Evaluation model for multi-process capabilities of stranded wire

Stranded wire is the most important component of familiar mechanical equipment such as elevators, cable cars, and cranes. The quality of these products that are used on a daily basis are mainly affected by the tensile strength of stranded wire. In order to attain the purpose of economical design and a long life span of stranded wire, a less relaxation property of strand type is suitable for manufactured tools. Thus, the manufacturing industries of stranded wire need to reach the goals of high tensile strength and low relaxation. To ensure the required quality of stranded wire, the strand pull test and the long period relaxation test are two important quality assurance tests. There are three specific items of the tensile strength test that belong to the larger-the-better quality type. The quality type of the smaller-the-better is for the long period relaxation test. However, many existing methods are able to measure process capability for the product with a single quality characteristic although it cannot be applied to most products with multiple properties. Thus, the indices of C_pu and C_pl, for the larger-the-better and the smaller-the-better quality type respectively proposed by Kane [5], are quoted and combined to propose a new index to evaluate the quality of multiple characteristics of stranded wire in this article. The principle of statistics is then used to derive the one-to-one mathematical relationship of this new index and ratio of satisfactory production process. Finally, the procedure and criteria to evaluate the quality of stranded wire is proposed. This integrated multi-quality property capability analysis model can be used to evaluate the multi-process capabilities and provide continuous improvements on the manufacturing process of stranded wire.     

A Normalized Measurement Vector Model for Enhancing Localization Performance of 6-DoF Bearing-only SLAM

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - This study proposes a novel bearing measurement model in order to improve the localization performance of 6-DoF SLAM (six...     

Poly(L‐lactic acid) with added α‐tocopherol and resveratrol: optical,physical, thermal and mechanical properties

Poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) films containing various concentrations of two natural antioxidants, α‐tocopherol and resveratrol, were fabricated by a melt compounding and compression molding process. The influence of the antioxidants on the optical properties such as color and UV‐visible light transmission was analyzed. The thermal, mechanical, rheological and physical properties of PLLA films with added antioxidants were assessed. PLLA films with added α‐tocopherol and resveratrol showed a yellowish brown color and the lightness was influenced by the presence of the antioxidants. The glass transition and melting temperatures were significantly reduced with the addition of antioxidants while enhanced thermal stability was observed, which could be a benefit and important for processing and production. PLLA films with added antioxidants were slightly more hydrophobic than neat PLLA. The combination effect of plasticizing and enhancement of the elastic modulus with differing concentrations of two antioxidants played a critical role in the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of PLLA films. The melt viscosity of the PLLA films with added antioxidants was substantially higher than that of neat PLLA. The higher melt viscosity and G′(ω) could be an indication of formation of entanglement between PLLA and the two antioxidants. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Field measurement and estimation of ventilation flow rates by using train-induced flow rate through subway vent shafts

This study measured and estimated the subway vent shaft air flow rate induced by moving trains in the tunnel. This work estimated the flow rate via the tunnel structure and train movement to determine the quantitative effect of vent shafts as air purification systems of natural ventilation to improve the air quality management of a subway. The amount of air suctioned into the tunnel is significantly larger than that vented from the tunnel. Thus, placing vent shafts near subway stations is desirable for natural ventilation systems. Experimental approaches to measure train-induced flow rates have not yet been published. Results of this study provide useful fundamental data to study the natural ventilation in a subway. Therefore, this study suggested the significant design factors required to control indoor air quality in a subway.     

Efficient FPGA-Based Implementations of MIMO-OFDM Physical Layer

Recently, Multiple-input Multiple-output and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM)-based technologies have been deployed in advanced wireless communication systems. In this paper, we present a prototype Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) design for an efficient physical layer implementation of a MIMO-OFDM technique. We propose a pipelined architecture using a Fast Fourier Transform that is shared across modulations for the MIMO-OFDM system. As more channels are used, more resources can be saved by using our proposed architecture. Experimental results show that the proposed implementation saves at least 40 percent of the hardware resources, while achieving the same data rate as known baseline MIMO-OFDM implementations. In addition, we propose efficient hardware implementation of the Almouti encoder and decoder. They are also designed to use minimum hardware resource by using the proposed architecture.     

Prognosis of breast cancer is associated with one-carbon metabolism related nutrients among Korean women

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer among Korean women has increased steadily; however, breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality among women. One-carbon metabolism, which requires an adequate supply of methyl group donors and B vitamins, may affect the prognosis of breast cancer. This aim of this study was to investigate the associations of dietary intake of vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and folate before diagnosis on the prognosis of breast cancer. METHODS: We assessed the dietary intake using a food frequency questionnaire with 980 women who were newly diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed to have primary breast cancer from hospitals in Korea, and 141 disease progression events occurred. Cox's proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) adjusting for age, education, recruitment sites, TNM stage, hormone status, nuclear grade and total calorie. RESULTS: There was no significant association between any one-carbon metabolism related nutrients (vitamin B2, B6 and folate) and the progression of breast cancer overall. However, one-carbon metabolism related nutrients were associated with disease progression in breast cancer patients stratified by subtypes. In ER + and/or PR + breast cancers, no association was observed; however, in ER--/PR-- breast cancers, a high intake of vitamin B2 and folate statistically elevated the HR of breast cancer progression (HR = 2.28; 95% CI, 1.20-4.35, HR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.02-3.32, respectively) compared to a low intake. This positive association between the ER/PR status and progression of the disease was profound when the nutrient intakes were categorized in a combined score (Pinteraction = 0.018). In ER--/PR-- breast cancers, high combined scores were associated with a significantly poor DFS compared to those belonging to the low score group (HR = 3.84; 95% CI, 1.70-8.71). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results suggest that one-carbon related nutrients have a role in the prognosis of breast cancer depending on the ER/PR status.     

High performance VLSI CORDIC algorithms,architecture and chip design

Abstract

CORDIC is a rotation based computation kernel algorithm which has been found to be very attractive for problems which require intensive, frequent evaluations of elementary functions. This paper addresses the implementation issues in the design of a VLSI CORDIC processor for digital signal processing and numerical linear algebra computations. The first part of this paper will discuss various design considerations for practical CORDIC algorithms. In particular, we have established criteria for the selection of nearly optimal shift sequences which are crucial to the performance of the CORDIC computation. The various design considerations of a CORDIC processor are discussed. Finally, the architecture of a prototype CORDIC processor data path chip is described.     

A DRBEM model for harbor oscillation with the effect of energy dissipation

Abstract

In this study, the numerical scheme of dual reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM) is adopted to investigate the resonant problem in a harbor while considering the effect of energy dissipation. The numerical model employed the mild slope equation as a basic equation. To avoid complicated procedures for solving the equation, DRBEM is used to improve numerical efficiency. Computation results are compared with the existing experimental data and other theoretical results. It shows that the present model is valid and effective to solve the harbor oscillation problem.     

Preparation and Evaluation of 2-(Allylthio)Pyrazine-Loaded Lipid Emulsion with Enhanced Stability and Liver Targeting

To develop 2-(allylthio)pyrazine (2-AP)-loaded lipid emulsion for parenteral administration, various lipid emulsions were prepared with soybean oil, lecithin, and other carriers using homogenization method, and their physical stabilities were investigated by measuring their droplet sizes. The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of 2-AP in lipid emulsion after intravenous administration to rats were evaluated compared with 2-AP in solution. 2-AP was lipophilic, sparingly water-soluble, and unstable in aqueous medium. The 2-AP-loaded lipid emulsion composed of 1% of 2-AP, 4% of soybean oil, 4% of lecithin, and 91% of water was physically and chemically stable for at least 8 weeks. It gave significantly faster clearance of 2-AP and higher affinity to the organs, especially the liver, compared with the 2-AP in solution, suggesting that it could selectively deliver 2-AP to the liver. Thus, the lipid emulsion with soybean oil and lecithin could be used as a potential dosage form with the liver-targeting property and enhanced stability of sparingly water-soluble 2-AP.