Search results for "Quality assurance"
showing 10 items of 118 documents
Special Issue on Higher education and its clients : institutional responses to changes in demand and in environment
2002
02048
Fogging effect correction of Gafchromic HD-V2 film response for its use in high-dose radiotherapy
2020
GAFChromic® HD-V2 film is a reliable dose measurement device, thin, flexible, inexpensive, simple to use and easy to analyze. The response in terms of net absorbance with respect to absorbed dose was found to be linear in a large dose range, which supports the feasibility of using the film dosimeters in many applications, such as radiotherapy. For its use, a "fogging" effect must be take into account since film response changes with time. To determine a calibration curve valid for any time, fogging effect was investigated for more than 400 days. A correction procedure allows the use of HD-V2 film dosimeters in high-dose radiotheraphy, as brachytherapy, and quality assurance (QA) procedures.
Improving bleeding detector features for electron intraoperative radiotherapy
2019
Abstract Purpose The aim of this work is to improve the potential bleeding detection during intraoperative radiotherapy with linac polymethyl methacrylate applicators (PMMA), based on one previously developed. The improvements carried out have been focused on: i) minimizing the impact of the detector on the visual through the plastic applicators and ii) avoiding the asymmetry in the detection capability when the applicator is tilted. Methods Simulations have been made to select the geometry that provides a reduced visual impact on the applicator as well as allowing an independent response with the tilting angle of the applicator. A low-noise circuit for signal conditioning has been develope…
Evaluation und interne Qualitätssicherung in der Allgemein- und Abdominalchirurgie
1997
The measuring of perioperative risk, the finding of intraoperative influences and the objective rating of quality of treatment were achieved by our program of quality assurance. With our system it is possible to measure differences between several surgeons and also differences in comparison to national and international results. Through optimised therapy the program can lead to an improvement of quality.
Quality management in higher education: A comparative study of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland
2010
This chapter examines lecturers’ perceptions of the balance between quality assurance and quality enhancement in three case study higher education institutions in different European countries. Where quality initiatives emphasised assurance rather than enhancement, this was taken to indicate a significant limitation on a lecturer’s autonomy in the quality management process. In-depth interviews using a semi-structured schedule were conducted with 20 randomly selected academic staff in each of the three higher education institutions. The results from the interviews demonstrated a very wide range of views among the interviewees. However, generally, it was found that there was a high level of d…
Evaluation and Quality Assurance in Finnish and Italian Universities in the Bologna Process
2008
Abstract The purpose of the study is to describe the evaluation and quality assurance practices employed in the basic units of Finnish and Italian universities and analyse the impact of the Bologna process on quality assessment. The data consist of interviews (n=30) conducted in Finland and Italy. The results suggest that: (1) evaluation and quality assurance were primarily seen in connection with the educational provision of the university; (2) although the respondents were familiar with evaluation, they were unsure about the procedures and effects of quality assurance in their unit; and (3) despite the harmonising aim of the Bologna process, evaluation, and quality assurance appeared to m…
Comparison of two portable solid state detectors with an improved collimation and alignment device for mammographic x-ray spectroscopy.
2006
We describe a portable system for mammographic x-ray spectroscopy, based on a 2 X 2 X 1 mm3 cadmium telluride (CdTe) solid state detector, that is greatly improved over a similar system based on a 3 X 3 X 2 mm3 cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) solid state detector evaluated in an earlier work. The CdTe system utilized new pinhole collimators and an alignment device that facilitated measurement of mammographic x-ray spectra. Mammographic x-ray spectra acquired by each system were comparable. Half value layer measurements obtained using an ion chamber agreed closely with those derived from the x-ray spectra measured by either detector. The faster electronics and other features of the CdTe detecto…
Safety Assurance of a High Voltage Controller for an Industrial Robotic System
2020
Abstract Due to the risk of discharge sparks and ignition, there are strict rules concerning the safety of high voltage electrostatic systems used in industrial painting robots. In order to assure that the system fulfils its safety requirements, formal verification is an important tool to supplement traditional testing and quality assurance procedures. The work in this paper presents formal verification of the most important safety functions of a high voltage controller. The controller has been modelled as a finite state machine, which was formally verified using two different model checking software tools; Simulink Design Verifier and RoboTool. Five safety critical properties were specifie…
Effects of Interrater Reliability of Psychopathologic Assessment on Power and Sample Size Calculations in Clinical Trials
2002
Although rater training is increasingly used to improve the quality of the investigated outcome parameters, the reliability of assessments is not perfect. Thus, empirical reliability estimates should be used instead of theoretically assumed perfect reliability. Implications of the reliability of psychiatric assessments for sample size and power calculations in clinical trials are presented. The theoretical basis of sample size and power calculations using empirical reliability scores is delineated. Examples from contemporary research on schizophrenia and depression are used to illustrate several implications for study design and interpretation of results. The tremendous impact of the lack o…
The Impact of Radiotherapy Protocol Adherence on the Treatment Outcome in Patients With Locally Advanced NSCLC Treated With Concurrent Chemoradiation…
2021
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) The success of intensification and personalization of the curative treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is strongly associated with the precision in radiotherapy (RT) treatment, which must therefore follow high standards. Herein we evaluate the impact of RT protocol adherence in the prospective international multicenter trial on curative treatment of NSCLC. MATERIALS/METHODS In the open-label, randomized, controlled PET-Plan trial, patients with inoperable NSCLC were randomized at a 1:1 ratio regarding the target volume delineation informed by ¹⁸F-FDG PET and CT plus elective nodal irradiation (Arm A) or target volumes informed by PET alone (Arm B) and receiv…