The Brachiacantha (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) of Illinois

The Illinois fauna of Brachiacantha (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is treated in this paper. Seven species were found to occur in Illinois through active collecting and study of specimens from 16 museums and private collections. A key to the identification of adults, descriptions of the adults, habitus photographs and national and state distribution maps are provided. The most commonly collected Illinois species are B. ursina, B. felina, B. quadripunctata quadripunctata and B. decempustulata. Uncommonly collected species are B. dentipes and B. rotunda. Brachiacantha indubitabilis is represented in the Illinois fauna only by the lectotype for the species. Malaise traps, sweep netting, yellow sticky traps, visual inspection of plant material, U-V light traps and pit-fall traps were used in attempts to collect Brachiacantha adults. Since 1990, Malaise traps collected four species and 63.3% of the specimens, manual collecting yielded five species and 27.3% of the specimens and yellow sticky traps collected two species and 9.4% of the specimens. U-V light traps and pitfall traps did not collect Brachiacantha. The larvae of only two species are known and both have been identified as myrmecophiles. The evolutionary basis of this Brachiacantha-ant relationship is discussed. Also discussed is the species status of Brachiacantha rotunda Gordon

Book Reviews

FOREIGN SEIZURES: SABBATINO AND THE ACT OF STATE DOCTRINE. By Eugene F. Mooney. TREATISE ON JUSTICE. By Edgar Bodenheimer

Application of six sigma methodology to reduce defects of a grinding process

Six Sigma is a data-driven leadership approach using specific tools and methodologies that lead to fact-based decision making. This paper deals with the application of the Six Sigma methodology in reducing defects in a fine grinding process of an automotive company in India. The DMAIC (Define–Measure–Analyse–Improve–Control) approach has been followed here to solve the underlying problem of reducing process variation and improving the process yield. This paper explores how a manufacturing process can use a systematic methodology to move towards world-class quality level. The application of the Six Sigma methodology resulted in reduction of defects in the fine grinding process from 16.6 to 1.19%. The DMAIC methodology has had a significant financial impact on the profitability of the company in terms of reduction in scrap cost, man-hour saving on rework and increased output. A saving of approximately US$2.4 million per annum was reported from this project

The Algorithm for MODIS Wavelength On-Orbit Calibration Using the SRCA

The Spectro-Radiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA) provides on-orbit spectral calibration of the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reflected solar bands and this paper describes how it is accomplished. The SRCA has two adjacent exit slits: 1) Main slit and 2) Calibration slit. The output from the main slit is measured by a reference silicon photo-diode (SIPD) and then passes through the MODIS. The output from the calibration slit passes through a piece of didymium transmission glass and then it is measured by a calibration SIPD. The centroids of the sharp spectral peaks of a didymium glass are utilized as wavelength standards. After normalization using the reference SIPD signal to eliminate the effects of the illuminating source spectra, the calibration SIPD establishes the relationship between the peaks of the didymium spectra and the grating angle; this is accomplished through the grating equation. In the grating equation the monochromator parameters, Beta (half angle between the incident and diffractive beams) and Theta(sub off) (offset angle of the grating motor) are determined by matching, in a least square sense, the known centroid wavelengths of the didymium peaks and the calculated centroid grating angles from the calibration SIPD signals for the peaks. A displacement between the calibration SIPD and the reference SIPD complicates the signal processing

The 1991 research and technology report, Goddard Space Flight Center

The 1991 Research and Technology Report for Goddard Space Flight Center is presented. Research covered areas such as (1) earth sciences including upper atmosphere, lower atmosphere, oceans, hydrology, and global studies; (2) space sciences including solar studies, planetary studies, Astro-1, gamma ray investigations, and astrophysics; (3) flight projects; (4) engineering including robotics, mechanical engineering, electronics, imaging and optics, thermal and cryogenic studies, and balloons; and (5) ground systems, networks, and communications including data and networks, TDRSS, mission planning and scheduling, and software development and test

Six Sigma application for quality improvement of the pin insertion process

Six Sigma is a systematic and organized, client-oriented approach that aims to improve the performance and quality of processes, products and services using statistical techniques. This paper presents a case study performed in an automotive company that intends to reduce the defective units produced by an automatic process, the process of single pin insertion, using the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) method that is a structured way to carried out Six Sigma projects. In this process, excessive pin insertion force on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) entailed high rejection costs and line stop times that affected the supply of the final assembly lines. Therefore, the application of Six Sigma had the purpose to increase the quantity of products produced well at the first time and to reduce the quality costs associated to the process. To this end, the problem was defined, measured and analyzed starting from the machine and the two products with the highest number of rejections. An exhaustive analysis to determine the root cause allowed concluding that the excessive force is generated by the interaction of three factors: the PCBs physical characteristics, the pins contact zone and the wear of the machine components. A set of improvements focused on these factors raised the quality levels of the process, making it more stable and with less variability, by reducing the insertion forces to values closer to the nominal value. Methods for keeping the process under control were also defined and implemented. The use of some quality tools and the Six Sigma methodology proved to be extremely positive since this has led to significant improvements in the quality of the pin insertion process.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UID/CEC/00319/2019

Case study in six sigma methadology : manufacturing quality improvement and guidence for managers

This article discusses the successful implementation of Six Sigma methodology in a high precision and critical process in the manufacture of automotive products. The Six Sigma define–measure–analyse–improve–control approach resulted in a reduction of tolerance-related problems and improved the first pass yield from 85% to 99.4%. Data were collected on all possible causes and regression analysis, hypothesis testing, Taguchi methods, classification and regression tree, etc. were used to analyse the data and draw conclusions. Implementation of Six Sigma methodology had a significant financial impact on the profitability of the company. An approximate saving of US$70,000 per annum was reported, which is in addition to the customer-facing benefits of improved quality on returns and sales. The project also had the benefit of allowing the company to learn useful messages that will guide future Six Sigma activities