Applying simulated annealing for designing cellular manufacturing systems using MDmTSP

The design of cellular manufacturing systems involves many structural and operational issues. One of the important design steps is the formation of part families and machine cells (cell formation). Despite a large number of papers on cell formation published worldwide, only a handful incorporates operation sequence in layout design (intra-cell move calculations). We propose a solution to solve the part-family and machine-cell formation problem considering the within-cell layout problem, simultaneously. In this paper, the cellular manufacturing system is formulated as a multiple departures single destination multiple travelling salesman problem (MDmTSP) and a solution methodology based on simulated annealing is proposed to solve the formulated model. Numerical examples show that the proposed method is efficient and effective in finding optimal solutions. The results also indicate that the proposed approach performs well compared to some well-known cell formation methods.     

An integrated model for solving cell formation and cell layout problem simultaneously considering new situations

Cellular manufacturing system (CMS) is one of the group technology (GT) usages. Among the necessary decisions for a successful CMS implementation, cell formation problem (CFP) and cell layout problem (CLP) are two most popular ones. The majority of past studies in CMS discussed on CFPs and some of those focused on CLP ones. A few researchers solve the CPF and CLP simultaneously. In this paper, we present a new integrated mathematical model considering cell formation and cell layout simultaneously. The goal of our model is to group similar parts and corresponding different machines in same cells. Machines sequence in each cell and cell positions is also specified in the system. Moreover, our proposed model considers forward and backtracking movements as well as new assumptions for distances between cells using sequence data and production volume. One appropriate adjusted measure from the literature and two new measures of performance for evaluating solutions are defined. To validate the model, two well-known critical benchmark examples are employed. Computational experiments demonstrate that our proposal is a proficient model and show the effectiveness of our implementation.     

An optimization problem related to balancing loads on SONET rings

We provide a model and a set of solution techniques for an important problem arising in the design of survivable telecommunication networks utilizing fiber-optics-based technologies. The emergence of a synchronous standard for optical signaling called SONET allows for an economic implementation of ring designs that provides protection for high capacity services. An objective is to choose a loading of the demands onto a ring design that minimizes associated equipment and facility costs while providing capacity for alternative routing should some link or node fail. After the computational complexity of the problem has been determined, three approximation heuristics, including a mathematical programming dual-ascent solution technique, are described and compared. The heuristics are being successfully applied to actual network design problems arising in Bell operating companies and other telecommunication providers.     

The Case for Quantitative Process Management

This article introduces a special section on "Embedding Statistical Methods into Software Engineering Practices." It provides a background on Quantitative Process Management and makes the case for why these methods are important. It presents an example of how a model can be developed to predict project outcomes by using data emerging from the performance of process tasks. It discusses how these methods can be used with different software development paradigms. It ends by summarizing develops needed in five different communities in order for these methods to be widely adopted.     

Stabilisability analysis of high-order unstable processes by fractional-order controllers

In this article, the sufficient stabilisability criteria for unstable time-delay processes by fractional-order controllers are investigated. The process is a high-order system with a single unstable pole, which also has a stable zero. The adopted approach to derive the sufficient conditions for stability is based on the well-known Nyquist stability criterion. Stabilisability is studied by applying fractional-order proportional integral and proportional derivative controllers and the results are given in terms of the maximum allowable value of time delay. Additionally, limitations on the parameters of the controllers which must be taken into account in the controller design are proposed.     

Stabilisation of unstable FOPDT processes with a single zero by fractional-order controllers

In this article, stabilisation of unstable first-order-plus-dead-time (FOPDT) processes with a single zero by fractional-order (FO) controllers is investigated. A Nyquist stability criterion-based approach is adopted to derive the conditions for stability. Sufficient stabilisability conditions by FO [proportional integral] controllers and FO-lead–lag controllers are established. In addition, robust stability of the system with these FO controllers is investigated. To illustrate the results, some examples are provided.     

Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Medium-Long-Medium Type Structured Lipids Using Tricaprylin and Trilinolenin as Substrate Models

The synthesis of medium-long-medium type structured lipids (SL) by the interesterification of tricaprylin (TC) and trilinolenin (TLN), using selected commercial lipases from Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme RM IM) and Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) was investigated. Although the bioconversion yield (BY) for Lipozyme RM IM (24.7 %) was close to that for Novozym 435 (24.0 %), the initial enzyme activity was 6.3 μmol CLnC/g enzyme/min and 1.6 μmol CLnC/g enzyme/min, respectively. Lipozyme RM IM was subsequently selected for further investigation. The structural analyses of SL indicated that the major products were 1,3-dicapryl-2-linolenyl glycerol (CLnC) and 1(3)-capryl-2,3(1)-dilinolenyl glycerol (CLnLn). In order to optimize the BY, selected parameters were investigated. The experimental results showed that using hexane as the reaction medium, at an initial water activity (a _w ) of 0.06, 10 mg solid enzyme/mL, substrate molar ratio of TC to TLN of 6:1 and a reaction time of 9 h, resulted in the highest BY (73.2 %). Using the optimized conditions, the effects of TLN concentration and other selective parameters, including the denaturation of the enzyme, controlling the a _w and the addition of silica gel, on the mass productivity (P _M), enzymatic productivity (P _E) and volumetric productivity (P _V ) of the interesterification reaction, were also investigated.     

Industrial and organizational psychology in Iran.

Presents a preliminary attempt to provide a framework for further studies, from an Iranian view, of events in the area of industrial and organizational psychology. Psychology as a subject was introduced in Iran following World War I. However, it was only after World War II that industrial psychology germinated into an independent discipline and a new profession. Still, industrial psychology was forced to remain largely outside academia, thus limiting the opportunity to educate sufficient numbers of industrial and organizational psychologists, who are now badly needed due to rapid economic development. The better developed parts of this new discipline are personnel evaluation techniques and management training programs. Academic programs in industrial psychology have greatly increased in the 1970s. As the result of research and studies in this field, some substantive problems have been identified that are basic and vital and that have to be treated scientifically in order to rally industrial psychology services in support of national development programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acidic Derivatives of Melamine as Template in Copolymerization of Aniline and Metanilic Acid

In this paper, new polymer composites were synthesized by template copolymerization of aniline and metanilic acid in the presence of prepared melamine triacetic acid and poly(melamine-co-citric acid) as polyacids and dopants. The properties of the poly(aniline-co-metanilic acid) composites were studied by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, CV, and differential scanning calorimeter analysis. The four-point probe technique was used for evaluating the electrical conductivity of the composites. The scanning electron micrographs disclosed that the products had the morphology with agglomerated distorted spherical shapes with the average size of 40–50?nm. Also, the solubility of the composites had been improved notably in organic solvents.