Integration of mechanical testing with automated parts handling in a production environment

With the emphasis on zero defects, 100% inspection is becoming a norm in manufacturing industry. In addition to dimensional and functional tests, particular mechanical tests are conducted by applying a load-deformation cycle on a component/assembly. Traditional off-line techniques, using Instron-like test machines, are not suitable for 100% inspection. Automated parts handling, using devices such as robots, is being used increasingly in production lines. The present paper examines the possibility of conducting mechanical tests with industrial robots, used for parts handling. These proposals are based on the authors' research in the area of fabric testing using robotics. This paper extends these into the wider arena of parts handling.     

Pseudorabies in a dog

Pseudorabies was diagnosed in a 5-year-old female crossbred dog by histologic examination and virus isolation. The clinical signs were depression, salivation, head pressing, and emesis. There were no gross pathologic findings. The microscopic findings in the brain stem consisted of mononuclear cell infiltrates in the leptomeninges, subarachnoid space, and neuropil. In addition, there were mononuclear cell perivascular cuffs, focal areas of gliosis, neuronal degeneration, and acidophilic intranuclear inclusions in neurons and astrocytes. Other microscopic findings were edema of lungs and fatty change in the liver. The virus was isolated from the brain and tonsils and identified by fluorescent antibody technique. Pseudorabies virus was isolated from pigs on the farm.     

Asymptotic analysis of the bias of the modified Yule-Walker estimator

An explicit formula is derived for the asymptotic bias in the autoregressive estimates obtained by the modified Yule-Walker method. The sample bias obtained in Monte-Carlo simulations is compared to the theoretical formulas for two examples.     

A meta-analysis of self-regulated learning in work-related training and educational attainment: What we know and where we need to go.

Researchers have been applying their knowledge of goal-oriented behavior to the self-regulated learning domain for more than 30 years. This review examines the current state of research on self-regulated learning and gaps in the field's understanding of how adults regulate their learning of work-related knowledge and skills. Self-regulation theory was used as a conceptual lens for deriving a heuristic framework of 16 fundamental constructs that constitute self-regulated learning. Meta-analytic findings (k = 430, N = 90,380) support theoretical propositions that self-regulation constructs are interrelated—30% of the corrected correlations among constructs were .50 or greater. Goal level, persistence, effort, and self-efficacy were the self-regulation constructs with the strongest effects on learning. Together these constructs accounted for 17% of the variance in learning, after controlling for cognitive ability and pretraining knowledge. However, 4 self-regulatory processes—planning, monitoring, help seeking, and emotion control—did not exhibit significant relationships with learning. Thus, a parsimonious framework of the self-regulated learning domain is presented that focuses on a subset of self-regulatory processes that have both limited overlap with other core processes and meaningful effects on learning. Research is needed to advance the field's understanding of how adults regulate their learning in an increasingly complex and knowledge-centric work environment. Such investigations should capture the dynamic nature of self-regulated learning, address the role of self-regulation in informal learning, and investigate how trainees regulate their transfer of training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications of platinum-group element accumulation along U.S. roads from catalytic-converter attrition

Automobile catalytic converters are dispersing platinum-group elements (PGEs) Rh, Pt, and Pd into the environment (1-3). This paper represents the first detailed study to assess the PGE content of soils and grasses from U.S. roadsides. These soils were analyzed using cation exchange pretreatment and ultrasonic nebulizer-ICP-MS (4). Highway and several urban sites showed Pt abundances of 64-73 ng/g immediately adjacent to the roadside, with corresponding Pd and Rh abundances of 18-31 ng/g and 3-7 ng/g, respectively. All Pt and most Pd and Rh abundances are statistically above local background soil values. Platinum, Rd, and Rh show positive correlations with traffic-related elements (Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) but no correlations with nontraffic-related elements (Y, Ga). Iridium and Ru show no correlations with any of these trace elements. These PGE abundances are comparable to European studies (5-7) and are approaching concentrations that would be economically viable to recover. This study also demonstrates transport of Pt statistically above background more than 50 m from the roadside. Further study is necessary to see how mobile the PGEs are in roadside environments, but these initial data indicate only Pt is taken up by plants.     

LAGER BREWING ON THE PRODUCTION SCALE USING ENRICHED PELLETS MADE FROM SEEDED HOPS

Enriched pellets made from seeded Wye Challenger hops gave lager beers which could not be distinguished by analysis or by flavour from control beers brewed with enriched pellets made from seedless Hallertau Mittelfruh hops.