A Response Surface Methodology Approach to Improve Adhesive Bonding of Pulsed Laser Treated CFRP Composites.

In this work, a response surface-designed experiment approach was used to determine the optimal settings of laser treatment as a method of surface preparation for CFRP prior to bonding. A nanosecond pulsed Ytterbium-doped-fiber laser source was used in combination with a scanning system. A Face-centered Central Composite Design was used to model the tensile shear strength (TSS) of adhesive bonded joints and investigate the effects of varying three parameters, namely, power, pitch, and lateral overlap.

IVF cycle cost estimation using Activity Based Costing and Monte Carlo simulation.

The Authors present a new methodological approach in stochastic regime to determine the actual costs of an healthcare process. The paper specifically shows the application of the methodology for the determination of the cost of an Assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment in Italy. The reason of this research comes from the fact that deterministic regime is inadequate to implement an accurate estimate of the cost of this particular treatment.