Discontinuous Process Research Articles

Theoretical Aspect of Assembly

Abstract Assembly plays a decisive role in global production in terms of its share in the total costs of the products assembled and in terms of the number of people working in the field. The author of (1) indicates that the percentage of the workers in assembly out of the total number of the workers in manufacturing in the U.S.A. ranged from 26.3% (bicycles) to 45.6% (automobiles), while the cost of the product assembly represented typically more than 50% of the total costs. Despite the above-mentioned importance of assembly in the industry, the discontinuous production processes have not been paid adequate attention until recently. It was sufficient to manufacture parts and then an operative reasonably and inexpensively assembled each product manually. The authors of this paper would like to emphasise “the method of a systemic approach” which focuses upon identifying the key activities to meet the objective. Harmonious interrelations of the activities are often a source of greater profit than in a system where some activities are of the top level while the others are neglected (2). The aim of this paper is to describe theoretical aspects of all the typical activities of the assembly system.

Cube texture evolution of Ni5W alloy substrates and La–Zr–O buffer layer of YBCO-coated conductors

The cube texture evolution of Ni-5 at%W alloy deformed up to a very high strain was thoroughly investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) during the process of deformation, recrystallization and grain growth. A typical copper-type rolling texture, mainly consisting of components of S, copper and brass orientations, is obtained after heavy cold rolling. The fraction of rolling texture is slightly strengthened during recovery and then strongly reduced during recrystallization process. The cube texture is formed by consuming the rolling texture components during the discontinuous recrystallization process. The cube grains have a size advantage with respect to the non-cube grains. A strong cube-textured Ni5W alloy substrate with cube texture area fraction of 98.2 % (<10°) is obtained after annealing at 1050 °C for 1 h. The full width half maximum (FWHM) values for the X-ray (111) φ-scan and the (002) ω-scan of this substrate are 5.84° and 4.76°, respectively. Furthermore, the area fraction of {001} 〈110〉 orientation of the epitaxially grown La2Zr2O7 buffer layer is 97.1 % (<10°), and the FWHM values of (111) φ-scan and (002) ω-scan are 5.22° and 5.00°, respectively.

Bark and Ambrosia Beetles Show Different Invasion Patterns in the USA.

Non-native bark and ambrosia beetles represent a threat to forests worldwide. Their invasion patterns are, however, still unclear. Here we investigated first, if the spread of non-native bark and ambrosia beetles is a gradual or a discontinuous process; second, which are the main correlates of their community structure; third, whether those correlates correspond to those of native species. We used data on species distribution of non-native and native scolytines in the continental 48 USA states. These data were analyzed through a beta-diversity index, partitioned into species richness differences and species replacement, using Mantel correlograms and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination for identifying spatial patterns, and regression on distance matrices to test the association of climate (temperature, rainfall), forest (cover area, composition), geographical (distance), and human-related (import) variables with β-diversity components. For both non-native bark and ambrosia beetles, β-diversity was mainly composed of species richness difference than species replacement. For non-native bark beetles, a discontinuous invasion process composed of long distance jumps or multiple introduction events was apparent. Species richness differences were primarily correlated with differences in import values while temperature was the main correlate of species replacement. For non-native ambrosia beetles, a more continuous invasion process was apparent, with the pool of non-native species arriving in the coastal areas that tended to be filtered as they spread to interior portions of the continental USA. Species richness differences were mainly correlated with differences in rainfall among states, while rainfall and temperature were the main correlates of species replacement. Our study suggests that the different ecology of bark and ambrosia beetles influences their invasion process in new environments. The lower dependency that bark beetles have on climate allowed them to potentially colonize more areas within the USA, while non-native ambrosia beetles, being dependent on rainfall, are typically filtered by the environment.

Crack path simulation in a particle-toughened interlayer within a polymer composite laminate

With recent advances in computational resources and the development of arbitrary cracking methods, such as the Augmented Finite Element Method (A-FEM), more complex simulations can now be represented featuring multiple interacting cracks. It has been established that Mode I crack propagation in particle-toughened interlayers within some toughened Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) laminates involves a discontinuous process zone, rather than a distinct crack tip. This results from multiple cracks forming ahead of the main crack that subsequently coalesce, leaving behind bridging ligaments that may then provide traction across the crack flanks. An idealised two-dimensional A-FEM model is presented in this work, which represents the ‘particles’ as one-dimensional cohesive regions. The model shows that variables such as particle spacing, distribution, strength and toughness, and fibre interface strength can be tailored in order to maintain the crack path within the interlayer. This competition between crack paths is important, as a reduction in composite toughness is reported when the crack path migrates to the fibre interface. The simulations are complemented by time-resolved Synchrotron Radiation Computed Tomography (SRCT) data, which identify the chronology of the damage processes, along with the effects of particle distribution on the crack path and the formation of bridging ligaments.

Heteroepitaxial recrystallization: A new mechanism discovered in a polycrystalline γ-γ′ nickel based superalloy

The dynamic recrystallization mechanisms and kinetics of a recently developed γ-γ′ nickel based superalloy are studied at different subsolvus temperatures. Special care is paid to the evolution of γ′ particles and their influence on recrystallization phenomena. An original dynamic recrystallization mechanism is highlighted thanks to the combined use of Energy Dispersive Spectrometry and Electron BackScattered Diffraction mapping techniques. This mechanism leads to the formation of large heteroepitaxial pairs, made of a primary precipitate embedded in a recrystallized grain having the same crystallographic orientation. Recrystallization nuclei arise from inverse precipitation of γ phase at the rim of primary γ′ precipitates, prior to deformation. This heteroepitaxial recrystallization mechanism is reported here for the first time. It controls dynamic microstructure evolution at low strains and is then progressively replaced by the conventional discontinuous necklace recrystallization process at higher strains.

High-rate roll-to-roll stack and lamination of multilayer structured membrane electrode assembly

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is the heart of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack. The presented roll-to-roll (R2R) system is initially developed for the mass production of MEA with high alignment precision, to avoid time-consuming manual manipulation. It is challenging to align large-area flexible multilayer structured membranes precisely. Two trilayer seal membranes are half-die-cut to structured films with various numbers of layers when their upper 2-layers are peeled off. Then the two structured trilayer seal films are laminated with skinless PEM to form composite PEM. In order to guarantee the manipulation precision and the registration of several multilayer structured films, the dark field illumination device and contact measurement device are developed to detect the micro-scale indentation on the transparent film. It can guarantee the discontinuous die-cutting process collaborates with the continuous R2R peeling and lamination processes, in a controllable production rhythm. The R2R technology is highly scalable for large area fuel cells.

Self-reported Barriers to Adherence and Persistence to Treatment With Injectable Medications for Type 2 Diabetes

PurposeThis study explored the barriers that adult Americans experience when taking injectable medications for type 2 diabetes, from the time of filling the initial prescription through the decision to discontinue the medication. MethodsAn Internet-based survey was conducted in 2 waves among adult patients (N = 2000) who had received a physician prescription for insulin, liraglutide, or exenatide once weekly (QW), regardless of whether the prescription was filled by a pharmacy. In wave 1, patients were surveyed on their medication history and experience and, if relevant, the medication discontinuation process. Those still taking their injectable medication at the time of wave 1 were contacted 6 months later (wave 2, n = 585) to assess any changes in their medication experience. FindingsAmong patients who delayed filling their prescription by ≥1 week, cost was a common reason for delay for refilling of liraglutide (63%) and exenatide QW (49%). The most commonly reported barrier to maintaining injectable medication was injection concerns (42%) such as aversion to needles, pain, or needle size. Lack of perceived need was the most common reason for discontinuation for basal (47%) and prandial/premixed (44%) insulin. For liraglutide, the most common reason for discontinuation was experiencing an adverse event (33%); for exenatide QW, it was injection concerns (38%). ImplicationsThe diverse barriers we identified underscore the need for better patient–prescriber communication to ensure that newly prescribed injectable medications are consistent with a patient’s ability or willingness to manage them, to appropriately set expectations about medications, and to address new barriers that arise during the course of treatment.

Politics for the Polyps

Daniel Harris, “Politics for the Polyps: The Compound Organism as a ‘Peculiar Form of Communism’ in Charles Kingsley’s Alton Locke and The Water-Babies” (pp. 64–88) Charles Kingsley’s novels and political writings are saturated with references to physiological processes in marine invertebrates. In particular, the forms of his novels take their inspiration from functional arrangements in colonial organisms such as corals, in which “individual” polyps are physiologically linked to their neighbors. Alton Locke (1851) and The Water-Babies (1863) attempt to explain the benefits of cooperative economic practices (e.g., the associative workshop) and the dangers of cooperative political practices (e.g., the Chartist mass meeting) by jettisoning British Enlightenment assumptions about personal identity. Instead, Kingsley’s novels use discontinuous and communal physiological processes in invertebrates, such as corals and jellyfish, as frameworks for representing psychological and political development. Ultimately, Kingsley seeks to intervene in mid-century debates about how to individuate members of the working class by suggesting that reformist measures must be grounded in a physiological understanding of individuation that contravenes psychological definitions of individuality.

Recombinant porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus expressing luciferase genes provide a new indication of viral propagation in both permissive and target cells

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has a condensed single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome that contains several overlapping regions. The transcription regulatory sequence (TRS) is the important cis-acting element participating in PRRSV discontinuous transcription process. Based on reverse genetic system of type 2 highly pathogenic PRRSV cell-passage attenuated strain pHuN4-F112, firefly luciferase or Renilla luciferase genes were inserted between ORF1b and ORF2. An extra TRS6 was embedded behind the foreign luciferase genes. pA-Fluc and pA-Rluc were constructed and successfully rescued in MARC-145 cells. The phenotypical characteristics of the progeny virus were indistinguishable from those of vHuN4-F112 and were genetically stable for at least 25 cell passages. Mutant virus-infected cells were lysed at different time points to assess luciferase activities and measure foreign gene expression levels. The results showed identical variations in the luciferase activities of the recombinants in MARC-145 cells, indicating that they were suitable for monitoring viral propagation in PRRSV-permissive cell cultures. They were also used to infect pulmonary alveolar macrophages, which yielded similar variations in luciferase activities. Therefore, vA-Fluc and vA-Rluc present powerful new tools to monitor PRRSV propagation in both passaged and target cells.

Dynamics of replication proteins during lagging strand synthesis: A crossroads for genomic instability and cancer.

DNA replication is a complex phenomenon that requires the concerted action of several enzymes, together with their protein and non-protein cofactors. In the nucleus, the two DNA strands are duplicated by two completely independent methods due to their anti-parallel orientation and the restrictive nature of DNA polymerases that allow DNA synthesis in the 5'-3' direction only. In this review, we focus on the proteins that are involved in the more complex and discontinuous process of lagging strand DNA synthesis by the formation of small DNA fragments called Okazaki fragments which are later sealed to form a continuous strand of DNA. We try and connect all the protein-protein interactions important for lagging strand synthesis in the S-phase of the cell cycle, describe the dynamics of these interactions and go on to discuss the post-translational modifications that affect them. We also look at how mutations in any of the players of the lagging strand synthesis can cause genomic instability leading to cancer and discuss if any of the players may be targeted for cancer therapy.

Modelling on optimal portfolio with exchange rate based on discontinuous stochastic process

ABSTRACTConsidering the stochastic exchange rate, this paper is concerned with the dynamic portfolio selection in financial market. The optimal investment problem is formulated as a continuous-time mathematical model under mean-variance criterion. These processes follow jump-diffusion processes (Weiner process and Poisson process). Then the corresponding Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman(HJB) equation of the problem is presented and its efferent frontier is obtained. Moreover, the optimal strategy is also derived under safety-first criterion.

Landslide-driven erosion and slope–channel coupling in steep, forested terrain, Ruahine Ranges, New Zealand, 1946–2011

Landslides are an important means of conveying sediment from slopes to channels in steepland environments, but landsliding is a discontinuous process. This means that any single assessment in time of their contribution to the sediment cascade is of limited value. To better understand landscape dynamics and the contribution of landslides to slope–channel coupling over time, this paper quantifies connectivity over a time span of 65years in small, steep headwater catchments in the southern Ruahine Range, New Zealand. Temporal variability in landsliding and slope–channel coupling was assessed using six sets of aerial photography flown between 1946 and 2011, from which over 6900 landslides were mapped in ArcGIS, of which up to 78% connected with the stream network. Estimates of the volume of material delivered by landslide erosion to headwater channels were based on ground survey measurements of selected landslide scars and suggest that between 1946 and 2011 over 5millionm3 of sediment was delivered from slopes to channels in the 221km2 study area. Forest cover is not sufficient to prevent this erosion. These catchment systems are particularly vulnerable to high magnitude storm events, which significantly elevate landslide intensity and enhance sediment delivery, as occurred in the mid-1970s. The legacy of these events remains in these headwater channels, with ongoing consequences for stream and hazard management in and adjacent to the ranges.

How Condom Discontinuation Occurs: Interviews With Emerging Adult Women

We have almost no data on how and when couples stop using condoms. This qualitative study investigated the process of condom discontinuation. From November 2013 to April 2014, a total of 25 women living in a college town in the Midwest, ages 18 to 25, participated in semistructured interviews centered around three domains: partner interactions, contraceptive use, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention. Analysis followed a critical qualitative research orientation. Participants described actively seeking the best options to prevent pregnancy, perceiving condom discontinuation in favor of hormonal methods as a smart decision, and reported wanting to discontinue using condoms due to physical discomfort. Oftentimes, nonverbal communication around contextual instances of condom unavailability paved the way for discontinuation. Participants indicated the decision to stop using condoms was neither deliberate nor planned. Condom discontinuation rarely occurred at one point in time; instead, it was preceded by a period of occasional use. Even after participants described themselves as not using condoms, sporadic condom use was normal (typically related to fertility cycles). This study provides a more detailed understanding of how and why emerging adults negotiate condom discontinuation, thereby enhancing our ability to design effective condom continuation messages. Attention should be paid to helping emerging adults think more concretely about condom discontinuation.

Policy feedback and self-reinforcing and self-undermining processes in EU biofuels policy

ABSTRACTThis article traces European Union (EU) biofuels policy development from the late 1990s through to 2015, demonstrating the effects of the early multiple rationales for biofuels in generating both self-reinforcing processes of policy continuity as well as self-undermining processes of policy discontinuity. It argues that features of the EU political and institutional context – most importantly, institutional imperatives for a consensus across multiple EU decision-making bodies and the provision of institutionalised opportunities for policy reviews – are deeply implicated in both self-reinforcing and self-undermining feedback processes. The shift in the balance away from self-reinforcing feedback processes to self-undermining processes after 2009 is explained by the interaction of biofuel interpretive feedbacks with contextual changes, including processes of knowledge accumulation regarding the negative environmental impacts of food-based biofuels.

Radner equilibrium in incomplete Lévy models

We construct continuous-time equilibrium models based on a finite number of exponential utility investors. The investors’ income rates as well as the stock’s dividend rate are governed by discontinuous Levy processes. Our main result provides the equilibrium (i.e., bond and stock price dynamics) in closed-form. As an application, we show that the equilibrium Sharpe ratio can be increased and the equilibrium interest rate can be decreased (simultaneously) when the investors’ income streams cannot be traded.

Exaptation as source of creativity, innovation, and diversity: introduction to the Special Section

Exaptation is one of the most important and, yet, little studied evolutionary mechanisms in the history of species, ecosystems, and artifacts (e.g., technologies). Many, if not most, of all biological traits and human artifacts that were developed for particular functions started as something different: feathers were most likely selected for thermal insulation, bones originated as excess calcium repositories, microwave ovens started life as radar magnetrons. Exaptation thus describes a discontinuous evolutionary process resulting from a functional shift of an existing trait or artifact. Despite the importance of the concept, even the term exaptation still remains largely unknown outside the field of evolutionary biology. The main purpose of this special section is to introduce the concept of exaptation to a broader audience, discuss its significance, and expose its contribution to the (possible) solution of long-standing, yet unresolved, questions about the emergence of novelty, particularly radical innovation.

状態跳躍を伴うスパイキングニューラルシステムにおけるカオス評価法の検討

Izhikevich neuron model, which combines continuous spike-generation mechanisms and discontinuous resetting process after spiking, can reproduce almost all spiking activities including chaotic spiking in actual neural systems. When the chaotic state is evaluated in this model, it is known that conventional Lyapunov exponent where the continuous trajectory is presupposed cannot be applied due to the state dependent jump in the resetting process. To evaluate Lyapunov exponent in the system with the resetting process, the accurate numerical calculation for the trajectory by Newton method and the consideration for saltation matrix are needed. By virtue of this method, several routes to chaos have been found in Izhikevich neuron model. While on the other hand, in this study,we have proposed the method combining Euler method and Lyapunov exponent on Poincaré section and evaluated the chaotic state in Izhikevich neuron model. As the result, it has been confirmed that this method can also judge the chaotic state by tuning the initial perturbation against the trajectory.

Phase coexistence and the magnetic glass-like phase associated with the Morin type spin reorientation phase transition in SmCrO3

SmCrO3 undergoes a discontinuous Morin type spin reorientation process due to discrete flipping of Cr3+ ions from the high temperature Γ4 to low temperature Γ1 configuration.

Constraints on the source of resurgent doming inferred from analogue and numerical modeling — Implications on the current feeding system of the Yenkahe dome–Yasur volcano complex (Vanuatu)

Resurgence, defined as the post-collapse long-term uplift of a caldera floor, is commonly attributed to a renewed rise of magma. The Yenkahe dome (Vanuatu) exhibits a common morphology – elongated with a graben on top – among resurgent domes, and is also one of the most active structures of the kind. In this study, we performed a joint analysis based on analogue and finite element numerical models to (1) constrain the width and depth of the long-term deformation intrusive source of the Yenkahe dome and (2) discuss the close association between the Yenkahe dome and the active Yasur cone. We consider the resurgent deformation at the surface to be driven by the uplift of a magma reservoir roof in depth. As the edifice deformation response depends on the medium and the source properties, the mechanical behavior of the upper crust and the nature of the source are modeled using two very different sets of hypotheses. Analogue modeling uses silicone putty, an analogue for a large viscous magma body, intruding a sand–plaster mixture reproducing a Mohr–Coulomb behavior for the crust. Numerical models consider the vertical displacement of a rigid indenter, allowing the conservation of a flat-shaped roof, into an elastoplastic material. Numerical and analogue models show different resurgent dome structures at depth but similar dome and graben morphologies in the surface. Inverse faults – or equivalent shearing zones – delimiting the dome provide an explanation for the confined nature of resurgent doming and the persistent volcanic activity on the dome border represented by the Yasur volcano. Analogue and numerical models together provide an estimation range of 1–1.8km for the intrusive deformation source depth, and 1.3–2km for its width. The proposed association between the Yenkahe dome and the Yasur volcano is compatible with such a shallow depth of the magma reservoir, and argues for a discontinuous resurgence process.

Wesleyan Sanctification and the Ethic of Self‐Realization

AbstractAmong the related but distinct ideas that comprise contemporary American individualism is the ethic of self‐realization, the belief that each person has the moral duty to develop their own characteristic talents and potentialities. Here I argue that although the intellectual sources of this belief are well‐understood, we have little knowledge of how this idea became an ethic, how it acquired the emotional force of a moral directive. I suggest that this development can be explained in part by exploring the history of the Wesleyan doctrine of Sanctification, the conviction that the Christian believer can achieve a state of perfection. In the 19th century, debates erupted over whether Sanctification—originally an ecstatic experience occurring in revivals—could also take place as a gradual process, the development of Christian character. By the early 20th century, broader cultural forces conditioned a theological shift whereby Sanctification was increasingly understood in liberal thought as realization of the divinity that dwells within each individual soul. Along this path, Sanctification progressively permeated certain routines of daily life. This history provides an example of gradual transformation within Christianity, an example that can help to refine understandings of the processes of continuity and discontinuity that have been central to discussion in the Anthropology of Christianity.