| Software quality assurance (SQA) - | (Software Engineering) a series of activities that assist an organization in producing high quality software |
| Statistical quality assurance - | (Software Engineering) techniques for process improvement that are based on measurements of the product and the process |
| Structured programming - | (Software Engineering) a design method that limited design constructs to only three basic forms and constrains program flow for better quality |
| Total quality management - | (Software Engineering) a company commitment to develop a process that achieves high quality product and customer satisfaction |
| Usability - | An informal measure of the ease with which a user interface can be learned and applied with efficiency and without errors |
| WebApps (Web Applications) - | (Software Engineering) any application that delivers meaningful content or functionality to end users via the Web. |
| AAC - Autoclaved Aerated Concrete | (Concrete Engineering) Exceptionally lightweight precast concrete with high thermal qualities and fire resistence. Suitable for cutting with ordinary hand tools. Mix design is composed of portland cement, sand or siliceous material, lime, gypsum, finely powdered aluminum, and water. Initial mix is a combination of portland cement, sand, lime and gypsum to produce a slurry. Finely powdered aluminum mixed into a paste is added prior to placement into large, rail-like forms. The finely powdered aluminum reacts with the alkaline components of the cement and lime to produce hydrogen gas, which increases the volume approximately five times producing a uniformly, dispersed cellular structure. Units are cut to required shape. Units are placed in an autoclave, an enclosed pressurized chamber, and steam cured at 3500 F. Approximately 80% of the ultimate volume consists of air voids. |
| Blaine Fineness | (Concrete Engineering) The fineness of granular materials such as cement and pozzolan, expressed as total surface area in square centimeters per gram, determined by the Blaine air-permeability apparatus and procedure. |
| Carbonation | (Concrete Engineering) 1) Reaction between the products of portland cement (soluble calcium hydroxides), water and carbon dioxide to produce insoluble calcium carbonate (efflorescence). 2) Soft white, chalky surface dusting of freshly placed, unhardened concrete caused by carbon dioxide from unvented heaters or gasoline powered equipment in an enclosed space. 3) Carbonated, dense, impermeable to absorption, top layer of the surface of concrete caused by surface reaction to carbon dioxide. This carbonated layer becomes denser and deeper over a period of time. 4) Reaction with carbon dioxide which produces a slight shrinkage in concrete. Improves chemical stability. Concrete masonry units during manufacturing may be deliberately exposed to carbon dioxide after reaching 80% strength to induce carbonation shrinkage to make the units more dimensionally stable. Future drying shrinkage is reduced by as much as 30%. |
| Entrained Air (See air entrainment) | (Concrete Engineering) Microscopic air bubbles intentionally incorporated in mortar or concrete, to improve workability and durability (usually imparting a higher degree of resistance to freezing and thawing). |