Secondary population implementation in multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for scheduling of FMS

Any practical implementation of any multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) must include a secondary population composed of all Pareto-optimal solutions found during its search process. Such an implementation with an active participation of solutions from the secondary population into the generational population of the genetic cycle is expected to improve the effectiveness of the MOEA. In this work, two kinds of secondary population, one with set of non-dominated solutions and another with a set of inferior solutions, accrued out of the generation cycles are constructed, and with different combinations of feeding of solutions from these two secondary populations, seven different implementation schemes are designed with an aim of intensifying the convergence and diversification capabilities of the genetic process of MOEA. All the schemes were implemented in a genetic algorithm-based MOEA designed to solve the scheduling problem with dual objectives for a flexible manufacturing system and tested with common experimental data. The performances of the schemes are compared, and the most appropriate implementation scheme is proposed.     

Coplanar QCA crossovers

Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is one of the promising nextgeneration fabrics for circuits. Coplanar wire crossings are one of the more elegant features of this new low-power computing paradigm. Proposed are coplanar wire crossovers using a single type of QCA cells, which has significant implications in fabrication and fault tolerance.     

Implications of sensor location in steam reformer temperature control

Hydrogen can be produced via steam reformation of many feedstocks. External heat sources provide the thermal energy required by the endothermic steam reformation reactions. Temperature control of the steam reformation reactor is critical to reactor performance and catalyst life. Closed-loop control systems are typically used to modulate the heat input rate based on a comparison between a set point temperature and a temperature measurement. The location of the temperature sensor relative to the heat input location is a choice made during reactor design that can have significant impact on reactor temperature control.     

Tert-butyl acetate: Non-HAP solvent for high-solids epoxy formulations

Xylene is the traditional diluent solvent for formulating epoxy/amine paints used in protective coatings and linings. Currently, it is under regulatory pressure because it is on the hazardous air pollutant (HAP) list and it is also a volatile organic compound (VOC). Ketones and acetate esters are powerful solvents, but their use is limited by their reaction with the amine curatives before paint application. Tert-butyl acetate (t-BAc) proposed as a VOC-exempt solvent, is a nonreactive, non-HAP solvent suitable for both the epoxy resin and amine curative sides of a two-component epoxy system. Molecular modeling predicts very low reactivity of the t-BAc ester functionality with amine nucleophiles as a result of steric hindrance. Long-term aging studies with amine curatives in t-BAc solutions confirm these theoretical results. Kinetics of the reaction of amines with t-BAc and its n-butyl acetate isomer support the view that steric hindrance plays a major role in amine solution stability. Presented at the International Waterborne, High-Solids, and Powder Coatings Symposium, February 21–23, 2001, New Orleans, LA. 3801 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073.     

Wound healing and the immune response in swine treated with a hemostatic bandage composed of salmon thrombin and fibrinogen

We investigated the inflammatory response in pigs exposed to salmon fibrinogen/thrombin dressings. Animals were exposed to the material in 3 ways: (a) thrombin and fibrinogen were injected intravenously, (b) dual full-thickness skin lesions were surgically created on the dorsal aspect of the swine and treated with the fibrinogen/thrombin bandage and a commercial bandage or (c) a fibrinogen/thrombin bandage was inserted through an abdominal incision into the peritoneal cavity. Blood was collected twice weekly and animals were sacrificed at 7, 10 or 28 days. Animals in the 28-day dermal lesion group were given an injection of salmon fibrinogen/thrombin at the 10 day point to simulate a second bandage application. The immune response manifested itself as induction of germinal centers in mesenteric lymph nodes and in the white pulp of the spleen. Examination of the histology of the skin and organs showed a cellular inflammatory response with granulation tissue and signs of edema that resolved by the 28-day stage. Antibodies reactive to salmon and human thrombin and fibrinogen were detected, but fibrinogen levels and coagulation processes were not affected. In conclusion, animals treated with salmon fibrinogen/thrombin bandages demonstrated a smooth recovery course in terms of both tissue healing and the immune response without adverse effects from the exposure to the fish proteins.     

Aqueous extract from the vegetative portion of Spanish black radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. niger) induces detoxification enzyme expression in HepG2 cells

The vegetative, or above ground, portion of radishes are not typically consumed and have not been characterized in terms of their phytochemical content or biological activity. The antioxidant capacity of the freeze-dried vegetative portion of mature Spanish black radishes (harvested 2 months after planting) was 3.7-, 3.6- and 2.9-fold greater than freeze-dried roots as assayed by ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total phenolics and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), respectively. No carotenoids were detected in the roots, however the vegetative portion contained 905.0 and 421.2 μg/g of lutein and β-carotene, respectively. Despite differences in glucosinolate composition, a class of compounds related to the induction of detoxification enzymes, the aqueous extracts of roots and the vegetative portion similarly induced quinone reductase activity and the expression of multiple phase I and II detoxification enzymes in the HepG2 human hepatoma cell line. When juiced, the resulting freeze-dried juice and pulp of the vegetative portion maintained the ability to induce detoxification enzymes, although there were some differences in the phytochemical contents of these two dried materials. These data demonstrate that the ability of the vegetative portion of Spanish black radish, which has significantly greater antioxidant potential than roots, to induce detoxification enzyme expression was similar to that of the roots.     

Comparing problem formulations for coupled sets of components

This paper presents several formulations and comparative test results for problems involving the general paradigm of coupled sets of components (CSoC). This paradigm is general enough to include systems of systems (SoS) under any of the various definitions, as well as multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO). It is assumed that a CSoC involves a (potentially inactive) coordinating component, or “Central Authority”, and one or more, potentially interacting, subordinate components. The formulations differ in the amount of control given to the CA versus the autonomy granted to the subordinate components. In this generality, satisfaction of equilibrium conditions replaces the optimality condition in defining a solution. A solution still requires feasibility of all constraints. The desirability of a particular equilibrium point depends on the specific problem being studied and the component algorithms used to obtain that equilibrium. These concepts are illustrated using comparative test results for several of the formulations on a NASA-generated, public domain, aircraft conceptual design problem.     

Social class, sense of control, and social explanation.

Lower social class is associated with diminished resources and perceived subordinate rank. On the basis of this analysis, the authors predicted that social class would be closely associated with a reduced sense of personal control and that this association would explain why lower class individuals favor contextual over dispositional explanations of social events. Across 4 studies, lower social class individuals, as measured by subjective socioeconomic status (SES), endorsed contextual explanations of economic trends, broad social outcomes, and emotion. Across studies, the sense of control mediated the relation between subjective SES and contextual explanations, and this association was independent of objective SES, ethnicity, political ideology, and self-serving biases. Finally, experimentally inducing a higher sense of control attenuated the tendency for lower subjective SES individuals to make more contextual explanations (Study 4). Implications for future research on social class as well as theoretical distinctions between objective SES and subjective SES are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instantiating global crisis networks: The case of SARS

In this paper we build a multi-theoretical and multi-level framework for analyzing Global Crisis Networks (GCN). These information-centric, heterarchically structured networks are instantiated in response to major disasters with global impact. The instantiation of GCN is conceived as a problem of collective action. Its success depends on multi-level preparedness, and network orchestration and participation. With this framework we analyze the SARS outbreak in 2002 and its successful containment in 2003. We analyze two individual country cases, Canada and China and discuss the role of the network orchestrator, the World Health Organizations. The paper concludes with implications for research and practice.