A Stackelberg game theoretic model for optimizing product family architecting with supply chain consideration

Planning of an optimal product family architecture (PFA) plays a critical role in defining an organization's product platforms for product variant configuration while leveraging commonality and variety. The focus of PFA planning has been traditionally limited to the product design stage, yet with limited consideration of the downstream supply chain-related issues. Decisions of supply chain configuration have a profound impact on not only the end cost of product family fulfillment, but also how to design the architecture of module configuration within a product family. It is imperative for product family architecting to be optimized in conjunction with supply chain configuration decisions. This paper formulates joint optimization of PFA planning and supply chain configuration as a Stackelberg game. A nonlinear, mixed integer bilevel programming model is developed to deal with the leader–follower game decisions between product family architecting and supply chain configuration. The PFA decision making is represented as an upper-level optimization problem for optimal selection of the base modules and compound modules. A lower-level optimization problem copes with supply chain decisions in accordance with the upper-level decisions of product variant configuration. Consistent with the bilevel optimization model, a nested genetic algorithm is developed to derive near optimal solutions for PFA and the corresponding supply chain network. A case study of joint PFA and supply chain decisions for power transformers is reported to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of the proposed Stackelberg game theoretic joint optimization of PFA and supply chain decisions

Microstructure and high temperature tensile properties of wide gap brazed cobalt based superalloy X-40

Wide gap brazing (WGB) of X-40 cobalt based superalloy was conducted in this study using BNi-9 braze alloy with X-40 and IN738 additive alloys. A groove was machined into X-40 bars with a nominal width of 6?35 mm before filler application. Following brazing at 1200\ub0C for 15 min, the microstructure of the as brazed joints was examined using SEM, EDS and nanoindentation technique. Both WGB joints with X-40 and IN783 additive alloys contained primary matrix phase in addition to a number of boron containing phases which assumed either eutectic or discrete forms. Nanoindention testing revealed that these boron containing phases exhibited hardness values several times higher than the base alloy and matrix phase contributing to the embrittlement of the braze joint. Porosity was also observed in both types of WGB braze joints, the degree of which was greatest in the braze joints with IN738 additive alloy. Tensile testing at 950uC showed that the yield strength of both WGB joints was higher than that of the baseline specimens while the ultimate tensile strength of the WGB joints was lower than that of the baseline X-40. The ductility of the WGB joints was significantly inferior to that of the baseline X-40, particularly for WGB with IN 738 additive alloy. \ua9 2010 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Enhanced Transfection by Antioxidative Polymeric Gene Carrier that Reduces Polyplex-Mediated Cellular Oxidative Stress

To test the hypothesis in which polyplex-induced oxidative stress may affect overall transfection efficiency, an antioxidative transfection system minimizing cellular oxidative stress was designed for enhanced transfection. An amphiphilic copolymer (PEI-PLGA) was synthesized and used as a micelle-type gene carrier containing hydrophobic antioxidant, alpha-tocopherol. Cellular oxidative stress and the change of mitochondrial membrane potential after transfection was measured by using a fluorescent probe (H(2)DCFDA) and lipophilic cationic probe (JC-1), respectively. Transfection efficiency was determined by measuring a reporter gene (luciferase) expression level. The initial transfection study with conventional PEI/plasmid DNA polyplex showed significant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The PEI-PLGA copolymer successfully carried out the simultaneous delivery of alpha-tocopherol and plasmid DNA (PEI-PLGA/Toco/pDNA polyplex) into cells, resulting in a significant reduction in cellular ROS generation after transfection and helped to maintain the mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta I). In addition, the transfection efficiency was dramatically increased using the antioxidative transfection system. This work showed that oxidative stress would be one of the important factors that should be considered in designing non-viral gene carriers and suggested a possible way to reduce the carrier-mediated oxidative stress, which consequently leads to enhanced transfection