A Novel Lot Sentencing Method by Variables Inspection Considering Multiple Dependent State

A good acceptance sampling plan is necessary for quality control, and different acceptance sampling plans have been developed to meet different purposes. Under a multiple dependent state (MDS) sampling plan, the lot disposition is not only based on the current sample from the lot but also on the sample results from preceding lots. This paper aims to develop a variables MDS sampling plan for normally distributed processes with two‐sided specification limits. In the proposed MDS sampling plan, the operating characteristic curve is derived based on the exact sampling distribution. The performance of the proposed plan is investigated and compared with the existing variables single sampling plan. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dual open‐slot antennas integrated in metal frame and metal case of tablet computer for long‐term evolution applications

Dual open‐slot antennas were integrated in the metal back case and metal frame of a tablet computer for long‐term evolution applications. The single feed dual excitation source antennas were sufficiently narrow (2 mm) for installation between the metal frame and metal back case of the tablet computer. Each antenna had two open‐slot radiators (slot 1 and slot 2) with embedded filter circuits to enable wideband (699‐906 and 1710‐2690 MHz) operation required for LTE applications. The filter circuit values were adjusted to make the impedance more smooth and excite the desired modes. The proposed multiple‐input‐multiple‐output antennas were installed lengthwise on the long sides of the tablet and facing in operate directions. In this configuration, the user hand grip did not interfere with antenna performance, and isolation was improved (> 20 dB). The operating mechanism of the proposed antenna with matching circuits is described in detail. The effects of the user hand grip and the embedded display panel are also discussed.     

Thermal deformation of microstructure diffuser plate in LED backlight unit

Thermal deformations of a microstructure diffuser plate in an LED backlight unit subjected to a long period of illumination were studied. Mechanical properties of the microstructure diffuser plate in the LED backlight unit were determined and verified. Rather than using data from the relevant literature, accurate finite element solutions were obtained by using a microtensile test and thermo‐mechanical analyzer to calculate the Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and thermal expansion coefficient of the microstructure diffuser plate. The measured mechanical properties were used as input data in finite element simulations. Comparisons of the finite element analysis results with the experimental measurements made using strain gauge yielded differences of less than 3%. Thermal warpage phenomena of the microstructure diffuser plate at various temperatures are discussed. Thermal deformations are also compared between the conventional diffuser plate and the microstructure diffuser plate.     

A novel size-dependent nonlocal strain gradient isogeometric model for functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite nanoplates

The paper presents a novel nonlocal strain gradient isogeometric model for functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) nanoplates. To observe the length scale and size-dependency effects of nanostructures, the nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) is considered. The present model is efficient to capture both nonlocal effects and strain gradient effects in nanoplate structures. In addition, the material properties of the FG-CNTRC are assumed to be graded in the plate thickness direction. Based on the higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT), the weak form of the governing equations of motion of the nanoplates is presented using the principle of virtual work. Afterward, the natural frequency and deflection of the nanoplates are made out of isogeometric analysis (IGA). Thanks to higher order derivatives and continuity of NURBS basic function, IGA is suitable for the weak form of NSGT which requires at least the third-order derivatives in approximate formulations. Effects of nonlocal parameter, strain gradient parameter, carbon nanotube (CNT) volume fraction, distributions of CNTs and length-to-thickness ratios on deflection and natural frequency of the nanoplates are examined and discussed in detail. Numerical results are developed to show the phenomenon of stiffness-softening and stiffness-hardening mechanisms of the present model.

     

Effect of antacid on bioavailability of a sustained-release theophylline preparation

The effect of coadministration of an antacid on bioavailability of a sustained-release theophylline tablet preparation (Theo-Dur) was studied by crossover comparison in five young, healthy, nonsmoking volunteers. Water 90 ml, or "high potency" aluminum-magnesium hydroxide antacid (Mylanta II) 10 ml and water 80 ml were administered concurrently with sustained-release theophylline 600 mg. Eleven blood samples were collected over the next 24 hours. Serum was analyzed with high pressure liquid chromatography technique to determine theophylline concentration. Peak serum concentration (Cmax) and time to peak concentration (tmax) were determined, and area under the 24-hour serum concentration-time curve (AUC) was calculated by the trapezoidal rule for each subject at each study interval. The Student's paired t-test was used to compare Cmax, tmax, and AUC for both treatments. A uniform difference was found between groups in Cmax. Cmax was higher in subjects when treated with the antacid (10.45 +/- 3.03 vs. 8.30 +/- 2.90 micrograms/ml, p less than 0.05) than when given theophylline alone. The mean tmax for the two treatments did not differ (10.4 +/- 1.67 h-combination vs. 10.8 +/- 1.1 h-theophylline, p greater than 0.05). Likewise, mean AUC was unchanged by the coadministration of antacid (140.65 +/- 41.6 micrograms/ml.h--combination vs. 155.13 +/- 46.6 micrograms/h--theophylline, p greater than 0.05). The use of a high-potency antacid product did not decrease the extent of theophylline absorption from this sustained-release product, but did increase Cmax and, presumably, rate of absorption. High-potency aluminum-magnesium antacids can probably be used in combination with this sustained-release theophylline tablet without detriment to therapy.     

Suicidal age and childhood onychophagia among psychotic veterans

The relationship between childhood onychophagia (fingernail biting) and the suicidal and nonsuicidal mean age among 150 hospitalized psychotic veterans was investigated. The results show that the suicidal mean age is significantly younger than the nonsuicidal mean age and that the childhood onychophagia variable "focal suicide" significantly lowers the mean age of suicidal veterans, but does not significantly lower the mean age of nonsuicidal veterans.     

Synthesis of a star‐shaped poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene) copolymer as a viscosity index improver for lubricants

A saturated star‐shaped poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene) copolymer, (EP)_star, has been synthesized for use as a viscosity index improver in lubricants. Polyisoprene arms were first anionically synthesized using n‐butyllithium as the initiator, followed by a linking reaction with divinylbenzene at the optimum temperature of 60°C. The resulting star‐shaped polyisoprene, (I)_star, was then hydrogenated to eliminate the double bonds of the polyisoprene forming the poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene) structure. The degree of branching (number of arms on each molecule) increases with increase in the mole ratio of divinylbenzene to n‐butyllithium. Increasing the arm length adversely affects the linking efficiency and a minimum amount of tetrahydrofuran (THF) at a THF:n‐butyllithium molar ratio of 1.12 was needed in order to achieve a maximum linking efficiency of approximately 85%. The T_g of poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene) is about 10°C higher than that of the original polyisoprene. Compared with (I)_star, (EP)_star has a thermal decomposition temperature that is 50°C higher but is independent of the arm length or the degree of branching. Viscosity measurement results for (EP)_star reveal that intrinsic viscosity depends only on the arm length but not the degree of branching. Adding 1 wt % of (EP)_star markedly increases the viscosity index of a LN base oil. The addition of 1 wt % of (EP)_star increases the viscosity index (95 for base oil) up to a number between 111 and 145, with the exact number depending upon its arm length and degree of branching. With a fixed arm length, an (EP)_star having a higher degree of branching increases the viscosity index more than one having a lower degree of branching. On the other hand, the viscosity index increases with increase in the arm length when the degree of branching is fixed. Adding 1 wt % of (EP)_star also causes a change in the pour point of the lubricant with the pour point decreasing with increase in the degree of branching. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1911–1918, 2002     

Hierarchical indices to detect equipment condition changes with high dimensional data for semiconductor manufacturing

During semiconductor manufacturing process, massive and various types of interrelated equipment data are automatically collected for fault detection and classification. Indeed, unusual wafer measurements may reflect a wafer defect or a change in equipment conditions. Early detection of equipment condition changes assists the engineer with efficient maintenance. This study aims to develop hierarchical indices for equipment monitoring. For efficiency, only the highest level index is used for real-time monitoring. Once the index decreases, the engineers can use the drilled down indices to identify potential root causes. For validation, the proposed approach was tested in a leading semiconductor foundry in Taiwan. The results have shown that the proposed approach and associated indices can detect equipment condition changes after preventive maintenance efficiently and effectively.     

FEATURE SELECTION BASED ON COMPACTNESS AND SEPARABILITY: COMPARISON WITH FILTER‐BASED METHODS

Selecting a subset of salient features for performing clustering using a clustering learning algorithm has been explored extensively in many real‐world applications. To select salient features during training, the filter model evaluates the intrinsic characteristics of each individual feature but is not permitted to use a clustering learning algorithm that provides clustered information to train the features. In particular, the filter model aims to predict unobservable clusters and measure how the features help provide satisfactory within‐cluster and between‐cluster scatters to achieve a good clustering quality. However, it is generally difficult to achieve both scatters in the filter model. For example, a random variable with a large variance may raise only the between‐cluster scatter, whereas another variable following a uniform distribution may raise only the within‐cluster scatter. In this paper, we present a new filter‐based method to quantify features that consider feature compactness and separability to ensure that both scatters are raised. Moreover, our method adopts a new search strategy to locate the best feature salience vector instead of visiting the space of all the possible feature subsets. After the benchmark data sets are tested, the experimental results indicate that our method performs better than many benchmark filter‐based methods at selecting a feature subset to perform clustering.     

Structure-property relationships in thermoplastic elastomers III. Segmented polyacetal-polyurethanes

Dihydroxy-terminated polyacetals had been synthesized from aldehydes and glycols and used as soft segments to obtain segmented polyurethane block copolymers. For soft segment ≥ 1700 M _n, the T_g ranges from–48 to ?58°C and is insensitive to the structures of diisocyanate and chain extender. The T_g of PacPU with 1350 M _n polyacetals is raised to ?38°C, and none was observed for shorter polyacetal chains. The copolymers can be synthesized to have a broad range of mechanical properties, such as modulus from 0.5 to 130 MPa, stress at break from 0.7 to 21 MPa, and elongation at break from 66 to 1300% through the variation of the constituents and composition. The rheologic properties are only slightly dependent on temperature for symmetrical diisocyanates but quite temperature sensitive with asymmetric diisocyanate copolymers. The polyacetals are selected to build in acid-catalyzed thermal decomposition of the thermoplastic elastomers. The extreme acid sensitivity of the polyacetal block is buffered in the coplymers.