Monte Carlo simulation of gas phase polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene. Part II: Kinetics optimization and confirmation

Studies on the deactivations and initiations of gas phase polymerizations of 1,3‐butadiene have been achieved by Monte Carlo simulation. Initiation and deactivation control the reaction before and after the peak of the polymerization rate, respectively. The influence of polymerization temperature has been studied. Monte Carlo modeling of polymerization kinetics and mechanism was confirmed by the agreement of experimental data and simulation results of polymerizations run with a temporary evacuation of monomer. The balance of catalysts and active chains is established by both initiation and chain transfer reactions with cocatalyst, which causes a ‘pseudo‐stability’ stage. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phosphorus‐containing polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes with high flame retardance arising from a phosphorus–silicon synergistic effect

Polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes were prepared from phosphorus‐containing diols and diphenydichlorolsilane through solution polymerization. With a stoichiometric imbalance in feed monomers, the resulting polymers exhibited moderate melting points and good processing properties. The polymers prepared showed initial decomposition temperatures above 340 °C, excellent thermal stability, high char yields at 850 °C and very high limited oxygen index values of 56–59. The polymers' char yields and their (P + Si) contents showed linear relationships. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Smooth profile generation for a tile printing machine

In this paper a digital filter is proposed for the generation of smooth set points for motion control systems. The proposed nonlinear filter produces profiles with bounded velocity and acceleration starting from rough reference signals (steps and ramps). An actual implementation of the filter for a tile printing machine is presented and experimental results are reported.     

Evaluating the impact of CASE: an empirical comparison of retrospective and cross-sectional survey approaches

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate two methods of assessing the productivity and quality impact of Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) and Fourth Generation Language (4GL) technologies: (1) by the retrospective method; and (2) the cross-sectional method. Both methods involve the use of questionnaire surveys. Developers' perceptions depend on the context in which they are expressed and this includes expectations about the effectiveness of a given software product. Consequently, it is generally not reliable to base inferences about the relative merits of CASE and 4GLs on a cross-sectional comparison of two separate samples of users. The retrospective method that requires each respondent to directly compare different products is shown to be more reliable. However, there may be scope to employ cross-sectional comparisons of the findings from different samples where both sets of respondents use the same reference point for their judgements, and where numerical rather than verbal rating scales are used to measure perceptions.     

The organisational learning effects of management accounting information under advanced manufacturing technology

This study empirically examined the organisational learning effects of the nonfinancial performance information provided by management accounting information systems (MAISs) under advanced manufacturing technology (AMT). In this study, a target costing system and the frequent and quick reporting of information were considered the facilitators of learning. First, we examined the relationships between AMT level and the amount of nonfinancial performance information produced by MAISs. The empirical results showed that there are significant positive relationships between the level of AMT and nonfinancial performance information. With a systems approach, we also proved the impact of the relationships among AMT levels, nonfinancial performance information and learning facilitators on the organisational performance of a firm. The results of our research suggest that under a high level of AMT, for the provision of information to result in an increase of performance through organisational learning, a target costing system must be introduced and a large amount of information should be provided frequently and quickly. The results of this study also showed that although AMT level may be low, fairly well-arranged facilitators and a moderately large amount of information may be necessary for the improvement of performance. In conclusion, effective organisational learning depends on the provision of relevant information as well as efficient learning support mechanisms.     

Collision Detection and Multitone Tree Search for Multiple-Access Protocols on Radio Channels

The carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA-CD) protocol cannot be applied directly to radio channels because of the difficulty in sensing remote carrier in the presence of local transmission. Only recently, a new protocol called the CSMA with timesplit collision detection (CSMA-TCD) was introduced to overcome this problem on radio channels. This paper presents an extension of the CSMA-TCD protocol, called CSMA-TCD with multitone tree search (CSMA-TCD-MTTS). In CSMA-TCD, a preamble is transmitted before data transmission. For CSMA-TCD-MTTS, the preamble is modulated with one out ofNtones. In case of a collision, a resolution algorithm splits the terminals involved into anN-degree tree according to the tone chosen. This paper presents the throughput and approximate delay analysis of the CSMA-TCD-MTTS protocol.     

The hot blow forming of AZ31 Mg sheet: Formability assessment and application development

The hot blow forming of magnesium sheet offers significant opportunity for forming complex, lightweight parts for automotive applications. This paper characterizes the elevated-temperature formability of AZ31 magnesium sheet materials and the effect of processing conditions on the performance of these materials. In addition, magnesium sheet application development at General Motors Corporation is reviewed.