A robust cellular manufacturing system design for dynamic part population using a genetic algorithm

As changing conditions prevail in the manufacturing environment, the design of cellular manufacturing systems, which involves the formation of part families and machine cells, is difficult. This is due to the fact that the machines need to be relocated as per the requirements if adaptive designs are used. This paper presents a new approach (robust design) for forming part families and machine cells, which can handle all the changes in demands and product mixes without any relocations. This method suggests fixed machine cells for the dynamic nature of the production environment by considering a multi-period forecast of product mix and demand. A genetic algorithm based solution procedure is adopted to solve the problem. The results thus obtained were compared with the adaptive design proposed by Wicks and Reasor (1999 Wicks, EM and Reasor, RJ. 1999. Designing cellular manufacturing systems with dynamic part populations. IIE Trans., 31: 11–20. [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). It is found that the robust design performs better than the adaptive design for the problems attempted.     

Minimising material handling cost in cell formation with alternative processing routes by grouping genetic algorithm

The alternative processing route is one of the important design factors for the cell formation problem (CFP) in cellular manufacturing systems (CMSs). Genetic algorithm (GA) is a popular method for solving the CFPs, because GA is capable of searching large regions of the solution's space while being less susceptible to getting trapped in local optima. However, the disadvantage of classical GAs is that the number of manufacturing cells should be known in advance. Knowing the actual number of manufacturing cells is relatively difficult before the CMS design is determined. Grouping genetic algorithm (GGA) is capable of solving CFP without predetermination of the number of cells, which is introduced by Falkenauer's GGA (1998 Falkenauer, E. 1998. Genetic Algorithms for Grouping Problem, New York: Wiley.  [Google Scholar]). In order to adopt the GGA on CFP with alternative processing routes, we develop a new chromosome representation, a local optimisation algorithm for crossover operator and special mutation operators. These efforts ensure the efficiency of our method and are indicated in the numerical examples, and improved solutions are also obtained in the numerical examples.     

Some comments on Malakooti et al. ‘Integrated group technology,cell formation,process planning,and production planning with application to the emergency room’

In this technical note, we suggest an alternative to the cellular layout for the emergency room problem discussed in Malakooti et al. (Malakooti, B., Malakooti, N.R. and Yang, Z., Integrated group technology, cell formation, process planning, and production planning with application to the emergency room. Int. J. Prod. Res., 2004, 42(9), 1769–1786). The alternative layout—hybrid flowshop layout—belongs to a class of hybrid cellular layouts that can be designed using the integrated suite of algorithms available in the production flow analysis and simplification toolkit (PFAST) software (Irani, S.A., Zhang, H., Zhou, J., Huang, H., Tennati, K.U. and Subramanian, S., Production flow analysis and simplification toolkit (PFAST). Int. J. Prod. Res., 2000, 38(8), 1855–1874). These layouts are intermediate between the traditional layout extremes—process layout and cellular layout—for a high-variety low-volume (HVLV) manufacturing facility. Our results indicate that the hybrid flowshop layout is superior to the cellular layout since it eliminates/reduces the duplication of procedures1 ¹?A ‘procedure’ and a ‘patient’ in the emergency room layout problem are analogous to ‘machines (or work centres)’ and ‘parts (or products)’, respectively, in a typical manufacturing facility layout problem. , backtrack flows between non-adjacent procedures and by-pass flows between procedures.     

A digital process for additive manufacturing of occlusal splints: a clinical pilot study

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a digital process for manufacturing of occlusal splints. An alginate impression was taken from the upper and lower jaws of a patient with temporomandibular disorder owing to cross bite and wear of the teeth, and then digitized using a table laser scanner. The scanned model was repaired using the 3Data Expert software, and a splint was designed with the Viscam RP software. A splint was manufactured from a biocompatible liquid photopolymer by stereolithography. The system employed in the process was SLA 350. The splint was worn nightly for six months. The patient adapted to the splint well and found it comfortable to use. The splint relieved tension in the patient''s bite muscles. No sign of tooth wear or significant splint wear was detected after six months of testing. Modern digital technology enables us to manufacture clinically functional occlusal splints, which might reduce costs, dental technician working time and chair-side time. Maximum-dimensional errors of approximately 1 mm were found at thin walls and sharp corners of the splint when compared with the digital model.     

Patterns of Technological Innovation in Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services

Employing data from a sample of 1,161 small firms, the paper draws broad comparisons between patterns of innovation expenditure and output, innovation networking, knowledge intensity and competition within Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services (KIBS; N = 563) and manufacturing firms (N = 598). In so doing, KIBS are further disaggregated along lines proposed by Miles et al. (1995 Miles, I., Kastrinos, N., Flanagan, K., Bilderbeek, R., den Hertog, P., Huitink, W. and Bouman, M. 1995. Knowledge Intensive Business Services: Their Role as Users, Carriers and Sources of Innovation EIMS Publication No. 15, Innovation Programme, DGXIII, Luxembourg [Google Scholar]). That is, as technology‐based KIBS (t‐KIBS; N = 264) and professional KIBS (p‐KIBS; N = 299). However, detailing such broad patterns is preliminary. The principal interest of the paper is in identifying the factors associated with higher levels of innovativeness, within each sector, and the extent to which such “success” factors vary across sectors. The results of the analysis appear to offer support for some widely held beliefs about the relative roles of “softer” and “harder” sources of knowledge and technology within services and manufacturing (Tether, 2004 Tether, B. 2004. Do Services Innovate (Differently)?, Manchester: University of Manchester. CRIC Discussion Paper 66 [Google Scholar]). However, some important qualifications are also apparent.     

Study of Lanthanide Complexes with BTFA in Silica Gels by Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

In this work, lanthanide \(\beta \)-diketonate complexes Ln(btfa)\({}_{3} \cdot 2\hbox {H}_{2}\)O (Ln\(^{3+}\): Eu\(^{3+}\), Sm\(^{3+ }\), and Tb\(^{3+}\); btfa: 4,4,4-trifluoro-l-phenyl-1,3-butanedione) were incorporated into silica gels by a sol–gel method. Photoacoustic (PA) spectra of these complex-doped silica samples were measured and studied. The PA intensity of the \(\beta \)-diketonate ligand is nearly the same for lanthanide complexes in wet gels. After heat treatment at 150 \(^{\circ }\)C, however, the PA intensity of the ligand increases for Eu\(^{3+}\), Sm\(^{3+}\), and Tb\(^{3+}\) complexes in silica gels, respectively. Different PA intensities of the samples are interpreted by comparison with their luminescence spectra. The luminescence result is consistent with the PA spectra. The result indicates that lanthanide \(\beta \)-diketonate complexes cannot be formed in silica gels without a suitable heat treatment. Moreover, the relaxation process model is proposed based on the PA and luminescence results.     

Characterization of Silicon Wafers with Combined Photocarrier Radiometry and Free Carrier Absorption

A combined photocarrier radiometry (PCR) and free carrier absorption (FCA) technique was employed to evaluate the electronic transport properties (carrier lifetime $\tau $ , diffusion coefficient $D$ , and the front surface recombination velocity $S_{1})$ of silicon wafers and to monitor the ion implantation and thermal annealing processes in the semiconductor manufacturing. For non-implanted silicon wafers, the experimental results showed that the accuracy of the simultaneous determination of the transport properties was greatly improved by fitting simultaneously the measured PCR and FCA signals to the theoretical models via a multi-parameter fitting procedure. For As $^+$ ion implanted and thermal annealed silicon wafers, the results showed that both PCR and FCA amplitudes increased monotonically with the increasing implantation dose ( $5\times 10^{11}$ cm $^{-2 }$ to $1\times 10^{16 }$ cm $^{-2})$ , the decreasing implantation energy (20 keV to 140 keV), and the increasing annealing temperature (500 $^{\circ }$ C to 1000 $^{\circ }$ C), respectively. To explain the dependences of the PCR signals on the implantation and annealing parameters, a multi-wavelength PCR technique was proposed to extract the electronic transport properties of the implanted and annealed wafers. The results showed that ion implantation and thermal annealing caused significant decreases of the minority carrier lifetime and diffusion coefficient of the implantation layer, as well as the recombination velocity at the front surface. All three parameters decreased with the increasing implantation dose.     

Statistical Engineering and Variation Reduction

ABSTRACT

Statistical engineering as proposed by Hoerl and Snee (2010a Hoerl , R. W. , Snee , R. D. ( 2010a ). Closing the gap . Quality Progress , 43 ( 5 ): 52 – 53 . [Google Scholar]) aims to develop a discipline devoted to better understanding how to use statistical tools to support project goals. Existing examples abound but more work is needed. We discuss the use of statistical engineering to improve problem solving—that is, reducing variation in processes—and note that this requires a series of empirical investigations where we should use information gained to help plan subsequent investigations. The systematic use of prior/existing information, especially baseline information, in problem solving is illustrated using a crossbar dimension case study. The baseline results are used to help plan and analyze all subsequent investigations both when looking for a dominant cause of the variation and when assessing a possible solution. The effective use of prior statistical information and the consequences of its use in the variation reduction context are not commonly taught and thus opportunities for more efficient problem solving are lost.     

The assembly line balancing and scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times: problem extension, model formulation and efficient heuristics

Assembly line balancing problems (ALBP) consist of distributing the total workload for manufacturing any unit of the products to be assembled among the work stations along a manufacturing line as used in the automotive or the electronics industries. Usually, theory assumes that, within each station, tasks can be executed in an arbitrary precedence-feasible sequence without changing station times. In practice, however, the task sequence may influence the station time considerably as sequence-dependent setups (e.g., walking distances, tool changes) have to be considered. Including this aspect leads to a joint balancing and scheduling problem, which we call SUALBSP (setup assembly line balancing and scheduling problem). In this paper, we modify the problem by modeling setups more realistically, give a new, more compact mathematical model formulation and develop effective heuristic solution procedures. Computational experiments based on existing and new data sets indicate that the new procedures outperform formerly proposed heuristics. They are able to solve problem instances of real-world size with small deviations from optimality in computation times short enough to be accepted in real-world decision support systems.     

Toward Mega-pixel Neutron Imager Using Current-Biased Kinetic Inductance Detectors of Nb Nanowires with ^{10}B Converter

We present not the results but the idea of a superconducting nanowire detector with \(^{10}\) B conversion layer for sensing a single neutron. We use \(^{7}\) Li ion and \(^{4}\) He ion emitted as two independent heat sources, which appear in opposite direction associated with nuclear reaction \(^{10}\) B(n, \(^{4}\) He) \(^{7}\) Li. We probe a change in the kinetic inductance \(L_\mathrm{k}\) coming from inertia of the Cooper pairs. Our detector is different from a conventional kinetic inductance detector (KID), but is named as a current-biased KID. We use two sets of Nb nanowires with superconducting readout taps to monitor the local signal. In between the X meander and the Y meander, we inserted a \(^{10}\) B layer acting as a conversion layer from neutrons to charged particles. We plan to fabricate a mega-pixel neutron imager by coupling 10 bit linear position-sensitive arrays along the X and Y directions with the single flux quantum readout circuits.     

On the automorphism group of a binary self-dual [120, 60, 24] code

We prove that an automorphism of order 3 of a putative binary self-dual $[120, 60, 24]$ [ 120 , 60 , 24 ] code $C$ C has no fixed points. Moreover, the order of the automorphism group of $C$ C divides $2^a\cdot 3 \cdot 5\cdot 7\cdot 19\cdot 23\cdot 29$ 2 a · 3 · 5 · 7 · 19 · 23 · 29 with $a\in \mathbb N _0$ a ∈ N 0 . Automorphisms of odd composite order $r$ r may occur only for $r=15, 57$ r = 15 , 57 or $r=115$ r = 115 with corresponding cycle structures $3 \cdot 5$ 3 · 5 - $(0,0,8;0), 3\cdot 19$ ( 0 , 0 , 8 ; 0 ) , 3 · 19 - $(2,0,2;0)$ ( 2 , 0 , 2 ; 0 ) or $5 \cdot 23$ 5 · 23 - $(1,0,1;0)$ ( 1 , 0 , 1 ; 0 ) respectively. In case that all involutions act fixed point freely we have $|\mathrm{Aut}(C)| \le 920$ | Aut ( C ) | ≤ 920 , and $\mathrm{Aut}(C)$ Aut ( C ) is solvable if it contains an element of prime order $p \ge 7$ p ≥ 7 . Moreover, the alternating group $\mathrm{A}_5$ A 5 is the only non-abelian composition factor which may occur in $\mathrm{Aut}(C)$ Aut ( C ) .     

All-zero forecasts for lumpy demand: a factorial study

Lumpy demand is a phenomenon encountered in manufacturing or retailing when the items are slow-moving or too expensive, for example fighter plane engines. So far, the seminal procedure of Croston's (1972 Croston, JD. 1972. Stock levels for slow-moving items. Op. Res. Q., 25(1): 123–130. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), with or without modifications, has been the preference for forecasting lumpy demand. Nevertheless, Croston (1974 Croston, JD. 1974. Forecasting and stock control for intermittent demand. Op. Res. Q., 23(3): 289–303. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) and others, such as Venkitachalam et al . (2002 Venkitachalam, GHK, Pratt, DB, Young, CF, Morris, S and Goldstein, ML. 2002. Forecasting and inventory planning for parts with intermittent demand–a case study [http://anaconda.ecen.okstate.edu/publications/ERC2003-ADF-Final.doc] [Google Scholar]), have suggested the use of zero forecasts when the demand contains many zeros. In this paper, we put to the test this idea by doing a full factorial study comparing five forecasting methods, including all-zero, under several levels of demand lumpiness, demand variation and ordering, holding and shortage cost. We evaluate the forecasting methods by three measures of forecast error and two measures of inventory cost. We find that all-zero forecasts yield the lowest cost when lumpiness is high; is it also best for mid-lumpiness, if the shortage cost is much higher than the holding cost. We also find that the lowest forecasting error does not necessarily lead to the lowest system cost. And contrary to the assertions in Chen et al . (2000b Chen, F, Ryan, JK and Simchi-Levi, D. 2000b. The impact of exponential smoothing forecasts on the bullwhip effect. Naval Research Logistics, 42: 269–286.  [Google Scholar]) and Dejonckheere et al . (2003 Dejonckheere, J, Disney, SM, Lambrecht, MR and Towill, DR. 2003. Measuring the Bullwhip Effect: a Control Theoretic Approach to Analyse Forecasting Induced Bullwhip in Order-Up-To Policies. Eur. J. Op. Res., 147(3): 567–590. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2004 Dejonckheere, J, Disney, SM, Lambrecht, MR and Towill, DR. 2004. The impact of information enrichment on the bullwhip effect in supply chains: a control theoretic approach. Eur. J. Op. Res., 153(3): 727–750. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), our factorial experiment reinforces the intuition that simple exponential smoothing is superior to an equivalent moving average.     

On transitive parallelisms of PG(3,4)

A parallelism in $PG(n,q)$ P G ( n , q ) is transitive if it has an automorphism group which is transitive on the spreads. A parallelism is regular if all its spreads are regular. In $PG(3,4)$ P G ( 3 , 4 ) no examples of transitive and no regular parallelisms are known. Transitive parallelisms in $PG(3,4)$ P G ( 3 , 4 ) must have automorphisms of order 7. That is why we construct all 482 parallelisms with automorphisms of order 7 and establish that there are neither transitive, nor regular ones among them. We conclude that there are no transitive parallelisms in $PG(3,4)$ P G ( 3 , 4 ) . The investigation is computer-aided. We use GAP (Groups, Algorithms, Programming—a System for Computational Discrete Algebra) to find a subgroup of order 7 and its normalizer in the automorphism group of $PG(3,4)$ P G ( 3 , 4 ) . For all the other constructions and tests we use our own software written in C++.     

Construction of cyclic codes over \mathbb F _2+u\mathbb F _2 for DNA computing

We construct codes over the ring $\mathbb F _2+u\mathbb F _2$ with $u^2=0$ for use in DNA computing applications. The codes obtained satisfy the reverse complement constraint, the $GC$ content constraint, and avoid the secondary structure. They are derived from cyclic reverse-complement codes over the ring $\mathbb F _2+u\mathbb F _2$ . We also construct an infinite family of BCH DNA codes.     

Thickness-Dependent Properties of YBCO Films Grown on GZO/CLO-Buffered NiW Substrates

To study the role of novel Gd\(_2\)Zr\(_2\)O\(_7\)/Ce\(_{0.9}\)La\(_{0.1}\)O\(_2\) buffer layer structure on a biaxially textured NiW substrate, a set of YBa\(_2\)Cu\(_3\)O\(_{7-\delta }\) (YBCO) films with different thicknesses were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Interface imperfections as well as thickness-dependent structural properties were observed in the YBCO thin films. The structure is also reflected into the improved superconducting properties with the highest critical current densities in films with intermediate thicknesses. Therefore, it can be concluded that the existing buffer layers need more optimization before they can be successfully used for films with various thicknesses. This issue is linked to the extremely susceptible growth method of PLD when compared to the commonly used chemical deposition methods. Nevertheless, PLD-grown films can give a hint on what to concentrate to be able to further improve the buffer layer structures for future coated conductor technologies.     

Topological Matter: Graphene and Superfluid ^3He

The physics of graphene and of the superfluid phases of $^3$ He have many common features. Both systems are topological materials where quasiparticles behave as relativistic massless (Weyl, Majorana or Dirac) fermions. We formulate the points where these features are overlapping. This will allow us to use graphene to study the properties of superfluid $^3$ He, to use superfluid $^3$ He to study the properties of graphene, and to use both of them in combination to study the physics of topological quantum vacuum. We suggest also some particular experiments with superfluid $^3$ He using graphene as an atomically thin membrane impenetrable for He atoms but allowing for spin, momentum and energy transfer.     

Social capital,a theory for operations management: a systematic review of the evidence

As Pfeffer (1993 Pfeffer, J. 1993. Barriers to the advance of organizational science: paradigm development as a dependable variable. Academy of Management Review, 18(4): 599–620. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) states that until agreement is reached on a subject, progress may be slow. This paper converges the discussions on social capital in the operations management literature by way of a systematic literature review of 3- and 4-star journals. Human resource management, voluntary work and entrepreneurship were identified as minor themes within the review and thus potentially underexplored areas. Quality management, project management and new product development show significant use of social capital and particularly the role of social capital in the intrafirm environment. Finally, supply chain management shows the most significant use of social capital, particularly in explaining the characteristics of buyer–supplier relationships and how these impact inter-firm performance. Areas of future research are presented that draw on all forms of social capital to explore how they may be affect by contextual factors. The paper concludes by proposing a conceptual model of social capital for use within operations management.     

Influence of Magnetic Field and LO Phonon Effects on the Spin Polarization State Energy of Strong-Coupling Bipolaron in a Quantum Dot

On the basis of Lee–Low–Pines unitary transformation, the influence of magnetic field and LO phonon effects on the energy of spin polarization states of strong-coupling bipolarons in a quantum dot (QD) is studied by using the variational method of Pekar type. The variations of the ground state energy $E_0$ and the first excited state the energy $E_1$ of bipolarons in a two-dimensional QD with the confinement strength of QDs $\omega _0$ , dielectric constant ratio $\eta $ , electron–phonon coupling strength $\alpha $ and cyclotron resonance frequency of the magnetic field $\omega _{c}$ are derived when the influence of the spin and external magnetic field is taken into account. The results show that both energies of the ground and first excited states ( $E_0$ and $E_1)$ consist of four parts: the single-particle energy of electrons $E_\mathrm{e}$ , Coulomb interaction energy between two electrons $E_\mathrm{c}$ , interaction energy between the electron spin and magnetic field $E_\mathrm{S}$ and interaction energy between the electron and phonon $E_{\mathrm{e-ph}}$ ; the energy level of the first excited state $E_1$ splits into two lines as $E_1^{(1+1)}$ and $E_1^{(1-1)}$ due to the interaction between the single-particle “orbital” motion and magnetic field, and each energy level of the ground and first excited states splits into three “fine structures” caused by the interaction between the electron spin and magnetic field; the value of $E_{\mathrm{e-ph}}$ is always less than zero and its absolute value increases with increasing $\omega _0$ , $\alpha $ and $\omega _c$ ; the effect of the interaction between the electron and phonon is favorable to forming the binding bipolaron, but the existence of the confinement potential and Coulomb repulsive energy between electrons goes against that; the bipolaron with energy $E_1^{(1-1)}$ is easier and more stable in the binding state than that with $E_1^{(1+1)}$ .     

Exact Analysis of a One-Dimensional Weakly Repulsive Bose-Fermi Mixture

We study a one-dimensional system of Bose–Fermi mixture with repulsive $\delta $ -function interactions using the nested Bethe ansatz method. This system is integrable when the masses of bonsons and fermions are equal and the interactions between Bose–Bose and Bose–Fermi particles are equal. By use of the power series expansion method, the Surtherland integral equation, which describes the ground state properties, is solved analytically in the weak coupling regime. Physical quantities such as the ground state energy, the sound velocity, and the chemical potential are explicitly expressed in terms of a dimensionless interaction parameter $\gamma =c/D$ and boson fraction $\alpha =N_{b}/N$ , where $c$ is the interaction strength, $D$ is the number density, $N_{b}$ is the number of bosons, and N is the total number of particles.