Intelligent interfaces

The exchange of data and control information between man and machine or between various modules in a complex manufacturing system can either be done through standardized or specially defined interfaces. For either of the two ways applied, all data channels should be well defined and rigorously implemented otherwise proper functional operation cannot be secured. In the present practice this is the most formidable obstacle when creating flexible control systems.This paper surveys four approaches to establish more flexible, more intelligent interfaces. The self-adaptive interface is independent from the user and from the system as well. The extended man-machine interface is based on the roles of human communication. The interfaces in a data base environment provide indirect links through common media. The control and communication functions can be realized by a distributed architecture of an artificial intelligence system.     

Room temperature transformations induced in SiO2 layers by chemical compounds: I

Transformations in the structure and the composition of SiO₂ films as a result of the action of some organic compounds at room temperature were studied by various methods. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) showed that hydrogen-containing species were removed from the SiO₂ layers (which were prepared by the thermal oxidation of silicon wafers) after a prolonged exposure to diethyl ether vapour. Electron microscopy and electron diffraction studies showed that the exposure led to the development of a crystalline phase in the SiO₂ layer. SIMS and transmission electron microscopy measurements both supported the view that the transformation from an amorphous structure to a denser more crystalline phase took place as a result of an interaction between molecules of diethyl ether and the SiO₂ surface. The removal of hydrogen-containing species seems to be a condition for this kind of transformation.In a recent short note¹ we have presented some preliminary results concerning amorphous-to-crystalline phase transformations in SiO₂ films which were prepared by the thermal oxidation of silicon wafers and which were treated at room temperature with various (mainly organic) compounds.Electron microscopy and electron diffraction studies clearly revealed the presence of a crystalline phase. Of the compounds investigated diethyl ether seemed to be the most active in inducing this type of transformation.In the following, more results will be given of investigations performed with the aim of understanding the phenomena and an explanation of the transformation mechanism will be offered.     

Revealing the Microstates of Body-Centered-Cubic (BCC) Equiatomic High Entropy Alloys

Attributing to the attractive mechanical properties, e.g., high yield strength and fracture toughness, the atomic and electronic basis for high entropy alloys (HEAs) are under extensive studies. In the present work, the local atomic arrangement of body-centered-cubic (BCC) equiatomic HEAs are revealed by the CN14 cluster-plus-glue-atom model and the 32 atoms special quasirandom structures. Moreover, the cluster-plus-glue-atom model is utilized to generate ordered and disordered configurations. The bonding lengths among the same and different alloying elements are comprehensively compared in term of their partial pair correlation function (PCF). According to the specific (well-defined) position of each partial PCF of the BCC structure, the order–disorder/random configurational transitions are revealed by the absence of partial PCF peaks. Here, the WMoTM₁TM₂ (TM = Ta, Nb, and V) BCC equiatomic refractory HEAs are selected as a case study. Through mixing various groups of alloying elements, the atomic-size differences not only result in the lattice mismatch/distortion but also yield the formation of weak spots. Their bonding-charge density captures the electron redistributions caused by the coupling effect of the lattice distortion and valance electron differences among various elements, which also presents the physical nature of the loosely-bonded weak spots and the tightly-bonded clusters. It is worth mentioning that both the PCF and the negative enthalpy of mixing can be utilized to characterize the clusters or the short range ordering in the HEAs. The microstates revealed by the cluster-plus-glue-atom model are in line with the novel small set of the ordered structures method reported in the literature.     

Electrical properties of thin oxidized aluminium films

Thin aluminium films of thickness 40 to 200 nm were deposited on to glass substrates at 573 K in a high vacuum. The deposition was carried out layer by layer and the interfaces between these layers were exposed to oxygen. The electrical resistivity was studied as a function of the film thickness, annealing time, annealing temperature and oxygen pressure. The temperature coefficient of resistivity and the activation energy for the conduction electrons were studied as a function of the film thickness and oxygen pressure. Fuchs-Sondheimer theory for electrical conduction was applied to the experimental results. The mean free path of the conduction electrons was calculated as a function of temperature and agreed well with the theoretical relation.     

Investigation of the effect of column stacked corrugated boxes on load bridging using partial four‐way stringer class wooden pallets

Pallets are the foundation of the global packaging supply chain. They provide a way to store and transport products in an efficient manner. The load capacity of pallets greatly depends on the type of packages carried by the pallet; however, current pallet design methods do not consider the effect of packages on the load carrying capacity of the pallet. This results in excessive use of materials which reduces the sustainability of unit loads, drives costs up, and creates potential safety issues. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of corrugated box size and headspace on pallet deflection and stress distribution on the top of the pallet as a function of pallet stiffness across multiple pallet support conditions. Data analysis identified that box size had a significant effect on the deflection of the pallet. This effect was only significant for warehouse racking across the width and length support conditions. As much as a 53% reduction in pallet deflection was observed for high stiffness pallets supporting corrugated boxes with 25.4‐mm headspace when the size was increased from small to large. The redistribution of vertical compression stresses towards the supports as a function of the increasing box size was observed. The increased concentration of compression stresses on top of the supports and the resulting lower pallet deflection could significantly increase the actual load carrying capacity of some pallet designs. The effect of box headspace was significant in some scenarios but inconsistent; thus, more investigation with a larger sample size is recommended.     

Proteomics Complementation of the Rat Uterotrophic Assay for Estrogenic Endocrine Disruptors: A Roadmap of Advancing High Resolution Mass Spectrometry-Based Shotgun Survey to Targeted Biomarker Quantifications

The widely used rat uterotrophic assay to assess known and potential estrogenic compounds only considers uterine weight gain as endpoint measurement. To complement this method with an advanced technology that reveals molecular targets, we analyzed changes in protein expression using label-free quantitative proteomics by nanoflow liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry from uterine protein extracts of ovariectomized rats after daily 17β-estradiol exposure for five days in comparison with those of vehicle-treated control animals. Our discovery-driven study revealed 165 uterine proteins significantly regulated by estrogen treatment and mapped by pathway analyses. Estrogen-regulated proteins represented cell death, survival and development, cellular growth and proliferation, and protein synthesis as top molecular and cellular functions, and a network found with the presence of nuclear estrogen receptor(s) as a prominent molecular node confirmed the relevance of our findings to hormone-associated events. An exploratory application of targeted proteomics to bisphenol A as a well-known example of an estrogenic endocrine disruptor is also presented. Overall, the results of this study have demonstrated the power of combining untargeted and targeted quantitative proteomic strategies to identify and verify candidate molecular markers for the evaluation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals to complement a conventional bioassay.     

[β-Glu2]TRH Is a Functional Antagonist of Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone (TRH) in the Rodent Brain

Selective antagonists of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH; pGlu-His-Pro-NH₂), in order to enable a better understanding of this peptide’s central functions, have not been identified. Using pGlu-Glu-Pro-NH₂ ([Glu²]TRH) as a lead peptide and with modification at its central residue, our studies focused on some of its analogues synthesized as potential functional antagonists of TRH in the rodent brain. Among the peptides studied, the novel isomeric analogue [β-Glu²]TRH was found to suppress the analeptic and antidepressant-like pharmacological activities of TRH without eliciting intrinsic effects in these paradigms. [β-Glu²]TRH also completely reversed TRH’s stimulation of acetylcholine turnover in the rat hippocampus without a cholinergic activity of its own, which was demonstrated through in vivo microdialysis experiments. Altogether, [β-Glu²]TRH emerged as the first selective functional antagonist of TRH’s prominent cholinergic actions, by which this endogenous peptide elicits a vast array of central effects.     

On the security of the Kirchhoff-law–Johnson-noise (KLJN) communicator

A simple and general proof is given for the information theoretic (unconditional) security of the Kirchhoff-law–Johnson-noise key exchange system under practical conditions. The unconditional security for ideal circumstances, which is based on the second law of thermodynamics, is found to prevail even under slightly non-ideal conditions. This security level is guaranteed by the continuity of functions describing classical physical linear, as well as stable non-linear, systems. Even without privacy amplification, Eve’s probability for successful bit guessing is found to converge toward 0.5—i.e., the perfect security level—when ideal conditions are approached.     

Autonomous GPR Surveys using the Polar Rover Yeti

The National Science Foundation operates stations on the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland to investigate Earth's climate history, life in extreme environments, and the evolution of the cosmos. Understandably, logistics costs predominate budgets due to the remote locations and harsh environments involved. Currently, manual ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) surveys must preceed vehicle travel across polar ice sheets to detect subsurface crevasses or other voids. This exposes the crew to the risks of undetected hazards. We have developed an autonomous rover, Yeti, specifically to conduct GPR surveys across polar ice sheets. It is a simple four‐wheel‐drive, battery‐powered vehicle that executes autonomous surveys via GPS waypoint following. We describe here three recent Yeti deployments, two in Antarctica and one in Greenland. Our key objective was to demonstrate the operational value of a rover to locate subsurface hazards. Yeti operated reliably at ?30 °C, and it has has good oversnow mobility and adequate GPS accuracy for waypoint‐following and hazard georeferencing. It has acquired data on hundreds of crevasse encounters to improve our understanding of heavily crevassed traverse routes and to develop automated crevasse‐detection algorithms. Importantly, it helped to locate a previously undetected buried building at the South Pole. Yeti can improve safety by decoupling survey personnel from the consequences of undetected hazards. It also enables higher‐quality systematic surveys to improve hazard‐detection probabilities, increase assessment confidence, and build datasets to understand the evolution of these regions. Yeti has demonstrated that autonomous vehicles have great potential to improve the safety and efficiency of polar logistics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.