Design optimization using Statistical Confidence Boundaries of response surfaces: Application to robust design of a biomedical implant

This paper deals with the use of Statistical Confidence Boundaries (SCB) of response surfaces in robust design optimization. An empirical model is therefore selected to describe a real design constraint function. This constraint is thus approximated by a second order polynomial expansion which is fitted to numerical simulations that use a Finite Element Method (FEM). A technique is also proposed to analyze the effects of the uncertainties of the inputs of the simulations. This approach is employed to optimize the design of a biomedical wrist implant. A real optimized implant is then manufactured and tested to validate the numerical model.     

Factors associated with the software development agility of successful projects

Currently there is considerable debate among practitioners and researchers on the nature of software development agility and conditions under which it is linked to project success. Evidence from practitioner narratives and the agile development literature is inconclusive. This empirical study of successful projects aims to answer the following question: what factors in the project and its environment are indicative of software development agility in successful projects? Members of the PRINCE2, PMI and agile communities of practice were engaged via local interviews and an international survey. The interviews, which employed the card sort technique, provided preliminary answers. Analysis of the survey data revealed that software development agility was indicated by a project environment factor (organizational culture) and a project factor (empowerment of the project team). The contents of these factors may assist practitioners to reflect on their development practices, and to negotiate change to achieve higher rates of project success.     

Development of interdigital transducer sensors for non-destructive characterization of thin films using high frequency Rayleigh waves

In this paper, Rayleigh waves were generated and studied over a broad frequency range (5-50 MHz) and from the dispersion phenomenon, two substrate on layer type-samples with thin layer thicknesses of 1 μm and 500 nm, respectively, were characterized. The originality in this paper is the use of surface acoustic wave interdigital transducers (IDT) to generate surface waves as well as the development of a measuring device enabling an accurate estimation of the phase velocity to be obtained, which is essential in order to characterize such thin layers. Considering the excitation frequencies (5-50 MHz) and therefore the widths necessary on the electrodes for these types of IDT sensors (20-200 μm), a lift-off procedure was chosen to deposit the electrodes on the lithium niobate (LiNbO(3)) piezoelectric substrates. The use of these IDT, first enabled problems of loss and attenuation linked to the high frequency of conventional sensors (wedge sensors) to be overcome and second to carry out quasi-monochromatic measurements in order to obtain an extremely accurate estimation of the phase velocity with rapid post-processing. An inverse method provided a very precise estimation of the thickness of the layers and the elastic constants of the substrate. The estimations of the thicknesses were then confirmed by measurements with a profilometer.     

Attraction of Dibrachys cavus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) to its Host Frass Volatiles

The European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a polyphagous insect able to develop on grapes and wild plants. We tested the hypothesis that the parasitoid Dibrachys cavus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) uses the larval frass in its host search. A two-armed olfactometer was used to measure the attractiveness of L. botrana larvae, their silk, or their frass after larvae were fed on different host plants. Frass of three Lepidoptera (L. botrana, Eupoecillia ambiguella, Sphinx ligustri) and one Orthoptera (Chorthippus brunneus) was assayed, but only L. botrana was used to test an effect of the larval host plant (two grape cultivars and three other plant species) to D. cavus females. Larvae without frass did not attract D. cavus whatever their origin, but their frass was attractive at a dose of 2–3 days equivalent of larval frass production. The silk produced by a single larva (L. botrana) was not attractive to D. cavus. The parasitoid was most attracted to the odor of S. ligustri; the frass of L. botrana was more attractive than that of E. ambiguella, irrespective of the species on which D. cavus had been reared. There was no difference in attractiveness of frass collected from L. botrana raised on food containing different plants. Chemical extracts using five different polarity solvents (acetone, dichloromethane, hexane, methanol, and water) differed in attractiveness to D. cavus. Water and dichloromethane were the most attractive. This suggests that a complex volatile signal made from intermediate to polar volatiles may be involved in attraction. D. cavus used frass to discriminate between different potential host species. Our results revealed that the larval food of L. botrana did not modify frass attractiveness, but that the moth species did.     

Elastomer polymer brushes on flat surface by bimolecular surface-initiated nitroxide mediated polymerization

The method of formation of well-defined polymer brushes based on the nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) of n-butyl acrylate (BA) initiated from a self-assembled mono-layers (SAMs) of an azoic initiator in the presence of a stable nitroxide radical is described. After preliminary qualitative characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the samples were studied by ellipsometry in order to determine the dry film thickness (initiator and polymer) and the grafting density of macromolecular chains. It is demonstrated, that in the presence of stable counter radical SG1, acting as chain growth moderator, the surface initiated NMP exhibits a living/controlled character permitting to control architectural parameters (e.g. degree of polymerization) of elastomer grafted polymer chains. The possibility to use the living control character of this type of polymerization to re-initiate grafted chains in order to increase the thickness of an elastomer thin film with conservation of the brushes regime has been demonstrated.     

Thermomechanical characteristics of calcium aluminate cement and sand tapes prepared by tape casting

The present paper concerns the mechanical characterization of calcium aluminate cement and sand tapes prepared by tape casting, including ultrasonic measurements of Young's modulus at high temperature and evaluation of four point flexural behavior after heat treatments in the range of 20–1400 °C. It is shown that dehydration strongly affects mechanical properties in the 400–900 °C range, but that treatments at temperatures higher than 1200 °C increase both Young's modulus and strength. By correlation with thermal and X-ray diffraction analyses, the evolutions of thermomechanical properties have been related to phase and microstructural changes when heating the material after hydration: conversion of hydrates and dehydration at low temperature, then, crystallization of C–A and C–A–S phases and finally sintering at the highest temperatures. In a last part, it is shown that the reinforcement by glass fibres enhances the mechanical properties, in particular in the temperature range of dehydration, and gives to the material a non-brittle behavior.     

Synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol) combs via MADIX/RAFT polymerization

Poly(vinyl acetate) combs have been prepared via macromolecular design via interchange of xanthate (MADIX)/reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization using xanthate functionalized polymer cores. The comb backbones were prepared using well-defined poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA polymers with a degree of polymerization of 20, 100 and 170, respectively. Functionalization with xanthates via R-group or a Z-group approach resulted in the formation of macromolecular MADIX agents. While Z group designed macromolecular xanthate agents appeared to inhibit the polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc), R group designed macromolecular xanthate agents achieved to mediate efficiently the bulk polymerization of VAc affording PVAc combs. However, the growth of the combs was accompanied at low conversions by the formation of linear polymer chains as a result of the constant initiation (AIBN) and shoulders, which can be attributed to intermolecular coupling reactions. The proportions of single chains and termination products were observed to increase with the degree of polymerization of the macromolecular MADIX agents broadening the molecular weight distribution. As a result of a stable ester link between the branches and the PVA backbone, the branched PVAc architectures were finally hydrolyzed to afford poly(vinyl alcohol) combs.