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Significant research has been carried out in terms of development of new bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) instruments; however, there is still little research available regarding spectral BRDF measurements of human skin. This study aims to investigate the variation in human skin reflectance using a new fibre optic-based spectral-BRDF measurement device.

Design of this system mainly involves use of multiple fibre optics to illuminate and detect light reflected from a sample, whereas a hemispherical dome was 3D printed to mount the fibres at various slant/tilt angles. To investigate the spectral differences in BRDF of human skin, 3 narrowband filters in the visible spectrum were used, whereas measurements were taken from the back of the hand for Caucasian and Asian skin types.

The experiments demonstrate that the BRDF of human skin varies with wavelengths in the visible spectrum and it is also different for Caucasian and Asian skin types. Both skin types exhibit off-specular reflection with increase in angle of incidence and show less variation with respect to viewing angles when the angle of incidence is normal to the surface.

A database of spectral BRDF measurements of human skin will help not only in creating realistic skin renderings but also in development of novel skin reflectance models for biomedical and machine vision applications. The measurements would also provide means to validate the predictions from existing light transport/spectral simulation models for human skin and will ultimately help in the accurate diagnosis and simulation of various skin disorders.

The proposed system provides fast scatter measurements by utilising multiple fibres to detect light simultaneously at different angles while also allowing easy switching between incident light directions. Due to its flexible design and contact-based measurements, the device is independent of errors due to sample movements and does not require any image registration. Also, measurements taken from the device show that the BRDF of skin varies significantly in the visible spectrum and it is different for Caucasian and Asian skin types.

Seam pucker is one of the most important aspects of garment quality in the sewing process. Recently, automatic sewing systems have been developed and seam pucker or other defects would have to be automatically inspected in these systems. Two systems of automatic, contactless measurement of seam pucker have been developed. One of the measurement systems, with which surface shape of seam pucker was measured, is based on laser technology. Intensity of reflected ultrasonic wave is measured using another measurement system. The laser measurement system has been applied to moderate or severe seam pucker and the ultrasonic wave system has been applied to the accurate evaluation of very small seam pucker. The result of the evaluation by machine has to match the result of subjective evaluation by humans. To verify this, samples of seam pucker were evaluated using five judges. With the measurement data of surface shape of these samples, the power spectra of the wave form of seam pucker are calculated. Analyses and correlates the relationship between objective measurement and subjective evaluation by discriminant analysis, with the result of subjective evaluation and the power spectra of the samples. Having obtained these relationships, the degree of seam pucker can be measured objectively by both systems.

Inadequate measurement capability can place a heavy burden of implicit costs on manufacturers – even drive them out of business. It can have serious consequences for stakeholders in industry, commerce or science. High‐technology manufacturing must ensure a high level of precision in measurements, often to as much as a millionth of an inch. In seeking such high levels of precision, measurement laboratories often use traceability as a key precision criterion. Two comprehensive sets of measurements made over time by high‐precision laboratories on gauge blocks are used to explore the scope of traceability in ensuring high‐precision measurements. Significant differences were found between the high‐precision primary laboratories traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the USA. Explores general implications of such between‐laboratory differences and makes recommendations for secondary laboratories and stakeholders in dimensional metrology seeking to ensure a high level of precision in their measurements.

The assessment of the quality of the electric power supply, as well as that of the electric loads, is becoming a critical problem, especially when the liberalization of the electricity market is involved. Power quality can be evaluated by means of a number of quantities and indices whose measurement is not straightforward and is generally attained by means of digital signal processing techniques based on complex algorithms. The assessment of the uncertainty of the results of such measurements is a critical, open problem. This paper proposes a general purpose approach, based on the Monte Carlo method that, starting from the estimated contributions to the uncertainty of each device in the measurement chain, estimates the probability density distribution of the measurement result, and therefore, its standard uncertainty. This approach has been experimentally validated for the active power measurement and applied to the estimation of the uncertainty of the measurement of more complex power quality indices.

The purpose of this paper is to present anthropometric measurements on 42 premature infants nursed in the neonatal intensive care unit of Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.

Birth information, including maturity, age, gender, birth weight and present weight, were recorded. About 13 body size measurements, including stature, hand girth, armscye girth, chest girth, arm length, max girth, abdomen girth, hand length, thigh girth, shoulder width, head to nape length, inside leg to heel length and foot length, were measured for each infant. Using these data, the body size distribution, the correlation between each body size measurement, and linear regressions of present weight and stature with other body size measurement were analyzed.

It was found that present weight and stature of premature infants were the most desirable and significant size parameters for the development of a measurement chart for premature infants.

The paper provides anthropometric measurement details of premature infants.

This paper intends to ascertain a general guideline for performance measurement and management by social enterprises, combining public and private tasks.

The conceptual systems approach is used as a framework. Maintenance service delivery by Dutch housing associations is used as a case study to show how the conceptual systems approach to performance measurement can be helpful to address the managerial problems of social enterprises, the actors involved and the possible consequences of new policies and interventions.

The system approach to performance measurement has the tools to bring transparency to the aims and means of the various participants in the production process of social enterprises having complex aims and tasks both in the market and in the public domain. The identification of key performance indicators, as well as the input, throughput, output and outcome indicators, ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of the internal business process and also covers the accountability to external stakeholders.

The conceptual systems approach to performance measurement was tested by Dutch housing associations. Researchers are encouraged to test the conceptual systems approach to performance measurement in other social enterprises.

The complexity of the public housing sector and generally social enterprises needs transparent performance measurement. This complexity – due to dynamics in the surroundings – also causes measurement problems. When deciding on performance indicators it is essential to gain a clear idea of the manageable and unmanageable dynamics and to adjust the performance measurement system accordingly.

The importance of performance measurement by social enterprises is growing. The paper shows how the conceptual systems approach can still be very helpful to identify performance indicators combining tasks in the market and public domain.

The purpose of this study is to present the optimization of the design and measurement principle of a six-component force/thrust measurement stand. This study highlights some key problems found in previous studies and proposes improvements in design and measurement principles.

The numerical simulation approach is used to verify the proposed improvements. An improved design and measurement principle are proposed and to verify the proposed improvements, simulation experiments are conducted. The data obtained from simulations are analyzed through the proposed improved measurement principle. The proposed stand is capable of measuring the main thrust and other components as pitch, yaw and roll. The stand is capable of measuring the main thrust more than 50,000 N and orthogonal thrust components more than 1,000 N. Improved design of measurement stand is also capable of measuring moments in three-axis more than 150 Nm. Thrust stand consists of two main sections: front and rare. Stand consists of seven piezoelectric force sensors to measure all components of force.

The simulations experiments and basic theoretical laws of kinematics prove that the proposed design indeed improves the precision of measurement and also enhance the efficiency of design. Evaluation results show that the measurement stand designed is highly functional. Non-linearity, coupling and repeatability errors are found to be within acceptable range during numerical simulations.

This study is unique in this kind. This study identifies the key problems found in previous studies and proposes an improved design and measurement principle. This study provides evidence for the improvements to be really functional and necessary.

White‐collar productivity measurement can be improved, according to results from group sessions conducted with 39 executives, managers and academics which elicited a list of eleven useful areas for measurement. There are three types of ways in which the measurements can be used: self‐improvement; performance appraisal, salary and promotion; and feedback, communication and work direction. Highly interactive jobs should be measured at group level, with individual performance judged on the basis of group results. Peer group ratings can also measure white collar productivity, with existing MBO systems providing information; and time management techniques are also appropriate.

The paper discusses the role of measurement and classification in intellectual capital research. Its purpose is to develop an alternative role for measure. The aim is to explore how measurement may be important even if it does not pretend to accurately represent and underlying reality.

The paper is an essay on the difficulties of measuring intellectual capital. It is a conceptual, analytical paper which proposes a new approach to analyzing the roles and effects of measurement in the area of intellectual capital.

The analysis suggests that measurement of intellectual capital is difficult because it is not possible to copy its properties in a number; yet it is necessary because it allows intervention to happen since it develops a wholly new set of dimensions to manage. This dual conclusion both problematic because the search for a definitive measure of the size, value and effects of intellectual capital is impossible, yet it is also comforting because measurement helps develop the actions that can be made in the name of intellectual capital.

The central implication is that research should be explicit about the status of measurement in intellectual capital research since measurement does not primarily represent an underlying reality to be reported by intellectual capital. This directs attention to different purposes of measurement.

This paper explores alternative roles for measurement and suggests that it is necessary to study how measurement is input to management decision making more than a representation of an underlying reality.

The purpose of this paper was to determine the influence of a number of measured points on results of measurements of turbine blades, which are the parts of aircraft engines. The selection of a number of points is the part of a measurement strategy in the coordinate measuring technique and determines the accuracy of measurements.

Numerical and experimental investigations were conducted. The measurements were simulated using different numbers of measured points. The simulated measurements were performed for the selected dispersion of measured points. The dispersion reflected the inaccuracy of a manufacturing process of the considered product and the uncertainty of measurements of curvilinear surfaces. To verify the accuracy of the numerical studies, experimental research was conducted. The real measurements were conducted using the selected coordinate measuring machine.

The gained results following the simulations can be very useful when selecting the appropriate number of measured points. The chosen number of points may be used during real measurements of turbine blades conducted on coordinate measuring machines. The results of numerical research indicate that there should be used the average radii of leading and trailing edges to increase the accuracy of measurements. The results of real coordinate measurements confirmed the results of simulation studies.

The main novelty of the paper is the presented methodology for determining the influence of measured points on results of measurements. The presented methodology helps the user of a coordinate measuring system select the appropriate measurement strategy of free-form surfaces applied in the aerospace industry.