Total quality management in manufacturing: A study in the Singapore context

The paper presents a total quality management (TQM) framework combining the concepts underlying the notions of total quality control (TQC), Just in Time (JIT), manufacturing resource planning (MRP), and quality control circles (QCCs). An integrative model, in which these notions and the related issues are complementarily connected on the same logical plane is presented and it is argued that this is akin to the total systems intervention (TSI) approach in its endeavor to seek manufacturing excellence. It also has similarities to creative problem solving, especially with regard to corporate strategy, but here with an emphasis on the role of manufacturing. However, TQM is an idea of its own, and not a conceptual derivative of systems theory.     

Analysis of discrete-time queues with batch renewal input and multiple vacations

This paper analyzes a discrete-time multiple vacations finite-buffer queueing system with batch renewal input in which inter-arrival time of batches are arbitrarily distributed.Service and vacation times are mutually independent and geometrically distributed.The server takes vacations when the system does not have any waiting jobs at a service completion epoch or a vacation completion epoch.The system is analyzed under the assumptions of late arrival system with delayed access and early arrival system.Using the supplementary variable and the imbedded Markov chain techniques, the authors obtain the queue-length distributions at pre-arrival,arbitrary and outside observer’s observation epochs for partial-batch rejection policy.The blocking probability of the first-,an arbitrary-and the last-job in a batch have been discussed.The analysis of actual waiting-time distributions measured in slots of the first-,an arbitrary- and the last-job in an accepted batch,and other performance measures along with some numerical results have also been investigated.     

Growth of Magnetite Nanoparticles under Magnetic Fields

1 Introduction Over the past several years, the preparation and characterization ofnanoscale magnetic materials, especially one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure, have attracted much attention as the nanomaterials would allow investigating the fundamental aspects of magnetic-ordering phenomena in magnetic materials with reduced dimensions and could lead to new potential applications such as data storage technology[1-6].     

Stability analysis of the simplest Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy control system using circle criterion

A frequency-domain-based sufficient condition is derived to guarantee the globally asymptotic stability of the simplest Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy control system by using the circle criterion. The analysis is performed in the frequency domain, and hence the condition is of great significance when the frequency-response method, which is widely used in the linear control theory and practice, is employed to synthesize the simplest T-S fuzzy controller. Besides, this sufficient condition is featured by a graphical interpretation, which makes the condition straightforward to be used. Comparisons are drawn between the performance of the simplest T-S fuzzy controller and that of the linear compensator. Two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate how this sufficient condition can be applied to both stable and unstable plants.     

Termination of asymmetric cell division and differentiation of stomata

Stomata consist of a pair of guard cells that mediate gas and water-vapour exchange between plants and the atmosphere. Stomatal precursor cells-meristemoids-possess a transient stem-cell-like property and undergo several rounds of asymmetric divisions before further differentiation. Here we report that the Arabidopsis thaliana basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein MUTE is a key switch for meristemoid fate transition. In the absence of MUTE, meristemoids abort after excessive asymmetric divisions and fail to differentiate stomata. Constitutive overexpression of MUTE directs the entire epidermis to adopt guard cell identity. MUTE has two paralogues: FAMA, a regulator of guard cell morphogenesis, and SPEECHLESS (SPCH). We show that SPCH directs the first asymmetric division that initiates stomatal lineage. Together, SPCH, MUTE and FAMA bHLH proteins control stomatal development at three consecutive steps: initiation, meristemoid differentiation and guard cell morphogenesis. Our findings highlight the roles of closely related bHLHs in cell type differentiation in plants and animals.     

Bafilomycin A1 activates respiration of neuronal cells via uncoupling associated with flickering depolarization of mitochondria

Bafilomycin A1 (Baf) induces an elevation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ and acidification in neuronal cells via inhibition of the V-ATPase. Also, Baf uncouples mitochondria in differentiated PC12 (_dPC12), _dSH-SY5Y cells and cerebellar granule neurons, and markedly elevates their respiration. This respiratory response in _dPC12 is accompanied by morphological changes in the mitochondria and decreases the mitochondrial pH, Ca²⁺ and ΔΨm. The response to Baf is regulated by cytosolic Ca²⁺ fluxes from the endoplasmic reticulum. Inhibition of permeability transition pore opening increases the depolarizing effect of Baf on the ΔΨm. Baf induces stochastic flickering of the ΔΨm with a period of 20 ± 10 s. Under conditions of suppressed ATP production by glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation impaired by Baf does not provide cells with sufficient ATP levels. Cells treated with Baf become more susceptible to excitation with KCl. Such mitochondrial uncoupling may play a role in a number of (patho)physiological conditions induced by Baf.     

A closely packed system of low-mass, low-density planets transiting Kepler-11

When an extrasolar planet passes in front of (transits) its star, its radius can be measured from the decrease in starlight and its orbital period from the time between transits. Multiple planets transiting the same star reveal much more: period ratios determine stability and dynamics, mutual gravitational interactions reflect planet masses and orbital shapes, and the fraction of transiting planets observed as multiples has implications for the planarity of planetary systems. But few stars have more than one known transiting planet, and none has more than three. Here we report Kepler spacecraft observations of a single Sun-like star, which we call Kepler-11, that reveal six transiting planets, five with orbital periods between 10 and 47?days and a sixth planet with a longer period. The five inner planets are among the smallest for which mass and size have both been measured, and these measurements imply substantial envelopes of light gases. The degree of coplanarity and proximity of the planetary orbits imply energy dissipation near the end of planet formation.     

Consequences of climate change on the tree of life in Europe

Many species are projected to become vulnerable to twenty-first-century climate changes, with consequent effects on the tree of life. If losses were not randomly distributed across the tree of life, climate change could lead to a disproportionate loss of evolutionary history. Here we estimate the consequences of climate change on the phylogenetic diversities of plant, bird and mammal assemblages across Europe. Using a consensus across ensembles of forecasts for 2020, 2050 and 2080 and high-resolution phylogenetic trees, we show that species vulnerability to climate change clusters weakly across phylogenies. Such phylogenetic signal in species vulnerabilities does not lead to higher loss of evolutionary history than expected with a model of random extinctions. This is because vulnerable species have neither fewer nor closer relatives than the remaining clades. Reductions in phylogenetic diversity will be greater in southern Europe, and gains are expected in regions of high latitude or altitude. However, losses will not be offset by gains and the tree of life faces a trend towards homogenization across the continent.