The two-dimensional cutting stock problem within the roller blind production process

In this paper we consider a two-dimensional cutting stock problem encountered at a large manufacturer of window covering products. The problem occurs in the production process of made-to-measure roller blinds. We develop a solution method that takes into account the characteristics of the specific problem. In particular, we deal with the fact that fabrics may contain small defects that should end up with the waste. Comparison to previous practice shows significant waste reductions.cutting;trim loss;two-dimensional cutting stock problem

A cloistered entrepôt: sir Tobie Matthew and the English Carmel in Antwerp

To escape religious persecution in England, English Carmelite nuns took refuge in Antwerp, where in 1619 Anne of the Ascension (Anne Worsley, 1588-1644) and Lady Mary Lovell (c. 1564-1628) had founded a convent expressly for exiled young English ladies. Although insulated from the world by enclosure and obedience to the rule, the Antwerp Carmel was not cut off from its surroundings. A careful perusal of the foundation's "Chronicle'' and the vast correspondence left by the women religious exposes an interesting jigsaw of intersections between the private and the public, and the religious and cultural worlds of the early modern period. The Carmelite community indeed patronized artists outside the convent walls, commissioning for instance an English translation of the Life of St Teresa from Sir Tobie Matthew (1577-1655), who also produced a hitherto unknown Life of one of the Carmelite nuns

Future proofing

Drastic improvements in growing technology in the Netherlands have achieved a large reduction in energy use and a striking increase in production

Men fear other men most: Gender specific brain activations in perceiving threat from dynamic faces and bodies. An fMRI study.

We report a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment showing different activation patterns as a function of threatening signals from facial or bodily expressions and these differed between male and female participants as a function of male and female actors. Male observers showed a clear motor preparation response to threatening male body language