Deejaysing Jogee, Manta Devi Nowbuth, Virendra Proag and Jean-Luc Probst
It is now well-established that good water quality is associated with economic prosperity, reduced incidence on public health and the good functioning of the various ecosystems…
Abstract
It is now well-established that good water quality is associated with economic prosperity, reduced incidence on public health and the good functioning of the various ecosystems found in our environment. Water contamination is mostly related to both diffused (agricultural lands and geologic rock degradations) and point sources of pollution. Mauritius has many water resources which depend solely on precipitation for their replenishment. Water parameters which are of relevance include total dissolved solids (TDS), temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, dissolved and particulate organic carbon and major cations and anions. The traditional methods of analysis for these parameters are mostly using electrical and optical methods (probes and sensors in the field), while chemical titrations, Flame AAS and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography techniques are carried out in the laboratory. Image Classification techniques using neural networks can also be used to detect the presence of contaminants in water. In addition to basic water quality parameters, the field sensors range have been extended to cover important major ions and can now be integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based models for the prediction of variations in water quality to better protect human health and the environment, reduce operation costs of water and wastewater treatment plant unit processes.
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A.B. Khalaf, Y. Hamam, Y. Alayli and K. Djouani
Studying the availability of medical equipment based on various maintenance types has been a major concern for hospitals. Most of the methodologies used are empirical and few are…
Abstract
Purpose
Studying the availability of medical equipment based on various maintenance types has been a major concern for hospitals. Most of the methodologies used are empirical and few are based on mathematical modelling. The objective of this paper is to present a mathematical maintenance model that analyses the effect of maintenance on the survival probability of medical equipment based on maintenance history and age of that equipment.
Design/methodology/approach
A global model is proposed to measure the probability of equipment being available using real data extracted from maintenance history of infusion pumps and ventilators and analysed using Matlab. To confirm the validity of the developed model, the survival analysis approach is used to develop a model that measures the survival of equipment as a function of maintenance and age of equipment. The method is first tested using simulated data and the findings confirm the validity of the proposed approach.
Findings
The analysis using survival approach reveals that conducting preventive maintenance (PM) on the selected medical equipment had an impact on survival of equipment. However, the manufacturer's recommended PM intervals do not correlate to the failure rate encountered. This will contribute to the debate on PM manufacturer's recommended intervals and might lead to the revision of maintenance strategies implemented by hospitals and clinical engineering (CE) practitioners.
Research limitations/implications
Although the data collected for the infusion pumps were quite sufficient, that collected for the ventilators were more limited. The major difficulty is that of the availability of historical maintenance data and the effect of user errors may cause uncertainty in the analysis. A closer collaboration with the medical professional should facilitate the recording and access to such information.
Practical implications
The use of mathematical modelling to analyse the effect of maintenance on the survival of medical equipment is a beneficial tool that is not exploited in the medical equipment industry. It will provide CE practitioners with scientific tool to analyse the effect of PM on the survival of medical equipment.
Originality/value
This paper presents a mathematical approach to analyse the effect of maintenance on the survival of medical equipment, which is crucial in the assessment of maintenance strategies implemented in the medical equipment industry.
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Oluwadamilola Esan, Nnamdi I. Nwulu, Love Opeyemi David and Omoseni Adepoju
This study aims to investigate the impact of the 2013 privatization of Nigeria’s energy sector on the technical performance of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of the 2013 privatization of Nigeria’s energy sector on the technical performance of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and its workforce.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a questionnaire-based approach, and 196 participants were randomly selected. Analytical tools included standard deviation, Spearman rank correlation and regression analysis.
Findings
Before privatization, the energy sector, managed by the power holding company of Nigeria, suffered from inefficiencies in fault detection, response and billing. However, privatization improved resource utilization, replaced outdated transformers and increased operational efficiency. However, in spite of these improvements, BEDC faces challenges, including unstable voltage generation and inadequate staff welfare. This study also highlighted a lack of experience among the trained workforce in emerging electricity technologies such as the smart grid.
Research limitations/implications
This study’s focus on BEDC may limit its generalizability to other energy companies. It does not delve into energy sector privatization’s broader economic and policy implications.
Practical implications
The positive outcomes of privatization, such as improved resource utilization and infrastructure investment, emphasize the potential benefits of private ownership and management. However, voltage generation stability and staff welfare challenges call for targeted interventions. Recommendations include investing in voltage generation enhancement, smart grid infrastructure and implementing measures to enhance employee well-being through benefit plans.
Social implications
Energy sector enhancements hold positive social implications, uplifting living standards and bolstering electricity access for households and businesses.
Originality/value
This study contributes unique insights into privatization’s effects on BEDC, offering perspectives on preprivatization challenges and advancements. Practical recommendations aid BEDC and policymakers in boosting electricity distribution firms’ performance within the privatization context.
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M. Asjad, M.S. Kulkarni and O.P. Gandhi
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) start providing support to their products, that helped them in beating the competition across the worldwide. The unavailability of spares…
Abstract
Purpose
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) start providing support to their products, that helped them in beating the competition across the worldwide. The unavailability of spares and crews may also prolong the downtime of equipment, thereby affecting the systems’ performance. The spares and crews have as much effect on the systems’ performance as the design characteristics (i.e. reliability and maintainability). Thus, the OEMs required to extent the support to their products through maintenance, spares, crews, etc., so as to gain the customer satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The mathematical model for spares, crews and support quality has been presented in this research work. The problem has been identified from the literature perspective for mechanical systems.
Findings
The model has been implemented on a real-life problem, in which the OEMs provide support to their make installed at compressed natural gas workstation in National Capital Region, India.
Originality/value
The research proposed in this work will be helpful to manufacturer, customer, academician, researcher, industrialist and any concerned person, to get the exhaustive benefits from the system.
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Rona Bahreini, Leila Doshmangir and Ali Imani
Effective maintenance management of medical equipment is one of the major issues for quality of care and cost-effectiveness especially in modern hospitals. An effective medical…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective maintenance management of medical equipment is one of the major issues for quality of care and cost-effectiveness especially in modern hospitals. An effective medical equipment maintenance management (MEMM) consists of adequate planning, management and implementation. This is essential for providing good health services and saving scarce resources. Considering the importance of the subject, the purpose of this paper is to extract the influential factors on MEMM using a qualitative approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Documents review and interviews were main methods for data collection. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 14 clinical engineers with different degree of education and job levels. Interviews were voice recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis approach (inductive and deductive) to identify the underlying themes and sub-themes.
Findings
Factors influencing an effective and efficient MEMM system categorized in seven themes and 19 sub-themes emerged. The themes included: “resources,” “quality control,” “information bank,” “education,” “service,” “inspection and preventive maintenance” and “design and implementation.”
Originality/value
The proposed framework provides a basis for a comprehensive and accurate assessment of medical equipment maintenance. The findings of this study could be used to improve the profitability of healthcare facilities and the reliability of medical equipment.
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Manoj Kumar, Neeraj Mehla, Shobhit Srivastava and Ravi Kant Ravi
This paper aims to provide a critical review of water generation from atmospheric air by using desiccant materials. Over the past few years, there has been very high stress on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a critical review of water generation from atmospheric air by using desiccant materials. Over the past few years, there has been very high stress on water scarcity, especially in Asian and African countries. Because of this insecurity, many countries are focusing on their research in the field of water technologies. Water generation from atmospheric air by using desiccant materials is one of the techniques among the air-to-water generators (AWGs).
Design/methodology/approach
A structured and systematic literature review has been presented to observe and understand the past trend/patterns in the field of water generation from atmospheric air by using desiccant materials. To understand the water generation technologies based on desiccant materials, the research papers from the years 1987 to 2022 have been studied and included.
Findings
The properties of the different and most probable desiccant materials in the field of AWGs have been discussed. A detailed review of testing reports of collected water samples has also been presented in tabular form. Finally, the economic analysis has been done and future prospects have been discussed. It is also found that the capacity of solid desiccant materials to adsorb the water is less as compared to liquid desiccant materials. But, the adsorption capacity can be improved by using composite desiccant materials.
Originality/value
The uniqueness of this manuscript lies in the compiling and examination of the existed published research papers, including variables such as author, year and geographical location, experimental/simulative, types of desiccant material, type of setup, desiccant material type and quantity and type of concentrator. This manuscript provides critique to the empirical and conceptual research in AWG technologies and also stimulates researchers to explore the topic very carefully.
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Natália Lemos, Cândida Sofia Machado and Cláudia Cardoso
The rapid advancement of technology has transformed the health-care industry and enabled the emergence of m-Health solutions such as health apps. The viability and success of…
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid advancement of technology has transformed the health-care industry and enabled the emergence of m-Health solutions such as health apps. The viability and success of these apps depends on the definition of a monetization model appropriate to their specificities. In this sense, the purpose of this paper is to study the mechanisms of monetization of health apps, to stablish how alternative revenues determine if a health app is to be free or paid.
Design/methodology/approach
Probability models are used to identify the factors that explain if a health app is free or paid.
Findings
Results show that the presence of alternative monetization mechanisms negatively impacts the likelihood of a health app being paid for. The use of personal data to customize advertising (the monetization of “privacy capital”) or the inclusion of ads on the app are alternative means of monetization with potential to decrease the likelihood of a health app being paid for. The possibility of in-app purchases has a lower negative impact on the probability of a health app being paid for. The choice of platform to commercialize an app is also a strategic decision that influences the likelihood of an app being paid for.
Originality/value
This work stands out for bringing together the two largest platforms present in Portugal and for focusing on the perspective of revenue and monetization of health apps and not on the perspective of downloads.
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Ziyan Wang, Xueli Yang, Caixuan Sun, Hongyan Liu, Junkai Shao, Mengjie Wang, Junyi Dong, Guanlong Cao and Guofeng Pan
This paper aims to successfully synthesize three-dimensional spindle-like Au functionalized Co3O4-ZnO nanocomposites; characterize the structure, morphology and surface chemical…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to successfully synthesize three-dimensional spindle-like Au functionalized Co3O4-ZnO nanocomposites; characterize the structure, morphology and surface chemical properties of the products; study the effect of Au NPs doping concentration, operating temperature different gas to, sensing properties; and introduce an attractive gas sensor for acetone detection.
Design/methodology/approach
Au NPs functionalized Co3O4-ZnO nanocomposite was prepared by coprecipitation and impregnation methods; the structure and surface chemical property of the products were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-Vis, BET and XPS. The sensing ability of Au@Co3O4-ZnO for acetone and mechanism was analyzed systematically.
Findings
The results of gas sensing tests show that the unique component structure, Schottky junction and catalytic effect of Au functionalization make it have low operating temperature, excellent selectivity, high response (10 ppm, 56) and rapid response recovery time.
Research limitations/implications
All the characterization and test data of the prepared materials are provided in this paper and reveals the gas sensing mechanism of the gas sensor.
Practical implications
The detection limit is 2.92–100 ppb acetone. It is promising to be applied in low-power, micro detection and miniature acetone gas sensors.
Social implications
The gas sensor prepared has a lower working temperature and low detection limit, so it has promising application prospects in low-concentration acetone detection and early warning.
Originality/value
The unique component structure, Schottky junction and catalytic effect of Au functionalization Co3O4-ZnO make it have low operating temperature, excellent selectivity and rapid response recovery time.
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Marta Dmitrzak, Pawel Kalinowski, Piotr Jasinski and Grzegorz Jasinski
Amperometric gas sensors are commonly used in air quality monitoring in long-term measurements. Baseline shift of sensor responses and power failure may occur over time, which is…
Abstract
Purpose
Amperometric gas sensors are commonly used in air quality monitoring in long-term measurements. Baseline shift of sensor responses and power failure may occur over time, which is an obstacle for reliable operation of the entire system. The purpose of this study is to check the possibility of using PCA method to detect defected samples, identify faulty sensor and correct the responses of the sensor identified as faulty.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, the authors present the results obtained with six amperometric sensors. An array of sensors was exposed to sulfur dioxide at the following concentrations: 0 ppm (synthetic air), 50 ppb, 100 ppb, 250 ppb, 500 ppb and 1000 ppb. The damage simulation consisted in adding to the sensor response a value of 0.05 and 0.1 µA and replacing the responses of one of sensors with a constant value of 0 and 0.15 µA. Sensor validity index was used to identify a damaged sensor in the matrix, and its responses were corrected via iteration method.
Findings
The results show that the methods used in this work can be potentially applied to detect faulty sensor responses. In the case of simulation of damage by baseline shift, it was possible to achieve 100% accuracy in damage detection and identification of the damaged sensor. The method was not very successful in simulating faults by replacing the sensor response with a value of 0 µA, due to the fact that the sensors mostly gave responses close to 0 µA, as long as they did not detect SO2 concentrations below 250 ppb and the failure was treated as a correct response.
Originality/value
This work was inspired by methods of simulating the most common failures that occurs in amperometric gas sensors. For this purpose, simulations of the baseline shift and faults related to a power failure or a decrease in sensitivity were performed.
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Nur Alia Sheh Omar and Yap Wing Fen
This paper aims to review the potential application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in diagnosis of dengue virus (DENV-2) E-protein and the development of SPR to become an…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the potential application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in diagnosis of dengue virus (DENV-2) E-protein and the development of SPR to become an alternative DENV sensor.
Design/methodology/approach
In this review, the existing standard laboratory techniques to diagnosis of DENV are discussed, together with their drawbacks. To overcome these drawbacks, SPR has been aimed to be a valuable optical biosensor for identification of antibodies to the DENV antigen. The review also includes the future studies on three-dimensional poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer-surface-assembled monolayer (SAM)-Au multilayer thin films, which are envisaged to have high potential sensitive and selective detection ability toward target E-proteins.
Findings
Application of SPR in diagnosis of DENV emerged over recent years. A wide range of immobilized biorecognition molecules have been developed to combine with SPR as an effective sensor. The detection limit, sensitivity and selectivity of SPR sensing in DENV have been enhanced from time to time, until the present.
Originality/value
The main purpose of this review is to provide authors with up-to-date and useful information on sensing DENV using SPR and to introduce a novel three-dimensional PAMAM-SAM-Au multilayer thin films for future research on SPR sensing applications.