Influence of pH on hygral expansion, relaxation shrinkage and extensibility of wool fabric

The standard tests for relaxation shrinkage and hygral expansion of wool fabric take no account of pH. It is shown in this work that the pH of the solution in which wool fabric is relaxed as part of the procedure for measuring dimensional properties has a significant influence on the results. At around pH 4.8, which is close to the isoelectric point of wool, the hygral expansion reaches its greatest value and drops at both lower and higher pHs. A similar relationship between pH and extensibility of wool fabric was observed. Values of relaxation shrinkage were found to be dependant on pH. The reasons for the pH dependence of dimensional properties are discussed and these include changes in wool fiber swelling, yarn crimp and polymer relaxation phenomena with changes in pH.

The impact of cell formation on layout designs in cellular manufacturing

This paper provides a procedure to address all three phases of the design for cellular manufacturing namely parts/machines grouping, intra-cell and inter-cell layout designs concurrently. It provides a platform to investigate the impact of the cell formation method on intracell and inter-cell layout designs and vice versa by generating multiple efficient layout designs for different cell partitioning strategies. This approach enables the decision maker to have wider choices with regard to the different number of cells and to assess various criteria such as travelling cost, duplication of machines, space requirement against each alternative. The performance of the model is demonstrated by applying it to an example selected from literature.

Convert meets KIELER: integrating advanced layout algorithms into by-example visualisations

The CONcrete Visual assistEd Transformation (CONVErT) framework provides facilities to generate reusable notations and compose them to form a wide variety of visual-isations. With an increased number of notations in large scale visualisations, it is crucial to use advanced layout algorithms to improve understandability of such complex visualisations. This showpiece paper demonstrates how advanced layout algorithms can be integrated into the notation specifications of CONVErT to generate layouts of complex visualisations.

The German two-tier board and the German corporate governance code

This paper deals with some interesting recent corporate governance developments in Germany. The focus is in particular on the German Corporate Governance Code, its parts, layout and how it deals with the various organs of German public corporations. The German Code is quite unique since it applies a Code of Good Practice to a two-tier board system, thus making it necessary to deal with the role and functions and the relationship between the management and the supervisory board. This paper concludes that several changes to the German law relating to public corporations since the middle of the 1990s and the introduction of the German Code will ensure that the two-tier board system will remain the favoured board structure for public corporations in Germany. It is, however, submitted that employee participation at supervisory board level will provide particular political challenges for Germany in the near future.

Evolving insight into high-dimensional data

ISOMap is a popular method for nonlinear dimensionality reduction in batch mode, but need to run its entirety inefficiently if the data comes sequentially. In this paper, we present an extension of ISOMap, namely I-ISOMap, augmenting the existing ISOMap framework to the situation where additional points become available after initial manifold is constructed. The MDS step, as a key component in ISOMap, is adapted by introducing Spring model and sampling strategy. As a result, it consumes only linear time to obtain a stable layout due to the Spring model’s iterative nature. The proposed method outperforms earlier work by Law [1], where their MDS step runs within quadratic time. Experimental results show that I-ISOMap is a precise and efficient technique for capturing evolving manifold.

The metabolic and cognitive energy costs of stabilising a high-energy interlimb coordination task

Kinematic (relative phase error), metabolic (oxygen consumption, heart rate) and attentional (baseline and cycling reaction times) variables were measured while participants practised a high energy-demanding, intrinsically unstable 90° relative phase coordination pattern on independent bicycle ergometers. The variables were found to be strongly inter-correlated, suggesting a link between emerging performance stability with practice and minimal metabolic and attentional cost. The effects of practice of 90° relative phase coordination on the performance of in-phase (0°-phase) and antiphase (180°-phase) coordination were investigated by measuring the relative phase attractor layouts and recording the metabolic and attentional cost of the three coordination patterns before and after practice. The attentional variables did not differ significantly between coordination patterns and did not change with practice. Before practice, the coordination performance was most accurate and stable for in-phase cycling, with antiphase next and 90°-phase the poorest. However, metabolic cost was lower for antiphase than either in-phase or 90°-phase cycling, and the pre-practice attractor layout deviated from that predicted on the basis of dynamic stability as an attractor state, revealing an attraction to antiphase cycling. After practice of 90°-phase cycling, in-phase cycling remained the most accurate and stable, with 90°-phase next and antiphase the poorest, but antiphase retained the lowest metabolic energy cost. The attractor layout had changed, with new attractors formed at the practised 90°-phase pattern and its symmetrical partner of 270°-phase. Considering both the pre- and post-practice results, attractors were formed at either a low metabolic energy cost but less stable (antiphase) pattern or at a more stable but higher metabolic energy cost (90°-phase) pattern, but in neither case at the most stable and accurate (in-phase) pattern. The results suggest that energetic factors affect coordination dynamics and that coordination modes lower in metabolic energy expenditure may compete with dynamically stable modes.

Thermal control of high pressure die casting using computational fluid dynamics

The quality of high pressure die castings is a function of many interdependent parameters. It has been observed that many defects detected in the HPDC castings can be tracked back to poor die temperature distribution in the critical areas. It has therefore been recommended that the development of a technique to directly control the critical features - making them less sensitive to thermal related parameters - be very beneficial to the HPDC industry. From the information obtained from thermal image (processing), computational fluid dynamics has been applied to design the layout of internal cooling system and assign the flow conditions such as flow rate and pressure of the cooling water. it is observed that CFD prediction provides an excellent insight into the thermal balance of the high pressure die casting.

The domain layer for mixed-initiative interaction in generative design

The design space exploration formalism has developed data structures and algorithms of sufficient complexity and scope to support conceptual layout, massing, and enclosure configurations. However, design remains a human enterprise. To support the user in designing with the formalism, we have developed an interaction model that addresses the interleaving of user actions with the formal operations of design space exploration. The central feature of our interaction model is the modeling of control based on mixed-initiative. Initiative is sometimes taken by the designer and sometimes by the formalism in working on a shared design task. The model comprises three layers, domain, task, and dialogue. In this paper we describe the formulation of the domain layer of our mixed-initiative interaction model for design space exploration. We present the view of the domain as understood in the formalism in terms of the three abstract concepts of state, move, and structure. In order to support mixed initiative, it is necessary to develop a shared view of the domain. The domain layer addresses this problem by mapping the designer's view onto the symbol substrate. First, we present the designer's view of the domain in terms of problems, solutions, choices, and history. Second, we show how this view is interleaved with the symbol-substrate through four domain layer constructs, problem state, solution state, choice, and exploration history. The domain layer presents a suitable foundation for integrating the role of the designer with a description formalism. It enables the designer to maintain exploration freedom in terms of formulating and reformulating problems, generating solutions, making choices, and navigating the history of exploration.

A parallel DNA fragment assembly algorithm based on eulerian superpath approach

Fragments assembly is among the core problems in the research of Genome. Although many assembly tools based on the "overlap-layout-consensus" paradigm are widely used such as in the Human Genome Project currently, they still can not resolve the "repeats problem" in the DNA sequencing. For the purpose of resolving such problem, Pevzner et al. put forward a new Euler Superpath assembly algorithm. But it needs a big and complex de Bruijin graph which consumes large amounts of memories i.e. becomes the bottleneck of the performance. We present a parallel DNA fragment assembly algorithm based on the Eularian Superpath theory and solve the bottleneck in the current assembly program. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach has a good scalability, and can be used in DNA assembly of middle and large size of eukaryote genome.

GST legislation plus 2004

Provides a comprehensive set of GST and related legislation in easy- to-read layout, plus extensive history notes and annotations. Includes annotations to Australian GST rulings, section-by-section overviews, defined term locators and relevant overseas case precedents.

Highlights from the tennis Australia heritage collections : mini-exhibition in the player cafe, Rod Laver Arena

Summary : This 'mini-exhibition' arose as an opportunity to showcase recent acquisitions as well as established holdings of significant items of tennis related heritage within the Tennis Australia Heritage Collections. In general, the Collections have two main strengths, and the mini-exhibition was designed to communicate these. The first strength is the ability to show the evolution of tennis technology and practices over time, from the beginnings of modern tennis in the 1860s, to today. This evolution is a result of tennis being influenced by changes in the wider world, such as the Industrial Revolution. The second strength of the Collections is in showing the impact and influence of tennis on society. Many items in the Collections are evidence of the immense and enduring popularity of the sport across the world. The Collections contain many beautiful, rare and fascinating items of decorative arts, fashion, literature and social history which feature tennis as a motif. These items show the reverse influence - the deep impression tennis has made outside of the sport itself.  This mini-exhibition focuses on these two themes. Some displays focus on the first theme. They demonstrate the evolution of tennis racquets, tennis balls, instructional publications and other tennis related equipment over the past century and a half. Other displays focus on the second theme. There are cases which examine tennis' influence upon global popular culture, in board games, fashion and decorative arts from around the world.  The mini-exhibition includes items from the U.s, U.K., Germany, France, Austria, Japan and Australia, demonstrating the global phenomenon that tennis quickly became, and showcasing the international scope of the Collections.  Each case contains text panels listing the objects and their specifications, and panels providing contextual information about the display. The miniexhibition is expected to be on display until November 2009. A case-bycase breakdown of objects, with images and a layout map follows.