Control of a Batch Processing Machine Serving Compatible Job Families

We consider the control of a single batch processing machine with random arrivals, random processing times, and compatible job families (jobs from different families may be processed together in the same batch, with the processing time distribution of the entire batch determined by the job family in the batch having the greatest expected processing time). The objective is to minimize the long-run average time that jobs spend in the system. We present properties possessed by the optimal policies and discuss the structure of these policies. We next develop a simple heuristic scheduling policy to control the machine. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of our heuristic over a wide range of problem instances.     

Improved quality of continuous flow manufacturing through the combination of statistical process control and conventional computer process control

This paper represents a portion of the evaluation of the use of Statistical Process Control within the realm of Conventional Computer Process Control. Various control charts commonly utilized in continuous processes are evaluated when subjected to process disturbances typical of continuous processes. The control charts considered are the Moving Average and Moving Range Chart combination, the Individual and Moving Range Chart combination, and the Exponentially Weighted moving Average Chart. The types of process disturbances considered are unit step and linear trend disturbances to the process average. The evaluation is based on the determination of the Average Run Lengths (ARLs) resulting from computer simulations.     

Current gasket standards development in Europe

There are a large number of standards concerned with gasketed joints in the UK that are derived from the applications and practice of different industries. Many other countries also have equivalent standards. John Hoyes, technical director of Flexitallic and chairman of the British Standards Committee concerned with gaskets describes the European initiatives to rationalize the standards and improve the technical basis by which they will lead a user to select the joint design and material.     

Improving user security behaviour

Many organisations suspect that their internal security threat is more pressing than their external security threat. The internal threat is predominantly the result of poor user security behaviour. Yet, despite that, security awareness programmes often seem more likely to put users to sleep than to improve their behaviour. This article discusses the influences that affect a user's security behaviour and outlines how a well structured approach focused on improving behaviour could be an excellent way to take security slack out of an organisation and to achieve a high return for a modest, low-risk investment.     

Peer-assisted learning interventions with elementary school students: A meta-analytic review.

A meta-analytic review of group comparison design studies evaluating peer-assisted learning (PAL) interventions with elementary school students produced positive effect sizes (ESs) indicating increases in achievement (unweighted mean ES = 0.59, SD = 0.90; weighted ES, d = 0.33, p     

Investigation of the thermal, mechanical, and fracture properties of alumina-epoxy composites

A combination of dynamic shear rheology, thermomechanical analysis (TMA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS), and fracture toughness testing was utilized to characterize the thermal, mechanical, chemical, and fracture properties of alumina (α-Al₂O₃)-filled epoxy resins as a function of average filler size, size distribution, particle shape, loading, and epoxy crosslink density. In general the cured properties of the filled composites were robust. Small changes in particle size, shape, and size distribution had little impact on the final properties. Resin crosslink density and filler loading were the most critical variables, causing changes in all properties. However, most applications could likely tolerate small changes in these variables also. SEM and NEXAFS characterization of the fracture surfaces revealed that the fracture occurs at the filler interface and the interfacial epoxy composition is similar to the bulk resin, indicating a weak epoxy-alumina interaction. These results are critical for implementation of particulate-filled polymer composites in practical applications because relaxed material specifications and handling procedures can be incorporated in production environments to improve efficiency.     

Modelling asymmetry in the peripheral auditory system of the lizard

The ears of lizards are highly directional. The directionality is generated by strong acoustical coupling of the eardrums. A simple lumped-parameter model of the ear followed by binaural comparisons has been shown to perform successful phonotaxis in robot implementations. However, such a model will produce localization errors in the form of response bias if the ears are asymmetrical. We have evaluated how large errors are generated by asymmetry using simulations of the ear model in Mathematica 5.2. The study shows that the effect of asymmetry is minimal around the most directional frequency of the ear, but that biases reduce the useful bandwidth of localization. This work was presented in part at the First European Workshop on Artificial Life and Robotics, Vienna, Austria, July 12–13, 2007