Standards

The Internet of Things (IoT) and smart manufacturing (SM) are mutually reinforcing. The establishment of IoT-based common facilities for SM is the premise of building SM system. Industrial IoT (IIoT) infrastructure for SM refers to common facilities based on IoT that support SM in industries or sectors, and plays a dominant role and faces severe challenges in the intelligence of SM. The infrastructure is independent of the products and production process in a specific factory. This paper develops conceptual and capability frameworks of IIoT infrastructure from a unified perspective of IIoT-related SM industries. These frameworks reflect relationships between IIoT and SM with in-depth relationships among basic facilities of IIoT infrastructure and lay the foundation of SM. In this paper the common characteristics and high-level requirements with respect to the different IoT layers of IIoT infrastructure are analyzed, and the capability framework and relevant capabilities of IIoT infrastructure are summarized according to the characteristics and requirements. In order to help service providers implement their systems to meet the needs of SM, the existing and newly developed IIoT infrastructure are integrated partially or in whole according to the intelligence level, so as to provide technical guidance for stakeholders to apply emerging ICTs to SM. Full article

Multi-criteria decision analyses (MCDA) for prioritizations may be performed applying a variety of available software, e.g., methods such as Analytic Network Process (ANP) and Elimination Et Choice Translating Reality (ELECTRE III) as recently suggested by Kalifa et al. In addition to a data matrix, usually based on indicators and designed for describing the parts of the framework intended for the MCDA, these methods require input of a variety of other parameters that are not necessarily immediately obtainable. Often the indicators are simply combined by a weighted sum to obtain a ranking score, which is supposed to reflect the opinion of a multitude of stakeholders. A single ranking score facilitates the decision as a unique ordering is obtained; however, such a ranking score masks potential conflicts that are expressed by the values of the single indicators. Beyond hiding the inherent conflicts, the problem arises that the weights, needed for summing up the indicator values are difficult to obtain or are even controversially discussed. Here we show a procedure, which takes care of potential different weighting schemes but nevertheless does not mask any inherent conflicts. Two examples are given, one with a small (traffic) system and one with a pretty large data matrix (food sustainability). The results show how decisions can be facilitated even taking a multitude of stakeholder opinions into account although conflicts are not necessarily completely eliminated as demonstrated in the second case. Full article

Extensive research is currently being conducted on nanotechnologies worldwide, and the applications of nanomaterials are continuously expanding. Given their unique intrinsic characteristics, such as their small size and increased reactivity, nanomaterials may pose an occupational, environmental or consumer hazard. Therefore, a highly important aspect of ensuring the sustainable use of nanotechnologies is the establishment of proper health and safety practices. The area of nanosafety research has produced significant outcomes the last decades, and many of these achievements have been reflected in the standardization field. In this work, a discussion of prominent nanosafety standards (ISO/TS 12901-2:2014 and ISO/TR 12885:2018) is presented, based on the barriers faced during the endeavor to apply their principles within a research context. A critical viewpoint regarding their application is presented, and gaps faced in adapting the standards to the materials and processes applied are noted. Additionally, approaches that were followed to circumvent these gaps are also highlighted as suggestions to potentially overcome these barriers in future standardization efforts. Full article

Background: Patient satisfaction is tightly linked with healthcare quality and high-value care. Timely communication is important in attaining patient satisfaction. The aim of the study was to provide all delivering mothers an update within an hour of their newborn’s admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: An educational module was developed with a PowerPoint presentation on the role of a timely update. The team, consisting of the neonatal nurse practitioners (NNP) and residents, were provided access to the presentation. After completing the presentation, they completed a questionnaire showing understanding. The principal investigator met with the mother after admissions to assess if she was updated within an hour of the admission of her baby to the NICU. Results: A total of 22 mothers participated in the study. Thirty-six percent of the mothers were updated within an hour of admission of their neonates to the NICU. The average time taken from admission to updating mothers was 5.75 ± 6.7 h. All mothers were satisfied with the explanation of the NICU staff. Conclusions: We noted a 100% satisfaction rate; however, we observed a low percentage of communication with the mother. The study provided the baseline data for the next PDSA cycle. Full article

An in-depth experimental study of the matrix effect of antifreeze (ethylene glycol) and water contamination of engine oil through FT-IR spectroscopy. With a comparison of the percent by volume concentration of contaminated fresh 15W-40 engine oil, there appeared to be a noticeable reduction in the O–H stretching signal in the infrared spectrum when ethylene glycol based antifreeze was included as a contaminant. The contaminants of distilled water, a 50/50 mixture of water and commercial ethylene glycol antifreeze, and straight ethylene glycol antifreeze were compared and a signal reduction in the O–H stretch was clearly evident when glycol was present. Doubling the volume of the 50/50 mixture as compared to water alone still resulted in a weaker O–H stretching signal. The possibility that this signal reduction was due to the larger ethylene glycol molecule having fewer O–H bonds in a given sample size was eliminated by comparing samples with the same number of O–H bonds per unit volume. The strong hydrogen bonding between that of water and glycol appeared to reduce the O–H stretching signal, even after comparing the different sample types at concentrations with the same number of O–H bonds per unit volume. Tukey’s highly significant difference was used to show that samples of the 50/50 mixture and straight glycol were not reliably distinguishable from one another when comparing the same number of O–H bonds per unit volume but readily distinguishable from that of water as the lone contaminant. Full article

The main mission of the internal quality system in educational institutions is to develop the importance of quality in all processes, create suitable conditions for increasing the loyalty and professional development of faculty staff, continually improve student satisfaction, and achieve recognition of educational institutions in the eyes of the public. In the Introduction, this paper covers the current state of the field of quality assurance of higher education in Slovakia. Quality management models that can be used appropriately and effectively in university conditions are identified in the next section. The aim of this overview section was to summarize the advantages and disadvantages resulting from the implementation of quality management models. The paper also includes a case study in which selected models of quality management implemented at a private university in Slovakia are described, especially the process model ISO 9001 and the common assessment framework (CAF) model. The self-assessment within the CAF model was carried out by a questionnaire survey; the obtained data were assessed by classical CAF scoring. The aim of the self-assessment was to identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement and to propose corrective actions. The specifics of the implementation of quality management models at a private university and the benefits resulting from the application are also been defined at the end of the article. Full article

Standards serve a valuable function that enable efficiencies, technological advancement, and commerce. To date, there is little examination of the problems with standards, their implementations, and methodologies that could be introduced to improve utility and utilization. This is contrasted against the large inventory of standards that exist, and proliferation of standards. More available literature exists on standards wars that focus on attempts at market dominance, persistence of ‘legacy’ standards in light of newer and ‘better’ solutions, cases for and against multiple standards, and even legal cases regarding anti-competitive behavior leveraging dominance in particular standards. This, however, focuses more on the politics as opposed to presenting a more fundamental examination of the cause for the existing friction. Through applied linguistics, it becomes more apparent that differences in language, using Communities of Practice as a guide, can provide a dimension to standards development and implementation. Friction in standards arises when standards are viewed as broad and universally applicable versus being the expression of a specific Community of Practice, and therefore should be specifically and formally scoped using linguistic methods. Full article

Inverse least squares numerical optimization, 3D/4D interior optimization, and 3D/4D graphical optimization software and algorithm programming have been presented in a series of previous articles on the applications of the BCS theory of superconductivity and T_C dual/multiobjective optimizations. This study deals with the comparison/validation of the optimization results using several different methods, namely, classical inverse least squares (ILS), genetic algorithms (GA), 3D/4D interior optimization, and 2D/3D/4D graphical optimization techniques. The results comprise Tikhonov regularization algorithms and mathematical methods for all the research subjects. The findings of the mathematical programming for optimizing type I chrome isotope superconductors are validated with the genetic algorithms and compared to previous results of 3D/4D interior optimization. Additional rulings present a hypothesis of the new ‘molecular effect’ model/algorithm intended to be proven for Hg-cuprate-type high-temperature superconductors. In molecular effect optimization, inverse least squares and inverse least squares polynomial methods are applied with acceptable numerical and 2D graphical optimization solutions. For the BCS isotope effect and molecular effect, linearization logarithmic transformations for model formula software are implemented in specific programs. The solutions show accuracy with low programming residuals and confirm these findings. The results comprise two strands, the modeling for the isotope effect and molecular effect hypotheses and the development of genetic algorithms and inverse least squares-improved programming methods. Electronic physics applications in superconductors and high-temperature superconductors emerged from the rulings. Extrapolated applications for new modeling for the theory of superconductivity emerged from the numerical and image data obtained. Full article

After the Smart City initiative was put forward, cities all over the world started the pilot practice of developing Smart Cities. This triggered a series of thoughts: what is a Smart City, how do we determine the scope of work of a Smart City, and how do we formulate a new strategic agenda of the Smart City to make city smarter and more sustainable? The answer lies not only in finding Smart City solutions, but also leads to the research on the definition of Smart City terminology and the determination of corresponding tasks. Stakeholders of Smart City (e.g., policy makers, municipalities, solution providers, industry, and academia) develop technical and management standards for these tasks jointly. This paper reports the standardization planning on Smart City by the international standardization development organizations (SDOs), that is, the standardization framework of Smart City. It also presents one of the important aspects, namely, the progress of standardization activities on urban infrastructure that are being carried out by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) via its Study Group 20, in supporting the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Smart City. These standards include the classification of urban infrastructure, the interoperability between urban infrastructure and smart city platforms, and the requirements of detailed infrastructure from the perspective of ICT and the Internet of things (IoT). This paper also provides the use cases of application of some standards in global cities. Full article

Video quality assessment (VQA) is now a fast-growing field, maturing in the full reference (FR) case, yet challenging in the exploding no reference (NR) case. In this paper, we investigate some variants of the popular FR VMAF video quality assessment algorithm, using both support vector regression and feedforward neural networks. We also extend it to the NR case, using different features but similar learning, to develop a partially unified framework for VQA. When fully trained, FR algorithms such as VMAF perform very well on test datasets, reaching a 90%+ match in the popular correlation coefficients PCC and SRCC. However, for predicting performance in the wild, we train/test them individually for each dataset. With an 80/20 train/test split, we still achieve about 90% performance on average in both PCC and SRCC, with up to 7–9% gains over VMAF, using an improved motion feature and better regression. Moreover, we even obtain good performance (about 75%) if we ignore the reference, treating FR as NR, partly justifying our attempts at unification. In the true NR case, typically with amateur user-generated data, we avail of many more features, but still reduce complexity vs. recent algorithms VIDEVAL and RAPIQUE, while achieving performance within 3–5% of them. Moreover, we develop a method to analyze the saliency of features, and conclude that for both VIDEVAL and RAPIQUE, a small subset of their features provide the bulk of the performance. We also touch upon the current best NR methods: MDT-VSFA, and PVQ which reach above 80% performance. In short, we identify encouraging improvements in trainability in FR, while constraining training complexity against leading methods in NR, elucidating the saliency of features for feature selection. Full article

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the establishment of a TBT system that utilizes the knowledge-based view as a means of overcoming the problems of scarcity of human resources and lack of technological capabilities faced by export companies that produce and supply products and services is being emphasized. The WTO TBT Agreement, which is based on the multilateral agreement of the GATT 7th Tokyo Round, consists of 15 articles and 3 annexes to ensure that technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment systems do not act as technical barriers to trade. The transition to the digital economy (EDT) has been accelerating, and currently the EDT presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The US, which is at the center of the international standards competition, has accelerated standards competition by invoking supply chain executive order decoupling, and as China looks to implement the policy set out in the China Standards 2035 Plan, the relationship between the US and China is worsening in relation to the preoccupation with standards. Dreaming of a Chinese version of this US strategy, China, which is connected from 12.5 to 14.5 units, is accelerating its standardization strategy through the Made in China 2035 program. The “double cycle development strategy” and “technological innovation” are key mid- to long-term policy directions. Korea should develop a Korean-style conformity assessment development model based on the TBT system, which is a major element of non-tariff barriers, under the WTO/FTA system that promotes the flow of the KBV along with the establishment of a digital transformation system. Full article

The availability of low-cost plug-and-play devices may contribute to the diffusion of methods and technologies for the personalized monitoring of physiological parameters by wearable devices. This paper is focused on biosensors, which represent an interesting enabling technology for the real-time continuous acquisition of biological or chemical analytes of physio-pathological interest, e.g., metabolites, protein biomarkers, and electrolytes in biofluids. Currently available commercial biosensors are usually referred to as customized and proprietary solutions. However, the efficient and robust development of e-health applications based on wearable biosensors can be eased from device interoperability. In this way, even if the different modules belong to different manufacturers, they can be added, upgraded, changed or removed without affecting the whole data acquisition system. A great effort in this direction has already been made by the ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451 standard that introduces the concept of smart sensors by defining the main and essential characteristics that these devices should have. Following the guidelines provided by this standard, here we propose a set of characteristics that should be considered in the development of a smart biosensor and how they could be integrated into the existing standard. Full article

Rating systems are applied to a wide variety of different contexts as a tool to map a large amount of information to a symbol, or notch, chosen from a finite, ordered set. Such a set is commonly known as the rating scale, and its elements represent all the different degrees of quality—in some sense—that a given rating system aims to express. This work investigates a simple yet nontrivial paradox in constructing that scale. When the considered quality parameter is continuous, a bijection must exist between a specific partition of its domain and the rating scale. The number of notches and their meanings are commonly defined a priori based on the convenience of the rating system users. However, regarding the partition, the number of subsets and their amplitudes should be chosen a posteriori to minimize the unavoidable information loss due to discretization. Considering the typical case of a creditworthiness rating system based on a logistic regression model, we discuss to what extent this contrast may impact a realistic framework and how a proper rating scale definition may handle it. Indeed, we show that choosing between a priori methods, which privilege the meaning of the rating scale, and a posteriori methods, which minimize information loss, is not strictly necessary. It is possible to mix the two approaches instead, choosing a hybrid criterion tunable according to the rating model’s user needs. Full article

The management strategy requires a shift to change-oriented management. These management approaches are process- and activity-oriented and are based on the assumption that the future is difficult to predict and ineffective for modeling. The aim of this study is to present a model of food safety management using a process approach based on the PDCA cycle set in the international standard ISO 22000:2018 by supplementing the regulatory requirements for food safety management. After analyzing the aspects of food safety management, a model is proposed for risk analysis and assessment at the operational and organisational level. In this study, the FMEA method for risk assessment of storage of foods of plant origin was used. The research can be useful for producers and traders in the planning and development of food safety management systems according to the requirements of the ISO 22000:2018 standard. The implementation of documented rules for compliance with the requirements of the international standard is aimed at the management and control of processes at the operational and organisational level in the activities of companies. Process management and data analysis is a direction to improve activities aimed at minimizing food safety risks. Full article

Evaluation by ranking/rating of data based on a multitude of indicators typically calls for multi-criteria decision analyses (MCDA) methods. MCDA methods often, in addition to indicator values, require further information, typically subjective. This paper presents a partial-order methodology as an alternative to analyze multi-indicator systems (MIS) based on indicator values that are simultaneously included in the analyses. A non-technical introduction of main concepts of partial order is given, along with a discussion of the location of partial order between statistics and MCDA. The paper visualizes examples of a ‘simple’ partial ordering of a series of chemicals to explain, in this case, unexpected behavior. Further, a generalized method to deal with qualitative inputs of stakeholders/decision makers is suggested, as well as how to disclose peculiar elements/outliers. The paper finishes by introducing formal concept analysis (FCA), which is a variety of partial ordering that allows exploration and thus the generation of implications between the indicators. In the conclusion and outlook section, take-home comments as well as pros and cons in relation to partial ordering are discussed. Full article

The main task of safety and health at work is to protect the most important thing we have, the health of each of us. Employers are able to anticipate and prevent risks by properly implemented occupational safety and health management systems. The basic task of the article is to describe the history of safety management systems to identify the state of implementation of the ISO 45001 system in the world. Subsequently, the article describes the ISO 45001 standard from the perspective of the PDCA cycle and describes the benefits and importance of implementing the ISO 45001 standard. The conclusion of the article deals with the development trend of the occupational health and safety management system according to STN ISO 45001:2019 in the context of occupational accidents in the conditions of the Slovak Republic. Full article

Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and Smart Systems (SSs) have become an important focus for industry, especially in the manufacturing and retail sectors. The aim of this paper is to analyse the importance of SSs and their related technologies in improving business performance. Through an initial systematic review of sixty-one papers, the authors identify six key determinants that lead to the effective application of SSs in business systems, namely, the application of effective managerial skills, supply chain integration, financial analysis, business performance, strategic and operational capabilities, and technologies. The work then goes on to develop an industry case study that informs thinking on the capabilities of smart technologies in collaborative working environments and then onto the development of a practice-focused framework for future research. This study identifies that the implementation of SSs within organisations not only improves business performance but also their supply chains through the effective integration of business activities and systems, and through the degree to which communication and decision-making is facilitated between humans and devices. This leads to the improvement of quality, speed of information, and information sharing. This study also finds that there is a lack of systems standards that currently govern IoT and SSs integration and data security within businesses. Full article

The implementation of a standard should be preceded by research work aimed at developing the test method, particularly in validation experiments. Is it actually so? Numerous experiences of producers and labs and an increasing number of scientific works prove the opposite. It turns out that some standard methods are very poorly suited to assessing the performance of construction products. This is related both to the specificity of the methods and the tested products. This article presents some product assessment problems and the risk of using test methods that have not been fully validated. The risk seems relatively low if laboratories account for their own uncertainty. However, in some cases, additional components that both laboratories and product manufacturers might fail to consider can significantly increase the risk. This indicates the need for continuous work in the reference area. Full article