present an opportunity for creating low-cost, miniaturized and biocompatible sensors to be used in medical monitoring.

Printed electronics technology described was not investigated previously in the field of biological sensors and could contribute to the solving of vital medicine problems.

Flexible circuitry and flexible interconnects are high technology products that require a good understanding of flexible laminates and their properties to ensure the proper design of a functional part. Many designers use flexible interconnects for packaging and multiplane interconnections, but incorrectly compare flexible materials to rigid laminates. Flexible materials and design considerations when using flexible materials are reviewed, with a brief overview of the combination of flex and rigid materials in a flex/rigid multilayer circuit.

The purpose of this paper is to develop palm oil‐based alkyds as ultraviolet (UV) curable coatings and investigate the parameters that affect the coating performances.

Alkyds were formulated from palm stearin, glycerol, phthalic anhydride and maleic acid. Keeping the total molar amount of dicarboxylic acids constant, the proportions of maleic acid and phthalic anhydride were varied in order to produce polymer chains with different content of unsaturation, which is crucial for UV curability. Characterisations were carried out by FTIR and 1HNMR. The alkyds were then mixed with methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer as active diluents and cured by exposure to UV light. Performances of the cured coatings were tested in terms of film hardness, adhesion, water and alkali resistance, and thermal stability.

Upon introducing sufficient C=C, the alkyd in combination with MMA is able to UV‐cure within short time and produce film of satisfactory quality. There are several other factors, which influence the coating properties; these include thickness of coating, ratio of alkyd to active diluents, and duration of UV exposure.

The product is a form of green technology that could benefit the environment as it involves very low or near zero emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC).

The novelty of this work lies in the formulation of new products from palm stearin, leading to new developments in the surface coating and palm oil industries.

There has been plenty of discussion of the technical problems of microfilming, and the potential importance of microfilms to the librarian is generally accepted, but little seems yet to have been written in this country on the practical problems facing the librarian who wishes to make extensive use of microfilms in building up his stock. Microfilm viewers are now to be found in many libraries, but on the whole, microfilms are used in British libraries mainly to satisfy occasional demands, and very few libraries in this country appear to be using microfilms systematically and extensively; an account of one such attempt may therefore be of interest.

Coating is a technique employed for the surface of materials to have thermal insulation, hot corrosion and oxidation resistance. Ion implantation forms modifications in surface composition or morphology of solids which yield to a change of physical and especially mechanical properties such as hardness and modulus of elasticity. The objective of this investigation is to concentrate on the friction and wear behaviour of TiN, N₂ and Zr implanted and TiN and Tinalox PVD coated 316L stainless steel and compare with a substrate. Mainly stainless steels were of attraction, because they frequently demonstrate a poor tribological behaviour, which can be enhanced when they are hardened by incorporating N₂, TiN Tinalox and Zr and forming a hardened surface zone.

The paper's aim is to synthesise ultraviolet (UV) curable polyurethane acrylate based on polyester polyol and to study change in its mechanical, chemical, optical and weather resistance properties with varying amount of nanosilica. It also seeks to determine its optimum loading levels for property maximisation.

New UV curable polyurethane acrylate has been synthesised using polyester polyol, blend of isophorone diisocyanate and toluene diisocyanate and hydroxyl ethyl acrylate. This resin was incorporated with nanosilica (1‐3 per cent) on the basis of total solids. The newly synthesised material was characterised by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical, chemical and optical properties of the coating films were studied and compared.

The hardness, tensile strength and abrasion resistance show significant enhancement with increasing amount of nanosilica. It is also found that UV cured polyurethane acrylate nanocoating exhibited improved weather resistance. The optimum concentration of nanosilica for better performance is found to be 3 per cent of total solids. The improvement is the result of inherent nature of nanosilica.

Nanosilica used in present context is having 10 nm mean diameter and near about 600 m²/g surface area. Nanosilica having different particle size, surface area and surface modification can be used to improve more specific properties.

Addition of nanosilica particles to polyurethane acrylate coating is a simple and inexpensive method resulting in phenomenal increase in properties.

The new organic‐inorganic hybrid nanocoating with improved weather resistance was synthesised. These coatings could find applications in demanding fields such as automotive topcoats.

Paint‐films are very susceptible towards contact with hard object, i.e. they are subject to marring and scratching.