Economics and success factors of flexible manufacturing systems: The conventional explanation revisited

This article analyzes costs and relative benefits of several hundred flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) in the world. The analyses are based on the computerized data bases, which make it easy to correlate different cost and benefit indicators with each other and to look for regular patterns and tendencies in the applications. Both investment cost distributions and the system complexity distributions are analyzed. The relative benefits and advantages and their relationships are shown. Finally, technical and economic explanations for successful implementation strategies are given. The results show that there are two classes of economically successful systems. The small-scale and technically compact systems are usually used in small-batch production for the replacement of semimanual production. The main benefits are increased capacity and productivity as well as quality improvements. The large-scale and technically complex systems are used in large-volume production for the replacement of fixed automation and transfer lines. The benefits are mainly due to the increased potential for flexibility and capital savings.     

Application of Reflectance Spectroscopy for Analysis of Higher Plant Pigments

Nondestructive techniques developed by the authors for assessment of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and anthocyanins in higher plant leaves and fruits are presented. The spectral features of leaf reflectance in the visible and near infrared regions are briefly considered. For pigment analysis only reflectance values at several specific wavelengths are required. The chlorophyll (Chl) content over a wide range of its changes can be assessed during leaf ontogeny using reflectance near 700 nm and, in the absence of anthocyanins, at 550 nm. The approaches used for elimination of Chl interference in the analysis of carotenoids (reflectance at 520 nm) and anthocyanins (at 550 nm) are described. The suitability of reflectance spectroscopy for estimates of carotenoid/chlorophyll ratios during leaf senescence and fruit ripening is demonstrated. The algorithms developed for pigment analysis are presented, and the conditions of their applicability are considered. Further perspectives for the application of reflectance spectroscopy including remote sensing for estimation of plant pigment content and physiological states are discussed.     

Selection Practices of Bonga Sheep Reared in Southern Ethiopia

The study was conducted to assess the traits traditionally used to select the Bonga sheep reared in Southern Ethiopia. The breed was included for improvement under the community based breeding program (CBBP) launched in the year 2009. The results are based on the data collected from the project between 2009 till 2012. The findings are based on focus group discussions with the community elders who have been rearing the Bonga sheep for more than 20 years. The present findings are based on information obtained from 50% of the total respondents who were involved in CBBP. The Bonga sheep is a mutton type breed and the ewes are moderately prolific. In the past this breed of sheep were bartered to settle legal disputes and were traded against household commodities.. However, over the years (and also after the intervention of CBBP) the sheep have been selected for their body weight as well as for their distribution in many parts of Ethiopia The respondents selected the lambs at both pre weaning and post weaning stages. Traditionally the traits of rams are selected based on their body length, canon circumference, broad face, enlarged thyroid, while for the ewes, traits prolificacy, skin thickness and pelvic width are determining characters. Fat tail and brown coat color were preferred irrespective of the sexes in trait selection. The ram lambs selected for breeding purpose are locally known as “Dookoo”. These rams are selected based on some predetermined phenotypic traits and are initially selected at preweaning stage and further, again at the post weaning stage. These rams are preferentially cared and are provided with supplementary feed and comfortable housing.     

THE PREPARATION OF THE GRADED COLLODION MEMBRANES OF ELFORD AND THEIR USE IN THE STUDY OF FILTERABLE VIRUSES

1. The method described by Elford for the preparation of graded collodion membranes suitable for ultrafiltration was found to give excellent results, and his findings are fully confirmed. 2. A formula is given for the preparation of collodion from which satisfactory membranes of graded porosity can be prepared. 3. The technique and apparatus used in the preparation, and standardization of membranes are described in detail. 4. The technique and apparatus required for ultrafiltration experiments are described, and some drawbacks encountered in the experiments are discussed. 5. The results of ultrafiltration experiments show that the pores of the membranes are remarkably uniform in size.     

Enthalpies of transfer for proteins from aqueous to water-alcohol solutions: a test for models of residues exposed to solvent

The enthalpies of transfer of proteins from aqueous solution to alcohol–water solutions are used as probes of solvent-accessible surface for these proteins. Enthalpies of transfer to 10 wt% ethanol solutions are determined calorimetrically for the native proteins ribonuclease A, lysozyme, and ovalbumin. Ribonuclease A and lysozyme are reduced and carboxamidomethylated to produce configurations in which interior residues of the native protein are exposed to the solvent; enthalpies of transfer are determined for these species. These data are then compared with enthalpies of transfer for the constituent amino acids of the proteins. The enthalpies of transfer for the residues are used to generate a maximal enthalpy of transfer that can be compared with the enthalpies of transfer for the reduced, carboxamidomethylated proteins. The residue amino acid enthalpies are coupled with probabilities that each residue is an exterior residue to predict an enthalpy of transfer for the native protein that can be compared with the observed enthalpy. The probabilities developed by Wertz and Scheraga and Lee and Richards, and Chothia are then compared on their ability to predict the native enthalpies of transfer for the protein. The Wertz–Scheraga model gives the better fit of this data in all cases.     

Concentration distribution and spatial moments of moving macromolecules undergoing isomerization

Expressions for zeroth, first, and second spatial moments are obtained for diffusing macromolecules A and B that move due to an external field and undergo reversible isomerization, switching back and forth according to first-order kinetics. In addition, expressions for third and fourth moments are derived for the special case of equal diffusion coefficients, equal rate constants, and equal but opposite velocities. The initial conditions are arbitrary amounts of A or B concentrated in an infinitesimally narrow region. The moments are computed from derivatives of the Fourier-transformed concentration profiles of A and B. The moments are used in an expansion in term of Hermite polynomials, the Gram-Charlier expansion, to construct the concentration profiles of A or B or A and B together. The examples presented show that a few terms of the expansion, for which explicit expressions are given, can give tolerable accuracy if the velocity is not too large and the rate constants and diffusion coefficient are not too small. The expansion can be used to determine when the profiles are unimodal.     

Experience in building a balance model of a lake ecosystem (using the example of subarctic Lake Krivoe)

The principles of balance calculation are presented for aquatic ecosystems. The step-by-step building of the balance model are described for subarctic Lake Krivoe (Karelia, western coast of the White Sea), as are the problems arising during calculations and ways to fix them. The significance of the recall ratio and the primary data reliability of major ecosystem components are specified for building a plausible pattern of energy fluxes in the studied ecosystem. The energy balance models are presented for Lake Krivoe for the productive periods of 2003–2005.     

Causation and Disease: The Henle-Koch Postulates Revisited

The Henle-Koch postulates are reviewed in terms of their full validity in Koch's day and in light of subsequent developments. The changing guidelines developed for viral diseases, for viruses in relation to cancer and to chronic central nervous system infection, and for causative agents in chronic diseases are discussed chronologically. A set of guidelines for both acute infectious and chronic diseases is presented. The need for recognizing the role of the host and the spectrum of host responses, for sound biologic sense in evaluating causal roles of agents in disease, and for flexibility in adapting our guidelines to new knowledge are emphasized.     

Medium-term and long-term priorities in ecological studies.

Research priorities in ecology and environmental sciences for the future are formulated. The priorities for both fundamental and applied ecology are proposed. The list of priorities includes 50 items. The priorities are relevant to terrestrial, aquatic, and general ecology. The list of priorities is helpful when grant proposals are being prepared, evaluated, and selected for funding.     

The Phytohormone Receptors

Recent advances in the investigation of the receptors for plant hormones are reviewed. The basic data about all known receptors for auxins, ethylene, cytokinins, and brassinosteroids are presented. Some general problems concerning a search for phytohormone receptors and their properties are discussed. The review is intended for anyone interested in the molecular basics of the hormonal regulation of plant metabolism.     

Genetic analysis of Tourette syndrome suggesting major gene effect.

Data on Gilles de la Tourette syndrome are analyzed by multiple threshold models in inheritance that incorporate sex effect. The polygenic-multifactorial model is rejected. Single major locus inheritance can account for the data, although many of the occurrences of Tourette are due to nongenetic phenocopies. In both models, males and females share a common genetic environmental liability, but the less prevalent sex, that is, females, has a higher genetic loading for the disorder. The predicted population prevalences in the single major locus model are 2.3% for males and 0.8% for females. The implications for genetic and biological research in Tourette syndrome are discussed.     

Sustainable mobility indicators for Indian cities: Selection methodology and application

Various indicators of sustainable mobility have been developed. It is difficult to select the most relevant indicators that are useful in a specific context, and that are measurable and achievable at the same time. Indicator selection frameworks – criteria based; causal chains and causal networks have been proposed and used in the past. All three frameworks have certain limitations and strengths.In this study we have proposed a systematic approach of selecting sustainable mobility indicators for Indian cities by combining – criteria based, causal chain and causal network frameworks. The methodology involves both subjective judgments for evaluation of indicators against a set of criteria and objectivity during development and assessment of causal network. The method results in identifying 20 relevant factors for which 32 indicators are shortlisted. Further work is required to develop measurable indicators related to accessibility to the disadvantaged, speed limit restriction and street lighting. These have not been discussed in detail in the existing literature. The 20 factors are classified as root nodes, central and end-of-the-chain nodes that helps in identifying levers of attaining sustainable mobility in Indian cities.The developed causal network is evaluated for its ability to address all sectors associated with sustainable mobility. The causal network has low density and centralization index and therefore accounts for multiple factors. The shortlisted indicators are proposed for preparing low carbon mobility plan (LCMP) for three medium size Indian cities. The indicators are checked for data availability and ease of measurability based on the data collected for preparing the three LCMPs. The analysis shows that the data are available from secondary sources like census to measure root node indicators, whereas central indicators require conducting primary surveys and specific models are required to measure end-of-the-chain indicators.Based on the position of indicators within causal network, it is interpreted that pricing policy, urban form and infrastructure are the levers of sustainable mobility. The indicators of energy consumption, emissions and accessibility are the sustainable mobility targets that we want to achieve.     

Wood, bark and stem anatomy of New World species of Gnetum

Quantitative and qualitative data are presented for 11 collections of six species. The wide range of character states for the species is presented in the form of a key to emphasize their potential systematic correlations. Distinctive among these are phcllem characteristics. Fibre-tracheids are newly reported for lianoid Gnetum species. Cells previously thought to be like companion cells in secondary phloem are shown to be uniseriate rays, counterparts to uniseriate xylem rays. Laticifers are abundant in most of the species, and are newly described for secondary tissues of Gnetum. Presence of tyloses in laticifers of two species is apparently a new report for vascular plants. Tori are present in two New World Gnetum species, adding to the report in African species. Perforation plates are simple except near or in primary xylem, where they are simple or foraminate. Torus presence and foraminate perforation plate presence are features more reminiscent of Ephedra and other gymnosperms than of angiosperms. The bark of Gnetum is also very similar to that of Ephedra.     

Basic strategies for valid cytometry using image analysis

The present review provides a starting point for setting up an image analysis system for quantitative densitometry and absorbance or fluorescence measurements in cell preparations, tissue sections or gels. Guidelines for instrumental settings that are essential for the valid application of image analysis in cytophotometry and cytofluorometry are described. The general principles of the working mechanism of CCD cameras in combination with general methods to improve the behaviour of the cameras are presented. Optimization of illumination of microscopical and macroscopical objects receives special attention because of its importance for valid cytometry. Sources of errors in quantitative measurements are listed and step-by-step charts for tuning the CCD camera, frame grabber and illumination for the optimal use of the systems are described. Suggestions are given for improvement of image arithmetics in difficult imaging situations, such as low fluorescence signals and high absorbance signals. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Methods for prevention of mass development of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz emend. Elenk. in aquatic ecosystems

Methods for prevention of mass development of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz emend. Elenk. in continental water bodies and industrial water supply systems are reviewed. The physicochemical, chemical, and biological methods for prevention of M. aeruginosa development in water bodies and water supply systems are considered; examples of successful inhibition of M. aeruginosa growth in laboratory experiments are demonstrated. The scientific problems are outlined that are to be solved for perfecting techniques for prevention of M. aeruginosa mass development in open water bodies and in closed water supply systems.     

Key technologies for the industrial production of fumaric acid by fermentation

The growing concern about the safety of food and dairy additives and the increasing costs of petroleum-based chemicals have rekindled the interest in the fermentation processes for fumaric acid production. The key problems of the industrial production of microbial fumaric acid are reviewed in this paper. Various strategies, including strain improvement, morphology control, substrate choice, fermentation process and separation process, are summarized and compared, and their economical possibilities for industrial processes are discussed. The market prospects and technological strategies for value-added fumaric acid derivatives are also addressed. The future prospects of microbial fumaric acid production are proposed at the end of this article.     

A unification of multivariate methods for meta-analysis of genetic association studies

Methods for multivariate meta-analysis of genetic association studies are reviewed, summarized and presented in a unified framework. Modifications of standard models are described in detail in order to be applied in genetic association studies. The model based on summary data is uniformly defined for both discrete and continuous outcomes and analytical expressions for the covariance of the two jointly modeled outcomes are derived for both cases. The models based on the binary nature of the data are fitted using both prospective and retrospective likelihood. Furthermore, formal tests for assessing the genetic model of inheritance are developed based on standard normal theory. The general model is compared to the recently proposed genetic model-free bivariate approach (either using summary or binary data), and it is clearly shown that the estimates provided by this approach are nearly identical to the estimates derived by the general bivariate model using the aforementioned tests for the genetic model. The methods developed here as well as the tests, are easily implemented in all major statistical packages, escaping the need of self written software. The methods are applied in several already published meta-analyses of genetic association studies (with both discrete and continuous outcomes) and the results are compared against the widely used univariate approach as well as against the genetic model free approaches. Illustrative examples of code in Stata are given in the appendix. It is anticipated that the methods developed in this work will be widely applied in the meta-analysis of genetic association studies.     

Phycobiliproteins as a commodity: trends in applied research,patents and commercialization

Phycobiliproteins are a group of colored proteins commonly present in cyanobacteria and red algae possessing a spectrum of applications. They are extensively commercialized for fluorescent applications in clinical and immunological analysis. They are also used as a colorant, and their therapeutic value has also been categorically demonstrated. However, a comprehensive knowledge and technological base for augmenting their commercial utilities is lacking. Hence, this work is focused towards this objective by means of analyzing global patents and commercial activities with application oriented research. Strategic mining of patents was performed from global patent databases resulting in the identification of 297 patents on phycobiliproteins. The majority of the patents are from USA, Japan and Europe. Patents are grouped into fluorescent applications, general applications and production aspects of phycobiliproteins and the features of each group are discussed. Commercial and applied research activities are compared in parallel. It revealed that US patents are mostly related to fluorescent applications while Japanese are on the production, purification and application for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Fluorescent applications are well represented in research, patents and commercial sectors. Biomedical properties documented in research and patents are not ventured commercially. Several novel applications are reported only in patents. The paper further pinpoints the plethora of techniques used for cell breakage and for extraction and purification of phycobiliproteins. The analysis identifies the lacuna and suggests means for improvements in the application and production of phycobiliproteins.     

Hydrogen bonding in DNA base complexes.

Experimental intermolecular frequencies in the DNA base complexes 1-methylthymine (1-MT) and cytosine monohydrate (CMH) are analyzed in terms of simple analytic interatomic potentials. Calculations with two different values for the constants of the nonbonded interactions are considered, and the hydrogen bond potentials are determined for each of these models. The observed frequencies in 1-MT are reasonably well described, although corresponding potentials are very different in the two models. The observed frequencies in CMH are less well described, although corresponding hydrogen bond potentials are similar in the two models. Hydration interactions are found to be important in CMH and the role of the water molecule is discussed. Possible reasons for the shortcomings of this simple analysis are considered.     

美国黑核桃实生苗生态生理过程对环境因素响应的数值模拟(Ⅲ):植株冠层光合作用数理模型

以1-2年生北加州黑核桃为试材,建立了具有较高分辨能力的植株群体结构、光分布模型和冠层光合作用模型．将植株冠层按叶面积指数划分为若干层次。上下层之间水平面上太阳辐照度按Monsi＆Saeki所提出的指数递减规律分布．冠层内太阳散射光的消光系数由冠层结构决定,而直射光的消光系数则决定于冠层结构与太阳在天空的位置．在同一层次。将叶片的叶倾角划分为6个等级。将叶片的水平位置划分为8个方位．设同一层次中水平面上的太阳辐照度相同。某一方位角和叶倾角的叶面的直接辐射由太阳视运动方程决定．以此为基础,分别计算“光斑区”和“遮荫区”内叶片的光合速率,并通过数值积分计算整个冠层的光合速率及光合日总量．用田间实测资料验证了冠层内太阳辐射分布模型和冠层光合作用模型．敏感性试验分析表明。模型对环境因子和生物学因素有良好的响应．