Commonality analysis: A linear cell clustering algorithm for group technology

Numerous researchers have suggested methods for clustering machines into manufacturing cells in a Group Technology environment. Many of these methods are numerically complex. This paper presents a new linear clustering algorithm that is fast, simple and quite flexible. The algorithm is based on the calculation of a commonality score which indicates the similarity in the way two machines are used in the shop to manufacture the products or parts.     

Planning for decline: the ‘D’‐village policy of County Durham,UK

From the 1930s to the 1970s the contraction of the coal mining industry in County Durham in northern England was followed closely by plans to abolish many of the settlements that had supported the mining population. This article examines the development of the policies that were used to classify villages for demolition, the local resistance that developed in defence of the villages and the justifications provided in support of this policy. The bulk of the research is based on archived contemporary newspaper reporting of the events as they happened. Through this approach it is possible to document the course of popular opposition to planning policies. The policy was wide ranging, with 121 villages designated as category ‘D’, meaning that they were to be demolished. This paper examines the local response in specific case study localities, showing that the main tensions were between the economic concerns and aesthetic appraisal of policy makers and community‐based perceptions of social relations and the environment. The paper suggests that the legacy of the ‘D'‐village policy continued until relatively recently in the minds of planners and residents in Durham's ex‐mining localities.     

Characterization of the rad14-2 Mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Implications for the Recognition of UV Photoproducts by the Rad14 Protein

The RAD14 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for the incision step of the nucleotide excision repair process. The Rad14 protein can bind zinc, possesses a potential zinc finger DNA binding domain and has been shown to bind specifically to damaged DNA. Differences in UV sensitivity exist between a rad14 deletion strain and a putative rad14 point mutant, the point mutant being more resistant to UV than the deletion strain. Here, we confirm that the rad14 deletion strain repairs neither UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) nor endonuclease III-sensitive damage sites, whereas the point mutant cannot repair the former but can repair the latter. From this it can be inferred that the point mutant produces an altered protein product allowing recognition of endonuclease III sensitive sites but not CPDs. To investigate this, the rad14 mutant allele was sequenced. It contained two GC-AT transition mutations when compared to the wild-type RAD14 gene sequence. When the rad14 point mutant sequence is translated, alterations within the putative zinc finger binding domain are observed, with one of the cysteine residues of the zinc binding motif being replaced by tyrosine. This suggests that alterations within the zinc finger binding domain of the Rad14 protein cause changes to the damage recognition properties of the protein. The use of the Rad14 protein from the point mutant should assist in experiments investigating the in vitro binding properties of the Rad14 protein to different types of DNA damage. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HIGH BIT RATE EXPERIMENTS OVER ACTS

This paper describes two high data rate experiments that are being developed for the gigabit NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). The first is a telescience experiment that remotely acquires image data at the Keck telescope from the Caltech campus. The second is a distributed global climate application that is run beween two supercomputer centers interconnected by ACTS. The implementation approach for each is described along with the expected results. Also, the ACTS high data rate (HDR) ground station is also described in detail.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF A SALIVARY LYSOZYME IN LARVAL <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicoverpa zea</Emphasis>

The cDNA sequence of a salivary lysozyme in Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was determined. The full-length cDNA is 1,032 bp, and it encodes a protein of 142 amino acids. This lysozyme has 90% identity with Heliothis virescens lysozyme and 76% identity with Manduca sexta lysozyme. There is a signal peptide of 20 amino acids at the N-terminus. The mature protein is about 14.4 kDa without the signal peptide. The pI value is greater than 9.5 as determined by isoelectric focusing. From genomic DNA, two introns and three exons were within the open reading frame (ORF). Southern blot analysis indicated that it is a single-copy gene. A time-course study revealed that the H. zea lysozyme gene was differentially expressed in the labial glands during the development of fifth-instar larvae, with the peak level of lysozyme mRNA being detected on day 1. Dot blot analysis showed different levels of H. zea lysozyme expression when the caterpillars fed on different plants. Further, the H. zea lysozyme could be detected with antibodies raised against the M. sexta lysozyme, and it was one of the most abundant secreted proteins in saliva collected directly from the caterpillars spinneret. The potential role of the lysozyme on host plants in mediating susceptibility to bacterial disease is discussed in the context of tritrophic interactions.     

Controlled Transformation and Sintering of a Boehmite Sol-Gel by α-Alumina Seeding

The transformation, microstructural development, and densification of an α-alumina-seeded boehmite sol-gel was studied. α-Alumina particles are shown to act as nuclei for the trans- formation of θ- to α-alumina and to result in an increase in the transformation kinetics and lowering of the transformation temperature by as much as 170°C. By increasing the seed concentration (i.e., nucleation frequency), a submicrometer aggregate-free microstructure develops, rather than the vermicular microstructure that usually characterizes the α-alumina transformation. As a result, the transformed α-alumina sinters to full density with a submicrometer grain size at 1200°C. It is believed that seeding may represent a unique method for microstructure control in the many ceramic systems that transform by nucleation and growth.     

Effect of Changes in Intermuscular and Subcutaneous Fat Levels on Cholesterol Content of Raw and Cooked Beef Steaks

Muscle, intermuscular (seam) fat and subcutaneous fat dissected from boneless rib steaks (U.S. Choice quality grade; USDA yield grade 1 to 5) were analyzed for cholesterol content. For raw steaks, the cholesterol content (wet basis) in the fat fractions was greater than 150% of that in the muscle fraction; the difference diminished greatly when steaks were cooked to an internal temperature of 70°C. On an average of all yield grades, cooked intermuscular fat and subcutaneous fat contained about 108 and 122%, respectively, of the cholesterol content in cooked muscle. The percentage of total cholesterol in raw and cooked steaks that was contributed by the combined fat fractions increased significantly with numerical increases in the USDA yield grade. However, the amount of cholesterol per gram of the whole steak was not significantly different among the five yield grades.     

PREDICTING STEADY AND OSCILLATORY SHEAR RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CMC/GUAR BLENDS USING THE BIRD-CARREAU CONSTITUTIVE MODEL

The Bird-Carreau constitutive model, a five parameter semi-empirical set of equations, was used to predict the steady shear viscosity η, the dynamic viscosity η', and the out-of-phase component of the complex viscosity divided by frequency η"/ω, for aqueous blends of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and guar gum. The five Bird-Carreau constants were derived from equations which correlate the constants to concentration and molecular weight of the CMC/guar blends. Blends of ratios 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 by weight were studied in concentrations of 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.5% by weight. For most blends the model accurately predicted the experimental η and η' data in the frequency/shear rate range of 0.1–100 s^-1 and the experimental η"/ω data in the frequency/shear rate range of 1.0–100 s⁻¹.