Sir H, ''so as to,'' ''so that,'' ''nevertheless,'' ''no matter,'' ''so as to,'' ''notwithstanding'' and ''such as'' all are grammatical devices that can be used in English written works to connect ideas between sentences or even between paragraphs. The first two--so that and nevertheless--better known as ''subordinating conjuctions,'' are more remarkable and, unlike others, always they're followed by a complete clause in construction, rather than a single word or a phrase.
Now let's have a look at each of them and analyze on how they are precisely utilized. ''So as to'' and ''so that'' falls under the group of causal transitions and can both be used to convey a sense of purpose as in ''I've furnished the house with new furniture so that it may look attractive'' or ''Our teacher has given us an English exam so as to test our understanding.'' (Note that in the ''so that'' sentence, the conjunction has been followed by a complete clause ''It may look attractive,'' a condition necessary for such constructions.)
''Nevertheless,'' another subordinating conjunction, and ''notwithstanding,'' an adverb, can interchangeably be used to express a sense of concession in an almost the same way as other adversative transitions ''nonetheless,'' ''although'' ''despite,'' ''in spite of'' or ''even though.'' Examples of such sentences: ''There was a heavy rain on that day; nevertheless, the game went on'' or ''The game went on notwithstanding the heavy rain.''
Next, ''such as'' is known as an additive transition and correctly used to introduce other word or words for the sake of giving clarification to the sentence as in ''Third Word countries, such as Kenya and Tanzania, always fall behind in their efforts to give their people good health services.''
Finally, ''no matter'' is employed in its perfect meaning when showing that something mentioned earlier is not that significant or might not pose any difficulty as, for instance, if you're in a hotel and the waiter says the food you've ordered is finished, you can reply to him or her ''No matter, I'll have any other available food.''
I hope I've managed to some extent to alleviate your confusion regarding those transition words and phrases. I must, however, tell you that the subject of proper usage of such devices is very extensive and equally crucial to the expansion of the grammar grasp. So, for the advantage of acquiring a greater comprehension on the matter, I suggest you visit and learn from as many various English language resources as possible
