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• Type synthesis method is proposed based on an additive-then-subtractive design strategy. • Deployable polyhedral mechanisms with radially reciprocating motion are constructed. • DOF of the deployable mechanism is verified by screw theory and line geometry. • The kinematic analysis of the proposed deployable mechanism is carried out. • Applications show that the method is suitable for the design of the aimed mechanisms. This paper is to deal with the mechanism design problem for constructing deployable polyhedral mechanisms on the basis of novel basic units with an additive-then-subtractive design strategy. The aimed deployable polyhedral mechanisms can be, but are not limited to, Platonic and Archimedean solids. The basic units involved in the type synthesis process refer to one-degree-of-freedom regular polygonal prisms, whose deployable performance has been already proven to be excellent. To show the procedure of the type synthesis method, the case study on a deployable regular-tetrahedron mechanism is presented as a design example. The mobility properties of the proposed deployable regular-tetrahedron mechanism are then confirmed with the combination of screw theory and line geometry. In addition, the kinematic model is presented to study the deployable performance of deployable polyhedral mechanisms. By adopting the proposed type synthesis method, novel deployable Platonic and Archimedean polyhedral mechanisms are proposed with wider-margin radially reciprocating motion. This work not only provides the design and analysis method but also contributes new types of mechanisms, hoping to have a reference for the research of deployable polyhedral mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new single-phase cascaded multilevel inverter is proposed. This structure consists of series connection of proposed basic unit blocks which are built with both unidirectional and bidirectional switches. It can generate only positive Levels at the output. Therefore, an H-bridge is added to the proposed inverter. This inverter is called developed cascaded multilevel inverter. The proposed topology requires lesser number of power switches, drive circuits and dc voltage sources that lead to reduction installation space and cost of the inverter. Thus the simulation has been carried out for various modulation indices using MATLAB/SIMULINK and the results were verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embotelladoras ARCA is a Mexican company dedicated to the production, distribution, and sales of soft drink brands owned by the Coca-Cola Company, ARCA, and third parties. One of the most relevant problems the company faces is how to segment its customers into territories to accommodate the most efficient handling of marketing and distribution decisions. This territory design must also satisfy several planning requirements, such as territory compactness, connectivity, and balancing, and similarity with the existing design. Before 2009, the company planners defined these units based on their experiences, without using quantitative tools, giving more weight to the territory compactness criterion. This method of definition led to a number of undesirable issues, including highly unbalanced territories; that is, the final plans had large disparities in size with respect to both number of customers and total product demand. In this paper, we apply operations research methods to determine configurations of the territorial units that ensure territory balance with respect to both number of customers and total product demand, while complying with other important planning requirements and maximizing territory compactness. Using this methodology has resulted in significant enhancements with respect to the territory imbalance issue while maintaining the level of territory compactness. We also highlight additional benefits of this approach. Embotelladoras ARCA has adopted this proposed tool to make its design decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the present study is to examine the extent and type of individual variation in the way participants in an interactive event, account for their own behavior. Two types of individual variation occur in the event chosen for in-depth analysis: (1) variation in the organization of ongoing behavior due to different mindsets on the part of the participants; (2) variation in the interpretation of aspects of ongoing behavior due to different feeling states on the part of the participants. These two types of individual variation are documented and their significance for understanding interaction, is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proposals on the floor at CIPM are aiming at defining basic units by stipulating a consensus value for a number of fundamental constants. The paper indicates the author's viewpoint about a number of issues that, in his view, should be better understood before such a choice becomes indisputable. They include the count nature of the Avogadro number; the correct expression of its stipulated numerical value; the check for the consistency of the SI system; the shift to the unit of the experimental uncertainty; the loss of the concept of base unit; the possibility of checking the correctness of the future standards; implications for the future reductions in uncertainty; the meaning of 'fundamental' related to the constants; and some lexical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses, adopting the well-known approach of Katz and Mair, the issue of organizational change within Italian political parties since 1990. In addition to an account of trends in membership, local units, finances, staff, and of changes in party statutes, the article aims at testing the widespread view in the literature that organizational resources-hence power-are becoming more and more concentrated in the hands of party and/or parliamentary leaders, and correspondingly that the territorial presence of parties is declining. The analysis of the change over time of Katz and Mair's party organisational 'faces' leads to the confirmation, to a large extent, of the overall hypothesis of a decline of the party at ground level, and a concentration of party resources in the central office, and above all in the party in public office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]