Showing papers by "Ford Motor Company published in 2006"

Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume IV – gas phase reactions of organic halogen species

Abstract: This article, the fourth in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data sheets evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of organic halogen species, which were last published in 1997, and were updated on the IUPAC website in 2006/07. The article consists of a summary sheet, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and four appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made.

Natural-fiber-reinforced polymer composites in automotive applications

Abstract: In the past decade, natural-fiber composites with thermoplastic and thermoset matrices have been embraced by European car manufacturers and suppliers for door panels, seat backs, headliners, package trays, dashboards, and interior parts. Natural fibers such as kenaf, hemp, flax, jute, and sisal offer such benefits as reductions in weight, cost, and CO2, less reliance on foreign oil sources, and recyclability. However, several major technical considerations must be addressed before the engineering, scientific, and commercial communities gain the confidence to enable wide-scale acceptance, particularly in exterior parts where a Class A surface finish is required. Challenges include the homogenization of the fiber's properties and a full understanding of the degree of polymerization and crystallization, adhesion between the fiber and matrix, moisture repellence, and flame-retardant properties, to name but a few.

On-road vehicle detection: a review

Abstract: Developing on-board automotive driver assistance systems aiming to alert drivers about driving environments, and possible collision with other vehicles has attracted a lot of attention lately. In these systems, robust and reliable vehicle detection is a critical step. This paper presents a review of recent vision-based on-road vehicle detection systems. Our focus is on systems where the camera is mounted on the vehicle rather than being fixed such as in traffic/driveway monitoring systems. First, we discuss the problem of on-road vehicle detection using optical sensors followed by a brief review of intelligent vehicle research worldwide. Then, we discuss active and passive sensors to set the stage for vision-based vehicle detection. Methods aiming to quickly hypothesize the location of vehicles in an image as well as to verify the hypothesized locations are reviewed next. Integrating detection with tracking is also reviewed to illustrate the benefits of exploiting temporal continuity for vehicle detection. Finally, we present a critical overview of the methods discussed, we assess their potential for future deployment, and we present directions for future research.

Constant boost control of the Z-source inverter to minimize current ripple and voltage stress

Abstract: This paper proposes two constant boost-control methods for the Z-source inverter, which can obtain maximum voltage gain at any given modulation index without producing any low-frequency ripple that is related to the output frequency and minimize the voltage stress at the same time. Thus, the Z-network requirement will be independent of the output frequency and determined only by the switching frequency. The relationship of voltage gain to modulation index is analyzed in detail and verified by simulation and experiments.

The Vast Majority of CLA+ T Cells Are Resident in Normal Skin

Abstract: There are T cells within normal, noninflamed skin that most likely conduct immunosurveillance and are implicated in the development of psoriasis. We isolated T cells from normal human skin using both established and novel methods. Skin resident T cells expressed high levels of CLA, CCR4, and CCR6, and a subset expressed CCR8 and CXCR6. Skin T cells had a remarkably diverse TCR repertoire and were mostly Th1 memory effector cells with smaller subsets of central memory, Th2, and functional T regulatory cells. We isolated a surprising number of nonexpanded T cells from normal skin. To validate this finding, we counted T cells in sections of normal skin and determined that there are approximately 1 x 10(6) T cells/cm(2) normal skin and an estimated 2 x 10(10) T cells in the entire skin surface, nearly twice the number of T cells in the circulation. Moreover, we estimate that 98% of CLA(+) effector memory T cells are resident in normal skin under resting conditions. These findings demonstrate that there is a large pool of memory T cells in normal skin that can initiate and perpetuate immune reactions in the absence of T cell recruitment from the blood.

The Toyota Way in Services: The Case of Lean Product Development

Abstract: Executive Overview Toyota's Production System (TPS) is based on “lean” principles including a focus on the customer, continual improvement and quality through waste reduction, and tightly integrated upstream and downstream processes as part of a lean value chain. Most manufacturing companies have adopted some type of “lean initiative,” and the lean movement recently has gone beyond the shop floor to white-collar offices and is even spreading to service industries. Unfortunately, most of these efforts represent limited, piecemeal approaches—quick fixes to reduce lead time and costs and to increase quality—that almost never create a true learning culture. We outline and illustrate the management principles of TPS that can be applied beyond manufacturing to any technical or service process. It is a true systems approach that effectively integrates people, processes, and technology—one that must be adopted as a continual, comprehensive, and coordinated effort for change and learning across the organization.

$Z$ -Source Inverter for Residential Photovoltaic Systems

Abstract: This paper proposes a Z-source inverter system for a split-phase grid-connected photovoltaic system. The operation principle, control method, and characteristics of the system are presented. A comparison between the new and traditional system configurations is performed. Simulation and experimental results are also shown to verify the proposed circuit and analysis

Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and MMP9 Secreted by Erythropoietin-Activated Endothelial Cells Promote Neural Progenitor Cell Migration

Abstract: We investigated the hypothesis that endothelial cells activated by erythropoietin (EPO) promote the migration of neuroblasts. This hypothesis is based on observations in vivo that treatment of focal cerebral ischemia with EPO enhances the migration of neuroblasts to the ischemic boundary, a site containing activated endothelial cells and angiogenic microvasculature. To model the microenvironment within the ischemic boundary zone, we used a coculture system of mouse brain endothelial cells (MBECs) and neural progenitor cells derived from the subventricular zone of the adult mouse. Treatment of MBECs with recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) significantly increased secretion of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and MMP9. rhEPO-treated MBEC supernatant as conditioned medium significantly increased the migration of neural progenitor cells. Application of an MMP inhibitor abolished the supernatant-enhanced migration. Incubation of neurospheres alone with rhEPO failed to increase progenitor cell migration. rhEPO activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in MBECs. Selective inhibition of the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways significantly attenuated the rhEPO-induced MMP2 and MMP9, which suppressed neural progenitor cell migration promoted by the rhEPO-activated MBECs. Collectively, our data show that rhEPO-activated endothelial cells enhance neural progenitor cell migration by secreting MMP2 and MMP9 via the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. These data demonstrate that activated endothelial cells can promote neural progenitor cell migration, and provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the attraction of newly generated neurons to injured areas in brain.

An MPC/hybrid system approach to traction control

Abstract: This paper describes a hybrid model and a model predictive control (MPC) strategy for solving a traction control problem. The problem is tackled in a systematic way from modeling to control synthesis and implementation. The model is described first in the Hybrid Systems Description Language to obtain a mixed-logical dynamical (MLD) hybrid model of the open-loop system. For the resulting MLD model, we design a receding horizon finite-time optimal controller. The resulting optimal controller is converted to its equivalent piecewise affine form by employing multiparametric programming techniques, and finally experimentally tested on a car prototype. Experiments show that good and robust performance is achieved in a limited development time by avoiding the design of ad hoc supervisory and logical constructs usually required by controllers developed according to standard techniques.

Validation of a New Model-Based Tracking Technique for Measuring Three-Dimensional, In Vivo Glenohumeral Joint Kinematics

Abstract: Shoulder motion is complex and significant research efforts have focused on measuring glenohumeral joint motion. Unfortunately, conventional motion measurement techniques are unable to measure glenohumeral joint kinematics during dynamic shoulder motion to clinically significant levels of accuracy. The purpose of this study was to validate the accuracy of a new model-based tracking technique for measuring three-dimensional, in vivo glenohumeral joint kinematics. We have developed a model-based tracking technique for accurately measuring in vivo joint motion from biplane radiographic images that tracks the position of bones based on their three-dimensional shape and texture. To validate this technique, we implanted tantalum beads into the humerus and scapula of both shoulders from three cadaver specimens and then recorded biplane radiographic images of the shoulder while manually moving each specimen's arm. The position of the humerus and scapula were measured using the model-based tracking system and with a previously validated dynamic radiostereometric analysis (RSA) technique. Accuracy was reported in terms of measurement bias, measurement precision, and overall dynamic accuracy by comparing the model-based tracking results to the dynamic RSA results. The model-based tracking technique produced results that were in excellent agreement with the RSA technique. Measurement bias ranged from -0.126 to 0.199 mm for the scapula and ranged from -0.022 to 0.079 mm for the humerus. Dynamic measurement precision was better than 0.130 mm for the scapula and 0.095 mm for the humerus. Overall dynamic accuracy indicated that rms errors in any one direction were less than 0.385 mm for the scapula and less than 0.374 mm for the humerus. These errors correspond to rotational inaccuracies of approximately 0.25 deg for the scapula and 0.47 deg for the humerus. This new model-based tracking approach represents a non-invasive technique for accurately measuring dynamic glenohumeral joint motion under in vivo conditions. The model-based technique achieves accuracy levels that far surpass all previously reported non-invasive techniques for measuring in vivo glenohumeral joint motion. This technique is supported by a rigorous validation study that provides a realistic simulation of in vivo conditions and we fully expect to achieve these levels of accuracy with in vivo human testing. Future research will use this technique to analyze shoulder motion under a variety of testing conditions and to investigate the effects of conservative and surgical treatment of rotator cuff tears on dynamic joint stability.

Activated protein C inhibits tissue plasminogen activator-induced brain hemorrhage.

Abstract: Brain hemorrhage is a serious complication of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy for ischemic stroke. Here we report that activated protein C (APC), a plasma serine protease with systemic anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activities, and direct vasculoprotective and neuroprotective activities, blocks tPA-mediated brain hemorrhage after transient brain ischemia and embolic stroke in rodents. We show that APC inhibits a pro-hemorrhagic tPA-induced, NF-kappaB-dependent matrix metalloproteinase-9 pathway in ischemic brain endothelium in vivo and in vitro by acting through protease-activated receptor 1. The present findings suggest that APC may improve thrombolytic therapy for stroke, in part, by reducing tPA-mediated hemorrhage.

Method and System to Facilitate Interaction Between and Content Delivery To Users of a Wireless Communications Network

Abstract: A system and method of creating affinity groups of portable communication device users, and distributing targeted content to said users is disclosed. The user affinity groups may be formed by comparing user profiles with each other or with a predefined affinity group profile definition.

Integrated computational materials engineering: A new paradigm for the global materials profession

Abstract: Integrated computational materials engineering is a field of study whose time has come. It promises to link manufacturing and design via advanced materials models in a seamless, integrated computational environment. The feasibility of ICME and its benefits have been demonstrated by several projects that have developed methods which are in use in the aerospace and automotive industries. To fully realize the potential of ICME, anumber of technical, cultural, and organizational challenges have been identified and must be overcome.

Under the Weather: Health, Schooling, and Socioeconomic Consequences of Early-Life Rainfall

Abstract: How sensitive is long-run individual well-being to environmental conditions early in life? This paper examines the effect of weather conditions around the time of birth on the health, education, and socioeconomic outcomes of Indonesian adults born between 1953 and 1974. We link historical rainfall for each individual's birth year and birth location with current adult outcomes from the 2000 wave of the Indonesia Family Life Survey. Higher early-life rainfall has large positive effects on the adult outcomes of women, but not of men. Women with 20% higher rainfall in their year and location of birth attain 0.14 centimeters greater height, finish 0.15 more years of schooling, live in households with 5.2% higher expenditures per capita, and have spouses with 5.1% higher earnings. These patterns most plausibly reflect a positive impact of rainfall on agricultural output, leading to higher household incomes and better health for infant girls. We present suggestive evidence that eventual benefits for adult women's socioeconomic status are mediated by improved schooling attainment, which leads to higher spousal quality, which in turn improves socioeconomic status. Adult women's education and health do not appear to have direct effects on their socioeconomic status apart from indirect effects via spousal quality.

Neurorestorative treatment of stroke: Cell and pharmacological approaches

Abstract: There is a compelling need to develop cell and pharmacological therapeutic approaches to be administered beyond the hyperacute phase of stroke. These therapies capitalize on the capacity of the brain for neuroregeneration and neuroplasticity and are designed to reduce neurological deficits after stroke. This review provides an update of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and select pharmacological agents in clinical use for other indications that promote the recovery process in the subacute and chronic phases after stroke. Among these agents are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins), erythropoietin (EPO), and phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors and nitric oxide (NO) donors. Both the MSCs and the pharmacologic agents potentiate brain plasticity and neurobehavioral recovery after stroke.

Hybrid model predictive control application towards optimal semi-active suspension

Abstract: The optimal control problem of a quarter-car semi-active suspension has been studied in the past. Considering that a quarter-car semi-active suspension can either be modelled as a linear system with state dependent constraint on control (of actuator force) input, or a bi-linear system with a control (of variable damping coefficient) saturation, the seemingly simple problem poses several interesting questions and challenges. Does the saturated version of the optimal control law derived from the corresponding un-constrained system, i.e. “clipped-optimal”, remain optimal for the constrained case as suggested in some previous publications? Or should the optimal deviate from the “clipped-optimal” as suggested in other publications? If the optimal control law of the constrained system does deviate from its unconstrained counter-part, how different are they? What is the structure of the optimal control law? Does it retain the linear state feedback form (as the unconstrained case)? In this paper, we attempt to an...

Development of numerical models for injury biomechanics research: a review of 50 years of publications in the Stapp Car Crash Conference.

Abstract: Numerical analyses frequently accompany experimental investigations that study injury biomechanics and improvements in automotive safety. Limited by computational speed, earlier mathematical models tended to simplify the system under study so that a set of differential equations could be written and solved. Advances in computing technology and analysis software have enabled the development of many sophisticated models that have the potential to provide a more comprehensive understanding of human impact response, injury mechanisms, and tolerance. In this article, 50 years of publications on numerical modeling published in the Stapp Car Crash Conference Proceedings and Journal were reviewed. These models were based on: (a) author-developed equations and software, (b) public and commercially available programs to solve rigid body dynamic models (such as MVMA2D, CAL3D or ATB, and MADYMO), and (c) finite element models. A clear trend that can be observed is the increasing use of the finite element method for model development. A review of these modeling papers clearly indicates the progression of the state-of-the-art in computational methods and technologies in injury biomechanics.

A fresh look at the reliability of long-term digital storage

Abstract: Emerging Web services, such as email, photo sharing, and web site archives, must preserve large volumes of quickly accessible data indefinitely into the future. The costs of doing so often determine whether the service is economically viable. We make the case that these applications' demands on large scale storage systems over long time horizons require us to reevaluate traditional system designs. We examine threats to long-lived data from an end-to-end perspective, taking into account not just hardware and software faults but also faults due to humans and organizations. We present a simple model of long-term storage failures that helps us reason about various strategies for addressing some of these threats. Using this model we show that the most important strategies for increasing the reliability of long-term storage are detecting latent faults quickly, automating fault repair to make it cheaper and faster, and increasing the independence of data replicas.

The Efficacy and Safety of Armodafinil as Treatment for Adults With Excessive Sleepiness Associated With Narcolepsy

Abstract: Objective: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of armodafinil, the longer half-life enantiomer of modafinil, for the treatment of excessive sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy.Research design and methods: This was a multicenter double-blind study with 196 patients (aged 18–65 years) randomized to receive armodafinil 150 mg (n = 65), armodafinil 250 mg (n = 67), or placebo (n = 64) once daily for 12 weeks.Main outcome measures: Efficacy was assessed using the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) (six 20‐min subtests across the day), the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI-C), subjective measures of sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), patient diaries, and evaluations of cognitive performance (Cognitive Drug Research) and fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory).Results: Armodafinil significantly increased MWT mean sleep latency (at 0900–1500) compared with placebo. The mean change from baseline at final visit for armodafinil was an increase of 1.3, 2.6, and 1.9 min in the 150‐mg, 250‐m...

Extremum seeking methods for optimization of variable cam timing engine operation

Abstract: Automotive engines have been increasingly equipped with devices that can vary engine parameters with operating conditions. Optimizing these parameters via standard engine mapping and calibration has become a very time consuming task. The specific problem under consideration in this paper is optimization of intake, exhaust, and spark timings to improve the brake specific fuel consumption of a dual-independent variable cam timing engine. We have explored extremum seeking (ES) as a method to find the optimal setting of the parameters. During ES, the engine is running at fixed speed and torque in a dynamometer test cell, while an optimization algorithm is iteratively adjusting the three parameters. For our purposes, we have modified several algorithms available in the literature. The details about the algorithms and the experimental results they produced are presented and discussed in the paper.

Phase Current Reconstruction for AC Motor Drives Using a DC Link Single Current Sensor and Measurement Voltage Vectors

Abstract: Three-phase current measurement using only a single current sensor in the inverter dc link is appealing for ac motor drives because it minimizes the number of current sensors, thereby reducing sensor cost, weight, and volume. However, the basic dc link single current sensor technique poses special challenges because the duration of the active voltage vectors must be long enough to measure the dc link current reliably during every pulsewidth modulation switching interval. A new single current sensor algorithm for reconstructing the phase currents called the measurement vector insertion method (MVIM) is presented that overcomes this problem using active voltage vectors that are applied for brief measurement intervals only when needed during each fundamental frequency cycle. The insertion of measurement vectors makes it possible to reconstruct the output phase currents with minimum impact on the machine's performance and operating envelope. A combination of analytical and experimental results is provided to confirm that the MVIM algorithm offers attractive phase current reconstruction performance in comparison to alternative dc link single current sensor algorithms

Bone marrow stromal cells reduce axonal loss in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice

Abstract: We investigated the ability of human bone marrow stromal cell (hBMSC) treatment to reduce axonal loss in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice. EAE was induced in SJL/J mice by injection with proteolipid protein (PLP). Mice were injected intravenously with hBMSCs or PBS on the day of clinical onset, and neurological function was measured daily (score 0–5) until 45 weeks after onset. Mice were sacrificed at week 1, 10, 20, 34, and 45 after clinical onset. Bielshowsky silver was used to identify axons. Immunohistochemistry was performed to measure the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) and MAB1281, a marker of hBMSCs. hBMSC treatment significantly reduced the mortality, the disease severity, and the number of relapses in EAE mice compared with PBS treatment. Axonal density and NGF+ cells in the EAE brain were significantly increased in the hBMSC group compared with the PBS group at 1, 10, 20, 34, and 45 weeks. Disease severity was significantly correlated with decreased axonal density and decreased NGF, and increased axonal density was significantly correlated with reduced loss of NGF expression after hBMSC treatment. Most of the NGF+ cells are brain parenchymal cells. Under 5% of MAB1281+ cells colocalized with NG2+, a marker of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Nearly 10% of MAB1281+ cells colocalized with GFAP, a marker of astrocytes, and MAP-2, a marker of neurons. Our findings indicate that hBMSCs improve functional recovery and may provide a potential therapy aimed at axonal protection in EAE mice, in which NGF may play a vital role. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.