Approach to identify product and process state drivers in manufacturing systems using supervised machine learning

The developed concept allows identifying relevant state drivers of complex, multi-stage manufacturing systems holistically. It is able to utilize complex, diverse and high-dimensional data sets which often occur in manufacturing applications and integrate the important process intra- and inter-relations. The evaluation was conducted by using three different scenarios from distinctive manufacturing domains (aviation, chemical and semiconductor). The evaluation confirmed that it is possible to incorporate implicit process intra- and inter-relations on process as well as programme level through applying SVM based feature ranking. The analysis outcome presents a direct benefit for practitioners in form of the most important process parameters and state characteristics, so-called state drivers, of a manufacturing system. Given the increasing availability of data and information, this selection support can be directly utilized in, e.g., quality monitoring and advanced process control

A New Pseudopolymorph of Hexakis-(4-cynaophenyl)benzene

The title compound (systematic name: benzene-4,4′,4′′,4′′′,-4′′′′,4′′′′′-hexaylhexabenzonitrile dichloromethane disolvate), C48H24N6•2CH2Cl2, crystallizes as an inclusion compound during the slow diffusion of methanol into a solution of hexakis(4-cyanophenyl)benzene in CH2Cl2. The hexakis(4- cyanophenyl)benzene molecule lies on an axis of twofold rotation in the space group Pbcn. Weak C—H•••N interactions between hexakis(4-cyanophenyl)benzene molecules define an open network with space for including guests. The resulting structure is a new pseudopolymorph of hexakis-(4-cyanophenyl)benzene. The eight known pseudopolymorphs have few shared architectural features, in part because none of the intermolecular interactions that are present plays a dominant role or forces neighboring molecules to assume particular relative orientations

Solid motor diagnostic instrumentation

A review of typical surveillance and monitoring practices followed during the flight phases of representative solid-propellant upper stages and apogee motors was conducted to evaluate the need for improved flight diagnostic instrumentation on future spacecraft. The capabilities of the flight instrumentation package were limited to the detection of whether or not the solid motor was the cause of failure and to the identification of probable primary failure modes. Conceptual designs of self-contained flight instrumentation packages capable of meeting these reqirements were generated and their performance, typical cost, and unit characteristics determined. Comparisons of a continuous real time and a thresholded hybrid design were made on the basis of performance, mass, power, cost, and expected life. The results of this analysis substantiated the feasibility of a self-contained independent flight instrumentation module as well as the existence of performance margins by which to exploit growth option applications

Genetic variation in native populations of the laurel wilt pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola, in Taiwan and Japan and the introduced population in the USA

Laurel wilt is a true vascular wilt disease caused by Raffaelea lauricola, which is a mycangial symbiont of Xyleborus glabratus, an ambrosia beetle. The fungus and vector are both native to Asia, but it is believed that both were introduced to the Savannah, Georgia area about 15 years ago. Laurel wilt has caused widespread mortality on redbay (Persea borbonia) and other members of the Lauraceae in the southeastern USA, and both pathogen and vector have spread as far as Texas. It is thought that there was a single introduction of R. lauricola to the USA, but there are no extensive studies on the genetic variation of R. lauricola populations that would suggest a genetic bottleneck in the USA. Ten isolates of R. lauricola from Japan, 55 from Taiwan, and 125 from the USA that were collected from X. glabratus adults or infected trees were analyzed with microsatellite and 28S rDNA markers, and with primers developed for two mating type genes. The new primers identified isolates as either MAT1 or MAT2 mating types in roughly equal proportions in Taiwan and Japan, where there was also high genetic diversity within populations based on all the markers, indicating these that individuals within these populations may have cryptic sex. Aside from a local population near Savannah and a single isolate in Alabama that had unique microsatellite alleles, the USA population was genetically uniform and included only the MAT2 mating type, indicating that the population in the USA has undergone a severe genetic bottleneck. This study suggests the importance of preventing a second introduction of R. lauricola to the USA, which could introduce the opposite mating type and allow for genetic recombination and a more aggressive strain of R. lauricola

Philipp Frank: Philosophy of Science, Pragmatism, and Social Engagement

Philipp Frank––physicist, philosopher, and early member of the Vienna Circle––is often neglected in retrospective accounts of twentieth century philosophy of science, despite renewed interest in the work of the Vienna Circle. In this thesis, I argue that this neglect is unwarranted. Appealing to a variety of philosophical and historical sources, I trace the development of Frank’s philosophical thought and, in so doing highlight the roles played by history, sociology, values, and pragmatism in his philosophy of science. Turning to contemporary literature, I then argue that Frank’s work should be understood as an early instance of what is now called “socially engaged philosophy of science.” This understanding is explored through a careful consideration of his work on education, where previous work on history, sociology, values, and pragmatism is applied to an important, real-world problem. This socially engaged reading of Frank extends beyond pragmatic issues of theory application, because as I show, Frank used sociology to argue for the meaningfulness of metaphysical claims. However, Frank’s account of meaning may seem to be problematic since it heavily relies on Percy Bridgman’s operationalism. So, I outline the problems associated with Bridgman’s account of operationalism and show that Frank’s view does not fall prey to the same criticisms. After these objections are addressed, Frank’s work is contextualized in the broader debate about value-free science, where I argue that Frank did not endorse the value-free ideal. As a result of these findings, we will not only have a clearer picture of Frank’s philosophical contributions, but also a better understanding of how the philosophy of science can better engage important social issues

Femoral Nerve Block in Total Knee Arthroplasty: Utilization of Technique by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists

Postoperative pain control is an important component to patient rehabilitation. The multi-modal approach to pain management includes the use of peripheral nerve blocks to improve the perception of postoperative pain. The purpose of this study was to determine Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) practice experience with the use of femoral nerve block (FNB) for pain control in patients receiving total knee arthroplasty. CRNA’s experienced with providing anesthesia for total knee arthroplasty were surveyed to determine their utilization of the femoral nerve block technique and their perceptions of efficacy of the technique. A quota sample of CRNA’s from major hospitals in a midwestern state, were asked to participate in completing a questionnaire. The utilization of FNB in the study was 17.2% of TKA patients. Those CRNA’s that received both formal and other training in nerve block technique were more likely to use FNB for pain control than their peers who received only one type of training or no training at all. The literature review data regarding the absolute efficacy of the FNB technique was limited. The study did reveal, however, that 60% of CRNA’s who do perform FNB, reported the TKA patients’ pain control in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), when using general anesthesia, as fair or poor. Barriers to the use of FNB revealed the most significant barrier to performing the procedure to be the anesthesiologist preference