Application of an analytical hierarchy process method and fuzzy compositional evaluation in the expert system of sheet bending design

This article is mainly targeted at establishing a set of Chinese and English expert systems for sheet bending design by using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method and fuzzy compositional evaluation using a personal computer. The fuzzy compositional evaluation in conjunction with the analytical hierarchy process method was used to solve the problem of the uncertainty faced by the users during the selection of the processing method. This system combines an AutoCAD graphic mechanism to form a complete system for items ranging from input of the shape and size of the component to the output of the inferred results of the system. At the same time, the fuzzy compositional evaluation and the analytical hierarchy process were employed to make the system more practical.     

The formation of fine relaxation cracks along the compressive maximum shear crack

The formation of fine short relaxation cracks frequently found along the cyclically propagating 45° compressive maximum shear crack were analyzed. Comparison was made of the results computed from two different fracture criteria, the minimum strain energy density (MSED) and the maximum tensile (tangential) stress (MTS). The measured directions θ₀ of the relaxation cracks were in excellent accord with both the theoretical MSED directions and the MTS directions. The computed MSED crack directions were predicated on two conditions: 1) the strain energy density factor was minimum, S _min, and 2) the volume change component S _v of S _min was greater than the distortion component S _d. Such requirements correspond to crack directions with locally maximum tensile tangential stresses.     

Bit and Power Loading for Coherent Optical OFDM

We show the first experiment of bit and power loading for coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division-multiplexing (CO-OFDM) systems. The data rate of CO-OFDM systems can be dynamically adjusted according to the channel condition. The system performance can be further improved through optimal power loading into each modulation band.     

Effect of Polyethylene Glycol Additives on Pulse Electroplating of SnAg Solder

Eutectic Sn-3.5wt.%Ag alloy is one of the most promising lead-free solders in low temperature processes for wafer bumping. Near eutectic composition of deposited alloy films could be readily acquired by pulse electroplating with a proper combination of active ingredients including K₄P₂O₇, KI, Sn₂P₂O₇, and AgI, as well as polyethylene glycol (PEG), with molecular weights of 200, 600, 2,000, and 4,000, as an inhibitive agent. Pulse electroplating was carried out with current in alternating polarity to conduct electroplating and electropolishing sequentially. As a result, alloy films with grains of less than 1 μm and uniform surface morphology can be obtained. The addition of PEG was necessary for the stabilization of the plating baths to promote a wider process window for the desirable eutectic composition. Electrochemical characterization established that PEG with molecular weight of 4,000 exhibited the strongest inhibition behavior. In contrast, PEG with molecular weight of 200 demonstrated the least interference. Energy dispersive X-ray and differential scanning calorimeter data confirmed the formation of eutectic alloy as a function of deposition current density. X-ray diffraction results indicated that a biphasic structures of β-Sn and ε-Ag₃Sn was present in the as-deposited film.     

Bone tumors of the coracoid process of the scapula

Bone tumors of the coracoid process of the scapula are rare, and diagnosis and treatment often are delayed. The records of 18 patients with bone tumors of the coracoid process were reviewed. Histologic types included eight cases of ordinary chondrosarcoma, three cases of dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma, two cases of osteoid osteoma, and one case each of osteosarcoma, plasmacytoma, lymphoma, giant cell tumor, and aneurysmal bone cyst. All 18 patients had shoulder pain, and eight of them had been treated with steroid injections for nonneoplastic conditions. Radiologically, chondrosarcoma did not always show clear cortical destruction, and one giant cell tumor had features mimicking those of chondrosarcoma. Five patients (three with dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma, one with chondrosarcoma, one with plasmacytoma) died of disease. The coracoid process was the site with a markedly high proportion of chondrosarcomas. Bone tumors of the coracoid process may be difficult to detect on plain radiographs. In the patient with persistent shoulder pain unresponsive to the selected treatment, additional imaging studies should be considered to eliminate the possibility of a bone lesion.     

Outcome of hypertension management in Asian Americans

BACKGROUND: Ethnic and/or racial differences in drug response to antihypertensive agents have been recognized, yet the prescribing practices and the information on efficacy of various agents rely mainly on the response of whites to drugs. OBJECTIVES: To assess the management of hypertension in Asian Americans and to compare it with an age- and sex-matched group of white patients with hypertension. METHODS: The patients' medical records were used as the primary source of information for the data collection. The observational period was a 12-month window and included 200 patients of Asian origin with hypertension and 196 white patients with hypertension whose medical records were randomly selected. RESULTS: The study describes the pattern of use of antihypertensive agents and the differences in response to antihypertensive agents between Asian Americans and whites. The preferred antihypertensive agents in both Asian and white patients included monotherapy with either calcium channel blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. However, medication changes, dose reduction, and the experience of side effects were all significantly more frequently recorded in Asian patients than in white patients (P < .001, P < .008, and P < .002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These findings are supportive of some previous reports on ethnic differences in drug response to antihypertensive agents. The findings also point to the need for further prospective studies on the outcome of hypertension management in Asian American patients.     

Enteric bacteriophages as potential fecal indicators in ground beef and poultry meat.

Recovery efficiencies of enteric bacteriophages (F+ RNA coliphages, somatic coliphages, and Salmonella phages) as alternative fecal indicators were determined from ground beef and chicken breast meat using amino acid eluants (glycine and threonine) and a complex eluant (3% beef extract). Levels of F+ RNA coliphages (MS2, GA, Qbeta, FI, and SP), the somatic coliphage phiX174, and three environmental isolates of Salmonella phages (isolated from raw sewage) were assayed using three respective hosts: Escherichia coli Famp, E. coli C, and Salmonella Typhimurium. When 8% polyethylene glycol and 0.1 M NaCl were used to precipitate bacteriophages eluted with five different eluants, the highest recoveries of the three phage groups were with 0.5 M threonine and 0.25 M glycine-threonine. The average recoveries of F+ RNA coliphages, somatic coliphages, and the Salmonella phages from ground beef and chicken meat were 100, 69, and 65%, respectively, with threonine (0.5 M, pH 9.0) as the eluate. Of eight market food samples tested, F+ RNA coliphages were detected in five (63%) and somatic coliphages were detected in seven (88%). The overall detection sensitivity of the method was 3 PFU/100 g of ground beef or chicken meat. Levels of bacteriophages and bacterial indicators on chicken carcass surfaces were determined at identified critical control points at a poultry plant. Through the processing steps of evisceration, washing, and chilling, the levels of F+ RNA coliphages and fecal coliforms were reduced by 1.6 and 1.9 log10 PFU or CFU/100 g, respectively. F+ RNA coliphages and perhaps other enteric bacteriophages may be effective candidate indicators for monitoring the microbiological quality of meat, poultry, and perhaps other foods during processing. The bacteriophage concentration method developed provides a simple, rapid, and practical tool for the evaluation of fecal contamination levels in ground beef and processed chicken meat.