Concurrent engineering: A compromising approach to develop a feasible and customer-pleasing product

To develop a customer-pleasing and economically and technically feasible product, it is necessary to utilize the best possible knowledge of the market, the customers, the core product technology, and the cost implications of design alternatives. It requires the concurrent involvement of team members from merchandizing, product development, and purchasing and production-engineering departments of the enterprise. The merchandizing department identifies customer needs however, considering only customers’ requirements, without technical information it is not possible to develop a feasible product. Conversely, the function-oriented designers in the product development department determine the subsystems’ weight, which are technically feasible but may ignore the qualitative issues desired by the customers. To identify the economic feasibility of the product, the purchasing and production-engineering departments calculate the estimated cost by evaluating the cost implications of the design alternatives. Therefore, to produce an economically and technically feasible product with customer pleasing quality, a trade-off among these three sets of weights is essential. Here, we propose an optimization model that assimilates three sets of weights of the subsystems to a final one. The resultant set of weights will represent the effects of concurrent cooperation among merchandizing, product development, purchasing and production-engineering departments of the enterprise.     

Corrosion behaviour of Al/Al3Ti and Al/Al3Zr functionally graded materials produced by centrifugal solid-particle method: Influence of the intermetallics volume fraction

Intermetallic particles, Al₃Ti and Al₃Zr were formed in Al–5mass%Ti and Al–5mass%Zr alloys, respectively, by centrifugal casting, in order to create functionally graded materials (FGMs). At present, no information is available on the influence of the amount of intermetallics on the electrochemical properties of these alloys.In this paper, the corrosion resistance of Al/Al₃Ti and Al/Al₃Zr FGMs was investigated by open-circuit measurements, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results suggests that the corrosion resistance of the FGMs is affected by galvanic effects between the intermetallic particles and the metallic matrix. Lower centrifugal forces resulted in an improvement of the electrochemical properties.     

The strength properties of iron aluminides

For the development of Fe−Al alloys as structural materials, a deep understanding of slip and deformation properties is necessary. In particular, since mechanical properties of the iron aluminides are affected by excess vacancy strengthening as well as the positive-temperature dependence of yield stress, controlling these strength features is essential. In this article, the strength properties of iron aluminides are reviewed. Author’s Note: All compositions are provided in mole percent. Kyosuke Yoshimi earned his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Tohoku University in 1997. He is currently a research associate at Tohoku University. Shuji Hanada earned his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Tohoku University. He is currently a professor at Tohoku University. Dr. Hanada is also a member of TMS.     

The effects of di-D-fructofuranose-1,2':2,3'-dianhydride (DFA III) administration on human intestinal microbiota

Di-D-fructofuranose-1,2':2,3'-dianhydride (DFA III) was shown to enhance Ca absorption in rat and human intestine. The effects of DFA III administration (9 g per day for 4 weeks that corresponded to 3-fold the optimal dosage of DFA III) on human intestinal microbiota were studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The major groups of human intestinal microbiota reported previously: the Bacteroides, the Clostridium coccoides group (Clostridium cluster XIVa), the Clostridium leptum group (Clostridium cluster IV), and the Bifidobacterium group were detected. The similarity of 30 DGGE profiles based on the V3 region (before and after administration to the 15 subjects) of the 16S rDNA were calculated using Pearson's correlation based on numbers, positions and intensity of bands, and then a dendrogram of DGGE profiles was constructed by the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic average (UPGMA) clustering method. By these analyses, no difference in DGGE profiles after DFA III administration was observed in healthy subjects, while two subjects with chronic constipation showed different profiles, namely on numbers, positions and the intensity of some bands. Their stools were softer and stool frequencies increased and they obtained relief from constipation.     

220,000‐r/min, 2‐kW PM motor drive for turbocharger

This paper describes an ultrahigh‐speed permanent‐magnet synchronous motor drive, which is embedded in a turbocharger of an internal‐combustion engine. The electrical drive makes it possible to enhance output power of the turbocharger in a motoring mode and to retrieve combustion energy from exhaust gas in a regenerating mode. Computer simulations and experimental tests are conducted to examine various operation characteristics of a prototype. The experimental data demonstrate 220,000‐r/min operation at 2.2‐kW inverter output power, in good agreement with the simulation results and proving the feasibility of the proposed system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 161(3): 31–40, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20408     

High fibre coupled output power 37 nm tunable laser module using matrix DFB laser

The thermally-controlled laser module, integrating 12 distributed feedback (DFB) lasers in the form of a 2/spl times/6 matrix to realise both high output power and wide wavelength tunability, has been fabricated. The module has shown excellent characteristics, such as high fibre coupled power over 30 mW and tunability over 37 nm.     

Transarterial immuno-embolization therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Surgical resection, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) are effective for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the recurrence rate is high. We have devised a new therapy of transarterial immuno-embolization (TIE) with OK-432, fibrinogen and thrombin, and 2 cases are reported. Case 1: A 78-year-old Japanese male with HCC (diameter, 4 cm in subsegment 5) received TIE. The tumor size was markedly decreased, and the patient survived for more than 3 years without recurrence. Case 2: A 61-year-old Japanese male with HCC (diameter, 4.5 cm in segment 5) received hepatic subsegmentectomy following TIE. Histological examination of resected specimens following TIE showed massive infiltration of mononuclear cells in the main tumor. Tumor recurrence had developed three times thereafter, but was effectively treated by TIE. TIE may be an effective therapy for HCC.