Rotation-invariant multiresolution texture analysis using radon and wavelet transforms.

A new rotation-invariant texture-analysis technique using Radon and wavelet transforms is proposed. This technique utilizes the Radon transform to convert the rotation to translation and then applies a translation-invariant wavelet transform to the result to extract texture features. A kappa-nearest neighbors classifier is employed to classify texture patterns. A method to find the optimal number of projections for the Radon transform is proposed. It is shown that the extracted features generate an efficient orthogonal feature space. It is also shown that the proposed features extract both of the local and directional information of the texture patterns. The proposed method is robust to additive white noise as a result of summing pixel values to generate projections in the Radon transform step. To test and evaluate the method, we employed several sets of textures along with different wavelet bases. Experimental results show the superiority of the proposed method and its robustness to additive white noise in comparison with some recent texture-analysis methods.     

An automated coding and classification system with supporting database for effective design of manufacturing systems

The philosophy of group technology (GT) is an important concept in the design of flexible manufacturing systems and manufacturing cells. Group technology is a manufacturing philosophy that identifies similar parts and groups them into families. Beside assigning unique codes to these parts, group technology developers intend to take advantage of part similarities during design and manufacturing processes. GT is not the answer to all manufacturing problems, but it is a good management technique with which to standardize efforts and eliminate duplication. Group technology classifies parts by assigning them to different families based on their similarities in: (1) design attributes (physical shape and size), and/or (2) manufacturing attributes (processing sequence). The manufacturing industry today is process focused; departments and sub units are no longer independent but are interdependent. If the product development process is to be optimized, engineering and manufacturing cannot remain independent any more: they must be coordinated. Each sub-system is a critical component within an integrated manufacturing framework. The coding and classification system is the basis of CAPP and the functioning and reliability of CAPP depends on the robustness of the coding system. The proposed coding system is considered superior to the previously proposed coding systems, in that it has the capability to migrate into multiple manufacturing environments. This article presents the design of a coding and classification system and the supporting database for manufacturing processes based on both design and manufacturing attributes of parts. An interface with the spreadsheet will calculate the machine operation costs for various processes. This menu-driven interactive package is implemented using dBASE-IV. Part Family formation is achieved using a KAMCELL package developed in TURBO Pascal.     

Influence of joint detail on the flexural/torsional interaction of thin-walled structures

For a structure formed from two thin-walled open members connected at 90°, torsion applied to one member can result in torsion as well as flexure in the second member, with the magnitude and direction of this torsion as well as flexure in the second member being determined by the type of joint used. Conventional structural analysis would normally assume the presence of only flexure in the second member. The results from a finite element study of structures formed from thin-walled channel sections connected by box, mitre and stiffened mitre joints is presented and an explanation for the behaviour of the different joint types is given. It is shown that for the box joint the warping deformation of the loaded member is the dominant factor in determining the magnitude and direction of the twisting of the second member, whilst this is determined for the stiffened mitre joint primarily by the St Venant rotation deformation of the loaded member. For the unstiffened joint it is shown that the warping and St Venant rotation deformation effects tend to cancel each other out.     

Variation in phosphoric acid concentration and treatment time and HEMA diffusion through dentin

IGF-1 and its receptors have been identified in many tissues including the central nervous system (CNS). We have previously demonstrated that injection of insulin directly into the cerebral ventricles (ICV) is followed by a drop in mean arterial pressure (MAP) associated with an increase in skeletal muscle blood flow. Given the similarities between the IGF-1 and insulin molecules and their respective receptors, we have investigated the effect of ICV administration of IGF-1 on systemic blood pressure and blood flow in selected vascular beds. ICV cannulas were implanted into normal rats and the animals were allowed to recover for 3 to 4 days. The femoral artery and vein were cannulated for blood pressure monitoring and blood sampling and blood flow probes placed around the iliac, the renal and the superior mesenteric artery were used to assess regional blood flow. ICV injection of IGF-1 resulted in a significant decrease in MAP with a nadir at 15 minutes and a gradual return to baseline by 60 minutes; heart rate increased 40 minutes after the injection. IGF-1 significantly enhanced vascular flow and conductance in the iliac, but not in the renal and superior mesenteric arteries. The effects of IGF-1 were much smaller than those observed previously with equimolar amounts of insulin. We conclude that IGF-1 can decrease MAP by selectively increasing blood flow to skeletal muscle through a direct action on the central nervous system.     

A Detection-Theoretic Model of Echo Inhibition.

A detection-theoretic analysis of the auditory localization of dual-impulse stimuli is described, and a model for the processing of spatial cues in the echo pulse is developed. Although for over 50 years "echo suppression" has been the topic of intense theoretical and empirical study within the hearing sciences, only a rudimentary understanding of its mechanisms has emerged. In this article, psychometric functions and results from matching studies are used in developing a model that specifies the perceived position of the echo pulse as a normal deviate, with an expectation that is a logistic function of the echo delay and a variance that depends on interaural time difference. Loss of information in the echo event is quantified as a decline in the efficiency with which the binaural system receives information from the lag impulse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of outranking methods to economic and financial justificaton of CIM systems

Traditional economic evaluation methods concentrate on maximizing or minimizing a single objective such as net present value and pay back period. In the last decade, there has been an increased awareness of the need to consider multiple attributes in the evaluation of advanced manufacturing systems. Various methods have recently been developed for the evaluation of CIM systems. This paper discusses multiattribute methods for justification of CIM systems and outranking methods including ELECTRE, ORESTE, and PROMETHEE.     

Influence of fretting on the fatigue strength at the vise clamp-specimen interface

Fretting fatigue is one of the most important phenomena for inducing a significant reduction of fatigue strength and consequently, leading to unexpected failure accidents of the engineering structures even at very low stresses. In the present study, both plain and fretting fatigue tests with zero mean stress were carried out on two different types of steel, low-carbon steel and martensitic stainless steel, by means of a reversed bending fatigue testing machine. The drop in the fatigue strengths through fretting at vise clamp-specimen interface were significant for both tested steels. The fretting processes produced a reduction in fatigue strength of about 27% for low-carbon steel and 16% for martensitic stainless steel.     

Preparation and properties of silicone‐containing poly(methyl methacrylate) gels

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) gels with varying amounts of silicone and solvent and constant amounts of crosslinker were prepared by solution free radical crosslinking copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) comonomer systems. They were then studied in benzene at a total monomer concentration of 3.5 mol L^?1 and 70 °C. The conversion of monomer, volume swelling ratio, weight fraction and gel point were measured as a function of the reaction time, silicone concentration and benzene content up to the onset of macrogelation. Structural characteristics of the gels were examined by using equilibrium swelling in benzene, gel fraction and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The morphology of the copolymers was also investigated by SEM. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that the FTIR data did not have the capacity to show the presence of the VTES or TEOS moiety in these kinds of copolymers. On the other hand, the variation of weight fraction of gel, W_g, and its equilibrium volume swelling ratio in benzene, q_v, exhibited the same behaviour as that of MMA/EGDM copolymers. Also, the dilution of the monomer mixture resulted in an increase in the gel point and swelling degree and a decrease in the percent of conversion and gel fraction. Finally, TEOS is not an ideal silicone compound for reaction in the MMA/EGDM copolymerization system, whereas VTES is a suitable silicone comonomer for this system and it has been proved useful. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study of the effective parameters on mechanical and electrical properties of carbon black filled PP/PA6 microfibrillar composites

In this study the electrical and mechanical properties of microfibrillar polypropylene (PP)/polyamide6 (PA6) blend filled with super conductive carbon black (CB) have been investigated. In situ microfibrillar PP/PA6 composites filled with CB are produced using a single screw extruder equipped with a spinneret. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) grafted polypropylene (PP-g-GMA) is used as the compatibilizer. To investigate the effects of extensional flow on the microstructure, electrical and mechanical properties, three adaptors with various convergence angles were designed, prepared and applied between the extruder and the spinneret. To optimize the effects of processing and material parameters on the electrical and mechanical properties, the Taguchi method of experimental design is used. Material and processing factors which are studied include: concentration of PA6, compatibilizer level, CB concentration, drawing speed of melt spinning line, adaptor angle, order of mixing and temperature profile along the extruder. The results show an increase in DC conductivity of up to 10¹¹ times in comparison with pure PA6, by increasing the concentration of CB, drawing speed, adaptor angle and optimizing other parameters. By optimizing processing and material factors studied here, strength of microfibrillar structured composites is increased of up to 80% in comparison to pure PP.     

Glass‐fiber‐reinforced wood/plastic composites

The usage of wood‐plastic composites (WPCs) is rapidly growing because of their many advantages. However, they still suffer from lack of strength and toughness, which can be improved by adding a small amount of glass fiber reinforcement (GFR). Tensile tests of high‐density polyethylene WPC specimens with varying amounts of wood fiber content and 5% of GFR were carried out. Significant improvements in properties were observed. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers.