A matrix system for production management—a description and an application

This paper presents a morphological model of an integrated production management system. The model is designed as an intersecting point structure. The two dimensions in the model are the phases in a control cyclus and the objects of control. Each point in the structure represents an activity in the total production management system.

The model has proved successful as a tool for analysis and redesign of of production management systems. An example of the application of the model is given.     

Application of the Pisarenko–Lebedev Criterion to the Strength Analysis of High-Pressure Appparatus for the Synthesis of Superhard Materials

A nonlinear criterion of the static strength of products made of structurally heterogeneous materials, whose mechanical properties depend strongly on the reduced volume and stressed state mode, is proposed and substantiated on the basis of the generalized Pisarenko–Lebedev criterion. Based on the proposed criterion, we estimated the strength of cemented carbide components of cylindrical and recessed anvil high-pressure apparatus for the synthesis of diamonds and other superhard materials after their assembly and under operating conditions with working pressure and thermal loading. For the above loading conditions, we determined the values of reduced volume and mechanical characteristics of the cemented carbide VK6, which enter into the Pisarenko–Lebedev criterion. We study the dependence of the strength of geometrically similar components of high-pressure apparatus on their working volume.     

Towards an integrated approach to “Design for X”: an agenda for decision-based DFX research

Concurrent engineering encourages holistic product development, considering all aspects of the product in design decisions. “Design for X” (DFX) techniques are popular for doing this, yet each focuses on just one aspect of the product (manufacture, cost, etc.). To provide the holistic approach required by concurrent engineering, these techniques must be brought together, but this has received little attention in the literature. This paper argues for “top down” development of DFX, starting from the needs of design decision-making, to balance the current “bottom-up” approach. Existing DFX techniques are compared to see how they can be used together. The importance of relating DFX techniques to the overall purpose of a product, not just other DFX, is highlighted, along with some of the challenges in making trade-offs. The paper concludes by highlighting relevant lessons from decision research and four themes for future research necessary to develop the proposed “top down” approach.     

Construction of algorithm for calculation of the flow rate of a gas–liquid mixture in a horizontal pipeline for the microprocessor of an information measurement system

Features of an algorithm for calculation of the flow rate of the liquid phase of a gas–liquid mixture with the use of a variable pressure-drop flow meter with constricting devices are considered. Corresponding dependences for use in calculating the concentration of liquid in a mixture and a correction factor based on the readings of the flow meter for use in determining the flow rate of a single-phase flow are obtained.     

On a more generalized theory of the pull-out test from an elastic matrix Part II—Application to a polypropylene-cement system

The theoretical treatment presented in Part I of this work is applied to a system which consists of polypropylene (PP) yarns embedded in a cement matrix. The maximum pull-out force values, obtained from specimens produced with different embedment lengths, normal stresses and yarn thicknesses are analyzed by using the formulae deduced in Part I. The results show that increasing the above three parameters brought about an increase of the maximum pull-out forces. When comparison is made with the theoretical formulae, the interfacial shear strength of the PP-cement system is calculated to possess values between 0·8 and 1·2 MPa, according to the amount of pressure applied on the system. The hexagonal close-packed array is employed to describe the way the PP fibers are arranged in the yarn, and found suitable to estimate the effective area of contact of the fiber-matrix interface.     

The contribution of syntactic–semantic approach to the search for complementary literatures for scientific or technical discovery

The present paper tries to show that the current state of the art in syntactics and semantics, in computer systems based on the theory of inventive problem solving known as TRIZ, may help in the task of literature based discovery. With a structured and logic cause linkage between concepts, LBD could be faster and with less expert involvement at the beginning of the LBD process. The author tries to demonstrate the concept with two different problems: the hearing and balance problem known as Meniere’s disease, and to some of the current problems in the lithium air batteries for electric vehicles. By using open literature based discovery from An to Bn and from Bn to Cn, and with the logic relationships of real causes and effects approach, the author finds several relative new concepts such as vitamin A. Other concepts as niacin or fish oil, are also found, as potential to help in the Meniere’s disease. Secondly, using such procedure the author is able to find patents from disparate domain of expertise, as patents about odor control or metal casting.     

William Goffman's “Mathematical approach to the prediction of scientific discovery” and its application to logic, revisited

Based on the observation of regular “epidemic” recurrence of activity in the history of symbolic logic, a new wave of logic activity was predicted byGoffman in 1971 for the coming years. This prediction is examined and confirmed to some extent. It is shown, however, that the whole mathematics came in a wave-like fashion in the last 200 years, that the main fluctuations of logic were isochronic with the main fluctuations of mathematics, and, in addition, that fundamental logic contributions appeared on the top of the waves. After considering some problems of time-series analysis, relationships to business cycles of the Kondratiev, Kuznets, and Juglar types are discussed.     

Value enhancement in a dynamic environment—a constraint management expert system for the oil refinery industry

This paper analyses a case study of a dynamic expert system which was developed according to the theory of constraints (TOC) approach, and implemented at the Ashdod refinery of Oil Refineries Ltd in Israel, as part of an overall improvement process based on the focused management philosophy. The unique feature of the system is its ability to cope with dynamic bottlenecks typical of the continuous process industry, as well as frequent shifts from an external market constraint to internal capacity constraints. The paper examines the development and implementation stages, describes the expert system along with the new process control, and evaluates its impact. The system creates a dynamic, effective and immediate link between the production planning and the operation control, which enables the oil refinery to maximize its profits. During the first two years of its use, the system generated over $3 million of estimated benefits. Finally, we suggest practical implications to assist organizations in developing and utilizing similar applications, emphasizing knowledge gathering and maintenances, which are the major challenges facing expert systems projects.     

The success-index: an alternative approach to the h-index for evaluating an individual’s research output

Among the most recent bibliometric indicators for normalizing the differences among fields of science in terms of citation behaviour, Kosmulski (J Informetr 5(3):481?C485, 2011) proposed the NSP (number of successful paper) index. According to the authors, NSP deserves much attention for its great simplicity and immediate meaning??equivalent to those of the h-index??while it has the disadvantage of being prone to manipulation and not very efficient in terms of statistical significance. In the first part of the paper, we introduce the success-index, aimed at reducing the NSP-index??s limitations, although requiring more computing effort. Next, we present a detailed analysis of the success-index from the point of view of its operational properties and a comparison with the h-index??s ones. Particularly interesting is the examination of the success-index scale of measurement, which is much richer than the h-index??s. This makes success-index much more versatile for different types of analysis??e.g., (cross-field) comparisons of the scientific output of (1) individual researchers, (2) researchers with different seniority, (3) research institutions of different size, (4) scientific journals, etc.     

Determinants of the emergence of modern scientific knowledge in mineralogy (Mexico, 1975–1849): a geohistoriometric approach

Scientometrics - There is increasing interest in rethinking the history of science according to the geographical locations in which production of scientific knowledge occurs. This movement is...     

Application of a computer-based approach to designing real-time control software for an integrated robotic assembly and automated storage/retrieval system†

The typical factory automation system contains a number of programmable automation devices such as robots, automatic storage/retrieval systems (AS/RSs) and automatically guided vehicles (AGVs). Real-time control system software (RTCS) is needed for integrating these devices into a synchronized manufacturing system (SMS). However, development of this RTCS software could be hampered by excessively long software development backlogs which are currently averaging about 30 months in the typical US corporation. This paper presents a structured methodology for the development of the specifications for such software. This methodology is illustrated by applying it to an automated system for producing highway traffic signs. This system consists of an assembly robot with an automatic tool changer, an AS/RS and a reciprocating table     

On “cold” and thermal Casimir-Polder forces for an atom interacting with a heated plate

Expressions for the “cold” and thermal parts of the Casimir-Polder force for an atom interacting with the surface of a plate possessing an arbitrary temperature T has been analyzed within the framework of a fluctuational-electromagnetic interaction theory that was previously developed for the “small spherical particle-metal plate” system. It is emphasized that this situation is nonequilibrium, since atom in the ground state has T = 0. A general expression for the nonequilibrium (temperature-dependent) part of the Casimir-Polder force is obtained.     

A discussion on “On the solution of a class of fuzzy system of linear equations”

The paper is a discussion on the results obtained by Salkuyeh in the article (Sādhānā 40(2):369–377, 2015). Salkuyeh considers the solution of the fuzzy system of linear equations (FSLE) and gives numerical examples where the results of FSLE are calculated. It was shown that the results by Salkuyeh are not full solutions and do not satisfy equivalent forms of the analysed FSLE. The paper presents a multidimensional approach to finding the solution of the FSLE. On the basis of the notation of the horizontal fuzzy number, a full solution that satisfies the FSLE and its equivalent forms is obtained.     

The knowledge domain of the academy of international business studies (AIB) conferences: a longitudinal scientometric perspective for the years 2006–2011

Conferences play a major role for the development of scientific domains. While journal and article contributions in the field of international business (IB) are a general and well researched area of scientometric studies, conferences are not. The absence of a systematic assessment of international business conferences as a reference to the collective status of the Academy of International Business (AIB) community is astonishing. Whatever reasons are accountable for that fact, this paper starts to fill that gap. It establishes a knowledge network composed of the last six years AIB conferences. We collected all the contributions in full text with their abstracts and keywords from 2006 to 2011. All the data have been organized in a data system and we used the information-theoretic clustering method which allows different analytical views through the entire knowledge corpus. The results indicate significant statistical differences between topic modules and keyword threads of the yearly conferences. There are three keywords which dominate as a leitmotif between 2006 and 2011, but the detailed structure changes from conference to conference significantly.